Phoenix Reflections

Escapism is a requirement for keeping an individual’s sanity intact. The traditional forms of release are the television, radio, reading or an outing. The new transporter on the block is the virtual world courtesy the Internet.

The virtual world is a computer stimulated world aping the real world but allowing you to play God and giving you a chance to create a ‘NEW’ ‘IMPROVED’ you, called an avatar. These virtual worlds have now become a massive online business providing multi-player online role-playing games such as EverQuest, Guild Wars and the popular Second Life.

Despite some of the tedious prerequisites of these worlds like download speed, time spent on creating the avatars, a graphics card and the availability of cash to update the new you, it has managed to attract masses of gaming enthusiasts and Internet addicts. Taking advantage of this obsession many multinational companies including Nike, Sony Entertainment, Toyota and Apparel have teamed up with this booming business and provide their specialized lines to these gaming sites at a charge they consider minimal, for hours of pleasure. These virtual worlds are the next frontier in blurring advertising and entertainment.

The virtual society is like a playground where an individual can fulfill all his fantasies. Unlike his real life, here he can be in absolute control and this very factor drives the demand for these virtual worlds. Man today, despite being the master of all, has developed a sense of insecurity in him. The reassurance that he is a significant part of the world draws him into a fake world.

One major weakness of people tends to come to the forefront, the fear of isolation and the need to prove themselves. The constant need for companionship is fodder for the virtual world. It provides a platform for not only meeting people from all over the world but also challenging them and displaying ones skills.

Though they are an extension of the gaming industry these virtual world platforms are now being adopted for commerce, education, military and vocational training.

It isn’t long before the thick line between ‘real’ and ‘fantasy’ becomes a distant blur.

Stars walk the ramp:The Children of Al Noor Center

Come Friday and all the school bags, the briefcases and appointments are ditched, shoes kicked off to enter into the stress free party mode. After a long week of college stay backs and an anticipation of an even more hectic week ahead, my agenda was set. I call it the SEP: Sleep Eat and Party!

Shopping for giving

The Al Noor Training Center for Children with Special Needs organized its annual Fun Fair on the Friday (7/2/08) in its school premises. The event began at 10am and went on for the next twelve hours. Though I couldn’t be there for the entire event I did spend the entire evening in the aura of hundreds of humanitarians. With a mere entry ticket of Dhs. 2/- I was exposed to the buzzing of UAE citizens who not only had come to have a good time but to encourage and extend their support in any which way to the organization. The place was jam-packed and we had a hard time finding a parking spot as well.

The major crowd puller was the food court. With sponsors like Gazebo and Al Ghurair Foods, a booklet of coupons gave you access to a delectable continental spread. Moving away from the food court, towards the main ground was the bouncy castle that I so fancied as a kid. Being all of 20, as I was about to enter it, gazing stares got the better of me. So I decided to indulge in a little shopping therapy instead. A mini global village, almost everything was on sale. From shoes, clothes, jewellery to used books and tapes, toys all the way down to kitchen and bathroom usables. Pick up anything and you automatically aid the organizations cause. Never knew shopping could be charitable!

What I was most looking forward to was the fashion show that the announcer kept reminding the public about. “Please head to the auditorium at 7:00 for a fabulous fashion show by designer J. Yasmeen. Don’t forget!” At first it sounded like just another designer displaying her creations for which all proceeds would be given to Al Noor. But after repeated announcements, I resoled to attending it. And boy! I’m glad I did. Or else I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. As I entered the misty auditorium, it took me a couple of minutes to get adjusted to the lights and crowd around me. As my visibility cleared up, I noticed someone walking the ramp. Well the same old fashion show! Or was it? As I zoomed in through my camera (where spectacles don’t help, your camera forms an excellent extendable third eye) what caught my attention was that this regular fashion show had no regular models. These were special models.

