Gemmayzeh residents protest hijacking of quiet nights, parking spots

Gemmayzeh residents protest hijacking of quiet nights, parking spots
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: More than a hundred residents of Gemmayzeh blocked the main street Saturday evening to protest against the noise caused by loud music coming from pubs until the early hours of the morning, as well as congestion caused by valet parking in the area. Wearing night gowns and pajamas, women and children blocked the road for about an hour and a half, carrying pillows and placards that read "enough, we need to sleep" in three languages. The protest that brought the street to standstill attracted wide media coverage and was orderly and without any incidents under the eyes of the security forces and the Lebanese Army, who kept the order and diverted the heavy traffic, which is normal for a Saturday. Gemmayzeh Street is known to be one of the most famous night attractions in the Lebanese capital, and several thousand clients visit the more than 70 outlets in the area on a daily basis.

The grievances of people living in the same buildings where pubs and bars are operating have been voiced before without any results. Among other complaints, residents say valet parking has hijacked their parking spaces, forcing them to park their cars hundreds of meters away, even under the rain. The protest meanwhile, has prompted the owners of the watering houses to call for a meeting with representatives of the Gemmayzeh residents and associations to reach an amicable solution to the problem. Should the problem escalate, residents have told The Daily Star they are ready to keep on protesting until their complaints are addressed. In the meantime, residents are meeting to plan their next moves, which might include filing an official complaint with the Lebanese judiciary, and holding meetings to carry out their ordeal with the tourism minister, the acting governor of Beirut and top religious officials. - The Daily Star

Gene study charts arrival of Islam, Crusaders in Lebanon

Gene study charts arrival of Islam, Crusaders in Lebanon
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: A new study has found genetic traces of both the arrival of the Crusades and of the expansion of Islam in Lebanon, as reported by the National Geographic Magazine on Friday. The findings not only confirm well-documented history but also present a rare genetic trail showing the movement of two major religions into Lebanon, scientists say. "Lebanon has always had a rich history of receiving different cultures," said the study's lead author, Pierre Zalloua, an associate professor at the Lebanese American University. "This study tells us that some of them did not just conquer and leave behind castles. They left a subtle genetic connection as well."

Unlike previous studies that have relied on mitochondrial DNA - which is passed on maternally - to unlock secrets of human migration, researchers in the current study focused on the paternally provided Y chromosome, as it is thought to provide more detailed information. The distribution of genetic markers at first appeared virtually indistinguishable across the Christian, Druze, and Muslim populations of Lebanon. But a closer look at the Y chromosomes of 926 Lebanese men sampled in the study revealed something intriguing. "We noticed some interesting lineages in the dataset. Among Lebanese Christians, in particular, we found higher frequency of a genetic marker - R1b - that we see typically see only in Western Europe," said Spencer Wells, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence.

Wells said that the lineage was seen enriched to a higher frequency only in the Christian populations in Lebanon and was not seen in the Muslim section of the population. "It certainly doesn't undermine the similarities among the various Lebanese communities, but it does agree with oral tradition - that some Lebanese Christians are descendents of Crusaders - and points to a genetic connection to the Crusaders," he added. "We have a correspondence between what we knew about the history of the region from written documents and what we're starting to see that in the genetic patterns as well." "Now what historical events would have brought a substantial number - 2 percent - of Y chromosomes in the Christian population in from Western Europe?" he added. "The most likely answer is the Crusades."

The National Geographic researchers say that their discoveries suggest, in particular, that Crusaders from the 11th to 13th centuries A.D. introduced their lineages into the existent Lebanese population. The genetic researchers also noticed a similar pattern when they looked at Y-chromosome lineages in the Muslim parts of the population. The expansion of Islam from the Arabian Peninsula beginning in the seventh century A.D. likely introduced lineages into people who subsequently became Lebanese Muslims, they add. - The Daily Star

Cafe in Saifi Village offers visitors an outlet to express their creativity

Cafe in Saifi Village offers visitors an outlet to express their creativity
By Nathalie Fox
Special to The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Parents settle their young excited children at a table where they will get their hands dirty decorating pieces of ceramic pottery that they have chosen. At another table, a group of teenage girls exchange the latest gossip about their school while painting their pieces as gifts for Mother's Day. A little girl chooses rainbow-colored paints to adorn her fairy figurine. A teenage boy tries to figure out how to paint symmetrical blue and green stripes across a mug, as his grandmother wonders out loud how her vase will turn out.

