Archive | October, 2011

What we might be missing about the new 7 wonders

Everyone and their mother is now calling to vote for Jeita to make it among the new 7 wonders of the world, and even celebrities and politicians are getting involved in the voting campaigns.

But we might be missing something here. Let me assume we did manage to secure the needed votes and made a new wonder out of Jeita Grotto, will people around the globe be aware of the new list? And most importantly, will they find it credible enough coming from an organization who has been accused of running scam campaigns (you can just Google it), and having no affiliation with the UNESCO?

And again, assuming we won, the news will make it to the culture page of several international newspapers, but people are most probably going to perceive that article the same way they perceive any other travel and tourism article. And the most genuine list will forever remain the list of  7 wonders of the ancient world, at least to me!

And in case you didn’t know it, we’re currently competing to make it into the list of 7 wonders of nature. Another 7 wonders were elected back in 2007, were you aware of it? (Regardless of the popularity of the chosen places)

So what do you think? Are we overrating that competition?

9

Beirut once again among the top destinations to visit in 2012

It’s definitely cool to have Beirut among the top destinations for tourists to visit in 2012. But it would also be cooler if editors, for once, focus on other cool stuff to do in Lebanon than Beirut’s nightlife scene. Don’t you think?

You’ll adore Beirut’s juxtaposition of old and new, traditional and downright funkiness. Restored Roman baths stand in the midst of the business district, surrounded by gleaming skyscrapers and an Ottoman palace. At Music Hall, in an old cinema hall, fez-wearing traditional musicians play Arabic ballads for their 15-minute spot, after an ’80s cover band, while cocktail-dress Beiruti women belly dance with their designer-jeans-clad partners supping cocktails. Soldiers with machine guns keep one eye on families drinking coffee at midnight, with squealing kids playing, on pedestrianized Place de L’Etoile square. Le Gray luxury boutique hotel sits a moment’s walk from the bombed-out Holiday Inn, still bullet-ridden from 1976 Lebanon Civil War.

You can check the full list here.

2

$1 Hot dogs coming to Beirut

This website of Authentic New York Hot Dog is promising a chain of hot dog carts soon to be available in Lebanon offering cheap hot dog sandwiches for $1 only, with combos starting as low as 3,500L.L as well.

I honestly expect the sandwiches to be super tiny since one of these combos includes 5 sandwiches, and I assume it should be a meal for 1 person. Still, I don’t mind it as long as they taste good! Let’s wait and see.

Meanwhile, my favorite place for hot dogs in Beirut remains Charlie’s in Bliss Street.

Thanks @HibaMoujabber

5

ABC Dbayyeh expansion

Passing by Dbayeh you can’t but notice the expansion work underway at ABC. Below is a sneak peek of how the mall will look like once all is done, and you can check here for more photos.

Looks sexy to me!

Via Kell Shi.

5

The ridiculous increase

The General Labor Confederation (GLC) suspended Wednesday’s planned strike after the Cabinet agreed late Tuesday night to increase the minimum wage to LL700,00 ($466) from the current LL500,000. The government also agreed to increase by LL200,00 the wages of those earning less than LLl million, and by LL300,00 those who earn between LL1 million and LL1.8 million. The agreement also included raising the daily transportation allowance to LL10,000 from LL8,000 while the education allowance for children jumped to a maximum of LL1.5 million.

I’m no economics or finance expert, but I’m gonna go ahead and call this increase ridiculous.

Following which logic did our ministers conclude that people of inferior income should get a smaller increase?! And how is this going to minimize the gap between social classes?

Not to mention that if you earn 1,900,000L.L while your colleague gets 1,700,000L.L, he/she is entitled to an increase while you are not, and will soon be earning more than you do according to the new agreement! Pretty fair eh?!

11

Screenshots from Flashman (1967) in Lebanon

Cool find by Beirut/NTSC of the below images taken from “Flashman“, and originally posted by Kheireddine in Skyscraper City.

So this is is how it was in 1967, the first one shot in Jounieh, the second in Maameltein back when the train ran through it, and the third one in Rawche next to the famous rocks. I am not getting nostalgic or anything, but – alongside that famous scene from James Bond (where he was having sex in Baalbeck!) – this is a throwback for a long-gone era (an era where things were brewing underneath the flashiness).

So, anyone got that scene of James Bond in Baalbeck? 😛

8

Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes