January 2025

You’re looking at Palestinians in Gaza as they cry out in joy and relief at official news of a ceasefire. They express the joy and relief of so many of us Levantines after a nightmarish year.

On the evening of October 31, 1992, a bygone era of a bygone Lebanon, a mad spectacle of fireworks overwhelmed the Lebanese skyscape. Rafiq Hariri, a rotund man with deep pockets and elephantine ambitions, had just ascended to the position of prime minister of a war-torn, mess of a country desperate for resurrection.

The cover photo needs no explanation. A salute to the colors of the watermelon, red, green, white, and black today and forever.

Some housekeeping before I start with this first post of 2025: a few readers have reached out to me expressing frustration that they are unable to like my posts. That’s because what you receive in your inbox from substack is an email of the post. Click on the heart or the title and it will take you to the blog itself. There, by all means click away!