Tag Archives | campaign

HINAD – Homosexuality Is Not A Disease

By Rami on November 18, 2018 in Sexuality, Social

It is 2018 and NGOs in Lebanon not only have to make campaigns to get people to accept homosexuals the way they are, but to also raise awareness about homosexuality not being a disease an to not attempt to “cure it”!

For that reason, LebMASH (The Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health) collaborated with Agnes Varis Trust and launched a campaign this month titled HINAD (Homosexuality Is Not A Disease) to affirm once again that homosexuality is simply a state and not a disease, and to warn about the consequences about all the “conversion” attempts whether through coaxing, hormonal treatments or even “electroshock” therapy, that people think are effective to change the sexual orientation of a homosexual individuals.

A recent study that 72% of people in Lebanon believe that homosexuality is a mental disorder and 79% agree that homosexuals should be taken in for psychological or hormonal treatment, and that’s why they also made a hotline 76-085714 available for people who wish to report violations or seek information about the best ways to deal with LGBT individuals.

I truly believe there’s so much time ahead before we convince our society to accept homosexuals the way they are instead of bullying them and attempt to “straighten” them, and that’s why I hope this campaign makes an impact by driving more people to reach out to the available advisers.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri Greeted With Animals Painted in Blue!

By Rami on May 2, 2018 in Elections, Politics, What the fuck!

I’m not sure where these photos were exactly taken, but they clearly show people painting camels and sheep in blue to greet Prime Minister Saad Hariri in their hometowns as he campaigns for his party ahead of the elections this weekend.

I totally understand people get over excited in some remote areas where politicians barely set a foot, but needless to say this is just too much…! I doubt people who come up with such ideas are mentally mature enough to choose their representatives in the parliament.

Electoral Camapaigns Bi Gheir 3alam

By Rami on April 16, 2018 in Politics

I’ve been watching for a while now what the parliamentary candidates have to say about their electoral programs and the amount of literal bullshit you get to see and hear is sickening. The promises almost everyone is making are so ridiculous and fanciful that I can’t believe there are real people supporting them and their programs.

Take for example this video by Nicolas Sehnaoui which promises a solution for the chronic traffic congestion.

They’re proposing widening the northern highway, increasing the number of buses, fixing the roads, organizing the public transportation system within the capital, and best of all establishing train lines between the main cities. Wlik w a*rrrr! Shu 3eyshin bi London?! I’m not going to put energy into explaining why each and every idea is impossible to apply with the current system in Lebanon, but seriously how do some people accept contributing to such ads? I really doubt the girl in the video is even convinced with what she’s saying.

In parallel with the above plan, this gentleman named Nazih Najem wants to also build 13 dams covering the whole country.

We live in a country where a pothole takes forever to get fixed, yet this candidate wants to convince us that 13 dams can be built with the flip of a switch.

I really have nothing personal against Sehnaoui or Najem, the above two ads just happened to have appeared on my Facebook feed and I’m pretty sure other candidates are promising similar stuff. The thing is, why can’t they keep it real? First of all, members of the parliament are in principle supposed approve laws and governments expenditure. Initiating projects on the other hand falls under the duties of each ministry, so how on earth can these candidates promise projects?

Anyway, I personally don’t care who wins and who loses, and I’m not interested to see new faces winning because thank god neither my life nor my income depend on any of them. In fact, I won’t even bother voting for anyone because I’d rather put the energy for going to the polling station into something more useful for myself. I just pity those who actually believe such campaigns and waste their time and effort supporting these candidates.

UN Listens – A Chance to Make Our Communities Better

By Rami on February 25, 2018 in Environment, Social

“UN Listens” is one of the latest initiatives by the United Nations in Lebanon, and it aims to engage the Lebanese citizens in making positive change to their communities and environment. For several years now, the work of the UN in our country has been associated with exclusively helping the Syrian refugees, but in fact they’re committed to their development projects for Lebanon and the UN Listens campaign is one example.

The UN is now calling Lebanese citizens to share their ideas on how they can make their communities better through a dedicated website www.unlistens.org, and the the authors of the best 10 letters with the most creative suggestions will have the opportunity to discuss their ideas with UN experts which can assist them realizing solutions for their environment.

So if you feel you lack the necessary support to voice a suggestion that can positively impact your community, make sure to write a letter through the UN Listens website presenting your idea no matter how big or small it is.

