Global Voices Online

Lebanese journalist Bassam Twaini presented a talk entitled The State of Online Journalism in the Arab World, at a conference in Cairo, Egypt, reports Saudi blogger Yaser Al Ghaslan [Ar], who was present at the event.

Lebanese Dr As'ad Abu Khalil, who lives in the US, writes: “A reader in Damascus tells me that my website is still blocked there. Maybe this will lift the ban: Down with the Syrian regime.”

From Lebanese singer Haifaa Wahbi to Libyan president Moammar Qaddafi to Hizbulla commander Hasan Nasrallah to Egyptian leader Jamal Abdil Nasser, Jordanian Hareega shares his list of the 10 most controversial figures in the Arab world.

Blogger LM, from Lebanon, tells us about Patchi, the famous Lebanese luxury chocolate-makers, who have launched the world’s most prestigious and expensive box of chocolate.

“It’s exciting that I can finally see the Maps of Lebanon, even the small village where I live got a label!” notes Elie El Khoury about Google Maps adding Lebanese maps with labels.

“Valet dude takes the car and parks it 2 meters away, they don't even let you park it yourself in some restaurants, they confiscate all parking spots by placing these yellow thingies, either you have to go park it back in your house or give it to them,” explains Liliane about the Lebanese laziness and dependency on valet parking.

“Mathematics is extracted from the physical world but refined by the human mind and then employed in the physical world in ways that are useful to the physical world … Mathematics lies in the human brain,” writes Lebanese Inner Circle, quoting Sir Michael F. Atiyah, renowned mathematician and Abel prize winner, in a post about Atiyah's lecture at the American University of Beirut.

“In the past, they see their glorious history, as it was them who made the Great Arab Revolt and fought the colonialist over centuries, and provided the revolutionaries with weapons wherever they were present. In the present, they only see marginalization and dependency,” notes Prof Rami Zurayk about the Bedouins of Lebanon.

“Fruit isn’t sectarian: there are no Maronite oranges, or Druze pears. So I can just see how fruit would have been a happy, happy choice for the Lebanese post office,” writes Diamond in Sunlight in the second of three posts about Lebanese stamps (post 1 and post 3), images included.