Showing posts with label middle east. Show all posts
Showing posts with label middle east. Show all posts

Tuesday, 31 August 2010

Virgin Megastore: Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Pinocchio




Credits & Description:
Type of Entry: Magazine
Category: Retail Stores
Title: SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
Advertiser/Client: VIRGIN MEGASTORE
Product/Service: AUDIO BOOKS
Advertising Agency: JWT DUBAI
Country: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency: JWT DUBAI
Country: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Executive Creative Director: Chafic Haddad
Creative Director: Elias Haddad
Copywriter: Elias Haddad
Art Director: Rayyan Aoun
Photographer: Jeremy Wong (nemesis Pictures)
Illustrator: Baiju Natarajan/Tarek Samaan
Account Supervisor: Prabhakar Iyer
Advertiser's Supervisor: Tarek Moussawer
Other Credits: Prabhakar Iyer/Magic Cube/Mirage Works/Nabil Kamara/Emily Haddad

Tuesday, 17 August 2010

Saudi Arabia builds a $800 million clock to dwarf the Big Ben


"The Greenwich Mean Time is up for a stiff competition from the Mecca. The Muslim community worldwide is all set to synchronize their watches with a giant clock in the Islamic holy city of Mecca. Bearing a resemblance to the Big Ben tower the 2000 feet tall monument will feature a four-faced clock and will run on Arabia Standard Time; three hours ahead of GMT. Towering over the holy Kabaa in Mecca, Saudi Arabia at a height of 1,972 ft, will sit atop a massive skyscraper which when completed will be one of the world's tallest buildings.

Each clock face will be set in 98 million pieces of glass mosaics and bear the inscription 'God is greatest' in Arabic. The 130-foot diameter clock dials will be visible over a 16 mile radius. The entire project is being designed by German and Swiss engineers and as per the directions of the Ministry of Religious Endowments. The project will cost $800 million. DailyMail reports that 'The unveiling of the clock is a deliberate attempt to take over from Greenwich Observatory which was chosen as the starting point for the measurement of time in 1884."

Source By Dailymail and kamakshi (http://www.luxurylaunches.com)

Monday, 16 August 2010

The Effect of “Debtors Prisons”: Abandoned Supercars in Dubai

The above is just one of hundreds of such instances in Dubai. Residents are skipping town in a hurry and leaving their assets strewn about for the authorities to take stock of. Many times, these “assets” are $450,000 Ferraris and the like. Here’s a small gallery http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/09/  of similar cars left by the wayside.

So why are these guys in such a hurry to leave without a care as to what happens to their possessions? Well, as the world is painfully aware, Dubai has recently gone through a “boom and bust” cycle, which has left many executives on the hook for not only personal debts, but corporate ones as well if there name is tied to the corporation.

On the surface, such instances are no different in the US. Guys live large, then go broke and their stuff gets taken away and they have to start from the bottom. So what’s the difference?

Debtors prisons are the difference. Whereas Stateside, you get you credit score knocked down (and maybe bankruptcy) when you don’t pay your bills, in Islamic countries, not honoring one’s debts is goes against Islamic law, so trespassers can be tried and locked up if they don’t have the means to make right on their debts.

Since many of the investors, residents and executives of Dubai are expatriates of other countries, rather than stay in Dubai and face the music, they leave a note and haul ass back to the safety of their own country. Hence the cars with the notes on the windshield (often parked at the airports while the debtor is on their way out of dodge). The good news is that it’s now a buyer’s market on used cars in Dubai, with exotics going for 60 cents on the dollar over there. Just make sure you can make the payments.

Source By http://www.justaguything.com/

Wednesday, 4 August 2010

Iranian teenager faces execution for 'false' gay assault charges

An 18-year-old Iranian man is facing execution over a false sodomy charge, campaigners say.

Ebrahim Hamidi was sentenced to death two years ago at the age of 16 for an unspecified assault on another man.

Although the allegation was withdrawn and the Iranian Supreme Court has rejected the guilty verdict and execution order, a lower provincial court is insisting on Mr Hamidi's execution.

Now, his fate lies in the hands of the Supreme Court, which must decided whether to uphold the execution order.

Previously, he was represented by the human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei but Mr Mostafaei has gone into hiding after a warrant for his arrest was issued.

The lawyer is also representing Sakineh Ashtiani, the Iranian woman who has been sentenced to death by stoning on charges of adultery.
Supporters of Mr Hamidi say that while Ms Ashtiani is unlikely to face death because she has international support, he could be executed at any time.

They are asking for people to contact their MPs to raise awareness of Mr Hamidi's plight.

He was arrested in 2008 with three other men after a fight between two families outside the city of Tabriz.

The four men were told by police that one of the men they had been fighting had claimed they attempted to strip and sexually assault him.

The men say they were tortured in prison and Mr Hamidi signed a confession which he said was not true.

All four were tried in two consecutive provincial criminal courts and were sentenced to execution.

During their third trial, three of the men were cleared of all charges but Mr Hamidi was again sentenced to execution.

He was sentenced to die on June 21st this year.

On July 7th, the man who made the original accusation against Mr Hamidi withdrew it, telling police in a written statement that he had made up the claim under parental pressure.

The Supreme Court of Iran has twice rejecting the lower court's rulings on the case because of shortcomings in the judicial investigation.

However, Mr Hamidi's supporters say that the lower court is intent on his execution.

Dan Littauer, the editor of Gay Middle East, who has been reporting on the case, says that Mr Hamidi currently has no legal representation.

In a statement today, he urged people to support the accused man's case by contacting their MPs.

"There is no evidence that Hamidi is gay or that he committed any crime. This execution must be stopped. We need your help," Mr Littauer said.

UK-based gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell added: "Ebrahim's case shows the flaws and failings of the Iranian legal system. It is further evidence that innocent people are sentenced on false charges of homosexuality."
"An international campaign can help stop Ebrahim's execution, just as a similar global campaign has, so far, halted the stoning to death of Sakineh Ashtiani."

Source By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk

Friday, 23 July 2010

Goodbye Middle East: Dubai


Sempre é preciso saber quando uma etapa chega ao final...
Se insistirmos em permanecer nela mais do que o tempo necessário, perdemos a alegria e o sentido das outras etapas que precisamos viver.
Encerrando ciclos, fechando portas, terminando capítulos. Não importa o nome que damos, o que importa é deixar no passado os momentos da vida que já se acabaram.
Foi despedida do trabalho? Terminou uma relação? Deixou a casa dos pais? Partiu para viver em outro país? A amizade tão longamente cultivada desapareceu sem explicações?
Você pode passar muito tempo se perguntando por que isso aconteceu....
Pode dizer para si mesmo que não dará mais um passo enquanto não entender as razões que levaram certas coisas, que eram tão importantes e sólidas em sua vida, serem subitamente transformadas em pó. Mas tal atitude será um desgaste imenso para todos: seus pais, seus amigos, seus filhos, seus irmãos, todos estarão encerrando capítulos, virando a folha, seguindo adiante, e todos sofrerão ao ver que você está parado.
Ninguém pode estar ao mesmo tempo no presente e no passado, nem mesmo quando tentamos entender as coisas que acontecem conosco.
O que passou não voltará: não podemos ser eternamente meninos, adolescentes tardios, filhos que se sentem culpados ou rancorosos com os pais, amantes que revivem noite e dia uma ligação com quem já foi embora e não tem a menor intenção de voltar.
As coisas passam, e o melhor que fazemos é deixar que elas realmente possam ir embora...
Por isso é tão importante (por mais doloroso que seja!) destruir recordações, mudar de casa, dar muitas coisas para orfanatos, vender ou doar os livros que tem.
Tudo neste mundo visível é uma manifestação do mundo invisível, do que está acontecendo em nosso coração... e o desfazer-se de certas lembranças significa também abrir espaço para que outras tomem o seu lugar.
Deixar ir embora. Soltar. Desprender-se.
Ninguém está jogando nesta vida com cartas marcadas, portanto às vezes ganhamos, e às vezes perdemos.
Não espere que devolvam algo, não espere que reconheçam seu esforço, que descubram seu gênio, que entendam seu amor. Pare de ligar sua televisão emocional e assistir sempre ao mesmo programa, que mostra como você sofreu com determinada perda: isso o estará apenas envenenando, e nada mais.
Não há nada mais perigoso que rompimentos amorosos que não são aceitos, promessas de emprego que não têm data marcada para começar, decisões que sempre são adiadas em nome do "momento ideal".
Antes de começar um capítulo novo, é preciso terminar o antigo: diga a si mesmo que o que passou, jamais voltará!
Lembre-se de que houve uma época em que podia viver sem aquilo, sem aquela pessoa - nada é insubstituível, um hábito não é uma necessidade.
Pode parecer óbvio, pode mesmo ser difícil, mas é muito importante.

Encerrando ciclos. Não por causa do orgulho, por incapacidade, ou por soberba, mas porque simplesmente aquilo já não se encaixa mais na sua vida.
Feche a porta, mude o disco, limpe a casa, sacuda a poeira. Deixe de ser quem era, e se transforme em quem é. Torna-te uma pessoa melhor e assegura-te de que sabes bem quem és tu próprio, antes de conheceres alguém e de esperares que ele veja quem tu és..
E lembra-te:
Tudo o que chega, chega sempre por alguma razão.

Fernando Pessoa.


Tuesday, 23 June 2009

TWITTER


Nos que aqui estamos, por vos esperamos? Nao sei nao! Morando a um ano aqui no Oriente Medio, posso dizer que eu achava que ja tinha visto de tudo um pouco nesta vida, mais retiro o que disse. Fico triste, pelo povo do Iran, e uma pena, pois pessoalmente eu os acho mais educados do que certos "povinhos" que temos por aqui. E falando em Oriente Medio...adorei este cartoon.: Twitter

Tuesday, 16 June 2009

Middle East Open

Middle East Open from Spam Cartoon on Vimeo.


E falando em Middle East, varios amigos me perguntam se e seguro morar por aqui. Well, eu costumo nao viajar para determinadas partes aqui do Oriente Medio, o que e uma pena, pois dentro da historia, tem tantos lugares que eu adoraria ir visitar. Quem sabe um dia, este pessoal nao acorda para a vida!?

Monday, 16 February 2009

♥Valentine's Day!

"In this month of love I felt it appropriate to write about how we express love with each other and the implications that it may have depending on geography. I visited Jerusalem several years ago and have never forgotten the feeling of injustice I felt when a Palestinian shopkeeper started screaming eptihets in Arabic (you could tell because of the hand gestures) at a straight couple stopping in the market's passageway to kiss each other while holding hands. While being a romantic Kodak moment to my eyes, in Islam (Sharia law) public displays of affection are forbidden and considered offensive, even punishable by prison (yes prison) no matter what country you come from. The couple was so offended and afraid that they walked away very quickly in bewilderment from the angered shopkeeper. I truly felt bad for these two innocent human beings forbidden from loving each other and sharing a beautiful moment, in a city where so many have died for literally thousands of years because of religion and continue to so to this day. Irony is everywhere.
Different cultures express love in so many different ways but thankfully we live in a country where we have a magnaminous new president that enjoys a healthy and happy relationship so much so that he has no qualms with PDA, even on stage at his inauguration. Obama and Michelle have been the most affectionate first couple I've ever seen in my lifetime. I don't think George Bush ever even laid his hands on Laura in the entire 8 years of his presidency. In America it is safe to show affection to one another. Thankfully, the religious right in this country hasn't removed that freedom from us.....yet.
In a country not so far away like Malaysia, it is so offensive to kiss that a tourist couple almost got put in jail for a year for it. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4879248.stm
Imagine that you are a adventurous, young, gay couple and you decide to take a trip to see one of the wonders of the modern world; the Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur and you decide to take a picture of yourselves kissing underneath the famous air bridge that unites the two buildings. You could find yourself instantly handcuffed and crammed into a surreal 3rd world jail cell a' la Midnight Express.

