What would you do if you encounter a blog, a Tweet, a reading material that’s obviously, blatantly offensive in nature? Something that shouts racial hatred in your face?

The UAE expat community do not take something like this sitting down. We were recently outraged by a blog called Al-Emirati, written by a group of people, mostly locals. I won’t glorify that blog further by giving it a live link although it’s pointless now anyway – that blog in question has been removed by Google due to racist content. A big “Not Found” 404 Error page is displayed when you request for the URL of that blog. That’s what you get for being a bigot in a country that’s supposed to be a melting pot of more than 200 nationalities.

The blog was nothing but negative, offensive posts – making fun of people and sensitive issues. The latest of which involved the Air India crash that killed more than 150 people, most of them Indian expatriates from Dubai. The blogger made fun of the passengers who died which is a blow too low considering dead people can’t defend themselves. The blogger belittles Indian expatriates and communities with slanderous statements, forgetting that the UAE wouldn’t be what it is now if not for these people from the sub-continents (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka). The post was ingrate and very uncalled for.

I invite you to see the original content of that vicious blog post here and judge for yourself.

But while that post was written by an Emirati, he doesn not represent all locals as a whole. I don’t believe every Emirati is like him – racist, ignorant, arrogant and vile. Or one can only hope not everyone is like him.

So the blog, hosted by Google has been removed and now questions are raised. Was it the right thing to remove/block the blog? Or should it be allowed to exist, be ignored or argued upon?

What’s new in desert land? Let me count ’em:

• There was a sandstorm yesterday – we had dull, gray skies, strong hot wind (blow dryer in your face kind of weather has arrived) and rain! Rain! in May!! Oh well it was just a drizzle just before 7 pm but still very weird weather!

• Dubai folks over at Twitter were busy buzzing about the recent article from UK’s The Guardian. Article teaser says, “Couples who publicly kiss are jailed, yet the state turns a blind eye to 30,000 imported prostitutes”. Oh yeah, wowzers…read the article here if you’re intrigued. And based on the stories I have heard from other residents here and actual “sightings” of these girls, yeah it is true.

• A friend of mine got back from her Umrah (pilgrimage) to Mecca, Saudi Arabia with swollen, bruised feet. She said she walked for hours wihout any shoes. I have yet to investigate on the story. (She’s too busy catching up with work that I haven’t talked to her much since morning)

• I won a radio contest again and the prize is a two night weekend stay plus breakfast buffet (who wakes up to have breakfast on hotels!?) at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Hmmm, I just saved my husband some money because we’ll go on our anniversary in July + Pristine of course, just like last year. I’m counting the days until the mini R & R.

• It’s getting real deal hot in here with temperatures soaring to the 40’s (102F) on midday. If it’s still too cold or snowing in your place, I’m open for bargain and gladly share half of Dubai’s temp. In that way, we’ll all be happy.

Lastly, I tucked Pristine to bed last night, hugged her tightly and whispered to her: “I love you. You are my life.” To which I got the reply, “I love you too mama but I’m not inside your body anymore!”

Anything going on in your neck of the woods?

What is a lungi? The lungi is a piece of brightly coloured silk or cotton cloth that is wrapped around the waist. It is worn in India, Pakistan, Myanmar and other South Asian countries by MEN. Like a wrap-around beach skirt, that is. It covers the legs and usually up to the ankle in length but some men fold it into half and wear it like the above photo.

What with the lungi then, you ask? Well, there are so many Indians and Pakistanis here in Dubai and they do wear lungis a lot. They lunge around with their lungis at home, or in the streets on Fridays (or any day for that matter – I only see them on Fridays on my day off). I never thought of anything about lungis and lungi wearing men except that it’s a bit weird for men to wear skirt-like costumes. I have no bias to Scots – I still find it funny to see them in checkered wool skirts.

Anyway, news came to day that the adjacent Emirate Sharjah announced they ban the wearing of lungi in public! Some say it’s indecent but what is indecent about this piece of clothing? For the record, I don’t like it but why not just let them have the freedom to wear anything. Anything is good as long as it covers the private parts and not too revealing, right?

Walk around the big malls and you can find women with clothes more indecent than a lungi! Talk about cleavages and hot legs in short skimpy skirts!

If the ban is really implemented, I feel sorry for the lungi wearers. It does look like a comfy piece of clothing, especially in Dubai weather.

A prominent member of the ruling family, the brother of Sheikh Khalifa (President of the UAE) has passed away in a glider plane crash in Morocco and his body was found only yesterday after an extensive three day search. In true UAE tradition, all radio stations switched to obituary mode immediately, playing ONLY instrumental music since late afternoon yesterday.

A concert by Vanilla Ice (who knew this guy still existed in the music and concert scene!?) was scheduled tonight at Barasti bar (a beach front bar in Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Hotel) and early today, the promoters sent out an SMS to ticket holders and regulars in a cheerful tone that read:

NORMAL OPERATION. WE ARE NOT DRY! NICE, NICE BABY! 5PM-3AM C U ON THE SAND.

Immediately, UAE tweeps (or UAE residents on Twitter) sent a flow of tweets criticizing Barasti and it’s promoters for the insensitive and disrespectful act – the seemingly joyous SMS and by declaring that the show must go on!

When Twitter flexes its muscles, the punch hurts because just now, Barasti bar cancelled the Vanilla Ice show amid Twitter outrage. What will happen now? Will the UAE tweeps complain about each and every bar having a show tonight or this is just exclusive to Vanilla Ice?

Right now, I see tweets with keywords like “bunch of bullies”, “kill joys” and amusingly, “anti-90’s!”

You must have known it by now. It’s been exposed that Dubai has a $60bn debt and has sought debt payment delay until May next year.

Dubai – a desert city, driven by ambition, huge dream and all things glittering. Anything wrong with it? No. Not at least until we know that Dubai’s explosive growth was too much for them to handle, financial wise. Dubai’s ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum has told his critics to “shut up” and said, there is a recovery plan.

I am not a financial anylyst so I don’t have the exact numbers and situation aside from the ones I read in the news. So many papers and journalists have sensationalized the story by saying, “Dubai is finished”, “Dubai is dead”, or “Dubai is a ghost town”. Personally, I don’t know if Dubai will be finished or if it will die – that is up to the rulers to decide. And after doing so much, I doubt if they will just let it die.

Dubai being a ghost town? Not yet! Far from that. The streets are still teeming with people, there’s still traffic – unless all those people and cars I see are ghosts. Though a lot has been said about construction being halted, I still hear cranes working and hammer pounding from wherever I stand. Buildings are being completed around. And no, there has been no exodus of expats!

With the constant mocks directed to Dubai, with Western countries ganging up this Middle Eastern city, its ruler have mentioned before that it’s because the world doesn’t want to see Arabs succeed. The latest news of this debt crisis with the words “meltdown” or “end of Dubai” justifies this.

But what the world has forgotten is that, Dubai is one of the seven Emirates of the country called UAE (United Arab Emirates). They have forgotten that Dubai’s debt is not even one-tenth of Abu Dhabi’s wealth. (Whether Abu Dhabi will bail out Dubai, that remains to be known, probably after National Day on December 2 when leaders of all 7 Emirates gather and “talk”)

As someone who has lived here for merely three years, I have seen the city grow and the photos of Dubai 10, 20 years ago is amazing. There was nothing here but large areas of sand and a few buildings. The rulers have built it to what it is now. I have confidence that despite the crisis, Dubai along with the other UAE leaders can solve it.