Shuan White at the Olympics
It’s not very often these days that someone ups the ante in skateboarding or snowboarding with regards to how many revolutions they can perform in an air trick. I can barely even comprehend the figure 1260 so the fact that Shaun White did a double McTwist, yes that’s 1260 degrees of revolution, in the final of the Olympic Half Pipe contest in Vancouver seems pretty extraordinary.
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Burj Khalifa Tower
World’s tallest building opens in Dubai
The world’s tallest building has been opened with a dramatic fireworks ceremony in the Gulf emirate of Dubai.
The Burj Khalifa was revealed to be 828m (2,716ft) high, far taller than the previous record holder, Taipei 101.
Known as the Burj Dubai during construction, the tower has been renamed after the leader of Dubai’s oil-rich neighbour, Abu Dhabi.
Last month, Abu Dhabi gave Dubai a handout of $10bn (£6.13bn) to help it pay off its debts.
Construction of the Burj Dubai began in 2004, at the height of an economic boom.
Clad in 28,000 glass panels, the tower has 160 floors and more than 500,000 sq m of space for offices and flats.
Holy shit that is insane in the membrane, 828 meters! That’s over 3 times the size of Canary Wharf Tower which is the tallest building here in London.
I love a tall building, the biggest I’ve seen are the old Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) in Chicago at 442 m (1,451 ft) and the Two International Finance Centre in Hong Kong at 416 m (1,362 ft). They look pretty effin tall so this thing must look colossal.
Roman Aqueduct in Segovia
London may soon follow in the footsteps of Bundanoon, the Australian town that last week banned bottled water and set up drinking fountains for thirsty locals.
The capital’s first water stations will be set up this month in a move that could have serious repercussions for the £1.5bn-a-year bottled water industry, with companies finding it increasingly difficult to justify their carbon footprint as the quality of tap water improves.
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I was bemoaning the lack of drinking fountains yesterday and remembering an article I read about the ban on bottles water in Bundanoon and then saw this article on the very subject in the Observer a few hours later.
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It’s been just over a year since I started this blog, was away in Ancona without net access to write this sooner, enjoying the last bit of summer sun. Happy first birthday to me.
The Anzac Bridge During the recent dust storm in Sydey
I wonder how many photos were taken in Australia last week? Definitely a lot, that dust storm was some crazy weather.
The worst dust storm in decades hit Australia on Wednesday, blanketing Sydney in red dust, and snarling up the transport system as earthquakes, giant hailstones and even a tornado swept the east of the country.
Gale-force winds dumped thousands of tonnes of red desert dust on Australia’s biggest city, shrouding it in an eerie orange haze and coating the iconic Sydney Opera House in a fine layer of powder.
Kieth Floyd Filming
Keith Floyd, television’s original celebrity chef, has died aged 65 after having a heart attack last night.
Floyd, best known for his enthusiastic presenting style, dress sense and ever-present glass of red wine, revealed earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with bowel cancer.
So sad to hear this, coincidentally there was a documentary on Channel 4 last night, Keith meets Keith which was really interesting, you can watch it for another month or so.
Lloyd's of london
Architect Rogers angry at Prince
BBC: Tuesday, 16 June 2009
The architect Lord Rogers has said he believes Prince Charles has broken the “constitutional understanding” governing the role of the monarchy.
Last week, Lord Rogers’ plan to transform Chelsea Barracks in west London was dropped after the prince told developers it was “unsympathetic”.
The architect told the BBC there could be “a dangerous political clash” unless the power of the royals is re-examined.
Clarence House declined to comment on Lord Rogers’ remarks.
I’ve been following this story over the past week with great interest and the behaviour of Prince Charles makes me extremely angry. (more…)
Welcome to the weblog for Joe Pike.