1 World 1 Nation 1 Love

Hanging Flower Baskets

2012-02-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

Hanging Flower Baskets 吊花籃
The First park in Guinness World Record having Largest Number of Hanging Flower Baskets in United Arab Emirates.
阿拉伯聯合酋長國第一吉尼斯世界公園吊花籃數量最多的紀錄 ()

Love u always

2012-02-12T18:54:00.001-08:00

Airconditioned Bike

2012-02-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

Airconditioned Bike

super trees in Singapore

2012-01-30T21:17:00.001-08:00

Apple

2012-01-28T23:08:00.000-08:00

Fuel for the fire

2012-01-28T22:23:00.001-08:00

Fuel for the fire
Rejigging energy prices is traditionally hazardous for those in power.

Published: 16/01/2012 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Business

Seasoned politicians consider energy price restructuring to be something of an enigma, as it always seems to threaten the stability of the government.

Several previous governments faced the same situation and adopted various measures to prolong price increases or minimise the impact on consumers of oil price adjustment.

A good example is Gen Kriangsak Chamanan's government, the first that dared to raise petrol prices during the "oil shock" of the late 1970s. Due to continuing rises in world oil prices, the government raised domestic oil prices across the board.

Because the state Oil Fund's financial status at that time was weak and the government showed a budgetary deficit throughout the period, the Kriangsak government raised the price five times by increasing tax.

In early 1980, shortly after the last adjustment, Gen Kriangsak resigned under pressure and was replaced by Gen Prem Tinsulanonda.

As of today, prices for several fuels will be allowed to rise. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) prices in the transport sector are subject to the increase, with CNG to rise 50 satang per kilogramme from 8.50 baht and LPG to rise 75 satang per kg from 18.30 baht.

CNG prices will increase by 50 satang a month until April.

‘We‘have subsidised for so long. . . . To be scolded or removed from the post is no big deal. Most important is subsidy removal. PICHAI NARIPTHAPHAN Energy Minister

After that, the Energy Ministry and transport operators will discuss whether to further raise prices on a monthly basis for a year.

The price of LPG for the transport sector will increase by 75 satang per month until the price reaches the refining cost, which is now 20.64 baht per kg excluding value-added tax and marketing margins.

Nonetheless, the government recently agreed to extend the subsidy for LPG used as cooking gas for households until December 2012, with prices to be hiked in early 2013.

Today the government will also reinstate its levy collected from motorists to provide for the state Oil Fund, which is 14.55 billion baht in the red.

Contributions by petrol and diesel to the fund will resume but at low rates: one baht per litre for premium and regular petrol, 60 satang for diesel, one baht for ethanol-based gasohol 91 and 95, and 10 satang for E85.

Levies on petrol and diesel are currently zero, with those on gasohol 95 at 20 satang, gasohol 91 at 40 satang and E85 at 13.50 baht.

The Yingluck Shinawatra government last September cut levy collection by 8.02 baht per litre for premium petrol, 7.17 baht for regular petrol and three baht for diesel, resulting in proportional price drops for the three fuel types.

The Oil Fund is estimated to gain revenue from new levy collection of 53.62 million baht per day, and its financial burden of gas subsidy payments will be cut to 44.23 million per day from 97.85 million.

"If no action is taken now, the energy market will become worse for all parties," reiterated Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan.

Nonetheless, any price adjustment seems contrary to the Yingluck government's stated priorities; one of its key economic policies was to lower fuel prices by suspending state Oil Fund levies.

Cutting fuel prices was one of the promises made by Pheu Thai during the election campaign, along with minimum wage and salary hikes.

Mr Pichai said a man should do his best, against all odds, once given a task.

"With energy, we have subsidised for so long," he said. "How can the country move forward if we keep the price caps? To be scolded or removed from the post is no big deal. What is most important is subsidy removal. This should be done during my tenure."

Mr Pichai cited the baht flotation of 1981-84 by Sommai Hoontrakul, then the finance minister. The baht devalued from 20.77 per US dollar to 27 as the country sought to mend its current account and trade balances in the wake of the oil crisis.

The flotation was blasted by opposition and business leaders and prompted several failed coup attempts. But the move eventually set to right the country's current account and trade balances and led to healthy and steady economic growth 10 years later.

Pailin Chuchottaworn, CEO of PTT Plc, said the cost structure of oil and gas prices is evident and accessible for any investigation.

"Although the gas prices were floated, they are still below petrol and diesel," he said.

According to Mr Pailin, PTT is studying the feasibility of spinning off its loss-ridden CNG business into a non-profit organisation, as the government is committed to using CNG as the main fuel for public transport.

Under the scheme, business operators in public transport will be allowed to share or join in the venture in order to participate in managing the business direction.

The study will be complete by mid-2012, Mr Pailin said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/275296/fuel-for-the-fire

50years have changed 2011

2012-01-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

Hotels Beware of Mixed Olive Oil

2012-01-10T21:34:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, 04 January 2012 17:14
Hotels Beware of Mixed Olive Oil

Jan 04 : There is hardly a hotel or a decent restaurant in major cities of India that does not use olive oil and with a majority of health conscious wine drinkers there has been a phenomenal increase in the consumption of olive oil-the Italian produce considered the best. However, a major scandal has come to light that is likely to tarnish the image of Italian olive oil and to some extent, the Spanish oil, opines Subhash Arora

A report in Daily Telegraph yesterday indicated that 4 out of 5 bottles of olive oils with the “Made in Italy" label are mixed with cheap Spanish, Tunisian and Greek oil, citing an ongoing investigation by different police agencies in collaboration with Italian agriculture trade group Coldiretti. Italy exports 250 thousand metric tons of oil every year, but imports total 470 thousand tons. Last year oil imports jumped by 100 thousand tons, prompting authorities to look into the fraud.

Italians and the foreigners worldwide are fooled into thinking they are buying olive oil from the world's most celebrated producer, writes La Repubblica the full translation of which you may find it at http://el-gr.facebook.com/

The well-respected national Daily exposes the Italian oil mafia through an investigation by State Forestry Department and the Guardia di Finanza, in collaboration with Coldiretti . Four out of ten bottles of oil sold in supermarkets tasted of mold in a study by UNAPROL Coldiretti and Symbola, the three independent agencies The Italian agri-mafia reportedly do not press olives anymore- they simply transform, manipulate, deodorize, aromatize and lastly but importantly import. Hundreds of thousands of tons of low cost oil produced in the Mediterranean basin is rebottled by these companies, giving it a false Italian identity.

‘There are a dozen big companies some of them are well-known- that formed a cartel of oil. Through a subtle commercial fraud they deceive the consumers. They control prices and the market. Earlier, these well-known Italian companies used to press olives in frontaios (mills)- now there are only silos- tanks filled with oil from the olive groves of Andalusia, or Tunisia’, says the report, adding that ‘a beautiful Italian label takes them to the shelves of supermarkets.’

‘The agro-mafia bosses purchase foreign mixtures sometimes for less than 25 cents a pound. Then they mix them, deodorize them and put them on the market at inflated prices, € 2-4 a kilo. In this investigation, Customs reconstructed, ton by ton, a sophisticated system of imports and exports: a web of "inflows" and "outflow" imports.’

‘Take the example of oil made in Spain passed off as Italian extra virgin oil. At the supermarket the first price is € 3. The first national survey on the quality of olive oil sold in Italian supermarkets had disastrous results. Of twelve samples from the shelves (of the best selling brands) collected and analyzed in the laboratory, almost half were musty. The organoleptic tests showed serious defects such as rancidity and heating.’

‘The mixtures come from several places including Jaén, a city in Andalusia in South of Spain. The province is an olive giant. Italian importers sell this at five times as much. In Tunisia, it costs only 10 cents a kilo according to La Repubblica. In Italy, it costs € 4-5 (€ 7 in the Centre-North, € 3.53 in Apulia, € 3.64 in Calabria). African oil costs 20 to 23 cents to import.’

Of course, this is not the first exposé of a scandal in Italian olive oils. If you check out the website: http://web.mac.com

you will realize that there are regular reports of fraud- the site records those in the last 30 years, starting from 1981 when 402 people died of food poisoning in Spain due to adulterated olive oil. In 2007 Daily Telegraph had reported that only 4% of the olive oil leaving Italy was pure Italian olive oil. In 2009, USA today reported a Connecticut research that indicated that 90% of the extra virgin olive oil was in fact Soybean oil.

Book on Scandals

Interestingly, well timed with the latest revelation of the scandal, a new book titled ‘Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil has been released in the USA. This would be a revelation to an average consumer, or even an enthusiastic amateur cook, who has probably never even tasted a real, superior extra-virgin Italian olive oil- full-bodied, aromatic and often quite peppery, feels the author Tom Mueller who is a Harvard graduate, writes for New Yorker and lives in Italy.

Tom has researched widely to illuminate olive oil’s place in religion, literature, cuisine and cultures both ancient and modern. He writes about scandals, romance, history, personalities and pop references. Apparently, Don Vito Corleone of Mario Puzo’s Godfather was modeled after a real Italian-American olive oil importer and mobster. As Mueller makes clear, the chances are extremely high that if you buy an ordinary bottle of extra-virgin olive oil in (an American) supermarket, you are most likely getting what a connoisseur would contemptuously call lampante: low-grade lamp oil, worthy only of burning.

Such inferior olive oils are not virgin, much less extra-virgin. They are adulterated with sunflower, soybean and other oils, deodorized and tarted up to a bland in being offensive. They’re probably not even made from olives grown in Italy. Cheap supermarket oils most often are made from olives grown in Spain before being shipped in tanker-size bulk consignments to Italy for blending and bottling.

Oil companies get away with this because regulation of olive oil is loose in Europe and virtually nonexistent in the United States (much less in India where hotels and consumers increasing consumer it extensively) . Other gourmet food products, such as butter or wine, are highly controlled both within their industries and by governments, according to a Review of the book.

Thirty years ago in Spain, Mueller says, more than 20,000 people were poisoned and some 800 died from consuming “fake olive oil made from rapeseed oil denatured with aniline, a highly toxic organic compound used to manufacture plastics.

A bottle of super-premium oils is extremely difficult to find even in the USA but for a few high-end restaurants and the Culinary Institute of America, cites the author. A bottle super-premium EVOO from Spain, would cost you $32 plus shipping at Amazon.com. Even a California premium olive oil will cost over $18. The top quality is described by Mueller as ‘sublime, every one so spicy and distinctive it made my teeth hurt.’

So next time, you ask for the bottle of extra virgin olive oil at a restaurant, try to figure out if it is a 10 euro cent cheap olive oil from Tunisia or a super-premium $32 a liter oil.

Subhash Arora

http://www.indianwineacademy.com/item_2_485.aspx

Asia’s economy heading for ‘yo-yo’ year in 2012

2012-01-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

Asia’s economy heading for ‘yo-yo’ year in 2012
December 8, 2011

The harder Asia's economies are hit, the stronger the tailwinds for a bounce back, says an economist.

By Emily Kaiser

SINGAPORE: Asia’s economic growth looks set to stumble over the next few months, prompting a flurry of interest rate cuts and a spike in stimulus spending that may ultimately pave the way for a strong recovery in the second half of 2012.

“The catch-phrase for 2012 is the Asia yo-yo,” said Rob Subbaraman, chief Asia economist at Nomura in Hong Kong. “The harder Asia’s economies are hit, the stronger the tailwinds for a bounce back.”

The idea that bad news would beget good news was a recurring theme in economists’ year-end outlooks.

India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines are widely expected to lower interest rates next year. Elections in Taiwan, Malaysia and South Korea may shake loose even more government spending. China will most likely continue cutting banks’ reserve requirements to try to spur more lending.

But beyond the basic premise that Asian policymakers will be in easing mode, there was little consensus on how each country would weather the turmoil. Between Europe’s simmering debt troubles, concerns about a housing downturn in China, and an uncertain US growth trajectory, there were too many wild cards.

Capital flight fright

European banks’ claims on Asia, excluding Japan, amount to US$1.4 trillion, according to data from the Bank for International Settlements. If Europe’s debt problems intensify and its banks retrench, they may pull back some of that credit with little warning, leaving Asia vulnerable to a sudden exodus of capital.

Singapore stands out among the most heavily exposed, with European bank claims amounting to 83% of the country’s gross domestic product, said Chua Hak Bin, a Bank of America-Merrill Lynch economist based in Singapore. For Malaysia, they add up to 25% of GDP.

It is difficult to predict if, when or where European banks will pull the plug.

Foreign investors have yanked money out of Indonesian bonds and Indian equities in recent months, evidence of a global bout of risk aversion. But it is harder to track how much bank deleveraging has actually occurred. BIS data, considered the most reliable, comes with about a six-month lag.

Nomura’s Subbaraman said based on anecdotal information gleaned from market sources, “it doesn’t feel like there’s been wholesale withdrawals from European banks.” He added, however, that there was “a lot of scope” for such withdrawals.

Will China land with a thud?

For some Asian economies, it is China rather than Europe that will most influence 2012′s course. China is the largest trading partner for many Asian countries, and it is no longer simply an assembly point for goods destined for export.

Nomura’s data shows that 58% of China’s imports served domestic demand in the third quarter of 2011, up from 44% at the start of 2007.

That means what happens inside China matters a great deal for the rest of Asia. The biggest domestic worry centres on China’s cooling property market, and the repercussions for bank lending and local government borrowing.

Beijing orchestrated a real estate slowdown this year to try to avoid a damaging property boom and bust. But the side-effect has been a rise in troubled loans to developers, and a drop in land sales that has cut off a vital source of revenue for heavily indebted local governments.

Credit Suisse, which has been among the more bearish in its forecasts on China’s housing sector, predicted property prices would fall 10% in 2012, bringing the cumulative decline to 20% from a mid-2011 peak.

China’s central bank said on Dec 2 that home prices were at a “turning point” and banks were concerned about a possible chain reaction if prices were to fall by 20%. Many market watchers took that as a signal that Beijing would ease some of the restrictions it placed on home purchases.

China has already reduced the amount of reserves that big banks must hold, a measure that freed up an estimated US$55 billion to US$63 billion in lending capacity.

Economists expect China to continue lowering banks’ reserve requirements. That in turn should help spark stronger growth in the second half of 2012.

Zhu Haibin, JPMorgan’s China economist, thinks the second-half recovery will be so robust that Beijing may resume raising interest rates toward the end of the year.

“Basically our view is that China’s interest rates are still behind the curve,” Zhu said. “We don’t think that the policy normalization was complete before it came to a halt.”

Waking the inflation dragon

The policy-induced second-half bounceback assumes that inflation remains subdued. That appears to be a safe bet, at least in the near term. Commodity prices have come down sharply since May, helping to bring down inflation in China, Indonesia, South Korea and elsewhere.

But the same forces that are likely to propel stronger second-half growth could also revive price pressures. A flood of easy money, coupled with renewed economic strength in commodity consumers like China, may stoke inflation.

Barclays economists warned that the “inflation dragon is resting for a while” and could wake with a vengeance in late 2012.

“One can envisage a scenario in which a bottoming out in global growth and the combined effects of past liquidity injections feed into global commodity prices and inflation at exactly the same time, risking a repeat of what occurred at the beginning of 2011,” Barclays wrote in a research note.

- Reuters

Excuses are the epitome of failure.

2011-12-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

Excuses, Excuses

By: trent@thesimpledoll ar.com
Posted: 06 Nov 2008 06:00 AM PST

When you're entrenched in a large pattern of bad habits and you're
challenged to escape those habits, it's very easy to fall back on an
excuse of some kind to "explain away" and justify your poor choices.

I know this from experience. I used many excuses to continue my poor
spending habits and I still use them sometimes to talk myself out of
exercise or other tasks that I know I need to do.

Excuses are the epitome of failure. Every time you come up with a
weak or unjustifiable reason for not doing something you know you
should be doing, you're choosing failure over success. You're
choosing to be broke instead of financial healthiness.

Here are eight common excuses that people use - and I used many of
them myself - to avoid taking charge of their money, and some
thoughts on why each one is nothing more than a crutch used to avoid
actually taking charge of one's situation.

I WAS BORN POOR.
I was born poor, too. I grew up in a house where the walls of the
stairwell were falling in and eventually were covered up with plywood
sheets. There were many times where supper came from what we caught
or what we picked from the garden that day.

I carried that concept into adulthood, believing that there was no
real need to plan for the long term future because I could quite
easily return to those "born poor" roots if I needed to. So I spent.
And spent. And spent.

What I was spending wasn't just fun money, but it was protection
against ever having to return to poverty. Instead of spending wildly
on fun things, if I had merely paid off all my debts, socked money
into retirement, and spent less than I earned, I would have lived a
very happy and comfortable life while also creating some protection
against ever having to return to a low income level.

Spending money under the badge of having been born poor ensures just
one thing: you're walking a tightrope that, if you slip just a bit,
will take you right back to that situation you worked hard to escape
from.

$$ YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE / YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG ONCE.
This excuse is absolutely correct, but it's often used to excuse
frivolous behavior when it actually should teach the opposite lesson.

You're only young once, right? Well, let's say Carl is 22 and he has
a choice over the next eight years to put $1,000 away in his
retirement account at an 8% annual return. He does that, but when
he's 30, he gets married and has kids, so he stops saving. Alexandra,
on the other hand, spends her twenties blowing that extra $1,000 -
she's only young once, right? But then, at age 30, she realizes the
mistake she's made and starts saving $1,000 a year.

At age 50, Carl has only put away $8,000 of his own money, while
Alexandra has put away $20,000 of her own money. But guess what their
account balances are? Carl has $61,808.09 in the bank, while
Alexandra only has $51,160.12 in the bank.

