Badael-alternatives

The new issue of Badael-Alternatives from Al Akhbar: The main article by Hassan Duhainy on the hazards posed by asbestos residues in the areas destroyed by the Israelis in July 2006. The same reasoning applies of course to Nahr el Bared. The guest editorial by my friend and colleague Iman Nuwayhid: "Who shall I complain to?" about the double standards in...standards or how Northern corporations establish factories in Developing nations in order to evade the strict standards of their own countries. An article on safflower by Mariana Yazbeck, another by Nicolas Abou Rjeily on the use of hummaid (حميض), a wild plant that grows in the winter, in traditional dishes in Lebanon, and a nice one on Soda drinks by Rana Hayeck who is the editorial coordinator of this page. By the way, if you read Arabic, you will notice how witty and clever the titles of the articles always are: It's all Rana's doing. She is also a great poet and will be publishing her first book in the next few months. I will post a small poem by her soon.