joi, 29 mai 2008
UMMMM... CAN'T REALLY COME UP WITH A TITLE FOR THIS
Advice on Saudi Arabian tv for the good faithful muslim men. It would be hilarious, if there weren't real women going through all this.
marți, 27 mai 2008
CONVERSATION ON APTN DIRECT BETWEEN CHINESE TELEVISION AND THE AP DESK EDITOR
China Central Television (CCTV) (1226 GMT)
From CCTV News will any live broadcasting of the bombing of North Korea Facilities?Since there are news that CNN will have live covering
APTN (1229 GMT)
China Central Television (CCTV): we are not aware of any bombing. do you have more details?
China Central Television (CCTV) (1238 GMT)
there are news that at the end of May before next round of six party talks, the cooling tower of the North korea facilties in Yongbyon would be bombed and CNN would provide live coveragei
From CCTV News will any live broadcasting of the bombing of North Korea Facilities?Since there are news that CNN will have live covering
APTN (1229 GMT)
China Central Television (CCTV): we are not aware of any bombing. do you have more details?
China Central Television (CCTV) (1238 GMT)
there are news that at the end of May before next round of six party talks, the cooling tower of the North korea facilties in Yongbyon would be bombed and CNN would provide live coveragei
luni, 26 mai 2008
THE NIGERIAN GUY FROM THE OLD SOUK
He was right. Part of me didn't want to believe him. "Lebanon is a beautiful country, but the politicians are killing it". B totally agreed. We found him in the old souk in Byblos. Sitting in front of a shop on a chair. A thin black guy smiling. He called us in. "People don't buy anything when they come to this place unless they come to my shop", he jokes. He was right. I instantly found something to buy. The shop was a mess. The way I like a shop to be. Dusty. Clothes and bed covers and table covers and souvenirs and anything you can imagine. On a shelf at the back I found the keffiyah I wanted for a friend. B started to speak to the guy. That why he entered the shop in the first place; to find out more. "Where are you from?" "She's from Romanian and I'm Lebanese. Where are you from?" "Nigeria. But I'm married to a Lebanese woman." "Cool. Is this your shop?" "No. I work for somebody. Find anything you like?" The man kept smiling, happy I had found something to buy from his place. I bought two keffiyah. Just 10 000 Lebanese pounds. Around 7 dollars. The guy went out to another shop to bring me the change for a 20 000 banknote. "you know, you have a beautiful country, but the politicians are killing it", he told B as he came back. And we left to the coffee shop across the street to have a sandwich and a cappuccino. "You're gonna write about this guy, won't you?" "Mhm."
****
They're fighting again in Beirut. Here's the Naharnet live coverage.
9:50pm Clashes in Beirut's Kourniche Mazraa district between opposition and majority and the army intervenes.
9:45pm Clashes reported between the Hizbullah-led opposition and majority supporters in the Beqaa Valley village of Taalabaya.
9:29pm Beirut MP Ammar Houry pleaded with president Suleiman to rescuse civilians in the capital from attacks by Nasrallah's partisans.
9:27pmAt least 16 people were wounded by gunfire from Nasrallah's followers.
8:24pm At least two people were wounded by pro-Nasrallah shooting in Beirut and admitted to Maqassed hospital.
B told me like 20 minutes ago they started the firing again. Man, I really hoped they would stop. The people really believed that electing a new president would stop the fighting. And here come Nasrallah to ruin everything once again.
****
They're fighting again in Beirut. Here's the Naharnet live coverage.
9:50pm Clashes in Beirut's Kourniche Mazraa district between opposition and majority and the army intervenes.
9:45pm Clashes reported between the Hizbullah-led opposition and majority supporters in the Beqaa Valley village of Taalabaya.
9:29pm Beirut MP Ammar Houry pleaded with president Suleiman to rescuse civilians in the capital from attacks by Nasrallah's partisans.
9:27pmAt least 16 people were wounded by gunfire from Nasrallah's followers.
8:24pm At least two people were wounded by pro-Nasrallah shooting in Beirut and admitted to Maqassed hospital.
B told me like 20 minutes ago they started the firing again. Man, I really hoped they would stop. The people really believed that electing a new president would stop the fighting. And here come Nasrallah to ruin everything once again.
duminică, 25 mai 2008
LEBANON AT PEACE?
Downtown Beirut. May 22. Thursday evening. Around 11 pm. Noisy. Humming. The traffic is almost impossible. You get out of the service cab, you hardly find your way across the street and then you struggle to make your way among the people. People are literally pouring from everywhere. Laughing, walking hand in hand, smiling. Young people, old people. Huge coffee shops that stretch on half of the street are filled with people. Not even one free table. An old man shouts from a distance at his friend sitting in a coffee shop and opens his arms. They meet, kiss three times, the Lebanese way, and they sit down for a talk. They congratulate each other. They hope and feel it’s time for their country to have a rest.
Downtown Beirut used to be the Camps Elysees of the Middle East. You can find here all the famous designers’ shops; you can smoke the nargil, have a cup of cappuccino and talk to a friend for hours. There is even a Place de l’Etoile, where students meet and usually sit on the side walks.
