Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Angola vs. Muslims..

Every Tom, Deck and Harry speaks on the "Angolan War Against Islam".. As usual, no one searches roots, truth or facts..!! Then everyone of the 1.2 bln would cry against "Unfair" Islamophobia.. Then "Conservative" Muslim Funds will flood into those "Helpless" 90,000 Angolan Muslims, followed by "Unemployed" Jihadists..

What a mental chaos we experience..!!

Notably, all main media had ignored this overwhelming story..
Now, someone would say: A Global conspiracy..!!


The Greatest Enemy for Islam and Muslims is their own Islamic Media.. Spreading false and unauthentic news is only fueling hierocracy, anarchy and hooliganism among the 80% illiterate, poor and hopeless Muslims..!!

I keep calling for governance, integrity and consciousness to form the code of conduction and professional ethics among Muslim Media Professionals, who are mostly "Unmuslim"..

Unmuslim is my term for those Muslim who their Islam is barely a word of mouth.. not a mindful or a heartful.. They are not Infidel or apostate but "intentionally" hypocrite...


As how swiftly this photo spread, it had been silently removed

Angolan Official Denies Islam Ban, But Muslims Say Mosque Closings Persist

on November 26 2013 5:23 PM
 
http://www.ibtimes.com/angolan-official-denies-islam-ban-muslims-say-mosque-closings-persist-1487416
 
 
 

Maps..!


When I read this article; I had recalled Jainism.. which its devotees strongly believe that the Earth is flat.. Jainism is a religious minority in India, with 4.2 million adherents, and there are small but notable immigrant communities in Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the United States. Jains have the highest degree of literacy of any religious community in India (94.1 percent), and their manuscript libraries are the oldest in the country. I do epistemically understand their views; yet unwilling to discuss..!!

Projection Smackdown: Cahill’s Butterfly vs. the Dymaxion Map

Finalist in the Buckminster Fuller Institute's 2013 map contest, by Jan Ulrich Kossman. (Buckminster Fuller Institute)

In a perfect world, each map projection would be judged on its own merit and applied to the job that suits it best. But perfect worlds are boring. So why not put two projections in a good ol’ eye-gouging, tooth-chipping, back-alley fight for supremacy?

Our first matchup is between two projections that are well known among carto-geeks, but only get limited, sporadic attention from the public: The Cahill and Dymaxion projections. (You can vote for your favorite in a poll at the bottom of this post.)


This debate actually goes back to 1943, when R. Buckminster Fuller published his Dymaxion Map and proclaimed it superior to all others. Within weeks, the New York Times published a measured, indirect, and mostly ignored rebuttal, featuring Bernard J.S. Cahill’s Butterfly map. Fuller’s followers carried the Dymaxion torch blindly for decades, until Gene Keyes revived the debate in 1975 by refining the map a bit into the Cahill-Keyes projection. Keyes was a former Fuller acolyte himself, but was so moved by Cahill that he wrote a 46-page dissertation about the butterfly’s superiority. But Fuller’s legacy is strong, and the Dymaxion map has fresh vigor even now in the year of its 70th anniversary.

At a glance, both projections look like flattened Dragon Dice, but a comparison of the two is likely to stir up more nerd-rage than a top-ten list of the world’s worst dice. OK, so maybe this will be more thoughtful discussion than shirtless brawl, but these two projections were destined to go head-to-head.

Cahill's original 1909 Butterfly World Map

Bernard J.S. Cahill lived in California in the early 1900s. He had many a beef with Mercator maps. In his 1909 paper introducing the butterfly, he spent the first five pages airing his grievances. For example, of the projection’s effect on South America he wrote: “The lower part is dragged down and thickened in appearance until the most beautiful of all the continents is deprived of much of its symmetry and elegance.” If you needed to navigate an ocean-voyage, Mercator was fine, but if you wanted to learn geography, the projection made continents look like thick-jawed, big-headed carnival caricatures.

As a remedy, he proposed skinning the globe into eight triangular lobes, a method invented by Leonardo Da Vinci. Rather than arrange them into a clover, as Da Vinci did, Cahill made a butterfly shape. He was interested in balance, and obsessed with his projection’s aesthetic. And his math was not too shabby either. The lobes – also called gores – are each exactly 90 degrees wide and run 10,000 km along the edge. There is practically no distortion along the edges of each lobe. The lines of latitude and longitude shrink towards the middle of each lobe. The overall effect is a map that can be scaled to any size, and errors that are easy to calculate and correct. Oh, and it looks absolutely beautiful.

