Etisalat's Professionalism

This report in Gulf News says that land lines are getting hacked through the internet and Etisalat isn't bothered about it. If your phone line was misused by a stranger, wouldn't you be upset?

“I faxed a complaint and e-mailed Etisalat twice, but I received no response. Then I went personally and I got an explanation from the counter that my telephone line was hacked via the internet and calls were made and that I have to pay.”

Even though Etisalat knows that the line was hacked in, they still don't bother to investigate and want the victim to pay for it. The victim can install all kinds of anti-hacking, anti-virus and anti-this and that software, but the least telcom can do is to investigate who is hacking and how! But no, they don't have the time for that!

Now that's high level professionalism for you right there! If only other major corporations adopt this attitude, we'd all be living in an ideal world!

Cheap Housing? Really?

Dubai Municipality is planning to build low-cost housing to cater to the needs of low-income groups, particularly expatriates.

So Dubai has finally realised the requirements of its residents. Not everyone is financially well-off to live in expensive, posh areas of the city, or even moderately posh for that matter. Gulf News published this article today and I'm sure a lot of people must have given agreeable nods when they read it.

But... will the housing really be affordable? If you have a close look at the current housing situation in Dubai, especially in the overcrowded areas such as Deira and Bur Dubai, you will find that people residing in the old buildings, of which the rents have not sky rocketed as much as the newer buildings, do not vacate the apartments so easily. And that is mainly for 2 reasons:

1 -- Most older buildings have larger apartments. They are old structures, so the rent was not as high to begin with like the new buildings.

2 -- The current residents demand "key money" for vacating the apartment.

Key money could be described a mild version of extortion. The current occupants set a certain amount over which they refuse to leave if it is not paid. The would-be occupants cannot do anyting about it and the landlord is not bothered, as long as the building is fully occupied.

Just like real estate companies take over the sale of apartments in buildings, so do certain unscrupulous opportunists who will rent a few of these upcoming low cost housing. They know that when the building is ready, potential residents will run to sign up for apartments. And most will be willing to pay the key money to get in. Only then will the tenancy contract be transferred.

Business is good. And in Dubai, everything is for sale.

And Now The New York Times!

Fascinating! Blogging in the UAE has become ever popular since Secret Dubai Diary's blog was blocked by Etisalat and the story was published in the paper. And, as you are all aware, eventually it was unblocked.

More controversially, content that verges on the political has also been blocked: Secret Dubai Diary, a quirky blog about Western expatriate life here, was blocked for weeks this summer, raising howls from the blogger community. Etisalat says users can appeal to have a block removed.

Secret Dubai Diary made to the New York Times! (on page 2). I don't know if the blog was as popular as it has become now, but I'm sure almost all local bloggers want to be there when the blog is updated next. Even small articles draw so many comments from readers.

To be honest, I never thought of blogging until I read that article in the paper. In fact, I was surprised to find so many local bloggers writing on such diverse topics - from anything to everything! This prompted me to start my own blog and see how it goes from there. Only thing is, one has to be regular in posting to attract readers, and I try my best to do that. Even though I have a very hectic daily schedule, I find some time to post my thoughts/opinions online.

So, Secret Dubai Diary... kudos to you!

Oasis Center Burns Down

Oasis Center on Shaikh Zayed Road was on fire early yesterday, and as per the police, it was due to negligence of safety measures. One of the most prominent landmarks in Dubai, it was saddening to hear the news. Although I'd only been there a few times, it had a pleasant and peaceful atmosphere.

The workers were using gas cylinders and at one point sparks flew, igniting the thermal insulation.

Very dangerous indeed. I remember once when my office almost caught fire for the same reason: electric sparks flew from a few jumbled wires and the thermal insulation caught fire immediately. Luckily, some of us were in the office late night and saw the smoke and put it out. Otherwise, we'd be in the news the next day, as I too work in a very prominent "landmark" in Dubai that's been around for over 30 years!

"It was not vandalism as is being spread by many people, who love circulating rumours to spark fear among the people," Al Mazeina said.

Vandalism is the first thing that comes to one's mind. However, most of my friends were thinking about "insurance". Being that Oasis Center was not doing so well financially as most other shopping centers, this was a way to cover losses and start over. But I don't think so.

My biggest concern was for the animals at Petland. No matter how many times I'd been to Oasis Center, I would always stop by at Petland to see the animals.

A rescue worker at the site on Shaikh Zayed Road said all the animals had been burnt. "It was a a horrible sight," he said.

This was extremely distressing for me. I love animals and last night when I heard from a friend that Oasis Center burned down, my first thoughts were "What about the animals?" Left me thinking for sometime.

