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WTF is going on in Dubai?
dubai.isnuts.googlepages.com — Check out this collection of pictures from the most fascinating City in the world. "This is a city on crack" says it all. Almost a quarter of the worlds cranes call this city home. Why not take a look at the under-sea hotel, the old space-port, or the "300 artificially created islands in the shape of the world". Excuse the language on this page.
RealJimShady- 1946 diggs
- digg it
- Alexx3k, on 10/12/2007, -1/+30Damn, half that stuff was still making sci-fi films just 20 years ago.
- nfulton, on 10/12/2007, -76/+25You know . . . that tallest building in the world thing . . . after 9/11. It just has no appeal at all. And I hope they piled the dirt real high on those Islands, cause the water is rising. A space station would probably cost less and be a better investment.
I wish all these folks would spend their money on stuff that actually had some value. - UGM2099, on 10/12/2007, -42/+9Good points, nfulton. With the scale of this city they're bound to encounter something tragic, natural or otherwise, that will have a devastating effect. The manmade islands have always concerned me but I imagine they monitor sea levels by the hour and if they had to lift every building by 2 feet it's pretty obvious they have the wherewithal to do it. It's all fascinating...
- JeffH, on 10/12/2007, -5/+17Yeah, the architecture is amazing, on "sci-fi" movie levels with some of them. Such an amazing city to see the growth of, this is the first city that even begins to touch the "Metropolis"'s of comic books, and the futuristic cities of sci-fi fame.
My question though: Where the hell are they getting all of this money? And what's the security going to be like (it seems like a terrorist playground with all the huge, expensive targets)? - soogy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+61@nfulton:
Why does the world's tallest building thing have no appeal? The world doesn't have to stop because of 9/11.
And why the hell would we spend money on another space station that will be used by very few people?
The projects underway in Dubai, like the Dubai Mall and the Burj Dubai skyscraper, are going to serve millions of people per year. They will generate immense income and prosperity for the people of Dubai, as well as provide much needed housing and jobs. - WestDC, on 10/12/2007, -8/+49Time to move to Dubai!
- disillusioned, on 10/12/2007, -38/+15Pro-tip, regarding terrorist targets:
Terrorists don't target their own. Or relatives of their own. Dubai is uber Muslim. - NiteShok, on 10/12/2007, -22/+14@ disillusioned
Yeah, sure, okay, all terrorists are Muslims.. - superbonbon, on 10/12/2007, -3/+64"Pro-tip, regarding terrorist targets:
Terrorists don't target their own. Or relatives of their own. Dubai is uber Muslim."
what's all this nonsense that I keep hearing about Shiite's and Sunni's then? - suman78, on 10/12/2007, -6/+39It's all "OIL"!!!!
- Berkana, on 10/12/2007, -5/+24The sad thing is, a lot of those super expensive artifical island arrangements are uninhabitable now; the tide doesn't carry enough water circulation through the maze-work of artificial islands, and the water is choked with stinking algae and dead fish. If this keeps up, Dubai will be an uninhabited rust belt of hastily constructed majestic monuments. Let's hope they plan judiciously. It's not as simple as "if you build it, they will come"; if they don't, the ghost town will scare everyone away, and nobody will ever go. Dubai could be a large empty but pretty shell of a city like Pyongyang (the capital of North Korea, for those who don't know).
- alex.will, on 10/12/2007, -2/+97Comment abuse, but I can't see the pictures so here is a mirror --> http://dubai.isnuts.googlepages.com.nyud.net:8080/
- brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21"Pro-tip, regarding terrorist targets:
Terrorists don't target their own. Or relatives of their own. Dubai is uber Muslim."
Are you joking? You don't think there were muslims in the twin towers? When a muslim terrorist kills another muslim, they are either A) Writing it off as, "oh it's okay, I just sent them to heaven" or B) killing them because they belong to the "wrong" Muslim sect. - signal15, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5What I find interesting is that more and more people are working from home or wherever they want to work from. Some people, including me, do not even have an office. In 10 years or so, I can see the norm for certain professions allowing their employees to work from anywhere there is an internet connection. I've been looking at property in places considered "cheap paradise". Unfortunately, the prices on some of this stuff has been going up lately.
