The New 7 Wonders of the World
By Robin Esrock
In 300 BC, a guy named Herodotus thought it would be just swell to compile a list of the Seven Wonders of the World. Apparently, the name “Seven Kick-Ass Things To See Before You Die” was already registered at the local scroll registry. These seven sites were so utterly wonderful that humanity has since gone on to destroy all but one - the Pyramids of Giza - only because nobody could figure out what to do with two million 80 ton blocks.
2300 years later, a guy named Bernard Weber thought the list needed an update, and guess what, new7wonders.com was still available. While Herodotus traded on his historian credentials, Bernard was armed with online marketing savvy and contacts within the tourism industry. The decision as to what these new wonders would be rested on the mouse-clicks of the masses, and a quasi-regulated online vote. Swept into hysteria, the world (or rather, those countries who managed to mobilize their digerati) declared our “new” seven wonders at a gala event hosted by Hilary Swank and the guy who played Gandhi. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, the buck-stops-here for this sort of thing, distanced themselves from the spectacle, stating, “This initiative cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites elected by this public.” Ouch. Since I’ve somehow managed to drag myself to all the winning wonders, here are short reviews of what to expect.