Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Dubai

The Burj Dubai has just surpassed the 629 meter (2,063 ft) mark. This milestone makes it the tallest man made structure on earth. The record had been previously held by th KVLY-TV tower in Blanchard, North Dakota. At 160 stories, the Burj was already the tallest building exceeding the 508 meters of Taipei 101.
When its finished it will stand 900 meters.
Insanely tall.
The guys operating the cranes at the top must be fearless.
I'm just back from Abu Dhabi and am still way off kilter jet lag wise.
I just got my Iranian visa!
Hope all is well with you
T

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think those fearless guys you mention are Pakistani workers with no rights, milked by the Dubai money men.

These desperate people apparently keep throwing themselves off the buildings to escape their living hell.

Terry said...

I've commented a couple of times on the plight of the underclass of workers in Dubai and the wide gulf that exists here.
http://terrystravelandthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/back-in-dubai.html
and here
http://terrystravelandthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/12/dubai-again.html
The place is a pretty sad testimony to exploitation.
I am conflicted to a degree about reaping the benefits of doing business here.
Terry

Anonymous said...

are you conflicted doing business in China too?

Terry said...

Well not really
I don't have responsibility for the Middle Kingdom anymore, though when I did there were a number of issues I mulled over in my mind.
First off I sell educational "stuff" INTO china.
The business I do doesn't spawn sweat shops or help fund an miltary industrial complex. My Chinese employees, for the most part college educated, but not anywhere near the elite or party cadre kids, are able to travel and see parts of the world many of their compatriots can't. There is no censorship when they attend one of our global conferences.
They see the world for themselves.
The more of this the better the chance for changing politcaql attitudes.
Are you aware you do business with China everyday?
Every toy you buy for your kid, plastic bag you use or "recycled" cardboard box that packages your consumer goods comes from a factory in China.
The falling $ to which the RMB is tied is reducing the competitiveness in the appalling factories and production is moving to India, BURMA (yes that bastion of sweetness and light" and Vietnam.
Thanks for your comments, though identifying yourself and making an effort to contextualise your points beyond a digging jibe, may make for a lively discussion which is something I'd welcome.
T

Anonymous said...

I don’t buy my kid toys – I make them from organic cotton I grow in my greenhouse. I also sew carrier bags with this material which dispenses the need for plastic bags. I would never dream of buying food in recyclable cardboard boxes – I grow it on my allotment and carry the lot back in the organic cotton bag.

Purer than pure carries anonymous privileges.

Terry said...

Good lord are you some sort of blameless "earth mother" ?
Look we all make compromises.
I hate to say it but maybe you're similar to the saudi "princess" I met in Dubai.....Its easy to be green when there are no sacrifices associated.
I'll bet that you:
Live in a house you own
Have a kid in private school,
Don't struggle to pay the bills every month:
are a left of center liberal who tells themselvs they want to save the world everyday, but doesn't want to pay taxes (how much did you pay last year?) and at the same time subscribes to the "AL Gore 10 bedroom mansion, let me tell you how it is," whilst I have a carbon foot-print the size of California" school of thought.
Sorry
I don't buy into that middle class armchair socialist nonsense......
Travel a bit...then we'll talk.....

Anonymous said...

Travel, that's my middle name.

You think you've seen the world. I've seen a heck of a lot more and all from the comfort of my train seat.

I live in a tent.
I school the kids myself (Steiner)
I don't have bills because there's no electricity or gas in the tent (I heat things by rubbing stones together to make a fire)
I'm a raving Tory
I don't tell myself I want to save the world every day, but every MINUTE.
Middle class armchair socialist, moi?
Saudi Princess, moi?
Make up your mind!

PS. I earned so much money last year I can't even fit the amount of my tax bill into this space.

Terry said...

Gosh.....It must be fun being you........