Mc Donald's not welcome in U.A.E. ?

"LONDON - Prince Charles suggested Tuesday on a visit to the United Arab Emirates that banning McDonald's fast food was crucial for improving people's diets, a British news agency reported.

Charles made the comments while visiting the Imperial College London Diabetes Center in Abu Dhabi for the launch of a public health campaign, The Press Association reported.

"Have you got anywhere with McDonald's? Have you tried getting it banned? That's the key," Charles was quoted as asking one of the center's nutritionists.

A McDonald's spokesman, Nick Hindle, called the remark disappointing. He said other members of the royal family "have probably got a more up-to-date picture of us," alluding to reports that Charles' son, Prince Harry, was spotted eating a chicken burger at McDonald's in 2005."

see news.yahoo.com

World's most expensive homes

read the document here

UAE releases cancer vaccine

The UAE is the first country in the Middle East to release the HPV (Human Papilloma virus) vaccination “Gardasil” according to Dubai Health News. It protects against the two strains of HPV that are responsible for approximately 70% of Cervical cancer cases in women. According to UAE’s Cancer Registry Program, the annual average of the reported cervical cancer cases has tripled in 2005 when compared with that from 1998-2004.

Gardasil has come under attack in the USA as religious and parent groups resist mandated vaccinations of young girls. Meanwhile, in Australia where the vaccine was developed, the government is planning on spending over $436 million on programmes to vaccinate young girls with an ongoing cost of under $50 million per year.

The UAE’s Ministry of Health has approved the vaccine and it is available now, though no government subsidies are offered. The treatment consists of 3 injections over a 6 month period with a total cost of approximately 1860 dirhams and is available through most GP's and medical centres.

dubai police salary rising

Congratulations for police staff for the new salary raise.

Lieutenant -General 69,000 AED
Brigadier General 54,800 AED
Brigadier 45,500 AED
Colonel 40,000 AED
Lieutenant Colonel 35,000 AED
Major 29,500 AED
Captain 25,000 AED
First Lieutenant 22,000 AED
lieutenant 20,000 AED

Senior managers allowance but the percentage hasn't been mentioned
Tickets allowance between 2,000 to 55,000 AED annually depending on the rank
Cars allowance between 200,000 to 350,000 AED for senior managerial ranks
Work environment allowance between 0% to 40% of the basic salary (which is 50% of the total salary)


Lower ranks get between 6,500 to14,800 AED

JUSTIN HENIN WINS DUBAI WTA

LIVE FROM DUBAI JUSTIN HENIN

Justin Henin leading set 1 with 4-3.

Update : Set 1 Justin Henin leading set 1 with 5-3.
Update : Set 1 Justin Henin leading set 1 with 5-4.
Update : Set 1 Justin Henin WINS SET ONE with 6-4 against Mauresmo.

...

Update : Set 2 started 0-1 for Mauresmo.
Update : Set 2 Justin takes the 2nd game, making the score 1-1.
Update : Set 2 Game 3, Mauresmo, score 1-2.
Update : Set 2 2-2. and 2-3. (two fast games) and 3-3. and 3-4. and 4-4.
Update : Set 2 Mauresmo leading 4-5. and 5-5. and 6-5 (3 break balls for JUSTIN)
Update : Set 2 Justin breaks Mauresmo 6-5 ! and own serve to finish it.
Update : Set 2 3 MATCH BALLS JUSTIN.

...
GAME SET MATCH !

JUSTIN HENIN WINS DUBAI WTA "6-4 & 7-5" CONGRATULATIONS JUJU

Abu Dhabi Formule 1 - 2009

airbus F1 2009

dancing

dancing

the silver dagger

Justine Henin in finals

Justine Henin managed to win the semi finals against Svetlane Kuznetsova (WTA 5) scores 1-6, 6-4 and 6-0 ! Her opponent in the Dubai WTA final will be Amélie Mauresmo (WTA 3) or Jelena Jankovic (WTA 11).

Update : opponent in final = Amélie Mauresmo (WTA 3)

Celsius: Earth's First Calorie Burning Soda

Celsius raises metabolism on average by 12% and significantly increases calorie-burning and energy for up to for three hours. Each bottle of Celsius has only 5-10 calories. (visit www.celsius.com for more info )

Hosni no Likey Free Speechy

GULF NEWS reported yesterday that an Egyptian Blogger was tossed in jail for calling Hosni Mubarak a "dictator."

