RADIO KHALEEJI GA GA
I am a loss as to find any more news on this issue, other than what I read on Arabian Biz. So the question is, where did they get their information from? I have a few loyal and trusty ears and eyes within the Ministry and there was no hint of this in the wind leading up to this announcement. Has this ‘really’ been thought through?
There is such a huge misconception and indeed perception to the contrary that there are ‘qualified’ broadcasters of standing within the local media. There are a few nice voices if you like, but there are no characters, no real professionals and how can there be? Despite whatever the existing media says, there is no such thing as ‘free media’ in the entire Islamic world, never mind the Gulf itself. There just cannot be because to have such talent, one needs to be a free spirit and the culture is not ready to hear alternative thought as such. Those that do realize the poor showing cannot come up against the masses, so just give up. By doing so, we have a vicious circle spiraling into the abyss.
Since it all began, it was just lip service. there has really been no understanding of the art, thus no progress, no respect or discerning the principal in the first place. Besides, those above who are put in a position of power or management have no real notion of broadcast media or the arts either for that matter. Nice people maybe, good friends of mine to say the least, but it is all smoke blowing and say the right thing. National pride and the desire to believe that everything local is professional and sound (no pun intended) goes without saying, but we all know really that this is delusion personified.
Some come and they quickly go. For most the eviction was not of their choice. Others are removed because of intimidation, whereby they literally make monkeys of the talent-less offerings sitting beside them and so easily and willingly put in place. For a few others, they take one look and say; ‘Sod this’.
Nobody gets trained in the art, nobody cares, nobody perceives the industry as a profession which requires qualification. Even then, the qualification is intangible.
So here they go, a commercial dream for some, one might think. After all, MBC has had such outrageous privilege for years now, being the ‘ONLY ONES’ given rights to broadcast commercially regionally. That in itself is the epitome of ignorance of the profession. Just as Group Plus were given the status of a Monopoly running a Monopoly. They have NEVER paid a single penny in royalties, to the artists who make the platform possible and attract the listeners for their advertising to be heard. It is ludicrous really.
Orbit Showtime, or OSN are prime examples of the notion that there must be money to be made in media. So get a monopoly and coin it. OSN to my knowledge has NEVER put a cent back into the industry. They have never nurtured the art of which feeds them. So what can we expect?
Until I get more details, I can only post here what I did on Face Book and perhaps some of the comments returned as I go. So far, nobody really cares.
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iPhone5 TIMES AND YOUR PHONE IS SWITCHED OFF – REVISITED!
Don’t tell me there is no ‘Illuminati’ (no need to buy the book) and Apple don’t attend those decadent parties of extreme deviance. Wondering about the ‘apple’ symbol, I am now very suspicious of the significance within the society.
Nobody fixed the iPhone5 ‘no network’ issue. The loss of passwords when coming in and out of known wifi haunts. The low battery retention or the heat and the sudden demise altogether after just a month or so. Apple lost their credibility for many over this, but they will get away with it. After all, some iPhone5 models were working ok-ish, depending on the batch. Nobody cared and no main stream media picked up the story of Apple’s woes with it and their silence over the issue. Sending back as many as 8 million faulty devices to Taiwan in May 2013, is a major Toyota size recall, but NO! Not a blink from anywhere. ‘Wait for the IOS7 they say, all will be fixed. Not only 7 but a revamped iPhone5 S. Never mind that most of us forked out over 500 quid for a heap of trash. Let us see what the 64 bit S brings, Or should that be; ‘Let us pray that it is improved’.
I love the iPhone, but maybe Apple or the Chinese tried to be a little too clever. As a comms engineer in my past life, I have a gut feeling that the iPhone5 woes are hardware rather than software. Not that I could open a mobile phone these days and figure out what is going on inside, but the principles have to be the same. GPRS, EDGE, 3G, 4G and so on, all accommodated on the one device. All different waves lengths and many different algorithms to deal with from an antenna reception point of view. Yes it could well have been software, whereby in the switching of wavelength requirements, something was not right. However, and logically, that does not explain why some iPhone5 releases were ok, or seemed to be ok. (People are so fickle. If you call some of those OK phones, you might still get the ‘This phone is switched off’ response and everyone just blames the network).
