(good-bye) party time

Dear Friends,

All good things come to an end and in the case of our 3+ yr stay in Lebanon we will depart after school ends, sometime before 15 July.

Beirut has its ups and downs but one thing for sure it attracts amazing and eclectic people like you whom we were so lucky to have met. We would like to spend this evening to celebrate the good memories and, since ends mark new beginnings, as a promise of more good times together in the future... wherever we end up!

The myriad issues that crop up here challenge the intellect, mental space and emotional tolerance levels and certainly bring like-minded folk closer together.

And so on Saturday June 16 at 8pm, lets come together at our Sky Club, on the roof of Garden Tower in Hamra for an evening of indulgence "a la libanaise" (thats food, music, and dance right?)!

RSVP to me by June 9 with how many you will be and i'll send directions to who needs them.


best
d 

Its in the contrasts......

Returning last year from another sojourn to the southern Andes I was struck then by the contrasts between Vilcabamba and Beirut. Anticipating returning to Vilcabamba this year, I am reminded that I could not have chosen to reside in two places so far apart in so many different qualitative ways. This is a good thing in the sense that it provides great ground for considering everywhere we travel in between; it gives two extremes for pegging places along the different continuum. It is not a question of comparing; I mean Vilcabamba is in rural mountainous southern Ecuador, it is green, and Beirut.....well, its Beirut...urban, crowded and the most popular night-spot in the Middle East, it is grey. They are different realities, different planets! The point is to contrast, not compare.

The west side and the round terrace at Casa Roja....Vilcabamba.

Garden Towers. Our flat, on the first floor, right hand side....Beirut

STRESS:
Part of why Vilcabamba locals live to ripe old ages into their 90's is because they don't have stress. I mean not much, people work hard, putz along doing their thing day in and day out. Not particularly exciting but if you don't know any better...? They eat simple food and drink nice clean water...and alcohol.
Beirut?...holy cow. Just thinking about getting in the car stresses me out, in fact I use avoidance as the main coping strategy. But its not just the traffic. Its the underlying tension which on a daily basis might be undetectable to a visitor (for example) but once sensitized to it...it is almost palpable. You realise just how close to 'snapping' people really are and that the raised voices and slapping that might appear to be of 'Mediterranean temperament' in origin can rise to much worse very quickly. Like the other day when buddy sees his girl with another guy, follows the guy to an apartment and then whacks him.....with an AK-47....then proceeds to fire on and lob grenades at the army when they come running....it ended badly for buddy. Ask anyone when the next war will come and they all say the same thing, totally unpredictable....so be prepared....all the time.

SECURITY:
Beirut is pretty darn insecure when it comes to the possibility of war breaking out...this comes from living in a notoriously bad neighborhood surrounded by unruly neighbors who have in fact outstayed their visit on more than one occasion. It only takes one rocket attack or cross border incident to ruin your whole day. And then there is the general temperament of people... Street level criminality however is very low which takes some people by surprise;  given the size of the city (2-3Million) and a high density of people, there is a miniscule incidence of murder, rape, muggings, etc. I hazard to guess that this might be because if you are from one confessional (sect) and you were to attack someone from another well... you could start a civil war or at best a inter-clan feud that could last generations. That and because community justice will likely take care of your wrong-minded ways in a permanent fashion.
Vilcabamba....chances of a rocket attack are nil, the neighbors to the south are generally quiet although the Sundera luminosa (very bad people) are said to still lurk about the hills. Considering Vilca is generally a sleepy little Andean town, criminality has at times been a worry, not so much on the street (although at Carnivale in 2006 I was held at screw-driver point in town until I bought my drunken banditos lunch) but exhibited in a spate of home invasions two years ago. The violent shock and awe ruthless tactics used in night-time attacks on elderly residents in isolated homes was stunning in its brutality. More recently....calm has returned to Vilca for the kids and for all, its a tranquilo kind of place to be. Folk are just more vigilant is all.

POLLUTION:
Noise, Air. Garbage. Beirut has mucho, every sort of pollution you can imagine (ok well not radiation from what we know, except of course is Iran nukes Israel there will likely be 'fall-out' in Lebanon us being close neighbors n'all). Want to throw your garbage from the car window? Come to Lebanon, yep, they still do that here. In fact some Lebanese expats, those living abroad who know much better, seem to take a perverse pleasure when they return to the motherland in pitching their garbage just anywhere. Big garbage dump in the town of Saida (home to absolutely humongous multi-millionaire and leader of the opposition who doesn't want to do a thing a bout it) is right on the sea side. Daily garbage gets washed into the deep blue Mediterranean. Is it changing? It is changing....but not very quickly.
Vilcabamba has nada. Vilcabamba does not even have aircraft flying overhead....so not even the danger of chemtrail fallout. Its pretty amazing. Not to say there isn't a waste disposal issue, don't get me wrong, but at least there is an evolving level of consciousness about that kind of environmental issue. Vilca is in the valley below a fantastic National Park...Podocarpus....google it. Its a natural phenomenon.

Food:
Beirut. Lebanese food is so good but even if it wasn't it wouldn't matter as there are plenty of other great dining experiences around. Restaurants abound and for the Lebanese, food is very important. Part of the French legacy is a national hankering for good things like wine and cheese, the former home-grown and really a quality product, the latter imported and you can get most any cheese you want for a price. In Beirut at least take-away food is the norm for many Lebanese and their families and if you're living on your own a very inexpensive option. If there were a survey done I think it would discover that home delivery is the mainstay of many local diets. Organic veggies are available for those with disposable incomes. Pork is particularly bad. Beef particularly good.
Vilcabamba. Food is pretty boring on the rural restaurant platter here in southern Ecuador...actually I haven't been anywhere in the country where it shines. Thanks to the inundation of gringos, our little town has a pretty good variety of restaurants considering its size, we even boast a Japanese master chef.....but folks don't go out and eat much. You can get pizza delivered....but the fact is at the Sunday morning market you can get a great variety of organic greens and veg.... or grow what you need and make for yourself what tickles the palate. Pork is particularly good. Beef particularly bad.

