Son of la Niña de Gibraltar

Just finished watching for the eon time "Corto Maltese: La Cour secrète des Arcanes," based on the Pratt novel "Corto Maltese in Siberia;" also finished watching the 3 dvds of Corto Maltese adventures for television, produced by Canal+, adapting the stories 'La Ballade de la mer salée,' 'Sous le signe du Capricorne,' 'Les Celtiques and La Maison dorée de Samarkand.'

Corto is one of my favourite heroes of all time...

Corto Maltese is a sailor-adventurer, with a somehow complex character, born in 1887, son of a British sailor and a gypsy Andalusian prostitute, known as "La Niña de Gibraltar."

It was created by Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967.

The Corto Maltese series has been translated into many languages. Stories range from straight historical adventure stories to occult dream sequences.

Who is Corto Maltese?

As a boy growing up in the Jewish quarter of Córdoba, Maltese realised he had no fate line on his palm and therefore carved his own with a razor, determining that his fate was his to choose. Although maintaining a neutral pose, Corto instinctively supports the disadvantaged and oppressed.

The character embodies the author's skepticism of national, ideological, and religious assertions. Corto befriends people from all walks of life, including the murderous Russian Rasputin. He also knows and meets various historical figures, including Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Hesse, Butch Cassidy. His acquaintances treat him with great respect, as when a telephone call to Joseph Stalin frees him from arrest when he is threatened with execution on the border of Turkey and Armenia.

Corto's favourite reading is 'Utopia' by Thomas More, but he never finished it. His name is said to be possibly derived from the Venetian Courtyard of the Maltese.

A must see, watch, read; also, check out the new --& old-- posters made available for sale here

In 'Gli Scorpioni del Deserto' (The Desert Scorpions), Corto Maltese is described as disappearing in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

A new alternative music scene in Beirut

The recently released ‘96.2 Music Compilation’ produced by Incognito features 11 new talented Lebanese artists and bands. They are the finalists, selected by the jury of Radio Liban and their ’96.2 modern Music Contest.’

This contest was organised in partnership with The Basement, Incognito, The French embassy in Lebanon, In Concert, El Tek & Time Out Beirut.

& the nice part is that we are invited to witness the birth of this new alternative music scene in Beirut. It's happening at the Basement club, on the 1st of March 2009, starting 6pm.

On stage: A.Boxx, Soul +, Cristobal, Elyas Diez, Karimbo, Mashrou’ Leila, Lara Matar, Stéphanie Merchak, Sylvain Nassar, Sandmoon & Anthony Touma. Rap, pop, rock, electronic music, soul, funk… in English, French or Arabic, they will perform, in a single night, original unreleased compositions.

My main interest is in Mashrou' Leila.

A Must follow Lebanese musicians group. "They're a tough bunch to describe," says one admirer of the band. "What to expect? A crunch of instinctual vocals, bold lyrics, and catchy tunes," he adds.

EVERYDAY IS GREEN DAY

5 Things You Can Do To Protect The Earth

The average American generates about 15,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year from home energy use and personal transportation, and from the energy it takes to produce the products and services we consume. There are steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint and to keep our earth healthy. But we all must do our part. The science is clear; we can no longer stand aside and not take action to help solve the crucial issue of Global Warming, which threatens significantly our entire lives.

WWF Australia says that if the greenhouse gas reduction achieved during last year's Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be the equivalent of taking 48,616 cars of the road for the same length of time.

EARTH DAY(27 April) or EARTH HOUR(29 March), Should BE Everyday. RE-EDUCATE YOURSELF TO ADDRESS A CHALLENGE AS GLOBAL AS OUR PLANET. SNAP OUT & GO GREEN!

Here are 5 steps ONE can take to Help Protect Earth:

1. Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs produce, as much air as regular incandescent light bulbs but ,last ten times as long, and use just a quarter of the energy.
2. Turn off lights and appliances when you’re not using them. This not only helps the Planet, but will save money on electric bills.
3. Reduce what you consume, Re-use what you use, and Recycle the rest.Producing new products from recycled materials saves 70 to 90 % of the energy and pollution that would result-- if the product came from non-recycled materials. You can save a good-sized tree by recycling a stack of newspapers only 4 feet
4. Turn your heat down 2 degrees in the winter and your air conditioning up 2 degrees in the summer. This simple step could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
5. Cut down on the number of miles you drive each day by carpooling, walking, biking, or taking public transportation. Driving just 10 miles less each week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year!

Calvin & Hobbes: Insight into the Mind

Bill Watterson's 'Calvin & Hobbes' are one of the most delightful cartoon creations...ever. My favourite comic strips, wonderful as, Calvin & Hobbes never stop getting into trouble; and I can never get tired of Calvin & Hobbes. The six-year old kid and his stuffed tiger are always faced with obstacles, getting into weird and wonderful situations; from his folks to the teacher, their stories are always full of creativity and the kind of humour that makes u laugh and go huh..at the same time... Where would Calvin be without Hobbes? His ever present animal companion... Calvin is the very model of childhood innocence, imagination, and such inquisitive little kid. With crazy and outlandish imagination, he raves on philosophical, socio-political, and psychological matters, where Hobbes tends to chip in with wonderfully dry comments. The result is witty, funny, visually inventive, and pleasurably thoughtful. Hobbes often talks using comically long words and articulate terms well. There are other characters who appear too, notably his neighbour Susie. She is the polar-opposite of Calvin; serious and well mannered.

If you like Calvin & Hobbes and for anyone not familiar with Calvin and Hobbes, I recommend ALL of Bill Watterson's strip books. Watterson won the 1986 Reuben Award as Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year. "The Calvin and Hobbes: Tenth Anniversary Book" features commentaries from the man himself, as Watterson narrates 'Calvin and Hobbes' making of and the inspiration behind it. He writes about the struggles he's had with them and discusses the pressures faced to commercialise them more. It's loaded with Insights into Modern Culture. Otherwise, & BEST Buy, The Whole Box Set; Enjoy a wonderful Insight into the Mind.