Johnnie Walker

I just received this picture.

It's raining in Montreal!!!

Well I am here, in my apartment, and British Airways didn't get my luggage on the plane with me, I just received my bag this morning. I couldn't wait walking around the streets of Montreal, but it's been raining since yesterday! like I mean rain rain, and it's cold!!! I don't know I thought I was on vacation... but I saw my friends, and it's been amazing! I mean nothing in montreal changes when it's raining outside... lol it's just me who left to a warm country to avoid these weather conditions, so of course I am enjoying Montreal the way I'm suppose to, having a great time, just wish it was sunny. so let's hope tomorrow's good.

Last 30 minutes at work!

That's it, 30 minutes and no more thinking about work for 2 weeks! I can't wait, Montreal is waiting, I'm just gonna go relax, have a blast, maybe relive University life a little ;). Anyone needs anything from the other side of the Atlantic, let me know, you have till friday morning before I'm on that plane.

*** Olmart called Feiruz for investigation and insisted to know "Where the hell is that Jisr Al Lawzieh that you sing for ? It is the last one that remains and we are unable to find it on the map !!!"

*** Hassan decided to send someone to make the negotiations with Israel...After taking too many opinions, he pointed on Haifa Wehbé.

After 15 days, Haifa came back to Lebanon Pregnant!!!

Hassan, upset, said:" We sent you there to find a solution for the current situation... but not to sleep with the enemy"

Haifa replied with a smile:"Habibi Hassan a3sabak, Israel refused all your proposals so ..............I brought you a hostage!!!!!!!!!"

"LEBANESE INVADING ISRAEL"

Olmert was sitting in his office wondering how to invade Lebanon when his telephone rang.

"Hallo, Mr. Olmert!" a heavily accented voice said. "This is Abul Abed, down at the tea house in Beirut! I am callin` to tell ya dat we are officially declaring war on you, yes you!"

"Well" Olmert replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army?"

"Right now," said Abul Abed, after a moments calculation "there is myself, my cousin Mustafa, me next-door-neighbor Abou khaled, and the whole team from the tea house. That makes eight!"

Olmert paused. "I must tell you Abul Abed, that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Holy jeez," said Abul Abed. "I`ll have to call ya back!" Sure enough, the next day, Abul Abed called again. "Mr. Olmert, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be Abul Abed?", Olmert asked. "Well sir, we have two Mercedes 180, and a truck."

Olmert sighed. "I must tell you Abul Abed, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also I`ve increased my army to one and a half million since we last spoke."

" Ya lateeeeef ", said A Abul Abed, "I`ll be getting back to ya." Sure enough, Abul Abed rang again the next day. "Mr. Olmert , the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We modified a helicopter with a couple of shotguns in the cockpit, and four more neighbors have joined us as well!"

Olmert was silent for a minute then cleared his throat. "I must tell you Abul Abed that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I`ve increased my army to TWO MILLION!"

"Lah lah lah lah," said Abul Abed, "I`ll have to call you back."

Sure enough, Abul Abed called again the next day. "Olmert I am sorry to have to tell you dat we have had to call off this war."

"I`m sorry to hear that" said Olmert. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well, sir," said Abul Abed, "we`ve all sat ourselves down and had a long chat, and come to realize that's no way we can feed two million prisoners."

LEBANESE CONFIDENCE CANNOT BE SHAKEN!

Charbel Rouhana

If you guys didn't make it yesterday night, You can still try to catch to tonight. The tickets are available at virgin.

Hashi

I just came back from dinner at Hashi, in downtown Kuwait. Everyone that went there was saying how amazing it was, that the food was great and everything else. Well I don't think so. I didn't think there was anything special about the design of the restaurant and the food was just too weird for my taste. Glad I went, this way I got to see what everyone was talking about. End result, I didn't find anything great about Hashi.

Bush links Hezbollah and 'plot'

LOL! Surprise surprise. I wonder what the world would be like if he knew a little bit what he was talking about. Oh Well.

"I Love Beirut" stickers.

