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(IsraelNN.com) Defense Minister Ehud Barak signed permits Thursday for 28 educational institutions and public buildings. The educational structures are intended for the school year which begins in September (2010/2011, or 5771 by the Hebrew calendar). Barak said: “We are all obligated to carry out an open dialogue with the settler leaders, and to listen to them. This is a very serious and responsible group that exhibited a large degree of self-restraint in various tests in the past.”

Featuring log buildings presently under re-construction at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia. This provides a good look at how such buildings were made.

The incredible shrinking World Trade Center will be cut back from five iconic skyscrapers to just two signature towers under a new Port Authority plan, the Daily News has learned. Bludgeoned by recession and a war with developer Larry Silverstein, the Port Authority is proposing halving the office space it will build at Ground Zero - from 10 million square feet to 5 million, sources familiar with the plan say. The sources say the agency's new vision for the site calls for scrapping one tower that would have been taller than the Empire State Building and nixing two others that...

Highways The Texas Department of Transportation plans to let contracts for $4.1 billion in construction in 2008 are in jeopardy after having to return around $950 million to Washington over the past 18 months. The mood in Austin is uncertain, although voters approved Proposition 12 in November, authorizing the next Texas Legislature in 2009 to issue up to $5 billion in bonds (paid from general revenue) to build highway projects. A required independent audit of the Texas Department of Transportation during 2007 recommended that the department “should continue to pursue Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDA) and toll pricing at levels that...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2007 – New buildings constructed under the guidance of coalition forces are sparking prosperity for Iraqi citizens, a senior U.S. military engineer in Iraq said today. “It’s a concept of ownership,” Navy Capt. Joe Hedges told online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call from Baghdad. “We’re using Iraqi funds to build Iraqi facilities.” Hedges is assistant chief of staff for the engineering directorate of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq. His team is currently working to build military bases, barracks, airfields, schools and a hospital on 12 different sites in Iraq. “I’m excited,” Hedges said. “I think...

Share this with All your Friends... And SHOW this to your children and grandchildren !!!! THE YEAR 1907 This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1907. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907: ************************************ The average life expectancy in the U.S. Was 47 years old. Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. Had a bathtub . Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City Cost eleven dollars. There...

LONDON (AFP) - Government buildings are to be provided with defences to stop them being rammed by cars or trucks packed with explosives. The Sun newspaper said the buildings were to be surrounded with security devices designed to look like street furniture, at a cost of 25 million pounds. The new Home Office building in central London will be used as a guide, The Sun said Saturday. The interior ministry has state-of-the-art black concrete bollards one metre apart encircling it with raised grass verges in large concrete "pools" outside the main entrance. "The architects want the measures to look good...

It’s not a good sign when cell windows at a state prison are broken. But that was the situation just last year at Reception Center-East, one of four facilities at the California Institution for Men in Chino. Officers had complained about the windows repeatedly, but nothing was done to fix them – until an inmate was caught after slipping out his window in an apparent escape attempt. After that, officers began 24-hour patrols outside East as officials waited for Sacramento to approve funding for repairs. The facility is less than a half-mile from a housing development under construction. ‘‘We’re gonna...

Church Buildings -- Monuments with Mixed Messages Design for Monastery Chapel, Clear Creek, Oklahoma, by Thomas Gordon Smith by The Rev. John A. Valencheck If you should happen to move to my town and needed to find a bank into which you could deposit your money, you might look into the one that is right down the street. Though it is a fine institution, it is not much of bank as far as bank buildings go. In fact, banking appears to be a rather minor aspect of what you might do in the building. Entering in the main door, if...

SUNLAND, CALIF. – Leaning on the wrought-iron fence that defines the front lawn of his cottage-size home, Marty Greer says he doesn't like what is happening to this California foothill community. "They're tearing down homes like mine and putting up homes like those," says the 31-year resident, pointing to a two-story home one block away. The magenta-stucco home dwarfs the one-story bungalows that line these hillside streets. Its walls stretch to the edges of the property line, not even leaving room for a swath of yard "I don't like it and the neighbors here don't like it," says Mr. Greer,...

CHICAGO: A 224-storey pyramid shaped building, the tallest in the world, is being built at Katangi, near Indian city of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh state. The 2222-foot (677m) Center of India Tower scheduled for November 6, is being financed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (The Beatles former spiritual leader), and will be his new world headquarters. The firm designing this tower are known for a previous large development, the Twin Towers in Battery Park City, New York. Meanwhile, a twisting 115-storey glass and concrete tower that would be the United States' tallest building may soon grace Chicago's lakefront, its developer said...

