Our Current Events

How to find hidden followers on your twitter?

2009-08-30T04:33:00.007+04:00

Find them and make them appear by applying the following simple trick:

1. Create another twitter profile (account)
2. Search for yourself ( i.e. for your original twitter account) using your newly created account
3. Look at the followers.. They all should appear to you. And recognize the ones whom were hidden to you
4. Copy the hidden follower username X
5. Log out from your new twitter account and log in using your original account
6. Open google and paste the hidden follower username which you got in step 4. Search it like this: X, twitter
7. The account should appear to you within the outcome of the google search
8. Click the link. The profile of the follower should open
9. To the right, on the follower’s page, you will find ‘Actions’ : Unblock follower
10. Click Unblock
11. The follower is now appearing in your followers list
12. If you wish to remove him/ her, you can block him/ her again and he/she will be out of your followers list and will not be counted (Don't fear this step, the follower won't be hidden again)

Hope this helps….. If you have any doubts or require further assistance, please let me know.
Thanks.

WOMAD @ Abu Dhabi City

2009-03-15T21:45:00.004+04:00

Aren’t we fed up yet of singing and dancing like terribly smashed people!! I assure you that if you pick any name randomly from your astonished brain, just any any name, Najwa, Roba, Nora, Sumaya, Sibsibtoora, … , I assure you that there will be an existence of a person of that name whose profession is an “artist” .. Most probably singer. And just big wow, for the high quality and classy art that they present! (Sophisticated)

Mainly, this is not what’s I’m intending to discuss, because it became so boring talking about this issue.

Instead of cleaning up the long long lists that we have, we are just bringing something from abroad to add on top of all what we have..What I’m referring here to, is the “WOMAD” thing!! What WOMAD is?! Oh. Well. As mentioned in this link, WOMAD stands for “World of Music, Arts and Dance”. And it’s an international festival as I understand. Multicultural.
Great.
Maybe Abu Dhabi meant to bring cultures to the residents of the city, those who aren’t able to travel and see new cultures. So simply, Abu Dhabi, the miracle city, brings you everything just as that.

When I first heard of the "WOMAD" and that it’s going to be held in Abu Dhabi, I really felt delighted. But now I’m not anymore, when I noticed this (mentioned in the main website):
“WOMAD Beyond will encourage children to approach the unknown in an open and enquiring way, to explore the richness and diversity of the arts of global cultures, including their own. This educational outreach programme for schools will bring musicians and visual artists from Zimbabwe, South Korea, India, Algeria and the UK into schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Workshops will include, percussion, dance, voice, musical collaborations, and arts and crafts of the Indian subcontinent and carnival arts from UK. Confirmed artists to be announced.”

Again: “WOMAD Beyond will encourage children to approach the … This educational outreach programme for schools will bring …”.

It could be a perspective at the end of the day, but to me Art & Dance might be of the educational scheme at the universities. But do you really think it would be educational to children?! I think basic sciences and subjects to be taught to our children and schools’ students are very well known and approved by any ministry of education in the world, and it’s obviously doesn’t include Art & Dance in the scheme. Not to leave a gap here; Yes. In UAE, we might be including Music and Sports classes to students’ schedules but that’s only for the sake of refreshing the students and nothing more; i.e. It’s not basic.
Some might not agree with me making it a big deal about that, but I must say when it’s reaching our children, then it IS a big deal.

May God protect us from envies! We are being civilized but God only knows where we will end up with this lame civilization.

Eventually, there is something I wanted to share with you:
Western Schools, more specifically, USA schools, have their students an entertainment by boasting trips to NASA (I’m not sure of this, but I think they go there to learn Arts & Dance). They also invite employees and astronauts from NASA to visit their schools. Students Can Submit Questions for STS-119 Astronauts.. (Do you know What’s STS-119? If not, Google it and come to know it not to let USA students be more enlightened than you!)
Have you ever visited NASA KIDS’ CLUB… If not, you can do so right now by clicking HERE

===
Outside the discussed topic. NASA Mentiones about the Palm Tree Island (Man-made Island) built by Dubai (UAE) Govrnment. But never mentiones that it's been built in the "Arabian Gulf". Instead they say: built in the "Persian Gulf". This is in the NASA KIDS website. here.
Now I have doubts that USA is against/fighting Iran, at all.

And God Bless

Not cancelling Shakira's Concert in Abu Dhabi for the NYE

2009-01-06T20:16:00.006+04:00

Unbelievable! Really unbelievable.

What happened to you Abu Dhabi? Huh?

Israel attacks Gaza in Dec27, 2008. And you celebrate the new year just 4 days after! Celebrate by partying and dancing with that GREAT Shakira? Yeah. I know how funny it sounds mentioning it in this way: “Gaza” and “GREAT Shakira”. And ~~Yes I confirm~~, sorry! I mean Abu Dhabi confirmed, that Shakira IS great, but Gaza is NOT.

This can never be denied. And I deem, years later in history it should be.

Note: Dubai Ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, ordered cancellation of all New Year celebrations for Gaza.

“The National” said: Sheikh Mohammed’s order prohibited hotels, companies or clubs from holding any New Year-specific event. Parties for which bands or DJs had been brought into the country were cancelled, as were firework displays.
While for Abu Dhabi, Arabianbusiness.com said “The Shakira concert in Abu Dhabi is going ahead on Wednesday night, quashing rumours it would be cancelled along with other New Year’s Eve celebrations in Dubai.”

A Shame:
Many people expected the concert to be cancelled.. but they were wrong. Because they forgot that Shakira is greater than Gaza and more important than Gaza.

