by Jacqueline Alexander

A FEW years ago, if you had wanted to visit the Seven Wonders of the World, it would have been quite a challenge as only one is still in existence.

Only the Great Pyramid of Giza still stands today which, considering it was built around 2560 BC, goes a long way to justifying the awe inspired by Egyptian construction techniques. The Pyramid has stood alone for many years as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria all succumbed to earthquakes, fire or the ravages of time.

Latterly, the Seven Wonders have became known as the Seven Ancient Wonders to differentiate between the original seven and new contenders that have been hailed as modern-day wonders, recommended for inclusion in a new list. Most recently, a new seven has been elected for the new millennium but the list has caused considerable controversy.

The organisers, a private group called the New7Wonders Foundation, developed the campaign online so everyone could vote via a website. It was an attempt to make the result a vote of the people but the system was flawed.

While the online voting system was designed to embrace the world as a voting entity, by its very nature it excluded those without access to the internet. The initiative did, however, attract a huge reaction which, according to the organisers, resulted in more than 100 million votes being cast.

So successful was the campaign that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, felt compelled to issue an official statement distancing itself from the “new” Seven Wonders.

It said: “There is no comparison between Mr Weber’s mediatised campaign and the scientific and educational work resulting from the inscription of sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The list of the Seven New Wonders of the World will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to the internet and not the entire world. This initiative cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites elected by this public.”

The countries involved, however, were reportedly sufficiently driven to ensure that their “Wonder” made it to the final list. Allegations of free phone calls, vote rigging and various levels of corruption all contributed to damaging the good intentions of the organisers.

Fortunately, the outcome became less important when the world realised the vote was of little consequence. It had no official recognition, there was no reward and there was no financial gain. Any pride taken in making it to the final cut was quickly nullified by the lack of approval of the campaign itself. Those who didn’t make the final seven could easily, and justifiably, argue that the vote was unreliable (or even corrupt) and therefore null and void.

What couldn’t be argued quite so easily was the fact that each of the entries on the shortlist is worthy of its place and could justifiably be categorised as “wonderful”.

As the locations are spread across the world, even if you have time to pop down to the nearest at Stonehenge, you would probably struggle to take a trip to Peru, China or India to discover the delights of Machu Picchu, the Great Wall or the Taj Mahal.

Luckily, you can take a virtual trip without leaving your armchair. It may not be quite the same as a first-hand experience but it’s quicker, cheaper and gives you the opportunity to make up your own mind as to who should be in the final seven.

The Seven Wonders section of Panoramas.dk offers you the opportunity to experience 360 degree, panoramic views of each of the locations. This is not video, nor is it a straight-forward photo-library. To give you an idea of what to expect, imagine standing in the middle of Wembley during the FA Cup Final or the middle of Rio during the festival. Now turn around on the spot and survey the scene that greets you. Look up. Now look down. Look left, then right. This is what you see with a 360 degree panoramic view. The image is static but you control the camera. If you want to see what is going on then just drag your mouse in that direction. It’s a complete picture of a moment in time.

Many of the new seven wonders are there (Petra, the Great Wall, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, Taj Mahal and the Colosseum) and quite a few on the shortlist, including the Eiffel Tower. Stonehenge doesn’t feature but as it’s only an hour or two down the road, it’s probably worth a trip in the real world.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

The news of Michael Jackson’s demise is still sending shockwaves across the world as his fans deal with the aftermath of his untimely death. The singer was never far from the top searches when he was alive and as the news organisations drip feed us information on his will, his family, his life and his death, it will be many years before that changes.

In sport, at the time of writing, Andy Murray is through to the semi-finals of Wimbledon and, as expectations continue to ride high for a British representative in the final, activity online is gaining momentum. Searches for Murray have risen by another 111 per cent this week. Fingers crossed.

AS the royal regatta returns for another year, we talk to competitors past and present to find out why Henley is special. Watch the video at www.henleystandard.co.uk.