we've had the best EU cities thread - and this one is for the rest
Part of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, part of Turkey, Albania, Macedonia, Serbia&Montenegro, Bosnia&Herzegovina, Croatia, Norway, Iceland, Switserland, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbajan - all european but not EU countries
It is a multiple choice
I've put only capitals and bigger cities>
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The population of these cities correct??
London: 7.1 million 14 million in metro.
Paris: 2.2 million 11.1 million in metro.
Istanbul: 10 million 12.6 million in metro.(+poor people not registered)
NYC: 8.1 million 21.8 million in metro(i´m not sure if it´s that much).(+poor people not registered)
Tokyo: 12 million 33.7 million in metro.
Moscow: 10.3 million 11.8 million in metro.(+poor people not registered) I have read somewhere the there is 29 million people in moscow´s metro area but i´m not certain.
Shanghai: 9.1 million 13(or 16) million in metro.(+poor people not registered)
This is the information i got on the internet, i just want to know if this information is correct.>
Paris: 2.2 million 11.1 million in metro.
Istanbul: 10 million 12.6 million in metro.(+poor people not registered)
NYC: 8.1 million 21.8 million in metro(i´m not sure if it´s that much).(+poor people not registered)
Tokyo: 12 million 33.7 million in metro.
Moscow: 10.3 million 11.8 million in metro.(+poor people not registered) I have read somewhere the there is 29 million people in moscow´s metro area but i´m not certain.
Shanghai: 9.1 million 13(or 16) million in metro.(+poor people not registered)
This is the information i got on the internet, i just want to know if this information is correct.>
Your new Country.
If you could born again, what city/country would you like to born other than where you born already. Explain Why.>
Suburbs a city lover could love
Please share with us the suburbs in your metropolitan area that really aren't suburbs at all...but more accurately cities within the suburbs. I'm talking about places that are delightfully urban in character without sprawl, totally walkable, served by excellent public transportation (internally and into the city as well), diverse, sophisticated, vibrant restaurant and retail scene, housing styles that include those that you would find in cities (town and row houses, condos and apartments, mid rises and hopefully a high rise or two), notable institutions (i.e. colleges and universities).
I'm thinking of those wonderful places that are a terrific mix of the best of city and suburb, places that will serve as models for further out suburbs (hopefully) in the future. Pictures to go along with the commentary would be greatly appreciated.>
I'm thinking of those wonderful places that are a terrific mix of the best of city and suburb, places that will serve as models for further out suburbs (hopefully) in the future. Pictures to go along with the commentary would be greatly appreciated.>
Planned cities
i have some photos of some planned cities that i heve seen in the book The City Shaped by Spiro Kostof. if anyone has any other pictures of planned cities fell free to post them.
this is Nahalal, isreal
>
this is Nahalal, isreal
>
Which emergy city is growing the fastest?
When I talk about emerging city that is growing the fastest, most likely it will be cities in Asia. None of cities in Europe or USA I know of is growing at more than 10% a year. Developed cities does not have the explosive growth like developing cities
The cities pace of development that has caught my attention mostly is Shanghai,Dubai, Shenzhen and of course there are more. Several other Asian cities are growing more than 10% a year too but does not get international attention as of these 3 cities. Which of these 3 cities has the most exciting growth?
Shanghai is growing 12-13% (not sure) a year on average
Shenzhen and Dubai is growing around 16% a year on average.
While I personally love Shanghai, I was appaled by Shenzhen success story. That city is a fishing village back then in 1980, it doesn't have the petrodollars like cities like Dubai yet it can grow as impressive at 16% every year. Shanghai used to grow more than 15% then back in the 90's but it has slowed to 13% in the 2000's. So I think the fastest growing city in China right now is Shenzhen
Shanghai,Shenzhen or Dubai... Which city has the most exciing growth ?
You can add some cities that I have not mentioned....>
The cities pace of development that has caught my attention mostly is Shanghai,Dubai, Shenzhen and of course there are more. Several other Asian cities are growing more than 10% a year too but does not get international attention as of these 3 cities. Which of these 3 cities has the most exciting growth?
Shanghai is growing 12-13% (not sure) a year on average
Shenzhen and Dubai is growing around 16% a year on average.
While I personally love Shanghai, I was appaled by Shenzhen success story. That city is a fishing village back then in 1980, it doesn't have the petrodollars like cities like Dubai yet it can grow as impressive at 16% every year. Shanghai used to grow more than 15% then back in the 90's but it has slowed to 13% in the 2000's. So I think the fastest growing city in China right now is Shenzhen
Shanghai,Shenzhen or Dubai... Which city has the most exciing growth ?
You can add some cities that I have not mentioned....>
Is any city as threatened by future development as SF and Bay Area?
Is any urban region in the US as threatened by future development as San Francisco and the Bay Area?
I ask this in light of its extraoridnary setting: a huge, wide, open body of water in its core (creating an amphitheatre for views) with hills rising from all portions of the bay as well as mountains in the extremity.
To me, there is no place on earth so designed for man and nature to combine for such extraordinary beauty (there are more mountainous settings such as HK and Rio, but the Bay Area, IMHO, best balances both man and nature and allows them to compliment each other in a functional layout).
What concerns me is that SF and the Bay Area are so extraordinarily beautiful that massive development in the future could hurt the region in a way other metro areas would not experience, with views being blocked and the contour of hills lost (i.e. downtown SF).
Do others see this as a concern and, if so, are there other US metro areas that you see also facing a similiar topographical fate?>
I ask this in light of its extraoridnary setting: a huge, wide, open body of water in its core (creating an amphitheatre for views) with hills rising from all portions of the bay as well as mountains in the extremity.
To me, there is no place on earth so designed for man and nature to combine for such extraordinary beauty (there are more mountainous settings such as HK and Rio, but the Bay Area, IMHO, best balances both man and nature and allows them to compliment each other in a functional layout).
What concerns me is that SF and the Bay Area are so extraordinarily beautiful that massive development in the future could hurt the region in a way other metro areas would not experience, with views being blocked and the contour of hills lost (i.e. downtown SF).
Do others see this as a concern and, if so, are there other US metro areas that you see also facing a similiar topographical fate?>
Hellish metropolises
Which cities look great in photos but you couldn't live there?
I mean, metropolises with impressive buildings, photogenic cityscapes, but crime, poverty, graffiti, litter, general ugliness on the street level.>
I mean, metropolises with impressive buildings, photogenic cityscapes, but crime, poverty, graffiti, litter, general ugliness on the street level.>
The Bad Publicity Your Country Has Been Receiving
The Bad Publicity Your Country Has Been Receiving
- It may not be true, as it usually is the case, but what bad publicity has your country been receiving recently or to date? Examples include being protrayed as a haven for prostitutes, having racist policies or having a government which oppresses its people.>
- It may not be true, as it usually is the case, but what bad publicity has your country been receiving recently or to date? Examples include being protrayed as a haven for prostitutes, having racist policies or having a government which oppresses its people.>
Chicagoans Invade Milwaukee....
Getting away to Milwaukee
Chicagoans are finding second lakefront homes in a revitalized and festive downtown filling up with condos and served by Amtrak
By Mary Umberger
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 10, 2006
MILWAUKEE -- Kim McGivern would like to spend her weekends in downtown Chicago, but she says it's just too difficult.
"Chicago is so overcrowded, you can't walk. Downtown has gotten so expensive, you can't afford anything there. To park your car is ridiculous," said McGivern, a Northbrook resident who nonetheless wanted to invest in an urban getaway where she could take in the parks, the arts scene, the summer festivals.
So she bought a condo in downtown Milwaukee.
McGivern is part of a noticeable trend: Chicagoans who are buying real estate in that "other" downtown in order to enjoy lakefront weekends in a place where they say the pace is lively and urban, yet the price and the congestion seem more manageable.
They--and the city's promoters--say buying a second home in the heart of Milwaukee would seem odd only to those who haven't paid a recent visit to this revitalized city, which would like very much for Chicagoans to get over the stereotype of a Milwaukee populated by beer-swilling cheeseheads, of Laverne and Shirley skipping down the sidewalk to their jobs at a brewery.
"People say it doesn't fit with what I think Milwaukee is like," said Nancy O'Keefe, executive director of a civic group that promotes the Historic Third Ward neighborhood, a thriving 12-square-block area of boutiques, galleries, restaurants and theaters.
O'Keefe said that her neighborhood's attractions, plus the city's summer-long series of festivals along the nearby lakefront and a significant civic investment in museums and other tourist attractions, have caught Chicagoans' eyes.
"The 312s and 847s on my caller ID have increased dramatically in the last year," agreed Beth Savas, who handles sales for First Place on the River, a warehouse being transformed into condos.
That development is in the Fifth Ward neighborhood, across the river from the Third. Within the two places, Chicagoans are buying second homes among about 900 new and planned condos, where the developers promise upscale shopping, dining, boating and entertainment that's literally steps from their doorways.
If that marketing pitch sounds familiar, it's because it's the one that drew thousands of residents to formerly barren stretches of near-downtown Chicago neighborhoods in the past decade, creating an energy level that some now say is a little over the top for them.
So seekers of urban amusements are looking north. Several developers estimate 10 to 12 percent of recent buyers in downtown Milwaukee are from Illinois, though it's difficult to differentiate how many will use their Wisconsin real estate on a part-time, leisure basis as opposed to relocating there permanently.
The developers said they didn't market their condos to Chicagoans and so were surprised when they began turning up on their doorsteps.
Their Chicago buyers are typically empty nesters who not only feel stressed out by their own downtown, but priced out, too.
"Our typical Chicago buyers are north suburban residents," said Robert B. Monnat, chief operating officer of the Mandel Group, which is developing Marine Terminal Lofts in the Third Ward.
"They say, `I've lived in Chicago for years, I need a break,'" Monnat said. "It's as easy to come to Milwaukee as to the Loop. They can buy for half the price, or less."
Other developers peg the price ratio at 60 percent for comparable Chicago units. In any case, they aren't giving the places away: Many Third Ward and Fifth Ward condos are luxury units priced from $400,000 to upwards of $1 million--though some others tout $170,000 to $180,000 price tags for one-bedroom, riverfront addresses.
Many of the buildings offer the lifestyle trappings that have become symbols of upscale downtown living--ground-floor restaurants that offer room service to residents, indoor parking, concierges, etc.
