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A Lebanese Blog

Tag: Beirut

  • Dalia Freyfer and Télé Liban Break The World Record for Longest Talk Show

    Dalia Freyfer just broke the Guinness world record for the longest TV talk-show this morning by going live for 24 continuous hours and hosting more than 90 guests on Télé Liban.

    The show started yesterday morning at 8AM and ended exactly 24 hours later today. And as it shows in the above photo, she immediately got her world record certificate .

    For those who don’t know her, Dalia performs religious hymns in addition to occupying two jobs at Télé Lumière and Alfa Telecommunications. What makes her special though is that she lost her eyesight at a young age but insisted on pursuing her goals in life by obtaining a degree in psychology and attending the conservatroire.

    Out of curiosity, I googled similar record breaking attempts and noticed that presenters from Ukraine and Nepal hosted 52 and 62 hour talk shows in the last few years. This is definitely not to doubt Dalia’s accomplishment since Guinness already approved it, but it would be good if Télé Liban clears out the criteria she satisfied to break the record.

    Anyway, congratulations to both of Dalia Freyfer and our national TV channel!

    Photo via Mahmoud Ghazayel

    Update:

    It turned out Dalia actually got the certificate for the first 12 hours of her show in which she interviewed 43 people, but she continued for another 12 hours and interviewed even more people.

  • Dude Almost Killed Protecting His Shawarma!

    This is one hilarious story! Barbar’s chicken shawarma is worth some trouble, but things went a bit extreme for this guy as he got himself confused for a terrorist while trying to keep his sandwich from getting wet!

  • Halabi Bookshop – The Modern Bookshop With a Vintage Twist

    When I was a kid in the early nineties I recall it was hard for me to find a bookshop near my house that would regularly have my favorite magazines until my father once took me to Abdallah Halabi’s bookshop (Halabi Bookshop) in Jalloul Street. Ammo Abdallah had all my favorite stuff in one place back then, so it didn’t take long until I became a regular customer of his, and going to his shop every Saturday became a habit for me. Moreover, because he also had french publications available, my parents used to regularly pass by him and with time their relationship with him got more personal.

    As I grew older though, I eventually stopped getting kids publication and got interested in a specific genre of book that I occasionally buy, however I never stopped passing by his bookshop to greet him whenever I’m in the area.


    Abdallah Halabi and his daughter Lana before the renovation. There supposed to be a door behind them! Source

    Knowing that Adallah Halabi had a thing for collecting books and publications, starting the 2000’s you couldn’t but notice his bookshop getting tighter every day until it seriously got full a couple of years ago to an extent where you couldn’t even tell if that place even had a door! Every time I passed by I used to see a hint of the vintage stuff he has like old Arabic issues of Superman, Loulou wa Tabbouch, Abir, and others… and always wondered what more interesting books he has piling up inside. For some reason though, I had a feeling the bookshop will close down for good at some point in time and no one will ever have access to the gem inside, especially that I never noticed an effort being made to at least organize the large collections he had.

    30 and 40 Year old newspaper issues, not for sale

    Fortunately, I was proven so wrong last summmer! Lana Halabi (Abdallah’s daughter) quit her job and put a massive effort into taking out all the old books and magazines stacked inside to properly organize them, in addition to totally renovating the bookshop with the help of her brother Karim. The result was a nice modern look with the old publications adding a vintage feel to the place. That along with some details here and there like a small cool attic, old accessories, and authentic treats they offer to their customer, made the place feel really unique and standing out among its surrounding.

    Over the last few years, Al Halabi bookshop’s offering was mostly newspapers and weekly magazines due to the books being inaccessible, nowadays in addition to those you find old comic books in Arabic, French and English neatly hanged outside in addition to rare publication with some dating back to the 1950s and 60s, and they all tempt you to go inside and discover what more do Lana and her father have.

    Halabi bookshop during and after renovation

    Last week I had the opportunity to speak with Lana and learned that the re-branding of the bookshop didn’t only rely on simply just renovating it, as they have been actively participating in book fairs around the city to showcase their big collection and spread the word about their business. I also asked if the old comics and books are limited to what they currently have which means no more will be available once they’re sold out, and I was informed that aside from all the stuff they still have but are not on display yet, they’re constantly communicating with collectors from several countries in order to get more issues and make them accessible to people in Lebanon.

    If you have a thing for books in general I highly recommend you go pay a visit to Halabi Bookshop, first for the welcoming owners who will definitely have endless suggestions for you, and second for the cool feel the place has! Their collection is not limited to vintage publications only as they also have up to date stuff, so you will definitely find something to suit your preferences.

    Halabi Bookshop is located in Jalloul street in Tarik El Jadida, and you can check their exact location here on Google Maps. They’re also available on Facebook, twitter, and Instagram, so make sure to follow them to keep up with their news and any event they’re participating in.

  • What Are These Excavation Works in Ramlet El Bayda?

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    Many activists have been sharing photos since Thursday of excavations works currently happening at Beirut’s last public beach in Ramlet El Bayda but nobody was able to explain their purpose yet.

    Over the last couple of years there has been a lot of talk about the area being a private property and that a resort will be built there by Achour Development. However, right before the previous municipal council’s term ended last spring, it was announced that the municipality of Beirut will be claiming back the beach and surrounding land in order to keep it accessible to the public. News about the whole thing then eventually stopped circulating until these photos started surfacing online.

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    Knowing that the “Byeirteh” list’s promise when they were elected was to keep Beirut for its people, I hope they were considering Ramlet El Bayda a part of the capital when they made their promise back then.

    In all cases, I tried to reach both of Ziad Chbib (Beirut governor) and Jamal Itani (Beirut mayor) to know the purpose of these excavation works and will definitely post an update if they reply to me.

