Making the case against Nabih Berri

Now that the parliamentary elections in Lebanon are over and the results have created a majority and a minority, the first order of business for the new parliament when it convenes is to elect a speaker.

Article 44 of the Lebanese Constitution stipulates the conditions of electing a Chamber of Deputies Speaker.

Each time a new Chamber is elected, the Chamber meets under the presidency of the oldest member and the secretariat or the two youngest. It will then elect separately, by a secret ballot and by an absolute majority of the votes cast, the President and the Vice President of the Chamber to hold office for the length or the Chamber's term. At the third ballot, a relative majority is sufficient. Should the votes be equal, the oldest candidate is considered elected.

The oldest member of the newly elected parliament is Abdel Latif El-Zein, elected for the region of Nabatieh, is a Shia Muslim and member of the March 8th coalition. The two youngest members are Nadim Gemayel, a Maronite, and Nayle Tueni, a Greek Orthodox, both members of the March 14th coalition and both elected in Beirut I district (Ashrafieh, Rmeil, Saife). Basically their roles are mostly ceremonial, they go around collecting secret ballots in a box and then count them.

To be elected Speaker, you must be an MP and a Shia Muslim and you must receive 2/3 or the votes of the members present. If a single candidate fails to achieve that majority of votes in the first two rounds of elections, then in the third round a simple majority suffices (1/2 the votes + 1). If two candidates get the same amount of votes then the oldest is automatically considered elected.

As things stand today, MP Nabih Berri and current Speaker is the major candidate for the new Speaker position. MP Okab Sakr, elected for the district of Zahle, has indicated that he is interested in the post of Speaker, it remains to be seen however if his interest is sincere or has any chance of materializing.

Nabih Berri has in his column at the very least the support of the following parliamentary blocs:

Amal movement bloc, 11 members
Hezbollah bloc, 13 members
Syrian Social Nationalist Party bloc, 2 members
Baath Party bloc, 2 members
Progressive Socialist Party bloc, 10 members
Michel El Murr, 1 member
And possibly anywhere between 5-10 members of independents and un-affiliated

This brings his total to 46-51 votes that he has for sure.

I personally don't think Lebanese Forces or Phalange MPs will vote for him. That's 5 MPs each.
Change and Reform bloc (Free Patriotic Movement, Marada, Tashnag and Lebanese Democratic Party) which is around 27 MPs will most likely not vote for him either. Tashnag MPs might, I'm not so sure what their position is at the moment, but I'll keep them in the NO column for now.

If this drags on into a third voting round (where only 1/2 +1 votes is needed) then Berri will win this thing easily, but if he is to win from the first two rounds of voting, he will need the support of other members of parliament or other blocs. We are left with the Future movement possibly tipping the balance here, either in his favor or against him. Although they (and by they I mean Saad El Hariri) have not come out with a decision on this, there are some rumblings going on within the Future movement against the nomination or election of Berri. Most notable of these rumblings is Ahmad Fatfat, who still has a not-so-completely-healed-wound still festering from way back when one of Berri's TV anchor ladies ever so elegantly asked when was Fatfat going to be assassinated, not knowing that her mic was hot (all this in the wake of the Eido assassination).
The support of Saad, with his 30 MPs, plus other groups within March 14th, will easily put Berri over the 86 votes he needs to win this thing. This is assuming that ALL will vote for Berri.

Unless he treads VERY carefully, he might not get the required 86 votes. Change and Reform, LF, and Phalange will make up 37 votes. Assuming all members of parliament attend the session, then 128-37 = 91.

Marwan Hamade from Jumblat's bloc has signaled he is unhappy with Berri. A few members of the Future bloc, who represent Beirut or the Sunni's might have a bone to pick with Amal invading Beirut and such.
Hamade, Fatfat, and a few grumblers could easily add up to 7 thus bringing the number of MPs voting NO or voting for another candidate to 44 or so. 128-44 = 84, less than two thirds required in the first couple rounds. This can easily torpedo his election.

One thing to really watch here is Aoun's response or decision. He knows that his 27 NO votes will not torpedo Berri's nomination, so will he actually pick that bone or not? Especially so that he butted heads with Berri in Jezzine and ended up humiliating him. In addition, he has always avoided answering whether he supported Berri for the post or not when asked by reporters. Also to consider here is the recent Ibrahim Kanaan thing on Berri's TV, Aoun might have a few things to say about that.

I personally am against a Berri re-election. For one, he has been speaker since 1992, I mean GOD, what kind of democracy is that?! Add to that the fact that he is an ex-militia leader, he is still the leader of the same group, but they are not a militia anymore. Now I understand that a lot of politicians in Lebanon have blood on their hands, but you gotta start somewhere, right? Not to mention that his Amal party took to the streets during the invasion of Beirut and contributed to the mini-war leading up to the Doha agreement. Also, his Amal party contributed to the Tent Sit-in in Central Beirut that crippled the downtown economy severely. Also, he was responsible for closing the doors of parliament for over a year to prevent the majority from voting an anti-Syrian to the presidency and to torpedo the International Court investigating the Hariri murder. And as far as I'm concerned, he just screams corruption and cronyism. Majlis el Jannoub anyone??

And on a not so serious note, I think our fashionista LZ, might have a few things to say about his sense of fashion!


BG

Les idiots occupent nos places

This is exactly the type of situation where I am grateful that I know more than one language:

Me sitting correctly in my assigned seat on an intra-american flight minding my own business, while the plane is boarding.
Enter an overdressed American looking blonde with an estimated 1/2 kg of makeup exuding an air of confidence and entitlement, followed by a little girl around the age of 5.
Said woman stops in the middle of the isle by my seat, looks at me and proceeds to talk in my direction.

