Randomness...

Hey everyone,

Just a bit of "random news" that caught my eyes and imagination. Hope you enjoy reading them.

1. Xena has written this post about Lost, the drama series about survivors stranded on an island after their jet crash, all the while there is a "beast" lurking there. Sounds so intriguing, I want to watch it NOW!

2. I went to Dubai today morning. It took me two hours to get to my destination, from Sharjah to Dubai. A distance which could be covered in mere ten minutes otherwise. The morning rush hour traffic was horrendous. The whole time I was treated to constant jerks and brakes, and then sudden speeds and twists and turn. Maybe they should advertise, alongside Desert Safari, for a true Dubai experience of driving through the rush hour traffic. It is scarier than a roller coaster, and more riskier than bungee jumping and more life threatening than being on a plane.

Thats beside the point. When I get to my destination I paid the fare. The driver and I had agreed on Dhs50 (too much but I had no other choice in the morning to find an alternative trasnport.) So, at the Emirates Towers, I give the driver Dhs100, and he hands me back Dhs40. Now, it was 940am, and I had an appointment at 10am. I was not going to sit and argue with him. However, I argued with for five mins. "What happened to all that 'we are pakistani brothers' talk you made earlier?" I asked the driver. He and I just logged into each other like rams head banging with their horns. I was pressed for time, and so I left telling him that he "lied" to me and that he should be ashamed of himself wearing a huge beard, white cap listening to Quranic tapes, and cheating passengers.

3. 7 Days reports that a child who is hearing impaired cannot get admission into a regular school, and is forced by the country's policy to enroll into a special needs school, despite his ability to function as well as regular school kids.

4. An Indian man in Sharjah killed his wife and four kids, one of whom was only 8 months old, for things were not going well for him. This has been recorded as the most horrific incident in the history of UAE. Cases of suicides are prevalent among the middle to lower income people from South Asian countries for various reasons.

5. Ruby aka Rania Hussain, the famous Egyptian singer has had a war of words with one of the Kuwaiti Islamists, as he says "the singer has become famous by shaking her bottom." She replies, "I don't know what makes this MP, who should be interested in people's cases and concerns, interested in my assets [bottom]." Absurdity!

6. The absurdity that goes on in Makkah still prevails. Why are women pilgrims are confined to a quarter of the floor space. When one of the signs says that there will come a time when for every man, there will 50 women, why not give these women the required space? Why push them away?

7. A Saudi journalist is forcibly removed from the bench he was on to watch a show. The kid and the nanny who removed him turned out to be the son of the organizer of the show. Hilarious article revealing how kids can speak volumes about their parents.

8. And, so what if I take the Happy Meal from McDonalds? There is no rule that says only kids of a certain age can take Happy Meals. Happy Meals are for everyone. So there is absolutely nothing wrong if I choose to take a Happy Meal (of course the new erasable drawing board is way cool!) Lol!

Ok, I am out of here. Y'all have an awesome day!

Mansur