The last time I was in Damascus I bought an inexpensive piece of local art from the artist himself at his little shop in the covered suq (market). Afterwards, feeling very happy with my purchase, I strolled on up the narrow, sheltered street, enjoying the colorful store windows and being part of the noisy, […]
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Yesterday our topic was What Not to Do in Response to the Attacks on Paris and Beirut. Reading that blog first, will make this one more meaningful. As yesterday, my ideas are organized as a list. 1.Stop talking Sit down, take several deep breaths, drink a cup of coffee or tea, whatever makes you […]
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We are responding. All of us in some way are reacting to the shaking of our world. I happen to be a list-maker, especially when the world is shaking. This is how I get a measure of control over my own emotions and actions. I am not any smarter than you are. But in […]
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When we were mere teenagers, my sister Joyce and I were sitting in a theater watching a war movie. Several soldiers moved forward into a battle, while others stayed behind in a trench, listening and watching. There was an explosion, a lot of smoke. One of those in the trench observed sadly, “Somebody got it,” […]
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In the early 1970s, before the civil war, our little publishing office was in West Beirut, sort of between Musaitbeh and the Basta. In the corner of the building we had a small book store, a very quiet bookstore, because we had not been there long and the area had very little foot traffic. […]
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A few weeks ago I posted a blog that I called “Peacemaking for Amateurs.” I called it that simply because my love and desire for peace are not matched by my knowledge of how to make it happen. In that post, though, I named three causes of war, three of which I was sure: Oppression, […]
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What a breath of fresh air in the news from Lebanon! The Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut, Elias Audi, has declared that there is no such thing as holy war, and his stand represents other leaders of his church. The Archbishop’s statement, on October 19, was intended to distance the Lebanese Orthodox Church from the […]
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Last week representatives of the religions of the world met together in Salt Lake City. To me this event seemed significant and exciting, especially because it was only the sixth like it in the history of the world and was happening at a time when conflict in the Middle East seemed to be fueled by […]
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Fareed Zakaria said on CNN on October 18 that decades from now we will be glad that Barack Obama refrained from a more active role in Syria. Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post on Oct 5 wrote that Obama is right to be cautious about choosing friends in Syria and right to pursue a […]
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The Beirut Daily Star, which a couple of months ago expressed dismay that the U.S. had not appointed a successor for the outgoing ambassador, David Hale, reported relevant good news on October 8. Since I also was disturbed by the apparent apathy toward Lebanon at this highly critical period of time, I must report the […]
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