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See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
Archive-name: lebanon-faq/part1
Last-modified: 1997/4/6
Version: 2.37
_______________________________________________________________________________
Many FAQs, including this one, are available on the archive site
rtfm.mit.edu in the directory pub/usenet/news.answers.
The names under which this FAQ is archived are "lebanon-faq/part1",
"lebanon-faq/part2", "lebanon-faq/part3","lebanon-faq/part4"
and "lebanon-faq/part5"
If you do not have ftp, you can request messages from rtfm by using
the local mail server. Send mail to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
containing the line "send usenet/news.answers/lebanon-faq" to get
this file. Send a message containing "help" to get general
information about the mail server.
This FAQ could also be obtained via regular anonymous ftp at the sites:
ftp.leb.net (206.127.55.2) in /pub/scl, rama.poly.edu
(128.238.10.212) in pub/scl/ and ftp.u.washington.edu in
/pubilc/scl filenames lebanon-faq/part1, lebanon-faq/part2
lebanon-faq/part3, lebanon-faq/part4 and lebanon-faq/part5.
This FAQ could also be obtained via a WWW server, URL is:
http://www.leb.net/lebanon-faq
Version: Version 2.37
Changes since last posting:
Thanks to all contributors to this FAQ, namely: Naji Mouawad (who
started the effort), Basil Hamdan (who maintained this faq before me),
Bassem Medawar, Samir Fahs, Mazen Saghir,Edmond J. Abrahamian, Alex
Khalil, Olivier M.J. Crepin-Leblond, Hassan Hammoud,Mazen Mokhtar,
Barre Ludvigsen, Ghassan Semaan, Elie Wardini, Fady Harfoush,Debbie
Masri, Pauline Homsi Vinson, Youssef Fawaz, Mike, Nasri, Rached
Zantout,May Nasrallah, Khalil El-Khoury, Danny Chahal, Haidar
Harmamani, Wadih Shaib,Walid Nasrallah, Kamie Kitmitto, Ibrahim
Ballouz, Nadim Maluf, Fadi Andraos, Boudi Sahyoun, Naji Rizk, Berthe
Choueiry, Jamal Zemerly, Wassim Alami, philo, George Fisher, Roger
Adbel-Hay, Knut Vik|r, Walid Keirouz, Jihad Kawkabani,Joseph Mouhanna,
Ayman Kayssi, Hayssam Taha, Elie Mourad, Jihad Daba, Salah Sadek,
Chaabouni Moez, Rania Masri, Kamel Saidi, Mohamad Hannaoui, Joseph
Adi, Wassim M. Jabi, Ziad G Kassir, D. G. Lubar, Charly Brady, Loai
Said, Philip Abi-Rached, Enrico Westenberg, Ramzi (cudlbear7), Shafik
Sirajeddeen, Fadi Kurdahi, Nabil Bukhalid, Kale Charles Khoury, Edward
Abouzeid, George Fadel, Rabih Boudargham, Andreas Waczynski, George
Chammas, Bassam Tabbara, Pierre Barkett, Adonis El Fakih, Kristin
Hariri, Karim El-Boustani, Nagi Sukkarieh, Jocelyne Farhat, Antoun
Kanawati, Maan M. Hamze, Mohamad I. Khatib, Carole, Cynthia Moe,
Daniel Alam, Samer Solh, A'mad Audi, Kamal Dib, Kimmo Ketolainen and
Alaa Dakroub (sorry if I missed anyone).
This FAQ file was compiled and edited by Alaa Dakroub.
******************************************************************************
DISCLAIMER:
This FAQ is presented with no warranties or guarantees of ANY KIND
including correctness or fitness for any particular purpose. The
author(s) of this document have attempted to verify correctness of the
data contained herein; however, slip-ups can and do happen. If you
use any information included in this FAQ, you do so at your own risk.
The FAQ authors cannot and have NOT used all the the services
suggested in the FAQ, nor have they checked them for accuracy. They
were all included mostly verbatim at the suggestion of contributors to
this FAQ.
You can reprint any FAQ posting of mine anywhere you want, as long as
the following conditions are met:
1. You use as recent a version of the FAQ as possible.
2. My name (as well as the "credits" section, if any, listing other
people who have contributed) stays on it.
3. Any modifications (other than typesetting changes) you make to it
are clearly designated as your modifications. If you are
significantly reformatting the information in the FAQ, then you
don't have to explicitly show every change from the original, but
you make clear that what you are printing is derived from my FAQ
rather than a direct copy of it.
4. You tell people where to find updated versions of it, i.e., what
newsgroups it appears in.
******************************************************************************
_______________________________________________________________________________
First of all, for the patriotic among you, here is a uuencoded
Lebanese flag gif file, with instructions on how to display it using
xv, all provided kindly by Naji Rizk.
A nice way to use this flag is to have it displayed in the background
of your workstation.
Here is the procedure:
1) Cut the file out (between Cut Here signs) so that the following
line be the first line in the file:
begin 400 flag.gif
and save on your filespace as a file named say, "leb.uu".
2) Once the file leb.uu is saved after these modifications, type
under the unix prompt:
uudecode leb.uu, this procedure will automatically create
the Lebanese flag gif file "flag.gif".on your filespace.
3) If you are using xv as a gif viewer, type: xv flag.gif &
In order to have the flag in the background (tiled), type this:
xv -rmode 1 full-path-name-of-flag.gif &
xv -rmode 1 full-path-name-of-flag.gif &
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If the file is in your home directory called /users/lebanese
then the full path name is: /users/lebanese/flag.gif
___________________ Cut Here ______________________________
begin 400 flag
M1TE&.#=AB0!S /$ , /___P!;(%T[!RP B0!S "_H2/J<OM#Z.<
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# [
end
___________________ Cut Here ______________________________
Here is a listing of questions :
1. Can I post/receive to/from this newsgroup or other newsgroups if I don't
have the permission or I don't have a direct access to a news server ?
