Small wonder...
Typically, using our media in bent ways to meet twisted ends, we've convinced ourselves we have seven new Wonders of the World. Seven of twenty-one finalists fought, by means fair and foul, their way to the top of around 100 million votes.
"India’s Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, Jordan’s Petra, Brazil’s statue of Christ Redeemer, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid and the Colosseum in Rome have now replaced the original wonders..." reports The Times.
It goes on to tell us, "Among the sites which missed out were Stonehenge, the Acropolis, the Eiffel Tower, Easter Island, the Statue of Liberty and Sydney's Opera House."
Had the above six been accorded the dubious honour bestowed on the final seven, I reckon the contest's credibility would have sunk beneath its present authority rating of zero.
"The original seven wonders of the ancient world were concentrated in the Mediterranean and Middle East, but most have since ceased to exist. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos lighthouse off Alexandria have all vanished. Only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains and will retain its status as a world wonder."
Unless you want to take a gander at the marvels of choice, let's leave it at that. Everything else is marketing. For what it's worth, and on considering the question of modern wonders, my ad hoc seven would be:
• Spring
• Footprints on the moon
• The motion of the sea
• Human nature
• Global warming
• Entropy
• Quantum mechanics
These things, signifiers all, encompass much and never cease to amaze me. I know nothing of quantum mechanics, but the idea that everything can be reduced to energy operating in fields has always fascinated me.
And those footprints on the moon will be there long after the Great Pyramid at Giza and its new companions have turned to a dust in which all that will evident will be the footprint of our collective passing.
Alternatively, I'd opt for this response to The Times article.
I know two wonders of the world.
1. is the wonder bra.
2. is wonder woman.
those are not wonders, but mere tourist spots.
Jorge
I think Jorge needs help with his grammar. Then again, maybe he doesn't. Either way, he has a greater appreciation of wonder and makes for a more discerning tourist than the 100 million that enhanced the revenue potential of several travel destinations. He's on the right track.
As was Shah Jahan.
Grabouw Cell Deaths Update
Each day, I listen more attentively to 567 Cape Talk on the way to and from work. John Maytham's locum, Mike Wills, today gave further news on the death in police custody of 55-year old builder Peter Wheeler. The station sent reporter Warda Meyer into the field and she followed the story to source. It's good stuff, albeit a bit watered down. Warda told us of the friendly, cooperative police working in the charge office, separated from the depressing, mould-infested cell block some ten meters away.
Apparently the wind howling between the buildings makes it impossible for anybody in the charge office to hear what's going on in the cells.
My natural skepticism and experience of the police is that they have their PR down pat. Their front-of-office facade is obliging and helpful (especially when the night's intake have headed off to court) but, as soon as you leave, your docket heads for File 13. At night, put a few prisoners and bored cops together, throw a bit of alcohol into the mix, and the change in their demeanor borders on the psychotic.
On several occasions, Wills alluded to a 'cover up' and I reckon he has it right. And, bear in mind, this shit goes down at virtually every police station in South Africa.
"Warda (Meyer) has just returned from Grabouw where she spent some time speaking to police officers and members of the community. This follows the murder of Pretoria building contractor Peter Wheeler earlier this week; the death of a farm worker, who sustained injuries while in one of the cells three weeks ago and the death of a man in the same cells in 2005. Warda says it’s a very large police station, situated rather centrally in the town of Grabouw. It is however overcrowded and the structural design and lay-out is in a word, 'strange'. The holding cells are situated completely separately from the police station offices. There doesn’t seem to be space for guards to keep an eye on the cells. Warda believes it would also be rather difficult to hear if anybody was, for example, calling for help from one of the cells on the far side of the premises. The ICD is going to recommend a logistical way to improve the structural design of this police station and others designed in the same way."From one death to two in three weeks to three deaths in two years. Perhaps more. Referring to Wheeler's death, Independent Online reports "(ICD national spokesperson Dikeledi Phiri) was unable to confirm media reports that three other prisoners had died in the Grabouw police station cells in the past year." Keep digging.
