MAGAZINE
September 2012
THE
EXPANSION ISSUE
MIDDLE EAST EXPANSIONS
PAYING IT FORWARD
TORY BURCH
DIGITAL
DETERMINISM
OMAR
ABOU EZZEDDINE SEPTEMBER 2012
THE BIGGEST MOVIE STAR IN THE WORLD
PRETTY WOMAN
JULIA ROBERTS LIFE + AMBITION ARE CROSSROADS OF EXPANSION www.ragmag.co | RAGMAG | 1 FOR HOLLYWOOD’S TRAILBLAZER
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
SEPTEMBER 2012
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MAGAZINE
Publisher Gina Gabriel El-Fady Editor in Chief Fida Z Chaaban Creative Lead Odette Kahwagi Managing Director May Ziade
Photographers Odette Kahwagi Jason Zamora Teddy Habib Selected images Shutterstock
Contributors Lara Ariss Jonathan Cainer Amal Chaaban Youmna Chagoury Rabih Feghali Rebecca Fisher-Swarbrooke Maria Frangieh Mohammad Hijazi Alice Hlidkova Sarah Hourany J.E.N. Maria-Elena Kassab Imogen Kimber Chris Lambert Sabina LLewellyn-Davies Maha Majzoub Nour Obaji Jacques Tchabarian Adam Volk
w w w . r a g m a g l i v e . c o m
@RAGMAGLebanon RAGMAGMagazine RAGMAG
Opinions expressed are based solely on personal opinion and experience, not reflective in any way of RAGMAG, a division of Raycon s.a.l.
Webmaster Youmna Chagoury
Media Representative
Stylist Jony Matta
Nada G. Farha | Founder-MD Jdeideh Chalet Suisse St 444 Center 3rd floor Tel: 01 87 16 63 Ext 103 nfarha@pinkodsal.com advertise@pinkodsal.com
Public Relations Coordinator Lea El-Alam Marketing Advisor Daniella Tayar
Printed by Raidy Printing Group
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RAGMAG is a division of Raycon s.a.l. Copyright RAGMAG 2012 All Rights Reserved.
Distributor Lebanese Distributor Company Hamra, Axa Middle East bldg. Tel: 01 368 007
Administrative Coordinator Teddy Younes
PER ISSUE 10,000 LBP 6 ISSUES 50,000 LBP 12 ISSUES 100,000 LBP 4 | R A G M A G | www.ragmag.co
ON OUR COVER Julia Roberts Original photography by S. Bukley
Contact us by phone or email to arrange your subscription subscriptions@ragmaglive.com Lea El-Alam +961 9 916 222 / 9 913 777 RAGMAG Alex Gabriel Building, Rue Colomn de Sahel Sahel Alma, Keserwan, Lebanon
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
the expansion issue
20 EDITOR’S OPINION 16 EXPAND + CONTRACT THE DEMOCRATIC WEB
EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES 90 COPYCAT REAL LIFE RUNWAY
102 RISE + BE COUNTED OUR FASHION SHOOT
94 FASHION FILE
TORY BURCH PAYS IT FORWARD
OUT + ABOUT 40 KEANE IN LEBANON
SOUND BITES WITH TOM CHAPLIN
CULTURE CLASH 50 EXPANDING BUSINESSES BEIRUT STYLE HAYDA LEBNEN
146 EXPANDING TO THE BIG SCREEN LEBANESE FILM FEST IN SYDNEY
20 LABYRINTH OF DIMENSIONS OMAR ABOU EZZEDDINE
72 THE BIGGEST MOVIE STAR IN THE WORLD PRETTY WOMAN JULIA ROBERTS
DOLLARS+SENSE 28 EXPAND YOUR PORTFOLIO WTF IS A HEDGE FUND?
PRETTY WOMAN
JULIA 72 ROBERTS SEPTEMBER 2012
YOU + YOUR COUNTRY 48 ALL FOR ONE + ONE FOR ALL KULLUNA
THE FINAL FRONTIER 26 SMARTPHONES GETTING SMARTER TECH
32 SOLAR FLARES DOOM + GLOOM SCIENCE
FML 44 GET FOOTLOOSE + FANCY-FREE BE A BUSKER
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the expansion issue
44 MON AMOUR, MON AMI 56 EXPANDING YOUR REPERTOIRE LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX
MIND, BODY + SOUL 52 HELP ME NOUR + RABIH ADVICE
126 GETTING THE STORY STRAIGHT IS IT TIME TO BUTT OUT IN LEBANON?
36 MURPHY’S LAW
OUR WRITER GETS HER ASS KICKED
MIRROR MIRROR 66 OH SO COOL CARTIER SNEAK PEEKS
60 UNA BELLISSIMA DONNA DIOR DOES IT BEST
68 MAKE UP FOR EVER HAS IT ALL DANCE WITH ME
58 THE SENSES SPA SPA REVIEW
70 CATWALK COLOUR M.A.C. AW2012
EAT, DRINK + BE MERRY 128 RESTAURANT REVIEW THE GRILL ROOM
TORY 94
BURCH PAYS IT FORWARD 8 | R A G M A G | www.ragmag.co
130 EXPAND YOUR PANTRY RECIPES
TAKE ME WITH YOU 120 SALZBURG FEST TRAVEL
134 138 139 140 141
SEE, SPEAK + HEAR NO EVIL WORLD VISION BLOGGERS SOUND CHECK MUSIC READ’EM + WEEP BOOKS PLAY NICE GAMES WATCH OUT FILM THE EXPANSION ISSUE
SEPTEMBER 2012
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PUBLISHER’S LETTER
When we think of Julia Roberts, we think of Pretty Woman. Today you will get to know her as the Actress, the Wife, the Mother and now the new face of Lancôme. She brings out the true beauty of being a woman. Thank you BlackBerry Middle East and L’Occitane for this month RM’s reader rewards. We hope you enjoy the reader rewards that are meant to get you even more involved in RM’s vibe. I also want to encourage you to definitely check out Youmna Chagoury’s FML this month- she was a busker for RAGMAG in Hamra! On my page you can see a shot of the great Marcel Ghanem of Kalam Ennas with our August issue starring Nemr Abou Nassar. As this issue went to print, Nemr will be a guest on Kalam Ennas. You know we’ll be tuning in eagerly to watch Nemr and Marcel team up! On that note, to our readers: we absolutely loved the craziness Nemr brought out of you guys in the month of August. We are striving to bring out that reaction of you every month. That was literally the definition of RM #ItsYourMagazine. I am calling out to you all to send us names of ‘Who You Would Like to See’ on the cover of RM! Write in and we will give one lucky winner a cool surprise. Keep your emails flowing to publisher@ragmaglive.com and talk back to me on twitter @GinaGabriel1
Gina Gabriel El-Fady | Publisher SEPTEMBER 2012
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
EDITOR’S LETTER
THE
EXPANSION ISSUE
BECAUSE THINGS ARE GETTING BIGGER METAPHORICALLY AND LITERALLY
N
emr Abou Nassar, because of you, our social media peeps did not let us rest. We were flooded night and day by your fans on Twitter! We had everything from messages about which designer dressed you so elegantly (Pal Zileri) to messages about how long it took to interview you. People even asked me if we had been alone together during the interview and what you were like “in person”. Readers, thank you so much for sharing our article and we will have the full interview available on the web this month so you can share it even further. We appreciate the interaction and RAGMAG’s team was just as excited as you all were to see Nemr putting his beliefs forward in print with us. The sales of last month’s issue surpassed our greatest expectations and for that we are grateful. THIS ISSUE: HERE WE GO. THE BIGGEST MOVIE STAR IN THE WORLD IS ON OUR COVER! Needless to say, we consider ourselves lucky to have her in RAGMAG. She’s a great speaker, gives honest answers and is, in general, the kind of woman we love to highlight because she’s smart and successful. (Can “successful” be used when referring to
SEPTEMBER 2012
Julia? It seems kind of a weak way to describe a person Forbes has dubbed “one of the most influential women in the United States”.) There may not be enough adjectives out there to describe the light Julia gives off, both spiritually and physically. In any case, I hope you think I did her justice since I certainly struggled with trying to give you the most accurate picture of Julia that I possibly could. Closer to home we covered a few people this issue who are doing extraordinary things. One such luminary in Lebanon is Omar Abou Ezzeddine, one of the brains behind Cleartag. We’re saying that Omar is responsible for a revolutionary design and execution ethos that the Middle East has not seen prior! Find out more about Omar and his digital determinism in our feature with him. Another topic we chose to explore this issue was the Smoking Ban in Lebanon active as of September 3rd. There are 2 sides to every story and we’ve talked things over with the Resto Syndicate to see how they’re feeling about this phase of the new law. Check that out and definitely let us know your views via email or social media.
Find me on Twitter @fidachaaban and follow @RAGMAGLebanon for updates and reader rewards that are meant to thank you for being part of RAGMAG. If you think of something that deserves print space, my cyber door is always open. If you haven’t joined us on Facebook and Pinterest yet, we’re looking forward to seeing you on those mediums as well. You are welcome to email me at letterstotheeditor@ragmaglive.com to send me your thoughts and feelings about this issue or anything else, for that matter. Finally I want to encourage you to subscribe to RAGMAG and make it a part of your life every month. We are the only magazine in Lebanon that talks back. We’re here because of the support and constant encouragement of our loyal readers. It’s Your Magazine.
Fida Z Chaaban | Editor in Chief
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
FOR OUR AUGUST ISSUE WE CONTINUED TO TALK TO YOU VIA OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS- PINTEREST, TWITTER + FACEBOOK. WE THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND PARTICIPATION AND HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO INTERACT WITH US ONLINE.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK AND SCRIBBLE ON OUR WALL TO WIN, WRITE TO US AT LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR@RAGMAGLIVE.COM OR TWEET US ON TWITTER @RAGMAGLEBANON!
IF YOU’RE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TAKE A PIC WITH YOUR FAVORITE ISSUE, SEND IT OUR WAY VIA SOCIAL MEDIA OR EMAIL! YOU’RE ALL SO PINTERESTING, SO PIN US. RAGMAG IT’S YOUR MAGAZINE! RAGMAG reserves the right to edit for clarity and content
WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU SO KEEP IT UP! We’re showing off some of the best images that our readers sent in via email and Twitter. Thank you to all of the readers who sent us tweets and emails of their copies of RAGMAG.
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LifeImitatesArt Here’s one odd development that we want to share with all of you, since you’ve probably had a similar experience or know someone who has. Shortly after Maria Elena Kassab’s WhatsApp article went to print last issue, the very points we put forward manifested themselves. Here is her not so funny convo on WhatsApp with an unknown person. What happened after this screen shot was that she blocked him on the program so he began calling her to try and convince her to be “friends”. Tweet our way @RAGMAGLebanon with the hashtag #WhatsAppStalkers if it’s happened to you too!
SEPTEMBER 2012
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EDITOR’S OPINION
EXPAND +CONTRACT OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: IMAGE CREDIT BRIAN J. MATIS
THE INTERNET IS GROWING DAILY, BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES
I
can easily say with certainty that all of my readers are way better versed with the web than I am. I’m not especially good at searching, I don’t know how to download songs or movies (and I have intellectual property issues with that anyway), and I usually just turn to Twitter and beg someone in cyberspace to help me do whatever it is I need done. I haven’t had the time to really play with the web and learn its secrets and I don’t really want to devote hours of my life to thinking about the ever-expanding internet. It actually kind of freaks me out –I can’t even wrap my head around the idea of the universe’s expansion- so how can I think of this thing, this gargantuan alterworld where nothing is certain and every-
thing is subject to the whims of whoever is working the keyboard? I did not know there was a specific agency that managed the domain extension naming procedure. I’m not sure who I thought decided on a .gov and a .org but I guess I must’ve had some vague idea of an internet allseeing, all-knowing type of organization. I recently learned of the “Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers” (ICANN) which looks after internet endings. It wasn’t out of some yearning desire to know who oversees internet naming (although I do think it’s a useful thing to know), it is because I stumbled across an article that lambasted Saudi Arabia (and others) for their attempts to censor the internet via objections to the newly proposed endings.
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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER For those of you (like me) who have no clue how this works, here’s the basics. On June 13 of this year, ICANN announced the list. They have opened up the floor for objections to these endings and you can submit your comments up until the end of this month (September 26). The official name of these internet endings is “gTLD strings” and they are used as alternatives to existing ones like .com and the like. gTLD stands for generic top-level domain and encompasses the ubiquitous .com, .info, .net, and .org which are unrestricted (but this is complex and needs a whole article on its own). There are a number of other classifications but the rules and regulations around them are quite technical and for the purposes of this article don’t need to be explored. Now that you know your nitty gritty regarding gTLD strings, we can talk about why I am curious enough to research all of this, and why I am outraged enough to devote my op ed to it.
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EDITOR’S OPINION
THE OBJECTION PROCESS IS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND ANYONE WITH ENOUGH INTEREST AND MOTIVATION CAN FIGURE IT OUT. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH CNN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ICANN AKRAM ATALLAH SAID THAT THEY “ARE VERY ENTHUSIASTIC TO PROMOTE THE OBJECTION PROCESSES SO THAT EVERYONE IS AWARE OF THEM”
SHIT SHOW Now here’s my question: how do you decide who gets what? When a new gTLD string is opened up, apparently you can apply to run that string. Nominations cost $185,000 so you need to have some real cash to back up your case. The process seems to be two-fold: as a third-party, to object or support a comment regarding the nomination publicly you can do so at no charge for top-level domains. As a third-party, to file a “formal objection”, prepare to shell out $2500 per objection. Handling those objections is a whole other matter, but the guidelines can be seen here http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/objection-dispute-resolution. There are 4 grounds of objection: String Confusion, Legal Rights, Limited Public Interest, and Community. Limited Public Interest is defined as, “The applied-for gTLD string contradicts generally accepted legal norms of morality and public order recognized under principles of international law,” which one would as-
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sume includes things like a gTLD named .childporn. The objection process is very straightforward and anyone with enough interest and motivation can figure it out. In an interview with CNN, chief Executive of ICANN Akram Atallah said that they “are very enthusiastic to promote the objection processes so that everyone is aware of them,” suggesting that you or I can proceed to ICANN and voice our opinion. IT AIN’T ME, BABE At the time of writing this article (August 27th) there were exactly 6581 entries on ICANN’s Application Comments page. They range from sensible to strange, but then who am I to judge? What I find questionable is that a panel eventually sifts through these and decides who is right and who is wrong. One person, Elisa Giuliano, who lists no affiliation to a company or government and directs
her objections to the Financial Capability Evaluation Panel, has filed a whole truckload of objections with the subject “Questionable Financial Transactions” for strings like .Soccer, .School and .Science amongst others. She’s also filed the same objection to .Cloud, .Cricket and .Coupon. I’m not nearly educated enough about this sphere to comment on it, but whose interests is Ms. Giuliano protecting by filing her comments? We aren’t privy to her motivations so how can we make a decision? In the same interview with CNN, Atallah said that the objection process is “a very powerful tool, that any individual can comment on an application and potentially stop the delegation process.” I agree, it is a powerful tool but who says that tool is falling into the right hands? What if the individual that is filing complaints is narrow-minded and bigoted or worse? What if the panel has ulterior motives for championing that objection or for dismissing it?
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
EXPAND + CONTRACT | THE INTERNET IS GROWING DAILY, BUT NOT EVERYONE AGREES
GREY AREAS One case that’s gotten a lot of press and objections is the proposed string .patagonia. An American clothing company by the same name has applied for it and it is pushing all the wrong buttons of both the government of Argentina and its citizenry since it is one of their geographic regions. In my opinion a geographic region of a country (named in 1520) shouldn’t be up for grabs by a retailer, but how can I accurately make that decision? A more controversial issue is that the proposed string .gay is being applied for by 4 different organizations. The comments for .gay are 3 pages long and include things like, “ICANN should not ignore the fact that activities related to this string are considered criminal act or unlawful in some parts of the world. Furthermore, ICANN should stick to GAC principles that call for respecting the sensitivity regarding terms with national, cultural, geographic and religious significance,” written by objector Abdulaziz Al-Zoman. Well, Mr. Al-Zoman, I can’t dispute the fact that in Saudi Arabia (and in Lebanon), being gay is illegal but I can tell you that I find that illegality backwards and a basic violation of human rights. I don’t necessarily support the idea of one
group operating the .gay domain since it is fraught with political implications (what sort of content will be allowed on .gay? Can they promise to include all spheres of the LGBTQ community?) One can’t make certain that it will be used fairly, but I object to the reason Mr. AlZoman objects. I also object to the Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) reasons for objecting since they have internet censorship anyhow. As a country, they already ban access to various sites and content so if you don’t like the .gay ending, just block it like you do everything else. CITC’s representative Abdulmjid has filed 166 comments objecting to everything from the obvious .wine and .bar to the odd .style and .tattoo on moral grounds.
be closely scrutinized after the successfully nominated domains are announced and I can bet that this isn’t the last we’ll hear on the subject. If they do by chance give .gay out to some likely organization, you can bet your bottom dollar that the people of KSA won’t be able to access it anyway, whether or not they are in fact gay. If KSA can prevent this and other types of freedom of information (and they can), then they shouldn’t be allowed to object seeing as how they aren’t participating in the democratic nature of the web anyhow. You can’t vote for something that you aren’t a part of, so back off Saudi Arabia
A DEMOCRATIC WEB? Abdulmjid’s comments suggest that these gTLD’s are proliferating Western values and are offensive to the world at large. I suggest that his objections are proliferating Saudi Arabia’s governmental agenda and are offensive to me and many others in the world at large. Whose web is it anyway? It’s mine and yours and Abdulmjid’s, so how can we ever reach a happy medium? ICANN’s decision-makers will
A MORE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE IS THAT THE PROPOSED STRING .GAY IS BEING APPLIED FOR BY 4 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS.
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CULTURE CLASH
OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: 3D HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY, OMAR ABOU EZZEDDINE, CLEARTAG TAGLABS
LABYRINTH OF
TECHNOLOGY DIGITAL EXPANSION IN THE MIDDLE EAST OMAR ABOU EZZEDDINE MAKES A BELIEVER OUT OF YOU BY FIDA CHAABAN
T
he Tupac hologram is amazing! Do you know how it works?” I don’t actually, so I press for an explanation. “3D holographic technology is a technique of scattering light to present an image that appears to the eye to be 3 dimensional.” The science of digital worlds is confusing and almost Hobbitesque. You need a J.R.R. Tolkien to build that world and you need him to walk you through that world, lest you lose yourself along the way. There are a couple of reasons why you might want to hang out with Omar Abou Ezzeddine of Cleartag and this is one of them. When you, as a layperson, are trying to grasp the difference between 2D visions and 3D Tupacs, he might be your new best friend. He might even be your J.R.R. Tolkien and you’re about to see why.
“
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I don’t exactly understand the difference between this and the crazy, swirling, cylindrical animation in Omar’s office so he patiently points out the one-way mirrors and that only 3 of 4 sides are visible, making it 2D. “There will be no more static displays, you put the product in this box and you tell the message in an animated way around the product. The concept first goes to the creative department, is then handed over to the animation department where an animator layers, renders, and compiles the object before you see what you have just seen. We can blow this hologram up and it could be a huge thing in the middle of the room,” he says gesturing in dimensions of approximately 6ft and higher. It sounds like Coachella’s Tupac, but add one more angle to create that three hundred sixty degree impact. This is what Omar is great at: creating digital dimensions with augmented reality and larger than life immersive experi-
ences that are not confined to paper. He can make your imagination happen, and you may not know that you’ve already probably experienced Omar’s expertise. Cleartag is the regional leader in all things digital -if you aren’t aware of them then you aren’t a keener in the sphere of technological innovations- and they’re bringing never before utilized technologies and solutions to the Middle East. The company lays claim to 4 Web Awards (Beirut Terraces website and Rymco Drive for Change being 2 of 4 winning submissions), and they were also Shortlisted and declared an Official Honouree by the prestigious Webby Awards in 2011. The only Middle East digital agency to ever receive a Webby Award acknowledgment, Cleartag is trying to bring us up to par with the rest of the world. During the Middle East Internet Awards, they were shortlisted for their ABC social media campaign and won for their Bank Audi Loubnani campaign. THE EXPANSION ISSUE
CLEARTAG IS TRYING TO BRING US UP TO PAR WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD
PHOTOGRAPHY JASON ZAMORA
SEPTEMBER 2012
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IS NO LONGER ‘DIGITAL ABOUT THE SCREEN
THAT’S IN FRONT OF YOU, IT HAS ACTUALLY AN INTEGRATED EXPERIENCE THAT HAS EXTENDED AND IS MOVING ACROSS PLATFORMS
’
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
CULTURE CLASH
There is no one else in the Middle East’s digital business that can bring it to life quite like Omar and the Cleartag team can. Be it his personal passion for the industry or his know-how or a combination of both elements, he has been remarkably good at bringing the advancements in digital to your doorstep. Omar graduated Cum Laude from George Washington University with a Bachelor of Business Administration then went on to do a Masters of Science with a concentration in Information Systems Development. He’s put both of his degrees to work as the Deputy General Manager of Cleartag. The 30 year-old overachiever wants you to join him in his ever-evolving mind space: “Where Cleartag has changed in the last 5 years is that we realized that digital is no longer about the screen that’s in front of you, it has actually an integrated experience that has extended and is moving
across platforms. And people are no longer receptive to static information – they take it in but it doesn’t stick. So we decided to extend our work into tangible media while penetrating different industries (retail, financial services, entertainment, FMCG and more). We did this by experimenting – we love technology and we love integrating technology- what others may only imagine, we make it happen.” Here he jumps into Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) - an Automatic Data Collection (ADC) technology that uses radio-frequency waves to transfer data between a reader (or interrogator) and a tag (or label) on a movable item. “We executed one of our first projects for Al Hilal Bank in Abu Dhabi, as a Platinum Sponsor of the Dubai Motor Show they had a lot of space to work with. We took one corner and built an RIFD-enabled table with antennas, what
THIS IS ABOUT GIVING ‘THE CONSUMER THE
POWER –A CHOICE- AND AS BANK AUDI’S DIGITAL CREATIVE CONTENT PARTNERS, WHAT WE DID IS HELP CREATE A NEW CONCEPT IN BANKING FOR THE ENTIRE REGION
’
we call, “TagSurface”. We actually had 7 model cars like Ferrari and Lamborghini and people came and chose the car they wanted and placed it on the table so that in front of them the car shows up in 3D. They changed the colour of the car they were interested in and they worked out with a cheque and the number of years it would take to determine the feasibility [of the transaction]. This isn’t a gimmick, this is about empowering the consumer and because they had the freedom to explore these possibilities, [Al Hilal] closed a large number of car loan related sales at this event,” says Omar. This was one of the first marriages between digital realities and commercial sales in the Middle East and it was an extreme success. They’ve since collaborated with Bank Audi on the new innovative “NOVO” digital selfservice branch: “We’re focusing on the financial sector due to the fact that after the crisis people have lost their confidence in financial institutions. This is about giving the consumer the power –a choice- and as Bank Audi’s digital creative content partners, what we did is help create a new concept in banking for the entire region. In terms of regulatory limitations we’re working as best as we can.”