It's outrageous that a large and modern shopping center such as this would develop a faulty sprinkler system. Perhaps they did not maintain it properly, in which case, along with the workers, the management is also at fault. There should be fire drills and maintenance of the fire detection systems regularly. The Police and Fire Department should be advised earlier that at this particular time a fire drill will take place, so as not to send their vehicles and personnel when the fire alarm rings, which is connected to the Operations Room at the Dubai Police.

Voice Mail Woes!

Voice Mail : Hi! This is .... I'm not available right now. Please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Caller : ((( click )))

That is so damn annoying! I get about 30 calls on voice mail a day and more than 20 of them are just sounds of the phone hanging up. For those of you who have experienced this, you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes the same person calls several times (I know because I get the number) and still never leaves a message.

Check this out : Once a person complained to my colleague that he called so many times but I'm never there. I check my voice mail and find that he called 7 times - but NO message. I call him back and ask him if the matter is so important why didn't he leave a message. He replies, and I quote, "Oh, I never leave messages!" Unbelievable! So then we both had a nice conversation after that.

The most irritating thing is when in a message I can just hear cars whizzing by and honking and the car radio blaring in the background.

Wish I didn't have the facility of voice mail here. Then the phone can just ring forever!

Internet Speed Limits

Well, our dear and most loved telecom (Etisalat - like you have a choice!) has announced a free offer to upgrade your current Al Shamil package to the next higher one, on the occassion of the 10th anniversary of internet access in UAE.

Subscribers to a 256K package will be upgraded to a 512K package; subscribers to a 512K package to 1 Mb, and subscribers to a 1 Mb package to 2Mb. Subscribers to a 2Mb package will remain on the same package but with a significantly reduced price.

So what are you waiting for? What? Say again? Think a little louder! Ahh.. yes. What great, big difference will a little upgrade make anyway! Except for peace of mind that you have a "better" package now!

From 256k to 512k is not a big deal, but from 512k to 2MB "should be" a big deal. But it ain't! I have a 512k at home and a Wi-Fi 2MB in the office. Pageloads and downloads are only slightly faster. Bah! So much for great expectations.

While it is great news, it is worth making an international comparison. Perhaps, the most famous global telco is British Telecom.

Its most basic 2Mb connection works out to Dh108 a month. In the UAE the cost of a 2Mb connection is Dh650 a month (as quoted on the website at the time of going to press). The most expensive BT offering is Dh190 a month.

Now we all know Etisalat makes oil tanker loads of money off its subscribers. And as part of a hugely profitable local enterprise, it is obligated to donate funds into the local economy for the betterment of its nationals.

But isn't it also obligated to continually improve its services for its subscribers? Spending billions of dollars in buying large stakes in foreign telecoms does not benefit us in anyway.

Read this on Etisalat's shopping spree!

Prince Charming's Complaint!

(Excerpt from a play)

PRINCE CHARMING: Anybody remember that song? That’s right. “Rescue Me”. Fontella Bass… 1965. A golden oldie. To most people it’s a golden oldie. Except for the women I married. To them it’s the national anthem. Maybe it’s the white charger… Maybe it’s the suit of armor… Maybe it’s the royal title… I don’t know. But what I do know is that for some reason the only kind of women I seem to attract are women with a desperate need to be rescued. If only I’ll save them from whatever hell they’ve been forced into, they’re convinced life will be wonderful.

There have been a lot of women in my life… I don’t deny it. I love women. I don’t trust any man who doesn’t love women. My mistake is in marrying them. I’ll give you an example. My first wife… Rapunzel… Great name, isn’t it? Rapunzel. You don’t run into many girls these days named Rapunzel. A lot of Brittany’s and Taylor’s but no Rapunzels. I used to love just saying her name… Rapunzel. When I first met her she’d been locked in a tower by her mother. That should’ve been my first clue. You have to wonder about a woman whose been locked away in a tower by her own mother.

But she begged me to rescue her. She said she would love me forever, if only I’d free her from that tower. Something told me not to get involved and I told her that. Straight out. Up front. I didn’t want to lie. I am Prince Charming, after all. That’s when Rapunzel let down her hair. Guys, am I right? There is nothing sexier than a woman who, at just the right moment, gives her head a shake and unleashes cascades of long, flowing hair? And with Rapunzel, that moment happened in spades. She shook her head and that thick, gorgeous hair started cascading and it never stopped. All I could think about was how that hair was going to look spread out on a pillow.

So what’s the first thing she does right after the “I do’s”? She cuts her hair. “It’s too long”… “It’s not practical”… “It interferes with my back hand”… “I thought you cared about me”… “You only care about my hair”… “My mother was right about you.”

Before the marriage even got going, it was over… That’s when I met Snow White. I went for a ride in the woods to get away, clear my head and there she was. Snow White… If ever a woman was mis-named, it was my second wife. The woman lived with seven guys who worked in a mine for God sakes. Trust me, cooking and cleaning wasn’t the only service she provided. Before she showed up, Happy was just called Phil.

Pakistan and Israel: Will it work?

One of the latest top news going around these days is the diplomatic talks between Pakistan and Israel. Go into any of the hundreds of coffee shops and people are smoking shisha and watching either football or when the Pak-Israeli talks come on the news and every head turns to listen.

The sensitivity that surrounds any move towards establishing diplomatic ties with Israel is evident from the choice of the word "engagement" rather than "relations".

Of course, the right words have to be very carefully chosen for such a sensitive topic. Any misunderstanding and all hell will break loose, which very often does happen in Pakistan.

Dr Rizvi points to two immediate benefits that Pakistan may be seeking from its change of policy.

"The first has to do with image," he says.

"What better way can there be for Pakistan to prove its moderate credentials by moving towards establishing some kind of ties with Israel?" he asks.

Does Pakistan have to develop peaceful relations with Israel to prove to the international community, especially the West, that is it a peace loving nation and that it is against terrorism.

After the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan joined hands with America to rid the world of Osama Bin Laden, He still got away, but at least Pakistan was in Uncle Sam’s good books. After the London attacks, first thing Pakistan did was shut down hundreds of madrassas and deport the hundreds of students who come from all over the world to attend these madrassas.

I do agree with a lot of things Pakistan’s President Musharraf is doing. Most of the country’s mullahs are corrupt and use their influence on people to do things which they themselves will normally never do. The madrassas are their training grounds. The mullahs cannot be controlled, they can only be slowed down, but for a while only, and then they spring back up.

Pakistan's top religious leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed has already described the Istanbul initiative as a move "against everything that Pakistan has so far stood for".

Qazi Hussain Ahmed is an opportunist. He feeds on the fickle-minded and the illiterate. He once came on TV on a talk show and said that he is a very simple person and has no material things or luxuries to boast of. After which the show’s host asked him, “So what about the Toyota Landcruiser you stepped out of tonight?”

Some Pakistani observers argue that President Musharraf has been resolutely trying to move Pakistan's foreign policy away from its current ideological basis to one rooted in economic self interest.

If by these diplomatic talks, Pakistan improves its standing in the international community; if it helps the local economy; if it improves the standard of living; if it brings about a more liberal way of thinking; if it improves the image of Pakistani’s living abroad; then it is by all means the right step forward.

What remains to be seen now is how successfully Pakistan's foreign office and its affiliated think tanks can sell it to the public.

Damn right!

Mike's Letter

We all know Michael Moore and his criticism of the government. Prez Bush had it coming this time! Check out Mike's letter to Bush.

Katrina the Terrible!

Katrina: such a beautiful name given to something so terrible. The hurricane has caused immense destruction and left so many dead in its wake. The residents were ill-equipped to face the sheer size of the thing and the authorities also seemed helpless. It’s so unfortunate and sad to see pictures of the devastation on the net and the live broadcasts. These satellite images will show you massive flooded areas of Louisiana.

Perhaps what was most appalling was the state of the residents of New Orleans: all the looting, killing, raping and other horrible crimes committed by the same people who were otherwise law-abiding citizens. The city has descended into chaos. We are used to seeing this sort of thing on TV, movies and the “poorer and/or Third World countries”. But I guess it’s just human nature. It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you are. When the basic necessities of life are taken away, we will do whatever we can to attain even a little bit of security. In a lawless city, where even the cops are not cops anymore, everyone has to fend for himself. After all, what’s more precious than your own life!

Petrol Price Panic!

Unbelievable car queues at every petrol station since the announcement of of the price hike! The new prices were to take effect from 1st Sep. but Gulf News reported that some stations had already started charging the new prices from 30th Aug.

I was at an Eppco station opposite Wafi to pay for my credit card bills and everyone was filling up car tanks to full! It was like those cases during the coming of the new millenium year 2000 (Y2K) where people were stocking up all kinds of goods - when the end of the world was just around the corner! OK... so they will fill their tanks today, make the best of the low prices for one last time, drive their cars for a day or two or three and then ... well you have to fill up the tank again!

It was ridiculous! And I'm ashamed to admit it, but I too was a part of that ridiculous queue!!! I thought "Oh what the hell, if everyone is doing it, so I might as well save a few bucks too!"