Mega-City, Japan

Shimizu TRY 2004 Mega-City Pyramid je pilot projekat izgradnje masivne piramidalne konstrukcije iznad Tokijskog zaliva u Japanu . Ova megastruktura bila bi 12 puta viša od Keopsove piramide u Gizi (čije su proporcije korišćene kao moduo izgradnje ovog grada budućnosti) i u njoj bi živelo i radilo 750,000 ljudi. Mega-City bi dosezao 2,004 m u visinu i predstavljao bi rešenje za već prenatrpani Tokio.

Osnova je površine 8 km². Infrastruktura ima površinu oko 25 km². Piramida ima 8 nivoa a visina svakog je 250,5 m

• Nivoi 1 do 4: stambena, poslovna zona i dr.
• Nivoi 5 do 8: istraživanje, opuštanje i sl.

50 km² prostora je namenjeno za 240,000 stambenih jedinica, predviđenih za 750,000 ljudi. Svaka zgrada (objekti od po 30 spratova unutar konstrukcije koji vise u prostoru poput grozdova) imala bi sopstveni izvor energije (Sunce, vetar, voda, alge...). 24 km² je namenjeno poslovnom i komercijalnom prostoru sa 800,000 zapošljenih. Ostalih 14 km² je za druge namene (parkovi, laboratorije, prateća infrastruktura…)

Konstrukcija

Temelj piramide bi se sastojao od 36 moćnih stubova napravljenih od posebnog betona. Naravno, najveći problem Mega-City-ja bili bi zemljotresi, tsunami i jaki vetrovi pa je piramida zamišljena kao prostorna rešetka i mreža megapodupirača napravljenih od potpuno novih materijala na bazi ugljenika presvučenog filmom koji pretvara sunčevu svetlost u struju. Sama izgradnja je priča za sebe: prvi sloj podupirača biće podignut metodom koju je predložio Italijanski arhitekta Dante Bini a koja se sastoji u pumpanju džinovskih balona vazduhom koji diže već spojenu konstrukciju. Roboti fabrike poput pauka, zatim pletu mrežu podupirača a svaki čvor je stanica presedanja putnika koji će koristiti transportni sistem budućnosti ( Personal Rapid Transit sistem).

George W Bush action figure

ORDER your own George Walker Bush action figure NOW for only $99.95 !
This president KICKS ASS!
bateries not included

SON OF A BUSH

The U.S. senate foreign relations committee, composed of members from both political parties, on Thursday questioned Condoleeza Rice, the secretary of state, over the president's plan to send 21,500 more US soldiers to Iraq, which has claimed more than 3,000 US lives.

Bush's new strategy increases U.S. forces in Iraq by 21,500 and demands greater cooperation from the Iraqi government. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Bush administration does not know how long the proposed troop increase will last. The plan would increase the U.S. troop presence from the current 132,000 to 153,500 at a cost of $5.6 billion. The White House is working on its largest-ever appeal for more war funds — a record $100 billion, at least. It will be submitted along with Bush's Feb. 5 budget.

Congress could cut funds or impose other restrictions, but that could take weeks or months. Furthermore, Bush could veto such legislation. And slim Democratic majorities make it unlikely that Congress could override such a veto.
Meanwhile, a coalition of labor, anti-war groups and liberal organizations was announcing a multimillion-dollar advertising and grass-roots campaign against the commitment of extra troops.

A new AP-Ipsos poll found approval for Bush's handling of Iraq hovering near a record low — 29 percent of Americans approve and 68 percent disapprove.

"If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home," Bush said. He said failure in Iraq "would be a disaster for the United States."

During a series of Capitol Hill hearings Thursday on Bush's plan, top administration officials took a beating from Democrats and some Republicans who said they were not convinced the latest strategy represents a change in U.S. military policy in Iraq.
The new strategy was slammed as desperate and even dumb, and many expressed frustration that there was no stated time limit on the build-up or a defined threat that the U.S. would pull out if the Iraqis don't perform as promised.

Republicans often were equally sharp in their comments.

Chuck Hagel, a Republican senator and potential 2008 presidential contender, said: "I think this speech given last night by this president represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder since Vietnam, if it is carried out. I believe the president's strategy is not a solution, Secretary Rice. I believe it's a tragic mistake. The result will be the loss of more American lives and our military stretched to the breaking point with little prospect of success. We owe the military and their families a policy — a policy — worthy of their sacrifices. And I don't believe, Dr. Rice, that we have that policy today."

Anti-war protests

Anti-war activists took to the streets of US cities on Thursday for the first of what organisers promised would be thousands of protests against Bush's plan to send more US troops to Iraq.

Jan Rogers, 58, who took part in a protest in San Francisco, said the president "doesn't seem to get it".

"The rest of the country is shouting, 'Stop this insanity,' and I think he's just trying to save his presidency and his legacy. But he's just on the wrong path."

The U.S. Embassy in Athens was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade Friday morning. The heavily guarded embassy in Athens has been the site of protests in the past. It was the target of a rocket-propelled grenade attack in February 1996.