We reproduce an article from, iloubnan, which has relevance to Zgharta Zawie.

iloubnan

Lebanese old houses: the country's memories in peril
By Joëlle Sabella
December 26, 2008

While the entire world is rediscovering and highlighting its architectural heritage, the Lebanese are once again distinguishing themselves, this time by shamelessly destroying their superb traditional neighborhoods. Constantly higher and more lavish towers are replacing the ancient Lebanese houses, a symbol of our collective memory. And as property developers go greedier and politicians more careless, the beautiful old houses of the early twentieth century slowly and irreversibly disappear. “In Lebanon, peace has been more devastating than war”, comments Fadlallah Dagher, a member of APSAD (the Association for Protecting Natural Sites and Old Buildings in Lebanon) executive committee. Is it still possible to reverse the trend? And what are the possible solutions? Some answers are given below.

For the rest of the artilce go to the Full Story page.


Full Story

We reproduce an article from the , Daily Star, which has relevance to Zgharta Zawie.

Daily Star

Young Lebanese yearn to come home for more than holidays

Expats want to eventually return permanently
By Karah Byrns
Special to The Daily Star
Saturday, December 27, 2008

PARIS: The holiday season has seen many young Lebanese living abroad heading back to their home country to share in the traditions and festivities with their friends and families. And many of those young Lebanese in Paris who could not make the trip for the holidays this year say that they hope to eventually be back home for the long haul. Long blighted by political instability and recurring conflict, Lebanon suffers from soaring emigration rates, with many young, educated professionals deciding to leave the country each year, a trend often referred to as "brain drain."

To read the full article go to the Full Story page.


Full Story

The issue of reducing the age for voting in Lebanon is still not completely dead as attempts are still being made to have Parliament debate the issue. The Ministry of the Interior & Municipalities estimate that by lowering the age from 21 to 18 the electorate would be increase by a further 245,000.

Most commentators are agreed that a constitutional amendment is required to lower the voting age and therefore there has to be an ground swell of Members of Parliament supporting the issue for it to stand any chance of success, which has yet to materialise.

Lebanese society and its political parties are divided as to the issue. Some question the maturity of young people between 18 to 21, some are afraid that lowering the age would favour a religious community over another while others feel uncomfortable changing the status quo.

What is of note is that political parties of whatever hue seek to applaud the results of elections in Lebanese universities which favour them. The electorate at the universities would be the same if they were allowed to vote in an general election.

In effect student elections have become mini general elections attracting the Lebanese media's attention who analyze the results to judge the nation's political direction. This year such elections has resulted in fights between student factions causing the Lebanese University to cancel its elections in all of its seventeen faculties. The importance of student elections in Lebanon reaches back to at least the civil war and thereafter. They were perceived to be an outlet for more democratic expression than under the old general election process.

Rather than having these student elections used as a barometer of the nation's political landscape, and avoid the increasing violent behaviour of them, especially as Lebanon gears itself up to an General Election, should the student age group be given the right to vote in a general election. With a new election law and enfranchising the 18 to 21 vote, university elections could be more focused on domestic and educational related issues.

Also those between 18 - 21 not attending university are marginalised as they have no avenue to express their political views other than on the street.

In remembrance and honour of the late former Minister and Member of Parliament for Zgharta Zawie, Hamid Kabalan Frangieh, a wreath was laid at his grave this noon day. Present were his son, Samir with his wife and daughter and other members of the family. The Lebanese President, President Michel Sleiman, was represented by Member of Parliament, Pierre Daccache.

Minister Frangieh was born on 6th August 1907. In addition to being a Member of Parliament for Zgharta Zawie he also held many ministerial positions, before retiring from public life in 1958 due to ill health. He died on 5th September 1981.

Photographs of the ceremony can be seen on the Full Story page.

Last month, the Lebanese national newspaper, An Nahar, featured the life of the Minister in a four part series based on the memories of Bishop Joseph Mahfouz, Bishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo, a lifetime friend. They can be read in the News Digest 2008 Archive Specials.

The wreath laying ceremony is held every year at the time of Lebanon's Indpendence Day, in recognition of the Minister's leading role in the negotiations for the withdrawal of French troops from Lebanon in 1946.
Full Story

The last article of four on former Minister and Member of Parliament for Zgharta Zawie, Hamid Kabalan Frangieh (1907-1981) appears today in, An Nahar. It is based on the memories of Bishop Joseph Mahfouz, Bishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo, a lifetime friend of the former Minister and Member of Parliament.

The article can be read from the below links:

Arabic

English - Google

The third article relating to former Minister and Member of Parliament for Zgharta Zawie, Hamid Kabalan Frangieh (1907-1981) appears today in, An Nahar. It is based on the memories of Bishop Joseph Mahfouz, Bishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo, a lifetime friend of the former Minister and Member of Parliament.

The article can be read from here:

Arabic

English - Google

The second article relating to Hamid Kabalan Frangieh (1907-1981) appears today in, An Nahar. It is based on the memories of Bishop Joseph Mahfouz, Bishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo, a lifetime friend of the former Minister and Member of Parliament.

The article can be read from here:

Arabic

English - Google

One of Zgharta's leading politicians in his day, Hamid Kabalan Frangieh (1907-1981), has been featured in the weekend edition of, An Nahar. The newspaper has interviewed, Bishop Joseph Mahfouz, Bishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo, a lifetime friend of the former Minister and Member of Parliament.

Hamid was born in 1907, Ehden, the son of Kabalan Sleimen Frangieh and Lamia Raffoul. He was first elected an Member of Parliament for the Caza of Zghrta in 1934 and was returned subsquently until he retired from public life in 1957 due to ill health. He also held ministerial office during his lifetime. In 1941 he married his cousin, Berte Shaaraw, and they had six children. His son Samir was elected Member of Parliament in the General Election of 2005.

