[Akula1992]

patb,

I hear ya. Many moons ago when I lived in Jacksonville, FL I tried that site. IIRC there were about 9,000 female profiles on the site. I did a simple search based on three criteria that I considered personally important to me:

1. College degree
2. Non-smoker
3. No children from a previous relationship

Those three criteria reduced the pool from over 9,000 down to 3 – and non of the three had a picture 😉

[Akula1992]

Just a word or two about the 20 years of work for the 40 some odd years of retirement.

I’m now 40-something and have been in the military for 21 years now. I figure I still have several years left in me but why does the military and the fire department, etc. let people retire with so few years in the job? I think I might have an answer.

Speaking from a strictly military point of view, the job can do some pretty bad things to your body. Ruck marches, training, walking on steel floors all day, fighting fires, carrying very heavy stuff – it all adds up over time. I can simply not do all the same things now as I was able to do when I was 25, 30 or 35. Every year I have taken longer to heal and by the time you are in your mid 40’s most of the front line types have used up a lot of whatever their body had to offer. Not bitching about it at all – it just happens to be a fact of life.

So why do we offer retirements to folk like fire fighters so “early” in their careers? Probably because, like me, their bodies are not healing as quickly as they used to from the constant abuse we subject them to every day. I firmly believe that Police Officers should be included in the same group but they do tend to have alternate career option within the force that are valid and allow for continued employment that the Fire Departments do not.

I now teach Fire Fighting for the Navy and I will tell you that it is a young man’s game. If anyone doubts me please allow me to put you in turnout gear with a Scott AirPack, fire fighting boots, flash gear, helmet and give you one 50 foot section of 4 inch fire hose(just one) to carry through a 400 degrees fire box and up two flights of stairs. I believe that the experience would be illuminating considering that ‘real’ fires burn much hotter.

OK, done with that side of the discussion.

Now, are fire fighters overpaid?

My ECON undergrad degree would suggest that they are. Supply and demand theory and a Pareto efficient curve suggest that there are an excess of people willing to do the job but there are barriers to entry that prevent the equitable distribution or resources.

I had guys that worked for me in the Navy that were Damage Controlmen that had basic and advanced fire fighting training, years of practical experience, CBR training, CPR, Basic and Advanced First Aid, infectious disease defense, Ambulance Attendant and EMT training and spent many, many off duty hours and weekends volunteering just to try to get into the good graces of the local fire department to try to get a job.

It’s tough.

You almost have to wait for a guy to die(and be related to him) to get in. That is the barrier to entry that I mentioned. To formalize the argument – it is the Union. It is an artificiality that distorts the market and makes us bear a larger burden(cost).

There are some reforms that we could do but those would be slaying some pretty damned sacred cows.

Just my 2 cents. And sorry, but I guess that was more than just a word or two. Mea Culpa…

[Akula1992]

Just a word or two about the 20 years of work for the 40 some odd years of retirement.

I’m now 40-something and have been in the military for 21 years now. I figure I still have several years left in me but why does the military and the fire department, etc. let people retire with so few years in the job? I think I might have an answer.

Speaking from a strictly military point of view, the job can do some pretty bad things to your body. Ruck marches, training, walking on steel floors all day, fighting fires, carrying very heavy stuff – it all adds up over time. I can simply not do all the same things now as I was able to do when I was 25, 30 or 35. Every year I have taken longer to heal and by the time you are in your mid 40’s most of the front line types have used up a lot of whatever their body had to offer. Not bitching about it at all – it just happens to be a fact of life.

So why do we offer retirements to folk like fire fighters so “early” in their careers? Probably because, like me, their bodies are not healing as quickly as they used to from the constant abuse we subject them to every day. I firmly believe that Police Officers should be included in the same group but they do tend to have alternate career option within the force that are valid and allow for continued employment that the Fire Departments do not.

I now teach Fire Fighting for the Navy and I will tell you that it is a young man’s game. If anyone doubts me please allow me to put you in turnout gear with a Scott AirPack, fire fighting boots, flash gear, helmet and give you one 50 foot section of 4 inch fire hose(just one) to carry through a 400 degrees fire box and up two flights of stairs. I believe that the experience would be illuminating considering that ‘real’ fires burn much hotter.

