Don't believe everything you read

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When you see reports of a possible transfer falling apart over a player's "outrageous" demands, be a little skeptical. For example, today news emerged of Gervinho's reported move to Abu Dhabi club Al Jazira collapsing because of the player's demands for a helicopter, a private beach, regular airplane tickets back to the Ivory Coast, and other perks.

To be sure, such shenanigans are not unheard of. Players and their agents would ask for the keys to the club chairman's car and vacation villa if they thought they could get away with it. That said, it is also not unheard of for clubs to fudge a little (or a lot) when leaking a player's demands if negotiations don't go the way they want or if they hope to save some face after a high-profile deal crumbles – a little strategic bum-covering, if you will. Anyone who has read The Miracle of Castel di Sangro will be familiar with such tactics.

Big paydays are one of the primary drawing cards in bringing talented foreign players to the Arabian Gulf League, but the silly money rumored to be thrown around here isn't as silly as you might think. Clubs still want value for money whenever possible, and if someone with a proven track record like Mirko Vucinic or Asamoah Gyan isn't receiving those kind of inducements, someone like Gervinho has no chance. Odds are today's revelation is nothing but sound and fury from Jazira officials who invested a little too much political capital in bringing Gervinho to Abu Dhabi.

Doing my part for cultural awareness

It's Ramadan here in the UAE, which means observant Muslims refrain from doing anything enjoyable during daylight hours and the rest of us pretend like that's something resembling a good idea. But still, I feel like I need to do my part. That's why I have taken it upon myself to help make this country just a little more pious by alleviating it of those nasty, sinful pork products and stashing them where no one would think to look -- in my belly.

(Actually, given the size of my belly, that might be one of the first places they look.)

After the rousing success of my curry rice recipe, I thought I'd share with everyone my take on Filipino spaghetti. It's taken a few iterations to settle, but I think I've hit upon a good formula. You should be able to find most of the ingredients fairly easily, and those that are more specialized can be substituted without losing much in the way of flavor.

Do you even sports, bro?

So it finally happened. Brian Brushwood, friend of the family and all-around good egg, has finally cut a commercial that speaks to me, Sports Guy.

Well played, Brian.

Dad joke or kid joke?

You decide. (HT PZ Myers).