How far can I run in a minute?

Plenty of newspapers have noted the non-stop coverage of the fighting in the Middle East on blogs both Lebanese and Israeli.

Now, eight days after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and precipitated the current crisis, hundreds of online diaries, including dozens mantained by students at the American University in Beirut, have sprung up. The posting of private photographs, and the recycling of news footage, continues on Flickr.

Today Rock of Galilee, maintained by an Israeli family living near the Lebanese border, writes: "I sent my kids to a social worker today to discuss the trauma that they have been going through. They drew pictures and played some games, and she said it seemed like they were dealing fairly well. She was a little bit concerned about one of the boys who has a very overactive imagination, but I haven't gotten the details yet."

Bunkers, where they are and what to do in them has become a topic for Israelis taking shelter from Hezbollah rockets.

"How far can I run in a minute?" wonders In the land of Milk and Honey who begins today's posting: "You know you’ve been watching too much TV when the ‘breaking news’ is neither just breaking nor news. And you know black humour is taking over when you start making a list of ‘top 3 things to take into a bomb shelter’ (do bomb shelters have wireless?)."

Life underground has aroused the curiosity of the writers on Kishkushim, a blog maintained by students in Haifa: "Avinoam and I decided to check out the situation at our local bunker. The door was open and welcomed us in. We quietly walked down the stairs because we expected sleeping children. The thick air and bad smell already started from the top of the stairs."

Continuing the theme, a video doing the rounds purports to show an Israeli family rushing to a bomb shelter as the sirens sound in Haifa. The clip was posted on You Tube, the amazing video posting website, has also played its part in online coverage, more footage, most of it from TV news, is here. Live from an Israeli bunker is also attracting readers.

In Beirut, evacuation and Hezbollah are on people's minds. Rasha Salti explains turning down the chance to escape to Canada, a country whose passport she holds but only visited when she was two: "It was not even patriotism, it was actually the will to defy Israel. They cannot do this and drive me away. They will not drive me away."

Beirut Notes writes of the recklessness of Hezbollah and the feeling that Lebanon is caught in the crossfire of wider interests: "My beautiful country is being burned by crazy ideologies. My Lebanon of joy is being eaten by human monsters. My kind Lebanon is being butchered in the name of religion."

While Texan Abroad describes a strange invitation: "A gentlemen who helped me secure some extra money (just in case the unusual springs itself upon me yet again) told me that he was heading back to Broumana (a town on Mount Lebanon). He said that I should come and visit. The pubs are open, people are enjoying themselves, partying in the street — Lebanese and international tourists both."

Comments

[Kim Woodman]

This is so foreign to me. But war on Canadian soil is only in the history books. I cannot imagine what it is like to live in such a hostile environment. And I don't have much hope for the peace process. It seems to me that politicians and religious leaders can meet, make proclamations, sign agreements, etc. but when children are taught to hate as soon as they are old enough to throw a rock, there will never be any lasting peace. A political cartoonist captured this well. The picture is of a burning wasteland and only two people left. One Arab, one Israeli. The Arab is saying, "You are standing on my side of the ashes!"

[maxie]

Whenever someone wonders what did the Lebanese people do to deserve punishment for the actions of Hizbollah, one must remember: Hizbollah IS a Lebanese organization run and managed by Lebanese, in the Lebanese parliament and a party in the Lebanese governement! The other 60% of Lebanon should not have allowed that lunatic monester destroy their beautiful and ancient land!