Author: Mohamed Marwen Meddah

Mohamed Marwen Meddah is a Tunisian-Canadian, web aficionado, software engineering leader, blogger, and amateur photographer.

Dimona: The Threat

Dimona, the Israeli nuclear reactor located in the Negev desert is a terror haunting Jordan and Israel’s other neighbouring countries.

The Israelis are aware of the possibility of a meltdown in the Dimona reactor. A meltdown that would affect an area reaching Cyprus and the entire neighboring region. Studies have shown that radioactive substances are leaking from the Dimona reactor, perhaps explaining why rates of cancer have increased among nearby populations, like Tafila City in South Jordan.

What make these concerns pressing are satellite images of the Dimona reactor, which show that its walls have cracks which will cut its age by half.
By continuing to maintain and operate Dimona reactor, Israel is committing a crime against humanity that will be added to the atrocities it perpetrated along its history.

In fact, Israel is least threatened by Dimona, having its population living in the north far from the reactor. 95% of the wind direction in Palestine is northwesterly, away from the Israeli localities, but towards Jordan and Palestine.

As for the waste products resulting from nuclear enrichment operations in Dimona reactor, it’s buried in areas near the Palestinian Authority controlled territories, as well as Jordanian and Egyptian ones, especially in those areas where the flow of aquifer water and direction of the wind is not in Israel’s favor.

Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli nuclear scientist and whistle-blower, said in an interview last week in the London-based Al Wassat weekly magazine that Jordan should test residents in areas across the border from Dimona to be sure they have not already been exposed to radiation.

The Israeli nuclear scientist told the magazine, which is published by Al Hayat newspaper, that Dimona’s “chimneys do not operate unless wind blows in the direction of Jordan.”

Jordan, he said, must distribute anti-radiation pills to its citizens, like Israel promised to do for residents living near its two nuclear reactors in Dimona and Arad.

Anyway, the Jordanian government says that “The kingdom is free of radiation”, although numbers continue to show a high incidence of cancer especially in the southern areas close to Israel.

Numbers show that for every 100,000 people in Jordan, there are 126 males and 117 females afflicted with cancer.

It seems human life doesn’t mean much anymore these days.

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The Truman Show

Yesterday, I got to watch The Truman Show again. This movie has to be one of my favourite movies because I really relate to it.

When I was a child, while other children were worrying about the idea that they could be adopted children, I went a bit further 😛
Not only did I worry that I could be adopted, I also worried that my whole life was an act that the whole world was watching.
I suspected that everyone around me was acting and that all the travels we travelled were in the same place with only the sets changing.

Yeah, weird for a child to think that way, but well I did, lol.

Anyway, using logicical thinking, I came to a conclusion that it was not an act. I looked like my parents so there was a big possibility I was their child, and well It was impossible for anyone to change the sets and create a whole other country that fast 😛

So that stage didn’t last for too long fortunately. But still when I watched The Truman Show for the first time, I remembered it and I related to the character.

It’s like it’s a movie out of my imagination. That’s why I love it.

Tina Arena DVD

A couple of days ago, I got a paper from the post office telling me I had something to pick up from there. I wasn’t really expecting anything so I got curious about what it could be and kept trying to convince myself it wasn’t another bullshit magazine from Oracle 😛

So, on my way to work this morning, I passed by the post office to pick it up. And well, what a pleasant surprise it was.

My French friend Jean-Fran

Swimming Pool Memories

Yesterday, my wife and I were talking about a friend of mine when I mentioned how his job sent him for a whole week to stay at the 4 star Marhaba hotel in the Al Kantaoui touristic area in Sousse.
This triggered an old memory of mine that is related to this hotel.

I remember when I was a kid, for a couple of years, we went and rented one of those touristic appartments at the Al Kantaoui port and spent the summer vacation there.
I loved it, and I love Al Kantaoui to this very day, it’s a really cool place.

I’d spend most of the day at the beach and most of the night out with one of my uncles or the family. It was so much fun.

Anyway, I also used to sneak in to Marhaba hotel to swim in their cool swimming pool 😛
And my youngest uncle used to to try to do the same too.

So, I remember one day, we were swimming in the pool when I spotted one of the hotel people coming our way. So I swam away from my uncle as if I never ever saw the guy in my entire life and I acted like all was good and normal 😛
The guy came up to my uncle and started talking to him. My uncle spoke in French in an attempt to make the guy think he’s a tourist, but well he was too tanned and looked too Tunisian to convince, and they told him to leave.

