Best Dubai story yet!!

[puff m'call]

Check out this link and have a laugh, it's great.

About right I'd say.


At last Dubai's rich'd its limit - mirror.co.uk (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/02/12/at-last-dubai-s-rich-d-its-limit-115875-21116685/)

[Craic Ore]

As long as WHO Davidson lives there??!?!? ;)

[GULF550]

yes its great

[Pilocol]

So, so true ... had to LOL ....

[Flygulfair]

i literally LMAO at the Josef Fritzl's part! :}

[BigGeordie]

How can any journalist expect to be taken seriously when he writes about a place in that way and then says,

"I've never visited the place"

I know it is only the Mirror (which I've never read, but a friend of my second cousin twice removed told me it was a downmarket tabloid) but really....

He'll probably be writing about aviation accidents next week.

[Sabeji]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/world/middleeast/12dubai.html?_r=1
:{

[EYGirl]

"I've never visited the place, mainly because, after speaking to the types who live and holiday there, I'd rather spend a month in Josef Fritzl's cellar."

so why would you write an article about a place you do not have an idea of how its looks like?

I like the movie Training Day when Denzel Washington says that newspapers are 90% bulls#it but at least it is entertaiment...

Unfortunately we realize about this things only in the topics we know...

EYG

[alkatifa]

I just love these damn losers that write articles bashing dubai when he didn't set foot over there even once! I mean...yeah 'isn't it awesome to stay in UK and just watch those idiots return home' kinda speech??'.......

Yeah right...sure thing dubai is finally slowing down, like the rest of the world for all it's worth, it would happen sooner or later, but I mean, is britain that better at all??? Sure thing mate just keep eating those scones and drinking tea while u watch the pound go down to zero!

[Flygulfair]

alkatifa Have you been to your psychiatrist doctor lately? Sound like you need an appointment! :ok::}

The pound will never hit 0. It never has and never will.

Not all of us eat scones and drink tea, Do you still think we are in the victorian ages :ugh:

Britain well is not a 3rd world country. Period.

Portugal aint that much off a deal anyway :p

[alkatifa]

alkatifa Have you been to your psychiatrist doctor lately? Sound like you need an appointment! http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/thumbs.gifhttp://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/badteeth.gif

Nope...have u? :p

The pound will never hit 0. It never has and never will.

humm....u really have faith in it don't u? But don't worry, the dollar will b the first to go.

Not all of us eat scones and drink tea, Do you still think we are in the victorian ages :ugh:

Well mate, I know that, I was being sarcastic! I was born in London btw, and lived there for a while, so don't ASSUME stuff.

Britain well is not a 3rd world country. Period.
Portugal aint that much off a deal anyway http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/tongue.gif

pretty much on the same page there, Portugal is a s***hole.... :ugh:

[Old King Coal]

Flygulfair when you write "Britain well is not a 3rd world country. Period."

Err, so that'd be the same Britain where...

In the winter, even a miniscule amount of snow brings the whole country to a halt.
In the summer, rails buckle in the 'heat' and the roads melt.
The hospitals are infected with C.Dif & MRSA.
The majority of State schools are crap.
Manufacturing industries have been replaced by ‘service’ industries.
The level of personal taxation is outrageous.
Levels of personal debt are even more outrageous.
Unemployment is set to skyrocket
The 'Nanny State' is only slightly less scary than the Orwellian State that the Labour Party are introducing by stealth.
I could go on and on and on...

And before you ask, I have NO intention of ever going back to the UK!

[Flygulfair]

All of the issues you have pointed out are happening in most countries.

AT least we get free health care!

The only reason it is made into a issue is its the uk :ugh: and has always been the big "land" of hope for foreigners :(

Dont come back, if you can be happy with the country that you where a part of/born in then your useless.

[Old King Coal]

Flygulfair wrt "At least we get free health care!"

But it's not free, doh!... It cost people like me stacks of tax for a slow & 2nd rate (and often infectious) service... in spite of the billions from tax that's spent on it!

Now once upon a time the UK might of been "the big land of hope for foreigners ", as you put it... but you should hear my wife's views on how crap it is. Nb. She's West African and she couldn't wait to get out of the UK, and I can't say I blame her!

Imho, wrt UK, the phrase 'Living on past glory' comes readily to mind.

[Flygulfair]

I cant be bothered defending any more, Every where is a bit*ch.

[alkatifa]

Fact is: everybody's taking a major beating these days, US, europe, ME......disregard the order though.

[wapses]

Yup, no doubt Britain is a crap place to live.

Green fields.
Beautiful countryside.
Pretty villages.
Village pubs.
Country walks.
Bearable summer temperatures.
Culture ... if you want it.

I could go on ...

[Jet II]

Yup, no doubt Britain is a crap place to live.

Green fields.
Beautiful countryside.
Pretty villages.
Village pubs.
Country walks.
Bearable summer temperatures.
Culture ... if you want it.

I could go on ...

Ah - that would explain why record numbers are fleeing and emigrating overseas ;)

[Aussie]

Tought times in Middle east like the rest of the world. WHo would have thought only a couple months ago? Good luck to all those stuck there without work and in debt. Lets hope this crisis passes sooner rather then later!

[Hold position]

I happen to agree with the journalist for once even if it was coming from the mirror, and yes I visited the place. I travailed between Dubai and the UK; I have opted to keep the children back home this place is soulless and cultureless. The vast majority are here only to mark time till thing get better in Europe.

[Wiley]

Whether it was a slip of the key finger or not, I think "I travailed (sic) between Dubai and the UK" would have to be the most accurate comment I've seen on these pages for some time. Very droll, Hold position.

[Old King Coal]

Rose tinted glasses come to mind!

Green fields. - They're green because of all the rain!
Beautiful countryside. - Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
Pretty villages. - But don't try and park in one, lest some zealous 'Parking Attendant' will surely slip a ticket on your car (completely aside from the fact that you've paid your road tax already)
Village pubs. - Well you'd better be quick, 'coz village boozers arer closing down at a phenomenal rate!
Country walks. - All subject to the Right-to-Roam of course?!
Bearable summer temperatures. - You mean freezing cold and p!ss!ng down with rain (at least that's what summer was like for the last two years in the UK)?!
Culture ... if you want it. - Oh yes, there's loads of culture on them there Council sink estates. I must renew my subscription to the National Trust, NOT!

Aside - might I appologise for this thread creep on thread that's meant to be about Dubai.

[Von Richtofen]

To sustain that Dubai is better then Europe or western countries you either:

1) are not from europe or any civilized western country

2) are affected by a severe Stockholm syndrome

3) like to sweat like a pig for 8+ months per year

4) negate 200 year of achievements in human and worker rights

5) are a masochist

I didn't know any single person not willing to leave having the opportunity.
I think a lot of people tryes very hard to convince themselves cause they have no alternatives and normally they react badly when somebody remind them of what is a normal life bringing them back to reality.
I left and I just have one regret.. ! Having been there!!
I'm going out now...in the cold beautiful mitteleuropean late winter...
in my beautiful century old town , with his theater, museum, culture, real food, real people.
Ah...dont forget to say hi for me to the young habibi revving up his black and orange Porsche Cayenne on Jumeirah Beach road..jany!!!!

[EX_QR_SLAVE]

von, thats nice, have fun in europe, normal life in the uk is intolerable, does the uk have culture, yes it does, does it have green fields, yeah it does, but is that all that people want, come on, facts, crime is out of control in the uk, no one has any rights, you cant deffend yourself if your being robbed at home, the weather is depressing, its nice when it snows, then when it snows again, and rains, and floods, and rains some more, and is cloudy, and cold and rainy, yeah you get the idea its DEPRESSING, people in the uk walk around staring at the ground without looking into each others eyes, does anyone else think thats weird? if you live in central london, then life in the uk is amazing, if you live in birmingham, manchester, liverpool, newcastle, come on get a grip, compared to life in dubai...Dubai is not perfect, its full of crazy drivers, prostititutes, alcohol, racism, sand, but i would rather live here than the uk, life in dubai is never dull, your mind is a lot more open to the world and things around you than it is in the uk, i have never met so many naive people in the uk, who only care about whats on tv and bitch about how there are too many immigrants. Dubai isnt perfect, but its better than the uk, hands down

[Jet II]

I didn't know any single person not willing to leave having the opportunity.

Then I suggest you need to get out more. :ok:

[Von Richtofen]

Well thanks for you suggestion guys...as I was saying... !
Actually next week I have leave and I'm going to sky on the Alps...about two hours driving.. you know the mountains chain.. ... did habibis made a fake one in Dubai yet?
Don' think so... Oooohhh but you have skyDubai... so cool... million of megawatts of energy produced burning oil to have the habibis have fun on the snow....the good way to go nowaday !!! Well you can still join them!!
Concerning rain.... YES LET IT RAIN A LOT !!
The more water the greener the pastures...

auf viedersen

Manfred

[Von Richtofen]

By the way... I wouldn'y live in theUK either... but not for the weather...

