Showing posts with label Dubai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dubai. Show all posts
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Berners-Lee flags UN net conference concerns
Sir Tim Berners-Lee flags UN net conference concerns
Leo Kelion
4 December 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20594779
Sir Tim Berners-Lee - inventor of the world wide web - is the latest voice to raise concerns about a meeting of communication tech regulators in Dubai.
He spoke of concerns that some attendees would push for a UN agency to "run the internet" rather than leaving it to groups already "doing a good job".
Internet pioneer Vint Cerf has also highlighted the issue on Google's site.
But the UN agency itself is playing down suggestions of a power-grab.
Dr Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU), said ahead of the event: "There is no need for the ITU to take over the internet governance."
Internet governance
The United Arab Emirates is playing host to 193 countries at World Conference on International Telecommunications (Wcit).
They aim to revise a telecommunications treaty which has not been overhauled since 1988.
The ITU has said there was a need to address the fact technologies like the internet were not properly addressed by the current regulations, and that more efforts must be made to change the fact that "two-thirds of the world's population" did not have access to the net.
The US has vowed to block what it says is a Russian proposal to alter governance of the internet
Among the proposals being considered is a clause put forward by Russia which says: "Member states shall have equal rights to manage the internet, including in regard to the allotment, assignment and reclamation of internet numbering, naming, addressing and identification resources and to support for the operation and development of basic internet infrastructure."
This has been interpreted by some as a starting point for domain name regulator Icann, the Internet Engineering Task Force and other organisations that oversee the internet's technical specifications to be forced to be pass at least some of their powers to another body such as the ITU.
Sir Tim is director of a standards body himself - the World Wide Web Consortium. He said that governments can already influence changes but should resist further interference.
"I think it's important that these existing structures continue to be used without any attempt to bypass them," he said.
"These organisations have been around for a number of years and I think it would be a disruptive threat to the stability of the system for people to try to set up alternative organisations to do the standards."
Accelerating access
Sir Tim also indicated that there was no need to create new internet-specific sections to an international treaty in order to improve access.
"It seems that at the moment the growth of the internet is spectacular and the developing countries have the highest growth rate.
"A few years ago we started [World Wide] Web Foundation worrying that connectivity was relevant, but now today connectivity is clearly becoming ubiquitous - we need to look at other concerns such as net neutrality and whether governments spy on the internet and whether they block it.
"A lot of concerns I've heard from people have been that, in fact, countries that want to be able to block the internet and give people within their country a 'secure' view of what's out there would use a treaty at the ITU as a mechanism to do that, and force other countries to fall into line with the blockages that they wanted to put in place."
However, Sir Tim added that resistance to such an idea by other nations would mean the problem could be avoided.
The ITU's leader has said he intends to prevent any measure being put to a vote, and that proposals must be agreed, instead, by consensus.
The US has already made clear that it would block any attempt by Russia or another country to make changes to internet governance.
"We will actively oppose the Russian proposal," said Terry Kramer, the US ambassador to Wcit, last week.
"We have had good working relationships with our Russian colleagues, but the proposal that actually came out, to us, was shocking."
The US is now pressing for there to be no reference to the internet in the treaty.
Human rights
Early discussions at Wcit have included a debate over an internet-related clause championed by Tunisia.
Delegates have been given two weeks to agree the text of a new telecommunications treaty
It said the revised treaty should contain a clause committing member states to protecting freedom of expression on the net including "the freedom of online peaceful assembly".
The ITU said the text sparked a "vigorous debate", but was deemed unnecessary since such the issue was already addressed by human rights treaties which take precedence over whatever would ultimately be included in the communications agreement,
The conference continues until 14 December.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Awesome Architecture: Dubai
With Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia set to overtake the Burj Dubai as the world's tallest building when completed, now is a good time to look with fondness on Dubai, the city that is/was capitalism on steroids.
Sadly, as amazing as Dubai is, it isn't as amazing as it wanted to be. Thanks to the worldwide economic since 2008, many of these visionary dreams are in limbo, and may never be made into reality.
The photos and much of this information is from the Website Dubai Is Nuts, which has even more amazing pictures and info on them. Updated info is courtesy of Wikipedia.
Dubai Is Nuts
http://sites.google.com/site/dubaiisnuts
http://www.dubai-architecture.info/DUB-GAL1.htm
Photo 1: Dubai, 1990
Photo 2: Dubai, 2003
Photo 3: Dubai, 2007
The Dubai Waterfront. When completed it will become the largest waterfront development in the world.
The Palm Islands in Dubai. New Dutch dredging technology was used to create these massive man made islands. They are the largest artificial islands in the world and can be seen from space. Three of these Palms will be made with the last one being the largest of them all.
Upon completion, the resort will have 2,000 villas, 40 luxury hotels, shopping centers, movie theaters, and many other facilities. It is expected to support a population of approximately 500,000 people. It is advertised as being visible from the moon.
The World Islands. 300 artificially created islands in the shape of the world. Each island will have an estimated cost of $25-30 million.
The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai. The worlds tallest hotel. Considered the only '7 star' hotel and the most luxurious hotel in the world. It stands on an artificial island in the sea.
Hydropolis, the world's first underwater hotel. Planned to be entirely built in Germany and then assembled in Dubai, it is currently in limbo.
The Burj Khalifa, formerly named The Burj Dubai. Construction completed by 2008. At a height of over 800 meters, it is the world's tallest building. It is almost 60% taller than the the previous tallest building, the Taipei 101.
Nakheel Tower, formerly The Al Burj. Planned centerpiece of the Dubai Waterfront. If completed it will take over the title of the tallest structure in the world from the Burj Dubai. Proposed height for the tower has ranged from 1000 meters to 1600 meters (nearly a mile high.) Currently the project is in limbo.
The Burj al Alam, or The World Tower. Upon completion it will rank as the world's highest hotel, and at 510 meters it will be a meter taller than Taipei 101.
The Trump International Hotel & Tower, currently in limbo.
Dubailand. Currently, the largest amusement park collection in the world is Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, which is also the largest single-site employer in the United states with 58,000 employees. Dubailand will be twice the size.
Dubailand will be built on 3 billion square feet (107 miles^2) at an estimated $20 billion price tag. The site will include a purported 45 mega projects and 200 hundred other smaller projects.
Dubai Sports City. A huge collection of sports arenas located in Dubailand.
The Dubai Mall, the largest shopping mall in the world with over 9 million square feet of shopping and 1200 stores.
Ski Dubai, which is already open, is the largest indoor skiing facility in the world. This is a rendered image of another future indoor skiing facility that is being planned.
The UAE Spaceport (not technically in Dubai, but close enough to attract Dubai tourism) would be the first spaceport in the world if construction ever gets under way...
Sadly, as amazing as Dubai is, it isn't as amazing as it wanted to be. Thanks to the worldwide economic since 2008, many of these visionary dreams are in limbo, and may never be made into reality.
The photos and much of this information is from the Website Dubai Is Nuts, which has even more amazing pictures and info on them. Updated info is courtesy of Wikipedia.
Dubai Is Nuts
http://sites.google.com/site/dubaiisnuts
http://www.dubai-architecture.info/DUB-GAL1.htm
Photo 1: Dubai, 1990
Photo 2: Dubai, 2003
Photo 3: Dubai, 2007
The Dubai Waterfront. When completed it will become the largest waterfront development in the world.
The Palm Islands in Dubai. New Dutch dredging technology was used to create these massive man made islands. They are the largest artificial islands in the world and can be seen from space. Three of these Palms will be made with the last one being the largest of them all.
Upon completion, the resort will have 2,000 villas, 40 luxury hotels, shopping centers, movie theaters, and many other facilities. It is expected to support a population of approximately 500,000 people. It is advertised as being visible from the moon.
The World Islands. 300 artificially created islands in the shape of the world. Each island will have an estimated cost of $25-30 million.
The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai. The worlds tallest hotel. Considered the only '7 star' hotel and the most luxurious hotel in the world. It stands on an artificial island in the sea.
Hydropolis, the world's first underwater hotel. Planned to be entirely built in Germany and then assembled in Dubai, it is currently in limbo.
The Burj Khalifa, formerly named The Burj Dubai. Construction completed by 2008. At a height of over 800 meters, it is the world's tallest building. It is almost 60% taller than the the previous tallest building, the Taipei 101.
Nakheel Tower, formerly The Al Burj. Planned centerpiece of the Dubai Waterfront. If completed it will take over the title of the tallest structure in the world from the Burj Dubai. Proposed height for the tower has ranged from 1000 meters to 1600 meters (nearly a mile high.) Currently the project is in limbo.
The Burj al Alam, or The World Tower. Upon completion it will rank as the world's highest hotel, and at 510 meters it will be a meter taller than Taipei 101.
The Trump International Hotel & Tower, currently in limbo.
Dubailand. Currently, the largest amusement park collection in the world is Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, which is also the largest single-site employer in the United states with 58,000 employees. Dubailand will be twice the size.
Dubailand will be built on 3 billion square feet (107 miles^2) at an estimated $20 billion price tag. The site will include a purported 45 mega projects and 200 hundred other smaller projects.
Dubai Sports City. A huge collection of sports arenas located in Dubailand.
The Dubai Mall, the largest shopping mall in the world with over 9 million square feet of shopping and 1200 stores.
Ski Dubai, which is already open, is the largest indoor skiing facility in the world. This is a rendered image of another future indoor skiing facility that is being planned.
The UAE Spaceport (not technically in Dubai, but close enough to attract Dubai tourism) would be the first spaceport in the world if construction ever gets under way...
Monday, August 15, 2011
The World's Tallest Skyscraper
Courtesy of Yahoo and Gizmodo, here's some designer images of Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which at 3,281 feet will be the world's tallest building when completed. Dubai's Burq Khalifa is a mere 2,717 feet tall...
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/kingdom-tower-set-world-record-tallest-mega-skyscraper-170649407.html
http://gizmodo.com/5828801/the-new-images-of-the-kingdom-tower-are-simply-insane/gallery/1
Friday, May 6, 2011
Top Government Insider: Bin Laden Died In 2001, 9/11 A False Flag
Paul Joseph Watson
May 4, 2011
http://www.infowars.com/top-us-government-insider-bin-laden-died-in-2001-911-a-false-flag
Top US government insider Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik, a man who held numerous different influential positions under three different Presidents and still works with the Defense Department, shockingly told The Alex Jones Show yesterday that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001 and that he was prepared to testify in front of a grand jury how a top general told him directly that 9/11 was a false flag inside job.
Pieczenik cannot be dismissed as a “conspiracy theorist”. He served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under three different administrations, Nixon, Ford and Carter, while also working under Reagan and Bush senior, and still works as a consultant for the Department of Defense. A former US Navy Captain, Pieczenik achieved two prestigious Harry C. Solomon Awards at the Harvard Medical School as he simultaneously completed a PhD at MIT.
Recruited by Lawrence Eagleburger as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Management, Pieczenik went on to develop, “the basic tenets for psychological warfare, counter terrorism, strategy and tactics for transcultural negotiations for the US State Department, military and intelligence communities and other agencies of the US Government,” while also developing foundational strategies for hostage rescue that were later employed around the world.
Pieczenik also served as a senior policy planner under Secretaries Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance, George Schultz and James Baker and worked on George W. Bush’s election campaign against Al Gore. His record underscores the fact that he is one of the most deeply connected men in intelligence circles over the past three decades plus.
The character of Jack Ryan, who appears in many Tom Clancy novels and was also played by Harrison Ford in the popular 1992 movie Patriot Games, is also based on Steve Pieczenik.
Back in April 2002, over nine years ago, Pieczenik told the Alex Jones Show that Bin Laden had already been “dead for months,” and that the government was waiting for the most politically expedient time to roll out his corpse. Pieczenik would be in a position to know, having personally met Bin Laden and worked with him during the proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan back in the early 80's.
Pieczenik said that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001, “Not because special forces had killed him, but because as a physician I had known that the CIA physicians had treated him and it was on the intelligence roster that he had marfan syndrome,” adding that the US government knew Bin Laden was dead before they invaded Afghanistan.
Marfan syndrome is a degenerative genetic disease for which there is no permanent cure. The illness severely shortens the life span of the sufferer.
“He died of marfan syndrome, Bush junior knew about it, the intelligence community knew about it,” said Pieczenik, noting how CIA physicians had visited Bin Laden in July 2001 at the American Hospital in Dubai.
“He was already very sick from marfan syndrome and he was already dying, so nobody had to kill him,” added Pieczenik, stating that Bin Laden died shortly after 9/11 in his Tora Bora cave complex.
“Did the intelligence community or the CIA doctor up this situation, the answer is yes, categorically yes,” said Pieczenik, referring to Sunday’s claim that Bin Laden was killed at his compound in Pakistan, adding, “This whole scenario where you see a bunch of people sitting there looking at a screen and they look as if they’re intense, that’s nonsense,” referring to the images released by the White House which claim to show Biden, Obama and Hillary Clinton watching the operation to kill Bin Laden live on a television screen.
“It’s a total make-up, make believe, we’re in an American theater of the absurd….why are we doing this again….nine years ago this man was already dead….why does the government repeatedly have to lie to the American people,” asked Pieczenik.
“Osama Bin Laden was totally dead, so there’s no way they could have attacked or confronted or killed Osama Bin laden,” said Pieczenik, joking that the only way it could have happened was if special forces had attacked a mortuary.
Pieczenik said that the decision to launch the hoax now was made because Obama had reached a low with plummeting approval ratings and the fact that the birther issue was blowing up in his face.
“He had to prove that he was more than American….he had to be aggressive,” said Pieczenik, adding that the farce was also a way of isolating Pakistan as a retaliation for intense opposition to the Predator drone program, which has killed hundreds of Pakistanis.
“This is orchestrated, I mean when you have people sitting around and watching a sitcom, basically the operations center of the White House, and you have a president coming out almost zombie-like telling you they just killed Osama Bin Laden who was already dead nine years ago,” said Pieczenik, calling the episode, “the greatest falsehood I’ve ever heard, I mean it was absurd.”
Dismissing the government’s account of the assassination of Bin Laden as a “sick joke” on the American people, Pieczenik said, “They are so desperate to make Obama viable, to negate the fact that he may not have been born here, any questions about his background, any irregularities about his background, to make him look assertive….to re-elect this president so the American public can be duped once again.”
Pieczenik’s assertion that Bin Laden died almost ten years ago is echoed by numerous intelligence professionals as well as heads of state across the world.
Bin Laden, “Was used in the same way that 9/11 was used to mobilize the emotions and feelings of the American people in order to go to a war that had to be justified through a narrative that Bush junior created and Cheney created about the world of terrorism,” stated Pieczenik.
During his interview with the Alex Jones Show yesterday, Pieczenik also asserted he was directly told by a prominent general that 9/11 was a stand down and a false flag operation, and that he is prepared to go to a grand jury to reveal the general’s name.
“They ran the attacks,” said Pieczenik, naming Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Stephen Hadley, Elliott Abrams, and Condoleezza Rice amongst others as having been directly involved.
“It was called a stand down, a false flag operation in order to mobilize the American public under false pretenses….it was told to me even by the general on the staff of Wolfowitz – I will go in front of a federal committee and swear on perjury who the name was of the individual so that we can break it open,” said Pieczenik, adding that he was “furious” and “knew it had happened”.
“I taught stand down and false flag operations at the national war college, I’ve taught it with all my operatives so I knew exactly what was done to the American public,” he added.
Pieczenik re-iterated that he was perfectly willing to reveal the name of the general who told him 9/11 was an inside job in a federal court, “so that we can unravel this thing legally, not with the stupid 9/11 Commission that was absurd.”
Pieczenik explained that he was not a liberal, a conservative or a tea party member, merely an American who is deeply concerned about the direction in which his country is heading.
May 4, 2011
http://www.infowars.com/top-us-government-insider-bin-laden-died-in-2001-911-a-false-flag
Top US government insider Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik, a man who held numerous different influential positions under three different Presidents and still works with the Defense Department, shockingly told The Alex Jones Show yesterday that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001 and that he was prepared to testify in front of a grand jury how a top general told him directly that 9/11 was a false flag inside job.
Pieczenik cannot be dismissed as a “conspiracy theorist”. He served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under three different administrations, Nixon, Ford and Carter, while also working under Reagan and Bush senior, and still works as a consultant for the Department of Defense. A former US Navy Captain, Pieczenik achieved two prestigious Harry C. Solomon Awards at the Harvard Medical School as he simultaneously completed a PhD at MIT.
Recruited by Lawrence Eagleburger as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Management, Pieczenik went on to develop, “the basic tenets for psychological warfare, counter terrorism, strategy and tactics for transcultural negotiations for the US State Department, military and intelligence communities and other agencies of the US Government,” while also developing foundational strategies for hostage rescue that were later employed around the world.
Pieczenik also served as a senior policy planner under Secretaries Henry Kissinger, Cyrus Vance, George Schultz and James Baker and worked on George W. Bush’s election campaign against Al Gore. His record underscores the fact that he is one of the most deeply connected men in intelligence circles over the past three decades plus.
The character of Jack Ryan, who appears in many Tom Clancy novels and was also played by Harrison Ford in the popular 1992 movie Patriot Games, is also based on Steve Pieczenik.
Back in April 2002, over nine years ago, Pieczenik told the Alex Jones Show that Bin Laden had already been “dead for months,” and that the government was waiting for the most politically expedient time to roll out his corpse. Pieczenik would be in a position to know, having personally met Bin Laden and worked with him during the proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan back in the early 80's.
Pieczenik said that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001, “Not because special forces had killed him, but because as a physician I had known that the CIA physicians had treated him and it was on the intelligence roster that he had marfan syndrome,” adding that the US government knew Bin Laden was dead before they invaded Afghanistan.
Marfan syndrome is a degenerative genetic disease for which there is no permanent cure. The illness severely shortens the life span of the sufferer.
“He died of marfan syndrome, Bush junior knew about it, the intelligence community knew about it,” said Pieczenik, noting how CIA physicians had visited Bin Laden in July 2001 at the American Hospital in Dubai.
“He was already very sick from marfan syndrome and he was already dying, so nobody had to kill him,” added Pieczenik, stating that Bin Laden died shortly after 9/11 in his Tora Bora cave complex.
“Did the intelligence community or the CIA doctor up this situation, the answer is yes, categorically yes,” said Pieczenik, referring to Sunday’s claim that Bin Laden was killed at his compound in Pakistan, adding, “This whole scenario where you see a bunch of people sitting there looking at a screen and they look as if they’re intense, that’s nonsense,” referring to the images released by the White House which claim to show Biden, Obama and Hillary Clinton watching the operation to kill Bin Laden live on a television screen.
“It’s a total make-up, make believe, we’re in an American theater of the absurd….why are we doing this again….nine years ago this man was already dead….why does the government repeatedly have to lie to the American people,” asked Pieczenik.
“Osama Bin Laden was totally dead, so there’s no way they could have attacked or confronted or killed Osama Bin laden,” said Pieczenik, joking that the only way it could have happened was if special forces had attacked a mortuary.
Pieczenik said that the decision to launch the hoax now was made because Obama had reached a low with plummeting approval ratings and the fact that the birther issue was blowing up in his face.
“He had to prove that he was more than American….he had to be aggressive,” said Pieczenik, adding that the farce was also a way of isolating Pakistan as a retaliation for intense opposition to the Predator drone program, which has killed hundreds of Pakistanis.
“This is orchestrated, I mean when you have people sitting around and watching a sitcom, basically the operations center of the White House, and you have a president coming out almost zombie-like telling you they just killed Osama Bin Laden who was already dead nine years ago,” said Pieczenik, calling the episode, “the greatest falsehood I’ve ever heard, I mean it was absurd.”
Dismissing the government’s account of the assassination of Bin Laden as a “sick joke” on the American people, Pieczenik said, “They are so desperate to make Obama viable, to negate the fact that he may not have been born here, any questions about his background, any irregularities about his background, to make him look assertive….to re-elect this president so the American public can be duped once again.”
Pieczenik’s assertion that Bin Laden died almost ten years ago is echoed by numerous intelligence professionals as well as heads of state across the world.
Bin Laden, “Was used in the same way that 9/11 was used to mobilize the emotions and feelings of the American people in order to go to a war that had to be justified through a narrative that Bush junior created and Cheney created about the world of terrorism,” stated Pieczenik.
During his interview with the Alex Jones Show yesterday, Pieczenik also asserted he was directly told by a prominent general that 9/11 was a stand down and a false flag operation, and that he is prepared to go to a grand jury to reveal the general’s name.
“They ran the attacks,” said Pieczenik, naming Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Stephen Hadley, Elliott Abrams, and Condoleezza Rice amongst others as having been directly involved.
“It was called a stand down, a false flag operation in order to mobilize the American public under false pretenses….it was told to me even by the general on the staff of Wolfowitz – I will go in front of a federal committee and swear on perjury who the name was of the individual so that we can break it open,” said Pieczenik, adding that he was “furious” and “knew it had happened”.
“I taught stand down and false flag operations at the national war college, I’ve taught it with all my operatives so I knew exactly what was done to the American public,” he added.
Pieczenik re-iterated that he was perfectly willing to reveal the name of the general who told him 9/11 was an inside job in a federal court, “so that we can unravel this thing legally, not with the stupid 9/11 Commission that was absurd.”
Pieczenik explained that he was not a liberal, a conservative or a tea party member, merely an American who is deeply concerned about the direction in which his country is heading.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Marvel's Dubai Theme Park Concept Art
http://www.cinematical.com/photos/marvels-dubai-theme-park-concept-art/
Marvel's Dubai Theme Park Concept Art
Friday, May 14, 2010
Media promotes far-fetched ‘bin Laden in Iran’ report
http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0506/documentary-claims-bin-laden-living-luxury-iranian-capital/
Media promotes far-fetched ‘bin Laden in Iran’ report
Muriel Kane
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
According to a new documentary, Osama bin Laden has been living in Iran's capital of Tehran with his family since 2003, enjoying the protection of the Revolutionary Guard and regularly taking part in the elite sport of falcon hunting.
This seemingly bizarre charge by by falconry expert Alan Parrot appears in the film Feathered Cocaine, which depicts "the secretive world of falconers where some birds can sell for over $1 million, and in which the elite of the Middle East conduct business and politics in remote desert camps."
Parrot, who claims to have traveled to Iran after he graduated from high school in the 1970's and become chief falconer to the Shah, says that a northern Iranian warlord, who reluctantly agreed to talk about bin Laden after one of Parrot's men saved his life, spoke of meeting the al Qaeda leader on six hunting trips between 2003 and 2008 and described him as calm and healthy.
As unlikely as Parrot's story might appear, ABC's George Stephanopoulos actually raised the question with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad during an interview on Tuesday, inaccurately asserting that Parrot himself had met bin Laden on several occasions.
"There's a new documentary out that says that Osama Bin Laden is living in Tehran," Stephanopoulos began. "And the subject of the documentary, a man named Alan Parrot, one of the world's foremost falconers living in Iran, says he's spoken to Osama bin Laden several times since 2003. Is Osama bin Laden in Tehran?"
