Dubai International Financial Center.

Another piece of remarkable architecture has been unveiled in Dubai, This new mega-structure is the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), It has been nicknamed ‘The Lighthouse.’ It will be a 66-story office tower.

The Lighthouse is said to have over 84,000 square meters of commercial space and will also include a convention center, Car parking, retail shops, and an environmental visitor center and park connected to the Dubai International Financial Center central spine.

A great deal of importance has been placed on the building’s future impact on local and global resources. It is still only in development but plans are in place for all materials in the tower to be selected from sustainable sources. The Lighthouse will serve as a working prototype for future low carbon towers in the region, promoting more sustainable developments.

The Lighthouse will strive to make low carbon commercial towers a reality in Dubai and it will reduce the total energy consumption by up to 65% and the water consumption by up to 40%. The height and shape of The Lighthouse play pivotal roles in its goals for low energy consumption, As the design allows for the installation of three enormous 225 KV wind turbines (29 meter diameter).

Its good to see that many of the architectures these days are making self sufficiency the way of the future of many new mega buildings around the world.
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All Blacks to play in America.

At this stage its still in negotiation but it looks almost certain that the All Blacks will play a Bledisloe cup game (which is against Australia) which will be held at the INVESCO Field in Denver, Colorado, This venue seats 78,000 people and its expected to be sold out to maximum capacity. At this stage it is scheduled for October 31 next year. A USA Rugby chief executive has said that his organization was keen to sell rugby to the American public and saw an Australia-New Zealand test as the best possible promotion because these two great rugby nations are the best in the world.

The proposal still needs signing off by USA rugby but it all depends on television rights and sponsorship deals.
Its all about foreign sports breaking into new marketplaces, The perfect example was the successful staging of an NFL match at Wembley in London in October last year which drew a crowd of about 82,000 people.
On November 1 this year a Bledisloe cup test match between the All Blacks and the Wallabies will be played at Hong Kong stadium. The only seats still available for this match are in the corporate hospitality areas, The game has a huge following around Asia and was expected to sell out.

If this match goes ahead it will huge for the professional sport of Rugby worldwide, It might even bring some Americans to New Zealand for the next rugby world cup in 2011. Get to the match if at all possible, Seeing the AB's performing the haka live is an experience you'll never forget. If i can afford it, I will be there for sure.
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Retailers benefit from games.

New Zealand had one of its most successful Olympic games ever, But the athletes were not the only ones to benefit from the 2008 Olympics Games.

Electronic transactions showed an increase by 13 percent in appliance sales in the fortnight before the Olympic games started. The General manager of merchandise at one of New Zealands largest appliance retailers said the increase was seen in the sale of large screen flat panel televisions. It was seen as a result of the launch and the availability of high definition content on sky television and on freeview.

Television New Zealand is Free to air, The coverage of the games was outstanding and definitely the best ive ever seen, it prompted a real spike in sales, especially for the consumers who were after the two channels of Olympic coverage aswell as the enhanced viewing experience of high definition pictures and surround sound on FreeviewHD. These consumers were aware of the extended coverage of the games and chose to purchase the larger flat panel televisions, It was also a great build up to the games for television rental companies with many rental companies unable to keep up with the demand on short term rentals.

Who knows, Londons Olympics in 2012 might bring a spike in the sales of 3D TV.
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Olympic Stadium's, Past and Present

With the Olympic games over with now, Its time to turn to the future. 2012 is London's turn to host the Olympics and its going to be extremely hard to beat what was achieved in China.

The Olympic stadium that hosts the opening and closing ceremony's aswell as the track and field events is always the main show piece for the games. What will the stadium look like? Here's a blast from the Olympic past until now.

Moscow Olympic Stadium 1980

Los Angeles Olympic stadium1984

Seoul Olympic stadium 1988

Barcelona Olympic stadium 1992

Atlanta Olympic stadium 1996

Sydney Olympic stadium 2000

Athens Olympic stadium 2004

Beijing Olympic stadium 2008

Proposed stadium for London 2012

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Dangerous dog put down.

Yesterday morning a dog that is considered extremely dangerous was put down after being on death row for the past 13 months while the owner of the dog fought a destruction order. The dog which was named Billy is a mastiff-pit-bull cross weighing 45 kilos and has been compared to a loaded gun. A spokesman for the High court says that the council had serious concerns about the threat the dog posed to the community and that the dog was one out of the box in terms of its aggression and would have been a huge threat back on the streets.

The dog was put on Death row because it attacked a veterinarian and the person who was looking after him. Animal control officers says he was the most fierce dog they had ever encountered. Usually the aggression subsides over time in the pound, But there was no change at all with this dog.

There are many dangerous dog breeds, But are they naturally dangerous or is it the owers that are raising them that way. Any dog of any breed can snap at any time but who should be responsible for them when they do attack. Dogs in New Zealand are supposed to kept in a fenced yard, If they are out in the street they are supposed to be accompanied by the owner and on a leash.

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New look for 767-300ER

The blended winglets have become a common feature on Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft and have made their first flight on a Boeing 767.

About a month ago an American Airlines 767-300ER which was equipped with new blended winglets took off. The newly modified aircraft flew a ferry flight from Kansas City, Mo. to San Bernardino, Calif. It will undergo certification and performance flight testing over the following two months. Some American Airlines employees installed the blended winglets, together with necessary wing and aircraft systems modifications at the maintenance base in Kansas City.
The new Blended winglet will increase the payload and/or range of the aircraft which in turn will reduce maintenance costs and improve its take-off capability from difficult airports such as those in hot-and-high places and those airports that have short runways.
The blended winglets are 11-foot-tall (3.4-meters) and were manufactured for Aviation Partners Boeing by GKN Aerospace which are on the Isle of Wight in the UK.

If the FAA and the EASA certify the blended winglets, 767-300ER Aircraft would be equipped and begin revenue service in December. Currently there are over 130 systems from 10 different airlines that already have firm commitments and are currently sold out of the blended winglet system.

This new blended winglet system will save around 6.5% on fuel consumption, Which is a saving of more than 500,000 gallons of jet fuel per aircraft per year, It also translates into an annual reduction of over 5,000 tons of CO2 per aircraft.

The blended winglet already exists on Boeing 737 BBJ, 737-800, 737-700, 737-300, 757-200, 737-500, and 737-900 which is around 2,500 Boeing aircraft, And have been certified for those aircraft. They also hope to launch a blended winglet certification program for the 777-200ER later this year and anticipate certification by December 2010.
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Lewis Hamilton tops rich list.

Lewis Hamilton hasn't won a Formula One World Championship yet, And some reckon that he may never achieve that, but Lewis Hamilton is now Britain's highest paid sportsperson. He is earning £75 million as a basic salary from McLaren Mercedes over the next five years and is about to sign a sponsorship deal with Reebok, for three years that is worth £10 million. That will make him top earning sportsman ahead of the footballer David Beckham who plays for the Los-Angeles Galaxy football franchise.

Another deal soon to be signed is said to be with Pepsi, This deal could be worth the same as the Reebok contract, or substantially more and this will take Lewis Hamilton's career earnings from Grand Prix racing to a huge total of £500 million which would equal Michael Schumachers bank balance after he had won seven world championships and 91 GP's in a 17 year career. Not to bad for someone who hasn't won a championship yet, His skills on the track speak for themselves.

Adding a sparkle to Hamilton's millions , He won the Monaco GP back in May with special livery on his helmet that featured his signature in diamonds by team sponsor steinmetz, This was the 19th win for Hamilton, He had hit a wall, Punctured a rear tyre and came into the pits on only 3 wheels and still managed to win the race, He is a driver with a lot of talent and is sure to near the top of the world championship this year, if not at the top.
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Entrecard advertising - My 2 cents worth.