R. Buckminster-Fuller once described himself as a “comprehensive anticipatory design scientist,” which sounds like the winning caption for a Cringe-Inducing Personal Branding contest. But Fuller actually lived up to his self-hype. He tackled housing, poverty, the environment, education, transportation, and energy. He’s best known for popularizing the geodesic sphere that lives on in such late 20th century icons as Epcot Center and the Astrodome.

The Mercator Projection was a mote in Fuller’s eye, too. He allegedly spent decades on his projection, eventually publishing it in 1943. Rather than go with one of the dozen highly regarded geographic journals of the day, Fuller unveiled his creation on the pages of Life magazine as a cut-and-paste project (true story).

He called it the Dymaxion map, a portmanteau that is supposed to evoke the words “dynamic, maximum, and tension.” Fuller projected the globe onto a modified isocahedron — Some of the 20 triangles on its face have been fused into squares, others are split in half. Like Cahill, he owed his invention to an early Renaissance genius, Albrecht Durer, who proposed the first unfolded isocahedron in 1538. Bucky loved the fact that he could present “Spaceship Earth” as a continuous archipelago, unbeholden to conventional notions of which way the continents should face.
No lie, it’s a cool way to view the world, but is it the best?

Because the 20-sided shape touches the globe at every vertex, both area and direction are nearly perfect throughout the map. Or, as the Buckminster-Fuller Institute website proclaims, “The Dymaxion projection is the only flat map of the entire surface of the Earth which reveals our planet as one island in one ocean, without any visually obvious distortion of the relative shapes and sizes of the land areas, and without splitting any continents.” That sentence is a masterpiece of superlatives, but has some well-concealed caveats. Consider the part about “no visually obvious distortion.” Depending on your definition of obvious, the map has a pretty serious flaw: too many triangles.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/11/cahill-butterfly-vs-dymaxion-map/#slideid-363471

 




Monday, November 25, 2013

The Art and Science of Influence

Becoming a Leader: The Art and Science of Influence image Influence 300x223

Becoming a Leader:

I have a fear of simply being a manager when I could be a leader. What’s wrong with a manager? Nothing, really; a good manager gets things done, makes sure people have the skills they need to be effective, includes everyone in big decisions, and satisfies the needs of his superiors. But there is nothing—dare I use the word?—inspirational about management.

Eisenhower’s Lesson

General Eisenhower observed that “leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” This is more than just getting a job done; it is creating a passion for the job that didn’t previously exist. But if leadership is an art, it is also a science, something that can be identified, quantified, and replicated. Important principles of leadership can be learned and applied.
I coach speakers. I work with professional speakers and with people who present often as a sales enablement strategy. Having the opportunity to speak to a group is a great trust: we call it the “Privilege of the Platform.” But I regularly see that privilege wasted when it can be a powerful leadership opportunity. Even a chance encounter in the hall can influence behavior, using the same tools as a speech in front of four hundred people. Let’s look at three principles that apply to the lecture hall and the lunchroom.

Know Your Audience

What do they care about? What are their concerns and problems and needs? When you spend some time listening and understanding, you will have the ability to frame your discussion from their perspective. What are the benefits to them? A speaker has about 30 seconds to establish her credibility, and it’s not based on her degrees earned or books written! Leave that to the introduction. Instead, immediately show that you understand the audience and you have a solution for their need. That will make them care a lot more about listening to what you have to say than a recitation of your resume.
What about a one-on-one with your employee? In the same way, you will increase your influence by exhibiting understanding and interest in their work lives. Do you know what their greatest accomplishments and challenges are? The best compliment we pay anyone is to listen to them. That opens the door to influence by informing our understanding and creating a bridge of trust.

Create an Emotional Connection

This is critical to behavior change. Speakers do this by telling stories. If you want your audience to care about a key take-away, anchor it with a story. Stories are memorable and invoke emotion. Without that emotional connection, your audience may be interested, perhaps even fascinated, but it will never move to the level of motivating change. Remember, people buy on emotion and justify with facts.
I had a client in a very scientific, highly-regulated industry that said this didn’t apply to her groups; they were all scientists in new drug development and were only interested in facts. I asked her to tell me their greatest fear; she immediately replied that it was being shut down by the FDA. “Does that ever happen?” I asked. “Oh, yes, it can. That’s why our services are so important,” she answered. Bingo. When she described one instance of a research company that was shut down because they didn’t survive an audit, she evoked a visceral reaction in even the most staid scientist in the room. Then she moved on to the research findings, statistics, and other facts that met the needs of the audience, and her potential clients were much more attuned and emotionally connected to the solution she offered.
In the same way, you can use examples and anecdotes to help an individual see what success looks like, vicariously feel the sense of accomplishment that will come from the advised action, or understand the urgency of a situation and the need to respond with full commitment. Stories are memorable, and when we remember them we re-experience the feelings that they evoked.

