Jazz, Nectarines and Lebanese doom:

Raees, from the Good Neighbours blog reaches out for a happy end, while dreading another violent summer in Lebanon:

On a recent trip to south Lebanon, I had conversations with
a number of town council people who hoped for peace with Israel and the
incredible economic success it will bring. They also noted that Lebanon did not
have nectarines (the peach without fur) until they were transplanted from
Israel. There are rumors that the reason Qatar is sending so much aid to the
south is because they hope for peace between Israel and Lebanon. Allegedly,
Qatari businesspeople are trying to buy up tracts of land along Lebanon’s border
with Israel in the hopes of a massive payout when peace comes.

And Michael Totten scratches his head with gloomy prognostication:

Syria can, apparently, get away with just about anything. I could hardly blame Assad at this point if he believes, after such an astonishing non-response, that he can reconquer Beirut. So far he can kill and terrorize and invade and destroy with impunity, at least up to a point. What is that point? Has anyone in the U.S., Israel, the Arab League, the European Union, or the United Nations even considered the question?

Meanwhile, the Syrian government is evacuating its citizens from Lebanon in advance of…something they expect to happen after July 15, 2007.