marchand chronicles

Lebanon Update

Hubba Hubba Hubba (Plus Some Serious Matters)

I do believe I've been contacted by a Lebanese Protest Supermodel™, albeit an expatriate Lebanese Protest Supermodel™. From the comments of the original "supermodel" post:

I think you should just take a trip to Lebanon, period! Lebanon has its fair share of "super models" but the girls you're drooling over are considered to be in the cute/accessible norm

Her homepage is Umbilical Chord Dissection, and she makes me wish I could speak French.

I will need some . . . uh, further study in this matter. (If it sounds like I'm discussing this like an alien first contact, it's an apt metaphor, considering beautiful women approach and talk to me about as often as little green men.)

If the plight of the Lebanese matters at all to you, you need to be reading PubliusPundit. Not only does Robert Mayer round up stories from all matter of nations yearning for freedom, he has an extensive breakdown of recent developments in Lebanon. There's lots of heady stuff there, but I'll highlight a couple points:

First, the freedom-protesters are planning a massive counter-counter-demonstration tomorrow:

Meanwhile, Lebanese opposition leaders said they hope a rally Monday in Beirut's Martyrs Square will serve as a potent counterpoint to this week's massive pro-Syrian rally led by the Shiite Hezbollah party. Hezbollah's show of strength emboldened Syria's political allies here to rename Prime Minister Omar Karami, a strong Syria supporter, to the post he quit under pressure on Feb. 28.

Monday's demonstration would mark the one-month anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, whose Feb. 14 killing sent tens of thousands of residents into the streets in anger. Organizers said they hope for a turnout bigger than that of Tuesday's Hezbollah rally, which drew an estimated 500,000 people to downtown Beirut.

"There will be a very big answer to the demonstration of Hezbollah," said Fares Souaid, a leading opposition lawmaker. "The popular momentum will be built on."

If I could, I'd go myself. If Hezbollah can truck in supporters, then cheating to pad the numbers of the free demonstrations is no vice.

Besides, more protests means more Lebanese Protest Supermodels™. And if you think I'm the only one boorish enough to continue noticing this, you're wrong. Even Publius noticed, by posting a link to this picture:



Oh My God.

Please excuse me . . . I need a shower. Cold. Very cold.

Edited 5:01 PM to fix the dimensions of the . . . oh man, what an awesome pic that is. Re-edited 3/24 3:05 AM to fix the link.

posted by Marsh @ 4:54 PM