You may have seen the pictures of starving people in the Horn of Africa on your TV screens. We are all asking: how can this be happening again? Parts of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopi…
You may have seen the pictures of starving people in the Horn of Africa on your TV screens. We are all asking: how can this be happening again? Parts of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are facing one of the worst droughts for 60 years, and around 10 million people are desperately in need of food, clean water and basic sanitation.
Join me in calling on world leaders to save millions of lives - today and tomorrow:
Despite the urgency of the situation, most world leaders are responding too slowly. Immediate aid is essential. Yet at the same time we must not let them drop the ball on long term solutions as has too often happened in the past.
We can help stop starvation now - and stop the causes of starvation. Firstly, we need to make sure funding is provided to pay for urgent help that will prevent people from dying. Secondly, the promises that world leaders made to invest in long term solutions must be kept, so that the people of this region can feed themselves and will not need food aid in the future.
But time is running out. Please ask your friends, family and co-workers to join you as well. And while spreading the word is critical, please only pass this message along to those who know you -- spam hurts our campaign.
What is the "Istibaneh"?
On the 29th of Sha’aban, the people of Beirut and the people of the heights surrounding the city used to gather on the shores of Al-Awzai, Ramla…
What is the "Istibaneh"?
On the 29th of Sha’aban, the people of Beirut and the people of the heights surrounding the city used to gather on the shores of Al-Awzai, Ramla Al-Bayda, Al-Rawsheh, Al-Manara and Al-Somteya, with the purpose of identifying the al-Hilal, which is the inaugural sign of the Holy month of Ramadan. They took with them to these shores some food to spend the time while waiting for the sunset in order to spot the Hilal. Once they would spot the emergence of the crescent, canons would be fired on the hilltop of the seraglio (al-Sarai) declaring the start of the Holy month of Ramadan.
What's happening this year?
"Istibaneh" is taking place this year on July 30th, 2011 at Ein El Mraysseh Corniche facing the Mosque. The event is organized by three NGOs:
The event, which will begin at 6:30 PM on, will have several entertainment shows and activities taking place as well as kite flying and a kite flying competition and even a Imshrati! During the event, children from Dr. Mohammad Khaled's Social Foundation will be joining you and your children at the Istibaneh event.
The music during the event will be a combination of Ramadan music and music presented by the Muslim Scout Association of Lebanon. Also, food and beverages will be sold so that you can quench your hunger and thirst while enjoying a traditional family outing, before the Holy month of Ramadan commences.
Entertainment Shows:
Clowns
Mimes
Jugglers
Balloon Modeling expert
Stills
Face Painting
Kite Flying, Kite Competition & Rewards
The children of Beirut and their families are encouraged to take part in the kite flying as well as in the kite flying competitions. A panel of judges will evaluate the competition and the rewards will be distributed to the participants with the winning kites according to several set categories. For example, a reward will be given to the participant with the highest kite flown; another reward will be given to the participant with the most beautiful kite etc. The purpose of the kite flying and the kite flying competition is to have the participants in the event look up as older generations used to in order to spot the crescent (al-Hilal).
Praising session for the Prophet (PBUH)
The Istibaneh event will be concluded with a praising session for the Prophet (PBUH) at 8:30 pm by the musical band Mouzarza’a.
Before I start getting disgusted looks and weird boggly eyes, I should point out that this title is misleading - kinda the point of this whole post and advertisement. (And yes it …
Before I start getting disgusted looks and weird boggly eyes, I should point out that this title is misleading - kinda the point of this whole post and advertisement. (And yes it is suitable for work - don't worry :P)
And yes, I find it very creative, appealing and eye-catching for the following reasons:
Jennifer Aniston <3
Lip-syncing toddler
Acknowledgement of the online community, viral videos and including "internet geeks"
Cute little animals crawling all over the place
Talking parrot that refers to the show "Friends" by calling Jennifer Anniston by her character name "Rachel"
Kicking a guy in the balls (which is apparently worth 100,000 hits)
Herbal Essences sort-of ending which targets the sexy appeal
The daring title
Some people might not be as daring or risky in a marketing campaign but I think it works. The video has something for everyone and can potentially target any segment, because let's face it, the product is water. The humorous appeal and the social-criticism of the ad works well in this advertisement. Needless to say that this video has went viral with almost 5 million views in 3 days.
But that's just my opinion. Tell me what you guys think?
