It's difficult to criticise poor English and the prevalence of Bollywood stories without coming across as, well, a bit racist.

But here goes ;)

Why would you hire a journalist who can't write in English? Complete sentences. With nouns and verbs corresponding. You, know - the kind of English taught in most schools. It's. Just. Utterly. Baffling.

I've heard a defence of bad grammar from a local journalist. It was: "What does it matter, so long as people understand what you're saying?" Well, it just does OK!? I try not spit food at you when I speak, so you should just try to write nicely in return. [This is where I turn purple and start yelling at people in the street.]

Bollywood. I know I should be open to other cultures. I should recognize that if one-fifth of the world's population loves Shilpa Shetty, her films must have some value. But I don't. Bollywood is irrelevant unless you are Indian, and arguing cultural worth in terms of shear scale is idiotic. Writing about Bollywood in a Doha paper is just rude - it excludes non-Indians who prefer their naive song-and-dance routines delivered by Jim Henson.

I think I need to sit down now... Big, deep breaths...