It is Just!

You can argue and say it the "timing" wasn't right. You can argue and say that the "trial" wasn't fair and was political. You can even argue and say that "history" won't forgive such thing. But one thing I'm sure of, Saddam Hussein got what he deserves!

I don't think Saddam deserved a fair trial to begin with. This "monster" has for decades, used the most awful horrible killing methods the world has ever known! From "melting" people in acid, as he did to hundreds of Kuwaitis during his invasion to Kuwait, to using "Fatal chemical weapons" against his very own people in Northern Iraq. I can't see how some people would come out and say "It wasn't a just trial"!!! What the heck are you talking about? Since when did Saddam gave his victims a fair trial? And even if he was given a so-called fair trial, what would have changed exactly? He would be sent free!!!!

I dare all of you out there defending that murderer to look in the eyes of his victims while you're claiming a fair trial, what would you think their reaction would be??! What about that old lady that asked that she'd be the one who would hang Saddam, who said that her father, her 3 brothers, her husband and her 5 sons were killed by Saddam, and she didn't even had the right to bury them! Can you come and tell her in the face that Saddam is not supposed to be killed??!

This is JUSTICE, for him to be executed in the same place where he cruelly massacred hundreds of his very own people, in this former intelligence head quarters, it is JUST...pure JUST

To HA Supporters

The Kuwaiti newspaper "Al-Siyassa" reported that during July war, the Syrian president called HA officials to order them NOT to target Tel-Aviv because the Israelis told the Syrians that they will target "Syrian vital targets" in case HA targeted Tel-Aviv. The newspaper reported that "two official documents, one of them is audio" confirm that request....

I'm not going to say that this is true, but in case it is, then let me ask all those who support HA, how can you support someone who didn't target Tel-Aviv, the capital of all evil, while our towns and cities were being destroyed just because they were protecting Syria??!!

For the full-length report, click on the following link:

http://www.alseyassah.com/alseyassah/International_11.asp

As I keep saying all the time...WAKE UP!

For Beirut

I just woke up 10 min. ago (ain't the holidays just GREAT), and as a traditional Lebanese habit, I turned on the TV to hear some news so that my blodd pressure could be raised to the maximum possible.

But Zavin was on the TV, an this time he was broadcasting from down town (yup, the heart of Beirut that we have forgot about). It was a re-run of course, but he was encouraging people to come to the down town. Mrs. Ajooz from Beirut Municipality invited all the Lebanese to come to the down town on December 30th, and prove to the whole world that Beirut never dies. Actors, directors and previous misses Lebanon were there too encouraging us to come to down town and be part of bringing Beirut back to life.

So, here I am joining them in asking you to come and join the rest of us in down town and help us in bringing back life to Beirut, the city we adore and can't live without....

Action Blank Spot

Only in Liban!

Where on earth, would you break in to some one's apartment, miss around with all the documents and actually "steal" some of it, got caught on tape doing so, and yet people of all kinds (lawyers, journalists, students, MPs) would demand that you get free and never arrested? Only in Liban!

Where on earth, would you hide tons of explosives with their timers in your own house in the middle of a town, change the color of two cars, report them stolen, and when you get arrested people start shouting and saying that you're innocent, and you only had these explosives to fight Israel (even though you are MIIIIIIIILES away from Israel)? Only in Liban

Where on earth, would 70 MPs sign a document, and when they try to officially document it in the parliament, the Speaker of the house refuse to accept it? Only in Liban

Where on earth, would you got assassinated one by one because of your political stands, and people start shouting that you are the ones who are assassinating yourselves just so you get some more "fake popularity" to go on with your "evil dirty plans"? Only in Liban

Where on earth, would you join a government, and yet accuse it of being a "traitor", then hold up a huge mass asking to topple it? Only in Liban

Where on earth, would you go into a war that destroys half of your country's infra-structure, and totally destroys it's economical status (NOT o mention the high number of casualties), and yet you hold up a HUGE mass claiming a "devine victory" ? Only in Liban

Where om earth, would you ask for an independent free modern country, and people start accusing you of being a "traitor"? Only in Liban

Where on earth, would two huge masses of people holding up the same flag, shout the same patriotic slogans, asking for "national unity", and then start kicking each other's butts? Only in Liban

Where on earth, would your country be on the edge of a "civil war", and yet when it's the holiday season, everyone goes to the shops and celebrate with joy? Only in Liban

Only in Liban....Only in Liban.....

It's Always About Nurture!

This post would definitely look "strange" on this blog, but I feel it's too important NOT to be mentioned, and after all, it's about my thoughts and feelings, so it must have a place here some how....

MANY of us, and specially women have spoken A LOT about the "oriental man" sick mentality and the "double standards" system that seems the only one operating in our area. Women can never have their rights in our society because of the "male dominant" society we are living in, and it is the "oriental man" who is to blame for all this.

And it is the same man who doesn't mind to "sleep around" with whoever girls, but when it comes to marriage, he won't accept but a "pure virgin" who knows nothing about anything, and all other girls are nothing but pure "sluts".

