First, a shameless plug for one of my favourite podcasts: Skeptoid. I’ve been listening to it for so many years that I instinctively took the host’s advice to “Be Skeptical” when I “learned “ that the world’s tallest building is not connected to a sewage (sewerage?) system. How could that possibly happen? What an epic fail (and global embarrassment on the world stage) this would be for Dubai. If it’s true. Which it isn’t, as it turns out. Which, in turn, torpedos the credibility of everything else in this “report”. So remember….BE SKEPTICAL. Isn’t that the gist of atheism, anyways? The prime directive, as it were.

Me either. I don't travel, nor even like to travel, but this sort of place wouldn't even enter my radar.

My in-laws lived there for years. My late partner, Parvin, often visited them. They kept asking why I didn't visit but with all the horror stories she and they told me I saw no reason why I should. Her brother was a wealthy businessman. However, not being Arab, he had to take a silent partner. He said if his 'partner' had car trouble he could take his car away from him. It is also illegal to have a dirty car (even though all the water comes from a huge de-sal plant) and if he walked into a bank without a suite he would not be served. At a wedding the family was given a servant from another Iranian family who were on vacation elsewhere. They were told to treat the servant with disrespect as the family didn't want the poor servant to get spoiled. On Parvin's first visit her brother was taking her around to all the ''glorious buildings (there is actually an indoor ski slope) but she demanded to see the slums. There are thousands of desperate people (mostly from India) living and working and often sharing beds (hot beds) with other desperate people.

One big problem for the brother was that when he was of retirement age he could not stay. Not being Arab he would have no way of living there without giving into the economy. There was no future for his children either in Dubai or Iran so he asked his sister to sponsor him to the US. She said no (another story). Instead he applied to Canada and 7 years later he was in. They now live in N. Vancouver where they bought a 1967 fixer-upper for $1.2 million and spent almost another million to renovate it. The whole family (parents, 3 kids and 2 grand kids) live there now.

Kinda the same reason I don’t go to Vegas (lesser extent of course). No desire at all.

Amazing how some folks are drawn to these things, regardless of the cost.

Yes, sick,

Unbelievable