memories...

This was my daughter's favorite song when she was two...she used to say, daddy, daddy, baba, play the "aiwa" song, hahaha....then she would hold her chubby arms up and snap her fingers like a belly dancer..

broken

My love-lies-bleeding. ~Thomas Campbell


Walking, working, barely breathing
My thoughts, far away
Heart aching, mind racing
Sleep does not come easily, nor last long....
~Peter Winstanley

Love is like a puzzle. When you're in love, all the pieces fit but when your heart gets broken, it takes a while to get everything back together. ~Author Unknown

[A] final comfort that is small, but not cold: The heart is the only broken instrument that works. ~T.E. Kalem

I hate you
no, not you,
YOU

Psalm 118

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

118:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”

5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free.
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.

10 All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees;
they went out like a fire among thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, [1] so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.

14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
15 Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
16 the right hand of the Lord exalts,
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”

17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18 The Lord has disciplined me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone. [2]
23 This is the Lord's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Ethiopian jet crashes in Lebanon...

Ethiopian jet crashes in Lebanon, no sign of survivors


by Jocelyne Zablit – Mon Jan 25, 3:05 am ET
BEIRUT (AFP) – An Ethiopian jet carrying 90 people plunged into the sea off the coast of Lebanon in a ball of fire just after takeoff in stormy weather early Monday with no sign of survivors, officials said.
Helicopters and navy vessels rushed to the crash site as President Michel Sleiman ruled out foul play.
Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi said Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 lost contact with the airport control tower shortly after takeoff and crashed into the Mediterranean sea 2.5 nautical miles off the coastal town of Naameh, south of the airport.
"The control tower was assisting the pilot of the plane on takeoff and suddenly lost contact for no known reason," Aridi told reporters.
Families of the passengers, some of them weeping, could be seen huddled at the VIP lounge of Beirut International Airport while awaiting news of their loved ones.
One woman was sobbing and screaming, "Why, why?" as others fainted and had to be carried away by Red Cross volunteers.
"I know they won't find him," wailed one woman, referring to her husband who was on board the doomed flight.
A government official said there were several children on board the plane, which crashed about five minutes after takeoff at 2:30 am (1230 GMT).
Witnesses reported seeing a ball of fire as the Boeing 737 plunged into the sea.
A defence ministry official told AFP that 10 bodies had been recovered at the crash site by early morning.
Sleiman said authorities had ruled out terrorism or sabotage as the cause of the crash.
"Up until now we have ruled out foul play," Sleiman told reporters.
"This is a painful tragic event. We are sparing no efforts in trying to find survivors," he added.
"Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families of those on board."
The Ethiopian News Agency in Addis Ababa said Ethiopian Airlines has sent a team to Beirut to investigate the crash.
The accident took place amid heavy rains and storms in Lebanon in the past two days that have caused heavy flooding and damage in some parts of the country.
Officials listed 83 passengers and seven crew members as having been on board the flight.
Aridi said the passengers include 54 Lebanese, 22 Ethiopians, one Iraqi, one French woman, one Syrian and seven crew members. There were also several dual nationals including one British-Lebanese, one Canadian-Lebanese and a Russian-Lebanese.
Among those on board the flight was Marla Sanchez Pietton, the wife of France's ambassador to Lebanon, Denis Pietton, the French embassy told AFP.
Thousands of Ethiopians are employed as domestic workers in Lebanon and Ethiopian Airlines operates a regular flight between Addis Ababa and Beirut.
Aridi said he had formed an investigative committee to determine the cause of the crash and had contacted nearby countries to assist in the search and rescue effort.
The Lebanese army, navy as well as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were assisting in the rescue, Aridi added.
"We have contacted everyone, inside and outside the country, that can assist us and the Lebanese navy, the army and UNIFIL have joined in the rescue," the minister added.
He said the French organisation responsible for technical investigation of civil aviation accidents was taking part in the probe.
A government official said Cyprus was assisting in the search and rescue efforts as were naval vessels from the UN force stationed in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Prime Minister Saad Hariri declared Monday a national day of mourning, as the government cancelled a scheduled cabinet meeting.
The Boeing 737-800, which entered into commercial service in 1998, is one of the latest versions of the world's most widely used short to medium-haul airliners, and is capable of carrying up to 189 passengers.
The accident comes just one month after a Panamian-flagged ship transporting livestock capsized in stormy weather and sank off the coast of northern Lebanon with around 80 sailors on board.
The majority of the sailors were rescued but 26 were unaccounted for and presumed dead.