And because of this same man, women suffer a lot in marriages, because he thinks he has the right to "fool around", while the women have no rights but to stay home and serve the "oriental men" needs!!!!

Therefore, these "oriental men" are JERKS, BASTARDS and low-life forms that need to be castrated if we ever want to see our society progresses.

But, have we ever thought about "why" the oriental man is what he is? How come the western man doesn't have such a stupid mentality? How is it possible for any human being to believe that "double standards" are actually just and fair?

In my opinion, it has to do with nurture! YES, ladies and gentlemen, it's our fault, both men and women! "How is that possible?" "Are you nuts? Have you lost your damn brain?" "How could women be responsible for that?" Well, let me explain....

You see, it's impossible that any one in our society behave like that just because he is simply a jerk! There must be reasons. And I believe the main reason is nurture. It is how we raise in our society. We raise them to be the jerks and assholes they are! Ever since they are just kids, we always encourage the boy to be aggressive, to be wild. We make him feel he is the dominant species, and that he has the right to "act upon it"! And when they become teenagers, we encourage them to go out and stay late, because "that's how they become MEN" and "boys will always be boys".

What is ironic that ones who are doing that damage to the growing up boys are no one but the WOMEN! Our mothers are responsible for that! A mom would be so proud of her son who brought his girlfriend home with him, and she goes on saying: "Look at my son, look how good he is, I'm proud of him" and she would treat her son's girlfriend in the most amazing way, simply because it's her son's love! Even his sisters would do the very same thing! "Oh, my brother is a chick-magnet, they just can't keep their hands off of him!" You see, you WOMEN encourage your MEN to be JERKS! If your son or brother wants to marry a girl, there is NO WAY you would accept some one who is divorced or who is NOT a virgin. The very first words coming out of your mouths would be "You're too much better to accept that BITCH!" "Why would you wanna marry a woman who is divorced??!!"

And if (some how) one man decided that he won't be a typical "oriental man", and accepted to marry a girl who is not a virgin, do you think the society will leave him alone? ALL of us will start talking about him; "He's NOT a man" "Shame on him" "Akid mrakkab 2roun!!" (He must have got horns)....

Things doesn't stop here, if his sister has a boyfriend, and he knows about it and he's "okay" with it, then he is "foofoo", or he is a "Shame on all MEN in the society". Damn, even his own sister would look down on him "Doesn't he have any honor???!!!" I can't really understand it, but strangely enough, that is what happens!!!!

"Maraya", a famous Syrian comedy show, describe this in the best way possible. In one of the sketches, a woman visit her mom and starts complaining about her husbands, and what a "jerk" he is because he is going to marry another woman. The mom goes CRAZY, calling her son-in-law " a F***** bastard" "Did he forget that he was on his knees just to marry you?" "Who does that asshole thinks himself?" "Just wait till your dad and brother get back, and we're going to teach that scum a lesson he won't ever forget, and if he insisted on being the jerk he is, he's going to divorce you, you deserve much better than him".

10 minutes later, her son shows up. And he starts complaining to his mom and sister about his wife, how she doesn't satisfy him, mentally or physically, and how she doesn't respect him as her man. What do you think their answer was? You won't believe it! They said: "Who does that BITCH think herself?" "That slut needs to be treated like the bitch she is" "Marry another one, habebe (my dear)!!!!!". "You are a MAN, and it's your right" "we will find you another girl that is just right for you, and you can get rid of that BITCH you got at home". Do I need to comment?

I know that "oriental men" are double standards jerks who treat women like shit, but if want to start blaming, then we should blame our "way of nurture" first. LADIES, it's your fault as much as it's men's one. The only way to treat such a disease is to be honest with ourselves and treat the "underlying cause". What we need is a "radical change" in our daily life. We shouldn't accept such behavior from all the MEN, including our sons and brothers, and women MUST refuse to be treated in such a bad way, and they MUST NOT treat themselves like that too!

It's too easy to point out fingers, and blame "males", but what we need is an "objective" process that acknowledge that the problem is not just in the "oriental man", but it includes the "oriental woman" as well; it's a problem of the whole society. Once we acknowledge that, we can put our feet on the right road.......

Vacation at LAST

FINALLY, my vacation has started just hours ago....

Sorry for NOT posting for the longest time ever, but I was soooooooo busy with my exams, and akid now I'll be even more busy since it's the holiday season and I don;t wanna miss out THE FUN!

Lots to be said about politics, but I promised myself a good long vacation, and I'm sticking to it.

Let me know what you think about the new look, I just felt I need some holiday spirit somewhere...

Take care and enjoy the HOLIDAY SEASON

ABC Achrafieh....THANKS!!!

I had the Cardiology (everything in medicine related to the heart) final exam last Monday, after a horrible weekend where I did NOTHING but sitting on my @$$ and studying day and night. Normally, I was so depressed but I was thrilled that I'm finally over all these heart issues at least till next year!

