From BBC.

‘Turned away’

“Hezbollah say they don’t differentiate between Lebanese people,” said Sita Balhas, a mother of five in the village of Siddiqine.

“But when my son was wounded in the war, he went to one of Hezbollah’s medical centre, they told him: your legs are not for Hezbollah, so we won’t treat you.”

The Balhas tobacco crop was mostly burned during the conflict, their butchers shop destroyed, but they say they didn’t receive any aid from Hezbollah.

They haven’t received anything from the government either - but their anger seems mostly directed at Hezbollah.

“The government is powerless, they don’t have money. Hezbollah started the war, they should pay us compensation,” said Sita.

Hezbollah wields enormous power and control over the Shia community so it’s unusual to hear criticism of Hezbollah among ordinary people, but disgruntled voices are starting to be heard occasionally.

Widening rift

The nearby Christian village of Ain Ebel is practically a ghost town.

Those villagers who remain blame Hezbollah for the conflict - which started after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers - but are glad about the deployment of government forces in the area.
(more…)

As part of the BEIRUT UNCUT FILM SERIES and in collaboration with MIT’s Lecture Series Committee (LSC), the LCM is proud to host Lebanese director, Omar Naïm, in a special director’s screening and discussion of his internationally acclaimed documentary Grand Theater: A Tale of Beirut at MIT tomorrow, Wednesday, February 21, at 8pm. Naïm’s first feature-length film, The Final Cut starring Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, and Jim Caviezel, will be screened on Thursday.

About the Director
Born in Lebanon to a journalist father and an actress mother, Omar Naïm is a promising Arab-American director and writer in Hollywood who openly discusses his heritage. Although Naïm acknowledges and embraces his culture, he refuses to be defined solely by it. Instead, it is his unique talent and often quirky perspective that has earned him the respect of Hollywood powerhouses. In 2004, he wrote and directed his first feature film, The Final Cut, which starred Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, and Jim Caviezel. The film won the best screenplay award at the Deauville Film Festival and was an official selection of the Berlin Film Festival. His thesis documentary, Grand Theater: A Tale of Beirut, was a finalist for the Student Oscar given by the AMPAS in 2000. Naïm was raised in Jordan, Cyprus, and Lebanon and attended Emerson College in Boston. Omar Naïm currently lives and works in Los Angeles (more…).

(more…)

Congratulations Christian, keep up the good work khayye !

Talk about irony, check this video showing a clash btw Hezbollah & amal militias during the war.

Day after day, more people are getting fired, more companies and restaurants in Beirut are closing, the situation is deplorable and the July war with all its destructive results didnt have that impact on our economy as much as the Opposition’s tents in Riad el Solh and Martyrs Square.

77 restaurants and shops closed during the past 3 months, almost half of whats there.

60 % of Virgin and Aishti’s business comes from its DownTown branches, yet both might be closing very soon. Antoine Salameh, general manager of Aishti, claimed and its company lost almost 2 million dollars in 2006, and in the first two months of 2007, the business drew back almost 57 % from last year !

As for Virgin, business drew back 70% from last year, knowing that Virgin lost almost 1.5 million in 2006.

The government and Solidere took several measures to encourage the businesses of staying in Beirut, but the situation is untolerable.

It looks like the Opposition’s strategy is not to topple the government, but to force everyone out of Beirut and out of Lebanon maybe …

Israel didnt harm us as much, yet they still pretend to be doing this for our own sake ..
Those scumbags should be taken out of Beirut as soon as possible and by any way possible.

Here is an article talking in details about this sad truth:

From Annahar:

يؤلمنا أن أبناء بلدنا يمنعوننا عمداً عن العمل

نصف المحال والمطاعم في الوسط التجاري أقفلت أخيراً

خسائر الاعتصام مئات الوظائف وملايين الدولارات
(more…)

The Syrian navy has shot and killed a Lebanese fisherman as he sailed by boat in Syrian territories, the National News Agency reported Tuesday.
It said the Syrian navy opened fire on the boat, killing Diab Ahmed Ouyza.

NNA said his brother, Nimr, who was on the boat with him, escaped unharmed.

It said the Lebanese navy towed the boat to the northern port of Tripoli.

NNA said investigation was underway.

During yesterday’s ‘bi kol jour2a’ show hosted by May Chidiac on LBC, Dr.Ali Khalifeh from the Amal party ( resigned minister) and an FPM member ( from the Nasrallah family) apologized at the last second for over-normal circumstances.

The hosts of the show were Atef Majdalani and Fares Souaid.

Interested to see the true reasons why they didnt show up, they werent given the proper instructions ?

An article from Al Seyyassah suggested by a friend.

نصر الله مكتئب ومحبط من السوريين

Update: Apparently Hezbollah suspected that one of the meds were spies for Israel

A french medical team was kicked out of Maroun el Rass, knowing that they had a clinic and operated the sick and injured for free. It was noted that Maroun el Rass citizens asked them to leave and advised them not to come back.

No explanation though or whatsoever, we will have to wait for papers tomorrow.

طرد فريق فرنسي من مارون الراس

في سياق الحوادث المتفرقة التي تتعرض لها كتائب القوة الدولية المعززة في عدد من المناطق الجنوبية، علم ان عددا من ابناء بلدة مارون الراس طردوا امس الفريق الطبي التابع للكتيبة الفرنسية والذي يستقدم عيادة نقالة كل اثنين لمعاينة المرضى وتقديم الدواء اليهم مجانا. وقال شهود انه طُلب من الفريق الفرنسي عدم الحضور مجددا الى البلدة بايعاز من البلدية.
الى ذلك نقلت وكالة “انباء الشرق الاوسط” المصرية عن مصادر حكومية في مدريد ان الامم المتحدة طلبت من اسبانيا ارسال معدات لمكافحة الشغب الى وحداتها المتمركزة في جنوب لبنان لاستخدامها اذا اقتضى الامر في مواجهة اي تظاهرات او اعمال شغب يمكن ان تقع في المنطقة. كما وجهت الامم المتحدة طلبا مماثلا الى دول اخرى لها وحدات في لبنان مثل ايطاليا وفرنسا.
واوردت صحيفة “ا ب ث” الاسبانية في موقعها على الانترنت ان ادارة عمليات حفظ السلام في الامم المتحدة وجهت هذا الطلب الى السلطات الاسبانية التي تدرس بعناية تحديد ما اذا كان مثل هذا الطلب يتفق ومهمة الوحدة الاسبانية التي وافق عليها مجلس النواب الاسباني في 7 ايلول 2006. ويأتي هذا الطلب للامم المتحدة كاجراء وقائي لمواجهة اي احتمال اذا وجدت القوة الدولية نفسها مضطرة الى التدخل لمنع اضطرابات خطرة في المنطقة التي تتمركز فيها، وترى الامم المتحدة ان تولي القوة الدولية مكافحة اعمال الشغب وحالات التجمهر يندرج في اطار القرار 1701.

To all our rifa2 abroad who couldnt be at or watch the event here are some clips that show how the LF showed how it realy rules the ground in the christian areas

Click Here To Download Clip1 (10.4 MB)
Click Here To Download Clip2 (2.6 MB)
Click Here To Download Clip3 (5.1 MB)
Click Here To Download Clip4 (6.8 MB)

P.S: These are only the convoys coming from the north..

After the reconciliation done by the patriarch few years ago, and the alliance Dr.Geagea did with Jumblatt, not to mention agreeing on paying back the Christian refugees of the mountains, the Christiano-Druze relations are much better now, even though Christians still deserve much more compensation than they got.

It is an interesting read.

العيش الدرزي المسيحي في الجبل

First of all, why did the LF even bother reply to such a monkey ?? do you really think he is gonna read all that ? or even understand it when he reads it ?

I believe you should have ignored him and issued a small statement and thats it.

Anyway, one section of that reply was honestly very badly put, and pictured the LF as if they are against Federalism ( they could be for all i know).

I honestly wanted to fax the LF media team to clarify this issue because it contradicts the LF’s vision back in the 90s, but i am sure no one will even read what i said ( out of personal experience), so i will post my comments here.

The part was entitled : الكانتونات الفيديرالية ( Federal cantons)

وهل المطالبة بتنفيذ اتفاق الطائف، ومن قبل العمل والجهد للتوصل الى اتفاق الطائف يوصل الى الفيديرالية والكانتونات؟

Does the Taef agreement lead to Federalism and cantons ??? Taef is based on the concept of decentralization on which we based ourselves to propose our Federal project in 1991. Taef was an agreement to exploit politically to reach national reconciliation of course and get to our decentralized system or at least have the perfect platform to propose it and not IMPOSE it !

تاسعا، يقول فرنجيه: “المستقبل للحق، أما ارادة الباطل فانها تحكم سنة او سنتين او ثلاث سنوات ولم تدوم”. نحن نقول: “يمكن ارادة الباطل ان تحكم 15 سنة ايضا لكنها لن تدوم”، وهذا ما نشهد منذ “ثورة الارز” التي أسقطت الباطل الذي حكم لبنان وتحكم فيه منذ اتفاق الطائف. أما مستقبل الحق فتلوح بوادره وتتبلور يوما بعد يوم وهو لا بد من أن يحل بكل مظاهره مع زوال آخر رمز من رموز الاحتلال والوصاية في قصر بعبدا”.

ya m3atra ya Cedars Revolution ….

After i posted about the ‘I love diamonds’ billboards, we have ‘i love carperts’ and ‘i love el Sahar bi Awtar’ billboards.

The Lebanese are just amazing, give it a week or two more, you will have shops named i love life, new singers with album about loving life, restaurants called i love food, new billboards on the streets etc etc ….

I just got this from a friend…

Mr. Abdo raises some very very interresting points in the interview…

Its a pity it was on a radio station and not on TV.

Listen Here

Pictures of the billboards put on the streets for the 14th of February demonstration.

I just love this site, and happen to know who is behind it
Cheers mate, keep up the great work.

Click here to read LF’s reply to Frangieh’s statement.

Well well, i have been seeing that hole in the street for 2 years now if not more … after i posted about it .. they finally FIXED IT !

Well then there is a huge garbage site in forms of tents situated in Riad el Solh, if only someone could get his caterpillar and remove them. lets wait and see

Before

Now

I was told he was only 27 years old and died cause of a cerebral problem ( infijar bil dmegh or something).

May he R.I.P.

انتقل الى رحمته تعالى المأسوف على شبابه

رونالد جوني عبده

والده جوني يوسف عبده
والدته سوزان الأشقر
زوجته جوانا جوديس
ابنته إيما
شقيقاه سامر وزوجته شنابي ومارك
عمّاه المرحوم إدمون عبده وعائلته والمرحوم ايلي عبده وعائلته
عمّته روز ارملة المرحوم جورج مدوّر وعائلته
أخواله انطوان أشقر
شارل أشقر وعائلته
جان أشقر وعائلته
خالاته جاكلين أرملة المرحوم نقولا برباري
جوزفين زوجة جورج سعد
المرحومة أوديت أشقر
عموم عائلات عبده وجوديس وأشقر وكساب وفلاح ومدوّر وبرباري وسعد ونوري
ينعونه بمزيد من الأسى.
تقام الصلاة لراحة نفسه في كنيسة سيدة لبنان في باريس اليوم الاثنين 19 شباط 2007 الساعة الثانية عشرة ظهراً.
تقبل التعازي بعد الدفن في صالون الكنيسة ويومي الثلثاء والاربعاء 20 و21 منه في منزل والديه في باريس.
الفاكس: 0033147235723
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