Here is my opinion on the way to advertise with Entrecard,
I'm sure there will be some people who will disagree with me and i welcome there opinions. But please don't get me wrong, Ive had some very successful ads running where ive paid smaller amounts and i still do purchase the smaller ads, But my opinion is to advertise with sites that are more expensive, They bring better results, Don't think that just because you have paid 512 for an ad that you will receive 500+ visits, What i have found is you will receive 10 - 20% of the value that you pay, But of course that depends on a few things aswell, For example

Drop rank.

Look at the drop rank, are they casual and relaxed or are they a drop master? it makes a huge difference, If they don't promote there own blog it means that they will receive a lot less traffic which of course means less exposure for you.

How well you promote yourself.

How well you are known on Entrecard, You cant join and save your EC for 4 days and buy an ad for 1024 and expect big numbers to visit your site, It does take time to get known in the community so drop and comment as much as possible. The more you promote yourself when you join the better off you will be a few weeks down the track.

How well your advertiser promotes themselves.

If you advertise on those who are drop masters you will get a lot more exposure because they promote their blog by dropping, and of course to become a drop master you need to be dropping 300 per day, That is a lot of extra exposure for your EC.

125 x 125 widget.

Create your own 125x125 widget, The Entrecard ones wont help you one bit. Make it a widget that people will recognize when they see it advertised on a blog. Two examples of widgets that everybody recognizes are Monkey Fables and Turnip of power, They are widgets that are in your face, You see it everywhere on Entrecard and that's one of the reasons they are so popular.


So there you have it, Good luck with the way you choose to promote your blog on entrecard, these are the things i look for when advertising and when the ads are successful i usually go and advertise with them again.
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Queen Mary 2

The Queen Mary 2 is one of the world's largest passenger ships and the largest cruise ship to visit Auckland. It arrived here back in February for one day as part its inaugural voyage - and 80-day around the world trip. It was welcomed into the harbor by thousands of boats (including two former America's Cup yachts), several planes and helicopters, As well as ten of thousands of people viewing it from land. The Queen Mary is too tall to sail underneath the harbor bridge and too long to berth at the international cruise liner terminal so it had to berth at the container terminal and passengers transferred to the international terminal by bus. Unfortunately it was only here for a day and its departure was be marked by a large fireworks display.

Here are a few facts about one of the largest passenger ship in the world.

Length: 1,132 feet
Beam: 135 feet
Beam at Bridge Wings: 147.5 feet
Draft: 32 feet 10 inches
Height (Keel to Funnel): 236.2 feet
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 150,000 gross tons
Passengers: 2,620
Crew: 1,253
Top Speed: Approximately 30 knots (34.5 mph)
Power: 157,000 horsepower, environmentally friendly, gas turbine/diesel electric plant
Propulsion: Four pods of 21.5 MW each; 2 fixed and 2 azimuthing
Strength: Extra thick steel hull for strength and stability for Atlantic crossings
Stabilizers: Two sets
Cost: Estimated $800 million dollars

Since it is often difficult to picture the size of such a large vessel, here are some comparisons:

QM2 is five times longer than Cunard's first ship, Britannia (230 ft.)
QM2 is 113 feet longer than the original Queen Mary
QM2 is more than twice as long as the Washington Monument is tall (550 ft.)
QM2 is 147 feet longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall (984 ft.)
QM2 is more than 3 ½ times as long as Westminster Tower (Big Ben) is high (310 ft.)
QM2 is only 117 feet shorter than the Empire State Building is tall (1248 ft.)
QM2 is more than three times as long as St. Paul's Cathedral is tall (366 ft.)
QM2 is as long as 41 double-decker London buses (31 ½ ft. each)
QM2's whistle is audible for 10 miles

944 of the QM2's 1,310 staterooms have private balconies, and 66 have ocean views. The verandah cabins stretch over four and a half decks. There are also 300 inside cabins. The Queen's Room seats 1,100 and spans the full width of the vessel. Even crew have their own bars, restaurant, cinema, gym and a computer school. All crew cabins are equipped with en suite facilities and there are a maximum of two to a cabin.
It has five duplex apartments on Decks 8 and 9, They are all two stories high, and have private elevators and more than 1,650ft² in floor area. Overlooking the stern of the ship is a two-storey glass wall. Each apartment features walk-in closets, it's own gym, balcony and believe it or not it even comes with a butler and concierge service.

