Jagshemash.

On Astana:

Other countries have built futuristic capitals in remote outposts, Brasília most famously, and other cities have experienced feverish, transformational construction, like Dubai or even the imperial capital that once ruled Kazakhstan: Moscow.

Borat will be happy and have liquid explosion.

For those interested in the online cash marketplace, there has been a step up that included the UAE. Paypal are now allowing sending of money online for 48 new countries, including the UAE.

Although this is not a full solution, and many will have to action payment in other ways, this is the first step in the chain.

Despite this move, which may signal steps down the line to go into the online auction arena against souk.com, it appears that ebay will not be in the UAE any time soon:

When asked by Windows, the spokesperson added that eBay “currently has no plans” to launch in the Middle East region.

Shame that.

The proposition of "Just a Dial" is to provide information for a small price. It works like this:

1. you call a number
2. you ask a question, eg where can I buy an Ipod in Deira
3. they give you some options
4. you say thank you and good bye.

However, while the business model is similar to directory enquiries, they are able to push forward the obvious lack of enforcement of any data protection in the UAE. Fair play to them for investing 5 million dollars to get this running but will the man on the street go for it.

1. The service costs something, something like 18 fils per minute.
- it's not free
2. Advertisers can pay to get at the top of the list
- you may not get the best option
3. Your details get passed to the retailer
- your data is not guarded.

I have no issue with the first two options. After all, nothing in this world is free, and second of all, they are providing a good service of organising information in what needs to become an organised infocentric society.

My issue is with my own data. I don't want to call up a service which sells on my number. Once that data has passed to someone else, it could go anywhere. Shouldn't it be the case that I should choose to opt in or opt out from such distractions in life?

It may be fashionable to be on the phone in the UAE, to appear to be important and to talk when one should be concentrating on other things (driving, watching a film, studying, working), but this kind of blatant disregard for data takes it too far. We all know that data is sold on the black market, but there needs to be some sort of law in place to prevent this from happening and for it to be enforced in the same way that the druggies are treated (sometimes).

If I want to dial, I want it to be Just a dial.

Perhaps, but surely you need to address those who misinterpret the faith and those who cite Islam as their reason for attrocities.

amusing comparison by City of Sound.

"This triumph of industry and order over the elements seems to me typical of Dubai. Nothing could be more supremely artificial, except possibly the india rubber bathing beach which they had just decided to install....."

Read the whole thing

We have all heard of some stories of abuse of maids, some of whom are raped or beaten, but who have no choice but to live on due to necessity. Whether the story of revenge by one maid putting the baby in the microwave is true or not, the hought of such an action demonstrates the feeling of resent felt by those who get mistreated. There are, of course, many maids in the service of good mannered folk who are all inclusive of their maids to the point that they appear as part of the family.

The story of Samia, however, is a sad one. Being forced to jump from from a window to escape her "family", she says:

"I was hit, kicked and stepped on every day," she told Gulf News from her hospital bed at Rashid Hospital. She added that her employer also "sold" her to others, making her do chores for them without any money.

And for those who sat on the fence on whether this could be considered modern day slavery, perhaps getting sold to the family next door, might convince against it being hard out here for a pimp.

...from the Independant. The Most interesting part:

The competition also contains a separate programme for prisoners in Dubai, who can reduce their jail terms by proving that they can learn the Koran.

The programme is not open for those facing the death sentence or guilty of murder, but for those on lesser sentences, memorising the whole of the holy book can knock 20 years off their time in prison.

Koran provides the ultimate memory test for Muslim boys

Apprently the TRA are considering lifting the ban. That is complete common sense.
If this is the case, and there are no provisos to the ban lift, then this is great for business and life in the UAE.

More from voip-sol, that quote Zawya

Anyone with the most basic knowledge of economics will know of the Economist's Big Mac index as a light-hearted introduction to exchange-rate theory. The basic premise is this:

Burgernomics is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity, the notion that a dollar should buy the same amount in all countries. Thus in the long run, the exchange rate between two countries should move towards the rate that equalises the prices of an identical basket of goods and services in each country. Our "basket" is a McDonald's Big Mac, which is produced in about 120 countries. The Big Mac PPP is the exchange rate that would mean hamburgers cost the same in America as abroad. Comparing actual exchange rates with PPPs indicates whether a currency is under- or overvalued.

Although there are flaws to it, it is generally a goodish indicator of whether a currency is over or under valued. In the latest Economic Bulletin from the DCCI, (which, by the way is a good read, although a little dry), they have covered how this theory works for the GCC currencies:



You will see from the table that all the GCC currencies are undervalued compared to the dollar, with the average price of 3.10 for a Big Mac in the US. The UAE is the least undervalued at 12%, but still undervalued. And whilst this doesn't bear any meaning to currency markets, it is probably something that the important men who are deciding about the single GCC currency must be pondering long and hard about.


DCCI - Economic Bulletin
Big Mac Index, Bugernomics from the Economist
Gulf News Article

The take of the West on Dubai International Holy Koran Award

The competition, the Dubai International Holy Koran Award, is open to males aged 21 and younger, and this year more than 80 young Muslim boys and men faced off in more than two weeks of nightly performances that end Tuesday. The contestants came from around the world to represent their countries, including Iran, Iraq, Brazil, Australia and the United States.

