A Mile-High Skyscraper Planned For Saudi Arabia

It's only been about a year since the Burj Khalifa topped out as the tallest building in the world.  Now the Saudi's are ready to one up their bankrupt neighbors.  They announced today that a mile-high skyscraper has been given the greenlight for downtown Jeddah.  It's a city whose name sounds like something from STAR WARS and the building itself certainly looks like something George Lucas might have dreamed up. But actually, the notion of a mile-high skyscraper dates back to the 1950s.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed a building called The Illinois that would have been the first to hit the mile-high mark.  His tower looked like something from Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS and would have housed about 100,000 people, 20,000 more than the building the Saudi's are planning.  (Strangely enough, the design of the Burj was reportedly inspired by his Illnois sketches.)  But Wright's building was considered unfeasible because the majority of it's slim interior would have been taken up by elevators.

He would be happy to see that someone is pressing forward with his somewhat whimisical notion. Though I'm sure he'd rather it be happening somewhere in the United States. Of course, the cost of such buildings is prohibitive for commercial developers wanting to make money. The Saudis tower is estimated to cost over 30 billion US dollars.  The new World Trade Center building, by comparison, is considered outrageously expensive at 3 billion dollars...and that building will top out at a mere 1776 feet.

The Next Saudi Arabian Idol?

In Saudi Arabia, there is a hit show on national television that looks just like the top US show, "American Idol". It has a flashy set, dramatic lighting, intense music. The only difference is that instead of songs, the Saudi idols recite poetry. That's right....poetry. On television.

The show is called "Millions' Poet" and is taped in Abu Dubai. Each week a new round of men stand at the center of a stage that has all the glitzy trapping's of an "Idol" set and they recite their own personally penned poetry about subjects like family life and the desert. But what's even more remarkable is that during last week's finale, one of the five finalists was a woman.

Hissa Hillal, a 43 year old mother draped in a niquab, defied convention by reciting poetry critical of consersvative Muslims. For taking such a brave and daring step, Ms. Hillal did not win the top prize which was expected. But, even in third place, she took home more than 600K....which is more than most US poets have ever made in a lifetime. However, what she really gained was worldwide recognition, including being named ABC News' Person Of The Week (I've posted the story below). It's a fascinating look at a remarkable woman and well worth watching. But I still can't get over the idea of a poetry contest on television. That's something even PBS wouldn't dare try in this country!