Maybe I've been too naive

I have been amazed by some of the photography taken from space by GEOEYE. (GEOEYE.COM) However, through that I have discovered a major misconception that I've had. My thoughts have always been that throughout the world, if there's anything really cool, it's right here in the good ol' USA. We have the best theme parks, water parks, stadiums and whatever else entertainment driven people would pay for. I mean, we live in America. We have the superhighways...6 lanes each direction...cars, cars, and more cars. Most other countries...not so much. Even Europe I envision as slightly behind us in the technology/entertainment/etc. areas.

 

We have outsourced several of our positions to India due to the very inexpensive cost to our company. We have 18-20 helpdesk personnel out there compared to our 10-12 here...When some of the employees from India have visited the corporate offices, they would buy toys like iPods, Jeans, Computers... to take back home. Ahh...poor third world country people...

 

Well, I have had a major eye opening..slap my face and call me silly. I was looking at GEOEYE.COM. I read a heading...the tallest building ever constructed. Hum...where's that? As I clicked I was amazed. It's in the United Arab Emirates...near Dubai in a place called Burj Khalifa... the UAE. Standing at 2717 feet it is the tallest manmade structure in the world. However, not only is it tall...it appears to be amazingly beautiful. The area surrounded by water, the landscaping and roadways add to it's beauty as viewed from above. Wow, I thought. What an anomaly. Oh wait...there's more. Google search "Yas Island"....Then, go here http://www.atlantisthepalm.com/default.aspx...Oh, that's located on the map here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=atlantis&sll=25.126014,55.119095&sspn=0.15635,0.216637&ie=UTF8&radius=6.77&split=1&rq=1&ev=zi&hq=atlantis&hnear=&ll=25.122284,55.119095&spn=0.164126,0.216637&t=h&z=12

Reading a little bit about it...it appears that "The Palm" is a man made structure in the shallows of the ocean...an amazing feat in itself. Let alone the park, resorts, and HOMES that are on the that structure. It's almost like they anticipated advertising from space...it's quite amazing. Look a little south on the map and see "The Palm Jebel Ali" in the works....

 

Where is all this amazing stuff being built? Saudi Arabia. When I look at our attractions, they appear dated and dusty compared to those places. Kind of like comparing Disney World to that traveling carnival that comes to town on the back of Semi- tractor trailers. It's good to know that our gas money is being put to good use...

 

"Many organizations today are locked into doing things a certain way, not because it is still effective, but because it was effective yesterday. This is the curse of success." - Blackaby

 

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