Most Expensive stuff - 2010

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The World's Top 10 Strangest Stadiums

the new stadium being constructed in Hangzhou, China, which will be the country's largest, exemplifies the trend, serving as an architectural centerpiece to the city's new park district. Hangzhou's new stadium, which resembles the petals of a flower, shows that the days of stripped-down, cookie-cutter stadiums like the Kingdome in Seattle or Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati are gone. While we wait for this latest stadium from China to open (in 2013), we circle the globe to find the most innovative, eclectic and strangest venues open right now.

1. Guangdong Stadium

Location  Guangzhou, China

Background: Guangdong Stadium, located in China's third largest city, opened in 2001 and can seat 80,000 to watch soccer and track and field events. This fall, it will host the 16th Asian Games, a quadrennial event that's the continent's version of summer Olympics. 

2. Sapporo Dome
Location - Sapporo, Japan

Background: The aerodynamic Sapporo Dome has been around for nearly a decade, playing host to matches during the 2002 World Cup. It has since been the home of the soccer team Consadole Sapporo and of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan's Pacific Baseball League.

3. Soccer City Stadium

Location - Johannesburg, South Africa 

Background: Reimagining the original stadium that was built back in 1986, Soccer City's massive remodel finished just in time for the 2010 World Cup, where the 94,000-seat stadium will host the tournament's opening ceremony, first match and final.

4. Beijing National Aquatics Center

Location - Beijing, China

Background: More commonly known as "The Water Cube," the aquatic center was the site of Michael Phelps's unprecedented eight Olympic gold medals in 2008. 

Why it's unique: Inspired by an image of bubbles clustered together, the Sydney-based firm PTW Architects won an online vote by the Chinese public to build the Aquatics Center. The Water Cube's square form was created in order to play off of the roundness of the Beijing Olympic Stadium located just a few hundred feet away, creating the "yin and yang of the Beijing Olympics," Niemuth says. 100,000 square meters of the thin, UV-resistant ETFE plastic comprise the walls of the arena, held together with a maze of 22,000 steel beams for a breathtaking effect when lit up at night. "That exterior image is on par with the Bilbao Art Museum," Niemuth says.

5. Beijing National Stadium 

Location - Beijing, China

Background: The centerpiece of the Beijing Olympics' stunning stadiums, the "Bird's Nest" showcased an epic opening ceremony and possibly the Games' most electrifying athlete, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. 

Why it's unique: Designed by Pritzker Award-Winning architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, the stadium's shape and latticework form are inspired by Chinese ceramics. The bold originality of the stadium derives from the games' planning committee wanting its stadiums to be statements of China's rise and assertion of national pride. "Rarely does a building become the defining element of the games," Niemuth says.

6. Allianz Arena

Location - Munich, Germany

Background: The home of soccer teams Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich, the 66,000-seat stadium was built for the 2006 World Cup where it hosted the opening match and France's semifinal victory over Portugal. 

Why it's unique: Like the Beijing National Stadium, Allianz was designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, which created a stadium with 2874 inflated ETFE plastic panels, giving it a billowy, cloud-like form. Those translucent panels also allowed the architects to change the appearance of the stadium by adjusting illumination. Allianz "accentuated what we can do with light technology," Niemuth says, "to completely transform these buildings with the color of lighting instead of just hanging a sign on it."

Background: The home of the NHL's Calgary Flames, the Saddledome was completed in 1983 and hosted ice skating and hockey during the 1988 Winter Olympics. 

7. Munich Olympic Park

Location - Munich, Germany

Background: Located just north of the city center, the park hosted the 1972 Olympic Games and its stadium, formerly the home of German Soccer's most successful club, Bayern Munich, is the only one in the world to have hosted the Olympics, the World Cup Final and the European soccer championships final. 

Why it's unique: Combining stainless-steel cable nets, acrylic glass and supports, architect and structural engineer Frei Otto's design of the Munich Olympic Park is a masterwork in tensile architecture. Never before had work like it been done on such a massive scale, and it's a design that continues to permeate Otto's pieces, according to Niemuth.

8. The Float

Location - Marina Bay, Singapore

Background: The Float, which opened in 2007, will be converted to a stage to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010. 

Why it's unique: Built as part of a land reclamation project that began in the 1970s, the Marina Bay development extends Singapore's Central Business District. On the edge of the bay, the Float, a 30,000-seat grandstand faces a nearly 33,000-square-foot steel platform that sits atop 200 pontoons.

9. The Burj Al Arab Hotel Helipad

Location - Dubai, UAE

Background: In preparation for the 2005 Dubai Championships, the Burj Al Arab converted its helipad into a tennis court for Roger Federer and Andre Agassi to hit around. 

