10 of the most Beautiful Old Buildings

There are some buildings in this world that were meant to stay put for quite a number of years. By quite a number of years I actually mean more than two thousand years even. Not like the buildings that fall over with a strong gust of wind, but buildings that were made to withstand roughness of decades and centuries. This lists brings to  you ten of the most beautiful and the oldest buildings in the world. The listing is not necessarily based on how many years ago it was built, it is actually based on my personal liking for old buildings. Enjoy!

10. The Great Wall Of China – China (2410 years)

We have all heard a lot about the The Great Wall of China and some of us have even been lucky enough to visit it personally. Even looking at it in the pictures, it is quite evident that the journey to building this great monument to history would have been a long one (which it actually was since the construction started in 5th Century BC and ended in the 16th Century BC). The wall itself is around 5500 miles long which makes nearly 8852 kilometers. To date this wall is touted to be the biggest structure created for defense purposes. A hoard of different have ruled over the wall over the past years but now it is just a tourist destination. The wall has a low altitude and is barely visible from a low orbit around earth.

9. The Pantheon – Rome, Italy (1884 years)

Rome is beautiful as it and is also home a great many historically iconic places. The Pantheon is a huge example to that. Built in 126 AD, being 190 foot tall and around 276 foot in width, it was primarily built-in honor of all the gods of Ancient Rome. The Pantheon has an opening in the center through which the light enters and it is called the Oculus. I forgot to mention that the Rotunda which weighs around 4535 tons is the most impressive feature of the building, pretty attractive to tourists as well. Another way for the lights is the entrance in the dome.  There lies an arched vault right int he interior which is known as the representation of the vault of heaven. Many buildings have been made based on the inspiration from this structure ( a total of around 34 buildings actually!).

8. Todaji – Nara, Japan (1250 years)

The building is a landmark in the city of Nora and is one of the most famous temples of Japan.  The name translates to mean “The Great Eastern Temple” (Tdaji being a japanese word) is made entirely of wood and was constructed in 754 AD. It is widely known (and one of the reasons of the popularity of the temple) that the statue of Buddha that is placed inside the temple consumed all of Japans production of Bronze which nearly led Japan to bankruptcy. It is rumored that more than 2.6 million people helped in the construction itself. The temple has seen many fires and mishaps and what stands today is one-third of the actual size.

7. Borobudur – Magelang, Indonesia (1210 years)

Borobudur is a Buddhist shrine and although the purpose of this construction remains a mystery, as time passed this spot became and important pilgrimage spot for the Buddhists from around the world. It has been built on nine platforms and the construction completed in 800 AD. There are thousands of Buddha statues on it. 14th Century saw it abandoned but it was rediscovered and major reconstruction and renovation took place from 1975 to 1982. A total investment on $7 million was made on its restoration and it now is a hugely popular tourist destination in Indonesia.

6. Cathedral of St. Nishan – Haghpat, Armenia (1019 years)

We come to yet another building whose strong structure is still in tact despite being more than a thousand years old. There were only two small restorations that took place in the 11th and the 12th century, otherwise it is completely untouched. It is now a World Heritage site and was built as a monastic humility to God. Despite seeing many sufferings it is still standing.

5. Hohensalzburg Castle – Salzburg, Austria (548-933 years)

Standing strong at a length of 820 foot and a width of 492 foot, Hohensalzburg Castle has the honor of being one of the biggest medieval castles of Europe. Initial construction began in 1077 and the coming centuries saw an expansion in the size which was initially a barley surrounded by wooden walls. If you like visiting medieval places than this is a must see. It is now a major tourist attraction in Salzburg.

4.Leaning Tower of Pisa – Pisa, Italy (638 years)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa actually a bell tower of Duomo di Pisa. It was not built to be leaning but it actually leaned this low over time. If it hadn’t however, it wouldn’t have gotten such attention from the world to actually make a wonder. The construction work on it began in the year 1172 AD and it took a complete 199 years to build it. Since its construction, the tower had started sinking into the floor. It was initially at an angle of 5.5 but later leaned onto 3.99 degree. It has been a wonder for architects from all over the world.

3. Keszthely Church – Keszthely, Hungary (620 years)

This is a Gothic Parish church which is a signature building for Keszthely, which has to the Hungary’s oldest towns. Nothing but the church was renovated after the turkish rule over hungary in the 19th century. The renovation gave it a neo-gothic tower and windows that rose. The old frescoes that were discovered quite late actually are now available to a large audience for the pure pleasure of viewing.

2. Notre Dame Cathedral – Paris, France (665 years)

Notre Dame has to be the most impressive example of French Gothic architecture, one of its kind in Europe. It suffered a lot during the French Revolution but is still standing rock hard after 600 years. It is currently home to the archbishop of Paris. The story “The Hunch Back of Notre Dame” takes its inspiration from this building.

1. Amphitheater of El Djem El Djem, Tunisia (1711-1809 years)

The Amphitheatre is the one featured in Gladiator, the movie. It has to be the third largest amphitheater of the Roman empire and is still under its hold. It was known to hold around 30000 people in the prime of its freshly constructed period. There was a hidden basement that was discovered later which was known to hold wild beasts and gladiators. The amphitheater is severely beat up but still a sight to behold. My personal favorite oldest building in the world.

Ten Unusual and Weird Accidents

Let’s face it folks, each and every single one of us is scared of accidents. I, for one, haven’t experienced any major accident my entire life and I thank God for that. You might not be aware but the world experiences different accidents every single day and I am not talking about your everyday road accidents. I am talking about something on a much bigger scale, something that gives the word ‘weird’ a new definition. This article talks about the weirdest and the most bizarre accidents from around the world over the course of history. You do not expect these sort of things to happen every day or even once in a blue moon and that makes this article a very interesting one indeed.

10. PHILADELPHIA BOILER EXPLOSION

An experimental ‘train engine’ blew up in Philadelphia, County Durham, England. The year was 1815 and it was a four-wheel engine. Sixteen people were killed and this is recorded as the first major railway accident. You will not find a detailed account of this accident easily. Poor victims were the sightseers who were gathered to see the locomotive in action. The explosion left countless more injured.

9. BOUNCY CASTLE DISASTER

You are familiar with the concept I assume. Once, a bouncy castle filled with 30 people broke free and took off into the air. It is reported that the castle took off to an altitude of 50 feet, turned over travelled 150 feet and then fell to the ground. This resulted in injuring 13 people and killing two. This incident would have been so awesome if at all there were no deaths or injuries in fact, I very much would have loved to be a part of the entire incident. Air filled castles have been related with many incidents of the sorts but his one worthy of mentioning on this list.

