Dubai Ladies Masters (Golf) Dubai

Annika Sorenstam's farewell tournament on Sunday, shooting a final round of four-under-par 68 for a three shot victory at the Dubai Ladies Masters, the season-ending event on the Ladies European Tour. The 38-year-old Sorenstam signed off in joint seventh place after a final round of 71. In typical style, she rolled an eight foot birdie putt into the cup on the 18th hole before a packed gallery of her golfing colleagues.

Model and professional golfer Anna Rawson(pictured below) is on a mission to raise the profile of women’s golf, making it more attractive and more fashionable.

Maroon 5 press conference & concert

Maroon 5 in Dubai. Press conference held in the Shangri-La hotel.
December 10th. 2008. Maroon 5 in concert at Festival City, Dubai - UAE

Julian Sas

Julian Sas.
July 2008, Nijmegen - Netherlands

Turtles in Oman

End of July 2008 a turtle was found on the beach of Sohar (Oman). This mature female Green Turtle, weighing approx 150 KG, was in distress. The diagnosis is called "Turtle Floating Syndrome". After transporting the patient to a small observation pool at Marine Sience and Fisheries Centre (Ministry of fisheries)in Muscat, a recovery treatment was started.
Due to her condition the turtle was unable to dive-feed. with help of a vet and several volunteers a tube feeding process was started. The process involved three people jumping in the pool lifting the 150 KG turtle vertically out of the water, another keeping the turtles mouth open, and a fifth inserting a tube down the turtles throat and into the stomach to deliver the medicine.
In October she showed signs of improvement and was given her first meals, consisting of green vegetables.
As her appetite became stronger, her floating reduced, and reached the point where she is fit enough to release her.
On Oct 28th. the turtle was released on a local beach near Muscat.
Bon Voyage!

The Scorpions rocking Dubai Festival City

After a meeting with the event organiser at the Dubai Festival City I had a chance to see the final preparations for the Dubai concert.
Another sunny day in Dubai with temperatures exceeding 40+ C.
By 07.00 PM the crew is ready to rock 'n roll.
The Scorpions played to an exited crowd on Thursday night, May 22nd. at the Festival City, continuing to head bang until the wee wee hours.
The concert which began promptly at 10pm included all the old favourites such as, 'Are you the one?' and 'Rock you like a hurricane,' as well as their most recent hit, 'Humanity,' after which the tour was named.

Having been rocking since the mid-sixties, (Klaus Meine turns 60 this week!)the band's sound and members seemed as fresh as ever playing to the crowd with their rock and roll antics at every opportunity.
The event attracted a broad audience with all ages being well represented. Some came from as far away as Iran specifically to see their favourite band.
It appears the spirit of rock is alive and well in Dubai.

The Olympic torch in Muscat, Oman

About 80 torchbearers carried, under tight security, the flame down into the heart of Mucat.
The carnival-like atmosphere in tightly controlled Oman was a welcome respite for Olympic organizers after protests over China's human rights that marked torch stops in Paris, London and San Francisco.
Officials said they expected a smooth relay of the flame, adding that any attempt to disrupt the parade would be dealt with severely.
Dozens of policemen were deployed along the torch route, where streets were closed off and parking was banned. An army helicopter hovered overhead.

The vice chairman of the national Olympic committee said Oman was chosen for the relay because of the "excellent relationship that goes back a long way between Oman and China and the economic ties that bind us."
Oman has strong economic ties with China, a major importer of its oil.

Carlos Santana

Latin rock legend Carlos Santana played a sold-out concert of 15,000 fans at Festival City in Dubai on Friday February 15th. Showing his unique guitar style and impressive solo's.
At 60 years old, Santana showed that his age wasn't holding him back.

During the press conference earlier in the day, Santana captivated the Dubai media for more than 25 minutes as he passionately spoke about his music, life, collaborations and spirituality.

He said:
I owe my passion and talent to the women in my life. My mother and four sisters and my wife are the people who inspire me in life. It's all about the women. Music is made of two things - melody which is the female and rhythm which is the male.
I am definitely a melody man. Even my guitar is female, it has a female sound."

On the same note, Carlos briefly touched a delicate subject; He stated: women should have the room to develop themselves, regardless their culture or religion. Surprisingly I cound not find this statement in any of the Middle East newspapers.

Although Santana made it clear that women are very important to him, he says it was his father who taught him the most important lesson in life.
He added: "When I was younger my father pulled me aside and played a quick tune on his violin. A second later a tiny bird flew down and sat on the edge of the violin and repeated the tune in his whistle. My father played a different tune and the bird sang it back. I was utterly amazed and thought "my father can speak to birds", but he looked at me and said "that is the most important thing to remember in life - to communicate with people."

Speaking about working with younger artists, he said: "For me there is no compromise when working with other people. They come to me with a song or idea and we make it happen. For me there is a difference between a real artist and an entertainer.
Lots of the newer music is about showbiz and Hollywood. It is only the true artists and musicians who will be around for years to come. Music is real - it's a sound to make your hair stand on end, make you cry, dance or laugh.

Carlos finished by addressing the whole press conference. He said: "Take five minutes each day to connect with your own light and the world will be a better place. Let's love, show tenderness, graciousness and be kind. These qualities aren't only for women - we could all do better by living with these things."

Dubai Desert Classic 2008

Tiger Woods underlined his status as the world’s greatest player with a mesmerising final round performance to win the Dubai Desert Classic, conjuring a sizzling 65 to take the title by a shot from Martin Kaymer.
On a day of thrilling drama at the Emirates Golf Club, Woods emerged the victor after a quite sensational back nine of six under par 31 that culminated in a stunning up and down for a title winning birdie on the 18th green. It was a classic Woods moment, the kind of finish that only a man of his peerless mental fortitude could produce.

Dutch National Ladies Hockey Team

The Dutch hockey ladies are preparing for the 2008 olympics.
The current European- and world champions visited Oman in January 2008.
Several friendly matches were played against the Azerbaijan and Indian national teams.
In addition a clinic was held for the Dutch youth players, who are resident in Oman.
Scores: NL-AZ: 3-2, NL-AZ: 11-0, NL-IN: 4-1, NL-AZ: 5-0, NL-IN: ??

Mohammed bin Rashid Int. Football Championship

2008 took off in full speed. The first week of January I've attended the Mohammed bin Rashid Int. Football Championship in Dubai. Four teams were invited. Inter Milan, Internacional Brazil, Vfb Stuttgart and Afc Ajax.

Ajax played two matches; first against Inter Milan and second against Vfb Stuttgart. Ajax lost both matches and ended 4th. Coach Adri Koster stated at the press conference, it is questionable if the organisers are inviting us (ranked 4th.) again next year.
For Ajax this was their first experience in the Middle East.