Archive for July, 2006|Monthly archive page
Jeddah, Is it Changing?
Comments (78)
Written by: Ahmed
On Thursday 13th July, Qenan Al-Ghamdi wrote an article in Al-Watan newspaper about the new committee developed in Jeddah. The role of the new committee is to “inspect” on restaurants, cafes, malls and parks.The committee will check on public premises to see whether there are mixed gatherings. The writer inquires about whether the committee has something to do in shutting off a very well known amusement park in Jeddah.
Today I received an email from our friend Mansur. It explains that Jeddah residents have sent a petition to the mayor requesting him to reconsider their decision of forming such a committee.
Personally, I don’t think we need such a committee. We got used to a certain lifestyle in Jeddah and that won’t be changed easily. And I do believe that Jeddah has been known for it’s uniqueness and that it is distinctive from other cities and towns in Saudi Arabia, segregation takes place in Jeddah but not at the same intensity as in Riyadh and other parts in the Kingdom. I just hope that this committee will vanish soon…
Wikipedia!
Comments (8)Written by : Mystique
Well the ISU blocked Wikipedia. I was truly surprised I mean it was one of my favorite websites ever, funny thing is that they blocked access only to the English Version of Wikipedia!!
I was at www.wikipedia.com I typed Lara Fabian then the famous “The URL page you requested is blocked ” appeared I was like okay maybe Lara is into drugs (of course she is not) , I decided I’ll type Mango, As well it was blocked.
Now I thought let me try spanish, funny thing the spanish version wasn’t blocked, nor were all the other languages, only English!!
I am very upset now..
Cheers
Update … it is BACK!! I guess Ahmed was right, they just clicked the wrong button I hope.
WiFi Hotspots in Jeddah
Comments (13)Written by: Fouad
I googled around looking for wifi hotspots in Jeddah with no good results. Since this blog is a Jeddah blog, why not list down all the hotspot places we know in Jeddah that offer wifi services. I’ll start with what I know:
- Casper&Gambinis: free wifi (only free service I know of)
- Alqalzam: wifi for members only
- Starbucks (Tahlia Street, Cornish, Palestine Street): 10 SAR/Hour
- Crown Plaza hotel: 10 SAR/Hour
- Hilton Hotel: ???
- Sheraton Hotel: ???
- Lemo Café (end of Sitteen Street): 10 SAR/Hour
Please help building this list.
The “Saudi” Oil – Diversification – Where is the Money?
Written by: Mystique
Energy is a necessary and inevitable input to economic activity throughout the world. Oil plays a key role in this regard. In addition, today’s crude oil is one of the most highly valued commodities in international trade. The sharp increase in oil price to 67$/barrel (13 June 2006), as well as OPEC decision to raise oil production level, illustrates the Kingdom’s petroleum sector future, considering that Saudi Arabia has a comparative advantage in the low production cost of oil compared to other high cost energy producers.
Other economies like the US are diversified while Saudi Arabia’s is not. All of Saudi Arabia’s economic reform efforts and development plans to date centre around the fact that its economy is essentially oil driven. Recently the Saudi Government is trying to diversify, in order to develop
The performance of the Saudi economy has been heavily influenced by two major factors: first, the level and growth of oil revenue and second, by government budgetary policies.
Oil and the GDP per capita (Standard of living):
The oil plays a very critical role in the Saudi economy and it is reflected in so many factors, the GDP, the growth of the economy, and wealth of people.
I have collected data to show the correlation between oil prices and the per capita GDP; the results were that there was a strong positive relationship between the two variables.
Pearson correlation of GDP per Capita and Oil Prices = 0.869
The GDP per capita has reached its highest level at 1980 and 1981 at prices 90.39 and 78.27 respectively (according to historical oil prices), which was at the oil boom cycle. after that from 1983 till the late 90’s prices were decreasing and fluctuating, which of course affected the GDP per capita, and from 2000 till 2004 prices are increasing again, leading to an increase in the per capita GDP.
There is a strong positive correlation between per capita income and oil prices ( oil sector), when oil prices were low, per capita GDP fell dramatically.
The Saudi dependence on oil revenue is of great concern to many economists. Saudi Arabia’s oil production is expected to peak in the early 21st century and decline thereafter as the reserves are depleted. In addition, the population of Saudi Arabia is increasing rapidly which means that the revenues from oil production are divided among an increasing population.
There are many tangible signs of troubles that were listed by the observer Kim Murphy
“In Riyadh the capital, Beggars hawk bottles of water at intersections. Penniless women huddle in strips of shade outside their crumbling mud-brick houses, begging for money. Many families in the capital are so poor they cannot afford electricity. Raw sewage runs through parts of Jeddah, and the country’s national debt is already over 100 percent of GDP. Even with an improved oil picture, the Saudi government may simply not be able to finance the diversification of the economy without extensive private sector participation”
The government expenditures must be refocused on activities that directly support direct private sector; according to a study there is a tremendous waste in government expenditures especially in the ministries, a recent study found that 69 percent of civil servants in the Kingdom stay away from work without a good reason while 54 percent come to work late.
Finally, I would like to say that increasing the existence of Financial Institutions as Investment banks and institutions is very important to finance new projects, the infrastructure, to enable public to access new equity funds and more, in addition to developing the capital market is crucial for the Saudi Economy’s prosperity.
