some guy in lebanon

You are browsing the archives of 2008 December.

Note (8/19/09) – This post has been getting a lot of attention recently due to a link from a blog called ‘Dances with Klingons‘ – So I wanted to add a remark. Something that I didn’t understand when I posted this article, is the degree to which it is possible, if you have no dependents, [...]

From the Daily Star, by Your’s Truly – Published on December 27th, 2008 – Click here for the original BEIRUT: A strategic partnership between Lebanese technology companies EDM and eSharing is breaking the “go-it-alone” status quo of the Middle East IT sector. eSharing will develop enterprise resource software that interfaces directly with EDM’s new Global [...]

Dear Israel, Congratulations. Since you’re so good at starving a caged population of almost a million and a half people to death and then, to add insult to injury, kill more people in one day than they’ve killed with their toy rockets in a year, only to be asked politely by the Bush Administration to [...]

Although I find their analysis a little hackneyed and sadly standard, this is a nice article about the current calm and the future challenges facing Lebanon. As Nick said, “Using an unknown business man as the central pillar of a tired argument does seem like a stretch.” From the article: Construction cranes dot Beirut’s Mediterranean [...]

Merry Christmas friends and family! Missing you all as I sit here with Nick, Catherine, Andrew, Fidelius and Meg. All my love, Will

By Yours Truly, Published in the Daily Star on December 24th, 2008 – Click here to see original BEIRUT: The Education’s Ministry decision to make intellectual property rights (IPR) the theme of its SchoolNet project in 2009 highlights the growing prioritization of anti-piracy initiatives in Lebanon. Education Minister Bahia Hariri delivered a speech to a [...]

A new story about intellectual property law is pending, and will run in tomorrow’s paper!

Checking out and going home – Hoping for a better day tomorrow but at the very least I got my story done…

Is it just me, or am I almost out of money and lacking any type of guarantee that the Daily Star is going to make a move to make me, you know, solvent? Holding the line here in Beirut… but it’s feeling a little like the Alamo…

Writing two stories for the paper right now, one on Intellectual Property Law and Enforcement in Lebanon, and the other on Open Source Technology in the Levant

The wanderer is at the feast of Saint John, with its tents, archery contests and country food. Suddenly, a clown begins to mimic his gestures. People laugh, and the wanderer laughs, as well, and invites the clown to have coffee with him. “Commit to life!” says the clown. “If you are alive, you have to [...]

Thank God it’s the weekend – Here’s hoping things will pick up next week!

Bleh! I am so not in the mood to be doing this intern crap – Why am I the only person who can get a PDF document to convert to text? And why does that process have to take sooooo long?

I spent this afternoon at Microsoft Lebanon’s beautiful offices in Downtown Beirut, discussing Open Source Technology, software piracy, and several Microsoft initiatives. Their publicist also sort of offered me a job…! Prior to my meeting I had lunch with Nick in Martyr’s Square – We didn’t have much to say to each other, but it [...]

So Bernard Madoff has admitted that the Financial Services and Management division of his company is essentially an enormous Ponzi Scheme. $50 Billion U.S. is at stake, as are the subsequent investments of hundreds of millions of dollars hedged on money, debt, and guarantees from Madoff’s organization. In the end, charities are being closed, and [...]

A simple update – Life is getting both more and less complex in Beirut – More complex as my job evolves into more and more of a consulting position, less complex as I get to know the city better and settle into a routine… Other than that, there’s isn’t too much to report – I’m [...]

I know I haven’t been good at keeping up this week but things are well. Thought I would share a photo of this amazing car I saw on Gemayze St as well, and a sight of Eckhart Tolle on Hamra St:

This is a great little article I stumbled upon thanks to Reddit – A quote: In my defense, usually what happens is that the thing is described to me in general, vague terms and it sounds great, and I say, “sounds great!” and then I see the thing a little bit closer, and it’s awful, [...]

You’ll find a deck of pictures from my trip to the Cedar Reserve in Shouf, Lebanon, here: http://williamcurtisdonovan.com/photos/?album=1&gallery=10 – the first half of the gallery is of pictures on the way from Beirut to the Reserve, with some amazing pictures of the Shouf area where Karma is from. There will be a second gallery shortly [...]

This afternoon I took the time to import my blog that I kept while I was in Jordan. You can now find all the posts at http://www.williamcurtisdonovan.com/category/jordan This way everything’s in one spot and I should get a noticable boost from the content. It is funny to look back on all those posts – In [...]

Was looking for something more straightforward and utilitarian. This just sort of came to mind – thanks to the guys at theme hybrid for making the transition so easy – Things are well in Beirut. Still waiting for decisions from on high but other things have kept my attention. I have some photos to share [...]

Link to the Original Article, Published December 5th, 2008, Daily Star BEIRUT: Lebanon is well-positioned to offer web development, digital marketing, and information technology services to local, regional and international clients, according to several owners and partners of companies in and around Beirut. These experts agreed that Lebanon’s global position for IT services, outsourcing and [...]

Link to Original Article Published in the Daily Star, Published December 3rd, 2008 BEIRUT: The American University of Beirut (AUB) on Monday welcomed esteemed Harvard Business School professor John Quelch for a discussion on the ramifications and theories of his most recent book, “Greater Good: How Good Marketing Makes for Better Democracy.” Quelch, the senior [...]

I have a lot on my mind, but I have no way to spit it out right now. Instead, I want to share the lyrics of this song that has meant so much to my life: The Bravery – Believe The faces all around me they don’t smile they just crack Waiting for our ship [...]

Hamra pub has weathered 44 years of wars and sieges By yours truly – This is the most fun I’ve ever had writing anything. Ever. Pictures are my own and were not featured in the original article. Click here for the Original Article from the Daily Star, Published December 2nd, 2008 BEIRUT: The speakers filter [...]