WHITECASSEL's PICTURE BLOG

new blog

2008-12-24T14:07:00.001+02:00

apologies for not posting. but please know that this blog will no longer be updated, the new blog is http://justimage.wordpress.com. thank you

Oh yes...

2008-08-21T14:41:00.001+03:00

Monkey

2008-07-25T16:37:00.001+03:00

One of the eight

2008-07-22T17:52:00.001+03:00

Cat, what a life

2008-07-22T17:41:00.001+03:00

Samir Quntar poster in burj al shemali

2008-07-12T13:31:00.001+03:00

Ya sour, oh tyre

2008-07-07T20:45:00.001+03:00

Les francais a liban

2008-07-07T20:42:00.001+03:00

Beirut movies

2008-07-06T16:21:00.001+03:00

Kindergarten performance in dahiyeh

2008-06-30T14:59:00.001+03:00

Oh kids... This area was hit hard during israels 2006 war on lebanon.

Kindergarten performance in dahiyeh

2008-06-30T14:57:00.001+03:00

Oh kids... This area was hit hard during israels 2006 war on lebanon.

remembering the wise one

2008-06-24T11:48:00.003+03:00

at his party's offices in ein al-helwe

I sat on the wrong side of the bus

2008-06-24T11:41:00.002+03:00

Ana bhib al lahme ktir

2008-06-23T20:19:00.001+03:00

I love the meat ktir. And i dont like when vegetarians make me feel bad about it!

Ein al-Helwe souq

2008-06-22T16:27:00.001+03:00

Near the presidential palace...

2008-06-21T17:42:00.002+03:00

this country's beauty never ceases to amaze me.

Banana trees in the south

2008-06-14T19:08:00.001+03:00

sitting in a french patisserie along the highway to the north of lebanon...

2008-06-06T11:13:00.009+03:00

Outside the highway buzzes by
Shebab on their scooters with Lebanese flags wrapped around their heads and Heinekens in their hands
A schoolbus of kids clapping and singing
A convertible with 2 "gorgeous" women both checking themselves out in their respective side-mirrors
An old army jeep with 6 soldiers in the back, one flicks his cigarette onto the road
A Sri Lankan maid on errands for her madame with her 2 hands full of grocery bags walks by
Inside its old french music blasting
The AC is on, but its not cooling a thing
The coffee from the Nescafe machine tastes strange
The old man behind the counter sits staring at the highway outside
A woman, I assume his daughter, stands nearby staring at me

"what is he writing?" she's probably asking herself

An old man paces and stops by the door.
He pauses from staring out the window to count the few dollars in his pocket
He checks some loose pieces of paper mixed in with the bills
The electricity cuts out and a worker from the back runs out to see what's wrong
While he's walking outside the old man behind the counter shouts at him to check what's wrong
I enjoy the silence sans the french music
It's hot, my skin is sticky

A second later the generator kicks in and the music is back
I realize how much I hate france

Nightcat

2008-06-02T23:46:00.001+03:00

Nasim Nisr

2008-06-01T16:20:00.001+03:00

On the right, released from 6 years in an israeli prison.

In the baraksat

2008-05-31T17:56:00.000+03:00

Wedding

2008-05-31T17:38:00.000+03:00

Zuzu!

2008-05-31T14:23:00.001+03:00

In nahr al bared, using some fancy program on my phone.

So much of this around town

2008-05-31T10:44:00.001+03:00

Man in tripoli

2008-05-31T10:42:00.001+03:00

2 events, one day

2008-05-27T11:10:00.002+03:00

Sorry, but this image was not taken on my phone as promised in the "about" section for this site, but I need it to illustrate a point.

Earlier in the day I photographed at the Hizballah rally (see previous post). I, and many of the other journalists I talk to, are always very impressed by the amount of organization that Hizballah has. Not only are the events well organized, but how they deal with journalists, their security checks, and then herding us around to take pictures at their events - by the way, at these events contrary to what many think, there is no discrimination by Hizballah against journalists who have written bad things about them, come from countries who call them "terrorists", and they do not censor anything.

Now, compare this to any event organized by the state, and the differences are incredible.

