AWR needs to migrate to a new, more advertising-friendly platform. I lack the funds to do it alone, so I invite friends, fans and visitors to invest in the site's future. Even a small donation of $5 - $10, would help. Please use the PayPal button to donate. Thanks! Susan
The green you see on the site is to express solidarity with all the people of Iran
(no matter what "side" they are on),
in their struggle to achieve freedom and peace in their country.
Funny, She Doesn’t LOOK Like An Arctic Explorer
Sunday, 07 February 2010
February 9, 2010, update from the Dubai Today show (weekdays 09:00 - 12:00 on Dubai 103.8):
Jessica Swann, broadcaster extraordinaire, and
Mohammed Parham Awadhi, co-founder of Wild Peeta, interview 27-year-old Elham Al Qasimi, a United
Arab Emirates National woman who intends to be become the first United
Arab Emirates National, and thus also the first UAE National WOMAN, and the first Arab woman, to
attempt reaching the North Pole unassisted and unsupported.
Click on the player to hear the interview and read the story below. Follow Al Qasimi on twitter here: @PolarBent.
February 7, 2010, Dubai, UAE: Shayla- and abbaya-clad Elham Al Qasimi is about to knock some strongly held stereotypes on the head.
She’s poised to be become the first United Arab Emirates National, and
thus also the first UAE National WOMAN, to attempt reaching the North
Pole unassisted and unsupported.
The 27-year-old Emirati, who was born and raised in the UAE (a small
desert nation in the Arabian Gulf), plans to start at 89 degrees
latitude and cross-country ski to the Pole, using her own steam and/or
dogsleds to carry all the supplies she needs for the challenging solo,
three-week, 100-nautical-mile trek.
And she’s not just doing it for fun (!).
Besides raising money for charity, Al Qasimi has clear goals in mind.
She wants to inspire people, particularly young Emirati women, to reach
for the stars and maintain positive attitudes in these troubled times.
"I want to showcase this trek as an example of drive and ambition that
inspires women to aim higher and reach further. I strongly feel that
this accomplishment is one for the entire nation of the UAE rather than
just a personal accomplishment," she says.
"It will illustrate the drive, discipline, and ambition of all young
UAE nationals and symbolise traits which are transferable across all
goals, [be it] educational, professional, and physical," she says.
Al Qasimi is training hard for the trip, which is scheduled to start in
mid-April, and which she says will tap into her reserves of optimism,
ambition, humility and discipline.
Bravo to Al Qasimi for having the courage to even attempt such a
journey. Women with this kind of get-up-and-go demonstrate that the
realm of possibility is limited only by our own imagination.
A woman and her dog were walking along a road. The woman was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to her that she was dead.
She remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside her had been dead for years. She wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble... At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When she was standing before it she saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.
She and the dog walked toward the gate, and as she got closer, she saw a woman at a desk to one side. When she was close enough, she called out, “Excuse me, where are we?”
Young Angel Learns Life Lesson: Things Are Not Always What They Seem
Friday, 15 January 2010
Two traveling angels, one older, one younger, stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.
The family refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.
Instead they offered the angels a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.
When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied:
The Burj Khalifa (formerly known as The Burj Dubai), the world's tallest building, officially opened today, January 4, 2010.
For the past 12 months, I've lived in its shadow, about a kilometer
away from where it towers. Each time I left my not-so-temporary
home-away-from-home in Jumeirah 2, one of Dubai's more established
areas, I cast my eyes on "The Burj," in all its dubious splendour.
I'm not a fan of big buildings. Or of bigness in general. But when
confronted with something so ambitious, so extraordinary, so completely
and totally over the top, one can't help but pause to reflect on the
vast potential of the human spirit, and on how we choose to manifest
that potential.
And so I have the Burj Khalifa, until today known as the Burj Dubai,
to thank for an entire year of daily meditations, despite my
ambivalence with respect to the structure itself.
Regardless of my mixed feelings about the Burj Khalifa, and on what
it represents, I must confess that I wish I could have been in Dubai
today live and in this Burj's shadow, to see one of the marvels of
modern architecture and technology take its place on the world stage.
Oh yeah. And besides that? I'm a huge fan of fireworks. HUGE fan!
And these ones beat any I will probably ever see in my entire lifetime.
Full stop. No contest. Hands down.
Mabrook Dubai :) You did it again, against all odds. Amazing city. Amazing Emirate. Amazing attitude.
The Who Cares Quiz: Who & What Do We Remember Most?
Sunday, 03 January 2010
You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five winners of the Miss Universe pageant.
3. Name 10 people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
4. Name the last five Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
5. Name 10 Olympic Gold medalists.
How did you do?
The answers are people who are first-rate achievers. The best in their fields. But the applause dies, trophies tarnish, achievements are forgotten. Accolades, awards, certificates and crowns are often buried with their owners. The point is, few of us remember the headliners of yesterday. But we DO remember those who have made a difference in our lives.
You Don’t Need Wings To Fly, And You Don’t Need Arms To Be Amazing
Monday, 21 December 2009
Susan notes: Jessica Cox was born without arms. She hasn't let that stop her from becoming an amazing woman, a recreational pilot and a motivational speaker. See her speak to Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in Tampa, Florida, in a video and by clicking to continue. There'se also a link to her website at the end of this article.
Jessica Cox, 25, a girl born without arms, stands inside an aircraft. The girl from Tucson, Arizona got a Sport Pilot certificate and became the first pilot licensed to fly using only her feet.
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered
The family ate together at the table.
But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
"We must do something about father," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor."
February 9, 2010, update from the Dubai Today show (weekdays 09:00 - 12:00 on 
A woman and her dog were walking along a road. The woman was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to her that she was dead.
Two traveling angels, one older, one younger, stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered
