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Blockbuster movies at a plush hotel, international cuisine, and solar-powered lanterns

Blockbuster movies at a plush hotel, international cuisine, and solar-powered lanterns

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Savor world-class cuisine and authentic Middle Eastern flavors at the Jordan International Food Festival (JIFF) in Amman, running Aug. 6-11.
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THERE
Blending international cuisine and cultures
Savor world-class cuisine and authentic Middle Eastern flavors at the Jordan International Food Festival (JIFF) in Amman, running Aug. 6-11. The festival, now in its second year, returns with the theme 'gathered,' describing a fundamental Arab way of being — of bringing people together to cook, to eat, to remember, and to celebrate. The festival blends traditional and creative flavors from across the region and brings locals and visitors together in this vibrant city. JIFF features live cooking demonstrations, hands-on master's classes with renowned chefs, nightly concerts with local performers, food-focused panel talks, and more than 200 participating international and local food vendors and restaurants. Don't miss the collaborative dinners with international guest chefs and local Jordanian culinary artists and, for kids, the interactive children's zones. This year's event introduces a Gastro-Diplomacy Pavilion where embassies and expat communities present their national cuisines in a celebration of cultural connection through food.
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Solight Design's origami-inspired inflatable lanterns collapse for easy packing and then unfold to create cube-shaped lights that are powered by the sun.
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A light source for off-the-grid travel
Keep your tent or campsite illuminated with Solight Design's solar-powered inflatable lanterns. These lightweight origami-inspired lights — invented by Alice Min Soo Chun, a former professor of material technology at Columbia University — collapse for easy packing and then unfold to create cube-shaped lights that are powered by the sun. Each light has a small solar panel on top and, on the other side, bulbs attached to a reflective surface that casts light into the cube. The waterproof lights are made from recycled sailcloth, float on water, and come in a variety of sizes and color options. The Helix Hybrid has warm and bright-light settings and provides up to 90 lumens of light for up to 10 hours, while the SolarPuff Multicolor Solar Lantern offers the same brightness and battery life but has six color options or a rainbow setting that cycles through all those colors. The 4000 mAh MegaPuff Lantern provides 40 to 300 lumens and comes with a USB-C port for charging a smartphone or other small device while off the grid. $22-$68.
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KARI BODNARCHUK
Kari Bodnarchuk can be reached at
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The joke goes ‘who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but NYers can't agree on the punchline
The joke goes ‘who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but NYers can't agree on the punchline

New York Post

time2 hours ago

  • New York Post

The joke goes ‘who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but NYers can't agree on the punchline

Don't take a good joke for Grant-ed. Most people have heard the joke 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but New Yorkers and tourists at the famous Morningside Heights landmark this week couldn't agree what the punchline is. The obvious answer is the so-obvious-it-can't-be-correct 'Grant' as in Civil War general and former US President Ulysses S. Grant. But maybe it's also 'Grant and his wife' — or no one at all. Advertisement 8 Most people have heard the joke 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but New Yorkers and tourists at the famous Morningside Heights landmark couldn't agree on what the punchline is. Robert Miller 8 A group about to go on a tour of Grant's Tomb, located in Riverside Park, Upper West Side. Robert Miller 'Actually, he's entombed. He's not buried!' said S.F., who was visiting the tomb on the Upper West Side on July 23, the 140th anniversary of Grant's death. Advertisement 'It's Grant and his wife, Julia,' S.F. added. 'I don't know whether his dog is in there or not.' 'Definitely not Grant, but somebody,' joked Abdullah Hashimi, 19, who was visiting the tomb from nearby Columbia University on July 23, the 140th anniversary of Grant's death. 'Just because it's Grant Tomb, it could be anybody!' 8 'Definitely not Grant, but somebody,' joked Abdullah Hashimi, 19, who was visiting the tomb from nearby Columbia University on the 140th anniversary of Grant's death. 'Just because it's Grant Tomb, it could be anybody!' Robert Miller Lifelong New Yorker Pat Sopak, 75, said the punchline has changed over the years — to maximize it's punch. Advertisement 'It's too weird. It's obvious,' Sopak said. 'It's constantly updating.' Grant was a Republican from Ohio, but lived in the Big Apple for several years. The former Union Army hero's 1885 funeral was reportedly attended by 1.5 million at a time when the city's entire population was 2 million. 8 'It's too weird. It's obvious,' Pat Sopak, 75, said about the punchline. 'It's constantly updating.' Robert Miller 8 Inside Grant's Tomb, a 150-foot-tall monument in Riverside Park that opened on April 27, 1897, after fundraising from the Grand Monument Association. Robert Miller Advertisement 8 The 1885 funeral was reportedly attended by 1.5 million. Robert Miller But the 150-foot-tall monument in Riverside Park didn't open until April 27, 1897, after a fundraising effort by the Grand Monument Association. Today it attracts about 110,000 visitors per year and is run by the National Parks Service. Park Ranger Miranda Allen said she's asked about 'who's buried in Grant's tomb' nearly everyday. She attributed its origins to 'You Bet Your Life,' the Groucho Marx-hosted quiz show from the 1950s and said it was written as an easy question for Marx's contestants who might need redemption. 8 Park Ranger Miranda Allen said she's asked about the joke nearly everyday. Robert Miller 8 'In order to be buried, you have to be in the ground,' Allen said. 'Since the remains are in sarcophagi, so they're actually above ground. So no one is buried in Grant's Tomb,' she said, joking the correct answer is 'no one.' Robert Miller 'However, they didn't consider the semantics of the question when they wrote it. So, when you're asked 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' it's easy to assume, well, it's Grant. Sometimes we'll get 'well, actually it's Grant and his wife.'' Advertisement Allen said the joke's on them though — the correct answer really is 'no one.' 'Because in order to be buried, you have to be in the ground.' Allen said. 'And given that this is a mausoleum, since the remains are in sarcophagi, so they're actually above ground. So no one is buried in Grant's Tomb.'