"Your question is laughable," Ahmadinejad replied. He went on to say mockingly, "I heard that Osama bin Laden is in the Washington, D.C. ... Because he was a previous partner of Mr. Bush. They were colleagues in fact in the old days. You know that. They were in the oil business together. They worked together. Mr. Bin Laden never cooperated with Iran but he cooperated with Mr. Bush--"
The film is being promoted heavily by Fox News, which places particular emphasis on the claim that "Parrot's story is supported in the documentary by former CIA agent Robert Baer, an outspoken critic of U.S. policy in the Middle East and of how the CIA is managed. Baer, the onetime Middle East operative on whom the movie Syriana is based, explains that while he was in the CIA, he used satellites to watch the camps and they proved to be one of the key ways Al Qaeda was funded."
It is not clear how far Baer's endorsement extends, especially since he recently suggested that bin Laden is most likely dead. It also appears that in the film he was speaking only of al Qaeda's use of falconry camps and may not even have been aware of Parrot's assertion that bin laden is in Iran.
A review of Feathered Cocaine at DVDTalk states, "The always-fascinating Robert Baer (the former CIA field officer who inspired the Clooney character in Syriana) pops up to explain that falcon hunting camps are where business is done in the Middle East; meetings and cash hand-offs are the norm, and presumably, that's where Osama bin Laden took care of at least some of his financial and logistical planning. ... But the film goes deeper into the weeds. Parrot says he has a source, a professional smuggler (though not of falcons, of course) who says that bin Laden is in Iran."
"Parrot then proclaims that bin Laden's falcons all have tracking devices on them," the reviewer continues, "so if we were to go to Iran during hunting season, the signals from those falcons could be used to triangulate his location. Uh huh. He claims to have given all of this information to the government, but he's been ignored by both the previous and the current administrations, so clearly, our government doesn't actually want to catch Osama bin Laden."
In 2006, when the Dubai Ports deal was in the headlines, Parrot -- who also claims to have been part of the inner circle of the late President Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan of the United Arab Emirates -- was promoting a very similar story, but with a focus on the UAE rather than Iran.
Parrot told FrontPageMagazine at that time, "The Sheiks fly into falcon hunting camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan on C-130 military cargo planes filled with SUV’s, supplies and even steamer trunks full of cash. ... They meet with al Qaeda leaders or bin Laden himself while in these camps and discuss their Muslim obligations and unity. When they leave, they leave all the vehicles, supplies and any other useful equipment behind as donations to al Qaeda for its efforts at jihad."
Around the same time, Parrot appeared on Fox News -- wearing a turban and with a falcon on his wrist -- and told host John Gibson that he had personally witnessed bin Laden dealing with government officials at camps in the United Arab Emirates. "They have failed to close down the falconry camps, which are the real venue for planning the terror events that we have seen around the world," Parrot charged.
This clip was then featured by Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, who commented plaintively, "How could we have failed to shut down the falconry camps? We know Al Qaeda is after our field mice."
Media promotes far-fetched ‘bin Laden in Iran’ report
Muriel Kane
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
According to a new documentary, Osama bin Laden has been living in Iran's capital of Tehran with his family since 2003, enjoying the protection of the Revolutionary Guard and regularly taking part in the elite sport of falcon hunting.
This seemingly bizarre charge by by falconry expert Alan Parrot appears in the film Feathered Cocaine, which depicts "the secretive world of falconers where some birds can sell for over $1 million, and in which the elite of the Middle East conduct business and politics in remote desert camps."
Parrot, who claims to have traveled to Iran after he graduated from high school in the 1970's and become chief falconer to the Shah, says that a northern Iranian warlord, who reluctantly agreed to talk about bin Laden after one of Parrot's men saved his life, spoke of meeting the al Qaeda leader on six hunting trips between 2003 and 2008 and described him as calm and healthy.
As unlikely as Parrot's story might appear, ABC's George Stephanopoulos actually raised the question with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad during an interview on Tuesday, inaccurately asserting that Parrot himself had met bin Laden on several occasions.
"There's a new documentary out that says that Osama Bin Laden is living in Tehran," Stephanopoulos began. "And the subject of the documentary, a man named Alan Parrot, one of the world's foremost falconers living in Iran, says he's spoken to Osama bin Laden several times since 2003. Is Osama bin Laden in Tehran?"
"Your question is laughable," Ahmadinejad replied. He went on to say mockingly, "I heard that Osama bin Laden is in the Washington, D.C. ... Because he was a previous partner of Mr. Bush. They were colleagues in fact in the old days. You know that. They were in the oil business together. They worked together. Mr. Bin Laden never cooperated with Iran but he cooperated with Mr. Bush--"
The film is being promoted heavily by Fox News, which places particular emphasis on the claim that "Parrot's story is supported in the documentary by former CIA agent Robert Baer, an outspoken critic of U.S. policy in the Middle East and of how the CIA is managed. Baer, the onetime Middle East operative on whom the movie Syriana is based, explains that while he was in the CIA, he used satellites to watch the camps and they proved to be one of the key ways Al Qaeda was funded."
It is not clear how far Baer's endorsement extends, especially since he recently suggested that bin Laden is most likely dead. It also appears that in the film he was speaking only of al Qaeda's use of falconry camps and may not even have been aware of Parrot's assertion that bin laden is in Iran.
A review of Feathered Cocaine at DVDTalk states, "The always-fascinating Robert Baer (the former CIA field officer who inspired the Clooney character in Syriana) pops up to explain that falcon hunting camps are where business is done in the Middle East; meetings and cash hand-offs are the norm, and presumably, that's where Osama bin Laden took care of at least some of his financial and logistical planning. ... But the film goes deeper into the weeds. Parrot says he has a source, a professional smuggler (though not of falcons, of course) who says that bin Laden is in Iran."
"Parrot then proclaims that bin Laden's falcons all have tracking devices on them," the reviewer continues, "so if we were to go to Iran during hunting season, the signals from those falcons could be used to triangulate his location. Uh huh. He claims to have given all of this information to the government, but he's been ignored by both the previous and the current administrations, so clearly, our government doesn't actually want to catch Osama bin Laden."
In 2006, when the Dubai Ports deal was in the headlines, Parrot -- who also claims to have been part of the inner circle of the late President Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan of the United Arab Emirates -- was promoting a very similar story, but with a focus on the UAE rather than Iran.
Parrot told FrontPageMagazine at that time, "The Sheiks fly into falcon hunting camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan on C-130 military cargo planes filled with SUV’s, supplies and even steamer trunks full of cash. ... They meet with al Qaeda leaders or bin Laden himself while in these camps and discuss their Muslim obligations and unity. When they leave, they leave all the vehicles, supplies and any other useful equipment behind as donations to al Qaeda for its efforts at jihad."
Around the same time, Parrot appeared on Fox News -- wearing a turban and with a falcon on his wrist -- and told host John Gibson that he had personally witnessed bin Laden dealing with government officials at camps in the United Arab Emirates. "They have failed to close down the falconry camps, which are the real venue for planning the terror events that we have seen around the world," Parrot charged.
This clip was then featured by Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, who commented plaintively, "How could we have failed to shut down the falconry camps? We know Al Qaeda is after our field mice."
Friday, December 11, 2009
World’s tallest building, Burj Dubai Tower, opens
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/12/03/worlds-tallest-building-burj-dubai-tower-opens-as-a-golden-era-closes/World’s tallest building, Burj Dubai Tower, opens as a golden era closes
Dubai Tower opens next month. But will this crowning jewel also be the city's high watermark?
By Chris Gaylord 12.03.09
Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest tower, is a spire of superlatives.
The 160-story skyscraper will open on January 4, the fourth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum’s rule in Dubai.
Under the Sheikh, Dubai has seen a boom in record breakers, impressive firsts, and baffling spectacles. For example, the city is or will be home to the world’s first refrigerated beach, a twirling tower, the world’s largest arch-supported bridge, and artificial islands in the shape of the world map.
And Burj Dubai boasts more surprising bullet points than simply being the world’s tallest tower:
• At 2,700 feet tall, the skyscraper can be seen from 10 miles away.
• The building will sport the fastest elevators in the world, traveling at 10 meters per second (22 miles per hour). They will also be double-decker elevators, with each deck supporting up to 21 people.
• To keep out the desert heat, 10,000 tons of coolant with flow through the tower every hour.
• 230,000 cubic meters of concrete form the building’s core, enough to pave 1,180 miles of sidewalk.
• Dubai Tower will be the highlight of the worlds’ largest indoor shopping center, with space for 1,200 shops nestled among 30,000 apartments.
But Dubai is a very different place this month than it was in 2004 when construction began on the tower. As AFP reports:
Plunging property prices and weak demand had already put a dampener on new schemes even before last week’s shock announcement by state-owned giant Dubai World that it wants to halt debt payments for six months.
“It’s not exactly going to improve investor confidence,” said Matthew Green, associate director at property agency CB Richard Ellis, which has reported a 55 percent year-on-year drop in downtown Dubai commercial rental rates and a 67 percent fall outside the centre.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Investors Fret Over Dubai Debts
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/27/briefing-americas-open-markets-equities-dubai-debt.html
Investors Fret Over Dubai Debts, But Stocks Fight Back
Steve Schaefer, 11.27.09
Wall Street halves huge opening losses sparked by worry over possible Dubai World default.
A day after Thanksgiving Wall Streeters were hardly thankful after waking up to news of a massive debt crisis in Dubai, but the major indexes managed to trim their sizable opening losses ahead of the 1 p.m. close in New York.
On Wednesday, the government of Dubai said it wanted to delay payment on billions in debt issued by the Dubai World conglomerate and by Friday fears reached a fever pitch over the potential exposure of global banks to the nation's outstanding $80 billion in debt.
The news fueled a major sell-off in various assets around the world, hardly the type of good-cheer investors were hoping for in a shortened session in New York the day after Thanksgiving. U.S. stocks started the day tremendously lower as the situation in Dubai echoed the overblown debt bubble that brought our own financial system to its knees and dragged the economy into recession.
Shortly after the opening bell the Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 200 points with all 30 of its components in the red, but the blue-chip index trimmed its loss to just 92 points, and was trading at 10,373 less than an hour before noon. The S&P 500 was down 12 points at 1,099, and the Nasdaq fell 21 points to 2,155.
Worries over Dubai's debt were hammering virtually all asset classes, but commodities were off their worst levels of the session nearing midday. Crude oil was still down nearly $3 a barrel at $75.02 and gold prices down $16.60 to $1,172 an ounce. Early on investors fled for the perceived safety of the dollar -- the euro was off morning lows but still down at $1.4986 from over $1.50 Thursday -- and U.S. Treasuries with prices inching higher and yields dipping.
The banking sector bears watching as investors debate which firms have the most exposure to Dubai World. U.S. banks were scuffling in early trading, but European banks trading here seemed to be getting the worst of it. Compared to losses of less than 2% for Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank shares traded in New York were down more than 5% and American depositary receipts of Barclays slumped 6.5%.
MGM Mirage was hurting, even after the casino operator said it does not expect Dubai World's restructuring will impact their partnership on CityCenter in Las Vegas. Even so, shares were down 5.2% Friday
The news out of Dubai drew virtually all the attention off the retail sector on Black Friday, in a year when many chains are putting just as much focus on "Cyber Monday." Sears Holdings and Kmart are among the companies allowing online layaway.
Thomson Reuters contributed to this report.
Investors Fret Over Dubai Debts, But Stocks Fight Back
Steve Schaefer, 11.27.09
Wall Street halves huge opening losses sparked by worry over possible Dubai World default.
A day after Thanksgiving Wall Streeters were hardly thankful after waking up to news of a massive debt crisis in Dubai, but the major indexes managed to trim their sizable opening losses ahead of the 1 p.m. close in New York.
On Wednesday, the government of Dubai said it wanted to delay payment on billions in debt issued by the Dubai World conglomerate and by Friday fears reached a fever pitch over the potential exposure of global banks to the nation's outstanding $80 billion in debt.
