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UAE Christmas Tree: $11M

post #1 of 7
12/16/10 at 10:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
A glitzy hotel in Abu Dhabi has put on show a jewel-encrusted Christmas tree which it says is worth over $11m (£7m).

Items of jewellery studded with scores of precious stones are draped on the tree's branches, along with more traditional baubles and lights.

While the tree alone is worth a mere $10,000, the jewellery adds more than $11m to the value, said the hotel's general manager Hans Olbertz.

Article

This is exactly the sort of thing that I think is extremely insensitive.

Not because it's a Christmas tree in a country of nearly 100% Muslims - that's just typical hypocrisy that is the hallmark and only stock-in-trade of the Gulf States - rather the ostentation and indulgence when many in the world are in really suffering and many in the Muslim world are living in poverty as a matter of course.

It is also - imho - antithetical to the spirit of Christmas and that's kind of the real point.

Furthermore, it is exactly the sort of thing that both causes and stirs up Islamist fervour. Such a thing is really un-Islamic in the extreme (not because of the Christian aspect - merely because of the ostentation which if forbidden) and is yet another reason why many Muslims oppose Saudi and these nearby states.

Thoughts?
What is Faith? When your good deed pleases you and your evil deed grieves you, you are a believer. What is Sin? When a thing disturbs the peace of your heart, give it up - Prophet Muhammad
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What is Faith? When your good deed pleases you and your evil deed grieves you, you are a believer. What is Sin? When a thing disturbs the peace of your heart, give it up - Prophet Muhammad
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post #2 of 7
12/16/10 at 10:13am
This event is impossible. We are told the rich only buy what is necessary and then save the rest. Thus the money is out of circulation and harming the poor. That is why the government has to tax the money away and buy $11 million dollar Christmas trees.

It appears most of the value is from the jewels. No one can eat a gold necklace and that is true but the value is estimated based off what someone would give for it.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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post #3 of 7
12/16/10 at 10:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by trumptman View Post

This event is impossible. We are told the rich only buy what is necessary and then save the rest. Thus the money is out of circulation and harming the poor. That is why the government has to tax the money away and buy $11 million dollar Christmas trees.

It appears most of the value is from the jewels. No one can eat a gold necklace and that is true but the value is estimated based off what someone would give for it.

Hmm...I just think it's a shame they didn't have this in Trafalgar Square when those Student Protesters were kettled up in there.

That could have solved the whole student debt problem.
What is Faith? When your good deed pleases you and your evil deed grieves you, you are a believer. What is Sin? When a thing disturbs the peace of your heart, give it up - Prophet Muhammad
Reply
What is Faith? When your good deed pleases you and your evil deed grieves you, you are a believer. What is Sin? When a thing disturbs the peace of your heart, give it up - Prophet Muhammad
Reply
post #4 of 7
12/16/10 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by segovius View Post

Hmm...I just think it's a shame they didn't have this in Trafalgar Square when those Student Protesters were kettled up in there.

That could have solved the whole student debt problem.

I doubt in raw numbers it would begin to even touch the student debt problem.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

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post #5 of 7
12/16/10 at 8:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by segovius View Post

Article

This is exactly the sort of thing that I think is extremely insensitive.

Not because it's a Christmas tree in a country of nearly 100% Muslims - that's just typical hypocrisy that is the hallmark and only stock-in-trade of the Gulf States - rather the ostentation and indulgence when many in the world are in really suffering and many in the Muslim world are living in poverty as a matter of course.

It is also - imho - antithetical to the spirit of Christmas and that's kind of the real point.

Furthermore, it is exactly the sort of thing that both causes and stirs up Islamist fervour. Such a thing is really un-Islamic in the extreme (not because of the Christian aspect - merely because of the ostentation which if forbidden) and is yet another reason why many Muslims oppose Saudi and these nearby states.

Thoughts?

Work through the solution. Spend the 11M on something else. Let the hotel sell jewels for 11M. That means someone has to fork over 11M and then we can hate that person for "indulgence". The solution to that is for them not to spend 11M on jewels and instead spend that on the poor. But then the hotel is stuck with 11M worth of jewels.

Take a step back from that. Let's not mine for the jewels. Let the market dry up and spend money on other more important things. Yea maybe but in a world with billions of people enough are going to want to spend money on jewels that the market will still be there. Filled by large or small production.

Some will lose their jobs if we stop production. That's bad but maybe they find better things to add value to.

Where do we go from here?

The real problem is that massive poverty is caused closed markets, lack of property and individual rights, lack of a rule of law, authoritarian governments, government control and ownership (aka monopoly) ... Create free markets and free people and you'll see poverty reduced.

Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
What truth?
There is no spoon.
There is no spoon?
Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
The politics of charisma is so Third World. Americans were never going to buy into it for long. - Foudad Ajami
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The politics of charisma is so Third World. Americans were never going to buy into it for long. - Foudad Ajami
Reply
post #6 of 7
12/17/10 at 5:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by segovius View Post

Article

This is exactly the sort of thing that I think is extremely insensitive.

Not because it's a Christmas tree in a country of nearly 100% Muslims - that's just typical hypocrisy that is the hallmark and only stock-in-trade of the Gulf States - rather the ostentation and indulgence when many in the world are in really suffering and many in the Muslim world are living in poverty as a matter of course.

It is also - imho - antithetical to the spirit of Christmas and that's kind of the real point.

Furthermore, it is exactly the sort of thing that both causes and stirs up Islamist fervour. Such a thing is really un-Islamic in the extreme (not because of the Christian aspect - merely because of the ostentation which if forbidden) and is yet another reason why many Muslims oppose Saudi and these nearby states.

Thoughts?

You are right the rest of the world is suffering and this nonsense they show in UAE a 11million dollar tree.Right in our own country where the economy is for the pits they rub this bullshit in our faces.Plain disgusting!
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post #7 of 7
12/17/10 at 8:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gerald apple View Post

You are right the rest of the world is suffering and this nonsense they show in UAE a 11million dollar tree.Right in our own country where the economy is for the pits they rub this bullshit in our faces.Plain disgusting!

UAE is United Arab Emirates, not the United States of America. I assume you got them confused since the Philippines is not affiliated with any Arab nation that I am aware of? Still disgusting, but not in the way you are assuming.
NoahJ
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." - Mahatma Gandhi
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NoahJ
"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." - Mahatma Gandhi
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