OK, done with that side of the discussion.

Now, are fire fighters overpaid?

My ECON undergrad degree would suggest that they are. Supply and demand theory and a Pareto efficient curve suggest that there are an excess of people willing to do the job but there are barriers to entry that prevent the equitable distribution or resources.

I had guys that worked for me in the Navy that were Damage Controlmen that had basic and advanced fire fighting training, years of practical experience, CBR training, CPR, Basic and Advanced First Aid, infectious disease defense, Ambulance Attendant and EMT training and spent many, many off duty hours and weekends volunteering just to try to get into the good graces of the local fire department to try to get a job.

It’s tough.

You almost have to wait for a guy to die(and be related to him) to get in. That is the barrier to entry that I mentioned. To formalize the argument – it is the Union. It is an artificiality that distorts the market and makes us bear a larger burden(cost).

There are some reforms that we could do but those would be slaying some pretty damned sacred cows.

Just my 2 cents. And sorry, but I guess that was more than just a word or two. Mea Culpa…

[Akula1992]

Just a word or two about the 20 years of work for the 40 some odd years of retirement.

I’m now 40-something and have been in the military for 21 years now. I figure I still have several years left in me but why does the military and the fire department, etc. let people retire with so few years in the job? I think I might have an answer.

Speaking from a strictly military point of view, the job can do some pretty bad things to your body. Ruck marches, training, walking on steel floors all day, fighting fires, carrying very heavy stuff – it all adds up over time. I can simply not do all the same things now as I was able to do when I was 25, 30 or 35. Every year I have taken longer to heal and by the time you are in your mid 40’s most of the front line types have used up a lot of whatever their body had to offer. Not bitching about it at all – it just happens to be a fact of life.

So why do we offer retirements to folk like fire fighters so “early” in their careers? Probably because, like me, their bodies are not healing as quickly as they used to from the constant abuse we subject them to every day. I firmly believe that Police Officers should be included in the same group but they do tend to have alternate career option within the force that are valid and allow for continued employment that the Fire Departments do not.

I now teach Fire Fighting for the Navy and I will tell you that it is a young man’s game. If anyone doubts me please allow me to put you in turnout gear with a Scott AirPack, fire fighting boots, flash gear, helmet and give you one 50 foot section of 4 inch fire hose(just one) to carry through a 400 degrees fire box and up two flights of stairs. I believe that the experience would be illuminating considering that ‘real’ fires burn much hotter.

OK, done with that side of the discussion.

Now, are fire fighters overpaid?

My ECON undergrad degree would suggest that they are. Supply and demand theory and a Pareto efficient curve suggest that there are an excess of people willing to do the job but there are barriers to entry that prevent the equitable distribution or resources.

I had guys that worked for me in the Navy that were Damage Controlmen that had basic and advanced fire fighting training, years of practical experience, CBR training, CPR, Basic and Advanced First Aid, infectious disease defense, Ambulance Attendant and EMT training and spent many, many off duty hours and weekends volunteering just to try to get into the good graces of the local fire department to try to get a job.

It’s tough.

You almost have to wait for a guy to die(and be related to him) to get in. That is the barrier to entry that I mentioned. To formalize the argument – it is the Union. It is an artificiality that distorts the market and makes us bear a larger burden(cost).

There are some reforms that we could do but those would be slaying some pretty damned sacred cows.

Just my 2 cents. And sorry, but I guess that was more than just a word or two. Mea Culpa…

[Akula1992]

Just a word or two about the 20 years of work for the 40 some odd years of retirement.

I’m now 40-something and have been in the military for 21 years now. I figure I still have several years left in me but why does the military and the fire department, etc. let people retire with so few years in the job? I think I might have an answer.

Speaking from a strictly military point of view, the job can do some pretty bad things to your body. Ruck marches, training, walking on steel floors all day, fighting fires, carrying very heavy stuff – it all adds up over time. I can simply not do all the same things now as I was able to do when I was 25, 30 or 35. Every year I have taken longer to heal and by the time you are in your mid 40’s most of the front line types have used up a lot of whatever their body had to offer. Not bitching about it at all – it just happens to be a fact of life.