OPPOSITE PAGE: CLEARTAG’S COLLABORATION WITH BANK AUDI ON THE NEW INNOVATIVE ‘NOVO’ DIGITAL SELF-SERVING BRANCH CITYMALL LEFT: OMAR ABOU EZZEDDINE
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BUILT BOOTHS AROUND ‘WE ACTUALLY THE [ABC] MALL WHERE PEOPLE
COULD TAKE PICTURES WITH BRITISH CELEBRITIES USING AUGMENTED REALITY AND TAKE DIFFERENT HISTORICAL SITES, PUT THEM DOWN ON A TABLE (...) AND ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENT CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE UK. IT’S ABOUT THE PHYSICAL AND THE DIGITAL COMING TOGETHER
’
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
CULTURE CLASH OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ‘BRIT WEEK’ IN ABC MALL WITH BRITISH AMBASSADOR TOM FLETCHER AND GHASSAN SALAMEH, HEAD OF TANGIBLE MEDIA AT CLEARTAG, ABC WEBSITE STILL IMAGE, OMAR ABOU EZZEDDINE AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FIDA CHAABAN
What sorts of limitations can digital development have within the banking sector? “There is nothing in the local books that’s called a digital branch, it’s either an ATM or a traditional branch, so where does Bank Audi’s NOVO fit in terms of interactive banking? Bank Audi and Cleartag worked with a lot of challenges here but we love them,” explains Omar with relish. It might be hard to picture anyone getting this excited about dealing with uncharted waters and bureaucratic red tape, but Omar genuinely is, and I think it’s because he’s been developing heretofore unseen and untried methods and technologies that actually work within the framework of the Middle East, even in a market as difficult as Lebanon. Another significant project was their partnership with retail giants ABC for Brit Week, an initiative by the British Embassy in Lebanon. “They wanted people to interact
SEPTEMBER 2012
with British culture so we actually built booths around the mall where people could take pictures with British celebrities using augmented reality and take different historical sites, put them down on a table (again using RFID technology) and actually experience the different cultural aspects of the UK. It’s about the physical and the digital coming together.” Can he sum up the philosophy behind this new dimension? “Digital three-sixty is what we are but Cleartag is a work in progress- we build strategies starting from portals to social media platforms onward which is what we consider as gateway. You have to build an architecture that is ready to expand at any time. We don’t build ‘websites’, rather we see digital as an integrated launching pad for a larger schema. If you’re going to build something that is static just for the time being and then move into a larger, dynamic-interactive
concept later, it’s going to cost you. Do it right from the beginning, with the right strategy and execution plan, the transition will be much smoother.” Cleartag thinks in terms of building you your own little universe- one that welcomes people inside. Once you take this journey with them, you may not want to ever leave, because you’re just 1 more turn and 1 more tunnel away from the next greatest thing. Omar Abou Ezzeddine is your storyteller and he can breathe magical life into that fantastical, spellbinding existence: just ask the 3D Tupac
CLEARTAG THINKS IN TERMS OF BUILDING YOU YOUR OWN LITTLE UNIVERSE- ONE THAT WELCOMES PEOPLE INSIDE
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THE FINAL FRONTIER
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY SMARTPHONE EXPANSION BY J.E.N.
THE LEBANESE MARKET NOW HAS NEW NOKIA PHONES (THE LUMIA SERIES) AND SOME HTC PHONES RUNNING ON WINDOWS
T
he rather intense smartphone war is not just a battle of hardware. It’s a heated software battle too. Apple’s OS is much loved the world over and Android is now selling like wildfire as the most used system the world over. But what about Windows? The Lebanese market now has new Nokia phones (the Lumia series) and some HTC phones running on Windows. But is Windows any good? Is it a real contender? It might be since Samsung, the leading mobile phone maker at the moment thanks to its Android running Galaxy phones, is rumored to be releasing 2 phones running on the upcoming Windows 8 platform in Q4: Odyssey and Marco. Before expanding into the realm of Windows 8 (lovingly nicknamed Apollo), let’s talk about what’s currently available: Windows 7.5. It’s worth noting that phones can’t be upgraded to Windows 8… but 7.5 phones will be updated to Windows 7.8 which is “sort of similar” to Windows 8 (but obviously not the same).
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Windows has a different interface to iPhones and Androids. Phones running on windows have a start screen with “live tiles”. These “tiles” can be “pinned” or “unpinned” for the start screen, resulting in a customizable menu. Windows runs Microsoft Office, complete with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote which can be used on different devices (the phone, your office computer, laptop...). You also get a 25 MB Skydrive (for example internet storage space for files) and Office 365, the updated Outlook. You can add as many email addresses as you want on the Start menu and can link as many accounts as you want in one place to have less clutter. But it should be noted that you must have a Windows Live ID to do anything. No Windows Live ID, no Marketplace access, no nothing. One of the highlights for game loving folk such as myself is the gaming hub: XBOX Live. You even get to create your very own cute avatar. The downside is
that most of the free games aren’t exactly riveting and hence you will need to pay for more engaging games. On the upside, you can get paid games on a trial basis before you depart with your cash. You can also play against your friends as long as they also have an XBOX Live account.
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY | SMARTPHONE EXPANSION
OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: NOKIA’S LUMIA 800, NOKIA’S LUMIA 900 THIS PAGE: NOKIA LUMIA 900
The approach to Social Media is one of the key features. Instead of having separate apps for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN and other platfomrs, you can access all your contacts and social networks through the People hub. Through People you can call your contacts, post on their Facebook wall, catch up on their latest Social Media activities and all the rest. You also have a Me tile which is basically your profile. From Me, you can check in, set your chat status, check your notifications and more. A feature which is super practical for Lebanon’s fickle 3G and wifi connection is being able to continue conversations by seamlessly switching the mode of communication. In other words, if you get cut off from your internet connection, you can continue your chat via messages without the need to fumble around through menus.
So far the Marketplace has 10,000 apps and the number is growing. But at some point developers will need to choose whether they create apps for Windows 7.5/7.8 or Windows 8 and this may result in users being disappointed with the pickings in the near future. Windows phones use Bing as the default search engine. The voice search is surprisingly good (you can even pick the accent for all voice features). And the translation features are super useful. It can even translate what is being said and what you’re reading. You can also discover the name of the track being played on the radio or cafe with the music search feature. Windows is still relatively new in comparison to other mobile phone operating systems. But it might be the third alternative people have been waiting for
REVIEW Nokia’s Lumia 900
The award-winning Nokia Lumia series hit the Lebanese market in August 2012. It runs on Windows 7.5 and hence has all the features described in the article. It also benefits from Nokia Drive (free GPS offline navigation system), Nokia Maps and other juicy Nokia apps. The phone has a 4.3 inch ClearBlack AMOLED capacitive touchscreen which dominates the front of the phone. In fact, the phone looks like a large wide slab. Lumia 900 feels surprisingly heavy for its size but it is heavy duty, including a super tough screen that can withstand the beatings of a hammer. The phone is impressively fast and responsive. The battery life is very decent for a smartphone with 3G and wifi on (and lots of fiddling around happening). Screen visibility in the sun is also good. The 8MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash captures good photos and video. The phone has 16GB built-in memory but unfortunately doesn’t have a memory slot (another misfortune is that it won’t be upgraded to Windows 8). Available in cyan, white and black, the Lumia 900 is a very sleek phone with an attractive, user-friendly OS.
THE AWARD-WINNING NOKIA LUMIA SERIES RUNS ON WINDOWS 7.5 AND HENCE HAS ALL THE FEATURES DESCRIBED IN THE ARTICLE SEPTEMBER 2012
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EXPANDING
YOUR FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO WTF IS A HEDGE FUND? BY MARIA FRANGIEH
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
DOLLARS + SENSE
THE MAIN CHARACTERISTIC OF THE HEDGE FUND IS THAT IT CAN MAKE MONEY EVEN WHEN SHARE PRICES ARE FALLING
H
ave you ever thought of investing your money in financial markets but didn’t know which investment opportunity to grab? Are you looking for positive return on investment whether markets are falling or rising? The market has an endless number of investment opportunities and hedge funds are among the most popular. But what’s a hedge fund and why should you go for it?
SEPTEMBER 2012
BACK TO BASICS
Let’s break it down. In the financial world, entering transactions that protect against adverse price fluctuations is also known as hedging. Therefore, a hedge fund is an investment fund that allows its investors to reduce risks using strategies that act as an insurance policy and decrease the level of investment risk; it’s a collective investment. However nowadays, the term hedge does not reflect the nature of the fund anymore, the strategies used are no longer hedged and they are no longer without risk. The main characteristic of the hedge fund is that it can make money even when share prices are falling. In 1949, Alfred W. Jones set up the first hedge fund. Jones’ aim was to find a solution to the market risk involved in holding long stock positions, this by short selling other stocks. He also was the first to introduce a new strategy of fund management on the market by using simultaneously short sales, leverage and incentive fees. With time, Jones hedge fund became the multi-manager hedge fund when he limited the partnership to the initial hedge fund in 1952 and invested with several independent
portfolio managers. The success of Jones hedge fund boomed in 1966 outperforming all the mutual funds of its time. Hedge funds in modern markets have a different definition; they’re “all forms of investment funds, companies and private partnerships that use derivatives for directional investing; and/or are allowed to go short; and/or use significant leverage through borrowing.”
NUTS + BOLTS
When a farmer plants fruit trees at the beginning of the season he can’t be certain what his harvest will generate when it sells. If the market price goes up he’ll make a lot of money, if the market prices drops he’ll lose money. So what a farmer will do is to enter into a contract to deliver a certain amount of apples at a fixed price. If the price of apples goes up he won’t be able to sell his bushels for that high market price, but this way he is hedged or protected against unpredictable market conditions. Hedge funds are investment funds that guaranty a specific return goal similar to this farmer example.
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DOLLARS + SENSE
GREENLIGHT CAPITAL AND APPALOOSA MANAGEMENT ARE 2 EXAMPLES OF FAMOUS HEDGE FUNDS, TO NAME A FEW
Greenlight Capital and Appaloosa Management are 2 examples of famous hedge funds, to name a few. Simply put, a hedge fund is an unregulated investment and for this reason they are open only for accredited and experienced investors. Hedge funds can invest in a wide range of assets, stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies and other examples. They are managed using non-traditional portfolio management techniques.
Here is an example of a non-traditional portfolio management technique: short selling. If an investor borrows 500 shares of X company at $10 each, they can then sell those shares for $5,000. If the price then falls to $8 per share, the investor buys the shares back for $4,000, returns them to the original owner and makes a profit of $1,000. This technique is used when investors believe that funds are overpriced and that market prices will decrease.
Hedge fund managers align their interests with that of their investors by investing their own money in the fund they are managing. The hedge fund manager is entitled to a management fee, a percentage of the assets of the fund, and a performance fee in case the fund’s net asset value increases during the year. So, will you be joining the ranks of investors?
BFF Hedge Funds According to Business Insider magazine (May 2012), here’s a list of the 20 stocks best loved by hedge funds 1. Apple 2. Google 3. Express Scripts 4. Microsoft 5. Citigroup 6. JPMorgan Chase 7. Qualcomm 8. Wells Fargo 9. Oracle 10. Pfizer 11. Cisco Systems 12. Anadarko Petroleum 13. Bank of America 14. Visa 15. Goldman Sachs 16. Hewlett Packard 17. Yahoo! 18. Occidental Petroleum 19. Schlumberger 20. EMC Corporation
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
BEIRUT
INSPIRING MEETINGS START WITH INSPIRING PLACES. Make every meeting a success at Crowne Plaza Beirut. CROWNE PLAZA BEIRUT TO BOOK CALL 961 1 754755 OR VISIT CPBEIRUT.COM SEPTEMBER 2012
© 2012 InterContinental Hotels Group. All Rights Reserved.
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DOOM+GLOOM THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY EXPANDS ON THE THREAT OF
SOLAR FLARES BY J.E.N.
SCIENTISTS THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO SERIOUSLY WORRY ABOUT. AFTER MUCH DATA CRUNCHING, THEY ARE CERTAIN THAT THE SOLAR CYCLE WILL PEAK IN 2013, RESULTING IN MANY SUNSPOTS.
T
here’s nothing like a bit of doom and gloom to make us appreciate the sunshine even more. Or maybe not. While some people think December 2012 will mark the end of the world (according to Mayan predictions), some are suggesting that it’s 2013 we should be worrying about. A huge solar storm will hit and solar flares will pounce, throwing electrical systems in total disarray. As farfetched as it may seem, the director of NASA’s Heliophysics division, Dr. Richard Fisher, and many other scientists think this is something we need to seriously worry about. After much data crunching, they are certain that the solar cycle will peak in 2013,
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resulting in many sunspots. Sunspots pop up from time to time and look like dark blotches on the Sun. They are the embodiment of intense magnetic activity and this is where the concern lies since we live in an age where things can go haywire because of magnetism. In other words major power blackouts, no communication signals, satellites going off course, planes dropping out of the sky, GPS systems not working and more.
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
THE FINAL FRONTIER
OPPOSITE PAGE: CREDIT NASA GSFC SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY’S AIA INSTRUMENT. BELOW: SOLAR FLARE MAGNETOSPHERE RENDITION
“SYSTEMS WILL JUST NOT WORK. THE FLARES CHANGE THE MAGNETIC FIELD ON THE EARTH THAT IS RAPID AND LIKE A LIGHTNING BOLT. THAT IS THE SOLAR AFFECT” Every day we rely on electronic devices which are highly susceptible to magnetic energy. This means work and daily lives will be disrupted and governments will have to deal with the massive cost of the damage. Dr. Fisher explains that “systems will just not work. The flares change the magnetic field on the earth that is rapid and like a lightning bolt. That is the solar affect.” Dr. Fisher, also clarifies that 2013 is especially worrying since it combines several phenomena. A solar storm, the Sun reaching the peak of its solar cycle and the sunspots (or flares) reaching their maximum level. It’s normal for solar storms to happen, for solar cycles to peak and for flares to occur (in fact a peak occurs every 22 years and flares reach their maximum level every 11 years), but it’s bad news
that this is all happening in one go. Immense levels of radiation are expected as a result. And half the world will face problems. There’s a reason why this is happening: physicist and author Marcus Chown, explains that “solar activity has been abnormally high for the past 50 years, but the extremely feeble start to the latest 11-year cycle suggests this activity is coming to an end and things are going to be quiet on the Sun for quite a few years.” Dr. Ruth Bamford, a plasma physicist at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, adds: “The sun has been particularly quiet for the last few years in a protracted solar minimum. It has just woken up, as it were, and started its usual 11-year cycle a bit later than most.”
IMMENSE LEVELS OF RADIATION ARE EXPECTED AS
A RESULT. AND HALF THE WORLD WILL FACE PROBLEMS SEPTEMBER 2012
What will hit in 2013 is nothing new. 1859 witnessed something similar and at the time it was dubbed the Carrington flare. Dr. Stuart Clark said it “smothered two-thirds of the Earth’s skies in a bloodred aurora a night later, and crippled all of global navigation and global communication, such as it was at that time. Compasses span uselessly and the telegraph network went down as phantom electricity surged through the wire.” Since all has been quiet for while and 2013 is when sun cycle will peak, the largest flares are expected following the peak. Only this time around the Carrington flame incident will seem like a walk in the park since back in 1859 technology was rather basic in comparison to today. Dr. Clark states that “there is absolutely no reason to believe that we are heading for solar Armageddon in 2013, but sooner or later we should expect there to be another Carrington event and that is what these scientists [at NASA] are trying to prevent. Legislation in the US has just passed Congress to help harden the grid against solar flares.” And so there is light at the end of the dark and disturbing sun flare tunnel. Precautions can be taken and backup systems can be developed. But this isn’t something all the countries that will be affected have the budget or means to handle. The good news is that we in Lebanon are already used to unpredictable and unreliable electricity, internet and mobile phones. And so we probably won’t even notice much difference
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RAGGED EXPANSIONFACTS BANG ON! In Big Bang cosmology, the Universe is expanding outwards into pre-existing space and this is often compared to a loaf of raisin bread: as the loaf expands, the raisins in it grow further and further apart –the distance between the components of the universe are growing but special relativity says that those objects cannot move faster than the speed of light in respect to each other. Do you have a headache yet?
1970
The year in which polyurethane, or expanding foam, started being used as spray foam insulation. It had previous been developed by the military in the 1940’s and was used primarily in airplanes. Open cell foam insulation is the less expensive kind but doesn’t protect against water vapor whereas closed cell foam insulation is more expensive, denser and is often used in roofing and for outdoor applications.
°C
When matter is subjected to high temperatures, it has a tendency to expand as its particles start moving much quicker than usual. The coefficient of thermal expansion (the degree of expansion / the change in temperature) varies with temperature. Thermal expansion has to be taken into consideration when building roads, steel cables, railways and water systems to avoid nasty accidents such as tank explosions and gas leaks.
GAME TIME After releasing a tabletop game, a video game or a role-playing game, gaming companies may release an expansion pack, also known as an expansion set or a supplement pack. The original creator of a board game usually comes up with the expansion pack but when it comes to video games, third-party companies may be hired to do the job. Expansion packs usually include new objects, weapons, areas and even an extended or completed storyline.
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
RAGGED EXPANSION FACTS
EXPANDING WAISTLINES “Extended-size”, “full-figured”, “outsize” and “plus-size” are all terms applied to people who primarily model plus-size clothing; Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano both used plus-size models for their catwalk shows. Plus-size models have generated a lot of buzz and criticism on issues such as poor health habits, not reflecting the sizes of real plussize women and poor racial diversity. Famous extended size models include Mia Tyler, Queen Latifah, Tara Lynn and Crystal Renn.
TICKLE YOUR PALATE
$
Several new studies show that it is easier for people to lose weight (or keep the pounds off) if they eat small quantities of more varied food. This apparently helps people indulge in what they like, experience new culinary mixes and avoid overeating. You can eat a serving of French fries if you pile on veggies, lean meat, light dressings and low-fat seasonings to counter the fried good. Sounds good to us!
When times are rough and money’s down, countries may adopt certain economic measures, like expansionary policies such as fiscal policies (think tax cuts and more spending) to stimulate economic growth. In most countries, the Central Bank or the Ministry of Finance controls said policies, which require a number of tools ranging from interest rates to reserve requirements. There are various opinions as to how effective these measures might actually be.
WAITING TO EXHALE For athletes and certain types of musicians, lung capacity is primordial and any respiratory illness could be professionally fatal. This is why doctors recommend exercises to stretch and expand your lungs. It is extremely important to be careful during those exercises because overworking your lungs may lead to dizziness, shortness of breath or loss of consciousness. Kids, don’t try this at home! SEPTEMBER 2012
70
The number of years the Treaty of Paris was in effect. It formally ended the War in the USA beginning in 1783. This treaty included a formal recognition from England about American territorial claims which included most lands east of the Mississippi river and south of the Great Lakes. The distinction between Lake Superior and the headwaters of the Mississippi were still blurry and there were no precise borders to the state of Maine, but there were no European settlements along those borders at that time and things remained this way until 1853.
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MIND, BODY+SOUL
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSE
EXPANDING
ON MURPHY’S
LAW
HAVE YOU EVER PLANNED SOMETHING SO THOROUGHLY, SO CAREFULLY THERE WAS NO WAY IT COULD GO WRONG, ONLY TO HAVE IT CRUMBLE BECAUSE OF ONE EVENT, ONE TINY MISTAKE, ONE OVERLOOKED DETAIL?
BY MARIA ELENA KASSAB
R
alph Waldo Emerson once said, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” I, personally, beg to differ with a quote from Robert Burns’ poem, “To A Mouse”.
In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes of mice and men Go often awry, And leave us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy! Have you ever planned something so thoroughly, so carefully there was no way it could go wrong, only to have it crumble because of one event, one tiny mistake, one overlooked detail? Have you ever drawn the path you wanted to take with attention to all the smallest features and kept a contingency plan in case it went to hell only to be steered onto a completely different road and
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see your contingency plan become the laughing stock of the Universe? This happens to everyone at least once and people bemoan the universal conspiracy of the forces-that-be converging together to ruin their plans. Take higher education, for example: a fresh young high school graduate carefully chooses his major, knowing that it’ll take him three years for a BS, two extra years for an MS and maybe a PhD in the future. He knows where he’ll apply for work, which country and which position and all seems to be going so well until graduation. Then a bomb goes off in the country he was applying to, starting a popular uprising and making the entire region unstable and unsafe. He sends résumés and peruses the newspapers and various websites every day to look for a work opportunity but nothing ever seems to work out. He ends up working in a field that he
knows nothing about, toiling for years before finally getting to a respectable position all while his precious diploma gathers dust in his drawer. What about the young swimmer who qualifies for the junior Olympics but doesn’t live in her country of origin? Her parents put some money aside to send her to the games, she trains like she’s never trained before and her time gets better and better every day. But suddenly, her brother gets violently sick. Her parents take him to a doctor, who recommends expensive treatment; another doctor wants him hospitalized and a third suggests explorative surgery. The money so carefully saved for Olympic dreams is now being spent on healthcare and hospital trips. Her dreams are shattered and while she tries not to resent her brother and she smiles when her former teammate gets a medal, she blames the universe for bad timing and generally horrible sense of humor.
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
SEPTEMBER 2012
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MIND, BODY+SOUL
Let’s not forget about the elderly lady now suffering from an advanced state of Alzheimer’s: she has a BS in biochemistry from a prestigious US university, she spoke several languages and was a diplomatic attaché who had lunch with presidents, tea with ministers and dinners with royalty. She was known for her culture and her sharp wit and read as avidly as she could, but the disease did not spare her despite the advice to keep your brain working in order to avoid it. She now sits in a wheelchair, having forgotten how to walk. She cannot eat or drink alone, she cannot see or hear and she can’t even express pain or cold –we have to guess what she’s feeling. If this is not a case of the Universe playing a dirty joke, I don’t know what is.
In the other very-clichéd corner, we find the concept of Pronoia, or a sense that the Universe is conspiring to help you and that the world works to benefit people. In the Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, an old man tells a boy to follow his dreams, saying “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” And while this is a recognized psychological philosophy, thinking the powers-that-be are going to help you achieve your goal is a nice theory but is completely unfounded in my opinion because there is always a
force that will oppose motion, no matter what it is: inertia. Any physical object will resist change to its state of motion or rest, what’s to say this doesn’t apply to our lives? There will always be something that resists change in our lives and actions; it could be external, like a string of bad luck or someone trying to sabotage you or it could be personal, when you inadvertently sabotage yourself in an unconscious attempt to stay safe and resist change or motion. When this is the case, it is a lot easier to act paranoid and blame the world, the universe, God or the powers-that-be for your failures. But hey, in the words of Joseph Heller, “just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.”
IF THIS IS NOT A CASE OF THE UNIVERSE PLAYING A DIRTY JOKE, I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS The universe is a sarcastic, ironic son of a bitch, always throwing your plans to the wind and messing with your life: no internet and your paper is due tomorrow, the book you needed for your research was just borrowed a minute before you got to the library, your significant other’s schedule is the direct opposite of yours, your tire bursts on your way to your most anticipated job interview… And we don’t mean to encourage paranoia but sometimes, you really feel like the world is going out of its way to make your life more difficult than it already is. You feel like you’re getting your ass kicked daily by the unknown!
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
SEPTEMBER 2012
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OUT+ABOUT
SPIRALLING TOWARD LEBANON KEANE IN CONCERT PERFECT SYMMETRY
The award-winning English band toes the genre line: to some they’re Alternative and to others they’re more Rock. The consensus seems to be a merging of the two and it works well for Keane’s sometimes sexy and sometimes soulful sound. The breakthrough group first gained ground in tandem with the release of their debut album, “Hope and Fears”. Released on May 10, 2004 in the United Kingdom, it got a shocking kickstart hitting number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. From there it was all uphill, becoming the second bestselling Brit album that year, right behind the self-titled Scissors Sisters album. Certified 9 times platinum in the UK, for a debut album, this predicted a heavy success story. In an interview with BBC Radio in 2008, the band still showed their own awe at the favourable
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public response to their work, calling the feedback “a relief and really exciting”. Shortly thereafter, the UK Q Awards (staged yearly by Q magazine) awarded Best Track to single “Spiralling” from the band’s third studio album “Perfect Symmetry”. The album itself was also awarded the prestigious “Best Album of the Year”, beating out established acts in the music scene. Tom Chaplin, Keane’s lead vocalist, interviewed by BBC news in 2011, said that he “found [fame] very hard at the start, going from nothing and then having ‘Hopes and Fears’ coming out –being shoved into this place that I was completely unready for. It took me a while to adjust,” he added. The band will be appearing October 13, 2012 in Lebanon for their second headline concert. See you there, strangers!
