I really like the banner on top!

But my first thought was
Michael J Totten's Middle East Journal & misc.

with the "& misc" upper right sort of symmetric with your name.

This would be a good time to answer an identity question: do you really prefer Michael or Mike or MJT as a shorter familiar to Michael J Totten for your fans here?

Kind of interesting to think about your overheard quote "Responsibility kind of sucks, too" with respect to both Hamas and the US Dem Party (on national defense/ NSA ... but even corruption).

This Slovak morning looked ugly when the kids were going to school; now it's getting nicer. (I know nobody is really interested in Bratislava weather.)

Anyone have any ideas?

Michael Totten's Middle America &
                                     Middle East Journal

(With the "Middle America &" small next to your name.)

Tom,

I always introduce myself as Michael, never Mike. MJT works in writing, but not when talking.

Kind of interesting to think about your overheard quote "Responsibility kind of sucks, too" with respect to both Hamas and the US Dem Party

At least Democrats get booze and sex.

(And the Republicans aren't looking uber-responsible these days anyway. What's to like on that side these days?)

Since I'm pro-life, pro-tax cuts, pro-democracy -- the big three are still OK for me on the Reps.

I'm anti-pork, the Reps are mostly terrible AND hypocritical. The Dems are worse, but more honestly.

I'm anti-corruption, the elected Reps are lousy, yet the Dems not much cleaner -- and as far as an "opposition" to corruption goes, the Dems haven't called for any substantive measures to reduce endemic corruption (e.g. full budget transparency, identification of all earmarks). Dems only hate Bush-corruption, not gov't-corruption.

Corruption is what did Fatah in.

Aid teaches corruption.
Democracy needs term limits.
Both against Presidents for Life (FDR, Arafat), as well as Congressmen or Senators for Life (like Jerry Lewis in CA-41, or Kennedy, any Kennedy).

Couldn't you write more about your experiences with ME corruption, and attitudes towards it?

Also, I'm wondering how rampant the not-faithful-to-one woman vice is; you alluded to guessing it.

The omission of the J. was unintentional...

Couldn't you write more about your experiences with ME corruption, and attitudes towards it?

Here's an example. Until recently, high speed Internet was banned in Lebanon so the Lebanese/Syrian mafia could rip people off on cell phone charges. Banning high speed Internet effectively banned Skype and forced people to pay the most expensive cell phone bills in the world. They didn't even bother to hide this plot from people. You could read about it in the newspaper.

Also, a friend of mine opened a restaurant. Just before the place opened he got a phone call from the chief of police in the neighborhood inviting him over for a friendly dinner at the chief's house. At the end of the call the chief said "Oh, and bring 3,000 dollars in cash."

Also, I'm wondering how rampant the not-faithful-to-one woman vice is; you alluded to guessing it.

In Lebanon, it's not even considered a vice.

Leave the logo...

and add a table of contents or something to make it easier for newcomers to find your articles.

I often send people to your site.

Government in most of the Middle East can best be understood as institutionalized corruption. Rule by the Mafia. With a little bit of bread & circus. (Judeophobia is the circus.)

BTW, as I said before, you can write in your travelogue-style about local stuff too. It would work.

That's a great note about the chief of police and "corruption" -- in fact, ins't it really just undocumented taxation? And quite progressive, in that those with more certainly get asked for more.

Folks pay extortion for exactly the same reason as they pay taxes: protection.

Do the police, once bought, provide protection from other Mafias?

You want corruption.

Let's just say I know of some business people that wanted to start a rather BIG enterprise in the Chouf. Of course, local gov't wouldn't do anything. They needed Jumblatt's approval.

And Walid's approval, after a meeting, came at 51% ownership. Needless to say they told him to go to hell (actually they didn't. they just didn't do any BIG enterprise in the Chouf). And Walid is spearheading our anti-corruption government.

Makes you feel all nice inside. Perhaps Aoun is the man. Perhaps.

Something with a cat. Or many cats. Perhaps cats from each place you've been to show how we all have cats in common.

Michael - first your comment would make a nice short article in and of itself. I'm sure you've got a ton of similar stories which can give us a flavor of life in Lebanon, as well as the other ME countries you've visited. One of the advantages of blogging is every article doesn't have to be magazine quality, or detail, or excitement level. The little things that you won't get somewhere else make it facinating (as well as introductions and links to people like Perpetual Refugee and Big Pharoah, you've introduced me to voices that I otherwise would never have heard).

