This man now reports to you from Lebanon: "The young man said something sinister-sounding in Arabic. “Do you speak English?” I said." How dare the natives not speak and curse in English to the White Man? (thanks Emily)
PS Dane alerted me to this postscript by Totten: "Post-script: Adventures like this one aren’t exactly part of my job, but I’d rather not get roughed up in Beirut for free. If these dispatches are worth something to you, please consider a contribution and help make independent writing economically viable. And stay tuned for much more from Beirut and Baghdad. You can make a one-time donation through Pay Pal." So he wants to be paid to be roughed up in Arab cities?