But, what I wonder is if Dubai has thought of this, and this is part of the reason they are building all of this. They are building several very large apartment/condo buildings, and there are other very large housing projects planned. If they go forward and create, in their words, "the best place to live," are they assuming that many people will have the flexibility to work from anywhere they have a net connection? Or are they trying to pimp this stuff to the ultra-rich who don't have to work? - samsonlonghair, on 10/12/2007, -6/+43It's called slavery. That's what's going on in Dubai.
Look it up; I'm not exaggerating. - jtsai256, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6national geographic magazine has a nice article in the current issue regarding the plight of the poor indentured workers. It really does seem like a substantial labor force inequality issue. However, I suppose the dream of Dubai has got to be built somehow...
- dagonweb, on 10/12/2007, -3/+30This is what oil buys the last 15 years. You paid for these towers and this city. Thats people having a party financed by the US, China, America and Europe. Because of oil.
If the world world have a cheap, abundant energy source, EVERY city in the world could look like this. EVERY country in the world could have this growth rate or this economic investment rate. - JaytB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I saw on the news some time ago that they will be importing millions of (exotic) birds just to create a more relaxing climate. Most of it is sponsored by rich oil industries with an unlimited budget. I'm sure it will be something special to visit when it's completely finished but I'm also sure it'll cost ya.
- DigiRaven, on 10/12/2007, -1/+38Yeah its a amazing with slave labor and rich oil tycoons can do with a city.
- sevenhelmets, on 10/12/2007, -3/+32Actually the U.A.E group (United Arab Emirates, which Dubai is part of) are a bunch of smart cookies. They are specifically doing this because they have done their projections and realised that their massive income from oil revenue is peaking. With predicted oil production falling away in the next 100 odd years or so (or should I say running out completely), they are basically trying to create a new cash cow - the ultimate tourist spot.
Dubai will be marketed as the new "Las Vegas". Luckily Dubai isn't strict enough (Islam) to disallow alcohol in the country..... - quasipalm, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3Dubai has a population of just 1.3 million. It's about the same size as San Antonio, Texas. Now, can anyone tell me why San Antonio would need the worlds tallest building and dozens of other giant buildings? Not to mention Dubai is a city surrounded by open desert -- there's no real reason to build up.
Dubai is going to have a hard landing when they realize how much they've over developed. - Danial, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13"Pro-tip, regarding terrorist targets:
Terrorists don't target their own. Or relatives of their own. Dubai is uber Muslim"
Go tell that to the 60 Jordanians murdered in Amman on 11/9/05 by Zarqawi. Or the 150,000 Algerians murdered in the civil war there. Or the Shi'as in Iraq that are constantly butchered by Sunni insurgents.
Shi'as are not even considered Muslim by many Sunnis, so who are you to make a dubious claim about them not targeting their own, when the evidence above is proof of it. - littlebylittle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5For some reason, almost anything posted to the net about Dubai is censored. It's effing weird man.
- biggyfred, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15This stuff isn't being done for tourism, though it is hoped that tourism makes a tidy profit on the side. Dubai is attempting to build a regional stock market that will attract the region's extreme liquid assets (yea, all that oil cash) to a market other than New York or London. As Taiwan + Singapore = China when trying to find safe, Western-style regulation points to enter the market, Dubai is trying to be the same thing to Saudi Arabia and the rest of the oil-money Middle East. They have competition in the form of Kuwait and others, and so these projects are attempts to differentiate their brand. It's a bold move that could backfire spectacularly, but could also mean an economy insulated from the whims of the oil market.
These projects aren't all they're doing. These are built within "special economic zones", in which taxation and regulation are slashed in order to lure Western banking, capital, etc. They also have the biggest regional player in the airline industry (Emirates Air), and that's not a mistake either. If they're crazy, they're crazy like a fox.
It's a great idea and kudos to them for trying. Whether it'll work is another question. - littlebylittle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11They better hope Al Gore and all the Global Warming Scientists are wrong about that little Sea Level thing.
- snuffhawk, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Dubai also has the highest tennis court in the world at Burj al Arab
http://www.burj-al-arab.com/tennis/ - mutatron, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7But what sucks about it is that it's all separate, it's just a bunch of big fancy buildings with no plan to unite them. Most noticeable is an extreme lack of public transport. Where are all the monorails and skyways, e.g. http://www.arthouse.ru/img/german2003/metropolis_large.jpg ? Or is it all underground?
- humperdeath, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7Why did so many of you blast @nfulton? He is absolutely correct. These Mid East countries have so much money and the waste it on these engineering oddities! Don't you think all that money is better used to feed hungry people, or maybe build better schools and hospitals? Even to improve their own infrastructure. This waste bugs me and should bug you too. USA has to spend billions on helping 3rd world countries, and then someone builds a hundred islands to look like the globe? An underwater hotel? Who needs that, really!
- cainrok, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The Pics: http://flickr.com/photos/broknman/sets/72157594154414242/show/
http://www.dubai-photos.de/html/deira1.html - haastyle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2snuffhawk thats actually their helipad, they just had them play tennis on it to open up the place, get some publicity.
- DatDudeWiggs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5What else is pretty sick is that they have a water park where most of the slides go up! It's pretty crazy(been there).
- skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Dubai also has the highest tennis court in the world at Burj al Arab"
WTF!!! What happens when you go chasing a ball near the edge of the court?? - Anonymouz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1@ disillusioned
"Pro-tip, regarding terrorist targets:
Terrorists don't target their own. Or relatives of their own. Dubai is uber Muslim."
As mentioned before there were many Muslims who were also killed on 9/11. So how can you say that? THERE'RE NOT MENT TO KILL THEIR OWN BUT THEY DID. The people who commited these acts are not Muslims or "radicles" or "fundientalist" they are simply terrorists.
With regard to Sunni and Shia sects, from an Islamic perspective there should be no sects in Islam. It is one religion for all of mankind. No one is diviided from another no one is suppierior yet each one of these sects think they. Islam says no Muslim should fight anyone else unless in defence etc. Yet these sects continue to fight with each other daily.
Its time we took Islam out of the equation because clearly people have left the teachings of it far behind. - superpotential, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3there are lots of non-muslim terrorists in the world today. terrorism doesn't coincide with islam. terrorism coincides with misinterpretations of any religion, extreme fundamentalism, and a misunderstanding of overall human values.
that said, there are many non-muslim terrorists in the world today. for example, the ETA in spain. it just so happens out of chance that the terrorists that are endangering the USA, for example, typically come from muslim countries and are thus usually muslim because of their origin or their extreme beliefs of their little clan.
a long time ago, terrorists [nazis] were christian. a longer time ago, terrorists [slave owners] were white americans. an even longer time ago, terrorists were hindu. even longer ago, terrorists were jewish.
so? sure, most terrorists of concern today are muslim. so what? it doesn't mean muslims are terrorists at all. all it means is that the terrorists today are misinterpreting islam among other religions, and it doesn't mean that 10 years from now some other group of dorks will misinterpret buddhism and start killing. - jbus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2This is all oil/blood money that friends of the Bush family have acquired. They have built a play land for the rich and chosen to ignore those that are most in need. You can build all the fancy resorts in the world, but that doesn't hide the corruption beneath it all.
- littlebylittle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I find it interesting that The Bin Laden Family has an office building in Dubai.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bin_Laden_family - littlebylittle, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1“This is all oil/blood money that friends of the Bush family have acquired. They have built a play land for the rich and chosen to ignore those that are most in need. You can build all the fancy resorts in the world, but that doesn't hide the corruption beneath it all.”
[Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the waters rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.]
- nfulton, on 10/12/2007, -76/+25You know . . . that tallest building in the world thing . . . after 9/11. It just has no appeal at all. And I hope they piled the dirt real high on those Islands, cause the water is rising. A space station would probably cost less and be a better investment.
- abid786, on 10/12/2007, -66/+5However much cool that seems, those Arabs are WASTING their money...instead of spending on useful projects/investing it somwhere worthy, they are wasting it on building frickin islands...
- pintomp3, on 10/12/2007, -4/+84actually, dubai is one of the places in the middle east that doesn't have an economy solely based on exporting oil. they are building a playground for the wealthy, which will bring in serious tourist dollars. think vegas.. but way bigger.
- UGM2099, on 10/12/2007, -8/+11@abid786 Building the islands is an investment, don't you get it? That is now prime real estate and is already making their investors rich. Rich as nazis!
- MEbuDDy6, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23I watched a History Channel episode where they were talking about Dubai. Something about how they main source of wealth, which I believe was oil, will dry up in 30-50 years. So they created this place to replace their oil wealth, with tourism wealth.
