Keffiyeh – A Fashion Accessory Or A Controversy

Keffiyeh or kufiya, got its origin from Arabic language; meaning ‘from the city of Kufa’. Keffiyeh is the traditional headdress that was used to be worn primarily by people of Middle East. Though Keffiyeh mainly symbolises the Palestinian Nationalism, it has been worn by Arabs all across the globe.

Initially Keffiyeh was worn as a protective covering for face and eyes. There were times when it was considered to be just an ideal shield against harsh sun rays and dust storms. But later this simple chequered pattern cloth piece became an iconic symbol.

It was until 1960’s that Keffiyeh was taken as a simple Arab headgear. Soon after its adoption by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Keffiyeh became the trademark symbol of the Palestinian nation and its fight for independence. The black and white fringed scarf was being associated with Palestinian Nationalism on a much wider scale.  

In late 1980’s, Keffiyehs emerged as a fashion accessory. Ever-changing fashion trends gave birth to a versatile Keffiyeh that can be worn as a scarf around the neck, draped across the shoulder or tied on a head as a trendy headgear. Multiple color schemes and pattern variations gave Keffiyeh a totally new look and a significance on an altogether different level. The fashion scene of the year 2000 introduced Keffiyeh as a trendy scarf that was equally liked by Muslims and non-Muslims across the world. People of all faiths and origins started wearing Keffiyeh as the latest fashion accessory. Mass production of Keffiyehs by China gave a thriving boost to its use as a style accessory and a fashion gear.

However, regardless of Keffiyehs’ high demand in the fashion world, this Arabic headgear has an intense political significance. American clothing chain, Urban Outfitters, had to face huge controversy for introducing Keffiyeh in their clothing range. They gave a controversial label to this clothing article; ‘anti-war scarves’. This pushed Urban Outfitters into a complicated situation and eventually they had to pull the item to avoid any adverse consequences.

Keffiyeh is still considered as a style statement in United States, Europe, Canada and Australia. Regardless of its popularity in the fashion world and its continual use in The West one cannot deny the controversies attached to this Palestinian symbol. No doubt Keffiyeh is a chic trend for fashionistas, but the implications of promoting this symbolic statement can be multifaceted. 

Plastic Free Life

Contents:

·         Introduction

·         Sources of plastic bags

·         Toxicity of plastic bags

·         Solutions

One of the most often nagged about “bad guys” in the environmental battle is plastic bags. Plastic bags contamination is gigantic and at the same time intensely personal environmental problem. We touch and see plastic every day of our lives. With every visit to the grocery store we can readily see our waste footprint grow. Plastic is found in essentially everything these days. While most plastics are publicized as recyclable, the reality is that they're “down-cycled.” A plastic milk pack can never be recycled into another pack — it can be made into a lower-quality item like plastic planks, which can’t be recycled.

Millions of plastic bags are given out to consumers by hypermarkets and stores to carry their goods in. They are cheap, light, long-lasting, easy to carry and in many cases, free. Most commonly used shopping bags are made up of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). After these bags are castoff, they often end up in landfills or as litter. Plastics are considered as pollutants because these are non-biodegradable & cannot be decomposed into environmentally safe materials by the action of soil bacteria (aerobic or anaerobic digestion). These are toxic and take roughly four hundred years to breakdown.

Although Plastic bags are appear to be delicate and light, their negative environmental effects are devastating. They may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of life cycle.  Manufacturing of plastic bags subsidizes to air pollution and energy consumption. It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down into smaller compounds. They can have a detrimental effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks and trees. These are potentially one of the key reasons of death to marine animals. Up to 100,000 marine animals die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This results in obstruction of animal’s intestines, choking & immobility and sometimes as bio-magnification. 

As a solution to these types of problem is to take action by educating and increasing the public’s awareness to the damaging effects that a plastic bag impose on our environment. Applying this would mean to get consumers involved in reducing the number of plastic bags they use. Another important elucidation would be using biodegradable jute bags that take up a shorter time to degrade. Research should be made in to making bio-degradable plastic bags so people could use these ones instead of the non-biodegradable.

Usage of plastic bags is very limited unlike their infinite damages. They are harmful to health, the environment and wildlife. The solutions to put an end to the problems associated with plastic bags are available, collaboration between governments, shops and individuals is vital to take the necessary actions by reducing, reusing and recycling plastic bags.

White People & Keffiyeh: Solidarity vs. Cultural Appropriation

Keffiyeh, or Kufiya is a checkered head scarf typically worn around the heads or neck of Arabs. In the past, and even now, it has become a symbol of Palestinian Solidarity. Also, recently keffiyeh has gained popularity in the United States as a ‘hipster’ fashion, and in Tokyo with shorts. In short, a keffiyeh is something, that means a lot to the people of Palestine, and its supporters, and it has meant a lot to them since quite some time in the past as well. To see it being flaunted as a fashion accessory has become rather offensive for them.

Solidarity

Although a Keffiyeh was traditionally worn by Palestinian farmers, it became a symbol for the continuous ongoing Palestine-Israel issue during the Arab Revolt in 1930.

It gained popularity amongst activists and supporters when a Palestinian Liberation Leader Yasser Arafat donned it during the Palestinian resistance in the 1960s. Since then, it has been worn by numerous political leaders and activists associated, and sympathizing with the Palestinian conflict. People all over the world wear the black and white Keffiyeh, to show their solidarity and support.

Nevertheless, there are quite a few people who are exceptionally against the Keffiyeh. They have rendered everyone who sports a Keffiyeh as symbol of support as a terrorist and are often harsh towards them.

Cultural Appropriation

If at one place a Keffiyeh represents an extremely dark and serious side of the world and history, it has also become a fashion trend. People, especially from the United States have adopted this fish-net patterned piece of cloth, as a fashion accessory. The trend started way back in the 1980s, when Jewish boys wore it around their necks. Afterwards it died down a bit. Then the youth of Tokyo adopted the Keffiyeh along with camouflage type clothing. There has been a recent surge in a production and purchase of Keffiyeh after some fashion magazines portrayed them as an accessory.

What matters the most is, that after the global popularity of the Keffiyeh, there has been an immense amount of production in China. This in turn has taken over the businesses in Palestine which prided themselves in the mastering the art of making a Keffiyeh. Which then further capsizes the Palestinian economy. The question that arises is, if you truly support the Palestinian cause, then the best way to help them is to buy these scarves right form the local manufacturers. Your effort may be a small contribution, but drop by drop it my help the manufacturers through.  

Are you familiar with these 8 Incredible Google Tricks?

Being an internet surfer, you must be utilizing the amazing services of the most illustrious search engine “Google”. It’s almost impossible to survive without google as an internet user as it covers a majority of searching necessities. Currently, most of us use google search engine to attain information about people, places, events, products, cultures, businesses and so on. But wait! Have you ever heard that google have some great incredible tricks that can amaze its users?  If not, try these following eight striking tricks that will blow your mind and will definitely make you apply them on your google search engine bar.

1.       Do a Barrel Roll – Just simply open up your google search engine webpage and type “Do a barrel roll” and see how the page will rotate twice like if it’s dancing on the beats. Miraculous isn’t it? Try it!

2.       Enjoy Atari Game – In 1970, a game named Atari breakout was very popular among its users. Go to google search engine page and Click “images” and then type “Atari Breakout”. The images will turn in to block shapes and you will be enjoying an Atari game full of fun. Let’s give it a try!

3.       Contort your Search Page – In google search bar type “tilt’ and your web page will crook a bit like if it’s a mountain slide. Let’s see if it works!

4.       Puzzling Word – Type “recursion” in a search bar and you will see that google will continuously ask you for “did you mean recursion”. As you are already aware recursion means to duplicate or repeat a certain action, therefore your search for the word will never end. Interesting, right?

5.       Vanish your search page – Simply type “zerg rush” in your search bar and you will see number “zero” appearing on multiple places which will ultimately eat up all your search page. Looks like “zero” is hungry. Amazing isn’t it?

6.       Turn Google Backwards – Type “elgoog.im” in your search bar and see the magic. The page will automatically reverse the google in backward position and you will enjoy writing backwards in the search bar. Writing backwards is fun, isn’t it?

7.      Google Sky – By using google sky, you can enjoy the experience of flying in space. You will see moon, planets, sun and stars etc while using google sky. Let’s get into space!

8.      Google Gravity – Go in google search page and type “google gravity” and then click the ‘I’m feeling lucky” button and relish the fun trick of throwing the search page down. You can use that search page for your search purposes in this projection trick. Will love to throw your page? Try it now!

Now that you know about the above mentioned fun tricks, you will be able to amaze and stun your friends who aren’t still aware of these extraordinary google techniques. So, what are you waiting for? Go and blow their minds now!

Computer Repair

A lot of people own computers yet many of us do not have a hint of how to fix them. When it crashes down we have to rely on other people to set it right for us. The business of repairing services is growing day by day. As more technological advancements are made, the urge for technical expertise is only escalating.

The cost to repair a computer can be of prime concern. Some pc repair operatives may charge $50 an hour on average; others have even charged as high as $100 an hour. Even though expert knowledge and skill is required to do repairs, the second price is avaricious.

Not all who calls themselves a computer repair technician really is what they say they are. You want to see that the computer repair service person that you have just called upon can find their way through the intricacy that makes up a computer’s entrails. If they can’t, you don’t want that person doing your repairs any more than you want a bullet in your head.

