Two major religion-based events coming up this week in this part of the world: 1. The end of the fasting month of Ramadan, during which Muslims are not to eat or drink from dawn to dusk — 14-plus-hour stretches, this time of year. 2. The start of Eid Al Fitr, one of the biggest holidays […]

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I don’t know much about making money. I’m a journalist. But this strikes me as a good investment opportunity. No, really. Libya!

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Yes. Real basketball, involving Duke University, a serious American college basketball team. In Dubai, in the UAE. Almost an out-of-body experience. Coach K sitting at courtside. Austin Rivers, Doc’s highly regarded son, starting for the Blue Devils. A plethora of Plumlees. ESPN cameras. A near-capacity crowd to see Duke win 86-66. Never thought I would […]

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Rather a strange turn of events, even by UAE standards. Duke University’s men’s basketball team running and dunking at a small, stuffy gym at the Al Wasl Sports Club in Dubai as Mike Krzyzewski conducted an impromptu coaching clinic with about 30 guys sitting in the stands. “Sorry, I’m a little hoarse from yelling at […]

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… has been found. The 50-plus pounds of luggage in a big ol’ canvas bag that did not arrive in Abu Dhabi along with us and our other bag, turned up two days late and ended up safely in our apartment. With all of its original contents. If only bags could talk! What a story […]

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I don’t think I am particularly susceptible to jet lag. A day or two of minor issues, and then I’m fine. Usually. People who complain of jet lag after a three-hour time change from New York to Los Angeles or vice versa … I find that amusing. Never had a problem with that. But an […]

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Back from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi today, which is by no means a puddle jump, and I am reminded of how air travel has changed, for the worse, in my lifetime. Three decades ago (and even two decades ago on some airlines), to hear someone talk about a long plane ride was to conjure […]

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We had been out of California and the United States for nearly two years, and we weren’t sure what we would find when we came back. We became Old World-based tourists of our native state, and we did a lot of looking and rediscovering … and comparing and contrasting.

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I can’t remember the last time I saw a televised baseball game from start to finish. Sometime in 2009, I guess it would be. I’ve seen stretches of playoff games, while in Abu Dhabi, but the time differences are so weird that I inevitably miss the start of a game or its finish. So I […]

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  Second-to-last stop on our tour of California. From cozy Balboa Island to my hometown, Long Beach. And if this trip has been almost entirely about seeing how close we can get to the ocean, we have come to the right place. The windows of the condo we are renting afford a wide view out […]

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