The hole next door

The hole next door has seen a new addition this weekend. After 5months of digging, the bang bang bang and noise and dirt stopped in March, the hole has been fully shaped (rectangle) and now a dirty great crane has been installed. If you want to see how it all started, go back to posts in October, 2011.

That little square thing in the upper left quadrant is a wheelbarrow. The hole is 5 stories deep.

One storey up on the left hand wall is our flat.

Its nuts. And its one reason to be glad to be moving on in the not too distant future. Don't ask where or when...watch this space....or check facebook.

So conflicted. It is hard not to be critical of the absolute lack of environmental awareness or concern in Lebanon. In Beirut the unabated building is incredible and controversial, construction sites sprout like mushrooms with a complete lack of any sense of aesthetic. Beautiful old homes are knocked down and replaced by boring and ugly concrete apartment blocks that block out the view of the neighbors in an uncontrolled mad rush to build higher and higher. Sadly, to add insult to injury many of these blocks are 'pre-sold' to Gulf Arabs or Syrians or absentee Lebanese and except for the 'maintenance maids' they sit empty most of the year. They are fully occupied only when their owners come to Beirut for their 'entertainment' yayas (sometimes quite un-Islamic ones) often with their entire familial entourages for the summer shopping holidays. And so, in a packed crowded city where rental units are overpriced, you have empty unaffordable luxury flats cropping up all over the place...that block your view!

If it is true that the preservation of green space and respect for the environment is a sign of a healthy society then the situation in Beirut is symptomatic of a society that is terminally ill. There is no sense of it here.

Rest easy Dad

Dad went off into the south Edmonton sunrise of 17 March, 2012, finally at peace.

PHOTO TRIBUTE- ROSS PUGH
scrapbooking.ca/rosspugh.htm

(give it time to load)


OBITUARY IN THE EDMONTON JOURNAL, March 19, 2011

David Rosslyn Powell Pugh of Edmonton died in the early morning of 17th March at the age of 87.

Pre-deceased by his wife Barbara, Ross is survived by his children; Felicity (Malcolm), Daniel (Cecile), Rowena (Iain), David and Rachel, grandchildren; Lisa, Jocelyn, Jessica, Tabitha Timothy, Zaki, Kasem, and Helen, and by his sister Margaret in Wales and 3 great-grandchildren. He is remembered fondly by former students, friends, nieces and nephews in the UK and Australia, staff and students at the University of Alberta where he worked from 1967 to 1987 and, by friends in western Canada and at Dayspring Church where he was a faithful member.

A service of Celebration for the life of Ross Pugh will be held on Friday, March 23 at 11am at Dayspring Church, 11445 - 40 Avenue. If desired in lieu of flowers please donate to Hope International (www.hope-international.com) 214 Sixth St  New Westminster, BC, Canada,(604) 525-5481 or to Alzheimer's Society of Alberta research (www.alzheimer.ab.ca/Research.aspx), 10531 Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton AB, (780) 488-2266

-------------------------------------------------------------

David Rosslyn Powell Pugh, Ross to almost everyone who knew him although students of his day still call him 'Professor Pugh', has died. I just called him Dad.


Dad's mortal suffering is over and for this we are grateful. He will always be missed for his quiet gentle manner and his acceptance of all things that crazy kids get up to. I was fortunate to have spent time with him in July and December last year although it was painful watching such an articulate and well-read man disintegrate confronted by the relentless and merciless progress of Alzheimer's disease. A man who rarely raised his voice, never raised a hand against anyone and was generous beyond belief in his charitable giving and self-less approach to life. A fine example and an inspiration to me providing an easy answer when asked why I engage the work I do to say that I have never thought about doing anything that wasn't a contribution to humanity; the lesson my parents lived.  They were wonderful people, my parents, and I hope they are together again somewhere as that would have been Dad's greatest wish.




Rest easy Dad,and with the peace you have long-deserved, God bless.

The last picture we had together
Edmonton, December 2011

The Athabasca Tar Sands: a crime against future generations?

SPECIAL STUDY TOPIC 

(in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Masters in Transnational Organized Crime, 'Crimes of the Powerful', 
January 2011 - Daniel G. Pugh, full version available upon request)

To what extent can the growth of the Athabasca Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada be said to represent a crime against the future generations.

INTRODUCTION

As industry has expanded to meet the demands of the global economy so has the need for oil and gas. Issues arising from this growth include whether the excesses of exploiting natural resources today infringe on the rights of future generations as fossil fuel emissions are causing dramatic changes to life on earth and continued exploitation reduces energy futures. Rising in prominence in the oil and gas industry are the Athabasca Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada receiving considerable geopolitical and economic attention for their enormous potential and increasingly affordable access. It is important to understand the externalities that have brought the demand for tar sands oil onto the world stage and then to consider how the myriad consequences resulting from the oil extraction process impact the environment and livelihoods and whether these constitute a crime against future generations.

The increase in global demand for oil and gas has relevant effect on the importance of tar sands reserves. Estimates on current global dependency on oil suggest 40% for energy use and 95% for transportation (EndOilAid, 2010). The Athabasca tar sands are thought to be the largest hydrocarbon deposits and second largest recoverable oil reserves in the world after the Saudi fields with a volume potential of 175 to 200 billion barrels of oil (McCullum, 2006:10).

The viability of the Athabasca tar sands is dependent on the cost of extraction which is estimated to be US$9 -14 per barrel of WTI1 (National Energy Board, 2006: 3) versus the price of oil. During the 1990s and 2000s and even as demand grew the price of a barrel of WTI remained relatively stable hovering under US$25 per barrel (WTRG Economics, 2009) and so related to the cost of extraction it was uncompetitive to buy tar sands oil compared to extraction costs of US$1 per barrel from Saudi fields. Amidst concerns over limits to supply caused by extreme weather events and instability in oil producing nations the price of oil started to show significant increases in the mid-2000s peaking at US$132 per barrel in May, 2008 (Ibid). As a result the economics of tar sand oil extraction started looking much more attractive, the National Energy Board indicates that US$35-35 will bring a 10% rate of return to producers (National Energy Board, 2006: 5). The current cost for a barrel of Texas Crude is US$91.54 (Bloomberg, 2010).

Another dominant externality explaining the recent rise of tar sands prominence is geopolitics. The shift in US energy policy and that of China to decrease their dependency on Middle Eastern oil sources has focused interest on the Athabasca tar sands. This is a shift for the USA who many believe invaded Iraq “which arguably had more to do with securing greater control over Middle East oil deposits than fighting the war on terror”(Clarke, 2008: 9). The Bush era policy to look closer to home for oil (McCullum, 2006: 5) continues under the Obama administration; in 2009 the USA State Department approved the development of the Alberta Clipper pipeline to carry crude oil from the Athabasca fields “increasing the diversity of available supplies among the United States’ worldwide crude oil sources in a time of considerable political tension in other major oil producing countries” (U.S.Dept. of State, 2009). PetroChina is 40% underwriter of the controversial Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline that will open a major tanker port at Kitimat, British Colombia bringing over 200 tankers per year through dangerous waters along a pristine wilderness coastline on a route normally plied by cruise liners. (McCullum, 2006: 15).

The tar sands became economically viable and geopolitically important when the world reached ‘peak oil’ probably the dominant externality in tar sands development.  Tony Clarke (2008) explains that, peak oil means the extraction of oil from conventional sources has peaked, from now on to meet future energy demands non-conventional means (like tar sands extraction) will increasingly need to be exploited (Clarke 2008:10). The future holds higher financial and environmental costs.

Costs and future threats can be viewed as harms, damaging the global environment, the ecology of northern Alberta and the health, livelihoods and social well being of locally-based communities as well as compromising the energy security of Canada.(Hatch, 2008),(Greenpeace Canada, 2008),(Greenpeace Canada, 2009). It seems clear with the litany of harms being meted out to the environment and local communities that we can assume Trans National Corporations involved in tar sands development are not interested in the needs of future generations. This follows the logic of Ramsay (1984) cited in Cartwright (2001) asking what could be assumed when there seems to be unfair advantage in the market place. Cartwright goes on to suggest that when this happens, further regulation is needed (2001: 5 -6) and indeed this is the case in northern Alberta.

Viewing the situation through the lens of opportunity perspective, criminality of tar sands activity is hard to ascertain when the weak regulatory regime allows for the installation and continuation of industrial processes that pollute the air and water jeopardizing the health of communities and the ecosystem ((Hatch, 2008: 19). For example the Fisheries Act and Canadian Environmental Protection Act could together prosecute companies for toxic seepage into waterways from tailing ponds. Currently the federal government leaves monitoring up to provincial regulators who in turn ‘require’ companies to self monitor seepage and pollution of waterways (Environmental Defence 2010b:10 -11),(Hatch, 2008: 22). This passing of responsibility betrays the sincerity of Canada’s policy makers and politicians who have a well-established record of close association with business for personal advancement and lobbying on behalf of corporations against the interests of the public (Stewart, 2010). The Polaris Institute provides evidence in a profile of Enbridge Inc3 that describes “widespread political lobbying and influence in Canada” and the revolving door method of recruitment from within politics and government and back to business demonstrating their modality of operations in Canada (Girard, 2010: 37 - 41).

Certainly the situation provides considerable opportunity for companies to act outside of ethical boundaries (in the absence of regulation) but it also provides for a normalization of deviance and questionable corporate practices. The idea that companies can act beyond reproach, is akin to (and likely part of) the culture of complacency that is emerging as a significant causal factor in the Deepwater Horizon incident (National Oil Spill Commission, 2011). After years of lobbying by environmental groups, the Commissioner for the Environment and Development admitted in December 2010 “there are unacceptable gaps in the federal monitoring of fresh water” (Vaughn, 2010: 2). Reacting to this report and one by the Royal Society of Canada (2010) (and possibly now worrying about future liability issues) the federal government has ordered the immediate implementation of appropriate monitoring mechanisms in Alberta (Simieritsch, 2011). 

CONCLUSION

The extent of criminality of this activity in the oil and gas industry is not perhaps the pertinent question for the present although it may be in the future. Economic interests presently drive and motivate the people involved in TNCs and government, raising ethical and moral questions about harms that show a disturbing disregard for future generations. It seems the popular way of thinking is that technology will solve everything and that our present activities will simply be managed in the future, a simplistic and naive perspective. Ironically it may be globalization that comes to the rescue. There has been much recent criticism in Canada for failing to ‘harmonize’ with other countries especially the USA where the Environmental Protection Agency is making clear moves to regulate green house gas emissions in industry (McCarthy, 2011). If the Canadian government can shift from an approach that does not account for future generations to one that does then perhaps there is hope for the future. In the Athabasca tar sands, what may be immoral today may be illegal tomorrow.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bloomberg, 2010. Energy & Oil Prices: Natural Gas, Electricity and Oil - Bloomberg. Available at: http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/ [Accessed January 15, 2011]. 

