anthony shadid of "the new york times" was able to report from hama earlier this week. i talked to him from beirut this afternoon. anthony, take us into the city of hama. you describe a place feeling a kind of freedom for the first time. but a very tense one given its history. >> hama is serious is-- syria's fourth largest city, it's a significant place. and since last month when security forces with drew, you've seen i think a notion of freedom emerge there. the way i described it earlier was that between sub jugation and liberation. people are scared of what is ahead, worried the government might retaked city. but in the meantime have you an open space, gathering on the sidewalks, debating the issues of the day, singing pro test songs, talking about the youth and the organization. you have youth themselves who have organized. they have built probably 100 barricades on roads throughout the city. some of those have been opened on the main streets but most neighborhoods are cut off. the barricades are meant to block the return of security forces and that fear of arrest i