ChileSoc

Imagen Presidencial, Chile 2006-2009

2010-10-09T19:55:00.002-04:00

Documentos Históricos Elecciones Presidenciales 2005, Chile

2010-10-09T19:50:00.000-04:00

Dubai 2010

2010-06-26T15:41:00.009-04:00

Elecciones Presidenciales Chile 2010

2010-01-28T00:39:00.003-03:00

Descifrando La Segunda Vuelta

La Participación de los Jóvenes

2009-12-28T20:14:00.001-03:00

Encuesta Jóvenes Feedback & UDP

La Confianza en el ABC1

2009-12-28T20:10:00.001-03:00

Gráficos Encuesta Confianza

Encuesta Feedback & Revista Capital: Los Miedos de Chile

2009-12-28T20:01:00.002-03:00

Encuesta Revista Capital: Los Miedos de Chile

Las Encuestas Electorales

2009-11-19T16:07:00.000-03:00

El papel de las encuestas
Juan Pardo, abril 2005

…'las encuestas políticas deberían presentarse al público con más advertencias que los paquetes de cigarrillos' (Revista Time, 12-09-88)

Encuesta es un término bien amplio, que ha sido comúnmente utilizado para describir desde aquellas investigaciones que nos muestran, por ejemplo: el estado de las adhesiones ciudadanas hacia figuras públicas; las indagaciones que se refieren a las percepciones, expectativas y demandas que tiene la ciudadanía hacia las instituciones, o bien las actitudes de las personas hacia determinados temas, o sus preferencias de consumo. Incluso, en la definición de sentido común, la palabra “Encuesta” puede servir para describir la opinión de unas pocas personas sobre algún tema, no importando cómo se obtienen tales opiniones.

No voy a pontificar acerca de las condiciones mínimas que se requieren para que unos datos puedan ser llamados “encuesta de opinión pública”, pero al menos es necesario indicar que la experiencia acumulada en la última década sobre las encuestas electorales, nos muestra diversas facetas que son menos conocidas por la población.

No hay que ir muy lejos en el continente para saber que las encuestas, especialmente las de periodos eleccionarios, han tenido aciertos magistrales y errores garrafales. No es novedad que estas han sido utilizadas como insumos privados para la definición de estrategias, o simplemente como arma de campaña, filtrando a la prensa aquellos datos que son más convenientes para lograr un objetivo determinado. Aunque esto a nadie debería extrañarle, porque el mandante siempre tendrá la prerrogativa de utilizar los datos por los que paga de la manera que crea conveniente. Lo penoso es que finalmente se ha sabido que algunas veces simplemente se han “cocinado” datos usando métodos de ponderación sesgados, se han “duplicado casos” para aparentar mayor tamaño de la muestra y menor error muestral en las estimaciones, o en último término, se han “inventado cifras” a partir de encuestas que nunca fueron realizadas.

En el caso de Chile, el hecho de que actualmente no exista una orgánica propia que agrupe a todas las empresas que realizan encuestas de opinión pública, no tiene porqué impedir que la labor que estas desarrollan se realice al margen de un marco ético básico que asegure a la ciudadanía –los consumidores- que está frente a un producto válido y confiable.

Especialmente en contextos eleccionarios, las encuestas de opinión deben asegurar a los ciudadanos que están debidamente informados, a través de mediciones “confiables” hechas por expertos, sobre las actitudes y preferencias que manifiestan las personas. En este sentido, los profesionales que trabajan haciendo encuestas tienen el mandato ético de velar por el interés de los ciudadanos y dar garantía de que los datos son una guía objetiva y confiable sobre el estado de la opinión pública.

Si usted no ha trabajado haciendo encuestas no tiene porqué saber todo el trabajo que éstas involucran; que la investigación mediante encuesta requiere tareas críticas que deben ser ejecutadas por profesionales, ya sea para diseñar la muestra, escribir la encuesta, recoger y supervisar los datos o, procesar y analizar la información.

El ciudadano que se informa tiene que estar atento a las condiciones mínimas que deben cumplir las encuestas -no tan solo aquellas que serán publicadas-, para ser consideradas como tales. Desde esta perspectiva, a los propios medios masivos que divulgan los resultados de encuestas también les cabe responsabilidad a la hora de evaluar el producto que se les ofrece o que compran.

Para que un dato de encuesta merezca ser publicado no sólo debe estimarse su relevancia periodística e impacto masivo, sino que además deben considerarse factores técnicos que permitan discriminar sobre la calidad de la fuente.

Un Poco de Historia

Hay coincidencia en señalar a la campaña presidencial de Estados Unidos del año 1936 como el hito que marca el nacimiento de las encuestas de opinión pública. A propósito de aquellas elecciones, una publicación de la época -“The Literary Digest”- envió cuestionarios a 10 millones de norteamericanos preguntando por sus preferencias electorales, para lo cual utilizó su base de suscriptores, direcciones de propietarios de teléfono y bases de propietarios de automóviles; recogiendo finalmente cerca de dos millones y medio de respuestas (± 24% del total de envíos). Finalmente, el análisis de estos resultados indicaba la victoria del candidato Landon –el perdedor- con un error de 19% respecto del resultado finalmente observado.

Por contraste, personajes como Elmo Roper, Archibald Crossley y George Gallup, entre otros, utilizando muestras nacionales con procedimientos de selección rigurosos, de entre 3.000 y 5.000 casos, predijeron acertadamente la victoria de Roosvelt. De ahí en adelante, profesionales de distintas áreas, especialmente biólogos, economistas, matemáticos y estadísticos- contribuyeron al desarrollo del método de investigación por encuestas.

Normas Básicas para Publicación de Encuestas

Existe consenso universal respecto de las normas básicas que rigen la publicación de encuestas en períodos electorales. Sin intentar ordenarlas por su grado de importancia, las directivas principales abarcan dos ámbitos bien específicos. Por un lado, el lector debe poder discriminar claramente la identidad de quien encarga –financia- y de quien realiza el estudio. Además, es imperativo publicar un resumen metodológico –la ficha técnica- que permita estimar el alcance y potencia de los datos.

Los datos técnicos más relevantes que deberían ser consignados son: 1) el universo representado (quienes y donde); 2) la técnica utilizada (cara a cara, telefónica, Web); 3) las características de la muestra (método, tamaño, error y cobertura); 4) los datos de campo (duración y fecha de cierre, supervisión, tasas de rechazo). Adicionalmente, en el caso de las preguntas que se publican, debería consignarse el texto íntegro tal como fue formulado en la situación de campo.

¿Qué tanto Afecta a los Ciudadanos la Publicación de Encuestas?

Por un lado, existe evidencia empírica que cualquier efecto de la publicación de encuestas electorales que pueden tener sobre la votación o la conducta de los votantes, es difícil de probar, y en cualquier caso, finalmente es mínima.

Los datos de encuestas adquieren vida cuando son publicados y conocidos por distintos públicos, de manera que inevitablemente en el proceso de publicarlos estos datos serán interpretados y convertidos en noticia de acuerdo a la línea editorial de cada medio.

Por lo demás, en cualquier parte del mundo donde se realicen elecciones democráticas es inevitable que el transcurso de las campañas electorales se publiquen todo tipo de encuestas, aunque muchas veces bajo el fragor de la contienda los controles de calidad no son muy exhaustivos.

El Auge de las Encuestas Telefónicas

Aún cuando persiste todavía el debate sobre la representatividad y la capacidad de penetración en segmentos de difícil acceso, coincido con la afirmación de que las encuestas telefónicas deberían ser usadas con cautela en períodos electorales, especialmente debido al sesgo de cobertura que se introduce, dejando fuera de la consulta a quienes no poseen teléfono –casi siempre los estratos socioeconómicos más bajos de la población-, aunque para el caso de encuestas en el Gran Santiago Urbano y otras grandes ciudades del país los riesgos sean algo menores pero no inexistentes.

Para los más informados y conocedores del tema, es bien sabido que una encuesta realizada cara a cara en los hogares de los entrevistados es al menos tres a cuatro veces más cara que una encuesta telefónica, de manera que la masificación de la técnica responde en alguna medida a la necesidad de ajustarse a las demandas del mercado que siempre presiona por precios bajos, descuentos y atenciones en la lógica de maximizar la inversión.

La Importancia de Saber Preguntar

No han sido pocas las veces que al ver encuestas publicadas en la prensa he tenido la impresión de que no hay reflexión sobre la calidad del “instrumento” que se utiliza para obtener los datos en una encuesta: el cuestionario. En efecto, así como hay situaciones en donde es necesario diseñar un cuestionario en menos de 24 horas para responder a una crisis o evento de la coyuntura política, otras veces, el proceso de pensar las encuestas se convierte en un largo y necesario ejercicio de reflexión intelectual, fundado en planes de análisis que intentan ir más allá de los datos descriptivos.

Es un dato de la causa que tanto en la redacción de las preguntas como en la definición de las alternativas muchas veces está en juego la validez de los datos. Más allá de las preguntas clásicas y universales que toda encuesta electoral contiene, cualquiera que se haya atrevido a diseñar un cuestionario, repitiendo una y mil veces enunciados y alternativas, conoce la máxima que dice: “un cuestionario nunca se termina, simplemente se abandona”.

Se ha escrito sobre las encuestas…

"Lo digo porque lo he vivido. He entregado encuestas a quienes me las solicitaron advirtiéndoles que tienen problemas con su campaña y la respuesta es: ya mandé hacer otra y dice que voy bien."

"Si me hubiera contratado Pilato cuando se le presentó la disyuntiva bíblica, yo primero le hubiera preguntado: A ver, Pilato, ¿a quién quieres soltar? 'Pues a Jesús, ¡hombre!, es buena onda, no ha hecho nada y el otro es un asesino'. Muy bien. Entonces voy y hago el estudio de opinión y me entero de lo que quiere la gente. El consejo es entonces: 'mira, ahorita ni le muevas. Mándate a Jesús unos días a la cárcel y ahí lo tienes hasta que se calme la raza'. Eso es lo que hace el estratega, para eso sirve un estudio de opinión, nunca para tomar las decisiones que debe tomar el político. Mira cómo resolvió las cosas, le preguntó a la gente ¡Y el pobre hombre lleva dos mil años sin levantar imagen!"

"Todavía no conozco a ningún político que haga una encuesta y la publique sólo porque es muy buena onda"

“…Antes del plebiscito El Mercurio publicó un artículo sin firma en el cuerpo de Reportajes en el que se presentaba un sondeo de la empresa Skopus. El artículo era ilustrado por una serie de fotografias en cuya lectura de foto se afirmaba que muestras de 700 a 1.500 personas no eran más que aproximaciones y que recién con muestras de veinte mil casos se podía hacer trabajos que reflejaran la realidad. Entonces Eduardo Hamuy descalificó el tamaño de esas muestras: «Lo hacen para impresionar a clientes que no entienden y cobrarles más»…”

“…antes se hablaba de que estábamos en guerra de encuestas, porque se defendía una metodología contra la otra, y de hecho se demostró que el choque de trenes era un error metodológico. En este momento, de lo que estamos hablando es otra cosa: es el fenómeno de guerra de estrategas políticos, que han considerado que la encuesta es un proyectil más y que la están utilizando como tal...”

“…el presidente de Consultores 21, en una confesión no desmentida, admitió que habían creado una encuestadora paralela y que esa encuestadora Issue S.A., tenía trazada una estrategia "para evitar que la manipulación que los partidos políticos daban a nuestras encuestas socavara el prestigio de Consultores 21". Según Keller, Copei falseó los datos de las últimas encuestas que Issue efectuó y el no reclamó porque "no era conveniente"…”

“…En el 70, la Gallup chilena predijo un amplio triunfo para sus empleadores, el comando alessandrista. Para Hamuy, que dirigía entonces el CEDOP y fue el único que adelantó el triunfo de Allende, el resultado del plebiscito permitió que Gallup-Chile, «fiel a su tradición histórica desde la década del 60, volviera a equivocarse». Hamuy aseguró entonces «aquí hay problemas morales graves, no tiene sentido pagarle a una empresa que va a decir lo que el cliente quiere que le diga»…”

“…Hamuy también denunciaba por este punto las cifras de diez mil a 25 mil encuestados usadas por las empresas financiadas por el gobierno militar: «Es imposible trabajar con esos números y al mismo tiempo hacer un buen sistema de control». Él explicó que su confianza en el trabajo que realizaba el CERC, por la existencia de un equipo de control independiente que revisaba el trabajo de los encuestadores en un 50%. Entonces Méndez dijo que ellos reencuestaban al 20% de sus encuestados para revisar si la encuesta había sido hecha correcta y completamente, y en el lugar que el azar había indicado…”

“…hubo medios que ofrecieron a sus lectores a ocho columnas y como sondeos de opinión con carácter nacional, estudios que se habían obtenido de cuestionarios levantados en estaciones de Metro de la ciudad…”

“…los estrategas políticos de los diferentes partidos han decidido utilizar a las encuestas como proyectiles, como misiles, para, no tanto dirigirlos al votante, creo yo, cuanto dirigirlos a su contraparte, para desestabilizarlos, atemorizarlos y tratar de provocar en ellos errores. Creo que ese es el sentido de por qué existen algunas encuestas, que en realidad son espurias y esas son las que están metiendo el ruido…”

“…No entiendo cómo algunas empresas siguen teniendo clientes para mediciones de opinión pública. Lo entendería si trabajaran en estudios como los rankings de TV, que no se pueden contrastar con la realidad, pero en los trabajos políticos los clientes tienen un control de calidad excelente: la misma elección»…”

