Oct 5----UAE Culture

Is it possible that UAE culture is being swamped by expat influences?

Or is the issue simply globalisation?

Expats and nationals alike are asking the question about how to deal with UAE culture.

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081004/NATIONAL/90715377/1010

'Consumerism and foreigners' greatest identity threats

Anthony Richardson and Jen Gerson

• Last Updated: October 04. 2008 11:56PM UAE / October 4. 2008 7:56PM GMT

Signs of the UAE's changing times at Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi. Andrew Parsons / The National

Residents of the UAE say the burgeoning expatriate population and consumerism are the greatest threats to national identity, according to a study published today.

In the survey, conducted by the market-research company YouGov Siraj, 60 per cent of Emiratis questioned said they felt a sense of isolation as their cultural identity became increasingly diluted by large numbers of expatriates. In contrast, 71 per cent of the western expatriates surveyed said that the biggest threat to Emirati culture and
identity was the country’s “highly materialistic and consumerist society”.

Despite those sentiments, 81 per cent of the 628 respondents – Emirati and expatriate – said they belonged in the UAE. More than half said the country’s safety record was the main attraction.

Most of those surveyed agreed that a sense of national identity could be developed by creating a “consolidated vision across the emirates that all citizens and residents can relate to equally” and by communicating traditional values.

High rents, traffic and inflation emerged as the three main problems residents have. Traffic was considered the biggest problem in Sharjah, where 56 per cent of those surveyed said it reduced the quality of their lives.

The survey found that nationals were the most likely group to say the UAE is a good place to raise a family. A fifth of all Asians questioned cited discrimination as a key complaint.

Most Western and Asian expatriates said their inability to speak Arabic had not been an obstacle to their career aspirations.

The survey will be featured this evening on Emirates Tonight, on the Arabic-language Emirates Channel.

Oct 5----Hugh MacLeod

Hour one we are joined by Hugh MacLeod!

http://www.gapingvoid.com/

Besides "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards", my main gig is Marketing Strategist for Stormhoek, a small South African vineyard, whose Web 2.0 approach to wine making is currently getting a lot of international attention in the wine trade.

My other main interest at the moment has been working with Microsoft on The Blue Monster Project, which has all to do with finding new ways to get the company to tell its story better.

The most-read page on gapingvoid is "How To Be Creative", with "The Hughtrain" ["The market for something to believe in is infinite"] running a distant second. My favorite page on the site is this one, where I talk about some of my favorite early biz-card cartoons, and what inspired the thinking behind them.

Besides taking on commssioned cartooning work, I also distribute them freely via the internet, or whatever means I have at my disposal [Please go here for more details/licensing terms etc].

If people want to use my cartoons for their own stuff, or just help support the cause, the best thing they can do in exchange is consider buying a bottle of Stormhoek, if and when they come across it. Or failing that, I really appreciate it when people add the gapingvoid widget to their blog.

Thanks for reading. Seriously. Godspeed!

oct 1----futurism

http://www.davinciinstitute.com/speakers.php

Hour 2 on Nightline a conversation with Thomas Frey!

Thomas Frey - Senior Futurist
Google's Top Rated Futurist Speaker
Executive Director of the DaVinci Institute

"The greatest value in understanding the future comes from spotting the major cultural, demographic, societal, and economic shifts early and translating them into viable business strategies," says Tom.

As the Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute, he works closely with his Board of Visionaries to develop original research studies, which enables him to speak on unusual topics, translating trends into unique opportunities.

As part of the celebrity speaking circuit, Tom continually pushes the envelope of understanding, creating fascinating images of the world to come. His keynote talks on futurist topics have captivated people ranging from high level government officials to executives in Fortune 500 companies including NASA, IBM, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies, First Data, Boeing, Capital One, Bell Canada, Visa, Ford Motor Company, Qwest, Allied Signal, Hunter Douglas, Direct TV, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Federal Credit Unions, Times of India, and many more.

Because of his work inspiring inventors and other revolutionary thinkers, the Boulder Daily Camera has referred to him as the "Father of Invention". The Denver Post and Seattle Post Intelligencer have referred to him as the "Dean of Futurists".

Before launching the DaVinci Institute, Tom spent 15 years at IBM as an engineer and designer where he received over 270 awards, more than any other IBM engineer. He is also a past member of the Triple Nine Society (High I.Q. society over 99.9 percentile).

Tom has been a columnist for the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, and Boulder County Business Report, and is the author of the 1998 book "Inventions of Impact". He currently writes a newsletter entitled "News from the Future" and has written numerous articles on a wide range of futurist topics. He has also been a contributing writer for The Futurist Magazine and is the Editor of the Impact Lab, an online emerging technology blog which was recently rated by Popular Science Magazine as one of the "top five science blogs in the known universe".

Other photos of Tom.
Photos of his recent speaking tour in India

Oct 1---lose weight

Dan from FM 92 joined us for an hour to take us on his weight loss journey!

5 months and 23 KGs later Dan has finally grabbed the weight beast by the horns and so far has it in a strangle hold!

How? The Weight Care Clinic in Dubai! 04-363-5395.

What is your health worth?