Last Christmas, I gave you my heart… Oups. Last WebSummit, I gave you my heart!

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

MONTREAL – When I woke up in the morning of the last day of the greatest tech summit of all time ( I know, you’ve must be annoyed that I keep writing that sentence but it is so true), I got this song stuck in my head of Phil Collins Another Day in Paradise (Oh, think twice dalalala) as I prepare myself to conquer the world at the Web Summit for one last time in 2018. I grab a big glass of orange juice and I gave a big kiss to Grace, the dog of Ana and Bruno my hosts during the week, on my way out to the Web Summit (please don’t tell Bily Whisky, my Maltese, that I did kiss a girl and I like it …).

When I arrive at the Media Village, I was so ready for my one of one interview with a fascinating woman. Her name is Charlotte Summers and she is the COO of Diabetes Digital Media.

You will hear really soon our nice conversation at the Web Summit. I learn some many things about Low Carbs diet and I saw in Charlotte, a warrior for the diabetes patients to have a better health and a better lifestyle. In my book, Charlotte’s rock! All the Charlottes I know are so cool.

Welcome to my Charlotte’s Club Charlotte Summers.

There were so many interesting conferences like the Do We Need a Declaration of Digital Human Rights with Brett Solomon of Access Now, Peggy Hicks UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and Adrian Lovett of World Wide Web Foundation. The moderator was Belinda Goldsmith of Thomson Reuters Foundation. Good and hard questions were asked about digital human rights. We are witnessing, especially right now, all the bullying that we are happening online from private citizens and some public figures like a certain person that is in charge of the United States of America. We do have a chart of human rights but do we need a chart of digital rights in this social media era? Yes, the chart of human rights should be enough but with everything that is going on, I do wonder if we need digital rights big time. The panel did debate on this question and of the 4, 1 of them did agree that we should maybe be considered to have a digital rights chart. I think we will still have this conversation in 2019.

In the afternoon, I met Marko Bitenc of GenePlanet for a small chat that you will have the chance to hear it really soon on The Chronicle.

Marko Bitenc is the CEO of GenePlanet. GenePlanet is an innovative healthcare and lifestyle solutions based on preventive genetic testing. Their goal is with preventive guidelines, they will help individuals to live a more fulfilling and healthy lifestyle. We may have to know someone that dies of a genetic predisposition and probably didn’t know at all he got those genes. I find it fascinating and it does give me a little bit more hope about the innovation of science to make our life a little bit healthier.

After my chat with Marko, I ran at the other side of the Pavillon (they got 3 big tents at the Web Summit) to see Lucas Di Grassi on stage.

Last time I saw Lucas was two years ago in Montreal.

Actually, Lucas was my next interview on my Thursday schedule right after his talks. But we did have to reschedule it. So be ready for two interviews (one in person and one in writing) with Lucas!

Back at Luca’s talk at the Auto/Tech and Talk Robot stage, Lucas talks about the human-machine race for the future.

The kid in me was super-excited. Lucas is the CEO of Roborace, the world’s first competition for human and machine teams, using self-driving and manually-controlled cars. Where do I sign to be a pilot?

Oh, I can hear my hubby saying you a pilot, haha, you must be kidding me.

Ok back to the topic. I saw it with my own eyes a driverless car (Lucas did show us a cool video) speeding up during a test drive and let me tell, human racers have some deep competitions coming really soon. Lucas is a passionate person and so smart.

I couldn’t see a better CEO than him for Roborace.

Paddy Cosgrave, the Web Summit Founder, gave a nice closing speech and before I forget to mention, during the Summit I think it was Wednesday late afternoon, all the women in tech were invited to go on stage for a big photo and a big applause from the public.

Wow, I’m so happy for every woman in the tech world to have this recognition.

As I prepare myself to fly home to my little family and to my Canadian weather and shinanigan, my heart was being nostalgic with all the conferences, the new friends like Paolo, Bruno, Grace and Ana and the partners I met at the Web Summit.

I had a little moment of happy tears but I didn’t cry a river because I couldn’t believe all the things I witnessed.

But I was so proud to be part of it. And then, a big smile came upon my face.

Why?

Collision 2019 will be in Toronto. The North-American version of the Web Summit will be in the Tdot! And then, I realize, Toronto will be my playground in May 2019.

