Paris Platform Design Virtual Space For Lebanese Fashion Buffs

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by dailystar.com.lb -- My Tailors & Co., an online design platform based in Paris, has launched a virtual space for Lebanese designers to promote their work. The company’s expansion to the Middle East, beginning with Lebanon was launched during Beirut Design Week. My Tailors & Co. was established in 2017 by Benedicte Charmes and began by promoting the work of independent French designers. The platform connects clients to registered designers to create bespoke items. When both parties agree on the design and price, the client pays using the platform and the item is shipped directly to them. My Tailors & Co. currently features more than 200 designers who make furniture, clothes and accessories. The company is expanding throughout Europe, and aims to reach an international market. It recently received the Societe Generale award at Fashion Tech Days, an event that brings together and innovators in fashion and technology. Lebanon is the company’s first step in the Middle East. “No platform like My Tailors & Co. exists in the world, and Lebanon is very interesting for us [because it is] a hub for design and creation in the Middle East,” Nada Ghosn, My Tailors & Co.’s ambassador for Lebanon and the Middle East, said.

My Tailors & Co. had a stall at the Beirut Design Week exhibition, and Ghosn was present with some items featured on the platform. “People were surprised that we have such artistic things with a [relatively] low price.” On the site, independent designers offer unique artistic designs, but with lower prices than large brands. “It’s good quality, personalized, and artistic,” Ghosn said, adding that attendees at the Beirut Design Week exhibition were particularly interested in the concept of ordering customized designs. Clients can contact a designer on the platform and request a personalized item based on a specified budget. They can also request custom versions of the designer’s previous work. The designer is then responsible for negotiating the price with the client and for delivering the product. My Tailors & Co. simply provides a platform for clients to transfer their payments and for designers to promote their work. My Tailors & Co. also held a workshop series in Beirut with the city’s branch of ESMOD, the international fashion design school. The company invited French designers to give workshops, and the company’s board was present during the fashion show graduation. “ESMOD Beirut was our first step, and we hope to continue collaborating with design schools,” Ghosn said. My Tailors & Co. aims to attract designers and clients from all over the world. Personalized artwork, according to Ghosn, is better than the merchandise available at shops. “It is unique, tasteful and customizable,” Ghosn said. This article has been adapted from its original source. The Daily Star

Exclusive – Lebanese Security Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Have Cut the Roots of Terrorism

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by aawsat.com -- Thaer Abbas --  Last month, Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, accompanied by the Director of Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Antoine Mansour, conducted separate visits to President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. In the three visits, the two military officials entered with a black book of about 15 cm in thickness and left without it. The book represents, in fact, the summary of the security work of the Directorate of Army Intelligence and contains thousands of pages detailing terrorist networks that were stopped and dismantled during 2017. The “black book” of terrorism in Lebanon is full of details and facts. Each cell is documented by the number of its members, its missions and objectives, the confessions of the detainees, their photographs, and often the pictures of the confiscated items, including weapons, military equipment and drugs. Lebanese security sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon has completely cut the roots of terrorism. These figures only represent the work achieved by the military intelligence directorate, the sources said, emphasizing efforts undertaken by other partners in counter-terrorism operations, especially by the General Directorate of General Security and the Information Division of the Internal Security Forces.

The sources, however, admit the possibility of sporadic terrorist acts that might erupt here or there, but stress that the foundation that the terrorists used to rely on to acquire their weapons, explosives and logistical support, was hit hard by the country’s competent institutions. “They will try, and we will remain vigilant to prevent any breach of Lebanese security,” the sources said. “I can assure you that Lebanon is among the safest countries in the world today,” they added. The Syrian refugee crisis has put great pressure on the Lebanese security, according to the sources, which expressed regret that more than 90 percent of detainees were of Syrian nationality, “which necessitates more work on this file.” While the sources acknowledged that political stability was not a basic condition in the security process, they indicated that incitement should not be part of the political rhetoric, pointing out that the Lebanese Army and other security forces were able to control the situation, but politicians should also contribute to reducing the tensions between the Lebanese people.

