What Makes People Tick?

I came across an online article on the Wait But Why website talking about how and why Generation Y (which I'm a part of) has unrealistic expectations about their lives and their careers. As I very much enjoyed the article and agreed with a lot it said, I decided to share it.  Gen Y is made up of people born between the late seventies and the mid-nineties to parents hailing from the hippy generation. Basically the article states that while our parents were taught that hard work would bring success and rewards, we expect those rewards and that success to happen without the hard work.  The article explains why this is and provides ideas on how to change our unrealistic life expectations into ones much more realistic.

A friend sent me a link to a Time magazine article that I want to share. Marine scientists looking for new ways to reduce the number of whales struck and killed off California's coast by massive commercial ships have turned to a familiar tool: mobile devices.  An app called “Whale Spotter” uses crowd-sourcing to gather data, allowing sailors, fishermen and marine scientists who spot whales to plot their location on an interactive map. The maps created could then be used by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Coast Guard officials to recommend different vessel routes.  The app is the latest development in a collaboration between shipping companies, government officials and scientists to reduce whale strikes. Testing begins this weekend to see how effective it will be. Read the rest of the article at TIME magazine : Technology

According to an 09 August 2013 article by CNN, part of a sphinx statue has been found in northern Israel. The find is important for many reasons, not least because it is the only piece of Egyptian sculpture found anywhere in the Levant. As the article reports, excavations at Tel Hazor in northern Israel first began in the 1950s. The capital city of Canaan some 4,000 years ago, Tel Hazor is conveniently located on the route connecting Egypt to Babylon. Some quotes from Mystery surrounds Egyptian sphinx unearthed in Israel which you can read at the CNN website : "Inexplicably buried far from Egypt, the paws of a sphinx statue, resting on its base, have been unearthed with an inscription in hieroglyphs naming King Mycerinus. The pharaoh ruled in 2500 BC and oversaw the construction of one of the three Giza pyramids, where he was enshrined.  "This is of extreme importance from many points of view, since it is the only sphinx of this king known in the world -- even in Egyp...

Reading a 30 November 2010 BlogHer post by Melissa Ford about the commercialisation / Americanisation of the Jewish holiday of Chanukkah (I've copied her way of spelling it here), I couldn't agree more. It also got me thinking. The same thing is happening in my country, only here it's Christmas being Americanised instead of Chanukkah! "Christmas is wonderful. I love your music and listen to it nonstop from Thanksgiving until the holiday (my favourite: "O Holy Night"). I love your candy. Sparkle lights are gorgeous, and I've been known to take extremely circuitous routes home in order to gawk at as many decorated houses as possible. It sounds lovely to give and receive gifts. But it's your holiday; it's not mine."  Exactly! " But it's your holiday; it's not mine. " Those words say it all for me. While the author focuses on the Americanisation of a Jewish holiday, I read the article with my own country in mind. There...

While browsing the Internet looking for inspiration for a new story, I came across a November 2006 article from Wired.com about people who have a neurological condition known as "face blindness". People who are otherwise "completely normal"(whatever that may be!) have trouble recognising faces. This is more than thinking that many people look similar or forgetting where you've met someone before; people with face blindness won't even recognise those closest to them like their own family and close friend. In modern times, face blindness was first described in 1944 by German doctor Joachim Bodamer who termed it "prosopagnosia" from the Greek prosopo (face) and agnosia (without knowledge). According to the article "there [have] been reports of face blindness as far back as antiquity, but no one had studied it systematically, so the physician decided to make a detailed analysis." In the coming decades researchers tried learning more ...

Abortion. Pretty much everyone has a different opinion about it. Some are staunchly pro-life, others are staunchly pro-choice. Some refuse to acknowledge it, others talk about it openly. Some are in favour of it, others violently oppose it. Each and every woman is different and as such each and every woman will react to (having an) abortion in a different way. Some will never consider it an option, others see it as a life-saving procedure, as ironic as that choice of words is. Many religions are or seem to be opposed to abortion. This makes having an abortion even harder for someone who would usually turn to God when the going gets tough. Not only is there personal guilt to deal with; friends, family and others and their opinions; society; but also the question that will never go away - Maybe it was the wrong choice after all? Reading Tablet magazine's 13 August 2013 article " New Jewish Rituals Offer Comfort to Women Who Have Had Abortions " prompted me to look at ...

