Almost Right is Never Good Enough

Qatar.  I joke about it being a country that "almost gets it right."  You can see that from the previous blog post.  But sometimes, their ability to not get it right is just down right dangerous.

I took this picture sitting at a red light.  Yes, in traffic.  A baby, what, 18 months old maybe, sitting in the front seat, in someone's lap, playing.  This is what happens when there are no child restraint laws.  

And then yesterday, a fire.  A fire so tragic it killed 19 people, 13 of them children in a day care center inside the mall.  3 of them were triplets.  Another 3 of them belonged to another family.  4 teachers and 2 firefighters. Witnesses say the fire alarm was barely going off.  A fire in the food court.   No one seemed to know what to do as smoke filled the walkways.  But this day care center was in the interior of the mall on the second floor, only reachable by a maze of interior hallways and an elevator and a stairway.  These sweet innocent people died probably from smoke inhalation, although that hasn't been confirmed.  This is not a democracy with free press here.  There's no transparency in this country. We may really never know what happened.  It is, sadly, a tragic, tragic lesson in what happens when you don't get it exactly right.  

Qatar - the country of almosts

As in, they ALMOST got it right.

"bettertan"   - Spelled just like it sounds.  

The instructions were to write the words "Diesel" and "No Smoking"  in Arabic.  Almost got it.

This one is so chock full of funnies, but notice especially....

the upside down comma.  

What does "taliban" mean, exactly?

"The Taliban said they tentatively agreed to open a political office in Qatar" according to the Wall Street Journal. But I don't think this is it.

I love seeing camels in town

He's kinda cute, isn't he?

Diddle, Diddle, Dumpling

My son John

Rode his rip stick with his trousers on

One shoe off and one shoe on

Diddle, diddle, dumpling

My son John

Live in my world

and experience the ridiculous.

What I love about our new compound...

I said I would do it, name the things I like about our new place:

There are so many kids in this compound, that my boys disappear all day long, and I don't know where they are. This is good. This is small town living.

We are now 10-12 minutes max from the school.

The compound clubhouse has its own mini-market, so buying bread, eggs, milk, candy, chips, juices, donuts and yes, the occasional fruit or vegetable no longer requires getting in the car.

The clubhouse has its own gym, literally 50 feet from my house, making it impossible for me to not workout. It also has a "library" of donated books, a mail room, and one day, a coffee shop. Ahh.

See - I told you. It's not all bad.