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Coffee Drinkers Are More Likely To Live Longer. Decaf May Do The Trick, Too

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by npr.org -- ALLISON AUBREY -- Coffee is far from a vice. There's now lots of evidence pointing to its health benefits, including a possible longevity boost for those of us with a daily coffee habit. The latest findings come from a study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine that included about a half-million people in England, Scotland and Wales. Participants ranged in age from 38 to 73. "We found that people who drank two to three cups per day had about a 12 percent lower risk of death compared to non-coffee drinkers" during the decade-long study, says Erikka Loftfield, a research fellow at the National Cancer Institute. This was true among all coffee drinkers — even those who were determined to be slow metabolizers of caffeine. (These are people who tend to be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine.) And the association held up among drinkers of decaffeinated coffee, too. In the U.S., there are similar findings linking higher consumption of coffee to a lower risk of early death in African-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Latinos and white adults, both men and women. A daily coffee habit is also linked to a decreased risk of stroke and Type 2 diabetes. What is it about coffee that may be protective? It's not likely to be the caffeine. While studies don't prove that coffee extends life, several studies have suggested a longevity boost among drinkers of decaf as well as regular coffee.

So, researchers have turned their attention to the bean. "The coffee bean itself is loaded with many different nutrients and phyto-chemicals," nutrition researcher Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health told us in 2015. These compounds include lignans, quinides and magnesium, some of which may help reduce insulin resistance and inflammation. "My guess is that they're working together to have some of these benefits," Willett said. (He's the author of a study that points to a 15 percent lower risk of early death among men and women who drink coffee, compared with those who do not consume it.) "Coffee, with its thousand chemicals, includes a number of polyphenol-like, antioxidant-rich compounds," says Christopher Gardner, who directs nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. He says there's so much evidence supporting the idea that coffee can be a healthy part of your diet, it's now included in the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. In 2015, the experts behind the guidelines concluded that a daily coffee habit may help protect against Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

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Is Beirut the new design hub of the Middle East?

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by forbesmiddleeast.com -- Lebanon’s first UX and design conference drew international crowds and big names Lebanon’s first user experience conference took place on May 10-11, 2018 in the historic American University of Beirut. The new event ​puts ​Beirut ​on ​the ​map ​as ​a ​hub ​of digital ​innovation ​and ​entrepreneurship. UX and digital innovation experts from Google, IBM, McKinsey and Accenture drew an international crowd of 300 designers, entrepreneurs, and developers for two days of talks, workshops and networking. Emily von Eschwege, the speaker for Google, enthused, “Being part of this fantastic happening will be one of my lifetime memories.” The UXB conference forms part of a growing trend towards investment in digital technology and entrepreneurship in Lebanon.

When Rhéa Moufarrej, the founder of UXB, completed her Master’s degree in Digital Media at the IE Business School in Spain, she hoped to return home to work in user experience, but felt the current digital industry in Lebanon didn’t offer the same opportunities she saw in Europe. Undaunted, Rhéa and her partner, sales manager for Uber Iberia, decided to organize a world-class event to bring together digital entrepreneurs and designers in Beirut, in the hopes of boosting the growing digital industry in Lebanon and attracting international experts to meet with local talent. Moufarrej says: “We see UXB as the first of many events to foster entrepreneurship and digital innovation in Lebanon and the MENA region.”

Lebanese Baccalaureate reaches 86.75 percent success rate

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Education Minister Marwan Hamadeh announced Monday that 92 percent of students passed the General Sciences Baccalaureate, 83 percent the Life and Sciences Baccalaureate, 83 percent the Socio-Economic Baccalaureate, and 80 percent the Arts and Humanities Baccalaureate.

Congratulation to Loulou Khazen Baz for being listed at Forbes TOP 10 entrepreneur in the Middle-East

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by lebaneseexaminer.com -- Rabih K -- Forbes Middle East recently released a list of the top 10 women entrepreneurs in the Middle East that “have championed the most innovative ideas and received the most external funding” in 2017. Two women from Lebanon made the list at numbers 6 and 9! The list included women of Arab origin based in the Middle East who were “making waves” in their respective industries. Nadia Moussouni, named number 6, is the co-founder of her startup Energy 24 that raised $3 million. Founded in 2011, Moussoun’s Beirut-based startup seeks to create alternative energy storage and generators and currently consists of two technicians, plus four technicians on contract basis.

At number 9, Loulou Khazen Baz raised $1.8 million for her startup Nabbesh. Founded in 2012, Baz’s startup is the Middle East’s first online freelance work marketplace. Loulou previously won the TV show “The Entrepreneur” in 2012 for the Nabbesh idea and oversaw the planning of new startups in the healthcare, education and technology sectors.