First of all, Lebanon is a bizarre country. We left Dahiyeh where tens of thousands were listening to a speech by Hassan Nasrallah to travel just 15 minutes to downtown where thousands were coming to listen to a concert by Haifa Wahbe. These two figures, one a leader of a disciplined resistance organization, and the other a singer who sings about well, lovey stuff, and has obvious plastic surgery (although now Nancy Ajram might be more popular than Haifa) are Lebanon's most popular. Crazy.

Anyway, at the Haifa concert, the Lebanese police officers were at first sitting around joking with each like always. Hizballah guards at the speech in Dahiyeh joke too, but it's like if you see a couple joking you're lucky, and right after the guy's straight face will return and he will be back in position arms folded. Not only were these police officers untrained in how to deal with crowds, there was only about 20 of them to fight off a storming crowd of thousands. Needless to say, the police officers lost and the stage was stormed and the concert ended.

One of the police officers who was fighting off the storming crowds grabbed me and tried to hand me a phone a bunch of times. I kept telling him in arabic, "it's not mine!" And he was shouting, "Take picture of Haifa!" I looked at him giving him that "are you serious" look and finally I said why not. So I ran up before getting pushed back by Haifa's security and snapped her pic. Finally Haifa was rushed out by police and her bodyguards.

It was chaotic. And this was right after an event in Dahiyeh where if someone stood up to cheer when it wasn't the time to do so, they would get a firm look from a Hizballah guard and sit right back down immediately.

...right

2008-05-26T10:47:00.000+03:00

Back page of the daily star.

resistance and liberation rally

2008-05-26T10:12:00.002+03:00

Wow, that's a lot of people. In Beirut's Dahiyeh suburbs, tens of thousands of Hizballah supporters attended a rally marking the 8th anniversary of Israel's departure from south Lebanon after 22 yrs of brutal occupation.

Lebanon has a president, finally

2008-05-25T18:34:00.001+03:00

Now all the problems have been solved!

Sunset at rawda

2008-05-22T22:01:00.001+03:00

Ouch

2008-05-20T17:33:00.001+03:00

What the ???

2008-05-19T16:52:00.002+03:00

Hizballah flags in Hamra??? Crazy, I know. My neighborhood is covered in Amal flags currently, and posters with their logo, Sadr, Birri, etc... My neighborhood is overwhelmingly Future Movement, and they haven't taken down Amal's stuff or replaced their own vandalized posters of the Hariris. Everyone says March 14 supporters are scared to do much right now. Bad news coming from Qatar as well, things are not looking good, again.... We'll see though. My friend jokes, "where is Saddam when you need him?" The joke (although not really) being Saddam, as a brutal secular dictator, would put an end to all these sectarian problems in Lebanon.

Nakba event in bourj albourajne refugee camp

2008-05-18T21:23:00.001+03:00

Vigil for the Nakba in Hamra

2008-05-15T22:32:00.002+03:00

Its a sad day

2008-05-15T16:01:00.001+03:00

But really its no different than any other.

my life in beirut

2008-05-14T23:55:00.002+03:00

my life as an ajnabi (foreigner) i doubt is much different from most beirutis these days. the streets are empty, everyone is inside smoking and watching the news 24/7. my friends joke that even the religious drink during times like these. fucking shooting. right now theyre shooting like crazy celebrating the govt's decision to revoke previous decisions about 1. hizballah's communication network that they tried (and failed miserably) to say was illegal. 2. the head of airport security who they removed accusing him of being aligned with hizballah. man, march 14 really got their asses handed to them. now, it's fucked though. friends who lived the civil war tell me, it will soon become like back then when the ideologies were lost and it becomes about revenge. posters and flags still can be seen all over my neighborhood which is nearly all sunni and supporters of the pro-US future movement. people are scared to take them down. but you know the neighborhood sees it everyday and just gets pissed off. and now the opposition is shooting like crazy, why? they won. they got their way, and the 2 big issues have been resolved. so why the celbratory shooting. everyone i talked to when it started was pissed off from it. one hour it lasted, just shooting. i can only imagine what the pro-government (anti-opposition) folks are feeling.

