Archive | January, 2013

5 Things to do in Lebanon

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The Wall Street Journal compiled this list of five fun things to do around Lebanon in an article published yesterday.

  1. Visiting one of the vineyards in Batroun or Bekaa and do wine tasting.
  2. Sitting down at a Beirut couple’s table for a home-cooked meal.
  3. Visiting Mleeta museum in the south.
  4. Vising Moussa Castle in Chouf.
  5. Snowshoeing in the mountains.

It’s good the articles mentions nothing about the nightlife in Beirut for a change! Anyway, I’m familiar with 4 out of the 5 things the author listed, but it’s the first time for me to hear about this couple in Beirut (Sylvia Khoury & Charles Ghorayeb) who welcomes visitors in their own apartment in Beirut and offer them home cooked dishes for the price of $20 per person, and $30 including wine. Has anyone heard about them before? I tried to look them up online but found nothing except what the article mentions that they previously used to organize tours around Lebanon for tourists.

2. Sit down at a Beirut couple’s table for a home-cooked meal

Sylvia Khoury and Charles Ghorayeb welcome visitors into their Beirut apartment for an evening of Lebanese food, wine and conversation. The couple, who formerly offered tailor-made tours of Lebanon to tourists, now focus on their home-kitchen venture. They serve dishes such as malfouf (stuffed cabbage leaves), shankleesh (ripened cheese) and makanek (little sausages). The food relies on seasonal staples that are grown in the couple’s garden in Damour, just outside the city. $20 per person, $30 with wine; to make a reservation, email Ms. Khoury at skhoury131@hotmail.com

Would you give them a try?

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Mufti Kabbani strictly against civil marriage

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I’m a Muslim myself but never knew civil marriage is regarded that bad until I heard what Mufti Rashid Kabbani had to say about it today.

“Every Muslim official, whether a deputy or a minister, who supports the legalization of civil marriage, even if it is optional, is an apostate and outside the Islamic religion,” Qabbani said in a religious edict, or fatwa.

“[Such officials] would not be washed, would not be wrapped in a [burial] shroud, would not have prayers for their soul in line with Islamic rules, and would not be buried in a Muslim cemetery,” Qabbani added. Source

Why the hell can’t religious figures accept that civil marriage becomes optional in Lebanon just like alcohol is?!

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New Lebanese movie – Ossit Sawani / Blind Intersections

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Ossit Sawani or Blind Intersections is a new Lebanese movie directed by Lara Saba  about three people who come from different backgrounds and have never met, yet their lives will be seriously affected after one incident occurs.

Three protagonists, one city… Coming from different backgrounds, they pass each other but they never meet, though, the effect of one incident will drastically alter the lives of the three of them!

Nour loses her parents in a car accident. All her life collapses…
India has everything a woman can dream of except for a baby…
Marwan is 12 year old, he lives with a violent and alcoholic mother.

Three characters, caught at a moment when their lives fell over, in just a matter of seconds… knocked down by a chain of others’ actions/reactions…

The movie is set to be released in less than a month on February 21st, and I really hope it delivers what the trailer promises. For more information, you can visit the movie’s official Facebook page here.

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Myriam Klink also running for the elections

Looks like the easiest publicity stunt to pull nowadays is to announce you’re running for the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections. That’s what Myriam Klink did last night following Nathalie Fadlallah’s similar announcement last week.

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If these two ladies ever made it, then our MPs will definitely have problems focusing on their job since they couldn’t take their eyes off Strida Geagea when she was elected back in 2005.

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Agent 505 – Todesfalle Beirut

I just stumbled upon this old German movie called “Agent 505 – Todesfalle Beirut” (also known as “Agent 505 – The Trap Door Falls in Beirut”) that was shot in Beirut back in 1966.

The part below has some scenes from Raouche, Ain El Mraisseh, and the airport of Beirut. I wish I can find some other parts or even the full movie somewhere online!

If you’re curious about the storyline, here’s what I found by one user on IMDB.

A dastardly villain known as The Sheikh threatens to wipe out the city of Beirut (and all 650,000 of its citizens) in this reasonably entertaining West German thriller from director Manfred Kohler, perhaps best known today for co-writing Harry Kumel’s erotic vampire epic Daughters of Darkness. Frederick Stafford plays suave secret agent Richard Blake, on the trail of The Sheikh with the assistance of gorgeous reporter Denise DuPree (Genevieve Cluny). A philanthropist named Omar Abdullah (Willy Birgel), whose cause is rehabilitating criminals, attracts the attention of Blake, and we’re off to the races. Babes, bullets, and gadgets–they’re all here and shot on location in mod, mod Beirut, at the time an ‘international city’ and a popular spot for European co-productions.

Music lovers should note that Ennio Morricone’s score echoes his spaghetti western work but fits nicely into the proceedings, whilst anticipating Theodorakis’ percussive Z score by a full year. The English language print misspells his name ‘Morricono’, though!

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Ziad Rahbani & co. at the Blu Note Cafe Hamra

Ziad Rahbani

Here’s some good news for Ziad El Rahbani lovers. He started performing earlier this week at the Blue Note Cafe in Hamra with a band of 11 musicians and will continue until January 29th.

The program called “Orthoizoks und Rahbani Ziach” is comprised mainly of jazz music with lyrics in Arabic, French and English. Make sure to reserve early if you’re planning to attend one of the evening as I believe places must be running out fast (The Blue Note Cafe’s number is 01 743 857).

On Monday night the Blue Note Café hosted “Orthoizoks und Rahbani Ziach,” an evening of original compositions by Ziad Rahbani – Assi and Fairouz’s son. From his piano, Rahbani the younger led an 11-person ensemble of musicians and vocalists before a capacity audience.

“Orthoizoks und Rahbani Ziach” is comprised of such Rahbani tunes as “Spiral,” “Smooth Talk” and “Viva de Funk.” Those familiar with Rahbani’s oeuvres may have found the evening’s playlist echoed the one he staged for his UNESCO Palace performance in December 2012.

This multilingual program – with lyrics in Arabic, French and English – transported the Blue Note through several distinct moods. From romantic ballads to cool jazz, Rahbani and Co. worked to sate the eager audience’s thirst for soulful groove. Source

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Photos of the fallen truck in Nahr El Mot

Some friends of mine who work at Nahr El Mot sent me the below photos of the truck that fell today morning off the bridge leading to Metn highway. Luckily only the truck driver was injured.

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nahr el mor

Thanks to Elie Tawil & Elie Hajj.

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