Darb - Transportation Portal

I'm not sure exactly how new the DOT's Darb website and app are, but this is an outstanding and useful tool. I wish that this had been available last year when I was still having to take buses and taxis everywhere.

Take the trip planner. Say that I want to go from Mezyad Mall to Zayed Sports City. I just drop icons at the mall and the bowling alley and voila:

You can also book a taxi by either dropping a pin on the map or typing an address:

There is a mobile app for Android and iOS that is just as handy.

Right now it is available in English and Arabic.

Kudos all around for this.

39th UAE National Day 2010 celebrations in Abu Dhabi UAE

The 39th UAE National Day in 2010 was one of the most memorable with people from all nationalities joining in the celebrations as always. Buildings lighted up. Cars decorated in the most unexpected ways. And wars of foam. Here are a few moments captured in the capital - Abu Dhabi.



Courtesy: Copywriter in UAE

50% traffic fine discount in Abu Dhabi

Are you one of the crazy people that believed higher penalties for traffic offences were actually starting to do some good? Fear no more, because in Abu Dhabi (this month only) you can pay your traffic violations with a 50% discount!

"The Abu Dhabi police traffic department announced on Tuesday that motorists will need to pay only half of what they owe in fines to the department following a ministerial decree issued by Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
The traffic departments in the emirate, which include Abu Dhabi city, Musaffah, Al Ain and Gharbia (western region) have extended their working hours from 7.30am to 12 midnight. During the extended hours, only the fines payment section will function.
The sections in Abu Dhabi and Musaffah started following the new timings from yesterday while the Al Ain section will follow the timings from today.
On Tuesday alone, close to 4,000 people thronged the traffic departments to pay fines.
"More than 3,969 people cleared off their fines at the traffic departments in the emirate, inclusive of Al Ain and Gharbia (western region), on Tuesday," said Colonel Khamis Ishaq Mohammad, Deputy Director of the Traffic and Patrols department." --More here: Traffic fine slash leads to huge rush (Gulf News)

In addition, the traffic law has been changed so that every emirate can allow discounts on fines!

"The ministerial decree, No.400/2010, issued by Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, has made a provision in the law for traffic departments in all emirates to extend the traffic fines discount to all offenders should they wish to do so, said Brigadier Gaith Hassan Al Za'abi, Director of Traffic Department, Ministry of Interior." --More here: All emirates 'can allow discounts in traffic fines' (Gulf News)

Here are some interesting blog posts from around the UAE on the decision:
-Sale extended to traffic fines (Life in Dubai)
-No Bad Deed Goes Punished (Abu Dhabi Dispatches)
-Best discount price, Habibi (The Grumpy Goat)

LA Times: Alleged victim of gang rape sentenced to one year in prison

"The Criminal Court of Abu Dhabi, in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, ruled this week that an 18-year-old Emirati woman who accused six men of gang-raping her will herself serve a one-year sentence for consensual sex.

It's one of in the latest in a scourge of reported rape cases in Dubai, The court proceedings were marred by legal travesties, experts say.

While the plaintiff was not granted a lawyer, the defendants were. Moreover, the plaintiff could not have any family members present with her during the trial, the court decided. The prosecution also argued that simply because the plaintiff agreed to enter the police officer's car, this action somehow constituted partial consent to sex, The National reported.

Emirati authorities had kept the plaintiff imprisoned since she made the allegations last month.

Meanwhile, the accused rapists mostly got off lightly. A police officer will serve one year in prison for extramarital sex and two of the other defendants were sentenced to three months for being in the company of a woman not related to them by blood."

More here: DUBAI: Alleged victim of gang rape sentenced to one year in prison (LA times blog)

Abu Dhabi traffic gridlock video

The Abu Dhabi Police YouTube channel has posted an interesting video of the 'traffic breakdown' that occured on June 1st...



b

Sex and the City banned in the UAE

Best news of 2010: Sex and the City 2 banned in UAE

$14.3 Million For Abu Dhabi Car Number Plate "1"

A man named Said Abdul Ghafour Khouri has agreed to pay AED 52.2 Million (US $14.3 Million) for Abu Dhabi license plate labeled "1" at an auction at the 7-star Emirates Palace Hotel here, making it the world's most expensive license plate .

The previous record was held by Abu Dhabi plate number 5 , bought at auction for $6.8 million by stock broker Talal Khouri last year.

"Recession really doesn't affect the Emiratis! - Not that I have anything against them, just a little envious of how the UAE has always protected it's citizens.

And wish that the Politicians forming the Government of India, could do something other than fleecing the Indian public in the name of taxes and making secret Swiss bank accounts that amount in millions of dollars. (i.e. millions accumulated from loyal Indian tax payers)"

NOTE by samuraisam: As pointed out in the comments by Neil Roberts this story is more than 2 years old and hasn't taken place during the Haiti earthquake

Fan pictures of Abu Dhabi 2009 FIFA Club World Cup

Last week was an action-packed one with Barcelona playing Estudiantes de la Plata of Argentina at the Sheikh Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi at the UAE 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.



