Saturday, December 10, 2011

Sharjah airport 1937 and Dubai airport nowadays:

              The video shows the diffrence between  Sharjah airport  in 1937 and Dubai air port nowadays. Sharjah airport  includes a lot of information used for communication and transportation uses. There were a lot of Arab local people with few numbers of foreigners where they travelled by walking , by donkey and camels. The total  number of people in Sharjah was about 15,000  compared with over half a million today. Also there were a lot of traders from different places like Iran and India . The aeroplane which was shown in the clip was arriving from England. It was a Hanno H.P.42 made by an English company for Imperial Airways . There's a big diffrence between aeroplanes in the past and nowadays. In the past the airplane was simple with less technolgy.
The second video presents Dubai international airport today. It is  a huge building which receives millions of travelers per week. Many different nationalities are shown in the video in the airport.The interesting thing is the clip dance which shows many nationalities dancing togother . Most of them are working in the airport; Dubai is an example of cultural diversity.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Definitions

1. Affluence = wealthy

Abu Dhabi an example of an affluent society.
The opposite of affluence is poverty

2. Ethnicity is related to culture. race , language.
Malaysians consist of three main ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese and Indians.

3. Ability = skill = aptitude.
He has the ability to get good grades.

4. Diversity = difference.
The UAE nowadays is an example of a culturally diverse society.

5.Assimilation = absorption.
People emigrating to other countries will gradually assimilate into a new culture.

6.Demographics = the study of population.
You can study a country's demographics in many different ways,e.g. race, language, religion, age, gender.

7.Religion = a set of beliefs.
Religios people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.

8.Race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.
People of Malay, Chinese and Indian race share Malaysian nationality.

9.Multiculturalism = many different cultures.
A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.

10. personality = individual character.

She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.

11. prejudice = bias.

Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.

12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.

It means different cultures borrowing from each other.

13. Bias = prejudice.

Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.

14. Discrimination = treating people differently.

Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.

15. Fringe = edge, margin.

A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.

16. Population = the number of people.

A census is a count of the number of people in a country.

17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.

Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.

18. Gender = sex.

There are two genders, male and female.

19. Resistance = opposition.

There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.

20. Advantage = a favoured position.

If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.

21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.

The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.

22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.

Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.

23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.

The company's productivity rates are rising.

24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.

The students' behaviour is very good.

25. Belief = confidence.

I have great belief in her.

Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.

26. Majority = most.

The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.

27. Income = salary.

All employees have a monthly income.

28. Adverse = bad, harmful.

We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.

29. Values = beliefs.

I value honesty very highly.

30. Traditions = customs.

They are handed down from generation to generation.

31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.

In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.

 32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.

She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.

33. Slang = slightly improper language.

Have a shufti at my blog.

34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from viewpoint of your own culture.

An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.

35. Stratification = rigid division of society.

The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.

36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.

37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.

Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.

38. Poverty = being poor.

The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.

39. Nationality = the country you belong to.

You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.

40. Minority = less than half.

Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.

41. Class = group.

You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.

42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.

Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.

43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.

Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.

44. Barriers = obstacles.

To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Blindsight

  The blind girl with 2 blind brothers and a blind father, whose mother died of a heart attack, leaving her daughter with no effective support.
Erik, the blind American mountaineer who volunteers to guide blind children up Everest.
The blind children have the additional challenge of performing an extreme feat blind.
Types of cultural diversity in the movie: the German woman who sets up a school for the blind in Tibet.
They are from western cultures, based on Christianity, as opposed to the traditional Tibetan culture based on Buddhism.
The bonding & sense of group belonging seemed to promote a greater mutual understanding and a greater sense of cultural diversity.
The greatest conflict within the group which we saw was between the westerners, some of whom wanted to go for the summit and others who wanted to turn back together.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Reflection

REFLECTION

The size of the population today,in the United Arab Emirates is more than what it was  19 years ago and this increase may be the reason to change the culture  which, because the percentage of Emiratis is much less than the foreigners, this increase may erase the culture or make us integrate with them.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Cultural diversity

Cultural diversity

This is having different people from different cultures living with each other and respecting each other. There are differences that exist between people, such as language, dress and traditions; there are also significant variations in the way societies organize themselves, in their shared conception of morality, and in the ways they interact with their environment.

UAE demographics


UAE

Introduction to Diversity

UAE Demographics:

Ethnic Groups Percentage 2,ooo

Arab 48.1%

12.2% UAE Arab

9.4% Bedouin

6.2% Egyptian Arab

4.1% Omani Arab

4% Saudi Arab

South Asian 35.7%

Iranian 5%

Filipino 3.4%

White European 2.4%

Others 5.4%


Religions Percentage 2000

Muslim 62% (80% Sunni)

Hindi 21%

Christian 9%

Buddhist 4%

Others 4%


Source: http://www.worldstatesmen.org/United_Arab_Emirates.html