While wandering around the internet looking for new and interesting things to learn from and write about, I came across a YouTube video entitled " 'Sulha' Prayer at Abraham's Tomb in Hebron ". After watching this video, I was left with tears streaming down my face. In a region filled with so much anger, misunderstanding and hatred it is amazing to see Jews and Muslims together making an effort to understand each other, learn from each other and pray together at a place with such importance to both religions. Investigating some more led me to another YouTube video entitled the " Sulha Peace Project ". This video too left me speechless and amazed. If it were possible; understanding, love and hope would be coming from my computer screen and heading straight into my heart. The video itself explains it best of all, saying: "The Sulha Peace Project is a grassroots organization for healing and reconciliation of the Children of Abraham."   Je...

Saw this on Grammarly's Facebook page just now and simply HAD TO share!

 I am looking forward to reading Reza Aslan's newest book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth (ISBN 9781400069224). I must admit that I hadn't heard about Aslan until reading about and watching the sensational Fox News interview (which you can see here at Al Arabiya for instance) in which the author is (my words:) attacked by the news anchor for being a Muslim writing about the founder of Christianity. I do not understand why the news anchor would question that someone interested in the history or religions and religious development would want to write about the founder of the world's largest religion. To me, that feels the same as telling me (a female) that I am not allowed to write about a male, simply because I myself am not a male. It also seems to me as if the news anchor is not aware of the fact that Jesus is considered a prophet in Islam. This alone would be a valid reason for ay Muslim to want to learn more and write about Jesus. Aslan does not...

I read an article in the Huffington Post of 03 August 2013 entitled  Arab Atheists, Though Few, Inch Out Of The Shadows  that greatly interested me. The article by Diaa Hadid explains how more people in Arab and Muslim countries are coming out as atheists. As I applaud and greatly encourage freedom of speech and freedom of religion and religious expression for all people, no matter where they live, I feel this article to be worth sharing and worth a read! A quote from the article : "It's socially tolerated to not be actively religious, to decide not to pray or carry out other acts of faith, or to have secular attitudes. But to outright declare oneself an atheist can lead to ostracism by family and friends, and if too public can draw retaliation from Islamist hard-liners or even authorities.  Still, this tiny minority has taken small steps out of the shadows. Groups on social media networks began to emerge in the mid-2000s. Now, the Arab Spring that began in ea...

According to Tablet Magazine's article entitled "New Shoah Book Is Hit Among Non-Jewish Iranians", the first-ever book about the holocaust in Farsi is becoming a hit in Iran. Read more about the four-part book by Iranian author Ari Babaknia at Tablet Magazine or over at the   Amazon website where it is available for $200. According to Persian community Jaam-va-Jaan magazine , "The academic honesty with which [Babaknia] writes will give readers an unbiased and detailed understanding of not only the events of the Holocaust but the subsequent impact. The amount of research that has gone into this book is incredible."

Could There Be A Planet Hidden On The Opposite Side Of Our Sun? I read an interesting article today on the Popular Science website that I wanted to share on this blog as it intrigued me. According to the article, NASA sent two golf cart sized satellites into orbit around the sun in 2006. These satellites have managed to see beyond the sun, which is impossible from earth. This means that we now know without a doubt what is on the other side and even better - what isn't. Read all about it on the Popular Science website .

"If a woman has the right to show off what she has, then she also has the right to cover it up too" The picture has the original source written in the bottom right corner. I found this picture attached to this article on the HijabiTopia blog . I found the article to be a very interesting read as it explains the writer's views on hijab / Islamic head covering and modest dress.  While I myself don't wear a headscarf, I know many women who do and greatly admire them for doing so as they face scorn and ridicule for standing up for their faith and for what they believe in.  

