There’s still no decision to replace the dismantled Jal el Dib bridge with a new one, but Jal el Dib’s residents seem determined to get their bridge and submitted a design for a new bridge to the authorities. They will be staging yet another sit-in tomorrow at Jal el Dib’s entrance and might be blocking the highway.

I must say it looks nice and practical, but as far as I recall, it was Jal el Dib’s municipality that had a problem with such a design as it will cause few stores to close down and reshape the city’s entrance.

I spotted this site few days ago in Zouk Mikhael and I can’t decide what it is. My first guess was a football stadium but it looks a bit too small for one; it also can’t be a basketball court as it’s open.

Could it be Lebanon’s first Gladiator arena?

Picture via Elias

That’s the first picture I got of the bus that caught fire on the Jounieh highway less than an hour ago. The bus was packed but everyone got out on time according to what a friend told me.

Riyadi Beirut refused to play Game5 on Saturday without its fans, which meant that Anibal won 3-2 and advanced to the Lebanese Basketball Finals for the first time ever. Game1 against Champville will be played today.

The reason why Riyadi Beirut refused to play is not very convincing to be honest, as both teams’ fans were banned from the game. However, if it turns out that the Army Chief truly pressured the federation to ban Riyadi fans as suggested by Riyadi President Hisham el Jaroudi, then that’s really shameful and a serious blow to the sport.

All in all, Anibal deserves to be in the Finals as much as Riyadi does, so best of luck to them!

PS: Champville’s President is Jad Kahwaji, son of Army Chief Jean Kahwaji.

Picture from BeirutSpring

There’s still uncertainty in regards to allowing Lebanese expats to vote in the 2013 elections. Nevertheless you can make us of this post to have an idea on what’s to come.

Picture from zdistrict

According to this article, the ISF bikes, cars and SUVs are suffering from a fuel shortage. In fact, few of them were forced to abandon a motorcade escorting a foreign delegation the other day as they ran out of fuel.

The highlighted text is saying that locals in Tyr were surprised to find a warning sign on a building that has a BLOM Bank branch open in it. The building is at high risk of collapsing apparently.

I never thought the day would come where the NNA website gets renovated. I also noticed the Lebanese Presidency website has a new look.

It looks like something good came out of the websites hack by RYV (Raise Your Voice) back in mid-April.

I guess there’s still hope for Tele Liban.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been urged to abandon a planned gig in Israel, after it emerged that they performed at a pro-Palestinian gig that raised over US$500,000. The superstar band, who have won seven Grammy Awards and sold over 65 million albums worldwide, are due to perform in Tel Aviv on September 10, days after gigs in Beirut and Istanbul. [Link]

Here’s an excerpt of the letter:

Open letter from Lebanon to the Red Hot Chili Peppers: “Come to Lebanon, but not to Israel: Until All Palestinians Have the Right of Return”

25 April 2012

Dear Red Hot Chili Peppers,

Last November you played at a benefit for Palestinian refugee children at Cafe de Paris in London. Your decision to support Palestinian refugees must have come from an understanding that for 64 years Palestinians have been denied the right to return to their land and to be compensated for loss incurred by the Zionist colonization of their land. Fighting for the implementation of this right is the central tenet of the Palestinian Boycott National Committee and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). As a result, we find it strange that less than a month after your benefit concert you announced your decision to play in Israel.

There’s nothing strange about this decision. They are not politically affiliated yet wouldn’t mind promoting causes if asked to. How hard is that to understand?

Lara Fabian cancelled her concert back in February in Lebanon after receiving a similar letter. [Link]

At this rate, we will only be allowed to watch U2, Gorillaz and Roger Waters performing in Lebanon. Isn’t Wiz Khalifa performing soon in Lebanon? Hasn’t he been to “Israel” yet? How about Charles Aznavour? Chris de Burgh? The Cranberries? Tom Jones? Shakira?

When are we going to stop this nonsense? Should we label the Lebanese who attend those concerts as traitors or collaborators as well?

The hospitals, their staff and doctors went on the one-week strike to protest the NSSF’s delay in reimbursing hospital bills and its refusal to increase the fees of physicians. The head of the Syndicate of Private Hospitals Suleiman Haroun told Free Lebanon Radio, that the hospitals will only admit patients with severe hemorrhage, those who have heart and respiratory problems and who undergo dialysis, and victims of traffic accidents. [Naharnet]

This is a very serious matter that needs to be treated ASAP as there’s a great majority of Lebanese who rely on the NSSF to hospitalize themselves, their family and more importantly their elderly. However, I can’t really blame the hospitals for taking such measures as they can’t keep working for free and enduring losses.

One solution is to get insured somewhere else, but most insurances don’t cover people over a certain age and not all Lebanese families can afford paying for an insurance.

I have to ask the government here which is more important: Paying a minister 400 million dollars to compensate the closure of his stone-crushing plant or reimburse hospitals to end this strike?

Photo by Naharnet

Zahi Zeidan vows he won’t back down as he stands in his bomb-shattered restaurant and oversees workers carrying debris out of dining rooms where on a good night patrons are usually drinking and dancing.

“They targeted us because we serve alcohol,” said Zeidan. “Selling alcohol is my right. This is my country and I will not accept that people dictate to me what I work.” [Source]

This is the 4th time a restaurant is targeted in Tyr for serving alcohol. I must admit you have to admire this guy’s commitment to serving alcohol despite all those bombings. I think we should organize a trip to Tyr in support of Zahi Zeidan. Who’s in?

On a different note, it is quite astonishing how police investigations have not led to any results yet, especially in a city like Tyr where Nabih
Berri, the speaker of the parliament, displays considerable influence.

Last but not least, is it so hard to dispatch few army men or municipality policemen to guard those places temporarily until the criminals are caught?

Picture from Beirut Drive-By Shooting

Picture from the “Die-in” Protest for migrant workers staged by Lebanese on Saturday, by Al-Akhbar

An Ethiopian woman was hit by a backing car today in Verdun and the driver did not even bother to go down and check on the poor woman. No one bothered to help her as well or call the ambulance.

Read the full story on LiBeirut’s blog [Here].

Picture from NowLebanon

Things are not looking very good at the moment for LBCI’s Chairperson and CEO Pierre El Daher as Prince Walid Bin Talal seems determined to sideline him and isolate LBCI. PAC ltd (the company that employs most of the LBC staff), LBC SAT, LBC America and LBC Europe are all under Bin Talal’s control now. In fact, Bin Talal owns 85% of LMH (Lebanese Media Holding), the company that owns all the companies listed above and that was founded in 1997 by Sheikh Pierre El Daher and Saudi Businessmen.

397 PAC employees were sacked earlier this month, LBC SAT was shutdown in Lebanon by the Ministry of Telecommunication few days ago and LBC Europe was shutdown temporarily in Europe.

Added to that, The Lebanese Forces party is suing Daher over LBCI’s ownership, which would leave him with practically nothing if he were to lose this lawsuit. All in all, I think everyone’s at fault here and I can only hope that Daher will reach some sort of agreement with Bin Talal and the LF because no one will emerge as a winner from this dispute.

Sheikh Pierre El Daher in the middle. Picture by L-F.com

If you wish to read more on the matter, you can read this nice article by NowLebanon [Here].

[Picture taken from Skate.lb]

In its continuous lobbying efforts for a permanent and safe Public Skate Park, the Lebanese Skateboarding Association (LSA), a non-profit organization established in 2011, is opening a pop-up skate park at the Beirut Waterfront – downtown from May 1st till June 15th 2012. For that purpose, LSA invites young people to share its vision and to join our opening event on Monday May 1st at 4:00 PM. The event will showcase street athlete, graffiti artists and professional skaters. .[Source]

In the invitation email I received, the LSA mentioned that there are currently 300 young people passionate about skateboarding in Lebanon, and that they expect this number to grow to 3000 within 3 years. A bit too optimistic in my opinion.

Nevertheless, I think having a decent Skate Park is a good thing as 1) Skaters or BMX riders have nowhere else to go and it’s safer to skate in a park than in the streets, 2) Skating is affordable to all people and 3) Skating is a cool and fun sport.

PS: I hope LSA asked for a permission to draw Graffiti in the Park.