Things can unravel very quickly. On Sunday, we woke up to the news that the Beirut suburb of Shiyah had been rocketed, while later that day missiles were fired into Israel. And as I write this column, I am reading about the murder of three Lebanese soldiers in the eastern border town of Arsal on Monday night. What next?
Even Lebanese optimism has its limits and any hope we had of rescuing the tourist season must surely now have evaporated. Tourist figures were down 15 per cent in the first quarter and that was before Hizbollah announced it had joined the Syrian civil war on the side of the Assad regime. Still, as one waggish taxi driver pointed out, given the number of Syrian cars on the roads of Beirut, we already have all the tourists we need. If only it were that simple.
Our politicians appear oblivious to the impact all this is having on both the economy and investor confidence. Banking deposits may be growing, probably due to inflows from Syria, our balance of payments deficit has narrowed to US$62 million, down from $373m in the same period of last year, and the Central Bank is boasting about its foreign currency reserves ensuring monetary stability. But all this cannot mask the sense of dread in near-empty shops and restaurants. What is worrying is that even with a strong government, holding Lebanon together would be challenging. As it is we don't even have one.
And spare a thought for Tripoli, which has become a battleground for pro- and anti-Assad militias and where the local economy is on the canvas, with business activity falling by 80 per cent in recent weeks. The Lebanese in their infinite wisdom appear happy to let Tripoli absorb all of the sectarian tension, a sentiment that was shared with me in the elevator the other day by my neighbour in Beirut. "Business is good," he said cheerfully looking up from his mobile phone, "as long as the fighting stays in Tripoli", he cautioned before skipping off to the gym.
His is an attitude shared by many Lebanese entrepreneurs and on one level it is, one could argue, an admirable trait to not let a bit of bloodshed stand in the way of getting on with life. In 2006, while south Beirut and the south of the country were being reduced to rubble, the rest of the country just cracked on. The bars and cafes were full; the supermarket shelves well stocked and the ladies who lunch were never anything other than magnificently coiffed.
This defiance of not only being able to live, but also thrive, in the face of death and destruction makes us vulnerable to reality checks and I fear that today, not only is Lebanon marching towards another potentially catastrophic conflict but we are doing so blinded or at the very least blinkered by our dangerous sense of immortality.
My friend Nadir Shehadi, a political analyst who lives in London and so has been weaned off the Lebanese Kool-Aid, told us on Sky News the other night what most of us know but refuse to accept. That we have 1 million Syrian refugees and that the fighting from that miserable country is eating away like a plague of locusts at what is left of our, albeit eccentric, economic model.
But it is also a human story. Ali, the Syrian gardener who has looked after my land for seven years, poked his head around the corner the other day to say hello.
When I asked him about his family - he is father to six children - which he sees for only a few months a year when he returns to Syria, he said that he had heard nothing in two months and had no idea where they were. How does one respond to an answer like that? As we sat on the steps looking out at the Kesrwan hills, I broke the silence. "You know Ali, sometimes not hearing anything is good".
"Yes. I know," he replied, staring straight ahead. "I don't think anyone is dead."
Michael Karam is a freelance writer based in Beirut
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
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The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
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Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
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Price: From Dh98,800
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
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Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
ELIO
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The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
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