Merry Christmas

Pearl of Dubai wishes a Merry Christmas to my readers, friends, and family. Christmas Eve in Dubai was spent at church, if you can believe it. Driving down a dusty Jebel Ali road unsure of where we were going, we followed a stream of Indians to an unexpected cluster of churches. The first service at St. Francis of Assisi was filled with Indian Catholics. The second midnight service at Christ's Church was mostly Brits. I have never been very involved with organized religion, but it was a pleasure to participate in the spirit of the night and share Christmas Eve with such a representative cross-section of the Dubai population.

iPod Tower

No, this isn't referring to the iPod speaker tower. Plans have been announced for a tower in Dubai's Business Bay to mimic the shape and design on Apple's iPod.

Sudden City

The January 2007 issue of National Geographic published a very accurate piece on Dubai. This is probably the most balanced and truthful magazine report on the current state of the city I have ever read. Click here for the article abstract and photography.

Dubai Reading List

This Peace Corps Volunteer named Aaron must have a good friend at Google because he got his blog mentioned on the Blogger log-in to update blogs. His blog is cool and gave me the idea to post the books I have read this fall. No particular reason for this, just thought people might be interested:

The Road to Hell by Michael Maren
My Life and Travels by Wilfred Thesiger
The United Arab Emirates by Christopher Davidson
Orientalism by Edward Said
Hamas: A Beginners Guide by Khaled Hroub
Respected Sir by Naguib Mahfouz
From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates by Frauke Heard-Bey
Dubai by Robin Moore
After Jihad by Noah Feldman
Saturday by Ian McEwan
In The Rose Garden of the Martyrs by Christopher de Bellaigue
Contending Visions of the Middle East by Zachary Lockman
Global Networks, Linked Cities by Saskia Sassen

Burnt Out

I am so burnt out from Dubai this week. It's been one of those weeks where I've been locked at home trying to finish up various writing I need to do before the holidays. For some reason the weather has made me really uneasy this week too. I had finally gotten used to sun and dry warmth everyday but December hasn't been like that. It has been really moist and kind of unsettled with squall-like moments coming in from the Gulf. At night, you can hear a moderate wind whistling through the buildings. I also made the mistake of starting to read Michael Maren's "The Road to Hell." It's a great book all about the failings of development aid in Africa and while very interesting, has generally contributed to me feeling kind of burnt out by everything. Thankfully, seven days and counting until Istanbul!

Outsourcing Censorship

Interesting Opinion piece in 7Days today about the possibility of the US adopting UAE censorship practices to address some of its current social issues related to Internet use. The comments to this article are fascinating.

DIFF recap

The Dubai Film Festival was awesome. When you live here, it becomes kind of depressing that there are so few good movies to watch. But the festival was filled with really high quality independent films, mostly directed and/or focused upon the Middle East. Of course, the movies I went to tended to have a more political slant to them (ie. Blood of my Brother, Seeds of Doubt, Tender is the Wolf). After each film, there was a Q&A session with the director and sometimes actors from the film. I was surprised by how often the line of questionning ended up with fairly impassioned criticism and anger at the United States. Granted many of the films were fairly politicized and perhaps the forum attracted people with a higher than average propensity for political discussions. But does all political criticism in this region need to be directed at the US? I guess living abroad has made me more patriotic or something but really, is the United States really to blame for every grievance or problem in this region?

Movie Weekend

The Dubai International Film Festival is on this week featuring a wide array of films from around the world, in addition to local Emirati filmmakers. It's easy to get tickets online. Click here to learn more. After each film, there is a Q&A session, sometimes including the director and actors. These discussions are very lively from what I have experienced.

Carnegie Endowment

The December 2006 Arab Reform Bulletin from the Carnegie Endowment features an article on the approaching UAE elections to the FNC. Why and how did full elections become synonymous with reform? How did we arrive at a point where the opinions of "democracy" differ so greatly between the West and Arab world? One problem is that the three most vivid symbols of democratic reform in the Arab world - Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Iraq - are so unstable right now. Given that the application of US-style democracy has faced such challenges in this part of the world, can't there be a more nuanced approach to its application in places like the UAE which are so stable politically and thriving economically?

P3 Verbal Assault

So today I was looking for a parking space in the P3 section of Deira City Centre. I put on my right indicator to pull in where I thought a car was leaving. Then it turns out he wasn't leaving, so I put on my left indicator for another spot about to be vacated on the left. Just when I did this, an SUV pulls up on my left and a woman motions for me to roll down my window. After doing this, she confronts me, saying "Now I saw you had your right indicator on and JUST when it turns out that guy isn't leaving you put on your left indicator. Now I have a Muslim conscience so I am not going to steal the spot from you but just so you know, it's mine!" Now, in this episode of the Pearl of Dubai Ethicist, who is in the right here? I mean, regardless of which spot I took, I was first in line and deserving of the first spot, regardless of what my blinker indicated, right??

