Tag Archives | smoking ban

Update: De Prague to remain open for at least a couple more months

By Rami on June 13, 2013 in Lebanon

Looks like tonight will not witness De Prague’s closure as the owner Raed Habib decided to give the place another shot over the next couple of months following a demonstration that was organized by around 70 of his loyal customers near his house. You can read all about it here.

I never knew the bar meant a lot to so many people. The whole thing makes you wonder if it was a publicity stunt since it got 3 articles on The Daily Star website in a couple of days, and they were overwhelmed with customers today who wanted to say goodbye to the place!

De Prague Hamra closing today

By Rami on June 13, 2013 in Lebanon

de prague hamra

As per this article in The Daily Star yesterday, De Prague will be closing its doors today after 8 years of operating in Hamra.

The reasons of the closure as stated by the bar’s general manager Pascale Azzi are the declining number of customers as well as the smoking ban that was introduced in September last year. Moreover, in a second article published today, the owner Raed Habib added that the bar will also be closing due to the general change of atmosphere in Hamra in addition to the increasing violence incidents in the neighborhood.

These reasons didn’t really make sense to me because the economic recession and the smoking ban are affecting all the shops in Hamra, yet many places like February 30 and Main Street for example are doing pretty well and always seem to be full at night.

What I guess De Prague should have done to stand out from the competition is possibly taking advantage of the relatively large space they have to setup a small stage and host music bands to get more people to come.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure soon enough some investors will be renting the place and starting a new bar to replace De Prague.

Busting Law 174 violators in Lebanon

By Rami on February 24, 2013 in Lebanon

The people behind Law 174’s page on Facebook are doing a good job by not just indicating which places are violating the smoking ban in Lebanon, but also naming the public figures who are breaking the law.

Among the people who made it to the page so far are Assi Hellani who owns “Assi” restaurant in Verdun, Dr. Joseph Azouri who owns “Le Maillon Cafe” along with 12 other doctors, Nathalie Fadlallah who owns “f by Nathalie”, Marlene Boutros Harb, and Nada Riad Salameh.

The number of violations people regularly report to the page definitely calls for increasing the number of tourist policemen in the country!

Enab restaurant employees break into IndyACT offices

By Rami on February 4, 2013 in What the fuck!

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

Lebanese Army takes over the LU’s cefeteria in Hadath

By Rami on January 11, 2013 in Lebanon

According to this article from Now Lebanon, the army took over the Lebanese University’s cafeteria in Hadath after it has been controlled by the Zeaiter clan for a long time now.

NOW also reported the Zeaiter’s had their own office inside the university which apparently contained some stolen electronics!

I just hope the campus will be controlled for good now, even it takes a special force to remain there permanently to keep the Zeaiter’s away forever.

This whole issue by the way started a while ago after several media sources started reporting about the malpractices in Hadath campus.

Ukranian woman strips naked in Beirut airport

By Rami on December 22, 2012 in Lebanon

As per Al-Jadeed, A Ukranian woman was arrested at Beirut airport today after she stripped naked in protest against the smoking ban!

If only our people protested this way instead of burning tires and blocking roads!

Update:

I just read in The Daily Star that some source in the airport claimed this lady was actually protesting the General Security’s decision to expel her from the country because her residency papers had expired. You can check the article here.

The syndicate of owners of restaurants in Lebanon are a bunch of retards

By Rami on November 5, 2012 in What the fuck!

I was surprised today to see the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants in Lebanon is now calling for a protest on Wednesday at Sodeco to amend the anti-smoking law (law 174) and make it “more fair”. More fair as in allowing restaurants to apply for special permits to allow indoor smoking at their premises, and next thing you know everyone is getting a permit!

Check how pathetic the poster is, “Are you sick of having to smoke outside already ? Wait until winter starts…”, that’s how basically those restaurants owners are asking people to join their protest, and second-hand smoker at indoor places can of course fuck off!

What’s even more rediculous is that they’re calling the activisits who pushed for this law to be implemented as “a bunch of stupid people”. In fact, for calling to amend such law, the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants in Lebanon and the people advising them should be aware that they’re actually a bunch of retards!

Reaction to the smoking ban at ABC

By Rami on March 12, 2012 in What the fuck!

You most probably know that ABC Achrafieh became a smoke free mall as of the 1st of March. Check how some people are reacting to this ban.

Some of them are simply putting off their cigarettes on the no-smoking sign. Gotta love how classy these people are!

Photo via @maroun_baydoun

ABC Achrafieh is now 100% smoke free

By Rami on March 1, 2012 in Lebanon

A press conference was held at ABC Achrafieh today to announce that the mall is as of today, March 1st 2012, a 100% smoke free environment except for the restaurant in Level 3 which will ban smoking on Mondays only, knowing that most of them already have a non-smoking section.

I’m not sure if the same policy will be enforced at ABC Dbayeh as well, anyway be careful next time you pull out a cigarette at ABC Achrafiyeh!

A total smoking ban at cafes and restaurant will be applied as of September 2012 by the way, and in 2 days from now (March 3rd) all kind of tobacco advertising will be illegal as well.

Photo via @ritakml

Update:

Turned out the smoking ban is effective at the indoor spaces only, so basically you can still walk around the mall with a lit cigarette in your hand. Now that doesn’t really make them a 100% smoke free environment right?

No more indoor smoking in Lebanon

By Rami on August 17, 2011 in Lebanon

I wonder what will happen now to all these places that are mainly popular for their shisha, like Sanyour for example, when the law is put into effect.

But then again, this law might end up just like any other law that never gets implemented as it should, or probably gets implemented for a short period of time before the police starts to ignore violators. Let’s wait and see.

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