The first thing I did was getting a hot bath, then I shaved and regained my usual look back :P
Couple of friends and I wanted to go to ABC Achrafieh and see what's going on in Beirut. And I can fairly say it was the wisest thing we ever did!

Thanks to ABC Achrafieh, I remembered that it is xmas time nowadays! Where ever you look, you can see the xmas spirit! Candles, xmas trees, lovely decorations and most of all the lovely xmas songs I adore, even the French ones that I don't even understand!

At first, I took couple of pictures, then I saw a lovely small parade with Santa wondering around the mall singing xmas songs, and kids walking with them, and I just couldn't help it! I just found myself walking and singing with them!!! 10 minutes later I got over 1000 missed calls from my friends wondering where the hell I gone (yes, all of them didn't have units!!!!), and I was obliged to leave the parade and join my friends again......

I can say I really had a great time there, so thanks for everyone who participated in making the xmas spirit shine at ABC, since it seems very gloomy outside that I wish I lived there at ABC all the time!!!!

Tueni's Mass

I just got home after participating in Tueni's mass this afternoon in Achrafieh. I have so many mixed feeling at the time being, but mostly I really miss Gebran! We really need his voice and courage to keep us moving forward. I miss his articles every Thursday, up till now, I still go and buy AN-Nahar newspaper hoping I'll find Gebran talking to us one more time.....

I want to thank every one who came to the mass, though I felt abit upset as some groups were dancing and singing songs of their respective political parties, but this is what happen in times of extreme political tension, and you just can't stop it!I suffered A LOT in order to get inside the church! The organizers were doing their best to prevent the masses from getting into the church unchecked, I want to thank each and everyone of them for their great efforts, and mostly for their always smiling faces as they are facing the masses.

Finally, I was able to get inside, and thank God I did! There were tons of people in the Church yard, but all of them (mostly young people, in their teens or early twenties, something that filled my heart with joy) were silent, listening and praying for the soul of Gebran and his friends. There were ladies crying as they were remembering what a great person Gebran was. People were clapping everytime one of March 14th personnel appeared, Charl Rizk was welcomed with heavy clapping, so was Tarik Metri and others...

Motran Audi speech was more than amazing. He is a man of wisdom, and he knows just how to remember our precious ones.I hope Gebran was watching us, I couldn't help myself but to have some tears in my eyes as I realized that we really said goodbye to Gebran. I know many of you would think "Oh C'mon now!", but to all of you I say, he wasn't just any man, he was Gebran Tueni. He is the man who made me believe in my dreams again. He is the one who convinced me that dreams can and they do come true when we believe in them hard enough. I owe Gebran a lot, I owe him what I am now, and I promise him I would NEVER EVER give up on my dreams, specially the most precious one, a true FREE INDEPENDENT MODERN LIBAN.

May your soul rest in peace ya 3azeem "You great one"

Tueni's Mass Relocated

Thanks to the unstable situation in Downtown, Gebran's Tueni's mass was relocated to Mar Metr Church in Achrafieh on Tuesday December 11th, 2006 at 5:00 pm.

To all of you who loved Gebran, to all of you whom Gebran was an inspiration and a guidance, you are all invited to join in the mass.

P.S: this is a time to remember those who died for our sake, please try NOT to turn it into a political mass. It's just a modest way to show our respect to the memory of a great man who we miss so much

UPDATE: Rampurple corrected the date, it is on December 12th, 2006. Sorry for the mistake. Thanks Ram :)

One Heck of A Character!

What do you think?

FPMers...Explain That!

I tried my best to find it in English, but I wanted to use the official source, and it is in Arabic.

FPMers, check your web-site: http://www.tayyar.org/elections/programme/ProgramArabica_files/frame.htm

This is your political program, check slide 27, the very last THREE POINTS, and then check slide 3, point 5.

When you finish reading it, explain to me how you can be with and against HA at the same time!!!??

Just asking....just asking...

Where Are We Going?

Tilda asked me what will happen next, since the 19-2-9 suggestion has been rejected by the opposition. And it seems it needs Michel Hayek to figure that one out, but I'll do my best...

So, Lahoud sent back the tribunal decision back to the government unsigned, reports say that Berri won't held parliament session till this conflict is over, Seniora is not going to resign, and the oppositions is preparing for a new "surprise" in its 2nd rally tomorrow.

Everyone is doing his best NOT to compromise, obviously everyone is showing that he is the "stronger" side of the equation, and so, he has the right to decide what to do next.

I've been thinking, what would happen if the government (which has the majority in the parliament) resigned as a result of the opposition's rally? How will a new government be formed? Obviously the majority won't accept to gove the "blocking third" to the opposition, and the latter won't accept any other form for the government, so what?

What if (somehow) this new government saw the light? How would it be able to function? How would it make a new election law? I'll go even farther and say that a new law has been passed, and the elections made the opposition became the "new majority" so that they would be able to form a government with or without March 14th, what would the latter do? Obviously they will start there own rally, refuse the elections, and work on forcing the government and the president to resign.

