AIESEC El Salvador Roll Call

AIESEC in El Salvador performed a very successful Roll Call at IC this year.

Last weeked we shared LDS&TTT with Guatemala and we did it again!!! You can see the video and download the music here http://elsalvador.myaiesec.net

A real halloween story

While I love the costume wearing, candy eating, decorations filled part of Halloween, I am usually not one to put much faith in ghost stories...

But this weekend something really interesting happened. The photo below was taken this past Saturday at around 10.30 pm at a small mining village in Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA called Eckley. The site is no longer a working mine, but visitors can go there to see the town and participate in a Halloween walking tour. Although it wasnt featured on the tour, when we walked by this building we thought it was really spooky so we stayed back while the other people on the tour walked on ahead. We took a picture mostly as a joke because the tour itself was not very scary but something about this was. No one was around (it was in the middle of the woods) and we did not see anything until we got home and looked at the picture on my computer.

There are 2 figures visible, one in the window and one in the middle of the building's opening. The one in the window is very clear, but you might have to download the picture to see the figure in the middle. If you look closely you can see she is transparent; you can see the seams in the boards at the back of the buidling through her dress.

There has been no digital enhancement of any kind and there were no other people or staff members anywhere around this building or in the surrounding area. We are going back this week to talk to the site historian to find out what the building was used for and if anything happened there.

Sorry about your World Cup, says FIFA boss

Australia-

It won't change what's happened but world football boss Sepp Blatter has at last offered Australia's fans an apology that might help ease the pain of the Socceroos' World Cup finals exit. Millions of Australians were left stunned on June 26 when Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo awarded Italy a dubious and decisive penalty against defender Lucas Neill in the dying seconds of their final 16 encounter with Australia.

Fans were disgusted at what appeared to be a blatant dive by Italy's Fabio Grosso to claim the penalty that took his team to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory and eventually to claim the World Cup trophy. But governing body FIFA had turned a blind eye to the growing problem of diving and faking of injuries, or simulation, refusing to acknowledge it effectively ended the Socceroos' campaign.

In an exclusive interview to be aired on SBS's The World Game at 2pm today, Blatter concedes referees at this year's World Cup finals in Germany "were not at their best" but said the antics of the players was the real problem. "I think there was too much cheating on the players' side," Blatter said.Interviewer Les Murray then told Blatter millions of Australians had been "shocked by the amount of simulation" at the World Cup."

I agree with them and I would like to apologise [to] our fans in Australia," Blatter said. Neill welcomed Blatter's apology but warned the situation appeared to be getting worse."It's pleasing to see FIFA is at last acknowledging and paying more attention to the issue."Blatter praised the Socceroos." The Socceroos were great. The Socceroos . . . should have gone into the quarter-finals in place of Italy because they were up to beating Italy," he said.

The above article is from the Sydney Morning Herald. So they should be sorry.

Check this out yo

Know what I'm sayin'?

Pimp my site

The big daddy here yo

Can't post to my blog

I get this error message:

Does anyone have the same trouble? Is this a blogger problem or a nomadlife problem?

There were errors. (Hide details ...)
004 dk.eos.net.FtpError: User nomad-simi cannot log in.

Aussies rejoice

As suspected, the Vegemite-banned-in-the-US story turns out to be bullshit.

"The US government has dismissed media reports it had banned Vegemite......"There is no ban on Vegemite," US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokesman Mike Herndon said."

Terrorists, take note. If you want to smuggle some dangerous poison onto a plane, conceal it in a salty black paste, and put it in a Vegemite jar. Or just use the Vegemite as a poison - most non-Aussies are such big girl's blouses that they can't handle the stuff anyhow.

Belated Birthday

Newsflash: nomadlife has conquered its second year.
Happy belated birthday you renegade maverick you!

Three flashbacks:
1) hello world
2) news: nomadlife first post
3) nomadlife growing like a fire

Macho, Macho Men

"

Over the past two decades, levels of the sex hormone in U.S. men have been falling steadily, a new study finds.

For example, average total testosterone levels in men aged 65 to 69 fell from 503 nanograms/decileter (ng/dL) in 1988 to 423 ng/dL in 2003.

The reasons for this trend are unclear, said researchers at the New England Research Institutes in Waterdown, Mass. They noted that neither aging nor certain other health factors, such as smoking or obesity, can fully explain the decline.

"Male serum testosterone levels appear to vary by generation, even after age is taken into account," study lead author Thomas G. Travison said in a prepared statement." (Yahoo)

I blame sensitivity trainings and vegetarianism.

Eat meat, drink beer !

Old Tyme Horror Radio

For those of you who celebrate Halloween, or enjoy horror, here is a big page of Old Tyme Radio shows brought to you by The Monster Club.

http://www.themonsterclub.com/radiolibrary.htm

Turn off the lights and find somebody to franticly grab/claw/clutch...

link from boingboing

Quantum Physics

I thought some nerd friends might find the Hans Bethe lectures on http://bethe.cornell.edu very fun. Pretty darn smart guy that took the world to another level. pretty long lectures but very good.cheers

Happy (early) Halloween!!

