All the Beirut news.

This landmark had stood in Clemenceau for at least 75-100 years, local residents said. Here is what it looked like a couple of weeks ago:

way to go!

After completing the seven summits project in 2006 and the three poles challenge in 2009, Maxime Chaya is up for a new adventure in around 3 months from now, rowing the Indian Ocean.
Maxime’s journey will start in Western Australia and ends Mauritius off the east coast of Africa. And once the boat he’s boarding departs, there will be no way to turn back since the wind at that wind will prevent it from doing so.
You can check all about this new adventure on this website RowingTheIndianOcean.com.

After the bomb attacks in Boston Monday, President Barack Obama hesitated to call them acts of terrorism. Obama and his officials soon rectified their conscious error, but the president’s reaction told us much about his refusal to define events in such a way that he might become a prisoner of his response to them.

São Paulo – Starting on May 3, Brazilians may see paintings, manuscripts, letters, documents, original notebooks and even personal objects of Lebanese philosopher, poet, painter and enthusiast Gibran Khalil Gibran. An exhibition at the Latin American Memorial should show the items, brought straight from Gibran Museum, in Bicharré, Lebanon. According to Lody Brais, the president of the Brasil-Lebanon Cultural Association, which organises the fair, this is the first time the material will be shown in Latin America. The Brazil-Lebanon Cultural Association is promoting the exhibition alongside Gibran National Committee and Gibran Museum. The organisation’s objective is to rescue Lebanese culture in the country and tends to work on themes that unite Brazil and Lebanon.

This video was shot 2-3 kilometers out of Jounieh.

Thank you Lynn

The American flag has figured prominently in the coverage of the murderous Boston explosions. Similar to the September 11th attacks, broadcasters have opted to keep the flag running in the background graphics of every segment. These shots from NBC's The Today Show this morning:

Like many abandoned Beirut mansions, this one in Clemenceau is covered in a jungle of weeds.

I wonder what this place would look like if they were cleared away.

Perhaps it's slowly dawning on the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb that they have been played for fools by Hezbollah, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Michel Aoun.

Both of the Christian parties had expected there to be a vote in parliament on the so-called Orthodox proposal, but the signs today are that this will not happen. If so, they will have to admit that they ran into a trap, led to endorse a proposal that would break March 14 apart and prevent it from winning a parliamentary majority.

I just came across an update by Mashrou’s Leila on Facebook announcing that they will be performing in Bassem Youssef’s show El Bernameg tomorrow night.

Not too many productions, but it is always a refreshing to see Lebanon via new eyes. By Janet.

WTF!!

via @JoeAkkawi

Herbal cream televangelist Zein El Atat has moved off the television informercials and onto the streets of Hamra.

His image now occupies every street pole over two blocks of the busiest section of the commercial district.