Personally, if it were me I would have removed the "tator" syllable -- but then again -- I'm not particularly known for my social graces...

Ghaftree what a tree !

read more here :
conserving ghaftree
endangered tree

CARACAL

Caracal International, the UAE's first defence hardware manufacturing firm, has been launched to tie in with the ongoing Idex 2007 event in Abu Dhabi. Hamad Khalifa Al Neyadi, the MD of Caracal, said the firm is set to manufacture its first products, the Caracal F and Caracal C pistols. The company has also registered more than ten patents worldwide, in order to develop further products in the future.

Caracal has also won a Dhs18 million deal to supply the UAE Armed Forces with a total of 10,000 pistols.

Official Website you find here

gulfnews readings

Link - Gulf News - Nation's Mother tongue loses in the race of languages

Languages are like computer operating systems. The more people who use them, the more useful they become and the more people who adopt them. English has become the Windows of languages - And similarly loved and hated. Individual decisions on adoption affect everyone.

Culture and language are closely interwined. What happens to a culture when a language falls into disuse? Certainly many of those in the culture will feel threatened. And when threatened there is a desire to place blame. Does the blame reside in the encroaching language? In fellow members of the culture who have switched to the new language?

Can the native language be protected without closing the culture to economic exchange with the outside world?

good old dubai

dubailand

The animal residents of Dubai Zoo in Jumeirah will soon be enjoying a slightly more comfortable life. Dubai Municipality have unveiled plans to build a new 500 acres zoo at Dubailand. Over one thousand animals currently live in cramped conditions in Dubai Zoo, a facility that has been repeatedly criticised by animal rights activists and residents over the years. Plans for the new zoo include a night zoo, safari and educational facilities. The zoo is expected to be complete within 18 months.

Shakira at Dubai Autodrome

Columbian pop sensation Shakira will perform at the Dubai Autodrome on March 23 as part of her Oral Sensation Tour. Around 25,000 people are expected to attend the concert.

Palm Jumeirah new design (trunk part)

Developers Nakheel have amended the design of the Palm Jumeirah’s trunk. The planned 2 km canal will now be replaced by a landscaped park. Chief Executive Chris O’Donnell said, ‘In evolving The Palm Jumeirah into one of the world’s premier resorts for living, tourism and leisure we are constantly looking at ways to add to the amenity of life on the island. The new park will be an experiential feature, creating beautifully landscaped areas and a lively space for residents to engage, play and relax whether that’s a leisurely stroll through the park or a picnic with the family.’

Registration of freehold property begins

The Dubai Land Department has commenced registering freehold property in the names of owners. Thousands of properties are expected to be registered in the coming weeks, starting with apartments at the Dubai Marina. The process is part of the Real Estate Registration Law that was issued in March 2006. Before this properties could only be registered in the names of UAE and GCC citizens. Foreign owners only possessed a contract of sale from the developer and could only transfer ownership via the developer.

dubai upside down tower !

"Amlak Al Madina Real Estates" announced the launch of the (Upside Down Tower) in Dubai with a total cost of AED 800 million (US $218 million). The tower consists of two buildings next to each other one of them is an upside down replica of the other.

Each tower is a 28-floor with an area of 30,000 squared foot. Not only that the tower will look inverted from the outside but it will look inverted from the inside as well. Mentioned examples are palm trees, other indoor plants, water fountains, elevators, and even the numbering sequence of floors.

The construction of the tower will start October 2007 and expected to end in October 2010.

** Not much English coverage but in the Alit Tihad Arabic newspaper they also mentioned it.

what a country !

As a practical matter it is a good thing that genetics will still be taught given its connection to high level of birth defects due to the high rate of "consanguineous marriages among UAE nationals" (Centre for Arab Genomic Studies, Dubai, Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Science). Surely blood tests before marriage will continue to be required.

** I mean, how high can you go... It's only in christian and western world that people just fuck and spread like animals, with all the birth problems as a result. Hell, In Europe they even allow (and open debates and discussions about it) to let 2 mongols, handicapped and or retards have sexual intercourse... This is a good thing, to prevent DNA crashing making the offspring F1 generation worthless. People always want a 'child', they are not so smart. They don't want 'a child' they want 'a healthy child'. Insane level of brainpower, let's first check if we can make 'healthy offspring before marriage' ... what a world.

