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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 January 2017 - 11:19
Poor lane discipline, not maintaining safe distances and changing lanes without indicating are all greater dangers than speeding 5 kph over the official speeding limit (while maintaining a proper braking distance) .... A person doing 81 kph on Hessa Street when its empty is flashed , but a person doing 70 kph on the 3rd lane from the left on SZR when traffic flow is 100 kph, is not flashed and is supposedly a safe driver ...
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 November 2016 - 11:20
Trump himself may have said stuff for political consumption, but what scares me are many of his supporters. Already there are reports of people harassed by Trump supporters .... And Clintonistas all throwing their toys out of their prams (demonstrating and burning effigies of Trump) because things didn't go the way they wanted. Be interesting to see how many of those so-called celebs who threatened to leave USA if Trump won actually follow through - just like those in the UK who threatened to leave if UK voted to leave EU ... they're all still in the UK as far as I can see. Demonstrating is less dangerous than yanking scarves off Muslim women's heads ....
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 November 2016 - 10:47
Trump himself may have said stuff for political consumption, but what scares me are many of his supporters. Already there are reports of people harassed by Trump supporters ....
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 October 2016 - 11:43
On first instance, I too thought, "16 year olds are kids, how can they drive"? But think of it in another way. There are plenty of drivers in their 20s and 30s who drive immaturely, and arrogantly. How much worse can 16 year olds be than that? And are teenagers nowadays really all that bad ? Or is it something that older generations have been repeating since time immemorial on how they were exemplary kids, but kids nowadays are so much worse ;) I see plenty of people being inconsiderate/rude/condescending/breaking queues, and they are all older than 20, maybe the "inconsiderate" teenagers are just following what they see ?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 October 2016 - 11:41
I don't think I would be able to sleep at night if my child was driving on these roads at 18 never mind 16! Lowering the age limit here, where the standard of driving is shockingly bad to start with... nah not for me! I would be able to sleep if my child is in a taxi with some of the taxi drivers out there and the way they drive !
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 October 2016 - 08:05
Unfortunately faced problems as well, is there any professional moving service out there? And preferably one that does not come with 5 first time posters saying how amazing they are .... ;)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 September 2016 - 11:07
It's still free when you check-in 48 hours online before. It's only for the 2 lowest band fares. Don't think it'll make much difference to be honest. If I was a family of five and wanted us all to sit together I wouldn't fancy leaving it to chance of the 48 hour free period having the seats we need/want and on a long haul, it may mean up to 600 extra for 2 adults for the return trip
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 February 2016 - 08:19
One thing that most overlook in VAT discussions is that many items are already priced much higher than in other countries, sometimes being double the price.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 January 2016 - 12:02
That's the international standard. They're only doing what everyone else does. As FD rightly points out, the grace/buffer/leeway or whatever you want to call it is in place for a reason and exists all over the world. It is legal and the police do not hide it. In fact, publicising it makes much more sense. The quality of the newer roads here is outstanding and the limits and buffers are put in place accordingly. Bigger, wider roads have bigger buffers and smaller, narrower roads have smaller buffers. The people who cause speeding accidents are either driving way over the limit or way under the limit, actually! Plus, how often do you get a chance to even drive close to the speed limit with the traffic jams we face on a daily basis, thanks to all the lovely drivers who feel the need to change lanes every five seconds because the other one seems faster :angry: There is this misconception that slow driving is good driving, which is why you end up with people slouched over their steering doing 70 on SZR and thinking they are "good" drivers. Freeways with wide lanes should have proportionately higher limits, most of the limits, with the grace, in Dubai do make sense....
