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Monday, 09 February 2009

Women's campaign for right to sell lingerie fails

Our new in-class article dealt with woman in Saudi campaigning for the right to sell lingerie in shopping malls. Presently, shopping malls with lingerie shops hire men to sell women's undergarments. Of course, this is uncomfortable for the women who are trying to buy the items. It is not comfortable for them to walk into a shop and buy lingerie for themselves knowing that a man who is a stranger "helping" you out. With this difficulty, Saudi women had petitioned for the right for women to work in just lingerie shops across the Kingdom.
After the petition, women took another step into their decision and threatened companies of boycotting their shops to make a point. This not only will harm the lingerie business but also inform society that change in this issue is a must. However, not all Saudi women are likely to boycott the shops so I suppose it will not put a dent that much for this issue.
Personally, I don't think it is such a big issue where women are going to court to win the right. Yes, I agree with women who say it is very uncomfortable but it's not really going to stop me from going in and buying. I would be more comfortable with buying it from women who can assist me but nevertheless we have to deal with it what we are given. Additionally, because the society is so conservative, the right to win this might take some more time and for the concept to settle in.
Nevertheless, it is a very interesting issue to hear about and read about what women are doing to win the right. It shows the process women are going to in order to achieve what they yearn for.

Monday, 26 January 2009

Stressed out? Try dish smashing therapy

Summary: A Japanese entrepreneur is offering stressed individuals a unique type of therapy in order to release their tension over financial crisis. He lets his patients a chance to vent out by throwing tableware against a wall and then paying for it. A group of chiropractors who are led by Katsuya Hara have named a truck where the smashing takes place "The Venting Place." The costs of this is dependent on what you destory and how much you need to destory. According to this entreprenuer, he believes that breaking something allows a person to release tension and vent out. Most of this customers are those who work and are going through a financial crisis. "We hope to become the new way businessmen and women relieve their stress," Hara said. The way this works is that a stressed out customers comes into the room whether protective gear and then choses the type of crockery he or she wants to destory and throw it at a concrete "slap" that is provided inside "The Venting Place." Customers believe that by venting and throwing crockery at a wall is different and an antidote to the strains of continous work. Hara assures people not to get stressed over the broken and now wasted crockery. He says that all the shards and broken pieces of the crockery is recycled and made into more cups and plates to be used later on for more "anti-stressed" therapy.
Opinion: In conclusion, not only is this a new and unique business, but it helps people with their life problems and relaxes them in order to improve themselves for later on. I think this is a much different and unique perspective as to how to deal with stress and cope with the negative energy in your life. Also, recycling the broken pieces is an interesting way to get attention from customers as they might feel they are helping society (regardless of the fact that they break the crockery to begin with). This new business will help individuals deal with their problems that is "healthy" instead of slumping into a phase of depression. I think this is a smart business and will attract stressed out patients.
Taken from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28350666/

Friday, 16 January 2009

Be honest, Saudis tell Western media

There are several stereotypes and labels that cling on to every culture, religion, society, race and individuals. I think the reason why society creates stereotypes is mainly for controversy and also to try to understand what we do not. Creating made up stories and rumors helps us "come into terms" with what we either do not know or cannot comprehend. It makes it easier for us to group individuals and automatically assume what type of people they are going to be. For example, nowadays if we think of a blonde girl, we create a mental image of her where she might be a cheerleader, daddy's girl and not so smart. If we look towards China we will automatically assume that they are smart and good at math and of course Arab countries -- especially Saudi Arabia is known for keeping women locked up in the houses, riding camels and living in deserts. I guess we make assumptions because we want contraversy and something to talk about on a daily bases. The labels also give us our "identities". It gives us an understanding about our culture and society and gives us an understanding about others. We want to be able to realize what the other side of the world is without really trying to find out ourselves but just listen to the steortypes and rumours.

Thursday, 08 January 2009

Our second in-class discussion revolved around an article concerning itself with the investigation of US illegal mills that were offering fake university diplomas to individuals.

Problems: Individuals claiming to be a graduate from an actual university but never attended it can cause severe problems for themselves, their country and other countries. Saudi Arabia, for example, investigated foreign graduates and their diplomas to ensure that their employees were indeed gradates from the actual university with the correct major. "Illegal" graduates can cause problems for countries because they might not know how to work in the major or have detailed knowledge about the company.

Effects: So, how can a person really have the guts to commit such a crime and pose as a whole different individual? Sure its not as though someone is stealing the others identity but it has the same effect. Suppose an individual is pretending to have a doctors degree and has a diploma from a well-known university. He is not only putting his life at risk from getting caught but also endangering the lives of all of his patients. Other degrees might not be as life threatening like a computer engineer but it is still a crime and effects others.

Solutions: The only real solution for this dilemma would be if Saudi contacted the universities their employees claim to be a graduate from. The country should ask universities if so and so had actually graduated and whether the facts on the diploma (such as graduating year and the major studied) are indeed correct. This will help the government and country to ensure that their employees that work for any company are actually capable of doing the work and know what they are doing.

Saturday, 03 January 2009

Burqini

Who could have imagined a swimsuit designed for the Islamic culture? This swimsuit called the burqini has become popular amongst not only Muslim women but also other women who choose not to wear your average bikini while going to the beach. This swimsuit meets the Islamic law of a women covering herself up in front of men and the public. The burqini was designed to cover up a woman's body and hair to meet the demands of the religion. THe burqini made it easier for conservative women and others to be able to feel comfortable and safe while swimming without feeling hesitant of whether or not others will turn their heads and stop and stare. Regarding the type of fabric used for this swimsuit, the cloth is lightweight and loose and offers the woman to swim freely. The type of fabric was considered to be helpful as women faced much difficult when swimming in regular clothes and abayas. In my opinion, this is very understanding and suitable when it comes to merging relgion and society. THis piece of cloth shoul dbe acceptable amongst society and the culture itself. The burqini has many signifant and positive aspects that should not pose a threat for anyone.