Think Of That

Flickr.com

2006-12-06T19:44:00.000+02:00

Since a picture is worth a thousand words (and since I love photography and don't have much time to write anymore), I have created my own page at Flickr where you can check my lastest photos.

URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lighthunter/

Enjoy.

Sickening speech

2006-08-16T01:22:00.000+03:00

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad made a speech today. He praised Hezbollah for defeating the Israeli army as if it was the Syrian army who did it and criticized the Lebanese politicians known as the 14 April coalition and portrayed them as traitors and Israeli agents and held them responsible for the war on Lebanon. He also criticized Arab countries for not supporting Lebanon during the crisis.

I’m not defending anyone here, but who the hell does he think he is??? After 30 years of Syrian occupation, he dares to interfere again in Lebanon and try to create tension and internal discord among Lebanese!!! The Syrian army did not lift a finger when Lebanon was attacked in 1996 and this time and today he has the nerve to call others “half-men”!!! Why is there no Syrian resistance against Israel which has been occupying the Golan Heights for decades? How come Syria denied supplying weapons to Hezbollah? Are there any Syrian intentions of reoccupying Lebanon again? I wonder.

Your speech Mr. President is simply sickening and I pity the Syrian people for having such a feeble leader. The “Free People” (That’s what a Kuwaiti customs officer told me she likes to call Lebanese when I passed the Kuwait customs service yesterday) are aware of your Machiavellian schemes, Mr. President, and will not be subdued by your dictatorship once again.

Israeli fighters with moral values !!!

2006-08-12T11:09:00.000+03:00

Cick here to log on to their site.

What have they gained?

2006-08-09T23:03:00.000+03:00

A few days before the United Nations Security Council vote on a draft resolution that is intended to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, I contemplate on what happened during the past 28 days of war and destruction. After the kidnapping of 2 Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah, Israel has declared a full fledge war on Lebanon, targeting residential buildings, ambulances, fleeing civilians, and UN observer posts and personnel, as well as civilian airports, power stations, milk factories, grain silos, roads, most bridges and television stations and killing more than 800 civilians. Massacres were committed against civilians, the most gruesome being the second Qana massacre when 34 children and 20 adults were killed when the Israeli Air Force destroyed the building they were taking cover in. (The first one was committed in 1996 when 106 civilians, mostly children, were killed while sheltering in a UN compound that was bomb by Israeli warships).

Even now, when all discussions are focused on ending this war, Israel military sources say that they are in a process of renewed escalation and plan to hit strategic civilian infrastructures. What have they gained by doing this? More hatred? Any hope for peace in the Middle-East has vanished into thin air (I can’t imagine the Lebanese ever forgiving Israel the carnage it has done these past weeks, and we are known to forgive and forget). Even the Israeli people has suffered from this war, hundred of thousands being forced to live in shelters in north Israel to take cover from the rockets fired every day by Hezbollah in response to the attacks. The Israeli Defense Force was helpless in south Lebanon combating Hezbollah fighters, thus shattering the image of the IDF as an indestructible army. The destruction of civilian infrastructures in Lebanon, and the use of cowardly techniques in their psychological and propaganda warfare to frighten the Lebanese made even the ones pushing for the disarmament of Hezbollah embrace the Islamic Resistance and support its operations: Their “Divide and Conquer” strategy did not work this time and Hezbollah is more popular than ever…

Israel has found itself caught between a rock and hard place: Stop now and Olmert will lose face, continue and lose more troops without being able to achieve any of the goals it has set. Meanwhile it’s the Lebanese people who are enduring all of the consequences of this conflict. Besides the death toll that is rising with each passing day, hospitals are likely to stop receiving injured because of the fuel shortage and lack of electricity. God only knows the outcome of this war, but one thing is sure, we have not endured 30 years of occupation and 15 years of fights for freedom to see it all destroyed on a whim of some redneck politician thinking he can change the map of the Middle-East.

The Truth finally on Sky News

2006-08-09T22:35:00.000+03:00

Click here to watch George Galloway, the British MP, speaking the truth on Sky News.

How many times does the Phoenix have to die?

2006-07-23T00:19:00.000+03:00

Lebanon is burning once again.

Once again, it’s being shredded into pieces by a war no one had expected.

In response to a capture of two of its soldiers by Hezbollah, the state of Israel has decided to destroy every bridge, every airport, hundred of houses and killed more than 350 civilians (and counting), mostly women and children. Half a million people were forced to leave their homes.

And the rest of the world is watching... The US is even backing Israel in its mission of mass destruction.