Cartwright, p, 2001. Consumer protection and the criminal ... - Google Books, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=I-jcxhRy1ewC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=cartwright+2001+consumer+protection&ots=EvN6Ct4R7x&sig=Uv-faFhmy5-0a-tPrqTBfpRg-Gs#v=onepage&q=cartwright%202001%20consumer%20protection&f=false [Accessed January 17, 2011].

Clarke, T., 2008. Tar Sands Showdown | Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Available at: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/tar-sands-showdown [Accessed January 15, 2011].

Environmental Defence, 2010. Duty Calls: Federal Responsibility in Canada’s Oil Sands | Environmental Defence, Toronto: Environmental Defence. Available at: http://environmentaldefence.ca/reports/duty-calls-federal-responsibility-canada%E2%80%99s-oil-sands-0 [Accessed January 12, 2011].

Girard, R., 2010. Corporate Profile of Enbridge Inc. | Polaris Institute, Ottawa: Polaris Institute. Available at: http://polarisinstitute.org/corporate_profile_of_enbridge_inc [Accessed January 17, 2011].

Greenpeace Canada, 2009. Threats: Energy security | Greenpeace Canada. Available at: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/tarsands/Resources/Fact-sheets/Threats-Energy-security/ [Accessed January 21, 2011].

Greenpeace Canada, 2008. Threats: Social costs | Greenpeace Canada. Available at: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/tarsands/Resources/Fact-sheets/Threats-Social-costs/ [Accessed January 21, 2011].

Hatch, C. & Price, M., 2008. Canada's Toxic Tar Sands: The Most Destructive Project on Earth | Environmental Defence, Toronto: Environmental Defence. Available at: http://environmentaldefence.ca/reports/canadas-toxic-tar-sands-most-destructive-project-earth [Accessed January 20, 2011].

McCarthy, S., 2011. U.S. to impose new emission rules on power plants, refineries - The Globe and Mail. Available at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/us-to-impose-new-emission-rules-on-power-plants-refineries/article1855631/ [Accessed January 17, 2011].

McCullum, H., 2006. Fuelling Fortress America :: Parkland Research :: Parkland Institute, Edmonton: Parkland Institute. Available at: http://parklandinstitute.ca/research/summary/fuelling_fortress_america/ [Accessed January 12, 2011].

National Energy Board, 2006. NEB - Energy Reports - Canada's Oil Sands - Opportunities and Challenges to 2015: An Update - Questions and Answers, Calgary: National Energy Board. Available at: http://www.neb.gc.ca/clf-nsi/rnrgynfmtn/nrgyrprt/lsnd/pprtntsndchllngs20152006/qapprtntsndchllngs20152006-eng.html [Accessed January 17, 2011].

National Oil Spill Commission, 2011. National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling |, Washington: National Oil Spill Commission. Available at: http://www.oilspillcommission.gov/ [Accessed January 17, 2011].

Price, M., 2008. The Tar Sands Leaking Legacy, Toronto: Environmental Defence. Available at: http://environmentaldefence.ca/reports/11-million-litres-day-tar-sands-leaking-legacy [Accessed December 12, 2011].

Simieritsch, T, 2011. Water monitoring 101: what to make of the 2010 flood of oil sands reports | Pembina Institute. Available at: http://www.pembina.org/blog/460 [Accessed January 17, 2011].

Stewart, K., 2010. Putting pressure on companies to clean up tar sands “simply nutty”: Canadian government official | Greenpeace Canada. Putting pressure on companies to clean up tar sands "simply nutty": Canadian government official. Available at: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Blog/putting-pressure-on-companies-to-clean-up-tar/blog/29163 [Accessed January 20, 2011].

U.S.Dept. of State, 2009. Permit for Alberta Clipper Pipeline Issued. Available at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/aug/128164.htm [Accessed January 15, 2011].

Vaughn, S., 2010. 2010 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the House of Commons, Ottawa: Office of the Auditor General. Available at: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_201012_00_e_34423.html [Accessed January 17, 2011].

WTRG Economics, 2009. OPEC Crude Oil Production 1990 - 2009. Available at: http://www.wtrg.com/oil_graphs/PAPRPOP90.gif [Accessed January 15, 2011].

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[1] A common standard for a barrel of oil is a barrel of Western Texas Intermediate crude oil (WTI) or simply Texas crude.

[2] Personal knowledge of the learner who lived in Alberta since 1967.

[3] Enbridge is the company that will likely build the Northern Gateway pipeline and the Alberta Clipper referred to earlier.

O(h)man...OMAN!

We recently spent a week in the Sultanate of OMAN! and oh man it was fine. From the fresh humid cold of a harsh Lebanese winter we found ourselves basking in the warmth of the Gulf of Oman after a short 3hr direct flight with omanair.com, (5hrs for the return flight to Beirut that stops in Amman).

