Michael Emrys Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I bet a Finn wrote that and you know they can't be trusted. I bet reindeer meat has more cholesterol than whale blubber. How else would the Lapps be able to survive in arctic cold? QED Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Dubai is OK for a couple of days. The climate during the monsoon is pretty close to hell, but then you're maximum exposure is just the time it takes to slide between an air-conditioned taxi and an air-conditioned hotel/mall/airport. And unlike most of the Middle East you can get a lot of cricket talk from your cabbie, who is invariably an Indian or Pakistani. Yes, you can drink alcohol and there are some pretty nice bars to do it in. Most famous is the York (I think that's the name) Hotel. AKA "Four Floors of Whores" amongst visiting defence personnel on R&R from elsewhere in the Gulf. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secondbrooks Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I bet a Finn wrote that and you know they can't be trusted. I bet reindeer meat has more cholesterol than whale blubber. How else would the Lapps be able to survive in arctic cold? Because of heavy drinking and never taking shower (sweating in sauna is fine thou). Those same things keeps mosquitos away at summers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseltaylor Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 This tower at 801m is taller/higher than 60 countries in the world. Eighteen US states are lower Only one English county has higher hills 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winston smith Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Dubai/Abu Dhabi = Magrathea 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseltaylor Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/guide/magrathea.shtml with added audio from the original programme 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winston smith Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/guide/magrathea.shtml with added audio from the original programme Cheers! (!!!)* * extra post length compliance characters 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/17/people-are-pouring-o.html 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/17/people-are-pouring-o.html But how could you have missed this one? Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Um, sure, but what's that got to do with Dubai? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Um, sure, but what's that got to do with Dubai? Does it need to? After all, remember where we are. :eek: Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseltaylor Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Police_and_The_Courts/10282898.html And just so you can have another side of the story. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 I came upon this article published in April: The dark side of Dubai. Quite depressing read. Sahinal Monir, a slim 24-year-old from the deltas of Bangladesh. "To get you here, they tell you Dubai is heaven. Then you get here and realise it is hell," he says. Four years ago, an employment agent arrived in Sahinal's village in Southern Bangladesh. He told the men of the village that there was a place where they could earn 40,000 takka a month (£400) just for working nine-to-five on construction projects. It was a place where they would be given great accommodation, great food, and treated well. All they had to do was pay an up-front fee of 220,000 takka (£2,300) for the work visa – a fee they'd pay off in the first six months, easy. So Sahinal sold his family land, and took out a loan from the local lender, to head to this paradise. As soon as he arrived at Dubai airport, his passport was taken from him by his construction company. He has not seen it since. He was told brusquely that from now on he would be working 14-hour days in the desert heat – where western tourists are advised not to stay outside for even five minutes in summer, when it hits 55 degrees – for 500 dirhams a month (£90), less than a quarter of the wage he was promised. If you don't like it, the company told him, go home. "But how can I go home? You have my passport, and I have no money for the ticket," he said. "Well, then you'd better get to work," they replied. If the Independent article isn't enough, then there's this piece from BBC: Climate of fear Given the recent financial panic, it's likely that even if Dubai overcomes this depression it will be much harder for them to get investments in the future. And what if tourist masses don't rush to the city as expected? Not to forget what might happen if eg. some Al-Qaida recruiters infiltrated the slave labour camps and smuggled in some guns and explosives... a good ol' Roman style slave rebellion. What do you think? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costard Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Given the recent financial panic, it's likely that even if Dubai overcomes this depression it will be much harder for them to get investments in the future. And what if tourist masses don't rush to the city as expected? Not to forget what might happen if eg. some Al-Qaida recruiters infiltrated the slave labour camps and smuggled in some guns and explosives... a good ol' Roman style slave rebellion. What do you think? It's a case of the slaves over here being glad for some "liberal thinking" inspired laws that haven't been repealed, ..yet. Investment in high quality (or priced) buildings on low lying islands would seem to me to be a little too optimistic for most people's taste. As far as the slaves are concerned, there is no way that anyone could come out of it alive except by the mercy of the overseers, so I doubt they'd seriously consider it. The Taliban are reported to be paying well (BBC I think, maybe The Australian) though, so they might be able to trade one hell for another (if they're militantly inclined). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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