Lebanon: A Bouquet of Topics · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

A variety of subjects were brought up in the Lebanese blogosphere this week. Following are some of the topics with links to selected posts about each. Hope you enjoy reading them.
On the Environment:
The oil spill that covered the Mediterranean coast last July as a result of Israeli bombardment of civilian oil fuel depots in Lebanon is well underway and largely successful according to this update with pictures by Blogging Beirut.
On Art, Poetry and Paintings:
When coffee is prepared in the traditional Lebanese way, also called Turkish coffee, coffee grinds are left at the bottom of the coffee pot. Ibn Bint Jbeil used these leftovers to paint. The paintings are posted on his blog with accompanying poems.
There are more drawings and paintings by Mazen which he posted on his blog Kerblog. And even more paintings by Suzanne Alaywan which she also posted on her Blog.
On the Economy:
Lebanon ski resorts, which are a major tourist attraction, and a source of income for Lebanon are suffering according to TearsforLebanon.
The labor unions in general and the Lebanese Labor Unions that have recently joined the protests going on in Beirut are the subject of an analytical and historical article by Marxist From Lebanon. The article ends with the conclusion:
The current Syndicates are not workers’ unions, they are clubs that are immersed in safeguarding those sect-defenders’ interests and of course for them: there is no class struggle.
On Media:
Billboards and street banners can be found almost on every street and building in Beirut. Jamal takes up this topic, in his humorous/sarcastic style and ends it by stating:
At the end of the day, street banners are another valuable free speech tool, albeit a free speech tool for those annoying people and singer whose speech you've always tried to avoid.
On Politics:
Mirvat expresses her repugnance from the current state of affairs in Lebanon:
I’m sick and tired of me and you. I’m sick of the sound of my own complaints and opinions and ‘solutions’ and I’m sick of the arguments and the bickering and the weak spirit. Honestly I’m sick of Lebanese issues…
We’re sexist and racist and judgmental. We’re lazy and crazy and we’re always right and we’re all the victims of the world and history and society. The country is not good enough for us, the government is always the reason for all of our shortcomings and the world is against us. We also think we’re God’s gift to the earth wherever we are, we are competitive unkind and we act superior. Most of us are freeloaders and the rest complain. We all want to leave our country because it’s not good enough and when we do we all act superior wherever we are and want to go back, only then to act superior around our countrymen because we live abroad.
Who’s who in Lebanon as categorized by Ms Levantine
I found that although everybody agrees that things are very complicated and that there is a bit of everything everywhere, people actually differed quite radically in what they believe is the “main cause” of the conflict over Lebanon. The different schools of thought can be segregated in 9 different categories…
And here at EDB’s, a variety of anecdotes about spies, Paris 3, protests, night clubs, partying, blogger bashing, intellectual terrorism etc all in one interesting and easy–to–read post.
Finally, On the Jews of Lebanon:
“Liza Srour … the last Jewess in Lebanon” is an article translated from Arabic by Anarchorev.
See you next week.