BetLZNews 4.12.2010

Beirut's 39 Writers Under 39 / Asia Writers

Lebanon Motor Show 2010 / Middle East Online

Young Minds Shine Beyond Beirut / MidEast Youth

Glitz and glam eclipse hybrids at Lebanon car fest / AFP

Lebanon to drop tariffs on hybrid cars / The National


BEIRUT! NOT ENOUGH DEATH TO GO ROUND (1983)
"A moving and graphic portrait of the people of war-torn Beirut in their day-to-day struggle to survive in the rubble and despair that war has brought upon them. Filmed shortly after the 1982 massacres at Sabra and Chatila, the film gives a vivid picture of the plight of these people and of any people who are too poor to escape the ravages of war."

Love the stereotypical Lebanese profiles in this commercial for Le Charcutier Aoun:


~LZ

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Lebanese Designers: Zuhair Murad Revisited, Rania Salibi Introduced, and of course, Elie Saab

It seems after we posted about him, everyone began talking about Zuhair Murad!

See this CNN article and VIDEO titled "Lebanese designer-to-the-stars Zuhair Murad finds magic in Beirut." The article is a MUST READ!!


Also, after we published the list of pictures of celebrities in Zuhair Murad, look who we found in ZM at the 2010 Vanity Fair Oscar Party??

It's Katy Perry!



But alas, the Lebanese Designer news amidst Oscar Buzz does not end there!

Did anyone notice the dress of that woman that walks on and off with the winners at the Oscars? Who cares who she is, but her dress this year was made by Rania Salibi, a Lebanese designer (what, you can't tell by her name, skinny figure and ridiculously frizzy hair??) who entered and won a competition with other designers who were hoping to dress that Oscar lady.


Rania Salibi with her winning dress

Read about it HERE.


And finally, last but certainly NOT least, this ABC News article on Elie Saab titled "Elie Saab Offers up Choices for Hollywood Fans," and just for fun, here's a picture of actress Hilary Swank in Elie Saab.




Yeyyy for Lebanese fashion designers!!

~LZ

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BetLZ News 3.9.10

Middle East media mogul Antoine Choueiri dies / Arabian Business

‘Toot, toot’ a moot point for Lebanese cabbies / KippReport

Dreaming of an oasis in Beirut's concrete jungle / Daily Star

Beirut nightclub to open in Dubai hotel / Hotelier Middle East

Lebanon marks Women's Day with bid to promote participation in politics / Daily Star

AUB to celebrate the works of 60 of its alumni authors in a literary festival / Al Bawaba

There it is!

~LZ

lEbAnEsE GrAfFiTi "the walls of beirut are still virgins"

Everything you EVER wanted to know about Graffiti in Lebanon!

I often see the Graffiti in Beirut and am so glad to see it--that is, when its on old, broken down buildings ridden with bullet holes on industrial walls--in those cases, I see it as art, and am happy for it. When its on a newer building however, or a historic site, I see it as a crime.

I remember seeing the "haifa for president" graffiti in beirut and laughing out loud--it made my day.



So whatever your thoughts on Lebanese graffiti--art or crime--its picked up immensely over the years. Enjoy the blogs, photos, articles and videos below!





***Articles***

Crime or art? The graffiti artists beautifying Beirut / NowLebanon

Bombing Beirut, with spray-paint Art Lounge’s homage to walls that speak / NowLebanon




***Videos***

MBC News Report on Lebanese Graffiti




Nice Film on the Beginning of Graffiti in Beirut





Graffiti Trailer (3rd of a Series)






Part 1 of a Series by Al Jazeera on Graffiti in Lebanon titled "Leaving a Mark on Lebanon"





***Blogs***

29Letters

LebGraffiti (Though sadly last post was in 2007)

PhotoBeirut (Professional photographer who has many photos of Beirut on his homepage, and happens to have this collection of graffiti)

Rock and A Hot Place **AMAZIINNNGGG** high quality photos of graffiti in Beirut










So what's your verdict? Art or crime?

~LZ

PS: Please bring SPACE INVADERS to Beirut!!!!

