Social Media Turns Into Battleground For World Cup Lebanese Fans

by dailystar.com.lb -- Traditional political allegiances might push Lebanese fans to support Saudi Arabia or Iran, the two major regional players who are both taking part in the sporting festival. However, many are instead siding with the most skilled teams, or those showcasing the most attractive football. Germany and Brazil, two football powerhouses, command the best part of the support of Lebanese fans, and many were shocked when Germany lost their first game. After Mexico stunned the reigning world champions 1-0, Brazil fans took to Twitter and Facebook to poke fun at fans of the European giants. “Donald? It’s me, Angela. Please build the wall,” one commenter wrote alongside a picture of German Chancellor Angela Merkel after Germany’s loss to Mexico, while a video was posted showing Brazil fans hoisting a coffin draped in the German flag, as fans wearing the Brazilian flag played musical instruments. However, the celebrations were short-lived when Brazil tied with Switzerland Sunday evening in another unexpected result. Shortly after, Germany fans posted logos of “7-UP,” in reference to the 7-1 loss endured by the Brazil 2014 World Cup hosts to Germany. One poster queried, “Where are the samba fans?” Brazil and Germany were not the only two major teams to let down their Lebanese fan base.

A number of Argentina fans were disappointed after their team tied with Iceland, with the normally infallible Lionel Messi failing to convert a penalty kick. A number of fans chose to support smaller teams like Australia and Mexico, who fielded players of Lebanese descent. Andrew Nabbout, a forward for Australia’s Socceroos, started and played 64 minutes in their loss to France. Migel Layun, a Mexican full back with ties to the northern Lebanese town of Akkar, caused some local fans to throw their support behind “El Tricolor.” The fervor with which Lebanese fans get behind teams for little apparent reason has perplexed some of the country’s academics. Bana Bashour, an associate professor of philosophy at AUB, tweeted: “What I find interesting about fans of the #WorldCup in Lebanon is that most randomly choose a country as children and become die-hard supporters throughout their lives. No one can tell you why they support the team they do, and I find that fascinating. “That said, GO GERMANY!!”

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is now worth a record $141 billion—here's how he became the richest person in the world

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest person in the world, is richer than he has ever been before. Since June 1, the tech titan's net worth has grown over $5 billion and now totals $141.9 billion, according to the Forbes World's Billionaires list. That makes Bezos worth roughly $49 billion more than Bill Gates and about $60 billion more than Warren Buffett. This latest win for Bezos is just one of many he has enjoyed this year. As Amazon's customer base sticks around despite the latest Prime latest price hike in exchange for a slew of services and perks, the company's stock has continued to increase in value. Even Buffett now regrets not investing in Amazon when he had the chance. Earlier this year, Bezos officially became the richest person in the world and also helped make Amazon the second most valuable company in the world, behind Apple. And his success can arguably be traced back to a risk he took when he was 30 years old.

Bezos was a straight-A high school student and the class valedictorian, and he got accepted via early admission to Princeton, according to Brad Stone's biography "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon." He majored in computer science and electrical engineering, and then went on to work various finance and tech jobs after college. It was while serving as a vice president at the hedge fund D. E. Shaw in the 1990s that Bezos came up with the idea to sell books over the Internet. Doing so, though, would mean taking a significant risk and perhaps sacrificing his stable job. "I came across the fact that Web usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year," Bezos said in a 2010 address at his alma mater. "I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew that fast, and the idea of building an online bookstore with millions of titles — something that simply couldn't exist in the physical world — was very exciting to me."

At the 2017 Summit LA conference, Bezos recalled that, when he told his boss about his Internet bookstore idea, his boss said, "I think this is a good idea, but I think this would be an even better idea for somebody that didn't already have a good job." That's when Bezos considered what his 80-year-old self would say if he didn't seize this opportunity. "In most cases, our biggest regrets turn out to be acts of omission. It's paths not taken and they haunt us. We wonder what would have happened," Bezos said at Summit LA. "I knew that, when I'm 80, I would never regret trying this thing that I was super excited about and it failing. If it failed, fine. I would be very proud of the fact when I'm 80 that I tried. I also knew that it would always haunt me if I didn't try." After "a lot of soul-searching," Bezos quit his job to start his dream company in 1994 and the decision paid off: Amazon went public three years later. For the first time in history, Amazon cracked the top 10 of the Fortune 500 list on May 21, alongside corporate behemoths Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Exxon Mobil and, of course, Walmart. With revenue of $177.87 billion, as of Fortune's last list release, Amazon placed eighth on this year's list of America's largest companies. That's up four spots from its rank last year as No. 12. Amazon made its debut at No. 492 on the Fortune 500 back in 2002, the same year its biggest competitor Walmart first landed in the No. 1 spot. Amazon has since quickly gained on, and nearly caught up with, Walmart.

