tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47134459411348970442024-03-04T21:25:26.207-08:00Lebanese WriterClaiming my tiny piece of the blogosphere but mainly using this space to talk to myself. Live in London. ♥ Lebanon, writing, conservation, technology and discussing women's issues. Madly in love with a city called Dubai.Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-5318520228996412042016-03-31T04:04:00.000-07:002016-04-07T13:15:09.784-07:00Trump's 5 behaviours for success<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We can say, think, tweet, post, vlog all we want, but Donald
Trump’s got a lot to teach us about success. So if your idea of success is being
an obnoxious, chauvinistic, vulgar racist, yet one who is in sight of the US presidency, here’s what you can learn: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<li>Don’t mind your language: Cuss all you want all the time.</li>
<li>Lie and keep lying: Say anything to make a point. Make up
numbers and historic events, no matter how blatant. When people call you out,
proving beyond doubt that you’re dishonest, just keep lying because there are
plenty of poor bastards who don’t know any better.</li>
<li>Bully bully and bully some more. Look for individuals to
hate on. Threaten and insult them, especially if they are women. Women are
defenseless creatures and it’s so easy and enjoyable to pick on their looks even
when you yourself are a sorry eyesore.</li>
<li>Know in your heart that the plebs will follow you. They have no brain of their own so they need a strong leader. Keep doing the above, and add occasional violence. Those
suckers will stick with you.</li>
<li>Paint yourself and your hair orange. You’re too blinded by
your haughtiness to see it anyway. </li>
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-77553137053652035012015-07-21T08:18:00.001-07:002015-07-21T08:18:16.208-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-44400358348812991762015-06-18T03:15:00.003-07:002015-07-01T04:25:57.244-07:00My review of Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean in" in published in Al Hayat newspaper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm lucky to write occasionally for Al Hayat newspaper. The arabic version of my "Lean In" review was published there. </div>
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Here's a <a href="http://alhayat.com/Articles/8786847" target="_blank">link to the full article</a> </div>
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-17733344798624594952015-04-22T06:39:00.001-07:002015-04-23T02:45:25.727-07:00Two years later, Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In is still leading the conversation about women in the workplace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Two years after it was published, the book “Lean In: Women,
Work, and the Will to Lead” by Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl
Sandberg continues to shape the conversation about women’s role in the
workplace. Described by some as “the new face of feminism”, the book has spun
the launch of a <a href="http://leanin.org/" target="_blank">non-profit organization and online community of the same name</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Lebanese in me couldn't help but notice that - very
emblematically of the struggles of women in the Arab world - “Lean In” hasn't
been translated into Arabic. Perhaps publishers in the region feel that women’s
equality has already been achieved, or maybe they think their readership just
doesn’t care. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Published by WH Allen in 2013, and <span lang="EN">shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman
Sachs Business Book of the Year Award that same year, “Lean in” </span>is based
on a talk that Sandberg gave at a TED conference in 2011. In it she uses
statistical data about female participation in the corporate landscape, but
also looks back on her own experiences, sharing insightful opinions about what stops
women from progressing at work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A look at Sandberg’s career: she studied at Harvard then
worked in organisations such as McKinsey & Company and the US treasury
before leading the Online and Commercial Sales team at Google and finally being
called by Mark Zuckerberg to take the operational reins at Facebook, makes it
clear that this is not your average person, male or female. Yet, “Lean In”
manages to deliver advice that can work for the everyday woman in the
workplace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps the most characteristic part of Sandberg’s approach
is that she puts the onus on women themselves to take charge: instead of
expecting society to fix the problem, Sandberg invites women to “lean in” or
sit at the proverbial table of their own careers. One can assume that it is
this very attitude in her own life that has propelled her to be listed by Fortune
as the World’s 10<sup>th</sup> most powerful woman in 2014. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of Sandberg’s key arguments is that women often “check
out before they check out” meaning that even when they are single with no
children, they don’t pursue career growth as much as they should. In planning a
future that involves having a family, they almost unconsciously take the
decision not to pursue opportunities to the fullest, as they think that a demanding
job wouldn’t fit with motherhood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my favourite anecdotes in the book was how, during a
meeting that Sandberg hosted for a member of the US administration, she invited
all attendees, executives and their aides, to sit down at the meeting table.
The secretary’s team, who, although senior, were all female, declined her offer
and retreated to a set of chairs in the back of the room, whereas the male aides
happily took to the table. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She also points out behaviours that many women will
recognize in themselves: for example not speaking up, thinking that being perceived
as smart will make them less likeable, or feeling like an impostor when they’re
successful. Men on the other hand, have a strong sense of entitlement to
success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Her arguments against pillars of the “inclusive” modern
corporate culture such as mentorship are eye openers: she labels the search for
a mentor as the modern equivalent of the “search for Prince Charming”, and
instead, suggests that women should ask for advice on specific topics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sandberg also prescribes some ingredients for success: work
extra hard (hide in a room to attend conference calls while pumping breastmilk,
get home on time to see the kids then run back to your computer and work into
the wee hours of the night), and get proper childcare. This latter point is one
that many of her critics latched onto, because, with an estimated fortune of 500
million dollars, she can afford the type of childcare that most other working mothers
cannot aspire to in the Western world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What about men? Sandberg’s got them well in her line of
sight. The book dedicates a section to finding the right partner: someone who’s
ready to partake in household duties to give his spouse the opportunity to
succeed at work. Today, in its spin off activities, Lean In org dedicates
specific efforts to males. A visible aspect of their recent work was the “Lean
In Together” campaign, which enlisted the NBA’s voice to promote to men the
need to play their part in driving gender equity in the home and the workplace.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The book also prompted male leaders to recognise flaws in
their own behaviour. For example, Sandberg recounted how John Chambers, the CEO
of Cisco, told her that after reading her book, he realised that he and his
senior leadership team were guilty of accusing their sole female board member
of being “aggressive” when all she did was behave in the exact same way as her
male counterparts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beyond my own career aspirations, a crucial point that that
resonated with me is the one she makes about how we bring up our girls.
