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Things to Do This Week in Lebanon – August 10th 2016

By Rami on August 10, 2016 in Events

Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week. I’m really loving the open air movie screenings taking place during summer so I recommend you check on both the Cabriolet Film Festival in Byblos and The Boat That Rocked screening at The Gärten.

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

Things to Do This Week in Lebanon – August 3rd 2016

By Rami on August 3, 2016 in Events

Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week. I really recommend you go check the Lakeside festival in Zaarour as well as the Jim Beam event which promises to be a really cool one!

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

Our Silliest Record Breaking Attempt to Date

By Rami on July 27, 2016 in What the fuck!

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Earlier last week, a friend told me that the organizers of BIAF (Beirut International Awards Festival) are planning to lay down the world’s longest red carpet as part of their 2-day event. The red carpet is expected to start somewhere in Hamra, then goes towards Achrafieh and all the way through downtown to Zaytouna Bay where the ceremony is taking place.

At first I was mainly concerned about the traffic jam this red carpet will be causing on a weekday. But after spotting parts of it on my way to work this morning, I think the traffic jam is absolutely not a problem compared to how hideous it looks!

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The thing doesn’t qualify as a red carpet. It’s barely a piece of red cloth, and it seems that some genius decided to lay it down last night and cars eventually ended up tearing it down.

The end result is needless to say, bahdaleh. I wish all the money that was put into this silly attempt to make it into the Guinness Book was allocated for something more meaningful, like helping Rozine get that liver transplant maybe!

Things to Do This Week in Lebanon – July 27th 2016

By Rami on July 27, 2016 in Events, Uncategorized

Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week. Many cool events are taking place around town this week, from concerts to festivals, exhibitions and even seminars, so there’s definitely something for everybody.

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

Please Help Rozine Get A Liver Transplant

By Rami on July 23, 2016 in Health, Social

It aches the heart when you feel powerless about saving the lives of your loved ones, and this is exactly what Catherine Moughalian is going through right now after she learned she has to collect $200,000 in order finance a liver transplant for her mother Rozine.

Rozine was recently diagnosed with a liver failure, and due to her health deteriorating so fast she cannot wait until she finds a donor in Lebanon, so her daughter turned to the online community to help secure the necessary funds for a transplant outside Lebanon before the end of July.

Please consider contributing with whatever amount you can afford to help Rozine make it, some of us spend $50 over a couple of drinks in Beirut, so why not skipping a plan this weekend to help save a life instead?

You can donate through Zoomaal here.

My mom, Rozine Moughalian, is a 56 year-old psychologist and mother of two. She lives in Bourj Hammoud, an area that has been recently piled with garbage and darkened by black smoke from burning trash. In the last three months, my mom developed subacute liver failure, which doctors were unable to diagnose and suspect possible drug or toxin exposure. The condition developed quickly, and mom went from working three jobs two months ago to being hospitalized with a terminal condition today. She is currently in need of a liver transplant without delay (within the next two weeks).

It is an extremely difficult process to find donors and secure funds in such a short period of time. So, due to bureaucratic procedures and time constraints, she can’t receive a liver transplant in Lebanon and it was recommended by doctors that she be transferred abroad for proper assessment and treatment. We are currently aiming for transferring her to Iran or India, these being the cheapest options. France was also an option earlier but it costs double what the surgery would cost in Iran or India.

Mom does not have the money for such a surgery, and she doesn’t have access to free quality healthcare. We need to raise at least 200,000 USD by the end of the month to be able to fund her surgery or it will be too late.

I find it absurd that my mom won’t get to live out the month because we can’t afford the money or a donor. She has the right to access free medical care, she has the right to get appointments with doctors without wasta, and the right to be admitted into the hospital at the expense of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) without having to wait a day in the ER while we make the “right calls to the right people.”

In a country where our basic rights are not available, or only available to a select few, sticking together is more of a basic need than duty. If you feel you can donate, any amount will bring us closer to the goal of keeping my mom alive.

