Double Millionaire

In this week’s Time Magazine I couldn’t help noticing a full page ad from Dubai. Yes the same Dubai which filled the headlines the previous week, a Midas dream threatening bankruptcy.
The ad was from the Budai Duty Free and simply said:

In a matter of fact way the ad goes on to tell us

Simply purchase a Dhs 2000 ticket in the Dubai Duty Free Double Millionaire promotion.

As there are only 5000 tickets available, your chances are pretty good if you are willing to throw away Dhs 2000 as if it were no more than the price of an average lottery ticket. What I have kept from you, dear gamblers, is that this lottery ticket goes for approximately $550.
As a year of financial catastrophe draws to a close, a year in which international bank, major institutions and minor nations fell like playing cards, it is particularly bothering to come upon such a ludicrous offer filling a full page of such a respectable magazine such as Time. It can be claimed that the editorial staff there have no control over the commercial running of the paper. It can also be proclaimed that in a democracy anything goes, that still doesn’t mean the ad or the promotion are in good taste.
The ad closes with the words:
Full of Surprises.
Judging by the amount of surprises we have experienced during the last 12 months I feel confident in saying: “Enough already”. It’s time to earn an honest buck. The Tower of Babel has fallen, the competition to build the tallest building in the world will never be won, and please don’t forget September 11th.