Detailed Lebanese & Lebanese Related LCCC English New Bulletin For September 05/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Shakespeare to Tarafa: Store some of summer’s joys for the winter blues
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/September 04/18
“Don’t forget your umbrella and beware of the winter blues.” This was the first piece of advice from the people of Oregon, northwest of the US, which they told me before I even arrived. I laughed from the bottom of my heart and said: “Don’t they know that we pray for rain and welcome it and that we even prepare ourselves for rain by selecting our destinations in the desert and light a fire and prepare coffee as we await the guest that’s coming from afar?”I arrived to Oregon, the city where it rains for around 11 months. I thought I had found what I was looking for until a few months later when my relationship with winter and rain began to change. The rain which we waited for in Najd became frequent and dominant. I suddenly got used to the wet weather and the long winter nights. It was a new experience to a man who associated winter with going out from the city and going to the desert to enjoy the change in weather.
The streets of Oregon would suddenly be empty. Dim lights would be seen at porches while those you saw after 7 p.m. are either in search for a hot drink or restlessly looking for the shortest way home.
Mental health
This is the first time I greeted winter blues where many people opt for satiety, alcohol and long sleeping hours while being absent from work or traveling to where there is sun. In recent years, there have been more studies about the rates of suicide which increase in winter nights. One in every five women gets the winter blues. I am not scaring anyone but this is what doctors recommend: Pay attention to your children and talk to your partners more after 10 p.m. as a lack of appetite, weight gain and unjustified anxiety are all primary symptoms that winter blues is near. Scientists have attributed women’s hatred of winter and their feeling of depression to several reasons “of which the most important is the short daylight time as they cannot perform all their daily duties, and they also suffer from the silence which reigns over the family after 10 p.m.”Check on your loved ones during all seasons, but check twice on them in winter. Doctor Hussein Zohdy al-Shafai, a doctor of psychiatry and neurology, said the winter blues first requires direct medical supervision especially as patients who suffer from seasonal depression can be treated with a pill that they take at night. The dose of these pills, mood stabilizers, are regulated at sporadic times depending on their rate in the blood.
Since the winter blues has its presence, I’d say depression after the World Cup affected a majority of male viewers. It was a great summer this year with the tournament being played. We got used to watching matches and following up on the players’ news, and we enjoyed the goals they scored and got surprised by the strong teams’ weakness. Suddenly – and all problems begin after this word – the World Cup ended and joy ended without any warnings although everyone knew when it will end! There must be a study to explain to us what happens before, during and after the World Cup every four years. There should be an intelligent doctor who monitors people’s mood and recommends that the World Cup be held during the winter season so it shortens its long sad nights. Back to winter blues. Some of the English phrases which were translated into Arabic seem strange to Arabs. For example, those who translated Shakespeare’s works conveyed warm greetings. This is something which Shakespeare may say and which 6th century Arabian poet Ṭarafah ibn al-Abd would never say. Shakespeare lived in a cold country; hence warmth was of value, while Tarafah lived in the desert of the Arabian Peninsula so he only welcomes the breeze and rain! Therefore, among the characteristics of the residents of the Arabian Peninsula is that they do not suffer from the winter blues. You see them smiling in winter and tolerance can be seen even while driving and you see the driver’s teeth which are otherwise only seen by dentists!
May God have mercy on photographer Saleh Al-Azzaz whom I remember during all seasons as he smiled and said: “I do not know a land that better describes Allah’s words: ‘And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind’ more than the vestal Najd after the rain transforms it from a barren desert to a flower garden!”
