thinking of lebanon

i cannot believe the mayflower hotel, the hamra district in beirut, the corniche, should all be raized to the ground. i lived there, had a beer there, walked there only weeks ago. and was annoyed about the traffic. i am cynical or just old enough to know that asking *why?* is not going to help. but neither is ignorance of what's happening. and not for the first time!

mazen kerbaj, lebanese artist, thanks the israelis in his blog for bringing back childhood memories. i follow his cartoons daily. i also try not to forget the real beirut, full of art, history, cafes, and happy small talk. everyone, have a look at the time out beirut magazine.