Beirut

Beirut is reborn as a glitzy playground for tourists


By Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY
BEIRUT — On a mild Tuesday evening in downtown Beirut, the city's young and beautiful are bellying up to the hottest night spot, the bohemian Gemmayzeh neighborhood. Model-chic Beiruti women, sporting skinny pants, stiletto boots and cascading tresses, cluster in groups or with dates inside the hip bars, pubs and restaurants that line this milder Middle East version of Bourbon Street.
Not far away, in the Old World-style Albergo boutique hotel, visiting Michelin-starred chefs from France are dishing out meals for a sold-out crowd that takes Beirut's sophisticated dining scene for granted.

During the summer, the trendy flock to swank rooftop clubs — Noir, Sky Bar or White Bar, where Champagne bottle service can run $10,000 — to dance till dawn.

Call it Sex and the City meets South Beach.

Beirut's sizzling nightlife, from gritty to glam, helped drive a record tourism year in 2009. Overcoming a reputation as a Middle East trouble spot, Lebanon welcomed nearly 2 million visitors last year, a 39% increase over 2008. It was the No. 1 destination for tourism growth in the world, according to the World Tourism Organization.

'Joie de vivre' draws Arabs, Westerners

"Lebanon is back," Nada Sardouk, Lebanon's tourism director general, told the Middle East news agency AMEInfo.com in December. "We've had 80% to 90% hotel occupancy this year. But it's more than about just numbers. ... It's about the joie de vivre."

That exuberance is drawing mainly Gulf Arabs for the liberal lifestyle, Mediterranean climate and beaches; returning Lebanese expats; and intrepid Westerners. After years of political turmoil and war, a newfound security and calm has settled over this parliamentary democracy, ushering in a renaissance, however fragile. Although Lebanon is still on the U.S. State Department travel warning list, Beirut itself was virtually free of sectarian violence last year. The peace dividend is evident in tony new hotels, sleek malls and office towers, and a vibrant arts and music scene, which draws the likes of Snoop Dogg and international DJs.

One anticipated newcomer is Le Gray, a chic boutique hotel that British hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray opened in November. Over roasted quail in its rooftop Indigo restaurant, Campbell Gray gushes about this city of 2 million. "Beirut is a real city, with real history and edge. That makes it sexy," he says. "I find it beguiling, exciting, damaged, vain, beautiful. This is the new hot place."

Four Seasons president Kathleen Taylor is equally bullish. "We're very pleased with our timing," Taylor says of the new seaside Four Seasons, which opened this month. "There's a real resurgence of interest in Beirut."

Hotel guests will find a heady mix of cultures and religions — European flavor, French colonial legacy and Middle Eastern intrigue in arguably the most tolerant city in the Arab world. In this pluralistic society with 18 religious groups — primarily Muslims and Christians — one's religious affiliation defines one's politics. "My identity is my religion first, and Lebanese, second," says Rita Aad, who works for a foreign embassy.

The mosaic can be disorienting: Mosques sit cheek by jowl with churches and monasteries. Image-obsessed women in revealing outfits — some showing off their nose-job bandages — stroll alongside women covered from head to toe. The muezzins' lilting call to prayer mingles with European techno blaring from passing cars. And the trilingual locals are apt to greet each other in a mélange of Arabic, French and English while cheek-kissing — three times, no less.

As this onetime Paris of the Middle East dons its new face, gleaming skyscrapers brush up against pockmarked cement skeletons that still await makeovers 20 years after the end of Lebanon's civil war. Meanwhile, Beirut's 5,000-year-old historic core is being transformed by urban development group Solidere. Restored golden limestone buildings, aglow at sunset, now house cafés and boutiques, where fashionistas can mainline Cartier and Fendi.

This area "symbolizes the whole country," says Solidere's development head Angus Gavin. "All the different religions are represented here."

