Electricity POWER!

The issue of Electricity shortage in Lebanon is not a new one, however there is a sort of awakening in Lebanon at this time. More and more ordinary Electricitee Du Liban (EDL) workers are closing down power plants and refusing to work, due to intolerable working conditions.

Conditions such as getting beaten up every time they try to pick up a check, poor maintenance and lack of funding. Lebanon has not had stable power supply since 1975. It is hard to believe that this is even possible, i mean war torn countries have been able to restore power and water supply within a few years while Lebanon has had 22 years to restore power and have failed. 

What is the problem? Why are we still living in the dark, why haven't we been able to get power, why is it taking 22 years? These are the questions mostly asked and never answered. We have had countless Ministers and politicians addressing the problem and still nothing. We have heard promises and plans for decades and yet none ever take place. 

Unfortunately the problem is not the politicians, government or EDF. The Lebanese are the problem, we bitch constantly about everything and yet again, fail to do anything. I mean there is always something that can be done, nothing in this life is ever hopeless and set in stone. 

I know that this tone might be repetitive but its the truth, real and lasting change can only come from the citizens and not from the government. We the people act as a lobby group influencing and pressuring the government to do the right thing. We need to step out of this web of corruption, people who profiteer from no government electricity, people who steal electricity from their neighbors and most of all people who refuse to pay the government for their consumption. 

If we take care of these three minorities (hopeful thinking) then maybe there is chance to bring light to the Cedar country. Luckily there is a now a new campaign to push for electricity in Lebanon and yes you can find all the links here visit them , follow them, share this blog, their ideas, lets gain momentum and have some real change in Lebanon. 

http://www.darklebanon.com/

Follow on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/darklebanon

As always if you are to lazy or indifferent to do something, i hope you win the lottery but the power cuts and a blind man steals your ticket, oh and the main to your house ruptures leaving you without power for ever, oh and you don't have candles and matches ...

enjoy :)

Animal Rights: The Wheels are in Motion!

This is an update post on the previous animal rights legislation. Animals Lebanon have submitted  their proposal for the draft law (In November, corrected) to the ministry in Parliament.

Although this is great news after 18 months of campaigning and spreading the word, the draft law is now in the hands of those who can make it or break it. However this does not mean that its over, we need to keep getting those signatures and helping Animals Lebanon achieve their 25 thousand goal, to ensure the draft law will be taken seriously! 

The links are everywhere on facebook and on this blog, we have reached the 5000 mark and still have a long way but with your help, we can reach the 25K bar in no time. 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Animals-Lebanon/54514164921

http://www.betalebanon.org/

Click those links, visit the pages, use your facebook, twitter, youtube and blog to raise awareness and keep pushing for those signatures, we are half way there but still have a lot to do. 

Lets prove to the world that Lebanon is, despite everything, a humane and decent society! And if nothing else, then do it for those who can't speak

Legal Internet Censorship?

In a few days, the United States congress will vote on a law to actively allow law enforcement agencies and copyright holders to obtain court orders to censor any website which facilitates users to obtain 'illegal material'. The bill is named 'Stop Online Piracy Act' or SOPA.

Simply put, this bill will allow US agencies and companies to censor any one who posts anything without copyrights. What this means is that, if you decide to post a picture about golfers but you don't have the copyrights, then your website / blog / Facebook can be shut down through legal means. And if you have 10 violations then you can be tried and sentenced to a minimum of 5 years in federal prison. 

 Unfortunately this bill will not be used only to stop sites that infringe copyright, on the contrary this will make legal the active censoring of the internet. What does this mean, well basically it will start with censoring websites that hold illegal material but will move very fast to something worse.  How can we trust Hollywood pencil pushers and government agencies who constantly try to censor media and print, with basically the keys to the Internet. The ramifications are a disastrous not only for the US, but the rest of the world. Imagine Europe follows their lead and begins their own censoring, then imagine nations with poor human rights records who will now follow the US's lead and actively censor the Internet legally!

Opponents say that it violates the First Amendment, is Internet censorship, will cripple the Internet, and will threaten whistle-blowing and other free speech. Opponents have initiated a number of protest actions, including petition drives, boycotts of companies that support the legislation, and even proposed service blackouts by major Internet companies scheduled to coincide with the next Congressional hearing on the matter.

But don't take my word for it, check out this video which will explain it all in under 5 minutes.


PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.
Use this link to send a letter to congress telling them you do not want this bill to pass!



Firefox, wikipedia and twitter have already began campaigning to stop this bill from becoming Law but they need your help, Join STOP SOPA and sign all petitions you can find online, together we can break this bill and keep the internet free for all, the way it was intended to be.

As always if you do not agree then i hope your lips get sealed and you lose the ability to write, so you can sit there censored for ever...

Weak Foundations or Weak Government?

It is with a heavy heart that i write this post this morning. I awoke to the news of a building collapsing in Ashrafiyeh killing 13 people and injuring 11 so far. I cannot seem to comprehend how this could happen in this day of age?

The Lebanese Government has the duty to ensure the security of all citizens in all aspects of life, be it in times of war or peace, civil protest or disobedience. Yet again the government has failed to do its job. In this instance, the government knew well ahead of the collapse that this building was not stable. I mean three weeks ago a blast occurred in this very building (on Christmas Eve) and cracks appeared all over the building. Why didn't the government send engineers to inspect the cracks and decide whether or not it is safe to live in?

Head of Beirut Municipality Bilal Hamad told the radio station VDL:

'We didn’t receive any official complaint over the possibility of collapse'





Please a round of applause to this genius, complaints, COMPLAINTS! You want ordinary civilians who have no engineering background to come up to you and say , hey man listen, i want to lodge a complaint because i think that this building might collapse at any time, can you do something about it?

Are you kidding me Mr. Hamad, you're job is to make sure Beirut is safe for all its inhabitants, that includes checking building for risk of collapse and injury. The thing that shocked me even more was that Naharnet reported; the building’s owner, Michel Saadeh, had warned them not to stay in their apartments on Sunday night.

Lets recap, the building's owner warned the tenants not to stay in the building, the Government neglected their job and ignored the warning signs, an explosion occurred on Christmas Eve and again the municipality failed in its duty to do anything, result Lebanese and Sudanese people are dead. Dead because of neglect and corruption, this is what happens when you pay off a public inspector and this is what happens when a public inspector accepts a bribe, innocent people die so you can have money in your pockets. Shame on you , shame on the government and shame on Beirut's municipality.

Our thoughts go towards the families and friends of the victims of this negligence.


And if any member of government is reading this then i hope the world collapses on your head but you survive and live with a brick in the middle of your forehead. You are all to blame every single one of you in government , from the smallest public worked to the highest post, Shame on you for believing in the dollar more than your own country...

The Lebanese Suicide

There is a definitive link between ignorance and society. The more ignorance exists the worse society is. The less ignorance, the better society becomes. Why do i point this out? Simples:

Lebanon has suffered a 15 year civil war, causing extensive loss of life, infrastructure damage, moral decadence and and wait for it BRAIN DRAIN! Yes brain drain the key word here, you see Lebanon's intellectuals till today refuse to take part in Lebanese society or if they do then they have put aside their morals and principals in order to advance their career and self.

I am not saying that Lebanon is run by idiots and unqualified people, on the contrary i think we have the best people for a civil war era, but for when it comes to building a nation, not so much. And no i am not talking about the politicians. I am speaking about the ordinary citizens who by their actions are condemning Lebanon to a never ending cycle of corruption and greed.

You see all Lebanese talk politics and support x and hate z, yet do any of them even know the intricate workings of our Government. How many of you can name each ministry and its minister? How can we expect to achieve stability if the citizens (or the owners) of Lebanon are not willing to take 20 minutes from their busy facebooking, shopping and jaggaling (translated from Lebanese, to Show of ones self in order to compensate for small penis syndrome or/and weak character attributes)  lives to actually see what is going on.

