Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
U.S. State Department warns against travel to North Korea
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Interesting how a country government or politics can set the country population against another country or population with a single click, with or without a reason?
Macaulay Culkin turns 30
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
My new “childhood memories” blanket…
Good morning to you all,
I’ve been planning lately in my head a new blanket with 7 yummi colors…
and turning and turning and turning the whole idea with many patterns on my mind etc…
and I was not doing anything about it because I have many projects still working on…
But now, that the romance shawl is done, I still have to finish my country flowers blanket which is 65% done:
and my zigzagy blanket (granny stripes blanket)
which is 65% done also :)
So, I promised myself to finish one of these two before I even think of beginning a new blanket which will be my “Childhood memories” blanket.
I know, I’m gonna finish the country flowers first, but I could not help myself trying 2 patterns with these beautiful colors.
The first pattern: It is a granny simple one with the 7 colors. The border will be with this red color I adore…and I’ll be mixing the colors differently in each square:
And this is the second pattern: Smaller flower squares. In each square I use 3 of the 7 colors and the white one. Here also the border will be in red.
I think I will make the final border for the whole blanket in white.
So, what do you think? which pattern do you prefer? the first one or the second?
I’m gonna think about it while I’m finishing my country flowers blanket which is becoming bigger and really really nice.
Have a lovely day!
Sucrette.
Filed under: Blankets, colors, crochet, granny squares
Friday, August 20, 2010
Lo eres todo!
descubro algo nuevo
que antes no veía
y me hace sentir lo que nunca creí.
Siempre te he mirado indiferente,
eras tan solo un amigo
y de repente lo eres todo, todo para mí,
mi principio y mi fín.
Mi norte y mi guía, mi perdición,
mi acierto y mi suerte, mi equivocación,
eres mi muerte y mi resurrección,
eres mi aliento y mi agonía
de noche y de día,
te lo pido por favor,
que me des tu compañía
de noche y de día... lo eres todo.
Dame tu alegría, tu buen humor,
dame tu melancolía,
tu pena y dolor,
dame tu aroma, dame tu sabor
dame tu mundo interior,
dame tu sonrisa y tu calor,
dame la muerte y la vida,
tu frío y tu ardor,
dame tu calma, dame tu furor,
dame tu oculto rencor.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Are you inventing things to do to avoid the important?
Internet Speed in Lebanon
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Haifa Wehbe and Ragheb Alameh sexy dance
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Become a Micro-Blogging Professional with Twitter - Free Ebook
Lebanon Dating and Relationships
What happened to the best tourism season ever?
What happened to the best Lebanon Vacations season ever?
By Abigail Fielding-Smith
Financial TimesPublished: August 16 2010 17:41
This year’s tourist season in Lebanon has been even more hyped than most. Fadi Abboud, the tourism minister, predicted a 20 per cent increase on last year’s nearly 2m visitors, and pitched this summer as “probably the best in our history”. True, hotel occupancy rates were up more than 20 per cent in the first six months of this year. Yet anecdotal evidence suggests the summer season – when the bulk of tourism revenue, which is an estimated 25 per cent of Lebanon’s gross domestic product, is generated – may prove disappointing. Nizar Alouf, a board member of the Hotel Owners Association, says summer bookings have risen only 5-7 per cent, compared to the predicted 15 per cent.“We have mixed signals, strong in the first half and feeble in the second,” says Elie Namoor from travel agency Rida International. “The number of rooms booked is almost the same [as last year], but this in itself is somehow disappointing as there are more additional incoming flights from Europe and from Arab countries.” “So many things interfered,” says Mr Alouf. He cites the football World Cup, the fact that Ramadan falls mostly during August this year, and the political situation.The rhetoric from both Israel and Hizbollah, the Lebanese militant group, has grown increasingly bellicose in recent months, and a deadly exchange of fire between Lebanese and Israeli soldiers at the border this month has raised fears. Internal tensions have also increased as Hizbollah fears a United Nations tribunal may accuse it of assassinating Rafik Hariri, a former prime minister.