Sarmad & Linda

My Father! The Father and Son

2008-02-18T14:28:00.020+02:00

As proud as Solhi was proud of us, nothing compared to how proud he was of his own father.

Hamed, and in the middle with Solhi, Cynthia, Widad, and me hiding behind Hamed

Solhi was very proud of his father, and he revered him. Hamed travelled a lot, all over the world, but whenever he came to visit us in Syria it was always a ritual. Most often it would be by car coming from Beirut, and Solhi would be at the border, with us in tow, meeting him.

Hamed in Lebanon

Hamed in the early 50's developing the farmlands

Hamed was a devout religious person, a trait that Solhi and Hamed didn’t share, but in deference to Hamed’s feelings, whenever he got word that Hamed was coming, Solhi would make me memorise a verse from the Koran. And when Hamed arrived at our house, before he would sit down, Solhi would ask me to recite the verse I’d memorised in front of Hamed. Those moments were special to Hamed.

Hamed on the farmlands

Hamed had a special place in his heart for me, and like Solhi, I called him Baba. I always looked forward to his visits, mostly for selfish reasons, for whenever he visited I always ended up with 100 Iraqi Dinars in my pocket when he left, that was a lot of money in those days. But Solhi, always thrifty, and always conscious to teach us the value of money, would take it from me and put it in his ancient safe for me.

Hamed in Alexandria dropping Solhi off at VC

Hamed died in Baghdad on 8th August 1966. Solhi was 32 years old, I was 10. Solhi was again to be devastated. He was in Damascus at the time. There was no fuss, no sign that there was anything wrong. All I remember was walking into the living room and seeing Solhi sitting in his chair staring blankly into space. When he saw me walking into the room he looked at me and told me that Baba had died, and then broke down crying. All I could do was go to him and hug him. I remember him holding on to me for what seemed like an eternity. That hug will remain in my memory forever.

Solhi at around the age Hamed died

To my childlike eyes, Solhi’s relationship with his father was a complex one. I later learned that Hamed did not initially approve of Solhi marrying Cynthia, he did not see that there was a future in a multicultural relationship. Solhi’s uncle Shaker, who was Iraqi Foreign Minister in the mid 1950’s, introduced a law forbidding Iraqis from marrying a foreigner, and that was a cause of a family dispute that lasted over a year.

Solhi with his uncle Shaker

Whether by design or by default Solhi still was a rebel. However, eventually both sides relented and reconciliation took place. Both Solhi and Cynthia proved that their relationship was solid and extremely strong, time was the ultimate proof. Their marriage lasted 52 years, until Solhi died.

Solhi and Cynthia at various stages in their lives

When Hamed died Solhi inherited a huge legacy. Hamed was the Chief of the Dulaim Tribe, one of the largest in Iraq, and when he died, this position was assumed to automatically pass on to Solhi. The Tribe’s elders approached Solhi to pay their respects and to hail him as their new Chief, but Solhi declined to accept this position. He didn’t feel that he was sufficiently suited to take on this responsibility, besides he had his own priorities. Music was more important than status to him.

Solhi, seated 2nd from left, sampling food the tribal way with body guards looking on

With Hamed’s death Solhi also found himself unexpectedly burdened with huge death duties that would take him 10 years to pay off. He also inherited large farmlands that he didn’t know what to do with. Over the years he had many offers to sell the lands but he always rejected them in respect of the memory of his father who worked hard to build and develop them. And Solhi was never materialistically minded, wealth meant nothing to him.

Solhi and his inheritance

He did however realize that he would have to travel more often to make sure that his father’s legacy was not abused, and not wanting to disturb my education he made a momentous decision to send me to boarding school. This proved to be a turning point in our family’s life.

Me at around the age that Hamed died

Having himself gone to boarding school at Victoria College he knew what effects boarding schools have on young children. I was 11 at the time, the same age he was when he was sent to VC. His dilemma at the time was where to place me. VC was out of the question since it was nationalised by Gamal Abdul Nasser following the Suez Crisis in 1956, and its status and standards had declined. The matter was settled by an old friend of his, Kamal Haffar, who boarded at Brummana High School in Lebanon, and whose sons Rifaat and Omar were boarding there at the time. And this is how it came that I was sent to BHS, considered then to be one of the best schools in the Middle East.

Brummana High School (Pictures courtesy of Francis Hudson Nehme)

So in October 1967 I was taken to Brummana and dropped off at BHS. My mother promised that she would come visit me the following weekend, and on that Saturday I waited, and waited, but she never showed up. I felt completely alone for the first time in my life. I would later learn that she, being British and requiring a visa, was unable to get one in time.

Me in Beirut at 11 being dropped off at BHS for the first time

In my early days at BHS Solhi would come to pick me up to take me home for the Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays, he would also take me back when the holidays ended. Early on I would look forward to the journey back to Damascus, but as time passed I became more excited about returning to BHS than leaving it. This must have been a cause of irritation to Solhi, but he never showed it.

Solhi in a moment of relaxation

One time on the way back to Brummana we arrived at the border and Solhi asked me for my passport. My heart sank as I suddenly realised that in my excitement I’d forgotten to pick my passport up. Solhi looked at me, with his famous frown, and after what seemed like an eternity he reached into his pocket and produced my passport. He didn’t need to say much after that. I learnt my lesson, and I’ve become meticulously careful ever since.

Solhi, Cynthia, Diala and Hamsa circa 1977

In those younger years I didn’t realise the sacrifice my parents were making by sending me away to school. I missed them badly but considered it a part of life. The signs were there though.

Solhi in Iraq

One day in heavy rain, I was still in primary school, a friend and I, (and to this day I remember who that friend was,) were kicking a football around in a sheltered area and I noticed a man out in the pouring rain, wearing a long raincoat, standing, soaking wet, and freezing cold, waving in our direction. For a long time I didn’t give him a second thought, but every time I looked in his direction he would wave. As I looked over to this man, once, and then twice, I started to think he looks very much like Solhi. I wasn’t expecting him. Eventually I walked over to have a closer look, and sure enough, it was him! Once I realised it was him I couldn’t get to him fast enough, I ran to him and jumped into his arms and hugged him as hard as I could. He had driven over 4 hours in horrendous weather just to see me for an hour, and then drove back home.

In Baghdad

Some 25 years later, during a visit to the UK, Solhi, out of the blue turned to me and asked me a question that he said he had always wanted to ask me: did he make a mistake by sending me to BHS? The question came as a surprise since I never, ever, imagined he had any self doubt about any decision he made. The relief on his face was palpable when I told him that my 8 years at BHS were the best years of my life.

My Father! The Father

2008-02-07T17:45:00.007+02:00

I was born at St. Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington in London on 17th may 1956. Solhi and my mother Cynthia were still students at the Royal Academy of Music. I was 16 days late coming to life, and while Cynthia was giving birth to me at 8 am in the morning Solhi was on the Albert Bridge off the Chelsea Embankment staring at the Thames. Fathers were not allowed into the delivery room in those days, but even if they were, Solhi would probably still have been on that bridge, contemplating the Thames.

Solhi with me in London shortly after I was born

Solhi was 22 years old when I was born. In later years my mother would say that he was too young then to become a father, but he was much older than that age. By then he already had a vision and a future planned. He knew he had many obstacles to overcome, and he was ready for them. Now he had a massive incentive.

Damascus 1956

My coming would change his life. My coming into his life had a profound effect on him. From as far back as I can remember into my childhood I remember being flooded with love and affection. 6 months after I was born my father took me and my mother to Damascus. I was the first born to any of Hamed’s children, and that was a great source of pride to Solhi.

Damascus 1956

Baghdad 1957

On 4th of December 1957 my sister Hamsa was born in Baghdad, and I had a sibling. It was a happy time. This event added to Solhi’s joy, life couldn’t be better. A son and a daughter whom he hoped would have the same love for music that he did.

Left, Hamsa in Baghdad. Right, Hamsa and I in London

Over the next few years we travelled a lot; between London, Damascus and Baghdad. In those days travel was a long drawn out affair. Many times we travelled between Damascus and Baghdad by car, a 16 hour journey, much of it on dirt roads. Flights also lasted much longer than they do now, and Hamsa and I must have been a burden, but we remember little of it.

Left and middle, Cynthia and I in London and Solhi's philosophical script on the back of the picture on the left. Right, crossing a stream in Syria

From as early I can remember Solhi insisted that I call him Solhi. He wanted me to be as one with him. Hamsa and Diala, who was born on 20th July 1962, followed on from that lead. Hierarchy and tradition had no place in his life.

Left, Hamsa and I in London. Middle, Hamsa and I in Damascus, Hamsa had Mumps and Mum wanted me to be infected at the same time, feeding us from the same spoon, but I never did get infected. Right, Hamsa and I in the countryside in Syria

Left, Hamsa kissing Diala. Right, Hamsa, Diala and I.

From a very early age he started indoctrinating us to enjoy music. I was about 5 years old when I had my first lesson playing the violin. It didn’t take long for Solhi to accept that the violin was not the instrument for me, so my mother took over the mantle and I started piano lessons. My mother was always much more patient, and so the efforts to get me to show some form of stubbornly latent talent took longer, but the end result was the same. It must have come as disappointment to Solhi that I didn’t show any signs of child prodigality but he never showed it. In the meantime Hamsa, in stark contradiction to me, showed early signs of brilliant talent.

Hamsa on the violin and piano.

Like me, Hamsa did not escape the trials to find musical talent. She went through the violin trial period with no success, but when she was put in front of a piano, a miracle happened. She took to the piano like a duck takes to water. And to Solhi’s delight, a child of his showed serious musical talent.

Hamsa grew to become an accomplished concert pianist and teacher

Solhi was an exceptionally serious person. He admired Beethoven and Wagner, and marvelled at their moody genius. He deliberated over the talents of Mozart and Schubert and wondered at their potential output if they’d survived beyond their early 30’s. He studied with fascination the bold music of Mahler and Shostakovich. He drew much of his inspiration from their lives.

Solhi in contemplative mood in Syria on the left and in Iraq on the right.

But Solhi was not exclusively dedicated to music, and our childhood was not all about music. One of his fascinating qualities was that as serious as he was he was also frivolously mischievous. He was an accomplished practical joker; exceptionally witty, and uniquely funny.

Solhi in some of his frivolous moments

Solhi loved nature, and never wasted an opportunity to take us out of the city into the countryside, whether it was for picnics, or to visit Roman amphitheatre at Busra and the ruins at Palmyra, or to swim in the sea, or to wade in rivers.

In Syria, in a river top left, Zabadani top middle, Busra top right, near Tartous bottom left, Ghouta bottom middle, and Busra bottom right

Palmyra with the Abouds. Nadra, Solhi and Cynthia with Diala on the left. Hamsa, Hind, myself, Ibrahim and Diala in the front.

