In its ongoing campaign to burnish its readers' view of Islam and Arab nations, the New York Times heaped praise  on the wisdom and taste behind the "audacious" (why do I have a feeling we are going to read this word quite frequently in the next two years?) "cultural district" to be built on an island by the Abu Dhabi oil despots who are spending 27 billion dollars on it.  Structures and buildings will be built with an eye, according to the Times, of changing "the cultural climate in the region". The director general of the Abu Dhabi tourism authority was quoted:"This is not just about tourism; it also has global cultural dimensions," Mubarak Muhairi, the director general of the Abu Dhabi tourism authority, said. "We believe the best vehicle for crossing borders is art. And this region is in need of such artistic initiatives."     How nice for the Times to be so generous to Abu Dhabi...(Read Full Post)