Very few groups are actually getting funding from nations.

Holy Jihad?
Tin foil hat anyone?

Thats cool....take your next ship to Yemen :wave:

I still have a job offer to skipper a race boat in the UAE.
Talk about $$$$$$

They have some money :love:

Little way back..... stock market returns countrywise: US like 4. something....Egypt 137 % something....crazy money.

I`ll go.... can cook :spam:

Pretty much the details are:
room and board: paid
expenses: paid
skipper/take care of a 40 foot race boat
hang out in UAE
occasionally skipper one of the charter boats they have

tough job. :hihi:

PRESS RELEASE
please circulate widely

Lebanese NGOs and citizens gather under the threat of the Israeli bombs to say stop the bloodshed now

Beirut, July 20, 2006 – This morning more than 300 Lebanese civil society and citizens organized a rally in downtown Beirut to strongly demand an immediate ceasefire. This rally took place while Israel continues its collective punishment of the Lebanese people by bombing civilians and infrastructure (1), and holding the whole country under siege.

The rally started in front of the UN building in downtown Beirut, and ended at the European Union (EU) house on Port Avenue. During which, various signs where held up that condemned the Israeli attacks and the US support for such atrocities. Some of these signs read “4 Million Lebanese Hostages”, “End the Siege Now“, and “300 civilians dead “. The group of civil society organizations, which organized the rally and call themselves “For Life”, submitted a memo to the UN secretary General and the EU in which they demanded for ceasefire in sympathy with the innocent civilians and what is left of lives in the country.

Gilbert Doumit, a “For Life” spokesperson declared, “by killing civilians, Israel is violating international regulations and the UN Human Rights Declaration with its attack.” Up till now more than 300 civilians have been killed, 1000 injured, and half a million have been forced to leave their homes and are living in tragic conditions.

Wael Hmaidan, another “For Life” spokesperson said, “We are not taking a political stand. We are acting purely on humanitarian basis, and what is happening is a crime against humanity.”

As of nine days ago, Lebanon has been held under siege by Israel, who have blocked all movements by land, air and sea, threatening to strangulate the whole country. “Things are going from bad to worse, and the world is hardly aware of the extent of the atrocities that are being committed against the Lebanese people.” Hmaidan added, “Attacks should stop now.”

For more information: Gilbert Doumit (+961-3-227673) and
Wael Hmaidan (+961-3-506313), email: whmaidan@care2.com

Notes to editor:
(1)The systematic destruction of the Lebanese infrastructure and economy has included our airport, all major bridges, roads and highways, water tanks, fuel and gas depots, wheat and grain silos, food storage facilities, ports, communication posts, electrical power plants, civil service centers, and army posts and barracks (despite the fact that the Lebanese army has not been engaged in this conflict).

from http://beirutupdate.blogspot.com

Wednesday, July 19, 2006
today i cried a lot
Evacuation is not the solution. Just stop the bombing and then no one has to go.

I would say that the biggest issues on my mind today is what is going to happen to Beirut after all the foreigners are shipped out? On tv and online, I'm seeing thousands of people fleeing the country. Where are you all going?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I can finally say that I had a total breakdown today. It really hit me hard. I was crying all day... And I'm not ashamed to share this with you.

I have been helping foreigners leave. Two already gone. One tomorrow. And one that keeps postponing her departure... She doesn't want to leave. Her parents have pleaded for her to leave, but she loves Beirut as much as I do...

What happens when they are gone?

When the US and Europe evacuate all their citizens will they then give Israel another "green light week" or even month of bombing. Will they then finally go for the all out Beirut attack?

Beirut is nothing without her foreigners. Please don't leave.

So, I cried and cried... Because I felt an incredible wave of fear and sadness take over my mind. I have not been sleeping. Combine fear and lack of sleep and you get one big breakdown.

Church bells are ringing now telling me it's 3am. In about an hour I will hear the mosques singing to me. Only in Beirut. I love Beirut.

I got a lot of emails today from people in England. They said it was really really hot. My husband said that if this war doesn't kill us, global warming will. Hehe.. I did manage to laugh today.

Spent the whole day working to bring international media to our peaceful demonstration tomorrow. I hope they show up and I hope it remains peaceful. It is so important that the world sees what is really going on. I can not thank you all enough for the media contacts you have been sending my way. It is proving to be a small miracle. Thank you. Thank you so much.

I feel like I'm in a WWII movie right now. there is a loud propeller sounding plane flying around. It is so loud. What is it doing? I wonder if this noise is similar to what the Jews were hearing back then.. How frightened they must have felt. Hearing these loud sounds, and not knowing if this was going to be their last breath. ... So, what I don't understand is why they are doing it to us now? My Israeli neighbors... Violence can only bring violence... Please ask your government to stop. How can a people who have already had this, do it to someone else?

Though this Israeli aggression right now is of the most brutal kind, I think that it is so important that we retain our dignity tomorrow at the demonstration. The last thing the world should see is Arabs burning flags.

My eyes are stinging and the computer screen is blurry.... If only I could sleep.. I would sleep...

I also cried so much today when I found the catalog of the art exhibit I curated that took place last month. Last month lies in a different universe now. The show targeted young Lebanese women artists. it was all about providing a platform for a new generation of artists... What is to become of them now? Some of their work is still in the gallery..

I called so many different friends today, crying to them over the phone.. Apologizing for crying so much... But I guess I had to let it out. Just wanted to speak with people incase this was the last day I could actually do so. Phone lines in the south have been cut, people are stranded.. No way to hear from them. No way to know if they are alive. No way to get to them.

One friend was trying to instruct me on how to find a shelter near my house since we don't have one in our house. I almost threw up. I don't want to have to go around my neighborhood asking people if they have a shelter. Apparently you then get your own blankets, candles, mosquito coils, etc and store them there... For when it happens. I almost threw up from fear. Then I called my other friend and he told me he was sitting in his room listening to Enya. He is stuck in the suburbs/mountains. Yesterday the Israelis blew up a huge gas reserve near his house. Glad to see they are hitting Hizuballah so well. In areas they don't exist. And my friend, so close to the burning site, has only the option to sit back and drown out the sounds of taunting flames with elevator music.

..wow, just realized I have no idea what day it is today. Did the gas blow up yesterday or was it the day before?

What does it matter... Everything is blowing up.

My friend told me about a bartender today who has not been able to speak with his family since this whole thing started. They were in the south. He has no idea if they are alive. His parents have a house in Dahiye (Beirut suburb where they bombed)... He made a run over today to see if he could grab his passport. It is such a huge risk to go anywhere near Dahiye! When he got to his home he realized that he would never be able to see his passport again, his building no longer existed. This bartender is stuck in Beirut for eternity.

What is this madness... Tell me why I shouldn't cry.

And I watch the people leave.

Lebanese and foreigners..

All going...

What is going to happen when they all leave?

What is going to happen to Beirut?

What is going to happen to me?

I am now going to stuff some cotton in my ears and try and get some sleep. Big day tomorrow, wish us luck.

...and I have still not learnt to hate.

With love,
Zena
Beirut, 4:13 am

But it's not any different than a passionate Trotskyite, and look where it got them!

The point being, radical Islam is nearly powerless unless it can feed from the non-radicalized world.

The forces that push resources and new souls to the dark side have little to do with Islam and everything to do with socioeconomic and political forces.

Certainly for some there is a pull from Islam, but it's weak on it's own...compbined with the push...now we have a problem :sick:

Just remember that 9/11 wasn't about gays getting married or Americans drinking too much lite beer. It was...in the attackers own words...a response to (perceived) oppression of Muslims by Western or Western influenced regimes in Palestine, Chechnya, Saudia Arabia, Uzbeckistan etc...

Bin Laden has been led to believe that a social system built on Sharia Law is what the Muslim world needs to regain it's former glory...it's more of a social movement than a religious one...just like those Trotskyites!

People get all caught up in the fanatic rhetoric, but Bin Laden does have a very good point. As far as Muslims are concerned...the current system is very corrupt and self serving.

That is the root of the problem, not the radicalisim itsself.

-spence

you missed the religious fervor which is all many Muslims have :huh:



and teachings from as soon as possible based on the holy jihad.

Tin foil hat = deadly directive = countless deaths attributed to terrorist acts world wide

Without religious ferver what kind of position would the poor be in? It's a two way street...

Also, Islam hasn't always been this intolerant of challenging opinions. The pendulum can certainly swing the other way...

