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Saudi King Tries to Grow Modern Ideas in Desert . Good Luck!
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Cleopatra

Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago

Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:36 pm Post subject:

Quote:

Except that it was you who insisted in a private post that it was.

Quite apart from the fact that the term 'private post' is new to me, I can honestly say I have no idea what you're talking about.

Stephen Jones

Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 12:22 am Post subject:

It should have been previous post. I've edited it. The fact that you don't remember what you posted in the same thread doesn't surprise me in the least.

Cleopatra

Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject:

Quote:

The fact that you don't remember what you posted in the same thread doesn't surprise me in the least.

I hardly see how I'm supposed to second-guess your typing errors.

Anyway, having read your 'edited' version, and having reread the thread, I still don't know what you're talking about. Could you please quote my words where I supposedly said that the fact that women sometimes drive on private property has any bearing on whether or not women in KSA are officially banned from driving by law?

trapezius

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 7:46 pm Post subject:

Quote:

This is absolutely classic. Have you got a direct quote?

Quote:

Al-Nasr [interim president of KAUST] said: �[...] We would like to see KAUST reach the level of MIT in the next 10 years. I know it took MIT decades to be what it is. I am a believer that KAUST can achieve this goal with the nation behind it and the leadership fully supporting it.�

I strongly recommend that everyone read the articles I am linking. They are long, but you will find amazing gems in there... I promise! At least read the parts I have carefully selected and quoted! They are articles from the front page of Arab News from 5 consecutive days (Saturday to Wednesday last week). Three of those days, the articles were the top most headline on the front page.

I had KAUST in my mind for 25 years - Abdullah
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=102648&d=20&m=10&y=2007

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it would boost the Kingdom�s economic, social and cultural development.

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�It will also serve as a cultural channel benefiting the whole humanity in order for them to learn the values of knowledge and tolerance,�

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�We hope KAUST will become [...] one of the distinguished research centers in the world for scientific research and innovation, taking care of talented persons in the Kingdom, in the region and other parts of the world,�

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admission to the university would be based on merit and there would not be any favoritism.

�We Want KAUST to Reach MIT Level�
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=102682&d=21&m=10&y=2007

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It will be modeled on such institutions as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University.

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The university�s research agenda aims to accelerate scientific discovery and technological innovation, said Al-Nasr.

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�The other part is that hopefully, as we succeed at KAUST to put together the right model for research work, other leading universities will follow this model,� the interim president said.

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Asked where KAUST�s students would come from, Al-Nasr said they would be drawn from countries around the world. �But, of course, we are working hard to make sure that a large portion is from Saudi Arabia, from existing Saudi universities, as well as Saudi students from international universities. We are targeting universities in Europe, in the United States and Asia.�

Quote:

Asked what role Saudi women would have at the university, Al-Nasr said: �Exactly the same as a Saudi man. No difference.�

Quote:

�We hope � and so does the king � that KAUST will bring back to us as a nation, Arabs and Muslims, the great history of the Golden Age, when we led the world in science and technology. We believe we can do that... There is no reason why we can�t.�

Quote:

Al-Nasr said: �[...] We would like to see KAUST reach the level of MIT in the next 10 years. I know it took MIT decades to be what it is. I am a believer that KAUST can achieve this goal with the nation behind it and the leadership fully supporting it.�

Quote:

"We are talking about establishing an international university in KAUST that is going to have an international culture, that is going to host people from all over the world: Different nationalities, different beliefs, different faiths, etc. etc."

KAUST a Dream Come True: King
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=102693&d=22&m=10&y=2007

Quote:

"[...] KAUST will be a beacon of hope and reconciliation and will serve the people of the Kingdom and benefit all the peoples of the world in keeping with the teachings of the Holy Qur�an, which explains that God created mankind in order for us to come to know each other,� the king said.