That's right - Carl put away $12,000 less than Alexandra and has
$10,000 more than Alexandra at age 50. The difference? Carl did it
when he was young.

You're absolutely right - you're only young once. Don't waste it.

$$ THE LENDERS TRICKED ME.
You made a mistake signing up for a loan you couldn't really afford -
and now you're stuck. You're facing payments bigger than you can
handle and things seem scary.

You have two choices here. You can either stick your fingers in your
ears and go "lalalalalala. .." using your situation as an excuse for
poor behavior or you can face your problems and try to fix them.

Call up your lender. See what you can negotiate. Look into owning
less expensive vehicles. Sell off some of your extra stuff. Look for
a second job. Try to sell your property and go with something
cheaper, even if you have to take a loss.

You have options. Ignoring those options and using the situation as
an excuse to spend does nothing more than dig the hole deeper.

$$ I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO MANAGE MONEY.
I can't do math. I don't understand investing. I don't know how to
balance a checkbook. So I just won't do any of it and hope things
turn out well.

Ignorance is fine - it's something that can be fixed. If you don't
know something but are open to learning it, you can find books and
help for learning almost anything. Hit your local library and check
out some books on the subject. Look for classes offered in the
community on these topics. Search the internet for assistance
(especially The Simple Dollar, using that handy-dandy search form on
the upper right of each page). You can even ask smart people you know
for help.

What's not fine is choosing to be ignorant. No one knows everything -
what separates those that succeed from those that fail is whether or
not you seek out answers for the questions you have and seek out help
for the things you don't know how to do.

$$ I WORK HARD AND I DESERVE SOME REWARD FOR IT.
This is a crutch I used all the time. Books, CDs, DVDs, video games,
golf equipment, expensive trips - all of these were my "reward" for
my hard work. And I deserved it, right? I worked my tail off and that
should mean I get to taste the good life.

There's a few big problems with that, though. My desire to have
the "good life" often meant that I didn't have adequate time to
actually fully enjoy the elements of that good life. DVDs would sit
unwatched (or only watched once). CDs would sit unheard. Video games
unplayed. Books unread. Golf equipment in storage for months. Trips
hastily planned and not fully enjoyed.

Sure, I lived the "high life" with all the stuff I wanted, but I
didn't actually get to enjoy a lot of it.

Here's a simple antidote to this crutch: scale back a little on what
you're spending. Instead of shopping for more things, spend some time
enjoying the things you already have. Master that video game instead
of buying a new one. Watch the DVD, then watch it again with the
director's commentary, and dig through the special features before
buying a new one. Wear a new item of clothing a few times before
adding another to your wardrobe. In short, thoroughly enjoy those
things that you're purchasing.

$$ GOD WILL PROTECT ME!!
Many people have a deep faith through which they find answers to many
of their deepest questions. Some people, though, come to rely on this
faith for everything, acquiring a deep belief that they will always
be protected from everything because of their faith.

Most faiths agree, however, that one of the gifts God has given us is
that of free will. We have the power to make choices for ourselves -
we are not automatons.

God has already protected you. God has given you every single tool
you need to protect yourself. You have the free will to choose
whether or not to use them.

$$ I'M SO FAR BEHIND THAT THERE'S REALLY NO HOPE.
Undoubtedly, there are some financial situations that are simply
disastrous, without any easily clear road out of the hole. It's
understandable how such situations can lead one to despair and a
sense of hopelessness, and from that an adoption of dangerous
behaviors and habits.

However, the truth is that no situation is hopeless. There is no
situation that you can't fix with proper focus and appropriate
assistance from others. Perhaps bankruptcy is the right situation for
you - contact a bankruptcy lawyer. Maybe the situation isn't as bad
as you think and can be solved through careful diligence and a strong
plan.

The first step here is to talk to someone about it. Reveal everything
and ask for their help in getting out of the situation. A true
friend - someone you really trust - can be a lifeline in this
situation.

But it is not hopeless. It is never hopeless.

$$ I DON'T MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
A final excuse that people use to keep themselves from taking action
is the excuse that they don't earn enough to make ends meet. They've
cut away everything and it still seems impossible. A low income is
certainly a big obstacle to overcome - and the solution to it is
obvious. Earn more. Look for a higher-paying job. Start a side
business. Do something to earn more income.

Many people will then claim that they don't have the skills or
knowledge to do that. Well, if that's the case, what's keeping you
from building those skills? Take some evening classes. Teach yourself
as much as you can. Be an attentive and serious student. You can
learn the skills you need to succeed at a higher level.

Don't let excuses tell you what you can and can't do. "Rules" like
those are made to be broken.

LIQUIDITY

2011-12-18T00:09:00.000-08:00

What is the new definition of LIQUIDITY in many countries today?

When you look at your investments and wet your pants.

China’s 10 Wealthiest Billionaires

2011-12-17T23:39:00.000-08:00

1. Liang Wengen, 55

Fortune: $11 billion
Company: Sany Group

Liang Wengen is the chairman of Sany Group — one of China’s largest construction equipment manufacturers.

Liang and three other partners founded Sany in 1989 as a small welding materials factory in the Chinese province of Hunan. Since then, the conglomerate has grown into a global operation with five industrial parks in China, four manufacturing bases in the U.S., Germany, India and Brazil, and 24 sales firms around the world.

Sany’s concrete pumps were used to build the Three Gorges Dam in China. Benefiting from China’s push towards urbanization, the group’s revenue reached $7.8 billion in 2010. Liang has a 58.2 percent stake in Sany.

The group’s subsidiary Sany Heavy Industry has plans to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange this October, with a $3 billion IPO.

2. Zong Qinghou, 66

Fortune: $10.7 billion
Company: Hangzhou Wahaha Group

Last year’s No. 1, “Drinks King” Zong Qinghou, fell to second place this year as his wealth shrunk from $12 billion in 2010 to $10.7 billion in 2011.

Zong is the chairman and CEO of the Hangzhou Wahaha Group — China’s largest beverage producer. Zong founded the company as an elementary school shop in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou in 1987 with a loan of $22,000. The firm now has about 200 subsidiary companies, which also include children’s clothing, and 40 manufacturing bases across China.

Wahaha has a 15 percent market share of China’s soft drinks market and sales for its children’s clothing line top nearly $1 billion a year. In 2010, group sales touched $8.6 billion. Zong announced earlier this year that the firm would build 100 hypermarkets in China over the next few years to compete with retail giants Wal-Mart and Carrefour.

A key Chinese political figure and a member of the National People’s Congress since 2002, Zong is no stranger to controversy. The tycoon made headlines in 2009 when his company ended its partnership with French food group Danone. The high-profile legal brawl led to mediation by the Chinese and French governments and saw Danone sell its 51 percent stake in its China joint venture to Wahaha. In 2008, Zong was also reportedly investigated for evading $42.9 million in taxes.

3. Robin Li Yanhong, 43

Fortune: $8.8 billion
Company: Baidu

Robin Li Yanhong is the youngest self-made billionaire in the Hurun top 10 rich list.

The 43-year-old co-founded China’s biggest internet company by market value, Baidu, with Eric Xu in 2000 after developing software for U.S. tech firms IDD and Infoseek.

Baidu operates China’s number one online search engine as well as a slew of other websites. Since the departure of Google from the Chinese market in 2010, Baidu fields more than 70 percent of the country’s search engine traffic.

Building on its success, Baidu was the first Chinese company to be listed on the Nasdaq 100 Index in 2007. Robin Li, who serves as CEO and chairman of Baidu, saw his wealth double in 2010 to $5.3 billion, and it's gone up another 66 percent to $8.8 billion this year.

Turning its focus to China’s growing demand for mobile phones, Baidu launched a wireless operating system called Yi in August. Dell, the world’s second-largest personal computer maker, has already agreed to produce smartphones using Baidu’s software for users in China.

4. Yan Bin, 57

Fortune: $7.8 billion
Company: Reignwood Group

Yan Bin, also known by his Thai name Chanchai Ruayrungruang, is the second drink maker among the top five richest people in China. The business tycoon has made the top five list for the past decade, but last year he tied for fifth with online search engine Baidu’s founder Robin Li Yanhong.

Yan founded the Reignwood Group in 1984 — a business conglomerate with interests in a range of consumer discretionary products and services like energy drinks, golf courses, financial services, and art and culture. Yan founded the company in Thailand, and set up a Beijing office in 1990. In 1995, the firm gained rights to be the sole retailer of Austrian energy drink Red Bull in China, leading to burgeoning sales and wealth for Yan. Red Bull dominates the energy drinks market in China, with sales of up to $800 million in 2010. China is also world’s second-largest market for energy drinks, according to consultancy firm Zenith International.

Apart from Red Bull, Yan owns one of China’s best-known golf courses, the Beijing Reignwood Golf Club. In April, his firm signed a five-year $25 million sponsorship contract with the world’s No. 1 female golfer, Taiwanese Tseng Yani.

5. Xu Jiayin, 57

Fortune: $7.2 billion
Company: Evergrande Real Estate Group

Property mogul Xu Jiayin makes his fifth appearance in the rich list, up 20 places from 2010. Xu is the chairman of Evergrande Real Estate Group, China’s second-largest property developer by sales.

Xu founded Evergrande, formerly known as Hengda, in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in 1996. The firm now has projects in over 100 cities in the country. Foreign shareholders Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank and Temasek Holdings paid $400 million for an 8 percent stake in the company in 2007. A year later, Evergrande went on to raise $722 million in its Hong Kong IPO.

Evergrande launched 33 new commercial real estate developments in the first six months of this year, and plans to launch another 29 in the second half. The firm saw its net profit jump 133 percent to $910 million in the first half of 2011 compared with the same period last year.

Owner of a Chinese professional soccer club, Xu attracted international attention this year when his soccer team Guangzhou Evergrande pulled off one of the biggest transfers in the country’s football history. Xu’s team signed Argentine playmaker Dario Conca for a record $10 million from the Brazilian champions Fluminense of Rio de Janeiro. Conca was the 2010 player of the year in Brazil.

6. Wang Jianlin, 56

Fortune: $7.1 billion
Company: Dalian Wanda Group

Wang Jianlin is the chairman of one of Asia’s largest property developers, the Dalian Wanda Group.

The firm, founded in 1988, has over 7 million square meters of leased commercial real estate in 32 Chinese cities. It also owns over 300 movie theatres and eight five-star hotels. The group’s revenue jumped nearly 70 percent from a year earlier to $9.66 billion in the first six months of the year. The company expects its revenue to exceed $15.6 billion in 2011.

Wang has also been an active political figure in China since 1996 and holds positions in several Communist party organizations. Keen to push China on to the world soccer stage, Wang made headlines in July when he signed a $77 million deal with the Chinese Football Association to revitalize the sport over the next three years. Wang also hopes to attract a world-class foreign coach to join the Chinese national team with a three-year contract worth $6.25 million.

7. Wu Yajun, 47

Fortune: $6.6 billion
Company: Longfor Properties

Wu Yajun is the wealthiest woman in China and also the richest self-made woman in the world currently, according to the Hurun Report.

Wu’s personal fortune of $6.6 billion increased 50 percent from the 2010 estimate of $4.4 billion. This year also marks Wu’s 10th appearance on China’s rich list.

A mechanical engineer, Wu also worked as a journalist for China Shirong News Agency before she founded Chongqing Zhongjianke Real Estate in 1995 with her husband. The company was later renamed Longfor Properties. Wu is the chairman of the real estate development firm, in which her family holds a 76 percent stake. Longfor’s business has now expanded to 10 cities in China.

Wu’s wealth ballooned in 2009 to $4 billion when the company made its debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Feeding into China’s booming property demand, Longfor launched over 1,000 villas worth $312 million in the eastern city of Yantai in July this year, which according to the company, were all sold out within a week. The firm’s contracted sales rose over 31 percent in July from a year earlier to $406 million.

8. Liu Yongxing, 63

Fortune: $6.4 billion
Company: East Hope Group

Liu Yongxing is the founder of the East Hope Group, China’s largest animal feed producer.

Liu and his three brothers started their business in 1982 with only $120 in savings, but split up in 1995 with Liu further expanding into aluminum production. Today his company, which has expanded rapidly amid rising demand for meat from China’s growing middle class, produces 100 types of animal feed. The Shanghai-based firm’s Inner Mongolia facility is also one of the largest aluminum ingot plants in Asia.

But, East Hope’s expansion plans have run into trouble with Chinese regulators. In May, the ministry of environmental protection ordered the group’s alumina refinery in Henan province to shut down production after the firm added an extra 400,000 tons to its capacity without prior approval.

9. He Xiangjian, 69

Fortune: $6.3 billion
Company: Midea Group

He Xiangjian is the founder and chairman of Midea Group — China’s second largest publicly traded appliance maker.

Making his first appearance in the top 10 list, He started a workshop that made small plastic bottle lids in 1968 and went on to found Midea in 1980. The household goods manufacturer, and retail empire now has over 13,000 stores across China. The firm, based in Guangdong, employs up to 130,000 people and has three overseas production bases in Vietnam, Belarus and Egypt. Midea’s revenue grew to $9.7 billion in the first half of 2011.

Despite its booming success, the firm’s manufacturing standards have recently been put into question. Earlier this month, media reports surfaced that Midea along with other industry leaders used industrial lubricant in their manufacturing instead of lubricant that is meant for food processors and juicers. The lubricant was reportedly used to reduce costs, and contains hazardous carcinogenic material. However, Midea employees have publicly denied the reports and have been quoted as saying that the firm’s products comply with national standards.

10. Yang Huiyan, 30

Fortune: $5.6 billion
Company: Country Garden

Yang Huiyan (inset) is the second wealthiest woman in mainland China and the youngest billionaire on the top 10 list.

The 30-year-old inherited almost all of her wealth from her father Yang Guoqiang (pictured), a farmer turned property developer, when he transferred his 70 percent stake in the company he founded — Country Garden — to Huiyan in 2007 before its Hong Kong IPO. The initial public offering raised about $1.65 billion for the real estate development firm, which made billionaires of its five shareholders. Huiyan was named Asia’s richest woman in the same year by Forbes Magazine with a net worth of $16 billion.

The heiress is a graduate of Ohio State University and married the son of a top Chinese official in 2007. Huiyan’s father remains the chairman of Country Garden, which is based in the South China Sea coastal province of Guangdong.

The company was founded in 1997, and builds high-end residential properties. Investing in China’s rapidly developing real estate sector has proved to be a lucrative venture for the country’s super rich. At least five of the top 10 richest people in China are involved in the property sector.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44530244/China_s_10_Wealthiest_Billionaires?slide=11

It is positive ENERGY and HEALING

2011-12-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Distance Healing benefits:

* It can help you with your connection with your true calling, and to help you find your life purpose so that you can live a fulfilled life
* It can help you reduce or eliminate physical illness or disease, including long-standing or chronic health issues such as mental or emotional conflicts, anxiety, fears, phobias and depressions
* It can give you a sense of peace and a deeper connection with one’s self and relationships with others
* It can help you increase mental, emotional and spiritual clarity and well-being
* It accelerates the bodys self-healing abilities, aids better sleep and reduces blood pressure
* It can help you experience a deeper sense of spirituality and inner peace and joy
* It can help with acute and chronic problems and aides the breaking of addictions
* It helps relieve pain
* It can help you re-program your subconscious mind with empowering thoughts and beliefs to give you confidence and clarity
* It enhances a more passionate way of living your life
* It purifies environments, and can facilitate the removal (or, change of vibrations, because energy just Is, it never disappears, it only changes) of energy from an office, house, garden, room, etc.
* It revitalizes and energizes you
* It triggers the bodies natural healing abilities, and improves and maintains health
* It creates deep relaxation and aids the body to release stress and tension
* It removes energy blockages and adjusts the energy flow
* It helps bringing the body and mind into balance and harmony
* It helps cleaning and cleansing the body from toxins
* It raises the vibrational frequency of the body, mind and spirit
* Helps spiritual growth and emotional clearing

It is Positive Energy: It never causes harm to any living thing! Only goodness and wellbeing; it helps us to come into alignment with our natural state of being, which is nothing less than harmony, balance and a peaceful state of mind.

http://mariaerving.com/distant-healing-benefits

A Step Towards a Vaccine for AIDS

2011-12-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

A Step Towards a Vaccine for AIDS
On World AIDS Day, a sign that there may actually be promise for a vaccine to fight the disease.

Thu Dec 1, 2011

THE GIST

AIDS has claimed at least 24 mmillion lives since it was identified in 1981.
The annual toll has fallen sharply in response to drug treatment.
In mice, a new path towards a vaccine has opened up.

Tests on lab mice have opened up a new path towards a vaccine against HIV, one of the most frustrating quests in the 30-year history of AIDS, scientists reported.

Genetically modified mice fought back the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after they had been injected with genes to make antibodies, the first line of defense in the immune system, the report said in the journal Nature.

NEWS: Phosphorescent Felines Fight AIDS

First identified in 1981, AIDS has claimed at least 25 million lives, although the annual toll is falling sharply from the peak of the pandemic in response to drug treatment.

But AIDS campaigners say the pandemic will only be crushed once a vaccine emerges. So far, in clinical trials, only one candidate formula has had even a modest effect, providing a shield of only 31 percent against the risk of HIV infection.

This has prompted researchers to return to the drawing board, to look for "broadly neutralising antibodies" -- Y-shaped proteins that are the immune system's foot soldiers -- among the tiny number of people with an innate ability to resist HIV.

So far, this trawl has turned up around 20 so-called "bNAbs," but there are big unknowns as to how they work and, if so, whether they can be made into a deliverable vaccine.

Delving into this, a team led by David Baltimore at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) says it has developed a way to deliver bNAb-making genes to lab mice.

The rodents were engineered to carry human cells that allow HIV to penetrate and reproduce.

