Retreaters

believe it or not , money can buy happiness with conditions

2006-09-27T16:14:00.000+03:00

لنفترض أنك فزت بعشرة ملايين ريال (بدون سابق إنذار اكيد فهد بيطق جيب وكالة كاش فل ابوبشن و الباقي بيطب فية بالأسهم)

هل تتصور كيف سيكون حالك عندها!؟
أنا سأخبرك..
ستنسى همومك، وتتلاشى أحزانك، وتختفي مشاكلك مع زوجتك وأقربائك، وتبقى بلا نوم لعدة أيام.. وفي الصباح التالي ستذهب الى عملك لتقديم استقالتك (إن كانوا يستحقون زيارتك أصلا) ومن هناك ستذهب لشراء سيارة الأحلام ثم تعرج على أحد المكاتب العقارية لشراء فيلا خيالية - وستكتشف بسرعة أن لديك أصدقاء وأقرباء لم تسمع عنهم في حياتك.
باختصار ستعيش أياما سعيدة تتحقق فيها كل أمنياتك وتختفي فيها كل مشاكلك

( وحينها لن يقنعك أي فيلسوف بأن المال لا يشتري السعادة!
ولكن ماذا لو قفزنا سنة أو اثنتين الى الأمام.. الى فترة تعودت فيها على الوضع الجديد ومللت فيها من رتابة الأحداث وتفاقمت بعدها مشاكل الحياة ولم تعد «المرسيدس» تعني لك شيئا.. (هل تصدق حينها أن المال لا يشتري السعادة)!؟ ..
الفرق بين الحالين يوضح كيف أن المال قد يشتري السعادة فعلا (ولكن لفترة مؤقتة ولأصحاب المداخيل الضعيفة أصلا). فالمال لا يضيف لك جديدا - ولا ينهي مشاكلك الموجودة - إن كنت ثريا وتعيسا في الأصل. وهذه الحقيقة يمكن التأكد منها بمراقبة أحوال الأثرياء وحقيقة أنهم يصابون بالاكتئاب والملل - ويعانون من مشاكل الطلاق والتفكك الأسري - أكثر من أصحاب المداخيل الضعيفة أو المتوسطة..
أما الفقراء أصلا فاتضح أنهم يشعرون بالسعادة حتى يصلون لسقف معين من المال -يحلون به مشاكلهم المزمنة - ثم يتحول بعدها الى مجرد أرقام رياضية (تسعد أصحاب المصارف أكثر مما تسعدهم).. وعند هذا الحد بالذات ينتقلون من «هموم الفقر» الى (( قلق الثراء)) والتساؤل عن كيفية الحفاظ على المكتسبات الجديدة وزيادة المال لمجرد الزيادة! ..
وهناك باحث اجتماعي من جامعة برينستون (يدعى دانييل كانيمان) حاول أن يقيس مدى شعور الناس بالسعادة وعلاقة ذلك بعوامل حياتية مهمة( كالصحة والعائلة ومستوى الدخل وطبيعة العمل). وفي النهاية اتضح أن العلاقة المتبادلة بين المال والسعادة ضئيلة للغاية وأن ذوي الدخول المرتفعة يمرون بضغوط سلبية أكثر (كالتوتر والإجهاد والقلق) ويعانون من أمراض تميز الطبقة المترفة (كالقلب والضغط والسمنة المفرطة)!! ..
أيضا؛ هناك دراسة عالمية (نشرت عام 2003) تؤكد أن ارتفاع دخل الفرد لا يعني بالضرورة توفر قدر أكبر من السعادة وراحة البال؛ فالناس في ألمانيا مثلا أكثر ثراء من الناس في تايلند ولكنهم ليسوا أكثر منهم سعادة.. وعلى نفس النمط اتضح أن الناس في أستراليا، وفرنسا، واليابان ليسوا أكثر سعادة من الناس في دول فقيرة نسبيا كالبرازيل، وكولومبيا، والفيليبين..
وهذه المفارقة يمكن ملاحظتها حتى ضمن كل دولة على حدة؛ فدخل الفرد في أمريكا وكندا وبريطانيا أكثر ارتفاعا (هذه الأيام) مما كان عليه قبل خمسين عاماً؛ ولكن الناس في المقابل أصبحوا أكثر توترا وكآبة وإصابة بأمراض العمل!! ..
على أي حال ؛ لن أحاول الظهور بمظهر «الرجل القنوع» وأعترف مسبقا بأن المال عامل مهم في إسعاد الآخرين؛ إلا أنني في المقابل لا أعتبره العنصر الأهم ولا الوحيد كونه لا يقارن بعناصر كثيرة ممتعة تمر بمعظم الناس ( كصحة البدن وسلامة الأطفال واستقرار العائلة ورؤية الأبناء في حفل التخرج أو الزفاف)..
بل يمكن القول أن حصر السعادة في المال فقط قد يحوله الى «عامل بؤس» يشغلنا عن التمتع ببقية العناصر المهمة والممتعة في الحياة - وأهمها ضياع العمر في محاولة جمعه!!