Since we DON'T live in Jerusalem, Malaysia, Dubai or Iran, etc. then why don't us gays seem absolutely devoid of the ability to show any type of affection for each other in public? Do we fear the anti-gay ghestapo will rappel down from a helicopter and whisk us away to concentration camps? Will latin american gun-men shoot us point blank against a concrete wall? None of the above...why because we live in a FREE and modern country that has no laws against any public displays of affection. This includes everyone gays, lesbians, straight, bisexual, etc. While we wouldn't exactly choose to make out or hold hands in the middle of Yeehaw Junction, Florida we should be able to express our love for one another in an honest, subtle manner whenever we feel so inclined in the same way that straight or bi-racial couples do. Being a Miami native, as a kid we'd go to Disney every summer and I'd often stare at young couples waiting in line, appreciating how they would lean and kiss each other's cheeks while waiting to get on the next ride. I wished that when I grew up I could do the same with my partner. Some 20 odd years later, I CAN do that and do even if it does make my current boyfriend uncomfortable or fearful. I stick to my guns and my belief that one of the most beautiful things to see in this life is people freely showing the love they have for each other at any given moment. It was a pleasing sight at my neighborhood Target to see an attractive blonde girl feeding a chocolate kiss to her black boyfriend and he responding with a sweet pop kiss to her mouth. How wonderful that they can feel free enough to express themselves like that in today's America, then I paused to ask myself when will that time come for "the gays"?

I don't mean we have to be all over each other all of the time but when it's a moment that you feel love for the person you are with, the most natural thing reaction is for you to show it. It takes effort to hold it in and why would you? It's as simple as squeezing their hand while walking, rubbing their backs or even yes god forbid, a pop kiss. If people can say "awww" and find the beauty in two dogs kissing in Lady and the Tramp then I have absolutely no doubt they would find our moments of true and honest love to be equally endearing.
The primary defense that religions use against Gays showing affection in public is that it is damaging to children. After coming back from a recent Carnival Cruise I can confidently tell you what I find offensive and disturbing to children. Obesity is offensive. Families allowing their children to be obese, stuffing their faces at a buffet 5 times a day is offensive. Bad taste in clothing is offensive. Hairy backs on men roasting in the sun is offensive. Extreme acts of violence shown on the afternoon news are offensive. Images of Jesus Christ dead and nailed to a cross are deeply disturbing, people wearing sandals with fungus infected toe nails is disturbing. What messages do those things tell the children of the world? Do we gays really believe that the expression of our love is more offensive than the examples I've described above? Really? What gives them the right to be out and proud with their nasty-as-they-wanna-be-selves and us not to be?

In the same fashion that some gays still remain in the closet even though thousands are out and proud, this is just another form of self-inflicted repression. As I've said before, fear is part perception and part reality. It is a human right in the United States and other democratic countries to be able to express affection for the ones you love within the norms of society, of course. I don't think anyone wants to see two people slobbering all over each other at a dinner table, unless you're a pervert but at the same time you wouldn't arrest them from doing so. You have the choice of just looking away. T'is the beauty of living in a free country.

I'd love to see the day when gay and lesbian couples all over America and other free nations, show the world that we don't just have hot sex but that we do love, we do express affection for one another, that our love is true and yes, inoffensive. Just make sure you aren't in Dubai before you do (that goes for the straights too).

A warning from the UK to travelers visiting arabic countries: http://www.newser.com/story/46369/no-pda-cheating-in-muslim-nations-uk-warns-travelers.html

*Thanks a.: posted by ericinmiam

Moro aqui no Oriente Medio, e receio em dizer que tanto para homem e mulher, e complicado as vezes voce manifestar gestos de carinho em publico. Sem falar de outras coisas e absurdos que acontece neste Pais. Mais como digo, cada um na sua, mais com muita atencao em tudo e a todos, especialmente aqui. 