So why do we offer retirements to folk like fire fighters so “early” in their careers? Probably because, like me, their bodies are not healing as quickly as they used to from the constant abuse we subject them to every day. I firmly believe that Police Officers should be included in the same group but they do tend to have alternate career option within the force that are valid and allow for continued employment that the Fire Departments do not.

I now teach Fire Fighting for the Navy and I will tell you that it is a young man’s game. If anyone doubts me please allow me to put you in turnout gear with a Scott AirPack, fire fighting boots, flash gear, helmet and give you one 50 foot section of 4 inch fire hose(just one) to carry through a 400 degrees fire box and up two flights of stairs. I believe that the experience would be illuminating considering that ‘real’ fires burn much hotter.

OK, done with that side of the discussion.

Now, are fire fighters overpaid?

My ECON undergrad degree would suggest that they are. Supply and demand theory and a Pareto efficient curve suggest that there are an excess of people willing to do the job but there are barriers to entry that prevent the equitable distribution or resources.

I had guys that worked for me in the Navy that were Damage Controlmen that had basic and advanced fire fighting training, years of practical experience, CBR training, CPR, Basic and Advanced First Aid, infectious disease defense, Ambulance Attendant and EMT training and spent many, many off duty hours and weekends volunteering just to try to get into the good graces of the local fire department to try to get a job.

It’s tough.

You almost have to wait for a guy to die(and be related to him) to get in. That is the barrier to entry that I mentioned. To formalize the argument – it is the Union. It is an artificiality that distorts the market and makes us bear a larger burden(cost).

There are some reforms that we could do but those would be slaying some pretty damned sacred cows.

Just my 2 cents. And sorry, but I guess that was more than just a word or two. Mea Culpa…

[Akula1992]

Just a word or two about the 20 years of work for the 40 some odd years of retirement.

I’m now 40-something and have been in the military for 21 years now. I figure I still have several years left in me but why does the military and the fire department, etc. let people retire with so few years in the job? I think I might have an answer.

Speaking from a strictly military point of view, the job can do some pretty bad things to your body. Ruck marches, training, walking on steel floors all day, fighting fires, carrying very heavy stuff – it all adds up over time. I can simply not do all the same things now as I was able to do when I was 25, 30 or 35. Every year I have taken longer to heal and by the time you are in your mid 40’s most of the front line types have used up a lot of whatever their body had to offer. Not bitching about it at all – it just happens to be a fact of life.

So why do we offer retirements to folk like fire fighters so “early” in their careers? Probably because, like me, their bodies are not healing as quickly as they used to from the constant abuse we subject them to every day. I firmly believe that Police Officers should be included in the same group but they do tend to have alternate career option within the force that are valid and allow for continued employment that the Fire Departments do not.

I now teach Fire Fighting for the Navy and I will tell you that it is a young man’s game. If anyone doubts me please allow me to put you in turnout gear with a Scott AirPack, fire fighting boots, flash gear, helmet and give you one 50 foot section of 4 inch fire hose(just one) to carry through a 400 degrees fire box and up two flights of stairs. I believe that the experience would be illuminating considering that ‘real’ fires burn much hotter.

OK, done with that side of the discussion.

Now, are fire fighters overpaid?

My ECON undergrad degree would suggest that they are. Supply and demand theory and a Pareto efficient curve suggest that there are an excess of people willing to do the job but there are barriers to entry that prevent the equitable distribution or resources.

I had guys that worked for me in the Navy that were Damage Controlmen that had basic and advanced fire fighting training, years of practical experience, CBR training, CPR, Basic and Advanced First Aid, infectious disease defense, Ambulance Attendant and EMT training and spent many, many off duty hours and weekends volunteering just to try to get into the good graces of the local fire department to try to get a job.

It’s tough.

You almost have to wait for a guy to die(and be related to him) to get in. That is the barrier to entry that I mentioned. To formalize the argument – it is the Union. It is an artificiality that distorts the market and makes us bear a larger burden(cost).

There are some reforms that we could do but those would be slaying some pretty damned sacred cows.

Just my 2 cents. And sorry, but I guess that was more than just a word or two. Mea Culpa…

[Akula1992]

Just a couple thoughts on handguns:

The M-9 Baretta is a decent handgun and is fairly cheap to shoot. I have an extensively upgraded version that I shoot often and even with inexpensive ammunition it has only jammed a few times. If I had to guess I would say that I average less than one misfeed or partial ejection less than once every 2-3,000 rounds. This has almost invariably been traced back to the ammunition I was using.

