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The Seven Wonders Reconsidered
Of the Seven Wonders of the World compiled by Greeks more than 2,000 years ago, the only one still in existence is the pyramids of Giza, Egypt.
(By Amr Nabil -- Associated Press)
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Unlike in earlier rounds, organizers say, the winning wonders will be based solely on votes cast. To avoid obsessive ranking, the final seven will be announced as a group, with no specific vote tallies.
According to Viering, as of Jan. 31, the top seven vote-getters were Petra, the pyramids, the Great Wall, the Taj Mahal, the Easter Island statues, the Colosseum in Rome and the Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru. The Statue of Liberty has stubbornly remained in the bottom seven for most of the campaign, she said.
Organizers note high enthusiasm for the vote in developing countries where the Internet is in its infancy, with people sometimes generating votes with chain letters and the like. In 2002 in China, for instance, as many as 10,000 people a day were casting ballots, according to the foundation's Web site.
Schools also are involved, using teaching aids on the foundation's Web site for history and geography classes.
In an effort to promote thoughtful consideration of the sites, voters on the Web site ( http:/
Including corporate sponsors, voting fees and other donations, Viering said in an e-mail, "funds raised and investment in the campaign since the beginning has been in the eight figures." Although the group's financial statements are open to the public because of its nonprofit status, she said, precise information about finances is not currently available because the group's staff of six is focusing for the next four months on getting out the vote.
In Internet chatter about the campaign, some people call it pointless, commercial and self-promoting. Others call it harmless fun or a valuable effort to protect the world's heritage.
Matt Rosenberg is among those on about.com suggesting a different kind of modern wonder, the creation of the state of Israel. Another blogger suggested German chocolate cake.
"I have been laying on my lawn for the last three weeks straight without moving," Nick Young wrote on the Google Earth blog. "I hope that google satellites will take pictures of me and everyone will vote it to be one of the seven wonders of the world."
