More offbeat!

A selection of a few good offbeat news, they should make you laugh :)

• in Sweden, the news were suddenly transformed into an altogether different concept;
• in India, the luckiest guy in the world has to chop it off! (* in Portuguese);
• in the US, $50 million have been mistakenly refunded to pay off medical reimbursements, ooppss!;
• again in the US, gambling is stupid, when you can have the money for yourself;

Some more later...

Ok, I got some more. But I have to express my disappointment and sadness: Pluto no longer will be considered a planet... I kinda liked it, to be honest. Now, we'll just have the 8 big ones. History reinventing itself.

• there is this one in China about not allowing strippers at funerals anymore... Pedro, bad timing hey?;
• This one is for the ladies:

High heels that don't hurt
Where once Manolo Blahniks dominated, very soon Tivona Air Slings will rule. Or at least that is what sports shoe giant Nike would like the world believe. They chose the dog days of summer to gain publicity for a pair of stilettoes claimed to be as comfortable as trainers. The three-and-a-half-inch high heels, developed with American designers Cole Haan, have an air-filled sole which allegedly averts the traditional disadvantages of tottering footwear - aching calves, burning feet and blisters. All this for a mere £147 in America and a similar price when they hit the British shops within a year. The secret, apparently, lies in air cushions positioned under the ball of the foot and in the heel. Or you could just buy some trainers.

• And on a more serious note, as it seems that the UK sees war as an opportunity for business, peace is for wimps!;
• In Madrid, you can happily observe the Spanish very special eating etiquette - for my future visitors ;)

Besitos!

Amnesty International

Today Amnesty International issued a report indicating that Israel's attacks on Lebanon, where whole villages, bridges, roads and fuel plants were destroyed were not what Israel calls 'collateral damages', but part of their strategy to debilitate Lebanon. In the report, Amnesty calls for a full-fledged UN investigation in order to check out if, in fact, there was a violation of human rights both by Israel and Hezbollah.

Also, Italy has offered to lead the UN forces in Lebanon, after France refused to send more than the 200 men force already there, for lack of clarification about a mandate. The 15.000 troops the UN resolution 1701 had called for are becoming a disappointment for Kofi Annan, as the European countries are unsure to send their contigents to such a fragile truce, where breaches are still happening. Notably the air and sea embargo Israel is still holding, on the pretext of avoiding arms smuggling between Hezbollah and Syria and/or Iran.
Lebanese are still hostage in their own country.

Cangurus

Still on about the pill. In this case, in Australia. They have to give it to the canguru population as it is getting a bit out of control - supposedly they reach 57 million, 3 times more then their Aussie fellows (the humans, I mean!).

*The link is in Spanish, but I'm sure most of my intelligent friends will understand it. If not, just give me a shout!

Some comments

Just take a pick on a few comments that are on the web today:

- Alain Gersh's opinion on Middle East conflicts taking place as we speak and how the interests of only one single country are so supported by the West. Interesting analysis;

- a funny review of what it was said during the conflict and that Israel now wished they hadn't;

- Bush at it's best: how the States are going to help rebuild what they helped destroying;

- and for a totally different thing: here in Madrid is currently being held the Internacional Congress of Mathematicians (the IQ of the metro's users this morning was bursting out of the tunnels!) and today was the all-important awards ceremony. The Nobel of Maths is the Fields Medal (and 1 million $) which was this year given to (but not picked by) a Russian genious who solved the Poincare conjecture;

- to finish off, an offbeat piece. Tom and Jerry are to cut back on the smokes. Maybe next one to be 'reviewed' will be Popeye and his spinach because it's not appropriate for children to watch, as it might encourage imitation and all kids will start eating spinach off the can!