“This is the Olympics of Koran reading,” said Ahmad al Suwiedi, head of the competition’s organizing committee


Read the article from the NYT

Is this what really goes on? ;>

The real value of the phrase "Middle East tax haven" decreases by the day. A sign of the times, I am afraid:

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's (ADTA) decision to impose six per cent service charge as tourism fees on hotels and service apartments has sparked mixed reaction in the industry. The move will come into effect from January 1, 2007, according to a report in the Gulf News. Hotels impose a 16 per cent service charge on all bills but at present they pay no fees to the municipality, whereas hotels in Dubai pay 10 per cent of their service charge to the municipality, the report added.

Apparently no need to worry the consumer, but as we well know, that hidden cost will creep into the bill by hook or by crook. International hotel operators in Abu Dhabi will not accept their revenue slashed in the short term.

IMF have released their regional outlook report with some interesting numbers. We are interested in the United Arab Emirates
2005a 2006e 2007p
Real GDP Growth annual % change 8.5 11.5 5.8
Real Non Oil GDP Growth annual % change 11.0 10.5 6.6
Real Oil GDP Growth annual % change 2.1 14.1 3.5
CPI annual % change 8.0 7.7 5.0
Nominal GDP in USD 129.6 176.8 196.2


What's the interesting number here? The CPI figures. For two reasons. One because the official the current UAE numbers for inflation are 5% and that is signifcantly different to 8 or 7.7. Two, the numbers look set to fall to 5%.

What you have to bear in mind is this. The numbers that the IMF are using are fed from government data in the local countries, so while Mohsin Khan might project to 5.0% right now, that my still be little aggressive especially if we consider the housing balance shortage severely shifting towards Abu Dhabi with no real short term solution.

Read the IMF report and make your own judgement.

Got a headache? Then some of the local herbs, spices and food of the Middle East can help out. This little guide from Saudi Aramco's magazine is one of those little eye openers worth having a quick look at.

Many of the natural remedies presented here are the result of a questionnaire distributed throughout the Arabian Peninsula in early 2002. The questionnaire, printed in both Arabic and English, asked families to explain how they, as well as their mothers and grandmothers, use various herbs, spices and other substances in natural healing. It also requested specific remedies for conditions such as headache, colds and coughs, sore throats, hair loss, general fatigue, childbirth and so on. We present their generous responses, which have helped to unlock many of the mysteries of local medicinal herb shops and reveal unique insights into the natural remedies of Arabia.

Natural Remedies of Arabia

..there is no hope. It appears that the TRA considers skype and the like as a provider of telcommunication services:

Voice over Internet Protocols (VoIP) are considered a regular telecommunications service and therefore fall under the jurisdiction of national regulations, according to the UAE's Telecommunications Regulations Authority (TRA).

"The TRA considers VoIP as a means to provide a telecommunications service," explained the TRA's manager of technical affairs, Mohammad Gheyath. "The technology and the service are not of relevance here, as voice traffic is provided over a medium.

The backwardness of this thought process, at a time where the world are looking to move forward with this medium, bears a resemblance to ignorance at the highest level. I am sure that this can not really be what the TRA thinking and the real reason must be something else. It is probably the perceived fact that:

1. revenue will be lost by the UAE providers Etisalat and Du
2. it is currently difficult to monitor voip calls, for terrorist activity and the like.

If those are the real reasons, then state it - if the whole world thought in the same way as the TRA are currently stating, then skype and the like would have to take out licences with every country in the world. All voip providers, all chat (msn messenger etc), irc should be banned. In fact, all websites should be banned. Just ban everything and be consistent.

In times to come, the UAE will look back at this, not only as a missed opportunity to move forward, but as one of those rare instances when it has taken a number of steps back.

Telecommunications body defends ban decision

Maybe he should have raised the debate.
Maybe he shouldn't have broached the subject the way he did.
Either way, it is not compulsory.

Interesting fact that 20-30% of UAE females cover their face.

It is the colour of grapeshisha and it is the colour of speed.

Stndard Chartered is a pretty well known bank. Pretty gung-ho of Istithmar to be chucking a bill at it. 2.7% - is there any other reason to this that pure return?

Istithmar, which is owned by the al-Maktoum ruling family in Dubai, has spent more than $1.8 billion buying overseas assets since its foundation, including 280 Park Avenue and the Knickerbocker Hotel at 6 Times Square in New York. It also owns stakes in Swiss aircraft-maintenance firm SR Technics and Perella Weinberg Partners, a financial advisory firm founded by former Morgan Stanley vice-chairman Joseph Perella.

London-based Standard Chartered, which makes two-thirds of its profit from Asia, bought control of Hsinchu International Bank in Taiwan last month and 81 percent of Pakistan's Union Bank Ltd. in August.

Some trend there....

From Bloomberg

A decade of dredging and artificial island-making will have removed almost all of the sand from the territorial waters of Dubai by the time Dubai Waterfront completes in 2011.