Use this link to carve your very own (computer) pumpkin! Great for people who don't have access to pumpkins.

"Tower of Babel" translator in the works...

A "Tower of Babel" device that gives the illusion of being bilingual is being developed by US scientists.

Users simply have to silently mouth a word in their own language for it to be translated and read out in another.

.....

Electrodes are attached to the neck and face to detect the movements that occur as the person silently mouths words and phrases.

Using this data, a computer can work out the sounds being formed and then build these sounds up into words.

The system is then able to translate the words into another language which is read out by a synthetic voice.

(BBC News)

Diamond is (probably) forever

Would you buy a synthetic (lab grown) diamond over the 'naturally grown' De Beers variety ?

"Adia Diamonds, a joint venture between Michigan-based Pearlman's Jewelers and Ontario-based Advanced Optical Technologies Corporation, is the first company to offer laboratory-grown colorless and fancy blue diamonds for the luxury jewelry market.

Adia diamonds are created using technologically advanced processes, replicating conditions in which naturally occurring diamonds are formed.

"Adia diamonds are superior in quality and size to any lab-created diamonds on the market today," said, 30-year industry veteran, Bill Pearlman, president of Pearlman's Jewelers. "In fact, other than not coming out of a mine, they're identical to natural diamonds in every way." Except in price. Laboratory-created Adia diamonds cost a fraction of the price of natural colored stones." (Yahoo)

Lab grown diamond is real diamond, not some fakey plastic/glass variety. The lab diamond is actually more pure than mined diamonds and they are way cheaper.

They also has the benefit of not fueling civil wars in African countries.

Public Request: Pictures from @ US 50th Gala Weekend

Hey Aiesec!

Where are the pictures from NYC?

I'm back to work and need to find a happy spot...HELP!

Ask North Koreans

"We know that Korea is a very mysterious country for most people in the western world. Now we are giving you the chance to have all of your big questions about Korea answered by a citizen of our great city of Pyongyang. Simply send your questions to ask@pyang.su and they may be posted on here. This page will be updated on a frequent basis with new answers." (Pyongyang Chronicles)

Happy Eid

Today, a bazillion of Muslims around the world celeberate Eid_ul-Fitr, after a month of belly busting Ramadan fast :)

In Egypt, you gain weight instead of losing it during Ramadan.

Oh dear, it worked

On October 20th, 2005, a very desperate me seeked the advice and wisdom of all nomads here on how to cope with quitting smoking.
I just wanted to let you know, it worked. Thanks to your suggestions (I tried something different every week for 3 months), I celebrated my 1-year anniversary as a non-smoker, last week.

Thank you for the tips!

Vegemite

What the hell is going on with the US! First that repealing of Habeas Corpus mumbo jumbo (sarcasm intended)... now, they're banning Vegemite! This is an outrage!

(via Boing Boing)

US govt bans Vegemite
The US has banned importation of icky Australian delicacy Vegemite (a brown gunky spread that is simultaneously delicious and grody), enraging Aussie expats in the US, who require a steady supply of Vegemite in order to remain functional.

The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite contains folate, which in the US can be added only to breads and cereals.

Expatriates say that enforcement of the ban has been stepped up recently and is ruining lifelong traditions of having Vegemite on toast for breakfast.

Former Geelong man Daniel Fogarty, who now lives in Calgary, Canada, said he was stunned when searched while crossing the US border recently.

"The border guard asked us if we were carrying any Vegemite," Mr Fogarty said.

Propose with a Guilt-Free Diamond?

In an industry fraught with human-rights abuses, one retailer is targeting socially conscious consumers with its "conflict-free" stones

"When we started to research, we became horrified with the practices in the diamond industry. We didn't want to buy a ring with a diamond that was associated with these atrocities," she says, referring to the use of child labor, unfair wages, and civil wars that have been funded with money from diamonds.

Read more

SKorean scientists say cancer-killing virus developed

South Korean scientists said Thursday they have developed a new genetically altered strain of virus which is highly efficient in targeting and killing cancer cells.

The new therapy developed by the team from Yonsei University uses a genetically-engineered form of the adenovirus, which normally causes colds.

The adenovirus was implanted with a human gene that is related to the production of relaxin, a hormone associated with pregnancy. When injected into cancerous tumors, the virus quickly multiplies in the cancer cells and kills them, the team said. The new adenovirus can target only cancer cells and does not harm normal cells, the team said.

Existing viral treatments fail to kill off all the cancerous cells.
"I believe we have found a way to overcome one of the great obstacles to finding a genetically altered viral cure for cancer," Yun Chae-Ok, one of the researchers, told AFP on Thursday.

Following three rounds of injections, more than 90 percent of cancer cells in the brains, liver, lungs and womb of mice disappeared within 60 days, the team said. Clinical tests will be carried out early next year and last 18 months, Yun said. The research results were published in the October 18 edition of the prestigious bimonthly Journal of the National Cancer Institute in the United States.

