A day like any other The political tug of war for power in the next round. What am cautiously optimistic is true is the fact that Lebanon in this difficult situation is not left to itself. I do not think the country can handle the current crisis without outside mediation. This is difficult office of an independent intermediary between the warring camps Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League held since mid-December. Currently, there is an envoy of the Arab League in Beirut to prepare for the arrival of Moussa and to explore the possibilities for discussions. Of course, here also the efforts of the European rather than a peaceful solution will be noticed and appreciated. Especially in France for the organization of the Paris III donor conference, which Lebanon brought much needed financial assistance in the amount of 7.6 billion dollars, has received great acclaim. But the greatest and most lasting influence with the Arab League, as it provides the institutional framework to involve Syria as well (at least through the back door) in the negotiations. And without a clear commitment to Syria to keep out of the internal affairs of Lebanon, the country will always remain the plaything of alien powers, and no peace. After all, there are statements from all involved stakeholders, to avert a new outbreak of violence (let alone a new civil war). In fact, it is since the street battles of 25.1. Than in the Near the Arab University in Beirut killed 3 people and over 100 were injured, remained calm. Something critical I see the coming Wednesday. This day is all in love and Valentine's Day memorable, but I am somewhat skeptical that it will rain here only red roses. Exactly on this day two years ago fell victim to a bomb attack Rafik Hariri. Behind the attack Syria as many suspected mastermind, a legal work-up failed so far but in the resistance of President Emile Lahoud and other "near Syria" actors. Ergo: The real culprits have so far not yet been identified. In any event held on Wednesday 14.02. Hariri held a memorial service at the grave. Unfortunately, his is Grave lay only 200 m away from the demonstrators of Hezbollah, which still hold their sit-in on lively Martyrerplatz in the heart of downtown. And this situation could make mixture in a concatenation wiedrigen circumstances an explosive mixture. Although issued by both camps, the solution to keep a cool head, but when the emotions spill over can be guaranteed for nothing. For me it anyway, on this day carefully the local media to follow and to refrain from visits to the area. We all hope that nothing happens!
From the large policy back to the lowlands of the daily business. I'm here at the Institute to do quite well right now. This coming Monday we will the inclined public a joint project of the Goethe-Institute of North Africa and Middle East, which includes the GI Beirut contributes his share. It is a German-Arabic website for young people names Li-Lak (= Arabic and means "for me - for you"), on which young people about their lives, their desires, dreams, share fears about the future, etc. can and a small, to get a view into the subjective reality of the "other". (
http://www.goethe.de/ins/eg/pro/lilak/index.htm ) The site is in both Arabic, as available also in German and has a very varied program, including games and electronic greeting cards covers.
Then comes next week at a German journalist named Jasna Zajcek in Beirut, which will stop here as part of the supported by the Heinrich Boell Foundation and the Goethe-Institut exchange project "Living Globality" for a month. My job will be to the lady to look after and on the organization of a panel discussion 1.3. participate, will attend the Women Zajcek, the German author Norman Ohler and Lebanese media. The main question I've already come up to me: "What contribution can art interkuturellen to dialogue".
And the third event of the bunch is a photo exhibition of German photographer Hans Joachim Kasselmann (for art lovers:
http://www.hans-joachim-kasselmann.de/ ), on 21.02. is opened. These are the projects that are planned in the near future. In addition, I find it after work and time reinzuschnuppern in the local cultural scene. On Tuesday I was at a preview opening and yesterday there was something very fine. An exhibition at the AUB (American University of Beirut) on the life and work of the Austrian peace activist Bertha von Suttner (1843 - 1914) (
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_von_Suttner ), the first wife a Nobel Prize received. The exhibition was quite small and consisted of perhaps 13 partitions with a few pictures and some text. Funnily enough, was the Austrian Ambassador His Excellency (the official address is really an ambassador!) Dr. Georg Mautner-Markhof also there and his Greetings to the plenary gathering of maybe 50 people addressed. I did not miss me, of course, to keep up with the man a little Pläuschchen and highlight the good neighborly relations between Bavaria and Austria. In the end, then came out this cute little picture:
The rose window, we both put on his lapel, incidentally, is the badge of feminist women's organization and is intended to signal: We say yes to emancipation. Finally, I show you some pictures of my new home
My bed: There's nothing solid wood 
My table + my chair 
My Cabinet 
my remote control air-conditioning: The characters are probably Chinese. Although our WG has a strong cosmopolitan, unfortunately I have no roommates from the Far East, I could be helpful in deciphering. I have accepted the settings from my predecessors, and he recommended that I NOT play around on the remote control, because otherwise one day all else fails. I stick to this advice
Our living room with my roommate Palestinian Malik and propane heaters
Modern room installation in any event not working Fireplace 
A piano, a piano! We may not have proper heating in the living room, but who has called his own a piano? Unfortunately, no one can play. By now it takes revenge that I have chucked a young boy, my early musical education in this instrument. Fortunately I was able to borrow from a colleague, a very cheap acoustic guitar and please point my roommate and again with one or another song. 
close our library. The books are left by previous tenants. Where Barbie is coming from, no one knows her story is probably still wrapped in the cloak of silence. Fact is: you seems to have gone through a lot. 
The kitchen, now cleaned up once right 