By that point, around 1.9 billion m3 of sand will have been removed from the seabed between the shoreline of the emirate and the start of international waters.


What will the be the effect of having sand free waters? Who knows? Fin-free fish?

Three questions
1. Can it really be true that Etisalat don't understand the benefit that Firefox brings to the tech space? (courtesy of Keefieboy - Firefox Blocked)

2. Was the Myspace (newly opened site to UAE residents) sale to Murdoch a scam? It certainly was very cheap.

3. Is consolidation in the Web Video market space be good for world? Google buying Youtube.

They're back, with a direct message:

UAE: Stop Harassment of Human Rights Defenders

This is the first paragraph of a letter sent to HH Sheikh Khalifa:

Your Excellency,

Your government’s policies toward human rights defenders in the United Arab Emirates are an important measure of its commitment to respect and protect the basic rights of UAE residents. For this reason we are seriously concerned about recent steps taken by UAE authorities that seem targeted to harass and silence activists attempting to monitor human rights in the Emirates. We urge you to put an immediate stop to these policies, and to make clear that the government intends to protect the ability of human rights defenders to carry out activities without interference.

Read the rest of the letter here

This is their message:

The authorities in the United Arab Emirates should end their harassment of some of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders and give their organizations the legal recognition they have sought, Human Rights Watch said today.

Read the press release here

The Negative is that it is too expensive for the residents.
The Positive is that the shortage makes Abu Dhabi a good investment.

Check out BurjDubaiSkyscraper.com to check out the current status.

The whole thing about bribery and comparing it with other countries is a ticky business. Where is the benchmark? How do you compare like for like, especially when you are looking at a country venturing into new markets? Transparency International have released their latest report entitled the Bribe Payers Index 2006 which attempts to do just that amongst a select number of countries.

The BPI looks at the propensity of companies from 30 leading exporting countries to bribe abroad. Companies from the wealthiest countries generally rank in the top half of the Index, but still routinely pay bribes, particularly in developing economies. Companies from emerging export powers India, China and Russia rank among the worst. In the case of China and other emerging export powers, efforts to strengthen domestic anti-corruption activities have failed to extend abroad.

The index determined clusters from least likely to bribe to most likely. These are the results:

Cluster 1: Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Austria, Canada, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, US, Japan

Cluster 2: Singapore, Spain, United Arab Emirates, France, Portugal, Mexico

Cluster 3: Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, South Africa, Malaysia

Cluster 4: Taiwan, Turkey, Russia, China, India.

Ignore what you think you know of corruption within the UAE. Look at the UAE going overseas. In my understanding the UAE has behaved impecably whether you are looking at JVs, overseas investment or pure aquisitions. In fact, the UAE fares as a cluster 1 country when veturing in OECD activity. And that is crucial if the powerhouses of Dubai and Abu Dhabi wish to continue their strategy of investing in high profile ventures overseas, as they have been doing over the last couple of years.

However you wish to take the results, it is worth remembering that Transparency International's work is recognised worldwide. For essentially a developing country, the UAE can be proud for what it is achiving. Reputation for honesty goes a long way in the politically correct business world of today.

See the full Bribe Payers Index (BPI) 2006 Analysis Report at Transpaency International's site.

Airbus are in a little bit of bother. Delivering the airbus so late will cause them some severe problems. Emirates Airline are the biggest order for the Airbus (43 out of the 134), and due to the delays, could leave Airbus with bigger problems than they currently have.

The Times has learnt that a number of airlines are extremely unhappy about the delays — and the lack of information that they have received from Airbus. Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, said: “This is a very serious issue for Emirates and the company is now reviewing all its options.”

Sources close to Boeing said that Emirates was considering ditching half its 43 A380 orders and buying the new 747-8 instead. That could cost Airbus a further $6 billion in lost revenue.

With an aggressive growth strategy planned, Emirates are not too pleased, and the shift looks like an option that may be considered.

It's always good when a fresh discussion board comes to the scene. discussdubai.com exists but is waiting for a heart. So, sign up for the forum and discuss away.

Check it out: discussdubai.com

According to the Gulf News she is:

Commenting on the first issue under the title "A hidden plan to create disorder", the Dubai-based "Gulf News" said: "Condoleezza Rice is back. The US secretary of state is touring the region to 'encourage' the resumption of the peace process, according to her aides. But according to what she has been saying all last week in interviews with American newspapers, she is here to pit Arabs against each other.

"She said an 'alliance of moderates' has emerged in the region, under her sponsorship, to confront "the alliance of extremists" namely the Palestinian ruling party Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance group.

from Internet Chat Radio

Dubai is poor at corporate governance. What does that mean? Here are 3 definitions:

"Corporate Governance is concerned with holding the balance between economic and social goals and between individual and communal goals. The corporate governance framework is there to encourage the efficient use of resources and equally to require accountability for the stewardship of those resources. The aim is to align as nearly as possible the interests of individuals, corporations and society" (Sir Adrian Cadbury in 'Global Corporate Governance Forum', World Bank, 2000)

"Corporate governance is a field in economics that investigates how to secure/motivate efficient management of corporations by the use of incentive mechanisms, such as contracts, organizational designs and legislation. This is often limited to the question of improving financial performance, for example, how the corporate owners can secure/motivate that the corporate managers will deliver a competitive rate of return", Mathiesen [2002]

"Corporate governance is the system by which business corporations are directed and controlled. The corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation, such as, the board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders, and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs. By doing this, it also provides the structure through which the company objectives are set, and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance", OECD

Make sense that Dubai needs to work harder at it? Well the general consensus is that there is some way to go. That's why companies such as Hawkamah exist.

Here's the trailer for the film American Ramadan. Looks like an interesting film. If anyone knows where it is showing, please let us know.

I have no complaint concerning the banning of pornography and gambling in the UAE. It took the west some time to realise the harm that could be done by gambling market, and with the US passing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, making it illegal for financial institutions and credit card companies to process payments to settle internet bets, it appears that Bush has hindered the haram. Companies such as Party Gaming and 888 together have lost billions of dollars in value almost overnight. Now, the only difference between the use of the web it feels as if the only thing between the UAE and US, in terms of "web access" is porn and voip. And although, gambling, per se, has not been outlawed, the banning, in theory, of online gaming, is the acceptance that there is something inherently evil about gambling. One of my friends who couldn't undertsand the furore over this suggests, that if you miss your fix, then come and play the roulette wheel of the UAE stockmarkets.

E-vision is the cable TV arm Etisalat. I bet they are in a quandry as to how to deal with the TV through your internet connection. Will there be a reactive strategy to ban all such sites? Or will something be done to create a UAE equivalent?



Check out Viidoo as an example of what life might be like.

Hat tip to bizzwhizDubai for spotting the latest Doing Business report from the World Bank.

It looks like troubled times for the UAE. Is the UAE slowly slipping down the doldrums or is 77th place a realistic spot?

2006 - 77th
2005 - 68th (rebased from 69)




There were no rankings previous to this, but the key categories were measured in the same way and are similar to currently. The overall rank is probably about right for the specifics that they are recording, taking into consideration that the UAE falls at both ends of ths scale in various categories. Since the UAE is pretty high up on some categories, the drop by a few places is not significant. Worryingly, though, is the fact that there doesn't seem to be much improvement in areas that the UAE seems to be poor in, such as enforcing contracts, starting and closing a business and protecting investors.

This is a World Bank ranking, so it does have some weight. In some parts of the world, those being judged look at rankings and actively try and improve in the specific areas. Whether or not this makes the ranking legitimate is debatable, but it appears that the UAE is not doing the basics to jump ahead of the pack. With Qatar and Bahrain not measured, and Saudi, Kuwait and Oman all ahead of the UAE, there must be something that could be done to work on those criteria.

"Decree, task force, committee" - are words that I am sure we will hear soon. And hope that positive action will result in those words.

Buy the report

Luxury brands and retailers love Dubai. First Harvey Nicks, then Harrods:

If the deal is finalised, Harrods will follow in the footsteps of major UK luxury department store Harvey Nichols, which opened in Dubai's Mall of the Emirates in May this year, following a Dh100 million investment and partnership deal with Al Tayer Group.

It remains unclear whether the Harrods brand will be introduced in its full London department store format, or solely as a food and well-being retailer under the Harrods 102 name.

Hopefully they won't have a silly advertsing campaign like the "Forget London" teaser that Harvey Nicks used which raised some controversy being so close to the London 7/7 bombings.

Harrods' entry to raise Dubai's retail profile

...billboard in the Middle East. Sama Dubai advertising The Lagoons, 400m and on the Sheikh Zayed Road.



From Jazarah
via ADBlogArabia

You usually hear of Dubai in first place, but in the grand scheme of things, being ranked second in the world in terms of office real estate construction activity, is pretty good going. 1st place - guess who? Shanghai? Mumbai? No, it's Moscow.

Read details of Colliers report at Trade Arabia

While the latest World Economic Forum’s (WEF) influential annual Global Competitiveness Report places the UAE as the most competitive Gulf country at 32nd out of the 125 countries reviewed, is there another trend we should be looking at?

2004 16th
2005 18th
2006 32nd

Still number one in the Gulf, but it appears, from this basic trend, that other countries are becoming more competitive than the UAE.

Read through the propaganda and look at the real numbers.

There was as much opposition as there were advocates of this one:

The intellectual situation in the Arab world is not just retarded, but is suffering from ignorance and lack of acknowledgement, said a Saudi intellectual at a lecture yesterday.

During the lecture — hosted by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces — Ebrahim Al Belehi, Member of the Saudi Shura Council, discussed the ‘Structure of Retardation in the Arab Mind’.

Intellectual situation in the Arab world 'retarded'

Instead of putting everyone's life at risk on the roads of Dubai and making it one of the worst places in the world for death by driving, buy one of these, and get a real buzz in the middle of the desert.



Sand-X.....Maximum speed on Sand

The Dubai Ports Deal is old news, yet it remains a headline due to the difficulty in actually selling the US operations. This is an example of the small minded mentality that caused the furore. Warning: you may get violent towards the guy by the end. And if you are a fan of the Otis Redding classic, this video may ruin it for you forever.

