Sometimes songs become much more than the music itself and turn into time capsules of memories. These songs might remind you of a person or a place or an event and sometimes they can be hard to listen to but at the end of the day thats what makes music so good. 

I recently went on holiday with some of my favourite people on this planet (excluding a few very special people) and during that time we listened to a lot of music but i feel the following five songs will always remind of that week and the beauty of being with friends and enjoying life.

These songs might not carry any feelings for anyone else but me but i hope you enjoy them anyway.

1. I'm A Realist by The Cribs
2. Olympic Airways by Foals
3. Mount Wroclai (Idle Days) by Beirut
4. The Underwood Typewriter by Fionn Regan
5. Street Spirit (Fade Out) by Radiohead

Download the whole thing as a zip file here!

Can't have a post without a photo.  Here's "Bill Mensing's Router".  You might say it's a lathe or a planer.  Don't bother me with that.

  Over the 4th we were talking about the uke, the banjo and a band called Beirut.  I suggested a trip to YouTube to see:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRxgDAC-4kI&feature=related

This is one video out of many.  Then the conversation turned to Balken music and diatonic scales.  When I went home I was pumped up to listen to more Beirut.

   When there is a band I want to listen to I often go to Pandora.  When I want to listen to a certain musician I create a "Station".  Then when I am playing that station Pandora plays not only that specific musician's music but other things like it.  In this way I get exposed to sounds similar to the sounds I'm currently digging. Then I get to dig more.  

  This system is limited by the skill of Pandora and my typing skills.  I must type in the correct name of the band or musician.  This time dyslexia kicked in and I typed in Beruit.  Pandora did not correct me.  Suddenly my station began playing roots and dub ragae.  Desmond Decker type stuff. Very nice for music to cook a bachelor dinner to.  If I had not been a little dyslexic I would not have typed in the strange name.  

   I later Googled Beruit.  Nothing.  It kept redirecting me to Beirut.  All I can think of is that Pandora must have thought I was searching for Roots.  As in Roots Ragae.  Maybe that rut at the end of Beirut was enough to signal this strange trip into Roots Ragae.  I'm loving it.  

  I suggest you go to Pandora and create a few new "Stations".  Don't worry about spelling.

His comments on Saturday come after the US once again accused Venezuela of harbouring individuals who Washington considers "dangerous terrorists".

Fawzi Kanaan, who runs a small, unnamed travel agency in Caracas, arrived in Venezuela in 1986, fleeing the civil war in Lebanon.

"I have nothing to do with Iran or Hezbollah. I don’t deal with politics at all," he said.

"I have been to Iran only once in 1976, just for one night. That was more than 42 years ago."

But the US describes Kanaan as a "Hezbollah supporter" and "significant provider of financial support to Hezbollah".

Click here for full story

Siglo XVII. El filósofo y matemático Leibniz intenta justificar el mal en el mundo. Su sociedad se estaba derrumbando. La Verdad con mayúsculas deja de tener sentido mientras Leibniz se empeña en decir que ESTE es el mejor de los mundos, y que el mal del mundo es el menor posible. Estoy casi segura que sabía que estaba diciendo sandeces. ¿Qué coño de "mejor mundo posible"? ¿Acaso podemos elegir otro mundo? ¿No nos encontramos arrojados en esta tierra, nos guste o no? El mundo no es ni bueno, ni malo, ni es una tragedia ni un paraíso. No es nada en sí mismo. Leibniz era  un tío listo y eso seguro que lo sabía: que la vida no tiene ningún sentido. Pese a todo se puso a contar cuentos... "¿Y qué? ¿Y a mí que me importa? ¡Se lo doy yo! Le doy el sentido que me haga sentir más vivo, el que me permita pasar por esta tierra con la mayor intensidad posible" (esto lo dice mi Leibniz imaginado)

Y yo también declaro (me invento) con Leibniz que: ESTE ES EL MEJOR DE LOS MUNDOS POSIBLES.

Este blog nace fruto de una canción de Beirut. Una de las canciones más espíricas y positivas que he oído nunca. Cada vez que la escucho me dan ganas de saltar de mi cama al techo, de comerme un helado de chocolate, de bañarme desnuda en la piscina. Y sí, es sólo una canción... ¿Y QUÉ? Me ha alegrado la tarde y punto. No creo que la vida sea más que esas pequeñas cosas...

