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Dubai Architecture: Dubai is NUTS!
dubai-architecture.info — Dubai is said to currently have 15-25% of all the world's cranes.There are more construction workers in Dubai than there are actual citizens. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE?
MrBabyMan- 4394 diggs
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- pearlfender2, on 02/18/2008, -8/+433who's going to clean all the windows?
- thelastcivilian, on 02/18/2008, -8/+255American migrant workers, forced to go abroad after their country's economy collapses because of "resource" dependency! ;)
- lilSears, on 02/18/2008, -18/+6I am so glad I'm studying arabic. See you guys later working under me.
- OtterOwnage, on 02/18/2008, -2/+15lol, i just went over there. Arabic is less useful than Urdu/Hindi (Pakistani/Indian language, respectively) or Tagalog (Filipino language). Asian migrant workers, lol.
- glory, on 02/18/2008, -0/+9Although Arabic is the 'official' language, many other languages are widely spoken in Dubai, among them English. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai
- ggacid, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Sign me up!
- lilSears, on 02/18/2008, -18/+6I am so glad I'm studying arabic. See you guys later working under me.
- jgsketch, on 02/18/2008, -1/+26It will be the next hotest job besides construction. And the world's newest most dangerous job.
- b-dizzle, on 02/19/2008, -0/+14Discovery Channel is gonna have to do a series that follows teams of Dubai window washers as they compete to wash more windows than the others.
- FatLoser, on 02/19/2008, -0/+22*deep announcer voice*: "The stakes are ^high^ and the consequences of one false move... deadly..."
- prophetpimp, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Discovery already did a show on windows washer. Although they were American ones.
- GawtMilk, on 02/19/2008, -0/+4Yet, as the innocent crew of two is performing a death-defying routine 2,000 feet above sea level, disaster strikes.
"flash-frame of color negative detail shot*
cue cut to innocent bystanders : *screams* "oh my God, they dropped their squeegee!" - FatLoser, on 02/20/2008, -0/+2I forgot to say, but that deep announcer voice was none other than the one belonging to MIKE ROWE!!
- FatLoser, on 02/19/2008, -0/+22*deep announcer voice*: "The stakes are ^high^ and the consequences of one false move... deadly..."
- b-dizzle, on 02/19/2008, -0/+14Discovery Channel is gonna have to do a series that follows teams of Dubai window washers as they compete to wash more windows than the others.
- ivandir, on 02/18/2008, -21/+6American robots made from Ford, Chrysler and GM.
- seks03, on 02/18/2008, -3/+34you mean made in China
- MikeSD34, on 02/18/2008, -0/+22When the American dollar plummets to nothing our products will be cheaper then Chinas! It's all part of the master plan.
- bbardlbradd, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Made in China, no doubt, but by Ford, Chrysler and GM, still.
- seks03, on 02/18/2008, -3/+34you mean made in China
- sockpuppets, on 02/18/2008, -8/+34If you look closely at the street in the third photo you can see Dick Cheney flipping us the bird.
- eufouria, on 02/18/2008, -5/+10James Woods
- Coven, on 02/18/2008, -1/+17Ok. So you saw Family Guy last night?
- wild, on 02/18/2008, -4/+48The Viper. And he is coming soon.
/ReallyObscureChildhoodReference- whataboutdave, on 02/18/2008, -5/+3I got it.
- mattsidesinger, on 02/18/2008, -5/+2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1w0wCLD5wQ
- wild, on 02/18/2008, -4/+1What in the world is that? lol.
- fussbucket, on 02/19/2008, -2/+2Since everyone seems to be missing the reference in question: It is an old GI Joe reference about a caller, called the "Viper", who lead the Joes to where Cobra was about to attack. They assumed he was a bad guy phoning in threats, but it turns out he was just a window wiper with a thick German accent. He called ahead to tell them what buildings he would be wiping clean. Unfortunately, the above link is an annoying cut-up of that episode.
- wild, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Actually, that GI Joe episode is based on a book series about scary stories. I suggest you check it out.
- fussbucket, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Thanks, I checked it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_Stories
Although, there it says it was first published in 1986. GI Joe ran from '85 to '86. I agree it much more likely the cartoon copied the book, rather than the other way around. After seeing that, I thought maybe the book author wrote the episode, but he isn't credited on IMDB. Also, I found out the voice of Cobra Commander was the original voice for Mr. Burns and Moe in The Simpsons. Never knew that before.
- TheKingInYellow, on 02/18/2008, -2/+18i vish to vash and vipe the vindows.
is that "scary stories to tell in the dark"? those illustrations scared the crap out of me.- micahned, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1yes it is. and yes, they do.
- slvrbullet87, on 02/18/2008, -1/+2gotta love those books
- Obzerva, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Gaaaaaaaaaaaah those pictures are freaky!
- tgc1, on 02/18/2008, -6/+3Robots.
- Viriatus2, on 02/18/2008, -4/+9the infidels?
- mCanada, on 02/18/2008, -6/+25MATT DAMON
- virtualball, on 02/18/2008, -1/+13Nah, Sara Silverman's too busy ***** Matt Damon for Matt Damn to go wash windows.
- Lewie, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1She's ***** Matt Damon? Where, I wonder...
- MacEnvy, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1In her vagina, I assume. Though maybe I shouldn't be so hasty.
- Lewie, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1She's ***** Matt Damon? Where, I wonder...
- virtualball, on 02/18/2008, -1/+13Nah, Sara Silverman's too busy ***** Matt Damon for Matt Damn to go wash windows.
- toppgun, on 02/18/2008, -3/+4World Wide Wickets chairman of the board
//hopefully not obscure- PoeticExplosion, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1A "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" reference is pretty darn obscure, but I dugg you up anyway.
- MindTrigger, on 02/18/2008, -8/+8The same slave labor they are forcing to build this city. I wouldn't spend a DIME visiting this plastic, slave-built *****.
- Hodgie, on 02/19/2008, -3/+1amen to that brother.
- kurtu5, on 02/19/2008, -2/+2Will it be all, "Wow this is cool and I had fun on the rides!" like Disney, then degrade to, "What a ***** ***** hole central Florida has become?"
- hobbler, on 02/19/2008, -2/+4Dubai really is a *****. Most of the people who're busy saying it's such an amazing place have never been there, or if they have, never been there for more than a few days in Jumierah. The place is living on borrowed time and there's no way they will be able to get people to live in these overly inflated buildings. There simply isn't the economy for it.
- rpebble, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Source?
- Hodgie, on 02/19/2008, -3/+1amen to that brother.
- warrenterr, on 02/19/2008, -5/+24mexicans
(it's a joke, chill)- FatLoser, on 02/19/2008, -2/+14A joke... or genius?
- ghgh1313, on 02/19/2008, -1/+10que?
- 1randomguy08, on 02/19/2008, -2/+2Nobel Peace Prize worthy surely.
- lies03, on 09/30/2008, -0/+1Middle and lower class america will.
- SuperWinner, on 02/19/2008, -2/+3Spybot
- skylights, on 02/19/2008, -2/+8Google cache: http://64.233.169.104/search?hs=sUq&hl=en&lr=&c2co ...
- Hodgie, on 02/19/2008, -2/+0nice mirror.
/sarcasm
- Hodgie, on 02/19/2008, -2/+0nice mirror.
- kyzel, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1spiderman
- rootbeerinacan, on 02/19/2008, -8/+3Mexicans. We can export them, i mean no one would really mind....
- jo21, on 02/19/2008, -8/+1britney spears and christian aguilera after lesbian sex, with their on liquid
- stephencr, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1well they could build the worlds largest squeegee
- CCoe, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Window... cleaners...
- Oppslagsverk, on 02/19/2008, -0/+0Well i guess it will be immigrants from all over the world, mostly Asia. Just like the construction-workers.
- lies03, on 09/30/2008, -0/+1The people the live there. After all there poor right? it's only the prince or whatever that is rich.
- thelastcivilian, on 02/18/2008, -8/+255American migrant workers, forced to go abroad after their country's economy collapses because of "resource" dependency! ;)
- anderzole, on 02/18/2008, -14/+330unbelieavable! It's like a bunch of teenagers run the country and just come up with outrageous ideas on which to spend their billions on. Hot damn that some cool *****!
- domokunt, on 02/18/2008, -4/+49Yeah Dubai is pretty nuts too
- UKsHaDoW, on 02/18/2008, -39/+7Yeah,but its cool. At least their building there future.
- Braxo, on 02/18/2008, -4/+36Yeah, but it's cool. At least they're building their future.
- precision256, on 02/18/2008, -12/+7im pretty sure i understood it the first time i read it but thanks for your awesome translation anyways
- kurtu5, on 02/19/2008, -2/+4Apparently Braxo and I don't see eye to eeye on digg and I blocked him for some reason. But he is dead on.
- nickj6282, on 02/18/2008, -5/+21Ugh. My head asplode! Learn which "there/their/they're" to use jackass!
- alittleroy101, on 02/18/2008, -4/+19How did you ***** that up twice?
- JavertHolmes, on 02/18/2008, -1/+20I see what you did they're.
- archer104, on 02/18/2008, -6/+1Eye si what ewe did their.
- Disease, on 02/19/2008, -1/+11I tried that earlier today. It doesn't get you diggs.
- archer104, on 02/18/2008, -6/+1Eye si what ewe did their.
- SuperWinner, on 02/19/2008, -4/+2http://www.better-english.com/easier/theyre.htm
- Braxo, on 02/18/2008, -4/+36Yeah, but it's cool. At least they're building their future.
- santaliqueur, on 02/18/2008, -14/+26their, there? Wrong and wrong.
