Background

People who speak Arabic as a first language were about 181 million in 1997 (according to Times 1997 article), making it the Fifth language in the world.

The following is a table of Arabic letters, with the Latin transliteration equivalent in internet 'slang'.

Now that the 2004 Presidential Elections are over and Bush has won, there are a lot of interesting facts, rumors, analysis and the like.

I have been struggling with the Water Softener for a few months now. I got it fixed by Sears for about 165$Cdn two years or so ago. A few months ago, it started having problems again. So I decided to try and fix it myself.

Here are some links to web sites of extended family members. Some of them are on constant contact with me, while others I find by chance via other relatives or from the internet:

Sometimes, it is the most unlikely thing that brings back memories. An article that came across my screen the other day caused me to reminisce about many things.

A few weeks ago, a Palestinian violinist trying to cross a West Bank checkpoint was forced to play his violin. The soldier ordered him to "play something sad".You can see the details at the BBC in Israel army forces violin recital and the Haaretz in Israeli soldiers force Palestinian to play violin at West Bank checkpoint.

Researchers of Iberian history often have to consult sources in Arabic and Castillian or Portuguese. Names can be confusing when referencing from one language to the other.

This is a collection of articles on the history of Arabs and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula. The current language, customs and culture of today's Spain and Portugal is strongly influenced by eight centuries of Muslim rule (92 A.H/711 C.E. to 897 A.H/1492 C.E).These articles explore some aspects of this history and culture.

While some Americans are contemplating moving to Canada, a few US soldiers have already fled north to Canada, and are seeking political asylum here. During the Vietnam war, many US citizens fled to Canada in order to avoid the forced draft there. These are called "draft dodgers" in Canada, and have integrated well. You cannot even tell they were American.Several cases have been reported in the Canadian media during summer of 2003.