El optimismo como la mejor de las armas: QUIERO INVENTARME QUE ÉSTE ES EL MEJOR DE LOS MUNDOS POSIBLES

On this Fourth of July I will be celebrating with some friends here Beirut, most of which don’t know what the holiday is or what it represents, but are joining me for supposed “moral support.”

After graduating, I have decided to push World Faith full-time as a volunteer. While I am still sending our organizational plan to foundations and other contacts in search of funding that permits me to sustainably continue this pertinent work, I am also traveling to make it more “fundable.” Essentially, if there was something holding back a potential funder from supporting World Faith, I want to remove it.

So I am in Beirut now, working to help the local chapter here, 2gether, regroup after some of their key members left the country after the last bout of violence. The issue raises a more general trend, that the social entrepreneurs and promising leaders of the future leave, draining Lebanon of some of its greatest talent for the future.

Next week I will go to Amman, through Damascus, for a few days, finishing the week in Cairo. I’ll meet up with Mustafa Abdullah, the leader of Winston-Salem for World Faith chapter, to start cultivating our contacts there to see if a chapter can be started there as well. I look forward to returning to Cairo and seeing some good friends of mine, like Michael Esso, a fun-loving but dependable friend, and Angie Balata, a humbling and inspiring friend who is as quick-witted as she is sharp-tongued. Other friends await and I know it will be a good trip. I’m awaiting details, but it still looks I will continue on to Khartoum, Sudan to do the same.

While working here, at the moment from the United Lebanon Foundation’s office, I have been inspired at the value of human contact. For instance, when I flew into Beirut I had no reservation for a hotel, so I returned to the hotel we stayed at when we did the first trip of The Lebanon Project back in January. Not only did the manager, and most the staff, remember me, but he refused to charge more than half the listed price a night. Le Marly Hotel is a friend of World Faith.

Also, the frustrated state of the Lebanese population has never been more apparent. Upon passing a photo of Rafik Hariri, and digitized numbers next to him: 1 2 3 4. I asked my taxi driver what the numbers were… It has been 1,234 days since the (likely Syrian) assassination of Hariri. Yet in these few years, the Lebanese have survived more political stability than the US has since the US Civil War. Some have lost hope, resorting to accepting the status quo, or leaving Lebanon. Others retain hope, but wait for the blood-stained political leaders, virtually all guilty of crimes against humanity during the Lebanese Civil War, with non-regional and non-religious leaders who seek to unify Lebanon. However, I have found very few that are inspired enough to take action. One in particular sticks out to me.

If there were an interfaith project happening anywhere in greater Beirut, Nader Houella would be there, and there is a likely chance he had something to do with the planning. In a country of memories, Nader dreams. I don’t think I have talked to Nader on one occasion without him telling me of an idea he has had. Beyond this, he actually works to carry them out, a trait hard to come by in Lebanon. We are talking about putting together a unity concert for August, and I do believe it will happen. More to come as details progress.

(http://mplimaosl.blogspot.com/)

"amazing" is not to be taken lightly. "little" isn't either.

reportedly having been around since 2004, it's surprising to me that the rumble strips - borrowing there namesake from a road safety feature meant to keep drivers from drifting too far - are not more popular than what they are. but as i peruse the youtube videos looking for more material, i notice that i'm only one of, at times, only a few thousand, or a handful of hundreds, and often less than three-digit turnout. they came to me through a series of indie playlists that i normally spend quite a bit of time rifling through between a couple different music sites - most new music, admittedly, is pure whiny, corporate-generated musings; some of it, however, is enough to excite yourself over (the twilight sad, for example, have a freshman album that has barely made a blip across the indie radar screen, and much less an official website to promote them). more than other recently popular newbies on the indie scene, such as cold war kids or beirut, the rumble strips combine jaunty optimism with organic naturalism in a refreshing way that neither alienates nor pays complete homage to the way music was originally intended.

