Saturday, December 31, 2011

MITT ROMNEY: President Obama Out Of Touch Like Marie Antoinette. ?When the president?s characteriz?

MITT ROMNEY: President Obama Out Of Touch Like Marie Antoinette. ?When the president?s characterization of our economy was, ?It could be worse,? it reminded me of Marie Antoinette: ?Let them eat cake.? . . . This is not a time to be talking about, ?It could be worse.? It?s a time to recognize that things should be better.?

Source: http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/134412/

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APNewsBreak: Russell Brand, Katy Perry to divorce (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? British actor-comedian Russell Brand is divorcing "California Gurls" songstress Katy Perry after 14 months of what had appeared to be one of Hollywood's happier marriages.

"Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage," Brand said in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday. "I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."

Brand, 36, offered no other details, but in papers filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, he cited irreconcilable differences.

He and the 27-year-old pop singer were married in October 2010 at a resort inside a tiger reserve in India, and their mutual affection had become a rather sweet feature of the celebrity circuit.

The couple announced their engagement in January 2010 after meeting at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand hosted and she performed.

The comedian, who once struggled with substance abuse and sex addiction, was effusive about his bride while promoting projects earlier this year, saying marrying Perry has "given me much more strength in what I do."

"For a long while, what I do professionally was all that mattered to me really," he said in March. "Now I think, well, whatever I do, I'll just go back to her, and that's incredibly comforting."

Perry praised her husband backstage at the 2011 VMAs in August, where she won three awards and he offered a tribute to Amy Winehouse.

"I'm proud of him, whatever comes out of his mouth, and sometimes it's very colorful, right?" Perry said of Brand. "That's why I married him, because he's smart and I learn a lot."

Attorneys for Perry, whose name is listed as Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in the divorce papers, did not respond Friday to calls seeking comment.

The Internet had been abuzz recently with rumors about possible trouble for the couple after they were seen during the holidays without their wedding rings.

Perry's run of No. 1 singles earned her the distinction of becoming MTV's first artist of the year earlier this month. She hosted "Saturday Night Live" on Dec. 10 and gave no indication any marital woes.

Brand's recent film credits include "Arthur," "Hop" and "Get Him to the Greek." He is among the ensemble starring alongside Tom Cruise in "Rock of Ages," set for release next year.

Both Brand and Perry were absent Friday from Twitter, where they often shared kind words for each other.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen can be reached at www.twitter.com/APSandy.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111230/ap_en_ot/us_people_brand_perry

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Video: Our viewers are Making A Difference again

Just nine months after its inception, the non-profit group Detroit Dog Rescue has received a $1.5 million donation from an ?angel investor.? NBC?s Harry Smith reports.

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Christmas at Occupy London

It's cold and it's wet outside. That London drizzle, a phenomenon that lies somewhere between fog and sleet which London will suffer from nearly everyday until May has started to come down.

I'm in a queue of around 2000 people that has wrapped around St. Paul's for midnight mass, snaking through Occupy London's Tent City. I'm not a Christian, I left the church 15 years ago, but I've been feeling homesick lately and find myself here - cold, wet and sick.

We get inside and I'm struck by the sheer majesty of the place. Another occupier takes a seat near me. I doubt he's a Christian either. I don't think ether of us really know why we're here. Maybe we're looking for something.

A lot has been said about the role Jesus would play in the movement, with the Archbishop of Canterbury stating that Jesus would be with the protesters, "sharing the risks, not just taking sides" and the Rev. Jesse Jackson stating that Jesus was an occupier.

Sitting through the ancient mass in the incense filled chambers of St Paul's listening to the stories of Mary and Joseph and the innkeeper, I'm wondering how anyone could doubt them.

Mary and Joseph being turned away from the inn and sent to a stable is a perfect analogy of the relationship between the 99% and the 1%. The story of Christmas told from pulpits and through television specials is a simplified, inoffensive tale. The reality is messy, at times appalling to society and much more complicated.

Christmas celebrates the birth of a child to a pair of poor, young lovers. Mary was a recent student from the temple and Joseph was a working class carpenter. They gave birth to a child who would grow up to be the world's most prominent campaigner for peace, equality and economic justice. He did not speak only of love and forgiveness. He spoke most often of justice.

Jesus challenged the power of the religious and financial elite, while keeping company with the poor, the disenfranchised and the cast-aside. He utilised both non-violence and radical direct action, specifically towards bankers and sought to empower people to create a better world themselves. In the end, his words and actions had him put to death for being an enemy of the state, turned over by an informant bribed by church officials.

Later in the evening, as I ready for sleep, the complexities of the story and the similarities to the situation those camped outside St. Paul's find themselves in are not lost on me.

The following morning I'm making the rounds of the occupations being run by Occupy London.

The Bank of Ideas, a disused UBS owned building taken in a 'public repossession' over a month ago is busy in the kitchen, everyone throwing in to pull off a great vegan feast. Finsbury Square, the second encampment, is dancing in the cold to DJs and musicians with a camp fire for warmth and hot food being served.

Occupy Justice, a draft old building that served as the former Old Street Magistrates Court and taken last week by a local collective working with Occupy Veterans is held down on Christmas day by just a few occupiers, celebrating Christmas with some food brought by other occupiers and some gifts skipped by friends.

At St. Paul's people have gathered in the marquee that houses Tent City University. Supporters have brought turkeys and pheasants and home-cooked dishes. The Bishop of London has brought down chocolates and members of Radiohead have dropped off gifts. The feast is laid out and occupiers begin to gather for their Christmas meal. It's now that I feel the most homesick, missing my family the most, and the revelry with friends back home. Many organisers have stayed, putting off reunions with family to spend it here.

Arguments happen and a few people drink too much. It's messy, and to some appalling; a definite contradiction to the opulence and majesty inside St. Paul's. But in many ways it's more powerful.

After midnight mass and Christmas I'm no more a Christian than I was a day before, but the community I experienced at Bank of Ideas and Finsbury Square, the solidarity of a few huddled occupiers I witnessed at Occupy Justice, the mingling of the powerful and the (formerly) meek at St. Paul's and the message I heard at midnight have helped me experience the true meaning of Christmas for the first time.

?

Follow Adam Jung on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AdamJung

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/adam-jung/christmas-at-occupy-london_b_1172697.html

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Nintendo: Don?t expect Facebook games from us

Do you honestly, REALLY believe that Nintendo would even consider such a thing?

Nintendo has never, ever done such a thing.

And frankly, Facebook gaming can die, for all I care. It's the worst thing that has ever happened to gaming, legitimizing practices that have no purpose but to suck dry the wallets of those who play them.

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/nintendo-dont-expect-facebook-games-from-us/6659

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Kobe: I directed A-Rod to German knee therapy

By GREG BEACHAM

updated 11:24 p.m. ET Dec. 29, 2011

LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant confirms he recently directed Alex Rodriguez to the German doctor who performed the treatment the Yankees' slugger had on his right knee.

"I gave him the phone number," Bryant said Thursday night before the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the New York Knicks.

Bryant opened up about the steps he has taken to heal his arthritic joints in a rare pregame interview, crediting the therapy with dramatic improvement in his own troublesome right knee and an injured left ankle in recent months.

When Rodriguez inquired about Bryant's treatment, Bryant vouched for the German doctor who developed the course of injections of plasma-rich platelets that supposedly stimulate healing in arthritis-affected areas.

Bryant says his knee is now 95 percent healthy after at least three surgeries in the last eight years. He apparently had the same treatment done in October on his ankle, which also isn't limiting him this season.

"You can't just try something just to try it," Bryant said. "It has to make sense. It has to be something that you can back with research and study and things like that."

And how did Bryant get information about the therapy ? called Orthokine ? being done in Duesseldorf?

"It's my job to know these things," Bryant said with a grin.

The Yankees might benefit from Bryant's knowledge. General manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that Rodriguez is "100 percent," with "no red flags" going into spring training.

Rodriguez had surgery on his right knee last July and saw his power drop in the second half and postseason. He played in 99 games and hit 16 homers, struggling to produce at his usual prolific levels.

Bryant is far from fully healthy. He's still playing with a torn ligament in his right wrist, wearing a brace on the joint whenever he isn't on court.

He's no longer wearing a wrap on the oft-injured index finger on his right hand, but that's because the joint is now "bone on bone," according to Bryant.

And Bryant hasn't stopped trying new things to heal more quickly and thoroughly. Several Lakers joined him at a cryotherapy clinic in the Sacramento area on Monday, trying out an extreme cold chamber that's thought to decrease pain and swelling in athletes.

Bryant can't remember when his friendship with A-Rod started, but they've been friendly for years, going out to dinner and talking regularly. He's grateful he could help the 36-year-old slugger get back in top shape.

"As a Yankee fan? Hell yeah," Bryant said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Durant sinks Mavs at buzzer

Kevin Durant scored 30 points and hit a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-102 victory against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night in a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45821713/ns/sports-nba/

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MissJFish: Any of you have Google +? If so what the difference between that and Facebook? I can't stand all the spam/ads I get!

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Mayor in Yates County Charged with DWI

The mayor of a Yates County town is facing DWI charges.

