get and get

World record set for making a king-size bed

2011-02-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

A hotel housekeeper has won a place in the record books after becoming the fastest person in the world to make a king-sized bed.

Putting most people to shame, it took Louise Waller took just 95 seconds to transform the bed from unmade to a professionally smart finish, during a recent event in London.

In that time she had to deal with two pillows with pillow cases, a mattress cover, a king size bed sheet, a king size duvet and duvet cover and a bed runner.

While 30-year-old Waller is understandably happy about the record, she also realises it also means she will have a hard time convincing her partner to to it at home.

Speaking of the record, Waller - who works for Premier Inn Sheffield City Centre - said: "I am so happy to have set a brand new World Record for the fastest bed-maker! As a housekeeper I have to make beds perfectly everyday, so I knew with a bit of practice I’d be a World Record holder!"

Steve Conway Head of Marketing for Premier Inn added, “We pride ourselves on having the most efficient team around so it’s only right that one of our esteemed housekeepers has been recognised as a World Record holder.”

The Frozen Tsunami

2011-02-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

This spectacular series of images circulates via email and has also been posted on various websites, blogs and online forums. A description commonly included with the images claims that they depict a large tidal wave or tsunami wave instantly frozen as it breaks. However, the ice formation shown in the images is not an instantly frozen wave. The photographs were taken by scientist Tony Travouillon in Antarctica.Many of the images can be seen in a gallery on Travouillon's website. The pictures do not show a giant wave somehow snap-frozen in the very act of breaking. The formation contains blue ice, and this is compelling evidence that it was not created instantly from a wave of water.

The Giant Humbug

One of them looks like a giant mint humbug, with its clear blue, green and brown stripes. The other looks as if it has been shot through with a streak of spearmint. These stunning banded icebergs - formed over hundreds, if not thousands, of years - were pictured floating in the waters of the Antarctic. They were photographed by Norwegian sailor Oyvind Tangen, on board a research ship around 1,700miles south of Cape Town and 660miles north of the Antarctic. "It reminds me of striped candy I bought as a child," said 62-year-old Mr Tangen.

Working at Landfill

2011-02-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, in this world there are many places like this one, but this place is just horrible. I assume that these poor people live on this garbage lot, because they are eating and playing there or maybe they just work there. Even if they just work there it’s still awful. Imagine how much that place smell. When you see something like this, you realize how happy you are because you don’t have to dig trough the trash in stead of hating your job. Still it’s interesting to see how some people live in Cambodia.

New species in the future

2011-02-20T11:45:00.001-08:00

Genetic technology has made a lot of break-through in the past and will progress tremendously in the future. New species would emerge as a result. The combination of mammals and insects seems to be impossible, but in the mind of artists, everything is possible, they have a very active and creative imagination, let’s have a look at these pictures of future species created by them. Use your imagination you can also create the new species by photo editing programs.

Riding horses through the fire

2011-02-20T11:43:00.001-08:00

Every year in San Bartolome de Pinares, west of Madrid, during the celebration of the patron saint of animals of St. Anthony Abeda, professional Spanish riders jump through flaming fires, defying death itself.
Before the sparks horse blessed the priest and the ritual has been going on for 500 years. St. Anthony Abed Egyptian origin was recognized as the patron saint of animals from the Middle Ages.

Cars At The Cost Of $ 10 Million

2011-02-20T11:41:00.001-08:00

Last year in Panama, was arrested a Mr. Mouen, the property has been seized. But as it turned out, among the houses and luxury goods, have the detainee was a garage in which there were 200 vehicles (cars, motorcycles, golf cart, etc.). And 90% of them – are unique! Why “were”? Because attempts Mouena save their cars failed.

The Best Blogger Templates of 2010

2011-01-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

Its Time to sit back and check out our design and Blogger Community and appreciate the work and developments done on the blogspot platform. Since we are a huge fans of Blogger Platform we are showcasing you the "Best Blogger Templates of 2010" Part I. followed by couple of more series by the end of this year. Blogger Team has been working behind the curtains to raise the quality of Blogger Powered Blogs: We had a new post editor, Pages support on blogger, Blogger Template Designer. You can check out some of fantastic Blogspot Themes handpicked for our readers. And More Blogger templates.

RaceClan
Features: Two Column, Sports Theme, Cars, fun, neat layout.

Quality Time

Insignia

Brochure Melbourne

Monkeypr

Masipag

Fluid

eDegree

Beach Holiday (Russia)

Red Light (Physics)

Zexee

iDream

Gamezone

Blue Designwork

Postage Sydney

Webfolio

Frezhnyer

Blukolado

Rockie

Zelenboja

GreyMagic

Money Today

2011-01-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

The recession was so hard on male workers, especially in the fields of manufacturing and construction, that some dubbed it the “mancession.”

But now, as the economy slowly limps back to health, new research shows that men appear to be faring better than women in the job market.

Although women lost nearly one in three of jobs cut between December 2007 and December 2009, they have gained back only about 1 in 10 of the jobs added during 2010, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Experts from the National Women’s Law Center, which first noted the disparity, say women are faring worse partly because of steep and continuing cuts in government jobs. Women make up about more than half of all government workers, but they lost 86 percent of the 220,000 jobs cut in that sector during 2010.
That’s especially troubling because many expect state and local government agencies to continue to cut jobs through at least this year, as they grapple with serious budget woes.
“We could see women losing even more ground in a year when the economy overall is starting a recovery,” said Joan Entmacher, vice president for family economic security at the National Women’s Law Center.
In general, female workers are more likely to be employed than male workers, but the gap is narrowing. The unemployment rate for women 20 and over rose to 8.1 percent in December from 7.8 percent in January 2010. Meanwhile, the rate for men fell to 9.4 percent from 10 percent.
Some women say they are being left behind just as the economy begins to gain momentum.

Fear of being seen as ‘Grandma’
Elizabeth Fenimore, 56, estimates she has sent out 10 to 15 resumes a week since losing her job as a graphic designer for trade show booths about 18 months ago.
So far she has only gotten close to getting one job. After three rounds of interviews, she said she lost out on that position to a man with fewer years of experience.
“It doesn’t matter that I have experience,” she said. “They’re looking at my age, you know, and that I’m a girl, and they see ‘Grandma.’ I don’t look like a grandma, but I think that’s what they’re seeing.”
Fenimore, who lives in Sacramento, Calif., recently moved in with her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren to save money while she continues her job search.
Having worked steadily since she was 16 and raised three children, Fenimore said she never expected to find herself sleeping on her daughter’s couch at this point in her life. She exercises daily, in part to keep her spirits up, and tries to keep a sense of humor.
“My job right now is to keep myself positive, keep myself fit,” she said.
It is taking women longer to find new jobs. For women 16 and over it is taking an average 24.3 weeks to find a new job, compared with 20.7 weeks for men, according to the latest BLS figures.
The discrepancy widens even further for older jobseekers such as Fenimore. For 55- to 64-year-old women, the median job search time is 39.1 weeks, compared with 29.6 weeks for men in that age range.
‘I didn’t think it was going to be this hard’
Lisa Kortebein, 39, never thought it would take her this long to find a job. The Milwaukee, Wis., resident has been looking for work since January 2009, when she was laid off from her job as copy writer for a department store.
Her unemployment has run out, so she’s living off her savings while she pursues a master’s in public administration and continues to apply for jobs.
“I thought it was going to be hard, but I didn’t think it was going to be this hard,” she said.
Kortebein recently did some volunteer work, which she said she enjoyed in part because it reminded her of the camaraderie and social aspect of being in an office.
“I’ve never made a lot of money; it’s not the most important thing to me,” she said. “I‘ve just wanted to be a productive member of society.”

Pay gap

Although women lost a lower percentage of jobs in the recession, female workers have had to deal with other workplace problems, including a prevalence of low-wage work with few benefits, said Mary Gatta, senior scholar with the advocacy group Wider Opportunities for Women.
Female workers make about 80 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to the most recent 2009 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Gatta notes that the recession has been difficult for all workers, male or female.
“The whole idea of this ‘mancession’ has always been so interesting because it is definitely true that we saw huge job losses in the building trades … but it never meant that women were doing well,” Gatta said. “It was always strange to see an either/or.”

Is The Green Hornet The Next Daredevil??

2011-01-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

When Daredevil opened in February of 2003, it had been fending off months of bad buzz ranging from the choice of Ben Affleck, to middling reviews to picking a director who had never helmed a big budget action comedy based on a semi known comic book property before.

Sound like the case of The Green Hornet? Just like The Green Hornet, Daredevil was able to fight back against bad buzz, open to a solid number one opening , go on to gross nearly $200M worldwide and even spawn a spin off based on Jennifer Garner’s character, Elektra.

Like Daredevil, The Green Hornet was an early-mid winter action comedy based on a semi known comic book property that went on to have a somewhat solid first weekend opening.

How did both Daredevil and The Green Hornet make such a miraculous turn around you ask? They both immersed themselves into various pop culture lexicons to obtain positive buzz. Daredevil had a hit song from the then hugely popular goth music pop group, Evanescence to The Green Hornet garnering positive buzz amongst the highly influential film blogger set by offering secret test screenings which quickly turned to positive chatter.

Wikileaks vs. Facebook

2011-01-18T10:02:00.001-08:00

Millionaire gives up entire fortune to be Happy

2011-01-18T09:59:00.001-08:00

An Austrian tycoon is giving away every penny of his £3 million ($5.3 million) fortune, having realised that his riches made him unhappy.

''It was the biggest shock in my life when I realised how horrible, soulless and without feeling the five-star lifestyle is."

Karl Rabeder, 47, a businessman from Telfs, near Innsbruck, is selling his villa with lake, sauna and spectacular mountain views over the Alps, valued at £1.4 million.
Also for sale is his old stone farmhouse in Provence, on the market for £613,000. Already gone is his collection of six gliders valued at £350,000.
Mr Rabeder has also sold the interior furnishings and accessories business - from vases to artificial flowers - that made his fortune.
''My idea is to have nothing left. Absolutely nothing. Money is counter-productive - it prevents happiness.''
He will move out of his Alpine retreat into a small wooden hut in the mountains or a simple bedsit in Innsbruck, surviving on £800 a month while the proceeds go to a charity he set up in Latin America. He will draw no salary from it.
''For a long time I believed that more wealth and luxury automatically meant more happiness. I come from a very poor family where the rules were to work more to achieve more material things, and I applied this for many years.''
But over time a conflicting feeling developed. ''More and more I heard the words: 'Stop what you are doing now - all this luxury and consumerism - and start your real life'. I had the feeling I was working as a slave for things that I did not wish for or need.''
For many years, he said, he was not brave enough to give up his comforts. The tipping point came during a three-week holiday with his wife in Hawaii.
''It was the biggest shock in my life when I realised how horrible, soulless and without feeling the five-star lifestyle is."
''In those three weeks we spent all the money you could possibly spend. But in all that time we had the feeling we hadn't met a single real person - that we were all just actors. The staff played the role of being friendly and the guests played the role of being important, and nobody was real.''
Mr Rabeder decided to raffle his Alpine home, selling 21,999 tickets at £87 each. The Provence house, in the village of Cruis, is on sale at the local estate agent.
All the money will go into his microcredit charity, which offers small loans and advice to self-employed people in El Salvador, Honduras, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile.
Since deciding to sell up, Mr Rabeder said he had felt ''free, the opposite of heavy''. But he did not judge those who chose to keep their wealth. ''I do not have the right to give any other person advice. I was just listening to the voice of my heart and soul.''

Top 5 Business Tycoons

2011-01-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

A number of People are there who worked hard and became a billionaire. The important thing now is to maintain this position. Sometimes the circumstances don’t support and things come down very quickly. Here are such Business Tycoons who started brilliantly but failed afterwards due to some reasons.

1. Christopher Flowers

Christopher Flowers was a great billionaire business as reported in 2004 with a net worth of $2.3 billion. Now recent recession have crushed his assets to $500 million.

2. Matthew Bucksbaun

With a huge chain of shopping malls in America over 200, once Matthew Bucksbaun was a billionaire. But in 2008 his chain collapsed completely and he have to pay off a giant amount of debt worth $30 billion, eventually filed bankrupt.

3. David Ross

With $1.4 billion assets worth, David was reported as Billionaire in 2008. With his Business excellence he created good opportunities on his way. Investment in real estate was his major field. But the dropdown in properties value overall ruined him. Now he only has $150 million worth assets.

4. Tulsi Tanti

He introduced a nice alternate Energy source with company name, Suzlon Energy. Net worth of Tulsi Tanti has been reported about $3 billion. His company had created a large turbine wind blades but due to some serious fault, his production had to stop. A great finance had to invest to recover that fault. After that failure, his current property worth is about $500 million.

5. Larry Yung

Larry Yung is a great billionaire from China with $3 billion net worth. This tycoon had a great empire which cover great part of the country, But then a sudden downfall in stocks, snatched his glory. Now he owned a net worth of $750 million.

Hamster Heels

2011-01-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

Pets do make hot accessories, just ask all of those celebrities who carry their teeny, tiny dogs around like the pets are their favorite purses. While we have seen some weird accessories overtime that incorporate animals and fashion, this design just might take the cake and alarm animal activists around the world.

Hamster Heels

This image of these hamster heels has been floating around the Internet, but its origins have yet to be determined. We've seen some interesting things incorporated into shoes - like spiders and goldfish - but hamsters might just be pushing the boundary. This is one way to take your pet everywhere you go, but you'd better be prepared when your favorite little furry creature suffers a head injury or dies of heat exhaustion. Fashion can hurt, and that may be a sacrifice you'll make yourself, but you can't make that decision for another living creature!

Top Shaving Tips to Get Best Shaving Results

2011-01-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

SHAVING , an ancient practice of raking a sharp blade across your face every single day of your life from your early teens until it's lights out.
Applying a sharp metal blade to your face cuts hairs but also removes microscopic layers of skin and can cause irritation. Following are some simple rules , which will give you the best shaving results without causing damage to your skin ..

Avoid shave early in the morning : let your skin wake up a while. This allows the "puffiness" you encounter from fluids collecting in your skin during the night to recede, thus allowing you to get a closer shave when you do begin the task.
Shaving Cream / Foam : A lot of foam or lather is not needed

Using a face scrub : Use an exfoliate such as a facial cleanser or scrub to eradicate dead skin cells and open up the pores of the skin to prepare it for a close shave.

Always use sharp blade :
- Make sure your razor is sharp. Old, blunt blades spoil a shave. They drag the skin and do not give a clean shave
- The handle of the razor should be heavier .
- Short strokes are a better option than a long drag as they give a cleaner shave
- Rinse your razor in the hot water.

After Shave : After shaving, apply an oil-free moisturizer to soothe and protect the face. If you prefer an after-shave, check the label for alcohol. Dryness and stinging sensations are by-products of most after-shave products whose primary ingredient is alcohol. It may feel good at the time, but alcohol based after-shaves are actually irritating to many complexions.

Special occasions: Shave in two steps. First, shave with the grain with very light pressure. Second, reapply a coat of shaving cream and shave against the grain for super-close and smooth results.