“…Para el grupo CEP-Adimark la redacción de las encuestas fue algo básico: «En el plebiscito cuidamos especialmente cómo llamar al candidato. Vimos que decir "Presidente Pinochet" era percibido como oficialista y "General Pinochet" como opositor. Finalmente lo llamamos "Augusto Pinochet Ugarte" porque vimos que esa redacción era percibida como más neutral». Otro control estuvo en la posición política de los encuestadores, que «por ropa, aspecto físico, lenguaje e incluso por las inflexiones en la voz al leer ciertos nombres, trasmiten posiciones políticas», asegura Méndez. Para controlar este factor, CEP-Adimark buscó personas neutrales y también aceptó gente de distintas posiciones políticas entre los encuestadores, para luego equilibrarlos…”

“…si se considera el cálculo que dicta que cada vez que se quiere reducir el error muestral a la mitad, hay que cuadruplicar la muestra; sólo es cosa de multiplicar por cuatro las mil 500 a mil 800 personas que normalmente son consideradas por una empresa encuestadora en su análisis para ver en qué medida deberán aumentar también otros factores…”

“…Si usas un filtro te da una cosa y si quitas una variable te da otra cosa, pero los encuestadores no deberían permitir o usar esos filtros que saben que van a favorecer a su cliente. Hay un problema implícito, por lo menos: es la percepción, en el clima de sospecha, de que todos somos víctimas, de que hay encuestas que están sirviendo los intereses del cliente más que los resultados de la investigación…”

“…Unas encuestas dicen "verde", otras encuestas dicen "azul", otras encuestas dicen "blanco", otras dicen "negro", y al final uno no entiende bien qué es lo que esas encuestas están midiendo y qué es lo que están diciendo, y entonces tampoco entiende muy bien hacia dónde se está inclinando el pueblo…”

“Conforme el ciudadano va recibiendo impactos de información de las distintas campañas de su entorno, en su sociedad, en su familia, va modificando su preferencia que, finalmente, se convertirá en una elección de un candidato o partido. Este instrumento de investigación te permite seguirlo… ¿las tendencias pueden cambiar dramáticamente o una vez que se establecen pueden variar, pero dentro de ciertos rangos?... Pueden cambiar dramáticamente si hay eventos sísmicos que causen esos cambios dramáticos. Ejemplo, la muerte de un ser querido cercano al candidato —toquemos madera— ha cambiado elecciones dramáticamente”.

“El día mismo del plebiscito, El Mercurio en su portada presentaba un titular que yo creo va a pasar a la historia: 55% para el Sí y 46,1% para el No». Las cifras suman más de ciento por ciento»…”

“El edil manifestó que hace tiempo sabía de esta consulta. Me lo comunicó la gente de El Mercurio, que no la publicó porque la consideraron exagerada y conozco perfectamente como se manipuló esa encuesta…''

“En 1970 Gallup-Chile, el Centro de Estudios Socioeconómicos (CESOC) y el Centro de Opinión Pública (CEDOP) fueron los principales institutos que midieron las intenciones de voto de los chilenos. Entonces el CESOC le dio a Alessandri diez puntos de ventaja sobre Allende. Después de la elección, el Colegio de Periodistas le suspendió los derechos gremiales por uso de información falsa a dos periodistas ligados al centro. Los que montaron para el plebiscito una de las encuestas con mayor desacierto eran miembros del Cesoc. Hoy ya se puede afirmar que la encuesta que en julio del 89 decía que el «Sí» tenía el 59,77% frente a un 40,23% del «No» fue o una mentira de quienes difundieron el resultado o una muestra clara de incapacidad profesional de los autores…”

“En cuanto al reproche de que las encuestas se equivocan, esto corresponde a fenómenos como la mala selección de muestras, la sub representación o sobre representación de sectores, a la manipulación o la falsificación y a factores como el temporal. Siempre se señalarán los errores de las encuestas, nunca los aciertos. Tómese por ley: todo político, cuando las encuestas lo favorecen, dirán que son instrumentos serios y que hay que seguir. Cuando no, entonces denostarán de ellas…”

“Estos son los datos publicados. Luego, cada cual puede hacer con ellos como con el horóscopo: creer sólo en lo que le conviene…”

“Estudios de empresas de supervisión independientes han detectado fraudes que superan el 30% en trabajos serios realizados en el país…”

“La mejor encuesta es la que está más cerca, si tuviéramos una de ayer, ésa sería la mejor…”

“Las encuestas al fin y al cabo no son adivinaciones exactas del futuro sino sondeos que reflejan el sentir de las personas en el momento en que son entrevistadas…”

“Las encuestas no son el espejo de la madrastra de Blancanieves”

“Lo que este empate supone en la realidad es que los resultados de las muestras no tienen la suficiente precisión como para inferir hacia cuál candidato se inclinan las preferencias o intenciones de votos, a nivel del universo de votantes potenciales registrados”.

“Los encargados de hacer encuestas, por otra parte, no son tipos fáciles. Siempre están dispuestos a jactarse si su hallazgos son similares al resultado electoral y a encontrar una coartada si desatinaron demasiado. La explicación más común a sus desaciertos es que las encuestas son una “instantánea” de un momento, válida sólo para ese momento”

“Los estudios de opinión no son constancias de mayoría”

“Ninguna candidatura admite creer en las encuestas, pero todas las esperan y miran como si fueran una bola mágica. Después, si es favorable se echa mano de ella; si no, se recurre a aquello tan socorrido de que la verdadera encuesta es la del día de las elecciones…”.

“Parece ser, por lo que muestran hoy los datos, que todos los encuestadores se han vuelto aprendices de brujo…”

“Roberto Méndez, encargado de la encuesta de CEP-Adimark, recordó que en junio el 89 su encuesta dio como resultado un virtual empate entre las opciones del plebiscito. El Mercurio se demoró algunos días en publicarlo, a una columna, al interior del cuerpo C, aunque el día anterior había dedicado tres páginas para publicar una encuesta que le daba al Sí un 60%”.

“Se trata de encuestas, no de profecías…”

“Un conocido dirigente político vasco recordaba recientemente que empresas serias del ramo ofrecían a los partidos encuestas con esta suerte de doble contabilidad, la de uso interno y la de publicar. Para obtener unos u otros resultados basta con hacer un trabajo de cocina más o menos interesado con los datos, lo que habitualmente se consigue alterando la distribución de indecisos entre las distintas opciones…”

“Un día aparece un candidato diciendo que ya subió dos puntos. Otro día el candidato de enfrente dice que le faltan tres puntos para estar igual a su contrincante y un día después alguien habla de empate técnico. Eso no puede ser cierto ¡imagínate! para detectar en una inferencia estadística un movimiento de dos puntos tendrías que estar manejando niveles de precisión menores a 1 por ciento”

”No me mientas directamente, dímelo con una encuesta” titulaba un artículo de la prensa española que comentaba una encuesta “Pocos encuestados –para qué perder el tiempo, si donde se fabrica realmente la encuesta es en la cocina posterior-, y resultados tan semejantes que parece que se los hayan robado unas a otras…”

Burj Dubai - Palm Jumeirah - Marina Dubai

2009-09-28T22:46:00.004-04:00

Dubai Marina

Palm Jumeirah

Dubai Skyscraper

2009-07-08T21:44:00.008-04:00

Burj Dubai - Palm Jumeirah - The World

2009-03-31T22:07:00.009-04:00

Burj Dubai

The Palm Jumeirah

The World

Burj Dubai: reaches its final height / Financial crisis delays work on new tallest tower

2009-02-02T23:22:00.007-03:00

Cash Crunch Halts Work on Dubai Skyscraper

“…In a further sign that the property bubble in Dubai has popped, Nakheel, the state-controlled developer, said it was halting work on a skyscraper that would have stood one kilometer tall, or roughly twice the height of the Empire State Building in New York… The suspended building is part of a growing list of projects that have gone cold in what was one of the hottest real estate markets in the world. In December, Nakheel stopped work on Dubai’s very own Trump Tower — an $800 million project that was to sit on one of the emirate’s fabricated palm-shaped islands...”

Burj Dubai all set for 09/09/09 soft opening

2009-01-19T21:46:00.004-03:00

Burj Dubai, the world's tallest man-made structure, will see a "soft opening" on September 9 this year in tandem with the launch of Dubai Metro, according to an industry source..."The target is to have the event coincide with the opening of the Metro on 09/09/09," a person close to the matter told Emirates Business. "There is still work to be done in terms of finishing the building," the person said. "This includes the access and exit planning as well as connecting the sewerage lines to the main network..." These issues are being addressed to ensure optimum working of the building before final occupancy, the person said... Despite several attempts, developer Emaar Properties did not comment on the subject by the time this newspaper went to press... The groundbreaking for Burj Dubai took place in September 2004 and completion was projected by late 2008. In June 2008, Emaar Chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar said in a statement: "We believe that a completion date of September 2009 is possible and reasonable for a project of this global magnitude and significance..."

Via: Business 24-7

Dubai Real Estate Market

2009-01-04T22:32:00.008-03:00

Dubai Hotels in price war
“…Dubai hoteliers are waging a price war, with room rates cut by as much as half as they try to lure tourists hit by the global financial crisis… The recession in Europe, Dubai’s largest tourist source market, has caused a sharp drop in visitor levels, with occupancy rates down 25 per cent on those enjoyed at the same time last year… “We are entering a price war as most hotels in Dubai are cutting their rates,” said Amine Moukarzel, the senior vice president and managing director of the Dutch-Swiss Golden Tulip group…”

People should have some support system

“…Dubai: Two years ago, Mike and his family were doing great. He had the perfect job, a nice apartment and three happy children who went to one of the best schools in Dubai… Today, Mike and his family are struggling. He lost his job and can't find an affordable place to live. The biggest problem though, is that he could end up in jail. The car loan, which was not an issue last year, is now a big problem because of his lack of income… Today, and because of the financial crisis, many people find themselves in Mike's shoes, faced with his fears and concerns…”

Dubai: The beauty of bubbles

2008-12-18T22:51:00.009-03:00

The beauty of bubbles
“…The fireworks could be seen from space (allegedly), putting China’s Olympic displays to shame. Hollywood celebrities studded a guest-list of 2,500 people. Kylie Minogue, a diminutive Australian singer, cavorted in a gold and black corset designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Guests consumed an estimated 1.7 tonnes of lobster… The launch party for the Atlantis hotel in Dubai on November 20th was a perfect, noisy finale to the world’s latest age of excess. But its loudest echoes—the man-made islands, the iconic hotels, the overheated property market, the celebrities and the sun—are from another, more distant time: south Florida in the 1920s…”

Cancelled projects makes Dubai 'best' long term investment prospect, it is claimed

“…Property in Dubai is one of the best long term property investments around as the cancellation of development projects will reduce supply, it is claimed… London based property adviser Mohammed Kashani-Akhavan said that property investors should have confidence in Dubai's future prosperity. He has such confidence that he took a full page advert out in leading newspaper Gulf News to make his point… 'Dubai is one of the best cities in the world for property investment in the long term. It is a great time to invest because the golden rule of successful property investment is to buy low when everybody else is selling,' he said…"

Minister of Economy to inaugurate Dubai Drink Technology Expo 2008

“…Dubai Drink Technology Expo is the first non-alcoholic Drinks and liquid Food expo ever organized in the Middle East and North Africa Region, The Dubai Drink Technology Expo. scheduled to run from Sunday 14 to 16 December 2008, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Zaabeel Hall… This high profile exhibition presents worldwide range of products and services in the area of beverage technology and liquid food. Dubai Drink Technology Expo offers the state-of-the-art technology, logistics solutions, and raw materials for every type of beverage and liquid food for the entire industry, which constitutes a vital element to the consumers all over the world..”

The rise and rise of Persian Gulf architecture

“…Ten years after the opening of the Burj Al Arab, Dubai has plans for tourism that would make its architect quake. Not only is the once-iconic hotel now dwarfed by the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest skyscraper, but it is significantly shorter than almost every new building in sight. And, with 15 to 25 per cent of the world’s cranes currently in operation in Dubai, that is a lot of buildings…”

Dubai airport deal lifts Leighton

“…Leighton Holdings continued to shrug off expectations it may soon succumb to the looming construction slowdown in Dubai by announcing its involvement in a 4.9 billion dirham ($2 billion) building contract for Dubai Airport's expansion…The news comes two weeks after the 45 per cent Leighton-owned Al Habtoor won a $3.7 billion contract to build the world's largest building, the four 73-storey tower Dubai Pearl…The Dubai Airport project will involve building a new concourse 645 metres long that will connect to the airport's recently opened Terminal 3 and include two hotels…”

Dubai govt entities get negative ratings

“…Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has revised its outlook on the ratings of six Dubai-based Government-Related Entities (GREs) to negative from stable… The entities are: DIFC Investments, DP World, Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority, Jebel Ali Free Zone (FZE) and JAFZ Sukuk… At the same time, all ratings on these entities were affirmed. 'The outlook revision reflects the impact of the difficult global macroeconomic and financing environment on the emirate (not rated), to which the ratings on these six entities are directly linked,' said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Farouk Soussa…”

Burj Dubai

2008-11-23T13:19:00.005-03:00

Burj Tower: the world's tallest cloud buster

“…When you stand under the Burj Tower it doesn't look that tall at all. Bizarre. Alone on the flat desert landscape of Dubai, apart from the generic glitzy towers of the Sheikh Zayed Road, it seems slightly abstract, with nothing for your eye to compare it with. It could be 250m. It could be 305m. Or 750m. Who knows? Skyscraper internet chat rooms are ablaze with speculation about its final height. For the most famous fact about the Burj - apart from that it's the first piece of architecture to be both the tallest building and man-made structure in the world - is that its final height is a closely guarded secret until it opens next June, for fear of some rival stealing its thunder with an extra bucket of quick-drying concrete…”

Atlantis: The Palm, Dubai

2008-11-22T21:15:00.005-03:00

Atlantis The Palm, Dubai

“…Dubai is one of the United Arab Emirates, with beaches, year-round warm weather, and great infrastructure. Though only 1000 sq. miles in size Dubai lives large, with 5-star hotels, super-shopping status, and over-the-top attractions such as an indoor snow park… The Palm is one of Dubai's biggest ventures: "The Palm Jumeirah" is a man-made island in the shape of a graceful palm frond framed by a reef. The Palm is a project of the Crown Prince of Dubai, and adds almost 65 kilometres of new beachfront. Atlantis The Palm is in the centre of the crescent…”

Obama speech: 'Yes, we can change'

2008-11-04T23:52:00.003-03:00

Watch a thankful Obama after his primary win »

Thank you, South Carolina.

Thank you to the rock of my life, Michelle Obama.

Thank you to Malia and Sasha Obama, who haven't seen their daddy in a week.

Thank you to Pete Skidmore for his outstanding service to our country and being such a great supporter of this campaign.

Over two weeks ago, we saw the people of Iowa proclaim that our time for change has come. But there were those who doubted this country's desire for something new, who said Iowa was a fluke, not to be repeated again.

Well, tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina.

After four -- after four great contests, in every corner of this country, we have the most votes, the most delegates, and the most diverse coalition of Americans that we've seen in a long, long time.

You can see it in the faces here tonight. There are young and old, rich and poor. They are black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American.

They are Democrats from Des Moines and independents from Concord and, yes, some Republicans from rural Nevada. And we've got young people all across this country who have never had a reason to participate until now.

And in nine days, in nine short days, nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business as usual in Washington. We are hungry for change and we are ready to believe again.

But if there's anything, though, that we have been reminded of since Iowa, it's that the kind of change we seek will not come easy, partly because we have fine candidates in this race, fierce competitors who are worthy of our respect and our admiration.

And as contentious as this campaign may get, we have to remember that this is a contest for the Democratic nomination. And that all of us share an abiding desire to end the disastrous policies of the current administration.

But there are real differences between the candidates. We are looking for more than just a change of party in the White House. We're looking to fundamentally change the status quo in Washington.

It's a status quo that extends beyond any particular party and right now that status quo is fighting back with everything it's got, with the same old tactics that divide and distract us from solving the problems people face, whether those problems are health care that folks can't afford or a mortgage they cannot pay.

So this will not be easy. Make no mistake about what we're up against. We're up against the belief that it's all right for lobbyists to dominate our government, that they are just part of the system in Washington.

But we know that the undue influence of lobbyists is part of the problem and this election is our chance to say that we are not going to let them stand in our way anymore.

We're up against the conventional thinking that says your ability to lead as president comes from longevity in Washington or proximity to the White House. But we know that real leadership is about candor and judgment and the ability to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose, a higher purpose.

We're up against decades of bitter partisanship that cause politicians to demonize their opponents instead of coming together to make college affordable or energy cleaner. It's the kind of partisanship where you're not even allowed to say that a Republican had an idea, even if it's one you never agreed with.

That's the kind of politics that is bad for our party, it is bad for our country, and this is our chance to end it once and for all.

We're up against the idea that it's acceptable to say anything and do anything to win an election. But we know that this is exactly what's wrong with our politics. This is why people don't believe what their leaders say anymore. This is why they tune out. And this election is our chance to give the American people a reason to believe again.

But let me say this, South Carolina. What we've seen in these last weeks is that we're also up against forces that are not the fault of any one campaign, but feed the habits that prevent us from being who we want to be as a nation.

It's the politics that uses religion as a wedge and patriotism as a bludgeon, a politics that tells us that we have to think, act and even vote within the confines of the categories that supposedly define us, the assumption that young people are apathetic, the assumption that Republicans won't cross over, the assumption that the wealthy care nothing for the poor and that the poor don't vote, the assumption that African-Americans can't support the white candidate, whites can't support the African-American candidate, blacks and Latinos cannot come together.

We are here tonight to say that that is not the America we believe in.

I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina.

I saw crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children alike. I saw shuttered mills and homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from all walks of life and men and women of every color and creed who serve together and fight together and bleed together under the same proud flag.

I saw what America is and I believe in what this country can be. That is the country I see. That is the country you see. But now it is up to us to help the entire nation embrace this vision.

Because in the end, we're not just against the ingrained and destructive habits of Washington, we're also struggling with our own doubts, our own fears, our own cynicism.

The change we seek has always required great struggle and great sacrifice. And so this is a battle in our own hearts and minds about what kind of country we want and how hard we're willing to work for it.

So let me remind you tonight that change will not be easy. Change will take time. There will be setbacks and false starts and sometimes we'll make mistakes.

But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope, because there are people all across this great nation who are counting on us, who can't afford another four years without health care, that can't afford another four years without good schools, that can't afford another four years without decent wages because our leaders couldn't come together and get it done.

Theirs are the stories and voices we carry on from South Carolina. The mother who can't get Medicaid to cover all the needs of her sick child. She needs us to pass a health care plan that cuts costs and makes health care available and affordable for every single American. That's what she's looking for.

The teacher who works another shift at Dunkin' Donuts after school just to make ends meet, she needs us to reform our education system so that she gets better pay and more support and her students get the resources that they need to achieve their dreams.

The Maytag worker who's now competing with his own teenager for a $7 an hour job at the local Wal-Mart, because the factory he gave his life to shut its doors, he needs us to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship our jobs overseas and start putting them in the pockets of working Americans who deserve it and put them in the pockets of struggling homeowners who are having a tough time and looking after seniors who should retire with dignity and respect.

That woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since the day her nephew left for Iraq or the soldier who doesn't know his child because he's on his third or fourth or even fifth tour of duty, they need us to come together and put an end to a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged.

So understand this, South Carolina. The choice in this election is not between regions or religions or genders. It's not about rich vs. poor, young vs. old. And it is not about black vs. white.

This election is about the past vs. the future. It's about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today or whether we reach for a politics of common sense and innovation, a politics of shared sacrifice and shared prosperity.

There are those who will continue to tell us that we can't do this, that we can't have what we're looking for, that we can't have what we want, that we're peddling false hopes. But here is what I know. I know that when people say we can't overcome all the big money and influence in Washington, I think of that elderly woman who sent me a contribution the other day, an envelope that had a money order for $3.01 along with a verse of scripture tucked inside the envelope. So don't tell us change isn't possible. That woman knows change is possible.

When I hear the cynical talk that blacks and whites and Latinos can't join together and work together, I'm reminded of the Latino brothers and sisters I organized with and stood with and fought with side by side for jobs and justice on the streets of Chicago. So don't tell us change can't happen.

When I hear that we'll never overcome the racial divide in our politics, I think about that Republican woman who used to work for Strom Thurmond, who is now devoted to educating inner city-children and who went out into the streets of South Carolina and knocked on doors for this campaign. Don't tell me we can't change.

Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.

Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.

And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words -- yes, we can.

Via: CNN

UAE faces down financial Godzilla

2008-10-17T22:44:00.008-03:00

Three giant bridges to service the world's largest man-made island“…Dubai's master developer, Nakheel, has revealed that Deira Island Front at the base of Palm Deira will have three 12-lane bridges that will connect the island to mainland Deira. Nakheel also announced today that the construction and infrastructure works for Palm Deira are on schedule. A dedicated state-of-the-art sales centre set for the project will be completed in December and will have a grand opening at the beginning of 2009…”

Oil price slump 'unlikely to hurt UAE economic growth' “…Falling oil prices are unlikely to impact the UAE’s economic growth, the chief economist of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) said on Thursday, as oil traded at its lowest level in more than 15 months… Brent crude oil traded near $68.5 a barrel at 16:05 UAE time, down 3.3 percent from Wednesday, as traders continued to worry that a global recession could limit demand…”

Gulf states urged to act collectively “…Analysts say the guarantee was primarily a proactive move to reassure investors and dampen concerns about banking liquidity. While experts say most Gulf banks are well capitalised, some argue that collective action would boost confidence in the region, internally and externally, while also showing unity among governments that have plans to form a monetary union…”

UAE pumps $19 billion more emergency funds into banks “…The United Arab Emirates more than doubled its emergency bank funding plan to 120 billion dirhams ($32.67 billion) on Tuesday as Gulf Arab states stepped up moves to combat the global financial crisis… But the Gulf Arab state left bankers guessing about how it would employ the 70 billion dirhams ($19 billion) of new cash -- the biggest Gulf cash intervention to date -- after the UAE central bank opened a 50 billion dirham emergency lending facility last month…”

UAE faces down financial Godzilla “…US economist Nouriel Roubini, whose bearish predictions on the US economy have turned out to be eerily prophetic, is now predicting a global recession, with losses to financial institutions exceeding US$3 trillion (Dh11.02 trillion). So far, we’re only up to $637 billion in reported losses, which may provide some inkling of how much pain we’re still in for… Because of this, the western financial system is now being partially nationalised. The terms vary, but essentially Europe, the UK and the US are using taxpayers’ money to buy up huge chunks of their respective banking systems to keep them alive. For taxpayers, the upside is that pay cheques will continue to arrive and the corner ATM will continue to spit out cash...”

Burj Dubai, tallest building in the world

2008-08-23T21:51:00.005-04:00

Dubai growth

2008-08-14T00:09:00.013-04:00

Dubai boosts GCC’s emergence as a prominent region in the global financial industry “…With its rapid growth as a financial centre, Dubai is boosting the emergence of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region as a prominent centre of activity in the global financial industry, according to a study undertaken by UK-based global research organisation Chatham House… The study titled ‘The Gulf as a Global Financial Centre: Growing Opportunities and International Influence’ examines the prospects for the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the potential development of the region as a Global Financial Centre…”

The Dubai Mall unveils retail world's most sophisticated multimedia systems
“…The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest shopping and entertainment destinations, has unveiled the retail world's most sophisticated multimedia systems ever installed in a shopping mall. Building on the premise of assuring total 'shopper-tainment', visitors are taken on a visual journey as a combination of dynamic and static images are displayed throughout the mall in a colourful array of shapes, sizes and formats… A key feature of the integrated multimedia network is the ability to capture 'moments of exclusivity' - a single image projected across the entire mall that will ensure total visitor attention. These moments could include displays of live shark feeds to brand launches telecast across the entire network to provide mall-wide entertainment to visitors simultaneously… Displays notable for their size and visual impact include a full 20m x 10m high-definition LED display overlooking the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink, a fully retractable LED-clad catwalk in Fashion Avenue and the 22m wide Treasury Dome in the world's largest indoor Gold Souk capable of projecting images similar to a planetarium format…”

Balfour Beatty boosted by Dubai growth
“…Balfour Beatty, the UK's biggest infrastructure firm, has reported a 25pc leap in first-half profits due to "spectacular growth in Dubai"… The company, which is building the world's largest shopping centre in Dubai's Burj tower, reported pre-tax profits of £95m in the six months to the end of June, up from £76m in the same period last year. The order book also increased to £12.2bn, up 14pc from last year… Chief executive Ian Tyler said he was confident a series of projects for the London 2012 Olympics, including the building of the flagship aquatics centre, will help the company through the economic downturn…”

Balfour Net Rises 77% on U.S. Military, Dubai Orders
“… Balfour Beatty Plc, Britain's biggest builder, said first-half profit rose 77 percent as a U.S. acquisition boosted military housing orders and it won civil engineering and maintenance contracts in Dubai... Net income advanced to 106 million pounds ($201 million), or 23.9 pence a share, from 60 million pounds, or 13.9 pence, a year earlier, the London-based company said today in a statement. Revenue gained 32 percent to 3.79 billion pounds… Balfour plans to tap rising demand for public infrastructure and maintenance work to offset a possible commercial construction slowdown in the U.S. and Europe. The builder receives 80 percent of its sales from state or government-regulated industries such as water and power, limiting the effect of an economic slowdown, Chief Executive Officer Ian Tyler said today in an interview…”

Dubai airport posts robust traffic
“…Dubai International Airport has witnessed the busiest period in its history with 18.46 million passengers - more than 3.5 times Dubai's population - travelling through in the first half of 2008 alone, a 13.8 per cent growth from the first half of 2007… In 2007, Dubai International was already the world's fastest growing airport with 34.34 million passengers… In the first half of this year, the airport handled an average of three million passengers a month, or 100,000 every day, Dubai International said in an e-mailed statement…”

Lo de Evo fue paliza...

2008-08-12T01:36:00.002-04:00

Burj Dubai

2008-07-06T22:54:00.008-04:00

Emaar increases height of Burj Dubai; completion in September 2009

“…Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building being developed by Emaar Properties PJSC, will be taller than previously envisaged, with height enhancement work already in progress. Construction of the two communication floors is ongoing and structural steel work has started. The final height of Burj Dubai will be revealed only on its completion in September 2009… Alongside height enhancement, Burj Dubai is also upgrading its interior finishes. International designers from California had been revisiting the designs to make the residences more attractive and functionally superior. The redesign process, undertaken over the past three months, has been completed, with the emphasis on top-notch quality standards...”

New Dubai Skyscraper Will Shift Shape Dynamically

“…A new and bizarre building is coming to the skyscraper bejeweled landscape of Dubai. In Dubai, home to one of the world's most impressive skylines and many of the world's tallest skyscrapers (Emirates Towers, the Burj Dubai, the Palm Islands and the world's tallest, and most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab), big buildings are not unusual. However, the dynamic tower is anything but your average big building… Architects from the New York-based architect David Fisher's Dynamic Group have announced plans for the new tower in Dubai. The tower will be 420 m tall at its time of completion making it among the tallest projects in the world it will also be 80 stories tall…”

Emaar brings world-class light, music spectacle to Burj Dubai

“…Emaar Properties has unveiled a world-class permanent water fountain with an integral light and sound show in Downtown Burj Dubai… This new iconic feature is set to be a global water-engineering marvel and will be one of the city’s major tourist attractions, expected to draw over 10 million visitors annually… The fountain in Burj Dubai Lake will be Dubai’s complement to the world’s elegant water fountains. The total development value of the Burj Dubai Lake, the fountain and its advanced filtrations systems is Dh800 million ($218 million)…”

Bienvenidos al Antropoceno

“…Aunque ningún periódico norteamericano o europeo haya publicado todavía su obituario científico, lo cierto es que nuestro mundo, el viejo mundo en el que hemos habitado los últimos 12.000 años, se acabó... El pasado febrero, mientras las grúas subían la cubierta del piso 141 de la Torre Burj de Dubai (que pronto alcanzará una altura el doble que la del Empire State Building), la Comisión de Estratigrafía de la Sociedad Geológica de Londres registraba la última y más alta capa histórica de la columna geológica… La Sociedad Geológica londinense es la más veterana asociación de científicos de la Tierra –se fundó en 1807— y su Comisión actúa como un colegio de cardenales en el registro de la escala temporal geológica. Los estratígrafos rebanan la historia de la tierra tal como está conservada en estratos sedimentarios, jerarquizándola en eones, eras, períodos y épocas marcados por "picos áureos" de extinciones masivas, procesos súbitos de especiación y bruscas alteraciones de la química atmosférica…” (Seguir leyendo)

Apocalypse now

“…Our world, our old world that we have inhabited for the last 12,000 years, has ended, even if no newspaper in North America or Europe has yet printed its scientific obituary… This February, while cranes were hoisting cladding to the 141st floor of the Burj Dubai tower (which will soon be twice the height of the Empire State Building), the Stratigraphy Commission of the Geological Society of London was adding the newest and highest story to the geological column… The London Society is the world's oldest association of Earth scientists, founded in 1807, and its Commission acts as a college of cardinals in the adjudication of the geological time-scale. Stratigraphers slice up Earth's history as preserved in sedimentary strata into hierarchies of eons, eras, periods, and epochs marked by the "golden spikes" of mass extinctions, speciation events, and abrupt changes in atmospheric chemistry…”

The Palm Jumeirah

2008-06-05T21:51:00.004-04:00

Burj Dubai

2008-06-04T01:12:00.013-04:00

La Erupción del Volcán Chaitén / Volcano Chaiten Eruption

2008-05-08T22:01:00.017-04:00

CHAITEN Southern Chile 42.833°S, 72.646°W; summit elev. 1122 m

SERNAGEOMIN reported that Chaitén erupted on 2 May, following increased seismicity in the region the day before. A pulsating white to gray ash plume rose to an estimated altitude greater than 21 km (68,900 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SSE. The Alert Level was raised to Red. Based on observations of satellite imagery and pilot reports, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported an ash plume at altitudes of 13.7-16.8 km (45,000-55,000 ft) a.s.l. drifted NE. According to news articles, Chile's government declared a state of emergency on 2 May and several hundred people were evacuated from the town of Chaitén (10 km SE). The eruption was initially thought to have been from Minchinmávida, about 17 km ENE, which last erupted in 1835.

According to news sources, ashfall was reported during 2-6 May both locally and up to hundreds of kilometers away, affecting water supplies and roads. Based on observations of satellite imagery and pilot reports, the Buenos Aires VAAC reported that during 3-6 May ash plume rose to altitudes of 7-10.7 km (23,000-35,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted SE, E, W, and NE. News sources indicated that about 4,000-5,000 people were evacuated from the town of Chaitén and surrounding areas as the eruption continued. On 5 May, ONEMI (Oficina Nacional de Emergencia - Ministerio del Interior) reported that evacuations took place in Futaleufú, about 65 km ESE, where about 30 cm of ash accumulated. One elderly person died during the evacuation efforts. On 6 May, ONEMI and SERNAGEOMIN reported that the eruption became more forceful and generated a wider and darker gray ash plume to an estimated altitude of 30 km (98,400 ft) a.s.l. All remaining people in Chaitén were ordered to evacuate, as well as anyone within 50 km of the volcano.

Geologic Summary. Chaitén is a small, glacier-free caldera with a Holocene lava dome located 10 km NE of the town of Chaitén on the Gulf of Corcovado. A pyroclastic-surge and pumice deposit considered to originate from the eruption that formed the elliptical 2.5 x 4 km wide summit caldera was dated at about 9400 years ago. A rhyolitic, 962-m-high obsidian lava dome occupies much of the caldera floor. Obsidian cobbles from this dome found in the Blanco River are the source of prehistorical artifacts from archaeological sites along the Pacific coast as far as 400 km away from the volcano to the north and south. The caldera is breached on the SW side by a river that drains to the bay of Chaitén, and the high point on its southern rim reaches 1122 m. Two small lakes occupy the caldera floor on the west and north sides of the lava dome.

Map

Sources: Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (SERNAGEOMIN), Oficina Nacional de Emergencia - Ministerio del Interior (ONEMI), Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Associated Press, Agence France-Presse
Chaitén Information from the Global Volcanism Program

Chaitén is a small, glacier-free caldera with a Holocene lava dome located 10 km NE of the town of Chaitén on the Gulf of Corcovado. A pyroclastic-surge and pumice layer that was considered to originate from the eruption that formed the ellipitical 2.5 x 4 km wide summit caldera was dated at about 9400 years ago. A rhyolitic, 962-m-high obsidian lava dome occupies much of the caldera floor. Obsidian cobbles from this dome found in the Blanco River are the source of prehistorical artifacts from archaeological sites along the Pacific coast as far as 400 km away from the volcano to the north and south. The caldera is breached on the SW side by a river that drains to the bay of Chaitén, and the high point on its southern rim reaches 1122 m. Two small lakes occupy the caldera floor on the west and north sides of the lava dome. (Source: Global Volcanism Program)

The taller towers of tomorrow

2008-04-28T20:15:00.018-04:00

The taller towers of tomorrow
“…The world has a new tallest building. Last week it was announced that, rising above the desert coast of the Persian Gulf, the Burj Dubai became taller than any other structure on the planet. And it's not even due to stop climbing until 2009. According to a press release issued by its developers, Burj Dubai currently stands at 629 meters, at least one meter taller than the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, which has held the mantle of world's tallest structure on and off since 1963. Burj Dubai is already taller than the CN Tower (553.33m), the tallest free-standing structure in the world and Taipei 101 (508m), the world's tallest building which has floors throughout… The exact final height of the Burj Dubai is a closely guarded secret, anything between 700m and 818m (the latter making it roughly twice the height of the Empire State Building) is reported. It is also reported that its total number of habitable floors will be around 162. The arrival of the Burj Dubai, moreover, heralds a new age of skyscraper design that promises to rival the astonishing rise of 20th-century American cities…”

Emaar releases Burj units for sale
“…Emaar Properties will release further residential and commercial units in its $20 billion Downtown Burj Dubai for sale on Saturday, the developer announced on Thursday… When Emaar released properties in the flagship project in February, over 300 people queued for hours outside the Burj Dubai sales centre, desperate to purchase units in the project… Many were armed with cheque books and passports, keen to snap up anything they could… Some buyers were thought to have paid nearly 8 million dirhams ($2.18 million) for one bedroom apartments in the Burj itself, and over 2 million dirhams for one bedroom apartments in Downtown Burj Dubai…”

Scandals in Dubai Cast a Cloud
“…This city-state's real-estate market is booming. Massive building projects scrape the sky. Sales and rental prices appear buoyant as investments flow in from other oil-rich Persian Gulf states, the former Soviet Union, India and Iran… But a series of legal tussles and property-related scandals could dent foreign-investor confidence and tarnish the business-friendly reputation the government has tried so hard to burnish… Earlier this month, the chief executive of one of Dubai's largest publicly traded developers was jailed. And two disputes involving European and U.S. investors have raised concerns about Dubai's regulatory and legal safeguards…”

Dubai Beckons Korean Venture Expertise
“…Last Tuesday, a group of 20-odd CEOs of Korean IT and medical venture firms viewed a desolate desert along the western coast of Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates. Though only one road has been built there so far, this is the proposed site of the Dubai Techno Park, the first high-tech industrial estate in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)… "Nearby this location is the world's eighth largest port and the proposed site of an airport," explained a senior local executive to the Korean visitors. "The building site will be rent free for 15 years. Not only power and water but also cooling will be supplied at low cost. No corporate or income tax will be levied at all. Foreign investors may own 100 percent of equity, remit all their earnings, and face no employment restrictions. There exists no other such excellent business lot in the world." Why is Dubai, where the wealth of the Middle East and much of the rest of the world is said to be gathering, so eager to attract Korean venture firms?...”

Dubai Maritime City showcases its Green Building best practices to Nobel Prize winner
“…Dubai Maritime City received on Sunday (April 27th, 2008) Dr. Rajendra K Pachauri, Chief Executive of The Energy and Resources Institute, and the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner for his work in environmental protection. The meeting was focused on showcasing Dubai Maritime City’s strategies on green buildings, environmental protection and sustainable development. Dr. Pachauri was in Dubai to attend the launch of ETA Star’s tower in Dubai Maritime City… According to Dubai Maritime City’s Master Plan, all developers must obtain green building certification under the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). In addition, all buildings in the Maritime City will be reviewed to asses the degree of compliance with the environmental requirements in terms of design, operations and best practices. This is in line with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, issued to all builders in Dubai mandating that all new buildings in Dubai should follow these principles…”

Luxury property: the Dubai resorts selling Versace-designed flats
“…You’ve got the handbag, the sunglasses and a wardrobe full of the designer clothes. You might even own a piece from the furniture range. But would you want to live in a home entirely designed and branded by Versace? That’s what the fashion house is hoping. It will open a hotel in Dubai in June next year, with 169 private flats attached – every inch of which will be designed and furnished by Versace, down to the £175 dinner plates... Palazzo Versace Dubai, one of what the group hopes will eventually be 16 branded resorts around the world, is ostentation on the highest scale, inspired by Gianni Versace, the fashion house’s late founder, who once declared: “I don’t want to dress people, I want to dress the environment people live in…”

Abu Dhabi a 'better buy' than Dubai
“…Abu Dhabi is playing catch-up with Dubai, having embarked on major reforms in property ownership some three years after its sister city. But the population of the UAE capital is set to rise from 930,000 in 2007 to 1.3 million in 2013 and two million in 2020, according to new research from Strutt & Parker… Since 2004 more than $130bn worth of real estate projects have been announced. And the figures provided by Strutt & Parker project huge growth in each major property segment in Abu Dhabi… Office space will double to 2.7 million square metres by 2013 and rise to 4.5 million by 2020. Retail space will soar from 860,000 square metres today to 2.8 million by 2013 and 4.7 million by 2020…”

Dubai turns sand into fantasyland
“…Curtis Hegge doesn't usually speak strictly in superlatives. But that was before the 30-year-old moved to Dubai seven months ago… Now the Calgarian, who is living and working in Dubai, claims this degree of grammatical comparison is the only way to describe the mojo of Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, and his grand architectural scheme: to turn this tiny patch of parched land in the Middle East into the world's biggest and boldest tourist fantasyland, luring 15 million visitors a year by 2010… Perhaps not coincidentally, Dubai's known oil reserves will most likely be tapped out by that year… Hegge isn't fussed about the timing… "It's a virtual Mecca. The scale and volume of options for tourists are mind-blowing, and the service you get, no matter where you go, makes you believe you're an Arab prince," he enthuses…”

Fernando Lugo nuevo Presidente de Paraguay

2008-04-20T20:53:00.005-04:00

Con cerca del 90% de las mesas escrutadas y una participación electoral histórica de 65%, el ex obispo Fernando Lugo candidato de la Alianza Patriótica para el Cambio obtuvo 41% de la votación consolidando una ventaja irremontable de 10% sobre su más cercana rival, la candidata oficialista Blanca Ovelar. El presidente electo asumirá oficialmente sus funciones el próximo 15 de agosto clausurando un ciclo de 60 años de gobierno del Partido Colorado.

Elecciones Presidenciales en Paraguay

2008-04-15T23:26:00.008-04:00

Lugo es favorito en Paraguay, pero hay dudas
“…El candidato presidencial opositor Fernando Lugo es favorito para las elecciones presidenciales en Paraguay, según todas las encuestas, pero aún así una parte de la población cree que puede perder, por la capacidad organizativa y el manejo del aparato estatal en manos del Partido Colorado, en el poder… La última encuesta sobre intención de voto conocida es la del diario Ultima Hora, que le dio Lugo 34,5 por ciento de las preferencias, contra 28,9 al general retirado Lino Oviedo y 28,5 de la candidata colorada, Blanca Ovelar… El 6 por ciento es la misma diferencia que también el diario ABC Color, el de mayor venta en el país, le adjudicó a Lugo en una encuesta publicada el 4 de abril, con 34 por ciento para el opositor y 27,4 a Blanca Ovelar, Oviedo apareció en el tercer lugar, con 24,6 por ciento… Sin embargo, pese a estas y otras ventajas anteriores de Lugo en las encuestas, Ultima Hora publicó otro sondeo en el que 41 por ciento cree que la ganadora de las elecciones será Blanca Ovelar, mientras 36 por ciento estimó que será Lugo y 17 por ciento que ganará Oviedo…”

Acusaciones cruzadas y golpes bajos en Paraguay a cinco días de elecciones
“…Acusaciones mutuas de corrupción y golpes bajos se multiplican este martes en Paraguay a cinco días de una elección en la que el Partido Colorado ve amenazados sus 60 años en el poder, y el presidente Nicanor Duarte llegó a denunciar a "agitadores" venidos de Ecuador y Venezuela… "Agitadores de Venezuela y Ecuador vinieron y están alojados en hoteles céntricos para enturbiar las elecciones", denunció Duarte a una radio local… "Plantean quemar propiedades, estaciones de servicio y otros recursos para perturbar la paz social. El responsable de la violencia y la muerte va a ser Fernando Lugo y su camarilla de delincuentes y secuestradores", señaló… Los rivales del ex obispo izquierdista Fernando Lugo -candidato favorito según las encuestas- afirman que recibe apoyo de los presidentes Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia) y Rafael Correa (Ecuador)…”

Lugo califica de "guerra sucia" campaña publicitaria de Mirtha Gusinsky
“…El candidato presidencial de la Alianza Patriótica para el Cambio (APC), Fernando Lugo, calificó ayer de "guerra sucia" a la campaña publicitaria que encabeza Mirtha Gusisnky que lo vincula al secuestro y asesinato de su hija, Cecilia Cubas… "Creo que a la gente no se le engaña con una guerra sucia, por eso seguimos, a pesar de esta guerra sucia, seguimos fuertes, punteando todas las encuestas. La ciudadanía es inteligente y creo que no se deja embaucar ni impresionar por ningún tipo de acusaciones que faltan a la verdad, que forman parte de la calumnia y de la destrucción de imagen que fueron parte, lastimosamente, de la política paraguaya", aseguró Lugo durante una gira por el Chaco central…”

Burj Dubai 2008

2008-04-01T00:36:00.015-04:00

Las monarquías del Golfo quieren tener la torre más alta del mundo
“…Impulsadas por unos ingresos colosales generados por la subida de los precios del crudo y ávidas de récords, las monarquías petroleras del Golfo rivalizan a base de miles de millones de dólares para construir la torre más alta del mundo.
Arabia Saudí, que encierra en su subsuelo una cuarta parte de las reservas mundiales de petróleo, se ha sumado a la batalla con un proyecto de construcción de una torre de una milla de altura (1.609 metros) en Yeda, su capital económica en el Mar Rojo, según la revista especializada Middle East Economic Digest (MEED). Este proyecto sobrepasaría todos los proyectos similares en el Golfo.
Basada en Riad, la firma Kingdom Holding, controlada por el príncipe Al Walid Ibn Talal, millonario saudí y una de las mayores fortunas del mundo, parece que proyecta convocar concursos de aquí a julio para la construcción de la torre. A pesar del secreto que rodea al proyecto, MEED cree saber que la firma saudí Omrania fue designada como arquitecta y el gigante norteamericano Bechtel fue elegido para dirigir la construcción de esta torre, que se llama ya 'Mile-High Tower' y podría alcanzar un coste de 10.000 millones de dólares…”

Dubai Cup: lujo, contraste y cuatro millones al ganador
“…Sentado en el palco de la suite real del hipódromo de Nad Al Sheba, que es abatible en dirección al hipódromo, el emir de Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, presenció el sábado con admiración cómo el jockey estadounidense Robby Albarado condujo a Curlin a la victoria en la Dubai World Cup, una carrera de 2.000 metros, sobre tierra, que se comenzó a disputar en 1996.
Un jinete prodigioso sobre un caballo de tres años que, dicen, es el mejor del mundo en estos momentos. El mejor jinete, el mejor caballo y la carrera más rica. Combinación perfecta. Por cierto, un caballo español, Doctor Dino, fue tercero en la Dubai Sheema Classic.
Curlin y Albarado se llevaron una recompensa de seis millones de dólares, unos cuatro millones de euros. El mayor premio que se concede en el mundo en una competición hípica. Una fortuna que es una menudencia para el emir de Dubai, uno de los hombres más ricos del mundo, cuyas arcas se nutren del cada vez más caro petróleo…”

Dubai tendrá gigante ciudad cultural, con decenas teatros, museos y galerías
“…El emirato de Dubai, que ha conseguido convertirse en un centro de atracción turística y comercial, ahora aspira a serlo en el ámbito cultural con un gigantesco proyecto que incluirá más de 70 instituciones culturales.
El proyecto, según informan hoy los medios de comunicación locales, será construido sobre una superficie de 20 kilómetros cuadrados e incluirá 10 museos, siete bibliotecas, once galerías de arte y 14 teatros, además de una casa de la Opera, entre otras.Las fuentes, que no dieron a conocer el coste del proyecto, indicaron que será establecido en el área de Jor Dubai, y que entre los museos habrá uno que relatará la vida y las costumbres del profeta Mahoma, y otros de arte contemporáneo.'Jor Dubai será un área de naturaleza única, en la que se podrán ver diferentes culturas, literaturas y arte mundial del pasado y del presente', dijo el gobernante de Dubai y primer ministro de los Emiratos Arabes Unidos (EAU), jeque Mohamad bin Rached, tras poner ayer la primera piedra del proyecto, según informa el diario 'Khaleej Times' en su página web…”

The Supertower
“…It is estimated that London will need to provide housing for almost 100 000 new people every year upto 2016. This is the result not only of migration (internal and global) but also the need to replace existing housing stock that is reaching the end of its lifecycle.
The preferred method of dealing with housing need, and the one most likely to be employed in the near future, is to build low density commuter towns outside the metropolis. This method takes up a tremendous amount of valuable greenbelt or agricultural land and seems ever more inappropriate in the context of the need for a sustainable society.
This is in spite of London being actually one of the least dense major cities in the world. London's population density is five times less than Paris, half as much as New York and only marginally greater than that of Los Angeles. In fact just 13.5% of land in London is covered by buildings...”

'Brilliant minds' convene for Dubai innovation summit
“…Designed to foster innovation, development and peace in emerging nations, 2008 WSIE is organized by the Global Leadership Team (GLT) and exclusively presented by Nakheel; one of the world's largest real estate developers and part of Dubai World. More than 800 attendees are expected over the three days of innovation theatres, interactive workshops and thematic experiences to build a foundation for increased innovation. 'Our goal is to inspire collaboration among leaders from all walks of life to use innovation as the catalyst for development and peace worldwide,' said Sam Hamdan, Chairman & Chief Strategist for the Global Leadership Team and the Architect of the WSIE…”

Microsoft and Emirates to set up Innovation Lab in Dubai
“…Dubai: Microsoft and Emirates said yesterday they would set up an Innovation Lab in Dubai to develop products and services for the travel industry using Microsoft's technologies and tapping Emirates' expertise and experience in developing IT solutions for the aviation and travel industry.
Both companies will invest in the project.
Microsoft will work with Emirates experts in the Dubai Innovation Lab, which will be among the first of its kind for both companies in this field. The lab will enable Emirates' IT division, Mercator, to incubate and develop creative solutions for airline and travel customers around the world, including Emirates. Mercator's IT solutions are used by more than 50 airlines globally.
Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Group, and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding outlining the project in Dubai…”

Burj Dubai set to influence generations of architects

2008-03-04T23:44:00.016-03:00

Burj Dubai set to influence generations of architects
“…Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, will influence and inspire future generations of architects and engineers, said Mr Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties… Mr Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties said: 'When Burj Dubai was first planned, it was to be a 90-storey structure, but Sheikh Mohammed asked us, 'Why stop there?'' Alabbar said. 'As Dubai and its economy expand, as our achievements grow, we must constantly ask ourselves: 'Why stop there?' Sheikh Mohammed has inspired us to dare, to dream and to achieve what would once have been considered impossible. With Dubai playing a leading role, Alabbar said, the Middle East has the potential to reclaim its age-old role as a global source of scientific and engineering innovation, a fact underscored by the vastly sophisticated building rising from Dubai's desert sands. In every aspect of Burj Dubai, there is a new set of learning. No one has ever tried to construct a building like this. This learning will be vital for the next generation of enterprising individuals…”

City on the Gulf: Koolhaas Lays Out a Grand Urban Experiment in Dubai
“…It has been 12 years since the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas unleashed his concept of “the generic city,” a sprawling metropolis of repetitive buildings centered on an airport and inhabited by a tribe of global nomads with few local loyalties. His argument was that in its profound sameness, the generic city was a more accurate reflection of contemporary urban reality than nostalgic visions of New York or Paris…”

Burj Dubai hit by four-month delay
“…Emaar Properties' Burj Dubai is four months behind schedule and may now not be finished by the end of this year as originally planned, it has been revealed… Emaar Chairman Mohamed Alabbar said on Tuesday the world's tallest structure would not be finished on time, without giving further details as to the reason for the delay… Emaar said last month construction on the tower had been stepped up to meet an "accelerated schedule", without giving further details… An Emaar official said in July the Burj Dubai would open sometime before Christmas this year, which means the tower may not now be finished until spring 2009… Work on the Burj Dubai was delayed in November when around 40,000 labourers employed by Arabtec, one of the construction companies working on the project, went on strike for a week over pay and conditions…”

Dubai's Monstrosities: Still Scheduled for Completion
“…With last week's announcement of Busch's four-park deal in Dubai -- they'll be running a Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica water park -- it's worth revisiting what's been going on with all the developments we've covered in Dubai before. And there are plenty of new schemes in the offing as well. Someone somewhere really should maintain an obsessive blog about what's popping in Dubai real estate (hello Curbed?), but failing that, here's a roundup of some of the biggest, weirdest, and most expensive skyscrapers and manufactured metropoli in Dubai and environs. Not comprehensive by any means, because I have a life, you know?...”

All that Glitters
“…In the late 1990s, as Dubai experienced unprecedented economic growth due to being in control of the world’s third-largest oil reserves, hordes of Russian tourists followed. Some would get so taken by the region’s growing business opportunities and relaxed visa policies that they decided to move there. Others invested in the Emirates’ booming enterprises or bought real estate. Today, as the data from the Russian Federation Consulate in Dubai indicates, about 10,000 Russians reside in Dubai permanently, and more than 800,000 visit the Emirate each year. Four airlines—Aeroflot, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Emirates—fly there several times a week in addition to four weekly charter flights…”

The Palm Jumeirah

2008-01-25T23:32:00.000-03:00

Project updates: The Palm Trilogy
“…The first residents began moving into The Palm Jumeirah at the end of 2006 and now more than 1,500 homes have been handed over. The Palm Jumeirah’s villas and apartments sold out within days of launch and now yield average premiums of 70-120%. Over the next three to four years, Nakheel will transform The Palm Jumeirah into one of the world’s premier resorts with an average of 25,000 hotel guests and 20,000 visitors a day. There will be 30 five star hotels including Atlantis and Trump Tower, luxury marinas, and a purpose built theatre for Cirque du Soleil. The QE2 will also be located off The Palm Jumeirah…” (more…)

Burj Dubai

2008-01-15T22:39:00.000-03:00

“Burj Dubai” ya tiene 598 metros y sigue creciendo
“…La “Burj Dubai” (Torre de Dubai), construida en el emirato árabe del mismo nombre, se ha convertido a principios de año en el edificio más alto del mundo, pues llegó a alcanzar 598 metros de altura… “Burj Dubai”, que ahora cuenta con 158 plantas, ha superado así la torre de oficinas Taipei, en Taiwan, y la CN Tower de Toronto (Canadá), de 509 y 553 metros, respectivamente…”

Luxury, and lots more
“…United Arab Emirates - The palace chefs were serving goat brains on the buffet for President Bush's arrival here… Traditions die hard in this oil-rich outpost on the Persian Gulf where nearly 100 billion barrels of oil reserves and more than 300 trillion cubic feet of natural gas fuel a building boom like few others… Cranes line the cityscape, an edgy show of jutting skyscrapers where they are erecting the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai, and already have built the world's tallest atrium, the soaring core of the gleaming white 28-story Burj Al Arab hotel erected in the shape of a billowing sail of an Arabian dhow…”

Aladino se quedó sin la lámpara: ¡Ya se habla de la quiebra de Dubai!
“…En 1587, el mercader veneciano de perlas Gaspero Balbi mencionó el nombre de Dubai como uno de los lugares donde trabajaban los venecianos, buceando en busca de perlas. En 1833, la dinastía Al Maktoum de la tribu Bani Yas abandonó el asentamiento de Abu Dhabi y se hizo con el control de la ciudad de Dubai "sin resistencia". En 1835, Dubai se sometió al protectorado del Reino Unido. En 1966, Dubai descubrió petróleo a 120 kilómetros de la costa de Dubai. ¿En 2010 quebrará el emirato?..”

Stay at Dubai's Newest Palace
“…Even in the Middle East, few hotels can pull off a thorough "1001 Arabian Nights" feel. The Palace Hotel at Dubai's Old Town, just months into operation, does it with flair… That flair is in the form of the Burj Dubai, a tower modeled on a desert plant and widely credited as the tallest building in the world. Rising next door to the hotel, the Burj can be seen through any lobby window and from any perch at the hotel pool…”

Arquitectos españoles en el desierto
“…Entre las arenas de los desiertos cercanos a Dubai y Libia crece un nuevo mundo, un mundo arquitectónico de otra era, aunque real. Un planeta en el que, al margen de la popularidad de las firmas-estrella, cuentan, también, las propuestas. Y es esa atención al proyecto, por encima de su autor, lo que ha abierto la puerta a varios estudios españoles… En opinión del cordobés Rafael de la Hoz, autor del Distrito C de Telefónica en Madrid y de un proyecto de nueve torres residenciales de 20 plantas cada una al sur de Dubai, ha sido Internet lo que ha hecho posible que ellos trabajen en el desierto. "La información que circula por Internet está transformando el mundo. Gracias a ella, nos invitaron a participar en concursos en Dubai. Y aunque no ganamos los primeros, conocimos a gente. Pusimos un primer pie"…”

Dubai – Reputation subsidence
“…Migrant builders continue to suffer abuse in Dubai, but some foreign firms are raising labour standards… The walk-out of 34,000 migrant labourers working on the Burj Dubai tower in November was not the first strike to rock the world’s biggest skyscraper. But it was the largest. The workers – mainly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh – were demanding a two-thirds pay rise to £158 a month in a country where unions, and strikes, are banned…”

Palm Jumeirah

2008-01-13T00:14:00.001-03:00

Sir Edmund Hillary, 1919 - 2008

2008-01-10T23:51:00.000-03:00

"Because it is there"
George Mallory (1886-1924), answer to the question 'Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?