Most polluted cities in very rural areas

NEW YORK ? More than 10 million people are at risk for lung infection, cancer and shortened life expectancy because they live in the 10 worst-polluted cities in the world, according to a report issued Wednesday.

The report published by the Blacksmith Institute, an international environmental research group, lists 10 cities in eight countries where pollution risks health and fosters poverty.

The worst-polluted places in the world, the report said, are in secluded areas far away from capitals or tourist areas. These countries, which are mostly part of the developing world, generally have few or inadequate pollution controls, and the problem is compounded by the local governments' "lack of knowledge" and the inability of citizens to enforce justice.

Russia:
Dzherzhinsk - groundwater contanimated due to the toxic waste produced by chemical factories
Norilsk - high concentration of sulphur oxide, nickel and cobalt caused by complex of blast furnace (biggest in the world)
Dalnegorsk - excessive concentration of lead caused by blast furnace
China:
Linfen - 2/3 of Chinese energy production is produced here, thus high overall pollution
Dominican Republic:
Haina - high concentration of lead caused by a factory for car batteries.
India:
Ranipet - over million tons of dangerous waste accumulated by a chemical factory that contaminated soil and groundwater
Kyrgyzstan:
Mayluu-Suu - over 2 million square metres of nuclear waste that endagers the Fergan basin in case an earthquake comes
Peru:
La Oroya - high pollution caused by local power plant that emits sulphur oxide, zinc, copper etc.
Ukraine:
Chernobyl - nuclear power plant explosion in 1986
Zambia:
Kabwe - high pollution of water and soil due to extensive mining of ore metals

Free Online Diagramming Tool

 

You can create a diagram like this online at http://gliffy.com. It's pretty cool.

now that's cool..

This year's prize for Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year has been won by 17-year-old Rick Stanley from the US. On this occasion, the frog did not become a meal
Taken during an expedition in the Dominican Republic, it shows a distressed Hispaniolan treefrog in the grip of a green vine snake.

Rick has called the picture The Dilemma because the incident left him wondering whether it would have been morally better to let the snake have its meal - and if it would have succeeded in swallowing such a large frog had it been left to try.

The World's best nature photographs of the year....

US: Military Commissions Act of 2006

October 17, 2006 - 135 years to the day after the last American President suspended habeus corpus, President Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

Here's one pundit's reaction:



Habeas Corpus (from wikipedia): In common law countries, habeas corpus, Latin for "you [should] have the body", is the name of a legal instrument or writ by means of which detainees can seek release from unlawful imprisonment. A writ of habeas corpus is a court order addressed to a prison official (or other custodian) ordering that a detainee be brought to the court so it can be determined whether or not that person is imprisoned lawfully and whether or not he or she should be released from custody. The writ of habeas corpus in common law countries is an important instrument for the safeguarding of individual freedom against arbitrary state action.

Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

" In an unprecedented move, an open letter signed by 38 leading Muslim religious scholars and leaders around the world was sent to Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 12, 2006. The letter, which is the outcome of a joint effort, was signed by top religious authorities such as Shaykh Ali Jumu?ah (the Grand Mufti of Egypt), Shakyh Abdullah bin Bayyah (former Vice President of Mauritania, and leading religious scholar), and Shaykh Sa?id Ramadan Al-Buti (from Syria), in addition to the Grand Muftis of Russia, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Slovenia, Istanbul, Uzbekistan, and Oman, as well as leading figures from the Shi?a community such as Ayatollah Muhammad Ali Taskhiri of Iran. The letter was also signed by HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan and by Muslim scholars in the West such as Shaykh Hamza Yusuf from California, Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Professor Tim Winter of the University of Cambridge.

All the eight schools of thought and jurisprudence in Islam are represented by the signatories, including a woman scholar. In this respect the letter is unique in the history of interfaith relations.

The letter was sent, in a spirit of goodwill, to respond to some of the remarks made by the Pope during his lecture at the University of Regensburg on Sept. 12, 2006. The letter tackles the main substantive issues raised in his treatment of a debate between the medieval Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an ?educated Persian?, including reason and faith; forced conversion; ?jihad? vs. ?holy war?; and the relationship between Christianity and Islam. They engage the Pope on an intellectual level concerning these crucial topics?which go well beyond the controversial quotation of the emperor?pointing out what they see as mistakes and oversimplifications in the Pope?s own remarks about Islamic belief and practice." (Islamica Magazine)

Click the link and read the open letter. It's actually pretty cool because they start a fascinating intellectual discourse about Islam's opinion on various topics. A must read.

The open letter stated strongly on "there is no compulsion in Religion" in Islam. The ironic thing though that rule seems not to be applied in many Islamic countries

"I am struck by the unequivocal statement by a phalanx of leading Muslims about the importance of no compulsion in faith. One is even from Saudi Arabia, where the death penalty for apostasy is still in place in Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen. The discrepancy is unaddressed. Are these countries anathema to Islam?"(Andrew Sullivan)

Share your story!

