Meraas Development, a new property company launched as the five-year boom was subsiding, is “adapting” the 
master plan and designs for its Jumeira Gardens project in Dubai to fit the market conditions, executives said Wednesday.
Jumeira Gardens was announced at Cityscape last October, where it was described as a Dh350bn (US$95.3bn) project that would unfold over several years. The designs showed five towers, including a trio of buildings more than 600-metres tall that would be connected by inhabitable sky bridges, as well as islands off the coast and a network of canals.
But with sales slowed to a trickle in the emirate and developers struggling with a lack of cash flow and credit, the company has opted to change its plans. Most contractors have been discharged or told to halt activity until a revision of the plans is complete.
“Shifting away from the fast track development of its Jumeira Gardens project, and in light of the rapid change in the real estate market and global economic conditions, Meraas Development is now focusing on adapting its master plan, designs and product mix to suit market conditions,” the company said in a statement today…SOURCE
Sphere: Related Content Posted 1 year, 6 months ago at 9:47 am. View Comments
A new year dawns, and with it some big changes for Lola LebCan. After many happy years in Sheikh Zayed Road’s prestigious Orifice Towers building, Dubai’s PR queen is being forced to pack her bags. Either that, or have thousands of labourers gaze at her naked splendour in the shower every morning as the new Dubai Metro whizzes right past her window.
But like many long-term expats, Dubai has palled for Lola. The once-glittering heights of SZR’s skyscrapers are but dusty glass. The glamourous sandlands social whirl is a shallow chore. There is no joy, no inspiration and the city, Lola says, is “soulless”. She has even swapped karaoke at Harry Ghatto’s for this festive lament:
Deck the malls with discount banners
Fallah-lalala-lala-lala
‘tis the season to sell your hummers
Fallah-lalala-lala-lala
Donning now your old pyjamas
Fallah-lalala-lala-lala
Join the bankrupt Jumeira mamas
Fallah-lalala-lala-lalaaaa*
Two years ago, Lola fled to Egypt for sanctuary. She now plans to seek the healing waters of the Nile once more and work on her Masri twang. Plus there are around 40 million men in Egypt, compared to just 2.5 million in the UAE.
*(c) Lola LebCan 2008
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Sphere: Related Content Posted 1 year, 8 months ago at 7:26 pm. View Comments
A domestic worker in Dubai, “Jane”, has given a testimony of her job and life. It’s republished below, slightly edited for punctuation:
“Hi.. I worked in JUMEIRA as a DH.. for 4 years and 5 months.. to a good arab family.. I dont have any comments for them because they are so good to me. They don’t look at me as a maid but as a sister to them.. but some of the agencies are taking for granted about the salary.. they get some extra.. which is.. that extra is a big help for our family.
“The problem is… some of the employers.. same my employer are abusing me, like they don’t even tell me, if I eat or no? Because they want me to stay all the time with the kids, or tell me to go and sleep just for 30 minutes. You know 5 minutes closing my eyes it’s like 1 day of sleeping for me, or I can’t even go to the bathroom leaving the children because they are just very busy of talking the phone from morning until evening. Instead, I would find way, how to go and make a release.
“Or I went to some places which is so class or social places without changing my clothes for the reason that she forget to tell me, while I’m so shy and felt embarassed with my kabayan. You know, just uttering those simple words without action is very hard for them while they’re doing nothing. Working from 6:00am to 11:pm, sometimes 2:00am or 3:00am is optional when have parties or weddings. Tell me, who is not tired of working and can’t have even a nap just for a minutes.
“They know that I am good and I do all the works and taking care of children is really important which is the big factor for them. And they don’t even want to find another until I become old. I’m talking about my efforts, they took out from me because they think I’m always ok even they saw me with their eyes that I’m tired everytime.
“They don’t mind me because they think they gave me good salaries which is 700Dhs. for 4 years and 5 months without day-off. And I spent with my own money buying those necessary things even they knew that it is their obligations to buy for us. What you expect from it? How much is left from my salary? As long as they can get benefits from me.. they don’t mind me at all.. just because I’m so good to them while they are taking for granted.
“Mostly, the problem with arab people are being a LAZY. Machines will sometimes not function or shutdown reading all the datas, how much more the human?”
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Sphere: Related Content Posted 1 year, 11 months ago at 11:09 am. View Comments