Then there are the 100 or so boat slips that several buildings are selling or leasing. The developers say they're a magnet for Chicagoans.
Developer Peter Renner, for example, has sold 20 of 22 boat slips he's offering at Hansen's Landing, about a 5-minute river cruise from the lake. The slips, which sit literally beneath the windows of the people who own them, sold quickly for $1,000 a linear foot of dock space, he said. Others along the dock are leased.
"This is pocket change, compared to Chicago," Renner says.
Outright ownership of boat slips is a novelty in Chicago, where most are leased through the park district. A few waterfront buildings downtown do sell slips, and some homes and developments in neighborhoods along the Chicago River have their own docking facilities.
Although they don't own a boat, Ed and Sarah Stritch, who have lived in downtown Chicago for 16 years, bought a slip at Hansen's Landing as an investment. They bought a condo that overlooks it as an investment, too, with the intention of selling it a year after purchasing it last September.
Now they're on the verge of buying a boat. And they're keeping the Milwaukee condo for getaways. They sometimes spend several weekends a month there, occasionally arriving via Amtrak, whose Milwaukee station is a seven-minute walk from their condo.
In Milwaukee, they dine out, they shop, they go to festivals, they bike, Ed said.
"The neighborhood is getting livelier every day," he said. "You almost see the Chicago of 8 or 10 years ago--what was going on in the West Loop."
Unwinding in a city environment reflects a changed view of our vacation expectations, housing analysts say.
"This is not your father's idea of a vacation, but it's a Baby Boomer's," said Savas. "Many years back, a vacation destination was to a lake in Wisconsin. Our dad would haul us to a cottage that was so much work for my mother. Boomers are asking for conveniences."
The northward pull from Chicago probably means that the 90-mile gap between the two cities is closing--that Milwaukee is verging on becoming a distant suburb of Chicago, said John McIlwain, housing fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, which studies development trends.
"It's becoming all one big metropolitan area," McIlwain said. "It's been heading north for some time, and (Chicago) is now encompassing Milwaukee. I think (that Chicagoans purchasing vacation homes there) makes it all complete."
Agreement is not universal.
"Milwaukee has been overshadowed by Chicago," said developer Monnat. "But it is fiercely independent in terms of its identity."
Sales agent Savas said she knows that some Chicagoans have a certain disdain for Milwaukee. "That kind of snobbery exists everywhere, though. We in Milwaukee have that feeling about northern Wisconsin. Look at Parisians and their view of everything outside Paris."
Former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, who now works and lives in Chicago, said the attitude was less of disdain than obliviousness.
"Chicagoans didn't think about Milwaukee at all," he said. Now, he said, easy access to the town, particularly by train, has made them take notice.
"That's part of the reason that Chicagoans are colonizing downtown Milwaukee."
McGivern said that though some Chicagoans might not get Milwaukee, the word is out that the town makes for a great escape--though she's not entirely sure that's a good thing.
"I swear, every time I go up there and meet people, they're all from Chicago," she said. "In a couple of years, it might be a pain in the butt to live there.">
Chicagoans are finding second lakefront homes in a revitalized and festive downtown filling up with condos and served by Amtrak
By Mary Umberger
Tribune staff reporter
Published June 10, 2006
MILWAUKEE -- Kim McGivern would like to spend her weekends in downtown Chicago, but she says it's just too difficult.
"Chicago is so overcrowded, you can't walk. Downtown has gotten so expensive, you can't afford anything there. To park your car is ridiculous," said McGivern, a Northbrook resident who nonetheless wanted to invest in an urban getaway where she could take in the parks, the arts scene, the summer festivals.
So she bought a condo in downtown Milwaukee.
McGivern is part of a noticeable trend: Chicagoans who are buying real estate in that "other" downtown in order to enjoy lakefront weekends in a place where they say the pace is lively and urban, yet the price and the congestion seem more manageable.
They--and the city's promoters--say buying a second home in the heart of Milwaukee would seem odd only to those who haven't paid a recent visit to this revitalized city, which would like very much for Chicagoans to get over the stereotype of a Milwaukee populated by beer-swilling cheeseheads, of Laverne and Shirley skipping down the sidewalk to their jobs at a brewery.
"People say it doesn't fit with what I think Milwaukee is like," said Nancy O'Keefe, executive director of a civic group that promotes the Historic Third Ward neighborhood, a thriving 12-square-block area of boutiques, galleries, restaurants and theaters.
O'Keefe said that her neighborhood's attractions, plus the city's summer-long series of festivals along the nearby lakefront and a significant civic investment in museums and other tourist attractions, have caught Chicagoans' eyes.
"The 312s and 847s on my caller ID have increased dramatically in the last year," agreed Beth Savas, who handles sales for First Place on the River, a warehouse being transformed into condos.
That development is in the Fifth Ward neighborhood, across the river from the Third. Within the two places, Chicagoans are buying second homes among about 900 new and planned condos, where the developers promise upscale shopping, dining, boating and entertainment that's literally steps from their doorways.
If that marketing pitch sounds familiar, it's because it's the one that drew thousands of residents to formerly barren stretches of near-downtown Chicago neighborhoods in the past decade, creating an energy level that some now say is a little over the top for them.
So seekers of urban amusements are looking north. Several developers estimate 10 to 12 percent of recent buyers in downtown Milwaukee are from Illinois, though it's difficult to differentiate how many will use their Wisconsin real estate on a part-time, leisure basis as opposed to relocating there permanently.
The developers said they didn't market their condos to Chicagoans and so were surprised when they began turning up on their doorsteps.
Their Chicago buyers are typically empty nesters who not only feel stressed out by their own downtown, but priced out, too.
"Our typical Chicago buyers are north suburban residents," said Robert B. Monnat, chief operating officer of the Mandel Group, which is developing Marine Terminal Lofts in the Third Ward.
"They say, `I've lived in Chicago for years, I need a break,'" Monnat said. "It's as easy to come to Milwaukee as to the Loop. They can buy for half the price, or less."
Other developers peg the price ratio at 60 percent for comparable Chicago units. In any case, they aren't giving the places away: Many Third Ward and Fifth Ward condos are luxury units priced from $400,000 to upwards of $1 million--though some others tout $170,000 to $180,000 price tags for one-bedroom, riverfront addresses.
Many of the buildings offer the lifestyle trappings that have become symbols of upscale downtown living--ground-floor restaurants that offer room service to residents, indoor parking, concierges, etc.
Then there are the 100 or so boat slips that several buildings are selling or leasing. The developers say they're a magnet for Chicagoans.
Developer Peter Renner, for example, has sold 20 of 22 boat slips he's offering at Hansen's Landing, about a 5-minute river cruise from the lake. The slips, which sit literally beneath the windows of the people who own them, sold quickly for $1,000 a linear foot of dock space, he said. Others along the dock are leased.
"This is pocket change, compared to Chicago," Renner says.
Outright ownership of boat slips is a novelty in Chicago, where most are leased through the park district. A few waterfront buildings downtown do sell slips, and some homes and developments in neighborhoods along the Chicago River have their own docking facilities.
Although they don't own a boat, Ed and Sarah Stritch, who have lived in downtown Chicago for 16 years, bought a slip at Hansen's Landing as an investment. They bought a condo that overlooks it as an investment, too, with the intention of selling it a year after purchasing it last September.
Now they're on the verge of buying a boat. And they're keeping the Milwaukee condo for getaways. They sometimes spend several weekends a month there, occasionally arriving via Amtrak, whose Milwaukee station is a seven-minute walk from their condo.
In Milwaukee, they dine out, they shop, they go to festivals, they bike, Ed said.
"The neighborhood is getting livelier every day," he said. "You almost see the Chicago of 8 or 10 years ago--what was going on in the West Loop."
Unwinding in a city environment reflects a changed view of our vacation expectations, housing analysts say.
"This is not your father's idea of a vacation, but it's a Baby Boomer's," said Savas. "Many years back, a vacation destination was to a lake in Wisconsin. Our dad would haul us to a cottage that was so much work for my mother. Boomers are asking for conveniences."
The northward pull from Chicago probably means that the 90-mile gap between the two cities is closing--that Milwaukee is verging on becoming a distant suburb of Chicago, said John McIlwain, housing fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, which studies development trends.
"It's becoming all one big metropolitan area," McIlwain said. "It's been heading north for some time, and (Chicago) is now encompassing Milwaukee. I think (that Chicagoans purchasing vacation homes there) makes it all complete."
Agreement is not universal.
"Milwaukee has been overshadowed by Chicago," said developer Monnat. "But it is fiercely independent in terms of its identity."
Sales agent Savas said she knows that some Chicagoans have a certain disdain for Milwaukee. "That kind of snobbery exists everywhere, though. We in Milwaukee have that feeling about northern Wisconsin. Look at Parisians and their view of everything outside Paris."
Former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, who now works and lives in Chicago, said the attitude was less of disdain than obliviousness.
"Chicagoans didn't think about Milwaukee at all," he said. Now, he said, easy access to the town, particularly by train, has made them take notice.
"That's part of the reason that Chicagoans are colonizing downtown Milwaukee."
McGivern said that though some Chicagoans might not get Milwaukee, the word is out that the town makes for a great escape--though she's not entirely sure that's a good thing.
"I swear, every time I go up there and meet people, they're all from Chicago," she said. "In a couple of years, it might be a pain in the butt to live there.">
The biggest urban expanse-- The japanese cities
I post different metropolitan with the same height (270km) to compare their size, and the winner is obvious
Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto of Japan
Tokyo
Kita-Kyushu and Fukuoka, Japan
New York
Los Angeles
Chicago
Sao Paulo
Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou
Paris
London
Seoul
Shanghai
>
Osaka, Nagoya and Kyoto of Japan
Tokyo
Kita-Kyushu and Fukuoka, Japan
New York
Los Angeles
Chicago
Sao Paulo
Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou
Paris
London
Seoul
Shanghai
>
Iceland thread!
SHiRO? Where did it go? I was trying to spread the good news about Iceland, and it's amazingly growing economy! Too bad, people missed out on a wonderful thread. Fascist!
