World's 50 Most Populous Countries: 2010

World's 50 Most Populous Countries: 2010


Rank Country Population


World 6,817,246,761

1. China 1,330,141,295

2. India 1,173,108,018

3. United States 310,232,863

4. Indonesia 242,968,342

5. Brazil 201,103,330

6. Pakistan 177,276,594

7. Bangladesh 158,065,841

8. Nigeria 152,217,341

9. Russia 139,390,205

10. Japan 126,804,433

11. Mexico 112,468,855

12. Philippines 99,900,177

13. Vietnam 89,571,130

14. Ethiopia 88,013,491

15. Germany 82,282,988

16. Egypt 80,471,869

17. Turkey 77,804,122

18. Congo, Dem. Rep. 70,916,439

19. Iran 67,037,517

20. Thailand 66,404,688

21. France 64,768,389

22. United Kingdom 61,284,806

23. Italy 58,090,681

24. Burma 53,414,374

25. South Africa 49,109,107

26. Korea, South 48,636,068

27. Ukraine 45,415,596

28. Colombia 44,205,293

29. Sudan 41,980,182

30. Tanzania 41,892,895

31. Argentina 41,343,201

32. Spain 40,548,753

33. Kenya 40,046,566

34. Poland 38,463,689

35. Algeria 34,586,184

36. Canada 33,759,742

37. Uganda 33,398,682

38. Morocco 31,627,428

39. Peru 29,907,003

40. Iraq 29,671,605

41. Saudi Arabia 29,207,277

42. Afghanistan 29,121,286

43. Nepal 28,951,852

44. Uzbekistan 27,865,738

45. Venezuela 27,223,228

46. Malaysia 26,160,256

47. Ghana 24,339,838

48. Yemen 23,495,361

49. Taiwan 23,024,956

50. Korea, North 22,757,275



Source: U.S. Census Bureau International Data Base.

History of the Tea Party Movement

History of the Tea Party Movement

With the help of viral videos and social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, the inchoate Tea Party movement almost instantly found a large and loyal following that has consistently gained traction and supporters since its inception in February 2009.




In fact, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in January 2010 revealed that 41% of Americans have a positive perception of the Tea Party movement, compared to 35% for the Democratic Party and 28% for the Republican Party.



A Televised Birth of a Movement

CNBC's Rick Santelli is widely credited with launching the grassroots movement. While standing on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on February 19, 2009, he unleashed what can only be called a rant against the Obama Administration's proposal to help homeowners facing foreclosure refinance their mortgages.



"Do we really want to subsidize the losers' mortgages?" he asked. "This is America! How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor's mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills?" He went on to suggest that he would organize a Chicago Tea Party in July, where capitalists would dump "some derivative securities into Lake Michigan." The video of his tirade became a YouTube hit, and thus the movement was born. Within weeks, Tea Party protests were sprouting up all over the country. The Tea Party name, a clear reference to the American colonists' dumping of tea into Boston Harbor to protest taxes imposed by King George, stands as an acronym as well: Taxed Enough Already.



Santelli, however, can't claim credit as the sole mastermind of the movement. Prior to his appearance in Chicago, Keli Carender, a Seattle at-home mother also known as Liberty Belle, had been using her blog to get the word out about the populist "Porkulus Protest" she was organizing against President Barack Obama's proposed $750 billion stimulus package. About 100 people showed up for her event in mid-February. Similar events inspired by both Santelli and Carender, followed in quick succession in Denver; Mesa, Ariz.; Tampa, Fla.; and other cities. Tea Party organizers claim that the first nationwide Tea Party protest took place on February 27, 2009, with coordinated events occurring in more than 40 cities.



Small Protests Gather Steam

These protests were merely dress rehearsal for the Tea Party events planned for April 15, 2009: tax day. While few can agree on the number of events held throughout the country, the number ranges from 200 to 750, with total attendance ranging from about 250,000 to more than a half-million. Some protests, such as the one in Atlanta, Georgia, attracted crowds of several thousand; others drew just a handful. A protest outside the White House was broken up by police when a demonstrator threw a box of tea bags over the fence.