Create a Clear and Agreeable Action Plan

The third principle is to create an action plan that is clear and agreeable to everyone. In a room with two hundred people, you can invite each person to write down one step that will focus their commitment into an identifiable behavior change. There may be as many different ideas as there are people in the room; the key is that they have bought into your ideas and they are envisioning how to make them a part of their life. They can put a reminder into their phone or schedule a time to expand on the plan. If you don’t do something to capture the energy and enthusiasm you’ve created, it will dissipate as soon as they walk out and start checking messages.
With a single employee, you can build on their enthusiasm and commitment to create an action plan to move forward and make changes, or begin a new initiative. You’ve listened closely to their needs, concerns, and aspirations; you’ve shown them what success will look like through examples and stories; now it’s time to support them as they create an action plan that is workable and exciting for them.
Influence isn’t a matter of standing at the podium or sitting in the comfortable chair on the power side of the desk; it is the ability to listen and observe, to connect to others on both an intellectual and emotional level; and to help them commit to the individual steps on the path that will lead them to personal and organizational success.

http://news.monster.com/a/business/becoming-a-leader-the-art-and-science-of-influence-281b31?wt.mc_n=CRMUS002089

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Inside KSA


 
KSA is mysterious, unknown and amusing for many people, even Arabs themselves..
However, inevitable changes are slow yet confirmed; despite the hurdles created by an area where civic officers were short to plan for the future..
Corrupt processes, plans, and officers are the true enemies for the hopeful new generations.. On parallel, there are many politicians, community leaders and enthusiastic ones who boost the change and modernization

Friday, November 22, 2013

Arabic Islamic Civilization




 
I do not endorse associating Islam to Arabic Civilization, unless associating Christianity to European one.. Hindu to Indian, Buddhism to South Asian, Jewish to American or Communism to Soviet..!!

Religions are Codes of Ethics, which would generally advise on behavior, obligations and integration.. They appreciate hard sincere effort, they endorse peaceful social values and recommend law and order..

Islam may includes intellectual guidelines and glimpse of scientific merit.. which some brilliant Muslim scholars had taken to the next level of understanding, knowledge, innovation and "useful" creativity..

Islam has set a restrict code on time, not to be wasted in non-useful efforts or activities.. Muslims are compulsory obliged to witness Allah swt in all their thoughts, deeds, and activities..

This why all Civic Properties were attached to Mosques..
Not the vs. versa as many would think..!!
 

Violent Crowd Control


 
Not all protests serve nobel values and legitimate demands; as many ill-motivated persons would use the event to exercise their own psychic anger and behavioral deformation to destroy properties and create chaos..
This is why Riot Control became an art to show authority, resilience, and mightiness; with aims not to capture but to defuse and weaken..

Principles of Crowd Control are scientific and technical rather than random exercise of power.. Behavior Analysis plays the key role..
The Operational Codes are certainly open for innovative implementations as per the local culture and severity moods..
Yet, almost relay on spreading fear, pick riot leaders and efficiently defy the outnumbered activists and sympathizers..
 
Failure to Control the Crowds would disturb the whole society and open the door for chaotic situations beyond any predictions or control..
Poor Training of anti-riot squads is the kiss of death of public order..
In a way, Arabic Spring was an excellent example of Crowd Control failure..!!
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Controversial Stadium..



 
Zaha Hadid may went too far with her inventions..
Qataris may went too far in carelessness..

Monday, November 18, 2013

Sunday, November 17, 2013

London and Fog


 
Many years ago, when I was an active teenager, I had suddenly discovered the beauty of "Gray Clouds"..! That was in a winter time of Cairo 1972: the birth of my "London" dream..! I had attempted to study, travel and settle, but these were too big dreams for a Sudanese teenager.. Decades later, I was able to serious pursue.. inshaallah

Along the years, more reasons and rationales had made me attached to this Megapolis.. Not on the urbanity I realized later, but those features synonymous to it
Yes, Gray and Dark, which had made many migrants and few native depressed..
Yes, Wet and Unpredictable that made outdoor planning a controversy..
Yes, Downtown is Old and Tight, which is not accustomed to private cars..

Maybe, because my "Black" genes make my eyes sensitive to brightness.. I feel more fresh, alert and awake at the "Gray" scenes..
However; undoubtedly, colors and shades are more visible and meaningful at Cloudy rather than Sunny landscapes..

 
Cold and Wet weather had enforced better build solutions, which inevitably developed different courses of economic, industrial and business growth.. Enforcing inventions and innovations that are based on forensic and empirical referrals..

Similarly, the Cold and Wet offer no opportunity for laziness or relaxation.. Therefore, Britishness is about being prepared, walking fast, and embracing order.. These qualities had accustomed the mindset and intellectual foundation of both society and individuals.. Communal necessities are shared or granted for active citizens, in order to sustain the performance of the national capitalist setup..

There are great differences between the British in-migration policies and the other "conceptual" European ones, particularly the "open" French..

Early British adventures around the world had developed early concepts of compulsory engagement and discretional vulnerability.. This how the Britishness became a cultural concept, still rejected by EDL and others.. People of Roman, Spanish and Russian heritage were the early to mix on the ground, followed by Caribbean, Indian and Americas.. The key is the bilateral defuse and melt rather than protectionism.. Also, these are the traps which had produced "Ghettos" within UK landscape..

....

The famous Turkish writer Mehamet Muratilden had said:
"London and Fog; when these two come together; it is time to be a Writer.."
The time he spent studying in UK, had continued to live with him..!!


Friday, November 15, 2013

Better Europe


 
 
Why Does Europe Always Do Things Better? Washing Machines, Public Transport, And Now … Economies?
 
 
 

إمرأة الثلاثين


 
 
 وجدت هذا البروفايل المتميز والذي يَعدم مثيله
ولست أملك من التقدير لصاحبته سوى
أن أنشره ليبقى شهادة لتفوقها كـ انسان ، كـ إمرأة ، وكـ عربية
كلماتها تجسد الروح والجمال والتفوق والعفوية لديها
فكم هي حلم كل إنسان ، كل رجل
كم أتمنى لو كنت صادفتها قبل أن أطرق الستين
 
إمرأة الثلاثين
إمرأة الثلاثين أنا ... وما ادراك ما هم الثلاثينِ
فأكتب فيً ... ترفاً شعراً أوغزلاً ... ما يليق يا سيدي
بنزف الثلاثينِ ولا تأبه بما قد يقولونه عنك
يا عاشقاً إمرأة الثلاثين لا تقترب
لا تحاول لمس شيب العمر ... فدمعي لن يروق لك
ولن يليق بك أبدا جرحي ... فأمضي في طريقك
ولا تلتفت كي لا تأسف على عمرٍ ... قضيته في حضرة إمرأة الثلاثينِ
 
أنا إمرأة خرجت من رحم السنوات
فأدنُ مني قليلاً
لامس سنواتي بكفيك لترى بأم عينك كم هي موحشةُ إمرأة الثلاثين
رغم ما مضى ... اتشبث بحقوقي لديك ... وأطالب بحبك
ذلك الحق الشرعي
آخر مطالب القلب ... قبل أن يفارقني .. وقار الثلاثين
فلماذا توجست مني خوفاً وأنا
لا انا من المغضوب عليهم .. ولا قلبي من الضالين
أنا فقط إمرأة أقف على عتبة الثلاثين
 
أتكلم باسم كل النساء
مانريده من الرجال لايُباع ... ولا يُمكن للصين ولا لتايلاند أن تقوم بتقليده
أو إغراق الأسواق ببضاعة رجاليّة تفي بحاجات النساء العربيّات
ذلك أنّ الشهامة والأنفة والتقوى والنخوة ... تلك خصال ليست للبيع
بل إنّ مجرد سردها هنا يدفع للابتسام ويشعرنا بفداحة خسارتنا وضآلة ما بحوزتنا
اختفاء الرجولة لم يلحق ضررًا بأحلام النساء ومستقبلهنّ
بل بالكون وبقانون الجاذبيّة
ولاننكر أن مكاسب المرأة عبر التاريخ كانت بفضل فرسان منقذين
سنظلّ نحلم أن تكون لنا بهؤلاء الرجال قرابة
أن نكون لهم أمّهات زوجات حبيبات
 
أولئك الذين يسكنون أحلامنا ... الذين يأتون ليبقوا ليحموا
كم مرّة سنقع بحبّهم بالدوار ذاته ... باللهفة إيّاها
غير معنيّات برماد شعرهم وبزحف السنين بملامحهم ليشيخو مطمئنّين
لا الزمن ... لا المرض ... لا الموت سيقتلهم من قلوبنا
نحن"النساء" لايمكن لهؤلاء أن نُقصيهم من حياتنا لأنّنا بفضلهم موجودات
كلّ مانريده هو أن نحافظ عليهم
وعلى شيم الرجال التي أبهرتنا يوماً
وما عدنا اليوم نعثر عليها
عذراً ايها "الرجال" ... سنصلي دائماً بأن يرزقنا أمثال هؤلاء الرجال

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Arabic Spring.. or Illusion..?

 
لأن سائر الأفكار والتواريخ والوقائع قد تعاقدت في مدينة ، صارت نيويورك مستحيلة ، فهي سائر المتناقضات والأحلام والتجارب والمؤامرات والبشر ، هي الانسان ، ذلك الكائن المستحيل الغريب والمتناقض ، الذي أقبل بعفوية على حمل أمانة تراجعت عنها سائر المخلوقات
 
 
لست أدري ؛ لماذا نتحلق دوماً حول اللامعقول والفاسد والمنتهية صلاحيته؟
ثم نردف نعلق عن حجم الغباء والعمالة والخيانة في حديثهم
هل في الأمر "استثارة" نفسية أو بيولوجية أو جينية؟
لعل أحدهم يكتشف الهرمونات التي تنطلق بفعل "مشاهدة" المرفوض
فيتحول الأمر الى "إدمان" إسراف الوقت والجهد في ما هو مرفوض أصلاً

أقول هذا ؛ بينما أصحاب الرأي والقول يمارسون "رذيلة" اللاجدوى
يتابعون من يعرفون سلفاً حجم السفسطائية ...
والانتهازية والدونية لديهم
عوضاً عن صرف الوقت والجهد في بناء مكوناتهم المعرفية
فليس للمعرفة حدود في عالم تتجاوز تقاريره الجديدة الآلاف كل يوم

فاذا كانوا يظنون أنهم عرفوا كل شئ ، فالمصيبة عظيمة
واذا كانوا فقط ينشطون باستثارة النفس والهوى ، فالمصيبة أعظم
واذا لم يدركوا مضمون حديثي ؛ فعلى الأرض السلام والبقاء لله تعالى
 

بمناسبة الأحاديث والتعلقات عن نافع السودان وباسم مصر وجزيرة قطر وغيرهم



لا تختلف مقولة "أعرف عدوك" كثيراً عن التبريرات الساذجة والمضحكة لتعاطي المخدرات والحرية الجنسية وحجر النساء وزواج القصر وزواج المثليين

الشاهد أن أجيال ما بعد الحرب العالمية قد فشلت تدريجياً في تربية أبنائها ، وبالتوالي تواصل انهيار منظومة القيم ، بينما الجميع ، وبلا استثناء ، يبرر لذلك
 
معظم براهين التربية الحديثة قد استوردت مبتورة من بلاد تجاوزت مفاهيم الحداثة ، ولذا صار معظم الأباء والأمهات لدينا قاصرين عن تقويم أبنائهم ، يبررون ذلك بالحداثة والديموقراطية والتطور ، وهو في واقع الأمر افتقادهم "الفعلي" لمعايير ومرجعيات الصواب والخطأ ، واختلط المنطق بالهوى ، ودليله استشراء العقوق والعنف والنرجسية والخصوصية

لدى معظم الأمم ذات الرقي ، نظم صارمة لبناء شخصية الأطفال ، تتراوح ما بين منهجيات التعليم الأساسي ، ورقابة الاستقرار الأسري ، وتنظيم الدعاية والاعلام ، والتدخل القسري ، وبرغم تفاعل المشكلات المتعلقة بالفرد الناضج ، فالشاهد أن استقرار وثقة وبنيوية الصغار لا خلاف عليها ، وعندما استنسخنا هذه النظم ، فات علينا أنها تعبر عن مرجعياتهم ، وما يصلح لهم قد لا يصلح لنا بفعل التاريخ والجغرافيا والموارد والفلكلور

هكذا أخذت مجتمعاتنا في التردي ، ليس فقط التعامل مع مفردات النفس والآخر والجماعة ، ولكن كذلك في التقنية والادارة والسياسة والفن ، وحيث أن طبيعتنا الثقافية تتفاعل وتمجد الحرف والقول والمأثور ، فان قواعد الفكر الحديث قد نمت لدينا مبتورة دون أطرافها الخفية من الرياضيات والاحصاء والجماليات والهندسيات والفنون التطبيقية

