Susan notes: I've missed the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the city of my birth. I don't have a TV here in Dubai, and no way to watch them otherwise.

I feel sad to have missed the excitement and joy of competition, even as I get daily updates by email about the medals Canadian athletes have won, many of those medal winners are women. I feel so proud of them.

The stories of

“What do you think of this ad from Air New Zealand?”

The question, and a YouTube link, came from my friend Bebhinn Kelly, Chief Fashionista at www.hellwafashion.com, and a regular supplier of juicy, thought-provoking and sometimes controversial material for AWR.

I clicked. I watched. I pondered. I considered blogging. I demurred.

That was earlier this week. This morning, I got my daily

As Dubai and Dubai-ens basked in the afterglow of the fantastic, and no-doubt-soon-to-be-infamous-for-their-sheer-over-the-top-splendour fireworks, this cool Canadian and her octagenarian mother dined on much more humble, but equally unforgettable fare: winter-barbecued fresh Atlantic salmon, steamed broccoli al dente, and small, lightly salted, yet at once succulently sweet, red potatos

Susan notes: Carolyn Theriault is a Canadian expatriate currently living in Turkey. She's a prolific blogger, twitterer, and self-confessed "snark." She's also the author of Stealing Fatima's Hand, "an unforgettable collection of interconnected narratives presenting an alternative view of Morocco."

The following piece was originally published on Theriault's lively blog This Cat's Abroad. As a

My friends Elaine and Gray kindly agreed to host me at their place for two weeks while my villa mate Tricia welcomes family and friends at “ours” (it’s her villa really, I just have a room there, but that’s another story).

Elaine, Gray, and Elaine’s son Phil are in Oman for the Eid holiday, so I’m in charge of their two dogs Poppy and Gypsy. They’re good dogs. Most of the time.

Today, as

Journalist and camerawoman Margaret Moth is one of a kind.

No doubt. No argument. And definitely no tears.

Born Margaret Wilson, Moth changed her last name after asking herself what stopped her from having her own moniker rather than inheriting her father’s, or adopting a husband’s.

Her choice was inspired, she says, by a friend’s Tiger Moth plane, from which she frequently sky dived as

This one speaks for itself:

Related links:
Pinkie Patti, Punkie & Pia's Peace Day Poem
International Day of Peace
Peace One Day
Listen Up Government of Iran: My Mom Has A Message For You!
My Mom Thinks It's Unfair. What Do You Think?
What Would You Say To A Victim Of Torture?
An 80th Birthday Tribute To My Mom Patti