Dear nomads,

As AIESEC is trying to improve continuously the quality of experiences that offers through the Exchange program, we have a special request to all of you, citizens of the world..

Probably you are now in your internship or maybe you already finished it, but you still have a lots of things to tell and good advises to give to those who will embark in the same journey..

For those who are "seniors" in AIESEC, you know about the www.aiesec.org/interns portal that AI developed few years ago...but new times require new things..So, we are now re-designing the portal in order to re-launch it till the end of the year..but wee need your help:

...If you have stories from your internship experiences...

...If you have a blog and you want to share with those that want to know more about life in Australia, Mexic, India, Russia or Romania ( etc) is..

...If you have any suggestions of feedback regarding the portal previous mentioned....

Please write us at xqb@ai.aiesec.org and tell us!!!! ( You can mention in the title G(lobal)I(nterns)P(ortal))

Don't forget..Sharing is carrying!

Thank you in advance for all your e-mails!:)

London nomads - have a drink on us....

If you're in London, then the people of Australia have a simple message - Drink up, pommies. We own your water...

"A bank from the world's driest continent has just spent $20 billion buying up water in what many people regard as the world's wettest city......Australia's Macquarie Bank is snapping up the UK's most significant water and waste company Thames Water, in its biggest ever deal."

Your water is Owned.

73,000

"The earthquake occurred at 08:50:38 Pakistan Standard Time (03:50:38 UTC) on October 8, 2005. It registered a minimum magnitude of 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale making it a major earthquake similar in intensity to the 1935 Quetta earthquake, the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake." (Link)

I am not sure why this humanitarian disaster had slipped so quickly from public's awareness. Even I am six days late with this post ...

73,000 dead ... and not over yet.

300 million marks - 1000 millions to go

The US population will surpass 300 million marks soon ; I think it China it's called "mid size city" population (1,306,313,812 strong !!).

India is at the second place with 1,065,070,607 people, give or take thirty or so millions since this number was obtained in 2004.

 

The hidden celebrities in Dody

"

Mr Yunus was honoured for his pioneering work against poverty

Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank have been awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. (bbc)

Selective Framing

" Take the case of a Kate Moss advertisment across the street from a New York mosque. The idea that Muslims might be offended by this went from blog post to mainstream media, somehow becoming "hundreds" of Muslims "infuriated" along the way. Nobody bothered to ask Muslims, though. In fact, no Muslim ever complained. A similar story happened when a UK art gallery pulled some sexually explicit art pieces depicting young girls so as to not "shock the population" of Muslims who live in their east London neighborhood. As with the above, no Muslims actually complained, but it didn't matter - the damage was done, and Muslims were labeled anti-art without even having a say in the matter. The list goes on." (altmuslim)

This selective framing is very damaging. In this current environment, if a Hindu nutjob has some stupid remarks, the next day headline would be "A nutjob proves he sounds as stupid as he looks"; but if it is a Muslim nutter does similar thing, suddenly the "Muslim angry about Apple store in New York City" headline is splashed accross media.

"A German opera last week cancelled a performance in which the leaders of various religions were beheaded, again citing Muslim sensibilities - even though, again, no Muslims complained, and the opera was performed three years ago without incident."

Journey Through America.

Meet Matt Lemmon.

This crazy American quit his job, cashed his stock, sold his house and left his girlfriend to .. drive through the Americas, from Alaska to Argentina. His plan is to explore the identity of "America", and make a documentary about it. Through it all, the guy also wishes to further the ONE campaign, and try to comprehend better the roots of poverty.

Met him at a shady bar round the corner from my place, the one place in Bogota you would least expect to meet interesting people!

The guy's an inspiration.

Join his trail here : www.myamericanjourney.com

On that note, I have almost finished my own plans for a road-trip through Chile-Peru-Bolivia-Argentina next year. Let me know if there are any nomads in the area who want to join or need to get sold on the idea.

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

Amnesty International: Stop violence against women !

Please watch Amnesty International's new video called "Onemanfight" for their ongoing campaign "Stop violence against women", and help spread the message!!

How many women experience gender-based violence in your country?