Palmyra again, Solhi on the left, Cynthia in the middle, and Solhi with Abdul Kader Arnaut on the right.

Solhi with Hamsa on the left on the farm in Baghdad

Solhi in Syria. Sameem Al Sharif can be seen in the picture on the left.

Solhi also loved animals. From as early as I remember into our childhood we were surrounded by cats, dogs, birds, fish. Solhi could not walk past a wounded or hungry animal without picking it up and bringing it home. Some of those animals are still alive today! Solhi loved Salukis. He considered them regal dogs. But Solhi’s pride and joy was a Russian Borzoi named Boris.

Solhi with Boris the Russian Borzoi

When I grew older he would take me on hunting trips with his friends. Those were magical times. Waking up well before dawn and travelling long distances, and then walking miles on hunting trips were always occasions I relished. They were adventures every young man dreams of, you could never predict what would happen. I remember one time, in miserable weather conditions, we strayed by mistake into Lebanon and ended up in a village somewhere near Mount Hermon. The only way we could tell we were in Lebanon was when we saw shops selling Coca Cola and good quality shotgun cartridges. These things were not available in Syria then. We didn’t pass any border point, and we didn’t even have our passports with us. We must have followed a smuggling route and inadvertently ended up in Lebanon. We returned the same way, and I had an amazing story to tell my friends. In those days going to Lebanon was an exotic occasion, and doing it without passports and without being detected made it even more exotic. In later years I would end up going to high school there, legitimately. And many years later I would even settle there, also legitimately.

Solhi with various hunting partners and friends, among them Salim Aboud and Michel Kilo, and myself

Solhi was a stern father. Partly due to his own spoiled childhood, and partly due to his strong personality, he raised us with an iron fist, literally. None of us escaped his famous “knuckle knock” when we’d done something he did not approve of. That would be a hard knock on the forehead with the 2nd joint of his third finger. Painful and effective. Just as painful and probably more effective was the just-as-famous raised-eyebrow frown.

Receiving a dressing down in Busra

But Solhi was also very proud of us, and always strove to pass on his knowledge to us. On many occasions he would sit Hamsa and me down and, with volume blaring, play records of famous compositions, and tell us the stories behind the compositions and the composers. He would bring out the score sheets and teach us to follow the score. Then there would be the spot checks: “What instrument is this?”, “What key is this?”, “What speed is this?” and so on. This type of quizzing was not limited to music, he instilled in us many of life’s values this way.

My father!

2007-11-27T15:09:00.001+02:00

This is the first of a series of posts I will be posting over the next few weeks as a tribute to my father:

My father died on 30^th September 2007. He eventually succumbed to the brain haemorrhage that felled him on the podium while conducting the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra on 27^th April 2002.

That stroke should have killed him then and there, but such as he was, he defied all odds and lived 5 years, 5 months and 3 days longer than he should have. To Syria he was a “National Treasure”, but to me he was my father, and my friend.

Solhi Al-Wadi was born in Baghdad on 12^th February 1934 into Iraqi aristocracy. His father, Hamed Al-Wadi, was the leader of the Dulaim Tribe, and was Chamberlain to the Royal Court (Al Diwan Al Malaki) of King Abdullah I, then King of Transjordan. His uncle Shaker Al-Wadi held positions of Minister of Defence of Iraq and Minister of Foreign Affairs at various times. At the time Solhi was born Shaker was Iraqi Ambassador to Iran. Solhi was the only boy in the Al-Wadi family and was spoiled rotten. His uncle Shaker took him everywhere he travelled. The picture below was taken in Tehran.

1st Picture: Solhi with Shaker.

2nd picture: from L to R: Hamed, Sarmad, Solhi, Cynthia, and Widad (Hamed's 2nd wife)

Hamed Al-Wadi came to prominence during the Arab uprising against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. He fought the Turks alongside King Faisal I and Al Sharif Shaker Bin Zeid at the time when T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) had promised the Arabs self rule. They were later betrayed by the Sykes-Picot agreement which divided up the Middle East as mandates between the British and the French.

The Three Kings - Seated from L to R: King Ali, King Abdullah I, King Faisal I. Behind King Abdullah in black suit, Hamed.

Al Sharif Shaker Bin Zeid on the extreme left, Hamed on the extreme right. In the middle in the black suit Hamed's brother Shaker Al-Wadi

Hamed's children grew up with Al Sharif Shaker’s children. Solhi and Shaker’s son Prince Zeid Bin Shaker, who was born in the same year as Solhi, grew up as brothers. They were inseparable. They went to school together, then to London together where Zeid Bin Shaker went to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Zeid and Solhi remained best friends until Zeid’s sudden death in September 2002. By then Solhi was incapacitated, and he was never told of Zeid’s demise.

Solhi with his childhood and school friends: Zeid Bin Shaker in military uniform in the 1st picture. Ghazi Shaker in all 3 pictures.

Hamed was away from home for much of the time, and Haddia, Solhi’s mother, for various reasons, preferred to live in Damascus rather than Baghdad, so soon after Solhi was born, the family relocated to Damascus.

Solhi with his mother Haddia Burjaq Al-Wadi

Solhi was a rebellious child. He was the only boy amongst 3 sisters, and his mother doted on him. In an effort to get him under control he was sent to boarding school at Beirut College for Women which took boys Solhi's age, but he promptly ran away to the Iraqi Embassy and demanded transport back home, which he got. Solhi was then enrolled at the prestigious Victoria College in Alexandria in Egypt which was further away. He was dropped off there by his parents where he protested further by purloining his parents’ passports and hiding them in the lavatory cistern in his hotel room. It took them a long time to get him to confess. He was only 11!

Solhi at 11 in Alexandria when first dropped off at VC

At VC he joined his best friend Zeid and was class mates with the likes of King Hussein of Jordan, Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Hisham Nazer, Adnan Khashouggi, Ghazi Shaker and many of the Arab aristocracy of that generation. Despite that, he remained a rebel; smacking the future king of Jordan in the face when he inadvertently broke one of his precious old 78 rpm speed classical recordings, and repeatedly attempting to run away from the regimental system that was in place by the British administration at VC. One time he made his own way to Cairo on a train trying to con his way back home.

1st picture - L to R: Ghazi Shaker. Solhi, Zeid Bin Shaker. 2nd picture: Solhi with Hisham Nazer. 3rd picture: Solhi and Zeid with others.

During his time at VC he developed his love for music, and to silence those detractors who considered him less than manly because of his love for music he played his way to become captain of the VC senior football team. By all accounts he had a lethal left foot!

Solhi with the various trophies won in football. In the 1st and 3rd picture Solhi is to the left of the man in the suit. In the middle picture Solhi is between the 2 men in suits.

In the summers Solhi used to return to Damascus and he soon mixed with the fledgling classical music enthusiasts and other members of a revolutionary movement with a love for the fine arts, people like Sadek Faroun and Rafah Qasawat. Sameem Al-Sharif, who was a childhood friend of Solhi’s, and who later married his sister Huda, was instrumental in getting this group together. Sadek and Rafah played the violin while Solhi played the viola and conducted. They persevered and eventually, with 3 instruments, played the Introduction to Boildieu’s “Calif of Bagdad” and the 2^nd movement of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony at the Ommayad Hotel in front of an astonished public. In the late 1940’s this quartet started the serious classical music movement in Syria.

Clockwise: Irfan Hadaya, Mohamed Al-Amir, Sameem Al-Sharif, Solhi, Albert Fitz

Solhi’s mother died in 1953 when he was just 19 years old, and he was devastated. He absolutely idolized his mother, and often during his illness he would call out for her.

Solhi and his mother in a frame made specially to commemorate Solhi's birth

Shortly after that his father sent him to London. Solhi was sent to London to study agriculture with the view that he would eventually return to Iraq to manage the farmlands his father had developed and nurtured. But Solhi had other ideas and greater ambitions. Unbeknown to his father Solhi enrolled to study at the Royal Academy of Music. He had a love for conducting; he also loved the sound of the viola. So he studied both as well as composition. And when his father found out that he is not studying agriculture and threatened to stop his allowance, he started studying agriculture as well.

It was during this time that Solhi met my mother Cynthia, a Welsh born young lady from English parentage, who had earned a scholarship to study the piano at the Royal Academy of Music.

She would observe this handsome foreigner in a long coat and a hat with a viola under his arm walking into the Academy and wonder about him. Eventually she would join him in the cafeteria where he would sit with friends and talk enthusiastically about music and composers they’d never heard of before; Prokofiev, Shostokovich, Mahler, Bruckner, Nielson, Sibelius and others.

Solhi and Cynthia in London in the mid 50's

In 1960 Solhi returned to Damascus and started work on establishing classical music as part of the music and fine arts scene in Syria. In 1962 he founded the Music Conservatory in Damascus, which later became the Arab Institute of Music, and he was appointed its Dean.

Some of the early students at the Conservatory

Solhi struggled hard in the early years of the formation and evolution of the Music Conservatory. He constantly came up against doubters, traditionalists and suspicious individuals who did not believe there was a place for classical music in Syria. However, a new class of classical music enthusiasts was simultaneously being born, and with it a new generation of performers and artists.

Students undertaking their exams

Solhi observing the exams

Solhi brought into the Conservatory foreign specialists; piano teachers, violin teachers, cello teachers, music theory teachers, etc. mostly from the former Soviet Union. By the late 1960’s many of the Conservatory students were being dispatched to the Soviet Union, to further their studies, on government sponsored grants. He hoped that these students would return and take up teaching positions at the Conservatory while its student base grew and the Conservatory grew with it. Solhi would be repeatedly driven to despair when many of the students returned from abroad and joined local popular Arabic music bands, mostly because they were paid more money.

Students and teachers

Solhi fought hard for his students and always stood up for them. He was also very firm with them. He stood no nonsense and would not tolerate behaviour less than that befitting their status as talented serious musicians. He was very quick to recognize a musical talent in students and was passionate in encouraging and nurturing it, yet he would have no qualms in punishing any student if he felt that they were wasting their talent. His uncompromising attitude soon earned his students’ respect, and this most often led to unbreakable friendship.

Solhi with some of his students

Solhi had a revolutionary approach with his students. He treated them as friends and they would often come over to our house where we would sit together and listen to music and discuss in great detail various composers and compositions. We often went on trips to the country together.

Solhi with more of his students

Over the years enough students achieved sufficient competency levels for Solhi to start thinking about forming a symphony orchestra. After many years in the planning the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra was founded by Solhi in 1993, and he was its resident and principle conductor. This orchestra started performing in Syria, and soon started receiving invitations to perform in countries abroad. Over the next few years it would perform in Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey, Spain, Germany the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Solhi also received invitations to conduct other national orchestras in various countries.

An orchestra evolving

His work was also being recognized at the highest level of Syrian government officialdom. The late President Hafez Al-Assad supported the development of the Music Conservatory from its early inception, and personally followed its progress.

