ALL ABOUT WORLD: April 2011

Apr 30, 2011

Top 10 Richest Athletes In the World 2011| Net Worth

. 1. Tiger Woods

Net Worth : $100 million

Tiger Woods nearly $23 million on the golf course and brought in a whopping $105 million in endorsements giving him a total of $127,902,706 and the No. 1 ranking for the fifth straight year as top richest athlete. He might lost that title this year, rumored after his adultery scandal was spread some sponsors are breaked up with him. Woods has earned almost $900 million in prize money, endorsements and appearance fees during his 13-year professional golf career and next year is poised to become the first athlete to earn $1 billion during a career.

2. Kobe Bryant

Net Worth : $45 million

Bryant secured his place among the NBA’s all-time greats when he won his fourth NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in June. The Black Mamba’s popularity is at its zenith as his No. 24 jersey is the top seller in the U.S., Europe and China. Bryant pads his $21 million Lakers salary through endorsement deals with Nike, Upper Deck, Activision and VitaminWater.

3. Micheal Jordan

Net Worth : $45 million

MJ retired as a player for the third and presumably final time six years ago, but he is still the most famous athlete in the United States. The Jordan Brand is approaching $1 billion in sales for Nike which turned Jordan into a marketing phenomenon. Jordan is on the short list of potential buyers for the Charlotte Bobcats where he is head of basketball operations and a minority owner

4. Kimi Raikkonen

Net Worth : $45 million

Kimi Räikkönen born 17 October 1979 in Espoo, nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racecar driver. After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the 2007 Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he now competes in the World Rally Championship for the ICE 1 Racing team.Formula One’s highest-paid driver finished a disappointing third in the World Championship standings last year after winning the title in 2007

5. David Beckham

Net Worth : $42 million

David Robert Joseph Beckham, born 2 May 1975 is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C. Milan, as well as the England national team, for whom he holds the all-time appearance record for an outfield player. Becks is far from the best player on the pitch, but he is still the most famous which is why companies like Adidas, Giorgio Armani and Motorola pay him millions for his endorsement.

6. LeBron James

Net Worth : $40 Million

LeBron James born December 30, 1984 is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA).The NBA’s MVP led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the league’s best record and had a playoff performance for the ages this year, but his team was bounced from the playoffs by the Orlando Magic in the Conference Finals. His free agency next summer has teams maneuvering to get under the salary cap in hopes of signing King James. The Cavs can offer the biggest contract under NBA salary rules, but James might go in search of a bigger market.

7. Manny Pacquiao

Net Worth : $40 million

Manny Pacquiao born December 17, 1978, also known as Manny Pacquiao, is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is an eight-division world champion, the first boxer in history to win ten world titles, the first to win in eight weight divisions, and the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes.A little surprise that the biggest earning in boxing sport doesn’t come from the Heavyweight division, and not from U.S boxer too. But Manny Pacquiao is now the best pound per pound boxer, and become the most wanted target by any challenger in the world.

8. Phil Mickelson

Net Worth : $40 million

Philip Mickelson born June 16, 1970 is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. According to estimates by Fortune Magazine, Mickelson's income for 2007 was over $51 million, with $47 million coming from endorsements.Playing second fiddle to Tiger Woods has proven very lucrative for the world’s second-ranked player. Mickelson has won $54 million in prize money during his career, third all-time behind Woods and Vijay Singh

9. Lionel Messi

Net Worth : $39 million

Lionel Messi born 24 June 1987 is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team as a forward or winger. He also holds Spanish citizenship, which makes him eligible as a EU player. This 2009 FIFA World Player only playing for one team for his entire career, Barcelona.

10. Alex Rodriguez

Net Worth : $39 million

Alex Rodriguez born July 27, 1975 is an American Major League Baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, He previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Baseball’s greatest player earned an incredible $29 million on the field this year while bringing in a relatively modest $6 million in endorsements, with a total income of $39 million.

Top 10 Richest Countries in the World 2011|Leading

Luxembourg – $80,800 (GDP per capita)

This tiny country with a population under 500,000 is a true European miracle. Tiny means less than 8 countries worldwide. From top to bottom, only 50 miles and a width of about 30 miles

2. Qatar – $75,900

This Arabic-speaking countries is less than a million people and gained independence from Britain in 1971. Qatar was a poor country Islamic, but since the discovery of oil and natural gas in 1940, it is totally transformed. In the absence of income tax is one of the least taxed in the world while offering most of its services to the public for free.

Norway – $55,600

Norway is one of the few developed countries in Europe that does not belong to the European Union. This country is rich in oil and natural gas is the cost of living for more than 30% higher than that of the United States. In 2006, only Russia and Saudi Arabia exports more oil than Norway.

Kuwait – $55,300

In Arabic, Kuwait translates to “Fortress built near water”. In addition to being on the coast of the Persian Gulf country has known neighbors like Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Kuwait has oil reserves of the world fifth largest – about 10% of the global total. Being a country without taxes, about 80% of government revenues come from oil exports. During the second freest economy in the Middle East, Kuwait has one of the most dynamic economies in the region.

