Mind Soup

For a while now, Al Jadeed (one of Lebanon's controversial television stations) have been copying Lebanese bloggers' content and pasting it as is on their website without asking for permission. Some can argue that Al Jadeed is helping out the bloggers by giving them more exposure but this is not the case here. The second a website or a blog has advertising banners on it, it becomes a commercial website that aims to make money through impressions and clicks on those ads. Additionally, since AlJadeed.tv is a website for a commercial TV station that promotes its shows, there is not doubt that it is a commercial website.  When such a website copies bloggers' content, it aims to increase traffic to their pages and hence increase profits from ads. Bloggers have a hard time creating original content and copying their content without consent is unethical to begin with. Would Al Jadeed be happy if another television aired one of their popular shows without their consent an...

As the “edutainment reality” TV program  Stars of Science  prepares for its sixth season, the program’s creator, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), has revealed that a total of  28,000  young Arabs were inspired to submit their inventions over the first five seasons. Launched in 2009,  Stars of Science  was designed as a platform for the next generation of Arab innovators to develop its ca pacities in science and technology. Season 1 Winner, Bassam Jalgha from Lebanon Of the 28,000 applicants,  80  of the most talented and entrepreneurial spirits were selected to participate in the TV program, and were supported by an international team of experts in developing their projects from concept to commercialization. His Excellency Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Ph.D., President of Hamad bin Khalifa University commented: “Through  Stars of Science , we are empowering some of the brig...

I was honored to be interviewed on Future TV's English News last week. Check out the video below where I talk about the state of social media in the Arab World , the Lebanese online community, the Social Media Awards and University for Seniors . I'm also very humbled to have been called The Social Media Consultant of Lebanon. Thank you Youmna for the superb interview! For more information about what I do, you can connect  with me on Linkedin. 

Who's gonna get me a cupcake? This week, Mind Soup turns three, though it seems that I have been blogging for a much longer time. It has been a great year for the blog; featured several times in print and on Al Jazeera as well as cited in several studies and MBA thesis projects so I'm proud :') I'd love to thank all my readers especially my friends who have always shown great support in my blog and kept it going even when I had absolutely no time to update it. At the beginning of this year, I was thinking that this would be the last year for the blog but with all this encouragement and exposure, I just couldn't retire it. Yesterday, Mind Soup's facebook page  received its 1000th like, and that is possibly the best birthday present :) So here's to many years to come and may you always come back and find fresh posts!

You may have seen the pictures of starving people in the Horn of Africa on your TV screens. We are all asking: how can this be happening again? Parts of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are facing one of the worst droughts for 60 years, and around 10 million people are desperately in need of food, clean water and basic sanitation. Join me in calling on world leaders to save millions of lives - today and tomorrow: http://act.one.org/sign/horn_of_africa/?source=horncrisistafem Despite the urgency of the situation, most world leaders are responding too slowly. Immediate aid is essential. Yet at the same time we must not let them drop the ball on long term solutions as has too often happened in the past. Take action right now at: http://act.one.org/sign/horn_of_africa/?source=horncrisistafem We can help stop starvation now - and stop the causes of starvation. Firstly, we need to make sure funding is provided to pay for urgent help that will prevent people from dying. Secondly, the...

Below is one of the most simple yet touching TV commercials that I have seen in a long time. The simplicity and yet complete relevance to the topic at hand is striking (especially with Gebran Tueini's quote - may he RIP), and the visuals compel you to focus on every detail. I usually do not like political advertisements, and this one is not entirely political but advertising for Annahar newspaper (which tends to have a political side), but I felt that it was much more creative than other advertisements in this category. This campaign was done by GREY. Let me know what you think. UPDATE : Apparently, this ad has been inspired (I don't want to say stolen) from a Chinese Ad for CCTV . Thanks Nadim for the info.

Most of you might have noticed how the whole world is tending to become more fake: from fake noses and boobs to fake personalities to fake brands and products. Sadly, very little is being done to promote originality and uniqueness, especially those relating to human traits and physical appearance -- however, this is not our topic for today. The purpose of this post is to shed light on a very successful campaign that is currently taking place in Lebanon. BPG ( Brand protection group ) is an international organization that protects brands and consumers from fake products by creating awareness campaigns & seminars. The objective of this campaign is to create as much awareness as possible about the fact that there are fake products in the market and to promote a number that consumers can dial to report those imitated products. What I loved the most about this campaign is that its everywhere. Leo Burnett have outdone themselves this time. They have created a very interactive camp...

Before I start getting disgusted looks and weird boggly eyes, I should point out that this title is misleading - kinda the point of this whole post and advertisement. (And yes it is suitable for work - don't worry :P) And yes, I find it very creative, appealing and eye-catching for the following reasons: Jennifer Aniston <3 Lip-syncing toddler Acknowledgement of the online community, viral videos and including "internet geeks" Cute little animals crawling all over the place Talking parrot that refers to the show "Friends" by calling Jennifer Anniston by her character name "Rachel" Skate-boarding dog in the background Dancing babies Double-rainbow guy parody Kicking a guy in the balls (which is apparently worth 100,000 hits) Herbal Essences sort-of ending which targets the sexy appeal The daring title Some people might not be as daring or risky in a marketing campaign but I think it works. The video has something for everyone and can p...

