RAGMAG 3D Issue | Nov 2011 | Issue #18 by RAGMAG Magazine

MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2011

CONNECTING SOCIAL MEDIA EVENTS INTERACTION EXPLORING FASHION RELATIONSHIPS GASTRONOMY

DEFINING ROBERT CREMONA TONI BRATINCEVIC LISA UNGER

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RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

Publisher Gina Gabriel El-Fady Editor in Chief Fida Z Chaaban Creative Lead Odette Kahwagi Managing Director Georges Yarack Photograhers Christian Harb Odette Kahwagi Jason Zamora Teddy Habib Samy Harb Selected images Shutterstock

Webmaster Youmna Chagoury Stylist Jony Matta Public Relations Coordinator Lea El-Alam Marketing Advisor Daniella Tayar Admnisitrative Coordinator Teddy Younes Printed by Raidy Printing Group

Contributors Lara Ariss Liliane Assaf Stephanie Aoun Jonathan Cainer Amal Chaaban Youmna Chagoury Rabih Feghali Alice Hlidkova Sarah Hourany Matthew Hussey Maria-Elena Kassab Imogen Kimber Chris Lambert Sabina LLewellyn-Davies Maha Majzoub J.E.N. Nour Obaji Rami SamalĂŠ Jacques Tchabarian Adam Volk

Media Representative RAGMAG Alex Gabriel Building Rue Colomn de Sahel Sahel Alma, Keserwan Tel: 09 916 222 / 09 913 777 lea.elalam@ragmaglive.com Distributor Lebanese Distributor Company Hamra, Axa Middle East bldg. Tel: 01 368 007

w w w . r a g m a g l i v e . c o m

@ragmaglebanon ragmag Opinions expressed are based solely on personal opinion and expericence, not reflective in any way of RAGMAG, a division of Raycon s.a.l.

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EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES COPYCAT REAL LIFE RUNWAY DAYS + CHRISTIAN DIOR NIGHTS OUR FASHION SHOOT

OUT + ABOUT DOING THE COMMUNITY DANCING PARTY FOR A CAUSE 142 EVENT OF THE YEAR FOUR SEASONS’ NEW DIMENSION 64

20 22 28 36 40 56

SURREAL

su-render GIVING IN TO TONI BRATINCEVIC’S VIRTUOSITY

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CULTURE CLASH RUE HUVELIN NEW FILM IS A SIDEWINDER SURREAL SU-RENDER TONI BRATINCEVIC IS 3D BREAKING MENTAL BOUNDARIES A PSYCHEDELIC NEW REALM FACETS + FACADES INTERVIEW WITH LISA UNGER CHARTING UNKNOWN WATERS CHRISTIAN FRANCIS TAKES YOU THERE 3D-IFFERENT LA2LA2A TACTICS HAYDA LEBNEN YOU + YOUR COUNTRY SEEING A DIFFERENT DIMENSION DAR AL AWLAD

THE FINAL FRONTIER BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD SCIENCE’S NEW DIMENSION 34 SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES IT HAPPEN TECH 50 INTERNET MEMES THE NEW FACE? TECH 126 3D FOOD PRINTERS TECH 48

112 113 114 115 116

SEE, SPEAK + HEAR NO EVIL SOUND CHECK MUSIC READ’EM + WEEP BOOKS PLAY NICE GAMES WATCH OUT FILM WORLD VISION BLOGS

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58 60

66 70 72 74

48 HOURS BEY TO DXB

TAKING A DIP IN SKYSCRAPERS + SAND DUNES 6 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

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EDITOR’S OPINION LOOK AT US! WE’RE HERE + THIS TIME WE’RE 3D MON AMOUR, MON AMI COUPLEDOM TAKES YOU TO ANOTHER DIMENSION YOU’RE HEAD OVER HEELS LENGTH, WIDTH + DEPTH DIMENSIONS OF MANIPULATION FOR HIM 3D DOESN’T MATTER FIND OUT WHAT SCARES RAMI SALAME MIND, BODY + SOUL HELP ME RABIH ADVICE 3 DIMENSIONS OF SUCCESS MATTHEW HUSSEY OUR EDITOR IS A HUMAN PIN CUSHION TRYING ACUPUNCTURE KNOW THE UNKNOWN PRENATAL CARE AT THE BMC FML TO 3D OR NOT TO 3D IT DOESN’T ALWAYS GO AS PLANNED MIRROR MIRROR LOOK GREAT FOR LESS RAGMAG DOES IT! SMOKE SCREEN MUFE MESMERIZES US DIMENSIONAL DIOR 3D COSMETICS

EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY 128 RESTAURANT REVIEW WESTGATE DINER 130 3 DIMENSIONS OF CUISINE CHEF DUO 132 DINING DIMENSIONS BEIRUTRESTAURANTS.COM 134 THE WIDTH + BREADTH OF DINING RECIPES TAKE ME WITH YOU 118 GRACELAND BREAKS THE SOUND BARRIER TRAVEL 124 BEY TO DXB 48 HOURS BRAINFOOD 138 QUIZZ. DINGBAT. CROSSWORD. SUDOKU.

An anniversary is only as special as the people you celebrate with ...

thank you Beirut.

In September 2011, from Thursday 15th to Sunday 19th, the Phoenicia hosted a festival of creative arts in all its genres and forms. The Phoenicia was proud to celebrate its golden jubilee with Beirut’s community and offered the true essence of this city to all its honored guests. Without all of you, the last 50 years would never have been so special. We thank you for keeping us “Younger than Ever” and for sharing this anniversary with us.

www.phoeniciabeirut.com

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publisher’s letter

It is RM’s main goal and objective to bring to you every month with no doubt the best of everything, and to let you know more about the Lebanon that you know and maybe the Lebanon that you don’t know. We endeavour to bring you a bit of everything, to suit your needs no matter who you are and what you are looking for. We are social and we are culture, we are fashion and we are trendy, we are fun and we are interactive. Most of all we are Lebanon in every way. It saddens me to know, that to date we are still questioned about our identity. As much as we get mail telling us how much we are loved and appreciated for the fresh ideas we bring every month, we still get that odd comment. How difficult are we for Lebanon to understand us! On that note I am asking our readers to take 5 minutes of their time, to write to us and tell us what they think of RM, to bring to light their ideas. It will be interesting for us to get to know your thoughts. For every letter or note we get to any of our emails I will be giving in return a free 6 month subscription of RM, delivered straight to your home address and 3 of the best letters will be published. So don’t keep us waiting please start writing to publisher@ragmaglive.com I would like to thank NOKIA Lebanon for the excellent choice of reader rewards. You made our Facebook page and Twitter shine. On that note I would like to highlight that we are a magazine that actually enjoys advertising your products and we use all of our weight through writing, social media, website and knowledge to get it out there.

Gina Gabriel El-Fady Publisher FASHION SHOOT MAKING OF PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAMY HARB CHECK OUT THE VIDEO MAKING OF ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

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SUBSCRIBE TO SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER PER ISSUE 10,000 LBP 6 ISSUES 50,000 LBP 12 ISSUES 100,000 LBP Contact us by phone or email to arrange your subscription subscriptions@ragmaglive.com Lea El-Alam 09 916 222 / 09 913 777 RAGMAG Alex Gabriel Building, Rue Colomn de Sahel Sahel Alma, Keserwan

w w w . r a g m a g l i v e . c o m ON OUR COVER MODEL DRESSED BY CHRISTIAN DIOR PHOTOGRAPHY CHRISTIAN HARB STYLIST JONY MATTA

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TWITTER @ragmaglebanon FACEBOOK ragmag

3D Before I get going on this issue, I want to thank all of our readers for their feedback about the October Motorized issue. If you read on to my opinion editorial (a little further into the mag) you’ll get to read quotes from readers who loved the issue (like Joanna Bou Daher) and from a reader who hated the very paper it was printed on (someone using the name “CEO Beirut”, no joke). Joanna said she loved contributor Amal Chaaban’s interview with author Steve Berry so much that she’s running out to buy all of his books. She also heaped praise on RAGMAG for contributor Maha Majzoub’s feature on artist Kris Kuksi. Thank you to both Amal and Maha for interesting content that encourages readers like Joanna Bou Daher to write in! Joanna, accept my personal thanks for the accolades. “CEO Beirut” – All feedback is welcomed, even if

editor’s letter

BECAUSE EVEN RAGMAG CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARIES

you didn’t like us putting Nagy Souraty on the cover. It’s great hearing from you! Hisham Assaad took a picture of contributor Maria Elena Kassab’s December essay and tweeted it. We loved the blast from the past since our Silver Bells issue is a big staff favorite. Thanks for the shout out, Hisham. We love when readers are still out + about with past issues, proving that a good read never goes out of style! As always, we endeavour to bring you into the mix by showing you what’s up backstage at our photo shoots and the nitty gritty of the whole creative process. It is what I’m calling dimensions of truth. We’re not faking anything here at RAGMAG. When we only had 3 minutes with James Blunt, we told you. When we’re not fans of something, we tell you that too. Our relationship with you, the reader, continues to grow and deepen.

Our anniversary 3D issue is here. Last year Odette and Chris worked their design magic and made us the first ever publication to go 3D in Lebanon and in the entire Middle East. We kind of set the bar and since then, we’ve been thinking of ways to repeat the phenomenon. We hope you like this year’s 3D issue and if you have anything to share or know of something that should get some print space, email me at letterstotheeditor@ragmaglive.com Don’t just follow me on Twitter, talk to me on Twitter @fidachaaban I encourage you to follow the magazine on Twitter @RAGMAGLebanon and get interactive- that’s what RAGMAG is about.

Fida Z Chaaban

Editor in Chief OUR FELLOW MEDIA AND PARTY PEEPS AT THE SEASONAL CLOSING EVENT OF THE ROOF AT THE FOUR SEASONS HOTEL BEIRUT. CHEERS!

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letters to the editor FOR OUR OCTOBER MOTORIZED ISSUE WE HAD LOTS OF FUN ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK. WE THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND PARTICIPATION AND HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO INTERACT WITH US ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK AND SCRIBBLE ON OUR WALL TO WIN, WRITE TO US LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR@RAGMAGLIVE.COM OR TWEET US ON TWITTER @RAGMAGLEBANON!

IF YOU’RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TAKE A PIC WITH YOUR FAVORITE ISSUE OF RAGMAG, SEND IT OUR WAY VIA SOCIAL MEDIA OR EMAIL! WE’D LOVE TO SEE IT! RAGMAG reserves the right to edit for clarity and content

RAGMAG loves reader interaction so we paired up with Nokia Lebanon and ran a few different contests on our social media platforms- Facebook and Twitter. We posted the teasers for the different Nokia devices on our Facebook Fan page a few days beforehand, then started the contests. The Nokia Lebanon peeps are a pretty interactive bunch, check out the next page to see how you can find them online and interact with them through social media!

Congratulations to three RAGMAG readers! Nadine Issa is taking home the Nokia 500 for being the first person to get 20 likes on her comment, “I NEED TO GET CONNECTED, GIMME THAT PHONE!” @Point_ALaLigne

Bahaaeddine Fakhreddine is taking home the Nokia 701 for being the first person to get 20 likes on his comment, “I’ll be 701 times more connected with the Nokia 701!”. We also love Bahaa’s post that he made to thank us! @BahaaFe

George Zamroud is taking home the Nokia N9 for being the first person to get 20 likes on his comment, “I’m connecting people with my new Nokia N9!”. We’re loving George’s thank you post, too! @ZAMGEO

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CONNECTING RAGMAG READERS

Nokia Lebanon’s great at connecting people and especially RAGMAG readers. This issue we gave away 3 Nokia devices that are terrific for people that want to maximize their tech time! More than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia using devices that range from their most affordable voice-optimized mobile phones to advanced Internet-connected smartphones. Through their services, people also enjoy access to maps and navigation on mobile, a rapidly expanding applications store, a growing catalog of digital music, and more. Nokia’s NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, and

Nokia Siemens Networks is one of the leading providers of telecommunications infrastructure hardware, software and professional services globally. “Since we announced the Nokia N9 in June this year, the feedback that we received from discerning and avid smartphone users across the world has been nothing short of fantastic,” said Prem Chand, General Manager – Nokia Levant. “With the innovations in industrial design, user interface, and the Qt developer experience, the Nokia N9 sets the bar for how natural technology can feel, and represents the first in a number of products from Nokia that will be brought to life in similar fashion.”

If you want to connect with Nokia like we do, like them on facebook.com/NokiaLebanon and follow them on Twitter @NokiaLebanon.

SMARTY PANTS

The Nokia 500

The Nokia 701

Our Top 3 Reasons to Use It • 1 GHz processor and WLAN for fast access to free applications and entertainment. • QWERTY keyboard and split-screen messaging • 5 MP camera and video capture

Our Top 3 Reasons to Use It • The world’s brightest mobile phone display in any smartphone • Active Noise Cancellation to deliver the clearest sound quality however noisy the environment • 8 MP full focus camera with dual LED flash and 2x digital zoom, 2nd front camera, HD video

The Nokia N9 Smartphone

Specs for all you tech-savy readers! • 3.9-inch AMOLED screen made from scratch-resistant curved glass • Easy single-tap pairing with NFC-enabled accessories such as the Nokia Play 360 wireless speaker and sharing of content through NFC technology • An 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor with wide-angle lens for HD-quality video and photo capture, and large lens aperture for great camera performance even in lowlighting conditions; easy capture and share of images and videos with your favorite social networks • Free turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation with voice-guided maps for more than 100 countries and in more than 50 languages • Top social networking, communication, entertainment and gaming apps preloaded • Global and local apps available through Nokia store for further personalization • Available in three colors – black, cyan and magenta with 16GB in Lebanon and options of options of 64GB worldwide, to accommodate plenty of content.

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NEW KIDS

ON THE BLOCK WHY YOU HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE US

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editor’s opinion

o RAGMAG isn’t new anymore. By hook or by crook we’ve managed to penetrate the market. We’re big social media freaks, so that spreads our material a little further. Our website gets serious traffic and it’s only a few months old. All this and we’re still considered the New Kids. Guess what? That’s getting old, folks. We’re not new, this is our 18th issue. This is a label, I think, that some people prefer to stick to us because it works to their advantage. Be they competing publications or those that aren’t fond of English print media. It is true that in years past, people were primarily interested in French and Arabic magazines. French was all the rage and it was the cool thing to do, errr read. These days, all you have to do is check out social media to really get in touch with the word on the street, pardon the pun, and that word is in English. Most Lebanese blogs are in English, more Lebanese Twitter users tweet in English or transliterated Lebanese and finally,

most Lebanese Facebook fan pages are in English. I’m not going to get into the fray with the Arabic language magazines because they have their audience as well and again, they get more than their fair share of ads. I am also a supporter of maintaining the Arabic language. I will however say that I am constantly told things like, “I never read Arabic magazines” and more negative statements, which out of respect for our fellow media, I will not repeat. I’m not saying English is the be all and end all, but I am saying that for companies choosing to advertise and acknowledge only the French and Arabic print media, you’re only reaching a very small demographic these days. I haven’t seen a single tweet or blog mention of the “Big 4” magazines (all by the way, French language mags). So if your demographic for advertising is between 19 and 45, and you’re picking the

Big 4 to plunk your ad into, guess what? Anyone under 35 isn’t going to see your concert ad, jeans advert or fragrance pitch. Further, the Big 4 aren’t geared to be unisex. Your ad for the next great tech must-have is going to complete and utter waste if you’re hoping that a guy is going to flip through. He isn’t. So let’s say you drop your money into advertising with radioWell men are visual creatures, as any undergraduate psychology student can tell you. So radio may or may not do the trick. What is to be done?

WE’RE STILL CONSIDERED THE NEW KIDS. GUESS WHAT? THAT’S GETTING OLD, FOLKS. WE’RE NOT NEW, THIS IS OUR 18TH ISSUE THE 3D ISSUE

IS THERE AN ENGLISH MAGAZINE FOR EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC IN LEBANON? NO. BUT THERE ARE ENGLISH MAGAZINES THAT CATER TO MOST ARENAS Here’s your solution: You are going to do what advertising agencies do all over the world. You are going to acknowledge the way the tide is turning, even if your best friend is the ad rep for one of the Big 4. You are going to say yes, people aged 19 plus are reading English magazines, and those magazines have to offer more than press releases to keep the readers engaged. They have to offer thoughtprovoking material so that when they finally flip to your ad, they take you seriously enough that the ad might actually work. You have to say, no, this concert ad may not garner a lot of attention in a magazine that is famous for featuring the latest and greatest in a plastic surgeon’s portfolio. Because if you don’t, you are out of touch.

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You are out of touch with the people your clients are trying to reach. I am sick of trying to explain that RAGMAG readers actually read. I personally don’t think that Lebanese people are given enough credit for wanting to read something that is relevant and in-depth. I have enough proof of this from our interaction with readers and everyday people that I meet. Is there an English magazine for every demographic in Lebanon? No. But there are English magazines that cater to most arenas. Business and politics is covered in an exemplary manner by Executive. You want a gentlemen’s mag with some social content? Adam Levant is your guy. You want a nightlife guide? You’ve got Time Out. You want a “ladies who lunch” flip

through? Pick up Fit ‘N Style. You want pure female fashion? U Magazine. You want a techy audience? T3 has all your gadgets. Interested in home furnishings and architecture? Curve is your choice then. I could actually list about ten more magazines that are in English and can reach your audience more effectively than the Big French 4. Do you want to know where RAGMAG sits on this spectrum? We’re the magazine that people read for everything from fashion to science. We’ve got a little bit of each topic and this is why everyone -from artists to fashion designers- says they love us. If you like music, you’re in luck. If you’re a history buff, then we’re the mag for you. If you like psychology, then pick us up. And finally if you want to see what’s going on in the world around you, we are it.

editor’s opinion

Our readers are both male and female and they’re smart. They want to know what’s new, who’s doing it and why. They aren’t into clichés, unless they’re looking for a laugh. They find us funny and good looking. We’re like everyone’s ideal date, if you want to put it the way one of our readers did. And they understand us, even if you don’t. I won’t apologize for being “the ONLY interactive magazine” as one reader put it or “the best magazine in Lebanon” as another reader said. We’re flattered and honoured that people feel compelled to make such strong statements. We don’t please everyone, on the contrary, we create a lot of controversy. But that too is a merit. We create enough drama and feature provocative people, so I often get feedback like, “I’m not buying this month’s issue because I hate that guy,”- The guy being Nagy Souraty and the issue was last month’s October Motorized issue. This came to me

on Twitter and frankly, I loved the comment so much that I retweeted it to all of our followers before I responded. Why? Because good magazines welcome this kind of criticism. Good magazines respond by saying, “Thank you for that comment, we did mention in the article that Nagy Souraty inspires both love and hate”, which is how I responded. Perhaps this is why our readers talk to us and engage in debate with us. And I don’t think any other magazine in Lebanon can say this. The point of my opinion editorial this month is that we’re not the New Kids anymore struggling to be seen by readers. We’re not the kind that people barely glance at and finally, we’re not going anywhere. So if you haven’t already joined us, you might as well do so now because all of your junior staff are the ones entering our contests and talking to us on Twitter and Facebook. And guess what? We actually talk back

WE DON’T PLEASE EVERYONE, ON THE CONTRARY, WE CREATE A LOT OF CONTROVERSY. BUT THAT TOO IS A MERIT. WE CREATE ENOUGH DRAMA AND FEATURE PROVOCATIVE PEOPLE THE 3D ISSUE

you + your country BELOW, TOP TO BOTTOM: PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHNNY - GRADE 4, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOHAMMAD - GRADE 5, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAYA - GRADE 4

SEEING

A DIFFERENT DIMENSION THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD BY IMOGEN KIMBER

THE PHOTOS BELIE DEPTH AND EXPERIENCE, YET THEY WERE ALL TAKEN BY CHILDREN AGED BETWEEN EIGHT AND THIRTEEN YEARS OLD

pair of hands peep over the side of a fence in a well composed photograph befitting of an artistic, abstract, exhibition. In another photo a chameleon sits in the palm of a hand. The photos belie depth and experience, yet they were all taken by children aged between eight and thirteen years old. Far from being the results of an expensive art school these are the products of a free photography course at a school for under privileged or vulnerable children.

THESE ARE THE PRODUCTS OF A FREE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE AT A SCHOOL FOR UNDER PRIVILEGED OR VULNERABLE CHILDREN ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: PHOTOGRAPHY BY AHMED H, PHOTOGRAPHY BY HADI - GRADE 4

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WELCOME TO OUR WORLD

This year is the second run of the photography project held at the free residential school, Dar el Awlad. Khalil Pfaff, an American, has been coming to Lebanon since 2004 and could never quite leave. A social worker in the US he also takes this role at the residential school; Pfaff offers the photography class as part art lesson part therapy session. “The idea is to share their world,” said Pfaff, “With photography the children can record the world around them and share what they are seeing through their own eyes. We wanted to expose our children to a different way of expressing themselves. I feel it is a healthy way of allowing them to externalize what they see.” Not merely reflecting the outside world, some of the assignments in the project challenged the children to create photos that represented a feeling or emotion. A striking response by one child was to photograph the silhouette of his fist.

AN OPEN PLACE

Using simple point-and-shoot cameras that frankly I wouldn’t consider trying to squeeze a decent picture out of, the group of children boldly proceed. A lack of hesitation in conquering the technical use of the cameras and a lack of inhibitions in trying their hand at composition lent towards the creation of pictures with a raw edge. Not hindered by a lack of equipment or settings the children set to work to create their own special effects. Others worked with lighting to create different moods using nothing but table lamps and sheets, or by playing with the white balance, or in some cases framing things with their fingers. Beside the opportunity for artistic expression and the benefits that this brings, working in this way or gives them real skills and gives them a real end product that is relevant to the adult world, something they can be extremely proud of. And besides, said Pfaff, “Of course it is fun!”

The school, Dar el Awlad, like the photography project is entirely free. The site has been there since 1948, providing support for young boys with a free education that is otherwise hard to come by in Lebanon. Walking through the grounds as you look to the inhabitancy of the basketball court one would be a forgiven for being confused as to where you were with a level of ethnic diversity that is not found so often in Lebanon. And the site really is a haven, perched on the side of the mountain just outside of Mansourieh, as you enter you feel as though you leave the highway far behind and enter the countryside with the chirping of the cicadas all around you. This is what is special about Dar el Awlad, not only do they offer a high standard of free education but it is offered to a multinational catchment. “The government schools are not generally so suitable for children of different nationalities,” said the head of the school Matt Gregory from England. He was cautious in his explanation, not elaborating too much on the reasons

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHNNY - GRADE 4, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHRAF - GRADE 5, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKHAEEL - GRADE 6

for this but just saying that what they had was somewhat unusual in Lebanon. Currently Dar el Awlad welcomes children from around 12 different ethnicities, often the sons and daughters of migrant workers from Ethiopia, Sudan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

Exposed

Undoubtedly running a photography project with young children is challenging and there are levels of chaos and frustration, but a look on the website demonstrates that it is worthwhile. Already some photos from this year’s sessions are up on Pfaff’s blog. In his second week, Hadi, who shot the picture of the peeping hands set about demonstrating everyday items in a creative manner. What he does is use nothing but the light falling on the floor to create a photograph. The exhibition of this year’s photography project should open next May

NOT HINDERED BY A LACK OF EQUIPMENT OR SETTINGS THE CHILDREN SET TO WORK TO CREATE THEIR OWN SPECIAL EFFECTS DAR EL AWLAD WELCOMES PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS TO COME AND OFFER THEIR EXPERTISE TO THE CHILDREN. If this is you then contact Khalil Pfaff on 04/400715 or darelawlad@kidsalive.org

CHECK OUT PFAFF’S BLOG FOR SOME OF THE CHILDREN’S IMAGES

www.mallaidh.org/eyes/Welcome.html Follow them on Twitter @darelawlad Find them on Facebook

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cultureclash

RUE HUVELIN IS ABOUT TAKING TO THE STREET BY IMOGEN KIMBER

“ONE DAY THE PEOPLE WILL TAKE TO THE STREETS, JUST LIKE WE ARE DOING NOW; ONE DAY OUR DREAM WILL COME TRUE” IMPASSIONED WORDS FROM THE STUDENTS IN ‘RUE HUVELIN’

he soon to be released ‘Rue Huvelin,’ directed by Mounir Maasri, is set in the nineties when Lebanon was under Syrian occupation, it tells the story of the student movement from the University of Saint Joseph’s on Rue Huvelin; their reaction to the oppression of the authorities but also their studies, their loves, their lives.

A PERSONAL STRUGGLE

Robert Cremona played the protagonist in the film, Joe-Daniel. “He is a leader in the movement,” said Cremona, “He is very spontaneous, this [the movement] is the most important thing ever [to him], his life is based on this.” Cremona saw the spirit of not only himself but many young Lebanese in his character Joe-Daniel, from that period of time and today: “The young Lebanese will relate to him. People are escaping and wanting to build stuff and getting attached and wanting it to bloom.” Cremona was passionate about the film which for him, as it was for the majority of the actors, the first time to take a lead in a feature film. For Cremona the drive and determination of the character was admirable, Joe-Daniel put the personal behind the public, a struggle which the story highlights. Underneath the history of the movement there is the story of the students. “You witness how the young people used to struggle between freeing their country and trying to leave a normal student life,” said Cremona. Based on a true story, Producer and Writer Maroun Nassar wrote the story from his own experiences being a

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student at the Saint Joseph University. “He has this nostalgia,” said Cremona, “It was a huge movement. [He] witnessed all the steps that lead to the 14th March, it was those students who provoked the 14th March [movement].” Nassar was inspired by real events and used several of his friends to allow him to construct a variety of threedimensional characters and so his writing symbolized reality.