- legoalert33, on 02/18/2008, -4/+4Bling Bling
- cliffzdude, on 02/18/2008, -1/+41Dubai's oil reserves are being "aggressively" captured. As such, their reserves are thought to be enough to last until but 2016.
So, Dubai's leaders have pushed ahead with a move toward tourism. The "World" group of islands will be resorts largely, with a population of over 250,000 people. Once the oil runs out, Dubai will be rolling on as an incredible tourist destination. I'm not saying I'd go there, but that's their intent.- bitterbug, on 02/18/2008, -12/+7It's an excellent plan too. Though as long as the west is hated in the middle east, it will be a hop, skip, and a jump for any psychopath with a bomb strapped to them to take out some rich tourists.
Hmm. Hard to think of an Al-Qaue operative skipping down the street.- nebion, on 02/19/2008, -1/+18Dubai is one of the most safe destinations in the Middle East for westerners, so your comment doesn't make much sense. As far as I know, there have been no recorded acts of violence against tourists or businessmen, both of which have been present there for quite some time.
How they treat their foreign labor is another issue altogether...- bitterbug, on 02/19/2008, -3/+6It's *currently* one of the safest. But as its tourist industry continues to grow it will make an attractive target.
Still, as the world goes, we have a better chance of being hit by a car on the sidewalk then being killed by a "terrorist". - Naturalistic, on 02/19/2008, -1/+5So if you go there you gotta watch out for cars AND terrorists too? ***** a thats dangerous
- bitterbug, on 02/19/2008, -3/+6It's *currently* one of the safest. But as its tourist industry continues to grow it will make an attractive target.
- nebion, on 02/19/2008, -1/+18Dubai is one of the most safe destinations in the Middle East for westerners, so your comment doesn't make much sense. As far as I know, there have been no recorded acts of violence against tourists or businessmen, both of which have been present there for quite some time.
- bitterbug, on 02/18/2008, -12/+7It's an excellent plan too. Though as long as the west is hated in the middle east, it will be a hop, skip, and a jump for any psychopath with a bomb strapped to them to take out some rich tourists.
- ElSpaniard, on 02/18/2008, -1/+8Hm, how's Dubai like? Nice vacation spot?
- t3soro, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2if you like police feeling you up more than women, by all means go to Dubai
- viggooo, on 02/19/2008, -0/+5According to several articles here on Digg, America is the place to get felt up by the police.
- t3soro, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2if you like police feeling you up more than women, by all means go to Dubai
- b8man99, on 02/19/2008, -7/+3The buildings are a way of laundering money. It's amazing how many of these huge structures just stand there empty. And for the record, a lot of the construction is done by Bin Laden Construction - owned by... yeah, you can figure it all out.
- kurtu5, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Links? For an iconclast like myself, links are quite usefull.
- doctordbx, on 02/19/2008, -0/+0LOL and *****.
I think Arabtec and Al Habtoor are the largest construction companies here.
Bin Laden does transport. - b8man99, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2http://www.alternet.org/story/18667/
The streets are lined with banners for Bin Laden Construction. I worked there for a few years.- rigorious, on 02/19/2008, -1/+1I believe it when I see pictures.
- terminal157, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3The Bin Ladens of Bin Laden construction have disowned Osama.
- dysonlu, on 02/19/2008, -1/+8This is Super Mega Las Vegas. These "teenagers" are smart, not nuts. They are building an tourism economy since their oil has essentially been depleted. Those who couldn't figure that out are the dumb ones here.
- chewties, on 02/19/2008, -7/+2you are a dumb-dumb
- giskard88, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2they're building a playground for the super- ich, so super rich that i doubt there are enough people rich enough to fill the vacancies.
- cnldelta, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2No gambling allowed in Dubai fyi
- dysonlu, on 02/20/2008, -0/+1I used "Las Vegas" figuratively to show the point about Dubai's tourism-based economy.
- chewties, on 02/19/2008, -2/+5I can believable.
- nullr3, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1It looks amazing I would definetly like to visit one day, nothing like a light up skyline
- smurfsahoy, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2Yes, teenagers with slaves.
- donaho, on 02/18/2008, -39/+310***** oil
- sanman, on 02/18/2008, -21/+7When the future nuclear-armed Iranians reclaim Dubai a la Hong Kong, their ruling elite are going to have a ball by making that place their vacation resort.
- makkaveli19, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2hhwhat?
- TrevaLVF, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1I wonder if Halliburton KBR is contributing to this, now that Dubai is the new home for this war profiteer.
- pintomp3, on 02/18/2008, -7/+82Although Dubai's economy was built on the back of the oil industry,[60] revenues from oil and natural gas currently account for less than 6% of the emirate's revenues
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai- MindTrigger, on 02/18/2008, -2/+18UAE is the 4th largest OPEC member. They may not need more money from oil now, because the oil money is already in the bank.
- spoering, on 02/19/2008, -1/+1How about the revenues of all the rich arab tourists that keep that place going?
- changyang1230, on 02/19/2008, -1/+1I see you left the [60] reference there.
- domokunt, on 02/18/2008, -8/+32oh dude you know your not supposed to use oil based lubricants for sex
- Mikhail101, on 02/18/2008, -4/+34Not true apparently they dont get much from oil anymore, majority is from tourism
- Verdanic, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Not hard to see why.
(a second indoor ski slope? really?) - maisteri, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Not quite yet, but they are aiming for that.
- Verdanic, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Not hard to see why.
- BESTenemy, on 02/18/2008, -3/+61It's a retirement village for the corrupt businessmen and politicians.
- FlyingSpaghetti, on 02/18/2008, -4/+11...and child molesters like Michael Jackson.
- anj747, on 02/18/2008, -1/+13He's in Bahrain
- 2shae, on 02/18/2008, -2/+3Isn't dubai like the only place in the world where there is no crime?
I'm pretty sure I heard that somewhere.
- FlyingSpaghetti, on 02/18/2008, -4/+11...and child molesters like Michael Jackson.
- techmaster, on 02/18/2008, -16/+18It's going to be really interesting when the world runs out of oil, and we're forced to run our cars on water or sunlight. The western societies will continue, and the middle east will return to being a massive sandbox full of people that eat dirt. How bout them apples?
- Thex1138, on 02/18/2008, -2/+6No we haven't fully strip-mined this planet yet...
- OMGIAMTHEMAN, on 02/18/2008, -3/+7IIRC, they were doing just fine before we colonized the whole place
- sonstone, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Or an exporter of solar energy?...
- sdub86, on 02/19/2008, -2/+3You're an idiot.
- lilSears, on 02/18/2008, -3/+16Just to let you guys know, the oil producing countries in the ME have more money than they know what to do with. That's why there are these ridiculous tourism projects. Most citizens don't have to pay their bills: cable, internet, water, medical, etc. Cradle to grave health care. They even build roads in the middle of nowhere just because they can and they might use it later. It truly is nuts. BTW, Qatar has about 200-400 years minimum of natural gas for the world to run off of.
- scamper22, on 02/18/2008, -1/+5Call it a fair trade. You get to live in a hot desert. In exchange, you get oil.
- Nickbc87, on 02/19/2008, -0/+23Is it me or is Dubai starting to look a lot like Corusant?
- GambitL, on 02/19/2008, -1/+5You are not alone. I actually hope that one day, it will look like Coruscant.
Complete with Jedi temple and all.- Nickbc87, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1I'm more of a Dantooine kinda guy myself.
- GambitL, on 02/19/2008, -1/+5You are not alone. I actually hope that one day, it will look like Coruscant.
- source1984, on 02/19/2008, -10/+2Stop being jealous. Its not "oil". "Oil" is the answer that short-witted insecure individuals such as yourself give to support your world view that only the white man can be successful.
- giskard88, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1um, they're rich because of oil, or at least being the port that other people's oil is sent from. you really can't claim that the riches of the middle east are from hard work and dedication.
- NaziHatinChimp, on 02/19/2008, -3/+7I really think everyone needs to realize this.
*AHEM*
*AHEM*
You know free trade? We trade goods and help eliminate (for the most part) taxes on goods? Google it. NAFTA or DR CAFTA. Basically it enables us to muscle other countries. Anyways Dubai has free trade for the more executive side of business. So when they do business from an administrative stand point they aren't taxed (I am fuzzy on details) Why do you think Haliburton moved over there?
Shady deals man, Shady deals. Remember, Clinton started NAFTA.
Remember.- CelloZach, on 02/19/2008, -6/+1Ron Paul!!!!
/sarcasm
- CelloZach, on 02/19/2008, -6/+1Ron Paul!!!!
- Dizbuster, on 02/19/2008, -6/+1I bet it will become the rape capital of the world in no time flat.
- sanman, on 02/18/2008, -21/+7When the future nuclear-armed Iranians reclaim Dubai a la Hong Kong, their ruling elite are going to have a ball by making that place their vacation resort.
- 7son7son, on 02/18/2008, -27/+159This has all been made possible by the Desire of one Man to make life for his People Better. The man behind Dubai's rise is its leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. You can see his recent interview with 60 Minutes here....
http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/101/dubai?comme ...- Zecchetti, on 02/18/2008, -33/+95"the Desire of one Man to make life for his People Better"
do you know the amount of slavery it is taking to build all of the stuff?- Ciryon, on 02/18/2008, -29/+11Socialist *****. These workers do much better for themselves working in Dubai than sitting in the dirt back home.
- wbgo, on 02/18/2008, -3/+25So it's okay to treat people like ***** as long as somebody out there is treating them worse? Way to go Pol Pot.
- merper, on 02/18/2008, -4/+11It's not like they round these people up from their homeland and chain them to ships. I'm sure there's some level of deception between what they offer and what they actually provide, but using "slavery" is hyperbole. You can't just look at an issue in isolation and pass judgments.