Then the guy headed over to me. Of course, I’m still swimming and acting like I don’t know who that guy they just kicked out is, and like life couldn’t be better.
So, he comes up to me and starts talking to me in Arabic. What I do is I start talking to him in English telling him I don’t understand what he’s saying and asking if there is a problem. Now with my good English, my white skin and my not-so-Tunisian looks, the guy freaks out and thinks he screwed up and made a mistake. He tells me he’s sorry and leaves.
And I get the last laugh, lol…

I did that a number of times as a kid.
I don’t know why I bothered as I’m not really a pool person, I’d rather swim in the sea any day.
But I guess I just did it because I wasn’t supposed to and because I could 😉
Oh well, you know teenagers and all their raging personality proving thingies, lol.

Some Arab Wisdom

Here is a number of wise Arab proverbs I came across that I thought I’d share here.

– Believe what you see and lay aside what you hear.

– A known mistake is better than an unknown truth.

– Call someone your lord and he’ll sell you in the slave market.

– The fool has his answer on the tip of his tongue.

– The wound that bleedeth inwardly is the most dangerous.

– The wound of words is worse than the wound of swords.

– A house divided cannot stand.

– Seek counsel of him who makes you weep, and not of him who makes you laugh.

– Only the tent pitched by your own hands will stand.

– Ask the experienced rather than the learned.

– Think of the going out before you enter.

Radio

Last night, I got to see a great movie called “Radio” starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris. It’s inspired from a true story and what a truly beautiful story it is.

Both Cuba and Ed did a wonderful job on this movie, they were amazing. I’m talking real Oscar level acting here.

Cuba plays the role of Radio, a mentally retarded guy who used to waste his whole day wandering around with a shopping cart full of his stuff until Ed Harris’ character (a football coach) takes him in to help him with the team, changing both their lives forever.

In the end of the movie they actually put some footage of the real life characters who inspired the movie, which convinced me even more of the great acting that the two lead actors gave.

This movie is so heart-warming and sweet, I think it is totally a must-see.

Floating…

Floating in the sea
Lying on my back
My eyes are shut
The cool deep waters carry me
The tidal waves caress my body
The peaceful silence soothes my soul

This moment is perfect
The world around me ceases to exist
No more responsibilites, no more troubles
No more complexity, no more madness
Nothing exists anymore
Everything melts into the vastness of the sea
And everything is what I imagine it to be
I don’t exist anymore
I’m just another tiny part of it all
I’m part of nature
And nature is part of me
This is where I belong
This is my peace of my mind

But unfortunately I know it won’t last long
It’ll all be over when I open my eyes again
The world will come back with all it’s craziness
I’ll be sucked back into the storm of life
That’s how it always is

I wish I didn’t have to open my eyes
I wish I could float like this forever

Sonia M’barek Concert

Last night we had the great pleasure of attending Sonia M’barek’s concert in the Hammamet Festival.
We got invitations to the concert through my aunt, whose husband Hammadi Ben Othman composed most of Sonia’s new songs and who was leading the orchestra at the concert.

Sonia M’barek isn’t really well known outside of Tunisia, but she sure as hell should be.
She’s one of the greatest Arab women singers of our time. I actually put her up there with people like Majda El Roumi and Feirooz.

Attending her concert yesterday was truly a great pleasure.
The lyrics were wonderful, the music magical and her voice was so beautiful, pure and strong.
Listening to people like this performing lyrics like this to music like this is really what ears were created for.

She’s very classy, and her audience are tasteful classy people too.
The amphitheatre wasn’t packed like it would be in other concerts for pop artists, but the people who were there were real music lovers and people who appreciated true art.

She doesn’t have to strip down to as little clothes as possible or dance around like a mad person to capture her audiences’ attention. Her amazing voice, awesome live performance, high class and pure un-plastified beauty are enough to do that and lift her audience to the skies she’s soaring to with her performance.

As I already mentioned, the music was great. It was Arabic music that certainly showed the Tunisian flavor in it and some of it’s Andalusian origins.
The lyrics were beautiful too, most of them written by the Tunisian poet Mohamed Boudheena. The concert was dedicated to his soul as he passed away earlier this year.

To not make it any longer. The concert was super great, we truly enjoyed it and had so much fun. I’m buying her album as soon as I can. And I advise anyone who really appreciates great music to check her out. She truly rocks big time.
She is undoubtedly THE Tunisian Diva.