I know the above digg poster said that their main export wasn't oil, but I believe it is along the lines of something similair. - headzoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13"dubai is one of the places in the middle east that doesn't have an economy solely based on exporting oil."
Isn't that the point of all this building? The president of Dubai realized that they could never stay a rich country if they relied on oil -- which many middle eastern countries haven't figured out yet -- so he started all these projects to start a new economy in the country. - aGiit, on 10/12/2007, -2/+22Oh yeah, waging war otherside of the world, is ALOT better use for the money ;p
- gowolverines, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15The reason Dubai is doing this is because UAE is running out of oil, so they decided to take their oil profits and build a tourist attraction. Way more forward thinking than most governments are.
- drakethegreat, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10We need more arab countries to follow suit with UAE because if we can get them thinking materialistically we can keep their minds off us.
- uday0210, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1@abid786
don't you know that the only thing they don't make anymore is land. - virtualball, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I saw that on VH1, celebrities are already paying millions to own one of the islands, and not just 4 million, but like 50+ million for one island!
- neokyotodragon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+24I saw a documentary on the building of those artificial islands that was really cool. I really hope to travel there sometime in my lifetime but I doubt I can afford it O.o
- kasted, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5yea it was on discovery, pretty crazy stuff how they make those islands.
- scotty588, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I saw that also. They were building "The Palms" island i think.
- dagonweb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12A small 1% of the world can go here and have whatever luxury they want. Already the number of professional escorts here is higher on average than in most US metropolitans; an ex of mine works there in that capacity. The affluence is BIZARRE, completely un-islamic.
The duality between wealthy and poor is even worse. There is no middle ground middle class here. In this part of dubai you are either filthy obscenely tens of millions of euro wealthy (or wealthier) or you are a servant in a uniform sleeping in a semi airconditioned apartment with 50 on bunk beds. - kevxross, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I hope they know what they're doing. Man has yet to figure out beach stabilization and they've tried many many things (jetties, groins, sea walls, replenishment, etc). Replenishment is basically pumping in sand from elsewhere to rebuild a beach that was washed away. Almost none of these replenishment projects last over 5 years, and that's with a natural beach/island.. they built these islands from scratch. I can't wait to see how long they last. Nature is very fickle with its coastlines. Sea level IS rising, and if the scientists are right about global climate change increasing that rise, it's only gonna get worse.
Not to mention how they're screwing up circulation to all that beach area they've got on those "palm fronds." Those beaches won't be the best for swimming.
Sorry, I'm a Geography major who just took a Coastal Processes course and these man made islands defy everything I learned so I had to comment. I just hope they researched the natural implications of that project, not just the immediate engineering of it. - Arobas, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4A boat building an island
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=dubai,+UAE&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=17&ll=25.221142,55.160176&spn=0.006425,0.009956&t=h
- Jpantoga, on 10/12/2007, -42/+12The east is catching up my fellow Americans. China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and ... UAE? Better start picking up on a little Arabic, because that's where our economy is headed.
- circusbred, on 10/12/2007, -8/+34Russia?
Oh please... - wm2010russ, on 10/12/2007, -14/+19one of the reasons english catches on so quickly is because its easy to learn, and you dont have to speak it well in order to get your point across. English will be a universal means of communication. just look at the internet- its basically a microchosm of our global society. The majority of websites are english, and another majority of people online speak english. arabic is one of the hardest languages to learn- you really think its going to catch on because of pretty buildings? think again.
- interrelate, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6How about Japan or Singapore?
- aGiit, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2Caught, and passed by years ago, as far as UAE is conserned.
- DrunkenPirate34, on 10/12/2007, -6/+22Guys, cant you appreciate the wonderful architecture and amazing feats (Building Islands!) without going into a deep discussion about oil, Arab countries, United States, and global warming. Lighten up and enjoy the show.
- wm2010russ, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5sorry
a wiser man than me once said that man is, by far, a political animal. couldnt help my instincts - Beaver6813, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@wm2010russ
That was on google sidebar's quote of the day a couple of days ago :P Yay for quotes!
I love this and i think it will really work in Dubai's favour, as long as no natural disasters occur... as the consquences of it could be devastating for them. I also like the way its not dugg into submission :D Yay for gooogle pages :P - nostartnoend, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9@ DrunkenPirate34
Yeah, totally, man. I agree. These people need to lighten up. Who cares if all these frivolities end up threatening our very existence? They look cool, and that's all that matters. I bet it'll look really cool when the Earth sizzles in the greenhouse gases we created. Just sit back and enjoy the show, dude. - dagonweb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yeah I did notice they actually are building a spaceport there. I think that is more foresight than all those luxury hotels.
