Time's Up for Time Out

One of the side effects of the tension in Lebanon recently is that people are unwilling to invest in many areas of the country's economic life. As a result, businesses are going to the wall. Sadly, this happened to the magazine I work for, Time Out Beirut, yesterday. It's closed - hopefully just for the next few months - but it's hard to see how it will be able to come back, even online, if the current uncertainty continues. Essentially, very few companies are able or willing to pay for print advertising. Without advertising, it becomes harder to print the magazine as sales alone cannot keep it afloat. We were all set to print the Christmas Listings issue - to complement the website - but with major advertisers pulling out after the assassination of Pierre Gemayel the owners had no real choice but to close. There were only five of us working full time - but obviously everyone has to find new jobs; not easy in the current climate.

So I am starting my second attempt at having a career break three weeks earlier than planned. Politically, it's likely to be eventful. There's an indefinite sit-in starting tomorrow in Downtown - massively disrupting business down there. Hopefully it will be peaceful, but with tensions running so high and nerves being as frayed as they are, it's anyones guess as to what will happen next...

Trouble at the front door: Round the corner

As I mentioned yesterday, today is Independence Day - one of the two days out of Lebanon's many bank holidays that are compulsory. (I think the other one is New Year's Day - both are secular for obvious reasons). The day itself has passed quietly. I met some of my friends in the local shopping mall for lunch. The vast majority of shops were open and although the mall was a lot quieter than usual, by the time we left at about 9pm (we stopped for a couple of cocktails!) it was fairly busy, although nothing like you would expect for a national holiday. Again, it is the businesses that will suffer as a result of political uncertainty.

Tomorrow has been declared as a day of National Mourning - there are actually going to be three days of which today was one - and there will be a large demonstration in Martyrs Square. Apparently buses are being laid on to bring people from all over the country. The theme of the demo is likely to be 'seeking justice' and will certainly include many anti-Syrian demonstrators. Whether the pro-Syrians will seek to cause trouble is uncertain. Political leaders have not really been mincing their words here and there has been a fairly large, albeit peaceful demo in Sassine Square again tonight. When I walked past there were about 200 people, 99% male, standing around, waving flags and playing political songs. There was also a heavy army presence but it was all very peaceful and no repeat of the bin burning that happened last night*.

Although all businesses are supposed to be closed tomorrow, I received a call from my boss at Time Out saying I was to come in. We are publishing a small Christmas guide in about a week and there is loads to do. As I only work afternoons there at the moment I will see if I get a call tomorrow morning with a 'revised work plan' i.e. work from home. It's still tense here and another assassination could push people over the edge. I have noticed that political leaders are not necessarily calling for calm, more pointing the finger at Syria if they are anti-Syrian, or elsewhere if they are pro. So much posturing and so unnecessary at a time like this.

The marathon/my 10k has been postponed. Although on a personal level I am not too sad (training was going abysmally), it is another disruption to the life of the city that it doesn't need.

*bin burning. Some bins were set alight over the road last night. After a period of time the fire brigade turned up. They are not a service you would wish for in the UK. After filling the bin that wasn't burning up with water, they realised they had run out of water and had to perform elaborate mechanical feats on the fire engine to get more water. In the meantime the bin that was alight, burned itself out. So they headed off, job done! I am now being extra careful about our fire-safety arrangements!

Trouble at the front door

There has been another assassination today. Pierre Gemayel, an anti-Syrian Minister was shot earlier this afternoon. It's too early to say what the reaction will be here. Most people have headed home - but a significant few (around 100) headed to Sassine - where we live. So we have a line of police camped outside our front door trying (and succeeding) to keep people away from a rival political party who have kindly set up their HQ just down the road from us.

It's Independence Day tomorrow - the army presence is huge all over the city and I don't think anyone is expecting anything to happen then. It might be the wake up call people need to actually try and work together to salvage something from the situation. Not that those sentiments will help the family of the 34 year old politicial who died - or his bodyguard.

Will keep people posted. There's no work tomorrow so a day cleaning the flat and watching out for developments is probably on the cards!

As Time Goes By

Realised to my horror today that it has been 'some time' since I last provided an update to life in Beirut. Then realised to my relief that it was because not much has happened. Lebanon is back in the news - 6 Ministers have now resigned from the government (or 7 if you count a Minister who resigned a few months ago - but they replaced him with an acting Minister) and it's all getting a little tense politically. In terms of the mood on the street, people are jittery, but jittery without much action - there is always the threat of street protests (mainly sit-ins by Hezbollah and the Aoun supporters) but although I had a very vivid dream that this happened last night - it has not yet come to pass. So no branching into sooth-saying when I go freelance then.

I'm still at Time Out Beirut - although I am really looking forward to stopping and continuing my career break. We're off to the launch party tonight - free drinks for an hour and then a DJ playing 'commercial' music...

Other than that I have been partying, working, studying Arabic verbs (really difficult!) and training for the 10k. It's less than two weeks away and I am finding it HARD! The route is all marked out now though and it's running through the more picturesque parts of town - the Corniche and Gemmayzeh so if there are any pictures posted people will see the best of Beirut - better than the images of destruction which are now lodged in people's minds again.

Keep your fingers crossed that the resignations don't increase - and that any protests are peaceful.

As Time Goes By

Realised to my horror today that it has been 'some time' since I last provided an update to life in Beirut. Then realised to my relief that it was because not much has happened. Lebanon is back in the news - 6 Ministers have now resigned from the government (or 7 if you count a Minister who resigned a few months ago - but they replaced him with an acting Minister) and it's all getting a little tense politically. In terms of the mood on the street, people are jittery, but jittery without much action - there is always the threat of street protests (mainly sit-ins by Hezbollah and the Aoun supporters) but although I had a very vivid dream that this happened last night - it has not yet come to pass. So no branching into sooth-saying when I go freelance then.

I'm still at Time Out Beirut - although I am really looking forward to stopping and continuing my career break. We're off to the launch party tonight - free drinks for an hour and then a DJ playing 'commercial' music...

Other than that I have been partying, working, studying Arabic verbs (really difficult!) and training for the 10k. It's less than two weeks away and I am finding it HARD! The route is all marked out now though and it's running through the more picturesque parts of town - the Corniche and Gemmayzeh so if there are any pictures posted people will see the best of Beirut - better than the images of destruction which are now lodged in people's minds again.

Keep your fingers crossed that the resignations don't increase - and that any protests are peaceful.