Megacities

It's absolutely breathtaking when flying into New York City, especially at night when the lights can be seen for miles and miles. 

New York City is considered a megacity.  The Big Apple is the seventh largest megacity in the world, according to citypopulation.de.  Megacities are metropolitan areas with more than 10 million people.

Imagine all the people that live in megacities, such as New York City.  The things that are sometimes overlooked or just taken for granted.  What makes a megacity function?

From a public administration standpoint, there are countless challenges these megacities face--primarily focused on infrastructure such as roads, water, wastewater, etc.

Freelance business writer Sarah Fister Gale explores this challenge in her article, which appeared in PM Network, a project management magazine.  The challenge is that many megacities don't have the infrastructure budget to keep up with urban sprawl.    

The article can be found here.

Below are megacities ranked by size as provided by citypopulation.de:

1.  Tokyo, Japan (34 million)

2.  Canton, China (24.2 million)

3.  Seoul, South Korea (24.2 million)

4.  Mexico City (23.4 million)
5.  Delhi, India (23.2 million)
6.  Bombay, India (22.8 million)
7.  New York City, USA (22.2 million)
8.  Sao Paulo, Brazil (20.9 million)
9.  Manila, Philippines (19.6 million)
10. Shanghai, China (18.4 million)

Sources: Sarah Fister Gale, "Urban Overload," PM Network, August 2010, p.8-9
Thomas Brinkloff, The Principle Agglomerations of the World, http://www.citypopulation.de/


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http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/

Nina Paley's creative work challenges copyright

Cartoonist Nina Paley questions when "derivative works" infringes upon copyrighted material with the video below of works exhibited at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

You can read more of her argument here.  You can also visit her blog here.



Visit my blog at http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/.

The Old Genesee County Poorhouse

Established in 1826, the Genesee County Poorhouse provided residence to paupers and the mentally ill.  

Over 1,200 residents died while at the asylum, including young orphans and elders. Their bodies are buried around the property in unmarked graves.  A memorial site was created recently by Genesee County to honor those who died at the home. 

The facility was closed in 1974 and unoccupied for over two decades.  In 2002, the property was purchased by Jeff and Lori Carlson and renamed Rolling Hills.  Recently, Sharon Coyle became the owners of the property (you can listen to the audio interview here).

Supposedly, the former asylum is haunted.  Several sources say they have seen shadows or felt presence while visiting the home.  Syfy's Ghost Hunters as well as the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures (a must watch) have recently visited the old poorhouse.   Others such as the New Jersey Paranormal Research group have visited this place and recorded their findings.

As mentioned in Ghost Adventures, a power substation across the street from the old asylum may explain the paranormal activities at the home--spirits feed off energy.

Sources: Wikipedia; Genesee County website; Hubpages

Lipps Inc. - Funkytown

Released March 1980, Lipps Inc's Funkytown made Number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. 

I was four years old, and according to my parents, really digging this song.  Supposedly, I would make silly faces while singing "talk about it, talk about it, talk about it..."  Oh yes, the simple repetitive lyrics were probably addictive at that young age.      





I thought I would include this from Malcolm in the Middle, where Bryan Cranston skates to Funkytown.

Anne Frank's tree

I love reading the inflight magazines.  You know, the ones found in the pouch in front of your seat when flying somewhere.  They are the magazines that usually have stories of CEOs and such.  Sometimes, they can be a bit boring and a last-resort reading.

I came across an interesting story, however, about a tree Anne Frank wrote about in her diary.  Recently, the horse-chestnut tree saw its demise after a storm.  The article talked about how this new owner, Henric Pomes, purchased the Amsterdam home not knowing that the horse-chestnut tree was that written by Anne Frank.  The article further stated that Pomes had since taken an active role in preserving the tree.

Unfortunately, the tree died this past summer (August 2010); however, it was reported that a sprout was soon growing out of the stump.

Sources: Wikipedia; Hemispheres Inflight Magazine, December 2010

Tears for Fears - Mad World

Music Appreciation (A Retrospect)

Released in the UK in November 1982, Mad World introduced Tears for Fears to the world.  Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith formed Tears for Fears in the early 1980s and were influenced by great music artists such as Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, and Brian Eno.

I remember watching Tears for Fears music videos on MTV and even skating along with it at the local skating ring.  Almost every girl liked Tears for Fears, so us boys made it a point to like it as well.

It wasn't until the 90s when I purchased the Tears Roll Down: Greatest Hits when I first heard Mad World.  When I purchased the CD, I was on the verge of being classified as a juvenile delinquent.  I was 16 and my life-choices were screwed up. 

The songs' lyrics of life being insignificant contributed to my frustration and anger. 

"I find it hard to tell you, cause I find it hard to take, when people run in circles, it's a very, very, mad world."

Was I naive. 



Source: Wikipedia, metrolyrics.com

Visit my blog at http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/.

George Michael - Faith

Released on October 30, 1987, Faith was George Michael's first solo album after leaving Wham!.  Faith, the title track, hit the top singles chart in the winter of 1987.

Where was I in 1987?  I was 11 years old and I remember watching George Michael in tight jeans, black "Revenge" leather jacket, and cowboy boots swaying his butt with his acoustic guitar on MTV.   He was the man!  Chicks dug him.  He was every girls fantasy.  I even recall guys around my age and older wanting to emulate George Michael.  Torn jeans, cowboy boots, and aviator sunglasses were the style.

Sources: Wikipedia; Cash Box Top Singles - 1987

To view the video, please visit my website at http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/.