Words About Things

When I was younger there were only four television channels so you had to watch whatever rubbish was on if it was raining (which was about 6 out of every 7 days). That is how I found myself watching an old black and white film about a plant that roamed around a town at night eating people. I’m not sure what the underlying themes of the film were (nature always prevails?) but it put me off my Broccoli.

Somebody has now invented a giant plant that provides free, solar powered, Wifi. The flowers have a seating area and solar pannels in the petals. They provide a Wi-Fi network and a chanrging point for mobile phones and other devices. They were created by Patrick Shearn and Cynthia Washburn who are artists from Los Angeles who are part of Poetic Kinetics.

Perhaps I aught to try and get one of these for my garden? I know my girlfriend likes it when I get her flowers (although perhaps not giant plastic ones that attract people with laptops like bees).

Saadiyat is a small island just off the coast at Abu Dhabi that until recently was mostly barren and uninhabited. Like the city opposite it Saadiyat is subject to ongoing development at an alarming pace. The UAE’s ecconomy shows no sign of slowing down and Abu Dhabi’s skyline is testament to the scale of its growth.

Next month a new bridge will be completeted which links Saadiyat with downtown Abu Dhabi. The bridge and the roads connecting it will be opened in time for the Formula One Grand Prix on the 1st November. The designer of the bridge, Frederic Turlier says that everything is right on schedule which suggests that no British builders were involved.

Abu Dhabi is aiming to become an international city of cultural importance, the Telegraph reports that:

By 2013, the capital of the United Arab Emirates will boast an offshoot of the Louvre, a new Guggenheim museum, a National Museum inspired by the British Museum, a performing arts centre designed by the British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, several art schools, and various pavilions and other cultural franchises that will be able to host temporary exhibitions from around the world.

The island of Saadiyat will be be home to many of the UAE’s cultural gems and those planning the development are keen to create a tourism friendly area. Flights to Abu Dhabi take around 7 hours from London and cost from around £230 upwards.

A woman has been arrested after attacking the world’s most famous painting in front of shocked onlookers. The woman threw a mug at the Mona Lisa causing screams from nearby tourists at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The woman who was said to be a Russian Tourist was handed over to police after being tackled by security guards. The painting was unharmed as it is kept behind a display case made from bullet proof glass.

This is not the first time someone has tried to damage the Mona Lisa, in fact it has been a target on several occasions. In 1956 acid was thrown the painting and a rock was thrown at it later in the same year.

It has been suggested that the Russian tourist who has yet to be named may have been suffering from Stendhal syndrome. The syndrome, which was named after the french author Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle), can cause those viewing great works of art to become overwhelmed although this does not always result in violent outbursts.