The news fueled a major sell-off in various assets around the world, hardly the type of good-cheer investors were hoping for in a shortened session in New York the day after Thanksgiving. U.S. stocks started the day tremendously lower as the situation in Dubai echoed the overblown debt bubble that brought our own financial system to its knees and dragged the economy into recession.
Shortly after the opening bell the Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 200 points with all 30 of its components in the red, but the blue-chip index trimmed its loss to just 92 points, and was trading at 10,373 less than an hour before noon. The S&P 500 was down 12 points at 1,099, and the Nasdaq fell 21 points to 2,155.
Worries over Dubai's debt were hammering virtually all asset classes, but commodities were off their worst levels of the session nearing midday. Crude oil was still down nearly $3 a barrel at $75.02 and gold prices down $16.60 to $1,172 an ounce. Early on investors fled for the perceived safety of the dollar -- the euro was off morning lows but still down at $1.4986 from over $1.50 Thursday -- and U.S. Treasuries with prices inching higher and yields dipping.
The banking sector bears watching as investors debate which firms have the most exposure to Dubai World. U.S. banks were scuffling in early trading, but European banks trading here seemed to be getting the worst of it. Compared to losses of less than 2% for Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, Deutsche Bank shares traded in New York were down more than 5% and American depositary receipts of Barclays slumped 6.5%.
MGM Mirage was hurting, even after the casino operator said it does not expect Dubai World's restructuring will impact their partnership on CityCenter in Las Vegas. Even so, shares were down 5.2% Friday
The news out of Dubai drew virtually all the attention off the retail sector on Black Friday, in a year when many chains are putting just as much focus on "Cyber Monday." Sears Holdings and Kmart are among the companies allowing online layaway.
Thomson Reuters contributed to this report.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Las Vegas Project Weighs Bankruptcy
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123811086468552891.html
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
MARCH 27, 2009
Las Vegas Project Weighs Bankruptcy
Woes at Massive City Center Project, MGM Mirage's Centerpiece on the Strip, Rattle Casino Industry
By JEFFREY MCCRACKEN
And Tamara AudiCity Center, the $8.6 billion Las Vegas development owned by MGM Mirage and DubaiWorld, is preparing for a potential bankruptcy filing that could bring the massive project to a halt, according to people familiar with the situation.
MGM Mirage and investment partner Dubai World appear unlikely to make a $220 million payment due Friday on City Center -- a massive resort and casino project under construction on 67 acres. City Center has hired Dewey & LeBoeuf to prepare itself for a possible bankruptcy filing, and the firm's Martin Bienenstock, a noted bankruptcy attorney, is handling the work, according to people familiar with matter. The law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is working for MGM Mirage on a range of legal issues, according to these people.
A filing could come this weekend, depending on talks among MGM Mirage, its lenders and Dubai World, these people said. There is a possibility that any filing for court-protection could be averted if the talks lead to an agreement.
Dubai World, a conglomerate owned by the government of Dubai, has sued MGM Mirage for breach of contract and blamed it for cost overruns. It also signaled it won't provide its half of Friday's payment. MGM Mirage, meanwhile, is struggling to persuade its reluctant lenders to allow it to solely fund the project. While talks between MGM Mirage and Dubai World were ongoing Thursday night, there "may be no choice" but for City Center to file bankruptcy "if Dubai World doesn't fund," said a person close to MGM Mirage.
The casino company faces a cash crunch as it tries to meet obligations on more than $13 billion in debt. The company narrowly averted defaulting on loans last week and warned that it could default by mid-May.
City Center's troubles could spill out across Las Vegas. The project is a stark example of how excesses spawned during a lengthy gambling boom are coming back to haunt the casino industry. The project is so large that thousands of workers depend on it for jobs. At the same time, it has the rest of the city's casino industry on edge. If it gets built, it would add thousands of high-end hotel rooms that would cannibalize business from the city's gambling tables and hotels.
Missing Friday's payment would start the clock ticking on City Center's future. Work could grind to a halt within days, idling 8,500 construction jobs, said a person familiar with the talks between MGM Mirage and Dubai World. A delayed opening would also risk the jobs of 12,000 workers who are to staff the complex.
A shutdown of City Center "would be devastating to the southern Nevada economy," said Steve Ross, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents 22,000 construction workers.
Las Vegas, a city known for its elaborate multibillion-dollar resorts, is already reeling. Echelon, a $4.8 billion resort project on the Las Vegas Strip, was shuttered last year after its parent, Boyd Gaming Corp., and partner Morgans Hotel Group struggled to finance the project. A Las Vegas Sands Corp. condo tower sits unfinished after the casino operator decided to concentrate on finishing other projects. Several projects were canceled before work even started.
Las Vegas has suffered as tourism revenue has declined for more than a year. Unemployment hovers near 10%, and hotel-room occupancy rates have fallen to below 90% -- unusual for a town used to operating at near capacity.
City Center's over-the-top extravagance was conceived in a very different economic climate. When the project was unveiled in 2004, Las Vegas was at the height of a luxury-driven tourism boom. Gourmet restaurants were over-booked, room rates were skyrocketing and pricey shows were sold out. City Center was envisioned as the crown jewel.
MGM Mirage, controlled by billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, saw City Center as the next step in the evolution of both the company and Las Vegas.
The project, with two sleek condo towers, a 4,000-room resort casino, two smaller luxury hotels, a monorail, $40 million in public art and its own fire station, was envisioned as a "city within a city." MGM Mirage executives saw it as nothing less than a reinvention of Las Vegas.
Shortly after the project was launched, MGM Mirage Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Murren said, "City Center represents what we feel is a significant new direction for our city and our company."
Even under bankruptcy-court protection, construction could continue or be restarted once the two sides agree on how to fund the project. Neither company is likely to walk away. MGM Mirage has $1 billion in cash invested in the project, in addition to the land contribution. Dubai World has $4.3 billion invested.
While Las Vegas is worried about the impact on employment of a City Center delay, there is sentiment in the casino industry that any delay at City Center could help other casinos -- including those owned by MGM Mirage -- keep from losing even more visitors.
It is not clear what impact a City Center Chapter 11 filing would have on MGM Mirage's other finances.
MGM Mirage's lenders have become concerned enough about the situation that they have hired the law firm of Mayer Brown LLP as bankruptcy counsel, according to people familiar with the matter.
Bank of America and Deutsche Bank are the agent banks for MGM Mirage, said these people. MGM Mirage's lenders will not let the casino giant make the City Center payment Friday unless Dubai World makes its payment, according to people familiar with the matter.
MGM Mirage earnings are projected by Wall Street analysts to tumble to $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion this year, meaning to be in line with loan covenants it needs to reduce its debt to between $9 billion and $12 billion.
Write to Jeffrey McCracken at jeff.mccracken@wsj.com
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
MARCH 27, 2009
Las Vegas Project Weighs Bankruptcy
Woes at Massive City Center Project, MGM Mirage's Centerpiece on the Strip, Rattle Casino Industry
By JEFFREY MCCRACKEN
And Tamara AudiCity Center, the $8.6 billion Las Vegas development owned by MGM Mirage and DubaiWorld, is preparing for a potential bankruptcy filing that could bring the massive project to a halt, according to people familiar with the situation.
MGM Mirage and investment partner Dubai World appear unlikely to make a $220 million payment due Friday on City Center -- a massive resort and casino project under construction on 67 acres. City Center has hired Dewey & LeBoeuf to prepare itself for a possible bankruptcy filing, and the firm's Martin Bienenstock, a noted bankruptcy attorney, is handling the work, according to people familiar with matter. The law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is working for MGM Mirage on a range of legal issues, according to these people.
A filing could come this weekend, depending on talks among MGM Mirage, its lenders and Dubai World, these people said. There is a possibility that any filing for court-protection could be averted if the talks lead to an agreement.
Dubai World, a conglomerate owned by the government of Dubai, has sued MGM Mirage for breach of contract and blamed it for cost overruns. It also signaled it won't provide its half of Friday's payment. MGM Mirage, meanwhile, is struggling to persuade its reluctant lenders to allow it to solely fund the project. While talks between MGM Mirage and Dubai World were ongoing Thursday night, there "may be no choice" but for City Center to file bankruptcy "if Dubai World doesn't fund," said a person close to MGM Mirage.
The casino company faces a cash crunch as it tries to meet obligations on more than $13 billion in debt. The company narrowly averted defaulting on loans last week and warned that it could default by mid-May.
City Center's troubles could spill out across Las Vegas. The project is a stark example of how excesses spawned during a lengthy gambling boom are coming back to haunt the casino industry. The project is so large that thousands of workers depend on it for jobs. At the same time, it has the rest of the city's casino industry on edge. If it gets built, it would add thousands of high-end hotel rooms that would cannibalize business from the city's gambling tables and hotels.
Missing Friday's payment would start the clock ticking on City Center's future. Work could grind to a halt within days, idling 8,500 construction jobs, said a person familiar with the talks between MGM Mirage and Dubai World. A delayed opening would also risk the jobs of 12,000 workers who are to staff the complex.
A shutdown of City Center "would be devastating to the southern Nevada economy," said Steve Ross, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents 22,000 construction workers.
Las Vegas, a city known for its elaborate multibillion-dollar resorts, is already reeling. Echelon, a $4.8 billion resort project on the Las Vegas Strip, was shuttered last year after its parent, Boyd Gaming Corp., and partner Morgans Hotel Group struggled to finance the project. A Las Vegas Sands Corp. condo tower sits unfinished after the casino operator decided to concentrate on finishing other projects. Several projects were canceled before work even started.
Las Vegas has suffered as tourism revenue has declined for more than a year. Unemployment hovers near 10%, and hotel-room occupancy rates have fallen to below 90% -- unusual for a town used to operating at near capacity.
City Center's over-the-top extravagance was conceived in a very different economic climate. When the project was unveiled in 2004, Las Vegas was at the height of a luxury-driven tourism boom. Gourmet restaurants were over-booked, room rates were skyrocketing and pricey shows were sold out. City Center was envisioned as the crown jewel.
MGM Mirage, controlled by billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, saw City Center as the next step in the evolution of both the company and Las Vegas.
The project, with two sleek condo towers, a 4,000-room resort casino, two smaller luxury hotels, a monorail, $40 million in public art and its own fire station, was envisioned as a "city within a city." MGM Mirage executives saw it as nothing less than a reinvention of Las Vegas.
Shortly after the project was launched, MGM Mirage Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Murren said, "City Center represents what we feel is a significant new direction for our city and our company."
Even under bankruptcy-court protection, construction could continue or be restarted once the two sides agree on how to fund the project. Neither company is likely to walk away. MGM Mirage has $1 billion in cash invested in the project, in addition to the land contribution. Dubai World has $4.3 billion invested.
While Las Vegas is worried about the impact on employment of a City Center delay, there is sentiment in the casino industry that any delay at City Center could help other casinos -- including those owned by MGM Mirage -- keep from losing even more visitors.
It is not clear what impact a City Center Chapter 11 filing would have on MGM Mirage's other finances.
MGM Mirage's lenders have become concerned enough about the situation that they have hired the law firm of Mayer Brown LLP as bankruptcy counsel, according to people familiar with the matter.
Bank of America and Deutsche Bank are the agent banks for MGM Mirage, said these people. MGM Mirage's lenders will not let the casino giant make the City Center payment Friday unless Dubai World makes its payment, according to people familiar with the matter.
MGM Mirage earnings are projected by Wall Street analysts to tumble to $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion this year, meaning to be in line with loan covenants it needs to reduce its debt to between $9 billion and $12 billion.
Write to Jeffrey McCracken at jeff.mccracken@wsj.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Title, but Unclear Power, for a New Climate Czar
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/us/politics/12climate.html
Title, but Unclear Power, for a New Climate Czar
By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: December 11, 2008
WASHINGTON — Much remains unknown, and perhaps undecided, about Carol M. Browner’s new position as White House coordinator of energy and climate policy.