Students and teachers with President Hafez Al Assad

In 1995 President Assad honoured Solhi with Syria’s highest civilian award, the Order of Merit in its highest classification.

Dr. Najah Al-Attar, Vice President of the Syrian Arab Republic, then Minister of Culture, after bestowing the Order of Merit Medal upon Solhi

In the years to come demand for higher education in music grew and the High Institute of Music and Drama was established in a modern new complex. Solhi was appointed its Dean. This complex also included the new state-of-the-art Dar Al Assad Opera House. Solhi supervised its construction and looked forward to performing the Opera Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell at its opening, however, his illness prevented him from doing so.

The High Institute of Music and Drama

Solhi's office

The entrance to Dar Al Assad (Opera House)

In 1999 the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan in Armenia awarded Solhi an Honorary Doctorate, and in 2000 the Russian Academy of Arts and Sciences granted him an Honorary Doctorate.

Solhi receiving an Honarary Doctorate from the Russian Embassador

Solhi organized many of his concerts in churches around the world, and in particular in Damascus. He had a particular love for chorale music, and requiems. This led to him being recognized and honoured by leaders of the various churches in Syria.

Metrapolitan Georgous Archbishop of Homs presenting Solhi with a shield

Solhi conducting a Chorale in the presence of Isodore Battikha Archbishop of Damascus

In May 2001 Pope John Paul II visited Syria as part of his Millennium tour, and on 5^th May Solhi conducted the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra in the Mass at the Abassid Stadium in Damascus where it was attended by thousands of worshipers. I was fortunate enough to be present for that occasion. In recognition of his services to music in Syria Pope John Paul II honoured Solhi with the Medal of St. Peter and St. Paul during this visit.

Papal Mass in Damascus, May 5th, 2001

The medal of St. Peter and St. Paul

The last of Solhi's concerts that I attended was in April 2001 in Beirut where Solhi conducted the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra at St. Joseph's Church in Monot. Also present at this concert was Prof. Ahmed El-Saedi, then Director and principle conductor of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra. Solhi, Dr Gholmieh and Prof. El-Saedi were in the process of planning a joint venture with the three orchestras, however, Solhi's illness put an end to this project.

Solhi and Walid Gholmieh

Solhi conducting the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra

The Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit

2007-07-27T21:22:00.000+03:00

Fulfilling my promise to Debi, Rima, Frances and others to post some pictures of the Prickly Pear Cactus fruit. In the Middle East this is a delicacy, normally found being sold on streets by vendors. They ripen and are commonly sold on the streets around July/August. Street vendors have them displayed on large metal trays on blocks of ice, stools are placed around the trays, and people normally sit and watch the vendors as they peal the prickly skin expertly and offer them to eat. Delicious!

As you can see, nowadays they are more hygienically packaged and sold in supermarkets! I’m not sure that I don’t prefer the old fashioned way.

The scientific name for this species of cactus is Opuntia Lasiacanta. Here’s an interesting website on the subject: http://electrocomm.tripod.com/nopal.html.

My apologies for the quality of the pictures, they were taken today with my cell phone camera.

The fruits before peeling

After peeling

Kina's Graduation Celebration BBQ

2007-07-18T13:43:00.000+03:00

A gathering of family and friends to congratulate Kina on her graduation the night before:

Kina's Graduation Day on 07-07-07

2007-07-09T20:18:00.000+03:00

It seemed that every prospective bride, groom, and their dog apparently arranged their wedding on 07-07-07, and preferably at 7 pm, taking advantage of a phenomena that occurs once in a lifetime which everyone hopes will provide them with good luck for the rest of their lives.

The graduating class of 2007 were no exception.

Linda was emotional all day long, anything said or heard seemed to reduce her to tears, so I put on some CD’s and enjoyed watching her burst into tears whenever a song she liked, or reminded her of something, came on.

The day started off beautifully, sunshine, very few clouds, and a nice refreshing breeze. Even the ball cactus that flowers rarely, and its flower lasts for only one day, managed to grace us with a flower on that morning. All the omens looked well.

Even Sir Timothy (Timmy to the rest of us) sensed that this is a special day.

Randa, as usual, was her very helpful self, volunteering to apply Kina’s makeup

And the day starts.

Linda and Kina. Alia, Hisham and Kina in the middle picture. Kina and Nado.

The graduating students, friends, gather around savouring this special occasion. Such wonderful memories in the making.

The anxious mother waiting for Naimy, Lori, Nancy and Mike.

Family and friends start arriving and taking their places. Saad Square also savouring the occasion and directing parents to their places and telling them to be quiet.

The dignitaries start arriving. On the left H.E. The British Ambassador Frances Guy arriving and being escorted by an awestruck Saad Square.

More dignitaries arriving. In the middle picture Naimy, Linda, Nancy and Lori.

On the left MP Ghassan Mukheiber. In the middle the procession starts with the British Embassador accompanied by the School Principal Dr. Walid Khoury and BHS Chairman of the Board Miguel Abboud, and followed by the graduating class of 2007, Kina amongst them.

No Speech Day is complete without speeches. On the left speaking in Arabic, Valedictorian for the Lebanese Programme, in the middle speaking in English, Valedictorian for the International Programme, and on the right Miguel Abboud, Chairman of the Board.

Then the distribution of the Certificates. In the middle Dany Matar receiving the Albert Abu-Khalil Award for sports excellence from Mrs. Amal Kamel.

In the middle Kina receives an award commemorating 15 years attendance to Brummana High School. On the right Kina's friend Joelle receiving a similar award.

Then the Graduation Address, delivered by H.E. Ms. Frances Guy.

And in the middle Karina receives her High School Certificate, with Honours. She then sits back down, all smiles!

Finally the official ceremony is over and everyone can relax.

Kina comes through the crowd, still all smiles. Now the posing starts. In the pictures Lori, Nancy, Kina, Michael, Naimy, Linda and myself.

The proud mother with the proud daughter and proud me. On the right Kina poses with Miguel, Linda and myself.

Then Kina poses with friends.

The ceremony ends with a buffet for all present. However, even though the ceremony is over, the partying is just starting.

Rare Pictures from Lebanon

2007-06-03T13:20:00.001+03:00

Early last month I received an email from Karen Channel which included some old, rare and beautiful pictures from around Lebanon. I immediately thought I should share these with the readers of this blog, but since they were embedded directly to the email. I couldn't figure out a way to copy them individually into a jpeg format suitable for posting to the blog. I finally figured out that I could do this using MS OneNote.

While concentrating on this task I didn't notice that they all had an inscription of "habeeb.com" on the pictures, so worrying about copyright I visited habeeb.com (http://www.habeeb.com/) last night to see if I can get permission to post the pictures, particularly since I had spent so much time formatting and uploading the pictures and then forming and arranging a draft for the entry to the blog.

First of all I discovered a new world in habeeb.com. This is a site well worth visiting. There are all sorts of goodies there, from ordering "baklawa" (the traditional Lebanese sweet delicacy) online, to various pictures of Lebanon, historical facts and maps. There was no "contact us" facility, so I used the "Testimonials" page to leave a message asking for permission to use the pictures Karen had sent me.

Then I saved the post for the future thinking that, like so many times in this kind of situation, I wouldn't get a response and I'll post the entry at a later date. However, to my amazement, this morning I got this email:

"Hello Sarmad: Thank you for visiting. Please feel free to post our photos on your blog and give credit to habeeb.com.

I enjoyed looking and browsing your BHS photos from the 70s. It is a small world indeed. My aunts lived in Broummana and were teachers at BHS in the 70's. Your group may know them. I think at least two of them taught at BHS:

Soaud Kanaan (mother of Namir & Roula & Joumana Kanaan)
Melvina Lahad
Nouhad Abou Joudeh

Best wishes
Habeeb"

Small world indeed... I couldn't believe it!

I don't recognize any of the names mentioned, but if any of you reading this do recognize them I'd like to know please.

And finally, thank you Habeeb for your permission, for your speedy response, and for your kind comments.

For the rest of you, enjoy some spectacular pictures:

a house in Beirut 1892, University of St. Joseph in Beirut 1892

Bikfaya 1894, Dleptah 1894, Ghazir 1893

Qannoubine 1898

Harajel 1894, Hasroun 1898, Jbeil (Byblos) 1893

Tripoli 1896

Batroun 1893, Nabi Younis 1898, Nahr Al Kalb 1894

Qozhaya 1896

Ras Baalbek 1895, Saida 1898

Yammouni 1891

Zahle 1891 and 1896

Sour 1898

Sad Tale of an Injured Beamer

2007-05-29T13:26:00.000+03:00

At around 10:45 in the evening of Sunday 27th May Linda left home to pick Kina up from her friend Alia’s house in Mrah Ghanem. Just as she got by Issam Faris’ house in Mar Shaya going downhill round a right-hand bend she was met head on by a Suzuki driving up, overtaking a bus on the bend. With no room to manoeuvre, and no time to react, the two cars met in a head-to-head collision.

Luckily Linda was driving at a normal pace going downhill round bends. She suffered a slightly bruised leg which she banged against the steering wheel, slight whiplash when she hit the back of her head against the headrest, and sore arms as she held hard to the steering wheel at the moment of impact. The other guy, who was a young youth, injured his leg.

The car was badly damaged, but repairable.

Anyone wondering where the pictures were taken, that's in Roumieh.

The location where the accident took place!

BHS Memories from the 70s - Part 2

2007-05-21T17:37:00.000+03:00

Here's another series of pictures from Frances Hudson.

L to R: Simon Green, Leila Obeid (nee Sawaya), Yahia Hamididdine, 2 unknows under the bell.

Lots of people in the picture on the left and middle. Do you recognize anyone? Picture in the right Helen Drake and Issam Al-Shami.

Don't recognize the little boy on the left. Principal Barty Knight in the middle. Picture on the right clockwise: Nawal Ammar, Zahra Mattar, Kathleen Mackenzie and Julie Drake, this time with eyes open!

On the left Mr. John Banks class again. Anyone recognize the people to the right of Sami Mina?

On the right Mr. Salam Saidi, Rizkallah Housemaster and Maths teacher, (and a well respected one at that)

Anyone recognize anyone above? In the picture on the right, the blond girl 3rd from the end in the front row is Samantha Pilling. The blond boy at the end of the 2nd row is Lawrence Little.

Apparantly in Frances' days one of the cooks wife used to bake mar2ou2 bread on saj. I don't remember this in my days a few years later.

Various pictures of campus during the early seventies:

The swimming competition again. I still don't have any information about the occasion.

I think I see Faris Azzawi in the picture on the right. Can anyone confirm this?

In the 5-picture series below, the first production of The Gondoliers. You will see the following people:

In the first picture on the left - Front: Mounir Rizkalllah, Maha Sawaya (maybe), Joanna Perry, John Kirkbright, unknown, Grace (or Mary) Khater, Rima Baz, Nayla Abu Fadel (maybe.)

Back row: Unknown, Sami Saad, unknown, Sandie Lea (behind the unknown dancer), Safwan Afifi (in the red jacket).

In the middle picture, Susan Sandy. Issam Al Askari adjusting his bandana.

Picture on the right: Barty Knight and Pat Hudson. Not sure who the lady sitting down is.

In the picture on the left: Susan Hall, Barty Knight, Pat Hudson, and Nabil Ghandour in the back.

In the picture on the right: Barty Knight, Roland Hall, Pat Hudson and Susan Hall.

In the 6-picture series below, the 2nd production of The Gondoliers:

In those pictures I see the following (amongst others whose names escape me. Please let me know if you recognize any of the ones I haven't mentioned):

Sinan Urfali, Raya Al Shawi, Mrs. Angela Coleridge, Sarmad Al-Wadi, Thamer Arab, Rima Dabit (God rest her soul), Hiam Nasser, Safwan Afifi, Abdul Karim Al-Shami, Sammy Nagem, Maha Massis, Habiba Noman, Tina Balit, Sofia or Naseem Quraishi, Leila Tamimi, Erica Knight, Randa Siksek, Hussein Goma'a, Mr. Souren Tapolian, Sima Abboushi, Tewfik Al-Far, Randa Sawan, Imad Al-Naqib.

On the piano some of you who were involved in the opears will remember Mrs. Gosling.

In the picture in the middle you'll recognize Mado Janjanian. Omran Mostafa in the background and Mrs. Audrey Knight conducting. In the picture on the right: Richard Hudson, Cookie (I think) and Mrs. Pat Hudson

Anyone recognize the players on the basketball court and the football pitch?

Below are scenes from some of the Adventure Club outings.

Don't recognize the two walking. Those seated I can only recognize Richard Hudson.

Saad Saad, Sheila Booth and Clare Taylor

In the picture on the left above it looks like a group of adventurers either preparing to leave or returning from an expedition. On the right Sarmad and Hayan and others practicing a rescue mission.

In the pictures above I recognize Naysan Hakimi, Andrew Webster, Mazen (don't remember his last name), Hayan Al Shawi.

The pictures above are spectacular. Many of you who went on those Adventure Club expeditions or joined the Duke of Edinburgh Programs will remember the campfires, the cliff face climbs, the river crossing on ropes, the treks, the river scrambling, the thrills, the activities, the experience and the breathtaking scenery. I'm certain all who joined in those activities will be forever grateful to Peter and Angela Coleridge for giving for us these remarkable memories.

BHS Memories from the 70s

2007-05-19T14:11:00.000+03:00

Who'd have thought 30 - 40 years ago that your picture would be plastered over something called the Internet in something called a Blog where everyone and anyone anywhere in the world will be able to see it?

Here are some gems that have been sent to us at BHS70s by Frances Hudson. For those of you who don't know Frances, she was in class of '72: idolised by many, revered by most, lots of boys had a crush on her, and many remember her as the pretty girl who wore short skirts!!!

(Click on the pics to enlarge.)

In the picture on the left: Mr. Bruce Howell, Sheila Booth and John Kirkbright.

Middle picture: Mr. Robert Hudson, Mr. Saad Saad, (affectionately known as Saad Square), the school nurse Mary Jordan, and Sheila Booth.

Picture on the left: Toby Jordan with Sarah (Cookie) Hudson.

L to R: Cookie Hudson receiving a certificate from Clare Taylor. Next picture Cookie receiving another certificate from Mrs. Audrey Knight, and picture on the right Nahia Abu Khalil receiving a certificate from Mrs. Pat Hudson. Mr. Emile Sawaya in there too.

I know Frances is in the picture to the left, boy is Tony Guild, the other girl is Myrna or Mona something.

In the picture to the right L to R: Safwan Afifi fiddling with the tree, Raymond Aboud doing some carpentry, guy with the glasses Richard Hudson, guy next to him wearing the stupid hat yours truly, and guy with the hammer Tewfik Al far.

Frances titles this series Azza Shiblaq and friends.

Mr. Barty Knight, school Principal (1968-1975) in the picture on the left. Centre picture clockwise from the left: Kathleen Mackenzie, Zahra Mattar, Nawal Ammar and Julie Drake. Picture in the right Kathleen Mackenzie and Salwa Ammar posing as the studious type!

I have no idea which classes these are. Frances tells me that in the picture on the right Cookie is in there, and she sees a Kanaan, a Kousa, an Aswad, a Sawaya, Farida and she thinks Nancy Nagem is in there somewhere (although her mother and sisters say nay!). The picture in the left features Miss Batrouny. Anyone know anyone in any of these pictures?

On the left with the snorkel Toby Jordan. Anyone know the rest of these guys?

From L to R: Malek Mrowa, Leila Obeid (nee Sawaya) and the unknown German boy

In the picture on the left Frances Hudson and Susan Hall. Frances Hudson playing tennis in the other pictures.

Remember the "fistok Sudani" and how delicious it smelled? Standing in the queue Richard Hudson (at the back) wearing black jumper, next to him Stuart Auckland in the sky blue jumper. I think I see the back of Salem Sousou in the blue jumper, and the guy in the biege jumber is Amir Krayem I think.

Mr. John Banks teaching Physics. In the pictures: Far bench Zahra Mattar on the far right, Abdul Rahman (can't remember his last name), Steven Swinson, Bassam Borno and Samir Dabit. Front bench: Sami Mina and Khalid Hussaini. Thanks Samir for remembering Bassam Borno!

Here are some pictures of the campus as most of us from the 70s remember it. Recognise anyone? Let me know. The guy wearing the bell is me. Frances thinks she sees Bilgassem Soussi and Khalid or Walid Juffali on one of the balconies in one of the Main Teaching Block pictures.

Above in the pool Cookie Hudson on the back of Frances Hudson. Below are pictures of a swimming competition somewhere away from BHS. Anyone remember this occasion and who were the swimmers?

The pictures below are mostly of the fun we had rehearsing and performing Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Those who were involved might remember how much fun those were. We owe a lot to Mr. & Mrs. Barty and Audrey Knight.

There are so many others whose names escape me. Any help from you would be very much appreciated.

In the picture on the left: Susan Webster, Frances Hudson, Nayla Abu Fadel and Henri Chahihian.

In the middle picture: Erica Knight, Frances Hudson and I think Raja Garghour.

in the picture on the right I recognize Rifat Haffar and Mr. Tapolian, do you recognize anyone else?

In the picture on the left I recognize Glory Taweel. Frances Hudson on the left.

In the middle picture: Frances Hudson and Celia Knight. I think I also see Aby Kamal.

In the picture on the right I see three bums!!! Anyone recognize their behinds?!!

On the left: Barty Knight and Rifat Haffar. In the middle: Frances and Thamer. On the right: Me, Frances and Rifat.

Some of those in the pictures below are: Mr. Barty Knight, Thamer Arab, Rifat Haffar, Frances Hudson, Doris Siksek, Randa Siksek, Zora Uzunovska, Mrs. Angela Coleridge, Mr. Peter Coleridge, Mrs. Clare Taylor, Mirna Mathia, Medhat Iskandar, Raymond Aboud, Mr. Sami Saad, Tewfic Al Far, Naji Raad, Kamal (Daniel) Louca, Raya Al Shawi, Randa Sawan, Andoni Hanania, Emily Salama, Susan Webster and her mum Shirley.

Some others I'm not sure of, like Naseem or Sofia Quraishi.

Would very much appreciate help identifying the others.

Icon Frances Hudson in 1969.

The Beauty of Nature

2007-05-14T22:32:00.000+03:00

Nature has ways of showing you it's beauty in many ways, but sometimes if you blink an eye you'll miss the best nature has to offer.

This ball cactus is an example.

This is how it looked on 8th May.

This is how it looked on the 9th May.

By 10th May the flower had wilted and died.

When I saw it on 9th May it was top heavy and leaned over. One of these cactii had flowered last year and the same thing happened then, the flower died overnight. So this year I thought I'd cheat nature by plucking the flower off and putting it in a glass, but that didn't work, the flower still died the following day.

However, as opposed to last year, this year these cactii have lots of buds on them, so I'm looking forward to a display that is likely to be astonishing. The only problem is that I have to monitor them on a daily basis. Miss a day and I'm likely to miss the show!!!

Driving through Brummana

2007-05-08T13:14:00.000+03:00

On Sunday Linda drove me through Brummana with my head stuck through the sun roof to take a video of the drive. This was in response to many people's request following an earlier posting of a similar drive which was done at night. (See the post by Debi in the bhs70s blog).

My apologies for the hazy distant shots, Lebanon is still suffering from the dust and sand blown over from Egypt and the Sahara Desert.

Your comments are welcome.

Trip to the South

2007-04-29T12:13:00.000+03:00

On Thursday 26th April I had an opportunity to travel to the south of Lebanon with Nassib Solh, the managing Director of Al Amal Institute for the Disabled. I wanted to learn more about their activities for the festival that they have been holding every year for the past 5 years. I also wanted to take the opportunity to tour the area and see the damage the Israelis wreaked on that part of the country at first hand, even though it has been approximately 8 months since the end of the war.

Travelling with us were Marie-Claude Fleyfel, a French/Canadian peace activist, and her husband Mohamed, my mother-in-law Naimy, and Adnan, one of the persons with special needs resident at Al Amal.

We started off from Brummana at around 11:00, headed to Beirut where we dropped off some produce packages that Al Amal give to donors through a telemarketing company in Beirut, then we headed south.

(Click on the pictures to enlarge)

The journey took us through Saida, on the highway that is still littered with detours where bridges where bombed. Some bridges have been repaired, such as the Khalde and Damour bridges, however some of the major bridges are still undergoing reconstruction.

At Zahrani we got off the coastal highway heading towards Nabatiye. Zahrani is where a power station, a refinery and the highway bridge, all within viewing distance from each other, were bombed.

Just after Nabatiye we forked off into a minor road heading towards Arnoun. Nabatiye suffered some major damage during last July’s war with many houses and businesses destroyed.

Arnoun sits at the foothills of Beaufort Castle, about 1 km east of the Litani river on the other side of the ridge where the castle stands, and about 3 km north of the Litani where the river makes a 90° turn East heading towards the Mediterranean. We now entered the area that had been under Israeli occupation from 1982 to 2000.

Arnoun

Beaufort Castle, a fort built during the Crusades, occupied by the Israelis 1982 - 2000 where they built a bunker right next to the castle exposing it to attack by the resistance. The bunkers are still there.

Arnoun is also the location where Al Amal hold their annual festival in July and August. They erect tents, have camp fire songs, folklore dances, and other activities. They are visited by local scouts, army officials, artists, mayors, union officials etc. The serious side of this festival though is the harvesting of wheat and tobacco, and cracking of wheat into “burghol”. I’ll be writing in more detail about this in the “Sweater and Wheat” blog for Al Amal.