CENSORED

‘Rue Huvelin’ is only having its release in its country of origin, Lebanon, now, despite being finished for months. Featuring a contentious issue the producers struggled with censorship in Lebanon and so held the premier in Moscow back in June. The writers argue against bias though. They say that the film’s aim is to tell the story of the student’s involvement in the political landscape at the time and document the beginnings and growth of a movement. They say the film does not support one particular political party. “What’s important is that this isn’t a political movie. It was huge what happened to these students because they wanted freedom of speech,” said Cremona. The producers said that there are not two points of view but with seven different characters there are seven different points of view. “I am scared people will see it as a political propaganda,” said Cremona, “I hope they watch it as Lebanese and not as people from a party and that they feel the nostalgia from the past.

It isn’t a political movie it is about the struggle. We are all so used to seeing political movies.” The writer argues that in Lebanon if you choose to showcase any neighbourhood you would invariably be showcasing a certain identity.

ANOTHER STREET

Many in the latest generation of Lebanese filmmakers have mentioned their desire to create something that reflects the realities of life in Lebanon. The producers and Cremona sees that this film also had that aim. Of course it is about a political movement but the personal story behind this is the feature. “We show a very extreme face, either camels or very shallow,” says Cremona talking about how Lebanon is portrayed within the Middle East and across the world. “Beirut is shown as a number one party capital, they are forgetting that all these young people were everything back then and the beginning of the revolution. And now they are showing them as just partying.” Cremona sees Beirut as a complex place for a young person to grow up “There is a lot of struggle of finding your identity, a young person can get lost.” For Nassar and Maasri the film was an opportunity to the young people growing up in these realities and to paint a different picture. The film is released in cinemas in Lebanon from November 17th

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cultureclash

OPPOSITE PAGE: ‘THE WORLD ABOVE’ BY TONI BRATINCEVIC BELOW: TONI BRATINCEVIC

SURREAL

su-render GIVING IN TO TONI BRATINCEVIC’S VIRTUOSITY BY MAHA MAJZOUB

’m not very good with technology. You can say I’m a little behind. I’ve been sleeping under a rock for some time now. So when artist Toni Bratincevic started recounting his early experiences with Maya, I thought he was pouring his heart out about a first love or something. But then he went on to talk with equal passion about FinalRender, Zbrush, and 3DS Max, and I was certain then he was no longer talking about the lovely ladies in his life unless they were named by some really disturbed parents. I later learned these are actually the names of computer graphics programs Bratincevic uses to produce some of his 3D art. I did not know the technical jargon the man spoke or the software he uses to make his art speak, but I knew his art spoke to me. A Croatian based in California since 2007, Bratincevic is a 3D artist who is referred to in the 3D community as a 3D generalist; he is specialized in environment modeling, lighting, and rendering. A job offer at Blur Studio, a midsized company that produces

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game cinematics and TV commercials, changed his address from the small coastal town of Split in Croatia to the congested city of Los Angeles four years ago. It was an opportunity the 34-yearold is grateful for given the limited prospect in the field at home, he says. Working as scene assembly lead at Blur, Bratincevic is in charge of modeling complete environments, creating the lighting setups, and finalizing shots. He says he loves the “freedom” that comes with the job while being in “a very creative environment” with “lots of cool and talented artists”. “We were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we took it,” he says, the “we” being plural for his wife Martina and him. “I learn so much every day and at the same time I have the opportunity to show what I’m made of.” Bratincevic has been showing off sheer talent ever since. While he did 3D animation, web design, and post productions in the sparsely populated Croatian islands, the bold

move to the U.S. helped him establish a strong following that may not have been possible back home. Primarily using Autodesk 3DS Max - a 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software for games, film, and television development - Bratincevic creates images accompanied by commentaries or stories. His personal body of work expresses what he is feeling and thinking at the moment of creation where he shares his visions and views on the present, past, and future.

PRIMARILY USING AUTODESK 3DS MAX - A 3D MODELING, ANIMATION, AND RENDERING SOFTWARE FOR GAMES, FILM, AND TELEVISION DEVELOPMENT BRATINCEVIC CREATES IMAGES ACCOMPANIED BY COMMENTARIES OR STORIES

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BELOW: “DAWN OF BALANCE” OPPOSITE PAGE: “SLOW DECAY” (DETAIL)

One of the finest examples of this is “It Was You”, an illustration where Bratincevic displays superb detailing and texturing (see next page). The image, which is one of his favorites, is dedicated to his wife. Bratincevic takes us to an old, abandoned house where he frequently played as a child. He captures a poignant moment of piercing light and deafening silence, as the world suddenly stopped when he was merely four years old. It was a fleeting moment that he only remembered when he fell in love. “Now, I know that it wasn’t just a light and memory, it was the birth of my soul mate… It was a message from above that someone else came to the world, someone who will complete the meaning of my life,” he says. The image, the first one Bratincevic rendered in Maxwell Engine, is one of many pieces that saw his complete

emotional involvement. In “Dawn of Balance”, which like “It Was You” scooped a CGSociety award, he explores a more existential condition -- the coldness of the world in the absence of human life. Engulfed by the “blueness” of life, a human being is shown facing “the coldness and cruelty” of the present and finds solace in the “warmth” of past memories -- a small burning flame that gives meaning to life, according to Bratincevic.

THREE IS A CHARM

The artist does not do collection proper. Most of his images don’t have the same motives. Some of the ideas can overlap, such as “Force of Nature” and “Slow Decay”, which look into humankind’s destructive practices, but every image is different and has its own message. Bratincevic flirts with both lighthearted

situations as well as serious reflections on life -- at the moment he is completing a funny illustration of a simple guy playing with electricity while piecing together an artwork on the essence of memories by entering the minds of people with Alzheimer’s. Bratincevic spends on average three to five weeks on his private pieces, basically the works he completes at home. While he is a 3D artist both at home and in the office, Bratincevic separates between the work he produces behind each screen. First, he outlines the difference in terms of technology at use. At home, he works with a PC quad core 2.4GHz Intel, 8GB of RAM, 22 inch monitor and Wacom Intuos 3 tablet, while at my work he operates a dual quad core machine that is at least twice as fast as his home equipment.

IN “DAWN OF BALANCE”, WHICH SCOOPED A CGSOCIETY AWARD, HE EXPLORES A MORE EXISTENTIAL CONDITION - THE COLDNESS OF THE WORLD IN THE ABSENCE OF HUMAN LIFE

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BELOW: “FALL” OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: “IT WAS YOU”, “FORCE OF NATURE”

“Stuff I do at work is produced for the client and, although there is freedom of creativity during projects, it must be delivered in a form that the client requested,” Bratincevic adds. “That means, although I like my work at Blur, I am not as emotionally involved as I am with the art I do at home where I have complete freedom…plus I don’t have any deadlines so I am not stressing so much about it.” And stress comes with the territory of being a 3D artist. “If you are working professionally, then deadlines can be bothersome,” Bratincevic explains. “Working on a grand scale project that needs to be done in two weeks requires a great deal of organization, skill, and discipline.” The most demanding part of the job is to stay motivated for a long time, he adds. “If I am working on a personal project at home, sometimes it takes a lot of energy to stay focused after a ninehour work shift,” the self-taught artist points out. “As I grew as an artist I learned how to overcome these issues, and even before I start working on

a personal project I know where it will lead me and how much time it will take.” He lists the industry’s fast development as another matter that artists ought to keep an eye out for by staying on par with the latest technology.

says being recognized by the art community is fulfilling and an important part of what he does but that to get objective criticism of the fruits of one’s labor, it is essential to showcase the art as much as possible in order to improve it.

Bratincevic admits 3D as a tool for creating art is very technically demanding, while balancing between technical and artistic skills is one of the toughest challenges of the trade. “But, all that knowledge and experience can be really rewarding once you finalize a project; there is some satisfying sense of achievement,” he says. And achievement came knocking on his door many times. He has won the Internet Raytracing Competition (IRTC) twice, scooped Hacker magazine’s Best Art of the Year Award, and two of his images snapped the CGHub Gold Award. “I never expected that people will know about my work and that I will be getting emails admiring what I do.” Bratincevic takes achievement in his stride and is humbled by all the praise his artwork receives. He

This attitude also keeps the success from getting to his head. “The only people I think should ever be celebrated for their work are scientists and doctors who help save lives. The rest of us are just here to maybe make it a bit brighter, more interesting, and fun,” Bratincevic argues. “My art is my way of expressing my feelings and various ideas. If it helps someone in any way, if it makes them laugh or evokes any other feeling, then my goal has been accomplished.” Bratincevic’s art has helped me come to terms with the fact that stunning art exists outside the peripheries of “fine art” as classified by the art laboratory conducted by curators and institutions. It has served more than just its esthetic purpose by making me step out of the shadow of my big, warm rock

HE HAS WON THE INTERNET RAYTRACING COMPETITION (IRTC) TWICE, SCOOPED HACKER MAGAZINE’S BEST ART OF THE YEAR AWARD, AND TWO OF HIS IMAGES SNAPPED THE CGHUB GOLD AWARD www.interstation3d.com

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cultureclash OPPOSITE PAGE: ‘DYING’ BY ALEX GREY

BREAKING MENTAL BOUNDARIES PSYCHEDELICS TAKE YOU

TO ANOTHER REALM BY ALICE HLIDKOVA ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ERIC JOSEPH REITMEYER

n a blistering day in 1942, Harvard Professor Richard Evans Schultes cuts through the thick vegetation in the northwest Amazon of Colombia. He is a resident of the jungle, combing its remote reaches for his research; seeking out new species of plants endowed with powerful healing agents. The father of ethnobotany often lived among some two dozen indigenous tribes, and collected over 20,000 botanical specimens during his lifetime, most notable being the hallucinogenic plants used by tribal healers and shamans. Twenty years later, a one-time student and protégé of Dr. Schultes, Harvard Professor Tim Plowman, embarked on a similar exploration. Recalling Schultes’ research in hallucinogens, Plowman insisted the shamans show him the sacred plants, and prepare him a tasting of what they called a “dangerous message of the forest.”

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The old shaman cut a piece of bark, which grew in thick, double helixshaped coils around rainforest trees, and contained psychoactive and sedative drugs called beta-carbolines, and brewed it with DMT—a natural psychedelic from another species of plant. Moments after swallowing the bitter, brown, thick stew known as “Ayahuasca,” the young professor experienced vertigo—his head spun, stomach ached, and his body ran with chills. The shamanistic ritual caused Plowman to suffer a reaction with maddening intensity, but fortunately the effect lasted only ten minutes. Frightened, he fled the shaman, wandering for hours through the jungle until finding shelter in an abandoned town jail. His experience led him to explore Ayahuasca within the more controlled environment of Harvard University. He became famous amongst his colleagues and students, as well as anthropologists

and ethnobotanists across the United States for his research. It was the 1960s, and even though much of America was exploring psychedelic drugs, there were strict bans on its usage, and little funding was provided for the research towards its positive contributions to health. Anthropologist, Zen Buddhist and lysergide (LSD) researcher, Joan Halifax arrived to Harvard a decade later to shed light on the positive aspects of psychedelic research. Her lecture was well received, and focused on end-of-life fear reduction in terminal patients who used psychedelics to ease distress.

PLOWMAN INSISTED THE SHAMANS SHOW HIM THE SACRED PLANTS, AND PREPARE HIM A TASTING OF WHAT THEY CALLED A “DANGEROUS MESSAGE OF THE FOREST.”

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COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF ARTICLES, THREE BOOKS, AND ONE WEBSITE LATER, PINCHBECK HAS DECIDED THAT PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS ARE LESS THREATENING THAN MANUFACTURED PRESCRIPTIONS Meanwhile, Alex Grey, who dissected cadavers at Harvard Medical School’s Anatomy Department, recalled “general skepticism and paranoia from faculty” as the Zen Buddhist gave her famous speech. Grey would often trip on LSD and Ayahuasca (he calls it the “Green Jesus” or second in which individuals realize the divinity of nature). While at the Mind/Body Medicine Department, explored healing energies using scientific experiments to inspire his medical illustrative body of work called “The Sacred Mirrors.” The series of life-size paintings explore the body, mind and spirit, presenting the “physical and subtle anatomy of an individual in the context of cosmic, biological and technological evolution,” as he writes on his personal website. Through his work he hopes to connect individuals with their inner psyche.

Grey’s friend Daniel Pinchbeck is a new age philosopher and advocate for psychedelics. Born in 1966, the year the U.S government banned LSD, Pinchbeck meandered with other Bohemian hedonists in the NYC neighborhood of the Lower East Side. His mother, Joyce Johnson was a famous “Beat” poet—a term used to describe a group of post-WWII writers who often experimented with drugs and sexuality, rejected materialism, and embraced Eastern religious traditions such as Buddhism and Taoism. Pinchbeck’s early introduction to an alternative lifestyle blossomed at Wesleyan College where he tried LSD and psilocybin “magic” mushrooms. He studied ecology and philosophy but soon became preoccupied with the ideals of nihilism, and eventually dropped out to pursue a writing career.

ACCORDING TO HIS RESEARCH, 27 MILLION OF AMERICANS ALTER THEIR STATE OF MIND AND MOOD, CHEMICALLY, WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS SUCH AS ZOLOFT AND PROZAC

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The New York Times Magazine chose him as one of “Thirty Under Thirty” destined to change our culture through his literary work at Open City, a journal Pinchbeck founded featuring prized authors like Richard Yates and David Foster Wallace—now dead. Pinchbeck wrote for The Village Voice and Rolling Stone, but was “blacklisted” by Esquire and The New York Times for his radical views. After years of becoming intellectually dissatisfied with the media’s conventional mindset, the 29-year-old tried to find stimulation elsewhere. He found himself in a Manhattan apartment with strangers and took a swig of a jungle potion. Wearing a blindfold and adult Depends diapers, the Ayahuasca caused him to envision pigs chewing corpses lying in a slum gutter and then… moving images of bright green vines in front a blue waterfall. As in Plowman’s case, the high only lasted a few minutes, and ended with uncontrollable vomiting.

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DANIEL PINCHBECK, COSMIC CHRIST BY ALEX GREY, ALEX GREY

OPPOSITE PAGE: BANISTERIOPSIS SPP. VINE, USUALLY MIXED WITH THE LEAVES OF DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE TO PREPARE AYAHUASCA

Thereafter, he traveled across South America, visiting Andean, Aztec, and Amazonian indigenous tribes to learn about the healing properties and governing spirits of hallucinogens. In Brazil, where Ayahuasca is legally recognized as a medical and cultural patrimony, Pinchbeck attended religious ceremonies of Santo Daime. He compared his internal experience with the potion to that of mushrooms; a beautiful place that “feels like having a mental envelope around the earth,” he recalls.

in which their consciousness travels beyond boundaries, painted with abnormal patterns, brightened colors, and enhanced natural elements. “Some realms are mythical, in which case Ayahuasca guides individuals,” he tells me. So each year he guides a retreat to Latin America in order to explore this world of botany, cultural history, mysticism, and alternative medicine.

Pinchbeck greets me in a neighborhood café and shares stories of Burning Man and the sacred earth. Burning Man, the famous art, sculpture and music venue in California, draws many subcultures: punks, ravers, goths, pagans, and hippies. They often take psychedelic drugs to explore realms

Countless numbers of articles, three books, and one website later, Pinchbeck has decided that psychedelic drugs are less threatening than manufactured prescriptions. According to his research, 27 million of Americans alter their state of mind and mood, chemically, with antidepressants such as Zoloft and Prozac. These drugs, rather than being demonized, are sold for profit by pharmaceutical companies and promoted by medical professionals.

BREAKING MENTAL BOUNDARIES PSYCHEDELICS TAKE YOU TO ANOTHER REALM

In contrast, Ayahuasca is a natural remedy that helps treat depression, trauma, alcoholism and anxiety disorders. A controlled study at UCLA’s School of Medicine found that church members of Brazil’s Iniao de Vegetal (UDV) experienced remissions without recurrence of their addictions and disorders. Additionally, blood samples showed the unexpected: Ayahuasca increased the number of serotonin receptors on nerve cells.

DANIEL PINCHBECK (ABOVE) IS A NEW AGE PHILOSOPHER AND ADVOCATE FOR PSYCHEDELICS. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CHOSE HIM AS ONE OF “THIRTY UNDER THIRTY” DESTINED TO CHANGE OUR CULTURE THROUGH HIS LITERARY WORK AT OPEN CITY THE 3D ISSUE

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BREAKING MENTAL BOUNDARIES PSYCHEDELICS TAKE YOU TO ANOTHER REALM

AYAHUASCA LIKE MANY OTHER PSYCHEDELICS DESTROYS SPACE AND TIME, BUT BRIDGES THE PARADOXICAL SUBCONSCIOUS AND CONSCIOUS WORLDS OPPOSITE PAGE: ‘KISSING’ BY ALEX GREY ABOVE, LEFT: ‘AYAHUASCA VISITATION’ BY ALEX GREY

Already the American agencies and universities are making decisions based on data rather than politics. What used to be hailed as a new tool of psychiatry, then as illegal substances, is now being evaluated as miracle medicine. Multidisciplinary Approach to Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is sponsoring research using mushrooms to treat illness while anthropologist Bia Labarte is pushing the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics into the mainstream. Surprisingly, Pinchbeck tells me that there are case studies of people’s spontaneous remissions from cancer. A short walk from the café, Pinchbeck escorts me up a flight of stairs to his apartment. His father’s large colorful abstract painting takes up one wall; and opposite, the writer’s modest library shelved with books on spirituality,

art, and hallucinogens. He sinks into a couch and flips through Grey’s illustrations, weaved with themes of death and transcendence, human psyche and the cosmos. He looks tired, and confesses to losing sleep due to writing his latest book on improving society, ruined by environmental and financial crisis. He shows me a silver tray filled with memorabilia from festivals and conferences; dried sage and quartz pendants, hardened mushroom caps and wooden handmade bongs. He places a sacred Shamanistic branch and a black obsidian shard into my palms, before taking hold of an orgone accumulator used to ward off bad weather. But clasps of thunder are already rolling in our direction. I would imagine that like the visionaries of hallucinogens before him, Pinchbeck

uses these items for the positive benefits of psychedelics, advocating “the sacred medicine slithering out of the jungle, finding human vessels for people to explore,” he says jokingly. Ayahuasca like many other psychedelics destroys space and time, but bridges the paradoxical subconscious and conscious worlds. Pinchbeck is preparing for next’s years global awareness campaign, Unify Earth, in hopes of reconnecting millions of people to their soul through prayer, meditation and psychedelics. The event will be held at different locations, scheduled days before tribal cultures foretold the end of one age and the beginning of another. Rather than foreseeing doom and destruction as the Mayans had, he anticipates a new era of cosmic renewal bearing advancements in astrophysics, calling on indigenous prophesy to heal the mind and spirit

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TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE NEW DIMENSION SOCIAL MEDIA CAN MAKE ANYTHING HAPPEN

7 year-old Basel Anabtawi has “been a fan of Metallica since I was 13”. That’s 14 long years of fanhood. When Flash announced that Metallica was scheduled in the line up and would be performing October 25th at Yas Arena as part of the Yas Island Show Weekends (World Magnetic Tour), Basel thought this was his chance to finally meet the band that has rocked the world for decades. A marketing advisor at an automotive company, Basel decided to turn to social media to see if he could make his dream a reality. Basel created a blog, a Facebook Fan page and

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campaigned on Twitter. The hastag #BaselMeetsMetallica soon went viral with people retweeting it and rooting for him all over the region, in addition to some from Western countries. Media acknowledgment soon followed said Basel, ‘’A couple of TV stations, a radio host and a lot of bloggers,” picked up Basel’s cause. At the time of our first chat with Basel, he said that “Flash has released 2 separate statements about our campaign - but they have not come back to us as of yet.”

#BASELMEETSMETALLICA

Time Out Dubai soon jumped into the fray, asking Basel to get them 500 new Twitter followers to earn his meet and greet with the legendary rockers. And then what happened? Du, a telecom provide in the United Arab Emirates, tweeted, “Your passionate campaign for Metallica has won our hearts! We’ve decided to give you the Meet & Greet #BaselMeetsMeallica @BaselAnabtawi”! Setting off Twitter pandemonium, Du executed the social media coup of the year. Timing is everything and on October 25th, Basel Anabtawi’s social media skill rewarded him by tens. Congrats, Basel!

The Blue House - Rue Gouraud - Beirut, Lebanon Tel. +961 1 44 40 80, Fax. +961 1 56 59 97 www.nobrandholding.com

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FACETS+FACADES New York Times

BESTSELLING AUTHOR

EXAMINING

THE HUMAN ELEMENT BY AMAL CHAABAN

Amal Chaaban talks to bestselling author Lisa Unger exclusively for RAGMAG Your books deal with a lot of hidden undercurrents in relationships as well as things left unsaid. Do you think that happens a lot?

Lisa Unger is an award-winning New York Times and international bestselling author. Her novels have sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. and have been translated into 26 different languages. She was born in New Haven, Connecticut but grew up in the Netherlands, England, New Jersey and New York, where she graduated from the New School for Social Research. Lisa now divides her time, along with her husband and daughter, between Florida and New York City. Her writing has been hailed as “masterful” (St. Petersburg Times), “sensational” (Publishers Weekly) and “sophisticated” (New York Daily News) with “gripping narrative and evocative, muscular prose” (Associated Press). Follow her on Twitter @lisaunger www.lisaunger.com

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I think we do. I think that probably the person who put it best was an Australian friend of mine, an author named J.J. Cooper who used to be an interrogator for the Australian Military. One of the things he said to me in an early conversation was that people have 3 selves. You have the public self, the person that everybody sees; you have the private self, the one that is known to your friends and your family and those in your inner circle. Then there’s your intimate self, the person who is known only to you. None of those selves are any

less or more real, it’s just that people have a lot of layers. They are going to show one side of themselves to one person and another side of themselves to another person and those choices might not necessarily be conscious. If you are thinking of people having all of these different kinds of selves and inner thoughts, at any moment you might just be seeing a sliver of the person in front of you and I think that is true of every encounter. Also, there is the element of what you bring to your relationships, what you are extracting from people with the energy you put in. Your relationship to somebody also influences who they are. So with all of that going on all of the time, how can there not be?

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“PEOPLE HAVE 3 SELVES. YOU HAVE THE PUBLIC SELF, THE PERSON THAT EVERYBODY SEES; YOU HAVE THE PRIVATE SELF, THE ONE THAT IS KNOWN TO YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR FAMILY AND THOSE IN YOUR INNER CIRCLE. THEN THERE’S YOUR INTIMATE SELF, THE PERSON WHO IS KNOWN ONLY TO YOU. NONE OF THOSE SELVES ARE ANY LESS OR MORE REAL, IT’S JUST THAT PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF LAYERS” One of your novels “Die for You” deals with a man who has had a double life. Do you think that the age of technology we live in makes that harder or easier?

I was actually just answering a question about technology earlier and how it changes our interactions and how it is affecting crime fiction, how our characters interact with each other in a super speeded up way. It is kind of interesting, because really what we are talking about is people and how they communicate is not as important as what they are actually saying to each other. Not to a writer, not to anybody. I would think it would be harder to have the kind of life that Marcus had [in the book] but interestingly enough, when I went on tour, I was approached by at least 3 different women who told me that they had wound up marrying somebody who turned out to be completely different than who they thought he was. This is something that happens with surprising regularity. I don’t know if it’s just a matter of we see who we want to see. I think there is a certain element of you choosing not to see certain things because once you see them, there is a responsibility to do something about it.

There is a great deal of duplicity in some of your characters. Do you think people can be that duplicitous out of necessity or want?

I think people can be pretty duplicitous, yes. Maybe because they need to do it or they want to do it. I have this theory about people that everybody just wants to be happy and some of us are really badly informed about how to make ourselves happy. This is true of a twisted sort of deranged psychopath, that person, you know, that other person that we are always so afraid of. The faceless killer or the abductor or whatever, that person even though they are operating by a code that most of us don’t operate [by]; that person probably just has many of the same motivations that we have but we have different ways of making ourselves happy. It doesn’t make most of us happy to lie but there are some people that it does make happy. There is this whole other element of the population that is some kind of functional sociopath, there is a theory that 1 of 10 people is walking around without a conscience. If you are that person, then no amount of lying, backstabbing or exploiting you do can make you feel bad.

Your villains are made all the worse by their sheer outward normalcy. Do you think the monster is more likely the person you would least expect than someone who looks the part?

It’s interesting- I feel like you can feel the energy of other people. Again, there is the possibility that these kind of evil people are walking around and 90 percent of the people are thinking he is a great guy that cleans out their gutters when they can’t, when really he’s got thirty bodies in the basement. But I think there must be some people who can see that or who can feel that energy. I think that to go back to that theory that one in ten people is walking around without a conscience, the sociopath is a pretty common occurrence and not the same thing as a psychopath which is pretty rare occurrence. The frightening thing about those people is that they are just really excellent mimics so even if they are not experiencing the same emotions; they have become adept at mimicking those emotions to manipulate people. Most of the time if you saw somebody skulking up your street with a big giant knife frothing at the mouth, you think that person is not a good predator. In order to be a good predator, you have to blend in…

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“WHEN YOU HAVE A CHILD YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS SO YOU MIGHT SACRIFICE YOURSELF FOR WHATEVER REASONS YOU HAVE LISTED AND STAY” The theme of how choices shape our lives is very strong in “Beautiful Lies”. Do you believe that each choice we make takes us on a path we may not have taken before?

