Here’s an impromptu roll-up from some of the interesting things I’ve seen over the past few weeks – including a rare bottle of Singapore 70th Anniversary Hennessy Paradis Imperial. I’ll have a more complete Weekly Round-up tomorrow, but here’s a brief one for your idle–or not so idle–Thursday.

• Lots of activity in the Middle East last week, I think Seth sums up some of the issues best. Qatar’s CEO has finally spoken out, too. 
• Have you noticed how many different premium products there are lately? Like at the same few airlines? Confusing, isn’t it? John Walton argues that this is recipe for a poor passenger experience (PaxEx) and he’s right.
• Matt shares some tips for using data to support negotiations.
• Ed writes about the Mystery Mileage Bonus offer for American Airlines Advantage. I love shopping portals, but this one was a little lack luster. Still every little bit of extra miles is appreciated.
• If you’re a fan of Hennessy Paradis from flying Emirates First Class, I have news for you. Hennessy is releasing a special Singapore 70th Anniversary Hennessy Paradis Imperial bottle. It is a limited release, with only 70 bottles being made available!