text:
Dangerously short skirts; expensive cars; fine-dining restaurants; a bustling Corniche; and a basket full of angry politicians and followers… welcome to Beirut.
October 21, 2009 4:45 by Dana El Baltaji
But while the city boasts an impressive list of fine-dining restaurants, you shouldn't miss out on indulging on grilled corn on the Corniche, or a manakeesh at Faisal - a bakery with branches throughout Beirut, including Bliss Street – or a plate of mlokhia and rice at Le Chef in Gemayzeh. Aside from tasty treats, a visit to Beirut's low-key eateries gives visitors a chance to experience one of the residents' favorite past-times: arguing.
Most Beirutis, have something to argue about. In fact, this is a city where everyone has an opinion about everything, and is keen on letting you – and anyone else within earshot – hear it. Everyone's a politician, a social expert and problem solver, and is eager to let others, especially foreigners, know his or her side of the story.
And there are many, many sides of the story.
A word of advice: don't talk politics. Not all Beirutis can handle a frank political discussion.
Otherwise, you'll find the Lebanese wonderfully warm and hospitable. It isn't uncommon for foreigners to visit Gemayzeh, an up-and-coming neighborhood, and strike up friendships with random Beirutis of all ages and religious backgrounds.
The street, which boasts over 30 bars including Dragon Fly and restaurant/bar Bread, lures crowds from all over the city. And true to Beirut's form, it attracts a number of high-pitched, scantily-clad Lebanese women who strut along Gemayzeh's once-quiet streets in stilettos made for suicidal catwalk models.
And swaggering alongside Beirut's hotties are their misguided stallions, who think no one will notice a carefully crafted comb-over, and that the more money they spend, the more posh they are. It's a trend that guarantees the success of over-the-top venues such as Crystal in Ashrafieh and Sky Bar located on the roof of a waterfront exhibition center called BIEL.
More on Cover Story
UAE and Azerbaijan discuss economic, trade ties
Emaar Properties Q1 net profit soars 17 per cent
Petrol to cost nearly 10 per cent more in May across the UAE
Genel courts Turkey with Kurdish gas to reduce reliance on Russia
Apple sales fall 13 per cent in first quarterly revenue decline in 13 years
Digital skills to help Saudi achieve 30 per cent female workforce
Gulf shares may pull back after oil drops
Iran struggles to find enough ships for oil exports
Dubai Islamic Bank aims to open in Kenya before year-end -sources
Nail polish and mascara: beauty brands eye up Iran
Oil price tumbles as Doha meet ends without deal
Doha oil meeting: what's the point?
Reduced government spending irks Abu Dhabi's real estate markets: report
Emirates orders two Airbus 380s for delivery in Q4 2017
Are Egyptians unhappy over transfer of Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia?
Burj khalifa is not the tallest tower
Baselworld 2016: Survival of the fittest
@10: What future holds for Twitter?
In numbers: World's billionaires reshuffled
The Address Downtown is back?
Lately on Kipp
UAE and Azerbaijan discuss economic, trade ties
Emaar Properties Q1 net profit soars 17 per cent
Petrol to cost nearly 10 per cent more in May across the UAE
Genel courts Turkey with Kurdish gas to reduce reliance on Russia
Apple sales fall 13 per cent in first quarterly revenue decline in 13 years
Airbus A320neo hit by hydraulic system problems
106 Comments
Well all the things that you metioned are what makes beirut the best city in the middle east.. i dare you to find another city in this region that is alive, fun, open like beirut.
You think you are saying negative things about beiruties where in fact ts the opposite and it only shows jelousy.
P.S Skybar is located on Biel Rooftop, it has moved from The Palm Beach hotel a couple fo years ago
Dear Editor,
This story about Beirut is widely misrepresentation of the actual facts on the ground. Contrary to what the writer might want to picture most of the buildings are not riddled with bullet holes. In fact, the recent real estate boom has resulted in more buildings being renovated for re-sale or rent and/or new buildings sprouting up across the city.
Moreover, the insinuation that Lebanese are somehow sensitive about discussing politics is probably the result of your author's inability to understand the nuances of regional and global factors that affect the country and as such to have a political discussion with the Lebanese. If anything the Lebanese are the most vocal and willing of any people in the Middle East and otherwise to discuss and debate political issues. Any insinuation to the contrary is proof that the author knows little about the place and shouldnt be making recommendations or passing judgement. The Lebanese have proved more willing than any other country in the region (with the exception perhaps of Israel) to confront their public officials, question the status quo or maintain some semblance of a democratic state, albeit destroying their economy and causing civil strife in the process. The next time you need someone to write about Beirut a little less ethnocentrism and some more understanding would do some good.
Yours Truly,
Sami Halabi
Dear Editor,
Could you share with us from which city are you? It seems that you're also from an Arab country and it seems you're jealous from what Lebanon have become!
That's why Lebanon was rated number one place to visit in 2009 and that's why Sky bar is number one night club from 2009 and that's why Geita Grotto was qualified to the 7 wonders of the world.
When you have to write about a country take note the opinion of your surrounding, till now i didn't hear no one criticizing my country in such a bad way!
Please again do share with us from which country are you so we can also do the criticism!
thank you dana for this, at last some Lebanese is telling some truth about Lebanon…
in fact all Lebanese are fond of their country and once it comes to Beirut they will become surprisingly defensive and "Patriotic".
but let's face it when the subject is political they forget their Lebanese identity and kill each other as enemies for some muslim/christian said something silly about the other in the street and on normal day.
unfortunately it is impossible to hide the sun with one finger
well yes dana please share with us from which country are you??i would really want to know even though i already have an idea.
oh i forgot about you Beyond, well i have a question for you… do you think BEYOND your nose?
Dear editor,
It would have been much more respectful if u did a little bit of research before to write your cheap article. You forgot to mention so many important things about Beirut. You are criticizing the night life in Beirut (Gemayzeh, Sky Bar …), well please note that Beirut has been chosen as the best party city in the world by CNN, all the famous and international DJ's and performers are coming to Beirut more than one time because of the great audience and the huge crowd.
Talking about the ticket prices, wherever you want to travel, the earlier you buy your ticket the cheaper it is. It is an economic notion, when the demand grows, the price grows (this is the economic relationship between the price and the demand for any good or service); therefore an increase in the price of the ticket to come to Beirut during holidays is a very good indicator that means that everybody wants to come to Beirut!! So thanks a lot for mentioning that (and if you are facing any financial problems and you are dreaming to come to Beirut go to any charity center that can make your dream come true).
Finally concerning the political and religion diversity in Beirut, well dear this is an added value that we have, our diversity creates strength and we can all express ourselves without restrictions this is why we have different opinions. But don't worry wherever you come from (because it seems you come from an Arab Country as well) you can become democratic and express yourself one day.
Looking forward to know from where you come in order to understand why you are so jealous!
It's interestng how jacked up the city is and yet, these lebanese come to the UAE all pretentious believing they are from the EU and consider every other race beneath them (even when the chap is a waiter at some restaurant).
Well Christelle, thank for sharing this wonderful comment here!
Dear Lara I am surprised… how the hell did you know that I am Lebanese too??!! I guess its because of the talking beyond noses …
Dears, seriously you are not fair in your comments no harm to say the truth about our country.. because whether we like it or not there is a lot of truth with what Dana wrote and alot logical facts.
and please stop considering our religion and politics as added values to our community .. (3ayeb).. no civilized culture has all this variety and they kill each other using id's..
our history is full of blood and treason leaders
Dear Editor,
I do expect more from you than this dribble you call news.
Does Lebanon have faults? Absolutely.
Is Beirut perfect? Absolutely not, but this article makes its sound like a sewer.
To talk so negatively about the place leaves one with the impression that there are ulterior motives at play here.
Beirut is a vibrant, ancient city that is finding its place in messed up region. Its inhabitants have had to endure problems that frankly would have destroyed many others.
I have lost a tremendous amount of respect for this publication. I expect a lot more. I expect news, not the rantings of a lady that probably just got dumped by her Lebanese boyfriend and decided to take it out on the entire population.
I am sorry for those who are criticizing Dana for its article. i guess reality hurts and i am not sure where she had undermined the city.
I am sure if anyone of you asks any tourist about what they have seen in Beirut you will hear thesame story Dana mentined.
actually, i think you got one side of the story here Dana; i think you asked one single person and you got a certian opinion and you interpreted in that negativity; well to tell you the truth, uve never lived in lebanon, maybe a year or two for university- you dont seem like you really got the charm there, or you were there cause you ran away from your country…anyways, are we posh? maybe, do we buy expensive cars? YES., do we wear short skirts? YES, do we party like animals? ABSOLUTELY, do we spend money for our own pleasures? YES,. do we spend 3000 dirhams to go to beirut to spend xmas, fitr, eid, easter with the families DAMN YES, we discuss politics YES, do we have freedon of speech? YES.
but do YOU? in your own country? I DONT THINK SO.
thats what makes Lebanon UNIQUE, thats what makes lebanese people charming, that what makes BEIRUT, the paris of the middle east, thats what created history my friends and thats why EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT US… with the bombings and the war, we still have a positive vibe and we learned how to get over things. hoping you get over your complications one day as well.
so next time you want to be as creative as CNN or BBC , please do write about your own country and have your won judgement on this, and whoever is from Beirut and doesnt like it , tear your passport and try and get another nationaly and good luck.
Beyond, just a short comment:
This is to let you know that we will always consider our religion and politics as added value coz this makes our lovely country"LEBANON" a healthy community…
Dear Dana,
It seems that you are living in your own world, and it comes to my surprise that you are actully an "editor" when u havent researched well before witting such an "article". But its not your fault, many like you envy this country, and if anything should be said about Beirut, its how it never dies and lives to be the talk of the people in every part of the world. We live to be strong and happy and known and successful and free and all the things that u cant do in your own country, and thats is sad….
