The Road To Rubda

beer pong

2008-12-08T19:05:00.001+03:00

If this isn't computer generated magic, then I'm impressed.

a bright future? i doubt it.

2008-11-30T11:39:00.004+03:00

Yesterday I watched two little boys -- 10 or 11 years old -- walk out of the local Dolce & Gabbana store here. One of the boys was carrying a bag from the store his new purchase. In the bag? A pair of sunglasses. The price? I'm guessing several hundred dollars.

I suppose this boy's future is so bright that he needs a pair of D&G sunglasses to shade his young eyes.

got pirate problems? here's a solution...

2008-11-23T16:53:00.005+03:00

got $2 million to spare? buy a new phone number!

2008-11-23T11:34:00.002+03:00

From a weekend newspaper here. I'm curious to know which "charity" will be receiving these funds.

A phone number worth QR7.5m
Web posted at: 11/21/2008 1:48:10
Source ::: THE PENINSULA

DOHA: An easy-to-remember mobile phone number — 6000000 — was sold for QR7.5m ($2.06m) during an auction organised by Qatar Telecom (Qtel) on Wednesday.

The auction, held at the Four Seasons Hotel, was attended by a large number of people, mainly businessmen, who fancy owning easy-to-remember and unique numbers.

As many as 51 mobile phone numbers beginning with the digit six were offered for sale at the auction, according to a local Arabic daily.

The Subscriber Identity Module card for the number was handed over in a ceremony to the successful bidder, a national who requested his identity not be disclosed.

The number 6000002 attracted the second-highest bid of QR3.3m.

Several such auctions have been held by Qtel. The most notable was the auction held in May 2006, when the mobile phone number 6666666 was sold for QR10m ($2.75m), setting a world record for the most expensive mobile

phone number.

Funds collected from such auctions are donated to local charities.

cardio fitness tip #1: bring your maid and mercedes along

2008-11-21T08:36:00.007+03:00

I am witness to some unusual sights while doing my regular run at a nearby sports complex. I follow a 5km running path that circles the entire property. Beyond this running path there are various streets that essentially form an even wider ring around the place.

This morning, joining me on the path, were two ladies walking very slowly. Discretion prevents me from describing them or their clothing any further. But I first noticed them when I spotted their maid (who I realized had been following behind them at a respectable distance) make a fast dash to a nearby Mercedes for what appeared to be an emergency water bottle.

Even in this culture, this came as a surprise to me. I know many of the young ladies in local colleges like to bring their maids to class with them to carry books, take notes, read answers to tests on secret cell phone headsets, etc. And of course every self respecting woman needs her maid along while shopping, to carry the bags, take the chocolate bar from the shelf and put it in the grocery cart, etc.

But today's sighting was something new altogether...bringing your maid along while exercising to fetch juice and cold towels.

About 25 minutes later I passed them again. These two gals were soldiering on...determined to get some exercise. The maid was, of course, dutifully plodding along behind them carrying more emergency water. And the Merecedes? It was inching (and I mean INCHING) along behind this trio on the ring road about 100 feet away.

warning: stay off elevators in Bahrain!

2008-11-16T12:29:00.002+03:00

Bahrain wins this week's award for setting the bar to a new low for of the abuse of human and labor rights. Some days I wonder how low this bar can actually go before hitting the ground. But I'm sure before that ever happens, someone will hire a guy for 50 cents a day to dig a hole to China to ensure there's always more room below for that bar to go.

Workers survive 45-floor fall
Web posted at: 11/15/2008 5:45:27
Source ::: IANS

DUBAI: Eleven workers in Bahrain had a miraculous escape when an elevator they were asked to test in a newly constructed building fell 45 floors to the ground.

The workers were reportedly asked to act as human weights in the new elevator at a residential tower in Manama on Thursday when the incident occurred.

“The men were ordered to enter the elevator to be human weights to check if the elevator would hold their weight,” the Gulf Daily News quoted sources as saying. “Though they protested, it fell on deaf ears,” it added.

The men were later treated in a hospital for neck, back and leg injuries. A doctor at the Salmaniya Medical Complex said the workers were lucky to be alive.

Bahrain’s labour ministry as well as the lift contractor have launched separate investigations into the incident.I

high speed amboseli

2008-11-14T09:40:00.002+03:00

My friend Paul just posted this little video clip on YouTube. He's calling it Amboseli Nitro and it was shot last month when we were camping and ballooning in Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya. At the end of our weekend, on our way out of the park, we took the off-road option across a dry lake bed. It was an wide open, empty space and we could drive as fast as we wanted. You can see me at the end, fiddling with my iPod, looking for some music. Good times.

ballsy indeed

2008-11-09T21:43:00.002+03:00

I want to become a motivational speaker and use this for a speech title. Believe it or not, this photo is actually a real book cover. Love it!

tennis on a deserted island

2008-11-04T09:46:00.003+03:00

Today the Women's Professional Tennis Association year-end tournament begins here in Doha. The top eight singles players in the world are here to slug it out for $4.5 million in prize money. I have near court-side seats for the entire thing, but I would have also enjoyed seeing this little warm-up volley between two of the players. This picture was taken yesterday at Palm Tree Island out in Doha Bay. You can't tell from the photo, but the island is really tiny. And, ironically, has no palm trees. And it's normally completely off-limits to visitors. But some clever PR person thought it would be fun to build a temporary tennis court out there and stage a photo opp. It was a brilliant idea. I saw it all on CNN International this morning.

there's a winner in all of us

2008-11-03T17:24:00.000+03:00

camping and ballooning in Amboseli

2008-10-27T20:33:00.006+03:00

It's been over a month since my last post and I owe what few readers I have a huge apology. My only excuse is that I've been traveling for almost that entire time and finding the time to update my blog has at times been difficult.

My first stop on this trip was Kenya. I asked some friends in Nairobi to take me camping and we agreed on Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya...right at the base of the spectacular Mount Kilimanjaro...towering over 19,000 feet above the African plains. It was indeed a spectacular setting for our humble camp.

Coming to Africa to see the animals is the very first exotic travel dream I had as a child. I read the books, saw the pictures, and watched Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on TV. I knew that someday I would go to Africa and see it all for myself. My first trip to Africa was in 2002 (Uganda and Sudan) and since then have been back many times. And I've even been on a couple of safaris and seen some animals. But never any lions. And that was what this weekend was about. Show me the lions!!

And I saw them. Nine of them, to be exact.

This lion was considerate enough to kill and eat his wildebeast breakfast right next to the road. We were the second vehicle on the scene and had front row seats from 25 feet away. As you can see, he's sucked the eye of the eyeball out. We saw and heard every juicy moment of that. Very cool.
Amboseli National Park is famous for its hundreds of elephants. They are everywhere. And at times it's almost impossible get shoot a picture without one of them in the background. A good problem to have! Here a family of elephants kindly marched across the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro for us. A classic safari moment.

The circle of life. These carcases were everywhere. And so it goes. Sorry Mr. Zebra.

We camped under this acacia tree. Although it was technically in a public campground with a fence around it, this meant nothing. An elephant walked right past our campsite and there were huge mounds of elephant droppings everywhere around us. So, if an elephant could manage to get through the flimsy fence, we figured a lion would have no trouble at all. Sadly, that little moment of African adventure did not happen. Maybe next time!

Some people pay thousands of dollars to stay in luxury camps with elaborate meals and hot showers. We did not. Unfortunately, we had taken down our tents by the time I took this photo on our last morning in Amboseli.

Certainly one of the highlights of the weekend was a hot air balloon ride we did early one morning as the sun was coming up. I've been to Africa countless times, but few experiences there have equaled the thrill of seeing the sun rise over the African plains from 11,000 feet floating overhead in a hot air balloon. It's been a dream of mine for many years to do this and I wasn't disappointed. It was a truly spectacular and utterly exhilerating experience.

This is Mount Kilimanjaro from 11,ooo feet. We broke through the clouds, the sun came up...and there it was...the highest point in Africa directly in front of us for our own private viewing. It was a breathtaking moment that I will never forget.

This is the company we ballooned with:
Airborne African Antics
www.kilimanjaroballooning.co.ke
I very highly recommend them. It's worth every darn penny.

This is Shelly, our pilot that morning. She's the best. Ask for her. Not only is she a highly skilled pilot, she's a lot of fun and really, truly seems to enjoy her job. She gets to make people's dreams come true every morning -- what's not to love about that?

This is what Shelly told us is a pilot's halo. It's hard to see, but there is actually a rainbow around the shadow of our basket. Very cool.

After we landed, we enjoyed an amazing champagne breakfast right there in the bush. A support vehicle followed along behind as we drifted over the plains and then set up breakfast for us after we landed. Every morning is a different spot of course. But I doubt there would be any finer place to set a table than the one we had. Chefs and waiters in white jackets served us. Our group sat around the table for a couple hours...laughing, telling stories, and reminiscing about the incredible experience we had all just shared. This picture does not do this setting justice at all. Yes, that is Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. And yes, we are eating breakfast and drinking champagne right there. Does a morning in Kenya really get any better than this?

Great friends. Great times. Great memories. Thanks, Chris and Paul, for making my dream come true!

Next year...whale sharks!

an experienced man in Africa

2008-09-25T16:05:00.003+03:00

Tomorrow I leave on a trip to Kenya. This time I'll be camping in Amboseli Park in southern Kenya, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. I'll leave you with this.

don't let your ass get thrown in jail

2008-09-22T16:20:00.001+03:00

Egypt donkey jailed for theft

Donkey gets 24 hours in jail for stealing corn while owner gets off with 50 Egyptian pounds fine.

CAIRO - An Egyptian donkey has been jailed for stealing corn on the cob from a field belonging to an agricultural research institute in the Nile Delta, local media reported on Thursday.

The ass and its owner were apprehended at a police checkpoint that had been set up after the institute's director complained that someone was stealing his crops, the state-owned Al-Ahram daily said.

The unnamed ungulate was found in possession of the institute's corn and a local judge sentenced him to 24 hours in prison. The man who had his ass thrown in jail got off with a fine of 50 Egyptian pounds (nine dollars, six euros).

dancing in the tokyo streets

2008-09-15T22:01:00.003+03:00

This is an absolute must-see! This Stormtrooper has some amazing moves. It all makes me miss Japan very, very much. Watch them all. Absolutely brilliant!

a morning on the water

2008-09-13T07:10:00.006+03:00

I love the water. On it. Under it. Next to it. And I do love boats. Yesterday morning I joined my friends Joe and Shane on Joe's 33 foot motor boat here. We went to Banana Island, a tiny little thing located several miles off shore. I'd been here before on a sailboat, but this time we dropped anchor, opened some beverages, and went for a swim. The water was warm and, mercifully, free of any jelly fish.

code name: thunder balls

2008-09-07T14:50:00.002+03:00

Hilarious!

40% of Qatari children have diabetes

2008-09-07T14:17:00.005+03:00

Today one of our newspapers is reporting that 40% of Qatari children suffer from diabetes. This is an outrageous -- but believable -- statistic. Even though the population of Qataris is low (approximately 250,00 - 300,000), there are a still lot of kids here with the disease. As you'd expect, experts are attributing a sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits, and hereditary genetic factors to the epidemic of diabetes here.

According to one source I found, childhood diabetes isn't common. But as this local figure suggestions, there is a variation amongst countries. For example,

in England and Wales 17 children per 100,000 develop diabetes each year
in Scotland the figure is 25 per 100,000
in Finland it's 43 per 100,000
in Japan it's 3 per 100,000.

A bad start to Ramadan for one local driver

2008-09-03T15:30:00.002+03:00

This insanity happened across the street from my house yesterday afternoon. To say this vehicle "met with an accident" is quite the understatement. My compound is next to one of Doha's last great speed tracks. One section of the road (perhaps 2km in length) is free of any of those pesky traffic cameras or round-abouts to slow you down. I walked around this crash site last night to get a better look and am very surprised this driver survived.
----------------------------------------------

YOUTH HURT IN CRASH

Published: Wednesday, 3 September, 2008, 02:00 AM Doha Time

YOUTH HURT IN CRASH: The wreck of a four-wheel drive vehicle that met with an accident near the Qatar Scientific Club in Messaimeer yesterday.

According to police, a young Qatari man was seriously injured in the crash that occurred at about 4.30pm. PICTURE: Jayaram

road kill. sort of.

2008-08-28T13:46:00.003+03:00

Have you ever wondered how many badgers and gators get hit by airplanes every year in the United States? Not to mention all those birds?

Check this out: http://wildlife.pr.erau.edu/database/select_iv.php

hi-ho. hi-ho. it's off to work we go. or not.

2008-08-28T11:50:00.004+03:00

This is a link to an article that appeared in one of our local papers the other day. It's an excellent look at an important aspect of the employment situation here in the Gulf. Most Gulf states are campaigning hard to get their citizens to join the work-force. Some countries, like Qatar, have set hiring quotas on companies doing business here. In other words, a certain percentage of their staff must be Qatari. I support this idea, however, with a small local population, meeting these goals can be a challenge.

There are other unique challenges as well...some of which are discussed in this article. Others of which can't be discussed here. But read this article and you'll start to get the picture.

But progress is being made. I've noticed it most obviously in Oman, where it's not unusual to have an Omani cab driver or barista in a Starbucks. Here in Qatar, that isn't happening quite yet.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/24/AR2008082401663.html

Sudanese requirements

2008-08-24T17:20:00.003+03:00

This is a local store I drove by last week. It makes me laugh. I wonder what they sell? Things required for working/living in Sudan? What would that be -- patience, a gun, and a cow? From extensive personal experience, I can attest that all three would come in very handy there.

Any other suggestions?

Too hot to scuba dive?

2008-08-23T16:20:00.002+03:00

Yesterday I went scuba diving at 6:00 a.m.

I'm taking an PADI Advanced Open Water course and my instructor suggested we meet early in the day, rather than later, because of the heat. However I don't know that this weekend was any hotter than last weekend when I started this course and we dove in the afternoon.

Summer is the worst possible time to dive here because what little there is to see here is virtually obscured by hot, murky water. The water temps right now are over 35C. Not pleasant. Plus there are loads of jelly fish at this time of year.

But I'm not in it for the fun. I'm taking this course here and now for two simple reasons -- 1. get my lazy butt out of the house and 2. save me from having to waste valuable time taking it when I'm actually in a place where the diving is good.

Did I already mention the poor visibility? It's so bad that my instructor has my class mates and I literally swimming on top of each other. If we didn't, we'd disappear and get lost in a split second...the visibility is THAT bad. Maybe 10 feet max. Mind you, we're only 18m down and a couple hundred yards off shore. If I really did get lost, I just surface and wait for my dive buddy to hopefully do the same. There would be no point in either of us trying to find each other down there.

After we finished our second dive yesterday it was only around 10:30 a.m. But I felt sick. I'm pretty sure it was early onset of heat stroke. I couldn't get enough water in me and I felt like passing out. There was no shade at all. The sun was merciless. I eventually just started up my truck, fired up the AC and sat in there for a bit until I collected my wits enough to drive home.

Summer is such a delight here. It's too hot to sail and now I've discovered that it's also too hot to scuba dive. 99.9% of the local population here don't participate in either activity at any time of the year, but I can certainly understand their passion for the air conditioned shopping malls.

I just can't figure out what they did for fun seven short years ago when there were no malls here.

Every man's fantasy

2008-08-20T13:51:00.001+03:00

For the motorcyclist in all of us...

Athletic reporters in Doha

2008-08-19T09:39:00.003+03:00

Some people here in Doha are reacting strongly to the recent news coming out of Pakistan. This story was on the front page of The Peninsula today. And not just front page...it was above the fold! Unbelievable. Reporters in Doha -- they can run, but they sure can't write.

The general’s man

doha • A Pervez Musharraf supporter, upset by the Pakistani President's abdication, reacted theatrically yesterday when The Peninsula staff sought his comments on the developments in Islamabad.

The well-built man, standing near a sweets shop close to Arab Roundabout, spoke politely at first. He then started loudly criticizing Musharraf's political rivals.

"What will these people do? They can do nothing for Pakistan," he said angrily.

He then lambasted the newspaper's photographer and advanced menacingly towards him. The Peninsula photographer, being athletic, drew inspiration from Usain Bolt, the Olympics 100 metres sprint champion, and bolted away to safety.

17 days

2008-08-11T14:04:00.001+03:00

I haven't been outside for more than 5 minutes at a time in the last 17 days. Is it any wonder I feel like crap?

Shrinkage -- never a good thing.

2008-07-30T14:17:00.001+03:00

Ice sheet breaks loose off Canada

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- A chunk of ice spreading across 18 square kilometers (seven square miles) has broken off a Canadian ice shelf in the Arctic, scientists said Tuesday.

Derek Mueller, a researcher at Trent University, was careful not to blame global warming, but said the event was consistent with the theory that the current Arctic climate isn't rebuilding ice sheets.

"We're in a different climate now," he said. "It's not conducive to regrowing them. It's a one-way process."

Mueller said the sheet broke away last week from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf off the north coast of Ellesmere Island in Canada's far north. He said a crack in the shelf was first spotted in 2002 and a survey this spring found a network of fissures.

The sheet is the biggest piece shed by one of Canada's six ice shelves since the Ayles shelf broke loose in 2005 from the coast of Ellesmere, about 500 miles from the North Pole.

Formed by accumulating snow and freezing meltwater, ice shelves are large platforms of thick, ancient sea ice that float on the ocean's surface. Ellesmere Island was once entirely ringed by a single enormous ice shelf that broke up in the early 1900s.

At 170 square miles and 130-feet thick, the Ward Hunt shelf is the largest of those remnants. Mueller said it has been steadily declining since the 1930s.

Gary Stern, co-leader of an international research program on sea ice, said it's the same story all around the Arctic.

Speaking from the Coast Guard icebreaker Amundsen in Canada's north, Stern said the Ward Hunt breakup is related to what he's seeing thousands of kilometers away.

He hasn't seen any ice in weeks. Plans to set up an ice camp last February had to be abandoned when usually dependable ice didn't form for the second year in a row.

"Nobody on the ship is surprised anymore," said Stern. "We've been trying to get the word out for the longest time now that things are happening fast and they're going to continue to happen fast."

Many scientists now believe that the Arctic will have ice-free summers by 2013 instead of 2030 as predicted by the International Panel on Climate Change.

"It's all connected to the warming climate. Everything is connected together," Stern said.

Roma: La dolce vita!

2008-07-27T18:19:00.007+03:00

They say all roads lead to Rome....before they get to Rubda, of course. And yes, last week I was in the Eternal City. And what a city it is!

My friend Paul and I spent a week there and it was a first visit for us both. We tried to be very intentional about not being held hostage to a "must see" check-list tour of the city. We wanted to experience Rome, not just leave with a memory of tiring days of rushing from one famous site to the next. So we picked one, sometimes two, famous things to see or do each day. And beyond that, we let the days take care of themselves. We found ourselves meandering through a few museums, sleeping on park benches when the mood it, and playing countless games of backgammon over a few nice glasses of wine in some shady sidewalk cafe.

And that was just during the day. In the evenings we ate...a lot. And there was usually more wine. We discovered the best places to eat were obscure little cafes consisting of a few plastic tables set up in a cobblestone alley or tiny street. And of course, no real Italian eats dinner before 10:00 p.m....at the earliest.

We tried at all costs to avoid the tourist hordes. And I'd say for the most part, we were successful. In some places it was impossible, but we always knew our quiet little neighborhood with its great little cafes was never more than a 20 minute escape away.

We hit most of the big sites...Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, Pantheon, Colosseum, Capitoline Museum, and the Borghese Gallery. They were all great and worth seeing.

Despite being thousands of years old, Rome is very much alive. People have energy. Pretty girls with hair flying zoom past you on their Vespas. There seems to be an earnest discussion about something or other happening on every street corner. Couples stop spontaneously on the sidewalk and start making out. How can you not love a city like that?

If you haven't seen Rome yet, do so as soon as possible.

Omani fashion for the office

2008-07-09T11:22:00.004+03:00

Those Omani guys have style. Unlike their neighbors, they do not wear the traditional white/red head covering. Instead, they have their own turban like scarf they wrap around their heads. This is me wearing a scarf from Oman...but I'm wearing it in Emirati style because no one here in my office knows how to wrap it Omani style (with no tail hanging down). Thanks, Kelly, for the super cool gift!!

Know the value of your urine

2008-07-08T08:32:00.005+03:00

I hope the New Delhi International Airport picks up on this innovative idea. A few years ago I arrived there, walked out the main door, took two steps and realized I was already standing a pile of fresh, human feces. Welcome to India!

Indian city pays residents to use toilet

By CNN's Saeed Ahmed

(CNN) -- It pays to go in a small south Indian town.

The remote town of Musiri in the Tamil Nadu state has hit upon a unique idea to teach its residents proper hygiene: pay them money each time they use the toilet.

Users can make up to $0.14 a month to relieve themselves in a specially constructed toilet. Not a princely sum, but it's extra cash flow that low-income residents can make just for answering nature's call.

The government-backed program serves two purpose: It encourages people to discard age-old practices of urinating and defecating in the open, leading to diseases. And the waste product goes into research to test their effectiveness as fertilizers.

"We're motivating people to know the value of their urine," said Marathi Subburaman, who came up with the novel idea. "The urine that is collected goes into fields for paddy crops, and of course the feces becomes good compost in a matter of months."

Aid groups estimate that more than 330 million people in India do not have access to proper sanitation facilities. And in the case of Musiri, many residents relieve themselves on river banks, leading to infectious diseases such as diarrhea.

And while both governmental and non-governmental agencies have taken on projects to build toilets in rural areas, they also have had to undertake campaigns to encourage people to use them.

The Musiri plan seems to be working, Subburaman said. About 150 residents use the eco-sanitation toilet daily. It has special chambers that collect the fecal matter that researchers than use as fertilizer.

It's a win-win scenario, said Subburaman.

His non-profit Society for Community Organisation and People's Education (SCOPE) has teamed up with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and are studying how much urine is needed to fertilize a field.

"Next year, we can install urine banks so we can sell the urine to farmers," he said.

For now, residents queue up twice a day. They are given cards where each trip is marked off. At the end of the month, residents can cash out the cards, making up to $0.14.

Subburaman approached the amount by calculating that an average person will need to relieve himself two times for each of the 30 days and make 10 paisas per visit.

"If they ask to go three, four times a day, then something's wrong," he said. "We ask them to go to a doctor."

Beach fun in Oman

2008-07-07T18:53:00.004+03:00

Here are a few pictures from my weekend on the beach in Oman. On Friday we went snorkeling on an organized tour. Then on Saturday we just paid some local kid to take us to a private, deserted beach that can only be accessed by boat. That's where these pictures were taken. The rock formations here are spectacular. And the water is full of dolphins, turtles, sharks, and whales (none of which we saw).

Disney Princess tool kit?

2008-07-07T10:25:00.006+03:00

I'm not much of a handyman and I'll be the first to admit it. I've had to endure much teasing and scorn because my tool kit so closely resembles a plastic grocery bag. But I'm not alone in this. In fact, I'm not even the worst offender. That distinction might go to the maintenance guy working in our office today. This is his tool kit...

Muscat or bust

2008-07-03T06:38:00.002+03:00

I'm leaving this afternoon for a couple days in Oman. Muscat is only a one-hour flight from here, but is really a world away. Oman is definitely my favorite country in the Gulf. It has mountains, beautiful beaches, and friendly people. The Omanis are not as wealthy as their neighbors, so most of them work for a living. Which, in my opinion, makes them easier and more friendly to talk to. The last time I was in Muscat I stayed at the Chedi Hotel, the nicest place in the city. This time, I'm staying at the opposite end of the spectrum. The friend I'm meeting is on a tight budget, so we're going low-rent this weekend. But that's okay -- there is far too much to see and do in Muscat than just sit in one's hotel room.

The best game you can name

2008-07-02T13:31:00.002+03:00

Yesterday was Canada Day. I'm a little late with this, but here's my tribute to that great nation...

If Chevy Chase was from Qatar...

2008-07-01T17:26:00.004+03:00

I considered not posting this one, but I just couldn't resist. This is from today's front page of a local newspaper. Apparently some local families are wanting to leave certain family members behind while the rest go on summer vacation. Read this and then tell me it's not a scene from one of those Chevy Chase vacation movies!

Tragedy of those left behind
Web posted at: 7/1/2008 2:16:45
Source ::: The Peninsula

DOHA • The Psychiatry Department at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has come across several families trying to leave their members with previous records of psychiatric problems in the hospital, as they go on summer holidays.

The Department, however, does not entertain such requests, because the condition of the "patient" is stable and it is not necessary to put them in the hospital, Dr Suhaila A Ghuloum, consultant psychiatrist at the Department told The Peninsula yesterday.

“With the onset of summer we have been getting several requests of this nature. Such patients did have some psychological problems, but their condition is presently stable. By admitting them in the hospital, we would be denying opportunity for more deserving patients,” said Ghuloum.

“At the most we admit them for a few days, and then send them back to their families,” she added.

Ghuloum was reacting to a query from The Peninsula about the summer-related cases being encountered by the Department.

She said the Department, so far, has not seen a rise in psychological problems directly related with the extreme weather conditions. However, depression and work-related stress are on the rise, particularly among the newly recruited labourers.

Hank the Clydesdale

2008-07-01T13:22:00.000+03:00

Everyone deserves a friend like this.

Rock Me Gently

2008-07-01T13:15:00.000+03:00

Some commercials are good. Some are great. This one is outstanding!

We see this phenomenon in Qatar too...

2008-06-30T09:23:00.002+03:00

This sure explains A LOT!! From today's KippReport...

Kuwait sandstorms 'making people mentally ill'

Unprecedented sandstorms in Kuwait, the likes of which have not been seen for 30 years, are making the public physically and mentally ill, Arabian Business reports. The adverse weather conditions, labelled the 'Al-Bawareh wave of dust', have caused physical illness in many residents, particularly those suffering from allergies, state news agency KUNA says.

Psychologists have also said the sandstorms are causing "seasonal depression", stating that "environmental pollution and changes play a great role in creating psychological and behavioural tension and anxiety", KUNA said. Authorities have urged residents not to venture outdoors unless completely necessary, according to the news agency.

A blow-up bra?

2008-06-29T14:41:00.003+03:00

A couple weeks ago I recommended you visit the StoryCorps website to learn more about this wonderful project. It's an archive of people sharing short stories about their lives. If you need a good laugh today, do yourself a favor and and listen to the current featured story from 94-year-old Betty Jenkins. Betty tells a great story about an unusual piece of underwear her mother once bought her.

www.storycorps.net

I'm tired of Hilllary Clinton. I really am.

2008-06-28T17:41:00.011+03:00

I'm tired of Hillary Clinton. And one would think Barack Obama would be too.

But no -- just a few days ago he donated money to help her get out of debt. Hilary lost the race. She's not going to be president this time around. Can't she give Barack a bit of space and disappear for awhile? Barack won the Democratic bid by announcing he is for change. And yet, the dust hasn't even settled and there they are -- Barack and Hillary -- announcing to the world they are the bestest, most wonderful friends ever.

Someone get me a tissue -- I'm starting to cry.

Was Barack telling us the truth? Is he really for change? If so -- why does he still have Hillary hanging around like a groupie?

But of course, as we all know, the only change Barack is going to produce is a Democrat in the White House. He wasn't referring to an actual change in the Democratic Party.

Barack -- you're making yourself look like a fool.

The Republicans are such a mess, I think Barack could pull this off without pandering to Hillary's supporters. But I doubt he's got what it takes to do that.

It's 47C here today. Or maybe not...

2008-06-25T14:38:00.003+03:00

During the summer here, it's simply too hot to ignore the temperature. Or at least to avoid talking (complaining) about it. So I got a laugh when I saw this story on the front page of one of our newspapers. The headline says one thing, while the photo clearly says something else.

A colleague of mine thinks this is the most marvelous piece of subversive reporting she's ever seen here. As we all know here, it can "officially" only go up to 48C or so. Any hotter, and companies employing outdoor laborers (only about 400,000 or so men from India and Nepal who keep this country running) are required to call it quits till the temperature drops down again (evening, early mornings, night-time, etc.). Naturally, this law is broken every day in the summer because these temps aren't usual at all -- they are the norm. And if these men were allowed to quit working, this country would cease to function. So my colleague thinks this is the newspaper's way of officially reporting that yes, in fact, it DOES go over 48C here.

Personally, I think the story below is just sloppy journalism.

In a related story, today's paper reports that ocean water temperature here rose to 37C yesterday. Supposedly, an all time high. I doubt this claim, but I can personally verify how warm our waters are. Falling out of my sailboat is certainly no hardship.

Temperature soars to 47 degree C
Web posted at: 6/24/2008 2:35:56
Source ::: The Peninsula

A car showing the temperature at 50 degrees Celsius.

doha • Qatar experienced a record high temperature of the season yesterday. Mercury touched 47 degrees Celsius, a high point of the season. The temperature will remain almost the same today, MET officials said.

The daily weather chart says the maximum temperature will hover over 45 degrees Celsius today. The minimum temperature will be around 34 degrees Celsius. The weathermen forecast a ‘hot with slight dust at times’ weather today. North-westerly winds may blow 5-15 knots onshore and offshore.

Last year, during the corresponding period, the maximum temperature in the country was below 40 degrees Celsius.

Sumu car wash

2008-06-23T20:34:00.002+03:00

I lived in Japan for 4.5 years and even drove a Subaru at times. But I never saw anything quite like this.

My first DVD player. Nothing but trouble so far.

2008-06-21T09:53:00.003+03:00

I'm frustrated.

This past week I bought my first ever DVD player. Yes, I know -- unbelievable. But why is it so difficult to hook the darn thing up?

This morning I tried to connect it into my already fickle TV and satellite cable system. But with just one simple push of a button on my remote control I managed to single-handedly knock out the connection between a satellite orbiting over Qatar and my stupid television set.

Side note: my TV is an Indian brand by the name of Geepas. As in, "Geepas Creepas, this thing is a piece of crap!"

So now, my TV doesn't work. My DVD player doesn't work. And my cable subscription has mysteriously been disconnected. I've tried everything to restore the connection, including a call to the cable TV people. They told me a technician (who may or may not speak English) might call me back this afternoon to discuss my problem.

Unless he can talk me through it over the phone, they will need to send someone out to fix it. That means I need to give them directions to find my house (in a compound no one has ever heard of, on a street that has no name). And if they can find it, that means I need to be here when they arrive (which for sure won't happen when they promise to be here).

This means time off work for me and the cost of a repair bill. All because I pressed the wrong button on my remote control.

Is it any wonder I've waited this long in life to buy a DVD player?

How do you say "hello" in Czech?

2008-06-21T08:24:00.001+03:00

Here's a shout out to my friends and fans in the Czech Republic! I'm glad you enjoy my blog.

99% of advertising is crap. Here is the other 1%.

2008-06-20T09:30:00.002+03:00

I don't pay attention to 99% of the advertising I see. That's because I think 99% of the advertising I see is crap.

And despite what my colleagues may sometimes think, I do know a little bit about advertising. I have a Bachelor's degree in it (yes, they actually do give those) and I wrote my thesis in graduate school on the topic (a 130-page study measuring the effect of Japanese magazine advertising on American consumers).

Although I'll admit I'm not an expert on advertising, I'm not completely clueless either. I do happen to know how much some companies spend on advertising and feel confident in saying their money would've been better spent on toilet paper.

But not all advertising is crap. There is still that 1% out there that I think is funny and smart. Some really great ads are not necessarily both. And some ads that I happen to think are very creative may not, in the end, even be effective.

So if you're a fan of funny, clever, and creative advertising, I'm happy to recommend these two websites to you:

www.funnyplace.org
www.adsoftheworld.com

And to get your started, here's a very funny piece of advertising from Bud Lite.

Doha environment fair proves unfair to sharks

2008-06-19T06:58:00.006+03:00

Is this a power failure or a brain failure? You decide?

Excerpted from a recent newspaper story here...

Power failure cuts short sharks' lives
DOHA Power failure and negligence of the concerned authorities caused the death of three baby sharks at the three-day environment fair which concluded on Sunday at the New Doha Exhibition Centre here. The fish kept there as exhibits died on Friday, the very first day of the fair, which attracted hundreds of children.

Explaining the death, Yasantha Sirimalwathla, in charge of the giant aquarium where the aquatic environment was on display, said, "For these fish to survive, we need to have special filters and pipes. While the pipes supply fresh oxygen that dissolves into the water, the filter purifies the water. We need to be alert all the time to ensure these equipment function properly. However, the filters stopped functioning when there was a power cut."

Sirimalwathla wnt on to say that after the stoppage of oxygen supply the four sharks managed to survive on the small quantity of the gas still left in the water for one hour, but three of them finally succumbed. The exact reason for the power cut was not known.

(I'm told by someone who worked at this fair that this "power cut" was actually just some idiot employee who unplugged the aquarium at night.)

Tip of the iceberg

2008-06-05T20:54:00.005+03:00

Check out this amazing photo of some icebergs! This photo was taken by a colleague from Newfoundland, Canada. And yes, those icebergs are THAT close to this guy's house. Just imagine -- waking up one morning, opening your bedroom curtains and seeing this behemoth floating by just outside your window!!

I've only been to Newfoundland once in my life and I had a great trip. It's a beautiful place. Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of seeing anything quite like this.

"Only" 60 km/h over the speed limit

2008-06-03T13:30:00.003+03:00

Some 20-year-old punk kills a guy with his vehicle, then tries to justify by saying he was "only" going 140 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. The arrogance and recklessness of some people is almost beyond belief. I'll be very surprised to hear if this kid even spends a single day in jail. The "blood money" referred to here will likely amount to little more than a few thousand dollars.

Shameful!

Qatari denies speeding death charge

Published: Monday, 2 June, 2008, 02:05 AM Doha Time

By Nour Abuzant
A 20-year-old Qatari has denied causing death by reckless driving – telling a court he was travelling at “only” 140kph.
The presiding judge, Salah al-Sharif, reminded him that the maximum speed on the country’s roads was 120kph and that the accident took place in an 80kph zone.
Furthermore, should he be found guilty of the offence, he will have to pay blood money out of his own pocket because his car was not insured at the time.
The driver also told the court his brakes had not been working.
A 35-year-old American died as a result of the accident on Salwa Road on December 29 last year.
A 40-year-old American who was driving the car in which his friend lost his life, said he saw the Qatari through his rear view mirror approaching at speed and flashing his headlights.
At first, the American had no room to move over, but when he saw a gap open between two trucks he drove to the right – only for the Qatari to follow suit.
As a result, he allegedly shunted the American’s car causing it to hit one of the trucks and bounce into the other. The right door of the vehicle took the full impact, killing the 35-year-old passenger instantly. The driver also lost consciousness in the crash and had to be airlifted to hospital.
The court heard that the deceased worked as a technician and the two Americans were driving to the US military airbase.
The trial has now been adjourned until October 5 so that medical examiners can file a report on the extent of the physical injury suffered by the surviving American.
The tragic accident took place two months after the new traffic law came into force imposing heavy penalties for traffic violations.

Have you heard of StoryCorps?

2008-06-02T21:15:00.003+03:00

One of the podcasts I'm listening to these days is StoryCorps. It's one of the largest oral history projects of its kind -- friends and family interviewing and listening to each other tell a story from their past. From what I can tell, StoryCorps is a non-profit project that has set up recording booths all over the States where people can come and tell a story or be interviewed by someone close to them. It's impossible not to be moved by these short, yet beautiful, glimpses into people's lives.

StoryCorps also has its own website where you can download these stories for free -- www.storycorps.net. According to this site, "listening is an act of love" and that "everybody’s story matters and every life counts."

I want to do a better job of posting recommendations of books, movies, websites, etc. that are uplifting, helpful, and inspiring. So if you want to be uplifted, download the StoryCorps podcast. You definitely won't regret it. Do yourself a favor and listen to the stories of these people's lives.

Same Land Cruiser. Different hole. Happy anniversary to me!

2008-05-31T14:08:00.003+03:00

Land Cruisers behaving badly in Qatar. It's nice to see there are consequences for such actions.

Today is my second anniversary of living here in Doha. The editor of the newspaper must've known and printed this on the front page as a little gift to me.

If I knew how, I'd set up some sort of folder or something on my blog to start cataloging these great pictures.

(Sorry PW, I know I promised I'd take a breather from these for a month. But when I saw this one today...I just couldn't resist.)

Damascus

2008-05-31T10:03:00.007+03:00

Last weekend the road to Rubda took me through Damascus, Syria. This ancient city is well worth a visit and I'm glad I made the trip. It's only a 2.5 hour flight from Doha and it made for a great long weekend getaway.

Damascus is an authentic Arabian experience. Unlike the glitzy, bejewelled, designer label, shiny, shopping mall culture that now defines the Gulf countries, Syria feels like a real place populated by real people (who work for a living and don't all drive Land Cruisers and Merecedes).

I spent almost all my time in the Old City. The Christian section and the Muslim section seem to blend imperceptibly together. I wandered the ancient stone cobbled streets, sipped tea and smoked shisha in the cafes, ate great food, and just soaked in the culture and atmosphere.

Straight Street (still with the same name as it had in the New Testament) leads through the Old City right to Bab Sharqi -- the city gate closest to where the Apostle Paul's activities in the book of Acts are recorded. I went to the house/chapel where it is said he was baptized by Ananias. It's not far from the window in the city wall through which he was lowered in a basket to escape the people trying to capture him.

I also went to a hammam (Turkish style bath) that has been around for over a century. After a nice steam bath, the attendant (a friendly old man wearing only a towel) gave me a painful scrub down with a glove made of steel wool. It was definitely an old school exfoliation.

I did myself a disservice by not showing up with a guidebook or proper map. Or any real clue of what I ought to see and do in Damascus. Had I done a bit more homework, I would've likely been even more impressed with what I all saw there.

Friendly people, great food, loads to see, and streets soaked in 2,000 years of history. I highly recommend Damascus. Next time I go, I'm going to see the rest of the country.

Bella

2008-05-13T13:42:00.002+03:00

If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.

And so begins the movie, Bella. It's a beautiful film about two people -- a chef and a waitress -- who have experienced abrupt, surprising, and even unwelcome changes in their lives. The waitress shows up late for work one day, and the movie unfolds from there.

There are no big stars in this film. Most of it is in Spanish. And there are no car chases, violence, nudity, swearing, or sex. What you're left with is a simple and beautiful film about love, forgiveness, family, and hope.

Bella is a low budget film that was shot in NYC in just 23 days. It went on to win the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

According to the DVD extras (almost as moving as the film itself), it was made by a couple of Latino guys who were tired of Hollywood stereotypes about their fellow Latinos and wanted to make a movie that would uplift and inspire people. They definitely succeeded.

I can't recommend Bella to you highly enough. Yes, maybe I'm being unnecessarily sentimental, but this really is a special film. Go see it and then tell me what you think.

What color is your urine?

2008-05-11T17:49:00.004+03:00

This sign was posted above the urinal in a bathroom I used last week. Very helpful information.

No chicks allowed

2008-05-11T17:40:00.005+03:00

A well meaning friend recently suggested that I obsess about traffic too much on my blog. He even said I need to take a one-month breather from talking about it. It sounds good in principle, but sometimes I just can't resist. Take this photo for example. This guy was driving in front of me on my way to work last week. I've seen this particular sticker before and it cracks me up every time. Any guesses as to what it means?

Men Past Forty

2008-05-10T14:44:00.003+03:00

I found this poem the other day.

Men past forty
Get up nights,
Look out at city lights
And wonder
Where they made the wrong turn
And why life is so long.
~ Ed Sissman (1928-1976)

Mistakes happen...a lot of the time

2008-05-06T08:27:00.002+03:00

This is from yesterday's Gulf Times in Qatar. It helps to experience life on the roads here and the utter absurdity of the traffic violation system to truly appreciate this story. The quote at the end really says it all. Maybe it sounded different in Arabic...

Miffed expat handed 80-year-old speeding ticket

by Dylan Bowman on Monday, 05 May 2008

An Australian expatriate living in Qatar has been handed a ticket for a speeding violation that took place in Saudi Arabia in 1928, despite having never been to the kingdom or even being born at the time of the alleged incident.