Woman (with a condescending tone): You are in our seats. (no excuse me or any sort of that kind of pleasantries)

Me: Excuse me?
Woman: These are my seats!

Woman does not wait for an answer or an explanation or a resolution to the problem and proceeds to call the hostess on the flight. The method used to call the hostess is extremely interesting.

Woman:
Hostess, hostess
Excuse me
Come over!
(woman proceeds to whistle to get the hostess's attention, followed by fingers snapping)

Little blonde girl asks her mother what is going on?

Woman (with the most horrible americanized french accent imaginable): les idiots occupent nos places

To which the little girl replies: what mommy?
Woman (using same accent): assieds toi! (which sounded more like asayeh tuwa)

At this moment, hostess arrives.

Woman: These people are in my seats! (yah, like you own them lady!)
Hostess: Let me see your boarding pass please.

Woman hands over boarding pass.

Hostess: m'am, you're seated over there, these seats are for your other flight!

Woman ignores hostess and proceeds to talk to child: allownzee

Me: bonne journee madame!

Moral of the story: 1/2 a kg of make-up looks horrible when you're embarrassingly blushing!

BG

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°8

June 7th: Lebanese Parliamentary Elections

June 11th: Battle of the Short & Chic Elie Saab Cocktail Dress

(Both equally as important)

#1. The One-Shoulder Rockstar: Actress Drew Barrymore in a teal blue one-shoulder Elie Saab dress. Long sleeve draped one-shoulder dress? That's a new take...Interesting shoe choice. Beyoncé's shoes from the image below would have gone better...



vs.

#2. 1950's Dinner Party: Beyoncé in a very chic white day dress. Very Jackie-O. She paired it very nicely with the shoes. Love the fabric hanging off the top right of the dress. How to keep this clean? Oh yes, don't wear it more than once...



So who wins this vote?


~LZ

Hot off the press! Election results in!

According to this BBC article:

"Interior Minister Ziad Baroud confirmed that the coalition led by Saad Hariri had won 71 seats in the 128-member body, one more than four years ago.

The bloc led by militant and political movement Hezbollah won 57 seats."

To see pictures of election day, click here.

The real victory? Peaceful elections. (Knock on wood)

~LZ

Naam, feena! (Yes we can!) n°3 - Speech Commentary

As promised, here is my take on Obama's speech at Cairo University yesterday.

To start off with, I have taken the actual transcript of his speech and picked out the parts I thought were most important. So if you missed the speech, can't bother to read the entire thing or just want a refresher, enjoy.

I've also taken the liberty of putting my comments in red italics between Obama's words (just like a girl over-analyzing a text message from her crush), and breaking it into an easy to follow structure.

This is the layout of the speech, set out very neatly like a high school essay:

INTRO

BODY : "Issues"

1. Fighting violent extremism in all forms


2. Israeli-Palestinian Situation


3. Nuclear Weapons


4. Democracy


5. Religious freedom


6. Women’s Rights


7. Economic Development and Opportunity (proposes a Partnership)
   

CONCLUSION

~LZ

___

INTRO:

"More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims and a Cold War in which Muslim majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations..."

Iraq war much?

I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap and share common principles, principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings...

Applause breaks Obama had not anticipated whenever he mentions/quotes the Koran and the historical importance and influence of Islam...

And I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear. But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America. Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire.

a.k.a. "We stereotype you as terrorists but you stereotype us as well."

Let there be no doubt, Islam is a part of America.

Blunt, important statement; acknowledging that Islam is an integral part of the US. Has this been done before?

And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations: to live in peace and security, to get an education and to work with dignity, to love our families, our communities, and our God. These things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.

Ok, I just had to throw this in here. This is something I have been saying for a long, long time. Republican, Democrat, Muslim, Christian, Man, Woman- we all want the same things in the end. Obama, or his speech writers, are just much more concise. I'll be stealing this if you don't mind...

Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail."

And that is a threat.

BODY: "The Issues"

1. FIGHTING EXTREMISM

It is my first duty as president to protect the American people.

a.k.a. The potential for war is not out of the question if the American people are threatened.

We plan to invest $1.5 billion each year over the next five years to partner with Pakistanis to build schools and hospitals, roads and businesses, and hundreds of millions to help those who've been displaced.

That's why we are providing more than $2.8 billion to help Afghans develop their economy and deliver services that people depend on.

I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no basis and no claim on their territory or resources. … That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically-elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by 2012.

No claim on Iraqi territory?! Woohoo! Refreshing! Must watch to see if these promises are kept.

2. ISRAEL

America's strong bonds with Israel are well-known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied. …Six million Jews were killed, more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless. It is ignorant, and it is hateful.

Mandatory Israel ass-kissing so speech is not seen as too pro-Muslim

3. NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Now, I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nations should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons. And that's why I strongly reaffirmed America's commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons…. And any nation, including Iran, should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Again, his aspiration for a nuclear-weapon free world. Iran can have nuclear power if it obeys intl guidelines...


4. DEMOCRACY

No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation by any other. That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people.

America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election.

But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed, confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice, government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people, the freedom to live as you choose. These are not just American ideas. They are human rights. And that is why we will support them everywhere.

America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments, provided they govern with respect for all their people.

This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they're out of power. Once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others
elections alone do not make true democracy.

a.k.a. "We are not going to say that democracy is the best form of government, but it really is." And I must say that I, of course, agree.


5. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind and the heart and the soul.

This tolerance is essential for religion to thrive. But it's being challenged in many different ways. Among some Muslims, there's a disturbing tendency to measure one's own faith by the rejection of somebody else's faith.