It is not  that hard, i mean there are hundreds of NGO's in Lebanon working for a better Lebanon, through new legislation, laws and organisations. Yet these NGO's never seem to gain the support needed? Why i wonder, why wont anyone support women's rights, Union rights even Pilots rights (i mean they carry us everywhere , why couldn't we help them out this once). Instead we bitched, yes what we do best, oh no my flight is delayed now i wont be able to have coffee at Monmartre with Jean-Piere and Adele, oh mon dieu! I mean come on, how lazy are we! And i hope its laziness because if its not laziness then we are just ignorant!

Lets sum up, we are ignorant, we sell our votes, cross traffic lights, loiter the streets, use connections to get ahead, scream at a cop for doing his job, no respect for anyone or ourselves among another million things.

MONEY is our downfall and in money we trust, in money we shall perish! Until that day keep up the bitching about everything, even though you are the direct cause of most of our problems, keep bitching at others, and go to sleep at a night feeling fulfilled you ignorant no moral having lane changing stupid connection having twit and enjoy Lebanon when its in rubble but hey at least you made it out , forget everyone else...

I ll leave you with a quote of one of my favorite authors and philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau

'I love liberty, and I loathe constraint, dependence, and all their kindred annoyances. As long as my purse contains money it secures my independence, and exempts me from the trouble of seeking other money, a trouble of which I have always had a perfect horror; and the dread of seeing the end of my independence, makes me proportionately unwilling to part with my money. The money that we possess is the instrument of liberty, that which we lack and strive to obtain is the instrument of slavery.'

Animal Rights come to Lebanon!

Today it was brought to my attention that there is a group seeking to obtain legislation which will criminalize animal abuse in Lebanon.

Well i have only one thing to say about that Finafuckly! Yes Finafuckly, a great man once wrote that the way humans treat animals is a reflection of themselves (cant remember who so don't bother). So lets see what can we make of this quote, living in Lebanon for 5 years , i have seen dogs that have been dragged behind cars and left for dead, families who buy a cute puppy for their spoiled kid and when it poops or grows they don't want it anymore so they drive and release it somewhere to fend of for itself.

I have seen kittens thrown into dumpsters, Lions held in cages that wouldn't fit a dog, exotic birds stolen and resold and hundreds of abuses by owners towards their pets. Whether beating or starvation THIS IS WRONG and should be punishable by something worse than Death.

I am a hardened supporter of Animals Lebanon and BETA (Beirut Ethical Treatment of Animals) and believe they are one of the only groups in Lebanon who worry and care about our four legged buddies.

And right now their is a petition going around to bring legislation to criminilize animal abuses, yes yes i know it sucks to all you uckheads out there who strive at watching animals suffer, but its true there is such legislation and with your help it will pass in our 'glorious' parliament once they take a break from discussing who has the biggest ego and wallet, i am sure they will sign it.

The Link for the petition is below plus all the ads Animals Lebanon have put through for the campaign or just use the link at the top of this blog.
Also you will find links to both Animals Lebanon and BETA where you can go and donate, not just money but your time, they need volunteers, every little helps.

Animals Lebanon
BETA

I urge you all to sign the petition and encourage your friends and family to do the same, spread it on every blog, on every facebook page and twitter account. Write about it, speak about it and most importantly get those signatures.

Now if you think that this issue is below you or that, to you animals sufferings isn't a big deal, then this is what i hope for you:

I hope you come home one day and find a Lion shitting on your bed, dogs shredding your furniture, cats trying on your clothes and using them as a litter box, a hundred birds with diarrhea. And when you run to your parents for help, they realise your not small and cute anymore, tie you to the back of the car and drive for miles, then let you go bruised, naked and scarred for life to fend of on your own... oh and i hope people just drive by and do nothing!

For all those who chose to sign and spread the word, you are doing the right thing and that should be reward enough! 

Police Confiscate a thousand illegal motorbikes!!!!

WOW , Please before you read this , a round of applause for the Police, BRAVO i say bravo. What a great thing they have done, they removed all these illegal motorbikes from our roads, i mean this is exactly what Lebanon needed. Who cares about the kidnappings, car jacking and murders, as long as we have no motorbikes on the street everything is fine.