In its fight against terrorism (The new craze after September 11, 2000), the US has given Israel the green light to eradicate Hezbollah from the south of Lebanon. Its only warning was not to use excessive force, and to avoid civilians and infrastructure (Yeah, right…)

The problem with the US is its lack of understanding of the Middle East. Trying to wipe out Hezbollah as if it was Al-Qaeda or some other secret organization is purely absurd to say the least. Just searching for the word Hezbollah on the net will reveal much more than that. I found the Wikipedia page very informative: “Hezbollah is the main political party and military organization representing the Shia community, Lebanon's largest religious bloc.”<…>”The group currently operates at least four hospitals, 12 clinics, 12 schools and two agricultural centers that provide farmers with technical assistance and training. It also has an environmental department and an extensive social assistance programme. Medical care is also cheaper than in most of the countries private hospitals and free for Hezbollah members”. With this in mind, how can anyone think of eliminating Hezbollah by means of force?

It appears that Lebanon has to always pay the price of bad politics and this time, the price was very high. I’m sure that this 5000 years old country will rise again once more like the firebird that is reborn and rises from its ashes but … how many times does the Phoenix have to die?

Power outage

2005-12-22T22:46:00.000+02:00

It's almost 10 PM in dear old Lebanon and I'm sitting in the dark in my living room waiting for the power to come back. I was told by a neighbor that it should be back by 10 and that's what I'm hoping for as sitting at the candle light is not a very enjoyable thing to do at the end of the year 2005. It's been a long time since I've written anything because I was in Kuwait most of the time these last few months. Most of the time I was there, I wished I could be in Lebanon and sometimes when I'm here, I can't help to think how easy it was living there. And I'm talking about Kuwait, a land where going out at night means having diner in some restaurant and strolling by the seaside at the Marina Mall. Nightlife has no real meaning there as alcohol is banned and night-clubs are non-existent. But then again, besides mountains and a better weather, that's all that was missing. (Come to think of it, it's missing a lot more than that!!!). My point is: why is it so easy to live in a country like Kuwait and so difficult to survive in Lebanon? It's been 15 years since the war ended and we haven't been able to figure out a solution for the electricity problem; and that problem is bothering me right now as opposed to the other problem I had 2 hours ago when I had to risk my life crossing the road in Dora because there was no pedestrian bridge to help people getting to the other side without getting killed. Anyways, it's 22:15 and the power just came back (I guess the neighbor was right after all) and my fingers are getting numb typing on the small keyboard of my mobile phone. Back to listening to Walid Jumblat on TV. Yippi.

Who would have thought?

2005-08-30T23:50:00.000+03:00

After 30 years of injustice…

In a land where criminals ran free and innocents rot in jail…

In a land where lawbreakers are seldom caught and hardly ever tried…

In a land where corruption is deeply rooted…

An unprecedented event has occurred this morning:

Nine high-profile Syrian-linked suspects in the assassination of former PM Rafic Hariri were arrested. Among them were Brig. Gen. Jamil al-Sayyed, former chief of the General Security Directorate, Col. Ali Hajj, ex-commander of the Internal Security Forces, Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, former commander of the army's intelligence service, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, commander of the army's Presidential Guard Brigade and former pro-Syrian parliament member Nassir Kandil. (Kandil was in Syria at the time of the arrest but he came back and surrendered himself in the afternoon).

These, once very powerful figures during the Syrian occupation era are facing charges that could possibly lock them away for a very long time.

Let’s hope justice takes its turn this time and deliver us from the remaining tyrants who once ruled this country. It will certainly give March 14^th the meaning it almost lost…

Dubai Trip

2005-07-10T08:17:00.000+03:00

It's 11:10 PM. I'm sitting in the bed in my hotel room in Dubai, listening to some Mp3 songs I downloaded to my laptop before coming here. It's my 5^th night in Dubai and I'm here on a business trip. I've already visited most malls, went to a few clubs and pubs and even went to the movies once. That's all you can do in Dubai when you're alone. I remember my trip to Paris when there was so little time after work to see all what needs to be seen in that great city. Well, that's the difference between an old historic European city and a new artificial one. Yes, artificial; I can say it without any reservations. Dubai has some of the most sophisticated building structures, greatest towers and most luxurious hotels but it lacks the soul or ambiance of other ancient cities. Paris has one, Beirut has one but not Dubai. You experience a strange feeling of delight when you stroll down the Rue Des Champs Elysées or when you wander in the Quartier Latin at night but not when you stray in some fancy mall like the Burjuman or the Mercato, even if that last one was built in an Italian style. Maybe I've listened to Aznavour too much in my adolescent years or maybe I'm just bored to death but living in the A/C 24 hours per day and not being able to breath some clean fresh air has really affected me. It's between 38 and 40 degrees in the shade here and there's so much humidity in the air that you never see the sky. You can barely distinguish where the sun is at noon. Going out of a building to hail a taxi cab will make you sweat like a pig, let alone walking a few blocks to reach a nearby store. And watch out for that freezing A/C in taxis when you've been waiting for them too long, it will slap you right in the face. I'm looking forward to going back to Lebanon in a few days. It may not be that idealistic place one would dream to live in, but at least you can sleep with the windows open at night!!!

