tagged w/ Riyadh
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My heart goes out to North Dakota, who no longer have any items of note in their state. The KVLY-TV mast, was the world's tallest structure, until today's opening of Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai.) At 2,717 feet, it's the tallest man-made structure EVER. That being said, I've got a gripe here:
Why is everyone so excited about the tallest building in the world. Shouldn't we be focused on more important things? Namely the COOLEST building in the world? These are some potential candidates:
Jogno, Seoul - This building is so awesome. It looks like a regular building that is being attacked by a space creature. This would be the perfect disguise, if space creatures actually attack Seoul.
30 St Mary Axe, London - This building is nicknamed The Gherkin. A gherkin is a type of pickle. Pickles are a cool condiment. Ergo this is a cool building.
Guggenheim, Bilbao - Great design, obviously. More different than anything you've ever seen (unless you've every other Gehry building.) Why is this cool? Because any cool person who just got back from Spain, will go on endlessly about how cool this building is. As I am a sucker for circular reasoning, I'm going to have to agree with them.
Selfridges, Birmingham - Inside it's a department store, outside it looks like a vacuum cleaner. And as your OCD friend says, nothing is cooler than a clean room.
Atomium, Brussels - Who doesn't remember the 1958 Brussels World Fair? This structure is so cool, because it looks like it was built in the future. Today, we live in the future, and our buildings don't even look this cool. Which makes this building cooler than the future it predicted.
Kingdom Centre, Riyadh - This the 45th tallest building in the world, but remains the only building that reminds me of opening beer bottles. I bet this would be a painful daily reminder, if you were an alcoholic living in Saudi Arabia, where beer is outlawed.
Seattle Central Library - Yes, I am impressed by the unorthodox Koolhaas design. Yes, I think this is a great use of public space. But this building is really cool, because once I was walking around Seattle and I had to poop. Their bathrooms are open to the public, and pretty clean.
Do you have any other suggestions for world's coolest buildings?My heart goes out to North Dakota, who no longer have any items of note in their... more
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Jerusalem blasts Red Cross for report
This is a clip from an Israeli paper....they lie and lie and lie some more.
Israel rejected as "scandalous" a highly critical report released by the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday marking six months since Operation Cast Lead, saying it was inconceivable that the document would chastise Israel for the situation in Gaza while ignoring the continued detention of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit or the "intransigent belligerence" of Hamas.
According to the report, residents of the Strip are "living in desperation" due to their "daily struggle for existence."
"Gazans still cannot rebuild their lives," the report reads. "Most people struggle to make ends meet. Seriously ill patients face great difficulty obtaining the treatment they need. Many children suffer from deep psychological problems. Civilians whose homes and belongings were destroyed during the conflict are unable to recover," the ICRC maintained.
"During the 22 days of the Israeli military operation, nowhere in Gaza was safe for civilians. Hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties, including small children, women and elderly people. Medical personnel showed incredible courage and determination, working around the clock to save lives in extremely difficult circumstancesJerusalem blasts Red Cross for report
This is a clip from an Israeli... more
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Israeli Occupation Forces have kidnapped 21 Human Rights workers aboard the Free Gaza boat, Spirit of Humanity, including Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire & former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.
ISRAEL ATTACKS JUSTICE BOAT; KIDNAPS HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS; CONFISCATES MEDICINE, TOYS AND OLIVE TREES
“Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on our unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law and we demand our immediate and unconditional release.”Israeli Occupation Forces have kidnapped 21 Human Rights workers aboard the Free Gaza... more
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Security officials and riot police engaged in violent clashes with demonstrators in Tehran today in what one reporter called an "unprecedented scene" in Iran in recent years.
NBC producer Ali Arouzi described the events on Saturday:
What started off as a small rally outside a pro-reformist newspaper swelled into a massive crowd of people chanting, "Death to the dictator, death to Ahmadinejad!"
Then, what started with a small amount of police pushing the crowd back turned into huge riot police in armored gear and motor bikes beating all the young students here with batons, knocking them back. The students responded by throwing stones, which the police then threw back. Now the police are coming off all the heart streets and main streets to try and disperse the crowd. But this is an unprecedented scene in Iran today.
Arouzi said that many of the demonstrators, afraid of reprisals, were wearing green scarves and surgical masks.
Asked if he believed the election results being reported by Iran's Interior Ministry, Arouzi sounded highly skeptical. "If you were in Tehran the last few days, you would think it impossible that Ahmadinejad won," he said. "Everybody we spoke to was a supporter of Mousavi."
He noted that Mousavi's supporters acknowledged that he was somewhat of a blank slate politically, but that the presidential election had become a referendum on Ahmadinejad.
Arouzi then described the protests in greater detail:
Initially, it was a peaceful demonstration. People were forming a human chain, saying they wanted their vote back... but the more the police came, the angrier the mob got. It became sort of a mob mentality here. Now the police have swelled in huge numbers. They are being very, very violent with the crowds.
Every young person I've spoken to here, I've asked them, 'do you think you coming out onto the streets is going to make a change?' They said, no, but we have to come out anyway if we want our voices to be heard, but they're sure this won't make a change.
Demonstrators have been injured. People have come up to us and they've shown us that their arms have been bruised, black eyes, broken noses, bloody heads. But they are fighting back as well. This is, I mean, I've been in Iran four years here and everything here has always been contained. Today we saw the demonstrators setting on the police. An hour ago, maybe 30, 40 demonstrators rushed the police, throwing stones at them. One of the policemen fell and they were kicking him in the head and some of his colleagues had to come and drag him away.Security officials and riot police engaged in violent clashes with demonstrators in... more
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War Is Sin
By Chris Hedges
War exposes the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves. It rips open the hypocrisy of our religions and secular institutions. Those who return from war have learned something which is often incomprehensible to those who have stayed home. We are not a virtuous nation.War Is Sin
By Chris Hedges
War exposes the lies we tell ourselves about... more
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This is a trailer from a production that Alberto Arce has filmed and directed. He was on the last voyage of the DIGNITY that got into Gaza, and he was there during Israel's murderous assault on a civilian population. Although much is in Spanish and Arabic, it makes no difference. It is the language of a people being wiped out in front of the eyes of the world with American money and American support.This is a trailer from a production that Alberto Arce has filmed and directed. He was... more
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RIYADH: Plans to create the world largest university for women only - set to be completed in Riyadh in 2010 - are due to take a step forward on Wednesday.
The Riyadh Women’s University will have 13 colleges, including facilities for medicine, dentistry, nursing, naturopathy and pharmacology and a 700-bed hospital.King Abdullah is due to lay a foundation stone for the new campus later on Wednesday.RIYADH: Plans to create the world largest university for women only - set to be... more
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