ENERGY DIMENSION: We have learned much about our bodies through old wives’ tales handed down from our moms and grandmothers and even in school, but not all of it is correct. Here w…
ENERGY DIMENSION:We have learned much about our bodies through old wives’ tales handed down from our moms and grandmothers and even in school, but not all of it is correct. Here we look at 10 misconceptions that might surprise you.
1. Warts can be caught from other animals like toads Human warts are caused by a virus that affects only humans, the human pappiloma virus. They cannot be caught by animals with warts and certainly not by toads whose bumps are not warts but glands.
2. Sugar makes children hyperactive
False! Twelve controlled, double blind trials have shown that there is absolutely no connection between children’s behavior and their sugar intake. One thing was found, namely that parents rate their child’s behavior as more hyper when they thought they had been given a sugary drink. “The studies included sugar from sweets, chocolate and natural sources. Even in studies of those who were considered “sensitive” to sugar, children did not behave differently after eating sugar-full or sugar-free diets,” said Vreeman and Carrol who undertook the retrospective study.
3. We use only 10% of our human brain
William James, a psychologist in the 1800s, once metaphorically used the idea of 10% of the brain being all that was used at one time. This grew into the rumor that it was all the brain was overall and most of the rest was not understood or used as far as we know. Actually, the inactive neurons are just as important at any given moment as the ones actively firing at a point in time, and the 10% comes from varying areas at different times.
4. Different areas of the tongue taste different things
The idea that taste buds in different areas of the tongue correspond to sweet, sour, savory and salty has been floating around for decades but is false. Every area of the tongue can taste every type; the idea that there was a tongue map came from a mistranslation by a Harvard professor, of a badly written and discredited German paper.
5. Men think of sex every seven seconds It would make it hard to concentrate on needed things such as work if this were true, so good thing it isn’t. Even though there is no way of measuring this properly, studies scientists have done show this is a huge exaggeration.
6. Conditioners and shampoos can cure split ends
Not so, there are no cures for split ends beyond cutting them. Good conditioners and shampoos might help prevent them in the first place but anything purporting to heal them should be looked at with the same eye as you would look at snake oil.
7. Your hair grows back thicker and darker after shaving
Another falsity: Uncut hair is tapered, so doesn’t appear as thick as cut hair. Also, uncut hair has more exposure to the sun, which lightens it a little, making cut hair appear darker at first.
8. Fingernails and hair continue to grow after death
Neither continue to to grow. What does happen is that the cuticles and skin shrink after death, making it appear as if the nails and hair were lengthening.
9. You will catch a cold if you go out in wet, freezing weather
There is no evidence to support this misconception at all. Viruses are more common in the low humidity time of winter and of course, people are gathered indoors more, so they spread easily but the only thing that going out in the cold does is perhaps lower your resistance to an infection you already have, starting some temporary sneezing and coughing.
10. Sleepwalkers should never be woken
Sleepwalkers are often confused and/or disoriented when awakened but this is far better than the danger of injuries that are common from tripping over things, walking into dangerous areas and more. Thus, wake them gently and help them get back to bed.
As we see here, what we think we know is not always accurate! So don’t worry about your child having that extra cookie, at least from a hyperactive point of view, and don’t spend a lot of money on products that supposedly cure split ends!
MIND SOUP : So today, October 15, is Blog Action Day 2010 . The theme this year is water . As I live in a country where water is theoretically abundant, I, as many other Lebanese, ma…
MIND SOUP: So today, October 15, is Blog Action Day 2010. The theme this year is water. As I live in a country where water is theoretically abundant, I, as many other Lebanese, may not feel the urge to conserve water or use it wisely.
But as I watch TV and read bloggers posts from other countries, I have become more aware of the critical water situation the world is facing. After enrolling as a blogger against hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme and engaging more into the world blogosphere, I was shocked to know that around 4.500 children die daily from water related diseases and that a almost a billion people on Earth don't have access to clean and safe drinking water!
Since then I realized that there are so many things with our water consumption in Lebanon. We take hour-long showers, flood our houses to get them cleaned, stare at the open faucet while brushing our teeth, and use excessive amounts of water to irrigate our flowers and plants. But the most unfortunate thing is that we let all that water we have go to waste, all those rivers end up in the sea. My history teacher at school told us something that I will never forget. He always used to stress that if the Lebanese government built just on dam on the dozen-plus major rivers that we have, we not only be able to satisfy the water needs of the Gulf (and perhaps the Middle East) but also generate enough water-powered electricity to light up the whole MENA region.
