Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has announced that Earth Alliance, an environmental group co-founded by him, will donate $5 million to reduce Amazon rainforest fires and save the Amazon. As you probably already know, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has been on fire for nearly three weeks, with little to no media coverage. Why is it so important to stop the fire and save the Amazon, you ask?

1- It is the home of 30 million people who live and work there

2- It is also the home of 3 million species

3- The Amazon rainforest is known as the “lungs of the planet”; it is therefore very important to the health of the planet

4- The Amazon rainforest is the greatest reservoir of fresh water and biodiversity on the planet

5- The destruction of the Amazon rainforest means less oxygen and rain as well as warmer temperature

According to Earth Alliance, the Amazon rainforest is “one of the planet’s best defenses against the climate crisis”. So let us all be the change we want to see in the world by donating money if we can, or by simply spreading awareness around.

When it comes to emotional maturity, age is only a number. I’ve known young people who are mature beyond their years, and older people who are childish, and not in a good way. Being mature doesn’t mean letting go of your inner child and acting all serious all the time. It’s deeper than this. You can be a kid at heart and emotionally mature at the same time.

So what makes you emotionally mature?

1- Small talk no longer excites you

Former First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.”

2- You respect differences and don’t judge people

You’re more open-minded.

3- Sleep is better than a Friday night out

You don’t have anything to prove to anyone anymore. If you feel like chilling at home, you just chill.

4- You don’t force love

You know better. You’ve already learned your lesson, perhaps the hard way.

5- You take care of your mental health

You know how much it matters too well by now.

6- You are supportive of others

You lift people up whenever you can.

7- You know how to ask for help when you need it

And you know it’s okay to do so. As the song says, “We all need somebody to lean on”.

8- You feel your feelings

And you embrace them instead of bottling them up or running away from them.

9- You don’t cling to materialist things

10- You know your worth

You’re no longer unkind to yourself.

11- Your happiness doesn’t depend on people but on your inner self

You’ve reached inner peace and it feels so goooood.

You definitely know the basics about Lebanon: Lebanon has 18 religious communities, no deserts, we drive cars not camels. We’re also trilingual, we party, we can ski in the morning then swim in the afternoon blablabla. I’m sure you’ve heard it all. I’m also sure you told all your foreign friends about these awesome clichés. They’re all true obviously! I’m definitely not saying otherwise. And we all love our beautiful Lebanon for all these reasons. But why not add a few more to the list?

Here are a few random things you probably didn’t know about our beautiful Lebanon:

1- There are more than 80 banks in Lebanon

(Actual banks, not just branches obviously).

It’s a huge number for such a small country.

2- Lebanon is the 3^rd most easy-going country when it comes to National Holidays

Lebanon has 16 days of National Holidays a year. Only India and Columbia top Lebanon with 18 National Holidays a year!

The Telegraph ranked the countries according to how many days off they enjoy:

3- The name “Lebanon” appears more than 70 times in the Old Testament

Yes we go way back!

4- Beirut was named “World Book Capital” back in 2009

5- Beirut is compared to a phoenix because it was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times

6- Lebanon is the #1 producer of the publications in the Arab World

We don’t talk about this enough. We should all work together to associate Lebanon to education and culture more than anything else.

There is a saying that says “Egypt writes, Lebanon publishes, Iraq reads”

7- Lebanon was home of the first printing press in the Middle East

The printing press of Deir Mar Antonios in the Valley of the Saints (1585).

Do you know what John F. Kennedy said during his inauguration speech in 1961?
“And so my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”.

These words are associated to him while they’re actually Gibran Khalil Gibran’s.

So let’s all work together to spread positive Lebanon-related information. As much as we can. As far as we can.

So JOMO (joy of missing out) has just emerged and it’s getting contagious. With summer here, all we do is party, eat and drink, but sometimes all we really wanna do is ditch, stay home, and catch up on Netflix. But with many groups of friends, especially in Beirut, one cannot ditch a plan without any drama. I mean sure, honesty is key. I wish we could all say “I’m just not feeling it and would rather stay in”- but let’s face it, we all know this answer only ends up with one scenario: you at the party.

So here are six excuses to ditch a plan that were proven to work by scientists and JOMO people like myself.

Just a small tip before you start using this guide: make sure to text not call to avoid the endless trap questions!

1- I went way too hard last night!

You’re hung-over and you can’t even smell/see or hear alcohol. You got back home super late and you cannot pull this one off. Also, try to make the other person feel sorry for your hangover!

2- I have to work tonight – late meeting

And for you to be able to pull this one off, you should live the ‘lie’ right from the beginning – ‘3isha’: which means always complain about how demanding your boss is and how “not close or chill” you guys are so you could sound believable.

3- I have an early workshop/volunteering tomorrow that I signed up for and forgot about.

And if they try to convince you that you’ll be home early, tell them that you cannot risk it anymore as you have already skipped the last one for the same reason.

4- I’m broke – direct and straight to the point.

You can borrow money from your parents ofc but you wanna leave that card for something else and don’t wanna seem too pushy.
Now if they insist on paying this one for you, tell them how uncomfortable it makes you feel. “I also have to fill gas, pay the cab, valet and all that… so it reaaaaaaally is a hassle – but I’ll make it up to you once I get paid!”

5- Oh was that tonight? Omg, I totally forgot about that, I should start using a reminder

And follow it with “And now I am committed to this work/family dinner that there’s no way I can get out of” – or “It’s too late now I’m not even prepared and am already in bed”. UGH. I am supeeeer sorry. I owe you one I promise!”

6.      Remind them of the big party (that has way more value) happening very soon and how you need to pass on this one to be able to attend the next one, together, and have the time of your lives.