Wired: Unveiling Middle East Science – A Reading List

Tout est en train de se dיcanter en vue de l’officialisation lundi prochain du nouveau PSG sous contrפle Qatari, regardons les יvטnements rיcents :

- Mercredi : Passage devant la DNCG avec la prיsentation de Nasser Al-Khelaifi et sa “team” de reprise : Benoמt Rousseau, Sophie Jordan. Premiers mots devant les mיdias franחais.

- Jeudi : Confיrence de presse d’Al-Khelaifi pour l’offre d’Al-Jazira Sports sur les droits de la Ligue 1. Premiers mots de Leproux depuis l’annonce du rachat, il restera prיsident et confirme pour Lיonardo

- Vendredi : Gasperini devient entraמneur de l’Inter, Lיo est donc libre.

Suite des יvטnements ? je me lance a un petit pronostic :

- Ce week-end : Lיo rentre de vacances du Brיsil, il annule son contrat avec l’Inter.

- Lundi : Conseil de suveillance qui acte la vente du Paris-SG et le nouvel organigramme, Lיonardo est intronisי Directeur Sportif du PSG et le club va pouvoir commencer א travailler sיrieusement autour de son nouvel homme.

- Jeudi 30 juin : Reprise de l’entraמnement au camp des loges, et חa ne m’יtonnerait pas qu’on voit 1 ou 2 nouvelles tךtes en plus de Douchez et Gameiro …

ְ suivre …

““We are developing in Qatar a device that has an important functional use not only in Qatar but also throughout the world especially in the Gulf region, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, North America.””

- Professor Daniele Trinchero, professor at Politecnico and head of iXem Labs in Italy, on project to design water saving device that will allow Qatar to reduce water leakage. Read about his device here.Wired: Unveiling Middle East Science – A Reading List :

For those heading to or curious about the World Conference of Science Journalists starting on Monday in Doha, here’s a reading list related to the “Unveiling Arab Science,” Monday’s opening plenary.

“Moving On,” the first rock band music video made in...

City Center mall has installed parking ticket machines and may start charging for parking as early as next month, say local media reports.

The idea behind instituting parking fees, which has been discussed for at least two years, is to clear up spaces occupied by employees working in nearby buildings.

The Peninsula reports:

The mall has around 1,600 parking slots, 300 of which are occupied by mall staff. An additional parking space that could accommodate up to 400 vehicles was planned to be set up to alleviate the problem.

Lack of parking space is seen to be a main problem as a huge influx of people is expected this summer when people are left almost without any choice but spend their leisure time inside the mall as staying out is virtually impossible with temperatures crossing 50 degrees Celsius.

What do you guys think? Would you be willing to be shell out a few riyals in exchange for actually finding a parking space at City Center?

Image courtesy of the Peninsula.

“Moving On,” the first rock band music video made in Qatar - according to its creators - has just launched.

The song is written & performed by “e”, aka Edwardo, an Australian artist with Serbian & Scotish roots. Palestinian filmmaker Bayann Dah Dah directed the video.

It’s hardly the first music video filmed in Qatar though.

Just a day earlier, the Doha Film Institute released a video for Ashwin Renju’s song “Nomadination.”

Apparently it was filmed over five days, primarily by DFI students.

Then of course, beating them both out by more than a year is the first release from Nigeria’s Chidi Joe called “Count on Me”. That video was filmed and directed in Doha by the prolific Omar Khalifa:

Storify: Creative Commons Qatar launch

Robert Fisk does Al Jazeera in Doha:

In a rather amusing account, award-winning journalist Robert Fisk waxes and wanes about his recent visit to Al Jazeera, including the moment that a fly lands on his nose while he’s on air, prompting him to smack his own nose.

Only after does he realize viewers at home haven’t seen the fly. 

One excerpt:

But the great thing is that on al-Jazeera English, you can say what you want, tell the truth in other words – and thank God nothing much actually happens in Qatar, home of al-Jazeera, because I somehow doubt that the Emir, who funds this extraordinary shooting match, would be subjected to quite the same serious interrogation by its titans of journalism.

But then again, both the English and the Arabic versions of al-Jazeera are, in their less than odd way, a state project, part of the nation’s diplomacy, an extension of Qatar’s foreign policy, an institution that helps Qatar (I hate these British clichיs because they remind me of William Hague) to “punch above its weight”.

Read the full article here.

One of the most favorite pastimes among expats in Qatar is complaining. Whether Qatar doesn’t have enough of one thing or too much of another, there is always something here to complain about. 

But a funny thing happens to many Doha residents when they travel abroad - they start missing Qatar. 

