Mind Soup

On Wednesday July 13th, a bunch of tweeps and I had the pleasure of attending Feast for Change, the first official food & wine event in Lebanon by the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night-Clubs & Pastries in Lebanon that took place at Sursock Palace Gardens. The event was hosted under the patronage of Lady Sursock Cochrane who will donate a percentage of proceeds to her foundation for protecting natural sites and old buildings in Lebanon APSAD . The event featured around forty restaurants and drink vendors including attractions such as a live grill, chocolate fountain, ice-cream cart, cotton candy machine, and many other food and drink stops. The event also featured live performances with singers, opera vocalists and bands that made the event very light-hearted and interesting. I'm not going to express my admiration to the beauty of the venue, it was simple gorgeous. With more that 1400 invitees, the event was highly organized and the food was extremely del...

Screenshot of " A Separate State of Mind " MIND SOUP :  A Separate State of Mind  is a new blog on the Lebanese blogosphere which discusses life, music, politics, movies and thoughts of a Lebanese youth, Elie, who is one of my best friends. I have been trying to get Elie to start a blog since I created Mind Soup two years ago (2nd birthday coming up on Feb 21 :D) but his laziness and procrastination delayed it. He has had some guest posts here on Mind Soup but now he took the plunge and after some quick trial with tumblr, he started his full wordpress.com blog:  http://stateofmind13.wordpress.com . A few things you might want to know about Elie: He's a huge Carrie Underwood fan that I started calling him a Carrieoholic.So you should definitely expect to see some posts about her. He likes country music and pop (Britney Spears anyone?) He likes to watch movies, and I mean a lot of movies, so he will be posting some movie reviews. His taste in mo...

I would like to wish all my readers, on Behalf of all the Mind Soup authors, Eid Fitr Mubarak and May the guidance and blessings of God be with you and your families. Dar al Fatwa in Beirut announced on Wednesday night that Eid el Fitr will fall this year on Friday the 10th, making Ramadan this year 30 days. For more information about Eid el Fitr, you can find it here (wikipedia).

Below are a few posts I have enjoyed reading this week. Shoot As You Walk "Plug Into E-Cycle Movement" Pictures (NourSpot) Photo by NourSpot Futurist Project (Joe's Box) After five years of hard work and research my sister made a nice final project for her diploma, a nice creative project that i personally loved and i guess we need those kind of projects as Lebanon is witnessing an unprecedented boom in shopping malls. A museum of archeology and history In Byblos as the city is a tourist destination visited annually by many tourists. [...] Where are the tourists? (Blog Baladi) In June 21, Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud said that the number of visitors to Lebanon has increased by 26.6 percent compared to this time last year, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Wednesday. Since then, we haven’t heard any updates on the number of tourists in Lebanon and to be honest, i think the numbers are going down and drastically. [...] Why Not? (Independence ...

I was checking google buzz this morning and I found a post by Joseph Alam about Lebanese blogs being featured in the blogosphere section of Communicate paper-back magazine. I was surprised to find that Mind Soup was featured in the June 2010 issue for the Lebanese Bloggers Convention at AUB post. Too bad that this event was cancelled due to "special circumstances". Anyway, I will still be working for this event to happen and updates will be posted soon. Anyway, I would like to thank Communicate Magazine for featuring Mind Soup in their blogosphere; it came as a unexpected surprise. Here's the page where Mind Soup was featured. (click photo to enlarge) Here's a list of fellow Lebanese bloggers who weer also featured: Plus961 : See Through ads   Bazella w Riz : Dark Days Have Come Beirut/NTSC : Marie France Free Advertising Through Hearsay Maya Zankoul: Smile Like You Mean It  Joe's Box: COPYCHICKEN - Part 2  

If you want to link to Mind Soup on your blog or website, just copy the code below to your blog: <img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs447.snc3/25638_408514258523_160046903523_5137637_72369_n.jpg" width="228" height="106" id="myphoto" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); float: left; cursor: pointer; " /> Don't forget to inform us that you linked to us! :) 