Dana, did you make up your mind about Lebanon during a visit on a weekend?!
Katia, I love your post, and all of you who wrote positive about our beautiful LEBANON and LEBANESE people!
I appreciated Lebanon more when I left to work in a Gulf country, (not by choice though) 15 years of civil war and to date with the political and economical unrest and still others are jealous of us and envy us! That says a lot about this tiny contry and its proud people!
Show me a country who would have survived 35 years of unrest (mostly because of foreign interference) and still standing on its feet with dignity and pride, enjoying their lives like you rightfully pointed out Dana, thank you!
To Sonia, Katia, Jennifer and the others. How did you conclude that Dana is not a lebanese!!?
For god sake please let each one of you pinpoint the incorrect information and correct it so we can understand what the hell you are critisizing.
i would add one place to dana's article and it is the balila plate at marouch
salam ..
Mr. Chady and even if Dana was lebanese she doesn't derserve it!!!!!!!! She doesn't even sound like one… no one talks about his own people the way she did, no one states how girls dress when you're one of the them.. trust ME she is not a lebanese we could tell who's one of us and who's NOT!!
Ok Chady, how about this for an example:
Dana wrote:
"For all its sleaze, pollution and concrete ugliness"
"For a cheap, but clean option try The Marble Tower in Hamra (AED220 a night). It's one of a handful of cheapish hotels that don't charge by the hour (if you don't know what I mean, then you're a prude, and I can't help you. Sorry)."
Very sleazy on your part Dana!
We Lebos know we are not perfect, like the fact that we should not be influenced by foreign interference etc.., But we will definitely will not accept to be criticized for wearing short skirts, these are criticism that have no weight, or hotels by the hour? You can find those in countries that they claim to be far more religious and conservative then the Lebanese people, if you know what I mean!!
Your criticism is very childish, and the reader cant help but think that you must be quiet inexperienced to be an editor!
Chady, are you Lebanese dude? if yes this would be sad!
Lovely articla dana…. a definite eye opener, cmon all you emotional and patriotic people out there firstly lets not get picky, a wide known truth among th arab community as well as the world is lebanese are the MOST RACIST of races.. likwe the sound of tht… secondly they arent very open to criticism which i can see through the comments which helps justify the editors comments even more so over alll i should jus say that all these comments posted by the loyal readers helps but prove tht it is defiently NOT OPEN MINDED and ITS NOT A PLACE TO VISIT unless you like to see people with huge egos and nothin to show for it
Wicked for God's sake get out of here!!!!!!!
Wicked, if you post an article on any country stating the pros and cons in this way, citizen of the stated country will not like it not matter how open minded they are
Wicked, you are wrong, some tourists will visit Lebanon to see the Lebo girls in short skirts and stilettos! Duh!!
Ah and don't forget the per hour paid hotels!!!
Lebos are open for criticism, we listen to the criticism and argue, like Dana mentioned in her article, or lets call it debate, Lebos like to debate, its healthy, also its kind of ranting, like Dana ranted about Lebanon
As one of the posters mentioned, she must have some personal vendetta?!?
Hi Keifak Cava,
Dangerously short skirts; expensive cars; fine-dining restaurants; a bustling Corniche; and a basket full of angry politicians and followers… welcome to……well……..any city in the world really.
I think a better introduction would have been; beautiful scenery; un rivalled hospitality; incredible nightlife complete with international dj's; delicious Lebanese food….welcome to Beirut.
Firstly, I did not like your article. Not because i am Lebanese. Not because i am married to or dating a Lebanese person (i am neither, never have been, FYI i am fully British) I defend this country because i have been there many times and been made to feel more welcome than anywhere in the world.
Lebanon has more to offer than 'grilled corn on the Corniche' and to imply otherwise is both patronising and condecending.
Secondly, I wonder why out of all the countries in the world, you chose Lebanon to pick on. Easy target? Kick a man when he's standing as well as when he's down mentality? Grudge? Who knows, the point is that your article was harsh and in parts incorrect in the very little factual information contained in your "work". Notice how i hesitate to say work, because the easiest thing in the world is to criticise, it takes no flair for writing whatsoever.
I am not saying that you should only write about something if it will be popular, contraversy is exciting and opens our minds, but it should at least be fair and factually sound. I fear that continuing in this vain is detrimental to your career prospects to the extent where you'd only be able to entice people into reading your 'work' if you type it up on your typewriter (assuming your technology is as old as your views) and hand it out as flyers.
If you were attempting to write a piece to educate and inspire, a contraversial piece designed to create conversation and lively debate, it seems you have failed on all accounts. You will see that the verdict is pretty much unanimous. You lack insight both as a writer and a traveller and if this is your chosen style of writing, to persecute and wrongfully belitle a whole nation, then again, i wish you the best of luck. You'll need it.
you go Tilly, loved your work!!!lol
Tilly! thumbs up
i have no objection to someone who have a negative opinion about some country, BUT WITH RIGHT JUSTIFICATIONS and statistics….most of my friends ( non Lebanese) went to lebanon and thought its a masterpiece, and yes they went to downtown, and went to the other areas…. lebanon is not like a 50's movie, i am sorry Dana, but i dont think you judge it right, given that lebanon was renovated, rebuilt, and alive again…demolished several times, so if one or two bldg were left out, kindly FORGIVE THEM…
then please research well before writing anything, what makes a good editor is the research and solid statistics – wether negative or positive…
anyways, people and cities which succeed or boom are the ones critisized
Dana dear,
First u must update ur informations
Second it seems that u r so interested in our country cus u know the tickets' prices for all the seasons, pubs, streets… , it makes us feel that u hv tried to visit lebanon many times so…..
I won't repeat what my friends said and how they defended beirut and the citizens cus everybody knows that it is the case of all FAMOUS cities and not only beirut dear but at least lebanese have always something to say not like most other boring people!!!!I
U need answers ? psychologically it seems that u have a complex of inferiority toward ur country and have nothing to do
ma3le in lebanese we will let u feel important once in ur life to make ur dream come true !!!!
U see , we, lebanese, r sooooo kinddddd
I dont think a Syrian person should write this…. With all my respect but I dont think Damascus is a better country. I suggest you write about ur own country or about City Complex where u grew up…
*better city
Baltaji family: 1948 Palestinian refugees, came to Lebanon, were welcomed among us and treated as our own.
1975, the Palestinian wanted to make from Beirut their own Capital… The plan failed, leaving Lebanon with "The majority of its buildings are bullet-ridden eyesores.…".
You were supposed to gather such kind of information before criticizing what the ugly war made of our country, a war that wasn't ours, but nevertheless, we lived it for 15 years with strength, faith & passion for life.
It's aches me to read this article.
P.S: those "Dangerously short skirts" would have written better.
Dearest Dana,
I wont ask from where you come. But please note that Lebanon had paid the most expensive bill for the so-called Arabic-Israeli conflict. All other Arab states were just watching and supplying arms. Beirut was destructed several times by successive Israeli invasions just to keep people like you still have some dignity. I wont be extensive here because I think you got the message.
But in spite of all these negativities, we remained attached to life, regardless of our corrupt political system which we declare it's worthless, but the city is ALIVE. When you visit Beirut you easily feel the charm in the air. Intellectuals gathering in its Hamra cafe's, university students working out projects in libraries, people dining in its all-age fit restaurants with cutting edge. No need to mention the arts and exhibitions, theaters & cinemas, fashion & accessories, taste and vision.
Dana, Beirut is the shelter for journalists who are oppressed in their countries. Maybe one day you wont find a place to write from except Beirut, despite this piece of subjective stance.
Dana, we love Beirut as it is. Did we ask you or beg you to please come and live among us? We never did, you will come by your own when you feel it.
Dear Dana, we love Beirut, this will make us love it even more.
I believe the reason this article has been faced off with such negative retort is the negative connotations conveyed by the introductory sentence. Take that away, and you will have just a sarcastically-objective outlook on Lebanese Life.
Dear Author, Don't be bummed by the negative feedback, you got some traffic to your article.
Dear Readers, Do not be so hard on the author, underneath all of it, she loves Beirut and the photos show it:)
First of all, many thanks for all lebanese, and non lebanese for the support.
I think Dana, the day you find a comment on your article from a british guy that took some of his time defending Lebanon, you should remove your article and apologize from the Lebanese people.
Second, I think all lebanese are PROUD of being lebanese, and you should consider this from now on.
Third, all the readers agree with me that their is one reason for writting this article: "Jealousy".
– "Everyone's a politician": that's because Lebanon is the only arab country where you can discuss politics.
– About the hotels, our 2 stars hotels, are like 4 stars hotels in all the arab world, if you ever came to lebanon, try one of those and then argue.
– "most are poorly maintained" you should respect a population that built their city 7 times, and any family of this last generation had to build and rebuild 3 homes (minimum), and still have dreams and expectations that keeps them living and smiling.
– "pollution": Speaking about pollution, at least Lebanon is the only arab country that is trying to do something concerning the climate change, and not afraid of losing some green papers for some petrol. Can you speak out loud in your country? ask about the 350, anyone answers? anyway i think you should see all arab countries before talking about pollution.
– "the city is less than gorgeous" that's pure jealousy, i think "New york times" answered your useless article by rating Beirut #1 place to visit in 2009.
Anyway Dana, it is obvious that you hate Beirut for some reason (that we don't know), but now you know that we adore Beirut for a million reason (that the whole world knows, including you).
Dido to what Darine Sabbagh said. Agree with her…don't feel bad abt the comments, dear author. Most of them are from people who think they're side of the story is the only RIGHT one and any other side doesn't matter.
Get a grip, people! If you feel have got to take the good with the bad about their own city/country. The article is balanced and she never said it wasn't terrific! She simply painted a very pragmatic picture of a contemporary Beirut. Period.
