NorthernLad

Did anyone get to read the article (29th May) entitled 'Sprawling, soulless Dubai is an architectural flop'?

Tied to access online, but not willing to pay a subscription fee!

IndieG

Will try and get it on Saturday from office

IndieG

There you go :

The captivating new slogan being used to promote Las Vegas is "Escape Reality. Temporarily". But given Dubai's Napoleonic quest to become a global services and leisure hub, future generations may most instinctively associate those words with this rising behemoth.

Dubai, probably best known for the Burj Al Arab Hotel, where the top suite costs $15,000 a night, is engaged in a construction boom of biblical proportions – to be explored tomorrow night in Dan Cruickshank's Marvels of the Modern World on BBC2 – that has attracted huge international interest from both the mainstream and architectural press. German TV personality Sabine Christiansen is to produce one of her worldwide talk shows on CNBC TV in Dubai, with the show expected to reach more than 340m households in 101 countries.

Architectural industry praise and official awards have been prolific. Last year, the Chicago Athenaeum gave one of its awards to Dubai Sun Tower, describing it as a "modernist icon". The Burj Al Arab Hotel bagged three World Travel Awards the same year, including that of world's leading hotel.

<<Snip Copyright>>

MJC

Here you go

From the yank version - there is some good in septics after all

http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage...20061431490785

IndieG

Hey MJC, I got it from the yank version

Norm_uk

Las Vegas vs. Dubai

Let's see - legalised gambling, state controlled prostitution, no deferrence to Islamic holidays or judicial systems, Las Vegas locals don't get vastly preferential treatment over non-Nevada natives, a chance to become a US citizen if resident there and partake in local, state and national political processes...and there's less traffic I'll bet.

Still, in Dubai we have near slave like conditions for labourers, abject racism and sexism in most wanted ads, some of the highest death rates on the roads, inflation spiralling out of control and most expats are at the whims of landlords who would put the mafia to shame, taxation without any representation (something people in other countries take up arms against...but then, they don't have ski dubai and a variety of bars to keep them occupied). It's not all bad, prostitution is illigal thus keep this digusting industry in the hands of pimps and mafia dons and ensuring no control over the spread of std's.

You gotta love Dubai!

That said, you can see Penn & Teller in Vegas...that alone is worth more than all the bread and circuses Dubai has to offer....viva las vegas!