Photos from RockAndAHotPlace.com

BetLZ News 2.25.10

**Headlines**

Lebanese president makes unprecedented Russia visit / AFP

Illegal scooters confiscated & destroyed in Beirut / Ya Libnan

Gunmen wound Lebanese soldier in Lebanon's Bekaa / iloubnan.info

Lebanese authorities seize counterfeit-drugs factory / Daily Star

Overcoming Odds: A Lebanese-American Physician's Story / PRNewswire

Israeli spies in Lebanon Not such a success / The Economist


**Business**

German business delegation in Beirut to enhance economic ties / Earthtimes


**Arts**

Contemporary Polish artists present their works in Mar Mikhael / NowLebanon


**Features**

Talking to Lakhdar Brahimi / NowLebanon


**Videos**

La Youmal



~LZ

BetLZ News 2.19.10

***Headlines***

Don't expect progress from talking to Syria / The Washington Post

Ahmadinejad discusses Lebanon with Nasrallah, Suleiman / Tehran Times

Arab peacekeeping force proposed / UPI

Crafty cocaine carpet seized / The Australian


***Business/Finance***

'Digital nomads' find a home in Beirut / Irish Times


***Arts/Features***

Weyves and Elie Saab to unveil first superyacht at Abu Dhabi Yacht Show / Super Yacht Times

First-ever joint Muslim-Christian holiday celebrates Virgin Mary / LA Times

Songs and dances from across the Mediterranean / The Daily Star

US Embassy in Beirut introduces new online visa form / iloubnan.info

~LZ

BetLZ News 2.16.10

Sorry guys, Monday was Presidents Day in the US and thus no BetLZ news, so today's news will be covering yesterday as well as the weekend:


**Headlines:**

Clash kills 2 in Palestinian camp in Lebanon / AP

Are Lebanon and Israel Headed for War? / ABC News

Lebanese army fires on Israeli fighter planes: military / AFP

Crashed Ethiopian plane cockpit recorder recovered / AP (Yet another recorder found)

Mystery deepens over ET409 crash in Lebanon / Examiner.com

Lebanese officer suspected of aiding Israel to locate targets in war / Ynet News

Lebanon marks five-year anniversary of Hariri assassination / Christian Science Monitor

Obama backs justice for Hariri killers / AFP


**Business/Financial:**

Lebanon to Sell Eurobonds or Carry Out Debt Swap / Bloomberg

US to grant Lebanon $237 million in military aid: Murr / The Daily Star


**Arts:**

LEBANON: Pop sensation and sex symbol Haifa coming to America / LA Times

Musical tribute to UAE founder proves a hit / Gulfnews.com

Georges Chakra: Backwards Tuxedo Dresses, Heavy on Red Carpet / NBC

Georges Chakra Fashion Show PICS / Focusonstyle.com

~LZ

BetLZ News 2.11.10...continued!!!

More news for today!!

Daily Pampering: Four Seasons Beirut / Gadling

Anti-Israel protesters target Beirut Starbucks due to false internet rumors / Examiner
For years I have been receiving emails that the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, was a total Zionist. Apparently the rumors began because of a speech he made in a synagogue in 2002. This article clarifies that Starbucks immediately responded to this rumor saying : "I deeply regret that my speech in Seattle was misinterpreted to be anti-Palestinian. My position has always been pro-peace and for the two nations to co-exist peacefully. I am deeply saddened by the current events in the Middle East."" So maybe all of those rumors (to which I have never seen any evidence) are true, and we should stop hating on Starbucks...at least in the Zionist aspect...

In Beirut, something for the weekend that really smokes / The National


VIDEO:

And something that is a MUSTMUSTMUSTTT watch!!!:

You may have heard about the infamous tacky Syrian lingerie...

Watch this TIME Video titled "Naughty Lingerie in Conservative Syria"


A Phone on a thong..that's what I call multitasking!


My favorite parts??