How about what you said yourself, Michael J. Totten's Eclectic Middle East Journal? Or "From the Middle East to the Far West"?

Anyone have any ideas?

MJT,

you could always go back to your roots. I've enjoyed your middle east reporting very much. But I've also missed your Liberal hawk, neocon take on things.

And Walid's approval, after a meeting, came at 51% ownership. Needless to say they told him to go to hell (actually they didn't. they just didn't do any BIG enterprise in the Chouf).

What keeps this under control? What keeps Walid from giving approval and then asking for 51%?

Michael, I agree with Akiva! Tidbits of life there are a window we do not get to see here in America. It seems, to you, like your mundane daily existance, but to those of us in America who've never lived in a middle eastern country, it's an eye-opener.

Michael, DagneyT is correct. I'm sure you have hundreds of stories. Of the everyday variety. I'm sure paying your phone bill in Beirut can sound rather exciting.

Joao, Walid keeps it all under control. He is a demi-god. The only thing he doesn't have power over (today, anyways) is Bashar Al-Assad. But ask me next week and the answer may be different.

"Totten's Lounge."

Since you seem to have an international readership you could rip off Andrew Sullivan's view from your window thing and change it to favorite thing in your city/town. (building, art work, nature etc...)

"Michael J. Totten: Thoughts, comments, asides, & observations."

I dunno. Just random thoughts. I like the idea of some stories of every day life, both in the ME & in Portland.

You'll probably be suffering some reverse culture shock now that you are home (speaking from experience - I lived in a very different culture for a couple of years). I think most people will find that interesting. And those little tales like the ones in the comment are fascinating to those who have never been there.

Leave the banner. You are now one of our windows to the Middle East. Deal. ;)

Hmm...maybe keep the title exactly as it is and just add a color-coded banner underneath it to keep us updated on where you are in the world.

My first idea for this would be to only have two banners total; a different color for each one, with one saying you're currently in the Middle East and the other saying you're currently not. You could light up the right one or maybe just swap them in and out so you only have one showing at any given time.

Then again, if you were willing to put more effort into it, you could just update it with whatever country you're currently in.

Either way, it's all a variation on the Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego theme and it keeps the popular current logo as a bonus, so why not the best of both worlds?

PS...that having been said, the only other idea I've heard so far that I like, if only for the fact it's completely out of left-field, is the one about cats.

Simple is always best.

Michael J. Totten's Journal

Papa Ray

I'm a little late coming to this party, but thought I'd throw in my two cents anyway. I liked "Michael Totten's Middle America & Middle East Journal", but think "Michael Totten's Journey" has a nice ring to it. It's not absolutely tied to literal travelling, and yet can go with you anywhere.

As to what you provide us for reading material, I'm in the camp that says pretty much anything you write makes me interested in what you're writing about. I've never seen a topic yet that you made seem mundane or unimportant. As a Portlander myself, I'd love to see you do some local exploration, and get to discover a few things here at home through your observations, but like the rest of the people who read your journal, I'll follow your travels wherever you end up.

I'd suggest Michael J. Totten's Meanders--fluid, wide-ranging, derived from the ancient name of a river in Asia Minor.

Michael,

You might want to blog for two months about quirks. They don't have to be serious.

Remember trying to send the fax, find the post office, getting pulled over at the checkpoint by the cop who wanted to see your passport (that really upset me), your neighbors, conversations with Wissam, servis, Brooks, L'O (you really should have gotten pictures of that place - it would totally surprise your audience), Patchi (although, I don't know if you remember heading over there during your first trip).

You really should write a post about all the oddball Westerners running around. Their strange need to live in Hezbollah occupied areas. Their complete lack of understanding of their milieu, and their anti-Christian sectarianism.

Most importantly, I think you should write a post on how you saw Lebanon change over the period you were there. Your understanding of the country increased greatly, but the country changed a lot: from 14 March spirit, to despondence, to building frenzies, to the party scene losing passion in coordination with political spirit.

I agree with labanon.profile

It would be interesting to hear some of the anecdotes that do not deal with one of your major pieces, but just your experiences as a westener in the Middle East.

How long did you live in Lebanon?

Elle,

Six months, plus a month-long stay a year ago.

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