Jordanian Mostafa Mahmoud Salameh tried to climb Mount Everest twice and was deterred by health complications, but that didn't stop him from trying the third time.
Mostafa's third time proved to be the lucky charm! Last week, he completed his dream of being the first Jordanian to reach the top of Mount Everest and the second Arab to have scaled all seven of the world's highest mountains.
Mostafa reached the peak on May 25th, which is also Jordan's Independence Day, and held high the Jordanian flag as it fluttered in the Tibetan sky!

This year a lot of attention has been paid to the occurrences in Tibet with the Olympics being held in China, however, to understand the myths and culture of Tibet one must first examine the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is the leader of the Tibbetan Buddhists and is admittedly an outstandingly interesting man. One would imagine that the Dalai Lama -in light of the happenings in Tibet- would possess nothing but anger and hurt, instead he is truly and merely happy. He hates no one, in fact he says: ‘I don't dislike the Chinese, only their actions.’ It appears nothing can make this man flinch, for he is at peace and finds his inspiration in a place within him that only the Dalai Lama can reach.

His inspiration is the simple Lebanese woman; his designs are elaborate but beautiful and colorful. Yes indeed I am speaking about Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab. Born in July of 1964, his beginning came in the form of a ‘Haute couture’ fashion show in his home country of Lebanon, after which the media kept its eye on him as they saw so much creativity and potential waiting to emerge.

This man has managed not only to challenge designers all over the world in an industry that is considered the ‘forte of the west’ but he also managed to create and maintain a happy family life. By nature Elie would disagree with my previous statement as he doesn’t feel that he challenges all the designers all over the world, instead he challenges just one, Himself.

Photos of the house of Elie Saab

Halima Bouland is not your conventional TV host; she tries her best to be fun, bold and a bit controversial!
She ventured into a new domain this past Ramadan, with a riddle program (fawazir ramadan) ... something similar to the most famous ones, which starred Sharihan.
The program got a big buzz and Halima is proud that it did.
Halima is definitely not a regular character ... well, not anymore anyway!
She has been called Cinderella by Abdallah Rouweshid and a cute kitten by Nawal.

New Photos of Halima Bouland

Halima has won a bundle of awards this year ... Alam Al Yawm newspaper conducted a poll and Halima won best variety tv program. She also has the title of The Ambassador of Kuwaiti Media and she's The Queen of Class and Fashion according to Layali Al Uqhuan festival (a festival held in Kuwait a while ago).
Congrats Halima!
Do you like Halima Bouland? Don't you think she's just over-rated?

The world is full of heroes that have shown bravery and patriotism to their country. Yesterday, Cuba celebrated the 40th commemoration of the death of one of the guerrilla leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Guevara, an Argentine-born doctor helped lead the Cuban revolution in 1959, that brought into power Fidel Castro. To honor Guevara’s death Cuba held a memorial rally at the mausoleum where his remains lie. The people who attended wore shirts and hats that have his portrait. Some 10,000 workers and students came to Santa Clara where a bronze sculpture of Guevara carrying a rifle is in place.

Who could forget Mother Teresa? No one it seems because even after 10 years since her death many people, especially those in her own homeland, came to her tomb in eastern India to commemorate her death. There’s no doubt she is one of a kind that while she was still living she dedicated her life to serving the deprived and most unfortunate people in her city. She came to Calcutta in 1929 after she heard God calling her to serve the poor. And it was there that she served, checking and doing something for the welfare of street children, putting up schools and medical clinics that would cater to the poorest of the poor. At the time of her death there were 600 orphanages, soup kitchens and homeless shelters around the globe.

You might have not heard of Leila Kanaan, but we have all seen her work!
Leila is a 25-year-old Lebanese girl from Saida. She's got fresh ideas and works in the direction of originality and uniqueness.
Leila directed a couple of films, tv commercials and video clips ... You know those cute Clean & Clear commercials? Yup! That's her work!
As for video clips, you've seen Leila's other work in Issa Ghandour's Minsafer, Joe Ashkar's Waynik, Yara's Twassa Fey, Diana Haddad & Cheb Khaled's Mass ou Louly and Haifa Wehbe's Ma Toulch L7ad.

Far from the shopping world of PS3's, Cell Phones and jewelry lives a poor and decadent part of the world. Christmas is a time for shopping but also, caring for the less fortunate. One man did this: Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh.
This is what he did…
The man established Grameen Bank, which is a bank that gives loans to the poor with special rates. The bank has financed more than 637,000 mortgages for the poor, and provides a full range of financial services, including a popular pension savings scheme and attractive rates for depositors.

Many people go through religious experiences that change their lives. The pop star formally known as Cat Stevens said that a small wave pushed him towards Islam... literally!

The story goes like this...
The then “Cat Stevens” said he got caught in a current off Malibu beach in California in 1975. And being the smart guy he is, he called for help...from God!

"Suddenly I was petrified. I thought this might be it," he said. "I said, 'God, if you save me, I'll work for you.' "

The Arabic Media Watch institute awarded famous media man Hamdi Qandil with the prestigious Media Accomplishment Award in London. The famous presenter is known best for his TV show “Kalam Rasas” or “Pencil” on Dubai’s satellite channel. The award was given on the basis of his creativity and participation in the media world during his outstanding career which spans over half a century.
Qandil received his award on his 70th birthday which also happens to date 50 years in the media business switching from printed journalism to broadcasted TV.

Starting from his show “Press Releases” in Egypt to “Pencil” in Dubai, Qandil chaired a number of high-ranking positions in International and Arabic institutes of media and journalism, such as the UNSCO where he was the director of media and the Arabic Union of Broadcasters in Egypt.

The 70-year-old classical music icon Luciano Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer few days after he underwent his regular check-up in an undisclosed hospital in New York City. The results of his medical tests prompted his doctor to carry out an “emergency surgery” but he is recuperating now, according to his manager in statement released last Friday.

The current & 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, celebrates his 71st birthday today.
The fifth of sixteen children of a farming family, Tenzin was born on July 6th 1935.
Not only is he the most influential spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama traditionally claims to be Tibet's Head of State and most important political ruler.
A charismatic figure and noted public speaker, Tenzin Gyatso is the first Dalai Lama to travel to the West, where he has helped to spread Buddhism, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Some of his famous quotes are: ...

Tonight on MBC 4 queen Rania of Jordan appears on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Queen Rania, which is the youngest queen in the world, is her usual self on the show, a spontaneous, active, fresh & casually chic with a very warm smile. She represents a sophisticated Jordanian woman, who walks steadily towards a bright future, thanks to her intelligence & self confidence.
During the show, Queen Rania talks about being a queen & a mother, she also tackles many important issues like women's rights, the Palestinian-Israeli crises, the Jordanian society & many other topics.

Dr Phil McGraw, renowned life strategist and best-selling author, has stunned his fans since his show started in September 2002.
He was selected one of the ten most fascinating people on earth because he focuses on people's behavior and helps improve lives.
Robin McGraw, Dr. Phil's wife, is always present among the audience during his shows. They have 2 sons, Jay who is 26 years old and Jordan who is 19.