text:
The Politics and Pop Culture of the 1980s
Table of Contents
Primary Sources
February 1984
Reagan Orders Marines Out of Lebanon
Following the collapse of the government of President Amin Gemayel and intensified fighting between the Lebanese army and Moslem militiamen in Beirut, President Reagan announced Feb. 7 that the U.S. Marine contingent in Beirut would be withdrawn to ships offshore. At the same time, Reagan authorized military commanders to launch air strikes and artillery bombardments against Syrian-controlled positions that fired on Beirut. On Feb. 8, American warships mounted a nine-hour artillery barrage against pro-Syrian militia positions, in what was described as the largest U.S. naval action since the Vietnam War. Previously, Reagan had vigorously resisted congressional pressure to withdraw the Marines, so his announcement took Washington by surprise.Given little warning of Reagan's decision, Britain and Italy announced their own plans to withdraw peacekeeping troops from embattled Lebanon.
The Sixth Fleet on patrol off the coast of Lebanon, 1984
7 February 1984
Reagan Orders Marines out of Beirut, Following Collapse of Lebanese Cabinet
uthorizes Wider Military Action
Following a rapid deterioration of conditions in Beirut, President Reagan Feb. 7 ordered the U.S. Marines of the multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon to begin withdrawing to U.S. ships offshore.
Reagan's decision followed the resignation of Lebanese President Amin Gemayel's cabinet Feb. 5 and a military collapse that left Moslem militiamen in control of western and southern Beirut.
As a show of continuing support for Gemayel, however, Reagan coupled his decision to withdraw with new rules of engagement that allowed U.S. commanders to mount naval and air attacks on antigovernment forces in Lebanon.
Reagan's announcement, which took most U.S. politicians by surprise, was greeted with relief by congressional leaders. The widening of the U.S. military role in support of Gemayel, however, came under immediate attack.
The U.S.'s European allies in the multinational peacekeeping force had also been given little warning of Reagan's decision, but Britain and Italy Feb. 8 quickly announced their own plans to withdraw from the embattled capital.
Gemayel Cabinet Quits
The government of President Amin Gemayel collapsed Feb. 5, when Premier Shafik al-Wazan and his nine-member cabinet resigned in the face of fierce Moslem opposition to the government and its policies....
As the fighting in southern Beirut reached a high pitch Feb. 4, Nabih Berri, the leader of the Shiite Moslem Amal militia, called on all Moslem members of the government to resign. Druse Moslem militia leader Walid Jumblat had made a similar demand two weeks earlier.
Berri made his call in a news conference in which he denounced the indiscriminate shelling of Shiite neighborhoods by the Lebanese army. Berri said he could understand the government's attempt to regain control of its positions in southern Beirut, but he asked, "But the shelling of the heart of populated areas? Why the destruction of tens of schools, clinics, hospitals and orphanages?"
....In a public statement accompanying his resignation Feb. 5, Wazan said he was stepping down in an effort to halt the further deterioration of public order....
Gemayel Offers Reconciliation Plan
Later Feb. 5, Gemayel issued an urgent public call for national reconciliation. The appeal followed repeated consultations throughout the day with U.S. Ambassador Reginald Bartholomew.
Gemayel offered an eight-point plan calling for the following steps:
Immediate talks to establish a cease-fire.
Speedy resumption of the Geneva national reconciliation talks, which had been suspended since November 1983. [See 1983 Lebanon Bombings: Lebanese Unity Talks Postponed]
Formation of a national unity government made up of all factions.
Agreement on political changes to increase Moslem representation in government.
Talks with Syria on future relations.
The ability to deploy the army everywhere in the country.
Gemayel proclaimed himself willing to open the talks to all issues. The president made no specific proposals, however, on what was regarded as the most divisive issue of all: the government's May 17, 1983 treaty with Israel. Under intense pressure from the U.S., the Lebanese government had reluctantly agreed to a formal pact with Israel providing for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Lebanese guarantees of a continued Israeli security role in southern Lebanon. The pact had been implacably opposed by Syria and by the Syrian-backed Lebanese factions....
Both Shiite leader Berri and Druse leader Jumblat Feb. 6 rejected Gemayel's last-ditch proposal. In a radio broadcast, Berri derided the president and said, "The battle is about to end. Lebanon's little shah is on the verge of collapse."
West Beirut Falls to Militiamen
By Feb. 7, the Lebanese army had been routed not only from the shantytowns south of the capital but also from the heart of Moslem west Beirut.
For weeks, army units in the hills southeast of the capital had been engaged in sporadic combat with the Druse militia, and shellfire had periodically hit Christian east Beirut and other sectors of the capital. By Feb. 2, army units on the strategic Suk al-Gharb ridgeline above the city were again locked in fierce combat with the Druses.
The new fighting in the capital erupted Feb. 2. Shiite Moslem sources quoted by the
New York Times
the next day said the clashes had begun when the Lebanese army shot and killed a young Shiite militiaman in retaliation for the shooting of two army soldiers by snipers. Shiite fighters quickly took to the streets and overran two Lebanese army positions. The army responded with heavy shellfire.
Although the army Feb. 3 claimed to have regained the positions after intense house-to-house fighting, the claim was disputed by leaders of Amal, the Shiite militia, which was believed to have 10,000 full-time fighters in the Beirut area.
In subsequent days the focus of the battle became a gutted Maronite church near the "green line" separating the Christian and Moslem sectors of the city. Although the position had no particular strategic importance, the struggle for control of the area was widely portrayed as a key test of the fighting ability of the hastily-trained Lebanese army....
The decisive action came Feb. 6. With the army largely routed from the southern slums, Shiite and Druse militiamen began attacking Lebanese army outposts throughout west Beirut, and bands of young militiamen skirmished in the streets with the dwindling army forces. In a final attempt to shore up its position, the government at midday declared a round-the-clock curfew throughout the city, with orders to shoot to kill. The battles continued, however, and shellfire hit not only west Beirut but also east Beirut and the presidential palace southeast of the city. Some residents said the fighting in the city was more intense than any in the 1975-76 civil war.
U.S. warships offshore fired artillery at hostile positions in the mountains above the city Feb. 6, and U.S. jets flew air strikes. U.S. officials said President Reagan had ordered the strikes as a show of support for Gemayel and as a warning to Syria and its allies. The Pentagon called the strikes limited and said they were intended to protect the U.S. Marines ashore.
By nightfall, fires were burning in many sectors of the city, and smoke hung over much of Beirut. At least 17 Lebanese were reported killed in the day's action, as well as one French soldier from the multinational force. Two French soldiers, one Italian, and one U.S. Marine were reported wounded. Lebanese security sources said "hundreds" of Lebanese had been wounded. Total casualties in the five days of fighting could not be estimated.
By Feb. 7 a measure of calm was restored, as the victorious militiamen consolidated their hold over west Beirut. Militiamen roamed jubilantly through west Beirut's streets, and some residents who had been trapped in their homes or offices by the previous days' fighting began leaving the city.
U.S. Marine positions at the Beirut airport came under rocket attack again, however, and one Marine was seriously wounded. The U.S. battleship
New Jersey
again fired its smaller naval guns at an artillery position south of the airport....
House Panel Defers Pullout Call
In the face of the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, the House Foreign Affairs Committee Feb. 6 decided to delay consideration of a Democratic resolution calling for a "prompt and orderly" withdrawal of U.S. forces from Beirut. The nonbinding resolution had been scheduled for a vote the next day....
Committee Chairman Dante B. Fascell (D, Fla.) said, "We want to be responsible. We don't want to add to the danger the Marines are in."
Other members said the recent turmoil only confirmed the urgency of getting the Marines out....
Reagan Orders Marines out of Beirut
In a move that took Washington lawmakers by surprise, President Reagan Feb. 7 said he had sent orders to the U.S. Marine contingent in Beirut to begin withdrawing to U.S. ships offshore. The announcement was made in a statement distributed to reporters as the President arrived in California to begin a vacation at his Santa Barbara ranch.
Reagan coupled the announcement with new orders to U.S. military commanders in Lebanon giving them the power to launch artillery bombardments and air strikes against Syrian-controlled positions that fired on Beirut. He also promised stepped-up military aid for a "broadly based" Lebanese government.
Reagan had repeatedly described the U.S. presence in Lebanon as vital to the survival of a stable government, and his administration had vigorously resisted congressional efforts to compel a withdrawal of the Marines.
On Feb. 3, Reagan had told the
Wall Street Journal
, in an exclusive interview, "As long as there is a chance for peace, the mission remains the same. If we get out, that means the end of Lebanon." In a barb directed at House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (D, Mass), Reagan had said, "He may be ready to surrender, but I'm not."
The next day, in his weekly radio address, Reagan had said the dangers of the U.S. mission in Lebanon were "no reason to cut and run." "If we do," Reagan had added, "we'll be sending one signal to terrorists everywhere: They can gain by waging war against innocent people."
In the statement issued by the White House the evening of Feb. 7, however, Reagan announced that he had ordered the approximately 1,400 Marines in Beirut to begin "shortly" a phased withdrawal to U.S. ships offshore.
