Tahera Ahmad & the unopened Diet Coke

This is the story of Tahera Ahmad - a young Muslim woman who was humiliated while travelling on board of an American airline .
She was denied an unopened can of drink because she might use it as weapon while other passengers were allowed to have it with them .
Read the story in details bellow as it appeared on the social medias !
Very well done Tahera Ahmed ! Everyone should speak up when experiencing similar incidents for nobody can get away with racist attitude !

I'm asking all of you to let @united know that you are disgusted with this bigotry, that the must act! pic.twitter.com/fHOAE8PvjP

— Suhaib Webb (@ImamSuhaibWebb) May 30, 2015

@united as of now, United has not officially reached out to me @omarsuleiman504 @ImamSuhaibWebb @hsmoghul pic.twitter.com/LmbEg8T3C7

— Tahera Ahmad (@TaheraHAhmad) May 30, 2015

Sunsets over Doha - Photo Prints

Sunset over Doha, Qatar Photo Print by iPictures

Sunset at Doha Fishermen's Port Metal Photo Print
by almawad

Aspire Zone - a nice pick

Aspire Zone has world-class facilities. Know all about it via http://t.co/39JU78xASg #Qatar @aspirezone pic.twitter.com/ETY8hfEd8F

— حكومي - قطر (@HukoomiQatar) May 29, 2015

Blue Salon - Beauty Event

كوني على موعد مع #خبراء_التجميل لمجموعة من المنتجات العالمية, سيتواجدون في #الصالون_الأزرق خصيصا" لك خلال أكبر #مهرجا...
Posted by Blue Salon on Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Al-Khor Family Park

Posted by ‎وزارة البلدية والتخطيط العمراني‎ on Sunday, May 24, 2015

Was that slap an early sign of Alzheimer ?

Omar Sharif -the legendary actor- slapped a fan four years ago in Doha .Was that slap an early sign of Alzheimer ? The Egyptian actor's son claims his father got the disease but he is denying it
He is forgetting basic things from his life - he still believes his ex -wife , the great love of his life is still alive .
He is living in Egypt nowadays . How very tragic for a man who had been known for his excellent abilities in maths !

source

New Brand of Dairy&Juice Products in Qatar

Al Maha a product of Qatar. We have launched "Today" #Qatar #Doha #Almaha #Dairy #Juice #Jive pic.twitter.com/B70wqZ1dsX

— almaha dairy (@almahadairy) May 26, 2015

 They offer milk , laban , flavoured milk  ( dates ,melon , passion fruit ,strawberry ,chocolate , banana , mango flavours )  plain yoghurts and flavoured ones ( strawberry , blueberry ,mango flavours ) and drink yoghurts with strawberry , mint ,melon ,mango flavours .

Advil paediatric suspension - mistake in the dosage instruction

 Advil
paediatric suspension - mistake in the dosage instruction


 the drug is safe to use but there was error in the dosage instruction  - so it is  not sold anymore

 my child had to take it two weeks ago - it was very strange as very little water had to be added
 and my child was crying after the first dosage that it was too much bitter and burning feeling 
 after ...

  the article does not mention what was the actual mistake or what to do in case our child got wrong
 dosage but it is written online " An ibuprofen overdose can damage your stomach or intestines. "


 source

source

Numbers in Qatar 1041 female students

1041 female students graduated at Qatar University Class of 2015
 versus
381 male students

 source 

Indian Maggie - are they dangerous ?

The 2-minute noodles 'Maggi' had lead in excess - in those samples that were collected in  Uttar Pradesh , India .
However the producer Nestle is surprised at the result of the scanes .
 source

 Loss of appetite, abdominal pain, vomiting, weight loss, constipation, anemia, kidney failure, irritability, lethargy, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems can be symptoms of lead poisoning .