How much real authority will Ms. Browner wield? Will her office have the same bureaucratic clout — the ability to knock heads together at other agencies — as the National Security Council and the National Economic Council? Will she be able to hold her own against the two powerhouses that will lead those established councils, James L. Jones, a retired Marine general, and Lawrence H. Summers, a former Treasury secretary? Will she outrank the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council? Will she have office space in the West Wing? How big will her staff be?
But this much is known. Ms. Browner’s thinking on climate change, environmental regulation, energy conservation and new technology are very much in line with those of President-elect Barack Obama and the other members of his environmental team. Ms. Browner, who has close ties to Mr. Obama’s transition chief, John D. Podesta, started laying the groundwork for the handover with him back in August.
Aides said Wednesday that Mr. Obama intended in the next few days to announce the nominations of Ms. Browner, Steven Chu as secretary of energy, Lisa P. Jackson as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Nancy Sutley as head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. But the scope of Ms. Browner’s job remains under discussion, the aides said.
Her views and government record are well known.
Long an acolyte of Al Gore, she has called climate change “the greatest challenge ever faced” and echoed Mr. Obama’s call for a cap-and-trade system to control carbon dioxide emissions. Before leaving office in 2001, she set out to give the E.P.A. authority to regulate the carbon emissions that cause climate change, a power the Bush administration subsequently refused to use despite a Supreme Court ruling endorsing it. She supports California’s ambitious global warming law, which will force automakers to cut tailpipe emissions deeper and faster than current federal law.
After leaving the Clinton administration, Ms. Browner became a founding partner at the Albright Group, an international consulting firm. It has helped Coca-Cola and Merck with foreign operations, but a spokeswoman for the firm declined to identify other clients.
Ms. Browner’s work with the Albright Group attracted attention in early 2006, during the controversy over a Dubai firm’s takeover of a company that operated several American seaports. In February 2006, Ms. Browner and a lobbyist for the Dubai company met with the staff of Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York and a vocal opponent of the deal.
A spokesman for Mr. Schumer told a reporter at the time that the visitors had been “unpersuasive.” Neither Ms. Browner nor the Albright Group registered to lobby Congress about the deal. The firm’s spokeswoman said Thursday that the meeting “was for informational purposes only” and that “the Albright Group does not lobby.”
Ms. Browner also sits on the board of APX, which specializes in handling cap-and-trade emission credits, as well as several environment groups.
Her most notable accomplishment in the Clinton years came when she pushed through tough air quality rules over intense opposition from industry groups and from some in the administration who viewed them as too costly. But even as she pressed ahead, her favorite slogan was “common sense.” How far she will be able to go in pursuit of vastly more comprehensive and costly energy-conservation goals remains to be seen.
The transition team is still trying to draw the increasingly complex White House organization chart, with a proliferation of top-rank positions with as-yet-undefined roles. On Thursday, Mr. Obama designated former Senator Tom Daschle as not only his secretary of health and human services but also the White House “health czar.” Ms. Browner is informally known within the transition and in the environmental community as the “climate czarina,” a title that conceals as much as it reveals.
She showed her bureaucratic muscle in one of the critical environmental battles of the Clinton era, the drive to write tough rules for permissible levels of ozone and fine particles of air pollution. The rules, drafted at Ms. Browner’s E.P.A., set strict standards that industry groups and scores of members of Congress said would be too costly to meet.
Mr. Gore, then the vice president, was Ms. Browner’s top ally in the administration, but the president’s economic advisers and Office of Management and Budget officials were wary of the supposed economic and political costs of the new regulations.
Ms. Browner stood her ground and eventually persuaded President Bill Clinton to support her. The rules went into effect and survived determined challenges in the courts and in Congress. In navigating that maze, Ms. Browner stepped on many toes, and she remains unpopular with assorted industry groups and conservatives in Congress.
Charlie Savage contributed reporting from Washington.
A version of this article appeared in print on December 12, 2008, on page A28 of the New York edition.
Title, but Unclear Power, for a New Climate Czar
By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: December 11, 2008
WASHINGTON — Much remains unknown, and perhaps undecided, about Carol M. Browner’s new position as White House coordinator of energy and climate policy.
How much real authority will Ms. Browner wield? Will her office have the same bureaucratic clout — the ability to knock heads together at other agencies — as the National Security Council and the National Economic Council? Will she be able to hold her own against the two powerhouses that will lead those established councils, James L. Jones, a retired Marine general, and Lawrence H. Summers, a former Treasury secretary? Will she outrank the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council? Will she have office space in the West Wing? How big will her staff be?
But this much is known. Ms. Browner’s thinking on climate change, environmental regulation, energy conservation and new technology are very much in line with those of President-elect Barack Obama and the other members of his environmental team. Ms. Browner, who has close ties to Mr. Obama’s transition chief, John D. Podesta, started laying the groundwork for the handover with him back in August.
Aides said Wednesday that Mr. Obama intended in the next few days to announce the nominations of Ms. Browner, Steven Chu as secretary of energy, Lisa P. Jackson as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Nancy Sutley as head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. But the scope of Ms. Browner’s job remains under discussion, the aides said.
Her views and government record are well known.
Long an acolyte of Al Gore, she has called climate change “the greatest challenge ever faced” and echoed Mr. Obama’s call for a cap-and-trade system to control carbon dioxide emissions. Before leaving office in 2001, she set out to give the E.P.A. authority to regulate the carbon emissions that cause climate change, a power the Bush administration subsequently refused to use despite a Supreme Court ruling endorsing it. She supports California’s ambitious global warming law, which will force automakers to cut tailpipe emissions deeper and faster than current federal law.
After leaving the Clinton administration, Ms. Browner became a founding partner at the Albright Group, an international consulting firm. It has helped Coca-Cola and Merck with foreign operations, but a spokeswoman for the firm declined to identify other clients.
Ms. Browner’s work with the Albright Group attracted attention in early 2006, during the controversy over a Dubai firm’s takeover of a company that operated several American seaports. In February 2006, Ms. Browner and a lobbyist for the Dubai company met with the staff of Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York and a vocal opponent of the deal.
A spokesman for Mr. Schumer told a reporter at the time that the visitors had been “unpersuasive.” Neither Ms. Browner nor the Albright Group registered to lobby Congress about the deal. The firm’s spokeswoman said Thursday that the meeting “was for informational purposes only” and that “the Albright Group does not lobby.”
Ms. Browner also sits on the board of APX, which specializes in handling cap-and-trade emission credits, as well as several environment groups.
Her most notable accomplishment in the Clinton years came when she pushed through tough air quality rules over intense opposition from industry groups and from some in the administration who viewed them as too costly. But even as she pressed ahead, her favorite slogan was “common sense.” How far she will be able to go in pursuit of vastly more comprehensive and costly energy-conservation goals remains to be seen.
The transition team is still trying to draw the increasingly complex White House organization chart, with a proliferation of top-rank positions with as-yet-undefined roles. On Thursday, Mr. Obama designated former Senator Tom Daschle as not only his secretary of health and human services but also the White House “health czar.” Ms. Browner is informally known within the transition and in the environmental community as the “climate czarina,” a title that conceals as much as it reveals.
She showed her bureaucratic muscle in one of the critical environmental battles of the Clinton era, the drive to write tough rules for permissible levels of ozone and fine particles of air pollution. The rules, drafted at Ms. Browner’s E.P.A., set strict standards that industry groups and scores of members of Congress said would be too costly to meet.
Mr. Gore, then the vice president, was Ms. Browner’s top ally in the administration, but the president’s economic advisers and Office of Management and Budget officials were wary of the supposed economic and political costs of the new regulations.
Ms. Browner stood her ground and eventually persuaded President Bill Clinton to support her. The rules went into effect and survived determined challenges in the courts and in Congress. In navigating that maze, Ms. Browner stepped on many toes, and she remains unpopular with assorted industry groups and conservatives in Congress.
Charlie Savage contributed reporting from Washington.
A version of this article appeared in print on December 12, 2008, on page A28 of the New York edition.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Dubai Speculators Quit
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a2jrSPqYhVzY
Dubai Speculators Quit as Lending Drought Bursts Desert Bubble
By Glen Carey
Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The classified ads in Dubai read like an obituary for a real-estate market that until a few months ago seemed immune from the global credit crisis.
A Turkish investor, who identified himself as Sebat, took out 10 bright yellow ads in the Nov. 25 edition of Gulf News, the United Arab Emirates’ biggest newspaper, with the headline: “DIRECT FROM OWNER DISTRESS SALE!!!” Sebat said he used to be able to buy four or five properties at a time and sell them the next day for a profit of as much as 5 percent.
“There is panic in the market,” said Sebat, 52, who wouldn’t give his full name because he’s juggling 60 properties.
The property bubble in the desert emirate, home to the world’s tallest building, most expensive hotel suite and largest manmade islands, is bursting as scarce credit and slumping oil prices have international investors scurrying to dump assets. That may shatter Dubai’s goal of creating a sustainable economy by building the Persian Gulf hub for finance and tourism, forcing it to depend on oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi for financing.
“Dubai is more precarious than it has ever been,” said Christopher Davidson, author of “Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success” (2008, Columbia University Press). “If the property industry collapses in Dubai, it will be finished. Dubai’s relative autonomy will come to an abrupt end.”
The emirate’s push into luxury property developments and tourist attractions was diversification on “paper sand,” said Davidson, a professor of Middle Eastern affairs at Durham University in the U.K.
‘Nasty Downturn’
Real-estate prices may drop 20 percent or more, analysts at EFG-Hermes Holding SAE, the biggest publicly traded investment bank in Egypt, said in a report this week.
Nakheel PJSC, the Dubai state-owned developer of three palm-shaped islands in the Persian Gulf, said Nov. 30 that it is scaling back or delaying work on some of its $30 billion in projects, including the 62-story Trump International Hotel & Tower near the Mega Yacht Club on the trunk of Palm Jumeirah.
“In such a nasty downturn, which we are seeing now, they are just not immune to global events,” said Michael Baer, founder of Dubai-based Baer Capital Partners and great-grandson of Julius Baer, who started Switzerland’s largest independent wealth manager. “Maybe the boom is over for the time being.”
The sheikhdom may need help from Abu Dhabi and the U.A.E. to service its debt, according to Moody’s Investors Service. Dubai borrowed $80 billion to finance its transformation and make up for a lack of natural resources. It has just 4 billion barrels of oil reserves, compared with Abu Dhabi’s 92.2 billion barrels.
‘Healthy Correction’
Dubai officials say the emirate can weather the storm.
“The real estate sector is witnessing a healthy correction,” Mohammed Ali Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties PJSC and head of a committee studying the effects of the global credit crisis on Dubai’s economy, said in a Nov. 24 speech. “This is a consequence of global financial conditions and is inherent to the very nature of the market.”
Dubai will meet its debt obligations, he said.
Baer said he is optimistic the boom will return if the government takes the right actions. “There will be layoffs, they will have readjustments in asset prices and maybe they will have more careful accounting practices,” he said.
Led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai attracted investment with no income tax and free-trade zones. Dubai, the second-biggest of the U.A.E.’s seven states, benefited from an inflow of international investors eager to tap the Gulf’s wealth after a six-year surge in oil prices.
Five-Year Boom
Real-estate values surged fourfold over the past five years, fueled by a supply shortage and an influx of expatriates. Rising commodities prices drove inflation, which accelerated to a record 11.1 percent in the U.A.E. last year. Dubai opened its property market to foreign investment in 2002.
Borrowers tapped mortgages for as much as 90 percent of a property’s value to buy homes on the manmade fronds of the Palm Jumeirah and villas with gardens or golf-course views in developments such as Emirates Hills, The Springs and The Lakes.