#LifeForLife – Help Abaad Change The Prison Sentence for Incestuous Rape

By Rami on December 7, 2017 in Law

Abaad is a civil movement founded in 2011 that aims to achieve gender equality as an essential condition to sustainable social and economic development in region, and seeks to engage men in ending violence against women. Over the last period, they have been putting efforts to maximize the prison sentence for incestuous rape from 5 years to lifetime.

I personally never knew before seeing this campaign that the Lebanese law punishes such acts with a ridiculous 5 years in prison. Incest rape is probably the worst kind of sexual assaults and is guaranteed to ruin the life of the victim, so it is quite unfair for the perpetrator to be free in 5 years while victims are left with never ending emotional damage for their whole life.

What is also shocking is that as per Abaad, 49% of the sexual assault cases in Lebanon are committed by a close family member. Therefore, chapter 7 of the Lebanese penal code should be amended to at least change the punishment to a harder sentence if not a lifetime.

You can support Abaad have their voice heard by signing the petition on the campaign website here.

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

Beirut Madinati – Some Things Are Easier Said Than Done

By Rami on May 5, 2016 in Elections, Politics

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Beirut municipal elections will take place this weekend and I’m definitely voting for Beirut Madinati against the traditional coalition of ruling political parties that has been winning since 1998 and did absolutely nothing significant for the city.

I honestly didn’t care much about Beirut Madinati’s campaign at the beginning and didn’t even feel curious to know their candidates assuming they’re a bunch of attention seeking activists, but later noticed how wrong I was after they unveiled their list and showed how serious they are about their agenda.

However, that doesn’t mean I see them as perfect as some people portray them on social media, not due to anything they did wrong, but simply because some points in their electoral program don’t make much sense to me.

Affordable Housing

With the skyrocketing prices nowadays, it’s no longer easy to buy an apartment in Beirut. I’m an authentic Beiruti, I was born and raised in this city and never imagined that I will be living anywhere else, but I was unfortunately forced to move to Aramoun when I got married due to the prices increase after 2006. So talking about affordable housing in Beirut definitely relates to my problem and thousands others like me. Beirut Madinati is addressing this issue by promising affordable apartments.

Now let’s get real for a moment, the real estate market in Lebanon is a free one and the set prices follow the rules of supply and demand. It’s quite simple, there’s a huge demand for apartments in this city and little supply of constructed units so it only makes sense for the prices to be high. The only way for the municipality to provide these affordable apartments is by financing their construction itself and sell them at cost price, and in order to satisfy half of the demand the municipality will eventually have to turn into one giant construction company.

I simply don’t see it feasible to do. Apartments are also so expensive in many other cities around the world and you don’t see neither municipalities nor governments intervening, on the other hand the transportation system is enhanced so that people can adapt to living in surrounding areas. And this brings us to the next point…

Transportation

Beirut Madinati wants to enhance the transportation system around the capital by introducing new bus lines and reorganizing the already operating buses, micros buses, and taxis.

This is seriously much needed in Beirut, and I would give up using my car during weekdays if there was a reliable system to get me in and out of the city. But I highly doubt the Beirut Madinati people have previously tried using public transportation and know how the buses around Beirut work because they apparently think their plan is going to be easy to implement.

Truth is that the transportation system in and out of Beirut is actually ruled by mafias. Those who use it know better about the clashes that happen between drivers over a certain line, and how the departure time of each bus is set deliberately by designated agents on the road in order to maximize the number of passengers. Needless to say, these mafias are backed by political parties, and everything that works the same way is very hard to fix. The ongoing case of illegal internet is the biggest example about that.

Do you seriously think the “van ra2em 4” gang is going to abide by any new system? Dream on.

Green Areas and Parking Spaces

This is not exclusive to Beirut Madinati, actually every candidate is promising more green areas and parking spaces around Beirut. Beirut Madinati is going the extra mile of promising a green space for each neighborhood in Beirut.

I seriously would like to know how on earth are we going to create a new green space in Tarik El-Jadida, Mar Elias, Ras El Nabeh, Basta, and other neighborhoods where there are barely any lot left that is large enough to accommodate a 150m2 apartment building. It would be good to support these promises with a map showing the locations of the parks to be.

As for parking spaces, I think it would be enough to just claim back the hijacked spaces from valet parking thugs in several areas of Beirut. That alone would be a major achievement for the new municipality.

