A Couple of Ramadan Footnotes

There is, of course, much more to Ramadan than just soap operas. Here are a couple of aspects:

• Abu Dhabi's The National looks at the tradition of the midfa‘ al-Iftar, the cannon fired at sundown to announce the breaking of the fast. Despite cell phones, public address systems (and the ambient noise of traffic), and other technology, many places, apparently including Abu Dhabi, still cling to the traditional cannon.

• Al Arabiya reports on the tendency to overindulge when it comes time to break the fast: "Dozens hospitalized in Qatar after overeating during Ramadan." (And yes, I recognize it's Al Arabiya writing about Qatar, home of rival Al Jazeera, and there may be a subtext there.)