'Art in the Sun' Places Light on Lebanese Handicrafts

by albawaba.com -- Afkart, a retail platform for Lebanese designers and artists, was established in 2000 by the Beirut Association for Social Development. Since then, several exhibitions per year have been held under its auspices, both in Lebanon – in Beirut Souks and Faraya, for instance – and elsewhere in the region. Afkart’s central mission is to support local creators, many of whom integrate Oriental styles and symbols into their work – in coffee cups emblazoned with Arabic script, earrings in the shape of the hand of Fatima, or pillows bearing the image of Lebanese singer Fairouz. Jewelry, fashion, ceramics and paintings make up the majority of the exhibited items at Zaitunay Bay, although each stall offers a unique twist. Diala Yafi, for instance, is selling acrylic paintings she produces using a knife instead of a brush, as well as promoting her other pursuit – interior decoration painting designs she can be commissioned to apply to walls, ceilings and furniture.

As most artists cannot afford a permanent gallery or retail space, initiatives like Afkart are important for securing customers, and many vendors at “Art in the Sun” have been exhibiting on the platform for years. Maha Kazan Masri, the woman behind Badera’s Art, explains: “I sell my products online but I don’t know who buys it. Because it’s handmade, it’s important for the people to get to know the artist, and because it’s art, it’s important for me to see who will buy it.” Her stand displays creative candle holders bearing pictures of Christian and Muslim icons as well as secular figures, such as Frida Kahlo. Eastern imagery adorns even the Western figures – one candleholder shows Marilyn Monroe wearing a tarboosh. A stall for K ART & Design proffers Fairouz pillows and cups printed with Fairouz lyrics, as well as pillows and bags displaying pictures of old Beirut and Arabic script.

Mashups between “Eastern” and “Western” styles are a common theme. Ragged jeans with old Arabic texts or logos are for sale, as are T-shirts proclaiming the wearer “Resident 961.” While all of the items are handmade and exclusive, since the artists only produce a limited number of each design, one booth stood out for another reason. Remember Me is a project by a group of five Jordanian students who sell handmade dolls and donate the proceeds directly to Palestinian children living in the Gaza refugee camp in Jordan’s city of Jerash. “Me and my friends felt that it was unfair that we are privileged to have a good education while the government only pays until 10th grade for the Palestinians,” Mohammad, a Remember Me member, said. The dolls are all similar, except for the print on their T-shirts. There are seven different slogans, each representing the career wish of one of the seven children currently supported by Remember Me. The dolls also have a pouch containing each child’s story written on a small piece of paper. Afkart’s “Art in the Sun” in Zaitunay Bay will continue through June 21, from 6-9 p.m. daily. This article has been adapted from its original source.

Iranian passports no longer stamped in Lebanon

gulfnews.com -- Beirut: Passports of Iranian travellers entering Lebanon will not being stamped, the Lebanese General Security has announced. Instead, landing slips will be issued. The decision has raised eyebrows in the country where Iranian-influence seems to be at an all-time high. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement Sunday but stopped short of providing any sort of explanation or reasoning behind the decision. “The General security decided on stamping landing slips instead of passports, and the role of the Foreign Ministry is limited only to reporting such decision,” the statement read.

Lebanon and Iran waived visa requirements for their respective citizens in 2015 in the wake of the now-defunct Nuclear Agreement, making travelling between both countries easier. The decision comes on the heels of another controversy in which a controversial decree granted Lebanese citizenship to around 400 people of more than 20 nationalities. According to Lebanese media, 110 on the list were of Palestinian origin, 100 were Syrian and 19 were stateless. Lebanese politicians and ordinary citizens were outaged by the move which allegedly included Syrian investors close to the Damascus regime. Critics have slammed the secrecy surrounding the move and say it adds insult to injury for thousands unable to acquire nationality because they were born to Lebanese mothers and foreign fathers.

