Showing posts with label Lebanon news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lebanon news. Show all posts

Sunday, June 22, 2014

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لا أعرف بأي كلماتٍ أصف حجم الخطأ الذي ارتكبته أيها الراعي.
فأنت لم تكتفي فقط باتهام العلمانية بتهديد "العائلة اللبنانية" لكنك وضعتها في نفس الخانة مع التطرف…
ولا أعتقد أنها هفوة لسان!
فكيف تعطي لنفسك الحق في إهانة أناسٍ لم يقدموا يوماً على أذية لبنان؟ كيف تساوي بينهم وبين القتلة الذين يتآمرون على أرواح البشر؟  هل نسيت أن تلك الدول التي يتوافد سفراؤها عليك والتي تقرر مصيرنا هي علمانية النظام؟ هل تستضيف في بكركي هؤلاء الكفرة وتجالسهم وتستمع لهم وهم يخبرونك ماذا سيفعلون بعائلتك الحبيبة؟

دعني أخبرك يا سيادة البطرك ماذا تعني العلمانية... العلمانية” تعني اصطلاحاً فصل المؤسسات الدينية عن السلطة السياسية، وقد تعني أيضاً عدم قيام الحكومة أو الدولة بإجبار أي أحد على اعتناق وتبني معتقد أو دين أو تقليد معين لأسباب ذاتية غير موضوعية. كما تكفل الحق في عدم اعتناق دين معيّن وعدم تبني دين معيّن كدين رسمي للدولة. وبمعنى عام فإن هذا المصطلح يشير إلى الرأي القائل بأن الأنشطة البشرية والقرارات وخصوصًا السياسية منها يجب أن تكون غير خاضعة لتأثير المؤسسات الدينية." 

لا أعتقد أنه يوم اندلعت الحرب الأهلية في لبنان كانت العلمانية هي السبب، كما لا أعتقد أن نظاماً مبنياً على الحصص الطائفية قد يحمي لبنان أكثر من نظامٍ علماني يكفل المساواة بين أبناء هذا الوطن الصغير.
لا أعتقد أن بناءة دولةٍ على أساس الكفاءة لا الدين، دولةٍ حيث الفرد ينتمي لبلده لا لطائفته، يهدد لبنان...

لكني أفهمك أيها الراعي. فكيف لا تحمي النظام الذي أعطى لموقعك القوة، كيف لا تقف في وجه علمانيةٍ قد تسلب منك ومن بكركي كل السلطة...
نعم أنا أفهمك. فمنذ الأزل لم يكتفي رجال الدين بالتنسك والصلاة. فكيف ستتقبل أنت أو سواك من أرباب الدين هذا اليوم الذي ستعودون فيه إلى صفوف الشعب العادي وتتخلون عن كل تلك الأمجاد التي اعطتكم اياها السياسة؟

العلمانية يا سيادة البطرك تميز بشكلٍ واضح بين التطرف والدين. تحترم الآخر وتسعى للحفاظ على العائلة اللبنانية التي عجزتم أنتم عن صونها. 
العلمانية يا سيادة البطرك تعمل بقول السيد المسيح "أعطوا ما لقيصر لقيصر، وما لله لله". أم تراك نسيته؟


 Rihab

Posted on Sunday, June 22, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Wednesday, June 18, 2014

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Dear ISF,

Your tweet today was a perfect example on how much the institution of the internal security forces hides corruption.

Just to let you know, you cannot arrest two people without their identification papers under the charge of Homosexuality.

What kind of sexual life adult people are leading is not your responsibility? Go find true criminals instead of arresting homosexuals! How is it possible to let this kind of "institutions" rule us?
shame on you!




Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Do you know what makes Lebanon so special? It is this beautiful mixture of cultures.
Why some people are trying hard to change the identity of this country?
Respecting others is a golden rule! Everyone is free to fast or not and everyone  is free to eat in public or not!
Rihab

Photo credits: stop cultural terrorism in Lebanon


Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

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Lebanese University graduate and Mayfouq-born surgeon Dr Bachir Elias was awarded with the prestigious Philippe Mouret Award after performing a revolutionary endoscopic surgery. The award aims to honor below 40 years young surgeons who would present revolutionary techniques in endoscopic surgeries. This year’s jury was composed from the best surgeons of France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland. Dr Elias performed his surgery without cutting the patient, leaving only 3 incisions in the abdomen, whereas the conventional surgery leaves a 5 cm cut and 3 incisions. This kind of surgery is still very rare worldwide but it’s the best to assure the patient a quick and painless recovery.

 Dr Bachir Elias, receiving his award (Photo: AnNahar)

Dr Bachir Elias is 36 years old. He pursued his studies at the Lebanese University before moving to France to specialize in endoscopic surgery. He works at the Bel-Air hospital in Thionville, France.
The saddest part of his story is the lack of recognition of his competences in his home country, Lebanon. In his interview with AnNahar newspaper, Dr Bachir Elias assures that he is grateful to the Lebanese University and that he would have loved to work in Lebanon which he visits every once in a while. But every time he applies for a job at any Lebanese hospital, the answer is the same: “Maybe later”. He only got the recognition he deserved in France where he was hired according to his competences and hard work.
As Lebanon is drowning in its own lethargy, great minds are shining worldwide. Dr Bachir Elias is not the first and he surely won’t be the last to be awarded in foreign countries. In a nepotistic system based on political feudalism and favoritism, as well as on religions, it’s quite impossible to give to competent people what they really deserve.


The award Dr Bachir Elias received in recognition 
of his innovative surgery (Photo: AnNahar)

Pascal Asmar

Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Sunday, June 15, 2014

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"In spite of the trials facing the Palestinians they still manage to shine."
 Dr Bilal philips

Iqbal El Asaad, a Palestinian Woman, started studying Medicine when she was 14 years old. She got her Bachelor degree in Medicine at the age of 20 and she is now the youngest doctor in the world!


Dr. Iqbal, you gave this world a lesson. We wish you lots of luck and success!

Posted on Sunday, June 15, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

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His name is Ihab Hallab. He’s 14 and comes from a Tripoli-based family. He’s a student at the “Ibn Khaldoun” public school. Few years ago, Ihab almost drowned. This accident motivated him to think about a possibility to help human beings breath under water just like fish. After profound thinking and research, the young teenager elaborated some plans of potential fish-like gills designed for humans.



Ihab is also the inventor of an electric pair of shoes that can help people cross distances without feeling tired.
The young 14-year-old, who got 3 patents from the Lebanese Ministry of Economy, doesn’t want to give further details about his inventions so his ideas won’t be stolen before developing the experimental phase.
The teenage boy, who dreams of developing more projects, wants his country to be the first to benefit from his ideas and inventions… We do hope so too, Ihab.
Pascale Asmar

Posted on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Saturday, June 7, 2014

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“I do not have control over 75% of my body, and the height of Rouche Sea Rock is 40m but under the auspices of the commander of the army and after exercising for more than three months with the commando Regiment, I will be able to climb the Rouche Rock.”



Micheal Hadad will climb tomorrow the Rouche Rock. 
Best of luck!

Posted on Saturday, June 07, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

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Today, Nadim Koteich shared a link about Samir Kassir on his page. Someone commented wishing Koteich the same fate as Samir Kassir.

Oucèma Karam, friend of the blog, replied by these few lines and I felt the urge to share them with you.
Thank you Oucèma Karam, I couldn't find better words.





"لستُ مِن محبّذي الثرثرة السياسيّة على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعيّ. بيدَ أنّ استمرار بعض شركاء الوطن باعتبار العنف من الشتيمة وصولًا للاغتيال وسيلةً طبيعيّةً يوميّةً مِن وسائلِ التعبير و الحرّيّة المقدّسة، باتَ يُلزِمُ رفعَ الصوتِ و القلَم (لا سلاحَ غيرهما لدى الأحرار). كرامةُ شُهداءِ الرأي و الصِحافةِ و الثقافةِ و النضالِ الديمقراطيّ أعلى مِن كلِّ متراسٍ و منجنيق و مدفع و صاروخٍ و طائرة، أيُّها البؤساء! حلّق عاليًا يا سمير قصير فالنورُ في الظلمةِ يُضيء!"





Your opinion counts, share it with us.

Posted on Tuesday, June 03, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Who does not remember these days when basketball was all we cared about? When being Hkmewi or Riyadi was as diving as being 8 or 14 march?



It is sad to see that using basketball to conceal our eternal conflicts is still occurring.

Today, I was reading the news when this statement popped in front of my eyes.Two realities stroke me:

-Lebanese people are still intolerant and the struggle between Hekmi and Riyadi still exists. If it wasn’t for Hekemi’s president’s name, I would think that this piece of information is 10 years old.


-What did “Nadim Hakim” mean when he urged his club fans to stay polite because “there are women and children between the audiences”?
Should we conclude that it is very acceptable to shout and insult others if the audience was 100% male?
Mr. Hakim, with all my respect, but insulting the other club should not only be rejected to avoid penalties or to protect women and children.  The true spirit of any sport game is to know how to welcome winning and losing with the same amount of respect.
Rihab

Reference : Please check this link 
Your opinion counts, share it with us.

Posted on Tuesday, June 03, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Monday, June 2, 2014

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A new case of censorship has hit the social media today: “The Exhibition”, a short movie by Lebanese filmmaker Youssef Nassar, was supposed to be screened during the Cabriolet Film Festival. Nassar and the Cabriolet Film Festival’s committee were astonished to hear that the Lebanese General Security refused to give their approval to screen the movie because, as reported by Censorshit Lebanon’s blog, it displayed nude pictures of women. The festival’s committee is deploring the transformation of free Beirut into Kandahar.

Picture via Stop Cultural Terrorism in Lebanon’s fb page

The multiple and repetitive acts of censorship are getting more serious and are worrying us about the “conditioned” freedom of speech: You have the right to say or do anything as long as it doesn’t tackle  religious figures and parties, politics and political figures, and sex.
So basically, keep hiding behind your little finger, as we say around here, because this is what we are good at doing…

Oh and by the way, long live the internet where all banned movies, plays and books will be found!
Pascale Asmar
Your opinion counts, share it with us.

Posted on Monday, June 02, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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On May 31, The Daily Star reported: “A husband who had been abusing his wife for over a year was detained Friday, the first time the law against family violence was enforced.
Public Prosecutor Bilal Dennawi ordered the detention of a man, whose identity remains unknown, for 48 hours after an investigation showed that he had been abusing his wife. The order for the arrest was issued in line with the recently passed controversial law to protect women against domestic violence
.
The man has also been ordered to pay his wife’s medical examination fee and return the couple’s 7-month-old daughter to the victim, in accordance with Article 11 of the law.”


This case is the first since the law against domestic violence was passed in the parliament and KAFA considered it as the first victory for family law.

The husband, who has been detained on Friday, will be held in custody for 48 hours and KAFA was worried that a protection order will not be issued before Monday due to administrative regulations.

Fortunately, yesterday the judge of urgent matters issued a protection order for the victim and her child.

This case highlights a weakness in the new law and urges for a quick amendment. As a matter of fact, the judge of urgent matters is the only one entitled to issue the lengthy protection order, and he is not on call for 24 hours a day. KAFA has requested to handle the protection orders by the public prosecutor since his time is more flexible.

The new law still needs adjustments. The date of the detention should not determine the fate of the victim.
Rihab





To read about this case.
To read the protection order. 


Posted on Monday, June 02, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Friday, May 30, 2014

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Every year, a lot of serious issues are raised regarding the Lebanese University. Most of them – if not all – are related to political interferences. In fact, it has been like forever since politicians took the prerogatives of the university board. Since then, no nomination has been possible without politicians meddling in. The failure of the government to upgrade 574 contract professors into permanent ones has urged the head of the university, Dr Adnan Sayyed Hussein, to call for a strike in an attempt to regain the academic prerogatives and protect the Lebanese University against any political interference. The problem regarding the appointment of full professors proves that there is a clash of interests between politics and academics.

I am not going to investigate if the 574 contract professors are worth being upgraded or not. Much was said (especially in Assafir newspaper which reported many “fishy” situations regarding the “academic” list and the “political” list). I am going to remind each one of us about the importance of the institution that has been the victim of many administrative and political abuses. The Lebanese University, sole public institution for higher education, counts around 75 000 students in its 6 sections. Most of them cannot afford the extravagant tuition fees of the private universities that are estimated by hundreds in Lebanon, and aren't monitored by the government – which eventually leads to huge raises every year (For a recent matter, check AUB and LAU’s tuition fees raises that led to students’ strikes). So for 75 000 students coming from everywhere, the Lebanese University is a chance: if the Lebanese University didn't exist, they wouldn't be able to get a chance to be admitted in a higher education institution. Or, they would spend their lives paying off extravagant mortgages cumulated through years since their first class at any private university.

I am not against private universities. But I am against the sabotage and abolition of the only chance of education for 75 000 students.

Oh, and for the record, I am a Lebanese University graduate. I couldn't be prouder of that. The Lebanese University was a chance for me. It is a chance for many of us. Public and free education is a right and it is our duty to protect it against “private educational corporations” that want to rip you off and against politicians who are contributing to this conspiracy. A proud and developed state is the one that has confidence in its public institutions, mostly in its public university.
Pascale Asmar

Posted on Friday, May 30, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Thursday, May 22, 2014

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Lebanese director and actor Lucien Bou Rjeily was denied his right as a Lebanese citizen to get his passport. According to Bou Rjeily (repost from Stop Cultural Terrorism page on FB):  “The Lebanese General Security today (May 21, 2014) confiscated my passport and refused to renew it, which means I’m no longer allowed to leave Lebanon to perform in the festival: the reason? - They categorically refused to give me a reason... I pleaded for an answer but they kept refusing to give the reason... they said that we will revert back to you in the coming month or month and a half and they hinted "you should know why... something that happened in 2013". 

So it seems it is payback time for fighting against censorship and corruption in his banned play “Bto2ta3 aw ma bto2ta3”.

The Lebanese law is very clear about the rights of all citizens but it seems that the General Security forces have their own way of following and respecting them.

I am not going to start cursing the country. We did it to ourselves. We allowed such wrong behaviors to occur, again and again, gave on our basic rights since ever. Didn’t we shut up after Lebanese deputes extended their own mandate illegally (except for an uprising from courageous young people who got beaten up for demanding to abide by the law)? Don’t we act as if it’s none of our business when we see their corruption since “b3ide 3n dahre bassita” and “what can we do, Hol henne?” Don’t we get carried away by the Zaim or the religious figure’s demands instead of seeing clearly what is rightful and correct?


An uprising against corruption, censorship and dictatorship is a must. The current system with all its elements ma bio2ta3!
Pascale Asmar

Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Tuesday, May 20, 2014

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"On May 3rd, Georges Massaad, a Lebanese guy from Zahleh, got married to his partner, Renek Jorgenson, in San Francisco. George’s parents attended the wedding to give him their blessings, while his dad carried him on his shoulders to dance (Lebanese style). Congrats w 3a 2bel el 3ayzeen!" 
Source Beirut gay blog.

Two days ago when I first heard about this marriage, I didn't really believe it!  Who would?
Who can believe that a Lebanese man got married to another man and his parents attended the marriage and gave their blessings?


George, you are very lucky to have such a family. They loved you and accepted you without conditions.
Now they will be facing this society and treated as contagious.
Now they will be asked to feel ashamed for having such a son and accepting such a marriage.
The war just began!

George Massaad and Renek Jorgenson are now Husband and Husband by the name of law, by the name of love and by the name of freedom.