Now the credit crunch is coming to Dubai. It’s being aggravated by oil prices that have tumbled 68 percent since reaching a record $147.27 a barrel on July 11.
That will mean less interest in buying third or fourth homes in Dubai, said Gabriel Stein, a director at London’s Lombard Street Research, which provides economic analysis.
“There are bound to be white-elephant developments,” he said. “If it was built on the premise of ‘build it and they will come’ then that will now turn out to be a mistake.”
Bargain Villas
Banks are tightening lending or freezing it altogether. Amlak Finance PJSC, one of the U.A.E.’s biggest mortgage lenders, said Nov. 19 that it had suspended new home loans. London-based Lloyds TSB Group Plc stopped offering mortgages for apartments in Dubai on Nov. 11 and reduced the amount it will lend for villas to 50 percent of the price, from 80 percent.
The cost of a seven-bedroom villa on Palm Jumeirah dropped to as low as 19 million dirhams ($5.2 million) last month, from 30 million dirhams in September, according to the Dubai unit of German real-estate company Engel & Voelkers AG.
On Nov. 20, Nakheel and its South African partner threw a $20 million party for the opening of the $1.5 billion Atlantis resort, complete with the world’s biggest fireworks display and celebrities from actress Charlize Theron to singer Kylie Minogue. The hotel’s most expensive suite costs $42,000 a night excluding breakfast.
Two days later, the U.A.E. stepped in to shore up Dubai’s two biggest mortgage lenders, Amlak and Tamweel PJSC. They are merging with state-owned Real Estate Bank, based in Abu Dhabi.
No Longer Immune
Artur Khayrullin moved to Dubai three years ago to escape the Russian winter and invest in the booming real-estate market. Now he’s being forced to sell four apartments to raise cash for his family business in Moscow. They have been on the market for two months.
“With all this oil money in the region, I thought the Dubai property market would be secure from the global problems,” the 30-year-old Bentley owner said, reached on his mobile phone on the beach. Now, “nobody is getting financing.”
The worst may be yet to come as a glut of properties arrives on the market.
About 70,000 units are scheduled to be completed in 2009, more than half of which were originally planned for this year and last, according to a September report from EFG-Hermes.
Buyers willing to commit to purchases before construction are harder to find. So-called off-plan sales helped fuel the bubble with some properties passing through multiple buyers. Off-plan prices have dropped as much as 20 percent since September, according to developer Al Jabal Holdings.
“The speculative buyers were more than 50 percent of the market,” said Eckart Woertz, chief economist at the Dubai- based Gulf Research Center. “They have disappeared.”
Istanbul native Sebat said he’s prepared to leave after 12 years in Dubai.
“I will be in a very big panic and will want to get out of Dubai if I don’t think things will get better,” he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Dubai at gcarey8@bloomberg.net.
Dubai Speculators Quit as Lending Drought Bursts Desert Bubble
By Glen Carey
Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The classified ads in Dubai read like an obituary for a real-estate market that until a few months ago seemed immune from the global credit crisis.
A Turkish investor, who identified himself as Sebat, took out 10 bright yellow ads in the Nov. 25 edition of Gulf News, the United Arab Emirates’ biggest newspaper, with the headline: “DIRECT FROM OWNER DISTRESS SALE!!!” Sebat said he used to be able to buy four or five properties at a time and sell them the next day for a profit of as much as 5 percent.
“There is panic in the market,” said Sebat, 52, who wouldn’t give his full name because he’s juggling 60 properties.
The property bubble in the desert emirate, home to the world’s tallest building, most expensive hotel suite and largest manmade islands, is bursting as scarce credit and slumping oil prices have international investors scurrying to dump assets. That may shatter Dubai’s goal of creating a sustainable economy by building the Persian Gulf hub for finance and tourism, forcing it to depend on oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi for financing.
“Dubai is more precarious than it has ever been,” said Christopher Davidson, author of “Dubai: The Vulnerability of Success” (2008, Columbia University Press). “If the property industry collapses in Dubai, it will be finished. Dubai’s relative autonomy will come to an abrupt end.”
The emirate’s push into luxury property developments and tourist attractions was diversification on “paper sand,” said Davidson, a professor of Middle Eastern affairs at Durham University in the U.K.
‘Nasty Downturn’
Real-estate prices may drop 20 percent or more, analysts at EFG-Hermes Holding SAE, the biggest publicly traded investment bank in Egypt, said in a report this week.
Nakheel PJSC, the Dubai state-owned developer of three palm-shaped islands in the Persian Gulf, said Nov. 30 that it is scaling back or delaying work on some of its $30 billion in projects, including the 62-story Trump International Hotel & Tower near the Mega Yacht Club on the trunk of Palm Jumeirah.
“In such a nasty downturn, which we are seeing now, they are just not immune to global events,” said Michael Baer, founder of Dubai-based Baer Capital Partners and great-grandson of Julius Baer, who started Switzerland’s largest independent wealth manager. “Maybe the boom is over for the time being.”
The sheikhdom may need help from Abu Dhabi and the U.A.E. to service its debt, according to Moody’s Investors Service. Dubai borrowed $80 billion to finance its transformation and make up for a lack of natural resources. It has just 4 billion barrels of oil reserves, compared with Abu Dhabi’s 92.2 billion barrels.
‘Healthy Correction’
Dubai officials say the emirate can weather the storm.
“The real estate sector is witnessing a healthy correction,” Mohammed Ali Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties PJSC and head of a committee studying the effects of the global credit crisis on Dubai’s economy, said in a Nov. 24 speech. “This is a consequence of global financial conditions and is inherent to the very nature of the market.”
Dubai will meet its debt obligations, he said.
Baer said he is optimistic the boom will return if the government takes the right actions. “There will be layoffs, they will have readjustments in asset prices and maybe they will have more careful accounting practices,” he said.
Led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai attracted investment with no income tax and free-trade zones. Dubai, the second-biggest of the U.A.E.’s seven states, benefited from an inflow of international investors eager to tap the Gulf’s wealth after a six-year surge in oil prices.
Five-Year Boom
Real-estate values surged fourfold over the past five years, fueled by a supply shortage and an influx of expatriates. Rising commodities prices drove inflation, which accelerated to a record 11.1 percent in the U.A.E. last year. Dubai opened its property market to foreign investment in 2002.
Borrowers tapped mortgages for as much as 90 percent of a property’s value to buy homes on the manmade fronds of the Palm Jumeirah and villas with gardens or golf-course views in developments such as Emirates Hills, The Springs and The Lakes.
Now the credit crunch is coming to Dubai. It’s being aggravated by oil prices that have tumbled 68 percent since reaching a record $147.27 a barrel on July 11.
That will mean less interest in buying third or fourth homes in Dubai, said Gabriel Stein, a director at London’s Lombard Street Research, which provides economic analysis.
“There are bound to be white-elephant developments,” he said. “If it was built on the premise of ‘build it and they will come’ then that will now turn out to be a mistake.”
Bargain Villas
Banks are tightening lending or freezing it altogether. Amlak Finance PJSC, one of the U.A.E.’s biggest mortgage lenders, said Nov. 19 that it had suspended new home loans. London-based Lloyds TSB Group Plc stopped offering mortgages for apartments in Dubai on Nov. 11 and reduced the amount it will lend for villas to 50 percent of the price, from 80 percent.
The cost of a seven-bedroom villa on Palm Jumeirah dropped to as low as 19 million dirhams ($5.2 million) last month, from 30 million dirhams in September, according to the Dubai unit of German real-estate company Engel & Voelkers AG.
On Nov. 20, Nakheel and its South African partner threw a $20 million party for the opening of the $1.5 billion Atlantis resort, complete with the world’s biggest fireworks display and celebrities from actress Charlize Theron to singer Kylie Minogue. The hotel’s most expensive suite costs $42,000 a night excluding breakfast.
Two days later, the U.A.E. stepped in to shore up Dubai’s two biggest mortgage lenders, Amlak and Tamweel PJSC. They are merging with state-owned Real Estate Bank, based in Abu Dhabi.
No Longer Immune
Artur Khayrullin moved to Dubai three years ago to escape the Russian winter and invest in the booming real-estate market. Now he’s being forced to sell four apartments to raise cash for his family business in Moscow. They have been on the market for two months.
“With all this oil money in the region, I thought the Dubai property market would be secure from the global problems,” the 30-year-old Bentley owner said, reached on his mobile phone on the beach. Now, “nobody is getting financing.”
The worst may be yet to come as a glut of properties arrives on the market.
About 70,000 units are scheduled to be completed in 2009, more than half of which were originally planned for this year and last, according to a September report from EFG-Hermes.
Buyers willing to commit to purchases before construction are harder to find. So-called off-plan sales helped fuel the bubble with some properties passing through multiple buyers. Off-plan prices have dropped as much as 20 percent since September, according to developer Al Jabal Holdings.
“The speculative buyers were more than 50 percent of the market,” said Eckart Woertz, chief economist at the Dubai- based Gulf Research Center. “They have disappeared.”
Istanbul native Sebat said he’s prepared to leave after 12 years in Dubai.
“I will be in a very big panic and will want to get out of Dubai if I don’t think things will get better,” he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Dubai at gcarey8@bloomberg.net.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Magazine names 7 wonders of architecture
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080324/ap_tr_ge/travel_superlatives_architectural_wonders
Magazine names 7 wonders of architecture
Mon Mar 24, 2008
From the tall tower in Dubai to a contemporary art museum on New York's Lower East Side, noteworthy architecture is springing up around the globe. Conde Nast Traveler's April issue picks seven designs as the "new seven wonders of the architecture world." They are:
-Cumulus, an exhibit hall at Danfoss Universe, a science and technology museum in Nordborg, Denmark. The building has an irregular roof, all curves and angles, like a bite taken out of a cloud.
-Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, which is under construction in the Middle East and is already more than 1,700 feet tall. The final height is a secret but its developer, Emaar Properties, has previously said it will stop somewhere above 2,275 feet and will exceed 160 floors.
-London's new Wembley Stadium, which seats 90,000 with no obstructed sight lines. A massive 436-foot-tall, 1,000-foot-long single arch braces the retractable roof. The stadium will be a centerpiece of the 2012 Olympics.
-New Museum of Contemporary Art, designed to resemble an off-kilter stack of silvery rectangles, located on the Bowery on Manhattan's once-seedy, now-trendy Lower East Side.
-Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., a curved roof made from a patterned grid of glass and steel above shallow pools in the courtyard of the Old Patent Office Building, also known as the Reynolds Center and home to the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
-Red Ribbon, Tanghe River Park, in Qinhuangdao, China, about 180 miles east of Beijing, a steel bench that runs a third of a mile through a riverbank garden and ecological oasis.
-The Crystal, a controversial new entryway and exhibit space at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum, whose sharp, even jagged angles have not been universally loved by the locals. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind.
Magazine names 7 wonders of architecture
Mon Mar 24, 2008
From the tall tower in Dubai to a contemporary art museum on New York's Lower East Side, noteworthy architecture is springing up around the globe. Conde Nast Traveler's April issue picks seven designs as the "new seven wonders of the architecture world." They are:
-Cumulus, an exhibit hall at Danfoss Universe, a science and technology museum in Nordborg, Denmark. The building has an irregular roof, all curves and angles, like a bite taken out of a cloud.
-Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, which is under construction in the Middle East and is already more than 1,700 feet tall. The final height is a secret but its developer, Emaar Properties, has previously said it will stop somewhere above 2,275 feet and will exceed 160 floors.
-London's new Wembley Stadium, which seats 90,000 with no obstructed sight lines. A massive 436-foot-tall, 1,000-foot-long single arch braces the retractable roof. The stadium will be a centerpiece of the 2012 Olympics.
-New Museum of Contemporary Art, designed to resemble an off-kilter stack of silvery rectangles, located on the Bowery on Manhattan's once-seedy, now-trendy Lower East Side.
-Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., a curved roof made from a patterned grid of glass and steel above shallow pools in the courtyard of the Old Patent Office Building, also known as the Reynolds Center and home to the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
-Red Ribbon, Tanghe River Park, in Qinhuangdao, China, about 180 miles east of Beijing, a steel bench that runs a third of a mile through a riverbank garden and ecological oasis.
-The Crystal, a controversial new entryway and exhibit space at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum, whose sharp, even jagged angles have not been universally loved by the locals. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Gigayacht
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/mar2008/bw20080320_403974.htmMarch 20, 2008
The Gigayacht
Monaco-based designer Wally Yachts reconceives the yacht as a 325-ft. floating personal island
Little more than a decade after beginning in business, Monaco-based Wally Yachts continues to develop innovative concepts and minimalist luxury at a rate exceeding any other marine design house on the planet. The company's latest is the WallyIsland—a 99 meter (325 feet) "gigayacht" that dwarfs the vast majority of luxury megayachts and reconceives the yacht as a floating personal island, a mobile address that can be used as a home, an entertaining space or even a moving exhibition or show space.
In decades gone by, a 180-foot personal superyacht was enough to establish yourself as a seriously wealthy owner—but over the last ten years, in the spirit of excess, the megayacht emerged, at over 220 feet long. And when the ostentatious mega-rich start competing, enormous isn't nearly big enough. Over the last ten years, several yachts have been built over the 320-foot mark.
WallyIsland isn't the first of this new breed of luxury gigayachts—nor is it the largest. Paul Allen's Octopus, for example is a 410-foot monster built by Lürssen, and the Sheikh of Dubai (where else?) currently owns the world's largest luxury motoryacht at a staggering 525 feet long. A 405-footer by Frank Mulder was even auctioned off recently on eBay. WallyIsland, though, does have some unique features.
WallyIsland looks more like a tanker than its gigayacht brethren, due to the huge 1000m2 main deck area and the fact that is has only three upper-level decks rather than the multilevel arrangements typical on others. It's designed this way to increase open entertaining space and allow large garden spaces, and this sort of design also keeps the cost of the yacht "competitive," although we'd shudder to imagine what "competitive" means in this kind of endeavour. Wally claims it's roughly in line with what you'd pay for a traditional design 200-footer.
The WallyIsland's main deck can include a large, deep swimming pool, garden spaces, tennis or mini soccer grounds, as well as the requisite helipads. It includes sleeping quarters for up to 40 crew and 24 guests as well as the extravagant owner's suites. It holds around three-quarters of a million litres of fuel, so you'd probably want to fill it up before the public holiday petrol price jump, and the aft deck holds two 45-foot WallyPower tender yachts, as well as space for several other yachts and watertoys on board.
The interiors feature a main saloon, living/dining room; guest accommodation, library, cinema, spa, wellness and fitness area; service and crew area; and the steering/navigation area.
WallyIsland—Preliminary Technical Specifications
Type — Displacement motor yacht
Length O.A. — 99.05 m 325' 0"
Length W.L. — 99.00 m 324' 10"
Beam — 18.00 m 59' 0"
Draught — 4.05 m 13' 3"
Displacement (half load) — 2,730 tons 6,018,620 lbs
Naval architecture—Wally with Mauro Sculli Architect Exterior styling—Wally with Mauro Sculli Architect Interior layout—Wally with Mauro Sculli Architect Interior design—Wally
Construction Type — Steel
Classification—RINA
Sound & vibration Analysis—TBC
Tank testing TBC
Superstructures Steel
Propulsion / Steering System — 2 x 2500 kW electric powered Azipods
Max Speed — 17.5 knots
Cruise speed — 16 knots
Fuel Capacity — 750,000 l-198,129US gal
Range at cruising speed — 15,000 nm
Bow Thruster — 2 x 240 kW thrusters
Stabilizer Systems — 4 x Quantum Extendable Zero Speed Fins
Electric Generation — 4 x 1,500 kW
Emergency Generator — 1 x 160 kW CAT 400/ 3 PH
Fresh Water — 50,000 l —13,200 US gal
Water makers — 2 x 550 l/h—145 US gal Idromar
Air Conditioning — 3 x 200 kW Condaria
Deck finish — Teak
Final coating — Dupont
Tenders and water toys — 2 x WallyTenders (13.6 m—45'); 2 x fixed keel sailing boats (8m—27'); 2 car vans; 6 Jet skis; 2 Lasers
Accommodation
6 large suites for 12 guests (can be transformed in 12 separate suites for 24 guests)
1 king size owner's suite (200 m2-2,152 ft2)
20 double cabins for 40 crew members
2 staterooms for captain and officers
6 guest en-suites with bathtub
6 guest en-suites with shower
2 master en-suites (with bathtub)
20 en-suites for crew members
2 en-suites for captain and officers
5 day heads for guests
The main saloon is in the forward centre of the ship, at the Service & Salon deck (Lower Deck), with double level height: lower level of 260 m2—2,799 ft2; upper level with balcony looking on the lower one, of 150 m2—1,615 ft2
The dining/gaming sitting room in the forward Upper deck (in the superstructure) of 125 m2—1,345 ft2
Library 50 m2—538 ft2
HiFi & Home Cinema 50 m2—538 ft2
SPA (wellness room) 50 m2—538 ft2 with hammam, sauna, showers and massages area
Gymnasium room 50 m2—538 ft2 with fitness equipment
Crew mess area with dedicated galley 40 m2—431 ft2
Main galley with professional appliances 41 m2—441 ft2
Main food storage room 19 m2—205 ft2
Cold room & refrigerators with total capacity of 26,000 l —6,868 US gal
5 pantries (one each deck) for service
The main deck (External Deck) has a huge surface partially teak covered, of nearly 1,000 m2—10,764 ft2
The AFT deck (AFT Cockpit) has a surface of 300 m2—3,229 ft2
On the FWD end of the Main deck there is a swimming pool of 10.50 m—34' 5" x 8.00 m—26' 3"
In the superstructure, AFT in the higher level (Bridge/steering Deck), one sun deck area of 90 m2—969 ft2 is fitted.
In total there are 5 accommodation decks, plus a lower deck for the machinery, tanks and technical staff.
The access to the different decks is through the AFT lifts (one for guest and one for crew service), and through the AFT staircases.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
DreamWorks to build theme park in Dubai
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hD4vGfiLCxoaS_tgEmMyM5UqPPhQ
DreamWorks to build theme park in Dubai
1-20-8
DUBAI (AFP) — DreamWorks, the US studio behind the hit box-office animated movie "Shrek", is to build a theme park in the booming Gulf emirate of Dubai.
The studio has signed an agreement with Tatweer, a subsidiary of state-owned investment firm Dubai Holding, to develop the project which includes restaurants, hotels and retail outlets, the Khaleej Times newspaper reported on Sunday.
The Western-oriented emirate of Dubai, one of seven that make up the United Arab Emirates, is a leisure hub in the oil-rich Gulf and draws millions of visitors every year.
Under a deal concluded last September, Warner Brothers will also set up a theme park in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.
A hotel, several multiplex cinemas and a joint film and computer game development fund will also be created as part of the deal between Warner Brothers, the Abu Dhabi Media Company and real estate developers ALDAR.
DreamWorks to build theme park in Dubai
1-20-8
DUBAI (AFP) — DreamWorks, the US studio behind the hit box-office animated movie "Shrek", is to build a theme park in the booming Gulf emirate of Dubai.
The studio has signed an agreement with Tatweer, a subsidiary of state-owned investment firm Dubai Holding, to develop the project which includes restaurants, hotels and retail outlets, the Khaleej Times newspaper reported on Sunday.
The Western-oriented emirate of Dubai, one of seven that make up the United Arab Emirates, is a leisure hub in the oil-rich Gulf and draws millions of visitors every year.
Under a deal concluded last September, Warner Brothers will also set up a theme park in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.
A hotel, several multiplex cinemas and a joint film and computer game development fund will also be created as part of the deal between Warner Brothers, the Abu Dhabi Media Company and real estate developers ALDAR.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
George of Arabia
George of Arabia:
Better Kiss Your Abe 'Goodbye'
by Greg Palast
GregPalast.com
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Bend over, pull out your wallet and kiss your Abe ‘goodbye.’ The Lincolns have got to go - and so do the Hamiltons and Jacksons.
Those bills in your billfold aren’t yours anymore. The landlords of our currency - Citibank, the national treasury of China and the House of Saud - are foreclosing and evicting all Americans from the US economy.
It’s mornings like this, when I wake up hung-over to photos of the King of Saudi Arabia festooning our President with gold necklaces, that I reluctantly remember that I am an economist; and one with some responsibility to explain what the hell Bush is doing kissing Abdullah’s camel.
Let’s begin by stating why Bush is not in Saudi Arabia. Bush ain’t there to promote ‘Democracy’ nor peace in Palestine, nor even war in Iran. And, despite what some pinhead from CNN stated, he sure as hell didn’t go to Riyadh to tell the Saudis to cut the price of oil.
What’s really behind Bush’s hajj to Riyadh is that America is in hock up to our knickers. The sub-prime mortgage market implosion, hitting a dozen banks with over $100 billion in losses, is just the tip of the debt-berg.
Since taking office, Bush has doubled the federal debt to more than $5 trillion. And, according to US Treasury figures, on net, foreign investors have purchased close to 100% of that debt. That’s $3 trillion borrowed from the Saudis, the Chinese, the Japanese and others.
Now, Bush, our Debt Junkie-in-Chief, needs another fix. The US Treasury, Citibank, Merrill-Lynch and other financial desperados need another hand-out from Abdullah’s stash. Abdullah, in turn, gets this financial juice by pumping it out of our pockets at nearly $100 a barrel for his crude.
Bush needs the Saudis to charge us big bucks for oil. The Saudis can’t lend the US Treasury and Citibank hundreds of billions of US dollars unless they first get these US dollars from the US. The high price of oil is, in effect, a tax levied by Bush but collected by the oil industry and the Gulf kingdoms to fund our multi-trillion dollar governmental and private debt-load.
The US Treasury is not alone in its frightening dependency on Arabian loot. America’s private financial institutions are also begging for foreign treasure. Yesterday, King Abdullah’s nephew, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, already the top individual owner of Citibank, joined the Kuwait government’s Investment Authority and others to mainline a $12.5 billion injection of capital into the New York bank. Also this week, the Abu Dhabi government and the Saudi Olayan Group are taking a $6.6 billion chunk of Merrill-Lynch. It’s no mere coincidence that Bush is in Abdullah’s tent when the money-changers made the deal just outside it.
Bush is there to assure Abdullah that, unlike Dubai’s ports purchase debacle, there will be no political impediment to the Saudi’s buying up Citibank nor the isle of Manhattan.
So what? I mean, for the average American about to lose their job and their bungalow it doesn’t matter a twit whether it’s Sheik bin Alwaleed who owns Citibank or Sheik Sanford Weill, Citi’s past Chairman.
It’s the price paid to buy back our money from abroad that’s killing us. Despite the Koranic prohibition on charging interest, the Gulf princes demand their pound of flesh, exacting a 7% payment from Citibank and 9% from Merrill. That hefty interest bill then pushes adjustable rate mortgages into the stratosphere and pushes manufacturing into China by making borrowing and energy costs impossible to overcome. Forget the cost of health care: General Motors’ interest burden quintupled in just two years.
As the great economist Paddy Chayefsky wrote in the film The Network:
“The Arabs have taken billions of dollars out of this country, and now they must put it back. … It is ebb and flow, tidal gravity…. There are no nations, there are no peoples. There is only one vast and immense, interwoven, multi-national dominion of petro-dollars. … There is no America. There is no ‘democracy.’ The world is a business, one vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work.”
