dubai_phil

Slow innernet connection today for some reason 7 minutes to get to commentary page so far

There was until one truly could take no more (and the kids had grown up) And while there may one day be another Mrs X, she sure as sh1t will NOT be English, even if that means I have to kick Lucy Pinder out again if she goes on about settling down.

Think there are two categories of Mongs. Here you have Turkish's 90% of people are self obsessed, self indulged, attention seeking c****, mixed in with people who genuinely know no better, (for example) the poor labour class imported from SE Asia, often from small villages where the outside world and simple things like education simply haven't arrived. Examples of these that I have seen are - panic when they have to step onto an escalator, and most horrifically, a Pathan on a flight to Dubai asking a Hostess where the bathroom was - she points to the rear of the plane and he takes a dump on the floor of the galley. The thing is however, that those "underclass" (description used elsewhere) actually TRY and do something to improve their lot in life. They may be uneducated and from a small village but they HAVE left home to try and provide a better life for their families (and often get ripped off but that's a different story). In the main, those who do earn $200 a month here become wealthy by comparison and their next generation can afford education and medical care. Then you get the same self obsessed crowd in UK but that has added to it the "everyone owes me something" brigade. There, education and support structures exist and yet The Mongs have chosen not to engage or try to improve themselves..... But the one thing that Turkish also alluded to - British Women - why oh WHY is their ONLY topic of conversation "What Other People or Celebs have done that week/month"? Are your lives SO boring that you have to discuss in micro detail the implications of Mrs X being ten minutes late on the school run?

Funnily enough No

The Beeb is an anachronism. Not in the UK but in terms of the global communications world these days. Because it is hell bent on "not being commercial" it misses the chance to make real money (and reduce the burden on the Licence Payer OR provide funds for better productions) People around the world have Satellite or Cable. The Beeb has thousands of hours of television of high quality in it's archives. Why oh why does it not provide a subscription Satellite service for non UK customers? Sure it sells Dr Who & Top Gear to other networks, and it has two entertainment channels, but they basically show non stop episodes of Casualty, Doctors, MasterChef & Come Dine with me. All the garbage. What is wrong with them selling a proper channel of their greatest series to people overseas? They still seem to think The World Service is some kind of charitable service - sort of Missionaries to the fuzzy wuzzies. The world has moved on from that. We WANT entertainment, we PAY for entertainment, so why on earth doesn't someone SELL us that entertainment instead of Holby fecking City & a 3 year old EastEnders It won't affect the UK viewers FFS except to give the Beeb MORE money to make BETTER output to earn MORE money to make EVEN BETTER output

Wow. So Maggie was actually dead right on something, and actually tried to stand up for something that has now been proved to be right (and so was William Hague). A very cutting piece about the Euro crisis and the recessionary mess we are in globally and all those who had a hand in promoting the gravy train. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100064330/margaret-thatcher-knew-the-single-currency-would-devastate-europe/ Note The above article doesn't reflect my views on Maggie just an interesting way that The Euro Bandwagon was promoted and could still lead to even bigger financial disasters

Ahem... Don't forget David Peach who had a great record with penalties for many years

Marriage is like a deck of cards.................... In the beginning all you need is two hearts and a diamond. By the end............. you'll wish you had a ****ing club and a spade.....

Really up for this tomorrow. My last online game for about 3 weeks with all the golf & rugby coming up. The great news is that I inherited a free case of Magners yesterday (along with 2 cases of Corona) so should be in fine form for kick-off. Hopefully the naughty Nun link saved in my innernet favourites will come up with some gems and Rickie can come good. Not convinced from reports that Richardson is up to full speed yet, think Morgan's mismarking last week will get him canned so can see us going with Davis Butterfield Fonte Seaborne (if fully fit) Dickson AOC Chaplow Hammond Lallana Lambert Barnard And yes I still believe he is playing a version of 4-4-1-1 COYS

What is also really, really frightening. They let these people get behind the wheel of a car. Once you've played the supermarket don'tdodgems you suddenly see them all over the roads. Scary as hell

Soon to be joined by Qantas? Good point on the Cathay special deals, I get spam from BA, Cathay & Virgin, if you are planning a trip in the future it is worth getting bombarded by the junk at they do have good deals

To avoid stress in Shopping Malls, we highly recommend playing Shopping Mall Don'tdodgems. It is a simple game, you walk purposefully, but slowly, keeping your attention about you, and preferably with a shopping trolley. You elect your starting point and continue gently in a straight line before the next turning point. You then count the number of morons who walk into your trolley while talking to friends, on the phone, listening to Ipoos or for bonus points, simply walk straight into you. You then swap around and let your buddy have a go. Remember, you don't rush, you make it nice and clear you are in a straight line. On an average trip from Carrefour to our motor at the local MoE, I reckon we will get hit by between 5 and 8 people. All of whom get angry and try to kick off. That gets double bonus points.

Cool. And moments after watching that I found this http://www.telegraph.co.uk/active/8143384/Danny-MacAskill-Way-Back-Home-new-bike-stunt-video-released.html

Prior to FF's actions in opening this thread, we had a lenghty few hundred pages relating to our Admin and takeover. In the midst of our period of exclusivity, you came onto that thread reporting that an Arab had been spotted at NottArf. You then came on to say he was a billionaire and then we were introduced to Al Fahim. Just in case you had forgotten that part of history, on page one & two of this thread it shows how "His Backers" had mysteriously pulled out and yet he had kept pushing on with the takeover so as not to lose face. ie your rich Emirati wasn't rich and he was simply the front man for an even dodgier consortium, widely believed and reported in the media as being likely to have been Taksin Shinawatara. So no, I didn't re-write history, unfortunately, the main Saints Forum only runs to 7 pages (back to October) and back in those days we didn't have a golden thread section, so I'll stick with my memory of that incident if it's alright with you. So, back on the main point I was making, YOU guys hold your fate in your hands now. So the paper caused the protests to be cancelled. Why? Again, why don't one of your supporter groups (there MUST be a lawyer somewhere that supports your lot) see if you can start demanding a public enquiry or better still pass a complaint to the fraud squad. The mess stinks, you see that, so let's start seeing some press releases that you are doing stuff. If the News won't post it, use one of the many Fleet Street hacks who we have linked on here, they're starting to smell a story.

But Ho, the opinion of most of us is that the possible fraud did not START with Chanrai & Kushnir. It started way back, possibly in the way Milan ran the club, most probably in the way Sacha came onboard and then ran the club. The whole mathematics of where did young Gayboys money come from and who was really the beneficial owner never added up, and yet your lot still celebrated the ill gotten gains, you personally still came on here to boast about your billionaire. It has been mentioned before, about some humility and about understanding the wrongs, you are finally showing some of that, but again, it is not just the PL that owes the Duty of Care, the fans do as well. Morally we had infighting, we had boycotts and. thanks to a young kid, we had protest marches. It at least showed we were not happy with the status quo. Your lot were happy, don't blame JUST the PL, they share guilt in the matter, but so do many of you lot. HOWEVER, now is the time to start to do something, stop with the unfairness protests and start with the demanding answers protests. Go picket PL HQ and demand that they investigate themselves, make a complaint to the fraud squad yourselves. Start taking a stance and earning the right to some moral high ground. Perhaps even start a petition to hand back the FA Cup you won and apologise.

The specification is to find a cover, someone who in the season may make 5 or 6 starts but also get game time as a sub. That fits a youngster. So (as an example) Roy Carroll has taken 2-3 seasons to get where he is now, so someone should have scoured the PL & CCC to find a 19 year old who would come in and be happy to play that number of games. Obviously a second RL ready made would not have come and may have unsettled RL. Patto wasn't ready for a full season of first team football but could he have been that cover? I think he was still a bit lightweight

In fact it was obvious one year ago leading into LAST January's transfer window that we needed cover for Rickie. Our other forwards are different style/size, it isn't just about the goals it is about the way the team plays (stick Crouch or Carroll up front for England and they play hoofball, Defoe/Rooney they pass until they lose the ball) It was a cover position, so it would have suited a youngster such as Patterson (not necessarily him) but what (IMHO) we needed then AND now is someone who plays the same way. Barnard & Connolly are two small and need ball played in to feet in or around the box, Rickie gave us that other option when he used to jump for the ball (higher than this season's reports)

Ah. So you've met the ex-wife then

I'm sorry, you appeared to have found the wrong Saints fan forum. Please check your Internet Browser for your more normal "The Common Sense and slightly intelligent Saints fan forum". This is the Southampton Samaritans web site, you found it by mistake, if you wish to post accurate facts make sure you find the right site in future. In the meantime, thankyou. Thread over, and lolage at all the rest of it.

Why do women get married in White? Because all kitchen Appliances are white

Again, just to make ths really clear. I've been in Business down here for 17 years. I have very good friends and acquaintances and many stories to tell as Forum Match members will know. But, to become WEALTHY as a businessman in a society as small as this actually is, then at least ONE Saudi Prince, ONE wealthy Saudi businessman, or ONE Property Development Company would have heard of a Saudi Billionaire. It's like saying "Xyz was bought by a Billionaire from Hampshire". This place has a LOT of wealth (still) but when NOBODY in business or sport had heard of the guy? As for the actual name, don't get to hung up, another meaning in modern English is Doctor and there are a lot of Al Faraj's down here. Just none with billions. Oh, and also, don't get all hung up just because he isn't on Linked in or whatever. The people here really don't go for the whole tell everyone everything I am doing thing, unless you are at the bottom of the heap like us ex pats or young aspiring Al Q memebers

Phew. Thanks lads, I'm glad we've cleared everything up. Rickie is unhappy because KD is Krap.

Simple question, many ways to answer. I came here, I'd tried for 34 years to get the hell out of Salisbury and failed every time. This was a chance to be and see something new and I took it with both hands. The one answer I come up with time and again for staying here - This City gives people the chance to have a once in a Lifetime Experience every couple of months. Sure, you have to work hard for it, but I still view my coming here as the day I won the lottery, not financially, but in suddenly realising that life and reality is a hell of a lot more than sitting down to watch News at Ten and being "outraged". (Not a dig at Britness just one of the small things you suddenly notice) In honesty it is that ability to do things I could never have dreamt about in England. Back home I moght have gone to see Tiger (in his heyday) in the rain 20 people back at The Open. Down here I've stood next to him on a fairway in a Pro-Am and he asked me what club he should use, then coming and sitting down with us in the bar and buying the beers. My GF had never been to a Golf Course before and spent the afternoon with Clarke & W******d drinking beer while they explained it all to her. My kids grew up safe away from Bullying, weirdos, drugs and Hoodies. They never ate "ready meals" as that stuff is always far more expensive than fresh ingredients. This place was full of sh1t during the BLING years with every piece of dross the UK could throw at us, but they have all gone now thank fook. The thing is that this place works REALLY well. There ARE rules, but once you know what the rule is you also learn what the ways around the rules are. Andrew Flintoff now lives here - he said in an interview - Down here I'm just Andrew, I'm a Dad on the school run and a bloke in a pub. Nobody wants to "Take Issue" with me. Right now? It is 29C the weather is stunning, the air is fresh and clear and we will have this for 6 months before the arrrgh of summer People say I made Dubai. Or was it the other way around?? . I know that my coming here was THE luckiest thing that could have happened to me. God, we all miss home, friends, football, Dr Who on a Saturday night after the game, TV that you have some semblance of scheduling from, and of course Culuture and History (and hence the Royal Family is an important part of that link to home) Next week I will meet 14 of the top 60 European Golfers and pose for photos with them and I will be on Sky on numerous occassions. The week after I will be at one of the best sports events in the World - The Dubai Rugby 7's, and on Christmas Day we'll have Turkey, all the trimmings and then go down the beach for a swim and a sundowner..... But I STILL miss home!

