Dick Cheney and Ken Lay will live in exile on the top floor of the Burj Dubai; looking out on a vast ocean of concrete.
joelb53
· 10 months ago
Isn't Cheney already there?
Mark in Florida
· 10 months ago
Except Ken Lay is in a better place that's a bit cooler than Dubai. In hell, cuz he is dead as a doornail.
tbhull
· 10 months ago
What kind of vehicle is a "saloon"?
DeppFan
· 10 months ago
I had to ask my son that one - he said in Great Britain, a saloon is what they call a 4-door sedan.
tbhull
· 10 months ago
Thanks. I drive a saloon.
BlueMole
· 10 months ago
I was at the beach in southern Maine in Julyawhile back, Chilly breezy day with the wind coming off the 55Fwater, a block inland it was 85F. Some guy came into souvenier shop I was browsing around and asked the salesperson if they rented heaters to take out on the beach. The dude gave him one of those priceless New England looks.
wmforr
· 10 months ago
And after all the special reports I've seen about the giant hotel and the indoor ski resort... Now it looks like the only multi-millionair who will be vacationing there is Osama bin Laden. Assuming he invested wisely. That nine billion that mysteriously disappeared in Iraq should come in handy.
Mark in Florida
· 10 months ago
Like I said, a great city is borne from it's people. This city was borne on the vanity of princes. It's a rediculous experiment.
Yes, the ski resort thing...Not exactly a 'green' forward thinking idea. :-)
evan_la
· 10 months ago
I wonder if that refrigerated beach will be finished. It think it was to be at the Armani resort.
DannyUSAF
· 10 months ago
It's actually much worse than what you see on the news. I went through Dubai many times when I worked for KBR. The place is filled with thousands of Indian men who live in jam packed dorms and work for very little money. I wonder why this is never investigated. There was a reference to this stuff in the movie Syriana, but that is all I've seen. People are totally unaware that indentured servitude is alive and well in many parts of the world.
Older_Wiser
· 10 months ago
Escaping debtor's prison...another medieval practice of the UAE, including slavery and the suppression of women and gays.
Makes you wonder why they went there in the first place. Oh right...to make money. So, what happened to it?
frank
· 10 months ago
The Indians are fleeing Silicon Valley returning home to gated communities in India called Pebble Beach. Greedy Cowards
FunMe
· 10 months ago
You can't blame the Indians. Wouldn't you do the same looking for opportunity and of course financial reward?
Americans were at fault for bringing in Indian to Silicon Valley at cheaper rates instead of being patriotic and hiring Americans at reasonable wages.
As my dad says "barato sale caro" - cheap ends being expensive.
American companies are at fault for this.
lucky hussein
· 10 months ago
aaahhh ha ha ha ha.... enomous, gaudy, ugly architecture built by peasant labor living in squalor.. no democracy, pro-corporate, repressive, facist society.. haliburon moves their hq to dubai.. that should tell you all you need to know.. raise the top income tax to 90% for americans earning over 7 million in today's dollars..as it was in eisenhower's day, those who don't like it can move to dubai like haliburton :-0! ha ha ha ha ..
Older_Wiser
· 10 months ago
May all those bastards wind up on the dole. ; () I hope they lose it all.
lucky hussein
· 10 months ago
me too, except if us banks have exposure, it means we will have to bail them out, judging by obama's actions so far... I wonder...
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 10 months ago
They left Wall Street and Canary Wharf in search of opportunity. They went to the UAE, where they presided over petrodollar investments for the sheikhs. They made megabucks! They lived large in their compounds, where they boozed it up beside the pool with their Filipina prosses! They gambled to win! To win big! But then . . .
[heavy doom-laden minor chords]:
it all came crashing down around their ears. Then . . .
it was home to mummy and daddy in Long Island and suburban Middlesex.
They're "The New Lost Generation"! So lost . . . so tragic . . . !
Indigo
· 10 months ago
I'm looking forward to the movie version of the novel.
ndtovent
· 10 months ago
I'm sure halliburton will be the last one standing.
ShirleyGoodnessanMercy
· 10 months ago
Didn't Bush try to give Dubai control of the port of New York?
ndtovent
· 10 months ago
he sure did...
Nick_the_Dog
· 10 months ago
Dubai Dooby Doo........Doo Doo Doo Dee Doo!
ShirleyGoodnessanMercy
· 10 months ago
The good news is that now you can book a single room at the Burj Al Arab (the world's only 7 star hotel) for a paltry $2,518.00 per night.
