I have a Mistress: a Confession

This guilt-ridden man is confessing to his crime of passion, and revealing the identity of his mistress in a poem; top 10 places people lose their phones; On Beirut and her reputation; Syrian intelligence takes on a new meaning with proof of media fixing; How the Syrian regime is not helping itself; and the Palestinians even still want a state?

When a man takes a mistress, it's something he either takes to the grave or keeps hush about til his wife makes that
discovery. Not when that mistress is the beautiful coastal Byblos (Jubeil), north Lebanon.

Note connection [3]

My Mistress

Enough said- straight from the horse's mouth: Let's just hope the wife isn't reading this. "Here’s a confession… I have a mistress. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help it. She captivated my heart a few years back."

And far and away [4]

The Top 10 Places People Lose Their Phone

I drop my phone in cars mostly, between seat and door or on floor or just on seat, and in the dark don't notice it to retrieve. (Ed) "I’m totally OCD about making sure I have everything in my bag, because I’m always carrying so much junk. Here’s a list of the 10 most common places people lose their smartphones, to help you watch out."

Jadaoun: Lebanon News [5]

“Let Them Live in Ignorance”

"A comment I’ve heard too often when mailing out my Looks Like Beirut Certificates. Back in 2000, when I deployed my first Yahoo! Keyword Alert for the word “Beirut”, I was surprised to see the term used to describe a state of destruction and despair in contrast to the city I was currently living in. Fast-forward to 2009 (with the Keyword Alert still active), it dawned on me: why don’t I do something about it? The world is now accessible to anyone with a few mouse clicks – one person can now change the world. That is how the LLB Certificates came to existence." "Moving the site’s history to one side, I’m here to tell you about a very exciting development AltCity."

Lebanon Spring Blog [6]

A Syrian ‘moukhabarat comparse’

Intelligence: questioning the credibility of CNN and BBC in Syria reports. "In a previous post (Is the Western media promoting Syrian propaganda?), I may have told you that the Syrian regime sourced the crowd (different from crowdsourcing!) talking to the Western media, which I accused of colluding with the regime to pass its message across. Now, I have a proof on that!"

Syria Comment [7]

“The Syrian Regime’s Slow-motion Suicide: Crisis Group,” by Peter Harling

"Even in its attempts to survive at all costs, the Syrian regime appears to be digging its own grave. "Although the outcome remains in doubt, as many Syrians still fear the prospect of chaos and sectarian strife in the event of abrupt change, the regime has significantly hurt its case through its brutal repression, half-hearted reform suggestions and squandered credibility."

Sabbah report [8]

Counting the cost of a Palestinian state

Always question the assumptions we live by: "Since the Palestine Liberation Organisation led by Yasser Arafat recognised the state of Israel over 20 years ago, the general framework for a claims-ending solution accepted by the Israeli and Palestinian leadership has been a deal that would create a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. But now.... " do the Palestinians want a state? Or, perhaps more importantly, should the Palestinians want a state? "