Recently came the news of Lebanese songstress Dolly Shaheen, whom allegedly converted to Islam whilst dealing with the rather important matter of a divorce. The implication is namely that her Lebanese husband who is a businessman of Maronite belief refuses to grant her a divorce, thus being the motivation behind her conversion.

The rumour was revealed on the MBC channel as fact, apparently Shaheen became a Muslim in the Azhar Mosque of Alexandria in Egypt. So far any signs of a possible backlash seem suppressed; perhaps word of her domestic affairs has not spread broadly enough, or perhaps she is just not a matter of great importance. However, Shaheen though being a former Catholic herself, echoes many stories of struggling women within the Maronite sect who convert to Islam during a divorce battle. And in some cases it is possible to hear about a Maronite husband converting to Islam too just to ease the entire divorce process.

Food scarcity is a major cause of concern for a lot of countries these days. There are so many mouths to feed yet there’s not enough money to help cover food shortage in some countries. This scenario of people going hungry and even dying because of it is really very disturbing. It is time for us to act and help out in some way.

You know you can help out and save lives by participating in the free rice program. Just click on this site. For each word that you get the correct meaning, you donate 20 grains of rice. So, just imagine if you get lots of correct answers, there’s a big chance your donation will reach one sack of rice! Many can already get to eat through your help.

No one can deny as humans we make mistakes, we misjudge, we mislead, all ending with consequences one way or another. My biggest example will come through the program which we have come to love... Star Academy. No one can deny the controversy this program has brought. Many call the program dirty and immoral... girls and guys living under the same roof, the kissing, the hugging... and whatever else has happened through these five years...

In the Arabic culture we have our taboos and our traditions. It would be incorrect for me to say that every Arabic country gasps at the sight of two people of the opposite sex hugging or kissing on the cheek, this is culture specific. Although in many Arabic countries especially those under Islamic rule find this repulsive and too western for their taste. I wont waste time going on about what is right and what is wrong in Islam or any other religion, my point that I wanted to get across today in regards to this program is the idea that we see these people through a micro scope... we watch them everyday grow to love them, we laugh when they laugh and cry with them... and we see the good and the bad.

Growing up in America or even any other part of the world is difficult for any Arab.
Here in America, I'm told I'm a foreigner, back home I'm told that I'm American! Who am I?
I hold on to my values and important cultural traditions, but with time you adapt and you adopt a few things from where you currently live.
Then you ask who am I? Am I an Arab? Am I an Arab-American? Am I American? Who Am I?
I'm sure most of you can relate to this. I'm proud of who I am, whatever I am.
I'm constantly judged when I go overseas and even here in America. This question of who I am never seems to be answered.

It has occurred to me, that the oddest outcome of competitive shows such as Super Star or Star Academy, is what I call the "Winner's Curse".
I think most of us crazed fans have noticed that the winner of these shows isn't necessarily the most successful, or even the most famous! Of course I'm not not talking about all cases.

Lets take Star Academy 1 for example, could you tell me where is Mohammad Attiah?? Yeah he may have had a song or two and I heard he is going in to acting, but his success is no where near that of Ahmed El Sherif!

We have wondered what it would be like to be rich and famous and it appears that the opportunities through which we can accomplish this dream are increasing every day. Here on Waleg we give you the chance to have your singing voice heard all over the world and possibly make it big through the ‘Online Arabian Star’ contest. After all did you know that some of the biggest bands like ‘Journey’ hired their lead singers from Youtube and even Justin Timberlake says he looks for new singing talent online to launch into the music industry.

Meditation, we hear this word all over the place, it's considered part of the spiritual realm, TV shows are dedicated to it and and health reports always have something to say about it!
So, let me start first by explaining what that means for those who do not know.

In the world we're living today, we all suffer from stress in one way or another. Imagine life without any stress? Meditation is a way of releasing stress. It has no religious or cultural backgrounds. Just a pure simple connection between the mind and the body. You find a spot where you feel secure and comfortable. You block all thoughts whether positive or negative and you just BREATHE. In and out for almost twenty minutes. Easy!