Well, just a tid bit of info for you:
Muslim extremism: Denmark's had enough
Muslim extremism: Denmark's had enough
Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard
National Post
A Muslim organization in Denmark announced a few days ago that a $30,000 bounty would be paid for the murder of several prominent Danish Jews, a threat that garnered wide international notice. Less well known is that this is just one problem associated with Denmark's approximately 200,000 Muslim immigrants. The key issue is that many of them show little desire to fit into their adopted country.
For years, Danes lauded multiculturalism and insisted they had no problem with the Muslim customs -- until one day they found that they did. Some major issues:
- Living on the dole. Third-World immigrants -- most of them Muslims from countries such as Turkey, Somalia, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iraq -- constitute 5% of the population but consume upwards of 40% of the welfare spending.
- Engaging in crime. Muslims are only 4% of Denmark's 5.4 million people but make up a majority of the country's convicted rapists, an especially combustible issue given that practically all the female victims are non-Muslim. Similar, if lesser, disproportions are found in other crimes.
- Self-imposed isolation. Over time, as Muslim immigrants increase in numbers, they wish to mix less with the indigenous population. A recent survey finds that only 5% of young Muslim immigrants would readily marry a Dane.
- Importing unacceptable customs. Forced marriages -- promising a newborn daughter in Denmark to a male cousin in the home country, then compelling her to marry him, sometimes on pain of death -- are one problem. Another is the vocal intent to kill Muslims who convert out of Islam.
- Fomenting anti-Semitism. Muslim violence threatens Denmark's approximately 6,000 Jews, who increasingly depend on police protection. Jewish parents were told by one school principal that she could not guarantee their children's safety and advised to send them to another institution. Anti-Israel marches have turned into anti-Jewish riots. One organization, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, openly calls on Muslims to "kill all Jews ... wherever you find them."
- Seeking Islamic law. Muslim leaders openly declare their goal of introducing Islamic law once Denmark's Muslim population grows large enough -- a not-that remote prospect. If present trends persist, one sociologist estimates, every third inhabitant of Denmark in 40 years will be Muslim.
Other Europeans (such as the late Pim Fortuyn in Holland) have also grown alarmed about these issues, but Danes first made them the basis for a change in government.
In a momentous election last November, a centre-right coalition came to power that -- for the first time since 1929 -- excluded the socialists. The right broke its 72-year losing streak and won a solid parliamentary majority because it promised to handle immigration issues, the electorate's first concern, differently from the socialists.
The next nine months did witness some fine-tuning of procedures: Immigrants now must live seven years in Denmark (rather than three) to become permanent residents; most non-refugees no longer can collect welfare cheques immediately on entering the country; and no one can bring into the country a spouse under the age of 24. The state prosecutor is considering a ban on Hizb-ut-Tahrir for its death threats against Jews.
These minor adjustments prompted howls internationally -- with European and UN reports condemning Denmark for racism and "Islamophobia," the Washington Post reporting that Muslim immigrants "face habitual discrimination," and a London Guardian headline announcing that "Copenhagen Flirts with Fascism."
In reality, however, the new government barely addressed the existing problems. Nor did it prevent new ones, such as the death threats against Jews, or a recent Islamic edict calling on Muslims to drive Danes out of the Nørrebro quarter of Copenhagen.
The authorities remain indulgent. The military mulls permitting Muslim soldiers in Denmark's volunteer International Brigade to opt out of actions they don't agree with -- a privilege unique to them. Mohammed Omar Bakri, the self-proclaimed London-based "eyes, ears and mouth" of Osama bin Laden, won permission to set up a branch of his organization, Al-Muhajiroun.
Contrary to media reports, the real news from Denmark is not flirting with fascism but getting mired in inertia. A government elected specifically to deal with a set of problems has made minimal headway. Its reluctance has potentially profound implications for the West as a whole.
© Copyright 2002 National Post>
Well, just a tid bit of info for you:
Muslim extremism: Denmark's had enough
Muslim extremism: Denmark's had enough
Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard
National Post
A Muslim organization in Denmark announced a few days ago that a $30,000 bounty would be paid for the murder of several prominent Danish Jews, a threat that garnered wide international notice. Less well known is that this is just one problem associated with Denmark's approximately 200,000 Muslim immigrants. The key issue is that many of them show little desire to fit into their adopted country.
For years, Danes lauded multiculturalism and insisted they had no problem with the Muslim customs -- until one day they found that they did. Some major issues:
- Living on the dole. Third-World immigrants -- most of them Muslims from countries such as Turkey, Somalia, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iraq -- constitute 5% of the population but consume upwards of 40% of the welfare spending.
- Engaging in crime. Muslims are only 4% of Denmark's 5.4 million people but make up a majority of the country's convicted rapists, an especially combustible issue given that practically all the female victims are non-Muslim. Similar, if lesser, disproportions are found in other crimes.
- Self-imposed isolation. Over time, as Muslim immigrants increase in numbers, they wish to mix less with the indigenous population. A recent survey finds that only 5% of young Muslim immigrants would readily marry a Dane.
- Importing unacceptable customs. Forced marriages -- promising a newborn daughter in Denmark to a male cousin in the home country, then compelling her to marry him, sometimes on pain of death -- are one problem. Another is the vocal intent to kill Muslims who convert out of Islam.
- Fomenting anti-Semitism. Muslim violence threatens Denmark's approximately 6,000 Jews, who increasingly depend on police protection. Jewish parents were told by one school principal that she could not guarantee their children's safety and advised to send them to another institution. Anti-Israel marches have turned into anti-Jewish riots. One organization, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, openly calls on Muslims to "kill all Jews ... wherever you find them."
- Seeking Islamic law. Muslim leaders openly declare their goal of introducing Islamic law once Denmark's Muslim population grows large enough -- a not-that remote prospect. If present trends persist, one sociologist estimates, every third inhabitant of Denmark in 40 years will be Muslim.
Other Europeans (such as the late Pim Fortuyn in Holland) have also grown alarmed about these issues, but Danes first made them the basis for a change in government.
In a momentous election last November, a centre-right coalition came to power that -- for the first time since 1929 -- excluded the socialists. The right broke its 72-year losing streak and won a solid parliamentary majority because it promised to handle immigration issues, the electorate's first concern, differently from the socialists.
The next nine months did witness some fine-tuning of procedures: Immigrants now must live seven years in Denmark (rather than three) to become permanent residents; most non-refugees no longer can collect welfare cheques immediately on entering the country; and no one can bring into the country a spouse under the age of 24. The state prosecutor is considering a ban on Hizb-ut-Tahrir for its death threats against Jews.
These minor adjustments prompted howls internationally -- with European and UN reports condemning Denmark for racism and "Islamophobia," the Washington Post reporting that Muslim immigrants "face habitual discrimination," and a London Guardian headline announcing that "Copenhagen Flirts with Fascism."
In reality, however, the new government barely addressed the existing problems. Nor did it prevent new ones, such as the death threats against Jews, or a recent Islamic edict calling on Muslims to drive Danes out of the Nørrebro quarter of Copenhagen.
The authorities remain indulgent. The military mulls permitting Muslim soldiers in Denmark's volunteer International Brigade to opt out of actions they don't agree with -- a privilege unique to them. Mohammed Omar Bakri, the self-proclaimed London-based "eyes, ears and mouth" of Osama bin Laden, won permission to set up a branch of his organization, Al-Muhajiroun.
Contrary to media reports, the real news from Denmark is not flirting with fascism but getting mired in inertia. A government elected specifically to deal with a set of problems has made minimal headway. Its reluctance has potentially profound implications for the West as a whole.
© Copyright 2002 National Post>
Poll - The biggest city in the world
Mexico city, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo, or other..... Poll please >
>
Best combo of big-city life and outdoor beauty?
Here in the U.S. id say Seattle wins by a longshot, it's a major city and also has the beach, mountains etc. It's like a big city wrapped in nice scenery.
Denver, CO might just take second place, it's got just about everything a big-city can offer and you've got the rockies right next door, plus crisp sunny weather. The only problem is the downtown skyline is not nearly as developed as that of a really major city, the potential is there... they have already added a few skyscrapers, not sure if they are still working on more though. There is also no beach.>
Denver, CO might just take second place, it's got just about everything a big-city can offer and you've got the rockies right next door, plus crisp sunny weather. The only problem is the downtown skyline is not nearly as developed as that of a really major city, the potential is there... they have already added a few skyscrapers, not sure if they are still working on more though. There is also no beach.>
world's largest city by population
http://www.mongabay.com/cities_pop_01.htm
1 12,778,721 Bombay Mumbai India
2 12,207,254 Karachi Pakistan
3 11,055,365 Delhi India
4 10,840,516 Shanghai China
5 10,375,688 Moscow Moskva Russia
6 10,147,972 Seoul Soul South Korea
7 10,136,978 Sao Paulo São Paulo Brazil
8 10,121,565 Istanbul Istanbul Turkey
9 8,866,160 Lima Peru
10 8,548,639 Ciudad de México Mexico City Mexico
11 8,407,479 Jakarta Indonesia
12 8,158,957 New York United States of America
13 8,124,310 Tokyo Japan
14 7,741,274 Beijing China
15 7,620,971 Bogotá Colombia
16 7,438,376 Al-Qahirah Cairo Egypt
17 7,404,515 Tehran Iran
18 7,318,636 Ar-Riyad Saudi Arabia
19 7,287,555 London England
20 7,192,209 Bogota Bogotá>
1 12,778,721 Bombay Mumbai India
2 12,207,254 Karachi Pakistan
3 11,055,365 Delhi India
4 10,840,516 Shanghai China
5 10,375,688 Moscow Moskva Russia
6 10,147,972 Seoul Soul South Korea
7 10,136,978 Sao Paulo São Paulo Brazil
8 10,121,565 Istanbul Istanbul Turkey
9 8,866,160 Lima Peru
10 8,548,639 Ciudad de México Mexico City Mexico
11 8,407,479 Jakarta Indonesia
12 8,158,957 New York United States of America
13 8,124,310 Tokyo Japan
14 7,741,274 Beijing China
15 7,620,971 Bogotá Colombia
16 7,438,376 Al-Qahirah Cairo Egypt
17 7,404,515 Tehran Iran
18 7,318,636 Ar-Riyad Saudi Arabia
19 7,287,555 London England
20 7,192,209 Bogota Bogotá>
The Psychological Skyline
Virtually all of us have read articles or have seen the likes of Dateline or 60 Minutes run pieces on how taller men often have an edge over shorter ones in being in powerful positons. And how shorter men in positons of power often display a Napolean complex.
