HEARD IT AND READ IT

Prepared by Bassam Mechammil 

November, 2013

For comments, please email Mechammil@aol.com

 

شركة طيران تطبق نظام التسعير للتذاكر بناءً على وزن الركاب

 

08-04-13

المعروف - متابعات : قررت شركة طيران "ساموا" ربط أسعار تذاكر رحلاتها بوزن المسافر بدلاً من اعتماد تسعيرة ثابتة للرحلات ، كما هو متبع في كافة شركات الطيران ، وهو ما يتطلب من المسافرين وزن أنفسهم قبل وزن أمتعتهم ، فيما يعتبر سبقاً فريداً من نوعه في عالم شركات الطيران ، حسبما ذكرت وكالة أنبا "رويترز".

وتتراوح معدلات أسعار خطوط "ساموا" الجوية بين دولار إلى أربعة دولارات عن كل كيلوجرام، ويجري حساب تذكرة المسافرين على أساس مجموع وزنهم ووزن الحقائب التي يقومون بشحنها أو حملها معهم على متن الطائرة ، وهي سياسة تطبق للمرة الأولى لدى شركات الطيران ، إيماناً من شركة طيران "ساموا" بأنها سياسة أكثر عدالة حسبما ذكر "كريس لانجتون" رئيس الشركة.

وتأتي تلك الخطوة من جانب شركة طيران "ساموا" في إطار مساعيها لمكافحة السمنة ، وخاصة بعد أن صدر تقرير لمنظمة الصحة العالمية أظهر أن 75% من سكان المناطق المدنية في "ساموا" يعانون من مشكلات الوزن الزائد وما يترتب عليها من أمراض صحية خطيرة.

 
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من هو الرجل المثالي بنظر المرأة؟

 

عندما تبحث المرأة عن الزواج والاستقرار فإنها تبحث عن خمس صفات رئيسية لابد أن تتوافر في الرجل الذي ستهبه حياتها، وتشاركه مستقبلها، في الوقت الذي أصبح فيه مجتمعنا يقبل وجود نوع مقنن من الصداقة بين الرجل والمرأة، فإن النساء أصبحن يتعرفن على العديد من الرجال، لكن عند اختيار الزوج، تبدأ الفتاة في التفكير بعقلها في الصفات التي لا تستغنى عنها في زوج المستقبل.

ورغم اعترافنا بصعوبة توافر هذه السمات الخمس في رجل واحد، إلا أنه سيكون على عاتقك بعض الجهد لتحقيق هدفك. فاذا كنت تريد حقا الفوز بقلب فتاتك وعقلها لابد أن تحرص على أن تمتلك هذه الخصال – حتى ولو بنسب متفاوتة – حتى تبهرها وتجعل قرارها باختيارك شريكا لحياتها نوعا من اليقين الذي لا يقبل التردد أبدا.
فما سمات الرجل المثالي من وجهة نظر المرأة؟

1- الثقة بالنفس: رغم أن الرجال يظنون أن اختيار النساء يكون سطحيا، ومنصبا بشكل أساسي حول شكل الرجل ومظهره ومدى وسامته، لكن نساء اليوم لسن بهذه السذاجة، فهن يبحثن عن الجرأة والثقة بالنفس التي تجعل الرجل يبدو وسيما حتى وإن لم يكن يتمتع بهذا القدر من الوسامة.

كما تحب الفتاة الرجل الساحر المقدام الذي يندفع للفوز بقلبها، والذي يحتفظ بابتسامته أغلب الوقت، فبالتأكيد الرجل سريع الغضب الذي يقطب جبينه دائما وينشر حوله هالة من التوتر والضغط العصبي سيكون غير محبوب وغير جذاب في نظر أي امرأة.

2- الصدق: من المعروف أن النساء يقعن في حبائل الرجال الذين يتمتعون بقدرة على إلقاء الكلام المعسول، لكنه من وقت لآخر، تحتاج أي امرأة لرجل يحدثها بصراحة في أي مشكلة، وتسأله رأيه في أي شئ دون أن تخشى أنه يجاملها أو يرفض مواجهتها بالحقيقة، فهذا الرجل سيكون مرآة لزوجته وسيكون ناقدها الأول طوال السنوات القادمة.

فقط احرص على نقل الحقيقة بكلمات طيبة، حتى لا تبدو وكأنك تتشاجر معها أو تسخر منها.

