Sugar Mouse In The Rain

This Is The End

2008-10-13T17:00:00.001+02:00

After more than a year of blogging and almost another year of suspension, I decided to end this blog. This is the last post and the blog will be unavailable shortly. Thanks to all who have participated by commenting, providing feedback or help. You can reach me at sugarmouseintherain [at] gmail [dot] com.

Transmission Suspended

2007-11-07T00:01:00.000+02:00

Photo credit: CinemaCowGirl

This is to announce that I decided to suspend this blog. I am not sure if or when I'll be blogging again. Unfortunately, I don't know all of you, so if you want to be notified when I resume, please send your address to sugarmouseintherain [at] gmail [dot] com.

Achieving Your Dreams and Enabling the Dreams of Others

2007-11-04T23:48:00.000+02:00

Watch this dying 47-year-old professor giving an exuberant �??Last Lecture�?? about achieving your dreams and enabling others to achieve theirs. It's a long lecture but it is really worth it, and you might want to watch it on Google's video so that you can make it larger.

Interview with Bob

2007-10-26T11:08:00.000+02:00

Introduction

Bob Leckridge is a fellow blogger, a Scotsman, and as I would like to call him, "a doctor who cares." Bob is not just an experienced doctor and a specialist in Homeopathy, he is the kind of doctor who regards his patients as human beings and not as mere cases. He is the kind of doctor who listens very well; the kind you'd really like to talk to when you have any health-related problem. He blogs at Heroes Not Zombies, mainly about health. He approaches health from a philosophical, human, historical and scientific points of view. Go check his blog and check his photos too at Flickr. They are very beautiful.

This post started out as a private conversation between Bob and myself. I'd ask him a question about health and he'd answer. It became very interesting so we decided to share it with you. Bob's words are in purple; one of Bob's favorite colors.

Conversation

[Sugar Mouse]: Based on your experience with patients, Bob, do you think that some people really want to be ill? or let me say they don't want to be healed. I read a scientific study on that many years ago and I believe it is true.

[Bob]: Oh yes, this is a situation I'd see frequently. It's a complex one but for me I best understand it by separating the concepts of disease and illness. If we think of disease as the pathology but of illness as the whole person then the idea of illness can only be understood by taking into consideration its contextual and psychological elements - you could argue that illness is a social construct for many people - what I mean by that is that for some people illness gives them a sense of identity that they never had before -"I am a cancer patient" or "I am an MS patient" or whatever- and that identity gives them social connections they never had before --self-help groups, changed interpersonal dynamics and so on (attention, care, love etc). On top of that there are the social consequences of the sick role --financial benefits, escape from work, assistance with housing or living etc. (obviously this all varies a lot depending on the particular society).

So yes you are right, there can be many reasons why a person prefers to not move out of the sick role -and I'm pretty sure chronicity is a major factor- the longer someone is ill, the harder it is to get them out of it. It goes without saying that what I'm referring to here are largely unconscious processes - there are others of course who are doing it all very consciously - people seeking compensation from workplace injuries or accidents for example might be quite conscious of the need to remain sick till the case is won!

And just to complicate things further --illness, like the rest of life, is dynamic and its constantly changing, so the extent to which the factors impacting on a patient keep them stuck in illness changes constantly too - that's why even the most stuck people shouldn't be disregarded. There's always hope in my opinion (right up until there isn't any more!!!)

[Sugar Mouse]: That brings us to love, care, tenderness and attention. I believe that they can help us endure physical pain but can they heal physical wounds and physical illness too?