Sandberg famously enlisted global celebrities such as Beyoncé to headline the
“Ban Bossy” campaign calling on people to stop using the word “bossy” when
referring to a little girl’s strength of character. Instead, she argues, we
ought to encourage authoritative behaviour in girls just like we do in boys,
and rather than call them bossy, tell them that they have good leadership
skills. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">Recently, a friend jokingly told me that my two </span>two year old daughter is bossy, to which I replied, beaming:
“Yes, she will be a great leader”.</span><br />
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-21996573139371391972014-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:002014-09-08T09:00:58.832-07:00Your kids come in tongues II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I <a href="http://lebanesewriter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/rant-your-kids-come-in-tongues.html" target="_blank">ranted</a> a few years ago about the Lebanese phenomenon (I suspect it has also appeared
in other Arab countries) of only speaking English or French to their kids. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that I have my own child, this is even
more obvious to me. During my summer stay in Lebanon, I was often THE ONLY
PERSON SPEAKING ARABIC TO THEIR KID at playgrounds and other venues. I must say
I absolutely loved the condescendence that my daughter and I got for it. People
felt the need to speak to us slowwwwly and translate all kinds of stuff to
Arabic, because, clearly, I must be totally illiterate and my poor little girl
is destined to an underprivileged life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ahlam/id880020731?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4%2522%2520target%253D%2522itunes_store%2522" target="_blank">Copyright Kankana</a> LLC</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the reasons I think this is
terrible:</span></span></div>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By teaching your kids not to speak Arabic, you are essentially telling them that their culture is inferior to that of the French/British/Americans etc whose language you seem to treasure.</span></li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By extension, you are also telling them to be racist against themselves and their own people.</span></li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are bringing up your kids in cultural poverty because language is a crucial expression of culture and identity. The Institute for Advanced Study in Cultures defines language as “<a href="http://www.iasc-culture.org/research_language_and_meaning.php" style="color: #7d181e; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The fundamental institution and constitutive medium of any social order. Through language, the world and our experience in it is named, classified, and evaluated and is thus made comprehensible and meaningful</a> ”.</span></li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may be giving them a false sense of belonging to another culture and guess what, one day they will realize that in fact, they don’t belong there.</span></li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I often get the impression that foreign languages are associated with social status in Lebanon. First, that’s not really the case because an enormous number of people speak these languages. Second, if you’re craving social status, get a nice car or a monogrammed purse, walk around cigar in hand and don’t forget to display your iPhones and iPads everywhere. Just DON’T make your kids miss out on their mother tongue.</span></li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are reducing their future chances in the job market: the Arab world stands today at over 300 million very young consumers, this means the population will increase exponentially by the time your kids hit the job market. Guess what, by not speaking/reading/writing the language like natives, they will be much less competitive.</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ahlam/id880020731?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4%2522%2520target%253D%2522itunes_store%2522" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0yczzoRyumLCiUgKeQ_con9YmxYJ-_n9l_TRQz03N1T7VUYDHylk6jSjvMwOiYLjXfojwumTxgMkbe-4zBgWufWQ2h9AvKdzFQnGDg3XxsqIeA8pXb2ogLg7xMi6O3_AOz2umMqMu2jC/s1600/Ahlam-wewe.jpg" height="152" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright: Kankana LLC</span></td></tr>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some parents think that the kid will get to learn Arabic anyway by living in the Arab world, but when the nanny, grandparents, teachers, other kids and even the man in the grocery store find themselves compelled to display their own linguistic prowess by using foreign languages with the kids, their actual need to understand and speak Arabic will be minimal.</span></li>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many Lebanese living in Europe or the US insist on their kids attending Arabic school on weekends. These parents understand that multiculturalism enriches a person’s life, not to mention that, with so much immigration taking place globally, a big chunk of the wold population of the future will be bi-cultural. I was born in the US and currently live in Europe and I think it’s crucial to integrate and embrace the culture of the country you live in ( language being a crucial component of that), but that doesn’t mean giving up your own heritage. If anything being aware of this heritage enables you to add richness to your life and to those of the people you interact with.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: #fefdfa; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last but not least, kids who don’t read or speak Arabic (or are weak at it) are missing out on a beautiful language and an amazing literary heritage.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you do want to familiarize your kids
with the Lebanese/Arabic language, here’s a nice app book I came across
recently. It’s called Ahlam and you can <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ahlam/id880020731?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4%2522%2520target%253D%2522itunes_store%2522" target="_blank">download it here</a>. The screen shots in this blog post are taken from this app. It
has an engaging story (about a child trying to find ways to sleep better), and
there’s a Lebanese feel to it that I enjoyed a lot. Although its graphics could be a bit higher quality, my 2 year old likes it and uses it quite
a bit. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-26214370475859422952014-06-27T05:07:00.000-07:002014-06-27T05:09:01.244-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US">In the spirit of visualizing something to help make it happen, this post </span>is me visualizing how the tragic, dreadful, erroneous situation in the
Middle East would be resolved.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Highest Shiite
and Sunnite religion authorities speak up. They each launch a proper, concerted
and sustained effort to remind people that Islam is not about bloodshed and has
nothing to do with the murderous ideologies that are using its name left righ
and center.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">These same authorities
preach in mosques, use social and broadcast media, Islamic schools and all
other places and mediums to make sure their voices are heard above the racket
made by the terrorists.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Muftis, Imams, Ayatollahs
and all other types of genuine clerics visit and help victims from each other’s
communities.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">They hold a Sunnite-Shiite
summit at the highest level, and issue joint statements taking people back to
basics. They remind people that murder, oppression, rape and pillage which is