Why it's unique: Sure, it may be a bit of a stretch to call this a stadium (there are, for starters, no seats for an audience), but attached to the opulent Burj Al Arab Hotel and suspended 650 feet in the air this one-time tennis court provided one of the most scenic venues in sports. When the helipad isn't a tennis court, guests can use it to shuttle to the airport for about $2700. The hotel is located on a man-made island just off the coast of Dubai and derives its sail-like shape from the region's nautical history. The Burj's "form has set in motion a number of other projects that look very similar," Niemuth says. "When you're in the Middle East you'll see other buildings that were inspired by it."

10. Ericsson Globe

Location - Stockholm, Sweden

Background: Opened in 1989, the 14,000-seat arena serves as the home arena for Sweden's national men's hockey team and for the last three years has been the venue for Sweden's version of American Idol. 

Why it's unique: Not only is the Globe the largest spherical building in the world, it also serves as the sun in the world's largest scale model of the Milky Way. The solar system is at 1:20 million scale with the planets located throughout Stockholm and Sweden. Forty-eight 90-foot curved pillars provide support for the aluminum panels that make up the arenas facade, and they hold up the Globe's cupola, which has 144 skylights.

Suez Canal - An Artificial Waterway Of Egyp

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigating around Africa. The northern terminus is Port Said and the southern terminus is Port Tawfik at the city of Suez.

(Link)

Pimp My Ride - Some Most Expensive Pimped Cars

If you are an auto enthusiast then you probably know Beau Boeckmann of Galpin Auto Sports whose pimped rides have been featured earlier in MTV’s “Pimp My Ride.” Just-in-case you don’t own one but dying to catch a glimpse of Boeckmann’s fancy rides then check-out these collection of most expenive pimped up cars.

Special Edition $3.8 Million Rolls-Royce

The exclusive Rolls-Royce edition is a stretched version of the Phantom and it is designed to be bulletproof with a stretched out backseat space for rear passengers in addition to Rolls-Royce lavish comfort and driving experience.

This one and only exclusive edition of Rolls Royce will go for sale for an equally sensuous price tag of $3.8 million.

It takes vulgar to a whole new level.

Golden Audi R8 super car

It comes as no surprise that we find this golden Audi R8 super car in the oil rich capital of over the top tuning, Dubai. What sets this particular R8 apart from all the other GT machines that have undergone the King Midas treatment is that instead of blinding onlookers with a brilliant reflective surface, draws them closer to adore the matte-gold super car. This rendition makes the matte-black R8 with its stealth like finish look rather dull.

pimped Ferrari comes in gold 

the Golden Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano by Hamann sets the road ablaze. Finished in gold, the Ferrari features a new bodykit, subtle Hamann spoilers, an extra 53 HP, new wheels and hp. Indeed, this highly pimped gilded Ferrari would have been a miss where the royals roam.

Su Zhongyang’s Ivory Carving Car 

We have seen the cars studded with diamonds and plated with gold and now, celebrated Folk art master Su Zhongyang has created a stunning ivory carving masterpiece. His Jiu Jiu Xiang Long ivory carving car is adorned with 99 fortunate dragons. The car is 4.5 meters long, 1.81 meters wide and 1.9 meters high and weighs 2 tons. Most parts of the ivory car are festooned with colossal ivory and yak bone. If ivory only doesn’t impress you that much, the masterpiece is adorned with gold and diamonds too. The incredible ivory carving car is valued at US $2.7 million. 

Pimped up Bentley Gold for Bling-Lovers  

 ASI, the Japanese tuner specialized in Bentleys, has released the photos of their latest project - the ASI Bentley Continental GTR Gold. The ASI Bentley Continental GTR Gold is powered by the production 6.0 liter W12 engine that is tuned to deliver 800 hp. For the $800,000 price tag on the ASI Bentley Continental GTR Gold they offer a dry carbon bonnet, boot lid and rear wing, a 1800mm+ wide body kit. The ASI Bentley Continental GTR Gold features hand painted, original Japanese art by Nakamura Tetsuei.

Only 29 units will be built.  

 Million Euro Mini Limo is World’s Most Pimped Ride

The luxury limo was built for Regina and and her toy terriers - Barbie & Busya. The mini limo boasts plush interiors with Philips Ambilight Fire Diamond 47’’ LCD TV installed inside. The royal ride also packs in 70 TFT monitors, 30 parking sensors, 20 parking cameras inside. The exteriors include gold’n'multicolor 100 wire wheels. In the middle of every wheel there are specially made swarovski crystal - 8 cm in diameter, gold sputtered window films on front glasses. Around 50 grams of pure gold was spent to make this film. The body is made from around 1,000,000 Swarovski crystals.