Whitehall devised torture policy for terror detainees MI5 interrogations in Pakistan agreed by lawyers and government
A policy governing the interrogation of terrorism suspects in Pakistan that led to British citizens and residents being tortured was devised by MI5 lawyers and figures in government, according to evidence heard in court. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/16/pak...
redstar
· 10 months ago
Couldn't have happened to nicer people? You mean, the threat of going to debtors prison for expats who've been living in Dubai, are those the people you'd wish that on?
You can be nothing other than an asshole for such a statement.
And before you go on about those Western expats who you're going to somehow say "deserve" it, bear in mind most expats living in Dubai are not Americans or Europeans, but poor Indians or Philipinas, trying to make some money to send home and help feed their families.
Yeah, they "deserve" it about as much as you have to contribute on the subject, other than a bunch of gas.
houstonray
· 10 months ago
I don't think John is referring to the exPats, I believe he is referring to the country of Dubai and it's Religious leadership...
Southern Beale
· 10 months ago
What is a "saloon"?
FunMe
· 10 months ago
read the comments home boy!
DeppFan 1 hour ago I had to ask my son that one - he said in Great Britain, a saloon is what they call a 4-door sedan. reply flag tbhull 44 minutes ago Thanks. I drive a saloon.
BlueMole
· 10 months ago
I rented a Toyota or Nissan Saloon in the Caribbean several years ago. Right there in chrome attached to the trunk. We thought is was really funny, as we had a cooler stocked with Caribs in the car most of the time. he he
clintonista
· 10 months ago
I was in Dubai over Christmas. I've been going to Dubai since 2003 and have indeed witnessed the meteoric rise and now fall of this emirate. It's sad and scary and it's the poor (mostly Asians) who are really going to lose out.
Dubai was oddly quiet. A lot less traffic on the highways and a lot less people in the malls.
Paul
· 10 months ago
John, I'm a little disturbed by your comment "couldn't have happened to nicer people." I have friends (some gay) who live and work in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It's a wonderful multicultural mishmash of immigrants and reminds me of a Muslim version of New York at the turn of the century. Yes its conservative, but so is Nebraska (I know I'm from there).
cowboyneok
· 10 months ago
Doesn't Michael Jackson and his "boy harem" live there?
Mark in Florida
· 10 months ago
LOL..... I forgot about that. There goes the neigborhood. First Gary Indiana, Now Dubai....what is the world coming too.... MJ, The grim spector of death.
benb
· 10 months ago
Sharia: a credit card company's wet dream.
SCLiberal
· 10 months ago
"Couldn't have happened to nicer people."
I'm sure there are lots of people around the world saying the same about America.
Ian
· 10 months ago
Yeah, except there aren't cars being abandoned in parking lots. Nice try.
SCLiberal
· 10 months ago
No, not cars. Just people. Homeless rates are skyrocketing.
Mark in Florida
· 10 months ago
Yes, except no one is going to be taking up a collection for some over zealous condo buyers with more money than sense. Give me a break.
Great cities are borne from it's people. If you look at the world class Alpha cities in the world. : London, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, Paris. Etc.
Dubai is not on that list. And for good reason. Read my post above.
FlyingToaster
· 10 months ago
Since Dubai decided to not issue a visa for an Israeli tennis player, I think this qualifies as deserving some fallout. Pfeh.
LanceThruster
· 10 months ago
I think anyone showing support for Gazans who were slaughtered in great numbers recently should be commended. Yes, it wasn't the tennis player's fault, but that's why boycotts get noticed.
Bernie Madoff and many US investment bankers *should* be in debtors prison, not in a mansion under house arrest.
Bill Jones
· 10 months ago
You comment is filled with veiled biggotry
LanceThruster
· 10 months ago
I'm sorry you feel that way but would welcome you pointing out what makes you think so.
[was a response to a deleted post that said my comment was thinly veiled bigotry]
Domino
· 10 months ago
Shahar Peer is number 48 on the WTA rankings. The WTA rules prohibit banning players for their citizenship. The tournament, the Dubai Open (not really open is it?), may be removed from the WTA calendar next year.
sparrow
· 10 months ago
Tide turns and they're left with their sand castles.
Older_Wiser
· 10 months ago
Bloomberg reporting that oil futures are below $37. So, they've been under $40/bbl for about 2 weeks now. But gas at the pump is heading quickly toward $2/gal. again. As if we didn't know why.
bob_h
· 10 months ago
But I thought the bankers were threatening to go there is their bonuses here were cut back.
bill__free
· 10 months ago
The rest of the story included info about why they were leaving like a thief in the night and leaving their cars behind. They were afraid of "debtor's prison", since they were upside down in their loans. I read it yesterday. It was a very interesting read.
mike
· 10 months ago
Americans may not want to gloat too soon. Dubai's problems directly translate into American ones. Big ones too. Dubai had huge orders for Boeing aircraft, that they are now canceling. Airplane manufacturing is/was one of the bright spots in American manufacturing, with growing international sales. Well paying union jobs too. We could see Boeing take a place on the bailout list soon.
