SUMMER TIPS

Enough for the cold night and day! It’s now time to lock your winter coats in the drawer. Welcome the summer and have fun with the sea, sand and sun. The winter is over!

The heat of the sun is no surprise in Dubai. As I headed to the office this morning I noticed myself a bit of awkwardness. People were no longer wearing their winter coats as they used to wear every morning. The environment is no longer cold and chilly. These are few signs indicating that summer is approaching. I was aware the climate is changing. A couple of days ago I had a flu. I only have this illness (as I call it) twice in a year – before and after summer.

During summer, Dubai’s temperature reaches to 50-65 degrees. Thirty minutes of exposure under the sun and you will become a grilled potato. That’s how scorching the heat of the sun. According to the studies, to get Vitamin D, a man needs to expose himself to the sunlight from 5-8 o’clock in the morning only. Sunlight after eight is dangerous – you could be dehydrated or suffer from skin disorders.

To stay fit and healthy, I have here simple summer tips for you:

• Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside, and use sunscreen even on cloudy days. The SPF should be at least 15 and protect against UVA and UVB rays. Be sure to apply enough sunscreen - about one ounce per sitting for a young adult. Reapply sunscreen every two hours, or after swimming or sweating. Use extra caution near water, snow, and sand as they reflect UV rays and may result in sunburn more quickly.

• The first, and best, line of defense against the sun is covering up. Wear a hat with a three-inch brim or a bill facing forward, sunglasses (look for sunglasses that block 99-100% of ultraviolet rays), and cotton clothing with a tight weave.

• Stay in the shade whenever possible, and limit sun exposure during the peak intensity hours - between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

• Drink up to 8 glasses of water a day.

• Drink plenty of juices.

These are only simple tips. I hope these will help you guys. Enjoy the summer!

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How to make your day happy

Every person wants to be happy every day. But not everybody can make his day happy.

When I arrived in our office this morning I saw my colleague in a bad mood. He used to be a very happy person. A man who loves to smile and laugh even in your little mistake. But today he is definitely different. In my curiosity I talked to him in a manner that could cheer him up but he became more stuck and silly.

There are times that we don’t feel to be happy the whole day. There are also times that we are happy in the morning but completely upset in the afternoon. We can’t prevent this from happening. Everything happens in the way we least expected. I got a few tips on how to be happy the whole day.

Here’s what we can do:

• Start your day with a smile. How you do that? The first time you open your eyes say some positive thing about yourself. “Thanks God I am still handsome today”! Well it sounds flattering but by continuously saying this in the morning you will be used to it and you will gain more confidence and self-esteem. Starting your day with a smile will make your day productive.
• Be grateful. Say good things for everybody around you. Saying “Good Morning”, “Guess you had a good sleep” will not only make other people feel great but will also give you a promising day ahead.
• Visualize your day. Before heading for work, think what you want in your day ahead. I am sure you don’t want negative things to complete your day. Imagine yourself in the office concentrating on the urgent assignment you had from your boss. He needs it in the meeting with the investors at eleven thirty. Before ten o’clock you finished it and handed it to your boss. After the meeting he asked you to come in his office. He gave you his winsome smile and congratulated you. Well, it is obvious that because of the report you made he got deals with the investors. Isn’t it the day you want?
• End your day with a smile. Before closing your eyes at night, make a recap of your day. Ask yourself with this question, “How’s my day?” Recollect all those events from the time you wake up until the time you wear your pajama. If you can count more bad events don’t be depressed instead forget them, smile and close your eyes.

Well, that’s how simple. I applied these tips and they worked. Cheers!

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Job for Jordan

My friend and college classmate, Jordan, phoned me last night. He informed me that he found a job in one of the consultancy firms in Sharjah. I could sense through his voice that he was happy - happy because for almost two months of seeking for a suitable position he finally landed on the right one. Well, I congratulated him. If his company gives him the right compensation, then, he is in the right track. I am happy for him.

But I could not keep myself from worries. I have heard many complaints about some of the companies in the UAE. There are companies that don’t pay good salary. Some companies also don’t provide visa and working permit. What if because of the recession Jordan’s employer will not process his residence visa and will not give him a lawful salary? Actually, he admitted that he will be getting a salary which is below the current minimum wage in Sharjah. But he has no choice. He needs to survive. If he does not accept the salary offer the company will not care. Many jobless needs work regardless how small the salary is.