After The Elections

2005-06-21T00:14:00.000+03:00

In a surprising turn of events two weeks ago, the Free Patriotic Movement’s election candidates (including General Aoun) won 15 (22 21 with its allies) of the 58 seats contested in Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. In another surprise last Sunday, Aoun and his allies lost all 28 seats against the coalition of Saad Hariri’s Tayyar Al Mustaqbal with the Lebanese Forces. What I saw these weeks was really not what I expected before the elections. I realized that the FPM has managed to obtain a huge base of supporters among the Christians but not among Muslims especially after both the Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Mohammed Rachid Kabbani and the Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Sheikh Taha Sabounji, declared their support for Hariri’s list and were imitated by many imams in the mosques of Tripoli (I suppose Hariri’s stay in a hotel in Tripoli days before the elections and spending some cash has achieved its goal). I will not get into the details of the elections as what is done is done and nothing will change the result even if it’s not up to the expectations of many.
The new parliament will be represented as follows:

72 deputies representing the Tayyar Al Mustaqbal/Jumblat’s PSP/Lebanese Forces/Quornet Shahwan coalition.
21 deputies representing General Aoun’s FPM and allies.
35 deputies representing Amal and Hizballah.

What this parliament is expected to accomplish in the next few weeks?

Elect a new Speaker of the Parliament. (Hopefully not Berri).
Elect a new Prime Minister. (Hopefully not Saad Hariri).
Issue a better election law.
Decide to keep or get rid of Lahoud.
Free Samir Geagea.

And a bit later

Disarm Hizballah. (I’m very curious to see how…)
Get rid of the corruption. (I’m very optimistic here…)
Hopefully reduce the national dept. (Too optimistic…)
Hopefully take a stand against the nationalization of Palestinians in Lebanon.(Critical)

Will this new parliament be able to accomplish all these goals or will the new deputies follow on the footsteps of their predecessors? I’ll be watching… and blogging.

Assassination

2005-06-03T00:38:00.000+03:00

In the midst of a huge power struggle over the number of parliamentary seats each bloc will claim after the election, a leading journalist and writer was assassinated today, in broad daylight, in Ashrafieh. Samir Kassir, a columnist at the An-Nahar newspaper and a university professor, was a staunch anti-Syria campaigner and has long spoken out against Syria’s occupation of Lebanon.

But what happened after the assassination was something almost equally sickening: Election candidates and last-minute opposition advocates taking advantage of this heinous crime to back their electoral campaign and hold their political foes accountable for this act. Typical Lebanese politicians’ behavior. I would gladly want to see Lahoud resign or even thrown in jail but not before guaranteeing an adequate substitute, elected by a free parliament. And what about Nabih Berri? Here he is, running for the elections and probably hoping to remain the Speaker of the Parliament!?!?!?

All things considered, I’m disgusted by this whole situation. The memory of March 14^th is being used as an electoral campaign slogan and stripped of its real value. For most candidates, all what matters is getting into the right bus to win the elections regardless of who the driver is or how much the ticket costs.

The General's Return

2005-05-08T01:28:00.000+03:00

“Great People of Lebanon.”

That’s how he greeted the crowds flooding into the presidential palace in Baabda in 1989, and that’s how he started his speech on the 7^th of May 2005 at Martyrs’ square. General Michel Aoun, an exceptional leader, has finally returned home to his beloved country after 15 years of exile in France. Greeted by a sea of supporters coming from all over Lebanon, waving Lebanese red and white flags and wearing orange-colored T-shirts, caps and scarfs, the color attributed to the Free Patriotic Movement. In 15 years, and in spite of the continuous persecution, the FPM has attracted more followers than any other movement or political party in Lebanon, surely due to the charismatic personality of its leader and his unyielding stance regarding the Syrian occupation. Unlike most politicians in Lebanon, the General is a man of principles; he never compromised and never gave up the fight, even when he was betrayed and exiled. He may be inflexible and a bit harsh but according to friends and foes, he’s as honest a man can be. Always faithful to the memory of the martyrs who died fighting for the freedom and independence of Lebanon, General Aoun has set his goals to free the government of corruption, politics of sectarianism and feudalism and make way for the third Republic where young people and Lebanese expatriates can be part of the decision-making process, like every other democratic country.

The New Pope

2005-04-19T23:28:00.000+03:00

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now known as Pope Benedict XVI, was elected the new pope today. Cardinal Ratzinger is a well-known conservative and is likely to follow the same path of his predecessor Pope John Paul II. He is considered to be the Church’s leading hard-liner, which is not a bad thing, in my opinion, for a man in his position. I pray he will be able to lead the Church in the right direction.