Reagan stressed that his administration's commitment to stability in Lebanon was unchanged. "Yielding to violence and terrorism," Reagan said, "may seem to provide temporary relief, but such a course is sure to lead to a more dangerous and less manageable future crisis."
Reagan said, "Even before the latest outbreak of violence, we had been considering ways of concentrating our forces . . . in order to take the initiative away from the terrorists."
Reagan announced three "decisive" new steps:
U.S. naval commanders had been authorized to provide "naval gunfire and air support against any units firing into greater Beirut from parts of Lebanon controlled by Syria," and against any units attacking the international peacekeeping force.
"When the government of Lebanon is able to reconstitute itself into a broadly based representative government," Reagan said, the U.S. would accelerate its training and support of the Lebanese army and speed up delivery of military materiel.
Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger had been asked to draw up a plan for "redeployment" of the U.S. Marine force "to their ships offshore." "This redeployment will begin shortly and proceed in stages," Reagan said. Some U.S. troops would remain in Beirut to continue training and equipping the Lebanese army. The offshore troops "will stand ready, as before, to provide support for American and other MNF [multinational force] personnel in Lebanon and thereby help assure security in the Beirut area," Reagan said.
....Administration officials Feb. 8 moved swiftly to portray the move as consistent with previous policy.
Defense Secretary Weinberger told a television interviewer that the U.S. was not abandoning its policy, merely redeploying its troops to a place where they would be more effective.
Chief White House spokesman Larry Speakes asserted that Reagan's policy had brought "significant achievements." "The mission remains, the goals remain, and we are looking for a more effective way to do it," Speakes said....
Britain, Italy Join Exodus
America's European partners in the multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon Feb. 8 announced their own actions in response to President Reagan's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Beirut. Britain immediately withdrew its small force, and Italy announced plans to begin a phased withdrawal of its contingent. Only France, which had long historic ties with Lebanon, announced no immediate decision....
The withdrawal of the small British contingent was completed swiftly Feb. 8. The 115 British troops, members of the 15th/6th Lancers, were evacuated by helicopter from the port of Junieh north of the capital to the
, a British helicopter carrier offshore....
According to one news story, Thatcher's government made little effort to dispute charges that it had been taken by surprise by the U.S. policy reversal. In a debate in Commons Feb. 8, the Labour Party spokesman for foreign affairs, Denis Healey, declared that recent events represented the "collapse of American policy."....
The Italian defense minister, Giovanni Spadolini, Feb. 8 instructed his chiefs of staff to set in motion coordinated plans for the withdrawal of Italy's contingent of the multinational force under "maximum security conditions." He declined to say when the withdrawal would begin.
Spadolini added that Italy would continue to protect the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps in southern Beirut, where hundreds of Palestinian civilians had been killed by Christian militiamen in September 1981. The task had become more difficult, Spadolini said, but he added, "We cannot create a void in an area already marked by terrible massacres."
Italy currently had about 1,600 troops in Beirut, down from more than 2,000 two months earlier. Spadolini did not say when the pullback would begin or how many troops would be involved.
French President Francois Mitterrand Feb. 7 had told the nation that French troops would not stay in Beirut indefinitely, and he reiterated his preference for a United Nations force to take their place....
Lawmakers Express Relief at Pullout
President Reagan's announcement of his intention to withdraw the U.S. peacekeeping force from Beirut met with widespread approval from U.S. congressional leaders Feb. 7.
House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (D, Mass.), who had recently distanced himself from Reagan's policy, declared, "I'm more than pleased to know the phase-out is taking place, and the speedier the better."
Senate Majority Leader Howard H. Baker Jr. (R, Tenn.) said, "I'm convinced the President has acted wisely and well given the present circumstances. The rest we'll take one day at a time."
Baker was echoed by House Minority leader Robert H. Michel (R, Ill.), who had openly urged a pullout. Michel called Reagan's action "a wise one" and added, "The important thing is that we are not simply leaving this situation before we know what is going to come out of all this turmoil."....
Warships Pound Militia Positions
Two U.S. warships Feb. 8 mounted a nine-hour artillery barrage against pro-Syrian militia positions in the hills southeast of Beirut. Together, the battleship
New Jersey
and a destroyer fired 550 or more rounds, in what was described as the heaviest and most sustained U.S. military action in Lebanon and the largest naval action since the Vietnam War.
A U.S. destroyer followed up with another 150 rounds the next day....
The naval barrage Feb. 8 followed President Reagan's announcement of new rules of engagement, which authorized U.S. commanders to respond to any artillery attacks on greater Beirut from Syrian-held territory, even when U.S. Marines were not directly threatened.
A U.S. Marine spokesman Feb. 8 said the gunfire was directed at positions "in Syrian-controlled Lebanon which have been firing on the city of Beirut." The shells from the pro-Syrian positions had hit Christian east Beirut.
O'Neill, White House Clash on Shelling
The naval shelling and the new rules widening the U.S. combat role in support of Lebanese President Gemayel provoked new opposition in the U.S. Congress.
House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (D, Mass.) Feb. 8 declared that Reagan's policy of shelling Syrian-controlled positions was "absolutely not" within the war powers authorized in a compromise congressional resolution in October 1983....
The White House Feb. 8 rejected O'Neill's contention. White House spokesman Larry Speakes, talking to reporters at Reagan's California ranch, asserted that under the October 1983 compromise on the President's war powers in Lebanon, Reagan had been authorized to take "whatever steps are necessary" to back the Lebanese government....
Druse Leader Warns Americans
Walid Jumblat, leader of the Lebanese Druse militia, Feb. 8 warned that his forces would retaliate against U.S. diplomats and civilians if U.S. warships continued their "indiscriminate" shelling of Druse villages....
There were believed to be 2,000 to 3,000 Americans in the Beirut area, many of them attached to the American University of Beirut.
There would be no easy means of mounting an evacuation, because the Beirut international airport remained closed and fighting had rendered major roads unsafe.
The U.S. embassy, on Feb. 6, had already evacuated 39 American staff members considered "nonessential." The embassy workers were flown by helicopter to ships of the U.S. 6th fleet offshore, and from there to Cyprus. A U.S. spokesman promised the Americans would return "as soon as the situation improves."....
Vol. 96, No. 7, 20 February 1984
A City That Has "Reached the End"
This war-battered capital is a city of fear, frustration, gloom.
Moslem militiamen are jubilant over the defeat of the Lebanese Army in seizing west Beirut. But Lebanese in both the Moslem western sector and largely Christian east Beirut are in anguish.
They are convinced that the latest fighting is a preview of the full-scale civil war that will engulf Lebanon unless politicians rapidly decide to talk, not fight.
"We have reached the end," says one woman whose home in east Beirut was destroyed by shellfire.
Concern is also rising among the Americans who remained in Beirut after the U.S. Embassy ordered a general evacuation. They fret that if U.S. naval vessels continue to shell Moslem-militia gun positions, the militias may decide to retaliate against any American they can find.
..Yet the shelling by the battleship New Jersey -- so powerful that it shook buildings throughout Beirut -- is quietly applauded by those Lebanese who want U.S. Navy ships and planes to fight more actively in support of President Gemayal.
Gemayal's opponents, however, describe the artillery fire as the tantrum of an "imperialist bully" who ordered his fleet into action out of anger at having to withdraw the Marines.
Many residents of west Beirut are anxious about resurgence of the near anarchy that prevailed after the militias ousted regular Lebanese Army troops.
There are few reports of looting. But at one point, Shiite militiamen roamed the city destroying liquor stocks of establishments...that sell alcohol. Other gunmen stole five vehicles from the Beirut office of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
....Nabih Berri, leader of the Shiite's Amal militia, has ordered roving gunmen to stay off the streets and to stay out of private property....
But there is doubt as to how much control commanders can exert. Already, there are strains between various Moslem factions that claim jurisdiction over the same territory....
Beirut residents have seen little but violence during recent years. Nevertheless, as they emerged from hiding after the heaviest fighting, they were shocked by the wreckage of their neighborhoods.
Buildings have been gutted by fire. Shell craters pockmark the streets. Broken glass litters the sidewalks. Scores of cars are burned or destroyed by gunfire.
Says hafi1 Wazzan, whose resignation as Prime Minister touched off the most recent fighting: "It's downhill from here. I was always afraid of this."
His worry: With Lebanon's capital again divided between Moslems and Christians, the country once more seems headed for civil war.
Vol. 123, No. 8, 20 February 1984
The Long Road to Disaster
After 17 months, the U.S. effort to rebuild Lebanon has failed
In retrospect, it never worked particularly well as a nation-state. But during the late 1950s and 1960s, Lebanon was prosperous, relatively peaceful, more or less democratic, a relaxed oasis of tolerance for the Islamic world....
At the time Lebanon became independent in 1943, after 23 years of French rule under a League of Nations mandate, political power was largely divided between Maronite Christians and Sunni Muslims. This demographic equilibrium was jeopardized by the influx of Palestinian refugees following the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948 and 1967 and Jordan's 1971 crackdown on the P.L.O. The resulting destabilization led to Lebanon's 1976-76 civil war, to the presence of Syrian forces, and to the P.L.O.'s "state within a state."
On several occasions, Israel moved into southern Lebanon in response to sporadic Palestinian shelling of settlements in northern Israel. A U.S.-negotiated ceasefire in 1981 brought these attacks to a halt, but in June 1982 Israel used them...as a pretext to invade Lebanon. Instead of merely clearing the border area, as Prime Minister Menachem Begin and his Defense Minister Ariel Sharon had promised, the army charged ahead to Beirut. The real aims of Israel's Peace for Galilee campaign: to destroy the P.L.O., humiliate the Syrians and reinforce Lebanon's Christian-dominated government.
The U.S. finally brokered an end to Israel's 40-day siege of Beirut and effected a ceasefire to facilitate the forced evacuation from Lebanon of some 12,000 P.L.O. commandos. It then offered to contribute Marines to a multinational peacekeeping force....But the U.S. pulled out its troops after only two weeks. A traumatic series of events followed: President-elect Bashir Gemayel was assassinated, Israeli forces occupied Moslem West Beirut, and vengeful Christian militiamen murdered some 700 Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila camps. The U.S. brought the Marines back to help restore order.
Then came the period of lost opportunity: the failure to impose a diplomatic solution on a war-weary region. The U.S. offered a peace plan for the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, but did not press it effectively....
In September, hoping to reduce their continuing casualties, the Israelis decided to withdraw from the Beirut area and the Chouf Mountains....As soon as they pulled out on Sept. 4, fighting broke out.
On one side were the Druze and the Shiite Muslim forces, backed and armed by the Syrians. On the other were the Lebanese Army and, unfortunately, the Marines, whose role was now being described by the Reagan Administration as upholding the government of President Amin Gemayel. Increasingly, the U.S. forces fought back as they came under attack, but they were woefully unprepared for the realities of Lebanon, as demonstrated by the Shiite terrorist bombing of last Oct. 23, which took the lives of 241 Marines.
Though he often talked about national reconciliation, there is little evidence that the young and inexperienced Amin Gemayel, a Maronite Christian, made any concerted effort to become President of all the Lebanese. Moreover, the agreement he had signed with Israel last May at Washington's urging drove a wedge between him and the Lebanese Muslims, who wanted no part of a pact with Israel....The agreement was not really of any use to anybody, but the Israelis treasured it as their only souvenir of a purposeless war....
Last week, as Druze and Shiite forces took over West Beirut, the U.S. indicated that in the future it would help defend what was left of the Gemayel government by hurling 16-in. shells into the Chouf Mountains in the general direction of Syria. With Muslim and Druze militias in control everywhere in the region except the Christian enclave of East Beirut, the Marines' mission impossible seemed at an end.
-- William E. Smith, reported by Laurence I. Barrett & Johanna McGeary
Washington DC, 12 February 1984
Why has the United States been firing its big guns from warships off the coast of Lebanon? Perhaps there is a simple explanation: to cover the "redeployment" of the Marines and meanwhile to facilitate the best political transition -- not a happy one -- now available in Beirut. Perhaps there is also a simple explanation for the administration's reluctance to say just what it may be doing. To do so would announce to Syria and its Lebanese allies that they can write their own ticket after a certain date; in the interim, the United States would lose much of what residual influence it has.
The Reagan administration, however, has failed to convey a firm sense that it has any purpose and method suitable to the difficult circumstances at hand. Reflex, confusion and a lack of straight talk are the elements most evident to the naked eye. As a result the administration is narrowing its political elbow room at home just when it needs it most.
Something more is involved here than the possible breaking of the administration's War Powers pact with Congress, though it is no small thing for a president who may have to use force in another foreign crisis to assert, as Mr. Reagan is in effect asserting now, that he is not necessarily abiding by the previously negotiated terms. He had won Congress' and the country's reluctant consent to send units to Lebanon for the limited purpose of protecting the Marines. He is now employing American ships and planes directly to shore up the battered regime of President Amin Gemayel.
....Can it be that Mr. Reagan is actually considering a policy of leaving the Sixth Fleet of Lebanon -- even after all the Marines are evacuated, whenever that may be -- as long as it may take to shape up Lebanon on approved lines? That job could take years, if it can be done at all.
....The Moslem and Druze militias, which are the targets of American fire, represent communities whose legitimate political aspirations, though not their military means, have been broadly endorsed by the very administration firing at them now. With Syria, whose forces in Lebanon are also under American guns, the United States has a strong political conflict but not a cause for war.
It is so that the United States is a great power, which means not only that it has great pride but that it must act in the awareness that other nations depend on it and watch its actions closely. But if the imperatives of great-power prestige and credibility must be served, they cannot be allowed to overwhelm all other considerations of proportion and judgment.
The essence of good sense in this situation is to match the threat or use of force with finite, broadly supported political goals. Further U.S. military engagement in Lebanon, except in the context of covering fire while the Marine draw-down proceeds, does not appear to us to meet that fundamental standard.
Memphis, TN, 8 February 1984
No matter what the Reagan administration would like to see come to pass in Lebanon, the United States doesn't control events there. The scenario that the administration tried to create apparently will have to be abandoned.
The President's decision to redeploy U.S. Marines from Beirut to naval ships offshore was necessary in the face of the deteriorating situation in the Lebanese capital.
U.S. officials have not minimized the crisis: They urged Gemayel to form a broad government of national consensus and accepted his promise that "everything is negotiable," including, presumably, the agreement between Lebanon and Israel....
Support for the idea of a new government would also seem to require acceptance of a leadership responsive to the demands of the anti-Gemayel factions and inclined to establish friendly relations with Syria. The Israeli agreement, which Gemayel's opponents have unanimously denounced, may have to be sacrificed to the cause of an effective cease-fire....
The agreement links the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon with the withdrawal of Syrian troops. It includes border and trade arrangements, which point toward fully normal relations in the future.
Lebanese opponents of the agreement see it as a surrender to Israel and as a rejection of Lebanon's ties to the rest of the Arab world. They see the Gemayel government as a creature designed to serve U.S. and Israeli interests and to establish a Christian hegemony over Lebanon in spite of the country's majority Moslem population.
....The United States still wants peace among the factions and a central government strong enough to be independent of Syrian control. But Gemayel can't deliver those objectives. No Lebanese government may be able to do it.
....Israel also faces a dilemma. It, too, hoped that Gemayel would ensure peace between the two countries and reduce Syria's influence. But Israel says it won't go to Gemayel's aid militarily. It's even hard-pressed, for economic and political reasons, to remain in southern Lebanon. Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir said last week that Israel's main concern is the safety of its northern border....
The administration has to seek a way out with the hope that diplomacy will work where force failed....
But if peace in Lebanon is beyond the administration's power, at least it must continue to support Israel's legitimate interests for the security of its northern border. Israeli security remains an unquestionable and unchanging principle of U.S. policy in the Middle East.
The Kansas City Times
Kansas City, MO, 9 February 1984
To practice well the art of politics means to see openings and shoot through them before they vanish. Few practitioners in the contemporary world are as adept as President Reagan. The man doesn't often cling to untenable positions -- and the Marines holed up in Lebanon were untenable. When the resignation of the Moslem members of the Lebanese cabinet collapsed the Gemayel house of cards, Mr. Reagan reversed his public position and did the only thing he could.
He announced the withdrawal of 1,600 Marines near the Beirut airport to ships offshore. His announcement assures the pullout of the four-power symbolic force of U.S., French, Italian and British troops, leaving Lebanon to its militias to finish what was begun during the civil war 10 years ago. In one stroke this president issued the psychological
coup de grace
to a government to which two weeks earlier in his State of the Union address he had promised fidelity and support.
Mr. Reagan's short-term gain is, of course, indisputable. He has extracted his administration from a potentially messy situation in a presidential election year. The nation will not have to agonize over Marine hostages, as it did four years ago when the American embassy staff was held and humiliated in Tehran. The president can claim he gave Amin Gemayel 18 months to put something together and it just didn't worl out.
Well, international politics in that part of the world isn't so cleanly executed or dismissed. Since the United States has broad and enduring strategic interests in the region, its quick (though justified) decision to pull troops out will leave it in a diminished position of power and influence. To what degree only time and further experience will tell.
....For U.S. allies in the region, the lesson is to stay out of trouble because if you call on Washington, the Marines might come but you've got about six months before American public opinion sours....
For foes, the lesson is in watching Syrian President Hafez Assad. Mr. Assad is the winner for now or until his troops come up against the Israelis in Lebanon in what could become the seventh bloody chapter in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Lebanese buffer is vanishing. With the United States out of the way, it's up to Damascus and Jerusalem to decide whether there will be coexistence or war. Washington will have little influence.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Les Vacances
The French really have it right with the five weeks of paid vacation a good number of them get a year. It's a great way to truly relax and one week isn't enough. I know, because my stingy boss (…and that would be me) limited my vacation to a measly seven days. But for that one week, I took part in the annual mass exodus of Paris, because as we know, all work and no play make Jacques, or Jules – or David – a dull boy.