- NoCt1, on 02/18/2008, -2/+9@merper
This has been an issue for a while now.. Its not that they are using slavery but its that they treat them to the point to where it is slavery conditions. They are not bettering the life of the people there also.. The people receive very little of the money and cant afford most of the luxuries they are putting in it. The saying, "Dubai, Playground for a trust fund" doesnt come to mind for nothing.- Scynet, on 02/18/2008, -0/+3It all falls down to whether or not the workers work voluntarily. If they do, it's their choice. They'll likely get more money than by fishing bottles from polluted rivers...
- nullcodes, on 02/18/2008, -0/+6@wbgo
Although for (probably) selfish reasons, by rescuing them from the ***** situation they'd be in, dubai is doing a lot more for them than me. Workers in Dubai are able to send money back to their home countries.
Remittances to India in 2006, for example, from Gulf States were around $5 billion. That is, excess money that Indians working there were able to send back. How are they able to send money back if they're enslaved?
- KingBabi, on 02/18/2008, -4/+7I actually don't. What's the deal?
- synarchy, on 02/18/2008, -1/+13http://tinyurl.com/3celw9
Seattle Times link to "Dubai dream dims for Asians"
Plus, same thing is happening in China for Olympics construction, except the slaves are Chinese.
http://tinyurl.com/26gx3x " China calls for the ultimate sacrifice from its Olympics workforce"
"Among the many slogans hung around the huge Olympic Village to spur on the 2,000-plus workforce is a banner proclaiming: "The quality of work is more important than life". The blue and white sign was hidden from public view during a recent visit by foreign journalists."
- synarchy, on 02/18/2008, -1/+13http://tinyurl.com/3celw9
- wicketr, on 02/18/2008, -23/+52You are REALLY disrespecting the people who are, and those that have been ACTUAL SLAVES by using the definition so loosely. To include "people who willingly work for next to nothing because it's better than working for nothing back home" is pathetic.
These people are not captured, beaten, whipped, raped all for a measly salary of being able to live. There's a big difference there.- jacenat, on 02/18/2008, -11/+6the peoples forced to take these jobs are essentially robbed all their freedom. it's not that far from slavery as you make it seem.
- MindTrigger, on 02/18/2008, -2/+15wicketr = dugg down for general ignorance.
These people may have gone there on there own, sort of, but it's made nearly impossible to leave, and the FORCED working conditions are inhumane at best.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/11/dark_s ... - MindTrigger, on 02/18/2008, -2/+5http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/11/dark_s ...
- ZenMojo, on 02/19/2008, -1/+8I dub thee King PHAIL for your blind acceptance of the UAE's PR talking points. 8 out of 10 people aren't citizens and have no rights. Last time I checked, that's ***** slavery.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1There is a difference?
NO opportunity and endless work in your home country -- or do it in Dubai. Yes, I see that since Dubai has much more money -- that makes the practice more enlightened.
I think you might make sense if the people were moving from Dubai, to the poor country. Marie Antoinette is believed to have said about the starving people; "well, let them eat cake." And Barbara Bush famously said; "Well, so many of these people were poor anyway, so this is working out for them..." and now of course, you are telling us, that since they are whipped and beaten anyway -- hey, why not do it where it will do some good, right?
This has also happened with the Kuwaiti firm building our embassy in Iraq (as if our government didn't know). I'm sure that the brochure might have been misleading when it said; "Opportunity." - hobbler, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1It's slavery if they're not actually paid for their work. Often they're given a minimum salary of around USD 150/month, then lose half of it for living costs. Of course, this is assuming they get paid to begin with. Going 6 months with no paycheck is standard for construction laborers in the ME. There was a large riot in Dubai a year or two back because they'd gone over a year with no pay.
- Justice101, on 02/18/2008, -2/+11I don't think he considers the slaves, his people.
- MindTrigger, on 02/18/2008, -5/+5THAT is why I wouldn't even take a 100% comped trip to that place. Slaves are building Dubai.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 02/19/2008, -1/+3Yes, but would you look at how glorious that tower is?!?!!?
I'm betting they put up a Sphinx and three Pyramids, just for the Wow factor. Should only take them a couple hundred thousand lives and a months salary for the Prince, tops. - CTK14A, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2You could say the same about... well, Hell, most of America. There's an expression about the building of the railroads across the country; there's "an Irishman buried under every tie."
- m3mn0n, on 02/19/2008, -0/+4Americans calling out a nation for slave usage is hilarious.
At least Dubai pays these "slaves" - MacEnvy, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Would you go visit the pyramids in Giza? I mean, they were built by slave labor too.
/Devil's advocate
- VitriolAndAngst, on 02/19/2008, -1/+3Yes, but would you look at how glorious that tower is?!?!!?
- source1984, on 02/19/2008, -3/+1they' don't have the best rights but people COMPETE to work in dubai.
- Ciryon, on 02/18/2008, -29/+11Socialist *****. These workers do much better for themselves working in Dubai than sitting in the dirt back home.
- Khannea, on 02/18/2008, -6/+27Yah the shayk is playing santa with money he made from selling oil at dope dealer rates to you and me. Nice guy, heroin dealer reloaded.
- Alegoo92, on 02/18/2008, -6/+15There is something so terrible about the way you construe this situation. This is the desire of one man to have every luxury he'd ever want- no matter how cruel human lives are treated in the making of it. The slavery and disdain for family, childhood, and even life-- all for bigger and more extravagant architecture-- is appallingly evil.
- freezervv, on 02/18/2008, -10/+4Oh wait, you *weren't* talking about the American Dream? *confused*
- Alegoo92, on 02/18/2008, -3/+11The american dream is in the minds of the middle and lower class- who want to come from nothing and make a better living for themselves. The 'dubai dream' comes from rich people who enslave poor people to be even richer.
Kind of different. - goomba323, on 02/19/2008, -2/+2@ Alegoo. Did you fail American History?
- kurtu5, on 02/19/2008, -1/+3Goomba323, did you get honors in debate?
You really tear apart Alegoo92's argument. - goomba323, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Well, I was responding to this comment by Alegoo:
"The american dream is in the minds of the middle and lower class- who want to come from nothing and make a better living for themselves. The 'dubai dream' comes from rich people who enslave poor people to be even richer."
I didn't think any explaining was needed, but I will try my best. Dubai is a young country. When our country was that young, it was built by slaves while they made the rich richer. The same as the "Dubai Dream" according to Alegoo. Of course, now, 200+ years later, our "American Dream" is that of hope and inspiration, but it's naive, hypocritical, and dare I say "American" of Alegoo to judge this nation on doing the same thing that we did. In 200+ years, I bet their "Dubai Dream" will probably be similar to that of America. But I wouldn't hold my breath, it'll probably be underwater.
Good enough of an explanation Kurtu5? Sorry I didn't iterate my point, hope that helped on where I was coming from with my slightly snobbish comment.
- kurtu5, on 02/19/2008, -1/+3Goomba323, did you get honors in debate?
- Alegoo92, on 02/18/2008, -3/+11The american dream is in the minds of the middle and lower class- who want to come from nothing and make a better living for themselves. The 'dubai dream' comes from rich people who enslave poor people to be even richer.
- freezervv, on 02/18/2008, -10/+4Oh wait, you *weren't* talking about the American Dream? *confused*
- myass666mlong, on 02/18/2008, -5/+1cool guy !!! but seem little lunatic skizoo mode ..
wow cool country
never knew some arabs were so happy ehehehhahahahHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA this world go and go crazy- OtterOwnage, on 02/18/2008, -0/+1yeah, some crazy-ass stereotypes are out there against Arabs.
they are people, too.. - GhostyBoy, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Did you mean to comment on Youtube?
- OtterOwnage, on 02/18/2008, -0/+1yeah, some crazy-ass stereotypes are out there against Arabs.
- Corrosionx, on 02/19/2008, -1/+9Dictators are so cool
- mexicanmonkey, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2no one can deny that they get things done
- VitriolAndAngst, on 02/19/2008, -5/+2Yes, by supporting terrorists with banking facilities, and supporting George Bush in his quest to screw over the rest of the Middle East with Sunny fighting Shia so that the ruling parties can keep the people safely locked in bitter hatred. Amazingly profitable, screwing your fellow man Dubai.
- Dantetheinferno, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Sunny? Shows how much you know :3
- bigbchew, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3The way you oddly use capitals troubles me.
- CheLives, on 02/19/2008, -1/+4i doubt the people of his country enjoy the luxuries that he does... or are able to "enjoy" the manifestation of perpetual greed.
- rentmitchum, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Reminds me of Rapture. If they get ahold of plasmids it's gonna be a ***** vacation spot.
- omistake, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1"somewhere...beyond united arab emirates somewhere....waiting for me...."
- carmaa, on 02/19/2008, -1/+1I'd say Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has a significant manhood-related complex. Bet you a beamer that his garage will confirm that.
- lbmouse, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2"This has all been made possible by the Desire of one Man to make life for his People Better."
I call *****! This has all been made possible because of oil cartels. Think of that the next time it costs you $60+ to fill up your tank.- J4k3, on 02/20/2008, -1/+2Well ***** said. At least some of ya can see through this ***** (that's what it is) and realize that ALL of us are funding them with our money. I say down with oil, down with the oil cartels!
- apbc64, on 05/24/2008, -0/+0Like arabs aren't rich enough already!
- Zecchetti, on 02/18/2008, -33/+95"the Desire of one Man to make life for his People Better"
- karenben, on 02/18/2008, -43/+7Unbelieavable! I'd like to visit Hydropolis
- TzarAdam, on 02/18/2008, -1/+26I guess people like your twin better. Sucks for you.
- karenben, on 02/18/2008, -6/+69Unbelieavable! I'd like to visit Hydropolis
- sockpuppets, on 02/18/2008, -5/+12Who works in a pinapple under the sea?
- frieddonuts, on 02/18/2008, -0/+26He lives in a Pinapple, and works at the Krusty Krab. Trust me, I'm watching the show right now.
- sockpuppets, on 02/18/2008, -1/+12You're sucking the fun out of my already only-mildly-funny-misspelled joke, damn you.
- TheKingInYellow, on 02/18/2008, -1/+4what's a pinapple?
- Goombellaofgoom, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1The reason you're not allowed to hand out caramel-covered fruit at Halloween anymore.
- Justice101, on 02/18/2008, -1/+16Sponge Bob Migrant Worker Pants!
- frieddonuts, on 02/18/2008, -0/+26He lives in a Pinapple, and works at the Krusty Krab. Trust me, I'm watching the show right now.
- jc7012, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2I don't know if i would...but would 'du-bai' property there?
- chicken59, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1I can't believe I laughed at that.
- kingo123, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1It's a good investment (buy to let)., although not good for a 1st time buyer due to price fluctuations.
- KennMac, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1I can believable!
- sockpuppets, on 02/18/2008, -5/+12Who works in a pinapple under the sea?
- ThinkBox, on 02/18/2008, -15/+186Man, I would love to be a bum in that city!
- sanman, on 02/18/2008, -5/+129So that their brutal police can beat the ***** out of you?
- burnnation, on 07/27/2008, -1/+4nvm
- ivandir, on 02/18/2008, -9/+164Bums get beheaded in Dubai.
- ElSpaniard, on 02/18/2008, -2/+13Holy ***** really?
- b-dizzle, on 02/19/2008, -1/+9Pics or it didn't... ok, nevermind, that's just sick.
- BeyondGoodNEvil, on 02/19/2008, -7/+7...I wouldn't mind if they actually were. They sure do take the fun out of walking downtown on a nice night.
- ChromaVita, on 02/19/2008, -0/+4Holy ***** you are a giant *****.
- Khannea, on 02/18/2008, -23/+31Idiot, a bumb with 40+ degrees celsius in the shade ? You'd be a mummy in a week. You think one arab would give you something to drink? These are some ruthless bastards. They'd put you to work cleaning sewers with a bucket, get flogged if you don't work hard enough. They may have money to swim in but mostly it's still the middle ages there.
- beedo34, on 02/18/2008, -14/+29holy ***** you're ignorant.
- jakefloyd, on 02/18/2008, -11/+4Way to take his comment literally and rape it up the butt.
- FadieZ, on 02/19/2008, -1/+4Lol...wtf are you people talking about? Has anyone here even been to Dubai? Sure, some of the locals can be assholes (being nauseatingly rich tends to do that to people) but the citizens there are generally great company and delightful to be around.
- christoast, on 09/04/2008, -0/+4well isnt that maaaaarrrrrrrvelous, dear watson? do tell us more of your grand adventures! just joking, you dont know ***** do you?
- Khannea, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3YOU have NO IDEA. In fact this is the most misinformed comment I have seen in a long time. Are you aware that about HALF of the female domestic servants that work in Dubai, and large parts of the middle east (typically dirt poor singapori, indonesians, etc) are routinely RAPED ?
Sources? Last years amnesty international files? Black ink on white paper?
- ThinkBox, on 02/18/2008, -0/+11≠serious
just a funny scene to ponder, like, as if Bums like certain cities and they mass migrate and dream about the perfect city of bums... like a comedy script.... nvm- rhesuspieces00, on 02/18/2008, -0/+8that actually is true. they all move to eugene, oregon.
- Dantetheinferno, on 02/19/2008, -1/+4Whoa. ≠ is way better than != :O
- machismonstro, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Ever heard the song Big Rock Candy Mountain? http://www.bluegrasslyrics.com/all_song.cfm-record ...
- CTK14A, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Key. West.
- jrhelgeson, on 02/18/2008, -15/+3Helloooo, we're talking about a people whose almighty prophet has promised them 72 virgins and eternal glory for them if they rip off your head and s**t down your throat. If you believe what they say, their God rewards them for torturing innocent people to death, killing children in front of their parents. Brutality the likes of which the western world cannot even imagine.
- RobotBuddha, on 02/19/2008, -0/+5I thought you were referring to hobos at first. Their almighty prophet gets so little airtime.
- ufee, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1You are so full of *****, and you don't even realize it.
- PizzaPops, on 02/18/2008, -0/+12I almost thought you said you'd like to burn that city, which would probably turn out better than trying to be a bum in the city.
- BeyondGoodNEvil, on 02/19/2008, -4/+3Yes, they could dream of a land where everything comes to them free as handouts, where they're completely taken care of. We could call it liberal America.
- L1ghtning, on 02/19/2008, -3/+2You're an *****.
- spookyttws, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Marge: Mr. Scorpio, this house is almost too good for us. I keep expecting to get the bum's rush.
Hank: We don't have bums in our town, Marge, and if we did they wouldn't rush. They'd be allowed to go at their own pace.
- sanman, on 02/18/2008, -5/+129So that their brutal police can beat the ***** out of you?
- ani625, on 02/18/2008, -24/+14To attract the "tourists" supposedly, whoever dare visit Dubai..
- ih8apple, on 02/18/2008, -10/+7I'd visit.
- aamer, on 02/18/2008, -6/+18What's the dare? I've been there several times and have relatives that live there. It's pretty safe and easy to get around.
- snugglebear, on 02/18/2008, -14/+2And if you get raped you will get arrested. Its the rape capital of the world because its a CRIME to get raped.
- BobbyMC, on 07/21/2008, -1/+13Oh, and make sure you don't step on any marijuana particles before you take your plane home, unless the idea of never seeing your family again is enticing to you.
- vertinox, on 02/18/2008, -1/+5Don't take prescription meds.
- Khannea, on 02/18/2008, -22/+14Never. I will never travel to a country like that, spend my money on scum like that.
- OtterOwnage, on 02/18/2008, -6/+9ass.
bigot.
racist.
all of the above, really.- highstriker, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2I'd like to think he's referring to the leader of Dubai, and the terrible conditions many rulers in the Middle East let their people suffer through...
But then again... this is Digg... - Khannea, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2*sigh*
I wouldn't travel to southafrica either back when it was apartheid. I probably as an ass, racist and bigot too back then?
Simpleton.
Moral coward.
*****.
- highstriker, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2I'd like to think he's referring to the leader of Dubai, and the terrible conditions many rulers in the Middle East let their people suffer through...
- OtterOwnage, on 02/18/2008, -6/+9ass.
- freezervv, on 02/18/2008, -3/+19Umm... it's in the Emirates. You are aware that the entire 'Middle East' is not a war zone, non?
- Cannon49, on 02/18/2008, -4/+21Do we need to post the stories of people with microscopic specks of drugs on them getting put in jail for 4 years?
Some tourist attraction- SuperMoses, on 02/18/2008, -4/+8Because if you're not allowed to bring in drugs it's not a tourist attraction....right
- RobotBuddha, on 02/19/2008, -1/+8Drugs, medicine, herbal supplements. A guy was thrown in jail for carrying melatonin! When you can be thown in jail for getting off a plane with the most common treatment for jetlag, with no warning to not bring it in, it's officially not a good tourist attraction.
- SuperMoses, on 02/18/2008, -4/+8Because if you're not allowed to bring in drugs it's not a tourist attraction....right
- jkbowman, on 02/18/2008, -16/+109You know that top 3%? The ones who get the bulk of the tax cuts? - This is their new home.
- ivandir, on 02/18/2008, -10/+24Like Haliburton?
- BoneStamp, on 02/18/2008, -31/+28Majority of tax cuts go to the rich because they pay majority of the taxes... You can't give tax cuts to those who don't pay much tax to begin with, they should pay for some of the services they consume.
- AROZ, on 02/18/2008, -10/+13!Logical fallacy alert!
- BoneStamp, on 02/19/2008, -3/+7The logical fallacy is what I'm trying to eliminate! People think that the rich get all the tax cuts. While it is true that the rich benefit the most from tax cuts, it is true because they're paying most of the taxes... so when you reduce the amount of taxes that people are paying it is the people paying the most who are going to save the most. The fallacy is that the rich are paying LESS tax than the poor, which is obviously untrue. If you reduce taxes by 5%, well 5% of a little is a little and 5% of a lot is a lot. So they guy paying a lot is saving a lot. They guy paying a little is saving less than the guy paying more but the rich guy is still paying way more.
- AROZ, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1You're right, that is a fallacy. The point you seemed to make is that the rich pay the most in taxes, so they should get the biggest tax cuts. Doesn't make sense from a progressive taxation standpoint...
- autoboy, on 02/19/2008, -2/+5Bonestamp, there is no point in reasoning with Digg users about taxes. They all jump about the prospect of redistributing wealth to support their welfare state where the only winners in the scheme are in government.
- BoneStamp, on 02/19/2008, -3/+7The logical fallacy is what I'm trying to eliminate! People think that the rich get all the tax cuts. While it is true that the rich benefit the most from tax cuts, it is true because they're paying most of the taxes... so when you reduce the amount of taxes that people are paying it is the people paying the most who are going to save the most. The fallacy is that the rich are paying LESS tax than the poor, which is obviously untrue. If you reduce taxes by 5%, well 5% of a little is a little and 5% of a lot is a lot. So they guy paying a lot is saving a lot. They guy paying a little is saving less than the guy paying more but the rich guy is still paying way more.
- jacenat, on 02/18/2008, -9/+2progressive tax systems are there to make the ones that have much spend much and the ones that have less spend less. essentially, progressive tax systems are there to shift wealth from the rich to the poor and therefore represend another installment of social thought.
but i don't expect your average american to understand or even endorse that. they want to cling on their precious wealth ... ignoring the fact that they are robbing the poor of their chances to build up any wealth (education, health care, all social installations are there to protect the poor ... there is a reason for that). a perfect stunlock ... yay. - actorboy, on 02/18/2008, -11/+13They're rich. And they just get richer. I have no problem with capitalism, but you shouldn't get to pay less as you earn more. It's really not a hard concept to grasp.
- quarkie, on 02/18/2008, -0/+9you pay more as you earn more....
have you ever actually looked at how taxes are structured?
Someone who earns $40K will always owe more than someone who earns $30K, because people have to pay certain percentages on each tier of their earnings.- BoneStamp, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2Right, so if you lower taxes it is going to be the guy paying more who saves more. This is when people get mad that the rich people are helped more by tax cuts than the poor people. Then you realize the rich guy's taxes went down by more than the poor is even paying in taxes, how can the poor guy complain about that?
- Eiknujrac, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2The common misconception here is that people who are wealthy get the majority of their income from their salary. How untrue could it be. Tax rates are not the same on other sources of income for the wealthy. CEO's of large corporations might sometimes make salaries of around $500,000, however I can guarantee you that their yearly income is much, much larger than that.
Fact: Warren Buffet pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. Look it up.
- quarkie, on 02/18/2008, -0/+9you pay more as you earn more....
- solid12345, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Income tax is BS. You should ONLY be taxed on your INCOME i.e your professional/job revenue, not on your wealth. If I earn money in the stock market and through investments, the government should have no right to take a portion of that.
- whatwhatwhoa, on 02/22/2008, -1/+1Let me remind you that the rich do little to boost the economy. Rather than giving a 10million tax cut to a billionare, give it to ordinary workers so they can spend more money on GOODS that actually fuel the economy. All the rich are gonna do is either keep it, or buy stocks, which doesn't do ***** for the economy.
- AROZ, on 02/18/2008, -10/+13!Logical fallacy alert!
- Khannea, on 02/18/2008, -6/+17I.e. the ones who will desert the US after the US collapses like a house of camel dung turds?
- ScottMitchell, on 02/19/2008, -1/+3If the US collapses, much of the world will follow suit. The US is large, has a vast array of natural resources, and more bombs and guns and planes and nukes than virtually all other nations COMBINED. My point is, the economy may cool in the US, jobs may be lost, but if it's anywhere as bad as you seem to think it will become, then *****'s going to happen elsewhere, too. Remember that the last Depression we had resulted in 20+ million dead, the detonation of two nukes, complete detestation of Europe and Eastern Asia, and so on.
- Khannea, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2I don't care and I don't believe. I WANT the US to collapse. I want evil OUT OF THE WORLD.
But Ron Paul for president will do. - CarStan, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Cthulhu for President!
Why choose the lesser evil?- Khannea, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Yah Cthulhu-Dagon 2012
- Khannea, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2I don't care and I don't believe. I WANT the US to collapse. I want evil OUT OF THE WORLD.
- ictharus, on 02/19/2008, -0/+4I'd like to assure you that my house is made out of camel turds, and it has proved incredibly stable.
So far, it has survived two earthquakes, 100mph winds and a boombox.- GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0Yeah, but did the kids survive the smell?
- ScottMitchell, on 02/19/2008, -1/+3If the US collapses, much of the world will follow suit. The US is large, has a vast array of natural resources, and more bombs and guns and planes and nukes than virtually all other nations COMBINED. My point is, the economy may cool in the US, jobs may be lost, but if it's anywhere as bad as you seem to think it will become, then *****'s going to happen elsewhere, too. Remember that the last Depression we had resulted in 20+ million dead, the detonation of two nukes, complete detestation of Europe and Eastern Asia, and so on.
- theright, on 02/18/2008, -13/+35Do you mean the top 5% who make up 60% of income tax contributions in the United States?
Not the bottom 50% of taxpayers who contribute a whole 3%?- SuperMoses, on 02/18/2008, -13/+16Ya, he meant the top 5% that make their money off the backs of the bottom 50% and contribute just enough taxes so that the bottom 50% can show up to work
- pintomp3, on 02/18/2008, -7/+11the same top 5% who own 70% of the wealth?
not the bottom 50% who own 1% of the wealth? - blackjack75, on 02/18/2008, -4/+6Do you mean the top 5% who actually work 60% of the hours? I don't think so.
- JohnboiWaltune, on 02/19/2008, -4/+3When the top 3% are no longer getting a good return on their investments in the U.S., they will flee.
- spidoman, on 02/19/2008, -1/+17[Numbers and percentages]
OWNED! - BubbaBubberson, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Wow theright, the responses to your post read like a Marxist leaflet!
- scamper22, on 02/18/2008, -4/+4Not sure where you're going with that.
I say good for them. I am middle class and I don't expect anything from the 'wealthy'.
I say good on them for moving to a region that allows them to keep their money.
You're damn sure, if a state suddenly had a freeir tax system, I'd be moving there. How can I fault the wealthy for doing the same.- jackola, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3After all, ethics are only a concept, unlike the dollar, right?
- scamper22, on 02/19/2008, -1/+0Ethics are wonderful.
Rich people who spread the wealth are wonderful. But I think it is unethical to steal their money through taxes.
But I guess your ethics and my ethics are different.
- scamper22, on 02/19/2008, -1/+0Ethics are wonderful.
- jackola, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3After all, ethics are only a concept, unlike the dollar, right?
- solid12345, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2Liberals frankly don't understand trickle down economics. Just the other day there was a story was talking how limo drivers are taking home smaller paychecks because with the economy rich people are spending less and not taking luxury rides among them. Remember kiddies, it is the rich who give you your job, unless you are one of those DMV nuts who work for da guvment because ya hate da man.
- Jaliyl, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Well then good news cuz with global warming, those artificial islands will be underwater in a few decades.
- Jareth86, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Are YOU in the top 3% of wealthy Americans? 20% of Americans say "yes".
- neio, on 02/18/2008, -7/+28I wonder if they can justify all these projects with the amounts of tourists they receive?
I prefer places with a colder climate so if I ever go to Dubai it'll be passing through only.- thepeacemaker, on 02/18/2008, -5/+7It gets quite nice in Dubai in the winter months. Kind'a like Houston weather. Btw, now there is a direct flight back and forth to Dubai from Houston (14 hrs) and NY.
http://www.dubaiairport.com/dubaimet/MET/Climate.a ... - mgrest, on 02/18/2008, -1/+9>I prefer places with a colder climate
My last time in Dubai was around 4 weeks ago. It was 15 degrees and raining... The locals were telling me that it was a "special day" as it was only the 4th time it had rained in the last 5 years...
This is a remarkable place. For all those speaking negatively of the place, I suggest you take the time to visit...- HeroreV, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1This is an expensive place. For all those suggesting to take a visit, I suggest you keep in mind my lesser income.
- GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0I personally would love to visit Dubai in UAE. Maybe I'll do so next year. XD
- HeroreV, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1This is an expensive place. For all those suggesting to take a visit, I suggest you keep in mind my lesser income.
- MacSuxWindozSux, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Or passing out. haha!
- thepeacemaker, on 02/18/2008, -5/+7It gets quite nice in Dubai in the winter months. Kind'a like Houston weather. Btw, now there is a direct flight back and forth to Dubai from Houston (14 hrs) and NY.
- ironicsans, on 02/18/2008, -4/+113If you build it, they will come.
- tenrec, on 02/18/2008, -0/+5And if they don't come then who will pay the construction loans?
- Kazanoe, on 02/19/2008, -2/+1I hated that movie so much, but that quote is awesome.
- giskard88, on 02/19/2008, -0/+0that's a cool tagline for a movie, but not much of a business model.
- Sleepfist, on 02/19/2008, -1/+1And then they will be throw in prison for four years for having microscopic amounts of marijuana in the crack of their shoe. http://www.absoluterandom.com/man-thrown-in-jail-i ... Just because you have money to consign amazing feats of engineering doesn't mean you don't still have a backwards, barbaric, medieval society.
- GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0O RLY?
- nenee, on 02/18/2008, -13/+30"There are more construction workers in Dubai than there are actual citizens." :)
- mgrest, on 02/18/2008, -1/+15That's just not correct. There are around a quarter of a million construction labourers in Dubai right now. The place has a population of around 1.6 million people.
The majority of these construction workers come from the south of India, notably the state of Kerala. There has been a lot of civil unrest from these workers in Dubai, complaining of poor conditions, but, to be honest, when you look at the conditions on a building site in India you wonder how that is any better than in Dubai...- Wartz, on 02/19/2008, -0/+6"citizens"
- Hodgie, on 02/19/2008, -5/+0"There are more SLAVE LABOURERS in Dubai than there are actual citizens." :)
- callmejordy265, on 02/19/2008, -1/+1Yes, thats what the description says.
- mgrest, on 02/18/2008, -1/+15That's just not correct. There are around a quarter of a million construction labourers in Dubai right now. The place has a population of around 1.6 million people.
- greendalek, on 02/18/2008, -40/+102This kind of creativity is what is unleashed when you don't have to sweat things like city building permits, construction code compliance, union rules, or appeasing any one of a hundred other local building regulations. THIS is pure unfettered free-market architecture, the kind of cities we'd have in America if government(s) would simply get the %#$@*& out of our way.
- pintomp3, on 02/18/2008, -10/+57yeah, ***** human rights. we need some good old slavery and human trafficking.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/By_Country/United_Arab_E ...
you are right though, this is the pure unfettered free-market.- gabeh73, on 02/18/2008, -7/+8we already have slavery...have you seen our quickly growing prison labor programs?