شاعر حكيم (فهم اللعبة من أولها) وقال :

يا من تجمع المال خشية الفقر ما أفنيت فيه عمرك هو الفقر

ملطووووش من الكاتب الكبير

فهد عامر الأحمدي

Monkey with a Deathwish

2006-09-26T16:58:00.000+03:00


This Monkey is a Friggin' Idiot. - TyPalmer.com -

A Good comic video found some where on Net

2006-09-24T17:25:00.000+03:00


A Good comic video found some where on Net

Saudi Children and TV: Questions Raised by a Survey

2006-09-14T13:32:00.000+03:00

by: Abeer Mishkhas

I recently came across an article in the Arabic daily, Al-Hayat, which I found interesting. Entitled “Saudi Children Get Their Cultural Knowledge from Cartoons,” the article focused on a survey conducted by the regional office of the Islamic Literature League based in Riyadh. The survey found that 69 percent of Saudi children’s cultural knowledge or information came from TV. The article went on to enumerate the values children absorb from children’s programs on TV and especially cartoons.

What the report aimed to discover — to determine what Saudi children learn and their sources — is something that is of real value. On the other hand, we are unsure of exactly how the survey was carried out. The number — 69 percent — is certainly alarming but in the context of Saudi Arabia, unfortunately not surprising. There is after all hardly any place where children can seek information; few of them read anything but schoolbooks — almost no reading for pleasure. Nor are there museums or exhibitions that might stimulate children’s interests in a wide variety of subjects. The sad truth is that we seldom see Saudi children who are interested in anything except TV programs, music, films and football. Many of them spend their waking hours in front of a TV screen or play station until they develop the symptoms and behavior of zombies — and that is considered normal.

But before I go on, let us look more closely at the report. It says that 70 percent of the cartoons and animated films watched by children come from “outside” — that means outside the Kingdom. Can everybody guess what comes next? It is certainly well known that “outside” — and following is a quote — “does not conform to our way of life or values.” In other words, the cartoons are condemned not because some of them use violence to solve problems or because they lead children to stop thinking.

They are condemned for the simple reason that they come from outside Saudi Arabia. And as good Saudi people who do not produce our own entertainment, we are also asked not to import it. If what we see on our TV screens were only what is produced in Saudi Arabia, the screens would be empty for much of the day.

The second and a very debatable point the report makes is that “those cartoons and dubbed animations have the gravest influences on our children which starts with destabilizing the Islamic faith in the children and defaming the image of religious people.”

Now I have my own opinion of cartoons — mostly that a great number of them are trivial — but I have to admit that there are others that provide fun and information in a simple and pleasant way.

I myself have never seen a cartoon that featured religious people, either bad or good, and the report evidently stressed the point by going on to say that religious people are always portrayed as “thieves and bad guys who run after women.” All jokes aside, I do not know what kind of cartoons the people who made the report saw or where they found those cartoons.