Warehouse fire Wakra- nobody died

Civil Defence contained a fire at a carpentry workshop in Wakrah without any casualties. #MOI_Qatar

— Ministry of Interior (@MOI_QatarEn) May 23, 2015

 It was a big fire which started  at a warehouse , an upholstery workshop then it spread to a workers accommodation .see images from the Gulf times here .

Skydiving accident in Dubai

A Saudi national was killed in a skydiving accident at Skydive Dubai’s Desert Campus in Margham on Thursday.Every parachuter's nightmare  - the parachute did not open and wrapped around his body !He was 35 years old and considered as a skilled skydiver !

 more details 

  This case  reminds me the death of the poor Hungarian stunt pilot in Doha last year ...

Visit the Oryx Farm

If you are an animal lover & interested in the endangered animals, visit the Oryx Farm @ Al Shahaniya,15 Km from Doha pic.twitter.com/9ON9WfJfHU

— Qatar Tourism (@Qtourism) May 21, 2015

Four people died in Salwa road accident

  A truck and a mini van collided on Salwa road between
Messaid and Wakra . Four workers in the mini van died .



I guess this is  the road where trucks are going in great numbers ! Once accidently
we got there after a Sealine trip and I was praying  all the time for safe return !
The victims  were working for  Imco

Engineering & Contracting Company.



More details about the victims can be read here . God save us on the roads !

Food poisoning worldwide

  I found an interesting article  on Yahoo . It  is about food poisoning and tourism . They asked 2000 people in which country they expect to be sick / 
they were sick by the food they had .  In the answers there are only two Arab country listed  Egypt ( no wonder )  Morocco  .
I got seriously ill  in Egypt after having  a mozzarella salad  in a top hotel . I can not tell you the pain we had in our guts . I have never had before
 or luckily after  something similar .

 Qatari restaurants  are strictly inspected by local authorities  but  food poisonings happen here as well . The last one was in Marmara Istanbul restaurant  in 2014 October .
 People  needed hospital care and a pregnant mother lost her baby due to the strong contractions she had .

 Some weeks ago I read about prominent restaurants using expired materials !

 The best trick to avoid food poisoning or to minimize the effect is drinking something acidic with your meal . At least one of my friend told me that . After a Sunday
meal all the family got salmonella except for the husband who had some acidic drink  with the meal . All of them ate the same stuffed chicken in Hungarian style  which include eggs !

FOOD SAFETY FIRST PINBACK BUTTONS by almawad

Arabic story time at the MIA

#MC_FABLESExhibition Story Telling: Tales from the Islamic World22 May, 3pm and 6pm Special Exhibitions...
Posted by Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) on Monday, May 18, 2015

Al- Jazeera Cafe - you can visit them in Katara

Al Jazeera Media Network has just opened its first Al Jazeera Cafe in its home city of Doha, Qatar. Visit them now at the cultural village Katara

Who will win the Emir Cup 2015 Final

Emir Cup 2015
Who will win the Emir Cup final on Saturday? Predict the score and share this post with your Facebook friends
Posted by Qatar Football Association on Monday, May 18, 2015

________________________________

Al- Sadd players won yesterday the Emir Cup 2015 . Congrats Al -Sadd !

#QatarAirways, official carrier of the Emir Cup, congratulates Al Sadd Football Club on their 2014/15 season win. pic.twitter.com/KdM3T4mo2T

— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) May 24, 2015

Crane fell on busy road - at least one dead

It happened yesterday morning around 10 :45 . A construction crane fell on a busy road  few metres before the intersection where the newly-built F-Ring Road joins the Airport Road. One Egyptian worker died and several ones in critical conditions ...No one on the road died or injured .

source

Any news about this accident at the F ring Road signal @dohanews @qatarliving #DOHA #qatar #justnow pic.twitter.com/yJDEDoOg5L

— Hamad حمد ツ (@hamadmajeed) May 17, 2015

Lulu Mango Festival - Grand Inauguration this evening

   Mango Mania Festival 

   Where : Lulu hypermarket , Gharaffa
   What time : 8 pm
    Special guest : Ambassador of India ,Mr . Sanjiv Arora


  What to expect ?  100 types  mango from 18 countries at special prices   for a week

  the cheapest is the Badami mango the most expensive one is  the mango Brazil

Gauguin Woman With A Mango Poster by VintageSpot
Browse for more framed art posters at zazzle

Military Drills and my childhood

I grew up in a place that holds many cherished memories. The landscape was enveloped by mountains . There was a beautiful forest nearby that was within walking distance from our compound and schools.