Indeed, layers of history reveal a Roman bathhouse, St. George's Greek Orthodox Church, the landmark Mohammed al-Amin mosque and showpieces from the Ottoman and French Mandate eras. To reconcile Beirut's brutal past — the city has been destroyed and reconstructed seven times — Solidere is creating a Garden of Forgiveness and an interpretive heritage trail that's due this spring.

New buildings are going up, too. Traditional souks have been reborn as a modern open-air mall lined with designer stores. In the new Sayfeh Village, the moneyed live in chic pastel condos surrounded by antique shops and galleries.

"Beirut bounces back quickly," Gavin says. "It's an extraordinary characteristic of the Lebanese, like a life force."

A playground among the ruins

That survivor mentality causes people to seize the moment — partying with passion, despite power outages and brutal traffic. "Beirut is like a Lebanese Babylon, where Arabs can dance on tabletops, swim in bikinis and kiss their girlfriends in public," says British journalist Warren Singh-Bartlett, a 12-year resident. In summer, the famous beach clubs hold their own against the playgrounds of Greece and Spain.

Whether on the beach or in the smoky cafés — Lebanon has one of the world's highest smoking rates — conversation inevitably turns to politics, given the volatile history and many minorities all jockeying for position.

With a frisson of danger never far from the surface, "there's a subversive appeal," Singh-Bartlett says. "You go to a swanky restaurant serving Japanese-Spanish fusion and leave and see bombed-out ruins. But you don't have to worry about being mugged on the street, only about being invaded."

Indeed, the legendary Lebanese warmth and hospitality engenders a sense of safety. When this visitor asks directions of a male pedestrian, she is graciously offered a ride to her destination — and doesn't hesitate to accept.

"Beirut is a very strange and complex city," says Sandra Dagher, Lebanese co-director of the year-old Beirut Art Center, a warehouse-turned-exhibit space that would be right at home in SoHo. That complexity is on full display along the Corniche, the palm-lined boulevard hugging the coast for miles, which draws tout Beirut. On soft evenings, people gather to suck on hookahs packed with flavored tobacco while knots of men pole-fish patiently. Young couples stroll hand-in-hand, oblivious to soldiers in fatigues.

And everyone, it seems, deeply inhales the balmy sea air as if to hold onto this moment of peace forever.


IF YOU GO

Getting there: Americans need visas to enter the country. Passengers flying to the USA from Lebanon are now subject to extra airport security. American, Continental, Delta, United and a variety of foreign airlines serve Beirut. ATMs dispense both dollars and Lebanese pounds, which are used interchangeably.

Where to stay: Two luxury newcomers have transformed Beirut's hotel scene: The Four Seasons (800-819-5053; fourseasons.com/beirut) is a glass-and-steel tower overlooking the Mediterranean with 230 rooms and suites and a rooftop pool lounge. Winter rates start at $375. And the ultra-modern, minimalist Le Gray (961-1-971-111; campbellgrayhotels.com/le-gray-beirut) is a stylish boutique property with 87 rooms and suites in the historic downtown. Its 500 works of art were handpicked by owner Gordon Campbell Gray in Havana, Beirut, Damascus, Paris and London. Doubles start at $395.

Properties along the Corniche include the landmark marble-laced InterContinental Phoenicia (888-424-6835; phoenicia-ic.com), a favorite of Gulf Arabs with 506 rooms and suites and four restaurants. Doubles from $279. Just steps away is the elegant InterContinental Le Vendome Beirut (877-834-3613; levendomebeirut.com). Rooms from $314. Also nearby, the Palm Beach Hotel (01-961-1-372-000; palmbeachbeirut.com) is a mid-range, 88-room hotel with a popular rooftop bar. Doubles start at $130. Set in a quiet residential neighborhood, the boutique Hotel Albergo (01-961-1-339-797; albergobeirut.com) has 33 ornate rooms and suites in a lovely old traditional house. Suites start at $270.