* Hillary announcing to his climbing companions that he and Tenzing had reached Everest's summit:

"We knocked the bastard off."

* On life's inner challenges:

"It is not the mountains that we conquer, but ourselves."

* On the motivation for climbing mountains:

"Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it."

* On what is attainable by Everyman:

"You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things -- to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals."

"..My dreams were almost all adventurous dreams. I was not lonely, but I didn't really have many friends, and I used to go on long walks. I was a very keen walker and, as I walked along the roads and tracks around this countryside area, I'd be dreaming. My mind would be miles away and I would be slashing villains with swords and capturing beautiful maidens and doing all sorts of heroic things, just purely in my dreams. I used to love to walk for hours and hours and my mind would be far away in all sorts of heroic efforts..."

* On the changes fame brings:

"I used to walk down Broadway, Papakura, in my tattered overalls and the seat out of my pants. Now, I thought 'That's gone forever. I'll have to buy a new pair of overalls now'."

"The highest of the world's mountains, it seems, has to make but a single gesture of magnificence to be the lord of all, vast in unchallenged and isolated supremacy."
George Mallory, 1924

"I have climbed my mountain ,but I must still live my life"
Tenzing Norgay

* On his reasons for establishing his humanitarian project, the Himalayan Trust, to assist the impoverished in Nepal:

"It is impossible not to see that they lack all the things that we regard as essential in life. They don't have schools and they don't have any medical care or anything of this nature. And I suddenly decided that instead of just talking about it - why didn't I try and do something about it."

Om Mani Padme Hum

Barack Obama & the “Bradley Effect”

2008-01-09T14:24:00.000-03:00

“Bradley Effect is the difference between the number of people who vote for a black candidate and those who say they will or would”

The Bradley Effect
“…As black candidates reaching out to largely white constituencies have discovered in the past, when it comes to measuring political popularity there are lies, damned lies—and polls, on which they rest their fate at their peril.

The phenomenon was first widely noted in 1982, when Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley lost a squeaker of a race for governor after being widely projected as the winner. Douglas Wilder also came up against the "Bradley Effect" when he barely won the 1989 contest for governor of Virginia, after leading comfortably in the polls.

Ronald Walters of the university of Maryland was at wilder's hotel as a projected easy victory turned into a nail-biter. That is a night "i'll never forget," says Walters, who thinks it "naive" to believe that things have changed very much. He believes that some percentage of whites—perhaps 5 percent or so, intent on being seen as less biased than they may be—will claim to support a nonwhite candidate when they actually do not.

Other political observers think the effect may have diminished over time. "We may be seeing the turning of this," says Ed Sarpolus, vice president of EPIC-MRA, a Michigan-based polling firm…” (MORE)

Is "Bradley effect" behind the Clinton surge?
“…Does Hillary Clinton’s unexpectedly strong showing in New Hampshire tonight mean that the racially charged Bradley effect” is still hanging around in American politics?

The “Bradley effect” is the name that some political pundits gave to what was a disturbing pattern in elections in the 1980s and beyond: White voters telling pollsters they supported a black candidate, and then voting for a white politician in the privacy of the voting booth.

It was named for former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley (pictured at top), who ran for governor of California in 1982 and built a comfortable lead in every polls over his Republican rival George Deukmejian, only to lose on Election Day. Likewise, Virginia gubernatorial candidate Douglas Wilder led the final polls in 1989 by nine points, and just barely won…” (MORE)

Did "the bradley Effect" beat Obama in New Hampshire?
“…Barack Obama was supposed to win New Hampshire big. The polls going into Tuesday's New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary had him running ahead of Hillary Clinton by seven points, eight points, nine points, even thirteen points.

Yet, when the returns came in on Tuesday night, Obama lost by three points to fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Were the polls flawed?

Was there a dramatic shift at the last moment?

Or was it just another instance of "The Bradley Effect"?

The Bradley Effect refers to an electoral phenomenon first identified in the 1982 California gubernatorial election.

Tom Bradley, the popular mayor of Los Angeles, was the Democratic nominee for governor. Polls showed the African-American Democrat running well ahead of white Republican candidate George Deukmejian. Yet, when the votes were counted, Bradley lost by more than 50,000 votes...” (MORE)

Did Obama "Supporters" Lie?
“…Judging by this morning’s headlines, just about everyone was confident that Barack Obama was going to win the New Hampshire primary by a comfortable margin. “Clinton braces for second loss; union, senators may back Obama,” the wall street journal declared on today’s front page. At 8:07 p.m., foxnews.com reported that its exit polls showed Obama ahead by five points, 39 percent to Clinton’s 34 percent.

But now Clinton leads. This sort of jarring of our expectations conjures up past examples of black candidates who have polled significantly higher than their white opponents, only to confront a very different reality when the votes are counted. Pollsters know this as the “bradley effect,” christened for former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, a black man who narrowly lost the 1982 California gubernatorial election to a white opponent even though Bradley led in the polls. (it’s sometimes also referred to as the “wilder effect,” after douglas wilder, who had been polling at 10 points ahead of Marshall Coleman in the 1989 governor’s race, beat Coleman by less than a point.) Harold ford jr., who lost his bid for a senate seat in Tennessee in 2006, also polled better than he performed. (more)

Burj Dubai, the iconic tower

2008-01-05T20:27:00.000-03:00

Burj Dubai reaches 600 metres high
“…Burj Dubai, the iconic tower developed by global property developer Emaar Properties, has scaled 158 levels - the highest for any building in the world - and is now 598.5 metres high… Cladding work of the tower is now ongoing at an accelerated pace with 58 storeys already wearing the shimmering sheen of the high-performance cladding system. The primary materials used - reflective glazing, aluminum and textured stainless steel spandrels and vertical stainless tubular fins - accentuate the tower's height and slenderness to the eye…”

Dubai Land Department signs deal withTatweer (UAE)
“…A strategic partnership agreement was signed by Sultan Butti Bin Mijrin, the Director General of Dubai’s Land Department, and Khalid Al Malik, CEO of Tatweer, in Dubai. Mohammed Al Habbai, CEO of Dubailand, and Abdul Wahab Al Halabi Chief Operating Officer of Dubailand; Mohammed Sultan Thani, Director of Development and Marketing Administration, and Abdelbari Bin Sougat, Assistant Director of the Development and Marketing, Land Department, were present at the ceremony… The agreement will centralise all land sales in Dubai through a general property registration system and all agreed sale deeds will be authenticated by the Land Department…”

Middle East inflation may accelerate on US$100 oil
“…High oil prices will result in more money flowing into the region and "translate into greater pressure on inflation and on goods and asset prices,'' Marios Maratheftis, Standard Chartered's head of research for the Middle East, said… Analysts including Caroline Grady, a London-based economist at Deutsche Bank, have raised their 2008 inflation forecasts after local currencies were led lower against the Euro by the weakening US Dollar and housing shortages persisted. Most Gulf currencies are pegged to the dollar. UAE inflation accelerated to 9.8% in 2007 from 9.3% in 2006, according to the median forecast of seven economists surveyed by Bloomberg in December…”

Burj Dubai: The world's tallest skyscraper

2007-11-29T23:12:00.000-03:00

The Gulf Region
“…The Gulf region, located between Europe and the Indian sub-continent, remains a strategically important area of the world with over 65% of the world’s oil reserves. The main trading block in the region is the Gulf Co-operation Council (“GCC”) comprising Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Although not as firmly integrated as the European Union, there is now a common import tariff (generally 5%) and plans to introduce a common currency by 2010. (This would be linked to the US dollar as most Gulf currencies currently are). To the north of the Gula are Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, where there are large scale developments to house the increasing population along with substantial investments going into infrastructure…”

La Sun Village in King Abdullah Economic City
“…The Economic City (Emaar.E.C), the Tadawul-listed company developing King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), has unveiled a sea-side residential tower within the recently launched Bay La Sun Village in KAEC. Apartments in the sea-side Marina Tower 4 will be released for sale from Sunday December 2 at the Sales Centre in King Abdullah Economic City and Riyadh Sales Centre on King Fahad Street... The Marina Tower will feature a range of apartments – most of them facing the Red Sea – and offering several amenities for residents including pools and children’s play areas. Set amidst canals and in easy access to a Marina, the tower will be an integral part of the Bay La Sun Village, which opened to overwhelming sales response recently...”

Dubai eGovernment awarded ‘Best eGovernment in the Middle East’
“…Dubai eGovernment has been presented with the ‘Best eGovernment Programme in the Middle East’ award during the inaugural Middle East Business Achievement Awards (MEBA Awards) at the Leaders in Dubai Summit held recently... The ‘Best eGovernment Programme’ award is presented to a Middle East eGovernment department that has demonstrated excellence in the use of the internet, and communications and information technology to provide a comprehensive range of services to the general population and business community. The award, adjudicated by a jury panel comprised of internationally-recognised personalities, considered factors such as technological innovation, level of citizen participation, integration and efficiency, and user-friendliness of services…”

Burj Dubai: Petroleum Cornucopia

2007-11-25T00:04:00.000-03:00

Revuelta en Dubaibilonia
“…La nueva Babilonia del siglo XXI se llama Dubai. Este emirato petrolero del Golfo ha entrado en un frenesí faraónico y está tranformándose en una verdadera pesadilla climatizada. Burj Dubai, la torre que va a dominar la nueva Babilonia, será la torre más alta jamás construida. Su número de plantas será un secreto hasta el fin de la obra. Pero la máquina infernal acaba de estropearse: los esclavos se han rebelado. O, dicho en términos modernos, los obreros se han puesto en huelga… ¿Huelga? Es la única actividad exótica que no se admite en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos. Preguntado el año pasado por el programa de France 2 Envoyé spécial sobre las condiciones de trabajo de los obreros inmigrantes en estas obras babilónicas, el responsable árabe prefirió pasar la palabra a su consejero francés, quien farfulló: «Ehh, trabajar en los Emiratos, no es la Seguridad Social»…”

Airbus anuncia récord de pedidos por más de 28.000 millones en Dubai
“…El fabricante aeronáutico europeo Airbus afirmó este miércoles haber recibido una cifra récord de pedidos durante el décimo salón aeronáutico de Dubai: un total de 163 aviones destinados a 10 clientes, por un valor total de 28.000 millones de dólares... El gigante europeo, directo rival de Boeing en el sector de la aviación comercial en todo el mundo, aseguró que tras estos contratos, posee el 70% del mercado de Oriente Medio. El mayor contrato fue con la compañía aérea de Dubai, Emirates. Valorado en 20.200 millones de dólares, implica la construcción de 70 A350 XWB y 11 A380 (el mayor avión de la historia). También recibió 132 compromisos de compra de 3 clientes…”

Inversores árabes ponen la mirada en activos devaluados estadounidenses
“…Algunos inversores árabes han puesto la mirada en los activos financieros estadounidenses, actualmente en dificultades, e intentan de esa forma aprovechar las actuales turbulencias de ese mercado en crisis… Así lo señaló Omar bin Sulaiman, gobernador del Centro Financiero Internacional de Dubai, en declaraciones al "Financial Times" (FT)… Según bin Sulaiman, los inversores más sofisticados comprarán seguramente instrumentos de la deuda bien directamente bien a través de fondos de alto riesgo aunque "el reto actual es saber cuánto caerán aún los precios"… Diversos banqueros internacionales han estado cortejando últimamente a los inversores del Golfo, región que rebosa actualmente de liquidez gracias al alto precio del petróleo…”

Más allá del crudo, Dubái y otros emiratos replantean estrategias
“…La fase más larga de hidrocarburos caros ofrece oportunidades al consejo de cooperación del Golfo (CCG). Manejado por Saudiarabia, lo completan Omán, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrein y la Unión de emiratos árabes (UEA). Una es dejar el dólar… Otra es diversificar economías atada al petróleo y modernizar esas sociedades de base feudal. En un tercer frente, empero, varios países prefieren invertir en todo tipo de activos occidentales y Dubai es la clave de esta proyección financiera. En particular, por sus crecientes nexos con el negocio bursátil europeo… Ahora bien ¿puede el CCG cambiar de orientación? Los escépticos sostienen que los altos precios de hidrocarburos traban reformas. Al respecto, recuerdan que la Organización de Países Exportadores (OPEP) nunca pudo traducir los auges de 1973/5 y 1979/81 en transformaciones sociales. Los optimistas esperan que presiones internas y una población joven sin salida laboral obliguen a emplear los ingresos petroleros como catalizador para quebrar los ciclos de auge y caída en precios…”

¿Qué sabemos de Abu Dhabi, el próximo punto de encuentro de la OPEP?
“…En 1939, el Jeque Shakhbut Bin-Sultan Al Nahyan otorgó concesiones petrolíferas, encontrándose por primera vez petróleo en 1958. Al principio, el dinero procedente del petróleo tuvo un escaso impacto: se levantaron unos pocos edificios de cemento de poca altura y en 1961 se terminó la primera carretera asfaltada… El jeque Shakbut, que dudaba de que los nuevos derechos o regalías petrolíferas fueran a durar, prefirió actuar con cautela y ahorrar los beneficios en lugar de invertirlos en desarrollo. Su hermano, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, vio que la riqueza petrolífera tenía potencial suficiente como para transformar Abu Dhabi… La familia en el poder, los Al Nahayan, decidió que el Jeque Zayed sustituyera a su hermano en el cargo e hiciera realidad su idea de desarrollar el país. El 6 de agosto de 1966, con ayuda británica, el Jeque Zayed se convirtió en el nuevo mandatario… Con la independencia de los emiratos en 1971, los petrodólares siguieron llegando a la zona, por lo que las tradicionales casuchas de barro fueron sustituidas por bancos, boutiques y modernas torres ..”

