Mind Soup

What better way to end a great year than to sit down and think about the great memories and opportunities it has brought you. Overall this year was a very good year, perhaps one of the best years I've lived so far. This year has been full of achievements and memories that I would like to share with my readers as a tribute to my readers. January: Though I did not know it then, this month has probably set the ground-stone for my career life. In this month I took one of the major decisions that I will ever make. During a period where all my friends were filling in medical school applications, begging for recommendations and stressing over their grades, I decided, and after three years of premedical studies, that I will not be applying to any medical school and forgo the idea of med-school. This decision has came after a lot of considerations and consultations with family and close friends. It was not an issue of grades nor the issue of time, but I had a more clear vision where I wa...

As of May 1, Lebanon is set to head the United Nations Security Council for the first time in almost 50 years and will remain in that position throughout the month. Lebanon will gain exceptional importance in that role in light of several conflicts and dangers raging in many areas in the world, reported the daily An Nahar Saturday. The daily said that Lebanon's presidency "will not change the world, but nations great or small, far or near, friend or foe, will have to address Lebanon with the term 'Mr. President' before the Security Council and the entire United Nations." Lebanon's permanent representative at the Security Council and the current President of the Council, Ambassador Nawaf Salam, told An Nahar: "Part of Lebanon's message has arrived by its entry into the Security Council." He continued: "The message is that Lebanon is regaining its health, it is present on the international scene, it takes part in international resoluti...

Countries around the world are beginning to hold celebratory events to welcome in 2010. New Year arrived first in the South Pacific. At midnight local time (1100 GMT) fireworks were set off over Auckland's Sky Tower in New Zealand. A massive fireworks display has taken place in Sydney, Australia, with some 5,000kg of explosives sent up around around the famous harbour bridge. An estimated 1.5 million attended the city's dramatic show. Fireworks were launched from the bridge, from boats in the harbour and from buildings around the waterfront. Crowds had been gathering since the early morning, some of them camping overnight to secure the best /vantage point for the 12-minute midnight fireworks display. Police minister Michael Daley warned those attending to avoid excessive drinking. "If you're one of these fools that can't handle their grog and likes to go out and ruin other people's nights, make yourself a new year's resolution to grow up and be...

  (CNN) -- It happens only once in a blue moon -- and scientists say a blue moon is exactly what we'll see in the skies this New Year's Eve. Don't expect an azure glow over our lunar satellite, however. The term "blue moon" simply refers to the second full moon in a calendar month, something that hasn't happened on a New Year's Eve for nearly 20 years, NASA says. "December 1990 ended with a blue moon, and many New Year's Eve parties were themed by the event," said Professor Philip Hiscock of the department of folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland, in Canada. "It was a lot of fun." Most months have just one full moon, because the 29.5-day cycle of the moon matches up pretty well with the length of calendar months. Occasionally, there will be two full moons in a month, something that happens about every 2½ years, NASA says. But a blue moon on December 31 is rare. It is possible for the moon to have a cerulean hue...

Yahoo Inc. is closing down for a week over the holidays to save money, but experts said the shutdown is par for the course in Silicon Valley. The Internet company is mandating that most of its employees worldwide, except for those responsible for “essential functions” such as customer service, take off work from Dec. 25 through Jan. 1. In the U.S., employees can either use vacation time for nonholiday dates or take unpaid leave. Workers outside the country will be paid according to local standards, said spokeswoman Dana Lengkeek. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo told its staff about the break in April, and has recommended employees to take the week off in the past, Lengkeek said. “This is nothing new, just formalized a little more,” she said. “It’s fairly standard in the industry, closing down during a traditionally slow week and giving employees time to recharge. A lot of employees tend to take that week off anyway.” In addition to reducing operations, Yahoo will be turning lights and co...