Sorry again for falling off the blogging wagon. Here’s what’s been going on:
Tony’s Visit: Our nephew Tony came for a visit last week. We had a really great time showing him around Lebanon, and I think that he got to see all of the key places during his short stay. To see photos, please check out: https://picasaweb.google.com/104107930952939701195
Unusual Censorship: Unfortunately, our landlord recently changed from cable to satellite. Now we only have five English channels with movies/T.V. shows and a few English news channels. The lack of selection, however, has introduced me to a few shows that I previously did not think that I liked—including Glee.
Along with fewer channels, the new satellite comes with censorship—at least on the Fox station. Although teen pregnancy (Glee) and murder and sexual activity (CSI New York and Miami) are not issues for the satellite, the satellite has a problem with words like Jew, gay, and pork. When someone says one of these words, the volume is muted.
Beggars: I have also noticed an increase in the number of people begging on Rue Hamra, the main street in our neighborhood. Usually, I do not give money to beggars. I am not sure why this is. I think part of it is that I am suspicious of them. I also tell myself that it is bad to give money to the child beggars/sellers of things like roses because it encourages people to force kids to work the streets. Another possibility is that I am stingy.
The other day, I encountered five beggars. If I had given each beggar 1,000 pounds (which is the smallest bill here and the amount the kids tend to ask for), I would have been out $3.33. I am not sure anymore whether my approach is the proper way to deal with this issue. I am also worried that rejecting these people over and over again is making me callous. And, I worry about what the street children are going to become when they grow up.
I would be very happy to hear what other people think about this issue.