A Bigger Shame:
Not only Shakira’s concert was held, but also mentioned in Arabianbusiness.com: “All events in Abu Dhabi, including the Shakira concert at Emirates Palace, are going ahead,”

One more and last whisper: guys I know that the concert maybe doesn't represent the Abu Dhabi Government point of view, that it's been organized to be in the emirates palace garden and not in the public (i.e. like at corniche ). But sorry, we don't accept excuses.

CHEER UP YA ARAB!

Dubai’s Atlantis Hotel, By the Numbers

2008-09-08T19:31:00.005+04:00

blackbookmag.com

The Atlantis, or more properly "Atlantis The Palm," officially opens September 24. Set on the Palm Jumeirah -- one of Dubai's artificial sand atolls -- it has a few things going for it.

● 1,539 rooms
● 27,000 square feet of designer shopping
● 100 feet vertical dive at the Ziggurat water-park ride
● 28 bottle-nose dolphins on the "grounds"
● 65,000 fish in the underwater labyrinths
● 27 spa treatment rooms
● 1 restaurant transplanted from New York’s Tribeca neighborhood (that would be Nobu, of course)
● 43 days before Atlantis officially opens, though they’re taking reservations now

FIRE BREAK in Dubai @ Atlantis Hotel

2008-09-08T19:24:00.002+04:00

Again, for the thousand time…….. FIRE BREAK in Dubai !!!
This time in a hotel. Atlantis Hotel. (The 1,539-room Atlantis was scheduled to open its doors on 24 September.) Ameinfo mentioned
A fire broke out at the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah today, Tuesday. (Gulfnews mentioned) I can’t add more talk about fires problems in Dubai than what I’ve said previously in my 2 articles: 14,000 Fire Accidents In The UAE Just In 5 Years and Tower Fire in Dubai Internet City

How sad!

IN PICS: Funeral of Suzan Tamim

2008-08-19T20:12:00.017+04:00

Aug05, 2008; Arabianbusiness

1.Relatives of slain Lebanese singer Suzan Tamimcarry her coffin as they leave her parents' house during her funeral in Beirut. Tamim was found dead in Dubai on July 28. (Getty Images)
2.Grieving friends and relatives surround the coffin of Suzan Tamim. The popular singer came to fame in 1996 on a TV talent show. (Getty Images)
3. Her coffin is carried to its final resting place at the funeral in Beirut on August 04. Tamim released two albums and had been twice married. (Getty Images) 4. Abdul Sattar, the father of slain Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim, pictured left, mourns as he helps carry the coffin. (Getty Images)
4. Abdul Sattar, the father of slain Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim, pictured left, mourns as he helps carry the coffin. (Getty Images)

5.Khalil, centre, the brother of Suzan Tamim, and her father Abdul Sattar, right, mourn her death. (Getty Images)
6. Crowds of people gather for the funeral offer their condolences to the father of Suzan Tamim, Abdul Sattar, centre. (Getty Images)
7.A traditional Lebanese music group performs as the funeral procession of slain Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim arrives at her parents' house in Beirut. (Getty Images)
8.The car carrying the coffin of Suzan Tamim arrives at her parents' house prior to her high-profile funeral in Beirut. (Getty Images)

RIP Dear Suzan

Lebenese Singer Death In Her Jumeirah Beach Residence "JBR" Apartment

2008-08-01T20:48:00.006+04:00

TRAGIC DEATH: Singer Suzan Tamim was

found dead in her Dubai apartment.

Monday (Jul28, 2008) was the last day in life of the young Lebanese singer Susan Tamim - 31 years old.

She was murdered in her apartment by someone who's still unknown by police.
Dubai Police said the singer was stabbed several hours before her body was discovered. (GulfNews says)
Susan had been living in her apartment in Jumeirah Beach Residence "JBR", Rimal 1 tower, 22nd floor. (The National says)

This is the first accident to happen in JBR and Susan is the first murder victim in JBR. Residents of JBR hope that this accident will be the one and only.

Jumeirah Beach Residence "JBR" residents now don't feel secure.

One New Zealander who lives in the Amwaj cluster of JBR, which is several hundred metres from Tamim’s apartment, said: “There are too many entrances for the apartments to be secure. Pretty much anyone can gain access to the building from the Marina Walk side of the development. Since this has happened, and the fact that we don’t know if this was an isolated incident against this poor woman or if the killer will strike again, I have changed how I go about my day.
“I double lock my door, park my car next to the elevator and check who’s around when I get out of my car. Speaking to my neighbours, it has got a lot of people frightened in JBR, many people are in shock.” (The National says)

RIP Susan.

Note: A group in Facebook has been created for Tamim. To join or view, please click here "RIP Susan Tamim"

The Real Sad Story About The Little Girl - 2008

2008-07-29T20:37:00.005+04:00

At Rosary School, a big sad story happened about a little beautiful girl who was a student at that school. She was in 7th grade (which means having an age of 12).

One day, in the year of 2008, she was in the classroom attending the class as usual. As usual, except for one thing which happened at that day. The thing which made that day unusual after it happening. The thing that was unexpected by anyone.

The big thing which happened was that the teacher caught this student eating during the class, which is of course forbidden. The teacher felt annoyed and turned angry about that, so she yelled harshly at the girl: “What are you eating? And why are you eating during the class? Don’t you know that this is not allowed? Don’t you understand this? Can’t you wait till the break?”…
Couple of minutes later the girl threw up… And then she died!
Yes. Died on her desk in the classroom. She Passed away!

The parents were called to come and be present. They suggested that the father should enter the classroom while the mother could stay outside not to see her princess daughter in that case; dead.
And that’s all.
Funeral.
Parents are sad.
Friends are missing her.
And the teacher is feeling guilty & acute remorseful for her doing.

RIP sweetie..

إنا لله وانا اليه راجعون) .. لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله )
أسأل الله العلي العظيم أن يتغمد روحها ويسكنها فسيح جناته

Dubai set to open new mammoth mall; "The Dubai Mall"

2008-05-31T14:33:00.006+04:00

One of the world's largest shopping malls is set to open on Augest 28, 2008... The Dubai Mall..

Numbers:

Total Internal Floor Area: 5.9 million square feet

Gross Leasable Area (GLA): 3.77 million square feet - around size of 50 football fields put together

Children’s ‘edu-tainment’ Centre: 80,000 sq ft

No. of Stores: 1,200 stores

Restaurants: 120 food & beverage outlets

Cinemas : 22-screen cineplex, will open later as completion requires a dust-free environment

Car Park: 14,000-vehicle capacity

World Rank: 8th largest mall in the world

First Year Expected No. of Visitors to the Mall: 30 million

[theduabimall.com said]

Downtown Burj Dubai

Dubai Mall is part of Emaar Properties' $20 billion Downtown Burj Dubai development will include:

The world's tallest building the Burj Dubai, 30,000 homes, nine hotels, 6.2 acres of parkland, 19 residential towers and a 30-acre manmade lake.

[ArabianBusiness.com said]

---------------------------

If interested to know more and updated details about "The Dubai Mall", please visit:

http://www.thedubaimall.com/

---------------------------

Picasso Exhibition at Emirates Palace

2008-05-27T19:24:00.004+04:00

The Arab world's first public exhibition of the works of Pablo Picasso in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace... Starting from today, May27,2008, and running till Sep04, 2008.

( To learn more about Pablo Picasso, click here )

As mentioned in emiratespalace.com, Abu Dhabi is the second city in a nine-nation tour of the exhibition, after the launch in Madrid's Reina Sofía museum, and it is the only Middle Eastern venue on the tour.

The UAE capital exhibition being differentiated by the exclusive inclusion of 40 drawings, prints and illuminated manuscripts reminiscent of the Arab influences Picasso absorbed during his youth in Malaga.

( To learn more about the exhibition, click here )

( To learn more about the exhibition at Emirates Palace, click here )

Dubai Metro Train Test-Run - VIDEO

2008-05-23T00:14:00.000+04:00

Dubai Metro! On The Right Track..

2008-05-22T22:16:00.006+04:00

How happy you feel when you find your dream is becoming reality!

If we, people, felt this much of happiness when we first saw this great achivment of Dubai Metro being tested, successfully.. Then how did the crew who worked on it hardly with big efforts and high efficiency, how did they feel?!

That's really amazing! Incredible! Awsome!

Dubai Metro Since 2006 till now
The Roads and Transport Authority announced the Dubai Metro Project on March 21, 2006 with His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai inaugurated the construction work. [As in Khaleej Times]

The first testings, successfully, have been done this month .

Work will be continued and testings as well and whole project is expected to be completed by 2010. When completed, Dubai Metro will have a total of 70 kilometres of lines.

Expectations:

The total length of the Dubai Metro is expected to reach 318 km by 2020. When fully functional, the metro will be able to carry about 1.8 million passengers every day.

The lines are divided into 4,
which are[Dubai Metro]:

RED LINE (Under Construction)
The Line is 52.0 km long
Completion: 2009
Rout: Rashidiya to Jabel Ali

GREEN LINE (Under Construction)
The Line is 22.5 km long.
Completiion: 2010
Rout: Al Qusais to Al Jedaff

BLUE LINE (On Plan)
The Line will be 47.0 km long.
Completiion: 2011
Rout: Dubai International Airport to Jebel Ali Airport, along Emirates Road

The Purple (On Plan)
The Line will be 49.0 km long.
Completiion: 2012
Rout: Dubai International Airport to Jebel Ali Airport, along Al Khail Road

Note: The total cost of the project is Dh15.5 billion (USD 4.2 billion) and will be completed in a matter of 49 months time.

List of Stations:

Dubai Metro stations will be designed along the theme water and sea life, e.g. the sea shell form is preferred for its total impression, smooth roofs and a seeming light construction. Also, trains are painted this way, light blue is dominating.

Red Line:
- Jebel Ali Port Station
-Stations 2 - 5
- American University in Dubai
- Internet City Station
- Stations 8 and 9
- Souk al Nakheel Station
- Stations 11 - 17
- Burj Dubai Station
- Financial City Station
- Emirates Towers Station
- Trade Center Station
- Stations 22 - 24
- BurJuman Station
- Station 26
- al-Ittihad Square Station
- Salahuddin Station
- Stations 29 - 34
- Airport Free Zone Station

Green Line:
- Festival City Station
- Stations 2 and 3
- Health Care City Station
- Stations 5 - 7
- BurJuman Station
- Stations 9 - 13
- al-Ittihad Square Station
- Stations 15 - 16
- Dubai International Airport Terminal 1 Station
- Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 Station
- Station 21
- Rashidiya Station

Trains will be driverless and include 3 classes: the Golden Class (VIP), the Women and Children’s Class and the Silver Class (economy).

Stations will offer taxi depots and park-and-ride facilities.

HOW GREAT!