** It would be a good thing to do it with the kings and queens of other countries ;-) and the president of the us and a.

Madinat Jumeira, Dubai

Toll roads are coming to Dubai. Is that Salik?

Quoting Gulf News:
From July this year, motorists using Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Garhoud Bridge will have to pay a road toll. As part of the first phase of the introduction of the toll system in Dubai, the stretch of Shaikh Zayed Road, starting from the Fourth Interchange [near Mall of the Emirates] to Al Garhoud Bridge will be a "toll-controlled area.""The toll system will be called Salik which in Arabic means clear," said Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, Chief Executive Officer of the Traffic and Roads Agency at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).She said Salik has been chosen as the brand name because it reflects the logic behind the toll system, which is to ensure smooth traffic flow....Motorists crossing Al Garhoud Bridge or entering Shaikh Zayed Road from the Fourth Interchange will be charged Dh4 per entry.The charge will be in both directions and round-the-clock. Toll gates will be installed at both locations. Also, a motorist who enters from Al Garhoud Bridge and exits from the Fourth Interchange and vice versa, will have to pay at both locations...."The main idea of introducing Salik is to reduce congestion and for better traffic management on Shaikh Zayed Road, one of the most crowded highways in the city, and to make motorists use alternate routes and other mode of transportation," said Maitha.

It's not just Dubai that's looking at tolls to solve traffic congestion problems. See here, and here.

Ferrari Theme Park in Abu Dhabi

Price Tag 450M €. Scheduled to open in 2009. 24 attractions, including a G-Force Tower of 70m. Also a lot of the ferrari shares are disappearing in the Dubai Hands.

"
A Ferrari theme park? This sounds rather naff...
We've already seen Ferrari's licensing skills produce a range of merchandise from sunglasses to laptops - and now it's taking on Disneyland with the prancing horse's very own theme park. The doors will open in 2009 in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, and CAR Online has obtained the architect's drawings revealing the plans for the first time.A large slice of desert on the island of Yas will be reclaimed to host the development, which will include 24 attractions, including a 70-metre high G-Force Tower and what's claimed to be the world's first F1-branded twin rollercoaster ride, allowing races between carriages.Budding Schumachers can try their hand at go-karting and dune buggy racing - and there are bound to be plenty of opportunities to snaffle up Ferrari-branded goodies, too. The plans by Benoy Architects even reveal plans for the Ferrari F1 pitlane experience"

More Info Here :

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/first_official_picture.php?sid=456&page=1

Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 Edition in Dubai

bruj dubai 100+ picture

dubai by air movie

Jumeirah Beach Picture

abu dhabi projects value 1 trillion DHS

"Dubai: The total value of announced and on-going projects in Abu Dhabi has inched close to Dh1 trillion, currently at Dh991 billion ($270 billion), a report says.
Abu Dhabi, the largest among UAE's seven states, is by far the wealthiest and in 2005 had the highest per capita income in the world at $46,147. It has proven oil reserves which are estimated to last for another 150 years and currently pumps 3.5 million barrels of oil per day generating in excess of $90 billion annually," it said.
Major players including Aldar, Sorouh, Escan, Tourism Development and Investment Company, Reem and Tamouh Investments are currently involved in projects estimated at over $60 billion.
The list of projects include the $14.7 billion Al Raha Beach development by Aldar Properties, the $27 billion Saadiyat Island by TDIC, $2.5 billion Shams Abu Dhabi by Sorouh, $1.4 billion Reem Island by Tamouh Investments and $3.5 billion Najmat Abu Dhabi project by Reem Investments.
The latest amendment to Abu Dhabi Property Law will help the emirate to attact more investment into the reality sector."
http://gulfnews.com/business/Construction/10103864.html

AQUA ?

A recently published report revealed that an estimated $100 billion in investments will be needed over the next decade for water and desalination projects in the GCC.With only one percent of the world's renewable fresh water resources and five percent of its population, "the provision of adequate water supply is one of the key issues facing governments across the region today," the report said according to Gulf News.Twenty-four million cubic meters of water per day, or approximately 70 percent of the UAE's daily water supply comes from desalination plants. "The scale of the demand is illustrated by the fact that the UAE consumes more water per capita than any other country with the exception of the US and Canada."
Read more
Huge as it sounds, it will beinteresting to see if mega-sized corporations would want to do such investments in this region. Ofcourse investments in WATER won't be quiet similar to investments in OIL unless we are going to have a GCC Wide Water Exchange.

