Dubai

[rkmsuf]

So there's a big article in USA Today about how the Emirates have created a vacation hotspot in Dubai. It looks incredible and I had commented to some people about how I wouldn't mind visiting. The response I got was I'd be funding terrorists attacks against my own country. Is this true? I figured the Emirates were ok.

[QuikSand]

This ought to go well.

[rkmsuf]

This ought to go well.

I am curious. The Emirates seem to be creating a vacation hotspot. I'm for it. They have the indoor skiing and are building islands off the coast.

[cartman]

The UAE are not funding terrorists. The people that think they are assume anyone Muslim is a terrorist. The rulers of Dubai are spending tons of money in other places outside of the UAE to create vacation areas and help the economies of other Islamic countries to try and offset some of the hopelessness that breeds terrorism.

Dubai is smart in realizing that the oil gravy train isn't going to last forever, and are working full bore to diversify their financial interests.

[QuikSand]

Some nifty island-building too, I'm told. My pessimism is not about Dubai. It's about the lot who always seem to get attracted to threads like this, where they get to toss around their opinions of "those people" and that sort of thing.

[Draft Dodger]

you're really just hearing about Dubai today?

[rkmsuf]

you're really just hearing about Dubai today?

no, today is the day I choose to talk about it

[Desnudo]

My friend has been there (for work) and enoyed it. The tourist areas are luxurious and over the top.

[Honolulu_Blue]

As part of this vacation paradise are recent expansion boom, UAE just recently passed the U.S. as the highest energy using country per capita in the world. It takes a lot of juice to keep an indoor skiing venue operational in the middle of the desert.

[EagleFan]

The rulers of Dubai are spending tons of money in other places outside of the UAE to create vacation areas and help the economies of other Islamic countries to try and offset some of the hopelessness that breeds terrorism.


How does making the rich even richer in those other Islamic countries offset any hopelessness that breeds terrorism? :rolleyes:

[KevinNU7]

Their prince/king really puts alot of his money back into the country which is nice to see. The island they are making that looks like a palm tree is awesome.

[cartman]

How does making the rich even richer in those other Islamic countries offset any hopelessness that breeds terrorism? :rolleyes:

They have to hire someone to work at the resorts. They are creating decent jobs where there were none before.

[KevinNU7]

They have to hire someone to work at the resorts. They are creating decent jobs where there were none before.
I mean the guy is basically creating entire cities from nothing. This creates constuctrution jobs intially followed by all the jobs that come with running a city, so all the public works positions.

[ctmason]

How bad can it be if Vijay Singh lives there?

Personally check out David Copperfield's private islands. Much nicer.

[SteveMax58]

Going to Dubai & spending money on a vacation there does no more funding of terrorists than buying gas at a gas station...maybe less so.

And that opinion is from somebody most would consider right of center.

[DanGarion]

Google Map of the project
http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=1229&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=25.220938,55.164242&z=13

Google Map of a tanker shooting out sand making an island.
http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=1229&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=25.221957,55.162396&z=17

Google Map of palm.
http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=954&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=25.118618,55.135151&z=14

[Mustang]

They have to hire someone to work at the resorts. They are creating decent jobs where there were none before.

Sounds like Wal-mart.

Minus decent jobs and indoor skiing...

[st.cronin]

Indoor skiing? How could that possibly be any fun?

[molson]

I don't think it's as much a "all Muslims are terrorists" thing, as it American ignorance of geography and foreign cultures. Many or most Americans just group Dubai with Tehran or Baghdad as places that are "middle eastern" and thus "dangerous".

[Toddzilla]

I used to live in Esfahan, Iran. Lived there for 18 months back in '75 and '76 while my dad worked for DuPont. I was able to visit Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt, and a few other countries I can't remember.

That being said, you could not pay me enough money to vacation in the Middle East. I don't want to say that it is the culture, the people, the climate, or the jingoistic American in me, but I can't think of any place on the planet I'd enjoy less.

[st.cronin]

I used to live in Esfahan, Iran. Lived there for 18 months back in '75 and '76 while my dad worked for DuPont. I was able to visit Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt, and a few other countries I can't remember.

That being said, you could not pay me enough money to vacation in the Middle East. I don't want to say that it is the culture, the people, the climate, or the jingoistic American in me, but I can't think of any place on the planet I'd enjoy less.

I'd go to Dubai before I'd go to Paris, that's for sure.

[Rizon]

Google Map of the project
http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=1229&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=25.220938,55.164242&z=13

Google Map of a tanker shooting out sand making an island.
http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=1229&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=25.221957,55.162396&z=17

Google Map of palm.
http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=954&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=25.118618,55.135151&z=14

I counted at least 16 of them there terraists in that picture.

[Poli]

So there's a big article in USA Today about how the Emirates have created a vacation hotspot in Dubai. It looks incredible and I had commented to some people about how I wouldn't mind visiting. The response I got was I'd be funding terrorists attacks against my own country. Is this true? I figured the Emirates were ok.

Dubai is outstanding. It ranks up there in being one of my favorite ports I've been to.

[flere-imsaho]

The only thing I know about Dubai and terrorism is that there's a good bit of evidence to indicate that the Pakistani scientist who sold nuclear secrets, and some materials on the black market (and to North Korea, most notably) did route some stuff through Dubai. Both the Port and the banking system, in various cases, if I remember correctly.

However, having said that, I don't know how different that makes Dubai from, say most major ports (the former) and Swiss Banks (the latter).

[EagleFan]

LEt me clarify my statement. I am not saying Dubai is a terrorist nation of making any blanket statement like that. I am just amazed at how what they are doing is viewed as some sort of magic pill to help other countries stop producing terrorists. The powers that be in those other countries are who are making out in these deals and it has little affect on the main poulation in 99% oif the cases so this has no affect on terrorism.

It's funny how some people will see the same exact thing happen in our country (rich making the rich even richer) and bash it yet see it in another part of the world and act like it's a wonderful thing. Actually, it's not funny as much as it is frightening to see the biased, and illogical, line of thinking.

Overall on the Dubai tourism issue, hell I wish I had the bucks to try it some time. I think it would be a great thing to experience at some point in time (I wonder if I can convince our company that I need to travel there to size up the potential for an office ;) ).

They are very progressive in the positioning of their economy to not be entirely based upon oil. While, in my opinion, they are not being run by a terrorist base; remember that Switzerland was not directly in bed with the Nazis either.

[cartman]

I am just amazed at how what they are doing is viewed as some sort of magic pill to help other countries stop producing terrorists. The powers that be in those other countries are who are making out in these deals and it has little affect on the main poulation in 99% oif the cases so this has no affect on terrorism.

Please point out where I said it would stop the production of terrorists. That is what you read into it. I used the term offset, which is not the same as stop. You are mistaken in your assumption that the local population does not benefit from the construction of these new developments.

I agree that this is not a placebo that will stop extremism in its tracks, but these developments definitely bring opportunity for advancement in societies where there was none before.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Yay! Dick Cheney's moving to Dubai in 2009!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6440365.stm