Free Republic

The superlatives in China continue -- the latest symbol of China's "bigger is much, much better" ethos is open for business. Located in Chengdu (population 14 million), capital of Sichuan province in southwestern China, the New Century Global Center is the "largest freestanding building in the world," Chinese officials say. Though the words "world's largest" usually bring to mind an image of a towering skyscraper, this project actually isn't all that tall. But it's certainly big. At 500 meters long, 400 meters wide and 100 meters high, the 1.7-million-square-meter mega-structure is capable of housing 20 Sydney Opera Houses and almost...

Egyptian activists circulated on Saturday an online video showing what appeared to be Islamist supporters of ousted president Mohammad Mursi throwing two young men off a building during clashes in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. On Friday, clashes between opponents and supporters of Mursi flared in Egypt, killing at least 46 people nationwide, with the heaviest death toll registered in Alexandria. The footage of the young men thrown off a building in Alexandria’s Sidi Jaber has been widely circulated. One of the young men was killed; he was identified as Hamada Badr and activists say he was celebrating Mursi’s ouster...

A planning committee on Wednesday granted final approval for the construction of 69 east Jerusalem homes, an official said. Arabs from the Palestinian Authority (PA) said the move demonstrated that Israel was not serious about U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's peace efforts, although an Israeli diplomatic source quickly sought to distance the government from the move. "The municipal committee has today given its final approval for the construction of 69 homes in Har Homa in east Jerusalem," councillor Meir Margalit told AFP. The approval was granted by the planning committee just before Kerry took off for Amman on his...

Located in central Stockholm is the headquarters of Bahnhof, a Swedish Internet Service Provider and host with one of the coolest data centers on the planet. It gained notoriety a few years back as the former home of Wikileaks. Named Pionen White Mountains, it is located 30 meters (100 ft) under the granite rocks of the Vita Berg Park in Stockholm. The location was a former nuclear bunker and command center during the Cold War. It took more than two years to blast out the 141,000 cubic feet of extra space that Bahnhof needed to fit its backup generators and...

It was billed as China's Dubai: a cluster of sail-shaped skyscrapers on a man-made island surrounded by tropical sea, the epitome of an unprecedented property boom that transformed skylines across the country. But prices on Phoenix Island, off the palm-tree lined streets of the resort city of Sanya, have plummeted in recent months, exposing the hidden fragilities of China's growing but sometimes unbalanced economy. A "seven star" hotel is under construction on the wave-lapped oval, which the provincial tourism authority proclaims as a "fierce competitor" for the title of "eighth wonder of the modern world". But the island stands quiet...

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon condemned Wednesday the decision to build hundreds of homes in Jerusalem. At a meeting of the UN Security Council, Ban said he was "concerned" about the construction plans... He called upon Israel to "avoid this dangerous path."

(11-29) 12:56 PST San Francisco -- Things are looking up for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's controversial plan to transform the old tank factory and postal facility at 390 Main St. into a suitable place for regional agencies to cohabit - particularly the price tag. The estimated cost now stands at $218 million, which is $38 million higher than the original estimate from July 2011 but $51 million more than the most recent estimate, adopted in November 2011. (The projected cost fell after the agency bought the building at a lower price.)

Leave it to legendary Walter Pincus from the Washington Post to flesh out a Request for Proposal construction project planned for Israel called Site 911. The oddly named project will cost up to $100 million, take more than two years to complete, and can only be built by workers from specific countries with proper security clearances. Palestinians need not apply. When complete the well-guarded compound will have five levels buried underground and six additional outbuildings on the above grounds, within the perimeter. At about 127,000 square feet, the first three floors will house classrooms, an auditorium, and a laboratory —...

Some architects believe that in order to build the sustainable cities of the future, we need to look back to the log cabin era and build “skyscrapers” out of wood. Just over a century ago, the architects and engineers who invented the skyscraper set us on the path to becoming an urban world. Tall buildings of concrete and steel helped make urban density—and the increased sustainability that comes with it—possible. But the buildings themselves come at a heavy, and often hidden, environmental price. Concrete and steel are some of the most energy-intensive materials on the planet. The manufacture and transport...

