Check and check...

Even in Qatar!

Translation?  I will let you take a stab at it.

Check this one out!

Day 1 - No oranges, flies, hockey and apple sauce!

Well, Linds is on her way home and I am here in Qatar with the kids.  She made it to London via Bahrain this morning and she is on her way to Toronto if not already there.  Aislyn, Nate and I miss her dearly.  We made the most of the of our first day of vacation.  We went to the gas station with plans to get the car washed, get an OJ and play at the park.  Too bad they were out of oranges and it started raining outside!!!  And, oh ya, the flies are back!

So we came home and played outside after the rain stopped.  Street hockey has taken off in our compound thanks to our neighbour who made a couple of nets and has some sticks...but not enough for all the kids.  The usual squabbling takes place as the kids struggle to share.  So, I heard enough and made a stick for Nate so that he doesn't have to jostle for position anymore.  The kids were all playing with my tools as I put the stick together.  Did I see any other parents during that 2 hour stretch.  Nope.  Wait, actually it did.  One of the Dad's drove by and commented on how many kids there were.  Did he come out to help supervise or even get involved...nope!  Amazing parenting I tell ya.

We were outside most of the day.  Nate took a nice long nap and Ais and I went to the gym for a workout.  We had a nice dinner and for dessert, we had chocolate ice cream and home made apple sauce made by your's truly.  A man of many talents!  All in all, we had a pretty sweet day and I am ready for bed.

The flies on one of the slides at the gas station!

Nate's new stick.

Ed Piva's made made apple sauce!

GOOD NEWS!!!

Do you remember that dog I was talking about?  Dusty.  Well, he was slated to be put down on two separate occasions.  The most recent date was this coming Tuesday.  We all could not bare to do this, but it was becoming apparent that he was not going to find a home.

Well, after three long weeks, our neighbour was outside of our place tonight and told Linds that he was going to meet three boys at the gas station.  Somehow they found out that we had their dog.  Dusty's picture was on a shelter web site and posted all over our school.  His mug shot was probably in other places as well.  So the boys came over and right away, Dusty jumped up on the one Qatari kid.  They were both happy to see each other.  We told him the he has been walked, that he has had a bath, he has been brushed and he has been fed very well.  They actually commented on his size and how much beef he has put on.

Just before they left, the Qatari boy showed us photos of Dusty as a pup.  That solidified the deal.  Dusty was loaded up into the SUV with a new lease on life.  I am so happy that he has found his place and all of us can sleep a little easier knowing that he is back home.

Dusty...you are one lucky dude!

Nate and his buddy at the park!

Just hanging out on the bridge.  Going to parks like this,
you actually think that you are somewhere else.

The Umm Salal Market....a diamond in the rough.

59 Riyals for all of this!!!

Pretty darn cheap.

Roughly $13.00 Canadian!

Made in Qatar: Fresh fruits and vegetables from hi-tech local farms

March 19, 2013 - 12:00:00 am

By Raynald C Rivera

Strawberries grown in the desert. Impossible? Not in Qatar, where farms like Al Sulaiteen Agricultural and Industrial Complex are using new technology to grow fruits and vegetables and reduce the country’s dependence on food imports.

There is increasing awareness about food security around the world, especially in countries like Qatar, which imports 90 percent of its food.

The global food crisis of 2007-08 led the country to launch the Qatar National Food Security Programme, under which the Heir Apparent H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AI Thani formed a task force with members from all sectors of the economy to set a responsible and coordinated course for increased resiliency for Qatar.

Even before that some private companies had ventured to grow vegetables and fruits locally to decrease the dependence on imports and offer consumers a better alternative.

Currently there are more than 1,200 farms in the country, but only a small number of them commercially produce fruits and vegetables. SAIC, one of the largest agricultural farms in the country, is the main local supplier of fresh vegetables to hypermarkets here.

Located 20km from Doha in Umm Salal Ali, the 40-hectare farm started cultivating vegetables in 2001 and flower production the following year. While it has open fields for fruit-bearing trees and vegetables, the farm grows most of its fruits, vegetables, seasonal flowers and ornamental plants in greenhouses.

In recent years, the company has made efforts to modernise its operations, adopting the latest technologies to conserve water, reduce use of pesticides and maximise output.

Hydroponics, a modern method of cultivation in which plants are grown without soil, using only a mineral nutrient solution in water, is used in the greenhouses. This system of farming is said to reduce water use by up to 60 percent, something significant in arid Qatar.

It has desalination plants to produce fresh water suitable for agriculture and treatment plants for water reuse.

There is also a state-of-the-art germination and growing room which provides a controlled environment where seeds germinate properly regardless of fluctuating weather conditions.

Capsicum, strawberries, herbs, tomatoes and flowers are some of the produce grown in the greenhouses, while broccoli, cabbage, lolla rossa, cauliflower, zucchini, corn, citrus and mango are grown in the open fields.

Compared to imported vegetables and fruits, the farm’s produce is competitively priced in the market, and it is fresh and of high quality. A Saudi ban on export of some vegetables has spurred demand for the farm’s produce.

