If you haven't noticed, I've been reading the news. I abandoned it at home, to be honest. I was tired of the never ending political rants and polls and the constant cries of prejudice, blame, and false advertising.
Here, I've found the news to be fascinating.
Some stories I've read today:
- Man who was caught by 12 speeding radars in one day going 60km/hr (37mph) over the limit had to pay 42,000 dirhams ($11,500) in fees to avoid having his car impounded.
- Starting November 1st, police can impound your car on the spot for speeding violations as part of the "Speed Kills" campaign. You will receive a 1,000 dhs ($275) fee, your car will be impounded for 30 days, and you get 12 black traffic points. Of note, the cars here start beeping when you go over 120km/hr (74mph).
- A man of unknown origin blackmailed his Emirati girlfriend, telling her to marry him or pay him 250,000 dhs ($68,000) or he would publish intimate photos and messages. Apparently, they had dated for 5 years and her parents disapproved of her marrying a non-Emirati. The man will now sit in jail for three years. Don't mess with the Emiratis.
- An Uzbekistani woman and an Arab man were imprisoned for adultery. An Arab woman saw the two enter a construction site together and called authorities. The Uzbekistani woman will serve 3 years in jail, the Arab man 3 months, and both will be deported after they serve their time. Adultery can yield heavy punishment here - anything from prostitution to cohabitation can be considered adultery.
- A Filipina woman and her boyfriend were arrested for adultery. The woman fainted and friends took her to the hospital. Doctors discovered she was pregnant, asked for her husband, and she admitted to being unmarried. Doctors called police and she was arrested at the hospital. Her boyfriend was arrested shortly after and admitted to having a wife and children at home in the Phillipines.
- November 1st was "free ride day" on the metro to celebrate it's anniversary. Magnets were put on cars with pictures of fried eggs that read "It's a cool 20 degrees C on the Metro."
- Now there are numerous complaints of overcrowding during peak hours on the metro, and having to stand "mouth to mouth" with other passengers. No word on the RTA's plans for improvement.
- Date pits may be used in place of synthetic antibiotics for chickens as they have been found to have natural antibiotic properties that leave no residue in the meat. I wonder if they'll start selling "seedless dates" now?
- The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority reports a 16% rise in hotel guests in the first 9 months of 2010. Glad to know we've contributed to business here :)
Here, I've found the news to be fascinating.
Some stories I've read today:
- Man who was caught by 12 speeding radars in one day going 60km/hr (37mph) over the limit had to pay 42,000 dirhams ($11,500) in fees to avoid having his car impounded.
- Starting November 1st, police can impound your car on the spot for speeding violations as part of the "Speed Kills" campaign. You will receive a 1,000 dhs ($275) fee, your car will be impounded for 30 days, and you get 12 black traffic points. Of note, the cars here start beeping when you go over 120km/hr (74mph).
- A man of unknown origin blackmailed his Emirati girlfriend, telling her to marry him or pay him 250,000 dhs ($68,000) or he would publish intimate photos and messages. Apparently, they had dated for 5 years and her parents disapproved of her marrying a non-Emirati. The man will now sit in jail for three years. Don't mess with the Emiratis.
- An Uzbekistani woman and an Arab man were imprisoned for adultery. An Arab woman saw the two enter a construction site together and called authorities. The Uzbekistani woman will serve 3 years in jail, the Arab man 3 months, and both will be deported after they serve their time. Adultery can yield heavy punishment here - anything from prostitution to cohabitation can be considered adultery.
- A Filipina woman and her boyfriend were arrested for adultery. The woman fainted and friends took her to the hospital. Doctors discovered she was pregnant, asked for her husband, and she admitted to being unmarried. Doctors called police and she was arrested at the hospital. Her boyfriend was arrested shortly after and admitted to having a wife and children at home in the Phillipines.
- November 1st was "free ride day" on the metro to celebrate it's anniversary. Magnets were put on cars with pictures of fried eggs that read "It's a cool 20 degrees C on the Metro."
- Now there are numerous complaints of overcrowding during peak hours on the metro, and having to stand "mouth to mouth" with other passengers. No word on the RTA's plans for improvement.
- Date pits may be used in place of synthetic antibiotics for chickens as they have been found to have natural antibiotic properties that leave no residue in the meat. I wonder if they'll start selling "seedless dates" now?
- The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority reports a 16% rise in hotel guests in the first 9 months of 2010. Glad to know we've contributed to business here :)
Interesting...where's the women's rights...years vs. months in jail for the same crime???? What's all that?? Who eats dates??? Not, I! Dates are a cheap imitation of the far more superior prune.
ReplyDeleteRicky - everyone here eats dates! I don't really understand it, but they are everywhere here. As for the woman, they charged her with prostitution so she got extra time.
ReplyDeleteCrazy! but interesting!! It's like a gossip column! :)
ReplyDeleteSo I actually learned a little about dates while in Morocco because they are so prevalent in the region.
ReplyDeleteThe Date Palm is native to the desert area of North Africa and West Asia and has been cultivated for thousands of years. I was told the ancient Egyptians ate dates.
It's particularly important in Islamic culture because the Prophet Mohamed ate dates. Specifically he broke every daily fast during Ramadan with a date and glass of milk and now it's tradition to break the fast with dates and milk.
Probably way more info than you ever wanted on dates but I have to justify wasting brain space remembering all that. :P
These are great...maybe I would start reading the news if it were that interesting here.
ReplyDelete