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Dubai Bans Smoking For Kids
01/06/08
Dubai banned the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 20 this week, and what's more barred young people from public areas in which smoking is allowed. The announcement was made in public advertisements as part of a "Youth Without Tobacco" campaign.
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Posted by TheDubaiLife.com on 01/06/08 at 10:35 PM
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Cross Dressers Arrested
27/05/08
Here is Reuters reporting that the Dubai Police have started arresting people who cross dress. We all know that the underbelly of Dubai is somewhat unseemly. Indeed, lift the craggy rock and many people, tourists, decent ordinary hard working Emiratis (there must be some that work hard for a living in the UAE, and not live off their oil barrel millions and soak up the sun?) are aghast at the situation at Dubai!
"We have noted an emerging trend of men dressed as women and vice versa in the UAE markets and streets," the Khaleej Times daily quoted Dubai Police Chief Dhahi Khalfan as saying. However, what is even more worrying is where these people are being arrested: "Several men in women's dresses and make-up have already been arrested from shopping malls and residential buildings," he said.
Shopping malls? Where next, I wonder?
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Posted by TheDubaiLife.com on 27/05/08 at 03:00 PM
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UAE Celebrates Soccer Success!
25/05/08
There's much to celebrate in the world of football, especially where the UAE is concerned.
First of all, congratualtions must go to Al Shabab, who celebrated clinching the etisalat First Division title. It is the third championship for he Dubai based club and they are hungry for more:
"No doubt, we have achieved a lot with Al Shabab. But I can confidently see this team do much better than what we did. I can only hope that this year's league title is the first of many successes in the future. And from experience, I know that whoever wins once always wants to keep the winning mentality," said Abdul Kader Hassan, member of the board of directors of Al Shabab.
Of course, that was not the only good news, with Abdulla al Kamali becoming the first Arab footballer to sign as a professional for a Brazilian Serie A side. Such events really go to show you the standard of football in the UAE and that bodes well for the future.
As for Kamali, he certainly shows plenty of promise having hit 18 goals for Al Wasl’s under-20 team and another five for their under-18 side.
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Posted by TheDubaiLife.com on 25/05/08 at 09:59 PM
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In Dubai you can share a ride to work but not a house
21/05/08
Something relating to the last post about Dubai being commuter hell, there was a story I saw in The National and that reflected my sentiments about a possible solution to the commuting issue. The idea of car pooling has popped into my mind too , this is where people share a ride to work in an organised manner it has been tried around the world in different places. The only problem with car polling is that the laws controlling it at the moment are stupid, a rant on 7 days by one of their readers highlights the issue , that you could be pulled over for randomly stopping to giving someone a lift this has to change.
However as I was surfing the The National site I saw another story relating to something that has to change in Dubai and this time it's new laws relating to shared housing. As anyone who lives in Dubai will know the rental costs for housing are astronomical, with there being a seemingly endless increase in prices year on year. All initiatives aimed at stopping the hiking of rental costs have had limited success. This means that families were sharing housing to split the costs, however this is now not the done thing.
The Dubai authorities are now clamping down on anyone who is sharing a house with another family , the reasons ? well hygiene and safety. Although if two families were sharing a villa with 12 bedrooms and about 4 bathrooms none of these issues come into account, I smell something more sinister at play here. As was the case with the bachelor housing issue last year I feel that the Dubai authorities only want certain types in the wealthy areas of Dubai and people sharing housing to get to a nice part of Dubai are not welcome.
Exit stage left (before they change the law and make the exit on the right) , the lunatics have taken over the asylum (something I doubt you could seek in Dubai unless a wealthy Pakistani politician or Indian mobster)
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Posted by Editor on 21/05/08 at 02:24 AM
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Dubai is commuter hell
15/05/08
For those who read this blog on a regular basis will know that there is one thing that really gets our goat at TheDubaiLife.com and that is the traffic hell that is Dubai. In addition to the sheer volume of traffic we have always maintained that the public transport and attitude of the locals.
