Emirates Airline, New Zealand, ‘Emirates Team New Zealand’ and Being a Sucker

An interesting article was published on 23 May 2007 in the New Zealand Dominion newspaper (out of Wellington).

It concerns the sponsorship by the Emirates Airline of the New Zealand sailing boat entry into the America’s Cup, called ‘Emirates Team New Zealand’. The yacht this week qualified for the finals of the Louis Vuitton cup, the winner of which will race the Swiss yacht, ‘Alinghi’, which currently hold the America’s Cup.

It’s about hunting possums (nocturnal animals that are wrecking the NZ forests) and about being a ‘sucker’.

Here is the link: Why Be a Sucker for Emirates?

Geoff Pound

Image: Emirates Team New Zealand; Possum on a tree.

Coining Collective Nouns for the Emirates

I never got into coins or stamps when I was a child but I collected collective nouns—those names we give to a group of things.

A ‘group’ is such a mundane word so we learned at school some of these classical collective nouns:
A pride of lions.
A herd of elephants.
A swarm of bees.

I like those collective nouns that have got some pizzazz:
A brace of grouse.
A charm of finches.
A convocation of eagles.
An exaltation of larks.
A crash of rhinos.

Some birds, fish and animals have so many fascinating terms. A group of seals is known as a bob, a colony, a crash, a harem, a herd, a pod, a rookery, a spring and a team.

A group of geese is a flock when they are standing, a gaggle on the water, a skein when in flight and a wedge when they fly in a ‘V’ formation.

Collective nouns are a work in progress. Some suggested on various web sites include:
An absence of waiters.
An annoyance of mobile phones.
A balance of accountants.
A billow of smokers.
A clutch of mechanics.
A clench of sphincters.
A flunk of students.
A thicket of idiots.

The lists of collective nouns are growing all the way from an armory of aardvarks to a zeal of zebras. ‘Lists’ are a bit ordinary. What about a cornucopia of collective nouns? Collective nouns don’t always have to have alliteration.

I have been wondering about developing a congress of collective nouns that concern things and happenings to do with the United Arab Emirates. Can you help me?

These could relate to animals and birds.

A group of camels is a herd. Surely we can get more creative that this.

A collection of falcons is known as a cast. That’s skilful.

What do we call a group of oryx—one of our national symbols? This doesn’t appear in the usual list. We must find a better name than a herd. Any suggestions?

What is a constructive name for a number of dishdashas (especially if they are being worn)?

A glide of dishdashas?
A number of mosques?
A collection of muezzin who give the call to prayer?
Several sheesha?
A group of construction sites?

Others?

I was thinking of this subject as I saw an array of trucks on the road from Dubai to Fujairah.

What do you call a collection of trucks, as pictured above, pulled up on the Al Dhaid Road? A conference? A quagmire of trucks?

What do we call the long lines of trucks (pictured) coming from the Hajar Mountains, laden with rocks. A thunder of trucks? Maybe a tragedy of trucks?

Geoff Pound

Images: A turmoil and a tribulation of trucks

Some sites for collective nouns are:
The Collective Nouns
Collection of Collective Nouns
Fun with Words: Collective Nouns

Blogging the Emirates

Just in is this insightful L.A. Times article entitled Blogs Can Top the Presses by Terry McDermott.

Blogs have a different role from newspapers and they possess some significant advantages.

Do send me an email if you have a tip for a story on Experiencing the Emirates.

Geoff Pound

Why I Am Writing

Why I Am Writing Now
An experienced ex-pat who was hanging up his business boots in Bangladesh and conducting an orientation with his successor said to the newcomer:

“You will see a lot of things in this country that will surprise and horrify you but my advice to you is to keep your mouth closed for six months. By that time I will be long gone so I won’t have to fix any damage you have created. And by that time you will possibly have developed some tolerance, perspective and some wise understanding of your new situation.”

Having arrived in the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of 2006 my self-imposed silence is long over. Sometimes I see things that surprise and anger me about life in the UAE but by and large I am content and keen to write as a disciplined exploration of life in this fascinating country. I am not writing as an expert but as one who is eager to understand the culture and developing identity of where I live.

Why I Write About Fujairah and the East Coast
When I watch the television and read the newspapers I yearn for information about where I live and comment from its residents. But viewers and readers have to look hard to find items and articles that have a Fujairah focus. This week’s Gulf News has the following references:
* A passing comment on two Fujairah tennis players (27/2/07)
* Fujairah’s Buseirah Dam noted as the source of Dibba Pure Natural Mineral Water (27/2/07)
* Mention of the Fujairah Port in article on DP’s 17% growth (26/2/07)
* Fujairah’s football team in bottom place (26/2/07)
* Surprising win by Fujairah’s football team over Al Nasr (24/2/07)

The Khaleej Times doesn’t improve the Fujairah news famine, covering in this last week some of the above stories but also including references to the inclusion of Fujairah on the maiden voyage of a cruise ship, a report on two forthcoming sports contests (tennis and billiards) and a focused article on alarming price hikes by Fujairah bakeries.

UAE blog writers appear to be active but the focus of most UAE sites is on Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

I am starved of news and I enjoy reading the local monthly mag, the Fujairah Observer, because it is about my place and written about the people in this part of the country.

I am not seeking to be a journalist and make this blog site into an online newspaper but if it can help generate some interest, some exchange of ideas and some action it will have served its purpose.

Someone, learning about my intended blog site and Fujairah focus said, “Will you have enough to write on? Does anything happen in Fujairah?” Small towns have always experienced a rivalry with the major cities. It is part of the rural/city dichotomy. ‘Can anything good come out of’… Fujairah? I am sure it has and I am sure it will.

Why I Write
I resonate with novelist, Joan Didion, when she says in her article, Why I Write: “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”

I resonate with that thought and hope that through this site and the sharing of thoughts it will lead to some similar discoveries.

Geoff Pound

Image: Coffee Pot at the Faseel Roundabout.