Monday, January 5, 2009

Do you believe we are all a few people away from knowing everyone on Earth?

Have you ever had a question related to a specific place on Earth and wondered if you know someone there to give you an answer?!!

I think you may know someone or maybe all the people there, that’s according to a theory that I previously heard about. The theory states that we are all only about seven people away from knowing everyone in the world.

Really, I believe in that. Rather, it could be only one person required in order to know everyone in the world through.

It’s like any transportation network, where people are nodes connected to others through different links. The more the people you know the more the linkage you have to the world network which means that you may find a shorter path to reach someone else on the far side of the Earth.

Do you think so?!!

Let's validate this theory by joining and inviting all of your friends to join the Facebook group in the link below and hence you will be linked to everyone who has a Facebook account in the world.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=41225564794



Does the number of people that you know matters?

I think it doesn’t matter how many people you should know in order to be linked to everyone in the world, as this number will only affect how fast you are going to reach those people occupying the far side of Earth. Further, I believe it could be only one person required in order to know everyone in the world through, but it will take much more time than knowing five or seven persons as a start.

But if that’s the case, a constraint should be added ensuring that every single person on Earth has to know at least another one in order to avoid the creation of closed loops and hence leaving some people without a link with others.

You can look at the situation as simple as what we are doing right now, we are all linked together through our Facebook accounts and anyone who doesn’t has a Facebook account will not be able to be linked with us!! So, just switch “Facebook account(s)” with “Friend(s)” and you will get what I mean.

Anyways these are just some thoughts, so let’s validate this theory by joining and inviting others to join the Facebook group mentioned above as I think the Facebook users could be considered as a representative sample of the world! And maybe we can prove this theory by doing some hypothesis testing after that.

Also, please let me know if you have any references regarding this theory in order to be mentioned.

Regarding naming this theory, I don’t know yet and it will be appreciable if anyone let me know any suggestions regarding that. Who knows maybe I’ll invite you on a cup of coffee one day :-D

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Fishing Tips, Tricks & Excuses


"The Key to Successful Fishing Trips
& an Excuse to Unsuccessful Ones"

I like fishing even though some of my trips or may be all of them were unsuccessful :-)

But don’t worry about me, as I am always having an acceptable excuse ;-)

Each kind of fish has its own tactics and strategies which should be well studied in order to know where, when and how to catch it. Further, each region in the sea is known by its native kinds of fish. Here, I’ll be focusing on those living in the Mediterranean within the Egyptian territorial waters, also I'll provide some of the used slang Arabic expressions.


Preparing for the Trip

Before going fishing, be sure not forgetting your rod, reel & tackle box, which should include lines, hooks, swivels, sinkers, spoons and floats.


And also, don't forget the bait

Keep baits fresh !
With few exceptions, fresh bait will attract more bites than old bait.


Fishing Knots

Don't want to lose a big catch !!

Fishing knots are the way to a successful fishing

After choosing the right fishing knot and in order to be tied correctly, the following tips should be considered:

1. Lubricate knots with water or saliva before drawing tight.
2. Draw knots as tight as possible.
3. Trim tag ends close to the knot.

Here are some useful knots


Casting

Timing is everything in casting, and picturing the movements as if moving around a clock face can help you learn to make good casts time after time.

Think of your elbow as the hub of the clock and your forearm as the hour hand.

Casting Steps:

1- Start the cast at 10 o'clock.

2- Bring your forearm slowly but steadily back to 2 o'clock.

3- Sweep the forearm forward back to 10 o'clock, releasing the line somewhere near 11 o'clock.

If you follow the hours exactly, your lure should land in the next time zone.

http://www.mdc.missouri.gov/


The Hottest 10 Tips:

1- When striking, strike well !

Standard nylon and monofilament fishing line has an elastic characteristic
which absorbs a high percentage of the strike action when trying to set the hook in a fish and subsequently the hook may only move a couple of centimetres. So, when striking, strike well.

2- When spooling a new line onto your reel, place the new line spool into a bucket of water.

The drag generated by the water as you are spooling your new line onto your reel will partially stretch the line allowing it to set nicely onto your reel, and secondly, lubricate the line. Line that isn't set on a reel can cause problems by creating potential bird's nests when casting, especially on overhead reels.

3- Use chemically sharpened hooks. Even though they're a little bit expensive than the standard hooks, there is nothing worse than a blunt hook. A sharp hook offers a better chance of a hookup than a blunt one. Further,the best way to determine if your hook is sharp enough, test it on your finger nail. If the point holds on the nail, it is sharp enough.

4- When fishing for a particular species of fish, take along a variety of bait with you or you could deny yourself a reasonable catch.

5- Should a hook be set deep in the throat of a caught fish, just cut the line and re-rig. Don't bother wasting time trying to retrieve a hook, especially when the fish are on the bite for a short period of time.

6- Inspect the gut of the fish you have just caught. Keep a note of the type of contents that the fish ate, and preferably fish with bait that is similar to it, as well as baits which pertain to the area you are fishing.

7- When baiting a hook, try and use soft bait - if using squid, beat the squid to soften it prior to baiting the hook. Some fish like to "mouth" a bait prior to taking it. As it does this, you will feel a light pick on the line and nothing more. The bite you feel is in fact not a bite but caused by the fish's tail action as it swims away with the bait.

8- If an area has long and sandy beaches, the best time to fish is an hour before the turn of the high tide. Natural feed is the reason for their presence. During low tide, many small shellfish and worms will have died from the heat of the sun and this is what the fish are coming in to feed upon.

9- When you pay hundreds of pounds for a quality rod, reel and line, don't economise on terminal tackle. It's a sure bet for disaster when that fish of a lifetime jumps on your hook !

10- Always clean and dry your fishing tools as soon as possible after you return from a fishing trip. Never store them in a moist bag or tube. The combination of high humidity and heat can be damaging.


و أخيرا بعد الألتزام بهذه النصائح و الأرشادات الهامة, يأتى السؤال الهام الذى تنتظرة جموع الصيادين, أين سوف نصطاد اليوم؟

اليكم افضل و أقرب اماكن الصيد فى الاسكندرية

تمت مشاهدة سرب مكون من ثلاثة سمكات من فصيلة البلطى الخنينى النادرة, و ذلك فى بقعة نائية تبعد حوالى 400 كم من مدينة الاسكندرية خلف محطة الصرف الصحى القديمة, وذلك حسب رواية عم أحمد (أحد الشهود المجهولى الهوية و الذى يعد من المفقودين حتى الأن بعد انقطاع الأتصال به هناك) فعلى من يرغب فى الاستمتاع بالصيد الوفير سرعة التوجة الى الموقع المذكور, و أبقى قابلنى لو رجعت

اما إذا كنت من محبى التسقيط, فتوجد طرقة مليئة بأسماك الغوزيلة الكفافى فى عرض البحر تبعد اربعة ساعات بالفلوكة, وعلشان الرحلة دى مش سهلة فلاتنس دواء دوار البحر أو نصف ليمونة و إلا أنت عارف اللى حيحصل و اسئل مجرب و سلملى على الموبايل, و يجب ايضا أن تختار مراكبى مخضرم مثل التربى أو سكسوكة, متقلقش دى مجرد أسمائهم, يلا بسرعة كله فوووق, حد لسة تحت؟
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ملحوظة: يستخدم مسطلح الموبايل بكثرة فى الفلوكة و هو يعنى دورة المياه المحمولة و التى تكون مصممة تصميما فريدا من نوعه و متناغما مع المكان, بس أوعى تقع فى البحر أثناء الشحن. و أننى لأحذر و بشدة إذا جائت مكالمة مستعجلة أو دولية للصياد الجالس بجوارك و ذلك نظرا لضيق المكان و حتى لا تتحول رحلة التسقيط إلى رحلة تنقيط

