When you're the only national carrier in a country amidst an ongoing crisis, the last thing you'd want is to be the people's sworn enemy. Middle East Airlines (MEA), Lebanon's solo national carrier, was subject to aggressive online and offline backlash after announcing it will only accept payments in U.S. dollars.

In a statement from the airline on Feb. 15, MEA said all airlines operating in Lebanon will only accept payments in U.S. dollars, adding that "all card payments will be accepted in addition to bank checks, provided that the operation is in foreign currency."

Crowds of people rushed to the MEA office at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport in an effort to purchase tickets in Lebanese pounds before the decision comes into full effect. However, the airline quickly reversed its decision that same day following a request from Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who will also meet with the airline's board members to discuss reasons behind their initial decision. 

The company's retraction, however, didn't stop the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement and son-in-law of Lebanon's President Gebran Bassil from filing a lawsuit against the airline with the help of lawyer Wadih Akl.

Bassil accused MEA of "violating the laws and depriving the Lebanese of their simplest rights, including traveling with their available currency." He also added that not accepting Lebanon's national currency is a criminal offense, violating "the text stipulated in the 2020 state budget, which makes national currency transactions binding."

MEA is majority-owned by the Lebanese state and administrated by the country's central bank.

The Lebanese pound has been suffering continuously for over six months, tumbling in value with respect to the U.S. dollar on the black market, with Lebanese banks imposing capital control (aka deposit restrictions) on individuals. 

The value of the national currency against the U.S. dollar fell from the maintained 1,507-1,517 LBP to as high as 2,510 LBP in February 2020. Ironically, however, the Central Bank has maintained the official peg at 1,507 LBP.

Even though the electrifying decision has been reversed, the damage has more or less been done. The Lebanese are already brimming with stress and anxiety, and the last thing they needed was yet another reason to lose hope in attaining any decent future for their homeland. 

Losses will ultimately circle back to the aviation company after it's been forced to reverse its decision, for it will suffer hits by the black market value of the Lebanese pound. 

Starbucks coffee shops look pretty much the same everywhere in the world. You have the dark wood decor with dim lighting, black metal fixtures, and hints of green here and there. These colors and textures have always represented the all-American coffee shop, even when you disregard the Medusa-like head on its cups and signs. One might even argue children are able to spot a Starbucks a mile away before they can even spell their own names. 

One particular Starbucks, however, stands out from the rest; quite the rare occurrence yet not to be compared to the world's fanciest branch in China. It's located on Vigo Street in London, the UK and is situated between London's Savile Row and Regent Street in Mayfair, an affluent area in the West End of the city. 

The neighborhood coffee store first opened its doors in 2012 after major renovations transformed the 110-year-old building, which reportedly housed office spaces in the past. Today, it stands fully transfixed in "exposed marble columns and a restored mahogany and mother-of-pearl Turkish ceiling."

The intricately hand-carved ceiling apparently belongs to a Damascus bath or coffee house that "came" to London in 1903. It was originally featured on the building which used to be an oriental carpet gallery. (It is unclear whether that was before or after the building became an office space.) 

Ironically, the background information found on the original Starbucks website fails to mention the origin of the clearly Middle Eastern ceiling, only describing it as "one of the few elements of the original building that survived World War II largely undisturbed."

If you zoom in, you can clearly see the words "Al Sultan Abdul Hamid" carved on one of the big panels on the ceiling, indicating that it was carved in the name of the ruling sultan at the time. 

Another scripture also reveals the name "Al Sultan Al Ghazi Abdul Hamid Khan." Across the middle of the frequented coffee shop, a huge wooden table is situated underneath custom-made chandeliers. 

The style of this particular location isn't reminiscent of your typical Starbucks next door, which meant people had questions. Many online users were left wondering how a historical artifact of such value and craftsmanship ended up in London. The latter is commonly known as the "wealth and history theft capital of the world," which is why reading comments that cite a private auction as a probable backstory isn't odd or new.

When an entire culture is built on robbing and looting from those they colonized for centuries, it is hard to let something like this pass ... and so the comments poured.