I got so fed up with my iPhone 5 and my provider Zain, doing nothing about it, simply because they could not, it was out of their hands. Within 6 weeks of owning the phone, it died. It would not charge and the existing charged withered away like a rotting corps. What could Zain do? No replacement other than change your iPhone for another smart phone of a different type. This is exactly what I did. I was advised by my buddies in Zain to go for the Samsung Galaxy S4, which I did. I have had the stunning Dell Streak for a couple of years now, so I know the Android operating system enough to find my way around a bit. I also have an earlier Samsung Galaxy of the small type. Slowly I was getting used to the S4, but more importantly, I NEVER lost a single call with this phone, so please please please all you Zain doubters out there, stop blaming the network for this particular issue – it is the iPhone 5. Not that the network itself is by any means perfect, as we all know it aint for all mobile providers. Viva Bahrain have exactly the same iPhone 5 problems as no doubt do hundreds of other providers around the world. All of which preferred to keep their mouths shut. The marketing departments absolutely shit scared to mention any issues if the other carrier didn’t. Very sad, very sad indeed.
So where was I? Oh yes; I say that I ‘was’ getting used to my S4, when my UK provider EE/T Mobile, decided to give me the new Sony Experia T. There is something about ‘love at first fight’ with it. Fight I did, until I got it working on net, sending data. It required a few reboots to hold the settings, but now all seems tickety-boo and some rather sensible ergonomic advantages over the Samsung S4. Let’s see how I get on with it.
Meantime, I did try to buy an iPhone5 S while in the UK this week (Sept 2013) but that proved difficult and the price was well out of order. All readers of this blog would dearly love to know if the iPhone5 S has been fixed. Post please.
iPhone5 TIMES AND YOUR PHONE IS SWITCHED OFF!
Dateline: 16th June 2013: Updated information on iPhone5 woes in Bahrain and probably across the world.
Basically Apple and the Telecommunications companies selling this heap of junk are doing absolutely ‘NOTHING’ about it.
This page is getting around 2,500 hits a day at the moment, so something is seriously wrong with the iPhone 5 as people surf to see what’s going on. Yes, we speak of Bahrain here, but the problem is not isolated to Bahrain, it is probably world wide, unless Bahrain has been buying batches of dodgy models of the iPhone 5 in the first place. I would not put it past some, but if not, then just when is Apple going to do something about this? So far, not a peep! Again: Not all iPhone 5s are are bad, but ALL iPhone5s are NOT good.
In Bahrain, not a peep regarding the issue from any single mobile provider either. Anywhere else in the world as I type……… NOT A PEEP!
In Bahrain, the excuse is: ‘We cannot be the first to admit this. If the other telecom company admits first, we will follow’ Where are all the B.S. geeks who constantly write bilge on the likes of PC World or Mac World. I see and hear nothing. Have we all been nobbled?
It is primitive, Politically Correct, 3rd world thinking to the Nth degree. I am hearing of tens of thousands complaining, but the world’s watchdogs, stay silent.
This silly iPhone 5 issue has gone beyond a problem to become a complete rip-off, with subscribers still paying the full package price but getting nothing resembling the goods.
KICK ‘EM WHEN DOWN: (See below and the original post for an explanation of who is who in telecoms within Bahrain)
Zain Bahrain and Saudi (which I do not know much about now) gets knocked pretty good and I am not so sure they deserve this. Batelco used to be the bashing board but have weathered that, although I see little improvement if any within their electronic Customer Service. As a provider, they are up among the best. As a progressive, artistic, leader, they are also zero.
Customer Service in Zain is as good as it gets by comparison. It is not perfect as such, but there are very knowledgeable, well trained people within and I have not seen better in other companies. Many came from Batelco in the first place for Christ’s sake.
I know Bahrain Telecommunications very well, as I do Zain, but I know very little about Viva. (see below). I personally had several bad experiences with the third operator Viva, but like pop stars, they have their dedicated followers and to them, Viva cannot put a foot wrong.
Within our little group, we have Zain iPhone 5 packages and there in lies our problems. My good buddy who I see almost every day has a similar iPhone 5 but with Viva and so far no complaints. Quite the opposite really as he waxes lyrical about his operator on a regular basis. Good for him. Odd really, because 90% of the times he calls me we get cut off and he always assumes it is me. On Whatsapp, sometimes there are very long delays before he gets the message. He doesn’t notice any of this because he just assumes it is Zain, yet I am convinced it is his iPhone 5.