Macho pill

Why has the male pill taken so long to be available, when tests and trials have all been positive on the effectiveness of the contraceptive?
The pharmaceutical companies apparently, back in the 1990s, predicted it would take around 5 years for the male population to get used to the idea (and be persuaded) that they too can contribute to the family planning, hands-on.
A hard to swallow decision?
Because men cannot really be relied upon taking tablets, an implant is being considered (predicted to be available by 2016). But in the meantime (and not for the wimps!), there will be injections of both testosterone and progestin, the latter cancelling sperm production while testosterone stops fatigue, hair loss and replaces the libido. This hormone, in the form of androgen, will have to be ministered carefully to avoid the famous female mood swings, or on the other extreme, increased macho violence.
And no, fertility will not be affected, as studies demonstrate that 3 months after stopping taking the hormones, men are at their full ‘making babies’ potential.
Guys, think about it!

Morality and the kind

An article in Haaretz (Israel) by Ze'ev Maoz, a professor of political science at Tel Aviv University, talks about morality and similar aspects of the war, as viewed by him.
A different opinion...

And now, something from the other side of the fence. Apparentely British military equipment was found to be in the possession of Hezbollah fighters. This special equipment had been sent to Iran in 2003 on a special license as it was to be used by the Iranian police against international drug smuggling (heroin and opium from Afghanistan). How it end up going to Hezbollah's hands is what the British Foreign Office is investigating now.
The found equipment in southern Lebanon is mainly comprised of night vision systems (night vision kits and radios) stamped 'Made in Britain'.

Correction

Friends and amigos,
Mr Pink Piglet has pointed to the fact that I was not allowing comments from unregistered users (bloggers like myself). I have to say sorry to all of you, I didn't want to exclude you from saying your say, quite the opposite, I'm thrilled everytime I see a little number on the comment line. It's like opening a letter.

By the way, what happened to the handwritten letters? The ones written with our real personality? On those, we couldn't hide our anger (plenty of fast letters, written by a angry and fast moving trembling hand), our love (well presented, roundier letters, special effects)...
I used to have a long-distance boyfriend. We used to exchange very poetic and lovely letters, with collages and pressed flowers :)
With electronic letters, even the most romantic one looses its allure, its charm... Not the same, definitely.

Can someone please send me a letter?...or even a postcard? Please?*

* Address on request :)

Fragile calm

An Israeli commando raid (justified as an action to prevent arms transfers between Hezbollah and Syria) clearly violated the truce imposed by the UN on the 14th of August.
This incident is an obvious highlight to the urgent need of UN reinforcements from Europe but, on the other hand, it puts off potential troop contributors as insecurity is high.

The Lebanese have started to come back to a destroyed sight. Hezbollah is promising financial help and providing bulldozers and men to start the reconstruction. They are erecting plenty of red banners over the huge piles of debris left by the air raids.


The airport has started operating and Beirut seems to be coming slowly back to what it was, with the exception that now has thousands of buildings, roads and bridges to redo and no tourists on sight. And this was supposed to be a great Summer for Lebanon.

CEO of emotions

Not doing much anyway. I'm asked to think and I must admit that thinking, for me, comes second to doing. Sounds crazy? Yeah, I have that certificate, I passed on the crazy exam.
I usually have doubts about what to drink at the bar (taking ages before deciding between a Coke, coffee, tonic or...???), about what to read (oh my, so many books, which one to pick...???) and what to eat out (pizza, pasta, chicken, salmon, they all sound great...!!!). On other prosaic matters, like what to put on, what to buy, what to write, who to care for, what to listen, all those I put on the same bag of easy decisions. And note that not all are simple matters of this or that. What can I say? It's my instinct, my guts, that work for some things, maybe the more essential ones. Maybe my defense mechanism is also called upon, just for caution. Just to keep things under surveillance. It's its duty.
All this itch makes me daring, bold, maybe cheeky. Some people call it strenght, but I still have to think on that one. I believe on my intuition. I follow it, because as of now it took me to so many places, allowed me to meet so many people, also made me lonely sometimes, but the advantages are irrevocably heavier on the scales than the disadvantages.
Crabs (I'm Cancer) are called the CEOs of emotions. A bit over the top, but I don't fully disagree, as emotions do determine my motivation. Patience is not one of the virtues I excel at, therefore impatience is usually more of a frequent visitor and routine consistently bores me. I fail totally on that subject. Maybe aging will give me a softer shell. As of now, I indulge on being impatient. Believe it or not. Because it gives me the catalyst, the drive and kick which I feel I'm loosing by being installed in a routine.
So, if maybe sometimes I do a bit of side stepping, it's only congenital and justifiable :D

Hey, check this out. A proper candy. Perfect to illustrate my dissertation (sorry, in Portuguese).