- DigiRaven, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6Russia??? You're joking right?
- Sturmur, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Russia has a population higher than Japan's and the resources to back them.
Once Russia gets back on their feet from all of this stupid corruption they face in their government, they'll return to superpower status. - miles32, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2We should build a bigger building. It gives your country a sense of pride. Something American Buildings have lacked for years now.
- skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Uh no. If anything we should start honing our Chinese. Cause the instant their government lets them travel freely and trade freely, China will be the world's biggest superpower.
- abid786, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love how China, Iran and Russia have NO arabic spoken in them
- circusbred, on 10/12/2007, -8/+34Russia?
- homerj14, on 10/12/2007, -21/+4they also seem perfect targets for more terrorist attacks from the middle east
- aGiit, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10oh yeah, i think the U.S should plant another Hans blix in the UAE in search for weapons of mass destruction..."oh gee whiz Mr bush, we found none, attack anyway?"
give me a break, not every arab nation is a terrorist breeding, war mongering, west hating country
- aGiit, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10oh yeah, i think the U.S should plant another Hans blix in the UAE in search for weapons of mass destruction..."oh gee whiz Mr bush, we found none, attack anyway?"
- knifin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12The best of the entire US condensed into some man made islands!
- Refrag, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Or the worst of the US, depending on your POV.
- Nar1117, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4That is just incredible. I remember watching a program on Discovery about the making of those islands, its pretty cool how much planning goes into these huge structures, and then how they actually acomplish it.
- interrelate, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2Now I know there is a much bigger size than American size. It's Dubai size.
I mean, biggest trail, tallest building.
To the people of Dubai:
Just make sure you don't fall down while reaching higher and higher goals. :) - KiTchMe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+31They're running out of oil, so they're expecting to attract tourists after oil is gone...Good for them
- Revan01, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Yeah, but can they attract tourism with the middle east like it is?
violent area, and even if dubai isnt, the standard tourist is an idiot, and doesent know that
this is a good thing for the world, if dubai wants tourism, they pressure other countries to chill out on the violence, a cultural ally to the west in the middle east, basically - dagonweb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Will all these tourists be able to come once oil costs 200 Euro a barrel? I mean, a plane ticket might become a little expensive.
- abionnnn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4As far as inside knowledge goes, they're not "running out" at all and have made a few recent discoveries. Also this is not their boom. When the world is starving for oil, expect the tower of babel project to restart. :P
- WaterDragon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8It is a resort obviously intended for millionaires, so that won't be an issue.
Behind all that oil money is, for sure, a lot of blood spilled, and a lot of decent people kept in poverty or worse, by all those sleazy, thieving 'millionaires'.
I bet it will stink there! - gnarbuckets, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Only 6% of Dubai's GDP is from oil.
- Denver80203, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4is the other 94% from slavery?
- skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"Yeah, but can they attract tourism with the middle east like it is?"
Did you know Orlando has some of the worst ghettos in the US?
- Revan01, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10Yeah, but can they attract tourism with the middle east like it is?
- pollypot, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3It looks awesome.
- skuppy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Aside from the island hotel and the first two before-and-after pictures, all of those images were generated on a computer. What is and what will be are two entirely different realities.
- MScrip, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6> "Aside from the island hotel and first two before and after pictures, all of those images were generated on a computer. What is and what will be are two entirely different realities."
It's not like an empty desert and only drawings. They have begun construction on most of those projects... so, we'll call it a work-in-progress.
This photo below amazes me. Dozens of skyscrapers being built at once!
http://dubai.isnuts.googlepages.com/dubaicontrtuc2222222.JPG
- MScrip, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6> "Aside from the island hotel and first two before and after pictures, all of those images were generated on a computer. What is and what will be are two entirely different realities."
- kingdox, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Are all those buildings a good investment ?
- diggish, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Maybe...I don't know... I don't get the Dubai Post...
Are you actually asking a question or just trying to get a point across, because I doubt anybody on digg has a valid answer to that question.
- diggish, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Maybe...I don't know... I don't get the Dubai Post...
- muddo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1I wanna go...
