Shooting in Colorado
I just read the article about the students taken hostage (and the subsequent death of one of them) in Colorado. How horrible. The Columbine shooting happened when I was in high school, and I just remember the impression it left on me. I was most disturbed at the reaction at my school, this ridiculous "that would never happen here" kind of attitude that only frustrated me. We have witnessed school violence around the world, from the incident in Canada a few weeks ago to some problems in Europe in recent years. All of this just makes me wonder if we are just prone to violence. I think incidents like these hurt so much because of the loss of such young and promising lives, and the thought of the scars the survivors will carry. So sad. Things like this just don't leave your heart or your head alone.
Shooting in Colorado
I just read the article about the students taken hostage (and the subsequent death of one of them) in Colorado. How horrible. The Columbine shooting happened when I was in high school, and I just remember the impression it left on me. I was most disturbed at the reaction at my school, this ridiculous "that would never happen here" kind of attitude that only frustrated me. We have witnessed school violence around the world, from the incident in Canada a few weeks ago to some problems in Europe in recent years. All of this just makes me wonder if we are just prone to violence. I think incidents like these hurt so much because of the loss of such young and promising lives, and the thought of the scars the survivors will carry. So sad. Things like this just don't leave your heart or your head alone.
Grandstanding
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, grandstanding means "to play or act so as to impress onlookers." It seems to me that this is the best word to use to describe the rally Hezbollah has planned for this weekend in Beirut. It is rumored that Nasrallah himself may attend. The rally is supposed to celebrate Hezbollah's victory over Israel - the mere fact that they are able to hold a rally publicly should irk Israelis (and Americans) quite a bit. We'll have to wait and see what is said at this rally and the resulting response; all I am noticing right now is how much coverage this event is receiving from the Western media. In other news, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly that the PA's unity government will recognize Israel, and then the Palestinian PM (a member of Hamas) basically said, "No we won't". Hmm. Some kind of unity government. Meanwhile, Olmert's popularity has declined in Israel due to the Hezbollah war. In short, instability reins! I have been doing quite a bit of reading about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and as far as I can tell, this is the worst this situation has ever been. Robert Fisk cynically observes that at every turn, some politician is trying to put the peace process "back on track". After reading Fisk's comment on this, I have noticed this more and more. It seems every article about politicians from this region mention the phrase "back on track", but the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza and the increased violence between the two sides is also notably absent. How can you even think about a peace process when such violence is a daily occurance?
A little good news
Several weeks have passed without me writing much. I have been busy with other parts of my life - moving, family visits, etc. - so I have not had much time to read or write. Though not a lot has changed in Lebanon (at least, no drastic changes) the rest of the region has been slowly stewing. I will begin with some good news. The LA Times reported that nations exceeded expectations at a donors' conference in Sweden by offering nearly $1 billion in aid to Lebanon. It is wonderful that all of this money has been promised, but promising and paying are two very different things. Often promised aid does not reach those who need it: billions were promised during the tsunami crisis, but very little of the aid promised by nations came into being. Victims of the Bam, Iran, earthquake noted that virtually none of the promised aid made it to Iran. In other words, leaders can make all kinds of promises, but troubles arise when you have to seek approval back home. At least the aid has been promised though, I'm pretty impressed with that!