Is it sad those distinctions exist? Of course. But that doesn't change the fact that people's perceptions often run in those directions.
It probably does have to do with the way that we are wired.
Do those very distinctions between tall and short extend to the skylines of our cities and how we view those cities?
When a skyline goes to super heights, does it convey a power to a city that wouldn't exist if the skyline were shorter? Does a tall skyline invite not only other tall buildings, but a more fertile ground for development and cultural/entertainment enrichment, as well?
Is a skyline's height (and perhaps mass) a magnet that has more to do with a city's prominence and growth than what we may have believed? Is our sense of height as it relates to people transferable to our sense of height as it relates to cities?>
Is it sad those distinctions exist? Of course. But that doesn't change the fact that people's perceptions often run in those directions.
It probably does have to do with the way that we are wired.
Do those very distinctions between tall and short extend to the skylines of our cities and how we view those cities?
When a skyline goes to super heights, does it convey a power to a city that wouldn't exist if the skyline were shorter? Does a tall skyline invite not only other tall buildings, but a more fertile ground for development and cultural/entertainment enrichment, as well?
Is a skyline's height (and perhaps mass) a magnet that has more to do with a city's prominence and growth than what we may have believed? Is our sense of height as it relates to people transferable to our sense of height as it relates to cities?>
DC to get voting rights?
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2707694
Bill would give D.C., Utah seats in House
By Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
WASHINGTON - Utah is the most Republican state in the country, while residents in Washington, D.C., are overwhelmingly Democratic.
But elected officials from both areas say Washington's chances of getting its first House seat are tied directly to Utah getting its fourth, and threw their support Tuesday behind a bill that seeks to increase their clout in Congress.
Virginia Rep. Tom Davis reintroduced his proposal to expand the House of Representatives to 437 members, giving Washington a House member and maintaining partisan balance by adding a seat in Republican-dominated Utah.
Â"The state of Utah is looking at this very selfishly, I admit that,Â" said Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, a co-sponsor of the bill. Â"We thought we should have got a fourth seat last time and we would be happy to get a fourth seat this time.Â"
Similar legislation failed to make it out of committee last year, but Davis says he has rallied support and is hopeful his measure will pass.
Â"We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars to bring democracy to Baghdad,Â" he said. Â"What are we doing to bring democracy to our own capital?Â"
Washington Mayor Anthony Williams said the ultimate goal remains full representation - two senators and a House seat - in Congress, but Davis' bill is a first step toward that objective.
President Bush has opposed other proposals to give D.C. representation in Congress, but Davis is hopeful a strong show of support from Congress would persuade Bush to sign it into law. Davis plans to begin holding hearings on the bill next month.
Utah
Advertisement
Rep. Chris Cannon, who is also a co-sponsor of the bill, noted that it could ultimately hurt Republicans to add a solid Democratic seat that is only offset temporarily with Utah's Republican seat.
Â"If we were looking at this issue as a partisan issue, that's the appropriate response, but this isn't a partisan issue,Â" Cannon said. Â"We need to start giving the vote to people who haven't had the vote in the District of Columbia, and that's the right thing to do, not the partisan thing to do.Â"
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has not endorsed Davis' legislation, but his spokeswoman, Alyson Heyrend, said he is supportive of giving Washington a representative in Congress and adding to Utah's delegation.
Â"They're two good goals and he'll be looking at this bill to see if it's the best way to accomplish those goals,Â" she said.
If the bill passes, Utah would have to redraw its House boundaries. The last time the Legislature carved up the districts, Matheson was put into a district that was 62 percent Republican. But Bishop said a new round of redistricting wouldn't hurt Matheson.>
Bill would give D.C., Utah seats in House
By Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
WASHINGTON - Utah is the most Republican state in the country, while residents in Washington, D.C., are overwhelmingly Democratic.
But elected officials from both areas say Washington's chances of getting its first House seat are tied directly to Utah getting its fourth, and threw their support Tuesday behind a bill that seeks to increase their clout in Congress.
Virginia Rep. Tom Davis reintroduced his proposal to expand the House of Representatives to 437 members, giving Washington a House member and maintaining partisan balance by adding a seat in Republican-dominated Utah.
Â"The state of Utah is looking at this very selfishly, I admit that,Â" said Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, a co-sponsor of the bill. Â"We thought we should have got a fourth seat last time and we would be happy to get a fourth seat this time.Â"
Similar legislation failed to make it out of committee last year, but Davis says he has rallied support and is hopeful his measure will pass.
Â"We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars to bring democracy to Baghdad,Â" he said. Â"What are we doing to bring democracy to our own capital?Â"
Washington Mayor Anthony Williams said the ultimate goal remains full representation - two senators and a House seat - in Congress, but Davis' bill is a first step toward that objective.
President Bush has opposed other proposals to give D.C. representation in Congress, but Davis is hopeful a strong show of support from Congress would persuade Bush to sign it into law. Davis plans to begin holding hearings on the bill next month.
Utah
Advertisement
Rep. Chris Cannon, who is also a co-sponsor of the bill, noted that it could ultimately hurt Republicans to add a solid Democratic seat that is only offset temporarily with Utah's Republican seat.
Â"If we were looking at this issue as a partisan issue, that's the appropriate response, but this isn't a partisan issue,Â" Cannon said. Â"We need to start giving the vote to people who haven't had the vote in the District of Columbia, and that's the right thing to do, not the partisan thing to do.Â"
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, has not endorsed Davis' legislation, but his spokeswoman, Alyson Heyrend, said he is supportive of giving Washington a representative in Congress and adding to Utah's delegation.
Â"They're two good goals and he'll be looking at this bill to see if it's the best way to accomplish those goals,Â" she said.
If the bill passes, Utah would have to redraw its House boundaries. The last time the Legislature carved up the districts, Matheson was put into a district that was 62 percent Republican. But Bishop said a new round of redistricting wouldn't hurt Matheson.>
Europes capital of nasty suburbs?
Well Europe has a historical tradition that is possibly impossible to match.But boy did i see some horrible suburbs in the outskirts of many major cities.I.e badly planned,crime,grafitti etc....The type of suburbs of which i have never seen in Canada.So which major capital do you think has more of these ugly suburbs?>
Your cities river(s)
I'm curious about different city's rivers. How long are they (through the city), how wide are they, how many bridges? parks, riverwalks etc.
I'll represent Seoul's Hangang (gang is Korean for river).
The Han meanders through Seoul, cutting it into two roughly equal halfs (Kangnam, and Kangbuk...literally, RiverSouth, and RiverNorth). It goes for roughly 15 km through the city from East to West. It is very wide, maybe 1.5 km at its widest, but shallow. There are probably about 15 bridges that cross it, includeing four subway lines and the national rail line. On both sides for the entire length there are parks/bike trails.
The Han also has several tributaries that join the Han, most famous among skyscraper fans is the YangjaeCheon (Cheon means stream). There are four others that all have multi kilometer long parks/bike paths on both sides.
Many people fish on the Han but I wouldn't be the first to try HanSushi.
If anyone has the chance to visit Seoul, be sure to head to the river and rent a bike, or just walk. It would take days to walk all of Seoul's river trails.>
I'll represent Seoul's Hangang (gang is Korean for river).
The Han meanders through Seoul, cutting it into two roughly equal halfs (Kangnam, and Kangbuk...literally, RiverSouth, and RiverNorth). It goes for roughly 15 km through the city from East to West. It is very wide, maybe 1.5 km at its widest, but shallow. There are probably about 15 bridges that cross it, includeing four subway lines and the national rail line. On both sides for the entire length there are parks/bike trails.
The Han also has several tributaries that join the Han, most famous among skyscraper fans is the YangjaeCheon (Cheon means stream). There are four others that all have multi kilometer long parks/bike paths on both sides.
Many people fish on the Han but I wouldn't be the first to try HanSushi.
If anyone has the chance to visit Seoul, be sure to head to the river and rent a bike, or just walk. It would take days to walk all of Seoul's river trails.>
UK Lonely Planet winners and losers
UK Lonely Planet winners and losers
By Liam Allen
BBC News
A new Lonely Planet travel guide praises the UK's cities and concludes that the north-south divide is a myth. But which places were the winners and losers in the latest Lonely Planet guide?
The UK is on a par with Italy for its "magnificent cities", the guide says
With each publication of the latest version of the Lonely Planet guide, councils and tourist boards have been variously offended and delighted.
The latest edition, published on Tuesday, is no exception.
It says that dynamic development has transformed the north of England dispelling the "grim up north" myth.
It also admiringly describes Britons as "uninhibited, tolerant, exhibitionist, passionate, aggressive, sentimental, hospitable and friendly".
But it is not so kind about other aspects of the UK.
Here are some of the Lonely Planet winners and losers:
CITIES
Cities, in general, fare extremely well with Lonely Planet claiming that Britain is on a par with Italy for "magnificent cities".
Edinburgh is praised as "one of the most loveable cities on the planet"
Among those praised in the north, Leeds is described as the "Knightsbridge of the north" and Manchester is hailed as "one of Britain's most exciting and interesting cities".
Liverpool, it adds, has thrown off its reputation as a city "full of smart-arse scallies who would as soon nick your car as tell you a joke".
Glasgow "unforgettable"
And in Scotland, "loveable and liveable" Edinburgh and "unforgettable" Glasgow are both must-sees, the guide says.
By contrast, Worcester is said to be "smothered by modern architectural blunders and possessed of a rather soulless centre". A spokesman for Worcester City Council said that the comments, "while not without a bone of truth" were outdated thanks to massive redevelopment in the city centre.
'Numbers on increase'
While Lincoln was praised for its "charming" locals, it was slated for its "fairly drab, modern suburbs". This was at odds with the city being voted as the UK's ninth favourite in a recent national newspaper poll, a spokeswoman for Lincolnshire Tourism countered.
Gloucester "the city's glory days are long gone"
And a spokesman for Gloucester City Council, reacting to the guide's assertion that "the city's glory days are long gone", said visitor numbers were on the increase.
Perhaps one of the cruellest putdowns in the whole guide is directed at the people of Wolverhampton.
"If you thought Brummies sounded funny, wait'll you get to Wolverhampton," it reads.