2. Are there any rules or conventions to post into this news group?
3. What is the value of a Lebanese pound in terms of US$, Can$, UK lb,
etc.?
4. What is the address and phone number of the Lebanese Embassy
and/or Consulates in the US, Canada, France, etc....
and how can I contact Lebanese universities etc. ?
5. How can I phone Lebanon and which carrier gives the cheapest rates?
6. What are the airlines servicing Beirut ?
7. Where can I find tickets for Lebanon at a good price ?
8. What are the e-mail and telnet IP addresses for sites in Lebanon ?
9. What are the phone numbers to call to get Lebanon news ?
10. What are the radio frequencies and broadcast times of Lebanese
related radio programs ?
11. What are the various Lebanese organizations and how can I contact them ?
12. What are the projects you can contribute to help rebuild Lebanon ?
13. Are there any information about The Cedars of Lebanon and/or
organizations that deal with this matter??
14. Are there any information about ski resorts in Lebanon ??
15. What are the various Lebanese magazines and newspapers ?
16. Where can I find Lebanese magazines and newspapers ?
17. What has been written by Lebanese and/or on Lebanon ?
18. Where can I find works written by Lebanese and /or on Lebanon ?
19. Are there Arabic word processors, Arabic software ?
20. Is there a standard Arabic alphabet representation in Latin ?
21. Are there any availble sources to learn Syriac ?
22. Where can I find Lebanese songs and music ?
23. Where can I find a Lebanese restaurant ?
24. Where can I find a Lebanese grocery store?
25. Is there a good Lebanese recipe book ?
26. Are there recipes available on the net ?
27. Is there an ftp archive site for Lebanese art works ?
28. What is the best way to deal with multiple system TVs and VCRs and
where can I get my VCR tape converted to a format that works in Lebanon ?
29. What are the Arabic TV channels that can be received in Northern and
central America
30. What are newborn names that could be used for Lebanese children living
abroad that would work in both Lebanon and Western societies ?
31. I plan to go home soon and I have heard rumors that the draft
will be re-instituted, do you have any additional information about this ?
I was born in 1923 and I am afraid that I would be subject to the draft !!!
32. Where can I get a copy of the English translation of
the Lebanese Constitution ?
33. Where can I get a copy of the English translation of the
Taef Agreement ?
34. I need to ship a car/ or some merchandise to Lebanon, do you
know of a shipping company that handles this ?
35. I suddenly develop an urge for Middle-Eastern cuisine,
can you help me quench this horrifying thirst ?
36. Where can I find information about US State Department visa regulations
for foreigners.
37. Where can I get the latest travel advisory for Americans wishing
to visit Lebanon or the Middle-East ?
38. Are there available statistical and basic general information about
Lebanon, and what are they ?
39. I know someone's name, and I think they might have an electronic mail
address somewhere. How can I find it?
40. Are any there published CDs (Compact Disks) about Lebanon and the levant
in general ?
41. What are the adresses of World Wide Web/FTP/Gopher sites of Lebanese
people and dealing with Lebanon in general ?
42. Where can I find Arabic Musical Instruments ?
43. Are there any arabic instrumental music CDs ?
44. Are there Lebanese movies ? Where I can find them ? Can you give
some opinions about these movies ?
45. Where can I find Lebanese and Arabic books ?
46. Do you have any information about the Lebanese community in Canada?
******************************************************************************
1. Can I post/receive to/from this newsgroup or other newsgroups if I don't
have the permission or I don't have a direct access to a news server ?
There are some sites that allow public connections, there was for a while
a list maintained by lesikar@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu in which it was listed
the public news sites. This list is no more availble because of the refuse of
sys adminstrators to publish the address of their public sites. Eventhough
reading news still possible through gopher, a search using term USENET or news
whith veronica will be enough to find a bunch of news sites through gopher.
There are still probably two ways of posting to SCL(1), the first is to
use an anonymous server something that was not that appreciated by most of
SCLers, and the other is to send your post soc-culture-lebanon@cs.utexas.edu,
please note the hyphens instead of periods, I was not testing this way since a
while so there is no garantee that your post make it to scl.
(1) Of course in case you don't have direct access to a news server.
Recently a guide for using Internet via E-mail was mentionned on SCL,
It's :
Accessing The Internet By E-Mail
Doctor Bob's Guide to Offline Internet Access
3rd Edition - December 1994
Copyright (c) 1994, "Doctor Bob" Rankin
Finding the Latest Version
--------------------------
This document is now available from several automated mail servers.
To get the latest edition, send e-mail to one of the addresses below.
To: listserv@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu (for US/Canada/etc.)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:
GET INTERNET BY-EMAIL NETTRAIN F=MAIL
To: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu (for Eastern US)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:
send usenet/news.answers/internet-services/access-via-email
To: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk (for UK/Europe/etc.)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:
send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt
You can also get the file by anonymous FTP at one of these sites:
Site: ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
get NETTRAIN/INTERNET.BY-EMAIL
Site: rtfm.mit.edu
get pub/usenet/news.answers/internet-services/access-via-email
Site: mailbase.ac.uk
get pub/lists/lis-iis/files/e-access-inet.txt
Also on SCL a server (? 2) were mentionned here it goes an expert of the
mentionned message:
As I mentioned in a previous posting you can post throught E-mail by sending
your E-mail
TO : soc.culture.lebanon.usenet @ decwrl.dec.com
Also you can read the postings of any Usenet Newsgroup . Send your E-mail
To : listproc@www0.cern.ch
or
To: listserv@www0.cern.ch
- leave the Subject empty.
