This is ridiculous .. really. First I discover that Skype is blocked in Dubai or at least impossible to use, and then I find that the Japanese networking site 'Mixi' is also blocked. I actually kept Japanese clients that I had in London and Paris assuming that we could continue English tutorials using Skype thus giving me at least a nominal income until I found more work here.... no chance! Today I try to access Mixi to follow up on a posting I saw in London from a Dubai resident seeking a teacher only to find the whole 'Mixi' site is blocked! I am absolutely f***** furious (please excuse the colloquial usage but as a language tutor I know when it's appropriate).
Did a bit more research and found that youtube and myspace and a number of other sites are also apparently blocked (http://secretdubai.blogspot.com/2006/07/our-favourite-things.html) although I did manage to access youtube without a problem this evening. So who knows? Still it makes perfect sense really... and has made me realise my need to be re-educated. Obviously I cannot rely on these evil free tools of global human communication to make a living.
But I am very confused ... . I believed the progressive hype being relentlessly and successfully exported from Dubai.... oh well.... I suppose I'll just have to find more illegal ways to employ myself!
Did a bit more research and found that youtube and myspace and a number of other sites are also apparently blocked (http://secretdubai.blogspot.com/2006/07/our-favourite-things.html) although I did manage to access youtube without a problem this evening. So who knows? Still it makes perfect sense really... and has made me realise my need to be re-educated. Obviously I cannot rely on these evil free tools of global human communication to make a living.
But I am very confused ... . I believed the progressive hype being relentlessly and successfully exported from Dubai.... oh well.... I suppose I'll just have to find more illegal ways to employ myself!
this really sucks!
ReplyDeleteThis seems like the sharp end of the Gulf states' attachment to their less savoury traditional values, even as they procaim openness to such dubious avenues of freedom and choice as consumerism and (relative competition (put intended)
ReplyDeleteshould read "pun intended"
ReplyDeleteThe blog posting for june 9 re net access is NOW the first thing that comes up when I open this site. So you fixed it !
ReplyDeleteX