Largest Pyramids in the World

2011-01-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Modern and ancient pyramids come in many forms and sizes. To determine which is the largest pyramid one could compare their heights for example. At a height of 260 meters (85 feet), the Transamerica Pyramid would certainly be a serious candidate.Many big pyramids however come with a very large base but are not very tall. A better measure of size therefore is probably the volume of a pyramid. The volume of a pyramid can be calculated by the following formula: Length_of_base * Width_of_base * Height * 1/3. This is 54 x 54 x 260 x 1/3 = 252,720 m³ for the Transamerica Pyramid, which isn’t even close enough to be included in our list of biggest pyramids. So with this formula it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the largest pyramids in the world. Unfortunately it isn’t that easy. Many pyramids are not true smooth sided pyramids but stepped pyramids. Another problem is that some of the largest pyramids on earth are still not completely excavated.

La Danta, El Mirador (0,9 million m³)

El Mirador was a major Mayan city that flourished from about the 6th century BC, reaching a peak population of perhaps more than 8,000 people between the 3rd BC and the 1st century AD. After a hiatus of a few centuries further constructions were undertaken until the city was abandonment at the end of the 9th century. The ruins were rediscovered in 1926 but received little attention due to its remote location deep in the jungle of northern Guatemala. Today the site remains largely covered by tropical jungle and the two largest structures at El Mirador, the “El Tigre” complex and the “La Danta” complex, give the impression of two large hills.

The La Danta complex consists of a number of platforms. The lowest platform measures 310 by 590 meters (1017 by 1936 ft), is 7 meters (23 ft) high and supports a series of buildings. The next platform is about 190 by 240 meters (623 by 787 ft) and rises another 7 meters. Above that is another platform around 21 meters high (69 feet), which is topped off by three pyramids, the tallest of which is 21 meters high. At 70 meters (230 feet) the Danta Complex is somewhat higher than El Tigre (about 55 meters or 180 feet high) although La Danta incorporates a low natural hill.

According to some source the La Danta complex has a total volume of 2,800,000 cubic meters which would make it one of the largest structures in the word. The question is however, how accurate this calculation is and if the entire complex can be considered one single pyramid. One could argue that a part of the first platform should be excluded as it supports several buildings.

Pyramid of the Sun (1,2 million m³)

The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest building in Teotihuacán and one of the largest Pyramids in Mesoamerica. The name comes from the Aztecs, who visited the city of Teotihuacán centuries after it was abandoned. The pyramid was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 100 AD brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size of 225 meters (733 feet) across and 75 meters (246 feet) high.

Luxor Hotel (1,228 million m³)

The Luxor Pyramid was among the first of a decade-long wave of new megaresorts to emerge on the Las Vegas Strip in the 1990s. Opened in 1993 after only eighteen months of construction, the Luxor debuted with 2,526 guest rooms, a gigantic casino area, a showroom, restaurants, and entertainment venues on its 2nd floor. At a base length of 183 meters (600 ft) and a height of 110 meters (350 ft) it is considerably smaller than its famous model, the Great Pyramid at Giza.

Bent Pyramid (1,237 million m³)

The Bent Pyramid located at Dahshur was the second pyramid built by pharaoh Sneferu. Mysteriously, the pyramid rises from the desert at an angle of 55 degrees and then suddenly changes to a more gradual angle of 43 degrees. One theory holds that due to the steepness of the original angle the weight to be added above the inner chambers and passageways became too large, forcing the builders to adopt a shallower angle. The base of the pyramid is 188.6 meters (619 ft) and the height 101.1 meters (332 ft).

Red Pyramid (1,69 million m³)

Built by Pharaoh Sneferu, the Red Pyramid is the world’s first successful attempt at constructing a true pyramid. The pyramid measures 220 by 220 meters (722 ft) and is 104 meters (341 ft) high. It was the largest pyramid in Egypt until the construction of the Giza pyramids. What really makes the Red Pyramid special today is the lack of crowds that plagues the Giza Plateau and the comparatively unregulated interior access.

Great Pyramid of Cholula (1,8 million m³)

The Great Pyramid of Cholula appears to be a natural hill topped by a Catholic church. This is the “Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios” which was built by the Spanish in 1594 on the site of a pre-Hispanic temple. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this temple is in fact the largest pyramid ever constructed anywhere in the world, with a total volume estimated at over 4.45 million m³. This is based on a size off 450 by 450 meter (1476×1476 ft) and a height of 66 m (217 ft).Closer examination of the site reveals a different volume however. The complex consists of several structures built on top of each other, starting from the 3rd century BC until the 9th century AD. The picture below shows a pyramid standing on a huge platform. The base of the pyramid itself is ‘only’ 295 by 270 meters (968 by 886 ft) which gives a much smaller volume, although the Cholulu Pyramid is still the third largest pyramid ever built.

Pyramid of Khafre (2,21 million m³)

The Pyramid of Khafre is the second largest pyramid at Giza, after the Great Pyramid built by Khafre’s father Khufu. It appears to be slightly larger however as it is build at a higher elevation. The pyramid has a base length of 215.5 meter (706 ft) and originally rose to a height of 143.5 meter (471 ft) but is now 12 meters shorter. The most distinctive feature of Khafre’s Pyramid is the topmost layer of smooth stones that are the only remaining casing stones on a Giza Pyramid.

Great Pyramid of Khufu (2,58 million m³)

The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and sole remnant of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Over 2 million blocks of stone were used to construct the pyramid, during a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. The pyramid is 230 meters (755 ft) in length and an awe-inspiring 139 meters (455 feet) high (originally 146.5 meters or 480.6 ft). So in the end, after reviewing all the biggest pyramids the Great Pyramid of Khufu remains the largest pyramid ever built.

Top 10 Cool Facebook Status Tips and Tricks

2011-01-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

With Facebook’s ever-changing layout, and the fact that other social sites are encroaching on its real-time update strangle-hold, it’s easy to forget that there are some pretty nifty tricks you can pull using your humble Facebook status.
We’ve pulled together 10 great how-to tips that will help you get the most out of your status update, from official features to apps, Easter eggs, jokes and more.
Perfect for newer Facebook users, or anyone who is looking for a refresher, read on and let us know the ones you like in the comments below.

1. HOW TO: Add a Dislike Option to Your Status Update

“Like” buttons are everywhere on Facebook, and they’re everywhere on the web. But what if you want to update your status or share something that your friends can “dislike?” We know, your friends can choose to “comment” on your post, but where’s the fun in that?
The clever Status Magic Facebook app can add a dislike button to any status updates posted via the app. And if you wanted to really mix it up you can actually customize the second emotion to anything, such as “love,” “hate,” “disagree” or even “LOLs.”

2. HOW TO: Hide Status Updates From Certain People

Using Facebook’s general privacy settings (find these by hitting “account” on the top right of a Facebook page) you can select whether everyone, just friends or friends of friends can see your status updates. However, there is a way to narrow those options down even further.
You can select specific friend lists to see your status (relevant for work, special interest groups, etc.) or even individual people by name, which is useful for anyone organizing a surprise party.
To take advantage of these options, click the padlock icon just below your “what’s on your mind” box on your wall and a drop down menu should appear. Selecting “customize” will bring up more options such as “make this visible to” and “hide from” with the option to make your selection a default.

3. HOW TO: Pre-Schedule Status Updates

While SocialOomph, Sendible and HootSuite offer the same kind of service, the simplest way to schedule Facebook status updates is by using the easy, free Later Bro service.
Just sign in with Facebook Connect, select your time zone, type in what it is you’d like to say, set the calendar and clock to when you’d like to say it, and presto!

4. HOW TO: Tag People in Your Status Updates

This was quite a big deal when it was announced this past September, but from the amount of searches on the topic “how can I make someone’s name go blue in a Facebook status?” it seems it’s not universally known.
To mention someone in a status update just type “@” (a la Twitter) in the status bar and start typing their name as it appears on Facebook. An auto-generated list will then come up with people in your social circle whose name starts with the letters you’ve typed. The feature also works with pages, brands, events and companies.
Hit the name you want, complete the update, click share and the name will become a hyperlink (you won’t see the @ symbol) and will appear in blue text.

5. HOW TO: Add Symbols to Your Facebook Status

Although there are plenty of emoticons that work with Facebook Chat, typing “:)” into Facebook’s status bar will not magically transform into a smiley yellow face. In fact, the only symbol you can create in a Facebook status update through the shortcut keys is a ♥, by typing “<3."
While this won't bother many Facebook users, others more used to punctuating their missives can copy and paste web-happy, universal symbols into the box, as you can see in the screengrab above.
PC users can also access some symbols by hitting “alt” + various number combinations (on a numerical keypad). So, while smileys are yet to hit Facebook statuses, you can annoy or amuse your buddies with symbols right now.

6. HOW TO: Turn Your Status Updates Into a Word Cloud

There’s a really fun way to visualize anyone’s status updates (even an entire country’s) as a word cloud. The Status Analyzer 3D app will look at what it is you’ve been chatting about lately and generate a list, and then a pretty, colorful, animated cloud as pictured above.
You can share the results with others on the social networking site by posting it to your friends’ walls or by adding it to your profile.

7. HOW TO: Have Fun With Facebook’s Humorous Language Options

While you can always change your setting into more sensible alternative languages, the site offers a couple of fun linguistic Easter eggs.
You can chose to have Facebook display upside down English, or, for anyone feeling a little salty, in “pirate.” Pirate essentially turns your status into your “plank,” your attachments into “loot” and instead of “share” it offers the option to “blabber t’ yer mates.”
Sadly, anything you type in the status bar won’t be upside down, or pirate-y. But with the use of some external sites you can achieve the same effect.
TypeUpsideDown.com and UpsideDownText.com are just two examples of sites that can flip your text, while the Talk Like a Pirate Day site can help you with your pirate translations.

8. HOW TO: See Status Updates From Around the World

If you want to get a glimpse of the thoughts of Facebook users from around the world’s, head over toOpenBook.
Created by three San Fran web developers with a serious privacy message in mind, the site aggregates the status updates of everyone whose privacy levels are set to “everyone.”
You can narrow your searchable results down by gender and keywords to find out what people are saying about a certain topic. Or you can just browse the recent searches.

9. HOW TO: See Your Status Update Stats

Have you ever wondered how many times you have updated your status on Facebook? The Facebook app Status Statistics, can tell you this and more.
The app analyzes your updates and gives you a tidy list of how many you’ve written, the average word count and how many times a day you post. In addition, it generates a graph that shows you what time of day or what days of the week you normally update.
Old statuses are also searchable via the app, so you can find that witty retort you made back in November 2009 without having to scroll back through your history.

10. HOW TO: Play a Trick On Your Friends in Your Status Update

We have a funny one to end on — a way to play an amusing trick on your Facebook buddies.
This clever link “http://facebook.com/profile.php?=73322363″ looks like it could be a URL for anyone’s Facebook profile, actually takes anyone logged into Facebook to their own profile page.
If you try it out, be sure to remove the link preview that Facebook auto-ads. Have fun, and don’t be too mean…

Top 10 Listings of Banks In The World

2011-01-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

Some banks are reliable, but some other confusing and make money only. The following banks are reliable and have great trust.
1. Citibank

Citibank was written during the 1800s in New York City. It is certainly the best bank in the world and has a lot of financial influence. A country will not be considered developed, without the bank found almost around every corner. It was recently offices in Philadelphia, Washington and Boston opened.

2. JP Morgan Chase

JP Morgan Chase is older than the Citibank and has assets of approximately $ 2 trillion.
This is a popular bank with customers in various communities, whether officials or powerful businessmen, the common people. It is widely admired for his good credit card services and trustworthiness in relation to commercial banks.

3. HSBC

HSBC was established about 20 years ago, based in England. Forbes confirmed last year that it was one of the largest banks and companies in the world. HSBC is well liked in Asia, where its financial issues that are especially noteworthy.

4. Bank of America

This bank is one of the largest in the world so far as relates to market capitalization. It is found in over 120 countries and it is with thanks to Merrill Lynch that it is always given recognition for its investment services. Its competitors include Wells Fargo and Citigroup.

5. Credit Agricole Group

Credit Agricole Group in France is identified for its banking services. Europeans consider that it is clean and green of the largest monetary area and its focus on the importance of maintaining the planet, he has arranged to produce a reliable customer base for themselves.

6. Royal Bank of Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland manages and conducts its banking services to private clients, especially in Scotland and has more than 650 branches. The Royal Bank of Scotland did not meet the Bank of Scotland. It is an organization that raises money was set much earlier.

7. Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group

Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group headquartered in Japan and declared assets of around 1.8 trillion dollars. Because it combines with another famous Bank Group, its success rate has increased but the whole procedure took a long time.

8. Mizuho Financial Group

Mizuho Financial Group, headquartered in Tokyo, has assets of about 1.40 trillion dollars. Their properties are large enough so that it is the largest banking group and one of the top 10 of the world. The usual banking services along with consulting controls. About 70,000 people work for them.

9. HBOS

It is part of Lloyds Banking Group, it came in in 2001 and began as one of the most recognized in Germany. It is reliable, because its insurance section has proved on many occasions. Many people do not know what is for HBOS, but it could be Halifax Bank of Scotland.

10. BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas also runs from London and Paris. Forbes explains that it is among the 20 largest companies in the world market. BNP Paribas also has capital of the company in many banks around the world and is considered to be the strongest. They came from a larger critical catastrophic situation during the current financial situation.

Dust in Earth’s Atmosphere Has Doubled Since the 20th Century

2011-01-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

A new study has suggested that the amount of dust in the Earth’s atmosphere has doubled since the beginning of the 20th century and the dramatic increase is influencing climate and ecology around the world.

It’s the first study to trace the fluctuation of a natural (not human-caused) aerosol around the globe over the course of a century.

Natalie Mahowald, Cornell associate professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, used available data and computer modeling to estimate the amount of desert dust, or soil particles in the atmosphere, throughout the 20th century.

Desert dust and climate influence each other directly and indirectly through a host of intertwined systems. Dust limits the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth, for example, a factor that could mask the warming effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. It also can influence clouds and precipitation, leading to droughts; which, in turn, leads to desertification and more dust.

Ocean chemistry is also intricately involved. Dust is a major source of iron, which is vital for plankton and other organisms that draw carbon out of the atmosphere.

To measure fluctuations in desert dust over the century, the researchers gathered existing data from ice cores, lake sediment and coral, each of which contain information about past concentrations of desert dust in the region.

They then linked each sample with its likely source region and calculated the rate of dust deposition over time. Applying components of a computer modeling system known as the Community Climate System Model, the researchers reconstructed the influence of desert dust on temperature, precipitation, ocean iron deposition and terrestrial carbon uptake over time.

Among their results, the researchers found that regional changes in temperature and precipitation caused a global reduction in terrestrial carbon uptake of 6 parts per million (ppm) over the 20th century. The model also showed that dust deposited in oceans increased carbon uptake from the atmosphere by 6 percent, or 4 ppm, over the same time period.

