Stories from Quick Reads and Lebanon
Global Voices Checkdesk Training Workshop to be held in Beirut on July 29
Investigative journalists and people interested in social media in Lebanon are in for a treat at the end of this month. Global Voices Online and Meedan are teaming up to present a workshop on ‘Fact-checking for the Web’ at AltCity, Hamra, Beirut, on July 29. The hands-on training will take...
Mapping Lebanese Journalists on Twitter
Mustapha Hamoui, aka @Beirutspring is mapping the presence of Lebanese journalists on Twitter. For that he is compiling a list with their Twitter handles. The list includes non-Lebanese journalists who also report on the country. You can access the Google doc or update it here.
Looking for Books on Islam, Feminism and Racialisation?
Blogger Royayah Chamseddin, a Sydney based Lebanese-American journalist and commentator, shares a list of books on Islam, feminism and racialization in this blog post on her blog Letters from The Underground. The list, which will continue to be expanded, includes links to some books which are available for free download...
Druze Leader Walid Joumbulatt Takes to Twitter
Lebanese politician and Druze leader Walid Joumblatt is on Twitter – and had a hard time proving it really was him. The account set up on October 27 has attracted about 17,000 followers so far — and a confirmation from the man himself. Yes it is me — Walid Joumblatt...
Music Collective Beirut Open Stage Launches Online Platform
“To further its vision of showcasing and promoting as best as it can the local talent”, the Musical Collective “Beirut Open Stage” has launched its online platform. Their new website, which compliments their YouTube channel, allows live viewing of performances as well as staying up to date with their latest...
Who Benefits from Trafficking Women from Madagascar to the Middle East?
Aaron Ross reports on his investigation in the heart of the ongoing human trafficking of young women from Madagascar to Middle Eastern countries: For some enterprising businessmen, the collapse heralded a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So-called placement agencies sprang up in Antananarivo and other cities across Madagascar, promising the good life in...
Lebanese Blogger Spoofs Study on Middle Eastern Women's Clothing
The question “How Should Middle Eastern Women Dress in Public” posed by the University of Michigan is attracting hilarious spoofs online. The content is so rich that an additional post to our first one was necessary. When Washington Post Max Fisher shared the original image on Twitter, he wasn't expecting...
Lebanon: Don't Drink and Drive
Lebanon's traffic authorities have launched a don't drink and drive campaign ahead of New Year's eve celebrations. On Twitter, the traffic department shares this photograph:
How do police lineups in Lebanon work?
Lebanese blogger Karl Sharro tells us how the newly introduced police lineups work in Lebanon here.
Bad Cop, Good Cop and Other Cops in Iran Nuke Talks
Six world powers and Iran are discussing Iran's nuclear programme in a two-day meeting in Geneva. Lebanese satirist Karl Sharro comments on Twitter: The Western sides at the P5+1 talks with Iran are playing good cop, bad cop, over-enthusiastic cop and insufferably pretentious cop. — Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) November 9,...
Humour: Potential Targets in the Strike on Syria
The Qnion – or Lebanese blog Qifa Nabki, shares the scenario of the “likely military strike on Syria.” The plan includes: we’re primarily considering two sets of Tomahawk missile strikes (between 8 and 11) launched by the USS Mahan and the USS Gravely against a set of military bases in...
Lebanon: The Smell of Death
On August 23, two bombs exploded in outside two mosques in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. Forty-seven people were killed, and over 500 injured. Joey Ayoub, at Hummus for Thought, shares a must-read testimony of the heartbreak at the hospital of a friend who was in Al Salam mosque...
Lebanon: Blogger Beaten for Taking Photos
Lebanese blogger Habib Battah narrates how he was held against his consent, forced to delete photographs of ruins from his phone camera and repeatedly assaulted in this post on the Beirut Report. When he reported the case to his local police station, the officers in charge said it was his...
Lebanon's Happy Offshore Oil Billboards
Qifa Nabki writes: “Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water has launched a new [billboard] campaign promoting the benefits of off-shore oil exploration for the average citizen. The ads contain shots of smiling people aside captions like: “My children and I are staying in Lebanon“ or “I’m going back to work in Lebanon!“”...
Lebanon's Migrant Workers Mark May Day
KAFA (Enough Racism and Violence) posted [Ar] that the migrant domestic workers in Beirut celebrated Labor's Day by holding a demonstration in which they demanded an end to the Kafala System [Sponsorship System]. The demonstration culminated with a gathering in a public park where the workers shared different aspects from their...
Social Media and Sarcasm in Lebanon
The Eleventh Room posted some funny tweets about Beirut’s first Social Media Awards event. They said the Social Media Awards hashtag #SMABeirut was going strong on Twitter days after the event. They added: “As we were going through them, we couldn’t help but laugh out loud at some pretty sarcastic/hilarious ones....
Lebanon's First Social Media Awards
Najib at Blog Baladi won the “Blog of the Year” award in Beirut's first Social Media Awards event. He wrote this post about the ceremony in general with comments on some aspects of its organization. He also includes comments about the attitudes of some of the attendees such as those of celebrity Haifa Wehbe, among others.
Arab World: Pan Arab Web Awards Academy Scam
Lebanese blogger Rita exposes the terms and conditions of the “Pan Arab Web Awards Academy” competition which makes the participants “buy” their award in this post.
MENA: Acclaimed Authors’ Favorites of 2012
M. Lynx Qualey, blogger, who is interested in Arab and Arabic literature, wrote a series of posts introducing acclaimed Arab poets, novelists, and short-story writers’ favorite Arab reads of 2012. She started with a list of nonfiction books, then followed by a list for poetry [En] and fiction [En].
2015 is the Year of Oil and Gas in Lebanon
The year 2015 will be the Lebanese year for oil and gas exploration according to a timeline, which is supposed to be approved by the cabinet, and which is posted by the Lebanon Spring Blog.