all that these gangs do are actually the biggest sins in Islam.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">They pressure
governments to reduce or shut down funding for terrorists. They use the funds
to promote peaceful thinking and conciliation.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">They
excommunicate all those preaching violence and warfare and clearly state that
what they are doing is neither Islamic nor jihadist.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">They ask the
civil society to help by raising their kids in tolerance and acceptance and the
practice of real, peaceful Islam.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Civil society
responds by launching its own activities. Sunnis and Shiites meet and talk. Mixed
families speak up. People make every effort to ensure their kids are not
recruited and brainwashed.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Civil society
speaks up takes back the image of Islam which has been hijacked by the savages
and the mercenaries. </span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Funding is
channeled to support war victims across the region, especially in Iraq and
Syria.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">Governments put
all measures in place to stop funding and recruitment for the gangs.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">A wide scale NGO
efforts are launched to understand how and why the hatred spread and put
measures in place to ensure that through education etc this would not happen
again.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-76480276223612240912014-06-10T06:19:00.001-07:002014-06-10T06:19:12.319-07:00Feeling unloved by World Cup advertisers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfTEfb0UmUI2Plm1vI9KXuK-AH0Nc51DC91xDMQfqwrPz95iT0-pfqLyw-o6DtVtakR51brkMxegXZfx2r23DARqsOShzz4JENROmeBcyY9gbX6LoUjnCkRQh7Q9e3NA47gJZQQ8ebi-8/s1600/WC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfTEfb0UmUI2Plm1vI9KXuK-AH0Nc51DC91xDMQfqwrPz95iT0-pfqLyw-o6DtVtakR51brkMxegXZfx2r23DARqsOShzz4JENROmeBcyY9gbX6LoUjnCkRQh7Q9e3NA47gJZQQ8ebi-8/s1600/WC.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright may apply</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I’ve barely come across any World Cup related marketing this year. I’m thinking it’s one of the following reasons:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>All marketing budgets have gone into targeted digital media and since I have no interest in sports whatsoever, I’m not the right profile. </li>
<ol>
<li>If so, the marketer in me is very impressed! It means that you really CAN target the exact people you want and avoid wasting money on others. </li>
<li>But as a consumer, I feel unvalued and resentful </li>
</ol>
<li>Very few companies are interested in sponsoring/activating marketing around the world cup this year, at least in the UK. </li>
<li>People have stopped caring about the world cup and advertisers know that. </li>
<li>Marketing budgets are extremely small.</li>
<li>I need to get out more or even watch TV </li>
</ol>
If you’re seeing a lot of word cup related advertising or marketing, please reply here with your age, gender, attitude towards brands, internet usage details etc ;).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-65763327219340056952014-05-09T05:24:00.002-07:002014-05-09T05:25:26.850-07:00And then there was Shabu Shabu....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
... and my life will never be the same again<br />
<br />
I loooove this place! It's called Shabu Shabu, on the top floor of Whole Foods on Kensington High Street.<br />
<br />
Shabu Shabu is a form of Japanese cuisine. Thinly sliced meat, shrimp or pork, are cooked on a live station in boiling broth along with udon noodles, tofu and vegetables.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwwVkzgzaHm_fKnf7jXkyDucQ5mpKeQSyzN217FoWK11c8HBoEM2crEBw2xgOH9Xyomiex4OxKpoj7fp1OvnzjFvFbPfenTnVif_E_ubrzvhbZ6utKWRjzNniof6gjRRHGzafXHRlDHer/s1600/WP_20140131_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwwVkzgzaHm_fKnf7jXkyDucQ5mpKeQSyzN217FoWK11c8HBoEM2crEBw2xgOH9Xyomiex4OxKpoj7fp1OvnzjFvFbPfenTnVif_E_ubrzvhbZ6utKWRjzNniof6gjRRHGzafXHRlDHer/s1600/WP_20140131_002.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The waiter places a bowl of broth on a hot plate in front of you and brings the vegetables, noodles and meat in separate plates. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbipOzxETphukBr6cRwLAWEk8ah84Anc0Lm0n6rgb849xpqa25Qxxge-xpeNP0PX2OYjFUROgAkmZKg9sf0bOYDYa-Ia65gYIrHzdakwuD8kuUnE85NBZPVqoVyWqy3HyVO3DdZVJIzdx/s1600/WP_20140131_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbipOzxETphukBr6cRwLAWEk8ah84Anc0Lm0n6rgb849xpqa25Qxxge-xpeNP0PX2OYjFUROgAkmZKg9sf0bOYDYa-Ia65gYIrHzdakwuD8kuUnE85NBZPVqoVyWqy3HyVO3DdZVJIzdx/s1600/WP_20140131_001.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Once the broth is boiling, you throw in the ingredients and when they’re cooked to your preference, you take them out, dip them in sauce (the ones available are tomato, dashi and soya) and eat immediately. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DuBvWxEmmkVfEv8Es_MEff-kVTPlxKftfODU6TxKM8f9IdBoyZgVdAdTKb3lbGwsfewTHAOArqpjbrjuywa6sjpipsd3TZbpQtN4a3Fmzbox9UwJMq5JLLf_LmC4aJ4NN5vck74aTe_U/s1600/WP_20140131_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DuBvWxEmmkVfEv8Es_MEff-kVTPlxKftfODU6TxKM8f9IdBoyZgVdAdTKb3lbGwsfewTHAOArqpjbrjuywa6sjpipsd3TZbpQtN4a3Fmzbox9UwJMq5JLLf_LmC4aJ4NN5vck74aTe_U/s1600/WP_20140131_003.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If you don’t want to be hungry again an
hour later, I suggest you order steamed rice as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-52273217953246913742014-04-25T05:50:00.000-07:002014-04-30T02:19:54.796-07:00Paul Kenton's amazing cityscapes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx7_snYXFJDY7XkH-yPgAsWb9B8pNzvbGn6QsYoiDI21gk7_Qvtn0M9CZDIppgtww1jaLWc1ya_dPze4iZzpmapIBfnwP78Q8IHJzqtd8Dn9KMHbkDewGGGOii5EltTX1v7ywR6NpVO-g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-25+at+13.34.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxx7_snYXFJDY7XkH-yPgAsWb9B8pNzvbGn6QsYoiDI21gk7_Qvtn0M9CZDIppgtww1jaLWc1ya_dPze4iZzpmapIBfnwP78Q8IHJzqtd8Dn9KMHbkDewGGGOii5EltTX1v7ywR6NpVO-g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-25+at+13.34.40.png" height="241" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Touch The Sky" by Paul Kenton</td></tr>
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I’ve been a fan of <a href="http://www.paulkenton.com/" target="_blank">Paul Kenton</a>’s work ever since I came across it a few weeks ago at the Royal Exchange building in London. Kenton is a contemporary artist specialising in cityscapes. He also paints abstracts and seascapes.<br />
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I’m now the proud owner of a “Touch The Sky” print. I can’t get enough of its blazing colors and vivid take on London. <br />
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You can view Kenton's portfolio <a href="http://www.paulkenton.com/portfolio/#filter-subject-portfoliolondon" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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<b><i>P.S. Dear Paul, please paint Dubai, it has the most breathtaking skyline on the planet. </i></b><br />
