Qatar Drag Racing
Everyone watch the mechanical power unleash on the race track, which was nestled within the outskirts Doha. Shiekh Khalid, son of the Qatar emir, set a new standard in speed while driving a full-body door car on a 660-foot drag strip January 22, 2010. During that same race, Qatar hosted the first ever side-by-side finish in under 3.7 seconds. Continue reading
Shajilal Pallikuniyil of Kerala, India, is known as “Jalal” in a loft located above a gold shop in Doha, Qatar. Below the thick concrete floor is a glitzy storefront stocked with over $7 million in gold jewelry, peddled by a half dozen Arab salesmen. Customers never know Jalal is upstairs in a secluded area, but requests for handcrafted jewelry depend on it.
The most productive and top performing goldsmiths working in the Middle East are from Kerala, said Mohammad Al Salahi, deputy general manager of Al Salahi Jewelry. The Yemeni chemist lives near his family-owned gold factory in Saudi Arabia, where out of more than 300 goldsmiths, nearly everyone is from India. Salahi frequently travels to Doha to check on his five Qatar showrooms, which exclusively employ Kerala men to complete custom gold requests. Continue reading
Saad Ismail Al Jassim, 73, is widely recognized as “the old pearl diver” in Qatar. His store attracts a steady stream of intrigued patrons at Souq Waqif, a newly renovated shopping establishment that models ancient Islamic architecture. Surrounding structures resemble a fort constructed of sharp geometric shapes covered in creamy gypsum. Mazes of merchants stockpile handicrafts, fabrics, perfumes, spices and fresh foods. Known for its art and culture, the mall complex is appropriately anchored by Jassim’s shop.
The aging merchant reveals remnants from a lifetime spent conquering the salty waters of the Arabian Gulf. An old stone and rope rest near his doorway. Many years ago, they helped submerge him into the depths of the sea. A crudely created nose clip always sits in his pocket, where its significance in early diving adventures is ready to share. A note of appreciation for his pearl diving stories is hung from a far wall, signed by students at the American School of Doha, Qatar. Continue reading
Department of Defense officials are consistently undecided about embracing the latest Web technology. Proponents mention its strengths in supporting public affairs, recruiting efforts and family readiness, while protesters cite issues with operations and network security, as well as bandwidth drain. It’s the position of this author that military Web-first publishing leads to greater benefits than risks. This report combines public opinion research, open-source government information, Internet use surveys, newspaper circulation statistics and experience in Army external information programs. This report does not offer official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government. Continue reading
Jagadish Hajam, an auto body repairman and painter from Nepal, applies a coat of Tan 686A on the wheels of a Stryker armored combat vehicle Oct. 3, 2009, inside a booth at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. The infantry carrier vehicle was the first vehicle to adopt the new desert tan color in Southwest Asia, in preparation for a planned phase out of the Stryker’s current deep green color.
The vehicle that had been restored after deterioration during enemy engagement in Iraq. Produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, the eight-wheeled armored combat vehicles have been painted a foliage green color since their combat debut in 2003, supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Talks about changing the color had been ongoing since 2004. Tan 686A is a paint meant for desert camouflage. It’s the same solid color covering most military equipment throughout Southwest Asia, where encountering dust storms and sand dunes are common. On Strykers, dust collects on the the hull’s abrasive texture and helps lighten its color. The Army later rescinded on the idea of transitioning the vehicle to desert tan. Continue reading
After writing several stories about the Stryker battle damage repair facility in Qatar, I drove one. A Stryker is a light-armored troop carrier that’s packaged in several variants. The type I drove was used for medical evacuations in Iraq. General Dynamics mechanics and welders in Qatar had recently repaired it.
I crawled over the cage-like slat armor, stepped onto the abrasive hull, and then dropped inside the driver’s hatch. The interior looked similar to a regular vehicle: a typical steering wheel, gas and brake pedals, and an automatic transmission lever. The big difference was on my left, a large grid of switches and buttons. Fortunately, I didn’t have to figure out that panel, aside from the emergency brake control. Continue reading
Qatar got a taste of Minnesota recently. Caribou Coffee opened earlier this year. The atmosphere is consistent with the warm cabin-like Midwest atmosphere and it even affords free wireless Internet. Sitting in the dining room almost makes me feel like I’m in Minnesota… well, save for the Filipino girl taking orders and the Sri Lankan gentleman brewing up “the best cup of coffee in the world”… oh, and the Arabic translations for names and Qatari Riyal prices on the large overhead menu. Close enough! Two locations just opened and the employees are quick to tell people that it’s a Minnesota-based company. The Midwest scores in the Middle East!
This is the translated menu, as it appeared soon after the coffee shop opened in Qatar:
Caribou Coffee in Qatar
We just returned to Doha after nearly a week at the Sheraton Full Moon Resort in Maldives, situated southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. The Republic of Maldives is a Islamic state consisting of over a thousand islands, of which two hundred and fifty islands are inhabited. All major spots – the capital city, fisherman docks, resorts – have their own little island, nearly all are nestled within coral reefs. Most of the tourist we met were from Europe and the Middle East.
Even the airport has it’s own island. When you arrive, you walk out to a pier to locate your hotel’s speed boat. Some of the more distant locations warrant hoping on a puddle jumper to get there faster… not to mention, even from the height of a commercial airline, the view of the islands is amazing. Hundreds of islets poke out of countless reefs. Continue reading
Laila visited a laser surgeon for aesthetic skin care treatment. She had been thinking about it for long time. Aside from her upcoming step into the 30s, she’s concerned about the extreme weather in Qatar giving her skin a rough time. After some research, I endorsed the laser light therapy. When looking at the cost-to-benefit ratio, it’s probably cheaper and more effective than the various creams and spa packages.
The doctor was an Iraqi laser surgeon. He was very polite, helpful and accommodating. According to the surgeon, the laser light treatment helps with blackheads, flaking skin, acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles. He said the treatment’s effectiveness is largely attributed to stimulating the growth of new skin cells and collagen. It’s like using an eraser to remove fine lines, as long as the patient is young enough to rejuvenate a significant amount of collagen. After the procedure, new collagen growth tightens the skin. Some patients see results immediately. Everyone sees gradual results over a three- to six-month period. Continue reading
We recently returned to Qatar from my 30th birthday celebration in Sri Lanka. Around 45,000 people employed in Qatar are from Sri Lanka. The Gulf country is known for its precious pearls, while Sri Lanka is often referred to as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean.”
Sri Lanka is an island nation 19 miles off the southern coast of India, roughly the size of West Virginia. Of the more than 20 million people, about 1.3 million live in and around Colombo, the nation’s capital city. Outside Colombo’s busy business districts is a country packed with tropical rain forest, wildlife and national heritage. Sri Lanka’s beaches are popular venues for surfing. In the ocean, boats take tourists to see migrating blue whales. The enormous sea creatures reach lengths around 110 feet and weights of 200 tons. Continue reading
Dustin Senger 