news.beiruter.com

An Arab Is Not 'A Decent Family Man'

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:57:00 +0000

...Responding to one woman who called Obama an Arab: "No, ma'am. No, ma'am. He is a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues." (John McCain

Nobody noticed that the insult 'Arab' was meant to replace the 'Negro' insult as the woman must have felt that it is no longer publicly accepted in the US. Nobody noticed that the insult was recognised

the financial crisis and lebanon

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:20:59 +0000

The Lebanese, like everyone else, have been watching the international financial crisis with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. A crisis of a different sort has already hit Lebanon earlier with the inflation in the prices of primary materials. It hit Lebanon even harder because of a system of monopolies and cartels over gaz, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, and wheat. The inflation rate over the past year was 12%, three times the average of countries exporting to Lebanon (Arabic link).

IRAQ: Christians flee Mosul

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:30:29 +0000

New violence this week against Christians in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul has sparked an outcry from the country's religious minority. In the last week, officials said, Christian families have fled the city after coming under attack from Sunni militants.

Christians have been targeted in the city along with other sects and ethnic groups since 2003. An estimated 933 Christian families have fled Mosul in the last week, said Jawdat Ismail, director of the ministry of displacement and migration in Nineveh province.

الوزير نسيب لحود: زيارة الرئيس سليمان الى السعودية مهمة جدا وهي نموذج يجب ان يحتذى به في علاقات لبنان مع كل الدول

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:54:13 +0000

رأى رئيس “حركة التجدد الديموقراطي” وزير الدولة نسيب لحود أن زيارة رئيس الجمهورية ميشال سليمان الى المملكة العربية السعودية للقاء الملك عبدالله بن عبد العزيز انها “زيارة مهمة جدا، وهي تكرس مبدأ العلاقات من دولة الى دولة، وهو نموذج يجب ان يحتذى به في علاقات لبنان مع كل الدول، وبين أي دولتين عربيتين”.

Arabic Geometric Design 7azzoora

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:05:00 +0000

Who would like to try to solve a 7azzoora? In my ongoing quest to dissect, try to understand, and re-invent traditional Arabic geometric design through a digital medium, I have created here 12 versions of the same design motif. Here's the 7azzoora: Which two are identical?!?

(click on image for larger view)

Baddawi: Second Nahr el Bared?

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:02:05 +0000

Palestinian officials are compiling a register of residents in the northern refugee camp of Baddawi to crack down on Islamist militants and to prevent unrest, one of them said on Saturday.
“Rumors have spread concerning the presence of outlaws in Baddawi camp,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“As a result Palestinian faction leaders unanimously decided to bolster security measures in order to prevent the outlaws from using the camp,” to settle scores, the official said. [Naharnet]

Summer’s Almost Over

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:59:00 +0000

Summer here ends on September 1st, when the Lebanese 'en masse' stop going to the beach, and everywhere else in the world it ends on September 22nd with the beginning of fall. But for the die-hard Dutch (used to cold summers) in Lebanon, the summer ends when they can no longer go to the beach.
And it is getting there. The tents are dismantled, the chairs stacked, and the food counter closed. The kiddie pool no longer fills up, and you may now drown in the pool; the life guards have gone home.
Even for the Dutch in Lebanon, the summer of 2008 is slowly coming to an end.
What a pity. It was a good summer.

No more Beirut Marina

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:27:08 +0000

I was driving near the Beirut Marina today when I noticed new concrete blocks placed on the sidewalk.

Click to enlarge
I drove further to find the same concrete blocks supporting metal rods.

Click to enlarge

ehhe

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:18:38 +0000

i was out taking some pictures of my house, when something grabbed my leg.. something just less than a meter long ..
"take a picture of me", it demanded .. and posed ..
-click-
"show me .. " .. and i did
"ehhe", it burped .. smiled and ran away

“I have better connections than you”: the Daily Star on the platinum numbers auction

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:54:13 +0000

Its house-cleaning day at A Diamond’s-Eye View of the World, and I’ve run across a few blogs I meant to finish and post earlier. Here’s a follow-up article on the “platinum” mobile phone numbers auction which I blogged about last week, published in last weekend’s Daily Star:
An auction of so called “platinum” MTC Touch phone numbers in Beirut over the weekend raised more than $2.5 million in two hours.

Dazed and Confused

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:54:00 +0000

-Ce type de roucoulements, c’est prénuptial ou postcoïtal ?
-Et ta connerie ? Elle est congénitale ?

-Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amelie Poulain

النائب مصباح الاحدب: هل مصلحة المسيحيين بالانفتاح على الجوار ام بادخالهم في سياسة المحاور والتحالف مع طرف ضد آخر؟

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:08:18 +0000

استغرب نائب رئيس” حركة التجدد الديموقراطي” النائب مصباح الاحدب، خلال استقباله وفودا شعبية في منزله في طرابلس، استمرار الجنرال ميشال عون بحملته العدائية على ابناء الشمال ورئيس الحكومة واصدقاء لبنان وكأنه يذكرنا بالجنرال “بولانجيه” الذي ظهر في فرنسا في نهاية القرن التاسع عشر، متسائلا اذا كان يرى نفسه ممثلا لمصالح المسيحيين في الشرق فهل يرى مصلحتهم بالانفتاح على الجوار كما جاء في الارشاد الرسولي ام بادخالهم في سياسة المحاور والتحالف مع طرف ضد اخر في لبنان والمنطقة؟ وهل بذلك تتحقق مصلحة المسيحيين ومصلحة لبنان؟ وهل هجومه على الدور السعودي الوفاقي لبنانيا وعربيا هو لالغاء اتفاق الطائف ووضع لبنان في الفلك الايراني؟

Eh Ask your Friend Nasrallah!

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:58:09 +0000

The genius FPM fans in B3abda put this sign yesterday near Se7it B3abda: On 13 October 1990 the Cedar Revolution started so when it will be completed? Eh ya Nawebigh FIRST OF ALL revolutions don’t start when a general runs away in his Pijama and surrender on the radio, Eh tidrabou 3ala 2Ametkon malla Majadib (this is [...]

Tibetan nomads

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:06:00 +0000

Bedouins in the Arab World, nomads in Tibet. Everywhere, everyday we witness the triumph of the settled on the nomads. Often a mixed blessing.

"Settlement policies vary, and their effect on the social fabric of nomadic communities is complex. In many places, nomads have been encouraged to give up their animals, leading to reduced incomes, a rise in alcoholism and other social costs. A lack of planning has resulted in some settlements lacking water or power, officials admit. In many cases, nomads are ill-equipped to compete with Chinese migrant workers for jobs in nearby cities, and there has been insufficient retraining, experts said.
...

Was farming man's first big mistake?

chief — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:53:00 +0000

"J.-P. D. Au néolithique, on assiste à l'émergence de la violence entre riches et pauvres et entre communautés. On constate l'existence, vers - 3 500, au Proche-Orient de traces de stress, de maladies, d'épidémies, ainsi que des problèmes de ravitaillement. Progressivement, les villages s'installent sur les hauteurs et se fortifient. Vers la fin du néolithique, que l'on situe vers - 3 000 au Proche-Orient et en Europe à partir de l'âge du bronze vers - 2 000, on assiste à la maîtrise progressive du bronze, qui résulte de l'association du cuivre et de l'étain. Ce qui permet de réaliser des armes, des épées et des haches. On va entamer une course aux armements, car on va aussi inventer le casque et la cuirasse.Faut-il regretter la néolithisation ?