And to continue with the criticism of these so-called “unsuitable” cartoons — “they arouse sexual thoughts in children by showing scenes of flirting and kissing and they encourage girls to beautify themselves in an indecent way” — I know some families who are not comfortable about the way cartoons present the relations between young boys and girls. At the same time I must also say that many generations have loved the tales of Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid without major damage to their moral characters. Nonetheless, for the sake of argument, if the family feels that certain cartoons are not suitable for their children, they should simply exercise parental control on what their children watch. Isn’t that part of the job of being a parent anyway? By the same token, it is naive to expect ideals in everything; there is always good and bad and intelligent people are expected to make a choice.

The report also mentions how some children imitate the cartoons and that, for some of them, crimes become a “cool” way of behaving. I do agree that some cartoons present violence and crime as normal and in such cases, measures should be taken to protect young children.

As an example of what I am talking about, in British newspapers a short time ago, there were articles about removing scenes from Tom and Jerry cartoons that show the characters smoking. The British TV watchdog, Ofcom, made a formal complaint and in response those scenes were cut. Smoking was seen as something which should not be encouraged in children and it was dealt with accordingly. This is perhaps the only point which is to the credit of the report other than the fact that sitting in front of TV screens for unsupervised hour after unsupervised hour is surely harmful for children.

The last complaint is an absurd one and I seriously do not know what those who conducted the survey were thinking of when they included this point. If we are to believe them, the cartoons have “broken the mental barrier between children and animals such as pigs, bears and dogs which are presented in a nice way.” Now who said that children should have any kind of “mental barrier” to animals or hater them? It is certainly true that Muslims do not eat the meat of a pig but it is not forbidden to see one. Whether we eat it or not, a pig is still God’s creation. And the same goes for dogs that are generally friendly animals which many people keep as pets. When it comes to bears, I am mystified and just cannot figure out what they did — or didn’t do — in order to get themselves on the list.

Galloway: 'The Violence Will Go On'

2006-08-17T13:01:00.000+03:00

George Galloway has spoken out in support of Lebanon, saying he believes Hizbollah is justified in attacking Israel. The Respect MP also lambasted media coverage of the war and said the UN resolution means nothing.

Who's Galloway?

George Galloway, MP (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician noted for his socialist views and rhetorical style. He is currently the Respect Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Bethnal Green and Bow, and was previously elected as a Labour Party MP for Glasgow Hillhead and Glasgow Kelvin.

Galloway is perhaps best known for his vigorous campaign to overturn economic sanctions against Iraq, and for his visits to Saddam Hussein in 1994 and 2002. In October 2003, he was expelled from the Labour Party when a party body ruled that he had brought the party into disrepute over the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when he called the Labour government "Tony Blair's lie machine", and stated that British soldiers should "refuse to obey illegal orders".

In January 2004, he teamed up with the Socialist Workers Party, leading members of anti-war movements such as Salma Yaqoob, and other figures on the British left such as film-maker Ken Loach and journalist George Monbiot (who later left), to form RESPECT The Unity Coalition (Respect), a new political party to the left of Labour.

He won his seat in the 2005 general election, standing for his new party. In January 2006 he sparked controversy for taking part in the television series Celebrity Big Brother.

More about Galloway from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Galloway

Xbox 360 Advert: Standoff

2006-08-14T15:58:00.000+03:00


An advert for Microsoft's Xbox 360.

How to survive a bad manager

2006-08-12T17:36:00.000+03:00

By Scott Berkun, June 2 2005

How bad is your manager?