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-87596451997274795712013-10-28T13:26:00.000-07:002013-10-28T14:13:51.618-07:00The Mother Of All Shoes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #898989; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">I love me some original heels and this one takes the cake. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #898989; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">This shoe is the result of a collaboration between famous architect </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #898989; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">Zaha Hadid and United Nude, one of my favorite shoe brands. They wanted to create a shoe design with no pre-conceptions and that's exactly what they've achieved with this beauty. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAbxwjp33Zsyiy2vkS4MlmTIXI3sAFZxZe09qViGzIMOdjnmdonQbaoczdYUo2P6bg0EwEtTDyv1f4j23GTA4mdaKfU62KYGcgYezlT5Qy6UKX5yBc1-AaYgtt8CWNS-MSlkzNOYvg6A2/s1600/nova-shoe-black-chroming-vinyl-carbon-fiber-0000-53d7-medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHAbxwjp33Zsyiy2vkS4MlmTIXI3sAFZxZe09qViGzIMOdjnmdonQbaoczdYUo2P6bg0EwEtTDyv1f4j23GTA4mdaKfU62KYGcgYezlT5Qy6UKX5yBc1-AaYgtt8CWNS-MSlkzNOYvg6A2/s200/nova-shoe-black-chroming-vinyl-carbon-fiber-0000-53d7-medium.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nova Shoe Black Chroming</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CD-CXeNsPxCXU4LzsFmoFXBbZe1FL9MarOyBZ4mrqRGFF2BwPJxsfmgterVJ-BNPdXeoMxeP_sENTYP0OEGd_yFQz0EsGJFdhhAc8p5h4x-UwXFXmJY-UrRIMvfQf0wJ0RUAHiMciOX6/s1600/nova-shoe-silver-chroming-vinyl-carbon-fiber-0000-e11e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CD-CXeNsPxCXU4LzsFmoFXBbZe1FL9MarOyBZ4mrqRGFF2BwPJxsfmgterVJ-BNPdXeoMxeP_sENTYP0OEGd_yFQz0EsGJFdhhAc8p5h4x-UwXFXmJY-UrRIMvfQf0wJ0RUAHiMciOX6/s320/nova-shoe-silver-chroming-vinyl-carbon-fiber-0000-e11e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nova Shoe Silver Chroming</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkJwY8jEc_P4YK3lFi7ETySSaS5Mo2Kr-23hyphenhyphenT7A_htH28-Apq3WOAjWQ3Y95ftDic8ZIn18th9wudJFvDjoACbRerNhrKzzn68ou0njcWRtQCtnBlQD32tJvKLNzxgHEOgrqNFS4nRzG/s1600/nova-shoe-rose-gold-vinyl-carbon-fiber-0000-0466-medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkJwY8jEc_P4YK3lFi7ETySSaS5Mo2Kr-23hyphenhyphenT7A_htH28-Apq3WOAjWQ3Y95ftDic8ZIn18th9wudJFvDjoACbRerNhrKzzn68ou0njcWRtQCtnBlQD32tJvKLNzxgHEOgrqNFS4nRzG/s200/nova-shoe-rose-gold-vinyl-carbon-fiber-0000-0466-medium.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nova Shoe Rose Gold</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #898989; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">According to its creators, "The NOVA shoe combines innovative materialization and ergonomic considerations with the dynamism of Hadid’s unmistakable architectural language to convey an inherent sense of movement; revealing the experimentation and invention of Hadid’s process through every stage of design and construction". </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #898989; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">If you want to learn more, <a href="http://www.unitednude.com/collaborations/zaha-hadid" target="_blank">check out this video</a>. </span><br />
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-83386516177976666452013-07-04T04:06:00.001-07:002013-07-06T14:08:09.179-07:00New Mom/Parent? Helpful books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I enjoy posting book reviews but I didn't get the chance to read much fiction in the past year. Yet I went through a few books of the parenting variety and since I felt lost in the early days after my baby’s birth, I thought I would post this in case it helps new parents.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtsUjX_3gjg19-T8XFDVHBRxkWFUcJm3faNFxskuFENs_crCspiVAdEXHD8vDu31mgEPAYjl4mzw2uirI6FAC39JCriwM3fKdmWKiFSePokrgGwFO0rgiLu-J_RuEbF2F5FA4SRBTv_h3/s650/baby+cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtsUjX_3gjg19-T8XFDVHBRxkWFUcJm3faNFxskuFENs_crCspiVAdEXHD8vDu31mgEPAYjl4mzw2uirI6FAC39JCriwM3fKdmWKiFSePokrgGwFO0rgiLu-J_RuEbF2F5FA4SRBTv_h3/s320/baby+cartoon.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright may apply</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As a typical new mom, I was eager to do my absolute best and was looking for specific instructions to follow and goals to work towards. But it seemed none of the professionals I spoke to, Midwives, health visitors, paediatricians or even friends and family would give me the information I needed. Most said “follow your baby’s lead”. Well, I had no idea what following the lead of a newborn meant and said newborn's communication skills were kind of limited.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So here are the resources that made it easier: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <b>Your Baby Week by Week The ultimate guide to caring for your new baby by Dr Caroline Fertleman and Simone Cave</b> was by far the most useful book in the first couple of months. One of the authors is a paediatrician, so it provides clear information about how much baby should be eating, sleeping, crying, etc. It is divided in weekly sections until 25 weeks of age. I read 2-3 weeks ahead of where my baby was which helped prepare me for things that would have otherwise been worrying. It was also helpful with weaning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <b>What to expect the First year by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel</b>. There’s a reason the What To Expect series is so popular and I suspect it’s because they provide lots of information in manageable amounts and give sensible, well researched advice. Unlike other books, they don’t talk down to the reader or try to impose a school of child rearing thought on them. I use it mostly to track baby’s development.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <b>The new contented little baby book by Gina Ford</b>. Gina Ford is an expert maternity nurse and the champion of baby scheduling. To me, though, her emphasis on scheduling is a bit much as I’m nowhere near disciplined enough to follow such tight timetables, so I borrowed a few useful tips without actually applying her method. I found this book most helpful when the baby was ready to sleep full nights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- Jo Frost's Confident Baby Care: Everything You Need To Know For The First Year From UK's Most Trusted Nanny. You may remember Frost from her hit TV series “Super Nanny” and although she is mostly known for her wizardry in keeping toddlers under control, she also has a lot of experience with newborns and babies and the book is full of practical advice without being overbearing. Here, though, I would have liked her to focus more on problem areas such as fussy eating etc. She touches on a few but doesn’t go into enough depth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When it was time for weaning I read the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <b>The contented little baby book of weaning by Gina Ford</b>. It explains in simple terms the basics of weaning with a helpful guide on when and how to introduce various foods. It also includes simple recipes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <b>Annabel Karmel's New Complete Baby & Toddler Meal Planner</b>. This one can be a bit of an overkill for those of us who aren't accomplished domestic goddesses but it does contain some recipes for punters. Also, the meal planners provide a better idea of the type of foods to serve baby throughout the process. For example when to stop giving full feeds of fruit and start introducing fruit as desert.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Online my top would be:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <b>Babycenter.com</b>. This comes up at the top of google searches. They have great videos and a pool of experts to answer questions. I love their newsletter, which is tailored to your child’s age and provides insight about their development.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <b>Mumsnet.com</b> Is an amazing resource, especially if you live in the UK. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <b>Whattoexpect.com</b>. Just like the book version, this is the place to get quick and easy tips. They also have mailers based on your child’s age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">… and remember, use Google with caution, especially when it’s about potential health issues…</span></div>
