Would you like some Music with your Girl?

The mid-Ramadan escape to Dubai went well, though I'd have to say that Doha's climate, this year at least, is far kinder. What's with this humidity game? Even the short walk from CityMax to the Paranormal was something of an ordeal. Once inside Jockey's though, all was good. Prices (of the beer!) have gone up a bit but, at 23 dirhams, are still two thirds of Doha's cheapest. Not a lot else was

The Fatted Porker - a different slant on the Prodigal Son

The Fatted PorkerI liked the lad. He always had a smile,a whistle on his lips, and used to waitand watch us eat. Oh, you can call it swillbut I'm not proud. For if it comes to thatI've cracked the windfall, fresher from the mossthan all your snow-cooled fare. I've savoured shootsthat daylight never blessed. But let it pass -I liked him. He was generous with the oats.Not like his brother there, a

On pots and kettles

So Bahrain has withdrawn its ambassador from Syria in protest against heavy handed tactics by the regime in dealing with protesters.
What's Arabic for 'irony', please?

Iftar or lump it

Last night, I had some business to attend to near le Mercure, né & aka Sofitel. The kind of business that required queuing, or more accurately crowding and jostling, for nearly an hour, to ask a question at a desk, to which the answer was 'no'. Usual stuff. While crowding, I was consoling myself with the thought of the meal I was going to have later, in Sofitel's 'La Villa' Mediterranean

Poster change - just the start?

As predicted, two posts ago, the Drink water, Summer is coming posters have been taken down in time for Ramadan. They have been replaced with posters raising awareness of the famine in Somalia.
Ban Ki-moon apparently personally called Qatar's Prime Minister to ask for a substantial aid package for the affected region. I have every confidence that the result of his call will be something far more

What do Wendi Deng Murdoch and John Prescott have in common?

a) a fine sense of decorum and occasion
b) a calm, unflappable demeanour
c) a healthy spontaneity coupled with quick reactions
d) good hair and a nice slim figure
e) a sinister old twit for a husband

Wendi - your performance on the day was head and shoulders above that of your craven husband and his wee boy. Good on you, lass!

(John Prescott, Tony Blair's deputy PM, famously swung round and

Drink Water - Summer is coming!

I think it was in May when QMedia put up these public service posters advising us to keep the body hydrated through the hot summer ahead. I like the message. It is not advertising; in fact the label has been removed from the bottle, making it completely generic. Also, the model is wearing her hair out and looks like a modern, sporty young woman. All in all, a positive contribution to public