George didn't commit any crime by marrying his lover, we do a crime when we deny someone's right to marry, or to have a decent life. This marriage didn't affect anyone of us and it brought happiness to these two men.

To all those who think that this marriage is disgusting, that gay people should seek and hide,and  that "these creatures" who are "against nature" should live in the shadow, I want to say "Nobody can force you to accept gays but please let them live!"



Posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Saturday, May 17, 2014

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How nice it would be to live without being concerned about the power outages or the diesel generators bill!
The solution is simple "Renewable Energy", I am very proud to see the work done by some of our engineers in this domain and I wish  one day this will be spread all over Lebanon.


Please check this link:  http://www.dw.de/renewable-energy-in-lebanon/av-16778894

Save the environment, save your money !

Posted on Saturday, May 17, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

This photo was spread over WhatsApp  and I feel the urge to share it with you.
It reflects perfectly what kind of police we have in Lebanon, so  I won't say more :(



Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Tuesday, May 13, 2014

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Lebanon made it to the 6th position in the “ 9 places you absolutely, positively must see before you die " 

The ranking was suggested by the Huffington Post’s Facebook fans to celebrate the 9th birthday of the newspaper. The article features a picture of the Saint Paul cathedral in Harissa. According to one of the fans, Susan Latuga, "this is where my grandparents were born. My parents never had a chance to go before they passed away so it is my dream to walk where my roots are”.

Despite this piece of good news that re-pinned Lebanon on the international map of the most touristic countries – which is a glimpse of hope for the suffering and tormented country –, a fatal error was reported in the Canadian version of the same newspaper (“9 lieux à voir ABSOLUMENT avantde mourir”): Lebanon was translated into “Libya”, instead of “Liban”.



This “confusion” is one of many others, occurring in highly professional news providers. In 2011, for example, CNN mistook Tripoli, Lebanon for another Tripoli, the capital of Libya. The picture below says it all:



Such “confusions” might be seen as innocent errors at first, resulting from similarities in names and sounds. You may call it slip of a tongue or an innocent mistake, but in the information era, such errors are considered deadly sins… 
 Pascale Asmar

Posted on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Saturday, May 10, 2014

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Discovering that the Lebanese minimum wage is very low didn't surprise me, but when I thought that a Lebanese deputy who doesn't even bother to do his job get a salary of 8000$, I cursed this whole system and I didn't understand why we aren't rebelling yet .

I am a bit curious, so I did some research that I want to share with you:



Does this graph look Familiar? 
Well, I meant it because that's what our MEPs are good at!




Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Thursday, May 8, 2014

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Yesterday, my friend (who lives abroad) asked me "Rihab, How much a beer costs you in an average bar in Beirut?" I didn't understand what he was aiming for until he showed me this article.

In Lebanon, the minimum  wage is 675000 LL and the average price of  beer in a bar is around 12000 LL this gives us  56 beers.
Comparing this number to the purchasing power of some European countries like Germany (521), Spain (388), France (248) etc...We see the huge difference!!

Change is needed urgently.





Posted on Thursday, May 08, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

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Lebanon is one of the worst countries in the world in terms of treating migrant domestic workers (MDW), often coming from developing countries such as Congo, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Philippines… Racism against these workers has no limit: they could work 80 hours a week, without any rest days and with a disastrous wage surely below minimum wage. Let's not mention the ones that have been killed, raped or tortured.
Yes,I have no doubt that there are some wonderful families that treats MDWs the way they should be treated, but unfortunately statistics show that the majority of Lebanese families do not ensure a minimum respect for them.

On the first of may, I was astonished by a marvelous initiative realized by the NGO INSAN (meaning human in Arabic) that consists of organizing a modeling session in the Yukunkun Club in Gemmayzé. This event restored my faith in humanity, it surely gave MDWs some piece of confidence in a world full of racism and rancor. A Big salute for INSAN’s NGO.

PS: This article was written by a guest writer. Please don't hesitate to contribute with us by sending any article you like to share .



Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2014 by ChiTikTik

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