What about our stop-loss policy for tens of thousands of army soldiers?...at least they have nice buildings to show for it.- wicketr, on 02/18/2008, -2/+4When you are imprisoned you lose your right to freedom. Sometimes you lose your right to live. That's the judicial system and it's a bit handy at times. Personally I agree we should abandon the labor program.....BUT
I also think that AC, Heat, and electricity for light in their jail cells should be taken away too. And prisoners should stay in their cell and food brought to them for the extent of their jail sentence. I think that would actually scare people from wanting to come back. Right now, ex-prisoners aren't really worried about it. It'd also save the government a ton of money and we'd be able to build smaller jails with more cells in them.- gabeh73, on 02/19/2008, -2/+1prison labor is fine with me the problem is the criminal laws ont eh books putting non-violent drug criminals in jail...whil the last two presidents snorted coke and the CIA keeps shipping it into the country. Of course, I don't advise anyone doing them, but you can see where the cia/drug cartels liek artificially high prices and now the same elites are running the prisons and making money on that side. While they make us tax payers pay more per prisoner every year...and we have more prisoners than any other country....something ain't right.
- BriscoeJr, on 02/19/2008, -2/+1I hope you get wrongfully imprisoned.
- GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0I couldn't agree more. It's amazing how our prisoners and criminals get better treatment anywhere in America than any homeless person anywhere in the world. Yet at the same time, it's always America committing human-rights violations!
- wicketr, on 02/18/2008, -2/+4When you are imprisoned you lose your right to freedom. Sometimes you lose your right to live. That's the judicial system and it's a bit handy at times. Personally I agree we should abandon the labor program.....BUT
- gabeh73, on 02/18/2008, -7/+8we already have slavery...have you seen our quickly growing prison labor programs?
- wild, on 02/18/2008, -6/+67Yea, damn those construction code compliances. Nothing like living in a 500 story death trap. (yes, I could be exaggerating, but seriously, a lot of building code exists to protect people.)
- DeFex, on 02/18/2008, -1/+13apparently there was major design flaw in the cladding of the burj and they had to reinforce the cement with many layers of very expensive carbon fiber to save weight.
- funkywood, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Well they've obviously not read the parable since they are putting all that weight on a small area of SAND. They'd better have some serious reinforcement.
- Khannea, on 02/18/2008, -10/+11Greendalek, are you volunteering for a job in the construction industry? C'mon pal, I'd love to see you work at mexican wages, no insurance when a concrete slab falls on your legs, some nice debt-slavery. Let me guess, you vote republican? The short-term thinking party, right?
- punx, on 02/18/2008, -3/+4Well if he does vote republican he wouldn't want the mexicans here. Since they are here illegally anyway, republicans don't think they should be entitled to those benefits.
- GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0Riddle me this: why does someone who break a country's most sovereign laws deserve any right that only citizenship endows? Sure, some things need changing so people can migrate easier but why must we forget about people breaking our laws to sovereignty?
- BeyondGoodNEvil, on 02/19/2008, -6/+3Liberals are short-term voters. They would rather force everything to go at snail's pace to remove all risk, than to accept that risk is inherent in living, and therefore we should have low govt intrusion, and form our own networks of trust, rather than rely entirely on bureaucratic assholes in Washington to decide what we can and cannot do. The founders did not envision your liberal paradise we live in today. They envisioned one where groups of individuals could work together unfettered to build themselves a higher standard of living, so long as it doesn't directly harm others... basically what Dubai is doing, we could be doing all over America if our taxes were kept by ourselves, rather than put to use on bridges in Iraq and welfare to parasites.
- Khannea, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2It may be liberal in the US, over here in the netherlands it is firmly regarded as "civilization". Plus - I garantee to you, if the middle east hadn't made this money with oil, and did have respect for basic human rights ... they'd still be living in tents.
- arrrapirate, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2oh come on. he never said that. just because someone had to work hard in unfair conditions (this i concede) doesn't mean that the finished product is a bad thing.
besides - he's right, you know.
anyway, im going to go take a run in my 200 dollar nikes. made in bangladesh.
- punx, on 02/18/2008, -3/+4Well if he does vote republican he wouldn't want the mexicans here. Since they are here illegally anyway, republicans don't think they should be entitled to those benefits.
- djetaine, on 02/18/2008, -8/+36whoo-wee, if only i could live in a city where a lack of code allows people to build 100 story buildings next to my house, towering over my backyard.
If only my city didn't have these pointless city building permits. Oh woe is me. If only! Then I could have a strip club, a shooting range and a bar backed up against my child's school too!
If only! I can imagine I'd feel quite safe in one of those establishments constructed with no code compliance too. Who cares if the 220v wires are spliced together with electrical tape and taped to a water main? - mthmchris, on 02/19/2008, -0/+7Uh... no? This constuction is funded by massive government subsidies. If you want to see a city rising from the ground by the free market alone, take a look at Shenzhen (China).
- hoostasauce, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2and thats ironic
- CthulhuDawn, on 02/19/2008, -1/+8Oh, for Christ's sake go tea-bag Ron Paul.
- pintomp3, on 02/18/2008, -10/+57yeah, ***** human rights. we need some good old slavery and human trafficking.
- djdavey, on 02/18/2008, -59/+202And there are 1 billion starving children in the world... sigh.
- Roger, on 02/18/2008, -19/+61You better not be an American.
- highstriker, on 02/19/2008, -2/+7So what if djdavie is? I know it's popular to paint Americans as the assholes, but just because our government wastes countless amounts of money doesn't mean the entire population does.
The fact that the U.S. gives twice as much money to charities as any other nation says quite a bit. Could we give more? Yes. Could our government waste less? Yes. Does that mean everyone in the U.S. has no right to say something like the comment above? No- absolutely not. The fact is that there are a lot of people around the globe who could do a hell of a lot more to help solve such massive problems.
Or, instead of thinking, you can jump on the bandwagon. Way to judge an entire nation. In ways you're no better than those people out there who think all Muslims are violent and evil.- CeleronNutcase, on 02/19/2008, -2/+3you're right on
- Roger, on 02/19/2008, -4/+1"The fact that the U.S. gives twice as much money to charities as any other nation says quite a bit."
You got proof of that?
I believe Muslims are obligated to give a portion of their income to charity, so I'd think Dubai gives more (percentage wise).- highstriker, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Actually, just look it up on Wikipedia. The U.S. alone donated over 22 billion dollars in 2006 alone.
Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_charitab ...
It's funny that you mention that last bit though, because the closest nation on that list to the Middle East is essentially Turkey.
(So yes, I did my homework before making my comment.) - GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -1/+0Charity is not when you feel obligated to help someone; charity is when you willfully hand over help to someone without expecting anything in return or any sense of obligation. Therefore, your logic fails.
- highstriker, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Actually, just look it up on Wikipedia. The U.S. alone donated over 22 billion dollars in 2006 alone.
- CTK14A, on 02/19/2008, -2/+2Pot, before you call the kettle black, think back upon the history of your country England.
- Roger, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1England??
- highstriker, on 02/19/2008, -2/+7So what if djdavie is? I know it's popular to paint Americans as the assholes, but just because our government wastes countless amounts of money doesn't mean the entire population does.
- djetaine, on 02/18/2008, -16/+43I guess its time you started sending your money overseas to these starving children. I'm sure the money you paid for your computer and your monthly internet bill sure would help them.
- Flump5000, on 02/18/2008, -4/+15I dont know why he's getting dugg down. I thought it was a pretty good point.
- InfiniteNothing, on 02/18/2008, -2/+13Truth hurts
- highstriker, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Who are you to say that this person *isn't* sending their money to help others?
As for paying for a laptop and internet- that's honestly doing quite a bit to hopefully help others. Based on the News Media- you can't find real news on TV unless you're interested in Paris Hilton, or Britney Spears, or whatever "big" "important" story they're airing. And using the internet to learn more about *real* problems, and news that's actually important is hardly a bad thing.
- osarhan, on 02/18/2008, -9/+3Good point
- Coolkid11, on 02/18/2008, -5/+36BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Seriously, it's their money. It's their nation, they should do what they want with it. They shouldn't feel the urge to give the money Africans. (the government will just give the food to the military and not to the people anyways).- solid12345, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Many leftists have been grilling Bush for placing economic strings on aid to Africa but yet these provisions are what ensures crates of food are not being traded by corrupt government officials and soldiers for sex and cash.
- scamper22, on 02/18/2008, -3/+21Yeah, better to just put the whole world on welfare.
It's much better than creating sustainable economies based on trade and tourism.- spoering, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1I think calling Dubai's tourist economy "sustainable" is a bit of a stretch...
- SuperWinner, on 02/19/2008, -7/+2I believe the children are our future.... teach them well and Let the lead the way, show them all the starvation they possess inside!!!
- Protonz, on 02/19/2008, -2/+9You don't blame the parents for having kids they can't afford do you?
- GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0It is a parent's own fault if they have more children than they can afford. Nobody demanded they to get pregnant or even to have sex. :/
- staffa, on 02/19/2008, -1/+17At first glance this comment seems like it was pulled out of someones ass, the world population is around 6 billion, stating that 1/6 of the entire population of Earth are both children and starving seems absurd.
But to be fair I googled it and found this http://www.elca.org/hunger/facts/facts.html
According to a website that would be biased for hungry people, it states that about 867 million people are starving, this includes adults, which means the number of children starving is much much smaller.
So ya, number out of ass, the sad thing is the real number is no less tragic but you undermine your integrity when you just make ***** up and that ends up hurting the very thing you are trying to support.- KillerStone, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Thanks. I was about to call BS on this but you beat me to it.