There are may good aspects about Zain and no more bad really than any other. However, not admitting there is a problem with the iPhone5 is not one of their best decision to date, but predictable in this culture. Then again, As time goes on, not dealing with the issue, hoping that the iPhone 6 will come and everyone will forget is just deluded, pathetic ideology and yet one more nail in their corporate and marketing department’s coffin; although I am not exactly sure the two are on a level playing field. For one, I will NEVER forget the iPhone 5 issues and it will affect my future judgments as I am sure it will thousands of others. Besides, the ‘Consumer Protection Society’ should have been on the case long ago demanding a recall. (I don’t know, but I get the impression that the CPS is just one man around here and seemingly none too concerned about much either way).
As eluded to below, of the three main operators, Zain appears to have the most iPhone customers, therefore the issues is highlighted even more. Plus, Zain are going through a series of publicity revelations at the moment, with some funny internal struggles and currency issues within Zain’s operating field, but nonetheless Zain are very capable operators. There are many good people working for them in operations, but it is not them who make the big bucks in wages, it is Marketing and it is the deeds of Marketing which the public encounter.
It is so frustrating from a lay person’s point of view. What with inane advertising and a culture of give-away - to cover incompetence, I am surprised they get anywhere at all sometimes. But then, all industry, Corporates to window cleaners target the lowest common denominator. I am old, but give me just ONE YEAR and carte blanche in any telecom company marketing department and watch me go.
What have I been saying for donkey’s years about telecommunications companies? I love them dearly, nay, I adore them and all who sail within, but their marketing and public relations nous is scraping the Kelvin scale of ZERO! They recruit non entities always. There advertising agencies are mere opportunists in most cases, so take the money and run, fully aware that there is absolutely zero creativity or perceived professionalism within these marketing departments. Still, there are plenty of Advertising Agencies crawling in the crevices just to get the dosh and will kowtow to the lowest common denominator. Who can blame them, easy pickings. From what I have experienced over the past 7 years is that, these telecom marketing departments are awash with nice dudes who are being paid upwards of $25,000 a month for addressing the masses at its lowest access point. The end result – dirge! Copied at that. The same old. All of it needs a serious clean out.
To repeat: The biggest problem with a ….um….er…. telephone companies is that they think …um…. telephones. It is so hard for some within to think out of the box. Give any telco a good idea and they WILL NOT RUN with it, until someone else does. ‘Catch 22’, so by then it is too late and nobody progresses with it. Read earlier posts from me. ‘Someone else must do it first’.
How anything ever sees the light of day is a miracle half the time. 4G could have been with us 2 decades ago, but ‘same old’ mentality prevails. They are brilliant in parts and technology when all things are taken into account, but innovation and risk…………………. just forget it. Yet as I have also said many times; telecom companies are the present, the future and beyond. Everything we ever do will be through telecommunications, now and into the future. Although most of them deserve to rot to be honest, but without them, an entire metropolis of industry would die, from advertising agencies to most of China.
I actually await the day of the ‘Internet Global’ as a non mobile operator. AOL could have done it, but too early in the market and like Kodak failed to wake up in time. Google might succeed with their ‘jelly fish’ trans/receivers, who knows? The time will come though when the ‘money for old rope’ establishments will fail. It is already happening because each and every one ‘FAILS TO ADVANCE’ or take
SIZE MATTERS; (Part fix for some)
Zain Bahrain came up with a small possibility which might help iPhone5 owners in strong 3G areas. Go to your settings page and look at ‘networks’. Now in Bahrain, like other places, your chip or Sim only allows your subscribed operator to lock on when on home turf. With the iPhone 5 being 4G capable (apparently, but yet to witness its worth), it constantly searches for a provider. In Bahrain, it will be looking at every other provider until it finds Zain. Switch off the ‘AUTO’ and wait. Eventually you will see a list of providers. Select Zain. This takes some time and you might think nothing is happening for a while. The downside to this is when you are in low coverage or non 3G areas. Just forget it.
Original post:
Dateline: April 24th 2013. I could be from another planet walking around in a daze oblivious, or this could be the biggest Wikileak type revelation since the massive Toyota recall a few years back. Watch the news in the coming days, if you don’t hear anything, then I am well wrong! Maybe I am just last to know. [See breaking news at the bottom of this post]
Until now, it would seem to me that Apple and certainly local telecom companies have been keeping very nervously quiet about the iPhone 5 problems. Yeah, we heard about ‘battery drain’, blah blah with all the usual geeks out there offering their own deluded tech tips, but seriously now, this is much much more disastrous.
A month back, I renewed my affiliation to one of my local telephone companies and took advantage of their ‘get a new phone free’ offer. Nothing is free of course, but it is better than nothing. Um.. ok, you know what I mean. I actually have phones from several telcos. On unpacking my new iPhone 5 and sticking the chip in, I couldn’t pick up the network. The sales assistance said to wait 20 minutes. Not these days surely! So I wandered on home. Once there, still no network then suddenly it came. Unnoticed really for a couple of days, I realized that I had not received any calls on my new iPhone5. I did not think too much about it, until friends starting calling my other half saying my phone was always off, asking if I was dead already and if not why not? Then the horrible reality came to light. The new IPhone5 is fu.. um.. broken. It must be, because my Blackberry, now sitting on the shelf worked quite alright before in the same rooms. (Yeah I got my ‘connected’ boys to twist the cell array around a bit to cover the bunker, but they had to do that or we had nothing at all)
THERE’S NO NETWORK LIKE SHOW NETWORK LIKE……WHATEVER:
Wandering around town these last few weeks (in Bahrain), I have been near to throwing my new iPhone 5 against a wall – the lack of network is so bad. Whoever is nearby gets my loud wrath with me blurting out; ‘No NETWORK AGAIN!!! This last batch of iPhone 5s are defective crap and nobody doing anything about it. Invariably I am asked’ ‘Have you got a Zain iPhone? I have exactly the same problem’. Or; ‘A lot of my friends say they are experiencing the same thing’ and so on. Although I am quite happy with Zain (a mobile network provider across the Middle East), and I am honestly not particularly defending them, I ask these affected souls if any of them have reported it to the call centre. Oddly, I have found nobody of the dozens or so I have met who have realized there is most likely something very wrong with their phone, so instead just take as fait accompli assuming it is Zain at fault.
The problem is rearing its head in large numbers daily as more and more folk chatter and become fed up and aware. But is it only relative to Zain? No of course not, but in little ole’ Bahrain it might appear that way for several reasons:
- It depends from which batch of iPhones your item came, as not all iPhone5s are affected. Only Apple and the people who make iPhones for them in Taiwan know that. Thus I suspect that the new iPhone 5 issue is the telephone hardware itself, including wifi and quite possibly not software in general although some hang periodically. So far, no teleco has admitted this.
- I also suspect that Viva (Saudi Telecoms) have serious issues, but are keeping very quiet about it because like Zain, they will not know what to do as they quake in their sandals, worried sick that it might cost millions. Like Viva (who are relatively new to the market), Zain launched about 7 or 8 years ago with 3G dominant rather than GPRS or Edge, although of course they have to make provisions for the older technology, so it is there but sometimes you would not notice. I am not sure about Viva, but from my limited experience, if you cannot get 3G, then you get nothing at all with them. I think it is safe to say that the original incumbent, once monopoly -Bahrain Telecommunications (Batelco) have a more solid GPRS base as they only added 3G a few years back, so any of their customers lacking network on their new iPhone5s might not be as quick off the mark discovering there are issues. With Zain’s weak GPRS in areas where there is no 3G coverage, the Zain Network craps out, so it looks like Zain is suspect as far as the user is concerned. Plus, Batelco might have purchased their batch of iPhones from completely different stock, but I am sure revelations will be made sooner rather than later. ,
- Not ALL iPhone5s seem to be affected. It just seems to be a particular batch, although still there is definitely a poor attachment to networks with all the iPhone5s I have come across so far.
- The blame Zain is more mathematics than anything to do with Zain’s operations as such; Standard Deviation with a very wide bell. According to my little bit of research and the constant ludicrously long queues at Zain shops and stands over the past few months, so many more people have taken up iPhones with Zain, so therefore the complaint numbers are going to be higher by law of averages. Each mobile operator offers certain benefits and somewhat similar packages, but the Zain ‘post-paid’ package is hard to beat: Unlimited data with the lowest package, free Zain to Zain calls and that includes to their Wimax phones and some free minutes to other networks. Oh..er.. and the free phone as well, if you contract more than a year. Well, with Viber and everything else, it is not rocket science to see that many of us will only ever end up paying the fixed tariff each month for the relative package with no additions. With this increase in the number of users, it is even less rocket science to note that there are more user appearing on individual network cells and with the likes of 3G, it does not like that one bit.
- Bahrain suffers greatly with all forms of radio transmission. Cell towers transmitters are set to the lowest possible output power, as with wimax and so on. Naturally, this affects the network’s ability to function efficiently. Even the commercial radio stations are heavily restricted. If you have a weak phone, it is going to show up. Low power? Why? Ah, good question. The ‘concerned citizen’ know-it-alls, bitch about radiation sickness and and and – and in theory, to save us all getting nodules on our nodules, the power output has been restricted. What a load of old bollocks if you ask me. I personally think it is Saudi Arabia firing warning shots across the bow. There is a great individual greed in the Middle East and this extends to business, hence the monopoly ‘agency’ fascination and addiction. The UAE monopolies (a funny plural), banned Skype (although it is unofficially open from just this month). They simply want to make money. But how can they stop Skype coming in? Ah, they don’t! But you trying calling a number in the UAE from Skype and watch as your credit disappears quicker than panties in the Saudi branch of Anne Summers. Inter Gulf telephone call rates are among the highest in the world. Roaming between them is hideously over priced when you consider the price anywhere in Europe to anywhere in Europe. Now Saudi doesn’t have a wall around it, but my guess is they would really like one and that would include blocking radio signals from neighbours getting in. No, nothing to do with cultural degradation from the decadent surrounds; just money honey. Since the countries are only seeing distance apart (but light years in thinking), one assumes they do not like Bahrainis using Bahrain’s networks while there. So what has all that got to do with the issue? If your receptor is weak and there are weak signals (in the RF domain)…. No surely, you don’t want me to continue with the explanation do you?
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT- ER. WELL A LITTLE BIT – MAYBE:
4G/LTE is on its way and soon by all accounts. Don’t hold your breath for the boasted dynamics. I will be blogging about this soon I hope and in fact started blogs about it years ago but never bothered to finish them. Yes it will be better than 3G, but there are some heavy, very heavy restrictions for us. Like any system, it is only as good as its weakest part. Sadly, we have more than a few weak parts. However, the iPhone5 handles 4G, or so we are led to believe. Perhaps these complaints about the low performance of certain iPhones are hoping to get swept under the carpet as the telcos pray that the 4G components are not affected. Ho Ho Ho, laughed Santa.
With so many complaints pouring in to the telcos, just what are they going to do about it? From my experience (and I am one now), saving face is a big issue here. Blame is a very dubious subject and the reluctance to accept it is shockingly worrying in the most dire circumstances sometimes. Someone has to pay, someone might have to replace all these new iPhone5s. It could run into millions.
Calling the call centres now will not help. They are not calling back, or rarely. They simply do not know what to do about this and of course many within accepting that there are an unusual amount of complaints about the same, but are extremely reluctant to blame the phone itself yet. Serious ‘denial’ comes to mind.
Just a thought: The local telecom companies claim to be official distributors, but just how official is that? My guess is that a few sphincters will be twitching wildly because phones are sold across this region ‘unlocked’. Maybe there is absolutely no liability on the part of Apple to replace these phones and they are not direct sales – or are they? The supposedly recent earthquake repercussions felt in Bahrain recently might not be from the Iranian earthquakes at all, but extremely nervous executive knees knocking and teeth clacking in the ivory towers of the Bahrain telcos.
Praying is locally a cultural necessity in its propensity or otherwise and oh boy- there are a few genuflecting right now that this problem can be fixed in software. Me thinks not…………………but what do I know, I was only a communications electronics master as the world went silicon and I have forgotten more than I learned.