Where are we going? This is an endless circle that won't end, simply because if we are OK to force one government to resign in the streets, then we are allowing every new opposition to go in the streets and ask the government to resign. THIS IS SILLY!

I haven't mentioned that the UN will be forced to imply the tribunal under the chapter 7 , which means the UNIFIL forces will have the right to ENGAGE in order to fulfill UN resolutions, is that what we want?

Both sides should realize that they are taking the country o the unknown. This is NOT how things should work. SIT TOGETHER, elect a new president, form a new government, make a new election law, and let the PEOPLE LIVE.

3AN JAD EREFNA! "Seriously, we are disgusted"

The Plan!

Things seem more clear now. Watching the news (unfortunately, you have to watch 3 or 4 Lebanese channels, each has its own agenda, to get an idea about what the heck is going on) I think the plan is pretty much as follows.

The opposition's rally, and March 14th supporting rallies will continue till the president return the tribunal decision back to the government (obviously he will not sign it). The current government will meet again to agree on sending the decision to the parliament regardless of the president signing. Then Berri is expected to call for a parliament session. At this point, the government would resign, and a new 30-member government would be made; 19 for March 14th, 10 for March 10th and ONE neutral member. This government formation could be delayed till Berri hold a parliament session so that March 14th can be sure that the tribunal would be finally official.

The new government will have two main objectives: Electing a new president (sources predict that would happen in next February), and preparing for a new parliament elections.

The sad thing is that if this is the plan for real, then all of these clashes and rallies that are taking place now can be considered "meaningless and useless"; just a stupid actions taken by BOTH sides for nothing more than to demanding a better negotiating terms.

But the question remains, how would the rising tension in the streets be controlled? Do the political leaders realize that they took the people near the point of no return? And how can they be sure that things won't get out of control before the plan farther steps are reached?

I'd be lying if I said that I'm NOT disgusted of the whole situation. But we have reached a stage where we are ready to accept any deal that would bring peace and stability back to the country, because we want to live and maybe, just maybe, enjoy the holidays season. Is that something too much to ask for?

The Real Face Revealed?

No comment really, just watch and let me know what you think.
It seems Jeajea was right after all when he said: "The mask has fallen".....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipDellud-VY

Pictures of Tripoli's Demonstartions

A Reply To Ali!

Mostafa, on his blog http://beirutspring.blogspot.com wrote a letter to Ali, one of the guys demonstrating against the govenrment. Ali replied to Mostafa later on. But I felt like I need to reply back to what Ali said; and so, here is my reply. You can click here to see what Mostafa wrote, and click here to read what Ali replied......



Ali,
Your dad taught you that men shouldn't cry, but you said that he cried sometimes.
Only those with no feelings can NOT cry while they are making a conference infront of the whole world, and all of a sudden they get a note that his very own people, women and children were killed in a barbaric massacre just moments ago....

PM Seniora showed the whole world that before anything else, we are human beings, and that the live of EACH one of us Lebanese MEANS ALOT to us. His honestly and pure human feelings showed the whole world that we are barbaric people who held no value for human lives. His tears provoked the Arab leaders to unite and go united demanding a fair UN resolution that would prevent farther meaningless massacres.

No, Ali, men should cry when their own people get killed. Men shouldn't hide away and yet come on TV and start screaming that they had killed the enemies, I wish I had seen the other leaders being affected with all the human lives we lost for no reason because of their "mistake" as they admit later on.....

Without the government you are protesting against now Ali, Israel would have still being bombarding Lebanon up till now. Without this government, there would have been a UN resolution that would have brought Lebanon to its knees. Without this government, you would have been jailed for DARING to say no to authorities, as we have suffered YEARS AND YEARS from the Syrian regime you PROUDLY said "Thank you" to in March 8th....

Can't you see Ali, without emotions and true pure feelings, we are no different than animals who kill eachother over power. And we are PROUD of PM Seniora, and we treasure his tears, because just right then, I realized that we have leaders who can feel, we have leaders who treasure our Lebanese lives.....

I hope one day you'll be able to realize that.....

Shame On You

I heard from couple of friends about what Mr. Franjieh said about Cardinal Sfeir, but I was like: "NO WAY, he actually said THAT???!!".

I actually refused to believe and thought that it's just another episode of propagandas war between March 8th and 14th. But then I watched the news, and I couldn't believe my ears as he said: "It seems Cardinal Sfeir (......) when he saw all the ladies in Bkerki" !!!!!

What on hell???!! What the heck is wrong with that man? How could anyone be THAT rude? How can anyone say such thing about the Maronite cardinal??? Is this how we address our religious figures now???!!

Not only that, but after all that he comes on the air again and says: "My enemies always try to convert my words; I used a Lebanese-spoken-language-term in the meaning that the Cardinal was "excited" and indeed I didn't mean it sexually". As if we are not Lebanese and we don't know when we use the specific word YOU USED and when it is used!!!!!

