Here is a simple quiz for you. If you can figure out the intuitive solution, then I am sure you can project the answer to many common social phenomena you may heard of or personally experienced , provided that you were raised/lived in/a citizen of some slightly (or non) globalized mid eastern country or community. Some questions that you can answer after the quiz include:   

• why some parents may feel happier if they know that it is a baby boy?
• why there should be a count-down clock for the girls’ age of marriage (at relatively early age)  and the worry shall accumulate as the ticks get closer? and everyone should be concerned? and basically the role of the girl is to wait and pick among the limited number of those who ‘knocked her door’, whereas the guy can choose and may have an unlimited number of doors to knock?  
• ……

OK, now, here is the quiz.
Instructions: HR#: is for numbering only, where HR stands for Human Reasoning. The sentences are of the form: if –> then (condition/cause –> conclusion/effect/result)

HR1: if one_has_more_control_over_environment –> higher_chance to: survive and be happier

HR2: if maximized_gain and minimized_loss –> happier

HR3: if one_can_beat_environmental_risks/threats –>survive

 Now, how can we use these rules to deduce an answer to question 1 above, i.e. what do you think the reasoning behind the fact that some parents feel happier if it was a baby boy? Hint: Only give the order of the rules above that parents used to reason and internally reach the  conclusion of feeling happier.

…………….

…………….

……………..

Bravo! You have reached the right answer:

The desired effect is ”happier”, then the cause must be the conditions of: HR2, and HR1 (this means that HR3 is also satisfied).

This translates into the following internal reasoning:

“For some reason” it is encoded in their mentality/society that:

 the boy can cause higher gains and lower loss than the girl can cause (HR2),

(BUT, gain/loss in what sense? money, thus social insurance/status? )

and that the boy has higher capabilities to beat environmental risks/threats (HR3),

(BUT, capabilities in what sense? physical strength, thus can bully others, if required? I think that this is the origin of such a n attitude, but this was dominant only in the caveman era!
Environmental risks/threats in what sense? being bullied, thus distorted social reputation?)

and thus, the boy has more control over the surrounding environment.

So, it is more pleasant to have the blue theme than the pink one for a new-born.

…..

Good job!
Anyways, I am just declaring that the environment I live in doesn’t require bullying, and it protects me from being bullied. It made me feel safe, free and secure. Thank you Dubai.  Thank you civilization. Thank you free economy and open markets. I feel no unfair threats or risks. I can survive the difficulties of life by being smarter, wiser, more skilled and better equipped. I don’t need unfair, uncivilized means (HR3 is satisfied).

I have the full potential for maximizing gains in terms of success and achievements  that can lead to a better balanced life: mental, physical, social, spiritual, emotional, financial life. I can be happy (HR2 is satisfied).

I have the largest portion of control over my life and my decisions and I can manage/manipulate/cope with, to a large extent, the environmental input and changes (HR1 is satisfied).

I am having a baby girl (coming soon in a couple of months). We can’t be happier!

 I nearly spent a decade in universities at Sharjah (University of Sharjah) and Dubai (British University in Dubai) studying the fields of Computer Science (undergraduate) and IT (postgraduate).

As I am progressing (happily) in my studies, I can’t but face the not-so-pleasing answer to the above question. It may not be put in a very neutral way or in the best ‘diplomatic’ words, but I am going to exploit the advantage of my personal blog to say this loudly, freely.

My answer is that, in the way I see it, it means to be:

• Disconnected from society: Having to review and submit research papers and projects in topics that has nothing whatsoever to do with the real needs of IT in the organizations in Dubai.

But why to bother? IT needs are mostly outsourced, contracted to big foreign companies or assigned to the low-wage class of 24/7-ready-to-work-with-no-real-demands Indians (p.s. I am totally against racism and racist comments, I am just plotting what might go in the minds of some people around).

• Disconnected from ourselves (in terms of current cognitive state and existing knowledge): Having to attend lectures that cover topics which require solid base in math and statistics that were not sufficiently covered in the old curriculum of MOE.

But why to bother? The offered program needs to sell and the course coordinators will keep the bar reasonably low so that average students can pass.

• Disconnected from the Technology (where technology is defined as ‘the practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area’): Having to study topics that have no practical applications in any area in our society (at least so far)

 But why to bother? Since when we used to have the gene of ‘try-to-do-it-yourself’ well developed? What do we think the Philippinoes are for then? (p.s. I am totally against racism and racist comments, I am just plotting what might go in the minds of some people around)

 • Disconnected from Information: Having a vague understanding of the distinction between data, Information, Knowledge and their links to people, systems and organizations.

But why to bother? Theses are all hot nice terms. Just mention them interchangeably in your next job interview and you get credits.

• Disconnected from the original international university partner: Having an affiliation with a top British university (for example) doesn’t really mean a link to the projects, students, events, courses, ongoing research that are running over there.

But why to bother? At the end of the day, the certificate will have the stamp of that prestigious institute.

——

By no means have I intended to generalize the situation (this is only my personal experience), be pessimistic about it, offend any group or underestimate any effort. On the contrary, I am a strong believer that science is worthy to be seeked out for its own merits, and that it is always a good exercise that would leverage one’s planning, thinking, and solving skills if involved in some good educational program.

