
lille1.fr!ciril.fr
ws41.cnusc.fr!taloa.unice.fr!pelvoux.cica.fr!newsadm
          by newcomers to soc.culture.lebanon; it then provides answers
          to them. Please read this before posting to the group.
          Rules of net etiquette specify that newcomers to a group
          should read the FAQ (this file) and spend some time
          reading the group before posting to it; this helps
          ensure that postings are appropriate for the type
          of discussion in the group.
          Please send all updates/additions/corrections to this
          FAQ to dakroub@eurecom.fr (Alaa Dakroub)
          This FAQ is availbale at the ftp sites eurecom.cica.fr
          (192.70.34.200), in /SCL, rama.poly.edu (128.238.10.212) in 
          pub/scl, and ftp.u.washington.edu /public/scl as filename 
          "lebanon-faq/part1". It has also a W3 version on: 
          http://www.cica.fr:8080/faq.html
          (Date of last modification: 13 Jun 1995.)
Frequency: monthly



Archive-name: lebanon-faq/part1


________________________________________________________________________
______
_



       Many FAQs, including this one, are available on the archive site
The names under which this FAQ is archived are "lebanon-faq/part1" and 
"lebanon-faq/part2".

If you do not have ftp, you can request messages from rtfm by using
the local mail server.  Send mail to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
this file.  Send a message containing "help" to get general
information about the mail server.

This FAQ could also be obtained via regular anonymous ftp at the sites: 
                  eurecom.cica.fr (192.70.34.200) in /SCL, rama.poly.edu 
                  (128.238.10.212) in pub/scl/ and ftp.u.washington.edu 
in 
                  /pubilc/scl filenames lebanon-faq/part1 and 
                  lebanon-faq/part2.
This FAQ could also be obtained via a WWW server URL is: 
   http://www.cica.fr:8080/faq.html 

Changes since last posting:

                             Where can I find a Lebanese restaurant ?
                             (Question 23)
                             What are the adresses of
                             World Wide Web/FTP/Gopher sites of Lebanese
                             people and dealing with Lebanon in general 
?
                             (Question 41)

Thanks to all contributors to this FAQ, namely: Naji Mouawad (who
started the effort), Basil Hamdan (who maintained this faq before me
and and must of this faq is his work) Bassem Medawar, Samir Fahs,
Mazen Saghir,Edmond J. Abrhamian, Alex Khalil, Olivier
M.J. Crepin-Leblond, Hassan Hammoud,Mazen Mokhtar, Barre Ludvigsen,
Ghassan Semaan, Elie Wardini, Fady Harfoush,Debbie Masri, Pauline
Homsi Vinson, Youssef Fawaz, Mike, Nasri, Rached Zantout,May
Nasrallah, Khalil El-Khoury, Danny Chahal, Haidar Harmamani, Wadih
Shaib,Walid Nasrallah, Kamie Kitmitto, Ibrahim Ballouz, Nadim Maluf,
Fadi Andraos, Boudi Sahyoun, Naji Rizk, Berthe Choueiry, Jamal
Zemerly, Wassim Alami, philo, George Fisher, Roger Adbel-Hay, Knut
Vik|r, Walid Keirouz, Jihad Kawkabani,Joseph Mouhanna, Ayman Kayssi,
Hayssam Taha, Elie Mourad, Jihad Daba, Salah Sadek, Chaabouni Moez,
Rania Masri, Kamel Saidi, Mohamad Hannaoui, Joseph Adi, Wassim
M. Jabi, Ziad G Kassir, D. G. Lubar, Charly Brady, Loai Said, Philip
Abi-Rached, Enrico Westenberg, Ramzi (cudlbear7), Shafik Sirajeddeen,
Fadi Kurdahi, Nabil Bukhalid, Kale Charles Khoury, Edward Abouzeid,
George Fadel, Rabih Boudargham, Andreas Waczynski, George Chammas,
Bassam Tabbara, Pierre Barkett, Adonis El Fakih and Ala'a Dakroub 
(sorry if I missed anyone).

This FAQ file was compiled and edited by Alaa Dakroub.

************************************************************************
******
DISCLAIMER:

This FAQ is presented with no warranties or guarantees of ANY KIND
including correctness or fitness for any particular purpose.  The
author(s) of this document have attempted to verify correctness of the
data contained herein; however, slip-ups can and do happen.  If you use
any information included in this FAQ, you do so at your own risk.
The FAQ authors cannot and have NOT used all the the services suggested
in the FAQ, nor have they checked them for accuracy.  They were all
included mostly verbatim at the suggestion of contributors to this FAQ.

You can reprint any FAQ posting of mine anywhere you want, as long as
the following conditions are met:

1. You use as recent a version of the FAQ as possible.

2. My name (as well as the "credits" section, if any, listing other
   people who have contributed) stays on it.

3. Any modifications (other than typesetting changes) you make to it
   are clearly designated as your modifications.  If you are
   significantly reformatting the information in the FAQ, then you
   don't have to explicitly show every change from the original, but
   you make clear that what you are printing is derived from my FAQ
   rather than a direct copy of it.

4. You tell people where to find updated versions of it, i.e., what
   newsgroups it appears in.

************************************************************************
******
________________________________________________________________________
______
_

First of all, for the patriotic among you, here is a uuencoded Lebanese
flag gif file, with instructions on how to display it using xv,
all provided kindly by Naji Rizk.
A nice way to use this flag is to have it displayed in the background of
your workstation.


   Here is the procedure:

   1) Cut the file out (between Cut Here signs) so that the following 
line
      be the first line in the file:

      begin 400 flag.gif

      and save on your filespace as a file named say, "leb.uu". 

   2) Once the file leb.uu is saved after these modifications,
      type under the unix prompt:
      uudecode leb.uu, this procedure will automatically create
      the Lebanese flag gif file "flag.gif".on your filespace.

   3) If you are using xv as a gif viewer, type: xv flag.gif &

      In order to have the flag in the background (tiled), type this:
      xv  -rmode 1 full-path-name-of-flag.gif   &
      xv  -rmode 1 full-path-name-of-flag.gif   &
                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
      If the file is in your home directory called /users/lebanese
      then the full path name is: /users/lebanese/flag.gif

___________________  Cut Here  ______________________________

___________________  Cut Here  ______________________________

 
                             
Here is a listing of questions : 

1.  Can I post/receive to/from this newsgroup or other newsgroups if I 
don't 
    have the permission or I don't have a direct access to a news server 
?

2.  Are there any rules or conventions to post into this news group?

3.  What is the value of a Lebanese pound in terms of US$, Can$, UK lb,
    etc.?

4.  What is the address and phone number of the Lebanese Embassy
    and/or Consulates in the US, Canada, France, etc....
    and how can I contact the American University of Beirut,
    How can I contact Hariri Foundation office in Washington ?

5.  How can I phone Lebanon and which carrier gives the cheapest rates?

6.  What are the airlines servicing Beirut ?

7.  Where can I find tickets for Lebanon at a good price ?

8.  What are the e-mail and telnet IP addresses for sites in Lebanon ?

9.  What are the phone numbers to call to get Lebanon news ?

10. What are the radio frequencies and broadcast times of Lebanese
    related radio programs  ?

11. What are the various Lebanese organizations and how can I contact 
them ?

12. What are the projects you can contribute to help rebuild Lebanon ?

13.  Are there any information about The Cedars of Lebanon and/or 
     organizations that deal with this matter??

14. Are there any information about ski resorts in Lebanon ??

15. What are the various Lebanese magazines and newspapers ?

16. Where can I find Lebanese magazines and newspapers ?

17. What has been written by Lebanese and/or on Lebanon ?

18. Where can I find works written by Lebanese and /or on Lebanon ?

19. Are there Arabic word processors ?

20. Is there a standard Arabic alphabet representation in Latin ?

21. Are there any availble sources to learn Syriac ?

22. Where can I find Lebanese songs and music ?

23. Where can I find a Lebanese restaurant ?

24. Where can I find a Lebanese grocery store?

25. Is there a good Lebanese recipe book ?

26. Are there recipes available on the net ?

27. Is there an ftp archive site for Lebanese art works ?

28. What is the best way to deal with multiple system TVs and VCRs and 
    where can I get my VCR tape converted to a format that works in 
Lebanon ?

29. What are the Arabic TV channels that can be received in Northern and 
    central America

30. What are newborn names that could be used for Lebanese children 
living
    abroad that would work in both Lebanon and Western societies ?

31. I plan to go home soon and I have heard rumors that the draft
    will be re-instituted, do you have any additional information about 
this ?
    I was born in 1923 and I am afraid that I would be subject to the 
draft
!!!

32. Where can I get a copy of the English translation of 
    the Lebanese Constitution ?

33. Where can I get a copy of the English translation of the 
    Taef Agreement ? 

34. I need to ship a car/ or some merchandise to Lebanon, do you
    know of a shipping company that handles this ?

35. I suddenly develop an urge for Middle-Eastern cuisine,
    can you help me quench this horrifying thirst ?

36. Where can I find information about US State Department visa 
regulations
    for foreigners.

37. Where can I get the latest travel advisory for Americans wishing
    to visit Lebanon or the Middle-East ?

38. Are there available statistical and basic general information about 
    Lebanon, and what are they ? 

39. I know someone's name, and I think they might have an electronic 
mail 
address somewhere.  How can I find it?

40. Are any there published CDs (Compact Disks) about Lebanon and the 
levant
    in general ?

41. What are the adresses of World Wide Web/FTP/Gopher sites of Lebanese
    people and dealing with Lebanon in general ?

************************************************************************
******

1.  Can I post/receive to/from this newsgroup or other newsgroups if I 
don't 
    have the permission or I don't have a direct access to a news server 
?

    There are some sites that allow public connections, there was for a 
while
a list maintained by lesikar@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu in which it was 
listed 
the public news sites. This list is no more availble because of the 
refuse of
sys adminstrators to publish the address of their public sites. 
Eventhough 
reading news still possible through gopher, a search using term USENET 
or news
whith veronica will be enough to find a bunch of news sites through 
gopher.

    There are still probably two ways of posting to SCL(1), the first is 
to 
use an anonymous server something that was not that appreciated by most 
of 
SCLers, and the other is to send your post soc-culture-
lebanon@cs.utexas.edu, 
please note the hyphens instead of periods, I was not testing this way 
since a
while so there is no garantee that your post make it to scl.

(1) Of course in case you don't have direct access to a news server.

Recently a guide for using Internet via E-mail was mentionned on SCL,
It's :

                 Accessing The Internet By E-Mail
           Doctor Bob's Guide to Offline Internet Access
                    3rd Edition - December 1994


              Copyright (c) 1994,  "Doctor Bob" Rankin

Finding the Latest Version
--------------------------

This document is now available from several automated mail servers.
To get the latest edition, send e-mail to one of the addresses below.

To: listserv@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu (for US/Canada/etc.)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:
  GET INTERNET BY-EMAIL NETTRAIN F=MAIL

To: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu (for Eastern US)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:

To: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk (for UK/Europe/etc.)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:
  send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt

You can also get the file by anonymous FTP at one of these sites:

Site: ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
   get NETTRAIN/INTERNET.BY-EMAIL
Site: rtfm.mit.edu
Site: mailbase.ac.uk
   get pub/lists/lis-iis/files/e-access-inet.txt


Also on SCL a server (? 2) were mentionned here it goes an expert of the
mentionned message:

As I mentioned in a previous posting you can post throught E-mail by 
sending 
your E-mail

TO : soc.culture.lebanon.usenet @ decwrl.dec.com 

Also you can read the postings of any Usenet Newsgroup . Send your E-
mail 

To : listproc@www0.cern.ch 
or
To: listserv@www0.cern.ch

- leave the Subject empty.

- If you just want to read  the titles first write in the body of your E-
mail 
the following :

send news:soc.culture.lebanon          
- If you want to read all the postings write in the body of your E-mail 
the 
following:

deep news:soc.culture.lebanon

- If you pay for the Usage of E-mails received please be careful with 
using 
the (deep) statement. The amount of E-mails will be equal to number of
postings 
and 
it could expensive. If you do not pay per E-mail received then enjoy the 
service . 



************************************************************************
******
*

2.  Are there any rules or conventions to post into this news group?

 Rules of thumb for posting on Soc.Culture.Lebanon
  Date of last revision: 02/20/94

This post proposes some rules of thumb for posting on this newsgroup, 
Soc.Culture.Lebanon (scl).  The purpose of the rules is to maintain 
the friendly atmosphere and to encourage quality posts.


- Use descriptive Subject headers and change the subject when replying
  if necessary.  Remember that people are not interested in a vague or
  unfocused subject.  For example, from recent posts, a Subject that 
reads 
  "None" does not convey any useful meaning.  "Tfouh" seems like a 
flame, 
  but is it worth reading?  A person, replies "Tfouh 3ala min? :-) Re: 
Tfouh."

  Now that is more interesting, it peeks the curiosity of the reader.  
  "avant de partir" could've been "[French poem] avant de partir (before 
  leaving)."

- Quote text from the article that you are replying you to provide 
context 
  but keep quoted text to a minimum (that which is absolutely 
necessary). 
  Most people prefer a short and focused message to a longer and diluted 
  post.
 
- Avoid cross-posting to other newsgroups.  Good reasons to cross-
  post are:
 - if you are posting a periodic message (such as a FAQ)
 - if you are required by net rules to cross-post as in the case

_
     

   of newsgroup creation announcements
  There are rarely any additional good reasons to cross-post.

- Do not use abusive language in your posts.  Pretend you are addressing
  your mother. :-)

- Avoid posting messages that are not related to Lebanon or to the 
culture
  of the Lebanese people.  In other words, Middle East discussion 
belongs in
  talk.politics.mideast, soc.culture.israel, or soc.culture.palestine,
  whichever is more appropriate.  Religion discussions belong in the 
  appropriate religion group (soc.religion.islam, 
soc.religion.christian, 
  talk.religion.christian, soc.culture.jewish, talk.religion.misc, or 
even
  alt.religion.emacs :-)  Posts on scl should really pertain to Lebanon.
  
- Flaming gives a poor image of yourself, and you are likely to stay on 
your
  own in the garbage bin.

If you chose to ignore these rules of thumb, you're likely to find your
mailbox full with advice urging you to read this post.  I am confident
that we will manage to maintain a high level of maturity and respect in 
our 
posts.

If you don't wish to see this message again, put it in your kill file.
If you have a bone to pick with these rules of thumb, reply to this 
message 
BY EMAIL.

This message will repeat every week.  It is archived for anonymous ftp 
on 
rama.poly.edu (128.238.10.212) as /pub/scl/The_Rules_Of_Thumb.


************************************************************************
******
*

3. What is the value of a Lebanese pound in terms of US$, Can$, UK lb,
   etc.?

  It in a steady state since several months, and it's gaining slowly
   Typically, a good way to keep a view of the 'latest' figures is to:

 - Look at the Wall Street Journal

 - Look at Al-Hayat News paper (see address in Question 13)

 - Subscribe to Leb-Net (Leb-Net@cumesa.mech.columbia.edu), which
   reports the value sometimes.

---> changes:
   From Al-Hayat sunday 12th of march 1995 issue:

         | $US    | &UK    | DM     | JY     | FF     | CHF    |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
  | LPs  | 1636.5 | 2613.8 | 1156.9 | 17.93  | 325.3  | 1389.8 |  
   -----------------------------------------------------------

  LP   = Lebanese Pound
  $US  = US dollars
  &UK  = United Kingdom Sterlings
  DM   = Deutsch Mark
  JY   = Japanese Yen
  FF   = French Franc
  CHF  = Swiss Franc

************************************************************************
******
*

4.  What is the address and phone number of the Lebanese Embassy
    and/or Consulates in the US, Canada, France, etc....
    and how can I contact the American University of Beirut,
    How can I contact the Beirut University College,
    How can I contact Hariri Foundation office in Washington ?


  For Canada:

Embassy of Lebanon
640 Lyon St.
Ottawa, Ontario
              K1S 3Z5
(613) 236-5825

Consulate of Lebanon
40 Cote St. Catherine
Montreal, Quebec

(514) 276-2738

  For the USA:

  Washington DC Embassy:

Embassy of Lebanon
2560 28th Street NW
Washington D.C.  20008

Phone: (202) 939-6300
Fax: 202-939-6324.


Consulates:

New York

Consulate General of Lebanon
9 East 76th St.
NY, NY 

Phone: (212) 744-7905

Detroit

Consulate General of Lebanon
1959 E. Jefferson
Suite 4A
Detroit, Michigan 48207

Phone: (313) 567-0233

Los Angeles

Consulate General of Lebanon  
7060 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 510
Hollywood, CA 90028

Phone: (213) 467-1253 

  For the  United Kingdom:

Lebanese Councilor Section
15 Palace Garden Mews,
London W8 4QQ. 

England UK

Phone: 00 44 (0)71 7276696

  For Germany:

 BOTSCHAFT DES LIBANON
 RHEINALLEE 27
 53173 BONN
 TEL. (0228)352075-77

For France:

AMBASSADE DU LIBAN

42 rue Copernic   Tel: +33 1 40 67 75 75 
75016 Paris   Fax: +33 1 40 67 16 42

Consulat du LIBAN (Paris)

47 rue Dumont d'Urville 
75016 Paris   Tel: +33 1 45 00 03 30


Consulat General du Liban (Marseille)

424 rue Paradis
13008 Marseille   Tel: +33   91 71 50 60

---> new
For Sweeden:

Libanons Ambassad              phone +46 8 665 19 65
Kommendorsgatan 35             telex 16407 LIBANEM S
114 58  Stockholm

Chile,

Avda Isidoro Goyenechea 3607, Casilla 3667, Santiago;tel 
(2)232-5097;telex 440118

Algeria,
9 Rue Kiad Ahmad, el-Biar, Algiers; Telex;5416



Here are the AUB NY office numbers and the Beirut AUB number:

The numbers  for the NY office are:

  Phone: (212) 319 2425
  Fax  : (212) 486 2867
You can now fax directly to Beirut, via a NY number:
  (212) 478 1995

The switch board numbers in Beirut are: 
       
  +961-1-350 000
  +961-1-865 250
  +961-1-340 740

Here is the address of the Beirut University College :

BEIRUT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
P.O.BOX 13-5053,BEIRUT LEBANON


Here it the Hariri Foundation Address:
Hariri Foundation
1020 19th St., NW
Suite 320
Washington, DC 20036

Fax:  202-659-9228


************************************************************************
******
*

5. How can I phone Lebanon and which carrier gives the cheapest rates ?

     Using the *local* Lebanon number 04-961345 as example, you dial:

            011 961 4 961345   (to use AT&T)
     10 222 011 961 4 961345   (to use MCI)
     10 333 011 961 4 961345   (to use SPRINT)

 Note how the Metn area code 04 has been used *without* the leading
zero. These calls do not require an operator.

Telephone Area codes in Lebanon:

1 Beirut
3 Cellular Network area code,   <--- New
  it covers (or should cover soon) all Lebanon. 
4 Metn
5 Al-shouf
6 The North
7 the South
8 Al-biqqaa
9 Keserwan


For France :
you have to Dial the 19 to get the international tone, lebanon's code,
the area code and your correspondent number. To call the same number
as above you will have to dial :

19 961 4 961345 

the rates are as follows (time is French time +1 GMT, +2GMT summer 
time):

Day      00:00  08:00                  21:30       00:00
--------------------------------------------------------
Mon-Sat  |xxxxxxxx|**********************|xxxxxxxxxxx|       
--------------------------------------------------------
Sun &    |xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx|
holidays |
--------------------------------------------------------

* : normal rate : 15.19 FF/min
x : reduced rate: 12.52 FF/min

rate via an operator (call 19 33 961): 21.30 FF/min


France Telecom annouced that it has [will ?] have a program in which
subscribers can designate three numbers which they call usualy, you
pay 15 FF per two months and you have 15% of discount on the calls made 
to
these destination. it might be of intreset but i did not check the
excat info yet stay tuned.



This question contained an info about an MCI promotion program, 
apparently
the old mentionned rates are no more valid, it could be that MCI and 
AT&T 
are offering rates arround 1.41 or 1.76 at best. There was a couple of 
annoucenent on sc.lebanon about other operators who offers the rate of 
$1.33/mn any day any time, the annoucer claimed that calls are billed in 
6 seconds increments.


this is what an scler wrote me:

MCI is offering up to $1000.00 in free calls to Lebanon. It is
true. I just received my certificate. Switch to MCI and you
receive the deal. Call NIDAL at MCI 1-800-944-6362 for
information and details. The deal ends being offered on March 31,
1995.

MCI will pay to switch you over. 


-----

The same kind of systems can be used also outside the US, by using a 
"callback" company. It's useful if you want to call another country. The 
"callback" company gives you a trigger number in the US, when you call 
this 
number it rings without any answer (so the call is not billed by the 
local 
operator) then you hang up. The system calls you back on a pre-
determined 
number and gives a US dial tone which you can use to call where you 
want. 
The rates of calling France is $0.41 (from the US, since it's the system 
who calls you) added to the $1.33 (US --> Lebanon) it ends up to $1.74 
approx 9.5 FF which is good compared to the above rates (75% and 54% of 
the 
rates of France Telecom) specially that it's at any time any day, it 
makes 
a difference. 
The disadvantages are that there is no way to tell if a company is 
trusted
or not and what to do in case of the company in the US decided to take 
money
that you didn't spend, fairly there are some risks to take but the saved 
amount is significant.
P.S: if you call the US from FRANCE using the same system there is an 
additional $0.1 though $0.51/mn approx 2.75 FF <==> 55%, 48% and 41% 
(4.98, 5.72 and 6.69 FF a minute) of France Telecom rates for calling 
the US.

I received the following in my mailbox about Cyberlink and MCI:
-------------
MCI (800-672-8054) lowest rate is $1.76 per minute excluding a possible 
20%
discount to three numbers for calls made between 5pm and 8am US time. 
There
is a $3 per month charge for this and calls outside this period cost
$2.33/min.

Cyberlink (800-661-0393) offers $1.33 per minute flat rate (any time, 
any
number) without monthly charges or minimums or switching carriers. Added
advantage is billing in 6 second increments (after 30 seconds).

Cyberlink provides this service and has been in business since 1986. It 
has a
billing volume of more than $100 million. You can get business 
references
from Dunn (rating company). Calls are charged to a credit card. Most
creditcards offer extra protection for unauthorized charges or in case 
you
have disputes with the merchant.
-------------
************************************************************************
******
*

6. What are the airlines servicing Beirut ?

  Most European and Arab airlines are now flying to Lebanon.

  *Some* are: MEA(obviously), Air-France, Swiss-air,  
     Austrian Airways, Alitalia, Sabena, Royal Jordanian, Egypt Air.
  Britsh Airways, recently annouced that it will resume its flights to 
  beirut by December 1994. BA is the last Europeen airlines to resum 
  flights to beirut. 
  State Department of the US banned MEA from operating from
  its NY offices, and travel from the US with MEA has become
  very difficult.  Here is a related UPI article:


BEIRUT, Lebanon (UPI) -- The president of the Lebanese national air
carrier, Middle East Airlines, said Monday that a U.S. order to suspend
MEA activities in the United States has left tens of thousands of
Lebanese stranded there and caused millions of dollars in losses.
MEA President Abdel Hamid Fakhoury called on the U.S. Administration
to exempt his company from a U.S. embargo imposed on Lebanon following
the hijacking of a TWA airliner in 1985.
Accordingly, MEA flights to New York and back to Beirut were
suspended while all other carriers were prevented from selling tickets
from its U.S. offices for destinations in Lebanon.
Fakhoury said MEA abided by the embargo but its U.S. offices 
``continued to issue tickets, with the knowledge of the U.S. officials,
placing either Damascus or Cyprus as destination countries.''
``But we were surprised last month of a new U.S. order to cease
immediately all commercial activities, which left tens of thousands of
Lebanese trapped there and inflicting losses estimated at $15 million,''
Fakhoury said.
The new order was apparently in retaliation to a decision by the
Lebanese Military Court on April stating that the 1983 bombing of the 
U.S. 
Embassy in Beirut was covered by a general amnesty law.
The Lebanese Parliament approved the amnesty law as part of a
national reconciliation drive to end the Lebanese civil war.
The U.S. expressed dissatisfaction with the Military Court decision
and accused MEA of violating the embargo imposed during the
administration of President Ronald Reagan.
A month later, the Lebanese Supreme Court overruled the Military
Court decision concerning the U.S. Embassy bombing in which at least six
people were accused of involvement.
A suicide bomber drove through the gate of the U.S. Embassy in the
Muslim sector of Beirut on April 1983, killing 63 people and wounding
123 others.
activities in the U.S. as peace and security were restored in the
country.
He said contacts with U.S. officials have so far failed to alter the
order and called for launching a campaign ``to save the company and
allow the Lebanese residents in the U.S. to visit their homeland.''


The following is a summary of an article which appeared
in Middle East International (MEI - No. 450, p. 9-10);

The background is that Lebanese investigators had
recently identified 15 suspects in the 1991 truck
bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, and the US
government was anxious to see them prosecuted. 
However, on April 24, Beirut's military court ruled
that the suspects were included in the general amnesty
covering "political" war crimes approved by the
Lebanese parliament in 1991.  The US was incensed that
the court's ruling would render them immune from
prosecution, and warned Lebanese leaders that the
prospect of normalizing relations with the US, which
seemed likely following Secretary of State
Christopher's March visit to Beirut, were no longer
realistic.  

The impact on travel stems from the fact that Middle
East Airlines (MEA), which had hoped that it for the way it had
issued tickets to Beirut (actually entered on tth
connecting flights to or from Europe.  Although

_
                                                                     

technically a violation of the US travel ban, this
subterfuge had been used without objection for many
years.  Suddenly, MEA was told to stop selling tickets
or doing any other business, and warned that it was
subject to fines of $1000 per day for the entire period
during which it had sold such tickets.  The Beirut
government is having a second look at the amnesty law,
and may find a way out of the difficulty, but until it
does so, it may be impossible to get tickets to Beirut
in the US, and MEA is threatened with millions of
dollars of fines, an amount which MEI characterized as
"potentially crippling".

The Lebanese Supreme Court has already reversed the earlier ruling
making the suspects once again not covered by the General Amnesty law
but the US has yet to relax its position with regard to MEA operations
in the United States.

************************************************************************
******
*

7. Where can I find tickets for Lebanon at a good price ?

Travel Agency        Number(s)         Contact person(s),
     Name                                  location,
 (if available)                         and/or comments 
                                          (if supplied)
________________________________________________________________________
______
_

Admiral :      (800) 822 2727     (located in Marietta GA)
                                  (ask for Hassan Ramadan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
All Travel:    (800) 344 7060     (ask for Matthew)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Atlantis :     (212) 972 5540 TEL  141 East 44th Street  #702
               (212) 972 5543 FAX  NYC, NY 10017
               (800) 543 9362     (Alitalia and British Airways)
                                  ($ 1100 round trip ticket from
                                   San Francisco to Beirut bought
                                   in Christmas 92/93).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Blue Mediterranean
Travel :       (213) 876 5601     (deals mainly with Alitalia,
                                   recommended for its good prices).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Char Tours:    (800) 323 4444
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Corporate :    (800) 532 8455
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Farra Travel:  (213) 463 9211
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Golden Arch:   (800) 749 2724     (may be out of business ?)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Haddad Travel: (213) 466 4662     (experienced but beware)

 update: 1-617-354-3399
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Int'l Travel & (800) 248-8462     (ask for Doha Gabro ?)
Trade, Inc. :                     (Example of price quoted for
                                   Dec '92 round trip
                                             $ 880
                                   Travel from:
                                   Washington, DC - Beirut
                                   United: Wash <-> London,
                                   MEA: London <-> Beirut)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Lotus :        (800) 344 2220     (located in Los Angeles area)
                                  (deals mostly with ALIA, the
                                   Royal Jordanian Airlines, can get
                                   relatively good prices if you are 
willing
                                   to endure traveling on ALIA)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Low Airfare Tickets to Lebanon

For more Information Call Edward Abouzeid at Modern Travel.

617-323-0073 , 617-323-9079 . Fax : 617-323-1654 .
Eastern Time Monday thru Friday  9 Am to 6.00 PM
Saturday 9 Am to 1.00 PM

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Mill-Run Tours:(800) 645 5786     (Ask for Jean Zodo.  She's Lebanese,
                                   and she has been very helpful).
                                   They are located in Chicago, IL.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Oxford Travel &                   (ask for Sami Silfani)
Tours :        (800) 245 7264 TEL (located in the Atlanta area)
               (404) 266 8783 FAX (Sami was quite informed and
                                   worked hard to get the
                                   cheapest fare possible.
       Strongly recommended by myself (Basil).
       Example of a fare: $ 1080 U.S., round trip
       on Air France from Cleveland, 
       travel date: April 13, 1993).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Service Plus Travel (ask for Dolly Tarabay) at 1-800-256-2865
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Sharif Travel: (714) 635 0837     (could be the same as the reference
                                   that shows up later as Moursi Sharif 
                                   - other reference has an 800 number -
                                   Recommended as super nice and cheap)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Sunship :      (800) 344 9428     (deals mainly with British Airways)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
TMA travel, (ask for Salim) at (313) 584-3260
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Travel All(??):(800) 621 4795
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Travel Corner: (800) 843 3214     (from outside Atlanta)
or             (404) 952 4044     (Atlanta)
or             (404) 924 4207     (Atlanta)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
"This is just FYI for those interested in getting tickets overseas that
Lina Makhlouf, formerly of travel corner in Atlanta, has opened her own
travel agency and can now be reached at 1-800-810-0081. She received the 
prize as the most recommended travel agent."