It was explained to me by a French friend that the idea of the lengthy vacation was not just a way to live-it-up on the company or government (or personal) payroll, but was conceived as part of a larger sociological goal to improve people's health and well-being. Which may be why vacances is/are always plural; because it's meant to be a collective activity.
For whatever the reason was originally, the French really do take vacation seriously, and in spite of the fact that it seems like nowadays it's a near-impossible feat to pry smartphones out of people's hands in Paris, I once went to an international resort in Provence and was surprised there were no clocks in the rooms. They told me that the Europeans don't like them, but in their hotels frequented by Americans they absolutely have to put clocks in the rooms.
So I ended up at a remote place and didn't bring a clock, nor did I check anything on my phone or online for a full-week in the Var, in Provence. For past summers, we vacationed in Brittany. Which is spectacularly beautiful, and not only less-touristed, but less-expensive. But while I love the foods of Brittany, which include flavors like buckwheat, honey, and cider, too many summers were spent on Breton beaches, bundled up in sweaters and scarves in August, sitting in the cold, drizzly rain, realizing why so many people flocked south, rather than north.
Down in the Var, the colors were spectacular and the water so blue that I was tempted to dial down the saturation when editing the photos, lest folks think I was making it up.
And with the furiously buzzing cicadas providing background "music", from morning up until they wore out those tiny legs by the evening, I unplugged my iPhone and only looked at my watch so I could get to the docks before 10:30am, when the pêcheurs and pêcheuses ran out of the fish they sold from their boats.
(And to those who say fresh, local food is expensive, we bought four fish one day and the bill was around €13, which included cleaning and two very friendly smiles, along with some cooking tips. Talk about a deal!)
Other local residents, who were perhaps tipped off by their keen sense of smell – rather than a timepiece – were also pretty interested in the daily catch as well.
Days were spent mostly on the beach, and dipping in the Mediterranean. Because of la crise, places were less-full than normal – or so we were told (although folks tend to râle about business not being what it should, no matter what) – but being good customers, in addition to fresh fish, we ate fougasse aux olives, salade Niçoise (not this one…), and drank plenty of iced Provençal rosé. To help the local economy, of course.
Venturing out a bit, we took a journey to a beach that I found out was naturiste obligatoire. Look, I'm all for public nudity. But as a courtesy to others, I'm not sure at my age I should participate. Still, when in the Var, do as the Varisians (sp?) do. So…
In addition to the unclad beachgoers, also enjoying the sparkling blue water were les meduses, or jellyfish. And wouldn't you know it? I got stung right in the you-know-what.
Yes, one of them nailed me right on the back of my thigh. Fortunately it was a little fella and it raised more sympathy from other beach-goers than a large welt. (But for some reason, no one was too interested in taking a very close look at it. Especially one of the fellows who I was sure was on the French Olympic swim team. Or at the least from the looks of him, could have been.) Yet it did make me hesitant to dive back in. However lest anyone thinks that French people don't care about their fellow compatriots, in the interest of our collective well-being, folks would do a routine sweep of the water wearing goggles, signaling to others that the coast was clear of les meduses.
Speaking of under-water life, although no one in the south of France believed me when I said jellyfish were actually quite delicious, we ate spectacularly fresh seafood, bought right from the small boats that culled their catch that morning. Our favorite local restaurant served bouillabaisse one night of the week and when we arrived after our daily excursion to the beach, I was happy to see cold pitchers of wine set on the tables…and a large pot of fish bubbling away.
Boullabaise has a lot of mystique surrounding it, and folks will discuss at length what what fish should be in there, and what shouldn't. Rascasse, also known as chapon (or scorpionfish, in English) is as obligatory as taking off one's swimsuit at a plage naturiste is to boullabaise — although there seems to be wiggle room for others in there. All I know was that when I worked at the fish market in Paris, whenever a rascasse was ordered, fileted, I had to yield to one of the real fishmongers to do the intricate deed.
In the soup was a fish that tasted like nothing I'd ever tasted before, with a coarse texture, but a buttery, rich flavor. When I asked, they told me it was murène. (If you're easily scared, don't click on that link.) Neither of us – French or American – understood the server, so I asked her to write it down.
Still baffled, they took me into the kitchen and hefted the slippery devil, which the cook told me would kill your hand if you got too close to it in the water. Which, needless to say, future skinny-dipping in the local waters became a less-than-desirable activity. And I was happier seeing it on the plate, than swimming by me in the water. (Although I wish it didn't share the locals aversion to eating jellyfish because we could have done with a few less of those.)
Less-hazardous activities included dining at home, where our biggest danger was running out of rosé. Where we were staying, because it was rather remote, choices were limited. But I didn't mind eating lots of tomatoes tossed with basil and local olive oil, and I made a few batches of tzatziki, which seemed like just the right thing to eat to cool yourself down after spending days in the blazing summer heat of Provence.
Then, it was over, and we headed back home. We had a surprisingly great meal at a local dive near the bus station, of moules-frites, as we began our journey back to Paris. The mussels were bathed in cream and garlic as they cooked, and the fries were generous and crisp. And fortunately, we had a nice picnic on the train (to the envy of our neighbors, who were stuck eating pre-packaged sandwiches from the dining car), with some nice bread from a local bakery, a few slices of ham, and some olives and cheese.
Romain took before and after pictures of me both on the way down, then on the train home, and I looked at the before – then after – and saw the difference a week will make. Now if I could only find a way to stretch it to five weeks from now on and turn it into a real vacances, rather than just a vacation, singular.
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99 comments
That sounds like a fantastic trip. My favorite part- the cats. I enjoyed your photos and although you took a week off it looks like you kept up with your photography. Now I want a vacation too- better talk to my boss (oh yeah- that's me! – Or maybe my small children are my bosses?)
Your photos are gorgeous! And I'm glad the you-know-what where you were stung was not the first one that came to mind when I read the phrase "stung right in the you-know-what." I'm planning a trip to Brittany at the moment, but despite the jellyfish your story has me re-thinking now….
I'm also having my first first-hand experience with the French attitude toward vacation. I have unofficially had a job offer in France for weeks now, but they can't make it official until the end of August because of les vacances.
That last collage of salads/fruit is stunning, such beautiful colours.
I'm biased (currently living in Provence) but I think it's one of the best holiday spots in the world. Living here is great – rosé and bouillabaisse all year round!
I think the French are onto a good thing with les vacances. I recently learned they don't have long service leave as other countries do. When you do the calculations though, the French still come out on top, not just in days off, but also in the fact it's no doubt better to take extra weeks off every year than a big chunk after 10 years' service.
Wonderful. And inspiring.
Thanks for sharing the great photos and foods of your vacances. Makes me feel like I got away too.
Oh if only Americans were more like the French. I dream of a two week vacation one day. Your posts are so interesting and delicious! Thanks for the view of places unknown to me :) I made your hummus last weekend, tweaked ever so slightly to add a little zip. I pretended I was in Bahrain or Israel taking in the adventure. Love the cat photo – absolutely perfect!
Your week looks perfect David… Luckily for you a week was enough… It looks like a very idyllic spot… Glad you had a restful time… and isn't re-energizing being offline for a week… Must do it! :) xv
What beautiful fish! I wish I could get some of those here in Austin.
What a lovely sounding vacation! And wow, 5 weeks off … I knew there were more reasons to live in France besides the pastries :) I second Dawn- love the cats!
Those fish images are spectacular, I can see posters in someone's kitchen!
Thank you for sharing your French vacation with us, it made me almost feel there, too.
Your photos and descriptions are amazing…your trip looks like the clear definition of an ideal vacation in France! Just beautiful
David, if you ever tire of your current profession (please, no!) you have a future as a photojournalist. The pictures are so clear and gorgeous and convey the richness and beauty of not only the surroundings, but also the food! The coolness of the pictured salads make the 100 degree days in Austin somewhat bearable. I'm so jealous!
And I too adore the waiting cats! Ah, such a life!
This was the loveliest story… travelogue … memoir … fairy tale enchantment.
How gorgeous. I feel inspired to get away, even if it's just to my local beach for the day. Your photos, esp of the salads, are stunning. Thank you!
love the photo of the cats patiently waiting for the fish to be unloaded from the fishing boat. tres beau travail! i enjoy your photographs.
I do believe a longer vacation would do the local morale good! Loved seeing your vacation, though, I don't know if I could do the whole naked beach thing, for myself or seeing others! That eel soup is surprising. It ended up being good?
Still American after all these years? You must talk to your boss about allowing you more time off! Good for you to live without a clock. Sorry about the jellyfish sting — it did give you a story to tell. And, as others have said, the photo with the cats is wonderful — also the cicada — I've never seen one up close, although I've heard plenty of them.
