Saturday, July 30, 2005 


  • Personal Footnote:
    As of today, I have officially graduated from Boise State University with a B.S. in Psychology. I also got admitted in California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in Los Angeles for graduate school in Clinical Psychology. School starts on August 29th so I better get my shit ready and start moving. Too bad I won't have time to go back to Saudi Arabia this summer. I was looking forward to seeing family and friends. Oh well, I'll see you guys in December :p

  • Researchers announced that an astronomer has discovered the 10th planet in our solar system.

  • Vatican rejects Israeli anger. "It is not always possible to immediately follow every attack against Israel with a public statement of condemnation," the Vatican said. It also added, "Israeli reactions [were] not always compatible with the rules of international law."

  • Sandra Barron of the New York Times writes about dating...through text messages.

  • Carburetor breast fantasy wins bad writing contest.

    • 5:15 AM | |

    Thursday, July 28, 2005 


  • Louvre Islamic wing "will help promote cultural understanding," Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said.

  • The psychology of 'magic'.

  • Your iPod may cause you hallucinations, study reveals.

  • A videogame pro, but blind.

  • Personal Footnote:
    I have a final later on today. Might be the last class I ever take as an undergrad.. If I pass I officially graduate, and if I don't, looks like I'm going to stick around in Boise for another semester. I hate math with all my heart. Anyway..wish me luck...

    • 5:06 AM | |

    Tuesday, July 26, 2005 


  • Parts of the brain are temporarily "switched off" when we blink, scientists have found.

  • I was hoping for Bono, but I guess Ricky will do for now :p

  • "Mars Inc. said yesterday it is holding "serious discussions with large pharmaceutical companies" about the development of a line of cocoa-based prescription drugs that could help treat diabetes, some forms of dementia and other ailments." My take on it is I think Mars Inc. should work on making cocoa-based products that won't cause cavities :p

  • I've never heard of 'pirated' books before.

  • 'I'm Not Going to Apologize.' An article by Khaled Almaeena in regards to some idiots on American and British media outlets calling for Muslims to apologize for the London bombings.

    • 12:06 AM | |

    Monday, July 25, 2005 

  • My friend, Marcy Newman, is at it again. But this time, she got arrested. She talks about her ordeal with the IDF ( Israeli Defense Forces) and how her and her friends got arrested at a non-violent demonstration against the Apartheid Wall and illegal Israeli settlement expansion. Natalia, one of Marcy's friends who's Swedish, was told by the Israeli solder who arrested her, "Please don't come back to my country." To which she replied, "I'm not in your country; I'm in Palestine." The post is under the title, 'Arrested'

  • For all you Saudis who complain about lack of jobs in the country.

  • What do girls look for in a guy? Well, ask my friend Abra : )

    • 12:45 AM | |

    Friday, July 22, 2005 

  • Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has gone mad. In an interview with a radio station, Tancredo said, “If this happens in the United States," [attacks on American soil] "and we determine it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their Holy Sites,” he said. “You’re talking about bombing Mecca,” clarified the host. “Yeah,” answered Tancredo. I applaud Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI) for condemning the crap that came out of Tancredo's mouth.

  • World Stupidity Awards. This was decided through worldwide internet voters. Nominees include, George W. Bush, Ashlee Simpson, the Canadian Government, Fox News, and many others.

    • 6:40 PM | |

    Thursday, July 21, 2005 

  • A unique article by Lubna Hussain called, The Unsung Heroes of Our Society.

  • Ekman's expertise in facial feature recognition has him in demand.

  • The psychology behind 'Aha'.

  • Sony is coming out with a new full-blown browser in PSP's next update plus Winning Eleven 9 to be released for the PSP. YES !!

    • 6:26 PM | |

    Wednesday, July 20, 2005 

  • A nice piece of architecture is planned to be built in Jeddah next year. It's a stadium that will accommodate around 70 thousand spectators. About time.

  • Turki to replace Bandar as Ambassador in Washington.

    • 9:04 PM | |

    Tuesday, July 19, 2005 

  • Fawaz Turki ponders on globalization, terrorism, and why we need a psychologically, spiritually and culturally informed response to all this. Good article.

  • Saudi girl pranks a few Shoura Counsel members.

  • The fatter you are, the more likely you are stressful?

  • Speaking of food...

  • Personal Footnote:
    I have a presentation on M. C. Ecsher for my math class. Yes, a presentation for a math class. This person actually stumbled upon math though he was never fond of it. He's mostly involved with visualizations that turn out to have mathematical representations on space and all that. Anyway, bellow are a few of my favorite pieces done by Escher.



    • 7:18 PM | |

    Monday, July 18, 2005 

  • The author of this blog has a good piece titled, Saudi & the Myth of Constructive Criticism. It talks about the lack of constructive criticism in a closed society such as that of Saudi Arabia.

  • Mohamad Alrumaihi has a good column in today's issue of Arab News in regards to the tragic London bombings. It's titled, Unintelligent but Smart Enemies.

  • I wish my dad would only understand :p .....Computer games 'do have benefits'.

  • Personal Footnote:
    In two weeks, I finish my last class in Boise State University which will then make me an official graduate with a B.S. degree in Psychology...If everything goes well, that is. I'm running into a few crossroads in my life right now. I applied to a bunch of graduate schools for a masters in clinical psychology, got rejected by most, and I'm still waiting on the last four schools. What if I don't get accepted? Well, honestly, I don't really have a concrete plan B. I don't know whether to study again for my GRE (Graduate Records Exam) test, which is a requirement in most schools, because I did miserably on the one I took back in November. Another option might be finding a school that will allow me to take a few graduate courses until I figure out what to do. Reality-checks are really shocking from time to time. I've always planned everything out, and thought I had everything under control. I was confident about it, too. But now, I don't feel that way anymore. Oh well, what ever happens, happens. And like that stupid phrase that everybody seems to be repeating over and over again..."Everything happens for a reason." That's the lamest excuse anyone can offer.

    • 2:20 AM | |

    Friday, July 15, 2005 

  • Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia take home the King's Championship final against Al-Shabab.

  • That’s A Lot of Zeros…A good column in regards to a recent CNN viewer poll that asked, "Should US taxpayers be footing the bill for Israel’s pullout from Gaza?”

  • Intelligence is irrelevant to a happy old age, research suggests.

  • Scientists identify 'Hangover' gene.

  • Saudi team bring home the World Cup in an international videogame competition. It was pretty expected, knowing that most Saudi kids have a lot of free time on their hands. I'm glad it was well used this time.

    • 3:29 PM | |

    Thursday, July 14, 2005 

    Titleless...

  • There's an interesting piece on BBC News on why most people "hearing voices" in hallucinations say they hear male voices.

  • What the hell is the problem with stem cell research? Most Republicans are so hypocritical when it comes to their morals and ideals. They're okay with bombing the crap out of the whole world, killing thousands, and leaving a few hundred thousand devastated. But when it comes to saving lives, "Nope, it's immoral." I applaud people, like Michael J. Fox, who use their fame to strive for a good cause. Unlike Tom Cruise who used his eminence to make an idiot out of himself.

  • I was skimming through next month's issue of Psychology Today and ran into a piece titled "Your Telltale Fingertips." It talked about how your hands can be a marker for behavior. Specifically speaking, the length of your ring and index fingers. Here's an excerpt:

      • "The Male Hand
      The Norm: Ring finger is slightly longer than the index finger.
      Scientists say who have the longest ring fingers have been exposed to high levels of testosterone in the womb. Such hypermasculine pattern is linked to aggression, attention deficit disorder, greater aptitude in sports and music.

      The Female Hand
      The Norm: Ring and index fingers that are about the same length or an index finger that is slightly longer.
      In women, longer ring fingers indicate exposure to high levels of testosterone during fetal development. Longer than average ring fingers have been associated with assertive and aggressive behavior. Longer than average index fingers are linked to high fertility and a higher than average risk of breast cancer."

  • You don't know trash. New book examines the lifecycle of garbage..literally.

  • I accidently fell on this page. 50 things to do with your iPod. Good stuff.

    • 2:22 AM | |

    Monday, July 11, 2005 

    Back From New York

  • All I can say is it was a great trip. I had lots of fun. It really changed my perception on New York City. I noticed that NYC had a little world of its own. No body really cared about what happened everywhere else. Everybody was just sucked into the busy life of the Big Apple. I kind of liked that in a way. The crazy driving pretty much reminded me of Riyadh.

  • I also got a chance to see Cheb Khaled in concert. It took place in Central Park. Was a great event. He performed some of his famous songs such as Didi, Aicha, and Abdulqader. He also covered John Lennon's Imagine alongside a 13-year old female vocalist. It was great. I got to meet him and have my CD autographed. :)

  • My friend Marcy Newman has a great article in the Idaho Statesman concerning the controversial wall that is being built in the Palestinian Occupied Territories..

    • 6:11 PM | |

     

    Little Italy


    Little Italy
    Originally uploaded by obscure_persona.

    6:10 PM | |

     

    Night Life in NYC


    Night Life in NYC
    Originally uploaded by obscure_persona.

    6:10 PM | |

     

    Liberty Park


    Liberty Park
    Originally uploaded by obscure_persona.

    6:09 PM | |

     

    A Pimp


    A Pimp
    Originally uploaded by obscure_persona.

    6:08 PM | |

    100 Years Ago

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