Little pressure on Hezbollah to disarm

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon - Six weeks after the end of the Lebanon war, the militant Hezbollah group is facing little on-the-ground pressure to give up its weapons and disarm — despite a U.N. cease-fire resolution demanding just that.

The leaders of a U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon say the job is not theirs. And Lebanon's ill-equipped army, some of whose soldiers wear tin-pot helmets and carry outdated M-16 rifles, shows no signs of diving into a confrontation with battle-hardened Hezbollah fighters.

For now, all sides say it's likely full disarmament will happen only in the future as part of a political solution — despite the U.N. resolution that ended the 34-day war on Aug. 14 and required disarmament.

Click here to read more.

Source: AP

Samir Geagea did it!

After today's mass at Harissa's Basilik, Samir Geagea (Lebanese Forces president) gave the speech in memory of the martyrs that have died 15 years ago in the war against Syria.
It was the first time he had attended this mass after being more than 11 years in Jail, being guilty of a crime which later proved he hadn't committed.
Samir Geagea's words came in the right timing. He had returned something that have been missing lately, a place for the christians in Lebanon. Although I do not like to base my country over religions, however I think what happened today wasn't only for Christians, it was for Lebanese who love Lebanon and care for its own good and not other countries (no need to name).
He called themselves the peaceful resistance, and he asked before asking for a national unity government, the people of Lebanon should be united. He critisized the presence of Hezbollah as a country inside a country without naming them. He also said that the current government, in spite of having some faults, is a government of indepenence and sovereignty.
He acknowledged the martyrs that have died in last year's explosions and the ones who survived them. And the martyrs who were assassinated decades ago for the sake of the country, such as Gemayel, Maawad and Chamoun.
All in all his speech came in the right time to prove to the world and to Lebanon that there are people in it who want Peace, who want weapons in possession of the Lebanese military only, who do not want any foreign force interfering with the decisions taken in Lebanon, and who want the Taef applied. Thousands of people were there, and more on the roads trying to arrive to the location of the mass, Harissa. And hundreds of thousands watching the event on LBC live, including me.

To download files related to Sunday 24 September 2006 Mass + Speech, click here

With or Against? Answers to some ''Hip'' questions

Are you with spreading UNIFIL forces on the Lebanese/Syrian Borders?
Yes

Are you with the disarmament of Hezbolla's weapons?
Yes

Are you with assigning more jobs and tasks in Lebanon for the UNIFIL forces?
Yes (as long as they comply with Taef)

Are you with keeping the current government?
Yes

(In case anyone was wondering about what I - a Lebanese living in Lebanon - would say about that matter.)

World War III

What would be the reason for a 3rd world war? Anyone can probably answer this question! Is everything happening lately manufactured by coincidence? or is it an orchestra directed by a maestro?

Who is the maestro?

Events are triggered simultaneously and consecutively. Everything having to do with religion eventually.

I wish politicians would vanish, and politics would cease. Politics only make things worse. Politicians are extremely selfish, bought for cheap, and idiots. In addition to all this, religious figures are now involved in politics as well!

I wish people would stop being religious and start believing in God.

Exaggerated or Underestimated response to the Pope's?

No need to give links or articles about the whole Pope Benedict XVI's latest words and the response to it!

I completely understand what he meant! But I think he underestimated the response to it, because we all know what happened when the caricatures about the prophet have been made!

I also think the response is exaggerated! Check below:

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida in Iraq warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that its war against Christianity and the West will go on until Islam takes over the world, and Iran's supreme leader called for more protests over the pontiff's remarks on Islam.

Source: AP

It's like there's a very thin line right now that's barely hanging! and it's going to break soon. Everyone should be highly careful about what they want to say.

I suggest complete paranoia and obsessive compulsive behavior! This should let everyone be over-cautious about what they say, thus no misunderstandings would result!

Finally, I think if we keep it up, the Xenophobia that is, a nice World War III will be knocking on our doors.

Light a million candles

The innocent victims of Internet child abuse cannot speak for themselves.
But you can.
With your help, we can eradicate this evil trade.
We do not need your money.
We need you to light a candle of support http://www.lightamillioncandles.com/.
We're aiming to light at least One Million Candles by December 31, 2006.
This petition will be used to encourage governments, politicians, financial institutions, payment organisations, Internet service providers, technology companies and law enforcement agencies to eradicate the commercial viability of online child abuse.
They have the power to work together. You have the power to get them to take action.
Please light your candle at lightamillioncandles.com http://www.lightamillioncandles.com/ or send an email of support to light@lightamillioncandles.com.
Together, we can destroy the commercial viability of Internet child abuse sites that are destroying the lives of innocent children.
Kindly forward this email to your friends, relatives and work colleagues so that they can light a candle too.