Register your Vote (New Seven Wonders)

I voted for these:

1. Angkor

2. Chichen Itza

3. Easter Island Statues

4. Great Wall

5. Machu Picchu

6. Pyramids of Giza

7. Taj Mahal

Which ones will you vote for?

http://www.new7wonders.com/

Aceh Peace Process is the buzz for Nobel Peace Price

"Who do you like for this year's Nobel Peace Prize? With two days to go before a winner is announced, Centrebet, an Australian bookmaker, is favoring Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland and current president of the Crisis Management Initiative (2.25-to-1 odds), followed by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (4-to-1) and the Free Aceh Movement (6-to-1). Centrebet obviously sees 2006 as Indonesia's year, since all three nominees were involved last year in bringing peace to Indonesia's Aceh province. (If natural disasters were eligible, Centrebet would likely judge the 2004 tsunami to be the likeliest winner, since that catastrophe did more than any human intervention to bring peace to Aceh.) The Nobel Peace Prize this year resembles the Tonys in that its greatest challenge would appear to be locating even vaguely plausible nominees. "The only really successful peace process in the past year has been the Aceh process," Stein Tøennesson, head of the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo, told Australia's The Age. " (Slate)

Aircraft crashes into New York building

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/11/plane.crash/index.html

Free International Calls from USA

The Make Blog is reporting how to make free international calls from the US. (Specifically Iowa)

Michael Gartenberg from Jupiter Research spotted this odd phone service for making free international calls, you call a number in Iowa (712-858-8883) and according to the site... "When the gateway answers, enter 011 then the country code and number you want to reach (mobile users, do not hit SEND - the call will go through on it's own). Wait a few moments for your call to ring through and then enjoy your free call."

They suggest if you can't call Iowa toll free, try using skype to make free calls with in the USA.

Not sure if there's a catch, but I am sure if anybody needs free int'l calling it's nomadlifers.

Denmark Part Two

"The row over the latest cartoons in Denmark mocking the Prophet Muhammed has sparked international reaction.

Danish people have been warned against visiting several Muslim countries, after a video showing far-right activists drawing the images was aired.

And a majority of Iranian MPs have urged President Ahmadinejad to suspend relations with Denmark.

Iran and Indonesia have both summoned the Danish ambassador to their foreign ministries in protest of the video.

Activists from the Danish People's Party were filmed at a summer camp, drinking, singing and taking part in a competition to draw images of Muhammad, including one depicting him as a camel with beer bottles as humps." (BBC)

I don't know whether this episode is going to beat the February episode of the Danish Drama.

TiG Survey

Google buys YouTube

"Online search leader Google Inc. agreed to acquire the popular online video site YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock, a deal that signaled the coming of age of Internet video." (Boston Herald)

The founders of YouTube have released a video about this...on YouTube, of course....

People are starting to call the new company GooTube - think it will catch on?

It will be interesting to watch and see what happens now. I am loving YouTube these days - you can get basically any music video ever made, as far as I can tell - and even if you just want to hear a song without the hassle of downloading it, you can normally either find its video clip on YouTube, or at least a clip of some dude dancing around do it which you can just listen to. A few likely, but not certain, scenarios for YouTube from now onward:

a) Copyright holders start suing the pants off of Google. Looks less likely, given GooTube's other big announcements made today

b) YouTube becomes less awesome - Google will strike deals with some copyright holders, but not all, meaning that a lot of content will have to be removed

c) YouTube becomes a bit more like Google Video in all the good ways - meaning longer clips, better resolution, better search function....And hopefully not like Google Video in all the ways that suck...

Sequoia Capital, the famous venture capital firm that invested early in companies like Apple, Cisco, Netscape and Google, paid 11.5 million dollars in 2005 for a 30% share in YouTube, which is now valued at $495 million, representing a 42,000% return on investment.....

More data on the Nuclear Test (read the Depth = 0 km a.k.a not natural)

Magnitude 4.2 (Light)

Date-Time

Monday, October 9, 2006 at 01:35:27 (UTC)
= Coordinated Universal Time

Monday, October 9, 2006 at 10:35:27 AM
= local time at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location
41.294°N, 129.134°E

Depth
0 km (~0 mile) set by location program

Region
NORTH KOREA

Distances
70 km (40 miles) N of Kimchaek, North Korea
90 km (55 miles) SW of Chongjin, North Korea
180 km (115 miles) S of Yanji, Jilin, China
385 km (240 miles) NE of PYONGYANG, North Korea

Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 9.6 km (6.0 miles); depth fixed by location program

Parameters
Nst= 17, Nph= 17, Dmin=371.4 km, Rmss=0.86 sec, Gp= 83°,
M-type=body magnitude (Mb), Version=7

Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

Event ID
ustqab

 

(USGS)

AIESEC or Aiesec?

Its funny how much debate can go on about this simple question, how is AIESEC (or Aiesec) spelt in your countries?

Personally im of the opinion that it should be AIESEC, since its an acronym and not a noun. Yet on so many websites I see the official spelling of it to be Aiesec?

What is your opinion? Does it make a difference?

North Korea claims nuclear test

There was concern among South Koreans at the news

North Korea says it has carried out its first test of a nuclear weapon, the state news agency (KCNA) has reported.

It said the underground test, carried out in defiance of international warnings, was a success and had not resulted in any leak of radiation.

The White House said South Korean and US intelligence had detected a seismic event at a suspected test site.

The White House said, if confirmed, the test would be a "provocative act", while China denounced it as "brazen".

In its strongest statement ever against its ally, China expressed its "resolute opposition" to the claimed test and said it "defied the universal opposition of international society".

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the test was "unpardonable".