Absolutely, I think that just like happiness, there is sort of the course of your life there is this chain link of choices, big choices and little choices. At the end of the day, that is your life. You don’t know what other path there was, the other path doesn’t exist. All

In “Beautiful Lies”, the prologue deals with the cycle of domestic violence. Why do you think that some women wait until they think their children are in danger before they do anything?

I think when you have a child you have a different perspective on things so you might sacrifice yourself for whatever reasons you have listed and stay. You can make all those excuses for yourself, especially if you have low self-esteem and choose to stay in a situation where your low selfesteem is reinforced but you may have a much clearer vision about your child. No matter how you feel about yourself, hopefully, you hold your child in much higher regard. So you can think, ‘I am going to take it but I am not going to allow my child to be hurt in anyway’ so when those threats start to affect the children, I think that is when those women find strength that they didn’t know they had.

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that exists is the path that you are on and to imagine that any other choice would have been a better one is in a way kind of a folly because you just don’t know. You don’t know where that other path would have led you. You can choose to be happy with your life as it is right now, you can choose to make it different but you can’t ever choose to go back

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CHARTING UNKNOWN WATERS LEBANESE DIVER CHRISTIAN FRANCIS DISCOVERS THE WORLD’S ONLY VERTICAL SHIP WRECK

BY SABINA LLEWELLYN-DAVIES

“

hen I first saw it towering above us, it looked like an enormous and curious mass, standing tall in the dark waters surrounding it. Mind boggling,” says Christian Francis, an ardent deepsea diver who has been exploring Lebanon’s offshore for almost 30 years now. He remembers the day as if it were yesterday. On August 22, 2004 after a long search of almost eight years, Francis discovered something so noteworthy that it was to attract worldwide interest: the shipwreck of HMS Victoria standing vertical planted in a muddy seabed six sea miles off the coast of Tripoli. “What makes the wreck of HMS Victoria so unique is that it is the last of the ironclads dating from the end of the 19th century, plus it’s vertical position and good state of preservation,” says Francis.

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For many years Francis had been enthralled by stories from Tripoli’s fishermen about a British naval ship that sank back in 1893. Spurred on by the tales he set out on a long search, which was to take him all the way to London’s National Maritime Museum library, the National Archive and the Imperial War Museum. It took Francis seven trips to London before he could get a full picture of the magnitude of the wreck and its historic significance. According to official records, the British Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet was anchoring off the coast of Tripoli. Admiral George Tryon, Commanderin-Chief on the flagship, ordered a group of eleven battleships to turn towards each other. To Tyron’s bad luck this maneuver failed dramatically as the ships were too close. HMS Camperdown, under second-incommand Admiral Markham, rammed

into the bows of Tryon’s HMS Victoria and within minutes the Victoria, named after the reigning British monarch, sank taking Admiral Markham and his 358man crew to their deaths.

“WHAT MAKES THE WRECK OF HMS VICTORIA SO UNIQUE IS THAT IT IS THE LAST OF THE IRONCLADS DATING FROM THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY, PLUS IT’S VERTICAL POSITION AND GOOD STATE OF PRESERVATION”

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Francis is considered to be Lebanon’s most professional scuba diver. The Lebanese-Austrian national began diving in 1983, aged just 15. “It was mainly the love of being able to explore the underwater world that attracted me, without boundaries and unattached to the surface,” says Francis. “My very first dive was in a grotto, looking around for new passages.” He was the first diver to explore the so-called blue holes of Chekka in North Lebanon, believed to be the biggest fresh water springs in the world. After an erratic school period, due to the civil war raging in Lebanon, he left for Austria where he gained a degree in Economics from the Vienna University of Economics, followed by an MBA from the American University in Cairo. He went on to follow his passion for rowing and participated

in the World Championships in Vienna in 1992 and the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Today, he is a qualified diving instructor trainer and certifier for all levels of diving. His highest diving certificate is that of a Trimix Closed Circuit Rebreather diver explorer level and he has taught and certified over 1,300 divers. Francis has dived the wreck over forty times, exploring the wreck’s unique position and integrity. He has also worked hard on legal issues in order to protect the wreck from marine perils, looting and blast fishing. In the past few years he has become versed in maritime law, with a specialty in historic wrecks. Due to his intervention various charters now protect the site and visits to the wreck are officially sanctioned and have to be in accordance with strict preservation guidelines.

APART FROM DIVING, THE PROTECTION OF UNDERWATER CULTURAL HERITAGE IN LEBANON IS HIGH ON FRANCIS’ AGENDA

Francis is passionate about preserving the wreck and insists that only the world’s best technical divers should explore it. Unlike the Titanic, the Victoria can actually be explored due to its unique position and the potentials have excited the international diving community. This October, eight expert divers from five countries joined him to explore HMS Victoria, which he fondly dubs “the Mount Everest of wrecks”; he believes that diving the wreck is the ultimate challenge for divers, just like climbing the highest summit is the ultimate thrill for ardent mountaineers. Apart from diving, the protection of underwater cultural heritage in Lebanon is high on Francis’ agenda; he intends to establish an NGO to channel funds to help protect the wreck and hopes to create a historic maritime museum. Until then he will continue to dive down under, discovering the deep blue; “Since it is a passion of mine, I will keep exploring, looking for historic wrecks in our waters. Maybe one day I will find a Phoenician wreck, the mother of all antique wrecks.” Lebanon’s deep blue has never appeared more enticing

THE 3D ISSUE

3D facts THE SECOND TIME AROUND

The Second Time Around Nothing New

RAGMAG’s 3D outfit this issue is the anaglyph type. According to the know it all peeps at Mariam Webster, the origin of the word anaglyph is derived from “Late Latin anaglyphus embossed, from Greek anaglyphos, from anaglyphein to emboss, from ana+ glyphein to carve”. It basically referred to sculpture and carving that gave a more dimensional aspect and the first known use was as far back as 1651.

RSVP Freedom of Creation, a design and research house that specializes in design with 3D printing tech, have created the “world’s first 3D font”. 2 versions of the 3D font are available, Kashida-arabic and Kashida-latin, developed by Yara Khoury and Melle Hammer in collaboration with FOC. They were invited to do so by the Khatt foundation, an Amsterdam based Center for Arabic Typography.

Smiley Face One discipline that uses 3D often is psychology but not in the visual sense. There are the Three Dimensions of Happiness, the Three-Dimensional Model of Leadership and Hans Eysenck’s Three Dimensions of Personality. According to Martin Seligman, “a pioneer of happiology” and the “father of Positive Psychology”, we can experience three kinds of happiness: 1) pleasure and gratification 2) embodiment of strengths and virtues 3) meaning and purpose.

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A Star Is Born

Box office blast hit Avatar, directed by James Cameron, based their starring on American actor and model Zoe Saldana. Zoe played main character Neytiri, the daughter of the leader of the Omaticaya, in Avatar and was developed using performance capture. In addition to Avatar, she is best known for best known for her roles in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”, “Star Trek” and “Colombiana”.

Gotcha Performance capture, also called motion capture or mocap in its less advanced form, was used to create the pretty and nimble Neytiri as well as all the other Na’vi of Avatar. The entire “visual aspect is completely computer generated” using a film technique in 2D and 3D which involves recording actions of actors, then using the collected information to animate digital characters. It is also used for purposes of military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision. Get your own motion capture suit at www.xsens.com

Fetish Fix You can now have your own “3D pin-up girl or baby doll” in a few short clicks! According to Myvirutallady.com, “The most appealing 3D human figure for anime and manga excitement has been made by DAZ3D under the name and style of Aiko 4… Isa is a Gothic anime girl with sexy maid costume posing next to the wet bar.” We think 3D has gone a bit too far!

Surround Sound, Literally! The song “The Time: The Dirty Bit” by the Black Eyed Peas is the first ever 3D music video. Viewed through their app by sticking you in the middle of the video party scene, it gives a 360 swivel view. Smarty pants will.i.am saw the potential of 360 music videos so he now has company called will.i.apps with Edo Segal of Futurity Ventures allowing other 3D inclined crooners to create their own.

THE 3D ISSUE

forhim

THE SCIENCE

OF HORROR WHY 3D DOESN’T MATTER BY RAMI SALAMÉ

f you’re the type that enjoys a good headache, 3D movies are the perfect pastime. The 3D glasses are wonderful for migraines. Otherwise, 3D movies are just boring movies where things explode in your face or come rushing at you and make you wince. That’s the only added value for 3D movies.

What I find to be even more boring are the new generation of horror movies in 3D, the recent one I’m aware of being Saw 3D. I’m no horror movie fanatic but if I know one thing about horror movies, it’s that adding a 3D effect to it does not make it any scarier. That’s mainly because the science of what makes a horror movie scary has nothing to do with the third dimension or any advancement in technology. Horror is an instinct, and instinct is not related to science. There are two types of horror movies for me. The first type makes use of gore and blood (and innards) to add a layer of disgust to the horror. I do not and will not watch this type. I can’t stomach it. The second type, which I consider the most devastating, is the one that plays on our basic, instinctual and carnal fear: Attachment. This type of horror movie is where the real horror lies. I remember in 2008 how the movie completely crushed me. I couldn’t function properly for days afterwards. By any horror-movie buff’s opinion, Cloverfield is definitely not the scariest of the available options. It had poor ratings and reviews. But for me, this movie was the perfect example of a well-orchestrated and very evil movie indeed.

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The reason I give it top prize in emotional and psychological torture is this simple fact: Everyone that I – the viewer – associated with eventually died. This has to be the single worst ingredient in a movie. There’s no lack of horrible movies or apocalyptic movies. But how harsh a movie is depends not on how many people die in the movie, but rather on who dies in the movie. When we enter a horror movie’s world, we have a natural reflex to look for and pinpoint the characters that will eventually make it to the end. That is because we are raised on ideals and beliefs that the good guys triumph. We look for the “good guys”. We expect them to survive. We build an immediate attachment to these good guys, and we depend on them to help us through the next 90 minutes of expected fear. We secretly hope they will.

A HORRIBLE, DEVASTATING MOVIE IS ONE THAT KILLS OFF EVERYONE THAT YOU’VE ASSOCIATED WITH THROUGHOUT THE MOVIE. CLOVERFIELD DID THAT “Maybe this new guy won’t die,” you convince yourself. “Maybe he’s the one who will survive.” But he dies. So you jump to his friend. The friend dies. One more friend? One more friend dies. All the characters seem equally important at this point. You need someone, anyone, you can depend on to make it to the end of the movie and survive! At this point, you need someone to survive for the sake of your wellbeing. You have a desperate need for your “good guy” beliefs to remain intact. And then the final scene. The last two people – a couple in love, whom you were praying to God would survive because you don’t want come out of this movie feeling like ultimate shit – die together, facing the handheld camera documenting the horror, whispering “I love you” to each other. Then the camera, the first and last character in the movie, is destroyed. Then the credits roll. Then the trouble breathing. And the headache, sans 3D glasses

For a movie to disturb you, or shatter you, it has to kill people that you are most likely to associate with. It has to ruin you in that way. Weak movies kill the hero’s friends or family – leaving you with the hero to predictably take you through the movie. Boring. Mild movies kill the hero off at some point, but they leave some main characters as survivors; characters you’ve associated with due to their proximity or relationship with the hero; characters of consequence in the movie. They remain your lifeline to the end. But a horrible, devastating movie is one that kills off everyone that you’ve

associated with throughout the movie. Cloverfield did that. I couldn’t depend on anyone in the movie to save me. The movie is shot using a hand-held camera, which, for the viewer, becomes his eyes. You convince yourself that the camera, being the main character in a way, will survive the horror. You depend on the camera (and the character holding the camera) to survive to the end. I did. But each and every one of the main characters dies. And the worst part is, as each one of the main characters (or the only characters, in this case) dies, you, the viewer, hold on to the next one to guide you through the rest of movie.

Rami Salamé is a part-time pedestrian, OCD ruminator, and eternal child. He is a Lebanese expat in Jeddah, KSA, where he is also a stand-up comedian and comedy writer by night. He is not possessed by the devil or anything. Follow him on Twitter @ramisalame Find him on Facebook @rami.comedian

THE 3D ISSUE

LEFT AMANDA TELESCOPE NEUTRINO WELL (SEE OPPOSITE PAGE CAPTION)

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD NEW SCIENTIFIC DIMENSIONS BY J.E.N.

“FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET, MORE POWERFUL THAN A LOCOMOTIVE, ABLE TO LEAP TALL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE BOUND. LOOK, UP IN THE SKY! IT’S A BIRD! IT’S A PLANE!” IT’S A NEUTRINO! AND IT MIGHT BE ABLE TO MOVE FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF LIGHT.

hen this super news made the headlines in late September 2011, the scientific world started to accelerate into an intense debate. Elation and excitement were mixed with feelings of fear, shock and outright rejection. On the 22nd of September the Guardian newspaper had an article titled: “Faster than light particles found, claim scientists. Particle physicists detect neutrinos travelling faster than light, a feat forbidden by Einstein’s theory of special relativity.” The last part reveals the gravity of this “finding”. If particles can indeed move faster than the speed of light, then a huge portion of modern science is wrong. We’d have to go back to the drawing board and reexamine the way we view the world around us.

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Researchers were working on the Opera (Oscillation Project with EmulsiontRacking Apparatus) experiment to record how long it takes particles called neutrinos to get to the lab from CERN (see past issues of RAGMAG for more details about CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and the God Particle). Neutrinos are tiny odd particles that can move through things (sort of like a ghost moving through a wall). After collecting the data of 15,000 neutrinos for 3 years, the researchers noticed that the neutrinos were travelling at 299,798,454 metres per second. The speed of light is 299,792,458 metres per second, meaning that the neutrinos were travelling faster than the speed of light. At school we all learnt that nothing can travel faster than the speed

of light (based on Einstein’s great contributions to science) and hence this finding perplexed the research team. While they announced the results, the researchers stressed that more research from other labs was needed before these findings could be deemed conclusive. Antonio Ereditato, coordinator of the Opera collaboration, stated: “When you get such a result you want to make sure you made no mistakes, that there are no nasty things going on you didn’t think of. We spent months and months doing checks and we have not been able to find any errors.” And yet the Opera team hopes that the scientific community will study things further.

the final frontier THIS PAGE: AMANDA TELESCOPE ARRAY DESIGNED TO LOOK DOWN THROUGH THE EARTH TO THE SKY IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE TO STUDY NEUTRINOS THAT ARE PRODUCED IN THE NUCLEAR REACTIONS THAT TAKE PLACE IN THE SOLAR CORE. PHOTO BY ROBERT MORSE

IF THIS IS PROVED TO BE TRUE IT WOULD BE A MASSIVE, MASSIVE EVENT. IT IS SOMETHING NOBODY WAS EXPECTING Why? Why is everyone treating this finding as if it were a time bomb waiting to explode? Because it is. If things can travel faster than the speed of light then that means we can time travel. And if we can time travel, then basics like cause and effect and time and causality collapse. It’s worth noting that even if time travel is theoretically possible, making it a physically possible will be another story, so don’t pack your bags just yet. Subir Sarkar, head of particle theory at Oxford University, explains: “If this is proved to be true it would be a massive, massive event. It is something nobody was expecting… The constancy of the speed of light essentially underpins our understanding of space and time and causality, which is the fact that cause comes before effect… Cause cannot

come after effect and that is absolutely fundamental to our construction of the physical universe. If we do not have causality, we are buggered.” While the evidence is rather strong, the Opera team did not claim a discovery per se because the results touch upon something so fundamental in such a revolutionary manner. Alan Kostelecky, an expert in the possibility of faster-than-light processes at Indiana University, is very excited and seems to embrace the possibility: “It is not necessarily the case that the limiting speed in nature is the speed of light… It might actually be the speed of neutrinos and light goes more slowly.” Kostelecky adds, “If this is confirmed, this is the first evidence for a crack in the structure of physics as we know it that could provide a clue to constructing such a unified theory.”

Other scientists have theories such as the neutrinos taking short-cuts, making them appear to move faster and so on. While it’s hard to tell what caused the results or whether the results are valid, no one seems to disagree on the fact that it will take time to do more research. Research teams are already fully engaged in further studies and one of them, MINOS in Chicago, observed neutrinos moving faster than light, but it’s still too early to make any certain claims. Frank Close, a professor of theoretical physics at Oxford University and emeritus fellow at Exeter College, Oxford stated: “Ultimately nature knows the answers and we have to find them by experiment.”

THE 3D ISSUE

TECH TRENDS ALWAYS A NEW DIMENSION

KNOW YOUR INTERNET MEMES BY MARIA-ELENA KASSAB

A MEME (RHYMES WITH CREAM) CAN TAKE THE FORM OF HYPERLINKS, HASHTAGS, VIDEOS, PICTURES, SONGS, WEBSITES, SENTENCES OR EVEN WORDS AND SPREAD THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, SPECIALIZED SITES, BLOGS, EMAILS AND VARIOUS WEB-BASED SERVICES

efore you cringe away from this article because you think I’m talking about the cultural aspects of memes or their religious connotations, let me tell you that what we’re tackling here might be the most entertaining internet phenomenon you’ll ever come across. Memes, a term coined by Richard Dawkins to explain the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena in the context of human evolutions, are taking the world wide web by storm, and it’s easy to see why: they’re funny, creative and spread like wildfire.

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A meme (rhymes with cream) can take the form of hyperlinks, hashtags, videos, pictures, songs, websites, sentences or even words and spread through social media sites, specialized sites, blogs, emails and various webbased services. Some memes become worldwide phenomena whilst others remain limited to one country or culture; some barely last a few days while others stick around. Since memes are inexpensive and popular, they have been used in viral marketing campaigns. You might argue that memes aren’t that popular, since you’ve never heard of them, but if you’ve ever used the words “epic fail” to describe a funny or spectacular failure, you’ve used a meme –although it’s more of an internet slang thing.

Some memes are based on celebrities, such as the Sad Keanu/Keanu Is Sad meme, the Rebecca Black “Friday” meme, the Nope! Chuck Testa meme, the Xzibit “Yo Dawg” meme, the Bear Grylls “Better Drink My Own Piss” meme and the Rich Boy “Dat Ass” meme. This one emerged when rapper Rich Boy bit on his lower lip while listening to an audience member speak on MTV’s TRL. This meme is mostly used after or next to a picture of a hot girl or even a donkey. Other popular celeb-memes include the Zuckerberg Note Pass (from the movie The Social Network) and The Most Interesting Man in the World/The Dos Equis Guy (“I don’t always talk about myself in the third person, but when he does, I do”).

the final frontier

A whole lot of other memes touch on situations and people you come across every single day: From the Socially Awkward Penguin (“Crush is online, say hello… crush is offline”) to the Foul Bachelor Frog (“Wake up in living room: is the sun coming up or going down?”), from the Hipster Kitty (“I donated to Haiti… before the earthquake”) to the Annoying Facebook Girl (“Posts pictures in bikinis and shorts and then ‘OMG I get added by pervs all da time’!”), from Good Guy Greg (“Fleeing from Orcs, stays back to fight the Balrog”) to his antithesis, Scumbag Steve (“Grandpa gets surgery… steal his pain meds), memes cover most people you meet on the street on any given day.

The top five memes are quite varied:

1. Here we find the LOLcat pictures, which are composed of the image of a cat and a funny caption in LOLspeak (intentionally misspelled words or poorly-constructed sentences), such as the one with the tiny kitten with a dirty mouth and the caption “I eated a butter”.

4. All Your Base Are Belong To Us, an Engrish (Broken English) sentence from the poorly-translated Japanese video game Zero Wing.

5. The cutest meme ever, Oolong the Pancake Rabbit. The original caption for this meme is “I have no idea what you’re talking about, so here’s a bunny with a pancake on its head”. 2. Rickrolling, which is probably the most hilarious/annoying meme in the world. It usually comes as a disguised hyperlink that takes you to the music video for Rick Astley’s 1987 song, Never Gonna Give You Up. A famous Rickroll was April Fool’s Day 2008, when all the videos on the front page of YouTube took visitors to the Never Gonna Give You Up Video.

The most popular memes are faces and expressions that can be added to a mini comic strip. The faces range from the popular FFFFUUUU rage face to the crying Forever Alone face, the Sweet Baby Jesus (that’s good) face, the Blueberry I Lied face, the Me Gusta face, the Trollface (Problem?) face, the F*ck Yeah face, the Challenge Accepted guy, the Close Enough guy, the Fuck That/Dumb Bitch guy, the Aaaawww Yyyeeaaa guy, the OMG Rage Face…

Now that I’ve piqued your interest, why don’t you browse the internet and look for memes on www.knowyourmeme.com, www.memebase.com, www.reddit.com and tweet me your favorites @ElenaKassab!

3. The This Is Sparta! Meme, inspired by the famous scene from 300 when Gerard Butler’s King Leonidas kicks a Persian messenger into a unending well.

Warning: browsing for memes will have you postponing your daily activities such as bathing, eating, drinking, sleeping, socializing, talking to your family, working, studying… you’ve been warned!

THE 3D ISSUE

TO 3D OR

NOT TO 3D? THAT IS THE QUESTION KITE SURFING FOR DUMMIES BY SABINA LLEWELLYN-DAVIES

WHAT THE HECK, THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO ME IS GETTING PULLED UP INTO THE SKY AND WHISKED OFF TO CYPRUS, RIGHT?

few months ago, I met up with Tanguy Faucon, a French DJ who hosts the morning show on Lebanon’s Light FM. Tanguy is also the Lebanese kite surfing champion and I had a great day watching him and his friends pulling some high powered stunts at sea back in May. I did some Googling and came across the concept of a new 3D kite control bar. A perfect feature for the upcoming 3D theme issue of RAGMAG… Or so I thought. I pitched the idea to our Editor Fida and the answer was, yes, go for it! Let it be for the FML section. Well, I must admit that I hesitated. I am quite game for outdoor activities and I bike, hike, snorkel, ski… I even used to jump out of planes. I broke my leg this year and am the not-so-proud owner of a metal plate and eight pins, so have become a bit more careful, but, what the heck, the worst thing that can happen to me is getting pulled up into the sky and whisked off to Cyprus, right?

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I phoned Tanguy and he put me in touch with his mate Mo who was apparently the best person around to show me the basics of kite surfing. I spoke to Mo and we agreed to meet on Saturday at a beach in the North. “I hope there will be enough wind,” I said. (Even I know that kites need wind to fly.) Mo had checked the weather forecast and was positive about strong wind. I arrive at the beach five minutes late and was panicking; yes, my BritishGermanic upbringing has made me somewhat anal about punctuality. I spot a lonesome kite surfer out at sea but had to be patient and wait for him to inch closer to the coast, finally getting his attention with some frantic waving. Turns out it was not Mo but rather a friend of his who told me that if Mo does not turn up he may be at Canary, another beach about 500 m further up north. So I make my way

over to Canary which turned out to be quite a hassle due to all the disgusting litter along the way, piles of it, some simmering after having been set alight in an feeble attempt by someone to do a clean up. Disgusting!!!!!!! Editor’s Note And so begins the never-ending catastrophe that was Sabina’s first FML assignment. I kept the extra exclamation marks on purpose- foreshadowing people!

FML [f*ck my life]

PHOTOGRAPHY JASON ZAMORA

THIS IS NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS AS THERE IS QUITE A GUST GOING. IT’S A BIT LIKE TRYING TO FLY A HEAVY KITE WHICH FLOPS DOWN WITH A HUGE FORCE IF YOU DON’T CONTROL IT At Canary beach I spot several guys kite surfing and once again wait for one of them to slow down to ask about the famous Mo. After about fifteen minutes another guy slides up to the beach; I guess it must be Mo so I tell him that we are here for the kite surf session. He looks at me with some regret, then turns back to check the surf. “Can you wait ten minutes,” he says. “No,” I insist as Jason the photographer is already pissed off with the delay - he got totally lost on the way and ended up on a beach in Cheka!

Well, it is obvious that Mo’s passion is for the sea and the surf, and not selfpromo. He gathers his kite and waves me to follow him to get the trainer kite. I have to stay on land, not go out to sea. “Really?” I ask somewhat disappointed. After overcoming my hesitation I had envisioned myself out at sea on the surf pulling that kite to and fro, I had even borrowed a wetsuit for the occasion! Mo hands me the kite bar and explains that I have to master the art of handling the kite on land first. I have to relax my arms, keep them straight and guide the kite with

an upward lift. This is not as easy as it sounds as there is quite a gust going. It’s a bit like trying to fly a heavy kite which flops down with a huge force if you don’t control it. But pulling the kite strings is fun, really quite similar to pulling the cords of a parachute for direction after the chute opens. Jason was busy clicking away trying to get some good shots of my attempts and was almost decapitated by one of the kite strings! They are thin and if you get caught in one at high speed it can cut through the skin like a sharp razor. Actually, one of the guys on the beach told me that some people have died while surfing, strangled by the kite strings. F…. what a thought! Editor’s Note Yet again Jason’s life is threatened by a member of the staff. Jason, I’ll completely understand if you don’t want to shoot the FML stunts anymore. (Just kidding- Don’t you dare opt out.)

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON ZAMORA THE 3D ISSUE

FML [f*ck my life]

And just in case you were wondering about the 3D kite control bar, this is what Google gave me. “The simplest form of a 3D bar is a ‘rectangle bar’ (the bar is a rectangle). A more complex form of 3D bars are multiple bars interconnected on both sides via a triangle (for 3 bars), a square (for 4 bars), a pentagon (for 5 bars), etc. The back lines are connected to 1 bar and the front lines are connected to another. Each bar in a 3D bar has a designated kite AOA associated with it. By grabbing on any bar in a 3D bar, one can select the associated AOA of the kite. One can change the AOA of the kite (without hooking in) by grabbing another bar. By hooking into one bar, one can adjust the AOA of the kite by grabbing and pulling on any other bar.” Do I get it? No After a few hours of training with the smaller kite on land you move onto the larger kite, also training on land for several hours before Mo decides if you can be let loose out on the open sea. Can you tell me about the 3D kite control bar, I ask? Mo gives me a blank look, I suspect he was hoping that I would leave him alone so that he could get back out to sea! Editor’s Note So much for the whole 3D tie-in LOL!