There are many different factors that contribute to negative opinions of managers. It’s not the goal of this essay to list them all, but here are some of the basics:

Inconsistent: Says one thing, does something else.
Arrogant: Always believes they are right, and makes sure you know it.
Egocentric: Makes every issue and decision about them.
Doesn’t listen: is offered advice but ignores it before even considering it.
Self-centered: Doesn’t support, encourage or look out for their team.
Mean/Abusive: Makes people feel bad for no reason.
Micro-manager: Refuses to delegate anything, despite what they say.
Coward: Backs down whenever challenged.
Isolated: doesn’t involve others in decisions, and rarely looks for ways to support/encourage the work of their team.
Incompetent: Lacks basic communication, intellectual, or emotional skills needed to for their role.
Checked out: Isn’t committed to their work or their team.

Skimming this list should have one of two effects: Either you are now certain you have the worst manager in the history of civilization, or you’ve recognized a few bad traits that your manager does not have. If you are in the former group please re-read the first paragraph of this essay. Odds are good you can do better.

For most of you the above list should point out a few bad qualities your manager does not have. This is good. You should take a moment to imagine how much worse it could be (picture an evil manager, wearing a red cape, in a dark dungeon of a cubicle farm, laughing to himself as he uses the list above as a checklist for his daily activities). If you can see some behavior in your manager than isn’t as bad as others there is room for you to make better use of your manager.

Read More @ http://www.scottberkun.com/essays/essay43.htm

So, you’ve got a bad manager

2006-08-12T17:33:00.000+03:00

Although it should be common sense that not everyone is cut out to manage other people, organizations often have a little too much faith in their ability to select staff that are up to this important task. Some managers aren’t really great at managing, but unless this is obvious to the person the manager reports to, not a lot can be done about it.

Organizations have great trouble dealing with subordinates that have legitimate problems about managers. Most organizations implicitly assume that a subordinate that has a concern about their manager is a troublemaker. Once you are labeled as a troublemaker, it can be difficult to get anyone in authority to take what you say seriously. These problems will also negatively influence your morale. A bad manager can be a career stopper as people’s first instinct is to try to improve the situation by approaching someone else in the chain of command about it. Unless that someone in the chain of command is a very close friend or family member, chances are that things are going to get worse. The worse they get, the worse you feel. When you do decide to jump ship, the people interviewing you for your next position will see a deflated and defeated person, rather than someone happy and raring to go.

If you have come to the realization that your manager is a problem, you should just grin and endure it until you can change positions. Once you’ve found alternative employment, you can make your legitimate problems about the manager known in your exit interview. The exit interview is the only forum where companies will accept subordinates commenting on the quality of their superiors because when people start to leave because someone is so bad, then something probably needs to be done about it.

Source: http://www.certtutor.net/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=92755&Blog=1

Skype vs. Gizmo vs. Vonage

2006-08-06T22:41:00.000+03:00

The Bullshit Job Title Generator

2006-08-06T21:41:00.000+03:00

http://www.bullshitjob.com/titles.html

BullshitJob.com

Quiz: Is Your Job Bullshit?

2006-08-06T21:36:00.000+03:00

http://www.bullshitjob.com/quiz.html

BullshitJob.com

Care for some GAMES?

2006-08-06T20:40:00.000+03:00

Bullshit

2006-08-06T20:12:00.000+03:00

Bullshit (often abbreviated to BS) is a common expletive. Its meanings include unacceptable behavior or ludicrously false representations. As with many expletives, it can be used as an interjection (or in many other parts of speech) and can carry a wide variety of meanings.
As it contains the word "shit", the term is sometimes considered foul language, hence the use of the euphemistic abbreviations "bull" and "BS". However the term is prevalent in American English and, as with many words, the term is used in a variety countries some dating back to approximately the same era WWI. In British English, bollocks is the equivalent expletive. In Australian English, Bulldust is another equivalent but less popular expletive, In Australia the phenomenon Bulldusting does not exist whereas Bullshitting, Bullshit filters and a number of other Bullshit based derivatives do.
While bullshitting and bullshit can be used in a deprecating sense, the term 'bullshit artist' may imply a measure of respect for the skill required to bullshit effectively. It is by no means necessary to be inaccurate or wrong to be bullshitting, simply being overly pompous, presumptuous, or putting on excessively academic airs, may also be labelled in some cultural subgroups as bullshitting.

