Culture and Tradition of Dubai

This popular proverb needs to be kept in mind by every traveler. It takes centuries for a place to build it's own culture and traditions. It is generally expected that, travelers who visit a new city or country get accustomed to cultures and traditions of the place beforehand. This is basically to avoid the effects of cultural shock to local citizens as well as travelers. Naturally, this applies to Dubai as well. So if you are planning your next holiday in this Arabian 'oasis', then you have just landed on the most appropriate article.

A Brief Insight

The name of the city is said to be derived from the daba which means a swarm of locusts. The city was first known to exist in the year 1095 but was established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti al Maktoum. Dubai has been under Al Maktoum dynasty from that year and it remains a constitutional monarchy till date. For a brief period, Dubai was under the imperial British empire but gained it's independence on 2nd December 1971. Dubai is the largest city in United Arab Emirates. It is a cosmopolitan city with 80% of it's residents being from other countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, etc. The primary religion of this city is Islam and Arabic is the most widely spoken language. However, locals are also fluent in English, Hindi, Persian and Urdu. The local currency is called UAE Dirham.

Culture and Traditions of Dubai

As mentioned earlier, the primary religion followed in Dubai is Islam, however locals respect the sanctity of other religions as well. Travelers are usually advised to follow certain Islamic norms in this city to avoid attracting any controversies during their visits.

• Dressing Up: Dubai follows it's own set of cultural dress codes. You will find the local men from Dubai are dressed in long, white and ankle length robe called as kandura while women wear long, black, ankle length robe called as abaya. There are certain extra stringent traditions for women's dress codes such as usage of burka or facial mask. This tradition is however, getting relaxed as new generation educated women have started working for financial independence. Both male and female travelers are expected to be dressed in decent clothing at all times. The clothing should neither be too revealing nor transparent. Also, women may wear western wear, provided they are not shorter than knee length.
• Alcohol: Dubai laws restrict consumption of alcohol in public. Similarly, for consumption of alcohol in one's own homes requires a permit. Basically, considering all these norms,you might conclude that Dubai is a dry state.
• Social Interaction: In Dubai, it is forbidden to dance in public. Also, it is illegal to make any public display of affection like kissing or holding hands. When out in public, it is generally expected that men do not shake hands with members of opposite sex and vice versa.
• Friday Holiday: Friday is observed as a 'jummah day' or holy day in Islam. Therefore, most of the city observes a weekly holiday on this day.
• Fasting: One popular tradition followed in Dubai is that of fasting during the month of Ramadan. One might notice that locals do not eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. However, food is generally consumed after sunset and early in the morning before sun rises. At such times, new comers and travelers are expected to respect the feelings of locals and avoid consuming food in public.

Festivals in Dubai

Dubai is not just known for it's Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr festivals but also for some new alluring festivals as listed below:

• Dubai Shopping Festival: Dubai is often described as shopping paradise with a amazing number of shopping malls boasting of innumerable outlets of world renowned brands. Dubai holds this shopping festival each year during January and February. There are sky rocketing sales with branded items sold at heavy discounts in duty free shops.
• Dubai Gold Festival: Traditionally, Dubai was known as a pearl market. Dubai boasts of duty free gold market and sells gold jewelery at some of the lowest prices in comparison to rest of the world. The Dubai Gold Souk or the traditional gold market boasts of more than 300 gold jewelery outlets. It was once quoted that the Gold Souk had approximately 10 tonnes of gold at any given point of time.
• Dubai Sports Festivals: Come February, and Dubai holds a week long golf festival in the city. Other major events include the horse racing festival in the month of March and the Rugby Sevens in the month of November each year.

A visit to Dubai can be exhilarating as one gets to view the city's traditions and it's midas touch. With breathtaking splendor, the city will stay in your mind forever.