3- الجدية والاجتهاد: أهم صفة تبحث عنها المرأة في الرجل الذي ستحمل لقبه، أن يكون مجتهدا ويعتمد عليه في شتى شئون الحياة، أي أن يكون سندا وعونا لها لتخطي مصاعب الحياة ومشكلاتها وهمومها، وأن يتمتع بالاستقرار وتكون لديه القدرة على تحمل المسئولية والتخطيط للمستقبل، والرغبة الصادقة في تكوين أسرة وانجاب أطفال يتحمل أعباء تربيتهم بشكل ناجح.

4- الرومانسية: نعم! تبحث المرأة عن شخص تسمع منه الكلمات العذبة، ويلقي على مسامعها أبياتا من الشعر تتغزل في جمالها وأناقتها، ويفاجئها من فترة لأخرى بباقة من الزهور، أو يصطحبها في نزهة سيرا على الأقدام باحدى الحدائق المجاورة ممسكا بيدها.

تحتاج المرأة لرجل لا يفكر فقط في حاجاته الجسدية، بل إلى صديق يستمع إليها ويتفهم مشاعرها المتقلبة وحاجتها إلى رجل يحتويها ويكون مستودعا لأسرارها، لا يلومها على قراراتها الخاطئة بل يعزز ثقتها بنفسها وإحساسها كامرأة. باختصار تحتاج المرأة إلى زوج يقوم بدور الحبيب والصديق معا.

5- حس المغامرة والشجاعة: المرأة تحب الرجل المستقر المنظم، لكنها قطعا لا تحب الرتابة والملل وانعدام القدرة على التجديد، لذلك لا تتنازل المرأة أبدا عن البحث عن رجل يتمتع بحس المغامرة والإقدام والشجاعة والقدرة على التجديد والقيام بتصرفات بها بعض الجنون المقنن، كما أن هذه الميزة تمنحها نقطة إضافية، لأنها ستشعر في قرارة نفسها أنها نجحت في ترويض رجل صعب المنال وصعب الإرضاء، بل والعمل على رعايته والاهتمام بحاجاته ومتطلباته.

فإذا كنت تتمتع بهذه الصفات الخمس، فأنت فتى أحلام أي فتاة، أما اذا كانت تنقصك صفة أو اثنتين من القائمة السابقة، فعليك العمل فورا على تلافي هذا الأمر حتى تفوز بقلبها وعقلها

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أقيم في فندق الشرق بدمشق حفل انتخاب " ملكة جمال سوريا " في العام 1953 وجرت العادة في سورية أن يحتل هذا الحفل الأضواء إذ يقام بمستهل فصل الربيع وحضور كبير من رجالات الدولة وأعيانها .
وقد تم انتخاب الآنسة " بيتشابير ميني " لتكون مس سوريا لعام 1953 ، ولدى سؤالها عما ستعمل بعد انتخابها ملكة لجمال سوريا قالت :
انتظروا المشهد سألقي بتاج الجمال وأمسك بالمكنسة وأساعد أمي .... !!!؟؟؟
 
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4. If I use regular gas in a car that says "use premium gas only," I will damage the engine

This is debatable depending on the engineer you speak to. But we are siding on this as a myth. Many automakers, especially luxury makes, prescribe premium fuel because the performance statistics they market to us (0-60 times and fuel economy) are based on tests using premium fuel. If you put regular gas in such a car, you may not achieve those exact 0-60 times, and you may lose a mile per gallon, but you will not damage the engine
 

3. High octane gasoline improves mileage and improves "power"

Nope. Neither one. if your car is designed to run on 87 octane gasoline, high octane gasoline will not improve a vehicle's mileage. High octane gasoline does not make for quicker starting, nor does it increase power. If you notice quicker starting or more power after changing gas, it probably means your engine is in need of repair
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Breakthroughs

Scores of groundbreaking technologies and treatments have their roots at the medical center. Here are a select group of our accomplishments:

1956 First use in Western hemisphere of linear accelerator to treat cancer
1960 First kidney transplant in California
1962 First neonatal intensive care unit to allow parent visitation
1964 Demonstration of electrical stimulation of auditory nerve in deaf patients, paving the way for cochlear implants
1964 First successful clinical application of laser photocoagulation to treat detached retina
1964 Development of the first sleep apnea monitor for newborn infants
1965 Development of technique for extracting anti-hemophilic globulin, the blood fraction needed to prevent bleeding in hemophiliacs
1967 First synthesis of biologically active DNA in test tube
1968 First adult human heart transplant in the United States
1968 Discovery that insulin resistance is the principal physiologic characteristic of mild type-II diabetes and obesity
1971 Discovery of RNA priming of DNA synthesis
1971 First multicenter trial to demonstrate that lowering cholesterol levels prevents heart disease
1972 First construction of a recombinant DNA molecule containing DNA from two different species
1972 Discovery of a new class of immune response genes, suggesting for the first time that people may have predictable susceptibility to certain diseases
1972 First U.S. trial of community-wide health education for preventing heart disease
1973 First expression of a foreign gene implanted in bacteria by recombinant DNA methods
1974 Isolation of genome – genetic blueprint – of a virus that causes hepatitis B and a common form of liver cancer
1975 Discovery of link between exercise and increased “good” (HDL) cholesterol levels
1979 Discovery of dynorphin, a brain chemical 200 times more powerful than morphine
1980 First creation of human hybridoma cell line
1981 First successful human combined heart/lung transplant in the world (fourth attempted worldwide)
1981 First report of successful use of monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer
1983 Development with UC-San Diego of the first human monoclonal antibody for treating septic shock
1984 Isolation of a gene coding for part of the T-cell receptor, a key to the immune system’s function
1988 Isolation of pure hematopoietic stem cells from mice
1988 Development of an animal model for studying the human immune system
1989 Discovery of the “homing receptor,” which guides white blood cells into the peripheral lymph nodes
1990 Discovery of “off-switch” for genetic reproduction in bacteria
1992 Development of a genetically engineered vaccine to enhance patients’ immunological response against B-cell lymphoma
1992 Discovered the gene underlying a group of diseases called the demyelinating peripheral neuropathies in which the protective covering on nerves breaks down and the nerves are unable to function properly
1993 Discovery of a protein that appears to be a root cause of type-I diabetes; prevention of the disease in mouse experiments
1993 First clinical trial testing methods for preventing eating disorders in adolescents
1993 First demonstration that lifestyle changes and drug therapy decrease heart attack rates and slows progression of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries
1993 First functional image using time-resolved optics
1994 Development of a technique that enables researchers to toggle genes on and off in experimental animals
1994 Development of the new diagnostic instrument for rapid bedside screening of hemolysis in jaundiced newborns
1995 Development of the microarray technology that allows researchers to see at once which genes of the thousands present in a cell are switched “on”
1995 First optical imaging of infection in vivo
1996 Discovery that the p53 protein, known to be involved in controlling cancerous tumors, works as an “emergency brake” on cancer development
1996 Discovery of a mutated gene that causes a childhood form of inherited epilepsy, followed by the development of a genetic model of the disease in mice two years later
1996 Discovery that mutations in a single gene are responsible for the most common form of skin cancer in humans
1997 Completion of a multicenter trial showing that standard chemotherapy for most children with early-stage non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be safely reduced
1997 First optical imaging of gene expression in vivo
1999 Discovery of a genetic mutation that causes narcolepsy, a disabling sleep disorder affecting humans and animals
1999 First experimental demonstration that limiting children’s television use prevents excess weight gain
1999 First clinical trial of bupropion, the antidepressant known as Wellbutrin, and nicotine replacement for smoking cessation in adolescents
2000 Solution of the structure of the RNA polymerase protein, a pivotal molecule that copies genes from DNA to RNA
2000 Discovery of hereditary arthritis gene
2000 First use of gene expression profiling to distinguish cancer sub-types
2001 Participation in the successful international effort to complete the human genome sequencing project
2001 Discovery of molecular mechanisms that account for failure of regeneration in the central nervous system
2001 Identification of a novel gene family involved in asthma
2002 First use of RNAi to switch off genes in mice
2002 First use of gene expression profiling to predict cancer outcomes
2002 Discovery that training exercises can physically change the way the brain is wired
2003 Discovery that Wnt genes, first discovered as critical genes in cancer, are also critical regulators of stem cell development
2005 Discovery of obestatin, a hormone that suppresses appetite
2006 Discovery of a protein that may explain why tumors in a low-oxygen environment are so deadly
2007 Application and expansion of optogenetics, a technique to control brain cell activity with light
2007 Identification of a pattern of gene expression shared by transplant patients who are able to stay healthy without anti-rejection drugs
2007 Discovery that stem cells transplanted into the brains of rats and mice navigate toward areas damaged by stroke
2008 Development of a new type of imaging system that can illuminate tumors in living subjects, getting pictures with a precision of nearly one-trillionth of a meter
2008 Discovery of a molecule that kills kidney cancer cells
2008 Development of a test that reduces the risks in testing for chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome
2009 A researcher sequences his own genome for less than $50,000 and with a team of just two others
2009 Discovery of the first human bladder cancer stem cell
2009 Discovery of a "don't-eat-me" signal that allows blood cancer stem cells to migrate safely through the body
2010 Scientists transform mouse skin cells directly into functional nerve cells with the application of just three genes
2010 For the first time, researchers use a healthy person's complete genome sequence to predict his risk for dozens of diseases

