Friday, May 04, 2007

Dubai on NBC

It seems that everyone wants a piece of Dubai these days. NBC's Today Show has chosen Dubai as one if its destinations for "Where in the World is Matt Lauer". Matt was in Dubai yesterday reporting from the helipad of Burj al Arab, making Dubai sound like it's paradise on Earth.

In one of the segments, Matt interviews Sheikha Lubna al Qassimi, the UAE's minister of Economy and Planning. He asks her about mistreatment of laborers in the UAE, and she gives him a politically correct PR answer along the lines of "often times, the problem comes from the country of origin, and sometimes it's the companies hiring the laborers that are at fault, the law protects the laborers, and the government has built laborer cities that provides all the necessary amenities".

In the rest of the segments, the NBC crew shows the glitzy, glamorous Dubai life, the shopping, the dune bashing, the golfing and the 7-star treatment at the Burj al Arab.

You can check out all the "Where in the World" Dubai segments here.

PS: Thanks to my cuz in DC for sending me the link to this.

4 comments:

nzm said...

Apparently there was also a report on CNN on January 3rd.

transcript can be found here. It appears as if they tried to give a more balanced account.

secretdubai said...

Good god I think I may have actually seen him on the helipad of the Burj - assuming it was Thursday.

KJ said...

LoL @ 7-star treatment.

As if they say everyone in Dubai is enjoying that luxury!

LoneTraveler said...

Dubai Sunshine,

I am not sure if this is the best way to solicit your thoughts, but I am relatively new to Blogger, and not sure how the best way to exchange thoughts with people is. I have read your blog quite a bit, and I thought you might have some valuable perspectives.

I am an American who is considering a job posting in Dubai. I have read as many blogs as I can to get a feel for what it's like, but I thought I would ask you and your readers directly. What is it like being a Westerner (particularly an American who looks like an Iowa farm boy) in Dubai? Is there any tension? Should I be weary when trying to integrate socially? Is crime really as low as people say it is? etc. I am very considerate to other cultures (and very apolitical), but I was wondering how an average American might find daily life and interactions in Dubai.

I know those are wide open questions, but I am not sure exactly how to ask to get a general feel of life in Dubai for an American. I work in finance, and I have lived and worked in the US, Caribbean, and Singapore. Now considering Dubai, and trying to get some lifestyle/cultural perspectives.

Any comments from you and anyone else would be really great. (or suggestions on other blogs or message boards I should visit). Thanks for the time.