What do Islamist terrorists want? The answer should be obvious, but it is not.A generation ago, terrorists did make clear their wishes. Upon hijacking three airliners in September 1970, for example, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine demanded, with success, the release of Arab terrorists imprisoned in Britain, Switzerland, and West Germany. Upon attacking the B'nai B'rith headquarters and two other Washington, D.C. buildings in 1977, a Hanafi Muslim group demanded the canceling of a feature movie, Mohammad, Messenger of God," $750 (as reimbursement for a fine), the turning over of the five men who had massacred the...

The darkness at ground zero just got a little darker. If there are people still clinging to the expectation that the Freedom Tower will become a monument to the highest American ideals, the current design should finally shake them out of that delusion. Somber, oppressive and clumsily conceived, the project suggests a monument to a society that has turned its back on any notion of cultural openness. It is exactly the kind of nightmare that government officials repeatedly asserted would never happen here: an impregnable tower braced against the outside world. The new design by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings...

If you love cities, this is a week to rejoice. Now that the stadium planned for New York's West Side is dead, no one can fantasize anymore about the Olympics coming to New York. If the city had gotten the 2012 Games, its leaders would have basked for seven years in Olympic photo opportunities, and mayors across America would have watched enviously. They would have succumbed further to what I think of as the Circus Maximus syndrome. The victims of this urban-planning syndrome believe, like some Roman emperors, that a leader's prime civic responsibility is to build entertainment palaces for...

EPA Testing 150 Lower Manhattan Buildings May 11, 2005 11:53 am US/Eastern (1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) Dust samples from 150 New York buildings in lower Manhattan and part of Brooklyn are to be gathered by the Environmental Protection Agency to find out how much indoor contamination might remain from the collapse of the World Trade Center. EPA officials say the samples will determine what should be cleaned and whether to launch a broader cleanup effort. The EPA says samples will be analyzed for lead, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, asbestos and manmade vitreous fibers. Residents and workers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn...

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Schools, universities and other public buildings would have to be built to meet energy efficiency, water conservation and other environmental standards under a bill given final approval by lawmakers Wednesday. If signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire - who has expressed support for the measure - Washington would be the first state in the nation to have such a "green buildings" law. Several cities and municipalities have required new buildings to be built to the standards, including Chicago and Austin, Texas. "It's good for the kids, it's good for the workers, and it's good for the taxpayers,"...

No, this is not a blonde joke. If you want one of those, go to this week’s Humor File. Cleopatra was in fact a blonde. That’s because she was not Egyptian. She was a Macedonian Greek, with hair as blonde as Alexander’s. Alexander conquered Egypt in 332 BC, then went on to subdue all of the Middle East. When he died nine years later, his just-conquered empire was fought over and carved up by his generals. The one who ended up running Egypt was Ptolemy (367-283 BC). Declaring himself Pharaoh, he founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty, with twelve Ptolemies in succession,...

When most people head into retirement, they get a gold watch, a handshake, and a sheet cake. Members of Congress can get much, much more: buildings dedicated to them, special dollops of federal aid to their constituents, a passel of pet projects. Senator Ernest F. Hollings, Democrat of South Carolina, in one of the final acts of his 38-year career in Congress, had two federal programs and a wildlife refuge named after him -- and he channeled millions in aid to South Carolina. Retiring Senator John Breaux, a Louisiana Democrat, won a 15-year extension of an environmental law that bears...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

TERRORISTS 2, NEW YORK 0 by Timothy Rollins, Editor and Publisher August 23, 2004 EDITOR'S NOTE: With over 70 percent of those surveyed saying they wanted both twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York rebuilt - to include survivors and relatives of the of 9/11 attacks themselves - I am taking the highly unusual step of recommending that my readers visit the Make New York New York Again Web Site to see the point I am trying to make. You will definitely find it well worth your time. - Editor.With all the talk about designs for construction...

I came across an article recently in a publication that apparently doesn't even permit excerpting, but it is especially timely, considering all the hogwash we're hearing about respecting Muslim "holy shrines" and other such bilge. The fact is, Muslims consider it idolatry to attach any special significance to a building, so they are only too willing to tear down an old mosque to build a new one, and this article details the trials of a Saudi architect who is trying to preserve Arab historical sites and buildings.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Gunmen angry over Yasser Arafat's overhaul of his security forces burned down Palestinian Authority offices in Gaza on Sunday. In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Arafat met with his prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, to discuss the political crisis that erupted over continuing violence in Gaza and Qureia's attempt to resign as head of the Palestinian government. "I totally reject your resignation and consider it nonexistent," Arafat told Qureia at a meeting Sunday, according to Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat. Qureia told his Cabinet on Saturday he was firm in his decision to quit. Dozens of...