People, ease up on the poor girl! She is entitled to her point of view. I'm sure you have seen both foreigners love this country and Lebanese hate it, why must we come to arms if someone expresses a different point of view? We seem to take praise fairly easily; remember the New York Times's list of places to visit in 2009? How are we to progress as a country if we don't take criticism with an open mind?
Personally, I found this article to be harsh in it's criticisms which seem to be based on personal opinion. However, it is just an opinion. If we disagree with the author, thats our point of view. At least give her a chance to express it without threat of backlash. If we don't, we're just as bad as Saudi Arabia whipping people for talking about their personal lives.
Seriously people!! What's with the comments??
I didn't see a "jealous" article…
Yes we love Beirut..and we love Lebanon..and we wouldn't trade it with any other place in the world..
But again, the author didn't lie about Beirut's state either!! we can't deny that the city still needs so much to do..electricity cuts? water problems?? traffic?? pollution?? people starving??
And I agree with Darine..the photos show the love the author has to this city!!
it is not about easing up on the girl or not.
But all her criticism is on what the ugly war made of our country, like "eye on Lebanon" said.
Jealousy can be felt between constructive and destructive criticism.
I love Beirut for its opposites. I love Beirut because I see a girl in a Mini skirt and her sister in a Tchador. I love Beirut because it is neither West nor East it is both. I love Beirut because one can party till 6 in the morning and not realize that it is tuesday morning. I loveBeirut because Beirut is live as if they are going to die tomorrow and party as if they are going to live forever.
I love Beirut because I can be swimming in the morning and 30 minutes later I'm on the slopes skiing or doing after ski. I love Beirut because I have never seen the sun this strong anywhere in the world.
I love Beirut because I can see 6,000 years of history. I love Beirut because Christians and Muslims are living an understanding and do not need to have Christian Muslim understanding classes. I love Beirut because every Beiruti has a political opinion and will share it with you even if you could care less about his and you want to share yours with him. I love Beirut for all the conspiracy theories and how many people actually believe them.
I love Beirut because any night I can find a friend to go out with. I love Beirut because I do not need to call my friends to go and see them at their houses I just stop by.
I love Beirut because as soon as I arrive at one of my friends houses his mom takes me to the kitchen & becomes the spokesperson of the refrigerator.
I love Beirut because one can smell gardenia , and jasmine.
I love Beirut because strawberries taste like strawberries & fruits taste like fruits.
I love Beirut because the food is so good that one gains so many pounds even if she tries to lose .
I love Beirut because although the Lebanese women at times look alike as some did their surgeries at the same plastic surgeon they are the most elegant women I have ever seen.
I love Beirut because when I go out at night I don't know at which women to look at as each one is gorgeous in her own way.
I love Beirut because everyone knows me by name.
I love Beirut because I don't have to explain myself. I love Beirut because of the traffic jams and the people you meet because of them.
I love Beirut because of the noise pollution from cars honking.
I love Beirut for the spirituality of the people wether Muslim or Christian. I love Beirut because I'm the first to call my Muslim friends on Ramadan and they are the first to call me on Easter.
I love Beirut because on May 1st I see Muslims visiting Harissa (Virgin Mary) just like I see Christians.
I love Beirut because we can differentiate between a Jew and an Israeli.
I love Beirut because on the 22nd of every month I see Muslims going to St.Charbel and believing that a miracle will happen.
I love Beirut because women look like as if they are out of a Vogue magazine. I love Beirut because you eat to live and live to eat. I love Beirut because one leaves one cafe to go to another and one does this all day.
I love Beirut because all the Lebanese living outside want to come back and the Lebanese who are in Lebanon envy the ones who are living abroad not realizing what it means to live away from Beirut.
I love Beirut because a girl or a guy can easily tell you I just had a couple of Lexo or Xanax as if they just had a chewing gum. I love Beirut because for every Lebanese we have a singer. I love Beirut because the Lebanese star singers sing in nightclubs.
I love Beirut because women go into the swimming pool with full make up.
I love Beirut because guys go in with their cigars.
I love Beirut because it has been destroyed 7 times in History and has risen. I love Beirut because since 1975 the Beirutis have withstood the PLO, Syrians, and the Israelis. I love Beirut because the Beirutis will not accept anyone to occupy them and rule over them. I love Beirut because we feel that it is better to die on our feet than to live on our knees.
I love Beirut because each street is a two ways street even if it is a one way officially. I love Beirut because one can park anywhere and not get a ticket. I love Beirut because one can go as fast as his speedometer.
I love Beirut because MEA lands there. I love Beirut because on MEA we can clap in unison when we are about to land. I love Beirut not because it is my city , but because it is the city of EveryOne. I love Beirut because it welcomes every exile freethinker,independent mind of the Arab world.
I love Beirut because we have hundreds of newspapers and our press is finally Free. I love Beirut because most Arabs dreams of coming to Beirut and wishes his capital was more like Beirut.
I love Beirut because when I explain Beirut to my Western friends, my friends see the passion of Beirut in my eyes. I love Beirut because there is so much misconception about Beirut in the media and in the minds of people who have never visited.
I love Beirut because when I tell my friends that I'm going to Beirut they tell me can you take me with you.
I love Beirut because we argue over who is going to pay the bill at a restaurant as everyone wants to pay it. I love Beirut because although many complain about "not making enough money" everyone is living.
I love Beirut because if I do the cross before I start driving the person next to me does not ask me if I fear that I'm going to get into a car accident but instead does his cross as well.
I love Beirut because we accept our differences as we disagree with each other. I love Beirut because it serves as a beacon of freedom to the rest of the Arab world. I love Beirut because to praphrase what Gibran said about Lebanon " Had Beirut not been my city I would have chosen it to be." I love Beirut because there is no city like it.
I love Beirut because even if Beirut is being destroyed you are still beautiful and will remain beautiful no matter how disfigured you are. I love Beirut because you are always on my mind.
I love Beirut for no reason. I love Beirut for all the reasons of the "world."
Mrs, Baltagi.
either you are lebanese or a refugee or a neighbour or an arabic young lady.. your article would have been more respected if YOU, yourself, havent used low words and low discription,
it has been an honor for me to be lebanese it it always will be, no matter what is the image you are paid to show, lebanon will always be the symbol of the tourisim in all the middle east. u unfortunatelly forget to mention geitta grotto, baalbeck, jbeil (byblos), saida (sidon), Harissa ( virgin marry) and plenty others,,, is it because during your visit you haven't been in such places,, and you have only been in the other areas???
and what is wrong with the other places????? you are discribing the night life in lebanon???? is it only lebanon??? have u been in dubai??? have you been in au dhabi??? have you been in america??? have you been in paris?????? what is wrong with lebanon having a night life like all the other respectfull countries??? do we really have to be all the way behing because we are classified in the arabic area???????? even arabic countries are not improving their life style for God sake.
you have mentioned abou egyptian and jordanian need for visa to enter lebanon… excuse me!!!!!! have you faced such an incident??? i have had a jordanian visitor this year and he had the "entry" stamp on his passport on his passport without any visa… kindly correct your information,, it is really a shame for an auditor to write wrong information to public… !!! why am i wondering about this information anyway!!! is you all article right?????!!!!!!!!!
dear Mrs Baltagi… i do not allow you to discribe me as a lebanese young lady as a short skirt lover or a night lover… i do not allow you to discribe the lebanese lady by being "rented bu hour" using the hotel rooms as you have mentioned… lebanon and lebanese girls are much better than that ,, and way higher…
lebanese people are all over the world and the are the pioneer in everything…
i really cant blame you for the article you have written it seems you were not kean enough to go to CLEAN places… u were searching really low.. and THE ONE WHO LOOKS DOWN TO THE FLOOR WILL ONLY SEE HIS OWN SHOES…
JOBOX thank you for your post it made me realize how more and more i love and miss my BEIRUT.
guys excuse my grammar and my mistakes,,, i have been excited while replying,.. and i didnt revise it before posting it
jobox you comment should be used as an article about beirut instead of the existing one.. thank you so much for what you wrote
Well Written Dana, Well you\'ve got the right readership and have hit your target audience , your advertisers must be pleased.
Easy commenting people, reaction vs response.
Accept some criticism and let it bring out the best in you .
I feel there is an abundance of creative enrguies in Beirut , so abundant and vast that they have the potential to bring out its beauty in its totality however not everythign Dana is saying is false …
Is beirut the place to be an ideal , an example of how people should live ~ not close to but does it have the potential ~ most definitely
there is amystery abut lebanon which is indefinable and that mystery revels in the mountains of lebanon and is being victimized by places in leabanon such as beirut which is distancing itself away from the truth of beauty which does not belong to fancy cars , plastic surgery , intoxicants and clubs ~ but in nature which is what Lebanon is about ~ so accept the crticism people and look deeply into what your Beirut can be ~ because it s beauty belongs to the world ~ it is a gem to be shared which can glow with more awareness of what it should be ~ as far as celebration is concerned it should go on ~
with arrogance ~ without prejudice ~
it's ok Pamela, we understand what u passed throught while replying on such…….. article.
Grammatical mistake are still more tolarated then somebody calling himself "editor"
undersstood sorry, you see everybody can do unintentional mistakes
Jobox i got teary eyes because of your amazing article and like LAPAA said i now realise how much i miss Beirutttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!
MYSTIK i donno if u can differentiate between criticism, negativity & defamation,
You were right about Dana's viewership, for this reason i will call to boycott kippreport until we get the expected apology..
LAPPA: i agree with you an apology will be nice though i like kippreports but they messed with the wrong country.
I will BOYCOTE
Why my comments didnt get published since 6:22pm yesterday?
What is it that you didnt like? you allowed your editor to insult our women and our country, but we cant say our view?