Too bad the only concern for Lebanese politicians is sectarianism and stupid religious rivalry. But I digress.
So here's a few creative and possibly weird ways to save water that I found online while researching for this post.
The weirdest one I found is Brazilian in origin: peeing in the shower Brazilian way. This means that if you are in the shower and you feel like you have to pee, then just handle your business in the shower. Rather than coming out of the shower to use the toilet bowl and flushing it, it is recommending that you help yourself in the shower so that those gallons of water that would have been wasted while you flushed would be saved, 1157 gallons a year to be exact.
Here's another weird one: Put a brick in your toilet. A brick in the toilet tank takes up space to replace water. If a brick uses half a quart of space, you save half a quart per flush. Hint: Since bricks can dissolve, paint it with basement water sealant.
Another creative way I found, and I think my grandpa applies, is making use of rain water by collecting water in rain barrels. Rain barrels come in a variety of sizes and materials. You can build them from available kits or you can buy them at home improvement stores and some nurseries. Ideally, you would configure your rooftop gutter and downspout to empty into a large rain barrel [I saw this on a Lebanese blogger today but couldn't remember which one #help], but you can also keep a barrel open to receive rain straight from the sky. You can then use that collected rain to water house plants or gardens, fill bird baths, top off swimming pools and wash the car.
An interesting tip also is keeping a container (such as a milk jug) under your sink and fill it with the water left from boiling pasta and eggs, then water your plants with it. (You can also add your leftover coffee to this giving your plants a great boost of nutrients which encourages blooming).
You should also be more aware when buying your grocceries. Buy powdered laundry and dish detergents. The liquid versions simply have water added to them, making them a waste of water, money, and packaging. In addition to that, don’t buy individually-bottled water–it takes a lot of water to make those bottles and they just end up in the trash. Reusable water bottles are much more environmentally sound (not to mention much less expensive).
One thing that college students like myself do is skipping a load of laundry. Once in a while, some clothing really doesn't need to be washed. In mild weather, outer shirts that were only worn briefly might need just a "fluff in the dryer" or another ironing to be perfectly ready to wear. Bachelors have also known this secret for years.
Only order water in a restaurant if you are going to actually drink it. How many times have you seen full water glasses left on tables from customers who have ordered an iced tea or soda instead? Next time you sit down think twice about whether you are going to drink your glass of water or ask your server to fill you halfway. You can always get a refill. If you don't plan on drinking water at all, ask your waiter not to open the bottle of water they usually get for the table. Don't worry about being rude, think about those 4,500 daily dying children instead.
So those were just a few ideas to get you going, but you can find hundreds more.
Next time you are using water, remember that water is a resource that should benefit all humans (and other species) on Earth. Don't abuse this resource. Sharing is caring after all.
MIND SOUP : An Egyption lawyer has filed a lawsuit again the Egyptian Minister of Justice Mamdouh Merhi and others accusing them of misleading the Egyptian people by hiding the tru…
Egyption President Hosni Mubarak
MIND SOUP: An Egyption lawyer has filed a lawsuit again the Egyptian Minister of Justice Mamdouh Merhi and others accusing them of misleading the Egyptian people by hiding the truth.
The lawyer, Hamed Sayed Makki, claimed in the case memo that the minister has been hiding the death of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
What's more interesting, or maybe unbelievable, is that he believe that Mubarak has been dead since 2004 while winning the past elections in 2005 (a year after his alleged death).
According to Horiyatna radio station, the lawsuit said that this is a "local and international scam to fool us about Mubarak's life."
The source revealed more detail about his alleged death. It said that Mubarak has passed away in Germany on the 16th of June, 2004 while undergoing an operation to remove a cancerous tumor from his ear.
The lawsuit adds that Mubarak underwent this operation secretly, and after the surgery, the doctor declared him dead.
Several radio stations announced this piece of news back in 2004, the lawsuit states. These include Monte Carlo radio station, the Israeli radio station, and London. After that, there was no word about the issue.
Accordingly, after his "unexpected death," Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak and her sons Alaa and Jamal allegedly agreed with the Germany, Israel and the United States to substitute him with a look-alike. This look-alike would be just an image, where effectively his sons would rule Egypt "behind the curtains".
Additionally, the lawyers says that the recent trip of "fake" Mubarak to Germany to undergo a surgery is also a scam. He asked "Why didn't Chancellor Angela Merkel go to Germany to visit the president if she didn't know that he is a fake?"