At least that’s what happened to one Canadian expat who blogs at Brays’ Adventures. She writes:

A Funny Thing Happened in France…I missed Doha. In the land of wine, pork and cheese in a beautiful green city with couples openly holding hands, I suddenly realized I was missing more of the “Sandpit” then I thought…

And now, things are going to change. I will be honest - I have spent the last 10 months hating my job. I have cried myself to sleep and cried to Big C about going home. I have been sick with stress. But I realized here, they aren’t going to get me. For the first time, when someone asked me if I wanted to stay the full time in Qatar the answer was an honest yes.

And so, another phase of our expat life begins. For me, the “honeymoon” (can you have a “nightmare moon”?) is over.

Read her full post here.

I went through a similar journey of self-discovery when I first landed in Qatar years ago - it was only when I left for a trip home (in the middle of a Michigan winter!) that I truly appreciated what Qatar had to offer.

What about you guys? Do you ever find yourself missing Qatar when traveling abroad? (Something’s gotta compel us to keep coming back, right?)

The noodle house at city center doha, must say it was a nice place and the food was great. The customer service however, was not great… was let down.

Life was disrupted for some Doha residents late Friday afternoon when a blaze broke out at a construction site in the Najma area.

Parts of C-Ring were slammed with traffic as authorities closed Toyota Signal while trying to get the fire under control.

But many of those stuck in the crush opted to use their energies reporting the story online:

Bicycle store

*

Souq Waqif (Central Market), Doha, Qatar

SPECIAL REPORT-Qatar's big Libya adventure:

- Reuters

Dovi @ Qatar 2011

Yemen said it has intercepted financial transfers made through Qatar to fund opposition to its government and is warning the tiny Gulf country to stop supporting the strife.

“The authorities have discovered transactions made through Qatar and the mediator in this is our former ambassador (in Cairo) Abdulwali al-Shumeiri,” deputy information minister Abdo al-Janadi told AFP.

“We call onto Qatar… to stop financially supporting rifts inside Yemen’s army and to work instead on (backing) the country’s security and stability,” said Janadi.

AFP reports:

Embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is recovering in Saudi Arabia from wounds sustained in a blast that hit his presidential palace in Sanaa, accused Qatar in April of a “conspiracy” against his country.

He also accused it of “funding chaos” throughout several Arab countries rocked by a wave of protests that toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, inspiring similar uprising in other countries including Yemen…

Despite strong Western and Arab Gulf pressure, Saleh has repeatedly refused to sign up to the proposals under which he would hand power to the vice president within 30 days in exchange for a promise of immunity from prosecution.

Read the full article here.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I woke up at 8 am despite of sleeping at 2: 30 am. I was psyched and nervous at the same time. I was excited to meet new acquaintances and just be in the campus and explore…

Most of my summer clothes are just too casual so I had to trespass through my mom’s closet and found this white top (i just love how lose and light it is, comfortable, not too casual and still very summery…) Thanks Ma!

a bit anxious XD

waiting for my ride outside… (seconds after I went out, u dont wanna see me minutes after, the heat was killin me!) 

I was hiding under the shadow for about 10 minutes -______-

I called for karwa the night before for 3 pm and it was 10 minutes late…one of those moments when I really wish I have my own car… It was dreadfully hot and you know how I hate going out in a summer noon…

while walking towards CMUQ bldg, my thoughts were mixed, I think I left my brains on my bed… my heart was beating a bit faster…because of the heat, ha! -_____-

I swear this building is HUGE! I think it’s the best in QF.

Excellence At Carnegie Mellon (it’s website)

interiors will make you go WOW. (but of course I’ve been here a lot of times in the past year so I got over it… oh okay, a bit, i’m still not sure if it really is a university or a multi-star hotel… lol. exaggerated…)

I can pronounce their names but I cant write them XD, both are also gonna be in Business Administration (Tepper School of Business0

The Orientation leaders guided us in accomplishing everything we had to do that day. From the very start, even in introducing ourselves to the other incoming freshman students, to writing and signing documents, id shoots, in taking the placement test and until socializing while having a light dinner in the game room… 

system failed which caused the delay. 

my cmuq account: mdinglas@qatar.cmu.edu 

this room is incredible! it has everything essential in it plus the super comfy chairs, i almost fell asleep…

i.d shoot :)

i was excited for this one but they told me i will get it in August XD

Noshin and Chaturika

after taking our English placement test

Bilal, orientation leader, current student

we’re off to the game room for dinner XD

Bilal, Noshin, Moon and Chaturika

me and Noshin

home sweet home XD

There was a delay. Supposedly, it was from 4 to 8 pm but it ended at 9 pm. 

Despite of the unexpected delay, i think the students who handled the orientation did a good job. They were all very friendly and warm. It was kinda awkward to smile back at them because I didn’t know their names but I do think they are very personable. It was nice meeting everyone! I am looking forward for the actual orientation in August!

Me: I'm from Qatar.