Despite the severity of the electricity crisis in Lebanon, there are plenty of solutions to end this crisis, but no will to do so. I’ve heard lately that two offers were made to the energy ministry and the Lebanese government that ended up being declined for unconvincing reasons. I will not go into details though as I cannot confirm 100% my sources.

Annahar published yesterday a very interesting study done by Electrical Engineer Ahmad Habli that I thought is worth sharing. What Ahmad Habli is proposing is not a different solution to the proposed one but a parallel solution that could end the long-running electricity crisis in a short period of time and provide an contingency plan on the long-term.

To sum up Habli’s plan in few words:

1- Set up 6 to 7 distributed generation plants in several areas in Lebanon capable of producing 600 to 700 Mega-Watts. These plants are less costly, allow collection of energy from many sources and may give lower environmental impacts and improved security of supply. [Wiki]

2- Launch an “Energy Exchange Project” between EDL and the private sector, in an attempt to exploit the full capacity of privately-owned generators in enterprises, hotels and other establishments. According to Habli, this could generate an additional 400 Mega-Watts and profit the private sector.

I think the plan is a very smart one, specially the first part where we will have back-up power sources (Emergency Standby) once the large power plants are renovated and enhanced.

You can read the original article [Here].

[YouTube]

On July 26 2012, Sonya (21) was killed by her brother in Bab Al Raml neighborhood of Tripoli because he suspected she was in a relationship. Not a single person protested her death in Tripoli, instead some of them wondered whether she was a good girl or not (see Video above).

On August 29 2012, 19-Year-Old Hanadi Nuaimi was abducted in Tripoli. As a result, several roads were blocked with burning tires in the area of al-Tal in Tripoli and many protested the act. [Link]

So murder is ok but kidnapping is not?

[YouTube]

I like the ad but it would have been better if the girl just jogged past the table. Who would want sweaty people near his food?

Via Joe

[YouTube]

We can only hope this project will become a reality!

The first step of the Achrafieh 2020 initiative will be on September 2, 2012 which will be declared a yearly car free day in Achrafieh.

ACHRAFIEH 2020 is an apolitical long-term (8 years) environmental driven initiative by MP Nadim Gemayel, it aims at satisfying Achrafieh residents dreaming of a neighborhood where adults, youth and children can easily and safely walk on wider and cleaner sidewalks, bike on dedicated bicycle alleys, hop on a tramway as a means of commuting; where waste is managed optimally, where parking is well organized and structured and where traffic is highly regulated and law enforced.

Initiatives of this kind were courageously taken in many cities in the world, such as Seville, Rio, Milano and most of North European cities.

A change of behavior campaigning will energize this 8 years initiative.

Achrafieh’s initiative is not to be seen as an isolationist one. Its ambition is to be recognized as a pioneer action which will hopefully propagate to the entirety of Beirut and other Lebanese cities. [Link]

You can download the map, with activities and useful information to carry with you on September 2, in Achrafieh [Here]

I don’t see how barbed wires are going to stop some Lebanese from throwing garbage around the No-Garbage sign but that’s a step in the right direction. Next step should be setting up a watch tower with a sniper.

Picture from the original post I wrote on that matter

Picture Taken from DailyStar

The 618.11 m2 billboard (54.7*11.3) set up at Beirut Souks could become soon the world’s largest billboard. It is part of an exhibition by Jean-Claude Bejjani that also includes 30 3D pictures from all around Lebanon.

Read more about it [Here]

Lebanese water skier Silvio Chiha snagged the gold medal Monday at the Asia-Australasia Oceania (AAO) water skiing championship in Chuncheon, South Korea, the state-run National News Agency reported Wednesday. [DailyStar]

The final ranking of the competition came as follows:

1-Silvio Chiha (Lebanon)
2- Cha Bum-Kun (South Korea)
3-Josh Briant (Australia)
4-Kim Don John (South Korea)

via LBC

I fell asleep 2 minutes into this video… [YouTube]

How come he only thought of mentioning that now? And if he did earlier, why didn’t he say anything about it to the government?

The implementation of the smoking-ban law will start on September 3rd.

BEIRUT: Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud warned Tuesday that the ranks of the Tourism Police are severely understaffed, and he may not have enough officers to enforce the new smoking ban that goes into effect next week.

At a news conference at the ministry, Abboud said he currently had a staff of around 70 tourism police officers, but only 10 of them could be devoted to enforcing the smoking ban. That is a far cry from the 256 Tourism Police units the law says the ministry needs to effectively enforce the ban. [Link]

Thank you Gianni!

Thanks Johny!