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
SEPTEMBER 2012
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CHAMPAGNE, CAVIAR AND POPCORN AT THE MOVIES.
WHY NOT?
7 SCREENS + LEBANON’S FIRST VIP THEATRE
GRAND CINEMAS NOW OPEN AT ABC DBAYEH Entertainment will never be the same again. www.facebook.com/GCLebanon | www.grandcinemas.com 42 | R A G M A G | www.ragmag.co
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
OUT+ABOUT
SOUND BITES TOM CHAPLIN IN 60 SECONDS Born March 8, 1979, Tom is the lead vocalist of Keane. Born in Battle, East Sussex, England, Chaplin is a singer, musician and composer, having written music for other artists as well. “Part of the luxury of getting the record deal that we’ve got is that we had lots of people kind of vying for our attention, so we were able to specify that we never wanted anyone to tell us what to do.” Keane Fan Q + A 2010
“There have been many, many years for us as a band and I think the last 2 years have been the best of them. We’ve really enjoyed ourselves and had a lot of fun. That process, all those things –that sense of fun- has found itself in the way we’ve gone about playing our shows, enjoying our tours and especially we went about making … ‘Perfect Symmetry’.” Studio TV, Japan, 2009 “[The Rolling Stones] are one of the great rock and roll bands, certainly one of the great live bands of all time. What I love about them, is that you know, it’s a bunch of guys that sort of came together and like lots of other bands thought they’d give it a go and see if they could turn their thoughts and their feelings into music.” Virgin Radio, Isle of Wight Festival Summer 2007
“When the first record came out, they lumped us in with Coldplay and Travis and certain sounds.” Interviewed by Perez Hilton, Perez TV, 2012 “I always wanted to do what I do now. Right from the age of 4 or 5 there are tapes that I’ve still got at home of me singing really daft songs.” BBC News, 2011 “We’re very old friends, you know? We’re like a big old family really we grew up in the same little town and we’ve known each other for a very long time. It’s just easier to stay together.” Interviewed by Perez Hilton, Perez TV, 2012
SEPTEMBER 2012
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FML [F**K MY LIFE]
BUSKER FOR RAGMAG SING A LITTLE TUNE, DANCE A LITTLE DANCE BY YOUMNA CHAGOURY
“Yes sure, I have a guitar. Do you want it?” That’s me, being nice. “Great, you’re going to be a busker in Hamra for your FML this month,” she said in response.
L
eik haydeh malla sot 3laya haram,” a sample of the feedback I got after I sang my heart out in Beirut’s busy Hamra street last month. Rewind to a few weeks ago: “Do you have an instrument at home?” That’s Fida on the phone. I should’ve learned, after my coffee detox back in January, never to answer any of my Editor’s questions before I know why she’s asking. “Yes sure, I have a guitar. Do you want it?” That’s me, being nice. “Great, you’re going to be a busker in Hamra for your FML this month,” she said in response. “
Editor’s Note The staff of RAGMAG love to position me as the boss that unwittingly sets them up for outrageous antics. I have 2 things to say about this to the team: 1) Whenever I ask any of you a question, know that there is always something behind it. As you’ve learned several times over, my questions always lead to an article. 2) Getting surprised by me every so often keeps you all on your toes, which is just the way I like it.
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This was the first time I’m reluctant to do my FML. I swear I barely slept from the time Fida told me until the day we’d decided on- Sunday, August 12th. The thing is I used to be a very outgoing person. I never cared about “jorsa”; I even used to go after it to make my friends and family laugh at me and with me. I used to dance in public (I have a famous chicken dance), I used to wear funny sunglasses because they reflected my personality and I was always the first to successfully complete dares. Then several things evolved in my personal life and I started loathing the attention. I try to be discreet, never raise my voice in public and now I only chickendance in the privacy of my own home. I haven’t lost my sense of humour, I just don’t shove it down people’s throats anymore. Busking (or performing in the street for money), was not something I was looking forward to for several reasons, not the least of which were my really bad voice, my bad memory for lyrics, and my lack of guitar skills. It’s very simple really: I DON’T KNOW HOW
TO PLAY OR SING. Let alone do both at the same time. A few hours after Fida announced my FML assignment, I was hesitating between telling her the truth and lying to her to avoid my show. But then I thought this was my only chance at getting the old Youmna back, the one I enjoyed being. Decision was made: I was going to do it and I would enjoy doing it. Editor’s Note I wouldn’t have let you off the hook anyway. #JustSaying #Shidee7aleek
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
BUSKER FOR RAGMAG | SING A LITTLE TUNE, DANCE A LITTLE DANCE
My friend Bernard agrees TO accompany me on guitar for my first number, “Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry. My stomach hurtS and my legs are shaking. Sunday came too quickly and I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t know which songs I was going to sing, nor had I even checked if my guitar was still there. Fida kept asking me how the rehearsals were going, but I thought: why rehearse since I suck at this anyway! I compiled a list of songs that I like hearing, only to realize that I didn’t know the lyrics to these songs. To be honest, I don’t know the full lyrics to any songs; I usually mumble words or just sing false lyrics. I then did what I do best: search the internet. A quick “best busking songs” Google search gave me several results which I printed out after choosing a few that I love (I just CAN’T remember all these
lyrics). I wore my Australian cowboy hat, grabbed my guitar, and headed to February 30 in Hamra to have both a coffee and a drink before it was time to perform. Editor’s Note When I showed up to root for Youmna being a #BuskerForRAGMAG, her getup just set me laughing. She had on the hat mentioned above trailing a long scarf, a gypsystyle ensemble (a la Sienna Miller) and a stack of cardboard. I wasn’t sure she was sober since she seemed unnaturally excited at performing in public. I began to wonder if she actually could sing and play guitar since she seemed like she was ready to let loose!
A few friends meet me for moral support and after writing a couple words on a cardboard, it’s time for me to start my show. My friend Bernard agrees to accompany me on guitar for my first number, “Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry. My stomach hurts and my legs are shaking. My friends gather around me to sing along and my fear start fading. Bernard hands me my guitar back when it’s time for Don McLean’s classic “American Pie” and that’s the beginning of the end. I literally rape every single song I perform alone: “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette, “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley, “Down Under” by Men at Work, and more classics. I have one
PHOTOGRAPHY JASON ZAMORA
SEPTEMBER 2012
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FML [F**K MY LIFE]
guitar technique that I use throughout the whole show: I play the 6 strings and tap the bottom of my guitar. It gives my songs a special effect, I’m sure. I sing back to back the songs of my repertoire, and I actually feel pleasure at singing out loud. I laugh while singing, address the passers-by, and dedicate songs to friends. I see a guy who stops to hear me sing from the corner of my eye. He lays back on February 30’s wall and just stands there, listening to me. After two songs, he comes by and drops a few bills in the money cups! There’s my first real achievement. Other people stop for a few seconds and also put money in the cups, with my friends screaming and clapping hands every time someone donates money.
Editor’s Note The owner of February 30, who also donated on behalf of his staff, asked me quietly if he made a larger donation, would it be possible for Youmna to pack it in and end the performance. I laughed so hard I nearly cried, especially since Youmna later enthusiastically dedicated a song to “Monsieur Rony”.
To end my performance in style, I decide to give my current favorite song a try. I start singing Adonis’ “3ala Stou7 Adonis”, keeping in mind every memory, happy or sad, that the song calls to mind. I’m happy to sing it, despite my really (really) bad voice, and it shows. My biggest moment of pride? Bernard, after listening to the original song, tells me he honestly preferred my version.
So many little details come to my mind while writing this article, but in fear of losing their power, I’m keeping them to myself. I was afraid of putting myself and my feelings and shaky confidence out there, but I overcame the fear. I got the crazy Youmna back, and I’m not letting her go. Ever again Editor’s Note I love crazy Youmna too, so she can stay. But the singing and definitely the guitar pounding and umm, playing (for lack of a better word) has to go. We should also mention that we applaud the support of the Mukhi Sisters who dropped by unexpectedly, and also of performing artist Poly who passed by and lent her support.
BUSKER’S FASHION GUIDE •A pair of jeans and boots or a gipsy dress/skirt •A hat •A worn out guitar (or other instrument) •Cardboard •Another hat (or receptacle like a guitar case) to collect donations •A smile and generosity. If you’re not willing to put it out there, sing in the confinement of your shower. The $50 I collected while busking in Hamra for RAGMAG were donated to charity. I chose the Lebanese Autism Society for the great work they do with autistic children. Visit their website www.autismlebanon.org
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
SEPTEMBER 2012
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YOU+YOUR COUNTRY
PRO BONO WHERE IT’S NEEDED MOST KULLUNA WANTS TO PUT YOUR VALUABLE TIME TO WORK IN THE RIGHT PLACE BY IMOGEN KIMBER
M
ost of us have a pretty hectic schedule; working hard and playing even harder are the quintessence of our generation. At the same time, so is social awareness. Change and positivity are buzzwords of the moment, everyone wants to ‘make a difference’ and ‘give something back.’ Keeping on top of all these pursuits can be a tough call, but Michael Aswad decided to try. He wanted to make our many different aims compatible and in doing so he created an NGO called ‘Kulluna.’
Social media; social change
As a university student it was easy enough for Aswad to manage volunteering at an orphanage and carrying on with his studies, but once he took on a full-time job the volunteering got put on a back bench. When Aswad realized that he probably wasn’t the only one to be facing this kind of dilemma and therefore there must be a whole army of untapped human resources out there, Kulluna was born. Kulluna will act as a connector. Aswad, along with Rita Housseiny, have been collecting a database of over a thousand NGOs that are based in Lebanon. The NGOs will notify them when they have a need for someone to fill a specific position or a specific project. This will all be added to the database and then the would-be volunteer can simply type in their criteria and find something that matches their skills, geographic location and time availability. The idea is not only for convenience but to promote the right skills being used in the right place. “We’re trying to create an initiative that brings people together, [we need] the right volunteer and vice versa,” said Housseiny. “[To create] something that is mutually beneficial for the people and the NGOs,” chimed in Aswad. It is essential that the NGOs only take people when they have a real position and that the vol-
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KULLUNA WILL ACT AS A CONNECTOR. MICHAEL ASWAD, ALONG WITH RITA HOUSSEINY, HAVE BEEN COLLECTING A DATABASE OF OVER A THOUSAND NGOS THAT ARE BASED IN LEBANON unteers offer a real skill. This means utilizing resources as much as possible, placing engineers to do engineering jobs and medical skills going to the right place, rather than ending up filing papers or applying for funding. Appropriately, at the moment, Kulluna are carrying out much of their work using that popular medium which supports both social gatherings and social change: Facebook. “Using social media we can create an online platform that can facilitate our work and help connect people,” said Housseiny. On their Facebook page, in between motivational quotes, there are a number of different activities that you could use as inspiration or suggestions, giving blood is one example. When they are up and running they plan to have opportunities from all fields: environmental, helping the elderly, disadvantaged children… And the main database will have a website of its own. For now Aswad’s main aim – to allow himself to be able to manage volunteering and working - has resulted in him volunteering even more time in an even bigger project, but ultimately even Aswad should be free to use his own creation. There are two volunteers helping Kulluna but for those that are interested this could be a first step in their volunteering career
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CULTURE CLASH
HAYDA LEBNEN’s EXPANSION 3A 2OUSOULA! BY SARAH HOURANY
F
or decades, there has been a myth circulating that every Lebanese will experience, at some point, what “el Lebnene zake” actually means. To our parents, a “Lebnene zake” is someone who is genuinely harbou2. In their tailor-made dictionary, he is someone who is able to y3ali2 kahraba for more than 3 years without being caught. He is also someone bya3ref ydabir 7alo, where “ydabir 7alo” may include several forms of stealing and tonsib-ing. Examples range from acts such as selling the same apartment to various buyers then escaping to Brazil or stealing sandou2 el bineye aw l baladiye and managing to get elected again. To us, the younger generation, the “Lebnene zake” concept is way more advanced. Not only does it encompass the characteristics identified above, but it also involves chatara bil business! A lot of evidence certainly supports our arguments. Taking for instance the simple concept of business expansion: “the growth of business product and service offerings”. This enables us to test how zake the Lebnene is in expand-
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TO US, THE YOUNGER GENERATION, THE “LEBNENE ZAKE” CONCEPT IS WAY MORE ADVANCED ing his portfolio. Eventually, Abou Koko, the guy selling ka3k in the neighborhood, can expand his services and become a hairdresser too, overnight. Tante Najwa, kamen, can expand her khyata’s shop into a mini beauty institute. 2enno chu fiya? The woman discovered her make-up talent faj2atan. This is all still okay by and large, small expansions like Abou Koko’s or Tante Najwa’s are not the ones we should worry about. Bil natije, 2el cheghel mech 3eib.
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
HAYDA LEBNEN’S EXPANSION 3A 2OUSOULA!
The most pervasive thing, however, is that on a much larger scale Lebanese people adopt a copy-paste expansion strategy, lacking innovation and creativity. Oh pharmacies are booming? Let’s all open pharmacies, even if “all” means people accredited in the fields of engineering and psychology. That is exactly why the number of pharmacies equals the number of dkekin. W 3a siret el dkekin -when some smart dude launched the first dekken on the highway (knowing that we’re too lazy to get out of the car)- ma nataro el Lebneniye, even by the following day, 7atta ndaraz the highway kello dkekin. Ok, great idea, bravo! But given their exponential expansion on highways across Lebanon, we all need to do our
best to avoid killing their employees while driving as they tend to jump randomly on your car to take orders. This is also the case of the famous rooftops. Ma le7i2 meche wa7ad mennon, 7atta sar kel sate7 bineye rooftop, especially in Beirut. 2enno what else can a person ask for if he owns a sate7 in the capital? 2amman 7alo! Just zabbeto chwey, get a semi-experienced DJ and charge a minimum of $100 per person w katter kheir 2allah! W iza meche pub 3andkon bil cheri3, kamen la7i2 7alak. Whether you own a tiny grocery store, a clothing boutique or a carpet shop, transform it into a pub before it gets crowded. Eventually out of nowhere, you’ll have your cheri3 trending. Actually, this has been
the case of every street comprising of more than 3 pubs! W ya ret bass hek. For some reason, every girl toli3 3a bela decides to become a wedding planner w hiye a small gathering ma bta3ref t7adir! W any guy with extra cash decides to enter the real estate market. Hek 3al 3emyene. If you haven’t noticed it before, then you will now. Just take a look at our streets, don’t they mostly follow the same pattern? Dekken, pharmacy, m7attit benzine, beauty institute, pub followed by another dekken, pharmacy, m7attit benzine, beauty institute, pub! Ma el expansion 3al Lebnene has a unique definition: chouf chou meche w 3mol metlo! Ma hayda expanding Lebnen ya 3ayne!
OH PHARMACIES ARE BOOMING? LET’S ALL OPEN PHARMACIES, EVEN IF “ALL” MEANS PEOPLE ACCREDITED IN THE FIELDS OF ENGINEERING AND PSYCHOLOGY. THAT IS EXACTLY WHY THE NUMBER OF PHARMACIES EQUALS THE NUMBER OF DKEKIN
THIS IS ALSO THE CASE OF THE FAMOUS ROOFTOPS. MA LE7I2 MECHE WA7AD MENNON, 7ATTA SAR KEL SATE7 BINEYE ROOFTOP, ESPECIALLY IN BEIRUT. 2ENNO WHAT ELSE CAN A PERSON ASK FOR IF HE OWNS A SATE7 IN THE CAPITAL? 2AMMAN 7ALO! ABOVE: SKYBAR © TURBOSOUND
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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
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE IDEA OF ATTRACTION IS A COMPLEX MYRIAD OF FACTORS THAT INCLUDES BIOLOGICAL THINGS SUCH AS PHEROMONES. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN CONTROL, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY. This man is perfect on paper, makes every bit of effort but something just doesn’t connect with me. Do you think I have commitment issues or is it normal? My brain says yes but I’m just not into him so it’s not working out as I planned.
thing that you can control, no matter how hard you try. If your brain continues to say yes, Nour supposes you can just suck it up and pretend but I think it’s a bad idea. It’s your life- if you want to chain yourself to someone that you aren’t compatible with, knock yourself out.
Yasmine, 33
Rabih’s Vote
“You might have commitment issues.... or you simply aren’t sexually attracted to him. And sexual attraction is important in a relationship.”
What is it with this “perfect on paper” analogy? It’s such a recurring topic in almost every issue. My position on this is that you cannot go purely with your brain. It has to be a combination of both heart and brain when it comes to these things. It is normal to keep doubting one’s self, but when you meet the right partner, you will know it – and you just need to hope that they feel the same too.
Maissa, 26
“It’s all about the physical connection. If it ain’t there, no amount of mental gymnastics will make it happen. I wouldn’t stay in the relationship because 10 years down the line I’ll wake up and realize that I haven’t been pleasured in 10 years! As one guy said to me, ‘Morning sex is the most important thing- it’s a good marker of a healthy relationship!’”
Nour’s Vote Another P.O.P. (Perfect on Paper) question. Speaking from personal experience: if it’s not there, it’s not there! Stop forcing something that makes sense mentally but on no other level. At the end of the day, the idea of attraction is a complex myriad of factors that includes biological things such as pheromones. This is not some-
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There’s this guy I met recently and it felt like he was seriously interested in me. I fell for him and we went out a couple times until he told me he liked my sister and I’d become a good friend of his. Should I call him out for leading me on and should I tell my sister about him? Sona, 29
“If he led you on, stop seeing him! If he is into your sister, he won’t be into you no matter how hard you try. Either you match-make for your sister or you leave the guy behind.”
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
HELP ME NOUR+RABIH
Leyla, 24
“Was he leading you on or was he approaching you as a friend? Before you decide what to do, think about whether he was indeed leading you on or whether you were projecting your desires on him and hence were ‘reading’ into his actions. If you were interpreting his actions through coloured glasses, then introduce him to your sister. If he was leading you on, then don’t (because he may lead your sister on etc.).” Rola, 31
“Yes, you should call him out IF he was leading you on. Maybe you just thought he liked you? I think there is a very fine line between what you want to think and what is reality. If he was in fact leading you on it’s a messed up situation. You can mention it to your sis and she can decide what she wants to do in this case. This is very subjective and women can tend toward drama when things don’t go their way.”
YOU SAY HE WAS LEADING YOU ON, BUT SINCE THIS COLUMN IS A SPECTATOR SPORT (WE CAN’T KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT WHAT YOU SAY IS IN FACT THE CASE), WHAT IF YOU WERE READING HIS SIGNALS WRONG? WHAT IF YOU READ TOO MUCH INTO HIS FAMILIAR BEHAVIOR AND THOUGHT HE WAS HITTING ON YOU WHEN REALLY, HE WAS JUST TRYING TO BUTTER UP THE FAMILY PRIOR TO GOING FOR YOUR SIS? EVEN IF HE WAS HITTING ON YOU FIRST, ULTIMATELY HE DIDN’T GO FOR YOU, HE WENT FOR HER SEPTEMBER 2012
Nour’s Vote My first inclination here was to tell you that you are silly and meddlesome. Then I thought to myself, what if it were about me and my sister? Well, that changed everything. You say he was leading you on, but since this column is a spectator sport (we can’t know for certain that what you say is in fact the case), what if you were reading his signals wrong? What if you read too much into his familiar behavior and thought he was hitting on you when really, he was just trying to butter up the family prior to going for your sis? Even if he was hitting on you first, ultimately he didn’t go for you, he went for her. You went out a couple of times but you don’t say whether or not anything happened. If something did happen, mention it. If nothing happened, I say let bygones be bygones and keep your whining to yourself.
I am officially confused: I’ve kissed as many girls as I have guys but I don’t know if I’m actually attracted to chicks or I’m just curious. How can I know for sure?
Rabih’s Vote
Loulwa, 24
As long as nothing physical had happened between you two, you should definitely introduce him to your sister if you think he’s a good guy. These things happen – you will eventually move on if things work out with your sister and she ends up happy.
Nathalie, 34
“You can’t unless you can say with certainty that being with a woman is more than just a kiss. You can be questioning or curious, that is very normal but my understanding from my friends who are bi or same-sex partnered is that being with one sex or the other (or sometimes both) is an absolute imperative that leaves very little room for questions in your mind. I think a little experimentation is ok, but watch that you don’t do real damage to someone who may take it for more than that. Be clear that you don’t know where you are at.” “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. It doesn’t hurt to experiment in today’s society and since you seem to have even a speck of interest, you might as well follow up on it. I’m not speaking from experience, I am just giving my opinion on a realistic way to deal with how you are feeling.”
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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.
FROM MY UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR STATEMENT, YOU ARE FAR BEYOND THE “CURIOUS” STAGE. I SUGGEST YOU SEE A PSYCHOLOGIST WHO CAN BETTER ASSIST YOU IN FIGURING OUT YOUR ORIENTATION Nour’s Vote You can’t know anything for sure. As a straight female, I can tell you that I have no desire whatsoever to kiss another woman but then again I haven’t ventured that way. There is always the old adage that you’ll never know if a shoe fits unless you try it on for size. I do know a number of women who have enjoyed kissing other women, but that was done more in sport and less for reasons of sexual intent so it is not at all the same thing. You say you’re confused and that alone might be a telltale indicator. I suggest you stop kissing both men and women for a while and get a clearer idea of who you want to be in bed with and why. If you are in fact gay or bisexual, it will not be a “choice”. You will feel compelled to pursue members of your sex and it will not be on a whim as being homosexual is based in biology. There are also many people out there who don’t consider gender at all, Angelina Jolie was one of those before she became the poster mom of the 2000s. You should also know that a number of gender theorists have posited that if we weren’t programmed to think in terms of gender then there would be no such qualms. Think on this and I hope my answer was helpful.
My friend is going out with a guy who told me he was in love with another friend of ours and is trying to get closer to that one. Should I tell the one he’s going out with, the one he likes, both of them or none?! Mira, 36
“What a nasty, conniving guy! Dating someone to get closer to a friend is not cool. If you’re scared of rocking the boat, then keep quiet. If you really care about your friends, tell them both so they can stay the hell away from him since he uses people and isn’t honest. He is bad news.”
IF YOU’RE SCARED OF ROCKING THE BOAT, THEN KEEP QUIET. IF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS, TELL THEM BOTH SO THEY CAN STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM SINCE HE USES PEOPLE AND ISN’T HONEST. HE IS BAD NEWS.”
Rabih’s Vote From my understanding of your statement, you are far beyond the “curious” stage. I suggest you see a psychologist who can better assist you in figuring out your orientation.
YOU SAY YOU’RE CONFUSED AND THAT ALONE MIGHT BE A TELLTALE INDICATOR. I SUGGEST YOU STOP KISSING BOTH MEN AND WOMEN FOR A WHILE AND GET A CLEARER IDEA OF WHO YOU WANT TO BE IN BED WITH AND WHY. IF YOU ARE IN FACT GAY OR BISEXUAL, IT WILL NOT BE A “CHOICE” 54 | R A G M A G | www.ragmag.co
Joanna, 21
“If you are friends with everyone here, I think it’s better if you sit back. In the end the fingers will be pointing toward you.” Samar, 25
“Why, why, why RAGMAG readers do you all feel the need to do this telling business? Leave it alone, your friend will figure out on her own that he is just not that into her.” Julie, 22
“If you are really good friends with the person he is with now then you should tell her the truth before it blows up in your face or backfires!”
