Rabih Dagher

One by one, Lebanese designers are conquering catwalks across Europe. While many designers in Europe have faced problems due to the economic downturn, Lebanon’s fashion designers have had no shortage of work. They are thriving as the country profits from a year of political stability.

BBC correspondent Natalie Antelava reports below from Beirut on Lebanon’s bid to become the capital of the Middle East fashion world:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Hit by the downturn of the economy and a deep slide in American tourists, Montreal’s restaurant Taverne Crescent, located on Crescent street in the downtown area, is trying a new strategy to bring back customers: pay what you want.

So yesterday, lunch-hour customers were given the choice of an appetizer, plus either tagliatelle bolognese, salmon or braised beef, and coffee or tea, for whatever they wanted to pay. For a dollar even. Or nothing. George Pappas, the owner of the restaurant, says there is no catch for the ‘pay what you want’ deal. The restaurant is just trying to bring the ‘joie de vive’ back to the city. The deal is from Monday to Friday between 11 am and 3 pm.

This move follows a similar one this month by the London restaurant The Little Bay, and two years ago by the American restaurants One World Café in Salt Lake City and SAME (So All Might Eat) Café in Denver.

More about this in the interview below by CTV with George Pappas, the owner of Taverne Crescent. You can also visit the restaurant’s website at www.TaverneCrescent.com :

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

My first say was “Are you f*** kidding me?”

Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis have recently asked the congress for a $5 billion bailout for the adult industry. Francis said in a statement that “the US Government should actively support the adult industry’s survival and growth, just as it feels the need to support any other industry cherished by the American people.” They claim people are too depressed to have sex.

As it seems anybody now can ask for a bailout during this hard time. But I think I have a quicker and more viable solution for Larry and the industry: seek volunteers! I am sure thousands of volunteers would immediately offer their help “just for the sake of this industry”. If you were a guy, wouldn’t you want to be part of a Jenna Jameson movie?

Read the story at the CNN Political Ticker Blog.

Larry Flynt asking for a bailout