Dubai is smaller than the city of Jacksonville Florida.
The fact that Dubai is falling apart is not surprising in the least.
I am an Architect, and most of that city was designed by American Architects. From the buildings, to the infrastructure. And that's great for us. But here is the obviious Dubai flaw: They have NO middle class: The buildings are nothing but veignglorious folly for the Princes. Giant penis's in the desert. Empty.
They make nothing, export nothing, and have horrible human rights issues. Women are still second class citizens...and gay people...well forget it.
The idea was to create a vacation destination. "Thanks, but no thanks for that city to nowhere"
To try to will something like this from the dessert without any substance that is the basis for staying power is rife for disaster. Heck it took Vegas until this decade to become a 'real' city.
I will gladly take the money and deisgn anything anyone wants. So I am sad to see it fade believe me. But I am not surprised. It's a prediction I made years ago.
Dubai
· 10 months ago
Dubai may well be falling apart but a newspaper of the calibre of The Times publishing inaccurate reports doesn't help those of us who are looking for accurate information. Yes there are cars abandoned at the airport, there always have been. The Times (from where this story spread) misrepresented a police statement that 3000 cars had been abandoned in all of Dubai during all of 2008, not at Dubai airport in the past couple of weeks.
All Comments
Yes, the ski resort thing...Not exactly a 'green' forward thinking idea. :-)
Makes you wonder why they went there in the first place. Oh right...to make money. So, what happened to it?
Americans were at fault for bringing in Indian to Silicon Valley at cheaper rates instead of being patriotic and hiring Americans at reasonable wages.
As my dad says "barato sale caro" - cheap ends being expensive.
American companies are at fault for this.
enomous, gaudy, ugly architecture built by peasant labor living in squalor..
no democracy, pro-corporate, repressive, facist society..
haliburon moves their hq to dubai.. that should tell you all you need to know..
raise the top income tax to 90% for americans earning over 7 million in today's dollars..as it was in eisenhower's day, those who don't like it can move to dubai like haliburton :-0!
ha ha ha ha ..
[heavy doom-laden minor chords]:
it all came crashing down around their ears. Then . . .
it was home to mummy and daddy in Long Island and suburban Middlesex.
They're "The New Lost Generation"! So lost . . . so tragic . . . !
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/16/...
Whitehall devised torture policy for terror detainees
MI5 interrogations in Pakistan agreed by lawyers and government
A policy governing the interrogation of terrorism suspects in Pakistan that led to British citizens and residents being tortured was devised by MI5 lawyers and figures in government, according to evidence heard in court.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/16/pak...
You can be nothing other than an asshole for such a statement.
And before you go on about those Western expats who you're going to somehow say "deserve" it, bear in mind most expats living in Dubai are not Americans or Europeans, but poor Indians or Philipinas, trying to make some money to send home and help feed their families.
Yeah, they "deserve" it about as much as you have to contribute on the subject, other than a bunch of gas.
DeppFan 1 hour ago
I had to ask my son that one - he said in Great Britain, a saloon is what they call a 4-door sedan.
reply flag
tbhull 44 minutes ago
Thanks. I drive a saloon.
Dubai was oddly quiet. A lot less traffic on the highways and a lot less people in the malls.
I'm sure there are lots of people around the world saying the same about America.
Great cities are borne from it's people. If you look at the world class Alpha cities in the world. : London, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, Paris. Etc.
Dubai is not on that list. And for good reason. Read my post above.
Bernie Madoff and many US investment bankers *should* be in debtors prison, not in a mansion under house arrest.
[was a response to a deleted post that said my comment was thinly veiled bigotry]
I read it yesterday. It was a very interesting read.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/05/busin...
The fact that Dubai is falling apart is not surprising in the least.
I am an Architect, and most of that city was designed by American Architects. From the buildings, to the infrastructure. And that's great for us. But here is the obviious Dubai flaw: They have NO middle class: The buildings are nothing but veignglorious folly for the Princes. Giant penis's in the desert. Empty.
They make nothing, export nothing, and have horrible human rights issues. Women are still second class citizens...and gay people...well forget it.
The idea was to create a vacation destination. "Thanks, but no thanks for that city to nowhere"
To try to will something like this from the dessert without any substance that is the basis for staying power is rife for disaster. Heck it took Vegas until this decade to become a 'real' city.
I will gladly take the money and deisgn anything anyone wants. So I am sad to see it fade believe me. But I am not surprised. It's a prediction I made years ago.