Joseph Gibson, 34, was arrested overnight into Friday. Yates County sheriff deputies stopped Gibson in the town of Benton and observed an odor of alcohol. He was arrested after completing a series of field sobriety tests. The outcome of those tests are not known. Gibson is the mayor of the town of Dresden.

Gibson will appear in Benton Town Court at a later date.

Source: http://rochesterhomepage.net/fulltext/?nxd_id=290147

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Thursday, December 29, 2011

Nicky George Rouskey, 61, Cape Coral, Florida

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Column: Heat draining suspense out of young season (AP)

That deflating sound you hear is the suspense beginning to leak out of the NBA season.

Yes, it's only a few days old, but a fifth of the schedule has already been erased by the lockout and if Miami figures out how to attack zone defenses, it's over. No team is going to beat the Heat then. In the opener they blew out a Dallas team that came back to steal the finals by gumming up Miami's offensive machine with a zone. On Tuesday night, they outlasted a Boston team that deployed the same defense in the second half to avoid getting run out of the gym. Though the Celtics clawed back within three points at the 2-minute mark, in the eight quarters the Heat have played, they've trailed for only 14 seconds. Get used to it.

Miami has already fixed the problems that were so apparent when LeBron James and his super sidekicks, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, made their debut together against Boston to kick off the 2010 season. They can play sustained, ferocious defense and they're even more opportunistic ? and spectacular ? than they were in transition by the end of last season. Even so, Miami coach Eric Spoelstra used some of his free time during the lockout to pick the brains of some of the country's best coaches ? Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Kentucky's John Calipari and Oregon football coach Chip Kelly, who runs a particularly hectic version of the no-huddle spread offense ? looking for ways to rev up Miami's attack. The lessons appear to have taken. The faster pace and extra space on the floor means more room for James, Wade and Bosh to take advantage of individual matchups, which plays into Miami's strength.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn't need to consult the scoreboard at halftime to convince him of that. He watched the finals, saw how well a zone worked for the Mavericks, and despite a commitment to man-to-man defense from the outset of his NBA career, began working on the scheme over the summer. Boston unveiled its version in the third quarter, while the Heat stood around and settled for jumpers, and the Celtics slowly climbed back into the game. An 18-6 run over the final 6 minutes of the period ? Miami helpfully misfired on its last eight shots ? brought the Celtics to 91-83. That margin seemed comfortable enough, though, until former Heat guard Keyon Dooling scored seven straight points to cut it to 108-105 with 2:02 left.

In Wade and James, the Heat have two of the best finishers in the game, but they still haven't sorted out the question of who is going to finish which game, especially when they're facing a zone. They still hadn't when crunch time came against Boston ? the duo combined for just seven points on 3-of-8 shooting in the fourth quarter Tuesday night ? but might have come up with an alternative. That would be rookie point guard Norris Cole, who had his hands filled most of the night trying to slow down his opposite, Boston's Rajon Rondo, but found his shooting touch from the perimeter when the Heat needed him most. In quick succession, James and Wade played supporting roles to set Cole up for jumpers and he drained both. Turns out all the talk about Cole's remarkable play during Miami's abbreviated training camp might not have been an exaggeration.

"He's earned their respect. Even though it's been a short period of time, about three weeks, because he's pure, he's all about the team. He's mature ... and he gets them the ball. You're always a popular guy," Spoelstra said, "when you find people when they're open."

Whether Cole turns out to be a dependable alternative at the end of games remains to be seen. He's likely to get the chances, though, because the Heat are certain to see plenty zones before the season has run its course. And either way, considering how little preparation the lockout afforded them, they're certainly going to get better at countering it. Based on the admittedly slim evidence of two games, they've already figured out almost everything else.

"We have confidence in whoever's on the floor at that time," said James, though he said much the same thing with less conviction last season.

If that turns out to be true this time around, look out.

___

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and follow him at http://Twitter.com/JimLitke

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111228/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_jim_litke122811

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Abortion, immigration changes among new 2012 laws

In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, Irvis Orozco, 24, a senior studying international relations at the University of California, Davis, poses on campus in Davis, Calif. A new law that will take effect Jan. 1, 2012, will allow Orozco, who was brought to the country illegally from Mexico when he was an infant, to receive private financial aid at California's public colleges. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, Irvis Orozco, 24, a senior studying international relations at the University of California, Davis, poses on campus in Davis, Calif. A new law that will take effect Jan. 1, 2012, will allow Orozco, who was brought to the country illegally from Mexico when he was an infant, to receive private financial aid at California's public colleges. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

In this Dec. 12, 2011 photo, Irvis Orozco, 24, a senior studying international relations at the University of California, Davis, poses for a photo on campus in Davis, Calif. A new law that will take effect Jan. 1, 2012, will allow Orozco, who was brought to the country illegally from Mexico when he was an infant, to receive private financial aid at California's public colleges. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

This Dec. 9, 2011 photo shows an open tanning booth at Amazing Tans in Sacramento, Calif. A new law taking effect Jan. 1, 2012, will make California the first state to make it illegal for people younger than 18 to use tanning beds. Before, using tanning beds was illegal for those 14 and under, but those ages 15-17 could tan with their parents' permission. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Girls seeking abortions in New Hampshire must first tell their parents or a judge, employers in Alabama must verify new workers' U.S. residency, and California students will be the first in the country to receive mandatory lessons about the contributions of gays and lesbians under state laws set to take effect at the start of 2012.

Many laws reflect the nation's concerns over immigration, the cost of government and the best way to protect and benefit young people, including regulations on sports concussions.

Alabama, with the country's toughest immigration law, is enacting a key provision requiring all employers who do business with any government entity to use a federal system known as E-Verify to check that all new employees are in the country legally.

Georgia is putting a similar law into effect requiring any business with 500 or more employees to use E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of new hires. The requirement is being phased in, with all employers with more than 10 employees to be included by July 2013.

Supporters said they wanted to deter illegal immigrants from coming to Georgia by making it tougher for them to work. Critics said that changes to immigration law should come at the federal level and that portions of the law already in effect are already hurting Georgia.

"It is destroying Georgia's economy and it is destroying the fabric of our social network in South Georgia," Paul Bridges, mayor of the onion-farming town of Uvalda, said in November. He is part of a lawsuit challenging the new law.

Tennessee will also require businesses to ensure employees are legally authorized to work in the U.S. but exempts employers with five or fewer workers and allows them to keep a copy of the new hire's driver's license instead of using E-Verify.

A South Carolina law would allow officials to yank the operating licenses of businesses that don't check new hires' legal status through E-verify. A federal judge last week blocked parts of the law that would have required police to check the immigration status of criminal suspects or people stopped for traffic violations they think might be in the country illegally, and that would have made it a crime for illegal immigrants to transport or house themselves.

California is also addressing illegal immigration, but with a bill that allows students who entered the country illegally to receive private financial aid at public colleges.

Many laws aim to protect young people. In Colorado, coaches will be required to bench players as young as 11 when they're believed to have suffered a head injury. The young athletes will also need medical clearance to return to play.

The law also requires coaches in public and private schools and even volunteer Little League and Pop Warner football coaches to take free annual online training to recognize the symptoms of a concussion. At least a dozen other states have enacted similar laws with the support of the National Football League.

People 18 and under in Illinois will have to wear seat belts while riding in taxis for school-related purposes, and Illinois school boards can now suspend or expel students who make explicit threats on websites against other students or school employees.

Florida will take control of lunch and other school food programs from the federal government, allowing the state to put more Florida-grown fresh fruit and vegetables on school menus. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says the change will help children eat healthier.

A California law will add gays and lesbians and people with disabilities to the list of social and ethnic groups whose contributions must be taught in history lessons in public schools. The law also bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions.

Opponents have filed five potential initiatives to repeal the requirement outright or let parents remove their children while gays' contributions are being taught.

In New Hampshire, a law requiring girls seeking abortions to tell their parents or a judge first was reinstated by conservative Republicans over a gubernatorial veto. The state enacted a similar law eight years ago, but it was never enforced following a series of lawsuits.

In Arkansas, facilities that perform 10 or more nonsurgical abortions a month must be licensed by the state Health Department and be subject to inspections by the department, the same requirements faced by facilities that offer surgical abortions in the state.

It affects two Planned Parenthood facilities that offer the abortion pill, though they're not singled out in the statute.

Among federal laws, a measure Congress passed last week to extend Social Security tax cuts and federal unemployment benefit programs raises insurance fees on new mortgages and refinancings backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration by 0.1 percent beginning Jan. 1.

That covers about 90 percent of them and effectively makes a borrower's monthly payment on a new $200,000 mortgage or refinancing about $17 a month more than it would have been if obtained before the first of the year.

Nevada's 3-month old ban on texting while driving will get tougher, with tickets replacing the warnings that police have issued since the ban took effect Oct. 1. In Pennsylvania, police are preparing to enforce that state's recently enacted ban on texting, scheduled to take effect by spring.

Election law changes in Rhode Island and Tennessee will require voters to present photo ID, a measure that supporters say prevents fraud and that opponents say will make it harder for minorities and the elderly to cast ballots.

In Ohio, a measure that creates one primary in March, instead of two that would have cost the state an extra $15 million, goes into effect later in January.

Ohio is also one of eight states with automatic increases in the minimum wage taking effect Jan. 1. The others, with increases between 28 and 37 cents, are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

A few laws try to address budget woes. In Delaware, new state employees will have to contribute more to their pensions, while state workers hired after Jan. 1 in Nevada will have to pony up for their own health care costs in retirement.

Jan. 1 is the effective date in many states for laws passed during this year's legislative sessions. In others, laws take effect July 1, or 90 days after passage.

___

Welsh-Huggins reported from Columbus, Ohio, and can be reached at http://twitter.com/awhcolumbus.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-28-New%20Laws/id-313536fa9b6440cc89ae8b8e49ce2b3f

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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

[OOC] Reserved Slots for ATMT

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?A Tale of Modern Thieves?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

Moderator: ViceVersus

This is just a list of reserved spots. Mostly for my reference. Names will be eliminated based on characters I receive. (When the person gets the part)

JustQuit - Assault + (other)
McDevious - Support
Irondude1994 - Off-scene tech Accepted!

"Those who make peaceful protest impossible will make violent protest inevitable."

John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States of America

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Xinbane
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Yo! Can I reserve the on-tech person? This is an awesome idea. ^^

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AthenaUndying
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Is a 2000 Mph Car Actually Possible?

It's just another unexceptional small industrial park along the edge of the town of Apple Valley in Southern California's high desert. One cinder-block building is divided into nine 2000-or-so-square-foot work spaces with roll-up garage doors. In one unit, there's a cheerleader academy. In another, a heating and ventilation company. But unit No. 8 is full of aerospace hardware worthy of the Smithsonian. And it all belongs to Waldo Stakes. To Stakes, these parts aren't artifacts; they are the guts of his Sonic Wind Land Speed Research Vehicle, a rocket car he hopes will break the current land speed record of 763.035 mph and believes could potentially go as fast as 2000 mph.

Stakes is 56, but he could pass for a decade younger. He's a fireplug of a guy-tough like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas but without the menace. He's always on the verge of exploding with excitement, as if his own ideas are building up pressure inside him. Engineering terms run together in bursts of explanation and promised performance. He's a full-throttle optimist, certain that there's no challenge he can't overcome. The name Waldo, somehow, fits.

"The Sonic Wind Land Speed Research Vehicle will be the premier land speed car and the most powerful car ever seen on the planet," Stakes claims in his video tour of the project. "Nothing being built in Australia or Great Britain or planned by any nation will be able to touch this car in its velocity. And its stability will be second to none."

Stakes is a general contractor, but his career has never been the priority. In his small office, which overflows with drawings and designs, he reaches for a wooden model about 4 feet long that looks more like a dart than a car. It's the Sonic Wind. Stakes has been dreaming of it nearly his entire life and, since about 2003, spending nearly every waking moment trying to make it a reality.

Stakes's obsession with speed emerged during his knockabout Chicago-area childhood. "When I was 12 years old in 1967, I was eating some Cracker Jack, and the prize was a weirdly shaped little car," he says. "It was John Cobb's Railton Mobil Special-a car that went 394 mph in 1947. I couldn't believe a car could go that fast. By the time I was 14, I was already building model land speed cars and reading everything on missiles and rockets and aerospace that I could."

His formal education ended when he dropped out of Elgin Community College in 1974, but Stakes's passion for speed persisted. "When you study something for 40 years-and I don't mean just think about it, but study something-you can get to be pretty good at it," he says. "I have literally a thousand books on engineering and aerodynamics. Just everything."

Moving his family to Southern California in 1984 to be closer to the aerospace industry, Stakes was soon scouring scrapyards for parts he could use to build a rocket car. His most impressive find is a set of XLR99 rocket engines designed for NASA's legendary X-15, the stub-winged experimental plane that grabbed the flight speed record of 4520 mph in 1967 and has never let go. "Back in the '80s this stuff was considered scrap metal, and everyone was melting it down to recover the silver and gold from the brazed tubing," Stakes says. "But these engines weren't built that way. They're made from Inconel-X [an exotic alloy] and virtually indestructible. I think they cost $1500 each for four. I have two left. One for the car and a spare."

When it was pushing X-15 pilots such as Neil Armstrong past the boundaries of Earth's atmosphere, the XLR99 delivered up to 57,000 pounds of thrust, burning liquid oxygen and anhydrous ammonia. It's a throttled rocket, capable of operating between 50 and 100 percent thrust. Stakes is contemplating running it on a mix of methanol and liquid oxygen to produce up to 61,000 pounds of thrust.

Stakes also owns and plans to use two fuel tanks from a Redstone rocket, like the one that carried Alan Shepard into space in 1961, and pressure vessels from the Apollo spacecraft's service module. "This stuff is all well-tested and essentially fail-proof," he says.

Through the years, Stakes has worked on other land speed projects, including a BMW-powered streamliner motorcycle that set several records in the late '80s and an 1160-hp 1988 Ford Thunderbird that captured numerous records for cars with normally aspirated internal combustion engines. But Stakes is enough of a realist to recognize that the bar for admittance into what is now a supersonic club is set exponentially higher. "You can't just toss an old surplus turbojet engine into a homemade chassis anymore and go for it," he notes on a Sonic Wind website managed by his son Tone.

As Craig Breedlove explained in Popular Mechanics while he was unsuccessfully chasing a 750-mph record back in 1965, shock waves, aerodynamic instability, transonic local airflows and other "fatal gremlins" can easily wreck a car at Mach 1 speeds (761.2 mph at sea level). More than 20 engineers are working on a British bid to smash the sound barrier and hit 1000 mph in the Bloodhound SuperSonic car, and even after years of research and $15 million, they're not sure what will happen to their vehicle above 800 mph. Stakes believes the Sonic Wind could easily reach these speeds and go well beyond, but he doesn't even have a computer in his cluttered office.

Nevertheless, he claims to know how to keep the Sonic Wind from wrecking or taking fatal flight at transonic and post-Mach 1 speeds. "The idea is to use all the forces acting on the car to keep it stable during runs," he says. "The Sonic Wind's body changes plane slightly in the nose area. This anchors shock waves over the front wheels to increase the negative lift. These shock waves, along with the shocks that will radiate downward from the rear bi-wedge tail fins, will also be used in roll control."

At least, that's the theory. It's a theory that could use a few years of testing and refinement in an advanced wind tunnel. It's a theory that a driver may not want to risk his life on.

At the moment, the Sonic Wind isn't much more than its parts laid out where they'd be positioned in what Stakes envisions as a seven-wheeled beast that's 47 feet 4 inches long and 7 feet wide. Stakes gets help from friends in the land speed community, as well as the occasional moonlighting rocket scientist, but he alone is responsible for the design, handcrafting the scale models and assembling the vehicle.

To any outside observer, Stakes's chances of completing his rocket car-much less breaking any records with it-might seem vanishingly small. It's tempting to remind him of the need for wind-tunnel testing, trained engineers-heck, even just a computer. But then, how many of history's breakthroughs sprang from the passions of similarly obsessed, deeply impractical men-the Wright brothers, Lindbergh, Cousteau... Listening to Stakes spin out his vision of speed, you want to talk some sense to him, make him concede that he's in over his head. But then you don't. Does every dreamer need to build the first plane or fly the Atlantic? Is it so wrong to chase a dream that might truly be beyond your grasp?

Not long after Popular Mechanics visited his tiny workshop, Stakes learned that his landlord was nearly doubling his rent. Undeterred, he simply packed up his parts, plans and prototypes to a small ranch he bought on the outskirts of Apple Valley, deeper in the Mojave Desert. He says he could have handled the rent but actually prefers his new location. It's isolated, with fewer distractions, and he can work outside. But he won't be able to walk across the street for lunch at Del Taco anymore. "The best thing about working alone," he says, "is that you don't have to ask anyone to make changes."

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/is-a-2000-mph-car-actually-possible?src=rss

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Kings open season with 100-91 win over Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, shoots against Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, shoots against Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol, right, shoots over Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, left, defends against Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

(AP) ? Marcus Thornton scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and the Sacramento Kings opened the season in grand fashion, beating the Los Angeles Lakers at home for the first time in more than three years, 100-91 on Monday night.

Tyreke Evans added 20 points, John Salmons had 13 and DeMarcus Cousins had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who had lost nine of 10 to the Lakers and five straight at home.

Kobe Bryant scored 29 points and Metta World Peace added 19 for the Lakers, who opened the season with consecutive losses for the first time since 2002-03, putting a damper on the start of new coach Mike Brown's tenure.

Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette entered to a loud ovation midway through the first quarter and then committed a double dribble the first time he touched the ball.

Otherwise, it was nothing but a positive start to the season for the Kings, who didn't even know if they would be in Sacramento after ending last season with an overtime loss at home to the Lakers.

But the city got a reprieve when the team decided to stay for at least one more season instead of moving to Anaheim. That has led to newfound optimism that an emerging roster of young and athletic playmakers can return the Kings to prominence and the city can build a new arena to keep the team in California's capital city for the long term.