Update: Lina Makhlouf got married and moved to Knoxville TN, her married
name is Lina Makhlouf Shatara (sp?) and her new number is 1-800-235-0571

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Travel Nework: (201) 628 7071 TEL  1581 Route 23 South
               (201) 628 7827 FAX  Waynes, NJ 07470
                                  (Ask for Ms. Peggy Healy)
                                  (tell her Tommy's sister recommended!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Vista Int'l :  (800) 228 4782     (located in West Virginia ??)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
World Express Travel:             (ask for Annie - she is from Lebanon).
               (800) 942 4992 TEL (located in Houston, Texas) 
               (713) 556 5700 TEL
               (713) 556 0895 FAX
________________________________________________________________________
______
_
No name given
for travel agency:                (ask for Garbiz Askanian)
               (212) 685 4499     (gave the best deal to someone)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (617) 354 3399     (ask for Malek Haddad)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (800) 426 8831     (ask for Hala)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (202) 625 0770     (ask for Marwan or Maha)
                                  (located in the Washington DC area)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (514) 398 0771 TEL (ask for Pierre or Nathalie)
               (514) 398 0795 FAX (located in Montreal-Canada)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (800) 332 5302     (ask for Moursi Sharif)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (212) 370 5353     (ask for Ali Srour)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (904) 763 2933     (located in Florida)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (305) 856 3434
________________________________________________________________________
______
_
Negative Recommendations
________________________________________________________________________
______
_

D'International:                    (located in West Roxbury, Ma.)
                                     Travel agent is a Lebanese person.
                                     She booked flight on non-existing
                                     flight from Paris to Boston.
                                     The traveler had to pay a $ 100.00
                                     penaly, and agent did not reimburse 
him
                                     even though she had made the 
mistake.
                                     Traveler also found out she had 
done
                                     the same thing with several other 
people.
________________________________________________________________________
______
_

for 800 number directory call 1 (800) 555 1212

In France the following Travel Agency has been recommended as giving
good prices for travel to Lebanon:

Nouvelle Frontiere  with prices ranging from 3000 to 3500 F.F., round
trip, Paris-Beirut for Summer of '93 travel.  No phone number was given,
it is assumed that the agency is listed in the phone directory.
(I was not able to get the phone number of this agency since the 
directory
says that there is a nouvelle frontiere but their numbers are on the red 
list)
************************************************************************
******
*

8. What are the e-mail and Telnet IP addresses for sites in Lebanon?

--> new info:
Recently there was an annoucement made on SCL about an internet
provider in lebanon, which is Data Management. 

In a recent communication with George Chammas <gnc@hooked.net> from
Data Management this is what told about DM network:

[On Mon, 20 Mar 1995]

Data Management has established a full Internet service provider for the
Lebanese market, with access points in the greater Beirut, Tripoli, 
Zahle
and (soon) Saida areas. 
 
As you know, phone lines in Lebanon are a big problem, and speed and 
line
quality are a big issue.  Generally speaking, we have been able to
establish 9600 connections to customers, unless they have dedicated 
access
which could allow higher access speeds. 
 
Rates are a function of usage.  We have different programs depending on
what suits the user best, including rates capped at maximum $ amount per
month. 
 
The people to contact at DM in Beirut are Michel Abdou or Camille 
Nammour. 
Their email address is mabdou@hooked.net 
Their telephone numbers (in Beirut) are: 424357 or 602551 
They are very knowlegeable about the state of communications in Lebanon 
and
the possibilities available on DM's network. 
--------

  The American University of Beirut has Internet connectevity. Following 
is 
What Nabil Bukhaled <nabil@layla.aub.ac.lb>, Manager of Personal 
Computer 
Support Unit at AUB wrote on September 29th 1994 to answer the question: 
--------
The American University of Beirut link to the internet started to be 
fully operationaland stable  early March 1994. Our internet link is 
still 
running on a 9.6kbps X.25 leased line (TCP/IP over X.25). 

AUBNET consist of 4 class C networks all located behind a firewall. 
Users 
on the AUBNETs are around 140 users at present and we are adding 20 to 
30 
user per month. AUBNET users can telnet, ftp, send/receive mail, 
nslookup, 
ping and finger to the internet. We are blocking the access to the 
internet 
news, gopher  and mosaic. The restrictions are dictated by the link 
bandwidth limitations and the prohibitive communication cost. 
 
Accessing AUBNET from the internet is also blocked except for a number 
of research affiliated Universities. Ditto cost restriction.

Our future plans are to upgrade our link from X.25 9.6kbps to a VSAT 
64kbps leased line. We are also working on connecting other Universities 
and research institutions to the internet. The technical set up is ready 
but the legal part is still pending. 

The number of hosts on AUBNET is 80 at present, around mid October 1994 
we
excpect to have around 170 new hosts. i.e. AUB fiber optic backbone is
scheduled to reach two major isolated clusters of LANs end of September
1994. By July 1994, all of the campus building will be on the net, 
around
450 hosts.
-------
AUB had a help account but was obliged to disable it because of the high
traffic rate.
here what Nabil Bukhaled said about it:
"Yes help@layla account was disabled 4 months ago, I beleive that I 
should 
reactivate this account. We do understand that Lebanese world wide are 
anxious to communicate with the mother land via the Internet and we are 
more than ready to answer their questions/requests. The message should 
be 
clear to them that AUB is paying dearly to keep this link."

AUB is paying the traffic even if the user is unkown. In fact
they pay the incoming/outgoing traffic. So a mail with an erronious
destination will cost AUB twice. An advice is not try sending e-mails
unless you are sure of your destination. AUB promissed to annouce any 
major
changes in the situation of its net.


Following is info on the X.25 net in Lebanon, it's rather old info so 
prices
and other infos could be not that exact. If you know a newer info please 
feel 
free to forward to the FAQ maintainer .....

Through the X.25 network in Lebanon, one *can* access CompuServe, MCI-
mail,
AT&T mail and possibly Internet (that's how AUB is gaining access).

Connection cost to the Lebanese X25 network: $600
Monthly fee for the Lebanese X25 network and the server in France: $50 
The connection to France will be used until Internet will be available
in Lebanon.
Each 1024 characters to the states cost 2.1 F.F (around $0.39)
plus around 500 Lebanese Pounds for X25.
But no Telnet or ftp can be done.
However the subscription offers you a 10,000 PC and Macintosh programs 
to
down load. They are updated on a daily basis. 
There are Forums and debates in French. You can also access the NEWS
of the INTERNET.
You will have an Easy Link, Mercury Link, X400 , Telex address as well
as the Usenet one.
Also you can send faxes through the net....All in one subscription.
It seems that the costs for now are rather expensive, unless they are
borne by a business or a corporation.

************************************************************************
******
*

9. What are the phone numbers to call to get Lebanon news ?

  There is a mailing list called Leb-Net that sends digests to 
subscribers
  every two days on the average. It is usually quite thorough.
  To subscribe, send a short request to:

         Leb-Net@cumesa.mech.columbia.edu

************************************************************************
******
*

10. What are the radio frequencies and broadcast times of Lebanese
    related radio programs  ?

  This information is extracted from Passport to World Band Radio,
L. Magne (Ed.), IBS, 1992, ISBN 0-914941-27-5:

  All times are in GMT, frequencies are in KHz.

Voice of Lebanon, Beirut-Ashrafiyah, Phalange, 8KW, English but mostly 
Arabic
broadcast.

0900-0915       6550
1315-1330       6550
1815-1830       6550

King of Hope, Marjayou^n, Mideast, 12 KW, English and Arabic broadcast.
0700-1100       6280 (Mideast), 11530 (Europe)
1400-1700       6280 (Mideast), 11530 (Europe)

  Neither one of the stations listed above were easily received in NY 
with a
portable SW radio and an indoor antenna.  The book doesn't list the 
government

radio station which used to broadcast in the 11KHz-12KHz range from 
Amshit. 
The Amshit broadcast could not be received either.

According to the 1993 edition of World Radio and TV Handbook (WRTH), 
there are

a multitude of radio stations in Lebanon, transmitting on long-wave, 
medium
wave
and FM. They apparently represent every shade of politics, religion and  
finance. ranging from the government RADIO LEBANON through SAOUT AL SHAB 
(in  
Rmayleh, near Sidon - I new it for it's sugar cane and lettuce!) to 
RADIO  
DUTCH-BATT (UN Forces). WRTH notes: "There are dozens of AM and almost 
150 FM 

stations operating in Lebanon. Many of these are unlicensed , therefore  
available details are incomplete, and many stations change frequencies 
often."

For listeners abroad there are 3 possible stations that may be received  
depending on propagation conditions. You might want to consult  
rec.radio.shortwave or rec.radio.broadcasting for postings on listening  
conditions and tips on equipment, antennas and help in finding Lebanon 
on the 

dial.

The 3 stations transmitting regularly on shortwave are:

6280  kHz  King of Hope, south Lebanon, 0500 - 2200 UTC
6550  kHz  Radio Voice of Lebanon, 24 hours
11530 kHz  Wings of Hope, south Lebanon, 0500 - 2200 UTC

Only the 6550 transmission is regularly audible in northern Europe.

The government-run RADIO LEBANON does not appear to have a shortwave 
service 

_
                                                                                                                   

at present. 

The Voice of Lebanon has an address at POBox 165271 Ashrafiyeh, Beirut, 
vox +9611323458 tix VDL 23203 LE. General manager; Simon El-Khazen. 

The address of King of Hope is POBox 3379 Limassol, Cyprus (High 
Adventure  
Missionaries, Box 7466, Van Nuys, CA 91409), which is also the address 
of
Wings
of Hope.

The WRTH, ISBN 0-8230-5924-3, also contains useful information about 
radio  
receivers, antennas, radio dealers, etc. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
For France:

People who are living in Paris can receive the broadcast
of "Radio Orient" on FM 94.3 MHz, Radio Orient provides News and 
cultural
programs from Lebanon and the Arab world in general. They provide 
headline 
news each hour and detailed news at 7:00, 8:00 12:00 18:00 19:30 and 
23:00 
(Paris Time i.e +2 GMT). It is received in Lebanon as well in Syria and
Jordan,
and in some European countries via cable(?). It can be also received by
calling
+33 1 47 37 40 80, it's useful in some French cities where RO 
broadcasting
does not reach.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
North America:
Every night you can listen to Monte Carlo.  It is transmitted by radio 
Canada.
The program is only 15 minutes long (Panorama News).  You can listen to 
it 
every night at 10 pm central time.  These are two approximate 
frequencies:

                      Wave Length: 49 m OR 60 m
                      Frequency  : 6 MHz

                      Wave Length: 31 m
                      Frequency  : 10 MHz

Egypt and Jordan stations transmit at frequencies close from the second 
one
above.  Their transmition is not very clear and they transmit at around 
11-12 
midnight.

 Here are some frequencies that can be received in North America:
 
 Station:                Time (EDT)             Frequency
 ========                ==========             =========
  
 Radio Monte Carlo  11:00pm - 11:20          5.9 Mhz (5900)
 Radio Cairo             10:00pm - 12:00          9475 or 11600
 Radio Kuwait            02:00pm - 03:00          11990
 Radio Damascus          04:00pm - 05:00          15095
 UAE Radio Dubai         11:00pm - 12:00          13675 or 11945 
 Radio Jordan            02:00pm - 03:00          9560
 
 Voice of Lebanon, with a good radio, can be received on 6550, at 2:00pm
 (EDT).  The reason you need a good radio is because this broadcast is
 directed to Europe, but you can receive it in NA on clear days.
 
 I highly suggest the use of an external antenna.  If your radio doesn't
 have a place for an external antenna, extend the power of reception by
 running a wire around the inside of your room, up high, and attach it
 to the built-in antenna.
 
 Good luck,

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
This is an extract of Dan Ferguson's <df@voa.gov> May 1993 
transcript of the BBC World Service schedule posted to 
rec.radio.shortwave and rec.radio.info and archived at
nic.funet.fi.

Be aware that these transmissions are aimed toward a Middle East
listening audience and may therefore be difficult to receive 
elsewhere.

  FREQ Time(GMT) Days    Site        Pwr Azi Language       Target
 ===== ========= ======= =========== === === ============== ======

   639 0330-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 180 ARABIC         ME
   639 1255-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 180 ARABIC         ME
   702 0320-0445 smtwtfs MASIRAH     750 267 ARABIC         ME
   702 1255-2100 smtwtfs MASIRAH     750 267 ARABIC         ME
   720 0330-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 110 ARABIC         ME
   720 1255-1830 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 110 ARABIC         ME
   720 1830-1900 .mtwtf. LIMASSOL    500 110 ARABIC         ME
   720 1900-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 110 ARABIC         ME
  6030 1615-2100 smtwtfs MASIRAH     100 305 ARABIC         ME
  6110 0445-0600 smtwtfs SKELTON     300 180 ARABIC         N AF
  7140 0330-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 175 ARABIC         ME
  7140 1255-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 175 ARABIC         ME
  7325 0445-0600 smtwtfs RAMPISHAM   500 168 ARABIC         N AF
  9760 0320-0445 smtwtfs SKELTON     300 110 ARABIC         ME
  9825 0445-0600 smtwtfs RAMPISHAM   500 180 ARABIC         N AF
 11730 1615-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    250 147 ARABIC         ME
 11730 1615-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 280 ARABIC         N AF
 11740 0320-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 102 ARABIC         ME
 13660 1255-2100 smtwtfs SKELTON     300 180 ARABIC         N AF
 15180 1255-2100 smtwtfs RAMPISHAM   500 168 ARABIC         N AF
 15235 0320-0600 smtwtfs MASIRAH     100 305 ARABIC         ME
 15590 0320-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    250 147 ARABIC         ME
 15590 1255-1615 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 150 ARABIC         ME
 17715 1255-2000 smtwtfs SKELTON     300 180 ARABIC         N AF
 17785 1255-1615 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    250 107 ARABIC         ME

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----

************************************************************************
******
*

11. What are the various Lebanese organizations and how can I contact
them.

American Task Force for Lebanon
2250 M St., N.W., Suite 305
Washington, DC 20037
Telephone: 202-223-9333
Fax: 202-223-1399

  This organization publishes a monthly newsletter called "Outlook",
with Tanya Rahal (Exec. Ed.), and Deeb Keamy (Managing Ed.)

**
Centre for Lebanese Studies, Oxford, England
Address: 59 observatory street
  Oxford.
Phone:  0865 58465
The Centre for Lebanese Studies is an independent academic 
research institution. It was founded in 1985 in association with 
the Middle East Centre at St. Antony's College, Oxford. Its 
aims are to promote international understanding of the country 
and issues facing it.
 The Centre initiates and publishes research papers and books 
on relevant historical, economic, political, sociological and 
cultural issues affecting Lebanon. It also organises conferences 
and seminars in order that ideas and views on the country's state 
of affairs may be exchanged.
 A registered charity, the Centre for Lebanese Studies relies on 
the backing of individuals who extend their support while 
preserving its autonomy under the supervision of an academic 
research committee.
(for details on books and publication read question 16)

*******
The US Arab Chamber of Commerce publishes a directory of companies
in New York doing business in the Middle East.

Their offices in New York are at 420 Lexington Ave, Suite 2739, NYC 
10170

THeir phone number is 212-986-8024. Good luck. david hirsch, ucla

************************************************************************
******
*

12. What are the projects you can contribute to help rebuild Lebanon ?
 
  There is a non-profit organization for Lebanese Academics and 
Professionals
that is working on development projects between Lebanon and North 
America.
It is called ALPA (Association of Lebanese Professionals and Academics)
to join or contact them, send e-mail to:

          alpa@lido.eng.uci.edu
or
          fawaz@harrier.berkeley.edu

************************************************************************
******
*

13.  Are there any information about The Cedars of Lebanon and/or 
     organizations that deal with this matter??

     There is two organizations that works on Cedars related matters, 
which
are the SPNL (the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon) and 
the 
FCF (the Freinds of the Cedar Forest).

     Following is the breif description of the FCF Comitee and it's 
activities
then a report of the SPNL about the cedar in Lebanon.

 the friends of the cedar forest committee:
  president: father george nakhle rahme
  vice-pres: antoine gebrayel tok
  treasurer: wahib keyrouz (who is also the conservationist
    of the gibran museum)
  secretary &
  official spokesman: bassam m. geagea
  head of the ecological team: dr. henriette tohme
  head of the phytopathology
  and plant protection team: dr. khalil melki
  head of the agricultural
  and decoration team:  wajdi geagea (engineer)
 
 the committee has transformed el-arz kadicha into a natural
 regional park, and their work is predominately in bsharee.

 a good - though old- source for more info on the cedars
 of lebanon is : "the remnant cedar forests of lebanon" by
 e.w.beals of the aub, published in the journal of ecology -
 volume 53, pages 679 to 694.


     The following is a Report issued by the SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION 
OF 
NATURE IN LEBANON, and posted by Kamel Saidi on SCL, for addresses 
please read the end of the article.



  Here is the preliminary report on the Cedars of Lebanon that
 was prepared by the SPNL.  I hope it helps some of you and I encourage
 anybody who is interested in joining SPNL to do so.  If you would like
 more information about SPNL, I will be more than happy to send you
 a full brochure about them.
 
 
 
     CEDARS OF LEBANON
      (Cedrus Libani)
 
          PRELIMINARY REPORT PREPARED BY SPNL
   (SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATURE IN LEBANON)
       February 1994
 
 A.  GENERAL
 
  Cedrus Libani is a native of Lebanon, hence the name.  It also
 occurs in Cyprus and Certain areas of Asia Minor.  It is a tall
 evergreen tree having short dark needle-like leaves and highly prized
 fragrant hard wood.
 
  Cedrus Libani has been known to survive for over 3000 years
 and some of the existing Cedars of Lebanon are over 2000 years old.
 However, the great demand for its famous wood since ancient times has
 largely denuded most of the natural Cedar forests in Lebanon and the
 surrounding area.
 
  King Solomon is said to have imported the fabled cedarwood
 from Lebanon in biblical times to be used in the building of the
 temple in Jerusalem.  So have the Egyptians and Phoenicians before
 him, as well as the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders and Ottomans
 in more recent times.
 
  During the first world war, the Turks decimated Lebanese
 forests, including a good part of the remaining cedars, to provide
 fuel for their railways in the area.  Further damage took place during
 the chaos of the civil strife in Lebanon between 1975 and 1991.
 
  However, the present peace in Lebanon may cause an even
 greater danger than the war to the remaining cedars of lebanon.  These
 dangers come from the following sources:
 
  a- Atmospheric pollution caused by the coastal cement
   plants in Chekka (which have been expanding their
   production to help the reconstruction efforts after
   the war), as well as other industrial air pollution.
   Although the Chekka cement plants have now been
   required to install anti-pollution equipment, more
   stringent regulations against air pollution should be
   enforced.
  b- An insect pest that has hit many of the cedars during
   the last few years, specially the Bsharri cedars.
   This requires further study and control.
  c- Lack of proper protection and the consequent trampling
   and abuse caused by goats and visitors to cedar
   forests.  The present peace has greatly increased the
   number of tourists, both local and foreign to the
   cedars, who are now able to venture to areas that were
   not secure during the war.  This endangers the
   ecological balance in areas where cedars occur.
 
 
 B.  OCCURRENCE
 
  Despite the foregoing ravages, and the ravages of the past 16
 years of chaos in Lebanon, Cedrus Libani still occurs in several
 ranges of the western slopes of Mount Lebanon between 1400 and 2000
 meters above sea level.  Some of these forests have been relatively
 well preserved while others, unfortunately, are still being abused and
 are in danger of further decimation.
 
  The areas in which the remaining cedar forests of Lebanon
 occur are the following:
 
 1-  Chouf Mountains
 
  a- Barouk Forest
 
   This is probably one of the better preserved cedar
   forests in the area and occurs on the western slopes
   of the Barouk mountains.  It covers an area of around
   100 hectares, with several thousand ancient trees
   still standing.
 
  b- Ain Zhalta Forest
 
   Also in the Chouf mountains, this forest covers around
   110 hectares.  It is relatively well preserved and as
   a result of this, we have noticed that parts of it
   have started to regenerate themselves through the
   natural growth of the new cedar seedlings over the
   last few years.
 
  c- Maasar El-Chouf Forest
 
   This is the furthest southern distribution of Cedrus
   Libani.  It covers around 6 hectares and is well
   preserved.  This forest is fenced and guarded by
   forest rangers who prevent any type of trespassing or
   activity in its environs, except by special permit.
 
   More work is required to protect and extend the Chouf
   mountain cedars.  The best way to do this, in our
   opinion, is to declare them both national and
   international wildlife reserves of great significance.
 
 
 2-  North Lebanon Mountains
 
  a- Bsharri
 
   Although this is the most famous of the ancient cedar
   forests in Lebanon, it is not very well preserved,
   with only 375 of the ancient trees still standing.
   This forest has been recently reopened to visitors and
   is used as a tourist attraction to the great detriment
   of the trees themselves.  Branches are still being
   chopped off and used to make souvenirs to sell to
   tourists, despite representations to the contrary.
   These cedarwood trinkets can be readily bought off
   street vendors around the Bsharri cedars.
 
   The Friends of the Cedars Committee in Bsharri has
   done some good work by planting several thousand new
   cedar seedlings in the last few years, and by trying
   to investigate the cause of the disease attacking many
   of the trees.  However, these efforts are still
   inadequate to ensure the continued preservation of
   this once great forest.  This requires closing it up
   to all visitors, except for special occasions, and
   putting it under the strict control of experienced and
   well trained forest rangers.
 
   The land of this forest is the property of the
   Maronite Church.  However, a church is situated in the
   midst of the forest and a main asphalt road passes
   under some of the ancient trees.  This situation is
   also detrimental for the preservation of this
   magnificent forest.
 
  b- Ehden Forest
 
   Also situated in north Lebanon, this forest has a
   great number of Fir (Abbies spp) and several other
   species of trees, besides Cedrus Libani.  This forest
   has been recently declared a protected area by the
   Lebanese government, under law No. 121 of 9 March,
   1992, as a result of pressure from several
   environmental organizations, including SPNL.
 
 
 3-  Other Stands of Cedars
 
     These are generally smaller and more scattered occurrences of
     Cedrus Libani than the above mentioned forests:
 
  a-  Jeij, in Jubail mountains (central Lebanon).
  b-  Tannourine, in Batroun area of north Lebanon.
  c-  Wadi Jahannam, in Akkar area of north Lebanon.
 
  All the above occurrences still need to be properly surveyed
  in detail to determine their extent and present condition,
  before any action can be taken to preserve them.
 
 
 C.  CONSERVATION
 
  SPNL believes that, despite the many dangers still facing the
 existence of the Cedars of Lebanon, if swift action is taken, the
 species can still be saved and may flourish again.  If we can get
 these forests to be declared as protected areas and prevent both
 people and goats from trampling around, together with continuous new
 plantings of cedars around existing forests, then we may still be able
 to make them regenerate themselves.
 
  Efforts have increased in recent years to preserve and expand
 the existing cedar forests in Lebanon.  Among the most important of
 these developments are the following:
 
 1- The establishment of a new Ministry of the Environment in
  Lebanon in 1993, as a result of pressure from many
  non-government organizations (NGO's), is a good beginning.  But
  it is only a beginning.
 
 2- A new association called the Society for Arz El-Chouf, whose
  objective is to preserve the cedars of the Chouf mountains,
  has been established in early 1994 by Minister Walid Junblat.
 
 3- SPNL and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) have proposed, in
  late 1993, a project to be funded by the United Nations
  Development Programme's (UNDP) Global Environmental Facility
  (GEF), in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment, to
  establish a new department of wildlife and protected areas in
  Lebanon.  The objectives of this department will be to
  safeguard biodiversity and natural ecosystems in Lebanon
  through the establishment of a system of national parks and

_
                                                                 

  protected areas.
 
  Three areas have been selected to start this project, namely:
 
  a-  Barouk Forest
  b-  Ehden Forest
  c-  Palm Island (off the coast of Tripoli)
 
  The Ministry of the Environment still has to make a decision
  and take necessary action to make this project reality.
 
 4- SPNL and the Lebanese government have requested the World Heritage
  Committee (WHC) of UNESCO to nominate the main cedar forests
  of Lebanon as historic sites of international importance.  A
  visit to Lebanon by Mr. Jim Thorsell of WHC was sponsored by
  SPNL in April 1993 to study this proposal.  But we still await
  further action by The Ministry of the Environment to bring
  this idea into actuality.
 
 5- In the meantime, SPNL is conducting a campaign to plant new
  cedar trees.  To this end, SPNL welcomes financial
  contributions for planting cedar trees in various areas where
  Cedrus Libani already occur in Lebanon.
 
  SPNL will plant one cedar tree in your name against a
  contribution of only 30 U.S. Dollars.
 
  Please contact us at the following address for further
  information:
 
  SPNL
  P.O. Box 11-5665
  Beirut, Lebanon
 
  Tel.:  (01)-343740/342701/344814
  Fax :  (961-1)-603208
  Telex: 20179 SARI LE
 
************************************************************************
******

14. Are there any information about ski resorts in Lebanon ??

The following is an article from the In-flight Magazine of MEA Airlines.

"The Story of Skiing in Lebanon", in Cedar Wings, The In-flight Magazine 
of
MEA, issue 20 March-April 1994, pp. 6-12, 16.

People are often surprised to discover that sunny Lebanon is a great 
place
to ski. Six winter resorts operate in the high mountains, where from
December to April heavy snow covers the rocky massif. The variety and
accessibility of these slopes, ranging from the Cedars in the North to
Kanat Bakiche nearer Beirut, make skiing one of the country's natural 
joys.

The sport got started in 1913 when a Lebanese engineer, fresh from his
studies in Switzerland, introduced skiing to his native country. But it
wasn't until the 1930's that a group of French and Lebanese young people
began to ski in earnest. These were a hardy lot, who in the days before 
ski
lifts would spend many hours trudging up steep slopes for the joy of a
single run down to the bottom.

"We didn't know anything about skiing except that we wanted to do it,"
reminisces Dr. Emile Riachi, now president of the Lebanese Ski 
Federation.
"We rented wooden skis, old fashioned leather boots with simple bindings
and we walked up the slope. To keep from slipping we put fox skins under
our skis."

These young enthusiasts went all over the country, starting out at dawn 
to
tramp up snowy slopes in the Cedars, Sannine, Barouk and Mount Hermon. 
It
was all adventure, but with no lifts, one or two descents a day was most
they could hope for.

A nucleus of more serious skiing began in 1935 when the French army
established a ski school near Bisharre, in the famous Cedars. Those were
the days of the French mandate and the army's idea was to train soldiers 
to
patrol the rugged mountains.

The army school's most enduring contribution, however, was the 
generation
of expert Lebanese skiers who formed the first Olympic team and later
helped spread ski fever throughout the country. Since 1948 Lebanon has 
sent
skiers to every winter Olympics and they have always made a good 
showing.
Unfortunately, the 1994 winter Olympics have not seen the Cedar flag.
According to the Ski Federation, new Olympic regulations have 
effectively
disqualified a number of smaller countries, including Lebanon.

One of the first ski lifts in the Lebanese mountains, a mechanical snow
climber, was built in the late 1940's on the slopes of Dahr al-Baidar.
Today travellers to Chtaura and Damascus can still see the remains of 
this
disused 370-meter tow on the high pass. In 1951 the big chair lift in 
the
Cedars was erected and tows and lifts began appearing in Laklouk and
Ouyoune es-Siman (Faraya-Mzaar).

With modern facilities available, Lebanon's skiers got on the fast 
track.
In the 1960's they organized a Ski Federation. Later a high level Ski
Committee was set up, headed by the Director General of Tourism. 
European
instructors were brought in and international competitions organized. 
The
annual Cedars Ski Week, listed on the International Ski Federation
Calender, attracted participants from many European countries. Tourists
also started heading for the snow as part of their packaged itineraries.

Energized by this success, ski developers and travel agents began to
publicize one of the country's greatest claims to fame - its weather. 
"Only
in Lebanon," they announced to the world, "can you ski in the morning 
and
go to the beach in the afternoon."

It's true that Lebanon's weather is crucial to its ski appeal. Investors 
in
one proposed winter resort observed the weather at the site for three
years. Finally they reported that it was almost possible to tell how 
many
days of powder, crust, boilerplate or corn snow could be expected. Other
planners compared conditions at 11 European ski locates with those in
Lebanon. Their conclusion? Lebanon looked good, very good indeed.

Once the Lebanese discovered the thrill of skiing, they stayed with it,
even during the civil war. In fact, according to the Ski Federation, the
sport has steadily developed at the rate of 15 to 20 percent annually, 
even
during the fighting. "This year", says Dr. Riachi "you can expect to see
some 10,000 skiers on the slopes on a god Sunday in March."

Despite his enthusiasm, however, Dr. Riachi is not yet ready to 
advertise
Lebanon as a ski paradise. "We are still feeling the effects of the 
war",
he admitted. "Telephone communications to the mountains are not good and 
we
need more facilities. Hopefully, we'll be ready for foreign tourists in 
a
few years."

Lebanon's Ski Federation and resort owners are gearing up to achieve 
this
goal. A mini-building boom is underway in the higher elevations as
investors and enthusiasts work to enlarge and improve their facilities.
This season will see three new ski lifts at Ouyoune Es-Siman (Faraya-
Mzaar)
as well as improved snow maintenance equipment. New hotels and chalets,
restaurants and shops are in the works in most locations.  Safety has 
also
been beefed up. The Lebanese Ski Committee is applying new measures at 
all
resorts. Flags and signs will warn of poor snow conditions or dangerous
areas. A rescue team will be stationed at each slope and all resorts 
will
be equipped with first-aid supplies, an ambulance and a medical team.

Ski competitions are in the forefront this season with a varied schedule 
of
national contests, including the first cross-country competition since
1975. Next year the Federation hopes to organize Lebanon's first postwar
international competitions.

Perhaps it's not surprising then, that Lebanon is such a great place to
ski. With stunning wide-angle views at every turn and slopes ti suit 
every
level, skiing becomes a special experience. But, like Lebanon itself, 
much
lies in its potential.

"We are ready to start moving on this", says Dr. Riachi, who, 
remembering
the time when there were no lifts at all, knows just how far the sport 
has
come in Lebanon.

Cedars
The Cedars, 121 kilometers (75 miles) from Beirut, is perched on a 
platform
at 2,066 meters (6,300 feet) elevation in a great bowl scooped from the
towering peaks. Qornet al Souda reaches up 3,100 meters (10,135 feet)
offering a superb view of Qadisha valley to the south and the Bekaa 
plain
in the north. The ancient cedar trees, survivors of the magnificent 
giants
that nice covered the entire area, are both a land-mark and symbol.

As for skiing, the Cedars offers the most complete combinations of 
slopes,
valleys and exposures of any resort in Lebanon, most of them with an 
ideal
northwest exposure. But this natural ski paradise remains relatively
undeveloped compared with its rivals. Its 2,400-meter chair lift, built 
in
1951, has been out of service for two years, although four good T-bar 
tows
carry skiers up to 2,300 meters (7,500 feet). The Cedars has a number of
chalets and hotels, ski shops, restaurants and a varied night life.

Faqra
Faqra, now a private club, is located south of Ouyoune as-Siman
(Faraya-Mzaar) at 1,750 meters (5,741 feet). Its ski trails overlook the
sea and the bay of Beirut. Facilities include a hotel, 200 private 
chalets,
restaurants, a heated pool, squash, sauna, tennis, and a fitness club. 
The
slopes are equipped with a chair lift, 2 ski lifts, and a baby lift. The
resort also features an international slalom track. Members only. 
Special
arrangements are available for tourists.

Kanat Bakiche
Kanat Bakiche, with an elevation of 1,990 meters (6,065 feet) is located 
on
Mount Sannine near Faqra. This centre, 48 kilometers (29 miles) from
Beirut, is known for the good quality of its snow. There are 2 ski 
lifts,
and hotels are available in the area.

Laklouk
Laklouk was established by banker Joseph Saab in the early 1950's. Set
among terraced orchards, its safe, gentle slope was dynamited out of a
nearby cliff. Known as a family resort, Laklouk is remarkable for the 
stark
beauty of its surroundings. Sixty kilometers from Beirut (37 miles), it 
is
1,740 meters (5,708 feet) high. It has three ski lifts, hotels, chalets 
and
other facilities.

Ouyoune es-Siman, generally known as Faraya-Mzaar after the nearby 
village,
was established by Sheik Selim al-Khazen, who early on saw the area's
potential. Mzaar is a region rich in natural curiosities, among them the 
30
meter bridge carved from the rock by wind and rain. From Mzaar, one of 
the
finest views in Lebanon takes in the Bekaa, Mount Hermon, Laklouk, the
Cedars and the coast. Skiers are often able to see the sprawling city of
Beirut outlined below.

Fifty-four kilometers from Beirut (34 miles), Ouyoune es-Siman has an
elevation of 1,891 meters (5,763 feet). It is one of the best equipped 
and
maintained of Lebanon's resorts, with 11 lifts, including 2 chair lifts,
which connect trails ranging from beginner's to advanced. There are
chalets, hotels, ski shops and other facilities available.

Zaarour
Zaarour, 37 kilometers (29 miles) from Beirut, is a small resort on the
wester flank of Mount Sannine where a splendid panorama takes in the 
famous
Valley of Skulls ("Wadi el Jamajem"). About an hour's drive from Beirut,
the center is equipped with ski lifts and a snack bar, but lacks hotels 
and
other facilities. Elevation is about 1,990 (6,065 feet). Owner Michel 
Murr
plans to develop Zaarour as a private club.

************************************************************************
*****


15. What are the various Lebanese magazines and newspapers.

  Some of the newspapers are:

Al Hayat  (published in London, New York as well as in Beirut)*
Al Nahar
Al Safeer
Al Anwar

* addresses of al-hayat:
Main office:
London
        KEINSIGTON CENERE,
        66 HAMMERSMITH ROAD,
        LONDON W14 8YT
        UK
        
        tel: 071-6029988
        Fax: 071-3714215
             071-3714225
 Telex: 925746
 Administration: 
  tel: 071-6029988
  Fax: 071-6024963
  Telex: 925751
  tel: 071-6052122
  Fax: 071-6024514
        Advertising: Media Force
        London : tel: 071-6027383
                 Fax: 071-6025023
        Jeddah : tel: 02-6608458
        Beirut : tel: 498967
        Ryad   : tel: 4640352

Washington office:
        AL HAYAT
        1185 National Press Building
        Washington DC, 20045
        USA
 Tel: 202 783 5544
 Fax: 202 783 5525
New York office:
 AL HAYAT
 Press Room C-321
 United Nation Bldg,
 New York 10017
 USA
 Tel/Fax: 212 486 0576, 212 963 7619

 Some magazines:

Al Nahar al Arabi wal Duwali
Al Hawadess

"  Paul Salem, the assistant dean of Arts & Sciences at AUB has set up 
(I
think with the help of his father Elie Salem the ex-foreign minister) 
the
Lebanese Center for Policy Study, which deals with all political, 
social,
and economic aspects of the Lebanese arena with a special emphasis on
policy matters. 

  They produce a monthly publication called the Lebanon Report and a
quarterly journal (a la Foreign Affairs) called Middle East Review. The
office they have in the US is mainly for the circulation of these
publications. "

They provide the following addresses:

The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies

Lebanon:  Tayyar Center
          Box 55215, Sin Al-Fil
          Beirut, Lebanon
          Tel. 961-1-490561/6
          Fax  961-1-490375

USA:  P.O. Box 1377 
      Highland Park, NJ 08904
      Phone: 908-220-0885
      Fax: 908-937-6697



  A very good source of information on economic developments in Lebanon 
is the Middle East Economic Digest, which is published weekly, in 
English.
To subscribe, send a letter to the following address:

P.O. Box 14
Harold Hill
Romford
Essex RM3 8 EQ
U.K.

It costs 275 sterlings in the UK, 300 sterlings outside the U.K.
No special concessions are offered for students.
The AUB Alumni Science Subcommittee publishes a quarterly magazine (Sci-
Quest)
that is distributed free of charge (in Lebanon--outside Lebanon, you may 
have
to pay a small amount to cover mailing charges). To get on the mailing 
list,
contact:

 Sci-Quest
 AUB Alumni Science Subcommittee
 AUB Alumni Club
 American University of Beirut
 P.O. Box 11-0236
 Beirut, Lebanon.


The Lebanon Report
   Dicussing every thing of what happened in the last month in Lebanon + 
Pictures. People who read they found it extremly helpful and very 
objective. 
It is written from a neutral point of views and does not belong to any 
faction. It is centered in Sin-El-feal (east beirut). I highly recommed 
it 
to anyhow how is interested. 

there address is:

  The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
   P.O.Box 1377,
   Highland Park, NJ, 08904

   Tel: 908-220-0885
   Fax: 908-937-6697



************************************************************************
******
*

16. Where can I find Lebanese magazines and newspapers.

   In NY/NJ, you can buy it in the World Trade Center, in Penn Station,
Newark,
NJ, and in Arab shopping areas (see below).

In Boston there is the "out of town news" which sells them. It is 
located
Harvard square, right outside the "T" station.
It has several newspapers including "al hayat" and "al hawadeth". 

  In Norway, many big libraries have  magazines and newspapers relating 
to
the Middle East. In Arabic there is the Ahram or the British based 
alHayat
or Sharq al-Awsat.

  In Oslo the small Kiosk besides Saga cinema sells magazines and 
newspapers
that relate to the Middle East. The University of Oslo publishes a 
magazine
called Midtosten Forum that takes up issues related to the Middle East.
Most articles are in Norwegian, but there are some in English or other
Scandinavian languages. To get this magazine write to:

Midtosten Forum
Tidsskriftredaksjonen
1030 Blindern
0315 Oslo
Norway

In Montreal, There are the "Maisons de la presses internationales", that
have a wide variety of Arabic/Lebanese newspapers and magazines. They 
have 
the daily Al-Hayat (printed in NY), Al-Hawadeth, Al-Wasat, Al-Watan Al-
Araby,
etc.
"Les Maisons" have three locations on St-Catherines st. in downtown 
Montreal.
Other downtown Kiosques and arabic food stores, get Al-Hayat and other 
papers
and magazines.

A couple of local Lebanese papers are issued in Montreal weekly or bi-
weekly,
the most important are Al-Mustaqbal and Sawt-Canada. These papers 
contain news
from Lebanon and the middle-east as well as news of the Arab and 
Lebanese
communities in Canada.

************************************************************************
******
*

17. What has been written by Lebanese and/or about Lebanon ?

  What follows are titles of books by contemporary Lebanese writers 
available
in English.(They all deal with the war in one aspect or another).

Kamal Salibi, "A House of Many Mansions, The History of Lebanon
Reconsidered", 1988.

Emily Nasrallah, _Flight Against Time_ trans. Issa J. Boullata.
Charlettetown, P.E.I.: Ragweed Press, 1987.
  This is a very touching depiction of an older man's inability to get
  used to life in Canada, where his children live and where they want
  him to move because of the outbreak of the war in Lebanon.  The old
  man's attachment to his Lebanese village is conveyed in a simple,
  direct style, making his predicament that much more poignant.

Elias Khoury, _Little Mountain_ trans. Maia Tabet. Minneapolis: Univ.
of Minnesota Press, 1989.

_
                                                                                                                       

  What I find really interesting about this book is its post-modern
  style.  The narrative point view, speaker, time, place, all shift
  without warning.  It is almost as though Khoury is trying to re-create
  stylistically the disjunctions and disruptions occasioned by the
  civil war in Lebanon. (his representation of women, however, is
  rather sexist in my view)

Etel Adnan, _Sitt Marie Rose_ Post Apollo Press, 1978.
  In this work Adnan narrates the experiences of a Maronite woman who
  falls in love with a Palestinian and is kidnapped by a group of men
  (her co-religionists  among whom is an old school friend of hers.
  Her experiences are witnessed by her students who are deaf-mutes.
  This is a very powerful and disturbing book.

Etel Adnan, "five senses for one death." The Smith Special Issue 18, 
1971.
  This is a long imagistic poem by Adnan.

Jean Said Makdisi, _Beirut Fragments: A War Memoir_ New York: Persea 
Books,
1990.
  Makdisi is a Palestinian-Lebanese who describes her experiences in war-
  torn Beirut.  For her those experiences, which she retells in very
  moving terms, and her determination to stay in Beirut make her a true
  Beiruti.  Her love for Beirut and her agony over what is happening to
  it are quite clear.  Employing different styles (chronicle, 
descriptive
  narrative etc.) in different chapters, Makdisi ends her book with a
  very moving poem. 

Here's the poem :

"Is it possible to hope that from the rubble of war, which at certain
times seemed to haved ended civilization, a new form might arise and
permit future creativity?  There is something of the alpha and omega
in this hope, is there not?

Zbale   garbage surrounds us, everywhere we look, there are piles of
        rubbish, debris, there is stench and ugliness, we

Yield   always we yield to the force of things, we are in danger of
        surrendering to despair, and to the ease of

Xenophobia
        there is always someone else to blame for what has happened to
        us, it's never our fault, oh no, and meanwhile we are

Waiting always waiting, for the others, for the solution, waiting for
        them to let the water come gurgling into our empty taps, waiting
        for the walls to crumble

Weary   of the never ending

War     we listen, overwhelmed with sorrow and anger to the the empty

Words   the endless empty rhetoric which has only brought more

Violence
        while the

Veneer  of fashion glitters like a worthless, forgotten coin in a
        mound of rubble as it catches the sun.

Ugliness
        surrounds us, the ugliness of a broken city, ugly buildings
        sprouting up everywhere, ugly streets, whole neighborhoods, the
        beauty of mountains is destroyed by utilitarian ugliness, and

Time    weighs heavily on us--our days are long, and we carry History
        on our backs, an intolerable burden--but History gave us also

Tyre    and

Tripoli and

Sidon   timeless relics from the past, ancient, beautiful, but

Scarred by war and the suffering of

Refugees
        We are a land of refugees, a people of refugees, coming from
        everywhere, going nowhere.

Refugees
        make beautiful causes, but they are people--their trucks piled
        high with the pathetic remnants of former lives, mattresses and
        goats and children and stoves--they have found no

Quicksand
        in which everyone sinks.  We are in a

Prison  of violence and forgotten ideals.  Still,

Peace   will come, and

Oppression
        will end, must end, and

Nemesis will come, but not with more

Militias
        certainly not with more fighting men, nor with more

Lies    the lies told by everyone to preserve the war and to preserve 
the

Knitting
        together of the unravelling whole.

Justice In war there is no Justice, and it is not from War that Justice
        will come.

Jbeil   ancient Byblos, and

Jounieh with its ancient harbors and stunning bay, emerald mountains
        dipping into the blue sea and searching into the azure skies,
        they are in danger of drifting away from us, but someday perhaps
        there will be

Joy     and

Jubilation
        when this war ends and the

Internecine
        butchery ends.  They say

Hope    springs eternal and so it does, in spite of the

Guns    and the

Fawda   the anarchy which threatens us at every turn, because

Earth   around us is beautiful: the gray rocks on the sheer cliffs, the
        shimmering silver leaves of the olive trees, the deep dark green
        of the ancient cedars, the sweet smell of the pine forests, the
        oranges dotted like yellow stars in the sparkling groves that 
lie
        by the blue seas.  Meanwhile, our

Days    pass, drearily, with explosions shattering the stillness of the
        nights.  Our senses are dulled by the

Catastrophe
        that has been upon us here in

Beirut  --poor, ugly, stricken Beirut, broken Beirut, unloved city, lost
        Beirut, like the child in the tale, torn between two mothers, 
but
        no Solomon here, no true mother.

Beirut  pleads to be redeemed, but not by

Another

Army.
...........................
(This poem is more effective as a culmination to Makdisi's memoirs.  It
is reproduced here without permission.)

Hanan Al-Shaykh, -The Story of Zahra_ trans. Peter Ford. New York: 
Quartet
Books, 1986.

  Zahra is a shia Lebanese living in Beirut during the war (though she 
also
goes to West Africa for a while).  I won't give away the plot but only
mention that she has a very complex relationship with a sniper.  I 
really
liked this book.  It deals very frankly with sensitive issues such as 
sex
and politics, and especially with the struggles of women.

  Other Lebanese writers I like but for whom I have yet to see anything
published in English are Ghada el Samman and Layla Baalbakki.  Excerpts
of their works are available in English in anthologies such as -Opening
the Gates_ edited by Margot Badran and Miriam Cooke. Indiana UP, 1990
and _Middle Eastern Muslim Women Speak_ edited by Elizabeth Warnock
Fernea and Basima Qattan Bezirgan. Univ. of Texas Press, 1977.  There
are several other anthologies out as well.

  The University of Chicago library has an excellent collection of books
in Arabic.  You might search there for what's available. UC Berkeley
also has a very good collection.  There is at least one bookstore that
I know of in San Francisco called The Arabic Book Center that also
supplies books in Arabic as well as English.  They will order books
for you as well. 

  If you want to read good books by Lebanese writers, Amin Malouf has
written "Samarcande", "Leon l'africain", and "Les croisades vues par
les Arabes".  These books were best sellers in France.
(Samarcande in particular is HIGHLY recommended).

  Amin Maalouf's books have been translated into English.
Here are the English titlesof two of them:

  "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" trans. Jon Rothschild. Schocken 
Books,
New York, 1987.

  "Leon l'africain" has also been translated.  The English title is
Leo Africanus. 

[Begin French]

  Le dernier roman d'Amin Maalouf s'intitule "Le rocher de Tanios". Ce 
dernier
roman a pris le pris de Gouncourt 1993 [le prix le plus important en 
France] 
voici ce que dit le journal francais Le figaro dans son numero de 9 Nov 
1993:
[debut le figaro]
Le FIGARO 9 Nov 1993
[Titre]: "Le Rocher de Tanios": contre tous le fanatismes 
Par Laurence Vidal

 Il n'a eu quelques jours pour devenir nerveux. Amin Maaalouf, il y a 
une semaine encore, n'osait sans doute pas esperer le Goncourt. Depuis 
fin 
aout, deja, tout le monde jurait un autre, Marc Lambron, favori des
Academiens.
Ceux-ci ne dementaient pas. Il a fallu le coup d'eclat des dames du 
Femina
qui,
devancant les Dix de trois jours, leur ont rafle leur candidat, pour la 
place,

devenue libre, commence a susciter de nouveaux espoirs. Dans la 
redistribution

des cartes, Amin Maalouf semblait le mieux dote. C'est chose faite. Le 
Rocher 
de Tanios (1), Goncourt 1993: un prix merite. Un choix heureux, quels 
qu'aient

ete les aleas coups de theatre et jeux de massacres quil'ont precede.

 Heureux, d'abord, parce que le romain, cette legende revisitee des 
annees 1830 au mont Liban, a quoi charmer le public large sans demeriter 
pour 
autant aux yeux du lecteur difficile(2). Heureux, ensuite parce qu'est
recompense un auteur, un ecrivain, qui, depuis dix ans, eleve 
inlassablement 
le double de conteuret de foi d'humaniste andide.

 Descendant d'une famille qui, depuis le XVIIIe siecle a donne au Liban 
une vigntaine d'ecrivains, Amin est fils de Ruchdi Maalouf, journaliste 
et 
ecrivain  lui-meme, enseignant, peintre, poete et grande figure du 
Beyrouth
des
annees 40 a 80. Dans le sillage de ce pere aime et respecte qui "revait 
d'une 
democratie ideale et a beaucoup souffert de l'echec d'une republique 
fraternelle", Amin Maalouf aprend tres tot le sens du mot "paix". Ce 
chretien 
du Liban eleve par les jesuites a ete facone par la double culture, 
arabe et 
francaise, par le gout des lettres et l'esprit e tolerance.

 Diplome de sociologie et d;economie politique, Amin Maalouf,  tres tot,
reprend l'un des flambeux paternels et devient journaliste. Il est a 
Saigon a 
la fin de la guerre du vietnam. On le retrouve dans l'avion qui ramene 
en Iran

l'ayatollah Khomeini. Quant a la premiere fusillade entre Palstieniens 
et 
Phalangistes, qui fitplus de 20 morts et mis le feu aux poudres de 
Beyrouth, 
elle eut lieu sous les fenetres de son appartement familail.

 L'annee suivante Amin Maalouf s'installe a Paris. Et c'est en 1983 que 
parait son premeir ouvrage: Les croisades vuespar les arabes(3). Une vie
passee
a jeter un pont entre ses deux meres, l'Orient et l'Occident, vient de 
comencer.
Car cet homme a vecu vignt-sept ans sur une terre dechiree par des 
conflits a 
caracteres religieux, cet erudit souriant qui eclare parfois ecrire " 
parce
que
j'ai besoin de reflechir sur ma vie, sur mon siecle", n'abandonnera 
jamais les

freres ennemis, qu'ils soient d'ici ou d'ailleurs.

 C'est 1986, Leaon l'Africain (3), biographie tres romancee de Hassan 
Al-Wazzan, alias Jean Leon de Medicis, ce musulman ne en  Grecnade en 
1488, 
mort en Tunis vers 1555, et entre-temps baptise a Rome par le pape Leon 
X,
dont
il fut le conseiller et l'ambassadeur. Portrait d'un homme qui resume en 
lui, 
et reconcilie, toutes les contradictions, les dechirements et les
affrontements
d'une epoque. Place ensuite a Omar Khayyam, poete, astronome et 
philosophe 
persan. que l'on retrouve dans Samarcande (4). Une sceptique dans la 
lignee 
d'Avicenne, un chantre du Carpe diem qui preferait les femmes et le vin 
au 
fanatisme religieux. Puis toujours en quete de figures symboliques, Amin 
Maalouf s'interesse a Mani.

 C'est le jardin des lumieres (3) en 1991, ou se revele un prophete qui 
n'a rien a d'un manicheen au sens ou on l'enetend aujourd'hui, mais qui 
recommande, au contraire de nourir la lumiere qui se cache en chaque 
etre et 
chaque chose; qui prone une foi reconciliee, melange de christianinsme, 
de 
boudisme et de zoroastisme(les trois religions dominantes dans la perse 
des 
Sassanides). Belle constate d'un ecrivain  qui, dans le Premier Siecle 
apres 
Beatrice (1), nous depins une humanite du XXIe siecle qi nous ressemble 
comme 
une soeur, se dechire, et menace de se detruire.

 Avec Le Rocher de Tanios, pour la premiere fois, Amin Maaalouf a rompu 
la distance qu'il avit toujours maintenue vec ses livres. C'est le 
retour au 
Liban, a Kfaryabda, village des ancetres, en un siecle ou deja les 
interets 
etrangeres soufflent la tempete sous les branches du Cedre. La encore 
dans ce 
roman ou plane " toute la subtile et trouble poesie du conte 
oriental"(2), 
c'est le refus de se laisser entrainer dans l'enchainement des 
vengeances  
qu'il illustre. Dans un monde qui "se bestialise", auand " les citoyens 
les 
plus paisibles se transforment soudain en tueurs" parce qu'ils sentent 
leur 
communaute menacee, c'est, encore toujours, la proffession d'une foi 
inderacinable chez cet homme blesse a mort par tous les fanatismes: " Il 
n'est

qu'une valeur immuable: la liberte de la personne humaine".

 Ainsi parle Amin Maalouf prophete dans le desert, prix Goncourt 1993.

(1) Grasset
(2) Figaro 17 Sep 
(3) Latte`s
(4) Latte`s, 1988 Prix de maison de presse

[fin le figaro]

un autre roman c'est  "Les jardins de lumiere". 
Il raconte l'histoire de "Mani", un oriental qui a vecu au 3eme siecle,
et fonde une nouvelle religion, le "manicheisme".
Son principe de base etait le respect de toutes les religions 
(Christianisme, Boudhisme, ... l'Islam n'existait pas encore).
Apres s'etre repandu un peu partout (de l'Inde jusqu'en Europe, en 
passant 
par la Perse, le Moyen Orient, l'Egypte ...) cette religion a disparu 
vers le 
12eme siecle a cause des nombreuses persecutions de la part des autres 
religions (Christianisme, Islam ...). Bref, le roman est une sorte
de biographie imaginaire qui constitue neanmoins une vraie lecon de 
tolerance
et pose beaucoup de questions sur l'interet des religions ...
  Personnellement, j'ai lu les trois romans d'A.M. : "Leon l'africain",
"Samarcande" et "Les jardins de lumiere". Tous les trois sont excellents 
(a mon avis) mais j'ai eu une legere preference pour "Samarcande".
  En realite, je pense que ce qui plait aux occidentaux dans les oeuvres 
de 
Maalouf c'est son style de "conteur" (Haqawaati), auquel ils sont peu 
habitues

(parfois il va un peu trop loin dans l'invraisemblance des  
coincidences...) 

[End French]

  Robert Fisk,"Pity The Nation - The Abduction of Lebanon", Oxford 
Paperbacks,
1990, ISBN 0-19-285235-3, approx $16.00

  Fisk is an AP correspondent who reported on the war in Lebanon *from*
Lebanon since its inception in the mid 70's.  A devastating book.
  'Required' reading for anyone interested in an unbiased account
of the wars in Lebanon. Covers events through the late 80's.


  Thomas Friedman, "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

  Jonathan Randall, "Going All The Way"

  N. Alamuddin

Title:      Turmoil: Druzes, Lebanon and the arab-israeli conflict

Publisher:  Quartet books (London)

ISBN        07043 7050 6     (hard back)
     07043 0189 x     (paper back)

     Price:      14.95  (English pounds), hard back.
   9.95        //         , paper back.

The book has recently been published and it is useful to those 
interested
in the Lebanese politics and the history of Lebanon.

For those interested in the affairs of the Arab world, especially, the 
issue
of identity, Xavier de Planbol offers his ideas in a new book in French.
The book :

Les nations du prophete, manuel geographique de politique Musulmane.

Author: Xavier de Planbol.

Evelyne Accad :
_Sexuality and War :  Literary Masks of the Middle East_
New York :  New York University Press,  c1990
The topics in this book seem to include:
 Arabic fiction--Lebanon--History and criticism.  
 Arabic fiction--20th century--History and criticism.  
 Lebanese fiction (French)--History and criticism.  
 Sex in literature.  
 Feminism in literature.  
 Violence in literature.  
 Sexual animosity--Lebanon.
 Sexual animosity--Arab countries.  
 Lebanon--History--Civil War, 1975-1976--Literature and the
 war.

Stefan Wild, Libanesische Ortsnamen, Typologie und Deutung, Beirut 1973.
(Lebanese place names: their typoligie and meaning). This books belongs 
to a
series called: Beiruter Texte und Studien, vol. 9

Wild's book is in German  :(, yet he has an excellent summary in 
English.
Here is a quotation from the summary:

"A very interesting feature [in Lebanese place names] is presented by
sound-shifts due to an etymologizing tendency. This phenomenon was 
called in a
recent most illuminating study by Joshua Blau (On Pseudo-Corrections in 
Some
Semitic Languages) 'hyper-correction due to over self assertion'. In
correction with Lebanese place-names it means that an Aramaic place-
name, when
taken over by an arabophone population may be changed in its consonantic 
and/
or vocalic structure in accordance with an etymologically related Arabic
model.
We find Sibliin < Aramaic Shibbliin 'ears (of wheat)' an Aramaic plural 
form,
with its initial 'sh' shifted to 's' under the influence of the 
etymologically
related Arabic 'sabal' with the same meaning. Another example is 
Biskinta <
Aramaic bee Shkinta 'house of dwelling', under the influence of the 
Arabic
root
'skn'. The etymology is, of course, not necessarily 'correct' from a
linguist's
point of view. A name like Nakhli most probably derives from the Aramaic
'naHla' 'valley, waadi'. Since Aramaic 'H' frequently corresponds to to 
Arabic
'kh', the Arabic word 'nakhl' 'palm-trees' could easily but wrongly be
associated with the Aramaic form..." (p.327)
"It is reasonably plausible to suggest that similar developments took 
place
when the Canaanite-speaking population gave way to Aramaic speakers, and 
even
before, when pre-Canaanite (pre-Semitic?) place-names were molded into
Canaanite. BUt our data are insufficient to quote examples." (pp.327, 
328)

"The great majority of place names in Lebanon, in fact about two thirds, 
is

_
                                


Arabic. The rest are chiefly Aramaic, some Canaanite (not more than 2%) 
and a
sprinkling of Greek names like Traablus < Tripolis, Turkish names like 
Qashlaq
< Kishlaa 'winter quarters', and French like Bois de Boulogne...."

"This clear cut division [of place names into Arabic, Aramaic etc.] is,
however, misleading. A large number of names must have shifted 
morphologically
from Canaanite to Aramaic and/or from Aramaic to Arabic. This is 
demonstrable
in cases like 'Jbail'. This name sounds now like a purely Arabic 
toponym, a
very common 'f@ail'-diminutive of 'jabal' 'mountain'. We happen to know,
however that the same place is attested as 'ku-ub-la' in Sumerian texts 
of the
third millennium BC., a time when it is impossible to think of an Arabic
origin. While the original meaning of the name is unknown, the structure
makes it highly probable that it was a Semitic name, and we may be 
justified
in calling it Early Canaanite. If we did not know the pre-Arabic 
evidence, and
this is the point, we should be obliged to interpret 'Jbail' as a quite 
recent
purely Arabic name. The only was to prove that an existing  Arabic-
looking and
-sounding name is in reality pre-Arabic, is of course to find an 
attested
pre-Arabic form. As the majority of Lebanese place-names which can be 
attested
at all before the 20th. century, are to be found at best in late 
medieval
sources, a pre-Arabic origin can normally be suspected [as Frayha does],
rarely
proved. There is however one further piece of circumstantial evidence
indicating that the shift of place-names must have frequently. We may 
safely
assume that the general ecological  conditions determining, why names 
were
given
to places remained fairly stable from Canaanite times up to the 
beginning of
industrialization in the 20th. century. We are therefore justified in 
assuming
that the proportion of compound place-names like '@ain'... 'spring of' 
or
'bait'... house of' was in early times as great as it is now. The most

important of the appelatives used to form place names are the same in
Canaanite, Aramaic and Arabic: @ain, @ainaa, @ayin 'source'; bait, 
baitaa,
bayit 'house'; karam, karmaa, kerem 'vineyard'; tall, tellaa, tel 
'hill'; and
many others. The close structural and etymological relation between
place-names
the three languages involved has made the transformation of place-names 
very
easy, and conversely often renders distinction between place-names of
Canaanite, Aramaic and Arabic origin very difficult. The place-names 
which
have
preserved their Canaanite or Aramaic character are the exception rather 
than
the rule." (pp. 328, 329)

"... Place names show the Lebanon as a resort of te pious, where 
Canaanite
gods, Christian saints and Muslim sheikhs mingle. Valleys and rivers, 
springs
and forests, peaks and mountain stamp the life of the people. Place-
names, the
linguistically petrified remnants of cultural history, preserve the 
memory of
the cedar, where there are no more cedars, and recall roaming wolves and 
bears
where is today no more than the occasional fox. Generations of hunters 
and
farmers, shepherds and hermits have left their unmistakable imprint on
Lebanese
toponomy. At a time where, in the Syrian desert, the Bedouin are 
beginning to
use place-names like ij-jfuur (the pump-station H4), and the industrial 
age in
Lebanon is dawning, the spectrum of Lebanese place-names shows us an
enthralling and extraordinary vivid picture of yesterday." (p. 330)


  Here is a review that recently appeared in TIME magazine of Ziad 
Rahbani's
latest play:

>From TIME Magazine (May 31, 1993)

SIGHTINGS by Emily Mitchell (p.61)

THEATER Lebanon
You Gotta Have Wasta
"Of Dignity and Stubborn Folk"
Written and Directed by Ziad Rahbani

ACT I: BEIRUT, 1998.
Syrian and Israeli troops have withdrawn from Lebanon, and the
country can determine its own fate. But greed is ascendant, and
mayhem is at hand. In kaleidoscopic scenes, belly dancers
alternate with news flashes and fake TV commercials, while people
boast of their "wasta" (connections). When an old Armenian is
electrocuted trying to repair a generator that is the only power
source, an announcement is made: " He was the last Armenian in
Lebanon - nothing technical will work again . "

ACT II: BEIRUT, 2003.
Though the country is in its death throes, sectarianism has not
expired. Animals join the few surviving Lebanese, and an
orangutan wants to vote. "What is your religion?" the humans
demand. Cannibals garbed in animal skin- and holding
walkie-talkies - proclaim a new credo:" We only eat our
friends."

In this bleak, gallows-humor play, Ziad Rahbani parodies Lebanese
society and evokes the pessimism of Orwell's 1984. The daily
"Hayat" notes that "Rahbani is like those animals that feel the
earthquake before it happens." 
"Of Dignity and Stubborn Folk" is selling out in Beirut's
620-seat Piccadilly Theater, and audiences sense that the tremors
may already have begun.


There is Charles Glass's book "tribes with flags", an 
account of his travels from Iskandaron to lebanon (i.e. until he was 
kidnapped).
 ISBN 0-87113-457-8
there is one part of the book that you might enjoy, a brief 
description of the Levant. (note: Levant are the eastern coasts of the
Mediterranean)

 "The battlefields were also vineyards, and fruit trees sprouted from
 ancient graves. Where men had drawn swords, hurled spears and fired
 automatic rifles, children played. Rivers that armies had forged in
 the night to surround an enemy provided family picnic sites. The sea
 in which navies displayed their cannon was beautiful to look at and
 cool to swim in.  With what little there was from the land and sea,
 the people made their lives rich and lavish.  The divisions that
 were a source of conflict also gave wealth...In a small area, there
 seems to be the sights, sounds and smells of all the world"

another interesting quote 

 "A man may find Naples or Palermo merely pretty
 but the deeper violet, the splendor
 and desolation of the Levant waters
 is something that drives into the soul."