Etymology
"Bull", meaning nonsense, dates from around the 17th century (Concise Oxford Dictionary), whereas the term "bullshit" was first used in 1915, in American slang, and came into popular usage only during World War II. The word "bull" itself may have derived from the Old French boul meaning "mistake." The term "bullshit" is a near synonym.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Realizing the Difference Between Expertise and Experience Is Key

2006-08-06T11:22:00.000+03:00

Define Your Expertise
When seeking a new role, realize the difference between expertise and experience. Expertise (technical skills or credentials) is knowledge of a certain subject matter. It's reflected in the things you'd brag about by saying, "I know," as in "I know the molecular structure of long-chain polymers," "I know ISO 9000" or "I know how to make tofu."

Expertise has certain characteristics:
1. You can get it whenever you want it. If you want to acquire knowledge in a certain area, you can always gain it through formal education, on-the-job training or self-instruction. Want to be a scuba diver? Just sign up for the class.
2. Young people can have as much expertise as older people. In fact, they may have more if they just finished the most up-to-date class or training.
3. Expertise isn't transferable; it defines and is defined by the setting in which it's used. Generally-accepted accounting procedures (GAAP) are useless on a camping trip, knowledge of the principles of cardiothoracic surgery won't help fix your car and quantum mechanics won't substitute for the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure when trying a federal case.

Often, when potential employers say they're looking for experience, they're actually seeking expertise. That is, they prefer to hire someone with knowledge of the position's key subject matter. They're impressed by credentials (degrees, certifications, etc.) which prove you're familiar with the job's technical dimensions.
In some fields -- such as patent law, psychiatry, public accounting or race-car engine-building -- you must have significant subject-matter expertise to even be considered for employment. But in hundreds of other areas, the necessary knowledge can be picked up on the fly. In these cases, you don't have to be a great expert to land the job. Show you're a "quick study," and the employer may simply expect you to acquire the necessary technical skill soon after you're hired.

Are You Experienced?
Unlike expertise, experience isn't anchored to a specific context. Rather, it confers generalized competencies that transfer from setting to setting. These "transferable abilities" are capabilities that can be called upon in any and all situations. Thus, experience also includes the judgment and maturity accumulated by working in a variety of roles and settings. Experience is proven by past behavior, not present knowledge. You don't say, "I know it," you say, "I've done it" or "I'm able to...." as in "I've motivated high-performing work teams" or "I'm able to manage large projects."
Suppose you say, "I have the ability to run a four-minute mile." All that phrase really means is, "I've run a four-minute mile at least once." Somewhere in your past is a four-minute mile, and if you were able to do it once, presumably you can do it again. This line of reasoning suggests a basic equation:
Experience = Abilities = Past behaviors in other settings
Most management competencies reflect transferable abilities, not technical expertise. Think of a few classic examples:
- Trouble-shooting ability
- Keeping my head when those about me lose theirs
- Translating goals into practical priorities
- Inspiring trust and confidence in superiors, peers and staff
- Organizing people, information and/or activities
- Setting and applying performance standards

Indeed, general managers are typically valued for their ability to oversee and manage a variety of tasks and functions that they don't know how to perform themselves. The COO doesn't need to know how to install a networked computer system to manage the information-services department.
When marketing your transferable abilities, you're demonstrating that you can apply experience gained in one setting to a different environment. When a U.S. president recruits a new cabinet member, he doesn't focus on technical skills ("Have you ever been a Secretary of State before?"). Instead, he looks for judgment, maturity and street smarts that should have been amply demonstrated in other roles.

Career Changers
The distinction between expertise and experience is critical to career-shifters. If you hope to significantly change your work role or setting, you have two options:
1) acquire a new set of technical skills ("re-credential yourself"), or
2) market your experience as transferable into a new setting.