Anyway I already unsubscribed, but I sent that cheap article to all my friends and acquaintances in the USA, Europe and the ME!
Great!! another post rejected!! no problems, i will post them on my facebook!
Sonia add us on facebook…lol
The comments on this article are pathetic. The article itself did not demean Lebanon or Beirut, and the overall tone was quite positive.
But it is indicative of the low self esteem some people have, that if an article mentioning their city is not overflowing with gushing praise, they throw childish tantrums, demanding to know which country the "jealous" author is from.
For God's sake, grow up!
No aboud u should read the article again! everytime Lebanon stands on its feet just a little there is jealousy, bcos they all know what Lebanese people can achieve!
Lara, write to me, [email protected]. thanks.
Sonia, thanks for proving the exact point I was making.
Let's say this article is ten times as bad as the very silly commentators here make it out to be. If such an article appeared about London, or New York, or Paris, would their inhabitants gather in such great numbers and scream their collective heads off, demanding to know the nationality of the writer?
Of course not, and for one simple reason; those societies are mature ones. Grown up ones. Adults.
Learn the concept. Join the world of adults.
This Is great. You all just proved the authors point. Lebanese love to criticize but can't take critizism.
Well, Wherever u come from, i dont think ur country is better, or even is the best ….
Aboud! what's wrong with you seriously! I started to believe that all the people who are defending this article are non leb. or they are leb. with no self esteem!
its better for you i guess to go live in London – Paris or New york or any other country in the world you consider "Mature" ( hope they welcome you with a warm heart)…cause you seem FULL ON mature and you cant be amongs us pathethic ones, who critisize anything and everything and who are so patriotic and silly….you dont deserve to be in lebanon – lebanon doesnt deserveyou darling…
its ok, you werent born by Choice a lebanese…live abroad, maybe you will learn some of their manner ….we do accept criticisim wether negative or positive, but we DO NOT allow wrong accusations for someo0ne who didnt do their homework well ( research, history, statistics…)
we will never change, so live with the fact that we are what we are, silly, pathetic, immature, you call it, but id rather defend the country i came from by all means, rather than act mature !
pifffff silly one!
This article is so entertaining and the comments are great! As a Lebanese, I can definitely say this is not one my favorite articles! I love my country and everything about it. That being said, and me being an amazing person (obviously because I'm Lebanese!) I can't help but notice that we do get a little carried away with our patriotism. A little constructive criticism can be a little healthy every once in a while. Can we all consiously deny that we are deprived of living in our country because it fails to ensure a decent lifestyle for any young person single-handedly starting his career and life? Are we not to blame for the economic and political instability that manifests are country because we vote for it in every election? just a thought ..
Aboud! I wonder what London and NYC would have done if they were in a war and unrest since 35 years TO DATE! I remember back in the eighties there was a black out in NYC they all robbed each other they robbed supermarkets and department stores! We have black outs since 35 years, no such thing happened!
Its only normal that you get attached to your country and become more patriotic in such circumstances! People in London and New York have choices, and most of all they have peace in their country etc..if Lebanon was like before 1975 none of us would have cared what others say, but when an EDITOR writes about the ugliness of bullet-ridden buildings, less than gorgeous city, knowing that there was war for years, without mentioning about the culture or the historical places that some other tourists might be interested (other than the ones that are interested in the hourly paid hotels) do you think that's fair?!?
Lebanon mostly relies on tourism, we want all type of tourists, but we also want tourists that are intellectual and care about our historical sites, our culture and festivals, she didn't mention any of that!
If you think you are a mature person "unlike me and the others", then I am sure you will know the fact that a pen has the effect of a weapon!
And the fact that u r comparing Lebanon with London and New York, its flattering hahaha but if only they leave us alone we will be the Paris of the middle east AGAIN!
Hello Katia,
"but id rather defend the country i came from by all means, rather than act mature"
If you think that rational, tempered, reasoned discussion that leaves aside a person's country of origin, and the word "mature" are incompatible, then there are debating classes you are more than welcome to sign up for.
Because the rabidly angry commentators here are doing their country no favors whatsoever, by getting all bent out of shape over an article whose tone was positive, but whose only fault seems to be that every sentence did not gush praise.
Such a paradise does not exist on Earth, so please, everyone here grow up and stop demanding that journalists write about their country in such terms. And enough with the very silly obsession about a poster or writer's country of origin. Is it so hard for some people to just…*grow up*?
What Lebanon went through was tragic, but Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad, Berlin, London, Hiroshima and Nagasaki all went through hell as well. It is quite an arrogant notion to think that no one else's suffering has ever rivaled one's own, and use that as an excuse for all sorts of anti-social behavior.
At some point in life, one has to stop blaming one's parents (or "others who wont leave us alone to become the Paris of the Middle East etc etc") for all the ills in one's life.
If I ever want to write an article and guarantee lots of hits, I'll write that Lebanon's sea is "kinda salty", and watch the angry page views roll in.
Yes you are absolutely right Tatyana, but that's not what she is criticizing!
Correction what Lebanon STILL GOING THROUGH, doesn't match with your comparison with countries that healed since 10s of years! If you want to mention that, I am sure as Lebanese you know that, Lebanon was destroyed and built many times, like all the countries you mentioned!
We are talking in the present, we are trying to have some peace in our country, positive articles so that we can have tourists, which hopefully will result in opening jobs so we can go back home etc etc….
But only God knows when we will be left alone and have that long waited peace so we can really make Lebanon what it use to be and better!
As for your last paragraph, please grow up?!
kipp! why didnt u publish my question to "eye on lebanon" about a FAMILY NAME?:(
Well to tell you the truth I AM HALF LEBANESE myself and i know a lotta a gals tht have this inbuilt hatred towards the asian race… one of my mates a paki (yea a lebanese can be friends with a paki) buffed up guy, i introduced him to one of my mates farah and this was her feedback he got an amazing physique, amazing hair amazing looks BUT HES PAKI..LOL… i dont want you guys to judge us on this one incident BUT i have a lot of cousins and close friendswith same backward mentality, which kinda sucks…its maybe the way we are brought up, they only love 2 races their own and WHITES, cmon people what are u thinkin i m jus being honest as i have travelled the world and visitng lebanon again is not on my prority list,,, and yes yes i have the green cedar as my key ring.
Are you seriously comparing the Lebanese civil war to atomic annihilation and a world war? *facepalm*
Believe me, nothing would please me more than to see every cafe, restaurant and hotel room in Lebanon filled to the brim, overbooked for many summers to come.
But the managers of Beirut's best hotels most definitely do not throw a hissy fit if a guest said that the meal was merely "excellent" instead of "BY THE GRAVES OF MY FOREFATHERS THIS MEAL IS FIT FOR GOD HIMSELF!" which is what some commentators seem to expect in any article about their country.
Seriously, how does any restaurant critic in Lebanon possibly hope to make an honest living with such an audience? One negative observation about overcooked meat would probably result in baying mobs with pitchforks.
Sonia, you proved everyones point, appreciate your words, Bravo!
Abboud, i suggest you open a "Grown UP" firm , somewhere in between London, paris and NY –
if you want to have traffic on the Lebanese " kinda salty" water article , just mention that you need Grown ups to debate it…ull have plenty, piff
I hope no one gets the wrong impression about lebanese from these catty women commenting on the article. Yes we are patriotic but seriously girls get a grip. If you want to be taken seriously, then argue a point, don't just throw accusations.
It's about time someone points out the obvious in beirut. Are you saying there aren't "bullet-ridden buildings" or "misguided stallions" who spend beyond their means or "scantily-clad women". Come on. This is obviously an opinion piece not a fact. And hopefully it won't be the last.
We're all tired of hearing how great Beirut is without hearing its dirty little secrets.
If Lebanese can't handle the truth about their own country how will they ever work out their issues. Don't be in denial. Face your problems and deal with it.
Abboud, expand your vocabulary and "grow" some more words in your narrow mind.
It seems you are devoid of all compassion and emotion as far as this subject is concerned.
To write an article criticising New York or London is acceptable, because these are cities that are doing ok with no particular interference or threats from anywhere (atleast nowhere near the level or frequency that Lebanon experiences). To criticize Lebanon so fiercely and hatefully is to my mind the equivilent of demoralising a disabled child.
WAIT, allow me to explain. Lebanon is "socially" the disabled child, not by birth, but by some tragic accident and every day since then, life has been challenging for this innocent being, but the spirit remains unbroken.
Maybe this was a bad analogy. I know what i mean, and that is, to pick on Lebanon is not only unfair, but cruel.
However, do not be confused, Lebanon is the least country to pity, it is after all, a strong (when political circumstances allow) and fantastic place.
Hope this is not misunderstood and if anyone feels offended, accept my apologies in advance.
I'd rather be childish or immature and capable of empathy and compassion than an emotionally retarded self proclaimed "mature adult"
Guys please leave the syrians alone. the writer is pure Lebanese and i know that for sure so please keep your conflicts and your problems between you and stop blaming Syria for every thing that happened to you or will happen.
The civil war started before the Syrians got involved and you hate each others. senni doesn't like derzi w el derzi doesn't like i don't know who.khalas.
you have a very nice country, absolutely right but you have a lot of issues between you Lebanese so stop blaming Syrians and Arabs and Palestinians.
why don't you accept that you as a nation can't live in the same country with no conflicts cause first you don't love each others and everyone wants to be in power.the current situation is a great example
Lappa , you have dived too deeply into what you see as a problem that you may have become the problem yourself.
From the little that i know, i am not sur eif you can see that what Dana has written is constructive critisim and written in aa creative manner.
If you only like to keep your ears open to the goodstuff and choose to be blind to the room that provides your beautiful conuntry room to improve so more n more of you would be able to realise your love for lebanon and contribute to it by actually residing in Lebanon then your choice to boycott kipp makes perfect sense, there are is a lot of media avilable that is manipulated to only say the right thing i.e everythign is vbeautiful , the paper is called garden full of roses . enjoy.