One of these three the public transport system has been exposed for what it is , nothing more than an afterthought in an article on Dubai site Xpress. It details how some commuters are taking 3 buses are 3 and a half hours to travel from International City to Dubai Media City. The main cause of all this is the infrequency of the Bus service, the fact that there are no direct routes from a commuter area (International City) and a major employment area (Dubai Media City). On top of this sometimes when the bus arrives after people have been waiting for hours it is sometimes full meaning that there is no chance of getting on it.
This really pus Dubai into new a light , it shows that if it is to compete as global city it must be able to do so on all levels just not wealth. It will continue to attract people to work in Dubai however how will these people hang around if it is impossible to get around the city on public trasport.
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Posted by Editor on 15/05/08 at 03:26 PM
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Don’t kiss and tell in Dubai
14/05/08
It's been quite a while since the last entry … busy, lazy, too caught up in the world? Call it what you will.
So what have we all missed then? Well I'm sure the Burj Dubai has gone up a few floors as it nears the end of its climb towards the heavens. Another interesting thing I found was the story of a UAE man having married a Yugoslavian model. The two Said bin Dari and Jelena Jakovljevic have then seemingly sold their story to the Yugoslavian equivalent of Ahlan! The front cover of the magazine shows them getting to know each other a little better, with a little dance and a kiss. This issue has raised quite a lot of debate , especially on UAE Community Blog. The sticking point seems to be that they are on the front cover with Mr Dari wearing a traditional kandura, and the fact that it's not very 'Islamic' to kiss your wife in public, let alone on the front cover of a magazine. This said I doubt Mr. Dari cares judging by this photo of him with his new wife. I agree it's not very 'Islamic' of him to do what he did but am I surprised? Not really! I wonder if they played Kanye West's Gold Digger at the wedding.
I think this story highlights the problems Dubai will face and will continue to do so in the future. On the one hand you have the 'proud' Emarati culture that the locals are attempting to keep and hold onto. On the other hand you have the free influx of Western culture that is at complete odds with Emeriti culture. However, the Emeritis seem to think that it is some kind of standard bearer with which to be measured. So wealthy Emeritis mix in high circles of celebrity and wealthy in the West and what do you think happens? Nice Islamic Majlis' where we all discuss the events of the day over a Shisha? Dubai is doomed, it will fail to keep hold of its identity that is for sure.
I have said it now in black and white and mark my words unless something drastic happens Dubai will be what Lebanon was in the 70's, a playground in the sun for the hedonism of those who have no respect for other values.
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Posted by Editor on 14/05/08 at 01:31 AM
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Versace Plans Stylish Dubai Hotel
27/04/08
"Would you want to live in a home entirely designed and branded by Versace?" asks the Times correspondent. If it is in Dubai then you can expect a resounding yes. For if any city in the world where opulence and extravagance has become the norm, then that city is Dubai.
The fashion house will open a hotel in Dubai in June next year, with 169 private flats attached – every inch of which will be designed and furnished by Versace! Palazzo Versace Dubai will be style in the grandest manner possible.
"Hand-cut mosaics will line the floors of each individually designed flat. The communal spaces will have giant aquariums full of fish imported from the Red Sea, temperature-controlled flooring that stays at a constant 20C ... and an underground car park with spaces large enough for your Roller or Bentley. There is also an ingenious underbeach cooling system to ensure you don’t burn your perfectly pedicured feet on your way down to the sea. "
And it gets better.
"Each residence comes equipped with everything from cushions and cutlery to water glasses and bed linen. The larger ones have a private cinema, a library and a sauna – and, in the case of the most expensive, their own mosaic-lined 26ft x 13ft pool, spa bath and outdoor terrace. About 90% of them have views of the creek that runs through the heart of Dubai; the remainder look out onto the manicured water gardens. "
Soheil Abedian, president of the Sunland Group, the Australian company developing the resort, even has the audacity to arrogantly show-off: "This is where you can eat from a plate that costs $350, then have a bath and emerge into a bathrobe that costs $3,500. Living in a Versace condo is an experience only a privileged few will have.” The actress Kate Hudson will be one of them, having apparently bought a 2,210 sq ft flat for £2.23m."
As you can see from the images (courtesy of SSC) they are planning something quite grandiose.
You can imagine Marie Antoinette being right at home in Dubai, can't you?
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Posted by TheDubaiLife.com on 27/04/08 at 09:40 PM
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Dubai Invest In Tram System
24/04/08
It goes to show you how far Dubai has come in such a short space of time that we already think of it as a modern 21st century city - maybe even the first supercity of the new millennium. Of course such is the sped of development that most of the time Dubai is playing catch-up whereas most great cities of the world have evolved and matured into the cities that they are now. London, Paris, New York, Moscow, Berlin may not possess the purchasing power of Dubai but make up for it in so many other ways.
Transport is one area that shows Dubai for what it rally is. Dubai does not boast a tube system that of London, or the equivalent of a New York subway or the Metro of Paris... it relies on good old fashioned road traffic. According to the latest reports: "The city has become the most congested city in the Middle East. Professionals working in Dubai spend an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes commuting to and from work. The government has invested heavily in the Dubai's road infrastructure, although this has not kept pace with the increase in the number of vehicles, leading to growing problems of congestion."
Such is the reliance on the car that latest figures show traffic congestion, the single biggest concern among Dubai's 1.44 million residents, inflicts losses of Dh4.6 billion or 3.15% of the emirate's Dh146 billion GDP a year. The city has a car ownership rate of 541 cars per 1,000 population. This figure exceeds that of cities like New York City [444 cars per 1,000 population], London [345 cars per 1,000 population] and Singapore [111 cars per 1,000 population]. If this trend continues, then by 2020, there will be 5.3 million registered cars in Dubai.
A metro is already planned for Dubai and there is more good news on the horizon for the beleaguered Dubai visitor. Plans have been unveiled for an advanced tram system as part of the Dh73 billion Downtown Burj project. The 4.6km, Dh500 million tram will be the first of its kind in Dubai.
Mohammed Ali Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar Properties, said: "Transportation is universally regarded as the top mega-city infrastructure challenge, which also has the biggest impact on any project’s competitiveness. Congestion costs have a critical bearing on any project’s overall growth as well as the environment."
Dubai may have trouble making up lost ground to the likes of London et al, but it seems it has no trouble in keeping pace!
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Posted by TheDubaiLife.com on 24/04/08 at 04:49 PM
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Dubai Execs Charter Space Flight
24/04/08
Team building can be a problem and so per-se these days. What do you do in a land where nothing is too expensive or audacious. Would you settle for a boring day out go-karting or paintballing. IT seems mundane these days, so it is hardly a surprise that an unnamed Dubai-based company has become the first in the world to charter a space flight for its top management.
Sharon Garrett, the head of space marketing and public relations at Virgin Galactic's Dubai office, told The National: "I cannot reveal any details about the company or the deal, other than (saying that) the flight they chartered can take up to six passengers but they might end up flying only two people."
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Posted by TheDubaiLife.com on 24/04/08 at 04:32 PM
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Dubai Set To Host World’s Richest Ever Gig?
22/04/08
Another first for Dubai, with news that pop icon, Madonna, will earn over $US25m for the proposed gigs later this year.
Of course nothing has been confirmed, not even a proposed world tour, let alone a stopover in the UAE region of Dubai. According to rumours circulating within the media: "Madonna is about to break another record by playing the most lucrative concert of her whole career, or anyone’s career for that matter."
That record was - or still is - held by The Eagles who were paid a staggering Dhs 30 million for a single show in New York in 2003.
Thomas Ovesen, Managing Director of AEG Middle East - who are bringing Bon Jovi to the UAE - is bigging up Dubai and is not the least surprsied that Dubai is now seen as a must have venue on any serious pop star's world tour:
"Over the last couple of years we’ve had Robbie Williams, Shakira, Santana and now Bon Jovi and these are acts that perform in the biggest cities around the world, so it shows that this is a viable venue now. We attract bigger artists than a similar sized place in Europe, for example, because corporate sponsors are keen to sign up for big names, which offsets the costs of travelling in and out of the UAE and the fact that audiences are smaller here."
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Posted by TheDubaiLife.com on 22/04/08 at 01:18 AM
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