BB viewers in 'finding life' shocker

Admittedly I'm a bit slow on this one, but I've just got my 4 September issue of PR Week and am DELIGHTED to read that Big Brother is to be scrapped next year.

Sorry @shoesandtattoos, but you know it's rubbish too!

I'm surprised not to have picked up the news on Twitter earlier, but - despite being 3 weeks behind the times - it's made my morning.

It's a fine day for the British population when viewers finally show that they quite simply have do have better things to do and voted with their feet. One fine friend aside, good for the Brits that have discovered life beyond watching 10 losers waste their life in a bungalow in East London while it's sunny outside.

finger painting

Check out these mini video clips on The New Yorker...

It's like a flash back to Tony Hart, who used to keep children throughout the UK mesmorised as he turned a blank piece of paper and a few random swishes of colour into a true-to-life image of the city. Only this is on the iphone using the Brushes application. Fascinating stuff.

UAE Ranks as Freest Arab Economy

...and its media continues to butcher English grammar!

(PS. the story is here for anyone still interested)

Moon Sighting Committee to review job description

For those not familiar, the Moon Sighting Committee plays a vital role in Middle East society - they declare when our public holidays are going to be.

You and I both know that the moon is a cyclical thing, it travels at a fixed speed on a pretty predictable orbit, and the Christian calendar uses this science to plan years, decades, centuries ahead for Easter holidays each year. Want to know when Good Friday will be in 2017...no problem! Other holidays - in Britain at least - are at equally predictably times: last Monday in August, 25th December, 1st January...

Not so in this part of the world - it is at once an amusing cultural quirk and a bizarre irritation when trying to plan an Eid get-away more than two days in advance.

In a potentially historic turn of events, however, the Government yesterday announced that 'regardless of when the new moon is sighted, the public sector will observe Eid holidays beginning on Saturday'. Which means we can similarly predict private sector hols with a whole four days notice.

The Moon Sighting Committee - who must be wondering where their career path goes from here - will meet anyway on Saturday. But they must be wondering what they are going to discuss when their key decision making responsibility has been done for them. If there was a Moon Sighting Trade Union, they'd be going on strike.

I had previously been of the opinion that this 'calling' of public holidays at such short notice must be one (of severak) factors that hinders the smooth running of international trade, but now I kind of miss the anticipation! There's just no pleasing some people!

Eid Mubarak to family and friends.

Super TED hits Dubai

I'm looking forward to October for a multitude of reasons...and, unusually for me, my birthday is way down the list.

The months spent air-con hopping are drawing to a close, which means a welcome end to the merry dance that goes something like this: apartment - car - office - car - mall/gym/restaurant/bar* - car - apartment.

*delete according to day of the week

Another equally - if not more - exciting reason is that TED is coming to town. TED is my latest love. He's inspirational, he makes me think, he has amazing - sometimes wacky, sometimes idealistic, sometimes distinctly odd - ideas and an ambition to make the world a better and more creative place. Based on that, who could fail to love TED?

My mum will be disappointed to learn, however, that TED isn't the man I'm going to marry. It's a conference that was started in the States and is docking in Dubai as an independent event organised by a couple of ambitious guys who want to bring this 'spa for the brain' to the desert.

Unusually - especially for this place - money doesn't get you through the door. Everyone has to apply for a ticket and then keep fingers crossed that they get a place. I almost fell off my seat at a TED networking event recently when my application flashed up on the preso...but have taken that as a good sign and have everything crossed!

Wish me luck!

Launching Dubai Metro

I've previously ruminated the relative merits of the Dubai Metro. On the whole, I - along with many others in the city, I'm sure - have been fairly patient (well, ish!) with the disruption to the roads, watched the construction in wonderous awe (it is pretty amazing), and debated not whether but when I shall be using it to gad about town.

It launched on schedule, on 09.09.09 at 09.09.

Except it didn't.

It launched at 21.09 - a technicality that baffled all of the people that excitedly turned up to try their new morning journey into work. And even then , it didn't officially open to the public until 10.09.09 (today).

For such an historical occasion - and it is, honest - there should've been a flashy ceremony the night before, a celebration and an event that embraced the whole of Dubai's community. The 'My City, My Metro' tagline was never less inclusive than with last night's exclusive launch.

I've been in PR for too long, I'm sure, but my recommendation would be that this is all about the public - get them onboard. Literally.

The National did a great live blog/twitter today to mark the first day by racing four journalists from the airport to Jebel Ali by Metro, car, taxi and bus. The poor guy on the bus took hours (in 40 degree heat and 80% humidity - ouch), and the Metro broke down at Mall of the Emirates for a good half hour. It was quality entertainment and I was hooked all along. Well done to The National!