Internet impotence

Once again, the Middle East and South-east Asia have come to a stand-still because of "technical difficulties" with the internet connections. Earlier this year, January of '08, marked the first of the two internet black-outs so far, where everything from top businesses to household PCs were left without any internet access for nearly two weeks. Once again, people's everyday affairs were abruptly interrupted because six underwater cables were apparently severed on Friday.

Just as bad news travels fast, theories as to why it happened travel faster. Ranging from the typical: " ship anchor getting caught between them..." to the infamous: "A fish ate them by mistake!" Whatever the cause, almost everyone was affected by the french-owned managing company's impotence, and its even more desperate attempts to solve the problem.

As I sit on the edge of my seat now, hoping that this brief breath of connectivity does not fail me before I finish this post, I cannot help but think of how incompetent everything around me seems to be. Everything from everyday ettiquette with my fellow man all the way to large-scale malfunctions such as the one we face now - AGAIN!

What amazes me more is not the fact that this happened for the second time, but those who were affected by it. One would be tempted to think that banks, stock markets, and other large and fundemental businesses would be the ones to complain about this incident, however, one would be misaken in thinking so. For the most part, it was the casual PC user who was affected, and not the large enterprises. People ceased to function because they couldn't log onto their facebook accounts to say "Happy Birthday" to their friends or check their notifications to see who had sent them an invitation to the 'Are you gay or lesbian?' quiz! Life as we know it will have to be put on hold till December 31st when the cables are finally 100% functional once more.

I leave you now in hope that Egyptians youth can hold themselves together just a little while longer before they can finally discover their true sexual orientation, or bid farewell or happy birthday to people they will probably never see face-to-face in their lives.

May God forgive the goldfish that was greedy enough to eat six internet cables...

talk about leaving with a BANG!

Yes, I'm referring to the pair of shoes that were thrown in president George Bush's face earlier this week!

Exactly how something like that can happen twice in a row without anyone doing anything about it until it was over is simply beyond me. If the simple fact that it actually happened is not baffling enough, the shoe that was thrown is now being auctioned with bids up to 10 million dollars!

Another thing that I've been wrapping my mind around since first seeing this on the news was why people kept saying that what the man did was "considered an insult in Arab culture..." In what culture is it not frowned upon to throw two shoes at the leader of the free world at a live, international press conference? Or am I over thinking it? But I'd assume that having a shoe thrown in your face would result in some sort of hurt feelings no matter what culture you're from. Sure, it's exceptionally insulting to Arabs because to be "hit with a shoe" is engraved in our culture as being the second most emasculating act to have done to you (after #1: Being hit on the back of your neck...)

Next on my mind was a moral dilemma. Was the young man within his rights to express himself (freedom of expression, etc...) or did he cross any line? Of course, this is a special case because the "victim" was the most powerful man on Earth, literally. However, in any other case, where the victim is a less authoritative figure who is disliked by the masses, would it be okay? Would the felon receive just a slap on he wrist or would there be criminal court and trals and so on...?

After prolonged contemplation, I can't say that the young man was wrong in what he did. Naturally, it was disrespectful and quite stupid to tell you the truth, but Bush pretty much had it coming! Sometimes words are not enough, and since actions speak louder than words, an action such as this was in order long before this moment in time. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the Arab World, as well as the rest of the world seem to think the same way as I.

President George W. Bush has now compiled the most elaborate list of goof-ups,

Has there been anyone in your life who simply annoyed the hell out of you? someone so dumb that every time he or she breathed, it struck a nerve and made you want to peel off your own skin and eat it! Of course no one is immune to the idiocy of his fellow man, but how much are some people wiling to put up with for certain perks that this irritating friendship has to offer?

Let us consider the figment of my imagination (derived from reality), Mark! Mark happens to have a gigantic belly, and smalls of something so bad at all hours of the day, they still haven't discovered a name for it. Mark is also very low in the IQ, annoying, and has nex to no sense of humor and/or intellect whatsoever! Despite his many flaws, Mark hapens to have the one thing that separates us from the primates - MONEY! Or a very comfy, and expensive set of wheels to be more precise. Now don't get me wrong; I try my best to walk he walk and not just talk the talk, so being friends with a guy just because he has a car is something I find apalling to een consider. However, this is my argument:

Despite the fact that his idea of a joke is so lame that I have to keep my genitals from falling off after hearing it, he's not a bad guy - he's kind and doesn't go out of his way to hurt anyone. So he's pretty decent, but sometimes that's just NOT enough. I find myself, and my friends included, calling him only because he has a car and we like to go to places that are pretty far away. And what makes me okay with the whole arrangement is the fact that he seems to be okay with it. He pretty much has a good idea of what's going on and doesn't object, and sometimes even begs us to go out with his saying: "Don't worry, I have the car today!"

I'm sure you can relate wo this situation, who hasn't been where I've been at one point or another?

First of all, allow me to apologize for the long absence. My internet connection hasn't been at its best lately, and I'm in the middle of midterms.

As always, the events of my life or events of those around me have always been the inspiration behind most of my posts...this post is no different.

Let me ask you a question: What line must someone cross in order for his behaviour to be considered sexual harrassment? Is there an acceptable limit to physical contact or not? if so, what is it?

I ask this because I didn't actually witness the following situation happen and would like a second oppinion. In short, a professor walked past a female student (note that this particular professor is both incredibly horny and sexually deprived - a dangerous combination of course) and slapped her on the thigh saying: "hey there pretty lady!" or anything similar...it's difficult to translate :)

Naturally, the dumbfounded young student burst into tears and ran out of the classroom screaming. After we calmed her down, I asked why she didn't take any official action against him, and was surprised to hear this: "He's my professor and controls my grades! I can't do that!"
Of course, we are all used to the whole concept of 'the college professor is God', but aren't there limits even for an all powerful God? In any other country, would this even be an issue?

Another common instance is when a man can grope any random woman on a bus with the excuse of "she wanted it! Look at how she's dressed!" and have everyone actually agree with his point of view and congratulate him for his act!
Or for instance, when a man can grab a woman by the crotch and recieve a standing ovation from the people sitting at the nearby coffeeshop.

All of the previous examples clearly exemplify sexual harrassment, but my question is quite simple: Why is it so common and accepted and what is the limit at which you have to stop and say to yourself: "that was inappropriate."?