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Kia Leads in New Car Sales and Dangerous Websites
Posted on August 23rd, 2010 No commentsIn the first 7 months of the year, 19,639 new cars were sold in Lebanon according to the Association of Automobile Importers with the Koreans leading the way:
- Kia: 18.5%
- Hyundai: 11.9%
- Nissan: 16.5%
- Toyota: 8.3%
- Mitsubishi: 4.4%
Its quite clear from the top five list that Lebanese know how to choose value-for-money cars. Unfortunately though, Kia Lebanon apparently cannot choose a value-for-money webmaster. According to Google, their website may harm my computer. Mozilla Firefox is also quite adamant that I avoid the site at all cost.
Screen shot: What I saw when I tried visiting the Kia Lebanon website via Firefox.
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OTV Cries Foul Over “Lebanese” Porn Channel
Posted on August 11th, 2010 1 commentMEMRI has translated a news report presented on OTV on July 9 concerning the “immoral” porn channels using counterfeit Lebanese to sell sex. According to the OTV reporter:
It is not unusual for a TV viewer to accidentally come across channels broadcasting porn films and nude images. What is peculiar is that one of these channels is called ‘Lebanese Women TV.’ The channel is broadcast via the European Hotbird satellite, and it airs porn films and sex ads – free-of-charge and unencrypted – showing girls imitating a Lebanese accent, although they are not Lebanese, thus exploiting the good reputation of Lebanese women for marketing and distribution purposes.
This whole issue is harmful to the image of Lebanese women, and constitutes an affront to their pride and honor, and by extension, this is an affront to Lebanon and all Lebanese. It constitutes a character assassination of an entire society and country, for the whole world to see.
You can see the clip (with English translations) yourself – but be forewarned, its simply shows phone sex ads taken from the channel with focused pixelization. Though I kind of wonder how many hours that reporter spent staring at porn and Photoshopping the images.
From MEMRI: Lebanese Porn Channel – "Character Assassination" of All Lebanese – July 9, 2010
I did some research into the channel but could not determine where it broadcasts from. Although other “pornatizement” channels such as Arab 69 TV, Arab XXX, and Al Jameela Jins all broadcast from Israel.
According to OTV, the channel damages Lebanon’s reputation. Apparently, they are oblivious of Lebanon’s “boobs and booze” tourism. Nevertheless, OTV tried to bring the issue to the attention of the authorities who were too busy poking through Facebook for attacks against the President:
When [OTV] contacted the head of the office for fighting IT and copyright crimes, the answer we received was that the office is aware of this issue, but is not dealing with it at present, because the issue of the president and Facebook is of higher priority.
Is anyone surprised? I mean as Tarek Chemaly pointed out, decency is quite nonexistent when it comes to the local media. And does anyone remember in the 90s, local broadcaster Sigma TV (I think that’s what it was called), which in the early hours of the morning used to show soft porn?
From Beirut/NTSC: Photo was taken from LBC
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Lebanese Stocking Up on Jordanian Property
Posted on July 26th, 2010 No commentsA report earlier this month has shown that property sales in Jordan are on the rise thanks to its neighbors:
The total value of property deals in Jordan rose 18 percent in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year as lower prices pushed up demand and oversupply eased, official data showed Monday.
[...]
Jordan’s once-booming property sector was underpinned by strong demand from Iraqis, Palestinians, expat Jordanians and Lebanese seeking a safe haven in a country with a record of political stability.
Lebanese make it within the top foreign investors in the sector:
- Iraqis – 92.8 million dinars (US$131 million)
- Saudis – 8.6 million dinars (US$ 12 million)
- Lebanese – 7.5 million dinars (US$ 11 million)
Not bad when compared to the sheer number of Iraqis and and bank balances of Saudi investors.
Jordan property sales see 18 percent rise on the back of Lebanese investments.
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Freedom Flotilla: Lebanese Representative Injured
Posted on May 31st, 2010 No commentsDeutsche Press is reporting that the head of the Lebanese mission to the ‘Freedom Flotilla’ Hani Suleiman, was wounded in the Israeli attack on the ship.
PM Hariri has responded by describing Israel’s action as “crazy”.
Here in the UAE, local newspaper Gulf News has a journalist, Abbas Al Lawati, aboard the ship. Apparently, they lost contact with him around midnight UAE time (8pm GMT) last night. Today, the newspaper has a strongly worded statement to Israel:
Gulf News is following with great concern the news of the Israeli terrorist attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in the international waters.
Gulf News holds the Israeli government responsible for the safety of its journalist, Abbas Al Lawati, who is onboard the leading ship Mavi Marmara; and the safety of other journalists and peace activists.
Gulf News strongly condemns the attack and calls on the United Nation to hold Israel responsible for its violation of the Geneva Conventions which protect journalists and civilians against such piracy acts.
Early Photos: A television grab made on May 31, 2010 from the Turkish TV channel shows an injured human-rights activist onboard the Turkish aid boat "Mavi Marmara," carrying aid to the Gaza Strip on May 30. (AFP)
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Love Affair with Foreign Passports
Posted on May 27th, 2010 3 commentsWe sure love our foreign passports! We seem to rise socially as we accumulate “high-value” travel documents and somewhat demean others ‘less-fortunate’ with our “oh, you need a visa? Tsk, tsk” comments. Michael Karam has written a tongue-in-cheek article for The National on the issue. Here are a few excerpts:
…having a foreign passport is generally quite an asset. Indeed a man’s eligibility can soar once it is learned that he has such a passport, as can his employment opportunities. It is, if you like, an economic tool of sorts.
[...]
But Lebanon would not be Lebanon if there wasn’t a nationality hierarchy. I was recently having lunch with a friend whose family owns one of the largest car dealerships in the country. She bemoaned the fact that her foreign husband could only deliver her a Canadian passport.
“I mean, why not a British or a French passport?” she sighed. “I could even live with a US passport, just. But Canadian! I might as well be Australian.”I can see the personal ads now:
25 yr old male looking for Lebanese woman from a good family for marriage. Have US passport.
Lebanese are proud and boast they are Lebanese but feel the need to nitpick around the benefits (or lack of it) attributed to their nationality. So instead of ‘begging’ at an embassy for a visa, they’d rather ‘beg’ at an embassy for immigration only to come back a few years later, new nationality in hand, while having no real connection or allegiance to their new found country. Here’s a typical conversation I would have with a dual nationality-holding Lebanese.
Me: So where are you from?
Other: I’m Canadian.
Me: Oh, really? Who’s Canadian, your mom or dad?
Other: No man. They’re Lebanese, I have the Canadian passport.
Me: Right, silly me. Just a question, if Lebanon and Canada were to declare war against each other, which side would you be on. [Now this can go two ways]
Scenario One
Other: Lebanese of course!
Me: So you’re Lebanese.
Other: That’s what I said!
Me: My mistake.
Scenario Two
Other: Canada!
Me: Why is that?
Other: Because they’d kick Lebanon’s ass!
Me: Of course they would.
It’s great to be Lebanese
Lebanese Passports: A Citizen's Scarlet Letter?
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