- If you just want to read the titles first write in the body of your E-mail
the following :
send news:soc.culture.lebanon
- If you want to read all the postings write in the body of your E-mail the
following:
deep news:soc.culture.lebanon
- If you pay for the Usage of E-mails received please be careful with using
the (deep) statement. The amount of E-mails will be equal to number of postings
and
it could expensive. If you do not pay per E-mail received then enjoy the
service .
*******************************************************************************
2. Are there any rules or conventions to post into this news group?
Rules of thumb for posting on Soc.Culture.Lebanon
Date of last revision: 24 Jan 96
(previous revision: 20 Feb 94)
This post proposes some rules of thumb for posting on this newsgroup,
Soc.Culture.Lebanon (scl). The purpose of the rules is to maintain
the friendly atmosphere and to encourage quality posts.
- New subscribers are encouraged to monitor the group for a certain time
before engaging in discussions. They are also encouraged to briefly
present themselves. The said presentation might include but not
limited to:
the person's name, location, nationality, occupation, motivation,
expectations etc.
- Avoid posting test messages. There are groups to post such tests,
such groups are: alt.test, fr.test, bit.listserv.test, de.test etc..
In general posting test messages on a discussion forum of USENET is
considered to be against the Net-etiquette.
If it is definitely necessary to post your test to Soc.Culture.Lebanon
you can do it by posting anything that might be interesting to the
others like a joke, song lyrics that you like, etc.
- Use descriptive Subject headers and change the subject when replying
if necessary. Remember that people are not interested in a vague or
unfocused subject. For example, from recent posts, a Subject that reads
"None" does not convey any useful meaning. "Tfouh" seems like a flame,
but is it worth reading? A person, replies "Tfouh 3ala min? :-) Re: Tfouh."
Now that is more interesting, it peeks the curiosity of the reader.
"avant de partir" could've been "[French poem] avant de partir (before
leaving)."
- Quote text from the article that you are replying you to provide context
but keep quoted text to a minimum (that which is absolutely necessary).
Most people prefer a short and focused message to a longer and diluted
post.
- Avoid cross-posting to other newsgroups. Good reasons to cross-
post are:
- if you are posting a periodic message (such as a FAQ)
- if you are required by net rules to cross-post as in the case
of newsgroup creation announcements
There are rarely any additional good reasons to cross-post.
- Do not use abusive language in your posts. Pretend you are addressing
your mother. :-)
- Avoid posting messages that are not related to Lebanon or to the culture
of the Lebanese people. In other words, Middle East discussion belongs in
talk.politics.mideast, soc.culture.israel, or soc.culture.palestine,
whichever is more appropriate. Religion discussions belong in the
appropriate religion group (soc.religion.islam, soc.religion.christian,
talk.religion.christian, soc.culture.jewish, talk.religion.misc, or even
alt.religion.emacs :-) Posts on scl should really pertain to Lebanon.
- Flaming gives a poor image of yourself, and you are likely to stay on your
own in the garbage bin.
If you chose to ignore these rules of thumb, you're likely to find your
mailbox full with advice urging you to read this post. I am confident
that we will manage to maintain a high level of maturity and respect in our
posts.
If you don't wish to see this message again, put it in your kill file.
If you have a bone to pick with these rules of thumb, reply to this message
BY EMAIL.
This message will repeat every week. It constitutes a part of the group's
FAQ (question 2). It is archived for anonymous ftp on
rama.poly.edu (128.238.10.212) as /pub/scl/The_Rules_Of_Thumb, and
huez.eurecom.fr (193.55.112.27) as /SCL/The_Rules_Of_Thumb or
http://huez.eurecom.fr:8080/scl-faq/question.02
*******************************************************************************
3. What is the value of a Lebanese pound in terms of US$, Can$, UK lb,
etc.?
It is in a steady state since several months, and it's gaining slowly
(on a periode of a year, 03/95--03/96, it gained 3.6% against the
US dollar)
Typically, a good way to keep a view of the 'latest' figures is to:
- Consult the following http address, it gives the rates between
55 currencies of the world:
http://bin.gnn.com/cgi-bin/gnn/currency?Lebanon
- Annahar news paper in Arabic (the economy part)
(http://www.annahar.com.lb/ needs subscription)
- Look at the Wall Street Journal
- Look at Al-Hayat News paper (see address in Question 13)
From Annahar of Saturday May 18th 1996 (Year 63, issue number 19442):
| $US | &UK | DM | JY | FF | CHF | SK |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| LBP | 1577.0 | 2388.0 | 1031.2 | 14.8 | 304.5 | 1257.9 | 234.0 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| IL | BF | DG | Can$ | 1000 AF| SP |
------------------------------------------------------------
| LBP | 1.0 | 50.1 | 922.5 | 1151.7 | 485.53 | 12.75 |
-----------------------------------------------------------
LBP = Lebanese Pound
$US = US dollar
&UK = United Kingdom Sterling
DM = Deutsch(German) Mark
JY = Japanese Yen
FF = French Franc
CHF = Swiss Franc
SC = Swedish Krona
IL = Italian Lira
BF = Belgian Franc
DF = Dutch Guilder
Can$ = Canadian Dollar
1000 AF= 1000 African Francs
SP = Spanish Peseta
*******************************************************************************
4. What is the address and phone number of the Lebanese Embassy
and/or Consulates in the US, Canada, France, etc....
and how can I contact Lebanese universities etc. ?
