Surreal Islands of Dubai

Amazing.

This really is amazing. When you think about developers having access to man made islands, it makes perfect sense for them to jump at the opportunity to build on them. If people in the US were able to do this, they certainly would because then that would feed our egos big time! "Honey, I want a bigger island than Bonnie. Could we sell ours and get a bigger island then her island next year?"

I still love watching this. I am teacher I did a unit where I got to incorporate this in my lesson my students loved the video.

What is the long term effects on the ecosysytem where they dug the sand out from and what are the natural disasters that can occur in Dubai that could possilby destroy these islands? Although these concerns are present is Dubai going to become a world power with all the fortune they are going to gain? maybe I should move there.

I loved this. This was the first thing I saw on Current TV. I was in awe of this places great accomplishments. I am proud that a country is making such beautiful things. :)

I wonder what the environmental consequences of scooping up all that sand from the seabed just for these silly luxury projects would be... makes me sick at the massive waste of money and resources this all comes down too. Vanity knows no bounds.

Dubai is truly remarkable. I wish I had the money for our own island. :o( Only in my dreams.

"Rome is burning" will look different for Dubai. I wonder the impact on the world's ocean when the island-owners utopia becomes debris sinks into the salt water...eventually? Seems like a waste of resources. But, then, they are not my resources. How much does it take before someone feels safe and happy? Oh, wait, you can't buy either. Thank you for demonstrating exactly that by making this pod! Though it does look like an excellent and opulent good time.

That whole project is unnatural, I agree with all the environmental nay sayers.
The fact that a third world illiterate workforce is being "used" is good enough for me to oppose all this so called "futuristic" development.
While most people appluad this ridiculous farce of wealth by the Arabs, I loathe it.

i bet this is being looked at by disney

this is soooo cool! i think its gonna make alot of money its a great investment. but why Dubai? why not a bigger more powerful country? oh wait! there off fighting over oil!

Bizarre! I would love to go visit and see the place. Great pod

you have to think though, what is more important. Of course oil means a lot, but whats the point of driving around if global warming and other issues make it barely possible to live?

arent they building these islands so they can legally dig for more oil? they are restricted to a certain amount of mies off their own coast, by building islands they are now able to dig for oil another 4 miles or so further out to sea?

Having your own island is cool and all but don't you think our resourses should be used to rebuild coral reefs and things like that?!

Its really cool, but don't you think we have better ways to use our resourses than building and buying our own mini islands. What about global warming and things like that, shouldn't we be using those resourses to rebuild coral reefs instead of private islands?!

If you called a friend from a 7 star hotel in another country, they would think you were joking. Where are the 6 star hotels anyway?

MAn I need some OIL MONEY

Can we stop talking about the islands with no plumbing, by the way, blinded by the glitter the poor girl forgot to mention why environmentalists protested the islands, but who cares "they're being sold for MILLIONS" right?.

Dubai, will always be an icon of everything that is wrong with this world,

Awesome pod!

Great pod. It's cool to see how far these projects have come. I will visit the Burj Dubai when it is completed. The tallest building in the world, and an engineering marvel.
Those who are relentlessly concerned with the poor starving people, should get off the soap box and play freerice.com or something. Get a job earn your first million then put your own blood, sweat, and tears where your mouth is. It is easy to say give all your money away when you don't have any!

i dont see why everyones getting pissed off at the dubai for finally progressing out of the stereotypical camel riding arabs.... the united states had much of its growth early on based on oil and controversial casino cities like LA...... the UK grew out of enslaving much of the world int ostealing their gold and diamonds nad other good sparkly stuff... the japanese came out of technology and arms that can rape..... china comes out of cheap labor, poor rights record and they too have workers dying to death and all that jazz......

The united states had crappy sanitation, f-ed up worker's rights and no minimum wage, no minimum age limit... THATS how a country starts out... like it or not... just b/c the rest of the world has been through the demographic transition doesnt mean previously third-world countries have... stop being so ignorant and give them a break....

EDIT: and just to add the fact that the US industrial revolution was what started the whole emissions crap... it was what greatly increased life expectancy and emmisions usage... it gave people the choice of building things that blow up ..... and im sure as hell that there were tons of ppl dying around the world.... doesnt mean that they cared.... and its b/c they have enough stuff going wrong b4 coming out and fixing it elsewhere... something that the US should learn to do.... so when the middle-eastern countries do something right... dont get pissed off... b/c the US... the so-called developed super-power isnt doing anything to ease the pain of the rest of the world either....

It is truly interesting to see how Dubai has developed as a country. But we have people around the the world starving and dying every day! I believe these people could have put there money to better use if you ask me.......

A very nice produced short documentary about one of the fastest developing areas in our world.
It's interesting to see all the decadence going on in that part of the world & also to get an insight of things you see in magazines regularly (the world isles) but probably won't ever see in real life.

The new Motto should deffitantly be,

"Come to paradise to invest into a super-rich lifestyle to waste away our money that could be used to help regions in despair and unfair poverty to advertise our hott, exclusive lifestyles! Don't miss out!"

Finally, exactly what the Global Community needs right now -

A Disneyland for the super rich to invest billions of dollars into for fun toy cars and boats, big doll houses, and sand castles!!

this is awesome!.... if more and more innovations like these happened.. wars would be less frequent... think about it.. if all the countries started these lavish competitions.... more and more money and effort and creativity would be pumped into the "new utopian world" ...

who is the best would depend on who is the most beautiful... not who has the biggest nukes and cluster bomvs

Go Dubai the place for Business to be done.