"when i sit down to design I think as a man, how they want to see their women"

"how many a man buys depends on how many wives he has"

I don't know about you ladies, but I personally asked my boyfriend to get me a pair of those clap-off undies--so pragmatic and sexy at the same time!! Don't you want a little teddy bear in front of your crotch? (Hurry before they're sold out!)


Lingerie can be both educational AND sexy!!!


Let me NOT comment on how women throughout conservative societies throughout the Middle East are expected to stay virgins until marriage, behave totally innocently and never think of sex or boyfriends, societes where rape is very often taboo, where society requires them to dress conservatively, etc. but when it comes down to being married and having a husband, he wants you to be as slutty as he would like. So its not that women shouldn't be sluts...that type of behavior is totally ok--for their husbands.

Humph.

But other than that this video is actually hilarious!

Click Here to watch!




(Thanks to BG for sending me this link!)

~LZ

BetLZ News 2.1.10

Today's news!



Sub to help search for crashed Ethiopian jet / Washington Post

Israel returns Lebanese shepherd / UPI (who was a teenager, i would like to note)

An Ethiopian Funeral in Beirut / The Faster Times

Lebanon posts solid economic gains undergoing period of political tension / Global Arab Network

~LZ

Déjà vu?!

Hmmm...

Earlier we blogged about Miley Cyrus wearing this beautiful Zuhair Murad gown to the Oscars in 2009....



Look what we just found:


Looks a little familiar, no?

This gown is called "Junon" and was made by Dior in 1949 and was obviously the inspiration for the dress.

A little cheap if you ask me...

The Dior gown is now part of NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection

So, which do you like more?

~LZ

Lebanon Gets Artsy Revisited

We previously spoke about the up-and-coming Lebanese band Mashrou3 Leila

The band held their release party for their self-titled first album at a steel factory on the edge of Beirut last month. 1,000 fans bought the albums, which sold out completely, and hundreds were left without copies of the album.

Check out this article on the band and the show.

Congrats!

~LZ

Lebanese Tourism Sets Record High in 2009

According to the Lebanese Minitsry of Tourism, Lebanon received nearly 2 million visitors in 2009, which is approximately 50% of the Lebanese population--not bad, not bad. Check out an article from The Canadian Press below.

I hesitate to be excited--last time this happened is was 2005, and we all know what happened then....

~LZ


----------------------------------

Lebanon says 2009 was best on record for tourism with 1.9 million visitors

By Bassem Mroue (CP) – 5 hours ago

BEIRUT — Nearly 2 million tourists visited Lebanon in 2009, a record that exceeds even the glamorous years before the civil war when Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East.

In figures released to The Associated Press on Tuesday, the Ministry of Tourism said 1,851,081 tourists visited Lebanon in 2009, a 39 per cent increase from the year before. The previous record was 1.4 million tourists in 1974 - just before the disastrous 1975-90 civil war broke out.

Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud estimated the country's annual income from tourism at up to $7 billion, or about 20 per cent of gross domestic product.

The booming tourism sector is the latest sign of progress in Lebanon, a country that had become notorious for its years of kidnappings, car bombs and political assassinations. But Lebanon has seen greater stability recently, drawing once-leery foreigners to its snowcapped mountains and stunning Mediterranean seaside.

Nabil Majdalani, who has been working in Lebanon's restaurant industry since the 1970s, said his business grew about 15 per cent in 2009.

"This was the year when we saw the biggest number of foreigners at our restaurant since before the civil war," Majdalani said.

During the civil war, tourists simply stopped coming to Lebanon, scared off by the reports of Westerners being snatched off the streets of Beirut. A thriving tourism industry that lured Hollywood stars to the Middle East all but dried up.

The industry was just starting to recover some of its lustre when Lebanon's billionaire former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the power behind the multibillion-dollar postwar reconstruction, was assassinated in 2005 in a massive truck bomb in Beirut.

Then, in July 2006, Israel and Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in which some 1,200 Lebanese were killed and billions of dollars worth of infrastructure destroyed. Thousands of tourists and vacationing Lebanese expatriates were evacuated from the country because of the fighting.