Ceramic Lounge, which opened on January 21, 2006, is a cafe where anyone can create their own art, even if they are not particularly artistic. First, you select a white piece of ceramic pottery from a wide range of mugs, plates, bowls, boxes, banks and figurines. There is a wide selection of paint colors to choose from, along with an assortment of brushes and sponges. For those who need inspiration there is the Idea Corner where a selection of books, magazines and drawings are available. A team of art assistants explain the painting techniques and help with any questions one might have. The painted item is then left at the cafe for a week where it will be glazed, processed and baked - the final work of art will be microwave and dish washer resistant. Ceramic studios began to open across the United States, Canada and Europe in the early 1990s. The first one appeared in New York City around 1993. Ceramic Lounge is the only such place in Lebanon, established by the owner, Marcelle Tanal, 33, who has lived most of her life abroad. Tanal was inspired to create Ceramic Lounge because of the many contemporary ceramic studios in Montreal. "I wanted to open a cafe where people can get away from the routine of their lives, where they can relax, have fun, and feel at home at the same time. Also, there was no such place in Lebanon and I believe that Lebanese people have so much creativity. Ceramic Lounge is an outlet to express this creativity," says Tanal. After four months of searching for the ideal location, Tanal chose the location for Ceramic Lounge in Saifi Village, next to Downtown Beirut. Tanal says that Saifi is perfect because of its strategic location in the heart of the capital. More importantly, Saifi Village is also known as Le Quartier des Arts, or The Art Village, because of its numerous art and designer galleries, antique stores, artisan shops and specialty boutiques.

Sahar Bsat, the manager, says that Ceramic Lounge is packed during the summer and in December because schools are out. Also, many Lebanese who live outside the country and visit in the summer and at Christmas make it a point to visit Ceramic Lounge at least once during their stay. Bsat, 27, adds, "We weren't expecting 70 percent of our customers to be children!" Christiane Chami, 49, who has been going to Ceramic Lounge for the last two years, used to go daily but now goes once or twice a week. "I like painting and doing useful activities. I feel relaxed and I forget everything around me. Also, it is a way to pamper myself," she says. Ceramic Lounge serves food and beverages such as sandwiches, salads, coffees, juices and desserts. The cafe also hosts many events and competitions for special occasions, with an assortment of prizes for participants. Every month, customers vote in a competition for the best artistic piece. March is Mother's Month, in celebration of Mother's Day on March 21, and all mothers who spend time at Ceramic Lounge are given special treatment. Lamis Ghanem, an LAU student, went to Ceramic Lounge for the first time with her boyfriend last week. "It was intimate and personal, as well as something new and creative," she says. "During the day it was like a nursery though, because of all the children. But in the evening more couples came. "However, it is a bit expensive. Still, I'm planning to go again with my sister to make a gift for my mom since it's Mother's Day soon."

While Ceramic Lounge is the only branch, the cafe sets up open-air hubs in the summer in places such as in Faraya, Faqra and Beit Mery. Tanal is looking to open a hub on a beach this summer, as well as to open more branches of Ceramic Lounge. Bsat says that the cafe prefers to employ university students as art assistants because they are "fresh, artistic, friendly, enthusiastic and especially those who are also involved in volunteer work and other activities. Our employees are very popular among the customers." Jad Jean Yazbeck, 25, a student at the American University of Science and Technology majoring in graphic design, has been working in Ceramic Lounge as a cook and as an art assistant for a year and three months. "I don't feel like I'm working because I'm having so much fun at the same time," he says.

Tanal doesn't let the political situation or the opposition's protest in Downtown Beirut affect business at Ceramic Lounge, which opens every day. Tanal adds that business has been very good, "we have stayed alive." Yara Hanna, 12, spends time with her mother, her friends, or by herself at Ceramic Lounge once a week: "It's a very calm and pleasant atmosphere. I even take a book with me while I wait for the paint to dry." Her mother, Jessy, adds: "It's nice to see my daughter so excited and happy whenever she comes back from the cafe." The materials for Ceramic Lounge are shipped in from the US and stored in warehouses. The ceramic pieces come ready-made, and the brushes, paints and books come from abroad. "We cannot compromise on the quality, especially so the ceramic pieces don't break easily or the paint fades. After all, they are souvenirs," Tanal says. The prices of the ceramic items and paint colors depend on, "the latest style and trend of the model, the latest fashion and design," says Tanal. "My goals for Ceramic Lounge were definitely attained, and we have many more projects in mind," Tanal says, smiling.

Forbes lists 10 Lebanese among world's billionaires

Forbes lists 10 Lebanese among world's billionaires
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: Forbes magazine's annual survey of the world's billionaires for 2008 included on its list 10 persons of Lebanese descent, among them six members of the family of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, two members of the Mikati family, as well as cousins Said Khoury and Hassib Sabbagh, as reported by Lebanon This Week, the economic publication of the Byblos Bank Group. The survey ranked the leader of the parliamentary majority, MP Saad Hariri Saad-Hariri-Profile Sep-07, in 334th place with an estimated fortune of $3.3 billion, up from 407th place and $2.3 billion in 2007, followed by his brother Bahaa Hariri in 349th place with a fortune of $3.2 billion, up from 432nd place and $2.2 billion.

Forbes said the Hariri family's wealth is derived from investments in Saudi Arabia and many other countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East in banking, real estate, tourism, telecommunications and media. Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his brother Taha Mikati ranked in 446th place with a net worth of $2.6 billion each, down from 407th place but up from $2.3 billion each in 2007. The magazine said the Mikati brothers made their fortune in telecommunications and have large holdings in the sector. Ayman Hariri and his brother Fahd Hariri, the late Rafik Hariri's youngest sons, came in 524th place with $2.3 billion each, up from 618th place and $1.6 billion each last year. The late premier's widow Nazek ranked in 843rd place with a fortune of $1.4 billion, up from 891st place and $1 billion in 2007, while her daughter Hind came in 1,014th place with a fortune of $1.1 billion. According to Forbes, that makes Hind Hariri the world's youngest billionaire.

This year's list included two newcomers from Lebanon who are the founders of the Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), one of the largest construction firms in the Arab world. Saeed Khoury ranked in 962nd place with a net worth of $1.2 billion and his cousin Hasib Sabbagh came in 1062nd place with $1 billion.

The Forbes 2008 list of the world's richest people also included a list of billionaires of Lebanese decent, including Carlos Slim Helu, Joseph Safra, and Nicholas Hayek among others. The wealthiest man in the Middle East is Saudi Prince Al-waleed bin Talal, who ranked in 19th place worldwide with $21 billion, while the richest man in the world is American investor Warren Buffet with a fortune of $62 billion, replacing Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who lost the top spot for the first time in 13 years. - The Daily Star

Lebanon set to delay presidential vote again

Lebanon set to delay presidential vote again
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: Both government and opposition MPs said Sunday that they expect Lebanon's oft-postponed presidential vote, scheduled to take place in Parliament on Tuesday, to be delayed for a 16th time. The country has been without a head of state since Emile Lahoud stepped down at the end of his term, extended under Syrian pressure in 2004, at midnight on November 23. "Tuesday's session, like all previous sessions that were scheduled, will be delayed," opposition Hizbullah MP Hassan Hoballah told AFP. MP Wael Bou Faour of the ruling March 14 Forces coalition made a similar prediction - and accused the opposition of blocking a solution, especially mediation by Arab League chief Amr Moussa, under orders from Damascus. "The election is tied to a political agreement. I do not expect a session on Tuesday because the same obstacles remain," he said. "The Syrian regime is increasing its demands as occurred with Amr Moussa during his recent visit. "There are efforts under way from an Arab party," the legislator added, "but until now it is still impossible."

Moussa has made several trips to Lebanon to try to break the impasse between the majority, backed by the West and most Arab states, and the opposition, backed by Syria and Iran. His efforts have failed thus far, although the Arab initiative is still on the table. Local press reports on Saturday said Moussa was not planning to visit Beirut again any time soon. But Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Fatfat said there was a slight chance Lebanon would elect a president on March 25. He told The Daily Star Sunday that his prediction was not based on his own personal analysis. "It is more than that. It is based on information" from sources close to Speaker Nabih Berri, Fatfat said. The speaker's media adviser, Ali Hamdan, was less optimistic. "We wish Fatfat's prophecy would come true," Hamdan told The Daily Star. Nonetheless, he said there was hope that progress would be achieved during the upcoming summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Senegal. "Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states will be present in the summit. It will be a chance for them to hold some talks, which might result in a breakthrough," Hamdan explained. He added that possible talks during the OIC event might also help ensure that the Arab League summit, scheduled for March 29 and 30 in Damascus, would not be a disaster.

Meanwhile, the saudi-owned Al-Hayat daily quoted Arab diplomatic sources as saying that Iran wants "organized vacuum in Lebanon" by leaving the presidency empty until the 2009 parliamentary polls. "The Iranians prefer to delay Lebanon's presidential election to after a new US president is elected," the sources said. The current occupant of the White House, George W. Bush, leaves office in January 2009. Also Sunday, a Syrian delegation delivered an invitation to regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia to join the Damascus summit, the kingdom's official Saudi Press Agency said. The invitation, which was delivered to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, had been slow to come amid strained ties between Riyadh and Damascus over the deep political crisis in Lebanon. Lebanon is yet to be invited to the Damascus summit.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem has said that Lebanon will be invited, but he has not specified how and when the invitation will be delivered. Earlier reports said the invitation would be handed over to Lebanon's representative at the Arab League, but Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said last week that the invitation should be formally delivered by a Syrian minister to the Lebanese government in Beirut. Moallem and his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, discussed the situation in Lebanon at Damascus airport on Saturday, the official Syrian Arab News Agency said. Mottaki discussed the same issues with Prince Saud at Cairo's airport last Wednesday. Moallem and Mottaki were joined by Omani Foreign Minister Youssef bin Alawi and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem to discuss these and other matters in Damascus on Saturday. Siniora also discussed the latest developments on Lebanon's political scene with Moussa and Saudi Ambassador Abdel Aziz Khoja on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Progressive Socialist Party leader and March 14 stalwart Walid Jumblatt discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region with US Charge d'Affaires Michele Sison. - With AFP

Deployment of US warships off coast

Hizbullah slams deployment of US warships off coast
Moussa visits Damascus ahead of arab summit
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: A US deployment of warships off the coast of Lebanon further sharpened tensions in the crisis-plagued country on Friday, as Hizbullah condemned the move and the Lebanese government said it did not ask for the ships to be sent. Hizbullah on Friday denounced Washington's dispatch of the USS Cole and two other vessels to waters off Lebanon as military interference. Hizbullah's condemnation came as pro-government newspapers in Beirut said the deployment was a clear signal to Syria, which is accused by the ruling coalition of blocking a presidential vote in Beirut. A senior Hizbullah official, Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, told The Daily Star on Friday that the US decision to send the warships was an "unhelpful" one. "It is not the first time the US uses such tactics. It seems they have not learned the lessons of the past," he said, hinting at the attacks on US targets that followed the naval shelling of Lebanese areas during the Civil War. "The US failed to take over the region despite its occupation of Iraq. Sending warships would not change anything," Abu Zeinab added.

The United States acknowledged on Thursday that it had sent the guided-missile destroyer and two other ships to the waters off Lebanon, which has been embroiled in a paralyzing political crisis for months. It is "a show of support for regional stability" because of "concern about the situation in Lebanon," a US official said on condition of anonymity, declining to say whether the show of force was aimed at Syria or Iran. The US also played down Hizbullah's criticism of the deployment, insisting that the show of force was meant to promote stability. "On Hizbullah's concerns, I would express some of our own concerns with Hizbullah's actions. So I'll just leave it at that," White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters. Johndroe sidestepped questions about comments from Lebanese Premier Fouad Siniora, who said Friday that his government did not ask Washington to send warships to the area. "We have regular consultations with Prime Minister Siniora and his government, as well as our allies, both in the immediate region, as well as in Europe on the situation in Lebanon," said the spokesman. "There's constant communication at various levels. But let's be clear: The purpose of the US Navy ships in the Eastern Mediterranean is a show of support for regional stability," amid Lebanon's political crisis," Johndroe said. "I know we share with Prime Minister Siniora a desire for the situation in Lebanon to be resolved, and resolved by the Lebanese people," he added.