[Bob]: You know, increasingly I find the division of a human into a body and a mind unhelpful. I've never met a mind without a body and the only bodies I've met without minds are dead ones. Also, I'm not sure there are any wounds that only exist physically. Over the last 20 years or so there's been increasingly large amounts of research conducted into fields such as 'psychoneuroimmunology' and 'psychoneuroendocrinology' . These are studies of the connections between different body systems - the mind, the nervous system and the immune system, or the hormone system. What this work is showing us is that all parts of a person are interconnected and that trauma will impact throughout a person and, conversely, healing will also spread throughout. So, it's not so important whether or not the initial wound is caused by something physical or non-physical. What's more important I think is to prioritise treatment so that the most important wounds are dealt with first --sometimes this means starting with a physical intervention and sometimes a non-physical one.

Love, care, tenderness and attention don't only help us to endure pain, they can be an essential part of healing a body and can even make the difference between life and death.

[Sugar Mouse]: More and more, patients check medical information Online. I personally do so when I am ill and I find it perplexing to differentiate between the terms: medicine, remedy, cure, therapy, treatment, and healing. Please tell us the difference.

[Bob]: These terms are used differently by different people. I guess the important thing is to see them in their context and be clear about their intended use. Some people use medicine as a term to refer to a drug, whilst in other situations it is a term which encompasses the total practice of a doctor. Remedy is a kind of quaint term and isn't used much any more but homeopaths tend to use it to refer to their medicines, so distinguishing them from drugs. I think cure is an easy thing to grasp in acute situations. It's easy to understand what a cure of a broken leg is for example. But in chronic illness, cure is really not a helpful term. I think that means that cure really means the removal of a disease process and in chronic situations that is pretty rare. Therapy can mean any kind of intervention but it tends to be restricted to physical or talking ones - physiotherapy or psychotherapy for example. Treatment tends to mean a course of interventions rather than a single one and in fact often involves a complex of interventions making up a programme. Healing, bizarrely, is not a word you'll find in a medical textbook. Check if you like, but I've never found it yet! Doctors don't talk much about healing and it's acquired a bit of a spiritual connotation. I think that's a shame. Certainly, healing should mean the establishment of health. For me, health is an experience in its own right, it's not the mere absence of disease. Healing is a necessary part of any health care, but in most cases, doctors don't pay attention to what makes a person well, only to what will make the disease less. I think we are in desperate need of good research into healing. What exactly are the processes by which a person gets well, and what interventions can positively aid those processes?

[Sugar Mouse]: Lots of medical information is available Online, it's now a question of who is credible and who is not! Would you give us a list of sites we can trust and refer to for information?

[Bob]: Oh, yes, this is such a problem, isn't it? Well, I'm always dubious of any site that claims it has found the "cure" for anything really. And I am totally suspicious of any site that claims that it's "cure" is suitable for a wide variety of different diseases. I never really trust a site that is selling anything at all (I'm talking about health sites here), though that's probably unfair. However, I would certainly never trust the advice of a single site which is trying to sell you something --you should try and check out their claims.

Web addresses which end ".edu" or ".ac.uk" are academic sites and you can usually trust their information I find, but they tend not to offer advice as such.
Another tip is to check out http://www.hon.ch/HONcode/Conduct.html. This is the Health on The Net Foundation which sets out a code of conduct for websites offering health advice. You can use their criteria to judge any health site.

The power dynamic between doctors and patients is shifting (and a good thing too!) and the great thing about the net is that you can check out a number of different sources and not rely on any one site. I would recommend you check the information in more than one place. I would not only do a search on your diagnosis or treatment using Google, but I'd use Google Scholar too. You can also search blogs and groups to see what other people's experience is, but only to add to the information you've found already.

Finally, what's best really, is to build a relationship with a health care professional you trust and ask for their opinions about information you find on any specific site too.

[Sugar Mouse]: We all go to doctors and most of the time, we are left with the feeling that they didn't listen carefully. What do you think we (as patients) can do to make/help them listen to us? and in general, what do you think we can do to make our experience with doctors much better?