The ship has five swimming pools: two outdoor, two indoor and one with a retractable glass roof. There is also a British pub with its own on-board micro-brewery, a wine bar, a cocktail bar and a wood-panelled smoking room. In addition, there is a 5,200ft² shopping area.

On Decks 2 and 3 is a 570-seat cinema and a planetarium.

The vessel is powered by four Wärtsilä diesel engines, supplemented by two gas turbines. With a total output of 118MW, the power plant develops 157,000hp.

Propulsion is carried out by four 20MW MerMaid podded propulsion units, two fixed and two azimuthing through 360°. They incorporate an electric AC motor that directly drives a fixed-pitch propeller with highly skewed blades for low noise and vibration.
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Nissan's electric car.

Nissan have fallen behind Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda in hybrids, Nissan is making the electric vehicle the pillar of its green strategy and have developed a new electric car with a battery that has been developed by the Japanese automaker, It is said to deliver more power than the type of battery that is common in today's hybrids. It has a 300 kilogram lithium-ion battery and it is said to accelerate quicker than comparable petrol-engined cars, Hybrids such as the popular Toyota Prius have a nickel metal hydride battery, which has a lot less power than a lithium-ion battery. All the major automakers are competing to develop lithium-ion batteries for the green cars now and in the future.

This electric vehicle will be going on sale in 2010 but only in Japan and the US, The rest of the world will have to wait until 2012.

All the major automakers around the world are trying to develop ecological products because of the growing concerns worldwide about the gas prices and global warming. Electric vehicles produce zero emissions. Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors are working with Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa who plan to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries for Mitsubishi Motors when there new plant in Japan is completed

But Nissan faces competition from other automakers, including General Motors and Ford, that have developed electric vehicles. The only problems with these electric vehicles is they are unreliable, Heavy and can't travel long enough distances, Its only a matter of time before the new Technology exists though.

Nissan has also developed a side impact prevention feature that uses sensors to recognise approaching vehicles, and warns the driver when they are switching lanes. This warning feels like a tug, delivered through slight braking.
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Boobs on bikes parade

Every year we have the Erotica expo, And as part of the build up campaign we have whats called the Boobs on Bikes parade down Auckland citys main street. The name is pretty much self-explanatory. And every year it seems to become a major issue. The event organizer says his Boobs on Bikes parade down Queen St is going to go ahead, despite a new bylaw aimed at stopping events deemed offensive, However, The bylaw does not define the word "offensive". The City Council passed the bylaw only last week, And this came only weeks before the parade to promote the Erotica Lifestyles Expo.

This event has become so popular that it is now watched by tens of thousands of people every year. The Mayor says he is opposed to the parade because it exploits women, But has acknowledged some difficulties with the bylaw, such as defining what is offensive. So the new bylaw states that the council can turn down any permit for an event if it "reasonably believes there is any other objectively justifiable and reasonable grounds for declining consent".

The event organiser has stated that the Bill of Rights contained fundamental rights and freedoms, which includes the freedom of expression. and any attempt to stop the Boobs on bikes parade contravened those rights. He applied for a permit in order to get council and police assistance to help with traffic and crowd control for the interests of public safety. He has now laid a complaint to the commission stating that they have been discriminated against.

Many people find displays like this indecent and offensive. They have the right to enjoy public places without topless women suddenly being thrust before them. But what about the right to freedom of expression?

I really don't mind if it goes ahead or not, Whats your thoughts? It takes place on the main street through the city and is held mid morning on a weekday and its all over and done with in an hour. Theoretically under 16 year olds should be at school, so parents shouldn't need to worry about them. so the majority of people in the city at that time should be mature enough to be able to deal with seeing Breasts without making a big issue about it.
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New Scooter Tech... The Winglet.