David, your trip sounds divine and is so envy inducing, but really I had to comment, if for no other reason than to laugh with you at the audacity of putting plage naturiste and wiggle room in the same sentence. Missing everything French, a bien tot, Cathy
Those cats!! Thank you for wonderful pictures. Can one ask where you were in the Var? If you stayed at a hotel.
You certainly deserve this paradise.
Jellyfish is all over the coast of the South of France, special nets protect swimmers in Cannes for instance. Beast has no natural enemies any more.
Favorite photo of all time – the cats peering into the fishing boat ( also a self – portrait of you! ) Thanks for bringing me along vicariously on your vacation through your wonderful writing and pictures!
Love the cats! Saw a recent article that said that lots of French people abandon their pets when they go on those long vacations. Have you seen this happen?
Another great post! I encourage to read Robert Reich's post on mandating 3 weeks vacation for all Americans. What is the matter with us? Why can't we cut ourselves some slack without feeling guilty!
Just finished your book The Sweet Life…I really enjoyed it and can't wait to visit the places you mention when I am next in Paris. Thank you!
I am trying too (rather unsuccessfully) replicate a pulpo dish we were served in Cassis and now I know why. I will never find scorpion fish for the broth. Luckily, the peeps who will partake in this wonderful dish will never know if it's in there or not. Now to head down to LBI and see if I can catch a local sea robin, all bones and no flesh should work just as fine. If you know of a local NJ fish that works better then a sea robin, maybe you could let me know?
What a thoroughly enjoyable post, David. Thank you for taking me back to my childhood summers on the French coast. It is so beautiful down there! Yes, my countrymen are lucky to be entitled to a minimum of 5 weeks of paid vacation a year. Yet, many French people can't afford to take all that time off and end up staying home, and most have gotten really good at staying with relatives and friends all over France so they can afford to go away for a while. Imagine how costly staying on the French Riviera for three weeks (the average duration of the French summer vacation,) would be! Still, the lucky ones manage to do it and have fun, as you did. I would suggest you try to extend your summer break by a few days next year if you can :-) Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
Love your photos, especially the cats! Next month I will be on a cruise of the Med and one stop is Provence. I'm even more excited after seeing your photos. So glad you had such a wonderful time. You deserved it; you've had a lot going on this year.
I must disagree with the five-week vacation. Even if more vacation is mandated for we Americans, I doubt most of us would take it all. I worked at a firm where I worked my way up to six weeks of vacation time and had a very difficult time taking it all. Americans are not like the French when it comes to leisure.
This is a great post — I wish I could do something similar with the Spanish attitude toward vacation, which, I gather, is much like the French. Even though their economy is (even more) in the tanker, they still take vacations. Like my brother-in-law, who's unemployed ("en paro"), and still is on vacation right now, albeit a national one. He's not leaving the country.
My in-laws go to Murcia, on the southeast coast of Spain, ever year to indulge in the mud baths. They eat every day on their terrace — home-cooked, delicious meals, with a a taste of the region. They bring home sweets, wines, and cheeses. Ahhh, the good life, especially now that they're retired.
Your photos as always so crisp to the eye and inviting to the palate and your stories always so interesting, taking us with you. I wanted to have the moules-frites for breakfast this morning! The Brittany weather sounds like ours in San Francisco. High fog today, which will burn off by noon.
Beautiful post David. I especially loved the cats waiting for the boat to come in! Nicely done.
great recap, David. And next time I am in Paris I need to know where that "local dive" is that serves moules-frites – looks perfectly, perfect.
I'd like to know as well!
For redheads the sun is overrated. Haha!
This makes me long for the time and resources to spend a couple weeks on the French coast. Your photos make me feel like I'm there already!
David, thanks for sharing the glories so intensely that we can taste them! Just where is this piece of heaven?
Les murenes – moray eels! I didn't know those were edible. I've only seen them in aquariums. I'd hate to meet one in the water.
Another wonderful article with gorgeous photos. Thank you for sharing your adventures in France.
I was lucky enough to spend my "vacances" in Provence this year as well. I can attest to the danger of running out of rose! Man, those salads look good–is there anything better than adding avocado to tomato salad? And thanks for reminding me about tzatziki. I've got to get on that stat before the good cucumbers are gone. ps. love the cat pic!
Very glad you had such a heavenly vacation.
And sorry you got stung. The jellyfish problem is way more than an inconvenience to beachgoers, though. It's a major threat to seafood! And you know other ecological stuff. "Unprotected shellfish" populations could be gone by the middle of the century. Jellyfish both benefit from and cause global warming and accompanying ocean acidification. Here's an article from the Guardian, earlier this summer:
It looks like you had an amazing trip, I'm not surprised that you were more relaxed going home. The fish looked amazing. We're hoping to travel to Provence next Summer, now I can't wait!
Murenes. I looked. I will never swim in the ocean again. You are lucky your nether regions only were attacked by jelly fish!
David, you introduced me to Paris. I went, I saw, I walked, I ate, I fell in love with the city, I bought a bread knife at Poilane and a proofing basket for my breads.
I learned greetings and good byes. I learned to order water and not expect ice or bread plates or butter. I could order coffee and my baguette crispy. I NEVER met any surly wait staff. Thank you for prepping me and my friends for France. It was a dream come true.
Not Varisians, but Varois and Varoises…
So glad you had a great time David. We are doing our usual juant down to the Luberon in a few weeks. Too far from the coast for so much fish but its not far to travel for a hit now and again. And anyway, we have weekends in Boulogne, France's largest fishing port and home to more fine fish restaurants than you can shake a sharp stick at.
We stay, high on a ridge over looking the Calavon valley with the many vinyards of the Cote du Luberon, olives groves and of course the trees bearing fruit for preserving. The local lamb is sublime, the sheep spend their lives clambering over the rocky tussocky hills and mountains just a few miles away round Sault.
The local Marche de Paysanne at Coustellet in wonderful too, so much local fruit vegetables, cheese, wine …..
Have you heard the rumour that the long hoildays are so city bound sons and daughters can go help Mamma and Pappa with the harvest?
I was suitable stunned to find that at my first hoilday – after all 10 saints days – my regular check went in to my bank (you are given a half afternoon off to go check) and there was my wages plus my "holiday pay" extra funds just when you need them. Now that's civilisation!
I am always awed at the colorful, well-chosen photos and the EDUCATIONAL info always with easy links; yes, the cats were – well – so patiently – waiting! were they choosing? thank you for sharing.
I happen to stumble across your blog last week when I was searching for a lemon curd recipe…WOW! Was I happy I found you. I signed up right away and have been enjoying your posts since. ( I can't wait to make the eggplant jam by the way)…anywho, today was the first one I read entirely and am glad I took the time to see what you are all about besides being a tremendous chef. Amazing photos!
You have a lovely and entertaining way of speaking and interpreting your thoughts…I'm hooked! Thx for sharing your vacances…oh! and I was stung on the back of my thighs by a large jellyfish once, way back when my family first moved to CA. That sucker really hurt…they say you're supposed to pee on the area and it takes out the sting…I never tried it,but maybe keep that in mind for your next swim..ha ha….thx again, june
Wonderful article about lesser know unspoilt parts of Southern France.
I hope by now your sting is feeling much better (lol).
I go every year to a small French village named Montalba-le-Château.
It's a delightfully away from tourists but still in easy reach of the beach, mountains,
and Perpignan airport.
Of course you can't go down to that part of the coast without having moules-frites
and one or two bouillabaisse type dishes. I do like the Catalan influence on the food
in that area and love taking long substantial lunches and then just a light supper.
OOOOOHHH, David! You lucky person you! You reminded me of lazy days gone by and happy…yummy, European holidays. So glad I can live through your adventures. Glad you had a fine time. AND I bet you could push it to two weeks if you really tried.
By the way, those eels will only come after you if you go down between rocks and stick your hands in dark places. Don't let them spoil your fun in the cool, lovely water.
Thanks for the memories, David!
Awesome vacance! the fresh fish and mussels make my mouth water … love the picture of beautiful cats, they look well fed :-)
I'm just back from my week-vacation on Delaware bay. Got some seafood feasts over there too..but water colors are not even close to Provence. Well, may be some day..Thank you – I enjoyed very much your tail. It was fun and pleasure for eyes to look at bright pictures! Yeaa, I'm into rose wine too..
What a glorious holiday! Even though I live not so far from here, we always go inland and seldom to the sea. Now I know what I'm missing I shall try and remedy that! Talk about not seeing whats on your doorstep!!
What a beautiful post. That is true vacation right there…
Your picture are fabulous and really make the blog even better. What kind of camera do you use and do you enhance the pictures with software prior to posting?
Gorgeous photos, I love the cats watching the fish!
I applaud the French for taking five weeks, but as someone who lives in the South of France, I keep wondering why they all take les vacances at the same time. As an American, I look to get to a place in off season. No crowds on the beach or on the highways. It's just a different sensibility.
Thank you for sharing the South of France with us. The photographs are beautiful! I was almost tempted to touch the fish and the vegetables because they look absolutely real. Your text and the photos reminded me of the many summers I spent in the Var (the people there are called Varois), and on the coast. When I was a child, I used to get up at 5 AM to meet the "pecheurs" so I could gather star fish, sea shells, and other treasures from the bottom of the nets. If you return next year, perhaps for a longer vacation, you might explore the Haut Var. Very picturesque, with villages perched high on rocks in the middle of nowhere. I am a bit homesick…
Great post. I was in vacation just by reading it ! You definitely have an awesome writing style. Thanks for sharing. And thank you so much for supporting the French wine economy. :)
I'm quite surprised your French friends didn't know what a murène is. Though I would have never thought it could be eaten.
What's the name of that town in the Var where fish can be bought directly to fishermen? It would definitely be my next vacation destination, the next time I get enough days from my Californian boss to go back home…
At least now I have proof that my fear of eels is nothing Freudian, but a fact-based phobia of those nasty jaws.
What a lovely holiday though! I hope you are just a tad more relaxed and de-stressed after it.
The colors and photographs are incredible. Lucky you. Thanks for sharing it all!
"I know, because my stingy boss (…and that would be me) limited my vacation to a measly seven days." ha ha, this's so true :). I'm think that one well spent week is more is much better than five, when you have to check your phone or watches. You obviously spent your week off very well. By the way, these photos are amazing! Especially the cats! I would love to see their face expression :)
Your writing is so engaging, I love following along on your adventures. Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos and narratives with us!
The hungry kitties photo looks like something straight out of National Geographic.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post with us David. My French husband who now works in the US misses the vacation days that the French are used to and the focus on the importance of vacation.
There's a thing in the reef with the big shiny teeth
That's a moray
Put your hand in a crack and you won't get it back
From a moray
Silly diving song my uncle taught me when I was little. Still, eels will definitely mess you up if you tangle with them.
Hi David,
I have just started to blog and would love it if I can put you on my blog roll.
Your tips about how to blog about food are really helpful. Thanks a lot!
Oh, I wish I were there! My family and I house swapped with a family in the Var region, near Toulon, two summers ago and it was the most outstanding trip of our lives. Your photos and descriptions brought back many memories. Merci!
Ah you were in my neck of the woods! The back forests away from the sea are just as beautiful, hope you got a chance to visit there too. And it looks like you had plenty of rosé. Anything particularly good?
Living here, I have to say, I'm kind of glad the crise made people stay home. I know it's awful for the economy and all that, but it's nice to be able to go shopping and take the bus without having to fight a million tourists. You're probably used to it in Paris, but it's less fun in 32°C heat.
The photo with the cats is magic!
the murène looks like the stupid, horrible sidekicks of the evil Ursula in the Disney Movie Little Mermaid… tee hee
In honor of Julia Child's 100 birthday yesterday, the local public tv station re-broadcast the episode of her making bouilliabase, inlcuding eel and scorpian fishes. I think the lesson was the uglier the fish, the tastier the broth.
I was just thinking of taking a vacation when I read your article! I don't think I need more to be convinced to head there!
Would you mind recommending places to stay and go?
The color in the pictures is truly beautiful and I love the cats lined up at the dock. My husband does business in Europe and come August, all comes to a standstill while his clients are away. Last year, we decided to take a two week vacation to Cabo San Lucas, our first ever two week vacation, and it was heaven! The second week was when we really forgot about work and absolutely relaxed. Our goal is to take two weeks every other year, though maybe we should rethink that and go for five! I hope you can up yours next year and share even more pics! Now, I'm going to go look at the scary fish!
Wow, great close-up photo of le cigale. I got a not-as-great photo (little bugger was a tad out of reach), but a decent video (mostly for the audio). Perhaps this will bring you back: http://justinsomnia.org/2012/08/song-of-the-cigale/
Your photos are very nice and the meals you had sounds so delicious. The reason people in France, and in Europe, have more vacations is because they value their joie de vivre more than most people in the US. In the US they value money more. I remember at work once, here in Georgia, we had visiting managers from a company in Bordeaux. One of the French told us that their staff (both the hourly – blue-collar and the office employees) asked for a raise, actually they had a strike. The French management told their employees they would give them a raise but would cut their vacation by one day, it was the employees choice. The employees decided against the raise and to keep their vacation. This would never have happened in the US – they would have gone for the money for sure. The culture is very different. At work here in the US we had vacation paid between Christmas and New Year – many employees took their vacation time during that time so they could get paid twice – and then of course they would have one less week of vacation, but many liked that because of the money. This would never have happened at the job I had in Paris. You know, I don't even think there is a federal law in the US to give employees paid vacations – or is there one? . Ici, c'est l'amour de l'argent- en France on aime les vacances!
thank you so much for sharing this with us. the picture of the cats really made me smile. :)
I have read all the comments and can't believe that nobody has thought to ask where you were?! I understand that you are suitably vague about your whereabouts, presumably to try to avoid a mini Peter Maylesque stampede to a deliciously undiscovered coastal part of Provence but perhaps just a small hint……… a tempting teaser…a tiny clue……a mere suggestion of where this rural idyll is……would be incredibly much appreciated.
Great post – enjoyed reading about your experiences, and I love the photographs.
Rested and relaxed! It really comes through your writing. =) Five weeks sounds kinda awesome, too.
Loved your photos and can't believe you got such great color out of a point and shoot..I guess it doesn't hurt that the light in Provence is so incredible. My mouth was watering just looking at the delicious food, and what I wouldn't give for a salad with beautiful cherry tomatoes like that..
Great photos,yet again! Looks like a fabulous time. One question… how big are cicadas? The photo you have makes it look about 20 cm long? I have been to the south of France before and 'heard' the cicadas, but have never seen them. If they are truly that large, you think I would have!
Tu as raison: une semain seulement, ce n'est pas assez. Touts tes photos des poissons sont excellants!
Yum- moule frites- all I have are Hatch chiles roasting on the grill ;-)
Thank you for sharing your vacation. You continue to be so gracious. Che bella!
DavidBaby, In Denmark we have had 6 weeks vacations for years. And we want MORE! xoxo Mads
Now I'm relaxed and rested after taking this vacation with you. And I'm ready to cook some fish! Adore those fish images…
great pictures. the one with boat and cats looks like greek location.
I love your "cats" photo!!! Yes, long vacations are great. Although I'm in Canada I'm lucky enough to work at a place that lets you earn 6 weeks vacation if you've worked there for a long time. Hope you enjoyed your time off. :-)
What a trip! Loved this post. I'm all about a good rosé this summer, too. Hope you give yourself another week off before too long.
I hope you 'graduate' to a five week vacation too, because you have spoiled me with the 7 day stuff and I am gluttonous for 7 x's 5. ;)
Love the first photo, heck, I love all of them, but I am also very fond of the kitty cats photo.
Mussels bathed in cream and garlic? Swoon! I loved every single picture. Thanks for sharing.
Lovely, lovely post! I am unspeakably jealous. I'd happily only take one week of vacation if it could be somewhere like that! :)
Wow what a nice vacation David! I once saw a picture of an murené and a line that said: Murené always look like they just told a joke they really like and are now waiting for the others to laugh." Now all I can think of is that line when I see them. It cracks me up every time! :) With that in mind they look cute. Try it!
Glad you enjoyed your vacation in our part of France. In case you want an encore, we would welcome you to harvest in early September near Castillon du Gard. We manage each year to talk friends and neighbors into joining us in the vines for a few hours of picking followed by a fabulous lunch with delicious La Gramiere wine – lots of it, of course.
I'd love to try out all those fresh finds. Those fish looks like it will make a good soup base. I love their colors and the fact that they are fresh catch would mean that they still have its sweet taste and lovely texture when cooked. Yum yum! I am so gonna try it when I go on vacation to France.
Love to see the kitties. Also your shadow in the picture. Glad you had a vacation!
Looks like you had a lovely time in my neck of the woods. Such good fish! You make me wish to take a vacation right in my back yard. I vacationed on the Basque coast – I highly recommend it. As for the vacances (pl) – I can only say: Just do it! Two or three weeks is great. And for the reality check, both my husband and I did short work-related communication when something urgent came up. Otherwise, it was just late breakfasts, beach picnics, walks, apero and late dinners.
heheheh i love that picture of the cats watching the boats come in. Sounds like a awesome trip!
ahhhhhhhhh. les vacances. ahhhhhhh.
hi david–love your posts (and books)!
i didn"'t know morays were edible, either. grew up in the caribbean where we ate just about anything from the sea, but those never appeared anywhere on the table, or even on the fishing boats!
guess i'm ready to try one, tho–but only if someone else catches and cleans it:)
David, please (please) write a travel book! I have kept this web page open on my desktop through the last dog days of August and now into September. Cannot bear to close it. So lovely! Thank you.


text:
I've fallen a little behind on these as concert season has slowed down a bit and wedding season is in full swing but I'm going to try and post them more consistently!