This scam is attributed by Makki to Israel's and US's advantage from a "stable Egyptian regime". In addition to that, he says that it would lead to the imprisonment of Mubarak's wife and sons.
Well, if this lawsuit was ever approved and went to court, there is a pretty easy way to identify the truth: DNA test. I personally think it is ridiculous and just a way for someone to get his 15 minutes of fame. But then again, similar things have happened before, and other people (like Michael Jackson) have been accused of similar things. We'll just have to see how this thing plays.
A son stabbed his 100-year-old mother in the neck then told his brother "I've just gone mad," a court has heard. BBC : Michael Fitzgibbon, 62, admitted the manslaughte…
A son stabbed his 100-year-old mother in the neck then told his brother "I've just gone mad," a court has heard.
Hannah Fitzgibbon lived in Stepney with her son
BBC: Michael Fitzgibbon, 62, admitted the manslaughter of Hannah Fitzgibbon at the Old Bailey.
She died from a stab wound to her neck at the terraced home they shared in Stepney, east London in February.
Fitzgibbon denied murder and the prosecution accepted his manslaughter plea on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The unemployed former black cab driver was initially charged with murder.
But prosecutors accepted a plea to the lesser charge after psychiatrists agreed he was suffering depression of "moderate severity" as well as the early stages of Parkinson's disease.
Crispin Aylett QC, prosecuting, said: "This is a case in which the defendant stabbed his mother when she was 100 years old.
Deteriorating health
"This occurred at a time when it seems that in fact the defendant's own health was deteriorating at a rather more rapid rate than that of his mother."
Mr Aylett said Fitzgibbon's condition was undiagnosed at the time of the killing, although "some of the symptoms were apparent to family and friends".
He added: "Neither psychiatrists nor anyone else could think of any rational explanation for why the defendant would have killed his mother other than the one the defendant himself offered in the immediate aftermath.
"He told his brother on the telephone, and later police, 'I've just gone mad'."
Judge Richard Hone ordered pre-sentence reports to decide on whether to jail Fitzgibbon or take an "exceptional" course of action in giving a supervision order because of the state of his health.
He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on 13 September.
Below is a message from the AUB Music Club who will be participating in the Hamra Street Festival which will take place on 10, 11, 12 September. The festival will include two ma…
Poster for Cirque Du Liban
Below is a message from the AUB Music Club who will be participating in the Hamra Street Festival which will take place on 10, 11, 12 September.
The festival will include two major events:
September 10:
- Inauguration of the Festival under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Beirut Deputies and the Hamra Committee.
- The Big Hamra Parade
September 11 and 12:
- Stands Activities, Street animations, Music concerts, Dance, Plays, Kids Arena, Fireworks etc...
The AUB Music Club would like to invite you in participating in this festival through:
Big Hamra Parade (September 10)
- The AUB music club will provide you with comfortable/funky costumes and percussions. You just need to wear the costumes, show up on time, improvise on your percussions (IF you want) and have fun! The parade will take place at 5.30 p.m and will last for two hours tops.
- The AUB Music Club will provide you with a two-meter banner, printed with the logo of the AUB Music Club so that you proudly carry it on during the parade :)!
- As for the drummers, you can get your own snare drum and come up with your own beats; no one will bother you!
Concerts (September 11-12)
During these two days, if you have an acoustic, rock, blues, jazz, latin, or heavy metal band, you can peform on one of the four stages that will be set on hamra street.
The Hamra Street festival will feature an intense media covanerage so your involvement is highly appreciated and beneficial for the music club and your bands!
So, please send an email on tarekabimosleh@gmail.com if you need further details on how to receive the costumes & percussions for the parade or perform in the festival.
You can also contact us on our cell phones:
Tarek Abi Mosleh: 03/ 67 40 19 (Anytime before Sept.2)
Lara Fakih: 70/ 20 18 89
Hassan Sherry: 03/ 04 07 26
For more information about the festival, check out their facebook page .
YAHOO : If you want to avoid the worst-paying college degrees, think twice before choosing a college major that involves children.
Included among the 20 worst-paying college degree…
YAHOO: If you want to avoid the worst-paying college degrees, think twice before choosing a college major that involves children.
Included among the 20 worst-paying college degrees are elementary education, special education, social work and child and family studies. That's the conclusion of the latest annual study of college degrees by Payscale, Inc. that compiled starting and mid-career pay for dozens of college majors.