This was the spirit of Saleh, the human, as he saw beauty in everything, and this was his eye as a photographer as water is the beginning of everything in Najd. Water is what makes valleys flow and what turns the yellow desert red and dresses it in green that’s comfortable to the eye. People thus go on trips in all directions and this impacts them as they rejoice and you see them waiting for their guests or standing at the roadway to direct their friends to an area which no one had visited before so they can go there and enjoy their time. It only rains in winter but if it rains in summer, we also celebrate it as the scarcity of something teaches us the virtue of missing it. In the Arabian Peninsula, we never thought of possessing an umbrella to shield us from rain and we never became restless in winter nights because of lack of conversation after 10 p.m. Our grandparents went to bed with hopes it will rain and their grandchildren still do the same. In Oregon, however, and in other areas where winter is long, everyone holds on to their umbrellas when it gets cloudy. Check on your loved ones during all seasons but check twice on them in winter. Try not to end the warm conversation on the dinner table suddenly after 10 p.m. Store some of the summer joy to protect you from the evil of the winter blues and rejoice in the rain that waters the heart before it waters thirsty lands.

When there is Twitter, who cares for traditional writing
Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/September 04/18
Traditional educationalists seem to be facing a losing battle with current generation of young students around the world, and in the Arab world in particular.
They bemoan the lack of interest in writing out their ideas, elaborating and defending them in essay style writings, instead preferring for the less strenuous multiple choice examination responses and the current more ubiquitous twitter messaging. Who can blame them when it seems that politicians and so-called opinion leaders are opting for the 140 character messages to lay out their thoughts, anger or response to other tweets and satisfy a mass market hungry for their twitter junkie fix of the day? Are these justified criticisms or are the traditionalists completely out of touch with a fast moving modern world? There are arguments for both, but with grave implications for an educated and articulate society. Some argue that in a fast moving modern world with events unfolding globally and brought home through a technological revolution, ensures that followers of events need to absorb as many of these fast moving events as possible and have no time to absorb long and laboriously laid out written discourses and arguments. But even Twitter has recognized the limit of imposing a small number of characters for users to express in an intelligent manner their thoughts, excluding of course the bizarre use of exclamation marks and other symbols. The problem with brevity is that ideas and messages are not well thought out as evidenced by the many retractions, deletions and apologies that follow either misunderstood or ill worded tweets
140 to 280
The company announced that it has started testing 280-character tweets, doubling the previous 140-character limit, in an effort to help users be more expressive. According to the company, research showed that the character limit is a major cause of frustration for people tweeting in English, let alone in other languages, and that increasing the character number actually will help with people making more tweets, presumably those with the ability to rationalise beyond 140 characters. The 140-character limit was originally established to reflect the length of SMS messages, which was how tweets were distributed prior to the development of mobile apps. SMS messages are limited to 160 characters; Twitter reserved the remaining 20 for the username. Given the mass appeal of tweeting today, Twitter has considered expanding the tweet length for years, even mooting up to 10,000 characters. Given the appeal of lashing out a 140 or 280-word tweet plus a few exclamation marks, the far larger tweet idea is not going to go down well with tweet-obsessed users as Twitter’s identity has always derived from its real-time nature and the brevity of its messages. The argument goes that if one wishes to expand on his or her ideas then they are welcome to write out full essays. The problem with brevity is that ideas and messages are not well thought out as evidenced by the many retractions, deletions and apologies that follow either misunderstood or ill worded tweets. The problem then becomes that this is not a matter of choice of either a brief thought via tweeting or longer essays, but what type of a future informed and literate society we wish our children to inherit.
Future generations will no longer have the interest or the concentration span of reading books or long essays or setting down their thoughts in this format. The art of book writing will die out and so will the passion for oratory. Who can forget epoch making and inspirational speeches by leaders in time of crisis and need, and their everlasting appeal, compared with soon to be forgotten rambling tweets? Many of the older generations around the world look back with nostalgia and some nightmare flashbacks on their efforts to write out full-length essays, with many efforts rubbished by teachers that the ideas were not clearly expressed and the essays to be re written.
Well-argued reasoning
We thank those teachers now as hopefully it instilled in us the love of querying issues and setting out well-argued reasoning. The same applied to debating societies in schools and universities where opponents argued for or against a topic of the day, helping to tone language skills and intellectual curiosity.
