Archive | August, 2011

Internet prices going down next month

Internet prices are finally going down by the end of next month after the cabinet approved the new price list yesterday!

The good news for consumers: Today a 1 Mbps connection, the second-fastest available, costs 115,000 LL ($76.67) per month. Under the new regime, 1 Mbps will be the slowest connection sold by Ogero, the state-run telecom company, and will cost 24,000 LL ($16) per month. (Both price figures exclude the 10% value added tax.)

Packages will range from 1 Mbps with a 4 GB download and upload cap (it’s not split; you get 4GB for each) to around 8 Mpbs with a 30 GB cap. Imad Tarabay, CEO of the Internet provider Cedarcom, told NOW Lebanon that as soon as the new packages are implemented, customers with packages below 1 Mbps now will automatically receive the lowest-level new package from their providers (assuming Ogero releases bandwidth to the private sector). Customers can then decide if they want to switch packages or not.

We’re still way behind what people get in nearby countries but it’s still a good step forward, I just hope there will be enough capacity to accommodate the demand when everyone is automatically switched to 1Mbps next month, and I wish they would reconsider amending those bandwidth cap because one would consume them so fast with the speeds they’re promising.

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Le Gustav Hamra

If you happen to be passing by Hamra some time and feel like craving some sugar, make sure to drop by Le Gustav at Antoun Gemayel street. The place is very small and cozy, with 2 friendly chefs, Khaled and Noor, who never get bored of explaining to you how everything gets done in their kitchen and the ingredients they use.

Their menu has a wide variety of items and I personally recommend you try any of these three: Chocolate Pavè, Red Velvet cake with cream cheese, and Fleur-de-lis.

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Ice pops

I saw these ice pops at a small store that sells american goods near TSC Jnah, so I decided to buy some since I used to love them when I was a kid.

I can’t say this was the best way to remember my childhood since they tasted like a cough medicine! They even beat Bonjus with the artificial flavors.

Were they really that bad back in the 90’s?

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Fuddruckers Lebanon opening on August 26th

If you’re like me waiting for Fuddruckers to finally open its doors in Dbayeh, then the wait is almost over. I just saw their latest announcements on facebook claiming the grand opening is going to take place on August 26th!

Too bad for me it’s going to be Ramadan and I usually avoid heavy meals on Iftar, so I won’t be trying it out until Eid comes.

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No more indoor smoking in Lebanon

I wonder what will happen now to all these places that are mainly popular for their shisha, like Sanyour for example, when the law is put into effect.

But then again, this law might end up just like any other law that never gets implemented as it should, or probably gets implemented for a short period of time before the police starts to ignore violators. Let’s wait and see.

Source

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Burger Nation Hamra

I finally got to try the burger joint everyone has been buzzing about for a while now, “Burger Nation” located at end of Hamra street.

The menu is very straight forwards and offers either their selections of burgers or do-it-yourself, and while explaining about the burgers you can’t but notice how much the waiters emphasize on the fact that their patty is made of grass-fed Angus beef that’s imported from Australia.

Farah and I shared two burgers, the Nation’s Pride and the Swiss & Mushroom both 4oz and medium well, and I have to admit the patty is among the best in town, I mean you can easily feel the difference between others and what Burger Nation offers.

However, the sauces and toppings definitely need an enhancement, at least for the Nation’s Pride. With that holy beef patty, I was expecting a much better taste. And don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying it tasted bad, actually I’m planning to go there again to try their 6oz burgers, but I’m pretty sure BN can do better with the toppings.

Would I recommend you to go there? Yes, and do try their belgian fries.

 

 

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Nadine Labaki’s upcoming movie “W halla’ lawein?”

Nadine Labaki’s second movie “W halla’ lawein?” (Where do we go now?) is set to be released next month. You can watch a short preview of it and an interview with Nadine at BBC News.

The director-actor says she drew inspiration for the film, her second, from the events of May 2008 when violence in the streets gave rise to fears of a possible civil war.

The women of the movie are driven to consider all kinds of measures to try to stop the men in their lives picking up a weapon and joining the violence.

I like her first movie Caramel back in 2007, and I guess I’ll be watching this one as well.

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Thousands of old photos of Lebanon and the middle east

I just came across a great website called “The Fouad Debbas Collection” featuring thousands of old photos and postcards from Lebanon and the region collected by the late Fouad Debbas, who according to the website used to run the lighting business of Debbas family.

The collection is really amazing and well organized, you can browse it by country, era, period of time, photographer, and even by photo orientation. I’ve seen some old collections before, but this one is unique.

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Lebanon can now shop online

Lebanon finally got itself a real online shopping website! Mizalla.com

Mizalla, who launched their service just today, are promising to be an online mall where business owners can setup their virtual store to sell their goods online (check their “Businesses” page), which means the range of available items (mainly electronics) is expected to expand.

I’m still not sure how do their prices compare to the market but I’ll make sure to let you know about it. Meanwhile do check their website, it’s really worth a shot.

Update:

I compared prices between Mizalla and Khoury Home, and they were both selling TV’s and surround systems at the same price.

However, you can get some computer accessories like external hard drives and SD card for a cheaper price at  PCandParts.com. For example a Seagate 1TB external hard drive is selling for $132 at Mizalla, while it sells for $112.2 at PC and Parts ($102+vat).

Still when it came to digital cameras, PC and Parts turned to be a bit more expensive.

So prices are very close to what’s available in the market.

Update 2:

It’s better to buy SD memory cards from PC and Parts. 16GB cards class 4 are priced at $41.8 from PC and Parts while class 2 16GB cards are priced at $37.5 from Mizalla. Note that class 4 cards are twice as fast as class 2.

I’ll stop the comparisons as I guess you now have an idea.

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