The city of Chernobyl is colorful in spite of dreadful weather and contamination. The bricks, dusted with cayenne peppers, dress the long narrow roads that for years have been poisoned. A memorial in honor of the first response firefighters remains tainted but is nonetheless decorated with fresh, colorful laurels. But the birch trees appear in...
If any bird can withstand torrential rains it’s the Black Hawk. During a tropical gulf storm—the meteorological definition of a tropical depression—that wet New Orleans three months ago for several days, the Louisiana Army National Guard awakened an enthusiastic parade of UH-60 Black Hawks. The military helicopters flew in one or two pairs, side by side,...
When Chris Hadfield boarded the space shuttle Endeavour for the STS-100 mission, he expected a smooth ride into space. The objective of the mission was to deliver and install the second generation of the Canadarm on the International Space Station (ISS). Two hundred fifty miles above the earth, the crew assembled the robotic arm, using it...
In New York City, the rotten bunch of vagabond artists, dream-seeking hooligans and ageing vagrants stagger with exhaustion, a heavy load, or intoxication. Gnarling shamelessly at urban gentrification that has swallowed their landmark neighbourhoods; many exchanged loft apartments for empty factory corners and “squalors”—hobo slang for wretched and filthy buildings—located in city outskirts, until those too become infested...
When British fashion designer and couturier Lee Alexander McQueen hung himself in February 2010, days before London Fashion Week, family and friends dressed in his designs to the funeral. For most iconoclastic designers, fame flourished after decades of hard apprentice and new contributions to the fashion world, but for McQueen it came sooner with his...
A welter of anxious faces study the jagged walls protruding with bottles, ceramics and tiles. Held together by cement, more bottles spring from wall edges like barbed wire on a fence. Bent rusty wheels, broken mirrors, sinking ship—a perverse Park Güell? This is not the famous mosaics park in Barcelona or stage set designed by...
Slipping through the revolving doors into NYC’s Church of Scientology is like walking into a space-aged Barnes & Noble. Colourful theology books and self improvement DVDs line the shelves and countertops within the atrium, while its high walls are used as a message board delivering an inspirational quote from L. Ron Hubbard. My first impression...
Six burly black beasts paw the earth with slow powerful strokes. Their piercing gaze penetrates the crowd as the chant “Olé!,” resonates throughout the arena. The costumed toreros drape their red cloth to the ground and the ritual begins. “Olé, Olé!,” the crowd shouts again with excitement and anticipation, fuelling the performers within the ring....
Among shaded patches of green broken by ribbons of brown river streams, the Manaus International Airport marks the Amazon Rainforest’s first pit stop. The capital city of Amazonas state lies at the mouth of the largest basin in the world. It is at its artery, Rio Negro, that illegal loggers, ambitious tourists, and founders of Sambazon—the...
Designing a 60-foot catamaran using recycled plastic bottles is unimaginable for a sea voyage. However, a team of mostly British explorers, engineers, and environmentalists have pioneered a round-the-world expedition, using principles of sustainable design. The Plastiki concept took three years to conceive—on land. After reading a UNEP report, “Ecosystems and Biodiversity in Deep Waters and...
New York City is greening itself. From sustainable building designs and school programs to urban green space and waste byproducts, the Big Apple is greening its grid. As the city adapts to the new Gold Rush – engaging in sustainable practices and purchasing new technology – it should focus on long-term goals, and not just...
There are only a few days remaining before American legendary musician Leland “Bruce” Sklar turns 64, and the songwriter and notable bass guitarist is pacing circles inside his Los Angeles home. The passing of another year is not a special concern to “Lee”, instead he is roused by his twelve-hour studio session of cutting more...
A day in the life of one president
Jun 2, 2013
Navigating the Earth
Jun 2, 2013
One day, one color – NYC’s annual extravaganza
Jun 2, 2013
All of the lights—Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval
Mar 17, 2013
Blowing in the wind – Lebanon’s alternative energy future hangs in the balance
Mar 17, 2013
Journey of the asteroids – one company’s plans to mind resources from outer space
Mar 3, 2013
The Colours of Corno
Mar 3, 2013
The five stars of Barbados
Dec 19, 2012
A reflection on revival – all angles of Bratislava
Nov 12, 2012
Epitome of a global Paris
Oct 1, 2012
Man-made elements
Oct 1, 2012
Sunny playground of the ancients – Salvador, Bahia
Oct 1, 2012
Suns and stars – Lebanese making their mark in astronomy
Sep 29, 2012
A Capital Idea – Paris’s mayor is committed to green architecture
Sep 5, 2012
A Dilemma for New York
Sep 5, 2012