Watching American sports live, from the UAE, takes some extra effort. Not that things are not available. They are, if you pay a little bit extra — maybe $50 a year — to augment your basic cable package (most of which is not in English) with a set of stations that includes ESPN, Fox and, […]

[Read more →]

Explaining the process of how mammals reproduce is a fairly recent concept, in human history. Back when 90 percent of all living people were farmers or herders, kids figured it from what went on around the barn. Urbanization led to what came to be called, in the U.S., anyway, as “the birds and the bees” […]

[Read more →]

Look anywhere in the world, and you will find more than a few people with wonky teeth. Several of my close relatives have had work done, or should have. It is fairly commonly assumed, in the U.S., at least, that Britons are particularly disinterested in matters dental. Remember Mike Myers as Austin Powers, international man […]

[Read more →]

Several broad trends in the makeup of Asia’s delegation to the World Cup were confirmed today, the final match day of qualifying for Brazil 2014. It is good news for the powers that be. And have been. It is bad news for just about everyone else.

[Read more →]

If you pay any attention to the U.S.-based National Hot Rod Association — better known as the NHRA — you know the name of an Emirati. Which puts you ahead of most of the planet’s people. That guy who drives one of the two Top Fuel cars for Al Anabi Racing? Khaled Al Balooshi? An […]

[Read more →]

Mexico fans are probably gloating a little. El Tri is representing North America at the Confederations Cup, the quadrennial continental championships, in Brazil, a nice little tournament that doubles as a test run for the host country a year ahead of the World Cup. Four years ago, it was the U.S. national soccer team at […]

[Read more →]

I have held my tongue for more than 3.5 years. I have been working in the UAE for all that time, and have been immersed in cricket throughout, and I am now ready to say it. Cricket is failed baseball. Baseball’s origins probably were in the British games of cricket and rounders, and all three […]

[Read more →]

Random thought, while watching clocks tick into the 7:00 range, and watching 707 and 727, etc., go past: What variety of plane have I flown most often? At first, I thought it might be close, with at least three contenders. Upon further review … I’m pretty sure it isn’t close, and I imagine it isn’t […]

[Read more →]

If you follow global soccer, you know this is not an unusual story. Nigeria’s national team today refused to leave its hotel in Namibia because the Nigeria soccer federation had not paid the players the money they were promised for recent successes in international games. How is this possible? Because the Nigeria federation is broke […]

[Read more →]

What is the U.S. perception of Pakistan? Not particularly good, it seems safe to say. In theory, an ally of the U.S., but a very shabby ally. Apparently, Osama bin Laden hid out in Pakistan for much of the period when he was hunted by the U.S. military, and was in Pakistan when he finally […]

[Read more →]