Future super models

Models whose walk can make the Naomi Campbell’s, Heidi Klum’s and Tatiana Rosalino’s eat their shoes. The professionalism in these children with special needs blew me off my feet. And a volunteer told me it took these children only a month to prepare for this grand event. “This is the first time we have a fashion designer creating pieces for our children and we prepared them in a month for the show,” said Ms. P, a teacher at the Center. Kudos to them! As each child displayed the specially designed outfits the crowd cheered them, basking in the love the children exuded. At the end of the show all the children took to the center of the stage and were greeted with a standing ovation fueling their enthusiasm. The satisfaction that lined the visage of the teachers and volunteers spoke volumes of the hard work, their commitment and dedication to integrating Gods most precious creations into the society, which is so called the ‘normality’. I left the auditorium part dazed, part enlightened.

The excitement dancing in the kid’s eyes and the satisfaction on their faces was picture perfect paling those of Mona Lisa and Cleopatra. Earn all you can but this is one thing we all are, and will always be devoid of. With most of us caught up in stress and sleepless nights, their carefree spirit is the one think that cannot be stolen from them. A little time spent with or around them will make you realize that if normal is what you think you are, it’s delusional!

Where are all the front page headlines? At least the paper I subscribe to doesn’t have ‘em! WHAT?! Is she blind? How can a newspaper do away with the front page headlines? Of course! If it has a front page ad …where is the room for text?

With companies shelling out all their mullah to get that entire extra broadsheet which screams ‘BUY ME!’, newspaper proprietors are laughing all the way to the bank. The ‘Pseudo Front Page’ as I call it is the latest trend in print advertising. Tracking this development in the last few months, what I noticed is that these front pages have been booked by property developers and what was an occasional affair has now become a regular feature. Advertisers pay based on how much space their ad requires on the page. They can purchase full-page display ads, which fill an entire page of the newspaper, or fractions of pages. The price of an advertisement depends on the size of the newspaper’s circulation. I guess full page ads make them look bigger. But while the ad manages to catch my glance, (Obviously! You need to go through the first page to get to the second) they fail to maintain attention. So dreary.

Being a media student, my main interest lies in the content of the newspaper that though encompasses ads, these (front page ads) can be called anything but that. Lacking any sort of appeal, I have no use for them….or do I??

Let me share with you a few ways of putting your Pseudo Front Page (PFP) and other full page ads within the newspaper, which otherwise is absolutely useless, to complete use:

1. Being a compulsive hygiene freak, I abhor the idea of my newspaper lying on the mucky floor outside my flat. So the PFP can be used as a cover to avoid any sort of filth on the main paper.
2. If Tommy (your neighbors’ dog), over the years has found it appropriate to relieve himself on your doormat, well after all the failed lessons in dog training, its now time for you to do something about it. Just place the PFP’s over you doormat. Now he can pee and poop all he wants!
3. Ours is a traditional family, we still enjoy delectable home cooked, ‘ma ke haath ka khana’ on the tiled floor. When it gets cold, sit on the PFP’s and hog away.
4. PFP’s serve as good shoe rack lining as well. Shoe dirt accumulates on the paper which can later be thrown out. It does away with the hassle of regular cleaning and dirt stains.
5. Carry PFP’s when traveling with those suffering from motion sickness. Now that you are armed, at least you won’t end up at the work place smelling of puke.
6. Spring cleaning (which somehow seems to pop up in winter, summer and autumn as well) can be made much easier with PFP’s.
7. Fool your neighbor into believing he’s got the morning paper (at first glance), when the matter of fact is that you’ve taken his copy for the day leaving behind just the PFP.
8. Lastly, find new ways of using a PFP.

Disclaimer: These uses have been tried and tested. Please feel free to add on to this list.

Do tell me too!

What do I do for the world to recognize my existence? Simple! Make a ridiculous video and upload it on YouTube. A sure shot formula for visibility.

YouTube was the brain wave of two young men Steve Chan and Chad Hurley who never ventured into Web 2.0 with the idea of making it big. However they went on to be so popular that even Google could not resist buying this company at a price of $1.65 billion. The two freshmen have not been able to settle down with all the popularity yet, and YouTube has already scaled new heights of popularity.

