Something needs to happen soon

Another article highlighting the situation in Dubai. Everyone around the world is talking about Dubai because of pieces like this and the one in the Times. To be frank, Dubai is being killed in the press - and maybe it is media frenzy, but there are some inherent issues that wont go away. Something needs to be done soon to prevent the negative cloud that has appeared above Dubai.

Some highlights from the article:

Debtor's Prison or Abandon your Car:

“I’m really scared of what could happen, because I bought property here,” said Sofia, who asked that her last name be withheld because she is still hunting for a new job. “If I can’t pay it off, I was told I could end up in debtors’ prison.”





Davidson chips in: (can't wait for his new book on Abu Dhabi, btw)
“Why is Abu Dhabi allowing its neighbor to have its international reputation trashed, when it could bail out Dubai’s banks and restore confidence?” said Christopher M. Davidson, who predicted the current crisis in “Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success,” a book published last year. “Perhaps the plan is to centralize the U.A.E.” under Abu Dhabi’s control, he mused, in a move that would sharply curtail Dubai’s independence and perhaps change its signature freewheeling style.

Salary squeeze:
Hamza Thiab, a 27-year-old Iraqi who moved here from Baghdad in 2005, lost his job with an engineering firm six weeks ago. He has until the end of February to find a job, or he must leave. “I’ve been looking for a new job for three months, and I’ve only had two interviews,” he said. “Before, you used to open up the papers here and see dozens of jobs. The minimum for a civil engineer with four years’ experience used to be 15,000 dirhams a month. Now, the maximum you’ll get is 8,000,” or about $2,000.

And my favourite last paragraph:
We are all just sleeping, smoking, drinking coffee and having headaches because of the situation.” - it sounds like a druggies haven.

Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down

New Jumeirah Website

For a brand so prominent in the Dubai DNA, one used to secretly think that Jumeirah's website was a little stayed. Well, it looks as if their website has relaunched. The site has more gusto and more panache and looks oodles better than it did before. But what about the important stuff - does it look like a luxury brand - yes it does. Does it need to be Web 2.0? - not really - but it does have the things that you need - online reservation for restaurants and rooms as well as a membership section - yes. As Jumeirah's brand extends past Dubai and more of the world come to Dubai, this stands as a shining example of what Arabic brands need to do and be in the online space.



What is the web about in 2009? Elegant organisation. This is it - it has a good base to build on - and it ain't no jumeira scarer.

Jumeirah Website

Radiator spawned from Rotating Building

Dubai has planned a rotating building. One of the crazy, futuristic buildings that wow people. Now, comes the twisting radiator. I think it looks similar.








Perhaps this is the radiator that they will use in the rotating building...in case it gets cold.

Marco Dessi

Real Estate Bail Out

What is Dubai known for? Construction and property.
What has been struggling over the past few months? Construction and property.
What will be perceived as the biggest failure if it collapses? Construction and property

And so, this makes sense:

The UAE could be preparing to bail out real estate companies in the country and might restrict new supply amid a downturn in property prices, EFG-Hermes said.

"It is interesting that the government has yet to announce any bailout plans for the real estate sector, though we are inclined to believe that a federal plan is in the pipeline," the Egyptian investment bank said in a research note released on Monday.

While EFG-Hermes' own real estate index showed advertised prices in Dubai had fallen around 8 per cent in the last few months, anecdotal evidence suggested that transacted prices have fallen by as much as 35-50 per cent in areas such as Dubai Marina, Downtown Burj Dubai and Palm Jumeirah, the note said.

With all the projects that have been put on hold, this makes more sense for supply, phasing to keep firms in business. In Abu Dhabi, the impetus is slightly different. They need property and they need it now....unless people leave...

UAE may bail out real estate sector: report

Abu Dhabi will pay for the snip

Important news that AFP felt obliged to report, and we felt necessary to pass on:

The health authority in the capital of the United Arab Emirates said the government-backed insurance firm, Daman, has included circumcision operations in existing insurance policies for new Muslims. Converts will have to present a certificate, issued by an Abu Dhabi court, attesting to their conversion.




Aside, there comes a point where red tape is just unnecessary. A certificate for circumcision? Surely, there are other ways to check for the snip. No grown man would go through that pain for any other reason other than religion.

Abu Dhabi to pay circumcision for Muslim converts