TED Community » Yasmine Hajjar

More About Me

People don't know that I'm good at

I am an excellent cook.

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1.10 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Talk: Keller Rinaudo: A mini robot -- powered by your phone

  Apr 15 2013: This reminds me of a robot that friends of mine are working on at Lamba Labs (it's a hacker space in Beirut). I am really looking forward to modified versions in the future because it would be create to still interact with friends and family abroad when you can't be there.
  
  https://lambalabs.org/doku.php

• A reply on Talk: Jessica Green: We're covered in germs. Let's design for that.

  Mar 27 2013: I agree, this study is a huge step forward. I think that at some point we might be able to foster good bacteria growth for our health which I think might an outcome of Jessica's research. The thing that might be interesting to follow up on is that bacteria reacts differently to different people depending on genetics as well. For instance someone of African decent is affected by a certain type of bacteria differently from someone of European decent.
  
  Actually I work with a germophobic coworker and she is afraid of both the good and the bad bacteria. But then again, there are different cases and she is just on the extreme side.
• +2

  A comment on Talk: Jessica Green: We're covered in germs. Let's design for that.

  Mar 27 2013: I can only imagine a germ-phobic person's reaction to this talk.
  The idea is brilliant and am looking forward to seeing how it is applied.

• A comment on Talk: Mark Shaw: One very dry demo

  Mar 27 2013: This sort of technology is something that is really great to look forward to in the future when it becomes more accessible to the public. The applications are actually much more endless than what he just stated - dry homes, shoes (best part), clothing. But I don't think the average person will be able to afford it just yet.
  
  One question I do have is the environmental impact or on health - is there anything we need to know? People/companies tend to hype things up and problems like tat don't surface until later.

• A comment on Talk: Erik Schlangen: A "self-healing" asphalt

  Feb 16 2013: I think this is an ingenious idea, maybe more countries should start adopting this. Especially for streets inside cities.

• A comment on Talk: Young-ha Kim: Be an artist, right now!

  Feb 16 2013: I think he has it right, we try to conform so much to the community we are in that we lose the fun part of us for a while. But I don't think it is the case any more. In the past it was integral for us to leave our artistic side behind, but society now celebrates it and you can find a huge return to art these days. The reasons behind it are varied, but it is there.
• +2

  A comment on Talk: Kid President: I think we all need a pep talk

  Feb 12 2013: We were made to be awesome.

• A comment on Talk: Shabana Basij-Rasikh: Dare to educate Afghan girls

  Feb 12 2013: I have goosebumps just thinking about having to face such death threats just to get to school. It is such an inspiration to see women who are so motivated that they face such odds in order to educate themselves and against such odds succeeding!

• A reply on Talk: Leslie Morgan Steiner: Why domestic violence victims don't leave

  Jan 28 2013: I don't think it is a matter of females being more privileged. It is more a matter than there are less males that report this abuse and strive for creating a law that protects them from women.
  
  To be honest, we live in a patriarchal society where the man is still seen as the more powerful and more dominant of the sexes. This perceptions stops a lot of men from reporting or seeking aid for something they consider would decrease their 'manhood'.
  
  Women on the other hand have used this to their advantage to gain legal protection. Unfortunately, there are some countries that do not have these laws in place for a woman's protection, but non the less we have seen many groups striving to change that. One group we have here is tackling it by working with them men themselves - http://www.kafa.org.lb/fields-of-action/1/10/engaging-men-and-boys-in-ending-violence-against-w but maybe there should be something similar for men who are abused? Maybe if more men talked about their experiences as the trend is becoming, then we might see equal laws for both men and women who are abused domestically.
  
  I also think that the facts themselves might not be wholly true - how many men do you know that would stand up and say "I am being abused by my wife/girlfriend/stepdaughter/etc" ??? That is why there is a high statistic in terms of women abuse and that is the issue being raised.
• +3

  A comment on Talk: Leslie Morgan Steiner: Why domestic violence victims don't leave

  Jan 28 2013: Her strength is just mind blowing.
  It still astounds me that there are people that would hurt those they love with such vicious intent. But she is right - whenever I hear about abuse victims, I always ask myself why he/she didn't leave? Why didn't he/she reach out to someone they trust, anyone! And now it makes more sense to me, but in my mind I will always be asking these questions.