Ok let’s continue on the list of unexpected criticisms. Today Al-Akhbar ran a front page story on the traffic jams following the “Eid”. It could have been a stand alone picture, but no, there a guy rambled on for I don’t know how many pages describing a usual traffic jam. Why you might ask? Well to blame the government. As if the government today can take care of traffic jams. Why not blame for bird migratory diversion because of the change in the Lebanese ecosystem due to hunting practices? Why not blame the government for the absence of facilities for the disabled? Why not blame it for quality control on food and other essential goods. why not and why not? The list is endless. In this case you can just blame the whole political economic policy of the successive governments of the country called Lebanon. Today the government should at least settle its scores with the other part of the political forces (some of them are part of this government we are criticizing!) and solve some basic security and power issues at hand. Then well of course go solve all the problems that only a functioning government (which is not the case yet) has the capability of solving. I don’t think this story needs to be on the front page. Actually, I think that Al-Akhbar followed its usual urge to find a story everyday that puts the government into question. And in this process it risked lowering the quality of its articles.
I defy anyone to claim that he read the whole piece in one go (except me because i wanted to see where the guy was going in order to write this post). Most people opened it, read the title that mentions the keywords traffic jams, eid, and government incompetence and then maybe read one sentence, saw that the guy was going on a poetic ride (like most Lebanese journalists do) on the whys and hows of a traffic jams, then jumped to the next article. There you have it, wasted ink and space on a newspaper that promises to be the biggest intellectual revolution of Lebanese prints if not the Middle East.
Remarkz 
I didn’t manage to continue reading it (as you said, LOL).
well, Omar nashabeh (the writer)usaully writes importnt articles about the “judicial authority” and he states some intersting facts, bas here .. well… I will just assume that he was stuck in the traffic jam 😉
My fear is that al-akhbar will turn to another new-tv (if you understand what I mean) but joseph smei7a is leading the way, so I am a bit of sure that this will be avoided.
you are right hilal. I am watching Samaha everyday, and everyday he’s seems to still be an unmovable rock. Never got carried away, the most fixated gaze way forward.
and yes what is it with new tv? I never saw that much excess of zeal in all my life…
By the way did you know why al-akhbar had only the front page available today?
Your blog is addictive, I’m just browsing for songs all day long now. Would you possibly have a link to Ziad’s song, “hayda balad la’ mush balad, etc.”?
well,
I was trying to access the page since yesterday till mid-day today.. There was an error saying that they were having technical problems. And I think they disabled comments on ziad’s latest articulate (which is better from my opinion). I guess (I’m not sure) that the pdf version was not posted today??
for the song, I will post it in the podacst (green icon in the top right of the blog), check it in a while, you’ll be able to download it or listen to it from there. (hoping that odeo won’t make errors 😉 )
Thanks for your remark about my blog 🙂
well, i read the hole piece but what stricked me the most was that Al-Akhbar, unlike assafir (who was honest this time), did not mention that istiz nabeyh’s trips for his “mouchawaraat” was one of the main reason behind yesterday’s excessive traffic jams.
otherwise, i dont see why “the biggest intellectual revolution of Lebanese prints if not the Middle East” shouldnt take a provocative approach in its war against corruption, why stick to arguments? when we have whole pages of the rest of the same journal filled with them each day. Diversity…
good point alhaqid. al-akhbar is on a thin rope. let’s hope they don’t mess things up. I am writing a post on Nabih Berri’s new-found immunity in this intellectual trend. It’s just strategy for the toppling of the current government it seems.
Hilal i have to stop listening from your “podcast” and go to sleep! good night…
I blame the Lebanese government for the calories in Nutella.
And for the crazy people who follow me home on my way back from Hamra.
Couldn’t read the article, unfortch, since I can’t read arabic. But I’m sure you gave us a pretty thorough summary of a new piece in the collection of “news creation”.