Meet IndyStar Pulliam fellow Sam Habashy
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Indianapolis Star

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  • Indianapolis Star

Meet IndyStar Pulliam fellow Sam Habashy

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Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese composer and son of icon Fayrouz, dies at 69

timea day ago

Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese composer and son of icon Fayrouz, dies at 69

BEIRUT -- Ziad Rahbani, a visionary Lebanese composer, playwright, pianist and political provocateur, died on Saturday, at the age of 69, according to the state-run National News Agency. The death was confirmed by a person close to Rahbani who spoke on condition of anonymity. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Born in 1956 in Antelias, near Beirut, Ziad was the eldest son of legendary Lebanese singer Fayrouz and late composer Assi Rahbani, one half of the famed Rahbani Brothers. From a young age, he showed signs of prodigious talent, composing his first musical work at just 17 years old. Raised among artistic royalty, his world was steeped in music, theater, and political consciousness — a combination that would define his life's work. His mother, considered to be the most famous and esteemed performer in the Arab world, performed some of his compositions at her sellout concerts, blending Lebanese folklore with Western syncopation and phrasing. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun mourned Rahbani's death as a national loss, describing him as 'not just an artist, but a complete intellectual and cultural phenomenon.' In a statement, Aoun praised Rahbani as 'a living conscience, a rebellious voice against injustice, and an honest mirror reflecting the suffering and marginalized.' He highlighted how Rahbani's fusion of classical, jazz and Oriental music 'opened new windows for Lebanese cultural expression' and elevated it to global levels. 'Ziad was a natural extension of the Rahbani family, which gave Lebanon much beauty and dignity,' the president added. While his parents helped construct a golden era of Lebanese musical theater steeped in idealism and nostalgia, Rahbani charged onto the scene with irreverent satire, unflinching political critique and jazz-inflected scores that mirrored the chaos and contradictions of a Lebanon at war with itself. 'I admire the music of composers like Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie,' he once said. 'But my music is not Western, it's Lebanese, with a different way of expression.' Rahbani's music reflected the hybrid heritage of Lebanon, which until the civil war erupted in 1975 was a cultural melting pot where East met West. But it was also deeply rooted in the traumatic events of the sectarian strife, the bloody street battles between rival militias and three years of violent Israeli occupation after the 1982 invasion. His breakout play, Nazl el-Sourour (Happiness Hotel), premiered in 1974 when he was only 17 and portrayed a society disfigured by class inequality and repression. The tragicomic narrative follows a group of workers who hijack a restaurant to demand their rights, only to be dismissed by the political elite. With this bold debut, Rahbani revealed his enduring theme: that Lebanese society was fractured not only by war but by entrenched power. A leftist Greek Orthodox, Rahbani also wrote plays and satirical radio shows centered on his violent environment that mock the sectarian divisions of his country. Rahbani's subsequent plays solidified his reputation as the voice of the disenchanted. In Bennesbeh Labokra Chou? (What About Tomorrow?), he plays a jaded bar pianist in post-civil war Beirut who drifts through a surreal landscape of broken dreams, corruption and absurdity. The work features some of Rahbani's most poignant music and biting commentary, including the famous line, 'They say tomorrow will be better, but what about today?' Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also mourned Rahbani's loss, describing him as 'an exceptional and creative artist—a free voice who remained true to the values of justice and dignity.' More than just a playwright, Rahbani was a composer of staggering range. He infused traditional Arabic melodies with jazz, funk and classical influences, creating a hybrid sound that became instantly recognizable. His live performances were legendary, whether playing piano in smoky clubs in Hamra, one of Beirut's major commercial districts that harbors a multifaceted identity, or orchestrating large-scale productions. His collaborations with Fayrouz, especially during the late 1970s and 1980s, ushered in a darker, more politically charged phase in her career. Songs like Ouverture 83, Bala Wala Chi (Without Anything), and Kifak Inta (How Are You) reflected Ziad's brooding compositions and lyrical introspection. Rahbani came under fire from Arab traditionalists for his pioneering efforts to bridge the gap between Arab and Western culture with music. In recent years, Ziad appeared less in the public eye, yet his influence never waned. Younger generations rediscovered his plays online and sampled his music in protest movements. He continued to compose and write, speaking often of his frustration with Lebanon's political stagnation and decaying public life. Rahbani is survived by his mother, Fayrouz, now 90, his sister Reema and brother Hali.

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