1781 Bank of North America, 1st US bank opens.
1857 Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa as new capital of Canada.
1879 Edison gives 1st public demonstration of his incandescent lamp.
1946 French troops leave Lebanon
1970 Paul McCartney files a lawsuit to dissolve Beatles
1973 Johan Cruyff chosen European soccer Player of year
1977 Amir Sheikh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah becomes leader of Kuwait
1982 TV soap "Doctors" ends 19 year run
1991 USSR, last day of existence
1991 Dow Jones closes at record high 3168.83
1997 Microsoft buys Hotmail E-mail service
1999 Control of Panama Canal reverts to Panama00690901
2006 The death toll for Americans killed in the Iraq war reached 3,000
Christmas is early in Dubai
"I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.", Albert Einstein.
It's already Christmas in Dubai! After a couple of weeks of uncertainty, Dubai woke up today to a gift. 10 Billion Dollars is the amount that Abu Dhabi splashed to make sure that Dubai's troubled government-owned companies are safe.
In simple terms, this means that companies like Nakheel will be able to fulfill their commitment and pay back the banks. Is this a good news? Well, it depends on how you look at it. See, the alternative for Dubai would've been risking the City's reputation as a safe and reliable investment destination. Companies and individual investors would have been reluctant to come here and spend millions of dollars on investments.
So we established that this will help Dubai protect it's image. The question is; are there any strings attached to it?
Well, let's agree that no one gives free money. Definitely not 10 Billion dollars. It is highly probable that Abu Dhabi would like to have some stake in Dubai's thriving businesses; like Emirates Airlines or Dubai Ports, etc. It's also possible that Abu Dhabi wants to get a chunk of the Cherry that is Dubai's global image. Is it that bad? Absolutely not.
UAE is made of 7 small emirates, and it's certainly not bad that you have one Emirate helping the other. That's what a union is all about after all. Besides, if one city goes down it will drag the other one with it, and if one thrive it will pull the other up with it. So, if there were any strings, it will only make the bond between the two cities stronger and the residents whether locals or expats will definitely benefit from it.
This scenario becomes all the more favorable when you consider that other sources of funds/ strings can come from abroad. It was never a positive thing to have an external influence on your domestic policies or decisions. Whether help comes from USA, EU, Russia, China, KSA or any other source, that is an influence and a potential risk that UAE doesn't need.
So, Happy Eid and Merry Christmas to Dubai.
It's already Christmas in Dubai! After a couple of weeks of uncertainty, Dubai woke up today to a gift. 10 Billion Dollars is the amount that Abu Dhabi splashed to make sure that Dubai's troubled government-owned companies are safe.
In simple terms, this means that companies like Nakheel will be able to fulfill their commitment and pay back the banks. Is this a good news? Well, it depends on how you look at it. See, the alternative for Dubai would've been risking the City's reputation as a safe and reliable investment destination. Companies and individual investors would have been reluctant to come here and spend millions of dollars on investments.
So we established that this will help Dubai protect it's image. The question is; are there any strings attached to it?
Well, let's agree that no one gives free money. Definitely not 10 Billion dollars. It is highly probable that Abu Dhabi would like to have some stake in Dubai's thriving businesses; like Emirates Airlines or Dubai Ports, etc. It's also possible that Abu Dhabi wants to get a chunk of the Cherry that is Dubai's global image. Is it that bad? Absolutely not.
UAE is made of 7 small emirates, and it's certainly not bad that you have one Emirate helping the other. That's what a union is all about after all. Besides, if one city goes down it will drag the other one with it, and if one thrive it will pull the other up with it. So, if there were any strings, it will only make the bond between the two cities stronger and the residents whether locals or expats will definitely benefit from it.
This scenario becomes all the more favorable when you consider that other sources of funds/ strings can come from abroad. It was never a positive thing to have an external influence on your domestic policies or decisions. Whether help comes from USA, EU, Russia, China, KSA or any other source, that is an influence and a potential risk that UAE doesn't need.
So, Happy Eid and Merry Christmas to Dubai.
Dada egh!
I can proudly boost that the last time I intentionally tuned to an Arabic music channel was 8 years ago. The reason is that I got disgusted and ashamed by the extravagant amount of bullshit they play. And although I commend Melody for the great job their marketing team is doing promoting the channel with themed sketches like "Melody Tunes, all engelish all za time", "Melody tatahadda al malal", and "Melody aflam, aflam arabi... Om el agnabi", I can safely assume that they also have outclassed everyone else with their outrageous and shameless clips!