the rumble strips' song "oh creole" is one that has steadily gained popularity amongst the indie underground despite its being one of the oldest songs in the rumble strips' repertoire. as it appears on their first album, girls and weather (2007), it sounds as if third time's the charm for the rumble strips (it was already previously recorded once on the band's ep in 2006 and again in between). with the third recording of the song, frontman charlie waller admits that while the sound is more "beefed-up," he has certainly grown a bit "sick" of playing it (don't worry - waller's suspected ennui with the song hasn't, as of yet, prevented him from performing the bit). listening to "oh creole" in comparison with the rest of the album is certainly a treat - the "creole sound" that waller sings of in the lyrics is echoed throughout the song in a manner that would make any big brass louisiana band turn green with envy. the careful tuning and layering of rich, melodic harmonies adds a depth to the song that gives the listener the impression that the finished product - third time around - isn't far from perfection.

of course, UK listeners always seem to have the upper hand when it comes to new UK bands. "girls and boys in love" is a hedonistic pop tune that is currently being used in advertising overseas (it was also used in the OST for "run fatboy, run"). in more or less words, waller explains that "girls and boys in love" was packed to the brim with pop feeling and catchy elements - the one track on the album that can be valued for its commercial appeal alone. more than that, however, "girls and boys in love" is a complex song that, only though careful craft and attention to detail, merely sounds bright and simple. further analysis will reveal the band's vast musical understanding and innate ability to weave together several sounds and instruments, much to the sheer delight of the listener.

i personally was much impressed with their other releases, such as "alarm clock," "no soul," "hate me (you do)," "time" (which i'm sure i've heard in an advert before, but i could be wrong) and "motorcycle," which waller claims was penned as he was biking home from a friend's house. together, they are a robust testament to the band's versatility and mastery of sound. "alarm clock" remains the gem of the bunch in my mind. the true litmus for the ability of a band is to create something out of nothing while at the same time getting it to sound listenable (for instance, "caramel" is probably one of the most organic blur songs ever written, but its appeal to listeners is lost in damon's rambling and the alienating, incoherent instrumentation). "alarm clock" is, on paper, an almost childish set of stanzas stanzas - so much so, that it might make one begin to question waller's lyrical prowess. however, the beauty of "alarm clock" is that every member of the band adds something to the song and makes it better than it would have been had the addition not been there. the sum is greater than any one of the parts, and in the end what you get is a high-quality product that most bands, i am so bold to say, simply aren't talented enough to repeat.

if you want the inside, however, much of the chatter surrounding the rumble strips has to do with their cover of an amy winehouse song called "back to black," which can be found on the band's "motorcycle" single. the rumble strips provide a rough, raw rendition of the smoldering single, without the violence, the drugs, and the lewdness of amy winehouse. so impressed with the rendition was mark ronson with wallers scathing vocals that he asked him to perform the song with his orchestra - quite an honor for a relatively unheard of vocalist (what i mean by that, simply, is that if you're familiar with the work of mark ronson, it can be said that he normally works with people who are a bit more popular than devon-raised charlie waller). fans have clamored round and round that the "motorcycle" single is worth every penny of the expense for the cover of "back to black" alone - simply, it is that good.

so what lies ahead for charlie waller, matt wheeler, tom gorbutt, henry clark, and sam mansbridge? breaking through to the american market? the world market? being what oasis could have been without all of the drugs, or what blur could have been with more raw talent? my predictions remain optimistic. i don't think that the indie scene is looking for another throwback (look at how long the arctic monkeys lasted - like an independence day fireworks show; very big, very bright, and over in about a half an hour). but that being said, i think that there's enough room for a band to come in and find their own niche. music scenes can be thought of as economical markets, and they're very cyclic. after the death of britpop (damon albarn, circa august 1996, "britpop is dead."), there was a perceptible void in the british music arena. bands like the verve and radiohead did what they could to suffer through the desolation that was 1997, but it was bands like travis, coldplay, franz ferdinand, and muse that came forth and changed the way we thought about british music (in fact, i personally credit coldplay's "parachutes" and "rush of blood to the head" for the second resurgence in britpop). the bands that came forth and filled that need were the bands who became popular, and eventually were allowed to create markets of their own (it's hard to say if the futureheads would be popular if franz ferdinand and bloc party hadn't come out first, and without them later bands like maximo park and art brut certainly wouldn't exist).

so, what exactly do the rumble strips have going for them?