You are all invited to check out www.ilovebeirut.org, we have the stickers available in Kuwait if you are interested in helping spread them around, please email me at this adress : i.love.beirut@gmail.com
leave your name and your phone number and I'll get in touch with you.

Text: UN Lebanon resolution

The text of Resolution 1701, passed unanimously by the UN Security Council aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on Lebanon, in particular resolutions 425 (1978), 426 (1978), 520 (1982), 1559 (2004), 1655 (2006), 1680 (2006) and 1697 (2006), as well as the statements of its president on the situation in Lebanon, in particular the statements of 18 June, 2000, of 19 October, 2004, of 4 May 2005, of 23 January 2006 and of 30 July 2006;

Expressing its utmost concern at the continuing escalation of hostilities in Lebanon and in Israel since Hezbollah's attack on Israel on 12 July 2006, which has already caused hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons;

Emphasizing the need for an end of violence, but at the same time emphasizing the need to address urgently the causes that have given rise to the current crisis, including by the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers;

Mindful of the sensitivity of the issue of prisoners and encouraging the efforts aimed at urgently settling the issue of the Lebanese prisoners detained in Israel;

Welcoming the efforts of the Lebanese prime minister and the commitment of the government of Lebanon, in its seven-point plan, to extend its authority over its territory, through its own legitimate armed forces, such that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon, welcoming also its commitment to a UN force that is supplemented and enhanced in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operation, and bearing in mind its request in this plan for an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon;

Determined to act for this withdrawal to happen at the earliest;

Taking due note of the proposals made in the seven-point plan regarding the Shebaa farms area;

Welcoming the unanimous decision by the government of Lebanon on 7 August 2006 to deploy a Lebanese armed force of 15,000 troops in south Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws behind the Blue Line and to request the assistance of additional forces from UNIFIL as needed, to facilitate the entry of the Lebanese armed forces into the region and to restate its intention to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces with material as needed to enable it to perform its duties;

Aware of its responsibilities to help secure a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict;

Determining that the situation in Lebanon constitutes a threat to international peace and security;

1. Calls for a full cessation of hostilities based upon, in particular, the immediate cessation by Hezbollah of all attacks and the immediate cessation by Israel of all offensive military operations;

2. Upon full cessation of hostilities, calls upon the government of Lebanon and UNIFIL as authorized by paragraph 11 to deploy their forces together throughout the South and calls upon the government of Israel, as that deployment begins, to withdraw all of its forces from southern Lebanon in parallel;

3. Emphasizes the importance of the extension of the control of the government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory in accordance with the provisions of resolution 1559 (2004) and resolution 1680 (2006), and of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, for it to exercise its full sovereignty, so that there will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon;

4. Reiterates its strong support for full respect for the Blue Line;

5. Also reiterates its strong support, as recalled in all its previous relevant resolutions, for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders, as contemplated by the Israeli-Lebanese General Armistice Agreement of 23 March 1949;

6. Calls on the international community to take immediate steps to extend its financial and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people, including through facilitating the safe return of displaced persons and, under the authority of the government of Lebanon, reopening airports and harbours, consistent with paragraphs 14 and 15, and calls on it also to consider further assistance in the future to contribute to the reconstruction and development of Lebanon;

7. Affirms that all parties are responsible for ensuring that no action is taken contrary to paragraph 1 that might adversely affect the search for a long-term solution, humanitarian access to civilian populations, including safe passage for humanitarian convoys, or the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons, and calls on all parties to comply with this responsibility and to cooperate with the Security Council;

8. Calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements:

• Full respect for the Blue Line by both parties;
• security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11, deployed in this area;
• Full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, so that, pursuant to the Lebanese cabinet decision of July 27, 2006, there will be no weapons or authority in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state;
• No foreign forces in Lebanon without the consent of its government;
• No sales or supply of arms and related materiel to Lebanon except as authorized by its government;
• Provision to the United Nations of all remaining maps of land mines in Lebanon in Israel's possession;