How can one do that in a 140 or 280 character tweet? No wonder the accusation of fake news today, creating an even greater torrent of supporting and opposing tweets but with few really comprehending the key issues at stake. The difference is that tweeting is easy and anyone can do it , whether these are comprehensible or not, and the same applies to the lowest level of multiple choice questions with a yes/no choice , as opposed to more rigorous essay writing. The same applies to modern TV media coverage of events and the difference in style of more “traditionalist” media outlets who make their reputation through hard hitting full length debates and questioning like the BBC’s Hard Talk, program and the more catchy modern TV media where it seems the television presenter is the news rather than the other way around. These stations interrupt news programs with seemingly random incongruous advertisements, and nothing is more hilarious than watching self -promoting TV anchors grill their guests to discuss in 15 seconds or less what they believe are the key issues facing the world in say global warming , genocide in Myanamar, spreading trade disputes, or North Korea’s de-nuclearization prospects. Back to tweets. Despite imploring him to stop being a dinosaur, as many of my former students can testify, this writer does not and will not have a Twitter or Facebook account. Maybe they are right, but long may the traditional education dinosaurs live.

John McCain and the quest for an Arab hero
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/September 04/18
Heroism is a trait people usually yearn for, going as far at times as to create imagined idols, ones that can be used in the construction of a super narrative for nation and state building. The death of US Senator John Sidney McCain III and the ensuing touching eulogies and memorial service underscored the touring figure of an American hero, one which the whole nation and beyond mourned his tragic loss. McCain was a hero not simply because he is was scion of a respected military family nor because he was a Vietnam veteran and a prisoner of war, but he was a hero despite all of that.
McCain’s real heroism was his ability to conquer his family’s legacy, which usually is a setback, and his famous feats of rage and transform it into a passion for championing the causes of the oppressed. As a lawmaker, he staunchly tried to reinstate the image of the United States as a morally guided nation an image which his country had lost as early as the 1950’s, especially with the Arabs who always viewed their relationship with the US from the prism of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the US skewed support of the occupation of Palestine. Despite these realities, people like McCain tried to work through these barriers and attempt to bring some form peace and stability to the Middle East, which was booged down in endless violence and autocratic regime. Much of McCain’s eulogies stressed his aggressive in-your-face approach to politics but it also underscored his most redeeming quality, which was his ability to work across the somewhat rigid party lines
Invasion of Iraq
Consequently, McCain saw it necessary for the removal of these dictators and thus he fully supported the invasions of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussain. He equally opposed Iran’s expansionists venture in the Levant and always stood with the forces of democracy in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, openly supporting the Syrian rebels against Bashar Assad and his Iranian patrons. Despite his hawkish and interventionist fold, McCain was an advocate of the two-state solution and the establishment of a viable Palestine state alongside Israel, and while he was clearly more of a friend to the Israelis, he was far removed from the populist mindset that US President Trump and Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu were peddling for their own personal interest. Back in 2008 presidential race I was one of the few of my friends who supported McCain, while I was and still is inconsequential as I am not a US citizen, McCain came across as a man of principles that will not waver when any of the imagined redlines are crossed.
Ability to act
As years progressed and the Obama administration gave the region away to Iran, and allowed Bashar Assad to gas hundreds of brave souls in Ghouta and elsewhere, I was reminded why I rooted for McCain, and that ultimately man is not judged by his color or gender nor by his family but by his ability to act. Something that Obama clearly and cowardly failed to do. Much of McCain’s eulogies stressed his aggressive in-your-face approach to politics but it also underscored his most redeeming quality, which was his ability to work across the somewhat rigid party lines, which divide US politics and keep bipartisanship alive. By specifically requesting that his political foe and presidential contender Barak Obama, speak in his funereal McCain specially wanted his successors to cherish his real legacy and oppose the Trumpian mindless and suicidal acts which pass for politics.