Child and family studies earned the honors as the worst-paying college major. The average graduate earns a beginning salary of $29,500. What's equally discouraging is that the salary of someone in this field will barely budge after 15 years in the profession.
Food is another common theme for students who major in the worst-paying college degrees. Students who earn degrees in horticulture, dietetics and the culinary arts are more likely to end up struggling financially.
College Degree
Starting Pay
Mid-Career Pay
1. Child and Family Studies
$29,500
$38,400
2. Elementary Education
$31,600
$44,400
3. Social Work
$31,800
$44,900
4. Athletic Training
$32,800
$45,700
5. Culinary Arts
$35,900
$50,600
6. Horticulture
$35,000
$50,800
7. Paralegal Studies/Law
$35,100
$51,300
8. Theology
$34,700
$51,300
9. Recreation & Leisure
$33,300
$53,200
10. Special Education
$36,000
$53,800
11. Dietetics
$40,400
$54,200
12. Religious Studies
$34,700
$54,400
13. Art
$33,500
$54,800
14. Education
$35,100
$54,900
15. Interdisciplinary Studies
$35,600
$55,700
16. Interior Design
$34,400
$56,600
17. Nutrition
$42,200
$56,700
18. Graphic Design
$35,400
$56,800
19. Music
$36,700
$57,000
20. Art History
$39,400
$57,100
If you'd rather end up with one of the best-paying college degrees, you'll have to major in something that requires a lot of math classes.
AP : Dread of the unknown hung in the air as Lynn France typed two words into the search box on Facebook: the name of the woman with whom she believed her husband was having an aff…
AP: Dread of the unknown hung in the air as Lynn France typed two words into the search box on Facebook: the name of the woman with whom she believed her husband was having an affair.
Click. And there it was, the stuff of nightmares for any spouse, cuckolded or not. Wedding photos. At Walt Disney World, no less, featuring her husband literally dressed as Prince Charming. His new wife, a pretty blonde, was a glowing Sleeping Beauty, surrounded by footmen.
"I was numb with shock, to tell you the truth," says France, an occupational therapist from Westlake, a Cleveland suburb. "There was like an album of 200 pictures on there. Their whole wedding."
Affairs were once shadowy matters, illicit encounters whispered about and often difficult to prove. But in the age of Facebook and Twitter and lightning-fast communication, the notion of privacy is fast becoming obsolete. From flirtatious text messages to incriminating e-mails, marital indiscretions are much easier to track — especially if potentially damaging photographic evidence is posted online.
"All of these things are just a trail of cyber breadcrumbs that are easily tracked by good divorce lawyers," says Parry Aftab, an expert on Internet safety and privacy laws.
France, 41, was not completely blindsided by her Facebook discovery, which happened in January 2009. That fall, she had grown suspicious when her husband began taking frequent business trips, even leaving the day the couple's newborn son came home from the hospital. Once, she found his passport at home when he was supposed to be in China for business.
I encountered the funniest thing today. While walking alongside the American University Hospital with my friend, I was joking how hospitals don't have valet parking.
That didn…
I encountered the funniest thing today. While walking alongside the American University Hospital with my friend, I was joking how hospitals don't have valet parking.
That didn't last long. A few seconds later, we see a sign for VALET PARKING on the side of the road.
Well it might be a good idea for the emergency division where people don't have the time to find a parking, but to think about it clearly, are we really that lazy?
Lazy to the extent of having someone park the car at a hospital? And its not cheap either.
Personally, I believe that our culture should depend more on one's self. This type of laziness is what is holding us back from actually achieving something.
It is enough that we are bringing maids to our homes to cook the meals and raise up the children, but this? How low can we get? Next thing you know, people will start hiring professionals to help them go to the bathroom or shower.
Put on your walking shoes and join us on June 6th when we Walk the World to fight hunger.
This is an annual global event to raise awareness and funds for WFP’s efforts to end chil…
Put on your walking shoes and join us on June 6th when we Walk the World to fight hunger.
This is an annual global event to raise awareness and funds for WFP’s efforts to end child hunger and malnutrition.
Hundreds of thousands of people in more than 200 countries in the world will walk 5 kilometers to show their support and take a stand against child hunger.
The walk takes place across a 24-hour time span, in 70 countries around the world, with over 360,000 people walking five kilometers. It begins in Auckland, New Zealand and finishes in Samoa. Last year, enough money was raised to provide school meals for one year to more than 20 thousand children in the world's poorest countries.
At walktheworld.wfp.org you can find out if there’s a walk near you, create your own walk, or join our virtual walk. Unfortunately, there is not walk in Lebanon. The closest walk is in Jordan :(
This is a sticky post. All new posts before June 7 will appear below it.
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 Hollywo…
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, who played the boys' white, teenage sister, committed suicide in 1999. Bridges was tried and acquitted of attempted murder.
Coleman's popularity faded when the show ended after six seasons on NBC and two on ABC.
He remained estranged from his parents Sue and Willie Coleman, who said they learned about his hospitalization and death from media reports.
Sue Coleman said she wanted to reconcile and had been patiently waiting for her son to be ready.
"One of the things that I had prayed for was that nothing like this would happen before we could sit with Gary and (wife) Shannon and say, 'we're here and we love you,'" Sue Coleman said. "We just didn't want to push him."
She would not discuss the cause of the estrangement.
In 1989, when Gary Coleman was 21, she filed a court request trying to gain control of her son's $6 million fortune, saying he was incapable of handling his affairs. He said the move "obviously stems from her frustration at not being able to control my life."
Coleman chafed at his permanent association with "Diff'rent Strokes" but also tried to capitalize on it through minor reality shows and other TV appearances. His adult life also was marked with legal, financial and health troubles, suicide attempts and even a 2003 run for California governor.
Coleman suffered continuing ill health from the kidney disease that stunted his growth. He suffered the brain hemorrhage Wednesday at his Santaquin home, 55 miles south of Salt Lake City.
A statement from his family said he was conscious and lucid until midday Thursday, when his condition worsened and he slipped into unconsciousness. Coleman was then placed on life support.
"Diff'rent Strokes" debuted on NBC in 1978 and drew most of its laughs from the tiny, 10-year-old Coleman.
Race and class relations became topics on the show as much as the typical trials of growing up.
Coleman was an immediate star, and his skeptical "Whatchu talkin' 'bout?" — usually aimed at Willis — became a catchphrase.
In a 1979 Los Angeles Times profile, Sue Coleman said her son had always been a ham as a small child. He acted in some commercials before he was signed by T.A.T., the production company that created "Diff'rent Strokes."
The attention his starring role brought him could be a burden as well as a pleasure.
Coleman said in 2001 that he would do a TV series again, but "only under the absolute condition that it be an ensemble cast and that everybody gets a chance to shine."
"I certainly am not going to be the only person on the show working," he said. "I've done that. I didn't like it."
Coleman's kidney disease required dialysis and at least two transplants. As an adult, his height reached only 4 feet 8 inches.
He continued to get credits for TV guest shots and other small roles over the years. But in 2001 he said he preferred earning money from celebrity endorsements.
"Now that I'm 33, I can call the shots," he said. "And if anybody has a problem with that, I guess they don't have to work with me."
Coleman was among 135 candidates who ran in California's bizarre 2003 recall election to replace then-Gov. Gray Davis, whom voters ousted in favor of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Coleman finished in eighth place with 12,488 votes, or 0.2 percent, just behind Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt.
Running for office gave him a chance to show another side of himself, he said at the time.
"This is really interesting and cool, and I've been enjoying the heck out of it because I get to be intelligent, which is something I don't get to do very often," he said.
Legal disputes dogged him repeatedly. And in a 1993 television interview, he said he had twice tried to kill himself by overdosing on pills.
He moved to Utah in fall 2005, and according to a tally in early 2010, officers were called to assist or intervene with Coleman more than 20 times in the following years. The responses included a call where Coleman said he had taken dozens of Oxycontin pills and wanted to die.
Some of the disputes involved his wife, Shannon Price, whom he met on the set of the 2006 comedy "Church Ball" and married in 2007.
In September 2008, a dustup with a fan at a Utah bowling alley led Coleman to plead no contest to disorderly conduct. The fan also sued him, claiming the actor punched him and ran into him with his truck.
Coleman was born Feb. 8, 1968, in Zion, Ill., near Chicago. His mother told Ebony his kidney disease was diagnosed when he was 2. He underwent his first transplant at age 5.
He attracted attention when he took part in some local fashion shows and people suggested he should get work performing in commercials, which he then did, she said.
She stayed with her son in California while he was making "Diff'rent Strokes," while her husband Willis, a pharmaceutical company worker, stayed behind in Illinois. [via]