They use a sparkling apple or grape juice - did the same in Bahrain when I went up there. OK the TECHNICALITIES are (cos I keep getting asked) The UAE comprises the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Um Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah & Fujeirah. The rules apply to all but are interpreted slightly differently. Sharjah is a strict Muslim Emirate with no bars, and strict laws on segregation of the sexes. 1) It is illegal to consume alcohol in the UAE 2) It is illegal to consume alcohol in a Public Area 3) Alcohol can only be served in an establishment that is in possession of an Alcohol Licence. These are strictly limited to Hotels or to Sports Clubs 4) Entertainment Licences ie shows or Live Music or Dancers are only permitted in 4 or 5 Star hotels or in Sports Clubs. 5) Certain Free Trade Zones have the ability to apply for Licences for Entertainment and Alcohol 6) It is LEGAL to consume Alcohol IF you are in possession of an Alcohol Licence (permit) valid for one year and costing 30 quid. Your Residence Visa and Job Title will determine the LIMIT on your licence to spend in a Booze shop in a month. It ranges from AED 500 up to AED 1500. Mine is AED 750 but I only go to the Booze shop "in an emergency" for one off bottles 7) IF you have a licence THEN you can purchase Alcohol at any of the two licenced "Booze Store" chains around the town (and pay 30% Municipal Tax). Passengers arriving in Dubai or Abu Dhabi Airports can purchase up to 4 litres of Alcohol at Duty Free Arrivals (a half case of beer counts as one litre) 8 ) If you have a licence THEN you will not be arrested for Alcohol consumption should you be involved in any other "arrestable offence" RTA, punch up sex on beach etc. we call it a Get out of Jail Free Card 9) Ras Al Khamaih (90kms), Umm Al Quwain (70kms) and Abu Dhabi (120kms) have "Hole in The Wall" establishments. These are in Hotels or Sports CLubs and sell Alcohol to people without a licence. (UAQ Barracuda beach resort is about one and a half times the size of the MegaStore and well stocked). A bottle of Stolichnaya is Aed 20, in a Booze Shop it is AED 50 PLUS 30% tax. Ex Pats travel to Barracuda to stock up once every couple of months. You will find around 80 varieties of beer from around the whole world 10) It is illegal to transport Alcohol between Emirates. With a Booze Licence you will get a caution and maybe one or two days in jail. Without a booze licence you will get at least a month in jail 11) Mafia gangs ambush ex pats by gently bumping your car with theirs and then threatening to call the Police and report you UNLESS you hand over your Alcohol and go with them to the nearest ATM to empty your account 12) A Pint of Beer is normally AED 32 in most bars (just under 6 quid) A bottle of Vodka is AED 20 (about 3.50) South African mass produced Shiraz or Sab Sav nederburg is Aed 35 a bottle 12) Sharjah is a Dry Emirate. No bars at all. It was the terms of a loan from Saudi back in the 70's or 80's that they needed to develop their offshore Oil Fields. There ARE however Booze SHops for licence holders in Sharjah 13) There is a thriving Black Market for Booze where Asian Gangs control the supply to the Labour Camps. Indian Whisky, Vodka and Rum cost around AED 10 (1.80) a Litre in Barracude and sell to the camps at 25. For Westerners it is highly recommended as a cheap and effective way of removing ingrained Tea stains from old Teapots or tea cups. It should never be drunk. They also have a home delivery service. They supply to your door (proper booze) cheaper than you can buy in the legal booze shops but making a hefty margin on the hole in the wall prices. 13) We drive very carefully, get QUIETLY and QUICKLY into a taxi outside any bar/hotel and drink a lot of Vodka and Juices at home and out of 1.8 million expats in the country probably no more than 250,000 have a booze licence. Think that covers it once and for all. As for the Wedding, Yes there will be a Street Party. It will be at the British Embassy compound and it will be the hottest ticket in town, and yes, they serve booze (And, FWIW, The British Embassy in Riydah also hold regular Cheese & Grape Evenings and provide secure trasport home afterwards for "important trade customers" so will no doubt also have a Street Party)

They'd never invite me, can't have D_P upstaging the event, I'm FAR too big a celebrity for it. And Scotty... Are you really the only member of this forum who hasn't been bored by tales of OSH or Bullfrogs? If you want proof the population of this town will be on telly over the next two weeks doing what they do best - getting sh1tfaced at sporting events