The approach, called Vectored ImmunoProphylaxis, or VIP, entails using a harmless virus as a "Trojan horse" in which they tucked the genes able to turn out specific bNAbs.

NEWS: AIDS Battle 30 Years On: Tragedy and Hope

They then injected the virus into the leg muscles of the mice, where it holed up in cells, enabling the bNAb genes to produce antibodies in response to HIV.

The mice were first challenged with just one nanogram of AIDS virus -- enough to infect most non-treated mice that received it -- but the dose was eventually cranked up to 125 nanograms without problems. There were no signs of any side effects.

"VIP has a similar effect to a vaccine but without ever calling on the immune system to do any of the work," said Alejandro Balazs, lead author of the study, in a press release issued by Caltech.

"Normally, you put an antigen or killed bacteria or something into the body, and the immune system figures out how to make an antibody against it. We've taken that whole part out of the equation."

The team stressed that the jump from mice to humans is large.

"We're not promising that we've actually solved the human problem," said Baltimore. "But the evidence for prevention in these mice is very clear."

He added the team was drawing up plans to cautiously test the method in small-scale human clinical trials.

Baltimore co-won the 1975 Nobel Prize for Medicine at the age of 37 for his work on reverse transcriptase, a key enzyme in the reproduction of retroviruses -- the family that includes HIV.

In an email exchange with AFP, he said VIP was "like gene therapy, but distinct."

Gene therapy entails slotting a gene into the patient's DNA that corrects a flawed, disease-causing counterpart.

Hopes for this field of research were clouded by several reverses, notably the death of a young volunteer, Jesse Gelsinger, in 1999.

NEWS: Top Ten Deadly Diseases

The tragedy raised doubts about where genes should be inserted in the genome and about the safety of the virus that delivered them.

Baltimore explained that VIP used a small, harmless vector, an adeno-associated virus (AAV), which took up residence in the muscle cells but did not slot genes into the mouse's DNA code.

"It's not an 'insertion' but a free plasmid-like element that will exist in muscle cells," he said.

Publication of the study coincided with the eve of World AIDS Day.

The number of people living with HIV currently stands at about 34 million, according to the latest UN figures.

http://news.discovery.com/human/aids-vaccine-111201.html

Men and women in digital era

2011-12-01T22:07:00.001-08:00

Men and women in digital era

Animals in Thailands need HELP

2011-11-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

Ongoing Rescue Work
Dogs at puppy farms and animal shelters have been abandoned with many drowning in their cages. Animal shelters where hundreds of unwanted dogs and cats are cared for have flooded with huge numbers drowned. As rescuers move through the flooded areas in boats,hundreds of dogs are seen swimming for their lives.

Emergency teams are continuing work across Bangkok and Phuket where tens of thousands of animals are at risk. Khun Pawena and her team pictured above are just some of the many people working day and night to save animal lives. Through donations, Soi Dog Foundation was able to help Pawena and her team source and purchase an engine for their rescue boat. Another boat has just been delivered to one of the other field rescue groups at work in Bangkok. However rescue teams need more and bigger boats urgently. Large trucks have also been organized to transport animals to emergency facilities that have been set up to accommodate thousands of animals.
Thanks to donations, SCAD Bangkok in coalition with the Elephant Nature Foundation and theKinship Circle are providing shelter, medical and animal management services at theTWP shelter which providesrefuge, food, vaccinations, treatment and sterilization for dogs recued by volunteers from the flood zone north of Bangkok. There are more than 100 dogs on site, with more arriving each day.

We cannot over emphasize to you the critical nature of the situation and the urgency involved in the rescue efforts. The photo you see above was taken by Cindy Amey of Soi Dog Foundation during a recent rescue mission. This photo of dogs clinging to the rescue truck speaks for itself. The dedication of the rescue volunteers is truly admirable.
Volunteers are working tirelessly to get as many animals as possible to safety and donations are urgently needed for cages, food, transportation, medicine, temporary shelter and of course veterinary help.

SPCA Animal Shelter | Inspectorate | Humane Education | Klinik Kembiri | Government Lobbying | MissionHELP
SPCA Selangor | Jln Kerja Ayer Lama, 68000 Ampang Jaya, Selangor
T: 42565312/ 42535179 | F: 42528382

enquiries@spca.org.my | www. spca.org.my

Thailand Floods Pass Peak, Raising Hopes in Bangkok

2011-10-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

October 31, 2011
Thailand Floods Pass Peak, Raising Hopes in Bangkok

Thailand's rain-swollen Chao Phraya River passed its peak stage Monday, raising hopes that central Bangkok will be spared the flooding that has already inundated much of the city's northern and western suburbs.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said the government is now focused on repairing several ruptures in the city's flood barriers where water still is seeping through.

"Today Bangkok residents might feel that the water level hasn't gone down because in some canals the broken barriers haven't been fixed, so the water comes in," said Yingluck. "So we've speeded up the repair at several spots. Last night we asked the private sector to help out so there are a few spots we're rushing to fix. Once the problem is solved we can be less worried."

She said once those repairs are made, residents should be able to begin to relax.

However, residents in areas outside the flood barriers remain deeply frustrated as the water continues to pour through their streets and into their homes.

One resident of a district north of Bangkok said that in his neighborhood, the water still seems to be rising.

"The water level has not receded, it keeps rising, not receding. It will rise in the morning from 9 to 10 am, it will rise and will not recede.''

He said he does not know when it will recede.

Months of flooding across central Thailand have sent massive amounts of water southward toward the capital, its last obstacle on the way to the sea. The flood peak in Bangkok has coincided with unusually high tides which have pushed water back up the Chao Phraya River.

The combination has strained the city's flood barriers to their capacity, creating leaks that have sent ankle-high water into downtown streets around Bangkok's iconic Grand Palace and other tourist attractions.

Tens of thousands of residents have fled the area on bamboo rafts, vans, army trucks or on foot, heading for higher ground in the south. Many have flown out of the city.

The flooding that began in July - the country's worst in 50 years - has already claimed more than 380 lives. The material losses are yet to be determined.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Thailand-Floods-Pass-Peak-Raising-Hopes-in-Bangkok-132915593.html

In Egypt, Women's Rights Advocates Fear Losing Ground

2011-10-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

October 07, 2011
In Egypt, Women's Rights Advocates Fear Losing Ground

Today's Nobel Committee announcement that three women will split an award for "nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and women's rights" may reenergize gender-equality campaigns worldwide.

But in Egypt, women's rights activists say they are experiencing a backlash. With parliamentary elections rapidly approaching, their new role in the post-Mubarak era remains unclear. From calls for greater political representation to increased rights within the family -- to demands for an end to basic incivilities such as groping and catcalling on Cairo's crowded streets -- Egypt's battle for gender equality is varied and ongoing.

Engy Ghozlan, co-founder of 9-month-old Harrassmap.org, a volunteer-run website that enables women to document sexual harassment via texting, Facebook and Twitter, has already received hundreds of messages.

"[In] one, the girl says a man followed her from the metro overpass on road nine near a bakery to an apartment building on road eleven," she says, explaining that another women reported being physical assaulted in Cairo's Ramses Railway Station. "A guy approached her and pulled her blouse from the top down and then smiled and ran away and no one helped her out or even asked if [she] was okay."

For many Egyptian women, however, the struggle isn't restricted to crowded transit hubs, but extends to the halls of parliament, which, advocates say, is perhaps the larger part of the problem. Whether the new Egyptian constitution will guarantee women’s rights is uncertain, and Nov. 28 elections for upper and lower houses of parliament will decide who authors the document. Egyptian Islamist groups banned under the Mubarak regime are now able to organize politically, a fact that weighs heavily on the minds of rights activists. Nawaal al Saadawi, an Egyptian feminist author, says many women fear a backlash from the rise of conservative parties formed in the wake of revolution.

Parties aligned with the Salafis -- conservative Muslims who urge a strict interpretation of the Koran -- are of particular concern. "Nothing is improving in relation to women or the working class or the revolution, because we have a counterrevolution," she says. "There is a revival of Islamic groups, the Salafi groups, [and] whenever you have a revival of Salafi and Islamic fanatic groups, you have a backlash against women."

But Salafis have been quick to point out that they marched alongside demonstrators in the Tahrir Square uprisings, and that they have called for an Egyptian society governed by Islamic law that does not demean women.

A familiar struggle: Setting the political tone of women's rights in Egypt

Concerns about women's rights in Egypt, however, aren't focused exclusively on which party is about to wield parliamentary control. Memories of the former Egyptian first lady are fresh in the minds of many women.

Suzanne Mubarak, a self-fashioned advocate of women's rights, championed criminalization of female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation, a practice that Egypt banned in 2007. Ghozlan says the former first lady, whom analysts have described as widely disliked by the public, was an activist in name only.

"She was managing the [political] center for women's rights, but there were a whole lot of NGOs, activists and people who worked all their lives for [this] stuff," says Ghozlan. "We might be losing gains made during the past regime, so there's a lot of pressure on women's rights groups now to prove themselves without any connection to the first lady."

Other activists say what most worries them is a post-revolution discourse that marginalizes women's rights as a political priority.

Rebecca Chiao, an American who also works with Harrassmap in Cairo, recalls numerous positive changes for women since her 2004 arrival. But she says progress has recently slowed.

"You have a lot of people who are repeating this line: 'It’s not time for women’s rights,'" she says. "I don’t think they’ve thought very hard about this. I feel like it’s kind of a slogan that’s being pushed because women’s rights aren’t any different than human rights and democracy and these other things that they’re talking about."

Chiao says the upcoming election may prove a decisive now-or-never moment in the fight for women’s rights. "Now is really the time, I think, when we’ll see who pushes stronger, and right now it’s really a battleground," she says. "I really hope these young women can sustain their effort and pull through."

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/human-rights/In-Egypt-Womens-Rights-Advocates-Fear-Losing-Ground-131357758.html

USA in debt

2011-10-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Twitter now has 100 million active users monthly

2011-10-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

Twitter now has 100 million active users monthly

By Suzanne Choney

Twitter now has 100 million active users logging in at least once a month. CEO Dick Costolo shared the stats with reporters and the info was also — appropriately — tweeted live by Twitter Thursday during Costolo's remarks.

Here's a look at some of the info on how the short-messaging blog is doing:

* There are 50 million active users of Twitter every day.
* The site has 200 million registered users.
* 55 percent of Twitter's active users go the cellphone route to access Twitter.

"We've seen tremendous growth with mobile — about 40 percent increase quarter over quarter," Costolo said.

* Twitter has more than 400 million monthly unique visitors, according to Google Analytics. "That number is up from 250 million" in January of this year, he said.

* 40 percent of Twitter's "monthly active users do not tweet. This means that they have not tweeted in the last month," but merely followed the tweets of others.

Twitter's product team is working on continuing to simplify the site's interface and make it "more consistent across devices," which include phones, tablets and computers.

In response to reporters' questions on Twitter about whether the site would lift its 140-character limit on tweets, the CEO was quite definite.

"No. We are going to offer simplicity in a world of complexity," he said in a 62-character response (including spaces and punctuation).

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/08/7672749-twitter-now-has-100-million-active-users-monthly

China Tibetan Buddhists live in fear after immolations

2011-10-20T00:42:00.000-07:00

China Tibetan Buddhists live in fear after immolations
A Tibetan lama in southwest China dodges questions about a wave of self-immolations in the region, saying his monks are forbidden even to speak about the protests against religious repression.

Standing under the new roof of the Buddhist monastery's main hall, the maroon-clad monk nervously fingers his prayer beads as he glances across a small plaza to a police station a stone's throw away.

The lama, whose name AFP is withholding out of concern for his safety, says his monks all undergo "political education" by the state and that even mentioning the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will "do no good".

"Yes, we have political education. We must study harmonious socialism, but our monks spend most of their time studying the scriptures," said the lama.

The senior monk, in his fifties, was keen to stress that they are still able to practice their religion and that things have improved since the Cultural Revolution, when communist zealots destroyed cultural heritage in Tibet and elsewhere.

"They have assured us that we will never return to the Cultural Revolution," he said.

Eight Buddhist monks and one nun have set themselves on fire this year in protest against what they say is religious and cultural repression in Tibetan areas of China.

Rights groups say at least five have died and the United States on Wednesday expressed "serious concern" over the situation, urging China to "address counterproductive policies in Tibetan areas that have created tensions".

Many monks interviewed by AFP during a visit to the area this week refused even to use the words "self-immolation" or to talk about the Dalai Lama, although all appeared to be closely following his words.

"We have no freedom," said one. "The situation was better before. A few years ago, before 2008, the situation was better, but now we basically have no freedom."

China has dramatically ramped up the military and police presence in areas with large Tibetan populations since the 2008 riots in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.

Beijing's policies on religion have been felt particularly keenly in Tibetan communities, with Buddhism central to society. Each household traditionally sends one of their offspring to the monasteries to become a monk or nun.

At the monastery in Sichuan province's Shanba town, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Aba county where most of the self-immolations have taken place, young novices played in the shadow of a towering peak sprinkled with fresh snow.

Inside the main temple the monastery's "living Buddha", a monk considered to be the reincarnation of a line of high-ranking lamas, blessed a Chinese couple and their child in Tibetan, while a senior monk translated into flawless Chinese.

After the blessing and the lighting of incense and candles, the couple donated 1,000 yuan ($150) to the temple.

Here, the monks live in relative harmony with the non-Tibetan population, but police stations have been built near almost all the monasteries in the area, a constant reminder of the underlying tensions with the authorities.

Kirti monastery in Aba has been under virtual lockdown since a young monk named Phuntsog set light to himself in March, sparking mass protests that led to a police crackdown.

On Monday, a nun in Aba became the first woman to self-immolate, calling for religious freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet as she set herself on fire.

Rights groups say the escalation in self-immolations is an indication of the desperation felt by the Buddhists, particularly as the taking of their own lives goes against their religious ideals.

The Dalai Lama fled Tibet following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

He founded Tibet's government in exile in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala after being offered refuge there, and remains revered in China's Tibetan regions, but despised by the nation's Communist authorities.

China has invested heavily in developing Tibet and other areas with large Tibetan populations in recent years, including rebuilding monasteries damaged during the Cultural Revolution.

By steering clear of controversial issues the monastery in Shanba, which belongs to a separate sect of Tibetan Buddhism from that of the Dalai Lama, like many other monasteries in China's Tibetan-inhabited regions, is slowly rebuilding itself.

In the main hall the ornate wooden doors look freshly carved, while new frescos of Buddhist deities gleam from the building's giant walls.

"It does no good to talk about (the Dalai Lama). To show support for him will do us no good," the lama said as he lowered his head to hide the emotion in his eyes.

"I do not think they will allow him to return."
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5425024

Kindergarten Centered Around a Legendary Tree

2011-10-12T22:12:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten Centered Around a Legendary Tree

Powerful Women in India

2011-10-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

i never knew that

2011-10-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

Well...... I never knew that!

Q: Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?
A: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right! And that's where women's buttons have remained since.

Q: Why do ships and aircraft use 'mayday' as their call for help?
A: This comes from the French word m'aidez -meaning 'help me' -- and is pronounced, approximately, 'mayday.'

Q: Why are zero scores in tennis called 'love'?
A: In France, where tennis became popular, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called 'l'oeuf,' which is French for 'egg.' When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans (mis)pronounced it 'love.'

Q. Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?
A: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

Q: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called 'passing the buck'?
A: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would 'pass the buck' to the next player.

Q: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
A: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would only touch or clink the host's glass with his own.

Q: Why are people in the public eye said to be 'in the limelight'?
A:Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and theatres by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre,a performer 'in the limelight' was the centre of attention.

Q: Why is someone who is feeling great 'on cloud nine'?
A: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

Q: In golf, where did the term 'Caddie' come from?
A. When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the Scots game 'golf.' So he had the first course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced 'ca-day' and the Scots changed it into 'caddie.

Q: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?
A: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay called 'pygg'. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as 'pygg banks.' When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a container that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

Q: Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches (milling), while pennies and nickels do not?
A: The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren't notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.

So there you are! Now you know!

Peak and near-peak fall colors expected in much of Adirondacks

2011-09-29T22:47:00.001-07:00

Peak and near-peak fall colors expected in much of Adirondacks

Beautiful peak and near peak foliage is coming on strong in the Adirondacks region, according to observers for Empire State Development's I LOVE NEW YORK program, while fall colors continue to steadily progress throughout the state, particularly in the Catskills.

Foliage spotters in the Greater Niagara region predict color changes ranging from 10 percent to 30 percent. In Niagara County, 25-30 percent color change is predicted by the weekend with bright green leaves being joined by an increasing number of yellows and oranges. Orleans County spotters are calling for 25 percent color change with dull shades of yellow, gold and purple. In Erie County, Buffalo leaf peepers expect 20-25 percent foliage change with golden yellow leaves of average brilliance mixed in with green and a little touch of orange and red here and there. Genesee County still is in the early stages of color change and just 10 percent leaf transition is expected by the weekend.

In Essex County, foliage spotters in Lake Placid note that foliage is changing rapidly and expect it to be at peak by the weekend, with near complete color change and a nice mix of golds, yellows, reds and a trace of remaining green from the evergreens. In Old Forge, Herkimer County, foliage observers are calling for peak foliage with 95 percent color change and a mix of red, russet, orange and gold leaves contrasting beautifully with the evergreens. Foliage spotters in Franklin County are also expecting peak conditions with 95 percent color change in the Mt. Arab/Tupper Lake area. The vibrant fall colors there are quickly fading, leaving hues of copper, pumpkin, goldenrod and crimson. In Hamilton County, conditions in the Indian Lake area are nearing peak with 60-80 percent color change and brilliant shades of yellow, red and brown. In Essex County, foliage spotters at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington are calling for 45 percent color change with red, yellow and orange leaves of average brilliance. Conditions there range from midpoint to near peak.