For Canada:
Embassy of Lebanon
640 Lyon St.
Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 3Z5
(613) 236-5825
Consulate of Lebanon
40 Cote St. Catherine
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 276-2738
For the USA:
Washington DC Embassy:
Embassy of Lebanon
2560 28th Street NW
Washington D.C. 20008
Phone: (202) 939-6300
Fax: 202-939-6324.
Consulates:
New York
Consulate General of Lebanon
9 East 76th St.
NY, NY 10021 <-- Zip code was missing
Phone: (212) 744-7905
Detroit
Consulate General of Lebanon
1959 E. Jefferson
Suite 4A
Detroit, Michigan 48207
Phone: (313) 567-0233
Los Angeles
Consulate General of Lebanon
7060 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 510
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: (213) 467-1253
For the United Kingdom:
Lebanese Councilor Section
15 Palace Garden Mews,
London W8 4QQ.
England UK
Phone: 00 44 (0)71 7276696
For Germany:
BOTSCHAFT DES LIBANON
RHEINALLEE 27
53173 BONN
TEL. (0228)352075-77
--> update
For France:
AMBASSADE DU LIBAN
42 rue Copernic Tel: +33 1 40 67 75 75
75116 Paris Fax: +33 1 40 67 16 42
Consulat du LIBAN (Paris)
123 Av Malakoff
75116 Paris Tel: +33 1 40 67 26 26
Consulat General du Liban (Marseille)
424 rue Paradis
13008 Marseille Tel: +33 91 71 50 60
For Sweeden:
Libanons Ambassad phone +46 8 665 19 65
Kommendorsgatan 35 telex 16407 LIBANEM S
114 58 Stockholm
Chile,
Avda Isidoro Goyenechea 3607, Casilla 3667, Santiago;tel
(2)232-5097;telex 440118
Algeria,
9 Rue Kiad Ahmad, el-Biar, Algiers; Telex;5416
Here are the AUB, addresses and telephone numbers at NY Beirut:
Beirut:
American University of Beirut
P.O.Box 11-0236
Beirut Lebanon
Phone numbers in Beirut: (note: 865-250 no longer works)
+961-1-340-460
+961-1-350-000
+961-1-354-911
+961-1-340-740
You can fax directly to Beirut, via a NY number:
(212) 478 1995
NY:
American University of Beirut
850 Third Avenue, 18th fl.
New York, NY 10022-6297
Phone: (212) 319 2425
Fax : (212) 486 2867
Here is the address of the Lebanese American University (Ex BUC):
Lebanese American University
P.O.BOX 13-5053,BEIRUT LEBANON
LAU has campuses in Beirut, Jbeil and Saida
Tel # of the almuni association of LAU (BUC) in NY is: 1 212 870 2592
Here it the Hariri Foundation address in washington:
Hariri Foundation
1020 19th St., NW
Suite 320
Washington, DC 20036
Fax: 202-659-9228
Universite St Joseph:
Le retorat:
Rectorat de L'USJ,
Rue de Damas
BP .175208,
Beyrouth, Liban
Tel: +961 1 426 456/7/8/9
Fax: +961 1 423 369
(posted on 31 Jan 1996)
Le directeur de L'Institut de Langues et de Traduction est le Pere
Rene Chamussy . C'est aussi le doyen par interim de la Faculte des
Lettres et des Sciences Humaines dont l'adresse est:
Campus des Sciences Humaines
Rue Huvelin
BP 293
Beyrouth, Liban
Lebanese University
Faculty of Engineering I (Tripoli)
E-mail: lueg1@cnrs.edu.lb
*******************************************************************************
5. How can I phone Lebanon and which carrier gives the cheapest rates ?
Using the *local* Lebanon number 04-961345 as example, you dial:
011 961 4 961345 (to use AT&T)
10 222 011 961 4 961345 (to use MCI)
10 333 011 961 4 961345 (to use SPRINT)
Note how the Metn area code 04 has been used *without* the leading
zero. These calls do not require an operator.
Telephone Area codes in Lebanon:
1 Beirut
3 Cellular Network area code, <--- New
it covers (or should cover soon) all Lebanon.
4 Metn
5 Al-shouf
6 The North
7 the South
8 Al-biqqaa
9 Keserwan
For France :
you have to Dial the 19 to get the international tone, Lebanon's code,
the area code and your correspondent number. To call the same number
as above you will have to dial :
19 961 4 961345
the rates are as follows (time is French time +1 GMT, +2GMT summer time):
Day 00:00 08:00 21:30 00:00
--------------------------------------------------------
Mon-Sat |xxxxxxxx|**********************|xxxxxxxxxxx|
--------------------------------------------------------
Sun & |xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx|
holidays |
--------------------------------------------------------
* : normal rate : 15.19 FF/min
x : reduced rate: 12.52 FF/min
rate via an operator (call 19 33 961): 21.30 FF/min
Some useful information about Cellular phones in Lebanon:
[by Wadih "Eddi" Rmaili, update by Kimmo Ketolainen]
1- Can I use my GSM-phone with my SIM-card in other country ?
If you have a GSM-phone , you can use it in every other country who
has a valid GSM-Network, in one condition, that your home GSM-operator
has a contract with the GSM-operator(s) in this country. You don't
need to change your SIM-card(chip card), your phone will automatically
find an available GSM-network(s) that you can use.
You can use your GSM-phone in about 80 countries, check
http://www.gsmworld.com/
Lebanon valid contracts with the other operators in Europe, and around
the wrold.
2- Do all the GSM phones work in the GSM-networks in Lebanon ?