Guess who will be back in the Tdot?

https://geneplanet.com

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/contributors/charlotte-summers/

https://roborace.com

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Felt like a Rockstar at day 2 of the Web Summit

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

MONTREAL – The feeling I had when I woke up last Wednesday was super happy and confident. I suddenly felt like a rockstar! Before I left for the summit, I grabbed a big glass of orange juice and my dear friend for the week, Grace, a beautiful dog whose home I was staying at, along with amazing hosts: Ana, Bruno, and Paola. Grace was looking at me with those big beautiful eyes and this look: “Oh no you are leaving…” I told her that today (Wednesday) would be a fabulous day at the summit and I would be back that night to tell her all about it.

Yes, I do have conversations with dogs. They are such good listeners… I think.

On my metro ride to the Summit, a young lady introduced herself. She saw my media bracelet and she asked me if I was going to the Summit.

I was happy to tell her yes. Her name wasDiana. She is a young, smart journalist for the Youth Association of Journalists in Lisbon (I hope I got the name right). Diana was a dear companion during the rest of the summit. We met every now and then and I truly cherished our new friendship.

One highlight of the day before I forgot to write about was walking through the Alexis Ohanion Sr interview for CNN. I kept my cool and I tried to listen. At the end of his interview, as I was on my way out and without any expectation, I told him to go see a talk on the main stage that I will tweet a picture of. I heard him say “oh ok cool”.

As I promised, I tweeted the picture I took. I didn’t expect that in the next 5 minutes, he would have liked the picture and retweeted it. Boom!!!

Only at the Web Summit things like this happen, or maybe in the subway.

Back to Day 2. I was sitting in the main auditorium during the early afternoon (around2 pm) to see the amazing Dr. Ben Goertzel of Hanson Robotics, a company creating expressive, life-like robots with friendly personalities. Dr. Goertzel wasn’t on stage by himself, Sophia and Hunt were rocking the stage with him.

Who are Sophia?

Here is Sophia:

Interview with Sophia

It’s so amazing to see them and to have to privilege to be invited to the press conference given by Dr. Goertzel and Sophie The Robot. Good questions were asked.

The Internet wasn’t at it’s best, so Sophia was under the weather, unfortunately. We did witness all the beautiful work that the Hanson Robotics Family has been building. The future looks promising for all of us.

Thirty minutes later, I went to another press conference. This time, it was with the brilliant artist, Imogen Heap. She is such a multi-talented musician, producer, engineer, philanthropist, and a kick-ass woman (yes, kick ass).

Mycelia is a research and development hub for music makers (Hallelujah!).

I even got the opportunity to ask her a quick question!

After this beautiful day, I went back to the place I was calling home for the week I was in Lisbon. Grace (the dog) and I hung out and she listened (again) to all the adventures I had during that fabulous day.

The next thing you knew, I was dreaming about the next day, the last day of the Summit with dear Grace next to me.

https://www.reddit.com

http://myceliaformusic.org

http://www.hansonrobotics.com

The beat goes on at the Web Summit Day One!

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

MONTREAL –  It took me two days to get my groove back from flying home after this year Web Summit in Lisbon. More importantly, to get back to Earth after having the time of my life at the best tech conference in the world and reliving the pleasure of discovering a city I first visit six years ago.
If you don’t believe me, please have a look at a few home videos of myself (my cameraman aka The Educated Fool is not with me). I apologize for the quality of the video, but it does capture the emotion.
 
You know what, here is a better video from The Web Summit family. Ah, much better!
Last Tuesday was Day One of the Web Summit, and what a day it was! I met some inspiring startups like Newsadoo; a News version of Spotify. I have met so many friendly people who genuinely want to change the world through their startup ventures. During Carlos Moedas’ press conference, he is The European Commissioner of Innovation and Research, I took a big breath and had a little talk with myself. I said, “Go Sab, it will be alright.” I asked this question. Check out the video and I’m sorry for my French-speaking accent :
 