The post on this blog earlier this week seems somewhat redundant. However, the message is still the same. It is refreshing that those who pull the strings have seen sense that restrictions of this kind can prove to be a hinderance in the development of the 21st century state. The unblocking of sites that shouldn't have really been blocked in the first place is a realisation of the voice of reason.

Now, the move should be understanding what is the real market place for competition on the net, allowing local UAE telco providers to compete with Voip. Here is a simple fact: work with the "medium" of Voip and take up of of broadband will increase. I suspect that etisalat are working on the intricacies of being a step up in the local market before going head to head with services such as skype and net2phone. My inkiling would be this is a matching of price on specific locations where the majority of expats originate. Voip shouldn't bea discussion. The discussion for the telcos should be what value added bolt on products should be offered to the customers - products that should guarantee medium term revenue.

The voip issue aside, this is a great move, based on good reasoning and sound judgement.

I found it difficult to describe the experience of Bab al Shams with the merit that it deserves. Desert resort doesn't quite do it. This video does pitch Bab al Shams in the niche it deserves:

Ramadan Prayer Times in Dubai 2012
Ramadan Prayer Times in Abu Dhabi 2012


These are the prayer times for Ramadan in 2009
I have received numerous emails asking me for Ramadan prayer timings in Dubai. Since, I don't really know, I would recommend the times listed by the gulf news.

Prayer Times (PDF)

Click here for 2008 Ramadan Prayer timings in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general

Still on course for another bumper year. After a crazy gdp year in 2005 where the nominal amount was $133bn, that figure is expected to grow to $161bn in 2006.

With a 30% increase in crude oil prices, on average, this is fuelling a strong economy.

The Bush administration has approved a $752 million sale of advanced artillery rocket systems to the United Arab Emirates.

The administration has approved a UAE request for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems [HIMARS]. Officials said HIMARS would bolster Abu Dhabi's capability to defend against an Iranian ground invasion. The UAE has hosted U.S. Army and Air Force personnel and assets.

Interesting that it was spun as a story of Bush Administration.

Etisalat doesn't reach the places that Mr Reach does.
"Nothing is beyond" Mr Reach. Some things are beyond Etisalat.
Mr Reach goes places that Etisalat does not.
Mr Reach is self service. Etisalat sometimes has no service.
Mr Reach is reliable. Etisalat is sometimes unreliable.
Mr Reach is a superior product in a landscape of competition. Etisalat does not have any competition and does not need to be superior.

Mr Reach

What is dumbfounding is that some of the most highly influential and highly valued sites in the world are banned by etisalat, or more strictly the TRA. Here is a breakdown:

1. Social Networking sites
Although not all are banned, the value of such sites is huge. Facebook which seems to have the most scope of the strict social networking sites has just had a bid from Yahoo for $900m. In any world, that's a big number. The potential for the site has yet to be reached. But it is in the same realm as orkut, friendsreunited, friendster and hi5, all at the mercy of the TRA. Even sites such as LinkedIn could fall prey in these category.

2. Social Lifestyle
Myspace straddles social networking and traditional web, and has, over recent years, become one of the most influential areas on the net for the 16-24 year olds competing like for like with facebook and other blog type sites. Myspace were bought by Newscorp for $580m but, even then, that was a lucky price. I would put it more in the region of $2bn today, despite its apparent lack of imagination in the style category

3. Video
The banning of Youtube, Metacafe which leave the whole online video world up for the blanket is one of the most backward decisions when the rest of the world is ploughing forward into the video generation. Youtube said recently that it wouldn't sell out for less than $1.5bn, which is a probably a little expensive due to its running costs, but ballpark close to $1bn is a good estimate.

4. Photo
Sensitive pictures of someone with wasta probably lead to the ban of Flickr. When Flickr was bought by Yahoo in 2005 it went for a rumoured $30m which, in the grand scheme of what is going on right now, is small change. You could claim that it is worth a couple of hundred right now, and with synergy values with myspace, if purchased, could be worth a lot more.

5. VOIP
Was Skype really worth $2.6bn? Who knows? But there is long term potential in telecoms, and Skype is the biggest player in the VoIP market.

6. Other sites
Boingboing is valued at about $40m, but how do you value a site such as Michelle Malkin, that was banned because of the Cartoon debacle? Is it not better to listen to what people have to say, than shut out the views of others? Shouldn't the population be trusted to make their own informed opinion than to be guided by strong opinions?

7. Real sites that should be banned
I have never really had a problem with the banning of pornography or sites that verge on that limit. There is no doubt that pornography still brings in the bucks, especially online, but since this really does "contradict with the UAE social, cultural, political, economical, or religious values", as stated by Etisalat, I have no real reason to put a value on any real site. I mean, how much is playboy.com worth?


What is the point of providing you with these figures? The point is that the money is onw thing but the value is something else.

The value lies in the potential of these sites, their potential to build, and their potential to bring in the benjamins. The value lies in the investment in time and building such networks. The value lies in the technology. The value lies in being leading edge. The value lies in the what the Internet can do.