Pope John Paul II with Cardinal Ratzinger.

News Update

2005-04-16T00:31:00.000+03:00

So many things happened since my last post on this blog that I don’t know where to begin writing about them. First, I passed the CCNA exam which I’ve been studying for for so long… It was tough as I was studying by myself, but I finally made it. Second, I started working full time (and lots of overtime) which made me cut back a bit on writing.

Fortunately, no new explosions were heard since the 2^nd of April, possibly due to the extra security measures implemented by civilians all over Beirut.

On April 2^nd, Pope John Paul II, a great man, passed away at the age of 84. He will never be forgotten by the Lebanese people, nor will his celebrated visit in 1997 when he declared “Lebanon is more of a message than a regular country”.

On April 13^th, commemorating the start of the war, in 1975, the Lebanese celebrated a “national unity day”. Concerts, exhibitions and a marathon were organized from the 8^th to the 13^th in downtown Beirut. The participation of the Lebanese was very high, especially to Magida El Roumi’s concert, on the 13^th, which I had the pleasure of attending. The sweet angelic (and yet so powerful) voice of this diva, along with the lyrics of her famous patriotic songs are prized by generations of Lebanese youth.

On the political side, Mr Najib Mikati was named Prime Minister today, as a replacement for the resigned PM Omar Karami, bringing some hope to the political scene in Lebanon.

Photo of Magida El Roumi on stage (Courtesy of The Daily Star)

Fourth Blast

2005-04-02T00:02:00.000+03:00

Another gloomy night in Lebanon. A fourth explosion detonated tonight in Broumana, in the underground parking of a residential building (Rizk Plaza). Till now (two hours after the explosion) there’s no information about any human fatalities, but seven people were slightly wounded. The similarities with the previous blasts are still the same but this time the target of the terrorists changed from a commercial and industrial area to a residential area where civilians are most vulnerable.

Two weeks have passed since the first blast and 47 days since Hariri was killed but still no clues were uncovered about who might be behind these terrorist acts.

I’m sickened by the news these days; the elections will be probably delayed and the whole situation is getting out of hand. Hope for a better future is getting weaker every day.

Third explosion

2005-03-26T22:05:00.000+02:00

A third explosion was heard in Bauchrieh at 9.15PM tonight (45 min ago), just 4 days after the second and 8 days after the first. The area affected is the industral area of Bauchrieh, a couple of blocks away from where I work...

Update 1 (10:23PM): Three injured persons so far. The damage seen on TV is significant, at least 3 buildings are in flames.

Another bomb

2005-03-23T23:04:00.000+02:00

Another bomb exploded in an empty shopping center after midnight (1:20AM). Three foreign workers were killed. Similarities with the first one: Bomb set to detonate after midnight (minimal human casualties), target: shopping area (Christian neighborhood). Still no clues of who the culprits might be.

On the other hand, I stumbled upon a very interesting interpretation on who killed Rafic Hariri.

What's next?

2005-03-19T23:23:00.000+02:00

A massive car explosion shook New Jdeideh yesterday night. Fortunately, no one was killed but about nine people were injured and a lot of damage was caused to the nearby buildings and stores. I went there today to check on a friend who lives near the explosion site: the scene reminded me of the destruction we used to see during the war. It was frightening... The big question on everyone’s mind is: Why? The bomb obviously didn’t target any political figure. It was set to detonate after midnight so it was not expected to cause lots of casualties.

There were also reports of a kidnapping that took place at the same time of the explosion and witnesses described the cars involved and even had their license plate numbers. Now that shouldn’t be a difficult task for the local police and intelligence to find out who the culprits were…or should it? Will this new investigation lead to another dead end and back the opposition’s claims that all security commanders are incapable of doing their jobs (Powerless or unwilling?) and should resign immediately?

What was the message behind this act of terror? Will this be the start of a series of terrorist acts targeting the Lebanese people? What are they expecting to accomplish? Divide us again? Make us change our mind about the withdrawal of the Syrians? Make us go back into the dark tunnel now that we’ve finally seen the light at the end?...

A sea of flags

2005-03-15T00:44:00.000+02:00

No words can ever describe the crowd that swamped downtown Beirut today. Hundreds of thousands? A million? No official number has been released so far but estimates exceed 800,000. That’s for Martyrs’ square, Riad El Solh square and neighboring streets only; but what about people stuck in traffic on every road leading to the capital? What about demonstrators who could not get to Beirut because Hezbollah bribed or threatened bus drivers not to pick up anyone heading for the demonstration?

Once again, we went to Martyrs’ square on foot. The scenery was a bit different this time. There were no army roadblocks but the amount of people swarming the streets was tremendous. Young men and women were waving Lebanese flags out of crammed cars, buses and pickup trucks, chanting anti-Syrian slogans. Streets in Ashrafieh were turned into rivers of red and white. In Martyrs’ square, we had to hold each other’s hands when moving from one place to another to keep from getting lost in the crowd. Roads were not recognizable anymore, just a sea of waving flags. Even nearby buildings were invaded by the protestors…

Once more I took several pictures for this blog’s readers to enjoy.

The Human Flag

2005-03-13T13:30:00.000+02:00

Saturday 12^th of March: Another gathering at Martyrs’ square. We went there this time to participate in the formation of a huge Lebanese human flag. We were 10,800 people coming from all parts of Lebanon to create a 27x25m Lebanese flag using colored cardboards. This initiative was launched to symbolize the unity of the Lebanese: Was it convincing? You be the judge of that.

PS: According to Guinness World Records, the world’s largest human national flag comprised 10,371 spectators at the Scotland vs Germany European Championships qualifying football match in Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany, on September 10, 2003. I guess we beat this one!!!!

Another demonstration

2005-03-08T21:55:00.000+02:00

A massive pro-Syrian crowd (counting several hundred thousands), sponsored by Hezbollah, flocked into downtown Beirut today. The protesters were showing their support for the Syrian government and its president who declared, on Saturday, he was pulling his troops from Lebanon and thus complying with the UN Resolution 1559.

What struck me the most, about this demonstration, were the similarities with yesterday’s protest against the Syrian interference in Lebanon: They were all holding Lebanese flags. They were shouting for freedom and independence. They demanded that the murderers of Hariri be found and brought to justice…

But they were also brandishing the Syrian president’s pictures whereas Syrian troops are the only occupying foreign force in Lebanon. Now where’s the logic in that???

They also condemned UN Resolution 1559, not only because it stated that Syrian army and intelligence should withdraw from Lebanon but also because it called for the disarmament of Hezbollah, the main force behind today’s demonstration. I agree that the issue of Hezbollah should not be discussed at this time but it will be, sooner or later, and that’s what’s terrifying Hezbollah leaders…

Another point I should mention: Most of the demonstrators today came from the south of Lebanon where Hezbollah has a big influence and where Syrian presence is minimal. If they had experienced the Syrian intelligence’s meddling in every little detail of every day’s life, I don’t think they would have objected to seeing them leave so soon.

What will these people have to say after the entire withdrawal of the Syrians, in a more objective atmosphere? I think we should wait and see…

The Lebanese People have spoken

2005-02-28T23:24:00.000+02:00

At around 7:00 PM today, after 2 weeks of protests against the Syrian presence in Lebanon, pro-Syrian Prime Minister Omar Karami resigned along with his entire cabinet… but before that and defying the government ban on demonstrations, people marched to the Martyr’s Square, next to the Parliament where the vote of confidence was taking place.

At 9:30 AM we decided to go from Sin El Fil to the Martyr’s Square on foot as roadblocks were creating some traffic and keeping the demonstrators away from Downtown Beirut. Groups of flags-waving protesters were taking the bridge leading to Ashrafieh so we joined them and marched all the way across Bourj Hammoud, passing through a roadblock set up by the army. The protesters were cheerful, chanting "Syria out!" and "Freedom, sovereignty, independence", despite the light rain and the exhausting walk. When we reached Tabaris, we were forced by the army soldiers to turn right towards Gemayze to get to Martyr’s Square from the sea-side entrance where we were again stopped by another troop of soldiers who let people pass in small groups. I guess they were given the orders to act as if they were stopping the demonstrators but in fact were not doing so, fortunately for us. In the square, the sight was astonishing: It was full of young people in a sea of waving red and white Lebanese flags and we could hear the patriotic songs of Majida el Roumi being played through speakers…I can go on and on describing the scene but since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s a few shots I managed to take using my trusty camera-phone. Enjoy.

A ray of hope

2005-02-21T20:12:00.000+02:00

A protest was organized in downtown Beirut today. Tens of thousands of Lebanese marched from the site where Ex-Prime Minister Hariri was assassinated one week ago to the Martyr’s square, unified by one cause: Lebanon’s independence through the withdrawal of the Syrian army. “Liberty, Sovereignty and Independence” was their motto. For the first time since the war started, I witnessed Lebanese from all religions and sects shouting the same slogans. Christians, Muslims and Druze came together to protest against Syria’s tutelage, calling for One Free Independent country for ALL.

Is it a dream coming true?

Have they finally realized, after 15 years of war and 15 years of occupation that they should be joining hands not fighting each other?

Lebanon has a history of dreams being shattered through assassinations, invasions…etc. Will this one survive?

Only the future will tell but I have a strong feeling it will. It’s our last hope, a hope of an entire generation born during the war and longing for peace.

I took these very expressive photos of the protestors with my mobile phone (click to enlarge).

Politics and a storm

2005-02-09T21:53:00.000+02:00

It’s been some time since I last posted anything on my Blog. The fact is, I didn’t really have anything interesting to write about and, to tell you the truth, I felt a bit lazy. I hope it was a transitory state of mind, not to be repeated in the future.

Two significant events caught my attention these last couple of weeks: the first one is political and concerned the commotion that was caused by the exiled General Aoun concerning his return to Lebanon and the conflicting attitudes of numerous government officials: some were welcoming him back while others threatening him and menacing of lawsuits. What’s really funny about it is that the same officials that were proclaiming him an enemy of the state and a threat to national security a few years back are greeting him nowadays warmheartedly. Ahh the hypocrisy of politics!!!

The second noticeable episode was the storm that started last week and ended yesterday night. Heavy rains, hail and even snow hit Beirut. The weather was freezing and roads were transformed, as usual, to war fields, a real treat to 4X4 drivers and off-road fans. I took these two snapshots using my mobile phone while going to work yesterday (Click to display actual size).

Photos of the snow in Beirut can be found here.

Home PC Security

2005-01-22T13:39:00.000+02:00

As promised in my previous post, I would like to share with the readers of this Blog a few tips I learned over the years on how to protect your home computer from the threats that lurk on the Internet, waiting to invade your PC once you go online. I must emphasize the term home computer because the methods of protecting your pc at work (which is usually connected to a local network) is far more complicated and should be left to the person in charge of doing so: the system administrator.

The first thing you need to understand is that there are 3 kinds of threats you might be subject to when connecting to the Internet:

Viruses/Worms: Viruses usually infect your PC after running an infected program downloaded from the net or received by email or by any other medium (Floppy, CD,…). Worms are sneakier and you could be infected just by running an un-patched version of Windows or Outlook/Outlook Express.

Hackers/Crackers/Script Kiddies: These individuals hack into home PCs just for the fun of it or to take control of them and use them for their own devilish intentions, usually to hack other computers or send spam emails through them.

Adware/Spyware/Malware/Dialers…etc: These nasty little programs infect the PC without the user’s knowledge when browsing some websites or when installing some freeware. They are usually not as harmful as viruses (that might delete entire hard disks) but they will divulge personal information from the user’s computer to third party individuals, slow the internet connection down … and sometimes crash the computer altogether.

The solution: To protect your PC from these threats, you will need to install 3 kinds of programs:

Antivirus programs: Antivirus programs detect and remove viruses and worms from your PC but they have to be updated weekly, if not daily, for best results. They will usually scan your hard disk at installation and continue to protect it automatically while running in the background. Most can be configured to automatically download and install new updates when you’re connected to the Internet. The most well-known Antivirus programs are Norton Antivirus (www.symantec.com) and McAfee Virus Scan (www.mcafee.com). You can also find free antivirus programs here.

Firewall programs: Firewall programs prevent hackers from getting into you PC by closing all the ports left open by the operating system and allow you to take control of the programs you wish to prevent from accessing the net. Windows XP has a built-in firewall program but I prefer using the more powerful and free ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com).

Adware/Spyware/Malware removal tools: Two programs come to mind when thinking about adware: Ad-Aware (www.lavasoft.de) and Spybot - Search & Destroy (www.spybot.info); both are free and most reviews recommend installing them both for best protection. Like antivirus programs, they must be updated frequently.

Finally, I recommend turning Automatic Updates on and using an alternative browser than Internet Explorer which is more vulnerable to security breaches. I use Mozilla Firefox (www.mozilla.org) but you can use Opera as well (www.opera.com).

Star Academy

2005-01-08T09:23:00.000+02:00

It’s Friday night. I’m sitting in front of the TV, getting ready to write my next article. I’ve decided to tackle a subject I’m quite familiar with and that would have been useful to readers of this Blog - computer security - but I’ve just changed my mind. I’ll postpone writing about computers to another time and write instead about the show that’s airing on TV tonight: The Arabic version of Star Academy. It’s a real-tv show in which several supposedly talented young people live together in a house where they learn how to sing, dance…etc. Well, I’ve got to tell you this: Cat meowing is easier on the ears than most of these guys’ singing. How do they pick them? On what criteria do they base their selection? Maybe they choose terrible singers on purpose, so viewers can observe the progress they make during their time at the academy? The bottom line is: LBC (the TV station in charge of Star Academy Lebanon) is not living up to its usual standards. We used to watch much more interesting shows and now, all we see is a bunch of teenagers running around corridors shouting at each others. Star Academy Lebanon is a renowned show watched all over the Arabic speaking world but, in opinion, it will never create stars. Maybe it’s just trying to reach for them too high.