Start empowering women business people in Islamic societies and lookout :humpty:

Well, is the motivation for the teaching of hate (and there's a lot of it) driven by a sense of religious duty, or by a sense of authoritarian control?

We've all heard the stories of the anti-semetic and anti-western rhetoric in Saudi Arabian textbooks. Is this to inspire Jihad, or to direct the attention of the flocks away from their own corrupt rulers?

I've read that far more Muslims have died due to terrorisim in the past 30 years than have non-Muslims. This would indicate that the struggle against the infidel is only a part of the problem.

-spence

We are chipping in and sending you to Iraq to fix their problems with your ideas :cheers:

from another forum im on.

Subject: Quick hello
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 06:57:30 -0400

Hello all,

Sorry for the mass mail, but just wanted to send a quick note to let everybody know that we are quite safe and there is absolutely nothing to worry about with regards to our safety here in Lebanon. The wedding is still going on as planned on Wednesday, but unfortunately the recent craziness will keep everybody else from my side from being able to make it.

Please know that we are VERY far from all the excitement, and there is
no reason to fear for our safety. We are a bit cooped up in the house, so my bigest fear is that all the good food and wine is gooing to make fitting into my suit a bit of a challenge.

Take care and my love to all!

Despite everything, there is some good in the world that can still happen.

Does anybody recall Hezbollah giving Israel 24 hours notice to evacuate the Busses before they bombed them?............NO? Guess thats what makes Hezbollah Terrorists.

Does anyone remember the CIA/FBI warning the gubbermint about impending terrorist attacks before 9/11?? :rolleyes:

And how exactly do you move an entire city in 24 hours? Oh right, you don't.

The old aversion tactic of answering a question with a question. Next I'll expect "I know you are but what am I".

So you do remember the Terrorists giving Israel 24 hours notice to evacuate the innocent civilians from Busses before they strapped a bomb belt on some mindless zombie to blow it up?

Still waiting for Likwid to comment or post a picture of one of the dead Israeli children that Hezballah has slaghtered over the years. :huh: Or does he just not care about those people?

You seem to be obsessed with images of dead children.
I can post plenty from BOTH sides if you so wish but I find that tasteless and your statement pathetic.

I never claimed to care about any side, I just share the information Fox isn't feeding you.

So according to your thought process its ok for the Israelis to blow up Beirut the way they are.

That mentality will kill off the human race.

obsessed? I've never even brought up the subject before. :huh:

This is really a silly statement. Israel has killed far more Palestenian children than vice versa...but do the children really care?

-spence

2nd post asking me to post pictures of dead israeli children.

Those damn Jews :doh:

Ideas don't seem to be the problem...the issue is, are the people willing to make the sacrifices necessary to change?

-spence

you keep count? Dude get a life. And quit showing sympathy for terroists.

Why do you hate the Lebanese so much?
Why do you hate the Palestinians so much?
What did they do to you?

Is the voice from the box so loud that you believe everything you're told and fed?

Are any of you zionist jews? Because thats the only logical explanation for so much hate for the middle east and/or muslims.
Do you just enjoy people being blown up?
Do you enjoy watching bombs fall on people who never asked to be dragged into this?

Governments get to do what they want, and never pay the price.
Its the rest of us that do.

Dude, your a %$%$%$%$ing idiot! I dont hate the Lebanese or the Palestinians. What i hate are the damn terroists groups that they support. You know, Hamas and hezballah, and Radical Islam!! the groups you love so much. Why you such a Jew hater? And why do you hate Israel for trying wipe out a terroists group?!?!

I freely admit that at times I do hate Jews...then again, I married one :hee:

For the record, I don't hate her right now...but the weekend is young :zup:

-spence

You should calm down and stop assuming they all support those groups.
And really, what DO you do when nobody else helps you? Just curl up and die? There really aren't many better choices than the political wings of those two groups at this time in the world over there.

You're foolish and quick to jump to conclusions, just stop posting on a thread on a subject you're apparently a neophyte on.

6 Hezbollah have died so far.
220 civilians.

Who are they attacking again?

Did you know that the state of Israel is apartheid?
Probably not. Thats why the Palestinians don't just bow over and let Israel run everything, because they'll be displaced even more than they have.

And now Skip, I want you to stop and read this.
The girl in Beirut just posted.