As a kindergarten student I would walk there nearly every week . We discovered a wealth of knowledge about trees, flowers, and even witnessed wild animals feasting in the glade...  

 

It was truly a remarkable place!We have fond memories of it.There were also two barracks nearby,Our fathers used to work there.

On a beautiful spring day, as we strolled through the forest with our teachers, we unexpectedly encountered a group of armed soldiers!

Our teachers were scared to death !

"We had contacted the army previously, and we were assured that the forest was secure with no ongoing military operations." "Apologies, but the information provided was incorrect." "Leave this place immediately," replied one of the soldiers, as the spring drill was underway.

Turning, we had to run for our lives.

We were reluctant to go to the forest for a while. Then, our teachers would always personally inspect the forest before the usual walk!

I discovered as a young child that the army is an odd place and that it is best to stay away from it!

  
 
 

 

 

  

Military Drills - stay away from the places

Buzzard 4 military drills are carried out in Qatar .The Qatari Armed
forces with 27 friendly countries have been
performing it  since Sunday .It will end on May
26. The public is asked to stay away from places where the army is practicing . For your own safety !

source

Have you ever been here ?

Barzan Olympic Park is the first Olympic-style park in #Qatar It's one of the perfect places for a #family #weekend pic.twitter.com/UngdXyjsY3

— Qatar Tourism (@Qtourism) May 14, 2015

This park is not on our way and somehow I have always missed it when going to IKEA .

Election in Qatar

Good turnout of voters for the 5th Central Municipal Council #CMCelection #MoI_Qatar pic.twitter.com/feBieB6cFW

— Ministry of Interior (@MOI_QatarEn) May 13, 2015

Being an expat I have no right to vote - but I wish the candidate who promised ladies only beaches won !

Ezdan Mall walking

Join #StepIntoHealth event in @EzdanMall, on Saturday May 16th, from 8:30 AM-10:30 AM, Gate number 1. #Qatar pic.twitter.com/PMf82FXtB9

— نمط لحياة صحية (@NamatQA) May 13, 2015

Nizaha Aalaa and Sarah Gazdar

Nizaha Aalaa and Sarah Gazdar were both little kids going to school by bus . Both of them died as they fell asleep and were forgotten in the bus in the scorching heat .Both of them Indian expats ,Both of them died because someone did not do this one-minute job after arriving at school - checking the bus  to be sure nobody left behind .

One died in Doha in May 2010  and the other in Abu -Dhabi on October 7 2013 ....

One was the pupil of DPS-Modern Indian School  in Doha  . The other was pupil of  Worood Academy Private School, Abu- Dhabi .

 The school bus had no bus attendant in Doha and the Pakistani driver did not know he had this duty to check the bus after the arrival . The Abeu- Dhabi school bus had an onboard  helper but she did not do her job . 

The school has to close  in Abu -Dhabi  no licence  for it from September . The school in Doha is still operating .

The bus attendant in Abu- Dhabi got only one year jail ! The principal who allowed the bus  go without attendant got nothing in Doha !  Though parents reported her just weeks before the tragedy that their kids  were forgotten in the bus and  they were just lucky to escape ! She even had a farewell party which was published in local daily .She was allowed to travel before the trial !

 Nizaha Alaa and Sarah Gazdar ...  the victims of negligence   -  it could have happened to any one's kid  and it is important that we raise our voice for the safety of kids !

Online Visa for GCC residents to UAE

New visa system in the Emirates . GCC residents can enter the UAE with a visa that they bought previously online .

