The Dark Side of Dubai

[Chomsky]

Wow.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion...i-1664368.html

[don]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

The Search is Over- the elusive Capital of the Neo-liberal Era has been found!

Stanley? Livingston?

No....Chomsky :eek: ;)

Good work, old boy, and what about some tea and cakes

[cjppjc]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

Ug. That's just awful. You knew that bubble was was going to burst. The human toll is heartbreaking.
As an aside, if there is a sysmic event near there will those man made islans hold up?

[World Traveler]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

Fascinating article, Chomsky. Read the whole thing. If I ever go to Dubai (unlikely but possible), I will definitely not go near any of the toxic, polluted beaches.

As the global economy slows down, their tourism and business revenues will decrease. Which hopefully will lead them to deport some of the Asian slave-workers. It's clear that life is much better for them in the poor, poor countries they came from.

[audrey_girl]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

Dave McAlvany visited Dubai last week (gold dealer) and reported on his visit in his weekly podcast (about 25 minutes)

Sharp guy with pretty unflattering portrait of the City of Gold:

http://www.mcalvany.com/podcast/?p=70

-ag

[hoodoo]

Debtors in Duabi

Oh man. What a awful mess...

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion...i-1664368.html

Hoo

[cjppjc]

Re: Debtors in Duabi

I love how the good stuff gets posted at least twice.

See Vanity Fair on Iceland. That one got posted at least three times.

[Rajiv]

Re: Debtors in Duabi

I think this has been posted earlier here - The Dark Side of Dubai

[hoodoo]

Re: Debtors in Duabi

oops - we need version control. Sorry

[GRG55]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

Fascinating article, Chomsky. Read the whole thing. If I ever go to Dubai (unlikely but possible), I will definitely not go near any of the toxic, polluted beaches.

As the global economy slows down, their tourism and business revenues will decrease. Which hopefully will lead them to deport some of the Asian slave-workers. It's clear that life is much better for them in the poor, poor countries they came from.

Can't understand how she missed the [non-gay] sex industry and money laundering parts.

What people from outside, who have never lived in the region, fail to understand is that Dubai serves as the "pressure relief valve" for the rest of the GCC. People go there to do the things they cannot do as easily, or at all, in their home country - drink alcohol, shop for fashions and products restricted at home, take your family to a movie [prohibited in Saudi Arabia], dancing, whoring, indulge your wildest fantasy...you can find all that and more in Dubai...as long as you don't get caught.

Like Disneyland it could be a fun place to visit, but how anybody could actually live in Dubai was always completely beyond me. Although every other country copied some aspects of Dubai's excesses, mostly mini-versions of the rigged, slave-labour real estate bubble game [I used to refer to my resident State as "The Magic Kingdom"], expats and nationals alike looked down on Dubai...because none of them would ever want what was happening there repeated in their own residential jurisdiction.

mfyahya: Are you still there?

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

Wow.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion...i-1664368.html

Wow. Stunning. Depressing.

One way to detect the power structure's center is to look for the greatest new monuments. The money behind those monuments will be a major and integral part of the worst of the corruption.

Long ago, the Banksters realized they could control a nation by controlling its money.

In the last 50 years, they have realized they could further control a nation by controlling its energy, and that their money provided just that control.

The excesses and contrasts of Dubai shine like a beacon on this corrupt imbalance.

Human civilization needs a lesson, big time, in the school of hard knocks. We might be in the early chapters of that lesson now. Part of me hopes we are. Part of me fears we are. I'm hoping we get far enough along in this lesson that I can see there is renewed hope, before I pass from this earth, which I'd guess will be in perhaps 20 or 30 years.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

Article comes across quite dystopian....reads like 1 part Snowcrash to 3 parts hot/dry Blade Runner.

Whoever owns the water there is going to be the Master Blaster of Bartertown

[petertribo]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

In the heady days of American Triumphalism in IRAQ, I remember reading the stories of the $15-20BILLION or so that was flown over via Sir Easy Al Express. Was it $320MILLION physical currency per pallet?

I also remember reading that Dubai was the US Gateway into Bagdad-gone-bad and a prized RnR locale for US troops and Mercenaries.

In addition, I remember reading that Dubai was noted as a money laundering hot spot.

So, did any of that cash transfer never leave the pallet in Bagdad but rather then go directly to Dubai? Could that explain part of the boom?

So, very surprised and disappointed to see no mention of Money Laundering in that in the article. We do know that most of the Sir Easy Al deliveries disappeared.

[don]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

In the heady days of American Triumphalism in IRAQ, I remember reading the stories of the $15-20BILLION or so that was flown over via Sir Easy Al Express. Was it $320MILLION physical currency per pallet?

I also remember reading that Dubai was the US Gateway into Bagdad-gone-bad and a prized RnR locale for US troops and Mercenaries.

In addition, I remember reading that Dubai was noted as a money laundering hot spot.

So, did any of that cash transfer never leave the pallet in Bagdad but rather then go directly to Dubai? Could that explain part of the boom?

So, very surprised and disappointed to see no mention of Money Laundering in that in the article. We do know that most of the Sir Easy Al deliveries disappeared.

And what was it about the hideous buildings and man-made islands that seemed to enthrall right wing ideologues? I got repeated emails of artists' renditions of these architectural obscenities from people that thought they were wonderful. Schadenfreude? Sure, but I know a lot of misery went with the exercise. Hell, a friend of mine pined for a supervisory job over there. Knowing his $$$ proclivities he would have ended up in one of those stories :eek: Bad enough he married a Ukrainian gal from an internet catalog :eek: that's now falling apart in Florida. A story in itself :rolleyes:

[metalman]

Re: The Dark Side of Dubai

Bad enough he married a Ukrainian gal from an internet catalog :eek: that's now falling apart in Florida. A story in itself :rolleyes:

ukraine is not a brothel!



it only dresses as if it were. :cool: