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CHAPTER 7 - Choosing to be Different

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Abu Dhabi tourism ambassadors graduate. ABU DHABI // Nearly 100 more UAE nationals have qualified to represent the emirate at home and abroad as tourism ambassadors.

Abu Dhabi tourism ambassadors graduate

Ninety-eight Emiratis graduated at a ceremony at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers yesterday. The Abu Dhabi Ambassador Programme, launched in 2008, was created to give nationals the skills to promote the emirate both to tourists at home and to other nations while overseas. The class of 2012, honoured yesterday, are employed by more than 44 UAE organisations in the private and public sector. A total of 277 people have now successfully completed the course, an initiative by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA). Mohammed Ali Hammadi, head of commercial activities at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, came top of last year's intake. "For me, honestly, it has opened my eyes," he said.

"If it says hotel I go and search what's the name, what's the cuisine offered and how many rooms. " "This programme has expanded my horizons and my vision," he said. Phil Borges on endangered cultures. Andrew D. Blechman - author of LEISUREVILLE and PIGEONS. LEISUREVILLE Adventures in a World Without Children From the author of Pigeons comes a first-hand look at America’s senior utopias, gated retirement communities where no kids are allowed.

Andrew D. Blechman - author of LEISUREVILLE and PIGEONS

When his next-door neighbors in a quaint New England town suddenly pick up and move to a gated retirement community in Florida called “The Villages,” Blechman is astonished by their stories, so he goes to investigate. Larger than Manhattan, with a golf course for every day of the month, two downtowns, its own newspaper, radio, and TV stations, The Villages is a city of nearly one hundred thousand (and growing), missing only one thing: children.

Started in the 1950s and popularized by Del Webb’s Sun City, age-segregated retirement is an exploding phenomenon. More than twelve million people will soon live in these communities, under restrictive covenants, with limited local government, and behind gates that exclude children. The Villages - Lifestyle. The Urban Homestead® - A City Farm, Sustainable Living & Resource Center, A Path to Freedom towards Self-Sufficiency. Hikikomori. Hikikomori. YouTube. Bakhtiari nomads iran. Bakhtiari - ETHNONYMNS: none The term "Bakhtiari" refers to a group of people and to the area they occupy.

Bakhtiari -

The Bakhtiari inhabit about 156,000 square kilometers in and near the central Zagros Mountains of Iran. The most recent estimates place their population at about 700,000 in the 1980s. The Bakhtiari are traditionally nomadic pastoralists who make their winter encampments in the low hills along the narrow fringe of the northeast Khūzestān plain and their summer pastures in the intermontane valleys. Some also find summer pastures at the western edge of the central plateau, which is also the permanent habitat for a sedentary village population.

Visiting the Bakhtiarias nomads in Iran - Part 1 of 2. Photo.

Visiting the Bakhtiarias nomads in Iran - Part 1 of 2

Nice people from the Bakhtiari nomads. The Bakhtiari nomads living high up in the mountain hillsides. The scenery with snow capped summits in the background was something for itself! © Travel Explorations. The good smells from the beautiful Shabdar flowers that grow around created a unique atmosphere. According to my itinerary in July 2004 I travelled around in several regions such as Shahr-e Kod, Yasuj and Kafe Namdoon, which are the residing places or on the immigration routes of the nomads. I visited the Bakhtiari nomads in Shahr-e Kord region. In Kafe Namdoon I also got the chance to become familiar with the Qashqai tribe. Iran has many unique features of its own in its people, landscapes, arts and customs. The Bakhtiari nomads retain its traditional lifestyle and cultureThe Bakhtiari nomads, which numbered more than 1 million in 1997, inhabits an area of approximately 67,000 Km (25,000 Mi) that straddles the central Zagros Mountains.

Hard lifeWe started from Esfahan. Dare to Be Different and Follow Your Heart Not the Crowd. To dare to be different is to live your life your own way.

Dare to Be Different and Follow Your Heart Not the Crowd

Following your heart rather than following the crowd gives you much more chance to find happiness and fulfillment, but it takes courage. Many people are afraid of being different, of not being accepted by those around them, and of standing out rather than blending in. The truth of the matter is that we are all different. In the entire world, there will never be anyone else who is exactly like you. You are truly one of a kind, and this is the miracle of being human. One reason is the belief that there is safety in numbers. What millions of people are doing could be right for them, but totally wrong for you. Following the crowd also eliminates the pressure of needing to think and choose. It is not just the challenge of soul-searching that can be scary either.