Drawbacks – It has an external safety that I have forgotten to disengage on occasion. This can be eliminated by using a positive control holster that uses a plastic safty catch that automatically disengages the safety when the weapon is drawn. Second item: Despite having replaced the trigger group with a higher quality assembly, I always know when the trigger is about to break and it can affect my shot quality. Both assemblies have had the same issues and my gunsmith said the only cure is to buy a better gun. Well…

Full frame Sig P226 in 40S&W. Awesome sidearm. Hands down my favorite to shoot. No external safety except, as a friend of mine once said, “Keep your booger hooks off the bang switch.” Uses an internal trigger block to prevent accidental firing and has a decocking lever. Smooth take up on the trigger and a clean break on each shot. I have medium sized hands and it fits me perfectly. All the operating controls are in the right position. As I said before, I tend to shoot quite a lot. Sometimes it is as low as 100 rounds a month. At other times I am shooting 3-500 rounds a week. I have never, ever had a misfeed with the Sig.

Drawbacks? Only two really. It is more expensive to shoot and NATO doesn’t sport the 40 S&W round. Most folks that I know that are professionals that really expect to use their weapons carry Sig. There is a reason why.

Just my 2 bhat. Your milage may vary.

[Akula1992]

Just a couple thoughts on handguns:

The M-9 Baretta is a decent handgun and is fairly cheap to shoot. I have an extensively upgraded version that I shoot often and even with inexpensive ammunition it has only jammed a few times. If I had to guess I would say that I average less than one misfeed or partial ejection less than once every 2-3,000 rounds. This has almost invariably been traced back to the ammunition I was using.

Drawbacks – It has an external safety that I have forgotten to disengage on occasion. This can be eliminated by using a positive control holster that uses a plastic safty catch that automatically disengages the safety when the weapon is drawn. Second item: Despite having replaced the trigger group with a higher quality assembly, I always know when the trigger is about to break and it can affect my shot quality. Both assemblies have had the same issues and my gunsmith said the only cure is to buy a better gun. Well…

Full frame Sig P226 in 40S&W. Awesome sidearm. Hands down my favorite to shoot. No external safety except, as a friend of mine once said, “Keep your booger hooks off the bang switch.” Uses an internal trigger block to prevent accidental firing and has a decocking lever. Smooth take up on the trigger and a clean break on each shot. I have medium sized hands and it fits me perfectly. All the operating controls are in the right position. As I said before, I tend to shoot quite a lot. Sometimes it is as low as 100 rounds a month. At other times I am shooting 3-500 rounds a week. I have never, ever had a misfeed with the Sig.

Drawbacks? Only two really. It is more expensive to shoot and NATO doesn’t sport the 40 S&W round. Most folks that I know that are professionals that really expect to use their weapons carry Sig. There is a reason why.

Just my 2 bhat. Your milage may vary.

[Akula1992]

Just a couple thoughts on handguns:

The M-9 Baretta is a decent handgun and is fairly cheap to shoot. I have an extensively upgraded version that I shoot often and even with inexpensive ammunition it has only jammed a few times. If I had to guess I would say that I average less than one misfeed or partial ejection less than once every 2-3,000 rounds. This has almost invariably been traced back to the ammunition I was using.

Drawbacks – It has an external safety that I have forgotten to disengage on occasion. This can be eliminated by using a positive control holster that uses a plastic safty catch that automatically disengages the safety when the weapon is drawn. Second item: Despite having replaced the trigger group with a higher quality assembly, I always know when the trigger is about to break and it can affect my shot quality. Both assemblies have had the same issues and my gunsmith said the only cure is to buy a better gun. Well…

Full frame Sig P226 in 40S&W. Awesome sidearm. Hands down my favorite to shoot. No external safety except, as a friend of mine once said, “Keep your booger hooks off the bang switch.” Uses an internal trigger block to prevent accidental firing and has a decocking lever. Smooth take up on the trigger and a clean break on each shot. I have medium sized hands and it fits me perfectly. All the operating controls are in the right position. As I said before, I tend to shoot quite a lot. Sometimes it is as low as 100 rounds a month. At other times I am shooting 3-500 rounds a week. I have never, ever had a misfeed with the Sig.