camel track, nad al sheba (8am, feb 9, 2007)

Dubai Monopoly Edition

World Most Complex Origami

More Here http://forum.programming-designs.com/viewtopic.php?pid=4526

dubai lynx

Dubai Lynx, the inaugural advertising and communication awards honouring creative excellence across the Middle East and North Africa has handpicked the jury members from creative teams across the world.Which means that once again Dubai is going to host some of the world top personalities of the advertising world, after it made history last year by having the largest ever World Congress of the International Advertising Association (IAA).[Read more... Marketing, Advertising & Creativity in the UAE]

lol the Marina is melting away

What used to be part of the promenade that made for a pleasant stroll along the Dubai Marina was breached when the excavation wall at the site of the Infinity tower gave way--noon yesterday. (Photo from Skyscrapercity.com forum.)

Camelicious

Camelicious, product of Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products, is said to have many health, beauty and wellbeing benefits. According to their website, Camelicious contains naturally occurring moisturizing and anti-ageing properties and is closes in composition to human milk. Camelicious is locally produced to the EU health and hygiene regulations.'Camel milk has always been a traditional staple of the Bedouins throughout the Middle East, and our research has now scientifically proven that it has incredible health benefits,' said Hareb Juma Bin Subaih, General Manager of Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products.'Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products was initially established as a pilot project in 2000 with just 20 camels. It's an exciting time for us to be finally launching Camelicious to the market. We are convinced that camel milk will not only appeal to local taste-buds, but that the wider community will also benefit from its life-enriching properties,' Subaih concluded. According to some sources, Camelicious currently available in Union Co-operatives across the UAE since early this week and most likely to be available by the end of this month in other supermarkets such as Spinneys and Choitrams.

Camelicious Official Site

Ferrari New AD Facility

UAE Ferrari dealer Al Tayer Motors plans to open a new showroom and after sales service centre in Abu Dhabi by April, Gulf News reported. Abu Dhabi accounts for 40% of Ferrari sales in the UAE, according to the report. Ferrari kicked off its 60th anniversary in the emirate last month. The show will go to Dubai then to 50 countries where the brand is sold.

Burj Dubai Delay

Work on the $900m Burj Dubai tower is behind schedule after cladding contractor, Switzerland-based Schmidlin, went bankrupt last year, Gulf News reported. An Emaar official said work was 'a couple of months' behind schedule. A new cladding contractor has been hired. The building is scheduled for delivery in Q4 2008.

Realty Check Dubai

dubai 24hours

self destructing emails

Bigstring.com allows you to take control of your email. Until now, email messages that you send stay as a permanent record on countless mail servers, inboxes, delete boxes etc. Bigstring.com's patent pending technology allows email users to recall, modify or set an expiration date for emails that have already been sent. These emails can be erased, modified or expired even if the recipient has read them. The email is not "deleted" from the recipient's computer.

The message that the email refers to is dynamically generated, and therefore you can have full control over it. A few days ago, BigString announced the beta release of video email that can be programmed to self-destruct after a specific number of viewings or a set time. "This self-destructing feature allows individuals and companies to maintain control of their intellectual property,"stated Darin Myman, President and CEO of BigString Corporation. "For individuals it can prevent the forwarding of personal videos that can become embarrassing fodder for the Internet. Entertainment companies and musicians can now send a once-viewable video of a performance or song. Videos that are time sensitive can be set to self-destruct at a specific time or day."

Read Also:BigString (Product Page)Make e-mail regret a thing of the past with Big String (Sci Fi Tech)

Meningitis @ Dubai

The Ministry of Health has issued a warning against meningitis after four children in Dubai contracted the disease. The youngsters, aged between five and seven-years-old, are currently being treated at the Al Baraha Hospital. The children all live in the same building in Deira, said health officials. Read article

no alcohol plz plz

A British man yesterday pleaded guilty to molesting a Dubai Airport employee by slapping him on the buttocks - three times. The trial, which started yesterday, heard that the 30-year-old British visitor, AJ, who is charged with molestation and consuming alcohol, groped his victim as he was going through airport security after arriving in Dubai on December 18. Read article

ADIA TOWER ABU DHUBAI sinking away :S

One of the most high profile buildings in the capital, the ADIA tower situated at the Abu Dhabi Corniche remains unoccupied long after completion allegedly due to a 'tilting basement' besides problems with wiring and power supply.The unique building, shaped to resemble 'shifting sand-dunes' and featuring a double-glazed facade curtained with automatic blinds took more than 5 years to complete and cost Dhs 500 million. But if the problems remain unresolved (reportedly it has sunk 3 inches and has had frequent fires due to short circuits), who knows, some world-renowned project consultants and architects might give us the world's first leaning tower where people actually work.