Good morning beirut

2008-05-13T09:41:00.002+03:00

that bowl is much bigger than my head, and i have a huge head. its filled with fatteh, i love it so much. all the restaurants have been closed for the past days because of the fighting. but the fatteh/fool/hummus place by my house was open today. that dish serves 2-3, i ate it all by myself. it took a pack of cigarettes afterwards to help me digest it.

journalists protest in beirut

2008-05-10T15:45:00.002+03:00

Journalists protest against what Amal fighters did to Future TV's HQ in Raouche (see below pic). Just for the record, I was not taking part in the protest.

Future tv

2008-05-10T12:48:00.001+03:00

It begins

2008-05-08T23:59:00.002+03:00

Amal movement fighters taking position against fighters from the Future movement at Corniche al-Mezraa in Beirut.

Beirut problems

2008-05-07T12:03:00.001+03:00

imad moughniya lives on in Dahiyeh

2008-05-06T18:25:00.003+03:00

forbidden to park

2008-05-05T18:24:00.002+03:00

and the justice (one of the slogans for Hariri's "future" movement referring to justice for assassinated former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri) is also forbidden to park?

shatila graffiti

2008-05-04T18:21:00.000+03:00

this piece "authority" by Palestinian refugee graffiti artist Abdul Rahman Katanani

pre-1948 Palestinian birth certificate

2008-05-03T17:47:00.001+03:00

all it takes is a single piece of paper to expose the inherent injustice in the state of Israel.

Tariq al-Jadide buildings

2008-05-02T18:28:00.000+03:00

Jew on jazeera

2008-04-30T22:54:00.003+03:00

not a usual site, an orthodox jew being interviewed on al jazeera. he's from naturei karta, orthodox jews opposed to zionism... well, at least until the messiah returns.

arabian golf

2008-04-29T21:43:00.004+03:00

ok, so at unesco, a cultural space in beirut with a theater and everything, there was an exhibition of new, but very old style paintings of arabic culture. most were scenes of the old ruins around lebanon that looked like they were from hundreds of years ago. while checking out the work i came across the painting on the left. yeah, it's a golfer. i think i remember once reading about the 17th century arabian golfers, they were from the gulf...

Cough

2008-04-28T18:14:00.003+03:00

C + F = cold and flu.

Fishing in the mountains

2008-04-27T18:34:00.003+03:00

A fisherman at a river in the Chouf mountains showing off his catch. Bass (I think?).

The most beautiful restaurant in lebanon

2008-04-26T19:00:00.004+03:00

La Rouche restaurant owned by an older Druze couple in the Chouf mountains. In the background is the Mediterranean Sea. Didn't I tell you this country is beautiful? But dont click on the image to see it hi res, you might see the USS cole on the horizon.

sayed lighter

2008-04-25T20:49:00.002+03:00

the famous lighter in lebanon that includes a flashlight that projects the image of none other than... you guessed it!

Beiruti cat

2008-04-21T13:21:00.001+03:00

beiruti toilets

2008-04-20T20:41:00.002+03:00

back in beirut. an exhibit called "haven't 15 years of hiding in the toilets been enough" contained hundreds of toilets in downtown Beirut to symbolize... well, Im not sure, but my guess is the exhibit symbolizes the vast difference between the rich and poor in Lebanon. In Dahiyeh people are protesting over a lack of electricity and not being able to afford bread, while exhibits in Beirut's downtown have hundreds of toilets. I actually just installed a new toilet in my flat and I know that they aren't cheap, these in the exhibit were nice too. I wanted to take one home but there was too much security.

Chicago building

2008-04-16T17:54:00.000+03:00

I just love chicago.

