I previously linked to an article of what to do in Lebanon in 48 hours. But as blogger Lebanese Lantern shows us, you can have a Beirut blast in less than 24 hours. Of course, as a requirement, you have to be as energetic and tireless as her can-do guest.
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Sep 10
How The Government Is “Solving” The Abuse Of Foreign Maids
Even an international magazine like The Economist took notice:
In June the Lebanese ministry of labour set up a hotline for workers’ complaints. [the hotline] has not been advertised to migrant domestic workers, is open only between 8am and 1pm, and has no translators. In the first month it did not receive a single call from a domestic worker. NGOs and religious organisations have done better. They have set up text-message numbers so that maids trapped at home can report abuses and get free legal advice.
It’s as if it was designed not to be used..
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Sep 10
Michael Young On Circumstantial Evidence
From his inevitable analysis of the Bellemare’s interview, Young is worried about the prosecutor’s reliance on circumstantial evidence:
But what Bellemare didn’t say is that circumstantial evidence is more difficult to uphold in court. The prosecutor may well have forensic evidence, telephone analyses and other examples of “solid” proof; but what he appears to have much less of is witness testimony from those involved in the crime from the angle Bellemare is evidently pursuing today, namely participation by Hezbollah. And without testimony, a good defense lawyer can open up breaches in an indictment, which is why Bellemare is taking so much time to make his case airtight.
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Sep 10
Lebanese Blogger Takes Daily Pictures Of Homemade Iftars
Nour will take one picture every day of her Iftar table, which is a great simple idea.
The result is a collection of iftar pictures in a typical Tripoli household. The food is naturally different from and much better than the stuff you get in restaurants in Beirut. (But seriously Nour, fish??)
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Sep 10
Syrian President A Bit Too Protective Of Hezbollah’s Weapons
No one doubts that the Syrian president supports the “resistance” and its weapons. But the fact that he reached out to Hezbollah’s newspaper and told them that no one should dare touch the resistance or its arms (English) smacks of overcompensation in my eyes.
Perhaps those like Michael Young who are arguing that Syria wants to limit Hezbollah’s influence are up to something after all. Here’s an instructive passage from Young’s article today (emphasis mine)
It would be too simplistic to suggest that the Syrians provoked the Hizbullah-Ahbash confrontation in order to bring their army back to Lebanon. Bashar Assad would like to do so, because only a military presence allows him to truly control the country and regain the Lebanese card regionally. However, such a process requires time, careful preparation regionally and internationally, and patience. For now the Syrians are focusing on gaining leverage against Hizbullah, which holds the political and military initiative in the country.
Could Mr. Assad’s embrace be the hug before the stab?
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Sep 10
Playing With Ping
As many of you know, I’m a big Apple fanboy. So it’s no big surprise that I jumped straight into their new music social network service Ping.
As with everything Apple, I’m sure it will get better with time, but I could use your help: I’m always on the lookout for cool new music, so if you created a Ping account, It would be great if we could follow each other. My user name is “Mustapha H.”
I’m looking forward to listening to your music recommendations..
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Sep 10
Serving Alcohol During Ramadan
We talked about this before but Now Lebanon‘s Paige Kollock actually did some research. She went to restaurants and talked with people on the street. My takeaway is that restaurant/hotel owners have all the discretion, things are getting a bit more strict than before and Christians are resentful.
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Sep 10
Tripoli Soap Is Making A Comeback
I took the picture above when I was visiting Tripoli’s traditional soapmakers with a group of friends who came from Beirut. It shows one of the colorful bundles of organic soap in their glorious display. They look really good, but the ones I’ve tried weren’t as impressive as they look. Still, apparently because the world is now more interested in natural, organic products, they’re making a comeback.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I have been blogging about Lebanese society and politics since February 2005. You can also find me on 
