"Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Still Face Peril"- NYTimes.com

One of the massive challenges facing those who cross many Mediterranean borders.

"Va bene?! La Germania in italiano – Italien auf deutsch" - Goethe-Institut

I wish that I could attend!

"Easing Debt Crisis Will Take Time, E.U. Official Warns" - NYTimes.com

How much more downgrading will we see?

"Greek Workers Start Two-Day Anti-Austerity Strike" - NYTimes.com

I wonder how many more strikes we will see....

"Journalists join strike in Greece before austerity vote" - Daily Tar Heel

How do we get a fuller picture of this?

"Italy’s Interior Minister Anticipates More Unrest" - NYTimes.com

The Mediterranean has witnessed a broad diversity of "unrest" in the past year, not to mention centuries. I wonder how we can put it all into some perspective? The odd report of a protest here or there does not do a very good job of telling what is a complex story.

"California’s Olive Oils Challenge Europe’s" - NYTimes.com

Is it time for a blind taste test competition - the Mediterranean v. the rest of the world?

"Hillary Clinton Meets With New Libyan Leaders in Tripoli" - NYTimes.com

How do we collect informaiton on what all countries are doing by way of assistance to Libya today?

"Milan Court Throws Out Berlusconi Tax Fraud Case" - NYTimes.com

What sorts of cases are pending against other Mediterranean leaders?

"Tunisia Elections Roiled by Dispute Over the Film ‘Persepolis’" - NYTimes.com

It's so hard for some of us to appreciate why this sort of thing happens, but we need to keep trying to understand better.

"Head of French Spy Agency Faces Inquiry" - NYTimes.com

A very important case, not just for France but for the whole Mediterranean.

"Ilan Grapel, American Held in Egypt as Israeli Spy, Could Be Freed in Prisoner Swap" - NYTimes.com

American citizens, as well as French, and every other nationality, must be very careful - as well as having good intentions - in traveling the Mediterranean these days.

"Greece’s Bloated Bureaucracy Defies Efforts to Cut It" - NYTimes.com

The pile of things we don't understand fully continues to grow ever higher.

"Israel and Palestinians Begin Prisoner Exchange" - NYTimes.com

How many prisoners are being helf across national borders in the Mediterranean?

"King Abdullah II of Jordan Fires His Government" - NYTimes.com

We are getting to think of huge government changes as being almost normal. That's not a good idea.

"In Cairo Quarter, Islamists Try to Profit From Revolution" - NYTimes.com

Increased democracy is surely not a path to the predictable.

"In Italy, Recrimination Follows Rome Riots" - NYTimes.com

How much more of this are we going to see around the Mediterranean?

"Italy Strengthens Universities in South to Blur Economic Divide" - NYTimes.com

I can imagine a Mediterranean Media Center meeting on the universities of the Mediterranean and how they relate in so many ways to the region's media.

Vive L'Union - NYTimes.com

Vive L'Union - NYTimes.com

"Egypt Withdraws as Host" - The New York Times

Sports and the Mediterranean deserve so much more attention on every level, not just the reports of big matches, but behind the scenes as well.