Tax day

2008-04-15T18:05:00.000+03:00

AFSC holding a protest at federal plaza in downtown chicago on tax day. the banner represented where our taxes go to with a large portion dedicated to military spending.

israeli soldiers

2008-04-14T19:45:00.000+03:00

At my alma mater, columbia college chicago (a small media arts school), I can't tell you how many times I've seen posters for Israeli photographers who have done projects on Israeli soldiers in the IDF (the Israeli Army that enforces the government's occupation of the Palestinian territories, Syrian Golan Heights, Lebanese Shebaa Farms and has led many wars in Palestine and elsewhere like the recent 2006 war in Lebanon). These images, like many throughout Israel's history, aim (as I see it) to show the army and it's "good looking" young soldiers (note famous pic from 1967 when Israel occupied Jerusalem with the young male soldiers at the wailing wall) who are put into this "difficult" position where they have to fight and - with the context given - most would understand it to mean these soldiers have to fight in order to "protect Israel." When in actuality, yes under Israeli law its citizens are forced to do their military service, but they are certainly not fighting to protect their state, unless you understand the state to be that of a colonialist settler state - then not only are they trying to protect their colonialism over the middle east but work to expand it. Btw, saying "no" to military service might land you in jail for a period from a couple months to a couple years, many Israelis have refused their military service, but not many "mainstream" photographers invited to do shows in the US would feature their work. It's another part of the conflict where Israeli society is always portrayed as being open-minded and able to criticize itself as a true democratic society and the Arabs on the other hand are always the face/nameless "terrorists" who kill just to kill. I would like to see an Israeli photographer take portraits of the at least hundreds of Israeli soldiers who have [knowingly] killed thousands of Palestinian children over recent decades. Sorry for pic quality, I would link to photographer's site, but I'm really not interested in promoting this work. Anyway, always missing in such work (and I have to admit that I dont much about this particular body but its safe to assume at this point) is the context that these young good looking soldiers are soldiers of OCCUPATION and the Palestinian "terrorist" soldiers are fighting that occupation as is their right under international law.

italian weed

2008-04-07T17:52:00.000+03:00

I went to some squat or "social center" as they call them in europe, I went to a few actually. The first I went into had a Palestinian flag at the entrance, which was nice. But then inside it was all about drinking and drugs, at least many people were smoking weed. I am as much against weed as I am against alcohol, if they're done in moderation they're fine. But too much of either, especially done by people who claim to be working for social causes can hurt the movement. The next day, at another social center the emcee for an event about legalizing marijuana was equating that struggle with the struggle in Palestine, that pissed me off.

euro kaffiyehs

2008-04-05T16:41:00.001+03:00

everyone is wearing a kaffiyeh in europe these days. i used to ask everyone who i saw in chicago wearing one if they knew what it represented and where it came from, almost everyone had no clue. I can't imagine these young folk in europe are any different.

jesus and garbage

2008-04-04T16:38:00.001+03:00

in roma. and actually, i think it's the "virgin" mary.

Bye beirut, for a couple weeks

2008-04-03T03:16:00.001+03:00

UNIFIL soldiers heading home.

Old beirut

2008-04-02T09:13:00.001+03:00

Pierre Gemayel, the little one

2008-04-01T14:15:00.004+03:00

A poster of the assassinated former Lebanese minister from the Phalange party hangs on a wall in Beirut. The Phalange claim to support the Palestinian cause in public, yet have committed massacres (1982 Sabra and Shatila) of Palestinian civilians in Lebanon. They fought with the support of the US and Israel in the civil war. Pierre's grandfather, also named Pierre, found the Phalangist party after a trip to the Olympic Games in Berlin where he was impressed by the "organization" of the Nazi party and wanted to create something similar in Lebanon.

picture in bourj al-shemali camp

2008-03-31T16:44:00.004+03:00

picture of an old palestinian woman holding her israeli ID card in the bourj al-shemali camp in southern lebanon. (NOTE: I did not take pic of the woman, I took the picture of the original picture that was tacked up on a board in the center.)

Land Day in Shatila

2008-03-30T23:22:00.000+03:00

Jal al-Bahar

2008-03-29T09:58:00.004+02:00

This is a Palestinian refugee "camp" in southern Lebanon. It actually isn't recognized as a camp, but a "grouping" of over 1,000 Palestinian refugees who live along the sea just north of the city of Tyre. The homes are similar to those in the camps. Palestinians, since they don't own the land, are prevented from building or fixing their homes. We spoke with a few people here, one of whom was very cynical towards everyone who claims to be fighting for Palestine. Living here, can you blame him? Jal al-Bahar, another element of the conflict that MUST be addressed before there can ever be peace.

