Persiflage & Paroxysm

By Hani Bathish   The new Lebanon, the country that is today emerging amidst the chaos and fog of uncertainty that envelops us all as oppressively as does this stifling humidity, is going to be a very different place indeed. The new rich will be the former hoarders and smugglers, the black marketeers, the sellers of gasoline by the can at exorbitant prices, those smugglers of heavily subsidized diabetes, heart and cancer medication out of the country to sell for astronomical profits, these people will be the new faces of Lebanese high society in the years to come.  New Wealth While the newly rich are still tainted by their actions today, their fresh greenbacks will be enough to clean their reputations in the eyes of the materialistic Lebanese. Mark my words and don’t express indignation too quickly, yes the desperate and hungry can and will do almost anything to survive.    We have all watched Egyptian movies of the 70s and 80s, where the theme was nearly always poor...

Many were stunned at how rapidly and suddenly Taliban forces made it to Kabul, and how before Sunday was over, advance elements of its red unit or special forces were posing for pictures inside the presidential palace, sitting on the president’s chair, behind the president’s desk, amid opulent surroundings and taking down the national flag of Afghanistan and rolling it up. A clear visual illustration of the end of one era and the start of another. The world held its collective breath, many are still holding their breath as I write this, but others are hopeful the ‘new’ Taliban would be more accommodating to liberal western affectations that the Afghan has long tried to internalize, like a square trying to fit inside a very small circle. The monster is no longer at the gates, it is now inside as the remaining US military units and diplomatic cadres barricade themselves at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. What a failure of US planning, military prowess and civilizing mission, ...

Amman’s Jabal Al-Weibdeh neighborhood is beyond doubt one of the most lively and bustling night spots in the Jordanian capital. In fact, I would say it has left other more boisterous regional capitals in its dust and undeserving of their reputations as far I’m concerned. Mask on and sanitizer in hand, I walked nightly through its quaint village-size streets. Uphill and down again, all streets lead to Paris Square, the center of this neighborhood. The cool Amman air invites revelers to come out, large family groups, groups of friends, young and old, fill the streets, the point is you rarely see anyone walking alone. Al-Weibdeh’s broken and disjointed sidewalks means taking it slow is advisable and keeping an eye on where your next step is going is equally so. But this only means you spend more time navigating your way around, enough time to check out all around you and there is a lot going on to see and take in. I’ve been to night spots in cities all over the world and it’s difficult to...