Drawbacks? Only two really. It is more expensive to shoot and NATO doesn’t sport the 40 S&W round. Most folks that I know that are professionals that really expect to use their weapons carry Sig. There is a reason why.

Just my 2 bhat. Your milage may vary.

[Akula1992]

Just a couple thoughts on handguns:

The M-9 Baretta is a decent handgun and is fairly cheap to shoot. I have an extensively upgraded version that I shoot often and even with inexpensive ammunition it has only jammed a few times. If I had to guess I would say that I average less than one misfeed or partial ejection less than once every 2-3,000 rounds. This has almost invariably been traced back to the ammunition I was using.

Drawbacks – It has an external safety that I have forgotten to disengage on occasion. This can be eliminated by using a positive control holster that uses a plastic safty catch that automatically disengages the safety when the weapon is drawn. Second item: Despite having replaced the trigger group with a higher quality assembly, I always know when the trigger is about to break and it can affect my shot quality. Both assemblies have had the same issues and my gunsmith said the only cure is to buy a better gun. Well…

Full frame Sig P226 in 40S&W. Awesome sidearm. Hands down my favorite to shoot. No external safety except, as a friend of mine once said, “Keep your booger hooks off the bang switch.” Uses an internal trigger block to prevent accidental firing and has a decocking lever. Smooth take up on the trigger and a clean break on each shot. I have medium sized hands and it fits me perfectly. All the operating controls are in the right position. As I said before, I tend to shoot quite a lot. Sometimes it is as low as 100 rounds a month. At other times I am shooting 3-500 rounds a week. I have never, ever had a misfeed with the Sig.

Drawbacks? Only two really. It is more expensive to shoot and NATO doesn’t sport the 40 S&W round. Most folks that I know that are professionals that really expect to use their weapons carry Sig. There is a reason why.

Just my 2 bhat. Your milage may vary.

[Akula1992]

Just a couple thoughts on handguns:

The M-9 Baretta is a decent handgun and is fairly cheap to shoot. I have an extensively upgraded version that I shoot often and even with inexpensive ammunition it has only jammed a few times. If I had to guess I would say that I average less than one misfeed or partial ejection less than once every 2-3,000 rounds. This has almost invariably been traced back to the ammunition I was using.

Drawbacks – It has an external safety that I have forgotten to disengage on occasion. This can be eliminated by using a positive control holster that uses a plastic safty catch that automatically disengages the safety when the weapon is drawn. Second item: Despite having replaced the trigger group with a higher quality assembly, I always know when the trigger is about to break and it can affect my shot quality. Both assemblies have had the same issues and my gunsmith said the only cure is to buy a better gun. Well…

Full frame Sig P226 in 40S&W. Awesome sidearm. Hands down my favorite to shoot. No external safety except, as a friend of mine once said, “Keep your booger hooks off the bang switch.” Uses an internal trigger block to prevent accidental firing and has a decocking lever. Smooth take up on the trigger and a clean break on each shot. I have medium sized hands and it fits me perfectly. All the operating controls are in the right position. As I said before, I tend to shoot quite a lot. Sometimes it is as low as 100 rounds a month. At other times I am shooting 3-500 rounds a week. I have never, ever had a misfeed with the Sig.

Drawbacks? Only two really. It is more expensive to shoot and NATO doesn’t sport the 40 S&W round. Most folks that I know that are professionals that really expect to use their weapons carry Sig. There is a reason why.

Just my 2 bhat. Your milage may vary.

[Akula1992]

The first time I visited was in 1996 and it was a dusty trading outpost. The road between Dubai and Jebel Ali was just a barren stretch of sand. There was some building going on but no too much.

Last year I went there three times and was floored. The amount and scale of construction was awe inspiring and the architecture was beautiful. Do you remember what the skyline of San Diego looked like three years ago when viewed from Petco Park with cranes everywhere? Imagine that same scene stretching over about 15 miles unbroken but with taller, more modern buildings being built. Simply everything was on a grand scale. City planners were projecting that over the next few years that the population would grow about 9-fold and be centered on trade and finance. Some of my friends and I looked at what was going on and what they planned and we all thought the same thing – “Unsustainable.”

