US investors to "bring badly needed fun"- Baghdad Disneyland

[Rabelais]

I have a hard time believing that this is for real, but the article is convincing...

_http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20080428&articleId=8837

War Propaganda: Disneyland goes to war-torn Iraq

by Michel Chossudovsky

Global Research, April 28, 2008

Disneyland goes to war-torn Iraq, with a multi-million dollar entertainment complex, to be built on a 50 acre lot adjacent to the Green Zone.

The American-style amusement park will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum.
The occupation forces are of the opinion that Baghdad is "lacking in entertainment". General David Petraeus, is said to be a “big supporter” of bringing Disneyland to Baghdad.

Supported by the Pentagon, an unknown Los Angeles based holding company C3 of private equity investors, will be developing the "Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience". The park will be designed by Ride and Show Engineering (RSE),

RSE founders Eduard Feuer and William Watkins pioneered Walt Disney's "Imagineering", the design and engineering division of the Walt Disney Company, before setting up RSE as a separate corporate entity.

RSE has developed numerous large scale entertainment complexes around the world including a project at the Anaheim California Disney Complex.

The American Dream

The entertainment park is an integral part of war propaganda.

Establishing an American cultural outpost in an occupied land serves to uphold the legitimacy of the invaders and their Worldwide "cultural values".

Most of the country's cultural and educational infrastructure including museums, schools, universities, parks, theaters, cinemas have been destroyed and now the invaders are "helping to rebuild".

Under this reconstruction effort, America is to donate 200,000 skateboards to Iraqi children.

Through Hollywood imagery, the Baghdad style Disneyland is intended to nurture Iraqi public opinion, to mould a pro-American view of the World.


Through the use of motion based simulations and sophisticated entertainment equipment, the harsh daily realities of poverty and military occupation are replaced by a World of fiction and fantasy.

The concept underlying Disney's Imagineering (developed by RSE) is to "overcome the barriers between reality and dreams".

The objective is to replace reality by a dream world.

Iraq's daily realities of death, destruction and torture are replaced by a "Dream World Made in America".

The imagery and motion simulations intended for Iraqi children and adolescents provide a "human face" to the American invaders.

The project constitutes a despicable form of war propaganda. It is a cover-up of the extensive war crimes committed against the Iraqi people in the name of an illusory "American Dream".

The project will take possession of the existing Al Zawra park and Baghdad Zoo, which was ransacked when US troops entered Baghdad in April 2003.

Al Zawra park

Also in April 2003, Iraq's archeological treasures were looted with the support of American invaders. The pillaging of Iraq's cultural heritage was a premeditated act. The looters were protected by the invaders.

And now the looters return to Baghdad with a new museum

Psychological Warfare

The Baghdad Disneyland-style project has all the essential features of a PsyOp. It is intended to instill American values and destroy Iraqi identity.

"The people [of Iraq] need this kind of positive influence. Its going to have a huge psychological impact," said Mr. Werner of C3.

In a cruel irony the PsyOp target group are Iraqi Children:

“There are all sorts of investment opportunities all over Iraq. But it’s not just hydrocarbons. Half the Iraqi population is under the age of 15. These kids really need something to do,” (Mr. Brinkley, quoted in The Times, April 24, 2008)

Iraq's cultural heritage is destroyed.

The historical memory of Mesopotamia is wiped out.

US investors are to "bring badly needed fun" to the war theater.

The sponsor of project Mr. Llewellyn Werner says the time is ripe for a "fun park":

"I think people will embrace it. They'll see it as an opportunity for their children regardless if they're Shia or Sunni. They'll say their kids deserve a place to play and they'll leave it alone."

According to a spokesman for the US installed Iraqi regime:

“There is a shortage of entertainment in the city. Cinemas can’t open. Playgrounds can’t open. The fun park is badly needed for Baghdad. Children don’t have any opportunities to enjoy their childhood.” Mr al-Dabbagh added that entry to the park would be strictly controlled." (Times, April 23, 2008)

Children don’t have any opportunities to enjoy their childhood?

What childhood in a land where public infrastructure including schools and hospitals have been transformed into rubble.

Imagine the road-blocks and military check points that impoverished Iraqi children will have to go through to see Mickey Mouse...

The US investment company will essentially take possession of municipal lands in an undisclosed deal reached with the Mayor of Baghdad.

At the moment the site is occupied by the Al-Zawra park and zoo, where Baghdad residents gather on weekends. The park is typically Iraqi with ponds, fountains, sculptures, and children’s playgrounds.

Everything Here is for Profit

The site is a functioning national park, which is slated for privatization. It is prime real estate for the US investors. The California company C3 plans to use the land for subsequent lucrative investments in hotels and upscale housing: “I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t making money”

Mr Werner will retain exclusive rights to housing and hotel developments, which he says will be both culturally sensitive and enormously profitable... I also have this wonderful sense that we’re doing the right thing – we’re going to employ thousands of Iraqis. But mostly everything here is for profit.”

Perhaps this should have been posted under ponorology or psychopathy. Baghdad has no clean water and seldom does the electricity work, but they are going to get Mickey and Goofy... and luxury resort hotels. I am simply appalled at the callousness of the entire concept.

 

[PepperFritz]

It seems that it is *for real*, though other articles about the proposed park (e.g. TimesOnline and Huffington Post) clarify that it is technically not associated with the Disney company, it's just a Disneyland-like park. Though that makes it no less nauseating....

