Mind Soup

CAIRO: Controversy abounds at the Toronto Film Festival after Ahmed Maher, the Egyptian directof of “The Traveler” pulled his film from the lineup in protest of the festival’s spotlight on Israel. The move has been received in Egypt with much praise, signaling the ongoing fight against any normalization with Israel, whether political or cultural. First-time director Ahmed Abdallah also withdrew his film “Heliopolis” from the schedule, protesting the presentation of 10 films on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, which is being featured as part of the “City to City” program. The controversy gained steam after Maher’s decision to withdraw his film, which was produced by the Egyptian ministry of culture, screened and nominated at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. It is still unclear whether Maher’s decision to revoke the film will force it from the viewers. Festival co-director Cameron Bailey lauded the Egpytian filmmakers for “having a really strong year, addressing tough issu...

I am proud to announce that at 12:39 AM (GMT+3) today  Mind Soup 2.0 has reached 1,000 page views in ten days (since 09/09/09) including a day of maintenance. This is the first milestone to overcome and I am glad that people are checking out the blog and liking it. On average, each visitor to Mind Soup is reading 5 pages of articles and posts. I am also excited that Mind Soup has reached 48 different countries so far (sadly, none of  which are in Africa). The top three countries so far are: Lebanon (26.7%) USA (24.4%) UK (8.1%) I want to thank the rest of the authors and my readers for the success of Mind Soup. *мøυđz

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is extending greetings to Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr (ayd ahl-FIH'-tur), which marks the end of the holy monthlong fasting time known as Ramadan. The president on Saturday issued a statement saying he and his wife, Michelle, congratulate Muslims in the U.S. and around on the world on a "blessed day." Obama said even at this festive occasion, Muslims remember the less fortunate, those suffering in poverty, hunger, conflict and disease. In her own statement, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the occasion is a reminder that the values of Islam — "charity, community, cooperation, compassion are values which we hold dear as Americans."

Ever wonder what happens to all the fat sucked out during liposuction? If you feared it was going to waste, worry no more. According to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the gelatinous material can be converted into embryonic stem cells . “We’ve identified a great natural resource,” said Stanford surgery professor and co-author of the research, Michael Longaker. The physician also called lipo leftovers “liquid gold.” Changing regular adult stem cells to embryonic stem cells poses a number of problems. Four genes, known as Yamanaka factors, need to be expressed to change adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), which mostly resemble embryonic stem cells. Doctors often experiment with skin cells for this procedure. But like some adults, mature cells are resistant to change. It takes skin cells about three weeks in the lab to convert to iPS cells. The Stanford researchers looked at adipose, or immature fat cells, which lie within a labyri...

Wash this space… for some of the slickest sinks around! Designers have thrown out everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink in order to reinvent one of society’s most utilitarian fixtures. Turning on the creative faucet gives “brain drain” a whole new meaning – as illustrated by these 15 sink-ly spectacular washbasins! Faucet Meets Fossil (images via: Doornob and HighTech Design ) From Germany’s HighTech Design comes the Ammonite Washbasin. Composed of formed concrete, this sink is no 97 pound weakling… though it DOES weigh 97 pounds. Taking the Ammonite Washbasin for a “spin” must be a unique experience and, if one isn’t careful, a dizzying one at that! (images via: HighTech Design ) The Ammonite Washbasin comes integrated with a concrete slab countertop ranging from 900mm (36 inches) to 1190 mm (47.5 inches) and makes an excellent place to wash up after a meal of brontosaurus ribs. Amirite? Ammonite! continue reading >>

Wok Kundor is the Elizabeth Taylor of Malaysia. The 107-year-old woman is looking to marry again … for the 23rd time! Wok Kundor has been happily married for four years to her husband, a man 70 years her junior. But since he left their village in northern Terengganu state for a drug rehabilitation program in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, Wok has had a gnawing feeling. "She said that she has been feeling insecure lately and she needs to find out whether he still loves her or not," said R.S.N. Murali, a reporter for The Star. The English-language Malaysian daily was among several local media outlets reporting on the lifelong romantic. "She is worried he might not come back after his program and find himself a younger wife," Murali said. If so, Wok has her eyes set on a 50-year-old man, but hopes it does not come to that.

The man who plans to be "the first clown in space" has said he will liven up the atmosphere on the international space station by playing pranks on the astronauts. Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, told reporters he plans to tickle the professional astronauts while they're sleeping, and he's will also bring a consignment of red clown noses aboard. "I'm a person with a pretty high spirit, who's there to crack jokes and make jokes to those guys, and while they're sleeping, you know, I'll be tickling them," Mr Laliberte said. The 50-year-old Canadian creator of the circus group is paying $35 million to blast off later this month on a Russian spacecraft, accompanying cosmonaut Maxim Surayev and astronaut Jeffrey Williams on the two-day journey to the station. The three spoke to reporters ahead of their flight to the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where Soyuz is scheduled to blast off from on Sept. 30. Mr Laliberte hopes ...

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1. The first thing that you should already know is that it is OK to cry. 2. Examine what had happened, and ask yourself WHY?. Don't think that it's your fault . You have to make a point to yourself that this situation is not entirely your fault - or maybe it's not your fault at all. Thinking about the reasons why it ended can make it much clearer to you that it takes two people to start a relationship, but just one discordant person is enough to end it. It may also help you avoid many missteps in the future if you can identify areas where you contributed to the demise of the relationship. 3. Don't rethink your decision . If the breakup was your decision, keep in mind that only thinking about all the good times you had with your mate may cause you to forget the reasons why you broke it off. By the same token, try not to second guess the situation if the decision to end things was not yours. It's very common to romanticize the good parts of the relationship, conv...