Unfortunately, this culture, McCain wished for is non-existent in the region, as people refuse to even consider working with their foes towards the embitterment of their communities. This does not merely apply to relations between states but also on the micro level as sectarian schism seem to be the order of the day. The people of the Middle East and particularly the Arabs are at a very dangerous juncture, as Iran remain adamant on destroying what remains of their communities. Therefore, to avoid such a terrible picture they should perhaps look towards the life of John McCain for inspiration, and understand that heroism cannot flourish except in a diverse and pluralistic milieu. One that allows people to grew into heroes, not merely because of their righteousness, but also because of their shortcomings. Maybe then, the search for an Arab hero(s) would be finally over.

Qatar and gambling on the impossible
Mohammed Al Shaikh/Al Arabiya/September 04/18
It seems the isolation and marginalization which Qatar is living through is going to prolong and may cost the Qataris more than what they expected at the beginning of the boycott. In order to withstand the boycott and the marginalization and their political and economic consequences, Qatar took many hasty decisions that cost it a lot without it achieving the desired results. This statelet which was prestigious during the term of former US President Obama is not the same in the times of US President Donald Trump. Instead of rationally dealing with its new situation and realizing that the tasks assigned to it by the former US president sprung from emergencies and not were not based on strategic reasoning and that the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ and the ‘creative chaos’ had failed miserably, Doha continues to be arrogant and insists on restoring its role.
Qatar must return to what it was before the onset of the ‘Arab Spring’. It seems that Hamad bin Khalifa, who actually controls power in Qatar, had thought that he could revive the same revolts again with his money and regain influence in the region; as was the mission assigned to him by Obama. However, this is almost impossible even if the Democrats regain power again as it’s anticipated and hoped for.
The rules of the game changed completely. The Muslim Brotherhood, which had employed its cadres to execute the conspiracies of what they called “creative chaos” for US’s benefit, is now facing an existential threat in every sense of the word. It is no longer secret to many who used to support and bet on the Muslim Brotherhood that it is losing its popularity and its influence is diminishing in Arab countries. Even many of those who belong to the Brotherhood have now started disowning it, and many have begun to criticize it publicly and even defame it.
However, Hamad bin Khalifa still insists on supporting its cadres and spending on them generously wherever they are. This was considered by many of the rational Qataris as foolishness and unjustified stubbornness. Politics is always based on what is possible, not on what is supposed to be. Many of those I met from Qatar admit this. I even have information that suggests that Emir Tamim (the supposed Emir of Qatar) is convinced of this as well since present and future indicators do not suggest that Islamists are still the same; therefore, insisting to bet on them and defying those who oppose them, like his father is doing, is a huge waste of time, effort and money. Iran which ignited the spark of political Islamization and which embraces and finances many of the Islamists’ operations, in spite of their sectarian differences, is now facing tough conditions, both internally and externally. It is on the verge of falling due to the economic sanctions imposed on it by the US. If Iran collapses or at least changes some of its behavior or retreats to reform its internal situation, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood will be like a small ship which the ocean waves pummel and which will eventually swallow it.
The Qatari people and most probably their Emir, Tamim, have begun to feel that Hamad’s bets, or let us say the two Hamads’ (Hamad bin Khalifa and Hamad bin Jassim) bets, have proven to be a failure. So will they act before drowning?

Iran’s brinkmanship doomed to failure
Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/September 04/18
Time is running out for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his government. Last week, he was summoned by parliament to answer questions on the country’s mounting economic crisis and, in a rare rebuke, his explanations — he blamed the economic woes on an “American conspiracy” — were rejected and he now faces a review by the judiciary. Two of his ministers were impeached last month, putting further pressure on him.
Iran’s economy nosedived after US President Donald Trump in May withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed biting sanctions. Trump warned foreign companies that they too will face penalties if they choose to do business with Iran. The EU pledged to save the nuclear deal and protect European companies from possible US sanctions but, four months later and after a series of meetings, the deal continues to rest on shaky ground.
