Happy Women`s Day

Kafa - Enough violence and Exploitation.

Kafa is a non-profit organization, dedicated to help women and children who are being abused verbally and physically.

This is their contact info and address:
Address: 43, Badaro Street, Beydoun Bldg., First Floor, Beirut - Lebanon
P.O.Box: 116-5042
Helpline: 961-3-018 019
Website: www.kafa.org.lb

Stop Global Warming - i`m making a difference

For all Live Messenger users, I guess you have noticed that some of the users are displaying the i'm icon in their nicknames. You can see different codes, such as *help, * naf, *unicef, *komen, etc... There are several organizations you can support.

To join, you can visit this link here, and you will need Windows Live Messenger v. 8.1.

I am currently showing support to the "Stop Global Warming" Organization, I hope more bloggers will post about this, so more people can add the icon to their nickname, and the following will happen.

i’m is a new initiative from Windows Live™ Messenger. Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. We've set no cap on the amount we'll donate to each organization. The sky's the limit.

Let's make a difference.

News about Sunday March 11

A lot of people showed up, no we're not talking millions or hundreds of thousands, but a really decent number. TL covered this event (a normal-like-it-should-be day in Downtown) most of the time interviewing people and also the president of the 11 March organization Merhi Abou Merhi a business man who said that he just wants March 8 and March 14 to find a middleground for the better of the Lebanese people.

Consequently, what was disappointing is that no other media than TL bothered to cover this event, even LBCI who is supposedly unbiased. Maybe they considered it a normal "day", but seriously, we all know that unpolitical stuff get a 10 seconds broadcast in the news (if we're lucky). TL did a good job, I think I probably watched TL for the first time in years. Moreover, the picture that we see on TV was a beautiful one, it was like the heart of downtown Beirut was alive again, people were walking, eating...

I only hope that more days like today come, in order to have our normal life back. I salute the people who went there, and I hope we'll follow their example.

Sunday 11 March in Nejmeh Square Downtown Beirut

For more info you can call 961 1 969999 or visit 11March.org.

It seems like an interesting event, I don't know what exactly will happen, but I am definitely curious. The middle ground between March 8 and 14, but on the ground, a lot of March 8th and March 14th are having enough, and just want to get on with life.

Ou3a, 3 March at 3 pm

Other movements against the political bi-polarism in Lebanon. Notice the pattern? All focusing on black and white (and grey).

On Saturday March 3rd, at 3pm near Riad El Solh square, Lebanese citizens gathered to mark their hand print on a black wall, in order to stand against the actions that the politicians are taking (or not taking) nowadays.

For once, there were no sign of political symbols and propaganda posters that dominate Beirut’s streets. Instead of the fractionalising yellow, green, the colours of the day were black and white. Not even a Lebanese flag to be seen.

The slogan for the event held at Bechara El Khoury square was ‘Watch Out Politicians! Wake up Citizens!’ It was organised by 12 non-partisan civil organisations acting under the newly formed banner ‘OU3A’

To read full article, click here.

Bi-polarism opposed with new movements, the third party

Until now, two movements have reacted to the recent events that occured during late December 2006 - opposition's camp out in Beirut downtown in order to topple the Siniora government - and the black days of January 2007 (Tuesday 23 and Thursday 25), when riots and turmoil erupted to almost cause a war, between Sunnis and shiites, christians against christians, stone throwing, tires burning, cars burning, gun-fire and fist-fights.

The first group basically got sick of March 14 and March 8, so they created something in the middle, March 11, they don't want to be neither, they say they are the Lebanese people, who want no color, no slogan, no political side, they just want a better Lebanon for all. For more info, you can visit their website here.

The second group, have decided to act. At first their goals are almost the same as the above group, they're slogan is "Solve it, resolve it", because "Our Parents couldn’t stop it in 1975, are we going to relive it in 2007?". A very catchy and smart sentence, which I loved is: "There are ALWAYS alternative and peaceful channels to turn to." They ask the Lebanese to join them to create a human chain, hand in hand, in Beirut on Saturday, February 10th at 2 pm to take a stand and publicly demand a dialogue to end the political deadlock immediately. For more info, check their webpage.

One more point in common, is the color black, while March 11 completed it with gray, 7ellouha contrasted it with white.

Good Luck for both, although I have to say, this is enough, we don't need more movements, they all have the same goals, so better to unite on this matter.