Most GSM-phones use a frequency band around 900 MHz, but some
countries has began to use another additional frequency band to the
900 MHz,to support more customers, because the 900 MHz band is almost
full. The new band is 1800 MHz (1,8 GHz). PCS system, mainly in North
America and some other countries uses the Band of 1900 MHz.
Are you going to send a GSM-phone to Lebanon , you have to choose a
900 MHz GSM-phone. The 1800 MHz phones are not supported. Nevertheless
you can check for roaming to be able to use your card on a 900 MHz
phone in Lebanon.
3- How much did a GSM-phone cost in Lebanon ?
Note: The price comparison contained here is out of date, it remains
in the FAQ just for the historical sake. It is to be noted that most
of European operators offers reduction on GSM phones, of course under
teh condition of subscribing with them for a year or so, this kind of
reductions is not applied in Lebanon (I guess because there is no
marketing need for that !) The most popular GSM phones in Lebanon.
Ericsson GH337 = 900$.
Ericsson GF337 (the same as GH337,better design) = 950$ - 1000$.
Nokia 2110 = 1000$.
Philips 747 (same phone as Nokia 2110) = 950$.
Motorola 7200(7500 = 800$.
Motorola 8200 = 1200$.
Other Phones
Nokia 2010
Motorola 5200
Sharp TGQ400 (the same as Ericsson GH337),
Siemens S3+,
Alcatel HB200,HB100
Orbitel.
4- How much did a GSM phone cost in Sweden ? (May 1995 =min),(June
1995=max)
Motorola 5200 = 900 kr(min) - 5000 kr(max) = 125$ - 700$
Motorola 7200 = 1100 kr(min) - 6000 kr(max) = 155$ - 850$
Motorola 8200 = 5000 kr(min) - 10000kr(max) = 690$ - 1400$
Motorola Flare = 2000 kr(min) - 5000 kr(max) = 280$ - 700$
Ericsson GH337 = 4000 kr(min) - 9500 kr(max) = 555$ - 1300$
Ericsson GF337 = 5000 kr(min) - 10500kr(max) = 690$ - 1450$
Ericsson GH198 = 2000 kr(min) - 6500 kr(max) = 280$ - 900$
Sharp TQG400 = 3000 kr(min) - 10000kr(max) = 420$ - 1400$
Nokia 2110 = 3000 kr(min) - 9000 kr(max) = 420$ - 1250$
Nokia 2010 = 1400 kr(min) - 5000 kr(max) = 200$ - 700$
Siemens S3 = 1000 kr(min) - 5000 kr(max) = 140$ - 700$
Siemens S3+ = 1500 kr(min) - 6500 kr(max) = 215$ - 900$
The prices depends on which operator and your 12 months contract with him
to use his network and the kick back they pay to the stores. The offer
was only under May. Now the prices are back to normal(max).
This price war will be back in August/September. And so do I.
My favorites phones : 1- Ericsson GF337/GH337. 2-Nokia 2110. 3- Motorola
8200. 4- Ericsson GH198. 5- Motorola 7200.
----
France Telecom announced that it has [will ?] have a program in which
subscribers can designate three numbers which they call usually, you
pay 15 FF per two months and you have 15% of discount on the calls made to
these destination. it might be of intreset but i did not check the
exact info yet stay tuned.
There was a couple of announcement on sc.lebanon about other operators
who offers the rate of $1.33/mn any day any time, the announcer claimed
that calls are billed in 6 seconds increments.
The same kind of systems can be used also outside the US, by using a
"callback" company. It's useful if you want to call another
country. The "callback" company gives you a trigger number in the US,
when you call this number it rings without any answer (so the call is
not billed by the local operator) then you hang up. The system calls
you back on a pre-determined number and gives a US dial tone which you
can use to call where you want. The rates of calling France is $0.41
(from the US, since it's the system who calls you) added to the $1.33
(US --> Lebanon) it ends up to $1.74 plus usually 20 cents => $1.94 or
sometimes $1.86 approx 9.0 FF which is good compared to the above
rates (73% and 52% of the rates of France Telecom) specially that it's
at any time any day, it makes a difference.
I received the following in my mailbox about Cyberlink and MCI:
-------------
MCI (800-672-8054) lowest rate is $1.76 per minute excluding a possible 20%
discount to three numbers for calls made between 5pm and 8am US time. There
is a $3 per month charge for this and calls outside this period cost
$2.33/min.
--> Update (09/95)
Cyberlink (800-963-8437, fax 612-378-7514) offers $1.33 per minute
flat rate (any time, any number, 6 sec billing) without monthly
charges or minimums or switching carriers. People in France can email
to phone4less@aol.com or leave their address/faxnumber at 05-910807.
Cyberlink provides this service and has been in business since 1986. It has a
billing volume of more than $100 million. You can get business references
from Dunn (rating company). Calls are charged to a credit card. Most
creditcards offer extra protection for unauthorized charges or in case you
have disputes with the merchant.
-------------
*******************************************************************************
6. What are the airlines servicing Beirut ?
Most European and Arab airlines are now flying to Lebanon.
*Some* are: MEA(obviously), Air-France, Swiss-air,
Austrian Airways, Alitalia, Sabena, Royal Jordanian, Egypt Air.
Britsh Airways, recently annouced that it will resume its flights to
beirut by December 1994. BA is the last Europeen airlines to resum
flights to beirut.
State Department of the US banned MEA from operating from
its NY offices, and travel from the US with MEA has become
very difficult. Here is a related UPI article:
Subject: Lebanese air-carrier chief urges lifting U.S. embargo
Date: Mon, 24 May 93 13:17:16 PDT
BEIRUT, Lebanon (UPI) -- The president of the Lebanese national air
carrier, Middle East Airlines, said Monday that a U.S. order to suspend
MEA activities in the United States has left tens of thousands of
Lebanese stranded there and caused millions of dollars in losses.