We expect the UN Security Council to take immediate actions to respond to this unprovoked act Tony Snow White House spokesman Reaction to nuclear test Full text: N Korea statement

South Korea said it would "sternly respond".

President Roh Moo-hyun has called an emergency meeting of South Korea's National Security Council and put the armed forces on a heightened state of alert.

Seoul also suspended a scheduled aid shipment to North Korea, the state news agency reported.

US White House spokesman Tony Snow said: "We expect the UN Security Council to take immediate actions to respond to this unprovoked act."

BBCNews

Oh! The Great Leader has delivered a fucking Nuclear Test

USGS registered a 4.2 quake in North Korea - a nuclear test - just as promised earlier this week.

Volunteering in Africa

I know a lot of Aiesecers out there have volunteered while doing a traineeship in Africa. I have a friend who is very interested in organizing some of his own volunteer experiences in Africa. Can anyone make suggestions of any organizations to volunteer for? Or how you arranged it on your own? Any info would be much appreciated!! Thanks!

Windows Live Writer

If you are still posting to nomadlife using blogger.com online html editor, well switch to Windows Live Writer now. Simply download and configure it by pointing it to your weblog (e.g. http://wonderwoman.nomadlife.org) and follow the instruction.

On the wire - well thought out URLs

1. Who Represents is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity. Their Web site is http://www.whorepresents.com
2. Experts Exchange is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at http://www.expertsexchange.com
3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at www.penisland.net
4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at http://www.therapistfinder.com
5. There's the Italian Power Generator company, http://www.powergenitalia.com tho, you'll need a password to access it
6. And don't forget the Mole Station Native Nursery in New South Wales , www.molestationnursery.com
7. If you're looking for IP computer software, there's always www.ipanywhere.com
8. The First Cumming Methodist Church Web site is www.cummingfirst.com
9. And the designers at Speed of Art await you at their wacky Web site http://www.speedofart.com

Veil controversy

(updated and bumped for a while...)

"Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was at the centre of an extraordinary row last night after he revealed that he asks Muslim women to remove their veils during meetings.

Mr Straw said he invites the women to take their veils off when they visit his constituency because he feels 'uncomfortable' about talking with someone whose face he cannot see.

The Blackburn MP, who represents large numbers of Muslims, warned that the full veil - know as a niqab - was a 'visible statement of separation and difference.'

He added that it 'was bound to make better, positive relations between the two communities more difficult." (This is London)

Is Jack Straw right or wrong?

- UPDATE: A second UK government ministed has came out with a similar statement, and the story is gaining a lot of traction. This could be the start of a very "interesting" debate.......

- UPDATE II: The UK Deputy PM has come out, supporting the idea of a debate on the topic, and at the same time disagreeing (agreeably) with Jack Straw's comments:

"I think this debate does open it up -- thank goodness Jack has done that," he said. "But I fear sometimes people might use it in a more prejudiced way and I am concerned it may damage relations rather than improve them. Let's have the debate but the argument can go either way."

I think this could turn out to be one of the most interesting public debates of 2006 - and it is amazing to see how much more....ummm....civilised the public discourse on this has been in the UK compared to the US....

Eat shit, Limbo

"For nearly a year the Church's International Theological Commission has been working on a document expected to recommend he formally abolish limbo, the place where centuries of Catholic tradition held that babies who die without baptism went.

The Pope said a mass with members of the commission on Friday morning, but, contrary to some media speculation, he did not mention the concept in his homily and announced no decision.

The media reports had said the Pope would formally cancel limbo on Friday but a key participant, Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte, said the 30-member commission were still fine-tuning their document." (Reuter)

Mastercard Humor

Because it's Friday :-) Sooo funny...

This is awesome

"Malaysia will levy fines on those incorrectly using the national language, and will set up a specialized division to weed out offenders who mix Malay with English, news reports said Thursday.
Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim said fines of up to 1,000 ringgit ($271) can be imposed on displays with any wrong or mutated form of Malay, the Star newspaper reported.
The move was to ensure "the national language was not sidelined in any way," Rais said, according to The Star." (CBS News)

Sexual Consent

Sexual consent video  (it's hillarious - safe for work)

The History of the Middle East under 90 seconds

136 stolen cars, 1 suspect ? "He enjoyed driving"

A 23-year-old man faces multiple charges of first-degree theft. "He knew how to do this certain thing, and he was good at it," a detective said.
Full story HERE

Those in the City

New York City welcomes the 4th Annual openhousenewyork Weekend, America's largest architect and design event. (http://www.ohny.org/weekend/)

There are many interesting openhousenewyork programs, including their "sustainablenewyork" program. This program focuses on ancient and innovative methods of sustainable design in talks and tours around town.

Basically, visitors get public access "to 180 sites from boardrooms to bedrooms, crypts to clubs, factories to firehouses, lighthouses to lookouts, monuments to mansions, skyscrapers to substations, and so much more!." Click here to view site listings, http://www.ohny.org/weekend/listings.cfm.