The richness of religious diversity must be upheld, whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt.

Lebanon shoutout!!!

6. WOMEN’S RIGHTS

I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal.

Notice how he says "chooses." Very important and subtle

But I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.
And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well- educated are far more likely to be prosperous.

Of course!

Now let me be clear, issues of women's equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam.

Nice to have that said.

I am convinced that our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons.

I'm sorry, what? You are CONVINCED?? Really, and what made you come to that genius conviction?? Don't you have two daughters? He should have said: "It is an indisputable fact that our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons." Was he trying to play it safe with his audience??

I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal. And I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice.

Freedom of choice again!

That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim- majority country to support expanded literacy for girls and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.

7. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND OPPORTUNITY

I know that for many, the face of globalization is contradictory. The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information but also offensive sexuality and mindless violence into the home.

That Angelina Jolie--why is she so damn sexy??

But I also know that human progress cannot be denied. There need not be contradictions between development and tradition.

In ancient times and in our times, Muslim communities have been at the forefront of innovation and education… all of us must recognize that education and innovation will be the currency of the 21st century. And in too many Muslim communities, there remains underinvestment in these areas.

Thank you for addressing this issue. Maybe unlike the last American administration he won't just benefit financially from all the oil-money

-->PARTNERSHIP: (Plan to create bond btwn Muslims and the US)

At the same time, we will encourage more Americans to study in Muslim communities. And we will match promising Muslim students are internships in America, invest in online learning for teachers and children around the world and create a new, online network so a young person in Kansas can communicate instantly with a young person in Cairo.
On economic development, we will create a new core of business volunteers to partner with counterparts in Muslim majority countries. And I will host a summit on entrepreneurship this year to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations, and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world.
On science and technology, we will launch a new fund to support technological development in Muslim majority country and to help transfer ideas to the marketplace so they can create more jobs. We will open centers of scientific excellence in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia and appoint new science envoys to collaborate on programs that develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water, grow new crops.
Today, I'm announcing a new global effort with the organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio. And we will also expand partnerships with Muslim communities to promote child and maternal health.

CONCLUSION:

Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur. There is so much fear, so much mistrust that has built up over the years. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith in every country. You more than anyone have the ability to reimagine the world, the remake this world.

I'm an idealist, but I truly believe that. Screw that, I'm a realist and I believe that.

It's easier to start wars than to end them. It's easier to blame others than to look inward. It's easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is one rule that lies at the heart of every religion, that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.

The Holy Quran tells us, Mankind, we have created you male and a female. And we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.

The Talmud tells us, The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.

The Holy Bible tells us, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Nice touch

Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you."

End it with God, always a crowd-pleaser

___

Overall, nothing too radical. An important reach out to the Muslim world (and he tried to hit on the Arab world instead of just the Muslim World through mentioning the Copts and Maronites). Important statement that Islam is a part of the US. Standard mandatory ass-kissing to Israel so as not to piss them off, but nothing to extreme reminiscent of the Palin-Biden "We love Israel"debate or any of Bush's speeches.

Mainly, its things that people (civilized and educated people the world over) already know and agree on, but something that needed to be said.

Some good quotes to remember Obama by.

You've heard the man. What do you think?

~LZ

Naam, feena! (Yes we can!) n°2

US President Barack Obama speaking at Cairo University

Missed Obama's speech in Cairo?

Here is the text in full. I have yet to read it as am currently in class and should be focusing on other things, but will read soon and give my opinions.

Prefer to watch instead of read it? Watch it here

I hear he mentions the Maronites in Lebanon....


~LZ

Naam, feena! (Yes we can!)

Guess who's in the Middle East??

Give you a hint: "____ fo you mama!"

He's in Saudi Arabia now and then heading to Cairo to make a speech at Cairo University.

Stop by the AUB on your way?

It remains to be seen how effective Obama's (oops, let it slip) Middle East policies will be, and how different they will be from his predecessors.

We here on this blog supported his appointment of George Mitchell, and this trip looks promising...but I think it definitely still remains to be seen how high Middle Eastern peace and Israel ass kissing ranks on his to-do list.

President Obama with King Abdullah in Riyadh

~LZ

Israel's Lebanon problem

With all the recent buzz in Lebanon about the seemingly crumbling Israeli intelligence gathering cells, one has to wonder if this suicide is related?

Also, one has to wonder, how come did Israel screw up so badly? The number one rule of espionage and spy networks and cells is to keep them separated at all cost. Over 20 people in Lebanon have been arrested and most so far have been charged with spying for Israel. Also, most have been from different networks or cells.

Could the Israelis have screwed up so badly?
If so, this has got to be the biggest blunder by any military in the world. Maybe they got really cocky and thought that Lebanon was too weak or dumb to discover any of their tracks.

This has so many similarities to the "Mirage" incident Lebanon had with the Soviet Union (the soviets were trying to steal a mirage airplane from Lebanon to study and had recruited a Lebanese pilot and paid him huge amounts of money to fly the fighter jet out of Lebanon, but ignored the capacity of the Lebanese intelligence services, known as deuxieme bureau [maktab el tani], against the might of the soviet power. They got busted of course, and the case is now taught in most intelligence agencies worldwide as an example to not take anything lightly or up to chance in the business of espionage.)

If all this is true, and I suspect it is (yes, for once I don't think my government is lying to me), then this severely ties Israel's hands with regards to its' next adventure or chapter in Lebanon.

Still intrigued by the suicide though and possible connections?

BG

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°7

Jordana Brewster, American actress from "The Fast and the Furious", in Reem Acra

Interesting choice of having that leather jacket covering up half the dress. And metallic fabric? Really? I have to say the top one is not a favorite..

The second purple dress looks beautiful on the model, not so much on Jordana--it was definitely custom-tailored for her. It loses the wavey folds on the bottom and becomes pretty simple and not too special. Whereas the original looks grecian, Jordana's loses that element.

Sorry Reem :(


~LZ

Parliament Elections 2009 #5

Hehehe,
Where do I even start with this video?
This has got to be some of the best material to come out of Lebanon in this elections season!

Sleiman Frengieh, Maronite candidate in Zgharta, is giving his supporters a piece of his mind. Basically telling them to each go home and that he wants no one creating problems on his own turf.
Classic really. I'm not entirely sure when this was filmed, but I'm guessing sometime after his and 14th March supporters had an altercation. He is clearly furious in the video, he even slaps one of the guys. Hehe, this is after he gave another a good shove. To his defence though, the guy did try to give him what seemed like a hug. No offense intended to anyone, but if you look at the guy in the video, I wouldn't wanna hug him either. If you're looking like a chav and trying to give me a hug after sweltering in 80-90 degree heat pumped up on adrenaline, I'd be running in the other direction.

I'm not gonna translate the video word by word. It speaks for itself really.
But that's mostly the gist of it.
Oh, and the best part is when he tells them there's probably around 30,000 "donkeys" in this village. Hey, at least he knows his constituency well.
Nah, je blague.
LOL

BG

Parliament Elections 2009 #4

I just LOVE this cartoon, better known in Lebanon as caricature.

It is Sunday morning here in Amrika and as usual, I'm reading all my newspapers and blogs with the regular morning espresso (minus the habitual cigarette, as I stopped a month ago) and I came across this hilarious cartoon by Armand Homsi from Annahar daily.

So, two Lebanese, presumably husband and wife are sitting down watching TV, most likely the news. TV announces the discovery of 3 cases of swine flu at Beirut's airport. That prompted the guy to say: we were expecting electors, but we got "mrashahin", which in Arabic translates both into people running for elections, or people with the flu. I think it's genius. I love it.

Obviously a play on words there, but also a clear reference to the fact that candidates and parties are flying people in to come vote in the elections (although no evidence has surfaced as of yet implicating anyone, I know, I know, plenty of reports). However, this has actually created a real concern for Lebanese officials. No it's not what you think, they are not worried about corruption and vote buying or vote rigging. They are actually concerned with the possibility that a lot of the voters that will be coming in to vote might actually be exposed to the virus and thus carry the risk of infecting other people in Lebanon, possibly triggering an endemic situation. Especially so since North American countries who have been so far the hardest hit with this virus (US, Canada, Mexico) have huge numbers of Lebanese immigrants.

So, could we possibly be on the verge of a Swine Flu (eh, I mean Mexican Flu) endemic/pandemic situation??

I think not, but remains to be seen.

BG

Parliament Elections 2009 #3

Continuing on the theme of elections.

Another classic video from Kalam El Nass and made more so memorable by our lovely and ever so eloquent Lebanese politicians.

Khitab (speech) Market

It starts off with the whole Fares Boueiz and Nimatallah Abi Nasr debacle. Both running for the Maronite seat in Kisrwan. As you might remember, Aoun may or may not have promised Boueiz to be included on his list in Kisrwan, but may or may not have reneged on that promise. This prompted Boueiz to say that he was glad not to have entered the "cage of chicks" in Kisrwan, referring to Aoun's candidates. This in turn prompted a back and forth debacle between Abi Nasr and Boueiz, each accusing the other of being a different kind of bird, chicks and peacocks and so forth.

It's nice to see that people are running on useful platforms.

Then Michel El Murr calls Aoun's people "jlabbit" mostly translating as "little ones" but in a derogatory manner.

Ah, the joys of the Arabic language.

Off to the other Michel, calling his opponents "bsaynet", which technically translates into "cats" but probably meant "pussies".

Then back to the first Micho, with an online, on-air, live Kiss Okhta, no translation needed, nuff said there!

And then Geagea ever so eloquently as well compares his opponents to frogs that are inflating themselves (pompous type of inflating) and that they will soon explode!

BOOM BOOM, we all know how much we all love explosions!

Back to Micho, threatening to cut people's tongues and hands off, if they disagreed with him that is. I mean, non non non, he would not just do it for fun. C'est sauvage comme ca. La2 la2 la2, only when they disagree with him. Oh, and he finishes it all off by saying that he will just step on the small ones and smash them like ants. Only if they disagreed with him as well.
Il est gentil ce type. 3adatan byil3ab mnee7 ma3 el 2akhareen, bass ma t2arbo sawbo.

Nice to see that every candidate in Lebanon has a platform they are running on and that they actually use their time in effectively promoting these programs.

You have to admit though that their use of the Arabic language is impeccable and their theatrical performances are classic. Not to mention similes, oxymorons, paradoxes, and so on and so forth.

BG

WOW, April already??!!

It must be April fool's day in Lebanon.

The idea itself is just laughable, laudable, but laughable.


BG

above link:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=102488

Syrian Virus

I recently received this email (you know those Arabs, they just love that forward button) and I thought I would share. Ok, you've probably seen something very similar, but I thought it was a good one.

Been a lot of political buzz around the blog lately. For now, I shall peacefully and patiently observe. :)

Sorry if I offend. I promise I'll put up one making fun of Lebanese soon enough. (Although with our politics, do I really need to?)

But considering we have as many readers in Syria as we do in Monaco, I think I'll be ok.

