Bust-ed

It's weird how elements that seem to be freely floating in the universe sometimes converge. Within 24 hours I read unrelated fascinating articles on the seedy underbelly of Dubai [from The Independent] and the complete economic meltdown of Iceland [from Vanity Fair]. They complement each other almost uncannily well, both being about the effects of bubbles and living within them, as well as the surreal devastation that accompanies the dissolution of said bubbles. (Side-note: I hate this term, "bubble," as in "real estate bubble." I know it's an apt description, but why would the term "bubble" ever be used to describe something bad? Bubbles are fun!)

(I actually bought the print version of Vanity Fair, which I almost never do, except it had cover articles about PIRATES and also Paul Rudd/Seth Rogen/Jason Siegel/That dude from Superbad. Wearing barrels! For some reason!)