Lebanese Officials Concerned with Possible Delay in Forming New Govt.

by aawsat.com -- Lebanese lawmakers expressed on Saturday their conviction that a new government will not be formed any time soon given current obstacles. Strong Republic bloc MP Ziad al-Hawwat said that speeding up the formation of the cabinet was “more than necessary.” He stated that it was key to restarting work in Lebanon, adding that it sends a “positive” message to Lebanese expatriates and Arabs, which will consequently revive the economy during the summer season. Liberation and Development bloc MP Anwar al-Khalil underlined the need to form a national unity government that brings together all Lebanese parties and reflects the results of the May 6 parliamentary elections. He doubted that the cabinet would be formed soon, citing the “behavior of some politicians.” The lawmaker believed, however, that obstacles hindering the formation process will be resolved, “but this will take time.” The formation of the majority of Lebanese governments has been hindered by various obstacles over the years, Khalil noted. Baath party MP Qassem Hashem hoped that the formation would not take too long, “especially since the Lebanese are suffering from pressing economic and daily circumstances.” “Officials are, therefore, required to form a homogeneous and national unity government,” he added.

Live Love Recycle, a « 100% social solution » to waste crisis

thenationonlineng.net -- Wearing a helmet, elbow and knee pads, his yellow security jacket reflecting the sun that has come out after a rainy afternoon, Ibrahim rides his e-bike through the chaos of traffic in Beirut. The young man might be dressed like a delivery boy, but he has nothing to deliver – rather, he collects. Ibrahim is one of 400 collectors of the Live Love Recycle project, which provides Beirut’s citizens with a free, on-demand service picking up recyclables. The Live Love Recycle initiative is more than welcome in the Lebanese capital, where waste of all kinds is thrown away unsorted in a single plastic bag, ending up either in coastal landfill likely followed by the Mediterranean Sea, or else being burned in the streets. So far, the Lebanese government has failed to create an efficient waste management system that would be both environmentally friendly and mindful of citizens’ health and well-being. Yet the Lebanese are no quitters. The country’s 2015 waste crisis sparked massive protests and lasted for eight months, until the government finally introduced a temporary plan. However, it also enabled the creation of several alternative projects to deal with the issue. One of these was Live Love Recycle, launched by Georges Bitar, a member of Live Love Lebanon, an NGO that supports the environment, communities and culture. “In 2015, thousands of people protested against the trash crisis. It was a very understandable reaction. But at Live Love we do not like to complain; we prefer action. It runs in our blood,” explained the 30-year-old. Looking for ways to finance his project, he contacted the French NGO ACTED (Agency for technical cooperation and development), which eventually became a partner. He also reached out to the United Nations World Food Program, which now funds and supports the project.

After months of paperwork, recruitment and training of collectors, the service started operations in Beirut on April 9, 2018. To gain access, a user must download the Live Love Recycle mobile application. Two clicks and a half-hour later, an e-bike comes to the doorstep to pick up the household’s recyclable waste (paper, cardboard, plastic, metal and cans). “I was already used to sorting my waste, but since I had to take it to the recycling center myself, I was less involved. Now that I’m using Live Love Recycle, I pay attention to waste sorting again,” explained Zeinab Ajami, who has used the service several times. Later, the collected waste gets delivered to another Lebanese NGO, arcenciel, for proper disposal. “What I like most about this job is that we contribute to protecting the environment,” said the collector Ibrahim. Like him, every one of the 400 recyclable material collectors is Syrian. Some of them willingly volunteer for extra unpaid hours, enjoying the friendly, family-like atmosphere at the Live Love Recycle’s control center – a warehouse where more than 50 e-bikes and four tuk-tuks are parked. Every day at noon, about 20 women recruited and trained for the project prepare hot meals for the collectors. They gather each morning in groups of six or seven at one of their homes and prepare more than 80 meal platters. Mirna Toutayo, a housewife and mother of three teenagers who cooks for Live Love Recycle, said the salary she receives “helps tremendously to cover the family’s expenses.” “Providing hundreds of job opportunities to women and people coming from vulnerable communities makes Live Love Recycle a 100% social initiative,” said Bitar, who is determined to continue on this path.

Bitar is full of ideas for the future. But he is also aware that developing his project will take time. Working in collaboration with the Municipality of Beirut, he wants to start by setting up a dozen waste bins throughout the city, painted in the project’s colors. “With those bins, we can reduce the collection time and increase its pace until we are able to collect 20,000 bags a day,” he said. Bitar is optimistic about the project’s sustainability, while noting that “Ideally, the government should launch a similar initiative.” Hadi Mahdi, Live Love Recycle’s Operations Manager, added: “When a project is good, there is always a way to ensure its future.”