Jordan is one of those people I respect. He is intelligent and had always been admired by our Accounting instructors for his accuracy. He is a good accountant with long-term experience in banks. The company where he is now must be blessed. Jordan is an asset. With his expertise and dedication in his work, the company will never regret of hiring him.

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Investing in Dubai

With the alarming situation Dubai is facing nowadays, there is no doubt local and foreign investors are worried about their investment. Many companies if not giving up their businesses are planning to terminate some of their employees and reduce overhead by cutting 20-50 per cent of their salary expenses.

In our company alone, there is a threat that our boss will cut our salary up to 25%, three times higher than the increase of last year. I don't think it is right in the first place. But, if we put ourselves to the shoes of our boss, like them we will also do everything to save the company. Being a project and real estate management company that relies income from foreign investors, we could feel as most companies do that we are in dire financial situation.

Before the recession, I never heard any expatriate whining about how miserable to live in Dubai. While it is true that prices of commodities were soaring, still nobody wanted to leave. Dubai was a dream. But now, I doubt. Many people are competing to hand-over the keys of their apartments to the Landlords and trying to catch the last trip. At the same time investors are hesitant to pay their suppliers and contractors. The worst part is that they are revising the contracts already approved before the recession to bring the current prices of materials and services in the market.

RETROSPECT

Before the recession, Dubai was the number one choice for property investors. It is no surprise that many of foreign investors have sold or re-mortgaged their investment in the UK and Europe to invest in Dubai with hope of great results. Let me cite some reasons why these people chose Dubai.

1. Dubai is Desirable

Dubai is a desirable location because of a lot of factors. This desirability means that it will continue to be popular for tourism, new residents and businesses. The population of Dubai is set to continue to grow at an amazing rate. Tourists are set to increase to 15m per year by 2010 and to 40m by 2015. It has great weather with sunshine all the year around. It has a very low crime and safe environment. Dubai has been voted the world's safest city for 4 years in succession. The population in Dubai is very cosmopolitan with over 85% of residents being expatriates. Resident Visas are easily available with appropriate residential property purchase. Dubai is a tax haven and a tertiary home for international property buyers and the worlds wealthy - East & West.

2. Great Tourist Attractions

Dubai is the world's leading tourist attractions and a World Leader in many fields. It is a home of various developments. Dubailand is a huge development located towards the desert. It consists of 6 themed worlds & comprising over 200 individual projects. It will soon become the biggest, most varied leisure, entertainment & tourist attraction on the planet 7 times the size of Disney World in Florida. Dubailand expects to employ 300,000 and attract 200,000 visitors per day. The Burj Dubai is the tallest building in the world- It is the iconic landmark, much taller than any other structure. Dubai is building the world's largest airport with twice the capacity of Heathrow. Great Sports Tournaments are held like Dubai Tennis Open, Golf's Dubai Desert Classic, the Dubai Rugby Sevens, the Dubai Grand Prix of Nations and the Dubai World Cup. Extensive Beaches with an enormous beach front, much of it created via the Palms. There are over 47 shopping malls that offer all the leading world brands. Among of these are the Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mall of Dubai and the biggest mall in the world - Mall of Arabia.

3. Strong Economy

The Government of Dubai had the vision to produce a 30 year plan to replace the oil economy with Tourism, Financial Services and Real Estate. Part of this plan was to make Dubai the business capital of the world and the link between the West and growing economies of China and India. Dubai is on schedule with this plan. The high oil price has provided the government with even more investment than forecast and will ensure that this plan is successful.

4. Massive Investment in Real Estate

The investment and growth in property is effectively underwritten by the Government of UAE, which has continued to benefit from oil revenues at a higher rate, and for a longer time than expected. Here are just some of major projects that are essential to fulfilling the massive demand and will provide great investment opportunities for UK buyers.

5. High Property Value Growth

Due to desirability and strong economy, the population of Dubai is set to increase at record rates fuelling demand for property. For the last 3 years property growth rates have been 18%, 23% and 28% respectively compared to the growth in the UK which is set to zero or negative during the current year. The high growth is likely to continue in Dubai at record rates. Dubai was unique in allowing foreigners to buy Freehold property. The buying process is simple, no limitations or restrictions! Anyone can buy! There is no stamp duty, legal fees or survey costs involved in buying freehold property in Dubai.

