It’s depressing when the heroes of your youth begin to die. Willie Davis and now Merlin Olsen, only two days apart is … sad. Each was 69. Too young. As noted two days ago, Willie Davis ultimately was something of a sad story, after a career considered something less than it could have been, and […]

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India is pretty much a mystery to me. I believe it is for most Americans. India is huge. It has something like 1.1 billion people. It’s the world’s largest democracy. But India and the U.S. … not much interaction, and never has been. No wars. No colonial history. No proximity. Not much trade. Not even […]

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Willie Davis was found dead in his home in Burbank today. “Three Dog,” as he was known by teammates and fans because he hit so many triples and because he wore No. 3. He was 69. Thinking back about him … he is one of those guys who gives you pause. Starting center fielder for […]

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I mentioned in the item about the Kindle a few days ago that I twice had failed to finish the book Dune. Which astonished one of our readers, because he loves Dune, as does his son. But I haven’t finished all sorts of book. In fact, the books I began but didn’t finish … might […]

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We could have titled it, “Lancaster appears in the UAE.” Or Apple Valley or even Desert Hot Springs. Any of those places in the southern California desert where fairly big but inexpensive homes pop up on the most unlikely patches of desert. What this country doesn’t have much of … is the SoCal/Arizona-style tract homes. […]

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Winter is grand, in Abu Dhabi. A dozen weeks of highs in the 70s, nights in the 60s. Every day is a beach day, even those when it rains, because rain here comes in violent spates, and a half-hour under a canopy will see off the most determined storm. And the other 11.5 weeks … […]

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I love books. I have kept nearly every book I ever bought or received as a gift. I have thrown out only a few. Ever. Particularly wretched stuff or, perhaps, paperbacks that suffered water damage. Almost all the rest, I have here and there. Back in the apartment in Long Beach that we rented out. […]

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Sometimes it seems a lifetime ago, but there was a long stretch of time when a big chunk of my brain was devoted to a big but fairly specific topic: High school football in San Bernardino County. There was nothing bigger, in that part of the sports world. Everything else was somewhere down the line. […]

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Benajmin, our cab driver, was agitated. I could have guessed it when he pulled up five minutes late. Because he is never late. And when he announced, as we turned into the street, “I am sorry I am late. I cannot concentrate.” Because his roommates — his ex-roommates — had just sprung an unpleasant surprise […]

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Due to popular demand … well, one of you asked … a list of 10 ideas/concepts/events I like about living in Abu Dhabi: (And I also get to do a list, and everyone likes lists.)

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