The land where the festival is held. The posts outline the large tent that is erected during the festival.

During the festival the organizers and participants stay in the school at Arnoun. This school had some superficial damage and its windows shattered during the war. It was refurbished with a donation from the UAE.

The school at Arnoun. The posters warn of the dangers of cluster bombs.

One of the teachers there lives in Yuhmur, 3 km south of Arnoun, not far north of the Litani river. He took us on a tour of that village.

The Israelis destroyed 60% of the houses and businesses in Yuhmur during the war. On the eastern side of Yuhmur lie 3 hills. During the war the Israelis repeatedly tried to occupy those three hills. They were driven back each time. They eventually managed to occupy one of the hills, but came under constant resistance fire from the Yuhmur area leading to the Israeli air force repeatedly raiding and bombing Yuhmur causing terrible damage and destruction.

Foundations where houses once stood

The entrance remains but the house is gone.

Reconstruction ongoing

On our way out from Yuhmur we came across a convoy from the Mine Advisory Group (MAG). We stopped to have a chat with their commander. MAG is a humanitarian volunteer Non Government Organization (NGO) specializing in clearing up the remnants of conflict, mostly in poor, third world countries. The unit we spoke to were all Lebanese. Their commander informed us that they have completed phase one of the operation to clear some of the millions of cluster bombs that were dropped by Israel in the south in the last couple of days of the war. Phase 1 is clearing the bombs from people’s backyards and along the sides of roads. Phase 2 is locating and clearing the mines in fields, farms and remote areas.

The MAG vehicles and how areas are marked in preparation to remove cluster bombs.

From Yuhmur we then drove further south towards Kfar Kila and “Bawabet Fatmeh”, (Fatmeh’s Gate). This is right on the Lebanese/Israeli border, across the hill from the Israeli settlement town of Mtalleh, or Matulla as the Israelis call it. We drove on the road parallel to the electrified fence marking the border. I was in this area back in 2000 just 4 months after the liberation of the south, and at that time there was an actual gate there, and Israeli fortified positions across the fence that kids from the Lebanese side were throwing stones at. The road that runs along the fence for a couple of kilometers was busy with people and stalls. Now the gate is gone, or at least I didn’t see it there any more, the fortifications seemed abandoned, the road was empty the stalls are gone, the place was eerily quiet.

Kfar Kila in 2000, just after the liberation of the South. The area was bustling and children were throwing stones at Israeli fortifications. The middle picture shows a mock Katyusha launcher and the sign says "If you came back we'll return", an obvious warning to Israel!

The Israel settlement of Mtalle in 2000

2007 - The Lebanese/Israeli border now lined with multiple fencing, some of them electrified. And the Israeli settlement of Mtalle, apparantly still evacuated.

From Kfar Kila we then drove through Al Marj, where the Israelis lost 6 tanks and 2 bulldozers in the muddy waters that cover this area, towards Al Khiyam.

The road across Al Marj. The water bogs can be seen where some Israeli tanks met their fate. The roads runs just a few meters from the Israeli border and the Israeli settlement of Mtalle.

Al Khiyam is a large village about 5 km from the Israeli border. It sits at an altitude of 750m. It is where the notorious Al Khiyam prison is located.

Al Khiyam

The prison is located just outside of the town on a strategic hill. On a clear day you can see Mount Hermon (Jabal Al Sheikh), Chebaa Farms, and the Golan Heights from there. You can also see far into Israel. On the day we travelled to the south the weather was very hazy. It’s the season of the “Khamseeniat”, (the fifties in Arabic). This is the time of year when sand storms in the Sahara and Egypt kick up enough sand and dust sending them all the way across the Lavent.

The murky weather prevented us enjoying a magical view

During the occupation this prison was used by the Israelis and the South Lebanese Army allied to Israel at the time to torture resistance suspects and collaborators and agents. Many people died there from the torture. When the Israelis hurriedly withdrew from the south they did this overnight, abandoning the prison and their allies the SLA, under cover of darkness. They wanted to demolish the prison, but because the prisoners where still there they were unable to. Last summer’s war gave them the opportunity to do so, and through repeated air raids and bombing they finally managed to level the prison in an effort to remove a shameful stain on the history of their occupation of the south.

Al Khiyam prison back in September 2000 just after liberation

The names of those who died in the prison through torture and those who died following release after the Israelis departed

The names of those carrying out the torturing and the towns from where they came from.

Al Khiyam prison in April 2007 after the Israeli aggretion on Lebanon

During the bombing of the prison the Israelis also destroyed 360 houses in Al Khiyam, just for the heck of it. Everywhere you go in this town there are people working on repairing their houses. Al Khiyam is one of the two villages that Qatar is donating funds to help rebuild, the other one is Bint Jbeil.

It was now getting dark and time to head back along the 100 km to Beirut. On the way back we went through Marjaayoun, driving past the infamous Army barracks where the Israelis went to take cover from the resistance fighters chasing after them, and ended up being invited to drink tea with the commanding officer.

We stopped for a bite to eat at Al Qlaiaa, another of the villages that was heavily bombed by the Israelis, and then headed back home. We arrived back in Brummana at around 10 pm.

A late lunch at Mario's restaurant in Qlaiaa

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative trip, sometimes shocking, sometimes tragic, but well worth it. Anyone wanting to see the vindictive and destructive damage the Israelis caused at first hand and hear stories of heroic resistance of the people of the south should go there. It is relatively easy to get there, have your documents with you because you will go through many checkpoints. All the checkpoints are manned by the Lebanese Army who are very courteous and helpful.

The area toured.

Spring is here!!!

2007-04-23T16:40:00.000+03:00

Lebanon is a beautiful country in so many ways. The four seasons are quite distinct in their character and their appeal. And the interaction of humans with nature is palpable, e.g. no sooner one is sick of winter, the rain and snow, the darkness and coldness of the days, the birds start to chirp more keenly, the buds on plants start growing signalling the arrival of Spring. The weather starts to get warmer, and snow on the mountains starts to melt. And then when you're sick of Summer, you start longing for Autumn then Winter, and the rain and snow.

The most beautiful aspect of Spring however is the sprouting of flowers and new leaves on awakening plants. Here’s what is happening on our balcony:

The plant above is a Cactus species which I have yet to identify. I took a few small offshoots from my mothers collection when we visited Damascus last summer. It was mixed with other cacti in one pot. I repotted it in March and this is the first time it has produced flowers. The small yellow flowers have been sprouting furiously since March. The plant will eventually propogate to fill the pot. The red "pods" are actually fruits. I have yet to work up the courage to taste one! You can see Timmy the cat looking around curiously.

This is a type of "Peanut Cactus". Another from the mix I took from my mothers collection last year, also repotted in March. Still young, and too early in the Spring to produce flowers, however, if you look closely you can see small red flower buds sprouting on the top centre one. These will also eventully grow to fill the pot.

This is a species of Aloe. I took a couple of small offshoots a couple of years ago from my mothers collection and planted them in a small pot. Within a year it had propogated to fill the pot and I repotted it into this container last year. It is now a little overcowded. It flowers freely two or three times a year regardless of season and temperature. A very hardy species that doesn't mind extreme temperatures, rain, sleet, hail, or snow. It is exposed to all those elements. A beautiful species of plant that has medicinal qualities. Eastern civilizations have used the liquid from the leaves of this plant to heal wounds. It is also known to be used in anti-aging creams, soaps and shampoos.

This is an "annual" flowering plant that in theory should only last one year, but we have had it for 3 years and it still flowers prefusely with no special care and attention. I will trim it this autumn to see if it will bush out at the centre. At the moment it is a little sparse in the middle, but as can be seen, it is flourishing on the sides.

This is a species of "Ball Cactus". It is another of the ones I took from my mothers collection 2 summers ago. Last summer one of those grew an ugly stalk from its side, and I wasn't sure what would come out of it. You can just about see some stalks growing on all of them now. Last summer, one day in May, we woke up and this is what the stalk turned out to be:

I repotted them in March this year into a bigger pot, and now I'm expecting many more such flowers in May. For the observent of you, you will notice there were 6, and now they are 5. I took one back to my mother because the mother plant they came from mysteriously disappeared. She was so amazed when she saw the pictures of this flower she wanted one back.

The only sad thing about these flowers is that when they bloom they only last one day. The next day this one wilted and died!

This is a birthday present I got from Ibrahim Qamar and his wife Randa. I have no idea what it is yet, but it grows prefusely all the year round and produces small clusters of yellow flowers. It is hardy but not as hardy as the Aloe's, although it is probably an Aloe. Hail and rain will dent the delicate fleshy leaves, but there is no reason to shelter it during the winter since the rain and hail also get rid of the weak and dead leaves. It also flowers about 3 times a year.

This is a "Bunny Ear Cactus" also taken from my mothers collection in Damascus. It also propogates profusely and grows quite big. There are new shoots on it now which are growing on top of the old shoots. It is also susceptible to rain and hail, but like the plant above it, the rain and hail get rid of the old weak shoots.

This is a "Crown of Thorns" plant also taken from my mothers collection. It grows freely in a pot, or as you can see, can be trained into a crown. I used an old wire coat hanger to train it to grow in the shape of a crown. Legend has it that Jesus Christ was made to wear this plant on his head when he was crusified. The thorns on it are quite long and hard.

This plant is still quite young, it is also still a bit early in the Spring to see the light green leaves that are budding on it. The beautiful red flowers that gow on its tip before the leaves grow are quite breathtaking though.

This plant is quite spectacular. It is another species of Aloe taken as a shoot from my mothers collection 2 years ago and has grown extremely well. This is the first time it has budded, the flowers have not yet matured, but when it does it promises to be breathtaking. My mother tells me that the mother plant has never flowered, so this one seems to like it here in Lebanon.

A Humbling Experience!

2007-03-19T14:35:00.000+02:00

At the invitation of my old friend Nassib Solh, who is a BHS Old Scholar, I visited the Amal Institute for the Disabled on Friday 16th March.

Nassib welcomed me to his house, next door to the Institute and introduced me to his wife Hanan. Amazingly Hanan immediately recognized my name and spoke as if she knew me, and my family. It soon transpired that she lived in the same street I had lived in as a kid in Damascus. Hanan Bdeir was my neighbour 45 years ago. She had left Damascus in 1968 and came to Lebanon. She went to AUB where she met Nassib.

After some breakfast and coffee Nassib and I made our way to the Institute where Nassib introduced me to Reva, his trusted assistant at the Institute.

Ibrahim from Tripoli with Nassib Solh

The Institute was founded in 1959 by Nassib’s mother, Mrs. Mounira Solh, to care for Nassib’s older brother Salim who was born disabled some years earlier, and who sadly passed away in 2001. Al Amal (Arabic for hope) Institute for the Disabled was the first centre to open in Lebanon and the entire Middle East for the mentally handicapped. Currently the institute has over 60 mentally handicapped adults residing at the centre in Brummana. Mrs. Mounira Solh, who is now 95, has passed on responsibility of the Institute to Nassib who is the Director General.

