Materialistic pleasures are so treasured in today’s world that very few people stop to think about other virtues in life. When it comes to living, some people live comfortably, others live extravagantly. Then there are these people who reside in the lap of luxury-literally!

1. Maison de l’Amitie

Owned by Donald Trump, this house is in Palm Beach. It stretches across 80,000 square feet of land and holds a conservatory, a ballroom, 15 bedrooms, 8 half-baths, a tennis house and a luxurious guest cottage. The gigantic pool is only a minor part of this 125 million dollar mansion.

2. Aaron Spelling’s Manor

This mansion stands on land that stretches across 56,000 square feet of land. The net worth has been estimated at 150 million dollars and was built in 1991. It has 123 bedrooms, a tennis court, a skating rink, a bowling alley and several swimming pools.

3. Hala Ranch

Owned by Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, this ranch will be found in Colo. It has 27 bathrooms and 15 bedrooms along with an indoor pool, private ski trails, sewage treatment plants, a tennis court, heated stables and a gas station. This 135 million dollar ranch stretches across 14,397 square feet.

4. Dracula’s Castle

This castle was made into a museum during the 1980s and a few year back, Archduke Dominic who is the owner of the house put up the castle for sale for a net worth of 80 million dollars. However, this offer was not accepted and 2 years later, he put up the house for sale again. This time for a price that was not disclosed. Nobody has bought it yet. It has 57 rooms, 17 bedrooms and beautiful antique furniture.

5. Fleur de Lys

125 million

Built by Suzanne and David Saperstein, this house was put up for sale in 2007. The house has 15 bedrooms and the exterior is covered with French limestone while the interior is splashed with 24 karat gold. The house also has furniture items like Marie Antoinette’s curtain patterns and Napoleon’s favorite chair.

6. Elena Franchuk’s Victorian Villa

This house is located in the Kensington district in London was bought recently for about 161 million dollars. This 5-storey house has a 10 bedroom villa, an indoor swimming pool, a panic room, move theater and a sauna plus gym.

7. William Randolph Hearst’s Mansion

This house was initially owned by William Randolph Hearst and has three swimming pools, 29 bedrooms as well as a state of the art movie theater and discotheque. The mansion was put up for sale since 2007 and taken off a year later when nobody showed any interest in it.  It is worth 165 million dollars and stretches across 6 acres of land.

8. Updown Court

This house is located in England, just outside London and is reportedly larger than the Buckingham Palace. It has 103 rooms, a bowling alley, a large movie theater, over 3 swimming pools and a squash court. It is worth 116 million dollars and the best part is that the driveway is heated too!

9. The Penthouses at One Hyde Park

This house was still under construction the last time we checked. When it is completed, it will be the second most expensive house in the world with a net worth of 160 million dollars. It will be nestled within a skyscraper in London called One Hyde Park.

10. Antilla

The most expensive house in the world is in India, owned by Mukesh Ambani. It is worth a whopping 1 billion dollars and has 27 floors. The house has a plush health club and a garage that can hold over 150 cars. Why? Just because this business tycoon has a personal collection of 168 cars. The house is made entirely of glass and is 570 feet tall.

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A number of surveys have said that the following countries are the most powerful today:

1. The United States of America

This country is the largest economy today and has the strongest army as well as a very powerful democracy. It is also said to be a superpower and its media is very influential as well. It has built itself and its power ever since it gained independence and is only getting more powerful. The country controls international relations and is a part of a number of influential bodies.

2. Russian Federation

The Russian Federation has the second most powerful army and controls a number of states in the Central Asian area. It has a very large population and immense world area. These factors allow it to stay independent and prevent external forces from meddling in the political, economic and financial issues of the country. Because of its size, Russia has the resources to become a superpower.

3. Peoples Republic of China

Peoples Republic of China is said to have the 4^th largest GNP in the world. It has gained supremacy only recently over Britain and France. It has a large army and immense potential to become the most powerful country in the world.

4. France

France is a part of the UN Security Council and is said to be the fifth most powerful country in the world. It is a great nuclear power and influences many African nations. The French have a large army which helps in maintaining law and order. It is a G7 economy and part of the European Union.

5. Britain

Britain is part of the UN Security Council as well. It has powerful nuclear weapons and the democracy is considered to be the most stable as well. As a G7 economy and as a leading country in areas like music, films and media, the country has immense influence when it comes to world politics. It is a part of the European Union as well.

6. Japan

Japan has an extremely large economy and is a leading democratic power. The population of the country is large but since the competition is intense, it features below USA, China, France and Britain.