    Photos via Lama Karamé and Joelle Boutros.

  • Stunning Silent Mini Documentary of Beirut in 1921

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    I’m a sucker for old photos and videos of Beirut and the below two videos I found on medmem.eu are an absolute gem!

    The videos are both silent and were taken in 1921 during the French mandate. The first part shows several areas of Beirut like Saint George, Raouche, and The Grand Serail with brief descriptions in between the different scenes. It was quite interesting to learn from that part that a french aviation line used to connect Lebanon to Europe back then  through seaplanes.

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    On the other hand, the second part focuses on education institutions at that time with scenes showing USJ univerity and Hotel Dieu hospital among others institutes. Towards the end of it you can also see the Patriarch during that time Elias Peter Hoayek sitting between some officials at College du Sacre-Coeur.

    I will be searching to check if there are other related video to this documentary and will definitely be sharing them if I found any.

  • Beirut Digital Distrcit Has a New Little Free Library

    I went to Beirut Digital District yesterday and was surprised to find that a new Little Free Library popped up there!

    In case you’re not familiar to this initiative, Little Free Library is a worldwide movement that promotes reading by encouraging people to take any of the available books inside that box in exchange of leaving another one. I have earlier spotted a similar library in Horsh Tabet public garden and wrote about it here.

    Those who work there are definitely lucky for being to able to exchange old books with new interesting reads for free. Hoping to see more of these libraries in public places!

  • Hala Wardé Selected to Design Beirut Museum of Art

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    Following an architectural design competition that was launched last year to build the new Beirut Museum of Modern Art, 13 designers were chosen by the jury to compete in a series of rounds and I just read on The Guardian that the Paris-based architect Hala Wardé was selected to design the new museum.

    Wardé’s design comprises a 124 meters tower divided into a dozen 12 meter cubes that will house a library, several galleries, exhibition spaces, artists in residence and classes. The museum is set to open in 2020 and will be located on piece of land owned by the Saint-Joseph University opposite to National Museum in Mthaf.

    The area there between Mathaf and Ras El-Nabeh is one of my favorite parts in town and the new modern art museum will definitely make it more glamorous!

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    Photos are all via The Guardian

  • Banque Libano-Française is Getting a Cool New Headquarters in Saifi

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    Earlier this year Banque Libano-Française launched a competition to build their new headquarters in Saifi and at the end of the selection process it was announced that Norwegian-American studio Snohetta won with their “Magic Box” design.

    The design looks cool and I thought it is worth sharing since the new building will be a landmark in the area. The chequerboard-pattern facades look nice, but what stand out are definitely the plant-covered terraces carved into the roof and walls of the building.

    Regarding the exact location of the project, the competition page shows it will be built on a piece of land opposite to the Lebanese Emigrant statue.

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    Photos via Design Boom

  • Steve Wozniak is Coming to Beirut

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    Yesterday I got an e-mail from the organizers of Banque du Liban Accelerate announcing that Steve Wozniak will be among the speakers in their 3rd annual international conference in November.

    For those who know little about him, Steve Wozniak (or Woz) was one of the co-founders of Apple along with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne in 1976. He single-handedly developed the Apple I computer in the same year and then designed the Apple II in 1977 which became one of the first highly successful mass-produced personal computer, that’s why he’s considered a pioneer of the PC revolution in the 70s and 80s.

    I know there are a dozens of YouTube videos featuring talks by Wozniak, but watching him live will definitely be an enriching experience for tech entrepreneurs.

    BDL Accelerate is an innovation and startup conference that will take place at Forum de Beyrouth on November 3, 4, and 5, and attendees will be allowed admission for free. In addition to Wozniak, the organizers have so far announced  3 other speakers among which is Mike Butcher from TechCrunch.

    For more information you can check BDLAccelerate.com.

  • We Need a Cheaper Version of Souk El Akel

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    Even though Souk El Akel has been up for well more than a year now, I have only managed to go check it out a while ago in Beirut Downtown. And just like almost everybody else, I enjoyed the different flavors each stand was offering and loved how appetizing the food looked on display. The general ambiance also felt pretty nice with joyful people all around.

    Raclette Burger in the making
    Raclette Burger in the making

    Still, I was surprised with a couple of things, first being the unreasonable prices that are definitely not suitable for street food, and second the fact that no one seems to be bothered about it.

    $5.6 Pizza slices

    I have the utmost respect for Anthony (the founder of Souk El Akel) and everybody in his team for the effort they’re putting to let people enjoy clean and appetizing street food in a cool ambiance, but if that comes at a high cost like a $10 burger or $3.3 popsicle, then you can no longer call it street food, and for such prices I’d rather be at some restaurant enjoying a seated meal. I’m totally aware though that some items include premium ingredients like salmon and Angus beef, but then again, when I want to go have a street burger or a sandwich, it doesn’t really have to be made of premium stuff, just make me something tasty!

    $8 Waffles anyone?

    I don’t claim to have toured the world, but I have tried street food in several places like the US, Thailand, Turkey, Singapore, and Malaysia, and the prices were always dirt cheap for some of the best flavors I’ve tasted! So I really don’t understand how people here feel indifferent about $10 quick bites and dessert. It’s either everybody is suddenly better off, or I’m simply a cheap guy (I doubt the latter though :P).

    I tried these ice cream rolls in Kuala Lumpur last October for no more than $2. Now available as Frooza at the Souk for $8.

    All in all, paying $30 for some appetizer, a sandwich, and a dessert is just too much in my opinion for a street food market. For all I know, the organizers and the vendors are free to set whatever price they want and people will probably keep coming because it’s a new and cool concept to Lebanon, but making room for cheaper bites certainly make Souk El Akel earn its name.

    $9 Chicken and pork sandwiches