If Forrest Gump ever got to Abu Dhabi, he could tell you: Riding in a cab here is like a box of chocolates. You never know what kind of driver will pick you up. Indian, Filipino, Syrian, Indonesian, Bangladeshi, Afghan, Egyptian, Yemeni, Nepalese … Today, I got a Pakistani who wishes he were in America […]

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Ah, the power of the internet. Way back on Feb. 3 … yes, all of seven days ago … I wrote an item on this blog asking the Los Angeles Times to fix the problem that kept me from being able to read any of their blogs. The “hook” to the story being that Steve […]

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1. You can go weeks without seeing a dog.

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After reading about the New Orleans Saints’ victory in the Super Bowl (and watching video on nfl.com), I had a random thought: If enough people want a certain team to win an event … and they are a big enough percentage of the whole … can they somehow influence the course of events? I suppose […]

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I will check this again in a few minutes. But I don’t think I can get the Super Bowl live on iTunes over here. The system is talking about a “download,” so the $7.95 we paid is, I think, for a copy of the game … when it’s over. Yes, I will check. Again. The […]

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Apparently, this wasn’t anything special. A sort of everyday, run-of-the-mill sandstorm. But it still is creepy and unpleasant and unhealthy … and very Abu Dhabi. It began back on Wednesday. The wind picked up when we were out deep in the desert. I noticed that whenever the camel herds took a half-lap at the stadium […]

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Give it up for Al Jazira, homies! The neighborhood team, the scourge of the UAE Pro League. There we are, still undefeated after 13 matches. That’s what I’m talkin’ about! So, nearly four months into life in Abu Dhabi, I finally got to see the local-local team. That would be Al Jazira, yes, which plays […]

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We had to go, didn’t we? A camel festival? On the Saudi Arabian Peninsula? That’s like going to see thoroughbreds in the middle of Kentucky’s Blue Grass region. Elephants in Kenya. A place where they know their animals like nowhere else. And didn’t we have to go … when they bill the Al Dhafra Camel […]

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My friend and former colleague Steve Dilbeck now blogs about the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Times. I would like to read Steve’s blog. I would also like to read a blog about the Dodgers. The trouble? None of the latimes.com blogs will load. Zero. Sports, politics, news. None can be called up. The people […]

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I was thinking of a headline along the lines of “Not Missing Super Bowl Media Day,” but that could be misconstrued. As in, I didn’t miss it; I was there. When I meant “I am so not missing the mockery of a sham that is Media Day.” Look at your local newspaper tomorrow morning. Or […]

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