In general, once you've reached mid-career, it's easier to apply the second strategy. But both present considerable risk, which is one reason why a major career shift should never be undertaken lightly.

Keeping in mind the distinction between experience and expertise, it's illogical for employers to demand that candidates have direct experience that's identical -- not merely equivalent -- to the position being filled. Even if they insist that applicants have relevant expertise, they may not identify the best talent, particularly if technical competency can be acquired on the job. Paradoxically, overly demanding hiring criteria may actually diminish the pool of genuinely well-qualified candidates.

To highlight your transferable abilities succinctly, conduct a thorough self-assessment. Although your experience probably isn't neatly organized into categories and file names, the information you need is there. Your experience -- all the events, outcomes and accomplishments that mark your work efforts -- is in your memory.

To focus your thinking, try the "Past Accomplishments" exercise favored by many career consultants. When people experience something satisfying, they consciously and unconsciously seek out other situations that recreate that pleasure. Since achievements tend to feed preferences, experience and motivation become mutually self-reinforcing. Take time to review 10 to 15 key accomplishments. In them, you'll find a veritable inventory of transferable abilities.
For each major achievement, analyze the situation, your activities and the outcomes, asking yourself what strengths and abilities they convey. From this exercise, you can develop a list of action verbs and personal qualities that are strongly supported by your work history.

Finally, identify and tout those transferable abilities that most closely match the employer's implied needs. Whether replying to an ad or making your points in a face-to-face meeting, you must show that the employer's actual requirements are functionally equivalent to your strengths. Your mission is to demonstrate that what's needed isn't their experience, but your experience. In William Shakespeare's words, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

By Douglas B. Richardson - CareerJournal.com

Feel Good

2006-08-02T12:41:00.000+03:00

HOW TO START YOUR DAY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE:

1 . Open a new file in your PC .

2. Name it " za3toor"

3. Send it to the RECYCLE BIN

4 . Empty the RECYCLE BIN

5. Your PC will ask you, "Are you sure you want to delete za3toor permanently?"

6. Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly....

7 . Feel better?

HAVE A NICE DAY

Announcement From His Retreating Highness

2006-08-02T10:50:00.000+03:00

Dear Retreaters,

الله يبارك فيكم

and for the the above issue, Retreatres, as Khloud mentioned it before, shall take place.. because #1 in our constitution:
NEVER retreat on Retreater. Dagara "So" one retreater can't retreat without other Retreaters. ??!!

Retreating is not just retreaing, it's working together... helping each other... but not going to Japan together :)

anyway..

Khloud: Keep up the good work, but still you have many to accomplish..
Akram: mmmmm not bad.
Mashael: we are not at the end of the year... ok?
others: what time is it?

تكفون عطوني على قد عقلي

Retreaters forever my dear friends,
Going to Japan Retreater

Muath & Japan

2006-08-01T10:17:00.000+03:00

Dear Retreating Dudes and Dudettes,

We are please to announce that Muath's Visa has finally been issued. Please, extend your wishes to him for a bon voyage and a safe return.

--
"Smile for the one you're with :)"

Best of ZA3tooR - Chapter 1

2006-07-31T16:39:00.000+03:00

On Monday July 31 2006, at 3:36 pm, the following event took place:

e-Mail sent to KMO Team Members after a delightful lunch event that Za3tooR was not invited to:

Subject: Inform me when you don't have tasks

Body: Dear All,
Since we are finishing the UAT, we may start having time to work on other tasks. Please, proceed on working on your other tasks whenever you have nothing to do regarding the UAT. Also, inform me immediately once you don't have any other task. This is also applicable whenever you don't have tasks in hand so that I assign you other tasks.

Best Regards,
Za3tooR
_____________________________
Research and Knowledge Manager
Knowledge Management Office / R&D
GFS
P.O. Box ###, Riyadh #####, Saudi Arabia
Tel.: +966-1-1234567 @ 0123
Fax : + 966-1-7654321
Visit us on: http://www.bullshit.com