Lemmings

I love how quick people are to forward e-mail messages without actually researching the contents. Today I received a message from a former co-worker about a state-of-art skiing facility in Dubai, UAE. Now the message had been altered as it has been sent, each person adding their own comments to the pictures included. What frustrates me is how ignorant people are, forwarding this message to everyone one their e-mail list, me included.

The e-mail contained several images of an amazing structure recently completed in the United Arab Emirates which is a full indoor ski slope with chair lifts and different difficulties of slopes for skiing tourists to enjoy. This is not the first structure of its type to be built - - similar structures are in Japan, England, and even the USA. The structure in the UAE is the first of its kind in the sheer scale, snow capacity, and couse variety. Visit the Dubai Resort Website to really get a feel for how massive this structure is.

The comments people added were things like:
"I thought you might enjoy seeing this engineering marvel that provides an insight into why gasoline is so costly."
"Why is gasoline $2.49 a gallon for regular unleaded?????? So they can ski in the desert!"

GOD FORBID PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES WOULD WANT LUXURIES LIKE WE TAKE FOR GRANTED IN AMERICA!!! The whole e-mail made me sick as I reviewed the added jabs and stabs of the people who didn't bother to do any further investigation. Here's a little FYI if YOU are interested in knowing more, read on or click Dubai, UAE.

Dubai is a small country (population around 700,000 people total) that has been made rich by the oil under their desert sands. The royalty of the country has enough money that they could buy any island of their choice and call it home for all eternity. Dubai became independent of Abu Dhabi in 1833, and a world power in the oil industry in the 1950's and 1960's. Unlike Abu Dhabi, Dubai's oil production is highly limited, with the best estimates showing the country will no longer be able to depend on the oil industry after 2015 because their oil fileds will be dry.

Soooooooo, what to do as the Prince of Dubai? Well he certainly could take his money, buy that island of his choice, and live a life of luxury with his wives, friends, and family for all eternity leaving his country to fend for itself after the oil runs out.

INSTEAD, what he has chosen to do is create a different economy for the country to rely on for the future - - Tourism. His vision is making Dubai an affordable, luxurious vacation spot that people from all over the world would want to visit and enjoy. He sees people coming to enjoy nightclubs, fine dining, exquisite shopping, and vacation villas that the upper middle class of most countries can afford and enjoy. This is a man thinking ahead.

Investors from all over the world (thousands from the USA even) have pitched in big money to buy luxury property on another engineering miracle known as Palm Island within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. If Tourism is how the Prince of Dubai sees his people living for the future, I say more power to him for that than leaving his people to starve and fend for themselves. Billions of dollars have gone into the construction of tourist attractions to be built in Dubai, and with each passing year it is more solidified that the country has a future and unique signature all its own.

Learn to appreciate Capitalism - - especially when its not in the USA. It is a social & economical system that urges people to do their best to achieve success. I dislike oil prices and the cost of gas as much as the next person, but my response to that is CARPOOLING.