Soccer

It was ONLY 97 degrees today. A cold snap in terms of the Arabian Peninsula in July. So a bunch of us went outside and played soccer, futbol for all the non-Americans, after work.

A little taste of the States in Qatar

For a taste of the States go to Ric's Kountry Kitchen, near the airport in Doha, Qatar.

I recommend The Lumberjack - Two Eggs, Two Pancakes, Two Beef Sausages, Two Pieces of French Toast, Breakfast Steak, and Hash Browns...Yumm!

Word verfication for posting comments to this site

I have set up the option to show word verfication for posting comments to this site. Now people leaving comments on my blog will be required to complete a word verification.

For example, a word verification will show up on the right hand side of the comment window. See example from Blogger help below. Sorry for the inconvenience but I believe that this will make for a better environment for real comments.

For more information on word verification from Blogger see:
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42520

My First Time Driving through the Dunes

Deflate the tires to 15 psi, buckle in, and get ready for a car ride that is a cross between a roller coaster and driving in ice and snow....that is what driving in the sand dunes of Qatar is like.

Spam in blogs

In checking my comments I have noticed an increase in the number of spam comments to some of my entries.

Please be aware that links in the comments can be spam in blogs (also called simply blog spam or comment spam) and is a form of spamdexing. It is done by automatically posting random comments which promote commercial services.

For example:

Anonymous said...
Your are Nice. And so is your site! Maybe you need some more pictures. Will return in the near future.»

The link ( » ) goes to http://car_insurance.mucho2.be/farm_bureau_car_insurance.html which brings up the cannot find server page anyways. What a waste.

First, anyone who knows me knows that I am not "nice." I hate nice. Nice is what you call a guy friend...ie. someone you treat as a brother or friend you would never have sex with...I've been that guy too many times...for those of you out there, you know who you are or may be you don't know who you are and you never got the hint. "If I wanted a friend who was a girl, I would join the Girl Scouts."

Second, I no longer own a car in the States. I wonder if this guy would like to insure my car in Qatar? Sir, where is the car? The Middle East...ah...I have to get back to you...but your link says that you will insure anyone...

"Maybe you need some more pictures." I put at least a picture a post. If you think you can do a better job then show me a site I can compare to mine, not a link to a car insurance company or a casino site.

You can tell it is spam if you go to a few comment fields and see that this comment is repeated several times in different posts. Who repeats the same dull comment over and over again??...a robot, that's who.

I can usually tell when a real human being has commented on my site and I hope you can too. Please don't click on comment links, because I don't want to give these guys the satisfaction and besides that would take you away from my site which is where you really want to be.

For information on Spam in blogs got to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_in_blogs. This link is true and works.

If this comment was from a real person then what is the deal?

Conan the Librarian

It all started when a bunch of us went to comedy night at The Laughter Factory at the Shehrazad Bar at the Ramada in Doha. The MC tried to get volunteers to come down and sit up in the front rows of seats by offering free beer to those who came forward. So John went, Mollie went, I went and Drew went down front. I will do pretty much anything for free beer.

So the four of us are sitting in the front row and the first comic comes on stage. He sees John sitting with his legs apart and makes a comment about the great greeting he received. He snarled at Mollie flirtaciously. He looked at me and called me Shrek and he said he was afraid I would come on stage and pummle him. I guess because I look big and intimidating.

Later on he asked what I did for a living. I told him "I worked in a library." He couldn't understand this. I am not a librarian, so I didn't say I was a librarian that would have been too easy. So he asked what I did and I explained and, of course, he couldn't find anything funny to say about what I do for a living. Once again afraid that he had insulted me he called me "Conan the Librarian" and moved on to another topic...

Al Qurain Martyrs Museum

The Al Qurain Martyrs Museum is the only major building in Kuwait left unrepaired after the Gulf War. The monument includes the remains of a house in the neighborhood of Al Qurain that was shredded by an Iraqi tank and machine gun fire in a battle against Kuwaiti men who tried to defend their neighborhood with automatic weapons. The tank prevailed, many of the Kuwaiti men were killed and the place they died became the Al Qurain Martyrs Museum to commemorate the Kuwaitis who resisted the Iraqi invasion.

Yo! Sushi

Conveyor Belt Sushi at the newly opened Yo! Sushi in Kuwait http://www.yosushi.com/.

"Each dish is placed on different colour-coded plates, indicating different prices, and all the empties are simply counted up at the end of the meal for the bill."

So we stacked the plates by color as high as they would go...

Kuwait traffic laws---They mean business!

Definitely obey the traffic signals in Kuwait...or else!