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-3426087375683865802013-05-03T08:04:00.004-07:002013-05-03T08:04:41.313-07:00E-books vs paper: there's enough for everyone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22366415" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">This week's stats about the book industry</span></a> show
that somehow book publishers have avoided the downfall that music publishers experienced
when their customers went digital. Maybe it's because the digital era meant
that people not only pirated music but also only bought specific tracks instead
of whole albums, whereas with books you generally have to buy the full thing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Although there was huge growth in e-reading ( up 149%), physical book sales only went down by 1%, and certain genres within that, such as children's books, actually grew. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapu6ScErG5NPjilnduthq8w_fM86I5ejHsA0hxYAwr51PFq4KTJjgb1_FMEAqpGYp0LNujqdi9t6vy3upin6xrZrnmXZG3e8OWmDllzHzlvnNT7Od3RH1VhctbWTD5IgXjw6yOS0ld8T0/s1600/ebook-10029251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapu6ScErG5NPjilnduthq8w_fM86I5ejHsA0hxYAwr51PFq4KTJjgb1_FMEAqpGYp0LNujqdi9t6vy3upin6xrZrnmXZG3e8OWmDllzHzlvnNT7Od3RH1VhctbWTD5IgXjw6yOS0ld8T0/s400/ebook-10029251.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright may apply</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I can see why publishers felt
threatened by e-reading, but I didn't understand why this was ever an issue for
readers. I have a slight preference towards e-books mainly because they're more
environmentally friendly, but essentially I'm in it for the content regardless
of the medium. Sometimes I buy paper books because I don't want to see
bookstores completely disappear from the streets.</span></div>
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-81972600798976759882013-04-03T04:07:00.001-07:002013-04-21T13:09:42.182-07:00Why Civil marriage in lebanon would be pointless<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTbIx-b3Amw5VuXagTCYoMcCKfKk87OiXGpuy1jQF0BDGJRqBfgjySIZdfOkYppdVMdm0nZgMqlza2tVZgQXe0dvc7r3PQrKFFErAMlBtUcJ5_vc3QwpOSL9CgwKCY2-ZNvqt9dKcN9Ml/s1600/broken+wedding+band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTbIx-b3Amw5VuXagTCYoMcCKfKk87OiXGpuy1jQF0BDGJRqBfgjySIZdfOkYppdVMdm0nZgMqlza2tVZgQXe0dvc7r3PQrKFFErAMlBtUcJ5_vc3QwpOSL9CgwKCY2-ZNvqt9dKcN9Ml/s320/broken+wedding+band.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Richard Adelta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I understand why civil marriage is an issue in Lebanon, but frankly it’s pointless to isolate it as an individual goal. <br />
<br />
Even if people became able tomorrow to tie the civil knot, in the absence of complete civil legislature and governance, the marriage itself would still be governed by sectarian laws, where the husband’s sect would dictate which edicts would rule the couple’s lives as well as those of their children. <br />
<br />
And seeing how today Lebanese society is more separated than ever along sectarian lines, I don't think we can dream of civil (or even civilized) anything anytime soon. Just saying...</div>
Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-76332939065656087432013-03-18T13:40:00.001-07:002013-03-18T13:40:16.774-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos_rmGTREM78bMTtdLyluE6I5lmvB8mbkMdgtwKSGtXf6VhFccJ5QQPrqOMnalXhu-R7nP5ysugB4lwwU3rw9i3j-D6qJjFgqrA1UXjKxeu5PfnGEUdWc2R_nLuhS5_YHVA8Dl3kxs-Vp/s1600/Keep+calm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos_rmGTREM78bMTtdLyluE6I5lmvB8mbkMdgtwKSGtXf6VhFccJ5QQPrqOMnalXhu-R7nP5ysugB4lwwU3rw9i3j-D6qJjFgqrA1UXjKxeu5PfnGEUdWc2R_nLuhS5_YHVA8Dl3kxs-Vp/s320/Keep+calm.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-83151145895728005492013-03-15T08:29:00.001-07:002013-03-20T11:21:58.451-07:00It's more than just civil marriage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There’s no one more hypocritical
than people in Lebanon who claim that they believe in sectarian co-existence,
then lose it every time talk of civil marriage comes up. But it's not only
about inter-marriage. To me, the reason why it’s such a hot topic is because
the existence of civil marriage would necessitate the establishment of civil
law and the creation of a real justice system where the law would need to be
applied to all aspects of life, from marriage to inheritance, divorce, women’s
rights etc. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GX71azNJdRW6Za2TRtY5yHFRlGC_WvUO60uXNWgU74MsoiVpdD4rfZlHnbxbPuAxUG_RwlGTrrOj9Z6iguDfqoUjdWXVw8eFzQR-lSC_eDSPCylpFmNMNXu3xUF3sPOLDNf2soquMT8G/s1600/broken+justice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GX71azNJdRW6Za2TRtY5yHFRlGC_WvUO60uXNWgU74MsoiVpdD4rfZlHnbxbPuAxUG_RwlGTrrOj9Z6iguDfqoUjdWXVw8eFzQR-lSC_eDSPCylpFmNMNXu3xUF3sPOLDNf2soquMT8G/s320/broken+justice.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copyright may apply</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today, between the various sectarian
laws, the wasayet system and the fact that members of the judiciary are puppets
in the hands of politicians, there is no such thing as a justice system in
Lebanon and we’ve seen time and over again that the rule of law is inexistent.
Criminals get away with murder, fraudsters with fraud and civil servants with
corruption in broad daylight. And with all due respects, the clergy in every
single sectarian group sits at the top of that scheme.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-57393483345492560822013-03-12T14:01:00.001-07:002013-03-20T11:26:40.839-07:00Lebanon Remains An Unattainable Dream<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOr3v0wwclKzSDUbwmbbZq6gBbjXQ-4dtrGU6ksCVApcAIAEIlm36cyBwXxTEJQdXxA1DgZuwvSE2U52wQ8iU-ORZ7y0WmH3-WPW8BlhTZ5-qWTa8weqvknFYv_MhXAwm5KrCWGi0NPl6/s1600/beirut-cityscape-lebanon-city-pictures-and-wallpapers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGOr3v0wwclKzSDUbwmbbZq6gBbjXQ-4dtrGU6ksCVApcAIAEIlm36cyBwXxTEJQdXxA1DgZuwvSE2U52wQ8iU-ORZ7y0WmH3-WPW8BlhTZ5-qWTa8weqvknFYv_MhXAwm5KrCWGi0NPl6/s400/beirut-cityscape-lebanon-city-pictures-and-wallpapers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beirut cityscape © <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/younesdory/">younesdory</a></td></tr>
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Every time I think I’ve made my peace with the dysfunctionaly of Lebanon, something new comes up that makes my blood boil. Most recently, it’s been the
parliament’s approval of the new electoral law whereby people can only vote for
candidates of their own sectarian faith in the general elections. As always,
this law was passed because of petty calculations amongst political groups to
help them garner more parliamentary seats, but what it actually does it take
confessional segregation to a new level. Now Maronite Christians can only vote
for Maronite Christian candidates, Sunnite Moslems for Sunnite Moslem
candidates, Shiites for Shiites, Orthodox for Orthodox, Druze for Druze and so on. I don't know which of the political parties pushed for this law, nor do I care, but this means that no one will ever
think beyond their little tribe and each of us will remain in our head a member
of our sectarian community, not a citizen of the Republic of Lebanon. </div>
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Saddest of all is that this seems to be acceptable to most
of the population. Essentially, the people of Lebanon have learnt nothing. Decades
of war and conflict haven’t done anything to teach us that this system DOES NOT
WORK, that, to build a proper state that has a chance of ever making
progress, where public services work, where there is
a viable economy we need to demand a nation where
everyone is equal under the same laws and where these laws are respected. Everyone
repeats this slogan but when push comes to shove, they fall back behind their archaic
boundaries. </div>
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We’ve proven time and again that no matter how many
opportunities History puts on our path, we simply don’t want to build a nation.
To those of us who truly want civil society and the rule of law, Lebanon
remains an attainable dream. We are a minority, the majority of people living
in Lebanon (I will not call them Lebanese because they don’t deserve to be
called that) are happy with the way things are. </div>
</div>
Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-70800836040045254982012-12-21T05:27:00.000-08:002012-12-21T05:28:28.094-08:00Lustworthy (and currently on sale) Jimmy Choo metallic loafers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ladies (and why not, gentlemen) if you're looking for fun flats, these may well be the answer: The Jimmy Choo metallic leather monk-strap loafers. They're flat, comfortable and far from being boring. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8B93i9DEr9c1megfI0g46fltTu47XajE96UJfBuY5JicL7dcKAvpS3tHZFbcnfW9ln339uvWrtyYl_ysyGjDAwOAR_b06-VuUywZI0I266fPk6Ry5E08Az5hCatvwracXzICCdT76MDMu/s1600/Jimmy+Choo+loafer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8B93i9DEr9c1megfI0g46fltTu47XajE96UJfBuY5JicL7dcKAvpS3tHZFbcnfW9ln339uvWrtyYl_ysyGjDAwOAR_b06-VuUywZI0I266fPk6Ry5E08Az5hCatvwracXzICCdT76MDMu/s320/Jimmy+Choo+loafer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Copyright may apply</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Just beware the slippery heel, having taken a very embarassing tumble the first time I wore them, I had to get mine reheeled before I was confident enough to wear them again. You'd expect better from the peeps at Choo. <br />
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Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-79710813507319644972012-12-07T14:53:00.000-08:002012-12-07T14:53:15.720-08:00I'm away<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thanks for visiting. I'm away from my blog and from Twitter to attend to offline duties ;). <br />
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Long live the web,<br />
Dania</div>
Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-41452844669606161752012-06-29T09:02:00.001-07:002012-07-01T09:39:15.992-07:00W.E. by Madonna is a good film<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZeYApHuutFrL8xlthD7ijMwjRwGkFnAa1D_sOX2shSufXWvn8LytQbG1jRNXr4bMcff77ifZm6OYUFmaQ7iSQnQnV0sJ6MlZxFV_kKkbsiH0njVW5T2OHUedqAVFM2K_fLIhkQ2_StpV/s1600/WEPoster1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZeYApHuutFrL8xlthD7ijMwjRwGkFnAa1D_sOX2shSufXWvn8LytQbG1jRNXr4bMcff77ifZm6OYUFmaQ7iSQnQnV0sJ6MlZxFV_kKkbsiH0njVW5T2OHUedqAVFM2K_fLIhkQ2_StpV/s320/WEPoster1.jpg" vca="true" width="234" /></a></div>
Let the haters hate all they want, “W.E.”, Madonna’s directorial debut is a good movie. As a lifelong fan of Her Majesty, I don’t expect to dislike anything she does, but I have to admit some of her previous forays into the film industry (Swept Away, anyone?) were less than stellar. Having read the critical backlash against W.E., I was anticipating something along the same lines, and since I missed it in theaters earlier this year, I only got to see it on DVD this week. <br />
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W.E. tells the stories of two women: Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom King Edward VIII of England (and at the time British Emperor) abdicated the throne in 1936 and Wally Winthrop, a modern day Manhattan housewife who obsesses with Mrs. Simpson as she visits an exhibition of her memorabilia. <br />
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W.E. doesn’t claim to be an objective retelling of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s (as they became known after they married in exile) story, instead it recounts it through the thoughts and daydreams of Wally, who is locked in a loveless marriage. Both stories advance in parallel and are intertwined just enough not to be overbearing. I really enjoyed that element of the film. <br />
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W.E. also examines what happened after the Duke and Duchess wed, and through a look at a collection of the Duchess’ private letters, recounts the unhappiness of the Duke who was refused back into the UK and felt redundant because of his inability to go back to public life. This in turn put a lot of guilt on his wife’s shoulders and raises the question that neither of them ever answered: did their matrimonial life turn out to be worth him giving up the crown and her being vilified forever? <br />
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What everyone agrees on (even the critics) is that the cinematography in W.E. is very well done. Thanks to costume designer Arianne Phillips who scored an Oscar nomination for her work on this film, and yes, IMHO excellent filmmaking on Madonna’s part, the movie is visually amazing. Fashion lovers relish it, because <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2104853/Arianne-Phillips-W-E-s-Oscar-nominated-costume-designer-working-Madonna--Cartier-wants-destroy-replicas-Wallis-Simpsons-jewellery.html" target="_blank">it stayed true to the Duchess’ legendary wardrobe, working with her favorite design houses such as Dior, Vionnet, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels to replicate her outfits and famed jewels</a>. <br />
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If I were to nitpick, it would be along two lines: 1) I would have liked more of a view on what made Wallis Simpson so special to the King amongst all the women he could have courted and married without having to give up his throne. 2) There are a few scenes where Wally imagines talking to Wallis. These scenes are not bad as such, but I felt the movie could have done without them, as Wally’s constant daydreaming is more than enough to convey the lessons she is learning through her namesakes’ story. <br />
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I am not pretending that W.E is an all-time great, but it is a great piece of entertainment, as good as many acclaimed films in recent years, and a very interesting way to look at one of the most fascinating love stories in history. Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein said that if Madonna “were Joe Smith, she would be heralded as a great new filmmaker, but her reputation precedes her”.<br />
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For some reason, critics and Hollywood types seem to have decided a long time ago that they would keep their kingdom closed to the Queen of Pop. Hollywood may have become more accepting of strong female roles, but maybe not of strong real life women. </div>Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-81066675998599775672012-06-19T06:21:00.001-07:002012-06-19T06:21:38.749-07:00Theater Review: "Rest Upon The Wind"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKL1yFau1LBrwSFqYqzABpHmmvWF0jTxSd1kBr2zHAhpGWodsnowVi5dIt_SajHCV6tpcP86Y9mWr0fekTPt7uNX8lsugJXwNUBhLwG7HDwX2yVdv05l5X7p57dVZ7UAdKBOYlP3-vuchY/s1600/Giban.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKL1yFau1LBrwSFqYqzABpHmmvWF0jTxSd1kBr2zHAhpGWodsnowVi5dIt_SajHCV6tpcP86Y9mWr0fekTPt7uNX8lsugJXwNUBhLwG7HDwX2yVdv05l5X7p57dVZ7UAdKBOYlP3-vuchY/s400/Giban.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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Inspired by the life of Gibran Khalil Gibran, “Rest Upon the Wind”, a play by Nadim Sawalha, deals with the events that lead Gibran to publish his all-time great “The Prophet” and includes flashbacks to his childhood in Lebanon and his family’s immigration to the USA. <br />