8. DEATH OF LADY CONVENTRY

Maria Gunning, also known as Lady Coventry, was considered to be a beauty in her time. She spent a lot of her time applying white makeup and red rouge every day since that was the style of that day. Her husband however, did not like this and tried to stop her from using this make-up. Lady Coventry died at the age of 27 because she over used lead-based makeup. She would have probably been in a better place if she had listened to her husband.

7. NAPOLEON’S COUGH

It is said the Napoleon was suffering from a bad cough when he accidentally ordered the execution of 1,200 prisoners. It said that he said ‘Ma sacre toux’, which meant ‘my damn cough’, but the soldiers mistook it to be ‘massacre-tous’; that means ‘massacre all’. If this whole incident was proven to be true I would have put it on the number one spot but unfortunately there are many different stories regarding this particular incident.

6. LAKE PEIGNEUR ACCIDENT

This incident took place while drilling a salt mine beneath a ten-foot deep lake. The third level of the mine was accidentally pierced by the drill caused the lake to flow into the mine because of which the tiny hole started to expand. The inflow began to quicken and that resulted in a huge whirlpool which then sucked in the drilling platform, eleven barges and 65 acres of the surrounding terrain.

5. GOIANIA ACCIDENT

A radioactive contamination accident occurred in Goiania, Brazil on 13^th September, 1987. This is considered to be one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. It took place after an old nuclear medicine source was scavenged at an abandoned hospital. The source was handled by so many people who it ended up contaminating 249 people and resulted in four deaths. This contamination spread like wildfire; 130,000 people filled the hospitals, houses and to be destroyed and several sites had to be abandoned.

4. LONDON BEER FLOOD

This is something that doesn’t happen every day. A vat of beer at London’s Meux and Company Brewery cracked open on October 16^th, 1814. That resulted in 550,000 gallons of beer being poured out into the streets of London. The wave that was caused by these accidents destroyed two homes and crushed the wall of Tavistock Arms Pub. This brewery was located among the poor settlements of London. Eight people lost their lives in this unusual flood. The incident was declared to be the ‘act of God’.

3. THE BALL OF BURNING MEN

King Charles VI of France hosted a ball on January 28^th, 1393. His idea was to disguise himself and five other friends as savages. The men decided to cover themselves with feathers and pitch. Note here that the pitch is highly inflammable. They entered the ball chained together when a man approached them with a torch to get a better look. They caught fire immediately. The King was saved but two of his friends were burnt alive at the very moment while the others were severely injured. Two amongst the injured lost their lives soon after.

2. BOSTON MOLASSES DISASTER

A tank full of molasses exploded in Boston’s North End on 15^th January 1919. The explosion resulted in a shockwave that shook the foundation of the nearby houses. Metal shards were found 200 feet away from the explosion. The tank had 2.3 million gallons of molasses which is why a 25 to 30 feet wave of molasses was formed at the time of explosion.21 casualties occurred and another 150 were left injured because of this bizarre incident.

1. SIDOARJO MUD FLOW

PT Lapindo Brantas was drilling for gas in East Java, Indonesia in May, 2006 when they suddenly caused a volcano of mud to erupt. The flow continued for a very long time and by September that year the mud volcano had flooded rice paddies and villages. That left 11,000 people from eight different villages totally displaced. Twenty-five factories were shut-down and even fish and shrimp ponds were annihilated. Transportation and power had been cut off to the area. You must be surprised to know that the mud flow continues still at a rate of 100,000 m³per day. It is expected that the flow will continue for the next thirty years however the rate may decrease with time.

10 of the Oldest and Enchanting Castles in the World

We have all seen and been inspired by castles in so many movies, cartoons, and video games. It is something about those huge halls, and towers, and spires and the foreboding look that completely mesmerize us. There are many universities in the world that are built with such spacious architectures as those of castles. Remember seeing Harry potter and his friends studying Magic in the Hogwarts Castle? Wasn’t that totally spell binding (no pun intended), or perhaps you remember the various kinds of castles used in THE LORD OF THE RINGS! I bring to you that and so much more as I take you on a visit around the world to some of the oldest and most beautiful castles that are still standing. Being used as tourists spots today, these were once monumental to defence and thus they stand rock hard! Read on to find out more!

10. PRAGUE CASTLE, THE CZECH REPUBLIC

One of the most beautiful and breathtaking sights in Prague is the castle, touted and most famous because of being not only the largest but also one of the oldest castles in the world. The construction of the castle began as early as the ninth century and even if viewed in person today, one can see that the design of the castle reflects all kinds of architectures be it baroque, or Romanian, or even Gothic. Being 570 meters long and around 130 meters wide, this is a sight to behold.

9. CORFE CASTLE, ENGLAND

This particular castle is located on the Isle of Purbeck in the county of Dorset. If there ever was a castle that gave the impressions of a foreboding fortress, this would be it. Constructed initially in the 9th  century with more towers being added in the 11th century. The castle is known to have been a defence mechanism for the Romanians. It is widely known that the fortress was used as a prison as well as a storeroom for all the treasure. The mention of treasure gives it a more royal feel.

8. EILEAN PONAN CASTLE, SCOTLAND

This castle was initially built-in the 13th century to keep the vikings away. From the eighteenth to the twentieth century this castle was left to ruin with no maintenance what so ever despite this being the oldest most prominent castle in Scotland. It has been rebuilt four times and was finally open to public in 1932. Since then it has been visited by travellers from all around the world attracted to its ancient glory.

7. CONWY CASTLE, WALES

The iconic eight towers of this particular castle, which is now a part of World Heritage, present the iconic image of North Wales. It is known that Edward I spent a lot of money on its construction. Rumors say that around fifteen thousand pounds were spent in the 13th century (this means well over 200 million pounds today). The expenditures on this Welsh architecture makes it the most expensive of all castles made by Edward I and also the most prominent.

6. LOWENBURG CASTLE: DISNEY LAND OF THE 18TH CENTURY

This medieval castle that sits inside a park is considered the Disney Land of its time. The orders to build this castle came from Wilhelm IX who was famous for being the Walt Disney of his era. His chief architect was told to creat a romantic ruin for which the architect by the name of Heinrich Christoph Jussow (he was a royal court building inspector back in those days) went to England to study romantic ruins. To this date, this castle stands not only as the first neo-gothic building in Germany but also the most significant building of its own genre. Kudos to Mr Heinrich!

5. MALAHIDE CASTLE, IRELAND

This castle served as home to the Talbot family, and in-between it switched hands and went into the care of Miles Colbert but was restored back to the Talbot family. It is touted to be one of the oldest castles of Ireland.

4. HOHENWERFEN CASTLE, AUSTRIA

One look at the picture above and you will ne transported to an era that is 900 years old, which is exactly how old this castle is. Standing with all its glory and royalty on top of the Salzach mountains it gives the picture perfect idea of a defence fortress what with the tall towers and high windows. The good thing about this place is that it is now open to visitors all year round. So one can go visit and actually feel the glamour of a bygone era. Roam the halls and feel the power!

