South Americans in Europe have plastic surgery to look more European

by Abha Malpani on

We’ve written here before about people traveling to undergo plastic surgery, but moving to another country then getting plastic surgery to look more like the people whose country/continent you are living in, is a whole new (not to mention depressing) concept.

An increasing number of immigrants in Europe are opting to change their facial features in order to look more “western”, or less conspicuous on the street. Apparently, the nose is most characteristic of where we come from which is why rhinoplasty is the most popular surgery amongst these immigrants. In Spain, the surgery costs Euro 5000 and takes 20 minutes.

In one of my previous posts I wrote how although Spain can be culturally insensitive, I didn’t find Spain racist at all. But after reading that about 2,500 South Americans (mainly Ecuadorians and Colombians) have nose jobs every year (many of those live in Madrid), it made me think again: Why do these Latinos want to go to such an extent to fit in? What sort of discrimination are they suffering?

How have we let social stigmas in our so-called “multi-cultural-multinational-society” go so far as to warrant reactions like this?

House-sized art exhibit in Texas features house

by Jerry Guo on

In the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Texas, is a curious sight: a house being sucked into a wormhole. It’s the handiwork of two artists, Dan Havel and Dean Ruck. From their press release:

Havel and Ruck will create a large funnel-like vortex beginning from the west wall adjacent to Montrose Blvd. The exterior skin of the houses will be peeled off and used to create the narrowing spiral as it progresses eastward through the small central hallway connecting the two buildings and exiting through a small hole into an adjacent courtyard.

More photos here.

Can you guess where my accent is from?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Now this is a fun game. Developed by the Language Trainers Group, this ten-question quiz tests your ability to identify different English accents, including those from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, and dozens of other countries.

In the game, speakers from all around the world recite parts of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If,” then you’re asked to name their home countries.

I only scored a meager 31 points (that probably puts me in the bottom part of the curve), but the test is pretty hard. I mean, am I really supposed to know how Latvian English differs from Lithuanian English?

So head over there, get higher than 31 points, then come back here and brag about it in the Comments.

[Hat tip: World Hum]

Photo of the Day (8-20-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

This fountain in Madeira, Portugal says summer. How great would it be to run through this on a hot day?

I’m reminded of the other fountains where water arcs upwards from the ground. There’s the fountain that Matt Harding of “Where the Hell is Matt?” dances in along with other dancing folks in Atlanta, Georgia, the one at the playground in Knights of Columbus Park in St. Cloud, Minnesota and the pop jet fountain at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado.

This fountain shot by Donner00 looks almost animated. I can hear the sounds of the water–almost.

If you have a shot that has captured your fancy, capture ours at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. It could be chosen as a Photo of the Day.

Shopping in Manhattan’s Diamond District

by Meg Massie on

Manhattan is a great place to find the best of something. Best theater, best food, best art — and definitely best shopping, as long as you’ve got some padding in your bank account. One of the greatest places for a girl to shop in Manhattan is on 47th St between 5th and 6th Avenues, also known as the Diamond District.

New York’s Diamond District is a full city block of sparkly goodness, and whether you want to buy or just gawk, this is the place to come for fine jewelry. With over 2,600 independent businesses in the Diamond District (seriously!), you have no excuse not to shop around. If you get a bad vibe from someone, stay away — you have plenty of other options. Some jewelers have shops of their own, but most operate booths in large jewelry exchanges, which can have hundreds of different vendors all under one roof.

If you want to have a good experience and not get ripped off, start by dressing the part. The more money it looks like you’ve got, the more attention you’ll get. And the more knowledgeable you appear, the less likely you’ll be ripped off. Don’t just throw around buzz words, though. Diamond vendors can tell when you’re just regurgitating some pamphlet on the four C’s. If you want to really know your stuff, take a good look at the Personal Gemologist series at AisleDash. Learn how to tell quality from crap. If a vendor describes something in terms you don’t understand, don’t buy it. While you may be looking at a very pretty ring, you may be buying a synthetic stone, or artificially enhanced piece of jewelry. Find more helpful shopping tips on the Diamond District website here.

Lastly, it’s not in the Diamond District, but your Manhattan jewelry experience isn’t complete until you visit Tiffany & Co, located at 57th St & 5th Ave.