7 White Elephants Of The World.

[DirkGently]

The 'new' 7 wonders of the world seems to have pricked many people's interest. On the whole I agree with the 7 choices. However, I would have thought Stonehenge was more important than Christ in Rio.

What about the 7 white elephants of the world. The more pointless, wasteful and self indulgent the better.

I'd like to nominate The Millenium Dome in London. 1.2 BILLION POUNDS of public money spent on a project to get Tony Blair's in lights.

Central World has to be in the running. A huge, almost empty, monolith to over spending.

[tropo]

The 'new' 7 wonders of the world seems to have pricked many people's interest. On the whole I agree with the 7 choices. However, I would have thought Stonehenge was more important than Christ in Rio.

What about the 7 white elephants of the world. The more pointless, wasteful and self indulgent the better.

I'd like to nominate The Millenium Dome in London. 1.2 BILLION POUNDS of public money spent on a project to get Tony Blair's in lights.

Central World has to be in the running. A huge, almost empty, monolith to over spending.

The 3rd Road overpass in South Pattaya near the pier gets my vote. They even painted it white last year to indicate it's a white elephant. Hardly anyone uses it.

Edited July 10, 2007 by tropo

[baabaabobo]

The Thai aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Nareubet which has spent little time at sea since being commissioned in 1997 (the year of the Asian Economic Crisis) due to her high operating costs. Fittingly, the Royal Thai Navy ensign actually features a white elephant.

[tropo]

On the world stage - The Concorde program was a huge financial flop..and also white

[tropo]

Historically I can't think of a bigger white elephant than the Teracotta Army and tomb of Quin Shi Huangdi.

It took 700,000 workers (exact number not known) and craftsmen 38 year to complete to achieve absolutely nothing.

Beat that..

[Old Croc]

The Airbus A380?

[Who, me ?]

Why ??? Just because it's delayed ???

[Mid]

WAR

[bino]

The Airbus A380?

Why ??? Just because it's delayed ???

Maybe because it is HUGE, and white?!

I'll cast my votes (In Thailand) for the Sofitel on the Chao Phraya river that never opened, and the Hopewell project.

[A_Traveller]

I'll cast my votes (In Thailand) for the Sofitel on the Chao Phraya river that never opened, and the Hopewell project.

Didn't that become the Millennium Hilton?

Regards

[Old Croc]

The Airbus A380.

[mrtoad]

Millenium Dome, it surely can't be beaten.

[samtam]

Suvarnabhumi Airport...at the risk of stating the ble-ding obvious...

[Head Snake]

religion.

(Ducks out of the thread.)

ohh... you mean something tangible.

Y2K. What was that??

[Mid]

WAR

and identical threads ...........................

[lazeeboy]

WAR

and identical threads ...........................

the road around the lake in samui (chaweng ) millions to build 2 years and still nothing going on , should have spent it on fixing the ringroad

[FormasianPaul]

The more pointless, wasteful and self indulgent the better.

Those little stickers go-go girls wear to protect thier modesty (or is it to stop nipple chaffing)

Not that I have ever been in a go-go...

ever

[colino]

M25 (UK ) world's biggest car park

[baabaabobo]

The 46-million-baht "Phuket Welcome Gate" Thaksin's friends are building on the Phuket side of Sarasin bridge. Most people arrive by air and will never see it.

oops! That's more than 7 now

[Nignoy]

Just had to put in my 2 pennorth, Biggest and most expensive white elephant in Europe , The German , Swiss Autobahn Bridge and Flyover ,in the town of Konstanz on LakeKonstanz built to connect the Stuttgart , Zurich autobahns, sadly the german autobahn crosses the border Near Singen 26 kms north of Konstanz, last ime I was there the bridge was being used for craft markets and carboot sales Nignoy

[Jingthing]

Well, this one hasn't been built yet, but believe it or not, it will be, so here it is for the future list:

the George W Bush Memorial Library

Just heard on the news that he can't show up in Wash DC restaurants anymore because of heckling and hostility. Now, thats in his home capital.

Edited July 10, 2007 by Jingthing

[Erwin1011]

Historically I can't think of a bigger white elephant than the Teracotta Army and tomb of Quin Shi Huangdi.

It took 700,000 workers (exact number not known) and craftsmen 38 year to complete to achieve absolutely nothing.

Beat that..

Trying to establish democary in Thailand......

[tropo]

Trying to establish democary in Thailand......

Why bother? Things are working ok as they are.

[tropo]

Every pyramid in Egypt was a wasted effort. All they achieved was to create a tourist attraction. None of the Pharoahs even managed to hold on to their "after-life" possessions.

[Jimjim]

On the world stage - The Concorde program was a huge financial flop..and also white

Financial, but not technological.

[Ping]

At a micro level, the Night Plaza in Phuket - a medium-sized two-level shopping centre that was built in Patong and occupied by only one supermarket and a handful of shops - leaving the other 90% of the place to slowly crumble. The businesses moved out and, after two or three years, it was demolished. (Ten or so years later, the recently opened Jung Ceylon centre was built nearby.) Then there was the new hotel in Karon. Fully erected and in the process of being fitted out but, whoops, tea money problems. It sat there crumbling for ten years before finally being demolished. There have to be hundreds of these stories in LOS. All wonderful examples of local white elephants.

[Old Croc]

WAR

and identical threads ...........................

Deleted for some reason

Edited July 14, 2007 by Old Croc

[Mid]

Deleted for some reason

merged into one , mate .

[cdnvic]

On the world stage - The Concorde program was a huge financial flop..and also white

Financial, but not technological.

There were other aircraft ahead of their time that failed to take hold. Convair 880/990, Mercure, Comet IV.

Other white elephant machines;

R-101

Titanic

The Spruce Goose

[Ping]

'White elephant n. A rare, expensive possession that is a financial burden to maintain.'

cdn - Perhaps, but for specific reasons. For example, the Comet IV was a victim of the adverse publicity of its predecessors - perhaps it was a 'white elephant' only by heritage? The most successful aircraft in history (Boeing 737) was considered risky and a candidate for being a white elephant in its early years. (In fact, Boeing offered to sell the design to the Japanese, but the offer was declined.) The Titanic was the victim of an unfortunate incident; the Spruce Goose was a political 'white elephant' and the Hindenburg issue needs no explanation.

What about all those other white elephants - like cold fusion (or is the jury still out on that one?)... and assuming an idea can be called a possession. I particularly liked the example of the fear-mongering by software companies with Y2K - although I don't know if that actually fits the definition (probably more of a shade-of-grey extortion-cum-con).

Edited July 15, 2007 by Ping