The Mood - 2

The optimism I had flying around this afternoon, when I dropped a comment about Jamal's entry , hit rock bottom as I was reading the news from Libnan. What I like about Joseph Samaha, of Al-akhbar, is his simplicity in breaking down a complicated issue. Check out his latest one (sorry!! arabic only). He does not yell, call names or attack anyone (not viciously anyway). Forget NBN, NewTV, LBC and most definitely Future TV; they are all an insult to anyone's intelligence, but I have to admit, I still pay them visit every once in a while, with the exception Future TV, to get feel of whats going on.

Going back to Mr Samaha, his article today was amazing... amazingly depressing that is, and it took me 15 minutes of blindly staring at the screen to get myself to click for the next article.

In brief, Condy and Georgi are leading a counter-attack :

1. $10 billion to Afghanistan.
2. more billions to Iraq (which they will collect later, and we all know how)
3. An end to the negotiations in Palestine, and lot of $$$ to rebuild Abbas's own security forces, slowly but steadily for the next two years. (and to be honest, I don't know whats there to negotiating, they don't have anything yet!!!!)
4. More US escalation towards Iran, mainly in Iraq.
   
5. And most importantly, They are donating more billions of $$$$$$$$ to the........Lebanese prime minister. who is known for his transparency, honesty and decency during his previous years. He gracefully smiles as he sit at the right hand side of President Jacques Chirac. Then, at a press conference, he address th Lebanese people with his his usually sweet talk.
   

An offensive, lead by the "Bush and Allies L.L.C", and used as infantry (willingly and necessarily.. unwillingly) are the "Moderate Arab's" and the transparent , honest decent people like PM Saniora and our brothers in Fatah to lead us into a more "democratic" and economically prosperous future. Then we will all live, democratically, under the watchful eyes of the kings of Arabia and we will all know where our money spent.

All of this outside aid, and then minister Ahmad Fatfat, PM Sanior, Jounblat and the rest of the gang of elitist and warlords will disgustingly throw statements on the air, demanding that Lebanon be left out of international and regional conflict and "let it not be a battle field for other countries wars"

A sad thing that what is happening!!!!

and to make things even worse; a friend sent me this surreal and idealistically depressing video.

All of that, and my boring Friday night has not even started......

Homesickness - 2

Half an hour spent(wasted) on the computer, starting with http://www.google.com/maps, Typing "Saida, Lebanon", the closest city to my hometown and following the roads from there to get to....HOME (click on the picture). Then roaming around the fields where I grew up.

Next.... Beirut, Addahyeh.

I do that every few months..

حنظلة

تعقيبا على ما جاء في المقال السابق، أشعر أن الليلة هي ليلة "حنظلة" بدون منازع..... رحم الله ناجي العلي....

العرب ؟؟

...«المعتدلين العرب»، «معتدلون بلا حدود»

التفاصيل المحزنة

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

He knew he was living his last hours, but steadfast he delivered his last speech, "I've been to the Mountaintop"

أنسي الحاج

كتب أنسي الحاج

..............

هناك شيء غيرهما، غير هذا المنطلق الذي بات أشبه، في حدّيه، بالحلقة المُفْرغَة.
لعلّه الوعي.
(اكتشاف عديم الدهشة، ككثير من الحقائق التي تستدعي التواضع).
وعي في حدّة الشمس، وقحٌ كبراءة تعيش ذاتها بلا وعي.
وعيٌ يعطّل فاعليّة العدوان. يشلّ الطغيان. يتفّه حيويّة الشرّ.
مناعة تنبعث من مجرد تسليط الوعي. توجيهه كالأشعّة، كالمطر الشاطف. وعي، محضُ وجوده وإعلان وجوده سقوط للجريمة. الجريمة تنمو في رطوبة العتم وتيبس وتهرّ في انقشاع الظهيرة.
لا يحتاج الحقّ إلى رشاشات، بل إلى ضمائر يشرح صدرها الصدق.
ولا إلى أبطال سلطة ولا إلى دُهاة، بل إلى متواضعين أبطال وإلى أذكياء مترفّعين وإلى عديمي الادّعاء أو على الأقل إلى قليلي الادّعاء. الغرور انتشر إلى حدّ باتت معه قلّة الادّعاء فضيلة أكثر انطلاباً من المعرفة.
لا تحتاج البلاد إلى عيون تَقْدَح الشّرَر، بل إلى عيون تشعّ بالطيبة. الجميع قبضايات. لكن الحاجة إلى وُدَعاء يقاسمون الشعب المقهور الفقير أوضاعه ولقمة موته.