6. High Rental Yields

Rental yields in the UK are about 3% compared with 7% to 14% in Dubai. The demand is currently so high that the UAE government has put a limit on permitted rent increases to control this. Rental yields also suggest that Dubai property will continue to rise, as the market is not mature. There are no limits on commercial rentals which continue to increase. Dubai hotels have one of the highest occupancy rates in the world at around 85% on average and this is likely to continue as growth in demand will outstrip the growth in supply.

7. No Tax

There is no income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in Dubai. No Corporate Tax either- The only exceptions to this are oil producing companies and branches of foreign banks. There are also no restrictions on capital repatriation which means that your funds can be easily taken out of Dubai if required.

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Coping with global crisis

The global financial crisis of 2008–2009 is an ongoing major financial crisis. It became prominently visible in September 2008 with the failure, merger, or conservatorship of several large United States-based financial firms. The underlying causes leading to the crisis had been reported in business journals for many months before September, with commentary about the financial stability of leading U.S. and European investment banks, insurance firms and mortgage banks consequent to the subprime mortgage crisis.
Beginning with failures of large financial institutions in the United States, it rapidly evolved into a global credit crisis, deflation and sharp reductions in shipping resulting in a number of European bank failures and declines in various stock indexes, and large reductions in the market value of equities (stock) and commodities worldwide. The credit crisis was exacerbated by Section 128 of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 which allowed the Federal Reserve System to pay interest on excess reserve requirement balances held on deposit from banks, removing the longstanding incentive for banks to extend credit instead of hoard cash on deposit with the Fed. The crisis led to a liquidity problem and the de-leveraging of financial institutions especially in the United States and Europe, which further accelerated the liquidity crisis, and a decrease in international shipping and commerce. World political leaders and national ministers of finance and central bank directors have coordinated their efforts to reduce fears but the crisis is ongoing and continues to change, evolving at the close of October into a currency crisis with investors transferring vast capital resources into stronger currencies such as the yen, the dollar and the Swiss franc, leading many emergent economies to seek aid from the International Monetary Fund. The crisis was triggered by the subprime mortgage crisis and is an acute phase of the financial crisis of 2007–2009.

Since the global financial crisis started mainly in the United States, ways, actions and strategies must start also in the US. Let me cite some ways of coping with this global dilemma that the US had already started or should have started.

The Federal Reserve, Treasury, and Securities and Exchange Commission took several steps on September 19 to intervene in the crisis. To stop the potential run on money market mutual funds, the Treasury also announced on September 19 a new $50 billion program to insure the investments, similar to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) program. Part of the announcements included temporary exceptions to section 23A and 23B (Regulation W), allowing financial groups to more easily share funds within their group. The exceptions would expire on January 30, 2009, unless extended by the Federal Reserve Board. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced termination of short-selling of 799 financial stocks, as well as action against naked short selling, as part of its reaction to the mortgage crisis.

The US must work quickly in a bipartisan fashion to resolve this crisis and restore its financial sector so capital is flowing again and it can avert an even broader economic catastrophe. It also should recognize that economic recovery requires the US to act, not just to address the crisis on Wall Street, but also the crisis on Main Street and around kitchen tables across America.

Even if the Treasury recovers some or most of its investment over time, this initial outlay of up to $700 billion is sobering. And in return for their support, the American people must be assured that the deal reflects some basic principles.

• No blank check. If the US grants the Treasury broad authority to address the immediate crisis, it must insist on independent accountability and oversight. Given the breach of trust it had seen and the magnitude of the taxpayer money involved, there can be no blank check.

• Rescue requires mutual responsibility. As taxpayers are asked to take extraordinary steps to protect US financial system, it is only appropriate to expect those institutions that benefit to help protect American homeowners and the American economy. American people cannot underwrite continued irresponsibility, where CEOs cash in, regulators look the other way. The US cannot abet and reward the unconscionable practices that triggered this crisis. It has to end them.

• Taxpayers should be protected. This should not be a handout to Wall Street. It should be structured in a way that maximizes the ability of taxpayers to recoup their investment. Going forward, the US needs to make sure that the institutions that benefit from financial insurance also bear the cost of that insurance.