Spartacus Star Andy Whitfield Dies at Age 39

Andy Whitfield used his well-muscled physique to bring excitement to Starz Entertainment’s "Spartacus" series. The actor who battled foes onscreen was also battling cancer, and on Sunday the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma he’d been battling since being diagnosed in March, 2010 took his life. While Whitfield was born in Wales, he lived in Australia and began his acting career by working in television. Among the shows he acted in early in his career were "All Saints" and "Packed to the Rafters." Whitfield also engaged in modeling.

His big break came when he was cast in the Starz series, officially dubbed "Spartacus: Blood and Sand." The highly stylized show featured Whitfield as Spartacus, a man who is at the head of a rebellion against the Roman Empire. Whitfield had been undergoing treatment in New Zealand since last March, when he was first diagnosed. A few months later, it had been announced that he was cancer-free, but a relapse later in 2010 forced him off the show that was his breakthrough.

Whitfield’s wife, Vashti, issued a statement that confirmed the death of her husband, noting, "On a beautiful sunny Sydney morning, surrounded by his family, in the arms of his love wife, our beautiful young warrior Andy Whitfield lost his 18-month battle with lymphoma cancer. He passed peacefully surrounded by love. Thank you to all his fans whose love and support have helped carry him to this point. He will be remembered as the inspiring, courageous and gentle man, father and husband he was."

Taliban Forces Attack U.S. Embassy and NATO HQ in Kabul

At this point, there are no reports of casualties inside the U.S. embassy or among NATO staff at headquarters, but there are ongoing reports of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenade attacks, in addition to several unconfirmed reports of suicide bombers on the street. It is believed that Taliban insurgents took up positions in a high-rise building that is under construction near the U.S. embassy and that they began firing down upon the building from those positions. Afghan security forces and U.S. military support aircraft then began returning fire and the battle raged throughout the afternoon.

The attacks were launched only two days after the U.S. recognized the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and illustrate the continued instability in Afghanistan, even in the heart of downtown Kabul. As U.S. security forces move closer to a final withdrawal date of the end of 2014, it's clear that there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done to ensure security and stability for the Afghan citizens who are left to function in the wake of a long U.S. occupation.

With Afghanistan and Pakistan becoming increasingly volatile in recent months, it's unclear just how stable the region can be made through the constant presence of a relatively small combat force from the U.S. and its allies. The social, political and religious tensions in the region are much stronger and much more of a problem than the U.S. occupation forces. And even with a well-armed and presumably well-trained Afghan security force in place, it's doubtful that such a unit will have incentives to remain unified and loyal to the task of maintaining order. With rogue government officials and increasingly hands-off U.S. oversight, the negative consequences seem all but assured.

George Anthony Tells Dr. Phil Casey Anthony Not Welcome in His Home

Dr. Phil began his much-anticipated sit-down interview with George and Cindy Anthony yesterday, with the show to air today, tomorrow and then again later in the month. Dr. Phil claimed that he wanted to ask them the questions that he thought most Americans would want to know if they could interview them, but we're still not sure of what the entirety of the interview included. At this point, we do know that Dr. Phil asked George Anthony about the allegations that he sexually molested Casey Anthony as a child and that it was his idea to cover up Caylee's death.

George Anthony did not appear to mince words when he said that his daughter would not be welcome in his home if he were there. And while that might appear to be a harsh stance to take toward one's own child, regardless of circumstance, Mr. Anthony is certainly justified in his position. Outside of the fact that it appears abundantly clear that his only daughter killed his only granddaughter, his daughter also introduced him as the primary reason why his granddaughter is dead. Regardless of father-daughter bonds, that's simply not forgivable.

Mr. Anthony seems to have come to terms with the fact that his daughter is seriously mentally ill and that she's not capable of normal social function at this time. Cindy Anthony, on the other hand, seems to want to wish the entire event away and took a much more conciliatory tone with Dr. Phil about her well wishes for Casey Anthony. Mrs. Anthony went so far as to say that she would like her daughter to become a mom once again, if she were healthy enough to do so.

After the interview, Dr. Phil said that he felt like Mr. Anthony was very "forthcoming", but that Cindy Anthony was "in a huge state of denial" about the events surrounding the death of her granddaughter.