Sources:
Mohammed A Ramady, The Saudi Arabian Economy
http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/si/2004/jan/looneyJan04.asp
http://www.traveldocs.com/sa/economy.htm
http://biz.yahoo.com/ifc/sa.html
www.sama.gov.sa
www.planning.gov.sa
www.worldbank.org
A Study on Money, Finance and Economic growth the case of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Albatel
Copy Right
Prepared by: Mystique
Things about Jeddah you may not know
Written by Foad
- Jeddah is a 3000 years old city
- It is said that our glorious mother “Eve” died and buried in Jeddah
- Scholars didn’t agree on the origin of the city name. The known opinions:
- Jeddah: in reference to a Quda’ah tribal leader Mr. jeddah bin Jirm bin Rayan
- Joddah: which means the “seacoast”
- Jaddah: which means “grandmother” in reference to our glorious mother Eve
- Jeddah streets conditions are so poor that it will make you regret buying a new car
- One of Jeddah famous previous mayors retired from his position with a fortune in billions of Riyals. How? He even gave away 3 Million Riyals to Egyptian universities and big fat zero back to Jeddah.
- Jeddah slogan “Jeddah is different” is credit to a poet named Talal Hamza.
- Jeddah is cool. It could be in a much better shape only if…
hmmm, what else?
A Mixed Bowling Alley.
by Mystique
Okaz – Local Press
Adnan Al Shabrawy – Jeddah
Issued by His Royal Highness Prince Mashaal Bin Majid, Governor of Jeddah.
His Highness Prince Mashaal Bin Majid has instructed that a bowling alley in one of Jeddah’s largest commercial centers located in Al-Malik Road, be closed down. The reasons for this are that, it has been opearting without a license from the Youth Chamber and the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, and has also been allowing young girls and boys to mingle togther inside the alley.
Further investigation will be done with the Center’s managers to enforce the issuance of a license from the Chambers and to adhere and abide by the country’s traditions and public morals.
For Arabic Click here
That wasn’t surprising at all, the Youth Chamber! That is just funny, what would that Chamber add to the youth I’d like to know..
I couldn’t keep my self from translating the article and posting it…
Jeddah Race Way
Written by Ahmad
A very interesting project which will attract many of our youth in the Kingdom. Jeddah race way (JRW) is a Safe and Legal place where popularity comes from mocking the slow, challenging the fast, and walking away with the impossible.
It includes the first stand-alone “FIA” standard ¼ Mile (402 Meter) drag strip in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, It will be equipped with the highest standards in safety, racing equipment, and complementary services offered by the international market. JRW’s design and structure was developed based on the FIA ranked 1st in the world, stand-alone drag strip “route 66” in Chicago, IL.
I remember when I used to car race with my friends in Malik road. At that time, Malik road wasn’t crowded as we see it today. Significantly less police cars were there to monitor speedy cars. We were dangerously driving our cars and we suffered alot since we lost many of our friends in car accidents.
JRW rocks!!
for more information, click here.
Jeddah’s Airport
Written by: Mystique
When I think of an airport, the first picture that comes to my mind is Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris or Dubai airport and how organized, neat and practical they are. Then I think of Jeddah airport and wonder when we are going to change.
I also think of a story of a friend of mine who wanted to go to Paris from Jeddah’s airport. The family arrived at the airport with bags and three kids and gave the tickets at the check-in counter. He made sure to look at their faces, took the luggage from them, smiled and said “Gate No. 16 to Paris at 11 p.m.”
The family sat down. The first thing that captured my friend’s attention was that there were many Indians in the waiting lounge and, as time passed, the number increased. She looked at the signs in the waiting lounge. She did not see Paris written there; only Bombay and Khartoum. An hour passed, and still there was no sign of Paris. Her husband went to the security personnel and asked the first officer he met, “When is the flight to Paris?”
The officer said he was not sure, but offered to inquire. The process of inquiring took more than 20 minutes. Then the officer came back, and said, “There is no flight to Paris tonight, show me your tickets”. He looked at the tickets and said, “The flight is tomorrow at the same time.” My friend’s husband then asked, “but what about the luggage? And how was my passport stamped?” With a high degree of boredom and irritation, the security officer said, “It happens at the best of airports.”
It is sad that such an event can happen at Jeddah airport. Is not an airport that millions of pilgrims pass through supposed to be an organized one, with maximum efficiency and good supervision?
About “Jeddah’s Blog”
Goal
- The goal of “Jeddah’s Blog” is to create a link between the authors and readers in the country as well as abroad, and to enable them to see Jeddah through the eyes of its people.
Aims:
- We aim to create a space for discussion, comments, exchanging information, and engaging in arguments.
- We expect readers and authors to communicate together in a polite and respectful manner, where all views, religions, and cultures are treated with respect.
Scope:
- The expected scope of writings will range between societal, cultural, socio-cultural, religious, regional, and economic issues in Jeddah, although some might also concern Saudi Arabia in general.
- We have no intention to discuss or portray Saudi Arabia in a negative way (or cause problems etc.) yet nevertheless we aim to share our reflections, thoughts and rants in “Jeddah’s Blog”.
The Contributors
- They are diverse in their educational background as well as their current fields of employment, and some are still students. Some are more religious than others, some are more socially liberal, others more conservative.
- The authors are au courant, cultured, critical, and willing to provide a reasonable diversity in their views and opinions.
E-mail: Mystiquesa@gmail.com
A down to earth girl, loves her friends, gets bored very easily and likes to have fun. She is very open-minded yet comitted to her original beliefs. She is unique in just about everything. This what makes her special among her friends who trust her opinion and insights on many aspects of life
Interested in education, different people, likes to write and read and she believes that through writing people get closer and understand each other better and that writing enables us to see our similarities as people as well as our differences..