In the middle of it all they staged a tv show. Live on LBC, the national television, a debate to celebrate peace. To celebrate something that Lebanon hasn’t known in decades- an agreement between the factions that a few days ago were fighting in the streets. A TV debate in the middle of the street. True, surrounded by soldiers, but they weren’t more than 4 young soldiers guarding the stage. A huge act of courage that would not have been possible…. No. An act of courage that WAS never possible in a country where people get assassinated for speaking about what they believe in.
Six months ago, the whole place was deserted. Nobody was there except a few shy soldiers who’d ask you to open your bag. All the museums were closed; the shops were almost out of business. And nobody adventured there. The Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah had staged a sit in. They demanded enough seats in the cabinet to wield veto power over any decision the government makes, despite the fact that they couldn’t win enough seats in the last election.
The Parliament building in Place de L’Etoile was surrounded by barbed wire and the door remained closed for a few months. That’s actually why they weren’t able to elect a new president. The parliament was not functioning, cause the Hezbollah did not show up for the vote.
And then there was the Situation. With an S. A tension you could even touch and try to cut with a knife. People would avoid investing in their businesses because of the Situation. They avoided refurbishing a house because of the Situation. And made people startle when they heard a tire exploding or even fireworks. But on Thursday night it was all gone.
There have been agreements before; there have been attempts to rebuild the country. But none of them had the privilege to be the one that people believed in.
The Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Parliamentary Majority leader, Saad Hariri, son of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the Speaker of the Parliament, a close ally of the Hezbollah militia reached an agreement on Wednesday in Doha. They will form a national unity government and elect the new president - Michel Suleiman, the head of the army.
People are really optimistic. Happier. And they are aware of that. They see each other smile and it makes them smile again. Life got back to Beirut this week. But still everybody’s asking for how long it’s going to last.
“We, Lebanese, are like that. We just snap. In and out of war. Just like that. That’s why people don’t trust us as a country.”, B says as he snaps his fingers. But he still admits things are different now.
Downtown Beirut used to be the Camps Elysees of the Middle East. You can find here all the famous designers’ shops; you can smoke the nargil, have a cup of cappuccino and talk to a friend for hours. There is even a Place de l’Etoile, where students meet and usually sit on the side walks.
In the middle of it all they staged a tv show. Live on LBC, the national television, a debate to celebrate peace. To celebrate something that Lebanon hasn’t known in decades- an agreement between the factions that a few days ago were fighting in the streets. A TV debate in the middle of the street. True, surrounded by soldiers, but they weren’t more than 4 young soldiers guarding the stage. A huge act of courage that would not have been possible…. No. An act of courage that WAS never possible in a country where people get assassinated for speaking about what they believe in.
Six months ago, the whole place was deserted. Nobody was there except a few shy soldiers who’d ask you to open your bag. All the museums were closed; the shops were almost out of business. And nobody adventured there. The Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah had staged a sit in. They demanded enough seats in the cabinet to wield veto power over any decision the government makes, despite the fact that they couldn’t win enough seats in the last election.
The Parliament building in Place de L’Etoile was surrounded by barbed wire and the door remained closed for a few months. That’s actually why they weren’t able to elect a new president. The parliament was not functioning, cause the Hezbollah did not show up for the vote.
And then there was the Situation. With an S. A tension you could even touch and try to cut with a knife. People would avoid investing in their businesses because of the Situation. They avoided refurbishing a house because of the Situation. And made people startle when they heard a tire exploding or even fireworks. But on Thursday night it was all gone.
There have been agreements before; there have been attempts to rebuild the country. But none of them had the privilege to be the one that people believed in.
The Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Parliamentary Majority leader, Saad Hariri, son of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the Speaker of the Parliament, a close ally of the Hezbollah militia reached an agreement on Wednesday in Doha. They will form a national unity government and elect the new president - Michel Suleiman, the head of the army.
People are really optimistic. Happier. And they are aware of that. They see each other smile and it makes them smile again. Life got back to Beirut this week. But still everybody’s asking for how long it’s going to last.
“We, Lebanese, are like that. We just snap. In and out of war. Just like that. That’s why people don’t trust us as a country.”, B says as he snaps his fingers. But he still admits things are different now.
THIRD TIME IN LEBANON
The post is a bit late, cause I couldn't connect to the Internet in Beirut.
I’m back in Lebanon. It took me a while. 4 months actually. Seems like ages to me now. And I found it different this time. Third time. Well, not the country. All that was changed about it when I got off the plane were a few dark circles on the road – from the burned tires. But the people… The people felt different. I got off the plane on Wednesday at about 2 in the morning. They double checked my passport this time. Never happened the first two times. They even “sounded” the alarm when the saw on my entrance card that I am a journalist. The airport security guys started to ask questions. Who do I work for, what station, and as they’ve never heard of Antena3 before, as I expected, they were really confused. The guy at the counter didn’t know what to do, so he called the boss. I gave him my press card, he looked at it carefully. It looks official enough although the guys who made it forgot to write “PRESS” on it. They only wrote a small “Ştiri” instead of it. The security chef only said a “hm” and then asked if I knew English and asked what my beat was. Hehe. I told him I cover international affairs and he went like “Ohhhh, NEWS! Ok, let her pass.” “WELCOME TO LEBANON!”
