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Entries from November 2010

Here Comes Papua New Guinea

November 30th, 2010 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, soccer, Sports Journalism, The National

Hard to envision a more exotic place, really. Papua New Guinea is the eastern half of that big island north of Australia. The independent country, as opposed to the western half of the island, which is part of Indonesia. What images do you conjure when you hear “Papua New Guinea?” Tropical rainforests. Towering mountains. Exotic […]

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Oh, and the Bachelors!

November 29th, 2010 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, UAE

Back to real estate. Something we have going for us, in this market? There are just the two of us. And landlords like that. A lot. Because a dangerous option? “Bachelors.”

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Back in the Abu Dhabi Housing Market

November 28th, 2010 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, The National, UAE

A year ago we were trying to find our first apartment here. It was about as pleasant as a migraine. Now, the one-year lease is almost up, and we’ve been trying to sort out what we should do next. Shall we go or shall we stay? And if we go, where to? Here are our […]

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Dodgers Making Shockingly Sensible Moves

November 27th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Abu Dhabi, Baseball, Dodgers

A year ago, the Dodgers seemed paralyzed by the Frank/Jamie McCourt divorce. The club did almost nothing of note through the winter and went to spring training with four-fifths of a starting rotation, and one of the four was the personally and professional erratic Vicente Padilla. While Frank v Jamie continues to grind through the […]

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Thanksgiving, the Day After

November 26th, 2010 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, UAE

We didn’t miss the holiday, after all. Well, we were a day late. But it was the thought that counted. We made our way south of Abu Dhabi Island and found the home of an American family who played host to about 25 people,  some of whom (like us) they didn’t even know.

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Thanksgiving in Abu Dhabi, Year 2

November 25th, 2010 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, The National

T-Day in the UAE, our second. I can sum this up quickly: It didn’t really happen. Both of us worked on Thursday. Same as last year. Same as the year before, in Hong Kong. (Three consecutive Novembers outside the U.S.)

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UAE Making a Move on International Stage

November 24th, 2010 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi, soccer, Sports Journalism, UAE

I have been organizing coverage of the national soccer league here, as well as the UAE’s various national teams … and the country is on the threshold of some really significant achievements. Which says something, considering that in a country of 7 million the national teams come only from those with citizenship — Emiratis — […]

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And the Walls Came Tumbling Down

November 23rd, 2010 · 1 Comment · Basketball, NBA, Sports Journalism

I did an entry a month ago about some of the sports venues I have been in, and seen games in and filed stories from … that are gone. I had the Spectrum in Philadelphia on that list, but it was a bit premature. No longer. They got around to actually knocking down the building […]

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Marking Time

November 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · Abu Dhabi

Just before we came over to Abu Dhabi, we stocked up on a few items we weren’t sure we could get here. Not at the same price. And where do you go in SoCal to get items in bulk?

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Making the Peace Corps Jump

November 21st, 2010 · 2 Comments · Abu Dhabi, Sports Journalism, The Sun, UAE

Not enough of us hit the “reset” buttons on our lives. Or we wait too long. Suzie Ahn, a former colleague of mine in the good old days of the San Bernardino Sun sports department, hit the button, and she didn’t wait too long. Suzie did what some of us talk about doing, but never […]

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