Mrs. Mounira El Solh, seated, founder of Al Amal Institute for the Disabled.
Nassib is far left

Visiting the Institute is a humbling experience. On the surface of it the place looks a bit like an orphanage for the handicapped, with young and old residents, however a more detailed look reveals the intricacies and the humanity of the Institute. Every resident has a specific task, or number of tasks, depending on their level of disability, to perform, and they know their jobs well. From running machines that weave the wool into sweaters, to the pressing machine. From collecting and cutting wood for heating to tending to gardens and plants. The Institute is run by Nassib and his small team of Assistants on a volunteer basis with modest facilities and limited office equipment.

Nassib and Assistant Reva

The main program at the Institute is the “Kanzat Al Shita” or “Winter Sweater” program. This is a vocational training program for manufacturing sweaters. Other vocational training programs include culinary, laundry, gardening and home-care training. Those who are potentially educable are placed in programs suitable for their level in reading, writing, mathematics, etc.

Firas from Zahle with Mona, Director of Winter Sweater Factory

Firas with Elie from Deir Al Ahmar

Firas, Elie, and Nisreen from Syria. In the back Sylvana with Ibrahim

The UNDP conference for People with Special Needs in Arab Countries in Cairo, May 2003, released that 12% of the population of Lebanon are either mentally handicapped, mentally ill or physically disabled, and that 80% of these live in rural areas and rely on charity while they can be trained to become productive.

In 2002 the Amal Institute for the Disabled celebrated their 10th Anniversary of the “Winter Sweater” program. In that period they produced 88,763 sweaters. These were sponsored by people from all over the world and donated to needy persons at 69 Welfare Centres spread all over Lebanon.

Staff and members of the Amal Institute for the Disabled meeting the President of Lebanon in 2005.
Presenting the President with a sweater marking the 100,000 sweater produced since 1992

The Welfare Centres are responsible for 16,461 orphans, 2,749 senior citizens, 1,674 people with special needs and 150 juvenile delinquents. They also employ 2,303 persons. A total of 23,337 people in need.

When South Lebanon was liberated in 2000 land belonging to the Solh family became available to the Amal Institute. This allowed the Institute to expand their “Winter Sweater” program to become the “Sweater and Wheat” program, and to start a new welfare program in South Lebanon. The program involves a partnership between Al-Amal Institute and people with special needs in rural areas of Lebanon.

People with special needs grow on their owned agricultural plots four kinds of crops: wheat, chickpeas, wide beans (foul), and lentils. These crops are suitable to grow in arid regions as they require no special irrigation, only minimal rain water.

The Amal Institute purchase all the crops grown, using funds obtained from sponsorship. The crops are processed and packed manually on their land with the help of volunteers. They are then distributed to Welfare Centres registered in the combined “Kanza wa Sunbula” (Sweater and Wheat) program. This cares for more than 23,000 needy persons all over Lebanon.

In addition to all this, the Institute organizes a variety of physical activities to motivate the students and help them appreciate the necessity of physical exercise. Other than swimming during the summer, the students follow during the whole year a program called “awareness and acceptance” that consists of integrating people with special needs with normal high school students through sporting activities. Students at the Institute have participated in the International Special Olympics three times.

Adnan from Beirut on one of the educational trips

The Institute also organizes nature activities for those special people encouraging them to appreciate the importance of environmental issues. In 1995 they planted 3000 trees on the Kneisseh mountain. Another BHS Old Scholar, Dina Azar, who was Miss Lebanon in 1995, also participated in that event.

The Institute also organizes guided tours for the students taking them around Lebanon and the Middle East to promote awareness of geography and history of Lebanon, and the Middle East. The Institute also welcomes and provides accommodation for special needs and normal people from other countries. This allows special needs people from different countries to interact and become acquainted with each other and learn from each other.

To learn more of the Amal Institute for the Disabled, they have a very basic website, http://www.alamalfordisabled.org.lb/, which provides more information.

After 3 hours talking to Nassib and visiting the Institute I left with a sense of great admiration and pride in what those special people can achieve. Nassib asked me if I can offer my help to help promote the work of the Institute, and I readily agreed to do all that I can.

Dujana from the Bika'a and Joe from Achrafieh

Snow - Coming or Going?

2007-03-17T12:23:00.000+02:00

Last Sunday was a very warm day giving us the feeling that spring is here and the last remaining patches of snow were on their way to disappearing. So we decided to go 2000m up the mountains to Laqlouq ski resort. Even at that altitude the temperature was 20°, the snow was visibly melting, however, it was so thick that we even managed to build a snow man. Here’s the evidence:

On the way up, at around 800m

Evidence of the snow melting, at around 1500m

Linda demonstrating that there's plenty of snow left at 2000m

Although it was warm, the snow remains pretty cold

Peter and Jason had a great time

The Snowman that looks like a ghost!

And then, three days later the temperatures drop dramatically and this happens:

Storm clouds gather

A dusting of snow

The following day, a full blown snow storm hits us:

The snow is back at 1200m and above.

The View From Our Balcony Last Night

2007-03-04T14:56:00.000+02:00

It’s been a while since I last wrote in this blog. I will explain in due course, but for now I wanted to share some pictures with you that I took last night of the lunar eclipse.

The eclipse was scheduled to begin at 20:18 GMT. In Lebanon, and Brummana in particular, it started at around 11:30 pm Lebanon time. The moon was pretty high up in the sky and we were lucky to have a good view of it, although a few minutes after the total eclipse the moon disappeared over the roof of the building, this was around 01:00 am.

You will notice that some of the pictures are clearer than others. Because of the lighting level, which was, as you would suspect, low, I used a mixture of camera settings. Reverting to the manual I learned a few things I didn't know about my camera. It's sad to know that I am, even now, only using about 50% of the capabilities of the camera.

I positioned the camera outside on a small tripod, and used the maximum zoom the camera can achieve (x16). With the camera setting on aperture priority "Av" with manual aperture control I got the best results at the start of the eclipse when moonlight level was still high.

With the setting on "Auto" and with flash off I achieved the best results at the total eclipse stage featuring the spectacular reddish light effect covering the moon. From reading about total lunar eclipses apparently the redish effect is the result of sun rays filtering through the Earth's atmosphere reaching the moon.

Enjoy!

Christmas Eve.

2006-12-29T12:58:00.000+02:00

It’s the festive season. Christmas Eve started in the traditional manner with carol singing at Ibrahim and Randa’s place.

Ibrahim and Sarmad in fine voice!

Then on to Linda’s Mom’s for Christmas dinner. The food was great, fondue night as usual. The meat and the chocolate fondues were delicious, however, the cheese fondue was a flop! Linda and I blamed it on the mixture of cheeses that was recommended by our delicatessen.

Linda jumping for joy...

...as Sarmad holds his head in embarrassment!

Kina and Paul place Jesus in the manger at midnight.

Stephie and mom Nancy

Jason, Stephie and Peter get ready to open their presents.

Everyone managed to open lots of presents, specially the young ones.

No. 1 opened!

Peter overjoyed with this lot!

The older ones turn now

Paul capturing the moment

Lori and Simon finding out what they each got!

Mike receiving one of his presents

Linda's happy with what she's got!

Kina with her unexpected surprise - The calligraphy set.

The Festive Season!

2006-12-28T15:46:00.000+02:00

Isn’t it typical? For one and a half months we don’t see a drop of rain, and then … bang; a snowstorm with snow falling at 500m and above!

The first snow this winter

When the clouds lift...

...The magnificent snow-capped mountains appear

That was in the morning of the 27th. In the evening we had a BHS old scholars get-together. Joe Assad and I have been exchanging emails for nearly a year though we’d never met. He was 4 years above me at school, so I didn’t know him from then either. Being the Lebanese Consul to the Philippines he is based in Manila, but was over in Lebanon for a brief visit, and it was a chance to finally meet.

Amer and Mirna had come over from Abu Dhabi for the holidays. Ibrahim was over from Kuwait for the holidays, and Rima brought along Gaby Habib who also was over from Abu Dhabi for a couple of days. Ramez Sawabini was also over from Saudi/Bahrain, so the whole list was as follows:

Joe Assad
Ramez Sawabini
Gaby Habib
Amer and Mirna Kurdi
Ibrahim and Randa Qamar
Christine Sabieh
Rima Maatouk
Hoda Wallace
Mona Shour
Linda and I

Naji Raad and his daughter as well as Faris Araktingi and his girlfriend Michelle were supposed to join us at some stage but unfortunately could not make it.

The gang... L to R: Gaby, Rima, Amer, Mona (hidden), Christine, Randa, Ibrahim, Ramez, Hoda, Linda, Sarmad & Joe

Hoda and Ramez

Linda and Sarmad

Sarmad and Joe

L to R: Ibrahim, Rima, Linda, Ramez, Joe, Gaby (hidden), Amer, Mirna, Christine & Randa.

R to L: Randa, Christine, Mirna, Amer, Rima (partially hidden), and Gaby

Amer, Mirna and Mona

L to R: Standing: Ibrahim, Amer, Gaby, Sarmad, Ramez, Christine, Joe

Sitting: Hoda, Randa, Mirna, Mona, Linda, Rima

We had a wonderful time at Kasr Fakhrildinne restaurant in Brummana, followed by a night cap at Ibrahim and Randa’s house.

Night cap at Ibrahim and Randa's

Graceful Exit!

2006-12-13T10:11:00.000+02:00

AN OPEN LETTER FROM GOOGLE ANSWERS RESEARCHERS

When Google Answers debuted in the spring of 2002, we, the undersigned, enjoyed the unique opportunities of participating as Google Answers Researchers.

At this time, we wish to publicly express our gratitude to Google, and especially to Andrew Finks and Lexi Baugher, the visionary team behind Larry Page’s rough idea for Google Answers. Finks and Baugher created and championed not only a premium Q&A feature for Google, they unwittingly set into motion the creation of a premium Internet community.

We wish to also publicly thank our many loyal clients without whom Google Answers would not have been successful. For nearly five years, we delighted in tackling your informational challenges, many times learning from the knowledge you requested.

While we are saddened by Google’s decision to retire the Google Answers feature, we are proud to have served such an impressive company, software team, and client base, in our capacities as information specialists.

“Learning is not attained by chance,” wrote Abigail Adams, “it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.”

We agree.