7. Republic of India

India is very populous and has a well-known democracy which gains its power from the detailed Constitution of India. The economy is growing at a staggering rate and the nuclear weapons are becoming more and more powerful.

8. Federal Republic of Germany

Germany has the third largest economy in the world and features in the list of the most powerful European Union members. However, it was greatly affected during the two World Wars which hampered its influence over the world.

9. Republic of Pakistan

Pakistan has a very large Muslim population and powerful nuclear weapons. It is a united country but since it spends a hefty sum on military dictatorship, it has not become truly powerful. In addition to that, even though it has good resources, the battles with India have made the country very weak in these terms as well. Therefore, if it can replenish these resources and find a way to balance its political standing, it will be able to become more powerful.

10. Republic of Brazil

The Republic of Brazil is very large and is part of Latin America. It is said to hold the largest Portuguese speaking population in the world. In addition to that, the media of the country is quite stable and its relations with the rest of the world are quite secure.

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Some people have a tendency to collect items and they have collected something or the other during the course of their lives. While some collected coins, others collected stamps. These top 10 large databases collect newspapers, books, numbers, records- you name it, and they’ll have it.

1. Library of Congress

Even after the onset of the digital age, the Library of Congress is still among the largest databases of the world. It holds over 125 million items which consist of colonial newspapers, cook books and government proceedings. The library expands every day and if you are finding it difficult to extract information from the world wide web, the library of congress is the answer to all your problems.

2. Central Intelligence Agency

This database collects information on everything ranging from places to things to people. Even though the accurate size of this database is unknown, it holds both private and public information. 100 articles are added to the library every month and includes population statistics, maps as swell as military capabilities.

3. Amazon

This website holds over 250,000 textbooks and users can comment and interact with other users which makes Amazon the largest community on the web. Amazon has 55 million customers and above 40 terabytes of data.

4. YouTube

YouTube has been in operation for two years and holds a massive library of videos. A loyal user base follows the website and according to records-over a 100 million clips are watched on a daily basis. The size of this database seems to double every 5 months. Therefore, it goes without saying that the overall statistics are staggering.

5. ChoicePoint

ChoicePoint is basically a phone book which contains information about the population residing in the United States of America. It holds criminal histories as well as driving records. It has been said that the database would reach the moon and back at least 75 times. ChoicePoint has helped a number of authorities solve difficult and complicated cases in the past.

6. Sprint

The telecommunication company has over 50 million subscribers. In the past, it offered long distance packages as well. The records are highly detailed and holds at least 3 trillion rows of database, over 350 call records on a daily basis and 70,000 insertions every second. Sprint is quite notorious and infamous and expands quite rapidly.

7. Google

Google has never made the true size of their database public. However, the type and amount of information found on the website is overwhelming. According to statistics, over 90 million searches are carried out every day. Google has been called the king of internet databases.

8. AT&T

This is similar to Sprint and is the oldest company that deals with telecommunications. It holds over 310 terabytes of information and almost 2 trillion rows- making the call records extremely extensive. In addition to that, one can also find old records. Therefore, if your grandfather ever made a call using AT&T, the company will probably still have the records.

9. National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center

The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center is the second largest database of the world. It is controlled by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States of America. It holds research information related to atomic energy, high energy physics, theories related to various topics, etc.

10. World Data Centre for Climate

This database is controlled and maintained by the German Climate Computing Centre as well as the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. This database could be examined to find the patterns that led to the severe changes in the climatic conditions.

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Listed randomly, these military coups have been predominant in every state they represented. Read on to find out more about the Top 10 Military Coups with every country having a fair share of military rule some time or the other in the history of their respective Governments.

1. Military Coup in Honduras

June 28^th 2009, the military over threw the democratically elected government of Honduras and exiled the President Manuel Zelya to Costa Rico. Next day, an emergency was called when the military disagreed to distribute ballot boxes of an opinion poll of a new Constitution. Problems arose when the President Manuel Zelya fired the head of Staff and all the heads of the branches in Honduran with military forces over threw him and succeeded in bringing a military coup.

2. Military Coup in Pakistan

The 12^th of October in 1999 can be remembered by all as the day when the armed forces of Pakistan threatened to take over the Country. This coup was due to the dismissal of Gen. Pervez Musharraf when he was returning after an official tour from Sri Lanka and was denied permission to land.

3. Military Coup in Iran

Most people think that Iran has the fair and free presidential elections in the state but unfortunately, this is not true and there are examples of graft and corruption even in Iran. The Revolutionary Guard known as The Pasdaran is a military intelligence that works independently and was created by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini which has the power to take control of the state in case of an emergency.

4. Military Coup in Nigeria

It took place on 15^th of January, 1996. However the reasons have been misinterpreted throughout the years. The Coup took place due to Nigeria gaining independence from the UK and the domestic politics tried to emulate the earlier colonial master by taking a Westminster Style of politics.

5. Military Coup in Iraq

In August 17^th, 2009 everyone expected to get rid of the prime minister and people sought the refuge of Muqtada al-Sadr. With time being short and violence increasing, it became more and more important that the Government of Iraq do something urgently for their citizens.

6. Military Coup in Bangladesh

It happened on the 15^th of August, 1975 when the President Sheikh Muibur Rehman was assassinated and his entire family escaped to Germany. The officers of the Bangladesh Army led by Major Syed Faruqe Rehman and Major Rashid were over thrown by another coup on the 3^rd of November 1975.

7. Military Coup in Argentina

Revolucion Argentina was established by General Juan Carlos Ongania as de facto president and was supported by several other leaders in the General Confederation of Labor. Military regime was in Argentina from 1966 to 1973.

8. Military Coup in Thailand

It took place on 19^th September 2006, when the Royal Thai Army went against the elected government caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. This was Thailand’s first major military coup and Thaksin with his allies had a year long battle before the coup.

9. Military Coup in Chile

It took place on 11^th September ,1973 was a watershed event in the history of Chile. The Government of President Salvador Allende was overthrown by the military and had closed the radio and television stations and bombed the remaining active stations.

10. Military Coup in Fiji

It happened in December 2006 with Religion playing the major role and the majority of ethnic Fijians belonging to the Methodist Church while the other majority of Indians were Hindu. The coup took place in want of equal rights for both the majority of religions.

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Drugs were discovered to cure people of their ailments; however we find that these days drugs are not just used, but actually abused to such an extent that it results in death or other life-threatening diseases. Drug abuse has become a common problem, so it is important to be aware of the kind of drugs that are abused. Here are the top 10 drugs most abused in the world.

1. Tobacco

Holds the top rank in abused drugs with more than 46.5 million smokers in the US alone. There are more than 400,000 deaths reported every year due to the use of tobacco with Nicotine being present to make health issues worse.

2. Alcohol

Though available legally and prepared with carbohydrates and yeast, it is quite beneficial if taken in smaller quantities as they are proven to reduce blood clots and protect the heart. Excessive usage could result in liver failures and other terminal diseases. Addictions are also quite common with regular abuse of alcohol and most fall victim to the relaxing effects that it gives.

3. Prescription Drugs

OTC (Over the Counter) Drugs are misused and the most commonly abused drugs are Opioid which is an analgesic and suppress physical pain. They are abused since they cause numbness, sedation and euphoria. Depressants such as Valium, Xanax and Librium are also abused since they are sedating and are often used to treat sleep disorders and anxiety. Stimulants like Ritalin, Dexedrine and Meridia are used for asthma patients, but abused since they give exhilaration and euphoria.

4. Methamphetamine

Is a stimulant that is very powerful and are used to treat obesity unfortunately by taking this medicine even in small quantities can lead to increased wakefulness, increased physical activity and convulsions that can lead to death.

5. Marijuana

Is the most illegal substance available all over the world and extensively used for out of the world experiences. Found as a plant that grows wild the plant is edible throughout including the buds, leaves and resin of the cannabis plant. Can cause addiction to such levels that people who are hooked can even kill themselves if they do not get the Marijuana on time.

6. MDMA (Ecstasy)

These are tablets that are easily available and are abused world over to promote positive feelings and extreme relaxation. These are also called the hug-drug or love-drug and are used by many for all night stimulations. Mostly used as a rape drug, it is popular in social parties to lure young girls to bed.

7. Crack (Cocaine)

Another drug widely abused is Crack (Cocaine) that can cause constricted blood vessels, increased temperatures, heart rate and blood pressure. There are also reports of chest pains, lung trauma and bleeding with prolonged abuse of this drug. One can easily get addicted to Cocaine and though illegal, it somehow finds its way into the average junkie’s hands.

8. Heroin

An illegal drug found everywhere and in powder form, this was originally used in the medical profession for pain remedies. Unfortunately it is now totally abused and used by one and all for cheap thrills and momentary gratifications.

9. Steroids

Known as dietary supplements for athletics and sports persons, this type of drug is used for promoting muscle growth. Unfortunately, it is abused with people using them in large quantities to improve physical appearance for body building and long-distance running. This drug can cause really harmful side-effects if taken without medical advice.