Comparison A 220-story Sky City tower in the Chinese city of Changsha could take the crown as the world's tallest skyscraper next March with an astounding height of 2,749 feet, edging out the mega Burj Khalifa that currently stands 2,722 feet over Duba

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The FDNY is at a high-rise under construction in Midtown where a crane has collapsed. The call came in around 2:30 p.m. Monday at the building on West 57th Street. The top of the crane, about 75-stories up, could be seen dangling down from the luxury building. WATCH LIVE: CBS 2 | LISTEN NOW: 1010 WINS | WCBS 880 All residents of buildings on West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues have been ordered to move to lower floors. All others have been told to avoid the area. There is no falling debris, but the...

Hamas, also known as the “Islamic Resistance Movement,” is an organization that has engaged in countless suicide bombings, against unarmed civilians. 50% of their funding comes from the Saudis through “Islamic charity organizations.” The acts of Islamic terrorism by Hamas have been aimed primarily at killing Jews. The US State Department, Canada, Japan, Israel and the entire European Union have named Hamas as an Islamic terrorist organization. The Hamas Charter, identified Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and declares its members to be Muslims who “raise the banner of Jihad.” The Hamas charter states that “our struggle against the...

If you want to get these alerts directly, click here. A letter has been prepared and is waiting for you to send at AzCDL's Legislative Action Center. Current law allows the operator of any state or local government property, choosing to ban firearms, to simply slap up a “no firearms” sign while doing nothing to ensure the safety of those entering the property. HB 2729 would require them to also control access to the property using law enforcement officers, or armed guards and metal detectors, and would allow the operator of the property to be sued if they don’t comply...

The Peace Now organziation has just released a new report that details the amount of housing units being built in Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. According to the report there was a "20% rise in construction starts... at least 1,850 building starts for housing units..." ....

Is Obama Building A Bunker Under The White House Lawn? Zeke Miller | Nov. 28, 2011, 9:37 AM | 10,060 | 54 A A A inShare4 White House Hole Bunker Image: Charles Dharapak/AP Photo See Also: The White House Wants You To Know How Much You'll Lose If The Payroll Tax Cut Expires The White House Wants You To Know How Much You'll Lose If The Payroll Tax Cut Expires WATCH: Romney's First Campaign Ad Tries To Pass Off McCain Quote As Obama WATCH: Romney's First Campaign Ad Tries To Pass Off McCain Quote As Obama Obama Bites Lip Jobs...

What we instead need are more free markets and more liberty – for history has shown that this is the way for our country’s restored greatness – both as a nation but also for the general populace. To that end, we will be rallying on December 3rd at 11:30 a.m. on the West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol to show support for free market capitalism. Additionally, we will be having a charity drive for a charity to be determined to help show that voluntary contributions – not forced altruism at the hand of the government – is the most...

The government claims to be in favor of allowing Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria to grow “naturally,” expanding incrementally to ensure that children and grandchildren are able to remain in the towns where they grew up, if they so wish. In reality, though, no practical steps have ever been taken to ensure this minimum growth in Yesha, with the result being that many Yesha towns are experiencing severe housing shortages, since the government will not allow wide-scale expansion in these towns, despite the huge demand for housing by young couples. MKs Ya'akov Katz (Ketzaleh), chairman of the National Union,...

Ferry Building merchants and managers are fed up with the mayhem that has come with the nearby Occupy SF encampment. A spike in shoplifting, break-ins and reports of abandoned human waste — and a reported drop in foot traffic — has management fuming about the Justin Herman Plaza encampment. There even are reports of occupiers using the building’s restrooms as washrooms — with folks taking sponge baths from toilets. And last Monday, eight men were allegedly escorted out of the building after they attempted to use the bathrooms wearing nothing but their boxer shorts. Property manager Jane Connors has written...

The United Nations is in the final stages of obtaining approval to build a new high-rise on the Robert Moses Playground, located near the U.N. headquarters in New York City. The building, excluding the price of land and security, is estimated to cost $350–$475 million and would provide a home for U.N. offices that are currently dispersed throughout New York. Heritage Foundation fellow Brett Schaefer points out that with America paying for 22 percent of the U.N.’s budget, taxpayers could be on the hook for a large portion of the new building’s cost.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Builders started construction on fewer new homes in August, government data showed Tuesday, underscoring how the depressed U.S. real estate market shows little sign of recovering. Housing starts fell 5% to an annual rate of 571,000 last month, compared with a downwardly revised 601,000 in July, the Commerce Department said. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected housing starts to fall to 590,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis.