CHAT & SOUVENIRS..

I was working on the internet when I met in hotmail with some of the group that I was with during our visit to the United States. I have felt very happy, beacsue I did not hear from them long time ago, especially that some of them are living in risky countries like Palestine and Iraq.
I miss them & I miss the time that we spent together in USA.
I believe in friendship a lot although I faced problems with my friends: egoism, lies, hypcrasy...
(pic above: San Francisco Town Hall)

ANARCHIE TOTALE...

La derniere modification de la loi qui visiat le code de la route tunisien ( le retrait du permi est bien limité aux 3 cas de figures, bye bye radrar), bien qu'elle était très bien accueillit à travers les personnes touchaient notamment les chauffeurs routiers (tout type et toutes catégories), les tunisiens, particuliers, n'ont jamais céssés de me fasciner par leur motivations et degrée de civisme. Bien avant l'entrée en vigueur de la loi, eeeeeeh oui! les Tunisiens ont bien démarrés. Ce dernier vendredi, à l'ariana, comme sur la route entre bizerte et tunis, les tunisiens, ne respectaient absolumant rien, ni stop, ni ligne continue, ni interdiction. Volià c'est l'anarchie totale, si non on ne cessent pas d'etre TUNISIENS!

An Open Letter from U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to the People of Tunis

"I recently visited your beautiful city for important discussions with President Ben Ali, as well as the Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs. During our talks, we covered a variety of key issues involving the warm relationship between the United States and Tunisia. Tunis provided a fine venue for our important conversations.
During our visit, I was able to again enjoy a visit to the National Museum of Carthage, where I had the chance to learn even more about the extraordinary history of your country. Tunisia is a remarkable and historic land, and I have enjoyed each of my visits over the years. I hope to return soon!
I thank you so much for your kind hospitality."

THANKS TO THE USA..I GOT 20/20 in GEOGRAPHY..

During the school year 1995-1996, I was student of the third grade in the secondary school in Bizerta, my town. I beleive that many of you are remembering when we studied in geography about differents countries like the United States, Japan, European Union,Egypt, Brazil, in fact the curriculum was similar to that of the baccalaureate, four years later. At that time, when we were studying abouit theUSA, we didn't have any map of the USA, so our teacher was using either the worldwide map or the map of north America. So I decided to draw the map of the United States on a big drawing paper, with small maps in the marge about agriculture, economy and energy. I handed it as a gift to the administration so that teachers may use it. My teacher liked it and she decided to give me 20/20 as the oral interrogation mark in geography :)

GIFTS FROM USA

Last Friday, I was invited by the Cultural Affairs Officer of the Embassy Of the United States of America in Tunis to accompany the US Embassy staff to visit some kids of the COT - OCT (The Olympic Club Of Transport / Le Club Olympique De transport), to hand hand bags as gifts from the USA kids. It was very funny to meet with the kids although I was sad because they were very poor. I talked to few of them and I wished them good luck.

14TH FEBRUARY 2005 * 2006

Lebanon is celebrating the first year over the terrible assasination of the former PM Rafic Hariri. Although the world was celebrating Valentine's day, many were shocked by the news of the killing. In fact Lebanon was killed, too. One year ago now, waiting to know the truth. But, in fact we were waiting the truths of many previous killings and assasinations such as that of Princess Diana, Dodi Al Fayed, Marlyn Monroy, Princess Grace of Monaco and Jack F. Kennedy.
May God Bless Lebanon.

SAD & DISAPPOINTED..

Last Wednesday February 8th, 2006, I finished reading the book of Thomas L.Friedman that i bought from the UN headquarters in New York City last October,"From Beirut To Jerusalem".
For almost four months, I have lived nightly with its writer and I shared him the different historical steps that the Middle East has known: Lebanese civil war, Israeli siege of Beirut, withdrawal of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation PLO to Tunis, syrian affair, the Gulf war and the peace talks.
The book, which is a mix of personal biography and points of view, but also it is a report of history and realities that covered the period from 1979 until 1995.
Finishing reading it, I felt sad ( as usual as I finish a book).
Now, looking at the current scene in the ME, particularly in Palestine, the unstability, the going back and forth of the peace treaty, the Hamas-winning of the legeslative elections and the Israeli's disengagement of their committments, I feel very disappointed.
I had had strong belief in establishing peace in that part of the world. Today, I am thinking to give-up...

WHEN MY SISTER TALKS..

It was the first time that I heard my sister (22 years old), talking about politics. We were watching news of Lebanon over the setting fire in the Danish Consulate and in a church in Al Achrafiyyeh - Beirut. i was focusing on the news when I heard my sister saying: "What crazy they are. It is very shameful that they are turning the true fact of demonstration - denying the cartoons of the prophet Mohamed (GPUH)- into a riot to serve personel benefit".
She has right. Don't you think so?

OPEN LETTER..LETTRE OUVERTE..

This is an open letter of complaint to their Excellencies, ambassadors of Danmark, France, Norway, Netherlands and New Zeland in Tunis and through them to their respective leaders, over the publication of the offensive cartoons/caricatures of our prophet Mohamed, God's prayers upon Him.

Such acts will grow up mutual hate and antisemitism and will never help us in establishing peace in the world especially in the Middle East. such irresponsible acts, will lead terrorists and fondameltalists to justify their operations and will make harder our activities to create an atmosphere of cooperation and dialogues between civilisations and religions.

That cartoons hurted and touched us so so much and even as a strong believer of the freedom of expression and thoughts and of respecting the different points of view, I believe that drawing caricatures of the prophet Mohamed, can not be introduced as freedom of speech, instead of that, it is a clear provocation.

C'est une lettre ouverte adréssée à leurs Excellences ambassadeurs du Danemark, La France et La Hollande, Le Norvège et la Nouvelle Zélande, et à leur à travers, vers leurs chefs d'Etats et de gouvernements respectifs, vue la publication des caricatures du Prophete Mohammed, PDSL.

C'est un acte de "barbarie", un acte irrésponsable de simple provocation qui n'entrainera que de la haine et servira comme justification des opértaions des terroristes et des fondamentalistes ainsi que l'anti-semetisme.

Je crois fortement de le libérté de l'expression tout en respectant l'autres, mais ses caricatures ne sont qu'une totale provocation qui nous rendent de plus en plus difficile le fait d'ouvrir les canaux de dialogues entre les civilisations et les religions et d'essayer de trouver un chemin de paix en Moyen Orient.

Nous sommes touchés!

NEGOTIATIONS

Reading the book, " From Beirut to Jerusalem" of Thomas L. Friedman, Chapter 18:"Talking with My grocer", p512-515, I found this passage:

"...Israelis and Palestinians are arguing about how to organize a dialogue that would discuss how to elect Palestinians to negotiate with Israel on its offer of autonomy for the Arab inhabitants of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In other words, they are negotiating for a negotiation about organizing negotiations for an interim solution".

" I personally don't like Arabs and Arabs don't like me. Forty years in the same bed. There hasn't been love; there hasn't been sex. I want a divorce".

Israeli Major General (Res.)

Avigdor ben-Gal, former commander

of Israel's northern front, 1988"

THE 10TH MEET UP...

I was very happy to meet with my dear Tunisian bloggers, although that I saw them just for few minutes, beacuse I was in hurry-up. I promise youthat next time I will stay much more longer in your company. It is my pleasure to know you, to share you my thoughts and ideas, to enrich my knowledges and to get new friends. I am very proud to know you.