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I must admit that although I’ve read Gibran’s work, I am only loosely familiar with his life story, so the play was all the more interesting to watch. It starts when most of Gibran’s family members have died of illness and he lives with his sister Marianna who has devoted her life to taking care of him, but cannot seem to adapt to life in America. They live in the Lebanese enclave of Boston’s China Town and, as is often the case with immigrants, feel like social rejects. Gibran himself is portrayed as obsessed with Lebanon and the dream of freeing it from the rule of the Ottomans. As the plot evolves, he shifts his attention to completing the book which came to him as a vision when he was a child in Mount Lebanon. An American woman, Mary Haskell, pushes him to re-write it after it burns down in a fire and his focus turns to gaining recognition as a poet and an artist in the United States. He yearns to rub elbows with the likes of Carl Jung and other thinkers of his time and seems to be quite the ladies’ man. <br />
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Throughout the play, Gibran appears to struggle between his spiritual beliefs, as penned in The Prophet, and the very worldly aspirations of making his book a success and getting out of the cycle of poverty. The play ends after The Prophet is finally published, with Gibran surrounded by hordes of people reading his work aloud while he wears a cashmere coat, something he couldn’t have previously afforded.<br />
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One of the features that hit a chord with me is that, although the play is set in 1923, the political discourse around Lebanon and its freedom from foreign domination remains relevant today. How depressing to think that 89 years haven’t done anything to help us grow and mature as an independent nation. Even more depressing to think that-as the play contends- Gibran was invited to become president of the then newly established Republic of Lebanon but declined. Maybe having one of the world’s greatest thinkers and artists instead of tribal/sectarian chieftains head up the country would have set us on a different path. <br />
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"Rest Upon The Wind" has ended its run in London, but if you’re in Liverpool, Beirut, Amman or Dubai, I highly recommend that you try to catch it when it comes to your town. It’s well paced, nicely written, funny at times and with just enough “effects” to make it interesting without falling into the trap of trying too hard. The provisional dates for those cities are below: <br />
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Liverpool, Unity Theatre –July 10, 2012. <br />
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Beirut: End September (Al Madina Theatre - Hamra). <br />
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AMMAN: Early October (Al Hussein Cultural Centre). <br />
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DUBAI: Dubai: Mid. October (Madinat Theatre).<br />
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You can find more information here: <a href="http://www.gibrantheplay.com/">http://www.gibrantheplay.com/</a></div>Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-44111358143925453512012-05-02T02:30:00.001-07:002012-05-10T07:05:16.627-07:00My Little Book On The Bestsellers Stand in Dubai!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
First Beirut now Dubai :-)! A reader sent me this picture over the weekend: My novel, Summer Blast on the bestsellers stand at Book World by Kinokuniya in Dubai<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhcyzxTL_UK1KaSfsQBm4Z5f5VuaCiy6ycY7_RDJNu3YTSX4KkNrkpb8L4yB46hgOmisS3A8tYYnY7vP03P4nDRbJeAxD3UYpin67cBTeGOLOAyn8JR5oPRUOAAE8O0fW70hG-7w9lFa9/s1600/summer+Blast+bestsellers+in+Dubai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhcyzxTL_UK1KaSfsQBm4Z5f5VuaCiy6ycY7_RDJNu3YTSX4KkNrkpb8L4yB46hgOmisS3A8tYYnY7vP03P4nDRbJeAxD3UYpin67cBTeGOLOAyn8JR5oPRUOAAE8O0fW70hG-7w9lFa9/s640/summer+Blast+bestsellers+in+Dubai.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
</div>Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-76708421715404189832012-05-01T05:07:00.002-07:002012-05-01T05:08:56.371-07:00"Don't Let The Warlords Win" my interview with Gulf News<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had the pleasure to sit down with Gulf News' London correspondent, Hamad Ali and discuss my novel Summer Blast. We had a great conversation about the message behind my book. You can read the full interview <a href="http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/books/don-t-let-the-warlords-win-1.1012920#iit=1335873856891&tmr=load%3D1335873853690%26core%3D1335873853841%26main%3D1335873856889%26ifr%3D1335873856892&cb=0&cdn=0&kw=book%2Cnovel%2Cliterature%2Cauthor%2Cwriter%2Cfiction%2Cautobiography%2Cweekend%2Cpolitics%2Cphotography%2Cart%2Cpainting%2Cscience%2Cbook%2Creview%2Cheritage%2C&ab=-&dh=gulfnews.com&dr=&du=http%3A%2F%2Fgulfnews.com%2Farts-entertainment%2Fbooks%2Fdon-t-let-the-warlords-win-1.1012920%23.T5p51ouVl4M.facebook&dt=gulfnews%20%3A%20%E2%80%98Don%E2%80%99t%20let%20the%20warlords%20win%E2%80%99%23.T5p51ouVl4M.facebook%23.T5p51ouVl4M.facebook&md=0&cap=tc%3D0%26ab%3D0&inst=1&jsl=33&lng=en-gb&ogt=image%2Cdescription%2Ctitle&pc=men&pub=gulfnewswmt&ssl=0&sid=4f9fd13d7a48f646&srd=0.1&srf=0.02&srp=0.2&srl=1&srx=1&ver=250&xck=0&xtr=0&og=title%3D%25E2%2580%2598Don%25E2%2580%2599t%2520let%2520the%2520warlords%2520win%25E2%2580%2599%26description%3DDania%2520El%2520Kadi%2520on%2520the%2520importance%2520of%2520leading%2520a%2520normal%2520life%2520even%2520in%2520times%2520of%2520flux%26image%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fgulfnews.com%252Fpolopoly_fs%252Flebanese-writer-dania-el-kadi-1.1013114!image%252F2001428325.jpg_gen%252Fderivatives%252Fbox_475%252F2001428325.jpg&rev=111685&ct=1&sr=facebook&ce=plv%3D1%3B1e%2Crsc%3Dfacebook%3B1e%2Crxi%3D4f9a79d68b959783%3B1e%2Cgen%3D1%3B1e&xld=1&xd=1" target="_blank">here </a>. <br />
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<a href="http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/books/don-t-let-the-warlords-win-1.1012920#.T5p51ouVl4M.facebook" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk25n-_yZl_LG_R0242n2ysAnNjaFofKCLIi8u6SIpFg3NdzIRXjFqtcEMJYZuZdHS_1skNANIOc0oXbOtUUVj6Dj4fGHzfsaopG23oieUNH36gV29qUT1ylaiSxAFvhdSKupzHOZEq7du/s400/GN+interview+news+shot.jpg" width="362" /></a></div>
<br /></div>Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-31963124596507488022012-04-25T14:34:00.001-07:002012-04-25T14:50:54.842-07:00Talking Publishing In The Middle East With The BBC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17791535" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="296" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSYRZwgEEJDI1-NgxLXIfp6syYCT0NumYjPg_7PFEJ3gHA7RuCrCaVdQKdB6YW3qPdV9s1embcqe9bao0-AMEeqgth92ru4q83rEa5LQVZ-xHF13gQChbO0lbIxGwItIT9w5_4mwgqQvH/s400/BBC+screenshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The debate about the future of publishing has never been more heated. From e-books to self-publishing, the landscape is shifting fast and many are wondering if traditional players will be able to keep up. We’ve already seen one element of that chain suffer: brick and mortar bookshops such as Borders who have had to fold because of the competition of online retailers. Amazon sells paper books of course, but also has a hold on the incredibly fast growing e-books market and even mighty Apple’s iBooks hasn’t been able to seriously challenge its grip. As far as I understand, the Kindle is outselling the iPad as an e-reader and all you have to do is visit both companies’ stores to realize how limited iBooks’ catalogue is in comparison with Kindle. <br />