[Bob]: Oh this is such an interesting question. I teach other doctors about consultation skills but I've never really considered how to help patients to take more of a lead and be heard. I think it's such a great idea. Two things happen frequently I find - one is that many patients these days bring a list of points they want to discuss, or questions they want to ask. Almost always they apologise for having done so, but I think it's a great thing to do. In fact, if someone does have a list, or written notes with them I always make sure I ask them if they've covered everything on their list before they leave. The other thing that happens a lot these days is patients arriving with print-outs from web pages or clippings from newspapers or magazines. This can also be a useful device if it's related to specific topics the patient wants to cover.

But aside from these techniques, I'd suggest that you always take some time before going to the doctor to think through the questions you want answers to and even if you don't write them down, make sure that you either get to ask them, or that you tell your doctor you want to ask them so that another visit can be arranged to enable you to do so.

I also think email is great and I give patients my email address and tell them to contact me as much as they like. They often say "Oh no, you'll be inundated with emails" but, you know what, I never am. It think its a great way to keep in touch between visits.

So, in summary, I'd say my best advice would be to be clear about what you want to say and what you want to ask. Don't be afraid to write that down and take your notes with you. If the doctor seems rushed tell him or her about the questions you still want to discuss and ask for another appointment to have the time to do so.

[Sugar Mouse]: Thank you Bob.

What do you think of this conversation? Want more? If you have any questions for Bob please send them to me and I'll do another conversation with him if we have enough interesting material. But, I encourage you first to go check his blog especially if you are interested in health and/or philosophy.

Give

2007-10-20T10:59:00.000+02:00

Bill Clinton wrote a book titled Giving, to encourage everyone to give whatever they can, because everyone can give something, and change the world. The book reveals the extraordinary and innovative efforts now being made by companies, organizations, and individuals, to solve problems and save lives all around the world. Then it urges us to seek out what each of us, �??regardless of income, available time, age and skills,�?? can do to help, to give people a chance to live their dreams.

Let me go with you through the table of contents so you can have a better idea of the book

The Explosion of Private Citizens Doing Public Good
Giving Money
Giving Time
Giving Things
Giving Skills
Gifts of Reconciliation and New Beginnings
Gifts That Keep on Giving
Model Gifts
Giving to Good Ideas
Organizing Markets for the Public Good
Nonprofit Markets Can Be Organized Too
What About Government?
How Much Should You Give and Why?

I bought this book last night, and I started with the introduction then jumped to the last chapter, because it is the most important in my opinion. Without a reason to give, all of this is not going to work.

Why do some people give so much while others give the bare minimum or not at all? I�??ve thought about this a lot, and it seems to me we all give for a combination of reasons, rooted in what we think about the world in which we live and what we think about ourselves. We give because we think it will help people today or give our children a better future; because we feel morally obligated to do so out of religious or ethical convictions; because someone we know and respect asked us; or because we find it more rewarding and more enjoyable than spending more money on material possessions or more time on recreation or work.

When people don�??t give, I think the reasons are simply the reverse. They don�??t believe what they could do would make a difference, either because their resources are limited or they�??re convinced efforts to change other people�??s lives and conditions are futile. They don�??t feel morally obligated to give. No one has ever asked them to do so. And they believe they�??ll enjoy life more if they keep their money and time for themselves and their families.

The book ends with:

Who�??s happier? The uniters or the dividers? The builders or the breakers? The givers or the takers?

I think you know the answer. There�??s a whole world out there that needs you, down the street or across the ocean. Give.

5 Goals for Exploring the Solar System

2007-10-19T13:25:00.000+02:00

Do you know why man explores space? Well, check this wonderful SciAm (Scientific American) page to learn about the 5 Goals for Exploring the Solar System.

Failure of The Waste Management System in Egypt

2007-10-14T07:04:00.000+02:00

Today -the 15th of October- is the first Blog Action Day. This year's topic is the environment, so I'm going to shed some light on a related problem which personally bothers me; the waste management system in Egypt.

Environment-friendly Systems as a Design Problem

Since we are talking about a "system" and its relationship with the environment, let me begin with a relevant and insightful excerpt from John Heskett's Design: A Very Short Introduction.

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing designers, however, is the need for greater compatibility between the artificial systems generated by human creativity and the systems of the biological world, the result of millennia of evolution. If we can understand the nature of systems in terms of how changes in one part have consequences throughout the whole, and how that whole can effect other overlapping systems, there is the possibility at least of reducing some of the more obvious harmful effects. Design could be part of a solution, if appropriate strategies and methodologies were mandated by clients, publics, and governments to address the problems in a fundamental manner. Sadly, one must doubt the ability of economic systems, based on a conviction that the common good is defined by an amalgam of decisions based on individual self-interest, to address these implications of the human capacity to transform our environment. Design, in this sense, is part of the problem. It is a subsystem within wider economic and social systems and does not function independently of these contexts.

Now let's get to the problem.

Background

Since 2003, the Egyptian government handed garbage collection in Cairo, Giza and Alexandria to some private foreign firms. It had been previously collected by the "garbage people" (zabbaleen). The transition was not smooth and created a lot of problems.

The Results

Well, you can tell from the picture below! It was taken in the street where I live, earlier this week. You can see the same on every street in Cairo, Giza and Alexandria. Our streets, are of course then, a very rich environment for rodents, insects, and street dogs and cats.

The Reasons

Here are some of the reasons why the scene above is common:

1 - Not enough garbage containers.
2 - Garbage is not collected on daily basis.
3 - Garbage containers are left uncleaned.
4 - Old garbage containers are not replaced.
5 - Garbage containers are being stolen.
6 - People throw/dump garbage outside garbage containers.
7 - Cleaning and washing tunnels, bridges and streets is never done.
8 - The companies do not provide the door-to-door service they had promised.
9 - Main streets are being cleaned at the expense of the smaller alleys.
10 - The companies complain that there are no enough people to employ.
11 - Zabbaleen are not part of the waste management system. Zabaleen were pushed out of their business in a cruel way, instead of making use of them.
12 - Zabbaleen extract garbage from street containers and leave some unwanted garbage out of the containers. Sometimes they flip the container, spread garbage on the street, sort it out, take what they want and leave the rest.
13 - Lack of awareness programs.

The Solution

I am not optimistic about a solution to this problem, specially if we are going to wait for the government and the waste management companies to act. One of the reasons why I am writing this post is that I am trying to reach out for ideas that we -as individuals- can implement. The only thing that I can think of -and actually do- is not to never ever throw garbage in the street. Please share with your ideas.

References and further probing:

1- "Trashed lives," Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue No. 624.
2- "Cairo cleanup conundrums," Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue No. 661.
3- "Unfinished business," Al-Ahram Weekly, Issue No. 694.
4- "Zabbaleen," Wikipedia.

Dehumanization at Workplace

2007-10-10T02:08:00.000+02:00

I think that professionalism can sometimes be a synonym of dehumanization. A recent study shows that too many (more than one in five items) family photos, kids' artwork, and favorite knickknacks that help personalize an office workplace may reflect poorly on a worker's professional image. This is largely an American phenomenon, which I hope does not spread in offices elsewhere.

If professionalism means one has to conform to some stupid social images and take off one's personality when going to the office, then I'd rather be unprofessional. What do you think?

Photo credits: Bronze Crowd by Chris Inside.

Blog Action Day 2007

2007-10-09T02:19:00.000+02:00

Do you have a blog? Do you care about the environment? Visit blogactionday.org to learn about Blog Action Day 2007.

Kipling's If

2007-10-07T18:08:00.000+02:00

When I first read Kipling's If, I admired, so much, the qualities of the man he describes in his poem. But then I had second thoughts. Read it first:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

What an iron man would that be! I can't imagine a human being with these qualities, I can only imagine a robot. It's not that it is impossible to have all those qualities, but it's ugly to have them all. Read it again, think about it, sleep on it, and let me know what you think.