While the majority of research related to aerosol impacts on climate is focused on anthropogenic aerosols (those directly emitted by humans through combustion), Mahowald said, the study highlights the important role of natural aerosols as well.

“Now we finally have some information on how the desert dust is fluctuating. This has a really big impact for the understanding of climate sensitivity,” she said.

She presented the research at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.

Top Social Networking Sites For the Super Elite

2011-01-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

So – you are super rich, well connected, and have no desire to mix with the riff-raff of common folk at Facebook or Twitter. Or maybe you are one of the “Beautiful People” and want to protect your gene pool. Quite the dilemma – where do the billionaires, the beautiful, the super elite and trend-setters of the world go to network online?
You get the nod to join one of a handful of exclusive social networks that are open strictly by invitation, like the ones on this list. Have a look at some of the top sites for this gated online community.
These social networking sites are for the elite of the society, and because these are invitation only sites, the criteria for elite is of course defined by the elite themselves. These spaces of the rich provide them with a platform where they can flirt, swap advice, plan parties and find new pals without mixing with the commoners.

1. asmallworld.net

aSmallWorld, founded in 1998, is an exclusive social networking site launched in 2004 by former Lehman Brothers banker Erik Wachtmeister. With 320,000 members globally, the site was termed `MySpace for millionaires’ by Wall Street Journal. But don’t rush to the site to sign up – membership is strictly by invitation only. Newcomers are considered on the basis of education, profession and most important, their network of personal contacts. If you don’t know a member, then you are quite simply out of the loop and relegated to observer status only.

Once invited to join the network, a member can browse the market guide, surf the luxury-travel guide and global-event guide, or participate in forum discussions — one of the site’s most active and popular features. Members can interact with like-minded individuals who share the same circle of friends, interests, and schedules. Members range from entrepreneurial and business opinion makers to leaders in media, entertainment, fashion, art and sports. Most of the websites content is produced by the members only who offer travel suggestions, feedback, lively forum discussions, and other topics of common interest.

Members include rich and famous “A-listers” such as Naomi Campbell, Marcus Schenkenberg, Ivanka Trump, Bruno Santos, Massimiliano Neri, Isabeli Fontana, Lisa Cant, James Blunt, and Josh Groban, Quentin Tarantino, Renny Harlin, Andrew Waller, Tiger Woods, Emanuele Filiberto Di Savoia, James Ferragamo and David Reuben, to name just a few.
Check out this article

2. DiamondLounge.Com

Sugar Daddies and Sugar Mamas unite! This ultra-prestigious dating site connects attractive women, and successful established men. If you’re a rich playboy, or a beautiful girl seeking an older, financially secure man, this site cuts to the chase.

Created in 2007, Diamond Lounge claims to be a luxury online space aimed at those who want a sophisticated and classy alternative to the standard online dating and social networking websites. Or it could be for those rich men and women who want to make sure that they get the proper, pre-screened companions. This gene pool does have a lifeguard.

As for membership, the site says that its members are “eligible, professional individuals who appreciate the benefits of an exclusive and private environment where they can date and socialise with likeminded people.” According to owner Arya Marafie, DiamondLounge.com focuses mainly on dating and fun, just like an exclusive online club. However, being wealthy won’t automatically get you in the door. The person also needs to be interesting and bring something to the table. Of course, the very wealthy part goes without saying.

The average age of members is between 35 to 40, significantly older than MySpace or Facebook. Potential club members can apply online and will be accepted or declined based on what they do and whom they know. Members have to pay a $50 monthly fee.
The company claims that it spends a tremendous amount of time making sure that they select the right club members, because these are the people who will invite the next group.

3. collegeonly.Com

Membership to this site is not defined by money, but by age and educational status. College students haven’t yet started to earn their fortunes, but they sure do see themselves as a unique group. And many want that to define the club to which they belong.

Facebook started out as a place for college kids to meet and greet, but the 500 million-member network has ballooned to include just about everyone on the internet, from marketers to Moms to middle schoolers. CollegeOnly, a new social network from the mind of Josh Weinstein, a New York-based entrepreneur who also created RandomDorm (Chatroulette for the college set) and GoodCrush (a university-centric dating site), has come to gate the college student community once again. CollegeOnly launched at around seven different schools in time for the 2010 school year, including Yale, in which over half of the student population has signed up.
Why? Quite simply – college students can upload photos or post what they are up to with parents and potential employers looking on – a virtual impossibility on Facebook.

4. BeautifulPeople.com

As the name suggests – actually, quite clearly states - if you aren’t beautiful, this is not the place for you. In fact, this exclusive match-making site actually kicked out several thousand members who it decided were too fat or too ugly to be there. While this may have raised some loud complaints, there is also the argument that it is their business, their website, and they can do what they want.

Since its launch in October 2009, the “club” has rejected nearly 1.8 million unattractive people from 190 countries. From the total number of hopefuls, about 400,000 new members have been admitted. Sweden, Brazil and Norway are proving to be the most beautiful countries overall, with applicants from Germany and the UK among the least successful.

BeautifulPeople.com now has a global membership which exceeds 540,000. Up to 4 million unique visitors visit the site daily. Wherever the site has launched, it has sparked controversy and debate. It has even spawned rival websites catering to rejects and various attempts have been made to block the service in the Middle East. Robert Hintze, founder of BeautifulPeople.com, said: “Despite considerable backlash against us, the numbers don’t lie – we are catering to a very clear demand. BeautifulPeople.com may be morally ugly to our critics, but our growing success is a very beautiful truth.”
Reality: just deal with it. Maybe that is why it is called the “ugly truth”.

5. Quintessentially.Com

Quintessentially is a luxury-lifestyle concierge service started by Prince Charles’s nephew in 2000. This private members club with a 24-hour global concierge service has offices in highly moneyed cities around the world, including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Jburg, Cannes, and, of course, Dubai.
The club sells its staff of luxury concierges who help its upscale clients by “accessing the inaccessible”. And really, who doesn’t need access to these essential services, such as getting last minute front row seats at fashion shows, finding luxury gifts in a hurry (with someone else doing the legwork and actual shopping), attending VIP after-parties, getting dinner reservations at the exclusive hot spots, attending film premieres around the world, chartering yachts and getting on the guest list for elite charity galas.

Best Bargain Online Shopping Sites

2011-01-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

The thing I hate about Christmas is the sheer number of people who go to the malls to shop and they seem to have synchronized their watches so that they could all go together at the same time.
And when you do make in the store alive, you will be left with items that don’t have the color you want or the size you’re asking for.
And because I love you my dear loyal loving sweet and supportive readers, here are the sites that could save your soul from all those torture. These sites don’t just deliver right to your doorsteps, they also have the best bargain, and their items are unique. Enjoy.

Overstock.com

Bargain. Bargain. Bargain. Currently the world record holder for everything bargain. They take pride in every excess stock of other retailers which means they have almost every kind of item you can think of. They have clothes, bags, gadgets, home decors, and others.
They also have high end brand items.
The only downside is that they sell fast so hurry.

Thinkgeek

This… is… the… best… store…online. Okay maybe for geeks like me. They have stuff that are totally unnecessary and useless like an electronic guitar shirt! Yes! It’s a shirt where you can play drums on. How great is that?!
Click here to go to their site.

Modcloth

Oh, this one’s for the ladies.
My sister said just wait for their periodical sale. They give out as much as 75% discount. They specialize in indie and retro clothes.
Click here to go to their site.

SmartBargains

This is very similar to Overstock.com, where you’ll find deals on everything from clothing and MP3 players to diamond earrings.
This seems a smaller version though. I guess it’s a nice back up if you can’t find what you’re looking for in overstock.
Click here to go to their site.

CurrentCodes.com

They just have coupons. Even its homepage specifically says they are concentrating on coupons it could be a little frustrating to go through everything just for you to find what you are looking for.
Click here to go to their site.

Pittsburgh Man’s House Demolished by Mistake

2011-01-10T05:37:00.001-08:00

Andre Hall went away for the holidays and when he returned, he was in for the surprise of his life. The Pittsburgh home he had spent weeks fixing up and restoring had been demolished by mistake.
Associated Press reports the home had been condemned but the city had issued an order halting demolition after Hall bought it in November. The head of the city’s Bureau of Building Inspection says the house next door was supposed to be taken down but the contractor demolished Hall’s home as well.

Top 10 Expensive Hotels In The World

2011-01-09T04:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever dreamed of spending a relaxing night at a luxury hotel? Or maybe planning a romantic evening or a honeymoon where you want to impress your beloved? What would you want included? A gorgeous view? A large comfy bed? A jacuzzi? A personal butler?
Did you know that prices at the best hotel suites have gone up 10% this year? Are you ready to drop about $30,000 for one night? Would you be willing to spend that kind of money on a hotel room? And by the way, none of the nightly room rates includes tax so be prepared to add another 10 – 17% to your bill at checkout.

Here are the 10 most expensive hotel rooms in the world from the last year.

1. Royal Penthouse Suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva

Nightly Rate: $53.000
The Imperial Suite, which is actually an entire top floor of the hotel, is reached via a private elevator and has four bedrooms, six bathrooms with mosaic marble floor, a cocktail lounge and a terrace with a dramatic view through the bulletproof windows over the city, Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc — all of which overlook Lake Geneva. The suite is decorated in a contemporary style, with marble and hardwood floors. The living room has a billiards table, a library and a cocktail lounge with a view of the water fountain, and can accommodate 40 people. The dining room seats 26 people around an oval mahogany table.
The hotel’s staff reassures guests that the security in the Imperial Suite is among the best in the world, ideal for celebrities or traveling heads of state who visit the United Nations headquarters next door at the Palais Wilson.

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2. Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas

Nightly Rate: $40.000
If anyone knows how to vacation in Las Vegas, that will be Hugh Hefner. Even though he is known as a homebody he has spent a few nights away from the mansion at the Sky Villa. The suite itself was built to model the original playboy mansion; it also incorporates elements derived from a vintage Playboy magazine article about the ultimate bachelor pad. The suite cost roughly $10 million to build but the high-rollers can rent it for a small $40,000 a night. Everything screams S-E-X-Y at the Sky Villa. The two-story 9,000 square foot Villa includes a glass elevator, a rotating bed set beneath a mirrored ceiling, and a glass wall Jacuzzi that extends out over the hotel and offers amazing Strip views, around-the-clock butler service, massage and spa rooms, work-out room and poker table, fireplace, three bedrooms, and pop-up plasma TVs.
Sorry, Bunnies not included.

3. Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons Hotel, New York

Nightly Rate: $34.000
The $50 million Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons in NY was designed by legendary architect I.M. Pei, Peter Marino and hotel owner Ty Warner.
The nine-room suite has walls inlaid with mother of pearl, gold and platinum-woven fabrics. The suite is located on the 52nd floor of New York’s tallest hotel with floor-to-ceiling bay windows offering a breathtaking 360 degree view of the City. If that is not relaxing enough you can enjoy a waterfall in the Zen Room, play the grand piano in the library or soak in a tub overlooking Central Park. Full spa treatments, a personal trainer and a 24/7 butler are all included, and if you still find a will to leave, you can choose to be chauffeured in a Rolls Royce or Maybach, and you’re always guaranteed a table at the hotel’s renowned L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurant.

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4. Villa La Capula Suite, Westin Excelsior, Rome

Nightly Rate: $29.000
The suite is located on the fifth and sixth floor underneath the cupola of the hotel which was made famous by Fellini’s movies. It covers 6,099 square feet and has an additional 1,808 square feet of balconies and terraces. While it only has two bedrooms, five more can be joined to it. The entire suite was just remodeled in 1998 for a cost of around $7 million. So now you will have all things Roman and excessive – a cupola, a Pompeii-style Jacuzzi pool, frescoes (the painted horizons on the frescoes were designed to match perfectly with the real Roman one), stained glass windows, and almost 2,000 feet of balcony space including a sun deck overlooking the Via Veneto district.
The downstairs also has a private kitchen, and the dining room features an antique Murano glass chandelier, a private wine cabinet with over 150 wines to choose from and a study/library covered in hand-carved wood. And what really makes this suite over the top is a private cinema with Dolby surround sound.

Now that’s living la dolce vita.

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5. Presidential Suite, Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo

Nightly Rate: $25.000
The suite is located on the 53rd floor above Tokyo with spectacular views that include the Imperial Palace outer gardens and Roppongi Hills.
In the suite’s 3300 sq ft you get pure luxury with a stunning four poster bed in the master bedroom, personal concierge, connected living room/dining room, an oversized marble bathroom with Sony BRAVIA 20 inch flat screen television, and access to indoor pool and fitness studio.

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6. The Bridge Suite, The Atlantis, Bahamas

Nightly Rate: $22.000
The Bridge Suite is located on top of a bridge that connects the two Royal Towers buildings, so it overlooks the entire resort and marina. An 800 square foot balcony and 12-foot high ceilings throughout with full length windows allow you to enjoy a 360 view of the water, lagoons and pools in Paradise Island. We can make a guess that most of the price is paid for the location of the suite. Forbes reports the suite has hosted guests including Oprah, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, and Bill Gates.
The suite has 10 rooms that are decorated in black, red and gold (including a 22-karat gold chandelier in the dining room). The living room is a 1,250-square-foot room with grand piano and twin entertainment centers. The master bedroom has a sitting area, his-and-hers closets so large that you can park your car there, and hand-painted linens. The kitchen also has its own entrance, so a permanent staff of seven, including a butler and a cook can access the rooms without bothering you.

7. Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt, Vendôme, Paris

Nightly Rate: $20.000
This pricey suite is located on the 5th floor and takes 200-sq.-meters. A 60-sq.-meter balcony is overlooking the Rue de la Paix, with an outstanding view of the Vendôme column. The Imperial Suite has high ceilings, a dining room, kitchenette, bar, and a mansard roof. It also includes in-suite spa with whirlpool bath, steam room shower and a built-in massage table. Also included are high-speed Internet access and a computer with flat screen monitor, multi-line telephones, and a separate work area to help you enjoy the work process.

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8. Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab, Dubai

Nightly Rate: $19.000
The two-story, 8,400-square-foot suite features views over the Arabian sea, marble flooring, a rotating four-poster bed in the master bedroom, dining area, and a private cinema and elevator between the split-level rooms.
The marble bath comes fully stocked with full-sized products from Hermes. Guests are met by a chauffeur driven Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph (or, for a bit extra, by a helicopter). A personal butler stands 24/7 at the ready to fulfill every wish. The Royal Suite is the last word in luxury with a marble and gold staircase, leopard print tufted carpets and Versace linens.
What you can also enjoy is a submarine ride to an underwater restaurant complete with shark-infested aquarium.

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9. Ritz-Carlton Suite, Ritz-Carlton Moscow

Nightly Rate: $18.200
The floor-to-ceiling windows in the Ritz-Carlton Suite will give you the most beautiful views of the Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral, and Christ the Savior Cathedral. The furnishings are in a Classic Russian Imperial style. The 2,500 square-foot suite comes with a spacious living room, dining area, library, office room and boardroom, grand piano, and heated floor.
You will get to enjoy five meals a day and their very own KGB-approved autonomous energy supply system and secure telecommunications array.

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In Japan There is a Beach inside a Building

2011-01-09T04:08:00.000-08:00

What do you think is inside this building? Imagine that there is a beach where the sky is always blue, the environment never gets changed neither too hot nor too cold , the water is not polluted, and the surf is always perfect – Oh Oh stop your imagination …. its real… welcome to Ocean Dome, the world’s only indoor beach.

Ocean Dome has its own flame-spitting volcano, crushed white marble “sand”, and it also boasts the world’s largest retractable roof, providing a permanently blue sky. Temperature, wind and humidity are closely controlled to provide an ultra-safe “sea-side” experience. Every hour, the volcano erupts and the hi-tech wave machines start up, starting a few minutes of sanitized surfing. Entrance cost is US $50 per person, which seems especially expensive given that there is a free, natural beach only 300 meters away.

10 World's Highest Waterfall

2011-01-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

1. Angel Falls (3.212 ft)

Located in the Canaima National Park, Venezuela

2. Tugela Falls (3.110 ft)

Located in Natal National Park, Tugela River, South Africa

3. Utigord Falls (2.625 ft)

Located in Norway, is a waterfall glaciers.

4. Monge Falls (2.540 ft)

Located in Marstein, Norway, on the river Mongebeck

5. Gocta Cataracts (2.532 ft)

Located in Chachapoyas, Peru

6. Mutarazi Falls (2.499 ft)

Situated at the Nyanga National Park, Zimbabwe, on the river Mutarazi

7. Yosemite Falls (2.425 ft)

Located in Yosemite National Park, California, USA

8. Espelands Falls (2.307 ft)

Located in the Hardanger Fjord, Norway, on the river OPO

9. March Lower Valley (2.151 ft)

Located in eikesdal, Norway, in rapids Mardals

10. Tyssestrengene (2.123 ft)

Located in Odda, Norway, on the river Tyssa

A very Interesting Home

2011-01-08T06:11:00.001-08:00

10 Strange Businesses

2011-01-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

1. Striptease Rickshaw

http://www.nightshadesbikecrew.blogspot.com/

According to his website, Andrew Katzander from New York had an idea “to promote bicycle safety, raise awareness of the immense potential of pedal power and to bring pole dancing to the streets where dancing belongs.” That was the reason why he started his weird business – he rides a rickshaw on which a platform for pole dancing is installed. Of course, he has hired professional dancers. The name of the company is Pole Riders.

2. Pooper Scooper

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Jacob and Susan D’Aniello from Washington DC love dogs. Actually, they love them so much, so they started a pooper scooper business. Their company Doody Calls has employees who go to wherever there’s a dog poop and pick it up. Believe it or not, Doody Calls together with its franchises is expected to bring about one million dollars every year.

3. Murder Scene Cleaner

http://www.flickr.com/

No, this company doesn’t clear the traces that murderers leave behind, but the blood, the urine, the sperm and whatever is left on the crime scene after the investigation. Despite that, owner Jerry Turner from Atlanata is ready to send his employees in meth labs and handle with fecal matters. The name of the company is Advanced Bio-Treatment.

4. Beloved Ashes in the Jewelry

http://www.connect.in.com/

It’s usual to keep beloved’s ashes in an urn, but all can people do in that case is to leave the dead home. If someone wants to bring the beloved one everywhere with him/her, heart is not the only place. The company Life Gem from Illinois offers the opportunity to input them into a piece of jewelry. They can extract carbon from human ashes or human hair and converts it into diamonds through the use of a furnace and other equipment. It costs 3000$ to 20000$.

5. Human Bodies Business

http://www.projects-abroad.org/

The title might sound like crime, but basically this is very human business. People who want to help the progress of science can donate their full bodies to Phoenix-based Company Science Care. They don’t buy them, as it’s illegal, but they just receive donations. They rent the bodies to medical centers and that’s the way how they make the profits.

6. Termite Lawyer

http://www.flickr.com/

Many lawyers would say “objection” if their name is related with termites in any sense, but Pete Cardillo from Tampa, Florida, decided to go against prejudices. His law firm Cardillo law LLC deals with cases related to damages made by these insects. He run cases against pest control services, insurance companies and home sellers.

7. Used Seatbelts

http://www.etsy.com/

Unlimited Supplies from Everyone’s Discards (USED) is company from Canada which has the privilege to be named “USED” and use used materials in producing their products. They buy old seatbelts and convert them into beautiful stylish shoulder bags, handbags or any other accessories.

8. Chicken Poop

http://www.blogs.dfid.gov.uk/

Obviously there’s a great business potential in poops, as the market there is not filled with a lot of companies. That’s one more reason how Bill Thomas from phoenix managed to make his Bioscientific Inc. profitable. He earns more than one million dollars every year from selling fertilizer made of chicken poop. It is named Guano Plus, as “guano” is Spanish translation of poop.

9. Cat Toilet

This is bizarre yet clever business. Rebecca Rescate owns the New York-based company CitiKitty and sells the gadget that she has invented. It can teach a cat to go to toilet. Instead of messing around, the cat will go to toilet with that for a few weeks. After that period, the gadget can be thrown and the “educated” cat will do its business on alone.

10. Mannequin Body Parts

http://www.a-factory.com/

Jini Henderson-Townsend from San Francisco smelled what market is not used enough and founded her Mannequin Madness Company. She earns for life renting mannequin body parts. It sounds like a weird business idea, but Jini has a real entrepreneur spirit. Once she said: “either mad for doing this – or I’d found a really crazy niche in a unique market.” She found a crazy niche in a unique market.

Looking Back into The Past

2011-01-08T04:44:00.000-08:00

Images are made by finding old photographs of places, printing them out, and then holding the print up in the modern day location that the original photograph was taken. You will get surprised how many things remained the same, and how sill so many things had changed! Maybe you will something you know.

Japanese Marathon FAIL

2011-01-08T04:27:00.000-08:00

Japanese marathon runner takes go wrong way just before finishing line.

The Shiny Solomon’s Castle

2011-01-08T04:17:00.000-08:00

How would a contemporary fairytale castle look like? Would it be built on a swamp land and surrounded by alligators or maybe even be brighter than the Sun. Howard Solomon has built with his own two hands a magnificent castle and it took him 16 year to do so. He was tricked into buying a swamp land and didn’t have enough high ground to build a horizontal building on it so it got him thinking what he can do with it. So Solomon decided to pick a unique style and started building the castle in 1972.

The façade of the castle is built by from discarded aluminum printing plates making it impossible to photograph the exterior of the castle. It covers 12,000 square feet and is three stories high. The address of this lovely caste is 4533 Solomon Rd, Ona, Florida. The castle is surrounded by a swamp crammed with real alligators. Not only that he is a builder but he is a famous sculptor and this castle was a very good place to exhibit his works, at least the ones that didn’t sell.

His proud and joy are his the stained glass windows, over 80 of them. Each took him four days to make.

The interior of this castle of humor and inspiration is in no was less appealing than its outside. He uses discarded materials and all kinds of junk and shapes them into his own masterpieces. The knight in shiny armor is at your disposal 24/7.

This castle is also a family house; his parents also live in this fairytale castle. When Howard was 17 he ripped the back wall off their new suburban home while his parents were at work and began adding on porch. He found that he really enjoyed building things on a larger scale. But that is not all aside from the castle he built a boat nearby that has been transformed into a restaurant for the oncoming tourists.

This incredible place in the Florida’s sun will make a great filed trip for those in seek for adventure and excitement. You can enjoy the lovely gardens with Solomon’s marvelous sculptures and a home cooked meal in the boat restaurant. According to Howard it’s about size as Santa Maria. If you decide to stay longer you can rent a guestroom and feel like a true member of a royal family.

What you should know is that the castle is closed on Mondays and during summer so Howard Solomon can dedicate himself to making more interesting sculptures.

4 killed in South Sudan attack ahead of referendum

2011-01-08T03:55:00.000-08:00

A rebel group attacked Southern Sudan's military and four rebels were killed, a military spokesman said Saturday, a day before the region begins voting in an independence referendum that is expected to divide Africa's largest nation in two.

Despite the attack, most officials predict the weeklong vote to go peacefully.
Col. Philip Aguer said forces loyal to rebel leader Gatluak Gai attacked forces in the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army overnight Friday, possibly early Saturday, in Unity State, an oil-rich area on the north-south Sudan divide. Aguer said the counterattack by SPLA forces killed four and wounded six of Gai's men.
Southern Sudan suffered through decades of internal strife and civil war with the north. It has worked in recent weeks to strike peace deals with dissident commanders, but Gai's rebels have not yet reconciled with the southern government.
Starting Sunday, southern Sudanese will cast simple, illustrated ballots at polling stations under thatched roof shelters in the remote and impoverished countryside and in Juba, a city of simple concrete houses and mud huts that got its first paved roads only in recent years.
If it passes, the referendum will split Africa's biggest country between the mostly Arab and Muslim north, and the mostly black and Christian or animist south. Southern Sudan would then be on track to become the world's newest country in July. Outstanding issues like sharing oil wealth, water rights and demarcating the border still have to be agreed to.
Aid groups also fear that southerners living in the north and northerners living in the south will face harassment and abuse.

The U.S. has made the referendum a foreign policy priority and has offered to remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terror if Khartoum doesn't hinder the vote.
Sudan's 1983-2005 civil war killed an estimated 2 million people and left many others missing one or more limbs. Juba, the southern capital, is full of excitement about Sunday's vote.
"What we are doing is something that we have not done in our lifetime. This is something that has never happened," said Justice Chan Reec Madut, the top southern official in the referendum commission. "Nobody every bothered to ask the people of Southern Sudan as to what their destiny should be."

Make a Clock Out Of Broken CD-ROM

2011-01-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

If you have one broken CD-ROM drive here is what you can do with it. Try to make your own personal clock, it is cool and if you are geek it may be perfect for your room.

Trees That Actually Grow Money

2011-01-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

Did your mother ever say you these words ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ in an attempt to curb your profligate ways? Well, maybe she was wrong. There are places in England where money apparently does just that.

Perhaps it is to simply good luck or perhaps people believe that by leaving a coin in the bark of the tree they may have it returned to them many times over. Whatever the origins of this strange habit, there are a number of trees in the United Kingdom that bear the financial hopes of many. Perhaps they found it difficult to reconcile their gross habits with their net income. The people of Yorkshire, in the north of England are renowned for being careful with their money. While this localized stereotype may not always be fair there is evidence that on occasion they are willing to throw caution to the wind and hammer their low denomination coinage in to trees.

Close up it seems as if the coins have almost merged with the wood, but that is the effect of the weather upon the metal. Some suggest that the reason money is pushed in to the bark is more than just a desire to increase one’s wealth. It is thought that the amount of coins pushed in by an individual may result in them producing the same amount of children when their natural fecundity discovers a partner. The tree itself, though long since alive, has come to bear a marked resemblance to the torso of some sort of lizard, the coins becoming its scales. It is almost Arthurian in its strangeness.

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined and this is free photos of nature as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance.

Animals in the News

2011-01-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

We offer you a weekly compilation of photos of animals. Today you will see a pug, dogs, cats, and many other equally interesting animals.

Frozen Look

A drama centered on the personaland professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors.

Friends Of The Deer

Captain Gary Mobbs, left, and deputy fire brigade James Neils of Hauser Lake, Idaho, with a rope trying to pull a deer from the middle of a frozen lake. The deer was brought to shore, and soon the animal back into the nearby woods.

On The Verge Of Deat*

Amir Bishara, right, tries to catch his breath after a golden retriever saved her from a fire in Kettering, Ohio. Local resident, along with firefighters trying to help the oxygen to revive the dog, who rescued from the garage full of smoke.

Dreaming About Christmas.

Cat, lost in thought, looking out her window in the winter garden covered in snow, in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany.

In Flight

Wood nymph butterfly feeds on flower Pointsettia at Butterfly World in Coconut Creek, Florida. Staff must be placed around 12000 butterflies in a special booth to protect them from expected frosts.

17 Puppies

Seven Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies from litters in which they were born in 1917, look out the window, Germany. In September, a 4-year-old ridgeback named Ethan gave birth to 17 puppies. All of them survived.

Naughty Boy

The young leopard cub named Eve snarls at an employee in his enclosure at an animal shelter in Nairobi. Pre-Christmas days of wild cats in captivity, have visited their “adopted parents”, corporations and individuals who annually contribute funds for the orphaned cats.

What Are You Looking At?

Western Whistling owl looks out from the body on Safari in Winston, Oregon.

It Is Well Settled

Dog taken to the baby stroller on the snowy streets of Bucharest, Romania.

Breakfast

Elephant elephant feeding in the early morning of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya.

0Apple Worth 300 Billion Dollars: Biggest Tech Industry in USA?

2011-01-06T01:53:00.000-08:00

Just when we thought that Facebook’s value of $50 billion is big enough, well we though wrong as that is nothing compared to the worth of one of the most popular technology company of 2010: Apple.

Apple is now worth $300 billion today when their stock went up to 2 percent in the opening of 2011. And because of this, they are now the second most valuable public company, with Exxon Mobile being the first at $375 billion.
This just proves that 2010 has been a great year for Apple, especially when they came out with two of their latest products, the iPad and the iPhone 4. Both products were a success with the iPhone 4 selling around 17 million and the iPad sold at 4.19 million just in the fourth quarter.. Then, they have also sold 14.1 million iPhones, 9.05 million iPods and 3.89 Macs in the sam quarter alone. Just last year, they were the fifth most valuable company with only $213 billion market capitalization and had been behind its rival Microsoft by $40 billion.
Now, the table has turned as Apple is now ahead of Microsoft by $60 billion and is considered the most valuable technology company in the world as it is now worth six times than that of Facebook. Microsoft drops as the second most valuable company. But with coming in second after Exxon, can it reach the top spot by next year?

Well, according to some experts, another very productive year would make them to the top. Probably around $500 per share, which is too much even of they have more products to come out this year and in the years to come. One of its features is coming out with the iPad 2 that is said to be released April this year and a new phone called the Verizon iPhone is on the way, but no release date has been announced yet. Apple should pray that it could beat Exxon because that will be a hard streak to achieve even if it’s just a small difference between the two.
Well, knowing Apple, we’re sure they will do anything just to reach the top spot by next year. Good luck to Apple with that because if they beaten Microsoft, maybe they can beat Exxon as well.

Filmfare Awards 2011

2011-01-06T01:50:00.000-08:00

Watch Filmfare Awards 2011 Nominations, 56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 Winners:

The Bollywood movie awards season should be in full swing from January-February 2011. So you will have Filmfare Awards 2010, Screen Awards 2010, Stardust Awards, IIFA Awards, Sansui Awards etc. The most prominent awards of them all are Filmfare Awards. Earlier, the Filmfare Awards commanded a lot of respect and importance; a gala event attended by the who’s who of the industry. Now only the people who perform and those who are marked for awards attend. Still, one cannot discount the fact Filmfare Awards are a barometer to assess the records and triumphs as a film, a performance or a technical genius.