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
HELP ME NOUR+RABIH
Nour’s Vote You have too much time on your hands. Come to our office and I will assign this column to you since you seem to love getting into the personal lives of other people. You should worry about yourself and stay out of the situation altogether. You know he’s harboring a crush or some sort of infatuation? Good for you. If this is bothering your conscience, I suggest you think about things like charity, volunteering, and giving back to your community. Then your conscience should be able to discern real problems from imagined ones. Rabih, judging by his answer, is one of those people who likes watching Gossip Girl. Enough said.
Rabih’s Vote Say nothing, do nothing. Just sit far, get some popcorn and watch the drama unfold.
GUY’S CORNER
What is an appropriate amount of time to stay out of the dating game after coming out of a long term relationship? Not talking about jumping right into the next one but how long should you wait until you put yourself “out there” to the opposite sex? I understand this can be on a case by case basis however a general guide would help. Not saying I would take this to heart (whatever the answer), I’m just curious about what the consensus says. Reason I ask is because a girlfriend of mine (I hate saying that) wants to parade me around after hearing the news of my breakup.
THE FACT THAT YOU’RE ASKING THIS QUESTION MEANS THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY READY FOR THE NEXT THING...
SEPTEMBER 2012
Nour’s Vote
Rabih’s Vote
In my opinion, you don’t seem to be suffering from residuals post-breakup. Putting yourself out there, so to speak, is not a good idea if you are emotionally frail. You haven’t suggested that, so I say it’s fine to get back in the saddle again. There’s no time like the present, especially if you feel up to it. The very nature of asking this question suggests that you are fine but looking for a propriety call, and I find it perfectly appropriate. Again, it really is case by case however, you seem fine and good to go.
The fact that you’re asking this question means that you are actually ready for the next thing... But that your only concern is whether or not it is appropriate to do so. And with that said, I say who cares about what’s appropriate? Just go for whatever your heart desires - and I take it, you’re up for some parading
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MON AMOUR, MON AMI
THE SEXUAL PLAYING FIELD
ONE ON ONE
CONVO HAVE YOUR EXPANDED YOUR BEDROOM REPERTOIRE? BY NOUR OBAJI
I
recently overheard a group of guys in a popular Hamra bar talking about sex and the sexuality of Lebanese women. I didn’t like what I heard so I decided to poll a few men myself and ask them questions. Why didn’t I like it? Because it seemed to me that their banter was borderline misogynistic. They sounded like 17 year-old boys rather than men in their 30s! I cast an appraising eye at them and found them all to be sitting confidently, well-dressed and somewhat sober. They joked with each other about the girls they’d been seen with and yes, the girls they’d all slept with. It was the locker room chitchat of adolescents. Is this how men in Lebanon really think? I decided to corner one male friend in specific and quiz him. It’s not the
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most scientific way to do things, but I know he’s a fairly open-minded guy and he’s a hot commodity on the Beirut dating scene. The things Jack* told me were twofold: at times surprising and at times predictable. Jack is a 34 yearold upwardly mobile Lebanese guy. He says that as a Christian he doesn’t differentiate between sexual partners but I’ve seen lots of guys do so in Lebanon -one was a friend of Jack’s actually. Joe* looked at my friend Leila* who he had guessed to be Shiite and decided to blurt out: “I’ve slept with 2 Shiite girls. They were the hottest in bed, so are you?” This was maybe 20 minutes into our group conversation. Her face was a mask of composure and she then smirked at him, “Shiites are very emotional people, maybe
that translates in the bedroom.” She handled it well and perhaps this sort of sectarian commentary didn’t ruffle her but it ruffled me. Even in the bedroom there are stereotypes? I think hard and I am able to recall that WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) are supposed to be very vanilla sexually-speaking and decide that yes, this labelling behavior is not exclusive to Lebanon.
I AM ABLE TO RECALL THAT WASPS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE VERY VANILLA SEXUALLYSPEAKING AND DECIDE THAT YES, THIS LABELLING BEHAVIOR IS NOT EXCLUSIVE TO LEBANON. THE EXPANSION ISSUE
THE SEXUAL PLAYING FIELD | ONE ON ONE CONVO
“Look to make a girl here try new things, I don’t know, it just takes a long time. Girls in Lebanon are sometimes shy- it’s from our culture. They aren’t comfortable, they think you’re going to talk and spread the stories,” shrugged Jack. Are you kissing and telling? “I don’t but all of my friends do. It’s the way guys here talk. We’re living in a community where sex is still taboo so this is why I think people are like that,” he adds. “When I get to try new things it’s always me suggesting it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t think Lebanese women have the same needs in bed [as men].” Before you attack me (and Jack) for gross generalizations, this article is a conversation with one man, yes, but when I run his comments by
a few other men, they generally agree with Jack’s statements and ratings. Are Lebanese women good in bed? “No, because they consider being good in bed as slutty, in my opinion. I think our culture in Lebanon doesn’t allow women to be free with their bodies, so how can they even have fun?” Jack says he’s a 7 out of 10 when asked to rate himself on how experimental he is in bed and he says his partners are usually maxed out at 5 out of 10. How sexually satisfied are you? “I’m maybe a 7. I never had a 10 partner, maybe an 8 once. If I really like a girl and the sex isn’t good I try for 2 or 3 more times, then if it doesn’t work khalas [no more].” A big turn off is if “she doesn’t respond well or she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
‘THEY CONSIDER BEING
GOOD IN BED AS SLUTTY, IN MY OPINION. I THINK OUR CULTURE IN LEBANON DOESN’T ALLOW WOMEN TO BE FREE WITH THEIR BODIES, SO HOW CAN THEY EVEN HAVE FUN?’ If you have an opinion on the state of sex in our society, please send me your feedback by emailing helpmenour@ ragmaglive.com or comment by @RAGMAGLebanon and tweeting hashtagging #SexualityinLebanon *Names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals
QUICK QUIZ
ONE MAN’S BEDROOM BESTS + BUSTS WHAT ARE THE WAYS YOUR PARTNER COULD IMPROVE YOUR SEX LIFE? RATINGS REFLECT A SCALE OF 10, 1 BEING THE LEAST IMPACTFUL.
Try new locations like public spaces? 6 Have you tried this? No Employing sex toys? 8.5 Have you tried this? Yes RATE THE FOLLOWING ON THE BASIS OF HOW EXCITING THIS SOUNDS
Your partner stripping for you 7 Your partner appearing naked 5 Your partner wearing lingerie 6.5 Your partner wearing porn oriented attire such as PVC 7 Trying different positions 8 Bringing another female into the bedroom 10 Bringing another male into the bedroom 8 Watching hard porn together 7 Watching soft porn together 5 Trying light forms of S + M 7 Specifically be beaten or beat 7 Your partner using food in bed like whip cream, chocolate 8 FILL IN THE BLANKS
To make my wants in bed known I use a mixture of signals and speaking. My tactic is 75 percent effective. I never approach women who have too much surgery or makeup.
SEPTEMBER 2012
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MIRROR, MIRROR
USE YOUR
SIXTH SENSE SWEDISH MASSAGE AT THE SENSES SPA BY YOUMNA CHAGOURY
R R
eaching the Senses Spa via the Health Club that Saturday afternoon, I have low expectations as to what I will be getting for this Spa Review. I believe the least professional Spas are the ones located at beaches and pool resorts, because they’re not about holistic relaxation and it’s just a plus service they offer. I was about to be proven wrong. Upon entering the grey and blue colored Spa area, decorated with orchids and Buddha statuettes, I’m taken to my treatment room, with a big bay window overlooking the busy pool. My therapist Georges hands me a towel and leads me to the shower before I lie down on the treatment bed and start my Swedish massage. Just like you judge a Lebanese restaurant by its hummus and tabbouleh, you judge a Spa by its Swedish massage: the most basic form of massage, using paraffin oil with or without essential oils, generally
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used to reduce muscle pain and joint stiffness. Starting with my feet, Georges gently applies oil and firmly rubs them using his knuckles, before lowering the pressure while moving up my calves. He tells me he massages the top of my lower body more gently because of my small varicose vein condition and that firm massage would hurt me more than relieve from any pain. That’s when I know I am being massaged by a true professional: the Senses therapists are good enough to personalize each treatment depending on the client, their body and their needs. For a whole hour, in dimmed lighting and quiet music, my therapist massages every inch of my body. Georges applies firm pressure on specific points on my back and can see from the stiffness and the feeling of it under his nimble fingers that: 1) I don’t drink enough water, 2) I drink a lot of coffee, 3) I smoke. He’s basically a physiotherapist and a magician. He focuses on the parts that
hurt me the most without me having to tell him. He then moves on to my neck and ends my massage with my favorite technique: holding and stretching my head with one hand and rubbing my neck with the other. I leave the Senses Spa pleasantly surprised and will definitely come back for more
RAGMAG RECOMMENDS
Floral Body Bouquet A 2-hour treatment including a foot bath, a floral body scrub, a massage and a body mask. Bamboo Fusion Massage A combination of Malaysian and Chinese soothing yet deep massage techniques that retain heat. It is used to relieve tense and aching muscles. Passive Stretching A type of massage where the therapist applies gentle pressure to lengthen and lubricate muscles and joints. Perfect after a workout at the Senses Health Club. Senses Spa 09 213 212 info@clubsenses.com www.clubsenses.com
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MIRROR, MIRROR
NIRVANA NAIL DIOR’S STATEMENT SHADES We’ve compiled our season’s top quality nail lacquer choices for you! Dior packs a punch going into fall with a terrific selection of polishes that compliment both day and night. 2 separate collections boast great shades for your to choose from: Golden Jungle fall 2012 and the Vernis Nude.
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Dior’s Violette
VISION OF NUDE THE RENOWNED DIOR MAKEUP DESIGNER LAB’S NEWEST RECRUIT BRINGS BEAUTY TO LIFE “For me, Nude is a natural make-up, used firstly to beautify and to give an incredible feeling of freshness. Nude is composed through small details, delicate touches and the product that makes all the difference. It is all about subtlety and transparency. The skin has to breathe and live. The woman shouldn’t disappear under a blitz of makeup, Nude is there to highlight and enhance her beauty by respecting who she is. For me, Nude make-up is more about emotion and natural enhancement than it is about artifice.” We’re loving Violette’s look: sexy without being overly made up. Dior’s top new artist definitely reflects her choices in cosmetics. Violette is of Parisian descent and has a long history of high fashion editorial shoots and expertise. Her educational background includes graphic design and painting so she’s bringing quite the creative catalogue to Dior’s Makeup Designer Lab.
DIORSKIN NUDE
A NEW RANGE OF FOUNDATION FOR GLOWING SKIN
In 2005 Dior revamped the catwalk look: the Art of Nude was now the look to emulate. Since then Dior has continued to set the industry bar and developed their expertise for a glowing and natural beauty with the ever expanding Nude range.
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
GET TO KNOW YOUR EXQUISITE
NUDES Dior has created 17 shades of foundation designed with colour experts from around the world to mimic all complexions. Using “Nude Glow” pigments that are similar to the melanin naturally present in the skin, you are guaranteed to find a flawless match. Some of the opaque white pigments usually present in foundation products have been replaced by translucent pigments that let the skin’s natural colour shine through for a more striking natural look.
NUDE FLUID
This light fluid acquires a new subtle velvet finish that blends into the skin to deliver just the right amount of coverage without masking the skin’s texture. Liquid foundations can be applied a number of ways, we suggest using a foundation brush in sweeping motions for more transparency or patting the brush for more coverage.
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NUDE COMPACT
The compact powder provides coverage that can be adjusted maintaining the skin’s natural satin sheen, to guarantee a true nude result. Depending on the desired finish, it acts as a foundation or a powder. Apply the Nude Compact using either of the double-sided applicators, sponge or brush. TECHNIQUE CHOICE BY TOOL 1. Pad Use the sponge side for perfect foundation coverage OR Use the velvety side of the pad for a lighter glow. This can also be used to finish and touch up your makeup during the day. 2. Brush Use as the finishing touch on a liquid foundation like a compact powder. Use the dark hairs for a velvet finish. www.ragmag.co | R A G M A G | 63
MIRROR, MIRROR
TAKE A BOW MISS DIOR LE PARFUM
BOW-TIED BEAUTY
Natalie Portman, Oscar award-winning performer, fronts the campaign for Miss Dior Le Parfum continuing her relationship with the brand renowned for elegance and sassy charm. Natalie embodies the Miss Dior spirit and gives life to the refined and alluring scent. Available in 40ml and 75ml formats, Miss Dior Le Parfum was developed by François Demachy. “I wanted to bring something precious and luminous to the composition of Miss Dior Le Parfum, like an oriental jewellery set or the reflections of shimmering fabric.” The concentrated fragrance is a combination of floral notes (Turkish Rose and Bulgarian Rose absolute) and leather notes. Amber, patchouli and vanilla are also found in Miss Dior Le Parfum as well as fruity top notes like mandarin.
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SEPTEMBER SNEAK PEEK
COOL CARTIER BAISER VOLÉ Eau de toilette for Her FRESH + FEMININE
“From a fresh, new, innocent lily, emanates a pure, crystalline perfume”
Cartier perfumer Mathilde Laurent offers a fresh take on “Baiser volé” in an Eau de toilette inspired by the blossoming lily. A new lily captured within a gentle, feminine bottle that opens like a secret powder compact.
EAU DE CARTIER
Essence de Bois for Him and Her SEDUCTIVE + SILKY
“Coolness and warmth, an Eau with a woody note: a paradox of a fragrance that is rare and contemporary” Featuring an accord of a oud wood interpretation, Eau de Cartier Essence de Bois for Him and Her is the fourth in the Eau de Cartier range. This fragrance joins the olfactory family consisting of the original Eau de Cartier; a greener version based on violet leaves entitled Eau de Cartier Concentrée; and the citrus version, Eau de Cartier Essence d’Orange.
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www.phoeniciabeirut.com
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BACKSTAGE PASS
GET THE LOOK! MUFE + MADONNA Get the star treatment with longwearing makeup developed for the Queen Regent of Pop herself! Madonna says, “There’s only one Queen” and this might be proof. After all, MAKE UP FOR EVER is the line relied on by makeup artists globally for great stage makeup. Gina Brooke, Madonna’s longtime makeup artist, has collaborated with MAKE UP FOR EVER to create the official lip colour for the Material Girl’s MDNA tour – the new Aqua Rouge #8 in an iconic shade of red. “I loved working with MAKE UP FOR EVER to create a custom shade of Aqua Rouge specifically for Madonna. My biggest challenge was to find a lip product that was reliable and long-lasting, and knew choosing something from MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Aqua range was going to be ideal especially with a minute and a half for touch-ups between songs. There’s no room for mistakes,” said Brooke. “I wanted to come up with a perfect, pure red lip colour that would exude confidence and beauty. To me, the shade looks iconic, which is the perfect word to define Madonna and her career.” PRODUCT FACT FILE GO PRO WITH GINA BROOKE Aqua Rouge #8 • Red liquid lipstick that brightens the entire face • Flattering on all skin tones • Part of MAKE UP FOR EVER’s new Aqua Rouge collection launched this fall • This high-impact waterproof liquid lipstick delivers intense and long-lasting coverage • Finished with an eye-catching shine of gloss • Highly pigmented • Smudge-proof and sweat-proof Aqua Shadow #0E in Black • Format is a jumbo eyeshadow pencil • Waterproof • Quick and easy method of application • Requires minimal to no touch-ups • Suitable for extreme conditions such as high humidity and formal affairs.
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LAST TANGO IN PARIS SEDUCTRESS EYES + SMOLDERING LIPS BY MUFE
WATCH DANY SANZ, THE CREATOR OF MAKE UP FOR EVER APPLY THE BLACK TANGO COLLECTION. IF YOU’VE LAMENTED YOUR LACKLUSTRE LOOK, THE BLACK TANGO FALL COLLECTION BY MUFE IS JUST WHAT YOU NEED TO GET YOUR GROOVE BACK. TECHNIQUE PRO TALK BY DANY SANZ EYES THAT SAY COME HITHER BY MAKE UP FOR EVER • Apply the black shade with red highlights from the Black Tango Palette, onto the eyelid and blend with the appropriate brush from the palette. • Then, apply the same shade at the lower eyelid and blend with the tip of the brush. • Apply the ivory shade from the Black Tango Palette on the brow bone under the eyebrows to highlight. • For a more glamorous look, apply False Eyelashes #156. Apply Eyeliner along the lash line to intensify the result and to camouflage the False Eyelashes. • Apply the black Smoky Lash Mascara to mix the natural lashes with the false eyelashes and achieve a more natural result. • Apply the black Kohl Pencil in the water line of the eyes to give depth to the eyes.
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SHADES OF PERFECTION RAGMAG’s star product in the Black Tango collection is the Black Tango Palette. It’s a palette of 4 stunning creamtextured eyeshadows. They’re waterproof, highly pigmented in shades of catwalk oomph. Our fave shades: Black with Blue Highlights and Black with Red Highlights! Industry Insider Tip The palette comes with its own double-ended brush and wide angle mirror for girls on the go. Bonus: each cream shadow comes in its own tub and lid therefore ensuring that they don’t dry out and you are guaranteed a long-lasting set of products!
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MIRROR, MIRROR
M.A.C.
RUNWAY LOOKS CATWALK COSMETICS FROM THE EXPERTS The A/W 2012 catwalks ranged in form and colour and this season M.A.C. conceptual development blew us away. Our favorite look? “Sense + Sensibility” developed by M.A.C.’s creative team. The “Sense + Sensibility” schema was seen on runways of note including fashion luminaries Elie Saab, Hussein Chalayan and Diane von Fürstenberg.
• SEAMLESS FLUSH • LIP FOCUS • CLASSIC WITH A MODERN TAKE
AW 2012/2013 CATWALKS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: HUSSEIN CHALAYAN, MARIO SCHWAB, EMILIO PUCCI, A. KRAPOL, MOSCHINO ANTONIO MARRAS OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: L. GREY, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, THE BLONDS, THE BLONDS, JASON WU
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• PRECISION • NONCONFORMIST • ETCHING AND GEOMETRY
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HONE-STRUCTURE • ADDING DEPTH WITH SHADOWS • STRONGER BROW • SLIGHTLY HOLLOWED
ROAM-ANTIQUE SPOTLIGHT
VIMI JOSHI
• JEWEL METALLICS • MASCARA-LESS LASH • LANDSCAPE COLOUR SCHEME
M.A.C. SENIOR MAKEUP ARTIST FOR THE MIDDLE EAST Vimi has worked on a wide range of celeb clientele including Margarita Missoni, Dita Von Teese and Richard Gere. Her events span everything from the MTV Europe Music Awards to the Vancouver Olympics 2010. RAGMAG’s top highlights from Vimi’s fashion resume: Alexander McQueen, Vivien Westwood, Narcisco Rodriguez, Elie Saab, Pucci, Moschino, Etro, and the king of cats, Roberto Cavalli.
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PHOTO CREDIT: COLIN YOUNG-WOLFF FOR LANCÔME © 2012
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CULTURE CLASH
THE BIGGEST MOVIE STAR IN THE WORLD
PRETTY WOMAN
JULIA ROBERTS LIFE + AMBITION COME TOGETHER WITH A SIDE OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER BY FIDA CHAABAN
Julia Roberts, the biggest movie star in the world, has good reason to flash her trademark toothy grin. There is not a more recognizable face to ever come out of Hollywood and she’s got a strong head on her shoulders to boot. After claiming the title of America’s sweetheart and reigning high in the sphere of global influence, Julia’s newest venture with Lancôme comes hot on the heels of her latest film, “Mirror Mirror” directed by the noteworthy Tarsem Singh and just before beginning her newest movie with red carpet veteran Meryl Streep. Roberts is many things: actor, humanitarian, mother, and wife, known for her natureloving ways and for being notoriously unpretentious. She’s been known to curry favour no matter what the circumstance, and like any beloved national symbol, can get away with just about anything… even when Julia is bad, she’s still good. SEPTEMBER 2012
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CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: JULIA ROBERTS AT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE MOVIE “VALENTINE’S DAY” AT GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE, HOLLYWOOD, FEBRUARY 2010. Photography by Paul Smith
JULIA ROBERTS AND BRAD PITT AT THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF “THE MEXICAN”, FEBRUARY 2001 Photo credit Featureflash
JULIA ROBERTS AND RUPERT EVERETT AT THE GOLDEN GOLBE AWARDS, JANUARY 1998 Photo credit Featureflash
JULIA ROBERTS AND BRUCE WILLIS AT A STAGED READING OF ‘THE WORLD OF NICK ADAMS’ TO BENEFIT PAINTED TURTLE CHILDREN’S CAMP, SAN FRANCISCO, OCTOBER 2008 Photography by S. Buckley
DANNY MODER AT THE 25TH SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 Photography by Terry Straehley
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CULTURE CLASH
I THINK MEETING MY HUSBAND AND THE RELATIONSHIP THAT WE’VE CULTIVATED OVER A DOZEN YEARS IS MY GREATEST SOURCE OF PRIDE
B
orn Julia Fiona Roberts, the bona fide blockbuster star is used to heavy press interest in her comings and goings. What you don’t see is Julia making public faux pas. You don’t catch her sharing messy personal life issues in interviews and she is remarkably good at washing her hands of controversy. One such incident was her relationship with now husband Daniel (Danny) Moder who is also the father of her 3 children: 5 year-old Henry-Daniel, and 7 year-old fraternal twins Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus Walter (known as Finn). Roberts and Moder met on the set of “The Mexican” (released in 2001) that she starred in with Brad Pitt. Both Roberts and Moder were in other relationships at the time and Moder divorced his spouse a year later, heading to the altar with Julia on July 4, 2002. The press backlash at the time was quick and fierce but Julia remained impervious and somehow emerged on top, like she always does. It was the same with her quickie courtship and marriage to Lyle Lovett -the unexpected romantic match with the country singer that later had eerie parallels to her character’s romance in “Notting Hill”- with Hugh Grant in 1999, who played a socially inept (and somewhat charming) bookshop owner. Their chemistry onscreen was interesting, and despite rumours to the contrary no relationship materialized there other than friendship: “I think the greatest souvenir of any movie experience is going to be if you create a lasting relationship with one or more people that you’ve worked with. And I do have quite a beautiful collection of friends over the last twenty years – people I’ve met on movies,” says Roberts. She’s unabashedly into being a 2012 take on the nuclear fam-
ily; and she takes the greatest personal satisfaction in “my family. I think meeting my husband and the relationship that we’ve cultivated over a dozen years is my greatest source of pride.” She adds that she’s most proud of her “family and how much we all like each other,” and firmly states her best memories as “marrying my husband [and] having my kids”. The hands-on mom also says that aside from Hollywood pursuits, she’d like to be “able to spend more time at my domestic arts. Knitting. And I’ve been going to sewing school so I’d really like to be able to hone my sewing skills even more because I feel like I have time to do it and then I don’t have time to do it and I forget the things I’ve learned.” This may sound funny coming from one of the highest paid performers in the movie industry, but funnier still is that she practices her domestic skills on her own wardrobe: “The last thing I made was a dress out of a massive scarf that somebody gave me for my birthday a few years ago. It was a black and white scarf that had all these cool pictures and newspaper article prints of the Rolling Stones, and I turned it into this really cool dress.” As for downtime, what does the superstar matriarch do with herself? “When I was pregnant the first time with my twins, I remember reading a book and it said somewhere to invest in a crockpot because you will only ever have time and energy in the morning to make dinner for the next four years, which is true. And I got a crockpot. But it also said when you have a new baby and you’re exhausted and the baby goes down for a nap, go to sleep or take a bath. Or call your sister or do whatever it is that you want to do before you do the laundry and wash the dishes and clean up the x, y and z and all the things that need to get done because you will always run out of time and then you will have never gotten to what is important for you.”