And in 2008, Hezbollah militants swept through Sunni neighbourhoods of Beirut to briefly seize control after the government moved to curb the group's military communications network. More than 80 people were killed in the violence that followed.

But Lebanon has seen greater stability recently and formed a unity government last year. A key recommendation by The New York Times, which named Beirut as the top place to visit in 2009, helped boost the country's image.

Pierre Ashkar, head of the Hotel Owners' Association, said occupancy at international-standard hotels in Beirut averaged 76 per cent in 2009.

"This was one of the best years ever," Ashkar said.

Copyright © 2010 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°9

We have a new Elie Saab junkie on our hands!


Marion Cotillard is a French actress best known for her role as Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose."




All the following pics are Elie Saab:

~LZ

Jump of Death

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Dining out in Beirut # 1

Its been a while, but what better reason that our 1 year to get back into it?

Have kids? Want to eat out? Try Gruen, reviewed by Anissa Helou for the Financial Times


Restaurant review: Gruen, Beirut

By Anissa Helou
Published: December 12 2009 00:42 Last updated: December 12 2009 00:42

When young children ask to be taken out to eat, they usually want to go to a McDonald’s or somewhere similar. Not so in Beirut, where many of my friends’ children insist on going to one of the city’s grooviest restaurants, Gruen, the brainchild of Nayla Audi (who also owns the wildly popular Oslo ice-creams) and Maria Ousseimi.

The style is Californian but the inspiration Lebanese. I love Audi’s southern Lebanese take on grissini: long, crisp strips of spiced flat bread spread with za’tar – totally addictive; her delicious wraps are made with markouk bread (very large, thin flat bread cooked over a saj, a kind of inverted wok) and toasted with fillings such as scrambled eggs or mushy lentils, rice and caramelised onions (m’jaddarah). I wouldn’t go as far as saying that the pizza at Gruen is as good as you can find in Naples but it is not far off, except for the toppings, which again are Californian-style: speck and artichokes or roasted potatoes and rocket.

As for the desserts, my feeling is that they are the main draw for children, as is the extremely relaxed atmosphere, not to mention the large terrace outside where they can play to their hearts’ content. Apart from the list of 30 odd ice-cream flavours available at the counter, you can also order ice-cream sandwiched between two giant macaroons, the flavour of which changes daily.

A stylish restaurant, Gruen is just as much fun for children as it is for adults, who can combine a family meal with some great people-watching.

Gruen, Gefinor Center, Beirut, tel: +961 (0)1-737 344


Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009.

~LZ

Having Sex in Lebanon

I have a story for you. It’s a sad story. My 22 year old best friend just started having sex, obviously pre-marriage. So we were talking, and I happened to ask her what kind of protection she’s using.
“He pulls out,” she says.
I’m, sorry, what?? Yes, yes, ‘he pulls out’ was her response. No condoms, she is not on the pill, no plan B, nothing.

Oh, sorry, let me note that this is all taking place in Lebanon.

So I begin to patiently lecture my friend about the fact that the pulling out method can still get you pregnant, that it does nothing to prevent STDs, and then I go to the computer, do some research on all these things, and send info to her in an email.

She then proceeds to have sex two more times using, again, only the pulling out method.

Ok, so part of this is, no offense, because my friend is being an idiot, and the bigger part of it is there being NO SEX EDUCATION IN LEBANESE SCHOOLS. Yes, I realize it is a conservative society in the sense that people, more specifically women, are expected to wait until marriage until having sex. Let’s not get into how ridiculous that is and that the same is not expected of men and that that is a double standard which makes no sense unless these men are fucking each other.

So again I look up more information and send it to my friend. I also tell her we are setting her an appointment this week with a doctor to get her a prescription for birth control.

This morning I stopped by a pharmacy to buy her condoms and the morning after pill. She asked me to do it for her because I guess she is too embarrassed to do so herself. Goes to show you how much sex is a taboo in Lebanese society. Even more taboo is that I walked into the pharmacy and as there were two other customers there, I walked out, not wanting to buy condoms and try to explain the morning after pill (il suba7 b3daan pill?) to the pharmacist. I felt like a coward, but I looked at my watch pretending to be late for something and got the hell out of there. I’m planning on going back on my way home tonight, fingers crossed that no one else will be there.

Anyway, I was really disappointed to see how little my very intelligent, well-educated friend knew about sex. It made me wonder how little other Lebanese people knew about this. Obviously they don’t talk about it with their parents. I mean fuck, I remember a couple of years ago my girlfriends here thought that virgins couldn’t use condoms because it would break their hymen. They were like 21 at the time.

So looking up information for my friend I found out about this sex hotline in Lebanon where you can call and get information on sex and ask any questions you want anonymously. It wasn’t even easy info to find. So the point of this post, I hope someone in need will come across this in their search on the internet, or will send it to a friend in need (as you can see by the many, many labels I have attached to this post). Let’s do our part to avoid unwanted pregnancies and the spreading of STDs until the government starts doing its part and requiring sex education.


So girls and guys, my advice to you? Stay safe and go to your pharmacy and buy condoms (keep a couple on you at all times) and the morning after pill, you never know when you or your partner will need it.
Girls, if you’re having sex regularly, go to the doctor and get a prescription for birth control. If you’re worried your doctor will tell your parents, they can’t if you’re an adult (over 18) as doctor-patient confidentiality exists. Also, you can tell you doctor you are having really bad periods that are painful and want to go on birth control, which is very common, so you can be on birth control with your parents knowing…(in case you need them to pay for it). And please, no sex without condoms. Are you interested in getting AIDS or gonorrhea?

Stay safe,

Love

LZ

PS: Many may be wondering why the guy himself didn’t use condoms. Apparently he is convinced that the pulling out method works, that all the times he has used condoms it breaks, that when ur in the heat of the moment you really don’t want to put a condom on, and probably also that its not quite as pleasurable for him. Well I’m sorry, but fuck him. Is he the one that is going to end up pregnant? Is he ready to be a father? Do you want the STDs that he is going to give you from having unprotected sex with other women? And if he doesn’t even care about you enough to put on a condom to protect the both of you, why the hell would you want to be having sex with him anyway?

PPS: Thanks to the anonymous post from before for directing me on how to get through the Arabic language obstacle on blogspot.com

_______________

If you're in Lebanon and have questions about sex, AIDS, STDs, etc., call the LFPA or SIDC anonymously.

The Lebanon Family Planning Association (LFPA)

Contact InformationTelephone: (961) 1/ 318575 or (961) 1/ 311978Fax: (961) 1/ 318575 or (961) 1/ 311978

E-mail: lfpa@arabnet.com.lb

P.O. Box: 118240 Corniche El Mazraa, Masken Bldg

SOURCE: http://www.infoyouth.org/cd_rmed/English/org_lb/lfpa.htm

and also

'Soins Infirmiére et Développement Communautaire' (SIDC),

Youssef Karam st, Daou bldg, 1st floor Sin El Fil El Metn Lebanon
01 480714, 01 482428 01 480714, 01 482428
P.O.Box: 55391 – Sin El Fil

SOURCE: http://www.sidc-lebanon.org/index.php

~LZ

Sad 3

"We've heard stories of gay-specific torture where men have glue in their anuses and they force-feed them laxatives."

If that's not torture, then I don't know what is?!

BG

Programme pour 'Fête de la Musqiue' à Beyrouth!

C'est le jour de la Fête de La Musique ici à Paris! Donc, pour ceux entre vous qui sont au Liban, voici le programme pour la fête: (il y a quelques groupes dont on a déjà parlé sur le blog... :P )

--

L'Ambassade de France met en place six scènes à travers la ville, du rock au hip-hop oriental, en passant par la chanson française pure et des djs tech-house, la musique sous toutes ses formes est représentée dimanche 21 juin.

Bayat, Champlain, Elias Diez, Karimbo Mixity, Bernard Lavilliers, The New Governement, Mashrou'Leila et J-Electric jouent de 20h à 01h15 aus Thermes Romains.

