Zurich - not only cheese and mountains

Capital of the most populated state within the whole of Switzerland, Zurich is famous for being a major centre of finance and many of the world's leading banks are gathered here. However, in recent years Zurich has enjoyed a period of change, ditching its rather staid appearance associated with banking, and adopting a more vibrant and exciting atmosphere, with a wealth of trendy eateries and shops.
Zurich is Switzerland's main commercial and cultural centre and sometimes called the Cultural Capital of Switzerland, the political capital of Switzerland being Berne. Zurich can be counted as one of the world's pre-eminent global cities. According to several surveys from 2006 to 2008, Zurich was named the city with the best quality of life in the world as well as the wealthiest city in Europe. Zurich it self has about 360.000 citizens, the Zurich metropolitan area has a population of about 1.68 million.
The city is situated where the river Limmat issues from the north-western end of Lake Zurich (Zurichsee), about 30 km north of the Alps. As a «metropolis of experiences» by the water, with a magnificent view of the snowcapped Alps on the horizon, Zurich offers a unique mixture of attractions – over 50 museums and more than 100 art galleries. From luxury to international brands, traditional businesses and urban Zürich labels – shopping in Zürich inspires both lovers of exclusive items and the fashion conscious. ‘Laedele’ is what Zürich residents call strolling through the many diverse districts of the city and the region's old towns to shop. Furthermore, Zurich owns the most flamboyant and lively nightlife in Switzerland. Recreational activities range from a visit to the riverside and lakeside bathing areas in the very heart of the city, to a spectacular hike on the Uetliberg mountain.

 

Text messages send on 9/11

by Jeanne Meserve and Mallory Simon, CNN, November 25th 2009:

"Newly released text messages reportedly from the morning of September 11, 2001, show panicked family members trying to contact loved ones and officials frantically trying to grasp what was happening.

More than half a million messages, released by whistleblower site Wikileaks, reveal the panic, horror and pain of what happened that morning in the words of those who experienced it.

On September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers commandeered four commercial jetliners, loaded with fuel for cross-country flights. Two were flown into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York, one crashed into the Pentagon, and another, headed for an unknown location, crashed in Pennsylvania when it was disrupted by passengers.

...

Wikileaks will not say if the source was in government, law enforcement, industry or was a private citizen with the capability to intercept messages."

Read the full article on the CNN Homepage.

Top 10 Web Moments of the Decade

by Paul Gaita, LA Times, November 20th 2009:

"The Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, released its list of the Top 10 Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade. The list, which covers everything from the rise of Craigslist to the 2008 presidential campaign, underscores the Internet's impact on major decisions in the lives of people around the globe.

The list is as follows:

Craigslist's expansion outside of its home turf of San Francisco, which revamped the accepted model of classified advertising. (2000)

The launch of Google AdWords, which, as the Webbys put it, "turned advertising on its head" by opening the marketplace to any business.(2001)

The launch of Wikipedia, which, with its 14 million articles in 271 different languages, unites readers and researchers from around the world to collaborate on educational and informational projects. (2001)

The closure of Napster, which in turn gave rise to a flood of media-sharing sites, from iTunes to Hulu (2001)

Google's IPO, which helped to turn the search engine, which claims Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Earth and a host of other innovations, into the most dominant and influential company of the decade. (2004).

The online video revolution, led by YouTube, which made amateurs into Web stars and further changed the means of how news, entertainment and advertising reaches the population. (2006)

Facebook opens to non-college students in 2006, the same year that Twitter launches. Both have immediate and lasting effects on both the course of social networking media, but also how people connect and interact with each other. (2006)

The debut of the iPhone, which turned smart phones into items of everyday necessity, and proved that there was indeed an app for every occasion. (2007)

The U.S. presidential campaign utilized the Internet to inspire (and at times, enrage) voters to become a part of the political process through online video, fund-raising and social media. The result was a completely new paradigm for American politics. (2008)

The protests over the Iranian presidential election of 2009 showed that social networking media like Twitter could be used as a force for positive change in a regime that, despite its best efforts, could not censor the will of the people and its technology. (2009)

And in other Webby news, the 14th annual Webby Awards will be announced in April 2010. The awards pay tribute to excellence on the 'Net in a variety of categories, including news, advertising and online film and video."