~LZ

____

Dear receiver
shlonak??
You hav just receivd a Syrian virus
Since we are not so technologically advanced in Syria
I am a manual virus you hav to helb me becos i can't do everything by myself
3reft shlon?
'bleas delete all the files on your hard disk by
Yourself and send this mail to everyone you know'
Thank you very much for helbing me khayyo
3ala 3eni walla

Syrian toilet sign. Nothing to do with the joke above, I just found it hilarious.

Lebanese Syrian Relations 3

After years and years of not recognizing Lebanon as a sovereign state but finally appointing an ambassador and stalling in terms of sending him to Beirut to actually do his duties, Syria has finally ordered its' ambassador to go to Beirut and start his job.

He crossed the Syrio-Lebanese border yesterday headed towards Beirut.

Timing anyone??

IS there any hidden agenda in the timing?
I personally would like to think not. Sometimes I get the feeling that the Syrians do these kinds of things just to fuel their esoteric fires more and more. Kinda adds to the whole dark enigma state type of thing.

And since this IS the middle east, it follows then that there is a conspiracy theory behind everything. It just remains to be seen what that theory is.

Is he coming to interfere with the elections?
Is he so sure of the results (that they are going to be favorable towards march 8th) that he feels comfortable coming before and not after?
Does he feel that he is going to be right at home with the new parliament that is going to emerge that he feels comfy to come already?
Is the pressure mounting on Syria by the Americans and the Europeans?

And so on and so forth . . .

Of course, the regular normal explanation would be that he was just recently appointed and is just now able to take on the duties of the office to which he was assigned.

But that is too boring, and so not middle east.


BG

Parliament Elections 2009 #2

Reiterating a previous position I've taken on this blog, it is with despair and dismay that I continue to follow the parliamentary elections in Lebanon.

This blog post will touch on the subject of women in Lebanese politics, or more accurately, lack of women in Lebanese politics.
And since it is election season in Lebanon, let's start with the parliament.

Currently there are only 6 women in the parliament, out of a total of 128 MPs.
That is barely 5%, not even.

Strida Geagea
Bahiya Hariri
Gilbertte Zwein
Solange Gemayel
Ghinwa Galoul
Nayla Mouawad

There are actually more men with the first name of Mohammad (9 I believe) than there are women in parliament.

And with elections coming up, only 12 candidates are women, and they are not expected to win. Maybe just a handful, 4-6, might actually make it. Heck, even if they all win, that's still not 10%, far below what it should be!

Along the lines of this post, watch the following Al Jazeera video that talks about the subject.
A ridiculous claim by none other than Paul Salem from the Carnegie Institute attributes this lack of women in Lebanese politics to their "lifestyle" and "occupation with driving nice cars, having good jobs and having a good time" rather than getting busy with politics. To add insult to injury, the reporter in the clip calls him an "expert".

Ya, ok.
Sure thing buddy.
I'll make sure to solicit his opinion next time I need an "expert" to pontificate on the subject.

No woman has ever come close to being nominated prime minister in Lebanon.
As far as I know, we've only had a few female ministers. The most we've ever had in one cabinet was a whopping two!
As far as the presidency is concerned, I can't recall anyone other than Nayla Mouawad expressing concern and intent to become president, and she wasn't even close to being considered a serious candidate by anyone.

We need more women in politics. Lebanon severely lacks behind when it comes to that issue.

BG

Lebanese Voyeur?

Can somebody please please please have him arrested???!!
Such a sicko!

BG

Who is Lebanon?

There is this video produced by some student group at NDU in Lebanon dealing with the identity of Lebanon.

Now, I am personally confused.

The video starts with asking the question: who is Lebanon?
Followed by the following answers: Saad El Hariri, Michel Aoun, Samir Geagea, Nabih Berri, Sleiman Frengieh, Amine Gemayel and Walid Jumblatt.

OKAY?!?!?!

Then comes the second question: Is it the words of its' leaders?
Followed by a bunch of little sentences from various leaders.

Double OKAY!?!?!?!

Then the following question: or is it their actions?
Followed by a bunch of politicians saying "yes".

Triple OKAY!?!?!?!

Oh, and the best question was left for the end: June 7th?
Followed by no answer.

End of Video

Can someone please explain this to me?

Elections getting weirder and weirder.

BG

Baalbeck International Festival

Baalbeck International Festival's program has just been announced!

You can find the original program at their official website here.
And you can find LBC's video about the program here.

While they have a nice line-up of stars coming to perform, it is a bit heavy on the classics or classical side.
A ballet troupe, a cellist, a pianist (who is super cute btw), Caracalla dance troupe, Jazz and Latin Salsa night and an opera at the end of the program.

But not singers! and no Arab representation except for Caracalla Dance Theater. I guess I'm just melancholic for the days Fairuz used to sing there!

Nihna wil 2amar jiran!

BG

Parliament Elections 2009 #1

Everybody in Lebanon is breathing parliamentary elections these days. Even people outside of Lebanon are breathing Lebanese elections, more so the non-Lebanese than the Lebanese.

And since that is the case, we here at the BabaGannouj et La Zaytouni blog will be increasingly posting more and more posts regarding the parliamentary elections. Now bare with me, I understand that most of you are probably fed up with parliamentary elections already, but we are Lebanese after all and we can't let this one slip by. Now mind you that most of our coverage will focus on the negative and all the screwed up things that come with discussing anything that comes out of Lebanon. Naturally.

Here goes the first installement:

Kalam EL Nass, which actually happens to be one of my favorite TV shows, that runs on the Lebanese channel LBCI, is actually coming on air almost daily now with a new kick, Parlement 2009. Basically, they have two opposing candidates running against each other in the same district square off in the same episode. And believe me, it'a a HUGE headache. The episode between Sami Gemayel and Ibrahim Kanaan, both running for the Maronite seat in the Metn district, was a screaming match.

