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Designed by Moshe Safdie, the mastermind behind Singapore's awe-inspiring Changi Jewel, the 250-meter-tall sky bridge is the highest of its kind. Dubbed a horizontal skyscraper, it stretches 350 meters across four of the eight skyscrapers that make up Raffles City Chongqing, a multi-use riverside complex in the southwest China megacity. Aerial walkways also connect it to two more skyscrapers. The Exploration Deck, spanning over 1,500 square meters, is more than just a viewing platform. Raffles City Chongqing teamed up with National Geographic to create an exploration-themed exhibition. At the end of the tour, visitors will arrive at an indoor park...

Three levels of decking attached to a residential building collapsed on top of each other at the Jersey Shore Saturday, injuring at least 22 people, including some children. The collapse in Wildwood happened at around 6 p.m. during the annual New Jersey Firemen's Convention, which attracts thousands of current and former firefighters to the resort town. Cape May Regional Health System said 21 people were taken there, at least three of them children. Eleven patients had been released by 10 p.m., including all the children who were admitted, hospital spokeswoman Susan Staeger told The Associated Press. AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center...

Tourists visiting the Willis Tower SkyDeck in Chicago were left horrified when the protective layer of the attraction’s glass ledge cracked. The terrifying incident happened Monday on the Tower’s 103rd floor, which is the location of the deck that gives visitors a panoramic view of not only Chicago but also Lake Michigan and parts of Indiana. Visitors are encouraged to stand on the deck’s ledge so that when they look down they can see the city below them.

This is pretty cool- click on pic: At the link above you see the actual cockpit of the US Space Shuttle Discovery- note insulation panels installed over windows for re-entry- guess they get a little warm. Last week's final mission -completing 30 years of manned Shuttle flights- was completed by the Atlantis... some facts about the craft: The Space Shuttle was the first orbital spacecraft designed for reuse. It carried different payloads to Low Earth Orbit, provided crew rotation for the International Space Station (ISS), and performed servicing missions- the first one went up in the early days of the Reagan Administration,...

The deck, if it was built before 2004, is likely made of wood that contains enough chemicals to kill you. And you can still buy that lumber. It's called CCA Treated Wood. Local 12's Rich Jaffe looks at the poison planks upon which one family's disastrous dreams are built. Ten years ago, in the hills of Indiana, the McGuire family began building their dream home... but in months, their dream turned into a disaster which may eventually cost them their lives. Says Arthur McGuire, "This is a national issue, this ain't a Ripley County, Indiana issue, it ain't an Artie...

Now that we know who the RINOs in the senate truly are, how about a new pack of weasels? Who would you nominate for the ace of spades? Who is the highest card in the deck to go after. The only lesson the weasels understand is when they lose their seat. My fellow FReepers are creative. I would love to see a website and a published deck of RINO weasel cards. Who would you choose to go after first and what card would they be?

Yeah, DoctorZIn at Regime Change Iran needs your help to win the contest! DoctorZIn has been working as an advocate of the Iranian people here on FR and on blogsphere. He has been speaking up for the Iranians on several issues such as Nukes, Human Rights, Democratic change and freedom for the Iranian people. Recently the info he provided on the Anti-Israeli remarks of the Iranian president was heard by the US senate and a panel of influential people testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs That would be great if we show him our...

A handyman's guide to decks and other manmade disasters BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on May 28, 2000.) Today's Do-It-Yourself Project Is: How To Build a Deck. There's nothing like adding a deck to transform an ordinary home into a home attached to a mass of inexpertly nailed wood. And just imagine the family fun you'll have this summer with a deck! ''Come on, kids!'' you'll call to your children. ''Let's go out on the deck and have some fun!'' ''Shut UP,'' they'll gaily reply, because they are engrossed in a Sony PlayStation video...

BOGOTA, Colombia - The Ace of Diamonds? The supreme rebel commander known as "Sureshot" for his prowess in combat gets the honor. The guerrillas' ruthless military chief is the Ace of Spades. They both carry a $2.1 million bounty. It's Colombia's version of the famous deck of cards created for U.S. soldiers hunting down ousted Saddam Hussein and other leaders from the deposed Iraqi regime. Each Colombian card carries the name, photo and reward amount for a most-wanted insurgent leader on one side and the army's hot line on the reverse. Army officials plan this weekend to distribute 5,000 of...