Mo explains that after training on land, you move into the water and learn to body-drag with an inflatable kite, attached to you through a harness that fits around the waist, and attached to a board, similar to a wakeboard. You have to try and get up on the board and once you can do that, you’re a kite surfer!

This is one sport which you can’t learn alone; you need an instructor to learn the right way to launch the kite and keep it flying. And the equipment is not cheap. The kites cost around $1,500 and then you need gloves and a wet suit. It’s not a team sport, but you need other kite surfers to help launch and land your kite, so you quickly get to know other surfers on the beach. In Lebanon they seem to be a friendly crowd, mainly guys but some girls are taking it up too and loving it. And, after a while you don’t even notice the garbage on the beach anymore… Can’t wait to go back for my second session! Editor’s Note All in all sounds alright, Sabina? Glad you’re out in one piece.

IN LEBANON THEY SEEM TO BE A FRIENDLY CROWD, MAINLY GUYS BUT SOME GIRLS ARE TAKING IT UP TOO AND LOVING IT. AND, AFTER A WHILE YOU DON’T EVEN NOTICE THE GARBAGE ON THE BEACH ANYMORE… 54 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

Editor’s Note Neither do we, Sabina LOL But you get an A+ for effort.

THE 3D ISSUE

cultureclash

HAYDALEBNEN’s 3D-IFFERENT

LA2LA2A

TACTICS BY SARAH HOURANY

IT ALL STARTED WITH A CUP OF COFFEE

t all started with a cup of coffee. Back then; this is all they had and it was more than enough. Comparable to the effect of Popeye swallowing spinach, transforming him from an exhausted sailor to an extraordinary strong and invincible man, coffee has that very same effect on the La2la2a members.

With the first char2a, everything dramatically changes: The Sob7iyye attendants can pull a 180 minute non-stop talking marathon! They can relate, compare, contradict, summarize and develop all the information they gathered throughout the week. And that’s not all, their vision becomes exceptional: Their eyes widen and become natural telescopes: from the small bekhech they’ve created in their walls or curtains, they can now detect kel el ta7arouket in their neighborhood. Their hearing ability improves significantly too, exceeding the 20000Hz maximum hearing range for humans: The wall that separates

their apartments from their neighbors become no obstacle, they’re able to hear every single word spoken next door. Simultaneously, their fingers are magically able to type out short messages at a record speed of 30 SMS per minute updating their absent friends on the latest news.

WITH THE FIRST CHAR2A, EVERYTHING DRAMATICALLY CHANGES 56 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

But even though that these la2la2a gatherings are refreshing and fulfilling, something always seemed to be missing. The high costs could have been it? Yeah… Kelfit el 2ittisalat (to set a gathering, to assess it and follow it up) was affecting the joy levels of sharing a khabriye. What was to be done? They just wished and waited for a solution. And then their wishes came true: BlackBerry’s BBM was developed.

WHAT LAL2ALA UNITES, TECHNOLOGY CANNOT SEPARATE

Astonishingly enough, they were able to carry conversations with friends all around the world, chat within a group, talk simultaneously with many of their la2la2a mates, send and receive an unlimited number of messages for free! Plus, they were able to have instant status and picture updates! Despite the fact that BBM made their lives much easier allowing them to share more news at a lower cost and shorter periods of time, something was missing. If they were not physically present at a certain party, how could they know where this party took place and what people were wearing and who’s dating who? What if the la2la2a buddy who was present wasn’t a great reporter? Even BBM was useless then… Luckily, their wishes came true again: Something new was created, something that allowed them to know when their jara left home and where she was heading, something that would allow them to ask, smartly, their discrete colleague at the office: Chu kif ken el White mberi7? Or even to find out who’s in love ma3 min w kif w lech w amtin w chu lebsin w chu 3amlin… wowww! They just adored FACEBOOK.

But sadly enough, something still seemed to be missing. With Facebook, they couldn’t be invisible, they couldn’t travel through time and space to be present at different places at one time! But guess what? Even if their dimensional machine were to be created, a new third dimension of la2la2a so to speak, sob7iyet el 2ahwe will never be replaced. What lal2ala unites, technology cannot separate… It all started with a cup of coffee and it always will; chu nsito eno hayda Lebnen ya 3ayneh!

THE 3D ISSUE

COUPLEDOM TAKES YOU TO ANOTHER DIMENSION BY MARIA-ELENA KASSAB

WHEN YOU’RE HEAD OVER HEELS

YOU BECOME A COUPLE-BLOB, A BLURRED ENTITY OF LOVE WITH ZERO INDIVIDUALITY

ove is in the air, you finally met someone and he/she could very well be THE ONE. You always smile like you’re constantly high –and you are, actually, high on love – and you put a positive spin on any tragedy that strikes around the world. Everything is beautiful, from a bird’s song that suddenly becomes laden with amazing rhymes about the magnificence of Earth and its Creator to the mess your kittens made in your house, turning your favorite quilt into sad strips of colored fabric. You’re in love, in a relationship, in a couple… but slowly, you go from being in a couple to being a couple, and ONLY a couple. You lose touch with the real world, who wants you

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and your significant other to be two people who love each other and are in a healthy relationship to becoming a couple-blob, a blurred entity of love with zero individuality. You started off as two people who completed each other in every aspect: physical differences, distinct fashion styles, diverging tastes in music, food, movies and philosophy, different likes and preferences in terms of outings and plans. You liked being so different, yet so compatible and everybody commented on this astounding harmony between the two of you. However, you slowly merged into one single entity as your two personalities blurred together – much to the dismay of those around you.

At first, people in relationships only see their significant other and the rest of the world just melts away; a while into the relationship, the two people concerned notice they’ve been neglecting their friends and manage to find a balance between Girls’ Nights Out and Guy’s Wild Day on one hand, and couple-time on the other. Sadly, this precarious, yet succulent balance never lasts and couples go back to neglecting their friends, using the worn-out, “We need to spend quality time together, I think he/she is the one!” as an excuse. They either stay home together or go out alone –which brings me to my next point: the couplefriendly outings.

mon amour, mon ami

Say you’re in a relationship and you’re so head-over-heels, you’re mentally walking upside down all the time. Then, some whiny friends go on and on about how they never see you anymore because you’re always with your significant other. When you can’t take it anymore, you finally cave and agree to go out with them on one condition: You get to bring along a few new friends. When D-Day (or N-Night) comes around, you and your new friends meet up with your old friends and it’s a good old-fashioned Western showdown: facing you, your friends are an eclectic mix of single girls dressed to the nines, single guys looking rather dashing and an odd couple ready to paint the town red. On your side: Nothing but couples. Lovey-dovey, dewy-eyed sweethearts who back you in your decision to go to a certain pub. And when you get there, your side smiles widely as the others groan in frustration: the lights are muted, the music is chillaxing, the atmosphere is romantic and the place is filled with couples whispering sweet nothings to each other in loveseats. Heaven, right?

When you’ve been in a relationship so long, you’re no longer TWO separate people but ONE couple, you start losing sight of who you used to be when you had your own distinct personality and weren’t living in symbiosis with another. You’re so head-over-heels, you can practically walk on ceilings. The serious problems arise when people start forgetting their morals, principles and basic opinions just for their relationship to flow smoother. The one thing Lebanese couples never lose sight of is their political opinions, but we’ve all seen young women change their minds about the death penalty because their boyfriend has a different opinion and young men change their university majors because their girl said it wasn’t cool or lucrative enough. You start having chai tea instead of coffee because a morning cup of joe is too mainstream for your lady. You stop practicing Yoga because your man seems to think it’s a Satanic activity. You develop anemia because your girlfriend wants you to eat specific kinds of food. You make yourself forget your passion for Greek mythology because your boyfriend thinks it’s too geeky.

The list can go on, but if you’re reading this and you’re not part of a blob, you already know what I’m talking about. And if you are part of a blob, you’re probably not reading this because you only have eyes for each other, not my words, right? Besides, you’re head-over-heels, in another world basically –Can you even read like this? Hello?

YOU START LOSING SIGHT OF WHO YOU USED TO BE WHEN YOU HAD YOUR OWN DISTINCT PERSONALITY AND WEREN’T LIVING IN SYMBIOSIS WITH ANOTHER

THE 3D ISSUE

mon amour, mon ami

THE LENGTH, WIDTH + DEPTH OF

MANIPULATION BY SARAH HOURANY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MERT ALAS & MARCUS PIGGOT “I’M A MARIONETTE” - POP SPRING/SUMMER 2007 (NO. 15) COPYRIGHT POP 2007

60 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

HE DOESN’T PHYSICALLY INTIMIDATE YOU, YET YOU FEEL AFRAID. HE SAYS HE LOVES YOU, YET YOU FEEL INSECURE. HE FLATTERS YOU, YET YOU FEEL WORTHLESS. YOU GIVE HIM EVERYTHING HE ASKS FOR, YET YOU FEEL GUILTY. WHAT IS IT IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP THAT MAKES YOU SO SAD, ANXIOUS AND UNABLE TO END IT? LADIES, OR MORE ACCURATELY, MARIONETTES, RAGMAG’S SPECIAL 3D EYEGLASSES ALLOW YOU TO FINALLY SEE THE 3 DIMENSIONS: LENGTH, DEPTH AND WIDTH OF THE BOX YOUR MANIPULATIVE BOYFRIEND HAS SUCCESSFULLY PLACED YOU IN. THE SHOW MUST NOT GO ON!

HER LOW SELF ESTEEM COUPLED WITH FEAR OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS MAKES HER VERY VULNERABLE TO MANIPULATORS, WHO IN TURN ARE EXPERTS IN DETECTING PEOPLE’S WEAKNESSES

MANIPULATION VS. INFLUENCE

Keep in mind that manipulation must be first differentiated from influence: While the latter is a common and normal behavior used to convince others of what we think is right, without forcing them to abide by it, manipulation is a coercive tactic exercised by an insecure person who has a great difficulty maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships to achieve his self-centered needs, regardless of the cost on other people. It’s like the difference between a person who inspires you to dance, and a person who is controlling your dancing moves from above with strings, like a puppet.

ARE YOU A MARIONETTE?

Manipulative people, covert-aggressive personalities, actively seek out certain characteristics in others. A typical victim has the disease to please: at the expense of her own well being, she tends to go to the extreme in pleasing others. She might for instance buy constantly lavish gifts for her boyfriend even if it means going broke. She also fears the negative emotions associated with rejection: unable to face it, she’ll do absolutely anything to be accepted by everyone. Her low self esteem coupled with fear of negative emotions makes her very susceptible to manipulators, who in turn are experts in detecting people’s weaknesses.

PULL SOME STRINGS

Disguising harmful behavior smartly, a manipulator isn’t easy to spot. This is why it may take years for you to realize that you’re hooked to a master manipulator. So how do they manage to hide it? In her book “Who’s Pulling Your Strings? How to Break the Cycle of Manipulation and Regain Control of Your Life”, Harriet Braiker posits that there are two basic ways used by manipulators: the promise of gain and the promise of avoiding loss. The first involves promising to provide something to the partner in the case of obedience, the second goes in the opposite direction: threatening a partner with a loss if disobedient.

THE 3D ISSUE

mon amour, mon ami

MANIPULATION IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR - NO ONE IS BORN WITH IT. IT’S VERY MUCH A SURVIVAL STRATEGY LEARNED FROM EARLY CHILDHOOD

CUT THE CORDS + BREAK OUT OF THE PERFORMANCE BOX!

“Manipulation is a learned behavior no one is born with it. It’s very much a survival strategy learned from early childhood and therefore changing the behavior is near impossible,” says Dr. Mary Casey, psychologist and author of “How to Deal with Master Manipulators”. Knowing this, change the way you deal with your manipulative partner: Stop complying automatically with demands. Braiker recommends that following a threatening request, you can simply delay, “I’ll get back to you on that when I have the time to think about

it.” Repeat the same sentence, even if asked you why you need time! Then confront your negative emotions such as guilt, fear or anxiety with the help of a professional. Discover the reasons behind your feelings and change the way you respond to these situations. Getting that kind of help will encourage you to finally confront your partner. Be clear and specific about what you want, keep your partner responsible for their actions and accepting no excuse in addition to setting boundaries!

Are you in a manipulative relationship?

1. Do you feel forced to do things you don’t want to do around your partner? 2. Do you feel drained of energy around him? 3. Does your relationship affect negatively your relationship with your friends and family? 4. Do you feel that you always fail to meet his expectations? 5. Do you think you are trapped in this relationship and you cannot end it? 6. Do you feel insecure in this relationship even if he always claims that he loves you? 7. Did you start feeling bad about the way you look and behave since you started dating? 8. Do you feel more sad than happy in your relationship? 9. Do you feel that his needs and wants are more important than your own? 10. Do you think that this relationship is negatively affecting your health? George Simon, goes into more detail in “Psychopaths in Sheep’s Clothing” listing the various tactics used by manipulators to control their victims • DENIAL A manipulator plays the innocent and won’t admit to wrong doing no matter how obvious. • SELECTIVE INATTENTION Purposely ignores partner’s wishes, demands warnings and needs in order to pursue the type of relationship he wants. • RATIONALIZATION Provides rational excuses to explain hurtful behaviors. This tactic can be effective since it minimizes the manipulator’s feelings of guilt and forbids the convinced victim to question behavior • LYING The aggressor is usually an expert in lying and cheating. Lying, distorting the truth, and giving vague answers to a partner’s specific questions are all game to get what they want. • COVERT INTIMIDATION Making implicit threats to keep the victim anxious using two covert-aggressive tactics: “Guilt tripping”, in which blame is placed on the partner for not caring enough or putting effort in the

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relationship, or “shaming” in which sarcasm and criticism are used to make a partner feels unworthy. • PLAYING THE VICTIM ROLE The manipulator knows exactly what issues to state: Social circumstances, family or health issues etc.. To appear as though they are suffering and in need of sympathy. • PLAYING THE SERVANT ROLE Though it’s not easy to detect, this tactic is common among manipulators. Pretending to be working for a great cause while focusing on private agendas of power-seeking and dominance over others. • SEDUCTION Flattering and praising are the manipulator’s best tools to fool others, especially those who are particularly needy and dependent. • MINIMIZATION The manipulator insists that their behavior is not as irresponsible or harmful as others see it. It is tactic that combines both denial and rationalization.

If you answered yes to 6 or more questions, then there’s a great chance that you might be stuck in a manipulative relationship. Get out and get help.

‘MANIPULATION IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR NO ONE IS BORN WITH IT. IT’S VERY MUCH A SURVIVAL STRATEGY LEARNED FROM EARLY CHILDHOOD AND THEREFORE CHANGING THE BEHAVIOR IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE’

THE 3D ISSUE

out + about

DOING THE

COMMUNITY

DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY TEDDY HABIB

AGMAG got out + about and community conscious with the Rotaract Club of Metn. Rotaract Metn organized their first fundraising event this year on October 12th at Gem on the St Nicolas stairs in Gemmayzeh. The fundraising aimed to provide free flu shots for underprivileged elderly in Lebanon. “We do community service and we need to fundraise to get finances. Our club has about 150 people, aged between 20-30 yrs of age,” says Nadine Issa, head of finance, Rotaract club of Metn. So why this particular cause? “We came up with this initiative as many [seniors] are

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at high risk of being attacked by flu which can have deadly consequences. We hope to raise a few thousand dollars and all profits will go to providing vaccinations.” Rotaract is an international organization of service clubs for young people that aims to foster leadership and responsible citizenship and fund raising projects are crucial for them. So they gathered their friends for an evening of fun, drinks and food plus some great prizes, like a Nokia phone, RayBans from L’Optique, hoping that their friends would dig deep into their pockets and support their chosen cause.

“I am a member of the Rotaract because I want to help others. Just look around, there are so many needy people and we want to help as much as we can,” says Alain Khoury, art director and graphic designer. Vanessa Badawi, who works in corporate finance in Beirut came to the event encouraged by her friends. “I support the cause as it is a good one. Us young people don’t have much time to contribute, so we come and have a drink with our friends and at the same time support a worthy cause.” Indeed! Whoever said that Beirut’s youngsters are intent on going out to party was right, but, thankfully some still manage to party for a good cause!

THE 3D ISSUE

mind, body + soul To ask a question,

send your problems to helpmenour@ragmaglive.com

To join the reader response panel

and give feedback to women across Lebanon, send your name, age, and email address to helpmenour@ragmaglive.com subject line: Interactive Panel. We will contact you if you are chosen to participate.

help me

NOUR+RABIH BY NOUR OBAJI + RABIH FEGHALI

I think my boyfriend is cheating on me I found a sexual text on his phone from one of his coworkers. He said he didn’t respond to it and he told her that he’s in a relationship. Should I trust him or keep snooping for more clues? Tina, 25

“Why were you looking through his phone? Sounds like you have either a general issue with trust or a specific issue with trusting this guy. Respect yourself and respect his privacy by either ending the snooping or the relationship.” Amal, 30

“If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck, then it’s a duck. I don’t think he is cheating on you, I know it. Regardless of the more modern morals of today, women tend not to sext (text + sex) to men that they are not intimately involved with. The fact that you were checking his text messages speaks volumes to me about the trust issues you have. If you can’t trust someone enough to not snoop (because it is snooping) through their phone, he should not be your boyfriend.” Christina, 22

“Keep an eye on him. I think it’s very hard for a man to resist that kind of temptation.” May, 28

“Even if it’s true – he didn’t respond- I don’t understand why he didn’t tell you about it anyway or why he didn’t delete it. You should investigate and note if his behaviour changed with you in some way.” Noura, 19

“Well the mere fact he kept the message sounds fishy to me. I recommend you keep your eyes open.”

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Dana, 20

“That honestly depends on your boyfriend’s track record and behaviour!”

Nour’s Vote I just can’t believe the overwhelming response from the Interactive Panel to this question! The Interactive Panel can choose which questions they want to answer and I usually filter down to 3. Every single panellist answered this question! That never happens which indicates to me several things: 1) We are all too ready to judge people. 2) We are inherently suspicious. 3) We love drama. Here is your response: You sound sneaky and he sounds suspect. I suggest you stop snooping and being nosy. Why were you snooping in the first place? Perhaps your gut prompted it or you noticed something was off? If that is the case then there is far more to the situation than we know. If you cannot do this, then you aren’t mature enough to be in an adult relationship OR your gut instinct is right and you should get out because you can’t trust him anyway. Either way I say this relationship has an expiry date so it better end sooner than later. I agree with Rabih, women in my experience tend to “sext” when prompted to by the person they are sexting with. I do not suggest continuing to play detective at this stage. Good luck, this sounds like an ugly situation.

KEEP AN EYE ON HIM. I THINK IT’S VERY HARD FOR A MAN TO RESIST THAT KIND OF TEMPTATION

Rabih’s Vote Women in general tend to not send sexual messages to men who do not entertain and or invite such behaviour. Is he cheating on you physically? Maybe not, but he is surely giving this co-worker a reason to believe that sending such a message would be welcome. In today’s busy world, workplace romances have become the norm. Being that he has allowed it, I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually does cheat eventually.

When we go out dancing with our friends I spend the whole night shaking it and my bf just sits there. It makes me crazy that he doesn’t dance with me even when I beg him to! What do I do?

YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT I DID? I STARTED DANCING WITH STRANGERS! THIS DROVE HIM CRAZY AND HE IMMEDIATELY FELT HIS MACHO SIDE TAKE OVER Stef, 28

Aida, 37

“I’ve been there and I solved that issue with my boyfriend. You wanna know what I did? I started dancing with strangers! This drove him crazy and he immediately felt his macho side take over. We’ve been shaking it together since!”

“It sounds to me like it makes you uncomfortable not people. Not everyone likes to trip the light fantastic the way you do and if you can’t accept that then time to change boyfriends. My sympathy lies directly with him because at least he makes the effort to come out with you and see you having fun. You could be stuck with a Neanderthal who freaks out every single time you go out or get up to ‘shake it’.”

Marie, 34

“Is he standoffish or just not keen on dancing? Many guys don’t like dancing and don’t even like to go to clubs. If he’s like this, then you’re lucky he’s willing to go out for your sake. On the other hand, if he’s really standoffish, then why on earth are you with him? You obviously have different personalities and interests.” Seham, 21

“I don’t think he is going to change. Try dirty dancing with a guy in front of him and let’s see how he reacts.”

Nour’s Vote My first inclination was to make fun of this question, but then I took a trip down memory lane and came up with the following: Nour has dated these kinds of men. They make you uncomfortable and the rest of the people you are out with uncomfortable. Nour stopped dating these kinds of men for that very reason since

Nour spends a great deal of time out + about. I suggest you be like Mike, uhhh Nour that is, and stop dating guys who are considered “fard sha2fi” meaning stiff and lacking in social skills. Why? Because your idea of having a good time includes dancing and his does not. Date someone more suitable and don’t worry about your current bf’s unwillingness to get his groove on. Rabih advocates liquoring him up to get him going but I think your boyfriend’s lack of dancing is indicative of other problems- like where you 2 differ from one another.

Rabih’s Vote This is just how he is. Sooner or later, people will understand that this is just how he is. Many men are uncomfortable dancing. Try making sure that he has a few alcoholic drinks. I’m sure that’ll help him loosen up and give in.

THE 3D ISSUE

I’ve been getting to know a guy who is ready for marriage in many ways but he tells me he’s not good for commitment. However when he senses another guy likes me or my time is occupied he bombards me with phone calls and tries setting up dates until he reels me back into his world. I like his company and we get along but his lack of interest in ever getting married worries me. I’m also worried I might be prepping him to be the perfect husband for someone else.

Youmna, 24

“A guy can be very much in love with you, yet not be ready for commitment! If he SAYS it, don’t even try to interpret his words in a way that would fit your comprehension of your relationship. A guy who says is ready for commitment/ marriage (those are different by the way) could be lying, but a guy who says he is not is definitely saying the truth. You either stick with him until he is, or you decide not to waste your time for you have different visions of your couple. FYI – there’s no ‘prepping’ in relationships. He’s not a dog for Christ’s sake.”

Hiba, 25

“A leopard cannot change its spots and neither will he. He was honest and told you he is not for commitment. If commitment is not good for him but it is what you want, it is up to you to cut this guy off. You say that when he senses another guy, he is all over you like a dirty shirt. I suggest that you have a chat with him and tell him it is time to put up or shut up. What is it that Beyoncé sings? ‘If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it’ and this is the discussion you have to have. The other concern with this question is why you allow yourself to be reeled back in? Maybe he suits you because you aren’t ready for a commitment, but you only think you are.”

Mahouta, 28

“This guy is both a caveman who keeps marking his territory and a modern day gigolo who is not putting a ring on it. A powerful combo that in 21st century context translates to a schmuck. Schmucks like him are a dime a dozen. And you cannot unschmuck a schmuck with your perfect hair and makeup as you prep your out-of-this-world moughrabieh. Better cut your losses.”

Nour’s Vote Okay whoa, 2 Beyoncé references in one article? For starters, the cultural pervasiveness of the truly charmanting Beyoncé is unbelievable. (Side note: If

you are about to tsk at Nour and tell her charmanting isn’t a word, you are very much mistaken- RAGMAG has used the word before and we’re waiting for it to be entered into the Urban Dictionary.) Moving on, you are prepping him to be the perfect husband? Agreed. Stop wasting your precious time and energy because trust me, the minute you turn your back and stop entertaining him is the minute you find out that he’s seeing someone else. For all you know it might be going on now since you’re teaching him everything and it is human nature to apply those teachings. Generally when people say they aren’t interested in getting married it is because they really aren’t. You were warned and it’s up to you to heed that warning.

Rabih’s Vote This dude is just not that into you. One thing’s for sure, he is insecure about his ability to maintain a family. There must be a reason - Quite a few men that “seem” fit/ready for marriage tend to have a few skeletons in the closet. If he truly wanted you, he would go after you head on. However, he does enjoy reeling you in, knowing he can have you whenever he wants. All he’s doing is massaging his ego whilst having a little bit of fun. If you were my sister, I would say Run Forresta Run!

