LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
September 21/08
Bible Reading of the day.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint
Luke 8,4-15. When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after
another journeying to him, he spoke in a parable. A sower went out to sow his
seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the
birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it
withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew
with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it
produced fruit a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has
ears to hear ought to hear." Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of
this parable might be. He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom
of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through
parables so that 'they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.' This
is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path
are the ones who have heard, but the devil comes and takes away the word from
their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are
the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root;
they believe only for a time and fall away in time of trial. As for the seed
that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along,
they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail
to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are
the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good
heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.
Saint Theodore the Studite (759-826), monk at Constantinople
Homily 2 for the Nativity of Mary, 4, 7; PG 96, 683f./"And some seed fell on
good soil"
In my view it was to Mary that the blessed
prophet Joel was speaking when he exclaimed: «Fear not, O land! Exult and
rejoice! For the Lord has done great things in you» (2,21). For Mary is a land:
that ground on which Moses, the man of God, heard the command to remove his
sandals (Ex 3,5), an image of the Law now replaced by grace. She is also that
land on which, through the Holy Spirit, he was built up of whom we sing that he
«fixed the earth on its foundations» (Ps 104[103],5). She is a land which,
without being sown, brings forth the fruit that feeds all flesh (Ps
136[135],25). A land on which the thorns of sin have never sprung up; to the
contrary, she has given birth to him who pulled it up by the roots. And she is a
land that is not cursed as the first one was to bring forth a harvest of thorns
and thistles (Gn 3,18), but on whom rests the Lord's blessing and who bears in
her breast a «blessed fruit» as holy scripture says (Lk 1,42)...Rejoice, O Mary,
house of the Lord, earth trodden by the footsteps of God... Rejoice, O paradise
more happy than the garden of Eden, where every virtue has been seeded and where
the tree of Life has grown.
Free Opinions, Releases, letters & Special Reports
Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources for September 20/08
Syria praises 'Mossad beauty ' Livni-Ynetnews
Syria tells Livni: You have terrorist background-Ha'aretz
Russia Relays Intelligence on
Israel to Syria-Hizbullah-Naharnet
Baroud:
Holding Elections in a Single Day is an Important Accomplishment-Naharnet
France
Urges Israel to Hand Over Lebanon Sub-munitions Maps-Naharnet
U.S.
State Department: July War Led to Greater Political and Religious Tensions-Naharnet
Bassil: FPM Ready to
Reconcile with Jumblat if he Clears his Record-Naharnet
Grant Conveys Sison's
Congratulations to LAF Participants in U.S. Training-Naharnet
Saniora: Beirut
Reconciliation Normal-Naharnet
Hariri: Stop Linking
Lebanon to Foreign Interests-Naharnet
Berri: Session to Ratify
Elections Draft Law Before End of September-Naharnet
Hizbullah Wants
Reconciliation that Maintains Differences-Naharnet
First Unity Government Session
under Saniora Marred by Disputes-Naharnet
Berri:
Session to Ratify Elections Draft Law Before End of September-Naharnet
Hizbullah to Visit Hariri Soon in Preparation for Hariri-Nasrallah Reunion-Naharnet
Iraq Accuses Hizbullah of
Training Militias to Cause Unrest-Naharnet
Security Council Briefed
on Situation in Lebanon-Naharnet
Saniora: It is
Unacceptable to Live Under the Threat of Arms-Naharnet
PSP-Mustaqbal Meetings to
Unify Positions-Naharnet
Gunmen Shoot Lebanese
Citizen Near Sidon-Naharnet
Cabinet Discusses Security
Measures, Briefed on Ban's Call for Better Border Control-Naharnet
Jouzou for a New
Resistance Faction Affiliated with the Army-Naharnet
Khoury: Tensions Prevent
Nasrallah-Hariri Meeting-Naharnet
Lebanese Politicians
Interviewed by Investigation Commission Into Hariri Crime-Naharnet
Lebanese Cabinet tackles fragile security situation-Daily
Star
'Security reasons' forced UN envoy out of
Lebanon-Daily Star
Siniora says ties with Syria must hinge on
respect for sovereignty-Daily Star
Assad: Relations between Syria and Iran
Tightening Daily-MEMRI
Construction in Lebanon increases by 26.5
percent-Daily Star
Fadlallah: Iran's diplomatic success should set an example-Daily
Star
Union
for Lebanon hails talks as necessity-Daily
Star
LOG
slams national dialogue as totally ineffective-Daily
Star
Former Israeli military chief heaps scorn on Jewish state's failed 2006 war-Daily
Star
LAU
welcomes new students to two campuses-Daily
Star
Dar
al-Ajaza al-Islamiyya opens RESCU unit-Daily
Star
Hizbullah has a chance to put its money where its
mouth is
By The Daily Star
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Editorial
Since its emergence into the public sphere in 1985, Hizbullah has frequently
been subjected to hostile media coverage that has effectively branded the group
as a "terrorist," "Islamo-fascist," "anti-Semitic" entity. The party's repeated
attempts to dispel these misperceptions have had limited effect, largely because
the debate boils down to Hizbullah's word against that of the vast majority of
the Western media. But the party is currently facing an opportunity to back some
of its oft-repeated words with action - and thereby help repair its image both
in Lebanon and abroad.
Many Hizbullah officials have tried, especially in recent years, to stress that
although the resistance arm of the party is at war with Israel, the group does
not have any animosity toward Judaism or members of the Jewish faith. But
because the Jewish community in Lebanon has dwindled to such small numbers,
rarely does Hizbullah have a chance to demonstrate the sincerity of these
statements. But an opportunity to do just that might be located in Downtown
Beirut's Wadi Abu Jamil district, the home of the Maghen Abraham Synagogue.
Like countless other places of worship across Lebanon, the synagogue was
ironically damaged by Israeli forces, but unlike most mosques and churches that
have been or are being rebuilt, Maghen Abraham has remained in a state of
disrepair since 1982. A leader of Lebanon's tiny Jewish community, Isaac Arazi,
is reportedly engaged in an effort to raise $1 million to restore the synagogue
to its previous condition, but he has so far only secured a small fraction of
the needed funds. Hizbullah spokesman Hussein Rahal has already been quoted in
the Western media as saying that his party supports the restoration of the
building, so why doesn't the party demonstrate the truth of these words by
acting on them?
Hizbullah has already helped several churches in the country secure the funds
needed to rebuild their properties that were damaged by the Israelis during
their 2006 bombardment of Lebanon, including the Mar Youssef Church in the
southern suburbs of Beirut. It is only logical that the party's leadership would
be willing to expand this initiative and help rebuild the Maghen Abraham
Synagogue, or at least call upon its supporters to contribute to the Jewish
community's fundraising effort. Such a gesture would go a long way toward
demonstrating Hizbullah's genuine commitment, as expressed by the party's
leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, to preserving Lebanon's pluralism.
Syria: If Livni wants peace,
she will achieve it
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
"If Livni desires peace - she will achieve it," an editorial in the official
Syrian-state newspaper Tishreen proclaimed Saturday, in what is the first Syrian
reaction since the election of Tzipi Livni as the new Kadima Party chair. Issam
Dari, the editor-in-chief of Tishreen newspaper, then suggested in his editorial
that Livni's family background as daughter of a Jewish pre-State underground
member makes her ill-equipped to denounce Palestinian terror. "Livni should bear
this in mind: If your house is made of glass, don't go hurling stones on
others," the editorial warned. "We hope you won't be quick in accusing
Palestinians and Arabs of terror, because with your record - you can't blame
others for doing what you have done all your life." Livni's father Eitan Livni,
and her mother Sara Rosenberg were both well-known members of the pre-state
militant organization the Irgun. Under the headline "Tzipi - the new bird of
Israel," the editorial described the new Kadima chair as the "Mossad dove" as
well as the "pretty woman from the Mossad," a reference to the two years Livni
spent in the 1980s working as a low-level agent in the Israeli espionage agency.