Well, thank you very much. What kind of journalist would you think would come to Lebanon at a time like this? Maybe a Children’s Show producer? Geez!
(UPDATE. I was told later that a few Israeli journalists had got into Lebanon with foreign passports under the Hezbollah nose and they were bragging about it on TV. "Hey, look, we're in Lebanon!")
As Ramy drove on the highway, I looked around to see at least a trace of the fighting that had been going on. Had seen a picture a friend had taken during the fighting. The usually crowded highway to the airport all deserted. Nothing alive on it but a small bird. I expected to see at least traces of the dirt they used to barricade the road.
But there was nothing. No barricades, not even a hint that they were there 4 days before. All clean and wiped. I am always amazed by the Lebanese capacity of regeneration. I remember the bridges bombed by the Israelis in the summer of 2006. I remember all the footage that came in on Reuters and AP at the time and the destroyed roads and the bridges. The Lebanese are amazing. The roads are now all rebuilt. (One more reason for those politicians bullshitting the Romanians after 20 years of so called democracy to visit Lebanon more often. Lebanon has highways, and bridges and everything a civilized country needs. Well, they are not satisfied with their roads, that's for sure. But, they are definetly better than the Romanian ones, trust me. AND THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH DECADES OF INTERNAL FIGHTING.)
I arrived into a quiet Beirut. Hamra, where my hotel is, is now as full of people as ever. They had it closed last week after the Hezbollah fighters moved in. It was around 3 am on Wednesday morning. A few hours later I was watching on Al Jazeera that the Lebanese politicians had made up and they agreed on a national unity government in Doha. And I saw the people of Lebanon smiling at each other for the first time.
I’m back in Lebanon. It took me a while. 4 months actually. Seems like ages to me now. And I found it different this time. Third time. Well, not the country. All that was changed about it when I got off the plane were a few dark circles on the road – from the burned tires. But the people… The people felt different. I got off the plane on Wednesday at about 2 in the morning. They double checked my passport this time. Never happened the first two times. They even “sounded” the alarm when the saw on my entrance card that I am a journalist. The airport security guys started to ask questions. Who do I work for, what station, and as they’ve never heard of Antena3 before, as I expected, they were really confused. The guy at the counter didn’t know what to do, so he called the boss. I gave him my press card, he looked at it carefully. It looks official enough although the guys who made it forgot to write “PRESS” on it. They only wrote a small “Ştiri” instead of it. The security chef only said a “hm” and then asked if I knew English and asked what my beat was. Hehe. I told him I cover international affairs and he went like “Ohhhh, NEWS! Ok, let her pass.” “WELCOME TO LEBANON!”
Well, thank you very much. What kind of journalist would you think would come to Lebanon at a time like this? Maybe a Children’s Show producer? Geez!
(UPDATE. I was told later that a few Israeli journalists had got into Lebanon with foreign passports under the Hezbollah nose and they were bragging about it on TV. "Hey, look, we're in Lebanon!")
As Ramy drove on the highway, I looked around to see at least a trace of the fighting that had been going on. Had seen a picture a friend had taken during the fighting. The usually crowded highway to the airport all deserted. Nothing alive on it but a small bird. I expected to see at least traces of the dirt they used to barricade the road.
But there was nothing. No barricades, not even a hint that they were there 4 days before. All clean and wiped. I am always amazed by the Lebanese capacity of regeneration. I remember the bridges bombed by the Israelis in the summer of 2006. I remember all the footage that came in on Reuters and AP at the time and the destroyed roads and the bridges. The Lebanese are amazing. The roads are now all rebuilt. (One more reason for those politicians bullshitting the Romanians after 20 years of so called democracy to visit Lebanon more often. Lebanon has highways, and bridges and everything a civilized country needs. Well, they are not satisfied with their roads, that's for sure. But, they are definetly better than the Romanian ones, trust me. AND THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH DECADES OF INTERNAL FIGHTING.)
I arrived into a quiet Beirut. Hamra, where my hotel is, is now as full of people as ever. They had it closed last week after the Hezbollah fighters moved in. It was around 3 am on Wednesday morning. A few hours later I was watching on Al Jazeera that the Lebanese politicians had made up and they agreed on a national unity government in Doha. And I saw the people of Lebanon smiling at each other for the first time.
marți, 20 mai 2008
WATCH AND WEEP
Look at this guy's arguments. Have you heard of anybody masturbating while watching the news? I mean ok, unless they are terribly SICK. WTF!
Anyways, Saudi Arabia is a country where they actually have executioners trained to cut people's heads with a sword.
luni, 19 mai 2008
THE BORING STUFF
Representatives from around 100 countries opened a 12-day conference Monday in a bid to agree a global ban on cluster bombs, one of the most lethal weapons facing civilians caught up in conflict. The talks, at Dublin's Croke Park Gaelic sports stadium, are aiming for a wide-ranging pact that would completely wipe out the use, production and stockpiling of cluster bombs by its signatories.
USA, Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan, the biggest manufacturers of such boms, are not participating.
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