Friday, July 21, 2006
i just got back from dropping off my last "foreign refugee". it was a very very sad experience. we were both crying so hard. she didn't want to leave. i didn't want to let go of her hand.

the security at the bus which was to transport her on to the ship gave her a hard time because her handbag was too big. she yelled at him and said this was her home and that she was going to take her bag. that she didn't want to leave. i pulled her aside and helped her re-pack some stuff from one bag to another. she was only allowed to take a small carry on and a purse. while re-packing, i noticed that the reason her handbag was so big was because she was taking one of my paintings with her. we both cracked up when she said little did she know how much emotional value this painting would have when she bought it last month!

i cried all the way home. and even more upon entering my apartment to be greeted by her dog. i lifted her up, looked into her beautiful black eyes and promised her i was going to be a good mommy. this black pug is now asleep next to me, curled up next to a pink feather boa her real mommy left behind. i miss you already, Christine.

earlier this morning, my husband and i went down to the beirut public beach. the rumor was true. there is an oil spill. the black crude oil has blanketed our beach, covering rocks and smothering all sea life. there were dead fish on the beach who had been suffocated by this black plague. we were trying to figure out where the oil is from. was it done on purpose by the Israelis? was it from all the ships that are here carrying people away? most probably it is from all the fuel tank reserves along the beach town of Jiye that were hit a few days ago. this black death swam up 40 kilometers to rest its weary bones on our one and only public beach. so we took pics and now he's writing up a press release. mankind is so arrogant. in our wars and selfishness, we always disregard the one thing that cares about us the most; Mother Earth.

i still can not believe all this. it was only 2 weeks ago that i was in Sour (Tyr) enjoying a cold Almaza (local beer), watching jelly fish wash up on the public beach down there. i was there with Amanda, who is now safely out of the country. i was showing her how close by Israel was... little did we know. it was a good day. we drank beer, ate a whole plate of greasy french fries and laughed a lot.

today Sour is one fire. today Sour is hell on earth. there are still so many people trapped in the city. no way to leave or enter. to way to call loved ones. people in the southern region received calls from a pre-recorded tapping from Israel demanding that they leave the south . but, when they did try and leave, an F 16 flew over and blew up a convoy of cars. 20 civilians killed in one blow; mostly women and children. because they were doing what the Israeli army said they should do.

tomorrow. tomorrow another demonstration. it is for women. we are going to sit peacefully in front of the UN building. we will wear white. we will call for a cease fire. we will demand that they stop killing our children.

i wonder what the plan is? it seems that there is some kind of plan that has been agreed on by so many powerful nations of the world.. otherwise how do you explain how the international community is ignoring this crisis. meanwhile, the people of Lebanon are doing their best to stick this thing out together.... so many people are volunteering to help with the relief shelters for the refugees, so many are helping the red cross, so many are working with children in the shelters to keep them happy, so many people donating money. beautiful beirut and her beautiful people... i love you.

i just want to be able to sleep again.

I must admit, i do enjoy a nice bunker buster raining down on members of Hezballah. A dead terroist puts a smile on my face :humpty:

Stop.
Shut up.
And read above.

Why are they blowing up fuel depots? Where are these bunker targets apparently you have found they're targeting? Please share with us where they're actually having an impact on Hezbollah?

Why do the civilians have to pay?
They're not bombing just Hezbollah, they're bombing EVERYTHING.
These aren't misses, this isn't bad information, this is an all out attack.

We didn't do this to Afghanistan.
We certainly didn't do this in Iraq.
Why is Israel doing this to Lebanon?
And why are we letting them get away with it?

:confused:


You were doing ok till this part about WE :smash:

So in Afghanistan and Iraq we only killed terrorists or military ?

You really don`t know? :smash:

Oh i'm sorry likwid, we all know those freakin jews are just on a rampage to kill every woman and child they can find. It has nothing to do with the fact that Hezbalah is slaughering the jews. Nah thats not it, Those blood thirsty Jews are just in the mood for some murder and destruction. Yeah thats it :rollem:

Nonesense...we've created plenty of civilian and infrastructure carnage in both nations...

Granted, sometimes civilian deaths are an unfortunate byproduct of war...which is why war should only be executed for the right reasons...which so often just isn't the case.

-spence

Dude, you're out of control.

This thread is now closed.