Lebanon is definitely not a first world country. But some of our problems are straight out of a first world country, as a byproduct of living beyond our means. This meme was submitted by Rabih and it will be part of a series of Lebanese First World Problems, as part of Lebanese Memes – series within a series: seriesception, I believe you’d call it.
I’ve actually never been to Skybar. And I’m not that interested in going either. Guess my first world problems lie elsewhere.
Seeing as the launch of Pottermore has been delayed and there’s still a lot of interest in how to register, I figured I’d show people what the Pottermore experience comprises – or at least part of it.
Once you log into your pottermore account, you are greeted by a welcome page.
This welcome page then takes you to your gateway, from which you will have full control over your account, as features get added the more you progress into the story.
Then you start your Pottermore journey via chapter one of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone. The chapter is retold in a new interactive way to make it interesting for those who have read the books.
As the story moves on, you will receive your letter and be taken to Diagon Alley, with an extensive shopping list (including a wand):
Once your wand has been selected, you will be taken to Hogwarts to be sorted. The sorting consists of a series of questions with a variable number of answers. The questions will vary from one user to another and I have decided not to include the questions I was asked.
Ravenclaw pride!
The most interesting part about Pottermore is undoubtedly the new material sprinkled here and there by J.K. Rowling. Here’s a taste of what awaits you:
These are probably the least interesting new material in Pottermore. There’s a whole backstory on Minerva McGonagall, a very fascinating read to say the least.
On the overall, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you will have fun exploring Pottermore. You will also be able to brew potions, compete against other players in duels, thereby gaining (or losing) housepoints, as you help your house win the house cup.
The site needs fixing here and there, notably the addition of music, but on the overall it’s a very interesting experience. You won’t get off your computer until you’ve finished whatever book you were in – it’s a fast process to get through chapters and the new material is easy to find.
Until Pottermore becomes available for everyone, I hope this has satisfied your craving, somewhat.
Edit: Many pictures were removed upon request.
For those who thought Carrie Underwood didn’t have it in her, she just proved you wrong. Carrie Underwood not only shone next to Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, she also gave him a run for his money. Not only was the CMT Crossroads featuring both stars spectacular, it was also very rocking.
Prior to the show, Steven Tyler had said Carrie Underwood was the reason he joined the American Idol judging panel:
“You were why I took judging for ‘Idol,’ you are exactly why. Not only could you sing good, but you adapted to this…it’s a pit! It’s a deep, dark, ominous pit. And you get out there on-stage at night with that band, that great band you’ve got and you make people feel happy, first and foremost. All the rest, if people knew what we went through to get out on that stage… you have gotten past that and not a lot of people do – they have to get through drugs and alcohol, booze and divorces and even those didn’t make it. You were a natural at it.”
Carrie, in her turn, replied that Tyler was one of her inspirations growing up:
“I remember as a very small child, I could pick your voice out. Even then, you know that it’s different, you know that it’s special and can pick it out from a million other voices. You were definitely part of what gave me that musical, laid-back, in-the-pocket sensibility on albums and stuff like that.”
So without further ado, the videos:
Cryin’:
Dream On/Just a Dream:
Before He Cheats:
Undo It/Walk This Way:
This meme was submitted by my friend Maguy after recently traveling to Abu Dhabi.
For reference, this is what she downloaded in 30 minutes:
On an unrelated note, if you don’t watch The Vampire Diaries, start putting it in your downloads queue.
Who among you, precious readers, has made a “Homsi” joke?
No, don’t be ashamed to raise your hand. If you’re not raising it then you are lying. We’ve all done it. We’ve all said it. We all have a connotation in our head that homsi is equal with stupid. Even when Steve Jobs died, some statuses were: “A Homsi just changed the world….”
The Homsis are also the ones getting hammered by Assad’s forces now in their revolution.
Then why don’t we all get into a fit of “OMG OMG *hyperventilates* RACISM” when everyone does the Homsi jokes?
Yes, you guessed it. No one sees it as racism. But it is. It flagrantly is.
The recent? The leading Lebanese TV station MTV featured on one of its comedy shows “Ktir Salbe” a comedy skit about migrant workers in Lebanon that many perceived as racist. BeirutSpring was even speculating about boycotting MTV as a whole, starting with deleting their app.
1) I have no idea if people in Lebanon actually think our society is NOT racist, but apparently this is the case. Why else would everyone get angry because of a comedy skit that showcases what most people do with the maids they get?
2) For those criticizing the comedy skit, I ask. How many of you watch American comedy shows such as SouthPark or Family Guy? Are you offended by the racist “slurs” those shows make? Better yet, in case “cartoons” are too childish for you, what’s your opinion on shows like The Colbert Report and other political satire shows that also make fun of racist issues? You laugh at those, right? Is your idea of “deranged comedy” only applicable when it’s done by a Lebanese?
3) Regardless of how you look at it, the Ktir Salbe skit is racist. But it’s not racist because they, as actors and personnel and TV station, are racist. The skit is as such because the show is, at the end of the day, a satire on Lebanese society. Just for reference, those same characters have had a very similar skit where they were parents at their children’s school, asking the headmistress every unimaginable thing you can come up with – including making their child sectarian. Why didn’t anyone get angry then?
4) MTV is possibly the only Lebanese TV station actually highlighting humanitarian issues in Lebanon. They even have a show “Tahkik” used exclusively for such purposes. Even the news report about foreigners in Bourj Hammoud was highlighting a social issue that many Lebanese societies have. Whether that news report was well done or not is a totally different matter. And yet, everyone had to feel involved with it. Question. Are you from Bourj Hammoud? If so, were you offended by that news report and the subsequent decision by your municipality to regulate foreign workers? If you’re from Bourj Hammoud and you were offended, then you know how to vote next elections. If you’re not from Bourj Hammoud, then you do have a right for free speech, obviously. But how do you know that the crime rates have not gone up because of an uncontrolled influx of foreign workers?
I blogged about this before with regards to the Myriam Achkar murder – foreign workers in Lebanon need to be regulated, whether you think it’s racist or not.
5) For all matters and purposes, MTV is the best Lebanese TV station. It is revolutionary in every way possible for the Lebanese scene: they have a great iOS app, they are very apt at handling social media, they use state of the art technology, etc…. Regardless of the political content of its news, so you don’t say I’m politically biased, every single show MTV airs is done with the care for details and with great execution. Their comedy shows can be lame sometimes, as is the case with every Lebanese comedy show, but it still doesn’t mean we need to bash them for the comedy they do because, at the end of the day, they are doing “comedy.”
For those who want to boycott MTV, have you tried contacting the TV station first to see what it has to say about this? A TV show does not summarize a whole TV station.
As for the rest, I quote: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 