Happily we happened upon one of the nicest resorts close to the capital Muttrah recommended by friends. Not a hotel resort so without the package tourists, the Oman Dive Centre (ODC) www.omandivecenter.com caters mainly to dive tourists but has a very sweet private beach, sheltered from the winds that cross the Arabian Sea with very well-appointed beach bungalows. I swear whoever designed these, especially the capacious bathrooms, had spent time more time than me on southern Thai islands or Bali and brought back design features to make the bungalows pleasantly furnished and well considered in terms of lay-out, proximity to others, families, etc. Of course the absence of orchid petals on the pillows is noted but it Oman is mostly desert after all! From the dive centre we headed out to sea for a morning of dolphin watching and taxi-ed into Muttrah to check out the port and the old souk but spent most time on the family-friendly beach, drawing pictures in the sand, soaking up the rays, kayaking the shallow (excellent for young swimmers) bay, scrambling on the rocks that border the bay, hiking the hillsides and chowing on camel burgers. The accommodation price (around $200/night) includes the breakfast and dinner buffet's which were pretty good and perfect for hungry kids.

Oman Dive Center

Oman is not cheap...except for gasoline that cost 3.8cents/litre making renting a car totally affordable! Otherwise though it was comparable to Lebanon for accommodation and food in tourist locations but cheaper in local eaterys. If possible though don't let the cost deter you, it is well worth the expense for the experience.

The boys and I arrived in Oman on our own and stayed at the ODC until we were joined by Cecile and took off in a rented car to discover a short strip of Omani coast traveling south from Muscat and its old capital of Muttrah http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscat,_Oman to the town of Sur and on to Ras Al Jinz a distance of 350km but mostly serviced by a super modern highway that winds along the coast. En route we checked out the geomorphologically impressive sites including the Bimmah sinkhole and Wadi Shab where you can hike up the impressive canyon and swim in the pools at the top....high adventure for our little boys!

Bimmah Sink hole

Wadi Shab

We stayed at the Turtle Beach Resort  http://www.hotels-oman.com/Turtle_Beach_Resort which is a weirdly comfortable place, perhaps better suited for the weekend warriors of families of migrant workers who are employed by the state of the art gas plants nearby but still functional for us with clean rooms and a clean beach. The main attraction was the turtles who nest nearby on a 35km long coastal reserve at Ras al Jinz http://www.rasaljinz-turtlereserve.com/. It was a definite highlight when we went at night to see a humongous (1m long, 350kg) mother turtle digging the nest to lay her eggs. Watching 2 wee newborn turtles scrabbling their way to the sea was amazing....no pictures allowed at the reserve so none to post, only highly valued memories.

Turtle Beach Resort

There are options galore in terms of how to discover Oman, as I said we discovered a short strip of it, but there are many places to go in what you come to realise is a pretty empty country of expansive desert but a beautiful coastline and craggy mountains. Salala in the south is sub-tropical and experiences the monsoon and the Hajar mountains, the fabled city of Nizwa and the sand-dunes of Wahiba are other highlights. You can go on tailor-made tours with this reportedly well-organized company http://www.omantrekkingguides.com or as some Quebecois friends of ours did just rent a car and camp along the way which they said was remarkably safe, fun and definitely the cheapest accommodation option!

Sur

Another cool thing about Oman is that for a country with a rich gulf state history it has modernized rapidly but not lost its cultural charm. The Sultan has not gone the way of Dubai or Doha succumbing to steel and glass highrises, they have maintained local architecture and local dress. Omanis are friendly and many speak English well (mandatory learning in schools) so you can have good chats with local people making the culture all the more accessible. Women are equal to men in Oman unlike in other Gulf states and so the jarring perception of their repression exemplified for example by the burka is not very evident and women are seen on the streets and about the place. What goes on behind the closed door of the household is not known. As expected though alcohol is only available from those places accessible to foreigners. From a country with 2 schools and 50km of roads in 1972 it has come an amazingly long way in an astoundingly short period of time and its been done well. 

On the rocks above the ODC

For Beirutis looking for a holiday alternative to Jordan, Egypt or Cyprus we strongly recommend Oman as a great travel experience. And it is very family friendly. We were lucky to hit the end of the annual Muscat Festival and saw this extravagant show-casing of the country on our last evening which was a stunning spectacular held in a lovely park in downtown Muscat. Comment below if you've been, are going or just want to add!

Très Bonne Année du Dragon/Happy New Year of the Dragon

HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE DRAGON! (au dessous pour la francais)

Conveniently Chinese New Year comes after the advent of that of the Gregorian calendar so we are not too late with our New Years greetings.

Dragon is a legendary animal and it is symbol of emperor in China. Since the Dragon is coated with mysterious color, Chinese consider that the dragon is unpredictable, untouchable and people cannot see its head and tail at the same time. Therefore, we might see something unexpected happening in 2012.

Indeed we are living the uncertainty of what 2012 will bring given that mid-year we will leave Beirut and head off into the yonder. We will know in a few weeks where we will be going but for now the only certainty is that we will move on.

2011 had its moments although was not momentous. The boys grew…nothing new there, but they are certainly maturing and developing into little characters both. Zaki seems to have taught himself to read in French and English (and won’t admit to his Arabic proficiency), does amazing things in Math and thinks he is pretty funny with the knock knock jokes. Kasem is not far behind in reading, is way ahead of his year in Math and comes up with remarkably prescient comments for a 5 year old, perhaps we should call him Rimpoche. Both are proficient with mouse, keyboard and tablet! We are daily grateful that they both seem to be (thus far) problem free and happy little fellas.

Cecile has had a long year of work including going on Emergency mission to the Libya border camps in Tunisia. She has taken up running in a big way and is bouncing back from a knee injury that kept her out of a half-marathon although she was still able to run in the Beirut Marathon relay.

