This is probably one of the more paranoid comments I will post on this blog... (so proceed with that in mind)
Did you know that the security for important personalities here in the UAE is pathetic? Im not talking about in official events, when bodyguards are a must, Im talking about in the day-to-day life of important personalities like the top Sheikhs of the 7 emirates... Sheikh Mohamed walks around with barely any security at times... Sheikhs of Fuijairah also need a LOT more security, especially when it comes to their majlises and the like . And security for foreign dignitaries needs some help too... Just yesterday I saw emir Sultan of Saudi Arabia (who is the crown prince) with no security whatsoever,,,
Whether there is a need for such security is debatable, since it makes the Sheikhs less accessible, BUT what needs to be feared is not the local population, its the influx of foreigners coming into this country, which is bound to increase crime rates, and as a result, the risk to the leaders we cherish.
END OF PARANOIA
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
sorry
Ive been away for a while without warning, and for that I must apologize. Um, ok, onwards to something worthwhile! Anyone read about Sheikh Hamad of Fuijairah trying to help that poor kid? I think it was absoulutely frightning to think about the level of medical malpractice in Fuijairah... Not knowing a diagnoses means you call for outside help,,, not naming the situation "an unknown illness"... This kid deserved better, ESPECIALLY since this was something that could have avoided. I hope that whoever responsible sitting there in that Fuijarah hospital with his fake Degrees gets proper seeing to, so that this NEVER happens again... We are living in a modern country, things have changed,,,So should the quality of healthcare.
On a happier note... Sheikh Mohamed has boosted the government budget for education!!! That is quite simply amazing news IF it gets spent right (fingers crossed).
On another note... Im on spring break, so I might not post for a few days :-p
On a happier note... Sheikh Mohamed has boosted the government budget for education!!! That is quite simply amazing news IF it gets spent right (fingers crossed).
On another note... Im on spring break, so I might not post for a few days :-p
Friday, March 10, 2006
DP world
Now, I have delibirately stayed away from the DP world subject for a while now, thinking that it was just petty name-calling, and that it would die down in the US.
Then, I read this on yahoo news: "The House Appropriations Committee voted 62-2 on Wednesday to block the deal, and GOP congressional leaders privately informed the president Thursday morning that the Senate would inevitably follow suit. Senate Democrats clamored for a vote, increasing pressure on Senate Republicans to abandon the president." (D. espo, A. Taylor / AP)
I realized that its much deeper: Its rascism from a country touting equality.
Pathetic.
Who the hell do they think they are to view us as terrorists? I could just as well view them as ignorant; but the difference is I never generalize. And then I hear some crazy theories on how we could have potential for al-qaeda cells. My answer: more likely in the US, than here. We had an Israeli delegation here for the WTO meetings a while back, and no cells popped up there? We had Dr. Condoleezza Rice here, and still no threats whatsoever (from "potential" cells).
I think that public opinion is quite frankly, extremely biased in the US. But Im not worried, with China coming up at the rate that it is, and the way India is shaping up, the US will regret falling from our graces someday.
Then, I read this on yahoo news: "The House Appropriations Committee voted 62-2 on Wednesday to block the deal, and GOP congressional leaders privately informed the president Thursday morning that the Senate would inevitably follow suit. Senate Democrats clamored for a vote, increasing pressure on Senate Republicans to abandon the president." (D. espo, A. Taylor / AP)
I realized that its much deeper: Its rascism from a country touting equality.
Pathetic.
Who the hell do they think they are to view us as terrorists? I could just as well view them as ignorant; but the difference is I never generalize. And then I hear some crazy theories on how we could have potential for al-qaeda cells. My answer: more likely in the US, than here. We had an Israeli delegation here for the WTO meetings a while back, and no cells popped up there? We had Dr. Condoleezza Rice here, and still no threats whatsoever (from "potential" cells).
I think that public opinion is quite frankly, extremely biased in the US. But Im not worried, with China coming up at the rate that it is, and the way India is shaping up, the US will regret falling from our graces someday.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Fighting Change
"Education or freedom?"
Recently, I was posed with this very question... Would I prioritize education over freedom?
The idea of having freedom becomes ever-so fleeting if you cant place value on it, and that can only be achieved through education. After all, wasnt education but an idea in one mans head?
The importance of education cannot be put on the back-burner for any other cause, for with education, all is possible.
Which takes me to my next point: The current education system.
The system in place here is backwards. The government schools expect you to memorize work, rather than understand, and rate you accordingly. Private schools, with the exception of a handful, are worse.
There is some effort by the Mohd Bin Rashid establishment for young business leaders and similar groups to get more education out there, but I believe it needs to be on a much, much, larger scale.
Wide-Scale reforms, and analyses of the effectivness of our tutoring must be undertaken, for there is no other way to truly realize the dream of a perfect United Arab Emirates.
Recently, I was posed with this very question... Would I prioritize education over freedom?
In a heartbeat.
The idea of having freedom becomes ever-so fleeting if you cant place value on it, and that can only be achieved through education. After all, wasnt education but an idea in one mans head?
The importance of education cannot be put on the back-burner for any other cause, for with education, all is possible.
Which takes me to my next point: The current education system.
The system in place here is backwards. The government schools expect you to memorize work, rather than understand, and rate you accordingly. Private schools, with the exception of a handful, are worse.
There is some effort by the Mohd Bin Rashid establishment for young business leaders and similar groups to get more education out there, but I believe it needs to be on a much, much, larger scale.
Wide-Scale reforms, and analyses of the effectivness of our tutoring must be undertaken, for there is no other way to truly realize the dream of a perfect United Arab Emirates.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Friday, March 03, 2006
# plates
A Spooky fact is that a number here can go for as much as 1.5 million dirhams while people in Sudan die of hunger.
The fascination with number plates is a pretty big one here in the UAE, with the arrangement of numbers on the plates playing a major factor in determining its worth.
Now, Im ok with owning a number plate thats nice, but blowing 300,000 Dirhamson digits is just wrong. There are actually businesses based on the selling and buying of number plates, and from what I can tell, their success has been phenomenal.
So why is there such a huge fan base for "special" numbers? Its because there is an opinion that the rarer your number, the more powerful you are, a notion that is widely spread among the local community here.
The only truly "special" numbers in my eyes are the police numbers:
Now these past 3 days I have seen way too many police number plates on normal {non-police} cars, about 8 cars at last count. These plates are reserved for police and CID but Sheikhs and their friends, and people who are on good terms high up can get them.
# plates starting with 8xxx and 50xxx, codes A and B, are police/ CID. The idea of seeing so many on the streets is rather unsettling, but I guess that just means that there is some leniency with their numbers.
The fascination with number plates is a pretty big one here in the UAE, with the arrangement of numbers on the plates playing a major factor in determining its worth.
Now, Im ok with owning a number plate thats nice, but blowing 300,000 Dirhamson digits is just wrong. There are actually businesses based on the selling and buying of number plates, and from what I can tell, their success has been phenomenal.
So why is there such a huge fan base for "special" numbers? Its because there is an opinion that the rarer your number, the more powerful you are, a notion that is widely spread among the local community here.
The only truly "special" numbers in my eyes are the police numbers:
Now these past 3 days I have seen way too many police number plates on normal {non-police} cars, about 8 cars at last count. These plates are reserved for police and CID but Sheikhs and their friends, and people who are on good terms high up can get them.
# plates starting with 8xxx and 50xxx, codes A and B, are police/ CID. The idea of seeing so many on the streets is rather unsettling, but I guess that just means that there is some leniency with their numbers.
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