BlogBouha.com

In a real german university (like the BTU Cottbus): you meet the president of the university in the toilet, pee side to side, and he waits behind you for his turn to use the hands towel.

In a fake german university (like the one in Cairo): you see the president (same applies to the “president of the board of trustees) on your first day when he promises wonders and outstanding performances to new students and their parents, and the rest of the time you see the black Mercedes E class parked in the shadow.

The European PVC industry club organises a yearly essay competition with prizes of a few thousands €, they say it is part of their commitment to sustainability. I participated this year with an essay in which I express my dislike to today’s invasive globalization, criticizing the over-interdependence of states when it comes to food and energy supply. I urge countries of the world to become self-sufficient in food and energy production; that was my answer to the question: “Faced with food and energy crisis, how can society improve its well-being?”…

Wrong answer!! You don’t come up with leftist protectionist ideas in 2009, it is just not on the agenda… food and energy sovereignty? NO WAY! All these decades spent to control the world, and now you want us to step back? Sorry mister, you are completely on the wrong path!

We prefer people who blame it on the booming population or even on unsustainable ways of consumption, the first shows the crisis is not our fault ( it’s the fault of ignorant people in third world who don’t use contraception methods), and the second is very trendy :)

Anyway, I still believe that food and energy sovereignty are capital, and that they will keep the vital needs secure even in times of global economic crises, you can read my essay by visiting the official website of the contest and choose Tunisia under “countries” (the only Tunisian participant), or here if it is removed from their server for any reason.

I also recommend to read the winners’ essays which – I have to admit- are of good quality.

P.S: I dedicate this post (my #100) to Naddou and Zizou who inspired me and supported me to start blogging (meme si c’est pas assez romantique pour etre “dedicacable”:)).

It is very hard for me to read a serious book, I can not force myself to concentrate on something too academic, boring, and monotone, It is exactly like forcing yourself to eat a fatty tasteless paste. I prefer books that are captivating, with a touch of humour and sarcasm. And since I always wanted to know more about the history of the US, I asked my friend Dan (he is an anthropologist) to recommend a book on the history of the states that is easy to read. He recommended this book: he said he recommends it to all his non-american friends… It illustrates the history of the states since the discovery in 1492, until the mid 90′s. Colonisation, slavery, civil war, labor movement, world wars, cold war… it covers the most important milestones in the (very short) US history and gives a good background for general knowledge.

The book is written and drawn in a very captivating way, with so much humour and sarcasm, and I finished it in a few days, not only for the purpose of learning, but also because the suspense is so thrilling, it is more like reading a story.

And though I have the feeling the author chose some events over others, and covered some better than others (not in the best glorifying way, believe me :)), I am very glad I discovered this book, I learned a lot and was very entertained reading it, and I think I became a fan of Larry’s work :).

Thanks Dan for this great recommendation, and I recommend it too to all those who want to know more about the history of the US, in a different way than in boring history classes.