   James Elroy Flecker (British poet)
   Beirut, October 1914






Another book is titled "The Struggle Over Lebanon" by Tabitha Petran.  
It
was published in 1987 by Monthly Review Press (New York). The book is
a well-written analysis of the making of modern Lebanon and chronicles
the war years.  The analysis is particularly rich in identifying the
roles and actions of external actors and does a superb job linking
these outside interests with the local leadership that allied itself
to them.  

The back cover holds strong recommendations for the book by three
authorities on the area.  They are Rachid Khalidi, Edward Said, and
Noam Chomsky.  Said calls it "an astonishing chronicle...a powerful and
magisterial narrative dense with human dram and political insight."
Petran is unique among westerners that have written about Lebanon in
that she was not an "in and out quick" journalist.  Unlike so many who
wrote about the  Lebanese war, she did not visit the country for a few
weeks, squeeze in a dozen interviews and then provide western audiences 
with a shallow tale of how horrible life was at the Commodore hotel.

Petran lived in Lebanon from 1962 till 1986.  She had a clear view of
the pre-war conditions and of the modern history of the country.  She
lived through the crucial Lebanese history years of 1967-1975.  Her
book is rich with deep analysis and a wealth of historical facts.  Of
the 383 pages of text, she allocates over a hundred pages to a
wonderfully succinct summary of Lebanon's modern history.  The rest of
the book covers the 1975-1986 period.  There are 30 pages of notes
that would particularly useful for interested scholars.


from the Centre for Lebanese Studies, Oxford, England (address and info
Question 11)

Publications
Books

Theodor Hanf    Co-existence in Wartime Lebanon: Decline of a 
State and Rise of a Nation. Published by the Centre for 
Lebanese Studies and I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Oxford and 
London: 1993. 512pp.
 45.00          ISBN 1 85043 651 7
The subject of this book is the problem of conflict and conflict 
regulation in Lebanon. How were conflicts regulated peacefully 
in pre-war Lebanon? How did this country come to be the 
battlefield of a surrogate war and, at the same time, a civil war? 
How do the Lebanese political and military leaders on the one 
hand, and ordinary citizens on the other view what has 
happened to their country? What do they desire and what will 
they settle for? Are there any prospects of re-establishing 
Lebanese co-existence?
This book attempts to show that although fear can produce a 
vicious circle of hate and violence, it can also produce reason 
and compromise _ that conflict can bring forth co-existence.

Leila Fawaz     An Occasion for War: Lebanon and Damascus in 
the 1860s. Published by  the Centre for Lebanese Studies and 
I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Oxford & London: 1993. 256pp. 
 34.50           ISBN 1 85043 201 5
This pioneering study tells the story of the 1860 civil wars 
which began in Mount Lebanon and spilled over into Damascus 
to become the most severe sectarian outbreak in the history of 
Ottoman Syria and Lebanon. The author's close analytical 
narrative of the dramatic events of this year is set against the 
background of broader themes of social, political and economic 
change during the nineteenth century and explores the 
interaction of local contexts with regional and international 
currents. 
 
Albert Hourani & Nadim Shehdi (eds.) The Lebanese in the 
World: A Century of Emigration. Published by the Centre for 
Lebanese Studies and I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Oxford & London: 
1992. 801pp. 
 45.00           ISBN 1 85043 303 8
This book is a collection of essays based on papers delivered at 
a conference on Lebanese Emigration organised by the Centre 
for Lebanese Studies in Oxford. The chapters are written by 
historians, economists, sociologists and political scientists, 
coming from various backgrounds and disciplines. They attempt 
to evaluate the impact of the emigrants from Lebanon on the 
host societies, the process of integration, their economic, 
political and cultural significance, as well as their relations with 
the home country and their contribution to its development.

Engin Deniz Akarli      The Long Peace: Ottoman Lebanon, 
1861_1920. Published by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and 
I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Oxford and London: 1993. 372pp.
 34.50          ISBN 1 85043 655 X
This book analyses the development of an autonomous political 
regime in Ottoman Mount Lebanon known as the 
Mutasarrifiyya. The book describes how that period was one of 
reconcilliation and socio-political integration for Mount 
Lebanon, and discusses the relevance of that epoch to later 
periods of Lebanese history.

Leila Fawaz ed. State and Society in Lebanon. Published 
by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and Tufts University. 
Oxford and Cambridge, MA: 1991. 108pp.
 14.95           ISBN 1 870552 23 7
This book includes a selection of the papers presented at the 
conference on Rebuilding State and Society in Lebanon held in 
Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1988. It analyses ways in which 
the Lebanese state and society can be rebuilt and discusses the 
future prospects of Lebanon.

Paul Balta & Georges Corm (eds.) L'avenir du Liban dans le 
contexte regional et international. Published by Les Editions 
Ouvrires, Paris: 1990
 FF 115
These are proceedings of a conference held in May 1988 at the
Centre de Formation des Journalistes. The book includes an 
extensive chronology, a bibliography and documents.

Maghreb Machrek LIBAN: Les defis du quotidien No 125, 
juillet-septembre 1989. Published by Documentation Francaise. 
191pp. Bibliography 
 6.00            ISSN 03366324
A special issue of this French academic journal is dedicated to 
the challenges of daily life in Lebanon during the civil war 
written by authors who have lived through the situation. The 
eight papers cover aspects of economic and social crisis, 
emigration, internal population movements, education and the 
relation between the citizen and the state.
 Edited by Ghassan Salam in co-operation with and under the 
sponsorship of the Centre for Lebanese Studies.

L.I. Conrad (ed.) The Formation and Perception of the Modern 
Arab World: Studies by Marwan Buheiry. Published by Darwin 
Press Inc. Princeton, NJ: 1989. 624pp. 49 plates Index 
 24.00           ISBN 0 87850 064 2
This volume presents a selection of 27 studies by the late 
Marwan Buheiry who was the founding director of the Centre 
for Lebanese Studies. The essays and articles fall under four 
main themes: European Perceptions of the Orient; the 
Superpowers and the Arab World; The Economic History of the 
Middle East; Intellectual and Artistic History.

Nadim Shehadi & Bridget Harney (eds.) Politics and the 
Economy in Lebanon. Published by the Centre for Lebanese 
Studies and the Centre for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, 
SOAS. Oxford and London: 1989. 120pp. Bibliography 
 13.50           ISBN 1 870552 18 0 
This book examined current issues in the politics and economy 
of Lebanon as seen through the eyes of nine prominent experts 
in contemporary Lebanese affairs. It is the outcome of a one-
day conference organised in March 1988 by the Centre for 
Lebanese Studies, Oxford, and the Centre for Near and Middle 
Eastern Studies, SOAS, London, and does much to clarify the 
prevailing complexities of the Lebanese situation both at the 
regional and international levels.

Kamal Salibi    A House of Many Mansions: The History of 
Lebanon Reconsidered. Published by I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. 
London: 1988. 247pp. Cased Index Bibliography 
 26.95           ISBN 1 85943 091 8
Lebanon's leading historian examines the process of historical 
myth-making to explain why at this time of unprecedented 
internal dislocation, Lebanese nationalism has never been so 
strong. This is a timely source of insight into both the Lebanese 
conflict and the creation of nationalist sentiments.
Nadim Shehadi & Dana Haffar-Mills eds. Lebanon: A History 
of Conflict and Consensus. Published by the Centre for 
Lebanese Studies and I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. Oxford and 
London: 1988. 352pp Cased Index Bibliography 
 32.50           ISBN 1 85043 119 1
A collection of papers by a group of scholars and experts on 
Lebanon covering a wide range of themes explaining both the 
roots of the conflict and the basis for resolving it. The papers 
were presented at a conference held at St. Antony's College, 
Oxford in September 1987.

CLS Bulletin Vol. 2.
The CLS Bulletins report on the various conferences and 
seminars that have dealt with Lebanon as well as list the 
organisations interested in Lebanon. The Bulletins also have a 
section on new books and articles on Lebanon as well as a 
section on completed theses.
5.00   ISBN 1 870552 16 4
CLS Bulletin Vol. 3.
5.00   ISBN 1 870552 21 0
Forthcoming

Papers on Lebanon
A series of analytical essays dealing with historical, political and 
economic issues contributed by the Centre's staff and other 
scholars in the field. 
The following have now been published:
No.1    Albert Hourani Political Society in Lebanon: An 
Historical Introduction  3.00  ISBN 1 870552 0 08
No.2    Ghassane Salame Lebanon's Injured Identities: Who 
Represents Whom During a Civil War 3.00        ISBN 1 870552 0 
16
No.3    Nasser Saidi The Economic Consequences of the War in 
Lebanon 3.00   ISBN 1 870552 0 24
No.4    Marwan Buheiry Beirut's Role in the Political Economy 
of the French Mandate 1919-39 3.00 ISBN 1 870552 03 2
No.5    Nadim Shehadi The Idea of Lebanon: Economy and 
State in the Cenacle Libanais 1946-54 3.00     ISBN 1 870552 
04 0
No.6    Miriam Cooke    Women Write War: The Centring of the 
Beirut Decentrists  3.00 ISBN 1 870552 05 9
No.7    Chibli Mallat   Shi'i Thought from the South of Lebanon 
4.50   ISBN 1  870552 07 5
No.8    Kamal Salibi    Lebanon and the Middle Eastern 
Question 3.00 ISBN 1 870552 08 3
No.9    Nassif Hitti The Foreign Policy of Lebanon: Lessons 
and Prospects for the Forgotten Dimensions  3.00 ISBN 1 
870552 10 5
No.10   Carolyn Gates   The Historical Role of Political Economy 
in the Development of Modern Lebanon 3.00 ISBN 1 870552 
113
No.11   Michael Humphrey  Islam, Sect and State: The 
Lebanese Case 3.00     ISBN 1 870552 121
No.12   Farid el-Khazen The Communal Pact of National 
Identities: The Making and Politics of the 1943 National Pact 
5.00   ISBN 1 870552 20 2 
No.13   Caesar Farah    The Road to Intervention: Fiscal Politics 
in Ottoman Lebanon 5.00 ISBN 1 870552 25 3
No.14   Judith Harik The Public and Social Services of the 
Lebanese Militias 5.00 ISBN 1 870552 39 3 Forthcoming 
No.15   Yezid Sayigh    The Palestinians in Lebanon: Coming to 
terms   5.00   ISBN 1 870552 49 0 Forthcoming 

Prospects for Lebanon
A series of analytical essays dealing with policy aspects of 
relevant current issues.
No.1    Nawaf Salam     An Essay on Political Opportunities and 
Constraints 3.00       ISBN 1 870552 06 7
No.2    Antoine Messara The Challenge of Coexistence 
3.00   ISBN 1 870552 09 1
No.3    Samir Khalaf    Besieged and Silenced: The Muted 
Anguish of the Lebanese People 3.00 ISBN 1 870552 15 6
No.4    Joseph Maila    The Document of National 
Understanding _ A Commentary 8.00 ISBN 1 870552 24 5
No.5    Fida Nasrallah  The Questions of South Lebanon 8.00 
ISBN 1 870552 39 3
No.6    Oussama Kabbani The Reconstruction of Beirut 
8.00   ISBN 1 870552 34 2
No.7    John Kolars Thomas Naff The Waters of the Litani in 
Regional Context 8.00 ISBN 1 870552 19 9
No.8    Marianne Heiberg The Future of UNIFIL 8.00 ISBN 1 
870552 44 X

Conferences
In addition to an annual conference there are also workshops 
and one day seminars.

Current Research on Lebanon
Oxford, September 1986.

Consensus and Conflict in Lebanon
Oxford, September 1987.

Politics and the Econony in Lebanon
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies with the Centre 
for Near and Middle Eastern Studies at SOAS. London, March 
1988.
Rebuilding State and Society in Lebanon
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and the Fletcher 
School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in co-
operation with the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at 
Harvard University. Boston, October 1988.

L'Avenir du Liban dans le Contexte Regional et International
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and the Centre 
d'etudes de l'Orient Contemporain (Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 
III) and the Centre de Formation et de Perfectionnement des 
Journalistes. Paris, May 1989.

Lebanese Emigration
This conference was organised by the Centre for Lebanese 
Studies and held at St Hugh's College, Oxford, September 
1989.

The Lebanese in Africa

_
                                       

This conference was organised by the Centre for Lebanese 
Studies and held at the Middle East Centre, St Anthony's 
College, Oxford, September 1990.

State and Society in Syria and Lebanon 
1919-1991
Organised in co-operation with the Centre for Arabic and 
Islamic Studies. Exeter, September 1991.

Peace-keeping, Water and Security in South Lebanon
Organised in co-operation with the Norwegian Institute of 
International Affairs. London, October 1991.

The Reconstruction of Beirut
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies. London, March 
1992.

Parliamentary Elections in Lebanon
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies, in co-operation 
with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the 
International Peace Academy. Oxford, May 1992.

Lebanon in the 1950s
Organised by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University 
of Texas, in co-operation with the Centre for Lebanese Studies. 
Texas, September 1992.

Visiting Fellows
Professor Abdul Rahim Abu-Husayn, Dr Said Boumedouha, Dr 
Carolyn Gates, Professor Irene Gendzier, Mr Fawaz Gerges, Dr 
William Harris, Dr Kohei Hashimoto, Dr Michael Humphrey, 
Mr Ignacio Klich, Professor Boutros Labaki, Mr R Rene 
Laremont, Mr Michel Van Leeuw, Professor Neil Leighton, Dr 
Mona Macsoud, Dr Fida Nasrallah, Professor Kamal Salibi, 
Professor Radwan es-Sayyid, Dr Estela Valverde.

Archives and Library
The Centre possesses a body of archives and research material, 
the most important of which are a collection of US government 
documents on the 1958 crisis, collected by Dr Carolyn Gates; a 
collection of material on the Civil War of 1975-6 collected by 
Drs Ahmad Khalidi and Hussein Agha; a collection from the 
Israel State archives; and a collection of newspapers on the 
1982 Israeli invasion collected by the late Leigh Douglas.

------------------------

A new book about islamic art and architecture has just been 
published. It covers the era from 1250 to 1800, and examines work
in the area that extends from Morocco to India.
For the interested in the subject, the book is essential.

Title: The art and architecture of Islam 1250-1800
Author: S. Blair & J. Bloom
Publi:  Yale University Press
Year:   1994
ISBN:   0 300 05888 8

************************************************************************
******
*

18. Where can I find works written by Lebanese and /or on Lebanon ?

  Check your local or University Library, most of the  books listed 
above can
be obtained in major bookstores or on special order from your local 
bookstore.

  You can also see :
Saqi Books
26 Westbourne Grove
London W2 5RH
vox 071 221 9347
fax 071 229 7492

They are bound to have it. They are specialists in Arabic language and  
Levantine books. also you can try the following two that are on line :
     Quantum Books, Cambridge MA
     phone:     617-494-5042
     fax:       617-577-7282
     email:     quanbook@world.std.com
     mail list: quanlist@world.std.com

     Computer Literacy Bookshops, Inc.
     PO Box 641897, San Jose, CA  95164-1897
     phone:          408-435-5017
     fax:            408-435-0895
     email orders:   orders@clbooks.com
     order problems: service@clbooks.com
     other into:     info@clbooks.com
**
There is a company in Watertown, Massachusetts (USA) called "Beit Al-
Fikr" 
that sells a large collection of Arabic books, Arabic Compact Discs,
Arabic Calligraphy, Posters, Postcards at very reasonable prices.

If you are interested in getting catalogs of their products you can 
contact 
the company at the following address:

 Beit Al-Fikr Booksellers
 P.O.Box 426
 Watertown , MA 02172
 U.S.A.

If you have any specific questions or comments you can send mail to:

 jadi@world.std.com
**
Recently (late Oct 1994) a CD ROM about Lebanon was annouced on SCL here 
it
goes the annoucement:

Many CD ROMS for the Macintosh and for Windows are available here in the 
US and Canada now. 

here is a description of the SoftWare:

Lebanon - Pearl of the East CD: It is an exciting interactive 
encyclopedia
about Lebanon that covers History, culture, traditions, geography, 
economy
and much more. The CD features more than 500 photos, 200 movie clips, 
sound
and arabic music clips.
Retail price $69.95             Special $39.95
Arabic and English version available on both Mac & Windows
 
Syria - History & Culture: AN interactive encyclopedia about Syria, 
similar
to lebanon CD, it covers wide range of information about Syria. It 
include
hundreds of movies, text, speach and arabic musoc clips from Syria
Retail Price $69.95             Special $39.95
Arabic version available on Mac.
 
Views of Islam - A multimedia tour of the Islam religion. It covers 
history,
beliefs, traditions, arts and more. It features hundreds of pictures, 
movie
clips, speech and text from the Koran and more.
 
Retail Price $99.95             Special $54.95
English version available on both Mac & Windows
 
Also available other CD such as Lamp of Aladdin, and more...
 
Call 1-800-381-1242 or fax to 1-408-281-3666, or e-mail me back if you 
are 
intersted. Visa, MC, and American Express are accepted for orders.

Future Publishers, USA
1-800-381-1242

************************************************************************
******
*

19. Are there Arabic word processors ?

  Bassem Medawar has compiled a large FAQ on the subject of Arabic on 
computers.  It is very comprehensive and is available on the SoL archive 
in
     rama.poly.edu  in  /pub/reader/text/faq2   (notice the 2 in faq2)

  There is Arab TeX.  A message was posted about it on scl and Leb-Net
some time ago.  It is public domain, based on TeX which is also public
domain.  TeX is NOT user friendly -as compared to the Macs.

ArabTeX 3.00 is available by anonymous ftp from
ftp.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de

The directory is /pub/arabtex, the "README" file gives details.

The identical package is also available from the CTAN server network:

Aston (ftp.tex.ac.uk, /pub/archive/languages/arabtex/), 
Huntsville (ftp.shsu.edu, /tex-archive/languages/arabtex/), 
Stuttgart (ftp.uni-stuttgart.de, /pub/tex/languages/arabtex/)

A new public domain release of my X-Windows based text editor
for arabic and any other Right-to-left language was recently announced.

The system was designed with flexibility in mind and ease of 
configuration.
Any one can configure the keyboard and font mapping to suit their 
language
and the keyboard they are used to.

The system can also be instructed to generate TeX files suitable for the
language in question. The System was tested on ArabTeX with 
satisfactory results. The README file provides more information.


The archive containing all the source code needed is available from:

ftp.ecs.soton.ac.uk /pub/incoming/xaw.tar.Z
rama.poly.edu       /in.coming/xaw.tar.Z

(it was not possible to find xaw.tar.Z on the two server mentioned 
above,
maybe
the best way is to get in contact with the author directly)

If you have any problems or queries and suggestions please contact:
A M Shihab <ams90@ecs.soton.ac.uk>

  There are Arabic word processors. But the solutions are a little more
complicated than we would want them.  There is one program
which runs on any Mac operating system, i.e. any language. I produces 
text
that can directly be pasted into other word processors. This program is
called AlKatib, but is very old and has very many restrictions. Don't
expect much from it.

  Otherwise the way to go is to use the Mac's Arabic Operating system
(AOS).  This system is designed to work with any program.  Yet again 
this
is not completely true. Most programs that are worth their price, are 
not
compatible with AOS. Only very primitive programs that uses the editor
routines of the operating system correctly and are very limited in 
their features. There are however a few programs that work correctly 
with AOS.  There are the products of a company called WinSoft
(based in France?). They have a word processor, WinText and a database
WinFile. I use the word processor and am sort of satisfied. It is not 
very
expensive either. On the other hand, there is an Arabic (and a Hebrew)
version of Nisus. I have not used it, but some colleagues who did are
satisfied. I am not sure of the price.

  For those who need a useful and cheap database, you could opt for
FileMaker Pro. It is not completely compatible with the AOS (you can not
search Arabic text) but is useful and quite efficient. Another program
that I used earlier was SuperPaint 1.xx. It is a paint/draw program 
which
is compatible with AOS.

  For those interested in Islamic studies, there is also Qoranic 
software.
The Alim is an "Islamic Study Toolkit". It offers the entire text of:

  - The Qur'an in Arabic
  - Transliteration of the Qur'an
  - Yusuf `Ali's translation
  - Yusuf `Ali's commentary
  - M. Pickthall's translation
  - All nine volumes of Sahih Bukhary
  - Islamic Subjects Database
  - Maududi Sura information
  - Chronological History of Islam
  - Biographies of Companions
  - Islamic terms dictionary

  The Alim runs a clean and powerful text based windowing system.
Several windows can be run at once. It also has a powerful pattern
searching feature.

  The databases are cross-referenced. Separate modules can be
purchased, they include Sahih Muslim, Tirmizy, Al-Muwatta and Assad's
translation among other volumes.

  The standard package has an introductory price of $99.00 and costs
$149.95 in retail. Macintosh, Windows, OS/2 and OSF/Motif support is
expected in the first quarter of 1993. I saw the package and it is
EXCELLENT. It is certainly worth the price. If were to buy the books
in paper form it would cost more than $100, plus you would not be able
to cross reference or search.

  The current version is distributed on 7 high density DOS disks and
when decompressed takes 15Mb on a Hard Disk. You need at least 1.5Mb
on your Hard Disk to run the Software and you can decompress the
components you need. You also need EGA graphics or better. It also
runs on a Macintosh with Soft-AT.

  The Software was developed over six years by a two person company
called ADVENT (800-397-5561). It is distributed by IQRA Bookcenter:
800-521-ICRA or 312-274-2665.

  For users of Wordperfect, there is an Arabic module that can
be added to Wordperfect.  The module enables one to write in English and
Arabic.  It's extremely user friendly!  The regular price is
expensive but the educational price is about $135 (with student or 
faculty
id).  However that you need to have/buy the standard version
of Wordperfect in order for the module to run.  So it's great for those 
who
already use Wordperfect, but it may be too expensive for those who don't
since they would need to buy both the standard version and the Arabic
module.

Recently Arabic text editors for the Mac have undergone some major 
upgrades,
here is a critique of threeMac  Arabic text editors that have recently
been published.  These are: Tex-Edit, MuEdit and Style.

The problem with using Arabic on the Mac is that, while the Arabic 
system
itself is free and available, you can't use your standard word processor
properly with Arabic, and the Arabic-compatible programs like WinText 
and
Nisus Int. are expensive and always copy protected. The only alternative
has been to use small and fairly primitive "text editors", program-lets 
that
allows you to type text, but not very much more; not very useful.

However, recently some new text editors have appeared that makes this
option  more attractive. How do they handle Arabic? I have looked at 
three
of these new text editors, Tex-Edit, mu-Edit (formerly Quill), and 
Style,
to check how useful they are for the Arabist Mac user. These are some 
brief
remarks, based mainly on typing, editing and printing a couple of pages 
in
each.

A general remark first: These are still text editors. That means in
particular that they are limited in size, you can only write up to 32K
(about 10 pages) per document; any they may slow down when you approach
this limit. They do not have things like footnotes, style sheets, and
formatting beyond what is explicitly stated; none of them have rulers. 
But
they are free. 

              Evaluation: Tex-Edit
A capable text editor. Has standard text styles like bold, italics,
outline, shadow, condensed and extended, as well as color. You can 
freely
choose font and size and mix several in a document. All these three 
allow
multiple documents to be open at the same time.
     Tex-Edit has find/replace, with functions for finding returns, 
tabs,
linefeeds, whole word only, match case, and Replace all.  
     Like Word, if you select a word by doubleclicking, it will include 
the
space after the word. Useful detail. Triple-clicking selects a sentence.
     It can strip unwanted control characters, and can paste time & day 
and
page number. It does not have a ruler, but when printing will ask for
margin sizes and may include page numbers. This does not work properly,
however, if you try change the margins on a document about a page or 
two,
the program hangs, and then crashes on command-period.
     You can justify left, right and center, but this will relate to the
whole document. Works under system 6.0.3 and newer, and with Macintalk 
will
read out typed text for you. (The name, incidentally, seems to refer to
Texas, not TeX.)

Handling of Arabic: Text entry and editing is acceptable, with a caveat
below. There are however some cursor problems with line breaks. 
Sometimes
when it should position the cursor at the beginning of a line, it is put 
at
the end instead. Eg: Moving back one step from the beginning of line 4 
to
puts the cursor at the beginning of line 3; and typing will put new text
before the text in line 3. 
     You can set the justification to right-oriented, but this is not 
saved
and has to redone every time you open the document. All these three 
editors
link fonts and script, thus changing script also automatically switches 
to
the previously used font in that script.
     Find/replace works with Arabic, but the dialog box shows only 
Chicago,
i.e. Roman characters (like Word would). However, what is inserted into 
the
text appears in the correct font.
     Positive: You can set the default font to an Arabic one, like Geeza
12. The editor will then start up with the Arabic script active. 
     Negative: Actually, you have to do this. If the default font is a
Roman one, cutting and pasting will not work correctly. On pasting in 
the
middle of an Arabic block, the default will switch to Roman, and the 
Arabic
block will be split; the first part coming the left of the last. This 
can
be repaired, but is a nuisance. Also, if you write an English text, 
Arabic
is still default, so if you click somewhere in the English text, the 
script
often (not always) reverts to Arabic. 

                  MuEdit
MuEdit appears to be designed for Arabic, thus it has a menu option for
"Orient left to right" and "Orient right to left". Generally, it has
capabilities similar to Tex-Edit: Multiple fonts and styles in a 
document;
multiple windows, text styles include extended and condensed; find &
replace. It has "find previous", but only options for whole word and 
case
sensitive searches. It allows changing case, has a word count, and can
strip/add linefeed and carriage returns, but not as Tex-Edit, all 
control
characters. Like T., it has color, but not  "smart quotes". Print 
margins
are set in the Page Setup dialog box. 
     It works under System 7 only. Interestingly, cut and paste between
these two editors work better than between standard word processors:
Script, font and size information is remembered from one to the other. 
Both
read each other's files; Tex-Edit can read font and style (but not
justification) of a MuEdit document; MuEdit can only read the text of 
the
Tex-Edit.

Handling of Arabic:
Typing and editing Arabic text is unproblematic. Selection, cutting and
pasting work as they should. Justification does not automatically follow
script, but both are saved with the document. 
      It has a couple of bugs, though: 
      -- When you open Mu-Edit by double-clicking on a file, the line
breaks do not appear properly. However, if you open MuEdit first and 
then
the document, they appear as they should. There is an option for "word
wrap", what happens is probably that it is improperly set "off" when you
open document and program together. 
     -- Find-replace does not work properly: It finds the Arabic, but 
the
"replace" string is inserted in Roman, i.e. as garbage characters; 
breaking
the line in two and reversing their order, in spite of the Right-Left
general orientation.  Instead, you have to copy the correct text, and 
then
use Find-Paste instead. 
     -- Another peculiar bug when I use MuEdit with other text editors: 
If
right-left orientation is chosen in the MuEdit window; and I switch
directly to another editor, the text window there appears (incorrectly)
right-adjusted. Only by switching through the Finder is this corrected, 
and
the editor's window redrawn. This happens when I switch both to Tex-Edit
and to Eudora, but not to Word. Either it is problem in MuEdit, or in 
the
Arabic resources themselves.

                Style: 
Style, an Italian offering, is the least capable of the three, and is 
not
really adapted for writing Arabic. It has the standard styles, and
Find/Replace, but no options for setting page width in printing. More
seriously, the word wrap does not break at the edge of the window, but 
at a
predefined length that seems to be calculated from a 13 or 14" monitor.
Thus, on my SE/30, I cannot see a full line, and I have to scroll
horizontally manually in order to see what I am writing. This is clearly
not acceptable. You can, however, mix styles and fonts in a document. 
Style
does not save in TEXT format, as the two others do, but has an XTND 
file,
so you can use it with MacWrite and other XNTD-programs. In version b.3,
the Open command did not work, perhaps due to a conflict with Super
Boomerang.
     In handling Arabic, another problem is that you cannot set
justification; it is stuck on left-adjusted. Thus you are always writing
'backwards', as it were, and printing will also be left-adjusted. Also, 
I
have been unable to add anything at the end of a line. The cursor will
then, whatever I do, place the correction at the beginning of the line.
Further, the cursor moves incorrectly. The left-arrow keys moves the 
cursor
forward, as it should, but at the end of the line, it jumps up to the
previous, rather than down (and vice versa for the right-arrow key). 
I.e.,
as in Roman text.
     Although Style handles Arabic text entry and editing, it is thus 
not
useful for Arabic; and hardly for for European languages, at least if 
you
don't have a 12"+ monitor.
     
                Summary
I will not recommend Style in its current version. The two others are,

_
                                                                                                   

however, very useful contributions, although both have some drawbacks. 
Each
has a bug; Tex-Edit the incorrect placement of the cursor at the 
beginning
of the line; MuEdit defaulting to no word wrap when you open the program
with a document. You can live with both, however. Tex-Edit can be set to
Arabic as standard script, so you can open it and just start typing 
Arabic.
MuEdit has an orient right->left option that makes it apt for Arabic, 
and
which is saved with the document (unlike Tex-Edit's justification). 
     As it currently stands, I have problems choosing between them. If 
you
use System 6, you have to choose Tex-Edit, as MuEdit requires System 7.
Otherwise, the printing bug in Tex-Edit, if it is general and not just 
on
my machine, would tip the scales against it; I do not fancy being stuck
with a half-inch margin. On the other hand, the Find-Replace bug in 
MuEdit
is serious, but can be circumvented using Paste instead of Replace. 
Thus,
with the faults I have found to date, I would choose MuEdit; but both 
are
very useful, and to be recommended.
     If you want to include Arabic in a major work, like a book, you 
must
still buy a commercial Arabic-compatible word processor. But for simple
things, these editors are now almost as capable as the standard word
processors; and they are free. 

     Versions tested:
     Tex-Edit 1.8.1 (8 April 1993). Freeware. Recommended memory: 390K
     MuEdit 1.0d0 (9 May 1993, formerly Quill) Freeware.
     Recommended memory: 360K
     Style 1.1b3 (US) (5 April 1993). Freeware. Recommended memory: 256K
     Tested on a Mac SE/30, 8 MB. All are on Sumex, in /info-mac/app.

************************************************************************
******
*
end of part 1/2


_____________________________________________________________________
Alaa Dakroub     | 'al-'arD waTanI wa al-'insAnyah 'usratI
Sophia Antipolis | La terre est ma patrie et l'humanite' ma famille
France           | The earth is my fatherland and humanity my familiy
                 | (Gibran Khalil Gibran)
------------------ http://www.cica.fr:8080/dakroub.html -------------
Archive-name: lebanon-faq/part1


________________________________________________________________________
______
_



       Many FAQs, including this one, are available on the archive site
The names under which this FAQ is archived are "lebanon-faq/part1" and 
"lebanon-faq/part2".

If you do not have ftp, you can request messages from rtfm by using
the local mail server.  Send mail to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
this file.  Send a message containing "help" to get general
information about the mail server.

This FAQ could also be obtained via regular anonymous ftp at the sites: 
                  eurecom.cica.fr (192.70.34.200) in /SCL, rama.poly.edu 
                  (128.238.10.212) in pub/scl/ and ftp.u.washington.edu 
in 
                  /pubilc/scl filenames lebanon-faq/part1 and 
                  lebanon-faq/part2.
This FAQ could also be obtained via a WWW server URL is: 
   http://www.cica.fr:8080/faq.html 

Changes since last posting:

                             Where can I find a Lebanese restaurant ?
                             (Question 23)
                             What are the adresses of
                             World Wide Web/FTP/Gopher sites of Lebanese
                             people and dealing with Lebanon in general 
?
                             (Question 41)

Thanks to all contributors to this FAQ, namely: Naji Mouawad (who
started the effort), Basil Hamdan (who maintained this faq before me
and and must of this faq is his work) Bassem Medawar, Samir Fahs,
Mazen Saghir,Edmond J. Abrhamian, Alex Khalil, Olivier
M.J. Crepin-Leblond, Hassan Hammoud,Mazen Mokhtar, Barre Ludvigsen,
Ghassan Semaan, Elie Wardini, Fady Harfoush,Debbie Masri, Pauline
Homsi Vinson, Youssef Fawaz, Mike, Nasri, Rached Zantout,May
Nasrallah, Khalil El-Khoury, Danny Chahal, Haidar Harmamani, Wadih
Shaib,Walid Nasrallah, Kamie Kitmitto, Ibrahim Ballouz, Nadim Maluf,
Fadi Andraos, Boudi Sahyoun, Naji Rizk, Berthe Choueiry, Jamal
Zemerly, Wassim Alami, philo, George Fisher, Roger Adbel-Hay, Knut
Vik|r, Walid Keirouz, Jihad Kawkabani,Joseph Mouhanna, Ayman Kayssi,
Hayssam Taha, Elie Mourad, Jihad Daba, Salah Sadek, Chaabouni Moez,
Rania Masri, Kamel Saidi, Mohamad Hannaoui, Joseph Adi, Wassim
M. Jabi, Ziad G Kassir, D. G. Lubar, Charly Brady, Loai Said, Philip
Abi-Rached, Enrico Westenberg, Ramzi (cudlbear7), Shafik Sirajeddeen,
Fadi Kurdahi, Nabil Bukhalid, Kale Charles Khoury, Edward Abouzeid,
George Fadel, Rabih Boudargham, Andreas Waczynski, George Chammas,
Bassam Tabbara, Pierre Barkett, Adonis El Fakih and Ala'a Dakroub 
(sorry if I missed anyone).

This FAQ file was compiled and edited by Alaa Dakroub.

************************************************************************
******
DISCLAIMER:

This FAQ is presented with no warranties or guarantees of ANY KIND
including correctness or fitness for any particular purpose.  The
author(s) of this document have attempted to verify correctness of the
data contained herein; however, slip-ups can and do happen.  If you use
any information included in this FAQ, you do so at your own risk.
The FAQ authors cannot and have NOT used all the the services suggested
in the FAQ, nor have they checked them for accuracy.  They were all
included mostly verbatim at the suggestion of contributors to this FAQ.

You can reprint any FAQ posting of mine anywhere you want, as long as
the following conditions are met:

1. You use as recent a version of the FAQ as possible.

2. My name (as well as the "credits" section, if any, listing other
   people who have contributed) stays on it.

3. Any modifications (other than typesetting changes) you make to it
   are clearly designated as your modifications.  If you are
   significantly reformatting the information in the FAQ, then you
   don't have to explicitly show every change from the original, but
   you make clear that what you are printing is derived from my FAQ
   rather than a direct copy of it.

4. You tell people where to find updated versions of it, i.e., what
   newsgroups it appears in.

************************************************************************
******
________________________________________________________________________
______
_

First of all, for the patriotic among you, here is a uuencoded Lebanese
flag gif file, with instructions on how to display it using xv,
all provided kindly by Naji Rizk.
A nice way to use this flag is to have it displayed in the background of
your workstation.


   Here is the procedure:

   1) Cut the file out (between Cut Here signs) so that the following 
line
      be the first line in the file:

      begin 400 flag.gif

      and save on your filespace as a file named say, "leb.uu". 

   2) Once the file leb.uu is saved after these modifications,
      type under the unix prompt:
      uudecode leb.uu, this procedure will automatically create
      the Lebanese flag gif file "flag.gif".on your filespace.

   3) If you are using xv as a gif viewer, type: xv flag.gif &

      In order to have the flag in the background (tiled), type this:
      xv  -rmode 1 full-path-name-of-flag.gif   &
      xv  -rmode 1 full-path-name-of-flag.gif   &
                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
      If the file is in your home directory called /users/lebanese
      then the full path name is: /users/lebanese/flag.gif

___________________  Cut Here  ______________________________
begin 400 flag
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#   [

end

___________________  Cut Here  ______________________________

 
                             
Here is a listing of questions : 

1.  Can I post/receive to/from this newsgroup or other newsgroups if I 
don't 
    have the permission or I don't have a direct access to a news server 
?

2.  Are there any rules or conventions to post into this news group?

3.  What is the value of a Lebanese pound in terms of US$, Can$, UK lb,
    etc.?

4.  What is the address and phone number of the Lebanese Embassy
    and/or Consulates in the US, Canada, France, etc....
    and how can I contact the American University of Beirut,
    How can I contact Hariri Foundation office in Washington ?

5.  How can I phone Lebanon and which carrier gives the cheapest rates?

6.  What are the airlines servicing Beirut ?

7.  Where can I find tickets for Lebanon at a good price ?

8.  What are the e-mail and telnet IP addresses for sites in Lebanon ?

9.  What are the phone numbers to call to get Lebanon news ?

10. What are the radio frequencies and broadcast times of Lebanese
    related radio programs  ?

11. What are the various Lebanese organizations and how can I contact 
them ?

12. What are the projects you can contribute to help rebuild Lebanon ?

13.  Are there any information about The Cedars of Lebanon and/or 
     organizations that deal with this matter??

14. Are there any information about ski resorts in Lebanon ??

15. What are the various Lebanese magazines and newspapers ?

16. Where can I find Lebanese magazines and newspapers ?

17. What has been written by Lebanese and/or on Lebanon ?

18. Where can I find works written by Lebanese and /or on Lebanon ?

19. Are there Arabic word processors ?

20. Is there a standard Arabic alphabet representation in Latin ?

21. Are there any availble sources to learn Syriac ?

22. Where can I find Lebanese songs and music ?

23. Where can I find a Lebanese restaurant ?

24. Where can I find a Lebanese grocery store?

25. Is there a good Lebanese recipe book ?

26. Are there recipes available on the net ?

27. Is there an ftp archive site for Lebanese art works ?

28. What is the best way to deal with multiple system TVs and VCRs and 
    where can I get my VCR tape converted to a format that works in 
Lebanon ?

29. What are the Arabic TV channels that can be received in Northern and 
    central America

30. What are newborn names that could be used for Lebanese children 
living
    abroad that would work in both Lebanon and Western societies ?

31. I plan to go home soon and I have heard rumors that the draft
    will be re-instituted, do you have any additional information about 
this ?
    I was born in 1923 and I am afraid that I would be subject to the 
draft
!!!

32. Where can I get a copy of the English translation of 
    the Lebanese Constitution ?

33. Where can I get a copy of the English translation of the 
    Taef Agreement ? 

34. I need to ship a car/ or some merchandise to Lebanon, do you
    know of a shipping company that handles this ?

35. I suddenly develop an urge for Middle-Eastern cuisine,
    can you help me quench this horrifying thirst ?

36. Where can I find information about US State Department visa 
regulations
    for foreigners.

37. Where can I get the latest travel advisory for Americans wishing
    to visit Lebanon or the Middle-East ?

38. Are there available statistical and basic general information about 
    Lebanon, and what are they ? 

39. I know someone's name, and I think they might have an electronic 
mail 
address somewhere.  How can I find it?

40. Are any there published CDs (Compact Disks) about Lebanon and the 
levant
    in general ?

41. What are the adresses of World Wide Web/FTP/Gopher sites of Lebanese
    people and dealing with Lebanon in general ?

************************************************************************
******

1.  Can I post/receive to/from this newsgroup or other newsgroups if I 
don't 
    have the permission or I don't have a direct access to a news server 
?

    There are some sites that allow public connections, there was for a 
while
a list maintained by lesikar@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu in which it was 
listed 
the public news sites. This list is no more availble because of the 
refuse of
sys adminstrators to publish the address of their public sites. 
Eventhough 
reading news still possible through gopher, a search using term USENET 
or news
whith veronica will be enough to find a bunch of news sites through 
gopher.

    There are still probably two ways of posting to SCL(1), the first is 
to 
use an anonymous server something that was not that appreciated by most 
of 
SCLers, and the other is to send your post soc-culture-
lebanon@cs.utexas.edu, 
please note the hyphens instead of periods, I was not testing this way 
since a
while so there is no garantee that your post make it to scl.

(1) Of course in case you don't have direct access to a news server.

Recently a guide for using Internet via E-mail was mentionned on SCL,
It's :

                 Accessing The Internet By E-Mail
           Doctor Bob's Guide to Offline Internet Access
                    3rd Edition - December 1994


              Copyright (c) 1994,  "Doctor Bob" Rankin

Finding the Latest Version
--------------------------

This document is now available from several automated mail servers.
To get the latest edition, send e-mail to one of the addresses below.

To: listserv@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu (for US/Canada/etc.)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:
  GET INTERNET BY-EMAIL NETTRAIN F=MAIL

To: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu (for Eastern US)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:

To: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk (for UK/Europe/etc.)
Leave Subject blank, and enter only this line in the body of the note:
  send lis-iis e-access-inet.txt

You can also get the file by anonymous FTP at one of these sites:

Site: ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
   get NETTRAIN/INTERNET.BY-EMAIL
Site: rtfm.mit.edu
Site: mailbase.ac.uk
   get pub/lists/lis-iis/files/e-access-inet.txt


Also on SCL a server (? 2) were mentionned here it goes an expert of the
mentionned message:

As I mentioned in a previous posting you can post throught E-mail by 
sending 
your E-mail

TO : soc.culture.lebanon.usenet @ decwrl.dec.com 

Also you can read the postings of any Usenet Newsgroup . Send your E-
mail 

To : listproc@www0.cern.ch 
or
To: listserv@www0.cern.ch

- leave the Subject empty.

- If you just want to read  the titles first write in the body of your E-
mail 
the following :

send news:soc.culture.lebanon          
- If you want to read all the postings write in the body of your E-mail 
the 
following:

deep news:soc.culture.lebanon

- If you pay for the Usage of E-mails received please be careful with 
using 
the (deep) statement. The amount of E-mails will be equal to number of
postings 
and 
it could expensive. If you do not pay per E-mail received then enjoy the 
service . 



************************************************************************
******
*

2.  Are there any rules or conventions to post into this news group?

 Rules of thumb for posting on Soc.Culture.Lebanon
  Date of last revision: 02/20/94

This post proposes some rules of thumb for posting on this newsgroup, 
Soc.Culture.Lebanon (scl).  The purpose of the rules is to maintain 
the friendly atmosphere and to encourage quality posts.



_
                      

- Use descriptive Subject headers and change the subject when replying
  if necessary.  Remember that people are not interested in a vague or
  unfocused subject.  For example, from recent posts, a Subject that 
reads 
  "None" does not convey any useful meaning.  "Tfouh" seems like a 
flame, 
  but is it worth reading?  A person, replies "Tfouh 3ala min? :-) Re: 
Tfouh."

  Now that is more interesting, it peeks the curiosity of the reader.  
  "avant de partir" could've been "[French poem] avant de partir (before 
  leaving)."

- Quote text from the article that you are replying you to provide 
context 
  but keep quoted text to a minimum (that which is absolutely 
necessary). 
  Most people prefer a short and focused message to a longer and diluted 
  post.
 
- Avoid cross-posting to other newsgroups.  Good reasons to cross-
  post are:
 - if you are posting a periodic message (such as a FAQ)
 - if you are required by net rules to cross-post as in the case
   of newsgroup creation announcements
  There are rarely any additional good reasons to cross-post.

- Do not use abusive language in your posts.  Pretend you are addressing
  your mother. :-)

- Avoid posting messages that are not related to Lebanon or to the 
culture
  of the Lebanese people.  In other words, Middle East discussion 
belongs in
  talk.politics.mideast, soc.culture.israel, or soc.culture.palestine,
  whichever is more appropriate.  Religion discussions belong in the 
  appropriate religion group (soc.religion.islam, 
soc.religion.christian, 
  talk.religion.christian, soc.culture.jewish, talk.religion.misc, or 
even
  alt.religion.emacs :-)  Posts on scl should really pertain to Lebanon.
  
- Flaming gives a poor image of yourself, and you are likely to stay on 
your
  own in the garbage bin.

If you chose to ignore these rules of thumb, you're likely to find your
mailbox full with advice urging you to read this post.  I am confident
that we will manage to maintain a high level of maturity and respect in 
our 
posts.

If you don't wish to see this message again, put it in your kill file.
If you have a bone to pick with these rules of thumb, reply to this 
message 
BY EMAIL.

This message will repeat every week.  It is archived for anonymous ftp 
on 
rama.poly.edu (128.238.10.212) as /pub/scl/The_Rules_Of_Thumb.


************************************************************************
******
*

3. What is the value of a Lebanese pound in terms of US$, Can$, UK lb,
   etc.?

  It in a steady state since several months, and it's gaining slowly
   Typically, a good way to keep a view of the 'latest' figures is to:

 - Look at the Wall Street Journal

 - Look at Al-Hayat News paper (see address in Question 13)

 - Subscribe to Leb-Net (Leb-Net@cumesa.mech.columbia.edu), which
   reports the value sometimes.

---> changes:
   From Al-Hayat sunday 12th of march 1995 issue:

         | $US    | &UK    | DM     | JY     | FF     | CHF    |
   ------------------------------------------------------------
  | LPs  | 1636.5 | 2613.8 | 1156.9 | 17.93  | 325.3  | 1389.8 |  
   -----------------------------------------------------------

  LP   = Lebanese Pound
  $US  = US dollars
  &UK  = United Kingdom Sterlings
  DM   = Deutsch Mark
  JY   = Japanese Yen
  FF   = French Franc
  CHF  = Swiss Franc

************************************************************************
******
*

4.  What is the address and phone number of the Lebanese Embassy
    and/or Consulates in the US, Canada, France, etc....
    and how can I contact the American University of Beirut,
    How can I contact the Beirut University College,
    How can I contact Hariri Foundation office in Washington ?


  For Canada:

Embassy of Lebanon
640 Lyon St.
Ottawa, Ontario
              K1S 3Z5
(613) 236-5825

Consulate of Lebanon
40 Cote St. Catherine
Montreal, Quebec

(514) 276-2738

  For the USA:

  Washington DC Embassy:

Embassy of Lebanon
2560 28th Street NW
Washington D.C.  20008

Phone: (202) 939-6300
Fax: 202-939-6324.


Consulates:

New York

Consulate General of Lebanon
9 East 76th St.
NY, NY 

Phone: (212) 744-7905

Detroit

Consulate General of Lebanon
1959 E. Jefferson
Suite 4A
Detroit, Michigan 48207

Phone: (313) 567-0233

Los Angeles

Consulate General of Lebanon  
7060 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 510
Hollywood, CA 90028

Phone: (213) 467-1253 

  For the  United Kingdom:

Lebanese Councilor Section
15 Palace Garden Mews,
London W8 4QQ. 

England UK

Phone: 00 44 (0)71 7276696

  For Germany:

 BOTSCHAFT DES LIBANON
 RHEINALLEE 27
 53173 BONN
 TEL. (0228)352075-77

For France:

AMBASSADE DU LIBAN

42 rue Copernic   Tel: +33 1 40 67 75 75 
75016 Paris   Fax: +33 1 40 67 16 42

Consulat du LIBAN (Paris)

47 rue Dumont d'Urville 
75016 Paris   Tel: +33 1 45 00 03 30


Consulat General du Liban (Marseille)

424 rue Paradis
13008 Marseille   Tel: +33   91 71 50 60

---> new
For Sweeden:

Libanons Ambassad              phone +46 8 665 19 65
Kommendorsgatan 35             telex 16407 LIBANEM S
114 58  Stockholm

Chile,

Avda Isidoro Goyenechea 3607, Casilla 3667, Santiago;tel 
(2)232-5097;telex 440118

Algeria,
9 Rue Kiad Ahmad, el-Biar, Algiers; Telex;5416



Here are the AUB NY office numbers and the Beirut AUB number:

The numbers  for the NY office are:

  Phone: (212) 319 2425
  Fax  : (212) 486 2867
You can now fax directly to Beirut, via a NY number:
  (212) 478 1995

The switch board numbers in Beirut are: 
       
  +961-1-350 000
  +961-1-865 250
  +961-1-340 740

Here is the address of the Beirut University College :

BEIRUT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
P.O.BOX 13-5053,BEIRUT LEBANON


Here it the Hariri Foundation Address:
Hariri Foundation
1020 19th St., NW
Suite 320
Washington, DC 20036

Fax:  202-659-9228


************************************************************************
******
*

5. How can I phone Lebanon and which carrier gives the cheapest rates ?

     Using the *local* Lebanon number 04-961345 as example, you dial:

            011 961 4 961345   (to use AT&T)
     10 222 011 961 4 961345   (to use MCI)
     10 333 011 961 4 961345   (to use SPRINT)

 Note how the Metn area code 04 has been used *without* the leading
zero. These calls do not require an operator.

Telephone Area codes in Lebanon:

1 Beirut
3 Cellular Network area code,   <--- New
  it covers (or should cover soon) all Lebanon. 
4 Metn
5 Al-shouf
6 The North
7 the South
8 Al-biqqaa
9 Keserwan


For France :
you have to Dial the 19 to get the international tone, lebanon's code,
the area code and your correspondent number. To call the same number
as above you will have to dial :

19 961 4 961345 

the rates are as follows (time is French time +1 GMT, +2GMT summer 
time):

Day      00:00  08:00                  21:30       00:00
--------------------------------------------------------
Mon-Sat  |xxxxxxxx|**********************|xxxxxxxxxxx|       
--------------------------------------------------------
Sun &    |xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx|
holidays |
--------------------------------------------------------

* : normal rate : 15.19 FF/min
x : reduced rate: 12.52 FF/min

rate via an operator (call 19 33 961): 21.30 FF/min


France Telecom annouced that it has [will ?] have a program in which
subscribers can designate three numbers which they call usualy, you
pay 15 FF per two months and you have 15% of discount on the calls made 
to
these destination. it might be of intreset but i did not check the
excat info yet stay tuned.



This question contained an info about an MCI promotion program, 
apparently
the old mentionned rates are no more valid, it could be that MCI and 
AT&T 
are offering rates arround 1.41 or 1.76 at best. There was a couple of 
annoucenent on sc.lebanon about other operators who offers the rate of 
$1.33/mn any day any time, the annoucer claimed that calls are billed in 
6 seconds increments.


this is what an scler wrote me:

MCI is offering up to $1000.00 in free calls to Lebanon. It is
true. I just received my certificate. Switch to MCI and you
receive the deal. Call NIDAL at MCI 1-800-944-6362 for
information and details. The deal ends being offered on March 31,
1995.

MCI will pay to switch you over. 


-----

The same kind of systems can be used also outside the US, by using a 
"callback" company. It's useful if you want to call another country. The 
"callback" company gives you a trigger number in the US, when you call 
this 
number it rings without any answer (so the call is not billed by the 
local 
operator) then you hang up. The system calls you back on a pre-
determined 
number and gives a US dial tone which you can use to call where you 
want. 
The rates of calling France is $0.41 (from the US, since it's the system 
who calls you) added to the $1.33 (US --> Lebanon) it ends up to $1.74 
approx 9.5 FF which is good compared to the above rates (75% and 54% of 
the 
rates of France Telecom) specially that it's at any time any day, it 
makes 
a difference. 
The disadvantages are that there is no way to tell if a company is 
trusted
or not and what to do in case of the company in the US decided to take 
money
that you didn't spend, fairly there are some risks to take but the saved 
amount is significant.
P.S: if you call the US from FRANCE using the same system there is an 
additional $0.1 though $0.51/mn approx 2.75 FF <==> 55%, 48% and 41% 
(4.98, 5.72 and 6.69 FF a minute) of France Telecom rates for calling 
the US.

I received the following in my mailbox about Cyberlink and MCI:
-------------
MCI (800-672-8054) lowest rate is $1.76 per minute excluding a possible 
20%
discount to three numbers for calls made between 5pm and 8am US time. 
There
is a $3 per month charge for this and calls outside this period cost
$2.33/min.

Cyberlink (800-661-0393) offers $1.33 per minute flat rate (any time, 
any
number) without monthly charges or minimums or switching carriers. Added
advantage is billing in 6 second increments (after 30 seconds).

Cyberlink provides this service and has been in business since 1986. It 
has a
billing volume of more than $100 million. You can get business 
references
from Dunn (rating company). Calls are charged to a credit card. Most
creditcards offer extra protection for unauthorized charges or in case 
you
have disputes with the merchant.
-------------
************************************************************************
******
*

6. What are the airlines servicing Beirut ?

  Most European and Arab airlines are now flying to Lebanon.

  *Some* are: MEA(obviously), Air-France, Swiss-air,  
     Austrian Airways, Alitalia, Sabena, Royal Jordanian, Egypt Air.
  Britsh Airways, recently annouced that it will resume its flights to 
  beirut by December 1994. BA is the last Europeen airlines to resum 
  flights to beirut. 
  State Department of the US banned MEA from operating from
  its NY offices, and travel from the US with MEA has become
  very difficult.  Here is a related UPI article:


BEIRUT, Lebanon (UPI) -- The president of the Lebanese national air
carrier, Middle East Airlines, said Monday that a U.S. order to suspend
MEA activities in the United States has left tens of thousands of
Lebanese stranded there and caused millions of dollars in losses.
MEA President Abdel Hamid Fakhoury called on the U.S. Administration
to exempt his company from a U.S. embargo imposed on Lebanon following
the hijacking of a TWA airliner in 1985.
Accordingly, MEA flights to New York and back to Beirut were
suspended while all other carriers were prevented from selling tickets
from its U.S. offices for destinations in Lebanon.
Fakhoury said MEA abided by the embargo but its U.S. offices 
``continued to issue tickets, with the knowledge of the U.S. officials,
placing either Damascus or Cyprus as destination countries.''
``But we were surprised last month of a new U.S. order to cease
immediately all commercial activities, which left tens of thousands of
Lebanese trapped there and inflicting losses estimated at $15 million,''
Fakhoury said.
The new order was apparently in retaliation to a decision by the
Lebanese Military Court on April stating that the 1983 bombing of the 
U.S. 
Embassy in Beirut was covered by a general amnesty law.
The Lebanese Parliament approved the amnesty law as part of a
national reconciliation drive to end the Lebanese civil war.
The U.S. expressed dissatisfaction with the Military Court decision
and accused MEA of violating the embargo imposed during the
administration of President Ronald Reagan.
A month later, the Lebanese Supreme Court overruled the Military
Court decision concerning the U.S. Embassy bombing in which at least six
people were accused of involvement.
A suicide bomber drove through the gate of the U.S. Embassy in the
Muslim sector of Beirut on April 1983, killing 63 people and wounding
123 others.
activities in the U.S. as peace and security were restored in the
country.
He said contacts with U.S. officials have so far failed to alter the
order and called for launching a campaign ``to save the company and
allow the Lebanese residents in the U.S. to visit their homeland.''


The following is a summary of an article which appeared
in Middle East International (MEI - No. 450, p. 9-10);


_
                                                                                                              

The background is that Lebanese investigators had
recently identified 15 suspects in the 1991 truck
bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, and the US
government was anxious to see them prosecuted. 
However, on April 24, Beirut's military court ruled
that the suspects were included in the general amnesty
covering "political" war crimes approved by the
Lebanese parliament in 1991.  The US was incensed that
the court's ruling would render them immune from
prosecution, and warned Lebanese leaders that the
prospect of normalizing relations with the US, which
seemed likely following Secretary of State
Christopher's March visit to Beirut, were no longer
realistic.  

The impact on travel stems from the fact that Middle
East Airlines (MEA), which had hoped that it for the way it had
issued tickets to Beirut (actually entered on tth
connecting flights to or from Europe.  Although
technically a violation of the US travel ban, this
subterfuge had been used without objection for many
years.  Suddenly, MEA was told to stop selling tickets
or doing any other business, and warned that it was
subject to fines of $1000 per day for the entire period
during which it had sold such tickets.  The Beirut
government is having a second look at the amnesty law,
and may find a way out of the difficulty, but until it
does so, it may be impossible to get tickets to Beirut
in the US, and MEA is threatened with millions of
dollars of fines, an amount which MEI characterized as
"potentially crippling".

The Lebanese Supreme Court has already reversed the earlier ruling
making the suspects once again not covered by the General Amnesty law
but the US has yet to relax its position with regard to MEA operations
in the United States.

************************************************************************
******
*

7. Where can I find tickets for Lebanon at a good price ?

Travel Agency        Number(s)         Contact person(s),
     Name                                  location,
 (if available)                         and/or comments 
                                          (if supplied)
________________________________________________________________________
______
_

Admiral :      (800) 822 2727     (located in Marietta GA)
                                  (ask for Hassan Ramadan)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
All Travel:    (800) 344 7060     (ask for Matthew)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Atlantis :     (212) 972 5540 TEL  141 East 44th Street  #702
               (212) 972 5543 FAX  NYC, NY 10017
               (800) 543 9362     (Alitalia and British Airways)
                                  ($ 1100 round trip ticket from
                                   San Francisco to Beirut bought
                                   in Christmas 92/93).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Blue Mediterranean
Travel :       (213) 876 5601     (deals mainly with Alitalia,
                                   recommended for its good prices).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Char Tours:    (800) 323 4444
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Corporate :    (800) 532 8455
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Farra Travel:  (213) 463 9211
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Golden Arch:   (800) 749 2724     (may be out of business ?)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Haddad Travel: (213) 466 4662     (experienced but beware)

 update: 1-617-354-3399
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Int'l Travel & (800) 248-8462     (ask for Doha Gabro ?)
Trade, Inc. :                     (Example of price quoted for
                                   Dec '92 round trip
                                             $ 880
                                   Travel from:
                                   Washington, DC - Beirut
                                   United: Wash <-> London,
                                   MEA: London <-> Beirut)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Lotus :        (800) 344 2220     (located in Los Angeles area)
                                  (deals mostly with ALIA, the
                                   Royal Jordanian Airlines, can get
                                   relatively good prices if you are 
willing
                                   to endure traveling on ALIA)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Low Airfare Tickets to Lebanon

For more Information Call Edward Abouzeid at Modern Travel.

617-323-0073 , 617-323-9079 . Fax : 617-323-1654 .
Eastern Time Monday thru Friday  9 Am to 6.00 PM
Saturday 9 Am to 1.00 PM

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Mill-Run Tours:(800) 645 5786     (Ask for Jean Zodo.  She's Lebanese,
                                   and she has been very helpful).
                                   They are located in Chicago, IL.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Oxford Travel &                   (ask for Sami Silfani)
Tours :        (800) 245 7264 TEL (located in the Atlanta area)
               (404) 266 8783 FAX (Sami was quite informed and
                                   worked hard to get the
                                   cheapest fare possible.
       Strongly recommended by myself (Basil).
       Example of a fare: $ 1080 U.S., round trip
       on Air France from Cleveland, 
       travel date: April 13, 1993).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Service Plus Travel (ask for Dolly Tarabay) at 1-800-256-2865
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Sharif Travel: (714) 635 0837     (could be the same as the reference
                                   that shows up later as Moursi Sharif 
                                   - other reference has an 800 number -
                                   Recommended as super nice and cheap)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Sunship :      (800) 344 9428     (deals mainly with British Airways)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
TMA travel, (ask for Salim) at (313) 584-3260
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Travel All(??):(800) 621 4795
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Travel Corner: (800) 843 3214     (from outside Atlanta)
or             (404) 952 4044     (Atlanta)
or             (404) 924 4207     (Atlanta)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
"This is just FYI for those interested in getting tickets overseas that
Lina Makhlouf, formerly of travel corner in Atlanta, has opened her own
travel agency and can now be reached at 1-800-810-0081. She received the 
prize as the most recommended travel agent."

Update: Lina Makhlouf got married and moved to Knoxville TN, her married
name is Lina Makhlouf Shatara (sp?) and her new number is 1-800-235-0571

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Travel Nework: (201) 628 7071 TEL  1581 Route 23 South
               (201) 628 7827 FAX  Waynes, NJ 07470
                                  (Ask for Ms. Peggy Healy)
                                  (tell her Tommy's sister recommended!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
Vista Int'l :  (800) 228 4782     (located in West Virginia ??)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
World Express Travel:             (ask for Annie - she is from Lebanon).
               (800) 942 4992 TEL (located in Houston, Texas) 
               (713) 556 5700 TEL
               (713) 556 0895 FAX
________________________________________________________________________
______
_
No name given
for travel agency:                (ask for Garbiz Askanian)
               (212) 685 4499     (gave the best deal to someone)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (617) 354 3399     (ask for Malek Haddad)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (800) 426 8831     (ask for Hala)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (202) 625 0770     (ask for Marwan or Maha)
                                  (located in the Washington DC area)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (514) 398 0771 TEL (ask for Pierre or Nathalie)
               (514) 398 0795 FAX (located in Montreal-Canada)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (800) 332 5302     (ask for Moursi Sharif)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (212) 370 5353     (ask for Ali Srour)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (904) 763 2933     (located in Florida)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
-
No name given
for travel agency:
               (305) 856 3434
________________________________________________________________________
______
_
Negative Recommendations
________________________________________________________________________
______
_

D'International:                    (located in West Roxbury, Ma.)
                                     Travel agent is a Lebanese person.
                                     She booked flight on non-existing
                                     flight from Paris to Boston.
                                     The traveler had to pay a $ 100.00
                                     penaly, and agent did not reimburse 
him
                                     even though she had made the 
mistake.
                                     Traveler also found out she had 
done
                                     the same thing with several other 
people.
________________________________________________________________________
______
_

for 800 number directory call 1 (800) 555 1212

In France the following Travel Agency has been recommended as giving
good prices for travel to Lebanon:

Nouvelle Frontiere  with prices ranging from 3000 to 3500 F.F., round
trip, Paris-Beirut for Summer of '93 travel.  No phone number was given,
it is assumed that the agency is listed in the phone directory.
(I was not able to get the phone number of this agency since the 
directory
says that there is a nouvelle frontiere but their numbers are on the red 
list)
************************************************************************
******
*

8. What are the e-mail and Telnet IP addresses for sites in Lebanon?

--> new info:
Recently there was an annoucement made on SCL about an internet
provider in lebanon, which is Data Management. 

