thehedonista

The Pros and Cons of Being an Expat in Dubai

The Pros and Cons of Being an Expat in Dubai

THE HEDONISTA: Written from an Australian perspective – Vegemite and Tim Tams feature – I think there’s enough here to give everyone a flavour of what they’ll gain and lose as an expat in Dubai.

 Rob L. Wagner

Saudi Education: The Power Struggle Heats Up

Saudi Education: The Power Struggle Heats Up

ROB L. WAGNER: A new secondary school textbook highlights the struggle between liberals and conservatives within the Saudi Ministry for Education.

 thehedonista

Summer to Snow, Ridiculous to The Sublime

Summer to Snow, Ridiculous to The Sublime

SARAH WALTON: “Us from Dubai are only occasional snow dwellers, and so I enter the fields in pink borrowed gear that results in the nickname “marshmallowzilla”…

 The View From Fez

Moroccan Carpet Scams: We Investigate

Moroccan Carpet Scams: We Investigate

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: There’s wild theatricality and not-a-little pressure but are the frequent tales of grasping Moroccan carpet sellers fact or fiction?

 thehedonista

The Quiet, Undiscovered Joys of Oman

The Quiet, Undiscovered Joys of Oman

THE HEDONISTA: ‘One smile begets another’ and the people of Oman are very generous with their smiles. They’re also very keen to share their hidden gems…

 Mondoweiss

An Inconvenient Truth: Ehud Barak Off Message

An Inconvenient Truth: Ehud Barak Off Message

MONDOWEISS: If Iran ever acquired nuclear weapons would it launch an attack on Israel? “Not on us and not on any neighbor.” The speaker? Ehud Barak…

 Crossroads Arabia

High Oil Price Comes Back to Haunt Saudi

High Oil Price Comes Back to Haunt Saudi

CROSSROADS ARABIA: The Saudi government is under pressure to help herders who have seen the price of imported fodder rocket.

 Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Nigella Lawson: Being Brave to Wear a Burqini

Nigella Lawson: Being Brave to Wear a Burqini

SHELINA ZAHRA JANMOHAMED: Lawson’s fear of sunburn may have inadvertently prompted the realisation that there is liberation in covering.

 Steve Royston

Reasons For, and Against, Working in the MidEast

Reasons For, and Against, Working in the MidEast

STEVE ROYSTON: One year ago I wrote the 10 good reasons to work in the Middle East. I would not change one of them. I have, however, added 10 reasons you may not want to.

 Sam

Comment on The Real Damage of Vanity Fair’s Attack on Dubai by Sam

By: AmyAus82 ..

I’m so sick and tired of this junk.

It’s the same story ‘locals are rich, lazy and stupid’, ‘westerners (whites) are ‘drunks here for the money living lives they couldn’t in their own country’, and the ‘poor unfortunate workers struggle through every day more humble than the last’…

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Let’s call it as it really is, shall we?

Locals: living a country that developed around them so have known nothing other than living the way they have and are trying to enjoy it, They value education and love their family but enjoy active social lives, whether it be with friends or just their family.

Whites: offered better deals so came here to get forward because 1) they would have the chance to move up a level, and 2) they would return to their country with cross cultural experience, extra bonus for future jobs. Don’t love everyday, but work hard to get to the next because they are living in a mixed bag of cultures and it IS tough so YES they do enjoy those nice five star events because, while away from their families and friends, they do tend to substitute the sadness with ‘things’- but still hard working and do it every day because that’s life

Drones: Not always as ‘woe as me’ as the papers make them. They came here for the same reason the whites did, the money is better than in their country. Many of them suffer, but let’s face it, they suffer in their own countries regardless and it’s not an issue of ‘UAE treating them bad’ it’s an issue of the world declaring some countries are third world and have poor passports so don’t have education/quality to first world standards. Don’t be fooled into thinking they are all in need of help, many will stab you in the back if they get the chance – because they’re born evil? No. Because they were born and taught from birth that survival is battle of the strongest. Not everyone with a sad face is a victim.

That’s a better stereotype. One our ‘learned’ friend didn’t bother to find out about. He flew in, stayed for a day or two and flew out. He wrote a high school newsletter article and left.

The same insulting article could have been written by me about holidays in the US, UK, Asia, Africa… many countries… if I chose to look at the things he chooses to look it.

‘Deafening journey to loud mouthed, narrow minded America’
‘Who will England whinge to next?’
‘Australia: Are you sure it’s not Asia or the Middle East?’

You can angle anything you want from anything you want.

It’s a case of whether your journalists really wants to write or just wants to make a word count.

We can see from his opening paragraph that rattled off possibly four or five metaphors, wasting even more of our time, that he had a word count that needed to be filled and to have filled it with ‘real’ information would have required references, the time for which he did not want to spend.

Boo to you AA Gill.

I will never read an article by you again.

I am stupider for having read it and would like those 10 minutes of my life back.

Boo.

 Steve Royston

Arab Heart Revealed in Tahrir and Jeddah

Arab Heart Revealed in Tahrir and Jeddah

STEVE ROYSTON: It has been a tumultuous couple of weeks for the peoples of Cairo and Jeddah. Adversity has brought out the best in people.

 James M. Dorsey

FIFA Concedes Traded Votes in World Cup Bids

FIFA Concedes Traded Votes in World Cup Bids

JAMES DORSEY: If Blatter’s admission is correct, those votes would account for seven of the 12 votes that won Qatar its right to host the world’s biggest sporting event.

 David Roberts

Asian Cup Woes A Gift for Qatar 2022 Critics

Asian Cup Woes A Gift for Qatar 2022 Critics

DAVID ROBERTS: Huge queues, chronic transportation, empty seats and a less than fulsome welcome for travelling fans – a very long ‘To Do’ list for Qatar 2022.

 James M. Dorsey

Gloves Off: Blatter “Served Too Long”, Hammam

Gloves Off: Blatter “Served Too Long”, Hammam

JAMES M. DORSEY: Mohamed bin Hammam lashed out on Monday, charging that Blatter had served too long as head of soccer’s world governing body.

 James M. Dorsey

Money Talks: Qatar’s WC Bid Fits SWF Strategy

Money Talks: Qatar’s WC Bid Fits SWF Strategy

JAMES M. DORSEY: Flush with cash, Qatar spared no cost in its campaign to win the bid the World Cup. But are there ethical questions here?

 Steve Royston

Is Saudi Encouraging its own Brain Drain?

Is Saudi Encouraging its own Brain Drain?

STEVE ROYSTON: Could it be that the next wave of migration will come from the very class of people that Saudi Arabia sees as its future?

 Steve Royston

This is Cricket, There will be No Other…

This is Cricket, There will be No Other…

STEVE ROYSTON: As a child, I used to stay up late to listen to the Ashes on the radio. Today, a little closer to Australia and half a century on, I’m still listening.