One word can be said... SHAME ON YOU....SHAME ON YOU....SHAME ON YOU

Tripoli Today

I’m staying in the North for the weekend, and therefore I won’t be able to talk about the situation in Beirut. Nevertheless, I can talk about the atmosphere in Tripoli.

Today was a very normal day in Tripoli; everybody is busy with his/her daily work. I went with my mother to the bank, then we went to get some Lebanese flags for our balconies. You could easily see the dealers smiley faces as they are buying lots and lots of flags of all shapes and sizes. Somehow, these traders have found a way to get some profit out of the current situation.

As the day passed, you could see an increasing number of Lebanese flags with March 14th red-white scarves being raised on the balconies. As I’m writing this article, I can hear sirens out of cars parades, and people weaving the Lebanese flags in support of Seniora’s Government.

I’ll try to take pictures of Tripoli tomorrow’s morning to give an idea about the atmosphere here.

Everybody is waiting to see what will go on, one crowd staying in the streets demanding the government to resign, and the other one staying home, weaving the Lebanese flags supporting the very same government.

All I can say is that though the future seem dark, yet we can congratulate ourselves for our civilized democratic ways in expressing our beliefs, under the law and the constitution……

Hold Up Your Lebanese Flag!

As you all know by now, the opposition has called for an open demonstration till the government resign, starting from tomorrow. Beirut is witnessing a HUGE amount of army and internal security forces, specially in Achrafieh and downtown (and maybe other areas of Beirut that I'm not aware of).....

Cardinal Sfeir asked all the Lebanese NOT to take the political conflict to the streets, because "History taught us that opposing streets can NEVER fix problems". He insisted that the only way out is by sitting down and try to find a way out. One can't help but to see that he was taking the March 14th movement side, asking Aoun and Aounists indirectly NOT to divide the Christians...

PM Seniora had a speech moments ago, where he declared that the government is constitutional, and that it can't be changed BUT when the parliament says so, regardless of the opposition's demonstration. He stressed on the role of the government to protect the people and their rights no matter what, and it won't just stand still while others try to take over our democratic legitimacy....

He also asked all Lebanese to hold up the Lebanese flag on their balconies, to show the enormous support the government has. I for one I'm going to put the flag on my balcony first thing in the morning....

For all of you out there, who believe that Liban should NOT go backward to the dark ages, to all of you who believe that we need to know the dirty hands that killed our martyrs, to all of you who marched again and again and again to the martyrs' square defending our independence, I ask you to join us in raising up the Lebanese flag at your balconies. Let us show everybody that we are HERE, and we are defending our Liban in the most appropriate democratic way....

To all Lebanese, no matter which side you are with, PLEASE do NOT push things to the point of no return. Be responsible, and respect others' feelings the same way you like them to respect yours. If conflicts started between people in the streets, then ALL of Liban is loosing, and no one is going to benefit.....

Beirut At Maximum Tension!

Two days ago, a huge conflicts took place between LF and FPM supporters over "Political leaders' pictures". Many reports are talking about many conflicts between Sunnies and Shiites in Beirut, again over leaders' pictures.

I think serious measures should be done to avoid the increasing tension from reaching the point of no return; a point where no one will benefit, and everyone will loose. One step would be for internal security forces to work on removing all political leaders' pictures from the streets of Beirut, since the only objective these pictures are doing right now is to cause up rising conflicts.

Another ESSENTIAL step would be for the political leaders (Jeajea and Aoun) (Nasrallah and Hariri) to have a meeting where they declare that they are TOTALLY against the dangerous conflicts taking place every now and then. They are the main reason why people in the streets are on each others' throats.

Right now, it's NOT important whether you are anti or pro Syrian, because both people will loose if things got out of control, and the only people who will benefit are Liban's enemy.

I won't ask the people in the streets to "reason up", simply because the sound of reason is NOT being heard while the War drums are being hit hard. Measures should be done AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

It's Xmas Time!

On my way to Beirut this morning, I saw a lovely Xmas decoration done by ABC Dbayeh. The whole ginat store is rabbed in a gift shape. Very nice decoration.

"Baddi Moot Feda Lebnen!"

Every time we say good bye to one of our martyrs, and after the emotional reaction and marching to downtown insisting on continuing our struggle till the end, I sit by myself and start wondering!

I start asking myself, did we take the right choice? Is the decision to continue fighting is the suitable decision? Does our cause worth the great souls we are loosing? I will be honest here and admit that there have been times where I thought that maybe we should stop; we have lost enough, and it’s not worth it.

But then, I see the reactions of our political rivals (NOT enemies), and I realize that even though we love our martyrs, and we badly miss them, but at the end we love Liban even more! And there’s no way we can give up and stop walking down the road till the end.

It’s normal to sometimes hesitate, and it’s normal to feel that maybe it is enough, and that we have lost a lot. But I always realize that may love and passion for Liban is what always make me come back stronger than ever, and willing to continue till the end.

I remember back in March 14th, 2005, and while we were marching to Martyrs Square in the bus, we saw a very old lady (almost 80!) driving her old car with one hand, and holding Liban’s flag with the other! We were so surprised, and we asked her: “What are you doing?” I can NEVER forget the look on her face as she replied: “Baddi moot feda Lebnen!” ( I want to die for the sake of Liban!). When ever I recall that old lady, I just get more and more determined to continue our struggle till we reach the Liban we always dream about. It’s NEVER about people; because people come and go, and it’s only LIBAN that lasts for ever……

March 14th Babes!

Lovely babes from the huge demonstartion on freedom square.....

Gemayel's Funeral Pictures

It was a glorious day by all means. We proved again that we are the majority, the TRUE majority that calls for a true independent Liban. Nothing can express my feelings to see that after all these struggles, March 14th movement is still as strong as ever. Here are some pictures I took today.....

Beirut Now

I was supposed to go back to the north yesterday, but the assassination made me decide to stay in Beirut.

When you walk down in Beirut streets, you can see the tension everywhere. Wherever you look, you can see army men with their suits and guns, watching and trying their best to maintain a minimum level of security.

Achrafieh seems sad today, and every now and then you see small group of people in their cars with their speakers, asking people to be there at Martyrs square tomorrow, condemning the brutal assassination, and demanding a ONE-MAN stand in the face of terrorism.

You can see that everybody is worried and sad, no one can predict what's going to happen later on. It is the most awful feeling that any one can feel, to know that something is going to happen, but not knowing how to react, or what to do.

We were supposed to celebrate the first anniversary of Tueni's assassination in a couple more days, now yet another man to remember and treasure his sacrifices has been added to the list. Irony of life, we can't say good bye to one hero till we are obliged to say yet another good bye to another one....

I've spent most of the day at home, watching the scene outside my window, but I think I'm going to go down and visit some friends, maybe walk a little bit and check things out.

All I can say is that we should all be there at Martyrs square tomorrow. We MUST show these criminals that we are NOT afraid, and that we are willing to continue our struggle till the end. We have lost so many pure souls, and we are ready to see their sacrifices fade away just like that....

Need More Clues?

Al-Siyassa Kuwaiti newspaper mentioned that the Syrian news agency "SANA" called and asked about Gemayel assassination almost one hour BEFORE it took place!!! http://www.alseyassah.com/alseyassah/First_12.asp

And yet, we still hear voices accusing Israel and America! Not just that, but some people are even accusing March 14th movement itself! It seems that the new trend is to assassinate yourself!

That only shows that the "conspiracy Theory" against us is still overwhelming the masses, who still believe that all evil deeds have one source and one source only, US and Israel.....

Wake up people....WAKE UP

Yet Another martyr...

It seems we are a country that can't live without people dying defending it. We lost yet another martyr today, in a dirty attempt to make the government resign. How low can they get? a 34-year-old young promising politician, how cold-hearted and inhuman can you be to assassinate such a guy? And at such critical timing?

So many troubled emotions are burning inside me since I heard the news earlier today. This is a sad day. But yet, I have, no we all have a word to say: "WE WON'T FUCKEN GIVE UP ON LIBAN! YOU CAN KILL US ONE BY ONE, BUT WE WON'T STOP DREAMING OF BETTER LIBAN".

The least we can do is to pray for the rest of Gemayel's and all of our independence martyrs' souls. Rest assure your blood won't go in vain.....

Be there at martyrs square next Thursday. Our Liban is calling for us once again, and we all should be ready to answer its call, and show EVERYONE who are we and we are made of...

May your soul rest in peace Pierre, may God bless this country, and prevent farther huge losses of great independence-seeking men and women....

What the Problem is All About!

The problem is that the opposition thinks that all what is driving March 14th people is money, and desprate need to be in power! They still can't see that it was a VERY LOUD SHOUT to STOP playing with our future. And NO, it's not just the Sunnis that are making this movement, Christians are at the core of it, they have spent years asking and demanding for what March 14th is all about.

The problem I think is in the traditional Arab mentality. We always accept the fact that the whole world wants nothing but to invade us and stole our land. This idea is always successful and finds people who are more than welling to listen to and accept it. And this is exactly what HA is trying to do. They are selling the people what they love to buy through out their lives; that USA and Israel are coming to invade us, and that we should fight back, and everyone who is NOT with us is simply an American follower who is against us.

The Sunnis in Liban finally understood what this is all about, or maybe they are just fed up with the huge dept they have to pay for Arab and Islamic nationalism, and together with the Christians, they are now demanding that we should think about Liban first, a strong independent Liban, then start thinking and worrying about Arab issues.....

"The Hell with Independence, Welcome Followship!!" بئس السيادة و أهلا بالوصاية

Sorry our martyrs, they have uncovered us! They discovered what we are all about. We are American-dolls run by Jewish fingers! Yes, they revealed the true face of March 14th movement. We are corrupted, un-patriotic, money diggers and not worthy of the word "Lebanese".

They are telling us to forget you, to forget that they killed you because you were asking for our freedom, NO, because you were DEMANDING Liban's freedom and independence.

Independence???!! What an awful-American-Israeli-unpatriotic demand you lost your lives to, and we marched for two years ago! A truly-Lebanese-elected-government???!! What were we thinking? How could we do such a horrible thing?

How did we throw the Syrian regime out! How did we dare to stand in the face of dictatorship???!

But now, the true Lebanese patriots are here! And they are going to bring Liban back to the Syrian-era, to Karami's national government that allowed every single on of us to express his/her opinion, to the era where NO ONE was allowed to say anything but "YES" and "unity of road and destiny".....

But they did FORGET something, they forgot that we didn't made March 14th because we were blindly following our leaders, we didn't declare the "Cedars Revolution" because we were ordered to. We did what we did because we BELIEVE in INDEPENDENT LIBAN, because we refuse to be guided by Syrians and Iranians, because we are FED UP of Arab nationalism CRAP that kept holding us prisoners to open meaningless destructful wars with Israel.

Think again! If you think you can turn the table on us and take Liban back to the black past, then think again!

One word to them.... "Welcome Independence, and the HELL with followship"

If This is True

I just read an article by on http://beirutspring.blogspot.com called "The Plot Thickens". It talks about the last Al-Quaeda threat to the Lebanese government to be a March 14th inside job!

If what's Al-Manar TV saying is true, then it is a SERIOUS issue; though we are used to such propaganda coming out from our local media every now and then. Nevertheless, this should be investigated thoroughly....

Best Breakfast Ever!

For those who know "Abu Rami" foul and homos restaurant in Mina, you will know exactly what this article is all about, for those who don't, YOU ARE MISSING THE MEAL OF YOUR LIFE!

Since I moved to Beirut. I've started to miss the old habits of mine back in the north. So last Sunday, I decided I NEED to have a traditional Mina breakfast with friends, and that's EXACTLY what I did.

There is nothing that can describe the atmosphere, the place is always crowded with customers in the morning, people everywhere sitting and waiting for the wonderful breakfast, while the workers prepare everything in front of your eyes, and you can see the smoke coming out of the potts, with this magnificent aroma spreading all over the place......

And don't let me start talking about the bread, coming fresh out of the oven, hot and tasty you can't wait to just grab it and start eating, eventhough the man tells you to wait till it cools off or else you'd burn your fingers, but take my word on this, once the bread is in front of you, you can't resist but to touch it, even if you got yourself burnt!

And after along wait comes the tasty meal! Fatteh, foul and hommos b awerma, sfee7a...OMG what a meal!

And of course, the meal can't be completed but with the cup of hot tea at the end, where you sit and relax, trying to come out of the dream you were in, and loool trying to digest the HUGE amount that you ate without noticing...

It might sound silly, but believe me, if you ever came to the north, make sure to pass by "Abu Rami" in Mina to know what I'm talking about......

The view right before we started eating

The view after FIVE minutes ONLY

Two Ways to See Things

You can say: "the cup is half empty". Or you can be optimistic and say: "the cup is half full". Traditionally, Lebanese people would follow the first saying. But just to be optimistic for a change, I'm gunna go with the later this time.

We live in a democratic country. True we have our very own version of democracy, with all these religious sects in every single detail, but yet it is a democracy based upon free elections. And like in any other democratic countries, political parties disagree and sometime they just can't seem to find a middle ground. So they agree to disagree, and each team will do its best (within democratic regulations) to fulfill its project. And I'd like to think that this is how things are going now in Liban; HA and its allies decided to resign form the government as they don't agree with how things are going, and so they are in opposition now, and they have all the right to do whatever democracy allow to fulfill their goals. Both, Mr. Raad and Dr. Jeajea were pretty clear about that. Even if we didn't agree, that doesn't mean that civil war is on the way.

The opposition has all the rights to say "NO", and it has the right to organize riots and demand what it sees as right and just. And sure the majority has all the right to rule the country and make sure that security and stability are maintained at all costs.

Most people would disagree, and frankly, part of me find it extremely difficult to believe that this is how things really are. But nevertheless, you reach a place where you have to stick to hope and pray that good things happen to good people. And as long as all parties agreed that they are under the law, then hopefully this political crisis will come to an end without a huge loss like we used to see in previous occasions.

Call me a dreamer, but let's just hope that democracy is actually found in our community!

March 14th Movement

March 14th, 2005, we marched in MASSIVE numbers asking for our independence. We ALL went to the martyrs squares demanding a better future. Our huge movement shut all pro-Syrian mouths, even the great HA found itself obliges to accept the fact that a new era has begun.

Our movement continued, and we won in the election, getting the majority in the parliament. And all of a sudden, we started dreaming about a pink future, where we can build our Lebanon the way it should be build.

