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A Lebanese Blog

Tag: Beirut

  • Enab restaurant employees break into IndyACT offices

    If you think restaurants that are being criticized for breaking law 174 (smoking ban) in Lebanon might be feeling a bit ashamed of what they’re doing, then you’re definitely wrong, those restaurants are actually getting ruder by the moment!

    One of these restaurant is Enab in Gemmayze, who has basically never respected law 174 and always allowed its customer to smoke indoor. In response to that, IndyACT decided to use their office, which is located right next to Enab, in order to put up a huge banner calling the restaurant to abide by the law, and next thing they knew was Enab’s employees breaking into their offices to take down the banner!

    Fortunately, IndyACT later got an official permit from the municipality of Beirut to put the poster up again. But I wonder what difference will it make when these restaurants already feel like they have so much power to actually break the law and get away with it while their customers are happy! It’s maybe up to the few of us to boycott them for what they’re doing.

    via A Separate State of Mind

  • Escort agencies in Lebanon

    Lebanese escort agencies that are operating on the web got the attention they have never dreamt of on Lebanese TVs during the past week!

    Both of MTV’s Enta Horr and OTV’s Haida El We2e3 decided to tell the government and people about these websites as if no one knew they existed for several years now, and even showed how the whole thing works by setting up a hidden cam inside a hotel room and calling these agencies to get one of their girls. Joe Maalouf went a bit further towards the end of his report and listed all the agencies numbers! You know, just in case someone doesn’t have internet access to get them.

    Free advertising much?

  • Yet another old house gets demolished in Beirut

    I really felt sad when I learned this old house in Ain El Mraisseh is being demolished as I know some of its previous owner (The Nsouli’s), and I know how beautiful it was from the inside.

    But then again, at a time when the government has no plans to acquire these old houses and protect them, you just can’t expect people to keep preserving heritage buildings while the real estate market in the country is booming.

  • Funny break sign in Hamra

    Break sign in Hamra

    With “Jeye” and “MissCall me”, that’s one typically Lebanese sign! Photo credits go to Pascale Sfeir.

    via Beirut

  • 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?

  • 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!

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Unknown lady blocks Hamra street!

    According to this Facebook page, some unknown lady driving a black BMW with tinted windows in Hamra today afternoon, refused to stop for the police who apparently wanted to check the tint license, and decided to block the whole street when he insisted!

    lady blocking hamra street 1

    Lady blocking hamra street

    lady blocking hamra street 2

    No matter how important this lady is, it would be a real shame if the ISF let her get away with what she did. She cannot cause people to get stuck in a traffic jam for no reason except that she thinks she’s above the law, especially in a business center area like Hamra. I hope no one was being rushed to a nearby hospital and ended up getting stuck there!

    Thanks to @ghazayel

  • Khlosna ba2a

    Makhzoumi LED(4x3)m 5

    While March 8 and March 14 are fighting over what electoral law to adopt in the next elections, and other irrelevant issues to the society’s needs, people are bit by bit starting to hate both parties and willing to support any other independent party who’s ready to address their real needs.

    Such options have already started to emerge. I recently heard about a group of businessmen who have formed an NGO called “The Civic Influence Hub” aiming at bringing a social change to Lebanon without getting involved in politics, and just today, a campaign by the National Dialogue Party headed by Fouad Makhzoumi started to make a buzz around Facebook with its slogan being “Khlosna ba2a”, which I guess speaks what a lot of us think about on the current situation of Lebanon with its corrupt politicians and stagnant economy.

    Makhzoumi LED(4x3)m 1

    This is not the only campaign of its kind we might hear about in the next few weeks, some other similar campaigns might follow and I believe they should be given a chance for at least offering us an alternative to the politicians who have been ruling this country for ever now and have failed miserably at securing our very basic needs.

    I mean warlords have been controlling us for decades now, and I only find it logical to give new people a chance to do things differently and maybe bring us the social change that we all are asking for!

    Makhzoumi LED(4x3)m 4