It's Thursday. Not like it matters. All my days are the same. With my free time I have done many things. I learned that I type at a respectable 55-60 words per minute. I worked on my tennis serve. And I have also learned the limitless possibilities of personal wealth (NOT my own). As I'm sure we all do, I often imagine the things I would do with millions or billions of dollars; the cars I would buy, the houses I would own, the places I would go or the buildings I would donate to my alma maters. However, I happened upon such an extreme instance of conspicuous consumption that it was beyond the realm of my most elaborate imaginations. And that brings us to today's Daily Topic: PERSONAL SKYSCRAPERS
Yes, readers, we have come to this. Megamansions and multiple houses will no longer suffice for the world's unbearably rich. Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man and chairman of Reliance Industries, a petroleum and petroleum products company, is in the process of constructing a 27-story, 560 ft personal residence. With a price tag of $1bn, this building represents a new and obscene level of personal wealth. My high school economics teacher once provided this analogy to exhibit how much a billion dollars really is. One million dollars is a stack of one hundred dollar bills about 9 inches tall. This will buy you a very large home in any suburban neighborhood in the United States. One billion dollars is a stack of one hundred dollar bills that would be taller than the Washington Monument. Or Mr. Ambani's house. So what do you get for a billion dollars? Mr. Ambani's residence will include six floors for parking, an entertainment floor with a mini theater, three helipads, a swimming pool and health facilities, and will be staffed by 600 servants. As impressive as this house is, perhaps Mr. Ambani should be looking for more worthwhile ways to spend his personal fortune. The construction of his residence in Mumbai, a city in which over half the population lives in slums and in widespread poverty, represents the incredible separation between India's small percentage of burgeoning billionaires and its much larger percentage of poverty-stricken citizens. As some of the country reaps the benefits of industrialization, much of it is left behind. While billion dollar houses are fun, perhaps much of this wealth could be put to a better use. Perhaps a generous donation to the Daily Routine and its founder?Later,
-ROF
Daily Food: Bobili Pizza
Daily Activity: Lawn Mowing
Daily Song: Sons & Daughters - The Decemberists
Daily Attire: Athletic Shorts
Daily News Everyone Should Care About: In Ahmedinejad vs. Moussavi, Iranians Weigh Chance For Change
Daily News No One Should Care About: Chastity Bono Transitioning From Male to Female
Daily Life Goal: Live In My Own Skyscraper
Daily Complaint: Rain
Daily Drink: Arizona Raspberry Ice Tea
Daily Studies: Absurdly Tall Buildings
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