For those of you paying attention to the world beyond metal, the global economy took a hit this past week because of the situation in Dubai. Essentially, a playground for the rich in the United Arab Emirates, the desert city is in serious debt and have basically asked their debtors if they can let things slide for six months. This for a city that sprung up almost overnight, built by slave labor that’s bussed in from an hour away. The whole city will collapse if it stops being financed by big oil (for example, they only have a week’s supply of water, since it’s mostly shipped in).

Web site The Awl has tied this all into Iron Maiden’s “The Flight of Icarus,” a song based on the Greek myth about a man trying to escape Crete by building wings made of feathers and wax, which of course melt when he flies too close to the sun. Is Bruce Dickinson a clairvoyant? Perhaps – there’s definitely a “don’t fuck with nature” parallel between Icarus and building a development in the water that’s shaped like the world and having a city in a desert where you can pretty much die if you’re exposed to the elements too much. The Awl’s tongue seems firmly planted in cheek, but hey, it’s an excuse to show a classic video, so we’re down.