Note: Use the advanced site search to locate kid-friendly activities.

Whats in a name?

I need the help of the broad and diverse community of nomadlife. We are in the process of selecting a name for what is hoped to be a global brand. The current working company name is "Hobocan's" which means "smoking pipe" in American (Delaware) Indian, with a product trademark of "Hobo-Hookah" or "The Hobo." The Hobocans name will be attached to many smoking/tea/coffee products and hopefully a coffee house chain.

I would like feedback on this name selection, and most importantly, I would like to tap into the broad range of languages to see if these too names have any linguistic issues with them. Do they mean something unflattering in your native language? Are they tough to pronounce? Any other issues? Looking forward to the comments!

Sexy Beijing

Check this out :-)

I'm rich!!!!!

I've just received a letter in the post informing me that I've won 615,810.00 Euros (six hundred and fifteen thousand eight hundred and ten euros only) in a lottery!

It's La Primitiva Lottery International Promotions Programme and I have to move quickly to claim my prize.

I'm so excited! I can pay cash for my mba, a house in the centre of Amsterdam (or outskirts of London) and a round-the-world trip. Or maybe wisely save some of it and buy luxuries with the interest. Donate some of it to my favourite charities. Take my family and friends on a nice holiday. The possibilities are (almost) endless!

And I didn't even buy a ticket! Thank you Estrella Seguros in Madrid, Spain for buying a ticket in my name for such a small (10%) fee. Alas it's a scam...

a shopping mall in iceland

Understanding Socially Responsible Business

A nonprofit network of business leaders committed to socially responsible business that I am a member of, called Net Impact, is doing an interesting study on consumer attitudes. I would appreciate if you'd participate. It should take no more than 10 minutes. Your name will not go on any lists but your input will be very valuable. If you are willing to take a few minutes, here are the steps:

Step 1: Open your Internet browser

Step 2: Cut and paste the following URL into your browser to get to the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=42872677671

Step 3: Answer the 14 questions in the survey
Thanks!

6 years...

BELGRADE -- Six years ago today, hundreds of thousands of citizens flooded Belgrade to defend the democratic opposition's election victory.Citizens took the street that day to overturn the regime of Slobodan Milo?evi?.

More at B92.net

Feral Children

Someone, please, explain the world to me.

There comes a time in everyone's life where things just dont seem to make sense any more. Today was that kinda day for me.

Came across this earlier this morning.

The political wing of Lashkar-e-toiba has issued a fatwa to have the Pope killed. Why? Because he said something about the Islam spawning evil and inhumanity(!)

Some speculate that there are terrorist cells in the UK and France that could be planning an assasination right now. Even more outrageous was when they declared "...it is part of a crusade initiated by the US in the name of terrorism..." What the freaking fug is going on?

I then catch Hannity & Colmes (on Fox) later and they're interviewing Shirley Phelps from the Westboro Baptist Church. I need not say anything more about this religious organisation than that their homepage is called www.godhatesfags.com. Their primary belief is that every tragedy in the world is connected to homosexuality and that gays should be killed. Thats not even the issue that got me going.

They're the group that was almost about to protest at the funeral ceremony of the young victims of the Amish shooting earlier this week. They are known to protest at funerals of war soldiers because they believe "the deaths of those who died committing evil shouldn't be celebrated" They have t-shirts that read "Thank God for 9/11" and "Thank God for Aids"

The conversation went something like this .. (not reproduced verbatim)
H/C : So are you saying that the little girls deserved to die?
Shirley : Yes, they deserved to die. They had it coming. (The Amish girls died because they sinned. Their sin was that they were Amish)
H/C : You are sick.
Shirley : You can call me names, but the wrath of God is pouring on your head right now. The girls are dead, the families need to move on. They ought not to "celebrate" it.

Cant find the link online but you can view another interview here, when she was on the same show in April '06. She says the exact same things, almost.

Again, what the freaking fug?

Can someone please explain to me how it is humanly possible to maintain such extreme beliefs? I really want to know.

Teleport - the future airport?

"Beaming people in Star Trek fashion is still in the realms of science fiction but physicists in Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing quantum communication and computing closer to reality."

"It is one step further because for the first time it involves teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium," Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday. - CNN

Before the Wright brothers developed the first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air flight in 1903 who would have guessed that over a century later man would be soaring through the skies in jetpowered aircrafts at Mach 9.6 (7000 mph), except maybe visionary geniuses like Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier who made the first manned free flight using a hot air balloon in 1783 and also happens to be the first known victim of an aircrash (bless his soul). If history is any indication of how technology can revolutionize our lives then there's no telling what the future holds. As Digs would say, Shanghai to LA in seconds POS...

Nomad in waiting

While searching for a cheap way to get from Brazil to LA (any hints anyone?) next April I came across Tyson's blog http://www.tysontrips.com/ - where was AIESEC when he needed it aye?! I can only hope he will hook up with some nomads in the future that may feel the same way.