Where to go when you visit Lebanon - Site 2: Gemayze

The below pictures have been taken yesterday, on a Thursday night, while we all had work the next day

Gemayze Street 1
Inside the pub, this picture was taken before anyone got there, we were early because we were supposed to surprise a friend for her birthday.
The above picture was also taken inside the pub, but this time it was a bit late, I made a bit blurry so people are not recognizable
Gemayze street 2

It is not a historical monument, or archeological site, however Gemayze is just a town located in Beirut at a walking distance of Solidere (Downtown Beirut). This town is basically one of the oldest inhabited towns in Lebanon, and you can notice it due to the architecture of its buildings and only made of 3 or 4 storeys.
Only recently has this city become the booming place of night life in Lebanon, just after Monot. Its a long street, with pubs and restaurants situated on both sides from its beginning till its end.

What can you do in the pubs in Lebanon?
Well as I have noticed the word pub differs maybe from country to country, but you can mainly have a decent meal there, however its main purpose is having a drink with friends, listening to music, any kind of music, depends on the pub's style, and on a program made out throughout the week, can be 80's music, cuban, pop, etc... And of course, dancing!

If you like the night life, this is the place to be.

Region Status Report

Syria - Islamic militants attempted to storm the U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Tuesday using automatic rifles, hand grenades and at least one van rigged with explosives, the government said. Four people were killed in the brazen attack, including three of the assailants.

The attack came at a time of high tension between the United States and Syria over the recent Israeli-Hezbollah war in neighboring Lebanon. In Damascus the sentiment has become increasingly anti-American sentiment.

Source: AP

Iran still refuses to suspend nuclear enrichment before the start of talks on its nuclear program — a key demand by the six nations locked in a diplomatic standoff with the Islamic republic, officials said Tuesday.

Tehran has said it would not give up its right to the full range of nuclear technology and expertise, including enrichment, which it says it needs to develop to meet future nuclear power needs.

Source: AP

Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday made his first official visit to Iran since taking office and planned to ask Tehran to prevent al-Qaida members believed to be in Iran from crossing into Iraq to carry out attacks, an Iraqi official said.

"There are al-Qaida members and al-Qaida strongholds in Iran," he told The Associated Press in Cairo, speaking by telephone from Baghdad. "We ask Iran for cooperation in controlling the border to prevent any al-Qaida exploitation of the border."

Source: AP

West Bank, Palestine - An Israeli military court on Tuesday ordered the release of 18 Hamas lawmakers, including three Cabinet ministers. Also, a spokesman for the outgoing Hamas-led administration said the group is prepared to back peace efforts with Israel as part of the new coalition government being formed by the Palestinians.

Source: AP

Beirut - Hezbollah has called on Lebanon's government to resign, in its first public rally in Beirut since the war with Israel ended, and defiantly repeated a vow not to abandon its weapons as urged by the United Nations.

Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar told a rally in a Shiite southern suburb on Monday night that "the Forces of March 14 (the anti-Syrian coalition which leads the government) aligned themselves with the Israeli enemy from the start" of the conflict that ended on August 14.

Source: AFP

Hezbollah tunnels in the south

Images received by e-mail, no source specified.

Italy says Syria OKs EU border personnel

Italy's prime minister said Saturday that Syrian President Bashar Assad has agreed to the deployment of European Union personnel along Lebanon's border with Syria.

Syria's official news agency denied news reports that the EU personnel under discussion would be border guards.

"The reports by some news agencies that Syria has accepted that European border guards monitor the Lebanese-Syrian borders are not true," the official Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

Source: AP

Click here to read more.

No more Israeli Naval blockade, but European warships?

Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon on Friday after European warships began patrolling to keep out weapons shipments for Hezbollah guerrillas, the head of the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon said.

[...]

The lifting of the blockade brings Israel's campaign against Hezbollah guerrillas closer to an end, and allows desperately needed reconstruction projects to proceed freely. Israel now must withdraw its last troops, to be replaced by up to 15,000 Lebanese soldiers backed by an equal number of international forces in southern Lebanon under an Aug. 14 truce.

Israeli officials said that could happen within two weeks.

Source: AP

Click here to read more.

