The tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai opens today. This edifice has a certain resonance with me because I've been doing a lot of work for various magazines in Dubai over the last two years and I've had first hand experience of the ups and downs in the emirate.For me, the Burj is a perfect symbol of the new Dubai; it's ambitious, expensive, designed by foreigners, built by foreigners, intended to attract foreign investors, and will probably stand empty until it finds its niche as a white elephant that makes its money by being sold as a white elephant from one gullible investor to the next.
Update: The tower has been renamed Burj Khalifa after the president of the United Arab Emirates. Not surprising, since he was the one signing Dubai's bailout cheques. Beats Burj Big Wilf Down The Rose & Crown, I suppose.
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