Exotic Delicacies

In the 50s and 60s of the past century the so-called Tiki culture was born in the USA, especially in the restaurant industry. The Tiki culture mainly refers to a theme used in Polynesian-style restaurants and clubs originally in the United States and then around the world. In this era Victor J. "Trader Vic" Bergeron not only invented the famous Mai Tai cocktail but also the Trader Vic's restaurant chain, offering a pot-pourri of exotic food and cocktails.
You can find Trader Vic's in more than 20 cities in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The Trader Vic's experience is based on four cornerstones: Decor, Food, Drinks, and Service. The decor is mainly based on Polynesian influences. The menu showcases the best of cuisines from around the world including Chinese, Japanese, Polynesian, Vietnamese, Thai, French, and Californian. Trader Vic’s today is famous for this custom-made wood-fired Chinese Oven which can be traced back over two thousand years to the Han Dynasty. I personally like to recommend the Indonesian Rack of Lamb. Moreover, the guests at Trader Vic’s can choose from over 200 cocktails and refreshing libations.

A funky family

Family Funk are a funk and soul band from London. Their first notable success was back in 2003 when they were invited to play for Prince William’s 21st birthday. Furthermore, they played beside Lionel Richie and supported for instance The Scissor Sisters. They have participated in tours throughout Europe, America, Asia and Australia.
Family Funk plays an electrifying sound capturing the spirit of old school funk and soul music. Featuring the best 70s and 80s classics, they deliver them in a style as refined as their own. Check out the demo section on their webpage and enjoy the funky beats.

Blog of the week 47/2009

Go Fug Yourself is the blog of this week and the first blog in this category, introducing a new blog every week which is related to our modern life.
Go Fug Yourself is a comedy fashion blog run by Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks. The blog presents a satirical and funny view on unfavorable chosen dresses and fashion disasters by celebrities.
So have a look on it, entertain yourself and learn how you shouldn't dress or pretty yourself :-)

Pirelli Calender 2010

The Pirelli Calender is probably the most famous calender in the world. It contributes rather on art than on being a piece of monthly organization. For more than 40 years, the best photographers of the world picture some of the most beautiful women in the world for the Pirelli Calender every year. It's popularity is also based on it's limited availability due to the fact that the calender is not buyable but only given as a corporate gift to a restricted number of important Pirelli customers and celebrity VIPs.
For the 2010 calender women like Lily Cole, Daisy Lowe and Marloes Horst have been invited to Brazil and photographed by Terry Richardson. The shown pictures are a few published appetizers of the Pirelli Calender 2010, photographed by Terry Richardson.

Cuba and human rights

The US organization Human Rights Watch recently published a new report, called "New Castro, same Cuba", about human rights in Cuba.

According to the report 40 people have been jailed because they are a "danger to the state" since Raul Castro reign the caribbean state. Additionally, 53 dissident prisoners, arrested when Fidel Castro ruled Cuba, are still in jail.
José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, stated that "Cubans who dare to criticize the government live in perpetual fear, knowing they could wind up in prison for merely expressing their views." Unfortunately it is common practice to punish or attack political protestants in Cuba. Yoanni Sanchez, a dissident cuban blogger running the blog Generation Y, said she have been picked up last week and beaten for about half an hour before being released.
Beside the still lasting US embargo on Cuban goods, there is no international pressure on the Cuban government forcing a living democracy and changes in the human right situation.

Blog started....

Hi followers, internet addicts and random readers.

Today I set up this blog in order to answer the question if it is possible to discuss topics covering our modern life in one single blog. The blog will discuss topics, issues and thoughts of our life in these days. The blog is not dedicated to a single subject such as internet, gossip or news - although this topics are considered from time to time. In contrast this blog aims on a broad range of topics covering our entire life, for instance socializing and society topics, discussion of important world news, food and drinks or the personal and professional road to success. If there are any topics you like to discuss or read about don't hesitate to tell me your suggestions and ideas.

All of you take care...
Noah.