Dari added that "Mrs. Livni is well aware of the demands for peace, and she
knows that the way to achieve the just peace everyone is yearning for is by
returning the occupied Arab land to its rightful owners."
Russia Relays Intelligence on Israel to Syria-Hizbullah
Naharnet/The Israeli Army's Information Security Chief has
accused Russia of relaying intelligence information on the Jewish state to Syria
and Hizbullah.
Col. Ram Dor made the charge in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yediot
Ahronot, Hebrew for Latest News. Dor said Russian Navy spy ships and Russian
personnel serving at monitoring stations on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights
carry out the alleged mission of monitoring the Jewish state and relaying the
information to Syria and Hizbullah. "My evaluation is that" such facilities "can
cover most of Israel's territory," he said.Dor said the Syrians and Hizbullah
"exchange intelligence" they gather on Israel. Beirut, 19 Sep 08, 21:23
U.S. State Department: July War Led to Greater Political
and Religious Tensions
Naharnet/The U.S. State Department noted in an annual report that
tensions between the government and the opposition led by Hizbullah resulted in
greater political tension between religious groups. The Department issues
annually the International Religious Freedom Report, which monitors the human
and religious rights' breaches in the world. The report noted that "following
the July-August 2006 conflict with Israel, tensions between the democratically
elected government of Fouad Saniora and the antigovernment opposition led by
Hizbullah resulted in greater political tension between religious groups. While
this political climate contributed to periodic reports of tension and occasional
confrontations between religious groups during the reporting period, most of
this activity could be attributed to political differences and the legacy of the
civil war."
The report added that, "during the reporting period, Hizbullah directed strong
rhetoric against Israel and its Jewish population. Moreover, anti-Semitic
literature was published and distributed with the cooperation of Hizbullah." It
said that Lebanese media outlets such as Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV, as well as
"independent" dailies such as An-Nahar and al-Mustaqbal, published anti-Semitic
material and drew no government response. "On October 22, 2007, NBN TV aired a
program based on the anti-Semitic document, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
The program's narrator made anti-Semitic statements including that the Jewish
people were perpetrators of the Holocaust," the report said. "Representatives
from the Israeli Communal Council, the legally registered Jewish organization,
reported acts of vandalism and theft committed against a Jewish-owned cemetery
in downtown Beirut. They stated that Hizbullah flags had been raised on this
property. The flags were later removed," the report added. Beirut, 20 Sep 08,
11:07
Baroud: Holding Elections in a
Single Day is an Important Accomplishment
Naharnet/Interior Minister Ziad Baroud on Saturday said holding
parliamentary elections in a single day would be one of the most important
accomplishments of his ministry. Baroud told An-Nahar daily that he is awaiting
a report from the defense minister on the measures the security forces would
take to handle such a huge step, if adopted. "I telephoned the defense minister…
and he told me that we would soon receive a report on how the defense ministry
and the Army Command would handle the elections in a single day… if this issue
was adopted then it would be one of our most important accomplishments," Baroud
said.
He added the ministry would adopt the ID card and the passport as means to
identify voters in the 2009 elections because they are not easily forged.
On allowing Lebanese immigrants to vote, the interior minister said that the
adoption of such a decision has been postponed till 2013. Beirut, 20 Sep 08,
10:18
Hizbullah Wants Reconciliation that Maintains Differences
Naharnet/Hizbullah announced on Friday that it was ready for
reconciliation, even if differences were not settled. Sheikh Naim Qassem,
Hizbullah's second in command, said "reconciliation does not mean at all ending
differences. We can achieve reconciliation while differences persist." "The
difference would be that reconciliation would change the differences into
political differences that are kept away of factional agitation … within the
public," Qassem added. "Let it be known that reconciliation does not mean
an election alliance. We could reconcile some factions, but we would not be
allied to them in the elections. These are two separate issues that should not
be linked," he added. Beirut, 19 Sep 08, 18:18
France Urges Israel to Hand Over Lebanon Sub-munitions Maps
Naharnet/France has called on Israel to hand over detailed maps
of where sub-munitions were dropped during its offensive on Lebanon in
July-August 2006 to help U.N. demining efforts, media reports said Saturday. The
reports said that Paris urged Israel to provide maps of mines and cluster bombs
in south Lebanon in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended
the war. The Jewish State has reportedly spread as many as 4 million cluster
bombs across south Lebanon. U.N. de-mining experts say more than 1 million of
the cluster bombs failed to explode.