 They just visit the website  and apply and pay for their visas .

  So far visa on arrival system was operating after landing . It resulted in long queues ,

 source

Are Iranian Watermelons Safe ?

I  love watermelons , you love watermelons  we all love watermelons ...It helps to beat the heat . We drink less sodas if we have watermelon .. it has all kinds of benefit on our health ... it promotes heart health , blood flow , digestion  ,   it makes  our hair and skin beautiful  ... and this is the  number one fruit  containing  lycopene .

 But what about the Iranian watermelons ? Are their safe enough to be given to our kids ? Such questions came up when Gulf countries of the Arab side are seriously opposed to the Iranian  foreign policy . (see Yemen , Syria ) No wonder that such fears appear . I just wonder that they did not come earlier .  Supermarkets were all selling happily Syrian fruits all these years !

 Now the news about contaminated watermelons spread in the social medias .Officially nothing has been confirmed yet .

 But what  I noticed when having watermelons this year is that they are not ripe enough .Some of them were pale pink and tasted like cucumber .
So we decided to avoid watermelon until better quality is brought from a friendlier country . 

watermelon mandala poster by almawad

Numbers in Qatar - 2.6 bn

Real estate sales   has been worth  2.6 bn lately .( around 714 million USD )

  This sum refers only to one week sale .

  
 Lands, shopping centres, houses, residential complexes and towers were sold and bought  in Qatar .

source

Massive Fire at QF construction site

It started at 10:30 Monday and it continued beyond 3 :30 Tuesday .
No causalities were reported but the damage in construction materials was great .
 It happened near Bani Hajer roundabout .

Numbers in Qatar - QR17bn for potable water

Mega reservoirs  are being built to provide potable water for
 the growing population of Qatar .

The project site in Umm Salal Ali  spreads over 1sq  km
 5 mega reservoirs to be set up 
 60,000 truck loads of pipes needed =510,000 tonnes of pipes
  1 reservoir capacity = 500 Olympic standard swimming pools

  3 years of construction expected

 cost expected is  QR17bn = USD 4.67bn

 source

Tomorrow Jazz Concert at the MIA park

Get ready Doha - the last Jazz in MIA Park before summer, Wednesday 13 May, 6pm to 7:30pm. See you there!
Posted by Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha on Monday, May 11, 2015

Free concert in MIA Park. No tickets needed just come for a magical night.

What to expect ? Chantae Cann here from NYC, the JALC Band and some other special guests. Big end to the season.

Beware of the online slimming capsules !

 Some slimming capsules advertised online caused death in  a neighbouring country .It is better not to take any unlicensed drugs - they can be full of harmful chemicals ! Better safe than sorry !

source

Omar is coming to Qatar

Oscar nominated Palestinian masterpiece 'Omar' is finally coming to #Qatar! Join us next week! http://t.co/E47YxejxEA pic.twitter.com/QmlSn5a05B

— Doha Film Institute (@DohaFilm) May 8, 2015

Qatar Airways New Routes 2015 - Zanzibar

Traditional Dhow, Zanzibar, Tanzania Stretched Canvas Print by DanitaDelimont
Create photo to canvas prints

New destination with Qatar Airways : Zanzibar .Coming soon from the 1 July 2015 ,five times a week with an Airbus A320 . It will go will go via Kilimanjaro - the return Kilimanjaro – Doha route served via Zanzibar .

Garbage Monster: a Karagoz Performance

#MC_FABLESGarbage Monster: a Karagoz Performance8 May, 9 May, 6pm Auditorium With The Istanbul Karagoz Puppet...
Posted by Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) on Thursday, April 30, 2015

Numbers in Qatar 40 %

40 % of  the expats' income goes on housing .Rents are going up as more construction starts and more people arrive in Qatar .

