It was announced in the papers that it would begin tonight so fasting starts tomorrow. I've got everything prepared, it's just a matter of getting used to waking up at 3 AM to have a meal. Like last year I'll just keep the food and drinks on my nightstand and have it there so I can go straight back to sleep.
First light is at 3:20 in the morning and the sun sets around 18:20 so I'm fasting for 15 hours a day.
_
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Varieties of Dates
I just finished shopping for Ramadan and one of the things I had to buy was dates. In Qatar, as well as most parts of the Islamic world, it is common to break your fast by eating a few dates so I wanted to make sure I had some on hand.
Most people in the West may not realize that, much like other fruits, there are many different varieties of dates. They range in size, color, sweetness, and quality (and of course, price). When I looked around the supermarket I realized there were over 10 different varieties on sale. So I figure I'd pick up a bunch of different types and try them out. Ultimately I've tried seven, including six from the same company. [2016 update: added two more varieties, now it's nine]
Once I got home I had a mini taste-testing to see what the differences were between the varieties.
1) Khudri
Khudri dates are a uniform dark brown color, not too wrinkly (dates can range from smooth to as wrinkly as a prune depending on the variety). The skin of these dates flake a little.
Taste: moderately sweet, nice “date” flavour, chewy but not dry.
2) Sagai
Sagai dates had the lightest color, going from medium brown to a very light brown at the top so had a unique 2-toned colour. They were also moderately wrinkled but the skin didn't flake.
Taste: mild sweetness, a milder date flavor than Khudri, chewy, not dry.
3) Safawi
Safawi are also a dark brown color but are slightly darker in color than Khudri dates. Safawi dates are wrinkly but how wrinkly they were varied greatly from date to date. Slight flaking.
Taste: the sweetness and flavour were slightly more intense than a Khudri date. Chewiness varied with how wrinkled the date was: a more wrinkled date was tougher to chew.
4) Ajwa Al Madinah
Unlike the other varieties of dates these dates are smaller and more spherical, rather than the oval shape we traditionally attribute to dates. They are also a very dark brown, almost black. Slightly wrinkled and the skin didn't flake.
Taste: these dates were very soft and almost melted in your mouth. They were moderately sweet but the taste could best be described as "smooth" compared to the other dates. Despite their smaller size the seed was slightly bigger.
5) Fard
These dates are medium brown color, smooth, with a bit of skin flaking. Seemed a bit more plump compared to the other dates.
Taste: like the Ajwa dates they were soft but unlike Ajwas they were very sweet, easily the sweetest date of the seven. You could almost feel granules of sugar in it. The sweetness also gave it a strong flavour.
6) Mabroom
Slightly smaller and more elongated than Khudri dates, also have a bit lighter color though not as light as Sagai. Wrinkled but they don't flake.
Taste: slightly less sweet than Khudri, a bit harder as well, pleasant flavour that was not as intense as some of the other varieties.
7) Sukkary
Sukkary are light brown in colour with patches of even lighter colour here and there, somewhat like a Sagai but without the distinct colour difference you see in Sagai dates. A bit of flaking.
Taste: not chewy, almost melted as it was quite soft. Like Fard dates I was mostly tasting sugar but it was not as sweet as a Fard date. Very mild date taste, so much so that if I had been given these while blindfolded I'd have a tough time determining it was a date.
8) Majdool
These were recommended by a Qatari friend of mine and are one of his favourites. They're expensive, mostly because they are a rare variety, or at least the Jordanian ones are (which are apparently the best).
The dates were HUGE, easily the biggest of the varieties that I've tried, and probably three times as much 'meat' as an ajwa date.
Taste: I expected them to be as soft and sugary as a Fard date given their size but actually they had a nice soft/firmness balance, a bit softer than a Khudri, and had a slightly stronger date taste and were 'smooth' like an ajwa. They were pretty good and might be what many people (not familiar with dates) would expect a date to be like.
9) Khenaizi
Very dark brown, small to midsize, not very wrinkled and didn't flake. They were soft, though a bit firmer than a Fard date, and had an above-average sweetness. The taste leaned more toward 'sweet' than 'date', but not to the extent of a Fard date. Still pretty good.
So what one did I like the best? I would have to go with the Ajwa Al Madinah because of their softness and smooth flavor/sweetness. Ranking them in order I would go:
Ajwa Al Madinah
Khudri (if you're not too familiar with dates these ones are probably what you think dates would be like)
Majdool (similar to Khudri but three times the price)
Khenaizi
Sagai and Mabroom tied
Sukkary (sugar taste, not much date taste)
Safawi (the tougher consistency was a bit annoying)
Fard (way too sweet and a real contrast to the Ajwa)
Not surprisingly the most expensive of the five varieties were also the Ajwas, which cost more than double what you would pay for the other varieties, though the Majdool dates were a close second. The rest were generally around the same price.
[Aug 2014 update: you can find an additional blog post about dates, this time about the stages of ripeness, by clicking this link.]
_
Most people in the West may not realize that, much like other fruits, there are many different varieties of dates. They range in size, color, sweetness, and quality (and of course, price). When I looked around the supermarket I realized there were over 10 different varieties on sale. So I figure I'd pick up a bunch of different types and try them out. Ultimately I've tried seven, including six from the same company. [2016 update: added two more varieties, now it's nine]
Once I got home I had a mini taste-testing to see what the differences were between the varieties.
1) Khudri
Khudri dates are a uniform dark brown color, not too wrinkly (dates can range from smooth to as wrinkly as a prune depending on the variety). The skin of these dates flake a little.
Taste: moderately sweet, nice “date” flavour, chewy but not dry.
2) Sagai
Sagai dates had the lightest color, going from medium brown to a very light brown at the top so had a unique 2-toned colour. They were also moderately wrinkled but the skin didn't flake.
Taste: mild sweetness, a milder date flavor than Khudri, chewy, not dry.
3) Safawi
Safawi are also a dark brown color but are slightly darker in color than Khudri dates. Safawi dates are wrinkly but how wrinkly they were varied greatly from date to date. Slight flaking.
Taste: the sweetness and flavour were slightly more intense than a Khudri date. Chewiness varied with how wrinkled the date was: a more wrinkled date was tougher to chew.
4) Ajwa Al Madinah
Unlike the other varieties of dates these dates are smaller and more spherical, rather than the oval shape we traditionally attribute to dates. They are also a very dark brown, almost black. Slightly wrinkled and the skin didn't flake.
Taste: these dates were very soft and almost melted in your mouth. They were moderately sweet but the taste could best be described as "smooth" compared to the other dates. Despite their smaller size the seed was slightly bigger.
5) Fard
These dates are medium brown color, smooth, with a bit of skin flaking. Seemed a bit more plump compared to the other dates.
Taste: like the Ajwa dates they were soft but unlike Ajwas they were very sweet, easily the sweetest date of the seven. You could almost feel granules of sugar in it. The sweetness also gave it a strong flavour.
6) Mabroom
Slightly smaller and more elongated than Khudri dates, also have a bit lighter color though not as light as Sagai. Wrinkled but they don't flake.
Taste: slightly less sweet than Khudri, a bit harder as well, pleasant flavour that was not as intense as some of the other varieties.
7) Sukkary
Sukkary are light brown in colour with patches of even lighter colour here and there, somewhat like a Sagai but without the distinct colour difference you see in Sagai dates. A bit of flaking.
Taste: not chewy, almost melted as it was quite soft. Like Fard dates I was mostly tasting sugar but it was not as sweet as a Fard date. Very mild date taste, so much so that if I had been given these while blindfolded I'd have a tough time determining it was a date.
8) Majdool
These were recommended by a Qatari friend of mine and are one of his favourites. They're expensive, mostly because they are a rare variety, or at least the Jordanian ones are (which are apparently the best).
The dates were HUGE, easily the biggest of the varieties that I've tried, and probably three times as much 'meat' as an ajwa date.
Taste: I expected them to be as soft and sugary as a Fard date given their size but actually they had a nice soft/firmness balance, a bit softer than a Khudri, and had a slightly stronger date taste and were 'smooth' like an ajwa. They were pretty good and might be what many people (not familiar with dates) would expect a date to be like.
9) Khenaizi
Very dark brown, small to midsize, not very wrinkled and didn't flake. They were soft, though a bit firmer than a Fard date, and had an above-average sweetness. The taste leaned more toward 'sweet' than 'date', but not to the extent of a Fard date. Still pretty good.
So what one did I like the best? I would have to go with the Ajwa Al Madinah because of their softness and smooth flavor/sweetness. Ranking them in order I would go:
Ajwa Al Madinah
Khudri (if you're not too familiar with dates these ones are probably what you think dates would be like)
Majdool (similar to Khudri but three times the price)
Khenaizi
Sagai and Mabroom tied
Sukkary (sugar taste, not much date taste)
Safawi (the tougher consistency was a bit annoying)
Fard (way too sweet and a real contrast to the Ajwa)
Not surprisingly the most expensive of the five varieties were also the Ajwas, which cost more than double what you would pay for the other varieties, though the Majdool dates were a close second. The rest were generally around the same price.
[Aug 2014 update: you can find an additional blog post about dates, this time about the stages of ripeness, by clicking this link.]
_
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Ramadan 2011 is Approaching
We have less than a week till Ramadan so I need to start getting ready. I've created a new category for my blog, "Ramadan", and linked the previous year’s blog posts to it because I found Ramadan last year to be really interesting. Yes, I will be fasting again and I've already started preparations, namely weaning myself off of caffeine. I'm now down to 1 cup of coffee a day.
