Archive for the ‘Lebanon’ tag
The summer of 1982
June 1982. I’m walking in school with radio, listening the news - reports about forces movements in places I didn’t know that existed before (and that I later learn about in first hand). I remember the English teacher, that didn’t like me, kissing me when I announced about the cease fire and the relief in her eyes. Her husband, my electronic teacher, was there in reserved duty.
That summer I went to summer camp, organized by the army, preparing us for future rolls of combatant soldiers and officer. We were talking with a paratrooper that “was there”. We admired him and were jealous. We were worried that no fighting will be left for us when it will be our turn. I guess nothing can compete with the stupidity of the youth.
At least two guys that were with me at that summer camp died in Lebanon. We spent our youth in the mountains of Lebanon and the streets of Gaza and Hebron, killing and dying. We kept fighting the war of June 1982 telling ourself that this is the only way to protect our families back home.
Watching the the trailer of the new animation movie - Waltz with Bashir reminded me this summer. If the movie is as good as the trailer, and from what I’m here it is, it should be a great movie.
Paradoxes and Fantasies
Sharp, accurate and sadly funny:
The Winograd report seems to be getting more coverage in the Lebanese media than the Israeli media. I find that perplexing. In Lebanon, officially, we don’t even recognize that Israel exists. So a commission from a fictitious country that supposedly borders us in the south demonstrates our fondness for fiction. We already knew that though. We seem to get off on fiction. We follow leaders that spew great stories. Some are divinely inspired fairytales. Others are great motivational self-help lessons by fake doctors. Of course, one of our favourites are from the children’s genre. Easy to understand, very colourful yet makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Of course, being a land of highly talented people, sometimes you get all genres in one speech, sentence and even gesture.
Read the rest here, it is worth it.