MEA President Abdel Hamid Fakhoury called on the U.S. Administration
to exempt his company from a U.S. embargo imposed on Lebanon following
the hijacking of a TWA airliner in 1985.
Accordingly, MEA flights to New York and back to Beirut were
suspended while all other carriers were prevented from selling tickets
from its U.S. offices for destinations in Lebanon.
Fakhoury said MEA abided by the embargo but its U.S. offices
``continued to issue tickets, with the knowledge of the U.S. officials,
placing either Damascus or Cyprus as destination countries.''
``But we were surprised last month of a new U.S. order to cease
immediately all commercial activities, which left tens of thousands of
Lebanese trapped there and inflicting losses estimated at $15 million,''
Fakhoury said.
The new order was apparently in retaliation to a decision by the
Lebanese Military Court on April stating that the 1983 bombing of the U.S.
Embassy in Beirut was covered by a general amnesty law.
The Lebanese Parliament approved the amnesty law as part of a
national reconciliation drive to end the Lebanese civil war.
The U.S. expressed dissatisfaction with the Military Court decision
and accused MEA of violating the embargo imposed during the
administration of President Ronald Reagan.
A month later, the Lebanese Supreme Court overruled the Military
Court decision concerning the U.S. Embassy bombing in which at least six
people were accused of involvement.
A suicide bomber drove through the gate of the U.S. Embassy in the
Muslim sector of Beirut on April 1983, killing 63 people and wounding
123 others.
activities in the U.S. as peace and security were restored in the
country.
He said contacts with U.S. officials have so far failed to alter the
order and called for launching a campaign ``to save the company and
allow the Lebanese residents in the U.S. to visit their homeland.''
The following is a summary of an article which appeared
in Middle East International (MEI - No. 450, p. 9-10);
The background is that Lebanese investigators had
recently identified 15 suspects in the 1991 truck
bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, and the US
government was anxious to see them prosecuted.
However, on April 24, Beirut's military court ruled
that the suspects were included in the general amnesty
covering "political" war crimes approved by the
Lebanese parliament in 1991. The US was incensed that
the court's ruling would render them immune from
prosecution, and warned Lebanese leaders that the
prospect of normalizing relations with the US, which
seemed likely following Secretary of State
Christopher's March visit to Beirut, were no longer
realistic.
The impact on travel stems from the fact that Middle
East Airlines (MEA), which had hoped that it for the way it had
issued tickets to Beirut (actually entered on tth
connecting flights to or from Europe. Although
technically a violation of the US travel ban, this
subterfuge had been used without objection for many
years. Suddenly, MEA was told to stop selling tickets
or doing any other business, and warned that it was
subject to fines of $1000 per day for the entire period
during which it had sold such tickets. The Beirut
government is having a second look at the amnesty law,
and may find a way out of the difficulty, but until it
does so, it may be impossible to get tickets to Beirut
in the US, and MEA is threatened with millions of
dollars of fines, an amount which MEI characterized as
"potentially crippling".
The Lebanese Supreme Court has already reversed the earlier ruling
making the suspects once again not covered by the General Amnesty law
but the US has yet to relax its position with regard to MEA operations
in the United States.
*******************************************************************************
7. Where can I find tickets for Lebanon at a good price ?
Travel Agency Number(s) Contact person(s),
Name location,
(if available) and/or comments
(if supplied)
_______________________________________________________________________________
Admiral : (800) 822 2727 (located in Marietta GA)
(ask for Hassan Ramadan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Travel: (800) 344 7060 (ask for Matthew)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atlantis : (212) 972 5540 TEL 141 East 44th Street #702
(212) 972 5543 FAX NYC, NY 10017
(800) 543 9362 (Alitalia and British Airways)
($ 1100 round trip ticket from
San Francisco to Beirut bought
in Christmas 92/93).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blue Mediterranean
Travel : (213) 876 5601 (deals mainly with Alitalia,
recommended for its good prices).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Char Tours: (800) 323 4444
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporate : (800) 532 8455
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Farra Travel: (213) 463 9211
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Golden Arch: (800) 749 2724 (may be out of business ?)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haddad Travel: (213) 466 4662 (experienced but beware)
update: 1-617-354-3399
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Int'l Travel & 3601-E Chain Bridge Road
Trade, Inc. : FairFax, Virginia 22030
1-800-248-8462 (Example of price, for a ticket
(703) 385-0340 Jul-Aug 1996, through Switzerland,
FAX: (703) 385 0343 San Francisco <-> Zurich (RT) $875 [American
Airlines]
Zurich<->Beirut (RT) $555 [MEA]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lotus : (800) 344 2220 (located in Los Angeles area)
(deals mostly with ALIA, the
Royal Jordanian Airlines, can get
relatively good prices if you are willing
to endure traveling on ALIA)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modern Travel Co.
Contact: Edward Abouzeid
(617) 323-0073 241 Grove Street
FAX: (617) 323-1654 West Roxbury, MA 02132
Deals only with tickets from/to the East Coast of the US (Boston, NY, D.C).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mill-Run Tours:(800) 645 5786 (Ask for Jean Zodo. She's Lebanese,
and she has been very helpful).
They are located in Chicago, IL.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oxford Travel & (ask for Sami Silfani)
Tours : (800) 245 7264 TEL (located in the Atlanta area)
(404) 266 8783 FAX (Sami was quite informed and
worked hard to get the
cheapest fare possible.
Strongly recommended by myself (Basil).