Razans picture

2008-03-28T14:06:00.001+02:00

I am plagiarizing.

Razan and her pics

2008-03-28T13:18:00.001+02:00

Driving north

2008-03-26T16:19:00.003+02:00

Ok, so I guess uploading vertical images doesn't work from the phone. Oh well, Im just gonna leave it since it seems that blogger doesn't really make it possible to perform the very complicated action of rotating an image 90 degrees. It's hard for photos to make it in the text-dominated world of internet blogging.

Photo exhibit at the american university of beirut

2008-03-25T16:32:00.002+02:00

Photos by myself and great self-taught Syrian photographer, Razan Ghazzawi. Pics about Nahr al-Bared, stop by over the next couple days if you are in Beirut.

The hajj praying in his new home

2008-03-24T20:19:00.000+02:00

These are in the new "barracks" prefabricated metal homes in Nahr al-Bared. The next day the hajj, Abu Mahmoud, traveled to the Abu Dhabi to work on a pipeline. He won't return for at least one year.

Nahr al-Bared mothers day 3

2008-03-23T11:26:00.001+02:00

Nahr al-Bared mothers day 2

2008-03-23T11:23:00.001+02:00

Nahr al-Bared mothers day 1

2008-03-23T11:16:00.002+02:00

A great photographer

2008-03-21T09:58:00.002+02:00

I didn't feel like posting a picture yesterday, on the fifth anniversary (when the world demonstrated on March 20 2003) of the US's war on Iraq that has destroyed that country and will leave it that way for years to come. Bush and the others talk about it all like it's a game, and they know exactly what they've done. It's really really really not hard when you look at Baghdad to see how one can hate the US. Another country that the US destroyed was Vietnam. And one of the reasons I became a photographer was because of the images from Vietnam taken by Philip Jones Griffiths. He passed away on March 18 at the age of 72. Griffiths images of Vietnam showed the ugliness of what was happening there, and what was happening there even after the war ended. Like Iraq has become today in the US press, not one of the more "interesting" news topics, even years after people forgot about Vietnam, Griffiths continued to get his work out there showing the brutality of the war.

From out of a taxi in sidon

2008-03-19T19:40:00.002+02:00

I really have no idea what the point of this mural is. It's a dock alone in the sea (not connected to a beach) with Lebanon sinking, or, off on the horizon, really not sure. Anyway, I love Sidon, it's beautiful.

Look at what just got in season!

2008-03-18T15:39:00.004+02:00

Was very surprised to see my favorite fruit sitting in the local veggie shop today after what seemed like a 100 year hiatus! There were prettier ones than this one too, but I only got the idea to take a picture for the blog when I got down to the last couple. This week isn't very exciting since my colleague is our of the office and I'm putting in overtime on the computer. Maybe tomorrow I will take a picture of my bathroom. This pic was taken on my lovely balcony by the way, im sitting out on it now in a tshirt, ahhhh, Beirut can be so enjoyable when one forgets about the 7 American warships a few km off the coast....

It takes a long time to purchase a ticket

2008-03-17T15:34:00.002+02:00

I really like the guy who works at the office, he's older and just genuinely kind, something you don't find much these days. But I know when he was processing my ticket he was wondering why I was taking pictures of his desk.

Waiting at alitalia office

2008-03-17T15:24:00.001+02:00

Reflection of the lights off the desk.

My exhibit

2008-03-16T13:10:00.003+02:00

This is a [bad] picture of a little exhibit I have up at ta marbuta cafe in beirut. It will be up for a couple weeks. It's about Palestinian refugees, duh.

