Mind Soup

After four years of studying at AUB, I think it's time to breakdown a list of typical AUB students that you are bound to meet here: The Westies : are students who have nothing better to do in life but sit outside and around West Hall and socialize 24/7. Some of them even come as early as 7:00 AM even though their first class doesn't start before 2:00 PM.. The Fiskies : are usually the weird English/Philosophy students who hang out outside Fisk Hall and are very culture-oriented. By that, I mean afro hairdos, weird facial hair, slippers, and I'm fairly certain they are high on something other than knowledge. (Also know as the hippies) The Zoo-keepers : are the students who basically live in the area known as the "zoo" which is a small park area facing the AUB cafeteria where they hang out to smoke, cluster, and discuss one-sided politics. The sunbathers : are the students who skip classes to lay down on green oval and get tanned when the sun it out. They are...

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 eati...

Cadbury Schweppes – announced on Dec. 17, 2002 plans to invest $4.5 m in Israeli confectionary maker and distributor Carmit after a year’s trial association with Carmit whereby the latter distributed Cadbury’s goods in Israel. The money, Cadbury specified, will paid in the first three months of 2003 and will be used for the advertising to promote its products in Israel. Carmit will become Carmit-Cadbury Coca-Cola – bought 43% of Neviot Water in 2001 for c. $20 million, a company which has 40% of the Israeli bottled water market  in January 2002 Coca-Cola reported it was beginning negotiations to acquire Golan Wineries, located in the Golan Heights  in Dec. 2000 bought 33.3%of StoreAlliance, Israeli computer technology supplier, for $5 million through its Israeli subsidiary until July 2000 Coca-Cola owned Mayanot Eden which is a water-company based in the Golan announced in July 2002 that, in return for millions of dollars in tax breaks from the Israeli ...

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 un...

OUR MAN IN BEIRUT : Ladies and gentlemen, following this exclusive online guide is a sure-fire way to be mistaken for a Lebanese. Driving: The driver's seat must be in an uncomfortable and impractical reclined position at all times. No more than one hands shall be on the wheel at any time. The other hand should be on the window frame. Alternatively it may be located on the gear-shift or your girlfriend's leg. Profuse use of horn is encouraged. Religious symbols are to be attached to dashboard at will. Clothes: Shirts are never to be tucked in. A minimum of three buttons must be undone to reveal chest hair and optional gold medallion. Brand names are to be exposed on every visible area of clothing. Technology: Ownership of mobile phones released more than two months ago are a big no-no. Be sure to keep your phone visible at all times. Keep it in your hand and place it on the table during diner or coffee. Fiddle around with the menu at all times, to seem like you are alw...

FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk. PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need. BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and put them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need. FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk. PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk. RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk. CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government...

During all police investigations it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once. If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St. Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year. It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down. The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place.  No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building you want without difficulty. You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language.  A German accent will do. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds. If a large pane o...

1.A visa is not a credit card. ... 2.You refer to your dad's friends as Um-moe .. 3.You have an endless supply of pistachios, dates, and pumpkin seeds... 4.Your parents say you're becoming Americanized anytime you get into trouble. 5.You curse at your teachers or strangers in Arabic. .... 6.You can spot an Arab a mile away and they have spotted you because they keep staring... 7.After a family meal, the women fight to death over who should wash the dishes while the men sit on their behinds and discuss politics, waiting for their tea. .. 8.Your parents want you to become a doctor or engineer. ... 9.You use your forehead and eyebrow(s) to point something out... 10.Your mother yells at the top of her lungs to call you to dinner even if you're in the next room.... 11. You have at least thirty cousins. ... 12.You arrive one or two hours late to a party and think it's normal 13.You are standing next to the largest suitcases at the Airport 14.You tal...

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste. -- David Bissonette When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. -- Sacha Guitry After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together. -- Hemant Joshi By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. -- Socrates Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them. -- Dumas The great question which I have not been able to answer... Is, "What does a woman want? -- Sigmund Freud I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me. -- Anonymous Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays,...

Have you seen every single episode of Lost multiple times? Do you have complex theories about time travel? If so, then, like many other devoted fans, you might be addicted to Lost. But how can you be sure? We have a list of 42 signs that you are a confirmed Lost addict. See how many you have to diagnose your addiction. 1. You might be a Lost addict if...you play 4-8-15-16-23-42 in the lottery every week. 2. You might be a Lost addict if...you call your bedroom "The Hatch." 3. You might be a Lost addict if...you request to sit in seat 23B, just like Jack, every time you're on an airplane. 4. You might be a Lost addict if...you'd never vote for President Ob A ma again if he'd preempted Lost with the State of the Union address. 5. You might be a Lost addict if...you used the data in the Lamp Post to try and triangulate where the Island is. 6. You might be a Lost addict if...your Valentine's Day gift for your gi...

Roll call for the 67th annual Golden Globe awards, chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association from this list of nominees . Golden team … Avatar actor Sam Worthington, director James Cameron, actor Zoe Saldana, producer Jon Landau and actor Sigourney Weaver with the Golden Globe for best drama at the 67th Golden Globe awards. Photograph: Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images Best motion picture – drama Avatar Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – drama Sandra Bullock , The Blind Side Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – drama Jeff Bridges , Crazy Heart Best motion picture – comedy or musical The Hangover Best performance by an actress in a motion picture – comedy or musical Meryl Streep , Julie & Julia Best performance by an actor in a motion picture – comedy or musical Robert Downey Jr , Sherlock Holmes Best animated feature Up Best foreign language film The White Ribbon (Germany) Best performance by an actress in a supporting role i...

01-02-2010 can be read the same way in both directions. One math geek's really got its number. Professor Aziz Inan has a passion for palindromes. There will be 12 dates this century  that can be read in two directions; today's is the second. (December 31, 2009) Professor Aziz Inan has a passion for palindromes. There will be 12 dates this century that can be read in two directions; today's is the second. (December 31, 2009) Some people are into cars. Some people dig the ocean. Aziz Inan, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Portland in Oregon, loves numbers. "I can relate to them," Inan said. "Each number has its own personality." With this adoration in mind, consider today, Jan. 2, 2010. The day is a palindromic date, meaning the number can be read the same way in either direction: 01-02-2010. There will be 12 palindromic days this century, Inan said, and today is the second. The first was 10-02-2001. (His complete ...