YouTube works on the keywords ‘easy’ and ‘cheap’. Resigning from the technicalities and budget system of television or any other media outlet it allows people to display their video making talent. What more… you do not even need a studio to make a video. It is a potpourri of individual aspirations.

A few years back the world took its first steps on the path of globalization. YouTube ensures its massive spread by providing the public with around the world videos and images.

Who needs a degree when all I need are my tactics!!?

YouTube has brought the amateur and professional onto the same ground. (Unfortunate for those who slog to attain a degree.) Though the videos by amateurs lack the proficient touch, nevertheless they still manage to catch the attention of millions worldwide. Their capacity to entertain the onlooker is what determines their success. Thus it is noticed that unedited and non-tampered material generally has mass appeal. People openly accept flaws and are moving away from the perfect picture painted by most of the conventional media outlets.

YouTube is also a means for media material that has been rejected by other channels. For example: Nobody’s Watching a self-referential sitcom that was denied by the now defunct WB network in 2005 was openly accepted on YouTube. This became a huge success on the site and began getting rave reviews.

YouTube has become such an influential factor that some believe it to also be a determinant of the elections held in America. Thinking about it, the power bestowed upon this site, which ironically is at the mercy of humans, is sometimes scary.

So the title couch potato now stands corrected…it is now ‘bench chip’

Photogrpah: Kodak DX7590
Area: Sharjah Corniche

“It looks like Sharjah is under attack!” And no, it wasn’t the famed sandstorm that hit UAE a week back that my friend who was visiting me, could be heard exclaiming about. In fact he was astonished at the number of winged inhabitants that spread on the greens like a blanket of snow on the highway. Perhaps the phrase ‘Smile you are in Sharjah’ is apt for these avian foreigners rather than the human population. After all traffic is always under control in the skies!

Over the past few years the number of migratory birds has increased by manifolds. The only birds that were present to my field of vision were the pigeons (they do reproduce at a phenomenal rate!) and any other bird in such large aggregates was confined to the local zoo. But now, UAE is a temporary haven to varied species which were just text-book names once upon a time.

The UAE lies in the Afro-Eurasian migratory flyway. These birds are in transit, basking in the warmth of the UAE sun before they embark on the final leg of their journey to reach their southern destinations. Migratory birds travel in a group that assures their protection and avoids digression from their route. A marvelous sight is the creation of exquisite formations, like that of the arrow or army formation, when in flight.

The Emirates Bird Records Committee recorded an increase in the number of birds that flock to UAE’s comparatively warmer climate. However, where there has been an increase in migratory birds here, an article in the journal Biological Conservation, prepared by BirdLife International and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds states that the migratory birds that journey between Africa and Europe have reduced over the last 30 years. While UAE has gone that extra mile to convert their deserts into green cosmopolitans, welcoming shoes and wings alike, desertification and pesticides have plagued the once common temporary dwelling of these migratory birds. Thus changing their ‘holiday’ destination, they now flock here in hoards where feed is bountiful.

The most prominent of the migratory birds (at least to me) is the seagull. Known for its existence in a human habitat, this seabird’s migratory pattern depends on the availability of food resources on their route. Being an ecologically conscious country, UAE has thus become the perfect lodging for our feathered visitors.

Coming back to my friend’s statement, these birds, in such large numbers can be hazardous to travelers. They keep swooping down, their wings flapping vigorously right in front of the windshield. At one point the distraction put me off track and I was greeted with, what seemed like a million honks by fellow commuters. And if you aren’t in the safety of your vehicle, and instead plan to enjoy a walk on the corniche, then be mindful of all the hovering above your head. You never know, if they are having a bad day or hold a grudge, you’ll end up sporting a funky new hairdo!

