Monthly Archives: March 2012

Bizzare accident in Saida

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I read this piece of news 3-4 days back and I could not help ask myself why the son was unable to save his father and why the father was unable to get out of the burning truck.

To sum it up, a 50 year old Lebanese man called Hassan Ali Khalife was driving to work with his son in a village near Saida when his truck caught fire. While his son was able to get himself out of the truck, the father could not go out and was left there to burn and die . [Link]

Doesn’t that sound weird? I mean the son could have asked for help and tried to save the father or the father could have gone out of the window or the passenger door.

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Burger King Drive Thru service

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I was with a friend few days ago and we passed by Burger King Jeita as he wanted to pick up a Whopper meal. They asked him if he wanted big fries and coke and he was fine; however he asked them if they could give him a can instead of the big cup as he doesn’t have a cup holder in the car. The BK guy apologized and said that they don’t have cans even though we could spot them in the fridge from our car.

So my friend pointed at the cans telling him that they do have some, so the BK guy replied that he doesn’t have lots of them, so he can’t give us any. They are just for delivery. My friend ended up cancelling his order and leaving.

Why can’t they give out cans if they are available and being delivered? What’s the difference between a delivery service and a drive-thru service? I am seriously considering going back to that same Burger King branch, ask for a can and if the guy says no, park right outside BK and order a delivery.

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Electricity problems to be resolved soon in Lebanon?

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[Source]

A power plant cannot be run at full capacity without stopping for months on end. However, that is common practice in the sector. Machines need tune-ups and down time so they run efficiently and last longer. According to Executive magazine, Lebanon’s installed capacity for producing electricity is 2,100 megawatts (which is actually the same as average demand in 2010 during non-summer months – demand peaked at around 2,400 megawatts). Because of poor maintenance, Lebanon only generated around 1,500 megawatts that year. [NowLebanon]

So basically we need 2,400 megawatts with an average yearly increase in demand of 6-7%, and we only produce around 1,500 megawatts, meaning we lack some 900 megawatts for 24/7 electricity.

This being said, the government seemed to have reached a compromise by agreeing to rent power-generating vessels that will be able to generate as much as 270 megawatts per year. The lease agreement is for two-years, renewable for one year after its expiry and will cost us around $400 million.

In addition to renting vessels, the government will invest some $500 million over the next few years in building 1,500-megawatt power plants.

All in all, the electricity problem is going to get worse in the summer but will improve slightly by the end of the year if we do end up renting these vessels. As for the power plants, they will probably end up as another corruption file among Lebanese politicians.


[Source]

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No plans for a new Jal el Dib bridge

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MP Mohammad Kabbani hinted the other day that there might not be a need for a new Jal el Dib bridge if removing it has facilitated traffic towards Jounieh and Tripoli. This statement has apparently angered Jal el Dib residents who decided to organize sit-ins every Tuesday on the site until the problem is resolved. [Source]

Noting that more than 50,000 cars used to cross in and out of Jal el Dib under the bridge on a daily basis, it’s unfair to cut off a large city just like that. However, Jal el Dib’s municipality takes part of the blame for refusing all the plans proposed in the past few years to replace the bridge and not presenting a viable alternative.

In terms of traffic, I must admit that it has worsened a bit in the morning but has become much better on the way back. What used to take more than an hour is now taking 30-40 minutes.

You can check out the alternative routes to coming into Jal el Dib nowadays[Here].

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Solea V

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Weddings are getting more and more expensive in Lebanon and every year I see tens of new venues opening up, most of which are gardens in distant locations or up in the mountain. Solea V however is not a garden, neither a glamorous venue with an old Lebanese house up in the mountains or in some faraway village, but instead a warehouse located in the heart of an industrial area in Beirut.

It’s located in Jisr el Wati- Sin el Fil on the way up from Souk el Ahad. There’s Fattal right after it for those who know it.

I must say it’s quite daring to open a venue in such a location, whether it’s for events or weddings, but it seems like people are loving it as I heard there are already 5-6 scheduled weddings for the summer. I don’t think it will be any cheaper than other venues but it is an original venue that “has a very New York feel to it and is a great blank canvas for you to paint your event on.”

Personally I would rather go for traditional and outdoor venues, mainly because It’s much easier to plan and arrange and I don’t have enough time to plan such an event, but I could think of a few themes that would fit perfectly into that venue, such as a Middle Age tavern (or Asterix & Obelix theme) with beer containers, wooden chairs etc …

You can check out pictures of the awesome wine tasting party SoleaV and Riedel did to launch the venue.

You can check out their Facebook page [Here].

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