The Bollywood movie awards season should be in full swing from January-February 2011. So you will have Filmfare Awards 2010, Screen Awards 2010, Stardust Awards, IIFA Awards, Sansui Awards etc. Here is a calculated prediction of the Filmfare Awards 2011 and many other awards that will precede or follow suit. You are free to debate, argue and come up with your choice of winners for Filmfare Awards 2011 and other Bollywood awards for 2010-11

Best actor award for 2010
Should go to Salman Khan for Dabangg. Almost everyone believes that Salman Khan carried the movie single-handedly on his shoulders. Also check out if
Salman Khan,as the best actor for 2010.
Best actor critics awards
Hrithik Roshan for Guzaarish.
Best female actor’s critics award
Aishwarya Rai for Guzaarish
Best Film Critics Award
Peepli Live
Best Actor in a supporting role
Arjun Rampal in Raajneeti
Best actress in a supporting role
Shruti Seth in Raajneeti

BEST FILM :
1. Dabangg
2. Raajneeti
3. My Name is Khan
4. Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
5. Tees Maar Khan
6. Golmaal 3
BEST ACTOR (MALE) IN LEADING ROLE :
1. Akshay Kumar – Tees Maar Khan & Action Replayy
2. Hrithik Roshan – Guzaarish
3. Salman Khan – Dabangg
4. Ajay Devgan – Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
5. Ranbir Kapoor – Raajneeti
6. Shahrukh Khan – My Name Is Khan
BEST ACTOR (FEMALE) IN LEADING ROLE :
1. Kajol – My Name Is Khan & We are Family
2. Vidya Balan – Ishqiya
3. Katrina Kaif – Raajneeti & Tees maar Khan
4. Aishwarya Rai – Guzaarish & Action Replayy
5. Anushka Sharma – Band Baaja Barat
6. Sonam Kapoor – I Hate Luv Storys & Aisha
BEST DIRECTION :
1. Prakash Jha – Raajneeti
2. Karan Johar – My Name Is Khan
3. Abhinav Kashyap – Dabangg
4. Sanjay Leela Bhansali – Guzaarish
5. Milan Luthria – Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
6. Farah Khan – Tees Maar Khan
BEST MUSIC :
1. Sajid-Wajid – Dabangg
2. Pritam – Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
3. Pritam – Golmaal 3
4. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy – Karthik Calling Karthik
5. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy – Housefull
6. Vishal-Shekhar – Tees Maar Khan
BEST SINGER (MALE) :
1. Sonu Nigam – “Tees Maar Khan” – Tees Maar Khan
2. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – “Tere Mast” – Dabangg
3. Mohit Chauhan – “Pee Loon” – Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
4. Shafqat Amanat Ali – “Bin Tere” – I Hate Luv Storys
5. Daler Mehndi – “Zor Ka Jhatka” – Action Replayy
6. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – “Sajda”- MNIK
BEST SINGER (FEMALE) :
1. Mamta Sharma -”Munni Badnaam” – Dabangg
2. Tulsi Kumar – “Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein” – OUTIM
3. Sunidhi Chauhan – “Shiela ki jawani” – Tees Maar Khan
4. Antara Mitra – “Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si” – Raajneeti
5. Richa Sharma – “Zor Ka Jhatka” – Action Replayy
6. Shreya Ghoshal – “Chori Kiya re” – Dabangg
Best Lyrics:
1. Faiz Anwar – “Tere Mast” – Dabangg
2. Irshad Kamil – “Pee Loon” – OUTIM
3. Niranjan Iyengar – “Sajda” – My Name Is Khan
4. Irshad Kamil – “Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein” – OUTIM
5. Vishal Dadlani – “Shiela ki jawani” – Tees Maar Khan
6. Sameer – “Mora Piya” – Raajneeti
BEST DEBUT (MALE) :
1. Ali Zafar – Tere Bin Laden
2. Aditya Narayan – Shaapit
3. Luv Sinha – Sadiyaan
4. Meiyang Chang – Badmaash Company
5. Vir Das – Badmaash Company
6. Ranveer Singh – Band Baaja Barat
BEST DEBUT (FEMALE) :
1. Barbara Mori – Kites
2. Trisha Krishnan – Khatta Meetha
3. Zarine Khan – Veer
4. Monikangana Dutta – Guzaarish
5. Ferena Wazeir – Sadiyaan
6. Sonakshi Sinha – Dabangg
BEST SUPPORTING ROLE (MALE) :
1. Naseeruddin Shah – Ishqiya
2. Mithun Chakrabothy – Golmaal 3
3. Arbaaz Khan – Dabangg
4. Nana Patekar – Raajneeti
5. Emraan Hashmi – Once Up On Times in Mumbai
6. Akshaye Khanna – Tees Maar Khan
BEST SUPPORTING ROLE (FEMALE) :
1. Kangna Ranaut – Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
2. Lara Dutta – HouseFull
3. Prachi Desai – Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
4. Kareena Kapoor – We Are Family
5. Dimple Kapadia – Dabangg
6. Ratna Pathak – Golmaal 3
BEST COMIC ROLE (MALE & FEMALE) :
1. Shreyas Talpade – Golmaal 3
2. Paresh Rawal – Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge
3. Ritesh Deshmukh – HouseFull
4. Pradhuman Singh Mall – Tere Bin Laden
5. Omkar Das Manikpuri – Peepli Live
6. Johny Lever – Golmaal 3
7. Tusshar Kapoor – Golmaal 3
BEST VILLION ROLE (MALE & FEMALE) :
1. Abhimanyu Singh – Rakht Charitra
2. Sonu Sood – Dabangg
3. Manoj Bajpai – Raajneeti
4. Paresh Rawal – Aakrosh
5. Abhishekh Bhachchan – Raavan
6. Salman Shahid – Ishqiya
BEST STORY :
1. Karan Johar / Shibani Bathija – MNIK
2. Rajat Arora – OUTIM
3. Sanjay Chauhan / Piyush Mishra – Lahore
4. Maneesh Sharma – Band Baaja Baaraat
5. Prakash Jha – Raajneeti
6. Dileep Shukla / Abhinav Kashyap – Dabangg
7. Ashutosh Gowariker – Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
BEST DEBUT DIRECTION :
1. Abhishek Chaubey – Ishqiya
2. Parmeet Sethi – Badmaash Company
3. Punit Malhotra – I Hate Luv Storys
4. Siddharth Malhotra – We Are Family
5. Abhinav Kashyap – Dabangg
6. Maneesh Sharma – Band Baaja Baaraat
Best Jodi :
1. Salman Khan – Sonakshi Sinha
2. Akshay Kumar – Katrina Kaif
3. Ranbir Kapoor – Katrina Kaif
4. Ranbir Kapoor – Priyanka Chopada
5. Shahrukh khan – Kajol
6. Akshay Kumar – Aishwarya Rai
Best Cinematography :
1. Mahesh Limaye – Dabangg
2. Ravi K. Chandran – MNIK
3. Sachin Kumar Krishnan – Raajneeti
4. Aseem Mishra – OUTIM
5. P. S. Vinod – Tees Maar Khan
Best Editing :
1. Deepa Bhatia – MNIK
2. Pranav V Dhiwar – Dabangg
3. Santosh Mandal – Raajneeti
4. Akiv Ali – OUTIM
5. Shirish Kunder – Tees Maal Khan
Best Song of the Year :
1. “Tere Mast” – Dabangg
2. “Shiela ki jawani” – Tees Maar Khan
3. “Munni Badnaam” – Dabangg
4. “Pee Loon” – Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
5. “Aap Ka Kya Hoga (Dhanno)” – HouseFull
Critics Awards :
1. Best Film : – Raajneeti
2. Best Direction : – Prakash Jha – Raajneeti
3. Best Actress : – Vidya Balan – Ishqiya
4. Best Actor : – Ajay Devgan – Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
R.D. Berman Award :
‘Mamta Sharma’

The Real "People of 2010"

2011-01-04T04:38:00.000-08:00

Pop the champagne because another year filled with trashy reality TV, cheating scandals, and embarrassingly catchy pop-songs has come and gone. If any of you caught Matt Lauer's "People of the Year" on Thanksgiving, then you probably shut it off when Kim Kardashian started talking about all the tough decisions she made this year (like, "deciding what color nail polish to wear"). Although I respect NBC's nominations, I think the real awards should go to these people for showing us just how dysfunctional a year can be...

Chelsea Handler

Why did Chelsea have such a great year?

This woman isn't afraid to say what everyone else is thinking. I personally respect anyone who calls Angelina Jolie a home-wrecking bitch (come on, we're all thinking it).
She broke up with her old-balls boyfriend in favor of better suitors, like rumored fling 50 Cent. From the sounds of 50's tweets, this seems like a good choice ("Ok look, I hurt my neck having rough sex").
While most of us spent our Thanksgiving in the company of drunken relatives, she spent hers on a beach in Mexico with fellow single girl Jennifer Aniston. Chelsea, keep doing what you're doing.

Bruce Jenner

Although Kim Kardashian actually took the title, I think the credit should go to Bruce for having to put up with a house full of estrogen-heavy lunatics, not to mention an extremely bossy wife. Remind me again why these chicks are rich and famous? Okay, I get that Kim has a large ass and screws football players, but if that makes you filthy rich, half of my college cheerleading squad would be rolling in dough. At least Bruce has an Olympic medal.

Bristol Palin

While Matt Lauer gave a shout out to her mother, I think Bristol had a better year. Why?

She finally realized that Levi Johnston is a skeezeball, citing, "He's just obsessed with the limelight and I got played" (better late than never, Brist).
She was so influential that she actually made a crazy Wisconsin man shoot the TV. Until then, nothing entertaining ever happened in the Cheese State.
She made a nation laugh, not only by watching her shake what Sarah Palin (and a teenage pregnancy) gave her on Dancing with the Stars, but also by participating in ridiculously ironic "Pause Before You Play" PSA's for the Candie's Foundation.
Most importantly, she was a big ego boost for the American public: whenever our lives were going poorly this year we could still think to ourselves, "At least we're not Bristol Palin."

The 19 Kids & Counting Clan

Once again, these people made us feel better about our lives. When things were going wrong in 2010, I'm sure we all thought to ourselves, "At least I don't have to share a dinner table with 18 siblings." Maybe these parents should take Bristol Palin's advice and pause before the play, or better yet, take a condom from Mike the Situation. Seriously guys, I'm sure customers at the local Friendly's will appreciate if you stop procreating! (I also wanna give a special shout out to Jedidiah and Jinger, because, as far as names are concerned, these poor kiddos got the short end of the unprotected stick.)

Shaquille O'Neal

Okay, maybe I'm biased because I'm a Boston Girl, but Shaq's still got it going on. While LeBron put on a theatrical production titled "What Team am I Going to Pick...duh duh duh," his fellow Cav's teammate strayed away from the drama, citing plain and simple, "For me, it really was not a tough decision to make. I just wanted to be with a great team." Maybe it's because he's too old and no one else wanted him, but I think Shaq made out well. Since he's been injured, he's basically getting paid $3 million to chill on the bench. I've personally liked Shaq ever since Aaron Carter wrote a song about him back in the day. Until Justin Bieber includes LeBron in a music video, I'm gonna give this award to Shaq.

Jake Gyllenhaal

The end of 2010 was pretty good to Jake. His film, Love and Other Drugs, opened to $14 million, not because of its sentimental plot, but because he was naked in about half the scenes. And I think girls around the globe will agree that he looked hot (props to T-Swift). Enjoy your lovefest while it lasts, Jakey; by the time 2011 rolls around you'll be the main subject of Tay-Tay's boy-bashing ballads.

Yonni Barrios (aka "the two-timing Chilean Miner")

We complain that we're cramped up in our dorm room with three suitemates; this guy was trapped in a mine with 32 other dudes for 69 days! Yup, 69 long days without sex from his wife...or his mistress of five years. Unlike many American celebrities, he didn't blame his two-timing actions on "sex addiction," but straightforwardly invited both women to visit him at the rescue site. What have we learned from Yonni? It takes five years, a near death experience, and international media coverage to get a man to admit he cheated.

Rihanna

In 2010 Ree-Ree gained some of the respect I lost for her by quickly forgiving Chris Brown in 2009. For whatever reason, her songs seem to dominate my gym playlist. And you know what? Her lyrics really speak to me. I too have dated a few lying rude-boys who I wanted to say my name and make me feel like the only girl in the world...and let's just say, no, they weren't big enough.

Cee Lo Green

I think we can all admit to having blasted his hit single "Fuck You" when we were extremely pissed off at someone. Thank you for putting us in a better mood Cee-Lo, I'm sure your gold-digging ex-girlfriend regrets dumping your ass.

The Old Spice Guy

Because after a decade of metrosexuality and an overload of men's pink polo shirts, I think it's reassuring to have a man that smells like a man. And the fact that he has amazing abs and can turn an Old Spice bottle into diamonds is just an added bonus.

China To Declare Skype Illegal

2011-01-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Skype may soon join Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube on China's Internet blacklist. Today, The People's Daily, a Communist Party-run newspaper, declared that all Internet phone services other than those provided by the two state-run telcos, China Telecom and China Unicom, were illegal.

According to the article, the decision from The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is expected to make Skype, China's UUCall, "and other similar services" unavailable.
The ministry is even soliciting the public's help, setting up a hotline to collect reports and distributing PSA circulars.

"Currently, our ministry is working with relevant departments to focus on the crackdown on illegal VoIP [voice over internet protocol calls] and we are now appealing to the public for clues for illegal VoIP cases," it said in a circular.
A spokeswoman for Skype advised, "Users in China currently can access Skype via TOM Online, our majority JV partner. TOM Online offers local versions of Skype for Windows, MAC as well as mobile platforms such as Symbian and Windows Mobile. More details can be found at skype.tom.com."

While censorship undoubtedly played a role in the ministry's decision- several dissidents have been known to use Skype to communicate to those outside China- experts say there is a clear protectionist motive as well. After all, China has one of the fastest-growing Internet user populations in the world.
Wang Yuquan, a chief consultant at Frost and Sullivan in Beijing, told AP that the announcement is a subtle warning to Skype not to grow too large.
"If the ministry hadn't made this announcement, I think Skype would have offered its services in a very large scale. Now, with the announcement, it can't," he said told AP.

In 2007 Skype forged a joint venture with Hong Kong-based Internet giant Tom Group, a company that has so far satisfied most of Beijing's censorship demands. In March, Tom Group severed ties with Google. Skype China was also criticized last year for helping the Communist Party monitor calls for terms like "Fanlun Gong" and "Tibet."
However, Professor Kan Kaili at Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications told the Telegraph that "it is very unlikely that they will manage to shut Skype down."
"Skype is the market leader, but there is also MSN and Gmail Talk. The children of Chinese government officials, who are studying abroad, use these services to call home, so I do not think anyone is going to cut the lines," Kaili said. "Even if they take a strict approach, such as getting local operators to block the broadband services of people who use Skype, people will still find a way around it."
For now at least, Skype is still available in China.
Earlier today, Skype added video calling for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Stay tuned to PCMag for a full hands on with the new service.