In Warren County, North Creek leaf peepers expect near peak conditions with 60 percent color change by the weekend, and up to 75 percent change at elevations above 1,000 feet. The colors are of medium brilliance; look for shades of red, orange and yellow. Foliage spotters based in Lake George are expecting 35-40 percent color change by the weekend, with muted shades of red and yellow, while in the southern portion of the county, green leaves still predominate.

In the Catskills, leaf peepers in the Saugerties area of Ulster County expect 65-70 percent color change, with near peak bright yellow and gold leaves, along with some beautiful shades of red. In Delaware County near peak foliage is also expected with 60 percent color change and brilliant orange, red and gold leaves. Foliage spotters at Belleayre Mountain in Highmount predict 50-60 percent color change with some very deep shades of red and orange. Elsewhere in Ulster County, Kingston foliage spotters predict 50-60 percent color change with a bright yellow and shimmery gold treescape dotted with splashes of bright orange. The stage of change is at midpoint. In Sullivan County foliage will be at midpoint of change, with a mix of bright tangerine orange, goldenrod yellow and berry red leaves. Greene County is just emerging from the early stages of color change. Look for 35 percent leaf transition this weekend, with bright red and yellow leaves.

Foliage spotters in the Thousand Islands-Seaway region expect color conditions to be generally in the midpoint of change. Jefferson County spotters are calling for 50 percent color change with bright yellow, orange and red leaves. In the St. Lawrence Valley area of St. Lawrence County, 40 percent color change is expected by the weekend. Many areas are still green, but some yellow and orange leaves, along with a few reds, are coming along. In Oswego County, the southern areas of the county, especially along the Oswego River, are showcasing gorgeous hues of scarlet, maroon, orange, gold and bright yellow mixed with shades of green. Look for 40 percent color change. From Pulaski to Redfield along the Salmon River you'll find 50 - 60 percent change with lots of glowing yellows, scarlet, orange and bronze. Purple aster and goldenrod along the roadsides are particularly bright this year.

In the Central New York region, look for 50 percent color change in Otsego County, with average-to-bright yellow, orange, red and a few remaining green leaves. Broome County is expecting around 45 percent color change with bright yellow, orange, red and green leaves. Also expecting midpoint of color change is Southern Herkimer County, with 40-50 percent transition. The leaves are a little dull, but getting brighter. Look for yellow, orange and some beautiful shades of rust. In Chenango County, foliage spotters in Norwich expect 35-40 percent color change depending on the elevation, with yellow and orange leaves of average brilliance, along with along with some red. In Utica, Oneida County, 35 percent color transition is expected. While green still predominates, various shades of orange are also starting to appear. Madison County spotters in Morrisville note that the leaves are continuing their change and should be at about 35 percent of peak this weekend. Areas along the US Route 20 scenic byway have nice color coming on which makes for a perfect fall drive.

In the Chautauqua-Allegheny region, Cattaraugus County observers predict 55 percent color change with fall colors of yellow and red, along with some remaining summer green. Also in the county, at Allegany State Park foliage is at midpoint of color transition and changing rapidly. Look for yellow and orange leaves of average brilliance. In Allegany County the foliage season is in full swing. Color changes will range from 35 to 60 percent by the weekend, with vibrant shades of red, gold and brown. In Chautauqua County, expect 30 percent color change with some orange and rust colored leaves of average brilliance.

In the Finger Lakes, foliage conditions by the weekend should range from midpoint of change to just beginning. Cayuga County expects 40 percent transition with brilliant green, gold, orange and red leaves. Seneca County is looking at about 35 percent color change with a lot of green, along with yellows, reds, and oranges mixed in. Tioga County will not see much change from last week. Expect perhaps 30 percent color transition with dull green and yellow leaves. Ontario County also predicts 30 percent change with a mix of brilliant yellows, harvest golds, oranges, russets and some pops of ruby red. Foliage spotters in Steuben County predict 25-30 percent leaf change with much green remaining, along with many shades of orange.

In Chemung County, 25-30 percent of the foliage should be changed by the weekend. Look for muted yellows, reds and burnt oranges coloring the landscape. In Monroe County, Rochester and surrounding areas can expect 25-30 percent change with shades of green and yellow-green predominating, along with some scattered red leaves on maples, but not much in the way of orange or russet coloration because the nights have not been cool enough yet. Cortland County is expecting 20-30 percent color change with average-bright touches of orange and red leaves. In Onondaga County, the Syracuse area can expect to see 25 percent color change, although the southern part of the county is much farther along than the city. Look for bright green with golden yellow leaves and some hints of purple.

Livingston County expects just 20 percent color change with average-to-bright mostly yellow leaves. Wayne County is projecting 15 percent change, and Tompkins and Yates counties 10 percent.

In the Capital-Saratoga region, foliage spotters in Schenectady County expect 35 percent color change by the weekend, with bright red and yellow leaves, along with some orange starting to emerge. The stage of change will be from beginning to midpoint. In Albany County, foliage spotters in the Thacher Park area of Voorheesville expect 30-35 percent change with bright yellows and touches of red. In the City of Albany, look for less change, with about 5-10 percent leaf transition. In Rensselaer County expect color changes of 25-35 percent, with more color appearing in the Eastern and Northern parts of the county (30-40 percent). In the higher elevations, look for bright shades of orange, yellow, red and green. In Saratoga County, expect 20-25 percent color change, as the green leaves begin to be overtaken by reds, yellows and oranges.

In the Hudson Valley, foliage spotters in Dutchess County expect 30 percent leaf change by the weekend with average-to-bright yellow and dark russet leaves on top of the still green background. The color change is approaching midpoint in the northern and eastern parts of the county; color change is still just beginning in the south and the west. In Orange County, foliage is expected to be 30 percent changed and of generally average brilliance, with sporadic touches of bright yellow, gold and some red. Foliage spotters in Highland in Ulster County predict a 30 percent color change with bright yellow and red highlights. To the south in Westchester County, expect 25 percent color change, mostly in the northern part of the county, but still some nice color down toward White Plains. Look for red maples and an assortment of golden brown leaves. Rockland County expects 10 percent change in the New City area with some bright shades of yellow and red starting to show. Bear Mountain expects 10 percent change, with some shades of yellow, red and orange.

On Long Island, foliage spotters in the Hamptons expect 25 percent color change. Look for dull yellow and dark gold leaves. Nassau County and western Suffolk County expect minimal change, with a few maple trees starting to change color. New York City has not begun to change color yet.

http://thedailynewsonline.com/myweather/article_92b3c66a-ea9d-11e0-96d0-001cc4c03286.html

Less Less Less

2011-09-29T21:10:00.001-07:00

Our communication - Wireless
Our phones - Cordless
Our cooking - Fireless
Our food - Fatless
Our Sweets - Sugarless
Our labor - Effortless
Our relations - Fruitless
Our attitude - Careless
Our feelings - Heartless
Our politics - Shameless
Our education - Worthless
Our Mistakes - Countless
Our arguments - Baseless
Our youth - Jobless
Our actress & models - Topless
Our Jobs - Thankless
Our Needs - Endless
Our situation - Hopeless
Our Salaries - Less & less

Welcome to 21st Century!!

Franz Reichelt - Eiffel Tower - Parachute Fail

2011-09-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

Franz Reichelt - Eiffel Tower - Parachute Fail

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BepyTSzueno&feature=player_embedded

SO delicious...........

2011-08-31T23:42:00.000-07:00

Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat beaten

2011-08-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

The renowned cartoonist was found on the side of a road in Damascus after Syrian security forces beat him up and broke his hands. Below is a picture of him in the hospital that circulated on Twitter.

The following cartoon depicts President Assad trying to hitch a lift as Muammar Gaddafi tries to escape.

which is Blonde?

2011-08-30T01:43:00.001-07:00

which is Blonde?

About US Economy???

2011-08-29T00:49:00.001-07:00

US Economy !?-

VERY INTERESTING AND FRIGHTENING FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD.

The world heaved a sigh of relief when Obama at last signed to extend the US debt figure. Both the Democrats and the Republicans compromised and finally agreed how not to default on the Government's financial obligations. What a joke. All they managed to do was to delay what is inevitable by increasing the US debt even more.

Of all the world leaders Putin put it most accurately: the US is a parasite and living off other countries. Don't believe me? Check this out.

Only three minutes but it will blow you away.

Sit down and fasten your safety belt.
You will not believe this.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/VtVbUmcQSuk

Bottled water in your car is very dangerous!

2011-08-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

Bottled water in your car is very dangerous!

On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said that this is what caused her breast cancer.
It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue..

Sheryl Crow's oncologist told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.
The heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the bottle which releases dioxin into the water. Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue.
So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.

Pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know that just might save us!
Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle instead of plastic!

LET EVERYONE WHO HAS A WIFE / GIRLFRIEND / DAUGHTER KNOW PLEASE!

This information is also being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center ...
No plastic containers in microwaves.
No plastic water bottles in freezers.
No plastic wrap in microwaves.

Dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.
Dioxins are highly poisonous to cells in our bodies.
Don't freeze plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently the Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.

He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating food in the microwave using plastic containers.....
This especially applies to foods that contain fat.

He said that the combination of fat, high heat and plastic releases dioxin into the food.

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food... You get the same result, but without the dioxin..
So, such things as TV dinners, instant soups, etc., should be removed from their containers and heated in something else.

Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's safer to use tempered glass, such as Pyrex, etc.

He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the styrene foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons....

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Cling film, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave.
As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!

RAPED BY OWN BROTHER (+18 Age Group)]

2011-08-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

RAPED BY OWN BROTHER (+18 Age Group)]

Licenced Breast Massager Job in China

2011-08-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

Do you want to change job?
Want a more challenging profession?
How about being a licensed breast massager.
This is a new fad in China. It’s a tough job:
You have to keep a straight face,
keep your... erection in check,
and get paid between $100 to $200 for the service.
Shanghai, Beijing shops pay $400 and more...an ideal job.
How about applying for this job?...

揉奶師---大陸新職業

”揉奶師“！還真有這個職業啊！！！看他嚴肅的表情，認真的工作態度，哥徹底淩亂啦。真是天雷滾滾，滾滾天雷呀！！！
據說是全方位護理，保持形狀，能起到自然隆胸的目的，更可以防護乳腺癌。全方位揉半天，揉爽了，人家還得給你至少二百塊……200都少了，北京上海都是400元起的，一般二線城市基本上都是200塊，也有100塊的，這可能會不靠譜。
這個職業真好啊……但是據說招人的要求挺嚴格的你得保證都弄完後，小GG拿出來還能彎一彎……要求很嚴格！一般正常男人很難合格達標！比考公務員都難！

I can't talk to u right now...

2011-08-06T21:23:00.001-07:00

I can't talk to u right now...
I am praying

Tourism in Iraq: Lost Cradle of Civilization

2011-07-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Tourism in Iraq: Lost Cradle of Civilization
August 23, 2010 6:26 pm

For anyone who has paid attention to the news over the last decade, Iraq is a country that needs no introduction. Situated in a particularly unstable corner of the Middle East, the land that once boasted The Cradle of Civilization lost its cultural edge a long time ago. Relaxing city breaks to the infamous capital Baghdad are strongly discouraged, and despite some misplaced optimism, Iraq’s tourist economy is going nowhere fast.
Last November on a fact-finding mission at the World Travel Market in London, Hammoud al-Yaqoubi, chairman of Iraq’s tourist board, said 2010 would herald a holiday revival in the wartorn land. Mr al-Yaqoubi, who arguably has the toughest job in hospitality, insisted Iraq had “the infrastructure for tourism” and was “optimistic about turning the tourism industry into a success.” He even confidently asserted that: “Next year, we will have a distinguished stand here for Iraq. Iraqi Airways will be here, Iraqi hotels will be here, Iraqi restaurants will be here.”

Almost a year later, and despite reassurances that security in the country was, against most people’s better judgement, only a “minor problem”, foreign tourists remain barred. And for good reason, as Iraq remains one of the most dangerous countries on the planet. But should the situation change within the next few generations, there’s a handful of sites from the dawn of civilization that scholars, archeologists and history enthusiasts have been clamouring about for decades.

http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2010/08/lost-cradle-of-civilization-iraqs-booming-tourist-trade/?utm_source=scribol&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=scribol

Lower Mesopotamia, The Cradle of Civilization itself, is home to the major Shia cities and holy sites of Basra, Karbala and Nasiriya. It is also the location of the ruined Sumerian city of Ur and the legendary ancient civilization Babylon, although the famed Hanging Gardens have long since ceased to hang and the Babylonian ruins are now blighted by tacky reconstruction, looting and battle damage.

But despite the country’s propensity for violence and the 2003 invasion that added more bomb craters than it filled, Iraq has several UNESCO World Heritage sites that have somehow survived decades of conflict. The only problem is they’re off-limits to those that want to explore them, although on a positive note, Ashur, the former capital of the Assyrian Empire, ironically benefitted from the allied invasion, since the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein planned to flood the entire area to create a reservoir. Ashur’s remains now only have bullets and bombs to contend against.

Other notable historical spots include the 3,000-year-old city of Nineveh (above top), also a former capital of Assyria, the well preserved Partian city of Hatra (above middle), arguably Iraq’s most impressive ruins, and Ctesiphon, the ancient capital of the Parthian and Sassanid Empires (bottom). These towering remains, especially the Arch of Ctesiphon, occupy a commanding position on the opposite bank of the River Tigris to another archeological gem: the ancient Hellenistic city of Seleucia.

Despite these bastions of ancient culture, Mr al-Yaqoubi’s optimism at having a “distinguished stand” at the World Travel Market may prove rather hopeful. Furthermore, the first Iraqi Airways flight to London’s Gatwick airport in two decades ended in farce when the plane was impounded on landing and its captain’s passport seized. Iraq clearly has the tourist destinations, but can the tourist board come up with the goods?

Men's underwear for real macho

2011-07-29T22:24:00.001-07:00

She is Worth $6,000.00

2011-07-14T23:11:00.001-07:00

Big Barbie Doll

She is Worth $6,000.00

Few very rare items

2011-07-13T04:19:00.000-07:00

Few very rare items

Rarest Gems

The world's rarest gem is believed to be painite, a gem that most have never heard of. The painite is orangish or reddish brown and was first discovered in Burma in the '50s. Within the last couple of years, the source of the two original painite crystals was discovered and now a few hundred faceted stones exist. A more well-known (but still very rare) gem is the red diamond

Rarest Signature

He may have done a lot of writing, but with only 6 of them in existence William Shakespeare' s signature is one of the rarest of all and is valued somewhere around $3 million dollars.

Rarest Cats & Dogs

Of the rarest cat breeds, the Ashera (pic. left) is the most expensive ($20K+), the Sokoke the most exotic (from the wilds of Africa), and the Egyptian Mau has the coolest history (lived with the Egyptians). As for dog breeds, the one that keeps popping up on all the "rare" lists is the Lundehund, originally bred by the Vikings to hunt Puffins. Other rare breeds include Otterhounds and Stabyhounds.

Rarest Stamps

According to Wikipedia, the most expensive item by weight and volume is the Treskilling Yellow stamp from Sweden. It has a current estimated worth of $2.3 million. Here's what makes it so valuable: In 1858, when the currency was known as the skilling, the 3-skilling stamp ("treskilling") was printed in blue. And an 8-skilling stamp was printed in yellow. But due to a printing error, a few 3-skilling stamps were printed in yellow.

Rarest Sea Salt

The earliest known sea salt produced by the Japanese may be the rarest of all. Called Amabito No Moshio ("Ancient Sea Salt"), unpolluted sea water is collected from the Seto-uchi inland sea, infused with seaweed to develop the "unami", and then processed by cooking in an iron kettle, put into a centrifuge, and finally, cooked over an open fire while stirring constantly. The salt is worth over $40 per pound.

Rarest Jeans

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most valuable jeans are an original pair of Levi Strauss & Co 501 jeans aged over 115 years old which were sold to a collector in Japan for $60,000 through eBay in 2005. Quite rare indeed considering a new pair sells for $46.

Rarest Baseball Cards

In February 2007, a "near mint-mint" Honus Wagner sold for $2.3 million, at that point probably the highest sale for a baseball card in history. Then, in September 2007, the same card was reportedly sold again. This time for $2.8 million to a private collector. The card in question, aT206 Honus Wagner, was made by the American Tobacco Company in 1909. It has been called the "Mona Lisa of baseball cards."

Rarest Comic Books

One of the rarest comic books still in existence in near-perfect condition is an issue of "Amazing Spider-Man #1," rare not only because of its singularity but also because of its quality. The comic book sold for only 12 cents per copy when it was published in March 1963, and is now worth over $40K -- not an exceedingly high price for comic books -- but extremely rare in such pristine condition.

Rarest Real Estate

At the intersection of location, exclusivity and history you find some of the rarest pieces of real estate. With that criterion, Luxist.com blogger's pick for the rarest piece of real estate currently on the market is Bran's castle, the castle in Transylvania that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula, which is expected to fetch upwards of $135 million.

Rarest Horses

The Sorraia Horse is said to be the direct descendant of the wild Iberian horse but only 200 currently remain living in South Iberia. The Tiger Horse is a rare breed which is said to have existed in Ancient Spain and the beginning of the New World. Rare in terms of its abilities and characteristics, is the Lipizzaner (pic. left). Bred for its military prowess, one of these animals can sell for up to $100,000.

Rarest Books

There are countless rare books in the world, but by most experts' standards the rarest of them all is the Gutenberg Bible. It was the first book ever printed back in 1456, and although several hundred copies were originally printed finding a complete first edition would net you $25-$35 million. In today's market single pages alone go for $25K each, and several years ago just 1 volume (it's a 2 volume set) sold for $5.5M.

Rarest Necklaces

In the world of rare necklaces, a couple million dollars doesn't get you much. Even ten million dollars is cheap for these babies. The most expensive necklace may likely be one built around the Blue Empress, a rare natural blue diamond. The pear-shaped diamond weighs about 14 carats. It is set in 18k white gold and surrounded with white diamonds. It's estimated to be worth $16 million.

Rarest Wine

One of the rarest bottles of wine ever sold was purchased by Christopher Forbes for a mere #105,000 ($160,000). It was an unmarked green glass bottle with the inscription of "1787 Lafitte Th. J." (now known as Lafite and thought to be owned by Thomas Jefferson), found behind a wall in Paris.

Rarest Vases

In 2006, a 20-inch high blue and white Yuan Dynasty vase fetched over $2 million. That sounds rare but at the end of that year, casino owner Steve Wynn paid even more for a rare vase. The small copper red and white porcelain vase, is a 14th century Ming vase (pic. left) decorated in scrolling flowers. It is from the exceptionally rare Hongwu period and went for around $10.9 million, making it the world's most expensive.

Rarest Coins

As a general rule the more rare a coin is the more it's worth, so what's the rarest coin ever? It's a debatable subject as not all experts always agree, but if the Double Eagle isn't at the top of that list it's sure near it. Back in 2002 the only Double Eagle coin left to be in private hands (or so everybody thought) sold for $7.9 million dollars.

Rarest Food

Served in China for over 400 years, the primary ingredient in bird's nest soup or "Caviar of the East" is saliva nests built by cave swifts. Among one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans it is believed to aid digestion, raise libido, and even alleviate asthma as it is dissolved in water to create a gelatinous soup. In Hong Kong, a bowl costs up to $30. Red version can cost $10K per gram.

Rarest Travel Trips

What is the rarest trip? There's no real consensus on this, but Deidre Woodward says that the trek to summit Mount Everest still remains among the rarest trips in the world. But even this has become something that is accessible to more people. In two months and for around $60,000 you can join a group and make the attempt of a lifetime.

Balloon Dresses

2011-07-13T04:16:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Dollar Note

2011-07-05T20:13:00.001-07:00

A Canadian banknote for five dollars, depicting children playing ice hockey. The verse is from a Roch Carrier short story, and reads: "The winters of my childhood were long, long seasons. We lived in three places - the school, the church and the skating rink - but our real life was on the skating rink."

A colourful five dollar Australian note. In 1965, Australia adopted the name "royal" for its currency, but it was later dropped in favour of the dollar.

A note for one Egyptian pound. All Egyptian banknotes are bilingual.

A 100 dirham note from the UAE, showing the World Trade Centre. A falcon watermark is placed on all UAE banknotes to help prevent fraud.

A five rupee note from Pakistan. The port depicted is Gwadar port, which opened in 2008.

A five ringgit note from Malaysia showing the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the Petronas Twin Towers, and the Multimedia Super Corrido

A 20 rand note from South Africa. Each in this series of banknotes features a different animal from the "big five".

A colourful, floral 1000 note from French Polynesia, where the currency is the CPF franc.

A 500 baht note from Thailand. This is roughly equivalent to £10 of British money.

A Surinamese ten dollar note. The dollar replaced the Surinamese guilder in January 2004.

A one lempira note from Honduras. The lempira was introduced in 1931, and is named after a 16th century ruler.

A New Zealand note for five dollars, depicting New Zealand's native hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin.

A Bahamian one dollar note, showing the Royal Bahamas police force band.

A one dinar note from Libya. The dinar replaced the pound in 1971.

Indian 1000 Rupee note bearing the image of the nation's father, Mohandas K. Gandhi in front and a combine harvester, an offshore oil derrick, a satellite, and a steel furnace, with a young girl working at a computer at the back.

An Indonesian note for 1000 rupiah. The word rupiah derives from the Indian rupee. This note shows traditional houses in the city of Palembang.

The real meaning of car names

2011-06-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

HYUNDAI: Hope You Understand Nothing's Drivable And Inexpensive.

FORD: For Only Romantic Drivers

FIAT: Failure in Italian Automotive Technology.

LEXUS: Luxury EXports to United States .

KIA: Kills In Accidents

PORSCHE: Proof Of Rich Spoiled Children Having Everything.

TOYOTA : The One You Only Trust, Always

OPEL: Old People Enjoying Life

BMW: Brings Me Women.

Beer Facts

2011-06-17T01:45:00.000-07:00

Beer Facts

It was the accepted practice in Babylonia 4,000 years ago that for a month after
the wedding, the brides father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he
could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this
period was called the "honey month" or what we know today as the "honeymoon".

Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger
into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold,
and the yeast wouldn't grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This
thumb in the beer is where we get the phrase "rule of thumb".

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when
customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own
pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's".

Beer was the reason the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It's clear
from the Mayflower's log that the crew didn't want to waste beer looking
for a better site. The log goes on to state that the passengers "were hasted
ashore and made to drink water that the seamen might have the more beer".

After consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called aul, or ale,
the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle often without armor or
even shirts. In fact, the term "berserk"; means "bare shirt" in Norse,
and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.

In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water down the
navy's rum. Needless to say, the sailors weren't too pleased and called
Admiral Vernon "Old Grog", after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore.

The term "grog" soon began to mean the watered down drink itself. When
you were drunk on this grog, you were "groggy".

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or
handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle
to get some service. "Wet your whistle", is the phrase inspired by this practice.

Now you can appreciate the importance of BEER throughout history.

WOW sexy toys and chocolates

2011-06-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

what is this? this is my lucky clove

2011-06-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Mara Magno on LBC Lebanon

2011-05-30T00:43:00.000-07:00

Mara Magno on LBC Lebanon Free Arabic Music Video Clips Free Arabic Movies Gratuit TV en ligne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmjovSQDzH8&feature=player_embedded

Mexican cops held on corruption charges released

2011-05-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

Mexican cops held on corruption charges released
Thursday, March 31, 2011

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2011/03/mexican-cops-held-on-corruption-charges.html

State and city police officers, detained on charges of working with organized crime, are lined up during a presentation for journalists at Mexico's military airbase in Tijuana on Thursday, July 29.

Three policewomen arrested last July along with 59 other officers on corruption charges in the Mexican border city of Tijuana have been released from jail due to lack of evidence, defense attorneys and officials told Efe.

A judge threw out the statements of two protected witnesses linking the female officers to drug cartels, defense attorneys said.

Thirty-five other officers, who are being held at a prison in the eastern state of Veracruz, are also being released, attorneys said.

Army troops arrested 62 Tijuana municipal police officers and Baja California state police officers on July 29 for allegedly having links to drug traffickers.

The police officers were taken into custody by soldiers as they reported to work.

The round-up of allegedly corrupt cops was aimed at reducing the violence in Baja California, whose largest city, Tijuana, has endured bloody turf wars between rival drug gangs.

The commander of the 2nd Military Zone, Gen. Alfonso Duarte Mugica, said he was surprised by the judge's ruling, but the army respected the law and would accept it.

The protected witnesses who testified against the officers are former members of the Tijuana drug cartel, which is led by the Arellano Felix family.

The officers should be provided with psychological counseling and compensation for the treatment they received, Baja California state human rights prosecutor Heriberto Garcia said.

Please read original Sign on San Diego/Union Tribune arrests article by Sandra Dibble (in English) here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpqw27Wmb9Q&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sD98-oOa6kQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTw-LMCbzac&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=r0SBn5TZhXI

Why Mexico’s War on Drugs is Unwinnable

2011-05-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

Why Mexico’s War on Drugs is Unwinnable
Tuesday, March 29, 2011

by Laura Carlsen
In Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, a student peace protester is gunned down by the Federal Police. Pictures of the intestines bursting from his ruptured gut make the rounds on the Internet, shocking even the world’s bloodiest city.

In Matamoros, Tamaulipas, schools close down after officials receive bomb threats. Newspapers timidly report that the threats “could be related to” Gulf Cartel retaliation for the killing of one of their leaders, Tony Tormenta, in a military operation days earlier. President Obama calls President Calderon to congratulate him on taking down the drug lord. Mexican authorities predict a new wave of violence in the state, as the Zetas move in to wrest control from the weakened Gulf Cartel.

Whether measured by increased public safety, reduced supply of illegal drugs on the U.S. market, or the dismantling of drug trafficking organizations, the war on drugs is failing. It has been four years since President Felipe Calderon announced the offensive and sent tens of thousands of soldiers into the streets. The results are a record 37,000 drug-war related homicides so far and thousands of complaints of human rights abuses by police and armed forces. Arrests of drug kingpins and lesser figures have set off violent turf wars, with no discernible effect on illicit flows. The murder of politicians, threats to civilians and disruption of daily life have furthered the downward spiral.

None of this should come as a surprise. Although Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has held up Plan Colombia as a model for Mexico, the drug war didn’t work there either. A full decade and $7 billion dollars after Plan Colombia began, regional drug production remains stable and smaller paramilitary groups have replaced the large cartels as traffickers. Some violent crimes, such as kidnappings, have gone down but corruption has deepened with scores of Congressional representatives under investigation, prosecution or sentencing for ties to paramilitaries.

Militarization with the combined rationale of the war on drugs and counterinsurgency has left Colombia with one of the worst human rights record in the hemisphere. Diplomatic relations have been affected as many neighboring nations view U.S. military presence and involvement in Colombia’s drug war as a threat to regional self-determination.

Despite these results, the Obama administration has announced plans to extend indefinitely the Merida Initiative, designed by the Bush administration to last three years and cost $1.3 billion dollars. The administration has asked requested $282 million for Mexico under the initiative in the 2012 budget.

The problem is, the drug war is not underfunded; it’s unwinnable. As long as a lucrative market exists, the cartels will find a way to serve it. Eliminating operatives, even high-level leaders, merely diversifies and redistributes the business. Cartels have years of experience building flexible structures, with new leaders or rival gangs replacing displaced or weakened ones. At the lower levels, they draw from an inexhaustible pool of young men with few prospects in life, who have adopted the slogan, “Better to die young and rich than old and poor.”

If the war on drugs is unwinnable, does that mean we have to resign ourselves to the unbridled power of the drug cartels?

No. The other tragedy of the war on drugs is that it precludes potentially more effective strategies by posing as the only option. As the U.S. government spends millions of taxpayer dollars to pay U.S. private security and defense firms to “fix” Mexico, it has done little to nothing to address the parts of transnational organized crime that exist within its borders—demand, transport and distribution, corrupt officials, gun-running and money laundering.

Rethinking the drug war is not tantamount to surrender. Here are a few key elements of an alternative strategy:

Follow the money. Instead of shoot-outs in the streets, far more could be done in both countries to attack the financial structures of criminal organizations. Billions of dollars are laundered in mainstream financial institutions and businesses. If we’re serious about weakening organized crime, it’s time to be serious about cracking down on illicit financial flows—even when it affects powerful interests.

Increase funding for drug abuse prevention and treatment. Approaching illegal drug use as a health issue is a win-win strategy. Education teaches young people the costs of addiction and abuse, and treatment and harm reduction programs can improve lives and reduce costs to society, as well as cutting demand for illicit substances.

End prohibition, beginning with marijuana. Without the billions of dollars in revenue that pot provides, drug cartels have fewer resources to recruit youth, buy arms and corrupt politicians.

Give communities a role besides “victim”. As Mexican funds and U.S. aid have been diverted to the drug war, social programs in Mexico have been severely cut back. This is exactly backward. Strong communities—ones with jobs, ample educational opportunities and coverage of basic needs and services–are better able to resist the infiltration of organized crime.

The war on drugs strategy lacks benchmarks or any real analysis of the root causes of the violence. Each day it digs itself deeper into a hole. That hole has become a mass grave for thousands of Mexicans, mostly youth.

The Obama administration has announced plans to intensify the drug war in Mexico and extend the model to Central American and Caribbean nations. Congress appears willing to follow suit. This would usher in a new era of military-led relations with our Latin American neighbors and unleash violent conflict in those countries as it has in Mexico.

If that happens, horror stories like the ones from Ciudad Juarez and Matamoros will sadly become the norm rather than the exception.

Laura Carlsen is director of the Americas Program of the Center for International Policy in Mexico City at www.cipamericas.org.

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2011/03/why-mexicos-war-on-drugs-is-unwinnable.html

Emirates A380 Largest Aircraft At Pearson Airport

2011-05-29T23:15:00.000-07:00

Emirates A380 Largest Aircraft At Pearson Airport

TORONTO, CNW - Monday was a very 'big day' for Toronto Pearson. In this case, 'big' translates to the largest passenger aircraft ever built. At 3:45 p.m. Emirates Airline made history when the 486 passenger, double-Decker A380 aircraft touched down at Toronto Pearson for the first time.

In first class, the $500 million aircraft (about $1-million per passenger) features 14 private suites with seats that convert to beds, two shower spas with full-length mirror and vanity units, two stand-up bars and a lounge area. There are more than 1,100 channels of in-flight entertainment. Emirates has ordered 58 such planes from Airbus in Germany, so hopefully the business travelers will continue to dole out the big bucks for luxury air travel.

This flight signified the first regular scheduled service of the A380 aircraft into Canada and Toronto Pearson is thrilled to be its first destination. Emirates will offer this Toronto - Dubai service three times per week - on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The Emirates Airbus A380 is truly Super Jumbo Jet but you better save up your loonies if you're making a trip to the middle east. A first-class Toronto-Dubai return ticket sells for $10,000.

With a fuel efficiency of less than three litres per 100 kilometers per passenger, the A380 is one of the most efficient passenger aircraft in service today.

The GTAA spent ten years rebuilding and redeveloping Toronto Pearson. It has been rebuilt with the knowledge that larger aircraft such as the A380 would come to Toronto. The forward thinking that went into the airport redevelopment now is paying off for passengers in the GTA in the form of additional flight capacity on Emirates' busy Toronto-Dubai route.

Real HULK

2011-05-23T23:19:00.001-07:00

5 Insane Marriage Rituals From Around the World

2011-05-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

No shitting
Practiced in: parts of Malaysia
There is nothing more beautiful than a wedding. It is after all the couple’s first day as two happily married people, surrounded by friends, flowers and fancy foods. But for the tribes of the Tidong community in northern Borneo, a wedding is the first day of a grueling journey to the deepest levels of Hell and back. It’s the day when the couple must stop pooping for 72 hours.
The Tidong tradition dictates that a newly married couple be confined to their house and not empty their bowels or urinate under any possible circumstances for the entirety of 3 nights and 3 days. That’s why they are often carefully watched over by family members and given very little food or water. The Tidong people believe that if the couple makes it, they will lead a happy and long life with lots of non-dead children, so the stakes are pretty high here.
When you think about it, there is a spark of genius in this practice. Nothing binds 2 people for life like going through difficult times together, and there is nothing more difficult than being denied to go to the bathroom for nearly half a week. When the 3 days are up, these people will be closer to each other than ever before, because they will no longer be just husband and wife… They will be poop buddies.

Fat Farms
Practiced in: Mauritania (Africa)
There are different standards of beauty in every part of the world. For example, despite the majority of Western brides stopping short of having their kidneys removed to lose weight before the big day, some cultures actually find huskier women more attractive…. and are prepared to go to disturbing lengths to put more junk in their women’s trunks. Enter the Mauritanian Fat Farms.
Fat Farms are sort of the opposite of Fat Camps – a place where brides as young as five are sent to gain weight under the watchful eyes of wrinkled old crones, in order to become more attractive and get married as soon as possible. In the practice known as Leblouh, the girls are force fed a truckload of food—which might include more than 4 pounds of millet and 5 gallons of camel milk a day—and if they vomit, the supervising hags force them to eat it up. Failure to comply is reportedly often met with torture. So OK, maybe those places are not that different from Fat Camps.
The sad part is, this practice has virtually disappeared until a couple of years ago when a military junta took over the country and reinstated it, probably hoping that fatter women will be easier to catch or something. Not like anyone would sleep with them otherwise, being a bunch of civilian-terrorizing assholes with grenade launchers.

Blackening of the bride
Practiced in: Scotland
In many ways the Scottish people are just like your typical Europeans but with a few notable quirks: they eat sheep entrails, wear male-skirts and instead of rice, they throw stinking crud like eggs and sauces on their brides.
This custom is called the “blackening of the bride”, a very old Scottish tradition; some say even older than Sean Connery himself. It’s part of a hazing ritual that actually happens before the wedding. The bride is taken by surprise, by hands down the crummiest friends you could have, and covered from head to toe with all kinds of crap. It can be anything: spoiled milk from the back of your fridge right down to tar and feathers. It serves 2 possible purposes. Either it gets the men in the proper mood, (assuming all Scots have a fetish of homeless chicks who never bathe), or it helps the women deal with the prospect of marriage, because nothing that will happen to them from that point on will be as cruel or humiliating as the blackening.
It’s sort of like punching your bride right before saying “I do”. No amount of douchebaggery you pull off later in life will ever amount to that, so your lady will at least not be disappointed or, at best, pleasantly surprised. Man, the Scots have this marriage thing figured out.