As for flowers, the farm produces six million annually, with 45 varieties grown during winter and 15 in summer. The farm is a riot of colours as rows of celosias, zinnias, dahlias and petunias are cultivated in the greenhouses in huge numbers. Most of the flowers grown in the farm can be seen all over the city as the company is one of the suppliers to the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.

The farm’s production is not enough to meet the demands of hypermarkets and stores in the country, so additional greenhouses are being built and more advanced facilities added to increase yield.

A computerised greenhouse control room equipped with a security camera and connected to the Internet has just been built. Among the features of the control room are pumps that supply the exact amount of water and nutrients needed to the greenhouses.

The facility, through its research and development department, also continuously studies techniques to further increase production and grow more varieties of vegetables for the market.

With the population of Qatar increasing as employers bring in more workers for projects connected to the 2022 football World Cup, demand for food is expected to grow. There is, therefore, urgent need for local farms to produce more to reduce the country’s dependence on imported vegetables and fruits.

The Peninsula

Fast Food Nation

This guy caught my eye the other day and it inspired
me to blog about the obesity pandemic in this country.  

Qatar named as the fattest nation on earth where HALF of all adults are obese

• 17 per cent of the population suffering from diabetes

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 17:52 GMT, 14 April 2012 | UPDATED: 17:59 GMT, 14 April 2012

 
 
 

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Qatar, the richest nation on earth, is also the fattest with half of all adults obese and 17 per cent of the population suffering from diabetes.

By comparison America, which is often assumed to be the fattest, looks positively slim with a third of adults obese and eight per cent diabetic. 

Out of a population of 1.7million, just 250,000 are native Qataris, who, in the space of just two generations have switched from a tribal existence to living in air conditioned villas being waited on by armies of servants.

Recipe for disaster: Wealthy Qataris do very little exercise, are waited on by armies of servants and have developed a love of fast food

Qataris are developing diabetes a decade younger than average, which, in turn, is pushing up rates of illnesses like hypertension, partial paralysis, heart disease,  and blindness.

 

The tiny Arab state, with its vast supplies of oil and natural gas, became the richest nation in the world last year as measured by per capita gross domestic product.

Mr Big: Qatar's leader Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani

In recent years Qataris have developed a love of fast food with branches of KFC and McDonald's springing up in the many air conditioned malls.  

Hassan Tiaz, 19, told Atlantic magazine: It's because in Qatar we just sit, smoke and eat junk food.

'There's not too much work. Everything is automatic and most of us just sit in air-conditioned offices and cars. Everything is done for us.'

The nation also suffers from a high rate of birth defects and genetic disorders - which experts put down to the custom of inter-marriage between close family members and cousins.

Sharoud Al-Jundi Matthis, the program manager at the Qatar Diabetes Association, said: 'It's a very, very serious problem facing the future of Qatar.

'They're concentrating the gene pool, and at the same time, they're facing rapid affluence. 

Adel Al-Sharshani, 39, who was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago, said: 'Everybody in Qatar knows about diabetes, but the problem is, it's talking only. No one is taking care of it.

'I ignored all the advice until it was too late, and that is what other people are doing too. It's dangerous.

'I am afraid of losing my eyes, my foot. I am afraid of losing my life.'

Hanging out: Qataris love to relax with friends over a snack and a smoke

The Qatari government is desperately trying to tackle the problem by launching campaigns to encourage healthy eating and exercise.

Maher Safi, marketing director at the Qatar Olympic Committee, explained: 'Our main focus is encouraging people to be active, getting them to lead healthy lifestyles -- that's our vision.'

'In the past few years, the committee has launched public programs administering free body-mass indexes and sugar level tests, disseminated material about healthy eating, and introduced initiatives to schools to help children learn about new sports, like handball, tennis, and bicycling.'

Aislyn's 7th Birthday - Souq Waqif Trip #3

It's that time of year again...0123.  The easiest birthday to remember.  January 23, 2007.  It is hard to believe that Aislyn is 7 already.  when we asked her were she wanted to go for her birthday, she said The Souq.  Too funny!  We had a great time tonight.  Both Aislyn and Nate fell asleep in the car on the way home tonight.  Too cute.  Take a look at the pictures.

After seeing this, what can you say?

A Qatari boy and his falcon.

Some sort of a caramel sauce.  Smelled really good!

These old men should be retired.  But no, they are porters for the Souq.
There are so many things wrong with this place.

Peacocks in the back of a Hummer.  Not at all surprising.

Nate jumped at the opportunity to hold this falcon.

So did Ais!

There are several shops like this at the Souq.  Prices for these birds range from 5000QR to 50000QR.  
That is about 15000 Canadian!

This white one is 50000QR!  Beautiful bird,  stuck on
a post in a store waiting for someone to buy it.

Here is a contradiction.  Check out the skyscrapers with the cranes in the background.
Old meets new.  We see a lot of this in Doha.

This restaurant was amazing!  Fresh pita bread, hummus, garlic labnah, freshly squeezed orange strawberry and mint-lime juice, chicken and lamb kabobs, great service and a great atmosphere.

My purchase, a discontinued Iraqi Dinar.  It will one day be a great
conversation starter back at the Piva house in the Waterloo.