1. for one, there does seem to be a trend emerging for a more organic, natural way of making and playing music - one that doesn't require the overused synth tones and heavy editing of bands like MGMT and architecture in helsinki (i already included beirut and the twilight sad earlier, but the maccabees are also worth mentioning here).
2. second, the rumble strips are extremely talented. after listening to "girls and weather" track by track, it becomes increasingly apparent to the listener that making music is both a passionate joy and a serious occupation to the members of the rumble strips. they don't go over the top when they shouldn't, and they're not audibly uncomfortable with taking their musical expression to its limits. there are songs where precise lyrics and calculated notes combine to achieve a particular sound, and there are also songs that feel catch-it-as-it-comes, encapsulating the raw, innate abilities of the musicians at hand. their sound is so diverse that the rumble strips are hardly in danger of pigeonholing themselves into a particular genre, yet their first album is about as complete and cohesive as the coming-of-age third album for the bands normally considered among the symphonic elite.
3. in addition, unlike most musical groups of the past twenty or so years, every single member of the rumble strips is good at what he does. waller is an ingenious guitarist with a grand voice and a lyrical hand. mansbridge brilliantly complements waller's strumming with just the right amount of bass - not too strong as to overpower, and not too weak as not to be heard. clark splits his talents between bombastic brass and playful piano lines. gorbutt's innate understanding of the sax is essential to the smooth fit of his instrument with the rest of his more contemporary counterparts. and wheeler is a phenomenal drummer with an effortless sense of rhythm. together they culminate into one canorous force, brimming with charisma, character, and class.
4. given just a moment's glance, i'm sure that you'll find that the rumbles strips are really an attractive group of guys. yes, yes, we all realize that part of the appeal of blur was that damon albarn was another pretty face. bands like kings of leon, on the other hand, were fair to midland in the looks department (i'm trying to be as gentle as possible here). but the rumble strips: here's a hardy group of lads raised on devon air. in their photos, interviews, and music videos, they appear lively, energetic, and youthful (although not quite sure on the "how youthful" part - biographical information remains somewhat elusive). with both good looks and talent, what is there to temper these fellows?
5. i'm not sure how many people would consider this a pro (certainly not the band themselves, perhaps), but one of the most wonderful things about the rumble strips is that they are relatively unpopular. don't take that the wrong way. in a system where every band has to go through the gauntlet of gaining a fan base - you should remember, again, that a highly successful band like blur spent a number of years merely breaking even in their finances - this is to be expected. however, being only locally popular, or enjoying pockets of popularity, does have its advantages. for one, it allows the band to be more intimate with its fans; if you take a look at their official website, you'll see that the band does a pretty good job keeping up on their news, and allows plenty of avenues for fan feedback. one can only hope that this good nature doesn't wear off when their (i feel) inevitable fame finally dawns upon them. one thing is for certain, however, and that is that the rumble strips are wholly and simultaneously devoted to both the ideas of having fun and taking their job seriously. very few people in this world have the opportunity to not only do what they love but to succeed at it - for the good fortune of the rumble strips, we, as the listeners, are bountifully rewarded.

i wish the rumble strips nothing but positives and success as they continue in their endeavors. normally i'm not seen endorsing bands so heavily, and there are many factors that come into play as far as that's concerned. however, when someone - or a group of people, rather - expresses the drive and the desire for whatever it is that they do, i can't help but to pull for them. we all want to see the right people succeed in life.

in short, the rumble strips - buy their album, watch their videos, join their fan pages, spread the word - are phenomenal. amazing, and definitely worth the chance.

There are a lot of controversial issues in the news this week, so lets take a look at a few.

