Dubai, 'Zany Boomtown'

Interesting article about Dubai in the Dallas Morning News:

And in the case of Mr. Moosa's creations, what kind of tenants would clamor to nest in a swollen pyramid?
In Dubai, a zany, oil-fueled boomtown afloat in plastic fantasy, unbridled ambition and rivers of cold cash, such questions are dismissed as the calling cards of the unimaginative. Mr. Moosa waves them away like sand flies.
"Who wants to live in a pyramid? Everybody wants to live in a pyramid," he said with evident astonishment. "It's the only address in the world. Imagine your card: 'The Grand Pyramid of Dubai'! "

"The city is losing its authenticity. It's losing its past," said Abdel Khaleq Abdullah, a television talk show host. "Maybe in globalization, identity is irrelevant. That's what the government says. But in reality ... you're losing something very precious."

In the heat of its frenetic boom, Dubai has developed a few tics. There is a preternatural fascination with how things will look when viewed from the sky. Then there's the obsession with breaking records.

Hmmm.