9. Invites the secretary general to support efforts to secure as soon as possible agreements in principle from the government of Lebanon and the government of Israel to the principles and elements for a long-term solution as set forth in paragraph 8, and expresses its intention to be actively involved;

10. Requests the secretary general to develop, in liaison with relevant international actors and the concerned parties, proposals to implement the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), including disarmament, and for delineation of the international borders of Lebanon, especially in those areas where the border is disputed or uncertain, including by dealing with the Shebaa farms area, and to present to the Security Council those proposals within 30 days;

11. Decides, in order to supplement and enhance the force in numbers, equipment, mandate and scope of operations, to authorize an increase in the force strength of UNIFIL to a maximum of 15,000 troops, and that the force shall, in addition to carrying out its mandate under resolutions 425 and 426 (1978):

• a. Monitor the cessation of hostilities;

• b. Accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line, as Israel withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon as provided in paragraph 2;
• c. Coordinate its activities related to paragraph 11 (b) with the government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel;
• d. Extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons;
• e. Assist the Lebanese armed forces in taking steps towards the establishment of the area as referred to in paragraph 8;
• f. Assist the government of Lebanon, at its request, to implement paragraph 14;

12. Acting in support of a request from the government of Lebanon to deploy an international force to assist it to exercise its authority throughout the territory, authorizes UNIFIL to take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind, to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its duties under the mandate of the Security Council, and to protect United Nations personnel, facilities, installations and equipment, ensure the security and freedom of movement of United Nations personnel, humanitarian workers, and, without prejudice to the responsibility of the government of Lebanon, to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence;

13. Requests the secretary general urgently to put in place measures to ensure UNIFIL is able to carry out the functions envisaged in this resolution, urges member states to consider making appropriate contributions to UNIFIL and to respond positively to requests for assistance from the Force, and expresses its strong appreciation to those who have contributed to UNIFIL in the past;

14. Calls upon the government of Lebanon to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in Lebanon without its consent of arms or related materiel and requests UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11 to assist the government of Lebanon at its request;

15. Decides further that all states shall take the necessary measures to prevent, by their nationals or from their territories or using their flag vessels or aircraft;

• a. the sale or supply to any entity or individual in Lebanon of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, whether or not originating in their territories, and;
• b. the provision to any entity or individual in Lebanon of any technical training or assistance related to the provision, manufacture, maintenance or use of the items listed in subparagraph (a) above, except that these prohibitions shall not apply to arms, related material, training or assistance authorized by the government of Lebanon or by UNIFIL as authorized in paragraph 11;

16. Decides to extend the mandate of UNIFIL until 31 August 2007, and expresses its intention to consider in a later resolution further enhancements to the mandate and other steps to contribute to the implementation of a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution;

17. Requests the secretary general to report to the Council within one week on the implementation of this resolution and subsequently on a regular basis;

18. Stresses the importance of, and the need to achieve, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, based on all its relevant resolutions including its resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973;

19. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Here's for Israel

Thank you Hezbollah

A lebanese Civilian wrote:

"Thank you, Hezbollah, for showing us that we, the Lebanese people, don't need an army or a government or an infrastructure. As long as we have "sacred unity", steadfastness and brotherhood and all the other slogans, we do not need organized society, and History will judge us well on our actions. We don't need incomes, a GDP, a budget or any of those Western economic concepts, since our love for each other under the rubble and the wreckage of our country is sufficient to sustain us. What's the big deal if our Hariri-inflicted $40 billion deficit grows to $50 billion, and if the nascent economy we had is back to ground zero, for it does not weaken our resolve to liberate Palestine for the Palestinians and show the world what clay we are made of. In our megalomaniacal tendencies as the not so humble people that we are, we want to prove to the world that the Islamic faith is a great motivator for high-quality warmongering and that our irresponsibility as a country can lead us to success, all our failures of the past 40 years notwithstanding. With friends like Iran and Syria who provide us, respectively, with hundreds of millions of dollars a year and plenty of rockets and missiles, we don't need the world.