As an illustration of family connections between political families in Zgharta, although not mentioned in the article, Hamid's grandfather, Sleiman Bey Frangieh (1846-1908) married Marian the daughter of Hanna Bey Mouawad, one of the sons of Mikhail Mouawad, whose son, Iganatius is the root for the Michel René Mouawad branch of the Mouawad family.

The An Nahar article can be read from these links:

Arabic

English - Google

The importance of overseas remittances to Lebanon is highlighted in an article appearing on the, Now Lebanon, website this weekend.

It says that Lebanon ranks 16th in the world in the amount of money Lebanese nationals remit back home. Such remittances represent 25% of the country's gross domestic product; $5.5 - 5.6 billion in 2007. They have been increasing year on, jumping to 6% in 2007. The author, Riad al Khouri, says that such remittances will not fall overall sharply or immediately in face of global economic pressures, but that those coming from the US may dip more than elsewhere. The top three countries where nationals remit money from are: United Arab Emirates (20%) ; Saudi Arabia (18%); the United States (8%).

The article also talks about real estate appreciation in Lebanon, on average 40% from the beginning of the year. It says that this is expatriate lead rather than speculative frenzy.

To read the whole article go to the Full Story
Full Story

Another interesting interview by Lebanese website, Now Lebanon, appears on their pages this weekend, which we reproduce on the Full Story page.

The interviewee is Guita G. Hourani of the Lebanese Emigration Research Center at Notre Dame University, who talks about Lebanon's immigration and its impact on the country and the politcal consquences. She mentions in particular a project focused on the Maronite community.


Full Story

The Lebanese website, Now Lebanon, is known for its coverage of social issues which are sometimes not mentioned on mainstream media outlets. In the past we have reproduce their articles under our section, "Something for the weekend," where we seek to expand the horizon away from the local and parochial to more wider issues or matters of interest.

On the Full Story page we reproduce the Now Lebanon interview with Attorney Marie-Rose Zalzal, who campaigns on issues some perhaps would prefer not to be mentioned at all.

If you are a member of zgharta.com you can post your comments on the issue.


Full Story

We reproduce on the Full Story page the account by Sarkis Karam of the funeral of Sarkis Youssef Maksisi, President of the Zgharta Association Australia, which took place on Friday, 29th August 2008

In Ehden there will be a special mass said for Sarkis on Sunday, 31st August 2008, at Saint George's Church,11 a.m.

The reportage of the funeral shows the high esteem and love that people had for Sarkis and we hope that it is a comfort to his family knowing this.

Photographs of the funeral can be seen from the Full Story page.


Full Story

One of Europe's leading men of letters in the Victorian age was Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). Born in Ireland he was a playwright, novelist, poet and wit. Notwithstanding his ultimate downfall, many of his, and those of his characters, sayings have become part of the world's lexicon.

A selection of his quotations appear on the Full Story page.
Full Story

One of the modern day chroniclers of Zgharta Zawie is the journalist and writer, Robert Fouad Frangieh. He contributes regularly to national and local newspapers, magazines and radio.

To read more about Robert and our interview with him go to the Full Story page.


Full Story

Academics and politicians may argue about particular dates in history, whether one particular event was the spark which started a sequence of events. Whether the event was caused by other smaller events, leading to a bigger one which became fixed in people's collective memories as the cause.

This Sunday, 13th April 2008, 33 years ago marks, for many in Lebanon and the Lebanese diaspora, the start of Lebanon's 20th Century Civil War. Even today there is hardly no one whose lives have not been touched by its events. How many of our readers are first, second, third generation who live not in Lebanon because of it. How many recall over meza with friends that their sojourn to the country they are nationalised citizens of was only for a "short while." How many were travelling on business or attending university to receive a telephone call from home to stay a bit longer. How many even today see their future not in Lebanon because of it.

On the Full Story page we reproduce articles from the Lebanese English language news media, marking the day. They seem almost written to reassure its readers that history will not repeat itself. To our mind there is always the danger that history can repeat itself unless people remember their past. So in many ways marking a date, whether accurate or not, serves the purpose of reminding people of history, and so avoid hopefully repetition.

The opinions expressed in the articles are those of its writers and not of zgharta.com


Full Story

We feature this weekend the 13th Edition of, Architettura & Ambiente, published by the Sapienza Università di Roma, edited by Dr. Antoine A. Dahdah, which focused on contemporary architecture in Beirut.

In his introduction, Dr.Dahdah, writes of Beirut as a "laboratory-city of urban development, and records that for the returning visitor, it is difficult for them to "associate the present with its historical past."

The Edition features the work of a selection of local and international architects, such as Zaha Hadid, Bernard Khoury, Vladimir Djurovic, Machado e Silvetti and Nadim Karam.

For those who do not know, Dr. Dahdah was born in Zgharta and is the co-founder with his brother, Rodrigue, of zgharta.com. He lives in Rome where he has an architectural consultancy practice.

His introduction is reproduced below on the Full Story page, where the Edition and poster can also be downloaded from.
Full Story

We were pleased to hear recently from a friend of our site, Mikhael Doueihi, that he had written a short piece on the history of ancient Ehden. We were doubly pleased that he agreed that we could publish it.

Visitors to our site will know, Mikhael, as being the author of, "Patriarch Estefan Doueihi: A Biography", which can be downloaded from the home page. He generously donated the sale proceeds of the book to support us.

To read the full article go to the Full Story page.


Full Story