All the Beirut news.

I had a few emails and DMs asking me to post something. I am touched by the 1 email and 2 dms. My fan base rules.

Seriously though, I am in between jobs, things are quite hectic and I might be making the biggest leap of my life. I will try to squeeze in some posts every now and then.
Till then, stay safe and cheers! if you are looking for UX materials check the links, if you want some sarcasm and weird humor, check Cracked

“The first and only showroom in the Levant is scheduled to open in Beirut on September 24, ahead of Lebanon’s second annual HOG tour” from October 1 to 3, said Marwan Tarraf, general manager of Bikers Inc., the current Harley Davidson dealership in Lebanon. [Source]
It is going to open in Hamra next to the Central Bank.

"There's no justice for the living whose martyrs still suffer unfairness" (or something close to it) this is the latest ad for the Lebanese Forces to commemorate their annual mass for the martyrs of the "Lebanese Resistance" (note that they are trying to highjack the term from Hizbullah)... I truly feel the headline is punchy, smart and very emotional. My main problem lies elsewhere - how come did the Lebanese Forces appropriate all these martyrs?

Not having a car makes getting out of Beirut difficult.  It means that I either have to depend on friends who have cars, or take a taxi.  Because of this, I haven’t gotten out of Beirut very much this summer.  I’ve been to Pierre and Friends in Batroun once, the Jbeil/Byblos old souk three times, [...]

By Rana Moussaoui – ZAHLE, Lebanon

In the heart of the Bekaa Valley, a few miles from a temple dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, Lebanon's vineyards are in full bloom as the country edges into the global wine market.

"After European wine and new world wine, the wine of the so-called old world is emerging" as a market favourite, explains Ramzi Ghosn of the Massaya winery.

"And Lebanon, with its culinary and viniculture traditions, is playing an avant-garde role in the region."

Along with his brother, Ghosn is leading a new wave of Lebanese wines, using French grape varieties Merlot, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay, into the global market.

Picture this – an empty plot of beachfront land, the community trying to decide what to construct in its place, a bar or family-oriented restaurant, and in the midst of the arguments, Beirut is slammed a number of times:
Proponents of the [bar] project included Amit Patel, of the Rodeway Inn in Daytona Beach.
“It looks like Beirut when you drive down Daytona,” Mr. Patel said referring to the empty lot on which the developers want to build. “It looks bad. I just want something there.”
Other suggestions for the property included turning it into a beachfront park.

 Il se murmure qu'une personnalité du Kesrouan ayant eu un rôle à jouer dans les allées du pouvoir serait en train de mettre sur pied …. un parti politique dont le but avoué est de « proposer un nouvelle alternative pour les chrétiens modérés ».
Avant de fonder son mouvement, ce monsieur a-t-il pesé le pour et le contre ? A-t-il entrepris des contacts auprès d'autres personnalités tout aussi « modérées ». Comment définit-il modéré ? Pourquoi vouloir à nouveau saucissonner la décision chrétienne ? Serait-ce encore un contre-feu allumé par l'un des poids lourds coté 8 ou coté 14 ?

some people travel thousands of miles to experience this... i drive to my gym

Gordon Campbell Gray loves Beirut. I mean the guy only recently opened his first one-of-a-kind hotel in Lebanon and has plans for two more (one-of-a-kind hotels). If that’s not enough, now he wants to live here:

The CEO of the Italian energy giant Eni SpA was in Beirut on Thursday where he met President Michel Suleiman to discuss Lebanon’s energy needs:
Eni SpA Chief Executive Officer Paolo Scaroni met Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman today in Beirut to discuss “possible areas of cooperation” in the development of the Lebanese natural gas and electricity sector, the Italian company said in an e-mailed statement today.

In Badael this week (late posting!) I wrote critically about Fair trade, and Nadine Kanaan told us about the failing season of green walnuts in the South and about makdous and walnuts.

http://www.al-akhbar.com/ar/taxonomy/term/16833,19115

I just got back home and i saw from my balcony what looks like a fire at the Casino du Liban or nearby it. The picture is a bit dark because electricity is off (as usual), but i am pretty sure it is a fire.
Update: There was indeed a fire near the Sun Hills hotel caused by fireworks at around 12:40am.

This week the country will slowly empty. It is the end of summer. Most of the overseas Lebanese are due back at work/university in their adopted countries and are headed for the airport. The beaches look already quite abandoned on a weekday. Last night was the last night for our overseas cousins. They have one more wedding to attend and then it’s back home.

I mostly go to Gelato to eat ice cream but i thought i try their cocktail this time. I ordered a large fruit wedges cocktail and it was really good, but what i could not understand is why it is so freakin’ tall!
You have to basically stand up to be able to eat it properly or hold it yourself. The chairs are also relatively low and the couches even lower.
Still it was a good cocktail but maybe i will take it to go next time. They also make awesome waffles if anyone is interested.

 Dans cette partie de poker-menteur initiée à Washington sous l'égide du président Obama, le Syrie et (donc) le Liban étaient absents.
Avec l'initiative saoudienne de paix au Proche-Orient en filigrane, les USA, en pleine campagne électorale de mi-mandat, se sont mis en tête de réconcilier durablement des ennemis héréditaires au nez et à la barbe des intégristes de tout bord.
Ehud Barak s'est fendu il y a quelques jours d'une phrase laissant transpirer l'idée éventuelle d'une possibilité infime que Jérusalem pourrait un jour accueillir deux capitales. Une porte entrouverte.