3. HUNYAD CASTLE: WHERE DRACULA WAS HELD

So we have all heard about Dracula and how he used to drink people’s blood, and how he had a castle of his own to live in where he slept within a coffin. Well the Hunyad castle that is depicted above, at one point belonged to the Hunyadi Dynasty.  The castle has seen a lot of neglect and quite a number of fires ruining its original architecture, an architecture that was then restored by modern architects who gave the castle a very gothic look. This is the same castle which has the honor of being called the Caste of Dracula. It is believed that he walked to tapestries and those halls once, in all his might. He maintained the castle as a prison.

2. NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE: THE PERFECT FAIRYTALE CASTLE

This is the castle that was the inspiration behind Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle and this American tourists are all well aware and quite fond of it as well. It is one of the three royal palaces that were built for Louis II of Bavaria and predictably lies in the Bavarian alps of Germany. The construction was initiated in 1869 and later stopped due to the death of Louis II. It is the epitome of a fairytale romance with towers and spires and over the top location. For its times, the facilities provided were quite modern, a heating systems for every floor, automated flushing in toilets etc. The picture above looks like a dream itself!

1. MONT SAINT-MICHEL: SMALL ISLAND

Situated near Brittany (which is totally separated from the mainland incase if a high tide that comes in a little too quickly), this castle was built-in 1880s. Providing the only link to the coast, the tourists are always warned to be careful because the tide comes in very quickly and a lot of tourists have drowned. It attracts more than four million tourists in a year which is a number higher than any other castle in France. This particular castle has been used in a lot of movies and cartoons. Most of the castles that are still standing these days were built primarily for defence purposes, this however was a monastery to begin with.

Ten Weirdest Unresolved Mysteries in the World

So one would thing that with so many scientists out there in the world there would be nothing that cannot be explained, nothing that has led to unsuccessful research but tell you what? There are more than a few mysteries in this world, events and procedures, and happenings that have no logical or rational explanation. In this article I will be listing a few of the more known mysteries, and when you read through them you will realize that everything in the world is not always based on a law, that stories that we hear are not always fictional, and events causing disappearances are not always resolved. No matter what the newspapers might say (and they do say quite a lot of things juts to ensure that people do not panic), there are some thing left undone simply because no one knows what to do. Read on to find out the unbelievable.

10. THE PLACEBO EFFECT

The placebo effect is kind of like a psychological effect (saying so because of the lack of a better word) that takes places when a person who constantly complains that something is wrong with them and they need medicine to recover. The doctors upon realizing the symptoms (again using the word due to lack of a better one) give the person a medicine which actually is not a medicine but the person feels better instantly. So that particular thing is called Placebo, which when given to such people with the re-assurance that it can sure them, heels them of their unease just because in their minds they knew this would heal them. Weird isn’t it? Our own bodies hold so many mysteries, such as this one, which is perhaps due do a certain connection of the body and the brain.

9. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF EILEAN MOR LIGHT HOUSE

Off the western coast of Scotland is one of the most remote locations, a grouping of 7 uninhabited islands, bedrock that have been formed over the years of metamorphic rock. The famous stories of the Loch Ness monster are specialities of these islands. The place is alternatively known as the Flannan Isles or the Seven Hunters. The part of The Atlantic near the Islands was pretty rough causing a number of boats to crash and drown often. So finally in 1985 a light house was built on Eilean Mor with considerable difficulty. Three watchmen were installed who over the course of time disappeared and the light house suffered extreme damages from on coming winds. To date there has been no sign of those watchmen and no one knows what happened to them.

8. THE DROPA STONES

Dr. Chi Pu Tei led an archeological expedition in 1938. He made some very interesting discoveries in the caves of the Baian-Kara-Ula mountains in China. Under heaps of dust from years bygone, lying on the basement of the caves were discs made of stone. They were a total of perhaps 9 inches (diameter). It has weird circles etched onto it beginning from the center and moving out into a spiral making the discs look like records. into the Baian-Kara-Ula mountains of China made an astonishing discovery in some caves that had apparently been occupied by some ancient culture. Buried in the dust of ages on the cave floor were hundreds of stone disks. Measuring about nine inches in diameter, each had a circle cut into the center and was etched with a spiral groove, making it look like those old record discs we have( but from 10 to 20 thousand years ago). It eventually turned out that those spirals were actually telling stories about some spaceships that landed quite a while ago belonging to people who were called DROPA. Buried in the caves were perhaps the remains of their descendents.

7. ZOMBIES IN HAITI

Vodou practices are considered strictly evil in Haiti and they are known to have created zombies. And yes we are talking about real life zombies and not just zombies out of a hollywood movie. What they do is that as a severe punishment for breaking their vodou laws, the prisoner is injected with two different kinds of poison. One that renders them to think they have no brain of their own and thus they follow all orders and the second one is like a death trance. Though zombification is not common, it does happen and a lot of research has taken place on this.

6. 2012

The fact that the perfectly accurate calendar of the old and ancient Maya Civilization predicts or actually claims the year 2012 to be the end of civilization, or the fact that scientist claim that once in every 26000 years the whole solar system passes through our galaxy and this is that year, it might shift our poles, or the fact that the Indian calendar also claims that the year 2012 is the end all contain a mystery regarding this year. Which might or might not be true we have to wait and see!

5. NAZCA LINES

In Peru, if the Nazca Plains are viewed from a distance above in the air, one can see giant symbols etched into the ground. Symbols that are huge enough to assure that they have not been drawn by any human being (it is an impossibility) and symmetrical enough do ensure that they did not just appear out of thin air. The question that haunts minds to date is: Who made these giant symbols?

4. MARY CELESTE

A ship that was originally called the AMAZON, was launched in Nova Scotia in 1960. The ship was around 103ft and around 280 tons heavy. She was involved in many accidents and after her final repairs she was put under American registers and was known as MARY CELESTE from then onwards. Benjamin Briggs was the new captain of the ship hence forth. The last journey of the ship was in 1872 when it departed New York. The captain had his wife, young daughter, and 8 crew members on board. they were transporting around 1700 barrels of American Alcohol to Italy. The strange thing is that the ship was found floating all alone in the Strait of Gibraltar and none of the people on board were ever found. In 1873, two lifeboats were found in Spain containing a few bodies and an American flag. Although the bodies were unidentified, they were thought to be the remains of the passengers of MARY CELESTE. To date, no one knows what happened to the people on board.

3. ANGEL HAIR

Another one of those phenomenons that has to date defied and boggled the minds of geniuses around the globe. The thing which is known as Angel Hair is made up off threads made of silk that fall down from the sky just like rain. The most frequently seen occurrences of this regular phenomenon are in North America, New Zealand, Australia, and some parts of Western Europe. Till date no record or sample of these has been collected so that it can be analyzed in labs because the slightest intervention of soil, smoke, or even car exhaust contaminates it. Over the years this whole mystery has often been linked to UFO and some superstitious people also think of giant spiders on their webs.

2. THE TAOS HUM

A strange kind of sound or noise that is heard in the small town of Taos that is located in Mexico has baffled many scientists. The thing is that is appears to be a diesel engine running far away but the source of the sound to date has not been found. It is usually heard in really quite environments and people have reported from the US, the UK, and some parts of western Europe that they have also sometimes heard this “humming” sort of thing that they cannot explain. Weird!

1. THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE

There have been many speculations about the Bermuda Triangle. It is located near the North Atlantic Ocean and is basically composed of water and barely any land. It became the talk to the world when a large number of boats, planes and ships went missing that seemed to be traveling close to the area, over the area, or actually inside the area. The disappearances were very mysterious for the reason that the missing ships or the people who it had on board were never seen or heard from again. The various reasons that scientists from all over the world stated for these disappearances were varied but revolved around a suspension in the laws of physics, probable alien abduction, or even bad weather, but nothing over all satisfactory. None of the documentation can justify the insanely large number of complete disappearances.

10 Strangest Houses of All Time

We have seen a lot of different colored houses and architectures that made us say “What the hell were they thinking?” Most of these architectures are  funny or are poorly painted or perhaps just odd. But when you look at the collection of houses we have gathered for you from around the world, you will be truly amazed. We bring to you houses with some of the strangest structures possible on the planet.

10. THE KLEIN BOTTLE HOUSE

This house is in Mornington, Peninsula, Australia and was built by McBride Charles Ryan and it was named as the ‘World’s Best House in 2009‘. The house is based on the concept of Klein Bottle which basically means to invert a cylinder into itself which thus creates an unusual spiral form. This means the interior of the house is the exterior and the exterior is the interior. A courtyard is present right in the middle of the house so that wind can pass through it with ease. Genius work I must say!

9. CHAMELEON HOUSE

Located in North Port, Michigan this particular house with a mysterious name was created by the Anderson Architecture Company in 2006 on top of a hill that over looked Michigan Lake. The house uses pre-fabricated material which is the reason why it took less than 8 weeks to build it. The whole frame of the house which is made of steel in actual is covered in slats of acrylic. What happens is that these slats capture all the changing colors of the landscape just like the color changing reptile blends into its environments or for that matter a chameleon. When you walk into the house you either go down to the bedrooms or go upstairs to the living area. Being situated on a hill its landing is on the third floor.

8. FREE SPIRIT SPHERE

Tom and Rosy chudleigh are known all over the world for building round living space representing spheres catering to customers all around the world. The hanging room like structure depicted in the picture above is one of their master pieces. Located near the Qualicum Beach in British Columbia, this free spirit sphere (known as so because it rocks slightly in the wind) can be used as a temporary hideout (hah) or an exciting idea of a tree house. It weighs around 1100 pounds and it takes three people to install it.

7. 222 HOUSE

Located in Pembrokeshire Wales, it is in the National part of the Southwest Coast. And because it is architecturally sunk into the ground instead of standing tall, it does not affect the landscape at all. The firm known as Future Systems completed this in 1994. It is a sustainable design and thus has a turf covering on the sides as well as the roof. This house has a geo-thermal insulation which reduces energy consumption. More interestingly, its bathrooms and kitchens were ready-made and were lifted straight into the building.

6. THE LEAF HOUSE

Located in Angra Dos Reis, Brazil, this house looks like a giant flower from aerial view where each of the flower petals represent a different section of the house. The unique thing about this house is the fact that a stream runs through it and ends into a pond in the backyard and the fact that this house has no hallways also makes it peculiar. The construction company (also the architects behind this piece of art) care Mareines + Platalano ensured that the house is different from the house building that we have now come to adopt as standards. Peter from the same company believes that great spaces are created this way.

5. EVERINGHAM ROTATING HOUSE

This house is located in Taree Australia, and as is very evident from the name of the house, this residential octagonal structure can rotate at an angle of 360 degrees. The amazing thing is that although this structure looks as if it might have cost the builders so much of extra money considering the fact that two motors of nearly 500 watts capacity each are used to rotate the house at will and also the electricity and plumbing needed to be assembled in a way so as to keep it consistent while the house rotates, the expense of building it was exactly the same as an ordinary non-rotating house. Kudos to the architects we say!

4. THE NAUTILUS

This house that is formed in the shape of a seashell was made in 2006. There are stone steps in front of the house along the shrubbery that lead to the front door, a door that is submerged into the mosaic front as if it were actually a part of it. One look at the house and a person is mesmerized, such is the beauty. The architect for this house was Javiaer Sensonian and he is the one who has been known to practice a concept called Bioarchitecture. Based on this concept he has created many homes in the forms of snakes, whales, and other creatures obviously being inspired by nature. According to him, everybody can learn from something like this.

3. THE STEEL HOUSE

The Steel house in Lubbock, Texas is completely made of steel. As far as the looks are concerned, the architect wanted something that looks like a machine as well as an animal and thus this. The two notable things about this structure are the facts that for one, it stands on all four and does not disrupt the earth like a normal seated structure of a house would have done. Secondly this house was made on the go and not on a skeleton frame.

2. THE SLIDING HOUSE

Located in Suffolk, England this house has the amazing mechanical capability of shifting its entire outer body away from the inner second body which is made entirely of glass. Four batteries of 12-volts each are required to run a motor which moves the outer body away in 6 minutes. Therefore the house can be adjusted according to the temperature. That would mean a total of 5 dollars mights be required to heat up the whole house on a slightly sunny day!

1. THE BUBBLE CASTLE

Created by Antti Lovag, this place is the exact depiction of what Lovag believes to be true. That we should move away from traditional structures. The house incorporates a lot of elements from its surroundings to its interior for example the rockeries and palm trees. There are no straight lines and neither are there any sharp angles in the entire structure. This has been deemed as a historical monument by the Department of Culture in France although it still has not seen 50 years of existence.

Ten Strange Forests of the World

I have always been very attracted by forests; all the greenery and the curiosity for the creatures that might dwell in them. Forests cover around 9.4% of the Earth’s surface. It’s fast shrinking of course because of all the deforestation. There were times when the forests covered around 50% of the surface so it’s a shame really. Most of the people around the world haven’t had the unique experience to be able to go inside a forest and see what it is like, I mean sure we have seen lengthy documentaries on television but that isn’t that same now is it. This article covers some of the strangest forests around the world.