شوهدت اسماك المرمار الخشابى المتميزة فى منطقة تسمى المعضمة فى الصحراء الغربية و بالقرب من الحدود الليبية و ذلك حسب رواية أخو أبن أخت عم خال واحد صاحبى مشفتوش من زمان, يلا علشان تلحق توصل المشوار طوييييييييل



نصائح غالية

لا تأخذ معك الملقاف فى أى من هذه الطلعات لأنة بينحس الطلعة و لو اخذته مش حتشوف ديلها

لا تنس أن تأخذ تشكيلة معقولة من الطعم و الذى منة على أن تتضمن (البرغوت, العقر, النطاط, الجرايات, السردينلة, الدود الاسمعلاوى و القراص و أبو جراب فقط) لعل و عسى يمكن تكون من الموعودين اللى بنسمع عنهم و حتة حلوه تضرب معاك و نحكى عنك فى الأساطير, و لا تنس أيضا أن تأخذ معاك حتة عجينة و شوال عيش أو غلة لزوم التظفير مين عارف يمكن تدخل أرض البورى ولا حاجة


قائمة الأسماك

و هذه قائمة بأغلب انواع الأسماك المنتشرة فى مياهنا الأقليمية, و أنت و نصيبك بئه

شرغوش, تيس, موزة, ظبان, مكرونة, فراخ, مغازل, حلوف, بطاطا, لوت, قاروص, مرجان, بربون, غزيلة, شيخ, صبارص, بورى, مرمار, دراك, حريت, بغبغان, حداية, باراكودا, مياس, اخطبوط, دنيس, شعور, كحلة, غلمفيش, حلابيش, سكمتشا, ميره, ناجل, وقار, تونة, أبو شراع, قراض, عضاض, كحاية, شعم ...

والله الخير كتير بس مفيش نصيب


And Finally, The Great Catch

هذه الرحلة كانت فى أرض الشراغيش اللى فى بحرى مش بتاعة ميامى, دى أرض من أراضى الف ليلة و ليلة, وعرها حامى جدا و الوعرة بقطعة على طول, مش أى حد يدخلها عايزة صياد محترف و قلبة ميت, و صدقونى احنا دخلنا الأرض دى و اصتدنا السمك ده من هناك



Beware of Poisonous Fish: احذر هذة الأسماك, لو اتشكيت أو اتعضيت أنا مش مسئول

In my fishing region there are many monsters even though they were small, be aware when you catch one of these:


1- Lesser Weever البلامة:

Is a small fish (about 15 cm long) which has venomous spines along its dorsal fin. It may hide under the sand at low tide. The weaver fish sting can be extremely painful. Death is extremely rare, although respiratory failure and gangrene have been reported following infection.



Treatment:

The affected limb or wound should be immersed in water as hot as can be tolerated comfortably for 15 minutes. If this isn’t possible, cover the wound with hot flannels which should be changed repeatedly. The venom is inactivated by heat and the intense pain should subside within a few minutes of treatment. Simple painkillers such as paracetamol will also help to relieve the pain, antihistamines may also be helpful. http://www.castandcatch.com/safety.htm


2- Dusky Spinefoot البطاطا:

This fish looks much like a small Tuna, it has venomous spines in its dorsal and ventral fins, can be found in small groups in shallow water close to the bottom. Prefers hard bottoms of compacted sand with rock or coral debris. Feeds on a wide range of benthic algae. May suddenly stop and erect its fins (dorsal, anal and pelvic) presenting an encircling array of spined to potential predators; these spines are venomous and inflicts painful stings.


http://www.ppne.co.uk/


What to do if your fishing trip was unsuccessful?

Don't worry it's my area of expertise, there must be something wrong, search for it or treat it on my Way ;-)

Sticking to all the provided tips and tricks don’t guarantee catching a single fish.

So, what will you do if your trip was unsuccessful and after inviting your friends on a seafood meal? what a shame!

It’s the time for finding an excuse, rather than inviting them to eat the excess bate if any.

