Forget being sensitive. India cannot manage itself. Sure the economy is up but so is poverty, HIV, and environmental damage. If these were the only problems making the news, then maybe I could look passed them. But the fact is, if you cannot manage the wild life in a major urban area, then you probably cannot manage anything.
I saw this story and follow-ups in the news papers in Dubai and then online: http://www.rationalreview.com/content/37290 .
India: Monkeys attack, kill Delhi politician .
Seriously? They say in Delhi that they have no solution and are at the end of their ability to deal with the problem. I read a larger article in Gulf News last week which had actual local leaders admitting that they cannot manage monkeys. They blame religious beliefs for their failure. However, I simply cannot believe that is the only reason, but it is very convenient.
I think India needs to hire someone to start managing their cities. Maybe Singapore? Singapore seems pretty well run. The Japanese might be good at it, but from my experiences there the police are very lazy. They are good at finding evidence but not actually preventing anything.
Countries outsource services all the time, why not city management? I mean city managers in many cities are not elected officials, yet they have power. So that way India can keep its( fairly corrupt??) political system and still be able to improve its cities.
Being serious for one minute: who is helping Delhi and is it really a bad idea to outsource management when MONKEYS have CONQUERED your CITY!
D. Blogger
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The Orphaned Cars of Dubai
Have you ever noticed all the cars sitting around covered in dust? I notice them all the time. When I see one on one of my common routes I make note of how long it sits.
I have witnessed a car not moving for over two years in Bur Dubai and Al Barsha. As an American I am use to having community laws that would impound such a vehicle. So I started trying to find out why these vehicles are just left.
I had a few hypothesis to start with:
1. The owner was a holiday resident and did not have proper parking.
2. The owner was in jail.
3. The owner owed a loan and skipped town.
But in these cases more researched uncovered more facts. First if the person were a holiday visitor, it would seem that they would pay someone to wash it once a week. I found in my building that the holiday visitors have their cars done once a month at least. Now if they did not have parking then scenario 1 is plausible. BUT most people who can afford to live in Dubai 1/2 the year or a few months a year, should be able to acquire parking.
Numbers 2 and 3 are actually situations where the state will repossess or impound the car. I found that out when I went to the auto auction last year.
So what else could be contributing to these orphaned cars? The answer: a bad registration scheme.
My friend bought a car from someone who was leaving Dubai. They gave my friend the registration card, a copy of their passport and visa, and a letter stating that a transaction had been made.
My friend did not take the time to research the law, as the seller confirmed that they had called the registration office and were following the correct procedure.
The seller leaves the country and cancels their visa.
My friend goes to register the car. She finds out that it is impossible without the owner. She explains the owner is out of the country, and is not coming back. And that the owner no longer has a visa. The registration office says that if the seller has canceled their visa, then they cannot even return to Dubai and transfer the car over.
Basically, without the seller present or a certified bill of sale from a used car dealership, the transaction can not be made legally. Ironically enough, if there are any tickets, the seller still gets fined. The fines accrue even after they cancel their visa.
I was standing next to my friend during this encounter and she looked at me and said, "I am just going to leave this car in the desert and rent something."
I thought that was a bad move. I took another angle. I asked, "Who in Dubai can take care of this situation? " The registrar said, "There is a man in the head office in Deira if you find him he can make an exception." One guy. THE HEAD of DUBAI registrars with access to the immigration records.
My friend still wanted to dump the car because she refused to drive in Deira. She said Deira is too hard to drive in and she would end up wrecking her car before she could register it.
The point of this story is that Dubai seems to be to often managed through rumors and conjecture. Get the information for yourself and in-person. Ask a few people the same question(s). If not you might find yourself in Deira trying to find some government building, dodging the ubiquitous Nissan Sunny, and fighting to eventually cross a crowded bridge in rush hour traffic.
D.Blogger
I have witnessed a car not moving for over two years in Bur Dubai and Al Barsha. As an American I am use to having community laws that would impound such a vehicle. So I started trying to find out why these vehicles are just left.
I had a few hypothesis to start with:
1. The owner was a holiday resident and did not have proper parking.
2. The owner was in jail.
3. The owner owed a loan and skipped town.
But in these cases more researched uncovered more facts. First if the person were a holiday visitor, it would seem that they would pay someone to wash it once a week. I found in my building that the holiday visitors have their cars done once a month at least. Now if they did not have parking then scenario 1 is plausible. BUT most people who can afford to live in Dubai 1/2 the year or a few months a year, should be able to acquire parking.
Numbers 2 and 3 are actually situations where the state will repossess or impound the car. I found that out when I went to the auto auction last year.
So what else could be contributing to these orphaned cars? The answer: a bad registration scheme.
My friend bought a car from someone who was leaving Dubai. They gave my friend the registration card, a copy of their passport and visa, and a letter stating that a transaction had been made.
My friend did not take the time to research the law, as the seller confirmed that they had called the registration office and were following the correct procedure.
The seller leaves the country and cancels their visa.
My friend goes to register the car. She finds out that it is impossible without the owner. She explains the owner is out of the country, and is not coming back. And that the owner no longer has a visa. The registration office says that if the seller has canceled their visa, then they cannot even return to Dubai and transfer the car over.
Basically, without the seller present or a certified bill of sale from a used car dealership, the transaction can not be made legally. Ironically enough, if there are any tickets, the seller still gets fined. The fines accrue even after they cancel their visa.
I was standing next to my friend during this encounter and she looked at me and said, "I am just going to leave this car in the desert and rent something."
I thought that was a bad move. I took another angle. I asked, "Who in Dubai can take care of this situation? " The registrar said, "There is a man in the head office in Deira if you find him he can make an exception." One guy. THE HEAD of DUBAI registrars with access to the immigration records.
My friend still wanted to dump the car because she refused to drive in Deira. She said Deira is too hard to drive in and she would end up wrecking her car before she could register it.
The point of this story is that Dubai seems to be to often managed through rumors and conjecture. Get the information for yourself and in-person. Ask a few people the same question(s). If not you might find yourself in Deira trying to find some government building, dodging the ubiquitous Nissan Sunny, and fighting to eventually cross a crowded bridge in rush hour traffic.
D.Blogger
Saturday, October 13, 2007
ATMs, Chaos, and my Granny
I don't like to write about current news and events. These things are important to know, but we cannot change most of the things we dislike in the near future. We have to accept them, work with them, raise our voices, and wait. But there are topics and issues that everyone reading this blog can deal with as an individual everyday. There are things we can do to improve life, with very little effort. And this Daily Volition can can cause a chain reaction if we do it right. Let's start with the situation involving: ATM Spackers.
A spacker is a spastic person, and in this case it is referring to a person who cannot manage to interface with an ATM- A machine designed for the lowest common user.
Everyday I notice people at ATMs. People act funny with their confidential cards and passwords. However, this city is full of people who cannot withdrawal money in under 60 seconds. I am not referring to those making deposits. I am talking about the people
who keep removing and reinserting their cards, miss typing their PIN numbers, and simply do not read the screen when it asks them questions.
If you cannot withdrawal money in 60 seconds or less, then you are an ATM Spacker, and you need to admit it. You need to start working on it because you are causing chaos on a city wide level. Let me explain how this happens and what you can do to fix it.
Scenario: ATM Spacker goes to the ATM and there are 3 people behind them. They waste 3 or 4 minutes on the only machine in a 5 minute drive. As time goes on the line grows to 6 people. The 5th person in line is late for another pointless meeting at a coffee shop 30 minutes away.
Fast-Forward.
The 5th person is now in their car and feeling late and frustrated. Not only that, they are filled with hate for the ATM Spacker. Visions or confrontation passing before them so fast they cannot visually process the road.
As they rush to their meeting with all this anger and anxiety they stop caring about road safety and manners. They justify all their actions off of this single event. And while they are driving this dark path, they stop paying attention to things like pedestrian crossings. Before you know it they slam into a shopping cart(trolley) being pushed by a little old lady and her housemaid.
Why? All because of the ATM Spacker. So ATM Spackers what can you do to prevent such events?
First, admit you have a problem. Second, go to some ATMs in places where there are not many people,or where there are many ATMs, and practice. And don't just go to your bank's ATM! Try out a few. Read. Learn. Evolve. Don't fall into a category of user that statistically has an IQ score of less than 50.
And if you are too old to care, make some one get money for you. My grandmother can't use ATMs or gas pumps at the self-serve(that means pumping your own gas). So she doesn't waste anyone's time. She just calls me when I am around to go do it for her. And if not me, then someone else she knows. She knows if she hits the road she will cause chaos.
I hope this has been helpful an insightful. The first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. ATM Spackers, you know who you are.
D. Blogger
A spacker is a spastic person, and in this case it is referring to a person who cannot manage to interface with an ATM- A machine designed for the lowest common user.
Everyday I notice people at ATMs. People act funny with their confidential cards and passwords. However, this city is full of people who cannot withdrawal money in under 60 seconds. I am not referring to those making deposits. I am talking about the people
who keep removing and reinserting their cards, miss typing their PIN numbers, and simply do not read the screen when it asks them questions.
If you cannot withdrawal money in 60 seconds or less, then you are an ATM Spacker, and you need to admit it. You need to start working on it because you are causing chaos on a city wide level. Let me explain how this happens and what you can do to fix it.
Scenario: ATM Spacker goes to the ATM and there are 3 people behind them. They waste 3 or 4 minutes on the only machine in a 5 minute drive. As time goes on the line grows to 6 people. The 5th person in line is late for another pointless meeting at a coffee shop 30 minutes away.
Fast-Forward.
The 5th person is now in their car and feeling late and frustrated. Not only that, they are filled with hate for the ATM Spacker. Visions or confrontation passing before them so fast they cannot visually process the road.
As they rush to their meeting with all this anger and anxiety they stop caring about road safety and manners. They justify all their actions off of this single event. And while they are driving this dark path, they stop paying attention to things like pedestrian crossings. Before you know it they slam into a shopping cart(trolley) being pushed by a little old lady and her housemaid.
Why? All because of the ATM Spacker. So ATM Spackers what can you do to prevent such events?
First, admit you have a problem. Second, go to some ATMs in places where there are not many people,or where there are many ATMs, and practice. And don't just go to your bank's ATM! Try out a few. Read. Learn. Evolve. Don't fall into a category of user that statistically has an IQ score of less than 50.
And if you are too old to care, make some one get money for you. My grandmother can't use ATMs or gas pumps at the self-serve(that means pumping your own gas). So she doesn't waste anyone's time. She just calls me when I am around to go do it for her. And if not me, then someone else she knows. She knows if she hits the road she will cause chaos.
I hope this has been helpful an insightful. The first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. ATM Spackers, you know who you are.
D. Blogger
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Dating: Why suffer?
I think I am at a point where I just can't stand people and I refuse to change.
Lately whenever I meet anyone interesting I do not seem to have a problem going from -- Intros to making a Date -- within 15 minutes.
Moving on.
But I find that after meeting and going on the date I am very judgmental after only 15 minutes. So if I could just find a way to meet and then immediately move to a new location and begin the date, then after a total of 30 minutes everything would be clear. Imagine the time savings and cash savings.
I had a horrible date last night. And it is so specifically horrible that I can't write about it because it would reveal my secret identity if anyone out there ever reads this....and possibly knows me. Although what are the odds?
One point then I will close this. If you are woman(girl, female, lady, whatever you prefer) you still need to have some level of politeness. Don't randomly change plans in an extreme way. Keep you pants hiked-up enough if you are out somewhere nice. And if you have ADHD just be up-front about it so that all information can be given to you in short repetitive summaries.
D.Blogger
Lately whenever I meet anyone interesting I do not seem to have a problem going from -- Intros to making a Date -- within 15 minutes.
Moving on.
But I find that after meeting and going on the date I am very judgmental after only 15 minutes. So if I could just find a way to meet and then immediately move to a new location and begin the date, then after a total of 30 minutes everything would be clear. Imagine the time savings and cash savings.
I had a horrible date last night. And it is so specifically horrible that I can't write about it because it would reveal my secret identity if anyone out there ever reads this....and possibly knows me. Although what are the odds?
One point then I will close this. If you are woman(girl, female, lady, whatever you prefer) you still need to have some level of politeness. Don't randomly change plans in an extreme way. Keep you pants hiked-up enough if you are out somewhere nice. And if you have ADHD just be up-front about it so that all information can be given to you in short repetitive summaries.
D.Blogger
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
SALIK is working, but in a Bad Way
Living in Al Barsha and around the Greens I am subject to a daily dose of "SALIK Dodgers". These people do everything they can to avoid paying SALIK. They even seem to add 30 minutes to their commute by causing massive bottle necks in neighborhoods.
I just don't understand. I balance the SALIK use. Three days a week I use it to go to work, and I save 15-20 minutes off my commute time. Two days a week I wake-up earlier and drive the side roads. I never use it to go home as I am not in a big rush usually.
So I spend ...are you ready.....12-16 AED a week. Or about 4 US Dollars.
These drivers that dodge SALIK are not driving small cheap cars. So why can't they use the SALIK? Why can't they afford it?
I was thinking. Most high performance cars run best at speed; not in a traffic congested mess. In fact, you are often presented with two different equations when calculating the value of a used car. A high mileage car that has earned its Ks on long high-speed roads is not devalued as much a car that is used in a congested daily commute.
It makes you wonder if the 20 AED a week most people are saving by not using SALIK one-way is worth the value they are losing on their cars. Plus let us not forget that they are losing time everyday too. It is almost like they have no value on their time or for their time.
When I use SALIK I get from the parking at home (then I sit and wait 5 mins or so to cut through the river of traffic) to the parking at my work in about 8 mins. Totally worth not sitting in a river of traffic stocked full of people too cheap to spend 5 US Dollars a week --while driving 50,000 Dollar Cars.
I just don't understand. I balance the SALIK use. Three days a week I use it to go to work, and I save 15-20 minutes off my commute time. Two days a week I wake-up earlier and drive the side roads. I never use it to go home as I am not in a big rush usually.
So I spend ...are you ready.....12-16 AED a week. Or about 4 US Dollars.
These drivers that dodge SALIK are not driving small cheap cars. So why can't they use the SALIK? Why can't they afford it?
I was thinking. Most high performance cars run best at speed; not in a traffic congested mess. In fact, you are often presented with two different equations when calculating the value of a used car. A high mileage car that has earned its Ks on long high-speed roads is not devalued as much a car that is used in a congested daily commute.
It makes you wonder if the 20 AED a week most people are saving by not using SALIK one-way is worth the value they are losing on their cars. Plus let us not forget that they are losing time everyday too. It is almost like they have no value on their time or for their time.
When I use SALIK I get from the parking at home (then I sit and wait 5 mins or so to cut through the river of traffic) to the parking at my work in about 8 mins. Totally worth not sitting in a river of traffic stocked full of people too cheap to spend 5 US Dollars a week --while driving 50,000 Dollar Cars.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Stuck in Traffic? Stop complaining and do something useul.
I was reading this article today about people being stuck in traffic. I used to live somewhere where traffic is just as bad as Dubai, but not as dangerous. Anyway I would have a massive commute three times a week for work. Each way took at least 1.5 hours.
So guess what I did. I didn't write to the city and complain about something that can't be solved. I learned another language. That's right. I used the traffic time and an audio CD to learn something.
I find that when you are in a situation that does not have an immediate solution, the best thing to do is to make it better. I mean it is very ignorant to spend everyday being angry at things you can't control.
Even books on-tape my help those who have TV brain-rot. Walk away from the reality TV and spend an hour listening....the theater of the mind is not as boring as you might think.
D. Blogger.
So guess what I did. I didn't write to the city and complain about something that can't be solved. I learned another language. That's right. I used the traffic time and an audio CD to learn something.
I find that when you are in a situation that does not have an immediate solution, the best thing to do is to make it better. I mean it is very ignorant to spend everyday being angry at things you can't control.
Even books on-tape my help those who have TV brain-rot. Walk away from the reality TV and spend an hour listening....the theater of the mind is not as boring as you might think.
D. Blogger.
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