A Hamburg metro approaches Baumwall Station on a stretch along the city's port that is deemed to be one of the world's best public transit vista points.
Underground railways, or subways, are one of the many things the world's cities have in common. Ever since the construction of the world's first subway tunnel in New York's Brooklyn borough in 1850, subway trains have become an integral part of urban life, bringing people to school, work and to play. The concept of subways, undergrounds or metros remains the same in each city, but the design of the trains and their stations varies widely. In many cases, they are showcases for a city's distinct architectural style. The Metro Bits Web site gives us an inside view of subway stations around the world, from Berlin to Tashkent. It also provides a collection of metro logos and snapshots from the world's most spectacular subway scenery.
Hello? This is Brian Wilson. Yeah, the Guy from the Beach Boys.
Brian Wilson may have knocked his own credibility slightly at Live8 in Berlin by saying the immortal words "it's great we are gathered together for poverty and all that stuff," but at least he is putting his money where his mouth is. On his Web site he has pledged to match any donation of $100 or more to victims of Hurricane Katrina. And, as a special treat, he has offered to personally phone up every C-note donor. "What I really want for Christmas ..." the singer writes on his homepage, cannily mirroring the title of his up-coming album (available for pre-order next to the charity pledge), is " for all of you to donate, donate, donate."
New Orleans One Month Later
Almost one month after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of the United States, the aftermath of the storm is still making headlines. But it's no longer the misery of New Orleans or the horrendous damage suffered by Biloxi that's under the microscope. While cleanup in the Big Easy continues, cleanup in the halls of officialdom is also underway. On Tuesday, for example, the former head of FEMA, Michael Brown, who was forced to resign due to his organization's poor handling of the disaster, defended himself in congressional hearings. But some senators weren't having any of it. Also on Tuesday, the New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass quit without providing much in the way of explanation. He, along with virtually everyone in an official position in New Orleans, had been criticized for his handling of the disaster. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said he had not asked for Compass's resignation. Also, the New Yorker takes a look back at the federal government's handling of Hurricane Betsy in 1965.
Meanwhile, though, the Big Easy is slowly getting back on its feet. Bourbon Street is back to its partying ways and many are returning to those parts of the city not still underwater -- although even while welcoming its citizens back, the city of New Orleans has warned people of the many dangers that still lurk in the city. Finally, the Times Picayune reports that the violence at the Superdome and Convention Center wasn't nearly as bad as at first thought.
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