Yes you are reading this correctly, just a few weeks after the showing of the Burj Khalifa we hear that its already facing competition. Plans for a new superscraper in our own backyard of Miami could win the title of the worlds tallest building. Forget about the Burj Khalifa??? WOW i would love to see this happen!

According to Miami herald, Kobi Karp has submitted designs for Miapolis, a ‘city within a city’ planned for Watson Island. If built, the 160 storey building will be 183 meters higher than the Burj Khalifa. What is more, the Miapolis will boasts of an amusement park, observatory, restaurants, 1.96 million sq ft of shops, over 1000 apartments, 1 million sq ft office space and a 792 room hotel.

Besides being a rival to the Burj Khalifa, the new building if built will function as an economic engine creating 5,000 permanent jobs, paying off $39 million debt owed to the City and injecting $2.5 billion annually into the local economy.

The project is currently looking for funding from investors. With Miami’s current financial woes including a reported 100,000 plus properties in foreclosure, wonder if this project is the right defense to promote economic growth.

Miapolis

The Burj Dubai was started at the height of the economic boom and built buy at least 12,000 laborers. The Burj Dubai is set to open today as the worlds tallest building and will set records as so. The Burj is expected to rekindle optimism after its financial crisis.

Burj-Dubai

Burj Dubai, whose opening has been delayed twice since construction began in 2004, will mark another milestone for the deeply indebted emirate with a penchant for seeking new records.

Dubai, one of seven members of the United Arab Emirates, gained a reputation for excess with the creation of man-made islands shaped like palms and an indoor ski slope in the desert.

The tower’s height has been kept a closely guarded secret until now. Developer Emaar Properties PJSC will reveal the height — known to exceed 800 meters (2,625 feet) — on Tuesday and Dubai’s ruler will inaugurate the opening. Emaar, the Burj’s developer, has said the entire Downtown Burj Dubai development, which includes the tower, will cost $US20 billion to build. What is more, it was reported that at their peak, some apartments in the Burj were selling for more than $US 1,900 per square foot, though they now can go for less than half that. And if developers are to be believed, the entire building is already sold out.

The Aston Martin One-77 is not only Britain’s most expensive car but may be the fastest! Aston performed a series of test runs last week and recorded the fastest speed ever for  an Aston Martin being 220.007 Mph! At that speed, the One-77, powered by a new Aston Martin 7.3-liter V12 engine, will be the fastest Aston Martin ever built, beating the current record-holder for fastest road-going Aston currently held by the Vanquish’s top speed of slightly over 200 MPH.

The full press release down below!

ASTON MARTIN ONE-77

Press Release

One-77 closes on new Aston Martin record

Gaydon, Tuesday 22 December. Aston Martin’s One-77 supercar has moved closer to setting a new all-time record for the British marque in initial high speed testing after surpassing all predictions and comfortably breaking the 200mph mark.

The One-77 is currently undergoing a stringent development process ahead of planned launch in 2010 with high speed testing taking place at a top secret proving ground in southern Europe. In a series of test runs completed last week the One-77 exceeded original expectations and recorded a 220.007mph (354.86kmh) top speed in dry but windy conditions under the guidance of the Aston Martin engineering team. Dynamic testing is now scheduled to continue into the New Year.

Powered by a new Aston Martin 7.3 litre V12 engine, the One-77 is engineered to deliver breathtaking levels of power and performance. The dramatically styled two-door, two-seat sports coupe is based on an innovative new carbon fibre monocoque body structure and adopts new active aerodynamic technology.

The One-77 is the ultimate expression of what Aston Martin stands for and will combine modern technology and design with craftsmanship and ultimate exclusivity to create the world’s most desirable automotive art form.

As name suggests, production is limited up to a maximum of 77 individually numbered examples, with deliveries expected to commence in mid-2010.

On Monday 7th December Virgin Galactic unveiled SpaceShipTwo to the world at Mojave Spaceport, California. 800 press, future astronauts and VIP guests gathered in the desert for a press conference and to view the roll out of the world’s first commercial spaceline.

Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan led the press conference, special recognition went to the team at Scaled Composites whose hard work and dedication have made this happen. Governors Bill Richardson and Arnold Schwarzenegger both contributed at the press conference, celebrating this huge milestone and also joining Holly, Richard’s daughter in naming the spaceship, VSS Enterprise.

Despite gale force winds and stormy weather, guests gathered on the runway after the press conference to see SpaceShipTwo for the first time. The spaceship was carried down the runway by her mothership, VMS Eve, to a spectacular display of lights, music and snow which only helped increase the anticipation of her arrival and excitement and awe as she appeared before the crowds.

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic

Get to know Giorgio Armani!

Armani

Giorgio Armani 74, is a billionaire worth around $2.8 billion is a designer and very popular among celebrities sporting his fashions. President and Chief Executive Officer of the Armani Group and sole share holder of Giorgio Armani S.p.A., one of the world’s leading fashion and lifestyle design houses, with 5,000 direct employees, 13 factories, and a direct network of 500 exclusive retail stores in 46 countries worldwide. He dressed more than ten celebs last year for the Oscars. Armani also makes perfume, (I love Armani Code ) baby clothes, home decor, and five-figure watches. He recently opened a 43,000 SQ megastore on Manhattan’s famous Fifth Avenue.

“Mr. Armani’s philosophy of fashion and style, together with his entrepreneurial ability, has been central to the success of Giorgio Armani S.p.A. He oversees both the company’s strategic direction and all aspects of design and creativity. Perhaps best known for revolutionising fashion with his unstructured jacket in the Eighties, after thirty years of running his own label, he now presides over a stable of collections, including his signature Giorgio Armani line, Giorgio Armani Privé, Armani Collezioni, Emporio Armani, AJ | Armani Jeans, A/X Armani Exchange, Armani Teen, Armani Junior, Armani Baby, and Armani Casa home interiors, offering a choice of lifestyles to the marketplace. Today, the company’s product range includes women’s and men’s clothing, shoes and bags, watches, eyewear, jewellery, fragrances and cosmetics, and home furnishings.”

