Author Archives: eliefares

Obba Saida Style… Causes Controversy in Saida

Leave it to some dim-witted Lebanese religious man to turn a parody into a controversy. Obba Saida Style, the ChiNN cover that many found funny, is being challenged by some men in Saida as offensive and demeaning and an insult to the values of the city.

As a result, they are calling on Saida’s MPs to take disciplinary actions against Abou Talal, the character that did the parody because the song calls for “rebellion on the values of the city of Saida and calls for immorality.” (link)

Te3tir? You bet.

We’re reaching a point in this country where people’s threshold for offenses has become way too low causing them to get worked up at the most useless of things. I’m not against anyone expressing their concerns but there comes a time when those concerns are so ridiculous they should just be bottled in and repressed in some deep part of that person’s subconscious.

Nurses, clergy, basically every section in our society is finding something – anything – for them to get worked up on. As a result, the leeway in dealing with any event is becoming so restricted that we might as well not do anything at all anymore. Clergy should take care of prayers to those who care and leave parodies out of their business. Same thing applies to all other sections in our becomingly narrow-minded society.

Until then, here’s Obba Saida Style for anyone who doesn’t get offended at the stupidest things:

Zaitunay Bay is NOT Closing Down

After posting news that Zaitunay Bay might be closing down because the shops and restaurants in it can’t pay their rent anymore, I was tweeted by Zaitunay Bay’s account to let me know the news is entirely false.

Moreover, it seems that Solidere is not allowed to make such statements as it’s not the owning company of Zaitunay Bay. The company in question is BWD, Beirut Waterfront Development.

Here are the tweets in question:

Zaitunay Bay Closing - 1

Zaitunay Bay Closing - 2However, I believe that the closing news may not be coming out of nowhere. As they say, there’s no smoke without fire. So perhaps Zaitunay Bay should really anticipate repercussions from the dismal state of the economy and lower the rent on its tenants, at least until these tough times blow through. Making less money transiently is better than not making money at all.

 

 

 

Klink Revolution: Myriam Klink’s New Song

M

She calls herself QMK which I guess translates to Queen Myriam Klink so I may be doing her a disservice by omitting the first word.. This is Myriam Klink’s new “song” about the current state of things in Lebanon. You know, el en2isam, el ta2ifiye w heik.

Unless Nemr Abou Nassar is so bored he wants to expand his fanbase again, I’m willing to bet no one will be having a field day with this.

Interestingly, it was “debuted” on Joe Maalouf’s radio show. It seems he doesn’t mind this type of “music” being played on his airwaves if it brings in audiences.

I thought she was just messing around with Antar. But this shows that she’s actually taking herself seriously. Lord have mercy.

Proceed with caution. The path ahead is extremely risky for your eardrums and there’s no accompanying dance video to please your eyes.

 

Beirut’s Zaitunay Bay Closing Down?

LebanonFiles is reporting (here) that Solidere is actively and seriously considering closing down Lebanon’s new “it” project Zaitunay Bay, which has been discussed in the New York Times earlier this year.

The reason for Zaitunay Bay potentially closing is the same reason Fuddruckers and Buddha Bar have closed down while Movenpick got offered up for sale: the terrible state of business.

The shops and restaurants in Zaitunay bay are witnessing such a big fiscal drought that they can’t pay their rent, which is about $500,000 per year for their property. Looks like such a well-visited location hasn’t been resilient to the economic woes of the country.

Meanwhile, as all major business in the country close down or consider closing down, our politicians are either making propaganda visits to Gaza, still on a “forced vacation” abroad, threatening everyone whenever they feel threatened (which is basically every waking moment of every day) or getting people to freak out about a potential “ekhwen rule” in Syria.

The 2013 elections are in a few months and the rhetoric that will be used in the coming days and weeks won’t be that of an economic plan to save the country’s miserable state but that of mentally terrorizing people into voting for one side over the other, whatever that side is.

Despite not being the biggest fan of Zaitunay Bay, I really hope the place pulls through these though times. Lebanon doesn’t need such a thing right now.

An Economic Boom Coming Batroun’s Way?

I was sent this report, saying that the Maronite League is bringing an economic zone to Batroun, which will help in creating over 3000 jobs for the region.

The Maronite League will announce next week a plan to establish a new special economic district in Batroun. A primary feasibility study has been performed for the project.

The location of the new district will be defined through a draft law already sent to Parliament, said a senior member of the Maronite League. The project will include businesses involved in soft industries, including ICT firms.

Businesses located within the zone will benefit from special services, facilities, and incentives, such as tax exemptions and discounts on NSSF subscriptions for employees.

“We aim at creating incentives for local and foreign companies to come and invest here, instead of taking their investments to other countries, such as Dubai or Qatar,” the Maronite League member said.

The district is expected to generate some 3,000 job opportunities. According to the source, businessmen involved in the Maronite League have expressed their willingness to move their offices into Batroun. “Over 100 companies are expected to have offices in the Batroun special economic district.”

A similar special economic zone has been announced earlier this year for Tripoli.

If this news turns out true, it would drive one of Lebanon’s more needy areas lightyears forward and would help its citizens stay home instead of moving to other Lebanese areas or even abroad in order to find jobs. This might signal a hidden demographic motive for the Maronite League in one of Lebanon’s biggest Maronite regions. Personally, I don’t really care seeing as this is such a positive sign for the region and they should be commended for doing something that very few, including the Lebanese state, have even considered before.

I’m pleased that this project won’t have a political stamp on it. We won’t get MPs or MP wannabes telling us how we should be eternally grateful for them bringing 3000 jobs to the district when they ask for our votes next year.

Another positive attribute is the fact that this is the first time such a massive project has been undertaken outside Beirut and its suburbs, which might help shift the way things are done in this country away from the deep conviction of: “Beirut & neighbors first and foremost. Almost everywhere else in Lebanon doesn’t matter.”  And with relatively short commute times for the regions around Batroun, the project’s reach will extend beyond Batroun.

I’m interested in knowing where the project will be built and I hope it’ll take environmental factors into consideration in keeping the pristine aspect of the region relatively intact or at least let it not turn into another disaster like Chekka. But pristine doesn’t bring food to the table.

Some other non-Maronite League projects involving the area include turning the Tobacco control headquarters into a branch for the Lebanese University as well as building a centralized Official High School for the entire caza in Ebrine, which seems to have been buried in a bureaucratic mess, the Batroun-Tannourine highway which seems to have stalled in its final stretch, not to mention the sewage and water networks project which has basically made our driving a living a hell with the serious lack of efficiency in the contractor the Lebanese government hired.

Add to all of this studies indicating that some of the highest amounts of oil and petrol may be found off of Batroun’s shores, the area will witness a lot of development in a short period of time. Well, it’s about time.