هكذا صار كل ما لدينا حق يراد به باطل ، أو فعل يراد به تزكية ، أو معنى يراد به تبرير
فلنتوقف عن التغرد بحضارة قد أفلت ، وتاريخ قد مضى ، وقصص قد فقدت الروح
ثم نبدأ من جديد ، بواقعية وعقلانية وموضوعية
وعسى أن نستطيع تجاوز معضلات النضج الجمعي
وعسى أن نكون بالفعل أوفياء لأنفسنا قبل آباؤنا أو أولادنا أو حتى ديننا

 
الواقع الفاسد هو منتوجنا ، لم يستورد من الخارج ، يجب أن نتوقف عن فكرة كوننا ضحايا لمؤامرات محلية أو عالمية ، الفساد والشرف يتواجدان داخل أي مجتمع ، والفارق هو الحوكمة داخل كل مجتمع للسيطرة على الفساد ، ولدعم الشرف والنبل ، وللأسف ، فان مجتمعاتنا قد فشلت في الاختبارين الحضاري والحضري معاً ، فليس رقي الحياة بالنوايا الحسنة ، ولكن بالأفعال المنطقية والرشيدة
 
اختلافي مع الغالبية هو في مفاهيم الثورة والتغيير والمرجعيات والأليات ، فلست أرى ثورة بل مجموعة تناقضات أدت إلى تفجر مؤقت للعقد الاجتماعي ، ولست أرى حوجة للتغيير بل حوجة لتأكيد التراكم الايجابي وليس الابتكارات التنافسية ، ولست
أرى مرجعيات بل أفكار طوبائية تفتقد الرشد والواقعية العملية ، ولست أرى أليات بل افتراضات ترسمها جماليات المثالية
بكم ما أدري أن كلمات قاسية ، بكم قناعتي بأن التغيير الحقيقي على مدار الحضارة الانسانية قد أفرزه الصدام بين الواقع والحلم (هتلر ، فرانكو ، ماو ، أتاتورك ، ناصر ، جورباتشوف ، لولا ، ميركل ، وانتهاءاً بـ أوباما)

ليس البديل اعادة بناء هياكل المجتمع ( فليس الأمر بناية يعاد انشاؤها) ولكن تطوير الواقع من خلال عقد جماعي يتبنى بواقعية استبدال السيئ وتفعيل الحسن ، فلا يمكن حجر 5% من المواطنين لأنهم مختلفين ، ولا يمكن ضمان صلاحية 5% من المواطنين لأنهم يجيدون الكلام والحديث

فهل بمقدور شعوبنا التوافق على أن فقط 0.001% يملكون الرؤية السياسية ، وعلى البقية التراجع من صفوف الفلسفة الى صفوف العمل والانتاج؟

 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

RE Biz..

 

I had a hot discussion with a friend of mine; on the root-causes of RE Bubble in Dubai.. The difference between polite and straightforward descriptions had already allowed for twisted definitions to rule and deformed concepts to function..!

Certainly, who knows is far unequal to who doesn't.. Therefore, it is understandable why the ICT breakthrough did not help increasing the common knowledge, but the expansion of fun-times.. Check statistics of online gaming and entertainment among search engines..!

I already endorse the notion that "Stupid" people, who happened to own fortunes, and don't do their own homework to validate their RE adventures, are causing the Real Estate (RE) dilemma.. They escalate the market; allowing the "Bad" guys of RE-Biz to grow and harm the overall economy..

In USA and most of G8; RE Frauds are Federal and Criminal offenses; which indefinitely prevent competition to public office.. It is a great moral and business pitfall..!

RE Biz is based on End-users not Speculators.. The Rich-ones of Dubai had already "Flipped" the formula, allowing new element to disturb the RE market pricing.. They are hard working professionals; who know "Nothing" about RE, and never "Try" to know.. They are the target of the "Ridiculous" RE Marketing & Sales campaigns.. They are who had lost fortunes in 2009 Downturn, and would repeat it again.. This is what RERA try to rule and organize.. (RERA=RE Regulations Authority)

On parallel; the "Gangsters" who outstandingly earn from money-laundry, people-trafficking and entertainment-services, have open eyes on both details and market facts.. Similarly the "Conscious" Industrialists who had carefully grown their own fortunes.. Both are not speculators, but professional investors..!

It is not how smart those "Greedy" developers are, but how unethical; as every business endeavor should have code of ethics.. Not to earn on the expense of the ill-informed; who often does not know the appropriate cost or specifications.. This is criminal in the views of any good governance and best practices..

Opportunism is not a sound professional or business model, despite how many already practice.. Procurement Governance is how to practice an open book business; whereas actual costs, profit and contingencies are debatable.. Yes, it is still problematic among G8, UN, WTO and EU; yet no one promotes otherwise..!

To make the world a better place, we need to stand firm for confirmed frameworks, against malfunctionalism and with enforced governance..
Making-money, Go-getting or Social Pragmatism are synonymous to unsustainability, abuse and fragmentation; which had already jeopardize human civilization..




كان لي نقاش ساخن مع إحدى الصديقات ، حول الأسباب الجذرية لفقاعة العقارات في دبي .. ولعل هذا في سياق قناعتي بأن الفارق بين تهذيب ووضوح الأوصاف قد سمح بالفعل للتعريفات الملتوية أن تحكم ، وللمفاهيم المشوهة أن تُوظف

بالتأكيد ، من يدري ليس متكافئاً مع من لا يدري .. ولذلك ، فإنه من المفهوم لماذا لم تساعد ثورة تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات على زيادة المعرفة الجماعية ، و لكن أدت إلى توسع ممارسة المرح .. ويمكنك التحقق من إحصاءات الألعاب والتسلية عبر الإنترنت وبين سائر محركات البحث

إنني أؤيد بشدة فكرة أن "غباء" الناس ذوي الثروات الخاصة ، الذين لا يقومون بمجهودهم البسيط للتحقق من صحة المعلومات قبل شروعهم في مغامرات العقارات ، هي المعضلة الحقيقية .. وهم بذلك قد سمحوا للمطورين العقاريين "ذوي النوايا الآثمة" من الإضرار بالمجتمع والاقتصاد

في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وكافة البلدان الصناعية ؛ الاحتيال العقاري يعد من الجرائم الاتحادية و الجنائية ؛ والذي يمنع لأجل غير مسمى ، المنافسة لشغل المناصب العامة .. بل هو بمنطق الأخلاق والأعمال جرم عظيم

يستند نشاط العقارات على مستخدمي العقار وليس على المضاربين فيه .. والطبقة المقتدرة في دبي قد قلبت الموازين بالفعل ، مماقد خلق عنصراً جديداً أدى إلى اضطراب التسعير العقاري في السوق .. هؤلاء من المهنيين العاملين ؛ الذين يعرفون "لا شيء" حول العقارات ، وأبداً "لا يحاولون" أن يعرفوا .. كانوا هم الهدف من "سخف " حملات التسويق والمبيعات العقارية .. هم الذين فقدوا ثرواتهم في الانكماش الاقتصادي عام 2009 ، و سوف يكررون ذلك مرة أخرى .. هذا هو ما تحاول سلطة التنظيم العقاري أن تحكم وأن تنظم

على نحو موازي ، فإن "رجال العصابات" الذين يكسبون الكثير من غسل الأموال ، الاتجار بالأشخاص ، و خدمات الترفيه ، لهم عيون مفتوحة على كل تفاصيل وحقائق السوق .. وبالمثل ، فإن رجال الصناعة "ذوي اليقظة" الذين كان قد بذلوا العناية في تنمية ثرواتهم الخاصة .. كلا ليسوا مضاربين ، ولكن مستثمرين محترفين

انها ليست ذكاء أولئك المطورين "الجشعين" ، ولكن التردي الأخلاقي ؛ فكما أن كل مسعى في الأعمال يجب أن يكون خاضعاً لقواعد السلوك .. لا للكسب على حساب قلة علم الزبائين ؛ الذين في الغالب لا يعرفون التكلفة أو المواصفات المناسبة .. إن هذا لهو عمل اجرامي بمنظور الحوكمة الرشيدة وأفضل الممارسات

الانتهازية ليست هي المهنية السليمة أو نموذج الأعمال التجارية ، على الرغم من كم من يمارسونها بالفعل .. ان حوكمة التعهيدات هي كيفية ممارسة الأعمال التجارية على كتاب مفتوح ، حيث تكون التكاليف الفعلية والأرباح والمصروفات قابلة للنقاش .. نعم ، لا يزال الأمر موضوع إشكالية داخل البلدان الصناعية ، والأمم المتحدة ، ومنظمة التجارة العالمية ، و الاتحاد الأوروبي ، ومع ذلك لا أحد يشجع على التغاضي عنها

لجعل العالم مكانا أفضل ، فاننا بحاجة إلى الوقوف بحزم لتأكيد أطر الممارسة السليمة ، والوقوف ضد التصرفات القاصرة ، ودعم الحوكمة
صنع المال ،
حقق الهدف ، البراغماتية الاجتماعية ؛ هي مرادفات لعدم الاستدامة وسوء المعاملة والتشرذم ؛ وتؤدي الى تعريض الحضارة الإنسانية للخطر

Smart City-ing..!!

Bigger than Google Fiber: LA plans citywide gigabit for homes and businesses

Free broadband for all, and gigabit for those who can afford it.

Many Mayors are talking about Smart Cities.. and their dreams or plans to transform their own Megapolises.. This noise comes from Asia, Africa and Middle East.. Yet, almost none is capable to bring these words into reality.. It is all about the definition and what is meant by the Smart-City-ing..?
This is not about cheap digital devices, cyber tools, or software businesses.. It is about the freedom of information and connectivity to be granted to every citizen; which would enable smart use of civic and domestic utilities.. and eventually the progression of livelihood.. It is a Sociopolitics at the bottom line..
Usually the speechless achievers in London, New York, Sydney, Tokyo and Berlin.. who had already brought the future, and sustain it.. Now LA is providing a challenging example..
 
Los Angeles is about to unleash one of the most ambitious city-led broadband projects to date, with the goal of bringing fiber to all of its 3.5 million residents and all businesses.

Next month, the city plans to issue an RFP (request for proposals) "that would require fiber to be run to every residence, every business, and every government entity within the city limits of Los Angeles," Los Angeles Information Technology Agency GM Steve Reneker told Ars today. The City Council this morning unanimously voted to move forward with drafting the RFP and will vote again in a few weeks to determine whether it's ready for release, he said.

LA expects the fiber buildout to cost $3 billion to $5 billion, but the cost would be borne by the vendor. "The city is going into it and writing the agreement, basically saying, 'we have no additional funding for this effort.' We're requiring the vendors that respond to pay for the city resources needed to expedite any permitting and inspection associated with laying their fiber," Reneker said. "If they're not willing to do that, our City Council may consider a general fund transfer to reimburse those departments, but we're going in with the assumption that the vendor is going to absorb those up-front costs to make sure they can do their buildout in a timely fashion."

The new fiber network would offer free Internet access of 2Mbps to 5Mbps (possibly subsidized by advertising) and paid tiers of up to a gigabit. The fiber network would also power Wi-Fi hotspots in public areas.

The winning bidder would not be required to offer landline phone service or television, but it's likely that they would. "I would think that's how they'll justify the buildout, is being able to offer triple play [packages]," Reneker said.

Residential broadband in LA today typically ranges from 5Mbps to 50Mbps from the likes of AT&T, Time Warner, Verizon, Cox, and Charter. Gigabit speeds are available to businesses, but at a higher price than other communities, Reneker said. By expanding gigabit access and hopefully lowering the price, LA hopes to attract new entrepreneurs and keep existing businesses from leaving the city.

Reneker said the network would be open, meaning the vendor would have to sell access on a wholesale basis to other network providers that want to deliver services over the fiber. "We're not looking at trying to... be monopolistic and try to force anybody out of the market," he said. The winning bidder should make out well, though, as it would gain lots of new residential, business, and government customers.

The RFP would favor companies that can offer not only fiber Internet but also cellular service and data center hosting. That makes AT&T and Verizon possible candidates. In one potential scenario, the city would pay the winning vendor for its monthly broadband, phone, cellular, and data center needs. Los Angeles has 24 distributed data centers that it would like to modernize and consolidate while boosting disaster recovery and replication, so the data center component alone would be lucrative.

If you took out the cellular component, more companies beyond AT&T and Verizon could offer compelling bids, Reneker said. Time Warner, Cox, and Charter would be among those.
But Google Fiber in its current form wouldn't be considered. "They would have to change their business model," Reneker said of Google. "They only run residential. We're requiring a component for the business. That would be a new market for them. There are two things: would they be willing to change their model slightly, and also would they be willing to respond to an RFP? I don't believe they've responded to RFPs in the past in other communities, but they would need to here in Los Angeles."

This project was spearheaded by recently elected council member Bob Blumenfield and has the support of Mayor Eric Garcetti, Reneker said. Reasonable pricing for residents is important, as one-third of the city's population makes less than $45,000 a year. LA schools are also rolling out iPads to 650,000 students and struggling to ensure that everyone who gets one has affordable connectivity, he said. LA wants the winning bidder to make donations of home broadband equipment to nonprofits that distribute them to needy residents.

Once the RFP goes out, the city will take bids for three months. Contract negotiations with the winning bidder could "easily" take six to nine months because there will be numerous services, each with their own service-level agreements, according to Reneker.
It will be a lengthy process, but the time is right to get it started. "It just seems like now is a good time to give it a shot," he said.

http://arstechnica.com/business/2013/11/bigger-than-google-fiber-la-plans-citywide-gigabit-for-homes-and-businesses/