- codyman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I kinda want to go visit there now in a few years... looks sick
- gwinerreniwg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As an architecture fan, I'm really thrilled to see the vast amounts of money getting spent to build the best of the best. In another 70 years, this city will be a post-modern architecture fan's dream. This is similar to the huge explosion of the arts and sciences during the renaissance. For all the woes that oil brings, it will be interesting to look back at the cultural impact in a few decades.
- KiTchMe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+141It's like playing SimCity with unlimited money
- aOenEz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Wow, I actually LOL'd. I just had to tell you. I'd give you 100 thumbs up if I could.
- AeonTorpor, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Haha, SimCity was my first thought too. Where the ***** are they getting all this money and who the ***** are the 1/2 million people this place is for!?
- ElectricGrandpa, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Now if only they built an Arco!
- radix33, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2He's got 100 thumbs because of me. :-) (100th thumbs up)
- celeb, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1cheat code for everything to be free = i am weak
- shortarabguy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+28LOL, if only you guys were aware of this a while ago... In Dubai, buildings are built *quickly*. What would you expect from a city that has 15-25% of the planet's construction cranes? It's not just that, though. nfulton's remark had more meaning than he may be aware. In my family, and I'm sure in many other westernized arab families, Dubai is seen, almost literally, as "Las Vegas- Arab style".
And before you guys get all flustered about the wealth of Dubai, remember that it's in the United Arab Emirates... Did you honestly expect something so close to OPEC to be wallowing in poverty...? Lesson of the story: Don't shell out upwards of 3 dollars for a gallon of gasoline and then wonder why the sources of gas are making underwater hotels and artificial islands.
Still, I can't help but laugh sheepishly at what I'm seeing. - exilio, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3First of all, this is all, very, very old news. But, I am sure since it so old, some may not have seen it.
Secondly, Dubai is a city of slaves using money from oli-dependent nations. Obviously, this is US money we are talking about mostly.
I agree that Dubai's growth is amazing, but be sure to understand how it coming about.- broomett, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Sources? Nah...I thought not.
- KiTchMe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Poor oil-dependent nations...All those people driving thier SUV's being exploited here.
- bacon_skoda, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2with articles like this, I'm not surprise if I see
"Oh look there's an space station in space. Way cool" or
"Oh my god, sand sculptures...too cool"
on digg - epyon180, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"Dubai is distinct from other members of the UAE in that revenues from oil account for only 6% of its gross domestic product." from wikipedia.
- broomett, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I don't feel like finding it now, but you can see the islands in progress on Google Earth. Actually, the Palm Tree islands are pretty much done, and nearby you can see that they were just starting on the map of the world.
- cozby, on 10/12/2007, -11/+0Its called development.
- cozby, on 10/12/2007, -12/+0Its called development.
- abdul88, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Yeah , I've seen a lot of this , its a pretty good places to live.(dubai)
Its sunny all year , sandy beaches and palm trees , only on the other side of the world.
And btw , the Burj Al Arab is NOT the tallest building in the world , its the tallest HOTEL.
Also Dubai Mall , is just going to be a bit bigger then Mall of the Emirates.- jb978, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1BS!! a hotel is a building or i am the pope naked in st-tropez
- sideshowjohn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1So to summarize, how is this all being funded again?
- jb978, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7the last two decades over priced gas.
- CannedMango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This reminds of of playing Civilization and putting all of the wonders of the world into one super-city. Finally I'll get to see what that looks like.
- leetsauce, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I would hardly call these world wonders. They're just pretty buildings.
- CannedMango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0well...
1) tallest building in the world (by far)
2) reconstruction of the globe in man made islands
3) entire housing complex made on the water (on stilts), and oh, viewed from above it's actually shaped to spell out a poem.
4) the worlds only underwater hotel
5) the worlds tallest hotel
sounds like a pretty impressive start for 15 years of construction.
- 0zzy, on 10/12/2007, -11/+4I'm moving to Dubai, who's coming with me?!
- EndlessRain, on 10/12/2007, -13/+5Nothing new here, my best friend's dad runs a human trafficking cartel out of Nepal for more than 10 years. He was even amusing the idea of creating his own airline because he was flying so many people to Qatar and UAE for the construction works there.
- Revan01, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16um, hooray?
- Derrekito, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2WTF kind of comment is that?
- Wonderkind, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Not new news, but still astonishing. Thousands upon thousands of new offices.