They did a lot of things right. They dumped a ton of money into infrastructure: the port facility at Jebel Ali is world class, the new rail system is state of the art, power(and yes, water) was well planned out. They are the most western of places I have seen in the middle east. You walk through a mall there and you will see some women dressed in traditional dress and covered head to tow and you will also see Brit ex-pats in tube tops and skin tight jeans. They serve alcohol – do not underestimate the importance of that piece when you are trying to attract westerners.

They did a lot of things wrong. Despite the western feel of the place it is certainly not as free as the veneer would suggest. One Brit Ex-pat friend of mine had recently moved there after many years of living and working in East Africa. He told me in a rather wry tone, “Living in a police state isn’t all that bad, as long as you are on the same side as the police.” The simple truth is that the rule of law is inequitably applied and is capriciously administered. The TCN’s(Third Country Nationals) are treated like dirt and basically have few rights. Hospitality workers make almost nothing.

I was surprised to how, even at “reputable” shops, people were willing to try to take advantage of you. While looking for a particular type of rug(a Mohammed Jamshidi Qom rug) I had a couple different shops try to pass off imitations as the real thing(with real thing prices). When I pointed out the problems it was always, “Oh yes, yes my friend. I thought you wanted one that “looked” like a Jamshidi. Please, let me show you the real ones.” or some other similar crap…

It will be interesting to see how things shake out there. I think I liked it better as a sleepy backwater.

And not to be a picker of nits, but the currency in the UAE is the Dirham(AED) not the Dinar. They used to use the Dinar but they moved to the Dirham some time ago(1973 ?).

[Akula1992]

The first time I visited was in 1996 and it was a dusty trading outpost. The road between Dubai and Jebel Ali was just a barren stretch of sand. There was some building going on but no too much.

Last year I went there three times and was floored. The amount and scale of construction was awe inspiring and the architecture was beautiful. Do you remember what the skyline of San Diego looked like three years ago when viewed from Petco Park with cranes everywhere? Imagine that same scene stretching over about 15 miles unbroken but with taller, more modern buildings being built. Simply everything was on a grand scale. City planners were projecting that over the next few years that the population would grow about 9-fold and be centered on trade and finance. Some of my friends and I looked at what was going on and what they planned and we all thought the same thing – “Unsustainable.”

They did a lot of things right. They dumped a ton of money into infrastructure: the port facility at Jebel Ali is world class, the new rail system is state of the art, power(and yes, water) was well planned out. They are the most western of places I have seen in the middle east. You walk through a mall there and you will see some women dressed in traditional dress and covered head to tow and you will also see Brit ex-pats in tube tops and skin tight jeans. They serve alcohol – do not underestimate the importance of that piece when you are trying to attract westerners.

They did a lot of things wrong. Despite the western feel of the place it is certainly not as free as the veneer would suggest. One Brit Ex-pat friend of mine had recently moved there after many years of living and working in East Africa. He told me in a rather wry tone, “Living in a police state isn’t all that bad, as long as you are on the same side as the police.” The simple truth is that the rule of law is inequitably applied and is capriciously administered. The TCN’s(Third Country Nationals) are treated like dirt and basically have few rights. Hospitality workers make almost nothing.

I was surprised to how, even at “reputable” shops, people were willing to try to take advantage of you. While looking for a particular type of rug(a Mohammed Jamshidi Qom rug) I had a couple different shops try to pass off imitations as the real thing(with real thing prices). When I pointed out the problems it was always, “Oh yes, yes my friend. I thought you wanted one that “looked” like a Jamshidi. Please, let me show you the real ones.” or some other similar crap…

It will be interesting to see how things shake out there. I think I liked it better as a sleepy backwater.

And not to be a picker of nits, but the currency in the UAE is the Dirham(AED) not the Dinar. They used to use the Dinar but they moved to the Dirham some time ago(1973 ?).

[Akula1992]

The first time I visited was in 1996 and it was a dusty trading outpost. The road between Dubai and Jebel Ali was just a barren stretch of sand. There was some building going on but no too much.