- Scaryclouds, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Same, the global population is somewhere around 6 billion, as is I doubt there are 1 billion children, and obviously not every child is starving.
- GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0Any child that doesn't get everything they want is, according to some extremie views is, none-other-than starving.
- Danksta, on 02/19/2008, -1/+0Starving? You mean the people living below the poverty line.... vanity will be the bane of humanity.
- CelloZach, on 02/19/2008, -2/+7And 2 billion parents who shouldn't be parents.
- solid12345, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Children are starving because their governments are corrupt and steal aid money instead of investing it in capital projects like the UAE. It sucks for them but it is the responsibility of the people of a nation to take their government to task for its inefficiencies.
- CountryTime, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2move all the poor kids to dubai
- Roger, on 02/18/2008, -19/+61You better not be an American.
- embarkadero, on 02/18/2008, -69/+22Muslim hypocrits. They blow us up and then build the same damn thing.
- chrisatwork, on 02/18/2008, -3/+21lolwut
- vortexgenerator, on 02/18/2008, -7/+25You really can't judge a religion based on the action of a few extremists. I guess you can but it makes you look like an idiot.
- lickmylovepump, on 02/19/2008, -3/+2a FEW? hmmmm..... "idiot"? such sweet irony....
- zanderscoffee, on 02/18/2008, -4/+11You're an idiot. I guess you don't understand that there are different countries in the East as well as different groups. The East is not one big country filled with Muslim terrorists.
- waspbr, on 02/18/2008, -0/+7This is capitalism at its extreme, rich people building themselves their own city
- GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0Yeah, God forbid people actually use their mind and to profit while doing so!!!
- Ethos79, on 02/19/2008, -3/+4This is the stupidest comment I have ever read in my whole life... u r such an idiot...
- usafdave, on 02/19/2008, -1/+5"An estimated 85 percent of the population is comprised of non-citizens, one of the world's highest percentages of foreign-born in any nation." -Wikipedia article, United Arab Emirates
What does that mean? Even if EVERY Arab/Muslim/etc were a "terrorist", there'd be more non-terrorists living there than terrorists.
For crying out loud, does anyone remember what it was like to have to go to a library to look this ***** up? Now it's seconds away from being Googled... yet we have more dumbasses than ever. - GRX3000, on 02/21/2008, -0/+0The 9/11 bombers were Saudis, not UAE-citizens. UAE is a very liberal country compared with the rest of the mideast, but they would not dare tolerate terrorism.
- fusen, on 02/18/2008, -20/+139"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE?" erm... construction by the sounds of it
- finista, on 02/18/2008, -3/+11Exactly. What's with all the hysteria?
- frogman54, on 02/18/2008, -3/+68They're going nuts spending all of those license plate profits.
- theright, on 02/18/2008, -12/+8...the ones that went to charity?
- londonflare, on 02/18/2008, -24/+13Dubai is doing alot of building: correct
Dubai is said to currently have 15-25% of all the world's cranes: incorrect
There are more construction workers in Dubai than there are actual citizens: incorrect- djqxero, on 02/18/2008, -0/+21Where are you getting your source data from? If you are going to refute something, include some facts.
- mortigon, on 02/18/2008, -0/+9Someone on the internet said it.
- santaliqueur, on 02/18/2008, -1/+6from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai
"Population: 1,679,272"
"Dubai has approximately 250,000 labourers..."- NoCt1, on 02/18/2008, -1/+2i actually couldn't find the info on the laborers on the site.. on that wiki...
- santaliqueur, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1ctrl-F or cmd-F.
- KlogereEndGrim, on 02/18/2008, -0/+5"However, many of Dubai's 250,000 foreign laborers live in conditions described by Human Rights Watch as being "less than human" from the wiki...
- digitalme, on 02/18/2008, -1/+2This still doesn't really answer the question "Where are you getting your source data from?". Data from Wikipedia are not exactly the most reliable around.
- santaliqueur, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2Yawn, this again? Listen, the more people who see an article, the higher chances that it is correct. Wikipedia is not a perfect source of information, and we're still waiting for a source that is. It's as correct as any other source of information around.
- NoCt1, on 02/18/2008, -1/+2i actually couldn't find the info on the laborers on the site.. on that wiki...
- 3amboo, on 02/18/2008, -2/+3you're no fun
- vortexgenerator, on 02/18/2008, -6/+6Site your sources...
- n0t0kayipr0mis3, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Cite* :D
- holygram, on 02/18/2008, -2/+4Who cares if its true or not? It sounds ***** crazy.
- shreveyboy, on 02/18/2008, -3/+2ooo, cool, anti-intellectualism at work!
- laterallateral, on 02/18/2008, -0/+2One day, you may give birth to a giant baseball bat... Sideways.
But you know, who cares if it's true or not? - jackola, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1I guess it's easy to forget that not everyone is interested in truth.
- djqxero, on 02/18/2008, -0/+21Where are you getting your source data from? If you are going to refute something, include some facts.
- dildoolielly, on 02/18/2008, -39/+23CHECK OUT WHERE OUR ECONOMY WENT!
Saudi Arabia, home to nearly all of the hijackers, are building their nation with beautiful malls with ice rinks and galleries, lovely museums, high tech entertainment, high-tech education etc. etc. And ask yourself who is paying for all these beautiful things for the Terrorists? We are, at 3 fvcking bucks a gallon!!
And what do we get here in Amerikka? Anywhere you go, you think your in the same city, ***** Wal-Marts full of instant landfill and cheap plastic crap products made in China presented by elderly, cat food eating greeters and nasty McDonalds on every corner with welfare recipents spitting in the crappy food!
The NeoCons have sold our future to the fvcking Terrorists and what do inbred dumbass rednecks continue to parrot? "Who won!"??- Bmarofsky, on 02/18/2008, -4/+13Dubai get 80% of its $ from tourism douchebag
- dildoolielly, on 02/19/2008, -2/+2Not true, maybe in the future, but it is the Amerikan dollar that paid to build all this *****
- BoneStamp, on 02/19/2008, -1/+1Even if it were oil dollars, again, it would be very little of your oil dollar compared to everyone else's.
- Bmarofsky, on 03/03/2008, -0/+1Quote from the economist.com : though significant, Dubai's oil reserves have always been a fraction of those in Abu Dhabi, and today they account for less than 10% of Dubai's income. Dubai's known oil reserves are scheduled to run out by around 2010.
- dildoolielly, on 02/19/2008, -2/+2Not true, maybe in the future, but it is the Amerikan dollar that paid to build all this *****
- BoneStamp, on 02/18/2008, -1/+8Your country has the cheapest fuel among developed nations, including fuel cheaper than Canada... who exports 35% of their oil for your use. Yes, everyone in America is pissed about gas prices there... but nobody anywhere else in the world has any sympathy because they're paying way more. Chill out.
- dildoolielly, on 02/19/2008, -3/+2What your point? I ask because you failed to address mine
- BoneStamp, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2My point is that your argument is ridiculous. Let me reread and try to paraphrase your point:"We pay too much for gas, they take that money and build in excess, we sold our future to the UAE." If your point is that you pay too much for gas and that money embodies selling your future to the Arabs, and I say that you pay a fraction of everyone else then your point has no legs.
There was an emotional ethos about terrorists in your argument but I left that stuff out since it only makes you look racist, although it does seem like you're kind of smart or at least have a vocabulary... probably from reading Naomi Klein and other post modern dissenting literature. Maybe you can take a lesson from them on constructing a coherent thought and doing some research. You also managed to get Wal-Mart and McDonald's in there, when will your original thoughts end?
- BoneStamp, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2My point is that your argument is ridiculous. Let me reread and try to paraphrase your point:"We pay too much for gas, they take that money and build in excess, we sold our future to the UAE." If your point is that you pay too much for gas and that money embodies selling your future to the Arabs, and I say that you pay a fraction of everyone else then your point has no legs.
- dildoolielly, on 02/19/2008, -3/+2What your point? I ask because you failed to address mine
- Jak08, on 02/18/2008, -5/+3Well I think there are some pretty nice parts of AMERICA, bitch can't even spell and making fun of "inbred dumbass rednecks." And I fail to see how having Elderly people greeting people makes someplace horrible.
All of that I can sit Idle while you make fun of and poke at. But how dare, I say HOW DARE YOU say that the Big Mac is not simply delicious and possibly addicting.
- Bmarofsky, on 02/18/2008, -4/+13Dubai get 80% of its $ from tourism douchebag
- keyme, on 02/18/2008, -25/+40Did you know that their main source of drinking water is the sea? Yeah, they boil seawater to get rid of the salt. This takes a lot of energy. As a rough estimate, for every 1 liter of oil, they get 2 liters of water. The city consumes millions of liters a day. Do the math...
I guess 100$ a barrel of exported oil does the trick for them.- diadem2, on 02/18/2008, -3/+7well if you get the oil "at cost" there's a bit of a diffrence
- vortexgenerator, on 02/18/2008, -1/+22you can boil seawater all day and it only gets saltier. As far the efficiency of their desalinization plan you are way off base. Israel is now desalinizing water at a cost of 53 cents per cubic meter[1000 l] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalinization).
- theright, on 02/18/2008, -1/+18It's not exactly a secret. It's called desalination, and everyone in the Middle East does it.
Dubai just has the biggest desalination plant in the world... you know, because they can... - eryximachus, on 02/18/2008, -1/+8Have you ever boiled water before with any kind of fuel? A liter of kerosine will boil way, way more than 2 liters of water. Try something like a cubic meter.
Typical energy costs for desalinization are about $0.50 per cubic meter (Read wikpedia much? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination).
Sometimes, this crap I read on digg is just shocking. Yeah, you can do the math - but your inputs are total *****!- wolfkeeper, on 02/18/2008, -1/+3Actually, no you can't boil a cubic meter of water with a liter of kerosene- not directly.