Is Qatar water secure ? Science Majlis at Fogue Cafe

What to expect : discussion about the  use of sea water  - with scientists

 Where ; Fogue Cafe  , Grand Hamad street , Mackeen building
 When : May 6 , from 6 to 7 :30 

free entrance /no registration ot rsvp needed

more info  4454 6691

water drop abstraction canvas print by almawad

How the media is reporting the execution of two Indonesian maids

 I am reading the articles in the international news ...two Indonesian domestic workers
  executed in Saudi Arabia .  There is a public outcry in Indonesia .Their family is on the pictures . They are
 victims ...

 It is not mentioned just in the middle of the articles that both women were convicted murderers . One of them killed another woman
  and the other killed a child .Actually she stabbed a two year old ....We do not see how strong the evidence was for sentencing them to death .  They do not write about the motives of the killings .
We do not see the image of the murdered ones . We do not see the grief of their families .We are not supposed to feel with them .About the child who died they write nothing . But we learn a lot about the convicted murderers .We see their family crying for them .

  The way  these cases are reported is a nice example of biased media coverage  !
 They always anger me  - not only that they want to blacken an Arab country  but also  that the criminal is more important  for the media than the victim ...I noticed this tendency in other non-Arab cases as well .

Labour Cities to be built

Labour Cities to be built to provide modern accommodation for those migrant male labourers who come soon to start the construction of  the stadiums for the 2022 football world cup .
Seven cities are planned to house 250 ,000 people .They will be located in the Northern edge of Doha and they must be completed by 2016 .

Will it rain this afternoon ?

We welcome you all warmly in this shady morning of Tuesday, May 05, 2015 and wish a safe and enjoyable day. Motorists...
Posted by Ministry of Interior - Qatar on Monday, May 4, 2015

The weather slightly dusty and partly cloudy with chance of thundery rain at some places. Southeasterly – easterly wind speed may reach up to 25 KT during thundery rain in some areas. The waves may rise up to 4 ft at beaches and 9-10 ft at offshores. Sea goers are reminded to be extra cautious.
Temperature level in the country will be as follows.
Doha 28°C - 37°C, Measieed 29°C - 35°C, Abu Samra 27°C - 39°C, Dukhan 26°C - 36°C, Ruwais 28°C - 33°C, Al-Khor 28°C - 35°C.

Furious Arab female driver kicks and slaps a male one

It happened in Dafna area  . It was nothing serious just she wanted to overtake and she could not . It was the usual traffic jam "zahma " as they say in Arabic around here .She blamed for the "zahma" a special  male driver and she lost her mind.Forced the victim to stop . Then she grabbed him and kicked and slapped so hard the victim could not work for 20 days after .
The court  sentenced both . The victim was also fined for swearing  and using abusive language . 

Hmmm... where was she from ? It is not mentioned but according to the word Arab  -she was not local . This word is used usually for expat Arabs in the news  I guess she was from a North African  country  .

Anyway , some people can not manage their anger  and I think such people should be forced to take part in anger management  courses before letting them among other people .

source

Are women allowed to work in Qatar ?

An inspiring video for women! After all the news about Qatar in the international media for so many years I still get innocent questions from my Hungarian friends and acquaintances " Are women allowed to work at all in Qatar ?"
Yes -women do work in Qatar -one can see it from the first moment one enters the country .I met female officers at the passport check more than ten years ago when we arrived here .I met female security guards and female doctors on my very first days ... and from this video I learnt that there are some female pilots working here as well .

IMAGES OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY IRAN

#QajarWomen: IMAGES OF WOMEN IN 19TH CENTURY #IRAN #QMSpring2015 #QatarMuseums #Doha #Qatar pic.twitter.com/2Quoz6uk0w

— Qatar Museums (@Qatar_Museums) April 26, 2015

Gibran's Prophete in Qatar MAY 7

Coming to #Qatar: May 7, 2015! @NovoCinemasQTR @GibransProphet #Doha pic.twitter.com/a8asz6TIcs

— Doha Film Institute (@DohaFilm) April 29, 2015