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Petra in the Arabah


Black & White View of “Treasury” in Petra
 

Petra is a site in the Arabah, Jordan that was discovered by a Swiss explorer called Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812 and is considered to be, yet another splendid beauty in the history of mankind. Arabah is a section of the Great Rift Valley and it is located between the Dead Sea (north) and the Gulf of Aqaba (south) forming part of the border between Jordan (east) and Israel (west).

Petra represents the ancient world’s heritage culture. It is a beauty hidden behind layers of mountain. The ones who have seen it say it is a treasure beyond comparison. It is now said to be one of the seventh wonder of the world and it belongs to the UNESCO world heritage site. The entire red rose city of Petra has such a charismatic appeal that it attracts anyone & everyone who enters the city, taking them to a different world of divine beauty and mystery. Petra mainly is admired because of its picture perfect architecture, its complex structure, quality and the non mentionable mere size.

Petra is said to have its origin before 106 AD; its culture is said to have been flourished in almost 400 years old. The one’s who visited it say that it is a site that can never be forgotten. The city of Petra takes its name, which is the Greek word for “rock”, from the fact that it is most notable for its buildings and tombs that are carved directly into the red sandstone that serves as the city’s natural protection from invaders. Its popularity with tourists may also have a connection to the city’s Biblical significance. It is here where King Aretas called for the arrest of the Apostle Paul at the time of his conversion.

Location & How to Get to Petra

This historical fortress is located 170 miles southwest of Amman, Jordan on the edges of the Wadi Araba desert. It is also 50 miles south of the Dead Sea and the only way to enter the city is through a narrow crevice called the Siq. One has to uncover a very narrow path of mountains, kilometer by kilometer before they get to see the majestic beauty of Petra.This path is only about five meters wide, with sandstone walls towering up hundreds of meters high on both sides. This long, narrow & not very well lighted gorge is very cool & soothes the visitors before it unfolds the mystery step by step.

A taxi is the best means of transportation to get from the Queen Alia International Airport to Amman. Remember to ask the driver to take you to the Wahdat bus terminal, since there are two major bus stations in Amman. Destinations are usually printed in Arabic on the respective buses, so if you do not read Arabic, ask to be shown to the bus that will take you to Petra.

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St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow


View of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia
 

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia was built by Ivan the Terrible between 1555 and 1561. According to legends, the builder of this Cathedral was blinded so that such a beautiful structure could never be built again. The Cathedral is vividly colorful and contains redbrick towers that add to its beauty. The church’s design consists of nine chapels, each mounted with its individual dome that marks the assault on the city of Kazan.

The Cathedral provides a strong religious symbolism and is based on architectural designs found in Jerusalem. Eight of the domes make a circular form around the ninth dome, forming a star (if viewed from the top). The number eight is considered an auspicious number according to Jewish calendar. There is a deep contrast between the interior and the exterior of the Cathedral. The interior contains modest decorations and is not that spectacular. The corridors inside are narrow and don’t have adequate space for worshippers seating.

Many times in history, the Cathedral has suffered damage due to violent communal incidents. If stories are to be true, the French ruler Napoleon wanted to take St. Basil back to France with him, but due to the lack of such technology, he ordered his army to destroy it so that no one else could occupy the church. His army had prepared to attack the church and had also lit up the gunpowder, but a mysterious rain shower prevented the explosions. These are legends, but people really believe in St. Basil’s mysterious powers and there are a lot of committed worshipers.