The New 7 Wonders Of The World !

[Kerryd]

There is a major conference going on now in Lisbon to decide what the new 7 Wonders of the World should be.

As you may know, the Pyramids of Egypt were one of the original 7 Wonders of the World, and the only one of the original groups still standing.

There are 21 sites under consideration to become the new 7 Wonders. Some are very old, some fairly recent.

Supposedly, the decision will be made by based on the votes received from the internet, by phone and by mail. In other words, the people of the world that can make the effort to cast a vote, will be the ones who decide.

When is this happening ? NOW !!! The decision will be made in Lisbon on 7 July 2007 (07/07/07).

I heard about this from a related news story on a Canadian radio station (the UN had just announced the Rideau Canal as a World Heritage site). The next day I saw an article on the BBC news website. Found the site, saw the list of "candidates" and placed my votes (7 of them).

If you are interested in seeing which places are on the list of 21 possibles (and perhaps voting for your favourites), go here:

New 7 Wonders

While I don't (really) have a problem with something like the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera house being on the list, why isn't the Grand Palace in Bangkok a possible contender ?

The Statue of Liberty is there, but not the Temple of the Dawn ? What about Ayutthaya ?

Guess we'll find out a week (or so) from now who the winners are !

[chinthee]

Sorry. Thailand is just not important enough. Those of us who live here do so in a bubble of self delusion of this country's importance in the world.

I love this country, my home, but really it does not count on the world stage.

Edited June 30, 2007 by chinthee

[farang prince]

Thanks Kerry for providing the link. I registered and voted. Rather interesting mix of old and new. Hope all is going well for you in A-stan. I guess by now you have gotten used to the smell of burning rubber. Take care.

Edited June 30, 2007 by farang prince

[lannarebirth]

What? No Wrigley Field?

[farangsay]

.....

While I don't (really) have a problem with something like the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera house being on the list, why isn't the Grand Palace in Bangkok a possible contender ?

......

Concur. Firstly the Eiffel Tower is an architecturally ugly monstrosity and secondly the SOH is in a field of hundreds/thousands as far as remarkable contemporary buildings go. Whole thing seems a bit rigged to me. When were the primaries anyway ?

[farang prince]

.....

While I don't (really) have a problem with something like the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera house being on the list, why isn't the Grand Palace in Bangkok a possible contender ?

......

Concur. Firstly the Eiffel Tower is an architecturally ugly monstrosity and secondly the SOH is in a field of hundreds/thousands as far as remarkable contemporary buildings go. Whole thing seems a bit rigged to me. When were the primaries anyway ?

The committee that put forth the nominees were possibly considering the edifaces that are synonymous with a country or a culture. The Eiffel Tower can be arguably synonymous with France, although the Palace de Versailles is far more spectacular. Is there any structure in Australia more synonymous with the country than the Sydney Opera House? And the Statue of Liberty is synonymous with the USA, although Mount Rushmore is more awe-inspiring when you see it. And Lannebirth, while I have enjoyed many a game in Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium would probably qualify more as a 7th New Wonder of the World because of the rich history of that ediface. I'm sure the Texas will say Texas Stadium should also qualify since the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders graced that structure. Still with the selections narrowed to 21 choices, there were some very thought-provoking votes that had to be made.

[Jimjim]

Sorry. Thailand is just not important enough. Those of us who live here do so in a bubble of self delusion of this country's importance in the world.

I love this country, my home, but really it does not count on the world stage.

I agree that nothing in Thailand probably deserves being on the list, but your reasoning is faulty, I think.

With this list, it doesn't matter about a certain country's importance on the world stage. How about Cambodia? I'd say Thailand counts more in a business and tourism sense. Angkor Wat would be considered not because of Cambodia's importance to the world but because it could truly be considered a wonder of the world.

Edit: After looking a the list.

Easter Island? More important than Thailand to the world? No. Peru? Not really.

Anyway I'm making the point that a country's importance is not necessarily the criteria they use.

However, I feel the Statue of Liberty is a token entry because of the importance of the U.S. I don't think it deserves being on the list, but the Eiffel Tower might.

Edited June 30, 2007 by Jimjim

[Rinrada]

All down to personal choice...so wots it to be ?

Been to quite a few (hence preferences) including others not considered ..Petra (Jordan) and Stonehenge in...???,,,however for the 7 I would go for >

Acropolis

Alhambra

Angkor....absolutely Fab...

Chichen Itza

Christ Redeemer....Viva...Copacabana

Colosseum

Easter Island Statues

Eiffel Tower....oui oui ...

Great Wall.....great for a takaway...

Hagia Sophia

Kiyomizu Temple

Kremlin / St. Basil

Machu Picchu

Neuschwanstein Castle

Petra

Pyramids of Giza......dusty old place but ...impressive..