Moment

Watching the sunset light reflected on the Madrid buildings was a beautiful thing today. It was just a moment, the clouds gliding through with the wind, the birds floating in the air, the Sun light orangely marking the city. Magical.

Listening to Robbie, the hits, getting all thoughtful :-/ Angels
Then, my utmost favourite in the whole world - Unfinished Sympathy... This is that kind of song that sends chills down your back. Here's the lyric. So beautiful.
The one that follows is from Thievery Corporation with a classic: Lebanese Blonde *.
Surf on their web page and listen to their delicious samples of their newest work, Versions. That's the album to have...I still haven't got it... Anyone?!

Why are all tunes about love?


* Are all Lebanese pretty? ;)

Interlúdio

Fernando Pessoa:

segue o teu destino
rega as tuas plantas
ama as tuas rosas
o resto é a sombra
de árvores alheias
(...) a resposta está além dos deuses.


Zingg:

Ataque a vida
ela vai matar você de qualquer jeito.


Concordam?

ana por um triz?

Forgive me my English speaking friends, but this posting needs to be done in Portuguese, as it is asking a question only Portuguese speaking people pose. What does my blog's name mean? I can't even begin by explain it or translate it into English, as if I do it straight from the book, it comes up as something like: Barely Ana, or Narrowly Ana, or Almost Ana.

So, sorry, but have to do it in Portuguese, mesmo!

Meninos, esta expressão quase que podia ter a palavra Saltimbanco à frente. Ficava mais compreensível? Então, é isso mesmo que queria transmitir, que sou eu aqui, mas quase que não, pois estou a caminho, por um triz que não me vêem...
Cigana, como me costumo definir, também não embarca bem este estado, que é quase estado d'alma, o estar e o não-estar, ou quase o ser ou o não-ser do Hamlet ou o sei que nada sei do Sócrates... Disserto, mas quase que chego lá.
É o querer saltar montanhas, atravessar oceanos, percorrer desertos e sentar...Para somente depois voltar a subir o monte, a saltar a montanha e por aí fora. Todo um complicado processo, na verdade, mas que a mim me estimula imenso. Por um triz, nasci em Lisboa, vivi no Algarve e vivi no Porto, mas por um triz saí de Portugal, depois de tantas ex(in)curções.
Então é isso, Ana por um triz.

Mixed

• Quote of the day, by Fred Allen:
  "Television is a medium because anything well done is rare."

• Cartoon of the day:

Translation: With the cease-fire, Beirut returns to normality, says Consul (of Brazil)

Mohammed, could you go to the bakery and get us some bread?

Fragile ceasefire

Finally the resolution 1701 was approved by all sides - it took 4 weeks and has left plenty of room for loopholes and flaws to justify future actions - and a ceasefire is on effect since yesterday. Still wonder what kind of ceasefire is on effect, when Israeli forces are still maintaining their air and sea blockades on Lebanon... The cessation of fire has been respected so far, but one has the impression it is hanging on a very thin thread. Each side is claiming victory, but as Hersh is saying on a new investigative piece on Lebanon, it seems this war has been sold to the US by Israel. Apparentely, this conflict had been planned by Israel and approved by the States several months ago.

"The Middle East expert said that the Administration had several reasons for supporting the Israeli bombing campaign. Within the State Department, it was seen as a way to strengthen the Lebanese government so that it could assert its authority over the south of the country, much of which is controlled by Hezbollah. He went on, "The White House was more focussed on stripping Hezbollah of its missiles, because, if there was to be a military option against Iran's nuclear facilities, it had to get rid of the weapons that Hezbollah could use in a potential retaliation at Israel. Bush wanted both. Bush was going after Iran, as part of the Axis of Evil, and its nuclear sites, and he was interested in going after Hezbollah as part of his interest in democratization, with Lebanon as one of the crown jewels of Middle East democracy."

Richard Armitage says that this should serve as a warning against any attack on Iran.

"The Israelis told us it would be a cheap war with many benefits," a U.S. government consultant with close ties to Israel said. "Why oppose it? We'll be able to hunt down and bomb missiles, tunnels, and bunkers from the air. It would be a demo for Iran."A Pentagon consultant said that the Bush White House "has been agitating for some time to find a reason for a preëmptive blow against Hezbollah."

He added, "It was our intent to have Hezbollah diminished, and now we have someone else doing it." (As this article went to press, the United Nations Security Council passed a ceasefire resolution, although it was unclear if it would change the situation on the ground.)

According to Richard Armitage, who served as Deputy Secretary of State in Bush's first term -- and who, in 2002, said that Hezbollah "may be the A team of terrorists" -- Israel's campaign in Lebanon, which has faced unexpected difficulties and widespread criticism, may, in the end, serve as a warning to the White House about Iran. "If the most dominant military force in the region -- the Israel Defense Forces -- can't pacify a country like Lebanon, with a population of four million, you should think carefully about taking that template to Iran, with strategic depth and a population of seventy million," Armitage said. "The only thing that the bombing has achieved so far is to unite the population against the Israelis."

Also in Israel, and according to the BBC, there is a "barrage of criticism" regarding the government's conduct on this conflict on mainly 3 particular situations, where the Israelis felt confused by their government's actions:

"Almost from the outset, the government's conduct of this conflict confused the Israeli public and confounded many of the country's most experienced defence experts.
There was the initial reliance upon air power to deal with the Hezbollah missile threat.
Then there was a series of ground incursions a short way into Lebanon, which produced fierce skirmishes but little change to the overall strategic picture.
Then, almost at the same time as the United Nations was putting the final touches to a new Security Council resolution to end the fighting, there was Israel's last-minute push northwards towards the Litani River. "


Still about Israel, W. sent me a piece of useful info about how powerful is the Israel lobby in Washington and how broad it is its force. It is a Harvard University paper about the pro-Israel strong presence on the US foreign policies. Interesting and mindblogging.

Peace!

Fiddling

Another birdeye's view

This is another graphic of the southern suburb of Beirut that The Times came up to show us what it means to be bombed. It gives us a very clear idea of life in Lebanon right now.

An Israeli warplane flying past the moon over the southern port city of Tyre.

Meanwhile, the UN is having a bit of a wording problem with their NO WAR resolution:

UN locked in resolution wrangle
Negotiations are continuing at the UN in New York on the wording of a resolution urging an end to fighting in Lebanon and Israel. France has circulated a draft proposal, but is still locked in talks.

The French are most likely to command a multinational force
Wellington described the height of the fighting during his epic battle with Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo as "hard pounding".
"Hard pounding" - over words, and plans - is what diplomats at the UN are now locked into.
Although France, the United States and Britain are in broad agreement that calling for an end to violence is the immediate priority, Washington and Paris still differ over precise language - and details of the sequence of events on the ground during any initial ceasefire.
The French ambassador to the UN, Jean Marc de la Sabliere, is cautioning it will take time to get from 95% agreement to 100%.
And it is taking time - three hours of talks on Thursday between Mr de la Sabliere and the United States Ambassador, John Bolton, could not close the gaps.

Toilsome talks
Mr Bolton said differences had been narrowed, but stressed: "We have certainly not reached agreement. We did some creative thinking and we were able to reach something that we can send back to the capitals overnight to get their further instructions."
On Friday, they'll be back talking again.
The US State Department said its diplomats would be instructed to work right through the weekend if necessary.
Their boss, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, hopes to travel to New York, perhaps on Monday, to join other foreign ministers of the 15 countries on the Security Council voting on a resolution, if it can be agreed.
What are the main sticking points? In essence, two divides stand out.
Firstly, how soon should a multinational force be despatched to Lebanon to police a ceasefire and a buffer zone in the south?
The hope remains that the UN will be able to issue the call to end violence within a very few days France, likely to lead the force, and to be the largest troop contributor, will not go into Lebanon if there is a risk of having to fight its way in. France insisted on a durable ceasefire and a comprehensive political settlement first.
The United States, which will not send troops, would like the force to go in earlier, to ensure a durable ceasefire.