I have had the pleasure of speaking with João Andrade of Chromatikborn.  Chromatikborn’s goal is to change the way fashion retail is organized. I’m a fashion lover and so for me, it’s a no-brainer to be excited about his startup.
During the afternoon, I saw Stephanie Mc Mahon on stage twice! She is one of the architects of the WWE Evolution. She talks about the evolution of women in male-dominated sports entertainment, specifically wrestling.
She also talks about where she wants to see the WWE in ten years. She wants it to be as big or even bigger than Disney. With everything Stephanie has accomplished, I wouldn’t be surprised if it did happen.
After a day of stars in my eyes and going weak in the knees (Thank God for my Adidas Superstars and no, this is not product placement… Hmm Adidas, call me!), I went to have dinner near the place I’m staying all alone.
Walking the streets of Lisbon during the night is mystical and magical. It’s my second time visiting this beautiful city. I will almost call it my third home away from home.
I’m falling in love with Lisbon all over again.
I went to a local restaurant (Chu Chu). I just wanted to eat, to relax and to enjoy memories of the day.
I ordered a half bottle of Vinho Verde and watched the sports network on their TV. By the time I finished my dinner, a friendly man had come to sit right next to me. Next thing you knew, we were having a really interesting conversation! We started talking about where I’m from, The Chronicle, and The Web Summit. Later, we spoke of his moving to Lisbon from France, yesterday’s mid-term election, and iconic French actors as we drank Porto.
When I finally put my head to my pillow last night, I couldn’t believe the day I had. 
I fell asleep and woke up with a desire to repeat the same day I had yesterday.
Guess what?
Wednesday was as fun and magical as Tuesday!

Who Says Montreal Girls are not Stylish?

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

MONTREAL- I woke up this morning in a pissy mood. It didn’t last long, but I kept thinking of a comment I read somewhere (I’m ashamed, but it was on The DailyMail). It was criticizing one of our fashionista Godmamma‘s, Jessica Mulroney‘s, fashion style and her status as a stylist.

First of all, for us, the golden children of this beautiful city, Jessica was a well-known stylist in Montreal – the city of a thousand bells. I’m not speaking as a fan but as a journalist. I am writing a fact. The beauty in the fashion scene of Montreal is that we have this New Yorker edge, with a touch of European class. We celebrate diversity and audacity. Sometimes I wish I was as daring as Jessica, but I’m forever a minimalist CBK girl (Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy). I writing a quick shoutout to Maestro Matt Berman!

Ok, back to the story…..

For me and probably others, when we attack in a mean-spirited way, one of us (and “us“ for me is a woman, a human being, a hard worker and in this case, a fellow Montrealer), we get protective, our mamma bear coat and the Rocky Balboa (I know, he is my ultimate hero) gloves go on and we fight back.

I won’t do a Kanye of myself because I’m a very proud woman. I don’t believe in fighting fire with fire and being a total ass. But, I do get it. We don’t share the same taste in fashion. That’s the beauty of it though. A good stylist is someone who understands this. They see the different tastes of someone and can be creative without changing their style. We do have fun with fashion.

Why so serious?

Using writing to bully someone and posting mean posts; that I am against it.

I do respect constructive comments. You may not be a fan of a particular fashion house, stylists, fashion magazine or designer, but let’s not go into the judgmental territory.

Fashion is a big playground, for everybody.

Stylists, fashion houses and designers like Jessica, Zoë Bedos-Trudeau, Catherine Malandrino, Di Carlo Couture, Marie Saint-Pierre, Eve Gravel, Denis Gagnon, DUY, Mackage, Philippe Dubuc, Valerie Dumaine and many more are making their marks and they all bring something special in this big playground that will call fashion.

Montreal fashion, for me, is like Micheal Jackson‘s first solo album, Of The Wall (my favorite!). It is the template for the storm that will come.

And Canadian designers, Canadian stylists and (Hell ya!) us Canadian lovers, are starting to show the world, you may or may not like it, but let’s conquer the world by storm.

https://www.mackage.com/ca/en

http://www.valeriedumaine.com/en/

https://evegravel.com

https://www.dicarlocouture.com

http://catherinemalandrinousa.com

https://www.mariesaintpierre.com/ca_en/

http://duycollection.com/Duy/duy.html

Watching Some Soap Opera NBA and NFL Style

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

MONTREAL – Before I started writing this article, I spent 25 minutes in front of my computer screen asking myself this question:

Is it me, or has watching sports become more dramatic, in a soap opera kind of way, like my all-time favourite soap, The Young and The Restless?

Sometimes, I do dream that I am the equivalent of Victor Newman. Ok, back to Earth Sab!

Did I think the “taking a knee” situation during the national anthem at an NFL game would escalate to the point that now, even players will confront each other about taking a knee or not?

This is maybe the first time in my life that I have felt hopeless about the future of humanity. I don’t like this feeling at all. It’s pretty clear that the NFL is a religion for Americans, but this is getting way out of hand.

