This That and The Other

The last 10 days or so have been very bizarre. A long holiday the start of which coincided with Thanksgiving. Two holidays, Eid al Adha and Thanksgiving, two occasions for men and women to give thanks for the bounties God has given us.

It all started the evening before the holidays when Dubai World announced it wants to defer 60 Billion USD in debt for six months, the greatest faux pas in PR history. WOW, what were you thinking Dubai, by the time the holidays are over, all will be forgotten and life resumes normally. Well, the world freaked, a story like that and no one available for comment, not even the janitor, for 10 days. It did not help that Dubai disowned its off spring. As expected Dubai bashing restarted in the western press in earnest, stories like the city built on the sand, which assets Dubai will lose to Abu Dhabi but the best one was this crisis would derail the world economic recovery. Huh, 60 Billion USD in deferment will derail the world, what about the trillions lost and others spent for the bail out all over the world, get real people. Eventually cooler heads prevailed and the world settled down in anticipation.

All that while, the UAE celebrated the 38th anniversary of the union. A celebration which was nothing like the previous 13 I witnessed here. Emaraties expressed so much pride in their country, union and culture, a real coming of age.

Of course I did not get 10 days of holidays, private sector you know, The three days between Eid and National days were so full and hectic having to cope with the introduction of 2 new aircraft types in 6 months.

Of course it was not all work work, on National Day we had a Tweetup at Wild Peeta, great company, great fun and so diverse.

All in all a fun week or so, but really weird, freaky weird.

National Day

Tomorrow December 2, 2009 marks the 38th National Day of The United Arab Emirates (UAE). The only true and successful union in the Arab World. The result of the Vision of Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Rashed of Dubai (may they rest in peace) that forged a federal union of seven emirates known at the time as the trucial states. A vision that transformed a desert into one of the most dynamic and visionary countries in the world.

I arrived to the UAE in 1996 at the time of the 25th anniversary and was fortunate enough to witness and experience and may be contribute in a small way to its development. The change in the last 13 years was staggering and amazing. A vision so powerful, it galvanised Emaratis and Expatriates alike.

The UAE is a country that is tolerant towards religion, life styles and most expatriates' idiosyncrasies. This tolerance provides an environment that promotes a very comfortable life style, which is rarely found in any other country, just ask any expatriate that has returned home.

It is a tribute to the Rulers and Emaraties who along with millions of expatriates, have sustained, nurtured and developed the original vision that created this great nation.

Finally, thank you to all Emaraties for making us feel welcome and at home, in spite of our diverse life styles.

Wishing you all a Happy National Day

Hopenhagen

The people of the world are awaiting the World's Leaders meeting for the UN Climate Change Conference December 07 - 18 at Copenhagen. Great expectations are pinned on this conference but most think it will not amount to much.

Hopenhagen "When People Lead, Leaders Follow is a movement, a moment and a chance at a new beginning." It is a movement of people across the world telling our leaders that we demand change. Change that will provide a better future for the planet and its inhabitants. It is a demand for a greener economy. It is a change powered by us, the people.

Scientists and Politicians are still debating whether climate change is caused by mother nature or is induced by human activity. At least, we all agree that there is a climate change. A climate change that may threaten the way of life we are used to. Even if this climate change is a natural thing, is it that wrong to help ma nature to reduce it.

Charity starts at home. We all can contribute to the well being of the planet from energy saver light bulbs, car pools or even walking, to recycling and using recyclable material. This is not sufficient, what we need is a green revolution, government intervention to stimulate a move towards a greener economy. This intervention should be in the form of incentives to stimulate innovation in greener technology, tax credits for individuals that install solar power panels or insulate and reduce the carbon foot print of their homes and in the form of taxes on services that involve carbon emissions to ensure that alternative energy forms are given the chance to reach competitive and sustainable levels.

Oh, I can hear the loud screams of conservatives against taxes and government intervention that will affect our lives in the immediate future. We need to look at the long term at the sustainability of the standards of living we enjoy and would aspire to continue enjoying.

Change was never easy and people will resist change even when they know it is good for them. But change we must if we want our children and grand children to have a clean environment and a habitable planet.

THANKSGIVING

This Thursday is Thanksgiving in the USA and the start of the rites leading to Eid Al Adha (The festival of Sacrifice) and the end of the Pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims.

It is an occasion for us to collectively and individually give thanks to the Lord for his graces and gifts throughout the past year. The last 12 months have been very difficult for the whole world. A global recession is not an easy thing to cope with, for those who have lost their jobs and means of livelihood goes our prayers. Even for those who did not lose their jobs it has been a stressful time of uncertainty.

For me on a personal level it has been a stressful time professionally with being involved in a start up airline in such a recession and dealing with people, who may mean well, but have no idea of what they are involved in.

I am sure all of us have things to be thankful for, the love and support of our families and friends, our health and that of our beloved ones, for the ability to maintain friendships and make new ones, for being able to contribute in a small way to the improvement of the planet or an act of kindness that improves some one's life in this world, and many many others.

My sincere wishes to all for Eid and Thanksgiving regardless of religion or nationality, it is time to celebrate.

Live Long and Prosper

Dubai Air Show #dxb09

First of all I am writing this blog from my Blackberry, a first for me, so if it looks awful blame it on technology.

It is the last day of the Dubai Air Show #dxb09. It has been a hectic week for all of us. It has been a show that had been different than previous ones, it still had aviation professionals hurriedly going from one stand or chalet to another, looking for, following up or concluding business.

The first noticeable thing is the lack of mega commercial aircraft orders, so what, it is a recession and I see no reason why the region should bail out the industry again. A refreshing thing actually happened, we got to hear about all the equipment and services contracts that used to be drowned by mega aircraft orders, a reminder that the industry is more than a few aircraft manufacturers.


The other thing is the use of social media to cover the event, a thrilling experience which I am priviliged to have taken a tiny tiny minute part in along with giants like Flightglobal and @flightblogger, @runwaygirl, @mtargettuk and many others. We had probably the first Tweetup in an International Air Show.

For me, other than business meetings, it was an opportunity to meet friends and coleagues that I have not seen in many years. The real highlight and thrill was the making of new friends, ones that I followed and networked with on Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media. They became real live and fun people to be around.

It reminded me that an Air Show is not all business. It is about fun and enjoying one's friends company around something we all feel passionately about, aircraft and aviation.

#dxb09 has been a fun experience enriched with friends old and new, so, keep well guys and be good.