This is my one and only entrepreneurial idea of the year. Disney ought to construct a theme park here in the United Arab Emirates. No. Really.

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Interesting concept, Ramadan. And one I knew about but, clearly, had never experienced. One full month of fasting during the day. From sunrise to sundown. Nothing to eat. Nothing. And it gets more difficult than that. No smoking, either. And here is the really tough one: No liquids. Not even water. From sunrise to sundown.

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A friend sent me the link late last night, Abu Dhabi time. Vin Scully would “make an announcement” before today’s Dodgers game with the Cincinnati Reds. And, of course, anytime Vinny makes an announcement, considering that he’s 82 … it freaks out all Vinny-o-philes.

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It’s an exchange from the 1974 movie “Blazing Saddles.” Always makes me smile. Sheriff Bart: “Can’t you see it’s the last act of a desperate man?” Townsman: “I don’t care if it’s the first act of Henry the Fifth.” So, in our last social act in Paris, here early on the morning of Aug. 21 […]

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This was the day. The one in your imagination. Or your memory. On your movie screens. When Paris is sunny and beautiful and lively and almost dream-like in it scrumptious goodness and magnetic appeal and all those recreational options, options, options! For two weeks here, it was mostly cloudy. Even rainy. Which suited a couple […]

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Yes, I said it about two weeks ago. “Even I’m ticked off at Brett Favre.” This was after all the reports, early this month, of him calling officials and players of the Minnesota Vikings and telling them that his ankle wasn’t sound enough for him to play … that he was going to have to […]

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Almost 11 months ago I did a blog post that generated as much hate mail as anything I’ve written at this address. Vile stuff. Unprintable. I posted eight comments, but another 20-plus I did not. Not because I didn’t like the criticism (I read them all), but because I didn’t feel like redacting the vulgarities. […]

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According to weather.com … the forecast high temperatures (in Fahrenheit) the next 10 days, including today, in Paris: 69, 72, 67, 65, 69,  71, 72, 74, 75, 74. And the highs in Abu Dhabi: 109, 108, 107, 110, 111, 110, 110, 110, 109, 109.

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A “benefit” of two weeks in Paris in August … a chance to resume jogging. Outside. I haven’t jogged — or done any out-of-doors cardio — in Abu Dhabi since April. Just way too hot. For most of us regular folks, it’s just not an option. Running when it’s 110 degrees, that’s a death wish […]

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Britt and Drew arrived in Paris today. I was very happy to see them coming at me at the end of the quay at the Gare de l’Est train station, rolling their luggage and looking like seasoned travelers. They are the first members of my family I have seen since we left for Abu Dhabi […]

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