Bahrani Blogger Ali Abdelemam GLOBAL VOICES ADVOCACY : Ali Abdulemam, a leading Bahraini blogger and Global Voices Advocacy author, was arrested earlier today by the Bahraini authorities for allegedly spreading “false news” on BahrainOnline.org portal, one of the most popular pro-democracy outlets in Bahrain, amidst the worst sectarian crackdown by the government in years, and accusations of a supposed “terror network” involving several political and human rights activists. The BahrainOnline portal is censored in Bahrain. He sent an email earlier today mentioning that he got a call from the Bahraini national security just before his arrest, then arrested him and alleged that he was trying to flee. Reportedly the Bahraini government has a long track record of using torture against dissidents http://bit.ly/9kZyJQ and their TV has been broadcasting hateful sectarian messages to justify its crackdown Ali was arrested before also for content published on his portal, and he contri...

Rami Chemali and his mother BLOGBALADI : A [couple of months] ago, Rami Chemali , a Lebanese national and Star Academy participant, was killed in a car accident in Egypt. Mahmoud Shukri, Rami’s friend and also part of Star Academy was severely injured. Rumors spread that Rami was the one driving and a week ago, Rami’s mother pledged to sue Shukri’s family for falsely accusing her son of being the one responsible of the accident. Now the question is why don’t the Lebanese authorities bother to investigate the issue further? And how come no updates on the accident were heard since then? Is someone trying to hide the truth? On a final note, I found more pictures of Rami Chemali on an Israeli site than on all other Arab websites. Now why would Israeli websites be interested that much in a Lebanese star? And how did they get “Copyright” pictures of his funeral? "You will remain in our hearts" Related post: Rami Chemali from Star Academy 7 dead at 23 (moudz.blogsp...

Forget 3D TV, Japan is promoting the idea of ultra-realistic holographic broadcasts and the ability to zoom a virtual camera in behind players on the pitch if it secures the 2022 World Cup. Japan proposes expanding the World Cup to all 208 FIFA member nations through fan-fest events that will feature live, holographic coverage of the games. Fans will gather in stadiums thousands of kilometers from the action and watch the games as if they are taking place in front of their eyes.

MIND SOUP : In a televised live appearance on the German television, Paul the octupus predicted that Spain will win the World Cup finale which is scheduled on Sunday night. Netherlands fans started getting edgy, especially after seven correct predictions made by the lower invertebrate earlier this season, latest of which was the defeat of Germany to Spain on Wednesday. (Reuters) "That was fast -- it looks like a clear-cut victory for Spain," said Tanja Munzig, spokeswoman for Sea Life in Oberhausen. She was surprised by his speed in picking Spain. For some matches it took Paul 70 minutes to decide. Also, according the Associate Press , Paul has predicted that Germany will win over Uruguay for third place. (Reuters) Meanwhile, other animals are predicting the outcome of the final World Cup game too. "A parakeet, long tailed parrot, named 'Mani' has also been forecasting match results. Mani has become the talk of the town after predicting that the Neth...

CLICK HERE FOR A RECENT UPDATE ABOUT RAMI'S DEATH! MIND SOUP : Rami Chemali, the Lebanese star and Star Academy 7 participant, has passed away today at the age of 23 in a car crash in Cairo when vising his fellow Star Academy friend Mahmoud Shukri who is currently under intensive care. Shukri, an Egyptian, who was seated next to Chemali was also severely wounded in the accident . According to an eyewitness the accident occurred due to excessive speed. A car with 3 young people crashed into the car that was driven by Chemali, which resulted in the killing of Chemali and the 3 young Egyptians. May his soul rest in peace, and we pray to God to bring good health for Mahmoud. Below is the report televised by LBC on its evening news on Thursday. UPDATE: Below is the funeral video of Rami Chemali

MIND SOUP : I am very sure that a lot of you agree with me that the most annoying thing on Lebanese television is these stupid little commercial programs where a supposedly modernized "doctor" is trying to sell the viewers a bunch of herbs that can mysteriously get rid of most diseases, weight loss or whatever disorder the audience might be interested in. What's more annoying is that you not only find them on one television channel, but on several (such as Aljadid - previously "New TV", NBN or what I like to call "Nabih Berri Network", Manar TV, and even Tele Liban, among others) Well, guess what? According to the Daily Star , the Lebanese government (more specifically the General Directorate of General Security) has declared on Monday that advertisements for such medical herbs are now prohibited by law. The directorate based its decision on Law number 90 of June 3, 2010, which prohibited media outlets from advertising for medical herbs and othe...

PROVO, Utah — Gary Coleman, the adorable, pint-sized child star of the smash 1970s TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" who spent the rest of his life struggling on Hollywood's D-list, died Friday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 42. Life support was terminated and Coleman died at 12:05 p.m. MDT with family and friends at his side, Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank said. Coleman, with his sparkling eyes and perfect comic timing, became a star after "Diff'rent Strokes" debuted in 1978. He played Arnold Jackson, the younger one of a pair of African-American brothers adopted by a wealthy white man. "It's unfortunate. It's a sad day," said Todd Bridges, who played the older brother Willis. "It's sad that I'm the last kid alive from the show." The series lives on thanks to DVDs and YouTube. But its equally enduring legacy became the troubles in adulthood of its former child stars. Dana Plato, w...

I was surprised this past week with such HUGE publicity from media internationally and regionally, shedding the light on several American figures that have appeared to belong to Arab familiar origins. Recently the newly elected and Lebanese-born Miss USA Rima Fakih inspired researchers to "dig up" through prominent names and introduce internationally recognized people from Arab roots Kippreport had issued the following list fully quoted below; this is merely a sample of unknown Arab Americans. Intrestingly, we prove to care about the 15 minute famous Arabs and neglect to encourage and celebrate the accomplishment of so many established men and women who have given the world successful experiences, such legacies that could enlighten and honour our lives for generations to come... Let's begin with:    Steve Jobs Steve Jobs, the charismatic CEO of Apple, is of Syrian biological descent – although he has never publically acknowledged this.   According ...