Blogosphere: October 31, 2006

Dubai: Stuck in reverse?
Common courtesy will improve road safety
There have been a couple of positive traffic related articles in the UAE press this past week. We've heard that police patrols will be increased by 25 per cent and that drivers will be fined for not using their indicators when turning. A week or so ago Shaikh Mohammad's son, Shaikh Hamdan, stated that the city's fast development could not be used as an excuse for bad driving on Dubai's roads and gave his support for increased police efforts to combat the situtation.
All of this is pretty encouraging. The poor standards of driving here are one of the few things that prevent life in Dubai being truly world class. Whilst things here may well be better than many other countries, extra police patrols and steady implementation of the law will make life better for everyone. I wish the police all the best with the tough task of managing the different approaches to road safety harboured by their thousands of residents from across the world.
Bad driving is something that always bewilders me. Surely even the most selfish, egocentric character realises that using your indicators and sticking to some basic rules is probably going to get you there faster than veering in and out and pushing and shoving everywhere?
There's no need to think of using your indicators and giving way as some kind of act of kindness. Go on, be selfish about it! Do it so that the roads run more smoothly, there are fewer accidents and you get where you're going on time.
The ultimate symbol of a civilised society is a driver stopping for pedestrians waiting at a zebra crossing. At first that might seem like a trivial thing to measure a society by, but think about it — it signifies a respect for other people regardless of their wealth or status in society, a respect for the law, common courtesy and basic safety. These are all fairly good things to start with.
I look forward to crossing the road outside my apartment in total safety in the near future.
http://blogs.sun.com/christophersaul

A New kind of flatmate
It's about time Dubaians stopped whingeing about soaring rents and overpriced accommodation. The reality is that there are plenty of cheap flats available, with free "nice friendship'' thrown in to boot:
One advert, on a well-known Dubai website, says: "If you are looking to have a room at an affordable budget then I have an offer for you: Male expat, 36 years old, nice looking with good manners, is willing to rent a room against casual acquaintance and intimacy. We shall discuss further details if you agree on the main idea.''
Sadly most offers are currently only open to young, single, "broad-minded'' Western women. But it's a start. As this exciting new market matures, it will surely expand to other demographics. Married, narrow-minded African men, or elderly, fun-loving Mongolian ladies will also be in huge demand in return for a bedspace.
Eventually, a unified common currency of "intimacy dollars'' will be formed, to define exactly how much friendship should be paid per month for a studio flat in Satwa, or a five-bedroom villa in Jumeirah. Estate agents will be paid their commission in this new currency.
http://secretdubai.blogspot.com/

Building blocks
I just heard confirmed news that this site (Mahmood's Den) will be blocked effective immediately, together with 6 others (don't know which yet).
The memo has been printed and delivered to all the ISPs this afternoon apparently. I am yet to receive my copy.
You know what to do if this site DOES in fact become blocked … you know the required tools to unblock it.
http://Mahmood.tv/

Uncovering art
As I was wandering around (in the vicinity of Trader's Hotel, if anyone cares), I saw a huge billboard for Dubai Culture Village.
It depicts a scene with the usual Dubai assortment of people in Western business outfits mingling with people in abayas and dishdashes, all standing in an art gallery featuring original (copies of?) European Renaissance paintings.
The billboard is deliberately blurred, but it is still possible to make out the paintings being depicted, and they are similar to ones that sometimes appear in the Arts section of the European newspapers on sale in the Emirates. Only, when the paintings appear in the newspapers, they are invariably covered with the censor's black ink, since the censor is convinced that representational art is "inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the United Arab Emirates.'' (Especially when the art represents such things as odalisques.)
Will Dubai Culture Village be a free zone where European representational art is allowed?
http://dubaiatrandom.
blogspot.com

Bring on the lady drivers
Did anyone notice the severe shortage of women motorists on the streets of Dubai? What happened to the lady drivers? Feels like driving in Riyadh!Try this if none of you believe me: Whenever you stop at a traffic light or stuck in traffic, look around you tell me how many women drivers can you spot.
http://dubaiconsumermirror.
blogspot.com/

Hard-headed sunny drivers
Hey — why do people that drive Nissan Sunnys always have hard hats on the rear window shelf of the car? What is that all about? We play a game about it — it's a secret club? Or is the driver wanting to be a VIP — I mean an ENGINEER or something?
http://gulfpearl.blogspot.com/

Mile-high madness
Yes guys, read this and see what passengers we have to deal with — and know that flying first class does not always mean you're flying with quality passengers. From www.airlinecrew.net.

"Well — let's try the 70-ish mother with her 40-year-old unmarried son who brought along her teddy bear collection. The whole gang of them were seated in FC, 1A and B. The woman asked me to clean off other people's used dessert dishes, while she dawdled over her food. Turns out she was planning to hold a "Tea Party'' for her teddy bears! She told me each bear's name and history, as she divided up her food for the bears.

Each bear was named after someone she loves or hates in her life, and she rewarded or punished them accordingly.

When mom went to the lav, I very cautiously and respectfully asked her son about the mom's behaviour. He laughed it off, and said: "That's just the way Mom is.'' Mom later came into the galley to tell me about her hatred for her ex-husband, her son's ADD ... all sorts of stream of consciousness things. I was relieved when she went back to the Teddy Bear Tea Party ... which I was only allowed to dismantle once the coats were passed out and we were about to land!!!

SOOO — after that, when a FC pax took out his father's ashes from the overhead and asked me to pour a glass of Jack Daniel's on the rocks for Dad (pax and his wife were on the way to Dad's memorial service) ... that didn't seem nuts at all!! It was charming (somehow) to serve Dad his favourite drink!''
http://tampaxtowers.
blogspot.com/