Stories about Lebanon from March, 2007
Lebanon: Arab Summit
Lebanese blogger As'ad Abu Khalil shares with us his mother's opinion on the Arab Summit, held recently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “My mother was telling me about her opinions of the Arab summit. She said that she was happy about the Syrian-Saudi rapprochement but only because it will upset the...
Lebanon: The Plight of Migrant Workers
The sad plight of migrant workers in Lebanon comes under the spotlight in an article by Syrian blogger Yaman which appears on Migrant Rights in the Middle East. (Warning: the item linked to in this post contains graphic and upsetting images)
Lebanon: Spring, Art and Dilemmas
In Lebanon spring officially begins on March 21. This is why March 21st is celebrated as Mother’s Day here. Bloggers tend to post more about love, nature and sunshine, reflecting the general upbeat mood. Even the political post tend to be plans, strategies or analysis about how to make things...
Kuwait: The Louvre is Off to Abu Dhabi
“The French people are not happy with the latest event of the French governement deciding to build a branch of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi; they believe this museum is part of France and giving it away is like giving part of France too. This is the first time in...
Lebanon: For Peace in Iraq
Lebanese blogger Lila, who currently lives in Montreal, Canada, pledges her support to One Million Blogs for Peace – To End the Iraq War.
Lebanon: Love a Casualty of War
Lebanese blogger Bob links to an interesting article which shows how love is a casualty of war.
Lebanon: Saudis Spending Millions to Improve Image
Saudi “businessmen” spend $15 million to fund a US “documentary” film to “improve its image around the world,” writes Lebanese blogger As'ad Abu Khalil here.
Lebanon: Pessimistic Iraqis
“Iraqis are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the future of their country and unhappy about their lives, a survey suggests.” And this: “Only 18% said they had confidence in US and coalition troops, and 51% said they thought attacks on coalition forces were justified,” writes Lebanese blogger Asad Abu Khalil here.
Lebanon: In Praise of Condi Rice
Lebanese blogger As'ad Abu Khalil is full of praise for Condoleeza Rice – who just met with a handful of Arab ministers “brief them and grill them with instructions prior to the Arab summit. I thought that this was a very nice gesture that deserves praise. I mean, she did...
Arabisc: A Pictorial Tour of the Middle East
When I first saw these pictures. I thought to myself sheep = New Zealand. How wrong was I! A closer look will show you that the donkey was familiar, the grass not that green and palm trees in the background. It was closer to home than I thought. We kick...
Lebanon: Meanings and Consequences
This week's summary is a selection of posts that focus on meanings and on repercussions. For example, what does it mean to be a modern man or a leftist in Lebanon and what is the aftermath of not caring for rural communities and of not developing agriculture as a means...
Bahrain: A better literary life for civil servants?
We begin this week's review of Bahrain's blogs with Lulu's review of Bahrain's second annual Spring of Culture. Regarding the music/poetry/dance performance headlined by Marcel Khalife, and which caused controversy because of the dance element, she says: I'm all for the arts & freedom of expression, of course, but if...
Lebanon: Women, Politics and the Zalghouta
This week’s summary of the Lebanese blogosphere has posts about politics, peace activism, internal tourism, tradition, feminism and how to cook moghrabiyeh. So let’s start: In an educational and well prepared historical essay, Mustapha Mond discusses what he sees as the major reasons of the political crisis that Lebanon is...
Lebanon: Hummus Day
According to Lebanese blogger As'ad AbuKhalil, today is Hummus Day in Lebanon. “On this auspicious occasion, I am providing Hummus to my readers–for free. To enjoy, please pour olive oil generously over your keyboards, and you shall have Hummus oozing from the monitor,” he suggests.
Lebanon: Terrorists Caught
Lebanese blogger Mustafa sheds some light on the political scene in Lebanon , after the arrest of a terrorist network. “While the March 14 media was celebrating the capture of a “Syrian-based terrorist network” and the March 14 Minister of Interior was busy pointing his official finger at Syrian intelligence,...
Lebanon: Where is Lebanon?
Lebanese blogger Free Cedar meets a girl, in a bar, who is clueless about where Lebanon is. Find out more about their exchange here.
Lebanon: How Much Will a Porcelain Hand Cost?
“I have a friend who had a wonderful idea: he wanted to have his right hand amputated. Very seriously. Went to see a surgeon, said, ‘How much does it cost, I'm ready to pay.’ He wanted to have a porcelain hand made to replace it,” writes US-based Lebanese blogger JiJ...
Lebanon: Egypt's First Lady
Lebanese blogger Asad Abukhalil gives us his two cents on what he thinks of Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak here. ‘She has such a natural and unaffected personality. She answered all the questions directly, intelligently, and informatively. In fact, watching the interviews make you realize more how annoying and artificial...
Lebanon: Saudi's Marriage Amusing
Lebanese blogger Asad Abu Khalil is amused that a 76-year-old Saudi has married a 15-year-old girl.
Lebanon: Israeli Armored Vehicles to Iraq
An Israeli state-owned corporation has won a contract to supply the U.S. Marine Corps with state-of the-art armored vehicles for use in Iraq, the latest in a long line of Israeli defense sales for use in the war, writes US-based Lebanese blogger As'ad AbuKhalil.
Lebanon: Anxiety and Cautious Optimism
Most of the posts in the Lebanese blogosphere reflect the atmosphere of anxiety, pessimism and mistrust that is the general mood of the Lebanese nowadays. Here is a summary of some of the posts. An attempt has been made to include one or two light posts with brighter outlooks, but...
