Welcome to our 200th blog entry! I don't know if many people have been following our blog since we started it almost five years ago but we've had some exciting times. Darcy posted our first story way back on June 4, 2004 by announcing our engagement. I wonder what the next 200 blog posts will be like. Hopefully this global repression won't be around but the deepening crisis is worrisome. It's affecting the UAE but we are fortunate to still have our jobs. Below is the usual assortment of newspaper articles that highlight some of the things that have happened here recently.
Kurri on lookout for fresh talent One of my all time favorite Oilers players!
The treasure trove of the QE2 I've seen the Queen Mary and it would be neat to see the QE2 if the refurbishment is done correctly.
Frustrated in Abu Dhabi, renters flock into Dubai - the situation was reversed only three years ago!
Sandstorm engulfs Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - the storm had weakened considerably when it hi Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
How the super-wealthy stay afloat in stormy weather
Red tide threatens sport-diving clubs
Police chief says YouTube spreads hatred, but regulator will not block it
Robots no hindrance to camel racing’s appeal
Death toll confirms the risk of walking
1,000 new hotel rooms for Abu Dhabi
'Second downtown' closer to reality
Capital begins to take shape
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Marching forth to a long weekend
It's only been a little over two months since our last long winter break but it has seemed longer than that. The birthday of Islam's Prophet Mohammed is on Monday but Sunday has been declared a holiday for most people to make it a long weekend. We're going to go back to the public beach on the Corniche. It's been about four months since we were last there! I guess the weather was too cool. I'm also taking this Monday off as I've stockpiled a lot of time or leave as they call it here.
The excitement over the iPhone finally being sold in the UAE with a warranty (but still unlocked) quickly abated. Etisalat's outrageous pricing schemes and bungled customer service will likely result in few being sold. Many people will probably continue to buy unlocked phone and simply use pre-paid cards. Poor Darcy's hopes were dashed as she really wanted an iPhone. Maybe she'll like thethird generation iPod Touch. You can currently download apps to make calls in WiFi zones on the device.
One of the podcasts that I listen to on my iPod Touch is about business. The story about What a difference a year makes is from this podcast. Anyway a new term that I heard is called Repression. It's supposed to mean an economic downturn that's worse than a recession but not as bad as The Great Depression. I think that it's a pretty accurate description of what's happened world wide in the last six months. Maybe the media and politicians should start using this word rather than the innocuous phrase economic downturn. Perhaps my reading of the book The Long Emergency has impacted my take on current world events too.
The last bit of news is that we've booked our flights to Canada for our four week summer vacation. The overseas airfare prices have dropped from last year by a few thousand dirhams. Unfortunately flying domestic in Canada remains unchanged from last year. We've booked three nights to stay at our favorite place in Jasper along with three nights on the Pacific Ocean side of Vancouver Island.
Capital’s parks draw the crowd
Dust off the United Arab Emirates
Etisalat puts conditions on iPhone sales
US clears AMD and Mubadala capital deal
New car speeds to lofty launch
Prophet’s birthday a time for reflection
Relics prove snakes had ancient charms
The difference a year makes This story comes from an NPR affiliate but it's still interesting about the change in Dubai
Emaar may cancel projects the repression deepens here....
Capital’s roadside recycling bins will light up the city
Why Arabic must be brought to book
Translating Mozart’s musical moods
It’s colourful, tasty, tempting – and mostly unhealthy - the UAE, like North America, has a mall culture that's packed with fast food joints.
Houbara conservation plan takes flight
Developers back affordable housing - this is long overdue!
Agency blames two sectors for majority of air pollution
Saturday, March 07, 2009
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