On Wednesday June 28th, I saw Third Eye Blind at Echo Beach in Toronto. This was a special show for me. The band is on their Summer Gods Tour, celebrating 20 years since their release of their debut, self-titled album, and an album which has meant a lot to me over the last 17 years.
I was 10, the album had already been out for 3 years but my sister was getting in what I called a "grunge" phase and had picked up this CD from Music World at our local mall. (Shout out to Music World, where I first went to discover new music). She was 16 now and was moving out to live with my dad and was leaving a lot of her stuff behind. So I took it upon myself to take some of what I thought were the cooler items; like her plaid shirts, chain wallet and one CD, because I liked the cover. After she left I finally had a room to myself, after sharing it with her for so many years, I put the CD in the stereo and laid on my bed and listened to it from start to finish.
It wasn't until I saw that same album performed live 17 years later that I realized what a pivotal moment that was for me. This band and that album changed the music I listened to and started the mould of the person I'd become. Their music got me through some of the toughest times and songs like Semi-Charmed Life and Jumper would be on playlists for years to come. The friends and memories made to these songs are unforgettable. When my car stereo died last year and all it would play was CD's from start to finish, it was the first album I grabbed. It's practically perfect, I have so many favourites it would be easier to say the only song I didn't like at first was London but even that has grown on me. The Background, Narcolepsy, God of Wine, Motorcycle Drive By… seriously, so many good ones.
I was eagerly anticipating this show. Keeping my fingers crossed for months because I didn't want to miss it. Luck was on my side and our approval came through! I arrived at Ontario Place, memories from my childhood flood back, despite it being a shell of what it once was. I got my pass and we were escorted to the pit through the anxious crowd. They range from 20 to 40 somethings eagerly awaiting the forthcoming wave of 90's nostalgia.
We got in the pit and a big black curtain gets raised in front of the stage. The music begins and lights cast silhouettes of the band as they take the stage on the raised platform behind the black veil. The curtain drops as they open with Weightless as Stephan's suit lights up with the beat of the music. The best part was they didn't play any songs from their first album until after I got out of the pit so I could watch the whole show and sing my heart out to every word.
I almost wish we were allowed to photograph the whole show, even from the crowd. The lighting was so much better during the latter half of their set. The raised platform was actually covered in LED's and THIRDEYEBLIND appeared in giant lights behind them, plus the CN tower was in the background! I still can't believe how many people there were, and so many singing along to every word of the songs. I was pretty far back but I still enjoyed every minute of it. I haven't been to a show like that in a long time. It reminded me of when I was a teenager waiting to see my favourite bands and experiencing that euphoria all over again. I took some videos but unfortunately WordPress won't allow me to upload them, i'll try and put them up on youtube and maybe link them below.
Seeing them live after so long sort of brought things full circle for me. I laughed, I cried and had one of the best nights of my life. I honestly can't express what It was like to see them and this album performed live for the first time.
Thank you Third Eye Blind, for everything.
All photography by myself, Joanna Glezakos. Please do not share or post without proper credit.


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General Email: email@example.com
Alt Email: email@example.com
Tel: 613.791.4487
Fax: 613-234-5887
Mailing Address: Ottawa African Festival, 33 Morgan's Grant Way, Kanata, ON K2K 2G2
Sponsorship Opportunities
Facts and Figures
The Ottawa Afrikan Festival could potentially be one of largest outdoor cultural festivals in Canada as the talent base spans 57 countries and a number of Pan-Afrikan nations. Based in the nation's capital (population approx. 1,000,000) and conveniently located between Montreal and Toronto (110 miles west of Montreal and 220 miles East of Toronto). Taking into consideration the large immigrant base that comprises the population of the region and its cities in between and boarder states the potential is truly attainable.
* Incorporated, non-profit
* A promotional campaign that can potentially reach 195 million people
* Developing a repertory of booking the rising stars from the local, regional community as
well as truly internationally renowned artiste, including Lorraine Klassen, Eman the Warrior, Rita Carter,
Thabo, Andy, Kanix, just to name a small sampling.
* community volunteers
* Potential Economic impact in National Capital Region is untapped.
Media Coverage Overview – 2011:
* online Advertising Local: 100 hours
* International: Over 24 total hours
* Radio: up to 4 total hours
The 9th edition of the Ottawa African Festival will take place between July 28 and 29, 2018, 211 Bronson Avenue, Ottawa, ON., Canada at Somerset St.West/or at Laurier Street.
For further information regarding sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Director of Sponsorship
Tel: 613.791.4487
Email: email@example.com
Unofficial survey
* 48% male, 52% female
* 18-34 years – 45%
* 35-44 years – 30%
* 45-54 years – 25%
* Average Income in the region: 38% – $50K to $100K and 38% over $100K
* 73% have a college/university education
* At least 1 person from 22% of all households in Ottawa attend a festival
For information on things to do while in Ottawa please visit the linked website.
2018 Sponsorship Package
Volunteer Information
We are always on the look out for volunteers so drop us a line and let us know your interest and we will be more than happy to have you join us. We can be reached at the firstname.lastname@example.com please entitle email Volunteer Interest.
Advance Tickets only available online:


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Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland, a private, non-profit organization, serves to strengthen families and individuals in both the Jewish and general communities in Northeast Ohio. Guided by traditional Jewish values of communal responsibility and social justice, JFSA is committed to enhancing every individual's ability to thrive in our community.
Mission StatementAnne Rosenberg2017-02-10T19:45:29-05:00


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Seena Magowitz Foundation Focuses Fundraising on TGen's Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer
April 28, 2015
Gary Fazio is Honorary Chairman, Derrick Hall is Master of Ceremonies at May 14-15. 2015'Golf Classic' in Orlando
The Seena Magowitz Foundation, which has raised millions of dollars for the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in the quest for a cure for pancreatic cancer, is focusing on early diagnosis of this deadly disease, which often goes undetected until its advanced stages.
As part of this quest, the Foundation's 13th annual Seena Magowitz Golf Classic, May 14-15 at the Omni Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Florida, promises to be "much more than a golf tournament," said Gary Fazio, CEO of Serta Simmons Bedding LLC, who is serving a second year as the event's Honorary Chairman.
The Foundation was created by Founder Roger E. Magowitz as a way to honor his mother, Seena Magowitz, who passed away in 2001 of pancreatic cancer, a highly aggressive disease that this year will take the lives of more than 40,000 Americans.
"What began as a charity golf gathering in 2003, has become a major annual event, drawing hundreds of attendees from across the nation, and making major contributions to the advancement of pancreatic cancer research," said Fazio, who has more than 40 years of experience in the bedding industry, which is a primary supporter of pancreatic cancer research. "Now, with viable drug options in place, the Foundation has shifted its focus to early diagnostics."
Serving this year as the tournament's Master of Ceremonies is Derrick Hall, President and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"I have lost a parent to pancreatic cancer and share in Roger Magowitz's determination to find a better treatment and a method of early diagnosis for this terrible disease," Hall said. "The breakthroughs that TGen has achieved shine bright. Now, those of us who have been touched by pancreatic cancer have every reason to be optimistic."
The Seena Magowitz Golf Classic — whose theme this year is "Connected by Life. Driven to Help" — raises needed funds for pancreatic cancer research at TGen, a Phoenix-based, non-profit biomedical research center. Prior to last year, the Foundation's premier event was held in Phoenix.
"We need a mammogram for the pancreas. Just like breast cancer, if pancreatic cancer is detected early, we will be able to find a cure," said Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen Distinguished Professor, Physician-In-Chief and one of the world's leading authorities on pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S.
This year, nearly 49,000 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Median survival for patients with advanced disease is less than 6 months following diagnosis, and the 5-year survival rate is less than 6 percent for all patients. Pancreatic cancer's lethal nature stems from its propensity to rapidly spread to distant organs. Because there is no early screening test, it usually is not diagnosed until its late stages, often when surgery is no longer an option, making it difficult to treat.
TGen has made major progress about treating pancreatic cancer through the work of its Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team. Importantly, as a result of TGen clinical research, the U.S. FDA in 2013 approved the use of Abraxane in combination with gemcitabine as a front-line therapy for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The Seena Magowitz Foundation helped fund the Abraxane clinical trials.
"With the Abraxane plus gemcitabine regimen, some patients are surviving past 3 years," said Dr. Von Hoff, who directs clinical trials at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center Clinical Trials at HonorHealth in Scottsdale, Arizona where TGen research discoveries are translated into new treatments for patients.
A dinner and concert are planned the evening of May 14, 2015 featuring a presentation by Dr. Von Hoff.
This year's Golf Classic also includes a $1 million hole-in-one contest, an Everglades boat ride, and a David Leadbetter Golf Academy VIP Class.
"Today, we are excited to bring the Seena Magowitz Golf Classic to Orlando and invite the community to join us as we bring people, organizations, advocates and medical researchers together in synergistic concert to fight pancreatic cancer," said Roger Magowitz. "We are focused on early detection, increasing survival rate, creating awareness, and an eventual cure."
The Signature Sponsors of Major Sponsors of the 13th Annual Golf Classic are Serta Mattress Company and Simmons Bedding Company. Major Sponsors are Mattress Firm Holdings, Leggett & Platt, Sleep Inc., Tempur Sealy, Protect-A-Bed, and Comfort Revolution.


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Pain Management Group Therapy
Group Therapy is a unique form of psychotherapy using the dynamics and relationships in a group as the means of learning, sharing support, working through issues, and realizing growth.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness-Based Management are two approaches, which alleviate pain and foster improved quality of life. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy promotes a focus on patterns of thinking, acting and feeling, wheras Mindfulness-Based Management for Chronic Pain encourages the acceptance of–and devotion to–the present moment.
If you are experiencing chronic pain due to disease, injury or other health matters, our CBT and Mindfulness-Based Group Therapy for pain management may be helpful to you.
Goals of this workshop include:
- What is pain management?
- What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and why does it work?
- What is Mindfulness-Based Management for Chronic Pain and why does it work?
- Sharing helpful resources.
Pain Management Program:
The workshop is presented on a seasonal basis. Before it starts, a 1-hour interview with the workshop presenter is needed in order to determine eligibility for the program. The program itself occurs weekly for 12 sessions with a maximum of 10-12 participants.
For more information about the workshop's start dates, enrollment process, and fees, please contact our Oshawa clinic location to receive details.


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Welcome Message from the Academy for Lifelong Learning Executive Council Chairperson
- Healthy and Inquisitive Mind
- Active Senior Years
- Social Events
- Zest for Learning
- Shared Experiences
The Academy for Lifelong Learning is the answer to all of the above! Look no further!
The Academy for Lifelong Learning, founded in 1992, is sponsored by SUNY Empire State College. It has over 450 active members. Class sizes range from 5 to 65 members, depending on the leader and subject. There are no tests! There may be reading assignments, and you usually have no homework, unless you are in Italian Class.
Our study group leaders are experts in their fields and volunteer their time to our benefit. Some of the classes that may be offered in a term are:
- music appreciation
- birding
- painting
- hiking in Moreau State Park
- classic movies
- literary fiction
- poetry, writing and appreciation
- lecture series
- religion
- politics
- history
- travel
Some travelling study groups go to area farms, or museums or other area attractions.
We offer a spring and fall term each year; and, during winter, there is the Storytellers Series, free and open to the public. There are many social events throughout the year as well as numerous other fun activities that come with your membership.
Our professional office staff: Jeff Shinaman, executive director, and Vera Kasson, office manager are ready to answer questions and get you on your way.
View the current brochure and begin a unique journey with us.
Scheryl LoMonico,
Chair, A.L.L. Executive Council
Interview with Jeff Shinaman, Executive Director
January 20, 2016
LookTV interviews Jeff Shinaman about the Academy for Lifelong Learning and the importance of continuing education.


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A quick previewMay 31, 2009 — Deacon Duncan
We've looked at the evidence, and we've all seen (though some of us have mixed feelings about admitting it) that the real-world evidence is consistent with the expected consequences of the Myth Hypothesis, and inconsistent with the expected consequences of the Gospel Hypothesis. "Big deal," you may say. "So what?" After all, it's possible that some variation of the Gospel Hypothesis will work better. Maybe by adding things and/or taking things away we can come up with a New Gospel Hypothesis that will be as consistent with the facts as the Myth Hypothesis.
Well, yes and no.
It's true that we can try modifying the Gospel Hypothesis, or even replacing it completely with a new hypothesis created from scratch. But here's the interesting thing: we've already discovered that the original Gospel Hypothesis, as I originally gave it, is inconsistent with the facts. That means that any new, true hypothesis must also be inconsistent with the Gospel Hypothesis, because truth is consistent with itself.
That may be too obvious to be visible, so let's look at that again. The Gospel Hypothesis is inconsistent with the real world facts because it predicts consequences that don't match real-world conditions. Any true hypothesis must predict consequences that do match the real-world conditions, which means they're going to fail to match the predictions of the Gospel Hypothesis. So any new hypothesis, in order to prove more consistent with the facts than the Gospel Hypothesis, is going to need to contradict the Gospel Hypothesis in some way. The Gospel Hypothesis does not fit the facts, so to fit the facts, we're going to have to find a hypothesis that's inconsistent with the Gospel Hypothesis.
That's going to be especially tough for the Christian apologist to pull off. But why bother? We already have a hypothesis that fits the facts perfectly. Not only does the Myth Hypothesis predict with 100% accuracy the conditions we're going to find in the real world, it even explains why and how the Gospel Hypothesis is going to fail to fit the facts. What is the point in looking any farther?
This is a replay of the situation with the battle between the geocentrists and the heliocentrists. The heliocentrists had a hypothesis that predicted the movements of the planets with astonishing accuracy: the earth was moving just like the other planets were, in a gravitationally-dictated orbit around the sun. The geocentrists tried to maintain a competing theory: that all celestial bodies moved in mathematically perfect circles, as befits the perfect work of a perfect creator.
To try and eliminate the differences between geocentrism and heliocentrism, the geocentrists introduced the notion of "epicycles"—everything that moved through the skies was moving in a perfect circle, but the circles themselves were also being moved in circles, which in turn were being moved in circles, and so on. By building elaborate schemes of nested circles, and complicated proportions of radii, they hoped to approximate the same predictions as the heliocentrists did with their relatively simpler calculations of gravitational interactions.
What the geocentrists were doing, in short, was setting up a Loser's Compromise: trying to eliminate the difference in the predictions of each hypothesis so that they could claim that their view could be true, and we could never know. They were pursuing the unscientific goal of irresolvable agnosticism in order to avoid having to admit that their traditional beliefs were scientifically incorrect.
But why go to all that work? Heliocentrism produces the same answers a lot more easily and reliably, without raising unanswerable questions like how you account for the mechanics it takes to cause abstract mathematical concepts like circles take up physical orbits in a physical universe so as to drive the physical motion of entire planets. Today, geocentrism is a by-word for refusing to bow to the facts.
It may indeed be possible to follow the geocentrists' example, by creating epicyclical variations on the Gospel Hypothesis in an endless and fruitless attempt to find one that predicts real-world conditions as elegantly and accurately as the Myth Hypothesis does. But why bother? The best we could achieve by such an approach is a Loser's Compromise. Agnosticism is not knowledge; it does not give us grounds for claiming that we are justified in concluding things we have no justification to conclude.
So that's why I'm not particularly concerned by objections that claim my Gospel Hypothesis is flawed. Truth is consistent with itself, and even if my Gospel Hypothesis were different from what the Bible says, we can still learn a lot about real-world facts by measuring how consistent the Hypothesis is with the evidence.
And by the way, there's no such thing as a "cherry-picked" hypothesis. "Cherry-picking" is an error that occurs during the evidence-gathering phase, after your hypothesis has been defined. It biases your conclusions by seeking out only evidence that supports your preferred conclusion and suppressing the evidence that is inconsistent with it. In our discussion of the evidence, we have not suppressed any evidence, and have even encouraged people to submit any evidence (that is, any verifiable evidence) that would be contrary to our hypotheses. No one has.
Meanwhile, back in the hypothesis stage, it is perfectly legitimate and even commendable to take a broader hypothesis and zero in on specific details for closer investigation. Truth is consistent with itself, so a valid hypothesis will hold up whether you step back and look at the big picture or zoom in and focus on the individual details. My Gospel Hypothesis is closer to the big-picture end of the scale, and that's going to pose problems for anyone looking for an epicyclical rebuttal to the evidence I've presented. You can agree that the Gospel Hypothesis is not consistent with the facts, and you can offer alternative hypotheses that are inconsistent with the Gospel Hypothesis, but you can't do either without admitting that there are serious flaws in traditional Christian dogma.
And you can't come up with a hypothesis that fits the facts better than the Myth Hypothesis. The Myth Hypothesis is already 100% accurate, so the best rebuttal you can hope for is a Loser's Compromise. And that, too, is just what the Myth Hypothesis predicts.


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i sing Birthday praises to
who spoke so they might hear in
the miasmic air of Mississippi who
wrote so we could get clear on
who we are from Alabama to New Haven.
Kissie Lee, and claim her as my literary
auntie - grandmomma and i don't think she
would mind but ain't got the quality time right
now except to say
Dr. Margaret Walker sung me from
wannabe to done; took us all into
visions of splendor and love she
" kissed the sky" and
formed our Universe. Ashay.
- doris davenport


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Note: passwords are case-sensitive
Christie®, the world leader in digital cinema projection, announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China to meet the growing global demand for digital cinema projectors to screen 2D and 3D movies.
The new facility will significantly expand the company's production capabilities, with the Christie Solaria™ projectors scheduled to roll off the assembly line in July. Production will begin with the Christie CP2220 and the Christie CP2210, with the Christie CP2230 to follow. The Shenzhen factory will initially feed the Asia Pacific market, freeing up capacity at Christie's North American plant to increase supply to the rest of the world.
To learn more about this groundbreaking announcement by Christie, read the full press release here.