I DO HAVE QUITE A BEAUTIFUL COLLECTION OF FRIENDS OVER THE LAST TWENTY YEARS – PEOPLE I’VE MET ON MOVIES
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CULTURE CLASH
OPPOSITE PAGE: JULIA ROBERTS PHOTOGRAPHED BY CARTER SMITH FOR LANCÔME © 2012 BELOW: STILL IMAGE FROM THE MOVIE ‘OCEAN’S ELEVEN’
IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO PUT THIS [MOVIE STAR ACT AND LOOK] ON. [...] I’M PERFECTLY AWARE OF WHO I AM WHEN I GET UP AND HOW MANY PEOPLE IT TAKES TO PUT THIS ON. Here it is worth remembering that the movie star is known in Hollywood circles to do her own cooking and even cleaning. So how does it work out with the added responsibility of kids? “New baby or not, it’s just true in life. When you have that moment of quiet to not [do anything], you know, and I often times will say to myself, ‘that can wait’. Just sit down and drink a cup of tea or whatever it is, because it’s essential and it helps -you have just more to give the next moment that other people occupy with you I think.” How is her diet? “I do try to eat well but I’m not crazed. I just try to have a good balanced amount of the good stuff. I guess it is about water and things that are green. I consume a lot of green stuff. Oh and I stopped eating gluten. I just [made] gluten-free pizza. It’s delicious. Believe me I’m not going without anything. That’s the key. I made gluten-free cookies and yesterday I made four loaves of gluten-free banana bread. And I just put them in the freezer.” So she’s like Martha Stewart except a whole lot better looking? Sometimes, when you think you can’t be it all, you’re reminded of exceptional people like Julia and you almost want to punch the perfect cheerleader in the face because she’s smart and fun and the kind of girl you’d be friends with, and she does it all perfectly and it just looks so damn effortless! She’s Miss America and she manages to use that kick-ass attitude to her advantage, unwashed hair and makeup-free and all.
The All-American girl was born in Smyrna, Georgia, a town in the southern United States with a population of just over 50,000 people. Like any small-town girl you’ve ever met, Roberts says she would’ve liked to become a teacher. “I appreciated the teachers who were trying to actually inspire us to learn things as opposed to force us to learn things. There’s such a big difference. And I know it’s hard to be a teacher… you have to lose your enthusiasm and inspiration from time to time, but the ones that didn’t seemed like gods and goddesses to me.” The funniest thing about Julia is that she almost wants you to pick on her and see her as your next door neighbour, with her dishes, laundry and vacuuming, which is super hard to do since she is who she is. “But that’s the thing- it takes a village to put this [movie star act and look] on. It’s not just me having some sense of fabulosity [sic] that I wake up like this. I’m perfectly aware of who I am when I get up and how many people it takes to put this on, you know? For that public element of my life. But they are just two completely different things. It sounds so corny but I think it’s the truest statement of my work, which is that my job doesn’t make me an extraordinary person. I’m a regular person with an extraordinary job. And the circumstances of it are pretty remarkable. But it doesn’t make me remarkable. And you know, I have plenty of people to remind me of that if I forget.” What does she feel makes a woman unique? “So many things. But women have that –I think it’s that internal, feminine compass that you can walk in any room and a great woman can assess within 90 seconds who is full of shit and who she wants to sit next to at dinner,” she says with characteristic frankness and force. She’s also got a tomboy side to her, notorious for participating in pranks and antics with her “Ocean’s” co-stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon. The girl with the million dollar smile was an active part of the boy’s club during the “Ocean’s” films and makes no bones about it, not even when a certain cast member experienced a prank involving a toilet seat and cling wrap –use your imagination. Julia is possibly the only woman out there who can be called the husband-stealer, show a little grey in her roots, joke around with the bad boys and still come across as cute and as squeaky clean as a prom queen.
YOU CAN WALK IN ANY ROOM AND A GREAT WOMAN CAN ASSESS WITHIN 90 SECONDS WHO IS FULL OF SHIT AND WHO SHE WANTS TO SIT NEXT TO AT DINNER
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‘I’M A REGULAR PERSON WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB. AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF IT ARE PRETTY REMARKABLE. BUT IT DOESN’T MAKE ME REMARKABLE.’
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PHOTO CREDIT: TOM MUNRO FOR LANCÔME © 2012
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CULTURE CLASH
YOU HAVE TO JUST PACK UP AND MOVE TO PLANET TARSEM AND KNOW THAT THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE GONNA LIVE AND IT’S GOING TO BE THIS KIND OF WACKY, WILD, PERIOD OF TIME AND YOU JUST, YOU’VE GOTTA GO WITH IT Or evil queen, as she played the wicked stepmother in Tarsem Singh’s “Mirror Mirror”, a rendition of the Brothers Grimm version of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”. “It really was fun because Lily [Collins] was a good sport about it and she was a trooper. I would pinch her and slap her and pull her hair and tell her I hate her and she would still give me a hug at the end of the day… You know, it only works when both people are up for it.” Of working with Singh on “Mirror Mirror”, Roberts says that “in the very beginning when we all got to Montreal, I’d spent enough time with him that I felt we had a good communication and a good understanding of one another and you know, you have to just pack up and move to planet Tarsem and know that that’s where you’re gonna live and it’s going to be this kind of wacky, wild, period of time and you just, you’ve gotta go with it. You have to give yourself over to all of this visual stimulation, these colourful, enormous sets and these huge costumes. He’s an amazing person, I really admire him so deeply. And we had fun! I find that when a director really knows what they want and they know when they have it, it doesn’t have to be this kind of laboured over, 18-hour day. You can really kind of get it done and be energized and happy. I think he’s great. I loved working with him.” Their mutually warm working relationship has gone one step further: Singh is the creative genius behind Julia’s recent Lancôme commercial. “I like what they came up with and I love that they brought in Tarsem who is such a visual person and who I have such a strong relationship with that—because I’ve never really made a commercial and I felt I didn’t—I get kind of caught between the logic of being an actor and that doesn’t really apply to commercials. It’s not about logic or motivation. So to have Tarsem there was a great thrill and comfort to me. And this concept that they came up with – just the idea of freeing yourself and stepping away from, you
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know, the crowd as it were. I think it’s very timely.” Her relationship with Lancôme began in 2009 and she is the face of their newest La Vie Est Belle fragrance. Who is the Lancôme woman, does Julia think she’s the right fit? “When they hired me—because to me it’s always seemed a little bit beyond me- like I wasn’t quite as poised or as sophisticated or elegant as I think of the Lancôme idea. For that, I think about Isabella Rossellini and how elegant and beautiful she is. To me, she’s the eternal face of Lancôme. So when they came to me I realized, ‘Oh it is more about the every day person who wants to make an investment in their products and have them work for them’. But it’s not the thing that kind of rules their morning- trying to get out the door with kids and drive the carpool. It’s a lot more accessible than I realized.” And what of the brand’s French elegance? “The French—it’s like a little magic trick, those people, isn’t it? Those gals and their heels and their baguettes and their bicycle basket and their child in a little school uniform. I think Juliette Binoche is elegant and French and fabulous,” she says with a touch of down home Americana. Her infectious laugh, adorable eye twinkle and affected awkwardness are all part of the screen presence that most still associate with Julia. The power player, that of her Academy award-winning character in Erin Brokovich, is a lesser known facet of her personality but just as applicable: it is less that Julia acts, and more that Julia is. Any character she has played, from Tinkerbell, the mischievous sprite, in the 1991 movie “Hook” to the Golden Globe winning happy-go-lucky prostitute turned Cinderella in “Pretty Woman”- it is all facets of Jules (her longtime nickname). Her upcoming performance with Meryl Streep will be a first time experience for Roberts, having only worked with Streep once before: “We did a charity play, a one-night play at Lincoln Center once, but that was it. I worship her, of course.” The project is beginning this fall and “it’s a drama. I know—I wish we could be girlfriends and she could be sweet to me but she’s just wicked to me, mean and cruel. It’s worse than that. It’s so much worse,” she explains. The film she is undertaking with Streep is an adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winning play “August: Osage County” by Tony award-winner Tracy Letts. The two Oscar-winning co-stars will have a severely dysfunctional family reunion in the film as a mother-daughter duo, directed by John Wells. An altogether dark role, Roberts has proved her screen mojo and that she’s not just the star made for romantic-comedy flicks. Her 2004 role in “Closer”, opposite Clive Owen, proved that the beauty certainly has bite although Roberts was overlooked for award nominations in favor of her co-star Natalie Portman.
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‘LA VIE EST BELLE’ MAKING OF JULIA ROBERTS AND TARSEM SINGH PHOTO CREDIT: COLIN YOUNG-WOLFF FOR LANCÔME © 2012
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CULTURE CLASH
OPPOSITE PAGE: JULIA ROBERTS PHOTOGRAPHED BY CARTER SMITH FOR LANCÔME © 2012
TODAY, UNFORTUNATELY WITH SCIENCE, PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN SO CRAZY WITH TRYING TO MOVE THEIR FACE ROUND AND YOU END UP WITH YOUR CHIN ON YOUR FOREHEAD. IT’S BIZARRE. Roberts says one of her favorite moments in her career was “probably the first time I met Mike Nichols and having breakfast with him and that relationship beginning and making ‘Closer’ together. That’s a pretty remarkable moment in my career for me,” referring to the film’s Director. She is reputed to be the least vain of the big ticket draws in Hollywood and this is almost a direct contrast to her last starring role. Drawing comparisons between fiction and the reality of her work, Robert says that “Snow White is a very old fairy tale so obviously the idea of vanity and obsession with youth and beauty is long standing. So I think to say, of this time or of my business is funny because you realize this has been forever. People have felt this way forever and it is nice to update those ideas and make it modern. I mean, today, unfortunately with science, people have gotten so crazy with trying to move their face round and you end up with your chin on your forehead. It’s bizarre. But if that is truly going to make a person happy then that is what they should do. I don’t know that that’s the result people get. I think I would start with therapy,” says Roberts, who thus far is plastic-free. The lines are there and the wrinkles too, she may even be the perfect poster child of how to age gracefully and she isn’t afraid to put it all out there. Her favorite designers include Diane Von Furstenberg, Balenciaga and Stella McCartney. “I do love my vintage Ossie Clark,” she adds. Her upbeat demeanour isn’t for the benefit of the ever-present cameras, it’s the way Julia lives: “I think we just have to appreciate every day. It can just all be gone so quickly and—the older you get, the more fragile you understand life to be. I think that’s a good motivation for getting out of bed joyfully every day.” What’s Julia’s mantra, does the star have a pick me up? “Well, you know there is… and I say this with a sense of humour (I don’t take it too seriously), but I do think it’s always a good thing to think of in my head: ‘No way out but through’. You have to do it, you have to commit to it and that’s the only way you’re ever going to be on the other side of it.” What does she see as her greatest strength? “You’d have to ask a friend. I don’t know. What is my greatest strength? Loyalty? Compassion?” while she maintains that in people she
values “a sense of humour and a sense of cultural awareness”. Julia’s spiritual routine includes a “form of yoga hybrid that’s called Buti. I do it with a yoga teacher and some friends. We all go to this class together.” Over the years, Julia’s self-perception and view of her own body has changed. “I think I have more comfort and Elizabeth, my stylist, forces me to wear tighter clothes so that people can see my waist, though we disagree on where my waist is. I think I have more comfort, more pride in everything still being relatively where it started,” says Julia comically referring to her age and the effects of gravity. Born on October 28, 1967, Roberts will be celebrating her 45th birthday next month and jokes that in 10 years she sees herself at “54 fucking years-old. And a supermodel!” What’s the secret to beauty? “I honestly think the key to anyone looking beautiful in a room is being happy in their life. I mean that’s really the biggest part of what anybody looks like because whether you’re meaning to or not, you’re wearing your life on your face and in your posture and in your attitude. So I think that is the number one key to coming across as a beautiful individual.” Does Julia have a beauty secret? “Staying healthy and well, making out. Kissing… that’s a good one.” Her routine is simple and basic, she’s routinely photographed without makeup and dressed down, but this echoes Julia’s life in general.
THE OLDER YOU GET, THE MORE FRAGILE YOU UNDERSTAND LIFE TO BE. I THINK THAT’S A GOOD MOTIVATION FOR GETTING OUT OF BED JOYFULLY EVERY DAY.
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She’s simple and Julia is as Julia does: “You know everybody kind of makes fun of the 80s and 90s that we all became suddenly consumed with ourselves, and getting ahead in the work place, and it was a very career driven idea. And here we are, it’s the 21st century and I think like anything, life moves in these big sweeping circles and we have to come back to simpler times, whether it be because economically people are struggling and are forced into simpler times and forced to scale back material aspects of their life and really just end up having the people in their lives to entertain them and support them and participate in life. And you realize the beauty of that and how great it is to really strip out all that external noise and you find the joy in being together.” The joy of being Julia. La Vie Est Belle. Indeed
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Privé Presentation Pal Zileri, the luxurious VIP men’s wear, introduces the new frontier of luxury shopping in Lebanon. Pal Zileri’s VIP customers can indulge themselves in an exquisite private showing in the comfort of their own homes. With a devoted personal shopper, unveiling the latest collections and guiding the distinguished clients with the style they prefer. It is a unique shopping experience dedicated to a selective clientele. The Private Shopping Service will offer customers an exclusive access to the world of luxury Italian fashion. The move aims to strategically service Pal Zileri’s VIP customers such as politicians, business leaders, prominent personalities while accommodating their day-to-day demanding routines and lifestyles. “The personal shopper will familiarize himself with the client’s history thus be able to cater to his individual needs, a unique service unmatched in Lebanon’s exclusive fashion industry.” said Bilal Mrad, CEO of Vicenza, adding that: “Since it is an ongoing service, the personal shopper will keep VIPs updated about our latest collections, trends, new styles, and new products.” The fashion consultants at Pal Zileri underwent an extensive training and are highly experienced in the latest fashion trends and the different types of cuts and fabrics for the diverse types of physical build and style.
Sophisticate Street In the new MANGO Autumn-Winter 2012 season there is a clear military influence, with details incorporated in clean lines. Features include epaulettes, patch pockets, contrast piping, leather adornments, buttons with military motifs and padded garments. All in a colour palette in which the different shades of khaki become the neutral tones of the season. There is also the clear influence of architectural forms which add new volumes, with particular emphasis on volume sleeves and waists to which frills have been added in skirts and dresses. Complete black or white winter outfits are very important in these silhouettes, while deep and bright colours such as cobalt blue also add fervent energy to the fall. Rich wool structures mainly in natural and black tones such as bouclé, tweed, dogtooth or herringbone, which enrich the oversized drop shouldered outerwear pieces. In turn, prints have been used to imitate these classic textures.
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Crown Jewel Ermenegildo Zegna opened a new boutique in partnership with Aïshti in Amman, Jordan, in the famous Taj Shopping Center, situated in the wealthy residential area of Amman. Taj Shopping Center is the first large-scale mall with a dedicated luxury area, in a market that is highly interested, attentive and demanding when it comes to contemporary Italian style. The store’s beautifully crafted design, by Studio Beretta in Milan, Italy, and utilization of luxurious raw materials accent the timeless style and sophisticated elegance that is the Ermenegildo Zegna heritage. Developed on a single floor, the store covers 100 square meters of luxury selling space and delivers the ultimate experience of the signature Zegna Lifestyle: classic and chic and ultimately refined. The boutique uses a variety of colors, materials, textures and furniture items to distinguish the collections, maintaining the cohesive style and elegance of that Zegna is known for. Traversing the store a display of accessories and a small preview of the Upper Casual collection welcomes the customer to the Zegna World. Ermenegildo Zegna, recognized for its contemporary tailored style and for its beautiful and exclusive materials, is present with Sartoria, the finest expression of the tailoring art, and the Upper Casual collection, the ultimate elegance dedicated to a man’s leisure time, as well as accessories, bags and small leather items. Additionally, the store carries the Ermenegildo Zegna eyewear collection. The boutique has been opened in cooperation with Aïshti who is also Ermenegildo Zegna partner in Lebanon -with one boutique and three department stores - and in Jordan, with another department store in the same area.
Innovation Station
Cartier, in the presence of Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, who heads the jury for the Middle East and North Africa, and Mr. Louis Ferla, Regional Director of Cartier Middle East, India and Africa, announced the finalists of the 2012 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards. Present were also the 3 finalists from the Middle East; Iba Massoud for “GRADBERRY” project from the United Arab Emirates, Nermin Saad for “HANDASIYAT.NET” project from Jordan, in addition to the candidate Rania Seddik for “GEBRAA FOR EGYPTIAN TREASURES” project from Egypt, who has not been able to attend. The 18 finalists – 17 finalists and a team of two co-finalists – were selected among over 1,000 applications from around the world, out of which 3 finalists were selected from the MENA (Middle East & North Africa Region). They will be coached by professionals from Cartier, INSEAD and McKinsey & Co. to prepare for the Jury presentations in October. The Laureates will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on October 11, 2012, at the Annual Glob-
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al Meeting of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, in Deauville, France. The international business plan competition is in its sixth year, supporting women-run enterprise in the six major world regions. This year’s businesses are making an impact in healthcare and sanitation; online business and employment; eco-commerce and fair
trade; fashion and culture. “We are honoured to help our finalists build their businesses and make a responsible difference around the globe,’ said Bernard Fornas, President & CEO of Cartier. Applications for the 2013 edition of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards will open on November 12, 2012 and end on March 11, 2013.
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Homegrown Heroes
After the great success of Plantation Day, which took place on Sunday, May 20th at Btida’e Bekaa, and in line with its aim to promote green areas in Lebanon, Azadea Foundation has gone further and taken the pledge to rehabilitate a recreational park for all the residents of Beirut. Working on this bigger scale project, and in collaboration with the Municipality of Beirut, Azadea Foundation has chosen to restore Sanayeh Garden. Being an all-time favorite spot and one of the oldest and renowned gardens in Beirut, Azadea Foundation’s aim is to enhance this public garden not only by preserving its greenery, but also by providing landscape amenities for outdoor activities, offering Beirut’s residents a quiet place to enjoy nature in the heart of the capital. Stretched on over 22,000sqm, these amenities will include children playgrounds, bicycle and running tracks, an amphitheater for performances, an exhibition area, a wall of fame, not to mention reading areas and promenade lanes. With its design assigned to ZMK Landscape Architects, and the strong support of Dr. Bilal Hamad, Mayor of
Beirut, this project will most certainly be a monumental success. Sanayeh Garden has always been a popular destination for walkers, joggers and children. It was also a favorable spot for the elderly to gather and play cards, backgammon or chess, while artists came to display their handicrafts. With the help of Azadea Foundation, that destination will surely become a reality once more. Entirely financed by Azadea Foundation, the renovation is slated to be an 18-month project. Through this huge cultural, recreational and environmental project, Azadea Foundation becomes one of the very few NGOs to give an unconditional donation to renovate, redesign and restore a garden in Beirut. The Azadea Foundation will go on beyond the
refurbishment to ensure that the garden is properly managed and maintained. Eager to have Lebanon regain its green land reputation, Azadea Foundation strongly encourages other companies within the private sector to take similar initiatives and work hand in hand with municipalities across Lebanon and the public sector as a whole to make a significant difference. Being a non-profitable NGO managed, financed and sponsored solely by Azadea partners and employees, Azadea Foundation is committed to pursuing its environmental objective by spreading areas of greenery across Lebanon, a country renowned for its breathtaking nature, consequently securing the native land every citizen deserves to live in.
Forever Faqra There’s nothing like a hearty dinner and a glass of red wine after a day on the slopes. Be it a cool summer’s day or a blisteringly cold winter’s night, every meal in Faqra requires an element of coziness and warmth. For that, there’s Urban. This new restaurant bar defines the Faqra experience; juxtaposing a rugged and refined vibe, Urban is casual and homey yet still elegant. Urban offers a quiet retreat from hectic city life with good food, a wonderful view, and small town hospitality. Urban has recently opened the terrace for summer which serves guests at an exquisite live BBQ station for lunch and dinner. For those who want to spend the night, Urban also offers a choice of Deluxe rooms at $275 and Studio suites at $375. Contact 76070605 | Faqra, President Emile Lahoud Roundabout, Lebanon
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Hit the Streets In 2008, Sarah’s Bag turned the “Beirut ma betmout” graffiti into a fashion accessory with a statement, reaching Lebanese people living abroad and all those who love Beirut and felt proud to carry Sarah’s Bag graffiti clutch. Today, Sarah’s bag is sponsoring the graffiti artists in the Beirut Art Center exhibition by partnering with artists from Lebanon and from around the world. 50 bags made with plain canvas and leather borders will be displayed at the exhibition, offering visitors the chance to create their own custom-made bag, with the personalized statement they wish to carry, designed on the spot by professional graffiti artists. It could be their name or that of a loved one, their phone numbers or a remarkable piece of street art that can turn any person carrying it into a walking statement.
It’s Tradition For almost 140 years, authenticity and expertise have been the watchwords of the Maison Piaget. A collection associating these historical values stands out for its gold bracelets conveying powerful aesthetic codes: the Tradition line. Since 1962, the ultra-thin silhouette associated with the unique suppleness of its bracelet has epitomized the art of retro-chic. The Tradition collection by Piaget belongs to the history of the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie – and to all those for whom authenticity remains a core value. Above and beyond the creation itself, the Tradition collection symbolizes excellent mastery and the faithful preservation of a hand-crafted skill. The Tradition bracelet stems from a unique work of meticulous hand-assembly and welding of each gold link, as well as decoration. The secret of making it lies in three key factors: the expertise of the artisans of the Maison Piaget; the assembly process; and the finishes. Over 108 links are individually assembled and then meticulously adjusted to ensure seamless integration with the case. The result ensures comfort on the wrist, signed by an integrated buckle bearing the P for Piaget. The radiant 26 mm case is set with 42 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.6 carat), while 52 brilliantcut diamonds (approx. 0.8 carat) lend their fire to the 34 mm model. The understated dial is silver-toned for the versions with a
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gem-set bezel and in gold paved with 290 brilliant-cut diamonds (1 carat) and 12 sapphires or garnets (0.1 carat) for the 26 mm model; or with 492 brilliant-cut diamonds (1.6 carats) and 12 sapphires or garnets (0.1 carat) for the 34 mm version. To equip its Tradition collection, Piaget has called upon its considerable expertise in the field of ultra-thin horology. Since 1957 and the advent of the 9P movement measuring a mere 2 mm thick, Piaget’s historical legitimacy in the field of ultra-thin watchmaking has been widely acknowledged and repeatedly demonstrated. Out of a total of 29 movements recently developed by the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Piaget, no less than 17 are ultra-thin. This elegant ensemble strikes
a remarkable balance between fine watchmaking and the goldsmith’s art. The blend of technique and design reveal the freedom to express tradition while looking to the future that has shaped the very foundations of the Piaget philosophy. Born in 1962, the Tradition collection by Piaget is celebrating its 50th anniversary in an undeniably modern manner. The passing years have set a lasting seal on its indisputable elegance, and the line continues to find its way through time with the assurance of being perpetually in tune with its times. In doing so, it offers enduring proof that a watch creation can indeed be both classical and avant-garde –while faithfully reflecting the same perfectionism as the brand that created it: Piaget.
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OPPOISTE PAGE: DEREK LAM RESORT 2013 THIS PAGE: ERDEM RESORT 2013
FROM THE RUNWAY TO THE STREETS OF BEIRUT BY REBECCA FISHER-SWARBROOKE
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very season, we are introduced to new combinations of textiles—fabrics complete with intricate designs, bold colours, and unique textures. This summer’s fashion gurus brought colour blocking and fabric blocking to the runways, as well as one of this summer’s hottest trends, the idiosyncratic styling of combining prints. From pastels to neon, from neutral to bold, and from nature prints to graphic patterns, this summer’s runways are bound to have a look appealing to all tastes. Florals for ladies are no longer delicate and old-fashioned, but are rather bold and contemporary. Floral prints of various shapes and sizes are being mixed and matched together, as well as combined with other patterns such as stripes. Those in the “fashion know” are pairing striped tops with floral skirts and floral blouses with striped pants and even with red pants—another trend we saw this summer that’s staying strong through Beirut’s warm fall season. Similarly, men are also donning floral patterns this summer. Floral prints in menswear have made it onto every piece of menswear imaginable. From shirts to shorts to full length trousers, men are seeing floral in various pastel hues of once feminine pink as well as green and orange. It is said that the fashion world is cyclical in nature, with new continuously being replaced by old with a modern twist. Designers are channeling inspiration from the 70s and matching muted tones of floral and foliage in menswear. Geometric patterns are another print trend that is extraordinarily cyclical. Throughout the decades, we have seen geo-
metric prints appear and disappear from the fashion scene. Of course, geometrics are seen on simple Ts, but this season, designers have opted to utilize this print in tailored pieces such as men’s two-piece suits. The colorations of these prints are highly reminiscent of the 70s. Dare to be bold and wear head-to-toe prints by pairing a printed top with printed pants—try the same pattern, or even something audacious and contrasting. Mismatch patterns or keep a uniform print from head-to-toe. Start with an all-over neutral look, until you’re ready to be more venturesome. After all, you don’t want to get stopped by the fashion police for looking like you’re wearing pajamas rather than something haute couture!
FLORAL PRINTS OF VARIOUS SHAPES AND SIZES ARE BEING MIXED AND MATCHED TOGETHER, AS WELL AS COMBINED WITH OTHER PATTERNS SUCH AS STRIPES. SEPTEMBER 2012
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philip lim fw 2012/2013
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
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Flames diamond earrings set in 18k gold and platinum by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co © Tiffany & Co
CAT-EYED
salvatore ferragamo limited edition sunglasses stéphane rolland haute couture fw 2012/ 2013
halston heritage colour block pleated crepe dress
GET WAISTED
stella mccartney two-tone stretch jersey contour dress
TWEEDY TODD michael kors crepe and tweed dress
caresse d’orchidées par cartier ring, one flower motif, pink gold, diamonds Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier 2011
WRAP THE BLACK mango belt
HANDHELD ysl handbag
antonio berardi paneled stretch crepe dress
OFF THE CUFF
cartier cufflink
STEPPING TWO-TIME
tory burch everly pump SEPTEMBER 2012
WALK THE LINE
givenchy gaiter boot
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valentino rockstud leather gloves
isabelle marant fw 2012/2013
SEE-THRU
STAR-STUDDED
valentino rockstud d-frame acetate sunglasses
michael kors asymmetric studded jersey top
BUCKLE UP
ON TIME
van cleef & arpels bal du palais d’hiver timepiece
gucci studded leather belt
cartier love collection cuff white gold, clasp set with diamonds, white ceramic katel riou © cartier 2008
WARM UP
rebecca taylor diamanté studded fine knit dress
elizabeth and james studded leather-paneled cable-knit sweater
mango studded leather ankle boot
BORDERLINE
valentino studded leather tote
STRAP IT ON
isabel marant stanley studded suede pumps
day birger et mikkelsen studded wooden bangle
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bottega veneta studded intrecciato leather knot clutch
philip crangi 14k goldstudded blackened steel cuff
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Dsquared2 fw 2012/2013
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TORY
BURCH PAYS IT FORWARD BY REBECCA FISHER-SWARBROOKE
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OPPOSITE PAGE: TORY BURCH AT THE VANITY FAIR OSCAR PARTY AT SUNSET TOWER, FEBRUARY 2012, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA. BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT: TORY BURCH ARRIVES AT THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER, APRIL 2012, WASHINGTON, D.C. SCREENSHOT OF TORY BURCH’S WEBSITE
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esigned for the modern woman, Tory Burch is a luxurious yet attainable brand. Best known for its signature Reva ballerina flat, the brand offers multiple product pieces for the eclectic woman who seeks a sophisticated aesthetic. With an extensive range of inspirations, Tory is greatly influenced by the arts -visual art, music, and culture- as well as her interest in travel. By combining elements of classic fashions with a contemporary twist, Tory has carefully created a brand that is recognized for its signature use of graphic prints, bold colours, and other fine details. Holding a degree in art history from the University of Pennsylvania, Tory decided to pursue a career in the fashion industry. She eventually found herself in New York, where before becoming a well-known designer herself, she worked for some of America’s most influential designers including Ralph Lauren, Narciso Rodriguez at Loewe, and Vera Wang. With a background in ready-to-wear, Tory Burch launched as a lifestyle concept in 2004. In February 2004,
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the Tory Burch flagship boutique opened in downtown New York. Five years following the erection of the flagship store in the trendy Nolita neighbourhood of Manhattan, Tory Burch opened its first international flagship store in Tokyo. The brand is now available in a number of Tory Burch boutiques across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and in over eight hundred department and specialty stores around the world. And of course, online. A year following her debut as an independent designer, Tory was invited to appear on the Oprah show where she was introduced as “the next big thing in fashion.” Of course, with the endorsement of Oprah came greater popularity. The designer’s recognition changed overnight. Five years later, pieces from Tory Burch would be listed on the “Favourite Things” episode during the final season of the Oprah show. Once one celebrity likes something, others follow: Cameron Diaz and Reese Witherspoon were among the first to wear Tory Burch, with Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez, and Gwenyth Paltrow to follow, just to name a few.
BEST KNOWN FOR ITS SIGNATURE REVA BALLERINA FLAT, THE BRAND OFFERS MULTIPLE PRODUCT PIECES FOR THE ECLECTIC WOMAN WHO SEEKS A SOPHISTICATED AESTHETIC.
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TORY BURCH FW 2012 / 2013
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EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES OPPOSITE PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT: TORY BURCH ATTENDS THE VANITY FAIR PARTY DURING TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL AT THE NEW YORK STATE SUPREME COURT, APRIL 2010 TORY BURCH ATTENDS THE VANITY FAIR PARTY DURING TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL AT THE NEW YORK STATE SUPREME COURT, APRIL 2012
Tory attributes much of her success to the support of her family and her team. Throughout her career, Tory has received many awards for her contribution to the fashion industry. In 2005, Tory received the Fashion Group International Rising Star Award for Best New Retail Concept for designing unique boutiques that offered luxury in a relaxed atmosphere. In 2007, Tory was awarded the Ace Award For Accessory Brand Launch of the Year, in response to the great success of the signature Reva ballerina flat. The flat is available in new colours and fabrications every season and was inspired by Tory’s style icon—her mother, Reva. In 2008, Tory was honoured by the CFDA, the equivalent of an Academy Award for fashion, with the Accessory Design of the Year Award. As a philanthropist and humanitarian, Tory strives to give back to society. In 2009, she launched The Tory Burch Foundation to support American women and to provide these female entrepreneurs with the resources to launch their own businesses. True to her belief in the significance of family, the foundation’s logo is based on a family heirloom—a pendant that her father designed for his mother. Tory has drawn atten-
tion to the great gender disparities that still exist in the American workforce and as a businesswoman and working mother, she aims to provide women and their families with economic empowerment. Through a system called micro-financing, The Tory Burch Foundation provides women entrepreneurs with grants and support to establish their own small businesses. As a designer and public figure, Tory Burch has paid it forward, using her platform of success to help others pursue their dreams
IN 2009, SHE LAUNCHED THE TORY BURCH FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT AMERICAN WOMEN AND TO PROVIDE THESE FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS WITH THE RESOURCES TO LAUNCH THEIR OWN BUSINESSES
CELEBS IN TORY BURCH LEFT TO RIGHT: SARAH JESSICA PARKER IN EDNA DRESS, CAMILLA BELLE IN EDDIE FLATS, JESSICA ALBA IN LIESEL LEATHER JACKETALEXANDRA BLOUSE IN NAVY, PLATO INTERLOCK NECKLACE IN GOLD AND TRIBLEY PANT IN OCEANIC, JOELLE PUMP, REESE WITHERSPOON (IN TORY BURCH)
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TORY HAS DRAWN ATTENTION TO THE GREAT GENDER DISPARITIES THAT STILL EXIST IN THE AMERICAN WORKFORCE AND AS A BUSINESSWOMAN AND WORKING MOTHER, SHE AIMS TO PROVIDE WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT SEPTEMBER 2012
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Tory Burch Q + A
Who inspired the Robinson Collection? My parents Buddy and Reva Robinson. They loved to travel and I wanted to create a collection that a world-traveler could use at home or overseas. Why do you love it so much? It epitomizes classic style. It is made of Italian saffiano leather. It breaks in beautifully but holds its shape so you can wear it for years. What is your favorite look? I’ve been using the Satchel in Cricket Green and the Continental Wallet; both are perfect when you have a full day. We have a lot of great shapes in poppy colours -there’s something for everyone. There are totes, shoulder bags, clutches, mini bags, wallets and small leather pieces. We’re also doing an iPad case that I’m excited about What’s in your bag? Always a red ribbon for good luck. It’s a Robinson family tradition.
[THE ROBINSON COLLECTION]
EPITOMIZES CLASSIC STYLE. IT IS MADE OF ITALIAN SAFFIANO LEATHER. IT BREAKS IN BEAUTIFULLY BUT HOLDS ITS SHAPE SO YOU CAN WEAR IT FOR YEARS. ABOVE: TORY BURCH WEARING HER ROBINSON COLLECTION BELOW: CELEBRITIES IN TORY BURCH
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MIDDLE EAST FASHION EXPANSION TORY BURCH TAKES REGIONAL STEPS
Tory Burch is launching boutique locations in Bahrain and Kuwait scheduled to open this month. This follows the success of the company’s first store in the Middle East in Dubai. The Bahrain store is on the first floor of Bahrain City Centre, the luxury shopping and leisure destination. The décor is inspired by Tory’s lifestyle concept with signature brand elements throughout: orange lacquer doors, mirrored walls and brass details. Other residential elements include cane tables, silk curtains and velvet sofas. The color palette of brown, teal and ivory was drawn from the brand’s Madison Avenue flagship VIP room, creating a warm and sophisticated feel. The boutique in Kuwait City is located in the new Phase III of the Avenues, Kuwait’s largest shopping location. The décor includes neutral white-washed oak floors contrasting with colourful accents – teal sofas, green lacquer shelving, brass tables and printed navy leopard seating nooks. Raffia walls, velvet benches and silk curtains further enhance the residential feel of the space. Reflecting the brand’s ethos, the façade of the boutique features its signature orange lacquer doors and orange awnings with green trim. The full Tory Burch collection will be available at both the Bahrain and Kuwait boutiques, including ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, small leather goods, eyewear and accessories. The biggest news yet? A Tory Burch boutique will be launching in Beirut in a few short months! SEPTEMBER 2012
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RISE BE COUNTED Fall Fluidity Makes Amplified Statements Photography by ODETTE KAHWAGI Styled by JONY MATTA Makeup by ELIE ESTEPHAN Hair by ROGER GABRIEL Model ALEXANDRA of Lips Agency
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MANGO SUNGLASSES | ZARA TOP | UTERQÜE NECKLACE www.ragmag.co | R A G M A G | 103
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ZARA SKIRT MANGO TOP + NECKLACE UTERQÜE CUFF SANDALS STYLIST’S OWN OPPOSITE PAGE: ZARA BLOUSE + SKIRT MANGO NECKLACE + HAT
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ZARA SKIRT + BLOUSE | MANGO BELT + BRACELETS | SANDALS STYLIST’S OWN OPPOSITE PAGE: ZARA TOP+SKIRT | MANGO NECKLACE
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MANGO TOP + NECKLACE | UTERQÜE CUFF OPPOSITE PAGE: MASSIMO DUTTI HAT | MANGO BLOUSE + SUNGLASSES
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ZARA TOP+ SKIRT | UTERQÜE NECKLACE OPPOSITE PAGE: MASSIMO DUTTI HAT + OVERSIZED CLUTCH | MANGO BLOUSE + BELT | ZARA SKIRT
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ZARA TOP | UTERQÜE NECKLACE
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UTERQÜE TOTAL LOOK | SANDALS STYLIST’S OWN MANGO QUILTED JACKET, DRESS + BELT | UTERQÜE CUFF
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UTERQÜE TOP | MANGO BELT | SKIRT STYLIST’S OWN OPPOSITE PAGE: ZARA BLOUSE + SKIRT | MANGO NECKLACE + SUNGLASSES
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RAGMAG
RAGING RUNWAY TOP CATWALK CHOICES FOR MEN
DSQUARED2 FW 2012/2013
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EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES
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RAGING RUNWAY TOP CATWALK CHOICES FOR WOMEN
MARC JACOBS FW 2012/2013
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TAKE ME WITH YOU
CULTURAL EXPANSE
SALZBURG FESTIVAL BY SABINA LLEWELLYN-DAVIES
H
eaps of summer festivals happen globally but none of them quite compare to the allure of Austria’s Salzburg Festival. Founded in 1920, it’s forever expanding and this summer the offering was bigger and better than ever. Over 45 days there were 232 performances of opera, concerts and drama, from Mozart to modernism, from classical interpretations to theatrical experiments, drawing in crowds of spectators from all over the world; an incredible experience for any culture buff.
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Salzburg is stunning. The Altstadt, old town, is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and features buildings of baroque architecture; the wild Austrian composer Mozart was born in one of them. In the Middle East, the name of Salzburg brings to mind images of “The Sound of Music” movie filmed around the town and the surrounding mountains portraying the saga of the Von Trapp Family who performed at the festival back in 1936. Incredibly, most Austrians have not even heard of this film. But, every Austrian knows about the annual
festival, synonymous with cultural glitz and glamour, one of Europe’s major social events. Under the watchful eye of Helga Rabl-Stadler, president, Salzburg festival, it has grown in size and stature.
OVER 45 DAYS THERE WERE 232 PERFORMANCES OF OPERA, CONCERTS AND DRAMA, FROM MOZART TO MODERNISM, FROM CLASSICAL INTERPRETATIONS TO THEATRICAL EXPERIMENTS THE EXPANSION ISSUE
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PREVIOUS PAGE, BOTTOM: JEDERMANN STAGE © HERMANN UND CLÄRCHEN BAUS THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: JEDERMANN AM DOMPLATZ © TOURISMUS SALZBURG, GIULIO CESARE IN EGITTO -CECILIA BARTOLI (CLEOPATRA – CENTER), ENSEMBLE © HANS JÖRG MICHEL
While culture productions all over Europe are in recession, Salzburg is expanding venues and adding extra days. Tickets are hard to come by, selling out for most performances from day one. Every year the festival has a theme and this year it was Ouverture spirituelle. In the week before the festival’s opening, Salzburg’s beautiful baroque churches were alive with sacred music and liturgical works playing out where they are supposed to be heard. Sir John Eliot Gardiner opened the series with the ultimate in sacrosanctism, Haydn’s “Creation”. Christian Stückl’s production of the legendary “Jedermann”, a play written specifically for the very first festival back in 1920, opened the festival. This morality play has been performed ever since in front of the magnificent backdrop of the Baroque Salzburg Cathedral, it’s a true highlight of the festival and tickets are always sold out as soon as the dates are announced.
ALEXANDER PEREIRA’S PRIMARY AIM, AS THE NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE SALZBURG FESTIVAL, WAS TO FEATURE NOVEL PRODUCTIONS. AND HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT AS UNIQUE PRODUCTIONS OF “DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE”, “LA BOHÈME” AND “CARMEN” OPERAS BROUGHT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR AND VITALITY TO THE STAGE
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Alexander Pereira’s primary aim, as the new artistic director of the Salzburg Festival, was to feature novel productions. And he did not disappoint as unique productions of “Die Zauberflöte”, “La Bohème” and “Carmen” operas brought a breath of fresh air and vitality to the stage. And, the performance of “Giulio Cesare” came up trumps with the incomparable diva Cecilia Bartoli. The drama program featured “The Tempest” and a world premiere of Händl Klaus’ “Meine Bienen”. The mobile expanding roof of the Residenz courtyard was put to good use for Emanuel Schikaneder’s “Das Labyrinth”, dubbed the sequel of the Magic Flute.
OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: VIEW OF SALZBURG © TOURISMUS SALZBURG, DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE 2012 BERNARD RICHTER (TAMINO) WITH WOLVES © MONIKA RITTERSHAUS
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CULTURAL EXPANSE | SALZBURG FESTIVAL
OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM: LA BOHÈME 2012ENSEMBLE © SILVIA LELLI, VIENNA PHILHARMONIC 1 VALERY GERGIEV, VIENNA PHILHARMONIC © WOLFGANG LIENBACHER
THE WEST EASTERN DIVAN ORCHESTRA, FOUNDED BY EDWARD SAID AND DANIEL BARENBOIM, COMPOSED OF MUSICIANS FROM LEBANON, ISRAEL, PALESTINE AND OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES, SHOWED THAT POLITICS CAN BE PUT ASIDE, EVEN IF JUST FOR A WHILE, WITH MUSIC
THIS PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT: JEDERMANN AM DOMPLATZ ©TOURISMUS SALZBURG, PUNK ROCK LEGEND IGGY POP IN CONCERT
“I am convinced that a festival should be unique every year,” said Pereira. “This means performing premieres only in that year. This will heighten the anticipation for each festival season.” In a daring initiative, British director Irina Brook reworked Norwegian Henrik Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt” with Edvard Grieg’s musical score for the 21st Century portraying Peer Gynt as an aging 80’s rockstar. The godfather of punk rock, Iggy Pop, composed two songs for this really unique avant-garde production. This is what the festival is all about, mixing tradition with modernity.
THE GODFATHER OF PUNK ROCK, IGGY POP, COMPOSED TWO SONGS FOR THIS REALLY UNIQUE AVANT-GARDE PRODUCTION. THIS IS WHAT THE FESTIVAL IS ALL ABOUT, MIXING TRADITION WITH MODERNITY
Once hailed as the “Olympic games of art” by the Austrian author Stefan Zweig, the festival’s concert offerings featured the top orchestras of the world, from London to Amsterdam, Berlin and Cleveland. The West Eastern Divan orchestra, founded by Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim, composed of musicians from Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and other Arab countries, showed that politics can be put aside, even if just for a while, with music. The Vienna Philharmonic is a regular and this season the great Bernard Haitink conducted over Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 and Bruckner’s unfinished Symphony No. 9. On piano was the celebrated American pianist Murray Perahia, last year’s winner of the Honorary Award of the German Record Critics. The thunderous applause at
the end of his performance left little doubt that he was the audience darling of the evening. Perahia plays his keys like Slash strums his guitar and bearing witness to his performance, at this most prestigious of musical jamborees, left me walking away on an ever expanding Cloud Nine. The Salzburg Festival began on July 20 and ended September 2, 2012
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MIND, BODY+SOUL
Will Lebanon Go Nonsmoking? BY SABINA LLEWELLYN-DAVIES
THE SIGHT OF PEOPLE CROWDING THE PAVEMENT, PUFFING AWAY, OUTSIDE BARS, PUBS, RESTAURANTS AND OFFICES TO COMPLY WITH A NO SMOKING BAN, IS A COMMON SIGHT IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA. NOW IT’S LEBANON’S TURN: IS BEIRUT READY TO GO COLD TURKEY?
B
eirut is a city notorious for its lawless free-spirited living which includes lighting up just about anywhere. Just a couple of months ago I walked into a pharmacy and the woman behind the counter was actually smoking a cigarette. This month, Lebanon, a country where a huge percentage of the population smokes, joins the club of nonsmoking nations. As of now, smoking is officially prohibited in indoor public spaces; outdoor smoking in restaurants with terraces have different restrictions according to the sort of walls they have. Talk about going cold turkey! No half measures of smoking and nonsmoking areas for this willfull country. “We have previously advocated for the passage of the law which bans smoking in indoor public places, bans tobacco advertisement and include health warnings on cigarette packs,” says Natalie Khazzouh, Programs and Communications Officer, National Tobacco Control Program, Ministry of Public Health. The first phase of the law, which was passed by Parliament last August, has effectively banned smoking in all public places, except for the hospitality sector. Phase two, introduced on March 3, banned the advertising and sponsorship of all tobacco products. But, taking a look around town, the advertising of tobacco logos and instillations is still visible at small shops.
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As of this month, watch out for the inspectors who will be making the rounds to monitor and fine smokers and establishments who do not enforce the law on their premises. Implementation of the law will be enforced by the Internal Security Forces, Health Ministry observers, inspectors from the Consumer Protection Offices at the Economy Ministry, and by tourist police. Khazzouh hopes that civil society will carry out a major role of monitoring for compliance and act Big Brother-ish by calling the 1214 hotline to report on infractions. Implementation will not be an easy feat as Lebanon has one of the world’s highest levels of smokers; around 46 percent of men and 31 percent of women love to puff. And it’s spreading especially with teenagers, around 17 percent of boys and 6 percent of girls aged 13 to 15 smoke cigarettes. According to World Health Organization (WHO), “Tobacco kills almost 6 million people every year and is one of the leading preventable causes of illness and death around the world.” The stark facts prompted Lebanon’s government to take action to protect passive smokers. Khazzouh thinks that tourists will favor the ban: “My personal opinion and realization is that these tourists actually complain that they cannot sit for longer periods
in a venue without getting irritated from the high levels of smoking. All countries that implemented the ad ban have not witnessed any decline in business, quite the contrary some have witnessed an increase,” says Khazzouh.
‘ALL COUNTRIES
THAT IMPLEMENTED THE AD BAN HAVE NOT WITNESSED ANY DECLINE IN BUSINESS’ The total indoor ban has been received well by certain restauranteurs and diners. “We took the decision to introduce the ban at Le Sushi Bar a year ago once we realized that it was an inevitable reality. We had many guests complaining of the smoke coming from cigarettes and cigars and the fact that our sushi bar area is out in the open was not ideal,” says Mario Haddad Jnr. “We did at first face some hostility especially from cigar smokers and some even chose not to come back but these were soon replaced by an even larger number of guests who were happy to discover a smoke-free environment.” But, some of the owners of Lebanon’s estimated six thousand restaurants and bars think
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that banning smoking may negatively affect their business and some even believe that a total ban is nonsense, impossible to implement and will just invite bribery. “I believe it should be dissected into different licenses and introduced in phases. As much as I’m for banning smoking in restaurants in general I do not understand how we cannot look at the specific needs of certain entities such as cigar lounges, bars and shisha lounges. This industry accounts for a substantial chunk of the country’s GDP and Arab tourists come to Lebanon to enjoy the little freedom they do not have at home,” said Ziad Kamel. Outdoor smoking on restaurant terraces including shisha is still allowed, but there are some rules governing this as well
‘I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW WE CANNOT LOOK AT THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF CERTAIN ENTITIES SUCH AS CIGAR LOUNGES, BARS AND SHISHA LOUNGES’ PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS
Lighting up in an enclosed public place is fineable at 135,000 LBP. Restaurants will be asked to pay an even bigger fine than the culprit who lights up on their premises, between 1,350,000 - 4,050,000 LBP. Display of tobacco products in reachable location of customers will be fined with 1,350,000 - 4,050,000 LBP and the neglect to place “No Smoking” signs in visible places will be fined 1,350,000 - 4,050,000 LBP, and/or prison time for up to 6 months. www.tobaccocontrol.gov.lb
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THE RESTO SYNDICATE TALKS BACK
The Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night-Clubs & Pastries (SORCNP) in Lebanon commissioned a study by Ernst & Young to determine and predict the economic repercussions of the all-encompassing ban. The study, “The Economic Impact of an Indoor Smoking Ban in Lebanon”, is part of the lobbying initiative by the SORCNP. The infographics you see are courtesy of the SORCNP and developed by Ernst & Young. “The syndicate is totally for a smoking ban in Lebanon, but we’re for a better smoking ban. We only want to modify 2 percent which is related directly to the Horeca sector to increase compatibility with the Lebanese tourism industry and put the legislation on par with some of the most effective anti-smoking legislation executed internationally,” explains Ziad Kamel on behalf of SORCNP.
