Feb 26, 2013 Posted by Joelle

Marching For Domestic Violence Legislation

On February 24, 2013, several hundred protesters marched on the streets of Beirut to call on the Lebanese parliament to pass the Law to Protect Women from Family Violence, which would criminalize physical, mental, and sexual abuse, marital rape, and honor crimes. Protesters marched from the Sanayeh Garden, facing the Ministry of the Interior in Hamra, to Ain el-Tineh, where the residence of Speaker Nabih... read more

Jan 18, 2013 Posted by Joelle

Why I Left Facebook

On January 16, 2013, I deactivated my Facebook account. I’m not the first one to do so, and I’m sure I won’t be the last. Before I deactivated my account, my home page looked like the photo above. In a lot of ways, my decision has been a long time coming because Facebook was bringing me down, one update at a time, one feature at a time. Over the past months, most of the stories and links... read more

Jan 3, 2013 Posted by Joelle

All I Want For My Birthday This Year

Some time this January, I’ll be turning one year older. So for my birthday in 2013, all I want is to go on a discovery road trip across Lebanon. Who says birthdays are just one-day celebrations? The thing is, I’ve always felt like a tourist in my own small country. Those who know a few things about me know that my relationship with the so-called Land of the Cedars has been on the rocks ever... read more

Dec 21, 2012 Posted by Joelle

What Recognition Can Do

There’s a huge power in acknowledgment, recognition and praise, but because we are often uncomfortable with it, we avoid it. And when we avoid it, we rob ourselves and others of the benefit that it brings. - Christopher Littlefield TEDxBeirut have started uploading the talks from the 2012 edition on their website and YouTube. For those of you who missed the live event, if you watch one talk online,... read more

Dec 10, 2012 Posted by Joelle

Can A Blog Make People Happy?

In late October 2012, I enrolled in the 6-week course Introduction to Infographics and Data Visualization with Alberto Cairo, an internationally renowned expert in the field. The course is offered by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. For our final project, Professor Cairo gave us the liberty to do whatever we want. All we had to do was choose a topic, gather the appropriate information, and... read more

Jun 24, 2012 Posted by Joelle

The First Naked Man In Advertising

Sex and nudity have been used in advertising to sell products since the medium’s beginning. But while the female nude was largely common, the male nude didn’t appear until 1967. According to the authors of the book, Born in 1842: A History of Advertising, the boldness wasn’t in the nudity itself, but in the absence of the product. Rosy lingerie advertisement, 1962 Here are two of... read more

Feb 12, 2012 Posted by Joelle

65 Fascinating Facts About The Human Body

Seeing the Bodies…The Exhibition in New York last November reminded me of how fascinating the body I inhabit is. Featuring over 200 actual human bodies and specimens, meticulously dissected and respectfully displayed, the exhibition provides an intimate and informative look deep inside the systems of the body: Skeletal, Muscular, Nervous,... read more

Jan 15, 2012 Posted by Joelle

Rape Isn’t A Legal Right – Shout It Out Loud

On January 14, 2012, hundreds of people defied the rain and took to the streets of Beirut to protest against rape. Protesters marched from Sanayeh to Riad El Solh square in Downtown Beirut, where security officers cordoned off the area to prevent them from reaching the Lebanese Parliament. As the crowds gathered in the square, organizers read statements that called upon the Lebanese Parliament to: Pass... read more