Siniora, whose government is backed by the West and most Arab countries, had stressed earlier during a meeting with Arab ambassadors that Beirut did not ask for the warships and had summoned a top US diplomat for "clarifications." "We did not ask anyone to send warships," Siniora said, adding that no US warship was in "Lebanese waters." Earlier, Siniora summoned US Charge d'Affaires Michel Sison "to ask her to clarify the presence of the USS Cole" in the Mediterranean, a government source told AFP. "Mrs. Sison assured him that the warship was in international waters and had been dispatched to guarantee regional stability," the source added. Meanwhile, a media officer for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Neeraj Singh, said on Friday that UNIFIL forces had not been informed of the United States' sudden move. Elias Hanna, retired general and political science professor at the Notre Dame University, told The Daily Star on Friday that some reactions to the US move were extremely exaggerated. "The move is not more than a political message," he said. "If the US wants to go to war, the deployment would be followed up by other escalatory military measures. We need to watch the buildup before we can make any judgment," he added. As the deployment stirred new tensions in Lebanon, the country was still waiting to receive an official invitation to take part in the upcoming Arab summit in Damascus.

Midnight Friday was the deadline for receiving invitations to take part in the summit, scheduled for March 29 and 30. No invitation was reported to have been received by the time The Daily Star went to press. Well-informed sources said the invitation might be handed over to Lebanon's representative in the Arab League, since Syria is unlikely to invite Siniora. Normally, an invitation would be delivered to the president, but the Siniora government has assumed presidential powers since former Emile Lahoud left office last November and no replacement was elected. Arab League chief Amr Moussa headed to Damascus on Friday to meet President Bashar Assad and make some arrangements for the summit. "Inter-Arab relations are very tense ahead of the upcoming summit," Moussa said before heading to the Syrian capital. - With agencies

What are the Americans saying, and to whom are they saying it?

What are the Americans saying, and to whom are they saying it?

By The Daily Star
Editorial

The deployment of the USS Cole and two other warships to waters near Lebanon is just the latest in a long line of misguided moves by US President George W. Bush. Given the painful history associated with US naval shelling of Lebanon - and the attacks on American targets which that shelling helped to make inevitable - sending ships now can only undermine the stability that Washington claims to support. And the manner in which the move was made public, by an unidentified official who offered only a vague explanation of its purpose, has served only to intensify suspicions. The movements of US naval assets in this part of the world are not a secret for very long: Several players - including the Egyptians, the Israelis, the Syrians and even the Russians - employ a variety of means to keep tabs on the superpower as it keeps tabs on them and other actors. What makes this deployment different - and highly provocative - is that the Americans made a point of announcing it in the way they did. They apparently intended to "send a message," but no one knows what it contains or who the recipient should be. This can only cause several state and non-state powers to assume the worst about US intentions and prepare themselves accordingly.

It is truly tragic that the United States has failed for generations to be a moderating influence in the Middle East. Even its long alliance with Israel would not have been so problematic (for all concerned) if only Washington had used its position to demand better behavior of the Jewish state instead of being a co-conspirator in the crime spree that has been that country's history. We know, therefore, that the increased presence of the US Navy in the Eastern Mediterranean is not a sign that America intends to protect the people of the Gaza Strip, for example, as they undergo yet another round of senseless destruction at Israeli hands. But that is all that can be discerned at this stage, opening the stage for every possible interpretation of the American move, none of them conducive to either stability or US interests and all of them made more plausible by earlier examples of the Bush administration's boneheaded attempts at Machiavellianism. Are the Americans here because they expect clashes to erupt between Lebanon's government and opposition, or because they want them to? Have they come to lend the Cole's sophisticated air-defense capabilities to help shield Israel against rockets from Gaza? Do they plan to provide a similar service to limit the effects of retaliation from Iran, Syria or Lebanon because the Jewish state is planning to attack one or more of them?

The answers to these and similar questions are clear to some, far less to others - and therefore a good reason for the Americans to be more forthcoming. Their track record means that no potential target can afford to discount the possibility of US military action that would only compound the region's many problems. That will make the wrong people nervous and increase the likelihood of rash actions designed to pre-empt a US strike - a doctrine employed so disastrously and duplicitously by the Americans that they will have little standing to complain if it is turned against them.