This country was given an abundance of oil wealth, in order to display their ignorance and greed to the World. They have fulfilled all expectations. There will be a reckoning one day and justice will prevail!

"Every one then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:22-27 RSV)

Arrogant properties for the very, very rich - but with rising sea levels, they will soon be flooded. I would never invest in these properties, such investments are doomed to drown, literally.

Everything on the outside. Nothing on the inside.
It's one big pillar of freaking salt! The Isles of Sodom.
I have no words for such obscene largessed.
By the way, nobody has mentioned that human rights violations are plentiful in this new utopia. They probably aren't into public beheadings but a finger and foot -maybe...I get that feeling. A benevolent dictatorship. Where are the universities and hospitals? The ones where the slave labor force can go when they are injured or finished with their work. Work building these obscene edifices. Or maybe place to bring in illiterate brethren neighbors who could use a piece of this "good life" to get them out of the training camps.
Perhaps if they did, the membership in the bad guys club would shrink to ZERO. This goes ions from a $300 steak dinner. Everything on the outside, nothing on the inside.
BTW, the money is thick because they have hedged the oil money investing in developing economies such as India and China. Most of the "hedgees" are in the U>S> standing at the gaspump, hand with credit card trembling. Istithmar, the main business arm of the Dubai government also bought Barney's of New York, Loehmann's and you might want to Google Citigroup's largest shareholder.
There is also TONS of American money going there too. Except for those who are mortgaged up the kazoo due to a whopping $7 an hour minimum wage while they were encouraged to live off their Countrywide home equity loans.. I think their may be one cheap buffet left in Las Vegas for them but I'd stay away from the mayo. Private Ibber

so if the sea rises you buy another silly

So when the sea level possibly rises in a couple years, then what? All that money and hard work was for nothing.

It's a cool concept but I'd want no part in it!

Dubai is shallow. Is also paid by Gas payers.

The two seconds that addressed the fact that environmentalist are freaking out about this is what the whole pod should of been dedicated to. Dubai is greatly effecting coral reefs and their associated mangrove habitats. The massive construction is also alienating native species and making it easier for foreign, and possible destructive species to enter

babylon's going down, but it reminds me of the Mayans, or the Incas......maybe in the future people will visit these ruins and will be amazed by what profit over people can produce...hopefully in discuss.....

I agree w/J_Hammer in relation to onechance's post. Just because you assumably cannot afford to pay 300.00 for a steak does not mean you have the right to knock those of us who can. So, the next time you decide to have dinner at the Cheese Cake Factory, PF Changs, Ruth Chris, or Hungry Jacks/Burger King, think of that homeless person you could be giving that money to. Better yet, cancel your internet subscrption and donate that money to those starving people you are so concerned with.

I must agree this is disgusting. Who is profitting here? Will this uplift the poor and starving people in that county? Or once again a structure of oppression? Let us try to look past the shiny lights? If you can afford this, then you can afford to buy a meal for a hungry family, and guess what you can find some in your own neighborhood.

Retarded.
Sad, wasteful, and hello... PEOPLE ARE STARVING.

Our planet is disintegrating, and these oil clowns are building shit for the filthy rich.

Disgusting.

That is pretty cool. I would love to visit the world islands. I think that cheap work labor is questionable but reasonable if those people are coming directly from the country...such as India and then going back. They are making more money than they would be in their own country. I am guessing that it's low compared to others in Dubai? I don't see how it would be low compared to where they originate from.

My cousins live in Dubai and they've eaten $300 steaks at the top of the Burj al Arab Hotel. Crazy.

I am surprised at the massive effort, time, and money that is spent on something which seems so frivolous, when there are so many other greater issues of importance that need to be addressed around the globe.

wow hey America are you paying attention the world is in fast forward and we are well .......... someone please tell me what we are doing ?

that's friggen insane. Too bad I can't buy me my own lil country.

Biggest transfer of Wealth in human history....Here is the proof...

my histroy teacher was talking about this, since he knew somone who was actually woking in dubai and a lot of it looks pretty interesting, like the making of dubai land, which is supposed to be bigger than disneyworld

Don't they want to kill gays tho. I'd rather not go there. Fuck that place.

This just proves that the people in Dubia are smarter than to believe in the global warming BS. To bad americans are so easily dooped.

This is just bizarre in so many ways. Can't believe anyone decided challenging Las Vegas as the Most Artificial Place On Earth would be something worth doing. Well I can, I guess what I mean is I can't believe so many people have so much money and so little taste.

Well I'm disgusted.
It would be so awful if it was all under water in 20 years.

this is amazing

Very interesting stuff. There's a lot of building going on in that area of the world right now. I would truly love to have my own island.

awesome piece. this place is so surreal... like Vegas meets Celebration meets Burning Man.

Can anyone say White Elephant?

Great piece guys. I think I'm sold on Dubai now.

Josh & Grace-- this blew my mind. I would love to move to Dubai and live on my own mini-Cuba or something.

That's pretty cool. But what if sea levels rise? They might be screwed in the end.

...I just don't even know what to say, that's just wild. Kind of makes you reconsider just what money really is don't it?