THIS GUY IS BOTH A CAVEMAN WHO KEEPS MARKING HIS TERRITORY AND A MODERN DAY GIGOLO WHO IS NOT PUTTING A RING ON IT. A POWERFUL COMBO THAT IN 21ST CENTURY CONTEXT TRANSLATES TO A SCHMUCK 68 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

mind, body + soul

GIRL TO GIRL NOUR SOUNDS OFF FOR A READ QUESTION THAT’S A BIT TOUCHY. (PARDON THE OBVIOUS PUN) My boyfriend wants to experiment with me sexually… he has the urge to try anal sex. My first inclination is to say HELL NO, but something in me wants to make him happy. What do I do? Nour’s Vote What do you want to do? Do you want to try it or not? Are you hesitant to try it because you like more “vanilla” type sex or because you’re worried it is painful? Nour can’t tell you that trying anal sex is like trying skydiving. It isn’t. This is fraught with cultural (and possibly religious) taboos and perhaps this is the main reason you are hesitant to try it out. That is fair and a given but this is something you need to work out for yourself. A quick poll amongst Nour’s friends suggests that 9 out of 10 haven’t tried anal sex OR don’t want to admit they have. That isn’t scientific, it is just a basic example of how many women will say no. Perhaps by the time this issue is out on newsstands, my friends would have come back and said the opposite explaining they were too shy to admit to doing the deed. Basically, if you’re game- go for it. If you aren’t- don’t. Most importantly, do not let anyone, boyfriend or otherwise, talk you into doing something you are not 100 percent comfortable with. If you really do want to try it but for some reason feel awkward admitting that you do, always remember it’s literally different strokes for different folks. What you do in your bedroom is your business and no one’s judgement call should deter you from enjoying sex the way you want to. Lastly, I think it goes without saying that using protection is the number one rule and should be the first concern in any relationship- those experimenting and those still toeing the straight and narrow line. Safe sex is the ONLY way to have sex

IF YOU REALLY DO WANT TO TRY IT BUT FOR SOME REASON FEEL AWKWARD ADMITTING THAT YOU DO, ALWAYS REMEMBER IT’S LITERALLY DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS THE 3D ISSUE

3 DIMENSIONS OF A SUCCESSFUL PERSON

COVERING YOUR BASES BY MATTHEW HUSSEY

“SUCCESS MEANS HAVING THE COURAGE, THE DETERMINATION, AND THE WILL TO BECOME THE PERSON YOU BELIEVE YOU WERE MEANT TO BE” At the age of 14, my reading life consisted of a burning obsession with getting my hands on all the personal development literature I could possibly find. The fuel for this desire was a search for the answers to a single ultimate question, or at least it was the ultimate question that mattered to me at the time: How do you become a successful person? A successful life can mean many different things. Some see a successful life as simply a happy one, others see it as a life devoted to worthy pursuits and causes, or perhaps as a life where you overcome obstacles and defy your own expectations. However, for me, the famous runner George Sheehan provided the all-encompassing definition of success: “Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be”. Sheehan perfectly captures the vision of success: being able to turn your ideal into reality. That’s what we mean by being the person you were meant to be. Success is not a gift you are born with; it is the ability to transform today’s ideas into tomorrow’s existence. Successful people have the power to attract the opportunities, the jobs, and the relationships they want into their lives. From working with many people I admire, I have identified three essential dimensions embodied by all successful people.

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mind, body + soul

1. THE ASKER

Every successful person has to start by being an asker. Askers put themselves forward for the job, they pick up the phone and ask for that interview, they seek out mentors and ask for their advice, they ask others for opportunities. Put simply, askers NEVER wait for permission. A successful journalist doesn’t wait for permission to write a story, she writes it first and then sells it to the editor. A successful salesman doesn’t wait for someone to approach him asking about a product. A successful writer doesn’t wait to be offered work. Become one of life’s askers, and you will start finding opportunities everywhere. Asking does two things for you 1. It reminds people that you are seeking opportunities, making them more likely to think of your name when they have something to offer. 2. It shows them that you believe in your own worth. Being an asker is a full-time occupation. It sounds so simple that we can easily underestimate its power to completely change our lives. The moment you start asking is the moment that you take your destiny into your own hands.

2. THE DECIDER

Success is also making decisions. We all have to make decisions everyday about how to best spend our time, and to decide how much time to spend on the things that are important to us. Decision-making is becoming a crucial skill in modern society. In a world where we are faced with more choices than in any other time in human history, we can easily find ourselves crippled by the seemingly

infinite possibilities ahead of us. That’s why we have to train ourselves to be decision-makers. Successful people decide on the result they are after, and then take bold action towards it. Successful people are certain. They don’t brood and worry about what people will think of them, or how they can please everyone (both of which are sure-fire routes to indecision). What’s more, they are tough enough to stay resolute and say ‘no’ to people who try to dictate to them how they should be spending time.

3. THE FINISHER

Perhaps most important of all, is the ability to finish what you start. They say every great journey begins with a single step, but what they never tell you is to make sure that you see the journey through to the end! We are all great at beginning tasks; we can all start a fitness regime, or write the first page of a business plan, or come up with ideas for countries we would like to travel to. But what separates out the successful is the ability to see things through. Most of us are bad finishers because we think everything has to be perfect first, or because we are afraid of failure, so we put off the finishing in case our results don’t live up to our expectations. But here’s the secret: even finishing things only 75 percent correct is better than failing to finish and receiving a huge zero. Ultimately, embodying the three dimensions of a successful person requires all three of George Sheehan’s criteria, (a) courage, (b) determination, and (c) will. It takes courage to be The Asker, determination to be The Decider, and the sheer force of will to be The Finisher

FINISHING THINGS ONLY 75 PERCENT CORRECT IS BETTER THAN FAILING TO FINISH AND RECEIVING A HUGE ZERO

RAGMAG brings you the best in selfimprovement. Matthew Hussey is one of the leading talents in behavioral change and success. As a Life Strategist he has founded two coaching companies working with thousands of individuals across the globe to show them ways of making dramatic shifts in their lives. Matthew’s success has been built on finding out what people want, and showing them how to make it happen in the shortest time possible. He is currently a weekly columnist for Now magazine, providing expert advice on dating and relationship issues for female readers. In addition, his coaching has been featured in the London Metro, Evening Standard, The Sun, The Independent, Men’s Health, Glamour magazine, Cosmopolitan, and Elle magazine. His seminars have recently taken him to New York where he ran a live event and an interview with Sirius radio, and will be taking him to Las Vegas later this year to speak about his methods. A highly sought after public speaker and executive coach, Matthew has consulted companies including Accenture, Virgin, Morgan Stanley, Weil & Gotshal, and CB Richard Ellis, as well as over 5000 individuals and organizations ranging from directors of FTSE 100 Companies, Universities, international investment funds, artists, and royalty. For more information on Matthew Hussey´s worldwide coaching programmes visit www.matthewhussey.com today.

THE 3D ISSUE

PHOTOGRAPHY JASON ZAMORA

ACUPUNCTURIST

ROBERT

OGILVIE DIMENSIONS OF HOLISTIC HEALTH AT LE GRAY BY FIDA CHAABAN

get a laugh from Robert Ogilvie when I tell him he interviews like a movie star. “Just saying,” I say quickly lapsing into informalities. I’m sitting in the Cigar Lounge at Le Gray hotel in downtown Beirut and Robert Ogilvie, famous acupuncturist and holistic healer (my term not his) is speaking to me about the “damp” or “phlegm” part of my system. He started it, I promise! I had complained of a headache and fatigue and that prompted him to quiz me on my health. That’s the first dimension: Robert Ogilvie doesn’t just look at your symptoms, but rather why you are having those symptoms. “Why is somebody ill? We need to look at the root causes.” We talked about my menstrual cycle (I’ll spare

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you the details) and my weakened immunity. He asks questions that my doctor usually asks but responds with concepts that are decidedly more holistic. I’m surprised to hear him discuss “Cold Invasion”, basically the Chinese medicine term for the Lebanese condition colloquially called, “Saf2it Hawa”. We discuss the merit of this theory for a while and he hands me an herbal remedy for the flu. “Take this, really I insist!” he says and well, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I do. (Thank you, Robert!) “It’s holistic in that we take into account everything: Your lineage, how you relate to your parents, how you eat, and your exercise [regime]. It is a bespoke system of medicine comprised of who you are and what you are,” explains Robert.

The second dimension: Treatments and courses. Yes, Robert Ogilvie does acupuncture but he also suggests herbal courses to boost and maintain results. “I studied herbal medicine in ’96. Herbal medicine is a substance and blood is a substance. You use a substance to make a substance stronger. Maybe thirty to fifty percent of people I give herbal powders in addition to acupuncture. If I go forward with Le Gray and visit Beirut say monthly, I would probably prescribe herbal medicine. It is a cheap and effective way to continuously treat something,” explains Robert. We begin to discuss some of the conditions acupuncture is said to alleviate and rumoured to cure all together. I beg his indulgence and refer to the Sex and the City episode of Charlotte visiting

mirrormirror a famous New York acupuncturist to treat her infertility and that I’ve read that it’s based on a real practitioner. Robert quickly agrees, “Women having difficulty conceiving- that’s my passion. There is a physical and biological need in some women to conceive. I have huge compassion for women struggling with that. Often women after treatment conceive within 3 months and others within one cycle.” This I tell him, will be a huge draw for the Lebanese community since infertility and difficulty conceiving are rife with stigma here. For women who have tried everything, “and had all manner of medical examinations done”, acupuncture is the best and last available option says Robert and many in the holistic health community agree.

The third dimension of Robert Ogilvie is bedside manner. I’m squeamish in these situations and even more so when the person touching me is a male I’ve never seen before. Now imagine stripping down for a treatment in which you have your hand held (checking for pulse rhythmics), you’re body explored (searching for nerve endings), and finally, invaded (pin pricks that you cannot feel but will feel once the needle connects). Robert speaks soothingly as I fret asking if I can feel this or that and giving me a heads up before he administers each needle. He is intuitive, gentle and professional. Not in the habit of discussing my personal life during magazine assignments, I am a little wary of his questions but realize they are relevant to the treatment: I’m single and I’m not trying to conceive, I don’t sleep very well and yes, I’m quite stressed. If I were trying to conceive and having difficulty, Robert just might be the very person I see since it is quite an emotional

trial. The last thing a woman struggling with the emotional stress of fertility problems needs is a cold fish in the treatment room. Empathy and sympathy go a long way, and people routinely complain of doctors and even holistic practitioners who “don’t care”. I realize that Robert’s bedside manner is bespoke too, he knows I am a high-strung woman and purposely let’s me babble away- waiting for the few moments of silence that I give him to reassure, address, and reiterate concerns. My headache is gone after my acupuncture treatment and I am surprised at this, but I am way more surprised at the quiet in my mind. “The last one I administered was to promote calm. People often see me for melancholia, depression or stress,” he says simply. Well Robert, thank you, but I was so calm I couldn’t write this article for 2 days! I kind of floated along, feeling like pending deadline wasn’t so bad after all. Here it is and P.S. I’m still calm.

MY HEADACHE IS GONE AFTER MY ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT AND I AM SURPRISED AT THIS, BUT I AM WAY MORE SURPRISED AT THE QUIET IN MY MIND Robert Ogilvie is currently considering doing sessions at Le Gray. He is based in London, England and the invitation to visit Beirut came from Gordon Campbell Gray, who receives treatment from Robert. No stranger to the press, Robert is widely mentioned in reputable European publications such as the Daily Mail and the Telegraph. To find out more contact PureGray Health Club and Spa at Le Gray www.legray.com | +961 1 962 885 THE 3D ISSUE

mind, body + soul

EXPECTING

THE UNEXPECTED BMC’S PRENATAL PROGRAM PREPARES MOTHERS-TO-BE FOR THE UNKNOWN BY YOUMNA CHAGOURY

ome women might lack information about pregnancy, or fear exercising when expecting… Prenatal classes prepare mothers with labor support techniques and coping skills which will instill a high sense of confidence in their ability to enter the labor room with no fear and care for their newborn baby,” says Ms. Rita Akouri, midwife and Prenatal Classes Coordinator at BMC.

session will start with a discussion. You will be able to talk about your pregnancy, hear about others’ and ask as many questions as you want to the midwife giving the class.” We start off with a small slideshow about the importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy. To me, this subject was one of the most important ones, for the “eat for two when you’re pregnant” principle is called for in Lebanon. The BMC Prenatal Program encourages exercising during pregnancy, for it keeps expecting women in shape, thus lowering delivery complications and helps to maneuver the baby into ideal delivery position. Rita demonstrated a few exercises that pregnant women can easily do at home:

When I enter the Bellevue Medical Center gymnasium for the Prenatal Classes Program launch, all I could see were puzzled pregnant women and a young man accompanying his wife. Rita Akouri welcomes us and begins the theoretical part of the class: “Every

1. THE FITNESS BALL Exercise Sitting straight, feet on the floor, we are asked to take deep breaths and start going slightly back and forth with the pelvis, accentuate the movement after a few seconds, and finally make small rounds for several minutes.

WHY WE LIKED THE BMC’S PRENATAL CLASSES PROGRAM The BMC Prenatal Classes Program, a total of 8 sessions, aims at teaching expecting mothers how to peacefully live their pregnancy, how to tackle labor and delivery, but also what to expect AFTER delivery. During these sessions, pregnant women learn exercises and health tips that they can apply at home. It is available to any pregnant woman (even those with physicians in different medical centers). In addition, the hospital will offer the community a free session every month on breastfeeding and baby care after birth.

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WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT THE BMC’S PRENATAL CLASSES PROGRAM The focus on the importance of breastfeeding knows no limits. The program encourages mothers-to-be to adopt an exclusive breastfeeding plan for at least the first 6 months. However, a motherhood leave in Lebanon is 7 weeks. One might wonder why the program didn’t research and introduce an alternative, or the best alternate plan a working mother can get.

Effects This specific exercise is good for the spine, since your weight is balancing on the ball. It helps shift the baby into the proper delivery position. It lowers the baby in the uterus and enhances the chances of having a natural delivery instead of a C-section.

2. THE RELAXATION MAT Exercise Sitting in a yoga position – as far as the prominent bellies let us, try and relax every part of our body, from the neck to the feet. Once totally relaxed, finish with a few minutes of inhaling and exhaling. Effects This exercise is recommended during contractions, but Rita encourages expecting mothers to do it on a regular basis. “It will help dampen the pain for sure. However, it also helps the flood of oxygen into your body and your baby’s.”

For full efficacy, the exercises taught at the program are to be repeated during pregnancy

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TREATMENTS TAKE ON A NEW

DIMENSION VELASHAPE AT SILKOR

BY YOUMNA CHAGOURY

hen I entered Solidere’s Silkor branch, I didn’t expect to see such a big place in the heart of Beirut. A wide entrance hall, decorated with orange and beige sofas displayed around the reception desk, welcomes you. With its antiseptic odor instead of an essential oils scent, the atmosphere balances between a wellness resort and a clinic, and leaves its first-time customers like me puzzled. If this is certainly a good hygienic point for them, it’s not so great for the relaxation. I then remember I’m here for an electro-pulse treatment, not an Ayurvedic massage. I am welcomed to sit, fill a form – medical treatment? - and rest while waiting for my therapist to take me to the treatment room.

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EVERY POT HAS ITS LID

A few minutes later, I am taken to an office where the manager Marie-Thérèse explains to me I can’t have the electropulse treatment, for a very simple reason: it won’t work on me. Being what one would called “very chubby”, and with the amount of fat and cellulite in my body, I am not the ideal patient for the electro-therapy. That machine aims at toning up the body’s muscles. My muscles being under a layer of fat, toning them up will make it even harder for me to lose weight, and I won’t even see the effects of the treatment. “The electrotherapy is the last step of the slimming treatment. The clients should follow a diet and exercise as much as vpossible in order to lose all the extra weight, and then consider the

electrotherapy” says Marie-Thérèse. “We can try the VelaShapeII machine if you’d like.” I had vaguely heard of the machine, but didn’t know exactly what it would be about. VelaShapeII works on the fat cells and cellulite. It automatically means it’s noticeable, as one may not lose kilograms but centimeters. “Actually, it uses a combination of 3 actions: vacuum, infrared light energy and radiofrequency. The heat it creates breaks down fat deposits and firms the skin, making the treated parts slimmer and reducing cellulite and orange-peel effect skin.” I am cautioned: when having VelaShape treatments, one should drink a lot of water, approximately 2.5L/day, in order to eject the broken fat cells.

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“Cool, I’m getting 40min of relaxation to slim my silhouette down,” I think. While I take place on the treatment bed, my physiotherapist Nivine starts by asking me a few questions about my body, the amount of water I drink every day and a few other lifestyle inquiries. “This is to protect your skin from the heat and help the infrared light energy go in,” she explains while applying a hydrating lotion on the part to be treated – my thighs. She turns the machine on, and shows me the small handle she’s going to run all over my thighs. Made of two small striated rolls framing a few centimeters of empty space, topped with what looked like a mirror with a red light into it, the thing looks perfectly harmless.

THE TORTURE

Nivine starts rolling the VelashapeII on my right thigh and the torture begins. As I’m trying not to look in pain and quietly make small talk with her, she randomly asks, as if she was sure of the answer: “You’re not feeling anything, are you?” How can I tell her without screaming at her…? I get my strength back and tell her in the calmest way I can that I was going to die, that no, I didn’t want her to keep torturing me, and that well yeah, I didn’t care what my editor would say if she knew I didn’t get the treatment. Not really knowing what to do, Super-Nivine has a great idea: instead of doing my front thighs, we’d do the back. There’s less cellulite in it, therefore it should hurt less. If the ones who need it the most are the ones who hurt the most, what is the world coming to? Holding back my tears, I turn and lie down again, face down this time. Nivine starts rolling the thing again, and I feel almost nothing. A little bit of heat, and a few pinch effects here and there, but nothing major. I thank the Lord for her quick idea and start relaxing. Until the heat really increases. At one point, when I make noises of pain, she puts a thermometer on top of the treated area and exclaims, “Good! We’re at 44°, this is the ideal temperature.” After a few

WHY WE LOVED IT • One can have a liposuction effect without having to go under surgery • The VelashapeII is only used by physiotherapists and plastic surgeons – knowing that when having the extreme heat on you is certainly reassuring.

minutes of the treatment, I get used to the heat, and even to the massage the miniature steamrollers do while rolling on my body. Make no mistake: it is not a pleasant moment, but at least it doesn’t hurt anymore and Nivine is a great person to talk to. She gives me a lot of advice on when to drink after the treatment, how and when to exercise and what to do to increase the efficacy of the treatment.

NO PAIN NO GAIN

After the treatment, an electrostimulation machine is connected to smalls pads glued on my skin, to stimulate my lymphatic drainage and help eject the broken fat cells. For about 20 minutes, electrical waves run through my legs, at first tickling me, then kind of relaxing me. I get up and I quickly touch the treated part of my body; I want to feel it, see if there’s any difference. And there was. As incredible as it seems, my skin was already smoothed out. I didn’t get slimmer -I’d need a few more sessions for that- but I noticed that the orange peel effect had visibly decreased as did the small cellulite bumps on my thighs too. I didn’t expect such a visible effect after only one session and was pleasantly surprised

RAGMAG’S FAVES Silkor’s “moderate facial treatments” – from the Deep Cleansing Facial, using a simple exfoliate to their Corrector Facial rich in fruit acids, vitamins and minerals, to the Aromapure Facial combining up to eighteen replenishing plant extracts with five types of essential oils. The latter uses Eastern massage movements to stimulate vital energy points and oxygenate the skin. • The electro-therapy – electrodes are hooked into a machine, linking your body to it. A signal is sent from the electro-therapy machine to the muscle, which contracts and relaxes as if you’re working out. Except you’re lying down on a bed, reading a book or having a nap. That’s how simple it is.

Get Yourself Streamlined www.silkor.com Find them on Facebook Silkor Holding Follow them on Twitter @silkortweets

THE 3D ISSUE

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NIVEA RAGMAG is always into going retro and this time is no exception. Nivea is celebrating their 100 year anniversary and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happy to take the trip down memory lane with them. Take a look at some of their coolest ad campaigns- we like that Nivea catered

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to their target markets long before other cosmetic companies caught on. Check out the timeline above to see Nivea grow into the household brand they are today. Happy anniversary Nivea! Love, RAGMAG xoxoxo

LOOK GREAT FOR LESS

EUCERIN ADDRESSES HYDRATION AND LINES IN ONE GREAT SHOT!

FOR ALL YOUR TREATMENT NEEDS

Eucerin has newly launched a full service skincare line to help you achieve your optimal skin condition. From serum to day and night creams, put your best face forward with their affordable Hyaluron-Filler range. Hyaluronic acid boosts moisture levels in skin, and gives it a healthy density. Eucerin’s newest eye product, also part of this range, is RAGMAG’s pick for best new anti-aging and hydration buy. For best results we suggest pairing the concentrate (serum) with the day and night creams on a perfectly cleansed skin. Eucerin is available nationwide.

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SCREEN MAKE UP FOR EVER’S FALL/WINTER 2011 SMOKY COULEUR COLLECTION HAS US ALL MESMERIZED. THE LIMITED EDITION SMOKY PALETTE GIVES YOU EIGHT EYESHADOWS TO CHOOSE FROM INCLUDING THE HARD TO FIND MATTE BLACK. IT IS GREAT TO GET OUR HANDS ON A PALETTE THAT CONTAINS SHIMMERS AND METALLICS WITHOUT SHELLING OUT THE BIG BUCKS. YOU CAN GET THEIR SUPER DRAMATIC SMOKY LASH MASCARA IN FOUR NEW SHADES. BLONDES AND LIGHTER BRUNETTES ARE GOING TO WANT TO TRY THE BROWN SMOKY LASH MASCARA FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT SANS WEIGHT. THE NEW SMOKY LASH MASCARA BRUSH IS EFFECTIVE FOR LASH SEPARATION AND ALLOWS FOR FULLY COATED LASHES ROOT TO TIP. THEIR KOHL PENCIL IS AVAILABLE IN FIVE ACTION-PACKED SHADES, RAGMAG LIKES THE INTENSE PEARLY GREEN AND MATTE MOCHA BROWN. GET YOUR FACE ON!

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TILDA SWINTON

TOPHER GRACE

FILM

MAKE UP FOR EVER, AS ONE OF THE PRINCIPLE PARTNERS OF THE ABU DHABI FILM FESTIVAL, GOT INTO SCREEN AND STAGE COSMETICS. CREATING SOME OF THE BEST LOVED AND EVEN 3D CHARACTERS SEEN ON BIG SCREEN FOR THE FILM FEST, MUFE PUT ON THEIR OWN SHOW AT THE OPENING NIGHT GALA. OUR FAVES? MARILYN MONROE, THE QUEEN OF HEARTS AS INTERPRETED BY TIM BURTON, AND AVATAR’S NA’VI. (SEE MORE OF THE NA’VI AND THE 3D TECH BEHIND THEM IN OUR RAGGED FACTS THIS ISSUE.) THE 3D ISSUE

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DIOR WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN BIG DIOR ADDICTS HERE AT RAGMAG BUT THIS TIME WE’RE SHOWING THEM OFF FOR THEIR MULTIDIMENSINAL CAMPAGINS THAT GET OUR 3D HEARTS BEATING A LITTLE FASTER. THEIR FOREVER DIORSKIN FOUNDATION RANGE PROVIDES GREAT COVERAGE AND

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LONGEVITY. IN ADDITION, IT’S ALSO GOT YOUR SUN PROTECTION FACTOR, MAKING IT THE PERFECT ALL AROUND PRODUCT. FOR THE BEST COVERAGE WITHOUT ARTIFICE, CHOOSE DIOR AND PICK UP A COUPLE OF THEIR HIGH PIGMENT LIPSTICKS THIS SEASON.