What happens when you put Tabasco sauce in your mouth? I guess the answer is obvious!
What happens when you eat a lemon? You squint your eyes because of that sour taste.
Well, there happens to be a fruit that changes all that! If you eat one and move it around in your mouth, Tabasco sauce tastes like doughnut glaze and lemon tastes like candy!
This fruit is a small red berry called The Miracle Fruit and it changes the way your palate tastes stuff!
Because it's highly perishable this berry is no cheap fruit! A single berry goes for $2 or more!
If you happen to be in New York, then ask about something called 'flavor tripping parties' and you'll get a chance to experience this fruit and how it rewires your taste-buds!
Check 'Flavor Tripping' for more on this strange fruit!
Would you try it if you got your hands on it? I sure would!

I know that many viewers in the arab world like to watch Star Academy and Superstar as well.
With the popularity of these two specific shows increasing every year, the debate on which show is more intriguing increases as well. But which show do you prefer to watch? What show is better? Which show has better: participants, voices, primes, hosts, and a better general overview? Which show is more interesting and would never miss it no matter what comes up?!

By guest writer Mary

For the past few days, celebrations are ongoing in Lebanon, people are glad to see an end to the political stalemate which had crippled the economy and drove many of the youngest and brightest minds out of the country to seek better prospects abroad has been broken. The country has a president, stocks are soaring, and Down Town Beirut is finally free of what many called 'Tent City' occupied by anti-government protesters. All in all it promises to be a great summer for Lebanon this year in terms of tourism.

However many fear that this was just a mere band aid rather than a cure. Hopefully our leaders will deafen their ears to outside interferences as only the Lebanese blood was spilled on the streets last week. They should heed the fact that in a war, nothing is predictable, and no side will emerge a winner; As proven by the long civil war that ravaged Lebanon as well as the events that occurred in May.

April 30, 2007. For some just a normal date, for others the day that earth lost an amazing artist and heaven gained a new Angel. From his first appearance on stage in star academy 4 (France) everyone knew that the kid has talent. But behind that talent laid a great mystery; how can he sing?

In fact, Gregory had a pulmonary disease called “Mucovisidose”. It is a hereditary, deadly illness. The thing is few of his fans knew the impact of this illness, what we used to see while watching the show is a candidate who coughed a lot. But behind the scenes Gregory went through a lot of hardships that became part of his daily routine since birth. He had to go to the hospital at least once per day in order to do breathing exercises and on Friday night during the prime a team of doctors were always present backstage to help him breath after every song. Still the kid never complained; he never showed any weakness. Even the contestants didn’t feel like they have a sick rival.

As humans we all seek to be influential and powerful, but have you ever considered what the definition of ‘influential really is? Well Anil Bhoyrul Editor of Arabian Business Magazine explains that ‘if one man dyed his hair green, how many others would follow? The more that did, the more powerful that man is.’ Arabian Business Magazine have taken this criterion into mind and created a list of the top 100 most influential Arabs in the world. Keeping in the mind that generally political and religious leaders were excluded I will run through the most interesting of the names.

Not surprisingly in first place was Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal for his amazing business achievements and contributions to charity. Apparently achievements in sports give you influence too as Iraqi football player Younes Mahmoud is the world’s second most powerful Arab after he scored the goal that won his country the Asian Cup in a match against Saudi. The Most Powerful Woman came in fifth overall; she is a director who isn’t afraid of being controversial and has been responsible for brining a lot of new stars into the limelight, the one and only Nadine Labki.

These are some photos of the customized Boeing 747-400 that belongs to Prince AlWaleed Bin Talal of Saudi Arabia:

Photos of AlWaleed Bin Talal Private Jet

The cost of this plane is over $70 million!

That's not all and 'enough', Saudi billionaire had become the first VIP customer for the A380 superjumbo jet on November 2007 which expected to be delivered to him in 2010!

Well they say we each have our ‘big break’ but how big this break is changes. One boy who knows a lot about big breaks is seven year old Amr Naser: the most famous Egyptian child in Rome! How did he gain this prestigious title? Well he was chosen by Italian actor Raoul Bova to co star with him in a new movie, Amr did just that and the fame that came out of it was definitely unexpected.