[YouTube]

I’ve been following up on the situation in Tripoli and the deadly clashes between various factions there and I have to say that the media is playing a very negative role in their coverage. I agree with Mustapha that the events in Tripoli are not the outcome of stark poverty and wretchedness in that miserable part of Lebanon, and with Habib as well that we need to know the actual details in this grand scheme and the groups and individuals receiving and distributing these bullets and guns, but I also think local TVs should be handling those events in a more professional and responsible matter.

Check out this video published by LBCI today for instance. We all know children living in Tripoli and its surrounding are going through a rough time but that doesn’t make them Children Fighters or imply that they want to form military factions. All kids like to play with toy guns and those in Tripoli are no different from the ones in Beirut or Saida or Jounieh. What’s the big deal if they are carrying toy guns? or made a silly video?

I ask LBCI and all Lebanese TVs to stop making a big deal out of silly things just to get attention and focus on extracting the truth out of recent events.

The smoking-ban law 174 goes into effect on September 3 and will affect all Lebanese restaurants, cafes, pubs and nightclubs. Now we all agree that smoking is bad, but that doesn’t give the government the right to deprive smokers from specialized places to go to.

Added to that, while I agree with Mustapha that the government can enforce the ban easily, I don’t see how Shisha cafes will be able to implement such a law, because it’s like asking night clubs or pubs to stop serving alcohol or playing music. By putting this law into effect, you are indirectly asking them to close down their business and fire their staff, which is easier said than done.

In an attempt to assess Law 174 and point out its flaws, figures and infographics have been prepared by The Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants in Lebanon and are part of a study conducted by Ernest & Young in Lebanon. You can check it out [Here].

Here’s also a brief interpretation of the E&Y report and a nice analysis of the smoking-ban law and its impact on the Lebanese economy posted by Mohammad Hijazi.

Issues with the current legislation
- The current Lebanese legislation is drastically restrictive in comparison to effectively implemented smoking bans in developed and progressive nations such as Germany and France, as well as in comparison with effective regional models such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
- The greater flexibility of the legislation in the above countries correlates with their successful implementation.
The severity of the Lebanese legislation renders the law unrealistic to implement in full. This critical flaw is execrated by the fact that Lebanon ranks low in terms of law abidance.
- The current legislation opens the door for increased corruption at the local level, due to selective implementation.
- In order for a law to be effective, it must be fair and equally implementable. An Ernst & Young study on the issue has found that the current legislation will be unequally implementable, particularly in areas and regions where the state lacks authority.
- This is detrimental not only from a legal standpoint, but also in terms of the intended health benefits which should benefit the entire population equally.
- The current legislation is set to have a significant negative impact on the Lebanese economy, namely at the level of revenues, unemployment, tourism spending and tax collection. This impact is likely to be more accentuated given – the current political turmoil and tensions in the country.
The Lebanese government lacks the ability to ensure successful and equal implementation. As a result, the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafés, Night-Clubs &Pastries in Lebanon constitutes a valuable partner to help and cooperate. However, the syndicate favors a law it deems complete, implementable, beneficial and economically viable.

Recommended legal amendments
- Minor amendments to just 2% of the current legislation will increase its successful implementation.
- This will increase compatibility with the Lebanese tourism industry and put the legislation on par with some of the most effective anti-smoking legislation executed internationally.
- The recommended amendments restrict smoking in all closed public spaces, work areas and public transport. The syndicate also recommends enforcing this restriction on all restaurants, pastry shops, sandwich outlets and other establishments where food accounts for the main business.
- However, the syndicate is hoping to regulate these restrictions so as to exempt establishments that may be labeled as restaurants but whose predominant business is not food but instead alcoholic beverages and entertainment, such as shisha cafes, clubs, bars and pubs.
- This exemption however would not exempt the above entities from fulfilling technical requirements, such as:
- Installing proper cooling and ventilation systems.
- Restricting entry to minors under 18.
- Placing clear signage outside establishments cautioning that smoking is permissible on premise.
- These proposed amendments would put Lebanese legislature on par with effectively implemented and progressive legislation internationally, such as in Germany and Qatar.
- With proper regulation, the law can also be applied uniformly so as to safeguard the intended health benefits in areas with strict state control as well as those outside of it.

Key facts
- Lebanese restaurants, cafes, pubs and nightclubs generate $735 million in revenues per year.
- The current legislation will generate a drop of roughly $282 million in revenues, representing 7.1% of GDP in the hospitality sector and a significant blow to the Lebanese economy as a whole.
- It will also affect the Lebanese restaurants, cafes, pubs and nightclubs revenue by 25% overall with cafes seeing the biggest slump in revenues.
- The current legislation is also expected to affect tourism spending by $46 million and lead to a loss of about 2600 full-time jobs.
- To top it all, according to commissioned survey studies the public has poor faith in the current legislation with approximately 71% of surveyed believing the law will be poorly implemented and 82% of them believing it will be an opportunity for more corruption.