What they do is recycle the heat, so that almost all the energy needed to boil a liter of water is recaptured when they recondense the purified water and they use it to boil the next liter of water and so on.
In other words, you don't want steam coming out of your desalination plant, you want water, as cold as possible, and they have lots of heat exchangers to extract all that heat that would otherwise be wasted.
- wolfkeeper, on 02/18/2008, -1/+3Actually, no you can't boil a cubic meter of water with a liter of kerosene- not directly.
- sedawk, on 02/18/2008, -1/+31"As a rough estimate, for every 1 liter of oil, they get 2 liters of water."
Unbelievably moronic statement. The cost of desalinization is generally around 0.05 cents per litre. Just in case your work at Verizon, that is $0.0005.- InfiniteNothing, on 02/18/2008, -1/+18dugg for obscure verizon poke
- heartsinaustin, on 02/18/2008, -1/+4dugg for your noticing the obscure verizon joke. That video was so funny!
Thanks - mozert, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1yea, i did not understand the verizon joke either..
- heartsinaustin, on 02/18/2008, -1/+4dugg for your noticing the obscure verizon joke. That video was so funny!
- InfiniteNothing, on 02/18/2008, -1/+18dugg for obscure verizon poke
- KJSatz, on 02/18/2008, -3/+3Okay, the dollar isn't worth much these days. According to Ron Paul and the Washington Post, the cost of oil relative to oil hasn't changed in the last like decade or something.
- michaelfitz, on 02/18/2008, -0/+10The cost of oil relative to oil? Spoken like a true robot.
- BeyondGoodNEvil, on 02/19/2008, -2/+1I thought it was usually hot there? Why can't they just collect evaporative condensation from huge pools of the water under transparent roofs, so it evaporates then slides down the perimeter?
- overt, on 02/19/2008, -2/+3Speaking of Dubai's water, I stayed there for 3-4 months last year, and I started losing a lot of hair, and getting a dry scalp, and I'm only 20! As soon as I got back, within a week my hair got better. Almost everyone I talked to in Dubai had the same problem, and a few of them went as far as washing their hair with bottled water.
- triad203, on 02/19/2008, -1/+2Yeah, I'm sure it's the water and couldn't have anything to do with the fact that it's a GODDAMN DESERT!
- Basor, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1I saw at discovery channel a program about get drinking water from the sea. They are developing a new technology to get fresh drinking water. They condens the water with a big structure. Google it for more information :-)
- silentphoenix, on 02/18/2008, -0/+100so basically everything is like twice the size of the biggest thing right now
- logicalnoise, on 02/18/2008, -4/+1Jack Napier says, nope
- DarkDx, on 02/19/2008, -1/+10That's what she said.
- stackered, on 02/19/2008, -1/+4still smaller than my massive...... star trek figure collection
- ElBeh, on 02/18/2008, -6/+73This is something I expect from Japan.
Because, you know, Japan...- logicalnoise, on 02/18/2008, -1/+24japan had plans for stuff this epic but instead they tried to cram all this stuff into a giant pyramid.
- waspbr, on 02/18/2008, -2/+9I guess you didnt get the joke
- Newglory, on 02/19/2008, -0/+7neither did I
- lul101, on 02/19/2008, -0/+4What the South Park Pokemon episode, then you will get it.
- waspbr, on 02/18/2008, -2/+9I guess you didnt get the joke
- logicalnoise, on 02/18/2008, -1/+24japan had plans for stuff this epic but instead they tried to cram all this stuff into a giant pyramid.
- staxofmax, on 02/18/2008, -2/+29It looks as if the city will blow away in a stiff breeze.
- bfrank72, on 02/18/2008, -8/+67It's interesting how everyone is making this a political/economical thing. Is it not enough just to appreciate the great architecture?
- T8erT0T, on 02/18/2008, -3/+22Nope. We need to blow off steam at where our money goes and type out our rage against the oil syndicates. Present company included.
- JohnFromChicago, on 02/18/2008, -7/+7This is paid for by you and me in rising energy costs, in taxes, in government debt ... I wonder how much of their money came from the US which we borrowed from China - on our dime and our children's dime! I'll make you a deal - I'll stick a gun in your face and take half of what you own. I'll use the money to build something really cool. You gonna think it's so cool? So while you may think it's worth it to sell out our children's future to a bunch of fascists in exchange for false security and pretty buildings. I however do not, and I've quite honestly lost me sense of humor about it.
- allahuakbar, on 02/19/2008, -1/+3No loser, they didn't take that money from you. It's theirs, and the cost of oil is based on the market, not how many buildings they build. Get your head out of your ass.
- homanh, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1This isn't paid by your tax money retard. You purchased oil for $$. You didn't donate the money, hence they money is theirs now, just like the oil is now yours.
According to your way of thinking, my supermarket is living off my money which I earnt myself because I pay them £ and they give me food..
- OMGIAMTHEMAN, on 02/18/2008, -0/+2only if its ours, duh
- GhostyBoy, on 02/19/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I honestly don't know anything about Dubai's politics. I'd really like to believe that this is not the result of slavery of any kind.
No matter what, this architecture is absolutely stunning. - highstriker, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2I dunno- the architecture just doesn't seem so great to me if the workers making it are being treated in terrible, inhuman ways. Yeah the buildings may look cool, but when you consider that with questionable safety regulations, which could make those buildings quite dangerous, and everything else... not quite so cool anymore. =/
- NoNamesLeft, on 02/18/2008, -8/+19This is the world shift of power in action in it's most visible form, and they want us to know about it. I just wonder how they'll cope with global warming in what are basically gigantic greenhouses.
- thejwac, on 02/18/2008, -21/+11They have some pretty remarkable structures planned. Nat'l Geographic just did a documentary on them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uZr3JWYdy8
- holygram, on 02/18/2008, -4/+3bury me
- jeskadubyah, on 02/18/2008, -1/+7so...tempted to click link...scared that it's a Rick Roll's video....so tempted....
- jeskadubyah, on 02/18/2008, -0/+5gave in, it's rick rolls. i hate you.
- mgrest, on 02/18/2008, -0/+3Ah click it, this is a whole new twist on the 'roll....
- juicebag, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2Why are people so terrified of being rickrolled. It's not the end of the world, and it's no goatse.
- glory, on 02/18/2008, -0/+2I liked this rick roll. It's fun to try and figure out which icons are associated with which sound. (spoiler: the hearts represent the bass line)
- Crnii, on 02/18/2008, -13/+8They will build while there is an oil.
- FlyingSpaghetti, on 02/18/2008, -0/+11Just one?
- halobender, on 02/18/2008, -0/+10They will speak while there is an English.
- turnesol, on 02/18/2008, -7/+1old hat
- dogstar0125, on 02/18/2008, -11/+40They should show a projection to 2020 when the region's oil runs out.
- beedo34, on 02/18/2008, -8/+22the year is 2020: the middle east continues to boom due to their advances in industry in the past 30 years. europe is doing fine. china is sucking down the last bit of oil out of the earth. and the united states is basically mexico's 2nd state.
- ingxia, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3i did some calculations and a car you drive into the ground at say 200,000 miles you would spend $30,000 in gas, that's likely more than the price of the car....and gas is only going up.
- neverending, on 02/18/2008, -4/+31The reason Dubai is doing this is *beacuse* the oil will run out. In 2020 Dubai will be making so much from tourism they won't give a toss about the lack of oil.
Actually, I think that's already the case.- gplpark92, on 02/18/2008, -2/+7indeed it is
- JointVenture, on 02/18/2008, -4/+16You need more than Hotels to become a tourist destination.
Lets see, NO BARS, NO ALCOHOL, you can get thrown in jail for your girl going out to pick up some tampons by herself etc etc- RobotBuddha, on 02/19/2008, -0/+14I really wanted to take a vacation there. But the story of the guy who was tossed in jail after a couple seeds from a poppy seed bun fell on him pretty much quenched it for me.
- KMartSheriff, on 02/19/2008, -1/+8You would have to be insane to want to go to Dubai. Sure it looks nice and all, but trust me once you've been there, it's not.
- txgentleman, on 02/19/2008, -3/+7There are bars and alcohol in every hotel in Dubai, it is just like every major city/tourist destination in the world
- ingxia, on 02/19/2008, -0/+2and the tampons?
- RuSTeDs, on 02/19/2008, -2/+1RobotBuddha, the guy (and his wife too) were tossed in the prison in Saudi Arabia, not Dubai. Read: two different countries on the same piece of land, much like US and Canada. Also in Dubai, tourists are allowed alcohol.
- fcekuahd, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3The whole region is *****. Even if they do serve alcohol, the people there pretty much spend the whole time looking at you like you're Satan incarnate. It's not a pleasant environment.
- dogstar0125, on 02/19/2008, -0/+6I guess the question is: where is their tourism coming from? If it's tourism from the gulf region, they're still relying on oil money from other Arabic states. That's probably also true for their financial services industry and their trade industry. Will this economy really be sustainable without oil revenue? If not, this is not going to look like a wise investment.
- blackjack75, on 02/18/2008, -3/+4Whether they have oil or an industry doesn't matter, as long as they have the huge masses of cash that have accumulated of the year. No raw resource is more valuable than hard cash. Once you have enough it just grows.
- CarStan, on 02/19/2008, -0/+3Yeah, nothings better than raw cash. Just like the 20 billion Mark note my gra
- beedo34, on 02/18/2008, -8/+22the year is 2020: the middle east continues to boom due to their advances in industry in the past 30 years. europe is doing fine. china is sucking down the last bit of oil out of the earth. and the united states is basically mexico's 2nd state.