now, andrew lawrence, the man behind the skyscraper index.ctor of property research at barclays capital here in hong kong. he explains the index like this, skyscraper construction is characterized by bursts of intense activity with easy-to-get credit, rising land prices and excessive optimism. by the time those skyscrapers are finished with be this happens, the economy has slipped into recession. with china and india pushing skyward, economists suggest their economies may come crashing back to the grounded. >> it will always lag the cycle because it takes so long to build them out. speaking of that historical perspective, how close is the correlation between the booms and the busts? >> right, andrew. it's pretty convincing when you take a look at the boom and bust cycle around world. first of all let's head back to 1930 first. this is new york's empire state building. it became the world's tallest building when it opened. that was just as the great depression was hitting the united states. that lasted for more than ten years. closer to the pr

skyscrapers and everything. j hammer henry mallet [inaudible] could barely fit hammer poking out like natural man's skyscraper to the concrete for deep machine sleep abouts income. don't go john henry traffic man, don't go across that street. the flood song poems were poems written in reaction to katrina. how can i enter that space of writing poems about that. i'm not from there and don't have family there. who benefits from that tragedy? who benefits from that disregard for humanity and the thought animals would benefit from that. this first poem is flood songs number 4 mosquitoes drinking didy. >> drink every hour next up this hour and every hour after. was born in the river there is enough to go around. drink every hour on the hour and every hour after. in the river there is enough to go around. drink every hour. there is enough to go around. drink every hour and every hour after. go to the river there is enough to go around. drink up the hours and every after burned down by the river -- drink air land is her

guys know who i want to move on to this story because the barclays capital study says the world skyscraper mania over the past one hundred forty years is actually not paying off it's an indicator of an imminent financial collapse the study points out the new york construction boom that the chrysler and empire state building came out of the pursuit of the great depression also dubai built the world's tallest building before having to be bailed out by. the question of who's next we don't know i mean china is home to fifty three percent of the hundred twenty four skyscrapers currently under construction. and i don't know what you think you think this could actually be a predictor of financial crises who's trying to build the tallest skyscrapers and wasting all their money there's no question command ever learns from the tower of babel remember what god that he destroyed. and he spread humanity across the globe they were all babble about different languages something that we had to do by the challenge and they're trying to build these cathedrals the space for god to become deities with credit

this huge bubble of skyscraper buildings, they may not sell them.hey could be experiencing what we experienced earlier. >> gregg: india has just two skyscrapers but they are in the process of building 14 more including the second tallest building the tower of india, what about india? >> we know they are non-performing loans, which is an accurate indicator, grew a third at the beginning of the fiscal year. already we're seeing signs that there are problems there. so why are they building skyscrapers. >> gregg: let's not build any. we'll have a healthy economy. >> i'm not so sure. it is interesting. >> gregg: we work in manhattan and there are too many tall buildings. >> heather: gop presidential hopefuls is turning sections into a political battleground. they are there with the first statewide convention and want to shift the balance of power in washington. that is up next. >> also coming up, very latest what is being called the worst major cruise ship disaster in recent memory. >> my husband finally got on. we were so fortunate that we made it on a

few skyscrapers are constructed without the advice of a feng shui master, and raymond lo is one of a handful of grand masters. >> definitely, hong kong is a feng shui city. you can see hong kong is such a tiny spot in such a big country. why hong kong is so unique? because it enjoys the best feng shui. >> nury vittachi is an internationally syndicated columnist and author of over 30 books, including several about feng shui. >> one of the great things about hong kong is that it's very rational and businesslike but at the same time, we believe in magic and we take it very seriously. >> feng shui is about more than tall buildings. people here practice it in their apartments and gardens and in their lives. >> feng shui means that it is an ancient chinese knowledge which is talking about how the environment will affect people's well being. so the chinese has discovered in their environment that different kind of energy. some are good energy, which make you improve your health, improve your relationship with people and also improve your money. and there are negative energy which will do th

skyscrapers. it will be unveiled at the l.a. county museum of art. so cool. now for a look at the national weather, we turn to bill karins with the weather channel forecast. i feel like we need to preface this by saying the weather man is under the weather. >> it's guaranteed i'll have the deepest voice on the network today. >> i like it. >> yeah, it's down there like james earl jones. >> barry white maybe. >> as long as it doesn't crack. >> sounding pretty sexy for this time of day, bill. >> yes. headed for the late night. good morning, everyone. interesting forecast today. we have snow out there. heavy rain. it's a busy morning weatherwise. only areas that are going to deal with any significant amounts of snow is northern new england up in the mountains. albany, troy right now. we have snow mixing in with sleet. temperatures are starting to rise. anywhere from the capital district northern mass, southern new hampshire, vermont, that's where the snow is currently. boston. started off as a little

