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 Lifestyle

Lebanese street artist decorates abandoned Murr Tower with sun clothes

Lebanese street artist Jad Khoury decorated the abandoned Murr Tower with sun clothes to transform a ‘memorial of internal conflicts’ into public art.

The famous building is a symbol of the Lebanese Civil War, which began construction in 1974 and remained unfinished. The war began in 1975.

The 40-story building, located in downtown Beirut, remains abandoned.

Khoury told the French lifestyle outlet L’Agenda Culturel that sun clothes added color to the building and provides a paradox to the memories of conflict.

The sun clothes are set to remain on the building until September, the outlet added.

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 Lifestyle

Viral video showcases Lebanon’s beauty, landmarks by drone

Lebanon’s most recognizable landmarks are showcased by beautiful overhead shots in a new viral video from the UNILAD Adventure Facebook page.

The page is based in the United Kingdom and showcases exquisite footage from countries around the world.

In a recent post, the page posted drone footage of Lebanon’s most visited areas with the caption, “Who knew Lebanon was so stunning.”

In less than 24 hours the video post accumulated over 1.2 million views and 35 thousand likes.

The footage UNILAD used was obtained from the YouTube channel Two Wheels Across.

Commissioned by the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism, the channel “spent summer months filming Lebanon from Above, including its rural, urban, cultural touristic and historical location, as well as the amazing number of festivals.”

WATCH: Full original drone video:

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 News

Lebanese engineer wins $16.8M in lawsuit against Ford Motor Company

A Lebanese engineer and former Ford employee won $16.8 million in a employment discrimination lawsuit against the Big Three automaker.

Dr. Faisal Khalaf filed a lawsuit against Ford and two supervisors for allegedly creating a hostile work environment based on ethnic discrimination.

Khalaf, who was born in Lebanon, alleges that he was retaliated against and terminated due to his accent and Lebanese background. He was employed at Ford from 1999 until September 2015 when he was terminated.

“There was a high-level executive at Ford Motor Co. that my client reported to, that would berate him and criticize him week after week about his English,” said Carol Laughbaum, Khalaf’s attorney to the Detroit Free Press.

The attorney alleges his supervisors — Bennie Fowler and Jay Zhou — created a hostile workplace and subjected Khalaf to “regular and frequent criticism and hostility” over his ability to speak English.

Khalaf earned a “top achiever” performance rating six months before being moved under the supervision of Fowler, the lawsuit said.

Read the full lawsuit here.

Khalaf’s attorney also claims Zhou recommended he take a English as a Second Language class. Khalaf holds a PhD in industrial engineering.

A federal jury ruled in favor of Khalaf and awarded him $15 million in punitive damages, $1.7 million in retirement and pension losses and $100,000 in emotional distress.

In a statement, Ford officials said they did not agree with the verdict.

“We don’t believe that the facts in this case support the verdict,” Brad Carroll, corporate communications manager for Ford, said in a statement. “Ford is committed to creating an environment that promotes diversity and inclusion within our workforce and communities. The diverse backgrounds of our employees truly make us a stronger company and we are extremely proud of our policies and programs that support equality.”

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 Lifestyle

More Lebanese tourists expected to visit Greece, travel agencies say

Greece is expected to welcome more tourists from Lebanon in 2018, according to travel agencies that participated in the recent ‘Greek Tourism Workshop‘ held in Beirut.

Organizers believe the number of Lebanese tourists in Greece is expected to rise by at least 20 percent.

“Greek culture has a lot in common with the culture of the Lebanese people — who love Greece and consider the country an exceptional tourism destination that provides them with happy moments and memories,” said Katerina Mousbeh, general manager of Mideast Travel.

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Travel agents say Lebanese tourism in Athens and Central Macedonia is already gaining popularity. Charter flights to Crete and the South Aegean islands are set to increase this year.

The Greek Aegean Airlines is also planning to launch direct flights from Beirut to Heraklio on Crete, Rhodes and Mykonos this summer, according to the Greek Travel Pages.

The ‘Greek Tourism Workshop’ in Beirut was held by the Greek National Tourism Organization to attract more tourists from the Arab market. The workshop was also held in New Delhi, Kuwait, Riyadh and Dubai.

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 Entertainment

Shakira to perform in Lebanon during Cedars International Festival

Shakira is set to perform in Lebanon this summer during the 2018 Cedars International Festival, organizers announced.

The world-renowned Colombian-Lebanese singer added Lebanon as part of her “El Dorado World Tour.” She will perform at the Cedars International Festival on July 13.

In a statement, festival organizers said they invited Shakira to “send a message of peace from the cedars and from Lebanon to the world.”

Organizers expect about 14,000 people to attend the opening ceremony.

Music manager Wassim Slaiby, who directs the Anghami music distribution company, helped bring Shakira to Lebanon.

“We are confident that the concert will be exceptional,” Slaiby said. “We will continue to attract world stars through Anghami and allow them to enjoy Lebanon and the Middle East.”

The Cedars International Festival aims to honor Lebanon internationally through the beauty of the Lebanese cedars.

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 Lifestyle

AUB sets world record for Lebanese flag made of 60,000 notebooks!

The American University of Beirut set a Guinness World Record for the largest notebook mosaic of any flag in the world.

The project included 60,000 notebooks placed on the Green Field of the university campus in Beirut. The notebooks created a mosaic of the flag of Lebanon.

WATCH: Time-lapse video shows the record-setting flag: 

In a news release, AUB said the ‘Share the Flag’ project was created to raise awareness about the quality and accessibility of public schools in Lebanon.

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All notebooks used in creating the mosaic were donated to Lebanese public schools, the release added.

In a unveiling ceremony, Samer Khallouf from the Guinness World Records, said AUB set the record on their first attempt.

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The last red notebook was placed by the son of Lebanese Army member Colonel Dany Harb, who was killed in 2014 during clashes in Arsal.

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 Entertainment

Sony Pictures acquires Lebanese film “Capernaum” ahead of Cannes

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North and Latin American rights to Lebanese film “Capernaum,” one of the top contenders for the Palme d’Or award, Variety reports.

Capernaum tells the story of a young boy who sues his parents for “giving me life in a world of pain and suffering.”

The movie comes from Lebanese director Nadine Labaki who previously directed “Where Do We Go Now?”

capernaum nadine labaki movie

“Where Do We Go Now?” was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, and won a special mention at Cannes in 2011.

Sony Pictures said the 44-year-old director is “one of the world’s great filmmakers.”

“(Capernaum) is an emotionally profound experience about the world we live in and promises to be a triumph in Cannes,” Sony Pictures added. “Nadine Labaki’s moment as writer-director is here and now.”

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 Lifestyle

Lebanon: ‘Best party place,’ says guy who visited every country

American traveler Sal Lavallo, 26, has visited every country in the world, and he describes Lebanon as the “best party place.”

He recently published a video on Facebook where he briefly describes the experiences and takeaways from the nations he has been to.

The 25th country he describes on his list is Lebanon, and he says, “Lebanon is the best party place.”

Lebanon is known throughout the Middle East to have one of the best nightlife atmospheres in the region. Beirut hosts some of the best clubs, including Iris, White and Pier 7 Beirut.

To learn more about Sal and more about his journeys around the world, click here.

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 News

Lebanese-American prosecutor runs for California State Assembly

Bill Essayli, the son of Lebanese-American immigrants, is looking to unseat the incumbent in California’s 60th State Assembly election this fall.

The former federal prosecutor, a Republican, announced his bid for California legislature at a gas station in his district. The announcement was livestreamed on his Facebook page.

His opponent Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat, voted to increase the gas tax in California, he says.

While working in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Essayli took part in the investigation of the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack, and assisted in a case against a Santa Barbara doctor who over-prescribed opiates to his patients.

To visit his official page and learn more about him, click here.

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 Success Stories

Sayegh becomes first Lebanese-American mayor in New Jersey town

Andre Sayegh was elected the first Lebanese-American mayor in Paterson, New Jersey during a Tuesday election, officials announced.

Sayegh, a Democrat, garnered 41 percent of the vote in a six-candidate field. His closest competitor Alex Mendez received 21 percent.

According to his online biography, Sayegh, 44, was a Paterson councilman and history teacher before he announced his bid for mayor. He ran on a ‘One Paterson’ platform, where he promised to promote diversity and connect with a cross-section of groups.

andre sayegh family

Sayegh, who speaks fluent Arabic, was born to a Lebanese father and Syrian mother, the Bergen Record reports. Many Lebanese and Syrian immigrants came to Paterson in the late 1800s to work in textile mills along the Passaic River.

Samer Khalaf, national president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said Sayegh’s victory meant a lot for the Paterson area, which has a large population of Arab Americans.

“Here you have an old Arab community that’s been around for over 100 years,” Khalaf told the Bergen Record. “We never had a councilman until Andre won his first term. Now we have a mayor.”

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