Weyak has already proved that it is a lame substitute for what is probably one of the easiest areas to emulate. Simple technical and UI issues are a step backward when you have the potential to take two step forwards. If you are remove what is perceived as competition, then you need to provide a viable alternative in a country which prides itself with being technologically forward.

Billions of dollars are atributed to these companies. These are the companies that leading Web 2.0, and yet the UAE appears to consider these a threat, because sites such as those listed, do not contradict the value of the UAE. They could help to develop and share the values further.

Imagine myspace, tailored for the Arabic population? Why not work with myspace, to build something viable for the Muslim world? Why shut them out and let everyone lose out on the potential? What's next? Banning the blogging sites and removing freedom of speech to prehistoric times would be a step that I don't think anyone is stupid enough to do, but it has been proved before. And if the rest of web 2.0 is blocked then social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us could also be up for the chop. The whole banning mentality extends past "value", past freedom of speech - it goes past the whole value of the internet, it goes past sharing, whether that be of pictures or communication or data or anything else. It extends to trying to control the internet which is an evolving medium. Use the medium, rather than trying to restrict it.

Is it all about money? Is about about values? No, it is all about value. And that value is not being shared with the residents of the UAE.

They seem to be genuinely friendly and most noticeable; they are proud and passionate people when it comes to their country. And they should be when you look at the progress they have made in a nation that is only 35 years old. They are building educational systems, they start new industries and business areas from the ground up and they really believe in entrepreneurship as the engine for growth. These are important elements when you are building the foundation for a great country.

From intrap

If Osama is dead, is that the end or the beginning? Are there a hundred more Bin Laden's out there? Will the mantle pass to Zawahiri? Is this just the end of round one?

So the GCC central bank might come to Abu Dhabi. The statement has since been retracted, but it was a headline last week, and would be some sort of coup for the UAE.

For many observers, however, the bigger story lay underneath in any case, in the apparent confirmation by Central Bank Governor Al Suwaidi that the US dollar will be abandoned in its role of currency peg, not by 2010, but by 2015.

Another must read from Andrew Shouler

Understanding why food sold increases substantially during a period of fasting is to do with understanding the convivial nature of the month, that ends with Eid. And while much fasting occurs, the iftar brings people together to feast either at buffets arranged by restaurants or with family and friends. Many people get invited to friends, and money spent when inviting friends results in feasts fit for kings or sheikhs. There is charity, as people offer food to those well off, and by the end of the month, with the culmination of the feast of all feasts, you can understand why more money is spent on food during this month. The mix of goods is different, with more dates being sold, more meat being sold, resulting in a very odd month in comparison to the rest of teh year.

Say average sales at foodspots are 100. People say that during July and August, revenue is down by anything between 20 and 40% each month. And during Ramadan, food sales increase by 75%. So, taken simply and probably very crudely, you could say this about revenue:

Ramadan: 175
July: 70
August: 70
9 months: 100 (X 9)

So, you could say that Ramadan makes up for the Summer months, since the 60 deficit is made up by the 75 increase. But shop owners are greedy, and want to maximise the revenue even further during the Ramadan months, because people salivate for the food and will pay for what they want, to some degree. Because of this known fact, if prices are increased during Ramadan, by 5%, say, so instead of 100, you have to pay 105, and there is an increase of 75%, you have an overall further increase of nearly 9% above your normal average. That 9% is what the shopkeeper wants you to spend.

But it is unfair, and perhaps unethical, to force people to spend more in a month when they are already spending more, and that is why the Government has warned retailers, importers and distributors against raising the prices of food items and other commodities during the month of Ramadan.

...Ramadan Mubarak, Happy Ramadan or whatever you say. Enjoy the feasting and fasting.
Here is something I wrote last year that gives you on overview of Ramadan, its origins, and what life is really like. Have a good lunar month and enjoy the festival of the feast at the end.

Fat UAE Shoppers

Dubai: The Biggest Story in the World
Including the biggest mall, biggest airport, tallest building, biggest race track…

from the Fenton Report

What is particularly amusing isBruce Fenton being interviewed about Dubai by conservative talk show host and opposition of the Dubai Ports deal, Ed Dean. The misperception is astounding, especially if you listen into how the questions are asked.

Article
Radio Interview (tricky connection)

Heroen van der Veer does. If anyone is better placed to tell us the truth it should be the CEO of Shell. And despite being in his interest to maybe spin it a bit, he has a little more gravitas than that in what is one of the biggest jobs in the world:

Are current prices sustainable?

van der Veer: There's no point in predicting the oil prices, because it tends to be a pretty bad prediction. Why is that? Because there are so many factors at play. What I will say is that [recent data] shows that crude-oil stocks in factories around the world are very normal or even better than normal. It's a bit of a mixed picture, but by and large, there is no physical shortage in the world. So there must be two reasons [for current prices]: geopolitical tensions in the world and the amount of nontraditional money like hedge funds moving into the oil market.

Read the full interview here.

Interested in pictures of Arabia? Then let me recommend Jump Images to you. There are a lot of images of Arabs in daily life and the quality is pretty damn good as well. Worth checking out.