Protests against the stimulus package, the bank bailouts, and health-care legislation continued throughout 2009, with major events held on July 4 and September 12. During the summer, Tea Party protesters were criticized for their disruptive outbursts during meetings held by members of Congress in their home districts to discuss health-care reform.



Diverse Group with a Unified Message

Tea Partiers detest all things big: big government, big business, big national debt, big taxes. They express hostility toward the elite and outrage that the government has come to the aid of Wall Street while ignoring the plight of Main Street. Most Tea Partiers consider themselves citizen activists who are part of a grassroots movement that is organized from the bottom up—small groups united under a shared ideology. The movement claims no national leader or figurehead. Some say that Sarah Palin assumed the role as #1 Tea Partier when she delivered the keynote address at the first Tea Party Convention in February 2010 in Nashville. Some 600 people attended the full convention, and another 500 sat in on Palin's speech only.



"America is ready for another revolution," she said. In a barb pointed at President Barack Obama, she said the movement is "about the people, and it's bigger than any one king or queen of a tea party, and it's a lot bigger than any charismatic guy with a teleprompter."



Growing Pains

Some members of the movement accused Tea Party Nation, the group that organized the convention, of attempting to profit from the event: tickets cost $549 to attend, and Palin received a reported $100,000 speaker's fee (which Palin said "will go right back to the cause"). Several sponsors and speakers backed out of commitments in the days and weeks leading up to the event. Representatives Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) were among the speakers to cancel their appearances.



While the Tea Party movement claims to be a grassroots movement, FreedomWorks, a powerful conservative organization headed by former congressman Dick Aremy, seems to play an important role behind the scenes and serves as clearinghouses for information on protests. Call it the right's answer to MoveON.org.



Mixed Electoral Results

While Democrats are usually the target of Tea Partiers' ire, Republicans have not always been spared. In New York, many members of the movement endorsed third-party candidate Doug Hoffman in the 2009 special election for the House seat vacated by John McHugh, over the moderate Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, pro-choice and a backer of gay marriage. Their plan backfired: Scozzafava withdrew from the race, and Democrat Bill Owens went on to win the election, albeit narrowly.



The movement claimed a monumental victory in January 2010 in Massachusetts—perhaps the bluest of the blue states—when Republican Scott Brown defeated Democrat Martha Coakley in the Senate race to fill the seat vacated after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Brown somewhat distanced himself from the Tea Party during the race, but as he positioned himself as an outsider who would vote to block a vote on health-care reform, the movement claimed him as one of their own.



Love them or hate them, few can dispute that the Tea Partiers have altered the political landscape, and the results of upcoming elections will decide if the Tea Party movement will be force or a fad.

World's Tallest Buildings

Rank m ft


1. Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai), Dubai, The United Arab Emirates 2010 160 828 2,716

2. Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan 2004 101 508 1,667

3. World Financial Center, Shanghai, China 2008 101 492 1,614

4. Petronas Tower 1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 88 452 1,483

5. Petronas Tower 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1998 88 452 1,483

6. Greenland Financial Center, Nanjing, China 2009 66 450 1,476

7. Sears Tower, Chicago 1974 110 442 1,451

8. Guangzhou West Tower, Guangzhou, China 2009 103 438 1,435

9. Jin Mao Building, Shanghai, China 1999 88 421 1,381

10. Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong 2003 88 415 1,362

11. Trump International Hotel, Chicago, U.S. 2009 96 415 1,362

12. CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou, China 1996 80 391 1,283

13. Shun Hing Square, Shenzhen, China 1996 69 384 1,260

14. Empire State Building, New York 1931 102 381 1,250

15. Central Plaza, Hong Kong 1992 78 374 1,227

16. Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong 1989 70 367 1,205

17. Bank of America Tower, New York City, U.S. 2009 54 366 1,200

18. Almas Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2009 68 363 1,191

19. Emirates Tower One, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 1999 54 355 1,165

20. Tuntex Sky Tower, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1997 85 348 1,140

21. Aon Centre, Chicago 1973 80 346 1,136

22. The Center, Hong Kong 1998 73 346 1,135

23. John Hancock Center, Chicago 1969 100 344 1,127

24. Rose Tower, Dubai 2007 72 333 1,093

25. Shimao International Plaza, Shanghai 2006 60 333 1,093

26. Minsheng Bank Building, Wuhan, China 2007 68 331 1,087

27. Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, N. Korea 1995 105 330 1,083