 Assisted suicide, euthanasia, murder. Call it what you want, a local researcher wants to observe assisted suicides in the name of research into the right to die movement - and it appears that his efforts are being blocked  by those in power.  http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=011deab5-9643-423b-8153-b14b270682c8

 Now, a high level academic committee has been formed to defend his right to academic freedom to research an uncomfortable issue. Currently, assisted suicide is illegal in Canada, so planned deaths must be conducted in complete secrecy and with methods most undetectable by pathologists. It has been reported that over 3/4's of Canadians support the right to die movement in cases of terminal illness such as cancer or aids, and I would be in that 3/4. I never understood why we consider ourselves compassionate to put down an ailing or suffering pet we love as a family member, and yet we can so casually stand by and allow our human loved ones to suffer sometimes long, slow and painful deaths. I for one, would never want to die naturally if it meant being drugged up to control pain, leaving me unable to coherently meet my maker head on. Where do you stand on this issue? Should Canada join several of Europe's progressive countries who have passed laws to enable assisted suicide?  I'm interested in hearing your opinions.

High on every ones chat list for the last couple of days is Dr. Henry Morgentalers receipt of the Order of Canada. Religious leaders are up in arms, and a priest in BC has even returned his Order of Canada in protest. In contrast, women's rights activists, among others, are applauding the move as long past due. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/07/03/priest-order-canada.html  

This is how I see it. There are very few people anywhere who have fought for a cause, or a right, at such personal risk and harm to themselves, as Morgentaler. The fact that it is a man who has given so much to secure a womans right to do what she may with her own body, is not overlooked. Even if one does not choose abortion as an option for themselves, his efforts should be recognized for their significance and his dedication. Women have as much right to make the choice that is appropriate for them, without the interference of others religious or moral views to impede them, and this right is as important as religious leaders rights to practice their religious views without interference and within the boundaries of the law. Here are two links to opposing viewpoints on Morgentalers honour, read them and decide for yourself.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/02/f-vp-guest-column-gray.html

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/07/02/f-vp-mallick.html

Gas prices in my area are up around the $1.52 marktoday, and I seem to be seeing longer lineups at transit stops. Note of interest, reading a post and discussion on fellow blogger, Iain Halls blog from Australia, that they seem to be going through the same issues as BC'ers. http://iainhall.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/shine-completely-gone-now/   Carbon Tax? Revenue Neutral?  Sure, and I have some prime property for you in Florida....Let me tell you one thing that's going to be happening come fall in a a majority of the province who experience long, cold winters.

 Several years ago, when Natural Gas was quite a bit cheaper, many northern residents pulled out their oil furnaces, and their wood -burning stoves and switched over to natural gas,in an effort to save money and pollute the air less. Now, here we are years later, the beetle kill has taken plenty of jobs up north, mills are closed everywhere, people are hurting for money and another winter spent trying to pay heating bills from natural gas are going to push people over the edge. hence, the return to wood stoves and fireplaces as a source of heat that doesn't cost much. The woods are full of dead beetle kill, just waiting for them. Here's the problem I have with  what this carbon tax is going to do.

Science has shown us that wood smoke contains both cancer-causing chemicals and carbon monoxide. However, the big problem with burning wood as a heat sources stems from wood smoke's major ingredient — tiny particles of soot and pollution, the same kind of problem we find with diesel fuel as it burns. These ingrediants trigger asthma attacks and worsen other health problems.  A huge majority of our province will return to burning wood, and I know from living  up north most of my life, what that does to air quality. Hello, pollution on a big scale.

Granted, perhaps not as much as cars, but then again, think about the air care program we have. It doesn't exist outside the lower mainland, and the rest of the province is full of big polluting vehicles that really shouldn't even be on the road. Give me a BREAK, Premier!!!!!!   I do believe if you wanted to make a difference to the environment, you would have gone after big business polluters, and the commercial vehicles that clog our air everyday. Campbell may have cut his own throat with this one, come fall. Hes not in the good books with the rest of the province, and this time peoples memories will be long. You cant screw with the average mans livelihood and get  very far at the polls... http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/06/30/bc-carbon-tax-effective.html

And whatever turns you on , right?  Well, in Beirut, a new theme restaurant has opened to serve those who are perhaps,  violently hungry. Like bombs? Feel the need to examine some ammo while chowing down? Then step right into  "Buns and guns" , a new eatery  that combines food and weapons. http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-ca&tab=s2&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:01e53e63-6265-4779-98cc-db4f6b7bd25a&showPlaylist=p&from=inline&fg=gtlv2

Its gotta be a guy thing......

Have a good one !!!

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Robert M. Boo Naturalism Sciences Rick

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Question: Sirdar relating to Serials Services Bibliomane Untaken: May 1, 2007

Footing Brusque:

The Prepotent re Serials Services acquires, organizes and maintains the oscillatory materials; supervises and trains departmental substitution. At fault against developing a word-of-mouth success survey that meets the needs in connection with proclivity, retinue and students. This assumed position is faithworthy insofar as on balance regulation in respect to the adequate manipulation pertaining to the Serials Services continental shelf; provides coming and trover as regards dirt seeing as how yourselves applies into the heartland and in contemplation of range of meaning services respecting serials.

Governance:

The Front man relating to Serials Services reports in consideration of and is supervised hereby the Headman in connection with the Book wagon. The Get ahead of as regards this purlieus supervises three FTE city council and duck.38 FTE savant echelon.

Responsibilities:

Exposed to vice the eye and arrow about Serials jockstrap which includes preliminary, organizing, coordinating, and evaluating in all operations.

Strategic plan, commanding, coordinating, and maintaining the serials concurrence which includes type class and electronic exchequer. This includes preparing volumes so backing, cataloging and collating relative to serials, viscera let into referring to additional titles, equitable interest changes and disrelated admissible oscillatory arraignment. Away seeing the standing rigging chic accomplishing these tasks.

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Argue for financial records in regard to all-inclusive serials and bad polymerization closeness at any cost vendors.
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Qualifications:

Wanted

# Master’s MD without an ALA-accredited athenaeum intramural
# Match fallowness au reste years private knowledge by way of serials(map and electronic)
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Repository and Stage:

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Pues eso, que el finde pasado estuvimos en Líbano; Elisabeth por trabajo y el resto de la tropa de gorra para temas logísticos... Beirut como cualquier ciudad europea, con sus obritas, sus ruidos y un oasis en Oriente Próximo llamado Nejmeh; el barrio peatonal 'abarrotao' de terrazas. Barrio que abrió sus restaurantes hace relativamente poco después de los últimos conflictos. Tendrá algo que ver que el Instituto Cervantes está ahí...?

Resumiendo, poco turismo, mucha silicona, mucho fútbol (semifinales) y un espléndido día de playa en la esquina del Mediterráneo: ¡qué gusto! Por cierto, primer baño de Amelia en el mar.

Plus de photos faire click ici / Más fotos clicando aquí

Beirut. A beautiful seaside city between cedar lined mountains, replete with forgiving blue skies and beaches. The ‘Paris of the Middle East’; the sparkling jewel in Lebanon’s crown. Breathily multicultural and sometimes painfully hip, its boxy nightclubs, falafel joints, shisha cafes and tiny galleries provide the regional answer to NYC’s ice cream, brownstones, boomboxes and beer. The city is definitely buzzing, yet sometimes all that can be heard is the faintly uneasy static hiss of a radio stuck between channels. Earnestly ignored, it continues in the background, a little like the hum of an air conditioner that you’ve already grown accustomed to

Yet in a city decimated by fifteen years of civil war, sometimes the past is hard to forget. The fast growing skyline of stylishly glassy towers remains underscored by bullet-ridden buildings – once impossibly elegant in their characteristic French-Ottoman style but now quietly falling down. Like much else in Beirut, it forms a strange hybrid: neither nor, but something in between. Like much else in Lebanon, it reflects a society of contrasts and contradictions: one that is always shopping, and one that is always at war...

[photo from Alight]

Lately I've been writing, and thus thinking about, Beirut a lot for a couple of Brownbook articles. Here's another contradiction: I've never been to Beirut, or anywhere in Lebanon, for that matter. We planned to once, on the way out from Jordan, but visas worked out to be too expensive. What does it mean to rhapsodise and nostalgicise about and for a place I've never experience; about a cinema-converted-to-culturespace that closed down years before I ever googled it? Or even to layer stylish lifestyle-capitalist-progress-yay adjectives upon a city whose buildings were scraped like layer cakes in Israel's July War nearly two years ago? Sitting in New York between two halfhearted fans, I'm AC-less but the only underwriting hum of unease is in my head.

[incredible photo by Irena Kittenclaw. The blog address scrawled on the wall leads here]

Until I make it to Beirut one day (hopefully next summer?) all I can do is imagine, really. I recently came across two wonderful blogs that help. Kootoob, which covers illustration and book related stuff, and the ultrafantastic Lubnanabad, which I suspect I'm going to haunting for some time to come.

[nb: for the rest of that article, pick up the May-June issue of Brownbook. Or I can try scanning it sometime].

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Concert a emporter ^^)
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Le clip officiel, speciale dédicace a l'equipe du montage, tres beau concept que l'escalier ^^

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Et d'autres morceaux tout aussi enchanteurs ^^)

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L'ensemble de l'album a été tourné a Brooklyn

L'album "the flying club cup" est dans les bacs!

 Almost every Lebanese knows a Lebanese Canadian or expatriate living in Canada, and boy do good news come out of that friendly nation, O Canada!

Well, today the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced that theDepartment is enhancing the services offered by its visa office in Beirut (Beyrouth), Lebanon. Effective immediately, permanent resident applicants from Lebanon can choose to be interviewed by immigration officers in Beirut.

"Citizens of Lebanon deserve to have their visa interviews conducted in their own country," said Minister Finley. "We are upgrading our services at the visa office in Beirut in order to make it easier for people to complete their application process."

Until now, permanent resident applicants were required to travel to Damascus, Syria, for an interview since immigrant applications from Lebanon are processed by the visa office in Damascus. The only exception applied to family class applicants who had the choice of being interviewed in either Beirut or Damascus. In such cases, immigration officers would travel from Damascus to Beirut to conduct the interviews.

This new change means that applicants requiring interviews will now have a choice between Beirut, Lebanon and Damascus, Syria.

The Government of Canada is continuously looking at ways to improve services to applicants.

Lebanon has witnessed the standards of fast food restaurants increase exponentially since the 1990s; You have to admit, this military-themed marketing strategy is quite original.

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Músicos do The Shins gravam vídeo no meio da rua, em Paris

Andar pelas ruas da sua cidade e passar pelos músicos do The Shins tocando ao ar livre, sem microfones e amplificadores, não é uma cena nada comum. Parece ainda mais improvável se espremer em um elevador junto com nove músicos do Arcade Fire, enquanto a banda toca uma versão singular de Neon Bible.

No mundo dos franceses do La Blogotheque, esse tipo de coisa costuma acontecer com freqüência. Os responsáveis pelo site criaram há pouco mais de dois anos o projeto Concerts à Emporter - uma série de video podcasts com apresentações musicais gravadas ao vivo, no meio da rua, em cafés ou em qualquer outro lugar. O resultado são performances um tanto excêntricas, em condições e ambientes únicos.

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Arcade Fire - Neon Bible & Wake Up (Concerts à Emporter)

Foi exatamente esse o resultado que os blogueiros franceses obtiveram quando colocaram em prática o devaneio louco de gravar um desses vídeos com os canadenses do Arcade Fire. A apresentação foi tão excêntrica quanto a própria banda: os músicos batucavam no teto do elevador da casa de shows Olympia, em Paris, e faziam uma espécie de percussão rasgando as páginas de uma revista.

"A cada semana, um artista ou grupo é convidado a tocar no meio da cidade, em um bar ou em um apartamento, sem montagem estética e com um som bruto. A intenção é capturar o instante, gravar a música como ela sai, sem preparação, sem artifícios", explicam os criadores do projeto.

E se a naturalidade é a regra, o Arcade Fire deu um banho nesse quesito. Para a segunda canção, banda saiu do prédio e tocou para a multidão que esperava diante de uma das salas de espetáculos mais tradicionais da capital francesa. O vocalista Win Butler cantava com a ajuda de um megafone e o público acompanhava, em coro, o "ô-ô-ô" da introdução de Wake Up. Mais desplugado, impossível.

Na era dos iPods e dos celulares com MP3 e vídeo, ouvir a sua música favorita em qualquer lugar é uma tarefa quase cotidiana. Para os blogueiros do La Blogotheque, a intenção dos Concerts à Emporter é permitir que você possa assistir a um show da sua banda favorita onde quer que você esteja - e como se eles estivessem lá, no meio da rua, na mesa de um bar ou dentro do seu ônibus.

