The Sheikh likes to play baby-foot! I wonder if anyone dares defeat him (lol).

If you missed PartI & II, check them [Here] & [Here].

Picture from BrakeBanzeen

W Motors are set to be the premier manufacturer of hyper cars in the region. At the helm of the project is Ralph R Debbas, who graduated from Coventry University School of Art and Design with a major in Automotive Design.

Two cars are set to be launched, the Hyper-sport and the Super-sport. The Hyper-sport is set to come first with a limited production run of only five cars. So far, we know that the cars will host signature diamond-encrusted LED lights, a holographic display, a carbon fiber frame, a gold plated hood (oh no… cue the cliche comments) and gold or platinum keys. The power source comes in the form of a mid-mounted, twin-turbo 6-cylinder engine that pumps out 750hp. With an acceleration time of 0-100km/h of 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 385km/h, the Hyper-sport is up there with the best of them. [Link]

The Hyper-car will privately be unveiled in Dubai in December of this year, while a public launch will follow at the Qatar Motor Show in January 2013. Honestly, I think it’s a bit too ambitious to compete at this high level so quickly. Wouldn’t it more suitable if we built a decent everyday Lebanese car first?

I mean how are they going to make a car that performs better than the Bugatti Veyron? Or more technologically advanced and designed than the Aston Martin One-77? Who cares about gold plated hoods?

If the aim is to design and build the world’s most exclusive, luxurious and technologically advanced high performance sports cars, producing 5 cars only isn’t going to do the trick and you’re up against a very fierce competition of experienced and legendary brands. Here’s a sample of supercars that Ralph Debbas will have to go against.

I don’t want to sound pessimistic but that’s one heck of a challenge that I wouldn’t take personally if I had the money and expertise.

Update: you can check out their website [Here]

I passed by Gemmayze street this morning and it was still open. It looks like someone changed his mind.

I didn’t know Tattoos were banned in Islam.

A Lebanese man nicknamed the “tattoo king” has been sentenced to one year in prison and 200 lashes in the conservative Muslim kingdom, a Saudi newspaper reported on Tuesday.

“At first, he used to receive women in a rented apartment (in the western city of Jeddah) but later he began going to women’s homes to draw tattoos on their bodies” to avoid being caught by Saudi religious police, said the daily. [Link]

Lol!

via TrellaLB

Paparazzi have been following Sheikh Ahmad Al Aseer for quite some time now and were able to share with us those exclusive pictures of Sheikh Ahmad riding his horse Najwa, playing with his dog Zalem and eating ice cream. The man is obviously struggling in the tent he set up in the middle of the highway.

Thanks Dory!

That’s a very smart move from LBCI. MTV should have taken a similar initiative instead of deciding not to cover activities that give Lebanon a bad image.

LBCI launched new frequencies that will allow the audience to watch its programs without a repeated interruption by newsflashes. For those who want to stay posted on the latest news updates, they could stay tuned to the current frequencies. However, for those wishing to watch LBCI’s episodes without a repeated interruption, they could tune in to the channel with the red LBCI logo.

As per LBC’s website, you can tune in to the new frequencies on:

• Cablevision frequency 11960 MHz – Symbol Rate 30000
• Econet frequency 12120 MHz – Symbol Rate 31250
• Digiteck frequency 12420 MHz – Symbol rate 28175
• Over UCL/Platinum Cable Receiver.

Authorities in Lebanon are in talks with low cost carriers including easyJet and Ryanair about starting operations to the country in a bid to boost a tourism industry that has been rocked by political turmoil in the Arab world, including neighbouring Syria, Tourism Minister Fady Abboud said in an interview with Arabian Business.

I really hope this happens, finally cheap flights from Lebanon to Europe!

“Indeed we are talking to Monarch Airlines, easyJet [and] Ryanair – we’re talking to all of them,” Abboud said in an interview from Beirut. “But Lebanon’s civil aviation will not give them the right to land – they say ‘yes you can come from London, but we want 25 extra flights to Heathrow’.”

Sadly because Lebanon is the center of the universe, it doesn’t look like it will happen. [Link]

That’s even worse than the shop’s banner.

What the hell is “Tar Dermos”?

I noticed on my way up to Mzaar Intercontinental Hotel on Sunday that the snow lofts at the Mzaar’s entrance are almost done. From what I read and heard, Bernard Khoury is the architect behind this project even though I couldn’t find it on his website in the projects section.

The project consists of 10 independent mountain residences located in Faraya San Antonio, Mount Lebanon, 1.600m above sea level. Each villa consists of 5 circular plates of 65m2 each, with a total of 260m2 built up area per unit. Independent terraced gardens define the individual plot of each property allowing for outdoor visitor access in addition to individual vehicular access from the street level provided to each villa independently. The open circular plan layout allow for panoramic views on all preferred orientations at each level.

I wonder how much each loft costs. I say between 750,000 and 1,000,000$.

You can read more about it [Here].

Hundreds came to mourn Fadi Tannous today at Sayde Church in Achrafieh Sassine. Members of the Lebanese Fencing team and Fadi’s students wore their uniforms and pay their final respects to their role model and champion. Fadi was Lebanon’s fencing champion for over 10 years, Secretary General of the fencing federation and part of the Lebanese Olympic delegation flying to London in 2 weeks.

May God be with his family and fiancée.

PS: I tried looking for articles on Fadi in the news today or mentions of his sudden death on local TVs and only found two small mentions in Al-Akhbar and Al Jomhouriyya. How is it that a guy so devoted to his country and sports, having achieved so many things and won numerous medals and championships ignored in that way? Is he less important than those thugs blocking roads and burning tires? Shame Shame!

Rima Fakih is in Lebanon and loving life while:

- A clash erupted outside EDL’s building in Mar Mikhail between the ISF and demonstrators protesting against contract workers.
- Protesters have been blocking the Sarba road in both directions for over 3 hours now in solidarity with the Lebanese army.
- Syrian troops infiltrated al-Qaa region and opened fire and launched rockets in the area.
- A number of youths surrounded a French UNIFIL patrol in the Tyre district as its members attempted to take photographs of the area. The youths confiscated the camera and fled to an unknown location.
- Dispute between two families in Hermel leave one dead.

When I saw his picture on billboards in Adonis and Jeita, I really thought he was a young talent. He can play the ’3oud’ which is great at his age but his singing is terrible.

Maybe he should start with easier songs like Myriam Klink’s Antar [YouTube].

[YouTube]

The ISF page showing the traffic tickets have been under renovation for a week now. I hope by the time they are done, we will be able to check our speed tickets on the spot or at least within few days, not a year later.

Jean-Claude Kalache surrounded by Ed Catmul, President of Walt Disney and John Lasseter, President of Pixar Studios.

Jean-Claude Kalache went to the United States to continue his studies in 1990, and six years later was offered a job by Pixar. He was part of the team that produced Oscar winning movies such as Geri’s Game AK, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Cars and last but not least the movie UP that won two Oscars back in 2009. Jean Claude Kalache is currently the director of photography at Pixar.

“Ce qui me manque le plus c’est la famille, les amis et les manakishes !, dit-il en souriant. Il n’y a rien que je déteste vraiment au Liban… bon peut-être la conduite parfois”.

When asked what he misses most about Lebanon, he said family, friends and Manakish. Read his full interview [Here].