World's Tallest and Biggest

The World's Tallest and Biggest
By Paul Stasi

The World's Largest Man-Made Islands

Perhaps no structure on this list more embodies the original impulse behind the tall building — pure human hubris — than Dubai’s Palm Islands. Composed of three separate islands, Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, the entire construction will add nearly 330 miles of beach front to the city of Dubai. Parts of Palm Jumeirah are currently open for development, with the remaining islands to be completed in the next 10-15 years. When finished, the three islands will contain over 100 luxury hotels while Palm Deira itself will be almost as large as Paris.

In Pictures: World’s 20 Tallest & Biggest

The World's Tallest Dam
Construction began on the Nurek Dam (984 feet) in 1961 while the central Asian nation of Tajikistan was still a republic within the Soviet Union, and was completed an efficient 19 years later. The dam provides 98 percent of Tajikistan’s electrical needs and was one of the first to be constructed with an asphalt central core of cement forming an impermeable barrier along the Vakhsh River.

The World's Tallest Hotel Not in Dubai
Though eclipsed both by Dubai’s Rose Tower and Jumeirah Emirates Tower, the Baiyoke Tower II in Bangkok, Thailand, nevertheless boasts 88 floors and 673 guest rooms. The 997-foot Tower is located in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district known for its shopping and its 1.5 mile long artificial lake.

The World's Tallest Monument
Commonly known as the “Gateway to the West” the St. Louis Arch, designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen, marks the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The arch is surrounded by a 91-acre national park along the Mississippi River and stands 630-feet-tall. Visitors can take a four-minute tram ride up one of the “legs” of the arch to the observation deck at its center for spectacular views of St. Louis.

The World's Tallest Hotel Never Actually Completed
Destined for greatness, the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, stands at 1,083 feet, was supposed to boast 105 floors and 3.9 million-square-feet of floor space, and was meant to have seven revolving restaurants. Not surprisingly this towering pyramid’s construction was put on hold in 1992 when North Korea confronted more pressing matters. What remains is the pyramid itself, but it lacks windows and fixtures and has been deemed unsafe for human occupancy.

The World's Tallest Casino (sort of)
Unsurprisingly located in Las Vegas, the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino boasts a 1,149-foot-tall observation tower and restaurant, making it the tallest free-standing tower in the United States. While you can be shot straight up 160 feet in the air, or ride a mechanical arm over the Tower’s edge, there are no actual games in the tower itself.

The World's Tallest Bar
On the 87th floor of Shanghai’s Jin Mao Tower–literally “Golden Prosperity Building”–is the appropriately titled Cloud Nine. In February 2001, cocktail-sipping patrons observed Han Qizhi, a 31-year-old shoe salesman, climb the 1,214 foot tower barehanded.

The World's Largest House
Indisputably, the Sultan of Brunei’s Istana Nurul Iman is the world’s largest residence. Really more of a palace, this structure boasts an impressive 2,152,782-square-feet of space, comprised of 1,788 rooms (including 257 bathrooms), and is home to the Sultan's car collection, including 165 Rolls Royces. (It easily dwarfs Buckingham Palace's 828,818 square feet). Unfortunately for non-royals, the Sultan’s palace is only open three days a year for the Islamic festival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, marking the end of Ramadan. However, in 2009, Indian multi-billionaire Mukesh Ambani is scheduled to complete construction on the world's largest house.

The World's Largest Ancient City
Built in the mid-15th century, Machu Picchu is located 7,875 feet above sea level in the Urubamba Valley in Peru. A gorgeous collection of 150 structures, including temples and residences, the city was abandoned approximately 100 years after its founding and not re-discovered until the early 1900s. Machu Picchu was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

The World's Tallest Memorial
Erected in 1940 by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, the Benedictine Abbey of the Valley of the Fallen boasts the largest Memorial Cross in the world. Located 28 miles northwest of Madrid, the 492-foot structure towers above a basilica and crypt carved out of a granite ridge, and boasts spectacular views of both the surrounding valley and the outskirts of Madrid.

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It was a year ago I thinkWhen I first laid eyes on youIts kindda crazy to thinkThat not so much time has passedWhen I smiled back at you It was a few months back, I thinkWhen you first held my handThe warmth your touch brought into mineWas coldness seeing fireYou brought a light to my night It was a couple of weeks ago, I thinkWhen you said you wanted to leave meIt felt like drowning in a sea of saltI felt livid, sober and drunkI wish I had died It was a couple of days ago, I thinkWhen you realized we made a mistakeWe started talking again and thank GodHe was on our sideAs if we never even left It was yesterday, I thinkWhen I held my hand to your heartHearing it beating for meSeeing you only looking at meWhispering in your ear how much we careYou telling me you will always be there In my tomorrows I know nowThat our unbreakable bond is what we haveYou and me, our little piece of heavenWaking upKnowing you are in my lifeGives fuel to my otherwise diminishing fireKnowing we can make it throughThough sometimes we seem not toWe still fight and push and striveAnd come out succeeding in our lifeI want you to know honeyThat as long as God gives me a tomorrowYou will always be thereKeeping me away from sorrowKeeping me safeKeeping you safeBelievingThat we can do this.

.....

It's about time to go
It's evening and I have to catch the plane
I waited for you till it was almost dawn
Yet you were not here
You were not here

I called you 3 times on the telephone
No wonder it was switched off, I should have known
I thought we had this conversation
Wait, the kettle is boiling, I have to turn it off
Time for coffee, nerves are taking over me

I waited
To say goodbye to you
Ran my fingers across the bed
That once craddled two
I waited
To kiss you one last time
I wanted to say
I\m sorry, I really did try

....

Not one smile for me the entire day
And yet you wait for someone else, call her, smile at her.

I never treated you badly,
Now I think about it.
Not as much as you treat me.
I just believed there was a good man inside.
Just remember
In your pious ways
WHAT YOU DO TO OTHERS
WILL COME BACK TO YOU TENFOLD.




Its so hard to admit, but I was wrong.

Only one smile would have been enough
Its not only you who's having a shitty day
We are here for each other arent we?
But I suppose not.

Find happiness on your own
Neglect the people who have continually cared and loved you
Have supported you
Given you all they can.
Even if that means forsaking and postponing their own.

You are just not the man I thought you were.

Its nothing much, and will never mean anything in your life.
But I guess time will tell
When you are alone, sad and unable to bear it.
People who only truly love you
AND PEOPLE WHO YOU LET IN YOUR RIGID HEART
are the only ones who can get you
Not only family you need in your life.
You need other perspectives
And just pray that when the time comes
When you realize
Those who truly cared for you
YOU JUST SCREWED
I hope
You will not live to feel the regret of the day