10. NORTH SENTINEL ISLAND FOREST

This particular forest can be found in the Bay of Bengal. Almost the entire Island is covered with trees. The total area covered by the trees is around 72 square kilometers. The trees are very old. Interestingly, a tribe called Sentinelese lives here with around 50 to 400 individuals and considering the fact that the island is completely isolated, that is saying something. It will be an interesting experience to visit the forest/island, although reaching there might still be a problem.

9. CROOKED FOREST

This looks like a very beautiful forest with the oddly shaped trees. They can be found just outside the village of Nowe Czarnowo in the Western Poland. The forest has about 400 pine trees. These trees have a 90 degree bend at the base of their trunks which is why the name ‘crooked’. These pine trees were planted around 1930 while the area was still inside the German province, Pomerania.

8. RED FOREST

This forest is also known as the Worm Wood forest. It is located within a 10 kilometer area that surrounds the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. After the Chernobyl incident the forest turned ginger-ish in color and died. The forest was then bulldozed and buried. The land was planted with new pine saplings. Today, most of the trees in this region are still contaminated. Radioactivity concentration in the soil is 90%.

7. CHESTNUT HILLS

Chestnut hills spread across 60 acres of land and boast around 2,500 hundred chestnut trees. These trees are the descendants of a dozen chestnut trees planted by Martin Hicks in the late 19^th Century. Most of the trees have died in this forest because of terrible disease that hit around 1900. Before the disease these trees grew around 200 feet in height with the trunks reaching 44 feet in diameter. Many different scientists have been working together for a while now to get rid of this disease and protect the trees. Yes, the disease still exists.

6. SEA OF TREES

This forest is also known as Aokigahara and is located at the North-Western base of Mount Fuji in Japan. With a large number of very huge trees, the forests are thick and very green. There is a very obvious absence of wildlife in this forest so it’s pretty safe. The forest gained its reputation because of the suicides that are associated with it and the beautiful view if offers of the Mount Fuji. The number of bodies found in this forest in the year 2004 is 108. This is in reference to the suicides. I would still love to enter the forest since I have no intention of killing myself anytime soon. I guess I’ll be safe.

5. TRILLEMARKA – ROLLAGSFJELL FOREST

This forest covers an area of 147 square kilometers and is located in Buskerud, Norway. There are many different animals housed by this forest. There are many different endangered species that live in the forest for example the Siberian Jay, the Stock Dove and Golden Eagle. Around 75% of the forest is protected by the government which in my opinion is a very good initiative. The forest also features valleys, rivers, lakes and ancient trees.

4. DARK ENTRY FOREST

Dark entry forest is very much associated with strange sightings, weird disappearances and many unexplained deaths. Locals have talked about hallucinations even, where demons appear and command them to commit suicides. Many locals even committed suicides. So if you want to freak yourself out completely, the dark entry forest is the place for you. People still think that it is cursed. Anyone who trespasses into this land is prosecuted by the Dark Entry Forest Group.

3. ARDENNES

Ardennes is a huge forest that covers parts of Belgium, France and Luxembourg. The terrain is rugged and the forest is thick. A lot of wild creatures, minerals and rich timber are associated with this forest. Many different battles have been fought on the land where Ardennes stands. In WWI and WWII Germany made a passage through the forest to attack France. The battle of Ardennes in 1914, the battle of France in 1940 and the battle of Bulge in 1944 were all fought on this land. Nevertheless, it is a sight to behold.

2. HOIA-BACIU FOREST

This forest is located near Cluj-Napoca in Romania. It is referred as the Bermuda Triangle of Romania by the locals. The forest is named after a local shepherd who disappeared upon entering it along with his 200 sheep. People are practically afraid to even go near the forest and they believe that the ones who enter will never return. People have even reported UFO sightings around the forest and it is very popular in relation with paranormal activities. Many scientists from around the world were able to capture bizarre things on film, some apparent to naked eye and others only visible on film.

1. ANCIENT WUDA FOREST

This particular forest was buried under a thick layer of volcanic ash a long time ago. The forest was near the Mongolian district of Wuda and covered an area of 20 square kilometers. This particular forest was covered under the ash some 298 million years ago preserving the forest as it was. Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, Shenyang Normal University and Yunnan University were able to reconstruct a 10,000 square feet area of this forest. They were able to identify many different plant specifies that were extinct for centuries. Nature never lets you down does it?

Ten Gadgets that Changed Our Lives

We are living in the digital era. Those of you who say that you can live a day without modern-day technology, you know you are not be completely honest. As of now, we are so dependent on our tiny little gadgets that it is near impossible to spend a day without those, at least comfortably or with as much productivity. For me, internet and mobile are two very important attributes if you consider spending twenty-four hours. Imagine what you would do if you didn’t have internet or your mobile for one entire day. The world is progressing so fast these days that it is has become hard to keep up with it and therefore the use of gadgets and technology has become really necessary. This article talks about the ten gadgets that made the big difference in our lives and how we lived them. Read on to find out more.

10. NINTENDO GAMEBOY

This little gadget created a path to the 3DS and the PlayStation Vita and PSP. It made our travelling a hell of lot easier. The graphics of course were nothing compared to what we have now, but well what do you expect from the first of its kind? Nevertheless, Nintendo Gameboy is something that brightened our lives in many ways.

9. IPOD

Remember the mp3 music players that all of us were so proud to own. Well, the iPod was just that except that it was only like a hundred times better. It helped squeeze music into a tiny little gadget that we can carry around with us at all times. Not just music, really good quality music at that.

8. WEBCAM

The webcam heavily influenced the communication technologies used these days. It came out as a gadget for the computer paving way for the video-chatting functionality. Slowly but steadily, front-facing cameras were introduced on the smartphones etc. for the exact same purpose. Video-chatting is one way to reduce the distance between loved ones and I think that it was an awesome gadget; still is.

7. GPS

GPS is something that I have used a lot since I got a smart phone. You can throw me into any part of the world with this device, and I will turn up exactly where you want me to, no questions asked. Google maps is such a huge compliment to the GPS, it’s not even funny. For the frequent travelers out there, a GPS is a must and they know exactly what I’m talking about. GPS will not only give you directions but most of the times will find you exactly what you are looking for whether it’s a gas station, a place to eat or even a motel.

6. TABLETS

When I say tablets I am being totally unbiased so it can be the iPad or the Galaxy Tab or the Motorola Tab etc. This particular invention brought are laptops and netbooks right into the palm of our hands and that too with epic beauty. The tablets can perform the most basic and the most complex functions of a computer machine all the while being able to serve as a phone and something to play with and now we have a lot of different varieties to choose from. Even though I do not own a tablet, I am well aware of its advantages and its many applications.

5. BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth paved its way into the world very quietly and very fast and soon enough everyone was accustomed with it and now it has become one of the chief discoveries when it comes to wireless technology. Bluetooth has unlimited applications, from photo and video sharing, to wirelessly giving out print commands and even turning your handheld device into a remote. Plus, Bluetooth is an astonishing discovery to say the least and it turns out to be at our fifth spot.

4. DIGITAL CAMERA

Gone are the days when we had black and white cameras. Gone are they days where you had to buy a film and could take 32 to 34 pictures at max. Gone are the days where you took pictures directly on a CD. As I mentioned earlier, we are in the digital age. Digital cameras totally revolutionized the imagery experience. With a lot more functions and an even more memory, a digital camera is a must for short and long trips and vacations.

3. TIVO

Tivo was a revolutionary product. With the ability to pause live TV, record shows and play them at your convenience, recording shows at a specific time automatically, Tivo made our TV viewing experience, well, convenient. Now, we never worry about missing a show or a movie that we like. We can just program our trusty old Tivo to record it for us and then we can play it whenever we feel comfortable.

2. 3D DIGITAL TV

There were flat screens, plasmas, LCDs, LEDs, HDTVs and now the era of 3D TV is slowly pushing in. 3D technology has literally changed the way we watched movies or television. It has become more interesting, more intense and more real. 3D technology is very much incorporated in the Cinemas worldwide and it’s such an experience watching a 3D movie. Now, the 3D technology is slowly starting to make its way to your very homes in form of televisions. It is slow, but give it a couple of years and see what happens.

1. SMART PHONES

Forget about the mobiles that introduced us to the new era of wireless technology. Let’s consider smartphones for now. These products redefined our very ways of lives. Those of you who own one will agree with me in a snap. It’s not just about making and receiving phone calls anymore. Now, you can watch movies, take pictures, watch videos, watch TV, listen to NEWS, surf the internet, look for directions, access the social networks, access YouTube etc. You name it, and the smartphones will be able to it for you and all they require is working data. They make your life easier on so many levels it’s not even funny anymore. I just wonder what the coming years hold for human kind.

Top Ten Highest Paid Athletes

Ever wondered exactly how much can you earn while if you are a good sportsman? Well, here’s a list of sportsmen who earn more than a lot of people can even dream of. The list comprises of two golfers, three soccer (football) players, two Basketball (NBA) players, a baseball player, an F1 racer and a legendary tennis player. So that basically makes an entire list of sports one could possibly want to play and these players are living proof that if you excel at your game, you will earn more than what is considered adequate in this world. The following list was released by Forbes so it you can believe the numbers without a second thought.

10. LIONEL MESSI, SOCCER PLAYER

Lionel Messi is a soccer player for Barcelona and he made it to the tenth spot earning a whopping 32.3 million dollars. Now one thing you need to understand is that being the best soccer player doesn’t necessarily mean that you get to earn the highest. Messi is the third-highest paid soccer player and he earns about fifty percent of his money from the club, Barcelona and the rest comes from sponsors such as Pepsi, Adidas etc. He had a wonderful year; score 53 goals, won fifth La Liga title and third Champions league trophy and it all happened before his 24^th Birthday.

9. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER, F1 RACER

Michael Schumacher is an F1 racer for Mercedes Benz and he earned 34 million dollars last year. He is quite popular in the racing world and those of you who don’t even know a thing about racing must have heard is name on the waves as well. He drove for Ferrari and was the most successful racer you could think of. You name an event or a trophy and Schumacher has it on his shelf. I don’t have any interest in racing but even I know who he is.

8. ALEX RODRIGUEZ, BASEBALL

Alex Rodriguez plays baseball for the New York Yankees and he earned 35 million dollars last year making it to the eighth spot. He is also the highest paid baseball player in the history of the sport itself. He earns most of his money playing the game itself and not from sponsors. Even still, he isn’t the most popular person in the world therefore you will not spot him in any advertisements. New York Yankees is a world renowned baseball team and a very old one at that.

7. CRISTIANO RONALDO, SOCCER PLAYER

Cristiano Ronaldo is a soccer player for Read Madrid and he earned 38 million dollars in the year 2011. He is quite the celebrated sportsman. In the year 2011 he broke the goal scoring records in Spain. The bigger part of his income comes from different sponsor and the major one at that is ‘Nike’ and if you are to consider Facebook and Twitter and other such Social media networks, Cristiano Ronaldo happens to the most popular athlete as well.

6. DAVID BECKHAM, SOCCER PLAYER

David is a soccer player from England. I am sure whether or not you like soccer you have either seen him or heard about him. He is quite popular. He earned 40 million dollar last year and therefore made it to number 7 on this list. Not quite in his prime anymore, Beckham still manages to hold the number second spot in the top paid soccer players. Not a lot of his income comes from the club LA Galaxy, he usually earns from EA and Samsung. He lost the Pepsi deal a while ago otherwise he probably would have made it to the top if you consider the soccer players strictly.

5. PHIL MICKELSON, GOLF

True enough, golf is a weird sport. I for one have absolutely no interest in this game. I consider it lazy. Either way, Mr. Mickelson has managed the number 5 spot earning a whopping 46 million dollars in the year 2011. He currently is the number second highest paid golfer in the entire world. I’m sure you can guess who the number one golfer around Earth is.

4. ROGER FEDERER, TENNIS

Tennis is by far my favorite sport and Roger Federer does justice to it like none other. He earned 47 million dollars last year making it to the number 4 spot. He is no longer the number one player though; currently ranked third. But he rocked the sport for the better part of a decade from the year 2003 till 2010. Most of his money comes from Rolex, Nike and Wilson etc. These world known brands make him the highest earning tennis player.

3. LEBRON JAMES, BASKETBALL

James plays basketball for Miami Heat and whilst doing so he was able to earn 48 million dollars last year. Most of his money comes from endorsements such as Adidas etc. He makes around 15 million dollars playing the actual sport.

2. KOBE BRYANT, BASKETBALL

Kobe Bryant is another basketball player that made the list and he beat LeBron James by 5 million dollars. Bryant earned 53 million dollars last year in 2011 even though 2011 wasn’t his best year. He earns around 24 million dollars playing basketball which is by far the highest salary. Rest of his money comes from sponsors such as Mercedes, Nike and even Turkish Airlines.

1. TIGER WOODS, GOLF

No matter which sport enthusiast you ask about Tiger Woods, he will know him irrespective of whether he or she likes golf or not. Tiger Woods have been able to top the golfing charts or a very long time now and he was able to earn 75 million dollars in 2011. The difference between first and the second spot in this list is huge. Even though there have been scandals, injuries and he hasn’t been at the top of his game, that didn’t matter. Woods is still at the top of the charts as always. Tiger Woods earned a better chunk of his salary from giants such as Nike and EA and they pay him well enough to keep him at the top so even though he lost a few of his endorsements, it didn’t make a difference.

