For all its extravagant novelties and its masses of petunias, Dubai is a city with neither charm nor character.' - Guardian, Feb 9, 2009 'a downward spiral ... has left parts of Dubai - once hailed as the economic superpower of the Middle East - looking like a ghost town.' - New York Times, Feb 11 2009 'The Palm Jumeirah ... is said to be sinking, and when you turn the faucets in the hotels built