Where to eat: Beirutis eat out often and the excellent dining scene reflects that. Try Karam or Al-Ajami for traditional Lebanese specialties such as hummus, kibbeh (a smooth veal tartare), tabbouleh or stewed lamb. Mayrig is an atmospheric Aremenian restaurant in the Ashrafiya neighborhood, which dishes up a variety of delectable small dishes. The elegant Indigo on the Roof at Le Gray offers a European menu with pricey specialities (duck leg confit, dover sole, black Angus beef and roast quail) and show-stopping views of the blue-domed Mohammed al-Amin mosque. The Casablanca Restaurant in an old Lebanese house near the Corniche serves excellent seafood (try the fried calamari and sea bass with garlic and coriander) and a popular Sunday brunch.

For more information: lebanon-tourism.gov.lb

Lebanon and the tragedy in Haiti

Lebanese, UN officials honor fallen comrades in Haiti
By Dalila Mahdawi
Daily Star staff
Friday, January 22, 2010


BEIRUT: Lebanese and UN officials gathered Thursday to honor the victims of last week’s Haiti earthquake, just hours after a Middle East Airlines aid plane returned to Beirut.

“Not in war, but in a tragic natural disaster the UN has suffered its single largest calamity,” UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, told a crowd of colleagues and Lebanese parliamentarians at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) headquarters in Downtown Beirut.

The January 12 earthquake killed up to 200,000 people, according to Haitian government estimates quoted by the European Commission, though thousands are still missing under the rubble. The commission has said 2 million Haitians are now homeless, with 250,000 in need of urgent aid. The UN has so far confirmed 20 fatalities among its staff members, including special representative of the secretary general and head of mission, Tunisian national Hedi Annabi, and his deputy, Brazilian national Luiz Carlos da Costa.

“Perhaps the best way to honor our fallen is to reflect on the fact that they lost their lives in the service [of] others,” Williams said. “In the midst of the pain and the shock that we feel, we realize that living up to the memories of our loved colleagues means continuing with even more determination and commitment the work to help the devastated people of Haiti and others around the world,” he said, adding the UN was grateful for Lebanon’s assistance to Haiti.

UNIFIL’s deputy commander Brigadier General Apurba Kumar Bardalai meanwhile paid tribute to fallen peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

“Being away from our families, we develop strong ties of friendship with our colleagues, who become our family away from the family,” he said. “The death of so many colleagues in Haiti has thus been a very personal loss for many of us, [and] also a professional loss for the United Nations and the international community at large.”

Bardalai said that out of respect for their fallen colleagues, UNIFIL personnel had renewed their determination to continue toward achieving peace and stability in southern Lebanon. “It is at times like these that we are reminded of the risks taken and sacrifices made by the peacekeepers working under the UN umbrella,” he added.



ESCWA Executive Secretary Bader Omar AlDafa also paid his respects to what he called the “courage” of the UN’s Haiti personnel.

The memorial ceremony came as an official Lebanese delegation carrying aid to the Lebanese diaspora in Haiti touched down at Rafik Hariri International Airport, bringing back Lebanese national Nancy Jarjoura Hayar, eight Syrians and two Palestinians who were injured in the disastrous tremor. Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry said one Lebanese national died in the earthquake.

One of the Palestinians, Najib Tarazi, sustained broken bones while working at a supermarket in the Haitan capital, Port-au-Prince, and was taken by ambulance to a hospital upon arrival. “The roof fell on me,” AP quoted Tarazi as saying. “I stayed in the rubble for seven hours until they found me.”

The agency also quoted Lebanese citizen Nancy Yahya as saying she was at home with her children in Haiti when the house started shaking. “I said, ‘It’s over. We are dead,’” Yahya said. “I thank God that we survived.” Rasha Hashem, a Syrian woman who said three of her relatives killed in the earthquake were still buried under the rubble, was meanwhile seen burying her face in her hands and crying as relatives tried to comfort her. Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel-Karim Ali has said that two Syrian citizens, a couple, were killed in Haiti.

At a meeting on Monday ahead of the plane’s departure, officials said that several “logistical and technical problems faced the preparations,” especially because transportation had become so difficult within the destroyed capital city.

The plane departed on Tuesday, carrying 35 tons of non-monetary aid.

Also on Thursday, the Lebanese Red Cross said that it had opened a bank account for donations for Haiti. Anyone wishing to donate can pay in money to Fransabank account number 21.10.935605.01 – With AP