Prices of Essential Items Rising Again in UAE

2008-05-16T20:02:00.002+04:00

Previously, I talked about the egg price increase in the UAE.
The problem of increasing prices is getting worse now, instead of doing something towards that!
The prices are in continuing rising for the most essential items.
An article published in Gulfnews yeseterday, May 15, 2008, about this tight spot issue, mentioning some examples, like:

- A kilogram of whole local Kanaad fish is sold at Carrefour Dubai for Dh39.90, whereas it was Dh33.90 last month - an increase of Dh6.

- Anchor milk powder, also locally sourced in the UAE, which was Dh59.95 per 2.5 kilogram, is now sold in the market for as high as Dh65.20, which shows a rise of more than Dh5.

- The Lacnor full cream milk (long life) also went up to Dh3.50 per one litre from Dh2.90.

And the list doesn't stop here...

The question which arises itself here: Why is that? And what's the aim?
We need an answer.. because this is related to many important factors, which must be taken into consideration besides the main subject!

From my side, I'm feeling that this subject is not covered and analyzed by media the way and much it needed to.. All the updated articles are just mentioning two main points:
1) Prices are rising again.
2) People can't handle and they're watching their budgets!

So, that's all?
It shouldn't.

Tower Fire in Dubai Internet City

2008-05-14T20:12:00.005+04:00

Again.. and in short.. Fire Accident in Dubai!

I really don't know if that should be called delinquency... unconsciousness... or what!

You can go to this page to understand why I'm being angry about this subject.

Some details about today's newest fire accident in Dubai:

A fire broke out in a skyscraper on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai on Wednesday, with no casualties or injuries reported.

Abu Nasier, head of media coordination at Dubai Civil Defence, said the fire started at 2:12 pm (GMT 1012) on the 30th floor of Al Salam Tecom Tower, a 47-storey building still under construction in Dubai Internet City (DIC).

The building is located along Sheikh Zayed Road behind the BBC World Building in Dubai Media City (DMC). [arabianbusiness says]

So far no casualties have been reported. [Gulfnews says]

The Massive Increase in the Number of Cars in Abu Dhabi

2008-05-03T02:45:00.003+04:00

Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE, is facing a massive increase in number of cars. This problem has been arisen in the year 2000 and the number of cars was gradually increasing since then till 2005. But from 2005 till now; 2008, the number of cars is increasing so vastly and the problem is just being worse.
The problem in having this huge number of cars doesn’t count for causing traffic jam only, but also in causing difficulty, or dilemma, in finding a parking whenever you reach your desired destination.
Yes that’s true! If you need 15 minutes to reach the place you want to go to, then you need one extra hour or more to get a parking for your car. (And this is now in almost all the areas of the city).

Statistics:

(As in UAEInteract & ADPolice)

According to statistics provided by the Abu Dhabi Traffic Department, the number of vehicles in the Abu Dhabi Emirate, inclusive of Al Ain and Tarif, has gone up from 242,409 in 2000 to 526,161 in 2007.

On average, 250 licences are issued every day in Abu Dhabi.

Reasons:

The increase in the number of licences issued every day, easy availability of car loans and more and more companies providing cars for their employees have contributed to the drastic increase in the vehicle to population ratio in the country. As UAEInteract mentioned.

Solution:

As I said, the capital is facing a shortage of parking spaces. And if we just come back to 2006, from the UAEInteract archive I got this:

“The Municipality and the Town Planning Department is working on a pilot model project for better parking management, which if found useful, will be implemented in congested areas of the capital.”

Exclamation Mark
So, those are 2 years since 2006 and we have not seen anything.. instead, the problem is getting worse and no serious steps have been put into action.

Out of Control !!!!

"Idols" or "Art Sculptures" in Abu Dhabi?

2008-04-17T02:31:00.011+04:00

Watch

Doubts
Are these things “Idols”? Or shall we call them “Sculptures”?
What a confusion! I hate uncertainty and hesitations. Since they not specified and not defined, I can call them whatever I want, either “Idols” or “Sculptures”.

Definitions
An idol is a man-made object that is venerated in some way. [From Wikipedia]

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping hard or plastic material, commonly stone (either rock or marble), metal, or wood. [From Wikipedia]

Doubts Again
After having the definition of both, idol and sculpture, and knowing the difference between them, I still don’t know what to call those stuff which have been put in the public road, Corniche street, in the city of Abu Dhabi; UAE.
Let me tell you why I’m still in doubts. I’m still in doubts because an idol to be considered an idol, it should be venerated (or worshiped) by someone.So, whether the country government meant to put these 3D-sculpts to be worshiped or they didn’t mean it, we will still have the possibility of someone to idolize one of the sculpts. And whatsoever, even what I’ve said carried out with one person amongst the 1.6 million publication of the city, then I can confidently say that this 3D-sculpt is an “Idol”. And this talk is not brought from scratch. Look: Hindu views of idolatry.

But, if those 3D-sculpts are very clearly specified and defined (Like writing a sign next to each sculpt explaining about this brilliant peace of art) + if they are not placed in the most important street in the city (Like placing them in a museum or such), then I can confidently say that this 3D-sculpt is an “Sculpture, public art, or stacked art”.

Reminder: We still have the possibility to say we have “idols” in our city.
Notice: Many different forms of sculpture were used in Asia, with many pieces being religious art based around Hinduism and Buddhism (Buddhist art). [From Wikipedia]

Proof (No Doubts Anymore)
This subject is so significant when it’s to be considered in any Islamic country.
It’s so important, not to me only, but to the majority in the area.

Recall: When Prophet Mohammed [Blessings Be Upon Him] defeated the enemy and got the ruling of Mecca, he destroyed all the idols which have been there in the city.