I am only an observer trying to say that the potential of lebanon is infinite and you all can transofrm negativity that you may find into positive forces that will continue to create an energy of transformation ~
Yes Beirut has alot of faults in fact the whole country does, but you show me a country that suffered 15 years of war , part civil part a reflection of great powers fighting , and then came around to become what Beirut is now, yes there are buildings riddled with bullets , but then again there are whole streets rebuilt and many more being renovated, yes we do argue politics but then again thats the idea we are allowed to argue anything from politics to the weather and unlike countries around us we are not going to jail for it , the political situation is in shambles and that is something to be critical of but then again we are a country that was never left alone , show me a country that was ruled 30 years by a neighboring country and all of a sudden was able to fix itself in 4 -5 -10 years. There is a difference between constructive criticism and envious ctisizim . and hopefully as a writer you know the differnce , no one is asking you to sugar coat beirut , we know what we have we know the good and the bad , but it seems just like the people you are so critical of you too only see one side of the story …. what bothers you and most people thinking like you is that Beirut hasnt given up even when its own people did sometimes , the city itself never gave up and it seems it will stay a thorn in in your eye and every one like you …
"To write an article criticising New York or London is acceptable, because these are cities that are doing ok with no particular interference or threats from anywhere"
So, let me get this straight; no criticism whatsoever of one's society, because of "external threats" or "external enemies". Heck, I've heard despots and dictators use that argument, but you are truly the first person to extend "emergency wartime laws" to ban criticism of a city's bars and "comb overs".
Katia, thank you for the advice. While there are alot of forums on which people get very worked up and bad tempered, at least they throw tantrums about stuff that matter.
This very same journalist wrote an article about a Saudi journalist sentenced to 60 lashes, and yet it hasn't elicited the same number of comments. And yet mention Beirut's hire-by-the-hour hotels, and that article gets a torrent of whines. Interesting set of priorities.
"show me a country that was ruled 30 years by a neighboring country and all of a sudden was able to fix itself in 4 -5 -10 years."
Eastern Europe. The former USSR states. They managed to do wonders, and with a lot less whining.
Hi Everyone,
i read the(….) article. i didn't like it.
i read most of the comments, what i felt that everyone is giving his point of view from the article (edited by Dana)
but what i realy didn't like that dana replied and defended her article under another name (Aboud)
i believe that she is a courage woman to give blontly her opinion, but i am affraid she isn't coz a courage person will not hide under a fake name to deffend her article.
so please Dana let me tell you that u do have a weak personality that you hide in different ways in public (maybe loud voice or arrogance or….) just to hide your weekness.
my Dear I have merci on you.
Conspiracy theories? How appropriate, considering the audience. I am not Dana. How on earth did such a strange comment get approved by the admin?
But I appreciate the idea that I write as well as Dana.
No, actually I am a tripod Martian who is jealous that Snoop Dogg turned down our invitation to perform at Olympus Mon and instead went to Beirut. Hence my posts. See, on Mars this is what qualifies as a temper tantrum. Rawr.
And saying "merci" instead of "mercy"? Sorry, but it's funny when someone mixes up their French and English
dana or aboud it's the same.
We are not blind it wont need a psychologiste to notice it.
And thx by the way to correct "Merci" spelling.
Hope that your boss is proud that u made a boom on such article.
But believe me the rumours arn't as good as you think.
Don't forget that most of your readership are from the media and most of them Lebanese and proud to be, and I do believe that kippreport and mediaquest needs every penny from the market.
Do take it into consideration
NB: if you don't want to publish it you are free, but at least have the responsibility and show it to your boss.
Aboud, read your posts again, u started the comparison, all the way from London to Japan! and I commented!
All we are debating here is about the fact that Dana was not, lets use ur word "mature" with her "TRAVEL PIECE" and as an editor should have dropped cheap descriptions! I for one would have been satisfied if she had mentioned, Baalbek, Gieta, Tyre, Gebran, the festivals, Fairouz, Rahbani clan, the designers who dress the Hollywood actresses and the list is huge! Side by side with the "hourly hotels" and "dangerously short skirts"
You are way out of the topic!
Wicked! it is a fact that small nations tend to be more conservative, and like to, date or marry from the same community or sect, before u label a nation being racist, make some research about the demography of that society, before 1975, it was very difficult to get married from different sects, or political party, let alone religion or race, our grandparents and the whole big family will have a say on the partner that we choose! If I am not mistaken, to date our men and women live with their parents until they are married, unlike the west, where a lot of them at 18, become independent and choose to live alone and choose their partners! BUT we came a long way now, and we are still changing! We are fighting to have civil marriage in Lebanon! besides, show me any arab country who is not the same?! Why some of you always pick on lebanon? Because we can debate, and we have freedom of speech and I guess because we are important!
Samira, we will never be tired of hearing how great Lebanon is, how is that possible? (Excluding about our politicians of course) and please note that "the obvious" is pointed out in jobox's post and we still love it!
Well said Tilly!
Thank you Katia!
for the one who are saying that we prooved the point of view of the editor by being not prepared to accept critisism … i am wondering how do they accept in any way that anyone speaks about these points only in lebanon,,, when an article is to be published highlighting on our daily problems, giving solutions, handling a serious problem, i dont think our comments will be the same.
Mr, Abboud, i dont think that lebanon is only about what she mentioned, that is why we all found ourselves obliged to comment,
lebanon is not only about night life. and let me tell you her way of discribing it is the wrong side of the story, not having it in lebanon, and buddy if you have a serious problem with the night life in lebanon go find a cave in one of the mountains and hide their…
you claimed saying "very silly commentators " so you now find us silly because we were trying to show readers that lebanon is not only what she had mentioned… well i definitly cant say who is the "silly" one here.
anyway .. she was claiming that the rooms are rented per hour, or even per night, and she was not wondering why arabic citizens love to go to lebanon and rent these rooms… who does she mean is using these rooms??? isnt she mentioning lebanese girls???? was she talking about any other nationalities???? if you were a foreigner and you were reading this article wouldnt have you thought that she is talking about ALL lebanese?????? do u accept that she talks about your mother or your sister that way??? do u agree that foreigners take them the way she discribed them????? if you do,, than im sorry i wont allow her to put me in the same corner…
i can understand when u say we cannot hide behind war and political issues to hide our negatives. but u definitly can't agree with her giving us a positive critisism.
Dana, maybe u can visit here on your next trip?
"Don't forget that most of your readership are from the media"
It is a very sad state of affairs when the only people who read Middle Eastern media are other Middle Eastern media people. Makes me glad that I'm not an Arab media person.
Sorry but the walls of text, with no paragraphs, makes for tiresome reading. Sonia, this is how 99% of travel pieces are written. While you may like special rules to exist just for Lebanon, unfortunately this is not a website owned by Hariri Inc. where you can apply them.
Miss Mansour; "i dont think that lebanon is only about what she mentioned". Anyone who thinks a country is only what they read in a 3 page travel piece needs to get out more. Please give your fellow media people more credit than that.
To the admin who is approving the comments implying that I am someone I am not; I was not born yesterday. I know that websites such as yours generate more eyeballs from flame wars in the comments section, than they do from the original articles. I do know how Michael Arrington gets his traffic at Techcrunch.
And since you have not seen fit to filter those comments implying that one of your writers is a coward, when you know better, I will not oblige you by contributing more to this section.
Best wishes to all Lebanese, Arabs and others in this unfortunate region.
Also Jihad,
"and I do believe that kippreport and mediaquest needs every penny from the market."
A pathetic, feeble little threat by someone whose life, apparently, has not educated him in any other way of getting a point across. I do not own a stake in this website, which I only discovered yesterday, so believe me when I say I couldn't care less if you, and your fellow media people, all took your pennies elsewhere.
You are too ill informed to realize that controversy and flame wars is exactly how web sites such as these make their money. By all means keep contributing with your silly, ineffectual displays of "patriotism".
Mr. Abboud;
i think that Mrs. tilly is one live example on contradicting your theorie regarding the readers of this article or what ever media you are talking about.
anyway the one who will read an article of 3 pages talking only about this will think that this is the real story.
let me tell you one small thing. i am UNFORTUNATLY not living in lebanon, im working in the Gulf. i am 100% sure that you also know one of your colleagues (female) who had to leave lebanon and work abroad especially in the Gulf. allow me to express our pain when in takes us a lot of effort to convince our colleagues here that lebanese are not what the media and editors like Mrs. Baltagi are trying to show.
i certainely do not wish you go out of lebanon if you are still living happily there, but when you face the reality outside lebanon u will never allow people like Dana to nourrish the wrong concept about lebanon and lebanese people.
Mr. Abboud being a young female lebanese and facing the problem convincing people that they cannot take me as the THINK they know about lebanese.. you will really feel irritated and angry…
editors and media like Mrs. baltagi are the only reason behind all arab and foreigners thinking that our lovely lebanon is a SEX city not more than that.
Sweetheart, since you are so well informed, why not use all this knowledge elsewhere… for instance, try writing a paper or an article about global warming. You're a smart guy/girl so i bet you can do better than this!!
PS. I'm non lebanese; however, couldn't help but reply to your comments, as you have proved to be worse than the lebanese described in Dana's article.
As per Dana's article, the Lebanese are described as such: – "it seems you have an opinion about everything, and you're keen on letting you – and anyone else within earshot – hear it. Everyone's a politician, a social expert and problem solver, and is eager to let others, especially foreigners, know his or her side of the story."
I will end with a small token of advice for you……..next time you decide to write another fabulous piece of literature such as this, remember, try not to undermine every single word you've written by doing the very same thing that you agree is worth critisizing so heavily (see above quote Einstein
Really? 99%?! wow!! I work in the travel industry, but this is news for me! I always thought a travel reporter should write about, the culture, historical sites AS WELL AS other interests!
Aboud, I think you are losing your grip here, what does this comment has to do with what we are debating about?:
"unfortunately this is not a website owned by Hariri Inc. where you can apply them."
We know who are the owners, thank you! I care less if it is owned by Hariri or any other party, as long as the topic is about Lebanon, if I have a say I will say it!
Thank you for your wishes! Bye!!
That's funny. Oh, Please Dana or Abboud (your more gutsy under this name).
An editor or journalist is a big responsibility, which obviously you lack.
First, using Kippreport for your personal vendetta is really wrong, or probably you're enjoying the audience that satisfies your low self esteem.
Second, you have confused criticism with negativity and confused threats with advice.
Allow me to show you the difference: What you thought in your article or your response to the readers was criticism, reflected the reality of a bitter person.
When my advice to you was to protect your company from harsh response, you've translated it to threats. Again, that's aching.
What you're saying might probably be true, that you're not Dana or visa versa, but funny enough, kipp has apologized for not publishing political stuff and well, surprise! Here come your Abboud to the rescue with solid knowledge and free courses in history and not to forget "maturity".
Come on, let's not kid anyone here.
Allow me to quote you on this: "Dear readers, We are happy to approve your comments, both positive and negative, but we cannot allow comments that are politically sensitive."
Last but not least, if you think you made a scoop with this article and people are hitting more on kippreport now, think twice, the say is not always right: "bad publicity is publicity after all". Then again, you knew who to target, since all good things come from the Lebanese people. We are the scoop honey!
Finally, do accept our criticism with open arms, and as it has been written previously from the readers, an apology is a must for such a great nation.
Kipp!!! can you publish my last reply to aboud please? is it being moderated since 6:55pm yesterday?!?
Can we now plz stop giving this ….article much attention?
we are creating traffic while we should boycott this article and stress more on the great stories this site has to offer.
Im sure this was a misshapp and the editors will realise this and remove the article soon….
Unsubscribe Successful
You have been removed from Kippreport Daily Newsletter.
You will receive one final email to confirm that we unsubscribed you.
well done Pascale we should all do the same
It's a little baffling to see such a response. Was it the sarcastic undertone or the vocabulary that threw you off .
Maybe Kipp should use 1 syllable words to write articles from now on and avoid further misunderstanding. If you can't understand proper English then stick to reading your arabic or french.
This is quite bizarre. Having read the article, I really don't see what all the HooHaa is all about. A little criticism and the guy are ripping their shirts open to reveal their chest hair and the girls act like their honour has been taken away! This is an opinion piece. For those who do not know, OPINION is "normally a subjective statement and may be the result of an emotion or an interpretation of facts. People may draw opposing opinions from the same facts".
But that's beside the point… You guys really have to put your money where your mouth is… Being patriotic is great but shouldn't you be rebuilding the country that you defend so well against harmless attacks in internet press? (Instead of spending your lives working for the good of the gulf, Canada the EU). Why are 75% of the Lebanese people live outside of Lebanon. Why do almost all of you either have or mentally strive for a western passport?
The writer stated her opinion, but the fact is… Non of you are really saying that what is written is not true… But you want hear about the NICE side of Beirut. For that you can contact the Lebanese Tourism Board, they'll sort you out…
I am sure you have heard of the notion of FREE speech… I, personally am tired of reading watered down happy articles that lack objectivity…
true, some sort of negative vibe was derived from the article, but the fact of the matter is, it wasn't all wrong.. at the end of the day, i think everyone has the right to their own opinion, be it Lebanese or not. Dissing and bashing this article only proves the writer right. I hope that in the future, we as Lebanese people learn how to respect other people's opinions, and the true values of freedom of speech.
thank you.
Dana you need to wake up. I will only say that whatever happened in Palestine happened in Lebanon , but the only difference is that look how nice lebanon is cause WE are people who know how to act and think unlike Palestinians
I don't know whether to laugh or cry, or merely sigh with resignation, but this comments thread was definitely the most amusing thing I've read so far today. Edging towards 100…
Dear Asterix,
Leabnon is a free place, were you can do what you want to write what you want and to believe in god or not it is your choice, thats why the writer went to dubai to write this article cause she is not allowed to speak her mind in her country…
You can criticise and we know what is an opinion dear…jobox criticise lebanon in a nice way..with all the negative and postive aspect of lebanon
when you criticise dear you and the writer you have to be professional but you both are not…
and what Lebanese wants or do it is none of your business,
I just have a quick question to kippreport…
some of the comments weren't published because they included politics… and now guess what everyone is talkign politics..
Dear Kipp did your rules change on this website or what???
no one said that we – lebanese -do not accept criticism; we are open,we do accet anything, we did accept refugees, we did treat all of them like brothers and sisters, we accept our differences, our failures, we accept it all. …but you cannot generalise when you want to portray an image of a country. do all girls wear short mini skirts? i dont think so, DOES YOUR SISTER WEAR A MINI SKIRT on the street? we might do if we are going out, does that makes us dangerous? dont girls wear it in paris while going out, dont they wear it in dubai to the club? or in london or anywhere is the world.
i dont think we want to hear positivity allt he time and ohhh LEBANON IS SO PRETTY all the time…, we know where we were born ( better than the editor herself).,we know what we have in beirut, we know the nicest hotels to the cheapest ones, the nicest area to the filthy one, i dont think there is one perfect pretty country, but to be honest i dont discuss something or even i dont share my opinion if im not sure 100 % of my information and facts, i personally had a lot of my foreighn friends visiting in lebanon, took them everywhere, baalbek, zahleh, downtown, jeita grotto, shopping, batroun, saida , tyre….etc – they satyed in a nice hotel in gemmayzeh for your info dana for 40 dollars per night, they paid their ticket from dubai for 800 DHS – did they see girls in mini skirts, YES, did they ask why we have bulleted bldgs in sum areas? SURE , but when you answer them with a little piece of history of whooever was in our country in the years back and did this, they will understand, and it will not be the image that they relate to when it comes to leb -….moreoever, they fell in love with the controversy and the differences in lebanon, how muslims and christians get together on one day, and fight the next day; and then they reconcile again… how one region/area is super conservative,and just few blocks away another area much more open…
they saw both sides of the country; and i think there is not one country with all positive aspects. but when you want to share your humble opinion you do not generalise, you gather facts, you judge what you saw and you reserarch a little so you can have a piece of art and not a piece of what you have above…
in all aspect of ones job, there is A HOMEWORK to be done, in any industry…when one doesnt do its own, you get such comments…and too bad DANA has that opinion of lebanon – cause when i think of Kippreport, i relate it to " BAD editor".
Your jealousy is killing you my dear publisher…It's the best city in the world and your article itself is proving so….Stop bothering yourself and writing silly articles coz it won't change a thing…IT WILL STILL BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD
A note to above or below commentators… I'm Lebanese, born and bred. and i hate to break it you… Lebanon is one of the ugliest countries (esthetically, politically, and socially) on the planet… and don't tell me about the beaches, they are dirty, expensive and hardly anything to write home about
most Lebanese people are living in denial of reality… true we have a great party scene… but it's nothing to be overly proud of… what is the use of a phenomenal night scene if the country itself is un-photographic and ugly once the night rises… or are you all looking at it with sobering hung over eyes???
wake up people… Lebanon's future and that of its youth is not in the party scene or in tourism, it's in its infrastructure, its institutions and above all mutual social and religious respect.
by the way i think the criticism in the article is perfectly weighed, and to the point and not at all offensive… those of you who find it wrong go get yourself an lesson in logic
@ Ronald : well said… from another lebanese, born and bred.
We will never have a home in leb, merely houses and gemmayze. Khalas its over. People need to wake up and acknowledge the issue in order to solve it.


text:
To formally introduce myself, my name is Spencer Ives and I'm the new associate editor here at SSN. I'll primarily be covering the central station monitoring beat. I'm brand new to the security industry and am looking forward to getting to know you. I'm excited about writing about new developments in your businesses, the evolution of monitoring technology and general trends in the monitoring world.
The first notable item that has cropped up under my watch has been the 2014 CSAA Annual Meeting being cancelled due to a hurricane in Bermuda. However, bouncing back, the CSAA has found a new time and place for the event: It will now be held on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at The Crystal City Marriott, 1999 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va.
Elizabeth Lasko, VP of marketing and communications for CSAA International told me, "The difficulty was that we had two-and-a-half days of solid information sessions. Those can't be rescheduled. ...We can't get all 25 to commit to a second two-and-half day segment of time." While, it may be scaled down, the meeting will go on. The CSAA Board of Directors Meeting will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the General Membership Meeting from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The "Monitoring Matters" blog is meant to be a forum for discussion. Please feel free to comment, and if you have news tips, suggestions for stories or if you simply want to introduce yourself, feel free to call me at 207-846-0600, ext. 254, or email me at email@example.com.
Our collective alarm clock this morning felt like a sonic boom. It was just thunder, but it had to be directly overhead because it shook all of the challengers awake at about 5:45 a.m. Next came the downpour. As we all scrambled to pack our bags and take down our tents, a silly 80s song is running through my mind.
Then I realized I was actually hearing "Africa." Seems Joseph had hooked up a makeshift sound system in his Rav4.
The only challenger who missed part of "the rains of Africa" that morning was Paul, whom Kirsten found sleeping in their car. Paul claims that it was not fear of the hippos nor rain that drove him out of his tent and into the car. No way. He was afraid of the snoring that was coming from nearby tents, he said.
Caffeine deprived and coated in dirt, I'm ready for day four. Guy and I leave with a convoy that included Pierre, Sebastian, Hartmut, Edward, Jim, Shad and Terry.
Our destination today: Ruhengheri, Rwanda.
