Last Sunday, I went down from Ehden very early to be part of the World Blood Donor Day festivities with DSC. The plan was to have a lot of fun, meet everyone there, donate lots of blood and platelets, listen to awesome music, laugh at Nemr’s jokes and whoop some Korean ass.

All of the above was accomplished, with the Forum de Beyrouth parking lot hosting the event. We were guilty of creating a traffic jam, with motorists parking on the side to see what all the commotion was about. What’s even more awesome is that some of them even came down, wore a red t-shirt and stood with us in the giant human blood drop.

Young, old, disabled and even pets all participated in the day’s activities. Stands with games, goodies, food and of course a blood donation center kept everyone busy. And if you’re done touring them, you could rock-climb a wall or repel off a crane, all for absolutely nothing.

At the end of the day, more than 2000 people were all laughed out, happy and many of them 450 milliliters lighter after donating blood. A total of 150 bags of blood were sent to St Jude’s Children’s Cancer Center thanks to all of you guys.

So, I would like to thank DSC from the bottom of my heart for all the fun, wholesome activities. I’d like to thank Nemr, Meen, Treehoppers and Jammit for entertaining us all throughout the day. I’d like to thank each and every person that was there that day and helped make WBD 2012 even moe awesome than last year’s!

Check more than 500 additional photos here

I love the British. They have the Ministry of Sound, Hogwarts and A Clockwork Orange. The British Embassy in Beirut has also been really cool with us for the past few years, with Margaret Guy and now Tom Fletcher being active members of our humble local twitosphere.

The British Embassy has decided to hold the celebrations in ABC Dbayeh and Ashrafieh, and I was there for the first day. The one thing I can say, is that they’ve thought of everyone. Kids, girls, boys, parents, grandparents, petrolheads, fashionistas, entrepreneurs and even geeks have something to be excited about.

Perhaps the most interesting segments are the vintage car show, all of which are from private collections and function normally, complete with a white Lebanese license plate. There are Jaguards, Aston Martins, Lotuses, Rolls Royce and Land Rovers among others I haven’t heard of before like Sunbeam.

There’s also a mini-museum where you put a clay model of something, and get all the info you need on a big touch screen. Models of Big Ben and other monuments and symbols are all available to anyone passing by. There are also real models of first or second generation TVs, cameras, radios and even an ancient Mac!

There’s a corner for kids arts and crafts, and do-it-yourself fashion from rubbish. A Beatles cover band was also playing, which had everyone in the mall peer out to watch and sing along with.

But, if I had to recommend something, it would be the awesome cars and museum. So, if you’re a petrolhead and geek, check out ABC. It’s all free and it’s fun. Keep up with their schedule on their page to know the exact schedules.

Here are a few shots I took!

Donner Sang Compter is holding a fundraiser on the 17th of February, 2012. That’s next Friday! Joe Kodeih is a hilarious performer and after the critical acclaim of “Ashrafieh”, “Film Cinama” reviews so far point out that Joe has outdone himself yet again.

I’ve been a DSC supporter since the start, and have used this blog and you guys’ kindness and selflessness to help support the blood donation NGO. That’s why Gino’s Blog has bought 6 tickets to Film Cinama next week, which I’ll be giving away to you guys!

All you have to do is:

1. Like their page and show your support
2. Go donate blood, or go with someone if you can’t
3. Upload your photo to Gino’s Blog
4. The first three people to upload their pics will get two tickets each! =D

PS, the donations need to be done this week. The point is to encourage everyone to donate now. Please don’t post old photos. Thank you for understanding! See you all next Friday!

In the absence of a functional government, comprehensive traffic laws and the naive Lebanese mentality when it comes to driving, The Talal Kassem Fund for Post Accident Care: Roads for Life, is on an important mission.

Defunct governments and institutions, and unfortunately tragic losses and deaths, push individuals and groups in Lebanon to fill in the void with volunteerism and goodwill. For those of you who don’t know, Talal Kassem is a 17-year-old IC student that was killed when a raging driver hit him on the corniche road in front of IC.

The untimely death of this young man has catalyzed the Roads for Life initiative. The main goal is of course updating Lebanon’s traffic law, and actually implementing (versus being harassed by KFC-loving thugs dressed as police officers). Unfortunately, that goal is a very long-term one, and in the meantime, thousands of people will die on the streets.

That is why, the Roads for Life initiative’s focus now is on the Advanced Trauma Life Support course, or ATLS. RFL hopes to give this course to Red Cross volunteers and ER doctors and caregivers from across Lebanon. The course is mandatory in many developed nations and Lebanon is the 42nd country to start giving this course thanks to RFL.

The first class of ATLS course should graduate later this year. The class of 16 is located at the AUBMC, where equipment and expertise are available. The plan though is to train and equip a lot more people and hospitals in Lebanon. The idea is, if we can’t stop accidents, we might as well improve the chances of accident victims in the crucial 60 minutes after trauma.

Personally, I loved this initiative. Apart from being a noble and much-needed cause, it is refreshingly specific. This helps us, and them of course, gauge the success and progress of the NGO. Other NGOs “promote awareness” or “help people” but, it never is really clear and observable. The ATLS course, its graduates and impact will be felt and real, which makes it all the more worthy of everyone’s support.

On Saturday, two French-Algerian artists, Algerino and Faudel, performed at the Zouk Roman Ampitheater. Faudel is famous (as Hady tells me =P) and Algerino’s presence is a more meaningful one. His song “Trinite”, is the song Talal sent to his mother the night before he died. Moved by this touching story, Algerino made his way to Lebanon to help launch Roads for Life amid the bitter-sweet tears shed by Talal’s family, classmates, friends and strangers alike.

The music was upbeat and rap-like, but unfortunately for me, in French! However, I did enjoy it immensely and admired the dedication and resolve of the people behind this project. I wish them all the best and urge you to keep up with their events and activities.

Make sure you check out their Facebook Page, their website and follow their Twitter and YouTube accounts, which my dearest friend Sana Tawileh is helping make awesome. I’d also like to thank Hady Chehlaoui and Deek Duke team for allowing me to get to know the RFL initiative better and help spread the word.

Everyone knows about Donner Sang Compter (DSC) and for those of you who don’t, punch in Donner Sang Compter in the search field above and read up on it.

The impact DSC has had on thousands of lives in the past few years has been massive, and on June 26, 2011, we plan on letting the rest of the world know about our selfless donors.

Every day, dozens of people from across Lebanon head down to give a pint of their own blood for someone they have never met. The patient’s lives often count on that precious blood bag. The enormous initiative of saving a stranger’s life is truly the hallmark of responsible and compassionate citizenship in a country where blood is often spilt for honestly stupid and naive causes.

That’s why we’re all coming together on June 26 to hold hands and form history’s largest human blood-drop formation. The unsung heroes of blood and platelet donations in Lebanon and the world deserve the recognition, and breaking the previous record of 1051 people is our goal! In fact, we’re hoping that 3,500 volunteers, donors, patients and friends will join us in this massive record-shattering feat.

So, RSVP on Facbook NOW and spread the word as best you can! Be part of this historic day at Saint Joseph School Cornet Chehwan’s greenfield