 Gold coated BMW M5

 Falling in love is a rewarding experience, especially when you are behind the wheel of a BMW. The feeling gets even better when it’s all gold. Last time, it was a gold plated Porsche from Russia, and this time it’s a BMW M5 from Moscow that has been coated with gold. There is no info about its owner or the amount of money that went into the gilded work. It seems the normal BMW M5 wasn’t enough for the guy, so he got it decked up. All we have for now is a bunch of shots of the golden BMW M5

£420,000 chrome SLR McLaren  

 Last year, a chromed out Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was spotted on the roads of Dubai and lately, one super-shiny SLR McLaren has been seen in Manchester, England. The guy behind the wheel was El Hadji Diouf, who plays for Blackburn Rovers Football Club, an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. He has spent a whopping £420,000 (US $636,750) on the blinged-up Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The playmaker is an avid car collector and has been seen previously driving Range Rovers, Lincoln Navigators and Cadillac Escalades. Anyway, he is not the only football player to have owned this chromed beauty. Arsenal defender William Gallas and former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele also own the same-styled car that can do 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds before reaching a top speed of 207mph.

Deathday: Franz Kafka 1883-1924 Czech Author

Franz Kafka (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁants ˈkafka]; 3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) is one of the most influential fiction writers of the early 20th century; a novelist and writer of short stories whose works, only after his death, came to be regarded as one of the major achievements of 20th century literature.

He was born to middle class German-speaking Jewish parents in Prague, Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The house in which he was born, on the Old Town Square next to Prague's Church of St Nicholas, today contains a permanent exhibition devoted to the author.

Kafka's work—the novels The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926) and Amerika (1927), as well as short stories including The Metamorphosis (1915) and In the Penal Colony (1914)—is now collectively considered to be among the most original bodies of work in modern Western literature. Much of his work, unfinished at the time of his death, was published posthumously.

Kafka's writing attracted little attention until after his death. During his lifetime, he published only a few short stories and never finished any of his novels, unless The Metamorphosis is considered a (short) novel. Prior to his death, Kafka wrote to his friend and literary executor Max Brod: "Dearest Max, my last request: Everything I leave behind me ... in the way of diaries, manuscripts, letters (my own and others'), sketches, and so on, [is] to be burned unread." Brod overrode Kafka's wishes, believing that Kafka had given these directions to him specifically because Kafka knew he would not honor them—Brod had told him as much. (His lover, Dora Diamant, also ignored his wishes, secretly keeping up to 20 notebooks and 35 letters until they were confiscated by the Gestapo in 1933. An ongoing international search is being conducted for these missing Kafka papers.) Brod, in fact, would oversee the publication of most of Kafka's work in his possession, which soon began to attract attention and high critical regard.

The writers' name has led to the term "Kafkaesque" being used in the English language.

Execution Day: Barbara Graham 1923-1955 Murderer?

Barbara Graham (June 26, 1923 – June 3, 1955) was an American criminal and convicted murderess. She was executed in the gas chamber on the same day as two convicted accomplices, Jack Santo and Emmett Perkins. Nicknamed "Bloody Babs" by the press, Graham was the third woman in California to die by gas.[1]

Early life

Graham was born Barbara Elaine Wood in Oakland, California. When Barbara was two, her mother, who was a teenager, was sent to reform school. Barbara was raised by strangers and extended family, and had a limited education. As a teenager, she was arrested for vagrancy and was sentenced to serve time at the same reform school where her mother had been.[1]

Released from reform school in 1939, Barbara tried to make a new start for herself. She married and enrolled in a business college and soon had her first child. The marriage was not a success, and by 1941 she was divorced. Over the next several years, she was married twice more and had a second child, but each of these attempts at a normal life failed.[2]

After this string of failures, Barbara is said to have become a prostitute, working for San Francisco's Sally Stanford. She was soon involved in drugs and gambling and had a number of friends who were ex-convicts and career criminals. In 1953, she married Henry Graham, with whom she had a third child, named Tommy.

 

Murder of Mabel Monohan

Henry Graham was a hardened criminal. Through him, Barbara met his criminal friends Jack Santo and Emmet Perkins. She started an affair with Perkins, who told her about a 64-year-old widow, Mabel Monohan [3] (above), who was rumored to keep a large amount of cash in her home in Burbank.

In March 1953, Barbara joined Perkins and Santo, as well as John True and Baxter Shorter (two of their associates), in robbing Monohan's home in Burbank (below). Barbara reportedly gained entrance by asking to use her phone. Once Monohan opened the door for Graham, the three men burst in. The gang demanded money and the jewels from Monohan, but she refused to give them anything. At this point, Barbara reportedly pistol-whipped Monohan, cracking her skull. They then suffocated her with a pillow.


The robbery attempt was a futile effort; the gang found nothing of value in the house and left empty-handed. Later, with bitter irony, they learned they'd missed about $15,000 in jewels and valuables stashed in a purse in the closet near where they'd needlessly murdered Monohan.