Marrying animals to exorcise ghosts
Practiced in: some regions of India
The Western culture is no stranger to superstition, especially during a wedding. Most brides would sooner set fire to the church and postpone the ceremony than to get married without something old, new, borrowed and blue. And don’t even think about trying to catch a glimpse of your wife-to-be before the nuptials or that’s 3 stitches to the temple right there on the spot.
But the Santhal tribe in India decided to one-up us all and cranked the wedding-crazy dial all the way up to 11. They believe that if a baby girl has a tooth rooted to her upper gum, it’s the obvious sign she will be eaten by a tiger or something in the near future, because ghosts hate her. Therefore, she must marry a dog. Such was the story of Karnamoni Handsa, a 9-year-old Indian girl who “married” the local stray Bacchan amidst the dancing and cheers of her 100 guests getting shitfaced on home-made booze. Huh… Somehow the presence of moonshine in a cross-species wedding is not surprising in the least…
The good news is, this is nothing but a mock ceremony and the couple don’t have to consummate the wedding. It’s just to ward off the evil spirits so the girl can marry a real boy some time later. Thank God, otherwise this exorcism ritual between a child and a canine would have been really weird.

The Roma communities

Most unions can trace their beginnings to that one special night at a frat kegger when the couple first met their gaze in a crowded room and forever cemented their fate by a quicky in the backseat and a broken condom. Some cultures however decided to skip all this romantic crap and go from the “total strangers” phase straight to marriage in one messed-up leap of criminal activity: kidnapping the bride.

The Romani, also known as Gypsies, for centuries have had this tradition, that if you manage to forcefully kidnap a girl and keep her by your side for 2-3 days, she officially becomes your wife. Long ago this probably made a lot sense, as it helped you avoid buying the bride off the parents or having Thanksgiving dinner with them every year. But even in this day and age it’s not viewed as anything strange in the Roma culture, and many women simply go with the fact that the overweight guy, who cornered them with a bottle of chloroform at a McDonald’s lady’s bathroom, is now the love of their life.

Some of you are probably wondering, how in the f**k is this legal? Well, it’s a cultural practice of a large ethnic minority and most governments would rather start flossing with razor wire than to commit the PR equivalent of suicide by banning a minority tradition.

Written by Cezary Jan Strusiewicz – Copyrighted © www.weirdworm.com

Vietnam office rents among the highest in the world

2011-05-09T22:50:00.001-07:00

Vietnam office rents among the highest in the world
May 9, 2011 HO CHI MINH CITY: The office rent rates in Vietnam’s biggest cities such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are among the highest in over 100 markets worldwide, according to an annual report released by British real estate services firm Knight Frank last week.

Ho Chi Minh City is the 19th and Hanoi (21st) most expensive markets with prime rents at US$38 and US$36.5 per square metre per month respectively, the report said.

The rates are more expensive than established markets like Manhattan (New York), Frankfurt (Germany ), Shanghai (China ), Brussels (Belgium ) and Rome( Italy), according to the Vietnam news agency.

However, the availability has increased in Vietnam, with both the cities seeing large amounts of new Grade A office supply during 2010.

This has caused vacancy rates to rise and put pressure on Grade A rents.

Meanwhile, demand remains strong in the Grade B and C office sectors, according to the report.

Elsewhere, the rental growth has been led by the world’s major financial centres, with office rents rising in cities such as London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore, said the report.

In contrast, rents continue to come under downward pressure in a smaller group of markets, including Los Angeles, Madrid, Seoul and Dubai, where the economic outlook remains uncertain or availability of space is high.

-Bernama

Lingerie Worhsipping for Thy Love

2011-05-01T23:25:00.001-07:00

Lingerie Worhsipping for Thy Love

Circus Trees

2011-04-18T00:51:00.001-07:00

Axel Erlandson underneath one of his arborsculpture (Image credit: Wilma Erlandson, Cabinet Magazine)

Erlandson was very secretive and refused to reveal his methods on how to grow the Circus Trees (he even carried out his graftings behind screens to protect against spies!) and carried the secrets to his grave.

The trees were later bought by millionaire Michael Bonfante, who transplanted them to his amusement park Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy in 1985.

World's smallest aquarium

2011-04-15T01:14:00.000-07:00

World's smallest aquarium creates a (tiny) splash
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:38 PM on 24th February 2011

Here is the perfect home for small fry: the world's smallest aquarium.
Created by Russian artist Anatoly Konenko, who specialises in miniatures, the tiny tank is made of glass, contains tiny stones and plants and is home to a group of tiny fish.
It is just 30mm wide, 24mm high and 14 mm deep - enough to hold just 10ml of water, or about two tablespoons' worth.
Scroll down to see video... and more of Konenko's art

Small fry: The tiny fish tank was made by a Russian artist who specialises in miniatures
The water has to be applied using a syringe so as not to disturb the landscape the Siberia-artist lovingly created.
Konenko, who calls his art 'micro-miniatures', even made a minuscule fishing net which he used to place the fish, baby Danios.
The adults are usually a favourite with more normal sized tanks but the tiny fish look at home in Konenko's construction for which he has since added a specially built air pump.

In the net: Anatoly Konenko made a small net to match, and tiny Danios fish swam around in the tank, which takes only two teaspoons of water to fill.

Something fishy: The tank is just 30mm wide, 24mm high and 14 mm deep

Konenko is also a painter and is in the Guinness World Records book for making the world's smallest book.
He said: 'I've been doing microart for 30 years, doing the smallest things in the world.

'This tank was made out of curiosity.'
He works using a microscope for most of his work and has won awards in his home country and round the world.

Pencil Art

2011-04-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

Maria Jose Cristerna

2011-04-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

Maria Jose Cristerna's striking appearance may generate gasps, but the 35-year-old tattoo artist reportedly says a horrific history of domestic violence triggered her decision to re-invent herself as a "vampire."

Cristerna recently showed off a new set of titanium "horn" implants -- along with dental "fangs" and multiple facial piercings -- at a Monterrey tattoo exhibition, but insists she lives a normal life. "The horns I have are a symbol of strength and were implanted without anaesthetic," the Catholic-raised mother-of-four tells the Sun proudly. "I had the fangs done because I loved vampires as a little girl and I changed the colour of my eyes so they were how I really wanted them to be.'

Yet Cristerna's transformation is still not complete: she says she wants to have more titanium horns implanted in the back of her head. "Tattooing is my way of being immortal, of really being a vampire and not dying -- leaving my work on other people's skin."

Watch video of Mexico's "Vampire Woman" (in Spanish) here:

Se presenta la 'Mujer Vampiro' en Monterrey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lW9F1SlKb-U

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/06/mexico-vampire-woman_n_845032.html

Black Berry

2011-03-30T00:30:00.001-07:00

http://todaysgardenideas.com/fruit/blackberries/

Better don't wear PANTRY

2011-03-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

Be careful when visiting China

2011-03-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

MUST HANG THE PERSON WHO DOES THIS
中國公安局特別提醒
Subject: Be careful when visiting China

Public Security Bureau reminds:
Please spread the Public Security Bureau to remind: If someone close to you on the road, to sell you the Fujian Tie Guan Yin (a type of tea) and makes you smell, you must be careful not to be taken.

This is not the Iron Goddess of Mercy, it is white clay to ease, is an Ecstasy, a faint smell that is in turn the crime, they will either rob you or kill you then re-sale your organs. Very cruel, is now in Guangdong, Hebei, Tianjin, Heilongjiang provinces and cities appear, please forward immediately to tell all the relatives.
Emergency Notification: If someone close to you on the road, to sell you dried seafood products such as garlic, but also suggest that you smell the smell or taste when you must pay attention to the "This is not garlic! It is ether garlic!"
A drugged class things, when you smell it, you will faint, and then they'll take your wallet, your body of all valuables, be sure to send to all you know.
Now in Chengdu, Mianyang, Jiangyou, nine Link, Shenzhen Komeito, Songgang, Ping, Longgang, Dongguan area, and several other places have begun to appear, Please be careful!

公安局特別提醒:
公安局特別提醒請相互轉告：若是有人在路上接近你，向你推銷福建安溪鐵觀音，又讓你聞一下，你一定要注意不要上當。這不是鐵觀音，那是觀音土，是一種迷魂藥，一聞即暈進而做案，輕者搶財劫色，重者殺害高價出售器官。非常殘忍，現已在廣東、河北、黑龍江天津等省市出現，請馬上轉告轉發所有親人。

緊急通知: 若是有人在路上接近你，向你推銷海味乾貨大蒜等產品，又建議你聞一下味的話或者請你品嘗時一定要注意了"這不是蒜！那是乙醚蒜！"一種迷藥類的東西，當你聞到它，你就會昏，然後他們就會拿走你的皮夾、
你身上所有的值錢物品，請務必寄給你所有知道的群，現在成都、綿陽、江油、九環線、深圳公明、松崗、坪地、龍崗、東莞一帶等幾個地方已開始出現，大家小心！

Snake dies after biting silicone breast

2011-03-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

Snake dies after biting silicone breast

Indo-Asian News Service, Updated: March 15, 2011 13:55 IST

London: A huge snake died of silicone poisoning after it bit the enhanced breast of a model during a photoshoot.

Israeli Orit Fox was at a photoshoot in Tel Aviv in which she alluringly used the boa constrictor. The snake suddenly lunged at her and bit her breast, the Daily Mail reported Monday.

Fox was initially comfortable with the snake and wrapped it around her legs, waist and neck.

She then licked the snake, loosening the grip on its neck. The snake then sank its fangs into her left breast.

The model screamed for help, and an assistant struggled to pull off the determined snake. After a few seconds, the snake released its grip.

Though Fox needed a tetanus shot in the hospital, it was the snake which came off worse as it died from silicone poisoning.

Serpiente muerde implante de silicona de una modelo Video TerraTV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUvJYtME8es&feature=player_embedded

9 Tips for Surviving the Supermarket

2011-03-20T21:56:00.001-07:00

9 Tips for Surviving the Supermarket
Monday, 21 March 2011 10:54

Food prices are spiking. Gas prices are spiking. But the weekly trip to the supermarket is inevitable. I'm trying to make it as painless as possible. Here's my latest strategy:
Tuesday morning, drop first child at school at 8:10 a.m. I'm at Wegmans with child 2 (who climbs into one of those car carts the size of an armored personnel carrier) by 8:25. At that hour, workers are stocking fresh produce, and there's no need to take a number at the deli. We zoom through in less than 45 minutes. Just in time to drop child 2 at the babysitter's by 9:30, get home, unload the groceries and start work by 9:45. Phew.

I spend $120. Now, I know readers will start commenting on how they can feed their families of six for half that amount. And I applaud that. I make some conscious splurges (organic milk for the kids, for instance, and a few other things) and I'm not saying $120 is cheap by any means. But looking at our schedule this week, the four of us will eat 70 meals out of that, which will average $1.71 per meal. Best part is, if I've done it right, I won't have to be back there - or any other grocery store - until next Tuesday.

I checked in with Richard George, Ph.D., a professor in the department of food marketing at St. Joseph's University, about how I can save more money and time. If I could trim $15 per week, I'd save $780 in a year. He outlines the usual tips: shop from a list, and think about meals and menus, not just individual ingredients. Go when the store isn't crowded. Never shop hungry.

Here's his advice that I still need to work on:

Check inventory before you go. This is my weakness. I came home with a bag of grapefruit, and we already had one going. I also overbought on the yogurt. Oops. Could have saved there. In my defense, at 7:55 a.m., I have other things on my mind, like combing Child 1's hair and finding Child 2's sneakers. But I should check the shelves and fridge the night before.

Look out for loss leaders. "Every supermarket has items that are deeply discounted," George says. "They're designed to bring people in to the store and show a point of difference versus another retail chain." The shopper has to have enough knowledge to be able to recognize a good price when she sees one. That comes from years of experience and doing your homework - reading circulars and checking the store's website before you go. As you research, pull your coupons together. I haven't had much luck with coupons over the years, but maybe as I solidify my Tuesday morning shop, I'll get into a better groove.

Read the fine print. Look at the price per ounce. The best deals aren't necessarily on the endcap where products like cookies or soft drinks are prominently displayed. Companies pay for their goods to be there.

Be flexible about brands. "Every week, either the Cheerios or the Cornflakes are on sale," George says. "Either Coke or Pepsi is on sale." Never at the same time. (Flexibility is not my family's strong suit, but we're working on it.) Embrace the store labels, which are a lot better than they used to be.

Set a budget and stick to it. Many readers say they tally the bill as they shop, which cuts down on impulse purchases. Stop & Shop apparently gives customers a scanning wand, which allows them to add up the bill (and bag their groceries) as they go through the store.

Eat "plannedovers." Make a double recipe of something on the weekend that you can freeze and pull out during a busy weekday. You'll save yourself the $10 on the large pizza you would have ordered instead, George says, plus all that the cooking time.

Plan to splurge. Americans have been suffering from "frugality fatigue," George says. "How many times can pass up the rib-eye and have meatloaf?" At some point, treat yourself to the rib-eye. But anticipate the treat, and budget for it by cutting back elsewhere.

Avoid the paper towels and the lightbulbs at the grocery store. You'll find lower prices for these items at Wal-Mart or Target, or Amazon Subscribe & Save. I make this mistake all the time. We're running low on laundry detergent, say, and I'll pay a few dollars more for it at Wegmans rather than make another stop someplace cheaper. Toothpaste, toilet paper, batteries? They need their own inventory list. That's my next project.

My personal supermarket time-saving advice:

Always get in a line with a female cashier, preferably in her 30s or older. Women cashiers memorize produce codes; men don't. It is so annoying when a guy is hopelessly scrolling through his computer screen looking for the code for snap peas.

CBS

Sell & Recycle any USB Storage Device or Digital Camera Card & Save the Environment

2011-03-20T00:34:00.000-07:00

Sell & Recycle any USB Storage Device or Digital Camera Card & Save the Environment

Synopsis: Sell/Recycle any flash storage device you have with flash-based memory. Any USB cards or sticks, any digital camera cards like Secure Digital (SD), SmartMedia, CompactFlash, MiniSD, MicroSD, MMC, and Multimedia Cards. In general, any storage device that still works or may even be broken.

Today modern computers both laptops and desktops come with SmartMedia slots built-in and not only at the corner of the desktop and laptop computer world but in the digital camera sphere as well, the flash based storage devices today grip its monopoly as it is the latest "electronic film" with several advantages, noiseless, faster, lighter, bigger and with no moving parts; furthermore, it is rewriteable.

Components: A SmartMedia card or any flash based storage card or USB device consists of 1-4 NAND flash EEPROM microchips. Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory is a non-volatile storage semiconductor chip that can retain the stored information even when not powered. These semiconductors are solid and its electrical conductivity can be controlled either statically or dynamically. Semiconductors are identical to insulators but are Silicone, and is the prime raw material for all these microchips.

Semiconductors Production and use of Hazardous Substances: Preparation for semiconductor materials requires high levels of chemical purity as even a small existence of impurities can have large effects on the properties of the chips. Furthermore, these materials have to be doped with other elements to adjust its electrical response as a current carrier by controlling the number and charges being either positive or negative.

Due to this requirement of high chemical purity, semiconductor devices require raw materials have to go through series of purification processes from melting to re-solidification through several chemical reactions to produce these modern marvels.

More then eight week of manufacturing is required to process these products through multiple chemical processes and disposition process like Chemical vapor deposition, Chemical-mechanical planarization, and Ion implantation etc. Altogether these USB devices and digital camera storage cards (flash memory chips) have to go though over 300 sequenced processing steps and eight or more levels of major compound procedures.

In this processes many toxic materials and harmful chemicals are used as catalyses to purify them. These substances primarily as listed below are the prime pollutants, and are one of the main causes of miscellaneous cancer and genetic diseases we are facing today and our children will face tomorrow.

Poisonous elements such as arsenic, boron, antimony and phosphorus; poisonous compounds like arsine, phosphine and silane. Highly reactive liquids, such as hydrogen peroxide, fuming nitric acid, sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid.

Computer Recycle & The Environment

Today we at eProvided.com are apprehensive about the wastes that are being generated from electronic products. Those small silicon wafers that allow computers, digital cameras, gadgets, etc. to function, are insatiable abuser of chemicals, water, fossil fuels, and gasses like nitrogen. Just to produce a single semiconductor microchip, it requires over three pounds of fossil fuels, almost a quarter pound of toxic chemicals, seventy pounds of water, and over a pound of nitrogen and all have direct & adverse effect to our health; furthermore, are the prime components for cancer, nervous system disorder, reproduction health and genetic malfunctions.

Now Imagine, the total number of these cards produced this year, 115.7 million in 2006, and 88.2 million in 2005. Linear to this figure are the aggregate effects on the environment.

Hence, if you are the user of SmartMedia cards, SD cards, CompactFlash cards, USB Sticks, USB Thumb Drives, digital cameras, and any other devices including the latest gadget and gizmos like MP3 players and Digital Voice Recorders, remember your responsibility for today's environmental hazards. These products all use flash memory silicone chips.

Instead of throwing these materials away anticipating it will organically decompose, do remember to either recycle or sell them for reuse.

eProvided.com is the Digital Image Recovery company providing unique service of recovering data from damage devices and helping people worldwide get their trapped data from their damage devices. eProvided now replaces the circuits and fixes and recovers the data no matter what serious type of damage you have on any of your storage devices.

SD cards, USB thumb drives, CompactFlash cards USB sticks etc. Recycle computer storage devices.

Instead of trashing your damaged or older devices and increasing electronic wastes, reutilize it by either donating them or selling them to us at eProvided.com. eProvided.com can & will help, heck eProvided.com will buy them from you.

eProvided.com buys your damaged and old storage devices, including all types of flash based memory cards. Buying any USB sticks or thumb drives, any flash based digital camera cards, and other electronic gadgets like digital voice recorders and MP3 players and gizmos.

If you have any damaged or unused Silicones like those mentioned above, let eProvided.com know about it. eProvided.com is also a computer and technology asset liquidation company.

If you have too much of something & have no idea what to do with it or just have too much in general, we can take it off your hands.