Knowledge_Seeker-ga: Kimberly Gerson, Ontario, Canada

Tlspiegel-ga: Toby Lee, Phoenix AZ, US

Guillermo-ga: Guillermo Arnaudo, Patagonia, Argentina

Journalist-ga: Emily Moore, Knoxville TN, US

Rainbow-ga: Linda Al-Wadi, Lebanon

Cynthia-ga: Cynthia Lystad, Seattle WA, US

Till-ga: Tillmann Stoffel-Kueppers, Juelich, Germany

Missy-ga: Maggie Brazeau, Toledo OH, US

Hedgie-ga: Petr F., Czech Republic, EU

Crabcakes-ga: Barbara (Susie) Cannon, Glendale AZ, US

Politicalguru-ga: Tamar PG

Umiat-ga: June Dufford, Utah, US

Eiffel-ga: Roger Browne, England, UK

Mother911-ga: Ralph Peragine, Long Island NY, US

Scriptor-ga: Oliver Henkel, Germany

Pafalafa-ga: David Sarokin, Washington DC, US

Answerfinder-ga: Phil George, UK

Clouseau-ga: Bob Ulius, Palo Alto CA, US

Hummer-ga: Patricia B., Québec, Canada

Nenna-ga: Jennifer Pringle, Omaha NE, US

Angy-ga: Angela Cockburn, Sydney NSW, AU

Czh-ga: Clara Horvath, California, US

Aceresearcher-ga: Jo, US and New Zealand

Mathtalk-ga: Chip Eastham, Knoxville TN, US

Mvguy-ga: Montana, US

Byrd-ga: Chris Rogers, Austin TX, US

Sublime1-ga: John Everest, Phoenix AZ, US

Tutuzdad-ga: Mike Simmons, Arkansas, US

Keystroke-ga: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US

Larre-ga: L. Rowan

Bobbie7-ga: Bobbie

Boquinha-ga

Thx1138-ga

Easterangel-ga

Another famous win!

2006-12-07T10:09:00.000+02:00

Newcastle score first!

Into Half Time losing

Walla!!!

With 12 1st team players out injured, Newcastle win by the skin of their teeth!

Up and Running

2006-12-04T09:18:00.000+02:00

Now that Linda has gotten over the end of Google Answers, she is looking towards the future. With a view of starting her own research venture, she’s joined some of the other GA researchers in a blog called Web Owls. She’s also working on creating her own blog which will be called Rainbow Searches. Over the next few days she’ll be working on establishing some of the necessary tools she will require for that project. She’s grateful to Debi for helping her out with some of the web-based features. It also seems that my blogging experience has come in handy!

The following is her newly created profile:

Rainbow-GA - Moving on

“I was a Researcher with Google Answers from its inception in May 2002 until the service was discontinued by Google in December 2006. My researcher name is rainbow-ga, I've answered approximately 1300 questions. My ratings, customer comments and samples of my work are available for viewing here.

I have worked on a wide variety of topics, ranging from find that movie/book/song to compiling lists of companies operating in Poland that are at least 51% owned by foreign investors.

An American based in the Middle East, I have a full command of both English and Arabic, and modest knowledge of French.

I am readily available for private research projects. If you would like research to be carried out, please contact me at rainbowsearches@gmail.com or leave a message here and I will get back to you.”

So watch this space. I'll keep you updated on her news.

Google Answers Disgoogled!

2006-12-02T13:38:00.000+02:00

Cyber world is saddened to hear the news of the demise of Google Answers. From end of November no more new questions were posted, and researchers have until the end of December to answer whatever questions that are left unanswered or unexpired.

As many of you will know, Google Answers is a professional service that Google provided where people paid to have questions on any subject answered by professional researchers. There are approximately 500 Google researchers around the world. Linda is one of them, and the only one in the Middle East.

The announcement by Google to suspend this service has generated a lot of debate on the internet. You’ve only got to look at a couple of sites like Google's Blog and Digg to see how various people have reacted to the news. A petition has been initiated to be signed and sent to Google to keep this service, which is highly valued and respected, alive.

Not taking it lying down!

Some people have interpreted this action by Google to be a surrender to Yahoo, MSN or Amazon, who provide an answer service for free. Others are not interested in getting free answers. They cite professionalism at Google Answers where there are long-standing, highly experienced, answerers whom they could trust.

Many people asked questions that were important to their lives and livelihoods. People placed their confidence in a Google Researcher when asking, for example, what are the chances of a certain type of cancer recurring after 5 years of remission, or asking for academic research purposes how many companies operating in Poland that were at least 51% owned by non-Polish investors.

On the rare occasion when a researcher gave an incorrect answer, Google provided a guarantee that people got their money refunded. The guarantee backed up by Google’s name and reputation meant something.

However, this closure has raised a number of concerns. People’s confidence in Google is now shaken. The action Google took to suddenly, and without warning, close down a service has set a worrying precedent. Will Google suddenly and without warning close down Blogger or Picasa or Gmail?

Google is a multi-billion Company, how much did it really cost it to keep the Google Answers service operational. How much does it take to keep it running? How much would it have taken to promote it better? Alternatively, why didn’t Google offer this service up for sale instead of shutting it down?

This service was maintained by a small number of Editors, understood to be 4 or 5 personnel. It was almost a self-sustaining operation kept going by a group of pretty smart individuals, some of whom were experts in fields of law, medicine and other professions. Some of those researchers were incapacitated; others relied on Google Answers as their only source of income. Many, like Linda, had a lot of fun working on Google Answers. It was an addictive hobby that she loved. It was perfect for her: it was online, she worked from home whenever she wanted, and was able to make time for other things in her life.

A Google Answers Researchers Tools

Google Answers Researchers formed close friendships over the years although most of them have never met each other. For sure most of them will eventually find something else to do on the ‘net, but for now it’s sad to see this service disappear.

New Newcastle?

2006-11-27T14:08:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I witnessed a miracle in the happening. While Linda took an afternoon nap I watched as Newcastle United entertained Portsmouth at St. James’ Park and played with much passion and great determination. They won a creditable 1-0, although they could have easily scored 3 or 4 but for Portsmouth’s goalie “Calamity” James, now sporting a new hairstyle that resembles that of Superman’s. Newcastle hadn’t won a league game at home since August and haven’t won a league game, home or away, in 10 weeks.

The hallowed turf at St. James' Park, Newcastle United's home ground

They were briefly languishing in the relegation zone at one stage, however a very good draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last Saturday, and yesterdays magnificent performance, meant they have now jumped all the way up from 18th to 17th in the Premiership.

Newcastle have been very unfortunate with the number of key players that have been and are still injured. The team that played yesterday was by no means the “1st” team, and yet they came up with a stellar performance against a team which is in 4th place in the league. The performance of Dyer, Solano, Emre, Martins, Sibierski (the goal scorer), Ramage, and Taylor was very encouraging. Shay Given was hardly troubled in goal. Even the usually unreliable Bramble put in a solid performance. Three players who also played very well were added to the long injury list: Captain Scott Parker, Charles N’Zogbia and James Milner.

Contrary to their league form, Newcastle’s European form has been excellent, coming up with surprising wins against Palermo away from home, and Celta Vigo and Fenerbahce at home. Those wins mean that Newcastle are through to the knock-out stages of the EUFA Cup and top their Group with 9 points out of 9. It’s just as well that they have qualified to the next stage because they travel to Frankfurt for their next match against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday without Parker, N'Zogbia, Moore, Duff, Ameobi, Bernard, Babayaro and of course Owen. James Milner might be a possible for that game and Steven Carr could come back from injury too. Although Newcastle will be happy to have qualified they would still like to win and stay top of their group, because depending on where they end up in the group determines which opposition they face. The higher up they end up in the group the weaker the opposition (in theory) they will face in their first knock-out match.

Maybe Newcastle have turned a corner.

Bridges and BBQ

2006-11-20T22:30:00.000+02:00

The weather in Lebanon has been absolutely beautiful these last few days. The forecast is for this weather to continue at least till the end of the month. It’s unbelievable that we’re now over halfway through November and the weather is so mild.

In Brummana daytime temperatures are reaching 17º, night time temperatures not falling below 13º. On the coast they’re about 5º higher on both counts.

On Sunday Linda and I went down to Lori and Simon’s house in Fghal. This was the first time we’d gone there since the war in July. With us came Kina, Mike, Paul and Naimy. November is normally when Simon sets up his “kirke” to distil Arak. This year we had the added bonus with the weather being warm enough to have a barbeque outdoors.

Fghal is about 300m above sea level just south of Batroun. The fastest route to Fghal is along the coastal highway, this gave us a chance to survey the damage to all four bridges that were bombed by the Israelis during the summer war, and check out the progress made in rebuilding them.

The first bridge we come across is the Maamaltein bridge just north of Home City. I did not manage to take pictures of the repair work there. Only the south bound carriageway was bombed on this bridge, so heading north there’s no detour, and traffic flowed smoothly. On the southbound carriageway an asphalt bypass has been built.

The next bridge is the Casino bridge. Again, only the south bound carriageway was bombed on this bridge, however, traffic is directed both ways on the north bound carriageway and there was quite a traffic jam there.

The Casino Bridge soon after it was bombed on 4th August 2006

Casino Bridge on 19th November 2006

The next bridge is the Halat, or Fidar, bridge just before Jbeil (Byblos). This bridge was completely destroyed. However, an asphalt bypass had been laid, which goes down to the river bed and back up, making it pretty steep.

Halat or Fidar Bridge when it was bombed on 4th August 2006

Halat (Fidar) Bridge on 19th November 2006

The fourth bridge that was bombed along this highway is the Madfoun bridge. The turnoff to Fghal is just before that bridge, however, one can have a panoramic view of that bridge from the road up to Fghal.

Madfoun Bridge soon after it was bombed on 4th August 2006

Madfoun Bridge on 19th November 2006

On to the Arak, Simon managed to distill 7 gallons, which is pretty good going. Of course, sampling of last year’s vintage is also part of the tradition.

Simon's kirke for distilling Arak

Once the BBQ lit up the smell of cooking chicken and steak soon wafted into the air. One would assume that this would be the last BBQ this year, however, you never know with this unusual weather.

BBQ in November?

Brummana Pictures

2006-11-20T12:21:00.000+02:00

I know that many of you would love to see some pictures of Brummana. Therefore I will be posting, from time to time, pictures taken from in and around the Brummana area. I'll start with a small collection that I took from the Kamel's house terrace. These were taken on 30th June 2006, during the BHS summer reunion, when Mrs. Amal Kamel, and her daughters Juhaina, Samar, Nahia and Sana graciously invited our group of BHS 70's friends over for breakfast.

Pictures of the actual gathering will be posted on the BHS70s website hopefully sometime in December 2006. I'm actually working now on resizing those and uploading onto the site.

The view towards grand Hills Hotel Resort

The view towards Grand Hills Hotel Resort zoomed in

The view towards Grand Hill Hotel Resort Zoomed in further

Rizk Plaza.

This place was bombed April 2005, in the period when bombs were going off on a regular basis.

Old House... We think Marie Hanna used to live there in the 70's. Can anyone confirm this?

A Very Special Day

2006-11-17T13:42:00.000+02:00

As promised, here is a sample of pictures taken of our wedding.