Nahna El Nas, L’Fahrass, 7 Ta2at, Bicro-phone, Plugged, The crave, José González, Sphere et Vibrations sont a Hamra de 20h à minuit.

Trix, Charlie Shawlporn, Stephanie Merchak, Trash Inc, Aspro, Jade & Diamond setter, Alex Azzi, Jay K, Fady Assouad et Eli et Rabih se produisent au Dôme de 21h à 04h accompagnés des VJ KAma, La Mirza, Mosig, Labo et Strongsky.

Toni Bayeh, Cristobal, Youmna Saba, ShaBa wa l Kaylou tafaha, Omarz & Grandsunn, Meen, et Amab jouent à Gemmayze- Escalier Saint Nicolas de 20h à minuit.

Limelight, Khat Ahmar, Ashek’man, I-Voice, Malikah, Anne, Arcane, The Kordz et DJ Lethal Skillz sont Place des Martyrs de 20h à 02h du matin.

Enfin, The Narcycist, Sandmoon, Sylvain Nassar, The Incompetents et Katibe 5 se succèdent de 21h à 01h20 dans le jardin Samir Kassir.

***UPDATE***

Here is a more detailed programme that has the times each band is meant to go one and the genre of music the the band plays that I got from Lilliane!

PLACE DES MARTYRS:
20h00 Limelight (Rock)
20h40 Khat Ahmar (Arabic Hip Hop)
21h35 Katibe 5 (Arabic Hip Hop)
22h05 Malikah (Arabic Hip Hop)
22h45 Anne (Rock)
23h30 Arcane (Rock)
00h20 The Kordz (Rock)
01h10 DJ Lethal Skillz (Scratch / Hip hop)


JARDIN SAMIR KASSIR:
21h00 The Narcissist (Dubai / Hip hop)
10h45 Sandmoon (Folk)
23h20 Sylvain Nassar (Rock)
23h55 The Incompetents (Folk / Indie)
00h50 I-Voice (Arabic Hip Hop)


THERMES ROMAINS:
20h00 Bayat (Oriental)
20h40 Champlain (Chanson française)
21h15 Elias Diez (Rock français)
21h50 Karimbo Mixity (Rap)
22h25 The New Government (Rock)
23h15 Mashrou’Leila (Pop rock)
00h00 Fareeq el Utrush (Arabic hip hop)


GEMMAYZE (escalier St Nicolas):
20h00 Toni Bayeh (Oriental)
20h35 Cristobal (Indy-folk)
21h15 Youmna Saba (Lebanese Folk)
21h50 ShaBa wa l Kaylou tafaha (Comic critic)
22h05 Omarz & Grandsunn (Hip hop)
22h35 J-Electric (Funk / Jazz)
23h30 Meen (Lebanese rock)
00h20 Arnab (Live Drum n’bass)

DOME:
21h - TRIX - DJ SET - DEEP HOUSE
22h - CHARLY SHAWLLPORN - LIVE - MINIMAL
22h30 - STEPHANIE MERCHAK - LIVE - ELECTRO TECHNO
23h - TRASH INC. - LIVE - ELECTRO BREAKS
23h30 - ASPRO (FRANCE) - LIVE - DEEP HOUSE
00h - JADE & DIAMOND SETTER - DJ SET – MINIMAL / TECH-HOUSE
01h - AAA - DJ SET - TECH-HOUSE / DUBSTEP
02h - JAY K - DJ SET - TECHNO
03h - FADY ASWAD - DJ SET - TECHNO
04h – E.L.I & RABI-H - DJ SET - TECHNO

Visuals by KAMA (ITALY) – LA MIRZA – MOSIG – LABO & STRONGSKY

HAMRA (Next to Fransabank):
20h00 Nahna El Nas (oriental)
20h40 L’Fahrass (Arabic hip hop)
21h00 7 Ta2at (Arabic hip hop)
20h20 Bicro-phone (Arabic hip hop)
20h45 Plugged (Alternative rock)
21h25 The Crave (Alternative rock)
22h05 José González (Flamenco)
22h55 Sphere (Rock)
23h35 Vibrations (60’s rock)

--

Pour vous à Paris, peut-être je vous verrai dans les rues?? Bonne fête!