Today, and while I was vegging with a friend of mine doing absolutely nothing, we ended up throwing away the remote with Melody on. Suddenly, appeared on TV what initially looked like a joke, or maybe a new sketch. Much to our surprise it was actually a song by a girl called Pamela Quwaiq! The song was titled "Dada egh!". Still not knowing what is it that is just about to be thrown at us we kept watching! If I want to best describe her I'd say she looked like a cheap prostitute. With a dress barely covering her butt, she appeared to be acting in the opening scene of some porn movie! Things got better with her first two lines:
Dada dada egh.. Ngegh ngegh!!...
Now, I can't claim that the girl is not pretty. She probably qualifies as a candidate for Hareega's Mikro-blogging eye candy, but letting her sing on satellite TV is an insult to everyone! The point is, if I wanted to see flesh or a naked girl I would've simply got me a porno and cut straight to the chase! My question is, what purpose does this video serve??
This is definitely not a song for adults, cause dada egh is barely the line you'd use to address your lover, and if it's directed to kids then the amount of prostitution on display makes it inappropriate for humans well into their 40's! It's worth mentioning that the clip was directed by the "artist" herself.
Just as it ended we were treated to a song by Rami Ayyash - who is still convinced that he is sexy- and Ahmad Adawyya! Bullshi again. Less amount of prostitution though. Finally, a guy called Nabil Ajram caused my a Diarrhea with his " Bet'azzebni leh" clip. Prisoners sporting gayish unifroms being persecuted by wanton girls.
We decided the best thing to do is to go to sleep.
When I have my own kids I'll do the same thing our neighbor in Jordan did and will delete Melody, Mazzika, Rotana and the rest from my channel list.
Finally, I've predicted in an earlier post that we will start exporting porn to the rest of the world in 50 years. I'll revise that. It's going to happen in 20.
Today, and while I was vegging with a friend of mine doing absolutely nothing, we ended up throwing away the remote with Melody on. Suddenly, appeared on TV what initially looked like a joke, or maybe a new sketch. Much to our surprise it was actually a song by a girl called Pamela Quwaiq! The song was titled "Dada egh!". Still not knowing what is it that is just about to be thrown at us we kept watching! If I want to best describe her I'd say she looked like a cheap prostitute. With a dress barely covering her butt, she appeared to be acting in the opening scene of some porn movie! Things got better with her first two lines:
Dada dada egh.. Ngegh ngegh!!...
Now, I can't claim that the girl is not pretty. She probably qualifies as a candidate for Hareega's Mikro-blogging eye candy, but letting her sing on satellite TV is an insult to everyone! The point is, if I wanted to see flesh or a naked girl I would've simply got me a porno and cut straight to the chase! My question is, what purpose does this video serve??
This is definitely not a song for adults, cause dada egh is barely the line you'd use to address your lover, and if it's directed to kids then the amount of prostitution on display makes it inappropriate for humans well into their 40's! It's worth mentioning that the clip was directed by the "artist" herself.
Just as it ended we were treated to a song by Rami Ayyash - who is still convinced that he is sexy- and Ahmad Adawyya! Bullshi again. Less amount of prostitution though. Finally, a guy called Nabil Ajram caused my a Diarrhea with his " Bet'azzebni leh" clip. Prisoners sporting gayish unifroms being persecuted by wanton girls.
We decided the best thing to do is to go to sleep.
When I have my own kids I'll do the same thing our neighbor in Jordan did and will delete Melody, Mazzika, Rotana and the rest from my channel list.
Finally, I've predicted in an earlier post that we will start exporting porn to the rest of the world in 50 years. I'll revise that. It's going to happen in 20.
A world of dreamers and pragmatists
The world is a tragedy to those who feel, and a comedy to those who think.
Perspectives is what makes life interesting. It's what actually makes people different, not race or color.
people are born identical. With goodness instilled in them. They all believe in truth and happiness. They all believe in justice and the power of the human soul. But then, we grow up. We are taught different versions of history and God. We are made to believe that we own the truth, and that we are somehow better than the rest. It sure helps us advance in certain aspects of life, but the trade off is that we lose some part of our humanity as life goes by, and we see it happening with pride, thinking that we are somehow growing stronger and better.
If you are lucky, you go on with your life failing to notice this, as your reality doesn't challenge your ideas. If you're not that lucky, you meet someone who unintentionally strikes a truth that you will never be comfortable with. The greater the divide, the more difficult it is for you to accept the new facts. You might change, but there is only so much you can change without being denounced for relinquishing your superiority and your version of the truth. Suddenly, what you know, or thought you knew, becomes the greatest wall separating you from reality and your humanity.
Ignorance is a bless.
Being naive is often what makes you happy. That's why children have the most genuine smiles. You might think It is inevitable, but there are those who are blessed with a humane reservoir that decades of life won't consume. As for the rest of us, we grow older and we lose our humanity to nothing.
