Education is a self-organizing system, any society can lift itself back up!

Sugata Mitra demonstrates that children can self-learn. This means that without capital for expensive schools, just by placing public computers in developing areas, every corner of this world can get back on its feet and re-invent itself! Why wait any longer, imagine the effect of free public computers all over rural areas in Lebanon (not just self-absorbed Beirut).

Carne Ross: a freelance diplomat!

Carne Ross, freelance diplomat, advises small countries who normally get stampeded by large ones. Imagine if he knew of the Lebanese Patriotic Party, the movement who denounced religious segregation as bigotry, and fell beneath the international radar because it upholds that Lebanese are too sophisticated, too intelligent for civil wars or an old ruling majority that thrives on outdated sectarian divides.

a comment on The Agenda's episode on terrorism

I love the Agenda on TVO, it always teaches me something new. On the blog Re: The Agenda's episode, "A path to homegrown terrorism", I posted this comment:

As a Lebanese, Arabic on days when Arabic regimes are respecting Lebanon, I'm trying to understand terrorism and noticed inaccuracies in western media in the process. Arabs include several religions, subcultures. Acknowledging only the majority culture, Muslims, is a sign of colonial thinking. Western colonizers used to think, a 100 years ago, that anyone form outside their world is second class citizen. They sought out uniformity in their culture and thought Christianity was exclusive to them, and to their converts in colonies. Even today, some westerners think we're pandering to the them when we tell them we're Arabic Christians!! Centuries ago a regime from the south of the Arabic peninsula had these same colonial beliefs: if you weren't one of them, it was a serious flaw. They too had technological superiority, but also a knack for assimilating surrounding peaceful cultures. Luckily that assimilation was incomplete, and that's why some diversity survived in the Arabic world. Colonizers from the east and west don't differ from each other, but together they differ from small peaceful cultures. My point is that it's not Islam or an Arabic identity that generates terrorism, but the residuals of having been a colonial power in the past. Maybe some individuals inherited an aggressive sense of entitlement from a past colonial power from the south of the Arabic peninsula. Picture a dangerous nostalgia in other nations, 3 centuries from now: a faction of American extremists would resent the world because the USA is no longer a superpower. Would Christianity have anything to do with it if these are Christians? Saudi Arabia is accused by some Lebanese even today, of reviving Saudi colonial times through their control of a Banana Republic in Lebanon, a corrupt and destructive banana republic also supported by the US. Colonial minds think alike? and is it colonial thinking, and not religion that breeds a violent sense of entitlement.

disarming all Lebanese militias, or just those that oppose becoming a saudi colony

General Michel Aoun is reported in this Terranet article to have said that disarming means disarming all illegally armed groups in lebanon, however the current majority turns a blind eye to pro-Saudi groups. Those who oppose the nationalistic movement have one thing in common, they'd rather be anybody's colony than have the courage to be Lebanese.

Bigots' comments on the issue of exploring oil off of the Lebanese shore

Lebanon is auctioning off is off shore gas and oil exploration. So, would you believe that in comment on that, we hear pro-Israel blogger using sectarian slurs against the Lebanese? Check the comments on the site, including one about how bigotry against Lebanese people distracts from the issue. The issue for us Lebanese is: how environmentally responsible will the exploration operation be, and will it deprive us from accessing our Lebanese shores.

how much did you say the Lebanese per capita debt was?

oh, so, it wasn't "prosperity" under the late Hariri regime, was it? And prosperity is rated by economic statistics, not how dressed all the party-goers in Lebanon are, right?
At least this seems to be clear when reporters in the Daily Star write:

The ratification of the oil law would allow Beirut to grant firms the right to drill for oil fields in Lebanese waters, which could help the government reduce the country’s $52 billion debt, which marks one of the world’s highest debt-to-GDP rates at 147 percent.

When we fail, it's the exception. When others fail it's the rule

GMA: "Any failure on our part is an exception, while for others failure is a rule"
After the arrest of Farez Karam, FPM member for spying.
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&379E81AEAEC12D3EC225777B00540787

What effect does such a rumor have on Lebanon? Or more exactly what effect does fear mongering have on Lebanon? Well consider this, in Iran and Saudi Arabia, a woman is terrified to be seen with an unrelated man because of the rumors that will spread. In Lebanon, we are amused if anyone even mentions a fear of rumors. I don't think that fear mongering works on us in politics either. Assuming Karam is accused of spying, this cannot be manipulated into a rumor about the entire FPM, not in Lebanon.