Armani even has his name tied to a string of hotels. The first Armani brand hotel is expected to be opened in 2009 and is under construction as part of the Burj Dubai development.

Burj-Dubai-tower

The Dubai ‘Armani Hotel’ will include 175 guest rooms and suites, five restaurants and a spa, covering more than 40,000m². Alongside the hotel, the Burj Dubai will also offer 160 luxury residential apartments all designed by Giorgio Armani and fully furnished with a specially designed line of products from the Armani Casa home furnishings collection.

The schedule of Armani hotel openings to follow Dubai will be Milan, London, and New York along with the first resort. Giorgio Armani said, “This marks the beginning of a new chapter in the Armani story. In this our thirtieth anniversary year, I cannot think of a more energizing prospect than bringing my philosophy of style and design to a collection of hotels and resorts.

Armani  5th Avenue Store Build Time Lapse Footage with Staircase Construction

During his career Mr. Armani has received many local and international awards. These include the Commendatore dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica, and Grand’Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica (Italy’s highest government awards), and the Award for Best International Designer, Lifetime Achievement Award for men’s wear and for art and fashion from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He has, in addition, been recognized with an Honorary Doctorate from London’s Royal College of Art, and has an Honorary Degree from Milan’s Accademia di Brera. In 2006 he was awarded an Honorary Degree from London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and in 2007 he received an Honorary Degree in Industrial Design from the Politecnico University of Milan.

Giorgio Armani is a true entrepreneur and a man to be Envied. We look forward to seeing whats next in the world of ARMANI!

Wyclef Jean and Bono standing tough

Wyclef Jean and Bono standing tough at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights annual Ripple of hope Awards dinner at New York’s  Chealsea Piers last Wednesday.

Both Wyclef and Bono were honored with the organization’s 2009 Ripple of Hope Award for their bold leadership in humanitarian issues.

These men work hard to give back to the world and community!! Thank you guys, your setting a great example for the rest of the world and we love your music as well!

Claudia Schiffer after lending her image to fashion for more than two decades announces that she is ready to create her own fashion label.

The 39-year-old-German born model on Tuesday said she was looking to give her life a new direction and was on the lookout for partners to back the launch of her brand.

claudia-schiffer

“I would love to create my own lines now,” Schiffer told a luxury conference in Berlin organized by the International Herald Tribune.

“I want the brand to be timeless and classic, with a fashion sensibility

Its your time Claudia and we wish you much success!!

burj-dubai-worlds-tallest-building-property

1. The Burj Dubai is the tallest building and tallest man-made structure in the world.  It surpassed the Taipei 101 in July 2007 and became the tallest building and became the tallest freestanding structure when it surpassed the CN Tower in September 2007.
2. The contractor for the project is the South Korean-based company, Samsung, along with Besix (Belgian firm) and local Arabtec.
3. The Burj Dubai is located on Sheikh Zayed Road at the intersection of Doha Street.
4. The Burj Dubai, a $4.1 billion project, is part of the larger $20 billion Downtown Dubai development project.
5. Groundbreaking took place on September 21, 2004.  Construction is scheduled to complete in September 2009.
6. The height of the tower is estimated at 818 meters (2,684 feet)
7. The Burj Dubai has 164 stories
8. The floor area of the Burj Dubai is 334,000 square meters or 3,595,100 square feet.
9. The spire of the Burj Dubai can be seen from a distance up to 95 kilometers.
10. The Burj Dubai will have the tallest observation deck at 442 meters high
11. The tower’s curtain will be the length of approximately 25 football fields.
12. The total amount of concrete used on the building is the equivalent weight of about 100,000 elephants
13. Condensated water is collected with a pipe and is stored beneath the parking garage and used for irrigation of the landscaping surrounding the tower.  15 million gallons of water, or about 20 Olympic sized swimming pools, are required for the tower’s use.
14. The cooling requirements of the Burj Dubai are equivalent to about 10,000 tons of melting ice
15. The Burj Dubai’s water system supplied about 250,000 gallons of water
16. The building’s electricity is 36mV, which is the equivalent of about 360,000 100 watt bulbs
17. The Burj Dubai has the fastest elevators in the world.  The double deck cabins can travel up to 18 meters per second or 40 miles per hour.
18. The tower also has the highest service elevator in the world.
19. The Burj Dubai has the first controlled and programmed evacuation in the world.
20. The building houses a 15,00 square foot fitness facility
21. The Burj Dubai has a cigar club

How man times has it been written before? There is such a very small difference between the ones who win and the ones that lose.

It could be business, sports or even your personal lives. What if you push yourself that “extra mile “or give “110 percent”?

There are many successful people in the world. They are constantly in the news. We can’t get enough of them. We love them when they succeed, but we also get a guilty feeling of ENVY when they fall flat on their face.

But most of the times, the successful people we hear about likely didn’t have an easy road to success. That’s because we typically hear nothing about the numerous pitfalls and failures they overcame in order to reach their goals.

The main difference between the two is this: the successful ones pick themselves up after failure again and again until they finally reach success. The difference between success and failure is often minute. Successful people we hear about likely didn’t have an easy road to success.

A good lesson to learn is that you’ll soon realize it often takes a good break or a little more effort than the next person to actually succeed.

The difference between success and failure is, you only fail when you fall down and don’t get right back up. When you have become a success in reaching your goals, then you become happy.

Watch the above video and see if it helps give you that extra motivational boost you need … to succeed.