“Definitely everyone in the Arab world is listening to every single bit of speech by our politicians,” says Mr Alouf. The border incident does not appear to have provoked mass cancellations, but all eyes are on Eid al-Fitr, the holiday after Ramadan when Lebanon hopes to recoup revenue from Arab tourists who stayed at home for the month of fasting. Bookings are said to be high but, says Ms Namoor, “it is highly likely that [the political situation] might trigger a negative effect”. There are other checks on the promised boom that are unrelated to politics.According to one hotel manager in Bhamdoun, a mountain resort, the main thing deterring visitors is the traffic. Lebanon’s roads are in critical need of development and are increasingly unable to cope with the summer influxes. “The journey from Bhamdoum to Jounieh [a coastal resort] should take 20 minutes, but it takes three hours,” the manager says. Value for money is another issue. Jad Chaaban, president of the Lebanon Economic Association, says the country has pursued a niche tourism strategy, focused on attracting a relatively small number of visitors, mainly from the Gulf states, who are willing to pay high prices. This does not mean, however, that they are insensitive to value. The costs of accommodation, food and transport in resort areas are high even for better-off visitors. For example, a standard double room for the Eid holiday in the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Beirut costs $350 a night, excluding taxes and breakfast. The average Beirut hotel room rate has increased by nearly 16 per cent since last year, more than anywhere else in the region, says Byblos Bank.“I hear people saying they regret coming here,” says the Bhamdoun hotel manager, whose guests are mainly from the Gulf. “The Lebanese people are trying to steal from them. If I were a Kuwaiti or from the UAE, I would go to Syria or Jordan.” For Ms Namoor, price inflation partly explains the poor bookings for the second half of the year. “My impression is that the chain of supply readied itself for a record summer by increasing the costs, without perfecting the equation of quality to cost,” she says. The number of non-Arab visitors is reported by the industry to be growing. However, to turn Beirut into a popular destination for European tourists would require the availability of cheap package deals; at present, these account for a tiny proportion of tourists. Mr Abboud says he is keen to develop such products, but there are significant impediments. Jean Beyrouthy, head of the Federation of Touristic Syndicates, says that the political situation needs “four to five years to stabilise” before advance block-booking and charter flights become commercially viable, and there would have to be more investment in building hotels and resorts outside Beirut. As the mixture of languages being spoken on Beirut streets indicate, 2010 is far from a disaster. But there is a sense of missed opportunities.The sporadic outbursts of tension, congested roads and lack of a co-ordinated development strategy look set to continue. “We are losing things because of the lack of unified vision of where we want the country to go,” says Mr Chaaban.Monday, August 16, 2010
New weekly Lebanon Packages
http://www.lebanonpackages.org
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Interesting Kola nuts
My hairdresser gave me 4 Kola Nuts lately. Being unable to find anything particular about them from a taste point of view, I googled the term, and I found the following definition in Wikipedia: Quite interesting
Kola Nut (Cola) is a genus of trees native to the tropical rain forest of Africa. It is related to the South American cocoa. It is an evergreen tree, growing up to 20 m tall (about 60 feet), with glossy ovoid leaves up to 30 cm long and star shaped fruit.
Uses
The kola nut has a bitter flavor and contains caffeine. It is chewed in many West African cultures, individually or in a group setting. It is often used ceremonially, presented to tribal chiefs or presented to guests. It is preferred among African Muslims, who are forbidden to drink alcohol. Chewing kola nut can ease hunger pangs. Frequent chewing of the kola nut can also lead to stained teeth. Among the urban youth of West Africa, kola nut is becoming less popular.
Kola nuts are often used to treat whooping cough and asthma. The caffeine present acts as a bronchodilator, expanding the bronchial air passages.
Kola nuts are perhaps best known to Western culture as a flavouring ingredient and the source of caffeine in cola and other similarly flavoured beverages. The "Cola" in Coca Cola itself references the use of the Kola nut.
Kola nuts are used mainly for their stimulant qualities. They were once commonly used in soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, but have now been replaced with artificial ingredients. They have effects similar to other xanthine-containing plant products such as chocolate, tea, coffee, guarana and yerba mate. They have stimulant effects on the central nervous system and heart. Animal experiments indicate that kola nuts have analeptic and lipolytic (fat-burning) properties, and stimulate the secretion of gastric juices. Human studies show kola nuts have positive chronotropic and weak diuretic effects. In humans it enhances alertness and physical energy, elevates mood, increases tactile sensitivity and suppresses the appetite. Autonomic changes include increased body temperature, increased blood pressure and increased respiratory rate. Effects may last up to 6 hours after ingestion.In medicine the refined extract is used as a cardiac and central-nervous-system stimulant
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