(Et, en fait, pour vous aux États Unis, Happy Fathers Day!)

~LZ

Jihadists Don't Blog

BG, we are "bridge bloggers," oh, and apparently jihadists don't blog (i have this great image right now of a jihadist with a giant beard, osama like turban and sandals squinting at c omputer screen trying to pour out his emotions on a blog...haha)

The BBC just published an article about blogging in the Arab World

The studied, organized by the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society at Harvard, looked at 35,000 active Arabic blogs (ie that are written in Arabic)

Their goal "was to produce a baseline assessment of the networked public sphere in the Arab Middle East, and its relationship to a range of emergent issues, including politics, religion, culture and international affairs."

They concluded: (1) the Arabic blogosphere is organized primarily around countries, (2) Egypt formed the largest cluster on the Arabic blogging map. The study also singled out Saudi Arabia, Kuwait & Syria (3) That within a given country, the make-up of the blogging cluster is varied,

and

(4)

The report also identified two large cross-national groups of what the authors call "bridge bloggers." One group is located in the countries of the eastern Mediterranean and frequently blogs in English in addition to, or instead of, Arabic. ...

Report co-author John Palfrey noted that these bridge bloggers were important because they serve as cultural interpreters for many in the West. Bridge blogs, he said, are often where "the water-cooler chatter" of the Arabic-speaking world gets into the wider public domain.

:P

I was a bit surprised that Egypt would be the top considering the arrests of bloggers that have been taking place there, but I guess when you live in a repressive society, blogging (provided it's not blocked by the governement) is the best way to express your anger and connect to the public...

Check it out here

~LZ

Score one for the ladies!

I think it would be a huge exaggeration to say that women have full rights and are treated as equal and up to par with their male counterparts in society. Women are discriminated against left and right and are barely respected in some circles. Heck, some people even use science to undermine women and their creative/thinking/mental abilities.

And you certainly don't need me to tell you that the rights of women in the middle east are dismal at best. The injustices dealt to women in the middle east on a daily basis fall within a wide range of discrimination. Although some women are stronger than others and usually take woman power to a whole new level, women in general still have a lot to go in their emancipation struggle so to speak. For some countries in the middle east, it is not enough that most women have no rights at all, but some are even further discriminated against based on looks solely. Most women are used as sexual objects that are there to support their lovers' needs and when things just go awry, the woman is more times than not the victim. Some injustices are unfortunately sanctioned and supported by the "law".

However, Lebanese women (albeit one) have jumped a major hurdle towards their desire to have full rights under the law. In a recent court ruling a judge has given the right to a woman to transfer her Lebanese citizenship to her kids.
Wait, wait, WHAT?
Are you saying that a child born to a Lebanese woman can't be Lebanese unless the father is Lebanese too?
YES, that is what I'm saying, and it is a messed up law that is archaic, inhumane, unjust, unfair, sexist, discriminatory and that needs to be changed as soon as possible.

The law itself is un-constitutional, given that the constitution states that all citizens are equal in rights before the law, and this law clearly does not treat all citizens equally. And any law that violates the constitution is, well, un-constitutional. (I frankly don't know how anybody can possibly argue with that logic!) But, kidding aside, it really is un-constitutional, and everybody in Lebanon knows that even the politicians that are hesitant to change it. The fear is that if Lebanese women, and especially so those married to foreigners (read Palestinians), are given the right to transfer the Lebanese citizenship to their offspring, then a lot of Palestinians will take advantage of this and gain Lebanese citizenship that way. I personally think that that fear is unfounded, and if the law is repealed, I personally can't imaging that there will be lines and lines of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians queuing to get married. Maybe a few will gain citizenship that way, but to say that tons of Palestinians will start marrying Lebanese women just for paperwork is frankly an insult to women. How cheap do our politicians think our women are?

I think that this woman's case is an excellent example of a good and healthily functioning judicial system, even though it took a dying husband for her to get her rights, but you gotta start somewhere!

BG