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The Perils and Folly of the Populist Demonstration (Guest Post)
Guest author Johnny Kairouz writes about his concerns regarding the #YouStink movement Nobody Wins, Photo by Karim Mostafa What started out as a peaceful demonstration demanding a solution to the trash...
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5 reasons why the Lebanese are Not Joining the #YouStink Protests
Understanding the puzzling low turnout for a righteous cause Supporters and activists in the #YouStink movement are genuinely baffled by the low turnout in their protests, despite the fact that their...
View ArticlePiling On
Some of the criticism of the garbage crisis smells worse than the garbage itself Sometimes I wonder if some of the vehement critics of the garbage crisis in Lebanon realize how little change their...
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Only Lebanon
In Defense of Lebanese Exceptionalism Many Lebanese are raised on the idea that Lebanon is special; Lebanon is different. This belief is often comically expressed as an obsession with Lebanese success...
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The Tyranny of Wael Abu Faour
“I ask everyone to stop their political and economic prostitution and debauchery, and to instead trust the government and its workers” Thus spoke our fearless Minister of health from his high horse,...
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How to Burn Islamic Flags Without Upsetting Muslims
Many Muslims can’t stand ISIS and see in them a terrorist organization that is giving Islam a bad name. But for religious reasons those same Muslims are very bothered when the flag of ISIS is burnt in...
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Let the Newspapers Die in Peace
Newspapers all over the world are diminishing. Don’t make it harder for them… There has been an awful lot of snickering online recently, about how low the venerable Annahar has gotten in its quest for...
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Can the Islamic Caliphate Lead to Good things?
The only way a grand idea can die is for it to rise then have a spectacular public crash On paper, Communism was a fantastic idea. It caused aspirations that spanned the globe, threatened established...
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There is no Such Thing as the Right to Watch the World Cup
Let’s get this out of the way first: FIFA is greedy. Very greedy. The international body responsible for the world cup tries to squeeze out every single penny it can from our pockets. It sells very...
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On Moderation
As I’m watching the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) take over important parts of the levant, and as I witness Abdel Fattah al Sissi getting sworn in as Egypt’s president, I couldn’t help but...
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Fetishizing an Idealized Past
Ghosts from the past are not solutions to present problems.. Here’s a logic that appeals to many people: Our politicians today are corrupt and evil. Back in the day, we had real men. Men who sacrificed...
View ArticleMy New Blog
I just realized that I haven’t mentioned here that I started a new blog. It is more personal, more conversational and geekier than Beirut Spring. In it I write about technology, computer programming,...
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A Glimpse of a Functioning Democracy
Politics in Lebanon feels today like politics in real democracies Hanna making many politicians uncomfortable (photo by Jean Assi) The conventional wisdom on the tug of war going on in Lebanon today...
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Why you Should Avoid the new App Stores by Alfa and Touch… For Now
Consumers should try to stay away from app ecosystems created by their ISPs until they learn about some important details. Beware the trap stores.. I learned today that Alfa and Touch are launching app...
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A Team of Rivals
Why the formation of a new Lebanese government is a cause for celebration Photo: Dalati & Nohra You have to give it to the cynics. They are exceedingly creative in the ways they express their...
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Digitize Those Books
It is a crime against culture, against heritage and against the future to keep rare books away from scanners. The Al-Sa2eh Library after being restored (Photo by Nath Halawani) It was a heart warming...
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