BASE Jumping is one of the coolest city sports of the new millennium. For it, you need a parachute, but no aeroplane, because BASE stands for: Building, Antenna, Span (meaning bridge), Earth (and that could be something like a mountain or a cliff). Video inside…
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What a story! All the time we were counting the days until the opening of the Burj Dubai…only so in the moment of this happening we would be stunned that it ain’t the Burj Dubai no more. This name change is catchy, flashy and a PR masterpiece, but mostly, it is immensely political.
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They say that Brits drink too much…but Dubaians clearly can down a whole lot more. Maybe that’s because all the REAL Brits have come here b’cause over here it’s so much more cool… And I am of course just not talking about Emerati…nor exclusively about us expats, but about US DUBAIANS, which means the new super-international nation of all of us here in Dubai!
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At New Year’s Eve in Dubai really, as usual, diversity is king. It is really a question of taste and personal attitude, what you are finally going to be choosing. You can be a devout Muslim and I guarantee you there is a multitude of parties where neither alcohol will be served – nor will there be naked women (as party attendees, nota bene) dancing on the beach.
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So, my personal New Year will be coming on January 4 – that’s when the Burj Dubai will finally be opening! I expect, then the financial crisis will really and completely be old news, and people will again be focusing on the future.Because the Burj Dubai is not only the most aesthetic high rise that has ever been built, but it also holds another, more objective historic record: It is not only the tallest building, but also structure ever built by man.
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The economist.com writes (Dec 14th 2009): “It (Abu Dhabi) provided $10 billion to Dubai’s government, more than enough to repay the $4.1 billion due on Monday to holders of a sukuk, or Islamic bond, issued by Nakheel, a prominent developer.” So you see, the trouble is over. Just as I predicted! So I can’t deny a certain satisfaction.
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So, the Dubai Borse, their stock exchange, showed a very impressive rebound on Thursday. It is a nice feeling to be proven right. Anyway, it is not just because I myself happen to have some investments going here in Dubai. I’m also thinking globally!. Dubai is an anomaly, no matter what standard you apply.
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When Dubai World requested a debt “standstill” two weeks ago, this made headline news around the world. Actually, I found that a bit surprising, all this media attention. In the world of economics, this is far less unusual than is now being suggested. Well, yes, but here we’re talking about Dubai, aren’t we? And apparently, for the emirate other standards do apply.
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And I Am Saying This Today, On November 28, 2009, MARK MY WORDS!!
Oh my God! How amazing events are! So Dubai has declared it will have to slow down in paying back bank loans. And, as it is a completely normal occurrence in today’s economy, the markets react immediately.
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Here are the facts:
Both of them are located on the Arabic side of the Persian Gulf, and they both are capitals of emirates…
…though Dubai City, the capital of Dubai, is a member of the United Arab Emirates, while Doha is the capital of the completely independent emirate of Qatar. (Actually, here the question comes up why this Qatar never joined the UAE. Do they think they’re better?? Anyway, I have to concede that a small strip of land, occupied by Saudi Arabia, separates Qatar from the UAE, it would hence have been an exclave.)
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