The Jewish Shema Yisrael and the Qur'an's surah (chapter) 112 known as Al Ikhlas share quite a few similarities. While in today's world many Muslims seem to believe that it is their duty to kill as many Jews as possible and the two religions don't always get on as well as they could, when one looks to the texts and the teachings of these two religions, one finds a lot of similarities. Of the world's three monotheistic faiths, Judaism came first, Christianity came second and Islam came third. While Christianity believes in a three-in-one package deal, as opposed to the only-one beliefs of the other two religions, the three religions are still considered connected monotheistic religions. While Judaism has remained a religion of roughly 20 million people or less, both Christianity and Islam have become huge religions with adherents numbering in the billions, in most countries of the world. All three religions have gone through many changes and developments since thei...

Came across a November 2011 article by Amy Bloom on Oprah's website about self esteem and the way women view themselves and their bodies. As I agree with what the author has written I wanted to share the article and add some introductory comments of my own. Ms Bloom paints a realistic picture of why the women of today think as they do and how women can change these beliefs and opinions. As a woman born in Western Europe thirty years ago, I too faced peer pressure and pressure from myself through society and the world around me to 'look good' and change the body I was born with to suit society's and others' norms. Raised on a diet of Playboy Bunnies, Baywatch Babes, liposuction, fake tans and Photo-shopped magazine covers (just to name a few), it took me years to let go of the belief that I wasn't "good enough" or "desirable enough" to modern males simply because I did not and do not look like most models and actresses. Even writing thi...

According to a 22 July 2013 CNN article written by Daisy Carrington, seawater and solar power are helping to grow crops in the desert in Qatar. The first ever Sahara Forest Project launched in November 2012. According to the project's CEO Joakim Hague: "Our starting point was to take what we have enough of -- seawater, heat -- and use it to produce what we need more of -- water, energy and a sustainable production of food." CNN : Seawater and solar power grow crops in the desert

According to an 04 July 2013 article by Arion McNicoll , Google Maps now allows one to see the view from the top of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. One can also tour the inside of the building. McNicoll writes: "The images taken by Google allow users to navigate through the building, using Street View technology, which the company generally uses to map cities. Users can explore the structure from the opulent basement entrance hall to the highest occupied apartment in the world on the building's 163rd floor." The following info comes from the Burj Khalifa website : The Burj Khalifa (in English: Khalifa Tower) stands over 828 metres tall and has more than 160 stories. Work on the Tower began in 2004. By June 2006, level 50 was reached. Level 100 followed in January 2007 and in September of the same year, it reached Level 150. The official launch ceremony was in January 2010.   The video on Google Maps' YouTube channel embedded below ...

Very handy link to look up time zones.  Simply click on the picture of the continent, then choose the country you're after.  Love how simple this is!  Check out this link to go to greenwichmeantime.com.

I was very happy to learn today that French parliament has voted to approve same-sex marriage. It is about bloody time as far as I'm concerned! Check out the link to the Guardian article .

This blog has featured posts about Gobekli Tepe in Turkey before. As ancient locations go, this is one of the most fascinating sites in the entire world! While we don't browse the web daily looking for news on all topics that interest us, today's article falls right smack in the 'interesting news' category! Owen Jarus writes for NBC News: "Ancient blades made of volcanic rock that were discovered at what may be the world's oldest temple suggest that the site in Turkey was the hub of a pilgrimage  that attracted a cosmopolitan group of people some 11,000 years ago.  The researchers matched up about 130 of the blades, which would have been used as tools, with their source volcanoes, finding people would have come from far and wide to congregate at the ancient temple site, Gobekli Tepe, in southern Turkey. The blades are made of obsidian, a volcanic glass rich with silica, which forms when lava cools quickly." Source :   'World's Oldest temple...

Anne Rice's old house on 1239 First Street and the setting of Mayfair Manor Photo Source: Flickr Looking up information about the house writer Anne Rice uses as the site for the family mansion in her Mayfair Witches series, I came across a lot of interesting information about that particular house as well as about the Garden District area of New Orleans. As Victoriana Magazine's website puts it: One of the world's most dazzling residential neighborhoods – containing a time capsule of historic southern mansions – is located in the Louisiana city of New Orleans.  The Garden District, a large square area bounded by Jackson Avenue, Louisiana Avenue, Magazine St. and St. Charles Ave, is the live oak tree-lined "American" sector of this southern city. ... The architecture of these historic houses is a fusion of classic styles with influence of Spanish, French, Italianate and English, as well as Greek Revival. These stately homes represent some of the best...