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..

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.

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??)

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?

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..

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.

the month of Ramadan has become an occasion for extravagant spending on everything from lavish evening meals to crystal bowls to cosmetic surgery in Lebanon, a country famed for its “see and be seen” attitude [...] Prominent Beirut families and socialites compete over who can host the most lavish iftars, and night-long feasts are not uncommon, often landing on the pages of glossy magazines.

I don’t know what it is about religious occasions that were originally intended to be ascetic affairs. Whether It’s Christmas, Easter or Ramadan, it suddenly becomes about who can get the most expensive gifts and buy the most expensive meals..

there is nothing like living in the dark and 100 per cent humidity with no AC to create a sense of community spirit. No longer did one have to overcome the awkward silence in elevators (when they worked) by staring blankly at the cell phone. Now neighbours could complain about the state of the nation for a few seconds and then feel much better about pretending to send texts.

Looking at the bright side of a dark situation..

Gentries, 48, said he had absolutely no interest in exposing himself to further knowledge of Islamic civilization or putting his sweeping opinions into a broader context of any kind, and confirmed he was “perfectly happy” to make a handful of emotionally charged words the basis of his mistrust toward all members of the world’s second-largest religion.

Funny if it weren’t so common. Rarely have the fictional characters of the Onion sounded so real.

as much as Taha says he loves Palestine, he cannot envision himself there. He says he has been here so long, he is different than his brother who remained behind. He says the refugees have become what they have become. Unlike his relatives in Israel, he says the refugees cannot live with the Israelis. [...] He would just like to be allowed to set up business outside the camp. He says he is Lebanese.

Cynics will say that of course the Voice of America would feature people like Taha because America’s interest is in pressuring Lebanon to take in the Palestinians. Christian parties like the FPM, the LF and the Phalanges always maintained that there’s an international conspiracy to nationalize the Palestinians in Lebanon, and Muslims play along to pay lip service to the Palestinian cause

But the anecdotal reality in not far from where Taha is. In fact I’m surprised that the Lebanese just take it for granted that Palestinians who were born in Lebanon and who lived all their lives here would like to go somewhere else and call it home.. The Lebanese should have a real strategy when it comes to the final regional settlement, and not just stick their heads in the sands.

While I was researching my previous post, I found out that Arthur Block, the Nethreland-based journalist Now Lebanon contracted for that interview is an interesting fellow in his own right.

He was the subject of an Aljazeera Documentary called “Children of the Cedars”:

Arthur Block has always been haunted by his adoption from Lebanon when he was just six months old. Now, he is determined to lay some ghosts to rest.He was adopted from Lebanon in 1976 – a year after the civil war started and while disorder and corruption was rife.

Twenty-seven years after being adopted into a loving Dutch family, he decided to travel back to Beirut to piece together his past.When he takes desperate measures to track down his biological mother the story takes a powerful turn leaving Arthur faced with some very difficult decisions.

Children of the Cedars follows Arthur’s search for his parents, the truth and himself.

Interesting stuff. Do check the video.

Many of the dailies are wondering: Why did the prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) choose a news website to deliver a page-1 headline scoop interview?

Lebanese newspapers are still far from disrupted by the internet, and you can sense that their attitude was more “WTF” than “Shit I’m screwed.” Some Hezbollah-friendly newspapers pounced on the fact that Now Lebanon is close to March 14, and the wild-eyed conspiracy theorists are probably gearing up to use this as proof that both the STL and Now Lebanon are “American controlled bodies.”

While I’m personally a strong supporter of web journalism and of Now Lebanon (I have many friends who work there), I can’t help but find Mr. Bellemare’s choice at best naive and at worst impetuous. He needlessly opened the door to speculations about political preference and access control, when he could have simply communicated his position in a press release or, if he must talk, a press conference.

I’m happy that Now Lebanon got the scoop, but Mr. Bellemare should have known that in such an explosive political environment, the messenger is as important as the message.

Sometimes she will plan to go to the market herself when she knows the elevator will be running, so that she does not have to carry the groceries or butane tank up the stairs.[...] She makes just enough food for what the kids will eat so that she won’t have any leftovers, because her refrigerator is usually off [...] Her choice of where to spend the day depends on whether there is electricity for her to ride the elevator up to her son’s second-floor apartment.

A Daily humiliation familiar to many Lebanese of this generation and of the previous one.