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FALL | WINTER 2011 | 2012

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THE 3D ISSUE

SHOE SHOW

1. CHLOÉ BLACK + CROCO PUMPS 2. BALENCIAGA BOOTIES 3. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN PEEP TOE PUMPS 4. CHLOÉ BLACK CROCO SANDALS 5. BRIONI BLUE PETROLEUM BOOTS 6. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN VENEUNEUSE STILETTOS 7. CHLOÉ BLACK PUMPS WITH BOW 8. BALENCIAGA GREEN BOOTIES 9. BRIONI CREAM STILETTOS 10. CHLOÉ TWO TONE STILETTOS 11. BALENCIAGA BOOTS 12. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN STILETTOS 13. BRIONI BLUE PETROLEUM PUMPS

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BAG BASH

1. BALENCIAGA BLACK CROCO CLUTCH 2. CHLOÉ BLACK LEATHER HANDBAG 3. MULBERRY BAYSWATER PATENT LEATHER BAG 4. ALEXANDER MC QUEEN BLACK LEATHER TOTE 5. BALENCIAGA LIGHT PINK CROCO CLUTCH 6. BURBERRY PRORSUM PLAID HANDBAG 7. CHLOÉ CROCO HANDBAG 8. BALENCIAGA GREEN TOTE 9. BALENCIAGA BLUE TOTE 10. MARC JACOBS BAG 11. CÉLINE ORANGE CROCO CLUTCH

2 1

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FENDI FW 2011/2012

MIX N’ MATCH REAL RUNWAY RAGMAG SHOWS YOU HOW TO REPLICATE THAT RUNWAY TREND! SEE OUR TAKES ON HOW TO MAKE THE READY TO WEAR, ACTUALLY WEARABLE STYLED BY STEPHANIE AOUN

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+FUZZY

This outer-piece caught our eye for its warm feel. Pull and Bear 129000 LBP

Vested in Thee Versatile and gorgeous, feel free to pair this fur vest with a top and jeans, a dress or even a shirt and pants. Zara 99000 LBP

DKNY RESORT 2012

CĂ&#x2030;LINE FW 2011/2012

Miu Miu faux shearling + leather tote

Get Cozy H&M fur vest

MICHAEL KORS FW 2011/2012

Jack of all Trades

AGATHA Paris bangle

H&M kaki jacket with fur collar

Foot Fetish Christian Louboutin Lady fur sling black stilettos

Marky Mark

Marc by Marc Jacobs Regine faux fur bucket bag

Shagadelic Miu Miu fur and suede boots

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AGATHA Paris earrings Chloé shades

SUN SHINE Add the Mustard

CÉLINE FW 2011/2012

Stay warm and trendy with this sweater we spotted at Pull and Bear 75000 LBP

CHLOÉ FW 2011/2012

Yellow Belly You’ll have to be daring to wear this yellow dress. Make sure you tone it down with monotone accessories and shoes Zara 135000 LBP

COSTUME NATIONAL FW 2011/2012

H&M clutch

Showy Shoulders Zara 75000 LBP

Classic + practical tote Zara 199000 LBP

Mellow Yellow Pair crocodile print with yellow and you’ve just landed on a trendy item! Zara 199000 LBP 90 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

If you’d like to keep it discreet when it comes to this trend, pair this with a simple black ensemble and you’re ready to go! Zara 99000 LBP

Chloé croco boots available at Aïshti

GIVENCHY FW 2011/2012

THE 3D ISSUE

BALMAIN FW 2011/2012

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Ice Blue

Oscar De La Renta rings

AGATHA Paris earrings

Disco Ball DKNY sequined stretch georgette dress

MICHAEL KORS FW 2011/2012

ZUHAIR MURAD FW 2011/2012

Roberto Cavalli sequin embellished jersey T-shirt

Add a little oomph to any evening outfit with this clutch by Mango 151000 LBP

D&G sequined felt fedora

VALENTINO RESORT 2012

Sparkle Sistah Get your party on! Tone it down with black leggings or jeans and you’re ready for a fun night out Mango 59000 LBP

A Girl’s Best Friend Vivienne Westwood Anglomania glitter finish stretch jersey dress

With just a hint of sparkle these will bring you comfort and style for both a day and a night out! Mango 49000 LBP Balenciaga booties available at Aïshti

THE 3D ISSUE

DIMENSIONS OF A FRENCH FASHION HOUSE Photography by ODETTE KAHWAGI + CHRISTIAN HARB Styled by JONY MATTA Lighting by ALEXANDRA KAHWAGI Makeup by ELIE ESTEPHAN from institute HALA AJAM | Hair by ROGER GABRIEL Model VALERIA M. | LIPS AGENCY DRESSED BY CHRISTIAN DIOR

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CARDIGAN $1280 | STOCKINGS $558 | MOSAIC ANKLE BOOTS PRICE UPON REQUEST

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LEATHER JACKET WITH FUR CUFFS $8168 | CHIFFON SHORTS $3404 | MISS DIOR VELVET CLUTCH $2233 | SANDALS $1007

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THE 3D ISSUE

JACKET $3404 | SKIRT $1225 | CAPRICE PUMPS $1020

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JACKET $3404 | PEARL NECKLACE $3811

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ROUCHED DRESS WITH SEQUIN OVERLAY $6534

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LEATHER JACKET WITH FUR CUFFS $8168 | CHIFFON SHORTS $3404 | MISS DIOR VELVET CLUTCH $2233 | SANDALS $1007

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V-NECK SLIP | TAILORED BLAZER PRICE UPON REQUEST

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TAILORED BLAZER PRICE UPON REQUEST

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V-NECK SLIP | LEG WARMERS $626 | STILETTO BOOTIES $1552

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SLEEVLESS TIERED TOP $3240 | PLAID SKIRT $2504 | STILETTOS $1007

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SHEER LONGSLEEVE BLOUSE $3812 | PETROLEUM BLUE BREECHES $1885 | BRACELET $965 | MISS DIOR HANDBAG $3404

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TAILORED BLAZER | CHIFFON SHORTS $3404 | MISS DIOR HANDBAG $3131 | LEG WARMERS $626 | STILETTO BOOTIES $1552

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FOOTWEAR 1. STILETTO BOOTIES $1552 2. SATIN PEEP TOE $1198 3. CRISS CROSS SANDALS $1307 4. BLACK LACE PEEP TOE WITH BOW PRICE UPON REQUEST 5. MOSAIC ANKLE BOOTS PRICE UPON REQUEST 6. TASSLED SANDALS $1.007 7. CAPRICE PUMPS $1020

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new + now

BRING ON THE BLING! Tiffany & Co. has announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures and Bazmark to be the fine jeweler for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 literary classic. Tiffany designed jewels specifically for the film, a tale of passion that unfolds during the Jazz Age. Now as then, Tiffany is the world’s diamond authority. Working with the film’s Academy Award-nominated director Baz Luhrmann and costume and production designer Catherine Martin, Tiffany has created an extraordinary collection of platinum-set diamonds and lustrous pearls that complement the period clothes. Together the opulent clothes and jewelry give the actors a true sense of the high life as celebrated by their characters at penthouse parties and summer soirées at grand estates. As America’s first great jeweler, Tiffany & Co. defined the glamour of this fabled era. Tiffany diamonds in jewels

of dazzling beauty and sensuous motion symbolized the unbridled optimism that swept the country. The chosen adornments for the period’s light, shimmering gowns, these brilliant gems glittered amid the music and the revelry and the flow of champagne. “This collaboration is a natural for us,” said Jon King, executive vice president of Tiffany & Co. “Tiffany is America’s premier jeweler. Our archives contain spectacular jewels from the 1920s that are the basis of the one-of-a-kind designs we have created for this iconic American story.” “Tiffany & Co seemed the perfect fit for the jewelry of The Great Gatsby not only because F. Scott Fitzgerald himself was a customer but also because Louis Comfort Tiffany, the brand’s first Design Director, mixed in the actual Long Island circles described in the novel,” said costume and production designer Catherine Martin. “The Tiffany & Co Archives have proven to be an

invaluable resource in looking back at this Golden Era of affluence and fine jewelry and the continuing tradition of excellence and exquisite craftsmanship has allowed us to both create and recreate pieces that we hope will do justice to this extraordinary novel.” In addition to the jewelry, the interior of Jay Gatsby’s home in the film gleams with china and sterling silver flatware and other accessories by Tiffany & Co.

The first Beirut Cooking Festival will take place in the Pavilion Royal-Biel from 17 to 19 November 2011. This is a festival aimed at both food professionals and food lovers. Food and beverage professionals will be able to showcase their products, check out the latest creations on the market and mingle with the industry key players. From food to food related appliances, professionals will be updated while enjoying the event. For food lovers, the festival will be an opportunity to sample the latest products available and perhaps update their shopping lists to include the newly appreciated products. This celebration of food, drink and the art of cooking will satisfy all five senses as it will stimulate your taste buds, please your sense of smell,

exposure you to a variety of food textures, sizzle your hearing and attract your eye. Cooking competitions, wine tastings, olive oil sampling, live demonstrations and many more activities will make this event a learning and entertaining experience. Chefs share their insights for healthy meals as they give out recipes for every day dishes. Celebrity chefs will reveal some of the secrets of their trade, making your cooking experience an easier yet richer one. Even children can learn the art of cooking at events especially catered for them, and who knows they might be the next Jamie Oliver! Find them on Facebook facebook.com/ beirutcookingfestival + Follow them on Twitter @beirutcooking

GREAT SCOTT! Oscar nominee Baz Luhrmann directs the film in 3D from a screenplay co-written with frequent collaborator Craig Pearce, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book. The film stars Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role, with Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Elizabeth Debicki and Amitabh Bachchan also starring. Luhrmann also produces, along with Catherine Martin, Lucy Fisher, Academy Award winner Douglas Wick and Catherine Knapman. The executive producers are Academy Award winner Barrie M. Osborne and Bruce Berman. In addition to producing, two-time Academy Award-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin also designs for the film. “The Great Gatsby” will be distributed in 3D and 2D by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

KISS THE COOK

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HEY THERE, BRIGHT EYES Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a market leader and award winning innovator in consumer electronics and home appliances, and Cherfan Tawil & Co, official distributor for Samsung products in Lebanon, proudly announced the launching of Amor Notebook Series 9 at Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut on the 13th of October 2011. “Samsung is proud to present the smartest technology in the market today, the Amor Notebook. This new revolutionary laptop includes high performance, high definition and high battery life span while still preserving

an ingenious beautiful and unique design; maintaining Samsung’s known reputation of mixing unprecedented advanced technology with style and glamour.” said Mr. Sangsuk Roh – president of Samsung electronics Levant. Samsung Notebook 900X3A is significant for its outstanding highperformance yet lightweight and slim design made by specialized Duralumin and its SuperBright Plus LED Screen that delivers 16 million colors and market-leading 400 nit viewing brightness that is 100% brighter than a normal 13” notebook.

NYC TO BEY When it comes to New York glam, style lies in the mix. Whether dressing for holiday parties or saying hello to winter, DKNY is all about that one or more great pieces that instantly lift your wardrobe and spirits. Like the city itself, the season is bold and artful, full of textured ways to energize your closet and celebrate the mood and the moment in style. Bring your friends and visit DKNY in BHV City Mall to discover the latest and trendiest New York Manhattan style fashion by DKNY!

WARM WELCOMES The TOM FORD boutique in Beirut, Karagulla Building, is happy to announce the arrival of the highlyanticipated Autumn/Winter 2011 TOM FORD WOMENSWEAR collection. Credited with a deep understanding of the female form and a woman’s desire for elegance and quality, Ford has brought these elements back to the fashion industry. His recent foray into womenswear has been a monumental success in encapsulating elegance and style. The collection encompasses daywear and eveningwear and includes every item of clothing a stylish woman could hope for - tailored suits, fitted jackets, pencil skirts, flared pants, soft day dresses, cocktail dresses, and dramatic eveningwear. Ford uses rich colors and

materials inspired by the Spanish artist, Goya, to accentuate the elaborate fur coats, lace dresses, and devorée velvet pieces among many others. To complement the collection are the perfect accessories: a gold plated, hammered necklace with earrings and cuffs to match, a gold-plated cognac bohemian necklace and an elegant scorpion pendant. Picking the right shoes and handbag is effortless with the perfect fit to complete each look. Tom Ford has expressed his message clearly: “Whoever you are, what we do at TOM FORD is help you develop your own individual style with the highest quality available.” The collection is now available at the newly refurbished TOM FORD boutique in Beirut, Karagulla Building and in The Dubai Mall.

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see, speak, +hear no evil

CHECK BY JACQUES TCHABARIAN

Night of Hunters TORI AMOS To be commissioned by one of the most prestigious Classical labels, namely Deutsche Grammophon, to create a classical crossover album isn’t an easy assignment. Tori Amos however, is not someone who would shy away from such a challenge. She has dwelled in the realm of greats like Bach, Schubert, Debussy and Mendelssohn, and returned with a song cycle of classical works in the shape of a concept album. Amos has issued concept albums in the past in the form of “Boys for Pele” and “American Doll Posse” among others with great success, but she has achieved a real tour de

force this time around. The 14 songs of the album tell the story of a woman in distress after a failed relationship, who seeks within herself to find solace and salvation, surrounded by a myriad of piano, string and wind instruments some of them courtesy of the renowned Appolon Musagete Quartet. Being a classical work, there is no real pop hooks or singalong segments to be found here, but the Tori Amos bravado transcends this small handicap and both the regular pop listener and the most avid Amos fan will surely appreciate the pure genius of the music at hand. A real joy to listen to.

Mockingbird Time THE JAYHAWKS The Jayhawks have released their new album just in time for the rainy season, because for one reason or another, their music suits those days where the sky is split halfway between grey and fleeting sunrays. Their trademark Country/Alternative sound is even enhanced on this album, mainly through the reunion of main composers Mark Olson and Gary Louris. Olson had left the band a while back to concentrate on a solo career, which even though quite successful, wasn’t as fulfilling as playing with his old band mates. Fortunately for us, he decided

to rejoin the band, making songs like “Hide Your Colors”, “Cinnamon Love” or the sweet title track with its opening piano/accordion fusion and Olson’s clear pleading voice, a real treat. Nothing here is pretentious or hard to digest; the boys play their favorite style of music straight from the heart the best way they know how, not afraid to expose their feelings to any judgmental annotations. If you are one of those people who like to watch the rain fall while contemplating the simple things in life, then you’ve just found your background music.

The R.E.D. Album GAME Rumors are that it took Dr. Dre to convince Game (born Jayceon Terrell Taylor) to release his 4th official album. Kudos to Dre for his efforts, since the album we have in hand is one cool piece of West Coast Rap. Full of bombastic and in your face music, this is the album that makes you feel like you own the world and nothing can stop you to do, well, just about anything you want. The amount of guest appearances here would be enough to host a major beats fest, including Lil Wayne and Lil B to the Doc himself. Snoop

Dogg lends his vocal talents in “Drug Test”, Rick Ross and Beanie Sigel show off their character in “Heavy Artillery”, Big Boi makes a ruckus in “Speakers on Blast”, and elsewhere things are slowed down with Drake in “Good Girls Go Bad” or Chris Brown in “Pot of Gold”. Too many chefs in the kitchen? It works really well here and the whole album is one rollercoaster ride after another (with a few dips in the lazy pool from time to time). Definitely worth investing your cashhh-money in.

In The Grace of Your Love THE RAPTURE When The Rapture came up with their second album “Echoes” in 2003, they were singlehandedly responsible for the revival of 80’s bands like New Order and Happy Mondays and for the resurrection of the musical career of The Cure, one of their biggest influences. Their take on the Post/Punk Dance/Rock emerging subculture of the early 2000s introduced a whole new audience to the sounds of the above mentioned bands. 8 years down the line and 5 years since their last release, they still are still a force to reckon with. Although their sound hasn’t changed considerably (something you

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would generally expect from a 5 year hiatus), they still sound as fresh as ever due to their energetic approach to each song, with the small difference this time of the presence of some full on dance tunes like “Come Back To Me”. The tracks vary in length but each is masterfully controlled, suggesting that producer Philippe Zdar knew how to structure the music, where to stop before it gets boring and when to draw out certain passages. Opener “Sail Away” and “Never Die Again” are a prime example of wellcrafted songs that could be a blueprint for future bands to learn from. Do check it out.

and

Silver Girl

Elin Hilderbrand

Why you should read this book

weep read’em BY AMAL CHAABAN

Money can’t buy you everything

In a story ripped literally from the headlines (right down to the dot matrix printer), Elin Hilderbrand takes us into the world of Meredith Delinn, wife of the now notorious Fred Delinn (the biggest financial criminal in history). The story opens with Meredith escaping the media mob by sneaking into her friend Connie’s vehicle and heading to Nantucket to hide. The catch? Connie and Meredith fell out years ago because she and her husband pulled all of their money from Delinn Enterprises. Hilderbrand builds a tale around the relationship of these two

women that is simultaneously light and dark. The light moments are few and far between as Meredith is rocked by new information and a federal investigation throughout the book. Added to the mix are allegations of infidelity, estrangement from their respective children, and a budding new romance. Hilderbrand’s best work in this novel are Meredith’s moments of introspection, when she is looking back on the life she led and the signs she should have seen but missed. For those who couldn’t get enough of the Madoff debacle, this story is heaven sent.

Love Addict: Sex, Romance and Other Dangerous Drugs

Ethlie Ann Vare

Why you should read this book

Addicted to Love is not just a hit song from the 80’s

How many times have you rolled your eyes at your serial dating best friend as she (or he) extols the virtues of the latest “ONE”? What if your friend is not just being dramatic? What if they are in the grip of an addiction? Love Addict deals with the addiction to love, sex and romance. Often the butt of late night jokes, in her substantive book on these addictions, Ethlie Ann Vare shows how real they can be. Vare shares the stories of addicts and her own, as well as interviews with therapists, addictions specialists and

many others involved in addiction recovery. Using the science gleaned from her research, Vare documents the chemical reactions in the brain caused by love and sex, and then in graphic detail describes the withdrawals from both. Some of the anecdotes in this book are funny as Vare has a particular talent for sarcastic humour. Others are just tragic. Despite the humour, this is a book that sheds light on one of the fastest growing addictions in our society and should be taken very seriously.

Darkness My Old Friend

Lisa Unger

Why you should read this book

Fate has a funny way of making us do what is meant for us to do

Finding himself at a loss after resigning his old job as a police detective, Jones Cooper is doing all manner of odd jobs when he is visited by a psychic from his past. This woman is entangled in something Jones would rather forget and he reacts with not only scepticism to the knowledge she imparts but with wilful blindness. When an old case of his is reopened at the behest of a concerned party, Jones is willingly drawn in never knowing it will lead him right to the psychic’s prophecy.

Mixed into all of this is a family whose perfection is suspect, a teenager written with exquisite sullenness and a whole load of secrets that should have stayed buried. The writing in this novel is so well tuned that you fall into the world of the Hollows and the lives of those living there. The plot is well constructed and the villains are just creepy enough to be real. Lisa Unger has written a novel that is both complex and simple all at once. This novel forces one to ask if we are indeed controlled by the fates. Find out for yourself.

Everything We Ever Wanted

Sara Shepard

Why you should read this book

Mortar and stone hide all sorts of dysfunction

From the author of the Pretty Little Liars series comes a novel about family secrets and connections. Meet the Bates-McAllisters, the most dysfunctional family seen in fiction in a very long time. Our story begins with a phone call to Mrs. Bates-McAllister about her son Scott and a disturbing incident that may have happened while he was coaching a sports team, and which may have perpetuated a suicide. Denial and doubts ensue thus setting the stage for all sorts of ugly confrontations. Only those confrontations never happen. Not between

her and Scott, and certainly not between Scott and his ever resentful older brother who has a host of his own problems. To make matters worse, Scott says nothing and does nothing to defend himself. The family in this book becomes lost in a labyrinth of secrets, unresolved angst and staggering unfounded fears about their adopted son and brother. When the truth finally does come out, none of them is willing to admit they were wrong. This makes for some very good reading, and even more self-examination about how you view members of your own dysfunctional family. THE 3D ISSUE

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see, speak, +hear no evil

playNICE BY ADAM VOLK

Forza Motorsport 4

Publisher Microsoft Studios | Developer Turn 10 Studios Platforms Xbox 360 Car buffs... start your drooling! The fourth instalment of the legendary Forza Motorsport series is here and it crosses the finishing line as one of the greatest racing games of all time. Like a finely tuned European sports car, developer Turn 10 Studios have taken all the components that made the Forza series so popular and given them a turbocharged upgrade. Forza 4 includes a new graphical engine, tighter controls, an improved interface, and of course, enough vehicles to satisfy even the most hardcore automotive fanatic. The game’s also upped the ante

with a new Autovista mode that lets players examine every nut, bolt and spark plug of a variety of licensed vehicles. The game’s World Tour mode also offers a variety of challenging new tracks, and there are a near limitless number of customization options and race modes against both AI and online opponents. Throw in appearances from the stars of the popular BBC television series Top Gear and the end result is a racing simulator so fast, smart and fun, it will have both car tires and gamers squealing in delight.

Batman: Arkham City

Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | Developer Rocksteady Studios Batman is no stranger to video games, with the Caped Crusader having appeared in literally dozens of titles over the years. It wasn’t until 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum, however, that a game really captured that certain je ne sais bat that is the Dark Knight. Now the sequel has arrived and - holy bat nipples! - is it one impressive dose of superhero inspired stealth-action. While the previous game featured Batman trapped inside the twisted corridors of Arkham Asylum, this time out players are let loose in an entire section of Gotham City that’s been

overrun by psychotic inmates and a rogue’s gallery of Batman villains. With incredible graphics, an edgy storyline and impressive voice acting, the game looks and sounds amazing. It’s Arkham City’s inspired gameplay, however, that really sets it apart, with players once again using a combination of stealth, hand-to-hand combat and gadgets to battle their way through Gotham’s gloomy environments. It’s enough to satisfy even the most diehard comic book fanboy, making Arkham City one superhero masterpiece that hits like a batarang to the face.

Battlefield 3

Publisher Electronic Arts | Developer EA Digital Illusions CE | Platforms PS 3, Xbox 360 When it comes to shooters, the reigning trigger-happy king is undoubtedly Call of Duty: Black Ops, a game which raked in a staggering $1 billion dollars in sales only six weeks after its release. Now Electronic Arts is hoping to deliver a well-placed kill shot to Black Ops with its latest first-person foray: Battlefield 3. The third entry in the popular series offers up another high calibre dose of carnage, letting players not only choose from a variety of modern weaponry, but also take control of tanks, jets, choppers and a variety of other vehicles. The game rounds out the experience

with a solid single-player campaign and frenetic kill-or-be-killed multiplayer mayhem. Of course, what makes Battlefield 3 truly impressive is its new Frostbite 2 game engine which offers unbelievable jaw-dropping visuals and completely destructible environments. The end result is a game that easily outmanoeuvres Black Ops, making it not only the new reigning champ of first-person shooters, but one of the best games of the past year. War might be hell, but with Battlefield 3 it’s also pure gamer heaven.

Gears of War 3

Publisher Microsoft Studios | Developer Epic Games | Platforms Xbox 360 For a game that involves hulking commandos running around with chainsaw bayonets, Gears of War 3 is also a surprisingly poignant conclusion to one of the Xbox 360’s most popular series. The game puts players in control of Marcus Fenix, a war-weary soldier on the planet Serra who is also part of a dwindling pocket of humanity locked in a brutal struggle with a group of subterranean creatures known as the Locust Horde. Gameplay remains much like its predecessors as a run n’ gun third-person shooter that incorporates the duck

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and cover mechanic that the series has become famous for. It’s the same adrenaline-fuelled action that Gears fans have come to love, with firefights devolving into a kind of bulletriddled tactical ballet. The game also features an impressive graphical polish that brings the crumbling, apocalyptic ruins of Serra to life. As the final chapter in the trilogy, some questions are still left unanswered, but plot holes aside, Gears 3 still manages to go out with a bang, delivering a blood splattered finishing move that places the franchise squarely in the annals of video game legend.

see, speak, +hear no evil

watchout BY ADAM VOLK

Release dates based on amazon.co.uk

Rio | DVD & Blu-ray | 96 mins Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Tracy Morgan Release Date: October 24 Ah, Brazil. Home to skimpy bathing suits, sun kissed beaches and of course, colourful talking birds. Enter Rio, a quirky family film that follows the adventures of a Brazilian macaw named Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg), who after a series of unfortunate events ends up in the frozen wilds of Minnesota, where he eventually settles into a comfortable domesticated existence. But when Blu learns that he’s the last male of his kind, he’s soon whisked back to Rio de Janeiro to knock talons with a female macaw named

Jewel (voiced by Anne Hathaway). Unfortunately, the two run afoul of a bird smuggling ring and must escape into the wilds of Brazil while being hunted by a villainous cockatoo. The end result is a colourful, cutsey and surprisingly heart warming film that also manages to score some extra points for its catchy musical numbers. Rio isn’t quite on par with Pixar’s animated cinematic fare, but it still works as a family film that manages to appeal to both kids and adults without ruffling too many feathers.

Larry Crowne | DVD & Blu-ray | 99mins Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Cedric the Entertainer Release Date: November 14 With a global recession in full swing, these days it seems like there are plenty of people out of work. The aftermath of being unemployed also just happens to be the premise behind Larry Crowne, a somewhat tepid romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. The film follows the titular Larry Crowne, a single, divorcee who is working at a Wal-Martesque box store. But when Larry finds himself unemployed due to his lack of education, he decides to enrol in a local community college where he soon falls for one

of his professors, starts a friendship with a hip younger student and tries to pick up the shattered pieces of his life. It’s a premise that seems like it should be rife with dramatic and comedic possibilities, but unfortunately the film quickly grows a little stale, with both the laughs and plot twists visible from a mile away. Still, Larry Crowne isn’t without a certain charm and both Hanks and Roberts do what they can with the script, proving that working for a living ain’t easy, even for Hollywood A-listers.

Beginners | DVD & Blu-ray | 105 mins Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent Release Date: November 14 Starting over is never an easy thing. Take Beginners for instance, a film which follows a single thirtysomething (played by Ewan McGregor) who is shocked when his recently widowed father Hal (Christopher Plummer) announces to the world that he’s gay. The film then takes place through a series of flashbacks as Oliver finds his already tumultuous paternal relationship further strained by his father’s newfound homosexuality. To further complicate his previously humdrum existence, Oliver soon becomes

romantically involved with a French actress named Anna (played by Mélanie Laurent of Inglorious Basterds fame) who is dealing with family troubles of her own. Interestingly, Beginners is also semi-autobiographical in that director Mike Mills’ own father came out of the closet at the ripe age of 75. The fictionalized version of Mills’ story, however, offers up solid performances and a sharp script that manages to be smart, sad and funny all at the same time, proving that it’s never too late to start living your life.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams | DVD & Blu-ray

| 90 mins

Werner Herzog Release Date: October 17

Who would have thought that a movie which takes place almost entirely in a dark cave and features no major Hollywood actors would be one of the most riveting stories of the past year? Legendary director Wernor Herzog’s documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams is a film which quite literally has to be seen to be believed. The film was shot inside the famed Chauvet Cave, a near inaccessible area in Southern France which contains a breathtaking series of 30,000 year-old primitive cave paintings. Herzog received special permission from the French government to film inside the cave and

only he and two other crew members were allowed inside on the condition that they wear specialized clothing and only film for a few hours a day due to the toxic air conditions. The result is a true labour of love, offering a work that also happens to be visually stunning thanks to Herzog’s ingenious use of 3D camera technology. The film is interspersed with interviews with various historians and scientists, but under Herzog’s skilful eye, Cave of Forgotten Dreams also offers a rarely seen glimpse into the artistic soul of humanity’s past.

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WORLDVISION BY LILIANE ASSAF

RAGMAG IS PLEASED TO GIVE THE ONLINE COMMUNITY SOME MUCH DESERVED PRINT SPACE. THIS IS THE FIFTH INSTALLMENT IN A PERMANENT COLUMN DEVOTED TO BLOG REVIEWS. IN ADDITION, EACH ISSUE LILIANE WILL CHOOSE HER FAVORITE POST FROM THE CUBE, A LEBANESE BLOG DEVOTED TO BOOK REVIEWS. WE HAVE (AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE) KEPT THE POST VERBATIM ONLY MAKING THE NECESSARY EDITS. BLOG TITLE BLOGGER LANGUAGE URL TWITTER

FOR THE NOVEMBER 3D ISSUE, WE ASKED LEBANON’S BLOG AGGREGATOR LILIANE ASSAF, TO CHOOSE THE 3 BLOGGERS IN LEBANON WHOSE POSTS WERE DESIGN ORIENTED. GET CLICKING, PEOPLE!