The man, who declined to be named, said he was notified of the 150-Saudi riyal ($40) ticket by Qatar's Ministry of Interior via its 'Metrash' text message service.

He said after checking the ministry's website he discovered the ticket was 80 years old, but committed with a 2001 model car.

“I was slightly worried when I saw Saudi on there, especially considering I have never visited the country... Perhaps it was something my granddad did,” the man told Qatari daily Gulf Times.

A spokesperson for Qatar's Traffic Department told Gulf Times that mistakes “happen a lot of the time” and that any problems could be cleared up by visiting its headquarters.

Sand, sand, and more sand

2008-05-01T12:55:00.003+03:00

Why do nasty sand storms always blow in just as the weekend is about to begin? I guess it's no different than rainy summer weekends in North Carolina or snowy summer weekends in Alberta.

tunes for your next camel trek

2008-04-29T06:43:00.004+03:00

I recently discovered a band called Tinariwen and their album, Aman Iman: Water Is Life.

When you're listening to this album you can close your eyes and easily imagine yourself in one of two places: on a camel trek in southern Libya with the desert wind blowing in your face...or sipping a martini at the Buddha Bar in Dubai.

I think these guys come originally from northern Mali before they moved on to Libya. They've got that whole Tuareg nomad thing going on. It's quite unique. I'm not even sure what language they sing in. According to their website, the band has a combined total of 17 bullet wounds amongst the group. I doubt even the Rolling Stones can make a claim like that.

So, if you can't make it to Libya or Dubai this weekend, get this album instead.

A few movie reviews

2008-04-26T08:06:00.003+03:00

I've discovered a grocery store near my house that sells and rents DVDs. Even though I live in the stone age and still don't own a DVD player, I'm buying up loads of movies and watching them on my computer. It's a widely acknowledged fact that I can't write movie/book/music reviews, but that hasn't stopped me yet. Some recent notables include:

Juno
This is definitely one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The acting and script are absolutely superb. Ellen Page, who plays the main character, is a high school girl who gets pregnant. I very highly recommend this movie and if you haven't done so already, you need to run out and see it today. I insist.

Gone Baby Gone
Casey Affleck (Ben's younger brother and much better actor) plays a private investigator who is hired to find a missing child in inner-city Boston. The plot is outstanding, as is the acting. You also need to take note of the casting. Some of the actors who portray the locals are incredible. I wonder if they really are actors, and not just a group of people plucked right of the streets of Boston. There is only one word to describe the casting of these minor characters/extras: authentic. (I went to check that my doors were locked after I saw the abducted girl's mother's best friend.)

Lars and the Real Girl
An extremely shy young man buys a life-sized and anatomically-correct "love" doll. Her name is Bianca. This movie isn't smutty and it isn't about sex. It's about how one man deals with mental illness and delusion. It's utterly charming, funny, and poignant -- all at the same time. I very highly recommend this movie. After you watch Juno today (again, I insist), then watch this one tomorrow. Or even later today, really. It's that good!

Dan In Real Life
Steve Carrell (the guy from The Office) plays Dan, a 40+ year old guy who is trying to raise three daughters alone after his wife dies. This one won't win any Oscars, but it's worth the price of a DVD rental.

Kite Runner
The book was much better, but the movie is decent. Filmed in China, but it looks exactly like Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan. (I've been.) The little boy who portrays the kite runner is the best actor in the movie. I read that the movie producers paid for he and his family to move to UAE to escape from the Taliban and other crazies in Afghanistan. If you disliked the Taliban already, then watching this movie won't change your mind about them. They're a nasty piece of business.

27 Dresses
Not my usual type of thing, but I was pleasantly surprised. Again, not Oscar-worthy material here, but the chemistry between the two main characters is great. Some blond chick from Grey's Anatomy on TV plays a woman who can't so no when her friends and sister ask her to plan their weddings. She has 27 bridesmaid dresses in her closet to prove it. A sight gag at the end of the movie is worth the price of rental.

August Rush
I saw this on a plane recently. It's a very sentimental story about a young orphan boy who goes out in the world (NYC) to find his parents who he thinks for some reason might still be alive and want him back. In the process, he discovers his extraordinary musical talent. He thinks that if he plays music on the streets, then his parents will hear it and come find him. Parts of this movie are a wee bit over the top, but I still highly recommend it. The soundtrack is fantastic as well.

Michael Clayton
Another recent airplane movie. George Clooney plays a lawyer. There are other lawyers in the movie. Most of them are bad people. After you've seen Juno and Lars and the Real Girl, then this would be my next recommendation. This is an excellent movie. You shouldn't miss it. One of the best movies of the year for me.

The Bee Movie
One more airplane movie. Jerry Seinfeld is the voice of a bee (whose name I can't even remember now). Cute movie and worth the price of a DVD rental. If you have kids, they'll love it. Ray Liotta has a hilarious cameo appearance as himself in this movie.

Enchanted
Yet another airplane movie. This is a Disney flick about a fairytale princess who somehow ends up in NYC. Definitely not my usual thing, but I was on a plane and couldn't go anywhere. It turned out to be funnier than I expected. The actress (can't remember her name) who plays the main character (can't remember her name either) is great. The scene where she sings and whistles and a bunch of sewer rats and pigeons come help her clean the apartment is actually quite funny.

Do you trust or love a hammer?

2008-04-18T16:36:00.002+03:00

He that is good with the hammer tends to think everything is a nail.
~ Abraham Maslow

It is a greater compliment to be trusted than to be loved.
~ George Macdonald

On and on it goes...

2008-04-14T17:14:00.003+03:00

Seven people -- five children, their driver and nanny -- were killed instantly in a traffic accident here last Friday. The seven were traveling in a small Nissan pick-up truck when it collided with a Land Cruiser. The four occupants of the Land Cruiser were all admitted to hospital with injuries.

The five children -- four girls and one boy -- were all nationals and all under the age of 12. Three of them were from one family, two from another. It's safe to assume they were cousins.

I don't know whose fault this accident was. Nor do I know if anyone was wearing seat belts. All I know is that very few people in this country seem to care about traffic safety.

And so the carnage continues. When is it ever going to be enough?

Where is peace? Where is home?

2008-04-12T21:15:00.002+03:00

Lately I’ve been talking with friends who, like me, are restless at times. Sometimes we think life would be better if we were living somewhere else or doing something else. Some of us who live overseas long for the nostalgia of home and the closeness of family and friends. Some of my friends who live in North America are envious of my life – freedom from family responsibility, the adventure of living overseas, opportunities to travel, etc. When we're overseas, we miss home. When we're home, we miss being overseas.

Many of us are global nomads. We pick up and move more often than most people. One friend recently commented that he has now stayed in one place for a record 10 months – longer than any other place he has lived in the last several years. We want the familiarity and security of roots, yet it’s impossible to ignore the nomadic blood coursing through our veins.

The opposite of restlessness is peace. This is what Frederick Buechner said about it:

To be homeless the way people like you and me are apt to be homeless is to have homes all over the place but not to be really at home in any of them. To be really at home is to be really at peace, and our lives are so intricately interwoven that there can be no real peace for any of us until there is real peace for all of us. That is the truth that underlies not just the news of the world but the news of every one of our own days. The Longing For Home

Beach camping

2008-04-12T19:36:00.004+03:00

The last couple weekends I've gone beach camping here with friends. There is a nice area to do this on the west side of the country - only about 90 minutes away from Doha. We pitch some tents on the beach, light a bonfire, cook dinner, watch the sunset, and chill out. By 10:30 the next morning, it's too stinkin' hot, so we pack up and head home. Maybe we should call this overnight picnicking.

There is an old movie set near where we camp. It's sort of cool to check out. For some reason, a herd of ostrich also live there. (What does one call a large group of ostrich?) They are not native to Qatar; someone brought them in and established a wildlife preserve. It's not exactly the Masai Mara, but it's all we got.

Rain in April? A sign of the apocalypse?

2008-04-09T10:11:00.004+03:00

There is a front page story (with photo) in one of today's English newspapers reporting that it "may" rain today.

Oh the drama!

Where to park your Land Cruiser in Qatar

2008-04-08T06:31:00.004+03:00

Some Land Cruiser owners here feel they are entitled to park wherever they please. And apparently they can!

Seeing this reaffirms my faith that bad things do indeed happen to bad drivers. Look up the phrase "poetic justice" in the dictionary and I'm sure you'll find this photo next to it.

Doha husband doesn't report wife's crime -- because she is also his cousin

2008-03-30T08:47:00.005+03:00

Here is yet another shocking story of domestic violence here in Doha. This one - right in my own neighborhood - involves a woman who tortured her maid to death. The woman and her husband reported to the police that their maid committed suicide. When the police arrived, the couple's 5-year-old son informed the police his mother had actually done the deed.

Torture and murder should be shocking enough, but not with this family. The husband confessed to the police that he knew his wife was torturing their maid but couldn't report it to the police.

His excuse? It turns out his wife is also his close relative (first cousins, most likely) and he was afraid of what their extended family would do if he reported her to the police. I would like to believe that if she was just his wife, then he might have said something sooner and saved the maid's wife. But because she was first and foremost his cousin, family pressure kept him silent.

Stupid. Outrageous. Barbaric.

A couple weeks ago the government unveiled a campaign announcing that Qatar is the "land of peace and love." I guess this couple didn't get the memo.

Here is the story as it was reported last week in The Peninsula.

Couple booked for maid’s death
Web posted at: 3/27/2008 4:5:35
Source ::: The Peninsula

DOHA • Investigators have booked a couple on charges of torturing their maid to death after their five-year-old child disclosed how his mother assaulted her fatally.

The hair-raising case has been referred to a criminal court headed by Judge Saleh Al Mohannadi and was heard recently.

The Mesaimir police were informed that a maid had committed suicide in a house in the area and that her body was lying in the toilet.

But when a police team reached the spot and inspected the body of the victim, they found injury marks.

Both the husband and wife and their two small children were present in the house when the police party arrived there.

When an investigator asked one of the children as to how the maid had died, he innocently replied that his mother has severely beaten her up. She had hit her incessantly with a plastic stick, a rope and even with a hot iron (which is used for ironing clothes), he said.

When the cops asked his father if what his son was saying was correct, he replied the toddler was not lying. "Often, when I came home he said the same thing to me," said the father.

He said he couldn't say the same thing because his wife was a close relative and giving statement as a witness against her would earn him the wrath of his entire family.

The prosecution also produced a medical report in the court during the course of hearing which confirmed there were marks of injury, including those of the hot iron, on the maid's body. The court heard statements from the investigators as well.

The prosecution produced photographs of the maid when she had arrived here afresh to show how healthy and cheerful she looked. They later showed a photograph which was taken after she had died.

The defense lawyer challenged the argument that the maid was confined within the four walls of the house and said she frequently ventured out to wash the family car.

Some photos you really need to see

2008-03-29T18:12:00.003+03:00

Matt Powell is a friend of mine who takes beautiful photos. I've worked with Matt in Uganda, Sudan, El Salvador, Honduras, and Indonesia. We've had a lot of fun and crazy times on the road. A link to his web site is already here on my blog, but I also want to draw your attention to some work he is currently doing in Sudan and the blog he's using to showcase it. I think this is some of his best work ever. If you want to see some spectacular photos and learn a little bit about Sudan, then I highly recommend you visit the following site:

http://mattpowellphoto.blogspot.com/

Easter in Lamu

2008-03-29T17:40:00.010+03:00

Last week I spend Easter in Lamu, Kenya with 12 friends (some new, mostly old) who all live or are based in Nairobi.

From Wilson Airport we flew to Lamu in a small plane. From the airstrip then to Shella Village where we stayed, it was a 40 minute boat ride.

We shared a huge house and enjoyed great food, fellowship, and fun. This was my first visit to Lamu and I fell in love with the place. It's an ancient Swahili village (its own island, really) that has had significant Arab, Muslim, and even Portuguese influence over the last three hundred years or so.

We spent our days on the 10 miles of completely empty, unspoiled beach or just lazing about in hammocks on the roof of our house. Every evening we ate fresh seafood -- lobster, red snapper, prawns, crab, and grouper. It was all prepared by the cook that came with the rental of the house.

On Easter morning, like every morning I was there, I went for a long walk on the beach an watched the sun come up. The sunrise on Easter, as it ought to be, was nothing short of spectacular!

Later that morning we all took a dhow over to Lamu village for Easter Mass at the island's one and only Christian church.

It was a very special five days for us, especially since a number of our group are leaving Kenya this year and this was one of the last times we could do a trip like this together.

Ivan (and Terry) are front page news in Doha

2008-03-15T07:24:00.004+03:00

Yesterday Doha participated in the annual Terry Fox Run. It's a 5-K charity run held internationally every year to raise funds for cancer research. Terry Fox was a 22-year-old Canadian man who lost a leg to cancer. In early 1980 he set out from St. John's, Newfoundland on a "Marathon of Hope" across Canada to raise money for research.

Fox was unable to finish his run. His bone cancer had metastasized to his lungs. He was forced to stop the run on September 1, 1980 near Thunder Bay, Ontario, after 143 days. He had run 5,373 km (3,339 miles, or around 23.3 miles per day) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. Terry Fox died in June, 1981 as a true national hero.

Since his death, the Terry Fox Run has raised over $500 million for cancer research. Qatar is one of 50 countries that participate every year.

The above photo is from the front page of today's Gulf Times newspaper. A big group from my office (we are a Canadian company, after all!) participated -- running and walking. Conditions were less than ideal. The temperature was 35C /95F and a nasty dust storm blew in just as we were finishing. I also suspect the course wasn't measured very carefully because the distance was well over 5km. I know this because my time was eight minutes longer than it usually takes me to run 5km.

The ritualistic Maria Sharapova

2008-03-01T07:36:00.011+03:00

Last week Doha hosted the Qatar Total Open 2008 -- the highest paying professional women's tennis tournament outside of the four majors (Australian Open, US Open, Wimbledon, and French Open). This was my first time to see a professional tennis tournament and I enjoyed it tremendously. Much of that enjoyment came from having seats that were only three rows up from court level and just slightly to the left of the chair umpire. If this had been a LA Lakers game, I'd have been sitting directly behind Jack Nicholson.

With such close proximity to the players, it was easy to get an up-close look at their style, technique, and -- in the particular case of Maria Sharapova -- some unusual on-court rituals.

I discovered that Maria Sharapova has a highly predictable routine immediately before serving a ball and then a slightly different, but still highly predictable, routine immediately before returning a ball. After much careful observation of the lovely and talented Ms. Sharapova, here are the results of my research:

Service Routine
1. Walk to back of court.
2. Soft talk to self.
3. Walk back to baseline while checking strings on racket.
4. Quick stutter step while bouncing racket.
5. Push hair back over both ears.
6. 5-second stare at opponent.
7. Two slow bounces of ball.
8. Serve ball (at speeds of 184 km/h).

Return Routine:
1. Walk to back of court.
2. Soft talk to self.
3. Check racket.
4. Turn around and walk back to baseline.
5. Push hair back over both ears.
6. Tap front of left twice.
7. Receive and return ball.

Maria is incredibly talented and fiercely competitive. She doesn't approach the net often, but when she does, the safest thing an opponent can do is run for cover. There is no mercy. After each match she was very gracious to the fans and repeatedly thanked everyone for their support of her and the entire event. Very classy, very smooth, and very professional. I'd say Maria has had some excellent media training. But it all seemed genuine and everyone loved her.

She won the tournament and was awarded $415,000 and a Harley Davidson motorcycle for her efforts. Not bad for a week's work.

Which came first? The chicken or the laparoscopy?

2008-02-17T18:03:00.003+03:00

A couple weeks ago Qatar set a Guinness World Record by producing the largest ever serving of Kentucky Fried Chicken -- 3,000 pieces of finger-licking fun that weighed an astounding 350kg (771 lbs).

In a follow-up story from today's Gulf Times newspaper...

HMC sets obesity surgery record

Publish Date: Sunday,17 February, 2008, at 01:47 AM Doha Time

PATIENT WEIGHING 450 KILOS SUCCESSFULLY TREATED THROUGH LAPAROSCOPIC PROCEDURE

Dr Karl Miller…helping obese people

Staff Reporter
THE Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has created a world record of treating successfully through laparoscopic procedure a obese patient weighing 450 kilos, it was announced yesterday. According to Dr Karl Miller, a visiting bariatric and general surgeon from Salzburg, Austria, the patient is the world’s heaviest to be operated on successfully through laparoscope, a surgical procedure carried out with the assistance of a “video camera” and several thin instruments.
Dr Miller, who is on a three-day visit to HMC, will perform operations on a dozen more obese patients, weighing between 250 – 300 kilos.
His visit is part of an international consultancy relationship between HMC and his hospital in Austria.
“To our knowledge, what we are witnessing here in Doha has not been seen before in the entire world; the treating of such a morbidly obese patient successfully by laparoscopic surgery,” he told Gulf Times.
The surgeon said the patient’s life expectancy was extremely limited and he was almost on the edge of life because of respiratory problems before the surgery was conducted.
“About a year ago, we found that the patient has severe respiratory problems and could not walk, move or leave his bed, but all that has changed now, as his present weight is 180kilos, he is able to walk and breathe properly also.”
There are about 35% obese people in Qatar, which is edging towards Kuwait’s 40%, the highest in the Middle East.
Speaking on the best age for operation, he said: “It is recommended to have the surgery after 18 years, but we have some children who are so sick and need this kind of surgery even earlier. We operate on also old people between 50 and 70, depending on their needs.”
According to the noted surgeon, the risk factors of obesity in most patients start right from childhood, saying if the parents are over-weight or obese, the possibility that the child will be obese is 80%.
He added that a sedentary lifestyle, eating junk food and consuming high calorie drinks also contributed to over-weight or obesity.
“Patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 100 are already very sick and need medical attention,” he explained.
He said that the most common diseases found in obese patients are diabetes, hypertension and problems with the respiratory system, ankle problems, bones, hips and pain in the back.
According to him, surgery is the most effective procedure to treat obesity.
“Dieting is not recommended any more for very heavy patients, while the over-weight are still allowed to undergo all those conservative treatments,” he said.
He added that surgery did not mean that the patient is free of his responsibilities.
“He must change his lifestyle and be co-operative with the procedure after the surgery. The responsibilities include regular eating habits, avoiding junk food, high calorie drinks like soft drinks containing extreme high content of sugar. He should move, exercise and walk regularly,” he added. The surgeon advised that obese people should eat small amounts of food five times a day.

Leave your maid in the car!

2008-02-11T19:30:00.000+03:00

We've all seen "Bring Your Kid To Work Day" at the office, right?

Well, I'm suggesting we start something called "Leave Your Maid In The Car Day."

One day a week, I would like to challenge all the women of Doha to leave their maids in the car while they make a bold, brave step by grocery shopping without them. I'm a regular shopper at Mega Mart and the aisles there are just too crowded to accommodate shoppers AND their domestic servants. Does one really need a maid to put items in the cart? When did shopping for chocolate bars and potato chips become a two-person job? Drastic action needs to be taken immediately.

So I say leave the maids in the car!

(Note to safety conscious readers: Leaving a maid in the car is different than leaving a pet or small child in the car. These shoppers all have drivers who already stay in the vehicle and thus there would be someone available to keep the maids company and keep the AC flowing.)

Meet Jackie Moon

2008-02-08T08:11:00.002+03:00

Dude

2008-02-05T19:27:00.000+03:00

Traffic violation scam

2008-02-04T17:41:00.000+03:00

Yet another traffic violation for me. This is completely bogus. Some guy in a Land Cruiser came up next to me in traffic, rolled down his window, and started shaking a pad of traffic tickets at me. My guess is that he was a plain clothes or off-duty policeman. Evidently I did something to annoy him. What a joke!!! The ticket is for 500 QAR...which converts to $137 USD.

This is what the online (traffic violation police have their own website where we can check whether or not we got a ticket that day) says is the reason for my ticket:

NOT LEAVING ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN THE CAR AND OTHER FRONT VEHICLES OR TO OVERTAKING ANOTHER CAR FROM RIGHT SIDE WITHOUT A GOOD REASON

It's impossible to fight a ticket here. If I choose to take it to court, I am not allowed to leave the country until the entire matter has been resolved. The current waiting time for a court date is over two years.

An "Asian tsunami"...of tea boys?

