Portland announces new sister city
It's Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Mayor Sam Adams made the announcement this morning from his undisclosed holiday vacation locale -- he is helping downtown Portland merchants by staying far away from the city and not scaring off shoppers.
"I'm proud to announce that we are entering into a relationship with Dubai," the mayor said. "Our two cities have many things in common, especially on the financial side. We're overextended just like they are. It's important that we show solidarity in these tough times. Believe me, I know all too well the meaning of the term 'default.'" Adams and an entourage of a half dozen pompous but good-looking twenty-something know-nothing aides will be visiting the Arab nation early next year, he said.
| Posted at 11:08 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (14)
HahahahahahahaHA!
Posted by Mojo | November 27, 2009 11:23 AM
Give Sam a break, he's been on an international toy shopping expedition since January.
Somehow, I think Dubai is the tip of the iceberg (not to mix metaphors), since this time its commercial real estate that has them hamstrung.
Posted by Steve | November 27, 2009 12:10 PM
Just to clarify - Dubai is paying for the trip, right? Portland taxpayers are NOT paying, correct?
Posted by Pete Buick | November 27, 2009 12:23 PM
And there is this little piece of preciousness:
"A computer crash at the London Stock Exchange, which by coincidence is 21 per cent owned by the Dubai Government, left dealers unable to trade for three and a half hours."
Posted by Garage Wine | November 27, 2009 12:36 PM
Dubai is paying for the trip, right?
The check is in the mail. By the way, aren't these the fine folks who won the bid to manage this country's seaports two or three years back?
Posted by Allan L. | November 27, 2009 12:44 PM
Garage Wine, is it a coincident that Dubai's 21% is about equal to 21% of the hours in a day the stock market was down? Seems like a fair share.
Posted by lw | November 27, 2009 12:51 PM
Right, Dubai Ports or some such organization bought the rights to six US ports when they bought out a UK (I think it was) based firm at the height of the merger and acquisition frenzy. When this heated up as a potential national security issue Dubai looked for a US purchaser to spin off the six; they found AIG. So now I imagine, as a US taxpayer, you own the controlling intererest in those six ports. Congratulations!
Posted by Grady Foster | November 27, 2009 12:59 PM
Did Citigroup/CitiBank take 8 billion of their 50 billion in TARP money to invest in Dubai?
Listen to Kucinich.
But unanswered is to whom such money was yet again redirected immediately, just like campaign donations but without transparency.
Posted by pdxnag | November 27, 2009 4:36 PM
April Fools, right?
Posted by Michelle | November 27, 2009 9:00 PM
It is a fine looking building, but the name Burj Dubai seems like a portmanteau of Binge and Purge...somehow.
Posted by OldZeb | November 27, 2009 9:01 PM
What's the big deal?...Bernie Madoff stole more money that Dubai owes!
Isn't that where MJ went after the child molestation trial?
Is Sam going to install Palm Islands, with condos of course, in the city reserviors next?
Posted by portland native | November 27, 2009 9:37 PM
Do they have a gay mayor?
Posted by Kurt | November 28, 2009 8:16 AM
Sam is shopping,alright. But these trips of his are to plan which country to flee to when a real investigation is finally underway. He's checking out things like extradition policy, age of consent, night-life, and drinking/driving laws...
Posted by RANZ | November 28, 2009 8:59 AM
If I were Sam Adams, Dubai (or anywhere in the Middle East) would be the LAST place I'd want to lie low. Unless, of course, I was considering a lifestyle change (to be hetrosexual). There aren't any streetcars or light rail lines in Dubai, and it's pretty much difficult to ride a bike there most of the year.
I'm pretty sure he would pick Amsterdam. Not that I would know, but he seems to love that city. Not to mention the legalized pot. On the other hand, his GMC pickup would be out of place there.
Posted by Erik H. | December 2, 2009 4:45 PM