BetLZ News 2.3.10

Report: Lebanese officer suspected of spying for Israel / Ynetnews

Lebanon aims to build on banking success / Financial Times

Who will pray at Lebanon's rebuilt synagogue? / BBC News

Syrian FM: US has nominated ambassador to Damascus / Washington Post


DNA Samples from Ethiopian Relatives of Plane Crash Arrive in Beirut / Naharnet

Ethiopian air crash shines light on lives of migrant workers / Los Angeles Times

Low broadband penetration is hurting Lebanon's competitiveness / iloubnan.info

In an Elie Saab World / New York Times

~LZ

BetLZ News 2.2.10 #2

Another blow to the (false) theory that vaccines cause autism. BBC

Beijing warns Obama against meeting Dalai Lama. CNN

The catholic church and it's love for equality. BBC

A brief history of gays in the military (notice how they "determined" one was gay during WWII). TIME

السنّ الـ 18 في وطن هزيل ANNAHAR

BG

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°13

I knew it!

When I was watching the Grammys I saw Carrie Underwood's dress while she was performing the MJ Tribute onstage and I thought "that looks like Reem Acra!"

When I compiled the pics of the celebs wearing Lebanese Designers, I couldn't find mention of Carrie's performance dress anywhere--only of her Red Carpet Georges Chakra Dress...

But as it turns out, I was right! (My friends will tell u I like to think I'm right all the time...not true!)

Check out the pics below and read the following:










Carrie Underwood's Grammy Style Snapped Up

Posted: February 2nd, 2010 at 12:42 pm | By: Alison Bonaguro
Technically, I'm still on the waiting list at this Gilt.com sample sale virtual outlet. But I really wish I'd been a member yesterday (Feb. 1) because they are the proud sellers of everything awesome, like the same style of dress Carrie Underwood rocked during the Michael Jackson tribute at the Grammy Awards. You know, the gold lame strapless chiffon one with all that beading going on at the waist? That one. (Not to be confused with the rock star-turned-angel white Georges Chakra one she had on on the red carpet.) The gown is by a Lebanese designer Reem Acra, who is quickly becoming a favorite of anyone going anywhere important. But alas, it sold out within hours of going on sale at this inventory reduction hot spot for around $1,500. The original retail price was more in the neighborhood of $5,400. Both prices are way beyond my reach, but I am genuinely happy for whoever is the proud new owner.

Source: http://blog.cmt.com/2010-02-02/carrie-underwoods-grammy-style-snapped-up/

BetLZ News 2.2.10

Body recovered nine days after Lebanon plane crash / AFP

Lebanon gets relatives' DNA in Ethiopian jet crash / AP

Israel returns abducted Lebanese shepherd after 'severe beating'/ The Daily Star

Robert Fisk: Israel feels under siege. Like a victim. An underdog / The Independent

Start-up Lebanese tracker of Web traffic turns profitable / The National

~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

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°12

You knew it was coming....Grammy's 2010!

Carrie Underwood in this Georges Chakra elegant gown:

Suits her well though does remind me of a nightie...

Rihanna in Elie Saab:


Not my thing but then nothing Rihanna wears ever is...

And wouldn't you know it, both lovely ladies made the Best Dressed lists!

Also, surprisingly Beyonce chose not to wear Elie Saab this time round, and also, coincidentally, did not end up a Grammy Best Dressed....


From the archives:


Beyonce in Elie Saab at the 2006 Grammys:

Should've stuck with Elie!

~LZ

BetLZ News 1.29.10 #2

Global Warming (or is it more PC to say climate change these days?) is so hot and happening that even Osama (yes that one) is getting in on it! /BBC

Gen. Aoun is expected in Damascus on Feb 9th of next week (is it me or does he really pick the most memorable days to visit Syria? St. Maron day of all days?) /Naharnet

BG

BetLZ News 1.29.10

The news for today:

Lebanon to Decide on Sale of Mobile Phone Companies by Year-End / Bloomberg

Debt-ridden Lebanon sheikh stages his own abduction / AFP

Occupied Lebanese Village Remains in Limbo / Wall Street Journal

Father of Plane Crash Victim Dies of Grief, 2 Bodies Handed over to Families / Naharnet

Video of the Ethiopian Flight Taking Off: Click Here

~LZ

Arabic Sound Bite n° 5 - From the Archives

Remember this?

Vintage Ragheb Alama!

The song in called "3alamtini"



Great video--classic 90s, before all the cool high-techness of today's videos

Arabic videos were just cheesy corny lovefests, but also much more innocent

Here it is:




~LZ

BetLZ News 1.28.10

This post will be updated throughout today! Check back!

Ethiopian crash jet flight recorders found off Lebanon / BBC News

Lebanon Byblos Bank 2009 Net Profit Up 20% At $146.1 Million / Nasdaq

Spain takes command of UN force in Lebanon / AFP

Dazzling haute couture rises from Lebanon's ruins / Reuters

Lebanon's foreign domestic workers fight back at abuse / AFP



~LZ

Déjà vu x 2!

Yesterday we spoke about how Zuhair Murad's dress worn by Miley Cyrus at the 2009 Oscars was inspired by Dior's 1949 Junon gown.

Well how about this Georges Chakra dress worn by American model/actress Jamie King?




Seems like Georges Chakra copied Zuhair Murad who copied Christian Dior...

Will the chain get longer?

~LZ

Announcing: BetLZ News! (The Pilot)

Announcing: BetLZ News!!! (Name subject to change if anyone can think of something better...)

It's going to be our Monday thru Friday summary of news that we think might of interest to you...

We'll keeep it simple and to the point,

And for today:

Q&A: A Saturday in Beirut / The New York Times

Lebanon Air Crash Wreckage, Black Boxes Elude Search / Bloomberg

South Lebanon: Cosmopolitan character and multicultural legacy / The Economic Times

Is there something we missed that you think we should include?? Let us know!

~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

Elie Saab Spring/Summer 2010 Paris Fashion Show

Check out the beautiful dresses from the Elie Saab Spring Summer 2010 Fashion Show that took place today in Paris by clicking here!

I want #6!!!


~LZ

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°11

Lebanese Win Big at the 16th Annual SAG Awards!

We've seen these two before....

Dianna Agron from Glee is wearing another Leb designer this time, Georges Chakra. (We saw her previously in Reem Acra at the Golden Globes.)



And surprise, surprise--Marion Cotillard is back and looking beautiful in this short Elie Saab gown!

~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

RIP

RIP

~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°10

Three Lebanese designers shined at the 2010 Golden Globes last night; newbie Georges Hobeika, Elie Saab and Reem Acra.

1. Georges Hobeika

Actress Julie Bowen from American TV Show "Modern Family"

2. Elie Saab:

British Actress Toni Collette

American Actress Heather Graham

American Singer Fergie

3. Reem Acra:

Actress Dianna Agron from American TV Show "Glee"

Not bad, not bad. My personal favorite in Toni Collette's Elie Saab dress...the Fergie Saab dress kind of looks like something someone wears to their high school prom...

~LS

"We are not smiling"

"these is only one flag"

"we are not smiling"

and, in case you haven't noticed, I also made him sit on a lower chair.

Who comes up with this stuff, really?

I mean, you are a diplomat. Act like one!

BG