السجن

يقال:
يصبح شعور الإنسان وحواسه في السجن أقوى، و يزدادإستعداده للإستفادة من الحياة والحب وما إلى ذلك.
فأتسأل هامسا:
إنه السجن إذا؟؟؟؟

It was said that man's senses and feelings become more acute in prison.

I wonder to myself and whisper: " It is the prison then, I am living in one!!"

الوضع الحالي

كتب جوزيف سماحة
..........................
لم يستكمل، بعد، بناء «محور الاعتدال العربي». إلا أن تقدماً يحصل. إيهود أولمرت يساعد من بعيد. بوش يقوم بما عليه. حكام عرب يعيدون ترتيب الأولويات. إيران ترتكب الخطأ تلو الخطأ. نخب عربية حاكمة (أو معارضة) تزداد غرقاً في أزمتها وتبدو مصابة بنوبة عصبية قد يطول أمدها. قيادات عراقية غرائزية. صعود «البلطجة» إلى موقع الصدارة في فلسطين. الرقص حول جثة صدام حسين. مطاردة «الشيعة» في غزة. التفتيش عن «المجوس» في جبل لبنان. التسامح مع أن تكون «الصدّامية» مستقبل الحركة القومية. حيرة «الاعتدال» بين ممارسة الخضوع للخارج وخطاب التحريض ضد الداخل... هذه كلها، وغيرها، علامات على نجاحات في بناء المحور المشار إليه.
رايس قادمة لوضع مدماك جديد، لتحاول محاصرة أي تعبير يفتح أفقاً.

Investigation!!

Who are the Ten countries that declined to help in the investigation of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri?? And why Did the US and France refuse the same of those countries in the UN?? One of many questions to the Lebanese and the world. Click here for an article by Talal Salman (arabic only, sorry).
I am not sure if out dear Almoustaqbal newspaper will even mention it. I wouldn't want to even try, I have been having a good day so far and want to keep it that way.

Brothers become Fathers and start baring face wrinkles, but never seize to loose the shear sense of humor.

Nephews who barely walked are now life-busting youngsters, but still get their clothes dirty all the time and did not manage to loose the "I will break everything in my way" look in their eyes.


Families still meet on new year's eve.


And for picnics and Barbeques.

While I am here, thousands of mile away, wondering whether what I am here for is worth missing on all of that....hmmmmm

Madness..

Click here for the latest Jounblat Madness....... (no further comments)

Saddam, Again...

Like Rabid beasts, two "civilized" Iraqi Politicians debate the legitimacy of the excution of Saddam Houssein. They start of course by the name calling and then comes the inevitable scene when one of them, or both, leave the set. One calls the other, a persian spy, a safawi, and the other barks out some names that I did not comrehend, given the choas.The ironi is one of them is a member in a party called "المصالحة والتحرير", the party of reconciliation and liberation. He spoke about the shia, and I am one of them, using very provocative and demeaning way; I was definitely offended.I do not understand how the so-called cream of the crop in Iraq are supposed to achieve the so-called reconliation if they are at such a level of ignorance and hate (a civil war mixture).

As a Muslim,Shia and Arab, I denounce the timing and the way of the execution of Saddam and I blame both Shia and Sunni's in Iraq for the escalation that will follow. I had a feeling of shame and helplessness, just like the feeling I had when the announced the fall of Baghdad not so long back. It drives me mad that the Iraqis have not learnt from us, lebanese.

I would still want to see him dead, but why not finish the other trials, the mass murder of the Kurds using chemical weapons for example. Maybe the cover would have been blown, showing the American involvement in many of those murders. The chemical agents were ordered "by phone" from the US at the time when Saddam the the US #1 man.

Until ignorance and hate cease to be the dominant feeling on the streets of Iraq, I do not see how things can get any better.

Also, click here for some of when Robert Fisk had to say about all this mess.