Mind Soup

If you don't say "awww..." after watching this, then you probably aren't human.

This is a nice trick. The Japanese are always coming up with cool and weird stuff.

So simple, yet so useful!

"I was also going to give a graduation speech in Arizona this weekend. But with my accent, I was afraid they would try to deport me," - Arnold Schwarzenegger. Great quote by Arnold Schwarzenegger found at The Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan . For more information about the Arizona immigration law, click here.

Scientists at Stanford University are inching closer to a cure for noise induced hearing loss. Stereocilia, or the tiny hairs inside our ears, are an integral part of the hearing system. But overexposure to noise - such as experienced in music concerts or blasting tunes from an iPod - can permanently damage them, degrading a person's hearing over time. Researchers at Stanford, however, have hit a breakthrough in growing hair-like cells that function just like those in our ears. This could mean solutions for damaged hearing. Gizmag writes,  "[W]e’re born with 30,000 [stereocilia] per ear, but once they die off or get damaged, they’re gone for good. Stefan Heller, a professor of otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) at Stanford University, wants to change that. To that end, he recently succeeded in creating mouse hair cells in a petri dish. Could an end to deafness be far behind?" How Hairs In Our Ears Help Us Hear From the National Institute of Deafness and other Comm...

I completely fell for this at first. It is filmed in a documentary-style, so you would assume that they are telling the truth. Apparently, this is all one big hoax just so people will want to buy the shoes they mention in the video. It's very clever advertising because they don't even mention the names of the shoes (from Hi-Tec) in the video. Check it out and then you can read the article that explains the whole hoax by clicking here .

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I found this picture posted here and it got me thinking. Ah, Disney, you always seem to spread the worst possible message to young girls out there. There's always a prince out there that must "save" us. If they really want to teach young children something new, they should make a "Beauty and the Beast" where the genders were switched. They have improved in more recent movies, but the above characters are "classic" characters and such movies will probably be viewed over and over for many years to come. *Sighs*

So I was studying today for my information systems final, and I was reading this case in the book about social networking sites and the work environment, and I found it severely ironic that someone lost his job due to blogging. OSB, is that supposed to be a hint? MIS Book, I'm on to you! :P

PROVO, Utah — Gary Coleman, the adorable, pint-sized child star of the smash 1970s TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" who spent the rest of his life struggling on Hollywood's D-list, died Friday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 42. Life support was terminated and Coleman died at 12:05 p.m. MDT with family and friends at his side, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank said. Coleman, with his sparkling eyes and perfect comic timing, became a star after "Diff'rent Strokes" debuted in 1978. He played Arnold Jackson, the younger one of a pair of African-American brothers adopted by a wealthy white man. "It's unfortunate. It's a sad day," said Todd Bridges, who played the older brother Willis. "It's sad that I'm the last kid alive from the show." The series lives on thanks to DVDs and YouTube. But its equally enduring legacy became the troubles in adulthood of its former child stars. Dana Plato, w...

Remember a while back, I was writing for Align, the business school newspaper at AUB, and then dramatically got fired for expressing my opinion on my personal blog? ( more info ) Well get this... They still published my articles online, without mentioning my name. I'm pretty sure this breaks some copyright laws or something. What crime did I commit for them not to mention my name? Last time I checked, I didn't murder anyone. Well at least google knows the truth!  It's bad enough that they haven't paid me yet for the two months I worked there. Well, to be fair, none of the other staff writers got their pay checks yet! Imagine that. People working for almost four months now haven't been paid a dime. I am seriously glad that I got "fired" early on. Way to be proffessional, Align!

Here's a few photos from the AUB Yearbook reception dinner that occurred on Monday May 24. I am the associate editor in chief of the 09-10 edition of the AUB Campus yearbook, so I got to say a little speech! So that's me giving the speech! This is the majority of the members of the yearbook team. A photo with the greatest friends :) Maurice, our editor in chief, giving his speech. Cutting the cake with Dean Kisirwani and distinguished guests. With members of the AUB Student Affairs Office: (L-R) Rania Murr, Dr. Maryam Ghandour, Therese Miri'b, Nisrine Fattouh, Mohammad Hijazi, Hiba Hamade, Maurice Salem , Ramza Saad Don't Ask! Here's my thank you speech that I gave on that wonderful night: Good evening. Dean Kisirwani, Dr. Nizameddine, Dr. Talhouk, distinguished guests, fellow members of the campus yearbook team. I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for being with us tonight to celebrate the yearbook team. I will start off this delightful even...

Living My Life Faster - 8 years of JK's Daily Photo Project from JK Keller on Vimeo .

I was surprised this past week with such HUGE publicity from media internationally and regionally, shedding the light on several American figures that have appeared to belong to Arab familiar origins. Recently the newly elected and Lebanese-born Miss USA Rima Fakih inspired researchers to "dig up" through prominent names and introduce internationally recognized people from Arab roots Kippreport had issued the following list fully quoted below; this is merely a sample of unknown Arab Americans. Intrestingly, we prove to care about the 15 minute famous Arabs and neglect to encourage and celebrate the accomplishment of so many established men and women who have given the world successful experiences, such legacies that could enlighten and honour our lives for generations to come... Let's begin with:    Steve Jobs Steve Jobs, the charismatic CEO of Apple, is of Syrian biological descent – although he has never publically acknowledged this.   According ...

FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk. PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need. BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and put them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need. FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk. PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk. RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk. CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government...

Update: May 26, 2010 Dear AUB Community, With the announcement issued recently by AUB regarding the delayed implementation of the new tuition policy, I wish to address some remarks to all who hold this University dear. Universities exist in part to champion the exercise of free speech and to empower the members of our community to use it. But the right to express one’s opinion requires judgment and consideration: free speech does not equate to free license. Last week the limits of tolerance and respect were violated in numerous ways. I wish to salute those at AUB who upheld the best traditions of the University during three turbulent days: professors who endeavored to keep their classrooms open, though frequently subject to brute intimidation; students who exercised their freedom to get an education, though several were physically dragged out of class; staff members who crossed blockade lines in front of College Hall and other buildings, in the face of the crudest physical a...