[Wiley]

Like all generalisations, this one has a few holes, so I accept there are exceptions. But do you notice that everyone agrees Dubai is very much where they have to be rather than the place they want to be? We'd all rather be back home.

Except for the Brits.

[Far Rider]

Von Richtofen,

We are well aware of your "mittle" European country.

My country men flew there thousands of times in the 1940's, but they didn't land.

BTW, are you going to tell us why you were fired from EK?

[wapses]

If record numbers are indeed fleeing the UK, that has to be good news. One of the negatives for sure is that the country is overcrowded (immigration has to be controlled) and people leaving can only help the situation.

And look, if people do not or cannot appreciate what the UK has to offer then please do leave. We really don't want you there complaining on a daily basis.

As for the green fields being a result of the rain. Of course. And yes, last summer was indeed lousy from a weather point of view, but not every summer is that way.

I am working out of the UK myself right now (unfortunately) and have been hearing about the beautiful Spring-like weather in the South of England today. Snowdrops are all out as well as the first daffodils. What's not to like? What's not to miss?

[Jet II]

If record numbers are indeed fleeing the UK, that has to be good news. One of the negatives for sure is that the country is overcrowded (immigration has to be controlled) and people leaving can only help the situation.



Trouble is it is usually the wrong sort of person leaving - you know, those who pay tax.

But never mind you are getting nice Mr Binyam Mohamed back soon from Guantanamo - I'm sure he will make a great contribution to Britain.

That is if he doesn't decide to go home to Ethiopia - but that's unlikely as I dont think the welfare is as good there. :ouch:

[Rainboe]

Wow! Keep it up guys, this is so entertaining!

So where are all these 'refugees' who dump their cars and credit cards in Dubai airport car park feeling to? Er....coming home...to the wet green fields? Tax is outrageous here, but the incomes are higher, and from what I hear, they sting you even more in most places in Europe! Medical care? I pay £140/month medical insurance and get top notch service. Are you guys thinking you can walk in and get it free? As for welcoming Binyan back, unfortunately for some reason we have to have the bastard back- I don't know why because he is not a legal immigrant. But we do have this awful thing here called 'liberals' who have soft heads and hearts, and I'd like to execute them all. If any of you, even the ones who want to bomb us, are persecuted and in desperate need of a 'home', who ya gonna turn to? .....Ghostbusters? Or the good old soft hearted UK?

Yes, it may be a crappy place in some ways, down here near Chichester Harbour there is nowhere on earth so beautiful, with great pubs and friends to have a drink with (woops, probably not allowed where you are!), but it is the place you are always looking back at and be truthful, keeping as a reserve bolt hole. Be honest! The drivers are not lunatics, the Police at least try and be fair, the very air doesn't swelter, your nose doesn't block up with sand, and we don't have Jim Davidson anymore.

Good luck to you all out there! I hope you make it, if you don't, you know you can come back anytime. but just don't bad mouth the old country. It will survive just fine. No 'manufacturing base' in Europe is going to survive with chinese earning less than 1/10 German pay building cars and Airbus wings! Any European country relying on manufacture had better dump it or choke! If you chose to bugger off, good luck to you- we don't want to hear your whinges. You have the freedom- go! We won't be following. A 'West African' lady doesn't like the UK and wants to get out? Have you been to West Africa? 95% of Africa is an ordure-infested malarial-ridden robber laden swamp overrun by mass murderers and 419 scammers! Good luck lady! Bet you'll be back one day!

Come on guys- this is really interesting! Go for it!

[Panther 88]

Latest flaps call Dubai's tolerance into question




http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/i/msnbc/Components/Sources/Art/APTRANS.gif updated 12:33 p.m. ET, Sat., Feb. 21, 2009

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The Middle East's most ambitious city has worked hard to build a reputation not just as a financial powerhouse but also as a tolerant and wealthy patron for international sports and arts. The image has paid off with big-name, lucrative tournaments and festivals.
But "Brand Dubai" was tarnished by a string of controversies the past week — over a ban on an Israeli tennis player and a literary festival's dropping of a novel, apparently because of a gay character. Add to that a battered economy, and some are wondering whether Dubai can still deliver on its promises to be an easygoing Middle East oasis for business and entertainment.
The Gulf city-state of about 1.2 million has long struggled to balance the demands of its international ambitions and the conservative traditions and politics of its Muslim Arab population.
Story continues below ↓ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29302352/#storyContinued) advertisement | your ad here (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26613008/)


