Visions of NYC

This is a very cool tilt-shift photography compilation by Sam O'Hare:

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Cooper Union Building - Built in 5 minutes

I thought this time lapse of the Morphosis designed Cooper Union engineering building was pretty cool.

2010 Dawn of a New Decade

NEW YORK CITY-The US lodging industry continues to be buffeted by headwinds from a listless domestic economy. While the economy has exhibited signs of stabilizing, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recently turning positive and dramatic job losses abating, American corporations and consumers continue to spend less and save more. In addition, high oil costs and renewed terrorism threats continue to impede a full recovery. As borrowers with maturing mortgage instruments face a very challenging refinancing environment during the next 12 to 36 months, defaults on hotel real estate debt are anticipated to rise dramatically. Recent extensions of delinquent hotel debt obligations are leading to widespread loan modifications, foreclosures, and liquidations of all types of lodging facilities across the nation. Furthermore, lenders are becoming more inclined to dispose of their mortgagee positions rather than bear the risks associated with the capital and management intensiveness of hotel assets. [ more ]

What would Dubai World Sell....?

Interesting hoopla surrounding the speculation of what Dubai World will sell if they are unable to service their massive debt load.....[ more ]