Kenya wins...Amr Mussa loses

Mabrouk…Congratulations…

Kenya wins Lebanon loses…

Politicians in Kenya reached an agreement…Power-sharing deal

Politicians in Lebanon still cruising in LALA land…

Bravo…Chapeau Bas…

Koffi Anan excels…Amr Mussa slides into the abyss…

Ah! But we can always find a good, excellent and outstanding reason for our failure: ISRAEL and the new comers SYRIA and IRAN

Ha! When you have such neighbors and entourage what else do you need?

A Peaceful War

Frankly…we are starting to get bored in the Middle East…

We are bored…waiting for a war that is not starting…

It is like watching the trailers before a movie…

So, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?

Sit and watch? And maybe pray so that the belligerents change their minds?

If Iran, Hezbollah, Israel, the US and the whole Middle East is getting ready for war…

I and people like me should get ready for peace…isn’t it?

But what does that mean?

Well, at this point I am trying to put a strategy for peace in times of war…I don’t know how successful that will be but at least I am shaking my brain…

1- I hereby declare my opposition to any form of aggression against civilians and non-civilians in the Middle East…
2- I refuse to support any party in times of war under false pretexts like nationalism, patriotism, resistance, protection, security…
3- I extend my hand in peace to all those who share my views…wherever they are…

At this point, I suggest an “artistic resistance to war”…
A pro-peace resistance song written in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, English and French; performed by Arab, Jewish and Iranian singers…

This song will not stop the war…but it will keep peace alive…

Bloggers get ready…for the next war…

Independent Kosovo...

In 1999, James Blunt led the first squadron of troops to enter Pristina, the capital of Kosovo; he was the first British officer to enter the capital.
He had brought along his guitar. At some places, the peacekeepers would share a meal with hospitable locals, and Blunt would perform. It was while on duty there that he wrote the song "No Bravery"...

Which goes like this:

There are children standing here
Arms outstretched into the sky
Tears drying on their face
He has been here
Brothers lie in shallow graves
Fathers lost without a trace
A nation blind to their disgrace
Since he's been here
And I see no bravery
No bravery in your eyes anymore
Only sadness
Houses burnt beyond repair
The smell of death is in the air
A woman weeping in despair says
He has been here
Tracer lighting up the sky
It's another families' turn to die
A child afraid to even cry out says
He has been here
And I see no bravery
No bravery in your eyes anymore
Only sadness
There are children standing here
Arms outstretched into the sky
But no one asks the question why
He has been here
Old men kneel to accept their fate
Wives and daughters cut and raped
A generation drenched in hate
Says, he has been here
And I see no bravery
No bravery in your eyes anymore
Only sadness

17 February 2008…I don’t know where James Blunt was on Sunday…but Kosovo declared its independence…

Maybe it is time to sing a different song that starts with…

I see a sad joy in your eyes…

It is time for peacebuilding in Kosovo… A new beginning...A new path...

Dreams do come true

You all know Madonna…she was always the symbol of controversy, unconventional work…a daring artist…

This morning I woke up to the sound of Madonna saying: “Dreams do come true”…

She was talking about the movie she directed, her first…

There are two different schools when it comes to dreams…

One school considers that dreams are dreams and they should stay dreams without becoming true…

And there is another school that considers that dreams are meant to become true…

You choose whatever suits you…

When it comes to the Middle East we have to admit that dreams do come true…

We, in the Middle East dream of hating each other…our dreams do come true…

We, in the Middle East dream of destroying each other…our dreams do come true…

We, in the Middle East dream of killing each other…our dreams do come true…

We, in the Middle East dream of wars…our dreams do come true…

We, in the Middle East are the best dream breakers…

One Lebanon...Two paths

Super Thursday indeed…

Hezbollah needed not to wait a few days before organizing a counter-demonstration to show to the whole world how powerful Iran and Syria are…

Yesterday Imad Mughnieh, a hezbollah leader and one of the most wanted by the US, was assassinated in Damascus.

Today Hezbollah is organizing his funerals in Beirut…

Today, more than half of the Lebanese people are demonstrating…divided…

One group is commemorating the assassination of Rafic Hariri, a man with a bright vision, a builder, a futurist…

Another group is commemorating the assassination of Imad Mughnieh, a man with a dark vision, a destroyer trapped in the past…

One Lebanon…two paths…and the mourning continues…

Happy Valentine’s Day

Super Thursday in Beirut

Back to politics…how can you live in the Middle East and not talk about politics?

I am always trying to ignore the political craziness and I have to admit I am always failing…So back to politics…

We need to elect a president…if we still insist on being called a country…

Unfortunately…the Arabs are in charge of us these days…what a misfortune!

Thursday is a super day in Beirut…before 2005 it would have been a super day because of a great concert for Valentine’s day or so…

But after 2005…Valentine’s Day has been transformed to Hariri’s Day…

Our Super Thursday is this coming Thursday…

Thousands are expected to march towards the martyrs’ square to commemorate Hariri’s assassination, and to reject the Irano-Syrian sabotage of Lebanon.

What will Hezbollah do? A counter demonstration to prove in numbers that Iran and Syria still have a stronghold in Lebanon? What a shame!

After the Super Thursday and the counter Super Thursday… we will have to wait for the Arab Summit in Damascus…

What kind of a deal are we expecting with Syria?
Does it matter to Syria that Saudi Arabia might boycott the Summit?
Does it matter to Syria that the Summit might be postponed or cancelled?

Unfortunately, Syria is in a strong position…and Bashar is watching with joy Lebanon being destroyed…knowing that neither the Americans nor the Israelis will attack him…
Israel can never afford another Iraq on its borders…
The Americans can never afford another fiasco in the region…

And Lebanon will continue paying the price…

By the way… why do we need to elect a president? Haven’t you heard before of a country without a president???

loneliness is so lonely alone*

I have been away…

Mind traveling… I visited myself…

You know how a woman hates visiting her mother-in-law?

Well it is the same with me when I have to visit myself…because I have to have answers to hard questions that I don’t like thinking about…and I don’t have smart answers…

If I tell you life is hard…will you be surprised?

If I tell you I can’t find my muse…will you send me inspiration?

If I tell you the sparkle in my eyes is gone…will you inject me with passion for life?

If I tell you I lost the path to my dreams…will you guide me?

If your answer is yes to all of the above…I will answer you…

I don’t believe in magic anymore…

I told you the visit to myself is not a pleasant journey…

I prefer to stay away from myself…so I don’t face my loneliness…

*Thank you Mika