Caltrops - Wall Street Kid





	[quote name="Ice Cream Jonsey"][quote name="Rev. Sun Myung Moon"]<a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6945283.ece">Every time I read anything about this place, my head explodes.</a> [quote]Ross, who asked not to be identified, is one of countless expatriates who have been caught out by the collapse in Dubai’s once-booming property market. Like many he bought a flat off-plan in what was a red-hot property market. Today he is trapped, his passport confiscated until he repays bank loans he used to invest in a property that may never exist. If his work dries up before he can clear his debts he will go to jail.[/quote] Holy shit! How stupid/greedy do you have to be to go into debt to buy nonexistent property in a place run by <a href="http://www.mbrfoundation.ae/General%20Images/sheikh_mohammed.jpg">this guy</a>? Can you imagine that face looking down at you, those eyes boring through your skull, <i>through your soul,</i> everywhere you turn? Here's the most amazing part, though: [quote]Without the apartment to boost the family’s income, the high cost of living forced them back to Britain. The debts became overwhelming in a city where non-payment is a criminal offence. Ross returned for some contract work but he was held on arrival at the airport by the police.[/quote] He was home-free, but then he went back, <i>willingly.</i> Who knows what goes through the mind of someone who would risk debtors' prison to save a worthless "investment?" Is it like a gambling addiction? More: <a href="http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/showcase-85/">Dubai Photo Essay</a> by Lauren Greenfield[/quote] Who the fuck lets their passport be taken for any reason? Actually, I have an HONEST question. I've only been out of North America once, and I left my passport at my pal's apartment one night. I wasn't really shitting bricks, because, what, they're not going to let ME back into the States without it? With Canada around, the US needs me a lot more than I need it. Therefore, the second most important piece of information I have on Europe comes from the movie Hostel, where they demand passports in order to stay in the hostel. Does that ever happen? Do people in other countries actually ask to hold your passport for some shitty service? No Hostel 2 spoilers, please, I haven't seen that one yet. ICJ[/quote]