“There’s so many people I’d like to thank – first and foremost, God”: Christ The Redeemer in Rio, now officially a Wonder.
IN THE FUTURE, ALL IMPORTANT DECISIONS WILL BE MADE VIA TEXT MESSAGE: Getting the public to assist in selecting the New Seven Wonders of the World (selection done this weekend) turned out to be a multi-year project involving pop stars and lots of private money. The concept was assailed by the people at UNESCO, ignored by the Chinese government and decried by the Egyptians who said that “the masses do not write history.” Tut tut. ‘Tis somewhat amusing that Rio’s Christ the Redeemer gets on the list and the Pyramids don’t. No matter – the full list is here.
ADVANCE PLANNING: The Radisson SAS hotel in Sochi, Russia has reported taking the first reservation for the 2014 Winter Olympics on the heels of the Black Sea resort town’s big win last week. Elsewhere in Russia, the Ritz-Carlton Moscowopened its doors, with rooms commanding upwards of $1,000 a night for the summer season. Not that there’s any reason to pay – a spy sniffs “it could be in Dallas.” Incidentally, Dallas gets a Ritz this summer too. Rates from $330, though.)
TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO DREAMLINER: The Boeing Dreamliner debuted to an adoring crowd in Washington State yesterday. More yawn-inducing video footage than you would ever care to see here. Seriously, though. Launches=boring. Call us when someone’s actually flying one of these things.
SORRY, WE’VE JUST RUN OUT OF PLANES: UK budget carrier flyglobespan‘s entry into the Northeast market this summer hasn’t been going so hot. Meanwhile, competing lowfare service on Zoom, a Canadian line that just started Gatwick-JFK, isn’t going so smoothly either, according to a correspondent, who says “Time is money – you didn’t pay any money, so be prepared to spend some time.” Or something like that. It sounded super-clever when they sent it to us on their Blackberry.