minneapolisgenius said:

You didn't say that in the post I responded to. Regardless, I'd like to keep this thread more about folks who have gone to Dubai and their experiences or those who are interested in going there and less about supposedly brainwashed family members.

SCNDLS said:

The thread says "Dubai:let's talk about it!" So I'm talking about it and what it brings to mind when I think about it.

minneapolisgenius said:

Ummmm, that's the title but my first post clearly states MY purpose for this thread. You can start a thread all your own to discuss all that other stuff if you want.
[Edited 2/5/10 14:51pm]

SCNDLS said:

Other people have posted things about the crime there, and someone posted "Fuck the middle east, fuck Dubai!" and even if that was in jest, it seems to be A-ok by you. I wasn't aware that I couldn't post my "experience" with the place. Sorry if it's not pc enough for you people. Anytime anyone gets deep, deep into any religion, that is heading into cult territory in my opinion, and is cause for concern for me if it's a family member.

Geez, as if a thread on the org has never strayed a tiny bit from the intended topic.

minneapolisgenius said:

Whatever, I know topics stray constantly but I asked you nicely to stay on the topic so why is that so damn difficult? This thread is about MY interest in visiting Dubai and learning from those who have been there. If that's not you why post here? Just keep it moving to another thread. It ain't that hard. I do it all the time.

SCNDLS said:

and relaying a story about a family member who lived there for many years is NOT in any way related to learning from those who have been there, like you ask?? This make no sense whatsoever. Lighten up. I'm off to bed though. Enjoy the rest of your thread.

SCNDLS said:

The forums are for everyone, not just those you want to hear from. The topic was "Dubai - let's talk". You may not like everything everyone had to say, but the posts on the thread have been on topic.

And with that - let's return back to the topic.

minneapolisgenius said:

SCNDLS said:

[Edited 2/5/10 15:37pm]

SCNDLS said:

Girl, these are tough broads, but I guess it all boils down to being adjusted All I know is, eversince I came in here, I generated a fat ass revenue to the shades business, I never leave my house without them.

You'll love it there, but if you want to get a sense of the culture you might get disappointed because the citizens are about only 20% of Dubai's population since most of them live outside of Dubai and only go there for work or other purposes.

If you're gonna stay there long, I suggest you to go outside of Dubai for at least a day,,,they have the MOST gorgeous desert scenery(but if you don't wanna go too far, there's Al Maha resort on Dubai's outskirts which is beautiful).

One thing for damn sure in essence, you better be loaded coz chile, Dubia is no walk in a park when it comes to credit card balances

Oh and another thing, if you could sneak into ANY of their local weddings(Emirate weddings - and most of them are gender segregated) trust me doll, you're gonna have a ball, those dames THROW DOWN when nobody's lookin' there's a ceremony called "samri"(I'm sure PricelessHo can tell you all about it) its like an afterparty, now this is where all hell break loose,,,they go into a frenzy with their dancing untill they get a holy spirit-like state, its def looks like a Baptist church throwback. Eversince I've been here, my Qatari girlfriend always take me to women weddings afterparties, all I gotta do is sit and shake my head in amazement, coz those broads are ANYTHING but timid when they hit the dance floor

Harlepolis said:

seeingvoices12 said:

What?

Harlepolis said:

I live in Jordan so I know what you are talking about

I must admit, Dubai is one of those places I just find I have very little interest in going to. I put it in there with Kuala Lumpur and Singapore as flashy, modern places that underneath the superficial grandiosity I imagine to be rather banal. I'd rather go back to Laos. I want character!

Fauxie said:

I kind of think that too, but if I had the chance and my trip paid for, I wouldn't say no to going and having a sticky-beak

ZombieKitten said:

Yeah, if everything was paid for I'd spend a weekend there for sure. Otherwise, it's just not high up on my list. I've never been to Vietnam and I'd like to see more of Laos. I'd like to show Mon more of Europe and see places there I haven't seen too. Throw in China, Japan, Australia, even going back to NZ but with Mon.... all would come before Dubai.

@ 'sticky-beak'.

SCNDLS said:

Shyra said:

What does that mean? By "you people" I mean the people who are poo-pahing my original post.

Harlepolis said:

I was just about to say...people who get pulled out of their cars and beaten half to death, or grooms shot on their wedding days 40 times for no apparent reason come to mind, no? That doesn't to say that all law enforcenment and the justice system in our home country is jacked up, but I agree that we should not pretend it's all sunshine and meadows and people are not abused horrifically within our own system. Just because it hasn't happened to each and every one of personally does not mean the unfairness does not exist, there are scores of stories of innocent people within our own jail files that were treated like ax murderers. Regardless, my stand is that people should do the best they can to learn the laws of the lands that the visit and simply not break them. Problem freakin' solved.

Ottensen said:

And if the law is such that a woman cannot a report a rape for fear she will be prosecuted and jailed for illegal sex herself, I'm gonna stay away from such a place.

SCNDLS said:

She's FIERCE!


I LOVE her runway looks...it reminds me so much of the Muslim girls in my city, this is almost exactly how they dress, they are so fashionable it's sick! The Muslim girls in Hamburg work in every public sector, and it's always cool to see how they coordinate their clothes. The track suit look ( a la Adidas) reminds me of the teenagers here...and let's not even touch their shoe and handbag game; these girls will rock some Adidas on up to stilletto boots with the craziest designer handbags, don't let the headgear fool you, they.do.not.play when it comes to making traditional Muslim wear relevant, functional, and cute.

CarrieMpls said:

Carrie that's fine and well and I totally get what you're saying. My point is simply that I can't see how one justice system and those who represent them are any better than they other. They all have unfairness, victimization and points where they do not work in a citizens' favor, period. In some countries it may be women, or children, or in some country it may be those of ethnicity, I don't see one group as having any more worth than others for their marginalization....and while we're doing better in rape department than many countries, I would still assert that women suffer in western countries as well for rape crimes, albeit in other ways, but still ways that marginalize them nontheless..

....ahhhh fuck it, I'm talking to much and way off topic ....can we reel this back in and just talk about shopping and bars already ?

minneapolisgenius said:

I know, I know. I was just kidding.

"You people" used in certain contexts is sometimes considered racially "inflammatory;" like using the "N" word. However, I know you did not intend that in your statement. I was just "messing witcha."

Ottensen said:

This whole thread is already proving to me how fear and pre-conceived ideas can cloud a judgement, ruin the fun and folks end up missing out on seeing great and intresting places and cultures, other than the ones they're routinely exposed to.

Its also intersting to me how ANY country with a majority of non-white population always get their values, beliefs and laws questioned here, whether they're progressing or not(and don't even get me started on the concept of progression, which is another fancy term that refers to assimilation) selective memory is a funny thing. You'd think as corrupted as our law system is we would have better sense than to judge other countries and how they deal with their own as opposed to save the energy to solve our OWN backyard mess,,,,,we're the leading force of women objectification yet comically enough we seem to magically pull up the nerve to talk about the misogyny of every other culture.

Harlepolis said:

But we're not talking about my country. I could absolutely list all of the problems with how women are treated here, but that's not the topic of the thread.
And I have huge problems with any country under religious rule, especially those religions in which misogyny is so ingrained you simply cannot separate the two. That includes christianity - which is pretty popular here in my country. I have all kinds of criticisms about that. But that's not the topic of the thread.
But I will say - I feel relatively safe living where I do as a single woman, doing as I please.
I would not feel safe there. And I would not want to support such a place, financially or otherwise.

I do see that they are the most liberal of the middle east and are making steps in the right direction. I'm not saying that's not the case.

If you do not agree that any one place is better than another as far as how women are regarded and that there are no differences in a woman's personal safety and freedom no matter where she is in the world, then that's you're opinion.
I don't feel that way. At all.

Shyra said:

Oh ok.

CarrieMpls said:

Of course I do, I'm not naive but at the same token common sense goes along way too, universally. Speaking as a person who lived in the gulf for 7 years, I a woman who does as she pleases have never encountered any bad situation And just like the US, there're places you don't go into, I dont know what you hear or where you're hearing it from, but I'm telling you right now, always challange the source.

Which brings me back to you guys making these assumptions based on what the media tell you(which by the way, doesn't even attempt to try their contempt against middle eastern people and their culture).

I've been here since 2003, and I've never got disrespected, not ONCE,,,,,but whenever I come back home in supposedly the most liberal city in the world, I, an American citizen get scrutinized and profiled on a daily basis,,,not only me, but my children as well believe it or not. Now do the math.

Harlepolis said:

An American citizen named Orsula lived with us for 4 months, she came with the peace crops to teach English in certain places in Jordan ,she came with my sister to our house and lived with us for 4 months , when her time was over that she had to go back to the States , she didn’t want to leave, she started to cry, she didn’t want to go back to the U.S, she lived with us as member of our family, we really took care of her, she loved the weather here in the capital Amman and she loved the cultures and the family values , she didn’t want to leave and I miss her , she was really a genuine person, I hope she is okay wherever she is now.

They closed the tower 2 the Burj Khalifa's viewing platform 4 the general public.

Graycap23 said:

maybe they will open it again later once the view isn't just of construction sites?

I saw Attack of the Clones the other night and I swear this tower was visible through the windows of the Jedi Temple council chamber