fiscal union is being carved out through this crisis and want to see if it results in this big skyscraper like we see in new york or to the ground you mentioned china i want to talk about china after the break we're going to go to break when we come back we'll have more with mark chandler support for x. specialists. all right it's time now for word of the day when we break down a financial term or concept for our very smart viewer but perhaps not the financial expert and today very fittingly it is four x. and why is it important well for one you've heard our guest is a four x. specialist and we're talking about it today and here is another example of it being used here is a headline from the wall street journal war world forex euro falls on concerns over debt worries economy we were just talking about this so all our viewers are very familiar with the euro's problems we talk about him a lot and europe's debt worries but what exactly is it is this here's the definition the market in which currencies are traded very simply the forex market is the largest most liquid market in the world it i

his metropolis 2 sculpture is after roadways interpofen between hundreds of skyscrapers. it will be unveiled saturday on he at the los angeles county mutual of art. >>> here is bill karins with your weather forecast. only traffic really moves like that in los angeles, though? >> many cities. atlanta. >> and our weatherman is under the weather so we are going easy on you today. >> the last two days was like a james earl jones. today like a 15 yearly. you never know when i will start cracking. >> if you want my pen and draw the numbers and i'll hold them up. >> sign numbers. see if i can get through it. >>> snow and heavy rain is changing over to snow in northern portions of new england. finally cold enough and mostly talking albany, new york, northwa northward. vermont and new hampshire and maine the only locations enough snow. as far as snowfall predictions go 2 to 3 inches in maine and not a big deal. boston to springfield not expecting much at all and the berkshires the white and green mountains here and adirondacks of northern new york but that is where the ski areas a

not so long ago these living skyscrapers were not unusual part of a more than 2 million- acre forest.but in the last 550 years loggers have forested 65% of the old growth -- leaving less than 150 acres and much of that is in protected heart land such as this. tall trees but cleared undergrowth for sightseeing and picnics. the 3,000 acres are different, you have to trudge through. and and it's privately owned by the pacific lumber company. the slash on each tree means ready for harvest. >> i believe we have enough forest preserved for everyone to enjoy. >> does that private company pacific lumber have the right to shut them down. >>> we are in a business to make money. >> for more than 250 years, the pacific company was the model for responsible logging. the family owned company cut less and planted more than its competitors yet still managed to make a profit. but in 1986, texas financier tied junk bonds to take over. after the costly take over, herwood needed to do something. so he ordered pacific lumber to accelerate its tree cutting, cut more, sell more. in fact, almost overnight pa

it's almost like a skyscraper, in fact, in its size and complexity. a skyscraper that is now half submerged on its side and still very dangerous and unstable and something they want to check as quickly as they can. but they are not going to give up until they know they have everyone out. >> cnn's dan rivers, thank you for your report. >>> in politics now, six days before the south carolina primary, and jon huntsman picks up an endorsement. a live report from south carolina is next. >>> and later, a nasty legal battle over the burial of an african-american christian woman in a jewish cemetery. and i'm thinking, "shouldn't you have more energy than me? you're, like, eight!" [ male announcer ] for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. simple. effective. advantage: mom. let's fight fat with alli ♪ >>> just a few weeks ago, a lot of pun dants thought rick santorum didn't have a prayer. now it's a different story after a conference in texas with less than a week before the key

we had a guy a few years ago show up unannounced with a 10- story modular skyscraper. i just want to see what is going to happen. [laughter] >> speaking of what is going to happen, looking at the activities going on around the monumental art, the people that are in this emancipated state of mind, how does it stack up to the average city, as far as number of injuries and such, in that window of time? >> it is a remarkably safe place, actually. there is no pavement. [laughter] and you cannot drive your car. that eliminates most injuries right there. it may feel like the world is coming to an end when the dust rises and the colts the world, but it is not. it is true, your habitation could blow away if you do not secure it. but that is not the end of the world. [laughter] in terms of public safety, it is very -- and we have emergency response times that would be the envy of any city that size. we are very well organized. you are more likely to fall in your bathtub and break your hip. there are some typical injuries, but mild. we have had a couple of deaths, but from natura

. >>> more than 1,200 explosive devices were used to demolish a houston skyscraper. a series of explosions reduced the 20-story building to a pile of rubble in less than 20 seconds. the implosion was planned after asbestos and an aging foundation made thatuilding too costly to maintain. >>> and finally, new york's subway was the sight of another bizarre big apple phenomenon. uh-huh, for the 11th year commuters stripped down their skivvies to take part in the no-pants subway ride. it was one rally at one station to celebrate the practical annual joke. the underwear prank was pulled, no pun intended, in washington, london, washington, d.c., and mexico. >>> now for a look at your national and regional weather here's nbc meteorologist bill karins with the weather channel forecast. you know what? hey, it could have been worse weather to pull your pants down. >> it's true. i think the best would be you get the tourists from out of town, they're on the train and all of a sudden these people come on in their boxers. explain that that to your kids. good morning everyone and w

. >> among the gloom of some of the skyscrapers, this is one of the few chinese cities that has preserved its colonial past. this hotel was founded by a british methodist missionary in the 1860's. there is no love for the colonial power and the dynasty that accommodated them except in the travel and tourism trade. we are now in the original hotel. >> we work here and other people say this is the place of our hotel. the emperor and empress used to dance here very often. >> well, i feel lucky here already. >> there was no freedom whatsoever when foreigners did as they pleased and a feeble china. now, the bar is not reserved for foreigners. these are the new chinese middle-class, happier talking about sex in the city than the little red book. do you feel as free as a woman in the west? >> we feel free. we can do the things we want. >> know you can't. you can't change your government. >> why do we have to change our government? >> don't you want the right to decide the laws under which you live? >> we have the right to decide some things. >> you cannot get rid of the communist party. >> why w

it only took a few seconds for well placed demolition chargers to bring down a 20-story skyscraper, thed away to make room for new facilities, no word on how long it will take to clean up the dust. i'm sure it was everywhere. >> i'm sure it was. sure it was neat to see, too in person. >>> still to come at noon, a cool and cloudy start to the week, stick around your forecast 2 and a half minutes away. >> here is a look at today's midday stocks. ,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> welcome back. we can see there is a storm making its way south of the state. it's close enough we are seeing a little bit of rain, basically from annapolis, to the eastern shore. it's going to spread to north as we head through the day. the chance for a couple of showers, south, chance for rain. let's show you what we got going on. the clouds came in , the clouds are in place. a little bit of the rain and take a look on this image. some of it showing up in the form of blue. air is dry. the temperature will drop as it starts to fall through the atmosphere and wouldn't be surprised if the rain showers were mixed with snow fla

they're making their way through the equivalent of a toppled skyscraper in shifting dark and deadly waters. visualize that. we talked to butch hendrick of life guard systems tells us the process of rescue and recovery could take weeks. tonight, he will show us why. >> we start tieing a line off on the outside of the vessel. then that will be run, with me, attached to me, into the first compartment we are going to enter. every time i make a turn, i'm going to do a tie off, so what ends up happening, at no point do i have compromised my safety line that will take me back out. right now, what we've done, if you will, is that i came in straight in from the tie-off point outside. i will now make a complete 90 degree left turn. i will go further up into the wreck. to do that, i can't just let my line, my tracer, i can't allow it to make turns around pillars where it could get caught. so what we've done, we've gone directly interior, straight, tied off, and now i make a perfect right angle -- sorry, left angle turn, at 90, to go straight into the next compartment. looking at the most recent pictu

fireworks were launched from seven skyscrapers and bargeses. the show cost $6.5 million. >>> in taiwan tens of thousands gathered in front of the 101 building to celebrate the new year. the display of 30,000 fireworks lasted over three minutes. it marks the beginning of the 101st year of the republic of china, taiwan's formal name. >>> this is the first photo of the recovered squirrel monkey believed stolen from the san fransisco zoo early friday morning. vandals cut through a back gate and made two holes into the mesh surrounding the monkey enclosure. the 17-year-old monkey was missing. the monkey was found. banana sam is in good health, say zookeepers. >> he looks good. he was shaken up. he was definitely very hungry, very thirsty, and trembling, but he looks good considering the circumstances. >> banana sam won't be on exhibit for a while. he needs to recover and the exhibit is closed for renovations but he'll be back on view when the exhibit reopens. >>> san fransisco police are trying to untangle the events after a machete attack that left

