One of my Favorite photos
Location: The northern suburbs of Beirut, Burj Hammoud.
The suburb is heavily populated by Armenians as it is where most survivors of the Armenian Genocide settled.
Bourj Hammoud is an industrious area and is one of the most densely-populated districts in the Middle East.
March 2010
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Places are different from one another; but, despite their differences, they resemble us to a great extent. How many places have you visited for the first time only to feel that you had been there before? I’m not talking here about Déjà-Vu moments, but about our relationships and deep connections to places.
Sometimes, when you visit new cities or villages with an open heart and mind, you will find a part of yourself, your soul, and spirit, even if you don’t like the entire place.
When I went to Washington DC, I didn’t like the city. It looked like one large government office. Everyone was wearing a suit and an expressionless face. People were armed with “smart” phones in one متابعة القراءة “Cities through photography: the similarities”
Beirut – Social media has brought various religious and ethnic groups across the world closer together. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Arab world, as demonstrated by the recent protests. Activists in this part of the world maintain that their motives are not sectarian. Indeed, the protests themselves show people of different backgrounds coming together for a common cause: change.
In Manama, a campaign for political change launched on blogs and on Facebook proclaimed: “No Sunni, No Shi’ite. Only Bahraini.” In Syria, protesters are rejecting sectarian strife and focusing on oneness, shouting: “Not Kurdish, Not Arab. We Want National Unity.” This is in addition to an online campaign started by activists with the slogan: “Are you Muslim or Christian? I am Syrian”, which grew to nearly 9,000 members. And then there is the Facebook launch of a Syrian code of honour, condemning all forms of discrimination against fellow citizens, with around 5,000 members.
Many Arab regimes banned the creation of political parties, and limited the right to associate or create civil rights groups. This meant that there was little space where religious, ethnic and cultural groups could meet and interact. Some of the ruling regimes also marginalised and oppressed religious and ethnic متابعة القراءة “Social media creating social awareness in the Arab world”
هاني نعيم*
شكّلت الشبكة العنكبوتيّة (الانترنت) فضاءً للحريّة في العالم العربي. ففي ظل منع تأسيس الأحزاب والمنظمات السياسيّة، وقمع الحريّات العامة، لجأ الشباب العربي إلى التدوين كنافذة بديلة، بعيدة عن عيون “الأخ الأكبر”، ومتمرّدة عليه. ورغم ذلك، لا يختفي خبر “اعتقال مدوّن عربي” عن مجموع الأخبار اليوميّة التي اعتاد عليها الانسان القابع ما بين المحيط والخليج.
تطوّرت حركة التدوين العربي، وكوّنت تجربتها. واستطاعت متابعة القراءة “حركة التدوين اللبناني: من المزاجيّة إلى “المأسسة””
قبل مجيء بطل مخيّم نهر البارد، ميشال سليمان، إلى سدّة رئاسة النظام اللبناني العنصري، بدأ الحديث عن تركيب نظام مخابراتي قمعي في البلاد، يشبه لحد بعيد التركيبة الأمنيّة أثناء وجود البعث السوري في لبنان.
شكّل تدمير المخيّم بقيادة ميشال سليمان، أوراق اعتماد لدخوله إلى النادي السياسي، الذي يضم نخبة من زعماء القبائل، ومجرمي الحرب الأهليّة.
طبعاً، رئيس الجمهوريّة لا يتحمّل مسؤوليّة القمع متابعة القراءة “نظام أمني بخوذة “ديمقراطيّة”!”
هنيبعل.. يتسكّع في الأرجاء 