What's On Syrian Edition

So the reason I'm living in a basement in Sha'laan, one of the fanciest areas in Damascus, is that housing prices have risen 25-60% since last year due to Iraqi immigrants. I am paying only 12000 Syrian pounds (lira) for six weeks, so it sounds like I have a pretty good deal compared to what's on offer. The basement does have the occasional cockroach visitor, but I'm learning to love 'em. Well, tolerate at a broom end perhaps. I came back from Lebanon last Sunday (July 17) and saw nothing of the cross-border clashes. I did, however, see a 7-10 km line of trucks at the border. We thought it was perhaps just Syrian slowness in processing since what goes in must come out, and there was no such line waiting to enter Lebanon. progress sounds plausible.

That Friday we saw the Hezbollah memorial to the resistance fighters/suicide bombers in Ba'albek--sadly, only the outside as it was closed for Friday prayers. Apparently people expect Hezbollah to disarm. I don't think I would if I were them, since I had to listen to Lebanese Christians saying things like, "We just can't live together with Muslims because they don't shower as often as we do," or "Of course I haven't been to Damascus! Why would you go there?" (I don't know--because it's 80 km away and they've dominated your country for 25 years and it's a beautiful and historic city?) I might hesitate to go to Lebanon if I were Syrian, however, if the reports of