Example of a fare: $ 1080 U.S., round trip
on Air France from Cleveland,
travel date: April 13, 1993).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Service Plus Travel (ask for Dolly Tarabay) at 1-800-256-2865
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharif Travel: (714) 635 0837 (could be the same as the reference
that shows up later as Moursi Sharif
- other reference has an 800 number -
Recommended as super nice and cheap)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunship : (800) 344 9428 (deals mainly with British Airways)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TMA travel, (ask for Salim) at (313) 584-3260
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Travel All(??):(800) 621 4795
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Travel Corner: (800) 843 3214 (from outside Atlanta)
or (404) 952 4044 (Atlanta)
or (404) 924 4207 (Atlanta)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"This is just FYI for those interested in getting tickets overseas that
Lina Makhlouf, formerly of travel corner in Atlanta, has opened her own
travel agency and can now be reached at 1-800-810-0081. She received the
prize as the most recommended travel agent."
Update: Lina Makhlouf got married and moved to Knoxville TN, her married
name is Lina Makhlouf Shatara (sp?) and her new number is 1-800-235-0571
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Travel Nework: (201) 628 7071 TEL 1581 Route 23 South
(201) 628 7827 FAX Waynes, NJ 07470
(Ask for Ms. Peggy Healy)
(tell her Tommy's sister recommended!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vista Int'l : (800) 228 4782 (located in West Virginia ??)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
World Express Travel: (ask for Annie - she is from Lebanon).
(800) 942 4992 TEL (located in Houston, Texas)
(713) 556 5700 TEL
(713) 556 0895 FAX
_______________________________________________________________________________
No name given
for travel agency: (ask for Garbiz Askanian)
(212) 685 4499 (gave the best deal to someone)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No name given
for travel agency:
(617) 354 3399 (ask for Malek Haddad)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No name given
for travel agency:
(800) 426 8831 (ask for Hala)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No name given
for travel agency:
(202) 625 0770 (ask for Marwan or Maha)
(located in the Washington DC area)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No name given
for travel agency:
(514) 398 0771 TEL (ask for Pierre or Nathalie)
(514) 398 0795 FAX (located in Montreal-Canada)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No name given
for travel agency:
(800) 332 5302 (ask for Moursi Sharif)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No name given
for travel agency:
(212) 370 5353 (ask for Ali Srour)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No name given
for travel agency:
(904) 763 2933 (located in Florida)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No name given
for travel agency:
(305) 856 3434
_______________________________________________________________________________
Negative Recommendations
_______________________________________________________________________________
D'International: (located in West Roxbury, Ma.)
Travel agent is a Lebanese person.
She booked flight on non-existing
flight from Paris to Boston.
The traveler had to pay a $ 100.00
penaly, and agent did not reimburse him
even though she had made the mistake.
Traveler also found out she had done
the same thing with several other people.
_______________________________________________________________________________
for 800 number directory call 1 (800) 555 1212
In France the following Travel Agency has been recommended as giving
good prices for travel to Lebanon:
Nouvelle Frontiere with prices ranging from 3000 to 3500 F.F., round
trip, Paris-Beirut for Summer of '93 travel. No phone number was given,
it is assumed that the agency is listed in the phone directory.
(I was not able to get the phone number of this agency since the directory
says that there is a nouvelle frontiere but their numbers are on the red list)
*******************************************************************************
8. What are the e-mail and Telnet IP addresses for sites in Lebanon?
--> new info:
The American University of Beirut, which is the .lb domain
administrator, keeps a track of subscribed Internet providers and
networks in Lebanon. I try here to list infos as perceived on SCL.
You can always check AUB's web site at: http://www.aub.ac.lb/
During Jan 1996 a provider was annouced on SCL they are IncoNet, and
they call their program NetHopper. For more info check
http://www.inco.com.lb/
Lateset info on Data management posted to SCL end of nov 1995:
1- Yes, you can have an Internet access right from home.
2- Yes, we set up personal and public accounts.
3- You need a local telephone line, a computer and a modem.
4- We have different rates it depends on the service you choose:
SERVICE MONTHLY FREE ADDITIONAL
DESCRIPTION FEE BYTES CHARGES
---------------------------------------------------------
local Int. Hour Kch.
E-MAIL
Local&Intl E-mail $15 Unlimited 1Mbyte $7 $0.02
------------------------------------------------------
BASIC
Local&Intl E-mail
and local web $25 Unlimited 1Mbyte $7 $0.02
---------------------------------------------------------
GLOBAL
Local & Intl E-mail
and www $50 Unlimited 10Mbytes $7 $0.02
--------------------------------------------------------
5- The quality of the connection is good, we use dial up at 9600bps.
We hope that the above is statisfactory, and that we will hear from you
very soon. If you need additional information do not hesitate to e-mail us
at: data@dm.net.lb
Humm the table above is unclear ?
As you are aware now we have 3 types of services: e-mail
(local/international), local web (includes e-mail), and global
includes e-mail and local.
Subscription is $15,25,50 per month for the above services.
Now, to make things simple, we have one hourly charge $7, for any of
the services. We do offer bundle prepaid hours for users for any of
the 3 services mentioned above. The bundles are: for 10 hours $6/hr
and $5.5/hr for 20 hrs.
This translates in the following: If a user choses e-mail and buys
prepay 10 hrs he will pay $15+60 = $75.
If a user chooses global and a 20 hours bundle and logs during the
month for 23 hrs. (He will get e-mail, local web and www), he will pay
$50 + (20x5.5=$110)+3x5.5=$16.5=$176.5 if my computation is correct!
For now, there is a limitation per month, on Kb for the International:
1MB on e-mail, and 10MB on global. i.e if a user logs in for 2 hrs and
downloads 10MB during this time and logs again and dowloads 2 mb, he
will be charges for each additional KCh above 10Mb $0.02 per Kch.