Entrepreneur of the Year

A great press hit for Dubai when on Sunday, Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed was named the New York Times Entrepreneur of the Year. The only negative aspect of this article seems to be the fact-checking, which in referring to Dubai as a country rather than an emirate, fails to recognize the important role of the UAE federation in Dubai's development. The article features a great quote from Sheikh Mohammed: "Money is like water. If you lock it up, it becomes stagnant and foul-smelling but if you let it flow, it stays fresh."

The Year in Ideas

My favorite New York Times Magazine of the year came out yesterday. Titled "The 6th Annual Year in Ideas" this issue presents 76 ideas from 2006, "the peaks and valleys of ingenuity..." in the words of the Times. A few of the featured ideas related to urban planning. The first "Big Urbanism" cites the trend towards grandiosity in urban design, a movement undoubtedly encouraged by cities like Dubai. Another idea employs the "less is more" theory to small towns, using the case of Youngstown, Ohio to illustrate the strategy of "Creative Shrinking" of urban populations to produce smaller, more efficient towns. Lastly, the idea of large airports as mini-cities or "Aerotropolis" complete with hotels, malls, office buildings and even hospitals. The new Dubai World Central International Airport will even contain a golf course.

Lung Alert

I have heard that a typical shisha sitting is equivilent to smoking a whole pack of cigarettes. Is this true? Can someone please say it ain't so!

A Daily Photo

I love this blog...it is called Dubai Daily Photo. Every day a new photo of Dubai. And if that isn't enough, it provides links to similar blogs from cities all over the world. Very cool.

FNC Elections Approaching

More dialogue in the local media about the FNC elections. This from Aisha Sultan, a UAE writer running for the FNC.

Christmas in DXB

It's fun being in a Muslim country for the Christmas season. In true Dubai-fashion, the lead up to the holiday is executed extremely well. There aren't any of the usual excesses one becomes accustomed to in the West. Rather, Christmas themes are weaved into the fabric of things. There are the occasional blinking lights on buildings on Sheikh Zayed Road. The singer at the 44 Bar at the Grosvenor House humming "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas." I am not a huge fan of the holiday myself but obviously this time period makes me miss my friends and loved ones. At the same time, the Dubai-style Christmas creates a nice mood, reminding Christians here of this day without all the consumer excess to deal with.

DP World Irony

It seems that a few months make quite a difference in how the US assesses DP World. Just months after the ports drama, Dubai Ports World will participate in a pilot program to test for radiation in US-bound cargo. Maybe finally lawmakers have realized that DP World's credentials are what matters here, not the fact that it is owned by an Arab state. Unfortunately I believe that the damage has already been done to Dubai's image as many Americans learned about Dubai through the ports controversy and the false paranoia and doubt about Dubai it fostered.

Brand Iraq

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised today to meet people from Pikasso Iraq, an outdoor advertising agency selling billboard space in big cities around Iraq. Besides the fact that an agency like this would even exist, I was equally surprised by how organized and professional the presentation of billboard space in Iraq was. The glossy 88 page brochure includes a section for each city with photos of each billboard, measurements, exact locations and detailed panel codes. This all seemed extremely organized given the otherwise chaotic impression I have of Iraq. Maybe these billboards offer an opportunity to the US in some way?

It's Hard Being a Camel

Cement Transport?

My Dad's best friend in Italy is a civil engineer. Looking at my father's photos of Dubai, Mario asked how the cement for skyscrapers is transported from the ground to the high floors where it is used to build the next level of the building. I have no idea about these type of things so if anyone has an idea, please post here so I can pass onto Mario. Thank you.

Emaar Diversification

Dubai is known for its success at diversifying away from being oil-dependent. Now, one of the emirates' largest public-private partnerships, the real estate group Emaar, is diversifying beyond real estate. News today that Emaar will start investing in, of all things, education. The first Emaar schools will be open in mid-2007.

Happy Birthday

Today is the 35th birthday of the United Arab Emirates. Happy Birthday! It is also pouring with rain in Dubai for the first time since I have been here. Coming from a non-desert climate it's actually refreshing to have it rain after so many endless days of clear blue sky and heat.

FNC Commentary

Candid commentary today in Gulf News from the director general of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research Dr. Jamal Sanad Al Suwaidi about the place of democracy in the UAE and the approaching FNC elections.