Thank you, Hezbollah, for showing us that of all the Lebanese people, only Lebanese Shiite men are brave, courageous, and capable of defending the country. There is no need now to ask – but it's just a thought for the future wars of liberation we are dreaming of – with the unity demonstrated by the Lebanese against the Israeli aggression, why are there no Sunni, Christian or Druze Lebanese men or women joining their Shiite brethren to fight off that aggression, either through their own militias or under the banner of the near-mythical highly organized, highly-trained Hezbollah? Anyway, thank you for showing us that we don't need a regular army. After all, Lebanon is the Switzerland of the Middle East – though not as clean or organized – and even though the real Switzerland is neutral, it still has a powerful army. But we the Lebanese are so smart. We are not neutral, we have a salon army that we display but never use, and to wage wars on others and ourselves, we hire militias like the PLO, the Lebanese Forces, the Amal militia, the Revolutionary Guards, and now Hezbollah, to fight our wars. We're just so smart, except that we never seem to think thoroughly of the consequences of our actions. Just watch our leaders, Nasrallah, Siniora, Berri, Hoss, Karami, Frangieh, Gemayel, Aoun, Geagea and all the rest. They are so smart that they went about killing their own people for decades, then suddenly, after 40 years of warfare, discovered unity only when they were in excrement up to their eyeballs. Too bad they did not discover that unity 3 months ago, or a year ago, or 5 years ago, or 30 years ago. We would have spared ourselves so much pain and destruction.

Thank you, Hezbollah, for showing us that our elderly men and women, in the final years of their lives, can be stripped of their children, their dignity and their possessions, and after having lost everything, they are made to flee alone, on foot, in front of Israeli tanks, leaving behind them homes and villages they have known all their lives. Thank you for hiding behind our houses to fire at the enemy, and for making our children fodder for war, while all the children of the Arab Umma are quietly enjoying their summer vacations in summer schools or on the beach. Thank you for preparing the country so well for the possible retaliation you knew was coming as a result of your smart and ballsy action.

Thank you for showing us that in Lebanon words mean nothing, that agreements, national dialogues, and memorandums of understanding are not worth the paper they are written on, and that in a headless country like Lebanon, the blind can truly lead the blind to certain death. Thank you for showing us that the Lebanese people, as a people, can be totally abnormal for discovering unity only after destruction, for discovering strength only after defeat, for discovering dialogue only in death. It really is just too much to ask a people to be united, strong and genuinely engaged before death, destruction and defeat, when they are alive, when their country is standing, and when their children and homes are safe.

I am sure there will be new giant posters of mullahs and ayatollas and martyrs on every dirty street corner of Beirut after all this ends one day. There will continue to be a great resolve to avenge the aggression, liberate Palestine, restore the dignity of the Umma, and add yet one more defeat to the long list of "victories in sacred unity". For that is how Arabs measure victory or defeat: Not in terms of territory lost or won, not in terms of military battles lost or won, not in terms of buildings, cities, and villages saved or destroyed, not in terms of the numbers of dead and injured, not in terms of the effort it will take to rebuild, not in terms of how many people left the country to emigrate to more normal places to live. No. None of those things matter in this life for the smart people of Lebanon and their leaders. What matters in the end is how big we think the balls of our leaders are in comparison with the balls of the enemy, how much higher is the level of testosterone in their veins, and how much longer our phallic rockets are compared to theirs. That, my fellow Lebanese, is what we are dying for and why our country is being destroyed, and we should all thank Hezbollah for showing us how big Hassan Nasrallah's balls are. This is a priceless piece of information that is worth the destruction of Lebanon and the death of its children.

The following is the balance sheet to date of the July 2006 war of "liberation" by Hezbollah against Israel. Bigger balls notwithstanding, we still have brains to take stock of the results of the "liberation" enterprise, and it does not take much to see that, no matter how big Nasrallah's balls grow as a result of this conflict, Lebanon will still be the biggest loser."

Siniora in emotional plea for truce

True, he might be getting a little too emotional, but there's something to admire about it, especially that's he's the only one trying everything he can to do something. I wish him alot of support.

Freinds of Lebanon: Destruction

"Help stop the destruction. Friends of Lebanon

Agency: UMS Advertising, Muscat, Oman
Art: Ramesh P.
Copy: Shanty Mathew

Freinds of Lebanon: Bloodshed

"Help stop the bloodshed. Friends of Lebanon

Agency: UMS Advertising, Muscat, Oman
Art: Ramesh P.
Copy: Shanty Mathew

George Galloway.

Here's the video. And if you want a Bio, Wikipedia has one too.

Think Tanks

A list of Think Tanks for your reading.

Foreign Affairs
Carnegie endowment
Brookings
CATO
RAND
Middle East Media Research Institute
Lexington Institute
Middle East Institute
Middle East Policy Council
Hudson Institute

Why do you love Beirut?

I know you all love Beirut, but tell me why.

05 Amam Organization

A very good friend of mine has worked with them on the March 14th Demonstration. I trust him and so I post their call for donations.

This is an honest and desperate call to help LEBANON on the Humanitarian front; You can help the more than one million Lebanese on the streets with no shelter, food, or supplies that are flooding the cities (living schools, hospitals) and living in very poor sanitary and health conditions; The vehicle is an NGO - we had created in 2005 for the independence movement. AMAM 05 (Standing for Al Mujtama3 Al Madani, meaning the CIVIL SOCIETY) - that is actively involved in helping and supporting the refugee population exclusively on the humanitarian front, by providing all necessary relief efforts. Every penny is managed by a group of motivated and educated Young individuals and friends and all funds are spent on relief efforts to those in need. Please DONATE now and forward to all people you know that can support and help Lebanon.

Amam: www.05amam.org
Account Holder: 05AMAM
Account Number: 004001362089137015
Societe General Banque du Liban - Rue St. Nicolas, Beirut
Swift Code: SGLILBBX
Visit also: http://www.aidlebanon.org
AMAM 05 is not set up unfortunately to take in Visa payments, either wire transfer.
Please for any question email:
Farid Fakherddin on faridf@cyberia.net.lb Or Khodor Mekkawi on Khodor.mekkaoui@gmail.com

The Hizballah Program

I don't know exactly what to say. But anyways each be the judge.

Superman Returns

I just saw the movie at Fanar, I'm not sure if I liked it or not. I think I was expecting it to be much better, in turms of I don't know Lois and Superman, and Maybe see Clark a little more, I think LEX was playing a bigger role then anyone else at this point. Oh and I could'nt stand that women with LEX or her DOG, or the Dog that was eating the dog... I don't know the whole parts with LEX were just too weird. Thought I must say, Lois's Son, loved how that turned out! And he's a cute boy, so I want to see more of him in the Future. If they ever go that far. All in all I rate the movie, 5/10. Enjoy.

Federalism

Read the post, N10452 wrote. I think Federalism might be the most suitable Government for Lebanon.

A picture Speaks a thousand Words.

I just received this.

On a different note.

Post Secrets today were more interesting than the past few weeks. check them out Post Secrets. Also I found the person, pushing to try and make post a no secret blog. It seems to be middle eastern. I guess, maybe even from someone in Kuwait. Anywyas check them out. I think they are very funny sometimes.

South of Beirut

I received these two satellite photos, I'm sure many of you might've seen them but here they are. Keep in Mind, in south of Beirut buildings are all residential and high.

Qana's Massacre.

Sadly enough, a second massacre in Qana. The pictures are terrible and I don't want to actually post them on the blog, but here are a link, to see how tragic this is! The count is as such, 54 civilians, at least 34 are children. An IMMEDIATE Cease fire, isn't being discussed, what is discussed is simply a cease-fire at some point. That is unacceptable. I don't care anymore who's fault it is, Whether Hezbollah was shooting from there or not, or whether Israel doesn't care about human being in General. All I know is that it's too much. Something has to Happen and fast. Here are also some intersting blogs to check out, Blogging Beirut, and Rampurple.