Driving the back roads of Uganda, you get a close-up view of how Ugandans spend their days.
Jim said he was struck by "the incredibly hard work that goes on as people try to lead their lives here. …They're pushing bicycles with huge bunches of bananas [or other goods] up hills," he said.Jim said he was not expecting to see all of the small tea farms on the hillsides. "I don't know how they walk on those hills, never mind work on them," he said.
Indeed, we saw men, women and children toting all manner of produce, livestock, clothing and water vessels on their heads. I saw a few people carrying bricks made from the red Ugandan soil.
We saw people driving motorbikes strapped down with a dead pig, kids carrying 25-foot timbers, and we saw a group of people carrying someone in a homemade stretcher down a hill in the dark. The nearest big town was more than an hour away by car. Guy observed that in many cases, especially in the more urban areas, what the Ugandans carry, appears to be their livelihood, their portable business. We drove through the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, which is one of the only habitats for gorillas in the world. It was a hilly drive with long vistas, and we stopped a lot to take photos.Lunch break at the entrance ot Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
The border crossing from Uganda to Rwanda is not an orderly affair. You have to sort out where to begin, determine who needs to look at your passport and the various papers that you need to fill out. If you're not driving the car, you must walk around the border gate to a building where you emigrate from Uganda at one window and immigrate to Rwanda at the next.The process involved some standard questions about destination and purpose, which we all got through in a couple minutes. Edward, the last of our group to immigrate to Rwanda, received an extra lengthy interrogation.
The border guards had apparently had it up to here with the Northland Challenge vehicles by the time Vivian and Tim crossed as Vivian had an even longer interrogation than Edward.
Things looked up once we actually crossed into Rwanda. The main roads are quite nice, straight and lined with eucalyptus trees.
The hotel is not far from the border and from my room I can see some of the Virunga Mountain volcanoes. The large one on the right extends into three countries, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The volcano on the far left is called "Sabyinyo" which means "old man's teeth"Tomorrow, we're off to bring light to the Janja school.
For more information about the Northland Challenge, check out these links:
The Northland Challenge: Security, service and globalization
Northland Challenge Day 1&2
Northland Challenge Day 3
Pierre Trapanese's blog
I'm on my way back to Maine from Chantilly, Va., where I attended most of day 2 of The Great Conversation's inaugural East Coast event.
Sponsored by Aronson Security Group, The Great Conversation brings together end users and selected integrators for discussions, case studies and panel discussions. It takes place annually in March in Seattle, where ASG is based.
The new East Coast event is co-sponsored by Kratos and the Security Executive Council.
Yesterday I attended a talk by Steve Goodman, the technology and communications center director for Brigham Young University. Goodman talked about a massive upgrade of its access control system, and how ASSA ABLOY worked with BYU to come up with a wireless lock solution that BYU could use with its existing 802.11 network and Software House system.
BYU served as its own integrator for the installation, only calling in its outside systems integrator as an advisor. Because it has a very strong IT department, that's what BYU has always done, Goodman said. BYU will call in an outside integrator when it's doing an installation that it has no experience with, such as when it upgraded its Software House CCure system to the newest version.
LONGVIEW, Wash.—Aaron Wenner, the owner of Universal Security and Alarm Inc., which got up and running here in April as an authorized Monitronics dealer, is looking to the Southern California market to expand, primarily because of "its nice, big retirement community."
"Those door-knocking companies only work four to five months out of the year, but we need to work year round, especially when it gets darker earlier; these (retirees) are home during the day," he said during an introductory phone call with Security Systems News.
Universal "doesn't do a whole lot" of door-knocking," although Wenner did when he worked for Utah-based NorthStar. He got tired of coming in "behind others who had totally ripped off customers," he said.
The company, which promises "no sneaky fees," has been doing well since its start-up, he said.
"We have a unique opportunity with Monitronics. We can sell our contracts to them or keep them for ourselves—it's totally up to us which ones we keep," he said. So far he has kept 200.
The company offers residential and commercial alarm systems, medical alert buttons and fire monitors to customers in Washington, Oregon and California. The wireless systems also provide remote access.
Day 3 of the Northland Challenge is over and I'm in my tent listening to a discordant chorus of hippos barking and roaring. We're at a campsite in a wilderness park on the shores of the Ishasha River, which is the narrow divider between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The river is loaded with hippos, which can stay underwater for 20 minutes or more, so if you see 5 or 6, there are likely at least 5 or 6 more underwater.
And they're not exactly friendly. As one of the guards at our camp told me, "the hippos will collect your visa if you try to cross the river."
Three armed guards carrying AK47s (vintage, I'm told) patrol the campground perimeter.
They've been busy. Earlier tonight a hippo strolled through the campsite coming within 30 feet of the campfire and 27 challengers. Flashlights and guns in hand, the guards escorted the enormous animal past the campfire and us.
Before we headed off to Ishasha most of us enjoyed self-guided safaris through Queen Elizabeth National Park. My partner, Guy, took off very early with Jim in search of lions, while I had a more leisurely start to the day. I had a chance to ride with Edward, a safari veteran, who suggested I open the sunroof and ride on the roof of the Rav4 to get a better view.
Some view: We spotted elephants, warthogs, water buffalos, and lots of antelope. I was a little leery of elephants after Vivian and Tim's encounter the day before, but we stayed a safe distance from the elephants.
It was George and Eric's turn with the elephants today. "We made a mistake and really stumbled into the herd," George said. "So, we sat there and tried not to give them a reason to attack us." Several minutes later the elephants moved on. It was a vivid reminder, George said, of "the difference between animals in the wild and [animals who are] contained."
Ishasha is the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. On our way to Ishasha, Edward and I caught up with several other teams who'd stopped by the side of the road for lunch and we joined them (Cesar and Amanda, Andre and Joseph, Jim and Guy) in what was supposed to be a two-hour drive to the campsite.
The landscape of the park is exactly what I pictured Africa to look like, a savanna dotted with green flat-topped trees.
The delays commenced with our arrival at the Ishasha park gate (chatty gate attendant) and followed by a flat tire in the savannah.
Can't find the campsite, and Jim and Edward have a flat tire.
Cesar and Amanda decide to go find the campsite while others fix the flat tire.
Fixing the flat
It wasn't far away, but it took another two hours before we found our way to the wilderness camp.
Terrry, James K, and Paul put up a tent
Kirsten said this was her favorite night because she hadn't slept in a tent except in her backyard. She liked the fact that Terry took over as chef of the REI-freeze-dried pasta dinner and that Rob did a backflip off of a picnic table.
Drew, James C. and Eric
"I liked being disconnected. It's just you and everyone in the group sitting around the campfire," she said.
The campfire overlooking the Ishasha River.
Monday October 20, 2014, Kasese, Uganda
I woke up the Saturday, the first day of the Northland Challenge, thinking about Huck Finn. Toyota Rav4s are our modern-day rafts and our Mississippi is the narrow roads and lush terrain of Uganda.
We traveled more than 300 kilometers on Saturday, from Entebbe to Kibale; and another 100-plus kilometers yesterday from Kibale to Kasese.
Here's a sampling of events from the first 48 hours: Cesar and Amanda had baboons jump on the top of their vehicle and refuse to jump off; Vivian and Tim's car was surrounded by angry, stomping, ear flapping elephants—and after the elephants finally, thankfully, left and they were able to get on their way, another angry elephant charged them; Pierre had a close encounter with a chimp during the chimp tracking. My partner, Guy, and I have traveled "the extra mile" but not necessarily on purpose. (We started off the challenge with a multiple-kilometer detour. Then, we refused to believe a local who told us we were way off course, and detoured even farther.)
We've also seen emerald green hillside tea farms, banana tree plantations, very rudimentary indoor plumbing in some locations; beautiful, smiling children; women in gorgeous, brightly colored dresses with coordinated sashes and headscarfs; and we've met many kind, helpful locals.
Not your average day in the office.
A key element of the Northland Challenge is that we only learn our destination for the day at dinner the night before. We're told the destination and given a map of varying degrees of detail. For example, our destination for tonight is a campsite in Ishasha, part of Queen Elizabeth State Park.
The address? "Unnamed road."
Then there are "challenge points," things like: take a photo of a hippo or a photo of a landmark. Yesterday one of the challenge points was a photo of yourself at the marker for the equator with a stranger. We're given a number of options for activities (ie. do a self-guided safari; take a boat ride); some warnings ("this is not a race; don't feed the lions; if you reach this bridge you've gone too far.") We're encouraged to explore along the way.
How do the challengers react to this unstructured structure of the Challenge? Echo told me she finds it interesting. During her travels, she said she remembers advice from her mother to think about the worst case scenario—if you can handle that, go for it. If not, it's time to regroup.
Amanda told me she finds the lack of structure "freeing." James C. observed that when you don't have an exact route charted for you and a strict accompanying timeline, you worry less, he said.
Lacking very specific expectations, you're free to discover, they say.
Mostly it's just fun.
I'm sitting in the open air dining area of the lodge right now listening to challengers talking about the yesterday's adventure and planning today's.
Would you have wanted to experienced the encounter with the elephants? Who saw the black mamba snake? Will there be beer at the campsite?
Look for another blog in two days. No wifi at the campground tonight. In the meantime, check out Pierre's blog and some great photos at www.northlandchallenge.com
Honeywell's Connect 2014 is coming up next month, and I'm happy to say I'll be in attendance.
Best-selling author and syndicated columnist Jeffrey Gitomer will keynote the event, an annual gathering of independent dealers, which is scheduled for Nov. 13-16 in Orlando. Gitomer is a sales and customer service expert who will speak on his unique approach to driving sales.
More than 60 educational sessions aimed at residential, commercial and enterprise installers are scheduled. I've been looking at the list trying to plan a strategy to get to as many as I can.