Even Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared skeptical when he warned Rouhani last week, through comments published on his website, that “there is no problem with negotiations and keeping contact with the Europeans, but you should give up hope on them over economic issues or the nuclear deal.”
The European front is no longer united either. Last week, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for further negotiations with Tehran, saying: “Iran cannot avoid discussions, negotiations on three other major subjects that worry us — the future of Iran’s nuclear commitments after 2025, the ballistic question and the fact there is a sort of ballistic proliferation on the part of Iran, and the role Iran plays to stabilize the whole region.” Iran's Foreign Ministry dismissed Le Drian’s statement and complained of “bullying and excessive demands” on the EU’s side.
But Iran’s troubles will worsen when a second batch of US sanctions take effect in early November. This time the sanctions will target Iran's main commodity and foreign currency source — its oil exports. Washington has threatened countries that buy Iranian oil and even China, a major importer, has hinted it may cut down its imports from Iran. Bloomberg reported last week that Iranian oil exports had already fallen in August to 2.1 million barrels per day — their lowest since March 2016.
Experts estimate Iran’s losses from the current US sanctions to be $5 billion a month, and that is the main reason behind the collapse of the Iranian currency and sharp decline of imports of essential goods. Iran also continues to suffer from high unemployment, especially among the youth, and deteriorating public services. In reality, neither Rouhani nor any other leader could offset the effects of US sanctions on the local economy. But that is not the only reason for Iran’s economic qualms. Since Khamenei came to power in 1989, the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the clerical establishment has grown exponentially. Those two major players have impeded attempts for genuine economic and political reforms, which began with President Mohammed Khatami in the 1990s. Further attempts to steer the country toward a more liberal and transparent rule were nipped in the bud following the 2009 presidential elections, when the religious establishment backed conservative incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against potential reformist candidates.
But Iran’s troubles will worsen when a second batch of US sanctions take effect in early November
Furthermore, those two bodies are the driving force behind Iran's regional meddling in the affairs of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Such interventions come at a hefty price, both economically and politically. It is no secret that the majority of Iran’s youth do not approve of the ideologically driven adventures of their leaders in the region, nor do they embrace their anti-US rhetoric.
Today, popular protests, which began late last year, continue sporadically in various parts of the country amid worsening economic conditions. Iran's religious leadership has rejected Washington’s conditions to lift the sanctions and rebuffed Trump’s readiness for unconditional talks.
Top Iranian military and IRGC officials have threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea passageways in retaliation for any disruption of Iranian oil exports. Such actions would prove foolish and would put Tehran on a military collision course with Washington.
There have also been reports that Iran has delivered ballistic missiles to loyalist groups in Iraq in a bid to put pressure on Gulf countries. Again, such move would only isolate Iran further and would have little effect on a possible military confrontation.
It would be wrong on Khamenei’s part to abandon Rouhani at this crucial stage and allow hardline IRGC figures to take over. There is speculation that, if Rouhani is impeached, an interim military government led by the hawkish Gen. Qassem Soleimani would take over. That would be a recipe for disaster and could be the trigger for a major regional showdown; one that Iran is sure to lose.
Instead, Iran should not dismiss the opportunity to engage in talks with the US while initiating a meaningful dialogue with its neighbors. Iranian leaders have a choice: Either face further domestic troubles that will lead to chaos or take serious steps toward normalizing ties with its neighbors and ending its meddling in regional affairs. The current politics of brinkmanship will certainly fail.
Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman. Twitter: @plato010

Convoy of Iranian Forces Was Bombed Near U.S. Base in Syria, Report Says
الهآررتس/إسرائيل تستهدف قافلة عسكرية إيرانية بالقرب من الحدود السورية ومقتل 8 إيرانيين وسوريين
Haaretz/September 04/18
Israel Strikes Iranian, Assad Regime Targets' in Syria
Jack Khoury/Haaretz/September 04/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/67237/haaretz-convoy-of-iranian-forces-was-bombed-near-u-s-base-in-syria-report-says-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A2%D8%B1%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%B3-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87/