In 2005, the US consumer paid Arab and OPEC nations a quarter trillion dollars ($252 billion) for oil - and the USA received back 100% of it - and then some ($311 billion) via Gulf nations’ investment in US Treasury bills and purchases of US businesses and property. Bush’s trip to Abdullah’s tent is all about this vast business of keeping this petro-dollar treadmill spinning.
The Bush Administration, rather than tax Americans to cover our deficits or make the banks suffer the consequences of their predatory lending practices, is allowing the Saudis to charge us big time at the pump with the understanding they will lend it all back to us - so the party never has to stop.
It has been reported that the President’s Secret Service men traveling with him seemed embarrassed by the eye-popping loads of diamond and gold gifts which they have to carry back for President Bush. They need not feel they have taken too much from their hosts: Bush has assured Abdullah that the King can suck it back out through our gas tanks.
***********
Greg Palast is the author of The Network: The World as a Company Town, in the New York Times bestseller, Armed Madhouse. Hear Ed Asner read from the book and the film ‘The Network’ at http://www.gregpalast.com/
Better Kiss Your Abe 'Goodbye'
by Greg Palast
GregPalast.com
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Bend over, pull out your wallet and kiss your Abe ‘goodbye.’ The Lincolns have got to go - and so do the Hamiltons and Jacksons.
Those bills in your billfold aren’t yours anymore. The landlords of our currency - Citibank, the national treasury of China and the House of Saud - are foreclosing and evicting all Americans from the US economy.
It’s mornings like this, when I wake up hung-over to photos of the King of Saudi Arabia festooning our President with gold necklaces, that I reluctantly remember that I am an economist; and one with some responsibility to explain what the hell Bush is doing kissing Abdullah’s camel.
Let’s begin by stating why Bush is not in Saudi Arabia. Bush ain’t there to promote ‘Democracy’ nor peace in Palestine, nor even war in Iran. And, despite what some pinhead from CNN stated, he sure as hell didn’t go to Riyadh to tell the Saudis to cut the price of oil.
What’s really behind Bush’s hajj to Riyadh is that America is in hock up to our knickers. The sub-prime mortgage market implosion, hitting a dozen banks with over $100 billion in losses, is just the tip of the debt-berg.
Since taking office, Bush has doubled the federal debt to more than $5 trillion. And, according to US Treasury figures, on net, foreign investors have purchased close to 100% of that debt. That’s $3 trillion borrowed from the Saudis, the Chinese, the Japanese and others.
Now, Bush, our Debt Junkie-in-Chief, needs another fix. The US Treasury, Citibank, Merrill-Lynch and other financial desperados need another hand-out from Abdullah’s stash. Abdullah, in turn, gets this financial juice by pumping it out of our pockets at nearly $100 a barrel for his crude.
Bush needs the Saudis to charge us big bucks for oil. The Saudis can’t lend the US Treasury and Citibank hundreds of billions of US dollars unless they first get these US dollars from the US. The high price of oil is, in effect, a tax levied by Bush but collected by the oil industry and the Gulf kingdoms to fund our multi-trillion dollar governmental and private debt-load.
The US Treasury is not alone in its frightening dependency on Arabian loot. America’s private financial institutions are also begging for foreign treasure. Yesterday, King Abdullah’s nephew, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, already the top individual owner of Citibank, joined the Kuwait government’s Investment Authority and others to mainline a $12.5 billion injection of capital into the New York bank. Also this week, the Abu Dhabi government and the Saudi Olayan Group are taking a $6.6 billion chunk of Merrill-Lynch. It’s no mere coincidence that Bush is in Abdullah’s tent when the money-changers made the deal just outside it.
Bush is there to assure Abdullah that, unlike Dubai’s ports purchase debacle, there will be no political impediment to the Saudi’s buying up Citibank nor the isle of Manhattan.
So what? I mean, for the average American about to lose their job and their bungalow it doesn’t matter a twit whether it’s Sheik bin Alwaleed who owns Citibank or Sheik Sanford Weill, Citi’s past Chairman.
It’s the price paid to buy back our money from abroad that’s killing us. Despite the Koranic prohibition on charging interest, the Gulf princes demand their pound of flesh, exacting a 7% payment from Citibank and 9% from Merrill. That hefty interest bill then pushes adjustable rate mortgages into the stratosphere and pushes manufacturing into China by making borrowing and energy costs impossible to overcome. Forget the cost of health care: General Motors’ interest burden quintupled in just two years.
As the great economist Paddy Chayefsky wrote in the film The Network:
“The Arabs have taken billions of dollars out of this country, and now they must put it back. … It is ebb and flow, tidal gravity…. There are no nations, there are no peoples. There is only one vast and immense, interwoven, multi-national dominion of petro-dollars. … There is no America. There is no ‘democracy.’ The world is a business, one vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work.”
In 2005, the US consumer paid Arab and OPEC nations a quarter trillion dollars ($252 billion) for oil - and the USA received back 100% of it - and then some ($311 billion) via Gulf nations’ investment in US Treasury bills and purchases of US businesses and property. Bush’s trip to Abdullah’s tent is all about this vast business of keeping this petro-dollar treadmill spinning.
The Bush Administration, rather than tax Americans to cover our deficits or make the banks suffer the consequences of their predatory lending practices, is allowing the Saudis to charge us big time at the pump with the understanding they will lend it all back to us - so the party never has to stop.
It has been reported that the President’s Secret Service men traveling with him seemed embarrassed by the eye-popping loads of diamond and gold gifts which they have to carry back for President Bush. They need not feel they have taken too much from their hosts: Bush has assured Abdullah that the King can suck it back out through our gas tanks.
***********
Greg Palast is the author of The Network: The World as a Company Town, in the New York Times bestseller, Armed Madhouse. Hear Ed Asner read from the book and the film ‘The Network’ at http://www.gregpalast.com/
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Dubai World to pump $5.1 billion into MGM
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-vegas23aug23,1,6169499.story?coll=la-headlines-business
Dubai World to pump $5.1 billion into MGM
By Kimi Yoshino
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 23, 2007
The Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai anted up Wednesday, announcing it would invest $5.1 billion in MGM Mirage for a 50% stake in the massive Las Vegas CityCenter project now in development and a 10% interest in the gaming company.
The deal continues Dubai's investments in name-brand and hospitality destinations around the world, but also infuses Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage with cash to quickly pursue other projects without being laden with debt.
Under the terms of the agreement, Dubai World, the holding company for the emirate, will invest $2.7 billion in the 76-acre CityCenter, a densely packed collection of condos and hotels on the Vegas Strip, considered the country's largest privately funded construction job.
Dubai World will also buy 28.4 million shares of MGM Mirage for $84 a share, a 13% premium over its Tuesday closing price of $74.32.
"Dubai World is looking to invest in projects that make good business sense, and which employ our expertise in developing large scale mixed-use projects with a strong focus on leisure and hospitality," the holding company said in a statement. "This investment is in line with our objective to only partner with 'the best' and MGM is one of the world's leading entertainment companies and hotel resort operators."
For MGM Mirage, it connects the company to the elite tourists who frequent Dubai.
"We're very excited," said Terry Lanni, chief executive of MGM Mirage. "The cross-fertilization, cross-marketing of brands... will be valuable. I would like to see us marketing in Dubai to visitors coming into Dubai. These are people with significant net worths. One development they plan [in Dubai] will be villas with your own hangars for your private planes and these are not little planes."
There are no immediate plans to build an MGM Mirage property in Dubai, though any project would be non-gaming, Lanni said, because gambling is illegal in Muslim-dominated Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates.
Beyond that, Lanni said the cash investment gave MGM Mirage a "significantly enhanced" balance sheet as it relates to CityCenter.
"With that comfort, we'll be able to move along other projects that otherwise would have waited awhile," he said. "Usually, you get financing, build it, open it, get cash flowing . . . and build another one."
CityCenter is to open by the end of 2009.
MGM Mirage, one of the world's leading gaming companies, owns and operates 17 properties in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan. New developments are also underway in Macao, China. On news of the deal Wednesday, shares of MGM Mirage surged $6.62, or 8.9%, to $80.94, their biggest jump since May.
Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. -- a Beverly Hills investment firm -- holds a 54.1% stake in MGM Mirage; the Dubai World deal is expected to reduce that to about 51.65%.
kimi.yoshino@latimes.com
Dubai World to pump $5.1 billion into MGM
By Kimi Yoshino
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 23, 2007
The Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai anted up Wednesday, announcing it would invest $5.1 billion in MGM Mirage for a 50% stake in the massive Las Vegas CityCenter project now in development and a 10% interest in the gaming company.
The deal continues Dubai's investments in name-brand and hospitality destinations around the world, but also infuses Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage with cash to quickly pursue other projects without being laden with debt.
Under the terms of the agreement, Dubai World, the holding company for the emirate, will invest $2.7 billion in the 76-acre CityCenter, a densely packed collection of condos and hotels on the Vegas Strip, considered the country's largest privately funded construction job.
Dubai World will also buy 28.4 million shares of MGM Mirage for $84 a share, a 13% premium over its Tuesday closing price of $74.32.
"Dubai World is looking to invest in projects that make good business sense, and which employ our expertise in developing large scale mixed-use projects with a strong focus on leisure and hospitality," the holding company said in a statement. "This investment is in line with our objective to only partner with 'the best' and MGM is one of the world's leading entertainment companies and hotel resort operators."
For MGM Mirage, it connects the company to the elite tourists who frequent Dubai.
"We're very excited," said Terry Lanni, chief executive of MGM Mirage. "The cross-fertilization, cross-marketing of brands... will be valuable. I would like to see us marketing in Dubai to visitors coming into Dubai. These are people with significant net worths. One development they plan [in Dubai] will be villas with your own hangars for your private planes and these are not little planes."
There are no immediate plans to build an MGM Mirage property in Dubai, though any project would be non-gaming, Lanni said, because gambling is illegal in Muslim-dominated Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates.
Beyond that, Lanni said the cash investment gave MGM Mirage a "significantly enhanced" balance sheet as it relates to CityCenter.
"With that comfort, we'll be able to move along other projects that otherwise would have waited awhile," he said. "Usually, you get financing, build it, open it, get cash flowing . . . and build another one."
CityCenter is to open by the end of 2009.
MGM Mirage, one of the world's leading gaming companies, owns and operates 17 properties in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan. New developments are also underway in Macao, China. On news of the deal Wednesday, shares of MGM Mirage surged $6.62, or 8.9%, to $80.94, their biggest jump since May.
Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. -- a Beverly Hills investment firm -- holds a 54.1% stake in MGM Mirage; the Dubai World deal is expected to reduce that to about 51.65%.
kimi.yoshino@latimes.com
Monday, July 23, 2007
Dubai tower becomes world's tallest building
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Dubai_tower_becomes_world_s_tallest_07212007.html
Dubai tower becomes world's tallest building: developers
Saturday July 21, 2007
Burj Dubai, a tower rising in the booming Gulf emirate, has become the tallest building in the world at 512.1 metres (1,680 feet), surpassing Taiwan's Taipei 101 which is 508 metres (1,667 feet) tall, developers Emaar said Saturday.
Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower, now has 141 storeys, more than any other building in the world, Emaar Properties said in a statement.
The skyscraper, scheduled for completion in 2008, is one of a string of grandiose projects taking shape in Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai tower becomes world's tallest building: developers
Saturday July 21, 2007
Burj Dubai, a tower rising in the booming Gulf emirate, has become the tallest building in the world at 512.1 metres (1,680 feet), surpassing Taiwan's Taipei 101 which is 508 metres (1,667 feet) tall, developers Emaar said Saturday.
Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower, now has 141 storeys, more than any other building in the world, Emaar Properties said in a statement.
The skyscraper, scheduled for completion in 2008, is one of a string of grandiose projects taking shape in Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates.
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