In some ways, Abu Dhabi (city of), ought to be a paradise for bicyclists. The island is flat as a table, a table about four feet above sea level. Nary a hill, to speak of,  and only 9.7 square miles. Almost nothing is more than four miles from anything else. That’s a bit far to […]

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From the Arab Spring forward, worried people back in the States have inquired about our safety, here in the Middle East. Given upheaval in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen … and civil war in Syria. We understand their concern and appreciate it. From the other side of the Atlantic, “Middle East” must seem like one […]

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It’s a pretty sweet deal to be an Emirati, in the year 2013. Life in this region was very, very hard before oil, and oil in any significant amount came on line only a half-century ago. There are elders in this country who personally knew a life of subsistence farming and pearl diving … and […]

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A kid from Iran this week won 1 million dirhams — or $272,000 — for playing video games. Maybe that will make his mother back off with all those “and who will pay you to play video games?” complaints. Turns out, the government here in the UAE will pay him — for winning a big […]

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A few years ago, we splurged on the slightly slicker version of the cable TV package. The one with all the Al Jazeera sports stations and, more important, the one with three ESPN stations. Yes, here in Abu Dhabi. ESPN, ESPN America and ESPN Classic. Those three were the primary lifeline, in the UAE, back […]

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We came to Abu Dhabi, almost four years ago, with four bags. Two of them of some size. Seems fair; we were coming here to live. But right this moment … we must have eight bags. Accrued over time. Not here. But in Europe and the U.S. And they seem to be taking over the […]

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Weather. You know the saying. Everyone talks about it; no one does anything about it. I was struck by this, though. How different one sun-blasted desert can be from another. And having lived in both.

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The annual Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held yesterday, in Cooperstown, and the gala event may have been the strangest in the history of that institution. All three of the men who became Hall of Famers … were born in the 19th century. Each has been dead at least 70 years. I had […]

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We exited the arrivals hall of Dubai International Airport at about 10:30 tonight. Ah, the UAE in late July! t was still 108 degrees Fahrenheit, and humid, and walking into the night was like sliding into a warm bathtub — right up to the sensation that brought to mind trying to breath warm water. But […]

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A few years in Abu Dhabi might lead a person to believe homelessness is not a significant problem around the world. In the UAE, everyone has a job … or they are headed for the airport. It’s the law. Which can lead to some jarring sensations, when you leave the UAE and touch down almost […]

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