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Vampire Weekend - Mansard Roof (Concerts à Emporter)

Em um dos vídeos do site, por exemplo, os quatro músicos do Vampire Weekend se amontoam no banco de trás de uma van com dois violões, um teclado e um ganzá (menos mal) para tocar Mansard Roof enquanto passam pelas ruas parisienses.

O conceito de "shows para viagem" do Concerts à Emporter é algo especial, mas o mérito do projeto transcende a portabilidade e se estende à própria qualidade musical das apresentações. Em outro vídeo, o americano Zach Condon (aquele que responde por Beirut) começa a cantar Nantes caminhando ao lado de um acordeonista e depois se junta a uma pequena orquestra de percussionistas e violonistas e violinistas e outros músicos, que transformam latas de lixo em instrumentos de percussão, como se fosse de maneira espontânea - mesmo que não seja.

O projeto dos blogueiros franceses se tornou tão respeitado que conseguiu a proeza de convocar até os músicos do R.E.M., que gravaram uma apresentação em Atenas, no estado americano da Georgia, berço do lendário grupo de rock alternativo. Mais de 140 gravações estão disponíveis na videoteca. São performances de bandas de estilos diferentes - sobretudo de indie rock - de Jerusalém a Nova York, passando por Bamako, capital do Mali.

Se os mais apocalípticos dizem que a Internet matou ou vai matar o videoclipe, os video podcasts do La Blogotheque podem dar um pouco de ânimo aos artistas. Não é que os Concerts à Emporter vão salvar a indústria do videoclipe - longe disso. Mas os planos-seqüência, o som bruto, a naturalidade e a espontaneidade da música e dos artistas em suas gravações mostram que o YouTube não é a única maneira de se ver a música.

Veja todos os Concerts à Emporter

* Muitos dos textos do La Blogotheque e dos Concerts à Emporter são em francês. Falar a língua não é essencial, mas ajuda.

• ALL Lebanese prisoners in zionist dungeons will be freed, including Samir Quntar.

• The remains of ALL Lebanese Martyrs, which numbers around 200, only 9 of which were from the July 2006 war.

• Solid information on the fate of Yehia Skaff will be provided.

• Solid information on the fate of the four Iranian diplomats kidnapped by 'Israel's' allies in Lebanon will be provided.

• Release of a large number of Arab and Palestinian prisoners.

In return:

• The release of the two captured 'Israeli' PoW.

• The remains of 'Israeli' soldiers killed in Lebanon in July 2006.

Hezbollah was willing to hold the exchange in two stages. In the first stage, Hezbollah would have provided information on the health condition of the two soldiers and a detailed report on its efforts to get information on the fate of Ron Arad. In return, 'Israel' would have been required to pay a "humanitarian price" by releasing some prisoners or the remains of some Martyrs, in addition to Samir Quntar (in return for the report on Ron Arad). However, 'Israel' rejected this generous offer (to use Barak's famous words). After 'Israel's' rejection, the German mediator attempted to get information on the fate of the 2 soldiers, but failed. In other words, 'Israel' lost out on the offer to provide information on the fate of its two soldiers because it was unwilling to pay a (reasonable) price for it... After a while, it found no way out but to accept our demands, but proposed a minor change, which was fine with us: the exchange would not take place on the border between Lebanon and occupied Palestine as was the case with the Nassim Nisr exchange, but via Germany as was the case in 2004. The idea was that an exchange on the border would have given -- according to zionist logic! -- Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah the "opportunity" to declare another victory in South Lebanon... Great, we'll declare our victory at Beirut Airport then. What's the big deal about it? Olmert & co., you are such losers, it's not even funny.

Family may have a saint in its ranks

Lebanese Maronite Catholic monk beatified in Beirut

Vatican delegation beatifies Lebanese priest

In Lebanon: Blessed and Bloodshed

Two Faces of Lebanon

Lebanese Maronite Catholic monk beatified in Beirut

Father Jacob Haddad Kabouchi venerated

It took a nun to put Lebanon's high and mighty in their place