• Help homeowners stay in their homes. This crisis started with homeowners and they bear the brunt of the nearly unprecedented collapse in housing prices.

• A global response. This is a global financial crisis and it requires a global solution. The United States must lead, but it must also insist that other nations, who have a huge stake in the outcome, join the US in helping to secure the financial markets.

• Main Street, not just Wall Street. The American people need to know that they should feel the great sense of urgency about the emergency on Main Street as they do the emergency on Wall Street. American leaders must extend their hands in supporting an emergency economic plan for working families — a plan that would help folks cope with rising gas and food prices, save one million jobs through rebuilding schools and roads, help states and cities avoid painful budget cuts and tax increases, and provide retooling assistance to help ensure that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built in America.

• Build a regulatory structure for the 21st century. While there is not time in a week to remake US regulatory structure to prevent abuses in the future, Americans should commit themselves to the kind of reforms. They need new rules of the road for the 21st century economy, together with the means and willingness to enforce them.

The bottom line is that America must change the economic policies that led it down this dangerous path in the first place. For the last eight years, America had an 'on your own-anything goes' philosophy in Washington and on Wall Street that lavished tax cuts on the wealthy and big corporations; that viewed even common-sense regulation and oversight as unwise and unnecessary; and that shredded consumer protections and loosened the rules of the road. Ordinary Americans are now paying the price.
(Note: I do not claim the originality of this text.

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My site was blocked

I could not believe what I saw when I opened this site this morning. Beyond my expectation and far from my anticipation my site was blocked by our ISP. I did not understand why they did this. As what I’ve read in the screen, my site has been blocked because it did not abide the internet laws and protocols of the Emirates. Did I post anything wrong against the Emirates?

I could not remember. Maybe I have few complaints to the institutions but not to the Emirates in particular. I have not posted illicit images and anti-government articles. Maybe I talked about recession and plights of real estate agents in Dubai but those articles are not destructive in nature. Maybe I had write-ups about the unacceptable behavior of taxi drivers lifting me to wrong places in Dubai but it’s not enough to execute penalty against my site as I only wanted to call the attention of the taxi operators.

Or was it because I posted an article on how the Belhasa Driving Institute operates? That its students have to spend thousands of dirhams before getting the Gold Card? I don’t think this article is unethical. My blog is not a newspaper. It’s my personal blog. Or was it because I shared to the world how happy I am with Google Adsense? That within three days I earned USD 134.80.

I really don’t know the reason why it was blocked for about 2 hours. Maybe they wanted to quantify and review the contents of my blog. Whatever the reasons behind it, it’s up to them. The issue is over. I am grateful that after a couple of hours they found my blog worthy to operate.

Indeed, I’d like to keep a promise to my ISP. I understand the norms, cultures and laws of the Emirates, therefore, from now on I will be too careful with my write-ups.

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Who says Google Adsense doesn't make sense?

If your purpose of blogging is for money, you tend to buy ideas from other bloggers how to realize it. I started blogging less than a year ago with different hosts for the intension of making money out of it. But, somehow, my desire to monetize my blog had never become a reality. Maybe my articles are not worth reading, I thought. Or maybe I forgot to follow the principles of blogging.

One day, an idea flashed into my mind. What if I have to join forums and discussions with other bloggers? Maybe this could help me explained why my blog is not earning. I had Google ads but my account was empty. It seemed that no body is clicking them.

I signed up with blogcatalog and began to participate in discussions with my fellow bloggers. From blogcatalog, I gained ideas and strategies. Though not all ideas from other members were acceptable, at least, they helped me in any manner.

There are different ways to monetize your blog. First, you have to drive traffic into your site. How you will do that? Marketing. Establish friendships from other bloggers. This is called give-and-take relationship – a two-way movement. Both of you will promote each other's blog through exchanging of links. Visit your friends' blog and leave a brief comment. Second, sign up with mybloglog, blogcatalog and linkreferal. They are extremely good in promoting your blog. I had signed up with them and I've been satisfied.

The good news is, my income with Good Adsense abruptly increase. Who can imagine a new and small site with an alexa rank of 21 million plus and with an income of only USD2.44 will reach rank number 14 million plus and earn income of USD134.80 in just three days?

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