Recycle Flash Memory - Sell Smartmedia - Recycle USB Sticks - Digital Image Recovery

Author: Bruce Cullen

By Bharat Bista

Mass Burial Site - Tripoli, Libya

2011-03-15T00:19:00.000-07:00

Mass Burial Site - Tripoli, Libya FEB 22 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ICz-D6wNo

المرتزقة وهم يقتحمون منازل المواطنين في ليبيا
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7pdvkkZWdo&feature=player_embedded

December 21 2012 Predictions – The End of The World 2012?

2011-03-06T21:34:00.001-08:00

科學家終於確定了2012
科學家終於確定了2012不是末日
只不過是地球進入了光子帶，但在完全進入的一瞬間，我們會在3天的0度空間中度過，當然這會死很多人
磁極顛倒
3度空間退到0度空間，無疑是毀滅，但迎來的是嶄新的世界，有很多很多人會在那3天中存活下來
那3天正是太陽系，在光子帶中發生的巨大的化學變化，人類體内原子也將重新組合，迎來了4度空間第5個紀元
個人理解；瑪雅人說的不是世界末日，他明明寫的是" 2012年12月21日的黑夜來臨， 12月22日的黎明不會到來"
想必瑪雅人也是與我們生活在一個空間，他自然無法預測4度空間的事情了，而且 12月22日沒有白天。
但3天後，差不多是聖誕，白天就會來的! 12種預言都紀錄了2012是不平凡的一年。
聖經密碼、推背圖、台灣瑪雅語、小孩藏僧、乃至雙魚到水瓶的過渡时間```都表明了這一切
最真實的該是美國NASA太空總署的調查了，在1960年發現遠處有一團星體(其實就是光子帶)
在前幾年發現2012將會發生生南北磁極颠倒
在2011年會發生生4次日蝕```
我們生活在第4個世紀與第5個世紀的交界
我們應該感到驕傲
3度空間到4度空間最需要的就是人類精神的力量
但願
我們會活下來
目睹這一刻...3天的黑暗
人類的進化，光的時代，4度空間，一切聽起來好像一部科幻小說，不過是真是假無所謂。
到2012就一切都知道了，死不死又怎麼樣 ?進入光子時代也會死，只不過肉身不會腐爛罷了，
如果是真的，我真感謝生活在這個年代，話說回來，人類是該進化了。
科學家們認定2012年為太陽分子活躍巅峰、期間可能造成全球通訊癱瘓。科技可能倒退幾十年、
甚至更嚴重的後果。不管真也好、假也罷。趁着社會還美好、多陪陪家人、朋友。當然、還有你的戀人。
現在開始、珍惜身邊的人吧。不要像電影裡那樣、瞬間什麼都沒有了。
看完的轉載吧、讓身邊更多的人知道。↑

Until a couple of years ago there were not that many people who were acquainted with the end of the world 2012 prophecy that was put forward by many scholars who studied the end of the Mayan long calendar. This Long Count calendar has lasted for five thousand one hundred and twenty five years, and although the end of the calendar leads to many different interpretations, one of the most popular is the belief that at the end of this cycle the world (or humanity’s existence) will come to an abrupt end on December 21 2012. Is the world going to end in 2012?

In order to fully understand the 2012 end of the world predications, then you should first understand the calendar that is at the center of this controversy. The current cycle, or baktun, of this calendar began on August 13th, 3114 B.C. This marked the end of the last period and the beginning of the current one. The baktun that we are currently living in is the thirteenth, and the end of this cycle is one that has been considered to have a large level of importance to the Mayan people, which is why so many people have come to the conclusion that this cycle’s end is one that will mean the end of the world as we know it.

While there is no definite proclamation of how the end of the world 2012 predictions will happen, those who have studied this calendar claim that the long calendar was created in order to correspond with a long term astronomical prediction by the Mayan people. This has led some to believe that this end of the world scenario will play out in a manner that has something to do with something from beyond this world. While this correlation to something that is going on in outer space is not a definite thing, for some it comes from a basic understanding of Mayan culture and their unique understanding of astronomical phenomena and planetary alignments.

The Truth About Planet X – Nibiru
Something else that has been considered is the belief that the 2012 end of the world will come to Earth not through some planetary force outside of our galaxy, but through the power of our own sun. Some who have studied the timing of the 2012 prophesy and combined this knowledge with an understanding of the solar system believe that the end will come via a large solar flare. This flare will come about because of the infiltration of the orbits of the planets in our solar system by an outside orbiting planet that the Sumerians and the Babylonians referred to as Nibiru, and is sometimes referred to by modern scientists as Planet X. Those who subscribe to this theory believe that Nibiru only orbits through our system once every three thousand six hundred years.

In addition to this, these cultures believed that there were a race of people who lived on Nibiru that were known as the Anunnaki. According to their creation mythology this superior race of beings came to Earth and genetically engineered human beings. They did this because they needed to get gold ore from our planet in order to help save their own environment. The humans that they created helped them by mining the gold from Africa. The basis for this mythology was found in ancient writings that were recently uncovered in relation to the ancient Sumerians, and they documented this creation in detail in their writings. If they are correct, then the end of the world 2012 that is depicted in the Mayan calendar will also coincide with the return of the Anunnaki. In essence, it would be the return of our creators, and this is also something that is closely linked in with the belief that the Mayan calendar signals the forthcoming Apocalypse.

According to this 2012 end of world philosophy, when this planetary body re-enters our system it will cause massive disruptions in the orbits of Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, and Earth. When Nibiru crosses our orbit they believe that it will cause the gases in Jupiter to ignite because it will get too close to the sun and the precarious balance that keeps its gas structure in check will be lost, therefore causing Jupiter to turn into a secondary sun. In combination with this, the solar flares that are released from the sun on a naturally reoccurring cycle are set to peak during the year 2012. It is believed that this occurrence in combination with the cycle of Nibiru will cause a massive amount of damage to the planet on a level that has never been seen before.

Planetary Alignment on December 21 2012
However, there are others who contend that the end of the world 2012 prophesy actually refers to a very rare planetary alignment that will occur during the winter solstice on december 21 2012. At this time the entire Milky Way (including the earth and the sun) will align at a point that is known as the galactic equator. This alignment is so rare that it only happens every twenty five thousand years. It is thought that this rare planetary alignment could signal a shift in the magnetic poles. This polar shift has happened before in the distant past, and if it were to happen now it would cause massive destruction across the globe. Some claim that the reason the Mayan long calendar ends on this exact date is that something is going to happen in combination with this alignment, the introduction of Nibiru, and the solar flares. It can’t be a coincidence that all of these things are scheduled to happen at the same time that the Mayan calendar is set to come to its conclusion, can it?

If nothing else the 2012 end of the world prophesy that is brought about by the Mayan calendar does bring with it several questions about this culture’s knowledge of celestial events and happenings that they could not have possibly understood, let alone have mapped out to the extent that they did. Their understanding of the solar system, the planetary alignments, and other important events is something that cannot be easily explained or understood by most people who have studied this rare Mayan philosophy.

The end of the world 2012 scenario is one that frightens many people, but this does not have to be the case. If you are interested in finding out more about the theories and philosophies that the 2012 doomsday prophesy is founded on, then you visit the link below to find out more about the end of the world and what you can do to help your family survive any number of disasters. On top of this you can get a complete three hundred and sixty degree view of the processes of the 2012 countdown, including a special bulletin that will keep you up to date on everything that is related to this upcoming date and the disastrous implications it brings with it. So, if you are someone who is looking to make sure that they stay ahead of the danger and keep on top of new developments on the end of the world 2012, then this site is the perfect thing to keep you informed and prepared to december 21 2012.

http://www.december2012endofworld.com/

Black Market Body Parts

2011-02-27T20:45:00.001-08:00

Horrified New York detectives and prosecutors took X-rays of the bottom of a human body showing that plastic pipes were inserted to replace bones taken away for sales. Police say the racket made hundreds of millions of dollars. Photo from Edit International

The New York funeral parlor body stealing scheme was uncovered by a NYC Detective who noticed a concealed operating room within the funeral home when he approached the owner about a fraud charge. The police became suspicious and the grisly scheme finally came to light.
PHOTO RON LAYTNER, EDIT INTERNATIONAL

Bones like these two samples from a "tissue bank" fetch high prices in the medical field. A growing Black Market has arisen trafficking in such body parts because, unlike organs that have to be taken from a live donor, tissue, bones, and ligaments can be harvested from corpses. Biomedical Tissue Services, whose founder has been arrested, would receive upwards of $7,000 dollars for the tissues from each body supplied by the alleged crooked funeral home director Joseph Nicelli. Photo by Ron Laytner Edit International

TWO CHINESE MEN ARRESTED BY THE FBI IN NEW YORK WRE CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY TO SELL HUMAN ORGANS LIKE THESE TWO KIDNEYS FOR $20,000 EACH. A US LEGAL GROUP WANTS TO LEGALIZE GIVING AWAY FREE ORGANS OF EXECUTED PRISONERS, FIRST IN AMERICA AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
PHOTO BY RON LAYTNER, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

ORGANS DEMAND BIG MONEY ON THE BLACK MARKET. DESPERATE PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO PAY ALMOST ANY PRICE FOR A CHANCE TO STAY ALIVE.
PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION BY LANCE LAYTNER

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ACCUSES THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT OF STEALING THE ORGANS OF EXECUTED PRISONERS AND THEM DISTRIBUTING THEM FOR USE AMONGST COMMUNIST PARTY LEADERS OR SELLING THEM. PHOTO BY GAMMA #00# WORLDWIDE 61737_06
*** FOR USAGE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL GAMMA REPRESENATIVE ***

CHINESE PRISONERS ARE CAREFULLY EXECUTED - SHOT THROUGH THE HEAD TO SAVE LOWER BODY ORGANS OR SHOT THROUGH THE HEART TO SAVE EYES.
EDIT INTERNATIONAL

DOCTORS AT MIAMI'S JACKSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PREPARE A NEWLY-ARRIVED LEG, COMPLETE WITH KNEE, LIGAMENTS AND HIP PIVOT, FOR DELIVERY TO ANXIOUS WAITING PATIENTS. THERE WILL BE NO COST. BUT ILLEGAL SALES OF BODY PARTS ARE SPREADING ROUND THE WORLD.
PHOTO BY RON LAYTNER, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

A DOCTOR IN MIAMI STANDS BEFORE A FROZEN VAT CONTAINING HUNDREDS OF HANDS AND FINGERS AND ANKLES AND FEET WHICH WILL HELP THOUSANDS WAITING TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS. PHOTO BY RON LAYTNER, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

A TECHNICIAN AT A HUMAN EYE BANK IN MIAMI HOLDS A PAIR OF FRESHLY-REMOVED EYES ON THEIR WAY TO SAVING THE SIGHT OF OTHERS. ORGAN GANGSTERS ARE NOW SELLING CORNEAS OF PRISONERS EXECUTED IN CHINA FOR $5,000 ON AN ILLEGAL GROWING GLOBAL MARKET.
PHOTO BY RON LAYTNER, EDIT INTERNATIONAL.

HE WAS SENTENCED TO 18 TO 54 YEARS

http://editinternational.com/photos.php?id=47ddbe51262c7

Mayan Calendar 2012 Predictions

2011-02-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

Mayan Calendar 2012

A compilation of some facts about the Mayan calendar 2012 predictions which will help you in getting rid of all your doubts about, whether the world is coming to an end in less than two years time. Continue reading, for more information on Mayan prophecies about the doomsday.

The belief that the world will come to an end on 21st December 2012 has been fueled by interpretation of a number of recent occurrences - including the mystical phenomenon of birds and fish dying without any explanation and destructive floods in Australia and Brazil. Basically, the belief that the world will come to an end is based on a Mayan prophecy. According to the interpretation of Mayan calendar, 2012 is supposed to be the end of the Great Cycle - which will come to an end with a cataclysmic disaster that would cause apocalypse and bring an end to life on this planet. Whether this Mayan prediction really holds ground is a question which demands some serious thinking.

Mayan Calendar Predictions

Historical records are all praises for the Mayan history and civilization - especially for the amount knowledge about astronomy that the Mayans had. They used the same astronomical knowledge to predict occurrences related to various celestial bodies. Their knowledge about the solar system and predictions about celestial occurrences - like solar eclipses, are near-accurate if not absolutely perfect. In fact, they predicted the celestial occurrences of future - most of which have come true over the course of time. These Mayan predictions which came true have made people believe that the 2012 Mayan calendar predictions about the end of the world will also come true, and life on this planet will come to an abrupt end on 21st December 2012. But did the Mayans ever predict that the world will end in 2012 or is it just one of the numerous misinterpretations of archaeological find?

Mayan Calendar 2012 Predictions

Basically, the 2012 Mayan calendar predictions about the world coming to an end revolve around the Long Count calendar which had an important place in the Mayan culture. The Long Count calendar was basically a calendar which traced the 'Great Cycle' - a period which lasted for 1,872,000 days or 5,125.37 years. This period of 5,125.37 years was one-fifth of one complete precession of the equinox - which lasted for about 25,765 years. With their astounding knowledge of astronomy and astronomical observations, the Mayans were able to identify the precession of the equinox way before we coined the world technology. Using their Long Count calendar, they were able to determine that this phase of the Great Cycle which started on 11th August 3114 BC would come to an end on 21st December, 2012 AD.

The Mayans predicted that the date 21st December, 2012 AD would mark the end of this Cycle - which would repeat itself, and not the end of the world as it is widely believed. Therefore, all the myths about Mayan calendar 2012 predictions are attributed to misinterpretation of the Mayan prophecies. That also leaves a little scope for tough Mayan calendar celestial predictions which were accurate to a certain extent. Simply put, there are no records about the Mayans predicting anything about the year 2012 marking the end of the world. It would be utter foolishness to blame one of the most advanced civilizations of the world for all the chaos that is happening on the planet today.

That must have helped you get rid of all the myths about Mayan calendar 2012 predictions. Basically the 2012 end of the world confusion is one of the numerous hoax calls which we have been subjected to since hundreds of years. Around 2 years from now, everybody will be laughing at themselves for ever believing in something like the doomsday, and all the conspiracy theorists out there will focus their attention on the impending end of the world in 2060.

By Abhijit Naik
Published: 1/14/2011

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/nostradamus-predictions-that-came-true.html

THE INTERIOR OF A HOSPITAL CAR.—[SKETCHED BY MR. THEODORE R. DAVIS.]

2011-02-11T02:49:00.001-08:00

THE INTERIOR OF A HOSPITAL CAR.—[SKETCHED BY MR. THEODORE R. DAVIS.]

Blogger Guides: How to Fix a Mistakenly Marked as Spam Blog

2011-02-11T02:45:00.001-08:00

Blogger Guides: How to Fix a Mistakenly Marked as Spam Blog
Article by Dawn Tan
Edited & published by Marcy van der Linden

This Blogger guide shows you how to fix the problem of your Blogger blog being mistakenly marked as a spam blog. If you do nothing about your blog that had been suspended on suspicion of spam, your blog faces possible deletion in the near future.

Steps to Fix a Mistakenly Classified Spam Blog
Many people's Blogger blog had been mistakenly marked as spam blogs by Blogger in its quest to filter out all spam blogs. As a result, many innocent people have had their blogs locked and suspended with possible deletion. This issue happened because too many spammers had been abusing blogspot to create free blog accounts consisting of irrelevant and nonsensical text which are usually filled with keyword phrases repeated over and over again and are full of links pointing to a particular website. To clamp down on this spam behavior, Blogger used an automated spam classifier to filter out all these spam blogs. However, in this case with automatic spam detection, sometimes genuine blogs get flagged as well.
If your blog happens to be classified as spam, you will receive a message notifying you that your blog on blogspot had been locked and would be deleted if you do not request for a review within the next 20 days. However, there is no need to panic. If your blog is genuine, there are steps that you can take to fix the mistake and reinstate your blog.
Step 1 - Request for a Blog Review
If your blog has been categorized as a potential spam blog, then you will receive an email or a notification in your Blogger Dashboard asking you to request for a review by filling out a form. This means that your blog has been temporarily suspended pending review and you are not able to create any new blog posts for the moment.
Click on the link given to you in the message to request for a human review of your blog. Make sure that you have not violated any of Blogger's Terms and Conditions of use. After it has been reviewed, it will be unlocked within 2 working days. If you do not do anything about it and your blog is not reviewed within 20 days, it will be deleted.
Step 2 - Check Your Blog for Malware
Do a thorough self check on your blog to see if you had unknowingly installed any scripts, plugins or malware which may be deemed malicious and remove them at once.
Step 3 - Submit Your blog for Spam Appeals
If your blog has not been restored after four days of submitting the request for a review, you can submit your blog for Spam Appeals for another review. This form may only be used after you had submitted the request for a review in Step 1.
Last Resort
As a final resort if none of the above steps work for you. You can post your request at the Blogger Help Forum. Remember to backup all of your blog posts as a precautionary measure.
References
1) Blogger Buzz - http://buzz.blogger.com/2008/08/you-are-not-spam.html
2) Blogger Help Forum - http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/search.py?hl=en&forum=1&query=spam+blog+more%3Aforum

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/internet/google/articles/98119.aspx#ixzz1BgTsHNl7

PEOPLE ARE AWESOME

2011-02-08T22:58:00.000-08:00

PEOPLE ARE AWESOME

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo0Cazxj_yc&feature=player_embedded

White Pictures

2011-02-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

Photo was taken after the first snowstorm in December in South Haven, Michigan. (Charlie Anderson)
Ссылка на источник: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://bigpicture.ru/%3Fp%3D118206&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiFvt9EhUEnJFrH5v1Dz-RBrA9_ew

Birch forest in winter Fihtelgebirge, Bavaria. (Martin Hertel)
Ссылка на источник: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://bigpicture.ru/%3Fp%3D118206&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiFvt9EhUEnJFrH5v1Dz-RBrA9_ew

This photo was taken at a place called "doomsday", a Heme, Norway. Температура была -21 градус по Цельсию. The temperature was -21 degrees Celsius. (Audun Wigen)
Ссылка на источник: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://bigpicture.ru/%3Fp%3D118206&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiFvt9EhUEnJFrH5v1Dz-RBrA9_ew

Unknown to man the behavior of forest wolves disclosed in this picture: almost human love and affection on the verge of respect. Обычно такое поведение скрыто от людских глаз. Usually such behavior is hidden from human eyes. На сердце становится тепло, и создается ощущение, что это не бесстрашный зверь, а домашний питомец, которого хочется обнять и приласкать. At the heart becomes warm, and a feeling that this is not the fearless beast, a household pet, who wants to hug and cuddle. (Смотреть пост Охота на волка ). (See post of hunting wolves ). (Jacqueline Crivello)
Ссылка на источник: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://bigpicture.ru/%3Fp%3D118206&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiFvt9EhUEnJFrH5v1Dz-RBrA9_ew

Beautiful frosty landscape at sunset in Alberta. (Dwayne Holmwood)
Ссылка на источник: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://bigpicture.ru/%3Fp%3D118206&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhiFvt9EhUEnJFrH5v1Dz-RBrA9_ew

This is Skoda Car Cake

2011-02-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

The Art of Styrofoam

2011-01-29T22:46:00.001-08:00

How to Make Fake Blood Using Glucose

2011-01-24T21:06:00.001-08:00

How to Make Fake Blood Using Glucose
By Barbie28

Instructions.Things You'll Need:
Glucose (of course)
Cornstarch
Red Food Coloring
Black Food Coloring
Warm Water

1.Mix the cornstarch, glucose, and water together in a big bowl or in a pot on the stove to make everything melt and easier to mix. (you could also use a microwave)

2.Add as much glucose and cornstarch as you would like till you get the perfect shade and desired affect. Also had a desired amount of water to thin it out. You don't want the blood to come out too thick or lumpy

3.Use a fair bit of red food coloring until you get it a nice red color and a few drops of black will make it look less bright, and more blood red. Blood is more dark than it is bright.