Also, Wikipedia says: … a war that finally ended with the conquest of Mecca in the year 630. In the aftermath, the Prophet did three things. Firstly, with his companions he visited the Kaaba and literally threw out the idols and destroyed them,… [Look Wikipedia]

Now, what I’m aiming to say here is that despite of the fact that the city became Islamic one and all people were Muslims (which means all of them are believers and worship the one God), despite of this fact, Prophet Mohammed [BBUH] destroyed all the idols.
So, as a Muslim country, we should follow our prophet. And as I mentioned, even if the sculpts are not for idolization or worshiping we shouldn’t have them there.

UAE in the vein of USA, Canada, UK, Taiwan,…

I have shown the new sculpture we lately had in UAE, Abu Dhabi.
Now, I just want to show how similar it is to some sculptures in other non-Islamic countries such as UK and Taiwan:

UK:

Iron Man by Anthony Gormley, in Victoria Square Birmingham, UK

Taiwan:

Between Sky and Earth (Ariel Moscovici, France, 2002) depicts cycles of building, erosion and renewal. The work stands outside Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan.

At Last
At the end, I’d like to say that this great art, these sculptures never match out our traditions and religion.
Add to this that I don’t find those sculpts beautiful at all. Maybe I’m not conversant and not able to appreciate such an art!

Just out of ordinary!

(I’ll post the other pictures of the new sculptures soon).

First Season of Red Bull Air Race World Series 2008 in Abu Dhabi

2008-04-13T02:51:00.003+04:00

Red Bull Air Race lasted for two days (Thu & Fri , Apr 11 – 12) and took a place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for the forth time since 2005.

Audience of 350,000 spectators(Khaleej Times said) gathered at Abu Dhabi Corniche to watch this great and interesting event and to see some of the world's most skilled pilots.
This was the first season of tenth in the Red Bull Air Race World Series for this year, 2008, and the following season will be in California, USA (Sat & Sun, May 3 – 4).

This event was held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor & Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sports Club, with a valuable support from HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

The result of the competition was as follows:
1st Place : Paul Bonhomme (UK)
2nd Place: Hannes Arch (Austria)
3rd Place: Mike Mangold (USA)

Winner: Paul Bonhomme (UK)

What’s Red Bull?
Red Bull is the brand name of an energy drink that originated in Thailand and, in a version adapted to Austrian tastes, is now popular throughout the world. (Look wikipedia)

What’s Red Bull Air Race World Series?
The Red Bull Air Race World Series, established in 2003 and created by Red Bull, is an international series of air races in which competitors have to navigate a challenging obstacle course in the sky in the fastest possible time. (Look wikipedia)

What About Red Bull Air Race World Series Locations?
These are the countries which held the Red Bull Air Race since 2003 till 2007:
(and the number of rounds in each country)
Australia: 2 rounds
Austria: 2 rounds
Brazil: 1 round
Germany: 1 round
Hungary: 5 rounds
Ireland: 1 round
Mexico: 1 round (cancelled = 0 rounds)
Netherlands: 1 round
Portugal: 1 round
Russia: 1 round (cancelled = 0 rounds)
Spain: 2 rounds (1 was cancelled = 1 round)
Switzerland: 1 round
Sweden: 0 rounds (first round in 2008)
Turkey: 2 rounds
United Arab Emirates: 3 rounds
United Kingdom: 4 rounds
United States: 5 rounds

For more information, look at Wikipedia - Red Bull Air Race World Series.

14,000 Fire Accidents In The UAE Just In 5 Years

2008-04-02T23:39:00.004+04:00

Today at 1:52 AM, in Dubai; Diera Area.. A fire accident happened due to an electrical short circuit at Nayef Market and 100 shops were burnt out, as said by “info2cell”.
As mentioned in “wam.org.ae”, 184 shops were burnt out, and 14 shops in the neighborhood were protected. And Dubai Police and Civil Defence brought this accident to an end within 2 hours and 16 minutes as mentioned in

In accordance, another fire accident happened in Dubai; Al Qouz Area, just last week, on Wednesday –Mar 26,2008. That accident was close to the one happened today and it ended up with burning around 81 shops in the nearby, 2 deaths, and losses of about $ 200 million according to “CNN Arabic”.

Finally, I’m feeling repentant and disappointed to reveal the fact that UAE reported 14,000 fire accidents in five years (from 2002 to 2007); “wam.org.ae”. So this problem should be seriously solved for the sake of human lives and environment.

Dubai World Cup 2008 - The Richest Horse Race in the World

2008-03-30T00:56:00.001+04:00

Curlin - Dubai World Cup

Yesterday - The 13th edition of Dubai World Cup; The richest horse race in the world with US $ 6 million at stake has attracted global attention.

At Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai, Curlin the American horse (winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic and U.S. Horse of the Year) won the Dubai World Cup being the horse of the year and letting America to have the cup for the 6th time. UAE lost the competition this year, so the winnings are still 7 times among the 13 editions.

13 horses officially were sharing.. They included 3 from KSA “owned by princes Abdullah Bin Abdul Azeez, and his sons, and Bandar Bin Abdul Azeez’ sons”, 1 from Japan and another horse from France.

UAE, Hard luck!
We’ll be waiting for you next year.

Don't Switch Off Your Mobile Phone On This Emirates Flight

2008-03-21T11:38:00.003+04:00

Believe it or not!

Finally, you can use your mobile phone while you are in the plane. Yes! In the plane, in the air.. for the first time in the human race in the airline industry..

This great achievement has been accomplished by “Emirates Airlines” ..
Emirates Airlines became yesterday “Thursday, March 20, 2008” the first commercial airline in the world and in the air traveling history to provide in-flight mobile telephony service to passengers, as the company said.
Yesterday, and on the board of Emirates Airbus A340-300 aircraft flying from Dubai to Casablanca in Morocco, passengers used this service safely during the flight on altitude reached 30,000 feet from ground.
"All seats across our fleet are already equipped with in-seat phones, as well as email and text messaging capabilities via the in-seat entertainment system," Emirates chairman and chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said this statement.
This project was completed with AeroMobile providing the airline with the AeroMobile system (which allows the users to use their mobile phones with the minimum power).
"We know that many airlines are interested in AeroMobile and will be keen to follow Emirates' lead." AeroMobile chief executive Bjorn-Taale Sandberg said.

So, this system has been added and applied on Emirates Airbus A340-300 aircraft and has been installed and will be applied shortly on a Boeing 777-300.

The job was completed through the past 18 months with expenditures reached $ 27,000,000.

Sources: economictimes.com, uaekey.com, aeromobile

Happy Mothers' Day

2008-03-21T11:31:00.003+04:00

I Love You

Mommy!

Until the last moment..

2008-01-04T07:31:00.000+04:00

From: IEEE Spectrum Magazine; Sep 2007.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T00:39:00.000+04:00

*~*^_^*~*

Happy New Year

and wish for all of you the

best in the new year..

*~*^_^*~*

All who have exams to succeed..

All who are in love, to be together forever..

All who are sad from someone and carrying bad feeling towards him, please forget the past and open anew page tomorrow..

All who was not carrying a goal, please begin to have a goal..

Don't kill your beloved by your love !!

2007-12-30T01:01:00.000+04:00

Egg price increases in UAE by 50 to 100% this month !!

2007-12-29T06:15:00.000+04:00

Previously, it has been said by the Ministry of Economy that egg price will be increased by 15 to 20%, due to the lake of eggs in the country as a reflection of the reduction of chickens because of the birds flu.
But now it has been increased by 50 to 100%, which is unreasonable.

Now and as this muddle is happening, some costumers started to reserve egg trays from the small groceries and supermarkets. The funny thing, I have noticed, is that almost all grocers and those who work in supermarket are Indians, so they reserve the egg trays to the Indian costumers!

The country has banned exposing eggs from some countries; this might be part of the solution, yet they should work out the whole problem as soon as possible in order to meet people’s needs.

World Statistical Clock

2007-12-26T05:03:00.001+04:00

http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

Lebanon Presidential Vote Postponed For Tenth Time

2007-12-21T22:22:00.000+04:00

Lebanon presidential vote has been postponed, till Saturday, Dec 29, 2007, for the tenth time. "info2cell".

BEIRUT- It remained unclear on Friday whether the latest bid in three months to elect a new president would even take place amid efforts to convince pro- and anti-Syrian factions to proceed with a vote.

“Saturday’s session may be postponed... given that things have gone back to point zero, and contacts seem to have ceased between the majority and the opposition,” the independent Al-Balad newspaper said.

To read the entire article, please click here.

Source: "khaleejtimes.com", "info2cell"

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to Make First UAE Visit

2007-12-20T00:17:00.000+04:00

As the "gulfnews" mentioned:

Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and co-founder, will top the list of keynote speakers at the Government Leaders Forum in Abu Dhabi in January.

Microsoft, which is sponsoring the event, also confirmed the attendance of Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Economy.

More speakers are expected to be announced next week.

The forum will be held on January 27 and 28 at the Emirates Palace Hotel.

HIV Replication 3D Animation

2007-12-18T11:28:00.000+04:00

Dropping The Charge "200 Lashes of The Whip To An Abused Girl" !!

2007-12-17T13:25:00.000+04:00

I was really shocked when I knew that when a girl is being abused, she should be punished by getting struck and jailed!

Based on information provided by "reuters.com" (Nov 20, 2007):

This is what the Saudi court has settled on up to day to sentence a 19 years old girl who was gang-raped (by 7 men) in 2006.

At the beginning, the court had sentenced the girl to 90 lashes of the whip and to be jailed between 10 months and five years, and had blamed the woman for being alone with an unrelated male companion.

And just in this Nov. 2007, the Supreme Judicial Council increased the sentence to 200 lashes and six months in prison, and ordered the rapists to serve between two and nine years in jail.

The court also took the unusual step of penalizing procedures against her lawyer, Abdul-Rahman al-Lahem, by compulsorily removing him from the case for having talked about it to the media!

These decisions are being made according to Saudi Arabia's strict reading of Islamic law, and the United States described the verdict as "astonishing".

New York-based Human Rights Watch called on King Abdullah, who announced (in Oct 2007) to drop all charges against the girl.

Just couple of hours ago, I received it from “Info2cell” that the charges are dropped by King Abdullah, and the girl won't be punished.

13 days ago, “reuters.com” published (Dec 4, 2007):
U.S. President George W. Bush avoided directly criticizing Saudi King Abdullah over a decision by his country's court to punish a woman who was gang-raped with 200 lashes and jail time.

Information from: Reuters, info2cell

Actually, it's really astonishing that the court was running after the girl and sentencing her while I didn't hear much about the rapists except that they would have to serve between two and nine years in jail.
In my point of view, the spot light in this case should have been focused (by the media, court and people) on the rapists more than the girl. Those criminals were the party who should been sentenced, not the abused girl!

Elton John to perform in Abu Dhabi, UAE

2007-12-15T14:53:00.000+04:00

Elton John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s.

