Wireless | Calendars
WHAT’S HAPPENING, LEBANON? Text AG JOY
FIND OUT WHERE ALL THE ACTION IS Did you catch the beach party in Byblos last week? How about the open-air concert in Downtown Beirut? Or that exhibit at the art center? If you’re answering “no” too often to these kinds of questions, and “I didn’t hear about it” as an explanation for your absence, then, like the rest of us, you’re probably in need of a comprehensive calendar of events. Enter two new websites: lebtivity.com and www.shoufibilebnen.com, aimed at making sure none of us foregoes any event because of a lack of information. Shou Fi Bi Lebnen and Lebtivity are calendars of events in Lebanon, from workshops and conferences to exhibitions, music, nightlife, sports and more. For event seekers, it’s as simple as accessing the sites and searching by day, month or category.
In addition, Lebtivity allows event planners to create, promote and manage events online. It’s free. And, it’s user-friendly. Lebtivity is the brainchild of five young Lebanese, who come from different professional backgrounds – graphic design, human resources and web design and development – and who share an energetic enthusiasm for life and activities in Lebanon. Shou Fi Bi Lebnen was created as a result of the promotional summer campaign of the same name initiated by Aïshti and which ran from June 10 to July 10 of this year. Aïshti created the calendar to highlight Lebanon’s attractions and encourage would-be visitors to the country. The calendar was such a resounding success that the company decided to keep it online permanently.
What to do | Cartoons
MONSTER MASH Text SERENA MAKOFSKY
SLASHERS FREDDY KRUEGER AND JASON GET A HILARIOUS MAKEOVER Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees are household names in the world of slasher movies. But one twisted cartoonist mind has placed the disfigured dream stalker and masked murderer in a distinctly different genre, namely the bromance. Illustrator Rafael Koff got inspired while watching the 2003 thriller Freddy vs. Jason. “I began wondering what would happen if they got along in the movie, instead of fighting each other,” says Koff. “That eventually evolved into the mix of gore and cuteness of this cartoon series. It’s a weird type of humor, as most of my other projects.”
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In his first illustration, he showed the pair taking turns at making snow angels while bathed in the blood of their victims. From these bloody beginnings, the series Freddy and Jason Have Fun was born. Koff says the snow angel image was “supposed to be a single cartoon and not a series at all. But the ideas for other situations such as the Lady and the Tramp one just started to come to me.” The response to these pieces demonstrates the public’s thirst for blood. “People really thought it was funny, and it quickly started to pop up in different
sites and blogs around the world. Something that is not usual for me, as I’m used to publishing cartoons in Portuguese and only see them on Brazilian sites. The lack of dialogue and the fact that the characters are known by everybody contributed to that.” Look for Koff’s skewed visions in his indie comic books and online comic strips, as well as his ongoing installments in his slasher rom-com series. “I’ll probably continue the cartoons for the Freddy and Jason series. Maybe it can become an independent book as well.” Aug-Sep 2012