Toyota has developed a motorized, stand-up-and-ride scooter similar to the Segway, It is designed to help people move about in public places. Toyota came up with this only a year after taking control of Sony's robotics business but they have no plans to turn it into a commercial product just yet. Toyota will start testing the Winglet later in the year at a few Japanese airports and a resort complex, And next year at shopping malls in and around Japan which is to get user feedback. Overseas tests are undecided at this stage.

However, the Winglet is probably not up to the same standard as the American made Segway in speed or ruggedness. The Winglet goes up to 6 km/h, about the same speed as pedestrians and far slower than the U.S.made Segway which can travel up to 20 km/h.

Toyota officials say that anyone can ride it with some practice, including the elderly, Which is its major target buyer.

Toyota envisions a future in which the Winglet will be packed with wireless technology so it can relay shopping information at shops, even move on its own to recharge the batteries, or even collect the owner when summoned.

The machine is designed to respond almost intuitively, It will move forward when you lean to the front and turning when you sway to the right or left. One of the three models shown comes with a handle that can be grabbed and used the same as you would use a steering wheel. It stops easily with little pressure, pivots full-circles and travels smoothly over bumps on roads.
Winglet, which runs on electricity, goes about 5 kilometres on one charge.

The smallest version of Winglet weighs only 9.9 kilograms and can be folded up to be carried on buses, trains or packed in car trunks, Not much use to the elderly then really is it? Ok for the quick trip to the supermarket but otherwise the elderly are probably better off with the good old mobility scooter.

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Olympic Architecture.

The Olympic games start in a few days time, Ive put together some pictures of the new stadiums, Gyms etc that have been built especially for the Olympics, The architecture is amazing at every venue. Enjoy....

National Stadium (Birds nest)

National Aquatic Center (Water cube)

National Indoor Stadium

Beijing Shooting Range Hall

Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium

Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park

Laoshan Velodrome

China Agricultural University Gymnasium
Peking University Gymnasium
Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium
Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium
Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Court

Already existing Venues in Beijing.

Olympic Sports Center Stadium
Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium
Beijing Workers' Stadium
Beijing Workers' Gymnasium
Capital Indoor Stadium
Fengtai Sports Center Softball Field
Yingdong Natatorium of National Olympic Sports Center
Laoshan Mountain Bike Course
Beijing Shooting Range CTF
Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium
Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics Gymnasium

Temporary Venues in Beijing

Fencing Hall of National Convention Center
Beijing Olympic Green Hockey Stadium
Beijing Olympic Green Archery Field
Beijing Wukesong Sports Center Baseball Field
Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground
Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) Venue
Triathlon Venue
Road Cycling Course

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Top ads for July

Another month gone, So its time for me to thank everyone ive advertised with that have given me alot of traffic over the month of July, Extra special thank you has go to "Software Outsourcing to China" for three very successful ads. Thank you all very much for the additional traffic, And i hope to see you all in my list again next month. I would love to list everyone ive advertised with but the top 25 will do, If ive advertised with you over the last month and you would like to know the amount received (cpc etc), You can either PM me on Entrecard, Comment on this post for all to see or contact me through my site. The top 10 get there widget here, Keep reading to see the rest of the list......




http://cromely.blogspot.com
http://chica-pumuckl.blogspot.com
http://thailandlandofsmiles.com
http://kloggers-randomramblings.blogspot.com
http://inspiredartbeat.blogspot.com
http://girlforallstatus.blogspot.com
http://www.mommieshome.net
http://www.hochstadt.com
http://ocgolfcourse.com
http://axassociate.blogspot.com
http://www.easyearningdollars.com
http://www.hqblog.net
http://dailyfreesoftware.blogspot.com
http://pisiosplugs.blogspot.com
http://banicmanic.blogspot.com
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