Happy New Year 2005?

2005-01-04T01:05:00.000+02:00

The year 2004 has ended – quite tragically with the Tsunami that killed more than 156,000 people in South East Asia – but it’s finally over and we’ll be referring to it as “Last Year” for the next 12 months. So many things have happened in 2004; so many changes have occurred that it’s hard to remember everything; however I’ll try to recall some of the major events that took place:

Jan 26 - Virus Affects Millions of Computers: The MyDoom virus spreads through Internet servers. About 1 in 12 email messages are infected.

Feb 12 - Scientists Say They Have Cloned Human Embryos: Scientists in South Korea announce that they have created 30 human embryos by cloning and have removed embryonic stem cells from them.

Feb 25: "The Passion of the Christ": The Mel Gibson Movie about Jesus’ final days, grossed $89.3 million in its first three days in theaters.

Feb 28: Train Explosion Kills Hundreds in Iran: About 300 people die when a train crashes in the northeast.

Mar 11: Spain Rocked by Terrorist Attacks: At least 10 bombs explode on four commuter trains in Madrid during rush hour, killing 202 people and wounding about 1,400.

Mar 22: Israeli Forces Kill Hamas Leader: Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the leader and founder of the militant group Hamas, and seven others hit by missile in Gaza City

May 11: Nick Berg, an American citizen, decapitated in Iraq. The decapitation video was released on the Internet.

May 23: Roof Collapses at Airport in France: At least five killed (among them a Lebanese woman) at new terminal at the Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris.

May 26: Floods Devastate Caribbean Island: Death toll reaches 1,950 from floods caused by days of heavy rains in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Jun 5: Former US President Ronald Reagan Dies at 93.

Jun 10: Ray Charles Dies at 73.

Jun 23: Fahrenheit 9/11: Michael Moore's anti-Bush diatribe "Fahrenheit 9/11" became the most profitable documentary ever.

Jul 1: Marlon Brando Dies at the age of 80.

Aug 1: Christian Churches Targeted in Iraq: Four churches attacked in coordinated car bombings in Baghdad and Mosul. About a dozen people killed

Aug 12: Florida Pounded by Storms: Tropical storm Bonnie pounds the Florida Panhandle. Aug 13: At least 13 people die as Hurricane Charley tears into the state's west coast, with winds of 145 miles an hour.

Sep 1-3: Russian Insurgents Take Over School: Armed Islamic guerrillas, most of them Chechen, take about 1,200 schoolchildren, parents, and teachers hostage in Beslan. Standoff ends in tragedy, as about 340 people die as the militants detonate explosives inside the school

Sept 4: Florida Hit Again by Hurricane: Enormous, slow-moving Frances pounds state, causing about $40 billion in damage.

Sep 20: Hundreds Killed in Haiti: Floods and mudslides caused by Tropical Storm Jeanne claim more than 550.

Oct 8: Israelis Targeted in Egypt: At least 30 people die in three bombings at three resorts in the Sinai Peninsula.

Oct 10: Christopher Reeve Dies at 52.

Oct 18: President Lahoud re-elected for three more years.

Nov 2. Bush Reelected: George Bush won over his Democratic challenger John Kerry for the United States presidency.

Nov 11: Arafat dies in Paris. PLO quickly elects former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas as its leader.

Dec 26: Tsunami in South East Asia kills more than 156.000 in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.

That’s it. As you can see, it was a rather gloomy year and I’m glad it’s over. I just hope that the year 2005 will be much better with less sorrow, fewer tragedies and more hope and joy in this world.

Happy New Year!!!

A thought on Christmas

2004-12-25T23:34:00.000+02:00

It’s Christmas today. The long awaited day has finally arrived, bringing along the usual cheerful moods, joyous greetings and festive family gatherings. By family, I don’t imply what the typical meaning of the word would (parents and their children), but its Lebanese interpretation (Parents, children, uncles, aunts, grand parents, friends…etc). I might be blessed with a large and loving family but like the Italians and the Greeks, the majority of Lebanese enjoy celebrating Christmas (or any other holiday, by the way) with their many relatives and friends. It’s a nice tradition, which might turn off some, but I personally find it very enjoyable.

Sadly enough, Christmas has lost its true meaning; it has become an opportunity for businesses to exploit the Santa Claus character and awaken consumers’ desire to spend their hard-earned cash on useless over-priced junk… For those of you who forgot what it’s all about, Christmas is the celebration of our Lord Jesus’ Birth in a small town called Bethlehem in Judea more than two thousand years ago. The gifts that were offered to Him by the three wise men were Gold (symbolizing His Kingly Office), Frankincense (symbolizing His Divinity) and Myrrh* (a symbol of His Suffering and Death)… not a 34” Flat Sony TV bundled with a DVD Player and 5 speakers set!!!

Finally (I hope I don’t sound condescending here), I wish to address all the kind people who thought about the less fortunate and made their life (or at least a few minutes of their life) a little better this Christmas: Christmas comes just once a year but people are in need every other day of the year; you’re doing a great job, keep it up!

*For more information about the first three gifts, click here.

Britain's Outlaw

2004-12-17T08:55:00.000+02:00

The British home secretary, David Blunkett, submitted his resignation, two days ago, as he was found guilty of using his authority to speed up his ex-lover’s nanny’s visa application to stay in Britain. He was one of Britain’s most powerful Cabinet secretaries but he had the decency to admit his fault and resign because he used his public office for “private benefits”.

You might be reading these lines and thinking that Mr. Blunkett couldn’t do otherwise - he had to resign. If that’s the case, then you’re definitely not living in Lebanon. This “private benefit” is considered an obvious privilege in the eyes of the politicians of my dear country. In fact, they run for election just to be able to take advantage of their position and do much more than speed up applications. Even voters choose their candidates depending on these individuals’ willingness to quickly resolve their little problems…

I wish we had a few David Blunketts amongst our ministers in Lebanon. He might be considered corrupt in Britain, but he’s surely more honest than most of the politicians over here.

Broadband in Lebanon, at last ? (Part 2)

2004-12-09T23:17:00.000+02:00

It seems the Lebanese government has finally decided to give the Lebanese citizen a break and reduce the telecommunication tariffs. In a recent article by The Daily Star* (issued today), the Minister of Telecommunications declared that a bill to lower Lebanon’s Cellular phone tariffs is to be submitted to cabinet in a couple of weeks. It seems that in a few months, “the new government would review plans to reduce land line rates and introduce high speed internet to Lebanon, where most consumers depend on sluggish dial-up services.”

At last, a ray of hope, but does this mean that we’re going to have fast, reliable internet access before the end of 2005? Taking into consideration previous delarations by the government concerning any reduction of tariffs, I wouldn’t bet my life on it.
Hopefully, I’m wrong this time.

* The Daily Star article can be found here.

Broadband in Lebanon, at last?

2004-12-07T01:02:00.000+02:00

The Internet was first introduced in Lebanon around 1995/96. Back then, we used a slow unreliable dial-up connection that was good for sending emails or chatting at best. Few people used the Internet and it wasn’t a vital means of communication for most of them.

Times have changed since 1995 but sadly, the methods we use to connect to the WWW haven’t, at least not for home users. Don’t get me wrong, dial-up connection is pretty reliable now and you can get a 56kbps download bandwidth, but who wants dial-up when everyone else is using cable or fast ADSL?

Illegal cable internet is available almost anywhere in Beirut for 44USD/month, standard price for all illegal cable internet providers (Makes you wonder, huh?), and it’s a lot faster than dial-up and cheaper in most cases. But it’s still illegal and mostly unreliable, especially in bad weather conditions.

A few weeks ago, a new company (Global Data Services), along with the Ministry of Telecommunications and some local ISPs, introduced a new subscription plan for home users (some kind of wireless link using a receiver installed on the rooftop of your building) from 45USD/month for a 128kbps connection (Notice the 1$ difference with illegal cable) not including the installation fees (around 75USD); and there must be at least 3 subscribers/building or they will not proceed with the installation…

Why do we have to pay twice what users in other countries are paying for an Internet connection at least 4 times faster?

Wouldn’t a large-scale solution be more profitable to the government and more favorable to the end-user?

I wouldn’t know. At least the Internet is still uncensored... or is it?

Common Sense

2004-11-30T19:02:00.000+02:00

Today several thousand people have gathered in the Martyr’s Square in downtown Beirut to express their allegiance to the Lebanese government and Syria and their condemnation of the United Nations’ Security Council resolution 1559, a resolution which dictates the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon and the end of it’s tutelage over it.

Several thousand people were brought from all over the country to counter the hundreds of demonstrations that were organized over the past years demanding Lebanon’s freedom and the ending of all foreign interference in its internal affairs.

In a public statement released one week earlier, the recently elected Prime Minister announced he would organize a million-strong rally to prove to the world that the majority of the Lebanese condemn UN’s resolution 1559 and would not want the Syrian army to leave Lebanon. !?!?!

I was watching the demonstrations on TV and wondering if I was really seeing clearly or I needed something to help me understand what was really happening. Throughout history, people were fighting wars so that they could free their country; and here, some are struggling to keep their country occupied. What’s happening goes beyond any common sense…

Dear Lebanon, you are one of a kind…

Even your own people (or a least a part of it) is braving the entire world so that you never get your freedom.