LUCK Compilation vs Fail Compilation 2010

2011-01-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

Bizarre ‘Animal’ Haircuts

2011-01-02T05:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the official AXA Haircut Guide! When Nook upgrades your store to Nookingtons, a small shop called the Shampoodle opens on the ground floor. Here, you can talk to Harriet the Poodle to get a haircut. Haircuts cost 3,000 bells, but they're well worth the cost. However, you can't just ask for the haircut you'd like as you would in a real salon, thus it is important that you understand exactly how the haircut process works. There are sixteen different styles in all; eight for the boy and eight for the girl. Harriet will ask you five questions. The first three questions determine the style of haircut you will get, while the last two determine the color. If you are unsure as to which option to pick to get the color you want, just check out our handy chart!
***NEW*** AXA user Haruu has discovered that if girls establish a relationship with Harriet that she will offer to give you boy's haircuts. To establish a relationship with Harriet, simply go and talk to her on a regular basis. Eventually, she will ask you if you want a "Boys Pixie Haircut" if you are a girl. If you do choose to have a boy's haircut, you can use the boy's chart to determine a hairstyle. We have an email submission from Josh that confirms that the inverse is true for boy players.
Images of girls with boy haircuts, provided by Haruu: Image one | Image two
Images of boys with girl haircuts, provided by Josh: Image one | Image two
Directions: Select a haircut from the chart before going to see Harriet. Then answer the first three questions next to the style you like to determine the shape of your hair. Next, skip to the color chart at the end of the page. Select the color you want and say that choice to Harriet. The last question allows you to switch between warm and cool colors.

Girls with unusual haircuts. Haircut in the form of animals!

Please get in line

2011-01-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

Just for the sake of fun and laughter! Well, that is what this is about… Getting to know animals better through the funny animal facts listed here. Like they say learning can be an entertaining process…
In this issue we offer you a selection of photos of the “building” of animals in one line.

Skiing In Centre Of New York

2011-01-01T11:44:00.001-08:00

If you believe the forecasts, the end of the year in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev each day will be snowing. And in the photo – Times Square, New York. Skiing is a group of recreational activities using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding. Skiing can be grouped into two general categories. The older of the two disciplines originated in Scandinavia and uses free-heel bindings that attach at the toes of the skier’s boots but not at the heels. Types of Nordic skiing include cross-country, ski jumping and Telemark. Alpine skiing (more often called “downhill skiing”), originated in the European Alps, and is characterized by fixed-heel bindings that attach at both the toe and the heel of the skier’s boot.

Village Version’s Bird’ Nest

2011-01-01T11:37:00.001-08:00

China’s Olympics stadium known as the Bird’ Nest, cost around $500 million and took 7 years to build. Now a group of farmers in Hangzhou city spent two weeks recreating Beijing’s The Bird’s Nest using nearly 1,000 pieces of bamboo.

A paradise in China

2010-12-30T01:09:00.000-08:00

Emerging phoenix like among the magnificent mist enshrouded lime stone karsts of China's Guilin province is one of the most quixotic luxury resorts found anywhere in the world, Yuzi Paradise and its stupendous Hotel of Modern Art (HOMA).

As a premier five-star hotel and a member of the prestigious Relais and Chateaux group, Yuzi Paradise presents a destination like no other on the planet.
Locally Yuzi means fool, so this place could simply be called a Fool's Paradise except that it is also houses one of the world's largest modern sculpture gardens and workshops.

Yuzi Paradise's creators took its name so far as to open on April Fools Day in 2003, seven years after construction first began.
Since then it has hosted 10 International Sculpture Symposia and sponsored a couple of hundred of the world's top sculptors from 47 countries, who have created over 200 works that make this place an international focal point for modern sculpture.
It is also a place where guests and tourists can come to immerse themselves in the fantasies of nature, art and luxury.

Yuzi Paradise is the dream child of a Taiwanese businessman, Tsao Rhy-Chang, who made his fortune out of reclaiming and beautifying land for cemeteries.
Today, the old man has handed his dream to his son, Tsao Guang-Tsann, who now has the duty to complete the planned 30-year project aimed at gaining its own immortality.
"As our main business is a cemetery in Taiwan, we've spent some time thinking about what persists after death. What is eternal? The answer is art," Guang- Tsann says.
Only by walking around the 50 hectare estate do you can get an idea of the vastness of the project and how easy it would be to term it foolhardy.

Centred around Yuzi Mountain the estate spirals out into lakes pathways, hotel buildings, the immense sculpture workshop or atelier, restaurants, galleries and reflective spaces.
Everywhere you look here you can see the harmonious blending of eastern and western art, culture and philosophies.

If there is one central motif to the vision of Yuzi Paradise it would be Flying On Water, a massive work by Bulgarian sculptor Gheorghi Filin.
Set in the middle of a small lake this enormous granite wing like form appears to defy gravity as it balances on its own reflection at the very edge of the water's surface.
Leaping out as a shriek of colour and fantastical shapes is an interactive sculpture area called Jimmy's Pourquoi World, the brainchild of Jimmy Liao, Asia's most popular children's book illustrator.

A 94-year-old Laborer is Oldest Father in India

2010-12-30T01:04:00.000-08:00

A 94-year-old laborer Ramajit Raghav becomes the oldest father in India. The earlier record holder was a 90-year-old farmer.

Ramajit Raghav, a landless laborer from Kharkhoda in Haryana, has said that he had become a proud father of a son. His wife Shakuntala, who gave birth to the child, is in her mid fifties.

The child was born in a local government hospital where doctors said that the child was delivered normally and was in good health.

The couple termed their child’s birth as “God’s gift” and named him Karamjit, the report said.

Raghav said that he had been a wrestler in his youth and his daily diet comprised of three kilograms milk, half a kilogram of almonds and half a kilogram of ghee.

Be grateful if you still able to “produce” a baby at the age of 94.

How to Uninstall Windows Live Messenger 2011

2010-12-29T06:20:00.000-08:00

Judging by the user comments I've read in the program's review and blog post, I'd say Windows Live Messenger 2011 hasn't been very successful among users. Whether the problem is the integration with Facebook or the new "social" interface, I can't tell. What I know for sure is that many people want to get rid of it and go back to a previous, lighter and more friendly version of Live Messenger. So here's a short tutorial I wrote on how to downgrade to Windows Live Messenger 2009 in just a few easy steps.
1. First of all, you need to remove Windows Live Messenger from your computer. Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features, scroll down to Windows Live Essentials 2011, right click on it and start the uninstalling wizard.

2. In the first screen of the wizard, select the "Remove one or more Windows Live programs".

3. Select the programs you want to uninstall. Bad news is that you need to remove all the apps you've installed from the Live Essentials suite, besides Messenger (good news is that you can reinstall them all afterwards).

4. Wait for the process to finish, and then you'll have to restart the system.

5. Now that your computer is free from version 2011, it's time to install Windows Live Messenger 2009. Get the file and run it.

6. Select Live Messenger, plus all the apps you want to install back - and which you were forced to uninstall in setp 3 - and wait for the process to complete.

7. Once done, go to the Start menu and launch Messenger. There! Version 2009 is ready for you.

5 Essential free apps for your new Mac

2010-12-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, you got a new Mac for Christmas. Lucky you. I suppose you want to install some software on it now too?
There are few better feelings in computerland than setting up a new Mac. And while Macs come loaded with plenty of really great software (iLife, for example, is a multimedia suite that would cost hundreds of dollars to replicate properly on a PC), there are some pretty essential free apps I can recommend:
Google Chrome - Apple purists will argue that Safari is just as good (or better). I disagree. Chrome beats Safari in browser speed tests and has a slicker, more modern user interface. Google Chrome is also a more stable and resource-friendly piece of software, both on Mac and PC. Finally, Chrome is more extensible. And while it's not up there with Firefox yet, this does make a difference.

VLC Media Player - An uncontroversial choice, this. VLC is an absolute must have for anyone intending to play or work with video files on their Mac. It can play pretty much any video file you throw at it, and can even fix dodgy AVI indexes, meaning that it'll repair files that are too broken to work elsewhere. Added to that, its advanced transcoding and playback controls make it a more customizable player than QuickTime.
TweetDeck - I resisted installing TweetDeck on my latest Mac (a living room MacMini) for some months. My rationale was that I didn't want to spend too much time using Twitter on my TV. Then I realized that I was spending loads of time tweeting either from the Twitter website or from my cellphone. So I gave in and installed TweetDeck. It's not the lightest piece of software out there but you can avoid all the extraneous stuff. Anyway, TweetDeck's the best Twitter client on the market.
Transmission - I'm not a big fan of torrents. It might be something to do with my internet provider but I've noticed far more problems with my home connection when torrents are downloading. But if I do need to download a torrent, the only app I'd use to get it would be Transmission. A native Mac app, it's extremely light, quick and easy to use. A must-have for any torrent freaks out there.
FaceTime - In the light of Skype's recent disastrous outage, it's always a good idea to have a backup chat app. Apple's new FaceTime beta is only available for Macs and iPhones so you can't currently use it to chat to friends who only have PCs. That said, it's a powerful and attractively designed video chat app which any Mac owner should have installed.

Hispanic smartphone adoption rate outpaces total population

2010-12-29T00:45:00.000-08:00

HBO targeted Hispanics with mobile

Consumer and media research firm Scarborough Research found that mobile usage is increasing at a faster rate among Hispanics than it is among the total population, making them important mobile marketing targets.
The analysis is derived from the company’s Hispanic Multi-Market Study, which compiles information on lifestyles, technology adoption, demographics and media usage among adults ages 18-plus in 34 of the largest Hispanic markets in the United States. Scarborough found that the percentage of Hispanic adults who use a mobile phone grew 26 percent since 2005, versus 18 percent for all adults.
“Scarborough finds that are Hispanics are ripe for mobile marketing efforts,” said Alisa Joseph, Chicago-based vice president of advertiser and marketing services at Scarborough Research.

“Hispanic cellular usage is increasing at a faster rate than it is among the total population in our study, and Hispanics are more likely than other cellular users to utilize features such as texting, downloading music and accessing social networking,” she said. “Hispanic avidity for mobile devices has been known for some time.
“However, our new feature data indicates that their interest is in using cell phones, and smartphones, for a wide variety of communication and entertainment purposes.”

Mariana Vicente, Miss Puerto Rico 2010, was featured in a Coors Light mobile video campaign targeting Hispanics

A joint venture between Arbitron Inc. and The Nielsen Co., Scarborough Research measures the lifestyle and shopping patterns, media behaviors and demographics of American consumers, specializing in local market research.
Surveying more than 210,000 adults annually, Scarborough measures 2,000 consumer categories and serves a client base that includes marketers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media such as radio stations, broadcast and cable television, sports teams and leagues and out-of-home media companies.

Overindexing for mobile usageCurrently, mobile usage among Hispanics is on par with that of the general population, as 82 percent of Hispanic adults use a mobile phone, versus 84 percent of total adults.

Coors Light partners with Daddy Yankee, who is popular among Hispanics

Hispanics are more likely than other mobile users to text message.
Sixty-four percent of Hispanics who use a wireless phone text-message, versus 56 percent of all mobile users.
This group is also more likely than other mobile users to use their wireless device to:
• Download music: 22 percent of Hispanic mobile users download or listen to music via their
wireless device, versus 15 percent of all wireless users.
• Play games: 19 percent of Hispanic mobile users play games on their wireless device, versus 15
percent of all wireless users.
• Access social networking: 12 percent of Hispanic mobile users social network via their wireless
device, versus 10 percent of all wireless users.
Additionally, the Hispanic smartphone growth rate is outpacing that of the total population.
Nineteen percent of Hispanic adults currently live in a household that owns one or more smartphones such as Blackberry or iPhone versus five percent in 2005.
Twenty-three percent of the general population currently owns at least one of these devices in their household, growing from nine percent in 2005.
Ms. Joseph said that the rise of smartphones and applications is redefining mobile marketing.
As this industry continues its rapid evolution, the importance of Hispanics as mobile marketing targets will only continue to expand.
In addition to knowledge about mobile feature usage and the types of devices being used by this
consumer group, marketers could get more detailed by uncovering insights on how Hispanic mobile
usage varies locally.
For example, according to Scarborough, 96 percent of Hispanic adults in Atlanta use a wireless phone, versus 68 percent of those in Colorado Springs, CO.
So, clearly, understanding distinctions at the local level better informs strategy, per Scarborough.
“When targeting Hispanics with mobile marketing, it is important to remember they are using multiple features on their devices,” Ms. Joseph said. “Through linking mobile strategies to social networking, music downloading or game playing, marketers can target Hispanics while they are doing something fun that they enjoy.
“Also, it is important to remember local distinctions among Hispanic adults when crafting mobile strategies,” she said.
“While our data does not forecast trends, it is safe to say, based on what we have seen so far, that the Hispanic marketplace will continue to be one that is ripe for mobile marketing.”

10 Little Known Facts About ‘Star Wars’

2010-12-28T10:28:00.000-08:00

1. A most desirable place for all the venerable directors in America – it’s George Lucas’ ranch in Northern California. He bought it in the mid-80’s and made it a real studio. It was there filming his movies Spielberg, Dante, Zemeckis and Cameron. Before the premiere of ”Attack of the Clones” on this ranch for the first time allowed journalists and ordinary fans. Ranch called “Skywalker”.

2. How can I earn only to “Star Wars”. At this point in the world sold about 15,000 different kinds of toys on “Star Wars”. Only plastic figures of characters sold about 250 million, and considered only those that were sold under license. Playing cards “Star Wars” can be purchased for $ 6, a helmet of Darth Vader – for 129.95 and laser swords Jedi – for 349 dollars. To buy all the toys, devoted to “Star Wars”, you will need at least $ 10 000.

3. And so if we are talking about money in 2000, the company earnings Lucasfilm $ 2 billion. This is more than the revenue of the budget of Estonia.

4. And Lucas’ own digital studio, and have the special effects from Lucas is very fashionable in Hollywood. Lucas’ studio work, for example, in Jurassic Park. In general at Lucas about 14 of his productions (including the animation studio Pixar, which filmed “Shrek”), and he – the world’s only financially independent filmmaker.

5. “Attack of the Clones” – the first film in the history of cinema, shot entirely on digital video, there is not one inch of this film. Because of this, it is cheaper: only $ 100 million with 115, who spent a “veiled threat”.

6. Special effects. Their number is growing almost exponentially. In 4 (ie, 1-m) an episode of them was 545, a 5-m (ie 2-m) – 763, 6 th – 942, and the Phantom Menace effects were present in nine hundred thousand scenes of two thousand dvushot. As for the “Attack of the Clones”, then it is generally a solid special effects: no computer processing cost only 250 frames.

7. With regard to the title – TiEychIks November 1938, then this is related another interesting fact. This fad Lucas. These letters and numbers found in all his films. In particular, in the first episode, in November 1938 written on the back of a battle droid, which takes into captivity Jar Jar Binks, and it is clearly visible in the frame. A technology of improving the showing of films in cinemas, developed by one company Lucas said TiEychIks.

