An American Dubai

This could be bling being taken back. This is the kind of project that Dubai would come up with.

Could nearly 4000 oil rigs soon to be decommissioned in the Gulf of Mexico be retrofitted into an American Dubai of offshore luxury hotels?



There are approximately 4,000 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico varying in size, depth and mobility that will be decommissioned within the next century. If a deck on one of these rigs is about 20,000 square feet, then there is potentially 80 million square feet of programmable space just off the coast of the United States. The current method for rig removal is explosion, which costs millions of dollars and destroys massive amounts of aquatic life. What if these rigs were recommissioned as exclusive resort islands? Could the Gulf be America’s “Dubai” and the rig the artificial island on which to build it? This project examines the possibilities of creating a self-sufficient, eco-friendly high-end resort experience in our own backyard – the Gulf of Mexico.

If this ever did happen in the US, there would be something ironic about this full circle reversal of bling.

Hotelier at Sea

The Anti-Dubai crowd

The Anti-Dubai crowd have started to come together. What started with a few media reports that haven't necessarily looked at the bigger picture or the right information are starting to make judgements:



Pulling on odd bits of "information", sites like smashing telly are having a field day:


Dubai threatens to become an instant ruin, an emblematic hybrid of the worst of both the West and the Middle-East and a dangerous totem for those who would mistakenly interpret this as the de facto product of a secular driven culture.

It feels like a super rant to me. Be prepared to feel the full force of random ranting.

Goodbye Dubai

UAE Recession?

What's the definition of a recession?

"A period of general economic decline; specifically, a decline in GDP for two or more consecutive quarters."

Standard chartered have stated that they predict the UAE economy’s growth rate could contract by as much as one percent in the first half of 2009.

If that is consecutive quarters, that's a recession. That's a decline - and the UAE are close to it. Any more downturn, there is more chance of a recession. It may not be deep, but technically it will be a recession. And the proviso for getting out of this situation is clear:

“With the right policy response - sorting out monetary policy and increasing fiscal spending - it should allow us to see the recovery in the second half and mainly last quarter of the year that will allow us to recover from the first half and see positive growth,” he said.

3 years ago, this situation was unthinkable. Now we are very much on the brink.

UAE economy predicted to contract by 1% in H1

The Unemployment issue of Dubai and the UAE spreads further

Looking at unemployment in Dubai, one must look at the context of the region, and how one move in the labour transfer game impacts many many others on the chain:

The scapegoat

The scapegoat of the Arab Israeli conflict is an Israeli tennis player. The repercussions for a move to block an athlete from playing could be huge.

"We are deeply disappointed by the decision of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) denying Shahar Peer a visa that would permit her to enter the country to play in the Dubai Tennis Championships," said Larry Scott, chairman and chief executive of the tour.

"Ms. Peer has earned the right to play in the tournament and it is regrettable that the UAE is denying her this right.

"Following various consultations, the Tour has decided to allow the tournament to continue to be played this week, pending further review by the Tour's Board of Directors.

This could be bad for Dubai. Not a good move.

UAE denies visa to Israeli tennis player

All eyes on Abu Dhabi

...for more reasons that one! But the latest Time article talks of Masdar and Green:

Abu Dhabi's leadership is all the more necessary at a moment when once vibrant green businesses are flagging, thanks in part to the plummeting price of oil. In the U.S. and Europe, new wind- and solar-power installations are slowing, energy start-ups are starving for funds and some green companies are laying off workers. But it's still full speed ahead in Abu Dhabi, where last month's World Future Energy Summit (WFES) attracted more than 16,000 visitors and companies that ranged from General Motors to modest Chinese solar manufacturers.

Abu Dhabi is leading at a difficult time. Eco will be the future. It may not seem important now with all the issues of the world. But Abu Dhabi has stuck to its guns, and if there is one way of getting the world to talk - this seems to be working.

Abu Dhabi: An Oil Giant Dreams Green

Dubai, Mumbai, Shanghai or Goodbye

It used to be the phrase that identified the change in power, the shift from west to east, the centering of the world around a different part of the world. And while that shift appeared to begin at the beginning of this century, the world has come to a screeching halt. In fact, it doesn't know where to turn. The whole world is troubled, and the new guns are a little shy of taking the lead:


Yet if the old standbys are reeling, it now seems that the new guys are not as ready for prime time as was widely believed. The price of crude oil tumbled from $147/barrel in July 2008 to $32/barrel in December and the global economy was rocked. The loss of revenue had differing impacts worldwide.

But who will lead us through these years - who will lead us this century. Is this the end of the west and the beginning of the east - or is this time of the world to join together?

Dubai, Mumbai, Shanghai : Destiny or Hype?

Dubai, adjective

It looks like the word Dubai is officially being used to mean bling:

So people want to look understated?
Yes, I don't think anyone is going to want to look overly flashy, overly glitzy, too Dubai, whatever you want to call it. I just don't think that's the moment. But I do feel an emphasis on quality and longevity and things that really last.

From an interview with Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue.

Just Asking: Anna Wintour

The Media on Dubai

Two further reports after the NYT and The Times- the Guardian reports, some first hand and some second hand about the downfall of Dubai and talks of the indicators that demonstrate where Dubai is versus its peak. Their indicator of sentiment is sentiment itself:

"Drink your last cocktail and get out of here," said Sasha Reynolds, a 33-year-old airhostess. "My boyfriend is an engineer and work has dried up. He's been offered work in Qatar but who wants to go there? People are still making money here but the parties aren't quite the same. I'm lucky ‑ I didn't buy."



Again the call is on Abu Dhabi to save the day....if possible.

The LA times talks of the lack of spending at DSF.

"The mood in Dubai has certainly changed," Trevor Lloyd-Jones, managing editor of Business Intelligence Middle East, said in a telephone interview. "Everybody is more cautious in their spending. People are saving for a rainy day. We are in a wait-and-see period."

If you weren't in Dubai and just read the press, you would think that Dubai has no hope.

Dubai's six-year building boom grinds to halt as financial crisis takes hold
Even Dubai Shopping Festival is feeling effects of economic slump