Goodbye Emile!

2007-10-02T02:38:00.000+02:00

I changed my blog banner! Mainly because Emile (the rodent that used to top my page for the past few weeks) is a property of Disney and I didn't have permission to use it. I think I pushed the copyright laws a little so I wanted to have a substitute. I used Taichi's graphic from his Wedding of The Mouse (an old Japanese tale which you can read here) series, after taking his permission of course.

I also concluded the poll regarding the new blog design and learnt that it was not as successful as I had wished. Hope it looks better with the new banner.

Please let me know what you think of the new banner, and the blog design in general.

Laugh Out Loudly

2007-09-29T00:49:00.000+02:00

I came across this video on YouTube and it really made me laugh out loudly. I hope it makes you laugh too.

Remember when you were so young and everything would interest you? Remember when you were too curios to learn? I would like to develop the same curiosity again for learning.

Thoughtful Reminders

2007-09-28T23:59:00.000+02:00

I've been thinking of a new blog feature for a while, and thought I'd collect some feedback from you before starting it.

It is simply a question. I'd pose a question every now and then to remind you of something important but not necessarily urgent. Let me give you some examples:

- What is the purpose of your existence?
- What are your objectives in Ramadan?
- Do you realize that we are in Autumn? Do you have time to enjoy it?

Think of it as an invitation to think, contemplate, and question yourself. I'd call it "Thoughtful Reminders" to remind you that you have to pause and think about those important things.

Now, how do you think you'd like to access this feature?

- Option # 1: Have it sent to you by e-mail. Then it would only be a special feature for e-mail subscribers.
- Option # 2: Have it posted on the side-bar.
- Option # 3: Have it posted as a regular post.

Let me know what you think of the idea, which of these options you prefer, and if you have a better (or just another) name for this feature.

Photo credits: Ramadan Kareem by Futo*aim.

Seasonal Reminder

2007-09-24T23:19:00.000+02:00

"Have you realized that we are in autumn?
Have you got time to enjoy it?"

Asked my friend on her Flickr page. I wouldn't have realized we are in autumn without this reminder, and I thought I'd pass it around so that all of us would plan some time to enjoy the season.

Autumn usually goes by unnoticed in Egypt. In summer, it is very hot and humid, in spring, it is windy and very dusty, in winter, the weather is lovely and it rarely rains, in autumn, it is still as hot as in summer, and I'd be longing for the winter. That's how I experience the seasons in Cairo; mainly by sensing the temperature.

Autumn reminds me of some wonderful memories of the time I spent in Prague during October 2003. Autumn is very remarkable there, where leaves turn into reddish brown and fall. Well, I can't go there now and the trees in Cairo are always green with layers of dust, but I'll try to think of how am I going to enjoy this autumn. Please share your ideas and let me know how do you experience autumn in your city.

Thank you Lola for the beautiful reminder.

A Very Concerned Question to Salama A. Salama

2007-09-18T23:43:00.000+02:00

"A very concerned question to Mr. Salama A. Salama" was the title of the e-mail I received yesterday from my friend Shahira Samy, a very concerned Egyptian. Mr. Salama A. Salama, received a copy of this e-mail too on his Al-Ahram e-mail address (salama [at] ahram.org.eg), and was -very politely- asked for a clarification.

Shahira wrote:

If, like me, you are a faithful reader of Mr. Salama's column 'Men Qareeb', carry lots of respect for him and believe he is one of the very few columnists and commentators worth reading in Al-Ahram, and in fact in the entire Egyptian press; then maybe you'd like to spend a couple of minutes reading this.

Yesterday, Sunday 16th Sept. 2007, I opened Al-Ahram to read Mr. Salama's column. To my great astonishment, I immediately recognised the thoughts and description, having read them -albeit in English- just a couple of weeks ago. Still amazed by my discovery, I ran to the Internet and retrieved an article written by renowned political scientist, Paul Kennedy, published in the International Herald Tribune on 30 August 2007.