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To some, this spells the end of publishing houses as we know them. To me, these changes mean that publishers and agents, who were traditionally the gatekeepers of the industry are seeing their influence dwindle, and that other players, especially authors, now have better control over their own destiny: if you have a good piece of work, and you know how to promote it, you can pretty much go it on your own and succeed. With minimum investment, you can get your book on the internet and the sky is the limit in terms of the promotion you can do both online and offline. In the Middle East, this is all the more important because the publishing industry is less mature, copyright is not respected and being an author is unrewarding. <br />
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Globally we haven’t yet seen high profile success stories for self-published books: the blockbusters of the past few years have been the likes of Twilight, the Hunger Games or 50 Shades of Grey who were published the “traditional” way, but there are numerous self-published writers who have managed to sell thousands of books on their own, better than most publishing houses' mid-list authors. <br />
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I’m lucky to have a good publisher (Turning Point Books) and I’m happy with my relationship with them, but I support fellow writers who decided to circumvent the submission/rejection cycle and do it on their own. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17791535" target="_blank">Check out this clip</a> of me discussing this with the BBC’s <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/biz_ben" target="_blank">Ben Thompson</a>, along with media man extraordinaire and self-published author <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/AlexanderMcNabb" target="_blank">Alexander McNabb</a> as well as distributor <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/njashanmal" target="_blank">Narain Jashanmal</a> other members of the publishing industry in the Middle East. </div>Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-39790593481432795672012-04-25T03:40:00.002-07:002012-04-25T03:42:23.078-07:00Be Still My Beating Heart...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've kind of been over the Louboutin thing for a while, but these shoes should come with a health warning. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmkpPk-gb1PBTBDhHypSrYHPsq7aK1VQHAGyFwoBlatQB4cKZqwWk7CBw5Y4WD9YveETMD5_bVTyo64kuaEzZxBHstCssrdmSoKdH6X-5M3d5N7bka-fCBemIUtCXRDFLS3HDdzhc5njx/s1600/Snorkeling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmkpPk-gb1PBTBDhHypSrYHPsq7aK1VQHAGyFwoBlatQB4cKZqwWk7CBw5Y4WD9YveETMD5_bVTyo64kuaEzZxBHstCssrdmSoKdH6X-5M3d5N7bka-fCBemIUtCXRDFLS3HDdzhc5njx/s320/Snorkeling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's the Christian Louboutin Snorkeling 100 Neoprene Boots, apparently made for ocean side cocktails, which I don't attend many of in London, but who cares?<br />
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<br /></div>Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4713445941134897044.post-52099644022734852882012-03-21T03:11:00.001-07:002012-03-21T03:11:42.390-07:00A "Violent Romance" for your enjoyment: "Olives" by Alexandre McNabb<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I’ve been craving good novels that are based in the Middle East. I like to think that mine, <em>Summer Blast</em>, is one of those ;) and I’ve just finished reading <em>Olives</em> by <a href="http://www.twitter.com/alexandermcnabb" target="_blank">Alexander McNabb</a> which definitely fits into this category. <br />
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This thriller, or “violent romance” as the book cover puts it, is set in Jordan. Paul Stokes, a British journalist comes to Jordan on a corporate publishing contract for the Ministry of Natural Resources. He gets in trouble with the law as soon as he touches down in Amman by picking a drunken fight with a policeman, which lands him in a court case. But this is not the only of Paul’s challenges, the boring job he thought he’d signed up for, is spiced up by the attractive ministry employee, Aisha Dajani, who’s assigned to take care of him, helping him settle into Amman and get the work done. Add an unsavory spy-like character from the British embassy, a colorful Swedish neighbor, an annoying boss and the many skeletons that seem to populate Aisha’s closet and you have a recipe for a read that will have you turning the pages (or swiping them since the book is also available in e-format). <br />
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Narrated in the first person, the tone is informal and the humor often British. The concept is clear: yes, the Middle East is not what westerners imagine, people are more “normal” and the women more modern than what most would expect. But the issues that we are all aware of remain at the heart of daily life: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also the less publicized yet equally - if not more - political issue of water shortage. <br />
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As Paul falls for Aisha, sacrificing his existing relationship in the process, he learns that she comes from a family who was displaced when Israel occupied Palestine, they are now Jordanian but all yearn for their homeland and the olive farm that they have managed to hold on to, but is at threat inside Israel. Aisha’s father was killed in an Israeli raid and her brother committed a suicide bombing in retaliation. Now Paul suspects she could be supporting more acts of violence.<br />
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Poor Paul also finds himself in the middle of a high-stake bid for the privatization of water resources. The UK government wants him to spy on the ministry as well as Aisha’s older brother, favorite to win against the British proposal. <br />
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Throughout the book, Paul evolves from average expat to unwilling spy and potential pawn for Palestinian activists. As he becomes more deeply informed about conflicts of the Middle East, so does the reader, but in a seamless way, which is one of my favorite aspects of the book. <br />
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The story is largely based in Amman, with several trips to other parts of Jordan and references to countries in the region. Of course, what Paul experiences as an expat in affluent West Amman is not representative of the entire Kingdom, but it felt genuine to me, having visited Jordan on business many times, often with British colleagues. McNabb doesn't overbear us with details or fall into the cliché of trying to make a country “exotic”. <br />
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I really enjoyed Olives. It’s a fast moving thriller, set in a region that a lot has been written about, but in a fresh perspective and without patronizing, judgment or stereotyping. Get it in bookstores in the Middle East, or on Kindle, iBooks or other e-book formats. </div>
</div>Lebanese Writerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00145562118257817183noreply@blogger.com3