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A Lebanese Blog

Tag: Lebanon

  • Fayrouz Preparing For A New Album?

    Fayrouz’s daughter, Reema Rahbany, has been posting a series of teaser-like videos on Facebook over the last 4 day all showing Fayrouz in a recording studio apparently working on a new single or album.

    The videos have no caption or description but I really hope a new project is in the making. And if it is the case, then it would be interesting to know the musicians she is collaborating with. She usually works with her son Ziad Rahbany, but I recall he mentioned in one of his interviews that they were not on good terms over the last few years and I’m not sure whether they reconciled or not.

    You can check all the videos on Reema’s Facebook profile.

    On a side note I’ve never seen Fayrouz performing live, so I also hope a concert is in the making this summer because I really would like to see her on stage at least once before she retires.

  • Awesome Trip Back in Time – Hadi Ramadan Retro Games and Consoles

    I was recently looking to buy the original Game Boy (the one from 1989) and my internet search led me to an awesome retro games collector in Beirut called Hadi Ramadan.

    I initially saw an ad by him for a used Game Boy on OLX so I contacted him and agreed to pass by his place to check it out, and judging by the other ads he was running on the platform I thought he was selling a few of his old stuff but boy I was wrong! When I reached the location he greeted me and showed me his apartment which has two rooms filled with all kind of consoles and games from the 80s and 90s! Nintendo NES, Super Nintendo, Family Computer, Atari, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Game Gear, All kinds of Game Boy (original, color, advance, etc..) you just name it, a true heaven for retro gamers!

    Hadi turned out to be an avid collector who constantly look for old consoles up for sale around the world and gets them to Lebanon with the help of his relatives. He also of course tries to make some extra money by reselling them here but his full-time job keeps him from properly advertising the stuff he has or even just properly organizing them for a suitable display, however he told me he has a plan to soon organize everything once and for all. But for the time being, if you visit his place prepare yourself to dig into several boxes to go through the available devices and game cartridges.

     

    What I first thought would be a 10 minutes visit led into me staying over an hour with him going through the old consoles and he even showed me his own private collection. That guy has probably the coolest bedroom by the way with old games and gadgets all over the walls.

    Now you probably are wondering about the prices and all I have to say is that he’s quite fair with his pricing. For example he’s selling the original Game Boy for around $50-60 (depending on its condition) which does not vary much from the prices you find abroad on eBay by the way. On the other hand cartridges sell for ~$10 but the price varies depending on the game rarity and whether it’s authentic or not. I personally got the Game Boy I wanted with 4 cartridges for a good price.

    If retro gaming is your thing or if you just want to buy back a piece of your childhood then I highly recommend you get in touch with Hadi on 71-727302 and arrange for an appointment since he’s not always available. I embedded below a map showing his place which is located very close to the old airport road, but you can definitely call him for accurate directions.

    He’s also planning to organize retro gaming exhibitions in the coming few months so you might want to follow him on Facebook and Isntagram to keep up with his news.

  • Things to Do This Week in Lebanon – June 14th 2017

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    Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week. “On the silk road” exhibition at Bsous silk museum is opening its door today and I highly recommend you check as it takes you on an amazing journey through the private collection of the Silk Museum.

    1. Comedy Night Show: ON THE ROAD
    2. The Harmony of Chaos
    3. Fête de la Musique #OFF / Colonel Beer / Batroun
    4. Escape Games Beirut – The New Smart Fun Activity!
    5. Sunset Yoga by the beach & live music
    6. Blooming JUNE – Rural Lunches
    7. Raise Your Paw For BETA
    8. “On the Silk Road” Exhibition at The Silk Museum – Musée de la Soie Bsous
    9. Founders on a Boat
    10. Scottish Ceilidh Dancing

    Make sure to check Lebtivity.com for much more options.

  • Beirut-Montreal Direct Flights Might Soon Become a Reality

    According to a recent article, Air Canada seems to be currently focused on making direct flights possible between Montreal and Beirut.

    “We started the regulatory process in 2003,” Rovinescu said. However, geopolitical events intervened, and the carrier itself did not have the right equipment to make the route viable. “We are now at the stage where it looks like we can put the pin in it,” he said.

    Part of the challenge of operating the route is ensuring right-level security screenings in Beirut, Rovinescu added. Air Canada is working with its Star Alliance partner Lufthansa, which operates in Beirut, to learn how to address these concerns. Source

    With more than 200,000 Lebanese now residing in Canada (as per Wikipedia), such direct route is much needed to help them avoid the tiresome layovers in the European or Gulf cities. And attributing the ban on Beirut Airport to security issues is in my opinion invalid since many airlines operate direct flights to European airports that have some pretty high security standards.

    Back in 2012 there was some talks about bringing back direct flights between Lebanon and the United States but it never led to something serious, so let’s hope the efforts Air Canada is currently putting to make Beirut-Montreal route possible do not end the same way.

  • Old Footage From The Opening of The Beirut-Tripoli Railway in 1942

    I’m pretty sure we will never witness something similar to this during our lifetime.

    This video I just found on YouTube shows old footage from the opening of the Beirut-Tripoli railway line on December 20th 1942 which was at that time the last link in the Cairo-London line, and you can see the Lebanese president back then Alfred Naccache present at the event (at the 1m56s mark).

    This railway was by the way also connected at that time to Haifa in Palestine, but following the Israeli occupation in 1948 and civil war that erupted in Lebanon in 1975, it almost all disappeared except for a small portion that is currently still operational nowadays between Nahariya and Haifa in northern Occupied Palestine. (Source)

    As you watch the video you can easily identify Naher El Kaleb at the beginning and probably Jbeil at the 1m10s mark, but it gets difficult (at least for me) to identify the areas that later show.

  • Things to Do This Week in Lebanon – June 7th 2017

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    Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week. The Cabriolet Film Festival is taking place this week on Saint Nicolas Stairs and I’m keen on attending at least one of the festival’s three nights.

    1. Le Théâtre Des Ombres
    2. Cabriolet Film Festival – Beirut – 9th Edition
    3. Ramadan Iftar at The Smallville Hotel
    4. BANFF Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2017
    5. Comedy Night Show: ON THE ROAD
    6. Tombé du ciel / Heaven sent by Wissam Charraf
    7. TEDxNDULouaize 2017 – Alchemy of Change
    8. Strawberry Full Moon Night Hike by Wolves Clan
    9. Cherry Day at Hammana – Karaz Hammana
    10. Stone L’oeil – Art Exhibition

    Make sure to check Lebtivity.com for much more options.

  • Stunning Video of The Milky Way Rising Over Akoura

    I absolutely love the astronomy photography and time lapse videos Moophz shares online from around Lebanon!

    His most recent work is a time lapse video of the milky way rising horizontally above Jerd Al Akoura in North Lebanon. I just watched it in Full HD on my laptop and it’s just stunning, so make sure to watch it in high resolution on whatever device you’re using.

    You can see more of these eye candies he takes around Lebanon and abroad on his website and Facebook page.

  • Ramadan Special – Things to Do This Week in Lebanon

    Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week. I know many of you search during Ramadan for a nice restaurant to gather with your friends and family over Iftar, so here’s a list of my favorite Iftar/Souhour places.

    1. Ramadan Iftar at The Smallville Hotel
    2. Daily Iftar Buffet at Le Bristol Hotel Beirut
    3. Tripoli Tour & Iftar by Vamos Todos
    4. Ramadan Iftar Gatherings at Bou Melhem
    5. Traditional Iftar at Indigo on the Roof
    6. Ramadan Iftar at Massabki Chtaura
    7. Daily Shour & Iftar at Boulevard Beirut
    8. Les Tziganes Special Ramadan
    9. Ramadan Iftar at Ladurée Villa Zein
    10. Ramadan Iftar at Raouche Arjaan by Rotana

    Make sure to check Lebtivity.com for much more options.

  • How Do Boycott Campaigns Work in Lebanon?

    I remember at least two artists who were subject to online and offline boycott campaigns in Lebanon over the past few years due to their alleged support to Israel, Gad Elmaleh in 2009 and Lara Fabian in 2012. Gad Elmaleh was accused of serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (which wasn’t true) while Lara Fabian faced so much criticism for performing at an event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel, and civil society groups of course tried to keep the two artists from performing in Lebanon.

    Fast forward to the present, Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot is scheduled to start showing across Lebanese theaters on June 1st. However, Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress and model who first appeared as Wonder Woman in Batman VS Superman last year and her upcoming movie posters have been surprisingly all around the country for a while now! That’s not just any actress supporting Israel, that’s an Israeli actress who served as a combat trainer in the Israeli Defense Forces with her posters all around Lebanon.

    I’m not writing this to call for the movie boycott. I personally love superhero movies and will definitely be watching Wonder woman. However, I’ve yet to hear about any call against screening it and in this case one can’t but wonder how do civil society activists choose which artists/projects to boycott or let pass. At one point you start doubting their campaigns could be sometimes fueled by business competition… International artists are all exposed to have a connection with Israel at some point during their career, which makes it easy for anyone to criticize them for the sole purpose of provoking those who are investing their money into getting such artists to perform in Lebanon.

    Anyway, the movie is showing in two days so let’s see if any cyber activists will try to take a stance against it!

    Update:

    I just learned the Ministry of Economy and Trade demanded the General Security to withdraw the movie from Lebanese theaters. However, the questions I raised above still stand.

  • Ramadan Kareem

    Do you remember this old Kassatly Chtaura Jellab ad from the 80s and 90s? It has been 30 years since it was first aired on TV and I guess nothing signals the time for Ramadan nowadays like this ad tune does every year on Lebanese TV stations (though it has now evolved a bit of course).

    Anyway I wish all a blessed Ramadan!