United Arab Emirates – $55,200

This oil and natural gas rich country has a highly developed economy which makes it one of the most developed in the world. Having more money than they know what to do with, they have built numerous artificial islands and just finished building the worlds highest structure – Burj Khalifa. It is 828 meters tall, being about 2 times as high as the Empire State Building in New York. It is estimated that about 1/4th of the total construction going on in the world is taking place in Dubai – one of the largest cities in United Arab Emirates.

Singapore – $48,900

This country is a small country made up of 63 islands and some mainland with a total area of only 270 square miles (704 km ²). In Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan is considered one of the four Asian tigers. Singapore has the busiest port in the world and is the fourth largest foreign exchange center in the world. Singapore is widely believed to be the world’s most business friendly in the world.

United States – $46,000

What distinguishes the United States, but in most other countries in this list is its size. While most other countries on this list are the smallest in the world the U.S. has a population of over 300 million and the total area of 3.79 million square kilometers (9.83 million square kilometers). The United States is also home to the largest number of billionaires in the world. It is assumed that even billionaires living in the U.S. and around the world.

Ireland – $45,600

Member of the European Union has often been admired as one of the knowledge economies of the most modern in the world. Ireland is the largest software producer in the world. A survey by The Economist ranks the “Celtic Tiger” for the best quality of life worldwide.

Equatorial Guinea – $44,100

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a country in Central Africa. Most people have never heard of it. This country flew into stardom after 1996 when large oil reserves were found in the nation of only 0,5 million people. While being one of the largest producers of oil in Africa, little has been made to
improve the living conditions of the people. Corruption is widespread and ordinary people are mostly living in poverty. The gap between rich and poor is probably the largest in the world.

Switzerland – $39,800

This cheese making country is considered to be one of the most neutral countries in the world. During World War 2, people from other European countries deposited their money in the banks of Switzerland, knowing that their money would be safer there than in their home countries. Some well known Swiss companies include Nestle, Logitech, Rolex and Credit Suisse.

Apr 29, 2011

TOP 10 RICHEST WOMAN LEADING ATHLETES IN THE WORLD 2010

10. Lorena Ochoa (Golf) 10: Lorena Ochoa (Golf) Earnings: $ 5 million

09: Paula Creamer (Golf) 9: Paula Creamer (Golf) Earnings: $ 5.2 million

08: Jelena Jankovic (Tennis) 8: Jelena Jankovic (Tennis) Earnings: $ 5.3 million

07: Ana Ivanovic (Tennis) 7: Ana Ivanovic (Tennis) Earnings: $ 7.2 million

06: Annika Sorenstam (Golf) 6: Annika Sorenstam (Golf) Earnings: $ 8 million

05: Kim Yu-Na (Figure skating) 5: Kim Yu-Na (Figure skating) Earnings: $ 9.7 million

04: Danica Patrick (Racing) 4: Danica Patrick (Racing) Earnings: $ 12 million

03: Venus Williams (Tennis): $ 15.4 million

02: Serena Williams (Tennis) 2: Serena Williams (Tennis) Earnings: $ 20.2 million

01 Maria Sharapova (Tennis) Maria Sharapova (Tennis) Earnings: $ 24.5 million

Top Most Facts about the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China

Seven wonders of the world are there. In this the Great Wall of China and I am giving below some interesting things about this wall:

great wall

While the Great Wall of China is not one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it is typically included in the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World

In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) placed the Great Wall on its list of the world’s great national and historical sites.

That the Great Wall is a single, continuous wall built all at once is a myth. In reality, the wall is a discontinuous network of wall segments built by various dynasties to protect China’s northern boundary.

During its construction, the Great Wall was called “the longest cemetery on earth” because so many people died building it. Reportedly, it cost the lives of more than one million people.

The Great Wall of China is also known as the wanli changcheng or Long Wall of 10,000 Li (a li is a measure of distance, approximately 1/3 of a mile). The main wall is around 2,145 miles (3,460 km) long with an extra 1,770 miles (2,860 km) of branches and spurs.

The most visited section of the Great Wall is in Badaling, close to Beijing, which was built during the Ming Dynasty. It was the first section of the wall to open to tourists in 1957. It is where Nixon visited and was the finish site of a cycling course in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

As early as the seventh century B.C., a number of smaller walls that served as fortifications and watch towers had been built around the country. Initially each state (Chu, Qi, Wei, Han, Zhao, Yan, and Qin) that would be united in the first Chinese empire had its own individual wall.

The length of all Chinese defense walls built over the last 2,000 years is approximately 31,070 miles (50,000 km). Earth's circumference is 24,854 miles (40,000 km).

The earliest extensive walls were built by Qin Shi Huang (260-210 B.C.) of the Qin dynasty, who first unified China and is most famous for the standing terra cotta army left to guard his tomb. It is from the Qin (pronounced “chin”) dynasty which the modern word “China” is derived. Little of those earliest walls remain.

