The Middle East Will Miss Whitney Like Crazy

If you lived in the Middle East in the '90's, surely you know that Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and her film The Bodyguard were HUGE in the region. Her songs were a staple at weddings and Arab radio stations alike. A true songstress of her time, her Middle Eastern fans are missing her already.

"It became a bit like Vangelis’ Conquest of Paradise that was played in almost every wedding or any occasion in Lebanon during the 1990s and is still popular these days."

So, here's an amusing Internet story for the day. Somebody went through all the trouble to set up a fake Asma Al Assad official website in order to "hack" it with derogatory statements about Bashar Al Assad. And they would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those pesky domain-savvy bloggers.

People have done a lot worse to get into the headlines. Check out the link here.

It seems that one's mind about Syria changes with every passing week as events unfold. So, it's understandable that writers and bloggers need to reassess their opinions. Ehsani for Syria Comment had written a blog entry that was labeled by readers as filled "flawed logic".

Now it's rebuttal time! Only this time around, Ehsani isn't completely disagreeing.

This Mexican blogger discusses the fundamental difference between his native Mexico and Beirut. Apparently, in Mexico, there are safe areas (large streets, modern buildings) and 'sketchy' areas (narrow, unclean streets, old buildings). Now he is slowly learning that if he were to apply this standard to Beirut, he probably wouldn't leave his house.

"This place is different, with different rules, and different standards. And I guess the only way to learn the new rules and experience this place is to step out of my comfort zone and allow myself to go to places that I normally wouldn't have gone to."

There is very little more inspiring than true, unadulterated innovation. Pipes are considered such a nuisance. We try to disguises them, hide them in walls where can't see them or blend them into the background. But this design-loving Lebanese blogger highlights the works of a designer where pipes are the main feature. Check it out: these shelves are beyond cool.