Category: Passe-partout Tuesday

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BOSE: Noise masking sleepbuds

I bought myself the noise masking sleepbuds from BOSE to combat loisy upstairs neighbors who stomp all the time at night and early morning:

I tried them for two nights and I like the technology, unfortunately, I did not keep them because they were not comfortable for side sleepers.

The sleepbuds fit well in the ear and produce soothing music (you have a big selection from the phone app), however I found that any external speakers that can generate white noise can do the same effect.


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Statistics about Lebanon

I found this information on the internet, if you find inaccuracies, let me know please.

Statistical facts

  1. Lebanon has 18 religious communities
  2. It has 40 daily newspapers
  3. It has 42 universities
  4. It has over 100 banks (that is banks and not branches of a bank)
  5. 70% of the students are in private schools
  6. Many of the Lebanese people are Christians (The highest percent in all the Arab countries)
  7. There’s 1 doctor per 10 people in Lebanon (In Europe & America , there’s 1 doctor per 100 people)
  8. The name LEBANON appears 75 times in the Old Testament
  9. The name CEDAR ( Lebanon ‘s tree) appears 75 times too in the Old Testament!!
  10. Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 9 times (this is why it’s compared to The Phoenix).
  11. There’s 3.5 Million Lebanese in Lebanon
  12. There’s around 15 Million Lebanese outside Lebanon !!!
Other interesting facts:
  1. Lebanon , the country, was occupied by over 16 countries:
    (Egyptians-Hittites-Assyrians- Babylonians- Persians- Alexander the greats Army- the Roman Empire Byzantine- the Arabian Peninsula-The Crusaders- the Ottoman Empire- Britain-France- Israel- Syria)
  2. Byblos (city in Lebanon ) is the oldest, continuously living city in the world.
  3. Lebanon ‘s name has been around for 4,000 yrs non- stop (it’s the oldest country/ nation’s name in the world!)
  4. Lebanon is the only Asian/African country that doesn’t have a desert.
  5. There are 15 rivers in Lebanon (all of them coming from its own mountains)
  6. Lebanon is one of the most populated countries in its archeological sites, in the world!!!
  7. The first alphabet was created in Byblos (city in Lebanon )
  8. The only remaining temple of Jupiter (the main Roman god) is in Baalbeck ,Lebanon (The City of the Sun)
  9. The name of BYBLOS comes from the BIBLE!!!
  10. Lebanon is the country that has the most books written about it.
  11. Lebanon is the only non-dictatorial country in the Arab world (Yes, we do have a President!)
  12. Jesus Christ made his 1st miracle in Lebanon , in Qana (The miracle of Turning water into wine).
  13. The Phoenicians (Original People of Lebanon) built the 1st boat, and they were the first to sail ever!
  14. Phoenicians also reached America long before Christopher Columbus did.
  15. The 1st law school in the world was built in Lebanon , in Downtown Beirut.
  16. People say that the cedars were planted by God’s own hands (This is why they’re called ‘The Cedars of God’, and this is why Lebanon is called ‘God’s Country on Earth.’

I love Lebanon ….. may God bless my homeland forever….

First trip to Lebanon
First time To Lebanon? The Untold tips and tricks

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Floatation tanks

Floatation tank, isolation tank or sensory deprivation tank mean the same thing. My first floatation tank experience was at B1 Yoga, and then at Urban Float (both places are in Washington State):

Quoting Wikipedia:

The isolation tank was developed in 1954 by John C. Lilly, a medical practitioner and neuropsychiatrist.[1][2][3] During his training in psychoanalysis at the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Lilly experimented with sensory deprivation. After 10 years of experimentation without taking any psychoactive substances, he tried floating in combination with a psychedelic agent, mostly LSD (at that time he was a researcher at NIMH, and LSD was legal in the US).

If you have watched “Stranger Things” on Netflix, in one episode, they show us Eleven being trained inside an sensory deprivation tank. Even in later episodes, they build an improvised floatation tank using an inflatable pool and lots of Epsom salt.

Floatation tanks have many benefits, to list them all is to repeat what others have said. I am going to mention just a few:

  • Energises, rejuvenates and revitalises
  • Promotes total calm and peaceful relaxation
  • Deepens meditation
  • Enhances hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis
  • Speeds up rehabilitation and recovery
  • Relieves pain (arthritis, migraines, injuries and so on)
  • Reduces blood pressure, pulse, heart rate and oxygen consumption
  • Increases creativity, problem solving

If you are still uncertain, I advise you to read this classic book about floatation written by Michael Hutchison on how floatation tanks changed his life and help him recover his health.


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Meet Roger, the man who lives in the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol


I was traveling from the US to Europe and I had a layover in Amsterdam. In the men’s room, I met an interesting character called Roger. Roger, in his mid forties, was neat and dressed like a backpack traveler. He started a conversation with me, talking about random stuff. At one point, out of the blue he mentions that he lives in the airport. I was not sure what he meant but he explained that he literally lives in the airport. I asked him if he showers, sleeps and gets his basic needs met in the airport and he said yes. In fact, he uses the handicap toilet to wash himself at nights then he goes to sleep in the airport pretending to be an early morning passenger. In the morning, he also uses to toilets to get himself ready and then leaves the airport for the day.

What an interesting encounter. I had no idea that some people, out of necessity do that. I have walked in the streets of popular European cities and I have met many homeless people. Panhandling and sleeping on the street is a second nature to them unfortunately. Roger at least, gets a warm place and washes himself instead of sleeping out in the freezing cold in the winter.

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The 2018 World Predictions – Michel Hayek

Keeping with every year’s tradition on this blog, I am doing a preliminary translation of the 2018 predictions by Michel Hayek.

 

2019 Predictions? Click HERE

Disclaimer:

  1. I am not a professional translator and I do this as a hobby.
  2. I do not claim that the translation below is accurate or true.
  3. I did not translate everything. I skipped many things including predictions of events that are very local to the Arab region and Lebanon.

If you can understand Lebanese Arabic, I have edited and cleaned the TV interview with Michael and made it available here:

More predictions:

Let’s get started! Continue reading “The 2018 World Predictions – Michel Hayek”

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Takeaways from the “California Driver Handbook 2017”

In this article, I share with you my notes from the “California Driver Handbook 2017“. Perhaps it will come in handy when you are preparing for the driving test in California:

Notes:

  • Speed limit
    • The maximum speed limit on most California highways is 65 mph. You may drive 70 mph where posted. Unless otherwise posted, the maximum speed limit is 55 mph on a two-lane undivided highway and for vehicles towing trailers.
    • California has a “Basic Speed Law.” This law means that you may never drive faster than is safe for current conditions. For example, if you are driving 45 mph in a 55 mph speed zone during a dense fog, you may be cited for driving “too fast for conditions.”
    • The speed limit in any alley is 15 mph.
    • Business or Residential Districts: The speed limit is 25 mph, unless otherwise posted.
  • Stopping and safe distance
    • At 55mph, it takes about 400 feet to react and bring the vehicle to a complete stop, and at 35mph, it takes about 210 feet.
  • Pedestrians, bicyclists
    • Pedestrians, bicyclists, or other vehicles alongside you may experience sudden strong winds when passing or being passed. Slow down and pass safely, and pass only at a safe distance (typically 3 feet or more for bicyclists).
  • Blind Intersections
      The speed limit for a blind intersection is 15 mph. An intersection is considered “blind” if there are no stop signs at any corner and you cannot see for 100 feet in either direction during the last 100 feet before crossing.
  • Near animals
    • If you see a stray animal in your path, slow down or stop if it’s safe. Do not swerve as you may lose control of your vehicle and cause an accident.

Continue reading “Takeaways from the “California Driver Handbook 2017””

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Are you Christian? Are you Muslim? What’s your religion? Tell me, I want to feel better

I am writing this blog post just to rant and vent off and share with you one incident that happened with me.

 

The other day, while visiting Vancouver, BC, I was stopped by a family to take a photo. They observed my accent and they asked me where I am from. When I mentioned Lebanon, they wanted to know if I am a Christian or a Muslim. When I said Christian, they felt really happier and more friendly!

If you live in the West, some (if not many) people are Islamophobe. They ask you if you are a Christian or a Muslim so they feel a bit of relief if you have a more “positive” and “peaceful” religion.

I just hate the fact that I have to declare my religion so that others around me feel better. Even if they don’t ask directly, I feel this covert need to disclose my religion. Too bad, what a state of affairs. Having said that, I was born to a Christian family.

Today, based on the current world events, more and more people are brainwashed by the mainstream media to hate the religion of Islam. Where is the real freedom of expression?

When it comes to me, I treat others not based on their religion, but on how they act towards others. I try not to generalize because each person is different.: there are bad Christians as there are good Muslims and vice versa.

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Keyboard shortcuts for working in a remote desktop Windows Machine from your MacBook

macos-rdp-1In this blog post, I am going to share with you how to get the missing keyboard keys that let you work in MS Windows via the remote desktop client under Mac OS X with the MacBook’s keyboard.

What is important to know is that when using a MacBook’s keyboard, you don’t have all the keys that you usually have on a PC keyboard.

Essentially, you are missing the following keys:

  • HOME / END.
  • DEL key. This is different from the MacBook’s “Delete” key (which is equivalent to the “Backspace” key).
  • INS Key.
  • Page Up / Page Down.
  • The “Windows” key.

Continue reading “Keyboard shortcuts for working in a remote desktop Windows Machine from your MacBook”

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Introducing the “Batchography: The Art of Batch Files Programming” book

buy-from-amazonLong gone are the days when you had to use search engines to jump from one website to another in order to figure out the syntax or how to solve a problem using a Batch file script. The Batchography book is a boon for system administrators, build engineers, programmers and home users alike. It takes you on a journey of re-discovery of the lost art of Batch files programming. Whether you are an experienced user or new to the language, you will be surprised by the clarity and the abundance of the material presented in this book. With more than 140 scripting recipes, you will learn about things that you never thought were possible to achieve using the Batch files scripting language.

In the Batchography book, you will learn about:

  • The Basic concepts of Batch file scripting
  • Data structures: Arrays, Stacks, Sets, Maps
  • Multiline, compound and conditional statements
  • Function calls and repetition control structures
  • Files and strings manipulation techniques
  • Debugging and troubleshooting tips
  • Coding conventions and testing methodologies

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