Maxime Chaya Book Signing/Presentation in Dubai

A big thank you to my wife for the information (who also is great fan of Maxime Chaya):

The Consulate General of Lebanon, and the Saint Joseph University Alumni take pleasure in inviting you to experience

‘An Inspirational Journey’ by Maxime Chaya

An amazing message of courage and determination that led him to the Seven Summits of the world and both Poles.

The reception will be held at the Consulate General of Lebanon in Dubai on Wednesday March 31, from 8:00pm.

Maxime will share visuals, footage and mementos of his adventures to the world’s highest summits and will be pleased to sign his book STEEP DREAMS: My Journey to the Top of the World

Maxime Reaches the North Pole

Check out these great posts:

• Protect Your Skin, But Don’t Show It
• Making Big Bucks and Paying It Up
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Arms Stretched in Corruption

What do yo get when you cross a Lebanese millionaire and a British politician? Well, whatever it is, it can’t be good:

David Cameron was yesterday challenged to come clean over “shadowy” donations from a company owned by an ex-arms dealer. Lebanese billionaire Fouad Makhzoumi’s firm has given £100,000 in the last four years. As an overseas resident, Mr Makhzoumi is not allowed to fund the Conservatives directly. Instead, cash has been donated through the British arm of his company, Future Pipe Industries.

Future Pipe Industries is actually a Dubai-based company but, Makhzoumi’s biography has no mention of arms dealing (no surprise there). Though I must say, that’s quite alot of money for the leader of the opposition. Wonder what he expected in return?

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But He Called Me Stupid

You’d think after you’ve crossed the threshold of age 8, you shouldn’t experience such childish behavior:

 A Lebanese man recounted in court on Tuesday how his ex-boss libelled him on Facebook and claimed he incurred “enormous damages” on what he described as the UAE’s primary e-social networking tool…”The suspect, who posted the comments, called me bad names such as thief and stupid,” the Lebanese claimant, A.R., told Presiding Judge Ebrahim Khalil Abu Shamma yesterday.

You think that’s bad, here’s what his Syrian ex-boss had to say:

“Your Honour, please let me explain what happened. I had a partnership with his brother in a restaurant … later I discovered that he was stealing the money from the cashier. He also used to inform customers that the restaurant had been sold and that I had nothing to do with the restaurant anymore. His behaviour provoked me and that’s why I posted the comments on Facebook.”

If you have kids, you’re all probably familiar with the “He Called Me Stipud…Well, He Started It” song and dance. I guess you never really grow out of it.

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Lebanon Island Under Construction

No, I’m not talking about the Cedar Island project off Lebanon’s coast; I’m talking about the Lebanon Island project off Dubai’s coast. Indian national, Mr. Wakheel Ahmed, the owner of the island plans to construct:

…a resort comprising 76 suites, 10 water cottages, a health club, a swimming pool, restaurants and suite rooms.

Work on the project is expected to begin next month.

Lebanon Island - The World Dubai

Though, it doesn’t really sound like Lebanon, right? Where are the minuscule road ‘networks’ (I use that word ever so loosely) and the building-to-building neighborhoods? What about the nice and shiny smokestack power plants that primarily produce smoke with electricity as a by-product?

Oh well, I guess you can’t beat the original design.

Check out these great posts:

• Protect Your Skin, But Don’t Show It
• Maxime Chaya Book Signing/Presentation in Dubai
• Making Big Bucks and Paying It Up

GeekFest Coming to Beirut

Alexander from Fake Plastic Souks has the news:

Yesterday we committed to running GeekFest in Beirut, Lebanon. The plan is to hold the first event at the end of January 2010 – Saadia and I will be working with the amazing (to steal a catchphrase) Alexandra Tohme, whom many will know from her work at Zawya Dow Jones, to pull the event together. We’re very much in the back seat on this, Alex is driving it and owning it and is to blame for it in every way. In fact, Saadia and I are really just there to take the credit and will obviously disown Alex in a nanosecond if it isn’t all just awesome. Alex is better known on Twitter as @alexzawya.

GeekFest Beirut will be the same as Dubai. UNorganised. And it will be bloody fantastic.

As Alexander states in a previous post, GeekFest is

“billed as an offline social for online socialisers, the get together is resolutely un-organised, has absolutely no objectives whatsoever and features no sponsors, PowerPoint presentations, speeches or other form of corporatised torture.”

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• LV to LB
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