Last year I went there three times and was floored. The amount and scale of construction was awe inspiring and the architecture was beautiful. Do you remember what the skyline of San Diego looked like three years ago when viewed from Petco Park with cranes everywhere? Imagine that same scene stretching over about 15 miles unbroken but with taller, more modern buildings being built. Simply everything was on a grand scale. City planners were projecting that over the next few years that the population would grow about 9-fold and be centered on trade and finance. Some of my friends and I looked at what was going on and what they planned and we all thought the same thing – “Unsustainable.”

They did a lot of things right. They dumped a ton of money into infrastructure: the port facility at Jebel Ali is world class, the new rail system is state of the art, power(and yes, water) was well planned out. They are the most western of places I have seen in the middle east. You walk through a mall there and you will see some women dressed in traditional dress and covered head to tow and you will also see Brit ex-pats in tube tops and skin tight jeans. They serve alcohol – do not underestimate the importance of that piece when you are trying to attract westerners.

They did a lot of things wrong. Despite the western feel of the place it is certainly not as free as the veneer would suggest. One Brit Ex-pat friend of mine had recently moved there after many years of living and working in East Africa. He told me in a rather wry tone, “Living in a police state isn’t all that bad, as long as you are on the same side as the police.” The simple truth is that the rule of law is inequitably applied and is capriciously administered. The TCN’s(Third Country Nationals) are treated like dirt and basically have few rights. Hospitality workers make almost nothing.

I was surprised to how, even at “reputable” shops, people were willing to try to take advantage of you. While looking for a particular type of rug(a Mohammed Jamshidi Qom rug) I had a couple different shops try to pass off imitations as the real thing(with real thing prices). When I pointed out the problems it was always, “Oh yes, yes my friend. I thought you wanted one that “looked” like a Jamshidi. Please, let me show you the real ones.” or some other similar crap…

It will be interesting to see how things shake out there. I think I liked it better as a sleepy backwater.

And not to be a picker of nits, but the currency in the UAE is the Dirham(AED) not the Dinar. They used to use the Dinar but they moved to the Dirham some time ago(1973 ?).

[Akula1992]

The first time I visited was in 1996 and it was a dusty trading outpost. The road between Dubai and Jebel Ali was just a barren stretch of sand. There was some building going on but no too much.

Last year I went there three times and was floored. The amount and scale of construction was awe inspiring and the architecture was beautiful. Do you remember what the skyline of San Diego looked like three years ago when viewed from Petco Park with cranes everywhere? Imagine that same scene stretching over about 15 miles unbroken but with taller, more modern buildings being built. Simply everything was on a grand scale. City planners were projecting that over the next few years that the population would grow about 9-fold and be centered on trade and finance. Some of my friends and I looked at what was going on and what they planned and we all thought the same thing – “Unsustainable.”

They did a lot of things right. They dumped a ton of money into infrastructure: the port facility at Jebel Ali is world class, the new rail system is state of the art, power(and yes, water) was well planned out. They are the most western of places I have seen in the middle east. You walk through a mall there and you will see some women dressed in traditional dress and covered head to tow and you will also see Brit ex-pats in tube tops and skin tight jeans. They serve alcohol – do not underestimate the importance of that piece when you are trying to attract westerners.

They did a lot of things wrong. Despite the western feel of the place it is certainly not as free as the veneer would suggest. One Brit Ex-pat friend of mine had recently moved there after many years of living and working in East Africa. He told me in a rather wry tone, “Living in a police state isn’t all that bad, as long as you are on the same side as the police.” The simple truth is that the rule of law is inequitably applied and is capriciously administered. The TCN’s(Third Country Nationals) are treated like dirt and basically have few rights. Hospitality workers make almost nothing.

I was surprised to how, even at “reputable” shops, people were willing to try to take advantage of you. While looking for a particular type of rug(a Mohammed Jamshidi Qom rug) I had a couple different shops try to pass off imitations as the real thing(with real thing prices). When I pointed out the problems it was always, “Oh yes, yes my friend. I thought you wanted one that “looked” like a Jamshidi. Please, let me show you the real ones.” or some other similar crap…

It will be interesting to see how things shake out there. I think I liked it better as a sleepy backwater.

And not to be a picker of nits, but the currency in the UAE is the Dirham(AED) not the Dinar. They used to use the Dinar but they moved to the Dirham some time ago(1973 ?).

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