STATS
•Lebanese restaurants, cafes, pubs and nightclubs generate $735 million in revenues per year. •The current legislation will generate a drop of roughly $282 million in revenues, representing 7.1 percent of GDP in the hospitality sector and a significant blow to the Lebanese economy as a whole. •It will also affect the Lebanese restaurants, cafes, pubs and nightclubs revenue by 25 percent overall with cafes seeing the biggest slump in revenues. •The current legislation is also expected to affect tourism spending by $46 million and lead to a loss of about 2600 full-time jobs. •According to commissioned survey studies the public has poor faith in the current legislation with approximately 71 percent of surveyed believing the law will be poorly implemented and 82 percent of them believing it will be an opportunity for more corruption. Source: Key facts from Ernst & Young study.
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EAT, DRINK+BE MERRY
GRILL IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT THE REAL MEAT-LOVERS EXPANSIVE MANSE BY YOUMNA CHAGOURY
T
he Four Seasons Hotel Grill Room, despite its name, is not only about a nice juicy piece of meat. It’s not only about whether you prefer US Prime Beef or Charolais. It’s not only about how perfectly they cook your steak or the kind of flavorful sauce you choose as accompaniment. It’s about them loving to have you there. It’s also about you wanting to stay as long as possible in a luxurious yet comfy setting. Upon entering The Grill Room, my significant other and I walk as slowly as possible to our table so we can take in every detail of the grandiose décor. From the regal setting (dimmed lighting, paneled wood walls and ceiling), to the beautiful chandelier and velvet armchairs, they’ve managed to create a romantic and private atmosphere without separating the different areas. Once seated, we order a drink while taking a look at the clean and simple menu: entrées, salads, meat and fish. They don’t name their dishes long and complicated names like many high-end
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restos; The Grill Room gets straight to the point. Our waiter, noticing my hesitation on the type of cut I want to order, asks how I usually like my steak: “Mediumwell? The Charolais is what’s best in our selection. It contains a bit more fat than the US Prime tenderloin, which keeps it tender if almost well-done.” Adding a few side dishes like fries prepared in duck fat and parmesan gnocchi, we also order a sea-bass ceviche and a smoked duck salad as starters. Served with fried Camembert, caramelized walnuts and a simple olive, lemon and “moutarde à l’ancienne” dressing, the salad brings out different flavours and textures and can be a standalone dish, although I highly recommend you share it: you cannot, under any circumstances, leave The Grill Room without trying their tender steaks. I usually like sauces and dips with my meat, but after trying them (they were excellent!) we just decided to skip it to keep the real meaty experience. I can’t stress enough how delicious it all was. I tried really hard to find a flaw or at least a flavour I disliked (in vain).
This review will therefore only point out the positive, because that’s what The Grill Room is all about; they cater to exceptional dining experiences THE + + Service One of the best dining services I’ve experienced so far. The waiters were friendly and helpful, but The Grill Room’s service goes beyond that. They have expertise in serving their clients: they help them chose the perfect steak and the wine that pairs best with it. + Lunch Restaurants that create a lunch-only menu often take a few items from the dining menu and throw them together. The Grill Room indeed offers a few dishes from their menu but also serve Grill Room style sandwiches for a quick yet delectable lunch. Among the options: spicy chicken with aged cheddar in a croissant, ribs in slice bread, and even a vegetarian option. I tasted it all: it’s the “bread + filling” equation taken to another level. + Bread The Grill Room bakes its own and serves it right in the baking dish, for a hot and fluffy loaf. The perfect start for a perfect meal. The Grill Room Four Seasons Hotel Professor Wafic Sinno Avenue, Beirut 01761600 | www.fourseasons.com/beirut Four Seasons Hotel Beirut THE EXPANSION @FSBeirut | FSBeirut
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EXPAND YOUR PANTRY BY LARA ARISS
Each edition of RAGMAG Lara Ariss will present a meal in several courses that you can try at home. Lara trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London, England. For this issue of RAGMAG, Lara has given a selection of recipes that incorporate lesser-used ingredients to expand the range of your palate. For more great ideas, check her out on the web http://www.bylara.me @laraariss bylara
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AVOCADO+BANANA
SMOOTHIE
PREPARATION TIME 15 MINUTES COOKING TIME 10 MINUTES SERVES 4 LEVEL EASY
INGREDIENTS •1 avocado •1 banana •118 ml plain yogurt •350 ml fresh orange juice •50 ml honey •600 grams ice
METHOD
In a blender, combine avocado, banana, yogurt, orange juice, honey, and ice. Blend until smooth. As you blend, you may need to adjust the flavor balance to your liking. Serve immediately.
ZUCCHINI
BREAD PANCAKES
PREPARATION TIME 20 MINUTES COOKING TIME 15 MINUTES SERVES 12 PANCAKES LEVEL EASY
INGREDIENTS •2 large eggs •35 ml olive oil •30 grams light brown sugar •60 ml yogurt •1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract •480 grams shredded zucchini •1 teaspoon baking soda •1 teaspoon ground cinnamon •1/8 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg •Butter or oil, for coating skillet •110 grams all-purpose flour •1/4 teaspoon table salt
METHOD
• In a large bowl, combine eggs, olive oil, sugar, buttermilk and vanilla until smooth. • Stir in zucchini shreds. • In a smaller bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into zucchini batter, mixing until just combined. • Preheat oven to 90°C and place a tray. • Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Once hot, melt a pat of butter in pan and swirl it around until it sizzles. • Scoop serving spoonfuls of batter in the pan. Depending on the size of the pan, you can cook up to 3 or 4 pancakes at a time. • Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook another minute or two, until golden underneath. • Transfer pancakes to prepared pan to keep warm, as well as ensuring that they’re all cooked through when they’re served. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.
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CARAMEL DATE CAKE PREPARATION TIME 20 MINUTES BAKING TIME 60 MINUTES COOKING TIME 15 LEVEL EASY
INGREDIENTS for Sponge Cake •175 grams chopped stoned (pitted) dates •175 ml boiling water •50 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature •50 grams dark soft brown sugar •50 grams granulated sugar •1 egg •165 grams all-purpose flour •2 teaspoons baking powder •½ teaspoon salt •1 teaspoon orange blossom •1 teaspoon nutmeg •75 grams chopped pecans INGREDIENTS for Caramel Sauce •160 grams granulated sugar •65 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature •100 ml whipping cream
METHOD
• Place the dates in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Set aside to cool. • Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23 cm round tin. • Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and set aside. • Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together, at least three times. Fold the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture in three batches, alternating with the dates and water. Fold in the chopped pecans. • Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 45-50 minutes. • Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. • Caramel Sauce To prepare the sauce, put the butter and sugar in a thickbottomed saucepan and stir constantly over a medium heat with a wooden spoon until it becomes a smooth, dark caramel. The butter and sugar will look as if they have split but just keep on stirring. Once the desired color is reached, carefully add the cream while stirring vigorously. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Serve as a separate accompaniment to the cake.
TOMATO JAM PREPARATION TIME 20 MINUTES COOKING TIME APPROXIMATELY 80 MINUTES LEVEL EASY
INGREDIENTS • 15 ml olive oil • 2 small cloves garlic, minced • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced • 1 small red onion, peeled and finely diced • 800 grams plum tomatoes • 118 grams cranberry juice • 60 ml honey • 50 grams firmly packed brown sugar • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger • Pinch of ground cloves • 2 cinnamon sticks • 2 star anise
METHOD
• In a medium saucepot set over medium heat, heat olive oil, add garlic, ginger, and red onion, and sauté until translucent. • Add tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. • Add vinegar, honey, brown sugar, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and star anise. • Simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have dissolved and the liquid has evaporated, a period of 60 to 75 minutes. • Discard cinnamon sticks and star anise before serving. • This jam may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 132 | R A G M A G | www.ragmag.co
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DOWNTOWN 01 970 153/4 JAL EL DIB 04 724 324 VERDUN 01 735 500 KASLIK 09 642 690 HAMRA 01 751 244 JBEIL 09 546 485
eyedigits.com
SPINNEYS|HAZMIEH| 76 196 691
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WORLDVISION Editor’s Note This issue of RAGMAG, we’ve been asked by one of Lebanon’s tweeps to print this blog post. Sent to us by the author, our heavy involvement with the online community dictates that we support this piece. The World Vision blog choices by Liliane Assaf will resume next issue.
BY MOHAMMAD HIJAZI | MIND SOUP |
DEAR AGENCIES, STOP SENDING BLOGGERS YOUR PRESS RELEASES!
@MHijazi @MindSoup | See the original post http://moudz.blogspot.com
I
’m gonna say it once and for all: blogs are not a medium for free advertising or pushing press releases. If this is what you sell to your clients as community management or blogger relations, you have to reconsider, and this is why: If you send a press release to a blogger every day, they have most likely spammed you by the third day. On the occasion that they haven’t, you would have probably just pissed them off. Shall I demonstrate? I have been taking screenshots about this topic for a while to build up for this post.
Not only are they spamming bloggers with advertising, they don’t have the decency to find the blogger’s contact information themselves but instead keep harassing bloggers to send it to them. It’s as if someone is asking you to shoot yourself in the face. If you don’t reply to their emails, they take it as a green light to keep sending you press releases like these: (mind you, these are from several agencies, I have blacked out the details to prevent embarrassment and possible lawsuits)
Let’s start with this PR Agency in Dubai. Every quarter, they send bloggers an email as per the below
Yes, they are sending me, a 23 year-old guy from Beirut, a press release about press-on nails for a company based in Dubai. Complete with an 86MB video attachment. complete with very annoying follow up emails:
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SPEAK, SEE, HEAR NO EVIL
Not only that they don’t even filter by country, gender, blog genre, they don’t have the decency to address the person by name or blog. Why bother sending customized emails when you can bcc everyone and use “Dear Partner”?
If I am your partner, wouldn’t I be entitled to a share of your profits? Or maybe some incentive? But no. Bloggers are free advertising media. They crave press releases and huge attachments. Not only that, they agree to post press releases about events that they did not invite the bloggers to. If you are going to bombard me with press releases of events, at least have the decency to send me an invitation so that I can decide whether your event is interesting and worthy of my reader’s time. On the subject of events, it’s interesting how agencies tend to think that bloggers are lifeless creatures whose only task in life is to blog. If an agency ever invites bloggers to events, it’s a midweek event at 1:00pm: as if bloggers are not real people with real jobs. Another aspect agencies don’t consider before sending out their lovely press releases is the demographic they are sending the press release to, such as sending alcohol related information right before or during Ramadan to Muslim bloggers (and anytime for that matter would be offensive) or to minor bloggers.
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Furthermore, they don’t even segment by location. Our agency is having a press event in Honolulu, let’s send a press release about it to a blogger in Beirut.
More irony about the event above is that I was invited several hours before the event actually happened.
But how would they know anything about the blogger, his/ her interests, age, location? It’s not like they actually read the blog or have ever checked it out. They just like to say to you that, “We love your blog and our client is very interested in it”. Instead, they ask for the blog stats instead of doing actual work. Imagine that! Needless to say, agencies really piss bloggers off.
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DON’Ts And I have saved the best for last. They don’t even monitor when bloggers are saying bad things about them.
It’s really a shame how some agencies have no respect for bloggers, especially in the age of social media. Instead of abusing them, they could have flourishing mutually beneficial relationships with them. So to recap in summary:
DOs
•Harass bloggers about attending events that are during regular working hours or major holidays. •Send bloggers press releases about events they were not invited to. •Scratch that. Don’t send bloggers press releases at all! Not even if you disguise them as media kits. •Send bloggers emails beginning with “Dear Partner”, “Dear Friend”, “To whom it may concern” or any related greeting. •Ignore criticism about your agency or clients on blogs but rather embrace the comments and ensure that you have read the complaint and are taking the issue into consideration. •Keep sending emails to bloggers who have specifically asked to be removed from your contact list. •Send humongous attachments and fill the bloggers’ inboxes (especially if it’s a work email). •Send annoying reminders. If a blogger didn’t respond the first time, chances are they don’t care and won’t reply (except negatively) the second time
UPDATE
To make sure that one particular PR agency reads this post, we had to send them our own press release.
•Engage in one-on-one relationships with bloggers in your community. Build relationships rather than push press releases. •Segment your emails and invites and send them only to the related demographic and not to all the bloggers. •If by chance you want bloggers to publish material as is, consider giving them incentives or even paying for the post (the same way you pay for offline advertisements). •Be careful when sending emails about sensitive topics such as religion, alcohol, sex, politics, etc. •Be personal with the bloggers, address them by name, and make sure you prove to them in a way or another that you have read their post. •Give bloggers prior notice of events. Do not invite them during the same day or a day before. •Sometimes, bloggers might need favors or help or access to events etc... For all the things you expect from them, it’s very advisable that you help them out and not ignore their emails. If you don’t have time to read emails from them, how do you expect them to put up with your constant harassment?
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CHECK
BY JACQUES TCHABARIAN
Ponderosa POOL PARTY It is always interesting to witness the musical evolution of a band, but nothing of a million years would have prepared me for Ponderosa’s second album “Pool Party”. Indeed, first album “Moonlight Revival” was a mean, dirty slice of Southern/ Roots Rock that owed a lot to Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers. The second has shifted gear to an Alternative Dream Pop approach in the footsteps of The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev while retaining some traces of the old style, thus creating (to my knowledge) the first ever Southern Dream Pop album in modern musical history. The band even hired Dave Fridmann,
responsible for developing the Flaming Lips’ sound, to take control of the recording process and art direction. Fridmann, true to form, makes “Pool Party” a delight to listen to for those of us who enjoy this kind of music. The only issue remaining is whether the fans of the first album will warm to the new sound and embrace it. In any case, you cannot remain indifferent to the beauty of “Navajo” or to the flow of emotions on “Never Come Back”. The only question I can pose is what will Ponderosa come up with on their third album? Maybe some Funk-influenced Blues Punk? We’ll have to wait and see.
Joss Stone THE SOUL SESSION VOL 2 Joss Stone was only 16 when she released her cover album “The Soul Sessions Vol. 1” and a lot of people were skeptical on whether such a young person was ready to take on songs by heavyweights of Soul like Aretha Franklin and Carla Thomas. The answer was more than comforting which resulted in Ms. Stone hitting with the same hammer for a new 2012 installment of covers in the form of “The Soul Sessions Vol. 2”. After releasing a wide variety of albums since and contributing with Mick Jagger and Dave
Stewart on the supergroup band “Superheavy”, she felt that she had to go back to the earlier stages of her career, paying tribute again to the artists and musicians that influenced her along the way. She gives a new spin to songs by “The Dells” and “Honey Cone” and, as in the previous chapter where she covered a modern track by the “White Stripes”, she hit the same button again by reworking a song by “Broken Bells” in the form of “The High Road”. Worth checking out if you’re nostalgic for a good serving of Soul.
Searching for Sugarman (Original Soundtrack) RODRIGUEZ I think this is the first time ever yours truly has reviewed a movie soundtrack, but it had to be done since the person reviewed, along with his music, had a major impact on one of the darkest episodes of human history. Confused? Let me explain. Rodriguez, an American Folk/Psychedelic singer of Mexican Origin, released two albums in the early 70s before disappearing, with some even speculating that he’d committed suicide. The songs from these two albums all dealt with the human condition plagued by injustices, drugs, wars and other aspects of life. What nobody foresaw was these songs finding their way to South Africa (still
under Apartheid rule back then), and the subsequent adoption by the young blacks and the liberal whites who were unhappy with their government’s policies. His success was huge in that country and its surroundings, and after the abolition of the Apartheid, a group of activists launched a search to find the artist who influenced them deeply in their struggle towards freedom. Considered by many of his peers as a pillar of the 70s music and sampled by many including Rap artists, Rodriguez finally got the recognition he deserves and this movie is a testament of the man’s body of work and the impact he had on today’s artists. See the movie and enjoy the soundtrack.
Linkin Park LIVING THINGS
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There is no denying that the “Boyband” of the Rap/ Metal world can come up with the most forceful melodies and chorus lines the music scene produces these days, all genres included. You can feel that the boys are still restless at heart even if they have matured steadily since their first album in 2000, song structures getting tighter with each release and musical arrangements getting more elaborate. Guitars are back to the forefront after being pushed back on “A Thousand Suns”. That doesn’t necessarily need to be seen as an
attempt to revert to earlier years, but rather as the intensity and complexity of the songs requires such a move to enhance what is being projected: anguish resolved through passionate music. First single “Burn It Down” is an indication of where this album is heading and “In My Remains”, “Lost in the Echo” and the moving “Roads Untraveled” are a confirmation that these guys are very comfortable with the growing-up process while channeling their anxiety in song. A lesson for the rest of us. THE EXPANSION ISSUE
read’em + Kill You Twice Chelsea Cain
weep BY AMAL CHAABAN
Why you should read this book
Sometimes, our deepest relationship is our biggest Achilles Heel
Gretchen Lowell is back with a vengeance. When a series of murders leads detective Archie Sheridan into the past lives of Gretchen, all hell breaks loose. Cain revisits one of her best-loved characters (even if she is a serial killer, #dontcare) in this new novel. On her website, she states explicitly that this novel is for fans of Gretchen (this reviewer included). The writing is on point, characters that are near and dear to our hearts or an annoyance are both the same yet different. Cain’s aptitude in animating characters that literally dominate the scenes they are in is well
in evidence here as is her talent for turning out pithy remarks. This is Cain’s fourth book and her writing just keeps going from strength to strength, in fact, the single best line in this book is pure Gretchen when she says, “I mean, I killed all the others. I just feel it uncharitable to take credit for actions not my own”. For those of us who are fans of the dynamics between Gretchen and Archie, this is a ride on the rollercoaster of their Stockholm Syndrome relationship. Readers, a small caveat, this book is somewhat bloodier than her others; those who are squeamish should take note.
Bloodline James Rollins
Why you should read this book Blood isn’t just thicker than water; it can be the essence of immortality James Rollins writes books where science is boosted with fictional license and “Bloodline” is no different. In the opening pages, there is a note from scientific record that discusses immortality and ends with the sentence, “For not only is immortality within our reach – it is already here”. With that, this book takes us on a trip with the author’s recurring characters of Sigma Force that is thought-provoking and an adrenaline rush. It opens in the year of 1134 and catapults us
into the present where a pregnant woman is in hiding for not just her life and that of her unborn child. When she is kidnapped, Sigma Force is brought in never knowing that she was not kidnapped for the child per se, but what the child’s blood may hold: the key to eternal life. This book is pure Rollins with action, science, plenty of drama and a dash of conspiracy. The perfect read for anyone who wants to sink into a shadowed place and disappear for a while.
The End of Growth Jeff Rubin Why you should read this book
Your standard of living is in continuous flux
There is no other way to say it, Jeff Rubin’s new book is a downer. On the heels of his last book comes this new one about why economies should no longer expect to grow at previous levels and citizenry should no longer expect a higher standard of living than their predecessors. As Rubin was once Chief Economist at CIBC, it’s worth taking to heart what he says about future economic growth and crises. In this new analysis of how oil can drive or derail economies, Rubin goes further than his last book and details how the rampant growth in both China
and India does not bode well for the rest of the oil dependent world. He also discusses how it is going to be that much more difficult to find “cheap” oil as we exhaust conventional crude sources. None of the information in this book is pretty -even the silver linings presented are somewhat grim- but it is meted out in a way that easily understood by the layperson. This is the book to read when you want to figure out why prices are so much higher or why the economy seems to be stagnating despite a government’s best efforts to move it forward.
Beautiful Ruins Jess Walter
Why you should read this book
A single moment can change the trajectory of several lives Jess Walter has woven a tapestry of life, love, perfidy, loss and death into this stunning novel. Set in the 40s, 50s 60s and present day, he moves his characters and the story narrative back and forth through time effortlessly. It is this seamless travel through time that sets this novel apart from other novels that attempt to use the same type of story arc. “Beautiful Ruins” opens in 1960s Italy, when the cursed film of “Cleopatra” was being filmed with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The movie is only SEPTEMBER 2012
on the periphery and it is to the author’s credit that the larger than life Burton and Taylor do not envelop the storyline. When a mysterious actress appears in a seaside town in Italy, it sets off a chain of events that affect a diverse group of characters in ways the reader can’t begin to see. Every event in this book leads back to that single moment -written with such eloquence and command of language- that it needs reading more than once. Our recommendation for this one: be prepared to regret that it ends. www.ragmag.co | R A G M A G | 139
playNICE
SPEAK, SEE, HEAR NO EVIL
BY ADAM VOLK
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Publisher High Moon Studios / Developer Activision Platforms PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Michael Bay may have single-handedly tossed the Transformers onto the rusted scrap heap of pop culture. Fortunately, there are video games to save everyone’s favorite robots in disguise. Enter Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, the sequel to 2010’s War for Cybertron. The game is a rock solid third-person shooter that once again puts players smack dab in the middle of the conflict between the heroic Autobots and the robo-jerk legions of the Decepticons. Set on the war ravaged planet Cybertron, the action is fast-paced and incredibly entertaining, with players
able to switch forms, and use a combination of hand-tohand weaponry and firepower to smash their opponents into nuts and bolts. The game also lets players take control of a variety of Transformers, including fan-favorite Grimlock (a massive robotic T-Rex, for those who didn’t grow up spoon fed on the original 80s cartoon). What’s more, an online multiplayer head-to-head mode lets players create their very own robots from the ground up. Throw in a surprisingly solid story and some jaw dropping visuals, and the end result is yet another robot-filled video game that will appeal to both newbies and Transformnerds alike.
Sleeping Dogs
Publisher Square Enix/Namco Bandai Games | Developer United Front Games Platforms PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Everyone knows that it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. That bit of canine-inspired wisdom is particularly appropriate to Sleeping Dogs, a new third-person sandbox shooter. Originally developed as part of the True Crime series, the game was cancelled, sold off to a new publisher and repackaged under a new title. The revamped open world shooter puts players in control of an undercover cop attempting to infiltrate Hong Kong’s notorious Triad crime syndicate. Like the Grand Theft Auto series, the game lets you explore the cityscape around you on foot or in a variety of
vehicles on land, air and sea. You’re also given a Bruce Lee-style kung fu grip that allows you to beat the living snot out of your opponents. It’s really the kind of high octane martial arts and machinegun experience you’d find in any good Hong Kong action movie, with a story that’s shaky if not entertaining. Fortunately, the cheesy dialogue is offset by a digital recreation of Hong Kong that’s as stunning as it is accurate. Sleeping Dogs may not be the most original experience around, but as an homage to Hong Kong cinema it’s also one asskicking underdog that deserves its day in the sun.
Papo & Yo
Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment | Developer Minority Platforms PlayStation 3 Most video games tend to be mindless shooters filled with blood, guts and T&A. Fortunately, there are games like Papo & Yo, a charming third-person puzzle solving experience with an emotionally powerful underlying story. The game puts players in control of a young boy named Quico who lives in a surrealist dream world built out of random sections of an unknown South American city. Quico also has a best friend named Monster; a huge, terrifying creature with razor sharp teeth. There’s a catch however: Monster is addicted to poisonous frogs and will do
anything to get them, even if it means hurting Quico in the process. Your goal is to solve simple puzzles in order to build your relationship with Monster, working around his emotions in order to help him overcome his hunger. It’s a weird, yet oddly moving story, with Quico and Monster’s relationship clearly a symbolic representation of addiction as seen through the eyes of a child. The gameplay elements aren’t nearly as compelling as the story, but as a uniquely emotional experience, Papo & Yo also stands out as a rare example of a video game that genuinely has something to say.
Symphony
Publisher / Developer Empty Clip Studios Platforms PC Musical tastes can often be an intensely personal thing. After all, one person’s Beethoven is another’s Bieber. Fortunately, there’s a game that pretty much caters to every kind of musical taste on the planet. Symphony is a mouse-controlled arcade shooter that uses your own music library to generate custom levels. Simply fire up your favorite tracks and you’re dropped into random, glowing neon levels where your starfighter is swarmed by enemies who attack to the tempo, sounds and instrumentation of whatever song you have playing.
