quade 3 #26 May 2, 2013 QuoteNo way in hell would I give Dubai a penny of my business. How about $D.CC and 9/10ths?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterblaster72 0 #27 May 2, 2013 QuoteQuoteNo way in hell would I give Dubai a penny of my business. How about $D.CC and 9/10ths? Hmm...good point. I guess in that sense we don't have much of a choice in the matter. But to clarify, I would never choose Dubai as a travel destination. Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #28 May 2, 2013 Quote Quote Quote No way in hell would I give Dubai a penny of my business. How about $D.CC and 9/10ths? Hmm...good point. I guess in that sense we don't have much of a choice in the matter. Maybe I'm daft, but I have no idea what the hell you two are talking about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,384 #29 May 2, 2013 Quote Quote Quote Quote No way in hell would I give Dubai a penny of my business. How about $D.CC and 9/10ths? Hmm...good point. I guess in that sense we don't have much of a choice in the matter. Maybe I'm daft, but I have no idea what the hell you two are talking about. If you find out, lemme know."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #30 May 2, 2013 When the needle reads empty, you'll figure it out.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,384 #31 May 2, 2013 Quote When the needle reads empty, you'll figure it out. OK, got it."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,255 #32 May 2, 2013 Quote (this, after the ABC News piece from 2007 where the King's spokesperson acknowledged there are problems and said he intended to do something about them: Dubai's Dirty Little Secret) The ruling families of the smaller Gulf states have done an unbelievable PR job for themselves over the past couple of decades. Get an Oxbridge or Ivy league education and a cut glass accent, build a few shiny high-rises and put on a few decent sports shows and the world somehow manages to forget that you're a dictator personally enriching yourself to an incomprehensible degree through selling off the natural wealth of a land you rule by force. Frankly, I'm jealousDo you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toolbox 0 #33 May 2, 2013 I've always loved the idea of visiting the middle east,just like I've always wanted to pour gasoline in my eyes. Ahhh the oppressive heat and desolate desert sand of dubai. There is the sea to deal with as well,but hey no place is perfect. And how about all that tolerance for other cultures and religions thats so famous over there in the middle east. Oh yeah, don't forget about all that freedom of speech and the fair and just legal system they enjoy over there. The equality shown to every man, and women is also world renowned as we all know. I'm torn between dubai or north korea. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #34 May 3, 2013 Why stop with those two? UAE isn't even the worst offender. By all means, call me when you get to Mecca.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #35 May 3, 2013 QuoteWhy stop with those two? UAE isn't even the worst offender. By all means, call me when you get to Mecca. Saudi Arabia doesn't have a "destination" DZ marketed to our little dysfunctional community. I've never been to the Dubai DZ, but I sure know what it looks like from the air. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bertt 0 #36 May 3, 2013 This might sound like it's off topic, but I think it's relevant. This sort of thing is a good reason for energy independence. If the Western world doesn't need Middle Eastern oil, our embassies don't need to wear kid gloves when dealing with Middle Eastern countries.You don't have to outrun the bear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toolbox 0 #37 May 3, 2013 >call me when you get to Mecca I would most likely have to text you from mecca since I would probably have my tongue cut out by the locals before I could call. I would catch alot of attention with my large nordic build,blue eyes and blonde hair. That along with being very outspoken, as you probably already know,and even on my best behavior would be sure to offend some of those dear sweet,tolerant folks in mecca to the point of religious frenzy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toolbox 0 #38 May 3, 2013 Yep,if it wasn't for oil they would just be a poor backward dust pit of a place that no one cared about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stumpy 256 #39 May 3, 2013 Quote tolerance for other cultures and religions WHile I don't totally disagree with some of your post, that's pretty funny right there.Never try to eat more than you can lift Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Southern_Man 0 #40 May 3, 2013 QuoteThis might sound like it's off topic, but I think it's relevant. This sort of thing is a good reason for energy independence. If the Western world doesn't need Middle Eastern oil, our embassies don't need to wear kid gloves when dealing with Middle Eastern countries. Frankly the US imports fairly minimal oil from the gulf states, but since it is a global energy market and we consume a lot of energy it still enriches them."What if there were no hypothetical questions?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Southern_Man 0 #41 May 3, 2013 QuoteI've always loved the idea of visiting the middle east,just like I've always wanted to pour gasoline in my eyes. Ahhh the oppressive heat and desolate desert sand of dubai. There is the sea to deal with as well,but hey no place is perfect. And how about all that tolerance for other cultures and religions thats so famous over there in the middle east. Oh yeah, don't forget about all that freedom of speech and the fair and just legal system they enjoy over there. The equality shown to every man, and women is also world renowned as we all know. I'm torn between dubai or north korea. Let's not pretend all of the middle east is the same. I've spent quite a lot of time in Jordan. Though it would not be "western" in quite a few respects it is far more diverse and tolerant and respectful of human rights than Dubai, UAE, and Saudi Arabia."What if there were no hypothetical questions?" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 622 #42 May 3, 2013 The thread is about Dubai though... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mik 2 #43 May 3, 2013 And another horror story (several) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7234786.stm A four year prison sentence for a Swiss guy who ate a bagel with poppy seeds at Heathrow airport and 3 poppy seeds were found on his clothes A four year sentence for someone who trod on a cigarette butt (stuck to the sole of his shoe) and the butt was found to contain tiny traces of cannabis. A suggestion that possession of over-the-counter painkillers could result in a mandatory 4 year sentence. *********************************************** I'm NOT totally useless... I can be used as a bad example Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel 0 #44 May 3, 2013 I'd also think twice before visiting Louisiana... http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/05/01/abused-disabled-iowa-plant-workers-awarded-240m/2126651/ Having worked, lived in and visited most most M East countries, I'd write this off as a very unfortunate rarity. Injustice (eg extra-judicial execution) never occurs in the US, right? QuoteI suppose I could have put this in any one of a few forums, but I want people to have the most leeway to speak their minds, so I put it here. I'm not saying Go or Don't Go; just keep this information in mind when making the decision. P.S.- Don't just read the article; the readers' comments following the text are quite enlightening, too. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/world/middleeast/united-arab-emirates-laws-ensnare-a-doctor.html?hp&_r=0 Excerpt: QuoteEmirates’ Laws Trap a Doctor Just Passing Through By LYDIA POLGREEN Published: April 11, 2013 [NY Times] JOHANNESBURG — For Dr. Cyril Karabus, it was a routine job, albeit in an exotic location. For six weeks in 2002, he filled in for another doctor in Abu Dhabi, lured like many other foreign professionals by the big paychecks that doctors, bankers, lawyers and architects can earn in the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf nations. A decade later, while Dr. Karabus was passing through Dubai on his way home to South Africa after attending his son’s wedding in Canada, officials abruptly arrested him, calling him a murderer and hauling him away from his stunned wife. For more than seven months, Dr. Karabus, 78, a pediatric oncologist, has been trapped in the United Arab Emirates, fighting charges of manslaughter and forgery linked to his treatment of a 3-year-old patient with a severe form of leukemia who had died under his care. Unbeknown to him, Dr. Karabus had been convicted in absentia in 2003 and sentenced to three years in prison, a stark example of foreign professionals who are drawn to the gulf only to get caught up in Emirati justice. He would be tried again, the authorities told him, according to his daughter, Dr. Sarah Karabus, this time facing the charges in person. Even after a medical committee concluded that he had done nothing wrong and a judge acquitted him of all charges on March 21, Dr. Karabus remains in the emirates, unable to fly home because the prosecution has decided to appeal the judge’s decision. Foreigners have long faced unexpected legal trouble in the emirates, where the legal system often differs considerably from what they expect at home. [continued....] Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,400 #45 May 3, 2013 >A four year prison sentence for a Swiss guy who ate a bagel with poppy seeds at >Heathrow airport and 3 poppy seeds were found on his clothes Sounds like something that would happen at a US point of entry. Zero tolerance for drug smugglers and all that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterblaster72 0 #46 May 3, 2013 Quote>A four year prison sentence for a Swiss guy who ate a bagel with poppy seeds at >Heathrow airport and 3 poppy seeds were found on his clothes Sounds like something that would happen at a US point of entry. Zero tolerance for drug smugglers and all that. Do you know of a story as absurd as someone being locked up for four years for a few poppy seeds at US point of entry? I think the US has gone the draconian direction in the last 15 years, but I haven't heard many stories stateside that achieve this level of absurdity. Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #47 May 3, 2013 QuoteA four year prison sentence for a Swiss guy who ate a bagel with poppy seeds at Heathrow airport and 3 poppy seeds were found on his clothes Does it occur to anyone that the UAE's umbrage just might not be directed at the seeds? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nigel 0 #48 May 4, 2013 Quote>A four year prison sentence for a Swiss guy who ate a bagel with poppy seeds at >Heathrow airport and 3 poppy seeds were found on his clothes Sounds like something that would happen at a US point of entry. Zero tolerance for drug smugglers and all that.[/reply Apocryphal? Is there a credible source for this? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites mistercwood 287 #49 May 4, 2013 You won't have heard about it. NDAA and all that... You are playing chicken with a planet - you can't dodge and planets don't blink. Act accordingly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites quade 3 #50 May 4, 2013 So, you're saying he should have had pita instead?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 Next Page 2 of 3 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
mistercwood 287 #49 May 4, 2013 You won't have heard about it. NDAA and all that... You are playing chicken with a planet - you can't dodge and planets don't blink. Act accordingly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #50 May 4, 2013 So, you're saying he should have had pita instead?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