In a recent communication with George Chammas <gnc@hooked.net> from
Data Management this is what told about DM network:

[On Mon, 20 Mar 1995]

Data Management has established a full Internet service provider for the
Lebanese market, with access points in the greater Beirut, Tripoli, 
Zahle
and (soon) Saida areas. 
 
As you know, phone lines in Lebanon are a big problem, and speed and 
line
quality are a big issue.  Generally speaking, we have been able to
establish 9600 connections to customers, unless they have dedicated 
access
which could allow higher access speeds. 
 
Rates are a function of usage.  We have different programs depending on
what suits the user best, including rates capped at maximum $ amount per
month. 
 
The people to contact at DM in Beirut are Michel Abdou or Camille 
Nammour. 
Their email address is mabdou@hooked.net 
Their telephone numbers (in Beirut) are: 424357 or 602551 
They are very knowlegeable about the state of communications in Lebanon 
and
the possibilities available on DM's network. 
--------

  The American University of Beirut has Internet connectevity. Following 
is 
What Nabil Bukhaled <nabil@layla.aub.ac.lb>, Manager of Personal 
Computer 
Support Unit at AUB wrote on September 29th 1994 to answer the question: 
--------
The American University of Beirut link to the internet started to be 
fully operationaland stable  early March 1994. Our internet link is 
still 
running on a 9.6kbps X.25 leased line (TCP/IP over X.25). 

AUBNET consist of 4 class C networks all located behind a firewall. 
Users 
on the AUBNETs are around 140 users at present and we are adding 20 to 
30 
user per month. AUBNET users can telnet, ftp, send/receive mail, 
nslookup, 
ping and finger to the internet. We are blocking the access to the 
internet 
news, gopher  and mosaic. The restrictions are dictated by the link 
bandwidth limitations and the prohibitive communication cost. 
 
Accessing AUBNET from the internet is also blocked except for a number 
of research affiliated Universities. Ditto cost restriction.

Our future plans are to upgrade our link from X.25 9.6kbps to a VSAT 
64kbps leased line. We are also working on connecting other Universities 
and research institutions to the internet. The technical set up is ready 
but the legal part is still pending. 

The number of hosts on AUBNET is 80 at present, around mid October 1994 
we
excpect to have around 170 new hosts. i.e. AUB fiber optic backbone is
scheduled to reach two major isolated clusters of LANs end of September
1994. By July 1994, all of the campus building will be on the net, 
around
450 hosts.
-------
AUB had a help account but was obliged to disable it because of the high
traffic rate.
here what Nabil Bukhaled said about it:
"Yes help@layla account was disabled 4 months ago, I beleive that I 
should 
reactivate this account. We do understand that Lebanese world wide are 
anxious to communicate with the mother land via the Internet and we are 
more than ready to answer their questions/requests. The message should 
be 
clear to them that AUB is paying dearly to keep this link."

AUB is paying the traffic even if the user is unkown. In fact
they pay the incoming/outgoing traffic. So a mail with an erronious
destination will cost AUB twice. An advice is not try sending e-mails
unless you are sure of your destination. AUB promissed to annouce any 
major
changes in the situation of its net.


Following is info on the X.25 net in Lebanon, it's rather old info so 
prices
and other infos could be not that exact. If you know a newer info please 
feel 
free to forward to the FAQ maintainer .....

Through the X.25 network in Lebanon, one *can* access CompuServe, MCI-
mail,
AT&T mail and possibly Internet (that's how AUB is gaining access).

Connection cost to the Lebanese X25 network: $600
Monthly fee for the Lebanese X25 network and the server in France: $50 
The connection to France will be used until Internet will be available
in Lebanon.
Each 1024 characters to the states cost 2.1 F.F (around $0.39)
plus around 500 Lebanese Pounds for X25.
But no Telnet or ftp can be done.
However the subscription offers you a 10,000 PC and Macintosh programs 
to
down load. They are updated on a daily basis. 
There are Forums and debates in French. You can also access the NEWS
of the INTERNET.
You will have an Easy Link, Mercury Link, X400 , Telex address as well
as the Usenet one.
Also you can send faxes through the net....All in one subscription.
It seems that the costs for now are rather expensive, unless they are
borne by a business or a corporation.

************************************************************************
******
*

9. What are the phone numbers to call to get Lebanon news ?

  There is a mailing list called Leb-Net that sends digests to 
subscribers
  every two days on the average. It is usually quite thorough.
  To subscribe, send a short request to:

         Leb-Net@cumesa.mech.columbia.edu

************************************************************************
******
*

10. What are the radio frequencies and broadcast times of Lebanese
    related radio programs  ?

  This information is extracted from Passport to World Band Radio,
L. Magne (Ed.), IBS, 1992, ISBN 0-914941-27-5:

  All times are in GMT, frequencies are in KHz.

Voice of Lebanon, Beirut-Ashrafiyah, Phalange, 8KW, English but mostly 
Arabic
broadcast.

0900-0915       6550
1315-1330       6550
1815-1830       6550

King of Hope, Marjayou^n, Mideast, 12 KW, English and Arabic broadcast.
0700-1100       6280 (Mideast), 11530 (Europe)
1400-1700       6280 (Mideast), 11530 (Europe)

  Neither one of the stations listed above were easily received in NY 
with a
portable SW radio and an indoor antenna.  The book doesn't list the 
government

radio station which used to broadcast in the 11KHz-12KHz range from 
Amshit. 
The Amshit broadcast could not be received either.

According to the 1993 edition of World Radio and TV Handbook (WRTH), 
there are

a multitude of radio stations in Lebanon, transmitting on long-wave, 
medium
wave
and FM. They apparently represent every shade of politics, religion and  
finance. ranging from the government RADIO LEBANON through SAOUT AL SHAB 
(in  
Rmayleh, near Sidon - I new it for it's sugar cane and lettuce!) to 
RADIO  
DUTCH-BATT (UN Forces). WRTH notes: "There are dozens of AM and almost 
150 FM 


_
                                                 

stations operating in Lebanon. Many of these are unlicensed , therefore  
available details are incomplete, and many stations change frequencies 
often."

For listeners abroad there are 3 possible stations that may be received  
depending on propagation conditions. You might want to consult  
rec.radio.shortwave or rec.radio.broadcasting for postings on listening  
conditions and tips on equipment, antennas and help in finding Lebanon 
on the 

dial.

The 3 stations transmitting regularly on shortwave are:

6280  kHz  King of Hope, south Lebanon, 0500 - 2200 UTC
6550  kHz  Radio Voice of Lebanon, 24 hours
11530 kHz  Wings of Hope, south Lebanon, 0500 - 2200 UTC

Only the 6550 transmission is regularly audible in northern Europe.

The government-run RADIO LEBANON does not appear to have a shortwave 
service 
at present. 

The Voice of Lebanon has an address at POBox 165271 Ashrafiyeh, Beirut, 
vox +9611323458 tix VDL 23203 LE. General manager; Simon El-Khazen. 

The address of King of Hope is POBox 3379 Limassol, Cyprus (High 
Adventure  
Missionaries, Box 7466, Van Nuys, CA 91409), which is also the address 
of
Wings
of Hope.

The WRTH, ISBN 0-8230-5924-3, also contains useful information about 
radio  
receivers, antennas, radio dealers, etc. 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
For France:

People who are living in Paris can receive the broadcast
of "Radio Orient" on FM 94.3 MHz, Radio Orient provides News and 
cultural
programs from Lebanon and the Arab world in general. They provide 
headline 
news each hour and detailed news at 7:00, 8:00 12:00 18:00 19:30 and 
23:00 
(Paris Time i.e +2 GMT). It is received in Lebanon as well in Syria and
Jordan,
and in some European countries via cable(?). It can be also received by
calling
+33 1 47 37 40 80, it's useful in some French cities where RO 
broadcasting
does not reach.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
North America:
Every night you can listen to Monte Carlo.  It is transmitted by radio 
Canada.
The program is only 15 minutes long (Panorama News).  You can listen to 
it 
every night at 10 pm central time.  These are two approximate 
frequencies:

                      Wave Length: 49 m OR 60 m
                      Frequency  : 6 MHz

                      Wave Length: 31 m
                      Frequency  : 10 MHz

Egypt and Jordan stations transmit at frequencies close from the second 
one
above.  Their transmition is not very clear and they transmit at around 
11-12 
midnight.

 Here are some frequencies that can be received in North America:
 
 Station:                Time (EDT)             Frequency
 ========                ==========             =========
  
 Radio Monte Carlo  11:00pm - 11:20          5.9 Mhz (5900)
 Radio Cairo             10:00pm - 12:00          9475 or 11600
 Radio Kuwait            02:00pm - 03:00          11990
 Radio Damascus          04:00pm - 05:00          15095
 UAE Radio Dubai         11:00pm - 12:00          13675 or 11945 
 Radio Jordan            02:00pm - 03:00          9560
 
 Voice of Lebanon, with a good radio, can be received on 6550, at 2:00pm
 (EDT).  The reason you need a good radio is because this broadcast is
 directed to Europe, but you can receive it in NA on clear days.
 
 I highly suggest the use of an external antenna.  If your radio doesn't
 have a place for an external antenna, extend the power of reception by
 running a wire around the inside of your room, up high, and attach it
 to the built-in antenna.
 
 Good luck,

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
This is an extract of Dan Ferguson's <df@voa.gov> May 1993 
transcript of the BBC World Service schedule posted to 
rec.radio.shortwave and rec.radio.info and archived at
nic.funet.fi.

Be aware that these transmissions are aimed toward a Middle East
listening audience and may therefore be difficult to receive 
elsewhere.

  FREQ Time(GMT) Days    Site        Pwr Azi Language       Target
 ===== ========= ======= =========== === === ============== ======

   639 0330-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 180 ARABIC         ME
   639 1255-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 180 ARABIC         ME
   702 0320-0445 smtwtfs MASIRAH     750 267 ARABIC         ME
   702 1255-2100 smtwtfs MASIRAH     750 267 ARABIC         ME
   720 0330-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 110 ARABIC         ME
   720 1255-1830 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 110 ARABIC         ME
   720 1830-1900 .mtwtf. LIMASSOL    500 110 ARABIC         ME
   720 1900-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    500 110 ARABIC         ME
  6030 1615-2100 smtwtfs MASIRAH     100 305 ARABIC         ME
  6110 0445-0600 smtwtfs SKELTON     300 180 ARABIC         N AF
  7140 0330-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 175 ARABIC         ME
  7140 1255-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 175 ARABIC         ME
  7325 0445-0600 smtwtfs RAMPISHAM   500 168 ARABIC         N AF
  9760 0320-0445 smtwtfs SKELTON     300 110 ARABIC         ME
  9825 0445-0600 smtwtfs RAMPISHAM   500 180 ARABIC         N AF
 11730 1615-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    250 147 ARABIC         ME
 11730 1615-2100 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 280 ARABIC         N AF
 11740 0320-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 102 ARABIC         ME
 13660 1255-2100 smtwtfs SKELTON     300 180 ARABIC         N AF
 15180 1255-2100 smtwtfs RAMPISHAM   500 168 ARABIC         N AF
 15235 0320-0600 smtwtfs MASIRAH     100 305 ARABIC         ME
 15590 0320-0600 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    250 147 ARABIC         ME
 15590 1255-1615 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    100 150 ARABIC         ME
 17715 1255-2000 smtwtfs SKELTON     300 180 ARABIC         N AF
 17785 1255-1615 smtwtfs LIMASSOL    250 107 ARABIC         ME

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----

************************************************************************
******
*

11. What are the various Lebanese organizations and how can I contact
them.

American Task Force for Lebanon
2250 M St., N.W., Suite 305
Washington, DC 20037
Telephone: 202-223-9333
Fax: 202-223-1399

  This organization publishes a monthly newsletter called "Outlook",
with Tanya Rahal (Exec. Ed.), and Deeb Keamy (Managing Ed.)

**
Centre for Lebanese Studies, Oxford, England
Address: 59 observatory street
  Oxford.
Phone:  0865 58465
The Centre for Lebanese Studies is an independent academic 
research institution. It was founded in 1985 in association with 
the Middle East Centre at St. Antony's College, Oxford. Its 
aims are to promote international understanding of the country 
and issues facing it.
 The Centre initiates and publishes research papers and books 
on relevant historical, economic, political, sociological and 
cultural issues affecting Lebanon. It also organises conferences 
and seminars in order that ideas and views on the country's state 
of affairs may be exchanged.
 A registered charity, the Centre for Lebanese Studies relies on 
the backing of individuals who extend their support while 
preserving its autonomy under the supervision of an academic 
research committee.
(for details on books and publication read question 16)

*******
The US Arab Chamber of Commerce publishes a directory of companies
in New York doing business in the Middle East.

Their offices in New York are at 420 Lexington Ave, Suite 2739, NYC 
10170

THeir phone number is 212-986-8024. Good luck. david hirsch, ucla

************************************************************************
******
*

12. What are the projects you can contribute to help rebuild Lebanon ?
 
  There is a non-profit organization for Lebanese Academics and 
Professionals
that is working on development projects between Lebanon and North 
America.
It is called ALPA (Association of Lebanese Professionals and Academics)
to join or contact them, send e-mail to:

          alpa@lido.eng.uci.edu
or
          fawaz@harrier.berkeley.edu

************************************************************************
******
*

13.  Are there any information about The Cedars of Lebanon and/or 
     organizations that deal with this matter??

     There is two organizations that works on Cedars related matters, 
which
are the SPNL (the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon) and 
the 
FCF (the Freinds of the Cedar Forest).

     Following is the breif description of the FCF Comitee and it's 
activities
then a report of the SPNL about the cedar in Lebanon.

 the friends of the cedar forest committee:
  president: father george nakhle rahme
  vice-pres: antoine gebrayel tok
  treasurer: wahib keyrouz (who is also the conservationist
    of the gibran museum)
  secretary &
  official spokesman: bassam m. geagea
  head of the ecological team: dr. henriette tohme
  head of the phytopathology
  and plant protection team: dr. khalil melki
  head of the agricultural
  and decoration team:  wajdi geagea (engineer)
 
 the committee has transformed el-arz kadicha into a natural
 regional park, and their work is predominately in bsharee.

 a good - though old- source for more info on the cedars
 of lebanon is : "the remnant cedar forests of lebanon" by
 e.w.beals of the aub, published in the journal of ecology -
 volume 53, pages 679 to 694.


     The following is a Report issued by the SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION 
OF 
NATURE IN LEBANON, and posted by Kamel Saidi on SCL, for addresses 
please read the end of the article.



  Here is the preliminary report on the Cedars of Lebanon that
 was prepared by the SPNL.  I hope it helps some of you and I encourage
 anybody who is interested in joining SPNL to do so.  If you would like
 more information about SPNL, I will be more than happy to send you
 a full brochure about them.
 
 
 
     CEDARS OF LEBANON
      (Cedrus Libani)
 
          PRELIMINARY REPORT PREPARED BY SPNL
   (SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATURE IN LEBANON)
       February 1994
 
 A.  GENERAL
 
  Cedrus Libani is a native of Lebanon, hence the name.  It also
 occurs in Cyprus and Certain areas of Asia Minor.  It is a tall
 evergreen tree having short dark needle-like leaves and highly prized
 fragrant hard wood.
 
  Cedrus Libani has been known to survive for over 3000 years
 and some of the existing Cedars of Lebanon are over 2000 years old.
 However, the great demand for its famous wood since ancient times has
 largely denuded most of the natural Cedar forests in Lebanon and the
 surrounding area.
 
  King Solomon is said to have imported the fabled cedarwood
 from Lebanon in biblical times to be used in the building of the
 temple in Jerusalem.  So have the Egyptians and Phoenicians before
 him, as well as the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders and Ottomans
 in more recent times.
 
  During the first world war, the Turks decimated Lebanese
 forests, including a good part of the remaining cedars, to provide
 fuel for their railways in the area.  Further damage took place during
 the chaos of the civil strife in Lebanon between 1975 and 1991.
 
  However, the present peace in Lebanon may cause an even
 greater danger than the war to the remaining cedars of lebanon.  These
 dangers come from the following sources:
 
  a- Atmospheric pollution caused by the coastal cement
   plants in Chekka (which have been expanding their
   production to help the reconstruction efforts after
   the war), as well as other industrial air pollution.
   Although the Chekka cement plants have now been
   required to install anti-pollution equipment, more
   stringent regulations against air pollution should be
   enforced.
  b- An insect pest that has hit many of the cedars during
   the last few years, specially the Bsharri cedars.
   This requires further study and control.
  c- Lack of proper protection and the consequent trampling
   and abuse caused by goats and visitors to cedar
   forests.  The present peace has greatly increased the
   number of tourists, both local and foreign to the
   cedars, who are now able to venture to areas that were
   not secure during the war.  This endangers the
   ecological balance in areas where cedars occur.
 
 
 B.  OCCURRENCE
 
  Despite the foregoing ravages, and the ravages of the past 16
 years of chaos in Lebanon, Cedrus Libani still occurs in several
 ranges of the western slopes of Mount Lebanon between 1400 and 2000
 meters above sea level.  Some of these forests have been relatively
 well preserved while others, unfortunately, are still being abused and
 are in danger of further decimation.
 
  The areas in which the remaining cedar forests of Lebanon
 occur are the following:
 
 1-  Chouf Mountains
 
  a- Barouk Forest
 
   This is probably one of the better preserved cedar
   forests in the area and occurs on the western slopes
   of the Barouk mountains.  It covers an area of around
   100 hectares, with several thousand ancient trees
   still standing.
 
  b- Ain Zhalta Forest
 
   Also in the Chouf mountains, this forest covers around
   110 hectares.  It is relatively well preserved and as
   a result of this, we have noticed that parts of it
   have started to regenerate themselves through the
   natural growth of the new cedar seedlings over the
   last few years.
 
  c- Maasar El-Chouf Forest
 
   This is the furthest southern distribution of Cedrus
   Libani.  It covers around 6 hectares and is well
   preserved.  This forest is fenced and guarded by
   forest rangers who prevent any type of trespassing or
   activity in its environs, except by special permit.
 
   More work is required to protect and extend the Chouf
   mountain cedars.  The best way to do this, in our
   opinion, is to declare them both national and
   international wildlife reserves of great significance.
 
 
 2-  North Lebanon Mountains
 
  a- Bsharri
 
   Although this is the most famous of the ancient cedar
   forests in Lebanon, it is not very well preserved,
   with only 375 of the ancient trees still standing.
   This forest has been recently reopened to visitors and
   is used as a tourist attraction to the great detriment
   of the trees themselves.  Branches are still being
   chopped off and used to make souvenirs to sell to
   tourists, despite representations to the contrary.
   These cedarwood trinkets can be readily bought off
   street vendors around the Bsharri cedars.
 
   The Friends of the Cedars Committee in Bsharri has
   done some good work by planting several thousand new
   cedar seedlings in the last few years, and by trying
   to investigate the cause of the disease attacking many
   of the trees.  However, these efforts are still
   inadequate to ensure the continued preservation of
   this once great forest.  This requires closing it up
   to all visitors, except for special occasions, and
   putting it under the strict control of experienced and
   well trained forest rangers.
 
   The land of this forest is the property of the
   Maronite Church.  However, a church is situated in the
   midst of the forest and a main asphalt road passes
   under some of the ancient trees.  This situation is
   also detrimental for the preservation of this
   magnificent forest.
 
  b- Ehden Forest
 
   Also situated in north Lebanon, this forest has a
   great number of Fir (Abbies spp) and several other
   species of trees, besides Cedrus Libani.  This forest
   has been recently declared a protected area by the
   Lebanese government, under law No. 121 of 9 March,
   1992, as a result of pressure from several
   environmental organizations, including SPNL.
 
 
 3-  Other Stands of Cedars
 
     These are generally smaller and more scattered occurrences of
     Cedrus Libani than the above mentioned forests:
 
  a-  Jeij, in Jubail mountains (central Lebanon).
  b-  Tannourine, in Batroun area of north Lebanon.
  c-  Wadi Jahannam, in Akkar area of north Lebanon.
 
  All the above occurrences still need to be properly surveyed
  in detail to determine their extent and present condition,
  before any action can be taken to preserve them.
 
 
 C.  CONSERVATION
 
  SPNL believes that, despite the many dangers still facing the
 existence of the Cedars of Lebanon, if swift action is taken, the
 species can still be saved and may flourish again.  If we can get
 these forests to be declared as protected areas and prevent both
 people and goats from trampling around, together with continuous new
 plantings of cedars around existing forests, then we may still be able
 to make them regenerate themselves.
 
  Efforts have increased in recent years to preserve and expand
 the existing cedar forests in Lebanon.  Among the most important of

_
                                                           

 these developments are the following:
 
 1- The establishment of a new Ministry of the Environment in
  Lebanon in 1993, as a result of pressure from many
  non-government organizations (NGO's), is a good beginning.  But
  it is only a beginning.
 
 2- A new association called the Society for Arz El-Chouf, whose
  objective is to preserve the cedars of the Chouf mountains,
  has been established in early 1994 by Minister Walid Junblat.
 
 3- SPNL and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) have proposed, in
  late 1993, a project to be funded by the United Nations
  Development Programme's (UNDP) Global Environmental Facility
  (GEF), in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment, to
  establish a new department of wildlife and protected areas in
  Lebanon.  The objectives of this department will be to
  safeguard biodiversity and natural ecosystems in Lebanon
  through the establishment of a system of national parks and
  protected areas.
 
  Three areas have been selected to start this project, namely:
 
  a-  Barouk Forest
  b-  Ehden Forest
  c-  Palm Island (off the coast of Tripoli)
 
  The Ministry of the Environment still has to make a decision
  and take necessary action to make this project reality.
 
 4- SPNL and the Lebanese government have requested the World Heritage
  Committee (WHC) of UNESCO to nominate the main cedar forests
  of Lebanon as historic sites of international importance.  A
  visit to Lebanon by Mr. Jim Thorsell of WHC was sponsored by
  SPNL in April 1993 to study this proposal.  But we still await
  further action by The Ministry of the Environment to bring
  this idea into actuality.
 
 5- In the meantime, SPNL is conducting a campaign to plant new
  cedar trees.  To this end, SPNL welcomes financial
  contributions for planting cedar trees in various areas where
  Cedrus Libani already occur in Lebanon.
 
  SPNL will plant one cedar tree in your name against a
  contribution of only 30 U.S. Dollars.
 
  Please contact us at the following address for further
  information:
 
  SPNL
  P.O. Box 11-5665
  Beirut, Lebanon
 
  Tel.:  (01)-343740/342701/344814
  Fax :  (961-1)-603208
  Telex: 20179 SARI LE
 
************************************************************************
******

14. Are there any information about ski resorts in Lebanon ??

The following is an article from the In-flight Magazine of MEA Airlines.

"The Story of Skiing in Lebanon", in Cedar Wings, The In-flight Magazine 
of
MEA, issue 20 March-April 1994, pp. 6-12, 16.

People are often surprised to discover that sunny Lebanon is a great 
place
to ski. Six winter resorts operate in the high mountains, where from
December to April heavy snow covers the rocky massif. The variety and
accessibility of these slopes, ranging from the Cedars in the North to
Kanat Bakiche nearer Beirut, make skiing one of the country's natural 
joys.

The sport got started in 1913 when a Lebanese engineer, fresh from his
studies in Switzerland, introduced skiing to his native country. But it
wasn't until the 1930's that a group of French and Lebanese young people
began to ski in earnest. These were a hardy lot, who in the days before 
ski
lifts would spend many hours trudging up steep slopes for the joy of a
single run down to the bottom.

"We didn't know anything about skiing except that we wanted to do it,"
reminisces Dr. Emile Riachi, now president of the Lebanese Ski 
Federation.
"We rented wooden skis, old fashioned leather boots with simple bindings
and we walked up the slope. To keep from slipping we put fox skins under
our skis."

These young enthusiasts went all over the country, starting out at dawn 
to
tramp up snowy slopes in the Cedars, Sannine, Barouk and Mount Hermon. 
It
was all adventure, but with no lifts, one or two descents a day was most
they could hope for.

A nucleus of more serious skiing began in 1935 when the French army
established a ski school near Bisharre, in the famous Cedars. Those were
the days of the French mandate and the army's idea was to train soldiers 
to
patrol the rugged mountains.

The army school's most enduring contribution, however, was the 
generation
of expert Lebanese skiers who formed the first Olympic team and later
helped spread ski fever throughout the country. Since 1948 Lebanon has 
sent
skiers to every winter Olympics and they have always made a good 
showing.
Unfortunately, the 1994 winter Olympics have not seen the Cedar flag.
According to the Ski Federation, new Olympic regulations have 
effectively
disqualified a number of smaller countries, including Lebanon.

One of the first ski lifts in the Lebanese mountains, a mechanical snow
climber, was built in the late 1940's on the slopes of Dahr al-Baidar.
Today travellers to Chtaura and Damascus can still see the remains of 
this
disused 370-meter tow on the high pass. In 1951 the big chair lift in 
the
Cedars was erected and tows and lifts began appearing in Laklouk and
Ouyoune es-Siman (Faraya-Mzaar).

With modern facilities available, Lebanon's skiers got on the fast 
track.
In the 1960's they organized a Ski Federation. Later a high level Ski
Committee was set up, headed by the Director General of Tourism. 
European
instructors were brought in and international competitions organized. 
The
annual Cedars Ski Week, listed on the International Ski Federation
Calender, attracted participants from many European countries. Tourists
also started heading for the snow as part of their packaged itineraries.

Energized by this success, ski developers and travel agents began to
publicize one of the country's greatest claims to fame - its weather. 
"Only
in Lebanon," they announced to the world, "can you ski in the morning 
and
go to the beach in the afternoon."

It's true that Lebanon's weather is crucial to its ski appeal. Investors 
in
one proposed winter resort observed the weather at the site for three
years. Finally they reported that it was almost possible to tell how 
many
days of powder, crust, boilerplate or corn snow could be expected. Other
planners compared conditions at 11 European ski locates with those in
Lebanon. Their conclusion? Lebanon looked good, very good indeed.

Once the Lebanese discovered the thrill of skiing, they stayed with it,
even during the civil war. In fact, according to the Ski Federation, the
sport has steadily developed at the rate of 15 to 20 percent annually, 
even
during the fighting. "This year", says Dr. Riachi "you can expect to see
some 10,000 skiers on the slopes on a god Sunday in March."

Despite his enthusiasm, however, Dr. Riachi is not yet ready to 
advertise
Lebanon as a ski paradise. "We are still feeling the effects of the 
war",
he admitted. "Telephone communications to the mountains are not good and 
we
need more facilities. Hopefully, we'll be ready for foreign tourists in 
a
few years."

Lebanon's Ski Federation and resort owners are gearing up to achieve 
this
goal. A mini-building boom is underway in the higher elevations as
investors and enthusiasts work to enlarge and improve their facilities.
This season will see three new ski lifts at Ouyoune Es-Siman (Faraya-
Mzaar)
as well as improved snow maintenance equipment. New hotels and chalets,
restaurants and shops are in the works in most locations.  Safety has 
also
been beefed up. The Lebanese Ski Committee is applying new measures at 
all
resorts. Flags and signs will warn of poor snow conditions or dangerous
areas. A rescue team will be stationed at each slope and all resorts 
will
be equipped with first-aid supplies, an ambulance and a medical team.

Ski competitions are in the forefront this season with a varied schedule 
of
national contests, including the first cross-country competition since
1975. Next year the Federation hopes to organize Lebanon's first postwar
international competitions.

Perhaps it's not surprising then, that Lebanon is such a great place to
ski. With stunning wide-angle views at every turn and slopes ti suit 
every
level, skiing becomes a special experience. But, like Lebanon itself, 
much
lies in its potential.

"We are ready to start moving on this", says Dr. Riachi, who, 
remembering
the time when there were no lifts at all, knows just how far the sport 
has
come in Lebanon.

Cedars
The Cedars, 121 kilometers (75 miles) from Beirut, is perched on a 
platform
at 2,066 meters (6,300 feet) elevation in a great bowl scooped from the
towering peaks. Qornet al Souda reaches up 3,100 meters (10,135 feet)
offering a superb view of Qadisha valley to the south and the Bekaa 
plain
in the north. The ancient cedar trees, survivors of the magnificent 
giants
that nice covered the entire area, are both a land-mark and symbol.

As for skiing, the Cedars offers the most complete combinations of 
slopes,
valleys and exposures of any resort in Lebanon, most of them with an 
ideal
northwest exposure. But this natural ski paradise remains relatively
undeveloped compared with its rivals. Its 2,400-meter chair lift, built 
in
1951, has been out of service for two years, although four good T-bar 
tows
carry skiers up to 2,300 meters (7,500 feet). The Cedars has a number of
chalets and hotels, ski shops, restaurants and a varied night life.

Faqra
Faqra, now a private club, is located south of Ouyoune as-Siman
(Faraya-Mzaar) at 1,750 meters (5,741 feet). Its ski trails overlook the
sea and the bay of Beirut. Facilities include a hotel, 200 private 
chalets,
restaurants, a heated pool, squash, sauna, tennis, and a fitness club. 
The
slopes are equipped with a chair lift, 2 ski lifts, and a baby lift. The
resort also features an international slalom track. Members only. 
Special
arrangements are available for tourists.

