Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ministry of Culture To Buy Land & Save Lebanon’s Oldest Church in Downtown Beirut?

Thanks to eliefares – and other bloggers!

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

The site in Downtown Beirut, which is called “The Landmark” and at which a future hotel and mall were to be built, turned out to be an archeological jewel for Lebanon, unveiling three very important entities:

  1. A Roman gate,
  2. The old Roman road,
  3. Lebanon’s possibly oldest church (source).

I wrote on the issue yesterday. The matter has since made the rounds online. And it seems we’ve made a ripple. Lebanon’s ministry of culture is now considering to purchase the land where “The Landmark” is to be built because of its historical importance according to the following source (link – Arabic).

While the news is definitely welcome, I have to wonder – is it really Lebanese-like to have a ministry with a proven track record – the Roman hippodrome, Phoenician port and Amin Maalouf’s house are all destroyed – somehow respond this fast to demands and…

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A Rape Attempt in Hamra

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

A 20 year old girl recently suffered through a rape attempt while going back to her apartment in Hamra. The man followed her to her apartment where he attacked her and ordered her not to scream. But she did scream. So he beat her up and she kept on screaming until the neighbors and people on the street ran towards her.

The man was given to authorities. The man was a married man with children and who worked with our army, an entity theoretically tasked with making sure our women and children are protected from the travesties that living in Lebanon entail.

I salute that woman’s courage. Not only for standing up to her rapist and shouting her lungs out despite him threatening her life, but for having the courage to stand up to him when he was taken into custody and tell her story for the world to hear.

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Egyptian Aak: Week 20

Not the best of weeks for the new Egypt

Nervana

Morsi:Wheat

(Photo via the Brotherhood’s website, Ikhwanweb)

Main Headlines

 Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

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Lebanon’s Oldest Church Discovered & Will Be Destroyed Soon?

Money, money, money before spirit, history, culture, people!

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

Update: the site MAY be saved.

Downtown Beirut: the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to archeology. After a blogger (link) and Daily Star journalists were assaulted for taking pictures at the District S site, it turned out a nearby site, where the Roman gate and road were discovered, was more important than originally perceived.

Our ministry of culture Gaby Layoun has no problem in allowing the demolitions at the site in question to continue. But new evidence is now surfacing according to this source that the site in question may contain Lebanon’s first and oldest Church. And yes, that possible Church is part of the things that are going to be destroyed as well.

What will replace the Roman gate and road as well as the potential Church? A five star hotel and mall. Because that’s precisely what Downtown Beirut is so desperately lacking…

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Kasich’s Medicaid expansion would help Ohio’s veterans: Thomas Moe and Victor Wilson | cleveland.com

It’s not often that we see people on both ends of the political spectrum come together for a common purpose, but that’s exactly what happened in April when thousands of people rallied on the Statehouse lawn in support of expanding health care to more than 275,000 low-income Ohioans, most of whom have jobs and are working taxpayers. Side by side in the pouring rain stood Republicans, Democrats, business groups, union members, advocates for the mentally ill and addicted, hospital officials and health care workers — all with the goal of passing Medicaid expansion.

via Kasich’s Medicaid expansion would help Ohio’s veterans: Thomas Moe and Victor Wilson | cleveland.com.

Sinai and the New Naksa

Nervana

Forty-six years ago, in what Egyptians describe as the Naksa, Egypt lost Sinai to Israel during the 6-Days War. Egypt is now witnessing a new Naksa episode. Naksa 2 is unfolding in which Sinai is gradually slipping out of control of the central authority and falling under the influence of non-state players. These players are a ghostly bunch that hide in the mountains and commit various act of terror under various pretexts. Ironically, the attackers are not really “enemies,” but they are brothers of the “Brothers,” and part of the large Islamist tribe that currently rules Egypt.

This probably explains the following statement published in the official FB of the Egyptian presidency following the kidnapping of three policemen and four soldiers in Northern Sinai early this week, “The President gave his order to continue the efforts to release the kidnapped soldiers and is keen on keeping both the kidnapped…

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What Happened At LAU With The Lebanese President’s Son

Not a monarchy – but wannabee-land for politicians who “represent????”

A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares

I can say with absolute certainty that terrorizing campuses is not something they teach us in medical school – and I’m going to the same medical school Mr. Charbel Sleiman went to. Why can’t I be the son of the Lebanese president so I get to have my own henchmen following me around, threatening security guards who are doing their job just for the fun of it?

A sense of unlawful superiority isn’t restricted to our politicians nowadays. It has become infectious and spread to their offspring. I have no idea why Charbel Sleiman wanted to enter LAU’s campus but does it really need armored vehicles and security personnel? After all, pardon my honesty, but how is Charbel Sleiman relevant again?

This is political inheritance fair and simple. If Mr. Sleiman doesn’t manage to create a halo while his father is the president of the Republic, how will he manage…

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