Expectation is that Ramadan will start August 1 but because it is based on sighting the first light on the moon (i.e. right after the New Moon) it is possible it could start one day before or after August 1. I recall that my first year here it started a day earlier than expected, which caused a bit of anguish as colleagues and I were at a bar to have final drinks before the bars are shut for Ramadan. As soon as I got to the bar Ramadan was announced and hotel staff immediately came in with carts to take all the alcohol away so there was no chance for us to get some drinks. Apparently the hotel only has a couple of hours to lock up the booze before the police come to check to see that the bar has been closed.
Anyway in addition to fasting I plan to do other Ramadan activities such as visiting a mosque and maybe attending a reading of the Qur’an.
_
Expectation is that Ramadan will start August 1 but because it is based on sighting the first light on the moon (i.e. right after the New Moon) it is possible it could start one day before or after August 1. I recall that my first year here it started a day earlier than expected, which caused a bit of anguish as colleagues and I were at a bar to have final drinks before the bars are shut for Ramadan. As soon as I got to the bar Ramadan was announced and hotel staff immediately came in with carts to take all the alcohol away so there was no chance for us to get some drinks. Apparently the hotel only has a couple of hours to lock up the booze before the police come to check to see that the bar has been closed.
Anyway in addition to fasting I plan to do other Ramadan activities such as visiting a mosque and maybe attending a reading of the Qur’an.
_
Sunday, July 24, 2011
A Trip to a Majlis
This weekend I received an invite from a Qatari friend of mine to hang out with some of his friends at his majlis. A majlis is a sitting area (the verb "ajlis" means “to sit”) and in Qatar it commonly refers to an area at one’s home where men can gather, not unlike a living room or rec room. Because of the strict rules on gender segregation typically a majlis is separate from the house so that visiting men will not meet the women in the household but the term is flexible -- I have a one-bedroom apartment and I recall one of my Qatari friends referring to my living room as my majlis.
This is my second time in a Qatari majlis and unfortunately I don't have pictures of either. This article shows an example. Aside from the more Arabic-style furnishings it is essentially a living room.(actually it's an interesting article to read too)
So we went out to my friend's majlis in a rural area just north of Doha. Well, maybe about five years ago was in a rural area, Doha has grown so much now that it was really on the edge of the city. My friend told me that 15 years ago there was only one neighbor in the area. Anyway, the majlis was a large area, around 800 sq ft., with Arabic-style couches around a TV, a small table for playing card games, as well as a pool table, ping-pong table, foosball table, and a fridge, thus it was more akin to a rec room than a living room. It was myself and seven Qataris.
So what did we do? Played pool, ping-pong, card games (Brasilla and Hand), watched DVDs on the TV, and a few of us went for a swim in my friend's pool. Essentially, we did the same sort of thing that guys hanging out in the West would do, except there was no alcohol of course. We even ordered some take-away food for dinner (in this case Turkish food but there's no reason why it couldn't have been pizza or KFC). A good time was had by all.
So why am I telling you about this? Go back to the first couple of paragraphs, what were you thinking would happen when you read I was going to majlis? Did you think that it would be similar to visiting someone's rec room in North America? I doubt it.
Now you know. Arabs like doing the same things we do in the West. Chilling out and having a good time with your friends.
Well, except for having the occasional break for prayer and not drinking beer. :-)
_
This is my second time in a Qatari majlis and unfortunately I don't have pictures of either. This article shows an example. Aside from the more Arabic-style furnishings it is essentially a living room.(actually it's an interesting article to read too)
So we went out to my friend's majlis in a rural area just north of Doha. Well, maybe about five years ago was in a rural area, Doha has grown so much now that it was really on the edge of the city. My friend told me that 15 years ago there was only one neighbor in the area. Anyway, the majlis was a large area, around 800 sq ft., with Arabic-style couches around a TV, a small table for playing card games, as well as a pool table, ping-pong table, foosball table, and a fridge, thus it was more akin to a rec room than a living room. It was myself and seven Qataris.
So what did we do? Played pool, ping-pong, card games (Brasilla and Hand), watched DVDs on the TV, and a few of us went for a swim in my friend's pool. Essentially, we did the same sort of thing that guys hanging out in the West would do, except there was no alcohol of course. We even ordered some take-away food for dinner (in this case Turkish food but there's no reason why it couldn't have been pizza or KFC). A good time was had by all.
So why am I telling you about this? Go back to the first couple of paragraphs, what were you thinking would happen when you read I was going to majlis? Did you think that it would be similar to visiting someone's rec room in North America? I doubt it.
Now you know. Arabs like doing the same things we do in the West. Chilling out and having a good time with your friends.
Well, except for having the occasional break for prayer and not drinking beer. :-)
_
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Dubai and Abu Dhabi
I'm back from my trip to the UAE. Needless to say I was not impressed with the airport in Dubai. The passport lineup took about an hour and given how Dubai always goes on about how modern and advanced it is I expected a lot better. Everyone in the line up was pretty annoyed. On top of that because I'm Canadian I had to sort out my visa. Most Canadians need to get a prearranged visa before they come to the UAE but because I'm resident in the Gulf (and have a certain title on my job permit that matched an "approved" list) I was able to get a visa upon landing. This was a three stage process at the airport and there are no signs or indicators to tell you what to do. Thanks to information desks I figured out where the:
1) office was where I had to fill out a form
2) retinal scan was located (and I had to line up for 30 minutes); and
3) bank was to pay for my visa
All in all I was in the airport over two hours. Good thing my friend didn't come to the airport to pick me up or he would've been waiting forever. I grabbed the Metro down to where my friend lived.
It was my first time taking the Metro, as it had been completed in 2009, and I found it quite good. It made it easy to get around a lot of the city. Qatar needs to hurry up and build one. It also made it easy to see that lots of Dubai is still unfinished and I'm not sure how many of these partially built towers are going to be completed. Real estate is still in big trouble here.
I spent the weekend hanging out with my friend and seeing a couple of sights. Because it is so hot and humid out most of it was indoors, usually visiting malls. I saw the new Dubai Mall and while it is very large I found it rather empty. Not a lot of people shopping and while I have never been someone who is big on malls I found that Dubai Mall didn't have a lot of character. I'll take Souq Waqif in Doha any day! I was at the Mall for about an hour and a half and was thankful to move on and have lunch with my friend somewhere else.
I'm not sure what it is but all the new developments that come up in the Middle East seem so artificial and sterile. Yes, they are nice and luxurious, but they just seem to lack a lot of life or character, “soul” might be a better term. In Dubai I much prefer the old city area around Dubai Creek (Deira and Bur Dubai) than the shiny new neighborhoods and developments. If I ever lived in Dubai I would definitely live in that area, forget about the Marina or the Palm or all those other luxury neighborhoods. Same thing in Doha, I prefer the place I am in now in one of the older neighborhoods than living in shiny West Bay.
I had meetings in Abu Dhabi on Monday so that morning hired a car to take me on the two-hour drive to the city. Abu Dhabi is well laid out and appears to be well planned, far more so than Doha and Dubai. Streets are laid out in a grid, traffic was not too bad, and most surprisingly there was the odd parking space available. Downtown Abu Dhabi is very dense with buildings and yet somehow the parking situation was a lot better than Doha. I'm not sure what the secret is but Doha should find out. Thanks to the planning and density even their downtown core seemed to have a lot of life to it. Abu Dhabi seemed more like a real city.
I had not been to the UAE in over two years and with the exception of the fact that I have friends there would be in no hurry to go back. They're much more interesting places in the area to see, such as Oman.
-
1) office was where I had to fill out a form
2) retinal scan was located (and I had to line up for 30 minutes); and
3) bank was to pay for my visa
All in all I was in the airport over two hours. Good thing my friend didn't come to the airport to pick me up or he would've been waiting forever. I grabbed the Metro down to where my friend lived.
It was my first time taking the Metro, as it had been completed in 2009, and I found it quite good. It made it easy to get around a lot of the city. Qatar needs to hurry up and build one. It also made it easy to see that lots of Dubai is still unfinished and I'm not sure how many of these partially built towers are going to be completed. Real estate is still in big trouble here.
I spent the weekend hanging out with my friend and seeing a couple of sights. Because it is so hot and humid out most of it was indoors, usually visiting malls. I saw the new Dubai Mall and while it is very large I found it rather empty. Not a lot of people shopping and while I have never been someone who is big on malls I found that Dubai Mall didn't have a lot of character. I'll take Souq Waqif in Doha any day! I was at the Mall for about an hour and a half and was thankful to move on and have lunch with my friend somewhere else.
I'm not sure what it is but all the new developments that come up in the Middle East seem so artificial and sterile. Yes, they are nice and luxurious, but they just seem to lack a lot of life or character, “soul” might be a better term. In Dubai I much prefer the old city area around Dubai Creek (Deira and Bur Dubai) than the shiny new neighborhoods and developments. If I ever lived in Dubai I would definitely live in that area, forget about the Marina or the Palm or all those other luxury neighborhoods. Same thing in Doha, I prefer the place I am in now in one of the older neighborhoods than living in shiny West Bay.
I had meetings in Abu Dhabi on Monday so that morning hired a car to take me on the two-hour drive to the city. Abu Dhabi is well laid out and appears to be well planned, far more so than Doha and Dubai. Streets are laid out in a grid, traffic was not too bad, and most surprisingly there was the odd parking space available. Downtown Abu Dhabi is very dense with buildings and yet somehow the parking situation was a lot better than Doha. I'm not sure what the secret is but Doha should find out. Thanks to the planning and density even their downtown core seemed to have a lot of life to it. Abu Dhabi seemed more like a real city.