I was raised to respect everyone’s beliefs, religion, and philosophy and to be a pacific person. I would never disrespect someone singing the national anthem, just as I wouldnever disrespect someone not singing the national anthem, but 2016 brought the winds of change.

I can see, pretty clearly, a marriage between sports and politics, especially in the NFL.

Yesterday, things got out of hand in the field between Eric Reid of the Panthers and Malcolm Jenkins of the Eagles. It was almost like the catfight between Alexis and Krystle Carrington of Dynasty.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25043749/carolina-panthers-eric-reid-scraps-malcolm-jenkins-other-philadelphia-eagles

In terms of the knee up or down, here is a solution: No more national anthem. When I’m watching the Premier League (soccer aka European football), I don’t hear the national anthem. I hear chants from the fans.

Another catfight that happened this weekend was during the LA Lakers versus the Rockets. I wonder what Floyd Mayweather thought of the first punch thrown by Rajon Rondo. I can tell you what I was thinking – even me, while drunk (hmm, it doesn’t happen a lot, hihi!) would have punched beautifully like Apollo Creed instead of like Pauly (Rocky Balboa’s brother-in-law who was a terrible puncher… think Rocky III, in the parking lot) as was the case for Rondo.

But let’s get back to the main topic, another catfight like Alexis and Krystle’s.

Contrary to the NFL’s catfight, this one is more entertaining.

Grab your popcorn basket and let’s watch it together:

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2018/10/21/18004988/los-angeles-laker-houston-rockets-chris-paul-rajon-rondo-fight

Do I have something else to say about those fights?

Honestly, no. I will continue to grab my popcorn for the NBA ones and I will hope that peace and pacifism will come to the NFL.

Let’s all sing Kumbaya please!

 

The Educated Fool week October 17th,​ 2018 (LeBron at LA, Jim Brown being Jim Brown and a little of Denzel)

Presented you by The Real Donnie Demos and her sidekick Sab

This week, Sab will tell her who is her new NBA favorite team or maybe not. The Educated Fool will talk about Jim Brown and his legacy and the duo will talk about some of their favorite Denzel’s moments in a film.

 

Is it a crime to be a journalist in 2018?

Written by Sabine Demosthenes

MONTREAL-  For a few months, this question has been haunting me in a way I couldn’t have imagined. Right now, in this world we are living in, is still normal that some governments or regimes consider journalism to be a crime?

In Canada, we don’t have this problem, but in the Raymar, this is what seems to be the case. Wa Lone, (32) and Kyaw So Oo, (28), who could have been my little brothers because they are only a few years younger, were arrested in December 2017 simply because they were doing their jobs – being journalists. They were sentenced to seven years in prison last September after reporting the atrocities and the killing of Rohingya Muslims in the Raymar.

Their human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney, gave a speech this last September at the UN Headquarters kindly asking if Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the famous Nobel Peace Prize honoraries and the Myanmar State Counsellor, could pardon the two journalists. By the way in early 2000, every time I have been to a U2 concert, I have seen a message of her telling us to be pacific and hope for a better world for the next generation.

So far, Aung San Suu Kyi is doing so little. With her inaction, you may question, damn, of all the people, does she truly think those journalists are criminals?? In my dictionary, The SAB Illustrated Dictionary 2018, being a journalist is not a crime. A journalist shouldn’t be in jail for doing their job. Criminals have done bad things like killing, stealing … Oh! Speaking of stealing, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were accused of breaching a secret act when they obtained confidential documents. Those documents would have been useful for terrorist organizations and enemies of the state. But those journalists were tricked. Clear and simple. Let’s try to find something to put them in jail so they won’t cover a very important story.

Even Amal said and I’m quoting: ”She (Aung San Suu Kyi) knows that mass murder is not a state secret and that exposing it doesn’t turn a journalist into a spy… History will judge her on her response”.

More and more, my conviction of not putting my trust in the government is growing. When I was young (I’m still young at heart), Aung San Suu Kyi was this really sweet and fragile, but feisty and courageous woman who wanted a better future for the country where she was born and raised. I saw her as a very gentle, pacific and kind-hearted person. Now, I have taken off my rose-coloured sunglasses, and I don’t find what I am reading about Myanmar in the news beautiful.

Those two journalists are apart from their young families. I can’t imagine the anguish and the kind of stress they are experiencing in their situation. I have the luxury of writing this post without fear of being thrown in jail or killed. I do take this for granted and I am ashamed of admitting it. But I won’t be ashamed to stand by those men.

Being a journalist is not a crime.

Never!