Saadiyat Island in the NYT

The New York Times has a long, interesting and positive report on the plans for a cultural center on Saadiyat Island.
With once-proud cities like Beirut and Baghdad ripped apart by political conflict bordering on civil war, Abu Dhabi offers the hope of a major realignment, a chance to plant the seeds for a fertile new cultural model in the Middle East... [I]n Abu Dhabi, Mr. Krens [,head of the Guggenheim Foundation,] has found a client whose interest runs deeper than collecting tourist dollars. Sheik Sultan bin Tahnoon al-Nahyan, chief of the tourist and development authority, says the emirate’s desire is to create a contemporary cultural locus with little precedent in the region.“What is happening is unfortunate in places like Beirut,” Sheik Sultan said. “We want it to come back to its old days.” Ultimately, he added, the emirate hopes that Abu Dhabi’s arts district will become a cultural hub of the Middle East and a starting point for cultural exchange...

Role of Dates in UAE Society

A short documentary about the date fruit. This is part one of the six part series.

Dubai Ports World in the news again

One if by land, two if by sea. Dubai Ports World tries an inland invasion of the US this time. Hotel Washington - next to White House.Story over at Emirates Economist.

Etisalat reports 38% increase in earnings

Emirates Today reports that for 2006, Etisalat's net income was Dh5.86 billion, up from Dh4.25bn the year before. Etisalat's revenue went up by almost 27% to Dh16.29bn and Q4 profit increased 44% to Dh1.47bn compared to Q4 2005.

dubai and camels or is that cows

DUBAI SYSTEM:
You have two cows. You create a website for them and advertise them in all the magazines. You create a Cow City or Milk Town for them. You sell off their milk before the cows have even been milked to both legit and shady investors who hope to resale the nonexistent milk for a 100% profit in two years time. You bring Tiger Woods to milk the cow first to attract attention.
QATAR SYSTEM:
You have two cows. They've been sitting there for decades and no one realized that cows could produce milk. You see what Dubai is doing; you go crazy and start milking the heck out of the cows in the shortest time possible. Then you realize no one wanted the milk in the first place.
SAUDI SYSTEM:
Since milking the cow involves nipples the Gov't decides to ban all cows in public. The only method to milk a cow is to have a cow on one side of a curtain and a guy milking the cow on the other or to hire females and train them to milk the cows ... the debate is still going on.
BAHRAIN SYSTEM:
You have two cows. Some high Gov't official steals one, milks it, sells the milk and pockets the profit. The Gov't tells you that there is just one cow and not enough milk for the people. The people riot and scream death to the Gov't and carry Iranian flags. The Parliament, after thinking for 11 month, decides to employ ten Bahrainis to all milk the cow at the same time and so cutting back on unemployment.
LEBANON SYSTEM:
You have two cows. One is owned by Syria and the other is controlled by Hizbollah.
EGYPTIAN SYSTEM:
You have two cows. Both are voting for Mobarak!
AMERICAN SYSTEM:
You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyze why the cow dropped dead.
FRENCH SYSTEM:
You have two cows. You go on strike because you wanted three cows.
RUSSIAN SYSTEM:
You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.
BRITISH SYSTEM:
You have two cows. Both are mad.
AUSTRALIAN SYSTEM:
You have two cows. You give one to the Americans and one to the British and you go back to shagging sheep!

DIC Pull Out of Liverpool Deal !

"Liverpool are on the verge of following Manchester United by slipping into the hands of an American billionaire after Dubai International Capital, dismayed at what it considers unacceptable procrastination by the Premiership club's board, decided to withdraw its takeover bid.DIC, the state-owned private equity firm given exclusive rights to negotiate a takeover and scrutinise the club's books last month, announced yesterday it was "disappointed" but felt compelled to break off talks. The decision is understood to have been taken by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and imposed on DIC's chief executive, Sameer al Ansari, who had issued a 12-hour ultimatum to Liverpool to make a decision in its favour."Full Ariticle : The Gaurdian