Kanat Bakiche
Kanat Bakiche, with an elevation of 1,990 meters (6,065 feet) is located 
on
Mount Sannine near Faqra. This centre, 48 kilometers (29 miles) from
Beirut, is known for the good quality of its snow. There are 2 ski 
lifts,
and hotels are available in the area.

Laklouk
Laklouk was established by banker Joseph Saab in the early 1950's. Set
among terraced orchards, its safe, gentle slope was dynamited out of a
nearby cliff. Known as a family resort, Laklouk is remarkable for the 
stark
beauty of its surroundings. Sixty kilometers from Beirut (37 miles), it 
is
1,740 meters (5,708 feet) high. It has three ski lifts, hotels, chalets 
and
other facilities.

Ouyoune es-Siman, generally known as Faraya-Mzaar after the nearby 
village,
was established by Sheik Selim al-Khazen, who early on saw the area's
potential. Mzaar is a region rich in natural curiosities, among them the 
30
meter bridge carved from the rock by wind and rain. From Mzaar, one of 
the
finest views in Lebanon takes in the Bekaa, Mount Hermon, Laklouk, the
Cedars and the coast. Skiers are often able to see the sprawling city of
Beirut outlined below.

Fifty-four kilometers from Beirut (34 miles), Ouyoune es-Siman has an
elevation of 1,891 meters (5,763 feet). It is one of the best equipped 
and
maintained of Lebanon's resorts, with 11 lifts, including 2 chair lifts,
which connect trails ranging from beginner's to advanced. There are
chalets, hotels, ski shops and other facilities available.

Zaarour
Zaarour, 37 kilometers (29 miles) from Beirut, is a small resort on the
wester flank of Mount Sannine where a splendid panorama takes in the 
famous
Valley of Skulls ("Wadi el Jamajem"). About an hour's drive from Beirut,
the center is equipped with ski lifts and a snack bar, but lacks hotels 
and
other facilities. Elevation is about 1,990 (6,065 feet). Owner Michel 
Murr
plans to develop Zaarour as a private club.

************************************************************************
*****


15. What are the various Lebanese magazines and newspapers.

  Some of the newspapers are:

Al Hayat  (published in London, New York as well as in Beirut)*
Al Nahar
Al Safeer
Al Anwar

* addresses of al-hayat:
Main office:
London
        KEINSIGTON CENERE,
        66 HAMMERSMITH ROAD,
        LONDON W14 8YT
        UK
        
        tel: 071-6029988
        Fax: 071-3714215
             071-3714225
 Telex: 925746
 Administration: 
  tel: 071-6029988
  Fax: 071-6024963
  Telex: 925751
  tel: 071-6052122
  Fax: 071-6024514
        Advertising: Media Force
        London : tel: 071-6027383
                 Fax: 071-6025023
        Jeddah : tel: 02-6608458
        Beirut : tel: 498967
        Ryad   : tel: 4640352

Washington office:
        AL HAYAT
        1185 National Press Building
        Washington DC, 20045
        USA
 Tel: 202 783 5544
 Fax: 202 783 5525
New York office:
 AL HAYAT
 Press Room C-321
 United Nation Bldg,
 New York 10017
 USA
 Tel/Fax: 212 486 0576, 212 963 7619

 Some magazines:

Al Nahar al Arabi wal Duwali
Al Hawadess

"  Paul Salem, the assistant dean of Arts & Sciences at AUB has set up 
(I
think with the help of his father Elie Salem the ex-foreign minister) 
the
Lebanese Center for Policy Study, which deals with all political, 
social,
and economic aspects of the Lebanese arena with a special emphasis on
policy matters. 

  They produce a monthly publication called the Lebanon Report and a
quarterly journal (a la Foreign Affairs) called Middle East Review. The
office they have in the US is mainly for the circulation of these
publications. "

They provide the following addresses:

The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies

Lebanon:  Tayyar Center
          Box 55215, Sin Al-Fil
          Beirut, Lebanon
          Tel. 961-1-490561/6
          Fax  961-1-490375

USA:  P.O. Box 1377 
      Highland Park, NJ 08904
      Phone: 908-220-0885
      Fax: 908-937-6697



  A very good source of information on economic developments in Lebanon 
is the Middle East Economic Digest, which is published weekly, in 
English.
To subscribe, send a letter to the following address:

P.O. Box 14
Harold Hill
Romford
Essex RM3 8 EQ
U.K.

It costs 275 sterlings in the UK, 300 sterlings outside the U.K.
No special concessions are offered for students.
The AUB Alumni Science Subcommittee publishes a quarterly magazine (Sci-
Quest)
that is distributed free of charge (in Lebanon--outside Lebanon, you may 
have
to pay a small amount to cover mailing charges). To get on the mailing 
list,
contact:

 Sci-Quest
 AUB Alumni Science Subcommittee
 AUB Alumni Club
 American University of Beirut
 P.O. Box 11-0236
 Beirut, Lebanon.


The Lebanon Report
   Dicussing every thing of what happened in the last month in Lebanon + 
Pictures. People who read they found it extremly helpful and very 
objective. 
It is written from a neutral point of views and does not belong to any 
faction. It is centered in Sin-El-feal (east beirut). I highly recommed 
it 
to anyhow how is interested. 

there address is:

  The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
   P.O.Box 1377,
   Highland Park, NJ, 08904

   Tel: 908-220-0885
   Fax: 908-937-6697



************************************************************************
******
*

16. Where can I find Lebanese magazines and newspapers.

   In NY/NJ, you can buy it in the World Trade Center, in Penn Station,
Newark,
NJ, and in Arab shopping areas (see below).

In Boston there is the "out of town news" which sells them. It is 
located
Harvard square, right outside the "T" station.
It has several newspapers including "al hayat" and "al hawadeth". 

  In Norway, many big libraries have  magazines and newspapers relating 
to
the Middle East. In Arabic there is the Ahram or the British based 
alHayat
or Sharq al-Awsat.

  In Oslo the small Kiosk besides Saga cinema sells magazines and 
newspapers
that relate to the Middle East. The University of Oslo publishes a 
magazine
called Midtosten Forum that takes up issues related to the Middle East.
Most articles are in Norwegian, but there are some in English or other
Scandinavian languages. To get this magazine write to:

Midtosten Forum
Tidsskriftredaksjonen
1030 Blindern
0315 Oslo
Norway

In Montreal, There are the "Maisons de la presses internationales", that
have a wide variety of Arabic/Lebanese newspapers and magazines. They 
have 
the daily Al-Hayat (printed in NY), Al-Hawadeth, Al-Wasat, Al-Watan Al-
Araby,
etc.
"Les Maisons" have three locations on St-Catherines st. in downtown 
Montreal.
Other downtown Kiosques and arabic food stores, get Al-Hayat and other 
papers
and magazines.

A couple of local Lebanese papers are issued in Montreal weekly or bi-
weekly,
the most important are Al-Mustaqbal and Sawt-Canada. These papers 
contain news
from Lebanon and the middle-east as well as news of the Arab and 
Lebanese
communities in Canada.

************************************************************************
******
*

_
                       


17. What has been written by Lebanese and/or about Lebanon ?

  What follows are titles of books by contemporary Lebanese writers 
available
in English.(They all deal with the war in one aspect or another).

Kamal Salibi, "A House of Many Mansions, The History of Lebanon
Reconsidered", 1988.

Emily Nasrallah, _Flight Against Time_ trans. Issa J. Boullata.
Charlettetown, P.E.I.: Ragweed Press, 1987.
  This is a very touching depiction of an older man's inability to get
  used to life in Canada, where his children live and where they want
  him to move because of the outbreak of the war in Lebanon.  The old
  man's attachment to his Lebanese village is conveyed in a simple,
  direct style, making his predicament that much more poignant.

Elias Khoury, _Little Mountain_ trans. Maia Tabet. Minneapolis: Univ.
of Minnesota Press, 1989.
  What I find really interesting about this book is its post-modern
  style.  The narrative point view, speaker, time, place, all shift
  without warning.  It is almost as though Khoury is trying to re-create
  stylistically the disjunctions and disruptions occasioned by the
  civil war in Lebanon. (his representation of women, however, is
  rather sexist in my view)

Etel Adnan, _Sitt Marie Rose_ Post Apollo Press, 1978.
  In this work Adnan narrates the experiences of a Maronite woman who
  falls in love with a Palestinian and is kidnapped by a group of men
  (her co-religionists  among whom is an old school friend of hers.
  Her experiences are witnessed by her students who are deaf-mutes.
  This is a very powerful and disturbing book.

Etel Adnan, "five senses for one death." The Smith Special Issue 18, 
1971.
  This is a long imagistic poem by Adnan.

Jean Said Makdisi, _Beirut Fragments: A War Memoir_ New York: Persea 
Books,
1990.
  Makdisi is a Palestinian-Lebanese who describes her experiences in war-
  torn Beirut.  For her those experiences, which she retells in very
  moving terms, and her determination to stay in Beirut make her a true
  Beiruti.  Her love for Beirut and her agony over what is happening to
  it are quite clear.  Employing different styles (chronicle, 
descriptive
  narrative etc.) in different chapters, Makdisi ends her book with a
  very moving poem. 

Here's the poem :

"Is it possible to hope that from the rubble of war, which at certain
times seemed to haved ended civilization, a new form might arise and
permit future creativity?  There is something of the alpha and omega
in this hope, is there not?

Zbale   garbage surrounds us, everywhere we look, there are piles of
        rubbish, debris, there is stench and ugliness, we

Yield   always we yield to the force of things, we are in danger of
        surrendering to despair, and to the ease of

Xenophobia
        there is always someone else to blame for what has happened to
        us, it's never our fault, oh no, and meanwhile we are

Waiting always waiting, for the others, for the solution, waiting for
        them to let the water come gurgling into our empty taps, waiting
        for the walls to crumble

Weary   of the never ending

War     we listen, overwhelmed with sorrow and anger to the the empty

Words   the endless empty rhetoric which has only brought more

Violence
        while the

Veneer  of fashion glitters like a worthless, forgotten coin in a
        mound of rubble as it catches the sun.

Ugliness
        surrounds us, the ugliness of a broken city, ugly buildings
        sprouting up everywhere, ugly streets, whole neighborhoods, the
        beauty of mountains is destroyed by utilitarian ugliness, and

Time    weighs heavily on us--our days are long, and we carry History
        on our backs, an intolerable burden--but History gave us also

Tyre    and

Tripoli and

Sidon   timeless relics from the past, ancient, beautiful, but

Scarred by war and the suffering of

Refugees
        We are a land of refugees, a people of refugees, coming from
        everywhere, going nowhere.

Refugees
        make beautiful causes, but they are people--their trucks piled
        high with the pathetic remnants of former lives, mattresses and
        goats and children and stoves--they have found no

Quicksand
        in which everyone sinks.  We are in a

Prison  of violence and forgotten ideals.  Still,

Peace   will come, and

Oppression
        will end, must end, and

Nemesis will come, but not with more

Militias
        certainly not with more fighting men, nor with more

Lies    the lies told by everyone to preserve the war and to preserve 
the

Knitting
        together of the unravelling whole.

Justice In war there is no Justice, and it is not from War that Justice
        will come.

Jbeil   ancient Byblos, and

Jounieh with its ancient harbors and stunning bay, emerald mountains
        dipping into the blue sea and searching into the azure skies,
        they are in danger of drifting away from us, but someday perhaps
        there will be

Joy     and

Jubilation
        when this war ends and the

Internecine
        butchery ends.  They say

Hope    springs eternal and so it does, in spite of the

Guns    and the

Fawda   the anarchy which threatens us at every turn, because

Earth   around us is beautiful: the gray rocks on the sheer cliffs, the
        shimmering silver leaves of the olive trees, the deep dark green
        of the ancient cedars, the sweet smell of the pine forests, the
        oranges dotted like yellow stars in the sparkling groves that 
lie
        by the blue seas.  Meanwhile, our

Days    pass, drearily, with explosions shattering the stillness of the
        nights.  Our senses are dulled by the

Catastrophe
        that has been upon us here in

Beirut  --poor, ugly, stricken Beirut, broken Beirut, unloved city, lost
        Beirut, like the child in the tale, torn between two mothers, 
but
        no Solomon here, no true mother.

Beirut  pleads to be redeemed, but not by

Another

Army.
...........................
(This poem is more effective as a culmination to Makdisi's memoirs.  It
is reproduced here without permission.)

Hanan Al-Shaykh, -The Story of Zahra_ trans. Peter Ford. New York: 
Quartet
Books, 1986.

  Zahra is a shia Lebanese living in Beirut during the war (though she 
also
goes to West Africa for a while).  I won't give away the plot but only
mention that she has a very complex relationship with a sniper.  I 
really
liked this book.  It deals very frankly with sensitive issues such as 
sex
and politics, and especially with the struggles of women.

  Other Lebanese writers I like but for whom I have yet to see anything
published in English are Ghada el Samman and Layla Baalbakki.  Excerpts
of their works are available in English in anthologies such as -Opening
the Gates_ edited by Margot Badran and Miriam Cooke. Indiana UP, 1990
and _Middle Eastern Muslim Women Speak_ edited by Elizabeth Warnock
Fernea and Basima Qattan Bezirgan. Univ. of Texas Press, 1977.  There
are several other anthologies out as well.

  The University of Chicago library has an excellent collection of books
in Arabic.  You might search there for what's available. UC Berkeley
also has a very good collection.  There is at least one bookstore that
I know of in San Francisco called The Arabic Book Center that also
supplies books in Arabic as well as English.  They will order books
for you as well. 

  If you want to read good books by Lebanese writers, Amin Malouf has
written "Samarcande", "Leon l'africain", and "Les croisades vues par
les Arabes".  These books were best sellers in France.
(Samarcande in particular is HIGHLY recommended).

  Amin Maalouf's books have been translated into English.
Here are the English titlesof two of them:

  "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" trans. Jon Rothschild. Schocken 
Books,
New York, 1987.

  "Leon l'africain" has also been translated.  The English title is
Leo Africanus. 

[Begin French]

  Le dernier roman d'Amin Maalouf s'intitule "Le rocher de Tanios". Ce 
dernier
roman a pris le pris de Gouncourt 1993 [le prix le plus important en 
France] 
voici ce que dit le journal francais Le figaro dans son numero de 9 Nov 
1993:
[debut le figaro]
Le FIGARO 9 Nov 1993
[Titre]: "Le Rocher de Tanios": contre tous le fanatismes 
Par Laurence Vidal

 Il n'a eu quelques jours pour devenir nerveux. Amin Maaalouf, il y a 
une semaine encore, n'osait sans doute pas esperer le Goncourt. Depuis 
fin 
aout, deja, tout le monde jurait un autre, Marc Lambron, favori des
Academiens.
Ceux-ci ne dementaient pas. Il a fallu le coup d'eclat des dames du 
Femina
qui,
devancant les Dix de trois jours, leur ont rafle leur candidat, pour la 
place,

devenue libre, commence a susciter de nouveaux espoirs. Dans la 
redistribution

des cartes, Amin Maalouf semblait le mieux dote. C'est chose faite. Le 
Rocher 
de Tanios (1), Goncourt 1993: un prix merite. Un choix heureux, quels 
qu'aient

ete les aleas coups de theatre et jeux de massacres quil'ont precede.

 Heureux, d'abord, parce que le romain, cette legende revisitee des 
annees 1830 au mont Liban, a quoi charmer le public large sans demeriter 
pour 
autant aux yeux du lecteur difficile(2). Heureux, ensuite parce qu'est
recompense un auteur, un ecrivain, qui, depuis dix ans, eleve 
inlassablement 
le double de conteuret de foi d'humaniste andide.

 Descendant d'une famille qui, depuis le XVIIIe siecle a donne au Liban 
une vigntaine d'ecrivains, Amin est fils de Ruchdi Maalouf, journaliste 
et 
ecrivain  lui-meme, enseignant, peintre, poete et grande figure du 
Beyrouth
des
annees 40 a 80. Dans le sillage de ce pere aime et respecte qui "revait 
d'une 
democratie ideale et a beaucoup souffert de l'echec d'une republique 
fraternelle", Amin Maalouf aprend tres tot le sens du mot "paix". Ce 
chretien 
du Liban eleve par les jesuites a ete facone par la double culture, 
arabe et 
francaise, par le gout des lettres et l'esprit e tolerance.

 Diplome de sociologie et d;economie politique, Amin Maalouf,  tres tot,
reprend l'un des flambeux paternels et devient journaliste. Il est a 
Saigon a 
la fin de la guerre du vietnam. On le retrouve dans l'avion qui ramene 
en Iran

l'ayatollah Khomeini. Quant a la premiere fusillade entre Palstieniens 
et 
Phalangistes, qui fitplus de 20 morts et mis le feu aux poudres de 
Beyrouth, 
elle eut lieu sous les fenetres de son appartement familail.

 L'annee suivante Amin Maalouf s'installe a Paris. Et c'est en 1983 que 
parait son premeir ouvrage: Les croisades vuespar les arabes(3). Une vie
passee
a jeter un pont entre ses deux meres, l'Orient et l'Occident, vient de 
comencer.
Car cet homme a vecu vignt-sept ans sur une terre dechiree par des 
conflits a 
caracteres religieux, cet erudit souriant qui eclare parfois ecrire " 
parce
que
j'ai besoin de reflechir sur ma vie, sur mon siecle", n'abandonnera 
jamais les

freres ennemis, qu'ils soient d'ici ou d'ailleurs.

 C'est 1986, Leaon l'Africain (3), biographie tres romancee de Hassan 
Al-Wazzan, alias Jean Leon de Medicis, ce musulman ne en  Grecnade en 
1488, 
mort en Tunis vers 1555, et entre-temps baptise a Rome par le pape Leon 
X,
dont
il fut le conseiller et l'ambassadeur. Portrait d'un homme qui resume en 
lui, 
et reconcilie, toutes les contradictions, les dechirements et les
affrontements
d'une epoque. Place ensuite a Omar Khayyam, poete, astronome et 
philosophe 
persan. que l'on retrouve dans Samarcande (4). Une sceptique dans la 
lignee 
d'Avicenne, un chantre du Carpe diem qui preferait les femmes et le vin 
au 
fanatisme religieux. Puis toujours en quete de figures symboliques, Amin 
Maalouf s'interesse a Mani.

 C'est le jardin des lumieres (3) en 1991, ou se revele un prophete qui 
n'a rien a d'un manicheen au sens ou on l'enetend aujourd'hui, mais qui 
recommande, au contraire de nourir la lumiere qui se cache en chaque 
etre et 
chaque chose; qui prone une foi reconciliee, melange de christianinsme, 
de 
boudisme et de zoroastisme(les trois religions dominantes dans la perse 
des 
Sassanides). Belle constate d'un ecrivain  qui, dans le Premier Siecle 
apres 
Beatrice (1), nous depins une humanite du XXIe siecle qi nous ressemble 
comme 
une soeur, se dechire, et menace de se detruire.

 Avec Le Rocher de Tanios, pour la premiere fois, Amin Maaalouf a rompu 
la distance qu'il avit toujours maintenue vec ses livres. C'est le 
retour au 
Liban, a Kfaryabda, village des ancetres, en un siecle ou deja les 
interets 
etrangeres soufflent la tempete sous les branches du Cedre. La encore 
dans ce 
roman ou plane " toute la subtile et trouble poesie du conte 
oriental"(2), 
c'est le refus de se laisser entrainer dans l'enchainement des 
vengeances  
qu'il illustre. Dans un monde qui "se bestialise", auand " les citoyens 
les 
plus paisibles se transforment soudain en tueurs" parce qu'ils sentent 
leur 
communaute menacee, c'est, encore toujours, la proffession d'une foi 
inderacinable chez cet homme blesse a mort par tous les fanatismes: " Il 
n'est

qu'une valeur immuable: la liberte de la personne humaine".

 Ainsi parle Amin Maalouf prophete dans le desert, prix Goncourt 1993.

(1) Grasset
(2) Figaro 17 Sep 
(3) Latte`s
(4) Latte`s, 1988 Prix de maison de presse

[fin le figaro]

un autre roman c'est  "Les jardins de lumiere". 
Il raconte l'histoire de "Mani", un oriental qui a vecu au 3eme siecle,
et fonde une nouvelle religion, le "manicheisme".
Son principe de base etait le respect de toutes les religions 
(Christianisme, Boudhisme, ... l'Islam n'existait pas encore).
Apres s'etre repandu un peu partout (de l'Inde jusqu'en Europe, en 
passant 
par la Perse, le Moyen Orient, l'Egypte ...) cette religion a disparu 
vers le 
12eme siecle a cause des nombreuses persecutions de la part des autres 
religions (Christianisme, Islam ...). Bref, le roman est une sorte
de biographie imaginaire qui constitue neanmoins une vraie lecon de 
tolerance
et pose beaucoup de questions sur l'interet des religions ...
  Personnellement, j'ai lu les trois romans d'A.M. : "Leon l'africain",
"Samarcande" et "Les jardins de lumiere". Tous les trois sont excellents 
(a mon avis) mais j'ai eu une legere preference pour "Samarcande".
  En realite, je pense que ce qui plait aux occidentaux dans les oeuvres 
de 
Maalouf c'est son style de "conteur" (Haqawaati), auquel ils sont peu 
habitues

(parfois il va un peu trop loin dans l'invraisemblance des  
coincidences...) 

[End French]

  Robert Fisk,"Pity The Nation - The Abduction of Lebanon", Oxford 
Paperbacks,
1990, ISBN 0-19-285235-3, approx $16.00

  Fisk is an AP correspondent who reported on the war in Lebanon *from*
Lebanon since its inception in the mid 70's.  A devastating book.
  'Required' reading for anyone interested in an unbiased account
of the wars in Lebanon. Covers events through the late 80's.


  Thomas Friedman, "From Beirut to Jerusalem"

  Jonathan Randall, "Going All The Way"

  N. Alamuddin

Title:      Turmoil: Druzes, Lebanon and the arab-israeli conflict

Publisher:  Quartet books (London)

ISBN        07043 7050 6     (hard back)
     07043 0189 x     (paper back)

     Price:      14.95  (English pounds), hard back.
   9.95        //         , paper back.

The book has recently been published and it is useful to those 
interested
in the Lebanese politics and the history of Lebanon.

For those interested in the affairs of the Arab world, especially, the 
issue
of identity, Xavier de Planbol offers his ideas in a new book in French.
The book :

Les nations du prophete, manuel geographique de politique Musulmane.

Author: Xavier de Planbol.

Evelyne Accad :
_Sexuality and War :  Literary Masks of the Middle East_
New York :  New York University Press,  c1990
The topics in this book seem to include:
 Arabic fiction--Lebanon--History and criticism.  
 Arabic fiction--20th century--History and criticism.  
 Lebanese fiction (French)--History and criticism.  
 Sex in literature.  
 Feminism in literature.  
 Violence in literature.  
 Sexual animosity--Lebanon.
 Sexual animosity--Arab countries.  
 Lebanon--History--Civil War, 1975-1976--Literature and the
 war.

Stefan Wild, Libanesische Ortsnamen, Typologie und Deutung, Beirut 1973.
(Lebanese place names: their typoligie and meaning). This books belongs 
to a
series called: Beiruter Texte und Studien, vol. 9

Wild's book is in German  :(, yet he has an excellent summary in 
English.
Here is a quotation from the summary:

"A very interesting feature [in Lebanese place names] is presented by
sound-shifts due to an etymologizing tendency. This phenomenon was 
called in a
recent most illuminating study by Joshua Blau (On Pseudo-Corrections in 
Some
Semitic Languages) 'hyper-correction due to over self assertion'. In
correction with Lebanese place-names it means that an Aramaic place-
name, when
taken over by an arabophone population may be changed in its consonantic 
and/

_
                                                    

or vocalic structure in accordance with an etymologically related Arabic
model.
We find Sibliin < Aramaic Shibbliin 'ears (of wheat)' an Aramaic plural 
form,
with its initial 'sh' shifted to 's' under the influence of the 
etymologically
related Arabic 'sabal' with the same meaning. Another example is 
Biskinta <
Aramaic bee Shkinta 'house of dwelling', under the influence of the 
Arabic
root
'skn'. The etymology is, of course, not necessarily 'correct' from a
linguist's
point of view. A name like Nakhli most probably derives from the Aramaic
'naHla' 'valley, waadi'. Since Aramaic 'H' frequently corresponds to to 
Arabic
'kh', the Arabic word 'nakhl' 'palm-trees' could easily but wrongly be
associated with the Aramaic form..." (p.327)
"It is reasonably plausible to suggest that similar developments took 
place
when the Canaanite-speaking population gave way to Aramaic speakers, and 
even
before, when pre-Canaanite (pre-Semitic?) place-names were molded into
Canaanite. BUt our data are insufficient to quote examples." (pp.327, 
328)

"The great majority of place names in Lebanon, in fact about two thirds, 
is
now
Arabic. The rest are chiefly Aramaic, some Canaanite (not more than 2%) 
and a
sprinkling of Greek names like Traablus < Tripolis, Turkish names like 
Qashlaq
< Kishlaa 'winter quarters', and French like Bois de Boulogne...."

"This clear cut division [of place names into Arabic, Aramaic etc.] is,
however, misleading. A large number of names must have shifted 
morphologically
from Canaanite to Aramaic and/or from Aramaic to Arabic. This is 
demonstrable
in cases like 'Jbail'. This name sounds now like a purely Arabic 
toponym, a
very common 'f@ail'-diminutive of 'jabal' 'mountain'. We happen to know,
however that the same place is attested as 'ku-ub-la' in Sumerian texts 
of the
third millennium BC., a time when it is impossible to think of an Arabic
origin. While the original meaning of the name is unknown, the structure
makes it highly probable that it was a Semitic name, and we may be 
justified
in calling it Early Canaanite. If we did not know the pre-Arabic 
evidence, and
this is the point, we should be obliged to interpret 'Jbail' as a quite 
recent
purely Arabic name. The only was to prove that an existing  Arabic-
looking and
-sounding name is in reality pre-Arabic, is of course to find an 
attested
pre-Arabic form. As the majority of Lebanese place-names which can be 
attested
at all before the 20th. century, are to be found at best in late 
medieval
sources, a pre-Arabic origin can normally be suspected [as Frayha does],
rarely
proved. There is however one further piece of circumstantial evidence
indicating that the shift of place-names must have frequently. We may 
safely
assume that the general ecological  conditions determining, why names 
were
given
to places remained fairly stable from Canaanite times up to the 
beginning of
industrialization in the 20th. century. We are therefore justified in 
assuming
that the proportion of compound place-names like '@ain'... 'spring of' 
or
'bait'... house of' was in early times as great as it is now. The most

important of the appelatives used to form place names are the same in
Canaanite, Aramaic and Arabic: @ain, @ainaa, @ayin 'source'; bait, 
baitaa,
bayit 'house'; karam, karmaa, kerem 'vineyard'; tall, tellaa, tel 
'hill'; and
many others. The close structural and etymological relation between
place-names
the three languages involved has made the transformation of place-names 
very
easy, and conversely often renders distinction between place-names of
Canaanite, Aramaic and Arabic origin very difficult. The place-names 
which
have
preserved their Canaanite or Aramaic character are the exception rather 
than
the rule." (pp. 328, 329)

"... Place names show the Lebanon as a resort of te pious, where 
Canaanite
gods, Christian saints and Muslim sheikhs mingle. Valleys and rivers, 
springs
and forests, peaks and mountain stamp the life of the people. Place-
names, the
linguistically petrified remnants of cultural history, preserve the 
memory of
the cedar, where there are no more cedars, and recall roaming wolves and 
bears
where is today no more than the occasional fox. Generations of hunters 
and
farmers, shepherds and hermits have left their unmistakable imprint on
Lebanese
toponomy. At a time where, in the Syrian desert, the Bedouin are 
beginning to
use place-names like ij-jfuur (the pump-station H4), and the industrial 
age in
Lebanon is dawning, the spectrum of Lebanese place-names shows us an
enthralling and extraordinary vivid picture of yesterday." (p. 330)


  Here is a review that recently appeared in TIME magazine of Ziad 
Rahbani's
latest play:

>From TIME Magazine (May 31, 1993)

SIGHTINGS by Emily Mitchell (p.61)

THEATER Lebanon
You Gotta Have Wasta
"Of Dignity and Stubborn Folk"
Written and Directed by Ziad Rahbani

ACT I: BEIRUT, 1998.
Syrian and Israeli troops have withdrawn from Lebanon, and the
country can determine its own fate. But greed is ascendant, and
mayhem is at hand. In kaleidoscopic scenes, belly dancers
alternate with news flashes and fake TV commercials, while people
boast of their "wasta" (connections). When an old Armenian is
electrocuted trying to repair a generator that is the only power
source, an announcement is made: " He was the last Armenian in
Lebanon - nothing technical will work again . "

ACT II: BEIRUT, 2003.
Though the country is in its death throes, sectarianism has not
expired. Animals join the few surviving Lebanese, and an
orangutan wants to vote. "What is your religion?" the humans
demand. Cannibals garbed in animal skin- and holding
walkie-talkies - proclaim a new credo:" We only eat our
friends."

In this bleak, gallows-humor play, Ziad Rahbani parodies Lebanese
society and evokes the pessimism of Orwell's 1984. The daily
"Hayat" notes that "Rahbani is like those animals that feel the
earthquake before it happens." 
"Of Dignity and Stubborn Folk" is selling out in Beirut's
620-seat Piccadilly Theater, and audiences sense that the tremors
may already have begun.


There is Charles Glass's book "tribes with flags", an 
account of his travels from Iskandaron to lebanon (i.e. until he was 
kidnapped).
 ISBN 0-87113-457-8
there is one part of the book that you might enjoy, a brief 
description of the Levant. (note: Levant are the eastern coasts of the
Mediterranean)

 "The battlefields were also vineyards, and fruit trees sprouted from
 ancient graves. Where men had drawn swords, hurled spears and fired
 automatic rifles, children played. Rivers that armies had forged in
 the night to surround an enemy provided family picnic sites. The sea
 in which navies displayed their cannon was beautiful to look at and
 cool to swim in.  With what little there was from the land and sea,
 the people made their lives rich and lavish.  The divisions that
 were a source of conflict also gave wealth...In a small area, there
 seems to be the sights, sounds and smells of all the world"

another interesting quote 

 "A man may find Naples or Palermo merely pretty
 but the deeper violet, the splendor
 and desolation of the Levant waters
 is something that drives into the soul."

   James Elroy Flecker (British poet)
   Beirut, October 1914






Another book is titled "The Struggle Over Lebanon" by Tabitha Petran.  
It
was published in 1987 by Monthly Review Press (New York). The book is
a well-written analysis of the making of modern Lebanon and chronicles
the war years.  The analysis is particularly rich in identifying the
roles and actions of external actors and does a superb job linking
these outside interests with the local leadership that allied itself
to them.  

The back cover holds strong recommendations for the book by three
authorities on the area.  They are Rachid Khalidi, Edward Said, and
Noam Chomsky.  Said calls it "an astonishing chronicle...a powerful and
magisterial narrative dense with human dram and political insight."
Petran is unique among westerners that have written about Lebanon in
that she was not an "in and out quick" journalist.  Unlike so many who
wrote about the  Lebanese war, she did not visit the country for a few
weeks, squeeze in a dozen interviews and then provide western audiences 
with a shallow tale of how horrible life was at the Commodore hotel.

Petran lived in Lebanon from 1962 till 1986.  She had a clear view of
the pre-war conditions and of the modern history of the country.  She
lived through the crucial Lebanese history years of 1967-1975.  Her
book is rich with deep analysis and a wealth of historical facts.  Of
the 383 pages of text, she allocates over a hundred pages to a
wonderfully succinct summary of Lebanon's modern history.  The rest of
the book covers the 1975-1986 period.  There are 30 pages of notes
that would particularly useful for interested scholars.


from the Centre for Lebanese Studies, Oxford, England (address and info
Question 11)

Publications
Books

Theodor Hanf    Co-existence in Wartime Lebanon: Decline of a 
State and Rise of a Nation. Published by the Centre for 
Lebanese Studies and I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Oxford and 
London: 1993. 512pp.
 45.00          ISBN 1 85043 651 7
The subject of this book is the problem of conflict and conflict 
regulation in Lebanon. How were conflicts regulated peacefully 
in pre-war Lebanon? How did this country come to be the 
battlefield of a surrogate war and, at the same time, a civil war? 
How do the Lebanese political and military leaders on the one 
hand, and ordinary citizens on the other view what has 
happened to their country? What do they desire and what will 
they settle for? Are there any prospects of re-establishing 
Lebanese co-existence?
This book attempts to show that although fear can produce a 
vicious circle of hate and violence, it can also produce reason 
and compromise _ that conflict can bring forth co-existence.

Leila Fawaz     An Occasion for War: Lebanon and Damascus in 
the 1860s. Published by  the Centre for Lebanese Studies and 
I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Oxford & London: 1993. 256pp. 
 34.50           ISBN 1 85043 201 5
This pioneering study tells the story of the 1860 civil wars 
which began in Mount Lebanon and spilled over into Damascus 
to become the most severe sectarian outbreak in the history of 
Ottoman Syria and Lebanon. The author's close analytical 
narrative of the dramatic events of this year is set against the 
background of broader themes of social, political and economic 
change during the nineteenth century and explores the 
interaction of local contexts with regional and international 
currents. 
 
Albert Hourani & Nadim Shehdi (eds.) The Lebanese in the 
World: A Century of Emigration. Published by the Centre for 
Lebanese Studies and I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Oxford & London: 
1992. 801pp. 
 45.00           ISBN 1 85043 303 8
This book is a collection of essays based on papers delivered at 
a conference on Lebanese Emigration organised by the Centre 
for Lebanese Studies in Oxford. The chapters are written by 
historians, economists, sociologists and political scientists, 
coming from various backgrounds and disciplines. They attempt 
to evaluate the impact of the emigrants from Lebanon on the 
host societies, the process of integration, their economic, 
political and cultural significance, as well as their relations with 
the home country and their contribution to its development.

Engin Deniz Akarli      The Long Peace: Ottoman Lebanon, 
1861_1920. Published by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and 
I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. Oxford and London: 1993. 372pp.
 34.50          ISBN 1 85043 655 X
This book analyses the development of an autonomous political 
regime in Ottoman Mount Lebanon known as the 
Mutasarrifiyya. The book describes how that period was one of 
reconcilliation and socio-political integration for Mount 
Lebanon, and discusses the relevance of that epoch to later 
periods of Lebanese history.

Leila Fawaz ed. State and Society in Lebanon. Published 
by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and Tufts University. 
Oxford and Cambridge, MA: 1991. 108pp.
 14.95           ISBN 1 870552 23 7
This book includes a selection of the papers presented at the 
conference on Rebuilding State and Society in Lebanon held in 
Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1988. It analyses ways in which 
the Lebanese state and society can be rebuilt and discusses the 
future prospects of Lebanon.

Paul Balta & Georges Corm (eds.) L'avenir du Liban dans le 
contexte regional et international. Published by Les Editions 
Ouvrires, Paris: 1990
 FF 115
These are proceedings of a conference held in May 1988 at the
Centre de Formation des Journalistes. The book includes an 
extensive chronology, a bibliography and documents.

Maghreb Machrek LIBAN: Les defis du quotidien No 125, 
juillet-septembre 1989. Published by Documentation Francaise. 
191pp. Bibliography 
 6.00            ISSN 03366324
A special issue of this French academic journal is dedicated to 
the challenges of daily life in Lebanon during the civil war 
written by authors who have lived through the situation. The 
eight papers cover aspects of economic and social crisis, 
emigration, internal population movements, education and the 
relation between the citizen and the state.
 Edited by Ghassan Salam in co-operation with and under the 
sponsorship of the Centre for Lebanese Studies.

L.I. Conrad (ed.) The Formation and Perception of the Modern 
Arab World: Studies by Marwan Buheiry. Published by Darwin 
Press Inc. Princeton, NJ: 1989. 624pp. 49 plates Index 
 24.00           ISBN 0 87850 064 2
This volume presents a selection of 27 studies by the late 
Marwan Buheiry who was the founding director of the Centre 
for Lebanese Studies. The essays and articles fall under four 
main themes: European Perceptions of the Orient; the 
Superpowers and the Arab World; The Economic History of the 
Middle East; Intellectual and Artistic History.

Nadim Shehadi & Bridget Harney (eds.) Politics and the 
Economy in Lebanon. Published by the Centre for Lebanese 
Studies and the Centre for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, 
SOAS. Oxford and London: 1989. 120pp. Bibliography 
 13.50           ISBN 1 870552 18 0 
This book examined current issues in the politics and economy 
of Lebanon as seen through the eyes of nine prominent experts 
in contemporary Lebanese affairs. It is the outcome of a one-
day conference organised in March 1988 by the Centre for 
Lebanese Studies, Oxford, and the Centre for Near and Middle 
Eastern Studies, SOAS, London, and does much to clarify the 
prevailing complexities of the Lebanese situation both at the 
regional and international levels.

Kamal Salibi    A House of Many Mansions: The History of 
Lebanon Reconsidered. Published by I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd. 
London: 1988. 247pp. Cased Index Bibliography 
 26.95           ISBN 1 85943 091 8
Lebanon's leading historian examines the process of historical 
myth-making to explain why at this time of unprecedented 
internal dislocation, Lebanese nationalism has never been so 
strong. This is a timely source of insight into both the Lebanese 
conflict and the creation of nationalist sentiments.
Nadim Shehadi & Dana Haffar-Mills eds. Lebanon: A History 
of Conflict and Consensus. Published by the Centre for 
Lebanese Studies and I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. Oxford and 
London: 1988. 352pp Cased Index Bibliography 
 32.50           ISBN 1 85043 119 1
A collection of papers by a group of scholars and experts on 
Lebanon covering a wide range of themes explaining both the 
roots of the conflict and the basis for resolving it. The papers 
were presented at a conference held at St. Antony's College, 
Oxford in September 1987.

CLS Bulletin Vol. 2.
The CLS Bulletins report on the various conferences and 
seminars that have dealt with Lebanon as well as list the 
organisations interested in Lebanon. The Bulletins also have a 
section on new books and articles on Lebanon as well as a 
section on completed theses.
5.00   ISBN 1 870552 16 4
CLS Bulletin Vol. 3.
5.00   ISBN 1 870552 21 0
Forthcoming

Papers on Lebanon
A series of analytical essays dealing with historical, political and 
economic issues contributed by the Centre's staff and other 
scholars in the field. 
The following have now been published:
No.1    Albert Hourani Political Society in Lebanon: An 
Historical Introduction  3.00  ISBN 1 870552 0 08
No.2    Ghassane Salame Lebanon's Injured Identities: Who 
Represents Whom During a Civil War 3.00        ISBN 1 870552 0 
16
No.3    Nasser Saidi The Economic Consequences of the War in 
Lebanon 3.00   ISBN 1 870552 0 24
No.4    Marwan Buheiry Beirut's Role in the Political Economy 
of the French Mandate 1919-39 3.00 ISBN 1 870552 03 2
No.5    Nadim Shehadi The Idea of Lebanon: Economy and 
State in the Cenacle Libanais 1946-54 3.00     ISBN 1 870552 
04 0
No.6    Miriam Cooke    Women Write War: The Centring of the 
Beirut Decentrists  3.00 ISBN 1 870552 05 9
No.7    Chibli Mallat   Shi'i Thought from the South of Lebanon 
4.50   ISBN 1  870552 07 5
No.8    Kamal Salibi    Lebanon and the Middle Eastern 
Question 3.00 ISBN 1 870552 08 3
No.9    Nassif Hitti The Foreign Policy of Lebanon: Lessons 
and Prospects for the Forgotten Dimensions  3.00 ISBN 1 
870552 10 5
No.10   Carolyn Gates   The Historical Role of Political Economy 
in the Development of Modern Lebanon 3.00 ISBN 1 870552 
113
No.11   Michael Humphrey  Islam, Sect and State: The 
Lebanese Case 3.00     ISBN 1 870552 121
No.12   Farid el-Khazen The Communal Pact of National 
Identities: The Making and Politics of the 1943 National Pact 
5.00   ISBN 1 870552 20 2 
No.13   Caesar Farah    The Road to Intervention: Fiscal Politics 
in Ottoman Lebanon 5.00 ISBN 1 870552 25 3
No.14   Judith Harik The Public and Social Services of the 
Lebanese Militias 5.00 ISBN 1 870552 39 3 Forthcoming 
No.15   Yezid Sayigh    The Palestinians in Lebanon: Coming to 
terms   5.00   ISBN 1 870552 49 0 Forthcoming 

Prospects for Lebanon
A series of analytical essays dealing with policy aspects of 
relevant current issues.
No.1    Nawaf Salam     An Essay on Political Opportunities and 
Constraints 3.00       ISBN 1 870552 06 7
No.2    Antoine Messara The Challenge of Coexistence 
3.00   ISBN 1 870552 09 1
No.3    Samir Khalaf    Besieged and Silenced: The Muted 
Anguish of the Lebanese People 3.00 ISBN 1 870552 15 6
No.4    Joseph Maila    The Document of National 
Understanding _ A Commentary 8.00 ISBN 1 870552 24 5
No.5    Fida Nasrallah  The Questions of South Lebanon 8.00 
ISBN 1 870552 39 3
No.6    Oussama Kabbani The Reconstruction of Beirut 
8.00   ISBN 1 870552 34 2
No.7    John Kolars Thomas Naff The Waters of the Litani in 
Regional Context 8.00 ISBN 1 870552 19 9
No.8    Marianne Heiberg The Future of UNIFIL 8.00 ISBN 1 
870552 44 X

Conferences
In addition to an annual conference there are also workshops 
and one day seminars.

Current Research on Lebanon
Oxford, September 1986.

Consensus and Conflict in Lebanon
Oxford, September 1987.

Politics and the Econony in Lebanon
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies with the Centre 
for Near and Middle Eastern Studies at SOAS. London, March 

_
       

1988.
Rebuilding State and Society in Lebanon
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and the Fletcher 
School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in co-
operation with the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at 
Harvard University. Boston, October 1988.

L'Avenir du Liban dans le Contexte Regional et International
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and the Centre 
d'etudes de l'Orient Contemporain (Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 
III) and the Centre de Formation et de Perfectionnement des 
Journalistes. Paris, May 1989.

Lebanese Emigration
This conference was organised by the Centre for Lebanese 
Studies and held at St Hugh's College, Oxford, September 
1989.

The Lebanese in Africa
This conference was organised by the Centre for Lebanese 
Studies and held at the Middle East Centre, St Anthony's 
College, Oxford, September 1990.

State and Society in Syria and Lebanon 
1919-1991
Organised in co-operation with the Centre for Arabic and 
Islamic Studies. Exeter, September 1991.

Peace-keeping, Water and Security in South Lebanon
Organised in co-operation with the Norwegian Institute of 
International Affairs. London, October 1991.

The Reconstruction of Beirut
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies. London, March 
1992.

Parliamentary Elections in Lebanon
Organised by the Centre for Lebanese Studies, in co-operation 
with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the 
International Peace Academy. Oxford, May 1992.

Lebanon in the 1950s
Organised by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University 
of Texas, in co-operation with the Centre for Lebanese Studies. 
Texas, September 1992.

Visiting Fellows
Professor Abdul Rahim Abu-Husayn, Dr Said Boumedouha, Dr 
Carolyn Gates, Professor Irene Gendzier, Mr Fawaz Gerges, Dr 
William Harris, Dr Kohei Hashimoto, Dr Michael Humphrey, 
Mr Ignacio Klich, Professor Boutros Labaki, Mr R Rene 
Laremont, Mr Michel Van Leeuw, Professor Neil Leighton, Dr 
Mona Macsoud, Dr Fida Nasrallah, Professor Kamal Salibi, 
Professor Radwan es-Sayyid, Dr Estela Valverde.

Archives and Library
The Centre possesses a body of archives and research material, 
the most important of which are a collection of US government 
documents on the 1958 crisis, collected by Dr Carolyn Gates; a 
collection of material on the Civil War of 1975-6 collected by 
Drs Ahmad Khalidi and Hussein Agha; a collection from the 
Israel State archives; and a collection of newspapers on the 
1982 Israeli invasion collected by the late Leigh Douglas.

------------------------

A new book about islamic art and architecture has just been 
published. It covers the era from 1250 to 1800, and examines work
in the area that extends from Morocco to India.
For the interested in the subject, the book is essential.

Title: The art and architecture of Islam 1250-1800
Author: S. Blair & J. Bloom
Publi:  Yale University Press
Year:   1994
ISBN:   0 300 05888 8

************************************************************************
******
*

18. Where can I find works written by Lebanese and /or on Lebanon ?

  Check your local or University Library, most of the  books listed 
above can
be obtained in major bookstores or on special order from your local 
bookstore.

  You can also see :
Saqi Books
26 Westbourne Grove
London W2 5RH
vox 071 221 9347
fax 071 229 7492

They are bound to have it. They are specialists in Arabic language and  
Levantine books. also you can try the following two that are on line :
     Quantum Books, Cambridge MA
     phone:     617-494-5042
     fax:       617-577-7282
     email:     quanbook@world.std.com
     mail list: quanlist@world.std.com

     Computer Literacy Bookshops, Inc.
     PO Box 641897, San Jose, CA  95164-1897
     phone:          408-435-5017
     fax:            408-435-0895
     email orders:   orders@clbooks.com
     order problems: service@clbooks.com
     other into:     info@clbooks.com
**
There is a company in Watertown, Massachusetts (USA) called "Beit Al-
Fikr" 
that sells a large collection of Arabic books, Arabic Compact Discs,
Arabic Calligraphy, Posters, Postcards at very reasonable prices.

If you are interested in getting catalogs of their products you can 
contact 
the company at the following address:

 Beit Al-Fikr Booksellers
 P.O.Box 426
 Watertown , MA 02172
 U.S.A.

If you have any specific questions or comments you can send mail to:

 jadi@world.std.com
**
Recently (late Oct 1994) a CD ROM about Lebanon was annouced on SCL here 
it
goes the annoucement:

Many CD ROMS for the Macintosh and for Windows are available here in the 
US and Canada now. 

here is a description of the SoftWare:

Lebanon - Pearl of the East CD: It is an exciting interactive 
encyclopedia
about Lebanon that covers History, culture, traditions, geography, 
economy
and much more. The CD features more than 500 photos, 200 movie clips, 
sound
and arabic music clips.
Retail price $69.95             Special $39.95
Arabic and English version available on both Mac & Windows
 
Syria - History & Culture: AN interactive encyclopedia about Syria, 
similar
to lebanon CD, it covers wide range of information about Syria. It 
include
hundreds of movies, text, speach and arabic musoc clips from Syria
Retail Price $69.95             Special $39.95
Arabic version available on Mac.
 
Views of Islam - A multimedia tour of the Islam religion. It covers 
history,
beliefs, traditions, arts and more. It features hundreds of pictures, 
movie
clips, speech and text from the Koran and more.
 
Retail Price $99.95             Special $54.95
English version available on both Mac & Windows
 
Also available other CD such as Lamp of Aladdin, and more...
 
Call 1-800-381-1242 or fax to 1-408-281-3666, or e-mail me back if you 
are 
intersted. Visa, MC, and American Express are accepted for orders.

Future Publishers, USA
1-800-381-1242

************************************************************************
******
*

19. Are there Arabic word processors ?

  Bassem Medawar has compiled a large FAQ on the subject of Arabic on 
computers.  It is very comprehensive and is available on the SoL archive 
in
     rama.poly.edu  in  /pub/reader/text/faq2   (notice the 2 in faq2)

  There is Arab TeX.  A message was posted about it on scl and Leb-Net
some time ago.  It is public domain, based on TeX which is also public
domain.  TeX is NOT user friendly -as compared to the Macs.

ArabTeX 3.00 is available by anonymous ftp from
ftp.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de

The directory is /pub/arabtex, the "README" file gives details.

The identical package is also available from the CTAN server network:

Aston (ftp.tex.ac.uk, /pub/archive/languages/arabtex/), 
Huntsville (ftp.shsu.edu, /tex-archive/languages/arabtex/), 
Stuttgart (ftp.uni-stuttgart.de, /pub/tex/languages/arabtex/)

A new public domain release of my X-Windows based text editor
for arabic and any other Right-to-left language was recently announced.

The system was designed with flexibility in mind and ease of 
configuration.
Any one can configure the keyboard and font mapping to suit their 
language
and the keyboard they are used to.

The system can also be instructed to generate TeX files suitable for the
language in question. The System was tested on ArabTeX with 
satisfactory results. The README file provides more information.


The archive containing all the source code needed is available from:

ftp.ecs.soton.ac.uk /pub/incoming/xaw.tar.Z
rama.poly.edu       /in.coming/xaw.tar.Z

(it was not possible to find xaw.tar.Z on the two server mentioned 
above,
maybe
the best way is to get in contact with the author directly)

If you have any problems or queries and suggestions please contact:
A M Shihab <ams90@ecs.soton.ac.uk>

  There are Arabic word processors. But the solutions are a little more
complicated than we would want them.  There is one program
which runs on any Mac operating system, i.e. any language. I produces 
text
that can directly be pasted into other word processors. This program is
called AlKatib, but is very old and has very many restrictions. Don't
expect much from it.

  Otherwise the way to go is to use the Mac's Arabic Operating system
(AOS).  This system is designed to work with any program.  Yet again 
this
is not completely true. Most programs that are worth their price, are 
not
compatible with AOS. Only very primitive programs that uses the editor
routines of the operating system correctly and are very limited in 
their features. There are however a few programs that work correctly 
with AOS.  There are the products of a company called WinSoft
(based in France?). They have a word processor, WinText and a database
WinFile. I use the word processor and am sort of satisfied. It is not 
very
expensive either. On the other hand, there is an Arabic (and a Hebrew)
version of Nisus. I have not used it, but some colleagues who did are
satisfied. I am not sure of the price.

  For those who need a useful and cheap database, you could opt for
FileMaker Pro. It is not completely compatible with the AOS (you can not
search Arabic text) but is useful and quite efficient. Another program
that I used earlier was SuperPaint 1.xx. It is a paint/draw program 
which
is compatible with AOS.

  For those interested in Islamic studies, there is also Qoranic 
software.
The Alim is an "Islamic Study Toolkit". It offers the entire text of:

  - The Qur'an in Arabic
  - Transliteration of the Qur'an
  - Yusuf `Ali's translation
  - Yusuf `Ali's commentary
  - M. Pickthall's translation
  - All nine volumes of Sahih Bukhary
  - Islamic Subjects Database
  - Maududi Sura information
  - Chronological History of Islam
  - Biographies of Companions
  - Islamic terms dictionary

  The Alim runs a clean and powerful text based windowing system.
Several windows can be run at once. It also has a powerful pattern
searching feature.

  The databases are cross-referenced. Separate modules can be
purchased, they include Sahih Muslim, Tirmizy, Al-Muwatta and Assad's
translation among other volumes.

  The standard package has an introductory price of $99.00 and costs
$149.95 in retail. Macintosh, Windows, OS/2 and OSF/Motif support is
expected in the first quarter of 1993. I saw the package and it is
EXCELLENT. It is certainly worth the price. If were to buy the books
in paper form it would cost more than $100, plus you would not be able
to cross reference or search.

  The current version is distributed on 7 high density DOS disks and
when decompressed takes 15Mb on a Hard Disk. You need at least 1.5Mb
on your Hard Disk to run the Software and you can decompress the
components you need. You also need EGA graphics or better. It also
runs on a Macintosh with Soft-AT.

  The Software was developed over six years by a two person company
called ADVENT (800-397-5561). It is distributed by IQRA Bookcenter:
800-521-ICRA or 312-274-2665.

  For users of Wordperfect, there is an Arabic module that can
be added to Wordperfect.  The module enables one to write in English and
Arabic.  It's extremely user friendly!  The regular price is
expensive but the educational price is about $135 (with student or 
faculty
id).  However that you need to have/buy the standard version
of Wordperfect in order for the module to run.  So it's great for those 
who
already use Wordperfect, but it may be too expensive for those who don't
since they would need to buy both the standard version and the Arabic
module.

Recently Arabic text editors for the Mac have undergone some major 
upgrades,
here is a critique of threeMac  Arabic text editors that have recently
been published.  These are: Tex-Edit, MuEdit and Style.

The problem with using Arabic on the Mac is that, while the Arabic 
system
itself is free and available, you can't use your standard word processor
properly with Arabic, and the Arabic-compatible programs like WinText 
and
Nisus Int. are expensive and always copy protected. The only alternative
has been to use small and fairly primitive "text editors", program-lets 
that
allows you to type text, but not very much more; not very useful.

However, recently some new text editors have appeared that makes this
option  more attractive. How do they handle Arabic? I have looked at 
three
of these new text editors, Tex-Edit, mu-Edit (formerly Quill), and 
Style,
to check how useful they are for the Arabist Mac user. These are some 
brief
remarks, based mainly on typing, editing and printing a couple of pages 
in
each.

A general remark first: These are still text editors. That means in
particular that they are limited in size, you can only write up to 32K
(about 10 pages) per document; any they may slow down when you approach
this limit. They do not have things like footnotes, style sheets, and
formatting beyond what is explicitly stated; none of them have rulers. 
But
they are free. 

              Evaluation: Tex-Edit
A capable text editor. Has standard text styles like bold, italics,
outline, shadow, condensed and extended, as well as color. You can 
freely
choose font and size and mix several in a document. All these three 
allow
multiple documents to be open at the same time.
     Tex-Edit has find/replace, with functions for finding returns, 
tabs,
linefeeds, whole word only, match case, and Replace all.  
     Like Word, if you select a word by doubleclicking, it will include 
the
space after the word. Useful detail. Triple-clicking selects a sentence.
     It can strip unwanted control characters, and can paste time & day 
and
page number. It does not have a ruler, but when printing will ask for
margin sizes and may include page numbers. This does not work properly,
however, if you try change the margins on a document about a page or 
two,
the program hangs, and then crashes on command-period.
     You can justify left, right and center, but this will relate to the
whole document. Works under system 6.0.3 and newer, and with Macintalk 
will
read out typed text for you. (The name, incidentally, seems to refer to
Texas, not TeX.)

Handling of Arabic: Text entry and editing is acceptable, with a caveat
below. There are however some cursor problems with line breaks. 
Sometimes
when it should position the cursor at the beginning of a line, it is put 
at
the end instead. Eg: Moving back one step from the beginning of line 4 
to
puts the cursor at the beginning of line 3; and typing will put new text
before the text in line 3. 
     You can set the justification to right-oriented, but this is not 
saved
and has to redone every time you open the document. All these three 
editors
link fonts and script, thus changing script also automatically switches 
to
the previously used font in that script.
     Find/replace works with Arabic, but the dialog box shows only 
Chicago,
i.e. Roman characters (like Word would). However, what is inserted into 
the
text appears in the correct font.
     Positive: You can set the default font to an Arabic one, like Geeza
12. The editor will then start up with the Arabic script active. 
     Negative: Actually, you have to do this. If the default font is a
Roman one, cutting and pasting will not work correctly. On pasting in 
the
middle of an Arabic block, the default will switch to Roman, and the 
Arabic
block will be split; the first part coming the left of the last. This 
can
be repaired, but is a nuisance. Also, if you write an English text, 
Arabic
is still default, so if you click somewhere in the English text, the 
script
often (not always) reverts to Arabic. 

                  MuEdit
MuEdit appears to be designed for Arabic, thus it has a menu option for
"Orient left to right" and "Orient right to left". Generally, it has
capabilities similar to Tex-Edit: Multiple fonts and styles in a 
document;
multiple windows, text styles include extended and condensed; find &
replace. It has "find previous", but only options for whole word and 
case
sensitive searches. It allows changing case, has a word count, and can
strip/add linefeed and carriage returns, but not as Tex-Edit, all 
control
characters. Like T., it has color, but not  "smart quotes". Print 
margins
are set in the Page Setup dialog box. 
     It works under System 7 only. Interestingly, cut and paste between
these two editors work better than between standard word processors:
Script, font and size information is remembered from one to the other. 
Both
read each other's files; Tex-Edit can read font and style (but not
justification) of a MuEdit document; MuEdit can only read the text of 
the
Tex-Edit.

Handling of Arabic:
Typing and editing Arabic text is unproblematic. Selection, cutting and
pasting work as they should. Justification does not automatically follow
script, but both are saved with the document. 
      It has a couple of bugs, though: 
      -- When you open Mu-Edit by double-clicking on a file, the line
breaks do not appear properly. However, if you open MuEdit first and 
then
the document, they appear as they should. There is an option for "word
wrap", what happens is probably that it is improperly set "off" when you
open document and program together. 
     -- Find-replace does not work properly: It finds the Arabic, but 
the
"replace" string is inserted in Roman, i.e. as garbage characters; 
breaking
the line in two and reversing their order, in spite of the Right-Left
general orientation.  Instead, you have to copy the correct text, and 
then
use Find-Paste instead. 
     -- Another peculiar bug when I use MuEdit with other text editors: 
If
right-left orientation is chosen in the MuEdit window; and I switch
directly to another editor, the text window there appears (incorrectly)
right-adjusted. Only by switching through the Finder is this corrected, 
and
the editor's window redrawn. This happens when I switch both to Tex-Edit
and to Eudora, but not to Word. Either it is problem in MuEdit, or in 
the
Arabic resources themselves.

                Style: 
Style, an Italian offering, is the least capable of the three, and is 
not
really adapted for writing Arabic. It has the standard styles, and
Find/Replace, but no options for setting page width in printing. More
seriously, the word wrap does not break at the edge of the window, but 
at a
predefined length that seems to be calculated from a 13 or 14" monitor.
Thus, on my SE/30, I cannot see a full line, and I have to scroll
horizontally manually in order to see what I am writing. This is clearly
not acceptable. You can, however, mix styles and fonts in a document. 
Style

_
                                                                                                         

does not save in TEXT format, as the two others do, but has an XTND 
file,
so you can use it with MacWrite and other XNTD-programs. In version b.3,
the Open command did not work, perhaps due to a conflict with Super
Boomerang.
     In handling Arabic, another problem is that you cannot set
justification; it is stuck on left-adjusted. Thus you are always writing
'backwards', as it were, and printing will also be left-adjusted. Also, 
I
have been unable to add anything at the end of a line. The cursor will
then, whatever I do, place the correction at the beginning of the line.
Further, the cursor moves incorrectly. The left-arrow keys moves the 
cursor
forward, as it should, but at the end of the line, it jumps up to the
previous, rather than down (and vice versa for the right-arrow key). 
I.e.,
as in Roman text.
     Although Style handles Arabic text entry and editing, it is thus 
not
useful for Arabic; and hardly for for European languages, at least if 
you
don't have a 12"+ monitor.
     
                Summary
I will not recommend Style in its current version. The two others are,
however, very useful contributions, although both have some drawbacks. 
Each
has a bug; Tex-Edit the incorrect placement of the cursor at the 
beginning
of the line; MuEdit defaulting to no word wrap when you open the program
with a document. You can live with both, however. Tex-Edit can be set to
Arabic as standard script, so you can open it and just start typing 
Arabic.
MuEdit has an orient right->left option that makes it apt for Arabic, 
and
which is saved with the document (unlike Tex-Edit's justification). 
     As it currently stands, I have problems choosing between them. If 
you
use System 6, you have to choose Tex-Edit, as MuEdit requires System 7.
Otherwise, the printing bug in Tex-Edit, if it is general and not just 
on
my machine, would tip the scales against it; I do not fancy being stuck
with a half-inch margin. On the other hand, the Find-Replace bug in 
MuEdit
is serious, but can be circumvented using Paste instead of Replace. 
Thus,
with the faults I have found to date, I would choose MuEdit; but both 
are
very useful, and to be recommended.
     If you want to include Arabic in a major work, like a book, you 
must
still buy a commercial Arabic-compatible word processor. But for simple
things, these editors are now almost as capable as the standard word
processors; and they are free. 

     Versions tested:
     Tex-Edit 1.8.1 (8 April 1993). Freeware. Recommended memory: 390K
     MuEdit 1.0d0 (9 May 1993, formerly Quill) Freeware.
     Recommended memory: 360K
     Style 1.1b3 (US) (5 April 1993). Freeware. Recommended memory: 256K
     Tested on a Mac SE/30, 8 MB. All are on Sumex, in /info-mac/app.

************************************************************************
******
*
end of part 1/2


_____________________________________________________________________
Alaa Dakroub     | 'al-'arD waTanI wa al-'insAnyah 'usratI
Sophia Antipolis | La terre est ma patrie et l'humanite' ma famille
France           | The earth is my fatherland and humanity my familiy
                 | (Gibran Khalil Gibran)
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