Another big milestone on the slow (oh-so-slow) slog to Not Summer here in Abu Dhabi. I was able to jog, outdoors, for the first time since …

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When a person leaves the U.S. states that border Mexico … well, one of your first issues in your new home is “where do I get my enchilada fix?” This can be an issue in areas as close to Mexico as, say, Oregon and Utah … but it becomes a major issue in distant lands […]

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Allen Iverson, new point guard for Besiktas of Istanbul in the Turkish League. Certainly, the former MVP would prefer to be in the NBA. But after a couple of rocky seasons filled with a lot of off-the-court issues, he was not offered a job in The League, and it’s not as if he had a […]

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I may have remarked upon this before: How casual most people in this country are about getting rid of their trash … anywhere they please. Where do you dispose of wrappers, bags, papers, in the UAE? Out your window. Or at your feet. You just drop it and forget about it. This hit home for […]

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The National is an unusual newspaper. Located in a country near the northeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, in a thriving city (Abu Dhabi) that attracts lots of expatriates. One that is written in English, a language that is native to only a fraction of the people who live here. The paper attracts an eclectic […]

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No matter how the midterm elections go, back in the U.S. today, we can’t complain about the outcome. We did not vote. We have explanations … but not excuses.

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Talking about the weather is dreary, especially when it’s weather nowhere near where you happen to be sitting. But I have complained so often about the six months of summer here … that I have to speak up for the conditions of Friday. It was … perfect.

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I am excited about the idea of the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series. And they are one game away now, with three shots at securing their first championship since 1954 — or four years before they moved to San Francisco. Growing up in Los Angeles, as a Dodgers fan … I spent decades […]

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That was the question my elementary school teacher asked the class a half-century ago. “What day is this?”

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I am loath to admit this, because I would love to say I’m a really observant guy, a person who notices the small things around him. It would fit perfectly well with my chosen profession, where “seeing and remembering as events unfold” is a particularly useful job skill. But it also seems as if “knowing […]

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