Picture taken from BeirutSpring

There are talks circulating around that TeleLiban will be shutdown soon and that the TV’s workers are not getting paid, but Lebanese Information Minister Walid al-Daouq is denying such rumors and saying more funds will be allocated to TeleLiban and staff members will be paid on time. [Report]

Rumors are saying TeleLiban will be closed after it completes its exclusive coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympics on September 10. (I made up this rumor)

The Lebanese government has already shutdown TeleLiban back in 2001 and I wish they had kept it this way. Chef Antoine el Hajj will be missed though. [Link]

I’ve been to St. Elmo’s four times already, twice with friends, once on a tweet-up and the last time on a personal invite and I’ve enjoyed my meals and drinks every single time. I was planning to review the place earlier but they have so many items I wanted to try that it was hard to post about it after a single visit.

Located on Beirut’s Zaitunay Bay, St. Elmo’s owes its name to St.Erasmus of Formaie, the patron saint of sailors, and is decorated with nautical vintage stuff to offer a retro-urban seaside setting [Taken from Website]. The restaurant is divided into three parts, one outdoor area overlooking the Zaytounay harbor, an indoor lounge/pub area overlooking a more formal dining area suitable for lunch and dinner.

Before you order any food, there is a long list of drinks and cocktails that you can choose from, ranging from a rich selection of white/rose/red wine, beers and champagne to Sangrias, Mojitos, Bloody Marias and House Elixirs. I am not a big fan of Bloody Marias but one of my friends had the Bloody Mess (see below picture) and he loved it. I recommend trying the Sangria Pitchers, Lynchburg Lemonade (Sour drink), and the Caribbean Shrub.

You can check out the list of drinks and cocktails [Here].

BLOODY MESS: Vodka, Elmo’s clamato juice, giant shrimp & fresh oyster

Moving on to the starters and salads, I recommend the fresh Summer Rolls, the Black Carpaccio (see below picture), the Grilled Calamari and the Tataki Tuna Nicoise salad. All are healthy and delicious choices. The Smoked Salmon Bagel is a must-try in the Sarnies section. It’s a real shame that we don’t have any bagel shops in Lebanon, or at least none that I know of. The only one I used to go to was Euro Deli on Bliss Street during my AUB years but last time I checked, it was closed.

If you want to start with something rather unhealthy, I recommend you go for the Mac & Cheese as a starter. Just don’t have it by yourself because you won’t have any space left for the main dishes.

BLACK CARPACCIO :Cold-cured Black Angus Tenderloin topped with arugula, fresh artichoke hearts, fennel & shaved parmesan with truffle oil

Speaking of main dishes, St. Elmo’s is the place to visit if you are a Fish & Chips or Lobster fan. I haven’t tried the Poached 750g Nova Scotia lobster yet but heard good reviews about it, but I can assure you that the Fish & Chips are the best you can have in Lebanon. The dish is big enough for two people and is awesome! For those of you who don’t drink alcohol, watch out though because they are beer-battered. (All items that contain alcohol are pointed out in the menu).

Fish & Chips: 275g of Beer battered Mediterranean bass served and our home-made tartar sauce & parmesan fries

Last but not least, the desserts offered at St. Elmo’s are the perfect ending to your lunch/dinner. If you are feeling full, order an apéritif and take a small break because some of them are not to miss, especially the Chocolate chip cookie and Nutella Cheesecake.

SOFT CENTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE Oven baked & topped with vanilla bean ice cream

All in all, St. Elmo’s is Beirut’s only English SeaFood Brasserie and is located at the most suitable place, the Zaytounay bay. It’s a new concept that I encourage all Lebanese to try and is rather affordable given its location and when compared to some restaurants around it. (30-50$ per person for a full meal)

If you wish to read more about St. Elmo’s:
[St. Elmo's Facebook page]
[St. Elmo's website] [Menu]

The outdoor area overlooking the yachts and boats

PS: St. Elmo’s also serves brunch from 10am till 1pm, check out their brunch menu [Here].

We’ve been hearing calls from several parties in Lebanon, including myself, to re-open the Klaiaat airport and have an alternative to the Rafic Hariri international airport.

Apparently, and as mentioned in Annahar today, the government has plans to re-open the Klaiaat airport for strictly economic reasons. I want to believe that it’s gonna happen but I highly doubt it. [Article]