Eurovision Champion

Russia nailed its first Eurovision win this year with a song by Dima Bilan. The song is called “Believe,” and was produced by the American artist Timbaland. 

For those of you not familiar with Eurovision, think of it as Europe’s version of American Idol (except that it has been around since 1956). Each country submits one artist, and the other countries vote on their favorites. Countries are not allowed to vote on their own artists, and the votes are generally done via phoned-in text messages.

I saw my first Eurovision in Norway, and it’s, uh, entertaining to be sure. You can check out the Russian’s winning performance and decide for yourself.

Published in: on May 25, 2008 at 6:15 pm Comments (5)
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Gas money, Where art thou?

For the first time in my life, I paid over $50 to fill my car. I realize this may be substantially less than you pay to fill yours, but it got me thinking.

Where is all this money going?

 

Burj Dubai Mega Skyscraper

 

This is the mighty Burj Dubai, dubbed as the world’s tallest mega skyscraper, it is soon-to-be home of the rich and privileged. 

The official Burj Dubai website says, 

“Burj Dubai will be known by many names.

But only a privileged group will call it home.” 

http://www.burjdubai.com/

 

Burj Dubai Hotel

 

This is the gorgeous Burj Dubai hotel, dubbed as the best hotel in the world, it is the exclusive guest resort of the rich and privileged.

The official Burj Dubai hotel website says,

With your chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, discreet in-suite check in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers who provide around-the-clock attention, you can be assured of a highly personalised service throughout your stay.”

http://www.burj-al-arab.com/ 

 

Palm Jumeirah

 

This is the exotic Palm Jumeirah, dubbed as the eighth wonder of the world, it is the exclusive vacation destination of the rich and privileged. 

The official Palm Jumeirah website says,

“Three times the innovation. Three times the ingenuity. Three times the ambition.”  

(three times the price?)

http://www.thepalm.ae/

 

What if you are interested, like me, in visiting or owning a spot in one of these beautiful locales?

Burj Dubai Mega Skyscraper - Apartments available for $555…per square foot

Burj Dubai Hotel - Average price for 2 adults is $2,349…per night

Palm Jumeirah - Condos available for $500,000…per one-bedroom (I realize I can’t use per here, but I didn’t want to breakup the flow). And don’t forget air conditioning, which is not included in the price of these desert condos, and can run you up to $1,586…per month

It’s nice to know that with oil prices skyrocketing at $119 per barrel my hard earned cash is benefiting…the rich and privileged. 

If you need further fuel for outrage, check out this article in the Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/apr/26/travelnews

 

 

 

 

 

death by blogging

Far Side Comic

-Far Side Comic

Read an interesting article in the NY Times today.

Excerpt..

They work long hours, often to exhaustion. Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts. This is the digital-era sweatshop. You may know it by a different name: home”

A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment”

Click here to read the rest of the article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/technology/06sweat.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

What do you think? Are we too plugged in? Too connected? Has our home desktop become the new sweatshop?

 

Published in: on April 15, 2008 at 10:35 pm Comments (2)
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Trapped in an Elevator

Wow.. This video creeps me out.

It’s about a guy named Nicholas White who was trapped in an elevator in New York for 41 hours.

The New Yorker published Nicholas’ story in a spread called “Up and Then Down,” with this condensed video -taken by security cameras - being the highlight.

When I was growing up, I had a paranoic fear of closed spaces.

I wanted so badly to end my fear, I forced myself to sleep inside a sealed sleeping bag during summer camping trips. I would zip it all the way shut, and then I would cuddle up into a ball near the bottom.

I hated it. But it worked. After a few summers, I wasn’t afraid of dark, small spaces.

But I still wouldn’t want to be in a damned elevator for 41 hours!

(this video -and the memories it stirs up- is filled with material for The Horror Experiment!)

If you want to know more about how this experience affected Nicholas, check out this article on gawker.com,

http://gawker.com/379384/trapped-in-an-elevator-for-two-days-the-video