Here are the relevant parts from both articles, I invite you to read them and see for yourselves:

�?�? �?ر�?ب
ب�?�?�?: س�?ا�?ة أح�?د س�?ا�?ة

أ�?�?ار ص�?�?�?ة

أ�?ض�?ت جا�?با �?�? إجازة ا�?ص�?�? �?ع بعض أسرت�? �?�? �?د�?�?ة أ�?ر�?ب�?ة صغ�?رة تط�? �?�? س�?ح ا�?جب�? ع�?�? �?اد صغ�?ر�??,�?? �?غ�?ر�?ا �?د�?ء سابغ �?ا�?�?ح�? بأ�?�?ا �?ا�?ت �?�? ا�?عص�?ر ا�?�?سط�? �?سرحا �?�?عار�? تار�?خ�?ة�??..�?? �?�?ض�? ا�?ش�?�?خ أ�?�?ات�?�? �?�? �?عب ا�?�?ر�? ع�?�? أرص�?ة ا�?�?�?ا�?�?�??,�?? �?تد�? أجراس ا�?�?�?ائس �?�?�?ا عدة �?رات�??.�?? أ�?ا ا�?�?بار �?�?د خرج�?ا �?�? ا�?صباح ا�?با�?ر إ�?�? ا�?ع�?�? �?�? �?زارع ا�?ع�?ب أ�? �?�? ا�?�?صا�?ع ا�?�?ر�?بة�??..�?? �?�?د �?اتر�? ح�?�? تط�? �?�? ا�?شر�?ة غ�?ر أط�?ا�? �?�?عب�?�?�??,�?? أ�? عجائز عائدات �?�? ا�?س�?�?�??.�??

�?ا�?ت تس�?�?ت�? ا�?�?ح�?دة غ�?ر ا�?�?ش�? �?�? ا�?غابات �?ا�?ح�?�?�? ا�?�?ح�?طة�??,�?? أ�? أذ�?ب �?�? صباح إ�?�? ا�?�?حطة �?�? ا�?�?�?دا�? ا�?رئ�?س�? �?�?�?د�?�?ة�??,�?? اشتر�? بعض ا�?صح�? ا�?أج�?ب�?ة �?ا�?ج�?�?س تحت شجرة �?ار�?ة عت�?�?ة�??,�?? أطا�?ع �?ا تح�?�?�? �?�? أخبار�??.�?? �?عظ�?�?ا �?د�?ر ح�?�? �?ا�?جر�? �?�? ا�?�?ص�? ا�?�?ضئ أ�? ا�?�?تحضر �?�? ا�?عا�?�?�??,�?? أ�?ا �?ا �?جر�? �?�? أجزاء أخر�? ت�?ث�? ا�?�?ص�? ا�?�?ظ�?�? ا�?ذ�? تحت�?�? �?�?ط�?ة ا�?شر�? ا�?أ�?سط �?ا�?عا�?�? ا�?عرب�? �?�?ا ت�?ا�? ا�?ت�?ا�?ا �?ذ�?ر�??,�?? إ�?ا إذا �?ا�?ت �?ارثة أ�? �?ذبحة أ�? ا�?�?�?ارا س�?اس�?ا�??.�??

