The Miss Lebanon Pageant: Here We Go Again

In 2010, I wrote a blog post describing how I felt about beauty pageants. I could not understand why the broadcaster thought (and still thinks) that extravagant soirees where contestants are in swimsuits and couture brings out the best in Lebanese beauty and Lebanese tourism. I could not understand why there is a need to design elaborate sets,…

The National Anthem Debacle

As I arrived to work this morning, I ran into my manager, and after exchanging greetings, she asked me whether I tried calling someone today. I, in fact, had not. So she quickly filled me in, that trying to call anyone would mean hearing the Lebanese national anthem before the dial tone. Because Lebanon’s Independence…

Condolences

Tonight, our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the tens of victims and the hundreds injured of the dual explosion that shook Burj el Barajneh, a densely populated area of the capital city. There are no words to express sorrow and disappointment in this country, for allowing this to happen once again, for…

A Reaction To Nicole Assaf’s Tragic Death

The tragic news of the death of Nicole Assaf, a fourth year Civil Engineering student at the American University of Beirut, has shaken us all badly. I mean, of course it would. An accomplished 21 year old a few months away from graduation was found in a pool of blood in Hamra without a definite…