Aaaarrrgghhh!

Every once in awhile, I say something in class that I immediately regret. Several years ago, I had a student who rarely did any homework and, after I assigned the class a little homework, I said to the student, "Will you do the homework this time?"

The response was the typical, "Inshallah." This sort of means "God willing," but not really. For most people in the UAE, it's just a natural response to just about anything.

I said, "Are you really putting the responsibility for your homework on Allah? If you don't do it, will it be Allah's fault?" Well, I was lucky I didn't get kicked out of the country. It took a long, long time for the students to get over that.

Today, one of the students asked what 'myth' meant, and I foolishly said that they are stories we tell to explain mysteries but that they are real - like the 'jinn' in the Middle East. And, I kind of mocked jinn and ghosts. In my defense, Wikipedia says,

Genie is the mythical English translation of the Arabic term jinn.

Well, one student said that jinn were real because the Quran mentions them. Most of the other students agreed. It took them an hour to stop sulking.

From Wikipedia - Jinns: Similar to humanity, jinns have free will allowing them to follow any religion they choose to, such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. The only difference is that they are made of smokeless fire and therefore are not visible to humans. There are more jinns than humans, in terms of population. Jinns have the power to fly and fit in to any space so they live in remote areas, mountains, seas, trees, and in the air, in their own communities. Similar to the humans, Jinns will also be judged on The Day of Judgement and will be sent to Jannat (heaven) or Nar (hell) according to the life they lead.

Every person is assigned a special jinn to them, also called a qareen, the jinns that whisper into your soul and tell you to give into your evil desires. The Prophet Muhammad's jinn turned into a Muslim jinn, on the recitation of the Qur'an, as the jinn found it most beautiful.

I know I should be more careful, but I just wish everyone would lighten up.

My Saturday Morning Walk About Campus

The weather has become quite pleasant. This morning, the temperature was around 28C, so I took my camera and walked the route I take every morning to school. It's about a 10 minute walk. Most days, I see only a dozen people on my way in to the office (I usually go in around 7:30am, so the campus is quiet.). I NEVER get bumped or jostled. I NEVER end up in my office furious at all the rude people around me (see my posts on Seoul). My office and classrooms are in the big domed building on campus (the Main Building).

I saw a number of birds (see the photos on the sidebar). I was thrilled to see my favorite bird - the Hoopoe. I got a number of shots, but I need to try to get it with its crest spread out. I saw a couple of Indian Rollers, but they are skittish and I didn't get any pictures yet. There were also a number of terns (also very skittish).

Living on a campus in the middle of the desert has its drawbacks. However, it is quiet and relaxing. I spend most weekdays in my office or in the classrooms. In the evenings, I go to the gym or watch TV or read. On the weekends, I go into Dubai and have a pleasant meal at the Lime Tree, More, or some other trendy cafe. Then I do my grocery shopping at Spinneys or the Organic Store and return home. If the traffic is good (it usually is when I go), it takes 30-40 minutes to get into Dubai.

I've added a video below. There's no action - just the sound of birds. If I open my windows, this is what I hear. I'm always amazed at the number and variety of birds here.

'ecological disaster'

Mayne warns Dubai set for ‘ecological disaster’

Another in a long string of similar stories.

I was in Dubai today for lunch at the More and to buy a loaf of bread (The Organic Foods and Cafe has the best Spelt bread in the country). Dubai has some really nice restaurants and some really interesting buildings. There are some great, green parks. However, the obsession with having the biggest, best, most...yadda, yadda, yadda, seems to be a recipe for disaster. Perhaps it's just my Canadian-ness, but being okay is, well, okay. You don't need to be the greatest to be pretty darn good.

When science and culture bump heads

Genetic disorders afflict Arab world

Below are some excerpts from an article in The National (a UAE newspaper).  It's interesting that they are actually talking openly about this issue.  In countries such as those in the Gulf, it is very difficult for men and women to meet, socialize, fall in love, and marry strangers.  It's forbidden by their religion; there are also cultural prohibitions.  As a result, people marry those that they or their families know - their relatives.  This intermarriage custom is causing problems - problems which will affect the long-term survival of their countries.  They can continue to live as they have, but it is going to increase the scope of the problem.  The scientific evidence seems irrefutable.  It will be interesting to see how they deal with this problem.

The Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS) yesterday said Arab countries were showing greater prevalence of many hereditary disorders caused both by environmental and social dynamics....

Disorders such as Down’s syndrome, sickle cell disease, and thalassaemia are far more common in the region than elsewhere. Many genetic conditions that are considered rare are found more frequently in the region.

According to CAGS, 21.4 babies per 100,000 are born with Down’s in the UAE, about double the average global rate.

About one in 10 people in the UAE is a carrier [of thalassaemia], CAGS said. 

Saudi Arabia has the highest rate of birth defects in the Gulf, with around 80 babies out of every 1,000 born with a disorder.

In the UAE, Kuwait and Oman, 70 to 79 children in every 1,000 are born with a birth defect.

Birth defects have been closely linked to marriages between cousins and relatives, a common practice throughout the region and estimated to account for 35 to 50 per cent of all weddings. 

Up to half of all Emirati marriages are between relatives, with 54 per cent of married couples in Al Ain being relatives, compared to 32 per cent in Abu Dhabi and 40 per cent in Dubai.

Saudi Arabia, has perhaps the highest rate of intermarriage, with up to two thirds of all marriages occurring between relatives.

A Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner

I got together with a dozen fellow Canadians (and a few American cousins) for a really fine Thanksgiving dinner last night.  We sang our national anthem (Yes, the new words), ate (the turkey was great - and, oddly enough, cooked by a vegetarian couple), and socialized.  A good time was had by all.

Changes

I changed the layout of my blog ----- just because.

I like the fact that this one is wider.

Umm Al Quwain Aero Club

I went out to the Barracuda this morning with a friend to pick up some libations. He's a flying enthusiast so we stopped at the Umm Al Quwain Aero Club, which is right beside the Barracuda. I have passed the plane dozens of times but I'd never gone inside. It's kind of cool. You can walk right inside it. Everything has been stripped out of it, but it's still kind of cool to walk into the cockpit.


While we were there, there was a real functioning airplane of a similar type preparing to leave from the airport. There must have been 100 men dressed in coveralls walking up the back ramp to go inside. I'm assuming that the men were being shuttled to some construction sight or oil facility in the UAE or possibly a neighboring country. It must be a tough way to go. I imagine that a lot of the guys lie or sit on the metal floor for the duration of the flight.

When you can't keep a dog...

Most evenings, he/she is on my living room ceiling. I don't know what it eats. There don't seem to be any insects. Perhaps that's why it's so skinny.

Food for thought

An interesting article about Dubai at The Observer - the dark side.