I had not been to the UAE in over two years and with the exception of the fact that I have friends there would be in no hurry to go back. They're much more interesting places in the area to see, such as Oman.
-
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Off to the UAE
I leave tomorrow morning for the UAE for a few days. Looking back, I haven't been to Dubai in over 2 1/2 years, just as the major property crash was occurring. My understanding is that it hasn't really recovered yet but business is slowly picking up. The Dubai government is still swamped with debt and hundreds of construction projects are unfinished. Still it will be nice to visit some friends and see how things are changed.
I will post when I return.
_
I will post when I return.
_
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Asian vs European Sizes
Went shopping for some shorts today and I just had to take a picture of the tag:
In case you can't read it the tag says:
Size: EUR: L - ASIA: 3XL
Wow, I'm a XXXL in Asian size. *sigh*
So at what point in time did a European large become the same size as XXXL in Asia? Have we in the West been gradually increasing the size label on clothes? Would an ‘XL’ from the 1950s be a size ‘M’ now?
Anyway, what a downer.
_
In case you can't read it the tag says:
Size: EUR: L - ASIA: 3XL
Wow, I'm a XXXL in Asian size. *sigh*
So at what point in time did a European large become the same size as XXXL in Asia? Have we in the West been gradually increasing the size label on clothes? Would an ‘XL’ from the 1950s be a size ‘M’ now?
Anyway, what a downer.
_
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Colour
The other day a few of us from the office went across to City Center Mall for lunch. The mall is gearing up to charge for parking, instituting barriers and operating a ticket system, but also put lights over each individual parking space. The light glows green if there is no car underneath it and red if there is a car parked there. It's a handy way to be able to see where the parking spots are, something that can be difficult to come by at the mall.
I was mentioning how much I thought it was a good idea and one of my Qatari friends said it wasn't that useful since there was little difference between the lights so it made it very difficult to tell. That made me pause for a second and I asked, "you don't see much of a difference between the red and green light?”. He said no, they looked similar. That's when it dawned on me.
I asked him, "Do you have red/green colorblindness?"
I'm sure most of you are aware that red/green colorblindness is pretty common in men, affecting anywhere from 1 in 10 to about 1 in 25 depending on ancestry. It's genetic, and is due to a defect on the X chromosome, which means a man inherits it from his mother. For a woman to suffer from colorblindness both parents would have to have the gene and pass it on so it is a lot rarer in women (because women are XX and the defect is recessive only if both X chromosomes have the defect will a woman get colorblindness, men are XY so only one copy of the defective X-chromosome is needed). I've known a few people who have had red/green colorblindness, which is why I think I spotted the issue right away with my friend.
He said he suspected he might be but had never been tested for it. So once we got back to the office I loaded up an Ishihara test from the internet (if you've never done one before I suggest you click on the link). The test shows you coloured circles and in the circles is a number, but if you have certain types of colorblindness you won't see the number and instead see a circle where everything is the same color. It's a pretty simple and ingenious way to test for colorblindness.
So my friend tried it and sure enough he couldn't see a number in most of the circles. He thought it was quite strange when I would tell him, “no, there is a number in it.” We called over some other friends and they took the test and all of them said the same thing. At this point my friend was a little bit shocked, not to find out he was color blind (he suspected that he was and one of his brothers would tell him that he was color blind as well), but that he couldn't see numbers in the circles whereas everyone else could. He told me it was like staring at a blank wall and then having everyone come along and tell you there was some number painted on it, yet no matter how hard you try you can't see anything. I could see how that would be disconcerting, we tend to believe in our vision more than any other sense ("seeing is believing”), which is why eyewitness testimony is considered so highly in court, so we may have a hard time believing that everyone else can see something that you can't (or even worse, you're quite sure you're seeing something but no one else is so they don't believe you). You’d be more inclined to believe it was a joke everyone was trying to pull on you.
So another Qatari told us that many men in his family are also colorblind (he wasn't) and that got me thinking if colorblindness was more prevalent in Qatar than in most other places in the world. The overall population of Gulf Arabs was never very large and they tend to be closely knit, usually marrying within their tribe, which would mean genetic conditions could be more common. Unfortunately a quick search of health websites had no mention of it, and government websites had nothing either. I would be curious though if anyone has any information on this please let me know.
My friend went home and had other members of his family took the Ishihara test. It turns out that one of his brothers is also colorblind, not too surprising since I think it's a 50-50 chance for any of his brothers.
To cheer him up a little I mentioned that there is at least one advantage to red/green colorblindness. A study indicated that certain types of camouflage were less effective against colorblind people since the camouflage was designed for fooling full-color vision. I've even heard that some militaries try to utilize this by having some colorblind individuals in units in the hopes that they might be able to see through any camouflage the enemy will be using. Couldn't find much about it on the Internet but the U.S. Army does accept colorblind individuals, though what jobs you can select are more limited. I don't think you can be a pilot though.
_
I was mentioning how much I thought it was a good idea and one of my Qatari friends said it wasn't that useful since there was little difference between the lights so it made it very difficult to tell. That made me pause for a second and I asked, "you don't see much of a difference between the red and green light?”. He said no, they looked similar. That's when it dawned on me.
I asked him, "Do you have red/green colorblindness?"
I'm sure most of you are aware that red/green colorblindness is pretty common in men, affecting anywhere from 1 in 10 to about 1 in 25 depending on ancestry. It's genetic, and is due to a defect on the X chromosome, which means a man inherits it from his mother. For a woman to suffer from colorblindness both parents would have to have the gene and pass it on so it is a lot rarer in women (because women are XX and the defect is recessive only if both X chromosomes have the defect will a woman get colorblindness, men are XY so only one copy of the defective X-chromosome is needed). I've known a few people who have had red/green colorblindness, which is why I think I spotted the issue right away with my friend.
He said he suspected he might be but had never been tested for it. So once we got back to the office I loaded up an Ishihara test from the internet (if you've never done one before I suggest you click on the link). The test shows you coloured circles and in the circles is a number, but if you have certain types of colorblindness you won't see the number and instead see a circle where everything is the same color. It's a pretty simple and ingenious way to test for colorblindness.
So my friend tried it and sure enough he couldn't see a number in most of the circles. He thought it was quite strange when I would tell him, “no, there is a number
So another Qatari told us that many men in his family are also colorblind (he wasn't) and that got me thinking if colorblindness was more prevalent in Qatar than in most other places in the world. The overall population of Gulf Arabs was never very large and they tend to be closely knit, usually marrying within their tribe, which would mean genetic conditions could be more common. Unfortunately a quick search of health websites had no mention of it, and government websites had nothing either. I would be curious though if anyone has any information on this please let me know.
My friend went home and had other members of his family took the Ishihara test. It turns out that one of his brothers is also colorblind, not too surprising since I think it's a 50-50 chance for any of his brothers.
To cheer him up a little I mentioned that there is at least one advantage to red/green colorblindness. A study indicated that certain types of camouflage were less effective against colorblind people since the camouflage was designed for fooling full-color vision. I've even heard that some militaries try to utilize this by having some colorblind individuals in units in the hopes that they might be able to see through any camouflage the enemy will be using. Couldn't find much about it on the Internet but the U.S. Army does accept colorblind individuals, though what jobs you can select are more limited. I don't think you can be a pilot though.
_
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monte Isola, part 2, & Verona
Okay, the last section of my Italian vacation. The next day my friend and I decided after breakfast to wander around the island for a couple of hours before heading to Silviano for lunch at his friend's house.
We continued on from Sensole to Peschiera Maraglio and onward to the small village of Carzano, where we had a Spritz at the local watering hole.
(Who’s a perfect 10? :P )
From there we went up a short trail through Carzano to another village (Novale) with a view over the lake.
At this point we realized we only had about 30 minutes to get to Siviano for lunch so we started a pretty brisk walk across the island.
When we got the village we met Francesco on the road chatting with a friend. We then went to his place where his sister had put on a real spread of food.
After being joined by other family members we started with bread, plates of sliced meats, and some deviled eggs (that I really liked), along with red and white wine from the family vineyard. Then Francesco's sister brought out a big tray of homemade lasagna!
Now were talking. Real Italian home cooking!
It was great. I had myself two helpings of lasagna and was pretty stuffed afterwards but left a bit of space for dessert. Bad thing was, no one had informed me how many courses we were having for lunch. There was still more food to come.
Yep, I had just finished the second course -- of seven!
Here's what we wound up eating:
• Sliced meat and bread (and deviled eggs)
• homemade lasagna
• a local lake fish (can't remember the name, possibly trout)
• veal & potatoes
• a variety of local cheeses
• a selection of fruit
• cake with a meringue coating (with a dessert wine)
Followed with some high quality tequila. (Yes I know tequila isn't Italian but when we were talking the night before the conversation turned to high quality spirits and Francesco mentioned he had a great tequila we should try at lunch).
The lunch was fantastic, and took over three hours. Good thing too because if I tried to eat seven courses quickly I would've exploded.
So after thanking everybody we were back off to the hotel to get our luggage and catch the ferry to the train station to go to Verona. Unfortunately by the time we got there the next train wasn't for over an hour. A nice thing at the Sulzano train station was that there were taps nearby that had water from a local spring (including sparkling water!). So I occupied my time watching various locals come along with empty bottles to fill with spring water.
so we waited . . .
and then we ran into Francesco again! He was returning to his apartment in Milan and it was nice that he could join us on part of the train journey.
