Adonis Diaries

Archive for September 22nd, 2012

They gave us powdered milk…and took away our childhood…(Mohamad Maghout)

Posted by: on: September 22, 2012

They gave us powdered milk…and took away our childhood…(Mohamad Maghout)
They gave us watches and robbed us of the Time
They handed us shoes and exploited the Roads
They offered us rings and perfume and hided from us Love
They brought us the swings and prevented us from Celebrating
They lavished on us chemical fertilizers and stole the Springs
They initiated us with Parliaments and denied us Freedom
They extended to us guards and locks and robbed us of Security
They gave us powdered milk and took away our Childhood
They infiltrated insurgents for us and wasted our Revolution…
Note 1: You may read another translated poem of Maghout of “Story-of-eagle-and-storm” https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/time-says-my-story-of-eagle-and-storm/
Note 2: The original Arabic version
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Hot posts this week (Sept. 22/2012)

Posted by: on: September 22, 2012

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10 Reasons why TEDxBeirutSalon (Lebanon) is making History? Grandiose Histories…

Posted by: on: September 22, 2012

10 Reasons why TEDxBeirutSalon is making History 

As far as I know, Lebanon made history:

1. In 1975 by experiencing one of the longest civil war that temporarily ended in 1990…
2. The unconditional withdrawal of Israel from south Lebanon in the year 2000, after 23 years of occupation
3. The defeat of Israel superior war machine in the preemptive war on Lebanon in 2006…by Hezbollah fighters
TEDxBeirutSalon (Lebanon) claimed on  September 10, 2012 to making History from a different perspective. The posted article says:
“On this date in 1940, the Stone Age attempted to orchestrate a brief comeback when several of its cave paintings at Lascaux in France were discovered showing nude representations (did they cloth the animals in the Stone Age?) of long extinct animals, making many contemporary painters of the time like Salvadore Dali, Marc Chagal and Adolf Hitler very insecure about their careers.
Exactly 19 years later, the Space Age completed its plans to make its own splash on history with the launch of the Soviet spacecraft Lunik II, (Not Sputnik?) the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and incidentally the first such object to die of hunger on the Moon having not found any reliable cheese deposits near its landing area.
A further mission sent to investigate the matter was later launched in 1969. These events are poorly remembered now because, by a terrible miscalculation of timing, they took place before the invention of color TV.
Vastly better remembered of September 12 is the day in 2001 when the United States announced it was declaring War on Terror, but not, in a strategic oversight, on horror, resulting in the continued and unchecked rise in the death toll of cheap tomato sauce victims.
“With this track record in mind, TEDxBeirut set out to create a salon that lives up to history, and teases the future to make it happen sooner in the minds that will shape our brave new Social Age. Read along for our ten point countdown of how we’re making history happen on September 12.
(I was under the impression that this history-making was exclusively reserved to Lebanon, and it quickly engulfed the entire world, and went as deep, deep into the period of the first “Artistic Man”)
On September 12, 2012, TEDxBeirutSalon is taking place at the Youth and Culture Center in Zouk Mikhael.

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Let’s read the famous reasons for history-making:

10- Making sense of Wednesday for once: Historically, Wednesdays are dull, but we at TEDxBeirut share your mid-week boredom and have therefore declared war on dull days of the week. And we hope to stand together on Wednesday September 12th and say ‘mission accomplished’.

9- Get a chance to travel: We’re meeting in a green space overlooking a marvelous, Riviera-like harbor, in a smoke-free environment, with uninterrupted power, and reliable internet access. In short, for all you know, we’re moving to 2050 for the length of the salon.

8- Bite into First-class ideas: No time travel is complete without an assortment of food snacks, cold beverages and coffee. Bring your own blanket and it’s first-class travel all the way.

7- Join our 15 minutes of Fame Time-Share Program: At our salon, social media works for you. You can Geotag, Hashtag, and wear a tag or large hat or even better, put on a controversial statement t-shirt that raises eyebrows. That’ll guarantee to make your way to our social media stream.

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6- It’s a Cinema experience really: We’re bringing back the old Drive-in Cinema, only our version encourages you to pool-in. So you bring the date or the buddies, and we take care of the snacks. When the lights are off, you’re free to listen to the speaker, share (or not) your popcorn bag with your date or friends, or be completely awkward and start checking your emails. In any event, we won’t ask you what you made out of the talk at the end, though it is our sincere intention that you walk out having made out something.

5. The floor is yours: See how long you can seize the microphone. This is uniquely a TEDxBeirut Salon experience you won’t find at the main event. In our Salon, we celebrate the ancient art of getting around in a semi-circle and disagreeing with one another to the point of beating each other with a microphone. Or is that Parliament? Either way, have a chance to agree, disagree, and share with the audience or go ad hominem on the speaker.
(I used to take extreme positions in discussions: The idea was to lead the discussion toward a moderate comprehension of the issues. My acts were so convincing that I was labeled the radical person, to avoid as the plague, and not given the option of taking first the floor…)

4. Leverage the power of an audience: Get exposed to new ideas and meet other interesting people, or declare your love to someone in a controlled public environment. (What’s that?)Make it really awkward by proposing to them (your ideas) in front of 200 people and several professional photographers. That’ll take care of their chances of saying No. Contact us today and see how our large audience, scenic location, professional photo-video services, and cocktail assortments outside will make a perfect setting for your quick and improvised wedding to an unsuspecting partner.

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3. Meet the volunteers: Our team of volunteers for TEDxBeirut this year is big, and we hope it even grows for our main event. And like all of us, volunteers are in to meet other people, work on making ideas happen, and perhaps in the process improve on history. So come meet with our version of the “black shirts”.

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2. Breath freely with our Tire Appreciation Policy:We view the tire as an invention in human history to be revered rather than burned, and you’ll find many examples of tires and wheels put to good use at our Salon, like mouse wheels, or TEDxBeirut’s tricolor attire, and our endless faith in our tireless volunteers.

(Apparently, at almost every demonstration, people in Lebanon burn tires and obstruct roads and highways…)

1. Get your mind abducted: Ultimately, we’ve taken care of everything so that one operation can happen smoothly; and to get your mind abducted swiftly to a world of powerful ideas being brought to life. Our intent and mission at the TEDxBeirut mothership remains to share the smart ideas of our world and through them grow together.

(I liked this term abducted mind: It reminded me of my posts on the abduction theory in authoritarian regimes…)

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adonis49

adonis49

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