2008-02-01T09:41:00.000+03:00

Here's an interesting story that appeared in all our local papers this past week. A Bahraini politician is worried about an "Asian tsunami" of laborers.

----------------------------------------------------------
Bahrain minister sounds warning on ‘Asian tsunami’
Web posted at: 1/28/2008 2:49:21
Source ::: AFP

Dubai • A Bahraini minister has warned of an “Asian tsunami” because of the reliance of “lazy” Gulf Arabs on foreign labour to carry out even the simplest tasks, in an interview published yesterday.

Labour Minister Majid Al Alawi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the presence of almost 17 million foreign workers in the Gulf, mostly from the Asian subcontinent, represented “a danger worse than the atomic bomb or an Israeli attack”.

“I am not exaggerating that the number will reach almost 30 million in ten years from now,” he told the pan-Arab daily.

Alawi has called for the residency of foreign workers in the Gulf states to be limited to six years but the leadership of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council has not followed up on the proposal. “The commercial lobby in the Gulf thwarted the project which was in the final phases before being implemented,” he said.

Alawi said that Gulf nationals were “lazy” and “spoilt”, relying on imported labour for the simplest of tasks.

“A lord with billions in Great Britain cleans his own car on a Sunday morning, whereas people of the Gulf look for someone to hand them a glass of water from just a couple of metres away,” he said.

“If the Gulf governments do not watch out for this tsunami of foreign labourers, the fate of this region is very worrying,” he said.

In October, Alawi called for the Gulf’s “sponsonship” system to be abandoned, saying it left foreign workers at the mercy of the individuals or institutions which employ them.

He called for government to oversee visas and work permits to protect the rights of foreign workers, in a region which human rights organisations have often accused of abusing employees in slave-like conditions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First up, this fellow must be every reporter's go-to-guy for great sound bites.

"Asian tsunami...lazy and spoiled Gulf Arabs...atomic bombs...Israeli attack...."

This guy really knows how to get attention.

There is indeed an enormous population of laborers here in the Arabian Gulf (the Persian Gulf as it is known elsewhere) from Asia. But they're not funky Japanese DJs or slick Singaporean bankers. The millions of laborers in this region (probably 500,000 of them here in Qatar) are poorly paid construction workers, house maids, tea boys (a man who serves tea and runs errands in an office), nannies, drivers, security guards, landscapers, etc.

And without them here, there'd be no one around to do the heavy lifting.

But I wonder if parts of this interview were omitted. Either the politician in Bahrain didn't do a good job of explaining himself or the reporter just relied on some inflammatory sound-bites to write the story. If you can get past the racist overtones of his comments, it seems he is actually advocating for a better visa system to protect the human rights of this human tsunami. I disagree with him that a six-year cap should be placed on their stay, but I do believe there must be a better approach than the company-sponsorship system that is currently in place.

In December 2006, Doha hosted the spectacular Asian Games. I never thought of it in these terms before, but Qatar and the rest of the Arabian Gulf (including our neighbors Bahrain) are actually in Asia! It seems I wasn't the only one was surprised to learn this news.

No expense was spared to welcome fellow Asian athletes to this country and give them beautiful, world-class venues in which to compete. By all accounts, including my own, Doha did a terrific job hosting this event. Leading up to it all, the Asian Games torch was proudly carried throughout Asia as a symbol of unity and athletic excellence. Then for the month of December there was a virtual Asian love-fest going on here in Doha. Everywhere you looked...happy, smiling Asians! For one month it seemed everyone was proud to be...an Asian!

Go figure.

So now at last

2008-01-28T21:37:00.000+03:00

Long after Roger Mouse's death, Godric bids him a proper goodbye:
When friends speak overmuch of times gone by, often it's because they sense their present time is turning them from friends to strangers. Long before the moment came to say goodbye, I think, we said goodbye in other words and ways and silences. Then when the moment came for it at last, we didn't say it as it should be said by friends. So now at last, dear Mouse, with many, many years between: goodbye.
~ Frederick Buechner, Godric

I hate running

2008-01-28T06:36:00.000+03:00

I have a confession to make: I hate running.

Because of weather, available daylight hours, traffic, and work schedule, I have to get up at 0500 to go running. I do this four days a week. Once a week, on Fridays, I don't get up until 0600 or 0630 to go running. (Friday and Saturday is my weekend.) I take a break from running Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The problem is that I've lost my motivation. These days, it's cold, dark, and windy when I run and its not fun anymore. I became so used to running in 25C - 40C weather that now anything less than that is cold.

I started running to lose weight and with the goal of completing the Dubai Half Marathon. And I did that. But now what?

I need motivation. I need some variety in my life. I hate that my only option for physical fitness means crawling out of bed every morning at 0500 and then driving 12 minutes to the same boring running trail where I run every day.

To be fair, I have great running partners. My wonderful cousin, Frieda, and my wonderful colleague, Beth. If it were not for them, there isn't a chance you'd find me out there any day of the week.

So now my next goal is to run the Jordan's Dead Sea Half Marathon in April.

But still, is it enough to get me out of bed every morning and running around the same boring trail?

(Listen to me whine! I'm complaining because I get to run and enjoy physical exercise and travel to great places and run in fun races. I am truly pathetic.)

The reality is that if I wasn't running right now I'd be morbidly out of shape with a one-way ticket to diabetes clutched in my fat little fingers.

I've also thought about training for a triathlon. They look like a lot of fun and I already enjoy swimming and cycling. So that is an option I definitely want to pursue sometime in the next couple years.

All I'm saying is that I need some variety! I HATE running the same thing every day at the same place. Any suggestions? Any motivational tips?

A word from Carroll and MacDonald

2008-01-25T14:57:00.000+03:00

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.
"Which road do I take?" she asked.
His response was a question: "Where do you want to go?"
"I don't know," Alice answered.
"Then," said the cat, "it doesn't matter."
~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Sometimes I wake, and lo, I have forgot,
And drifted out upon an ebbing sea!
My soul that was at rest now resteth not,
For I am with myself and not with thee;
Truth seems a blind moon in a glaring morn,
Where nothing is but sick-heart vanity.
~ George MacDonald, Diary of an Old Soul

Remember Glen?

2008-01-19T08:57:00.000+03:00

Missing dog in Doha worth $8200 in reward

2008-01-17T13:20:00.000+03:00

From today's Qatar Peninsula newspaper...

I've decided to put aside other commitments this weekend to go look for this dog. It's the neighborly thing to do, right?

Reward goes up to QR30,000 for Storm
Web posted at: 1/17/2008 2:39:42
Source ::: The Peninsula

Doha • Dog owner Dave Gallagher has upped the reward for his missing English bull terrier from the earlier QR14,000 to QR30,000.

Gallagher’s hopes of finding the dog, Storm, brightened yesterday after two independent witnesses said they had seen the animal. Storm was loaded into a white GMC 4x4, they said.

Gallagher, a senior manager with a firm here, said: “I have managed to contact the owner who said he will do all he can to help me. I also told him the reward money will be given, no questions asked.”

Gallagher said he at least knows that his dog may now be safe and has not been run over. “I have increased the reward money because people would be willing to pay that much for a dog, I found. However, it is not the value of the dog I am worried about, but the fact that it is a much-loved family pet.”

Among the witnesses, one works in the compound pool from where the dog disappeared. The other group of witnesses were the kids playing outside and who apparently saw Storm being loaded on to the vehicle. Unfortunately, they could not get the vehicle’s registration, but nevertheless, with the help of friends, Gallagher discovered who may possibly own the GMC.

“The kids were evidently told by those who picked up the dog to stay away from Storm, as he could bite.” But this was a ruse in order to ensure those who picked up the dog could make a clean getaway.

Gallagher has been receiving phone calls of support though his decision to increase the reward has drawn mixed reactions. While many have proved supportive saying pets are seen as a part of the family, others say that the money being offered is exorbitant for a dog.

Winter wonderland

2008-01-15T09:10:00.000+03:00

Here are some scenes from my recent trip to British Columbia.

Bring back the salt & vinegar!

2008-01-14T21:26:00.000+03:00

When did Turkey & Stuffing, Prawn Cocktail, and Roasted Chicken become acceptable flavors of potato chips?

No thanks.

No dust storms today!

2008-01-13T17:52:00.000+03:00

The Qatar Tribune broke a huge story this morning. They reported that because of heavy rains, chances of a dust storm today have been "negated".

You think?

My new WC

2008-01-13T08:10:00.000+03:00

I woke up to the sound of rain again this morning. Heavy rain.

Doha traditionally gets very little rain, probably less than an inch. But back in December/06 it rained almost every day. I remember it well because Doha's beloved Asian Games nearly got washed out. Since then it hadn't rained even once until a couple days ago.

When it rains here, the streets quickly fill with water for lack of any proper drainage systems. As a result, new and inexperienced drivers - or drivers from non-rainy countries - tend to perform rather poorly on the roads. Some even get upset when their cars get too wet. During the famous rains of December/06 I came upon a guy slowly driving down a street, weaving back and forth trying to avoid all the deep puddles. I blasted past him and gave his car a nice fat splash. He didn't appreciate this and tried to chase me down until he remembered he was scared of puddles.

But this year, and living in a different home, I've discovered that rain in Doha also means dirty rain water dripping down through the roof, into my bedroom's clothes closet, and then onto the floor. It started the other day (see earlier post) but didn't last long. This morning I had a nice, steady stream of water coming down and pooling on the floor. I've moved everything out of that closet and tried to position buckets in the worst places.

Does it get any more fun than this? Oh yes.

This morning's new twist is that I now have rain water dripping through an electrical breaker box near my already soggy closet. Water coming through a breaker box couldn't possibly be dangerous, could it?

FLASH NEWS: My compound's maintenance guy just showed up at my door with a roll of plastic sheeting. He climbed up to the roof via the ladder and hatch in the offending closet (yeah..long story) and put the plastic down. He doesn't speak a word of English and I don't speak much Arabic, but judging by his water-logged appearance and vigorous hand gestures, I got the impression that my closet may not be the only one in the compound dripping water.

My clothes closet has now become a water closet. WC...get it? Ha ha.

(Plastic sheeting...great memories there, huh? If you know what I'm talking about, then I hope you're having a good laugh.)

