We are nihilist thoughts rising in the head of God
Franz Kafka

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A note to the reader

I think that this blog has reach its final stop, like an endlessly dying beast that I couldn’t resolve myself to kill. But I probably should, for I see myself thinking of so many things but not writing any of it, thinking that I should save all that for this work that I hope to [...]

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طلال سلمان في السفير

ويزدهي اللبنانيون عموماً بأن يُقال عن وطنهم الصغير، منظوراً إليه من خلال يومياته السياسية وتحوّلات قياداته وزعاماته ومرجعياته الروحية، إنه بلد الأعاجيب والألاعيب والسراديب، وقد يضيف البعض و«الأكاذيب»، وأن الظاهر فيه غير الباطن، وللباطن باطن وربما بواطن، والبواطن دول، والدول مصالح، وعند اختلاف الدول إحفظ رأسك مرة، أما عند اتفاقها فاحفظ رأسك مرتين!
طلال سلمان، 1-12-2007، [...]

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Inscribing the political in the body: A tentative Lebanese case

Please read this article in full. It is just excellent. Every idea, every answer is just full of interesting cultural stereotypes and social urges. I am still trying to know who wrote it (it was published in the Daily Star and taken from Agence France Press) because the wit is good, although some questions [...]

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The Real

An anti-war activist at the US congress screaming “war criminal” to Condoleeza Rice before being stopped
Check the look on Condoleeza Rice’s face. It tells you everything.

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Who?

Rare are the times when I find someone to cut my hair as I would like it. Rarer (if not exceptional) are the times when I watch the broadcasting of an explosion while I’m diligently explaining to the ‘barber’ not to go too short on my neck. The place was quickly invaded by a bunch [...]

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Correction

The previous post has been deleted because I was assuming something in order to say that a journalist was a moron, but it turns out that there was chance that this guy was doing sarcasm. Although the whole article plays on this sarcastic note, I became convinced that it was sarcasm, so without further deliberation [...]

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Nicobineau

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Trish Schuh reporting

An intersting article that proves nothing, doesn’t clearly point fingers at anyone but has some relevant information on the alledged attempts to “politicize” the International Tribunal.

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Greetings :)

Thanks to Apokraphyte and Bech, I’ve been asked to contribute to Remarkz. I am the blogger “Previously Known As” Lazarus / Laz / L. / etc, and henceforth known as Manar / M. / etc., (until further notice of course).

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A Hamas Supporter …?

A US Jewish group on Monday demanded US Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice immediately retract remarks she made during a press conference in Europe two weeks ago in which she called Hamas a “resistance movement.”
A State Department spokesperson said Rice “forgot” to use the word terrorist …

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Quote of the Day …

“The Syrian regime has strong intelligence (agencies) and no bird can fly over the Golan Heights but when it comes to … the Iraqi side they say they do not have the equipment or don’t have this or that,” Dabbagh said.

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In Case You Missed It …

Vanity Fair has a piece that sums up why many should be concerned about US intentions in Iran. It is not terribly original in content, but in case you have a life and dont follow things very closely …

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grand middle east smthg

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because…

I’ll say goodbye for now to think of an answer, and leave you with a few of my favourite Leunig cartoons…

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Too Funny …

The movie “Assraelis” was produced by a Los Angeles-based porn movie company, Tight Fit, which is headed by Oren Cohen, an Israeli. On the package of the DVD version of the movie, which is sold on the Internet for USD 25, is affixed a kosher stamp similar to those appearing on kosher food products sold [...]

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Requiescat in Pace.

Rev. Robert Frederick Drinan, S.J.

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The poisonous balloon hoax

Funny how the media is sometimes unable to think for themselves. In any case this morning the news broke that Israeli warplanes had launched poisonous balloons over Nabatiyeh. Everyone from Manar to the Lebanese army itself was releasing statements about these attacks. I kept wondering how that could be possible and why on earth out [...]

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Wandering, Wondering: A New Land, An Old Love

Three things were taken from my bags as they made it from Beirut to Casablanca to NYC:
1) Brand-new cell phone;
2) Poster of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah;
3) Collection of poems by Billy Collins.
I will let readers divine that mystery …
Ten Questions:
1) Is Marrakesh Orientalism’s EuroDisney?
2) How can Casablanca be Africa’s largest port?
3) Is a prostitute always a [...]

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The almighty Lebanese Army

The Lebanese Army is certainly one of the key players in current events, maybe even the predominant variable in the equation.Several sources have quoted the possibility of a millitary “coup”, but what would that mean? How would it be possible? A real “coup” would be hard to believe, in the sense of a complete take-over [...]

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The privatization of security

Whatever you want to say on what happened in the past two days, there are a couple of points one will have to keep in mind:
1- The government is obsolete and has no authority whatsoever on what’s going on in the streets. Seniora lives on another planet, along with Chirac. They have no idea, [...]

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Dark days

Maybe there is an underlying message in Geagea’s criticism of the national security apparatus. Some sort of auto-legitimisation of the importance and role of his militia in taking over where the regular forces fail, some sort of warning that it might be time for him to take up his historical role as paramilitary leader.Some of [...]

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Back to basics: Is who you are, good for you?

All Lebanese share a context. And a common history, even if Lebanese educational administrators fail to formulate this to fit a national curriculum. In the pursuit of a national identity, this is criminally negligent at best. Can an amnesiac learn from his/her mistakes? And, what’s the problem? Here, Laurie King of Electronic Lebanon with ‘Lebanon [...]

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What about the people?

From watching the news lately, I come to think that the Lebanese media simply does not recognize that there is a population in the country. For the past couple of days, I heard Geagea, Seniora, Jumblatt, Frangieh(s), Nasrallah, Aoun, a plethora of bishops and sheikhs, and I may be missing many, attacking each other on [...]

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Security Risk or Fashion Victim?

Allen Jasson, prevented from flying by airline staff who argued that his T-shirt was a security risk. Don’t you feel safer? All hail the Flying Kangaroo! That’s Qantas, by the way.

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And now for a quick ’security’ commercial break

Not that important considering the daily flow of events taking place in Lebanon, but some of the Lebanese press reported on the seizing of 75 katyusha rockets in the house of an unnamed guy from Bira (in the region of Rashaya). Security sources said that the dude is an “arms’ dealer”.

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Time to Be Pro-Saudi, Pro-West, Pro-…Pro-Lebanon?

From the very objective and factually impeccable Arab News, direct out of Saudi Arabia (my emphasis):
The Siniora administration, says Nasrallah, has no legitimacy since he withdrew along with five other Hezbollah ministers [1] in November. He is demanding fresh elections.
In normal times it would be perfectly sensible for President Emile Lahoud to dissolve what remains [...]

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While watching Nasrallah speak

Downtown, Beirut, Lebanon

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Back to the culturally biased rags

The good thing about being in Lebanon is that it’s always nice to come back to seeing stuff like this printed on the front page of Lebanese newspapers (here l’Orient le Jour):
Here’s the caption:
Lorsque tous les moyens sont vains, les villageois palestiniens n’ont plus que la prière pour montrer leur protestation face à l’impitoyable grignotage [...]

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Georges Corm s’exprime

I said in an earlier post that I will write about the paris III conference and the economic situation in Lebanon. But why do so, when you find no one else but your favorite Lebanese economist (and political scholar) Georges Corm writing a very good overview of Hariri’s destructive economic policies today in the press?
I [...]

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