United Arab Emirates

As Growth Shifts Into Overdrive, NYU Faces a Rebellion From Within

NYU As Parliament: Professors Debate A No-Confidence Vote Against Pres. John Sexton

Unlike federalism, Parliamentary systems have this strange dose of symbolic gestures that underlie the relationship between the legislature and the executive. An example of this is the no-confidence vote: if Parliament is fed up with the Prime Minister's actions, its members can hold this vote that ... More >>

Don't Count Your Cosmos Before They've Hatched: Queens MLS Franchise Still Faces Multiple Obstacles

Ever since the Post's Albany columnist Fred Dicker reported on Monday -- based solely on two unnamed sources -- that a deal for an MLS stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is "close to being wrapped up" and that construction "could begin early next year," the story has bounced around the journove ... More >>

NYU Censors Its Arabian Campus

Snowstorm Pounds Northeast; White House Plans for Troop Presence in Middle East; 30 OWS Arrests in Oregon

​Millions of people lost power and at least three deaths were reported as a result of yesterday's snowstorm along the east coast. States in the Northeast were hit the hardest and CNN reports parts of New Jersey were buried in as much as 15.5 inches of snow. Airline cancellations stranded passe ... More >>

Foreign Diplomats Owe New York City $17 Million in Parking Tickets

​As we freak out over possible $16 muffins purchased by the Justice Department -- how could they? Muffins? Muffins aren't even good -- and the overall implosion of the U.S. economy, let us freak out more, about something with some pretty egregious dollar signs. Back in May, Representatives Mic ... More >>

The 'Stephen Aspirinio Brand' Wins Over CB1, Fails to Impress Florida

stephenasprinio.comThis man wants you to swallow his dough.​In June, former Top Chef repeat offender Stephen Aspirinio announced his plans to open Pizza Vino Teca, a pizzeria in the Financial District. Thanks to the whims of CB1, he's now one step closer to his goal.

Online Education's Net Worth

E-Learning is starting to take off at NYC universities, but are all the bugs worked out?

Muslims in World's Tallest Building Asked to Break Ramadan Fast Later

via Marshall Strabala​From our Religious Observances in Skyscrapers department comes an interesting story from the United Arab Emirates. The Washington Post reports that Dubai's top Muslim cleric told residents living above the 80th floor of the 2,717 foot Burj Khalifa to "wait three extra min ... More >>

Soon, the Words "Rooty Tooty Fresh 'n' Fruity" Will Be Heard in Saudi Arabia

A Cinn-a-Stack sand blast!​Following in the steps of Shake Shack, the Chocolate Bar, Pinkberry, and cupcakes, IHOP is the latest US company to bank on the Middle East's appetite for all-American excess.

Derrick Praileau: What Happened to Right-Wing Anti-Arab Theory That Dubai Royals Ordered Him to Kill Andree Bejjani?

​Now that Derrick Praileau, the 31-year-old veteran housekeeping manager at the upscale Jumeirah Essex House, has finally admitted in court that he strangled financial bigwig and hotel guest Andree "Sara" Bejjani in September 2009, what has happened to the cockamamie theory raised at the time by r ... More >>

Sophisticated Smuggler Busted With Suitcase Full of Baby Animals

Cute, not good for luggage.​In the craziest tale of an animal smuggler we've heard this year, a man was busted in Thailand with the following in his luggage: 1. 2 baby leopards 2. 2 baby panthers 3. a baby bear 4. 2 baby macaque monkeys

Allies Begin Libyan Intervention as French Jets Hit Government Tanks (Update)

via Reuters​French fighter jets have reportedly struck four tanks belonging to Qaddafi's forces in Benghazi, beginning the allied military intervention in Libya. They've entered Libyan airspace to enforce the no-fly zone and protect civilians following a U.N. resolution authorizing military a ... More >>

Magnolia Sets Up Mission Control in Harlem, Readies for World Domination

Then one day, the cupcakes started eating us.​The cupcake cartel that is Magnolia isn't just opening five new locations around the country. It's priming itself for world domination with a new 5,200-square-foot production facility in Harlem, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new factory ... More >>

Obama Says Packages Contained Explosives, Plot Is "Credible Terrorist Threat"

One of the devices.​Furthering the story of the suspicious packages found on UPS planes headed to Newark and Philly, and fighter jets being sent to escort a flight from the UAE to JFK, President Obama has said that investigators did find explosive materials in packages sent from Yemen and inte ... More >>

In America, the ATMS Will Soon Spew Gold

​Suddenly out of gold, and out of reach of your trusty gold bullion dealer? In America, these problems get fixed once they get realized. And apparently the problem has been realized. Las Vegas and Florida will get these awesome, or awesomely terrifying, ATMs that dispense gold bars ranging in ... More >>

I Met With a Reality Show Producer

​ A TV producer recently contacted me because he's supposedly a big fan and thought I'd be great to pitch a show with. He warned me that I wouldn't make that much money directly off the show. But, obviously, he'd do much better than that or he wouldn't have been suggesting it. After a phone ... More >>

You Pretty Much Have to Be a Genius to Go to NYU Abu Dhabi

via The New York Times​New York University's Abu Dhabi satellite campus accepted just 2.1 percent of applicants for its inaugural class of 2014, compared to Harvard, which admitted 6.9 percent. Yep, these kids could probably kick ass at any spelling bee in any language in any country in the ev ... More >>