Honeywell will be showing off its award-wining LYNX Touch 7000 and its High Definition IP Video Kits, and will be giving demos in its Connected Home Room—and that's something I'm looking forward to as well.
If you'll be there, let me know so we can meet up!
UPDATED: Oct. 17, 2014
Security, service and globalization. This is my last blog post from Maine for a little over a week. Tomorrow I'm boarding a bus, a plane and another plane on the way to Entebbe, Uganda, where I'll join 27 others in the Northland Challenge—23 employees of Northland Controls and 5 others, like me, who work in the industry in other roles.
Northland Controls is a global systems integration company that I've written about many times. Here's a link to their home page. And here's a blog I wrote a while ago about successful systems integrators. Scroll down to find the part about Northland.
So what's the Northland Challenge?
On first inspection it looks like an extreme team-building exercise. The group is broken up into teams of two. Every morning each team will be given a destination and a (paper) map, and some "challenge points"—places or points of interest—to locate during the day. Over the course of a week we'll caravan across Southern Uganda and into Rwanda.
So, there's definitely a team-building odyssey element to the Challenge, but at its core, the Northland Challenge is really an exercise in how to thrive as a worker and a business in today's global economy.
Globalization is not something that's just happening, it's here, says Northland CEO Pierre Trapanese. If you want to be really good at doing business today, you need to take the time to understand other people's points of view, their history, their cultures, and their infrastructure (understanding building codes and power requirements is particularly important in security.)
In essence, to go global, you need to understand the local.
The Challenge, Trapanese says, is about "breaking down stereotypes, overcoming our fears of the unknown, and getting out of our shells to work with locals to find our way from one end of their country to the other without the use of technology."
This year's trip to Uganda and Rwanda is the third Northland challenge. In 2010, the group "raced across India in Tuk Tuks," and in 2012 the challenge involved 4x4s and the Caucuses Mountains.
This year, the challenge has another, very important component: service.
"We are challenging ourselves to go a step further, to leave behind for the people we encounter an opportunity to accelerate their economic development and to thrive as individuals and as a community," Trapanese said.
Specifically, Northland Controls is raising money to bring electricity to a part of Rwanda that has none. Working with San Francisco-based Firelight Foundation and a local installer in Rwanda, Northland is funding the installation of solar panels for 25 homes, a community center and a school.
Importantly, the solar panel project is designed to be a self-sustaining enterprise that will continue to bring electricity, jobs, and opportunity to the community.
This is the way it will work: A local provider will install the solar panels in 25 homes that currently used kerosene for power. Those families will pay the local solar provider a monthly fee equal to what they would have paid monthly for kerosene. After a certain period of time, the local provider will be able to install more panels in more homes, continuing to build an account base and recurring monthly revenue. It's very similar to the alarm monitoring business model actually.
I'll have more details about the solar panel projects in the next couple of days. But here's some important information for you now.Northland employees have raised about $35,000 and Northland has provided $10,000. You can help by donating any amount to the cause.
Here's a link to the fund raising site .
More from the road tomorrow.
Last week, I wrote a lot about the battle for small business staring ADT and TycoIS, former sister companies that are now competing for a piece of the lucrative small business pie.
Following the Sept. 29 expiration of their non-compete, both companies used last week's ASIS show as a platform to announce their plans. There's a story in this week's newswire with details of TycoIS's plan. Here's a link to that.
Also getting in the act last week, was GOP Congressman John Mica from Florida. During a Congressional hearing about the breach of the White House perimeter, Rep. Mica told (now former) Secret Service Director Julia Pierson about his home security system and suggested that the White House consider installing an ADT system. He even had an ADT sign handy. Check out the video.
Jeez, ADT executives must have been bumming about that.
You have to hand it to ADT for their response: simple, respectful and with lots and lots of information about ADT's capabiliities: Here's the statement ADT released on Sept. 30.
"ADT Responds to Congressional Hearing on Secret ServiceBOCA RATON, Fla.--ADT responds to Congressman John Mica's comments about the use of services like ADT at The White House: ADT has been protecting homes for more than 140 years, and we are honored to be mentioned as an option to secure the most famous residence in America. With that said, we have the utmost respect for the security staff that works diligently every day to protect the President and our Nation.About ADTThe ADT Corporation (NYSE: ADT) is the leading provider of electronic security, interactive home and business automation and monitoring services for residences and small businesses in the United States and Canada. ADT's broad and pioneering set of products and services, including ADT Pulse® interactive home and business solutions, and home health services, meet a range of customer needs for today's active and increasingly mobile lifestyles. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, ADT helps provide peace of mind to nearly seven million customers, and it employs approximately 17,000 people at 200 locations. More information is available at www.adt.com."
"ADT Responds to Congressional Hearing on Secret ServiceBOCA RATON, Fla.--ADT responds to Congressman John Mica's comments about the use of services like ADT at The White House: ADT has been protecting homes for more than 140 years, and we are honored to be mentioned as an option to secure the most famous residence in America. With that said, we have the utmost respect for the security staff that works diligently every day to protect the President and our Nation.About ADTThe ADT Corporation (NYSE: ADT) is the leading provider of electronic security, interactive home and business automation and monitoring services for residences and small businesses in the United States and Canada. ADT's broad and pioneering set of products and services, including ADT Pulse® interactive home and business solutions, and home health services, meet a range of customer needs for today's active and increasingly mobile lifestyles. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, ADT helps provide peace of mind to nearly seven million customers, and it employs approximately 17,000 people at 200 locations. More information is available at www.adt.com."
When I spoke last month to SentryNet's Kurt Erdman and Alain Jamet, national sales manager and vice president of operations, respectively, both characterized their central station as an "activity hub" that would perform the dual task of promoting new technologies and keeping security professionals attuned to broader trends affecting the industry.
Given that approach, it's not surprising that the information the company blasts out often reads like a hybrid between a news release and, well, news. A good example of this surfaced last week when the company summarized an episode in which all the interdependent parts of a security plan interacted properly to snuff out a crime in progress.
At 1:30 a.m. on August 11, an alarm was received from the Nashville Armory, a popular firearm complex housing a shooting range and a stockpile of weapons and ammo. Responding to the alarm, police pursued and caught a pair of burglars who had managed to make off with a haul of weapons and ammo valued at more than $10,000. Video surveillance recorded both subjects carrying out the crime, the SentryNet release noted, citing a report from the local Fox affiliate in Nashville.
The summary goes on to highlight myriad behind-the-scenes measures taken to help foil the crime, crediting everyone from the end users, the technicians, a locally owned alarm company (C.O. Christian and Sons), an integrator (Herring Technology), and SentryNet's own central station and staff with performing their specific duties with aplomb.
"Those of us who are in this business understand the synergy and combined effort that took place behind the scenes in this story," the SentryNet release noted. Well said. A successful security operation is an ecosystem, sustained by the efforts of people who sometimes never physically cross paths. It's good to see that fact highlighted, and the credit for success shared.
Find out moreSubscribe Now
On the Editor's Desk Martha Entwistle
News and notesPaul Ragusa
Monitoring MattersSpencer Ives
Guest Blog
© 2016 United Publications Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Bellarmine is ranked among the nation's best 377 colleges by the Princeton Review and has been ranked by US News & World Report for 20 consecutive years as one of the top universities in the South
You might think you can't afford Bellarmine. Think again. One hundred percent of Bellarmine freshmen receive institutional scholarships and grants. Many students qualify for a Bellarmine education at Big State U prices. Find out what you'll pay here.
Bellarmine University is your connection to a successful future. Our small class sizes, internships and alumni network will prepare you to enter the workforce.
The Bellarmine Knights rank 9th in NCAA Division II, and 56th among all divisions, in the NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings, which recognize schools for combining success on the field with success in the classroom among student athletes.
Become a citizen of the world and study abroad in one of 150 partnership sites in over 50 countries on 6 continents. Study abroad is available in all of Bellarmine's schools and majors, and it is accessible to all students. Learn more about our International programs.
"One of the great things about studying abroad is the people who you meet.
Just in my group I met amazing people from Sweden, Germany, Costa Rica, West Virginia, France, Poland, Spain, China, and Korea."
- Tatiana, Communication major
Bellarmine University | 2001 Newburg Rd, Louisville KY, 40205 | 502.272.8131 | 800.274.4723
Copyright 2011, All rights reserved


text:
11,127pages on
this wiki
this wiki
Choppers are motorcycles that have been modified from an original design or have been built totally from scratch. They commonly feature longer frames and longer front ends in comparison with other styles of motorcycle.
Choppers that appear in Grand Theft Auto games are as follows;


text:
Dear Members,
Keep in mind that Character Bashing is now prohibited. Making fun of certain characters/character pairings leads to a pointless thread filled with insults and general rule breaking.
Also, remember that Versus threads are allowed only in the Versus section.
Thank you, NarutoBase Staff
Sasuke (Ems)
Oro (prime no edos)
Kabuto (Dsm no edos)
knowledge: manga
location: inside kabuo's cave
who wins?
This is overkill.
Hashirama loses terrible.
Originally Posted by Slug Princess Tsunade
This is overkill.
Hashirama loses terrible.
^^^^^and now i see hashirama being downplayed yet again.
kabuto already stated that hashirama was stronger than him. everyone in this fight is taken out by the flower world.
Too many opponents
Taka takes this
Prime oro and kabuto are enough,the rest is rape.
This is rape, Team 1.
Hashirama might lose this. Depends on how powerful Sasuke is, as of now. If he's even with BM Naruto, and if Naruto can match Madara (which is still unclear), then Taka + Kabuto definitely win. If not, then that's a tough one.
Hashi gets pwned. Kabuto solos no diff with ET if he has prep time.
Team Taka + orochimaru and kabuto is too much for Hashirama.
sasuke solos amaterasu gg
Forum Rules