Golden Cameras for Beirut

A couple of days ago, a story from Annahar newspaper popped up stating that Beirut municipality is buying around 2,000 security cameras for around 40 Million dollars.

Photo taken from the Annahar article

My friend Elie shared a small research he did, on his Facebook page that I would like to share:

Beirut Municipality is buying 1,500 to 2,000 Cameras at $27,000 per Camera, 40.5 Million Dollars in total !! 

I did some research, based on a case study done by Schneider Electric's security camera brand Pelco (One of the biggest brands in this domain).

The case study is about surveillance cameras installed in Italy to help with the security of the G8 summit (Read here: http://www.pelco.com/documents/business-solutions/en/shared/government/g-8-summit.pdf)

The study mentions that two types of cameras were used, so I researched their prices online:
- Spectra III : Costs $1,389.61 ( http://www.amazon.com/Pelco-Schneider-Electric-SD53TCPG1-Spectra/dp/B00FT0JXA4)
- Esprit Camera: Costs $1,861.95 (http://shop.neobits.com/pelco_schneider_electric_es3012_2_pelco_esprit_es3012_2_camera_enclosure_1_fan_s_1_heater_s_1032057567.php)

Let's assume we're going crazy and buying 1,500 pieces of each model (3,000 cameras) instead of a total of 1,500 pieces, and that we're buying them at a full price:

- Spectra III cost: $2,084,415
- Esprit cost : $2,792,925
Total Cost : $4,877,340

Let's assume taxes on these items are 100% + VAT and add some extras, this will bring the total to 10.5 Million Dollars.

Additionally, let’s account for around 7 Millions in Network Design, control rooms, servers and equipment, and another 3 Millions in training and maintenance for the first period. 

Total should not exceed 20 Million dollars with all the above exaggerated costs. I think the offers should be re-considered by the municipality. 

There is pretty much nothing to add to this. What do you think?
It's either we became worthless brains or careless sheep so that this huge corruption takes place.

The General Situation

It's been a while!
This is my first post in 2013, and unfortunately, the only thing I'm thinking about is how we are surviving this situation. Elderlies, who lived and participated in the Lebanese war, say that surviving nowadays is harder than during war.

The Situation:

1. Most of the public sector (including teachers), except public authorities and judges, are protesting to get their new grades/salaries lists.
   The schools' parents committee refuses the teachers' protest, and threatens to stop paying to the schools.
   And students turned to vacation mode.
   In my humble opinion, only teachers deserve that raise. Most of the state employees do absolutely nothing at work, and they all leave at 2h00 PM max.
2. Many restaurants and hotels, in and around Beirut closed or will be closing soon. Zaytouna Bay, Kaslik and Broumana had their shares. And Maameltein is a disaster (not its usual kind of disaster).
3. Airport is empty, except for Syrian refugees, who are all over the country (Syrians now make up 10% of the Lebanese population).
4. Gas oil prices are unbelievable.
5. Real estate prices are ridiculous.
6. Those public authorities (Politicians) are still living their war dreams, making all the state institutions their own properties!
   Electricity, Communications, gas oil, tobaccos, ADSL, port... and each and every big project (no matter how insane it is to invest in Lebanon these days) has to have a 51% ownership to one of those warlords, depending on the location.
   There must be a map somewhere that shows under which influence each zone falls,  for example:
   Zgharta, Chouf, Batroun, Aakkar, Tripoli, Saida... (All of them are Beiks and Cheikhs of course)
7. People are being kidnapped everywhere, and the process is well-known now. Kidnappers demand a ransom (1 million dollars usually), the kidnapped's relatives try negotiating a bit, and then give them the amount agreed upon. This process is free of any government/Security Forces intervention, even after freeing the hostage. The same guy will be threatened again in a week or two since kidnappers knew that "2araybino daffi3a".
8. Crazy drivers, angry valet parking, outraged neighbors...
9. Al Assir! (No explanation needed)

And the list goes on and on.

The Solution:

None. The country is so corrupted that I don't believe there is a clear solution anymore.
The solution should start by changing how the public authorities think and how state employees work. Job descriptions can do the job!
And of course those responsible must be held accountable, no matter how equipped they were.
Not voting for the same people, trying to breathe before talking to anyone, and get a gutty minister of interior, not an "Abou Melhem" are some useful ideas too.
Note for Abou Melhem: A law is a law, even if it makes some people sad, or unsatisfied! Being a minister of interior requires making some people, especially criminals, sad sometimes!

And for some reason, it's still hard to leave this country.