Nigeria, Aug. 1 -- One of the unexpected joys of covering the Commonwealth Games is meeting people from different parts of the world. Before coming to Glasgow, I must confess that the only Iraqi I really knew about was Saddam Hussein. That is the name that featured in the history books and dominated television news while I was growing up.

So, imagine my reaction when I got into a taxi, and the driver introduced himself.

"My name is Saeed. I'm from Iraq."

For a brief moment, my mind started playing tricks on me. Should I relax and enjoy the ride. or quickly come up with an excuse to cancel it?

Thankfully, common sense won. And I am glad it did.

The next 14 to 16 minutes turned into one of the most pleasant taxi rides I have had in Gla...