Now while the thieves and murderers run free, the poor students and delivery men who can't afford number plates will have to suffer. Not the restaurants that know they don't have legal bikes and still employ them. If you ask me i think they should go after the restaurants who by law are required to have legal delivery vehicles but in the spirit of keeping all the profit to themselves, they get people who can't afford car taxes and employ them. Wow genius, its almost as though no one thought about this; making a huge profit but treating and paying your employees dirt! Wait sounds a lot like slavery ... i am sure its not though right if everyone is doing it!

Don't get me wrong i think everyone should pay their car tax no matter what, yet i also believed everything is linked, if the minimum wage is 200 USD a month and motorbike tax including insurance, bribe, stamps and more bribes might equal to about 200USD a year plus gas of about 40 USD a month (being very conservative) should give us around 680 USD a year. Ok now take that from an average salary of 2400 USD a year , that's about 13 to 14 % of a yearly salary gone on vehicle tax. Please tell me you spot the problem! But hey at least those damned bikes wont be on the roads again! wait wait yes they will, the cops used them to go home without plates and without tax. Which brings me to the age old question which devastates Lebanon:

Why can the police (Guardians of the law) do illegal things and i cant ? What message are the police sending to the citizens? Before you go on and blast away at an unregistered motorbike in Lebanon, remember this guy is paying 15% of his salary just to own it, imagine if he has a family and kids, HOW THE HELL IS HE MEANT TO SURVIVE!?!?!?!

Just a thought i felt I should share, as always if you don't agree its your own conscious but  i hope you get stuck between 50 unregistered motorbikes who all decide they want to drive in a line around you for hours...

Bitching Bitching isnt easy!

Wen wen wen el kahraba! Fattourteh mallione! Wen el Dawleh!

Phrases used as often as good morning in Lebanon. There are three things you can be sure of in Lebanon: number 1, the sun will always rise, number 2 there will be 3aj2a (traffic) and number 3, there will always be complaining and bitching!

Why you may ask, nobody really knows, i guess it might be because Lebanese people are never satisfied with any thing! Literally nothing satisfies their craziness.

Day and night there is always someone bitching in Lebanon about these three phases no matter what time it is, in the darkest and quietest nights you will hear the sounds of a bitching. Yet i consider Lebanon lucky at this point, i mean 22 years ago, we were in a civil war, there was no kahraba (Electricity) no water, no roads, hell some people didn't even have feet! Yet there wasn't that much bitching. I think Lebanese people are now spoiled, a few years without any war and here we go again, back to the WWF (wen el kahraba, wen el Dawleh, fattourteh Mallione).

Instead of bitching why not enjoy the few things we have, take the positive perspective if you will. I know its hard but with a few easy steps , we can achieve anything!

Number 1 : Stop saying there is no electricity instead say things like:
'Showering in the dark makes my other senses so aware of my surroudings' or
'Shampoo in my eyes doesn't bother me anymore, i am used to showering without seeing anything, i am Lebanese' or
"I love being stuck in the elevator, gives me time to play solitaire on my phone' or
"Wow the power is only cutting 12 hours a day , that gives me 12 hours from (11 PM to 11AM) to do everything i need'


Number 2: Stop bitching about your phone bill! Instead try these simple guidelines:
'Stop using your phone' or
'Stop using your phone to upload pictures of traffic, funny mobilette people and traffic cops sleeping, we ve all seen them and been there" or
'Take part in cellular boycotts when they occur instead of calling your friend and telling her how nice these new shoes that you don't need are' or
'Instead of bbming everyone except  for the pope, make an effort to see them live in 3D'


Number 3: Stop please stop bitching about the politics! and Ill tell you why, very simply:
'Its your fault'
'Its your fault"
'Its your fault"


I hope some of you will apply these simple rules and help Lebanon curb the bitching, If not then i hope you get stuck in traffic for four hours because a political motorcade is passing, lose 3G capabilities and run out of smokes!