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 January 2016 - 11:15
XC90 just got a new shape after 12+ years with the previous design; looks very Swedish, but not too large for a 7 seater, not something you would want If you have people regularly in the last row, current shape is overpriced at 250k+ Tahoe : very good value for money, however is tough to park in malls and you will get door dings regularly. ML: smallest of the 3, spacious inside compared to other 5 seaters, you sit high as well compared to many 5 seater SUV's, but quite obviously, very pricey
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 September 2015 - 20:58
Your impression (Ad B) is very different to mine and all those who I know. People don’t sink and come back up, they drown and leave. Most families I know are struggling now and certainly do not live this lifestyle you speak of nor are in debt from living the highlife. As for become real? There is this "story" propagated informally in foreign media and certain circles, that "expats" get into debt out of greed and because they want to continue their lifestyle of fast cars, brunches, and 4 vacations a year. In reality, a lot of people get into debt because they are kind of stuck at a crucial stage of their kids' schooling and have to pay higher rent and school fees instead of pulling them out a year before their GCSE's and sending them home. And supposedly making the cost of living even higher is supposed to be better for such people. People leaving above their means was more common pre2008. Things have become realistic since then and those suffering now are generally not the ones who are in debt because of too many brunches a month
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 September 2015 - 17:23
The summer saw a lot of new expats moving out this way. The packages are not fantastical as they once were and the people coming are coming to live on standard sort of terms (where your wage pays for costs of living and some savings - not for twice a weekend brunches, restaurant dinners daily - i.e. the Dubai lifestyle afforded by expats a decade ago). It is not another recession - it is reality starting to kick in. A lot of companies will close as a result of it but costs will eventually start to reflect reality. Also, the days of a manager being a high income earner will readjust to real world standards, where high income earners are CEOs, GMs, Directors etc., and Mgmt level will be mid to high. And once VAT kicks in and the EXPO arrives, I think we will see a far more structured Dubai rather than a day dream Dubai (for residents, anyway. For tourists it will still be a Disneyland spot, as it is intended to be.) These are good things, though. As it will mean that more Middle income earners will move to the Lower/Middle bracket and it won't be a case of 'just affording' the rent, it will be a case of certain places being completely unaffordable for their income bracket. And once that happens, rents will begin to come down again to better prices. I love the spin in your post; where declining salaries, spiraling inflation, middle income earners struggling etc is a "good" thing" :) Dubai was not "day dream" Dubai for a huge number of people anyway since 2008.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 05 September 2015 - 02:01
There is another interesting article on the Bloomberg website about GCC and refugee intake. These countries do take in people but they are not registered as refugees as they come in on tourist visas or sponsored by families. UAE and KSA have the valid concern not knowing who the people are that are coming from Syria as UAE and KSA are trying to bomb out those barbarians using the name ISIS. They are funding several refugee camp and other initiatives. Plus, who says all refugees want to go to Europe? Who says they don't just want to go back home, want the war to be over? Let's also not forget for Europe it is a matter of people entering the country, for the Middle East this is a much for complex situation both politically and sectarian. We are living in the UAE in safety in a region where peace is frail and can blow up any time. Kuwait and KSA already have been targeted by so called ISIS bombers, so governments are being very weary. We need to see this in a bigger picture, and refugees in Europe are living in refugee camps just as they are in Jordan or Turkey. I am getting sick of the "Where are the Arabs" one liners in the media, it's very simplistic thinking. Months ago Roginya Muslim were persecuted (and still are) and everyone was crying the same thing. Meanwhile, KSA was arranging iqamas for 5 million Roginyas. UAE and Malaysia working together to settle many in Malaysia. Just because we don't see Arab leaders on tv announcing every step they take, I have no doubt that they are doing what they can taking into consideration the security of their own people and the needs of the people they are helping. It was 500,000, not 5 million which was wrongly reported, and it was for those already in Saudia, many of whom have been there for decades. No "new" "Rohingyas" were taken.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 July 2015 - 08:22
. The only reason is seems to be going faster here is that the country has been living in a bubble since the start, and is now slowly integrating. Were you here in 2005-2007, when rents doubled in most parts in less than 3 years? How many parts of the western world has had rent rise in that manner ?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 July 2015 - 08:18
If you compare petrol to prices in Europe might as well compare education costs and rentals and any imported food items and internet costs..... In most cases, it is higher here. People on all inclusive packages really have no idea how in so many companies, mid level workers get less than 15k/20k, and anyone wanting to live decently has to shell out 25-50% of their income on housing The actual cost of filling up a car will increase slightly, but what about the knock on effects on everything else from school transport to food to taxis?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 July 2015 - 17:46
Arch I've been driving a 4WD and a wee Yaris here for many years and never felt inferior or looked down upon when driving the Yaris - if both cars are in the driveway, the Yaris is always my first choice, I love it!! Not looked down literally. In my case, I find people tailgating and flashing much more aggressively when I am in my Accord though I do not drive slow.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 July 2015 - 16:03
Its considered fashionable to bash SUV drivers in the media and otherwise as people driving gas guzzlers when a Yaris would have done the same job. What very few people mention is that people may prefer a SUV because of the awful awful driving, and the disdain with which drivers of smaller cars are treated on the roads. A SUV may not be safer than a S60, however the SUV is less likely to be tailgated or cut off by other cars.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 July 2015 - 09:53
Removal of benches is a conscious decision to increase sales at Food and Beverage outlets. Mall owners want people to go to coffee shops and restaurants to rest and then order while they are there. This tactic has worked at other malls however most malls in the world are not as gigantic as Mall of Emirates or Dubai Mall! Same way how airports now has this ban on liquids...it has nothing to do with terrorism and all to do with increase of sales within the airport food and beverage outlets. They only use that as an excuse to get away with it. What happens during Ramadan ? :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 July 2015 - 09:52
I boycotted the place ever since I was agressively confronted by a security guard for giving a diabetic child a drink in Ramadan. The lack of seating did not help either! You could have just ignored him, he surely did not have the authority to do anything beyond confronting. And some guards come from a background where they act more strict that what our religion says, as its cultural on their end......
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 July 2015 - 15:04
Compared to home fuel is extremely cheap here It will be interesting to see how much it goes up by though How much it is back home shouldn't matter when you spend the majority of your income here... The actual increase on refilling your car should be minor, it is the effect on prices of everything else from laundry to meals to school bus charges to taxis to car service costs that makes a difference
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 July 2015 - 14:40
I don't mind "rules" but when rules are waived depending on how someone is dressed it does make it annoying,
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EW GURU
Latest post on 03 July 2015 - 10:59
DH and I do not have housing but we are dual income with good jobs--plus we've paid much higher rent in places we lived back home like L.A, NY and even Dallas. We live in the Marina and absolutely love it. 2. Salary/cost of living--again there is no income tax for you up to $96,000 per year and you are only taxed on the amount over this. Petrol is obviously much cheaper, groceries about the same, although you will find some produce to be ridiculously expensive. I have simply shifted my preferences and found things I like instead that I never tried before :) Energy bills about the same, comparing to Texas and constantly running A/C half the year. Dining out and entertainment also about the same--except a bar bill will run a LOT more here. I find it hard to believe I would pay rent in Dallas anything close to what you pay in Dubai for a comparable property. Plus gas isnt really cheaper in Dubai anymore, as prices in the US have dropped quite a bit, but that does not make that big a difference as something like school fees
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EW GURU
Latest post on 30 June 2015 - 09:03
Still not great - is no one else concerned to be living in even one of the top ten most polluted countries in the world? I'd always assumed that - aside from sandstorms - the UAE air was relatively good. But I guess it does explain why my children have all had pneumonia at least once! Not really concerned, as long as we can say the air is far less polluted than in Beijing, all is well.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 June 2015 - 09:30
Some people lose humanity in the month that we are supposed to show humanity. I would have ignored the guard, there was not much he could have done. And there is a good chance the guard was not someone fasting himself, and just thought he was being loyal to his duty by implementing what he thought was "Ramadan rules".
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 June 2015 - 10:26
Very slow here as well. It begagrs belief how a city which is quite advanced in its Metro and other aspects of infrastructure can be so problematic when it comes to internet. Charges are so high, and I would gladly pay as long as I can reasonable speeds, but even after paying 100 dhs a month more in top of the 400, and supposedly getting 20 mbps, things are slow....
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EW GURU
Latest post on 17 June 2015 - 09:57
In a recent piece on refugee families landing in Greece, the most [i'>liked [/i'> reader comments on one well known British paper were to the tune of "kill them all" or "just shoot them at sight"..... you have to wonder to what extent people from some parts of the world have been dehumanized that so many people think of them in such hateful ways....
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 May 2015 - 11:02
I hope everything is going well with you, but thought I should mention that my experience with Dr Ikhlas was great.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2015 - 13:24
You are so lucky ! May is when NYC is generally at its best for weather and lower crowds. Many tourists visiting NYC for the 2st time like to base themselves near Empire State/Macy's so they are slightly away from Times Square.. Plenty of eateries in both areas, though many tourist traps as well. Those familiar with NYC can recommend actual places.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 April 2015 - 18:09
daytime highs in mid April are generally in mid 30s so its hotter than usual. Its going to get cooler soon.... Its not that humid though, April-June is rarely humid
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 April 2015 - 14:21
I too am moving within the Greens and subsequently found out that you can call Emaar with the Landlords name and unit number/building name and they will tell you if there are any outstanding charges on the apartment. I am glad you got it sorted out. The Greens/Views have a FB page which is always handy to ask questions/get advice from That is actually a great step forward. When I tried to enquire on something similar a couple of years back, I was told payment or non payment was a confidential matter and tenants could not be told if their prospective owner had paid bills or not !
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 March 2015 - 09:15
The furniture store one that has kids askin "Daaad, why is Mum breaking all the furniture?"
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 March 2015 - 09:14
"Vision" "State of the art"
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 February 2015 - 10:23
I would love to hear from anyone living at Ghadeer as to what it is like; do restaurants deliver, can you get cleaning companies, any groceries yet and how long it takes to get to Bin Batuta , Thanks a lot !
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 February 2015 - 09:12
wasn't there a very well publicized rule change 2 years back in which anyone in a Abu Dhabi govt or semi govt place, and also anyone working in Etihad could not live outside Abu Dhabi? It did not apply for private company employees though <em>edited by Arch on 11/02/2015</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 05 February 2015 - 08:26
Paying for Ejari should be the tenants responsibility and it does not bother me a bit. What bothers me is when some owners ask tenants to pay service charges (!) . Is this something unique to Dubai or does it happen elsewhere as well ?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 01 February 2015 - 15:42
Good to see justice being done and the dangerous tenant having to vacate your property.... Seriously how are tenants supposed to "cross check" when so many owners refuse to give either their service charge receipt or even the title deeds.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 January 2015 - 10:56
Is it wrong? Yes Is it disgusting? Yes But does it warrant a full news article with quotes solicited from Doctors, Psychologists, Shop Assistants giving grandiose statements about how the child will be damaged, and how they cannot believe it happened and so on? Do we see similar outrage when kids stick their heads out of sunroofs or dangle outside car windows? <em>edited by Arch on 29/01/2015</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 December 2014 - 14:30
I am not British or western for that matter, but I'd say its better to "question" rather than wobble my head and lament [i'>"what to do, no[/i'>......."
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 December 2014 - 14:27
Reading the comments was a mistake....why do I ever do that??? The language used is suspiciously close to what certain PR types use ; I have not really seen Brits or native English speakers use words such as "dedicated", "lucrative", "vision", to the extent that certain people do here :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 December 2014 - 09:11
To be honest it's not a bad thing, especially with regards to water consumption. People ue it like it's going out of fashion, not a precious resource. They seem to forget that they live in the desert when they're watering their driveways to clean them, instead of brushing them, leaving sprinklers on all day in gardens etc. People need to be more aware of their consumption, so it should make people more careful with how they use it. You are being very idealistic..... If saving a precious resource is the aim then surely the price increase would be the same for every user?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 December 2014 - 14:32
Hate to burst the bubble I found, but I heard on the radio news that prices are actually going to rise in the new year. Someone from Cluttons was on saying that because of the influx of new expats expected rentals will go up!!!!! All predictions as accurate as stock market predictions..... And of course a RE company predicting rentals will go up .....:) How sure are they that there will be a continued influx of new expats? If oil prices stay where they are now or go down further, things may not be built at the same pace that they are now
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 December 2014 - 10:37
[. But if such atrocities were being committed in the name of my own religion and on an almost daily basis, I would be the first to get angry and I would want to defend my religion and its name. That is all I am saying. Which is what I do and almost everyone I know as well who is Muslim. We did it after 9/11, and we did it after every major attack. Surely by now, our voices should have been heard by anyone who wanted to listen.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 December 2014 - 08:18
When one brave young girl was shot at by these same barbarians, many of her own countrymen called it a conspiracy and scoffed at her Peace prize award. Now that the barbarians have not just shot but killed 100+ kids like her, it just brings into light into how ruthless they can be and how you cannot explain such acts just by calling it a conspiracy
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 November 2014 - 14:57
No Coke Products, which is why Pepsi still has an advantage in this market As a kid, Dadabhai was 7th heaven Used to wait a whole week, which seemed like a whole month, for the comics in Young times/Junior News
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 November 2014 - 09:56
The majority of "white collar office workers" in Amsterdam get paid no more than here. AND they pay 30-40% income tax. They cannot afford to ride taxis and therefor ride their bikes to work. In many private companies, accounts people get 5-8k and secretaries get 3-4k. Is the average salary in Amsterdam for such workers really as low as 10-15,000 Euros a year?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 November 2014 - 08:39
Taxi rates here are still amongst the cheapest in the developed world though. In Amsterdam they charge you 35 Dhs before you even get in. Here that takes you half across Dubai. And no, taxi drivers in Amsterdam don't know their way around either. I'm not happy about all these prices increasing either, but I still cannot believe how cheap taxi's are in Dubai. How much do normal white collar office workers get paid in Amsterdam compared to Dubai? The vast majority of office workers here get less than 15k a month and I am being generous. With the cost of housing eating away anything from 20-50% of someone's income, a round trip taxi commute of 40km (hardly too much for a spread out city like Dubai) means spending roughly 2k a month on taxis.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 24 November 2014 - 15:07
- yes maa'm. Like no A, No I.. No U.. No E.. No O.. - Yes, got it - but any other letter we can do maaaa'm just no vowels Seriously? LOL Must be a Polish run store sorry, that was a bad one !
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 November 2014 - 15:21
That is brilliant news!! One of the main things when you have such tests is as others said, to not google too much. Glad for you, must have been a huuuge relief
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 November 2014 - 08:44
Given that the advertising industry is supposedly dominated by a group known (rightly or wrongly) for their vanity, excessively materialistic mentality, and relative lack of sensitivity, I am surprised we don't get such types of ads more often
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 November 2014 - 08:42
Edge is the most car like in its driving but design has been around some time Xterra is the most truck like, and is noisy with a dated design and very bare bones interior, however it offers full offroad capability Cherokee is a new design, but a lot of people just go for the Grand Cherokee which is a bit more but looks much better (though IMO it is overpriced) as the new Cherokee's face is a bit polarizing.
 
 
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