�?�?�?�?�? تع�?د إ�?�? �?شرات ا�?أخبار ا�?ت�?�?�?ز�?�?�?�?ة �?�? ا�?�?ساء �?تجد �?�?س�? أ�?ا�? ص�?ر �?�?�?اظر �?�?زعة�??:�?? ا�?�?جار ا�?تحار�? �?�?ت�? �?ئات �?�? بغداد�??..�?? �?�?ات ا�?احت�?ا�? ا�?اسرائ�?�?�?ة �?حت �?ر�?ة �?�?سط�?�?�?ة �?�? �?ج�? ا�?أرض�??..�?? ا�?�?�?�?جرس ا�?أ�?ر�?�?�? �?�?ر اعت�?ادات ضخ�?ة �?�?�?اص�?ة ا�?حرب �?�? ا�?عرا�?�??..�?? اختطا�? بعثة تبش�?ر�?ة �?�?ر�?ة �?�? أ�?غا�?ستا�?�??..�?? �?ظا�?رات دا�?�?ة �?�?إطاحة ب�?شر�? �?�? با�?ستا�?�??..�?? است�?رار ا�?�?ذابح �?�? دار�?�?ر�??..

Trans-Atlantic Musings
Our twin worlds of Mars and Venus
by Paul Kennedy, Tribune Media Services
Published: August 30, 2007

I do not think I knew the full meaning of the word "surreal" until I took my family for a vacation in the idyllic Italian hill town of Spello, Umbria, this summer.

We lived inside the medieval walls and spent much of the time just sitting on our balcony or in terraced cafés, planning the next meal. Church bells rang frequently, men sat and played cards, old women hobbled up the street carrying the daily groceries, little kids played under the chestnut trees. It was easy to fit into this unhurried, peaceful way of life.

Every morning, however, when I returned from the store with a copy of the International Herald Tribune and sat under those chestnut trees reading it, the surreal feelings returned.

Photos of bombed-out buses in Baghdad and fenced-in areas of Gaza were joined by reports of Russian posturing under the polar ice cap, the U.S. Congress uncritically rubber-stamping enormous defense expenditures and earnest op-eds about whether the U.S. armed forces were or were not winning their wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Here is Paul Kennedy's full article, and we are still waiting for a clarification!

My Blog's New Template

2007-09-18T12:47:00.001+02:00

A couple of days ago, my custom blog template crashed (because some of the style files no longer exists on the server hosting it). I had to change it, and since I had to, I thought I'd move from the classic template I was still using, to the new XML templates.

After trying some custom templates, I resorted to the one I'm using now. It's better in the sense that it's one of those templates provided by Blogger (the washed denim one) and I had to do few customizations.

Concerning the looks, I know that many of you prefer the old template, it looks "more professional," and "had intriguing mystique" as a couple of reader had put it. Those of you who prefer the old template also liked the old (dark) colors and smaller fonts.

On the other side, some of you think the new one is much better, "nicer," "more cheerful," and "refreshing," but there was a concern about the contents; which some readers thought might also change. Well, I have no plans to change the contents in any way.

Technically, I prefer the new template. I also wanted to have a white background, because it's better for the eyes. But I also miss the cat that used to add some depth to the old design.

Nevertheless, I think most of you will agree that Emile (the rodent on top of the page) adds a bit of a twist to the new design. I made use of Disney's rat from the Ratatouille movie. Well, we have a bit in common since I'm a little overweight now, and love most things edible.

Please keep on commenting on the new template and add your votes to the poll on the right side-bar. I'll leave you with Emile's magic trick, watch this:

The Three Filters Test

2007-09-16T12:55:00.000+02:00

I stumbled upon this page, and would like to share it with you because I hope everyone applies the Three Filters Test before talking.

Winged Migration

2007-09-14T04:12:00.000+02:00

Autumn is the season of birds migration. A friend of mine sent me the trailer of Sony's Winged Migration film. The website is full of information about migrating birds.

You can also enjoy the following videos:

The Second Rendezvous of Questions and Question Marks

2007-09-06T01:43:00.000+03:00

Yesterday I had a recurring experience. I prefer to call it an �??experience�?? rather than a �??dream�??. You see, that�??s the problem; I�??m not sure it is a dream.