I slept most of the train journey. By this point I wasn't feeling all that well. It wasn't from overeating, looking back I think it was dehydration. A lot of brisk walking combined with the fact that pretty much everything I drank that day was alcoholic (spritz, wine, tequila) had done a number on me. Good thing I had an opportunity to rest during the train journey. By the time we got to Verona I was feeling better but still not a hundred percent.
Because of the late lunch and long train wait in Sulzano we did not get to Verona until after 7pm. It was a bit unfortunate because I was catching a train at 6:45am the next day but since the sun wasn't setting until after 9 it still left us with some time to see the sights.
Verona is another city that managed to keep much of its old architecture so the old city is really cool. It's even an UNESCO world heritage site. Check out the pictures:
There is also an old Roman Coliseum, the Verona Arena, that is used now for performances of operas and plays. Anyone I spoke to and any website I looked at about Verona recommended seeing an event there. Unfortunately the events were not starting until the week after we were there. Maybe one day I will get a chance to see it.
We continued to wander around and by nightfall found the Castelvecchio Bridge
The evening ended appropriately with pizza and drinks at an outdoor pizzeria in the old city.
This was my first trip to Italy and I must say I was blown away by the places I've seen. Seriously, these places were like out of old Hollywood movies of Italy. You don't actually think Italy will be like that but in some places it really is: Bergamo, Monte Isola, Verona, all of them outstanding. I was impressed enough that I've already booked my next trip – Rome. It won't be for a couple of months but I'm looking forward to it.
Kudos to my friend Knut for suggesting the trip and making many of the arrangements, and to Francesco for all of his hospitality.
We continued on from Sensole to Peschiera Maraglio and onward to the small village of Carzano, where we had a Spritz at the local watering hole.
(Who’s a perfect 10? :P )
From there we went up a short trail through Carzano to another village (Novale) with a view over the lake.
At this point we realized we only had about 30 minutes to get to Siviano for lunch so we started a pretty brisk walk across the island.
When we got the village we met Francesco on the road chatting with a friend. We then went to his place where his sister had put on a real spread of food.
After being joined by other family members we started with bread, plates of sliced meats, and some deviled eggs (that I really liked), along with red and white wine from the family vineyard. Then Francesco's sister brought out a big tray of homemade lasagna!
Now were talking. Real Italian home cooking!
It was great. I had myself two helpings of lasagna and was pretty stuffed afterwards but left a bit of space for dessert. Bad thing was, no one had informed me how many courses we were having for lunch. There was still more food to come.
Yep, I had just finished the second course -- of seven!
Here's what we wound up eating:
• Sliced meat and bread (and deviled eggs)
• homemade lasagna
• a local lake fish (can't remember the name, possibly trout)
• veal & potatoes
• a variety of local cheeses
• a selection of fruit
• cake with a meringue coating (with a dessert wine)
Followed with some high quality tequila. (Yes I know tequila isn't Italian but when we were talking the night before the conversation turned to high quality spirits and Francesco mentioned he had a great tequila we should try at lunch).
The lunch was fantastic, and took over three hours. Good thing too because if I tried to eat seven courses quickly I would've exploded.
So after thanking everybody we were back off to the hotel to get our luggage and catch the ferry to the train station to go to Verona. Unfortunately by the time we got there the next train wasn't for over an hour. A nice thing at the Sulzano train station was that there were taps nearby that had water from a local spring (including sparkling water!). So I occupied my time watching various locals come along with empty bottles to fill with spring water.
so we waited . . .
and then we ran into Francesco again! He was returning to his apartment in Milan and it was nice that he could join us on part of the train journey.
I slept most of the train journey. By this point I wasn't feeling all that well. It wasn't from overeating, looking back I think it was dehydration. A lot of brisk walking combined with the fact that pretty much everything I drank that day was alcoholic (spritz, wine, tequila) had done a number on me. Good thing I had an opportunity to rest during the train journey. By the time we got to Verona I was feeling better but still not a hundred percent.
Because of the late lunch and long train wait in Sulzano we did not get to Verona until after 7pm. It was a bit unfortunate because I was catching a train at 6:45am the next day but since the sun wasn't setting until after 9 it still left us with some time to see the sights.
Verona is another city that managed to keep much of its old architecture so the old city is really cool. It's even an UNESCO world heritage site. Check out the pictures:
There is also an old Roman Coliseum, the Verona Arena, that is used now for performances of operas and plays. Anyone I spoke to and any website I looked at about Verona recommended seeing an event there. Unfortunately the events were not starting until the week after we were there. Maybe one day I will get a chance to see it.
We continued to wander around and by nightfall found the Castelvecchio Bridge
The evening ended appropriately with pizza and drinks at an outdoor pizzeria in the old city.
This was my first trip to Italy and I must say I was blown away by the places I've seen. Seriously, these places were like out of old Hollywood movies of Italy. You don't actually think Italy will be like that but in some places it really is: Bergamo, Monte Isola, Verona, all of them outstanding. I was impressed enough that I've already booked my next trip – Rome. It won't be for a couple of months but I'm looking forward to it.
Kudos to my friend Knut for suggesting the trip and making many of the arrangements, and to Francesco for all of his hospitality.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Italy -- Monte Isola, Part 1
From Bergamo my friend and I took a train to the small town of Sulzano in order to take a ferry across Lake Iseo to the small island of Monte Isola. My friend had been there once before and really enjoyed it. Also a colleague of his lived on the island and we would be meeting up with him for dinner.
The island has a few cars that are used as taxis otherwise I don't think the residents of the island have cars. There's also a small bus service to take you around the island but the island is small enough that my friend and I were able to walk around. That said, when the ferry docked at the main village of Peschiera Maraglio we took the taxi (the only one I ever saw on the island) to go to our hotel in the village of Sensole about 2km away:
Check out the views from the hotel room!
It was early afternoon so we walked back to Peschiera Maraglio, having a gelato en route, and then decided to take a trail to Madonna della Ceriola, the Church at the top of the mountain.
Look closely at the first picture, can you see it? Well, you couldn't see it from the village and I completely underestimated how high up it was. Needless to say it was quite the trek to get up there, took us a couple of hours. Not that that was a bad thing, en route we went through forested hills:
and two villages (Messe and Cure) where we could stop for a Spritz at the local bar:
Very civilized hiking I must say. Wish Canada had pubs on mountain trails.
Eventually we made it to Madonna della Ceriola and took a few pictures from the church.
We then went back down the mountain a different way and into the village of Siviano. In the village we came across my friend’s colleague, Francesco! (Small world isn’t it?). This was the village he lived in. He was originally going to meet us at the hotel for dinner but since we already met up with him he went with us back to the hotel.
Francesco ordered dinner for us all, a selection of seafood dishes, most of which were fish from the lake, and one pasta dish. There is a significant difference in quality between fresh, properly made pasta, and the stuff we commonly buy in packages at the grocery store. We had a great time and Francesco invited us to his house for lunch tomorrow so we can have a good lunch before we left for Verona.
Tune in for Monte Isola – part 2.
The island has a few cars that are used as taxis otherwise I don't think the residents of the island have cars. There's also a small bus service to take you around the island but the island is small enough that my friend and I were able to walk around. That said, when the ferry docked at the main village of Peschiera Maraglio we took the taxi (the only one I ever saw on the island) to go to our hotel in the village of Sensole about 2km away:
Check out the views from the hotel room!
It was early afternoon so we walked back to Peschiera Maraglio, having a gelato en route, and then decided to take a trail to Madonna della Ceriola, the Church at the top of the mountain.
Look closely at the first picture, can you see it? Well, you couldn't see it from the village and I completely underestimated how high up it was. Needless to say it was quite the trek to get up there, took us a couple of hours. Not that that was a bad thing, en route we went through forested hills:
and two villages (Messe and Cure) where we could stop for a Spritz at the local bar:
Very civilized hiking I must say. Wish Canada had pubs on mountain trails.
Eventually we made it to Madonna della Ceriola and took a few pictures from the church.
We then went back down the mountain a different way and into the village of Siviano. In the village we came across my friend’s colleague, Francesco! (Small world isn’t it?). This was the village he lived in. He was originally going to meet us at the hotel for dinner but since we already met up with him he went with us back to the hotel.
Francesco ordered dinner for us all, a selection of seafood dishes, most of which were fish from the lake, and one pasta dish. There is a significant difference in quality between fresh, properly made pasta, and the stuff we commonly buy in packages at the grocery store. We had a great time and Francesco invited us to his house for lunch tomorrow so we can have a good lunch before we left for Verona.
Tune in for Monte Isola – part 2.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Vancouver Canucks
So the Vancouver Canucks lost game seven of the Stanley Cup finals -- again.
*sigh*
Couldn't it even have been a close game? Had to get crushed 4-0?
*sigh*
And unfortunately there was a riot again, just like in 1994 when the Canucks lost game seven of the finals.
I lived in Vancouver in 1994 and happened to be downtown watching that game at a bar on Granville Street. The game ended, my friends and I lowered our heads in disappointment, and we walked to the Skytrain station and boarded the train home.
So imagine my surprise when 20 minutes later we turned on the TV to see the very spot we’d just been at in chaos as hundreds of people were smashing windows and causing mayhem!! I kept thinking it was a good thing we went straight home after the game. Why would anyone want to be part of a riot of drunk angry fans? It's not like they were making deep political statements or fighting for rights from a repressive regime.
Fast-forward to 2011 and the same thing happened. The police prepared for it as best they could but in the end there were too many idiots out that night.
*sigh*
At least I am hopeful that most of the rioters will be caught and prosecuted. Back in 1994 the police appealed for any photographs of people damaging property and the resulting community support led to the arrest of dozens -- and this was in 1994, before the widespread use of camera phones. I'm willing to bet anyone who is damaging property or causing chaos already has at least 10 different pictures of them on the Internet.
Still sucks that the Canucks lost though. I really believed they would do it this time.
_
*sigh*
Couldn't it even have been a close game? Had to get crushed 4-0?
*sigh*
And unfortunately there was a riot again, just like in 1994 when the Canucks lost game seven of the finals.
I lived in Vancouver in 1994 and happened to be downtown watching that game at a bar on Granville Street. The game ended, my friends and I lowered our heads in disappointment, and we walked to the Skytrain station and boarded the train home.
So imagine my surprise when 20 minutes later we turned on the TV to see the very spot we’d just been at in chaos as hundreds of people were smashing windows and causing mayhem!! I kept thinking it was a good thing we went straight home after the game. Why would anyone want to be part of a riot of drunk angry fans? It's not like they were making deep political statements or fighting for rights from a repressive regime.
Fast-forward to 2011 and the same thing happened. The police prepared for it as best they could but in the end there were too many idiots out that night.
*sigh*
At least I am hopeful that most of the rioters will be caught and prosecuted. Back in 1994 the police appealed for any photographs of people damaging property and the resulting community support led to the arrest of dozens -- and this was in 1994, before the widespread use of camera phones. I'm willing to bet anyone who is damaging property or causing chaos already has at least 10 different pictures of them on the Internet.
Still sucks that the Canucks lost though. I really believed they would do it this time.
_
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Taking a Break from the Desert -- to Italy!
A couple of months ago I was e-mailing a friend of mine from Bermuda and he said he would be in Italy in June on a business trip. It turned out that over a weekend he would be near Milan. Since Qatar Airways flies directly from Doha to Milan I decided to get a ticket, meet up with him, and briefly tour the Italian countryside. I had enough miles to get a ticket so it wasn't going to cost me too much.
So when am I leaving? Surprise, I'm back from Italy now!
I had a great time and saw three different areas: Bergamo, Monte Isola, and Verona. No, I didn’t stay in Milan. My friend said these three nearby areas would be more impressive.
Years ago I used to do a photo gallery slideshow that I would e-mail to friends but I stopped doing that once the website I was using was charging. I think I'll restart the tradition by posting photos and commentary here.
So let's begin with part one -- Bergamo
Bergamo is an old Italian city, surrounded by walls on top of a steep hill for protection. I believe it dates back to Roman times but most of the architecture is from the Renaissance and later periods. I spent my time in the old portion of the city on top of the hill, called the Citta Alta.
We stayed in Agli Orti B&B in a narrow street in Citta Alta. Check out the photo of the street:
When North Americans picture what Italy is like their ideal would be something like this. This street looks like something out of an old movie. All of Citta Alta looks like this which was great for touring around.
It turns out that the owner of the B&B, Ada, is a travel author specializing in traveling in northern climates. She's toured more of Canada than I have!
So I headed over to the main square, the Piazza Vecchia
Here's a view from the other side
And you had better believe that this was a good place to have lunch
I am trying to lose weight but, I'm sorry, I'm on vacation in Italy. You're damn right I ate pastas in creamy sauces, pizzas, gelatos, pastries, and pretty much anything else I could get my hands on! You would too. (No, I don’t regret it. I’d do it again!)
Speaking of which, Italians really love ice cream. There were gelato places everywhere and if you were watching TV it seemed like every third ad was for some type of ice cream or another. I think I was averaging three scoops of gelato every day (it was my friend's fault, he's an enabler). I was thrilled when a gelato place in Bergamo had this available:
Licorice gelato! I haven't had licorice-flavored ice cream for years and I really missed it. That was a treat. It's not for everyone though, my friend accidentally ordered one a few days later at another gelato place and he didn't like it.
I was also introduced to a common Italian aperitif that my friend loves, Spritz. We were having these everywhere -- after a while I was joking to my friend that he's always jonesing for a Spritz. I guess you can't get them in Bermuda.
But I digress. After lunch I went to a nearby church, the Cappella Colleoni
Luckily an English-speaking tour group was walking by so I tagged along with them to hear about the church. The inside was really nice, pretty much what you would expect from an ornate Renaissance church. We then went next door to the Santa Maria Maggiore, which was even more impressive with a completely different style of architecture (I think the guide said Baroque, though the wiki article says Romanesque)
Afterward we wandered the streets:
And went to a café/bar overlooking the city that had been recommended by an American friend of mine who once studied here (and we had our first of many Spritzes during the trip).
For dinner we ate at a local pizza parlor, also recommended by my American friend, near the Piazza Vecchia. The next morning it was back to the train station to go to our next destination.
To be continued.
_
So when am I leaving? Surprise, I'm back from Italy now!
I had a great time and saw three different areas: Bergamo, Monte Isola, and Verona. No, I didn’t stay in Milan. My friend said these three nearby areas would be more impressive.
Years ago I used to do a photo gallery slideshow that I would e-mail to friends but I stopped doing that once the website I was using was charging. I think I'll restart the tradition by posting photos and commentary here.
So let's begin with part one -- Bergamo
Bergamo is an old Italian city, surrounded by walls on top of a steep hill for protection. I believe it dates back to Roman times but most of the architecture is from the Renaissance and later periods. I spent my time in the old portion of the city on top of the hill, called the Citta Alta.
We stayed in Agli Orti B&B in a narrow street in Citta Alta. Check out the photo of the street:
When North Americans picture what Italy is like their ideal would be something like this. This street looks like something out of an old movie. All of Citta Alta looks like this which was great for touring around.
It turns out that the owner of the B&B, Ada, is a travel author specializing in traveling in northern climates. She's toured more of Canada than I have!
So I headed over to the main square, the Piazza Vecchia
Here's a view from the other side
And you had better believe that this was a good place to have lunch
I am trying to lose weight but, I'm sorry, I'm on vacation in Italy. You're damn right I ate pastas in creamy sauces, pizzas, gelatos, pastries, and pretty much anything else I could get my hands on! You would too. (No, I don’t regret it. I’d do it again!)
Speaking of which, Italians really love ice cream. There were gelato places everywhere and if you were watching TV it seemed like every third ad was for some type of ice cream or another. I think I was averaging three scoops of gelato every day (it was my friend's fault, he's an enabler). I was thrilled when a gelato place in Bergamo had this available:
Licorice gelato! I haven't had licorice-flavored ice cream for years and I really missed it. That was a treat. It's not for everyone though, my friend accidentally ordered one a few days later at another gelato place and he didn't like it.
I was also introduced to a common Italian aperitif that my friend loves, Spritz. We were having these everywhere -- after a while I was joking to my friend that he's always jonesing for a Spritz. I guess you can't get them in Bermuda.
But I digress. After lunch I went to a nearby church, the Cappella Colleoni
Luckily an English-speaking tour group was walking by so I tagged along with them to hear about the church. The inside was really nice, pretty much what you would expect from an ornate Renaissance church. We then went next door to the Santa Maria Maggiore, which was even more impressive with a completely different style of architecture (I think the guide said Baroque, though the wiki article says Romanesque)
Afterward we wandered the streets:
And went to a café/bar overlooking the city that had been recommended by an American friend of mine who once studied here (and we had our first of many Spritzes during the trip).
For dinner we ate at a local pizza parlor, also recommended by my American friend, near the Piazza Vecchia. The next morning it was back to the train station to go to our next destination.
To be continued.
_
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
So how's the Arabic lessons going?
It's been a little over two months now of lessons at FANAR and so far it's going pretty good. The words we are being taught are generally useful, my Arabic is improving bit by bit, I'm occasionally meeting with classmates on the weekend to practice, and I'm getting a lot of support from my Arabic speaking friends. Having friends who speak Arabic has been really helpful, especially since the teacher doesn't speak English very well so sometimes when you ask him what a word means he has a tough time explaining it. I usually go to my Qatari friends for clarification. Of course sometimes they struggle a little bit because they have to remember the Classical Arabic word instead of the local Arabic word.
I still struggle with the letter ‘ayn’ and sometimes have trouble differentiating it from the letter ‘a’ (alif). I also don't pronounce it well when speaking. The Arabic word for "yes" contains an ayn but I usually pronounce it with an ‘a’. I used to think that wasn't a big deal because the two letters sound similar but about a week ago I was getting my hair cut at my Turkish barber and was practicing Arabic (he is from southern Turkey near the border with Syria and most Turks from that region speak Arabic in addition to Turkish; the majority of Turks in Doha are from this region). When I said the word for "yes" but using an “a” sound, he actually didn't understand what I said. It was only when I repeated it with an “ayn” that he suddenly realized what I was saying. Guess I have to be more careful.
We don't have to pluralize many nouns yet, which is great because I hate trying to memorize plurals. I still have no sense of the rules for pluralizing a noun. Maybe next level we will start on that.
Otherwise the final exam is in two or three weeks, a square around 90% of my midterm so I'm not too worried. I just need to study my vocabulary more.
I will definitely continue the lessons at FANAR I expect the next set of lessons will not be until after Ramadan (September).
_
I still struggle with the letter ‘ayn’ and sometimes have trouble differentiating it from the letter ‘a’ (alif). I also don't pronounce it well when speaking. The Arabic word for "yes" contains an ayn but I usually pronounce it with an ‘a’. I used to think that wasn't a big deal because the two letters sound similar but about a week ago I was getting my hair cut at my Turkish barber and was practicing Arabic (he is from southern Turkey near the border with Syria and most Turks from that region speak Arabic in addition to Turkish; the majority of Turks in Doha are from this region). When I said the word for "yes" but using an “a” sound, he actually didn't understand what I said. It was only when I repeated it with an “ayn” that he suddenly realized what I was saying. Guess I have to be more careful.
We don't have to pluralize many nouns yet, which is great because I hate trying to memorize plurals. I still have no sense of the rules for pluralizing a noun. Maybe next level we will start on that.
Otherwise the final exam is in two or three weeks, a square around 90% of my midterm so I'm not too worried. I just need to study my vocabulary more.
I will definitely continue the lessons at FANAR I expect the next set of lessons will not be until after Ramadan (September).
_
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
A Report on South Asian Workers
My recent discussions about the problems that migrant workers from South Asia face was timely. Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news network, has done a story about the issues facing these workers. I recommend watching it:
_
_
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Sheikh Faisal's Museum
First a brief update. There was a bit of discussion about my article on the cleaning man because it got picked up on doha.tumblr. Just want everyone to know that yes he is getting paid more and I also gave him back-pay for the first time he showed up.
So, this weekend I went with the Qatar Natural History Group to Sheikh Faisal's Museum, including a lunch. It had been over two years since I've seen it so I figured why not.
The museum is well known for its extensive collection of, well, almost anything. Weapons, carpets, animal skins, calligraphy, fossils, cars, furniture old photographs, there's all sorts of stuff. There was so much stuff that the museum was fairly crowded with items. Over the last couple of years to shake has expanded the museum space significantly, something like five times as much, so was able to put more things on display. At times the place was rather like a maze, go one way and you might miss a doorway that leads to an entire wing of items. A lot of the fun was just wandering around to see what was there because you just never knew what you were going to run into. For example:
• a steam engine car
• a 19th century Persian carpet taken from the Shah's palace
• 9th century Syrian pottery
• an F1 car
• a detailed family tree of the Al-Thani family, compiled by some British source that would give descriptions such as "cheerful" to various family members
• a confession booth from a church (I'd like to know how he got that)
• a camel howdah (sort of a small tent that would sit on top of a camel and people would stay in it while the camel moved)
• fossils dated from 250 million-years ago
• full-size Arabic boats (all displayed indoors)
• stuffed falcons
• abstract paintings
• a small collection of Jewish memorabilia
• the largest collection of Yemeni and Omani daggers I've ever seen
• a carpet with famous leaders from history, including Moses and Napoleon (??)
• A photo of two camels mating
... and so on
Just to give you an idea of how big the galleries are lunch was served in one of the exhibition rooms and there was enough space for 130 of us plus a buffet.
I really suggest to anyone in the area to visit it if they get a chance, it would be great for whiling away a summer afternoon. If you're a tourist be warned that it's about 25 km outside of Doha, but close to the camel racing track. Make sure you have a good idea where it is before heading out.
So, this weekend I went with the Qatar Natural History Group to Sheikh Faisal's Museum, including a lunch. It had been over two years since I've seen it so I figured why not.
The museum is well known for its extensive collection of, well, almost anything. Weapons, carpets, animal skins, calligraphy, fossils, cars, furniture old photographs, there's all sorts of stuff. There was so much stuff that the museum was fairly crowded with items. Over the last couple of years to shake has expanded the museum space significantly, something like five times as much, so was able to put more things on display. At times the place was rather like a maze, go one way and you might miss a doorway that leads to an entire wing of items. A lot of the fun was just wandering around to see what was there because you just never knew what you were going to run into. For example:
• a steam engine car
• a 19th century Persian carpet taken from the Shah's palace
• 9th century Syrian pottery
• an F1 car
• a detailed family tree of the Al-Thani family, compiled by some British source that would give descriptions such as "cheerful" to various family members
• a confession booth from a church (I'd like to know how he got that)
• a camel howdah (sort of a small tent that would sit on top of a camel and people would stay in it while the camel moved)
• fossils dated from 250 million-years ago
• full-size Arabic boats (all displayed indoors)
• stuffed falcons
• abstract paintings
• a small collection of Jewish memorabilia
• the largest collection of Yemeni and Omani daggers I've ever seen
• a carpet with famous leaders from history, including Moses and Napoleon (??)
• A photo of two camels mating
... and so on
Just to give you an idea of how big the galleries are lunch was served in one of the exhibition rooms and there was enough space for 130 of us plus a buffet.
I really suggest to anyone in the area to visit it if they get a chance, it would be great for whiling away a summer afternoon. If you're a tourist be warned that it's about 25 km outside of Doha, but close to the camel racing track. Make sure you have a good idea where it is before heading out.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Qatar 2022 World Cup Bid
Apparently there has been allegations in the UK press that a whistleblower has stated that Qatar bribed to African officials who voted for Qatar to get the World Cup bid. Qatar and the 2 FIFA officials involved all deny the allegations. The whistleblower will be talking to FIFA shortly, if he hasn't already. There is speculation as to whether, if the accusations prove true, a new vote will be held. There were similar allegations before the vote that Qatar was doing some kind of vote trading with Spain or something. I think this is an issue the World Cup bids are going to face every time.
I can't comment as to the allegations, but would I be willing to support another vote?
I suppose . . . if all the other bids are investigated as well to see if they committed any bribery infractions!
Second place in the 2022 bidding was the United States and it appears that people have short memories. The US bribed IOC officials to win the 2002 Winter Olympics and the bribery was a lot worse than what is being alleged of Qatar. Unfortunately it was deemed too late to give the Winter Olympics as someone else once the scandal was uncovered (how nice was that). There have also been some allegations about Japan when it won the 1998 Winter Olympics, mostly related to excessive “entertainment expenses”. So it's not like the US has a clean record.
I think FIFA needs to really change how they do things if this kind of stuff is going to happen every time -- allegations flying around during the bid round and whenever somebody wins. My suggestion -- increase the number of voters to 300 or more, it’s a lot harder to bribe hundreds of people than the 50 or so FIFA currently uses. The accusations are Qatar paid $1.5 million to each of the two executives, you are certainly not going to spend that kind of money on 100+ people.
I hope this issue gets resolved quickly so things can move on.
_
I can't comment as to the allegations, but would I be willing to support another vote?
I suppose . . . if all the other bids are investigated as well to see if they committed any bribery infractions!
Second place in the 2022 bidding was the United States and it appears that people have short memories. The US bribed IOC officials to win the 2002 Winter Olympics and the bribery was a lot worse than what is being alleged of Qatar. Unfortunately it was deemed too late to give the Winter Olympics as someone else once the scandal was uncovered (how nice was that). There have also been some allegations about Japan when it won the 1998 Winter Olympics, mostly related to excessive “entertainment expenses”. So it's not like the US has a clean record.
I think FIFA needs to really change how they do things if this kind of stuff is going to happen every time -- allegations flying around during the bid round and whenever somebody wins. My suggestion -- increase the number of voters to 300 or more, it’s a lot harder to bribe hundreds of people than the 50 or so FIFA currently uses. The accusations are Qatar paid $1.5 million to each of the two executives, you are certainly not going to spend that kind of money on 100+ people.
I hope this issue gets resolved quickly so things can move on.
_
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Doha Car Inspection
[June 2015 update: got my car inspected and updated the post accordingly. There's a great website now with information www.fahes.com.qa]
Looking back in my blog I realized that my post about the car inspection process was out of date. Since it was time to get my car inspected I decided to not do what I did last year (pay someone else to do it) and go out myself so I could experience the adventure first-hand.
This usually meant a trip to the Industrial Area, something no one looks forward to doing, but other options are now available. There is a website with the locations, timings and more information -- www.fahes.com.qa
Someone told me that the center in Wakra doesn't have much of a lineup so on Wednesday around 11:30 I went there hoping it would be quick -- WRONG! Massive line-up of something like 50+ cars and only two garages for testing. You'd be in line for something close to over two hours. I saw the main center in the Industrial Area opens at 6:00am, and that would be before the morning rush hour, so I set an early alarm and headed out. . .
The Industrial Area testing center is located on 24th Street (I suggest looking it up on a map before you head out so you know exactly where it is). Note that you have to go around back to enter - to a corner entrance marked “Gate 1”. The entrance is not on the main street.
As soon as you are entering the gate you will see a security guard. Do not drive past him, you need to stop and get a number from him. I didn't know this. All I knew was that I needed a number so I drove past the security guard, parked, went into the testing center, and went to the information desk to ask for a number, only to be told you get it from the security guard. That meant I had to walk out, walk to the other end of the parking lot in the heat, to get a number from the security guard. [2015 update: this time the security guard didn't hand out a number and just directed me the booth I mention below. It might have been because I was there so early, he might hand out numbers later.]
There were a lot of cars in line in front of the testing garages and the security guard pointed to a lineup that I should join. So I got back in my car and got in the line. The lineup was about a dozen cars long and you only moved every 3 to 5 minutes. [2015 update: because I was there early, 6am on a Thursday, there was only one car ahead of me, in previous years I was there on Saturdays around 10-11am so it had a bigger lineup.]