Then what happened? till this day I still can't understand why our political leaders decided to compromise!!! Why we ran after HA to join the government? And why we kept all this time asking for unity, national agreement, etc.....

I really can't understand that. Are we that weak? Are we that much unable to form our own government? We marched for the second time in February 14th, 2006, and we are more than capable of marching again and again and again.Our seek for compromising encouraged the pro-Syrian parties to start appearing again; they found a golden chance to get back into the scene by forming coalition with HA, and so they did. We gave them the chance to stand up in our way and in Lebanon way!!! And for what??? Can anyone tell me?

And now, our political leaders are welcoming Aoun in the government!!!! I can't even get that man, he was offered 4 ministers before, and he refused, and now he seem more than happy with the 2-ministers-offer, what the hell is going on?

My point is, we won the elections, and we are the majority, and so we have the right to rule the country, and we should form our government without asking them to join and put sticks in our wheels. We should have done this from the very beginning.

A word to our politicians, GET SOME BALLS and form a government capable of taking decisions, and be sure we all will be right behind you, and we won't let you down. Stop asking others to join and accept their constant indifference with our decisions. Why on hell did we had the elections if we can't rule when we win????!!!!!

Yacoubian Building

It's a SCREAM in our faces! A true honest WAKE UP call!

YES, this is what we have come to, this is how bottom-low our society has become. So many people criticized the movie, and said that it is an awful presentation of our society, but the truth is that this is the first time we see a true attempt to see things EXACTLY how they really are. Those who reject the film are only rejecting or trying NOT to accept that we no longer a nation of honor, religion and so called "Fadeela". They want to keep hiding behind their noses, trying to hold on to a false history that no longer exist, that if it ever existed to begin with!

For those of you who say they can't stand a meaningless Egyptian movie full of comedy, PLEASE go see the movie. It has brought a whole new level to Arab cine industry. Great acting, everyone is so truly honestly representing his/her character, with all the misery, passion and complications.

Farther more, try to read the novel, it's 10000000 times more touching than the movie, and if the movie is that much strongly effective, you can imagine what the novel looks like.

I'm NOT exaggerating at all. THANKS for the great author for this wonderful "slap on the face". THANKS for your honestly, courage and most of all transparency in translating the true image of corruption that has rotten our poor societies. For all the actors and actresses, THANKS a lot for this devotion. THANKS for everyone who made this film become a reality.

They say the first step in treating a problem is admitting to actually having the problem. I believe that "Yacoubian Building" has put our feet on the right track, and it is up to each and every one of us, to understand the lesson, and try to make a change around him/her, instead of just sitting on our butts, and living the illusion that we are "the best nation of the world"........

Around Beirut

So, we just finished the God damn huge F***** exam, and the only thing we could think of is that we need to get out! just go to where ever we can go and try to see the world around us and all the things we have missed during the past two weeks (because we were stuck home studying the endless virology).

At City Mall, this huge ad got my attention; it is supposed to be about some shoe store, but I wonder what the girl in the ad has in mind (so the photographer as well).........



I leave it up to you

I'm Back!

I know I have gone without any notice, but seriously I was obliges to do that because I had lots and lots of study to do during the past 10 days. It's true that as a MED II student, study never ends, but I promise I'll find time to keep this blog alive.

Stay tuned, for updates are about to come, specially after I finally got over the HUGE F***** virology exam yesterday.

Thanks for your continuous support

UNIFIL Dilemma

Yesterday, the Lebanese Army established its full control over the Lebanese soil, and removed the Israeli violation near Adayce area, where the Israelis were watching from the other side of the borders, and the UNIFIL forces monitoring the area.

It'd give us a great deal of pleasure and security to see our army defending our borders and NOT backing up from a potential confrontation with Israel. And the fact that the UNIFIL forces are monitoring every single move of both sides gives a great deal of security; for I know that Israel won't do a stupid move as to engage with the Lebanese army while the whole world is watching its attack, and Hezbollah is not stupid either to engage in such a fight, knowing that any presence of its arsenal will be a direct violation of UN resolution 1701. More and more, it seems that UNIFIL might use force against Israel to put an end to its violations. What more could we ask for after all that?

But, being the suspicious person that I am, I can't help but to get a little bit worried about these massive forces that we have here in Lebanon now. We all know that UNIFIL forces, up till now, takes orders or shall we say cooperate with the Lebanese governments in all its actions. But would this situation remain the same in case of a governmental change? We all are aware that US and France are happy with the current Lebanese government, believing that it is made of forces that know how to stay in the middle and NOT go to extreme measures that could escalate the situations. But what if a change put pro-Syrian powers back into the government? Would the UNIFIL still take orders from such government? I doubt that very much. Then what would happen? Foreign forces in Lebanon not cooperating with the Lebanese government, won't that be considered some sort of occupation? Or will such forces give us a great push NOT to allow such tragic change to occur?Just having these thoughts in my mind, and wanted to discuss them with all of you, if you have any opinion about that, feel free to share them :)