Dubai & the , part 2

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Middle East

Suez Canal Iraq Iran Persian Egypt Gulf Saudi UAE Arabia Sudan Red Sea

Oil tanker shipping lanes to Europe 40% of ’s oil (17 M barrels / day) is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran threatens to block the strait, thereby threatening supplies to Europe that could skyrocket prices. Google maps provides multiple map views: aerial photo, street map, or topographic.

Bahrain Qatar Bahrain

Qatar Red Sea Dubai

Abu Dhabi 60 miles Mystique with the wealth and glamour of the Middle East was illustrated by the 2010 fantasy film, “Sex & the City 2”

Unfortunately, the movie portrays a false sense women‟s rights because they have NONE. The movie had to be filmed in Morocco because women in the UAE cannot not wear sexy/ provocative clothing or live independent lives as they appeared to do. Seven “city-states” exist in the , each governed by a ruling family headed by a sheik.

UAE United Arab Dubai Emirates Abu Dhabi

% of total % of total Emirate Capital Population Area (mi²) Density pop. area

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi 1,678,000 38.8% 26,000 86.70% 25 Ajman 258,000 6.0% 100 0.30% 996

Dubai Dubai 1,306,000 30.2% 1,500 5.00% 336 Fujairah Fujairah 127,000 2.9% 450 1.50% 109 Ras al-Khaimah Ras al-Khaimah 205,000 4.7% 650 2.20% 122 Sharjah Sharjah 678,000 15.7% 1,000 3.30% 262 Umm al-Quwain Umm al-Qaiwain 68,000 1.6% 300 0.90% 88

UAE 4,320,000 100.0% 30,000 100% 56 The importance to the US of this growth and shift in balance of world power is that we must now exercise „diplomacy‟ and negotiations (rather than brut force) with other global powers, especially those from whom we now borrow large sums of money to offset our enormous national debt and also those which potentially could develop nuclear weapons (Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, Pakistan). The US is clearly no longer the richest country in the world! The Sheik and his sons

Seven “city- states” exist in the United Arab Emirates, each governed by a ruling family headed by a sheik.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and absolute monarch of Dubai. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum aka Fazza, the Crown Prince of Dubai

Graduate of the London School of Economics, Minister of Finance The governmental powers of Dubai (vested in the Sheik) are very different than the democracy of the US. The success of the massive construction projects that are being undertaken in such a short time is due to the following conditions unique to a dictatorship: • A strong leader with a bold vision for the future of the country and prosperity for his people. • Limited bureaucracy and no environmental restrictions that could limit or delay the projects, especially the creation of the manmade islands, which have never been attempted before. • Unlimited wealth to pay for extravagant designs and expedited timelines. • No labor restrictions on working conditions or wages; no unions. This slide show is somewhat dated because the impact of the 2008 recession was global and Dubai has suffered as have all other world countries.

•Recession in UAE has At the time, there were collapsed the real estate more construction market by 60% workers in Dubai than •Yet Abu Dhabi sits on 10% there were actual of the worlds oil. citizens OR native born residents. •Brings in $10B. Oil revenues / month. One of the social problems the country suffers is a disproportionate gender imbalance resulting from prejudice to women and the large numbers of foreign construction workers who are men.

Hormonal young men 20-35 y/o without companionship of females create a demand for prostitution and sex trade that is unacceptable by Muslim standards. However, they are relaxing some of the traditional beliefs and practices.

Only a few are native born and most of the population are immigrant workers from . Persian Bahrain Gulf

Qatar

Dubai Abu 60 miles Dhabi

Both Qatar and Bahrain have the same oil resources and goals to develop their countries in the same superior fashion as the UAE. Qatar and Dubai both have nonstop air service directly from their cities to Houston, which strengthens local economic ties to the Middle East. HCC picked to create new college for Qatar By JEANNIE KEVER HOUSTON CHRONICLE April 19, 2010 Houston Community College has signed a $45 million, five-year contract with the government of Qatar to open the Persian Gulf nation's first community college. Community College of Qatar is set to open this fall, offering job training and basic academic programs. Students who complete the program will be considered graduates of HCC. HCC Chancellor Mary Spangler said the project is a natural extension of the community college's role. “We need to prepare our students to be comfortable in a global environment,” she said. “They need to recognize that Houston isn't the start and end of their world.” The initiative, along with other international programs launched by HCC in recent years, will provide students from Houston with the opportunities for international exchanges, she said. HCC also has worked with institutions in Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Brazil, experience that may come in handy as it hires faculty and staff for the Qatari campus over the next few months. But unlike the earlier projects, which involved existing institutions, HCC will be creating a college from scratch in Qatar. “We're not sitting on the sidelines saying, „Go hire six faculty. Get three administrators,' ” Spangler said. “We are actually doing the work for and with them.” The Community College of Qatar will use HCC curriculum and be covered by HCC's accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

College compound HCC was selected from among eight U.S. community colleges for the partnership. The project is the latest to highlight the Middle East's interest in American-style higher education. Qatar, a small peninsula jutting into the gulf, established a compound called Education City outside the capital city of Doha in 1995. Since then, six U.S. universities have opened branches: Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Virginia Commonwealth, Northwestern and Weill Cornell Medical College. But community colleges fill a different niche, providing workforce training as well as lower-division academic course work. Houston‟s link to the Middle East lies strongly with their need for medical services.

M.D. Anderson receives $150 million gift By TODD ACKERMAN Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle Jan. 18, 2011 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is receiving $150 million from the president of the United Arab Emirates, the largest donation ever given to an institution in the Texas Medical Center. Throughout the Middle East, a war against weight is underway.

Egyptian women are among the most overweight in the world, but some in the capital Fast food and lack of exercise are fighting back with are key factors in Egypt's diet, exercise and drugs. obesity problem. Low-income nations such as Egypt face a October 31, 2011|By Clare double burden as hunger and Fleishman, Los Angeles Times obesity coexist within the same communities and even families. (Khaled Desouki / AFP/Getty Images) When it comes to excess weight, Ezzat has plenty of company on the streets of this city of 20 million. One doesn't need to hear the staggering 2010 World Health Organization statistics — nearly 76% of women in Egypt are overweight and 48% obese — to know that the country has a big problem. American influences upon the Middle East have brought the worst of all our habits. US foreign aid to other countries is constantly criticized, but rarely are their good deeds recog- nized by the US media.

2011 tornado completely destroyed the high school and most of the city of Joplin, MO, yet foreign countries like UAE donated to rebuild. American media fails to cover stories so Americans have a warped view of humanitarian aid given to the US. Site plan of Abu Dhabi Web Portal to the Abu Dhabi Government

Arabic script reads right to left Aldar Properties HQ, Abu Dhabi Most Middle East cities are creating massive real estate developments, signature buildings, and architectural landmarks to demonstrate their wealth and establish their own cultural identity. Other landmark buildings in Abu Dhabi have employed world famous architects/ engineers to create stunning signature buildings.

Many of these buildings are featured in Building it Bigger, a Science Channel documentary on Channel 337, http://science.discovery.com/tv/build-bigger/build-bigger.html Al Raha Beach Development, Abu Dhabi This was the main street of Dubai, in 1990, and it has changed enormously over the intervening years. This is the same street in 2003. Yet the alignment along a single, linear roadway creates transportation congestion. … but it had changed even more by last year

Due to the present building boom, Dubai is said to currently have up to 25% of all the world‟s cranes.

Similar construction booms occurred in Miami prior to 2008 and leading to the housing collapse. This over-building and speculation led to recession and a global real estate collapse. The . When completed it will become the largest waterfront development in the world.

All of this was built in the last 5 years, including the island that looks like a palm tree. Lack of environmental guidelines or regulations allow the government to expedite their projects in ways that would be impossible in other countries. They simply ignore environmental studies required elsewhere in the developed world. They are the largest artificial islands in the world and can be seen from space. Three of these Palms will be made in all. Upon completion, the resort will have 2,000 villas, 40 luxury hotels, shopping centers, movie theaters, and many other facilities.

