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Gridskipper Interview: Secret Dubai DiarySecretdubai of Secret Dubai Diary is a blogger in Dubai who specializes in the intrigue and adventure of the United Arab Emirates, regularly prodding its dark and seedy underbelly. You've been writing Secret Dubai Diary since 2002, which is forever in blog time, let alone Dubai blog time. What got you started? When I first lived overseas, I had an email newsletter that I sent to friends and family, and it turned into a useful record of my travels, which I later put onto a website. This was before blogging had arrived. After I'd been in Dubai for nearly a year, I realised it would be useful to have some sort of record of my time here -- of all the intrigue and adventure in the UAE -- and by then blogging was available, so I thought that would be a useful method. Why a secret (i.e. read more. Will Saudis Emulate Dubai's Development Bonanza?The grass is always greener on the other side. Saudi visitors and businessmen returning from Dubai seem to come back ever more impressed by the phenomenal growth and development taking place in that UAE emirate. They long for the day when the Kingdom emulates Dubai's apparent success. A major question, however, does Saudi Arabia really want to be another Dubai? Underneath the glitter and the sophisticated marketing and PR, glitches and cracks are beginning to appear in Dubai's so-called miracle development bonanza. It behooves Saudi Arabia to sit back and take note. Societies need to balance their economic development with transformation that takes into account internal social cohesiveness and responsibilities for the wider community. While Dubai has undoubtedly provided its native citizens with the trappings of a comfortable welfare state, a luxury lifestyle and seeming guaranteed employment, the desire and obsession to be the number one in many areas has also created social stress and uncertainty about core family traditions and values. read more. Parents sceptical of school fee insurance programmeDubai: Eight out of ten parents have shrugged off an education insurance programme launched by a school group saying that if it really wants to help pupils and their parents it should first try to get their tuition fees decreased. The initiative, launched in the Global Education Management Schools (GEMS) group, is entirely optional and guarantees a child's education in the event of death or permanent disability of a family's main wage earner. Known as the GEMS Education Protection Programme (GEPP), it is said to be the first of its kind in the UAE education market. Coverage for the insured family member is valid worldwide. Uniquely, the nominated parent does not need a medical check-up or even to show proof of employment. On the basis of a fully refundable deposit, a child will receive free tuition until the completion of his/her schooling or 20th birthday. read more. When every coin countsThe phones may have stopped ringing for the 'Towards Healing Lebanon's Wounds' telethon, but the money keeps coming in, as the crisis in Lebanon elicits a massive response from the UAE. Dh54 million was raised for the cause in just ten hours. Throughout the UAE, the public continues to be outraged by the rising death toll and acts of brutality, such as the Qana massacre. An estimated 900,000 people or one fifth of Lebanon's population have been displaced, translating into a wide-scale humanitarian crisis. While some wring their hands in despair over a situation that continues to deteriorate, vast numbers of UAE residents are opting instead to actually do something. With the crisis so close to home, the UAE's contribution to the humanitarian appeal has been described as "phenomenal". read more. Location mattersSpa and leisure facilities at Fujairahs first five-star beach resort, Le Meridien Al Aqah, are preparing for expansion, following three successful years of operation, according to Talar Hagopian, spa manager at the resort. The resort, which first opened in 2003, has set the benchmark for hotel operations in the emirate, and is soon to be joined by Rotana and Japanese hotel group JAL Hotels, which is set to open the Nikko Fujairah in December, as the Fujairah coastline becomes a favourite weekend and day destination for those living in the UAE. As local weekend and day visitor numbers continue to grow year on year, Hagopian is preparing to extend her spa facilities with the opening of more treatment rooms and is now busy promoting the resorts day spa offering. My new challenge is to market our day spa, or what we refer to now as Al Aqah Journeys, to the residents of Dubai and neighbouring emirates. read more. It's AcademicThe dominant political culture on Australian university campuses brings to mind a scene from the classic movie Casablanca. A naïve young woman approaches the nightclub owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) to enquire about the character of the thoroughly dissolute French police captain played by Claude Raines. "HeÂ’s like any other man, only more so," quips the jaded Bogart in response. . read more. Yahoo! and Canaan Partners invest USD 8.65 million in ...Chennai, Tamilnadu, India, 2006-08-05 (IndiaPRwire.com) -- Yahoo! Inc., a leading global Internet company and Canaan Partners, a global early stage venture investor in innovative technology companies, today announced that the companies have both invested US $8.65 million in BharatMatrimony.com Pvt. Ltd, the No. 1 matrimony service provider with 7.5 million registered members. Both investors will be represented on the board of the company. Veda Corporate Advisors acted as a strategic advisor to the transaction. Murugavel Janakiraman, CEO, BharatMatrimony Group, said, "It gives me immense pride that two of the world's leading companies in the technology and Internet space have invested in our business. More importantly, the global knowledge, partnerships and experience that both these investors bring will help us scale our business globally. read more.The most outstanding research dealing with Dubai Automotive Jobs will advise you and assist you in enlarging your comprehension level.
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