The Adventures of Ed the Librarian

Friday, December 08, 2006

Parking for the Asian Games

No problem parking at the Al-Sadd Sports Club (Stadium) for the Sepaktakraw matches during the Asian Games. Mike is the human-looking spot you see in the photo.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Driving my SUV through the flooded streets of Doha, Qatar

...SPLASH...WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Question: Aren't you suppose to keep both hands on the wheel?

Answer: Not if you are taking a picture AND driving.

At least I'm not talking on my cell phone like the Qataris do while driving.

Tired of shredding paper by hand?

Tired of shredding paper by hand???

Then try the NEW and IMPROVED HAND PAPER SHREDDER!!!!!

Just hand-turn the crank and the paper gets shredded!!!

Now isn't that easier than tearing paper the old-fashioned way...with your hands.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Corrupting the Expat Youths in Qatar

I would NEVER offer alcohol to ANY of the youths of the Qatar expat community. That would be wrong...funny...but wrong. Photo taken at the delayed Thanksgiving party...delayed because many people left Qatar during the Thanksgiving weekend.

I don't do wilderness!

"I don't do wilderness!" said the city mouse to the country mouse.

And you know who you are.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

The Museum Annex...also known as my Living Room

What can you spot in this picture?

Luchador mask
three masks from Africa
my dagger from Yemen
my satellite TV
my electric guitar
my woodcarved figures from Mexico
a book on the geology of rubies and sapphires
Navajo clay vessel

What else do you see?

Tokyo, Japan for New Years 2007!!!!!!!!!

I will be staying at the Kent Hotel in Tokyo for New Years 2007!

Address : 1-21-7 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-Ku, TokyoHotel
Location : City
Area : Shinjuku

Here is what is stated about the Kent Hotel:

For those who enjoy being at the heart of a nightlife district, this hotel , Kent, Tokyo is perfectly located close to four cinemas and Shinjuku's most famous theater, Koma Gekijo. The surrounding game centers, clubs, bars and restaurants are open till the wee hours of the morning, but the hotel serves as a comfortable oasis amid the nightly churning of Kabukicho. Rooms are small, simple and clean. The front desk and lobby entrance are adjacent to Milano Cinema.

Here are some reviews of the Hotel:

The location is excellent, just few blocks from JR station...a lot of people got drunk nearby bars at nite.

SAVE,SOFT,near Shinjuku Prince Hotel & JR! SMART Reception!

Here's what people say about Shinjuku:

Streams of screaming neon, high pitched shrieking sounds; people, people everywhere - silent and robotic. There's no room, there's no escape - earthquakes yet skyscrapers, it's hot, it's humid, it's calm, it's still for this is Shinjuku - a business and shopping district in the west of Tokyo and the ultimate, overwhelming experience.

Shinjuku has always had a reputation as one of Tokyo's pleasure quarters. After the Second World War, plans to build a kabuki theater never materialized but the name stuck, and Kabukicho's neon-lit streets continue to uphold a reputation for some of the most unfettered nightlife in the city. The area also boasts countless restaurants with excellent examples of virtually every Asian cuisine, and bars of every size and description.

From wikitravel.org:
The Kabukichō (歌舞伎町) district, to the northeast of JR Shinjuku station, is Tokyo's most notorious red-light district - although during the daytime you might not even notice, especially if you can't decode the elaborate Japanese codewords on the billboards. At night it's a different story though, as sharkskin-suited junior yakuza gangsters hustle, girls in miniskirts beckon in customers and adults-only vending machines strut their stuff. Night or day, it's always packed with people, and though outsiders are generally not involved, quite a bit of gangland violence goes on in the vicinity. In addition, the closely-packed mah-jongg and strip clubs are fire hazards that rival Hong Kong high-rises.

Golden Gai (ゴールデン街) (...gai = "...district") is the name given to a few narrow alleys in a block on the east edge of Kabukicho. It's packed with tiny aging "hole-in-the-wall" bars and started as a red light district some decades ago; morphing into some sort of a subversive hangout; and finally now into an odd assortment of tiny bars some up very steep steps. The irony of the place is that while it has become somewhat of a tourist attraction, many of the bars rely on regulars, so strangers wandering in may receive either a frosty reception, cover charge or both. If the door is open and you get a smile go in, it's an experience not to be had anywhere else. Many of the bars have Karaoke and ancient mama-sans, while one has an old man who speaks Spanish and plays flamenco videos on a tiny black & white TV, and who occasionally plays guitar; one of the least friendly has a great collection of Jazz CDs. For those looking for some alternative rock, seek out "Rock Bar: Mother" for an extensive collection of Punk and Metal CD's. If you are put off by some bars look for Bar K, which is always welcoming of foreigners with beers for 1000 yen a mini long neck. Some places charge for Karaoke with coin machines while others like Bar K have it as service but the bar has also to pay for the service so a small karaoke surcharge is sometimes added.
If you only want a stroll around and then escape for a cheap drink, the more contemporary Coin Bar located just before the Golden Gai entrance slightly west as you head back towards Kabuki-cho, sells all drinks for 500 yen and staffed mostly by Filipinas who speak excellent English.
On the west side of the Yamanote tracks, Omoide Yokochō (思い出横丁, "Memory Lane") is a small alley filled with yakitori joints. The tunnel under the tracks near the entrance of Omoide Yokocho is nicknamed gokiburi yokochō (cockroach lane) or shonben yokochō (piss lane). No prizes for guessing why.

Finally a city with some potential.

Monday, December 04, 2006

After the Rains, Qatar Underwater

In the streets of Doha since there are few or, as the case on our street, no drains, the water has nowhere to go after it rains.

Rain Detector

It rained all day and night for the first day and night of the Asian Games. I got out my Rain Detector Kit to see if it was raining. The rain detector works by using water in a glass (gathered by the rain) to complete a circuit and causing the Piezo Transducer to emit a noise when electricity runs through it (see schematic, below) .

Sunday, December 03, 2006

HOTTIE ALERT!!! HOTTIE ALERT!!!

Meredith and Gaby

Love that Chicken from Popeye

No, not Popeye's Chicken...Popeye Chicken, singular with Popeye as their mascot. Two copyright infringements in one store.

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man.
I'm strong to the finish 'cus me eats me spi....chicken.
I'm Popeye the Sailor Man. TOOT-TOOT!
(not their slogan...but it should be)

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Latent Sexual Imagery in Asian Games Billboards

Is it just me in my Freudian way of thinking or is there an image of "something sexual" in this picture?

Here, I have highlighted it so you can see it better.

Do you want to see the picture again to make sure that is REALLY what you saw???

So what is it a picture of really? In this closeup, you can see that it is, as officials of the Asian Games told me, a participant in the sport of Taekwondo bowing to an opponent in a building sized billboard for the 15th Asian Games in Qatar.