However, the linear configuration of palm “limbs” is very poor transportation planning that will cause huge traffic jams moving towards the mainland. The World Islands.

300 artificially created islands in the shape of the world. Each island will have an estimated cost of $25-30 million.

Most awareness in the US of the UAE began in 1999, when the Burj al-Arab opened to celebrate the millennium.

The Burj al-Arab hotel is the worlds tallest, and with its luxury, is considered the only '7 star' hotel in the world.

It stands on an in the sea. , the world's first underwater hotel. Entirely built in Germany and then assembled in Dubai, it is scheduled to be completed by 2009 after many delays. At an Construction estimated began in 2005 height of on the Burj over 800 Khalifa Dubai meters, it and is expected will easily to be complete be world's by 2009. tallest building It‟s design has an when engineering finished. purpose: The swirl shape ensures that the mass of the structure lessens as it reaches the top, making the structure steadier. This is what will look like around 2008-2009. More than 140 stories of the Burj Dubai have already been completed. The Al Burj.

This will be the centerpiece of the Dubai Waterfront.

Once completed it will take over the title of the tallest structure in the world from the Burj Dubai.

Recently it was announced that the final height of this tower will be 1200 meters.

Trump Tower Dubai

American investors also participate in the economic expansion of international growth. The Trump International Hotel & Tower, which will be the centerpiece of one of the . will be built on 3 billion square feet (107 miles^2) at an estimated $20 billion price tag. Currently, the largest collection in the world is Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, which is also the largest single-site employer in the United states with 58,000 employees. Dubailand will be twice the size. Currently, the Walt Disney World Once fully Resort is the #1 tourist destination in the world. completed, Dubailand will easily take over that title since it is expected to attract 200,000 visitors daily. . A huge collection of sports arenas located in Dubailand. The is an entirely man made development that will contain over 200 highrise buildings when finished. The completed first phase of the project is shown. will be the largest in the world with over 9 million square feet of shopping and around 1000 stores. It might be 135 degrees Fahrenheit outdoors, but inside the 32,290 square-foot, $275 million structure, visitors ski and snowboard. The heavily insulated facility also includes the world's largest indoor snow park, offering 9,842 square feet for sledding or bobsledding.

SKI DUBAI , ( already open,) is the largest indoor skiing facility in the world. This is a rendered image of another future indoor skiing facility that is being planned. Some of the tallest buildings in the world, such as Ocean Heights and The Princess Tower, which will be the largest residential building in the world at over a 100 stories, will line the Dubai Marina. The system, once completed, will become the largest fully automated rail system in the The . World Central International Airport will become the largest airport in size when it is completed. Emirates Air began non-stop service Dubai to Houston in 2007, noted for its 1st class private cabins.

Emirates flight attendants stay at the Hilton Americas downtown and can be seen regularly in the lobby in uniform as they await their transport to IAH and back to Dubai.

Planes perform at the Dubai airshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011.

Dubai's fast-growing airline Emirates kicked off the Middle East's biggest airshow Sunday with a huge order for 50 Boeing 777s, marking the U.S. aircraft maker's biggest- ever single order in dollar terms. Photo: Associated Press, Anonymous / AP Dubai's fast-growing airline Emirates kicked off the Middle East's biggest air show Sunday with a huge order for 50 Boeing 777s, marking the U.S. aircraft maker's biggest-ever single order in dollar terms. In 2008, Qatar Air began service to IAH from Doha, doubling direct service from the Middle East.

From Houston Fares starting from Ahmedabad $ 1,132 Chennai $ 1,078 Colombo $ 1,265 Delhi $ 935 Dhaka $ 1,178 Hyderabad $ 1,213 Kathmandu $ 1,224 Kochi / Thiruvanthapuram $ 1,158 Mumbai $ 846 Bahrain

Qatar Red Sea Dubai

Abu Dhabi 60 miles “Mood” lighting is an important new feature of Boeing‟s plane for long haul flights.