10. Inhalants

Causes sudden deaths, suffocation, asphyxia and hallucinations. However, most people do not become regular users of these inhalants since they come in forms of cleaning solutions, plastic cement, hair sprays and nail removers.

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Air travel enables you to swiftly reach your destination, spending just a couple of hours flying. Today, there are hundreds of diverse airlines companies operating all over the world, from each and every country. This list has tried to cover the popular airlines in South Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. Here is a look at the top 10 airline companies in the world:

1. Singapore Airlines

One of the best airline companies in the world is Singapore Airlines and it has time and again won awards for its excellent service. This airline began operations in 1947 and over the decades has grown from strength to strength. Today, it covers 103 destinations across the world and it stands out because of its high standards of customer service, passenger safety mechanisms and innovative facilities.

2. Cathay Pacific

This is one of the most popular airline companies in the world and it flies across to 130 destinations across the world. Established in 1946, it carries more than 1 million passengers every month and has won the award for having the world’s ‘Best First Class’ service. Known for quality services and passenger care, Cathay Pacific is indeed one of the best airlines.

3. Qantas

This airline was established in 1920 and since then, has earned a name for superiority in service, protection and maintenance. This Australian airline is also world famous and operates to destinations in more than 130 countries.  It has won awards for having the ‘Best First Class Lounge’.

4. Thai Airways

This airline company was established in the year 1960 and it is administered by the Thai government. It operates to 34 countries from across the world. It offers excellent passenger comfort, safety and has also won an award for having the best cabin staff.

5. Asiana Airlines

This airline company operates to 17 countries across the world and has won an award for ‘Best Cabin Staff’ and ‘Best Economy Class’. It began operation in 1988 and since then has expanded it fleet and its operating destinations. Known for quality customer care, Asiana Airlines is one of the most popular airlines operating from South Asia.

6. Malaysia Airlines

This airline began its operations in 1947 and it operates flights to 85 destinations across the globe.  This is Southeast Asia’s most popular airline and well known for offering excellent passenger care. It has been awarded a 5 star status from Skytrax.

7. Qatar Airways

This airline is well known for offering exceptional consumer care service and cuisine to routes across all important destinations of the world.

8. Air New Zealand

This airline began operation in 1940 and over the decades, it has expanded its operations today flies across a number of destinations in the globe. It is well known for customer care and passenger safety together with their hospitable crew on board. Operating from the Auckland Airport, it has vast operations to destinations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America and United Kingdom.

9. Air Emirates

This is the Middle East’s largest airline and it operates to 55 countries across the world. Established in 1985, it is administered by the Dubai government and carries 21.2 million passengers worldwide. Their luxury class service is known all over the world for dollops of opulence and comfort.

10. Etihad Airways

This airline was established in the year 2003 and is the National Airline of the UAE. Today, it operates to about 70 destinations cross the world.

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As most of the canyons have terrible crags and crustal movement it is difficult to visit canyons generally. However, nowadays with great tour packages canyons are not the forbidden areas of visit any longer and occupy a prominent positions in tour destinations.

The following are the top 10 canyons the world over.

1. The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a very deep gorge which can be found in the state of Arizona, USA. Its sheer expanse can make it difficult for people to enjoy this place of visit. Its vastness can make it seem unreal or even flat. You can walk through the Canyon’s trails to enjoy this place. The two main trails that merge with and go into the Grand Canyon are the Bright Angel Trail and the Kaibab Trail.

2. The Bryce Canyon

Within the Bryce canyon National Park is the Bryce Canyon. Bryce is noted for its unique geological land forms called hoodoos. These are formed from water, ice erosion of the river and rock formations.

3. The Black Canyon

The Black Canyon is located on the Colorado River in the United States. In the middle of the Colorado river this canyon looks spectacular and is surrounded by the El Dorado Mountains, which were formed about 15 million years ago. The Black Canyon derives its name from the black volcanic rocks that are found throughout its place of location.

4. Antelope Canyon

The Antelope canyon is a scenic mountain slot canyon which lies in the American SouthWest. It is located near Page, Arizonad on Navajo land. It comprises of two slot canyon sections namely the Crack or the Upper Antelope Canyon and the Corkscrew or the Lower Antelope Canyon.

5. The Kings Canyon

This canyon is a part of Watarrka National Park in Northern Territory, Australia. It is located a few kilometers near Darwin and 323 Km southwest of Alice Springs. Its walls rise over 300 metres high, with Kings Creek at the bottom.

6. The Tara

The biggest canyon in Europe, the river Tara extends to a length of over 100 kilometers. It flows through the famous river through Montenegro. It is very deep descending to around 1000 meters in depth. In some places it reaches 1300 meters and is studded with several cascades, waterfalls and rapids.

