Category Archives: Lebanon

iPhone 5 in Lebanon: The Nano Sim Problem

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With Apple unveiling their new iPhone 5, a problem has surfaced for Lebanese users who want to purchase the phone and it is the SIM card that the phone uses.
Ditching the micro sim that was made popular by the iPhone 4, the iPhone 5 uses a new generation of SIM cards called nano sims.
The standard was only approved a few months ago so it’s still not available in many countries and the iPhone 5 will be the first phone to use this standard.

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Unlike micro sims, you can’t cut a bigger sim into a nano sim which is how most early iPhone 4 adopters managed before the microsim became available in early fall of 2010, almost 3 months after the initial release of the iPhone 4.

Alfa has issued a statement that it will be getting nano sims soon. But that’s soon in Lebanese standards which might mean a few months. So for those who rushed to pre-order their iPhones already and expect to have them in Lebanon in the coming weeks, you’ll be stuck with your older phones until an “unconfirmed” date.

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But hey, at least you’ll have that gorgeous device to keep you busy until then. Right?

Look At All Those “Idiots” Attending The Pope’s Mass in Beirut

350,000. That’s how many people went to Beirut’s Watefront to attend the Pope’s Mass.

A few people is all it took for a wave of ridicule to start hitting them all. Some people were bothered by the Mass. And I don’t get why.

I didn’t go down to Beirut for the Mass although I would have liked to. And I can understand why someone wouldn’t want to. But why make fun of those who do?

Are they causing you any harm? No. Are they wrecking havoc to downtown Beirut? No. Are they giving a bad image of your country? No.

On the contrary, the Pope’s Mass in Beirut was broadcast for the entire world to see. And if there’s any decent image that we could have given the world, it’s this: 350,000 people, not all of whom are Christian, listening in to a message of hope.

You don’t like the Pope? Fine. You don’t think what he has to say is relevant? You have every right. But what you don’t have the right to do is make fun of those who like the Pope and who think what he has to say is relevant.

Religion may not mean anything to you but it means something to others. You find religions to be bringing societies backwards, others find in them a message of hope. And as it is your right to express your belief without expecting people to pummel you for it, the least you can do is extend that courtesy to those who don’t share your beliefs.

Personally, I felt proud as a Lebanese first and foremost and as a Christian second to see the crowds in Downtown Beirut chant and attend Mass. It made me feel hopeful, if only for a fleeting second, that somehow someday things might get better. I may be delusional, but that’s fine – at least for today.

The point is: the Pope’s visit means a lot to so many people. It may mean nothing to you but that doesn’t mean you can disparage the right of people to see hope in it or to attend Mass and feel delusional for one more day. It’s their life and if you believe they’re not reaching their “mental apogee” because of it, then it’s their loss not yours.

A New Job for the Lebanese Army: Guard Fast Food Restaurants

I’m not even kidding. Pictures are courtesy of the Daily Star.

 

Now this is not something you see everyday. “Would you like a riffle with your burger?”

As if the Lebanese Army doesn’t have enough on its plate. We now have to worry about a bunch of morons in religious heat acting out on franchises managed by local companies and hiring Lebanese workers.

Ah well…

 

Pictures From the Burning Down of KFC in Tripoli, Lebanon

Those damn chicks! I knew they had something to do with that anti-Islam movie. But it seems the burning down of KFC in Tripoli wasn’t only aimed at the anti-Islam movie (even writing this sentence sounds funny) but also against the Pope’s visit to Lebanon. Some protesters were apparently overheard saying: “We don’t want the Pope” after some billboards welcoming the Pope had been torn off across the city.

Because, you know, f*ck logic. Of course, certain people from certain political affiliations will whore this around as “clear” evidence about Tripoli being full of Islamists and extremists who want nothing but to terrorize Christians in the country and as such you should vote for those in the opposite side of the country because we can’t but drip in hypocrisy.

But I digress. Here are some pictures taken by the Huffington Post. Such an honor to have made an international splash this way.

 

 

Meanwhile, 60km away but seemingly in a different country:

 

But No One Asked If We Wanted To Pay To Get the Pope to Lebanon!

The following picture was shared yesterday by the Lebanese Laïque Pride Facebook page, as their way to refute the Pope’s visit.

It seems the Lebanese Laïque (Secular) Pride people are missing a key point to their notion of secularism. Being secular doesn’t mean not being religious. Being secular doesn’t mean you go nazi on any religious event in the country and being secular surely doesn’t mean being this narrow-minded.

I can give the Lebanese Laïque Pride many examples of bonafide laïque countries, the kind that these Laïque people would kill to have over here, that have hosted the Pope and even organized WYD (World Youth Day) before. But I won’t. What I will do however is list them a few things that I, as a Lebanese, wasn’t also asked if I wanted to pay for:

  1. The few billion dollars we had to pay post July 2006.
  2. The few billion dollars we had to pay post May 2008.
  3. The millions in losses that we had to incur over people closing roads and terrorizing citizens.
  4. The 40% increase to the salaries of MPs who do nothing and ministers who complain about not having electricity.
  5. The visit of Ahmedinejad to Lebanon back in 2010.

And the list goes on and on. Some of them will throw the “but Jesus wanted you to be poor” argument. They seem to forget apparently that paving roads, hiring organizers, hanging banners and taking care of logistics are matters that are not taken care of by the Holy Spirit and in fact need Earthly monetary input.

What has become clear also is that no other religious figure can have his visit this opposed. I invite you to check this Facebook status (click here). But we’ll take it. Like we’ve taken so many other things before. Because that’s what we do.

One thing has become evident though, there’s no way in hell I’m trusting those Lebanese Laïque Pride people in any of their events ever again. Because, you know, f*ck their logic.