Arrest and conviction

Eventually, some of the gang members were arrested and John True agreed to become a state witness in exchange for immunity from prosecution. In court, True testified against Graham, who continually protested her innocence. The press nicknamed her "Bloody Babs," reflecting the public disgust for her alleged actions. Graham apparently stood a good chance of being acquitted, but erred by offering another inmate $25,000 to hire a "friend" who would provide an alibi. That inmate, it turned out, was working in league with an undercover policeman in order to reduce her own vehicular manslaughter sentence. The officer offered to pose as the "boyfriend" she was with the night of the murder, if she admitted to him she was actually at the scene of the crime. The officer recorded the conversation. This attempt to suborn perjury as well as the confession she was at the scene, destroyed Graham's credibility in court. When questioned about her actions at the trial, she said, "Oh, have you ever been desperate? Do you know what it means not to know what to do?"[4] Graham was ultimately convicted. The informant was immediately released from jail, her sentence commuted.

Appeals and execution

Graham, Santo, and Perkins were all sentenced to death for the robbery and murder. Graham appealed her sentence while serving time at the California Institute for Women in the city of Corona. Her appeals failed, and she was transferred to the death row at San Quentin State Prison to await execution. On June 3, 1955, she was scheduled to be executed at 10:00 AM, but that was stayed until 10:45 AM. At 10:43 AM, the execution was stayed again until 11:30 AM, and a weary Graham protested, "Why do they torture me? I was ready to go at ten o'clock."[5] At 11:28 AM, Graham was led from her cell to be strapped in the gas chamber. There, she requested a blindfold so she wouldn't have to look at the observers. Her last words were "Good people are always so sure they're right."[6]

Barbara Graham is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, San Rafael, California.

Movies about Graham

Susan Hayward won an Academy Award for playing Graham in the movie I Want to Live! (1958), which strongly suggests Graham was innocent. However, much of the film is fictionalized—in particular, the presentation of the manner in which the police found and arrested Graham. Evidence clearly pointed to her guilt.[7] Reporter Gene Blake, who covered Graham's murder trial for the Los Angeles Daily Mirror, called the movie "a dramatic and eloquent piece of propaganda for the abolition of the death penalty."[7] Graham was also portrayed by Lindsay Wagner in a 1983 TV version of I Want to Live!

Further reading

The TRUE Story of Barbara Graham, by Clark Howard

Bibliography

Harnisch, Larry - Barbara Graham case revisited, November 28, 1958 - Los Angeles Times, November 28, 2008, Article originally published by Blake, Gene, as BARBARA GRAHAM - FILM AND FACT. Los Angeles Daily Mirror, November 28, 1958

Foster, Teree E. - "I Want to Live! Federal Judicial values in Death Penalty Cases: Preservation of Rights or Punctuality of Execution?" Oklahoma City University Law Review, Volume 22, Number 1 (1997) This Article explores the implications of the 1958 film I Want to Live, which deals with the life of Barbara Wood Graham, a woman executed for murder. Dean Foster analyzes the values elevated to primacy by the Burger and Rehnquist Courts' efficiency and expediency in our justice system, comparing those with the preservation of individual liberties that activated the Warren Court. The Article concludes that the federal judiciary must be diligent, especially in capital cases, in fulfillment of its role as an impartial, independent decision-making body.

References

^ O'Shea, Kathleen A. (1999). Women and the Death Penalty in the United States, 1900-1998. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 70. ISBN 0-275-95952-X.
^ Nash, Jay Robert (M. Evans). Bloodletters and Badmen: A Narrative Encyclopedia of American Criminals From the Pilgrims to the Present. 1973. pp. 224. ISBN 0-871-31113-5.
^ California Death Index, Name: Mable Monohan, Birth Date: 01-02-1889, Mother's Maiden: Duree, Sex: Female, Birth Place: Idaho, Death Place: Los Angeles (19), Death Date: 03-11-1953, Age: 64 yrs.
^ Gillespie, L. Kay (1997). Dancehall Ladies: The Crimes and Executions of America's Condemned Women. University Press of America. pp. 77. ISBN 0-761-80675-X.
^ Gillespie, L. Kay (1997). Dancehall Ladies: The Crimes and Executions of America's Condemned Women. University Press of America. pp. 78. ISBN 0-761-80675-X.
^ Stout, Martha (2006). The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us. Random House, Inc.. pp. 97. ISBN 0-767-91582-8.
^ Harnisch, Larry, 2008 - Blake, Gene 1958


Mabel Monahan (1888-1953) is buried with her husband George at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery, 1831 W. Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles. George (1869-1940) wasn't around for Babs' arrival.

Barbara Graham - Poe Forward