Cupertino, CA, United States (AHN) - With an alliterative nod to its popular iPod music and video playing devices, Apple on Wednesday unveiled the iPad, a touch-screen tablet computer. Chief Executive Steve Jobs introduced the device, shaped like an oversized iPhone, at company headquarters that had been anticipated for weeks by Mac fans and the media. The Wi-Fi-capable device contains a 1-gigaHertz chip, with more than 16 to 64 gigabytes of Flash ram. Like Apple's popular iPhone, the iPad runs Apple Store applications. Jobs said the tablet was designed with the environment in mind. It's highly recyclable as components are free of arsenic, BFT, PVC and mercury. The device can display full-size Web pages and its keyboard is nearly the same size as that of a desktop computer. Users can read books on its display, watch videos or play music. Potential sales for the iPad could be in the millions. In the first year the iPhone and iPod were released, each sold about...

Dear All, I was recently informed that my blog is featured on the World Food Programme website for being a blogger against hunger . Here is the link if you want to check it out. Below is the list of other blogs that are bloggers against hunger. (If you're a Blogger against Hunger too, tell them by adding a link to it in the comments section here .) Doerr BlogCritics Blogger - William Lambers Javaholic Market Share - Belinda Ang Pimp that Food To Think and Act Lights, Wings, Flight cheliuta In Between the Lines The Runaway Spoon Lilolu SkyPilot Project Dandine Trophico SEO Blog Letter box - Shelby Blitz Climate for Change - Jenny Downes Imagination - Ming Zhe Blog from our Kitchen Fatamas Never be Silent - Cara O'Brien Global Epiphany Better Now - Christina Just Trying to Help - Charlie eHands - Jean Rocha International Transactions - Bernard Macdougall Soul1383 Numb Mind Soup Eve Butterflies JaBig

How to keep an idiot busy... (for at least a couple minutes) send him this link: http://www.htmliseasy.com/idiot/index.html

By Robert Fisk What we found inside the Palestinian camp at ten o'clock on the morning of September 1982 did not quite beggar description, although it would have been easier to re-tell in the cold prose of a medical examination. There had been medical examinations before in Lebanon, but rarely on this scale and never overlooked by a regular, supposedly disciplined army. In the panic and hatred of battle, tens of thousands had been killed in this country. But these people, hundreds of them had been shot down unarmed. This was a mass killing, an incident - how easily we used the word "incident" in Lebanon - that was also an atrocity. It went beyond even what the Israelis would have in other circumstances called a terrorist activity. It was a war crime. Jenkins and Tveit were so overwhelmed by what we found in Chatila that at first we were unable to register our own shock. Bill Foley of AP had come with us. All he could say as he walked round was "Jesus Christ"...

Bored with Pearl, the cursing toddler landlord demanding rent money? Not amused by those cutesy pictures of cats with the baby-speak captions? Maybe you need some fresh sources of Internet humor. The Web is full of clever blogs and funny sites, including many that collect amusing gags from users and find comedy in real life. Click away from the cats and replenish your list of favorite bookmarks with these 10 new or lesser-known humor sites: Awkward Family Photos Snapping the perfect family photo creates stress for anyone involved. Should we go casual and wear blue jeans with polo shirts on a beach or be a bit crazy, wear matching outfits and — wait for it — lean toward the camera? Ah, choices. This user-powered blog highlights the most well, awkward, family photos submitted by its contributors. Just don’t show this to your mom for portrait suggestions. My Life is Average Breaking news: Your life is most likely mundane and not glamorous or melodramatic like “Gossip Girl.” Thankful...

more cool photos like this here .

To my readers, "Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." -- Ashley Smith ... And to capture beauty, great photography skills and amazing photographers are needed. Perhaps I wouldn't have noticed the great detail and the stunning beauty of nature if it wasn't to one of my friends, Mohamad Sakakini, who happens to be the best photographer I have ever met. It is very intriguing how he captures his photos with great patience, detail, vivid color and astonishing focus. Below are my favorite photos of his, and you can view his complete album here . Believe me, you will regret not pressing on that link. Enjoy!