I started off busily completing the requirements for the last module in the Transnational Organized Crime Masters that I am taking online. Just the disssssertation to go (which might take a while) looking at Child Trafficking in the Levant to explain why there is nothing much done/known about it in the interest of galvanizing the information out there so there can be forward motion. No sooner was ‘school over’ than I headed off on a stint in Pakistan evaluating the humanitarian response to the 2010 floods for a group of Canadian NGO’s. March I re-joined the UN (OCHA) for 3 months in Tunisia coordinating (or waiting to coordinate) the response for Libya. This was a bit of an experiment in longer-term assignments and while we managed to get together as a family 3X in 3 months it really didn’t sit well with me to be away from my main role as man-mum.

Summer saw us heading off to Canada or more specifically Alberta as the strength of the $CD made it pretty pricey since we earn $US. It was a good visit though. Great to see my Dad although he is not doing very well but sisters are bearing up with caring for him, yeoman’s work. We headed from Alberta to Ecuador via Bogota, Cecile couldn’t stay on leave forever and headed home but the boys and I were able to spend a month at the house in Vilcabamba. It was great again to relax in the natural beauty of southern Ecuador, enjoy the amazing views, the fresh air, the birds, the flowers, the friends of Vilcabamba. As a bonus we also found wonderful people as new tenants reaffirming my faith in the magical nature of the sacred valley. It has always been very good to me.

Back in Lebanon the summer sizzled and has faded into a proper winter (rainy but snow in the mountains). Cecile after a flurry of work travel in December is busy with negotiations for the next post. I am now working on the dissertation, a training contract with UNRWA (the UN body that looks after Palestinians). I was also in Edmonton again in December to spend some more focused time with Dad who is really beginning to suffer from Alzheimer’s. Hard on him, hard on everyone. Cecile’s parents came for Christmas and (Gregorian calendar) New Year which we spent in Lebanon and had a very family-time of it. The boys are back in school, Kasem in Kindergarten and Zaki well in the lost tooth Grade 1 mix….

We are glad to see friends when they appear and do our best to get around to visit. Certainly all will be welcome where ever we land in this year of the dragon, expect the unexpected!

Très Bonne Année du Dragon !

Le Nouvel An chinois se situe de manière commode juste après le calendrier grégorien et nous donnent une bonne excuse pour ne pas être trop en retard pour vous envoyer nos voeux de Nouvelle Année !

Le Dragon est un animal légendaire et le symbole de l'empereur de Chine. Comme le Dragon est d’une couleur mystérieuse et un animal dont on ne peut pas voir la tête et la queue en même temps, les Chinois le considèrent comme étant  imprévisible et intouchable. Par conséquent, nous pourrions bien voir des évènements inattendus se produire en 2012.

Et en effet, nous vivons déja l'incertitude de ce que 2012 va apporter étant donné qu’à la mi-année, nous allons quitter Beyrouth et partir vers l’inconnu. Nous saurons dans quelques semaines où nous irons, mais pour l'instant la seule certitude est que nous allons partir pour d’autres aventures.

2011 a eu ses bons moments sans être une année forcément mémorable. Les garçons ont grandi ... rien de très nouveau, mais ils grandissent, mûrissent et surtout développent leur propre caractère bien différent l’un de l’autre. Zaki semble s'être appris à lire en français et en anglais par lui même (et ne veut pas admettre ses compétences en arabe), il est étonnant en mathématiques et pense qu'il est assez drôle lorsqu’il fait des blagues. Kasem n'est pas loin derrière en lecture, est très en avance en mathématiques. Il fait des commentaires remarquablement prescients pour son âge, et peut-être devrions nous l'appeler Rimpoche ? Les deux sont très doués  dans l’utilisation de la souris, le clavier, la DS et la tablette! Nous sommes reconnaissants quotidiennement qu’ils soient tous les deux en bonne santé et super heureux.

Cécile a eu une longue année de travail et les développements sans précédent dans la région du Moyen Orient et d’Afrique du Nord ont apporté un renouveau et des défis motivants pour son travail. Elle est également partie en mission d’urgence à Shousha à l’Est de la Tunisie deux jours après que j’ai moi-même quitté cet endroit ! Elle continue de courir sérieusement et se remet d’une blessure au genou qui l’a empêché de courir un semi-marathon, mais elle a quand même réussi à courir le Marathon de Beyrouth en relais.

Je suis maintenant très occupé à compléter le dernier module de ma maîtrise en criminalité organisée transnationale que je suis en ligne avec une Université britannique. Je n’ai plus qu’à finir la disssssertation (ce qui pourrait prendre un certain temps) dont le sujet est la traite des enfants dans les pays du Levant pour expliquer pourquoi il n'y a rien de fait jusqu'à présent ou très peu d’informations connues à ce sujet. L’objectif est d’analyser l'information disponible pour faire avancer le débat sur la traite des enfants.

Je suis parti en mission au Pakistan pour évaluer la réponse humanitaire aux inondations de 2010 pour un groupe d'ONG canadiennes. En mars 2011-j’ai de nouveau rejoins l'ONU (OCHA) pour 3 mois en Tunisie pour coordonner (ou plus précisément attendre de coordonner !~) la réponse humanitaire à la crise en Libye. Ce fut une mission de plus longue durée que d’habitude et même si nous avons réussi à nous retrouver en famille 3 fois en 3 mois ça ne m’a pas plu d’être loin des enfants pour si longtemps.

Cet été nous sommes allés au Canada ou, plus précisément en Alberta (malheureusement le taux de change entre le dollars canadien et le dollars américain était plutôt désavantageux ). Ce fut une bonne visite. C’etait formidable de revoir mon père, bien qu'il n’aille pas très bien et mes soeurs doivent lui apporter beaucoup de soins. Nous nous sommes dirigés de l'Alberta vers l'Equateur via Bogota et les garçons et moi avons passé un mois dans notre maison à Vilcabamba, Cécile a du retourner au travail après une semaine. C'était formidable de pouvoir de nouveau se détendre dans la beauté naturelle du sud de l'Equateur, profiter de la vue magnifique, de l'air frais, des oiseaux, des fleurs, des amis de Vilcabamba. En prime nous avons aussi trouvé des gens merveilleux comme nouveaux locataires pour la maison, ce qui a réaffirmé ma foi en la nature magique de la vallée sacrée. Cet endroit a toujours été très bon pour moi.