There you have it folks, it doesn’t matter if you want to live your life playing games because even that is considered a career. All you have to do is be good at it.

Top Ten Most Expensive Houses around the World

Talk about the luxuries in the world, you can keep throwing in your money and might still not be enough to get the best of the best. This post covers the most expensive homes in the world till date and you will be surprised to see the creative way people chose to spend their money. The mere design leaves your mouth wide open and you just want to be able to stay in a haven like that for once. That was the case with me at least. You remember the show called MTV Cribs where they would go to the homes of random celebrities and give you a walk-through. Let’s just say, that those houses were cute compared to what you are about to look at right now. Moreover, the mere size is astonishing; I don’t understand the point of a wide-spread house. I will personally always prefer smaller, cozy houses. Either way, read on to find out more; it’s quite fascinating.

10. DRACULA’S CASTLE

Dracula’s castle is valued at 80 million dollars. The good part is that in the year 1980, it was converted into a museum so you can go visit it any time and roam the corridors of this huge castle. Archduke Domini owns this castle. The house has 57 rooms, 17 bedrooms and is full of beautiful antique furniture. The mere smell of the wood is a delight.

9. MAISON DE L’AMITIE

Maison de l’Amitie is owned by Donald Trump. It is located at the Palm Beach and stretches over 80,000 square feet. The house is equipped with a ballroom, fifteen bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a tennis court, a conservatory and a very luxurious guest house or a guest cottage. The house has one huge swimming pool and is valued at 125 million dollars. Fancy buying it?

8. FLEUR DE LYS

Fleur de Lys is also valued at a whopping 125 million dollars. The house was built by Suzanne and David Saperstein. If you are into architecture then there’s no way you haven’t heard these names. The house has 15 bedrooms, swimming pool and while the exterior is curtained with French limestone, the interior is made up of 24-karat-gold. Imagine walking into that pot of gold, weird and amazing at the same time.

7. UP-DOWN COURT

Up-down Court is located in England. As of 2011 this house was valued at 116 million dollars. One of the most interesting features of this house is that the driveway in this house is heated. Up-down Court has 113 rooms, a bowling alley, a movie theater and three swimming pools. The house is also equipped with a tennis court. Moreover, the house is an example of beautiful traditional English architecture that catches your eye in an instant.

6. HALA RANCH

Hala Ranch is valued at 135 million US dollars and it stretches across an area of 14,397 square feet which is quite a lot. The ranch has 27 bathrooms, 15 bedrooms, an indoor pool, private ski trails, sewage treatment plants, a tennis court, heated stables and even a gas station. The ranch is currently owned by Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz. He hails from Saudi Arabia.

5. AARON SPELLING’S MANOR

Aaron Spelling’s manor is stretched across a wide are of 56,000 square feet and it was constructed in the year 1991. With 123 bedrooms, a tennis court, a skating area, a bowling alley and many swimming pools, the manor is valued at 150 million dollars. I just wonder how many days the owner actually spends in this manor and what exactly does he does with 123 bedrooms. Makes you wonder.

4. ELENA FRANCHUK’S VICTORIAN VILLA

It is weird how most expensive houses in this list are located in Britain. Having said so, Elena Franchuk’s Victorian Villa is located in London and its current worth is 161 million dollars. The villa is a five-story house with 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool, a panic room, a theater, a sauna and a gym. 10 bedrooms are very reasonable compared to the other houses with several rooms and bedrooms. I could live here.

3. WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST’S MANSION

This particular mansion is owned by William Randolph Hearst as the name very well suggests. It is a beautiful mansion and is valued at 165 million dollars as of now which is why it made it to the number three spot. The place has three swimming pools, 29 bedrooms, a move theater and a discotheque. The entire mansion stretches over 6 acres of land. The fascinating bit is that it was put up for sale in 2007 but nobody was interested to buy it. It makes perfect sense to me, but the mansion nonetheless is very beautiful.

2. THE PENTHOUSES AT ONE HYDE PARK

The most expensive of these penthouses sold for 140 million pounds and that’s roughly around 223.93 million dollars. This makes the penthouse the topper in our list and is certainly the most expensive property of Britain. It is basically a six-bedroom apartment and it stretches across two floors. With bullet proof windows, a panic room, and beautiful view across the Serpentine owning a house at One Hyde Park is considered a trophy and you can well imagine why. The cheapest penthouse starts at 20 million pounds.

1. ANTILLA

Finally, the Antilla; the house, the mansion, the manor, that made it to number one on our list. The house is in India and it is owned by the world-renowned businessman who goes by the name of Mukesh Ambani. Yeah, he is currently one of the richest people of the world and well here is the proof of it. The current worth of the house is around 1 billion dollars and it is a huge 27 story building. The house can host up to 150 cars in the parking. Mukesh Ambani himself has 168 cars, so you can imagine why he decided to have such a huge parking lot for a house. The house reaches a height of 570 feet and it is constructed entirely of glass.

There you go folks this was our list for the most expensive houses in the world. If you were given a choice, which one would you choose to live in?

Some Best Intelligence Agencies in the World

Nearly every country in the world has an intelligence agency that is charged with espionage in order to protect its own interests in all aspects, including economic, political and military interests. While some of these agencies have agreements to share information with others for greater impact, others are very secretive and make it a point to share with no one. It is widely known that many countries have spies in other areas of the world for the purpose of gathering intelligence data. Who these spies are and exactly how they operate is more secretive in nature.

1.Mossad

The Mossad known in full as the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations is the national intelligence agency of Israel. “Mossad” is a Hebrew word for institute or institution.

The Mossad is responsible for intelligence collection and covert operations including paramilitary activities. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with Aman (military intelligence) and Shin Bet (internal security), but its director reports directly to the Prime Minister.

The “Mossad Le’aliyah Bet” was a small, unorthodox Zionist organization whose mission in 1938 was to bring Jews to the British mandate of Palestine. This was done to subvert the British quotas on Jewish immigration. The Mossad’s modes of operation, its ideology, and politics resulted in the creation of the intelligence agency for the Israeli government once it was established in 1948. The agency consisted of several of the existing members who had worked to establish Israel as a Jewish state.

2.BND

The Bundesnachrichtendienst (Federal Intelligence Service, BND) is the foreign intelligence agency of the German government, under the control of the Chancellor’s Office. Its headquarters are in Pullach near Munich, and Berlin  (planned to be centralised in Berlin by 2011). The BND has 300 locations in Germany and foreign countries. In 2005, the BND employed around 6,050 people, 10% of them Bundeswehr  soldiers; those are officially employed by the “Amt für Militärkunde” (Office for Military Sciences). The annual budget of the BND for 2009 was € 460,000,000.

The BND acts as an early warning system to alert the German government to threats to German interests from abroad. It depends heavily on wiretapping and electronic surveillance of international communications. It collects and evaluates information on a variety of areas such as international terrorism, WMD proliferation and illegal transfer of technology, organized crime, weapons and drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal migration and information warfare. As Germany’s only overseas intelligence service, the BND gathers both military and civil intelligence. However, the Kommando Strategische Aufklärung (Strategic Reconnaissance Command) of the German Armed Forces also fulfills this mission, but is not an intelligence service. There is close cooperation between the BND and the Kommando Strategische Aufklärung.

The domestic secret service counterparts of the BND are the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, BfV) and 16 counterparts at the state level Landesämter für Verfassungsschutzor State Offices for the Protection of the Constitution); there is also a separate military intelligence organisation, the Militärischer Abschirmdienst (lit. military screening service, MAD).

3.DGSE

The General Directorate for External Security (French: Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure, or DGSE) is France’s external intelligence agency. Operating under the direction of the French ministry of defence, the agency works alongside the DCRI (the Central Directorate of Interior Intelligence) in providing intelligence and national security, notably by performing paramilitary and counterintelligence operations abroad. As with most other intelligence agencies, details of its operations and organization are not made public.

The DGSE can trace its roots back to 1947, when a central external intelligence agency, known as the SDECE, was founded to combine under one head a variety of separate agencies – some, such as the Deuxième Bureau, dating from the time of Napoleon III and some, such as the BCRA, from the Free French of World War II. It remained independent until the mid-1960s, when the SDECE was discovered to have been involved in the kidnapping and presumed murder of Mehdi Ben Barka, a Moroccan revolutionary living in Paris. Following this scandal, the agency was placed under the control of the French ministry of defence. It was restructured in 1981, eventually acquiring its current name (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure) in April 1982.

In 1992, most of the defence responsibilities of the DGSE, no longer suitable to the post-Cold War context, were transferred to the Military Intelligence Directorate (DRM), a new military agency. Combining the skills and knowledge of five military groups, the DRM was created to close the intelligence gaps of the 1991 Gulf War.

4.SIS

The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. It is frequently referred to in the mass media and popular parlance by the name MI6, a name used as a flag of convenience during the Second World War when it was known by many names. Alongside the internal Security Service (MI5), the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS), it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC).

SIS is referred to colloquially within the Civil Service as Box 850, after its old MI6 post office box number. Its existence, or indeed that of its sister organisations, was not officially acknowledged in public until 1994. Its headquarters, since 1995, is at Vauxhall Cross on the South Bank of the Thames.

The Service is derived from the Secret Service Bureau, which was founded in 1909.[1]  It was a joint initiative of the Admiralty  and the War Office to control secret intelligence operations in the UK and overseas, particularly concentrating on the activities of the Imperial German government. The Bureau was split into naval and army sections which, over time, specialised in foreign espionage and internal counter-espionage activities respectively. This specialisation was because the Admiralty wanted to know the maritime strength of the Imperial German Navy. This specialisation was formalised before 1914. When the First World War started, the two sections underwent administrative changes so that the foreign section became the Directorate of Military Intelligence Section 6 (MI6), the name by which it is frequently known in popular culture today. Its first director was Captain Sir George Mansfield Smith-Cumming, who often dropped the Smith in routine communication. He typically signed correspondence with his initial C in green ink. This usage evolved as a code name, and has been adhered to by all subsequent directors of SIS when signing documents to retain anonymity.

5.GRU

GRU or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel’noye Upravleniye is the foreign military intelligence directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (formerly the Red Army  General Staff of the Soviet Union). GRU is the English transliteration  of the Russian acronym GRU, which meaning Main Intelligence Directorate. The official full name translation is II Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Other name, GRU GSh (GRU Generalnovo Shtaba, i.e. “GRU of the General Staff”).

The GRU is Russia’s largest foreign intelligence agency . It deploys six times as many agents in foreign countries as the SVR, which is the KGB intelligence successor. It also commanded 25,000 Spetsnaz troops in 1997.

The current GRU Director is Lieutenant General Alexander Shlyakhturov.

According to the Federation of American Scientists: “…Though sometimes compared to the US Defense Intelligence Agency, [the GRU’s] activities encompass those performed by nearly all joint US military intelligence agencies as well as other national US organizations. The GRU gathers human intelligence through military attaches and foreign agents. It also maintains significant signals intelligence and imagery reconnaissance and satellite imagery capabilities.”  GRU Space Intelligence Directorate had put more than 130 SIGINT satellites into orbit. GRU and KGB SIGINT network employed about 350,000 specialists.

6.CIA

The United States of America’s intelligence community is made up of sixteen different agencies. Most notable and recognizable on that list are the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). While in the past these agencies operated in mostly isolated states, the sharing of intelligence information has increased considerably since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The CIA is the largest of the intelligence agencies and is responsible for gathering data from other countries that could impact U.S. policy. The NSA is the country’s intelligence agency responsible for intercepting and deciphering foreign signals while protecting the information systems of the United States. The DIA gathers intelligence information that is pertinent to military operations around the world while the FBI is the link between the intelligence and law enforcement communities in the country.

The CIA’s primary function is to collect information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and to advise public policymakers. The agency conducts covert operations and paramilitary actions, and exerts foreign political influence through its Special Activities Division. The CIA and its responsibilities changed markedly in 2004. Before December 2004, the CIA was the main intelligence organization of the US government; it coordinated and oversaw not only its own activities but also the activities of the US Intelligence Community (IC) as a whole. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 created the office of the Director of National Intelligence(DNI), which took over some of the government and IC-wide functions.

7.MSS

The Ministry of State Security (MSS) is the security agency of the People’s Republic of China. It is also probably the Chinese government’s largest and most active foreign intelligence agency, though it is also involved in domestic security matters.

Article 4 of the Criminal Procedure Law gives the MSS the same authority to arrest or detain people as regular police for crimes involving state security with identical supervision by the procuratorates and the courts. It is headquartered near the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing.

According to Liu Fuzhi, Secretary-General of the Commission for Politics and Law under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Public Security, the mission of the MSS is to ensure “the security of the state through effective measures against enemy agents, spies, and counter-revolutionary activities designed to sabotage or overthrow China’s socialist system.”  One of the primary missions of the MSS is undoubtedly to gather foreign intelligence from targets in various countries overseas. Many MSS agents are said to have operated in the Greater China region (Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) and to have integrated themselves into the world’s numerous overseas Chinese communities. At one point, nearly 120 agents who had been operating under non-official cover in the U.S., Canada, Western and Northern Europe, and Japan as businessmen, bankers, scholars, and journalists were recalled to China, a fact that demonstrates the broad geographical scope of MSS agent coverage.