Cuttlefish-Chameleon of the Sea

The chromatophores and iridophores on the cuttlefish react to my camera flash in the aquarium at the Kuwait Science Center in Kuwait City.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuttlefish:
Cuttlefish are sometimes called the chameleon of the sea because of their remarkable ability to rapidly alter their skin colour at will. Their skin flashes a fast-changing pattern as communication to other cuttlefish and to camouflage them from predators. This color-changing function is produced by groups of red, yellow, brown, and black pigmented chromatophores above a layer of reflective iridophores and leucophores, with up to 200 of these specialized pigment cells per square millimeter. The pigmented chromatophores have a sac of pigment and a large membrane that is folded when retracted. There are 6-20 small muscle cells on the sides which can contract to squash the elastic sac into a disc against the skin. Yellow chromatophores (xanthophores) are closest to the surface of the skin, red and orange are below (erythrophores), and brown or black are just above the iridophore layer (melanophores). The iridophores reflect blue and green light. Iridophores are plates of chitin or protein, which can reflect the environment around a cuttlefish. They are responsible for the metallic blues, greens, golds, and silvers often seen on cuttlefish. All of these cells can be used in combinations. For example: orange would be produced by red and yellow chromatophores, while purple could be created by a red chromatophore and an iridophore. The cuttlefish could also use an iridophore and a yellow chromatophore to produce a brighter green.

Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverage

Kuwait is a totally dry country because alcohol is forbidden in Islam, which means "beer" (if you want to call it that) is NON-ALCOHOLIC...so you can drink it for the taste...

For information on why alcohol is forbidden in Islam, see:
http://islam.about.com/od/health/f/alcohol.htm

For information on malt beverages, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malt_beverage

Kuwait Towers

I spent last weekend with Mike, John, and Sara in Kuwait. Here the three of them are at the Kuwiat Towers in Kuwait City. I am laying on the ground and angling the camera up so I can get them and the towers in the background.

The sphere on the left holds a million gallons of water.

Can of Sweat

Thirsty for some Sweat????
MMMMmmmmm...Sweat.
Maybe you can drink some Sweat to wash down the Chicken Cocktail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocari_Sweat from Wikipedia
http://www.otsuka.co.jp/pocari_e/pocari1.htm cool explaination of Pocari Sweat from the manufacturer

Hungry?

Then how about I open up a can of Chicken Cocktail? MMMMmmmmm..chicken cocktail.

Free Dates in Qatar

The date palms in Qatar are producing vast amounts of dates. I have seen people picking the dates off the trees. As I have been told: Green-don't pick, Yellow-pick but may be bitter...let ripen, Brown ready to eat...but remember to wash off the sand and dust first or the dates can be gritty.
Since most of the date palms are on public property (ie. on street medians and in parks), they are technically the property of the Qatari government.
So I guess it is "pick at your own risk." I have date palms in my compound. So, for me, no need to pick dates on public property....but they do look good and tempting though...
According to Nadim, you definitely do NOT want to pick dates on public property in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, these dates are considered governemtn property and if you pick them you are considered stealing and you will go to jail. Apparently, it is not so strict in Qatar.

SNOWboarding in the desert

Question: It is 100+ degrees Fahrenheit and you live in the desert, what do you do for fun?
Answer: Snowboard at Ski Dubai!

Ski Dubai is an indoor ski slope in the desert. See http://www.skidxb.com/

While in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates this past weekend, I took snowboarding lessons...never been snowboarding in my life.

Definition of irony: Go live in the desert...learn how to snowboard.

Just in case you were wondering...I am wearing a cap on my head. My hair is greying, but the grey you see on the top of my head is from the cap.

Burj Al Arab

I went to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates this past weekend with John, Mike, and Sara. Here I am standing with Sara in front of the Burj Al Arab hotel -the thing that looks like a sail in the background. The Burj Al Arab claims to be the only 7 star hotel in the world...officially it is a 5 star deluxe hotel. See http://www.burj-al-arab.com/ Apparently, you can't just walk into the hotel and look around...you have to pay just to enter the hotel.

Truth, Justice, and the American Way

Happy 4th of July 2006!

No fireworks in Qatar, but we did have Glo-Sticks!

Say Hello To My Little Friend!

One of the carved figures that I picked up in Oaxaca, Mexico now sits on top of my satellite console in my villa.
For information about Oacacan woodcarving see:
http://www.oaxacanwoodcarving.com/mythnatr.html

Is it hot enough to fry an egg on the black asphalt?

Is it hot enough to fry an egg on the black asphalt?

Not yet...

Sara, John, and David try our first test to fry an egg on the asphalt...more tests to follow in the coming months.

Putting the D'Oh in Doha

It is 111 °F / 44 °C in Doha, Qatar at 1:30pm on July 2nd and it's going to get hotter as the summer progresses.

http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/41170.html