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Dr. Rhodes, president emeritus, Cornell University, said: �This university aspires to place itself among the leading international universities that exist in the world today, ancient and modern, not just another university or another college.�

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�It will be governed by an independent board of directors committed in its public statement to openness, to freedom of inquiry, to freedom of discussion, to freedom of expression and that freedom is the very basis on which great universities exist.�

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Maysun Al-Dakheel of King Abdul Aziz University was equally excited. �The torch of Andalusia has been ignited. Nothing can stop us now from quenching our thirst for knowledge. Hand in hand with professionals from across the world, we will build the bridges of peace and knowledge that will benefit all humanity,� she said, adding: �A great vision can only be executed by a great king.�

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�KAUST is designed to become an international university for research... and will exert its efforts for the dawn of a new era of scientific achievement in Saudi Arabia, in the region and other parts of the world,�

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John F. Burgess, who runs a popular website (xrdarabia.org) devoted to improving Saudi Arabia�s image abroad, said the most important aspect about the new university is that it will be independent of any government ministry.

�The government�s role will be to write the check for the multibillion-dollar endowment and to recognize the degrees awarded by the university. Not having to keep looking over one�s shoulder to see if anyone�s being offended and not having to worry about funding being cut because a vocal minority disapproves of the course curricula is an enormous amount of freedom in the Saudi context,� said Burgess at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Quote:

�Thanks to the partnerships that this new university will have, men and women will come here from across the world, men and women of all persuasions, all beliefs, and all faiths committed together to openness."

KAUST Symposium: Free Flow of Ideas Essential for a Great University
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=102751&d=23&m=10&y=2007

Quote:

�It is an honor to participate in this symposium,� said Dr. Vest, president of the Washington-based National Academy of Engineering and president emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. �I foresee that later in this century we will look back on this day as a seminal moment in the history of higher education, and that we will salute the wisdom of those who conceived, implemented, and sustained the founding vision of KAUST.�

Quote:

�Interactions among scholars, scientists and engineers who have diverse perspectives and varied experiences lead to creativity and innovation. Such interchange is the very essence of a research university. Maintaining an intellectually open environment requires a high degree of institutional autonomy and protection from political or ideological forces.�

Attracting High-Quality Faculty Will Be Key to KAUST Success
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=102795&d=24&m=10&y=2007

Quote:

According to Hegarty, provost, Trinity College Dublin, there are a number of reasons why world-class researchers might want to come here.

�If they see that there are world-class facilities here which will enable them to achieve their dreams in terms of research, they will come,� he said. �The other attraction for them would be access to high-quality students.�

Quote:

�One reason for us staying behind has been the stress on rote learning. That method may have been all right 50 years ago but it is no longer valid. If we don�t learn how to be critical, we will never be able to make it in today�s world. KAUST will hopefully change the whole concept of education and learning in Saudi Arabia.�

Quote:

Pradipta Banerji, professor of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, raised a different point. �When academics move, the move is not for one or two years but for 10 to 15,� he told Arab News. �So they would want to bring in their families, buy a house here, etc. Those aspects have to be looked at when you are talking about bringing in the best here. The social aspirations of the people coming will have to be taken care of if you want them here.�

Miracles do happen. If a gibbon can become the president of the most powerful nation the world has ever seen, KAUST can become as good as MIT in 10 years!

I hope it does; because that would break the backs of religiously extremist "scholars" forever.

Stephen Jones

Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124

Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject:

Cleopatra wrote:

Quote:

The fact that you don't remember what you posted in the same thread doesn't surprise me in the least.

Anyway, having read your 'edited' version, and having reread the thread, I still don't know what you're talking about. Could you please quote my words where I supposedly said that the fact that women sometimes drive on private property has any bearing on whether or not women in KSA are officially banned from driving by law?

Quote:

Bit of a contradiction, no? If women are allowed to drive in this ghetto-"university", then clearly at least one of the Kingdom's laws will not apply

scot47

Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:27 am Post subject:

I think I am happier about spending money on KAUST than on RSAF and BAE ! OK the media hype is a bit over the top, but so what ? Maybe not MIT but how about Wigan Poly ?

Cleopatra

Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 1:15 pm Post subject:

Quote:

:
Bit of a contradiction, no? If women are allowed to drive in this ghetto-"university", then clearly at least one of the Kingdom's laws will not apply

I don't understand how you can't see that this quote of mine is saying precisely the opposite of what you suggest. I said that the fact that women will supposedly drive on this campus means that the law banning women from driving will not apply. Which obviously implies that such a law exists in the first place. It was you who suggested that exceptions to the general rule cast doubt on the existence of a law. I never said anything of the sort.

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