Dubai jokes

Dubai is a popular destination for western petrochemical people who want to visit the Middle East but stay within their comfort zone.

It is often referred to as Middle East-lite, in the same way that Singapore is Asia-lite, Capetown is Africa-lite and Buenos Aires is South America-lite.

The Dubai debt crisis is unlikely to deter petchem conference organisers like ICIS from staging future events there. You only have to read about the growing popularity of recent events like the Women in Leadership Forum, the ICIS Baseoils conference and the ICIS Training Seminars to understand that it will take more than a few half-built buildings and abandoned cars at airports to divert conference-goers away to other less westernised Gulf destinations.

Indeed, the ICIS editorial and sales teams from Singapore will be out and about at the forthcoming GPCA Forum on 8-10 December 2009, to be held in Dubai's Intercontinental Hotel, Festival City.

And since the Dubai debt crisis is now firmly in the news headlines, the Blog takes this opportunity to pass on a few popular Dubai heat jokes, which could just as easily be relocated to other Gulf hotspots where petrochemical folk are hard at work, or even to Texas in the summertime ...

You no longer associate bridges with water.

You can say 113 degrees without fainting.

You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.

The temperature drops below 95, you feel a bit chilly.

Even the water in the toilet is hot.

You would give anything to be able to splash cold water on your face. Can't get it from the faucet!

The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!