Jump Images

There seems a big push to bring Hollywood to the UAE. 2 years ago, it was Syriana with George Clooney and Matt Damon. Jamie Foxx has just left Abu Dhabi after filming scenes for his new film, Kingdom. With Hollywood looking to invest in setting up a facility in Dubai, and with Studio City having the potential to attract the big guns from Hollywood, things look rosey for the UAE Film industry that will complement the Arabic offerings from the traditional seat of power in Egypt. Hopefully, one day, a mixed language film will come out of the UAE that will mix up local and foreign talent and expertise, and that will cater to the international market. I'm afraid, however, that that day is still some way off, despite the investment in this creative industry.

Abu Dhabi
gas production: 4.5bn cubic feet per day (2006) 6 cfpd (2008)
liquefied petroleum gas: 6m tonnes per year (2006) 12mtpy (2008)
oil production 3m barrels per day (now) 4m bpd (2007)

Is it as simple as Western Democracy versus Democracy with Arabic Values? I think not.

I have often had far flung conversations regarding the similarity of the Matrix and Dubai. What is the real world? What is the real Dubai? This is a homage to those conversations, to Dubai, and to Muppets...

Reading the Cyber Crimes Law, I am either reading it wrong, or something has been mistranslated. I find article 2 particularly vague. And I can't be bothered to go through the rest in detail. I do want to know what secrete information is (article 22)

* Law No.2 of 2006, issued last month, includes 29 articles, and shall take effect from the date of its issuance, and is to be published in the official gazette.
* Article No.2 considers any intentional act resulting in abolishing, destroying or revealing secrets or republishing personal or official information, as a crime. It says anyone convicted of logging onto information website or system shall be punished with jail term, or fine, or both. If the act resulted in abolishing, destroying, or revealing, changing or republishing information, he/she shall be sentenced to no less than six months in jail and be fined, or both. If such information are personal, a fine of not less than Dh10, 000 shall be imposed, and a jail term of not less than one year shall be handed out to the convict, or both punishments.
* The law also reads that anyone convicted of stimulating a male or female to commit adultery or prostitution via the Internet will be jailed up to five years and fined.
* Anyone convicted of abusing holy shrines or religious rituals or insulting them or inciting others to do so, shall be sentenced to five years in jail and be fined.
* Anyone convicted of opposing the Islamic religion will be jailed up to seven years. Anyone convicted of transcending family principles and values shall be jailed for one year and fined Dh50, 000. Anyone convicted of setting up a website for groups promoting programmes in breach of public decency and order shall be sentenced to five years in jail.
* Article No.3 reads that anyone convicted of committing any crimes stipulated in Article No.2 of this law, shall be sentenced to no less than one year in jail, and fined not less than Dh20, 000, or both.
* Article No.4 says anyone convicted of forging any document of Federal or local government?s documents, or any of federal or local institutions, shall be temporarily imprisoned, and fined, or both.
* Anyone convicted of using the forged document with knowledge it is forged, shall be handed out the stipulated punishment for forgery crime. Article No.5 of the law reads anyone convicted of hampering, blocking or preventing the reach of service or logging onto computer programmes, or information sources with any possible means whether via the use of internet or any information technology mean, shall be punished with a jail term, or a fine, or both.
* Article No.6 says anyone convicted of inserting certain information via the internet or using any IT or electronic mean for the purpose of stopping or breaking down, or destroying, deleting or amending programmes and information, shall be either jailed or fined, or both.
* Article No.7 says anyone convicted of using the internet or any electronic or IT means for changing or destroying medical tests or medical diagnosis, or medical treatment or healthcare, or even assisted others to do it, shall be temporarily jailed or fined.
* Article No.8 says anyone convicted of deliberately eavesdropping, or receiving or intervened information or messages sent via the internet by using any electronic or high-tech means, shall be jailed or fined.
* Article No.9 says anyone convicted of using the internet or any other high-tech means for threatening or black mailing another person, to incite him to carry out an act or not, shall be sentenced to no more than two years in jail and fined no more than Dh50, 000, or both.
* Anyone convicted of using the internet for threatening or black mailing another person, to incite him to commit lewd acts or honour crimes, shall be sentenced up to 10 years in jail and fined Dh50, 000.
* Article No.10 reads that anyone convicted of putting his hands on immovable funds, or a document to sign for himself or others, by using the internet or any high-tech means in a fraudulent way or by taking a nick name or assuming the identity of others with intent to defraud, shall be sentenced to no less than one year, and fined no less than Dh30, 000, or both.
* Article No.11 reads that anyone convicted of reaching data of credit card or any other electronic cards by the use of the internet or any high-tech means, shall be imprisoned and fined. If the act takes place with intent to use credit or electronic cards to get other?s money or their available services, the convict shall be jailed for no less than one year, and fined no less than Dh30, 000, or one of each punishments.
* Article No.12 says anyone convicted of producing, preparing, sending, or saving information with intent to exploit, distribute or providing others with information that causes harm to public decency, via the internet or high-tick means, shall be sentenced to no less than six months in jail and fined no less than Dh 30, 000.
* Article No13 says anyone convicted of inciting or luring a male or female to commit adultery or prostitution, by using the internet or high-tech means, shall be imprisoned and fined. If the victim is a juvenile, a jail term of no less than five years and a fine shall be imposed.
* Article No14 says anyone convicted of logging onto a website with intent to change the designs of this site, deleting it, amending its information, or taking its address, shall be jailed and fined.
* Article No.15 stipulates that anyone convicted of using the internet or high-tech means for the purpose of committing the following crimes, shall be imprisoned or fined.
* The crimes are as follows:
* 1-Abuse of any Islamic holy shrines or rituals
* 2- Abuse of holy shrines and religious rituals stipulated in other religious since such rituals are maintained in accordance to the rulings of Islamic Sharia
* 3- Insulting any recognised religion
* 4- 4-Inctiment or promotion of sins
* If anyone convicted of opposing the Islamic religion, or abusing its principles, or carrying out any missionary activities for the benefit of other religions, he should be sentenced to more than seven years in jail.
* Article No16 reads that anyone convicted of transcending family principles and values, or publishing news or pictures related to the private life of the family?s members, shall be jailed for no one year and fined Dh50, 000.
* Article No.17 stipulates that anyone convicted of setting up a website, or publishing information vi the internet or any other cyber means for the purpose of trafficking in human beings or facilitating human trafficking, shall be temporarily imprisoned.
* Article No.18 reads that anyone convicted of setting up a website or publishing information with the aim of promoting narcotics shall be temporarily jailed.
* Article No.19 says anyone convicted of transferring dirty money or concealing their sources, or transferring illegal properties via the use of internet or other cyber means, shall be sentenced to no more than seven years and a fine of no less than Dh30, 000 and up to Dh200, 000.
* Article No.20 reads anyone convicted of setting up a website or publishing information for groups calling for facilitating and promoting ideas in breach of the general order and public decency, shall be sentenced to nor more than five years in jail.
* Article No.21 says anyone convicted of setting up a website or publishing information for a terrorist group under fake names with intent to facilitate contacts with their leadership, or to promote their ideologies and finance their activities, or to publish information on how to make explosives or any other substances to be used in terrorist attacks, shall be sentenced to no more than five years in jail.
* Article No22 reads anyone convicted of logging onto government websites with intent to obtain secrete information shall be sentenced to jail. If the practice resulted in deleting, destroying or publishing such information, the convict shall be sentenced up to five years in jail.
* Article No.23 says anyone convicted of inciting, or assisting or agreed with other person to commit a crime of crimes stipulated in this law, he shall be punished with the same punishment stipulated in the law.
* Article No.24 says with no prejudice to others? rights, all devices, programmes and means used in committing any of the previous mentioned crimes will be confiscated.
* Article No.25 stipulates if the convict is an expatriate, he shall be deported after serving his term.
* Article No.26 says the implementation of penalties stipulated in this law does not contradict any other tougher punishment stipulated in the penal Code or any other laws.
* Article No.27 says law-enforcement officials are allowed to catch criminals and report violations.
* Article No28 says any provision contradicts the provisions of this law shall be abrogated.
* Article No.29 says this law shall take effect from the date of its issuance, and is to be published in the official gazette.

