Beirut Ad

When I went to a writing workshop in Portland this summer, I made a friend from Beirut named Tarek who is a writer and former economist. The fighting broke out between Israel and Lebanon while we were attending the workshop, and he was stuck at his brother's house in Maryland until recently. He took this photo shortly after arriving back in Beirut. I guess he is trying to keep his sense of humor (irony?) during difficult times. Here are his last two emails that went to me and a host of other people he knows:

Dear friends,
A lot of you have asked about my first impressions of Beirut. I think this huge outdoor advertising sums it up.... (The bridge, naturally, has been bombarded by the Israeli planes, but we "keep walking" - with a tad bit of alcohol).
TJC

Dear friends,
Just to inform you that tomorrow (August 26th) marks my flight back to Lebanon. I am scheduled to land August 27th 18:00 local time some 40 days after the initial schedule (40 days? Isn't that a little
biblical?)

For your info, Lebanon is 7 hours ahead of NY, 10 hours ahead of Portland, and 2 hours ahead of the UK. I take this opportunity to thank everyone who has provided me comfort (In any way, shape or form) during this extremely troubled time.
Sincerely,
TJC

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