The Dilemma

I had very vivid �??dreams�??, and while dreaming, I was pretty sure I was awake! I was pretty sure that all what was happening was real. I developed the habit of being aware and questioning my state and that�??s how I sometimes know that I am dreaming. But some other times -today for example- I tricked myself, or to put it in another way, my mind tricked me into believing that what I am experiencing is absolutely real. I wasn�??t flying or doing anything that I can�??t do while I am awake, so you�??d ask, how were you able to differentiate between the two states? Well, I was talking to my sister in one of the states (dreaming be it) and when I moved to the other state she said that this talk never happened.

Two States or One State?

If you are following the rules of physics (you are not flying like a bird for example) in both states, and in both states you are sure that you are aware and awake, then how can you suggest they are two states to begin with?

Well the answer is, reality check. Contradicting evidence (you did something and you didn�??t actually do it) which basically makes you conclude that there are two states, a dream state and an awake state.

But what if you can�??t do this reality check? You can�??t be sure they are two states anymore. In case you dreamed you are doing something on your own and there is no one else to consult! Or worse, how can you be sure that that other person you are checking with is not a product of your own mind?

First Things First

The way out of this dilemma suggests answering the three following philosophical questions in order:

1�?? Since our minds are capable of such wonderful experiences, how can one tell that something exists outside your head? i.e. does the text you are reading now exist outside your brain and is it just one of the simulations?

2- If things exist outside our head, then are they really two states? An awake state and a dreaming state?

3- If the answer to the previous question is true then how can we differentiate between the two states?

This post is part of a series tilted "Rendezvous of Questions and Question Marks."

Poto credits: Chillin' by Ian Sands.

Iran ... Are you Next?

2007-08-30T15:03:00.001+03:00

The United States could deliver a military strike against Iran within the next six months, a former CIA officer told Fox News. Do you think Iran is next?

Last summer (this post is an update for last summer's post discussing the same issue), 12% of you said they are sure about it, 24% thought it is most probable, 52% for not likely, and 12% voted for no.

Well, here is a new poll, vote and add your opinions in the comments section.

Professor Paul Rogers, wrote an interesting paper which �??provides a comprehensive analysis of the likely nature of US or Israeli military action that would be intended to disable Iran's nuclear capabilities.�??

Appended to the paper, a map of the Middle East showing US military locations in the region and the sites of Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran is certainly in a sticky situation, and I hope that Ahmadinijad does not pull it to the same fate Saddam had pulled Iraq to.

This paper is one of the many briefing papers published by Oxford Research Group. Their list of briefing papers deals with nuclear issues all around the world, and some Middle East politics.

They also have a dedicated programme on Iran.

Pointers

2007-08-24T07:36:00.000+03:00

Bob Leckridge drew my attention, in his Noise Kills post, to an interesting article in the Guardian which sheds some light on the dangers of modern life noise. I think it is very important to schedule some time in touch with nature and away from civilization; an escape from our noisy lives, specially in big cities.

Amy, Bob's daughter though, wrote a wonderful post about children. Read it and see what you can learn from babies.

Woman On A Beach

2007-07-31T01:41:00.000+03:00

I developed this sketch while watching the original.

My Pictures of Lyon

2007-07-23T23:13:00.000+03:00

I visited Lyon yesterday. Lovely city; I fell in love with it. I uploaded the pictures to my Flickr account for you to watch: Lyon collection.

You may also like to watch my collection of photos in France, and subscribe to my pictures feed on Flickr to receive updates on new pictures that I continuously upload.

How Do You Break a Bad Mood?

2007-07-16T11:56:00.000+03:00

(Image rights are reserved to Erik van der Neut)

Pictures like this can't fail to draw a smile on my face at anytime. My Flickr favorites collection -specially pictures of children- help me pass many a rainy days. Contemplating pictures of children playing or smiling helps me get over a bad mood. What about you? How do you break a bad mood?

Grenoble -- More Drawings

2007-07-16T06:53:00.000+03:00

More inspirations in Grenoble. I tried to experiment many things in this drawing and the experiment failed. It's a bad drawing. I decided to share it with you though.