How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! ~John Muir

While embarking on a bumpy journey on an elephant at the Dudhwa National Park on the India-Nepal border, we were assured that at this time of the year (around June) we would be graced by the presence of the National pride of India. All the energy spent keeping out the mosquitoes and fanning ourselves through the night, in the generator run quarters at the reserve would be worth it. Every penny would have been well spent, we were told. So ignoring all our aches we set out in the dewy morning to feast our eyes on The Tiger. Typically famous for Swamp Deer, it boasts of 101 tigers. At least it used to! Every time the puny bare chest guide cried out ‘mele’ my sister and I would roll our eyes and wait with abated breath for the striped animal, who’s solo call would cause a stir in the vicinity. Later on we realized ‘mele’ in fact was just to prevent our elephant from digressing. Well, we did get to enjoy the sights of the deer and the rhinos in their habitat but were devoid of one of the largest tourist attractor in India.

It’s no surprise though, noticing the situation of the Indian tiger today. Their road to extinction is reaching its destination unless there is an apparition of a solution to their fast declining number. The National Tiger Conservation Authority released an alarming census report on February 12^th, 2008 that holds the current population of the tiger to be at 1411. This figure takes into account 16 tiger states and is exclusive of Jharkhand and the Sunderbans. So if one calculates the fall of the number from when the last census was carried out, that is in 2002 then, my children get to see an India with only tales of its National Animal.

India used to boast 40% of the worlds tigers, now with the dwindling number it could well be a country where the tiger first disappears. Despite the numerous conservation organizations in India, the tiger seeks protection. The initial method of tiger counting relied on its pugmarks but its inaccuracy has recently come to the forefront. It has been speculated that previous tiger numbers may be deceiving and that the situation needs adequate methods for accuracy. Using camera’s to trace the tiger in its habitat has revealed this depressing situation.

Who likes to be blamed for the spilt milk? Apparently no one! The Protection Societies blame the states for going cold turkey over the issue. At the same time the population blames these organizations for not doing enough. The states…well blame the government of course! In this vicious circle of who stole the cookie the loss is of our national treasure.

Apart from preserving Mother Nature and her bounty for the future generations has it ever occurred to you that the existence of the tiger is in a way, though not immediate, linked to our survival? How you may ask? Water! The tiger can help conserve this precious resource that makes up 2/3^rd of man. This is no rocket science. It’s basic! As the food chain explains it: the carnivores feed on the herbivores and they feed on the green. With the depletion of the carnivore, the population of the herbivore spirals out of control and thus the green is uprooted. The spread of vegetation is required to protect the rainwater and safeguard the water levels. Thus the absence of the carnivore from the food chain will throw the ecological equilibrium off-track leaving the land parched.

The major reasons cited for the cause of the disappearance of this magnificent big cat have been poaching and habitat loss. Tiger skin can be sold for billions and their parts are used for medicinal reasons. Poachers are paid a few thousands by businessmen for the action, selling it abroad for astronomical amounts. An activist interviewed on NDTV- 24x7 referred to poaching as a simple task, which involves trapping the tiger though nets and then killing it with a sharp instrument. Forests are being cut down with the increase in the number of 0’s in the Indian population. Due to this, the tiger wanders into human territory and as any alien is feared and therefore shot down. States have failed to educate farmers on a peaceful co-existence with this relative of the domestic cat.

In this dire situation what can be done and what has India decided to do? Well for one STOP cutting down our forests! Imagine the helplessness if one’s house caught fire. Despite the introduction of the Tiger Protection Force the lack of funds has disabled it from hiring skilled individuals who can keep poaching at bay. The government budget must be reworked to provide prime priority to conservation of nature. It’s a mutual benefit system. Tourism pay and without natures beauties there is no addition to the country’s economy. Sates and local communities need to work in tandem and take tough action to weed out the offenders.

The power of ‘we’ is relentless. The tiger is our valuable possession and we, the force of tomorrow can help in our own little ways to ensure that our possession is taken care of. Living away from India, it may be difficult to directly participate in the nation wide program but we have the power to educate. Words are like wildfire. A spark is sufficient to cause an uproar. Join online campaigns to save the tiger. Our tiny endeavors can do wonders in persuading the government to action. Convey your thoughts on the issue. Let’s not allow Jim Corbett’s hero and the legacy of India suffer the fate of the Dodo!