A Spoiler-Laden Review of Sex and the City 2

​The Sex and the City 2 gals couldn't exactly be made to romp around the economic ravages of America. That wouldn't be all that appealing. So the sequel sends them to Abu Dhabi! In a feverish stretch of the imagination, Samantha manages to get a job there and arranges to have all her friend ... More >>

Rightbloggers on Sex and the City: Still Hate Sex, and City, But Love That Anti-Muslim Angle

The reviews are in, and Sex and the City 2 looks like the season's biggest critical bomb. Though the film drew a decent crowd in its opening weekend, it was lambasted by critics both highbrow ("almost avant-garde adventure in aimlessness" -- Wall Street Journal) and low ("Sucks in the city" -- New ... More >>

Rag on My Sex and the City, Fine, But Let's Leave Friendship Out of It

​As we wade through the shitstorm of negativity about the out-in-theaters-now Sex and the City 2 (Full disclosure, no, we have not seen it yet, but we will, and we will be similarly tortured, we are certain), we just have to say one thing: There is one tried and true principle, one facet of th ... More >>

Morning Links: Fergie's Out of Cash, BP Spill Estimate at 85.3 Million Gallons, Make Way for Sailors

​• Poor Fergie gets only $21K a year from her ex husband Prince Andrew and really may not have a "bean to her name." Not that that excuses anything.

Sex and the City Vs. Nature

Aging disgracefully, the franchise struggles to stay forever young

'Sex and the City 2' Gay Dish!

At newest Chelsea gay bar, baseball and beer. Plus: Broadway and bears

Sex and The City 2 Spoiler: Carrie's Jihad on Islam?

​For years, HBO's Sex and the City made New York City an excitable frontier of moneyed men, inexplicably well-off women (despite shitty writing jobs that realistically pay nothing), and a world where everyone is someone else's plus-one. And that frontier was then seized upon by basically every ... More >>

Scientists Still Plugging Away at Contraception for Dudes; Meanwhile, 1 in 5 Men Have "Abnormal Sperm Counts"

​How do we not want to have a baby? Let us count the ways. If you're a woman, you've got that female condom horror, the sponge, a host of different hormone therapies from pills to injectables, implantables, diaphragms, even emergency contraception, not to mention swearing off men altogether .. ... More >>

In Dubai, Confusion Over Cooking Alcohol Reigns

​Earlier today, it was widely reported that Dubai was cracking down on enforcement of a 2003 law that forbids alcohol to be used in cooking. Alcohol is available at restaurants and clubs in Dubai, and the rule against using it in food had been mostly ignored until recent complaints that devout ... More >>

New York Food Trends Head (Middle) East; The City's Secret Dishes

​The dangers of hot dogs lie not only in their nutritional value (or lack thereof). They also cause some 17 percent of all food-related asphyxiations. The American Academy of Pediatrics wants to see foods such as hot dogs redesigned to make them less easy for children to choke on. [USA Today] ... More >>

Kerry Washington: No Slouch in Mamet's Race

Plus dancing stars, live mullets, and midlife lesbians.

Sheikh's PR Push Includes Bus Ads, Facebook, Twitter

A friend sends us this shot of an ad which he claims is appearing "on buses all over town." We don't get around much, so we can't verify that, but we see that the Sheik in question, the Royal Protector of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, hired government relations firm BKSH & Associates in Feb ... More >>

"Butter Burgers" on Oscar Menu as Ad Sales Slump

Last month NBC had trouble filling ad slots for the Super Bowl and wound up taking a DRTV spot for Cash4Gold, which wound up being the success story of the evening. Now ABC is reportedly having trouble filling ad slots for the Oscars. The LA Times says they're cutting Academy Award ad rates, too. G ... More >>

Weiner Victorious, Sort of, in Dubai-Israel Tennis Flap

When the United Arab Emirates recently denied a visa to Israeli player Shahar Peer, excluding her from a big tennis tournament, Congressman and mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner sent out a press release saying "Rep. Weiner to Blast Dubai for Banning Israeli Athlete." Then he blasted Dubai. Now the Co ... More >>

Jane Comfort and Lloyd Newson Tell It Straight (or Not)

Arab Government Bites Off a Big Chunk of G.E.

Capitalist Kumbaya

Tonight: Horse the Band at the Blender Theater

Houston to Dubai: A Nonstop Flow of Money

Grounded: The Kite Runner Just Won't Fly

Still, controversy notwithstanding

Fallout from Another War

Fight Them Over There

Peter Berg turns Jamie Foxx loose in Saudi Arabia; things blow up

Congress Sinks Port Deal

Dubai firm swamped by public opinion

Anchors Way, Way Away

Port Security and the Politics of a Good Story

Ports: All 'Bout a Dealer Named Bout

A Russian arms merchant funnels money, guns, and dope through the United Arab Emirates

Dubai's Port of No Return

Don't jump to conclusions, but there are ties between the UAE, bin Laden, and the Taliban

Whodunit: The British Consulate Bomb

Wind and a Prayer

Freedom Tower Engineer Wants Turbines To Double as Prayer Wheels

Go With the Flow

Bubbling, Crude Documents From Cheney

Renovated Loft in Former Industrial Building

Nation

Cuba Libre

Art and Contradiction at the Havana Bienal