Saturday, February 28, 2009

Shammal winds have blown away February

Wow!  Where did February go?  I haven't blogged in a while but the monotony of work and seemingly short weekends have continued to speed up the passage of time.  I've spent this weekend recuperating from a bad cold.  I seem to get them two or three times a year due to the awful climate here.  Dust storms, humidity and breathing in cold and moldy smelling air at work play can play havoc on your alergies, sinues and lungs.

Work continues to be busy for the both because our libraries are terribly short staffed.  Budget cuts and recruitment issues are the culprits.  The global recession (it seems to be becoming more like a depression) has affected the UAE's (especially Dubai) construction and real estate sectors.  The media's initial stories of it being a healthy market correction are long gone.   Abu Dhabi seems to be bailing our their neighbors since we have cash in hand.  Dubai has been paying for most of their projects with loans.   

Darcy and I have made some travel plans.  We'll be staying at the Abu Dhabi Resort, Sir Bani Yas Island for three nights to celebrate Darcy's birthday.  They have a year long special (stay 3 nights and pay for 2).  Information about the nature reserve island, with a short video is at http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/11/04/10256726.html

We also bought  our airline tickets for our summer vacation. We'll be in Canada from July 2 to August 5.  Prices for flying overseas have dropped from last year but domestic flying in Canada is the same inflated fare as last year.

Sandstorms sweep across region - February was a windy month!

Commuting in style on luxury bus - we want to try this but we've yet to find a schedule online

Luxury bus service a hit with commuters on opening day

Island is haven for rare birds

Survey puts unemployment at 4%

Hotels in Abu Dhabi cutting room rates

Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down

F1 park stalls for lack of financing - the headlines last fall said that this short downturn was a healthy market correction!

Taxi fares leap 30% in Abu Dhabi

Oil tanker burns after ship collision - this happened near Dubai

Call for greater online cultural dialogue

George Mason confirms closing - this was a surprise in light of more universities opening up campuses here.