But this post is actually about someone else, but along the same lines.

Someone at LBC thought it was an ingenious idea to put together a bunch of guys, each representing a particular party, and have them discuss May 7th event of last year. Now while this is normally and usually a noble cause, and we here at this blog do not in any way scorn any attempts at discussions especially in Lebanon, it was completely disheartening to actually watch that video.

Here's the link for you enjoyment, you be the judge:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5-MTvfD2PY

Basically, these people have no opinion of their own. It was annoying to watch. They are repeating almost "mot at mot" what their leaders/parties say on a daily basis. Not a single one of them "strayed" from set policy, even the vocabulary used was almost exactly the same. Equally disturbing to watch was the extreme and dangerous divide between these people. I had hopes for the younger generation. I thought that we were a bit better than that.
I don't know about you, but the more and more I watch these elections, the more and more I lose hope that we are ever gonna get out of this "cycle of shit" that Lebanon has been living in for years.

And no, I did not base all that on just this video. But it's a small example.

BG

Arabic Sound Bite n° 3 - A Little Armenian Spice

My newest musical discovery is Guy Manoukian, a Lebanese musician of Armenian descent.

His music has no words (well, let me be more precise, he doesn't do any singing), just a fusion of Arabic, Armenian, Greek beats, both modern and old.


Sarab al Urdun is very nice, as is Norits. If I've succeeded in making you fall in love with him (he's handsome, isn't he) you can watch an interview with him in English here. He's also got a video with Wyclef Jean which you can watch on his website.

And while we're on the Armenian track, why not read this New York Times article about the influence of the Armenian vote in Lebanon. Apparently they hold a swing vote, and apparently, they're siding with Hezbollah. I'm staying neutral on this one guys, but if you're interested in reading the article, go for it.

~LZ

"And a little child shall lead them" - Isaiah 11:6

The LebaneseInnerCircle blogged about a new LBC TV Show called "Kilna bil Hayy" or "All of Us in the Neighborhood" which should have aired a couple of days ago and is now being rerun.

The 13-part series was created by an NGO called Search for Common Ground and the project is funded by Denmark’s Rockwool Foundation, and is based off of a similar program that had aired in Macedonia.

The show takes place around the interactions between the children living in a building that has, like most typical Beiruti buildings, an amalgamation of people living in it that identify by such terms as: Armenians, Christians, Druze, Shiites, Sunnis, Palestinians.

To watch a video of a theme song for the show, click here. I particularly like the moves of the overly excited girl in the striped purple shirt, who seems pretty convinced that she's a superstar.

I have to say, I've been wanting a show like this to come out for a very, very, very long time. I'm firmly a believer that what you are taught when you are young and how you are raised plays an enourmous role in who you are when you re an adult. (If you're taught growing up to hate, you will most likely hate your whole life, and if you are taught to be tolerant, you will be tolerant your whole life.) I don't think it's naive to think that something as banal as a TV show could have such an important influence.

So I personally recommend you forward this post to all your friends who have little kids and access to LBC and get them put this show on for their children. It'll make them more tolerant and improve their Arabic.

God knows they watch enough crap anyway.

~LZ

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°6

American singer Katy Perry in Lebanese designer Georges Chakra. A little flashy for my own taste, but then again, I'm not a celebrity. Cute dress though, I like the mix of beading and chiffon, and surprisingly not too over the top despite the materials used.

Yet another " little 'white' dress" from G.C. ...

~LZ

Byblos Summer Festival Program Up

Byblos Summer Festival is now up!

Keane is coming! And YAS sounds cool, i'll try to listen to some of their stuff.

Interesting that it's a much more westernized program than Beiteddine Festival...

~LZ

Who murdered Suzanne Tamim?

Apparently, the Egyptian billionaire did it with a knife in the Dubai Luxury apartment. (Anyway ever play Clue?)

Surprisingly, the Egyptian court found billionaire Hisham Talaat Moustafa guilty of paying $2million to Muhsin Sukkari to murder Tamim, and as a result both have been sentenced to death by hanging.

Seems as if both will appeal the decision, so I wonder if they will get off after all.

The case was very high profile because of obviously, the celebrity of the people involved, and it was thought that Moustafa would get off because of the corrupt "justice" system. ($$$) But maybe not? (This judge better watch his back, he may wake up and find a dead horse in his bed....[Godfather, anyone?])

Watch the video, it adds to the whole "soap-opera" aura of this entire story.

Moustafa wanted Tamim dead for dumping him for an Iraqi kick-boxing champion she met in London.

Someone doesn't take rejection well...

~LZ

"Zurooni, kuli sanna marra"

Guess who's in Lebanon?

Apparently the first for a sitting US VP.

16 days till election day...

~LZ

Lebanon gets Artsy

You may have started to hear a little buzz around a Lebanese band called "Mashrou3 Leila" or "Mashrou' Leila."

I actually first stumbled onto them after watching Episode #2 of the "Flying Kebab" series.

Ok, hold on, first things first. Let's give credit where credit is due. I first heard about Flying Kebab after reading The Lebanese Inner Circle's post on it.

Flying Kebab is a film project by three Brazilians. It is a series of short episodes, the first of which takes place in Brazil. In it, the lead character Fernando, or Nando, finds out that he has received some kind of an inheritance in Lebanon, and leaves to go collect it, without really knowing what he is getting or where he is going.

The second episode, titled "The Things I do For You Babe," takes place entirely in Lebanon.

The episode opens up with a really beautiful sequence of shots from Lebanon, all being played to the sound of a song called "Raksit Leila" by Mashrou3 Leila, which is how I discovered the band.