In the past, Westerners doing business here could easily overlook controversies because the cash was rolling in. But they may be more reluctant to stick by Dubai when business is bad. The emirate is deep in debt, real estate prices are dropping and laid-off foreign workers are leaving.
"When Dubai was rich and successful, everyone wanted to be its friend," said Christopher Davidson, a specialist on the United Arab Emirates and a lecturer at Durham University in the United Kingdom. "Now that it has no money in the pocket, nobody wants to be pals anymore."
In the tennis flap, Dubai in the end chose internationalism over its sense of Arab solidarity against Israel. After Israeli women's player Shahar Peer was denied entry to play in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, it caused an uproar in sports circles, with top players criticizing Dubai, some sponsors dropping out and tennis authorities warning of bigger consequences. The decision came from federal authorities in the UAE — not specifically from Dubai, which is one of seven members — but the distinction was lost on most observers.
The Wall Street Journal Europe, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., dropped its sponsorship of the tournament, and Barclays bank came under pressure to do the same. The Tennis Channel canceled its plans to air the matches in the U.S.
In response to the uproar, Emirates authorities decided Thursday to allow Israeli player Andy Ram to compete in next week's Barclay's men's tourney. It was too late for Peer since the women's matches had already begun.
But that may not have erased the stigma.
"Where Dubai has fallen down is not reconciling the perception they've created with the reality," said Rob Frankel, a marketing consultant and author of 'The Revenge of Brand X.' "It's trying to carve out its place as the most Western-friendly place in the Arab world. ... But under that thin veneer, there are some serious issues."
Women's Tennis Association head Larry Scott said that while he was glad the UAE government and tournament organizers changed their position quickly, organizations are now warier.
"I've been contacted by representatives of other businesses, academic institutions, cultural institutions that equally would only have invested in being in the UAE if they had the same assurances we had that Israelis could participate in the activities. So, there was a real snowballing effect from this," he said.
Dubai's image took a further hit when it emerged that organizers of the inaugural International Festival of Literature would not be launching a book set in a fictitious Gulf nation because of its sensitive content.
British author Geraldine Bedell said the festival deemed her novel "The Gulf Between Us" as unacceptable because one of its characters, Sheik Rashid, is assumed to be gay. In protest, best-selling Canadian author Margaret Atwood cancelled plans to attend the festival, which begins next week.
American Frank McCourt — one of more than 50 writers scheduled to attend — said he was shaken by the book's rejection.
"I have a great hostility about censorship, I will have to think about this," McCourt said. "When you read about Dubai... There is always this thing about how they want to be in the modern world but people there still look over their shoulders."
The festival's director, Isobel Abulhoul, said Atwood's decision not to attend was "regrettable," but said "social mores" and customs have to be taken into account. "I would hope that anyone informed and interested in the differing cultures around the world would both understand and respect the path we tread in setting up the first festival of this nature in the Middle East," she said in a statement.
Dubai has had one of the most freewheeling social climates in the Middle East, with a flood of foreign expatriates as well as mostly South Asian workers fueling the boom as the city-state built increasingly extravagant resorts, skyscrapers and malls. Still, the city-state's native population, outnumbered by foreigners nine-to-one, has sometimes worried that its own Muslim culture and history are being eclipsed.
Several court cases involving Westerners in recent years were a reminder that the country still holds its conservative attitudes. A British couple last year were sentenced to three months in prison for allegedly having sex on a beach. Authorities eventually calmed any controversy by dropping the sentences and deporting the couple.
Other Gulf cities are far more conservative than Dubai. But few have its ambition to be a player on the international scene, and without much oil Dubai relies more on wheeling and dealing. That makes Dubai far more vulnerable to a negative image, which can hurt the high finance that makes the sheikhdom tick.
The emirate's marketing of itself as a tourist destination has centered largely around high-profile sporting events like the women's tennis championships. The city also annually hosts the world's richest golf tournament and horse race, is home to the world governing body for cricket and is building a $4 billion Dubai Sports City to house stadiums, sports academies and one of several lush golf courses.
___
Associated Press Writers Anna Johnson and Katarina Kratovac contributed reporting from Cairo.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[faheel]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

How did you go about getting it Panther :O

[cheesycol]

This is very entertaining, so much so I'd like to submit a picture response:

Green fields. - They're green because of all the rain!

http://mirror-uk-rb1.gallery.hd.org/_exhibits/places-and-sights/_more2001/_more01/England-Surrey-Box-Hill-belvedere-view-late-January-hazy-green-fields-small-town-1-BRM.jpg