Two of the three documents/articles below were prepared within The Vatican. The first document/article focuses on the present day China's persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in China ( commonly referred to as China's "underground Catholic Church"). The second document/article quotes Cardinal Etchegaray, retired president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He has frequently served as the Pope's diplomatic envoy. On 03 October 2003, he publicly denied the existence of a divide between the underground and Chinese government-recognized 'patriotic' Catholic Church. "There is only one Church with two faces," he said. "There is not one 'patriotic' Church and...

<p>The New Deal Carlos Serrao Blackjack is a simple game, but blackjack tables are fast becoming sophisticated hotbeds of surveillance technology. Casinos now monitor cards using invisible codes, track chips with radio-frequency tags, and scrutinize players through facial recognition software. The odds of winning are getting worse, too. Play at your own risk. 1. Spying on Players The second you walk into the joint, cameras record your mug and plug it into a facial recognition database. With thousands of electronic eyes scanning a casino floor, security can probably tell who needs to clip their nose hair. But they're looking for cheaters. When the database finds a match, a large fellow in a dark suit may boot the suspect. 2. Stacking the Deck A new technology from MindPlay reads invisible codes on cards as they're dealt from the shoe. The system knows, in real time, what players are holding and betting. Casinos can snare card counters by comparing their play with known counting strategies. MindPlay also helps dole out fairer comps because it tracks how much cash players drop. 3. Following the Money Conventional gaming chips are made entirely of plastic or clay. Newer chips in some European casinos conceal radio-frequency tags that make it easy to track inventory, betting patterns, and VIP status. A cashier can count 100 of the RF-tagged chips in seven seconds. So far, they're deployed solely in Europe, but US casinos will be on board this year. 4. Shaving the Odds A natural blackjack traditionally pays 1.5 to 1. But in recent years, casinos have discovered they can get away with lower payoffs - and players don't seem to mind. An ace plus that face card you just got may pay only 6 to 5: A $10 bet that once earned $15 yields only $12. Casino owners are laughing all the way to the bank.</p>

PARIS (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is the Ace of Spades and al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden a Joker in a provocative pack of French playing cards depicting "the 52 most dangerous American officials." A riposte to the "most-wanted" cards of Iraqi leaders issued to U.S. soldiers, the deck is the latest commercial offering by a radical thinktank whose conspiracy theory account of the September 11 attacks stormed French bestseller charts last year. "We've already sold some 2,500 decks. That's not bad considering we couldn't find anyone who was willing to print them at first," said Thierry Meyssan,...

For any Russian confused about the names and career highlights of the Bush Administration, help went on sale on Thursday. The "United Cards of America", Russia's answer to the US military's "Iraqi most-wanted" playing cards, features a 36-card round-up of key figures in Washington. From George Bush ("USA President since 2001, convinced that God has a plan for him") to the Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan ("second-most powerful man in the world"), and Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld ("the face of struggle with terrorism"), the cards are an attempt to teach Russians that what happens on the Volga is increasingly determined...

The capture by US troops in Iraq of Ali Hassan al-Majid widely known as "Chemical Ali" and the fifth most wanted fugitive on the Allied list is excellent news. So too is the killing, by an Israeli helicopter gunship, of Ismail Abu Shanab, the fifth most senior figure in Hamas. Both men are responsible for a great deal of killing. Both men would likely have killed more had they not been stopped. But, we are told, there is a difference. Majid's capture is a step toward a more peaceful Iraq. Abu Shanab's killing contributes to the cycle of violence. Majid's...

U.S. Says Hold Former Iraqi Interior MinisterSat August 9, 2003 10:41 AM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Saturday Saddam Hussein's interior minister, number 29 on its list of most wanted of 55, was in its custody. "Mahmoud Diyab al-Ahmed, number 29 on the coalition's list of most wanted government officials, is now under custody of coalition forces," Central Command said in a statement. "The former Iraqi Minister of Interior surrendered to coalition forces yesterday." The U.S. military had already announced his capture in July, but it was not immediately clear whether this was the same person....

Kathy Eder holds a deck of cards she designed in San Jose, Calif., Monday, July 14, 2003. Eder, a high school teacher, fed up with the Bush administration's popular playing cards featuring Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), ``Chemical Ali'' and other most-wanted Iraqis, is now selling her own deck, ``Operation Hidden Agenda.'' (AP Photo/John Todd)

Kathy Eder holds a deck of cards she designed in San Jose, Calif., Monday, July 14, 2003. Eder, a high school teacher, fed up with the Bush administration's popular playing cards featuring Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), ``Chemical Ali'' (wrong. A high school teacher and gets this wrong? figures) and other most-wanted Iraqis, is now selling her own deck, ``Operation Hidden Agenda.'' (AP Photo/John Todd)