Statue of Liberty...Lady..Freedom...

Stonehenge

Sydney Opera House...Got deported from Auz once...but the House,the Bridge and Harbour.......YES

Taj Mahal

Timbuktu

[Jet Gorgon]

Ya, cool link, Ker!

I am disappointed there are no gardens, like Kew, or natural wonders, like say Victoria or Niagara falls or the Amazon and the rainforests and all they hold within. Hey, the Chinese ruined the Three Gorges, so things could happen to our other natural sites. Just my reasoning.

I voted for Angkor, Great Wall, Colosseum, Easter Island, Kiomizudera, Machu Picchu, and Stonehenge, because they make me wonder how they were made or wonder at the sheer skill, engineering and craftsmanship that went into their making. Also their use in life and beliefs. Why, why, why? I picked Kiyomizu because i have been there many times. It is magical and the greenery, water and layout instill a sense of serenity (until the busloads of Tokyo tourists invade).

I would vote for the first man-made wheel, when they find it.

[Jimjim]

The natural wonders of the world is a different list.

[LinkPopularity]

I guess this one will never win ... Neuschwanstein Castle

I voted for it ... incredible building !

The Royal palace of Thailand ... get real ! I hope you're joking !

first of all there's nothing Thai about that building, it's one of the worst examples of bad eclecticism !

The Eiffel tower is a technical wonder, it deserves to be there !

I'm just disappointed that Versailles isn't indeed there and that the Statue of liberty is ... it's also a copy from the orginal one in Paris !

[chownah]

Its nice to see a list of interesting things. Calling any seven of them THE seven wonders of the world is total bunk.

[chinthee]

Sorry. Thailand is just not important enough. Those of us who live here do so in a bubble of self delusion of this country's importance in the world.

I love this country, my home, but really it does not count on the world stage.

I agree that nothing in Thailand probably deserves being on the list, but your reasoning is faulty, I think.

With this list, it doesn't matter about a certain country's importance on the world stage. How about Cambodia? I'd say Thailand counts more in a business and tourism sense. Angkor Wat would be considered not because of Cambodia's importance to the world but because it could truly be considered a wonder of the world.

Edit: After looking a the list.

Easter Island? More important than Thailand to the world? No. Peru? Not really.

Anyway I'm making the point that a country's importance is not necessarily the criteria they use.

However, I feel the Statue of Liberty is a token entry because of the importance of the U.S. I don't think it deserves being on the list, but the Eiffel Tower might.

Yah, I stand corrected. A country's relative importance in the world is not one of the criteria. Mine was simply a rant about how much time we spend obsessing about this little country.

Edited July 1, 2007 by chinthee

[Chopper]

Ya, cool link, Ker!

I am disappointed there are no gardens, like Kew, or natural wonders, like say Victoria or Niagara falls or the Amazon and the rainforests and all they hold within. Hey, the Chinese ruined the Three Gorges, so things could happen to our other natural sites. Just my reasoning.

I voted for Angkor, Great Wall, Colosseum, Easter Island, Kiomizudera, Machu Picchu, and Stonehenge, because they make me wonder how they were made or wonder at the sheer skill, engineering and craftsmanship that went into their making. Also their use in life and beliefs. Why, why, why? I picked Kiyomizu because i have been there many times. It is magical and the greenery, water and layout instill a sense of serenity (until the busloads of Tokyo tourists invade).

I would vote for the first man-made wheel, when they find it.

Jet to answer your enquiry on the other thread thanks. I really have not had too much time to post of late though have been keeping tabs on the forum thanks (maybe I have been following you around). Anyway I digress...

...Why on earth would the Eiffel Tower be on there? Apart from being in France it is not exactly an arictectural masterpiece. I am inclined to agree with your logic in that primarily the New 7 Wonders should be 'based on how they were made or wonder at the sheer skill, engineering and craftsmanship that went into their making.'

'Also their use in life and beliefs' as a secondary reason.

My votes went to Acropolis, Angkor, Easter Island, Great Wall, Pyramids, Stonehenge, Timbuktu, JP Bar. (Oh just noticed the last one was not listed).

[terry57]

.....

While I don't (really) have a problem with something like the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera house being on the list, why isn't the Grand Palace in Bangkok a possible contender ?

......

Concur. Firstly the Eiffel Tower is an architecturally ugly monstrosity and secondly the SOH is in a field of hundreds/thousands as far as remarkable contemporary buildings go. Whole thing seems a bit rigged to me. When were the primaries anyway ?

how on earth could one think that the sydney opera house be listed as a wonder of the world.

i mean its only a <deleted> building that the original archetect did not even get a chance to finish.

i suppose they could put " aires rock " on the list as well.

but i could really see the grand palace in bangkok getting a look in as that is something special but poor old aussie dont stand a chance.