The whole point is that I wanted to share my personal experience, which I think it can be similar to many others. Lessons learned: to define what really makes a value in terms of what I can really achieve in my life and in my society, for myself to be a unique brand (a brand called me), and for my society, with the tools I have in my environment and the skills I have within myself, and then evaluate the expected outcomes accordingly and not to be passively driven in a path with no well-defined links to what I really am or want, what I aspire to achieve and what the real environment around me requires.

This weekend I watched ‘2012′. On Friday I received the NYTimes Movie update with a review for the movie. So far, the average rating is 2.5, since almost half readers gave it 1/5 and the other half rated it highly (4 or 5). I gave it 2 (satisfactory) and added the following review:

I liked:
1) visual effects which delivered a zoomed-out picture of how it would look like to have another mass destructive catastrophe (after the one that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs)
2) the ugly truth about the criteria of who deserves to survive, when tickets for the Noah’s ship were sold to the rich regardless of the agreement that the “survival is for the fittest” , fittest in terms of the potential to contribute to a new civilized world. They took a fat rich dull businessman and left the poor smart scientist.
3)some emotional moments when parents look the good-bye look for their kids waiting for the inevitable destiny

I didn’t like:
1) the quickly-cooked, American-style way of how the hero always escapes deadly risks that has the slightest probability for keeping the normal person intact
2) the incomplete, less convincing philosophical dialogue when the scientist tries to convince the political leader to open the doors for the waiting crowd to enter the ship trading time for humanitarian feelings claiming that such feelings are the essence of the civilization man reached at. Despite the satisfactory conclusion that the people were let inside, that justification lacks the philosophical and logical depth which can be directed to reflect more stands on this such as: yes it is the essence of our civilization, but that situation was a one of a survival, we will be able to take them if we have time and space only..

 أقبل أيها الطالب و تعلم..

 كل جديد و مفيد..

 عن التــــوت..

 هاتِ ما في جيبك..

 و ما قد جناه أبوك من الياقوت..

 و تعال أعطيك شهادة

 عليها ختم مرموق

من حضرة والي حضرموت..

*****

لكن يا سيدي!

هذي أرض،كما تعلم،

ما عاد ينبت فيها التوت..

أرضنا جفت فيها ينابيع و عيون..

مذ أبهرت عيوننا شمس حضرموت..

من وقتها و شمسنا مدفونة..

و مناجلنا يعلوها الصدأ،

و زرعنا غطته، كهمتنا، خيوط العنكبوت..

*****

ما أقل خبرتك أيها الغر..

ما دريـت؟

أن شهادة عليها ختم حضرموت،

تبدل رث ثيابك جديداً زاهياً..

حتى تمسي بالعز منعوت؟

و تقلدك خيط ضياءٍ لا يصدأ

من شمس حضرموت؟

*****

و هل تدفئني شمسك يا سيدي..

إن ذوبتُ بيدي وريداً كان بأرضي موصول؟

و ما نفع ختمٍ يشهد أني أتقنت صناعة الحرير،

إن كان كل القز عندنا قد هجر ورق التوت؟

و كيف تزهو حلتي،

و كل أرض اليوم ترعى قزها ..و شمسها..

كيما يلبس العالم وشاح حرير..

لكل خيط فيه لون..

و أرضي يا سيدي عارية..

مذ قبعنا كالمنبوذ في بطن الحوت..

و أسدلنا الستائر..

كيلا تزعجنا الأشعة و الخيوط الملونة؟

**

إنا يا سيدي مشغولون..

ننسج للعالم حلة بلون واحد..

إن تعدد الألوان في تراثنا ممقوت..

إنا اليوم “معجوقون”..

ننقب عن الزبرجد..

فليفني كل النساجين أنفسهم..

لن يزدان الوشاح بغير ما سنجد من الياقوت..

إنا ملتهون..

برثاء ما غرق لنا من فكرٍ..

قبيل عين جالوت..

و ما بقي منه قد دفناه منذ قرون..

في ذاك التابوت..

و مضينا نستورد أشعة و شهادات و حرائر..

من أرض حضرموت..

علها تغطي أجساداً سقطت عنها ورقة التوت..

—–

(c) Manal Rayess 

المرجع الأعظم..
مصلحته الأهم..
معاملاته تقدم..
في الطابور الأزحم..
فليسأم من يسأم..
هو الأكرم..
…
جيبه أضخم!

*******
المرجع الأعلى..
بسطه و السلوى..
لا مسئولية أولى..
ما نفع ذهن أرقى..
أو قيمة للمرء تُعلى..
لإنجازات تحكى و تروى..
إذا كانت الجلسة هانئة و طربى..
و النارة في رأس الرئة وقدى..
هكذا الحياة أهنى!

*********
المرجع الأول..
ضمير لم يتحول..
ما داهن ولا سول،
للنفس طرقاً تأول
طيب ذكره في كل محفل..
لطلب المعالي هو الأول.

حقيبة سفري لها جذور معتقة..

كلما وضبت الحقيبة أنبتت برعماً مشرقا..

سالت أزاهيره على الجذور ألواناً مغدقة..

ما زالت نفحة الجذور للبراعم أريجها و العبقا..