Solution, Vision and Injustice

I was reading TIME Magazine Dec 29, 2008 / Jan 5 2009 Double Issue and there're two things that specially caught my attention; Palin and the Atlantis. Of course Obama and Fey should both be my obvious choices; Barack's cool photos in 1980s during his college freshman year and the photo of the ever adorable Tina in her cute orange gumboots on a vintage red bicycle. I can never stop enjoying Tina's performance in anything at all and the new US president-elect is certainly a major democratic hit. Yet, I find Palin and the Atlantis to be more of my cup of Chinese Tea (Well, meaning that something you enjoy not everyday but once in a while it's very fulfilling, if that even make any sense).

Solution

Anyway, Palin, No.4 for TIME Magazine's Person of the Year 2008. I won't go much into Sarah's or her campaign's political perspectives, as I for one, am not very well informed or intellectual enough to question another's political opinions. However, to quote from the article, "She's fresh, she's phony; an inspiration to women, an insult to them; the bright future of the Republican Party, the cartoon princess of its populist past."

When talking about objectivity, she seems to be the exact solution to what the losing campaign needed. Despite her interesting remarks on her foreign policy credentials, faking her son's birth, or her apparently-I-find-it-funny lipstick joke, she was, in fact, a solution. "The size of the crowds doubled, the money poured in, and in a matter of days, McCain was running five points ahead of Obama,". Although personally I would prefer Zhang Yimou to be ahead of Palin instead of being at No.5 but somehow I have find her to be a plausible fit to this TIME Magazine's Person of the Year 2008 list.

Whether she can make it in the next election or not, but last year, she was a solution to a purely objectified campaign. I like that. Somehow I look forward to see more of her in US future political campaign.

Note: TIME Magazine's Person of the Year 2008; No.1: Barack Obama - US President-elect, No.2: Henry Paulson - US Treasury Secretary, No.3: Nicolas Sarkozy - President of the French Republic, No.4: Sarah Palin - Former US Republican Vice-Presidential nominee and No.5: Zhang Yimou - Director of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, the Atlantis is a totally different subject. I'm pretty sure many of you've heard of the Burj Al-Arab in Dubai - the world's most luxurious and most expensive hotel to date. Well, the Atlantis is not exactly as commercially patented - arguably. Yeah sure the $1.5 billion resort has awesome underwater Lost Chamber suits (which you guys should check out) and the breathtaking views of the Palm Jumeirah and beyond from the Royal Towers. However. the highlight of this development for me was the partners leading this project; Sol Kerzner, a South African hotel and gambling magnate of Jewish Russian descendent and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World.

Vision

"We are businessmen from Dubai and we look at it as business. If he is the best Jewish man but has no vision, we wouldn't do business with him, But if he is from Timbuktu with a good idea, we will. What people believe is up to them. And when Sol came to Dubai, he didn't wear a flag that said, 'By the way, I'm Jewish'."

-Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem-

Objectivity. I applaud the creation of solutions and great monumental things without judgement based on simple empirical observations, without influence of emotions or personal prejudices. I have no intention to justify anything of what any of these people did as only God can be the ultimate judge of what is right or wrong. I just wish to be inspired by great things, with God's blessings.

Injustice

But today, it should not be about us. How can we be inspired when today there're hundreds of people are dying of injustice? Please lend your prayers to God to end all the suffering of all the innocent people in the world, especially today in Gaza, and to bring justice to these oppressive rulers. God bless.