Good, though American slanted overview of the Oil industry and how it doesn't operate as you may expect.

IT’S TOUGH attending dinner parties these days. Until recently, all an economist had to cope with were requests for forecasts on house prices — for each of the neighbourhoods represented at the table. Now things are harder. Every guest has his or her own reason for wanting a forecast of oil and petrol prices.

Politicians in America are convinced that the price of petrol will determine which party controls the House of Representatives after the November elections. Republicans profess to see the recent price drop of about 50 cents per gallon reflected in a rise in their poll ratings.

Read the full article here.

Handy little table for those in Abu Dhabi (from Gulf News)

Helplines: Abu Dhabi and Al Ain

Below is a list of the main government hospitals, the private hospitals and late night pharmacies in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

LIST OF GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS:

Abu Dhabi
Al Mafraq Hospital: 02 5823100
Abu Dhabi Hospital: 02 6214666
Al Jazeera Hospital: 02 6214800
Shaikh Khalifa Medical City: 02 6102000

Al Ain
Al Tawam Hospital: 03 7677444
Al Jimi Hospital: 03 7635888

LIST OF PRIVATE HOSPITALS:

Abu Dhabi
New Medical Centre: 02 6332255
Ahalia Hospital: 02 262666
Al Noor Hospital: 02 6139111
Franco-Emirien Hospital: 02 6265722

LIST OF LATE NIGHT PHARMACIES:

Abu Dhabi
New Noor: 02 6264264
Al Razi: 02 6326671
Central Ahliya: 02 6269545
Reema: 02 6744214
New Medical Centre: 02 6341134
Mussafah: 02 5546674
Dar Al Shifa: 02 6411299
Bin Sina Al Dana Plaza: 02 6669240

Al Ain
Al Ain Pharmacy: 03 7630120
Farah Pharmacy: 03 7630120
New Al Salam: 03 7543887

Am I talking about that shawarma that you just gobbled down? Indeed not. Rumours are rife that the Abu Dhabi Royal Family is just about to buy one of the modern day landmarks of London. Swiss Re have put the building up for sale at GBP600m. Acquiring such a building would be a significant presence in London.



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