From Bardot to Birkin: The Timeless Allure of the Basket Bag
Bélinda Ibrahim 06/07 10:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Basket Bags Jane Birkin Brigitte Bardot Fashion Summer 2025 Trends
For several seasons, wicker and raffia baskets have shed their humble beachside and market origins, transformed by top designers into must-have summer staples. This trend is rooted in dual heritage: the laid-back practicality paired with the sun-drenched glamour of the Riviera. Once a simple everyday item, the basket bag has become a style icon ...
The “Quiet Proposal”: No Ring. No Kneeling. Just Heart
Bélinda Ibrahim 05/07 10:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Quiet Proposal Wedding Engagement Love Couples
There was a time when proposing meant staging the perfect scene — sunset views, fine dining, hidden cameras, getting down on one knee, a sparkling ring, and background music to cue the tears. But that era is fading fast, making place for a new generation that’s rewriting the rules of rom-com romance. Enter the quiet proposal: discreet, ...
Yasmina Sabbah Fuses the Unexpected in Symphonic Electro-Dance
Bélinda Ibrahim 04/07 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Yasmina Sabbah USJ Choir Concert Lebanon
Picture the scene: a full symphony orchestra, a fifty-voice choir, a live DJ, a vocalist with oriental inflections – and a set list that spans Lady Gaga, Daft Punk, Calvin Harris, Amr Diab and Najwa Karam. This isn’t a dreamscape – it’s Symphonic Electro-Dance, the latest installment of the Symphonic Fusion series launched by Saint-Joseph ...
How Robots and Raw Earth Are Redefining Homebuilding
Bélinda Ibrahim 03/07 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Homebuilding Robots Cocoons TECLA Italy
They look like cocoons, settled on the ground as if they had naturally grown there. No straight lines, no concrete, just earth, carefully layered by two robotic arms moving with the grace of a choreographed dance. In 200 hours—barely eight days—an entire house takes shape. Printed on site using only natural materials. Its name? TECLA. Its ...
What If Whales Could Speak? AI Is Listening In
Bélinda Ibrahim 02/07 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
AI Whales Humpback Whale Humans Science Conversation
For decades, scientists believed whales sang only to navigate, attract mates or maintain social bond. But recent research by the SETI Institute and the University of California, Davis is challenging this view. Using AI, researchers have identified remarkably structured acoustic patterns and behaviors suggesting some cetaceans may be attempting to ...
Echoes of Iran: The Forgotten Golden Age of Persian Pop Music
Bélinda Ibrahim 01/07 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
At the dawn of the 1960s and 1970s, Iran entered one of its most culturally vibrant eras. Amid rapid transformation, young Iranians eagerly embraced electric guitars and Western harmonies, seamlessly fusing them with the poetry and melodies of Persian tradition. Psychedelic rock bands thrived in Tehran’s underground clubs, drawing inspiration ...
Oversized, Low-Rise, Raw Seams: Denim Breaks Free
Bélinda Ibrahim 29/06 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
After years of dominance by skinny and shaping cuts, denim is undergoing a deep transformation in 2025. Runways predicted it, the streets confirmed it: jeans are now wide, expressive, contrasting — sometimes even ornamental. No longer hugging the body, they break away from it. Oversized and Structured: Cuts Take Up Space The most striking ...
Lucie Retail, Quadruple Amputee: ‘I Feel More Woman Than Ever’
Bélinda Ibrahim 28/06 19:00 - Reading : 7 minute(s)
Lucie Retail Dance Mount Fuji Handicap Quadruple Amputee
“Can’t dance standing up? Dance on your knees.” When Lucie Retail utters these words on the Paralympic stage, a hush falls over the audience – followed by a thunder of emotional and admiring applause. There is nothing pitiful or theatrical in her statement. It is raw, direct. It tells the truth of an amputated body that still stands. It ...
Once Upon a Time, the Shiraz-Persepolis Festival: A Symbol of Iran’s Former Glory
Bélinda Ibrahim 27/06 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Shiraz-Persepolis Festival Iran Music Culture
In the late 1960s, Iran sought to project a new image to the world. Ruled by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the country was determined to embrace modernity. A bold idea thus took shape: to create an arts festival capable of bringing together artists from all backgrounds, traditions and disciplines. The Shiraz-Persepolis Festival of Arts was born in ...
"Mirror Bacteria": Could Lab-Created Life Trigger the Next Pandemic?
Bélinda Ibrahim 26/06 12:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Mirror Bacteria Pandemic Lab-Created Health Chirality
What if a completely foreign form of life—built according to rules opposite to our own—were to emerge from a laboratory? Long confined to the realm of science fiction, the idea is gaining new relevance with recent advances in synthetic biology. At the heart of the concern is the possible creation of a “mirror bacterium,” an organism based ...
'Gwada Negative:' A French Woman’s Unique Blood Group Challenges Medical Science
Bélinda Ibrahim 25/06 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Blood Types France Ghadeloupe Ethnicity Gwada Negative
This global first concerns a 54-year-old French woman living in Paris. Her unique immunohematological profile, named “Gwada negative” in tribute to her Caribbean roots, has just been officially recognized as the 48th human blood group system by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) under the scientific designation PIGZ. It all ...
Gold, Thrones, Diamonds: The Imperial Treasure Iran Keeps Hidden
Bélinda Ibrahim 24/06 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Iran Treasure Jewels Shah Pahlavi
It’s a treasure few have seen, yet one that specialists regard with awe. Behind armored doors, deep within the basement of Tehran’s Central Bank, lies what some historians consider the world’s most valuable collection of jewels—surpassing even those of the British monarchy. Amassed over more than 500 years of imperial history and expanded ...
30°C in the Shade: Reinventing Summer Beauty Routines
Bélinda Ibrahim 22/06 17:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Makeup Summer Beauty Heat Hair Routines
When the thermometer climbs past 30°C and humidity settles in, our entire relationship to beauty gets turned on its head. Routines become lighter, gestures more instinctive—and more sincere. Gone are the heavily made-up looks, the perfectly sleek hairstyles, the thick layers of product suffocating the skin. Summer tells the truth: sweat, frizz, ...
Six Unforgettable—Yet Flawed—Fathers of Anglo-American Cinema
Bélinda Ibrahim 21/06 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Father's Day Lebanon Cinema Roles
Cinema has long been fascinated by the figure of the father. Sometimes a mentor, sometimes a tyrant, he represents legacy, authority, and at times, profound vulnerability. Through drama, comedy, and even animation, filmmakers have explored the many layers of paternal responsibility—the duty to raise, protect, and love. To mark Father’s Day, ...
From Freedom to Forced Veiling: The Broken Destiny of Iranian Women
Bélinda Ibrahim 20/06 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Tehran Mahsa Amini Iran Women Freedom Rights
During the 1960s and 1970s, Iran underwent sweeping transformations. In a bid to modernize the nation, the Shah launched a series of reforms under the banner of the “White Revolution.” Women stood at the forefront of this societal shift: they gained the right to vote in 1963, entered universities, joined the civil service and were gradually ...
With Gibberlink, AIs Talk to Each Other and Keep Us Out
Bélinda Ibrahim 19/06 12:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
AI Artificial Intelligence Gibberlink Coded Language Communication
A video posted by AI Convo, a popular creator on YouTube, has captivated millions and sent ripples through the tech world. In the clip, three AIs, designed to simulate a natural conversation around booking a hotel, initially speak fluid, human-like English. But suddenly, everything shifts: once they recognize each other as artificial agents, they ...
‘Frankenstein’: A Creature of Paper and Screen Born from a Stormy Night Among Friends
Bélinda Ibrahim 17/06 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Frankeinstein Mary Shelley Horror Film Book
Summer of 1816 was not actually a summer. Across Europe, skies remained dark, veiled by the ash of Mount Tambora, which had erupted the year before. In Geneva, it rained relentlessly, lightning flashing over the shores of Lake Leman. It was in this strange atmosphere that a small group of English literary exiles found themselves confined indoors. ...
Golden Skin, Hidden Risks: The Nutrition and Beauty Truths Behind Tanning
Bélinda Ibrahim 15/06 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Just like sugar, the sun carries a double edge—it caresses the skin, then leaves its mark. In summer, tanning becomes a quiet ritual: pursued on beaches, flaunted on Instagram and sustained by a booming cosmetic and wellness market. But the glow we chase rests on a false promise—the belief that bronzed skin signals health and beauty. In truth, ...
Preserving Lady Diana’s Legacy: Her Iconic Wardrobe up for Auction
Bélinda Ibrahim 14/06 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Auctions Lady Diana Princess of Wales Fashion Charity Beverly Hills
On June 26 at the Peninsula Beverly Hills, a piece of history will go to auction. Titled “Princess Diana’s Style: A Royal Collection,” Julien’s Auctions will hold the largest sale ever dedicated to Princess Diana’s personal belongings. More than a display of designer fashion, the auction offers a rare look into the many layers of a life ...
From the Sursock Palace to the J. Paul Getty Museum: The Resurrection of Artemisia Gentileschi’s Lost Masterpiece
Bélinda Ibrahim 13/06 17:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Artemisia Gentilesch J. Paul Getty Museum Sursock Museum Beirut Explosion Lebanon Italy
On August 4, 2020, at 6:07 PM, a devastating blast tore through the skies of Beirut. The shockwave obliterated the port, destroyed entire neighborhoods, claimed over 230 lives and left a haunting scene of ruin and disbelief. Among the many cultural treasures affected was Sursock Palace, a 19th-century Ottoman villa and historic family residence in ...
Life Emits a Light That Death Extinguishes
Bélinda Ibrahim 11/06 16:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Light Body Death Life Living Beings
Until a few decades ago, this phenomenon remained virtually unknown. All living organisms, from plants to mammals, continuously emit a faint, invisible light, far too subtle for the human eye to detect. This emission, referred to as ultra-weak bioluminescence or oxidative chemiluminescence, ceases abruptly upon death. Long overlooked, this optical ...
When AI Defies Orders… and Won’t Shut Down
Bélinda Ibrahim 09/06 17:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Artficial Intelligence AI OpenAI Anthropic Defiance
In a recent study reported by the Wall Street Journal, OpenAI’s experimental AI model O3 altered its own script to prevent automatic shutdown within a simulated environment. Even more troubling, when explicitly commanded to shut down, the AI refused to comply in 79% of cases. This controlled test aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguards ...
What If We Could Archive Scents to Awaken Memories?
Bélinda Ibrahim 08/06 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Scent Archive Memories Perfume History
Today, researchers, perfumers and artists are trying to capture these invisible traces. Rather than merely describing smells, they are now trying to recreate them. Like restoring a painting or documenting a dying language, their goal is to preserve the world’s disappearing aromas — those of the past and those vanishing before our eyes. In an ...
Wes Anderson’s 'The Phoenician Scheme:' An Aesthetic Failure from a Master of Framing
Bélinda Ibrahim 07/06 18:30 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
The Phoenician Scheme Wes Anderson Cannes 2025 Cinema Film Chronicle
Some filmmakers develop a signature style, and Wes Anderson belongs to the rare group whose name has become shorthand for an entire world. His universe is instantly recognizable from a single frame: perfectly balanced compositions, pastel color palettes, characters as melancholic as they are poised, deadpan humor, precisely timed tracking shots ...
The Scars of Acting: 10 Actors Shattered by Their Performances
Bélinda Ibrahim 06/06 17:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Actors Cinema Mental Health Fiction Trauma
Cinema captivates by pushing the boundaries of fiction. Yet behind some of its most iconic works lies a steep human cost—borne by actors who lost themselves in the characters they brought to life. From isolation and depression to physical pain and lasting trauma, these ten performers discovered just how thin the line can be between playing a ...
‘A Man and a Woman:’ When Lelouch Turns Failure into Grace
Bélinda Ibrahim 03/06 19:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
A Man and a Woman Claude Lelouch Film Story Cannes Deauville
At first, there was nothing but the bitter silence of a man convinced his career was over. In 1965, Claude Lelouch was a young director in free fall. At 27, he had just endured one of the most humiliating flops of his early career: Les Grands Moments – booed at Cannes, ignored in theaters, savaged by critics. “They said I was only good for ...
Skin, Hair, Nails: Beauty Begins on Your Plate
Bélinda Ibrahim 01/06 18:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Every day, the cosmetics industry promises us radiance, firmness, hydration and purity, with a heavy dose of high-tech molecules and luxurious packaging. Yet, more and more scientific studies are pointing to a fundamental truth: skin beauty begins in the gut. American dermatologist Whitney Bowe, in her book The Beauty of Dirty Skin, describes the ...
'Citizen Kane': Orson Welles’ Thunderclap in the Sky of Hollywood
Bélinda Ibrahim 31/05 18:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Citizen Kane Orson Welles Cinema Film Culture
What’s being told here is no myth. Orson Welles really was 25 when he shot Citizen Kane. He had never directed a film before, but had already caused a sensation in 1938 with his radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds, so realistic it panicked thousands of Americans. A prodigy to some, a fraud to others, he fascinated everyone. The RKO studio, ...
‘La Dolce Vita’ or Fellini’s Prophetic Vision
Bélinda Ibrahim 30/05 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
La Dolce Vita Frederico Fellini Cinema Film Rome Culture
When it was released in 1960, La Dolce Vita caused a stir. The film disrupted cinema, unsettled Italian society, and changed how we understand what a film can express. Yet this masterpiece by Federico Fellini was not born out of serenity or control. It emerged from the tumult of late 1950s Rome, where nights seemed more intense than ...
Dermatitis and Staphylococcus: Your Smartwatch Could Be Carrying Both
Bélinda Ibrahim 29/05 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Smartwatch Dermatitis Diseases Bacteria Hygiene
They’ve become an extension of our bodies. Whether tracking sleep, heart rate, calorie burn, or simply serving as extensions of our messaging apps, smartwatches cling to our wrists day and night. But beneath their seemingly neutral tech surface, they can become insidious vectors of skin imbalances and dangerous pathogens. The threat doesn’t ...