The U.N. has also found that Israel dropped 90 percent of all the cluster bombs
it used in Lebanon in the three days immediately preceding the August 14, 2006
ceasefire. According to the reports, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric
Chevalier also welcomed the U.N. refugee agency's announcement that this year's
Nansen Award will go to Chris Clark, the British coordinator of the U.N. Mine
Action Coordination Center in south Lebanon and his staff of nearly 1,000
international and Lebanese civilian mine clearers. Chevalier said that demining
teams have cleared munitions from an area measuring around 36 million square
meters out of 40 million square meters.He said the teams have paid a heavy price
with the death of 14 of its members and the injury of 38 others during demining
operations. Beirut, 20 Sep 08, 05:34
Saniora: Beirut Reconciliation Normal
Naharnet/Premier Fouad Saniora on Friday said that working for
reconciliation is "normal, especially in Beirut." Saniora made the remark to
reporters at the Baabda Palace after meeting President Michel Suleiman. The
remark followed reports that efforts were underway to organize a meeting between
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad
Hariri to reconcile the two factions with the aim of ending the boycott that
followed Hizbullah's attack on Beirut's western sector in May. Hariri had called
for "honorable reconciliation." However, he did not set the conditions for such
a rapprochement.
Hizbullah said it accepts even a reconciliation that "maintains
differences."Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri also has called for reconciliation
in Beirut and said the second round of national dialogue has been scheduled for
Nov. 5 to allow such reconciliation. Hariri, in his most recent stand outlined
Friday, said Lebanon's national interest urges all factions to stop linking the
nation to foreign interests. Beirut, 19 Sep 08, 21:44
Bassil: FPM Ready to Reconcile with Jumblat if he Clears
his Record
Naharnet/Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil said the Free
Patriotic Movement is ready to reconcile with the Progressive Socialist Party
provided that its leader MP Walid Jumblat "clears his record and reviews his
stances." Bassil told the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that reconciliation
with Jumblat requires "declaration of intents and actions.""The FPM is not
worried about any reconciliation that might take place between Hizbullah on one
side and Jumblat or any other party in the majority on the other side," Bassil
said, stressing that "Hizbullah has learned its lessons from the past
experience." Bassil was hinting at the Hizbullah-PSP alliance during the 2005
elections. Bassil said any dialogue in Lebanon should begin from where the
understanding between Hizbullah and the FPM has ended.
Bassil revealed he has instructed the mobile phone operators in Lebanon to
decline any illegal bugging requests. Beirut, 20 Sep 08, 13:27
Grant Conveys Sison's Congratulations to LAF Participants
in U.S. Training
Naharnet/Deputy Chief of Mission Bill Grant and other U.S.
embassy officials have congratulated Lebanese Armed Forces personnel who have
completed advanced U.S. training in military specialties over the past three
years, the embassy said in a statement on Friday. "Grant conveyed Ambassador
Michele J. Sison's congratulations to all of the LAF officers and soldiers who
had participated in the U.S. International Military Education and Training
program (IMET), as well as other training programs," it said. Since 2005, more
than 500 LAF members have benefited from IMET programs, the statement said,
adding that most have received U.S. training in their military specialties,
including special forces, infantry, armor, artillery, supply and communication.
Senior LAF officers have also attended leadership training at joint military
operation staff colleges and military strategic seminars with officers from the
U.S. and other countries, the embassy said.
Since 2006, the U.S. has allocated over $410 million to the LAF. Beirut, 20 Sep
08, 04:27