I’m still voting for Beirut Madinati

Yes I do have some reservations over their electoral program, hell I even disliked some of their candidates, but I’m voting for them because I’m bored of the same party ruling the city for 18 years now with no significant achievements.

I’m voting for Beirut Madinati neither for an affordable apartment in Beirut, nor a better transportation system, I actually lost hope that things would get better in this corrupt country, I just want them to come in power because we have the right to try someone new and see how they are going to manage the available resources and proceed with new projects for the better of our city.

And you also have nothing to lose, it isn’t like the previous council did wonders to you, so give other people a chance and vote for Beirut Madinati.

Abed Tahan Mother’s Day Ad Fail

By Rami on March 16, 2016 in Lebanon

Here’s what happens when your marketing department feels like it’s obligatory to capitalize on every single occasion regardless if your product or service actually relate to it or not, you’re guaranteed to look silly.

Nothing gets on my nerves as much as retailers promoting kitchen appliances and household items for mother’s day as gift ideas. Let alone pointing up that mommies actually desire food processors and fryers, it’s like Abed Tahan thinks of women as housekeepers only.

For this mother’s day, ignore these ads, and do your moms a favor by keeping them away from food processors!

Al Rifai Angel Drones is More Like a Stunt Than a Campaign

By Rami on June 29, 2015 in Lebanon

The Angel Drones is an initiative by Al Rifai that aims to donate packages of clothes, food, and other essential items to needy families in Lebanon using drones that are labeled as “Angel Drones”. The whole campaign sounds pretty nice as it goes with the spirit of Ramadan in term of helping poor people and feeling with them. Moreover, technically speaking the video is well executed and kudos to whoever made the filming.

However, with the budget that seem to have been allocated for this campaign I really think Al Rifai could have done a lot better.

Even though the video started good and felt very touching, at the end of watching it I was only left thinking about drones and how much weight they can carry around… I bet I was not the only one who thought about that and I really doubt this was Al Rifai’s goal from “The Angel Drones”.

In addition, I really didn’t like the way they displayed the stories of the families they are helping on their website. I mean this is the kind of things that Tony Khalife and Joe Maalouf would do to score with the public… If you want to help poor people then either do it discretely or simply don’t reveal their identities, publicizing it actually goes against the values of Ramadan.

Giving the video a second thought will probably qualify the campaign more as a stunt than a socially responsible campaign. Social responsibility in our case lies in actually donating to the people instead of over-thinking a sophisticated and expensive way to deliver these donations.

In my humble opinion, what Al Rifai could have done instead is producing a video that motivates people to help each other. Take for example the videos that Pepsi Masr produces every year, they touch you really deep and inspire to do good to others or at least be good to them.

The idea is that you do not necessarily have to prove that you are socially responsible in order to score with the public. I think being an inspiration to them can promote your brand much better.

Sar Lezem Rassak Yefroz – This Makes No Sense

By Rami on January 15, 2015 in Lebanon

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There’s this “Sar Lezem Rassa Yifroz” campaign on Facebook that caught my attention, not because of the catchy name but because I found it a bit weird.

The people behind that campaign believe that the closure of Naameh landfill will result in a crisis similar to what happened last year when waste piled up in Beirut, and want to manage that crisis by asking people to start sorting their waste material starting January 17th when Sukleen might stop collecting garbage due to the closure of the landfill.

The sorting is quite simple, in black bags you’re supposed to put food scraps along with paper to reduce the moisture and therefore delay the food fermentation, and in blue bags you put everything else (plastic, glass, metal, etc…).

Now what will happen as of January is that there will be around 100 trucks which will roam the streets of Beirut and Mount Lebanon to collect the blue bags ONLY (the ones containing recyclable material and can be sold) and leave the black ones on the street. So basically what irritates people the most and makes this crisis a crisis, that is the bad smell of fermented food scraps, will remain there! So I don’t really see how will this campaign manage the crisis other than by reducing the piles a bit and making use of the recyclable stuff (for their own benefits?).

Furthermore, they seem pretty confident that the campaign will reach a large number of people as they prepared a hundred trucks to roam the streets, but their facebook page seemed to have have no more than 480 likes at the time of publishing this post, so they will most probably be surprised when they notice the blue bags they targeted were full of all kind of waste and not just recyclable materials (don’t say I didn’t warn you guys!).

Not to mention that one of the campaign managers is also accused of copying the slogan from an Arabnet competition last year…

The whole thing really doesn’t make a lot of sense now eh..?

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