Theodosia and the Pirates: Nassim Taleb

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Lebanon: Current Protests & the Glorious Past

When I think of Lebanon, I cannot help but think about tall cedars and free commerce and Phoenicians and the Land of Canaan. I think of Tyre and Sidon, but also of those who left. Often when I think about the Phoenicians, I also think of Carthage. A recent discussion with Julia Hanna on a livestream brought up both the past and the present.

I had been drawing Hannibal as part of the Inktober art challenge.

I also recently dined at That Lebanese Place, a restaurant whose name is self-explanatory.

When I was looking for the menus to use in my review, I came across a Facebook video depicting the recent protests in Lebanon that was posted by the owner of the restaurant. I shared that video with Julia, and she shared a video she had found of Nassim Taleb speaking in Arabic about current events in Lebanon. Julia and I decided to share this information with our viewers.

Watching the protesters enjoying barbecue and dancing in the streets to protest taxation, centralized banking and crushing national debt, I felt suddenly hopeful. Are these people more libertarian than we are?