Nakba film

2008-03-15T14:51:00.002+02:00

An outstanding film from Japanese photographer and videographer, Ryuichi Hirokawa. The film is just being released now and is premiering at different film fests around the world. Hirokawa at age 23 went to live on a kibbutz in 1967 just before the start of Israel's occupation of the territories. Soon after he would join the Israeli leftist group, Matzpen. He said that when he discovered the kibbutz was built on Palestinian land he had to go and find the people who then, had been forced to leave their land two decades earlier. He has spent a lot of time since in Palestine and Lebanon documenting Palestinian refugees and their villages that were destroyed by the Zionist armies in 1948. He is a very talented and well known Japanese photographer. Quite a contrast from most American/European photographers and journalists, who even if they do understand the injustice of the Palestinian tale, are scared to go anywhere near it in their work.

Vegetables beiruti

2008-03-14T10:31:00.000+02:00

I almost ran into these

2008-03-13T10:40:00.002+02:00

I was driving in the north up a hill. This truck in front of me was going slow so I tried to pass him. When I went out from behind him I had to stop for a cow that was just wandering in the middle of the road. On the way back there were a few in one spot so I decided to stop and take their picture. At least one started staring at me and that's when I noticed horns on his head! Could he have charged at me? I might have made him think I was a threat since I stopped there on my bike facing them.

Palestine and Marlboro

2008-03-12T07:39:00.004+02:00

When I first went to Palestine, I asked a Palestinian friend in Chicago what I should bring folks as little gifts or something. He told me get them cigarettes. I bought a carton of Marlboro lights from the airport duty free. When I tried to give them away to some friends I made later, they wouldn't take them because they boycott everything American.

Moving to al-Bared

2008-03-11T12:51:00.004+02:00

10 months later. The Palestinian refugees from Nahr al-Bared camp in northern Lebanon pack up their things at the UN schools where they've ben living and head back to Nahr al-Bared. With their homes destroyed, they now have to move into UNRWA built one-room corrugated tin housing until a plan is in place to rebuild their homes. It was a joyous day to return to al-Bared, but many were visibly upset that their community is being changed and will split for the second time in less than a year.

Kids waiting while the grown folks carry everything into the trucks. That first boy in the picture was so frikin' cute! He did not stop laughing for like 20 min straight! He probably went on after I left too!

Driving

2008-03-10T18:19:00.005+02:00

I really want to get a camera that I can attach to my helmet somehow. driving in lebanon, can be quite an adventure. actually, I think that in most Mediterranean countries people don't drive very well because they're too busy looking at the sea. but lebanon, it's different. of course i think everything in this country is the way it is because of the civil war, and driving is certainly no exception. people do not stop, slow down, give right away, USE TURN SIGNALS (which i didnt think was a big deal in the states to make turns without them, but here where nearly everyone loves to cut across at least two or more lanes of traffic to turn they could really be helpful) it can all make one extremely tense. for me as a foreigner, i forget about the ideologies of the political parties, and I usually just check whichever car pisses me off that day for any signs of their political affiliation and for the rest of the day promise to wage a war against everyone who supports that party. (There are a few dozen active political parties here, so in a week or busy day I might wage war against all of Lebanon.) I'm sure that if people started to work together more when driving, then everyone could focus their energy not against each other but rather against something important like the US warships off the Lebanese coast.

In mo ali's shop

2008-03-09T16:37:00.000+02:00

Tariq al-Jadide building

2008-03-08T16:24:00.003+02:00

just so people know, taking pictures in lebanon is not easy. pretty much everywhere I go I get stopped by one of the political parties that controls the area, or the army or police. sometimes, when im on my bike, ill pull over and snap a pic and take off real quick. when i do that i always drive away real fast like I did something wrong. it's just innocent pics for my blog! I love the tariq aljadide area, and the buildings and life that exists on the street and above on the balconies of the buildings. most buildings have a shop on the ground floor, or if not in the building then one next door. so when people need stuff they have a bucket attached to a long rope that they can drop down, put money in, and shout to the shopkeeper with their order. then, the guy takes the money and puts their order and their change back in the bucket. it makes sense because a lot of people live up on the 8th floor or higher. and it's a pain in the ass to go down and up (especially when the electricity is out and elevators don't work) just for a pack of cigarettes or couple of eggs.

March 11

2008-03-07T16:39:00.002+02:00

Noticed this today, a new billboard for the March 11 coalition. March 11 falls in between March 14 (government - hariri, jumblatt, phalangists) and the opposition March 8 (Hizballah, Aoun, Amal). Not really sure what they're all about or who is behind them, but they say they're trying to bridge the gap between March 14 and March 8, good luck! 11march.org in case anyone wants to do the research.

The mosque next to my house at dusk

2008-03-06T18:39:00.001+02:00

USS Cole out at sea

2008-03-05T17:48:00.004+02:00

Look, on the horizon, the USS Cole!!! Oh wait, that's a guy fishing. Anyway, it, and other US warships are out there off the Lebanese coast in order to keep "stability in the region." You know, like how in Iraq the frequency in which bombings happen in crowded markets has become pretty stable. (by the way, it's not easily visible here, but many of those rocks in the sea are still stained with black from the spilled oil that happened after Israel's bombing of seaside power plants that really polluted the Mediterranean sea everywhere north of where it happened. Coincidence that they knew the oil would only flow north and not south to the beautiful Haifa beaches? I don't think so.)

beiruti stairwells

2008-03-04T22:15:00.006+02:00

I love Beirut, I think it's the most beautiful city that I've ever been to (after chicago of course). One thing that really attracts me to it is the architecture. The older buildings are so beautiful. Most have very high ceilings, simple pale colors, and the stairwells, I don't know but I love the stairwells. In my building the light in the stairwell has been broken, so we have to walk up using our cellphones to light the way. Friends tell me that during the civil war (before there were cell phones if you can imagine!) people used to walk in the stairwells with lighters flicking them on constantly - if you've ever tried walking with a lighter you'd know that it doesn't work since the flame will get blown and burn your hand. Most stairwells don't allow in much light making them pitch black at night and during the day very dramatic and beautiful. This is at a friend's place.

beirut art fair

2008-03-03T19:58:00.004+02:00

Some friends had work in this and hence I went. The pieces pictured arent theirs, but I like taking pictures of art with people in them, especially when they're yawning.

Gaza protest

2008-03-02T22:19:00.004+02:00

Near the Arab League office in Beirut.

beirut's central park

2008-03-01T23:22:00.003+02:00

This is Beirut's Sanayeh Gardens, I'm lucky enough to live across the street. In 1982 the PLO gathered here before leaving Lebanon, the gardens I've heard were bombed by the Israelis and many Palestinians were killed. In the summer 2006 war, Lebanese from the south who fled the Israeli bombing lived in the gardens until they were able to return to their homes when the fighting ended. It's a nice place, the only part that I don't like is that it's surrounded by a big wall and they close the gardens early around sunset. But during the day it's filled with a lot of families, young couples in love, pigeons and old guys playing chess. The gardens (and my flat across the street) are one of the reasons I really love this city.

Hamra at night

2008-02-29T23:21:00.000+02:00

Another Hariri counter!!!

2008-02-28T16:55:00.004+02:00

Driving through Raouche (Beirut) I was surprised to see this today. Another sign digitally counting the days since former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was assassinated. The other one is on the main road from downtown Beirut into the Hamra area, it's quite well known. On the days approaching the 1000th day anniversary, we all wondered what would happen since at first the sign only had spaces for 3 numbers. A few days before 1000 they added the 4th slot for the "1". I guess the sign is counting the days to show how many have passed without justice being served. Based on past events in this country they should be prepared to add a 5th, 6th, 7th, etc slot before justice will ever be served in Lebanon.

Beirut generator

2008-02-27T23:55:00.002+02:00

A common thing outside most Beirut shops, homes, etc. With power cuts regular and worse after the Israeli war on Lebanon where numerous power stations were bombed, people need generators to cover the minimum 3 hour electrical cuts each day. They're really loud, especially this one that I hate because it's right outside my flat.

Too cute not to shoot

2008-02-26T13:39:00.004+02:00

This is near the former "green line" that marked the border between East and West Beirut during Lebanon's civil war. (click on image to see sign better)

Sanayeh Rooster

2008-02-25T14:09:00.005+02:00

Next to my favorite shawerma place in Beirut, a rooster stands guard outside a butcher and checks out a man getting his shoes polished.