 

[vinny]

if this is for real it is so sick that... words fail me.
it can't be true? surely?!

 

[Laura]

{{Picking jaw up from floor}} Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burned...

 

[Redrock12]

Only psychopathic minds could conceive of an entertainment park in the midst of so much suffering.

 

[Rabelais]

In ironic contrast to the above...

Can't afford the fare for the big Baghdad "American Dream" theme park grand opening? No Passport? No Problem.

For good clean wholesome American fun, for the cost of a tank of petrol, Branson is gearing up for you this summer. In anticipation of scaled back American vacation budgets, Branson, MO is looking forward to a windfall profit summer season this year.

The little ones might be disappointed for missing the Baghdad Waterboard Park and the Humvee Holocaust ride , but their little faces will brighten when you show them their tickets to the mega-spectacle, Noah - The Musical.

Branson sticks to tried-and-true to beat recession

KABEL, Associated Press Writer
Mon Apr 28, 3:36 PM ET

BRANSON, Mo. - "Stick to what you know" could be the motto for Branson this year as the Ozark resort town focuses on its wholesome country, pop music and family entertainment roots, plus recent upgrades in shopping and hotels, to ride out the national economic downturn.

Branson tourism leaders are hopeful they can continue a track record of outperforming the national industry, projecting between 2 and 3 percent more visitors than last year's 8.4 million. That would be just at or above the Travel Industry Association's forecast of 2 percent growth in leisure travel nationally.

"We are promoting our values and our value," Dan Lennon, vice president of the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, said. "We want people to think about Branson as great place to bring families together."

Branson officials say costs for tourists there are below national averages. The average daily hotel rate is $75.90, compared with a national tab of $103, according to industry research group Smith Travel. The average show ticket in Branson is $29, while Las Vegas shows currently average $130 to $150 per ticket.

During the 2001 recession, Branson saw a 1.4 percent decline in tourists, but it rebounded in 2002 with 3.5 percent growth as people stayed closer to home following the Sept. 11 attacks. In the past two years, Branson's numbers grew 14 percent, while the national figure was 3 percent.

Tourism expert Steve Morse says Branson stands a good chance of meeting its growth goals this year because many Americans will pick destinations they can drive to rather than fly. With jet fuel even more expensive than gas, airlines have raised fares and cut back on capacity.

"The drive-to destinations will do better than the fly-to ones like Orlando," said Morse, an economist and director of the Tourism Institute at the University of Tennessee.

The two biggest new attractions in Branson this year fit the template of wholesome family fun.

One is a huge new theater with a wraparound stage the size of five basketball courts that will open May 24 for the debut of "Noah — The Musical," based on the Biblical story. The $65 million, 2,085-seat Branson theater is the first new location for Lancaster County, Pa.-based Sight & Sound Theaters, which bills itself as "the Christian Broadway."

The family owned theater company specializes in bringing Gospel epics to the stage with massive sets, glossy production values, dozens of actors, and in the case of Noah, 100 live animals and 200 animatronic animals.

Another major newcomer is the $2-million Roaring Falls water ride, which drops visitors five stories. It's part of an expansion at Celebration City theme park.

Morse said Branson and other destinations will likely also profit from tax rebate checks that are the centerpiece of President Bush's $168 billion rescue package for a wobbly economy. The rebates will put up to $1,800 in the wallets of a couple with two kids in the coming weeks.

And higher gas prices mean that people will want to drive to places closer to home.

"When gas prices go up, people in the Midwest say, `Let's go to Branson instead of Galveston, Texas, or the Gulf,'" Morse said.

That fits Branson's pattern of visitation. About 60 percent of visitors typically come from more than 300 miles, with an additional 28 percent from between 100 and 300 miles and 12 percent from the local area, city officials say.

The resort town is targeting its advertising in smaller Midwestern cities this year to net those vacationers who want to travel no more than a day's drive.

It is pulling dollars it used in the big metro markets of Chicago and Dallas last year to advertise instead in cities such as Omaha and Lincoln, Neb., Paducah, Ky., Champaign, Ill., and Des Moines, Iowa, said Branson Lakes Area Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Ross Summers.

Peter Herschend, co-founder of the Herschend Family Entertainment company that owns major Branson attractions, including Celebration City, said the focus this year is on the things that have worked for Branson in the past.

"It is not only the theaters. It is the Ozarks, which make Branson unique, the lakes, and the world-class attractions," Herschend said.

He also mentioned a recent addition: Branson Landing, an outdoor pedestrian shopping center on Lake Taneycomo that opened two years ago with its own Hilton hotel and across the street from a new Hilton convention center.

"Strolling around Branson Landing, not just the shopping, is turning into a major attraction," Herschend said.

The Landing has a lakefront walkway, a water and fire fountain, waterfront restaurants and stores from Victoria's Secret to Bass Pro Shops, where you can buy hunting and fishing gear and boats.

The Landing was among the additions in the past few years aimed at drawing more families and Baby Boomers on top of a traditional clientele that came looking for country music. Newer shows featured more pop music, including the Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends and Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater.
_http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20080428/ap_tr_ge/travel_trip_branson;_ylt=AslwzFcX8E1dSnt7l6_yTbaUU80F

Branson, the elephant's lost burial ground for acts that are way past their prime. It sure beats gigs at county fairs and supermarket openings.

 

[Ryan]

Amazing. You simply could not make this stuff up if you tried.

I cannot help but wonder if the C3 group are actually so naive as to believe that they will realize a profit from this venture, or even see its completion?