The scale is unbelievable and the finances more so. Seems you must be fabulously wealthy to live there.
I'm curious though.
What language will predominate?
Where will the cleaning people live?
Will nearby slums develop?- wildjohn999, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7What language will predominate?
English then the native language - Arabic.
Where will the cleaning people live?
In the slums around the developments.
Will nearby slums develop?
Yep.
For examples of the above check out India, Hong Kong, and the Philippines:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila - aGiit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What slums?
- OrlyonokEaglet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1No, I don't think so. I saw these cities in another arabic country - Egypt that are based around tourism and appart from hotels they have these small districts of cheap housing, low flats and rowhouses, very reasonable, everything in order. That's where the maintnance people live. But their large families live far away in non tourist cities where they depend on that one member of family who got a job in such a tourist city.
- wildjohn999, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7What language will predominate?
- Simcom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The Burj Dubai is the building mentioned in the story, it is supposed to top out at 808 meters and will be finished in 2008. To get a better idea of how big that is, check out what it would look like in NYC - It's almost twice as tall as the old WTC (which was 417 meters).
http://www.ogleearth.com/2006/04/what_if_new_yor.html
Here's some pics of it under construction: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/cs/?id=182168
I'm moving... Who's with me?! - AngryRepublican, on 10/12/2007, -9/+7The Middle East is just dust and oil, and the oil is running out. UAE is setting a good example for the remaining Middle Eastern countries; it is seriously investing in domestic infrastructure.
Now, some of you may say: this is a waste, they should be investing in hospitals and education, etc. Well, those things are great, but they first require a strong economy to support it. Tourism will be perfect.- djKianoosh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"The Middle East is just dust and oil"...
Have you ever been to the middle east? That's like saying New Jersey and Florida are just swamps, and Canada is just snow and ice. Please tell us you've actually been to one place in the entire middle east to be able to come up with such an astute and informed comment. The middle east is as naturally varied as Texas, believe it.
Sorry, that was a softball I just had to knock out the park... - Danial, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"The Middle East is just dust and oil"
What an ignorant statement. Perhaps you should visit northern Iran with its mountainous landscape, northern Iraq with its lush forests, or the Lebanon Mountains for some breathtaking scenery, before coming up with such an absurd statement. - EvilZoo42, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"That's like saying New Jersey and Florida are just swamps, and Canada is just snow and ice."
You mean they aren't?!? :P
- djKianoosh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"The Middle East is just dust and oil"...
- justinmt7, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5OK wonderful progression. Now what's going to fill up all those buildings?
- abdul88, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15I already live here. =)
- peshh, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Where did you find all this? Did you just decide to just look up Dubai in the future or something? Some of the pictures seem unrealistic.
It does look cool though. - TidusBlade, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2And only 2 million live there 0.o
- cracell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17http://duggmirror.com
http://dubai.isnuts.googlepages.com.nyud.net:8080/ (working at the moment)
I didn't realize google pages had a bandwidth limit...wtf- artofwar420, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I WANNA SEE THE PURDY PICTURES!
- GmorG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Freaky, I wonder how big the limit is.
- xcursedx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0none of the pics are showing up... =(
not even on the mirror.... =( - riquock, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4All of the pictures have been taken down by google due to excess of bandwidth.
If you have a hard time finding Dubai on google map, here is the link to it:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=dubai,+UAE&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=13&ll=25.112337,55.145359&spn=0.070723,0.160675&t=h- webtekie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1interesting, if you zoom out of the map even one notch, the palm disappears.
- aamir2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Here are some to-scale diagrams of the upcoming high-rise buildings in Dubai. On this website, you can also see rest of the tallest building which are coming up across the world, most seem to be in ME and Asia.
http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?c23 - joshuareeves, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This site, http://www.burjdubaiskyscraper.com, has dozens of photos of the Burj Dubai under construction. It's updated almost daily and as of 12/25, it says that the building is now at 97 stories, pretty incredible! I visited Dubai during December 2004 and it reminded me a lot of Shanghai in terms of how much construction is taking place. Dubai's economy is actually pretty diversified now with oil making up only a small percentage. Shipping/trade, tourism and finance are the main focus now (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai#Economy). Abu Dhabi on the other hand has plenty of oil left.
- edein, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2" The bandwidth limit for this site has been exceeded. " :-(
- h00ligan, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3good, now al queda got lots of targets close to home. :o
- abdul88, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2http://dubai.isnuts.googlepages.com/
Why does this link seem to work here in Dubai??
:s - cuoops, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12I go to Dubai quite a lot. It's nice but not as nice as some you think it is. You'll have a high class hotel or nice shopping mall and one street over is slum. There's a lot of construction and they pay the workers nothing. I still like it though. You can have a good time there.
- eimersaufen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I completely agree. I've been to Abu Dhabi in the beginning of December and i liked it a lot more. It's smaller and not as "insane" as Dubai, including less traffic jams. As a plus, 25°C in December are very nice if you are used to -10°C back home in Austria.
Pictures available on request ;) - rishdeep, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1How cheap/expensive is it over there in comparison to, say, countries in Asia where for example you can but a meal to feed a family of 5 in a nice restaurant for the price of one person in England.
- skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"Pictures available on request ;)"
Post 'em up mang!
- eimersaufen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I completely agree. I've been to Abu Dhabi in the beginning of December and i liked it a lot more. It's smaller and not as "insane" as Dubai, including less traffic jams. As a plus, 25°C in December are very nice if you are used to -10°C back home in Austria.
- abdul88, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That depends on what area of Dubai you go to.
- blackjack75, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Are you insinuating the buildings in the crackwhore district do not have exactly the same architectural magnificence?
- khyberkitsune, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5This is DUBAI! We're talking Bill Gates mixed with Fantasy Island, here! These guys build hotels, in one year make their money PLUS double minimum, TEAR THE HOTEL DOWN and build a NEW one! It's insane! Been there! Lived in it (not in those, but I could certainly *****' see 'em from my hotel window!)
- Beaver6813, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10You sound like you're on crack, let alone Dubai.
- abdul88, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1DUBAI = $$$
- Kale, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1YOUR POINT = ???
- MNazary, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3AngryRepublican: Have you been to the Middle East to backup your statement of "The Middle East is just dust and oil, and the oil is running out. UAE is setting a good example for the remaining Middle Eastern countries; it is seriously investing in domestic infrastructure." I highly doubt you have. Look at America's Great Plains in the West. It was worthless when people first saw it and it is now very populated. Don't judge a book by it's cover...
- lippe, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Totally awesome. I know I sound like a valley girl, but I'm glad that progress is being made. Depending on just oil for revenue for a nation is pathetic. Dubai -- props.
- geonlab, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Dubai is taking the lead in being the most contrived and artificial environment in the world. It is running on its own continuous expansion, a bubble economy. It is a city in one of the most inhospitable places in the world, no water, so it burns oil to make it, every drop must be made. The world is getting hotter.
- Xinareiaz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3the water must be made? I hope you mean "they have to have desalinization plants"
- livestradamus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I am an expat working in Dubai on one of the oft mentioned mega projects. After 2 1/2 yrs its still amazing how fast things are constructed here. If one goes away for a few months, lets say 6, upon his/her return so much would've changed it's harder to recognize the same places you visited last.
It's absolutely perfect for vacationing, I wouldn't recommend living here long term. And really the only way to stay long term is to work here and then it feels like a long working vacation- which I'm beginning to hate. I guess all this 'new' is starting to get old.
But you MUST come visit once (by the way, save up if you're planning it), you will be amazed. - GeneralReikan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1AngryRepublican: "Now, some of you may say: this is a waste, they should be investing in hospitals and education, etc. Well, those things are great, but they first require a strong economy to support it. Tourism will be perfect."
Sounds like a good idea, but coming from New Orleans, a city almost entirely dependent on tourism, we have no such thing as education or health care to show for all those "tourist dollars". You could easily cough all that up to our corrupt politics of course, but a society dependent on transient dollars doesn't sound like a very stable society at all. Our industry is dependent upon a lot of factors like weather, holidays, and interest. After Hurricane Katrina any type of infrastructure would have been knocked out , but you would think that of all types, tourism would be the last to return. It works for historical places well like Paris, London, Rome, but an entirely modern tourist destination a la Las Vegas hinges on keeping pace with the modernity. A rat race. I am doubtful of the success of a location as massive as this, but I'm not one to hate on a person for having big dreams. If I ever have the money, I'll certainly pay them a visit. - RooDoG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The picture with all the new buildings ad cranes is unreal
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