De retour au Liban, l'été a disparu et s’est converti en un hiver digne de ce nom (pluvieux, mais de la neige en montagne). Cécile, après une vague de déplacements pour le boulot en décembre est occupée actuellement avec les négociations pour son prochain poste. Quant à moi, je travaille maintenant sur ma thèse, et un contrat de formation avec l'UNRWA (l'organisme de l'ONU qui s'occupe des Palestiniens). J'ai aussi dû retourner à Edmonton à nouveau en décembre pour passer un peu plus de temps avec mon père qui est vraiment en train de souffrir de plus en plus de la maladie d'Alzheimer. Dur pour lui, dur pour tout le monde. Les parents de Cécile sont venus pour Noël et pour le Nouvel An que nous avons passé au Liban . Nous avons eu de très bons moments familiaux avec eux. Les garçons sont de retour à l'école, en dernière année de maternelle pour Kasem et en CP pour Zaki, l’année où tout le monde perd ses dents....

Nous sommes heureux de revoir les amis quand ils « apparaissent » et faisons de notre mieux pour nous déplacer et vous visiter. Pour sûr tous sont les bienvenus à Beyrouth pour les quelques mois qu’ils nous restent et seront les bienvenus quel que soit l’endroit sur la terre ou nous atterrirons …en cette année du dragon, attendez vous à l'inattendu!

Verticale

after the land in the distance is the Mediterranean Sea!

One of the less known pros of living in Lebanon is that you get to ski! The season may be short but it is pretty darn great while it lasts. The biggest of 3 ski resorts in the country, Mzaar Kfardebian (commonly known as Faraya) (skileb.com) is only 1.5hrs drive from Beirut, like the drive from Calgary to Sunshine in Banff. 

On the way at loads of places you can rent everything from gloves and hats to boots and skis for reasonable prices. Mid-week the lift tix aren't astronomical either. That's for lift-op skiing. The alpine possibilities are endless so snowshoeing and back-country skiing is not well developed translating to a) fairly awesome un-tracked days out but b) high risk of avalanche hazard and nearly non-existent mountain rescue capacity.

I have been out snow-shoeing and in a couple of weekends we will attempt Mt. Hermon on snow-shoes. With the kids we stick to the lift-operated slopes as they find their ski legs! Here is a wee video of the boys on their 4th day out (including last year) and their first day with ski poles (which was not my idea!). The other fun thing about skiing Lebanon is that most folks stick to the piste, groomed daily leaving 'off-piste' to people who can handle more varied terrain. I have been to the hill 4 days after fresh snow and still found un-tracked runs!

Hey it isn't the Rocky Mountains but it is the Middle East! Whos' complaining!? Not me!

The long and the short of it: on death and dying.

Death and dying, better a written reflection at the end of 2011 but paving the way for 2012 and moving on.  I returned home to Lebanon just before Christmas to attend the memorial for my friend John Redwine who at 32 has died a short, instant death in a climbing accident on Mt. Sannine. This immediately followed a visit to my Dad who at 87 (this month) is suffering a long, lingering, undignified process of decay due to Alzheimer's disease and all its sorrowful trappings.  Where's the justice in either I have been pondering and then wondering if grappling with the 'justice' issue is perhaps the futile fodder of philosophers and theologians with time to wonder what happens as death approaches. To move on I try to convince myself it is better to celebrate lives as we know/knew them. How appropriate that is in Dad's case, even before he has died I don't know but it helps.

John living large after climbing in Tannourine '10

John is dead, so yes, we mourn his passing with celebration of his life. Such a vibrant youthful friend, full of vitality, bouncing with energy, loads of enthusiasm whether it be for his climbing, his Volty motorbike, or the love of his wife and son, a caring man...and I didn't really know him that well but those impressions of mine seem to be unanimously endorsed by many, many others. Gone. Really as nice a guy as you'll meet on the streets of anywhere; to be honest as 'un-American' as they come....and I mean that in the nicest way.  John will be missed. He was a pillar of the small but growing climbing community here in Lebanon. The climbers slide nights initiated by John and Marcin (who now lives far away in Aus) were bringing all sorts of rock gymnasts out of the woodwork, a fun social moment for sharing video and snaps of climbing exploits and exploring ideas and inspiring future projects. We'll have one in John's honor later this month.


This was something John was good at. Future projects. Inspiring by example. If his past exploits were anything to judge his future by, then he was going to be a busy boy. But all those aspirations, planned trips and projects got torpedoed just before Christmas, a solo excursion, an accident on easy but a bit technical terrain, on a manky steep loose rock-band that was likely even mankier in the unseasonally high temperature, dry tooling, crampons..... all ended with the end of John Redwine. I mean aspirations live on and trips and projects gel in other ways and we should all be inspired by our connection to and closeness with Johnny vin rouge. John we vow to continue with our exploits, keep adventuring ever safely, build a stronger safer climbing community in Lebanon, raise awareness about climbing and its greatnees and as a rock climber's belayer says once ready, we'll....'climb on'. Climb on too John. Climb on.


So thats the short of it. A life swiftly and fully lived now ended. Now the long. My Dad....he is not dead. How appropriate is it to celebrate his life when it isn't over yet? Well, the proud and dignified life of David Rosslyn Powell Pugh is in its waning days. Alzheimers is claiming another soul and Dad's life is steadily degrading and degenerating into a man even to his own family can't recognize. Lucky me, I have been able to spend time with Dad twice this year, in July and once just before Christmas. This last time he has notably declined in his mental condition but still accepted that I belonged and was there to be with him as family. I describe his state this way: he is still there in the back ground and in calmer moments, usually when he is out of the residence lock-down floor where he lives (for his own safety), he comes to the fore but these moments of lucidity are fewer and further between.

Me and Dad, December 2011, Edmonton

What has become more the norm than the exception, at the fore, is a befuddled, frustrated, angrily confused man, a shadow of his former self. He is losing the ability to dress himself, cannot figure out the day of the week, time of the day, which meal is which. He cannot bathe himself and for a man who showered nearly daily for 86 years now he needs bathing and that only happens 1X/week, he shaved daily and now that only happens when his morning isn't so confused as to allow a residence helper to shave him. He hates being unshaven. For a man who is highly educated and has always been careful with both written and spoken word he blathers on tangentially nonsensical words replacing verbs and nouns and pronouns used in incoherent sentence; in July he expressed how much this was distressing for him, he realized it quite consciously and hates it. He is convinced a fellow-resident is his sister in Wales and calls her by that name but refers to her as his daughter despite the fact that our Auntie telephones him daily from Wales. He is convinced, perhaps because he has no money in his pocket or perhaps because he has lost all sense of quantity, that he is being robbed, that the crooks are everywhere and must be watched....and that no one cares. I tried to explain to him (as have my sisters) how secure were his finances and he just dismissed me saying 'oh no...you're one of them'.  Dad is not yet at the stage where we can mourn his passing, but that is coming, I can feel it with a heaviness of heart and I guess what we can do is begin to grieve for the loss of what once was: a gentle, kind and generous man, father of 6 adopted children, a loving husband who never recovered from death-by-cancer of our mother, popular teacher and professor, extraordinarily giving humanitarian and yes, like John, as nice a guy as walks the streets of anywhere.


There is no justice in the rude and sudden ending of John's short life nor in the cruel and excruciating process in the approaching end of my Dad's long life. Not to my mind, not at this moment. With this blog and as we move into 2012 and I try to move on from a sombre December 2011 to help out where I can with the new reality for John's wife and infant son and continue to provide what support I can to my Dad by supporting my sisters from far.

Took the leap.

Took the leap, broke the promise. I'm going for a short visit to Edmonton in December...my mission (which i have chosen to accept) to hang out with my Dad, give my sisters a break from care-giving and see my friends. Alone. Without kids. Its been a while. Last time I had any 'me' time was before the summer madness.

Took the leap because it is hard to tear myself away from my little boys and their large little lives. Really, I just like being around them. And its not the most stable time in the region. I live in fear of not being here if the proverbial hits the rotational and then not being able to get back in.

Took the leap because I am really supposed to be bashing on with my Masters dissertation which is moving at a glacial pace and for sure I will suffer for my procrastinating come spring time.

Took the leap because it is frigging expensive and I haven't worked this fall on account of the dissertation writing thing...then again its only money right?

Middle East Airlines Flight ME201 Depart Beirut, LB (BEY) 10-Dec-11 (Sat) 07:35a Arrive London Heathrow Apt, GB (LHR) 10-Dec-11 (Sat) 10:45a Flight Time 05hr 10min | Economy Aircraft Airbus Industrie A330-200 Stops nonstop Middle East Airlines operated by Air Canada Flight ME4513 Depart London Heathrow Apt, GB (LHR) 10-Dec-11 (Sat) 01:00p Arrive Calgary, CA (YYC) 10-Dec-11 (Sat) 03:20p Flight Time 09hr 20min | Economy Aircraft Airbus Industrie A330-300 Stops nonstop Middle East Airlines operated by Air Canada Flight ME4512 Depart Calgary, CA (YYC) 20-Dec-11 (Tue) 07:05p Arrive London Heathrow Apt, GB (LHR) 21-Dec-11 (Wed) 11:00a Flight Time 08hr 55min | Economy Aircraft Airbus Industrie A330-300 Stops nonstop Middle East Airlines Flight ME202 Depart London Heathrow Apt, GB (LHR) 21-Dec-11 (Wed) 12:10p Arrive Beirut, LB (BEY) 21-Dec-11 (Wed) 06:50p Flight Time 04hr 40min | Economy Aircraft Airbus Industrie A330-200 Stops nonstop

Broke the promise to myself made after a true orgy of summer holiday air travel (coming after spring work air travel) to not travel by air again until 2012. At some point the boot is going to rise out of my carbon footprint and kick my arse hard. How is it possible to be so aware of the problems caused by green house gas emissions and then get on a plane? Someone said that if you add up all the emissions caused by all the experts traveling to all the meetings to discuss the emissions that you would have a significant reduction!

Anyway. It will be good for me to see Dad and I hope good for him to see me. Hoping that it will be like this summer where there wasn't a real conscious recognition that happened, rather a simpler one on an emotional level that just made it natural. Fingers crossed and not to worry. Not to go now while I have the chance might lead to regrets....and we wouldn't want that! More to be said on the injustice of finishing ones life off so dependent and so frustrated and so deeply unhappy, so without dignity.

It will be great to see the friends in Alberta and be considerably freer than when I am with the little boys. A different time, later nights, later mornings....ahhh. relishing a bit of a lie-in already. And who knows, I might even get a bit of work done on the old dissertation....probably not.