Weather report and movie review

2008-01-11T15:18:00.000+03:00

It's a cold, wet day here in Doha. Cold and wet are two words rarely used to describe this place, but a few days ago it dropped to 8C / 46F and it hasn't warmed up that much since. And today, for the first time in over a year, it's raining. I woke up this morning around 0630 to what, at first, I thought was the sound of someone typing in my house. When my head cleared, I realized it was actually the sound of rain drops on my roof. And like most roofs here, it's not designed to withstand much (any) rain. So of course it's leaking. And not just anywhere. It's only leaking directly above the closet in my bedroom. Drip, drip, drip on bedding and clothes.

I've seen a few movies over the last few weeks worth mentioning. On flight over to America (Doha to Washington, DC) I watched The Darjeeling Limited. I highly recommend it. It's the story of three oddball brothers who take a train trip across India. The story is about their relationship, and of course, about India. If you have brothers, been to India, and traveled on an Indian train - you absolutely must see this movie. If none of the above apply to you, then you will still find this movie very amusing and entertaining.

Another movie I recommend even more highly is 3:10 to Yuma. This was another airplane movie (Washington DC to Doha), but it rose above the circumstances to become one of the very best movies I've seen in a long time. It's a Western and stars Russel Crowe and Christian Bale. Crowe is murdering, outlaw thief who finally gets arrested and Bale is a hardscrabble rancher who signs up for the job of transporting him to a train station where the 3:10 to Yuma will take him onwards to prison. Even if you're not a fan of Westerns, you absolutely must see this movie. The acting is outstanding.

My third movie review is much less enthusiastic. I just finished reading the book, Charlie Wilson's War, and was looking forward to seeing the movie. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to the book. A story that unfolded over the course of several years in the book (a true story, by the way) was condensed rather ineptly into a 90-minute movie. The parts of the movie that weren't fabricated were nothing more than the sexiest and funniest parts of the book. Read the book if you want to learn about a fascinating period in CIA history and get a better background understanding of the current chaos in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But go see the movie if all you want to see is a mildly amusing performance by Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Julia Roberts' character and performance was so lame it's almost not even worth mentioning.

Back in the desert. Home sweet home.

2008-01-08T20:14:00.000+03:00

I made it back to Doha tonight. And, no thanks at all to United Airlines, my luggage arrived with me here.

When I arrived at Dulles from Charlotte earlier today (yesterday?) I marched down to the United Airlines baggage service office expecting a battle. What I found instead was a long line of other people also waiting to speak to the UA folks.

I parked my cart in line and wandered over to inspect a large pile of baggage stacked up nearby. And sure enough...after about 15 seconds of searching...I found my long, lost bag! The best part was the yellow sticky note attached to it reading, "Send to Doha on January 7".

So, after six days of frustrated phone calls to India (thanks for nothing - Micky, Keith, and Prateek!), my bag was sitting outside the UA office in Dulles the whole time. What a surprise. And not only that, it was sitting there where anyone (like myself)could walk up and take it. Which, of course, I did. Without telling anyone.

I'll wait to see if UA contacts me informing me that my bag has now been stolen.

Back to Doha...hopefully with my luggage

2008-01-07T16:16:00.000+03:00

It's a beautiful morning here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. After a bone chilling welcome here last week, the weather has turned spring-like in its warmth and wonder.

I'm driving down the mountain in a few hours to Charlotte, from where I'll fly back to Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) and then on to Doha.

During my layover in Dulles, I will be have a stern conversation with the folks at United Airlines Baggage Services (located next to Baggage Carousel #4 on the lower level). These are the people who lost my luggage on January 1 and have still not found it. They think it might be in Dulles because that's the last place it was scanned. So I told the people in India (where the UA call-center is located) to make a note in my file so the folks at Dulles would be expecting a visit from me later this afternoon.

I shall keep you posted.

United Airlines sucks!

2008-01-04T16:03:00.000+03:00

I'm in North Carolina and this is Day #3 of no luggage from United Airlines. Twice, in one trip, they have managed to lose my suitcase in Denver. But, according to a completely useless man at their toll-free Baggage Services center in India (yes...India!), they are doing everything they can to make sure the bag gets put on a FedEx truck this morning and sent the several hundred miles from Washington Dulles Airport to where I am in Boone, North Carolina. This news might encourage me, if it were not for the fact that this is the same story I've been told for three days.

Grrrrr!!!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone

2007-12-21T07:39:00.000+03:00

Wherever in the world you are this Christmas season, my prayer is that you will find peace, joy, and the warm hearts of family and friends. Please watch the YouTube video in the post below as my old friends Linus and Charlie explain what Christmas is all about.

Merry Christmas. God bless you.

What Christmas is all about

2007-12-21T07:35:00.000+03:00

Dreamers of day

2007-12-19T15:26:00.000+03:00

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds
Awake to find that all was vanity;
But the dreamers of day are dangerous men,
That they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible.
~ T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

Whatever you can do,
or dream you can,...begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
~ Goethe

Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
~ Helen Keller, The Open Door

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.
What is essential is invisible to the eye.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

Somebody needs his testosterone levels checked...STAT!

2007-12-16T16:33:00.000+03:00

"Attention shoppers. Would the owner of the Louis Vitton motorcycle illegally parked on the sidewalk out front please immediately report to the hospital for a testosterone check."

If Paris Hilton puked on a motorcycle, this is what it would look like.

Yesterday my colleague Amy spotted this bike - and its owner, parking it illegally on the sidewalk - at one of our local malls. This thing is an insult to every God-fearing motorcycle owner/rider in the world. I know there are a lot of people who are slaves to their favorite brand, but this is going a bit too far. Especially for a guy. And especially for a motorcycle.

Be sure to note the matching helmet and the owner's e-mail address painted on the side. Rather than the flood of e-mails from adoring girls this guy is hoping for, I hope everyone (including you) e-mails him to tell him what a pathetic loser he is.

A Canadian Christmas classic!

2007-12-15T19:57:00.000+03:00

Beer nog

2007-12-15T19:28:00.000+03:00

Captain Jack Sparrow is home for the holidays

2007-12-15T09:07:00.000+03:00

Captain Jack Sparrow is home for the holidays. Your home, in fact.

That's because the folks at Disney decided that nothing says Christmas like a "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" advent calendar. They are now available at my local grocery store.

If you'd rather not see Johnny Depp on Christmas morning, perhaps Tobey Maquire is more your style. The "Spider Man 3" advent calendar is also available.

I wish this was my neighborhood!

2007-12-14T17:59:00.000+03:00

Three questions

2007-12-13T06:55:00.000+03:00

It's easy, after all, not to be a writer. Most people aren't writers, and very little harm comes to them.
~ Julian Barnes, Flaubert's Parrot

We have to look inwards to look into ourselves, look into this container, which is our soul; look and listen to it. Until you have listened in to that thing which is dreaming through you, in other words -- answered the knock on the door in the dark, you will not be able to lift this moment in time in which we are imprisoned , back again into the level where the great act of creation is going on.
~ Sir Laurens van der Post

Am I listening to that thing which is dreaming through me? What is knocking on my door in the dark? Do I have the courage to open it?

Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon

2007-12-11T20:00:00.000+03:00

It's done. It's finally over. I ran the race. I fought the good fight. And I didn't finish last.

Last weekend I flew to Dubai (45 minutes away) to run in the Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon. What began almost four months ago here in Doha, ended at 9:32 a.m. on Friday morning when I crossed the finish line at the Dubai Creek Golf & Country Club.

(This first picture is Frieda, myself, and Beth just after we checked in for the race at 6:00 a.m. )

The race went really well. I stuck to my strategy of starting slow, maintaining a slow pace, and then finishing slow. I may have to develop a new strategy if I ever learn how to run faster.

The 21.1 km route followed a figure 8 along the Dubai Creek. For me, it was a cool way to see some new parts of Dubai. We ran along the creek where many yachts and dhows were moored, through some souks (markets) where the shopkeepers were just setting up their wares for the day, and over a couple of bridges.

Somewhere around Km15 I started to fade a bit. By then I was running very much alone. Frieda was way ahead of me somewhere and Beth was probably a few hundred metres behind me. To motivate myself I imagined (without closing my eyes, of course) that all my close friends and family were right there on the sidewalk cheering me one. I ran with a big grin on my face for the next kilometre or so.

Here Beth and I are approaching the finish line together. Hooray for us!

I'm not particularly proud of my running time (2:32), but my goal was to have fun, finish the race, and not come in last. I succeeded in all three. While I certainly stayed near the back of the pack, I was still surprised at how many people came in after me. Including some guys younger than me!

I am indebted to several people who made my race possible. First, my cousin Frieda. She was my inspiration and training mentor from the very beginning and we made a great family memory by running this race together. Second, my friend and colleague Beth. After a little convincing, she joined our morning runs and never looked back. And third, my old friend Paul in Hiroshima. Paul is a professional long distance runner and tri-athlete and was a great source of technical advice and encouragement.

And of course, I have to thank all the people who encouraged me these last few months during my training and put up with my complaints about all those 5:15 in the morning runs.

Team Doha did itself proud. Here is our Friday morning running group (from L to R): me, Beth, Nancy, Brian, and Beth.

Here's Frieda and I at the end of it all. She's the one who kept me going and I'll always remember that I did my first half-marathon with my favorite cousin. Love you, Frieda!

Your own astonishment

2007-12-10T07:51:00.000+03:00

If you want to make a new contribution, you've got to make a whole new preparation.
~ Steven R. Covey, The 8th Habit

People love pretty much the same things best. A writer looking for subjects inquires not after what he loves best, but after what he alone loves at all. Strange seizures beset us.

Why do you never find anything written about that idiosyncratic thought you advert to, about your fascination with something no one else understands? Because it is up to you. There is something you find interesting, for a reason hard to explain. It is hard to explain because you have never read it on any page; there you begin. You were made and set here to give voice to this, your own astonishment.
~ Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

No thanks

2007-12-06T06:26:00.001+03:00

This is why I don't live in Canada, or anyplace else where this might happen. This photo was sent by a colleague at our office in Moncton, New Brunswick. Winds gusting up to 100 km/h dropped 50 cm of snow.

Snow is only good for one thing -- skiing down a mountain on top of it. Shoveling it out of my driveway? No thanks.

Good luck with everything over there, Marc.