Those who are prepared to cross barriers are the unsung heroes of this race. Sadly, quite often they are the ones who pay the price. Blessed are those who believe in abstracts and non-existing values, for without them the earth will be inhabited by Swiss watches and robots dressed in human skin working relentlessly and obliviously on terminating this race.
It's your choice whether you die of a great Tsunami, an ice age, an Ozone hole, or a sudden non-existence of dreamers!
Dreamers give losers life, and lovers give everyone a home.
Perspectives is what makes life interesting. It's what actually makes people different, not race or color.
people are born identical. With goodness instilled in them. They all believe in truth and happiness. They all believe in justice and the power of the human soul. But then, we grow up. We are taught different versions of history and God. We are made to believe that we own the truth, and that we are somehow better than the rest. It sure helps us advance in certain aspects of life, but the trade off is that we lose some part of our humanity as life goes by, and we see it happening with pride, thinking that we are somehow growing stronger and better.
If you are lucky, you go on with your life failing to notice this, as your reality doesn't challenge your ideas. If you're not that lucky, you meet someone who unintentionally strikes a truth that you will never be comfortable with. The greater the divide, the more difficult it is for you to accept the new facts. You might change, but there is only so much you can change without being denounced for relinquishing your superiority and your version of the truth. Suddenly, what you know, or thought you knew, becomes the greatest wall separating you from reality and your humanity.
Ignorance is a bless.
Being naive is often what makes you happy. That's why children have the most genuine smiles. You might think It is inevitable, but there are those who are blessed with a humane reservoir that decades of life won't consume. As for the rest of us, we grow older and we lose our humanity to nothing.
Those who are prepared to cross barriers are the unsung heroes of this race. Sadly, quite often they are the ones who pay the price. Blessed are those who believe in abstracts and non-existing values, for without them the earth will be inhabited by Swiss watches and robots dressed in human skin working relentlessly and obliviously on terminating this race.
It's your choice whether you die of a great Tsunami, an ice age, an Ozone hole, or a sudden non-existence of dreamers!
Dreamers give losers life, and lovers give everyone a home.
Dubai... A Middle Eastern Dream
As I grew up people dreamt about going to the US, the land of opportunities. Some wanted the UK, others wanted anything out of this stagnating region!
As I graduated there was a new destination. One that is unusually close, and easier to fit in. An Arab country. Somewhere we don't worry about being descriminated against or punished for who we are or what we believe in. People came from all corners of the world to experience it and live it. To be part of the boom and part of the phenomenon. This place is Dubai.
Unfortunately, the world is not fair. And while we always demand the best from governments and coutnries, we tend to crucify those who dream. Even if there dream worked for awhile. We rush and compete in bringing those who dream down. We point the fingers of blame and we open our mouths and we say: I KNEW IT!
I don't blame Europeans or North Americans. It just amazes me how middle easterners and specifically arabs feel so vendicated by what's going on now! What was it that you wanted? One more mundane place? Inorganized, flat, dirty, dull, Oil-dependant, aid-dependant & grey City?
Dubai offered people an alternative for our corrupted countries and cities. A place to work and live in security and peace. A multi-cultural environment. A platform to meet people from other cultures in an unbiased condition. Prejudice free. Tax free.
Everyone is allowed to dream, and everybody is encouraged to. nevertheless, we jump into the forefront and race to step on the the shoulders of a giant that fell down to accelerate its demise.
One question for, Egptians, Lebanese, Jordanians, Palestinians, Iranians, Indians, Filipinos, Australians and others; What is your alternative? What is your plan B?
Was Dubai perfect? Definitely not. Was everyone here happy and living the perfect life, absolutely not! But for many of us it was the perfect solution and the perfect alternative? Thousands of families lived on remittances from this country. Thousands of other families were built because of careers and expereicnes which would have been otherwise impossible.
I still believe that it is not over. Maybe it will never be the same booming city it was before. There were mistakes and they will definitely need to be fixed, but that doesn't mean that the dream is dead.
It better still be alive. For everyone's sake!
Status Update
The past few weeks were a little different from what preceeded them. A change is always welcome. The question is; was it a good change?
Last time I scored 7.4!
Social: 8
Life is pretty rewarding sometimes, and after some dry spells you get reminded that you're not socially dead :).
Financial 8:
Hard work ocassionally pays off! It looks like it's going to be a good year. A new method in handling my finances is apparently paying off, even during Holidays.
Professional 9:
I'm having a great time :) ... If I manage to avoid the scramble of the year-end I will be bursting with fruits flavors.
Weather 9:
As I wished, I Felt a little cold in Jordan, and then came back to the wonderful winter of Dubai. It's a great time for outdoor activities.
Health 6:
You can't win it all!! I hate Flu.
Overall 8:
Looks like it was a good change :) .. I hope it goes on... Targeting 9.5 by March!
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