Here are some excuses to escape from their criticism:

i- Unsuitable Weather:

Yes the weather, why not? I am the best fisherman on the Mediterranean and…

- The tide was very high / low
- The wind was strong / weak
- The temperature was high / low
- The sun was perpendicular / it was a full moon today
- The water was clear or may be bleary
- It was raining
- There was an unpredictable storm that has…, didn’t you heard about it? !


Here are some slang Arabic excuses:

و بعد الأنتهاء من رحلة العذاب هذة, كثيرا ما نجد احد الصيادين عائدا من رحلتة حاملا ثلاجته بكلتا يديه من شدة ثقلها, و هو الوضع الذى يحسده عليه جيرانه إذ يعتقدون انها ممتلئة بخيرات البحر و التى ازدادت اسعارها بشدة مؤخرا. و لكنهم مش عارفين الخيبة, فمن واقع تجاربى كأحد خبراء صيد الأسماك فأن هذة الثلاجة غالبا ما تكون فارغة من الأسماك و ممتلئة ببعض زجاجات الثلج الذائب و بواقى الطعم, و يكون الصياد متقنا تمثيل دورة فى حمل ثلاجة شديدة الثقل حتى يخفى خيبة الأمل و يتلافى الفضيحة أمام الجيران الذين رأوه رؤيا العين متجها إلى رحلتة من الفجر و معتقدين أنه حيخلص على السمك اللى فى الميه

فما العمل؟ أهى الفضيحة إذاً؟

لا داعى للقلق فمعكم المتخصص فى هذا الأمر, يوافيكم ببعض الاعذار و الحجج الواهية لتعليل العودة بخيبة الأمل من رحلات الصيد الفاشلة

أولا: اعذار مرتبطة بسوء الأحوال الجوية, فيمكنك أن تقول

مياه الدخيلة دخلت علينا, أو مياه المكس أو مياه البواغيز - مفيش مشكلة أى ميه دخلت علينا و السلام
السمكة كانت ماسكة وعراية أو كانت ماسكة رملاية - هو حد كان شايف حاجة
لأ لأ النهاردة الريح كان شرش أو كان قبلى أو أى اتجاه تختاره
الليلة دى القمر كان بدر و كان عامل مرو فى الميه و السمكة كانت قلقانة شوية
لسوء الحظ الميه النهاردة كانت جارية و السمكة مش راسية أو الميه كانت زيت و السمكة سارحة

أى هجص, المهم تقول أى حاجة ولكن بثقة

ii- Unsuitable Bait / Bait Size:

- Unfortunately, I was not taking the right lure
- It would be a great day if I was having some worms / shrimp …etc

Also, here are some slang Arabic excuses:

ثانيا: اعذار مرتبطة بالطعم غير الملائم, فيمكنك أن تقول

اه لو كان معايا شوية عقر أو حتة سردينلة
اصل احنا كنا فى رمضان و السمكة كانت صايمة

Really you will find an excuse and if there is no escape you can conclude it as:

"A fish conspiracy against the best fisherman"

هذا ولكن احقاقا للحق و بصفتى أحد هواة صيد الأسماك, فرحلة الصيد تكون دائما ممتعه, و مليئه بالمفاجئات و ذلك بغض النظر عن صيد الأسماك من عدمه فهى فرصه لأعادة تجديد النشاط و تصفية الذهن بعد أسبوع من العمل الشاق. فيكفى الأستمتاع بالهواء النقى الخالى من التلوث و عوادم السيارات و البعد عن صخب المدينه و زحامها. و ايضا فهواية الصيد تنمى بعض السمات الحميده كالصبر انتظارا للرزق و الرضا به بالأضافه إلى التشبث بالأمل, فمع كل رميه للسناره يوجد الأمل فى الحصول على صيد جديد. و لذلك سأظل أول الصيادين جريا وراء صيد الأسماك فى بقاع الأرض المختلفه حتى ولو أضطررت لقطع مئات الكيلومترات.


This is my way, OSCO Way.
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