Violatre Nadine Feghaly AKA Viola’ English http://violatre.blogspot.com/ @nadinefeghaly

Viola’, is a character you end up falling in love with post after post. Nadine Feghaly, a graphic designer began illustrating as a pastime. A passionate soul and one of the most artistic people I am honoured to know for the past 12 years. I’ve watched Viola’ grow from one illustration to an entire brand on its own, simply because people were enchanted and wanted to see her on more than just Nadine’s blog. Viola’ is now on postcards, paintings, bags and much more. Each post Viola tells a story: About love, war, life, happiness, sunsets, rain... everything really and includes illustration completed with meaningful quotes. What makes these illustrations close to the heart and beautiful to look at is Nadine’s incorporation of different arts- putting her own mind and soul into the pieces brings them to life. Arty since she was a child, Nadine played the piano and cello, dances ballet and flamenco, and has a peaceful character. You can sense all of this in her work. If you haven’t met Viola’ yet, you must, and you must do so now.

BLOG TITLE BLOGGER LANGUAGE URL TWITTER

Mher Krikorian Photography Mher Krikorian English http://www.krikorianmher.com/ @krikorianm

Quite often in life you meet people who inspire you and Mher Krikorian is one of them. Mher, a young man who recently graduated in marketing, has taken photography from a hobby to another level. He “shoots people with his canon”, as he says on his blog. But that is not the whole story. For a photographer to be successful, his job is to translate the complexities he sees into something the audience can see and understand on first glance. Mher’s strong point is portrait photography. He has a way of capturing the beauty in ordinary people: Those with a skill and a job and are hard at work, the elderly, or a child he’s bumped into randomly on the street. With every post, a story about the subject in the photos is unveiled turning his subjects into celebrities. He takes an ordinary person and dedicates a whole post to them with his black and white photography. The sharpness you see in these people’s eyes, what they have to say about their lives (and who finally were lucky to have a digital space on Mher’s blog) to tell their story. If you’re looking for a smooth trip, down a real difficult world represented in an artistically beautiful way, meet the camera assassin. 116 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

see, speak, + hear no evil BLOG TITLE BLOGGER LANGUAGE URL

Design Fetish Yasmine Zalek AKA Kushu English http://design-fetish.blogspot.com

This is a different type of blog and something we don’t see very often in Lebanon. Yasmine, unlike Nadine and Mher, doesn’t create and share her own work, as a matter of fact she shares other people’s work. However what makes her blog unique and not to be missed is the healthy dose of interesting in the material she finds. It’s not as easy as you might think to spot extraordinary things and because she’s generous, she shares them with her loyal readers. Yasmine has a fetish, and that fetish is for intriguing, out of the box designs. The design variety in the types of objects she finds are varied. It could be anything from a lamp to a necklace and cookies. Look out for the backs for macbooks, pencils, suitjamas, and much more. In a nutshell, they’re things you wouldn’t think of, you won’t see every day and you wouldn’t stumble upon on your own on the internet. Having someone like Yasmine gather all these wonderful designs under one place is ideal and we are lucky to have her. If you’re looking for inspiration, her blog is the right destination.

LILIANE’S CHOICE

BEST CUBE REVIEW

www.thecubelb.com Reviewer Marie Nakhle Book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini http://thecubelb.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/a-thousand-splendid-suns-by-khaled-hosseini/ “I bought this book almost a year ago and I’ve been postponing reading it. When I finally picked it up, it has been months since I read a book fully and looking at the 450 pages, I thought that it would take me weeks to get through it. I finished it over 3 days. I reluctantly put it down when I had to. A Thousand Splendid Suns takes place in Afghanistan, mainly in Kabul, from the 1960s to 2003, during the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding. It is the story of two women brought together by the tragic events of war. It is

a story about the struggle to survive, raise a family and find happiness during times of violence, cruel killing and extremism. It is a very sad story, I was shocked by the brutality described in some scenes but the message of the book was not of brutality or depression, but of hope and the toughness of the human spirit, especially of women when it comes to their children. You grow so attached to these two women that you find yourself shedding tears when life hits them with its injustice and violence. Khaled Hosseini is a great storyteller and this is, without any doubt, a very powerful book. It

is an ode to the women of Afghanistan. Reading what they have to endure and in what conditions they live, I felt blessed and grateful for what I have. Moreover I felt curious to know more about Afghanistan, for what we already know is largely given to us by media with no human touch. I will not reveal anything about the storyline of the book because the book will lose of its striking effect if it becomes predictable. If the few first chapters seemed weird and not interesting enough, give it a chance. It totally deserves it!”

www.lebanonaggregator.com Find the Lebanon Aggregator fan page on Facebook Follow her on Twitter @LebAgg

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BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER GRACELAND IS A SUPERSONIC TRIP IN MUSICAL HISTORY BY ALICE HLIDKOVA

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take me with you OPPOSITE PAGE: ELVIS PRESLEY IN GRACELAND RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: GRACELAND FRONT VIEW AT NIGHT, PIANO ROOM, LIVING ROOM

THE ESTATE WAS NAMED AFTER THE PREVIOUS OWNER’S DAUGHTER, AND IN 1957 PRESLEY PAID THE SUM OF $100,000 FOR THE 10,000-SQUAREFOOT PROPERTY The official residence of Elvis Presley is dressed with white Corinthian columns, forming the entrance portico similar to any other comfortable Southern country home. The window shutters are left open, and the facade is neatly laid with tan Tennessee limestone. Out front, the grass beds are meticulously maintained, rivalling the finest of country clubs. Located in the suburbs of Memphis, Graceland stands two stories tall where a barn once stood, adjacent to a man-made lake. The estate was named after the previous owner’s daughter, and in 1957 Presley paid the sum of $100,000 for the 10,000-square-foot property. The undisputed King of Rock and Roll moved in with his parents, sister and grandmother. He appointed his beloved father, Vernon, and hired a staff of secretaries to open fan mail and keep eyes on “the family business” from a spacious office named in his father’s honour. He kept the property’s original name, and allowed for the Graceland Christian Church next door to use five acres for prayer services. He painted the mansion blue and gold, tossed the chandelier in the dining room, and cleaned out the marble fireplace in the front hallway. Meanwhile, his parents made themselves at home by planting a garden and building a chicken coop. Presley began building his dream house, and nearly doubled his living quarters in size. Presley built the Trophy Building wing, where he stored his juke box— a music box found in any leather-furnished dive bar across the United States—and converted the large patio into a racetrack large enough to fit tiny slot cars.

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FOR MUCH OF THE SIXTIES, GRACELAND ACTED AS A MUSE FOR THE MUSICIAN SPAWNING IDEAS FOR MOVIES AND ROOM TO RECORD SOUNDTRACKS Presley and his friends, some of whom were affiliated with the mafia, raced them on miles of tracks. Presley then commissioned the French architect Bernard Grenadier to build a small waterfall inside another patio, naming it “The Jungle Den” in 1965. Grenadier also built a meditation garden, a quiet space for contemplation, and twelve years later, the final resting place of the King, alongside his mother, father and grandmother. Presley was by all accounts a polite, sincere gentleman from a small town in Mississippi. As a boy he sang gospel and country music, and as a teenager he traveled to Tennessee to sample blues and jazz. In Memphis the rockabilly recorded his voice at the Memphis Recording Service, which was the birthplace of Sun Records, the music label which signed famous icons Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis. Sun Records owner, Sam Phillips, was struck by his emotional vocals, offering him a contract that would become a Rock and Roll blueprint. After just five hits, the contract was sold to RCA Records, which went on to produce his Gold record, “Heartbreak Hotel.” Shortly thereafter, he used his earnings to purchase the mansion, but was soon drafted by the army and flown to Germany. There he served his country and met his future wife, Priscilla, who would later build and manage a multi-million dollar tourism attraction from inside their Memphis home. For much of the Sixties, Graceland acted as a muse for the musician spawning ideas for movies and room to record soundtracks. In the Seventies he abandoned his dream house, briefly touring the country to save his stagnating show business career. But Graceland, a mini version of a Southern-styled colonial house, became a spiritual and emotional refuge for the King. In all the twenty three rooms, his success stories and personal triumphs are well documented.

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take me with you

OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: TROPHY BUILDING WING, JUNGLE ROOM THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ELVIS AND HIS CADILLAC IN GRACELAND, THE GRACELAND GATES, GLADYS’ (ELVIS’ MOM) ROOM

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take me with you

PRESLEY WAS A COMPULSIVE REDECORATOR AND COLLECTOR, SAFEGUARDING HIS PRIZED POSSESSIONS. THROUGHOUT THE MANSION HE CONSTANTLY CHANGED THE CARPETING AND DRAPERY, MATCHING COLOURS A PRIORITY Presley was a compulsive redecorator and collector, safeguarding his prized possessions. Throughout the mansion he constantly changed the carpeting and drapery, matching colours a priority. Presley kept a Bible; its pages scrawled with love notes to his mother after her death, and listings of his relatives birthdays. He polished his prized 1952 pink Cadillac. He played racquetball with his friends. He displayed all his gold and platinum trophies. Presley died in the summer of 1977, tripling the property value. His only daughter, Lisa Marie, inherited his trophies, furniture, suits and sales awards. Five years later, she opened her father’s playground to tourists, as she couldn’t afford the annual maintenance fees, which cost more than the value of the property. Thirty years later, security guards accompanied former U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro through what has become a National Historic Landmark—an unmatched tourist destination housing dozens of retro vehicles, Elvis-themed race cars, and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, with enough room for The Lisa Marie, an airplane featuring a living room and private bedroom. The kingdom that nurtured Presley became one of Rock and Roll’s most important heritage sites, indented by thirty million shoe prints, some belonging to intruders. Before reaching star status, all-American singer and song writer Bruce Springsteen jumped the wall to see the King, only to be thrown out by security guards.

TOP TO BOTTOM: DINING ROOM, TV ROOM, ELVIS IN GRACELAND

Much like the Neverland Ranch owned by deceased King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Graceland continues to entertain, bedazzling millions of fans musing over the breathless reign of one of America’s last showman

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48 HOURS BEY TO DXB

TAKING A DIP IN SKYSCRAPERS + SAND DUNES

ebanese have an inexplicable relationship with Dubai - You’ve all been there or you will go at some point. You can do a lot in 2 days, so we’ve strung together the best way to maximize your time. We think saving on transport and lodgings is the way to go for a quickie weekend so you can splurge on wining, dining + experiences. Check it out!

GET THERE

1 FLYDUBAI Easy as pie and inexpensive! We caught flydubai to and from Beirut but you can also take them to places as far flung as Belgrade, Addis Ababa and Kathmandu. They’ve got super saver options like choosing your own baggage allowance- If you’re travelling light it gets even cheaper! Get your adventure on with one easy click www.flydubai.com

STAY

2 CENTRO BARSHA DUBAI We like the Centro Barsha Rotana for location, service and great lodgings that won’t break the bank. Interior of the hotel is contemporary and brand spanking new. Room service is prompt and eating in the hotel resto gives you an array of options. You’re situated right next to Mall of the Emirates which has tons of entertainment and dining options and the hotel staff is only too happy to suggest out + about venues. Their rooftop pool is a nice plus since spending less usually means foregoing the extras, well not at the Centro Barsha. Twitter @Centrobarsha facebook.com/Centro-Barsha www.rotana.com

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take me with you

MUNCH

3 AT.MOSPHERE BURJ KHALIFA

EDITOR’S PICK

The fact that this fine dining resto is the highest in the world at 442 meters isn’t their only claim to fame. They’ve made media waves due to their haute cuisine and chilled out lounge. Check them out on the 122nd floor of Burj Khalifa. Reservations for dinner need approximately 3 weeks advance notice but you can probably squeeze yourself in at lunch. Seating capacity for only 210 people so get booking! facebook.com/atmosphereburjkhalifa www.atmosphereburjkhalifa.com

4 OKKU We like Okku’s cool vibes and interesting nibbles. Have a cocktail at their bar and take a gander at their jelly fish tankSmoking is still allowed in the bar area so get your nicotine fix then head to the resto side and order a bevy of starters- they’re all delectable. Make reservations or you won’t get a table! Twitter @okkurestaurant facebook.com/Okkudubai www.okkudubai.com

RETAIL THERAPY

5 THE DUBAI MALL Fashion Avenue is to die for. Seriously. If the rest of The Dubai Mall wasn’t amazing enough be prepared to fall right over the minute you enter this see and be seen area. Set your sights on any one of your favorite top designers and get shopping! Twitter @TheDubaiMall facebook.com/TheDubaiMall www.thedubaimall.com

PARTY

6 CARAMEL Voted “Best Bar in Dubai” in this year’s Ahlan! Awards, we have to agree. Whether you are looking for a boy’s night or a round of cocktails, Caramel is it but make sure you book ahead. With their DJ spinning the best beats we’ve heard in a while, Caramel is a must-do when you’re in the UAE. Twitter @carameldubai facebook.com/carameldubai www.caramelgroup.com

SEE

7 THE LOST CHAMBERS ALTANIS You can’t make it to Orlando for SeaWorld but you can make it here. They’ve got approximately 65,000 marine inhabitants and knowledgeable staff on site to explain the marine life what’s what. You can even watch feedings or kick it up a notch by doing the Ultimate Dive Experience (if you’re certified). Twitter @Atlantis facebook.com/atlantisthepalm www.atlantisthepalm.com

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TRANSMOGRIFYING

THE WAY WE NIBBLE? NEW 3D FOOD PRINTERS AIM JUST FOR THAT BY J.E.N.

s cooking the bane of your existence? Wish neat devices that can “materialize” food at the push of a button were in your kitchen and not just in Star Trek or The Jetsons? Well, your prayers have been answered. In fact you might want to rush over the Essential Dynamics’s website right now to preorder your very own 3D food printer. If the $1,000 launch price is a bit too steep, then wait a few years since 3D printers may very well be a standard and affordable kitchen appliance by then. Founder of Essential Dynamics, Jamil Yosefzai, believes: “As time passes, 3D food printing we will go from novelty…to utility…to indispensability.” Will it?

CCML’S 3D FOOD PRINTER USES MULTIPLE CARTRIDGES FULL OF EDIBLE INKS TO “DRAW” THE SHAPE FORMED USING ELECTRONIC BLUEPRINTS CALLED FABAPPS

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Many seem to think so. In fact MIT and Cornell Creative Machines Lab (CCML) have also jumped on the food bandwagon to print 3D culinary delights. CCML’s 3D food printer uses multiple cartridges full of edible inks to “draw” the shape formed using electronic blueprints called FabApps. The head of CCML, Hod Lipson describes the 3D printer they have developed: “The electronic blueprint specifies exactly which materials go where it is essentially a blueprint of the food item. It’s a way to create new flavors and forms of food by varying its chemical properties. It’s a huge ‘design space,’ and the combination of tastes and textures, geometries and colors that can be achieved is enormous.” MIT have an entire webpage dedicated to “Prototypes and Concept Designs for a Digital Gastronomy.” The featured designs include a chocolatier that lets users prepare chocolate candies quick

and easy. Its graphic user interface lets you select the ingredients and then it does the work, mixing ingredients and cooling and hardening the chocolate. You can even save recipes so your creative masterpieces of chocolate temptation can be savoured for years to come. The website showcases a rather suave looking 3D food printer that has canisters full of your favourite ingredients. It can even heat or cool food and read QR code recipes. The website claims this 3D food printer’s “fabrication process not only allows for the creation of flavors and textures that would be completely unimaginable through other cooking techniques, but, through a touch-screen interface and web connectivity, also allows users to have ultimate control over the origin, quality, nutritional value and taste of every meal.” And if you’re still not satisfied, then you might want to check out the Robotic Chef and Virtuoso Mixer.

the final frontier

3D FOOD PRINTERS DON’T REALLY LOOK LIKE PRINTERS, BUT THEY CAN CREATE FOOD WE ONLY DREAMED POSSIBLE BEFORE If you think that 3D printers are horrifying extensions of unhealthy industrialized food practices or are on par with factory food processing then you might want to think again. MIT’s webpage has an interesting concluding note: “The Digital Gastronomy machines described here attempt to use the most advanced food technologies and techniques to retain the freshness of ingredients, increase the potential for personal creative expression and develop a new and tighter connection between food production and our digital lives. We believe these technologies cannot only expand the palette available to cooks today, but can also do it in a networked, collaborative and accessible fashion, akin to the digital design and fabrication revolution that is well under way in industrial design and architecture.”

3D food printers don’t really look like printers, but they can create food we only dreamed possible before, like wedding cake with the couple’s initials inside the slices of the cake or tiny space-shuttle shape nuggets. They can transform food into design that is drawn using taste and coloured by texture. The French Culinary Institute in Chicago is already experimenting with the possibilities 3D food printers can cook up. And Homaro Cantu, head chef at the Moto Restaurant, Chicago, is ready to serve a big helping of praise: “The home cook may never have the skill set to actually produce [the healthiest] foods- this is where food printing or what I call food transmogrification can step in and fill the void.”

FOOD DESIGN PROBES, A RESEARCH PROJECT BY PHILIPS

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eat, drink + be merry PHOTOGRAPHY JASON ZAMORA

CROSSING THE LINE

WESTGATE DINER GOES ONE STEP FURTHER BY YOUMNA CHAGOURY

wooden Elvis, realistic-ish except for the fact that it’s a miniature, protrudes from a cavity in the back wall. Next to it, a Pontiac poster in relief and a pair of country singers. A little further, a New York (or what appears to be NYC) image where the lights are not painted, but are actual colored lights. That’s just one of the Westgate Diner walls. Located in Kaslik, the last-born of American diners in Lebanon prides itself on being the “friendly neighborhood diner.” To be honest, it is friendly. I am welcomed at the door by a waiter who compliments me on my acid green bag, after having my car taken by a very nice and gentle valet (those apparently still exist!) and I’m taken to my booked table. It’s 9pm and there are already a few guests, but the place is not crowded yet. As the evening goes by, tables and couches fill up; a nice hubbub, mixed with the latest hit songs, encourage a relaxed atmosphere. If you’ve ever stumbled on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives – (I must admit, with just a pinch

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of shame, that I actually like the show), and don’t just chance on it- you’d know why this diner is more “American” than every other one in town. There’s constant chatter, people come in for good food, and the owner comes around to greet the patrons. Outside, the restaurant privatizes the terrace with a wooden railing. If a decoration effort is made by embedding small pots of cactus in the wall, dining out must still not be the most pleasant thing there, since it’s on the always busy street of Kaslik. The furniture is black and contrasts with the redness of the wall behind the bar and a few décor items. The setting is not chichi but let’s remember we’re supposed to feel as though we’re in an old diner in the US, and all that matters is the comfort food they’re going to serve. If you are 4 or 5 people, share the combo starter, a plate of their best starters, even if mozzarella sticks are not their strong point. For even more palate pleasure, I recommend the Westgate Burger with its crispy bacon,

caramelized onions for a touch of sweet and sour, the spiced meat, and the fries (Oh! the fries ...) The combo being fairly filling, you can skip the main dish and order one of their salads (they have quite a variety) or a dessert

The + + The Pain Perdu. The menu says “it’s simply the best… better than all the rest” and they’re damn right. I kept tweeting about it, and for a moment, I thought my editor would actually leave Beirut to come and try it. (Ed. Responds: Nice one, Youmna!) + The location. There are just a few good restaurants in the suburbs; they’re next to nonexistent in Kaslik. Westgate turns the tide! + The menu design. I thought it was a great idea to have road signs printed on the menu and images of old cars in deserts. It sure helps nfout bil jaw!

The – - The spring rolls. Don’t get me wrong, they were delicious, I just don’t see why they’re on the menu. Hadn’t they been in the combo, I wouldn’t have ordered them. - The burger patty was slightly overcooked. It’s a shame when a good quality meat is served well done. It did not lose all its moisture but a little something was missing.

Westgate Diner Kaslik Main rd. near USEK 09/919019 www.westgatediner.com info@westgate-diner.com Find them on Facebook (Westgate Diner) Follow them on Twitter @westgatediner

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eat, drink + be merry

GASTRONOMY IN 3 DIMENSIONS

ITALIAN MEETS LEBANESE. THEN PASTA MEETS HUMMOS. AND FINALLY FREEKEH MEETS RISOTTO. THE FOUNDERS OF THE LIBALIANO COOKING WORKSHOP INTRODUCE A 3 DIMENSIONAL ASPECT TO THE KITCHEN WITH COOKING, WORKSHOPS, AND LANGUAGE LESSONS. BY SABINA LLEWELLYN-DAVIES

laude Chahine Shehadi and Maria Rosario Niada, two London-based chefs, have whipped up a 3D aspect to their Mediterranean cuisine with their Libaliano cooking workshop. Maria gives courses on the craft of pasta-making, as well as traditional Italian recipes combined with Italian language lessons, and Claude specializes in Lebanese cuisine. Being around the lively Lebanese made, Italian born Maria realize that languages are never a barrier in the kitchen. “The contrary, it’s our ability for multilingualism, unconsciously switching from one language to the next, is what adds a 3D element to our workshops,” says the Lebanese born Claude.

ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: TOMATO TARTLET, POTATO PIZZA

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They met in London about 15 years ago. Claude attended Maria’s Mani in Pasta cooking classes. The concept of culinary lessons, practical cooking and a brush up on the Italian language appealed to Claude. “I often listened to Maria and found that our cuisines, although different, were a link that brought our two cultures together,” says Claude. “Ingredients, hospitality and conviviality were a common ground,” all three surpass borders and territories. Maria’s cuisine is essentially Italian, based on regional traditions mostly from Tuscany and Lombardy where she grew up, as well as the south of Italy, which in many ways is totally different from the rest of Italy. Food there is olive oil based, uses vinegar for sweet and sour dishes and, like Lebanon, relies on local produce. She

does not shy away from mixing the two cuisines, Lebanese and Italian, in the same menu. “This is quite different from the Italian perspective where people tend to stick to their traditions. The most adventurous might pick up recipes from other Italian regions, hardly venturing into foreign cuisines, although this is slowly changing. Food exoticism is for parties and special gatherings, not an everyday occurrence.” But, she admits that there is now a budding interest and curiosity in other cuisines such as Middle Eastern. “For instance, you can now find minestrone made with couscous rather then pasta in Italy. Or even better a hoummos paste topped with chutney served with pinzimonio,” a traditional Italian delicacy of raw vegetables dipped in olive oil vinaigrette.

BELOW, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: LEEK + HAM BREAD TART, MINI HOTPOT, SPICY CARROT VELOUTE

Claude has great respect for chefs who try to adapt traditional food to new tastes and come up with cuisine that is creative and inventive, such as a freekeh risotto. “Lebanese cuisine is constantly changing although it is basically the same. New additions on the menu, inspired by Armenian, Iranian and Syrian dishes, are making an impact on traditional Lebanese food,” she says. It goes without saying that Maria is passionate about pasta, any pasta, any good pasta! And Claude’s favorite is chickpeas. “I love it in balila, fatte and anywhere else it can be found, such as pasta made with chickpeas,” she says. Their upcoming book is dedicated to this humble little 8,000 year old pulse that is native to both Italy and Lebanon. “It [the book] is also about our food experiences and memories. The book will unite the culinary cultures of the Mediterranean with many recipes from Italy and Lebanon,” says Claude.

Both chefs travel extensively, constantly looking out for new recipes, and exploring each other’s culinary traditions from Italy and Lebanon adapting them to global tastes and trends. Claude, a self taught cook and a filmmaker who has documented some of the disappearing Lebanese culinary traditions, recently travelled to Peru where she shadowed top local chefs and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu School of Peru. She returned with exciting ideas influenced by the new Andean kitchen and Peruvian fusion cuisine. Maria travels extensively to explore her love of food traditions as well as another issue close to heart, an initiative in Afghanistan. After some relentless fundraising she has managed to finance school buildings believing that all children deserve an education. The chefs came to Tawleh restaurant in Beirut last month as guest chefs where they prepared a feast of Italian and Lebanese fare, their passion evident as

they mingled with guests, encouraging them to try out all the dishes. So, what drives their passion for cooking? “My love for sharing good food with other people!” says Claude. “My love of food and eating!” says Maria, admitting that her favorite dish is Orrechiete with Pesto Aromatico and Melanzane al Funghetto…The third dimension of learning Italian in the kitchen would come in very handy here

OUR CUISINES, ALTHOUGH DIFFERENT, WERE A LINK THAT BROUGHT OUR TWO CULTURES TOGETHER

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DINING

DIMENSIONS

RAGMAG and BeirutRestaurants.com have teamed up to bring you some In-The-Know places this issue. To really help you eat drink + be merry we’ve compiled a list of places for you to hit up since if you visit Lebanon, you aren’t going to necessarily find these great spots on your own. We love a good meal and having the inside info from BeirutRestaurants.com makes it easier! They’re RAGMAG’s goto site for everything from brunch to tapas so that you can really experience the cuisine Lebanon’s got to offer. If you’re looking to knock back a few drinks and munch on high quality nibbles, our Dining Dimensions list is the easiest place to start.