know, you look around, and you want things to be on a human scale so we intentionally don't build skyscrapersg, sprawling buildings. >> what does power high at uva is academic achievement. the school produces more rhodes scholars than any other state university. when it opened its doors in 1825 uva had 123 students. today there are more than 20, 0 20,000, and it all started with the vision of one extraordinary man. would you say that his presence is still felt here today? >> yes. i think it casts a long shadow and i think there is a sense that mr. jefferson is just around the corner. >> recently, uva joined harvard and princeton in eliminating early decision applications, saying they were unfair to some students. that's the kind of radical move thomas jefferson would have been proud of. if you play the guitar and you know how frustrating it can be to tune it just right. now a special guitar is coming on the market that tunes itself, but at over $2,000, some might find the price tag a bit off key. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ garrett, fox news channel in the classroom. >> if you're in hift eric, perhaps i just t

more than 1200 explosive devices were used to demolish a houston skyscraper. look at this. a series of explosions reduced the 20-story building to a pile of rubble in less than 20 seconds. the implosion was planned after asbestos and an ageing foundation made the building too costly to maintain. >>> and the bird-watching world is abuzz with excitement over the arrival of a rare duck in california. fowl enthusiasts from across the country are flocking to the wildlife refuge where the duck can be spotted. the species strayed far off course. >>> finally, new york's subway was the site of another big apple bizarre phenomenon 3. for the 11th year in a row, riders stripped down to take part in the no-pants ride. they held a celebration to celebrated the annual joke. the underwear prank was pulled, no pun intended, in dozens of other cities including washington, d.c. and mexico city. whi quite a party there. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's bill karins with the weather channel forecast. not a bad weekend to pull that kind of stunt. >> i guess if you're

a skyscraper that's been paf for >>> that's cool. >> that is cool.craper that has been part of houston's landscape for more than 60 years, it was imploded. i don't know why i love to watch these things. >> i was going to say, we're demeanted. we love to see things that blow up. >> the destruction of the 20 story 25,000 square foot building was spectacular as you saw. the building opened as prudential insurance company's southwest regional headquarters in 1952. it officially closed last year. >> lear is the problem. they blew up the wrong building though. >> no. >> oops. >>> if you are going to have a mishap, it is best motto have it happen when you are -- not to have it happen when are you bungee jumping. >> probably an important thing. but an australian woman's cord snaps in africa. erin langworthy's legs were still tied and the 22-year-old said she had to dive several times down to free her ropes from the rocks and this was after the fall and swam to shore through some very strong rapids. >> it went black right away and i felt like i had been slapp

steel project with the skyscraper. that was shot down because people spoke up. there was a proposal to pave the northeast corner of the bay to create a walking mall, commercial area here that was struck down because people spoke up. the issue here today is up- zoning, scaling up by five stories of space that is an historic district, makes no sense. the other issue is what people can see. my organization is often challenged, and in the interest of people who live in that area, we are there to protect our view. this up-zoning would destroy the views of those people that come to the ferry building to enjoy the view of coit tower. i stood in front of the ferry building just yesterday. although there are some pretty picture that the developers submitted, but in this project were built, nobody would be able to see coit tower or telegraph hill. people who visit, who live here, shop, would dramatically change things, the experience of people on the waterfront and attach them from the rest of the city. let me speak to three issues, the waterfront plan being first. the wa

now it's complety automobiles and skyscrapers among the tallest in the world and places that were just little hamlets of 20,000 people are now metropolitan areas of five or ten million people. it is phenomenal growth using smart phones everywhere you go. the transformation is just astounding. >> when you look at them today with the kind of familiarity you have had and are going to acquire,ow would you characterize h they see-- they see-- thenext 25 years for china. >> i think they have a growing confidence in their ability and because they even put a man into space they are modernizing their military by leaps and bounds. they built huge cities that rival anything that you've seen anywhere in the world. they have a great deal of confidence and very self-assured in terms of their abilities. but they still, i tnk, a very... among the people very confident and looking forward to the future. >> rose: some make this distinction that china while it is on a worldwide search to tie up contracts for natural resources which it looks for as a source for theirwn future growth that they are not by n

skyscrapers in the district?the way it is. >> we can be the one big city that doesn't have skyscrapers. >> it feels very neighborhoody, very small town even though it is a big city. >> i still agree. we still have lots of company here. >> up in of us are the mayor last i checked. >> but today i am announcing -- well, i'll wait. >> you better be more careful. you might get more support than you think. >> he's like wait. i wasn't anticipating this. >> let's get started. i want to talk about the dense fog advisory that is in effect until 9:00. it is not for everybody. it is counties you see here in gray. it does for the include the district of columbia. does not. but it does include some close- in counties including montgomery county, fairfax county, loudoun county. and all the counties that you see here. frederick, maryland, you've got it. leesburg, all of these areas under a fog advisory. visibility down to a quarter mile or less. right now at reagan national, visibility is at half a mile. that fog is pretty dense

