CULTURE & HERITAGE
Lost interiors: Inside Lords Hotel for the last time
I managed to capture the final moments of Lord's Hotel this afternoon.
The gradual destruction of this 1950s landmark is almost complete. Luckily, I took...
Beirut heritage activist receives French medal of honor
Preserving heritage is not usually a very acceptable activity in Beirut. Activists are routinely harassed for documenting it--sometimes assaulted just for taking pictures of...
ENVIRONMENT & PUBLIC SPACE
From sewer to sea
I was on my way to drop off my recycling at Ziad's recycling plant near the port of Beirut when I noticed this nasty...
Who needs a sidewalk?
When you can have a cafe instead...You can't even walk in the street because they have tables there too!Pedestrians can either get run over...
LAW & CRIME
Cement factory militia attacks TV crew
In the video below, an Al Jadeed TV crew says they were assaulted by at least three car loads of men with machine guns...
PUBLIC SERVICES
Can the private sector help the Syrian refugee crisis?
Today I spoke to the BBC World Service about the worsening refugee crisis in Lebanon and the government's controversial decision to begin strictly limiting...
MEDIA
Blackface on Kuwait TV
It's sad to see that the racist tradition of Blackface is still alive and well on Kuwait TV. The technique of white actors portraying...
The Washington Post changes terrible headline
The headline above was published this morning by The Washington Post at 11:05 AM as seen in the timeline.An hour later (7PM Beirut/12PM US...
IN DEPTH
Unpacking the Arab Tech Boom
The word entrepreneur has become ubiquitous in talk about the future of Arab business. Some have even claimed a quiet economic revolution is at...
Journalists and bloggers defy press crackdown
This column was first published in the April issue of Bold MagazineA Thirst For Silence
By Habib Battah
Conflict in Lebanon is often analyzed through the lens...
TRAVEL
Old East Village photos revisited with Google
Yes, this blog is mainly about Beirut, but I've added a new travel section to share some of my trips and the experiences that...
Top 10 weirdest Lebanese Christmas displays
I don't usually do lists, but with all the awful news I have been covering lately about demolitions and people getting beaten up, I...
RECENT POSTS
At war with a prince
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts09ATxuYGAIn the video above, LBC TV show host Joe Maalouf takes multiple shots a Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, one the world's richest men,...
FEATURED VIDEO
Police beat journalists on video
The Daily Star/Hasan ShaabanA video has recently surfaced documenting police beating journalists this week. The reporters were covering the election of a new mufti...
MOST POPULAR
Rose House opening to the public
Next week, Beirut's storied "Rose House", which sits on a rare green hill overlooking the Mediterranean, will be open to the public for the...