Hacia 'El Dorado' árabe
“…La moderna autopista de ocho carriles que une Abu Dabi y Dubai es una buena metáfora del dinamismo que agita a estas ciudades. El embotellamiento parece eterno y hasta donde alcanza la vista no se ve más que una interminable fila de inmensos camiones cargados de contenedores. "Es que en este país, al no haber trenes, todos los transportes de mercancías se realizan por carretera", explica César Espada, diplomático español acreditado en Abu Dabi, que, según un reciente informe de la cadena americana CNN, se ha convertido en "la ciudad más rica del mundo"…”

Carlos Huneeus del CERC dice que Davidovics está dando la hora

2007-10-30T16:02:00.000-03:00

Director del CERC, Carlos Huneeus:
''Adimark subestima en forma enorme, hasta grosera, apoyo a la Presidenta''

Fuente: El Mostrador

Carlos Huneeus afirmó que estudios realizados por la entidad encabezada por Roberto Méndez usa una ''metodología equivocada y preguntas erróneas'', lo que lleva a distorsionar la realidad. ''Es una cosa mal hecha y cuando las cosas se hacen mal hay que decirlas a tiempo'', asegura.

Los resultados de la última encuesta del Centro de Estudios de la Realidad Contemporánea (CERC) dan al gobierno de Michelle Bachelet un apoyo de 48%, lo que difiere bastante del 35% de aprobación señalado por la encuesta Adimark.

Frente a ello el director ejecutivo del primer organismo, Carlos Huneeus, hizo una fuerte crítica a la metodología utilizada por la entidad encabezada por Roberto Méndez.

-¿Por qué se produce esta diferencia tan fuerte entre la encuesta CERC y la Adimak sobre la aprobación al gobierno?
-Esto se explica por las debilidades que tiene la encuesta Adimark, que son de tres tipos: aplican una metodología equivocada, porque son encuestas telefónicas, la telefonía fija cubre aproximadamente la mitad o un poco más de la mitad de la población y está disminuyendo por el avance de la telefonía móvil y es una encuesta que no es una fotografía, sino que es una película, porque siendo una encuesta telefónica, debiendo ser rápida, se demora tres semanas en la realización de las entrevistas y una encuesta (de ese tipo) tiene que ser rápida.

En segundo lugar, plantea preguntas con alternativas equivocadas en dos aspectos, por una parte en la aprobación al gobierno tiene la alternativa que ni aprueban ni desaprueban, lo que es equivocado porque la pregunta internacional, introducida por la empresa Gallup hace medio siglo es aprueba o no aprueba, y usted puede no responder, pero no existe la alternativa de ni lo uno ni lo otro... o está a favor del gobierno o está en contra del gobierno, o sea, esa tercera alternativa distorsiona, porque le deja un margen de discrecionalidad al entrevistador para juzgar si la persona está en una o en otra alternativa.

También cuando pregunta por identificación de corrientes políticas, Alianza-Concertación, pone también al Juntos Podemos que no existe como tal hoy día, si no solamente cuando hubo elecciones -vamos a ver si lo hace en el futuro-, y pone "independientes", cuando en ninguna papeleta existen los independientes, así es que esa es una alternativa falsa, que no existe.

Y en tercer lugar, como tiene un cuestionario que no le permite responder los resultados que tiene, la empresa especula sobre los factores que lo explican. Esos motivos, especialmente los dos primeros -metodología equivocada y preguntas erróneas- llevan a que las encuestas de Adimark tengan los resultados conocidos que subestiman en forma enorme, hasta grosera, el apoyo a la Presidenta y a los partidos, porque yo no puedo aceptar que una encuesta diga que la Alianza tenga 14%, en circunstancias que sabemos que tiene poco menos del 50%.

-¿Esto confunde a la opinión pública?
-No solamente la opinión pública, los dirigentes son inducidos, caen en un error y hasta yo diría que son inducidos a un error porque da a entender que hay una mitad de la población que está dispuesta a apoyar a alternativas distintas a los partidos existentes. Si usted ve hoy día una columna de una señora en La Segunda dice exactamente eso, lo que es absolutamente falso porque los partidos siguen siendo las alternativas fundamentales de las adhesiones y hay continuidad y una preferencia por los partidos como yo lo demostré en los resultados.

A mí me parece grave, daña la industria que se entreguen esos resultados y se perjudica a la opinión pública y a la clase dirigente con tantos resultados que no corresponden a la realidad y que van a ser desmentidos por los resultados electorales en un año más. Cuando eso se produzca, las encuestas van a ser dañadas y todos vamos a pagar el pato por eso y yo no estoy dispuesto a quedarme callado cuando se hacen malas encuestas con esos resultados.

-¿Usted ha conversado con el presidente de Adimark respecto a esto?
-No, ¿por qué voy a tener que conversar? Aquí no hay un gremio o una asociación que reúna a las empresas que hagan estudios de opinión pública y cuando esta fue creada hace algunos años atrás por Marta Lagos, diversas empresas no quisieron meterse en este asunto porque consideraron que el mercado regula todo y que todo lo hacen bien. Como no existe eso, yo tengo el derecho a pataleo y tengo la obligación de defender una actividad que es de enorme importancia para los medios de comunicación y para la opinión pública en general.

-¿Habría fines políticos detrás de estas diferencias de resultados?
-No me interesa. Él tiene opiniones políticas bien claras, si usted ve las entrevistas que tiene, opina mucho de política, pero no me voy a referir a eso. Creo que es un problema de metodología mal hecha no más y mal manejo profesional, no le daría intencionalidad política. Es una cosa mal hecha y cuando las cosas se hacen mal hay que decirlas a tiempo porque después nos lamentamos de los errores cometidos, léase Transantiago.

-El académico Gabriel Davidovics criticó las encuestas hechas en base a muestras de cuotas, argumentando que sobre las cuales no se puede calcular la precisión de la información.
-Basta que usted mire la asociación mundial de estudios de opinión pública, que agrupa a miles de encuestas en el mundo, Esomar, menciona las encuestas por cuotas, entonces que el señor Davidovics diga que no se pueden hacer es como ir a comienzos de siglos cuando la gente decía que no pueden andar los autos y la gente tiene que seguir andando a caballos. Está dando la hora el señor Davidovics.

Encuesta CERC discrepa con resultados de Adimark GFK

2007-10-29T12:43:00.001-03:00

“…Los resultados de la encuesta CERC discrepan fuertemente de los entregados en septiembre por la empresa Adimark GFK. No es normal que se den grandes discrepancias en los resultados de encuestas y tenemos que explicarlas. En primer lugar, sostenemos que el gobierno de la presidenta Bachelet tiene un considerable y sólido respaldo entre los chilenos, 48%, muy superior al 35% que ésta le atribuyó en la medición de hace un mes y que en julio le dio un débil 41%. Esta conclusión la apoyamos en los resultados de varias preguntas, que apuntan en la misma dirección.

En segundo lugar, mantiene su vigencia la división del país en dos bloques, los que apoyan al gobierno y la oposición, y a sus respectivos partidos. Los resultados de Adimark GFK entregan un débil 14% a la alianza, 21% a la concertación, 11% al pacto juntos podemos –que no tiene existencia real- y 54% a los independientes/ninguno. Estos resultados son incongruentes con las elecciones y con los datos de encuestas, que, en la del CERC, le entrega a la concertación un sólido 43% y a la alianza por chile más del doble del porcentaje que le atribuye Adimark. Hay que tener en cuenta que la derecha está sub representada en las encuestas desde el plebiscito de 1988. Los resultados Adimark GFK confunden a la opinión pública porque sugieren la existencia de un amplio espacio para otras alternativas políticas. Demás está decir que expone un falso dilema, porque ninguna papeleta electoral tiene la alternativa “independientes”.

Se daña la industria de las encuestas cuando se entregan resultados desmentidos por las elecciones y terminan estando alejados de la realidad. Ya le pasó a Adimark con el exit poll de 1993.

En tercer lugar, la encuesta Adimark GFK no presenta evidencia con resultados numéricos que fundamenten su tesis sobre la caída del gobierno. Los datos entregados por las encuestas tienen que ser consistentes y su interpretación tiene que basarse en ellos y no en argumentos teóricos o en lecturas antojadizas de la realidad, indicando factores explicativos que no se han medido en la encuesta.

Las empresas internacionales de estudios de opinión pública tienen la obligación de aplicar los mismos altos estándares de calidad que son exigidos en los países desarrollados. La prensa internacional les atribuye una seriedad equivalente a la que tienen los sondeos en los países avanzados, que no corresponde y, por tanto, deben ser de igual calidad…” (Ver más…)

Las Elecciones Presidenciales en Argentina se definieron en primera vuelta

2007-10-28T18:14:00.000-03:00

Update: Cristina Fernández 44,89%

La hora del relevo
“…La primera mujer elegida por el pueblo para suceder a su marido al frente de la Nación y el primer hombre convertido en presidente consorte. Ambos hitos se confirmarán si, como señalan todos los sondeos, Cristina F. Kirchner gana el 28 de octubre las elecciones presidenciales de la República Argentina. Ninguna encuesta la sitúa por debajo del 39% en intención de voto y saca más de un 10% a su inmediata perseguidora, Elisa Carrió, de Coalición Cívica. Sólo cuando el 20% de indecisos que contabilizan las encuestas decida qué hacer con su voto podrá variar el guión que por ahora da el triunfo a la oficialista y primera dama… Mientras tanto, a Cristina la acusan de haberse hecho una gira internacional por medio mundo a costa de las arcas del Estado que gobierna su marido, de perpetuar la fórmula de su cónyuge y de no plantear un cambio sino una continuación, de ser manipulable y no independiente, de tergiversar los datos oficiales del INDEC sobre la inflación, que algunos analistas sitúan en un 20%...”

Encuestas en Argentina favorecen a Fernández
"...Ocho sondeos en el diario Clarín, siete en Página 12 y uno en La Nación dan una ventaja más que necesaria a Fernández, candidata del centroizquierdista Frente para la Victoria… En todos los casos, la ex diputada Elisa Carrió figura segunda y luego se encuentran el ex ministro de Economía, Roberto Lavagna, y el gobernador de San Luis, Alberto Rodríguez Saá... Ninguno de esos candidatos opositores se da por vencido, ya que a los cuatro vientos proclaman que el 25 de noviembre habrá una segunda vuelta electoral… La Nación publicó un sondeo realizado por la empresa Poliarquía en el que Fernández obtiene el 46.7% de los votos, Carrió 21.8%, Lavagna 14.3% y Rodríguez Saá 8.4%. Fernández, según esa encuesta, aventajaría a Carrió por casi 25 puntos… Hay pequeños matices en diferencias de porcentajes, pero en general las encuestadoras dan a Fernández entre el 43% (OPSM) y el 49.4% (Hugo Haime) y a Carrió entre el 17.0% (Analogías) y el 23.5% (Opinión Autenticada)… Precisamente Opinión Autenticada (OA) es la única que se inclina por una segunda vuelta, al dar a Fernández el 38.9%, o sea que no alcanzaría el 40% para evitarla…”

Elecciones Presidenciales: Nueva encuesta de prestigiosa consultora señala que hay ballotage, sigue creciendo Rodriguez Saa
“…El informe sintetiza datos contenidos en la encuesta nacional de opinión publica dirigida por Enrique Zuleta Puceiro para el MONITOR DE TENDENCIAS ECONOMICAS Y SOCIALES elaborado por la consultora OPSM para los suscriptores de su servicio mensual de relevamientos políticos, económicos y sociales. La conducción de la investigación ha estado a cargo de Isidro Adúriz y la dirección técnica correspondió a Matías Zaldúa y Gustavo Di Lorenzo… La presente medición manifiesta que el proceso de polarización se ha adelantado más de lo previsto. Según estudios previos esta Empresa preveía llegar a esta situación sólo en las 48 horas previas al 28 de octubre...”

Desierto, torres y palmeras

2007-10-11T23:30:00.000-04:00

The World's 'Shanghai' island sold for $28mn
“…Dubai property giant Nakheel has sold the island of ‘Shanghai’ on its man-made archipelago The World, it announced on Wednesday… The 322,000-square foot island has been bought for $28 million by prominent Chinese businessman Bin Hu, director of real estate developer Zhongzhou International Holding Group… Prices for islands range from $15 million to $50 million, but the total cost of developing an island is much higher as owners are expected to provide all necessary infrastructure…”

The World's Fastest Elevators
“…Emaar Properties, builders of the soon to be completed Burj Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which stands to be the world's tallest building upon its scheduled completion in 2008, forked over $36 million to United Technologies' (nyse: UTX - news - people ) Otis Elevator to supply its 58 elevators. The fleet includes two double-decker cars that can each carry up to 46 people to the building's observation deck at 20 miles per hour…”

Prestige skyscrapers
“…Add up the prestige residential towers announced in the UAE and their project value runs to around a hundred billion dollars. But there is a big difference between announcing a project and actually building it. So what then are the most prestigious residential buildings actually now under construction in the UAE and how soon will they be finished?… When the Dubai boom started a little over five years ago this was a simple exercise. Now there are so many projects underway across the UAE it is impossible to be fully comprehensive and relying on completion dates offered by the developers has been demonstrated not to be entirely advisable…”

Torre de Dubai, el edificio más alto del mundo

2007-09-15T15:02:00.000-04:00

Torre de Dubai, el edificio más alto del mundo
“…El monumental edificio es un ejemplo del impulso estratosférico de Dubai que en pocas décadas se transformó de una somnolienta ciudad desértica en el Golfo Pérsico en uno de los principales centros de negocios en el Oriente Medio… Todavía en construcción, el Burj Dubai sobrepasó la CN Tower de Toronto, Canadá, el jueves, que con sus 553.3 metros (1.815 pies) había sido la estructura más alta del mundo desde 1976, dijeron los promotores en una información de prensa… En julio, la Torre de Dubai sobrepasó el rascacielos Taipei 101, de Taiwán, que había sido el más alto del mundo desde 2004 con sus 508 metros (1.667 pies)…”

Burj Dubai, rumbo al cielo
“…El rascacielos Burj Dubai alcanzará una altura final superior a los 808 metros, lo cual le hará superar en 300 metros al Taipei 101, que posee el titulo de -Edificio más alto del mundo- en la actualidad. Alcanza a dia de hoy (Agosto 25, 2007) una altura que supera ya las 141 plantas… Este Estado árabe, destino por excelencia del turismo más lujoso del planeta, estará si cabe todavía más cerca del paraíso gracias a la construcción de la torre "Burj Dubai", que, con sus 512 metros de altura se ha convertido, y eso que todavía está en construcción, en el edificio más alto del mundo…”

Una torre de Dubai es el edificio más alto del mundo
“…El monumental edificio es un ejemplo del impulso estratosférico de Dubai que en pocas décadas se transformó de una somnolienta ciudad desértica en el Golfo Pérsico en uno de los principales centros de negocios en el Oriente Medio…Todavía en construcción, el Burj Dubai sobrepasó la CN Tower de Toronto, Canadá, el jueves, que con sus 553,3 metros (1.815 pies) había sido la estructura más alta del mundo desde 1976, dijeron los promotores en una información de prensa…”

A punto de ser concluído el edificio mas alto del mundo
“…Se espera que la "Burj Dubai" o "Torre Dubái" alcance 800 metros, aunque su altura final es todo un secreto. El proyecto, que comenzó a construirse a principios de 2004, ya ha superado los 500 metros y se cree que sobrepasará ampliamente los 600 e incluso irá más allá de los 800… Su creador, el arquitecto estadounidense Adrian Smith, sólo ha dicho que "Burj Dubai" será "sobradamente el edificio más alto del mundo" y enlazará la tradición islámica con la arquitectura ultramoderna occidental…”

Dubai: World class

2007-08-31T22:49:00.000-04:00

Dubai Lifestyle
“…Dubai is recognised as the commercial and tourism capital of the UAE and is globally regarded as one of the most sophisticated, futuristic and cosmopolitan cities in the world, in fact Dubai is something of a phenomenon! It is an Arab Muslim society with the fastest growing foreign population in the world, and it has successfully developed harmony through ethnic diversity. It is a city with unrivalled levels of economic energy and architectural ambition, a unique city of contrasts where the most modern and architecturally stunning skyscrapers stand alongside traditional beautiful Arabic structures…”

Dubai Banking and Finance Sector
Dubai's economy is fairly clearly divided between the 'onshore' sector, dominated by local business interests, with restrictions on foreign ownership, and the 'offshore' sector which consists of the The Jebel Ali Free Zone, the Dubai Investment Park, Dubai Internet City, the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC), which opened in 2003, the Dubai Airport Free Zone, and Dubai Media City. There are no taxes to speak of in Dubai, on- or off-shore, but 100% foreign ownership and customs privileges make the Free Zone and its successors some of the most favourable locations in the Middle East for international operations.

Offshore Legal And Tax Regimes
“…Although Dubai is a 'no-tax' jurisdiction, the ownership restrictions on companies in the normal economy mean that only the Jebel Ali Free Zone offers an 'offshore' option to non-financial foreign operators. Operations inside the Free Zone can be carried out under various different types of license, but most often a foreign company will use a a 'Free Zone Establishment'. As from 2001 the newly-established Dubai Internet City offers e-commerce operations largely similar privileges to those available in the Free Zone…”

Living in Dubai Sports City
“…Canal Residence West at Dubai Sports City, the ultimate address for a pulsating lifestyle… Standing majestically on the buzzing Riviera-style waterfront, midway between the northern and southern retail hubs of the vibrant Dubai Sports City downtown district, Canal Residence West is right at the centre of this exciting sporting metropolis. From world-class sports events, fitness arenas, entertainment and […]”

Dubai: A Modern Middle Eastern Oasis
“…There was a time when the subject of the Middle East evoked images of endless sand dunes, Arabian princes racing across the desert on horses, and camel-riding nomads camping at an oasis lined with palm trees. Today the Middle East conjures up images of tanks rolling down main streets, machine gun battles in neighborhoods and war-induced ruins of once great cities. Amid this turmoil and conflict, there are parts of the Middle East experiencing great progress toward becoming reinvented. The city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is one of the most striking examples of a Middle Eastern city making its mark on the modern world…”

MGM MIRAGE and Dubai World to Form Strategic Relationship
“…Dubai World will purchase a 50% stake in Artist's rendering of CityCenter, the $7.4 million mixed-use luxury development by MGM MIRAGE, as well as other significant equity investments in MGM MIRAGE… Dubai World to invest $2.7 billion for a 50 percent interest in CityCenter in Las Vegas and will make a significant equity investment in MGM MIRAGE -…”

Welcome to the fastest growing city
“…Dubai is a booming real estate market. There are wide ranges of real estates to choose from, with unparalleled features implemented in each of them. The Dubai real estate varies from apartments, office and commercial space to signature villas, and has become a major attraction for the international market. Dubai real estate boasts amazing projects such as The Palm and The World - the world's largest artificial island complex, developed with villas, golf courses and holiday resorts. Homesdubai provides immediate access to the most exclusive freehold properties in Dubai…”

Come to Dubai
“…Dubai is a city of contrast, from the architecture through to its diversity of people who come to Dubai from every continent. This makes it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world and an attractive tourism and lifestyle destination… By clicking on the "Dubai Stopovers" button below, you can take advantage of great offers to help you experience 'firsthand' the many attractions and lifestyle activities the city has for visitors to enjoy. We also provide below a button linking you to "Other Special Offers" Emirates Airline has available to destinations around the world…”

Dubai: A diamond in the desert

2007-08-17T23:22:00.001-04:00

Dubai: A diamond in the desert
“…Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, markets itself as a place where everything is bigger, taller and better. No wonder it's become a haven for the rich and famous. Where is it? Dubai is one of seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates, and is located at the tip of the southeast Arabian Peninsula, in the Persian Gulf. What's so special about it? Dubai is the most westernized and liberal emirate, in the most liberal state in the Middle East. Over the years, it has launched itself as a hub for international trade, tourism and property development -- due in part to the fact that it is not blessed with the natural resources of its neighbours…”

The Skyscraper: Still Soaring
“…The skyscraper has had more comebacks than Cher. From its humble, naive beginnings in Chicago after the fire of 1871; its idealistic representation in early European Modernism; its apex as the glam symbol of American corporate eminence; its bimbo phase in Postmodernism; its more recent dalliance with high-tech engineering; and culminating with its supposed demise on September 11, 2001, the skyscraper is one helluva contender… Every time we think we’ve solved the typology, realized its total fulfillment, and built the freshest example, the skyscraper struts out in yet another tectonic version of a Bob Mackie gown—dripping in sequins, devoid of meaning, pure fabulousness. And we can’t turn Hawai…”

Hyder consulting presenting Burj Dubai to the world
“….Hyder Consulting, the award-winning engineering, environmental, planning and management consultancy, has given academics and business leaders in New York a unique insight into how Dubai has become "the fastest growing city in the world", its ambitions and the policies that are driving it… The company recently presented their work in Dubai at a lecture series entitled ‘Why Dubai' organised by The Skyscraper Museum in New York, and held as part of an exhibition on the Burj Dubai…”

Touch the sky
“…High-rise housing has a rich history that embraces the very top and the very bottom of the social pile, serving paradoxically as the preserve of both the super-rich in their glamorous skyscrapers and the poor in their tenements and concrete slabs. It is the ultimate dream of the modernist architect, offering up the minimalist visions of Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe as well as the extravagantly sculptural forms of the latest blockbuster buildings. It is a form that fascinates and seduces planners, developers, designers and homebuyers. And this has never been more true than today…”

Dubai Employs the Latest Private Equity Strategies to Boost its Shifting Economy
“…Just two days after Dubai Aerospace Enterprise offered to buy Auckland International Airport in New Zealand for as much $2.1 billion, the government-run aviation investment group announced a week ago that it is scouting airport projects in Europe… Only three months ago, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, or DAE, agreed to pay $1.8 billion for two U.S. aviation-maintenance companies owned by The Carlyle Group, the noted Beltway buyout firm. DAE’s goal: To build a $15 billion global aerospace enterprise that will link established markets with their newly emergent counterparts, and to streamline travel both into and out of Dubai, which is establishing itself as the epicenter of the Middle East…”

Dubai Property Developer Damac Move to Reading
“…The largest private property developer in the United Arab Emirates has taken up residence in Reading Berkshire. The developer Damac Properties which has over 16 international offices will be running their southern England operations from Forbury Square, Central Reading Berkshire in England… In just over two decades, Damac has grown from a local catering company to a global conglomerate with operations in over numerous countries. Some of the notable projects are Dubai Marina, Palm Island Jumeirah, Palm Island Jebel Ali, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai Land and Dubai international Financial Centre (DIFC). Dubai City Guide…”

Nakheel appoints operator for Palm Monorail
“…Nakheel has appointed SMRT Engineering (SMRTE) to commence preparation for the operation of The Palm Jumeirah's AED1.4 billion monorail… In the following months, Nakheel will finalise the contract and appoint SMRTE as the operator of The Palm Monorail… The mobilisation contract will see SMRTE evaluating and defining the operational procedures as well as recruiting and training staff for the smooth and efficient operation of The Palm Monorail, including the day-to-day running of the service, ticketing, on-going maintenance, and operation of the monorail's four stations…”

Burj Dubai: The Tower that Slaves Built

2007-08-06T00:33:00.000-04:00

Will the Burj Dubai mark the top of the Dubai property boom
“…Tall building syndrome is a well known phenomenon. The topping out of the world's tallest buildings has frequently happened at the point when a local market turned down… When it is completed next year the Burj Dubai will be a symbol of Dubai's achievement in quadrupling local GDP in the past decade. Then the global competition to build higher will take a new turn, and Australian James Packer has just announced plans to build a super-tall building in Las Vegas…”

Touch the sky
“…High-rise housing has a rich history that embraces the very top and the very bottom of the social pile, serving paradoxically as the preserve of both the super-rich in their glamorous skyscrapers and the poor in their tenements and concrete slabs. It is the ultimate dream of the modernist architect, offering up the minimalist visions of Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe as well as the extravagantly sculptural forms of the latest blockbuster buildings. It is a form that fascinates and seduces planners, developers, designers and homebuyers. And this has never been more true than today…”

The Tower that Slaves Built
“…According to news reports Burj Dubai is set to overtake Taipei 101 and the Sears Tower as the world’s tallest building in the coming months. The Burj, which means tower in Arabic, will have 124 floors upon completion, as well as a luxury hotel and four luxury swimming pools along with offices and residential units. Designed to resemble a glittering desert flower, the Burj Dubai when completed will also be the tallest manmade object ever built on earth… Indeed, given this iconic position on the human landscape, the Burj is not unlike the Egyptian pyramids of yesteryears which were also testaments to the wealth and might of the burgeoning Pharoanic kingdom and commanded awe and respect from all who viewed them. Undoubtedly the United Arab Emirates is now a world trading giant, having successfully harnessed the forces of globalisation and free market capitalism in its favour. Its increasingly crowded skyline and its cavalcade of luxury shopping malls, selling all manner of luxury items from Mikimoto pearls to Armani suits, are testament to its voracious desire to be respected as an international destination for investors and tourists…”

How long can Dubai's boom last?
“…It's big, brash and it's all about cash. Is there any stopping Dubai? The emirate may have a couple of newly-arrived boutique hotels on the scene, but these are very much out on a limb. Essentially Dubai is still all about trying to out do everything else on the planet. Vegas, once unrivalled as the world's most absurd place, needs to up its game if it wants to compete… Appearing in the desert soon: Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping mall; the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building; and Dubailand, the world's largest theme park. That's not forgetting the Palm project, containing man-made islands visible from the moon, and Dubai China Town, set to be the largest outside China, complete with its own Great Wall…”

Redesign rumours slammed
“…Marwan Al Qamzi, managing director, Palm Jebel Ali, dispels rumours of any redesign on Nakheel's second offshore island… What is currently happening on Palm Jebel Ali?.. The contract for bridges has been awarded to Samsung, which is worth around US $300 million (AED1.1 billion). This covers the connections to the crescent; six bridges connecting the mainland with the crescent on both sides and connecting the five islands of the crescent with each other. We will award the contract for the trunk bridge shortly, after evaluating contractors. It is not big; the contract is worth $25 million… A lot of focus and attention has naturally been spent on the Palm Jumeirah, as it was the first of the three. Do you think Jebel Ali's public perception suffers slightly because it is not the first?... Not really. The advantage of Palm Jebel Ali is that there are a lot of lessons learnt from Palm Jumeirah. And each Palm, we believe, will have its own personality and identity. Palm Jebel Ali is designed to be a resort city, to accommodate between 250,000 - 300,000. But it will be a first-class city. Palm Jumeirah is designed for 80,000 and so is obviously smaller in scale…”

Dubai must watch out for less pleasant superlatives
“…The tallest, the biggest, the fastest - superlatives such as these are what Dubai is all about at this point in time. Over the past few years especially, the city has been keen to maintain a frenetic speed of development and innumerable ostentatious projects have underlined the emirate's self-belief and, shall we say, chutzpah… Dubai's place at the forefront of some of the UAE's most headline-grabbing projects is undeniably impressive. How many countries of any magnitude around the globe have four large-scale offshore development schemes on the go? Yet, Dubai, just one emirate within a relatively small Gulf state, does - with its three 'palms' and The World.”