Did you know that we were childhood sweethearts?

And here we are again, 30 years on!

Linda in her chosen theme colours Burgandy and Champagne

Linda and Bridemaid Kina

Kina, David and Linda

Diala, Sarmad and Randa

Khalil, Linda, Sarmad and Dahi

Best Man Toy, Kina, Linda, Sarmad & Dahi

Diala, Linda, Sarmad & Naimy

Ibrahim, Linda, Sarmad and Randa

Naimy, Linda & Nancy

Sarmad, Linda, Peter & Jason

Family picture

Family & Friends

The ceremony at the British Embassy

Exchanging vows

Then time for champagne

Simon, Nancy, Lori and Naimy

Hind and Sarmad

H.E. The British Embassador (Mr. James Watt), Lara Bou Habib, The British Consul (Mrs. Karen Kavanagh),

Sarmad and Linda

Sarmad & Linda

The wedding cake

Small preview

2006-11-17T02:37:00.000+02:00

For those who have asked to see our wedding pictures here's a preview. I'm working on resizing the pictures. Watch this space.

iPods and Podcasts

2006-11-16T10:40:00.000+02:00

The last few days have been very hectic, catching up with some work and running errands. DIY enthusiasts know that when you start repairing a nagging water leak in the house it normally leads to carrying out repairs to many other long-standing-waiting-to-be-repaired problems.

Timmy the cat is still on his discovery trails. His latest discovery is Linda’s cordless mouse. While Linda was in the kitchen cooking he managed to paw her mouse from the dining table onto the floor and at the same time somehow managed to sit on the mouse usb connector bending it beyond repair. Linda is quite fond of her mouse, which she’s had for years. Actually the mouse was rather worn and due for replacement, but Linda would have preferred this to have been done on her terms, not the cat’s. Anyway, that resulted in a trip to the computer hardware shop in Beirut. While there I picked up a webcam, which now means that I am no longer faceless to those who want to speak to me on Skype, msn, IM or any other instant messaging program.

We also went around looking for a calligraphy set for Kina, but we couldn’t find anything suitable. The ones that are available in specialist stores are specifically for Arabic scripting. The nibs for those are slanted, so are unsuitable for traditional calligraphy. We’ll have to see if Amazon.com will deliver those to Lebanon.

I’m also on my discovery trail. My latest discovery is rss feeds. Ever since I’ve noticed them on newspaper articles I’ve wondered what they were, now I know. And wow, am I amazed! Actually, over the last few days I’ve been quite busy catching up with all the feeds I’ve subscribed to. All are free, including the rss reader, or aggregator, which you will need to download and install if you want to subscribe to rss feeds. It is estimated that there are over a million publicly available rss feeds, from news articles, to technology, to business, to shopping to internet gaming etc., not to mention the private ones such as blogs and private websites. I’ve subscribed to articles from various newspapers and a number of blogs and websites. With news articles you can choose what your interests are and subscribe selectively to them. Some of you may have felt the effects of my subscriptions when you suddenly started receiving articles I’ve been sending you from Reuters, AP, CNet, Washington Post etc…

Next on my to-do list is Podcasts; and learning how to upload soundtracks to my blog.

A few of you have berated me for being stingy and not posting more pictures on my blog. So I’ll make up for this shortcoming in this and future posts. I was also slated by Hind Abboud when I spoke to her while in Damascus. She attended our wedding at the British Embassy in Beirut and the reception afterwards and was upset that she hadn’t seen the pictures yet. Out of 900+ pictures that were taken we chose 380 for printing and including in 3 wedding albums that took us 3 months to complete. The DVD wasn’t finally completed until 6 months later. I wanted to be absolutely certain that we edited our choice of music to the DVD. However, the end result is outstanding.

Solhi before his illness

Mum and Solhi sharing a joke

Young lady Maria

Halloween girl Rama

The problem with posting pictures on blogs is the amount of time that is required to resize them, unless you take them in the required size initially. I use ACDSee to resize pictures, if anyone knows of an easier way to do this could you let me know, as long as it doesn’t mean I have to learn to become proficient in such programs as Photoshop.

This reminds me, I have to resize the 2006 BHS reunion pictures too to be posted to the BHS70s website. The technique for resizing the pictures is exactly the same, although an FTP is required to handle the pictures for the website. (Listen to me talking like I’m an expert at programming and web designing, although I’m getting there.) Speaking of the BHS70s Website, Debi has posted the November update where she’s also posted the remaining galleries of the 2005 reunion.

Lori’s husband Simon is in the USA for a conference. A business trip which just happens to be in New Orleans, which is a couple of hours drive from Baton Rouge where Linda’s brothers Sammy and Danny live. So Simon was bound to meet up with them at some stage in the week he will be there. Exploiting this opportunity, Linda has ordered my Xmas present from Amazon. An 80Gb iPod. This is another toy that I have increasingly wanted to get. Everyone I speak to either has an iPod or wants one. Those who have one have said that it has changed their lives. Of course Nassif Aoun would say that, wouldn’t he. Anyway, iPods are about $150 cheaper through Amazon than they are here in Lebanon, and about $100 cheaper than you can pick them up in Dubai airport Duty Free, which don’t have the 80Gb version anyway. But iPods cannot be delivered to Lebanon, like CD’s and DVD’s can, so she ordered it to be delivered to Danny’s house. Simon has actually now picked it up. It will be here in Lebanon tomorrow night, but I won’t see it till Xmas Eve. We’ve also ordered something for Simon and Lori’s boys Peter and Jason to be brought back from the US, but since they are likely to read this I’m not telling what it is, but it will be a very nice surprise boys!!. We should have ordered a calligraphy set for Kina at the same time. Just proves you can’t always think of everything.

Linda's mother Naimy

David and Nancy

Nancy and David's son Michael

Nancy and David's son Paul and Simon and Lori's son Peter

Lori and Simon

Lori and Simon's youngest son Jason

The Three Lions played the Oranje last night in a friendly football match at the Amsterdam Arena. I would have put money on England losing, but they managed to hang on to a draw. I supported England during the World Cup, even did the traditional Lebanese thing of having an England flag fluttering from our veranda.

I have no idea why I support England, I guess it’s the fixation of siding with the underdog. After all I support Newcastle United. A stickler for punishment!!

Google Wonders!

2006-11-09T09:19:00.000+02:00

Those of you who are familiar with Google Earth and have kept abreast with updates of this exceptional program will be aware that views of Lebanon and surrounding countries are now at a much higher resolution than they were when Google Earth was first released to the unwary public.

Those of you who are not familiar with this program, or are not aware of it, are in for a very pleasant surprise when you download it. It works best with high speed DSL or Broadband internet, although it does work, albeit very slowly, on dial-up. Be prepared to spend hours cruising, at high and low altitude, all over the world and checking out places you wish you could visit.

Here’s a snapshot of the BHS campus to whet your appetite:

Some people may wonder why I have Google Answers linked to this blog. Google Answers is a service provided by Google where researchers answer questions on any topic for a fee.

There are approximately 500 researchers contracted by Google around the world, the majority of which are located in the USA. Google no longer take applications for becoming a researcher.

Linda applied to become a researcher in 2002 and was accepted. She works under the pseudonym Rainbow and she is the only Google Researcher in the Middle East. Throughout her career she has answered 1265 questions and has made numerous comments on other questions. She is rated as one of the top ten Google researchers. What’s more, she does this work as a hobby!

For those of you who are not aware, another very useful facility that Google have in their repertoire is Google Alerts. Google Alerts are email updates of latest relevant Google results, whether on the web, news, blogs, groups etc. based on your choice of query or topic.

For example, if you want to be alerted on anything that is mentioned, when it is actually mentioned, about Brummana, you create an alert for Brummana, and you’ll be notified by email of the mention, and provided with the link to the page where the mention occurs.

A tip to keep in mind: If you want to create an alert for Brummana make sure that you create a separate alert for each spelling of the word. Cover all eventualities by creating alerts for Brummana, Broumana, Broummana, etc.

Also, if you want to create an alert for an individual, make sure to insert the full name in quotations, e.g. “Average Joe Bloggs”. Otherwise you’ll get an alert every time average, Joe, or Bloggs gets mentioned on the ‘net.

Back from Damascus

2006-11-08T13:34:00.000+02:00

I just came back from a visit to Damascus. My sister Hamsa had also come over for a visit from Finland. I hadn’t been to see my family since the war in Lebanon ended, so it was great to see them again. Linda wasn’t able to accompany me this time.

In the picture. Front: Mum, Solhi, Diala. Back: Me, Maria (Diala's eldest daughter), Hamsa, Rama (Diala's youngest daughter).

I'm getting the hang of blogging, although I still have a lot to learn. We’re delighted with the response to the first posting, thank you all for the encouragement. In due course I will be writing about almost anything of interest. I know many are keen to hear news about Brummana and BHS. Many will be following our family news. I guess quite a few will want to know how my father Solhi is doing following the brain hemorrhage he had in April 2002. He’s suffering from a bout of diarrhea currently accompanied by a slight fever. It’s that time of year when the weather is changing. He’d put some weight on, but with this illness we expect him to lose some weight.

Linda’s sister Nancy is over from Dubai for a few days, moving house. She’s managed to do quite a lot. She’s traveling back to Dubai on Sunday, but her, David and Stephie will be back for Xmas. Just before Xmas, on 22nd December, Linda and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

My stepdaughter Karina wants me to tell blogosphere and the world that she is now practicing calligraphy. Actually she’s quite good at it. I broke her pen, which was originally Linda’s from her school days when she used to do calligraphy. She asked me to change the nib which had been in the pen for the last 30 years. So I’ve promised her that I’d get her a new, better set. A visit to Bliss Street in Beirut should take care of that.

Last month my son Dahi broke his leg in a couple of places playing football, he also twisted his ankle. He sent me a picture of it and it looked horrible. This was a result of a late tackle. He’s now recovering at home in Port Talbot. The cast doesn’t come off for another 3 weeks.

Our cat Sir Timothy (Timmy for short) is growing up fast and is becoming a handful. He makes up for his lack of ability to meow by being extremely hyperactive. He’ll be getting his second injection tomorrow.

Linda’s just came back from the dentist, she doesn’t seem happy.

Hit The Ground Running

2006-10-31T12:43:00.000+02:00

Not before time, I think I now have a pretty good idea what a blog is. (The summer war in Lebanon helped!) The next trick was to learn how to run one, if that’s the right expression. First think of a title, so here we are, Sarmad and Linda. Share the success if it turns out successful, and share the failure if it fails. My name deliberately put up first to apportion the bigger share of the responsibility either way.

I’m grappling with photos now to check how posting them works. Like everything else it’s a process of trial and error. Linda will probably want to do the editing, as she always does with almost everything I write.

So here goes, our first posting, and hoping that we hit the ground running.