dubai hotel 7 star

There's Hydropolis, an underwater hotel developed and designed by Germany's Joachim Hauser, scheduled to open at the end of 2007. And there's Palm Islands, a set of man-made resort islands shaped to look like a palm tree when seen from a jet, which will open later this year. This year the same developer will also complete The World, a series of manufactured residential islands that, when seen from above, resemble smaller versions of the seven continents. And speaking of space, the American firm Space Adventures (known for launching the first civilian orbital space flights) is developing the UAE spaceport, the first commercial spacecraft flight center in nearby emirate Ras Al-Khaimah, minutes away from Dubai."


dubai hotel 7 star
dubai hotel 7 star
dubai hotel 7 star
dubai hotel 7 star
dubai hotel 7 star
dubai hotel 7 star

News

REVOLUTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Oil prices soar worldwide as turmoil in nearly a dozen Arab nations continues.

- President of Libya tightens grip on capital, vowing to "kill protesters house by house" in campaign of terror. Clashes between rebels and loyalists creating Civil War environment as death toll tops 300 with over 111 dead soldiers. Obama faces pressure to intervene as Hillary expresses her "grave concern".

- Largest protest in nation's history as nearly 1 million protesters pour into Bahrain's Pearl square. Crowd stretched miles long as security forces were nowhere to be seen.

- President refuses to move towards democracy as murderous acts of repression and terrorism against young people and activists at the hands of the authorities in Yemen intensify. Protests in Sana, Yemen get dangerous as death toll rises

- Egyptian demonstrators return to Tahrir Square to call for resignation of Mubarak-appointed cabinet. The prime minister of Britain, David Cameron, held talks with the leaders, becoming the highest-ranking foreign official to visit since the outbreak of widespread protests.

- In Iran, Anti-government protesters gathered throughout Tehran, for demonstrations to mark the deaths of two men killed during protests Febuary 14th. But the government mounted a stultifying security presence in the city, with the police arresting protesters and using tear gas in an attempt to prevent the unrest from escalating.

- Protests simmer in Algeria after violent week of clashes. Meanwhile, protests intensify in Iraq.

- Pirates shoot four U.S. hostages to death near Somalia.

- Protests continue to gain even more steam (2 weeks in) in Wisconsin as the Governor refuses to give in to demands for union rights.

- Death toll from New Zealand earthquake hits 80 as fears mount in Seattle over possible risk.

Fake Smiles Can Apparently Make You Depressed

BBC's "Spot the Fake Smile" test. From Greg Hughes.

Do you often try to smile, even when you're not happy? According to this story from The New York Times, you may actually be worsening your mood. This information comes from a study in the Academy of Management Journal, wherein researchers examined a group of bus drivers for two weeks. Why bus drivers? Because they often smile whenever a passenger gets on their bus, which theoretically gave researchers a large data set.

The study found a difference between "surface acting," or fake smiling, and "deep acting," which is a technique of using positive thoughts or memories to bring out real smiles (similar to method acting, I guess). The researchers had the bus drivers alternate between surface acting and deep acting on different days. On days when the drivers surface acted, they tended to become depressed and withdrawn from work. On days when they deep acted, their moods became more positive and their productivity increased.

These differences in technique affected women more than they did men. Dr. Brent Scott, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan and co-author of the study, suspects that cultural norms are to blame. He says that women are socialized to be more emotionally expressive, so hiding their emotions may strain them more.

So the lesson here might be to avoid smiling when you're not feeling it. Instead, try to recall enough positive feelings that your smile comes naturally.

By the way, want to know which of your friends are genuinely happy and which ones are secretly wallowing in an existential morass of boredom and contempt, hidden only by a plastered-on contraction of facial muscles and teeth that they think will dull the pain, but in fact only pulls them deeper down the gaping hole of self-pity that they call life? Then head over to BBC's Spot the Fake Smile test! It only takes a minute or two, and you may not be as good as you think. I scored 16 out of 20! See if you can beat that!

China May Start Caring About Happiness

Well, that was easy! Everyone in China is already happy,
if this 100%-accurate portrait is any indication.
From Cultural Revolution Artifacts.

Here in America, today is Presidents Day, but for our Chinese friends on the other side of the world, it is the start of a new five-year plan. According to this story from China.org.cn, Chinese leaders may start prioritizing the happiness of its citizens. However, before you start thinking this will turn into a Bhutan-like Gross National Happiness program, it seems that the Chinese system will be much more focused on economic measures.

For instance, instead of emphasizing the measurement of happiness, Beijing plans to lower its GDP by one percent and raise income for its residents by two percent. Other cities will go through similar adjustments, and social security programs will also be revamped. Shanxi Province in northern China plans to add freelance, migrant workers, and farmers to its social security network, and Shandong Province will aid disadvantaged residents when prices rise. Other provinces also want to improve their social services while lowering GDP.

These policies act as a response to survey results that show citizens believe economic issues to be most important. Out of 11,519 respondents, around 30% believe "economic status," "quality of life," and "public services" are the three primary factors in their happiness.

(Remember to click my Gross National Happiness tag to read what other countries are doing with regards to happiness.)

Cikaso Waterfall in Sukabumi Indonesia

Cikaso waterfall, the location of this waterfall in the tourist area of tile Ujung. Cikaso is the name of the river that flows from the upper reaches are located in North Sukabumi until the end with its estuary on the South Coast region Surade District, South Sukabumi. From upstream to its estuary, the river water flow through some curaman cikaso cliffs forming the river flow is an amazing waterfall. Location Cikaso Waterfall tour is going to be a complement to your nautical tourism in tile Ujung after quite content to enjoy the enchanting sea beaches in the Edge tiles, this is an appropriate location for swimming in freshwater.

Waterfalls Cikaso or better known by local names Cikaso waterfall is located between Jampang Kulon and Surade. Overflow waterfall looks magnificent and charming, fair panoramic waterfall is a favorite shot the cameraman you can see in a variety of sources on the internet. Tile Ujung well known for its enchanting beaches, it is also rich with waterfall / waterfalls along the rivers, besides Cikaso waterfall you can also see another waterfall waterfall-which is also well known as Luhur waterfall, waterfall Cigansa and many others.

Viva Wisconsin!

Casual Friday: The Blog Turns 100! And SPECIAL REPORT on the Roxie

Here's a photo of the blog today. From Trustar Vibrations.

Yay! Today the blog turns 100! Well, not 100 YEARS old, but 100 POSTS. Yes, this is my 100th post here, and I intend to use it in the laziest way possible.

If you don't want to be as lazy as me, go to San Francisco tomorrow. Why? Because you can see a "sneak-preview" screening of the documentary HAPPY at the Roxie Theater at 7:00 pm. Director Roko Belic will be there, and so will Melissa Moody, one of the people featured in the movie. They will hold a Q&A session after the film.

Tickets are $10, or $6 for seniors. You can order online or see more info at the Roxie website. You can also pay at the box office. As this is a non-profit, fully independent film, proceeds go toward a proper theatrical release (expensive costs borne by a movie studio or distributor on most films).

Remember:  Tomorrow, February 19, 7 pm, at this address:

Roxie Theater
3117 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-1087

Hope you can make it!