7. Urique Canyon

One of the deepest canyons in Mexico and Chihuahua, this canyon is 1,880 meters deep. The most beautiful viewpoints are seen along these canyons. To its bottom is found the Urique River that is vastly surrounded by beautiful and rich vegetation.

8. The Yarlung Zangbo River Canyon
This canyon in China retains its original appearance in spite of its dangerous location. This canyon is the completely perpendicular which makes it very unique. The center of the canyon is also known as the last secret of the world as no body can go through this place. As it offers a natural defence, the Moto plateau has become a secluded place isolated from the world.

9. Taihang Mountain Canyon
This is truly a spectacular canyon in China. The mountains here have different appearances that are really worth a visit. These mountain views are worth investigation and they can compete with other traditional or popular mountains as well. The cliff there extends to 8 Kms and to a rises to a height of 800 meters.

10. Provo Canyon

This is a mountain type canyon located in Wasatch County, Utah. Provo Canyon lies between Mount Timpanogos on the north and Mount Cascade on the south. The canyon extends from Orem on the west end to Heber City on the east. A superb attraction in Provo Canyon is the Vivian Park.

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The top ten beautiful reefs in the world are listed below for you to know more about the wonders of nature and what you have been missing all along.

1. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The largest on the planet, this has inner and outer reefs, exotic fishes and corals that are not found elsewhere. The Great Barrier Reef has a vast coral diversity and species sprawl in abundance. This natural wonder is best visited in dry months when the weather is cool and the water is much clearer. There are other reefs in Townsville and to name a few are the Wheeler’s Reef, Davis Reef, Broad Hurst Reef and Bowden Reef.

2. The Palancar Reef, San Miguel de Cozumel, Mexico

More of a garden than a reef, this is also known as a coral. The colors of the corals here are amazing and make you wonder if there was such a profusion of color anywhere else. It is bound to take your breadth away with exotic selections of lobsters, crabs, sting rays and barracudas; a delightful holiday if you are one who wants to witness the Garden of Eden underwater.

3. Raja Ampats, Indonesia

This has an abundant assortment of coral species with large and different schools of fishes, lots of molluscs and other marine life. It has a staggering amount of coral with 600 varieties of hard coral and 1200 varieties of fishes. There is a huge population of the damsel fish here and this reef is located in a part called the coral triangle. The reefs are still in pristine condition with very little explorations and you can still find corals in the same way they were formed.

4. Grand Central Station and Chimneys, Fiji

This is also called the “Soft Coral Capital of the World” and is indeed very aptly named so. The Namina Marine Reserve has it all from mangroves and sea grass beds, with vertical walls – you have dominance of sea fans, sponges and crinoids. It is home to more than 1000 varieties of invertebrates, 400 discovered corals and 445 marine plants that have been documented. This is the migratory place for cetaceans like bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, minke whales, pilot whales, sperm whales and several turtle species that are otherwise endangered.

5. Belize Barrier Reef, Belize

This is the second largest barrier reef system and there are huge varieties of corals and marine life with over 300 different varieties of fishes and 65 different corals and new ones getting discovered with every passing year. You also have turtles, manatees and sea birds; you are bound to be overwhelmed with shapes and sizes of corals found here.

6. Magic Passage and Planet Rock, Papua New Guinea

At Magic Rock you can find large varieties of Sweetlips, Barracudas, Trevallies and white tip sharks, huge seafans and pretty colored corals. Hammerhead Sharks are found in Planet Rock and the pinnacle of the coral rises from the deep of the oceans to 10 meters below surface.

7. Andaman Sea Reefs, India

This has one of the most varied biodiversity of marine life. It has turtles, Crocodiles and Sea Cows and other impressive marine wildlife with specializations in snorkeling and scuba diving to attract tourists.

8. Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles

As this geographical feature is away from human interference, maybe that’s why there are 150,000 tortoises and the largest number of coral atolls found here. There are four coral islands that make up the Atoll and are widely famous for their flora and fauna.

9. Diving the S.S. Yongala, Queensland, Australia

This is called the best dive in and the best wreck in the world. It is home to Flying Manta Rays, Eagle Rays, Jacks, Wrasse, Barracudas, Turtles, Bull Sharks, Octopuses and Sea Snakes.

10. Tubbataha Reef, Philippines

Hundreds of different fishes and corals can be found here at the World Heritage Site in Sulu Sea with sea sharks, turtles and huge manta rays. It is however more popular for the unique and delicate underwater ecosystem.

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