Lack of Security in the Middle East

On the news you always hear talk about security in the Middle East.

Well, here in Qatar they take security seriously...sometimes.

Like when the electronic security gate which can only be opened with a Staff or Student Smartcard is broke OPEN:

Like when the guard desks are unmanned at the loading dock of our building:

I wouldn't care so much, except for the fact that the loading dock is directly below my office.
Good thing there are constant patrols and guard gates BEFORE you get to my building as well as Qatar Special Police parked outside the complex and in my office I have a 24 inch concrete floor with 2 inch steel-reinforced flooring on top of it with an 18 inch buffer of space.

It reminds me of the line from Apocalypse Now.

[while flying in a helicopter with Air Cavalry soldiers]
Chef: Why do all you guys sit on your helmets?
Soldier: So we don't get our balls blown off.

Local Doha News from the Gulf Times

A Doha court sent a Turkish national, accused of having illicit relations with an Indonesian housemaid, to jail until a final verdict in the case is given. The Muslim man initially confessed to the charge but retracted his statement after he learnt that the penalty for such an offence was stoning to death according to the Shariah. The woman, also a Muslim, denied the charge and claimed she was not married.

http://www.gulf-times.com

Beans, Beans

Beans, Beans
They're good for your heart
The more you eat
The more you fart

The more you fart
The better you feel
So eat your beans at every meal

It seems like every lunch meal in Qatar that I eat has beans in it...

Google Earth Updated for Qatar

Check out Qatar on Google Earth.

The way I know that Qatar has been updated on Goggle Earth is that they have updated the satellite picture of Palm Tree Island.


This is what Palm Tree Island looked like before the Asian Games in December.

This is what Palm Tree Island looks like now after the Asian Games.

Why did the Qataris get rid of all the trees, grass, swimming pools, restaurants, and go cart track that were a haven for expats?

Supposedly, this is where the beach volleyball tournaments were going to take place during the Asian games, but that never happened.

Rumor has it that they wanted to make the island back into its orginal state as a sand bar.

Here's another thing - It is called Palm Tree Island, but the ONLY tree on it now is NOT a palm tree.

Virgin Megastore now open in Qatar

A branch of the Virgin Megastore recently opened at the Villaggio in Doha, Qatar.

Now you will find books, CDs, and DVDs that before you had to either hand-carry into the country yourself from outside Qatar or have shipped for ridiculous prices from businesses outside Qatar.

The prices on items in the store are higher than you would find in the States, but if you just gotta have that Lonely Planet book of Japan because you are going next week, then you are in luck.

Oh, and they don't sell virgins...although there are plenty in Qatar, mostly expats.

Also, the gondola rides in the canals of the Villaggio Mall are not ready yet, but I give them a week and they should be ready.

John left Qatar and all he got was this baby

John's going-away present...Mike and Molly's baby...just kidding.

Never Throw At Anyones Head.

Never throw at anyones head...where's the fun in that?
What else is there to aim at when you are swimming in the pool?

Dry Grapes

Dry Grapes=Raisins

Keep the plastic or remove the plastic?

So the big question is:

Do I keep the fresh from the dealership plastic on the seats (like the Qataris do) or do I remove the plastic on the seats?

Plenty of trunk space

My new car has trunk space for two, maybe three, small children.

My Fuzzy Balls

I just put the fuzzy eight balls and fuzzy dice that I brought from the US on the rearview mirror of my new car.

When you read the title of this entry, did you think I was going to talk about something else?

My New Car

Since John left Qatar and I am no longer co-leasing a car with him and because you can't survive in Qatar without a car since walking anywhere can kill you because of the heat and the public trasportation system is still a fledgling operation that doesn't go anywhere I need to go (ie. work), I have bought a 2007 Hyundai Tuscon SUV (4WD 6 cylinder 2.7 liter engine)...copper, so I can hide out in the desert if I need to...and very cheap on gas especially when gas is $.83 USD...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

There's no such thing as flavored water.

There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.

This book title jumped right out at me from the shelf at the Jarir Bookstore, so I had to buy it.

And before you ask, NO, I have not converted to Islam.

My Nikon Coolpix 7600 Died

My Nikon Coolpix 7600 died.

I should be mad. This is the second Nikon Coolpix that I have owned that died prematurely (I think).

When I come back to the States, I will be in the market for a new point and shoot camera.

For now I will use my Nikon D70.

But without my point and shoot, no more inconspicuous traveler. If I want to photograph, I will have a big SLR hanging around my neck.

TP in a Public Bathroom

There is a certain sadistic fun to being the person who used the last of the toilet paper in a stall in a public bathroom.

What are you supposed to do morally and ethically? It is not your responsibility to make sure there is enough toilet paper for the general populace. There is no one to tell that the toilet paper has run out (unless there is a custodian standing around) and you shouldn't have to run to the market and get more toilet paper to put in for the next person.

All you can do is smile that sadistic smile and laugh a little, thinking of the next person stuck in the stall cursing you - the person who was last in the stall who used up the last of the toilet paper.

India or Nepal?

In April, India or Nepal?

Gin and Coconut

Usually, I don't like coconut treats, but my pantry was pretty bare last night and I was too lazy to go to the corner market, so last night I had a Gin and Tonic with a "refrigerator-chilled" milk chocolate Bounty Candy Bar that I had left over from a candy bar variety pack and to my suprise the combination was good...try it...if you can.

According to Wikipedia, "although Mars is an American company, Bounty bars have not been available in the United States since the mid-1990s due to competition with Almond Joy and Mounds."

If in the US, substitute Almond Joy or Mounds...but I am not a big fan of almonds either...so for me it would be Mounds...HUHUHUH...mounds.

Also, Mounds are dark chocolate and Almond Joy is milk chocolate. I had the Bounty with the blue wrapper which is the milk chocolate variety. The dark chocolate Bounty comes in a red wrapper.

So if you want milk chocolate coconut without the almond and you are in the US, bite into an Almond Joy and spit out the almond...if you have had several gin and tonics this could get messy or fun, or both.

8 hours a day

8 hours in the work day...gotta fill 'em with something.

Disney's Piglet Banned in the Middle East

See this blog post about Piglet being "banned" and then read my further investigation below.

http://www.qatarliving.com/blog/camper/disneys-piglet-banned-in-middle-east


This past weekend I went to Jarir Bookstore, but couldn't find the book in question.

I did however find plenty of books NOT BANNED OR CENSORED with pigs on the cover and illustrated in stories: for example, several versions of The Three Little Pigs in book, CD, and DVD and pigs on/in books about farms AND there were NEW Charlotte's Web books where the central character is a pig!

Why was Piglet banned out of all this? I think it is a conspiracy against DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This brings up a new question...How will the Muslim world handle the new popularity of Charlotte's Web staring Dakota Fanning with it's subversive PRO-Pig message? Maybe they will embrace the message of Charlotte's Web which is to NOT slaughter pigs but to save them so they can talk to spiders.

Next...banning porcine liguistically inclined spiders....