SEASIDE RESORTS
By contrast Britain's seaside, with the exceptions of Eastbourne, Newquay and previously-maligned Blackpool, come in for a bit of a pasting.
Eastbourne is praised as "a lovely Victorian seaside town that your bold and artsy aunt might enjoy".
Newquay is hailed as "Cornwall's biggest party town" and Blackpool is said to have 21st century amusements "to thrill even the most jaded".
The English Riviera, meanwhile, is described as "a rather optimistic" term to describe the Devon resorts of Torquay and Paignton while Ilfracombe, according to Lonely Planet, "can feel like the end of the earth on a wet afternoon".
Ann Doody, of the Ilfracombe and District Tourist Association, slammed the guide's authors as "lacking imagination", saying it would take "more than a fortnight" to experience everything the resort had to offer.
'Unimaginative view'
Scarborough, meanwhile, is said to be full of "seaside kitsch".
This was "a very unimaginative view", a spokeswoman for Scarborough Borough Council said, adding that the town was the oldest seaside resort in the country and had "plenty to offer". "I would question if they've actually been here," she added.
Lincolnshire resort Skegness, says the guide, features "thousands of pasty optimists doing brave impressions of sunbathing regardless of the weather".
A Lincolnshire Tourism spokesman defended Skegness, pointing to its "award-winning" beaches, "ideal for sea swimming".
TOWNS
Towns faring well in the guide include Windsor, whose castle is described as "a stunning display of royal wealth and power that dates back nearly 1,000 years".
And drinkers are tipped off that Perth is "bustling with some cracking pubs".
But the guide's authors are far less complimentary about many more towns. A number are berated for their non-progressive nature including Harrogate, described as not having changed much "since Agatha Christie fled there in 1926".
Harrogate 'not changed much since Agatha Christie fled there in 1926'
Borough council leader Mike Gardner hit back by saying that, while townsfolk were proud of their Victorian heritage, Harrogate's third position in the national league of conference towns in the country proved it to be a "vibrant cosmopolitan".
Arts festival
Pitlochry in Scotland is described in the guide as "teeming with visitors" and "rapidly losing the Highland charm it once possessed".
Visit Scotland Perthshire area director Vicky Miller said tourists of all nationalities who visited and enjoyed "lively" Pitlochry would disagree about such a loss in charm. Ipswich is said by Lonely Planet to now "barely register on the list of England's most important towns".
Ipswich, not an important town according to Lonely Planet.
A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council pointed to the annual Ipswich Arts Festival (Ip-art) as just one reason for the town's "irresistibility".
He added: "If Tracey Emin's coming to Ip-art this summer, why can't Lonely Planet?">
By Liam Allen
BBC News
A new Lonely Planet travel guide praises the UK's cities and concludes that the north-south divide is a myth. But which places were the winners and losers in the latest Lonely Planet guide?
The UK is on a par with Italy for its "magnificent cities", the guide says
With each publication of the latest version of the Lonely Planet guide, councils and tourist boards have been variously offended and delighted.
The latest edition, published on Tuesday, is no exception.
It says that dynamic development has transformed the north of England dispelling the "grim up north" myth.
It also admiringly describes Britons as "uninhibited, tolerant, exhibitionist, passionate, aggressive, sentimental, hospitable and friendly".
But it is not so kind about other aspects of the UK.
Here are some of the Lonely Planet winners and losers:
CITIES
Cities, in general, fare extremely well with Lonely Planet claiming that Britain is on a par with Italy for "magnificent cities".
Edinburgh is praised as "one of the most loveable cities on the planet"
Among those praised in the north, Leeds is described as the "Knightsbridge of the north" and Manchester is hailed as "one of Britain's most exciting and interesting cities".
Liverpool, it adds, has thrown off its reputation as a city "full of smart-arse scallies who would as soon nick your car as tell you a joke".
Glasgow "unforgettable"
And in Scotland, "loveable and liveable" Edinburgh and "unforgettable" Glasgow are both must-sees, the guide says.
By contrast, Worcester is said to be "smothered by modern architectural blunders and possessed of a rather soulless centre". A spokesman for Worcester City Council said that the comments, "while not without a bone of truth" were outdated thanks to massive redevelopment in the city centre.
'Numbers on increase'
While Lincoln was praised for its "charming" locals, it was slated for its "fairly drab, modern suburbs". This was at odds with the city being voted as the UK's ninth favourite in a recent national newspaper poll, a spokeswoman for Lincolnshire Tourism countered.
Gloucester "the city's glory days are long gone"
And a spokesman for Gloucester City Council, reacting to the guide's assertion that "the city's glory days are long gone", said visitor numbers were on the increase.
Perhaps one of the cruellest putdowns in the whole guide is directed at the people of Wolverhampton.
"If you thought Brummies sounded funny, wait'll you get to Wolverhampton," it reads.
SEASIDE RESORTS
By contrast Britain's seaside, with the exceptions of Eastbourne, Newquay and previously-maligned Blackpool, come in for a bit of a pasting.
Eastbourne is praised as "a lovely Victorian seaside town that your bold and artsy aunt might enjoy".
Newquay is hailed as "Cornwall's biggest party town" and Blackpool is said to have 21st century amusements "to thrill even the most jaded".
The English Riviera, meanwhile, is described as "a rather optimistic" term to describe the Devon resorts of Torquay and Paignton while Ilfracombe, according to Lonely Planet, "can feel like the end of the earth on a wet afternoon".
Ann Doody, of the Ilfracombe and District Tourist Association, slammed the guide's authors as "lacking imagination", saying it would take "more than a fortnight" to experience everything the resort had to offer.
'Unimaginative view'
Scarborough, meanwhile, is said to be full of "seaside kitsch".
This was "a very unimaginative view", a spokeswoman for Scarborough Borough Council said, adding that the town was the oldest seaside resort in the country and had "plenty to offer". "I would question if they've actually been here," she added.
Lincolnshire resort Skegness, says the guide, features "thousands of pasty optimists doing brave impressions of sunbathing regardless of the weather".
A Lincolnshire Tourism spokesman defended Skegness, pointing to its "award-winning" beaches, "ideal for sea swimming".
TOWNS
Towns faring well in the guide include Windsor, whose castle is described as "a stunning display of royal wealth and power that dates back nearly 1,000 years".
And drinkers are tipped off that Perth is "bustling with some cracking pubs".
But the guide's authors are far less complimentary about many more towns. A number are berated for their non-progressive nature including Harrogate, described as not having changed much "since Agatha Christie fled there in 1926".
Harrogate 'not changed much since Agatha Christie fled there in 1926'
Borough council leader Mike Gardner hit back by saying that, while townsfolk were proud of their Victorian heritage, Harrogate's third position in the national league of conference towns in the country proved it to be a "vibrant cosmopolitan".
Arts festival
Pitlochry in Scotland is described in the guide as "teeming with visitors" and "rapidly losing the Highland charm it once possessed".
Visit Scotland Perthshire area director Vicky Miller said tourists of all nationalities who visited and enjoyed "lively" Pitlochry would disagree about such a loss in charm. Ipswich is said by Lonely Planet to now "barely register on the list of England's most important towns".
Ipswich, not an important town according to Lonely Planet.
A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council pointed to the annual Ipswich Arts Festival (Ip-art) as just one reason for the town's "irresistibility".
He added: "If Tracey Emin's coming to Ip-art this summer, why can't Lonely Planet?">
Another Katrina Event Behind Us...NBA Returns Full-Time To New Orleans 2007/2008
One thing at a time occurs with this recovery...now the NBA will return fulltime to New Orleans and they will be bringing gifts...the 2008 NBA All-Star game to New Orleans.
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/inde...570.xml&coll=1
Hornets clear final hurdle for N.O. return
Team will play 41 home games in 2006-07 season
Thursday, February 01, 2007
By John Reid
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The final step assuring the Hornets' full-time return to New Orleans next season came Wednesday when owner George Shinn declined an option to return to Oklahoma City for a third year.
Shinn had an option under the team's temporary lease agreement to notify Oklahoma City on Jan. 31 if the Hornets planned to return next fall, although Louisiana officials would have had to temporarily release Shinn from his lease obligation with the state, which does not expire until 2012.
"We had to get a little insurance policy in case who knows what's going to happen," Shinn said before Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Ford Center. "The intent was never to use it unless something catastrophic or bad happens. We didn't exercise the option because everything is fine. We have announced that we're going back, and that's the plan."
On Jan. 31, 2006, the NBA announced the Hornets would return to Oklahoma City for a second season to play 35 games at the Ford Center and six at the New Orleans Arena. With the Hornets returning to New Orleans, Oklahoma City likely will be without an NBA franchise next season.
"We're going to miss it because it really was something special for the fans here to see the Hornets and NBA basketball," said Ben Pagel of Oklahoma City. "I enjoyed it with my wife, and we may try to catch a game in New Orleans."
Tom Anderson, special project manager for Oklahoma City's manager office, said it was never their intent to steal the team from New Orleans after the Hornets were forced to relocate in the fall of 2005 after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Crescent City and the Gulf Coast.
"It was a temporary relocation, while New Orleans got into a recovery position," Anderson said. "New Orleans Arena is ready for basketball, and I think it's an exciting time for New Orleans. We've done what we've set out to do, making them ready to return, and we hope that they will succeed in New Orleans."
Shinn said the team will begin a season-tickets sales campaign in New Orleans in the middle of this month. The team is working on a housing plan with a company in the Crescent City to provide assistance, Shinn said.
"I have met with my people, and we're putting all these things together, and I'm a committed person," Shinn said. "I really believe if there's one person or one organization in this country that can make an NBA team go there, it's this organization. I've committed to my people that we're going full steam ahead, and I don't want anybody to come in and start putting negative energy, saying this thing is not going to work. We're going to bust our chops."
Superdome Commission attorney Larry Roedel said he understands the emotional twinge Shinn has experienced having to play in two markets for the past two seasons.
"Oklahoma City has been a gracious host with a very supportive fan base," Roedel said. "This allows the team a great chance to return to New Orleans on a financially healthy basis. This is not an emotional tug of war between the two cities. This is a situation where all sides worked together for the good of the team and the City of New Orleans.
"Beyond the emotions, there is a longer term commitment to New Orleans, which Mr. Shinn and the NBA have repeatedly confirmed by their words and actions. Our fan base will be emotional and supportive as well when the team tips off next season for a full schedule at the Arena."
. . . . . . .
John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3405.>
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/inde...570.xml&coll=1
Hornets clear final hurdle for N.O. return
Team will play 41 home games in 2006-07 season
Thursday, February 01, 2007
By John Reid
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The final step assuring the Hornets' full-time return to New Orleans next season came Wednesday when owner George Shinn declined an option to return to Oklahoma City for a third year.
Shinn had an option under the team's temporary lease agreement to notify Oklahoma City on Jan. 31 if the Hornets planned to return next fall, although Louisiana officials would have had to temporarily release Shinn from his lease obligation with the state, which does not expire until 2012.
"We had to get a little insurance policy in case who knows what's going to happen," Shinn said before Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Ford Center. "The intent was never to use it unless something catastrophic or bad happens. We didn't exercise the option because everything is fine. We have announced that we're going back, and that's the plan."
On Jan. 31, 2006, the NBA announced the Hornets would return to Oklahoma City for a second season to play 35 games at the Ford Center and six at the New Orleans Arena. With the Hornets returning to New Orleans, Oklahoma City likely will be without an NBA franchise next season.
"We're going to miss it because it really was something special for the fans here to see the Hornets and NBA basketball," said Ben Pagel of Oklahoma City. "I enjoyed it with my wife, and we may try to catch a game in New Orleans."
Tom Anderson, special project manager for Oklahoma City's manager office, said it was never their intent to steal the team from New Orleans after the Hornets were forced to relocate in the fall of 2005 after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Crescent City and the Gulf Coast.
"It was a temporary relocation, while New Orleans got into a recovery position," Anderson said. "New Orleans Arena is ready for basketball, and I think it's an exciting time for New Orleans. We've done what we've set out to do, making them ready to return, and we hope that they will succeed in New Orleans."
Shinn said the team will begin a season-tickets sales campaign in New Orleans in the middle of this month. The team is working on a housing plan with a company in the Crescent City to provide assistance, Shinn said.
"I have met with my people, and we're putting all these things together, and I'm a committed person," Shinn said. "I really believe if there's one person or one organization in this country that can make an NBA team go there, it's this organization. I've committed to my people that we're going full steam ahead, and I don't want anybody to come in and start putting negative energy, saying this thing is not going to work. We're going to bust our chops."
Superdome Commission attorney Larry Roedel said he understands the emotional twinge Shinn has experienced having to play in two markets for the past two seasons.
"Oklahoma City has been a gracious host with a very supportive fan base," Roedel said. "This allows the team a great chance to return to New Orleans on a financially healthy basis. This is not an emotional tug of war between the two cities. This is a situation where all sides worked together for the good of the team and the City of New Orleans.
"Beyond the emotions, there is a longer term commitment to New Orleans, which Mr. Shinn and the NBA have repeatedly confirmed by their words and actions. Our fan base will be emotional and supportive as well when the team tips off next season for a full schedule at the Arena."
. . . . . . .
John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3405.>
Deep Snow Complicates Life for Alaska's Urban Moose
Deep snow complicates life for Alaska's urban moose
30 January 2007
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Deep mountain snow usually drives moose to seek lower ground in Anchorage, but the snow piling up in town this winter is a bit much even for the stilt-legged animals.
So they're going where they'd rather not, choosing major roads, plowed sidewalks and groomed trails to sidestep the vast cushion of snow in neighborhoods and greenbelts left during a remarkably temperamental month in Alaska's largest city. The half-ton ungulates are even showing up downtown, placidly gnawing on bare trees at busy intersections.
"They don't want to walk through deep snow either," said state wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott. "Most moose don't really want to interact with people and cars and dogs."
Snow removal crews are overwhelmed with the aftermath of storms that dumped almost 76 inches (193 centimeters) of snow midway through a season that normally totals 68 inches (173 centimeters). It'll be weeks before they get a handle on the massive chokehold, but if the weather pattern continues the city's moose could suffer -- and so could people, said Don Spalinger, an ecologist at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
"The problem is the moose are sticking to the trails. They're out on the roads. We could see a lot more of them hit by cars," he said, not to mention more dangerous encounters between moose and people.
In a normal winter 130 moose can die from car collisions within the city limits. Statistics have not been compiled yet for the latest moose casualties, but they could be two, even three times the average by winter's end, said Gary Olson of the Alaska Moose Federation, a nonprofit moose advocacy group.
"We could be heading into a killer snow year, with the snowiest months ahead," he said.
Without or without the big snow, food will become increasingly scarce over the next few months. But experts say more storms in this heavy snow season could keep moose reaching all available food -- it takes more energy to trudge through deep snow -- at a time when there are more of the animals in the city.
In summer, only a few hundred moose roam Anchorage. But the urban population can swell as high as 1,000 in winter. That's when many of the animals leave the harsh conditions in the nearby Chugach Mountains, traveling up to 20 miles (32 kilometers).
In Anchorage, they forage on twigs and bark until spring brings back the plentiful greens and flowers. Moose eat up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of wood a day, enough to fill two large garbage cans, Sinnott said. But as the accessible food diminishes, adult moose are losing a pound (a half-kilo) a day.
A few hundred moose end up dying in town each year, including those hit by cars, according to Sinnott. Sometimes they starve to death or succumb to diseases in their weakened states, frequently in people's yards. Sometimes the carcasses are not discovered until the snow melts.>
30 January 2007
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Deep mountain snow usually drives moose to seek lower ground in Anchorage, but the snow piling up in town this winter is a bit much even for the stilt-legged animals.
So they're going where they'd rather not, choosing major roads, plowed sidewalks and groomed trails to sidestep the vast cushion of snow in neighborhoods and greenbelts left during a remarkably temperamental month in Alaska's largest city. The half-ton ungulates are even showing up downtown, placidly gnawing on bare trees at busy intersections.
"They don't want to walk through deep snow either," said state wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott. "Most moose don't really want to interact with people and cars and dogs."
Snow removal crews are overwhelmed with the aftermath of storms that dumped almost 76 inches (193 centimeters) of snow midway through a season that normally totals 68 inches (173 centimeters). It'll be weeks before they get a handle on the massive chokehold, but if the weather pattern continues the city's moose could suffer -- and so could people, said Don Spalinger, an ecologist at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
"The problem is the moose are sticking to the trails. They're out on the roads. We could see a lot more of them hit by cars," he said, not to mention more dangerous encounters between moose and people.
In a normal winter 130 moose can die from car collisions within the city limits. Statistics have not been compiled yet for the latest moose casualties, but they could be two, even three times the average by winter's end, said Gary Olson of the Alaska Moose Federation, a nonprofit moose advocacy group.
"We could be heading into a killer snow year, with the snowiest months ahead," he said.
Without or without the big snow, food will become increasingly scarce over the next few months. But experts say more storms in this heavy snow season could keep moose reaching all available food -- it takes more energy to trudge through deep snow -- at a time when there are more of the animals in the city.
In summer, only a few hundred moose roam Anchorage. But the urban population can swell as high as 1,000 in winter. That's when many of the animals leave the harsh conditions in the nearby Chugach Mountains, traveling up to 20 miles (32 kilometers).
In Anchorage, they forage on twigs and bark until spring brings back the plentiful greens and flowers. Moose eat up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of wood a day, enough to fill two large garbage cans, Sinnott said. But as the accessible food diminishes, adult moose are losing a pound (a half-kilo) a day.
A few hundred moose end up dying in town each year, including those hit by cars, according to Sinnott. Sometimes they starve to death or succumb to diseases in their weakened states, frequently in people's yards. Sometimes the carcasses are not discovered until the snow melts.>
Lonely Planet Praises North of Britain
Why it's no longer 'grim up north'
Lonely Planet guide to Britain lavishes praise on buzzing and exciting cities and says urban regeneration has ironed out old divide
Polly Curtis
Tuesday May 24, 2005
The Guardian
Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle are as "unmissable" as Rome, Venice or Florence, according to the authors of a new guide to Britain.
The Lonely Planet guide to Britain declares that urban regeneration projects have ironed out the north-south divide and it is no longer "grim up north".
Manchester is "one of Britain's most exciting and interesting cities", Newcastle upon Tyne has displayed "miraculous powers of urban regeneration", and Leeds is the "Knightsbridge of the north", the guide says.
Elsewhere, Bristol is "buzzing", Glasgow has a "contagious energy" and Birmingham is "new and improved".
London, meanwhile, is an "essential" part of a trip to Britain despite being "dirty, polluted and overcrowded".
"It might not swagger with the technicoloured exuberance of the 'swinging 60s', but it has long since got its mojo back," the book says.
But some of the capital's biggest attractions do not weather so well. The waxworks museum Madame Tussauds is "toweringly tedious", Buckingham Palace "distinctly underwhelming" and Leicester Square "heaving with tourists".
David Else, the book's coordinating author, said: "When it comes to great destinations, the north-south divide is a myth. Great Britain is now comparable to fine countries such as Italy, which boasts an array of unmissable cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, Turin and Milan."
"British cities are cleaner and tidier, with new buildings, and increasingly there are more outdoor spaces. You're far more likely to sit outside in Britain and eat a meal than ever before, weather permitting."
He added: "You can still find the traditional British ideas attributes, such as candyfloss by the sea and tea and frilly tablecloths in the Yorkshire Dales. But the dirty great concrete cities are long gone."
Leeds has been hailed as the shopping capital of the north and "Britain's Barcelona" ever since Harvey Nichols opened there. The store celebrates its 10th anniversary in Yorkshire next year. The book says: "From cutting edge couture to contemporary cuisine, Leeds will hand it to you in a stylishly designed bag or serve it on a fancy plate."
The book also lavishes praise on the Midlands. "Birmingham isn't what it once was," it concludes, praising the quality of the city centre, the architecture, and the urban renewal projects that have replaced the "dismal industrial parts of the town".
Swansea, meanwhile, is praised for its sea views and nightlife. "Dylan Thomas grew up here and called it an 'ugly lovely town'. With some post-war architectural exceptions, those days are largely history. Swansea is energetic, and has a wide choice of international restaurants and a pulsing weekend bar scene," the guide says.
Ian McMillan, Barnsley football club's poet-in-residence, welcomed the guide's verdict, but said it was a bit behind the times: "It's a cliche that it's grim up north. It's not been grim up north since they did away with industry in 1984.
"Leeds is full of footballers shopping in Harvey Nichols, Sheffield is full of men in hard hats building things and Barnsley is the new Tuscany."
Don Stewart, executive director of Yorkshire Forward, the economic development agency for the region, said: "If you surveyed Londoners about Leeds there's a good chance you'd get flat caps, doilies and Michael Parkinson. But the economy here has changed. It's loft apartments and people with big disposable incomes. It takes time to change that perception."
Not to be missed
Newcastle
The Geordies themselves are the real draw: proud, positive, and blessed (or cursed) with an ability to party unmatched anywhere else in Europe.
Glasgow
Few cities in Britain have the contagious energy that you'll find bubbling away on its streets and in its justifiably famous pubs and bars.
Leeds
Almost perfect reflection of British zeitgeist.
Birmingham
New and improved: a visit is mandatory for anyone clinging to the outdated impression.
Bristol
An artistic incubator and aeronautical hub, combining hip street culture with cutting-edge technology to make it one of Britain's hotbeds of innovation.
Cardiff
Smaller than London or Manchester, but with modern and historic sights, international restaurants, slick bars, and a zinging music scene that make it less overwhelming, just as imaginative, and friendlier.
Swansea
Swansea is energetic, and has a wide choice of international restaurants and a pulsing weekend bar scene.>
Lonely Planet guide to Britain lavishes praise on buzzing and exciting cities and says urban regeneration has ironed out old divide
Polly Curtis
Tuesday May 24, 2005
The Guardian
Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle are as "unmissable" as Rome, Venice or Florence, according to the authors of a new guide to Britain.
The Lonely Planet guide to Britain declares that urban regeneration projects have ironed out the north-south divide and it is no longer "grim up north".
Manchester is "one of Britain's most exciting and interesting cities", Newcastle upon Tyne has displayed "miraculous powers of urban regeneration", and Leeds is the "Knightsbridge of the north", the guide says.
Elsewhere, Bristol is "buzzing", Glasgow has a "contagious energy" and Birmingham is "new and improved".
London, meanwhile, is an "essential" part of a trip to Britain despite being "dirty, polluted and overcrowded".
"It might not swagger with the technicoloured exuberance of the 'swinging 60s', but it has long since got its mojo back," the book says.
But some of the capital's biggest attractions do not weather so well. The waxworks museum Madame Tussauds is "toweringly tedious", Buckingham Palace "distinctly underwhelming" and Leicester Square "heaving with tourists".
David Else, the book's coordinating author, said: "When it comes to great destinations, the north-south divide is a myth. Great Britain is now comparable to fine countries such as Italy, which boasts an array of unmissable cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, Turin and Milan."
"British cities are cleaner and tidier, with new buildings, and increasingly there are more outdoor spaces. You're far more likely to sit outside in Britain and eat a meal than ever before, weather permitting."
He added: "You can still find the traditional British ideas attributes, such as candyfloss by the sea and tea and frilly tablecloths in the Yorkshire Dales. But the dirty great concrete cities are long gone."
Leeds has been hailed as the shopping capital of the north and "Britain's Barcelona" ever since Harvey Nichols opened there. The store celebrates its 10th anniversary in Yorkshire next year. The book says: "From cutting edge couture to contemporary cuisine, Leeds will hand it to you in a stylishly designed bag or serve it on a fancy plate."
The book also lavishes praise on the Midlands. "Birmingham isn't what it once was," it concludes, praising the quality of the city centre, the architecture, and the urban renewal projects that have replaced the "dismal industrial parts of the town".
Swansea, meanwhile, is praised for its sea views and nightlife. "Dylan Thomas grew up here and called it an 'ugly lovely town'. With some post-war architectural exceptions, those days are largely history. Swansea is energetic, and has a wide choice of international restaurants and a pulsing weekend bar scene," the guide says.
Ian McMillan, Barnsley football club's poet-in-residence, welcomed the guide's verdict, but said it was a bit behind the times: "It's a cliche that it's grim up north. It's not been grim up north since they did away with industry in 1984.
"Leeds is full of footballers shopping in Harvey Nichols, Sheffield is full of men in hard hats building things and Barnsley is the new Tuscany."
Don Stewart, executive director of Yorkshire Forward, the economic development agency for the region, said: "If you surveyed Londoners about Leeds there's a good chance you'd get flat caps, doilies and Michael Parkinson. But the economy here has changed. It's loft apartments and people with big disposable incomes. It takes time to change that perception."
Not to be missed
Newcastle
The Geordies themselves are the real draw: proud, positive, and blessed (or cursed) with an ability to party unmatched anywhere else in Europe.
Glasgow
Few cities in Britain have the contagious energy that you'll find bubbling away on its streets and in its justifiably famous pubs and bars.
Leeds
Almost perfect reflection of British zeitgeist.
Birmingham
New and improved: a visit is mandatory for anyone clinging to the outdated impression.
Bristol
An artistic incubator and aeronautical hub, combining hip street culture with cutting-edge technology to make it one of Britain's hotbeds of innovation.
Cardiff
Smaller than London or Manchester, but with modern and historic sights, international restaurants, slick bars, and a zinging music scene that make it less overwhelming, just as imaginative, and friendlier.
Swansea
Swansea is energetic, and has a wide choice of international restaurants and a pulsing weekend bar scene.>
"Only in my city"
Is there anyting which can be found only in your city? Really only in your city!
Can you make such a statement?
For my city I can show this:
Istanbul
>
Can you make such a statement?
For my city I can show this:
Istanbul
>
Best European non-EU cities?
What are your favourite non-EU european cities?
it is a multiple choice>
it is a multiple choice>
Your City's Fairmont/Pan Pacific/Hilton Hotels
Post Your city's Pan Pacific/Hilton/Fairmont hotels here.
Pan Pacific Vancouver
Burnaby (Vancouver suburb) Hilton
Vancouver Fairmont Waterfront
Vancouver Fairmont
Vancouver International Airport Fairmont
Fairmont Whislter
Pan Pacific Whistler
>
Pan Pacific Vancouver
Burnaby (Vancouver suburb) Hilton
Vancouver Fairmont Waterfront
Vancouver Fairmont
Vancouver International Airport Fairmont
Fairmont Whislter
Pan Pacific Whistler
>
Blackpool images?
I have been trying to find pictures of the "brittish las vegas" Blackpool, but haven´t find any. Could someone post pics if they have any? >
>
High altitude cities
Anyone live in a city at a high altitude whether it may be Denver or Mexico City? What are the advantages and disadvantages in living in one.>
UK Government Denies London Eye Under Threat Over Rent Dispute
British government denies London Eye under threat over rent dispute
By MICHAEL McDONOUGH
25 May 2005
LONDON (AP) - The British government on Wednesday denied reports that the London Eye, the giant sightseeing wheel beside the River Thames, risks being removed because of a rent dispute.
The South Bank Centre, a government body that owns the site, is in rent talks with proprietors of the hugely successful tourist attraction, which is jointly owned by British Airways, the Tussauds Group entertainment company and the wheel's architects, Marks Barfield.
Both sides have refused to comment in detail on the talks, but media reports claim the South Bank Centre is seeking a massive rent increase -- from the current 55,000 pounds (US$100,000; euro80,000) a year to 2.5 million pounds (US$4.6 million; euro3.6 million) -- and threatening eviction by July 1.
British lawmakers have expressed concern about the reports, but a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said there was "absolutely no risk of the wheel being removed" as a result of discussions for a 25-year lease.
"Both sides agree it would be unthinkable for the Eye to either close or have to move," the spokesman added.
The South Bank Centre issued a statement earlier this week saying there is "no likelihood" of the London Eye facing eviction on July 1 and that it has "never claimed rent of 2.5 million pounds for itself at any point in these negotiations." Victoria Bailey, a spokeswoman for the SBC, refused to say how much rent was being sought.
The Evening Standard daily on Tuesday published what it claimed was a facsimile of a letter from the SBC's lawyers to the owners of the London Eye asking that they "remove the Wheel and all other items from the premises by July 1, 2005, at the latest."
Responding to the report, a spokeswoman for the SBC said: "The position we set out in the statement is the correct position as it stands. We are negotiating with the Eye company and we very much hope to reach an agreement soon."
In a discussion in the House of Lords about the London Eye, lawmakers on Tuesday expressed concern that losing the wheel would harm the capital's chances of securing the 2012 Olympic Games.
"It is very important that we retain the London Eye, particularly as it is an essential part of our Olympic bid for 2012," said Baroness Gardner of Parkes. "The public, I think, are not just concerned but outraged by the thought that the Eye might be threatened."
The enclosed pods attached to the rim of the London Eye reach a height of 450 feet (135 meters) at the top of the wheel's cycle, offering a sweeping view of central London. It attracted some 3.5 million visitors in 2000, the year it opened, and remains hugely popular.
Operators of the London Eye insist it is not a Ferris wheel because the pods are enclosed, they are positioned on the outside of the wheel and the structure is supported by an A-frame on only one side.>
By MICHAEL McDONOUGH
25 May 2005
LONDON (AP) - The British government on Wednesday denied reports that the London Eye, the giant sightseeing wheel beside the River Thames, risks being removed because of a rent dispute.
The South Bank Centre, a government body that owns the site, is in rent talks with proprietors of the hugely successful tourist attraction, which is jointly owned by British Airways, the Tussauds Group entertainment company and the wheel's architects, Marks Barfield.
Both sides have refused to comment in detail on the talks, but media reports claim the South Bank Centre is seeking a massive rent increase -- from the current 55,000 pounds (US$100,000; euro80,000) a year to 2.5 million pounds (US$4.6 million; euro3.6 million) -- and threatening eviction by July 1.
British lawmakers have expressed concern about the reports, but a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said there was "absolutely no risk of the wheel being removed" as a result of discussions for a 25-year lease.
"Both sides agree it would be unthinkable for the Eye to either close or have to move," the spokesman added.
The South Bank Centre issued a statement earlier this week saying there is "no likelihood" of the London Eye facing eviction on July 1 and that it has "never claimed rent of 2.5 million pounds for itself at any point in these negotiations." Victoria Bailey, a spokeswoman for the SBC, refused to say how much rent was being sought.