among the gloom of some in the skyscrapers, this is one of the few chinese cities to have preserved its colonial past. this hotel was founded by a british methodist missionary. this woman and her friends are the new chinese middle class, happier talking about "sex in the city" than little red book. >> we feel free. we can do what we want. >> know you can't. >> what do you mean? >> you can't change your government. >> why do we want to change of government? >> you might not want to but you don't have the freedom to do it. don't you want the right to decide at a loss under which you live? >> we have the right to decide something. >> you cannot get rid of the communist party. >> why do we need to get rid of it? >> if you might not like it. >> why do we have to change it? this is our government. they give us jobs, to give us close, food, everything. maybe the definition of the freedom that you mean, maybe this is different from ours. >> freedom is a relative term and the chinese people may well be more free than they have ever been. maybe we worry too much about the definitions and maybe th

. >> but think about a lightning rod at the top of a skyscraper, those things get struck over and overecause they're meant to direct lightning and this guy was going to attract that bolt of lightning. >> the production of the film was funded by jagermeister. >> well, that sounds to me like a big promotion now. >> the jagermeister logo has the big antlers on the bottle. he's putting antlers on. this is promotional b.s. for sure. especially if it's funded by jagermeister. good job, jagermeister. >> people are talking about it. >> yeah. >>> all right, everybody, that's going to do it for today's rtm top ten "countdown." we hope you enjoyed yourselves. we'll leave you with one last video it's called a beautiful day at the dog park. ♪ day at the dog park. ♪ ♪ -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

land of palm trees and skyscrapers where there is dollars enough for cell phones, sports cars and [inaudible] by the trunk full. where a suitcase of cocaine is as easy to buy as a broken stemmed rose from his white bucket. how much for that hand full of rose buds? for fingers go up. he makes change for a 20, returns clefrjed winched with b. you tip him a couple of dollars, so what. every love struck couple stairing into each other's eyes. every loner with a half empty beer even a waitress after a shift receives a visit from john nitto. he returns to the faces above the steaming plates before he's out into the neon lit street leaving behind a trail of rose petals bark as sacrificial hearts. thank you. [applause]. >> whenever i had writer's block i do research so i thought i would redo a section which started as writer's block and it took place in a library. i think all you need to know is my narrater is 19. the object of affection is 21. max's mother is a piannist and also polish. >> i saw little of rose after she moved her 2 valises into the nurses room on valentine's day of 1939. she did no

his metropolis 2 sculpture is modeled after roadways interwoven between hundreds of skyscrapers.he artist's work will be unveiled to the public on saturday at the l.a. county museum of art. so cool. >>> now for a look at the regional weather here's bill karins with the weather channel forecast. good morning, bill. >> you are going to make fun of my voice before you hear it. >> i know what it sounds like. i have been working with you all morning. bill is under the weather, but he's hanging in there. >> i feel fine, i just -- if i keep this voice, i'm thinking i want one of the voice-over rolls, the people who do the movie trailers. >> you can do barry white in a heartbeat. >> i just can't carry a tune. good morning, everyone. we have an ingerties change in the forecast this weekend on the west coast. as of now it's the same old, it is dry, pretty mild out there. the storm system going through the east to cause a lot of airport delays to end with traveling in chicago, new york, boston, anywhere with the big destinations will have issues. but airports in the west will be fine for yo

among the gloom of so many skyscrapers, he is one of the few chinese cities that is helped preserve its colonial past. this hotel was founded by a british methodist missionary in the 1860's. they are the new chinese middle- class, happier talking about " sex in the city. " >> we feel free. we can do the things we want. >> yes. >> you can not change your government. >> why do we have to change the government? >> don't you want the freedom to do it? don't you want the right to decide the laws under which you live? >> you can not to get rid of the communist party. >> why do we need to get rid of them? >> why do you have to change it? this is our government. >> the definition of the freedom you mean, maybe it is different from ours. ♪ >> freedom is a relative term and chinese people may well be freer than they have ever been. maybe we worried too much about the definition and maybe the amazing growth of china can continue forever. if it cannot, perhaps things more intangible down the latest electronic plaything will come to seem more important. >> you have been watching "newsday." president