Part-way along you pass a booth. When I pulled up to the booth I gave the guy my vehicle registration and the fee (QAR 75). After a minute he gave me a receipt with my ticket number on it, and a plastic sleeve which contained my registration as well as a copy of my receipt which said "Inspector Copy". After that you continue to inch along the line to the garage.
Once I got to the garage I pulled up, put the car in park and left the car running, handed the inspector the plastic sleeve with my registration and "Inspector Copy" receipt. He looked at the receipt and registration, handed me back my registration, and then I left and walked into the main building. Make sure you bring your copy of the receipt with you as it has your ticket number on it. He asked if there was a fire extinguisher in the vehicle so be prepared to point it out (No fire extinguisher? You can buy one in the main building). Otherwise you're not allowed to stick around or chat with the inspectors, you have to go wait in the main building.
In the main building is a small stand with various sodas and drinks, another counter with a guy selling fresh orange juice (QAR 6, I know because that's what I had), an ATM, and about 80 seats in front of the counters where the employees were. There was an electronic board that would flash your number when your report was ready.
I was a little concerned about how long I'd be there as there was about 40 guys waiting and only one guy working the counter. Turns out it was not a complicated process: when the inspection is finished the report is printed and the guy at the counter types your number on the electronic board, and you go collect your report. I maybe waited about 15 minutes then got my report and car key. Then I went out the door near the counter (opposite the door I came in) where my car was waiting in the parking lot near the garage I used. All in all the whole process took about 45 minutes, much easier than when I did it the last time at that temporary inspection center near a supermarket.
But sometimes they do fail you for small things. The report has two sections:
1) Technical requirements: this is the stuff like if your brakes or exhaust are up to code. If you fail this you'll need to get your car repaired.
2) Legal requirements: If there are any scratches or other damage this will be deemed a failure.
Once because I had a couple of scratches on the door (from some fool in the parking lot opening their car door too hard), the inspectors deemed it a “fault” and said my car didn't pass. Seriously, the two scratches were about an inch long! Apparently the inspectors are instructed to be conservative and write up any problem. My car now fails the Legal Requirements part every year.
So what do you do in that situation? Go outside and get your car and at the side of the building is another line up with a Ministry Officer sitting outside by a desk, who you go to for a second opinion. Drive up, hand him the report, he takes a quick look, and if he thinks it's minor he signs off that you can renew your registration. Which of course he did in my case.
Fighting the traffic on the drive back was more annoying than getting my car inspected.
[So the inspection is done, now what? click on this link to see my post about renewing your car registration http://qatarskeptic.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-renew-your-car-registration.html]
Looking back in my blog I realized that my post about the car inspection process was out of date. Since it was time to get my car inspected I decided to not do what I did last year (pay someone else to do it) and go out myself so I could experience the adventure first-hand.
This usually meant a trip to the Industrial Area, something no one looks forward to doing, but other options are now available. There is a website with the locations, timings and more information -- www.fahes.com.qa
Someone told me that the center in Wakra doesn't have much of a lineup so on Wednesday around 11:30 I went there hoping it would be quick -- WRONG! Massive line-up of something like 50+ cars and only two garages for testing. You'd be in line for something close to over two hours. I saw the main center in the Industrial Area opens at 6:00am, and that would be before the morning rush hour, so I set an early alarm and headed out. . .
The Industrial Area testing center is located on 24th Street (I suggest looking it up on a map before you head out so you know exactly where it is). Note that you have to go around back to enter - to a corner entrance marked “Gate 1”. The entrance is not on the main street.
As soon as you are entering the gate you will see a security guard. Do not drive past him, you need to stop and get a number from him. I didn't know this. All I knew was that I needed a number so I drove past the security guard, parked, went into the testing center, and went to the information desk to ask for a number, only to be told you get it from the security guard. That meant I had to walk out, walk to the other end of the parking lot in the heat, to get a number from the security guard. [2015 update: this time the security guard didn't hand out a number and just directed me the booth I mention below. It might have been because I was there so early, he might hand out numbers later.]
There were a lot of cars in line in front of the testing garages and the security guard pointed to a lineup that I should join. So I got back in my car and got in the line. The lineup was about a dozen cars long and you only moved every 3 to 5 minutes. [2015 update: because I was there early, 6am on a Thursday, there was only one car ahead of me, in previous years I was there on Saturdays around 10-11am so it had a bigger lineup.]
Part-way along you pass a booth. When I pulled up to the booth I gave the guy my vehicle registration and the fee (QAR 75). After a minute he gave me a receipt with my ticket number on it, and a plastic sleeve which contained my registration as well as a copy of my receipt which said "Inspector Copy". After that you continue to inch along the line to the garage.
Once I got to the garage I pulled up, put the car in park and left the car running, handed the inspector the plastic sleeve with my registration and "Inspector Copy" receipt. He looked at the receipt and registration, handed me back my registration, and then I left and walked into the main building. Make sure you bring your copy of the receipt with you as it has your ticket number on it. He asked if there was a fire extinguisher in the vehicle so be prepared to point it out (No fire extinguisher? You can buy one in the main building). Otherwise you're not allowed to stick around or chat with the inspectors, you have to go wait in the main building.
In the main building is a small stand with various sodas and drinks, another counter with a guy selling fresh orange juice (QAR 6, I know because that's what I had), an ATM, and about 80 seats in front of the counters where the employees were. There was an electronic board that would flash your number when your report was ready.
I was a little concerned about how long I'd be there as there was about 40 guys waiting and only one guy working the counter. Turns out it was not a complicated process: when the inspection is finished the report is printed and the guy at the counter types your number on the electronic board, and you go collect your report. I maybe waited about 15 minutes then got my report and car key. Then I went out the door near the counter (opposite the door I came in) where my car was waiting in the parking lot near the garage I used. All in all the whole process took about 45 minutes, much easier than when I did it the last time at that temporary inspection center near a supermarket.
But sometimes they do fail you for small things. The report has two sections:
1) Technical requirements: this is the stuff like if your brakes or exhaust are up to code. If you fail this you'll need to get your car repaired.
2) Legal requirements: If there are any scratches or other damage this will be deemed a failure.
Once because I had a couple of scratches on the door (from some fool in the parking lot opening their car door too hard), the inspectors deemed it a “fault” and said my car didn't pass. Seriously, the two scratches were about an inch long! Apparently the inspectors are instructed to be conservative and write up any problem. My car now fails the Legal Requirements part every year.
So what do you do in that situation? Go outside and get your car and at the side of the building is another line up with a Ministry Officer sitting outside by a desk, who you go to for a second opinion. Drive up, hand him the report, he takes a quick look, and if he thinks it's minor he signs off that you can renew your registration. Which of course he did in my case.
Fighting the traffic on the drive back was more annoying than getting my car inspected.
[So the inspection is done, now what? click on this link to see my post about renewing your car registration http://qatarskeptic.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-renew-your-car-registration.html]
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Birthday
So a while back (I'm not saying when) my friends Carrie and Kamahl organized a small birthday party for me and asked me to invite some people. I'm not one to make a big deal about my birthday but I knew there was no getting out of it -- last year Carrie and Kamahl surprised me with a birthday dinner weeks after my birthday. So I invited some friends but didn't tell them that it was for my birthday as I didn't want people making a fuss or getting me gifts. I guess you could say I surprised them.
We had a nice meal of barbeque meats and fixins and then went to another room for dessert. What I wasn't expecting was what they had prepared for me:
A Canadian flag cake, birthday cookies with Canadian flags and "Happy Birthday Glen" in icing, and a huge assortment of other tarts, pies and desserts! Wow! Apparently they found the cake decorator to ice the entire cake to make it look like a Canadian flag.
Here's a close-up:
There was enough dessert for over 20 people, and there certainly weren't that many of us there, so after stuffing ourselves I took the remaining cake to the office the next day. People in the office saw the cake and asked if it was Canada's Independence Day or something :)
(That is actually July 1 in case you didn't know)
I had a great time, thanks guys.
We had a nice meal of barbeque meats and fixins and then went to another room for dessert. What I wasn't expecting was what they had prepared for me:
A Canadian flag cake, birthday cookies with Canadian flags and "Happy Birthday Glen" in icing, and a huge assortment of other tarts, pies and desserts! Wow! Apparently they found the cake decorator to ice the entire cake to make it look like a Canadian flag.
Here's a close-up:
There was enough dessert for over 20 people, and there certainly weren't that many of us there, so after stuffing ourselves I took the remaining cake to the office the next day. People in the office saw the cake and asked if it was Canada's Independence Day or something :)
(That is actually July 1 in case you didn't know)
I had a great time, thanks guys.
Friday, May 13, 2011
A Story of a Not-so-Glamorous Life in the Gulf
Today I arranged for a cleaner to come by my apartment. A friend of mine recommended him; apparently he's a maintenance guy at some building but cleans my friend's apartment for extra money.
I'm like most people, I hate cleaning. My place isn't a pigsty but I'm definitely not good with sweeping and mopping floors in a timely manner. I'm all for having a cleaner come by once in a while.
When I spoke with the cleaner the night before his only request was that he be given enough time to do the job -- no rushing him or telling him he has to do everything in an hour. I was cool with that, who wants to rush a cleaner? I'd rather he take his time and do a good job. It didn’t matter how long it took anyway as he asked for a flat rate of QAR 40 ($US 10.80) each visit, instead of charging by the hour.