You certainly don’t want a quack messing through the insides of your system. If you have issues with the PC, get someone who is authorized to do it; or better still you can take the system over to a store where that is precisely what they do. A renowned computer repair shop.

When people get desperate, they would probably do anything; the trick is not to get frustrated. Get the basics of computer repair and the required tools. That should help you see that you don’t get desperate when your system wakes up with problems on any crucial day.

You probably want to get into computer repair, but if you don’t have a forte for it, you sure would be wasting your time. There is something winding about the practice that calls for and understanding that you don’t see everywhere. With a license, you can practice computer repair and become even a person of a note in your neighborhood. Without the license, you are just a mere loser ravening on other poor losers.

It has become quite simple because now you can get computer repair training online. You only need find out the right websites. With the computer onsite repair service you can get step by step guidance on how to get through the most fundamental problems, and then orientation on what to do if things get out of hand.

There are certain tools for specific functions in pc repair. You got to know these tools, and how they function. Without that knowledge, you’d never know a bit about computer rebuilding the way it should be done.

Systems can usually run for a few years before they start to crash down. Common causes of computer failures include software, hardware, or both sometimes.

Software that can cause systems to become untreatable includes viruses, which consume all the resources so pcs cannot respond to user inputs. Viruses also tend computers to display constant blue or blank screen. Computer software drivers that are out dated can also cause computers to become unstable and unable to interact with other hardware components like fax machines, printers and scanners.

Hardware failures are less frequent than software. Some examples of hardware failures incorporate power supply, motherboard, CPU, memory, hard disk, and other external components like graphic card and sound card. One common indicator that is shared by hardware failure is that computers become untreatable or causes permanent instability. More specifically, computers may not be able to boot up, freeze frequently, reboot constantly by itself.

Software repairs are usually less expensive than hardware in many cases. The cost to repair computer software issues can be roughly between $35 and $95. The actual price depends on the service location and the severity of the failure.

Hardware repairs typically comprises of replacing the hardware components that are faulty. The cost includes the labor and the parts. Therefore, hardware overhaul costs are higher than software. It might take several days to repair if the service facility needs to order the hardware components. The following computer repair prices provide an estimated cost to repair each computer component:

Power supply: $40 – $100

Motherboard: $80 – $160

CPU: $50 – $120

Memory: $40 – $80

Hard disk: $60 – $150

Situations where more than one hardware components are failing, it will make more sense to buy a new computer than taking the repair.

Computer issues can be upsetting. But most of them are minor and can be repaired easily, so don’t panic and take a deep breathe when pc problems happen to you, you can fix your computer by following the enlisted below basic in house computer repair and pc troubleshooting tips and guide

1. Look at the power strip connection whether the power indicator light is lit or not, make sure the power button is switched on and to the correct AC voltage. Then shut down the power and check all the cables of your computer such as data cables, power cable, internal chip cables and cards if possible and devices like mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. and make sure that everything is settled properly and working fine. You can push the cables or devices gently. At times you need to actually unplug them from the computer and then plug in again.

2. When you notice a software or hardware error in your computer, try to find out what was changed before the problem occurred. In the meantime, you can search for the error message and find a solution to the problem. The following are some common error messages and solutions:

a. “Non-System disk or disk error”: remove non-system diskette, USB, CD inserted before starting computer.

b. “Windows was not properly shut down. One or more of your disk drives may have errors on it. Press any key to run ScanDisk on these drives.” Press the enter key and allow the system to do a scan and fix the problems.

c. “Not enough memory or Insufficient memory”: Close some programs and try again.

d. “My monitor is black”: Check power and cable connection. Check if it is in sleep mode, especially laptop.

e. “No sound”: Check if the speaker is plugged into the wrong socket, MIC. Also check Mute, Volume

f. If the Computer freezes: Try Ctrl+Alt+Del. If it does not work, force the computer to shut off by keeping on pressing power key until the pc shuts down. Then wait for about 10-15 seconds and re-start computer.

3. Use the event viewer utility by going to Start –> Control panel –> Administrative tools –> Event viewer. By using this tool, you will find the error or warning messages linked with any defected hardware or software.

4. Check the hardware setting and make certain all the device drivers are updated and working properly, that is, there is no error sign showing up.

5. When you find a defected component in your computer, you should check it with the other good computers support so that you can make sure whether the component has problems or not before purchasing a new one.

6. If the above is okay and your computer still has glitches, it might be because of virus or the registry / system files corrupted. You can find related tools to fix the bug. If the problem is severe, consider to re-install the Operating System. It is recommended that you create 2 partitions. One is for your OS and the other is for your data.

Whenever you try to repair a computer, it is important to find out what you did before and also your prime focus should be on power supply, video, mother board, CPU and the hard drive.