The underbelly of globalization

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast It was his infant son's cries, gasping and insistent, that first woke Salif Oudrawogol one night last month. The smell hit him moments later, wafting into the family's hut, a noxious mélange reminiscent of rotten eggs, garlic and petroleum.

Oudrawogol went outside to investigate. Beside the family's compound, near his manioc and corn fields, he saw a stinking slick of black sludge.

"The smell was so bad we were afraid," Oudrawogol said. "It burned our noses and eyes."

How that slick, a highly toxic cocktail of petrochemical waste and caustic soda, ended up in Oudrawogol's backyard in a suburb north of Abidjan is a dark tale of globalization. It came from a Greek-owned tanker flying a Panamanian flag and leased by the London branch of a Swiss trading corporation whose fiscal headquarters are in the Netherlands. Safe disposal in Europe would have cost about $300,000, or even twice that, counting the cost of delays. But because of decisions and actions made not only here but also in Europe, it was dumped on the doorstep of some of the world's poorest people.

Africa has long been a dumping ground for all sorts of things the developed world has no use for. "This is the underbelly of globalization," said Jim Puckett, an activist at the Basel Action Network, an environmental group that fights toxic waste dumping. "Environmental regulations in the north have made disposing of waste expensive, so corporations look south."

The last paragraph is telling of the type of activities that have been going on for decades now. However, this particular story surfaced (somewhat) because the toxins ended up so close to the towns. Imagine. Toxins oozing in your very backyard. Obviously this Dutch company was not thinking along the lines of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Full story here.

problem updating my blog

I am the only one having this problem

There were errors. (Hide details ...)
004 dk.eos.net.FtpError: User nomad-pedroadrian cannot log in

The weirdest nomadlife blog ever.....

I think nomadlife has reached some sort of tipping point - check out the beautifully named "Nolitel Cellular Phone Rental Argentina tried to cheat me!" blog and experience some category 1 weirdness.....

A New Leader in the House

Remember this face ...



The new Secretary General of the United Nations.

Fundementalism

Big Pharoah, an Egyptian blogger, wrote a couple of entries showcasing how some muslims living in non muslim countries are more religious than the ones in muslim countries. The entries are called - Thank God I am in Cairo and Not ........ Birmingham / Minneapolis

The contents are very interesting. I wonder if this behavious happens in other cultures/religions or not

Big up AIESEC in Jordan

231 people applied to join the 2 local committes currently being opened in the AIESEC Jordan expansion.
(AIESEC Jordan Blog)

Hold the hookah

"The growing fad of smoking tobacco through a waterpipe, sometimes known as a hookah, is rapidly turning into a worrisome epidemic, according to a Georgetown University researcher who says smokers who think this form of tobacco use is less toxic than cigarettes are wrong.

"People who use these devices don't realize that they could be inhaling what is believed to be the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes in one typical 30-60 minute session with a waterpipe, because such a large quantity of pure, shredded tobacco is used," said Christopher Loffredo, Ph.D., Director of the Cancer Genetics and Epidemiology program at Georgetown University Medical Center."

Read more here

also "People think the water absorbs the toxins, and that is true to some extent if the toxins are water soluble, but tar isn't, and tar contains the carcinogens," he said. "We believe that, compared to the typical cigarette smoker, waterpipe smokers are exposed to larger total amounts of nicotine, carbon monoxide and certain other toxins."

"And because the tobacco is burning at a lower temperature, it is more tolerable to inhale deeply, and in fact you need more force to pull air through the high resistance of the water pathway," Loffredo said. "That means the tobacco smoke can be penetrating deeper in a person's respiratory tract than cigarette smoke does. The damage could be even worse than seen in cigarette smokers, but we haven't done studies long enough to quantify the true cancer risk."

Even so, the incidence of lung cancer is increasing rapidly in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, comparable to lung cancer rates in the U.S. after cigarette smoking became newly fashionable, Loffredo said."

Knight in Shining Armour, a Myth ?

"According to AIESEC, guidebooks and people who have their heads up their asses, this sort of reaction on my part should produce a flood of kofta-eating knights in shining armor stepping in and stopping the molesters. No Luck, I chased a kid on a bicycle for a block after he grabbed me, and all the adults did was crane their necks to stare at the white girl running in flip flops." (active culture)

It is an oft-repeated mantra that all you need is shout in the street of Cairo if you are getting harrased, and every single person will jump in to help you.

"In Morocco, it is being hassled and taunted by guys on the street during what is supposed to be a holy time." (Suzanne)

"Sounds are there too. The guys whistle, use their tongues to make the weirdest of sounds. That makes you want to turn your head by instinct and see what is it... I learnt not to look... (Do that to your wife, moron!)" (etravels)

Do you have any street harrashment story ?

Happy Yom Kippur

For all the Jewish nomads out there....have a good one. Definitely a day where Jews and Muslims should be able to see past the bullshit and ackowledge some shared experience - we're all hungry and thirsty today.....

More about this on Blogging Ramadan....