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It’s a simple, yet surprisingly addictive concept, and while the action can be a little simplistic and repetitive at times, Symphony offers a little extra mileage by throwing in the occasional boss battle and letting you collect “inspiration” from your enemies which you can use to repair your ship and purchase musical-themed upgrades. Symphony isn’t a perfect experience, but as a fusion of sound and gameplay, it’s also one way to expand your musical tastes, or at the very least get a little extra airplay out of your Lady Gaga album.
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
watch out ADAM VOLK
Release dates based on amazon.co.uk
Marvel Avengers Assemble | DVD & Blu-ray | 143 mins Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth Release Date: September 17 RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE! KA-BOOM! No, that’s not Thor’s mystical thunder hammer. It’s the sound of a million comic book nerds around the world collectively soiling themselves in excitement while watching the big screen adaptation of Marvel comics The Avengers. Directed by geek icon Joss Whedon, the star-studded film follows the exploits of Captain America, the Hulk, Thor and Iron Man, an unlikely group of super heroes who must set aside their differences (and previous big screen film appearances) in order to kick some butt and save the planet from the forces of evil. The story is
big, loud, dumb and also incredibly entertaining – with pitch-perfect performances from the cast of A-listers. And while other caped crusader flicks like The Dark Knight Rises, wallow in long-winded dialogue and angsty brooding, Marvel Avengers Assemble offers up explosions, action and special effects. It’s a popcorn flick of the best possible kind, just taking itself seriously enough to be both fun and smart. Forget those other spandex-clad losers on the big screen, the Avengers deliver a super heroic wallop to Hollywood, offering plenty of humor, heart and Hulking out.
Casa De Mi Padre
| DVD & Blu-ray | 85 mins Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna Release Date: October 1 You don’t need to have ever seen a Spanish telenovela (exactly like the Lebanese “series” you’re used to seeing) to appreciate the humor of Casa De Mi Padre, but it probably wouldn’t hurt. The hilariously bizarre comedy pokes fun at countless telenovela’s cheesy and often melodramatic nature. It’s also entirely in Spanish, which is no small feat considering the film’s lead is the notorious gringo funnyman, Señor Will Ferrell. The story follows the exploits of Armando, a simple (read: incredibly idiotic) Mexican ranchero who dreams only of
living off the land and one day finding a beautiful woman to settle down with. But when his younger brother returns home after a prolonged absence and begins meddling in the drug business, things get muy loco pretty fast. Romance, action, adventure and deliberately terrible performances soon follow – along with a couple of surprisingly catchy musical numbers. The weird subject matter and bizarre humor isn’t for everyone, but give it a chance and you’ll find that Casa De Mi Padre also offers up a solid fiesta of funny.
Lockout
| DVD & Blu-ray | 95 mins Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Vincent Regan Release Date: August 20 Everyone knows that in space no one can hear you scream. But that doesn’t stop Hollywood from releasing countless over the top science-fiction thrillers set in the cosmos. Case in point: Lockout, a brainlessly entertaining action shoot em’ up. Borrowing a page out of director John Carpenter’s Escape From New York screenplay, the story takes place in an elite maximum security prison orbiting the Earth. Unfortunately, the prison’s hard-bitten inmates manage to awaken from stasis and soon gain control, taking the President’s daughter
hostage in the process. It’s soon up to disgraced CIA operative Snake Plisk..err.. Snow (played by Guy Pearce), to save the day, while also clearing his good name in the process. The shoot-first-make-asarcastic-comment-afterwards bad-ass soon finds himself up to his wobbly bits in killer criminals. The story is pure futuristic space cheese, but it’s worth checking out if you’re willing to turn off your brain and go along for the ride. After all, space might be the final frontier, but it’s also one place where it’s still entertaining to watch things explode.
Moonrise Kingdom
| DVD & Blu-ray | 94 mins Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray Release Date: October 1 In his latest film, Moonrise Kingdom, indie writer and director Wes Anderson pokes loving fun at one of America’s most beloved institutions: the Boy Scouts. Set in the late 1960s, the film follows twelve-year old Sam Shakusky, a troubled orphan and member of the Khaki Scouts, a group of plucky pre-teens who are attending a summer camp on the idyllic New England island of New Penzance. But when Sam decides to escape from camp and meet up with his long time pen pal Suzy Bishop – SEPTEMBER 2012
an equally troubled girl who lives on the other side of the island – it sets in motion a series of bizarre, tragic and hilarious events. The film features a smart script filled with Anderson’s trademark dialogue, along with cinematography dripping in faux 60s style. Throw in some top notch performances, particularly from the film’s two young leads (newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) and the end result is a strange and heartfelt tribute to being weird, being in love, and yes, being a Boy Scout. www.ragmag.co | R A G M A G | 141
BRAINFOOD ROUND #1
ROUND #2
Natural World
ROUND #3
General Knowledge
Geography
1. What animal’s name translates to 1. What is the square root of 121? 11. What number is represented by “Waterhorse”?
2. What bird turns its head upside down when it eats?
3. What is the oldest, most used
2. How many stars are there on
hold things with its tale?
5. An elephant’s trunk has 400,000 what in it?
6. What is the world’s tallest grass? 7. What part of the human body
can expand up to 20 times its normal size?
9. What type of animal can be
Oxygen?
3. What is the name of the
13. What is the more common name
restaurant in Zahle that has a rotating floor?
for the “Aurora Australis”?
4. According to the song, what
14. In Greek mythology, what sprang
was given on the 4th day of Christmas?
up on the spot where Narcissus died?
5. What type of acid is used in a
15. What is a baby kangaroo called?
standard car battery?
6. What non-alcoholic cordial drink 7. What number does not
10. 80% of household dust is made
the Golden Calf that was later destreyed when Moses returned from Mount Sinai?
1. What was the former name of Ho Chi Min City?
2. Which American city is the
headquarters of the Mormon Church?
3. In which country would you find the port of Jeddah?
4. Dakar is the capital of which African Country?
5. Which is the largest of two main islands of New Zealand?
6. Which Ukranian Town was the
scene of a nuclear reactor explosion in 1986?
exist in the Roman sytem of numbering?
17. What type of nuts are used to
7. What is the nearest communist
8. What colour is the center on an
18. This year is 2012 A.D. what do
8. What is the only country that has its
9. What 4 letters are usually
19. Which optical instrument
9. From which country did the
make Marzipan?
archery target?
either Siberian or Indian?
16. In the Old Testament, who built
is made from the pomegranate?
8. If you were dining on calamari what would you be eating?
12. What percentage of normal air is
the American flag?
drug in the wold?
4. What is the only fish that can
the letter “L” in Roman numbers?
the letters A.D. stand for?
shown at the top of the cross on which Jesus was crucified?
up of what?
consists of two telescopes mounted side by side?
country to the USA? outline on its flag?
explosive Semtex originate?
10 In which country would you find the
10. Blue, Red, Green, Black are
Var river?
four of the Olympic rings. What colour is the 5th ring?
EASY
9 7 3 4 9 8 6 4 2 6 7
2 1 9 4
6
9 1 3
3
4 8 7 2
3 9 2 4 5 8
8 6 9 3 9 4 9 5 1 8 6 4 5 2 1 6 3 1 4 3 7 9 1 6 5 6 4 7 9
1
9 3 7 8 1 2 7 5 5 4
5 8 1
4
9 1 8 6 2 4 2 7
6
7 1
ROUND#1 1. Hippopotamus 2. Flamingo 3. Alcohol 4. Seahorse 5. Muscles 6. Bamboo 7. Stomach 8. Squid 9. Tiger 10. Dead human skin ROUND#2 1. 11 2. 50 3. Monte Alberto 4. Calling Birds 5. Sulphuric 6. Grenadine 7. Zero 8. Gold 9. INRI 10. Yellow 11. 50 12. 21% 13. Southern Lights 14. A Flower 15. A Joey 16. Aaron 17. Almonds 18. Anno Domini 19. Binoculars ROUND#3 1. Saigon 2. Salt Lake City 3. Saudi Arabia 4. Senegal 5. South Island 6. Chernobyl 7. Cuba 8. Cyprus 9. Czech Republic 10. France
2 1 1 3 9 9 4 6 3 2 7 8 5 4 8 7 5 6
4 6 8 7 5 2 1 4 6 5 9 1 2 3 3 9 8 7
6 5 3 8 7 4 2 9 8 7 5 3 1 2 4 1 9 6
9 9 5 4 8 3 3 1 1 8 6 6 7 5 2 2 4 7
7 2 2 6 6 7 9 5 4 8 9 3 1 1 8 5 3
3 8 4 1 1 5 7 2 5 3 2 7 9 9 6 8 4
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5 4 7 2 4 1 8 2 6 3 5 6 7 9 3 1 9
8 7 9 5 2 6 6 3 7 9 1 2 4 8 5 4 1 3
1 3 6 9 3 8 75 19 4 4 8 6 7 5 2 2
8 7 5 9 2 3 4 6 1
6 9 1 4 8 5 3 7 2
2 4 3 7 1 6 8 9 5
9 2 8 6 4 1 5 3 7
7 5 6 3 9 2 1 4 8
3 1 4 5 7 8 6 2 9
4 8 7 1 6 9 1 5 3
1 3 9 2 5 4 7 8 6
5 6 2 8 3 7 9 1 4
6 5 3 8 7 4 2 9 1
2 4 8 3 9 1 7 5 6
9 7 1 5 2 6 4 8 3
4 9 2 6 5 8 1 3 7
5 8 6 7 1 3 9 2 4
3 1 7 9 4 2 8 6 5
7 3 5 1 8 9 6 4 2
1 2 9 4 6 5 3 7 8
8 6 4 2 3 7 5 1 9
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
DOWN
1. A small fight 2. Word blindness 3. It will not burn 4. Spread throughout 5. Stabbed as with horns 6. Speed 8. Spite 9. Used in computer application 11. A pain in the lower back 12. Troublesome insects found on
flowers and trees
13. Skilled in using your hands 17. A trendy phrase used to impress
people
19. A young person 25. To nourish 27. It records a graph of blood
pressure
30. Married to two women at the
same time
33. Misshapen 35. Refuse 36. Came before, as in holding a
position
38. Vegetables cut into thin strips 39. Remembers 41. Helps to clear the airway 42. A joke 44. Dig up 47. Get to know 49. Go faster 50. Not a shrimp! 53. Like a swamp 55. A sea tortoise 58. Used to measure reistance 59. A beginner 62. The study of bacteria-free
organisms
63. Copy 65. Big teeth? 66. A need for 67. Not satisfactory 69. Holy, as in ground. 70. Concerning 71. Dislocated 72. Asking 73. A golfer’s aide? 74. Narrow splits in rock 76. Cattle thief! 77. To discard 79. Work hard 85. Bring together as in cattle
on the Mohs scale 22. Sour milk? 23. A Scotman’s drink? 24. Impulsive 26. Is this Bigfoot?
28. Feels no pain 29. Fitted in the bung hole of a
cask
31. Used in horse grooming 32. A disaster? 34. Seen on the catwalk? 37. To do with the making of
myths
39. The kick from a gun 40. Make wetter 45. Keeps your beer cool 46. Went against 48. A Badge!
51. Aired 52. Prevents a plan 54. Deprive of strength 56. Bigger than wasps 57. A type of pivot 60. A process used on rubber 61. Looking for food 64. Make stronger 68. Paralyzed from the neck
downwards 75. Fighters 78. Drank quickly 80. Abolish
81. Dogs wag it 82. Tidy 83. A windy weapon 84. To drink 86. Vapours 87. Wastes 88. Pieces of bacon? 89. Treat wood to prevent
decay
90. Smoked herring
NOT QUITE A METER 36 Inches
THE BEATLES - THE SCORPIONS - THE ANIMALS - EAST SEVENTEEN MAMAS AND THE PAPAS - RADIOHEAD - BONEY M. - THE YARDBIRDS
SEPTEMBER 2012
ACROSS 7. BYSTANDER - 10. CYCLOMETER - 14. BEACON 15. ILLUMINATE - 16. DECAYED - 18. ODOUR 20. UTRICULATED - 21. TALCUM - 22. YOGHURT 23. WHISKEY - 24. IMPETUOUS - 26. YETI 28. NUMB - 29. SPIGOT - 31. CURRY COMB 32. CALAMITY - 34. MODELS - 37. MYTHOPOETIC 39. RECOIL - 40. MOISTEN - 43. VEX - 45. ICEBOX 46. OPPOSED - 48. INSIGNIA - 51. VENTILATED - 52. THWARTS 54. EMASCULATE - 56. HORNETS - 57. TRUNNION 60. VULCANIZING - 61. FORAGING - 64. FORTIFY - 68. QUADRIPLEGIC - 75. WARRIORS - 78. GUZZLED 80. ABROGATE - 81. TAIL - 82. KEMPT - 83. BLOWPIPE 84. IMBIBE - 86. FUMES - 87. SQUANDERS - 88. RASHERS 89. KYANIZE - 90. KIPPERS
7. He doesn’t take part 10. It counts the revolutions 14. A bright light for navigation 15. Light up 16. Rotted 18. Smell 20. Swollen like a bladder 21. The softest substance
DOWN 1. ALTERCATION - 2. DYSLEXIA - 3. NONCOMBUSTIBLE 4. PERMEATED - 5. GORED - 6. VELOCITY 8. RANCOR - 9. MACRO - 11. LUMBAGO 12. GREENFLIES - 13. DEXTEROUS - 17. BUZZWORD 19. JUVENILE - 25. NURTURE - 27. SPHYGMOGRAPH 30. BIGAMIST - 33. MALFORMED - 35. DECLINE 36. PREDECESSOR - 38. JULIENNE - 39. RECOLLECTS 41. EXPECTORANT - 42. GAG - 44. EXHUME - 47. FAMILIARIZE - 49. ACCELERATE - 50. PRAWN - 53. QUAGGY - 55. TURTLE - 58. OHMMETER - 59. NOVICE 62. GNOTOBIOTICS - 63. EMULATE - 65. FANGS 66. URGE - 67. UNACCEPTABLE - 69. GYROCOMPASS 70. ABOUT - 71. LUXATED - 72. QUERYING - 73. CADDIE74. CREVICES - 76. RUSTLER - 77. JETTISON - 79. LABOUR - 85. HERD
ACROSS
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RAGMAG
ASTRO
Zodiac forecasts FROM JONATHAN CAINER
September.2012
URANUS AND PLUTO ARE ENGAGED IN A LONG, COMPLEX ‘SQUARE DANCE’. IT HAS THEM FORMING RIGHT ANGLES, THEN SLIPPING OUT OF ALIGNMENT, SEVEN TIMES BETWEEN JUNE 2012 AND MARCH 2015. THE SONG THEY’RE MAKING US MOVE TO IS ALL ABOUT THE COLLAPSE OF ESTABLISHED BELIEFS AND TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS. HENCE THE ECONOMIC UPHEAVAL WE’VE SEEN WORLDWIDE AND HENCE, TOO, THE REASON THAT SOME FOLK FEAR THE CHANGES WE’RE SEEING ARE HAPPENING TOO FAST AND WILL CAUSE TOO MANY TO FALL OVER. BUT THIS MONTH BRINGS THE SECOND OF THE SEVEN ‘SQUARES’. ABOVE THE SOUND OF DEVILISH FIDDLING, HEAVENLY HEALING HARPS CAN BE HEARD.
LUDACRIS
EVA MENDES
LIBRA
September 24 - October 23 If we didn’t have friends, we couldn’t have enemies. Strangers, no matter how negative their agendas may be, can never thwart and upset us quite as effectively as the folk who know us only too well. But then, perhaps if we didn’t have enemies, we wouldn’t need friends! And isn’t it truly wonderful to feel a special sense of connection with someone? In September, you begin to appreciate the true value of an important personal bond. Together, you and this person are going to form the most wonderful team. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
VIRGO
August 24 - September 23
SCORPIO
Once a year, every year, Mercury passes through Virgo. Sometimes, this happens just before your birthday, sometimes just after. Always, it bestows a special celestial gift, a moment of inspiration and revelation, a point when a penny drops and an exciting new possibility presents itself. Even if you are normally quite restrained about expressing your enthusiasm, you can now see the chance to engage in a highly worthwhile and potentially most productive activity. That will make September most rewarding in every sense.
October 24 - November 22 On six more occasions, between now and 2015, Pluto and Uranus will repeat the right angle they formed back in June. One of these alignments happens later this month. Just as they are nudging the whole world towards a much-needed awakening to new ideas and possibilities, they are helping you to move on too. It is time to stop referring back to some old memory of the person you used to be and the problems you used to be beset by. That was the old you. The new you is capable of so much more.
FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
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THE EXPANSION ISSUE
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
January 21 - February 19 We should be grateful for the things and people that irritate us. Those sources of annoyance, those causes of nuisance, they are gifts from the gods. They wind us up, they test our patience, they stretch us in directions that we do not want to go in. And because of that, willingly or otherwise, we grow. Nobody ever evolves and improves if their situation in life is entirely comfortable. Something that has lately been most exasperating will reveal itself, in September, to be part of a most enlightening and enriching process.
November 23 - December 21 If you toss a coin ten times how many times will it land on heads? You might think that the answer would be five. But statistics are funny. Toss it a hundred times and you will get 50/50. But using smaller samples and examples, we get an intriguing anomaly. It could land on the same side seven, even eight times. You would be wrong to bet on the back of that. But you would also be wrong to think that a run of good fortune must end at any moment. What is good, in September, may yet stay good for much longer than you expect.
December 22 - January 20 What is holding you back? What is getting you down? What sits heavily on your mind? Scientists have now confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson. This explains why some particles in the universe have mass. They are looking at density in a whole new way. September brings your chance to follow suit and to reconsider your own relationship with a great mental or emotional weight. There is a way to make it much lighter, to carry it so that it no longer impedes you. Or even, to let it carry you!
FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
PISCES
ARIES
TAURUS
February 20 - March 20 How do we tell if a situation is healthy? By how well it works? By how good it feels? Or by how much we care? That last scale of measurement may well indicate an unsatisfactory state of affairs. Commitment is a fine thing. So is passion. But when we cannot separate ourselves from the depth of our feelings, we lose precious perspective. September lets you stand back from a set of circumstances that you have become too closely caught up in. From this, many positive developments may ensue. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
GEMINI
May 22 - June 22 How clever are you? Events in September will prove that you are clever enough to understand that there is such a thing as being too clever. People who ask endless questions end up complicating simple matters and turning obvious, easy, decisions into long, tiresome debates. If we think too hard about any matter, we can confuse ourselves. You are smart enough now to see that there has already been enough discussion. The answer you are looking at is the right one. Trust it and you will have a fine month. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
SEPTEMBER 2012
March 21 - April 20 Pluto and Uranus complete the second of seven portentous right angles this month. We will all feel the impact, but you are particularly susceptible because a key part of the action happens in your sign. This, alongside other influences, suggests that your life now is all about a quest of greater integrity. Whatever has been based until now on a great pretence or an artificial assumption must be replaced by something that has real merit. That suggests a powerful process of emotional and material change from which you can only profit. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
CANCER
June 23 - July 23 The world continues to worry about the economy and the stability of various conflict zones. But then, in our personal worlds, we are caught up with very similar issues. Can you make ends meet? Will there ever be peace between the various friends and loved ones who are always falling out with each other? I am relatively optimistic about the outlook for the planet as a whole, though I don’t think that the change will all happen this very month. But I am extremely hopeful about you seeing progress in all those areas this September. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
April 21- May 21 You deserve to be applauded and rewarded. You have done so many wonderful things for so many people in your life so far. But many of the world’s greatest heroes and heroines remain sadly unsung. Might such a fate await you in September? Will you just have to keep putting up with a series of unfair circumstances? Will others get the glory while you continue to get the raw end of a deal? Only if you somehow persuade yourself that you do not deserve fairer treatment. If you ask for what you ought to have, you may yet get it. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
LEO
July 23 - July 23 How have you managed to find space to read this zodiac forecast? Did you beat off the line of besotted admirers who were waiting to pay you compliments and shower you with gestures of affection? You didn’t notice them? Ah, such modesty is a part of your charm. Anyway, by the end of September there may be no denying the heights to which your popularity has risen. You are fast becoming a shining star and Venus, as it passes through your sign, will soon help you find many ways to turn that charm to your advantage. FOR YOUR DAILY FORECAST AND MORE FROM JONATHAN, VISIT WWW.CAINER.COM
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CULTURE CLASH TOP TO BOTTOM: THE BLUE LINE, HIS NAME IS A LONG STORY, BAHIYA & MAHMOUD, WHAT IF
BIG SCREEN EXPANDING TO THE
SYDNEY GETS ITS FIRST LEBANESE FILM FESTIVAL
AN OUTSTANDING CROP OF ORIGINAL FEATURES AND HARD-HITTING DOCUMENTARIES MAKE ONTO THE SCREENS OF A NEW INDIE FILM FESTIVAL BY SABINA LLEWELLYN-DAVIES
I
ndependent filmmaking does not need flashy budgets and celebrity actors. Some of the best films ever to hit the screen are indie films, often low budget. But, it does need talent and this is what Sydney-based Camille Lattouf, director, Lebanese Film Festival (LFF) recognized in the crop of edgy and creative films making their way into the art scene in Lebanon. On a trip to Beirut last year he met with Samer Daboul, a Lebanese film director, who had just completed shooting “Out Loud” and was keen to reach out to a wider audience. So, together with his wife, Julia Lattouf, and sister-in-law Jessica Khoury, Lattouf initiated Sydney’s first Lebanese Film Festival in partnership with the Outbox International Short Film Festival in Beirut, to show Lebanese films in Australia and worldwide. The response was staggering and over sixty films were submitted from around the world. And, a new film festival was born. Australia is host to hundreds of films festivals every year but the founders see something really unique about the
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films which they showcased this year. “Lebanon is often perceived as a place of war and violence, but in reality, this tiny Mediterranean country is a crossroads of religions, cultures and languages, with a volatile history and a resilient population,” says Khoury, codirector, LFF. She is keen to showcase the “true, hidden gems of the Lebanese culture… we want people to be able to experience Lebanon as it truly is, to get to know the people who expose the true nature of the culture and to highlight the artistic values it has to offer.” Bankstown, a suburb of south-western Sydney, was chosen as the setting for the LFF due to its multiculturalism and high concentration of Lebanese Diaspora, around 200,000 people. The festival was opened by Australian actor Bryan Brown and attendees were invited to experience Lebanese food and music at The Bellevue and the premiere of four Lebanese short films: “His Name is a Long Story”, “Bahiya & Mahmoud”, “The Blue Line” and “What If”. Over the next ten days some controversial, contemporary and confronting films
were shown, one in particular was out to shake up conservative audiences: ‘Out Loud’, a judge’s favorite, touches on homosexuality, a sensitive topic in Lebanon and the first Lebanese feature to explore this theme. Another choice was “Marcedes”, a story about the civil war, and the hard hitting documentaries “Beirut, Truth and Versions” and the animated “Death in the Fields”. “We were extremely impressed by the quality of films that have been submitted,” says Khoury. “We encourage Lebanese filmmakers to continue to make films and submit them to LFF.” It’s always good to see that filmmakers are still willing to take risks to create out of the ordinary films. The screening rooms in Bankstown certainly showed a selection of Lebanon’s most brilliant of the country’s expanding indie film sector. Watch out, one of them may be even an Oscar contender. The Lebanese Film Festival (LFF) took place from 22 August to 2 September 2012 with screenings in Bankstown and Paddington, Sydney, Australia lebanesefilmfestival.com.au
THE EXPANSION ISSUE
SEPTEMBER 2012
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