I was at the opening of the Beirut Boat Show 2012 this afternoon at the Marina Joseph Khoury and I must say it wasn’t at all what I expected. In fact it wasn’t just boats and yachts aligned next to each other but there were a lot of stands with the latest boats, engines, electronics and marine accessories as well as many cool stands such as the Castania and Almaza stand, the Grey Goose and an ice cream stand. Moreover, there was a Lebanese Army Navy warship that everyone was allowed to visit.
There were also a lot of top models, with at least one at every stand. Some of them were even dressed up in sexy bikinis like the one in the picture. Price-wise, boats are insanely expensive, even renting them costs at least 2000$ per day.
The Boat Show will take place from May 16th till May 20th.
You can check out some of the pictures I took below:
Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service, in partnership with Ojos que Sienten A.C and Image Festival Association “Zakira,” are organizing a workshop “Seeing beyond Sight,” sensory photography for the visually impaired, May 21-27, from 10am to 2pm at West Hall, Auditorium A. [AUB]
The workshop will be given by by Gina Badenoch, Founder of Ojos que Sienten A.C.
I was discussing this workshop with few tweeps yesterday night and I thought it was a bad joke at first. I had no idea such workshops existed but they do and I think it’s a great opportunity that visually impaired individuals should not miss.
For those of you who know people that are visually impaired or are interested in this workshop, I strongly recommend that you register (it’s for free) by sending the below information to ccecs@aub.edu.lb.
Name:
Major / position:
Email:
Contact number:
You can check out more information on the AUB website [Here].
Looking at the pictures of the event, it doesn’t look like it was that successful. It’s strange because Lebanese usually like to watch sexy, yet lousy, artists showing off their boobs and asses. We have quite a few of those in Lebanon.
“Night Collective” is a photography group founded by Fernando Borges in 2009. Lebanese & foreign members range from amateurs to professional photographers. They meet every Tuesday night & walk around a pre-selected area, capturing photographs. [Facebook Group]
Lebanese Gaby Nehme, Karim Boukarim and Tarek el Wazzi are members of the Night Collective group and are organizing their second exhibition “Night, Lights & Shadows” between May3 and May19 at the Art Lounge, Wednesdays through Saturdays from 4pm to 9pm.
I checked out some of their pictures and they are beautiful. You can check out all of them [Here] and read more about the exhibition [Here].
In its continuous lobbying efforts for a permanent and safe Public Skate Park, the Lebanese Skateboarding Association (LSA), a non-profit organization established in 2011, is opening a pop-up skate park at the Beirut Waterfront – downtown from May 1st till June 15th 2012. For that purpose, LSA invites young people to share its vision and to join our opening event on Monday May 1st at 4:00 PM. The event will showcase street athlete, graffiti artists and professional skaters. .[Source]
In the invitation email I received, the LSA mentioned that there are currently 300 young people passionate about skateboarding in Lebanon, and that they expect this number to grow to 3000 within 3 years. A bit too optimistic in my opinion.
Nevertheless, I think having a decent Skate Park is a good thing as 1) Skaters or BMX riders have nowhere else to go and it’s safer to skate in a park than in the streets, 2) Skating is affordable to all people and 3) Skating is a cool and fun sport.
PS: I hope LSA asked for a permission to draw Graffiti in the Park.
Tens of thousands of Armenian-Lebanese demonstrated outside the Turkish embassy in Rabieh on Tuesday and called on Turkey to recognize the Armenian genocide. Today marks the 97th anniversary of the beginning of the genocide. The rally started after a rememberance Mass at the Armenian Orthodox Catholicosate in Antelias. Protesters chanted anti-Turkish slogans and several Turkish flags were burnt. [Source]
It’s time for Turkey and the whole world to recognize the massacre of 1.5 million people. It’s quite sad that only 20 out of 193 (10%) United Nations member states, 11 out of 27 (41%) European Union member states, 4 out of 12 (33%) Union of South American Nations member states have recognised the genocide. [Wiki]
Added to that, all Lebanese and not just the Lebanese-Armenians community should demand that this massacre genocide be recognized as the Ottoman empire did not spare us from massacres back in 1915. In fact, it was the commander in chief of the Turkish forces in Syria, Jamal Pasha, who militarily occupied Lebanon and forced a blockage of the entire eastern Mediterranean coast to prevent supplies from reaching his enemies and indirectly causing thousands of deaths from widespread famine and plagues. Lebanon suffered as much as, or more than, any other Ottoman province. [Wiki]
What happened in Lebanon is only a fraction of what the Armenian people had to go through.
International icon, the beloved French chanson entertainer Charles Aznavour will be performing on July 6 while British art rocker Chris de Burgh will be putting on his show on July 8. Tickets are already on sale at all Virgin Megastore outlets and Boueri Press. [Link]
I don’t like De Burgh much but Charles Aznavour, born as Shahnour Vaghenagi Aznavourian, is one of my favorite French singers. I was hesitant first to buy tickets because Aznavour is 87 years old, but after I read that he’s on a 21-concerts tour and he’s been praised for his latest performances, I am more excited now to go watch him probably one last time.
Aside from Aznavour coming to Jounieh’s festival, I must say I am disappointed with the program for this year. They should have gotten one or two recent artists to attract all sorts of crowds.
I got this really cool invitation yesterday from Falamanki restaurant yesterday inviting me to the opening of Dekkenit el Falamanki on April 20th 2012 between 4 and 8 pm. The invitation came in the shape of a Wooden Spatula with the card wrapped around the top. It was also written in Lebanese and reading the names of the hosts made me laugh.
For those who don’t know it, Falamanki is a traditional Lebanese restaurant located in Sodeco. It has a large variety of Lebanese dishes and has a nice garden. You can check out more about it [Here].
It’s already the 21st and I still haven’t bought any gift for my mum. For those of you who are still undecided, I recommend you check SPA Reviews in Lebanon by RAGMAG magazine [Here] or read Lana’s top 13 gifts for Mother’s day.
Traditionally football-mad with a recent penchant for basketball, Lebanon is venturing into territory uncharted by any other Middle Eastern or North African nation. The country will host an event termed the Revolution Fighting Champion (RFC), boosting hopes among Lebanese and foreign martial artists that the occasion will herald a new era in the expansion and popularity of their sport. [DailyStar]
This one of a kind tournament will include 32 people from 10 different countries. I went to school with Wissam Abi Nader, the Lebanese Mixed Martial Arts Committee (LMMA) President. He’s a great guy and a great champion from Lebanon. I remember one time I was just messing with him and he flipped me over in a flash of a second. Here’s a nice compilation of Wissam I found online [YouTube].
