Monday, July 11, 2005

"M" is now on board!

Fellow bloggers and readers,

As most of you know, I have been in Lebanon over the past week. And one of the things all of us do when we return home after long absences is visit and chat with old friends. It is always a great experience, and one of those things that I have grown to cherish and look forward to over time.

"M", or rather, Hassan, is one of those friends who I visit every time I return to Lebanon. Aside from his personal traits as an individual, which I consider to be optimal, he is also one of the most interesting persons I can talk to. Two days ago, for example, we sat down in the Starbucks, Verdun for more than two hours. It goes without saying: I was doing most of the listening.

Right before I got up to leave, I asked Hassan if he could become a contributing member of The Lebanese Bloggers. The job that prevented him from expressing his political opinions had become the stuff of the past, and I felt that we could all benefit from one more articulate (and more importantly, distinct) Lebanese voice on the blogosphere.

As all of us will realize in due time, Hassan will offer another unique perspective. His advantage over most of us is that he actually lives in Lebanon, and has access to information and analyses that all of us crave for. Therefore, I welcome him as a most positive addition to The Lebanese Bloggers website, and I really look forward to his contributions, as well as to the verbal duels that both of us will inevitably engage in.

Hassan: Welcome Aboard!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Allow me to be the first in welcoming M to the lebanese bloggers, I am looking forward to reading his opinion on the various issues beying debated here especially after having read extracts from his email posted here a few months back!

Pat

Hassan said...

Thanks again Doha and Pat. I hope the time zone difference doesn't make you think I'm taking the blog lightly. Remember, I have an afternoon job, and try to get some sleep at night, so most of my comments will be during the Beirut morning. Other than that, all looks well already. This is definitely deeper and more informative than I thought.

Anonymous said...

Hassan,
I might be reading too far into things here but it just occured to me your previous job might have been in "wizaret el ittisalat". Am I way off the mark? :-)
If I guessed correctly can you shed some light on the state of things in the ministry, more specifically the internet (recent talks of high speed connection by the minister) and GSM (what is happening with the new operators any short-medium plans ?)

Pat

Hassan said...

Pat, don't worry it wasn't in that ministry. as for what i know, i think i heard that our IT infrastructure will undergo a conisderable boom soon. of course it's all depending on a lebanese economic re-incarnation, in itself a consequence of the politics we are trying to fiddle with.

Ecce Libanus said...

M.. Leila here! first time poster, long time reader. Will be looking forward to your comments from The Land. I've been living and breathing Lebanon (by proxy, through my parents) for a short 19 years! Never actually been!
I look forward to your insights.