Sweet Preserve

These last few days have gone by so quickly. I think this is the first time I’ve had a chance just to sit down and take it all in.

The launch went incredibly well by all accounts. The show opened with an energetic performance from Dubai rap group Desert Heat, who were a last-minute addition to the show after their impromptu post-sound-check performance the night before impressed everyone in the room. Seeing two seasoned rappers spitting hard in Arabic while dressed in the full-on traditional robes wasn’t something I’d ever seen before in my life, but it was definitely something I’d like to see again and the perfect way to start the show.

A lot of people were talking about the significance of launching an MTV channel in the Middle East and what it stands for, and even though I only visited one of the region’s most liberal cities, Dubai, for just a few days, the overall consensus from the people was loud and clear: “We love music.”

 Ludacris music

Music plays a very important part in Arabic culture, and the tastes of the young people there are incredibly eclectic and widespread, from more traditional sounds to a thriving underground hip-hop scene to superstar dance DJs like Erick Morillo, who visits regularly and was there for the opening. Our arrival has been long overdue.

By the time local R&B sensation Karl Wolf came on the stage, all protocol had been thrown out the window and the front five rows were out of their seats and dancing right up by the stage. Earlier, I’d been told that Karl is like the Middle East’s answer to Justin Timberlake, and judging by the screams of some of the girls in the audience, they were probably right.

Then it was time for the big boys. Ludacris came out to the entire 700-strong crowd chanting his name over and over. I remember thinking that I wasn’t sure if the sheikhs sitting at the very back of the room in the royal box had ever seen anything like this. Nevertheless, I’m told they were all smiles and some even got down and sang along. Luda, who also played an integral part in the launch of MTV Arabia, performed a mixture of new and old hits before hanging back offstage to give his take on the new channel and what it means to him to be one of the first major hip-hop stars to perform in the Middle East.

And if that wasn’t enough, it was Akon’s turn. At this point, the crowd was at fever pitch, and with a little coaxing, the full house (including the sheikhs) stood up as Akon took the show home. He certainly did his thing giving the Middle East a taster of what they can expect from him when he returns on tour in a few months.

It was an awesome launch, bringing in a new era to the Middle East, with a vision to one day launch a new internationally successful music star from the region. If you had said that MTV would be launching a channel here 10 years ago, they would have said it was impossible. Not anymore!

This article explains smokers opinions and the pros and cons about smoking.

Lately I have been researching why people smoke, the good of it, the bad things about it and the other things some people just don’t know about.

• The Good:

Most smokers say that it gives them a very strong bond with other smokers some have a sense of gratification when they smoke. The drug nicotine gives them a feeling of pleasure. Some smokers says it gives them a break from there kids, and it is used as a stress reliever.

•  The Bad:

The list goes on but here a just a few key points -
That horrid after smell, nagging cough all day … But that’s nothing compared to not being able to breathe properly, heart disease, Decayed teeth , skin and fingernails turn yellow, having lots of phlegm and losing your voice half way through a sentence. One huge problem about smoking it is a social drug such as alcohol making it very addictive and hard to quit. Also smoking doesn’t help your income at all, buying them 2 – 4 times a week at average $7 dollars adds up fairly quickly you could use that money to socialise such as going out with friends or seeing a movie.

• The Ugly:

When you inhale smoke you put over 4,000 chemicals into your body just some of these are Benzene the chemical found in paint stripper, Hydrogen Cyanide used in rat poison Ammonia the bleach found in toilet cleaner.

Smoking can also have some terrible effects on your body some of these include death at the age of 40.

It can also make blood vessels and blood cells sticky causing dangerous fatty material to build up.

The chemicals can lead to Macular degeneration (blindness) this is because the chemicals get into the bloodstream and induce the damage to the macula in the back of the eye.

 

• Conclusion Of these facts:

Overall most people think smoking is not fit for any lifestyle as it can lead to disease, blindness, amputations and even death. Australia in particular have banned it from most hospitals, working areas, and some restaurants and clubs only allow smoking in car parks or in a designated area.

Quite possibly the coolest 10 year old girl in the land, Alaina Podmorow, was moved to action after her mother Jamie (coolest mom in the land?) took her to hear a speech by Canadian journalist and human rights activist Sally Armstrong.

”I heard about bombings in Afghanistan. I was unaware. That night, I got educated about it,” said Alaina.
In her speech, Armstrong explained that while many Afghan girls have gone back to school since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the fear of local warlords and militia groups continues to keep girls out of classrooms.

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Got a PlayStation 3? For those of you that have picked up Sony’s shiny black plaything, we’ve put together a Digital Home top ten of tips that you won’t find in the user manual.
1) Play games from any country

Harbouring a desire to play Super Gaiden Ninja XI? Now you can. In fact, you can handily play any PS3 game from any country. On holiday in the States and spot the latest release at a bargain dollar-to-pound price? Help yourself. So far, at least, PS3 games aren’t being region coded. That said PS2 and PS1 games are so you can’t play a US title on a Euro console.

And let’s not forget that Blu-ray movies are region-coded so the barriers aren’t completely down yet.
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2) The secret video reset

One of the most annoying aspects of the PS3 are its video settings. Take it up to the bedroom portable or round to a friend’s house and there’s a good chance that you won’t be able to see anything onscreen because your ‘new’ TV is running at a different resolution or using a different cable connection. And – because you can’t see anything – you can’t change it. Until now. Shut down your PS3 then restart by pressing and holding the power button. This will reset your PS3 to its most basic 480p graphics mode so you’ll be able to see enough to choose RGB SCART, component, HDMI or whatever from here.

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