Beautiful countryside. - Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

http://z.about.com/d/drawsketch/1/0/H/K/avonriver.jpg

Pretty villages. - But don't try and park in one, lest some zealous 'Parking Attendant' will surely slip a ticket on your car (completely aside from the fact that you've paid your road tax already)

http://www.birchimages.co.uk/galleryimages/Castle%20Combe%20Wiltshire.JPG

Village pubs. - Well you'd better be quick, 'coz village boozers arer closing down at a phenomenal rate!

http://www.richmondarms.net/Pumps.jpg

Country walks. - All subject to the Right-to-Roam of course?!

http://www.peakdistrict-nationalpark.info/_images/_pictures/pd1134.jpg

Bearable summer temperatures. - You mean freezing cold and p!ss!ng down with rain (at least that's what summer was like for the last two years in the UK)?!

http://tarawingfield.com/images/english_summer_web_2.jpg

Culture ... if you want it. - Oh yes, there's loads of culture on them there Council sink estates. I must renew my subscription to the National Trust, NOT!

www.bristolcoaches.co.uk/london-montage.jpg


Don't misunderstand me, the UK is not the greatest place at the moment, especially with the one-eyed Scottish idiot and his cronies running the show. I would also be interested a job in the middle east. However, its certainly not as bad as your Daily Mail-esque views may have you believe!

Although a headache to some, the recent snow certainly made for a beautiful backdrop to some great snowball fights, followed by drying off in front of a fire in a pub. It also looked magnificent from the air, but didn't half slow things up on the ground!

Crikey, it sounds like I like the place! There'd be a lot I wouldn't miss if a move away happened........

[Capt.Bee]

Short of opening a Radio Shack in an Amish town, Dubai is the world’s worst business idea, and there isn’t even any oil. Imagine proposing to build Vegas in a place where sex and drugs and rock and roll are an anathema. This is effectively the proposition that created Dubai - it was a stupid idea before the crash, and now it is dangerous.

Dubai threatens to become an instant ruin, an emblematic hybrid of the worst of both the West and the Middle-East and a dangerous totem for those who would mistakenly interpret this as the de facto product of a secular driven culture.

The opening shot of this clip shows 200 skyscrapers that were built in the last 5 years. It looks like Manhattan except that it isn’t the place that made Mingus or Van Allen or Kerouac or Wolfe or Warhol or Reed or Bernstein or any one of the 1001 other cultural icons from Bob Dylan to Dylan Thomas that form the core spirit of what is needed, in the absence of extreme toleration of vice, to infuse such edifices with purpose and create a self-sustaining culture that will prevent them crumbling into the empty desert that surrounds them.

Dubai is a place for the shallow and fickle. Tabloid celebrities and worn out sports stars are sponsored by swollen faced, botox injected, perma-tanned European property developers to encourage the type of people who are impressed by fame itself, rather than what originated it, to inhabit pastiche Mediterranean villas on fake islands. Its a grotesquely leveraged version of time-share where people are sold a life in the same way as being peddled a set of steak knives. Funny shaped towers smatter empty neighborhoods, based on designs with unsubtle, eye-catching envelopes but bland floor plans and churned out by the dozen by anonymous minions in brand name architects offices and signed by the boss, unseen, as they fly through the door. This architecture, a three dimensional solidified version of a synthesized musical jingle, consists of ever more preposterous gimmickry - an underwater, revolving, white leather **** pad or a marina skyscraper with a product placement name that would normally only appeal to teenage boys, such as the preposterous Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower.

But if there is one problem with the shallow and the fickle, its that they are shallow and fickle, they won’t put down deep roots and they won’t remain loyal to Dubai. The people who appear in People magazine need to be told what is cool by Wallpaper magazine who in turn will discover something after the hipsters have moved on. The problem is that Dubai was never hipster-cool and is no longer Wallpaper-cool. This realization will have the same impact as suburbanite bachelorette party in a Wallpaper-cool nightclub. It will spread like the sighting of a floating turd in a public pool, flushing people to the exits with silent panic, unacknowledged for fear of embarrassment.

As people scramble for the exits in Dubai, there is no ‘key mail’, like in America, where people can often mail back their house keys and walk away from a mortgage without the immediate threat of jail. People are literally fleeing this place, to date leaving 3000 cars stranded at the airport with keys still in the ignition. And the reason for this is that if you default on your Dubai mortgage, you can end up in a debtors prison. Perhaps Dubai will at least create a new Dickens?

Goodbye Dubai | Smashing Telly - A hand picked TV channel (http://smashingtelly.com/2009/02/15/bye-bye-dubai/)
Sounds more than depressing to me! :ugh: