Gulf shopping malls like City Center-Doha, Landmark and Hyatt Plaza appear to be even more opulent versions of American malls, complete with themed entertainment and Starbucks.

BBC: A perfect day in Doha

Marcus Rowland, who recently retired as CEO of a drilling outfit, for example, relocated from Oklahoma and in 2011 bought a more than 8, 000-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-bathroom Mediterranean spread, complete with an entertainment room and a pool, in Fort Worth's gated community of Montserrat.

WSJ: From Oil, a Land Rush��WSJ Mansion

Once completed it will reopen as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, complete with housing, businesses, parklands and venues to stage sporting, entertainment and community events.

BBC: London Olympic Park opens for visitor tours

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment mark James Bond's monumental golden anniversary with the release of BOND 50, the complete Bond experience showcasing all 22 classic films on Blu-ray together for the first time ever, neatly packaged into one cool, sleek collectable box-set.

ENGADGET: 'Bond 50' 22 movie Blu-ray collection details revealed, ships in September (video)