BREAKING PARTS AND HEARTS:
Low and behold, as I write this page, news has just broken. Last month, Apple returned to the manufacturer up to 8 million iPhone5s, claiming quality concerns. I don’t think this is the first time either. Those defective phones are made by the Taiwanese company Foxconn. I am searching all over my iPhone and the web, to see if there is any way I can tell if my iPhone is a batch from there too. Anybody any ideas? Post!
BEWARE OF GEEKS BEARING GIFTS – SEASON 1
UDATE 3: 24th NOV. 2012: Zain Bahrain investigated deeper and responded to my requests to check the IMEI numbers of the erroneous calls made and the bogus SMS we supposedly received and responded to. Bingo! Not us. A mighty BIG thanks to Ruzaina and indeed Khalifa who with great pains, sifted through the mess and removed all charges. That is not the end of it though, they are still determined to get to the bottom of this. Bahrain Telecommunications (Batelco) supposedly investigated for a few minutes and came to the conclusion that I/we had made the calls and responded to the the SMS thus closed the case. Lightspeed removed the charge after a huge battle, but are still convinced I/we made the calls or sent the SMS. AMEN…..or maybe not. Read the story below.
UDATE 2: 4th NOV. 2012: Zain Bahrain just confirmed – so far 2 of my mobile numbers fraudulently charged. A total of 95 scam SMS supposedly received and replied to during the last month, plus calls to Madagascar, which defeats Lightspeed’s assessment that I was physically responsible for the calls. (See below Scam 1). Total value of the theft now amounts to not far short of BD 200 (Over US$ 500) This is is so serious now, it is a war.
Geek warning! (See update 1: 03 Nov 2012 below). Today’s blog is about you and me getting fleeced daily by criminals using perfectly legitimate telecommunication channels. For good measure, I’ll throw in Jimmy Saville’s name – the Briish disc jockey who is thankfully being posthumously … um…. buried for fixing his jimmy where he shouldn’t have. A distasteful man who I well described, if not warned about 40 odd years ago. Owz abaht that then..? Unlike a Pakistani marriage, the two subjects are not related. I know, I normally rattle on about media corruption or corruption in the media and the occasional telecom rant, but bear in mind telecommunications is everything media, it carries media, it is a medium, so in this case, the two subject are related.
To get your hackles up and battle dress on, let me inform you that you and me are paying through the nose for thin air and legally being ripped off big time by crooks manipulating our everyday communication systems. My household (IP based) telephone has been hacked with someone making extraneous calls and nobody wants to admit it. It never rains, it pours and our mobiles have been raped too.
Here’s a scenario; you’ve just received a massive phone bill demanding you pay a stupid amount above what you normally pay per month, or you’ve just topped up your credit on a prepaid system only to find
FINALLY FOR THE GEEKS – SEASON 2
As I have said before; calling granny on your phone is very different these days to the good old times of waiting for little mechanical or digital relays to physically connect your calls on hard lines. Nowadays, what the geeks call 4G is not only different-to-air radio frequencies, but a virtual matrix and done by mirrors in the ether and we are nothing but little IP addresses (INTERNET PROTOCOL); which is why you can move a thousand miles away from your roots and still take your old loved and cherished telephone number with you – or indeed change providers/operators – or if they would let you and we had suitable phones, send text messages to a land-line handset or box (which nobody does yet as greedy telecos don’t think there is any money in it).
For sure, scamming has been going on for years and long before the Americans starting getting twitchy with huge telecom switch providers like the Chinese Heuwai , Geggyboy was not waxing so lyrical about it or indeed the caliber of those installing it. Just ask any of the Batelco technical boys on on the platform. They are sick to death of me bleating about this or that. I get shouted down loudly by many in the biz, dispelling my theory that any IP based system can be easily hacked at customer level, but they respond by saying that it is ‘unlikely’ and that I am a bit of donkey not knowing what I am talking about. It is sort of like the default reaction when you hear the name ‘Geg Hopkins’ or you are unfortunate enough to meet me for the first time and have to endure my gesticulating.
All well and good, but my theory is that it is a doddle for the initiated to quickly hack a network. For sure the FBI
I LOVE ME
If you don’t want to read this little bit of self praise, move on to my post ‘GOD’S LIVING ROOM’ because that is a cracker. (Oh, sorry, that is more self praise. But so true).
A few weeks ago, I received a totally unintended innocent compliment, an observation that puts all frustration and often pent up anger to bed for a moment. A very discerning colleague who had no ulterior motive or even anything to do with production, audio, direction; not physically responsible within the creative arts per say, completely out of the blue suddenly said; ‘You can tell that you did the Designer Shaik telephone system Geg’. ‘You can? I asked in complete surprise. ‘I’d forgotten about that system, but anyway, how’?
It was not quite the answer I expected; Read more
GOD’S LIVINGROOM
Again I failed to make good on my updates. (telecom) I keep saying that I have articles written which only need proofing and I could post them, then sit back and let all the critics have a field day. Like Christmas, they are coming, like all the music I want to make – it is coming. For now though……………….. As a quick filler, here is a bit of a disguised telecom rant. If some of you do not understand the technical bits, don’t worry, just read between the lines and you’ll live longer
So many times I have said it – ‘I am a telecom man’! Not through choice, but by necessity and I support all telecom companies just as any loyal employee would their own industry. Especially if the telecom company keeps paying me money. I actually get on very well with telecom people, but sometimes I want to shake some art and creativity into them.
Telecom companies have had their day though. Read more
HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER CALLS THE TUNE
Oh boy! Bahrain, what have you done? Sadly such a lot of what you hear through media is sensational, ‘licensed journalistic’ fabrication… and most all of what you ‘DON’T hear is more likely the truth. Meantime: Telecom companies are the only ones to continue making a fortune out of personal misery as if they actually sponsor wars *** Dubai thanks us for bringing it out of recession 15 years earlier than predicted *** Religion continues to be an instilled way of life rather than a belief *** and we are all still being tortured by Radio Bahrain advertising. End of blog!!!!
WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want more? Well ok, under Bahrain’s own National Action Charter of 2001 and in particular; ‘Chapter 1 – Forth Element’ I can almost say what I like about you and worse still, you can say what you like about me. I do have some serious b*tches to get off my chest and most of it, if not all, concerns media. Oh…. You know that already and the intimidated hate builds up. The poor horse, that was so cruel.
Local Government controlled media is progressing in in leaps and bounds at the moment. All due to the situation in Bahrain of course and at last, more of an interest has now been taken in it from the top, thus it has become a lot more open and somewhat more interesting. The rest of Gulf stays the same, yawn.
Professionalism wise, no improvement, but with time and training and a firm hand, Bahrain’s media could be great for a little Island, as it was back in the late 70s and early 80s. Since then,
WILL WISHING YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR CHANGE ANYTHING?
LIGHT YEARS OF SURPRISES – BUENOS AIRES
QATAR AIRWAYS TO BUENOS AIRES (September 2010)
*Revisited July 2014*
When some Mid U.S. based Facebook friends put out a plea for ‘an unusual, something different – more exciting, honeymoon’ idea, they probably received about 400 suggestions, 401 including mine then. I suggested ‘Kabul’, but few take me seriously anyway. Surprisingly, nobody came up with any place in South America either, not even Brazil’s Rio and the Copacabana. To be honest, I never even thought about it. As for Kabul, well it might shock rather than surprise you to learn that Afghanistan apparently has an active tourist board and according to recent BBC World Service documentaries I have been hearing, a woman whose name I did not catch has been revisiting her ‘beautiful city’, waxing lyrical that Kabul rocks. No bias there then? Afghanistan apart, one only needs to keep a bit of an adventurer’s open mind to assume there are still some very pleasant ‘surprises’ on the horizon where you don’t need a Humvy and a flack jacket. Looking from the Arabian Gulf this horizon can be a very long way away indeed especially if one thinks of South of the Equator and Argentina as a destination – where your bath water is supposed to run out clockwise. (Ask a pilot). Argentina! Someone shouts and your mind probably goes blank for a minute, until you picture the football colours and Maradona. Then you think about Eva Peron, the Catholic religion and continue to rack your brains until you come up with corned beef. All those things are true, but you are in for one of the above-mentioned huge surprises if you have never been to Buenos Aires and decide to risk it. Of course, from a British perspective, if you say you are going to Argentina, the first thing your friends will say is; ‘Don’t mention the Malvinas’. Your next thought might be; ‘How the hell am I going to get there from here’? Read more