8. His first film – TiEychIks November 1938 – Lucas took off only because he asked for Francis Ford Coppola: he persuaded studio Warner Bros. in the fact that Lucas’ talent. And when Lucas began to shoot, Coppola – for luck – gave 777,777 dollars. The film flopped.

9. In this hard to believe now, but “Star Wars” Nobody wanted to shoot: absolutely on all the Hollywood studios the idea of Lucas considered a failure, and XX Century Fox agreed to begin filming only after Lucas refused the honorarium.

10. Let’s start with the fact that his creation of “Star Wars” required a car, which got George Lucas in high school. In general, he wanted to be a racing driver, and therefore sold all his toys and bought a used Fiat, which drove through the neighborhood, with difficulty respecting the rules of the road. Of course, it ended up by accident – the Fiat Lucas almost collided head on with a small truck, and just lying on a hospital bed, he suddenly had the idea of “force” – a kind of religion, professed knights and space through which good can withstand evil in the universe scale. After that, Lucas stopped thinking about racing and decided to become a director.

17 Gadgets Inspired by LEGO Bricks

2010-12-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Collection of creative gadgets and product designs inspired by LEGO bricks.

LEGO USB Flash Drives

These flash drives are 100% compatible with the official LEGO bricks.

LEGO Utensil Set

This is what happens when function meets childhood playtime nostalgia. Perfect for lunch boxes, picnics, desk drawer or glove compartment.

LEGO White Out

LEGO inspired white out tape dispensers from Korea.

LEGO Salt and Pepper Shakers

Stackable salt & pepper shakers come in black and white.

LEGO iPod Speaker

This LEGO inspired speaker runs off of iPod’s energy, no batteries are required.

LEGO Ice Cube Tray

Serve the coolest drinks around with ice that looks like LEGO bricks.

LEGO Digital Camera

Digital Blue’s LEGO Digital Camera mirrors the look of an actual LEGO brick!

LEGO Brick Bag

Each LEGO “stud” is a separate zippered compartment.

LEGO Sofa

Unique sofa made up of several rubberized foam pieces shaped like LEGO bricks.

LEGO Brick Soap

Each LEGO soap set comes with 8 soap bricks in each bag. Each soap is scented and colored.

LEGO Brick Candles

Burn those memories of childhood brightly with these eight-wick soy, non-scented candles.

LEGO MP3 Player

Digital Blue’s LEGO MP3 Player is compatible with official LEGO bricks that you can mount on the top/bottom.

LEGO Desktop Calendar

This creative desktop calendar consists of three blocks that can be stacked upon one another.

LEGO Refrigerator Magnets

Unusual refrigerator magnets shaped like LEGO bricks.

LEGO Brick MP3 Players

These LEGO inspired MP3 players cleverly conceal their controls into the raised dots on the surface of each block.

LEGO USB Webcam

Etsy member called 123smile has come out with a Duplo Lego webcam using a 2 x 2 Duplo block. It features a 640×480 pixels resolution at 30 frames per second.

LEGO Brick Keychain

You can use the brick as a keychain or build it into your favorite creation. They fit with official LEGO bricks.

Ghost Town in Modern Days

2010-12-27T00:40:00.000-08:00

The Kangbashi district in China has wonderful amenities and houses. But while it was designed to support a million people, it stands mostly empty, simply because people can’t afford to live there. The main reason why Kangbashi is empty seems to be a planning issue: The new town is 25 kilometers from the old town, which has discouraged people from moving. Though a government official may work in the new town, his family may have little reason to move there. With few residents, supporting services like restaurants can’t survive in the new town, which is a further reason not to move there.”

10 Weirdest Roadside Attractions of America

2010-12-27T00:37:00.000-08:00

A tour through the nuclear testing history of Nevada, the Atomic Testing Museum is a blend of the whimsical and the macabre. Test your rad level with a Geiger counter, get up-close-and-personal with a nuclear warhead or view the collection of Atomic Age paraphernalia on display.

Giant dinosaurs, houses filled with dolls and puppets, museums of the weird: America’s most interesting roadside attractions are often overlooked, occasionally maligned, and usually hidden away from more heavily traveled areas. Sure, they might not be enough of a draw to warrant a visit by themselves, but they can more than repay the time spent diverting from a longer road trip or vacation.

2. Forbidden Gardens, Katy, Texas

This sprawling recreation of historical Chinese locations was built in 1997 at the behest of Hong Kong real estate mogul Ira P.H. Poon, who emigrated to the United States. He chose Katy, Texas, as the location for his museum because of its proximity to Houston and its large Asian population. Featured are the Forbidden City, in 1/20th scale, and a 1/3-scale recreation of the tomb of Emperor Qing Shi Huang-Di, called “The First Emperor.”

3. Oasis Bordello Museum, Wallace, Idaho

The owners of the old bordello left in a hurry in 1988, but a local entrepreneur bought the building and restored it to its 80s-era glory, as “a reminder of Wallace’s colorful past.” Old videogame consoles, price lists, and a unique take on recent history are all on display daily for a $5 fee, and there’s even a gift shop.

4. The Paper House, Rockport, Ma.

Engineer Ellis Stenman started his energy-saving experiment with newspaper insulation in 1922, and seven years later, he opened his home as an all-newspaper roadside attraction. Everything except the framework, floorboards and shingles is made out of pasted, coated, or rolled newspapers, and the entire thing took 20 years to finish.

5. RichArt’s Art Yard, Centralia, Wash.

Artist Richard Tracy will welcome you into his home and backyard, both packed with the Styrofoam and metal sculptures he has worked on since 1981, and give you an hour-long tour–the first five minutes of which are free. “After five minutes he just stops and he won’t say anything else,” says Kirby. “You pay him $5, and he’ll give you the other 55 minutes.”

6. Solomon’s Castle, Ona, Fla.

Three stories high and covering 12,000 square feet, Solomon’s Castle is covered on the outside by shining aluminum printing plates, and packed inside with more than 300 works by local artist Howard Solomon. Begun in 1972 Solomon’s project has grown to include a restaurant and a nature walk.

7. South of the Border, Dillon, S.C.

With 157 signs that are unavoidable on highways throughout the Carolinas (“50 miles to South of the Border!”… “20 miles to South of the Border!”… “You just passed South of the Border!”) this roadside motel, restaurant, shopping and fireworks complex meets travelers raised expectations.

8. The Super Museum, Metropolis, Ill.

With more than 20,000 pieces of Superman memorabilia on display, the Super Museum is the lifetime work of Illinois resident Jim Hambrick, who owns more than 100,000 items of Man of Steel collectibles. An “overstuffed” gift shop and store delights fans–and those they drag with them.

9. World’s Largest Child, Edventure, Columbia, S.C.

“The South’s Largest Children’s Museum,” features a 40-ft., 17.5-ton sculpture of a 10-year-old boy called “Eddie,” and kids can “crawl through his heart, bounce around inside his stomach, and slide out his intestines.” Geared toward helping children learn about their bodies and the world around them, the museum hosts many other activities for kids.

10. Vent Haven Ventriloquist Museum, Fort Mitchell, Ky.

Just south of Cincinnati, Ohio is “the world’s only museum of ventriloquial figures and memorabilia.” Visitors can, by appointment, view hundreds of the lifeless dummies on display in the museum’s rooms and lining the walls. “One ventriloquist dummy can be unsettling, but when you see a whole room of them, it’s quite an experience,”.

10 Most Romantic Destinations for New Years Eve

2010-12-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

New years eve simply has it all. Fire works lightening up dark skies , sparkling shops with neon signs of “SALES” and not to forget the warmth of your loved ones in cold. Its an awesome night, everyone in good moods waiting to welcome the new year. Its a special night in the seasonal calender which offers the chance to meet up with loved ones and really let your hair down.

So here i have compiled a list of some of the most romantic destinations to spend your new year eve at. Take your loved one to one such place to enjoy the charm of new year eve and cherish the pleasure of these priceless moments.

Times Square, New York

Every year Times Square holds one of the biggest New years eve party which kicks off as the clock turns 00:00. Fireworks lit up the sky and injects joyfull feelings among people. No doubt the ambiance it creates is romantic and can’t be felt anywhere else in the world.

London Eye, London

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson has confirmed that London will welcome in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display at the London Eye, which will be marking its own 11-year anniversary. I am sure you don’t want to miss this spectacular feat with you loved one.

Santorini, Greece

Universally considered the world’s best place to watch the sunset, the northern village of Oia offers spectacular views of the ocean, the island of Ios in the distance, and the sun dipping into the Aegean. Come here and see the dawn of year passed.

Sydney, Australia

No city parties on new years eve like Sydney does. Well they also do it first too. Fireworks at opera house and the after party at some club will make your day fabulous.

Las Vegas, USA

When it comes to party, how can we forget VEGAS. Las Vegas offers you the best holiday destination through out the year specially New years eve. Chuck Palahniuk said it right ”Las Vegas looks the way you’d imagine heaven must look at night”.

Dubai, UAE

“Saudi’s and the Audi’s” a famous quote said for people of middle east. They pimp this dessert like a bride and make sure you get to enjoy each penny you spend here.

Eiffel Tower, Paris

How can we forget the most romantic city in the world in our list of most romantic destinations for new years eve. From Shopping to expensive Bars, from fireworks to “Love in air” Paris has it all.

Venice, Italy

How can we forget Venice when talking Romance. This part of Europe is calm and offers you the best you can enjoy to make your new years eve a special one.

Honolulu, Hawaii

As the last major city on Earth to celebrate the New Year, Honolulu, Hawaii is the best place to spend a New Year’s Eve. Every December 31, the city of Honolulu comes alive with festivities.

Some where in North Pole

Well, to me this is undoubtedly the most romantic destination to spend my new years eve. Somewhere near the north pole under the colorful aurora or simply “natural fireworks”.

How to Get UK Study Visa

2010-12-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

When applying for UK study visa, you should have been accepted as for study at a recognized university. The company, Invoke International (Pvt.) Ltd has many educational institutes and universities in UK as associates and the advisers there help students get admission in any institute they want as well as they give advices about which course will be suitable for you with respect to your educational background and achievements.

You should have all your original documents ready before you are applying for UK Visa. It would be better if you would keep your documents together in advance so you would be able to give it to any advisor on time.

This article will provide you with a checklist named UK Visa Checklist, which will guide you through the process of documentation and you will know easily what you have to do exactly. Demand of documents differs as students differ from each other respective of their cases and keeping this thing in mind, every case relevant document should be given to the advisors.

UK VISA CHECLIST

For Applicant:

Original Passport along with copy
(valid for at least 6 months)
Original ID card along with copy
(FedEx Gerry’s requirement)
Unconditional letter of acceptance from college, school or university
4 recent passport size photographs
(white background and 45mm * 35mm in size)
All Original Educational & Non Educational Documents
(should be attested from IBCC and HEC, Embassy requirement)
Original IELTS/TOEFL or relevant Score Report
TB Screening Report
Copies of all Educational Transcripts along with IELTS/TOEFL Score Report
Proof of Educational Gap (if applicable)
Job Experience letters (if applicable)
High Commission Fee GBP145
British Council Student Select Scheme Fee Rs. 6500.
The Total of Points you need to apply:

For student visa, you need to have 40 points and a proof that must be provided with your application form.
Points 1:

First 30 points you will get from any known educational institute. This is also known as Sponsorship.

Proof And Documents Needed:

You will need a visa letter from your educational institute (approved) and the documents you used to get the visa.
Points 2:

The next 10 points you will get for your maintenance, i.e. having money for your education fee and monthly living expenses.
Proof And Documents Needed:

You will need a bank’s confirmation letter or statement confirming that you have enough money for completion of your educational course along with the money that will cover up your everyday expenses of up to one year starting from your time of admission.
Course at an acceptable level:

Following is a list of courses that can lead to a well approved qualification:

1. National Qualifications framework (NQF), this is approved at level 3 or above.
2. Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), this is also approved at the same level or above.
3. Same level goes for same level by the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC) and for
4. Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland.

These are short-term study programs that are acceptable in UK as your education in an overseas high education institution. But for its acceptability it is important that UK NARIC confirms it as of a UK degree level.

At a level A2, the course of Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is also acceptable. But if you are interested in doing another English language course then you will have to give an assessment of the English language level you have got previously.

The Documentation needed for Sponsor:

Following is a list of documents you will need for sponsors:

Affidavit of Support Attested by Notary Public
(must be on the legal stamp paper of at least Rs. 20)
Affidavit of Property Evaluation (if applicable)
(i.e. Residential, Commercial or Agricultural properly, must be on property dealer letterhead)
Affidavit of Business or Employment Proof
(Source of Income, must be on the letterhead of Organization)
Bank Statements at least for last 6 months (Minimum Balance Rs. 25,00,000)
(Depends on Course and College/University)
Bank Confirmation Certificate
(Sponsor Relationship with Bank)
Copy of Sponsor’s ID Card and Passport (if applicable)
Proof of Relationship with the Student
(Form B or any other Relevant Evidence)
Copy of Tax Returns
(at least for last 2 years)
Copy of NTN Certificate
(Individual or Business)

10 Fascinating Bioluminescent Organisms

2010-12-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

Glowing Mushrooms (Mycena lux-coeli mushrooms)

During Japan's rainy season, a glow-in-the-dark mushroom begins to sprout in Wakayama prefecture. The Mycena lux-coeli mushrooms sprout from fallen chinquapin trees and as they grow, a chemical reaction involving a light-emitting pigment occurs, causing them to glow a ghostly green. The caps can grow to as large as 2 cm (about 1 inch) in diameter, but because the mushrooms are prone to dehydration, they only have a few days to live once the rain stops. Just goes to show you that the curiosities of the world never cease!

Hawaiian Bobtail Squid (Euprymna scolopes)

In the darkness of the deep ocean, some animals create their own light. Among these is the Hawaiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes, which forms a partnership with the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri. The squid houses colonies of these bacteria in special light organs, and it can control the brightness and direction of their illuminations. But these organs do much more than produce light - they detect it too. The organs generate nervous signals when they sense light and they're loaded with proteins responsible for detecting it. The light organs are effectively an extra set of primitive eyes, each equipped with its own "iris" and "lens". The squid comes equipped with a pair of living, 'seeing' flashlights.

Alarm jellyfish (Atolla wyvillei)

Some animals use their bioluminescence to "scream" for help. Once an animal is caught in the clutches of a predator, its only hope for escape may be to attract the attention of something bigger and nastier that may attack and eat whatever is about to eat it. This amazing light show is known as a "burglar alarm" display. The deep-sea jellyfish, Atolla wyvillei, is a master of this display.

Jack-O-Lantern mushroom (Omphalotus olearius)

Through metabolic and physiological functions, all living things must produce and ultimately dispose of waste. This fungus exudes its waste through its gills, and some of these wastes are luciferases. Luciferases are enzymes commonly used for bioluminescence (or emission of light by a living organism) such as in fireflies. The Jack o'Lantern mushroom is an orange- to yellow-gill mushroom that to an untrained eye appears similar to some chanterelles.