NITED NATIONS, June 29 - The United States has expelled two security guards at Iran's United Nations mission after they were seen filming and photographing New York landmark buildings and parts of the city's transportation system, American officials said Tuesday. "They were asked to leave because we were very concerned about their activities, which weren't compatible with their stated duties," said Richard A. Grenell, the spokesman for the American mission. The language is common diplomatic wording for espionage cases. The two men were ordered out last weekend after pairs of Iranian guards had been seen for the third time in...

Craftsman revives old wood with flame By Juliette Rule rep9@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle CHEYENNE - As Tony Carr walks through the Depot Center, he tells stories about a piece of local past now erased by his labor. But what he leaves behind is in keeping with the architectural traditions of the late 19th century train station, which has been the subject of intense restoration over the last year. Carr, 45, is a restoration painter, and his contracted task of the last seven months has been to erase the signs of abuse and neglect on wood-framed windows at the...

<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) - Last month's wildfires burned more acreage and damaged more buildings than any others in California history, state officials said.</p> <p>New statistics from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection show that the Cedar Fire in San Diego County scorched about 273,000 acres, eclipsing a record set in 1932 by the Matilija Fire in Ventura County, which burned about 220,000 acres.</p>

I've been thinking to myself. What would I do differently if I were elected President of the United States? These are the things I would do disregarding political implications. Such as resistance from RATS, etc. I wouldn't cut taxes, I would eliminate most all of them for good. I'd do away with Affirmative Action. I would ban any and all abortions. I would make the Prison system in the United States a very uncomfortable place to be. Even more so than it is now. There would still be some human rights, but no internet, TV, sofas, or just chilling. The...

2 Ground Zero design teams picked Choices narrowed to Studio Daniel Libeskind and THINK By Jan Herman MSNBC NEW YORK, Feb. 4 — As competing factions jockeyed to decide a Ground Zero template for the future, officials Tuesday narrowed their choice of urban-design proposals to two — one by Studio Daniel Libeskind and one by the THINK team. Libeskin’s design proposes a 1,776-foot tower and would make visible “the great slurry walls” that descend into the bedrock foundations of Ground Zero. THINK envisions a tower even higher, a lattice-work scaffolding that would soar 2,100 feet. Both towers would be the...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Celebrated international architects presented new designs on Wednesday for rebuilding the site of New York's World Trade Center, including four proposals for the world's tallest structure. The nine different visions are similar in that they all have a mass transit hub, retail and commercial space, museums and cultural institutions, a tree-lined boulevard and gardens and memorials to the 2,800 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks that toppled the twin towers. "The plans are innovative and varied," said Louis Tomson, president of the New York agency overseeing the planning. "It's no accident that every...

I am looking for a graphic of the WTC area showing the buildings that were destroyed or damaged. I was there last week and would like to compare a map with what I saw...Thanks, all

New Yorkers move fast. They like their subways flying, their taxis racing and their doors spinning. It makes sense, then, that New York is considered the revolving door capital of the world. "New York, especially Manhattan, is definitely the biggest revolving door market," said Scott Wedgbury, executive director of the International Revolving Door Association. "Other cities like Singapore and Hong Kong are just now starting to pick up on them." The revolving door's ubiquity in New York City comes, in part, from the city's insatiable appetite for skyscrapers. The doors are a scientific effort to equalize air pressure. Revolvers, as...

Underground ancient city found in Afghanistan Updated on 7/19/2002 12:02:39 PM Kabul (PPI): An underground ancient city, dating back to about 1,700 years ago, has recently been found in Lowgar Province in east of Afghanistan. The city belongs to the age of Kushan empire. Covering an area of 30 square kilometers, it is buried under a great heap of earth and stones. Lots of ruins of buildings can be found in the city which is located in the mountain areas of the province. The towers, walls and irrigation system of the city show its grandeur in the ancient time, said...

In perusing the web, I found an awesome website showing diagrams and info about skyscrapers around the world. I hope you enjoy this: SKYSCRAPER PAGE Either put info into the search engine or scroll down to a continent or city. There are some amazing buildings here.

Tycoon Points to Kremlin in Fatal 1999 Blasts Putin Has Rejected as 'Delirious Nonsense' Accusations in Deaths of 300 People LONDON, March 5 – Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky charged today that President Vladimir Putin knew that the country's special services were involved in the bombing of apartment houses in Moscow and other cities in September 1999 in which nearly 300 people died. Berezovsky, who has been feuding with Putin since the fall of 2000, leveled the charge at a news conference here in which he offered what appeared to be extremely sketchy and circumstantial evidence suggesting that the bombings were...