Rá-Tim-Bum Senta Que Lá Vem A História

GALÃ DE NOVELA PROVOCA DIVÓRCIOS NA ARÁBIA SAUDITA
Rodrigo Coelho/Do Cairo para a BBC Brasil, sábado, 31 de janeiro de 2009


"A transmissão de duas telenovelas turcas - Nour ("luz" em árabe e também um nome próprio) e Sanawat Ad-Dayaa (Anos de Perdas, em tradução livre) - está causando polêmica no mundo árabe e provocando até desentendimentos entre maridos e esposas.

Galã turco é exemplo de marido dedicado e romântico

Na Arábia Saudita, os jornais dizem que muitos casais estariam pedindo divórcio depois que o galã de uma delas começou a virar a cabeça das mulheres e a enfurecer os maridos.

Segundo o jornal Saudi Gazette, o pivô da discórdia seria o protagonista de Nour, vivido pelo galã turco Kivanç Tatlitu (um Justin Timberlake melhorado, segundo a imprensa saudita), que cativou os corações femininos por ser um marido dedicado e ao mesmo tempo romântico.

"Ao comparar seus maridos com o personagem, muitas mulheres estão pedindo o fim de seus casamentos", diz o jornal.

Ainda segundo o diário, muitos maridos, por sua vez, estão entrando com pedido de divórcio após encontrar fotos do ator nos telefones celulares e nos pertences de suas esposas.

Eles ainda argumentam que suas mulheres não cumprem mais com as obrigações domésticas para assistir à novela.

O Saudi Gazette relata ainda o caso de uma fazendeira que se desfez de seu rebanho de ovelhas "para poder ser concentrar totalmente nas novelas e não precisar cuidar dos animais regularmente".

SUCESSO

Nour e Sanawat Ad-Dayaa foram um fracasso de público quando transmitidas pela primeira vez, na Turquia, em 2005.

Mas, desde que começaram a ser transmitidas em vários países árabes, há quatro meses, as produções têm atraído milhões de telespectadores todos os dias.

Segundo o canal árabe MBC, que transmite as produções na Arábia Saudita, diariamente entre três e quatro milhões de pessoas assistem às novelas, o equivalente a um em cada sete habitantes do país.

Tanto furor levou a maior autoridade religiosa saudita, Abdul Aziz al Sheikh, a classificar novelas como "antiislâmicas".
Mas a imprensa saudita afirma que a condenação não deve causar quedas de audiência. Segundo a rede MBC, entre três e quatro milhões de pessoas assistem às novelas apenas na Arábia Saudita. Isso significaria um em cada sete habitantes do país.

"Não existem medições oficiais de audiência em outros países árabes além da Arábia Saudita, mas aqui no Egito, uma em cada três pessoas com que falei assiste à novela todos os dias", afirma a jornalista Samira Salah Ahmed.

Para ela, o sucesso das produções no mundo árabe - milhares de pessoas, por exemplo, foram saudar o elenco de Nour quando ele visitou recentemente a cidade de Dubai, nos Emirados Árabes - se deve em parte por ser uma minissérie que expõe problemas típicos de sociedades muçulmanas.

"Nos identificamos mais com elas (as novelas) do que, por exemplo, (a série americana) Desperate Housewives", afirma ela.

DUBLAGEM

Quem parece estar lucrando com tanta popularidade é a Turquia.

O diplomata turco Yasin Temizkayn é citado pelo Saudi Gazette dizendo que o país espera a visita de cerca de 100 mil turistas sauditas este ano, um aumento de mais de 100% em relação ao ano passado.

As tramas das novelas não são inovadoras, retratando dramas e personagens que vivem dilemas como se dedicar a obrigações familiares ou se corromper em distrações amorosas.

Entretanto, um dos motivos apontados para o sucesso é a dublagem. O mundo árabe costuma consumir novelas de outros países, especialmente latino-americanas, dubladas em árabe clássico.

Já as duas produções turcas foram dubladas em uma linguagem mais coloquial, o dialeto sírio-árabe, falado pelas pessoas comuns."

Enfim, nos que aqui estamos por vos esperamos! Que a verdade seja dita, estamos em 2009, e confesso que ja tinha visto de tudo! Amei mesmo a materia.