Tag Archives | Beirut

Fishing and falling roses at Ain El Mrayseh on the independence day

Thanks to global warming, the weather on the independence day in Beirut was just awesome! Warm temperature and -almost- clear blue skies made it perfect for a walk at Ain El Mrayseh.

Fortunately the corniche was not congested with joggers and bikers, but fishers were just everywhere, and standing at the most bizarre places!

… the guys above were actually standing right where sewage water is dumped into the sea!

How can they still eat the fish they get from the sewage water is beyond my understanding, unless they sell them to other people like the man below was doing.

However, I seem to have missed a cool initiative by the Lebanese army and Leo Burnett! At around 3:30PM, a military helicopter flew at low altitude over the Manara corniche, releasing thousands of red roses attached to miniature white parachutes, carrying a message “Bihimayat Al Jonoud, Tanmou Al Wouroud”, or “Roses flourish under the protection of our soldiers”. The operation was called “Roses from the Sky” (you can watch a video about it here)

@chaftari from Leo was kind enough to share these photos with me.

I personally had mixed feeling about this operation… what do you think?

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Today’s sunset in Beirut

I couldn’t resist taking a photo of today’s sunset when I saw how colorful it was, and wishing I was out of the office somewhere near the sea with my DSLR.

November usually carries the best times to shoot sunsets in Lebanon, but unfortunately the sun sets so early at 4:30PM nowadays, leaving too few opportunities for employees like me who like shooting photos.

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Happy Adha!

Eid El-Adha is the time for Muslims to recall prophet Abraham’s obedience to god in his willingness to sacrifice his own son Ismail, before god intervened and gave him a ram to sacrifice instead. And so the act of sacrificing an animal later became a ritual for Muslims.

That’s when it becomes normal to see sheep stored at very unusual places in Beirut, like rooftops for example.

… and when it also becomes very normal to see butchers slaughtering sheep in the streets.

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Possible way to avoid speeding radars in Lebanon

If this device is too expensive for you, you may want to consider signing up for an account at Trapster, a mobile application that can alert you about nearby radars!

How Does It Work?

Users submit speed traps, enforcement cameras, and road hazards, that then alert all Trapster users in the area. A high-tech version of flashing your headlights to alert drivers of potential road hazards.

I think it’ll be helpful if enough Lebanese users registered, don’t you think?

Thanks to @jadhamdan for pointing me to the application via twitter.

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Speeding radars in Lebanon – A profitable business

I was listening to the radio on my way to work today when I heard that the internal security forces issued a total of 5,000 tickets after 24 hours of activating the speeding radars.

Given that each ticket costs 50,000 L.L, a quick calculation shows that we now owe the Lebanese government a total of 250,000,000 L.L (~$166,000) in just one day! And at this rate, the government will be generating $5,000,000 a month from these radars!

Assuming that the cost of the radars + installing them is $10,000,000, it will take 2 months to cover this amount and start generating profit! Now that’s a business I wish I can invest in!

Still, I have some question marks about collecting these fines from violators. In a country like Lebanon where people can drive a car with defected number plates on their cars and still get away with it when going through the yearly car inspection, how will the police identify the car number in such case? And what about all these foreign cars with Khaliji number plates? Is there some mechanism to force their owners to pay the fines before leaving Lebanon?

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Thailand will party à la Libanaise on November 27th!

Remember when I told you about the Smirnoff Nighlife Exchange project? Well, last Friday was the time to announce how the participating cities will be pairing and Beirut ended up as a partner to Bangkok.

It can now be revealed that Thailand can look forward to experiencing the best of Beirut’s nightlife, as suggested by Lebanese partygoers:

Hostesses will stand at the entrance, welcoming guests in traditional Lebanese outfits such as tarboush, sherwal, or abaya. The “I want to fly” bar-hopping spirit will be at the rendez-vous, reaching its peak with the table-top dancing. Giant screens projecting live concerts at 1 a.m. A Lebanese percussionist will play a striking Lebanese beat for the night, inviting everyone to feel the heat of a far away tempo. At the same time, a follow spot will highlight a belly dancer, who will take the audience on the Aladdin carpet of mystical dreams.

Furthermore, a food and beverage section will quench all cravings and bond the Thai and Lebanese hospitability tradition by offering oriental specialities such as Knafeh, Manakich, and Shawarma, until the early morning, a Mediterranean taste to savour! Thai guests will also enjoy the presence of a fortune teller, who will be reading their palms or predicting their future in a cup of Lebanese traditional coffee. Henna tattoo drawn by a henna artist will keep the memory of that unique night engraved in everyone’s hearts.

So for once in their lives, the people of Thailand will know how does it feel to hold a cigarette in one hand, a glass of vodka RedBull in the other, and still manage to party like there’s no tomorrow! 😀

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Park it like a douchebag

I took all of the below 4 photos at the Beirut Mall parking, and I really have not made any effort searching for these douchebags. I just parked my car and went straight to the elevator, so these were just the ones I encountered on my way!

First thing that came to my mind was this post from Body Wotwat! Seriously, بي يلي عطاكن دفتر سواقة @#$%

… and here’s a bonus photo I took earlier at ABC Achrafiyeh.

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Captured on camera: Lebanese cop beating a taxi driver

A lot of people often claim that Lebanese cops only use force with the poor people who are not backed up by anyone. The video below just proves it…

I wonder how would the cop have acted if the same driver was riding a 2010 Mercedes/BMW with a black number plate.

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Bank Audi is insensitive!

I really don’t understand how Bank Audi who agreed to execute the below ad to promote a new credit card is the same one who’s planning to replace one of the oldest coffee houses in Beirut, Ahwet El Ezez, with a bank!

The old man in the ad (who appears to be living in a beautiful old house) is recalling the good old days of Lebanon, when he used to commute using the tramway, and go to Saint George, Teleferique, Casino du Liban, AUB, and Carlton (which was demolished few years ago). I’m pretty sure Ahwet El Ezez fits very well in this ad, but with Bank Audi’s decision to replace it, they’re just acting like a guy who hates himself! With the memories he’s recalling, the old man in the ad would never in his life want to see Saint George being demolished for example!

Photo via Beirut Spring

I totally understand Beirut is short on spaces for big offices, but it isn’t like Ahwet El Ezez is the last available space in the city.

Bank Audi is just committing a crime against Beirut Heritage. Who do they think they are?!

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