Luminescent Panellus (Panellus stipticus)

Panellus stipticus is a widely distributed, hardwood-rotting saprobe, but it is more common in eastern North America than in the West. It is quite tough, and revives in rainwater after drying out, like many Marasmius species. This little mushroom has reportedly been used as a styptic (blood thickening) agent, and it has luminescent gills. (Link )

Ctenophore Bathocyroë

We probably know more about the surface of the moon than we do the ocean. Every day we discover new species. This little beauty is Bathocyroe fosteri, a lobate ctenophore found at intermediate depths in all the seas. It's very common and abundant near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and measures about two inches tall. Because of its fragility, it was only described in 1978, when it was collected from a submersible. This genus can produce blue and green luminescence. (Link )

Dinoflagellates

The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. Most are marine plankton, but they are common in fresh water habitats as well. They are characterized by two flagella, one girdling the cell and the other trailing the cell. Some dinoflagellates exist in coral, in a symbiotic relationship. These dinoflagellates are termed the zooxanthellae. Other dinoflagellates occur in such high numbers that the water is colored red, a phenomenon known as a red tide. (Link 1 )

Crystal jelly (Aequorea Victoria)

Aequorea victoria, also sometimes called the crystal jelly, is a bioluminescent hydrozoan jellyfish (which is also known as hydromedusae) that is found off the west coast of North America. You may not have heard of it, but the hydromedusa Aequorea victoria is probably the most influential bioluminescent marine organism. Calcium-activated photoprotein and green-fluorescent protein (GFP) were first discovered and cloned from this cnidarian. (Link)

Glow worm (Lampyris noctiluca)

Lampyris noctiluca, the Common Glow-worm of Europe, is a firefly species of the genus Lampyris. These are beetles as evidenced by the hard cases that fold over the wings when not in use.. The females are often twice the size of the males (up to 25mm in length), but do not have wings, whereas the males do. The females emit the glow, whereas the males do not. (Link)

Fireflies (Photinus pyralis)

Fireflies or lightning bugs make light within their bodies. They light up to attract a mate. To do this, the fireflies contain specialized cells in their abdomen that make light.

10 Of The Worst Style Trends Of 2010

2010-12-26T06:41:00.000-08:00

Harem pants

We know from other photos of her and in-person appearances that Gwen Stefani does NOT have large, wrinkly, chubby legs. So, why would she wear a pair of pants that make us think she does?

Matronly hemlines

As a rule, hemlines that hit at your calves are universally unflattering because that's the widest part of a woman's leg (besides your thigh, and this rule doesn't apply to mini skirts because you can see most of your leg). I am all for long dresses and skirts, but this in-between length on Kirsten Dunst is just horrible.

Kids' hats on adults

I think being a child at heart is cool! I laugh at bathroom humor, I'd play Barbies in a second if I still had access to them, and I could splash around in the ocean all day. However, you will never, I repeat, NEVER catch me wearing a fuzzy animal hat with actual ears on it, like Khloe Kardashian. Never.

Stiletto nails

Ouch! Imagine being accidentally snagged by one of these talons? In 2010, stars like Fergie, Rihanna and Beyonce began rocking the pointy "stiletto nail," and I'd love it if they would stop.

Nerd couture

I know that Keira Knightley's head-to-toe look is from supremely talented designer Miuccia Prada (her Miu Miu line, specifically) but, I'm sorry. Just because it's got a designer label sewn into it doesn't mean it's not a couple of silk, cat-printed separates. All. Worn. Together.

The over-stylized, Bieber-fication of young America

Remember when 16-year-old boys just threw on the cleanest thing on their bedroom floors before heading out into the world? They were so much more adorable when they didn't think/know/care that they were adorable. Now they're like, robots whose hair follicles don't even move, and who have on more accessories than we've got in our whole wardrobe room. Yes, Justin Bieber, I'm talking to you.

The deep V

I feel terrible singling out Chuck Bass (since I'm, well, infatuated with him), but this is very bad. No one wants to see what your chest hair situation is at first impression. Not even if you're Ed Westwick.

The Blowout

Full disclosure: I am a HUGE "Jersey Shore" fan. I am so addicted to this show it's not even funny/healthy. And while I could dedicate an entire blog to its fashion, I must say that the most offensive trend to hit America this year is the sculpted, shellacked, gravity-defying men's hairstyle, the Blowout. The amount of product in Pauly D's hair is terrible for the environment, and just too unnatural to be true. And yet, it is.

Too-tight men's jeans

Skinny jeans are great for people who want to accent their slim legs and create a nice, lean silhouette. Unfortunately, thanks to genetics, men don't ordinarily fall under the slim leg category. This often results in a sausage effect, seen here on Russell Brand.

Ironic mustaches

For a few years now, Brooklyn hipsters have been rocking these gross, creepy and "ironic" mustaches. So far they've mildly annoyed everyone who's had to look at them, but now they've gone too far. They've taken over the faces of our favorite leading men like Danny Masterson, James Franco and Colin Farrell and that, my friends, is just wrong.

How to Eliminate Your Credit Card Debt

2010-12-25T05:08:00.000-08:00

Many of the folks suffer been a victim to credit card mortgages or debt. For example, if you assess according to a friend roughly his new year resolutions. His key will be to pay off all his charge card bills. However, when you ask them, how properties will achieve this goal: a large number of of them are without a reasonable or definite answer.

Reduce the Use of Credit Cards

The outstandingly mainly logical phase in shape to pay off debt charge card is to condense or abolish the use of all of your credit cards. For few people, currently primary evolution is a lot a larger amount of intricate to follow. If you are used to spend generously providing the plastic currency and thing about the loss of spending afterwords; it is then in point of fact difficult to get rid of your buy now and pay later mind-set.
Use of Credit Card
In fact, sometime to manage your sloppy charge card spending routine, you have to cut your credit card.

This practice is able to make it unworkable for you to use it. Some lendees have to lock their credit cards or veil them in a secure place and promise to use sole in some exigency.
How to Pay the Credit Card Balance
The second stage is to trim down the money owing and start to pay a large amount of than the minimum scale due on your card. Most o the charge card businesses require a lowest monthly payment of 2.5% of the balance In order to keep the card intact. The above mentioned can be illustrated with the help of an example. For instance, if you suffer balance of $1100.00 on a charge card and the annual percentage price levels (APR) of 18.9% is the least monthly payment may be $27.70.

Hence, it might take 66 months to pay the match of $1100.00 by making minimum payment. By presently arrangement, Credit Card Company will get $676.94 in interest for the use of who credit card. In fact, the monthly defrayals are kept deliberately low by the .credit card companies, so properties earn as much as expected from the loan expense charged to the consumer. By the practice of paying only minimum payment will remain you below the clutches of Credit Card Company for a for a long while time.
$10 Extra Solution

If you pay only the the very least for several months, later look at your resources; whether you have an extra $10 such a you can use for the payment. I am constructive such a a good amount of of you those can find a way to get an total quantity of $10 extra per month. You may be able to generate the sum by cutting a few cups of coffee or lunches at eventually food restaurant. You will definitely be able to get this sum in a very brief time. When you do so, it is high time to divulge to the simple $10.00 money owing elimination solution. Now add this $10 to least monthly payment of $27.50. It would add up as the payment of $37.50. Now just now in on the addition of that $10 amount, you is planning to condense 23 cycles or almost two years off debt card. Not only the above, but you will also save $277.0 in loan alone. This money can put to your savings or paying for off a couple of larger amount of debt. Just envisage that how much, you would be able to save, if you simply request now strategy for all of your other credit cards debts. To pay your charge card money owing not always signifies to attain monumental monthly defrayals or excruciating forfeits. You just need to lead some simple planning and an effective strategy to make it work.

15 Best 2011 Wallpaper

2010-12-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

New Year- a time to rejoice and cherish! Yes, New Year is almost here and everybody is busy in planning something new. New Year brings new hope, new spirit and new resolutions (thought don’t last for long). So, as an addition to your new year spirit, I have brought to you 15 beautiful New Year wallpapers. You would enjoy a sense of newness in these wallpapers and I am sure would like them. Though, don’t forget to leave your precious comments!!
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Face to Face with Most Dangerous Animals

2010-12-23T03:30:00.000-08:00

Forget about BeetleCam and other devices. A British photographer risked his life as he captured these wildlife shots.

1. Jonathan Griffiths held his camera just inches away from tigers, bears and cougars as he took the pictures.

2. The 32-year-old endured minus 40 degree Celsius temperatures at a Canadian wildlife breeding reserve as he gained the trust of each animal over two or three days.

3. He enticed them with meat – mainly chicken – to photograph them close-up in his 15-month project.

4. In one photograph a lion demonstrated its raw power by swiping at his camera.

5. And in another shot a tiger left condensation on his lens with its breath.

6. However, after spending time at the local zoo, Jonathan decided he wanted to take pictures of powerful predators in the wild and researched the best places to spot them.

7. The currency trader flew to Canada, where he stayed in a lodge by a wildlife breeding reserve. He would wake up at 5.30am each day, trekking off mountain trails in search of snow leopards, wolves and black leopards. A guide at the wildlife reserve stood by his side as he came face to face with some of nature’s most dangerous animals to capture them in intimate detail.

8. Jonathan said: “At first I was quite nervous being so close to the animals as I did not know what to expect and they are wild.

9. For Jonathan the scariest moment came when he came face-to-face with a black leopard, “which made me fear for my life and I thought it could attack at any moment. It was was just mean and did not like humans full stop”.

10. “My family think I’m a bit nu* and worry about the consequences if something went wrong. But I just like getting as close as possible to get a different kind of shot.” On the approach….a Bobcat.

11. A Siberian tiger bares its teeth.

12. A Brown bear covered in snow.

13. Two Brown bears roar at the camera.

14. A Siberian tiger.

Amazing Extraordinary Concealing Animals

2010-12-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

Animals camouflage themselves by blending into their natural environment. This ability allows some animals to become invisible to predators when they are in danger. Some animals use the ability to camouflage to catch prey. Animals that can camouflage are found on the land, in the air and swimming in the sea.

Look, up in the sky; it's a rare lunar eclipse

2010-12-22T07:37:00.000-08:00

The moon offered a rare light show in the very early hours of Tuesday that was more spectacular than even the most elaborate holiday light displays.

A total eclipse of the moon occurred for 72 minutes starting at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday. A total eclipse occurs when the Earth casts its shadow on the full moon, blocking the sun's rays, which otherwise reflect off the moon's surface. The result was that an incredibly bright white moon slipped into shadow and cast a coppery-orange glow.
The eclipse was extra special because it happened on the winter solstice. The last time both happened on the same day was on Dec. 21, 1638, according to the Geoff Chester with the U.S. Naval Observatory. The solstice is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the official start of the winter season.
The next time both will occur on the same day is Dec. 21, 2094. The next lunar eclipse will be in June but will not be visible in the Northern Hemisphere.

7 Spectacular and Dangerous Mountain Passes

2010-12-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

Whether you drive, motorbike, cycle or hike, the following incredible mountain passes – ordered from most to least dangerous – are best experienced in person, where you can smell the fresh mountain air, see the stunning panoramic views and feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

1. Yungas Road, aka “The Death Road,” Bolivia

The most dangerous road in the world is located in the Andean Mountains of South America. The North Yungas Road, leading from Bolivia’s legislative capital of La Paz to the scenic town Coroico, was nicknamed “The Death Road” because it has “more deaths per mile than any other road in the world,” according to travel-bolivia.com. With no guardrails, huge vertical drops and a narrow muddy lane only able to accommodate a single vehicle in many places, El Camino de la Muerte (The Death Road in Spanish) has certainly earned its reputation.

2. Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road, Greece

Not too far from the whitewashed buildings and vibrant blue waters of the coast lies the Agrafa Mountain range in central Greece. On the steep and treacherous dirt road that leads from the villages of Patiopoulo to Perdikaki, you’re just as likely to pass a herd of sheep or cattle as you are another vehicle. The unkempt road has many potholes and no guardrails, which makes the sheer drop and narrow passage that much more frightening.

3. Guoliang Tunnel Road, China

In the early 1970s a group of citizens from the village of Guoliang, in the Henan Province of China, began carving a tunnel into the side of the Taihang Mountains. Many lost their lives during the perilous construction, but the Guoliang Tunnel, as it became known, allowed the remaining villagers outside access from what had previously been a very isolated area. Known as “the road that does not tolerate any mistakes,” the compressed tunnel is sandwiched between a sheer cliff above and sharp drop below that can be seen through the “windows” carved through the rock.

4. Stelvio Pass, Italy

The Italian Alps are world renowned for ski resorts and the Stelvio Pass. On Google Maps, it looks as though someone has made tight scribbles across the screen where the Stelvio Pass lies – that’s because you’re looking at 60 hazardous hairpin turns. Although it’s paved and has guardrails, the staggering scenery can detract from the keen concentration required to navigate the repetitive twists and turns. Thrill-seeking speedsters also up the element of danger on this road, especially after the BBC television series Top Gear increased its popularity by calling it the “greatest driving road in the world.”

5. Col de Turini, France

In the south of France near Nice is a dramatic and daring stretch of road that has been part of the Tour de France three times, has been a long-time stage of the Monte Carlo Rally and has been featured in Top Gear’s “World’s best road” episode. The Col De Turini is a steep paved road in the French Alps with nearly three dozen hairpin turns, and in sections the guardrails switch to low stone walls that appear to be crumbling. This road is especially dangerous during the winter when snow and ice increase the chances of going over the steep rock walls.

6. Trollstigen, Norway

The Trollstigen, meaning troll ladder, is a stretch of the Norwegian National Road 63 between the town of Åndalsnes on the shores of the Rauma River and the village of Valldal, home to Europe’s northernmost orchards. The road is a popular tourist attraction, with both motorbikes and motorhomes making their way up the menacing “ladder” – presumably the motorbikes for the incredibly steep incline and adrenaline-inducing 11 hairpin turns, and the motorhomes for the breathtaking view of the Stigfossen waterfall from the viewing balcony at the top.

7. Sea to Sky Highway, Canada

Relatively speaking, Canadian roads are among the safer and better maintained in the world, but danger can lurk even here. Dubbed the “killer highway,” the Sea to Sky Highway, which passes through the magnificent Coast Mountains, claimed 1,500 crashes over a two-year period, as well as a massive rock slide in July 2008 that closed the road for four days. Highway 99, known as the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Pemberton, and the Duffy Lake Road beyond that, is a great source of pride for British Columbians, and the spectacular scenery makes it one of the most breathtaking drives in the world. And thanks to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, recent upgrades have reduced some of the blind corners and narrow climbs.

Butter artists keep chillin

2010-12-21T06:22:00.001-08:00

Olenka Kleban and Tim Manalo may have the coolest job at the Canadian National Exhibition.

While fairgoers broiled in the midday heat yesterday, the pair of OCAD students were shut up in a walk-in cooler, sculpting blocks of butter into works of art.

They spend about seven hours a day inside the box, which is chilled to about 10C, emerging occasionally for breaks, while spectators watch them through a glass wall.