[dantilley]

Saw a similar thing a few years ago, where you had to pay about 5 quid to register and vote - forgot all about it actually, so never saw the end results.

Anyway, a few I'd add from a few different places:

Bagan Temples in Myanmar. Can't believe this isn't on the list already.

Charles Bridge in Prague

Borobodur, Indonesia

Bayan in Cambodia

Nazca Lines, Peru

Sagrada Família, Barcelona

A few to take out:

Stonehenge - OK, it's historically very important and an interesting site, but one of the 7 most spectacular places in the world? Come on.

Eiffel Tower. Not bad as towers go, but The Petronas Towers or Teipei 101 are both more impressive.

[Jet Gorgon]

My votes went to Acropolis, Angkor, Easter Island, Great Wall, Pyramids, Stonehenge, Timbuktu, JP Bar. (Oh just noticed the last one was not listed).

Good to have you back, Choppy. Pyramids is a given, you wonklette. Why Timbuktu? JP Bar over the Colosseum, maybe. How much is wine there?

[dantilley]

PS - I voted Angkor, Easter Island, Taj Mahal, Great Wall, Machu Pichu, Petra and Colosseum.

[JR Texas]

Sorry. Thailand is just not important enough. Those of us who live here do so in a bubble of self delusion of this country's importance in the world.

I love this country, my home, but really it does not count on the world stage.

I agree that nothing in Thailand probably deserves being on the list, but your reasoning is faulty, I think.

With this list, it doesn't matter about a certain country's importance on the world stage. How about Cambodia? I'd say Thailand counts more in a business and tourism sense. Angkor Wat would be considered not because of Cambodia's importance to the world but because it could truly be considered a wonder of the world.

Edit: After looking a the list.

Easter Island? More important than Thailand to the world? No. Peru? Not really.

Anyway I'm making the point that a country's importance is not necessarily the criteria they use.

However, I feel the Statue of Liberty is a token entry because of the importance of the U.S. I don't think it deserves being on the list, but the Eiffel Tower might.

JR Texas: Thailand's ruins are not on the list because those in Angkor Wat are spectacular in comparison. The only true candidate in Thailand as a "wonder" is the person behind the insane visa and business rules......one wonders if he has a brain.

[rychrde]

I think it should be about what is most impressive technologically when it was built - no doubt with the additional wonderment of "amazing it is still standing!"

But it'll end up a nationalist battle - they've already caved in to egyptian pressure.

btw as the pyramids have been already chosen shouldn't people have 6 votes now?! never mind

rych

[Chopper]

My votes went to Acropolis, Angkor, Easter Island, Great Wall, Pyramids, Stonehenge, Timbuktu, JP Bar. (Oh just noticed the last one was not listed).

Good to have you back, Choppy. Why Timbuktu? JP Bar over the Colosseum, maybe. How much is wine there?

Thanks.

Timbuktu was an esoteric reference to another poster whom knows full well as a kid I was persistently told that what I wanted existed in this fabled city. Henceforth I have always wondered what it is like.

As for the wine probably more than is in my fridge at present.

[Tinkelbell]

All down to personal choice...so wots it to be ?

Been to quite a few (hence preferences) including others not considered ..Petra (Jordan) and Stonehenge in...???,,,however for the 7 I would go for >

Acropolis

Alhambra

Angkor....absolutely Fab...

Chichen Itza

Christ Redeemer....Viva...Copacabana

Colosseum

Easter Island Statues

Eiffel Tower....oui oui ...

Great Wall.....great for a takaway...

Hagia Sophia

Kiyomizu Temple

Kremlin / St. Basil

Machu Picchu

Neuschwanstein Castle

Petra

Pyramids of Giza......dusty old place but ...impressive..

Statue of Liberty...Lady..Freedom...

Stonehenge

Sydney Opera House...Got deported from Auz once...but the House,the Bridge and Harbour.......YES

Taj Mahal

Timbuktu

Of all the places listed above,

I had seen - Acropolic

- Alhambra

- Angkor Wat

- Eiffel Towel

- Great Wall

- Pyramids of Giza

- Statue of Liberty

I did vote one on Angkor Wat. That was it allowed one person one vote where I live- US.

But reading about the voting system in other countries really makes me worry. People can vote as many times as they wish. That's why India and Africa were way ahead in vote counts.

Good news. the Pyramids of Giza are assured of keeping their status in addition to the new EIGHT (not seven any more) after indignant Egyptian official said it was a disgrace they had to compete for a spot.

[Tinkelbell]

Correction ! What I mean to say....... India and South American countries, not Africa.

Sorry for the mixed-up.

Tinkelbell

[Sarge]

sydney opera house?

surely they're having a laff .... have they actually seen it up close? It resembles a 60s EE council building style housing political party conferences / state sponsored exhibitions. Soulless, naff to the core, an embarrassing indictment of architectural design gone wrong. When short listing heritage sites the history, the indigenous cultural setting and the overall magic feeling behind it have to have equal consideration alongside with architectural design.