28. China World Trade Center, Beijing, China 2009 74 330 1,083

29. The Index, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2009 80 328 1,076

30. Q1, Gold Coast, Australia 2005 78 323 1,058

31. Burj al Arab Hotel, Dubai 1999 60 321 1,053

32. Chrysler Building, New York 1930 77 319 1,046

33. Nina Tower I, Hong Kong 2006 80 319 1,046

34. New York Times Building, New York 2007 52 319 1,046

35. Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta 1993 55 317 1,039

36. U.S. Bank Tower, Los Angeles 1990 73 310 1,018

37. Menara Telekom Headquarters, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 1999 55 310 1,017

38. Emirates Tower Two, Dubai 2000 56 309 1,014

39. AT&T Corporate Center, Chicago 1989 60 307 1,007

40. The Address Downtown Burj Dubai, Dubai, U.A.E. 2008 63 306 1,004

41. JP Morgan Chase Tower, Houston 1982 75 305 1,002

42. Baiyoke Tower II, Bangkok 1997 85 304 997

43. Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago 1990 64 303 995

44. Wells Fargo Plaza, Houston 1983 71 302 992

45. Kingdom Centre, Riyadh 2002 41 302 992

46. Aspire Tower, Doha 2006 36 300 984

47. Arraya 2, Kuwait City, Kuwait 2009 56 300 984

48. One Island East Centre, Hong Kong, China 2008 69 298 979

49. First Bank Tower, Toronto 1975 72 298 978

50. Shanghai Wheelock Square, Shanghai, China 2009 58 298 978

51. Eureka Tower, Melbourne 2006 91 297 975

52. Comcast Center, Philadelphia, U.S. 2008 57 297 975

53. Landmark Tower, Yokohama, Japan 1993 73 296 971

54. Emirates Crown, Dubai, U.A.E 2008 63 296 971

55. 311 South Wacker Drive, Chicago 1990 65 293 961

56. SEG Plaza, Shenzhen, China 2000 71 292 957

57. American International Building, New York 1932 67 290 952

58. Key Tower, Cleveland 1991 57 289 947

59. Plaza 66, Shanghai 2001 66 288 945

60. One Liberty Place, Philadelphia 1987 61 288 945

61. Columbia Center, Seattle, U.S. 1985 76 285 937

62. Millennium Tower, Dubai 2006 59 285 935

63. Sunjoy Tomorrow Square, Shanghai 2003 55 285 934

64. Chongqing World Trade Center, Chongqing, China 2005 60 283 929

65. Cheung Kong Center, Hong Kong 1999 63 283 929

66. The Trump Building, New York 1930 71 283 927

67. Bank of America Plaza, Dallas 1985 72 281 921

68. United Overseas Bank Plaza, Singapore 1992 66 280 919

69. Republic Plaza, Singapore 1995 66 280 919

70. Overseas Union Bank Centre, Singapore 1986 63 280 919

71. Citigroup Center, New York 1977 59 279 915

72. Hong Kong New World Tower, Shanghai 2002 61 278 913

73. Diwang International Commerce Center, Nanning, China 2006 54 276 906

74. Scotia Plaza, Toronto 1989 68 275 902

75. Williams Tower, Houston 1983 64 275 901

76. Moscow, Moscow 2009 73 274 900

77. Wuhan World Trade Tower, Wuhan, China 1998 60 273 896

78. Cullinan North Tower, Hong Kong 2007 68 270 886

79. Cullinan South Tower, Hong Kong 2007 68 270 886

80. Renaissance Tower, Dallas 1975 56 270 886

81. China International Center Tower B, Guangzhou, China 2007 62 270 884

82. Dapeng International Plaza, Guangzhou, China 2006 56 269 883

83. One Luijiazui, Shanghai, China 2008 47 269 883

84. 21st Century Tower, Dubai 2003 55 269 883

85. Naberezhnaya Tower C, Moscow 2007 61 268 881

86. Al Faisaliah Center, Riyadh 2000 30 267 876

87. 900 North Michigan Ave., Chicago 1989 66 265 871

88. Bank of America Corporate Center, Charlotte 1992 60 265 871

89. SunTrust Plaza, Atlanta 1992 60 265 871

90. Al Kazim Tower 1, Dubai, U.A.E 2008 53 265 871

91. Al Kazim Tower 2, Dubai, U.A.E 2008 53 265 871

92. BOCOM Financial Towers, Shanghai 1999 52 265 869

93. 120 Collins Street, Melbourne 1991 52 265 869

94. Triumph Palace, Moscow 2005 57 264 866

95. Tower Palace Three, Tower G, Seoul 2004 73 264 865

96. Trump World Tower, New York 2001 72 262 861

97. Shenzhen Special Zone Daily Tower, Shenzhen, China 1998 48 262 860

98. Water Tower Place, Chicago 1976 74 262 859

99. Grand Gateway Plaza I, Shanghai 2005 52 262 859

100. Grand Gateway Plaza II, Shanghai 2005 52 262 859


NOTES:




Criteria for Inclusion on the List of 100 Tallest Buildings by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat



This data was gathered and/or supplied by members and representatives of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat who represent world leaders in the field of the built environment, including research, industry, and education.



What defines a building (as opposed to a tower)? A "building" is considered to be a structure that is designed for residential, business, or manufacturing purposes. An essential characteristic of a building is that it has floors. Note that towers are NOT included in the list. Although a number of tall buildings on this list have "Tower" in their name—the famous Petronas Towers, for example—none are technically towers.



When does a building appear on the list? When a building is "topped out"—the point of construction when the structure has met its proposed structural top (see height definition below)—the building is officially ranked and is placed on the list.



Height The height of a building is measured from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the structural top of the building. This includes spires, but does not include television antennas, radio antennas, or flag poles. Height is listed in both meters and feet and is rounded to the nearest integer. This is the official criterion used by the Council in determining ranking.



In many cases, the height of a building is supplied to the Council using only one unit of measure (either feet or meters). Based on the exact value of the unit supplied, the other unit’s value is mathematically calculated, then rounded to the nearest integer. The final determinant in ranking a building’s height is the footage—not meters—because of footage’s smaller (and therefore more precise) incremental value.



Rank Ranking is determined by height to the structural top of the building (see above). If there is a tie, the building with the larger number of stories is ranked higher. If a tie still remains, the building which was completed first is ranked higher. If a tie would still remain, the buildings would be ranked alphabetically.



Year The year in which construction of the building was officially completed. “UC” stands for Under Construction. For a building that is currently under construction to appear on the list it must be “topped out.”





NOTE: When a building is “topped out” (the point of construction when the structure has met its proposed structural top), the building is officially ranked and is placed on the list. UC indicates under construction: although the building has been “topped out,” construction has not been completed. Height is measured from sidewalk level of main entrance to structural top of building. This includes spires, but does not include antennas or flagpoles.

1. The World Trade Center twin towers of New York City ranked fifth and sixth (at 1,368 ft and 1,362 ft) on this list until their destruction on Sept. 11, 2001.

2. A building differs from a tower in that the former is considered to be a structure that is designed for residential, business, or manufacturing purposes. Also, an essential characteristic of a building is that it has floors.

What was the Cold War ?

The Cold War is the name given to the relationship that developed primarily between the USA and the USSR after World War Two. The Cold War was to dominate international affairs for decades and many major crises occurred - the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Hungary and the Berlin Wall being just some. For many the growth in weapons of mass destruction was the most worrying issue.




Do note that USSR in 1945 was Russia post-1917 and included all the various countries that now exist individually (Ukraine, Georgia etc) but after the war they were part of this huge country up until the collapse of the Soviet Union (the other name for the USSR).



Logic would dictate that as the USA and the USSR fought as allies during World War Two, their relationship after the war would be firm and friendly. This never happened and any appearance that these two powers were friendly during the war is illusory.