As far as the connection is concerned our user access Data Management
at 9.6kbps. (We have nothing to hide!)PTT lines do support this speed.
If you need any other info pls do not hesitate to e-mail us.
Data Management sal - http://www.dm.net.lb
Phone/Fax: 961-1-334 881/331621/219670
******************************************************
******************************************************
This is how you can reach Data Manaement:
ADDRESS:
=========
Data Management
Borj Al Ghaza, Fouad Chehab Avenue
Tabaris, Beirut, Lebanon
E-MAIL:
=======
data@dm.net.leb
TELEPHONE & FAX:
================
961-1-334881
961-1-331621
961-1-219670
--------
We received the following info recently [10 Jul 95]:
Please find below BIGnet Startup & operating fees :
$ 20.- Startup fee (Includes Software, user manual, 60' free connect)
Local Service:
--------------
Plan 1 - $ 10.- per 60' of connection time (no monthly fixed)
Plan 2 - $ 15.- per month (Includes 300' of connection time)
$ 2.5 per each additional 60' of connection time
International Service (Access To CompuServe or Internet):
---------------------------------------------------------
$20.- per month
LL 1500 per 1' of connection time
* A member who subscribes to the International service gets free access to
the local service.
Internet Mail
-------------
LL 1,600.- 1st 2000 bytes
LL 600,- Each additional 1000 bytes
* Any BIGnet member may have access to the Internet Mail service without
subscribing to the International Service.
Charges are for Outgoing & Incoming messages.
We might be changing our carriers which promises much cheaper connect rates
to the Internet and other on-line services. At the moment this is what's
available.
--------
The American University of Beirut has Internet connectevity. AUB
has now its own web server: http://www.aub.ac.lb/ You can find on it
the information about AUB network and the LARN (Lebanese Academic and
Research Network). Contact person for AUB for Internet matters is:
Nabil Bukhaled <nabil@layla.aub.ac.lb>, Manager of Personal Computer
Support Unit.
Follows is relativaly "old" communication with Nabil Bukhaled
[September 29th 1994]
--------
The American University of Beirut link to the internet started to be
fully operationaland stable early March 1994. Our internet link is still
running on a 9.6kbps X.25 leased line (TCP/IP over X.25).
AUBNET consist of 4 class C networks all located behind a firewall. Users
on the AUBNETs are around 140 users at present and we are adding 20 to 30
user per month. AUBNET users can telnet, ftp, send/receive mail, nslookup,
ping and finger to the internet. We are blocking the access to the internet
news, gopher and mosaic. The restrictions are dictated by the link
bandwidth limitations and the prohibitive communication cost.
Accessing AUBNET from the internet is also blocked except for a number
of research affiliated Universities. Ditto cost restriction.
Our future plans are to upgrade our link from X.25 9.6kbps to a VSAT
64kbps leased line. We are also working on connecting other Universities
and research institutions to the internet. The technical set up is ready
but the legal part is still pending.
The number of hosts on AUBNET is 80 at present, around mid October 1994 we
excpect to have around 170 new hosts. i.e. AUB fiber optic backbone is
scheduled to reach two major isolated clusters of LANs end of September
1994. By July 1994, all of the campus building will be on the net, around
450 hosts.
-------
AUB had a help account but was obliged to disable it because of the high
traffic rate.
here what Nabil Bukhaled said about it:
"Yes help@layla account was disabled 4 months ago, I beleive that I should
reactivate this account. We do understand that Lebanese world wide are
anxious to communicate with the mother land via the Internet and we are
more than ready to answer their questions/requests. The message should be
clear to them that AUB is paying dearly to keep this link."
AUB is paying the traffic even if the user is unkown. In fact
they pay the incoming/outgoing traffic. So a mail with an erronious
destination will cost AUB twice. An advice is not try sending e-mails
unless you are sure of your destination. AUB promissed to annouce any major
changes in the situation of its net.
Following is info on the X.25 net in Lebanon, it's rather old info so prices
and other infos could be not that exact. If you know a newer info please feel
free to forward to the FAQ maintainer .....
Through the X.25 network in Lebanon, one *can* access CompuServe, MCI-mail,
AT&T mail and possibly Internet (that's how AUB is gaining access).
Connection cost to the Lebanese X25 network: $600
Monthly fee for the Lebanese X25 network and the server in France: $50
The connection to France will be used until Internet will be available
in Lebanon.
Each 1024 characters to the states cost 2.1 F.F (around $0.39)
plus around 500 Lebanese Pounds for X25.
But no Telnet or ftp can be done.
However the subscription offers you a 10,000 PC and Macintosh programs to
down load. They are updated on a daily basis.
There are Forums and debates in French. You can also access the NEWS
of the INTERNET.
You will have an Easy Link, Mercury Link, X400 , Telex address as well
as the Usenet one.
Also you can send faxes through the net....All in one subscription.
It seems that the costs for now are rather expensive, unless they are
borne by a business or a corporation.
*******************************************************************************
9. What are the phone numbers to call to get Lebanon news ?
There is a mailing list called Leb-Net that sends digests to subscribers
every two days on the average. It is usually quite thorough.
To subscribe, send a short request to:
Leb-Net@cumesa.mech.columbia.edu
*******************************************************************************
end of part 1/5
_____________________________________________________________________
Alaa Dakroub | 'al-'arD waTanI wa al-'insAnyah 'usratI
Sophia Antipolis | La terre est ma patrie et l'humanite' ma famille
France | The earth is my fatherland and humanity my family
| (Gibran Khalil Gibran)
------------------ http://www.eurecom.fr/~dakroub/ ------------------
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