[KireB]

The Eiffeltower is the ultimate symbol of its time. It rises like a sphinx over the arguably the most impressive city in the world.

It's the cherry on the cake called Paris.

[Jet Gorgon]

I like Rych and Sarge's views. Ya, reckon should be six votes for ex-Pyramids. And all these places still standing, especially those in the tropics. Amazing.

The Sydney Opera House is interesting, but like the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty, is more a symbol of its country, not a "wonder".

I know Jimjim pulled me up for requesting natural wonders (another list), but gardens like Kew are man-made. Surely there are beautiful gardens to include?

No wine in your fridge, Chopper? For shame.

Tinke, only one vote for Americans? I think they told me I could vote again if I paid. 555

[jackr]

The Awful Tower is the ultimate scourge of its time. It rises like a sphincter over arguably the most boring city in the world.

It's the poop on the cake called Paris.

As Jet says, the likes of Sydney Opera House, the Awful Tower and the Statue of Liberty are impressive but hardly wonders. There should perhaps be a separate category for these modern monstrosities which shouldn't even be on the same page as Stonehenge, Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu et al... true wonders of a modern world.

[Kerryd]

I think the selection committee (who ever they are) were trying to include various features from around the world, in part to generate more interest in the procedure.

I'm glad the pyramids were given honorary status, but they should have automatically been included any ways. They were one of the original 7, and the only one of the original 7 still standing. For 4,000+ years the pyramids ruled as the largest (tallest) man-made structures in the world, until the Eiffel tower was built.

The Statue of Liberty ? It may be a mighty symbol in the modern world, but doesn't even remotely compare to the Pyramids as a "Wonder". Same for the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera house. Hardly "Wonders" of the world.

Again, it would seem politics had a hand in the selections.

As for man-made gardens, well, another of the original 7 was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

I think the selection committee should have used slightly different criteria when making their choices. A "Wonder" of the world should be something that makes you do just that.

Wonder how it was built.

Wonder who built it.

Wonder why it was built.

Obviously, we know who built the pyramids and why (sort of), and maybe even how. Still, to realise they were built over 4,000 years ago, with a precision and durability that lasts to this day, is a wonder in itself.

The statues of Easter Island ? Who carved them ? Why did they carve them ? How the h3ll did they get them to that island and what was their purpose ?

Stonehenge. Who built it ? Why ? How ?

Some of the selections are simply nice to look at, but aren't really "Wonders". Most of them will never have the longevity of the pyramids, the grandeur of Angkor Wat, or the mystery of Stonehenge.

PS. The vote isn't rigged against Americans.

When you register, you get 7 votes.

If you choose to buy the $2.00 certificate, you get an additional vote.

You can also vote by telephone (and select up to 2 choices, per call) or SMS (1 choice per message), and you can do that as often as you like (as long as you are willing to pay for the long-distance and SMS message costs). (It would seem that is how the site primarily makes it's money)

[quiksilva]

Well said Kerry, Stonehenge has to be a wonder of the world, they cant have been serious with the Eiffel Tower or the Sydney Opera House?

Hardly wondrous testaments to mankind, not exactly what one could call a milestone for our species. That to me is what a wonder of the world should be.

Nothing less.

Acropolis

Alhambra

Angkor

Chichen Itza

Christ Redeemer

Colosseum

Easter Island Statues

Eiffel Tower.

Great Wall

Hagia Sophia

Kiyomizu Temple

Kremlin / St. Basil

Machu Picchu

Neuschwanstein Castle

Petra

Pyramids of Giza.

----

Statue of Liberty..

Stonehenge

Sydney Opera House...

Taj Mahal

Timbuktu

Yes I know that's 8 because the Pyramids are an automatic member of the new 7 wonders, yet you must vote for 7 but can not vote for the pyramids. So it looks as though there will be 8 new wonders of the world. Which tells me something about the credibility of the organisation running this ehem.."official" (on whose authority?) announcement...

[Kerryd]

Which tells me something about the credibility of the organisation running this ehem.."official" (on whose authority?) announcement...

That's the first thing that came to mind when I saw the site. It looked (looks) like a commercial venture, and it doesn't seem to link to any "official" organization (like any of the UN organizations).

Didn't see any information (wait, going to look again). Hmmm. Looks like it is a private Foundation: Inside N7W

Their panel of experts: N7W - Panel of Experts

Hmmmm, their links to the "Members" page and the "Criteria for Candidacy and Rules" are broken (HTTP 404 errors).

Well, at least it doesn't look like a bunch of back-room geeks running a scam. Still not sure what kind of credibility their selections will have on the international stage though.