Before the war, America had depicted the Soviet Union as almost the devil-incarnate. The Soviet Union had depicted America likewise so their ‘friendship’ during the war was simply the result of having a mutual enemy - Nazi Germany. In fact, one of America’s leading generals, Patton, stated that he felt that the Allied army should unite with what was left of the Wehrmacht in 1945, utilise the military genius that existed within it (such as the V2’s etc.) and fight the oncoming Soviet Red Army. Churchill himself was furious that Eisenhower, as supreme head of Allied command, had agreed that the Red Army should be allowed to get to Berlin first ahead of the Allied army. His anger was shared by Montgomery, Britain’s senior military figure.



So the extreme distrust that existed during the war, was certainly present before the end of the war……..and this was between Allies. The Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, was also distrustful of the Americans after Truman only told him of a new terrifying weapon that he was going to use against the Japanese. The first Stalin knew of what this weapon could do was when reports on Hiroshima got back to Moscow.



So this was the scene after the war ended in 1945. Both sides distrusted the other. One had a vast army in the field (the Soviet Union with its Red Army supremely lead by Zhukov) while the other, the Americans had the most powerful weapon in the world, the A-bomb and the Soviets had no way on knowing how many America had.



So what exactly was the Cold War?

Cold War : this term is used to describe the relationship between America and the Soviet Union 1945 to 1980. Neither side ever fought the other - the consequences would be too appalling - but they did ‘fight’ for their beliefs using client states who fought for their beliefs on their behalf e.g. South Vietnam was anticommunist and was supplied by America during the war while North Vietnam was pro-Communist and fought the south (and the Americans) using weapons from communist Russia or communist China. In Afghanistan, the Americans supplied the rebel Afghans after the Soviet Union invaded in 1979 while they never physically involved themselves thus avoiding a direct clash with the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Army

The Soviet Army

The Soviet Army was the military backbone of the Warsaw Pact. In 1975 Christopher Foss described the Soviet Army as “the most powerful in the world, both in terms of men and equipment.” How accurate this assessment was when compared to the US and Chinese armies is difficult to know but few would have denied that the Soviet Army was a formidable force.

The Soviet Army was controlled by the Soviet Ministry of Defence and had four parts to it: strategic rocket forces, ground forces, air defence forces and air forces. Ground forces made up the bulk of the Soviet Army.


In 1975, when the Cold War was at its height, Soviet ground forces numbered 2 million men. This figure excluded the 175,000 men who were classed as border troops and were under the control of the KGB and the 140,000 men of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were concerned with external security. Soviet troops were based in five main Group of Forces. These were in Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and the Soviet Union.


In 1975, the Soviet Army had 50 tank divisions, 107 motor rifle divisions and 8 airborne divisions. Each division was given a specific category to denote its war readiness. Category 1 meant that a division was fully operational in terms of men and equipment and ready to fight without a delay. Category 2 meant that a division was fully equipped but had about 75% of its required manpower but could become fully operational within a week. Category 3 divisions had the necessary equipment but were made primarily up of reserves and would take time to bring to full strength. Within Warsaw Pact countries such as Poland, Czechoslovakia and East Germany and on the Chinese border most divisions would have been at Category 1 with a few at Category 2. Divisions based in the USSR itself would have been Category 3.


The Soviet Army had conscription, which lasted for a minimum of two years. This gave it access to huge manpower especially in her reserve units. 500,000 men a year started their military training and they stayed in the reserves until they were 50 years of age. In 1975, Class 1 reserves (35 years and below) numbered 7 million men and it was believed that all reservists could have been called up in just one week. Western intelligence believed that in the mid-1970’s the Soviet Army had the potential to put 300 divisions into the field if required. In 1975, the United States Navy claimed that in total the USSR had 20 million men registered in its army.



However, such a huge force could not be completely equipped with new military equipment. It is known that reserve tank divisions would have been equipped with older T-54 and T-55 tanks while the public side of the Soviet Army paraded its modern T-62 and T-70 tanks.

Causes of the Cold War in 1945

* American fear of communist attack




* Truman’s dislike of Stalin



* Russia’s fear of the American's atomic bomb



* Russia’s dislike of capitalism



* Russia’s actions in the Soviet zone of Germany



* America’s refusal to share nuclear secrets



* Russia’s expansion west into Eastern Europe + broken election promises



* Russia’s fear of American attack



* Russia’s need for a secure western border



* Russia’s aim of spreading world communism