In terms of Flying Kebab, I really like the plot so far, it will be interesting to see where it goes. I'm really enjoying the great shots that they have of Lebanon, plus the funny "only-in-Lebanon" things that take place that you'll only understand if you've been there (i.e. cursing Palestinian taxi driver, etc.) but the acting could be better for sure...

Now back to "Mashrou3 Leila." Check out their MySpace page and listen to their songs. They really are amazing, again, something huge is that you DO NOT HEAR LEBANESE/ARABIC MUSIC LIKE THIS. Is it an absolute reinvention which is modeled off of more underground, Westernized music rather than your traditional mainstream Middle Eastern pop music.

"Chem el Yasmine" is my personal favorite.

( SIDE NOTE: Guys, if you are reading this, you need to PLEASE sell your album online/sell it on Itunes (which is actually very simple for anyone to do) because I lovelovelove you songs and need them on my ipod! Also, can we get a website for the band or at least update your MySpace and make some more info available to the fans? Maybe a Facebook Fanpage (instead of just the group) where you put info about upcoming concerts? Not trying to mainstream you guys, just want access to your music! <3<3 )

Then when you're done with that, check out these pictures. They are the photos of Fernando Borges, that actor in Flying Kebab, who also happens to be an amazing photographer. He has some really good shots of Lebanon, and I mean really good shots, as well as shots of Mashrou3 Leila from a concert they had recently.

Ok, so that was quite a bit, to summarize:

1) Watch the 1st two episodes of "Flying Kebab"

2) Listen to Mashrou3 Leila's songs that are available for free on their MySpace

3) Check out Fernando's Flickr pics of Lebanon

Let me guys know what you think!

~LZ

My favorite of Fernando's pics from his Flickr:

Domestic violence to weather the economic storm???!!

Does anybody else find this completely ridiculous and retarded?

This Saudi judge proposes that it is OK for a man to slap his wife if she overspends.

SERIOUSLY?

. . . and then he goes on to yada yada something about how it's the woman's fault a man hits her, because you know, she provokes him and stuff. Yeah, same way a raped woman asks for it because she was wearing a mini skirt.

WTF???

Infallible logic there!



BG

Beiteddine Summer Festival Announced

The Beiteddine 2009 Festival program has just been announced!

Particular favs:

Jad ElMaleh
Charles Aznavour (I swear, I thought he was dead)
Kazem el Saher
Marcel Khalifé
and Hanine y son Cubano who I saw like 6 years ago in Byblos, most amazing voice and such an interesting mix of Arabic and Cuban music. I absolutely LOVE them.

In fact, go here and listen to one of her songs called "3la Baali" or "On my mind."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9xC0fBMdx4

Her voice is, as someone on Youtube comments, "like honey", and their music is so unique, two completely different types of music that mesh so perfectly. If you don't own a lot of CDs, I recommend heading to Virgin in Beirut and picking this one up; the other songs on the CD are just as wonderful.

Byblos Festival still hasn't been announced yet...

~LZ

Oh why not, check out "Alby wa Mouftahu"

God, I really forgot about how much I love them

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°5

Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab

One of my absolute favorites. Elegant and angelic.

~LZ

Nostalgia - Roudani Ila Biladi

Roudani Ila Biladi

Shil7ou zanbakin ana, iksirnee 3ala thara biladi

Brings tears to my eyes every time!

BG

Sexual attitudes shifting??? I think not!

I'm sure some of you have already seen the following video (Youtube Link) which has been making rounds around the internet. The movie is talking about shifting sexual attitudes in Lebanon and they show a varying amount of "material" that points in the direction of how the Lebanese are becoming more and more supportive of differing sexual opinions.

I personally do not think we are making HUGE progress on the issue. Just because two lesbians meet at a bar in Gemayze, during ladies night mind you, does not mean the Lebanese are open and comfortable with homosexuality.

By browsing the Wikipedia page on LGBT issues in Lebanon, I was surprised and shocked to find out that lesbians are not penalized the same way as gays, because their offense does not include "penetration" ????!!!! Talk about inequality reversed. Although it is not entirely unheard of in Lebanon to be arrested as a lesbian, but you have to be caught in the act.

I don't see major shifts in sexual attitudes in the story of a man who got beaten the shit out of just for looking or acting different.

If we are so OK with it, then why does the mere mention of any homosexual issue send the government on a frenzy public media campaign denying and denying and denying.

And if we are so OK with it, then shouldn't we recognize the great work of HELEM on our own land rather than let others recognize their great work in a different country, heck even a different continent!

And since the government is so cool with this, then why did they arrest and put on trial a man who refused to give away the names of people involved in maintaining a gay website, and also put on trial another man who publicized the government's decision to prosecute the first man!

Now, I admit and agree that there is some progress and the homosexuals and their supporters are allowed to sometimes vent or protest, not without the watchful eye of the state mind you, (notice the number of police in that video).

Now, I understand that things take time, and progress as well as change are not always easy, but do not try to convince this homo that allowing 50-100 people to gather in Ashrafiyeh is a sign of shifting sexual attitudes.

BG

Arabic Sound Bite n° 2

I haven't been able to watch LBC and thus follow the Arabic Music hits, so maybe everyone already knows this and I'm just out of the loop, but a guaranteed hit for the summer is Fadi Andraos' song "Falasteen wa Lubnaan" (Palestine and Lebanon).

Watch it here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8z7j5_fady-andraos-flestine-we-lebnan_music

I think he looks kind of sexy with his excessive beard in this video. In a hobo-esque kind of way



For those of you that remember, Fadi won the hearts of Arabic women everywhere when he was on Star Academy 3 in 2005. Me? Personally, I thought he was arrogant and narcissistic, with his little shaved line in his eyebrow. (Anyone remember that?)

