A revisionist autobiography - I do not wish them to have power over men, but over themselves. - Mary Wollstonecraft

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Jun. 28th, 2009

12:01 am - I do not wish them to have power over men, but over themselves. - Mary Wollstonecraft

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This has been going around for a while. I suppose the timing could have been better.

Women in Saudi Arabia may not be allowed to drive, but they are still buying cars.

A new study suggests UAE nationals make up just 0.3 percent of heir country's private sector workforce. This is despite any number of government programs to boost the figure, including mandatory quotas at banks and insurance companies. The figure usually cited is many times this – two percent.

The UAE ranked fourth in the world for its road fatality rate. Road surfaces are generally excellent, but the driving culture is terrible, not least because of a lack of police on the streets penalizing poor drivers. The driving here is probably a bit better, if anything, than in most of the region, but car ownership is high here, and badly designed highways run through urban areas, leading to large numbers of high-speed crashes.

The UAE is considering an end to the current employment sponsorship system. I can't even begin to explain how big a deal this is. The opening shots in this debate seem to have remarkably little discussion of the expatriates any such move would most affect. However, if framing this purely in terms of Emirati national interests is what it takes to make this happen, then so be it.

The Cute Cat Theory of Internet Censorship.


The center of Ibn Battuta Mall's Persia court.


The design of the dome may be lifted from a mosque, but a patisserie and a cafe lie underneath.


The mall itself is divided into six courts, the other five being Andalusia, Tunisia, Egypt, India, and China.


Every major mall here resorts to some sort of gimmick to stand out, and this one is based on the travels of Ibn Battuta.


Pillars holding up the sky.


Let's move to the Andalusia court.


It is one of several with skylights.


A reference to the Fountain of the Lions in the Alhambra.


Ibn Firnas tried to fly.


The Tunisia court is one of the tackiest, so I am not posting any other pictures of it here.


A scene from the Egypt court.


That thing behind the palm trees is a giant astrolabe.


This is from the center of the India court.


At the heart of the China court lies this boat.


The ceiling here sure beats the fake sky on the other side of the mall.


A stone animal near the mall entrance.


A hot air balloon outside.


Part of a complex being built outside the mall. It will include a hotel, as well as commercial and residential space. I also took exterior shots of the different courts, but none were worth putting up.


The mall is about a kilometer long, so you can have one of these guys drive you from one end to the other.


Modhesh is the mascot of Dubai Summer Surprises.


Hello Kitty for [info]sabotabby.


A similarly named kiosk can be found down the street at the Mall of the Emirates.


Something tells me this sign at the mall entrance isn't intended to address people in expensive Caterpillar boots.


The Burj al Arab lies just outside the Madinat Jumeirah.


People enjoying their evening.


Much of the complex was empty, which was unusual for a weekend.

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(A penny for your thoughts)

Comments:

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From:[info]angiereedgarner
Date:June 27th, 2009 08:57 pm (UTC)
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Wonderful post in every way. Thank you!
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From:[info]dubaiwalla
Date:June 27th, 2009 09:06 pm (UTC)
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Pleasure's all mine.

Do you, by any chance, have a page up somewhere showing those of us who can't make it to Indiana all the paintings you'll be exhibiting there?
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From:[info]angiereedgarner
Date:June 27th, 2009 09:10 pm (UTC)
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The paintings are all on my website, split between the Lahore section and the Abu Dhabi section, but I'm not thrilled with all the photos particularly of the Lahore work. I'll take more and photos of the installation as well, and blog them.

In other words, stay tuned and stay put. :)
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From:[info]dubaiwalla
Date:June 28th, 2009 06:59 am (UTC)
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Will do!
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From:[info]rfmcdpei
Date:June 27th, 2009 11:03 pm (UTC)
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0.3%! What's public sector employment like?
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From:[info]dubaiwalla
Date:June 28th, 2009 03:33 am (UTC)
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The percentage of the public sector workforce that is Emirati? Forty-something, I believe. The imbalance is really not surprising, given the incentive structure. The public sector pays more, has shorter hours, more holidays, greater job security, and even includes automatic promotions. Also, Emiratis often do not want to perform certain sets of tasks, preferring managerial positions instead; the public sector allows for this even at entry-level jobs.

Edited at 2009-06-28 06:52 am (UTC)
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From:[info]lctrc_gtr_dde
Date:June 28th, 2009 05:49 am (UTC)
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This is from the center of the India court.

That's a water clock. Quite an impressive piece of engineering actually.
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From:[info]dubaiwalla
Date:June 28th, 2009 06:59 am (UTC)
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That's a water clock.
Did not know that. This seems a little like a Rube Goldberg machine.
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From:[info]frandroid
Date:June 28th, 2009 02:58 pm (UTC)
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(hehe at the clip)

Wow. That looks like such an amazing mall. And yet you end up going there for the mundane task of buying goods. It seems rather strange.
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From:[info]dubaiwalla
Date:June 28th, 2009 03:33 pm (UTC)
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The mall pictured is among Dubai's larger and more memorable, but most of it is actually quite cheap, in more than one sense of that word. In any event, people use malls here for many things besides shopping, including dining and entertainment. As I've mentioned before, Dubai's shopping malls are where people congregate.
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From:[info]chu_hi
Date:July 15th, 2009 07:16 pm (UTC)
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Mall of the Emirates now has an art gallery, studios and classrooms, an auditorium, and a library. But what usually draws me are the comfy sofas in a sunlit atrium - perfect for reading. The only "goods" I tend to buy when I visit (on a near daily basis) are Subway sandwiches, and lemongrass coolers from Thai Express.
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From:[info]frandroid
Date:July 15th, 2009 07:47 pm (UTC)
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Is this the same Thai Express as in Canada/US? Yum.
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From:[info]chu_hi
Date:July 15th, 2009 07:22 pm (UTC)
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...Then there is Dubai Mall, where my agenda tends to include walking through Kinokuniya (where I usually can't help but buy something), staring at the aquarium until somebody pulls me away, and then ice skating for a couple of hours. Oh, and now I have to stop by the fountain, too.
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