Because the Great Wall was discontinuous, Mongol invaders led by Genghis Khan (“universal ruler”) had no problem going around the wall and they subsequently conquered most of northern China between A.D. 1211 and 1223. They ruled all of China until 1368 when the Ming defeated the Mongols.

wall of china

The dynasties after the Qin which seriously added to and rebuilt the Great Wall were the Han (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), Sui (A.D. 581-618), Jin (115-1234) and, most famously, the Ming (1368-1644). What survives today are the stone and brick walls predominately from the Ming dynasty.

Contrary to common belief, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from the moon without aid. This pervasive myth seems to have started in 1893 in the American-published magazine The Century and then resurfaced in 1932 when Robert Ripley of Ripley’s Believe it Or Not claimed the Great Wall could be seen from the moon—even though space flight was decades away. It is questionable whether the Great Wall can be seen from a close orbit with the unaided eye.

It is common to hear that the mortar used to bind the stones was made from human bones or that men are buried within the Great Wall to make it stronger. However, the mortar was actually made from rice flour—and no bones, human or otherwise, have ever been found in any of the Great Wall's walls.

According to legend, a helpful dragon traced out the course of the Great Wall for the workforce. The builders subsequently followed the tracks of the dragon.

A popular legend about the Great Wall is the story of Meng Jiang Nu, a wife of a farmer who was forced to work on the wall during the Qin Dynasty. When she heard her husband had died while working the wall, she wept until the wall collapsed, revealing his bones so she could bury them.

At one time, family members of those who died working on the Great Wall would carry a coffin on top of which was a caged white rooster. The rooster's crowing was supposed to keep the spirit of the dead person awake until they crossed the Wall; otherwise, the family feared the spirit would escape and wander forever along the Wall.

Uranus, or Tianwang, who was the personification of Heaven, is often portrayed on the reliefs found at strategic points and passes on the Great Wall.

Historian Arthur Walden established that the popular concept of one Great Wall, and even the name itself, entered Chinese consciousness not directly from the Chinese tradition, but rather through European sources who idealized the Wall. In fact, the Wall rarely appeared in Chinese art before the twentieth century.

Voltaire (1694-1778) discussed the Great Wall several times, but he remained undecided what the real point was. In one piece, he thought the Egyptian pyramids were “childish” compared to the Wall, which was a “great work.” In another place, he calls the Wall a “monument to fear.

Novelist Franz Kafka (1883-1924) praised the Great Wall as a great feat of human engineering. He even wrote a short story titled “The Great Wall of China” about an educated man who reflects on his life’s work overseeing the building of small portions of the Wall.

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-78), the Great Wall was seen as sign of despotism, and people were encouraged to take bricks from it to use in their farms or homes.

President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 increased tourism to the Great Wall. With increased tourism, sections of the Wall were restored, and after Mao Zedong’s death, the Chinese government recognized the Wall as a unifying symbol of the nation.

The Great Wall has often been compared to a dragon. In China, the dragon is a protective divinity and is synonymous with springtime and vital energy. The Chinese believed the earth was filled with dragons which gave shape to the mountains and formed the sinew of the land.

During the Ming dynasty, nearly one million soldiers were said to defend the Great Wall from “barbarians” and non-Chinese.

The manpower to build the Great Wall came from frontier guards, peasants, unemployed intellectuals, disgraced noblemen, and convicts. In fact, there existed a special penalty during the Qin and Han dynasties under which convicted criminals were made to work on the Wall.

Before the Ming dynasty, the wall was built with rammed earth, adobe, and stone. About 70% is made from rammed earth and adobe. Bricks were used after the Ming dynasty.

The Chinese invented the wheelbarrow and used it extensively in building the Great Wall.

A section of the Great Wall in the Gansu province may disappear in the next 20 years due to erosion.

Watchtowers were built at regular intervals along the Great Wall and could be up to 40 feet tall. They were used as lookouts and fortresses as well as for housing garrisons of troops and stockpiled supplies. They were also signal stations, where beacons, smoke, or flags were used for messages. They also represented a tremendous diversity of architectural styles.

The Great Wall’s western section, with a long chain of watchtowers, provided defense for those traveling the Silk Road.

Parts of the Great Wall were surrounded by defensive moats, which were either filled with water or left as ditches.

To defend the Great Wall, the Chinese would use sophisticated weapons such as axes, sledge hammers, lances, crossbows, halberds, and a Chinese invention: gunpowder.

The last battle fought at the Great Wall was in 1938 during the Sino-Japanese War, which was between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. Bullet marks can still be seen in the Wall at Gubeikou.
35.Numerous temples were built along the Great Wall for the worship of the war god, Guandi.

The Great Wall of China is 25 feet high in some places and ranges from 15-30 feet wide.

The highest point of the Great Wall is in Beijing at Heita Mountain (5,033 feet/1,534 meters). The lowest point is at Laolongtou (sea level).
38.In 2004, there were over 41.8 million foreign visitors to the Great Wall of China.

While the Great Wall is currently a symbol of national pride, China struggles with how to manage and protect the Wall while controlling the mass-market development of it. Two organizations, the China Great Wall Society and the International Friends of the Great Wall, are dedicated to preserving it.