Top 10 New York buildings to put on the “to see” list

by Anna Brones on

New York is known for its skyline. Skyscrapers and notable architecture are what the city is made of, and although some of the city’s famous buildings leave much to be desired, there are a whole slew of them that are worth a visit.

The Center for Architecture recently came out with a list of 10 great buildings to see in New York. But the list doesn’t include more famous buildings like the Empire State Building; everyone knows what that one looks like. This list compiles the buildings that are a little more cutting edge, from the first green skyscraper to a store with a glass bridge and staircase. Here are the top five:

Conde Nast Building
Brooklyn Museum
Prada New York
Rose Center for Earth and Space
Apple Store Soho

Read about these and the other five buildings in the USA Today article.

Sex in the … temple?

by Jerry Guo on

I’ve no idea why this place isn’t crawling with tourists yet–the sprawling “sex temples” of Khajuraho in India.

Built more than a millenium ago, the temples–which has dwindled down to 22 from the original 85–celebrate human sexuality and in particular, the beauty of the female body.

There are statues and carvings all over the place; the extent of the details are absolutely astounding, especially when you consider that they’ve been facing the elements, as well as what must be constant looting, for so long.

Here’s a photo gallery–Not Safe for Work!!!

Why the French aren’t fat

by Anna Brones on

Sometimes I think we have an obsession about pondering over the reasons that France offers such rich, indulgent food but that its population remains incredibly trim.

How do they do it? I can of course come up with a few of my own opinions on the subject, but for the time being I will leave it to the most recent study done by Cornell University Food and Brand Lab.

The study found that despite all those baguettes, brie and accompanying wine, the French stay svelte because they use internal cues — such as feeling full — to know when to stop eating. Americans however use external cues — such as when their plate is clean or the TV show that they are watching is over.

Basically we Americans are mindless eaters. So if you want to truly enjoy French cuisine, without the pounds, maybe it’s time to start listening to what your body tells you.

The English Project 2012

by Abha Malpani on

As part of the London Olympics cultural program, the plan is to build a museum tracing the roots of the English language.

In conjunction with BBC and the British Library, the museum will allow visitors to experience physically and virtually (holograms!) the global evolution of the language from when it was a mixed tongue of the Jute, Angle and Saxon tribes, to how it stands today as spoken by 2 billion people around the world.

Although being organized by and in the UK, I’m assuming that it will take into context English spoken as a first language in the US, South Africa and Australia.

I’d be particularly interested to see how the future of English is predicted. Language experts say that because of its global reach, new varieties are emerging and there is a possibility that English will evolve into a family of new languages — like what happened to Latin a thousand years ago.

The idea is not unique and just when I was wondering how is it that this hasn’t been thought of before, I find that it has — but for other languages, not purely for English, and on a much smaller scale.

There’s the Museum of the Portuguese Language in Brazil, the Afrikaans Language Museum in South Africa, and the National Museum of Language in the US that talks generally about world languages.

The English Project sounds like a monster project; one that would involve an extensive amount of research and careful articulation to represent a language that is so boundless today.

Your daily dose of European stereotypes

by Jerry Guo on

I just came across this cute little site–the kind that you find when you’re procrastinating–that among other things, has a page introducing you to the great people of Europe.

Oh, and these are wild generalizations. But methinks it’s a harmless read, though whoever wrote it does take on a pretty serious tone about the whole Europeans-hate-each-other-as-much-as-they-hate-Americans thing.

Here’s a preview:

  • The Scandinavians – Widely respected by most other Europeans
  • The Belgians – Considered idiots by both the Dutch and the French. Belgians, in turn, consider the Dutch to be a bunch of cranky assholes, and French stuck-up.
  • The Swiss – Considered extremely rigid, even by the Germans.
  • The British – About half of the British would be really angry at being called European, so that should provide an apt starting point.