Israel's role
Secondly, what must Israel do? Should its forces be allowed to remain in southern Lebanon until a multinational force is in place, as the Israeli government insists, or will it be obliged to pull back behind Israel's border with Lebanon as soon as an interim ceasefire is declared?
That would leave the Lebanese army the task of moving south to patrol the south of the country, an area the government has previously allowed Hezbollah to control.
The hope remains that the UN will be able to issue the call to end violence within a very few days.

Questions remain about Israeli forces staying in Lebanon
Such a Security Council resolution would carry with it the moral authority of the organisation, but also the political authority of the key powers, including, crucially, the United States and France.
The resolution would draw America and Europe together - jointly applying pressure on all sides to stop fighting and work for a Lebanon where the Lebanese government provides the sole armed force, and is able to control all of its sovereign territory.
There are no guarantees any of this can be achieved, but the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is urging the Security Council to act "as soon as possible".
Mr Annan says: "I think people in Israel and in Lebanon have suffered enough."

I Love Lebanon

Reading through the blogs to keep me in touch with what's happening in Beirut, told by people like you and me, I came across with this campaign which I think it's quite good, as it reminds me of the graffittis we daily see on the walls of our cities.

By spreading these around, we actually are making quite a point on everyone's face.

Have a look at the campaign I HEART LEBANON and you'll see what I'm on about. I've distributed quite a few over here and intend to spread a few more around. It's fun, has a slight 'against the system' touch and at the same time it is helping other people not to forget...

Target

Check these pictures out:


Before...


After...

This I took from finkployd blog, http://bloggingbeirut.com.
Like he says, reminds us of the Dresden bombing, this time in Beirut, flattening it out, building by building...

Some comments

Want to know why so many Lebanese civilians have died? Israel uses 250lb and 500lb bombs to destroy Hezbollah katyusha rocket launchers. These destroy EVERYTHING within 100m. Katyushas are not armoured targets - more like drain pipes on a tripod. Some well directed cannon fire from an attack helicopter would do the job. But Israel would rather not risk its pilots. So (using Qana as an example) 1 Israeli pilot = 54 civilian lives.

___________________________________________________

If such military action was taking place against Israel and its people there would be a calamitous uproar worldwide stating that such miltary action was "racist and anti-semitic"

___________________________________________________

Just reading news everyday makes me sad and angry. Leaving everything I have in Beirut and living in a friend's house in Amman made me understand the feeling of being a refugee at least a bit. Listening sounds of bombing before dawn, during the day and night in Beirut has made me fear the sound of fireworks. Important infrastructure destroyed, beaches contaminated, houses flattened, people killed.... how long it will take to rebuild Lebanon and how many times it has to go through the same thing?___________________________________________________

Why all the pointless bombing? What is wrong with old fashioned intelligence gathering, negotiations and the usage of elite rescue task forces to rescue the captured soldiers? Why does Israel have to over react with everything? It is deeply disturbing to hear of so much innocent lives being taken. Those civilians in Lebanon who are now DEAD, should not have been used as expendable tools for both Israel and Hezollah.

___________________________________________________

These and many more comments you can see on the BBC webpage. It's interesting to acknowledge so many people's opinions and state that the large majority is in fact disgusted by the absurdity of this war and doesn't quite figure out the world leaders in their no-decision attitude and passivity facing the attrocities that we daily see on the news.

Another concerning fact is that of the environmental crisis, as the coastal waters of Lebanon have been severely polluted by oil spillages coming from damaged tanks. On top of all the human death toll, we are facing a disaster also on the waters, source of livelihoods and biodiversity. The green turtle, whose eggs hatch in July, is an endangered species and slicks on the beach will prevent baby turtles from reaching the sea.

No one is immune to the war, not even the fish...