BEIRUT (AFP) – Glassblower Hussein Khalifeh is one of the last guardians of the age-old skills that produce Lebanon’s rich oriental cultural heritage, and his know-how is threatened by cheaper foreign products and the lack of state subsidies.  And he is not alone. His ordeal is shared by the last remaining local craftsmen struggling to keep their dying trades alive and pass on their skills in weaving, embroidery, copper engraving, pottery, mosaics and ceramics. “People are closing down. Their children are either attracted by more steady jobs or are emigrating,” said Khalifeh, who runs a family business in the sleepy southern coastal town of Sarafand.