Witness old, line-through-the-eyebrow, full-of-himself, Fadi. I like to think he's since become more humble.

But then I slowly began to like him, first with Bi 2albi Dalli (Stay in my heart), Hayda Mish Ana (This is not me) and finally, Falasteen wa Lubaan. (Wow, the titles sound a lot better in Arabic don't they?) The songs really do keep getting better and better.

Also, you have to give him credit for successfully bringing rock into Arabic Music, definitely a first.

Anyway, back to the song. It's really moving I think (provided it is a pop-rock song) because it speaks of his own life, and that he is originially Palestinian but born and raised in Lebanon.
I particularly like the lines: "Falasteen, ya gir7hee ana" and "Lebnaan, shu b7ibuk ana....wa kirmaaluk bmout ana." I'm not even going to bother translating those because it will completely ruin them.

Sorry, I'm a sap.


~LZ

The 18th Sect We Don't Talk About

This post from the Lebanese Inner Circle reminded me of one of my previous posts on the Jews in Lebanon.

Apparently, the Minister of the Interior, Ziad Baroud, submitted a proposal to be discussed by the cabinet on Apr. 28 that proposed "the Cabinet amend the legislation that currently labels Lebanese Jews as 'Israélite' to 'Jewish Lebanese'."

Currently, Lebanese Jews are identified as Israelites on their IDs (I thought this was taken off post-Taif along with everyone's religion??) and on electoral lists.
According to the Daily Star:

Baroud's proposal asked the Cabinet to adopt a draft law to differentiate between a sect "whose rights are legal and protected by the Constitution and between the subjects of an occupying entity."

I think it would be worth going back to my previous post and looking at the NowLebanon article I link to that interviews a Jewish woman named Liza living in Lebanon and how she has been struggling her whole life to be considered Lebanese. Might help to get a better perspective of what this legislation, if it is put into effect (how likely this is I have no idea) would mean.

Also, I love how in Lebanon we like to show off and say "we are so diverse, we have 18 different religious sects that all live together in this one tiny nation," except no one likes to say that that Jews are absolutely unaccepted and probably have to hide their religion or face prosecution. Yey diversity!!

So finally, someone is taking a step forward and is doing something to get rid of this ignorant notion that all Jews are Israelis.

Now to tackle women's and gay rights...

~LZ

Li2mi Zgheeri (A Little Taste...) n°4

The once tacky Lebanese designer Georges Chakra is reinventing himself, as seen with the recent popularity of his short white dresses. I remember when I used to see his fashions in Arabic magazines and it was the tackiest thing you had ever seen with ridiculous mixtures of bright colors, feathers and such....but he seems to be doing much better for himself nowadays.

Carrie Underwood, American singer

Mischa Barton, American Actress

Carrie Underwood

Seems someone I had previously written off may be someone to follow.

~LZ

Continuing the Chain(of thought)- Smoking

To continue on Baba's line of thought, I was on a bus trip to Barcelona recently organized by a French university. On the way to Barca we took one hour breaks every 2 hours so that all the students could smoke. On the way back, we stopped off in Spain near the French border not so that we could buy dinner (mind you it was 8pm and we wouldnt be stopping again for another 2.5 hours) but so that everyone could buy cigarettes which are cheaper in Spain than in France. I kid you not. Sorry, but coming from the USA this is absolutely ridiculous.


It made me wonder about the rest of the world, and Lebanon in particular. We are a small country, but I am proud to say we hold many acheivements, records and prizes. Sadly, amongst those are the following:

World Female Smoking Percentage
World Male Smoking Percentage

Yes, that's right. Lebanese women hold the world record with 57.1% of them smoking. Lebanese men, on the otherhand, come in 6th, with 61% of them smoking.

Can this possibly be true??? More than half of all women and men in Lebanon smoke?? What happened? How did it get so bad?? Is anything being done about it?

~LZ

PS: I'll have everyone know that BG recently quick smoking for several months before, sadly and much to my disappointment, picking it up again

Smoke . . . or DIE???

So the normal adage goes: stop smoking or keep smoking and risk dying.

But the Chinese have a new twist to that.

To stimulate the local economy, Chinese in Gong'an county have to smoke 230,000 locally produced cigarettes or risk being fined or punished (and we all know punishment in China can't be all that pleasant).

I just can't get my head to wrap around this one!! I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more media attention, or hasn't incurred the wrath of left liberals yet!

LINK

BG

Forgetfulness

I lay in bed trying to sleep
Everything around me is calm and peaceful
Ideas cross my mind
Like cars on a highway
Going as fast as shooting stars go
So fast that they are hard to interpret
Or maybe because there are a lot of them
But nonetheless, they are too hard to ignore
And every once in a while
I catch a glimpse of one
A slow moving one
I feel so lucky to catch it in flight
But then again not so lucky
Because only the burdened ones
Are the ones that move slowly
And suddenly it’s not calm and peaceful anymore
And I sure don’t feel lucky either
Many twists and turns follow
Restlessness
Sadness
Anger
Disappointment
I continue to tumble in bed
Perhaps in a lame attempt
To shake these ideas off of me
Many twists and turns follow
Many twists and turns follow
Restlessness
Sadness
Anger
Disappointment
Forgetfulness
Forgetfulness
Sleep


BG

Israel . . . wiped off the map.

Is it just me, or does Israel tend to overplay every hand it gets?
I mean for fuck's sake, why is everything a big deal with these people?
Some things are just innocent mistakes or are what they are. Not everything is anti-semitic!

BG