Israel plans to end Lebanese blockade

Israel said it would lift its stifling air and sea blockade of Lebanon on Thursday, marking a crucial breakthrough in international efforts to rebuild from the war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

The move, announced Wednesday by the prime minister's office, will be the first major test for the U.N. force charged with keeping the peace and preventing arms shipments from reaching Hezbollah.

Source AP.

Click here to read more.

Wein msafer... Rja3

I am writing this post while listening to Julia Boutros' song, Wain Msafer?



(Real Player need to be installed)

I would like to dedicate this song to all the Lebanese who are living abroad and for all the Lebanese who are thinking of leaving Lebanon, remember your home, remember the day3a, remember where you first experienced your puppy love, remember the first time you got punished at school, remember the first time you got yelled at by your parents because you ate dessert before lunch, remember the first time you played street football, and everytime a car came by, you moved away until it passed and then resumed playing...

Time to give back,
try to,
stay here,
try to,
come back,
try to...

And don't leave.

"Mish ma32ouli innak boukra mish ra7 temrou2 7adel bayt..."

Lebanon, see you on Wednesday.

I would like to also link to my friend Clo's post:
يا طير فيروز... اسمع شو بدّي قلّك

Double Standards, H Y P O C R I S Y

We condemn double standards, we blame double standards for where we are today! Yet we judge by double standards as well.

Double Standards is mainly childish, selfish, illogical and prejudice...

Got More?

Xenophobia and Labelling, the source of all wars

We are quick to judge, fear and even hate the unknown. We may not admit it, but we are all plagued with xenophobic tendencies. Psychology Today

From dictionary.com: xen~o~pho~bi~a
–noun an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.

From Wikipedia: Xenophobia denotes a phobic attitude toward strangers or of the unknown. It comes from the Greek words ξένος (xenos), meaning "foreigner," "stranger," and φόβος (phobos), meaning "fear." The term is typically used to describe fear or dislike of foreigners or in general of people different from one's self.

Despite our better nature, it seems, fear of foreigners or other strange-seeming people comes out when we are under stress. That fear, known as xenophobia, seems almost hardwired into the human psyche.

[...]

Researchers are discovering the extent to which xenophobia can be easily — even arbitrarily — turned on. In just hours, we can be conditioned to fear or discriminate against those who differ from ourselves by characteristics as superficial as eye color.

The above quotes are taken from this article - Psychology Today magazine, it explains how xenophobia can be easily triggered among two groups and we are not just talking about racism or sexism... we see this in daily life, i.e. accountants vs graphic designer...

I recommend this article, it provides good examples, factual experiments and a very good and elaborate explanation of xenophobia.

How is Xenophibia related to Labelling?
Labelling itself is not "bad", because if I label poison as poison, I prevent myself from drinking it, thus from dying! However, Labelling combined with xenophobia, it becomes... Bad!.

During this war, I have seen throughout reading many blogs, and some online news websites that allow comments, how "stereotype" exists severely among people. And I admit I stereotype as well, and I always work on realising that my judgement is just based on fear of what I don't know, and try to come up with judgement that is based on more rational analysis amd facts.

Do we all try reconsidering our judgments? How often do we make an effort not to stereotype? not to judge based on a certain label? How much do we ignore about the other? And how xenophobic are we?

What's happening with the Lebanese who are trying to go back to Lebanon?

Basically the blockade is still on, many Lebanese are having problems going back to Lebanon, and surprisingly there are a lot of Lebanese who want to go back home, and I am among them. I was on the phone with an Agent who told me to keep checking with them for any update, he urged me to do so every couple of days, because places are getting filled so fast and that he is getting so many calls concerning tickets to Beirut.

The airlines people are using, have either stopped flying to Beirut, or they don't reach Jordan, and if they do reach Jordan or Cairo, nevertheless the rest would be up to the travellers themselves, and it is pretty difficult to get a ticket from Cairo or Larnaca for example to Jordan and then to Lebanon, difficult maybe not, very expensive? Definitely.

I was checking the prices of some tickets, let's say someone would think they would go to Jordan and take a car to Lebanon, or fly to Cairo, then to Amman and then to Lebanon by car or plane... The plane tickets are 1500$ and up, they even surpass 2000$.
I even heard that going by car from Jordan to Lebanon, is costing people around 1000$, and from Syria to Lebanon around 400$. Now I am not sure if it is still the same after the war or not.
Moreover it could be also due to the fuel's price increase, but this is still outrageous.

Below is an image taken from this post. The picture is really touching.



come back..