That roster gave the fans plenty to cheer about in the Kings' first season opener at home in eight years. They went on an 11-0 run around halftime and then put together a strong finish to the third quarter led by Cousins. Playing with four fouls, Cousins scored eight points in the final 3:20 of the third to give Sacramento a 78-64 lead heading into the fourth.

Thornton scored seven of the Kings' first nine points of the fourth as Sacramento maintained its lead. But six straight points by World Peace helped the Lakers cut it to 89-87 with 4:24 to play.

Thornton hit a 3-pointer to give the Kings some breathing room and Chuck Hayes had a key block on Pau Gasol leading to two free throws by Evans. The Lakers never got the deficit to less than five points after that. Thornton's jumper made it 99-89 with 1:10 to go, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Los Angeles doesn't have to wait long to get a chance for its first win in this lockout-compacted season, as the Lakers host Utah on Tuesday night with their third game in three nights to open the season.

The Kings took a 49-40 halftime lead, giving the sellout crowd even more to cheer about than just the fact that the Kings are still in town. Sacramento scored the final seven points of the half, capped by Evans' drive for a one-handed scoop with 5.9 seconds remaining.

The Kings frustrated the Lakers at the other end of the court all half, holding them to 36.4 percent shooting including an uncharacteristic 4-for-13 performance from Bryant.

Sacramento even had success matching 5-foot-9 rookie Isaiah Thomas on Bryant on a few possessions in the second quarter despite a 9-inch height disadvantage. After missing a turnaround jumper over the shorter Thomas, Bryant could only manage to chuckle on his way back down the court.

Notes: The Kings have won six straight home openers. ... Mayor Kevin Johnson, who helped keep the Kings in Sacramento this season, was presented a jersey from owners Joe and Gavin Maloof. ... Bryant got called for a technical foul in the third quarter when he threw his hands in frustration after being fouled on a dunk attempt by J.J. Hickson.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-12-27-BKN-Lakers-Kings/id-c0151992654b4ac59afe916f5a3cca69

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Newly released court documents cast doubt on Gingrich version of first divorce (CNN)

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Strong quake shakes Siberia (AP)

MOSCOW ? Miners in a swath of southwestern Siberia are being told to leave their shafts after a strong earthquake shook the region.

No injuries or damage have been reported from the quake, which had a preliminary magnitude reading of 6.6 and hit late Tuesday.

The epicenter was about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Kyzyl, capital of the Russian republic of Tuva that borders Mongolia, according to the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center and Russian seismologists.

Russian news agencies quoted Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying miners in the coal-producing regions of Kemerovo and Khakassia were being taken out of the mines.

In Kyzyl, residents of multistory buildings who were concerned about aftershocks were being allowed to spend the night in schools, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_earthquake

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Fifa World Cup on show at Dubai sports conference

Dubai ( ; ; ) is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. Dubai City is located on the emirate's northern coastline.

The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095, and the earliest settlement known as Dubai town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in 1833 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti al Maktoum when he persuaded 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, living in what is now part of Saudi Arabia, to follow him to the Dubai Creek by the Al Abu Falasa clan of Bani Yas, and it remained under clan control when the United Kingdom assumed the protection of Dubai in 1892. Its geographical location made it an important trading hub and by the beginning of the 20th century, it was an important port. In 1966, the year oil was discovered, Dubai and the emirate of Qatar set up a new monetary unit to replace the Gulf Rupee. The oil economy led to a massive influx of foreign workers, quickly expanding the city by 300% and bringing in international oil interests. The modern emirate of Dubai was created after the UK left the area in 1971. At this time Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and four other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates. The following year Ras al Khaimah joined the federation while Qatar and Bahrain chose to remain independent nations. In 1973, the monetary union with Qatar was dissolved and the UAE Dirham introduced throughout the UAE. A free trade zone was built around the Jebel Ali port in 1979, allowing foreign companies unrestricted import of labor and export capital. The Gulf War of 1990 had a negative financial effect on the city, as depositors withdrew their money and traders withdrew their trade, but subsequently the city recovered in a changing political climate and thrived.

Today, Dubai City has emerged as a global city and a business hub. Although Dubai's economy was built on the oil industry, the emirate's model of business drives its economy, with the effect that its main revenues are now from tourism, real estate, and financial services, similar to that of Western countries. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. This increased attention has highlighted labour rights and human rights issues concerning its largely South Asian workforce. Dubai's property market experienced a major deterioration in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the worldwide economic downturn following the Financial crisis of 2007?2010.

Etymology

In the 1820s, Dubai was referred to as Al Wasl by British historians. Few records pertaining to the cultural history of the UAE or its constituent emirates exist and because of the region's oral traditions, folklore and myth were not written down. The linguistic origins of the word Dubai are disputed; some believe it to have originated from the Persian language, while some believe that Arabic is its linguistic root. According to Fedel Handhal, a researcher in the history and culture of the UAE, the word Dubai may have come from the word Daba (a derivative of Yadub, which means to creep); referring to the slow flow of Dubai Creek inland. The poet and scholar Ahmad Mohammad Obaid traces it to the same word, but to its alternative meaning of locust.

History

Although stone tools have been found at many sites, little is known about UAE's early inhabitants as only a few settlements have been found. Many ancient towns in the area were trading centers between the Eastern and Western worlds. The remnants of an ancient mangrove swamp, dated at 7,000?BC, were discovered during the construction of sewer lines near Dubai Internet City. The area was covered with sand about 5,000 years ago as the coast retreated inland, becoming a part of the city's present coastline. Pre Islamic ceramics have been found from the 3rd and 4th century. Prior to Islam, the people in this region worshiped Bajir (or Bajar). The Byzantine and Sassanian (Persian) empires constituted the great powers of the period, with the Sassanians controlling much of the region. After the spread of Islam in the area, the Umayyad Caliph, of the eastern Islamic world, invaded south-east Arabia and drove out the Sassanians. Excavations by the Dubai Museum in the region of Al-Jumayra (Jumeirah) found several artifacts from the Umayyad period.

The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095, in the "Book of Geography" by the Andalusian-Arab geographer Abu Abdullah al-Bakri. The Venetian pearl merchant Gaspero Balbi visited the area in 1580 and mentioned Dubai (Dibei) for its pearling industry. Since 1799, there has been a settlement known as Dubai town. In the early 19th century, the Al Abu Falasa clan (House of Al-Falasi) of Bani Yas clan established Dubai, which remained a dependent of Abu Dhabi until 1833. On 8 January 1820, the sheikh of Dubai and other sheikhs in the region signed the "General Maritime Peace Treaty" with the British government. In 1833, following tribal feuding, the Al Maktoum dynasty (also descendants of the House of Al-Falasi) of the Bani Yas tribe left their ancestral home of the Liwa Oasis, South-west of the settlement of Abu Dhabi and quickly took over Dubai from the Abu Fasala clan without resistance.

Dubai came under the protection of the United Kingdom by the "Exclusive Agreement" of 1892, in which the UK agreed to protect Dubai against the Ottoman Empire. Two catastrophes struck the town during the 1800s. First, in 1841, a smallpox epidemic broke out in the Bur Dubai locality, forcing residents to relocate east to Deira. Then, in 1894, fire swept through Deira, burning down most homes. However, the town's geographical location continued to attract traders and merchants from around the region. The emir of Dubai was keen to attract foreign traders and lowered trade tax brackets, which lured traders away from Sharjah and Bandar Lengeh, which were the region's main trade hubs at the time. Persian merchants naturally looked across to the Arab shore of the Gulf finally making their homes in Dubai. They continued to trade with Lingah, however, as do many of the dhows in Dubai Creek today, and they named their district Bastakiya, after the Bastak region in southern Persia.

Dubai's geographical proximity to Iran made it an important trade location. The town of Dubai was an important port of call for foreign tradesmen, chiefly those from Iran, many of whom eventually settled in the town. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was an important port. Dubai was known for its pearl exports until the 1930s; the pearl trade was damaged irreparably by World War I, and later on by the Great Depression in the 1930s. With the collapse of the pearling industry, Dubai fell into a deep depression and many residents starved or migrated to other parts of the Persian Gulf.

In the early days since its inception, Dubai was constantly at odds with Abu Dhabi. In 1947, a border dispute between Dubai and Abu Dhabi on the northern sector of their mutual border, escalated into war. Arbitration by the British and the creation of a buffer frontier running south eastwards from the coast at Ras Hasian resulted in a temporary cessation of hostilities. Electricity, telephone services, and an airport were established in Dubai in the 1950s, when the British moved their local administrative offices there from Sharjah. After years of exploration following large finds in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, oil was eventually discovered in Dubai in 1971, albeit in far smaller quantities, after which the town granted concessions to international oil companies. The discovery of oil led to a massive influx of foreign workers, mainly Indians and Pakistanis. Between 1968 and 1975 the city's population grew by over 300%.

On 2 December 1971 Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and five other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates after the former protector, Britain, left the Persian Gulf in 1971. In 1973, Dubai joined the other emirates to adopt a uniform currency: the UAE dirham. In the 1970s, Dubai continued to grow from revenues generated from oil and trade, even as the city saw an influx of immigrants fleeing the Lebanese civil war. Border disputes between the emirates continued even after the formation of the UAE; it was only in 1979 that a formal compromise was reached that ended hostilities. The Jebel Ali port was established in 1979. Jafza (Jebel Ali Free Zone) was built around the port in 1985 to provide foreign companies unrestricted import of labour and export capital.

The Gulf War of 1990 had a huge effect on the city. Depositors withdrew massive amounts of money from Dubai banks due to uncertain political conditions in the region. Later in the 1990s many foreign trading communities?first from Kuwait, during the Gulf War, and later from Bahrain, during the Shia unrest?moved their businesses to Dubai. Dubai provided refuelling bases to allied forces at the Jebel Ali free zone during the Gulf War, and again during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Large increases in oil prices after the Gulf War encouraged Dubai to continue to focus on free trade and tourism.

Geography

Dubai is situated on the Persian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates and is roughly at sea level ( above). The emirate of Dubai shares borders with Abu Dhabi in the south, Sharjah in the northeast, and the Sultanate of Oman in the southeast. Hatta, a minor exclave of the emirate, is surrounded on three sides by Oman and by the emirates of Ajman (in the west) and Ras Al Khaimah (in the north). The Persian Gulf borders the western coast of the emirate. Dubai is positioned at and covers an area of , which represents a significant expansion beyond its initial designation due to land reclamation from the sea.

Dubai lies directly within the Arabian Desert. However, the topography of Dubai is significantly different from that of the southern portion of the UAE in that much of Dubai's landscape is highlighted by sandy desert patterns, while gravel deserts dominate much of the southern region of the country. The sand consists mostly of crushed shell and coral and is fine, clean and white. East of the city, the salt-crusted coastal plains, known as sabkha, give way to a north-south running line of dunes. Farther east, the dunes grow larger and are tinged red with iron oxide.

The flat sandy desert gives way to the Western Hajar Mountains, which run alongside Dubai's border with Oman at Hatta. The Western Hajar chain has an arid, jagged and shattered landscape, whose mountains rise to about 1,300?meters in some places. Dubai has no natural river bodies or oases; however, Dubai does have a natural inlet, Dubai Creek, which has been dredged to make it deep enough for large vessels to pass through. Dubai also has multiple gorges and waterholes which dot the base of the Western Al Hajar mountains. A vast sea of sand dunes covers much of southern Dubai, and eventually leads into the desert known as The Empty Quarter. Seismically, Dubai is in a very stable zone?the nearest seismic fault line, the Zagros Fault, is 200?km (124.27?mi) from the UAE and is unlikely to have any seismic impact on Dubai. Experts also predict that the possibility of a tsunami in the region is minimal because the Persian Gulf waters are not deep enough to trigger a tsunami.

The sandy desert surrounding the city supports wild grasses and occasional date palms. Desert hyacinths grow in the sabkha plains east of the city, while acacia and ghaf trees grow in the flat plains within the proximity of the Western Al Hajar mountains. Several indigenous trees such as the date palm and neem as well as imported trees like the eucalypts grow in Dubai's natural parks. The houbara bustard, striped hyena, caracal, desert fox, falcon and Arabian oryx are common in Dubai's desert. Dubai is on the migration path between Europe, Asia and Africa, and more than 320 migratory bird species pass through the emirate in spring and autumn. The waters of Dubai are home to more than 300 species of fish, including the hammour. The typical marine life off the Dubai coast includes tropical Fish, jellyfish, coral, dugong, dolphins, whales and sharks. Various types of turtles can also be found in the area including the Hawksbill turtle and Green Turtle which are listed as endangered species.

Dubai Creek runs northeast-southwest through the city. The eastern section of the city forms the locality of Deira and is flanked by the emirate of Sharjah in the east and the town of Al Aweer in the south. The Dubai International Airport is located south of Deira, while the Palm Deira is located north of Deira in the Persian Gulf. Much of Dubai's real-estate boom is concentrated to the west of the Dubai Creek, on the Jumeirah coastal belt. Port Rashid, Jebel Ali, Burj Al Arab, the Palm Jumeirah and theme-based free-zone clusters such as Business Bay are all located in this section.

Climate

Dubai has a very hot arid climate. Summers in Dubai are extremely hot, windy and dry, with an average high around and overnight lows around . Most days are sunny throughout the year. Winters are warm with an average high of and overnight lows of . Precipitation, however, has been increasing in the last few decades with accumulated rain reaching per year.

Governance and politics

Dubai's government operates within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, and has been ruled by the Al Maktoum family since 1833. The current ruler, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and member of the Supreme Council of the Union (SCU). Dubai appoints eight members in two-term periods to the Federal National Council (FNC) of the UAE, the supreme federal legislative body.

The Dubai Municipality (DM) was established by the then ruler of Dubai, Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum in 1954 for purposes of city planning, citizen services and upkeep of local facilities. DM is chaired by Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and comprises several departments such as the Roads Department, Planning and Survey Department, Environment and Public Health Department and Financial Affairs Department. In 2001, Dubai Municipality embarked on an e-Government project with the intention of providing 40 of its city services through its web portal, dubai.ae. Thirteen such services were launched by October 2001, while several other services were expected to be operational in the future. Dubai Municipality is also in charge of the city's sanitation and sewage infrastructure.

The Dubai Police Force, founded in 1956 in the locality of Naif, has law enforcement jurisdiction over the emirate; the force is under direct command of Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai.

Dubai and Ras al Khaimah are the only emirates that do not conform to the federal judicial system of the United Arab Emirates. The emirate's judicial courts comprise the Court of First Instance, the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Cassation. The Court of First Instance consists of the Civil court, which hears all civil claims; the Criminal Court, which hears claims originating from police complaints; and Sharia Court, which is responsible for matters between Muslims. Non-Muslims do not appear before the Sharia Court. The Court of Cassation is the supreme court of the emirate and hears disputes on matters of law only.

Human rights

Article 25 of the Constitution of the UAE provides for the equitable treatment of persons with regard to race, nationality, religious beliefs or social status. However, many of Dubai's 250,000 foreign labourers live in conditions described by Human Rights Watch as being "less than human." NPR reports that workers "typically live eight to a room, sending home a portion of their salary to their families, whom they don't see for years at a time." On 21 March 2006, workers at the construction site of Burj Khalifa, upset over bus timings and working conditions, rioted: damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction tools. The global financial crisis has caused the working class of Dubai to be affected especially badly, with many workers not being paid but also being unable to leave the country.

Alleged labour injustices in Dubai have attracted the attention of various human rights groups, which have tried to persuade the government to become a signatory to two of the International Labour Organization's eight core conventions, which allows for the formation of labour unions. The Dubai government, however, denied any kind of labour injustices and stated that the watchdog's accusations were misguided. Towards the end of March 2006, the government announced steps to allow construction unions. UAE labour minister Ali al-Kaabi said: "Labourers will be allowed to form unions".

Prostitution, though illegal, is conspicuously present in the emirate because of its very large male/female imbalance. Research conducted by the American Center for International Policy Studies (AMCIPS) found that Russian and Ethiopian women are the most common prostitutes, as well as women from some African countries, while Indian prostitutes are part of a well organised trans-Oceanic prostitution network. A 2007 PBS documentary entitled Dubai: Night Secrets reported that prostitution in clubs is tolerated by authorities and many foreign women work there without being coerced.

Demographics

{|class="wikitable" style="width: 17%; float: left; font-size: 0.85em;" |- style="background:#a8bdec; font-weight:bold;" || Year || Population |- |18221 || 1,200 |- |19001 || 10,000 |- |19301 || 20,000 |- |19401 || 38,000 |- |19541 || 20,000 |- |19601 || 40,000 |- | 1968 || 58,971 |- | 1975 || 183,000 |- |1985 || 370,800 |- | 1995 || 674,000 |- | 2005 || 1,204,000 |- |colspan=2|1 The town of Dubai first conducted a census in 1968. All population figures in this table prior to 1968 are estimates obtained from various sources. |}

According to the census conducted by the Statistics Centre of Dubai, the population of the emirate was 1,771,000 as of 2009, which included 1,370,000 males and 401,000 females. The region covers 497.1 square miles (1,287.4?km?). The population density is 408.18/km? ? more than eight times that of the entire country. Dubai is the second most expensive city in the region, and 20th most expensive city in the world.

As of 2005, 17% of the population of the emirate was made up of UAE nationals. Approximately 85% of the expatriate population (and 71% of the emirate's total population) was Asian, chiefly Indian (51%), Pakistani (16%), Bangladeshi (9%) and Filipino (3%) and a sizeable community of Somalis numbering around 30,000. A quarter of the population however reportedly traces their origins to Iran. In addition, 16% of the population (or 288,000 persons) living in collective labour accommodation were not identified by ethnicity or nationality, but were thought to be primarily Asian. The median age in the emirate was about 27 years. The crude birth rate, as of 2005, was 13.6%, while the crude death rate was about 1%. Although Arabic is the official language, English is the lingua franca of the city and is very widely spoken by the majority of its residents either as a primary or secondary language. Other languages spoken by Dubai's many foreign residents include Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Tagalog, Farsi, Chinese, and Malayalam.

Article 7 of the UAE's Provisional Constitution declares Islam the official state religion of the UAE. The government subsidises almost 95% of mosques and employs all Imams; approximately 5% of mosques are entirely private, and several large mosques have large private endowments.

Dubai also has large Hindu, Christian, Bah?'?, Sikh, Buddhist, and other religious communities residing in the city. Non-Muslim groups can own their own houses of worship, where they can practice their religion freely, by requesting a land grant and permission to build a compound. Groups that do not have their own buildings must use the facilities of other religious organisations or worship in private homes. Non-Muslim religious groups are permitted to openly advertise group functions; however, proselytising or distributing religious literature is strictly prohibited under penalty of criminal prosecution, imprisonment, and deportation for engaging in behaviour offensive to Islam.

Economy

Dubai's gross domestic product as of 2008 was US$ 82.11?billion. Although Dubai's economy was built on the back of the oil industry, revenues from oil and natural gas currently account for less than 6% of the emirate's revenues. It is estimated that Dubai produces 50,000 to of oil a day and substantial quantities of gas from offshore fields. The emirate's share in UAE's gas revenues is about 2%. Dubai's oil reserves have diminished significantly and are expected to be exhausted in 20 years. Real estate and construction (22.6%), trade (16%), entrep?t (15%) and financial services (11%) are the largest contributors to Dubai's economy. Dubai's top exporting destinations include India (US$ 5.8?billion), Switzerland (US$ 2.37?billion) and Saudi Arabia (US$ 0.57?billion). Dubai's top re-exporting destinations include India (US$ 6.53?billion), Iran (US$ 5.8?billion) and Iraq (US$ 2.8?billion). The emirate's top import sources are India (US$ 12.55?billion), China (US$ 11.52?billion) and the United States (US$ 7.57?billion). As of 2009 India was Dubai's largest trade partner.

Historically, Dubai and its twin across the Dubai creek, Deira (independent of Dubai City at that time), were important ports of call for Western manufacturers. Most of the new city's banking and financial centres were headquartered in the port area. Dubai maintained its importance as a trade route through the 1970s and 1980s. Dubai has a free trade in gold and, until the 1990s, was the hub of a "brisk smuggling trade" of gold ingots to India, where gold import was restricted. Dubai's Jebel Ali port, constructed in the 1970s, has the largest man-made harbour in the world and was ranked seventh globally for the volume of container traffic it supports. Dubai is also a hub for service industries such as information technology and finance, with industry-specific free zones throughout the city. Dubai Internet City, combined with Dubai Media City as part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority) is one such enclave whose members include IT firms such as EMC Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, and IBM, and media organisations such as MBC, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Sky News and AP.

The government's decision to diversify from a trade-based, oil-reliant economy to one that is service and tourism-oriented made property more valuable, resulting in the property appreciation from 2004?2006. A longer-term assessment of Dubai's property market, however, showed depreciation; some properties lost as much as 64% of their value from 2001 to November 2008. The large scale real estate development projects have led to the construction of some of the tallest skyscrapers and largest projects in the world such as the Emirates Towers, the Burj Khalifa, the Palm Islands and the world's second tallest, and most expensive hotel, the Burj Al Arab. The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) was established in March 2000 as a secondary market for trading securities and bonds, both local and foreign. As of fourth quarter 2006, its trading volume stood at about 400?billion shares, worth $95?billion in total. The DFM had a market capitalisation of about $87?billion.

Dubai's property market experienced a major downturn in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the slowing economic climate. Mohammed al-Abbar, Chief Executive Officer of Emaar told the international press in December 2008 that Emaar had credits of $70?billion and the state of Dubai additional $10?billion while holding estimated $350?billion in real estate assets. By early 2009, the situation had worsened with the global economic crisis taking a heavy toll on property values, construction and employment. As of February 2009 Dubai's foreign debt was estimated at approximately $80?billion, although this is a tiny fraction of the sovereign debt worldwide.

A City Mayors survey rated Dubai as 44th among the world's best financial cities in 2007, while another report by City Mayors indicated that Dubai was the world's 33rd richest city in 2009, in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). Dubai is also an international financial centre and has been ranked 37th within the top 50 global financial cities as surveyed by the Mastercard Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index (2007), and 1st within the Middle East.

Tourism and retail

Tourism is an important part of the Dubai government's strategy to maintain the flow of foreign cash into the emirate. Dubai's lure for tourists is based mainly on shopping, but also on its possession of other ancient and modern attractions. As of 2007, Dubai was the 8th most visited city of the world. Dubai is expected to accommodate over 15?million tourists by 2015. Dubai is the most populous emirate of the seven emirates of United Arab Emirates. It is distinct from other members of the UAE in that a large part of the emirate's revenues are from tourism.

Dubai has been called the "shopping capital of the Middle East". Dubai alone has more than 70 shopping malls, including the world's 7th largest shopping mall, Dubai Mall. The city draws large numbers of shopping tourists from countries within the region and from as far as Eastern Europe, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. While boutiques, some electronics shops, department stores and supermarkets operate on a fixed-price basis, most other outlets consider friendly negotiation a way of life.

Dubai is also known for its souk districts located on either side of the creek. Traditionally, dhows from the Far East, China, Sri Lanka, and India would discharge their cargo and the goods would be bargained over in the souks adjacent to the docks. Many boutiques and jewellery stores are also found in the city. Dubai is known as "the City of Gold" and Gold Souk in Deira houses nearly 250 gold retail shops. Dubai Duty Free Company at the Dubai International Airport offers merchandise catering to the multinational passengers using the airport.

Cityscape

Architecture

Dubai has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles. Many modern interpretations of Islamic architecture can be found here, due to a boom in construction and architectural innovation in the Arab World in general, and in Dubai in particular, supported not only by top Arab or international architectural and engineering design firms such as Al Hashemi and Aedas, but also by top firms of New York and Chicago. As a result of this boom, modern Islamic ? and world ? architecture has literally been taken to new levels in skyscraper building design and technology. Dubai now boasts more completed or topped-out skyscrapers higher than 2/3?km, 1/3?km, or 1/4?km than any other city. A culmination point was reached in 2010 with the completion of the Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower), now by far the world's tallest building at 828 m (2,717?ft). The Burj Khalifa's design is derived from the patterning systems embodied in Islamic architecture, with the triple-lobed footprint of the building based on an abstracted version of the desert flower hymenocallis which is native to the Dubai region. The completion of the Khalifa Tower, following the construction boom that began in the 1980s, accelerated in the 1990s, and took on a rapid pace of construction unparalled in modern human history during the decade of the 2000s, leaving Dubai with the world's tallest skyline as of 4 January 2010.

Burj al Arab

The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: ??? ?????, "Tower of the Arabs") is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates managed by the Jumeirah Group and built by Said Khalil. Its construction started in 1994 and ended in 1999. It was designed by Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. The hotel cost $650,000,000 to build. At 321 metres (1,053?ft) and 60 floors, it was the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel until being succeeded by Rose Rayhaan by Rotana in 23 December 2009, again in Dubai. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 metres (919?ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat.

Burj Al Arab characterizes itself as the world's only "7-star" property, a designation considered by travel professionals to be hyperbole. All major travel guides and hotel rating systems have a 5-star maximum, which some hotels attempt to out-do by ascribing themselves "6-star" status. Yet according to the Burj Al Arab's official site, the hotel is a "5-star deluxe hotel".

The Burj Al Arab was built to resemble the sail of a Dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Its design features a steel exoskeleton wrapped around a reinforced concrete tower. Two wings spread in a V to form a vast mast, while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium by a teflon-coated fibreglass sail. During the day, the white fabric allows a soft, milky light inside the hotel, whereas a clear, glass front would produce blinding amounts of glare and a constantly increasing temperature. At night, both inside and outside, the fabric is lit by colour changing lights. Near the top of the building is a suspended helipad supported by a cantilever which has featured some of the hotel's notable publicity events.

The hotel's interior was designed by Kunan Chew. It features the tallest atrium lobby in the world at 180 metres. It is formed by the building's V-shaped span, dominates the interior of the hotel, and takes up over 1/3 of the interior space. Despite its size, the Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. It is one of the most expensive hotels in the world. The cost of staying at a suite begins at $1,000 per night. The Royal Suite is the most expensive, at $28,000 per night.

One of its restaurants, Al Muntaha, is located 200 metres above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 metres from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator. Another restaurant, the Al Mahara, which is accessed by a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly of water. The tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 centimetres thick.

Sanitation issues

Currently, human waste is collected daily from thousands of septic tanks across the city and driven by tankers to the city's only sewage treatment plant at Al-Awir. Dubai's rapid growth means that it is stretching its limited sewage treatment infrastructure to its limits. Because of the long queues and delays, some tanker drivers resort to illegally dumping the effluent into storm drains or behind dunes in the desert. Sewage dumped into storm drains flows directly into the Persian Gulf, near the city's prime swimming beaches. Doctors have warned that tourists using the beaches run the risk of contracting serious illnesses like typhoid and hepatitis. Dubai municipality says that it is committed to catching the culprits and has imposed fines of up to $25,000 and threatened to confiscate tankers if dumping persists. The municipality maintains that test results show samples of the water are "within the standard".

Transportation

Transport in Dubai is controlled by the Roads and Transport authority. The public transport network faces huge congestion and reliability issues which a large investment programme is attempting to address, including over AED 70?billion of improvements planned for completion by 2020, when the population of the city is projected to exceed 3.5?million. In 2009, according to Dubai Municipality statistics, there were an estimated 1,021,880 cars in Dubai. In January 2010, the number of Dubai residents who use public transport stood at 6%. Although the government has invested heavily in the Dubai's road infrastructure, this has not kept pace with the increasing number of vehicles. This, coupled with the induced traffic phenomenon, has led to growing problems of congestion.

Road

Five main routes ? E 101 (Sheikh Zayed Road), E 311 (Emirates Road), E 44 (Dubai-Hatta Highway), E 77 (Dubai-Al Habab Road) and E 66 (Oud Metha Road) ? run through Dubai, connecting the city to other towns and emirates. Additionally, several important intra-city routes, such as D 89 (Al Maktoum Road/Airport Road), D 85 (Baniyas Road), D 75 (Sheikh Rashid Road), D 73 (Al Dhiyafa Road), D 94 (Jumeirah Road) and D 92 (Al Khaleej/Al Wasl Road) connect the various localities in the city. The eastern and western sections of the city are connected by Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge, Al Shindagha Tunnel, Business Bay Crossing and Floating Bridge.

The Public Bus Transport system in Dubai is run by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The bus system services 140 routes and transported over about 109.5?million people in 2008. By the end of 2010, there will be 2,100 buses in service across the city. The Transport authority has announced the construction of 500 air-conditioned (A/C) Passenger Bus Shelters, and has plan for 1,000 more across the emirates in a move to encourage the use of public buses.

Dubai also has an extensive taxi system, by far the most frequently used means of public transport within the Emirate. Dubai Taxi Corporation operates the taxi services as part of the Roads & Transport Authority. There are both government-operated and private cab companies. The DTC taxis are easily identifiable with their cream color. There are more than 3000 taxis operating within the emirate. Taxi cabs in Dubai make an average of 192,000 trips every day, lifting about 385,000 persons. In 2009 taxi trips exceeded 70?million trips serving around 140.45?million passengers.

Air

Dubai International Airport (IATA: DXB), the hub for the Emirates Airline, serves the city of Dubai and other emirates in the country. The airport was the 15th busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic handling 40.9?million passengers in 2009. The airport was also the 6th busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic. In addition to being an important passenger traffic hub, the airport is the 7th busiest cargo airport in world, handling 1.927?million tonnes of cargo in 2009, a 5.6% increase compared to 2008 and was also the 4th busiest International freight traffic airport in world. Emirates Airline is the national airline of Dubai. As of 2009, it operated internationally serving 101 destinations in 61 countries across six continents.

The development of Al Maktoum International Airport, was announced in 2004. The first phase of the airport, featuring one A380 capable runway, 64 remote stands, one cargo terminal with annual capacity for 250,000 tonnes of cargo and a passenger terminal building designed to accommodate five million passengers per year, has been opened. When completed, Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International will be the largest airport in the world with five runways, four terminal buildings and capacity for 160?million passengers and 12?million tons of cargo.

Metro rail

A $3.89?billion, Dubai Metro project is currently operational although partly under-construction. The Red Line is operational and runs through the heart of the city. The Metro system was partially opened on September 2009 and will be fully operational by 2011. UK-based international service company Serco Group is responsible for operating the metro. Dubai Metro is also the world's second cheapest metro transportation system after Tehran Metro in Iran. The metro comprises the Green Line from Al Rashidiya to the main city center and the Red Line from the airport to Jebel Ali. A Blue and a Purple Line have also been planned. The Dubai Metro (Green and Blue Lines) will have 70?km (43.5?mi) of track and 43 stations, 37 above ground and ten underground. The Dubai Metro is the first urban train network in the Arabian Peninsula.

Palm Jumeirah Monorail

The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is a monorail line on the Palm Jumeirah. The monorail connects the Palm Jumeirah to the mainland, with a planned further extension to the Red Line of the Dubai Metro. The line opened on 30 April 2009. Two trams systems are expected to be built in Dubai by 2011. The first is the Downtown Burj Khalifa Tram System and the second is the Al Sufouh Tram. The Downtown Burj Khalifa Tram System is a 4.6?km (2.86?mi) tram service that is planned to service the area around the Burj Khalifa, and the second tram will run 14.5?km (9?mi) along Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina to the Burj Al Arab and the Mall of the Emirates.

Dubai has announced it will complete a link of the UAE high speed rail system which will eventually hook up with the whole GCC and then possibly Europe. The High Speed Rail will serve passengers and cargo.

Waterways

There are two major commercial ports in Dubai, Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali. Port Jebel Ali is the world's largest man-made harbour, the biggest port in the Middle East, and the 7th-busiest port in the world. One of the more traditional methods of getting across Bur Dubai to Deira is through abras, small boats that ferry passengers across the Dubai Creek, between abra stations in Bastakiya and Baniyas Road. The Marine Transport Agency has also implemented the Dubai Water Bus System. Water bus is a fully air conditioned boat service across selected destinations across the creek. One can also avail the tourist water bus facility in Dubai. Latest addition to the water transport system is the Water Taxi.

Culture

The UAE culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam and traditional Arab and Bedouin culture. In contrast, the city of Dubai is a highly cosmopolitan society with a diverse and vibrant culture. The influence of Islamic and Arab culture on its architecture, music, attire, cuisine and lifestyle are very prominent as well. Five times every day, Muslims are called to prayer from the minarets of mosques which are scattered around the country. Since 2006, the weekend has been Friday-Saturday, as a compromise between Friday's holiness to Muslims and the Western weekend of Saturday-Sunday.

In 2005, 84% of the population of metropolitan Dubai was foreign-born, about half of them from India. The city's cultural imprint as a small, ethnically homogenous pearling community was changed with the arrival of other ethnic groups and nationals?first by the Iranians in the early 1900s, and later by Indians and Pakistanis in the 1960s. Dubai has been criticised for perpetuating a class-based society, where migrant workers are in the lower classes.

Major holidays in Dubai include Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and National Day (2 December ), which marks the formation of the United Arab Emirates. Annual entertainment events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) and Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) attract over 4?million visitors from across the region and generate revenues in excess of $2.7?billion. Large shopping malls in the city, such as Deira City Centre, Mirdiff City Centre, BurJuman, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall as well as traditional souks attract shoppers from the region.

Food

Arabic food is very popular and is available everywhere in the city, from the small shawarma diners in Deira and Al Karama to the restaurants in Dubai's hotels. Fast food, South Asian, and Chinese cuisines are also very popular and are widely available. The sale and consumption of pork, though not illegal, is regulated and is sold only to non-Muslims, in designated areas of supermarkets and airports. Similarly, the sale of alcoholic beverages is regulated. A liquor permit is required to purchase alcohol; however, alcohol is available in bars and restaurants within hotels. Shisha and qahwa boutiques are also popular in Dubai. Dubai is known for its nightlife. Clubs and bars are found mostly in hotels due to the liquor laws. The New York Times described Dubai as "the kind of city where you might run into Michael Jordan at the Buddha Bar or stumble across Naomi Campbell celebrating her birthday with a multiday bash".

Dress and etiquette

The Islamic dress code is not compulsory, unlike in neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Most Emirati males prefer to wear a kandura, an ankle-length white shirt woven from wool or cotton, and most Emirati women wear an abaya, a black over-garment covering most parts of the body. This attire is particularly well-suited for the UAE's hot and dry climate. Western-style clothing is, however, dominant because of the large expatriate population, and this practice is beginning to grow in popularity among Emiratis.

Etiquette is an important aspect of UAE culture and tradition, to which visitors are expected to conform. Recently, many expatriates have disregarded the law and been arrested for indecent clothing, or lack thereof, at beaches. Western-style dress is tolerated in appropriate places, such as bars or clubs, but the UAE has maintained a strict policy of protecting highly public spaces from cultural insensitivity.

Entertainment

The United Arab Emirates is a part of the khaliji tradition, and is also known for Bedouin folk music. During celebrations singing and dancing also take place and many of the traditional songs and dances have survived to the present time. Yowalah is the traditional dance of the UAE. Young girls would dance by swinging their long black hair and swaying their bodies in time to the strong beat of the music. Men would re-enact battles fought or successful hunting expeditions, often symbolically using sticks, swords or rifles.

Hollywood and Indian movies are popular in Dubai. Since 2004, the city has hosted the annual Dubai International Film Festival which serves as a showcase Arab film making talent. Musicians Amr Diab, Diana Haddad, Tarkan, Aerosmith, Santana, Mark Knopfler, Elton John, Pink, Shakira, Celine Dion, Coldplay, Keane, Phil Collins, Kavita Krishnamurthy, A R Rahman, Roxette have performed in the city. Kylie Minogue was reportedly paid 3.5?million dollars to perform at the opening of the Atlantis resort on 20 November 2008. The Dubai Desert Rock Festival is also another major festival consisting of Heavy metal and rock artists.

Sports

Football and cricket are the most popular sports in Dubai. six teams (Al-Wasl, Al-Shabab, Al-Ahli, Al Nasr, Dubai C.S.C and Hatta) represent Dubai in UAE League football. Al-Wasl have the second-most number of championships in the UAE League, after Al Ain. Cricket is followed by Dubai's large community of Indians and the residents from other cricket playing nations (Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, England, Australia and South Africa). In 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC) moved its headquarters from London to Dubai. The city has hosted several Pakistan matches and two new grass grounds are being developed in Dubai Sports City. Dubai also hosts both the annual Dubai Tennis Championships and The Legends Rock Dubai tennis tournaments, as well as the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament and the Dubai World Championship, all of which attract sports stars from around the world. The Dubai World Cup, a thoroughbred horse race, is held annually at the Meydan Racecourse.

2024 Summer Olympics bid

Dubai had expressed great interest in a 2020 Olympic bid but had not formally announced it would bid. Dubai's hosting of Sportaccord 2010 has been a great way to show off Dubai's sport infrastructure. Dubai has already won the rights to host the 10th FINA World Swimming Championships (25?m) . Statement from Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: "We will have to take an honest look at our weaknesses as well as our strengths," Sheikh Mohammed said on 25 April. "I can assure you of this, though: if we decide to make a bid for the Olympics, we will be in it to win". On 29 July 2011, it was announced that Dubai would not bid for the 2020 Olympics but would instead focus on bidding for the 2024 Games. As reported by Olympic news outlet Around the Rings, the United Arab Emirates Olympic Committee shifted the focus to 2024, event though "...as much of 70 percent of the 'hard' infrastructure was already in place or planned." Dubai is also looking into the possibility of bidding for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

Education

The school system in Dubai does not differ from that of the United Arab Emirates. As of 2009, there are 79 public schools run by the Ministry of Education that serve Emiratis and expatriate Arab people as well as 145 private schools. The medium of instruction in public schools is Arabic with emphasis on English as a second language, while most of the private schools use English as their medium of instruction. Most private schools cater to one or more expatriate communities.

The New Indian Model School, Dubai (NIMS), Delhi Private School, Our Own English High School, the Dubai Modern High School, and The Indian High School, Dubai offer either a CBSE or an Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Indian syllabus. Similarly, there are also several reputable Pakistani schools offering FBISE curriculum for expatriate children.

Dubai English Speaking School, Jumeirah Primary School, Jebel Ali Primary School, Cambridge International School, Jumeirah English Speaking School, King's School and the Horizon School all offer British primary education up to the age of eleven. Dubai Gem Private School, Dubai British School, Dubai College, English College Dubai, Jumeirah English Speaking School ? Arabian Ranches, Jumeirah College and St. Mary's Catholic High School are British eleven-to-eighteen secondary schools offering General Certificate of Secondary Education and A-Levels. Emirates International School, Cambridge High School and Wellington International School provides full student education up to the age of 18, and offers International General Certificate of Secondary Education and A-Levels. Deira International School, Dubai International Academy and Jumeirah English Speaking School offer the International Baccalaureate program with the IGCSE program. Dubai American Academy, American School of Dubai and the Universal American School of Dubai offer curriculum of the United States.

The Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates is responsible for accreditation of schools.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) was established in 2006 to develop education and human resource sectors in Dubai, and license educational institutes.

Approximately 10% of the population has university or postgraduate degrees. Many expatriates tend to send their children back to their home country or to Western countries for university education and to India for technology studies. However, a sizeable number of foreign accredited universities have been set up in the city over the last ten years. Some of these universities include Manchester Business School, Michigan State University Dubai (MSU Dubai), Middlesex University Dubai campus, the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani ? Dubai (BITS Pilani), Murdoch University Dubai, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, Hult International Business School, American University in Dubai (AUD), Gulf Medical University Gulf Medical College, the American College of Dubai, Mahatma Gandhi University (Off-Campus Centre), Institute of Management Technology ? Dubai Campus, SP Jain Center Of Management, University of Wollongong in Dubai, and MAHE Manipal. In 2004, the Dubai School of Government in collaboration with Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Medical School Dubai Center (HMSDC) were established in Dubai. In 2010 London College of Fashion began to run its twice-yearly portfolio of fashion short courses. The Dubai Public Libraries is the public library system in Dubai.

Media

Dubai has a well-established network, radio, television and electronic media which serve the city. Dubai is the home of the Arabian Radio Network, which broadcasts eight FM radio stations including the first talk radio station in the Middle East, Dubai Eye 103.8. Dubai-based FM radio stations such as Dubai FM (93.9), Dubai92 (92.0), Al Khaleejia (100.9) and Hit FM (96.7) provide programming in English, Arabic and South Asian languages. Multiple international channels available through cable, while satellite, radio and local channels are provided via the Arabian Radio Network and Dubai Media Incorporated systems. The UAE's most popular English radio station, Channel 4 FM, took to the air in 1997 and became the UAE's first private commercial radio station.

Many international news agencies such as Reuters, APTN, Bloomberg L.P. and Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) as well as network news channels operate in Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City. Additionally, several local network television channels such as Dubai One (formerly Channel 33), and Dubai TV (EDTV) provide programming in English and Arabic respectively. Dubai is also the headquarters for several print media outlets. Dar Al Khaleej, Al Bayan and Al Ittihad are the city's largest circulating Arabic language newspapers, while Gulf News and 7DAYS are the largest circulating English newspapers.

Etisalat, the government-owned telecommunications provider, held a virtual monopoly over telecommunication services in Dubai prior to the establishment of other, smaller telecommunications companies such as Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC?better known as Du) in 2006. Internet was introduced into the UAE (and therefore Dubai) in 1995. The current network has an Internet bandwidth of 7.5 Gbit/s with capacity of 49 STM1 links. Dubai houses two of four Domain Name System (DNS) data centres in the country (DXBNIC1, DXBNIC2). Censorship is common in Dubai and used by the government to control content that it believes violates the cultural and political sensitivities of Emirates. Homosexuality, drugs, and the theory of evolution are generally considered taboo.

Internet content is regulated in Dubai. Etisalat uses a proxy server to filter Internet content that the government deems to be inconsistent with the values of the country, such as sites that provide information on how to bypass the proxy; sites pertaining to dating, gay and lesbian networks, and pornography; sites pertaining to the Bah?'? Faith and sites originating from Israel. Emirates Media and Internet (a division of Etisalat) notes that as of 2002, 76% of Internet users are male. About 60% of Internet users were Asian, while 25% of users were Arab. Dubai enacted an Electronic Transactions and Commerce Law in 2002 which deals with digital signatures and electronic registers. It prohibits Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from disclosing information gathered in providing services. The penal code contains official provisions that prohibit digital access to pornography; however, it does not address cyber crime or data protection.

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Dubai is twinned with the following cities:
* Baghdad, Iraq * Barcelona, Spain * Beirut, Lebanon * Brisbane, Australia * Busan, South Korea * Caracas, Venezuela * Cheb, Czech Republic * Damascus, Syria * Detroit, Michigan, United States * Dundee, United Kingdom * Frankfurt, Germany * Gandhinagar, India * Geneva, Switzerland Gold Coast, Queensland>Gold Coast, Australia Granada, Spain * Guangzhou, People's Republic of China * Hong Kong, People's Republic of China * Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada * Mandaluyong City, Philippines * Surat, India * Istanbul, Turkey * Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * Kabul, Afghanistan * Karachi, Pakistan * Kish Island, Iran * Kuwait City, Kuwait * Los Angeles, United States * Monterrey, Nuevo Le?n, Mexico * Moscow, Russian Federation * New York City, United States * Osaka, Japan * Chennai, India * Paris, France * Phoenix, Arizona, United States * San Juan, Puerto Rico * Shanghai, People's Republic of China * Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation * Tangier, Morocco * Tehran, Iran * Tripoli, Libya * Nove Mesto nad Vahom, Trenciansky kraj, Slovakia

Gallery

See also

  • List of cities with most skyscrapers
  • Notes

    References

  • Syed Ali. Dubai: Gilded Cage (Yale University Press; 2010) 240 pages. Focuses on the Arab emirate's treatment of foreign workers.
  • Heiko Schmid: Economy of Fascination: Dubai and Las Vegas as Themed Urban Landscapes, Berlin, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-443-37014-5
  • John M. Smith: Dubai The Maktoum Story, Norderstedt 2007, ISBN 3-8334-4660-9
  • External links

  • Dubai travel guide at Wikitravel
  • www.Dubai.ae ? Dubai Government Official Website
  • Dubai City Information Portal
  • www.Dubaitourism.ae ? Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) Government website
  • www.DM.gov.ae ? Dubai Municipality website
  • www.dsc.gov.ae ? Dubai Statistics Centre
  • Category:Persian Gulf Category:Populated coastal places in the United Arab Emirates Category:Metropolitan areas of the United Arab Emirates Category:Emirates of the United Arab Emirates

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