As it is from the "Gulfnews":

Abu Dhabi: Elton John will be performing in the open air theatre at the Western Wing of the Emirates Palace on January 22, 2008.

This is the very first time Elton John will be performing in the UAE, and it will be a great opportunity for his fans to see him perform live.

In his four-decade career, Elton has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s. He has sold more than 250 million albums plus over one hundred million singles, making him one of the most successful artists of all time.

He has more than 50 Top 40 hits including seven consecutive #1 US albums, 59 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, 4 #2 hits, and nine #1 hits.

His success has had a profound impact on popular music and has contributed to the continued popularity of the piano in rock and roll.

Just wow!

Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?

2007-12-14T09:05:00.000+04:00

A question has been raised in the "IEEE Spectrum" magazine this moth about the website "Wikipedia", and I would like to publish it here. The question is: How much do you trust Wikipedia’s content?

This is the entire article:

A Caltech graduate student has developed a search tool that can trace who makes entries in Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that lets anyone edit content on everything from Paris Hilton to the history of electricity. The Web site has become a popular one-stop research source, but there’s a debate about its information. Entries have been found to be inaccurate; at least one person discovered his biography contained false, defamatory information. And the new search tool revealed that many companies delete negative, though factual, information about themselves. How much do you trust Wikipedia’s content?

Holidays’ Decorations..

2007-12-09T05:11:00.000+04:00

The big Christmas Tree in "Abu Dhabi Mall"

What Ahmed Arshi posted about holidays’ decorations in our countries is, as I noticed, the viewpoint of many people around. (To read his article, click here)

And as more than a few friends of mine talked about this situation, I actually have something to say here:

These are just rental areas that can be rented to any party to do decorations. So, what to do if Christian people care about their Christmas more than how we do about our Eid! It’s always about us dude!

The thing I wanted to say is that the municipality isn’t the one how’s responsible for these Christmas decorations (As I don’t see decorations in streets). It’s about people; I don’t mean citizens, but communities responsible for such stuff.

Add to this that "Abu Dhabi Mall", "Marina Mall", and some other places in Abu Dhabi did a very beautiful decorations in Ramadan about 2 monthes ago.. So, as I said it is that sometimes we are just careless.

At the end, whatever the reasons are, “It’s a pity” as Ahmed said!

New Clooney film to open "Dubai International Film Festival"

2007-12-08T04:07:00.000+04:00

As is in the Middle East Online:

Fourth edition of festival features section for Arab narrative features, documentaries, short films.

(141 films will be showcased)

DUBAI - George Clooney's tense new legal thriller "Michael Clayton" will open the fourth Dubai international film festival on December 9, the organisers said on Monday.
Clooney plays a lawyer, a legal "fixer" who clears up complex or dirty cases for corporate clients in the movie directed by Tony Gilroy which will launch the week-long event showcasing 141 films from 52 countries.
US actor, activist and producer Danny Glover will receive a lifetime achievement award along with South Korean filmmaker Im Kwon-Taek and Egyptian director and screenwriter Youssef Chahine.
Sharon Stone will also attend the festival as part of an AIDS awareness campaign.
This year's festival features a section for Arab narrative features, documentaries and short films. The Muhr Awards has a top prize of 10,000 dollars and will include seven world premieres.
For the first time, festival-goers will be allowed to vote for their favourite film in the People's Choice awards.
"We have made numerous improvements for our fourth edition that will take us further in our mission to celebrate excellence in cinema and to nurture and develop local and international talent while also adding value to culture in the arts in Dubai and the UAE," festival chairman Abdulhamid Juma said.
Dubai, one of seven emirates that makes up the UAE, is a booming city-state with grand cultural aspirations.
Earlier this year, acrobatic extravaganza Cirque du Soleil said it would stage a permanent show on a huge artificial island off the coast of Dubai, and Universal Studios plans to build a theme park in the emirate costing more than two billion dollars.

>> Can't wait to go and see.. That's pretty interesting :)

Labour (housemaids) regulation in UAE

2007-12-07T07:44:00.000+04:00

This is how it began in the UAE:

"Governments in the Gulf expose Sri Lankan domestic workers to abuse by refusing to guarantee a weekly rest day, limits to the workday freedom of movement and other rights that most workers take for granted," said Jennifer Turner, a women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Now this talk and many other talks from the HRW aroused wonder about how this category of people is treated in the Gulf Countries(including UAE!).
As far as I know, and as far as what I see as a resident in the UAE for 23 years (not as a person who has ever had a maid), maids in this country always used to have their rights preserved as humans and employees!
Refering to Alittihad newspaper; Nov 14, 2007:
On his part, Minister of State for the National assembly Affairs and chairman of the Higher National Election Committee, Dr. Anwar Qarqash, asserted that the Salary, food, medical care, working hours are taken into consideration in the country Mol (Ministry of Labour) to protect these labours.
So, these goodies show the concern about maids, and as I said protecting their rights.
The question which arises now is that; did the UAE really prohibit giving one legal rest day per week for maids? And if so, then why?!
The answer is YES. They did prohibit giving one rest day per week for maids.
The answer for the second part of the question is unpleasing at all. In short, stuff against law.
After a while, the government of UAE realised that this decision of forbidding one day rest per week for maids, they realised that this decision doesn’t seem to be right.
As a result, they applied new rules towards this issue and that is by developing what is called “Labour regulation”.
To know about the new “Labour regulation in UAE”, click here (Nov 22, 2007).
"This information about "New Labour Regualtion" is not authorized by any party so far except to "aljazeera.net".

Mothers! Can’t you just do the house work without relying on maids?
Because this very simple and easy solution will definitely solve it all.

Social Networking Websites..

2007-12-05T10:48:00.000+04:00

“Facebook” is a social utility that connects you with the people around you.
This is how it is described, and if you’re not one of the “Facebook” confederacy; it’s just very similar to Myspace, hi5, Freindster, LinkedIn,WAYN, Bebo, Windows Live Spaces (aka MSN Spaces) , Yahoo! 360°… And this list goes on…
Wow! You’ve never heard about any of these? Ok, you should go and ask one of the 289,000,000 people joining “Myspace”, or one of the 50,000,000 who are joining “hi5”..

To me, I used to be a member in “Myspace”, but recently I transformed to be one of the 73,500,000 people who belong to “Facebook”.

Those social networking websites focus on several obsessions, most of them mainly are considered for “friendships”, some for “business”, some for “travel & lifestyle”, and some for “sexual relations” as I have discovered!!
Whatever the aim was for joining such websites, and although I’m a member in “Facebook”, I’ll mention what I most hate about this kind of websites:

1- May be you can have a silly fun over there, but don’t try to convince me that you want to be in contact with all your friends since you have a bunch of friends that you can’t handle catching each one of them individually, because if that was your claim for having an account in “Facebook” or any other network, then let me tell you that you didn’t have the perfect solution for your problem.
*If you need a reminder, I remind you that someone invented something called “email”.

2- Adding friends who are not friends! Adding friends who are really just aliases! Yes! Believe it or not. Anyone can be called a” friend” just by one click; just by accepting something called “Friendship request”. I really wonder how some people add others as friends, while they don’t have any clew about who they are!
“I’m having hundreds of “friendship requests” pending. I always used to reject them, but now I don’t, I just keep them pending because a lot of stupid people, when you reject their request, they consist and add you for another time! So, when you keep the request pending, the person can’t send you another request until you reject his first request.. That’s it! Keep them pending!”

3- Adding people you hate! You’d be surprised from time to time that some people you hate are sending you a “friendship request”… May be they just want to make your day! How lovely it would be when you add them!

4- I hate it also when I people discuss some personal issues or have a conversation in their profiles, allowing all the people read and enjoy their interesting talk. That space as I guess is supposed to be for light comments, or for saying hi for instance.

5- According to “Facebook” (which I’m joining), I’m being sick of keeping adding more and more features and applications to the website.. And people… People just add lots lots lots of applications to their profiles.. loads of applications which makes me feel that their profile is going to explode in any moment! (may be they add all the applications yelle allah khala2a based on: Elle bblash Katter meno).. because as I noticed the “gifts” application (chargable application) is not used by the users as much as the new free applications are used.

6- Finally, I hate it when I find a guy having some 1029 girls in his friends list, even though I’m quite sure they are not friends and they even may be don’t know each other! And the same; when a girl has a 4362378839402 guy in her friends list!

Now, very few things I like about such websites which can’t weigh against my “dislikes”:
1- I found a KG friend, Shatha, whom I didn’t talk to since I was in the KG… That’s just unbelievable! (By the way, she didn’t remember me, haha)

2- I like the local events advertisements and reminders.. This is a plus for the “Facebook” although you can be updated to the events through your local “timeout” website.

Now back to the first point I mentioned in the dislikes… I’m having a “Facebook” account because I just want to have one… I admit that I sometimes do contact my friends through it.. But in my point of view, one can never be called social if he/she is just living in the “Facebook” boat… or any of the other boats!

Gulfnews: Shaikh Mohammad and Princess Haya blessed with a baby girl

2007-12-03T04:06:00.000+04:00

According to Gulf News...

"Dubai: Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and his wife Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain have been blessed with a baby girl.

The new baby was born on Sunday morning.

Her birth coincides with the auspicious National Day anniversary."

Congratulations! :o)

Hugs.. Love & Peace..

2007-12-02T09:07:00.000+04:00

Don't we need this most in our arab world?

The Miniature Earth

2007-12-02T04:24:00.000+04:00

I'm speechless after I saw that animation done by Allysson Lucca.. I know that almost all people realize the huge disasters taking place in our earth, but I think we should remind each other about it every now and then.. I mean everyday, every moment.. Because it's about people; Human been... AND humanity!

And this is not the only disaster we have.. The other disaster is that we just act like "happy go lucky".. Yes exactly like that.. If we have feelings, we are expected to stop by.. Not to ask, pretend, and then go away.. But to ask, help, and stay there..

Now if you are not willing to do something (even if tiny thing), I, at least, ask you to concentrate in the animation..

To watch, please click the link below:
http://www.bambooshootz.com/miniature_earth.swf

Hello All

2007-11-30T04:49:00.000+04:00

Hello all and welcome to my blog webpage..
Actually, this is my first time to start writing in a serious manner, and I hope things will go the way I expect.. Otherwise, I'll be compelled to close this blog and consider it as a nice and interesting experience..

I'd like to thank Mr. Firas who encouraged me to take this step and start blogging as I was so into his blog; iheartamman, which I consider a very successful blog by a successful blogger (My own point of view); Successful in choosing important topics and issues, explaining and discussing them, and just by him being open minded all the time.
And yes, I'm talking about "iheartamman", because simply it's the only blog that drew my attention and made me go through it every then and while.

Now back to me, in my blog I'll raise different issues in different fields, mainly about any current event that's happening, and sometimes about things that just come to my mind!

I don't want to make it long, so now all I hope is to enjoy your time with me.

Thanks and regards.