I understand if you can’t donate, but please share this message with people who you think can help, either financially or by pointing us to people who have had a similar experience and can help with procedures and logistics.

I urge you to gather your resources as I am gathering mine. Thank you for reading this.

In solidarity,

Catherine Moughalian

If you have means of helping other than donations please contact me:

catherine.moughalian@gmail.com 961 3 098 817

Things to Do This Week in Lebanon – July 20th 2016

By Rami on July 20, 2016 in Events

Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week. I will personally be attending the Cine Club event at BDD and the the Summer Festival at Makdissi Street.

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

We Need a Cheaper Version of Souk El Akel

By Rami on July 15, 2016 in Food, Opinions

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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

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

Things to Do This Week in Lebanon – July 13th 2016

By Rami on July 13, 2016 in Events

Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week. Jounieh’s annual fireworks show is taking place this week and is not to be missed, just try to make it there early to get a good spot.

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

Things to Do This Week in Lebanon – July 6th 2016

By Rami on July 6, 2016 in Events

Happy Eid to all of you! Here are my picks from Lebtivity for this week to inspire your plans this holiday.

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

New Parking Tariffs in Beirut

By Rami on July 2, 2016 in Governmental, Law

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Due to the disproportionate tariffs set by parking owners across Beirut, governor Ziad Chebib and the municipality recently issued a new decree setting the maximum fees you should pay for private parkings around the city after dividing it into 4 regions as shown above, and the new tariffs are as follows:

First region (Blue):

from 0 to 3 hours:
3,000 L.L.
from 3 to 5 hours:
4,000 L.L.
from 5 to 8 hours:
5,000 L.L.
8 to 10 hours:
6,000 L.L.
from 10 to 14 hours:
7,000 L.L.

Second region (Green):

from 0 to 4 hours:
3,000 L.L.
from 4 to 7 hours:
4,000 L.L.
from 7 to 10 hours:
5,000 L.L.
from 10 to 14 hours:
6,000 L.L.

Third region (Yellow):

from 0 to 3 hours:
2,000 L.L.
from 3 to 5 hours:
3,000 L.L.
from 5 to 8 hours:
3,500 L.L.
from 8 to 10 hours:
4,000 L.L.
from 10 to 14 hours:
5,000 L.L.

Fourth region (Red):

from 0 to 4 hours:
2,000 L.L.
from 4 to 7 hours:
3,000 L.L.
from 7 to 10 hours:
3,000 L.L.
from 10 to 14 hours:
4,000 L.L.

As for covered parking spaces, the following tariffs apply:

First region (Blue):

from 0 to 3 hours:
4,000 L.L.
from 3 to 5 hours:
5,000 L.L.
from 5 to 8 hours:
6,000 L.L.
from 8 to 10 hours
7,000 L.L.
from 10 to 14 hours:
8,000 L.L.

Second region (Green):

from 0 to 4 hours:
4,000 L.L.
from 4 to 7 hours:
5,000 L.L.
from 7 to 10 hours:
6,000 L.L.
from 10 to 14 hours:
7,000 L.L.

Third region (Yellow):

from 0 to 3 hours:
3,000 L.L.
from 3 to 5 hours:
3,500 L.L.
from 5 to 8 hours:
4,000 L.L.
8 to 10 hours:
4,500 L.L.
from 10 to 14 hours:
5,500 L.L.

Fourth region (Red):

from 0 to 4 hours:
3,000 L.L.
from 4 to 7 hours:
3,000 L.L.
from 7 to 10 hours:
4,000 L.L.
from 10 to 14 hours
4,500 L.L.

Note that the time is rounded up to the nearest hour after 10 minutes.

I’m not really sure how serious will the municipality be about obliging parking owners to abide by the set tariffs, but the chart will at least help you know whether you’re being ripped off or not!

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