The Evening Standard daily on Tuesday published what it claimed was a facsimile of a letter from the SBC's lawyers to the owners of the London Eye asking that they "remove the Wheel and all other items from the premises by July 1, 2005, at the latest."
Responding to the report, a spokeswoman for the SBC said: "The position we set out in the statement is the correct position as it stands. We are negotiating with the Eye company and we very much hope to reach an agreement soon."
In a discussion in the House of Lords about the London Eye, lawmakers on Tuesday expressed concern that losing the wheel would harm the capital's chances of securing the 2012 Olympic Games.
"It is very important that we retain the London Eye, particularly as it is an essential part of our Olympic bid for 2012," said Baroness Gardner of Parkes. "The public, I think, are not just concerned but outraged by the thought that the Eye might be threatened."
The enclosed pods attached to the rim of the London Eye reach a height of 450 feet (135 meters) at the top of the wheel's cycle, offering a sweeping view of central London. It attracted some 3.5 million visitors in 2000, the year it opened, and remains hugely popular.
Operators of the London Eye insist it is not a Ferris wheel because the pods are enclosed, they are positioned on the outside of the wheel and the structure is supported by an A-frame on only one side.>
NYC cost of living
I don't really know a lot about NYC, all I see are apartments everywhere in the metro area, but what are the surrounding areas like? Does the high-cost of living only apply to the metro area?>
Groundscrapers in your city
I personally think London must be the "groundscraper capital of the world". We have absolutely massive amounts of floorspace -
and over 300,000 people in the finance sector - but the vast majority of buildings are only 10-15 storeys tall. They all seem to have
big floorplates but very little height. There are only 2 proper skyscrapers in the City - Tower 42 and SwissRe.
Of course, there are several new skyscrapers planned. But at the same time, an increasing number of groundscrapers, which threaten
to drown the taller buildings and reduce their "soar factor". A number of church spires and other historic low-rise buildings are
also being overwhelmed. I'm getting really tired of this!
Canary Wharf doesn't have quite the same problem as the City, but it does have groundscrapers, and a lot of the architecture is bland.
Anyway - I'd be interested to hear about other cities and their groundscrapers, and whether there are similar problems to London.
>
and over 300,000 people in the finance sector - but the vast majority of buildings are only 10-15 storeys tall. They all seem to have
big floorplates but very little height. There are only 2 proper skyscrapers in the City - Tower 42 and SwissRe.
Of course, there are several new skyscrapers planned. But at the same time, an increasing number of groundscrapers, which threaten
to drown the taller buildings and reduce their "soar factor". A number of church spires and other historic low-rise buildings are
also being overwhelmed. I'm getting really tired of this!
Canary Wharf doesn't have quite the same problem as the City, but it does have groundscrapers, and a lot of the architecture is bland.
Anyway - I'd be interested to hear about other cities and their groundscrapers, and whether there are similar problems to London.
>
Almere - the Dutch Way of Urban Planning
Booming polder town Almere: the Dutch way of urban planning
ALMERE, The Netherlands, Jan 1, 2007 (AFP) - They say that God created the Earth but the Dutch created the Netherlands; and Almere is one of the most striking examples of the Dutch determination to reclaim land from the sea.
Less than 50 years ago the land Almere was built on was still open water. Now the town that was built from scratch is the most rapidly growing town in the Netherlands and the fastest growing "new town" or planned city in Europe.
"This is a city straight from the drawing board. Nothing here developed organically, everything is mapped out," Almere mayor Annemarie Jorritsma said.
Almere celebrated last November the 30th anniversary of the date the first inhabitants received the keys to their homes. The town, a 30-minute drive from Amsterdam, went from zero to 180,000 inhabitants in 30 years with predictions of 250,000 in 2015.
The town is popular with architecture enthusiasts and social scientists because of its pioneering role.
"Almere embodies this idea that government policies can effect social change and shape society. This experiment of how a city works and can be built is interesting on a social level and on the level of urban development," Jaapjan Berg, a former curator of the Dutch Architecture Institute NAI who is writing a book about Almere, told AFP.
Almere is also quintessentially Dutch as it showcases the artificial environmental and urban planning that permeates the Netherlands, one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with 16 million inhabitants living on 41,528 square kilometres.
"The Netherlands cannot afford to do it any other way than strictly organized because of the population density. Also it's just not in our nature," Berg said.
Now, with its expansion endorsed by the government that designated Almere a growth location, the town has to make a quantum leap in size.
To help make it a real city with its own identity the Almere municipality has commissioned the development of a new ambitious city centre and shopping area.
Dutch modernist architect Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitain Architecture studio designed the masterplan for the new centre. Koolhaas is known for his love for complicated and large scale buildings. He is the designer behind the Prada stores in Los Angeles and New York.
Although only one building in the complex, the movie theatre, is designed by Koolhaas's studio he did come up with the most eye-catching feature: an artificial incline rising to 6.5 meters above ground level to bring some relief from the flat polder landscape that dominates Almere.
By creating a small hill Koolhas was also able to create two levels in the shopping area making space for roads, public transport and 2,400 parking spaces in the lower level while the upper level is a pedestrian zone with shops.
At the city centre's highest point stands the Citadel building by Parisian architect Christian de Portzamparc. On the lower level is a large shopping mall but the top of the building is a big roof garden with 52 terraced houses creating a green oasis in the middle of a busy shopping centre.
Mayor Jorrtisma hopes that the new city centre will help boost Almere's image. It has been long seen as a dormitory suburb of Amsterdam where everything was dominated by similar housing estates.
"People have the idea that Almere has no identity of its own," she said.
"It is artificial and it is planned but it is also a city ... a city that is still not finished".>
ALMERE, The Netherlands, Jan 1, 2007 (AFP) - They say that God created the Earth but the Dutch created the Netherlands; and Almere is one of the most striking examples of the Dutch determination to reclaim land from the sea.
Less than 50 years ago the land Almere was built on was still open water. Now the town that was built from scratch is the most rapidly growing town in the Netherlands and the fastest growing "new town" or planned city in Europe.
"This is a city straight from the drawing board. Nothing here developed organically, everything is mapped out," Almere mayor Annemarie Jorritsma said.
Almere celebrated last November the 30th anniversary of the date the first inhabitants received the keys to their homes. The town, a 30-minute drive from Amsterdam, went from zero to 180,000 inhabitants in 30 years with predictions of 250,000 in 2015.
The town is popular with architecture enthusiasts and social scientists because of its pioneering role.
"Almere embodies this idea that government policies can effect social change and shape society. This experiment of how a city works and can be built is interesting on a social level and on the level of urban development," Jaapjan Berg, a former curator of the Dutch Architecture Institute NAI who is writing a book about Almere, told AFP.
Almere is also quintessentially Dutch as it showcases the artificial environmental and urban planning that permeates the Netherlands, one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with 16 million inhabitants living on 41,528 square kilometres.
"The Netherlands cannot afford to do it any other way than strictly organized because of the population density. Also it's just not in our nature," Berg said.
Now, with its expansion endorsed by the government that designated Almere a growth location, the town has to make a quantum leap in size.
To help make it a real city with its own identity the Almere municipality has commissioned the development of a new ambitious city centre and shopping area.
Dutch modernist architect Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitain Architecture studio designed the masterplan for the new centre. Koolhaas is known for his love for complicated and large scale buildings. He is the designer behind the Prada stores in Los Angeles and New York.
Although only one building in the complex, the movie theatre, is designed by Koolhaas's studio he did come up with the most eye-catching feature: an artificial incline rising to 6.5 meters above ground level to bring some relief from the flat polder landscape that dominates Almere.
By creating a small hill Koolhas was also able to create two levels in the shopping area making space for roads, public transport and 2,400 parking spaces in the lower level while the upper level is a pedestrian zone with shops.
At the city centre's highest point stands the Citadel building by Parisian architect Christian de Portzamparc. On the lower level is a large shopping mall but the top of the building is a big roof garden with 52 terraced houses creating a green oasis in the middle of a busy shopping centre.
Mayor Jorrtisma hopes that the new city centre will help boost Almere's image. It has been long seen as a dormitory suburb of Amsterdam where everything was dominated by similar housing estates.
"People have the idea that Almere has no identity of its own," she said.
"It is artificial and it is planned but it is also a city ... a city that is still not finished".>
First easyHotel opens in London - en-suite rooms from £10 per night!
Some of you may or may not know of the famous easy company started by equally famous Greek businessman Stelios.
He helped jump-start budget companies in the UK including easyJet, easyCruise, easy Internetcafe and even easyCinema with where visiting the cinema could cost as low as twenty pence!!!
(Stelios is also famous for his obsession with his corporate company, orange.)
He is now just about to open his first easyHotel in London. Rooms can be booked online for as low as £10 per night, but there are catches.
The smallest rooms are just 6 - 7 square metre in size and don't have a window. Although a LCD TV is provided,access to the remote and ten channels costs £5 for 24 hours. Meanwhile even room service costs extra.
easyHotel website
I wonder if your still recieve a copy of the Bible donated by the Gideons?!>
He helped jump-start budget companies in the UK including easyJet, easyCruise, easy Internetcafe and even easyCinema with where visiting the cinema could cost as low as twenty pence!!!
(Stelios is also famous for his obsession with his corporate company, orange.)
He is now just about to open his first easyHotel in London. Rooms can be booked online for as low as £10 per night, but there are catches.
The smallest rooms are just 6 - 7 square metre in size and don't have a window. Although a LCD TV is provided,access to the remote and ten channels costs £5 for 24 hours. Meanwhile even room service costs extra.
easyHotel website
I wonder if your still recieve a copy of the Bible donated by the Gideons?!>
is it right to call cities "it"?
when im going to talk about a city i never can decide if use "it" or something like "he" or "she".
personally, i think cities are pretty much like people, they have nice sides, bad sides, character, and i even think some of them are more masculines than others. do you agree?>
personally, i think cities are pretty much like people, they have nice sides, bad sides, character, and i even think some of them are more masculines than others. do you agree?>
World's biggest Gay Pride Parade in São Paulo!!!
With 2.5 million people on Avenida Paulista!!!
It has already become one of the most important gay events in the world. Participants from New York City:
>
It has already become one of the most important gay events in the world. Participants from New York City:
>
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