While pictures of the players are all over the news, here are images of what it felt like to be among the fans and watch the game live...



Fans arrive all geared up for action in an Abu Dhabi public bus



Isn't that the sweetest fan - loyal RCA supporter!


The best seat in the house - view from the top


The one face that I will remember from my visit to the Abu Dhabi 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.

You are more than welcome to see more amazing fan pictures on my copywriter blog.

The Yas Marina Hotel

Looks pretty good...

The glass panels and the space frame that holds them really look like something you'd expect to see on Mars in fifty years or so. Up close, the panes of glass don't seem like solar panels at all, but they might save on air conditioning costs by reflecting a fair bit of sunlight off. But the 'sheath', as I like to call it, looks quite funny. It looks like the whole thing is a giant razor blade. A feminine one at that too (Venus, anyone?).

Some more pictures of the world's largest feminine shaving razor:

It glows in the dark too!

Chef fined 92,000 AED for 1 day expired yoghurt

"A British chef at a restaurant in the Emirates Palace hotel is appealing his sentence for storing a container of expired yoghurt: a Dh92,000 (US$27,000) fine.

Inspectors from Abu Dhabi Municipality found the yoghurt during a routine visit to the kitchen of the Etoiles restaurant and lounge about a month ago.

[...]

His attorney said the food was only one day past its use-by date; court documents do not specify when the food expired. Yesterday PH pleaded with the judge to have the fine overturned."

Article here (thenational.ae)

FTTH

No its not a new abuse, though seeing where the origin is, it just might open a whole new door to witty new phrases.

FTTH stands for Fibre-To-The-Home technology. Etisalat's latest offering to provide data, streaming and video services straight to the home with one optic fibre cable.

The boys were in today installing this fancy new thingybob, and it should be up and running in 2 months.

I would be a tad embarrassed to wear something with that on it though!

Chaii anyone?

Lipton has launched this special pack of teabags.

What is special about it? No its not the packing, nor is it any new ctc brew.

What I thought was the cutest thing ever, was that each tea bag has a little riddle or joke printed on the label.

It reminded me of the Walls ice creams I ate as a kid, and couldn't wait for it to finish so I could read the riddle on the stick. It was a battle between wanting the ice cream to last for longer and the curiousity of finding a new riddle. I would collect them and exchange them with friends, like baseball cards.

My kids and I have a good laugh, while I am making my cuppa, and they will read it out and ask me the answer (which is also printed on the label). Now they are collecting the labels.
:)

WOMAD * AD * 23rd-25th April

Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage hosted the WOMAD festival from the 23rd - 25th April this year.
And I tell you what a FESTIVAL it was!
It was flawlessly organised, the stage, the sound system, the venue (Corniche-on the beach),and they even provided port-a-loos.
A lot of hard work and organisation has undoubtedly gone into the preparations to ensure it was a really really fun 3 evenings for people of all nationalities and walks of life.
And just when you thought it couldn't get better, the weather for April was sublime. The breeze blew off the sea, and kept everyone cool. Fantastic to see so many people there. Single, with friends, families , listening to music, dancing to music or just soaking it up and chilling out on the beach. There was food to taste, and workshops for the kids.
It was hard to believe it was AbuDhabi, and for three days my heart and soul feasted on music.
They opened and closed the festival with much fanfare, and we were treated to Fireworks everyday.
I listened to Rizwan-Moazzam (nephew to the great Sufi Qawaal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), Youssou N'Dour and was transported to heaven.
The Dhol Foundation, Trilok Gurtu and Los De Abaja , and so many more.
And you know WHAT?

It was FREE!!
THANK YOU ABUDHABI.

Pod cars over Abu Dhabi?

Can anyone verify this?

"A Jetsons-style transit system is set to roll out around Masdar City - electric, elevated podcars that can carry a few passengers at a time around the city, between several customizable destinations."
"Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is a system that has been used at the University of West Virginia in Morgantown for over 30 years (it was invented by a professor there), and now a super-duper version of it is being planned for Abu Dhabi. It runs on an elevated grid, on wheels rather than on a monorail, and each podcar operates independently, taking passengers directly to their destination, bypassing other stops."

Source, and here.

(It would be kinda cool if it were for real.)

Formula 1 Power Boat World Championship

This National Day there's so much happening , that I'm like a kid in a candy store. Tomorrow, 5th December 2.30 pm @ the Breakwater is the Formula 1 Power Boat World Championship. Abu Dhabi Round.

And for those of you who like Nancy Ajram, she will be singing and entertaining.

George Michael rocks AbuDhabi

The George Michael concert last night at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium was ''amazing".

Alicia keys kicked off the concert, and not being a huge fan, it got monotonous and irritating. And she came back and sang again and again.

Finally when George Michael came on stage, the crowd just went wild. The energy was palpable, and he put on an awesome show. His voice was in full form, and he moved like the old days.

It was endearing also to see that Andrew Ridgely was in one of the videos that played as he sang a track from his Wham days.

For me the culmination was of my all time favourite track which ended the concert, FREEDOM 90.

The venue was huge, and the event well organised. 30 minutes to leave venue, get out of parking and get on the main road, is fantastic.

Road rage humour

Something to make you smile tomorrow morning

Or alternatively you could take the bus.......

Towards a World without Walls

Today's NZ Herald carries an interesting read penned by Mike Moore, a former Prime Minister of New Zealand with a longtime interest in Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade. As well as being a prolific author, in 1998 he also decided to run for the post of Director General of the World Trade Organisation - a position that he won after a protracted contest, and which he held from 1999 to 2002.

His column, titled: Arab states on the frontline of progress - gives a summary of his business dealings in the Middle East.

Some of his statements include interesting information.

For instance, he writes about the discussions around the UAE creating a new currency. If they were to do this, it would rank 4th in the world behind the US$, the Euro€ and the Yen¥. That's no small-time impact on the balance of foreign currencies!

Other points that caught my attention:
~ if the Gulf Co-operation Council (the GCC - made up of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates) ever got their act together, it would be the seventh-largest economy in the developing world - twice the size of Turkey, South Africa, or Argentina. Its global savings are higher than China's, and its current account surplus on a par with China.
~ The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is second only to the Bank of Japan in terms of assets.
~ The International Monetary Fund suggests infrastructure investment will reach $800 billion by 2010. On the respected index of economic freedom, the GCC is well ahead of Russia, China, and India. Half the GCC states score ahead of Italy.
~ Only 40 per cent of Dubai's income is now resource-based.
~ Dubai now enjoys more tourists than Egypt. (I don't know that "enjoys" would be the word that I would use to describe it!)

The article is an interesting read written by a man whose credentials and experience in Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade make him an authority in this area.

Link to article
Mike's website - Towards a World without Walls

Panic in the Sandpit

Excerpt:
...The wasteland seems to begin almost immediately on leaving the boundaries of the modern metropolis of Abu Dhabi, its skyscrapers and luxury hotels giving way to a pancake-flat drabness of oil refineries, highways and five-winged power transformers marching across the landscape to bring life to a once lifeless land.

Just 40 years ago Abu Dhabi was nothing more than sand and Bedouin tents, until the visionary Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan began transforming his arid fishing village into a thriving Middle Eastern hub. He even tried to turn the land green by ordering the planting of 150 million trees.

Abu Dhabi is taking a more considered, arguably more cultured approach to the future than neighbouring Dubai. With impending civic projects from the likes of Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel, this will be a city to watch in the next decade...

Whole article here

Looks like it's Abu Dhabi's turn for lyrical waxing, while Dubai, and the UAE as a whole, continue to get this kind of attention - at least in news sources out of the country.

I'm noticing more and more articles like this appearing - is it my imagination or are others seeing this too? I mean, they always used to be there, but there was a type of "balance" when articles like the Abu Dhabi one above would also appear about Dubai. Nowadays the Dubai articles seem to be a lot more serious and darker in subject matter.

Maybe it's an evolution process - a maturing city now needs to address the more ethical and social aspects of becoming an attractive entity - it can no longer hide behind the façade of world-record buildings and fantastic property developments.

What do you think?

Are more of these negative articles appearing because:
~ the UAE needs to grow up and really start to address these issues?
~ other countries are jealous of what's happening?
~ travel writers are no longer receiving free junkets to Dubai?
~ some other reason?

"Dubai is the sizzle. Abu Dhabi is the steak."

Interesting travel article, originally from the Chicago Tribune, describing Abu Dhabi to would be American tourists:

If Dubai and Abu Dhabi were `50s film idols, Dubai would be Marilyn Monroe. Abu Dhabi would be Grace Kelly.

Dubai is the sizzle. Abu Dhabi is the steak. [brn - first thought when I read this: "Zing! Take that Dubai!"]

Dubai is the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates that gets all the attention. Some 60 miles away, the nation's political capital of Abu Dhabi has gone largely overlooked. But Abu Dhabi doesn't have to stand for that anymore, and it isn't going to.

And, just to pick up on Proud Emirati's post about tourists behaving badly, it gives helpful info about how to dress (nothing about not kissing though):

Dress code is on the side of modesty. Women should wear blouses with sleeves, calf-length pants or skirts (but no slits), and avoid exposing cleavage and midriff. There's no need to wear a scarf. Men should wear shirts with sleeves and long pants.