Follow BeirutRestaurants.com on Twitter for more great suggestions @b_restaurants

GINETTE

Gouraud Street, Gemmayzeh, Convivium 05 Project Beirut contact@ginette-beirut.com +961 70 575077

MARINELLA TRATTORIA Madrid Street, Mar Mikhael Achrafieh Beirut +961 1 442342

ROSÉ

Rue Pasteur, Gemmayze Beirut +961 1 567568 +961 1 568567 Find them on Facebook

LA DURÉE

128 Foch Street, Beirut http://www.laduree.com/ +961 1 992922 +961 70 992922 See them on BeirutRestaurants.com Find them on Facebook Follow them on Twitter @MaisonLaduree

PATRICK’S IRISH PUB Uruguay Street, Downtown, Beirut +961 1 998662

RELAIS FOCH

Saad Zaghloul Street Downtown Beirut http://www.relaisfoch.com +961 1 999787

CHOCOLATE MILANO Bayhum Street, Downtown Beirut http://www.chocolatmilano.it/ +961 1 992100

CASSIS

Uruguay Street, Downtown Beirut http://www.cassisbeirut.com +961 1 989811 Find them on Facebook

FIONA’S

Gouraud Street, Saifi Village, Downtown, Beirut http://www.food-gallery.com/ +961 1 985825 +961 3 034200

GORDON’S CAFÉ

Located in Le Gray, Beirut www.Campbellgrayhotels.Com/le-gray-beirut.html Gordonscafe@legray.Com +961 1 962862

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The

Width + Breadth Of Dining WITH LARA ARISS

EACH EDITION OF RAGMAG, LARA ARISS WILL PRESENT A MEAL IN SEVERAL COURSES THAT YOU CAN TRY AT HOME. LARA IS A LEBANESE EXPAT IN TRAINING AT LE CORDON BLEU IN LONDON, ENGLAND. FOR MORE GREAT IDEAS, CHECK HER OUT ON THE WEB HTTP://WWW.BYLARA.ME FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @LARAARISS FIND HER ON FACEBOOK BYLARA

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eat, drink + be merry

Feta + Spinach TARTLETS

PREPARATION TIME COOKING TIME MAKES LEVEL

APPROXIMATELY 50 MINUTES APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES 4-6 MEDIUM

PASTRY DOUGH INGREDIENTS • 125 grams all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting • Pinch of salt • 75 grams cold unsalted butter plus extra for greasing • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg • 1-2 tablespoons water

FILLING INGREDIENTS • • • • • • •

250 grams spinach, chopped 25 grams unsalted butter 150 ml double cream 3 egg yolks 125 grams feta cheese 50 grams pine nuts Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

• Grease 6.9-cm loose-based tart tins. • Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. • Sift the flour and salt in a food processor and add the

butter, process until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. • Tip the mixture into a large bowl and add the nutmeg and enough cold water to bring the dough together. • Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and work the dough against the marble taking care not to overwork it. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll out each piece to fit the tart tins and carefully place the dough in each tart tin. Roll the rolling pin over the tin to neaten the edges and trim off the extra pastry. Use a fork to poke holes in the dough. • Place parchment paper in each of the tins and fill with Baking Beans, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

• Blind bake the tart cases for 10 minutes and then remove the Baking Beans and parchment paper and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown. Leave aside to cool. • In the meantime, blanch the spinach in boiling water for approximately 1 minute and then drain out the water. • In a frying pan, melt the butter and add the spinach and gently cook until all the excess liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. • Add in the double cream and egg yolks, and stir continuously to combine and cook through. • Crumble the cheese and divide equally between the 6 tarts and top with the spinach mixture. • Bake for 10 minutes and then scatter the pine nuts over the tartlets and cook for another 5 minutes. THE 3D ISSUE

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Sweet + Sour

SALMON SALAD PREPARATION TIME COOKING TIME MAKES LEVEL

30 MINUTES APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES 4 EASY

INGREDIENTS •4 tablespoons olive oil •4 small aubergines, cubed •600 grams Salmon fillets, skinned and cubed •2 small red onions, finely chopped •4 celery sticks, chopped •450 grams canned tomatoes, chopped •50 grams black olives, pitted •2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and halved •2 tablespoons red wine vinegar •2 tablespoons light brown sugar •40 grams parsley, finely chopped •Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

• In a pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and brown the aubergines. Remove and set aside. • In the same pan, add the salmon cubes for 5 - 6 minutes until just cooked. Remove and set aside. • In the same pan, add the olives, the chopped onions and the celery and cook through for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatos and season with salt and pepper.

• Simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. • Add the aubergine, capers, vinegar and sugar and cook through for about 5 – 7 minutes until the aubergine is tender. • Stir in the salmon and leave to cook for 10 minutes until cooked. • Serve warm with a sprinkle of parsley and drizzle olive oil.

KAFTA BALLS

with Cranberry Sauce PREPARATION TIME COOKING TIME SERVES LEVEL

20 MINUTES 30 - 35 MINUTES 4 MEDIUM

INGREDIENTS •1 orange •1 lemon •75 grams fresh cranberries •5 grams grated root ginger •1 fresh thyme spring •5 grams Dijon mustard •60 grams raspberry jam •150 ml apple juice •30 ml sunflower oil •1 kilogram minced meat •20 grams parsley, finely chopped •1 large onion, finely chopped •2 shallots or small onions, finely chopped •Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

• In a large bowl, combine the minced meat, parsley and finely chopped large onion. Add salt and pepper. • Use a teaspoon to spoon the meat mixture and roll into equal sized balls and lay them on a tray covered with parchment paper and place them in the fridge to rest. • In the meantime, pare the rind from the orange and half the lemon and cut into small strips. Blanch the strips in a small saucepan of boiling water for about 5 minutes, until tender. Drain the water and refresh the strips under cold water. • Squeeze the juice from the orange and lemon and pour into a small pan. Add the cranberries, ginger, thyme sprig, mustard, raspberry jam and apple juice. Cook over a mediumlow heat, stirring constantly until the jam has melted. Bring to

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a boil, stirring constantly, cover and lower the heat. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the cranberries are tender. • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the meatballs a few at a time and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the shallots or onions. Continue to cook for about 2 -3 minutes or to taste. Just before cooking is completed, pour the sauce and add the strips of orange and lemon rind. Leave the sauce to reduce, it should slightly thicken. Remove and discard the thyme sprig. Taste and season to your liking. • Transfer the meatballs to warm plates and spoon the sauce around each steak. Garnish with thyme sprigs and immediately serve.

Brownie Fudge

CHEESECAKE

eat, drink + be merry PREPARATION TIME BAKING TIME SERVES LEVEL

20 MINUTES ABOUT 80 MINUTES 8 - 10 EASY

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BROWNIE

•115 grams unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing •115 grams plain chocolate •200 grams caster sugar •2 eggs, beaten •50 ml milk •115 grams all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting FOR THE TOPPING

•500 grams cream cheese •125 grams light brown sugar •3 eggs, beaten •1 teaspoon vanilla extract •115 grams yogurt

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. • Lightly grease and flour a 23 spring-form tin. • In a saucepan over medium to low heat, melt the

butter and chocolate stirring continuously until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, until combined well. • Stir in the eggs and milk until combined. • Add the flour and mix until all the ingredients have blended and are well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, use a small palette knife to make sure the batter is levelled.

• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, and then leave aside to rest. Reduce oven temperature to 160°C. • For the topping, using an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the yogurt. • Pour the cream cheese mixture over the brownie base. • Bake in the preheated oven for 40 – 45 minutes, or until the center is almost set. • Leave the cheesecake to rest aside for at least 1 hour aside and then place in the fridge for 4 hours before serving.

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quizz ROUND #1

History + Geography 1. Which jet airliner made its first flight in 1969?

ROUND #2

ROUND #3

Science

ROUND #4

Entertainment

Trivia

1. What is the device called that is used to measure the humidity of the atmosphere?

1. Which well known British actor was caught with a prostitute called Divine Brown?

1. Assuming that women never shaved, where would you find the most curly black hair on women?

3. In What year did Elvis Presley die? Was it 1976, 1977 or !978?

2. You’ve probably all heard the term CPR, but what do the letters CPR mean?

2. Who directed the films “Pulp Fiction”, “Reservoir Dogs” and “From Dusk Till Dawn”?

2. What gives vinegar its distinctive taste and smell?

4. Between 1918 and 1920, 21.5 million died from what epidemic?

3. What does an anemometer measure?

5. What was the former name of Ghana?

4. What does the term “Hypotension” mean?

3. In a maximum snooker break of 147, how many points, in total, are scored off the black ball?

6. Which British Monarch has, until now, ruled the longest?

5. What is the name given to the instrument that is used to measure atmospheric pressure?

2. What is the longest river in Italy?

7. Which European capital stands on the river Spree? 8. In 1987, which company was involved in the tragedy in Bhopal, India, which killed 2.000 people? 9. A Chablis wine comes from what region of France? 10. Which former dictator was executed on Christmas Day in 1999?

6. What is an E.C.G.? 7. What is a reaction called that produces heat as it takes place? 8. Cartography is the science of doing what? 9. What is the term for the fear of open space? 10. What is the name given to life forms such as crabs, spiders etc. that have their bones on the outside?

dingbats O-ER-T-O-

It will not hurt.

ACRIML

He breaks the law.

ABCDEFGHJMO PQRSTUVWXYZ

Is it between ape and man?

O V E R S

4. In Romeo and Juliet, there are two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, To which does Juliet belong? 5. What was the name of the first black female model, to appear on the cover of Vogue? 6. In the Nintendo game, what is Mario’s job?

4. What is the unit of measurement of such things as Hay, Cloth and Linen? 5. What was the first product ever made by Philips? 6. Drambuie is made from Scotch Whiskey and what other ingredient? 7. What is the generic term for natural gas, oil and coal?

7. Who provides the voice of Princess Fiona in Shrek?

8 According to the Bible, where will the final battle take place?

8. What is the name of Popeye’s hamburger eating friend? 9. Which cocktail is made of Vodka, Galliano and orange juice? 10. If food is cooked “Au Gratin”, what should it contain?

3. If you drink a pint of Lager, a shot of whiskey or a standard glass of wine, which will give you the most alcohol?

9. When talking about champagne, what word is used to describe it as dry? 10. What star sign follows Aquarius in the astrological calendar?

WHEEL WHEEL

WHEEL It hasn’t all been eaten.

MUST GET THERE MUST GET THERE MUST GET THERE

Did they fight together?

DDDwestDDD

A cricket team?

Fairground fun? STEP SPETS SPETS

Make no progress! LETTUCE CUCUMBER TOMATO ONION MUSHROOM

Served as part of the main course?

ROUND#1 1. Concorde 2. The Po 3. 1977 4. Influenza 5. Gold Coast 6. Queen Victoria 7. Berlin 8. Union Carbide 9.Burgundy 10. Nicolae Ceausescu ROUND#2 1. Hygrometer 2. Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation 3. Wind speed/force 4. Low blood pressure 5. Barometer 6. Electro Cardio Graph 7. Exo-thermic 8. Map making 9. Agorophobia 10. Exo-skeletal ROUND#3 1. Hugh Grant 2. Quentin Tarantino 3. 112 4. Capulet 5. Naomi Campbell 6. Plumber 7. Cameron Diaz 8. Wimpey 9. Harvey Wallbanger 10. Cheese ROUND#4 1. Africa 2. Acetic Acid 3. Pint of Lager 4. Bale 5. Light bulb 6. Honey 7. Fossil fuels 8. Armageddon 9. Brut 10. Pisces

PAINLESS OPERATION - LEFTOVERS - BIG WHEEL CRIMINAL - THREE MUSKETEERS - ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK MISSING LINK - WEST INDIES - SIDE SALAD

138 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

brainfood 2

DOWN

15 17

22 23 24 25 30

31 33

32 34

37 38

40 44

47 51

55 56 59

61 62

67 68

74 78

81 82

91 92

ACROSS

4. A water hole in the desert. 5. Exposed to radiation. 7. Confirm. 11. A dry wine term? 12. A search engine? 13. Has no courage or honor. 14. An alfresco meal? 20. The study of

23. A list of terms? 24. A slow change. 25. Obese? 26. A pig’s house? 27. A type or kind of. 30. Less than twice. 33. Impeded progress. 34. It’s really huge! 36. Move about rapidly! 39. Moved forward.

motionless fluids. 22. Put in order.

sudoku 3 7

1 5 3

43. Total of spots on a dice. 45. High glucose level is

6 2

1 3 1 9

EASY

3 4 1

8 1

3 6 8 7 9 2 6 4 2 5 1 4 3 5 9 7 8

7 5 6 8 2 4 4 9 7 8 5 3 2 1 1 3 6 9

9 5 4 4 3 7 1 6 8 8 6 3 5 2 1 2 7

8 5 1 7

7 5 6 6 1 2 6 7 6 3 7 1 5 4 5 2 9 9 1 8 4 3

1 8 2 1 8 5 9 2 3 4 7 9 7 6 6 5 4

2 4 9 2 7 1 8 6 1 3 5 7 5 4 3 9 6

7 5 3 5 6 2 3 4 9 9 2 8 7 4 1 1

64. 1760 yards makes this. 65. A test? 69. Spineless? 71. Keeps you warm in winter. 73. A food container? 76. Didn’t fail! 78. Took offence at? 81. Cool very quickly. 82. Made a mistake. 84. A computer’s pointing device?

one symptom. 46. Not very neat. 49. Went by air. 52. A thought. 54. Used to define purity of gold. 58. Can he turn lead into gold? 61. A feeling of anxiety. 63. Spreads throughout.

4 3 8

4 1 1 3 5 9 3 6 9 2 7 8 4 6 7 2 8 5

2 2 9 7

5 2 4

6 2 9 3 8 4 9 1 8 5 7 7 1 4 6 6 2 5 9 3 2

2 5 6 7

4 3 6 2 8 9 9 5 4 2 1 9 4 7 9 3 8 2 4 1 5 6

5 4 2 1 6 3 9 8 7

6 8 1 9 5 7 3 4 2

3 6 7 4 1 8 5 2 9

2 5 4 3 9 6 7 1 8

8 1 9 5 7 2 6 3 4

1 7 6 2 4 5 8 9 3

6 7 3 4 7 8 2 6 3 7

1 6 2

7 4 9 2 1 3

8 6 1 3 8

3 5 4 3 5 6 8 9 2 7 1

9 2 8 7 3 1 4 6 5

4 2 7 8 6 3 9 1 5

5 9 8 2 1 7 4 3 6

6 3 1 5 4 9 2 8 7

7 4 6 3 5 1 8 2 9

3 5 9 6 2 8 7 4 1

8 1 2 9 7 4 5 6 3

2 7 4 1 3 5 6 9 8

9 6 3 7 8 2 1 5 4

1 8 5 4 9 6 3 7 2

1. Not the oldest. 2. A short university? 3. Housey housey! 6. Painting is one of these. 8. Give in. 9. Knowledge. 10. Young! 11. An area without vegetation. 12. Twelve dozen makes this. 15. Has more than one event. 16. Found in a camera? 17. One style of music. 18. Incline? 19. Old fashioned wandering musician. 21. Thomas was this! 28. Japanese dress? 29. Bill Sykes’s dog? 31. Equal to 14.7 pounds per square inch. 32. Fanatical person. 35. The study of gardens? 36. A praising phrase. 37. Hit the maximum win. 38. World wide web? 40. Girls sway these. 41. A dog’s cry of pain? 42. Lose their foliage. 44. Invertebrates. 47. Table of contents. 48. A little rubber boat? 50. A weeping tree? 51. Hockey on horse back? 53. To relieve. 55. River mouth? 56. A Mass for the dead! 57. A Persian coat? 59. A rabbit’s walk. 60. Not bright. 62. Join together. 66. The sign for subtraction. 67. An old music group? 68. The first word of R.I.P. 70. Writer of Four Seasons? 72. Not out. 74. Hold tight with a mechanical device. 75. Sharpen. 77. A brief outline of written work? 79. Acid found in vinegar. 80. Very dry. 83. Part of a hair style? 85. A badger’s house? 86. Top dog? 91. A type of bird. 87. Hard money? 88. Interfered with progress. 89. Repaired shoes. 90. American taxi? 92. An opening. 93. Not using the engine to move. 94. Gives off heat during

a chemical reaction.

ACCROSS 4. OASIS - 5. IRRADIATED - 7. VERIFY - 11. BRUT 12. GOOGLE - 13. INGLORIOUS. - 14. PICNIC 20. HYDROSTATICS - 22. ORGANIZE 23. NOMENCLATURE - 24. GRADUAL - 25. FAT 26. STY - 27. ILK - 30. ONCE - 33. HAMPERED 34. BEHEMOTH - 36. FLIT - 39. ADVANCED 43. TWENTYONE - 45. DIABETES - 46. UNTIDY 49. FLEW - 52. IDEA - 54. CARAT - 58. ALCHEMIST 61. CONSTERNATION - 63. PERMEATES - 64. MILE 65. EXAM - 69. INVERTEBRATE - 71. QUILT - 73. CAN 76. PASSED - 78. UMBRAGED - 81. QUENCH 82. ERRED - 84. MOUSE - 87. COINS - 88. DISRUPTED 89. COBBLED - 90. CAB - 92. ORIFICE - 93. COASTING 94. EXOTHERMIC

DOWN 1. YOUNGEST - 2. VARSITY - 3. BINGO - 6. ARTS 8. YIELD - 9. WISDOM - 10. JUVENILE - 11. BARREN 12. GROSS - 15. TRIATHLAON - 16. FILM - 17. JAZZ 18. GRADIENT - 19. MINSTREL - 21. DOUBTING 28. KIMONO - 29. BULLSEYE - 31. BAR - 32. ZEALOT 35. HORTICULTURE - 36. FLATTERY - 37. JACKPOT 38. WWW - 40. HIPS - 41. YELP - 42. DECIDUOUS 44. MOLLUSKS - 47. INDEX - 48. ZODIAC 50. WILLOW - 51. POLO - 53. ALLEVIATE - 55. DELTA 56. REQUIEM - 57. KAFTAN - 59. HOP - 60. DIM 62. MERGE - 66. MINUS - 67. SQUEEZE 68. REQUIESCAT - 70. VIVALDI - 72. IN - 74. CLAMP 75. WHET - 77. SYNOPSIS - 79. ACETIC - 80. ARID 83. QUIFF - 85. SETT - 86. ALPHA - 91. JAY

crosswords

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RAGMAG

astro

Zodiac forecasts FROM JONATHAN CAINER

November.2011

THE END OF NOVEMBER BRINGS A SOLAR ECLIPSE. EVEN IF YOU CAN’T SEE IT, WHEREVER YOU ARE, WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING, WHATEVER SIGN YOU HAPPEN TO BELONG TO, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FEEL IT. IT IS A SYMBOL OF REBIRTH, THE OLD GIVING WAY TO THE NEW. ONE MOMENT, THE SUN SHINES AS USUAL. THE NEXT IT STARTS TO SLOWLY DISAPPEAR. BRIEFLY, THE WORLD SUSPECTS IT HAS GONE FOREVER. THEN IT RETURNS. IF, IN YOUR LIFE, IT SEEMS AS IF SOMETHING IS THREATENED - OR AS IF A LIGHT IS SOMEHOW FADING - FEAR NOT.

PETER JACKSON

BJÖRK

SAGITTARIUS November 23 - December 21

There will be a solar eclipse in your sign at the end of November. What else do you need to know? Well, Okay. I guess I could tell you the lottery numbers - or the three special words that will ensure your favourite movie star asks to marry you - but actually... I’ve already told you something worth more. You currently have power, energy, determination, direction and an unrivalled ability to succeed. You’re about to get even more. As long as you stay clear and calm you’ll learn all you need to know in order to get all you truly require. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM

SCORPIO October 24 - November 22

Little things count for a lot - or so they say. But it is hard to see how this can really be true. Take, for example, a mountain. That’s a big thing. Now, think about a pinhead. That’s a little thing. How many of these do you think you need in order to match the mountain? When we allow little things to count for lot, all we actually do is warp our own sense of perspective, and compromise our ability to be clear. Something silly is taking up far too much of your precious time. You have bigger things to think about in November. Turn your attention there! FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM

CAPRICORN

December 22 - January 20 Would you like the good news or the slightly less than wonderful news about November? Actually, I really don’t have any bad news - even though I know you are nervous. I suppose, if you keep fervently anticipating a disaster, you may just create one. But you will need to try hard - for your cosmic climate is favourable. Expect an improvement in a close relationship (that’s the good news) plus a sudden upheaval that forces you to think on your feet (that’s the slightly less than wonderful news). But you can only emerge triumphantly from it all. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM

140 RAGMAG | NOVEMBER 2011

January 21 - February 19

February 20 - March 20

PISCES

ARIES

Look into my eyes. You are feeling sleepy. You can think of nothing but blue skies and fluffy clouds. You are... floating. Relaxed from the tip of your toes to the... well, yes I DO know this is corny... but how else do I alert you to the idea that something in November, is lulling you into a false sense of security? You think all is fine in an area of life where much is dodgy. Meanwhile, you’re more worried than you need to be about a matter that’s not really a big deal. You need a greater sense of perspective, proportion and priority. Once that returns, all will be fine.

Once, long ago, you were a different person. You were small. You went to school. You played with your friends. You knew nothing about the big wide world. But you were still you. How much of your current situation would that ‘old you’ have recognised? To this day, your inner child is baffled by some of the things that are so important in your daily life. A part of you just wants to be simple, happy, playful. Is that really too much to ask? It’s not. So ask the universe! What once was important to you can (and should) become important again in November.

They say the definition of insanity is to ‘keep doing the same thing’ whilst expecting a different result. If you want your life to become less stressful, you’ve got to change some of what you keep doing. You’re not completely creating the situation - but you’re shaping it to some extent. You can’t control anyone else’s behaviour, but you can, at least, modify your own. That’s all you need to do in November. Alter an attitude. Break a habit pattern. Try a new approach. All that now seems so exasperatingly impossible will begin to become pleasingly feasible.

FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM

AQUARIUS

TAURUS

GEMINI

March 21 - April 20

CANCER

April 21 - May 21

May 22 - June 22

June 23 - July 23

FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM

LEO

VIRGO

August 24 - September 23

September 24 - October 23

Soap operas mirror the dramas of life - yet they also exaggerate the rate of change. Viewers don’t want to sit around waiting for something to happen. We can experience that just by leading our own lives! Only rarely do we find ourselves dealing with challenge after challenge in a short space of time. This has such an impact that we then spend months steeling ourselves for the possibility of a repeat. You are concerned lest a small event sets off an avalanche. It won’t. Your life in November is not a soap. It is a one-act play with a happy ending.

Do you never stop smiling, regardless of how much there is to worry about? You may like to think so, but your friends would beg to differ. They’d say you wear your heart on your sleeve. Ask any of them what’s eating you now? They all know; it’s no secret. But November brings reason to relax. You will soon feel happier about your prospects. Materially and emotionally, things are improving. You will find it hard to hide the relief you feel. It may, though, be wise to disguise this till you have completely converted an opportunity into a success.

How do you make something OK if it is not OK? First, you have to ask why you would want to? There can only be one answer. Because you cannot change it. If you can, then that’s the way to make it OK. If you can’t, then it’s not OK to just keep putting up with it. You have to find something about it that is OK. Or that at least you can understand. Something that you can forgive, even if you can’t forget it. Some side-effect you can be grateful for. Two wrongs do not make a right. In November you need to let go of a past hurt. Embrace a healing future.

FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM

We are all born blessed with natural powers that science has yet to prove. Telepathy, for example - or telekinesis, the exertion of mind over matter. We all know, in our heart of hearts, that we have a sixth sense available to us, which - while it may seem to be erratic - is very real when it works. Yet whenever experts try to look for evidence of this ability, it hides where they cannot see it! Please don’t assume, in November, that you lack such mystical talents. You have them. And if you trust and use them you can make many magical changes take place.

July 24 - August 23

With just one word we can change someone’s life. We can offer criticism that deflates or encouragement that inspires. We can be positive or negative, angry or forgiving, kind or cold. We don’t need to say much. Often, it can be done silently with just a simple look. Actions, similarly, don’t have to be dramatic to be effective. Don’t underestimate your power to make it different this month and don’t feel afraid when you ought to be feeling confident. There may not seem to be much you can do, but whatever you can do is all you need to do.

I was just preparing your forecast for November when several people began a bidding war for advertising in this space. The first offer came from a company that wanted to sell you something expensive that you don’t need. The next came from a loan company wanting to lend you money at an extortionate rate. You’ll be glad to hear I turned them all down. A solar eclipse at the end of the month suggests many people will try to hijack your agenda and make you offers you feel you can’t refuse. But you can. And if you are strong this month, you’ll be fine.

LIBRA

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out + about

PHOTOGRAPHY JASON ZAMORA

EVENT OF THE YEAR THE FOUR SEASONS GIVES EVENT GOERS A WHOLE NEW DIMENSION

RAGMAG got out + about and frankly, more than a little bit surprised at the seasonal closing event for The Roof at the Four Seasons Beirut! A light projection countdown alerted guests that something out of the ordinary was about to happen, but jaded Beirut guests didn’t expect them to pull off anything more spectacular than what we’ve already seen. We’re a hard group to impress! At exactly 10pm an announcement advised guests to head to the nearest exit as The Roof was now officially closed. Certainly unorthodox, asking your guests to leave, and people began muttering amongst themselves as they slowly made their way to the elevators. A group of hostesses

GET BEHIND THE SCENES Four Seasons Hotel Minet El Hosn, Beirut Tel 01/761000 | NOVEMBER 2011 142 RAGMAGwww.fourseasons.com/beirut Follow them on Twitter @FSBeirut

soon ushered confused guests to the reputable second floor resto, The Grill Room, where they were encouraged to “take over the kitchen”. In what is RAGMAG’s pick for best event of the year, the Four Seasons did what no one in Lebanon has dared yet to do. Hundreds of guests were encouraged to explore the kitchen, speak to the chefs and be part of the inner workings of the Four Seasons. Between helpings of fine food and champagne, guests curiously made their way through the remarkable kitchen of the hotel, proving that events can indeed be interactive and successful. We can’t wait to see what they think of next!

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