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Serious satire
"Humor is a funny way of being serious"
-Thomas Edison
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To have your emails deleted please write to me at renatoobeid@hotmail.com
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Copyright© 2001-2010, Renato Obeid
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"Top blog/Renato Obeid's World/Today's pick: This rambling weblog is worth reading not so much for its satirical posts but more for its insight into the minutiae of life in Lebanon, including the etiquette of road accidents and how to hire a taxi.”
-Jane Perrone, The Guardian
audio
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Wednesday, November 27, 2002
LIFE'S A BITCH AND THEN YOU MARRY FOUR
Yesterday I went to Tripoli or Mogadishu as I call it because it looks and appears (to me anyway) like some city in the Horn of Africa.
Went to an iftar (the breaking of the fast at sunset during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan) and caught up with a friend for coffee at Brunch in downtown Tripoli afterwards.
Caught a taxi home from the tal (the central square) at about 11.00PM having agreed on a price of 25000 Lebanese Lira to be repatriated back to Keserwan (CHEAP! And well worth it) – and repatriated is the word as they do feel and appear to be separate countries.
During my conversation with the taxi driver on the forty five minute or so trip home it transpired that he was one of four brothers who were all taxi drivers and all at the same garage (taxi company) in Tripoli.
Which I found remarkable – this must be a record!
I had stumbled upon the Kennedy’s of Lebanese taxi driving!
Mr Kennedy was doing the usual Lebanese taxi driver subtle carrying on (designed to induce and encourage you to pay more) about how bad the economy was, how expensive petrol was and how they weren’t allowed to use diesel (cheaper and more efficient) anymore and how he had six children!
Six children!
I felt like saying to him “so what’s that got to do with me, don’t blame me; I didn’t **** your wife/wives, I didn’t get her/them pregnant with six children - don’t blame me!”
Compassion is my forte!
6:15 pm
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