Among the Seafaring Nomads of Asia

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/among-the-seafaring-nomads-of-asia/

This slideshow is absolutely amazing! All the photographs are very colorful and beautiful. The picture that stood out to me the most was number 7. This is what the caption said "Jatmin carries the freshly speared octopus to his boat near Sulawesi".It stands to me first of all,because of its colorfulness and the contrast between the man and the octopus.Secondly, it is very vivid. We don't see the man's face, and we don't immediately understand that it is an octopus. This image shows us action.

Dubai At Its Best

“Dubai at Its Best”

“One  World. One Family. One Festival” is the slogan of the annual Dubai Shopping Festival. This world famous festival attracts millions of people from different parts of the world.  The on-going 2012 slogan is “Dubai at Its Best”. The DSF is not just about the sales, it is a festival that is fully packed with events.

The DSF started out in 1996 to boost Dubai’s economy, after being successful in its first year, it has become a one month annual event that starts in January and ends in February. From 1996 the number of visitors to the festival has been growing rapidly. The first DSF attracted 1.6 million shoppers and the number has been rising since then. Usually around 3.5 million people come for the festival each year.

“The DSF is a major event for Dubai. We planned the event in a way to attract the maximum number or people,” said Layla Suheil, the organizer of the festival.

The festival boosts up Dubai’s economy not only through retailing, but also through hotels and travelling expenses. Last year a staggering amount of Dh15.1 billion was contributed to Dubai’s economy, stated in the report by the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment.

Around 6,000 retail outlets are participating throughout Dubai’s malls, souqs and other venues.  Different draws around the malls- is another way to attract shoppers.  The most popular prize shoppers can win is 1 million dirhams. The Dubai Mall is the largest mall of the 40 malls in Dubai.

“The Dubai Mall is offering our shoppers the opportunity to win an array of prizes that could change their lives for the better during DSF” said Nasser Rafi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Emaar Malls Group.

This year the festival welcomed more tourists from GCC nationals, Russians, Europeans and Asians. While last year most visitors came from India, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

“This is our third time in Dubai for the festival, and we meet a lot of Russians here,” said Tatyana Ivanova, a Russian tourist.

“It is the best time to go shopping with all the offers and events.”

The DSF is the busiest tourism time for Dubai. Hotels are expected to be full. The DSF is advertised in many international tourism companies abroad.

“We go to the limit in making visas for tourists during this period, and it is very tight with hotels” said Dana Karim, the manager of Sapsan Tourism company in Dubai.

The DSF is not just a shopping experience; it also attracts people with its events and offers. People enjoy the fireworks as much as the sales. Residents as well as visitors splash out and enjoy themselves, making the DSF much more than just a shopping festival.

Linking Gaza To The Outside World and Barbers’ Tales

I think it is a pretty cool idea, to have these blogs. I look forward to updating my own and reading everyone else's. So, the first entry will be about these two videos:

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/06/16/world/1194840995653/linking-gaza-to-the-outside-world.html?ref=egypt

Linking Gaza To the Outside World

The video is about tunnels that link Gaza to Egypt and how people smuggle food and different goods through these tunnels. The goods smuggled range from chocolates and chips to motorcycles, as long as it fits through the narrow space. The first thing we see in this video is the inside of the tunnel. It is pretty dark and claustrophobic. The presenter has a slow pace in telling the story and a very deep voice. So the picture and the voice combined give this video a very serious feeling.  We see the tunnel from the perspective of the worker, who for 12 dollars a day risks his life, because that is the only source of income. This perspective shows how it really is inside those tunnels and how the whole system works. It gives a really behind-the-scenes look to the video. The structure of the video adds greatly to the story, because first it shows the inside of the tunnel and then it shows the life above the tunnels. I would also say that this story has a lot of sides to it. It shows how desperate people are, like the tunnel workers who risk their lives every day for 12 $, or people who dig tunnels to get the goods they need. Another side is the Israeli army stating that weapons are being smuggled and the last side is the real question, what to believe.

http://www.monocle.com/sections/business/Web-Articles/Barbers-Tales/ 

Barbers' Tales

Barbers’ Tales is a very creative slideshow of four hair salons in different cities. Even though they are doing the same thing, cutting hair, all four of them are very different. The whole style of the video is very relaxed. The voice of the presenter is feminine and laid back, the tone is easy going. The imagery is structured by cities and the interviews of the owners of the salon. I think the strength of this video is the diversity and an interesting perspective. And I think there are almost two perspectives. One, that of the owners who were explaining what they wanted for their customers. The second one, that of the customers, what exactly would they experience by going to these salons. Overall, I liked this video very much. It was very creative and interesting.