Yep, he wanted about $11. He was from South Asia and he probably made about QAR 500-600 ($US 140-170) a month at his regular job, working full-time six days a week. That means he makes about $0.65 an hour. $11 for a couple hours cleaning is, sadly, decent money.
The issue of South Asian laborers in the Gulf is one that doesn't get a lot of press in the West. We'll go on and on about whether women should be wearing veils and stuff like that but if you look at websites of groups such as Human Rights Watch one of the big issues in this region is the treatment of South Asian laborers.
They are brought into these countries by the tens of thousands to work in construction, security, cleaning, and any other menial job (shelf stacker at a grocery store, gas station attendant, tea boy, taxi drivers etc.). Many make only QAR 400-600 a month ($115-170). It doesn't seem like a lot of money to us but when you live in a village in rural India or Nepal, where unemployment is rampant and people live on $1 a day, getting a job for $0.55-$0.70 an hour is big money. And with about 1.6 billion people in South Asia competition is fierce. A British-Indian friend of mine once pointed out that for every labourer you see there were likely 20 trying to get that job.
Unfortunately it's not as easy as just getting the job, you have to get the visa as well. This leads to the real crime – “visa arrangers” back in their home countries who charge exorbitant fees to get these poor men their visa (and thus a job). The fees are typically $1000 and more, money that these guys don't have. Desperation takes them to money lenders, or to selling the small plot of land the family used as a farm. So for the next year or two most of the meager money they earn goes to paying lenders.
Then they have to hope and pray they have a good employer.
Once they arrive at their new job they are stuck. They can't quit, they owe money lenders or since they sold the family farm they have no way of earning a living when they return. Their family: a wife, children, and maybe his elderly parents who he is supporting, will be destitute. A plane ticket home will cost them at least four months wages. In Qatar you're not even allowed to change jobs to another Qatar company without a “no objection” letter from your employer. It is a situation that is ripe for exploitation by an unscrupulous employer.
So they toil in 45° heat on construction sites, or work 60 hours a week mopping floors, without complaint for fear of getting fired. They are then bussed back to their residence, typically on the outskirts of the city. Many are crammed four or eight to a room on bunk beds, and I have heard that some employers don't even provide air-conditioning. I wish I was joking that these residences are referred to by the cringe-inducing name "labour camps” but you occasionally see a real estate advertisement for a labour camp for rent or for sale. There are also reports of employers who make the laborers pay for food out of their own pocket, or not pay their salary for months at a time. Enforcement of employment law is lax.
Earning money is the reason they're here so there are an abundance of people around who will offer to do odd jobs for you. Clean your house, wash your car, help you move stuff, take your groceries to the car. Tips can be a big source of revenue.
I try to tip when I can. Gas attendants, the guys in the mall food court who clean tables and trays, grocery baggers, they all get tips from my friends and I. Two or three riyal is not much to me but can make a big difference to a labourer. One of my Qatari friends tips QAR 5-10 to the food court cleaners, he says they're some of the worst paid workers. A day’s wage for them is probably QAR 16.
So what happened with my new cleaner? He wasn't kidding when he said he didn't want to be rushed, it took him about three hours to clean my one-bedroom apartment! Not because he was slow but because he was so thorough. He removed all the books from bookshelves to dust the shelves, he wiped down the legs of chairs, he moved the furniture to sweep and mop underneath, he took everything out of the medicine cabinet to wipe it down, he did a fantastic job. Yet he was a little worried that I wouldn't think he did a good job -- he wanted me to do an inspection to see if I was happy.
Three hours work, for $11.
I gave him QAR 50, a 20% tip, and drove him back to the apartment building where he works, he had a shift starting later that afternoon.
I then took the car in to get something minor fixed and while I was waiting went to a nearby Western-style café. It was lunch time so I ordered a cappuccino and a sandwich and spent the next 45 minutes reading a newspaper and watching the news on the nearby television. When it was time to pick up my car I asked for the bill.
The cappuccino and sandwich was QAR 44.
I'm going to start paying the cleaner more.
_
I'm like most people, I hate cleaning. My place isn't a pigsty but I'm definitely not good with sweeping and mopping floors in a timely manner. I'm all for having a cleaner come by once in a while.
When I spoke with the cleaner the night before his only request was that he be given enough time to do the job -- no rushing him or telling him he has to do everything in an hour. I was cool with that, who wants to rush a cleaner? I'd rather he take his time and do a good job. It didn’t matter how long it took anyway as he asked for a flat rate of QAR 40 ($US 10.80) each visit, instead of charging by the hour.
Yep, he wanted about $11. He was from South Asia and he probably made about QAR 500-600 ($US 140-170) a month at his regular job, working full-time six days a week. That means he makes about $0.65 an hour. $11 for a couple hours cleaning is, sadly, decent money.
The issue of South Asian laborers in the Gulf is one that doesn't get a lot of press in the West. We'll go on and on about whether women should be wearing veils and stuff like that but if you look at websites of groups such as Human Rights Watch one of the big issues in this region is the treatment of South Asian laborers.
They are brought into these countries by the tens of thousands to work in construction, security, cleaning, and any other menial job (shelf stacker at a grocery store, gas station attendant, tea boy, taxi drivers etc.). Many make only QAR 400-600 a month ($115-170). It doesn't seem like a lot of money to us but when you live in a village in rural India or Nepal, where unemployment is rampant and people live on $1 a day, getting a job for $0.55-$0.70 an hour is big money. And with about 1.6 billion people in South Asia competition is fierce. A British-Indian friend of mine once pointed out that for every labourer you see there were likely 20 trying to get that job.
Unfortunately it's not as easy as just getting the job, you have to get the visa as well. This leads to the real crime – “visa arrangers” back in their home countries who charge exorbitant fees to get these poor men their visa (and thus a job). The fees are typically $1000 and more, money that these guys don't have. Desperation takes them to money lenders, or to selling the small plot of land the family used as a farm. So for the next year or two most of the meager money they earn goes to paying lenders.
Then they have to hope and pray they have a good employer.
Once they arrive at their new job they are stuck. They can't quit, they owe money lenders or since they sold the family farm they have no way of earning a living when they return. Their family: a wife, children, and maybe his elderly parents who he is supporting, will be destitute. A plane ticket home will cost them at least four months wages. In Qatar you're not even allowed to change jobs to another Qatar company without a “no objection” letter from your employer. It is a situation that is ripe for exploitation by an unscrupulous employer.
So they toil in 45° heat on construction sites, or work 60 hours a week mopping floors, without complaint for fear of getting fired. They are then bussed back to their residence, typically on the outskirts of the city. Many are crammed four or eight to a room on bunk beds, and I have heard that some employers don't even provide air-conditioning. I wish I was joking that these residences are referred to by the cringe-inducing name "labour camps” but you occasionally see a real estate advertisement for a labour camp for rent or for sale. There are also reports of employers who make the laborers pay for food out of their own pocket, or not pay their salary for months at a time. Enforcement of employment law is lax.
Earning money is the reason they're here so there are an abundance of people around who will offer to do odd jobs for you. Clean your house, wash your car, help you move stuff, take your groceries to the car. Tips can be a big source of revenue.
I try to tip when I can. Gas attendants, the guys in the mall food court who clean tables and trays, grocery baggers, they all get tips from my friends and I. Two or three riyal is not much to me but can make a big difference to a labourer. One of my Qatari friends tips QAR 5-10 to the food court cleaners, he says they're some of the worst paid workers. A day’s wage for them is probably QAR 16.
So what happened with my new cleaner? He wasn't kidding when he said he didn't want to be rushed, it took him about three hours to clean my one-bedroom apartment! Not because he was slow but because he was so thorough. He removed all the books from bookshelves to dust the shelves, he wiped down the legs of chairs, he moved the furniture to sweep and mop underneath, he took everything out of the medicine cabinet to wipe it down, he did a fantastic job. Yet he was a little worried that I wouldn't think he did a good job -- he wanted me to do an inspection to see if I was happy.
Three hours work, for $11.
I gave him QAR 50, a 20% tip, and drove him back to the apartment building where he works, he had a shift starting later that afternoon.
I then took the car in to get something minor fixed and while I was waiting went to a nearby Western-style café. It was lunch time so I ordered a cappuccino and a sandwich and spent the next 45 minutes reading a newspaper and watching the news on the nearby television. When it was time to pick up my car I asked for the bill.
The cappuccino and sandwich was QAR 44.
I'm going to start paying the cleaner more.
_
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Osama update
Apparently criticism about killing of the Osama bin Laden had been gaining momentum in the last couple of weeks so the US Attorney General, Eric Holder, gave an interview to BBC News where he noted that it was a “kill or capture” mission and if Osama had surrendered they would have taken him into custody.
The cynic in me is doubtful. Why wasn't this disclosed a lot earlier? Why didn't President Obama note it in his speech or subsequent discussions about the incident? Why didn’t Hillary Clinton mention it, she was watching the raid as well?
He might be telling the truth, we will have no way to know unless sometime in the future unless someone high up in the military or someone involved in the raid speaks out.
I suppose I'm grudgingly grateful. But what took so long?
The cynic in me is doubtful. Why wasn't this disclosed a lot earlier? Why didn't President Obama note it in his speech or subsequent discussions about the incident? Why didn’t Hillary Clinton mention it, she was watching the raid as well?
He might be telling the truth, we will have no way to know unless sometime in the future unless someone high up in the military or someone involved in the raid speaks out.
I suppose I'm grudgingly grateful. But what took so long?
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