4.The glucose syrup gives it that really bloody look and the corn starch thickens it, the water waters it down.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4679623_fake-blood-using-glucose.html#ixzz1C5DrIFYi

Top 5 Poker Rooms in Las Vegas

2011-01-24T20:53:00.001-08:00

Top 5 Poker Rooms in Las Vegas

If you want to experience live poker action at the gambling Mecca of the world, here is a guide to the top poker rooms in Las Vegas. You can read here updated info on each of the recommended Las Vegas poker rooms including their game variety, limits and tournaments.

1) Bellagio Casino and Hotel
If you want to experience Las Vegas poker action and hang out with pros, the Bellagio is the casino for you. It is one of the classiest poker rooms available in Las Vegas. It is so popular that you might find yourself spending over an hour at the waiting list and then find yourself stuck with a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs.

The games offered are Texas Holdem, Omaha and stud games, and you can also join one of the tournaments, but note that this involves playing No Limit Holdem. As for the table limits for the regular games, these are as follows:
a) Limit Holdem: 4/8, 8/16, 15/30, 30/60, 60/120, 75/150 dollars and up.
b) No Limit Holdem: 200 dollars buy ins with 2/5 dollars blinds.
c) Omaha: 6/12, 15/30, 20/40, 30/60, 50/100 dollars and up.
d) Stud Poker: 1/5, 4/8, 8/16, 30/60, 75/150 dollars and up.

2) Mirage Las Vegas
If you are tired of waiting for a table at Bellagio, the poker rooms at the Mirage can be an acceptable alternative. It resembles Bellagio's with its luxurious atmosphere, variety of games and its huge popularity among pros as well as tourists.

The games offered are Texas Holdem and Omaha, Stud and as the Bellagio, playing in a tournament means getting involved with No Limit Texas Holdem. As for the limits of each table in a regular game, they are:
a) Limit Holdem: 3/6, 6/12, 10/20, 20/40, 40/80 dollars.
b) No Limit Holdem: between 100 and 500 dollars buy ins with 2/5 dollars blinds.
c) Omaha: 5/10 dollars.
d) Stud Poker: 1/5, 5/10.

3) Excalibur Las Vegas
If you want to play in a less stressful environment, check out the poker room at the Excalibur casino. You can play spread limit Holdem with the lowest limits available on the Strip and enjoy beginners friendly rules such as limitation on three raises. The room has been renovated recently and the poker tables and seats are very comfortable.

At the Excalibur, you can play Texas Holdem or 7 Card Stud, and the limits are slightly lower:
a) Limit Holdem: 1/3, 2/6 dollars.
b) No Limit Holdem: 100 dollars buy ins with 1/3 dollars blinds.
c) 7 Card Stud: 1/5 dollars and up.

4) Binions' Horseshoe Hotel and Casino
If you want to play at the same room where the first WSOP took place, you must visit Binions' poker room. Although the casino has been renovated and went through many changes since the days of Nick the Greek, the ghosts of the past still haunt the place, but in a good way.

Here too you can play Texas Holdem, No Limit Holdem in their own tournament, Omaha and Stud games for the following limits:
a) Limit Holdem: 2/4, 4/8, 10/20 dollars.
b) No Limit Holdem: 100 dollars minimum buy ins with 1/2 dollars blinds.
c) Omaha: 4/8 dollars.
d) Stud Poker: 1/5.

5) Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino
If you want to follow in the steps of the 2006 WSOP champions, check out the Rio poker room. You might be surprised from the size and the small variety of games, but the thought of sharing the same location with contemporary gaming legends adds a certain appeal to it.

Other than taking part in the tournament where you can participate in some No Limit Holdem, you can pick from Texas Holdem, 7 Card Stud, Omaha or a few other variations according to what players request. The limits are as follows:
a) Limit Holdem: 2/4, 3/6, 4/8 dollars.
b) No Limit Holdem: 100 dollars minimum buy ins with 2/5 dollars blinds.

Jack Reider is a pro gamer and writer who contribute articles about poker rooms to a guide to online casinos and other types of card betting.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/top-5-poker-rooms-las-vegas.html

21 Year Old American Won 8 Million Dollar

2011-01-23T23:37:00.000-08:00

21 Year Old American
Won 8 Million Dollar
17th Nov' 2009

21-year-old American Joe Cada, who became the world champion-2009 held in Las Vegas, winning the final WSOP2009 with $8.55 million. He became the youngest champion in history, beating last year's achievement of Peter Eastgate and the youngest player to win the tournament in its 40-year history.

http://snegidhi.com/2009/17-11/21-year-old-american-won-8-million-dollar.html

Cute Babies

2011-01-18T21:00:00.001-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year from Camelia

Saudi Girl, 12, Married Off to 80-Year-Old Man

2011-01-18T20:14:00.001-08:00

Saudi Girl, 12, Married Off to 80-Year-Old Man

Buraidah, Saudi Arabia (TML) – Saudi women’s rights advocates are outraged after a 12-year-old girl was sold by her father into marriage with an 80-year-old man.

A Saudi father, whose name has not been released, sold his 12-year-old daughter to his 80-year old cousin for the equivalent of $22,600. The elderly man, who lives in the city of Buraidah, stands accused of raping the girl after the wedding. He has previously married three other young girls.

“She was raped and they took her to the hospital after the wedding night,” Wajiha Al-Huwaidar, a Saudi journalist who has been banned from reporting by the government told The Media Line. “Usually when the girl is very young, the authorities tell the husband not to touch her until after puberty. When he was interviewed, the guy just said she was old enough and he didn’t know she would get hurt.”

The girl, already in the custody of the elderly man, was reported to have shouted “I don’t want him, save me!” when contacted by phone by a journalist from the Al Riyadh, a local newspaper in the Saudi capital.

The girl’s mother, who had objected strongly to the marriage, took the case to local media after her lawyer’s efforts to get it legally annulled failed.

After the case was publicized, the public prosecutor of Al-Qassim Province is said to have set up a special committee to look into the case.

“They say they’re going to look into it but nothing will really happen,” Eman Al Nafjan, a Saudi blogger and women’s rights advocate told The Media Line. “Even if they solve this case, they are not going to recommend a new law to the king. We should set a legal minimum age at which girls can be married.”

“Without a law we get people like this 80 year old guy who takes advantage of the system to fulfill his sick obsession with little girls,” she wrote on her blog. “Where else in the world can a man openly say that he is in a polygamous marriage with four underage girls and not get arrested? At this rate we might as well start a tourism industry to attract rich Muslim pedophiles.”

The girl’s parents are divorced and the marriage is understood to have been arranged on the initiative of the father, who told the local newspaper that he did so on the basis of the girl’s physical development, not her age.

“This is not at all unique,” said Al Nafjan, who has written extensively about similar cases. “In all the cases that have gotten the attention of local newspapers it was because either the mother or an aunt made an issue of it.”

“Girls are seen as very risky in Saudi Arabia because they can later shame the family name by sleeping with someone,” she explained. “So families often marry off their girls at a young age so they can’t shame the family.”

“It’s particularly common in cases when you have people from the lower economic status who get divorced,” Al Nafjan said. “The father usually wants to keep the boys, because culturally they are not seen as risky, and doesn’t want to give the daughters to the mother out of spite, so he just marries them off to the first person who’ll pay.”

The girl currently attends school during the week, when she lives with her father, and spends weekends with her elderly husband at his home out in the desert outside the city.

The 80-year-old husband told local journalists that he had tried to do the right thing by inviting his new mother-in-law (the girl’s mother) to the wedding but she cursed at him in response.

When asked by the mother’s lawyer and the Al Riyadh newspaper why he had agreed to the marriage, the officiator stated that he was under the impression that the bride was 13 and a half years old.

Child marriages in Saudi Arabia have made international news a number of times over the past year. In April there was international outcry when a Saudi judge refused to grant a divorce to an eight-year-old girl who had been married off by her father to a 47-year-old man as part of a loan repayment agreement, and in August a 10-year-old bride ran away from her 80-year-old husband and sought refuge at her aunt’s house. After ten days in hiding, the girl was returned to her husband by her father.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Saudi Arabia has signed and ratified, defines a child as any person under the age of 18 and Article 16.2 of The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, states that “The marriage of a child shall have no legal effect, and all necessary action, including legislation, shall be taken to specify a minimum age for marriage and to make the registration of marriages in an official registry compulsory.”

Saudi Arabia, which ratified the convention in September 2000, did so with the stated reservation that “In case of contradiction between any term of the Convention and the norms of Islamic law, the Kingdom is not under obligation to observe the contradictory terms of the Convention.”

Nadya Khalife, Women’s Rights researcher for Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa Division, said Saudi Arabia should set a legal age for marriage.

“We call on all governments to ensure that they have a legal age of marriage,” she told The Media Line. “Working from a human rights framework, we believe that early marriage has negative consequences on children, especially girls because it effects their health, education, literacy and economic empowerment skills. The reason we focus on girls is because it is principally girls who are married off at a young age.”

Saudi Arabia’s religious leadership defends child marriages, often citing the marriage by Muhammad ibn ‘Abdull?h, the founder of Islam, to Aisha bint Abu Bakr, when according to traditional Islamic texts she was six or seven years old. Aisha stayed with her parents for a few years after the marriage, according to most sources, moving in with Muhammad and consummating the marriage when she was nine. Aisha was Muhammad’s third of 13 wives or concubines.

Al Nafjan rejects using Aisha as a basis for justifying child marriages.

“It’s not allowed in Islam to marry off children,” she said. “There is nothing in the Koran that states that children should be married off.”

Al-Huwaidar agreed.

“Whatever their religious justification, this is just a way of legally justifying the rape of little girls,” she said. “Modern Muslim scholars dispute Aisha’s age at the time of marriage, but even if Muhammad got married to Aisha when she was nine, that does not justify applying the same standards to today.”

To realize

2011-01-15T22:32:00.001-08:00

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby....

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize
The value of one-second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:

LOSE ONE.

The origin of this letter is unknown,
But it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.

Remember...

Hold on tight to the ones you love!

Man Collects Dangerous Hornet's Nests!

2011-01-10T21:12:00.001-08:00

Man Collects Dangerous Hornet's Nests!

http://www.cracktwo.com/2010/12/man-collects-dangerous-hornets-nests-64.html

Terry Prouty lives in Louisiana and collects wasps nests,the bigger the better.He has a huge collection and has bought many of them from people off the Internet.He started his collection back in 2000 and now boast over 100 nest.

Andy Serkis In For The Hobbit

2011-01-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

10 January 2011
Andy Serkis In For The Hobbit
And so is Ian McKellen!
Source: Deadline

After months of stories that made reference to LOTR stalwarts Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen still being stuck in talks to reprise their Gollum and Gandalf roles for The Hobbit’s twin instalments, there is some good news: Serkis has locked down a deal to appear as everyone’s favourite twisted little miscreant. Master loves him!

And Gandalf? According to The Hollywood Reporter, McKellen has signed his own deal to return, which brings joy to our hearts. Especially since Gollum and Gandalf are, after all, legitimate players in the Hobbit story. Gandalf helps out Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the dwarfs and, at one point, Bilbo makes his way into the haunted former hobbit’s lair and half-inches the Ring of Power.

Given Serkis' close ties to Hobbit filmmaker Peter Jackson (he shoved the boundaries of performance capture with the director in King Kong and crops up as Captain Haddock in Tintin, which Jackson has overseen with Steven Spielberg), it was likely only a matter of time until he agreed to return to the Tolkien universe.

And slipped into the middle of the Deadline story is a tantalising reference to Christopher Lee negotiating to possibly return as Saruman and Ian Holm being sought to play the older version of Bilbo as seen in the original LOTR trilogy.

The Hobbit films, with their sprawling, multi-continent cast, will kick off shooting next month in New Zealand.

James White
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=29860

'Pak Muslim men sexually target Hindu and Sikh girls'

2011-01-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

10 Jan, 2011, 06.52PM IST,TNN
'Pak Muslim men sexually target Hindu and Sikh girls'

AMRITSAR: A day after UKs' former home secretary Jack Straw blamed some Pakistani Muslim men for targeting "vulnerable" White girls sexually, UK's Hindu and Sikh organizations also publicly accused Muslim groups of the same offence.

Straw, in an interview to the BBC recently, had said, "...there is a specific problem which involves Pakistani heritage men...who target vulnerable young white girls...they see these young women, white girls who are vulnerable, some of them in care ... who they think are easy meat."

Feeling emboldened by Straw's statement, UK's Hindu and Sikh organizations have also come in open and accused some Pakistani men of specifically targeting Hindu and Sikh girls. "This has been a serious concern for the last decade," said Hardeep Singh of Network of Sikh Organizations (NSO) while talking to TOI on Monday.

Sikhs and Hindus are annoyed that Straw had shown concern for White girls and not the Hindu and the Sikh teenage girls who have been coaxed by some Pakistani men for sex and religious conversion.

"Straw does other communities a disservice by suggesting that only white girls were targets of this predatory behaviour. We raised the issue of our girls with the previous government and the police on several occasions over the last decade. This phenomenon has been there because a minority of Islamic extremists view all 'non believers' as legitimate targets," said director NSO Inderjit Singh.

Targeted sexual offences and forced conversions of Hindu and Sikh girls was not a new phenomenon in the UK, said Ashish Joshio from Media Monitoring group.

"This has been going on for decades in the UK . Young Muslim men have been boasting about seducing the Kaffir (unbeliever) women. The Hindu and the Sikh communities must be commended for showing both restraint and maturity under such provocation," he added.

Hardeep said that in 2007, The Hindu Forum of Britain claimed that hundreds of Hindu and Sikh girls had been first romantically coaxed and later intimidated and converted by Muslim men.

Inderjit said," We are heartened by the swift condemnation of this behaviour by the Prime Minister David Cameron and his government. However, we urge the government to be firm in dealing with this criminal behaviour to protect the vulnerable girls, and, importantly protect the good name of the majority law abiding members of the Muslim community."

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/latest-news/pak-muslim-men-sexually-target-hindu-and-sikh-girls/articleshow/7254276.cms

1 World 1 Nation 1 Love

Hanging Flower Baskets

Love u always

Airconditioned Bike

super trees in Singapore

Apple

Fuel for the fire

50years have changed 2011

Hotels Beware of Mixed Olive Oil

Asia’s economy heading for ‘yo-yo’ year in 2012

Excuses are the epitome of failure.

LIQUIDITY

China’s 10 Wealthiest Billionaires

It is positive ENERGY and HEALING

A Step Towards a Vaccine for AIDS

Men and women in digital era

Animals in Thailands need HELP

Thailand Floods Pass Peak, Raising Hopes in Bangkok

In Egypt, Women's Rights Advocates Fear Losing Ground

USA in debt

Twitter now has 100 million active users monthly

China Tibetan Buddhists live in fear after immolations

Kindergart​en Centered Around a Legendary Tree

Powerful Women in India

i never knew that

Peak and near-peak fall colors expected in much of Adirondacks

Less Less Less

Franz Reichelt - Eiffel Tower - Parachute Fail

SO delicious...........

Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat beaten

which is Blonde?

About US Economy???

Bottled water in your car is very dangerous!

RAPED BY OWN BROTHER (+18 Age Group)]

Licenced Breast Massager Job in China

I can't talk to u right now...

Tourism in Iraq: Lost Cradle of Civilization

Men's underwear for real macho

She is Worth $6,000.00

Few very rare items

Balloon Dresses

Beautiful Dollar Note

The real meaning of car names

Beer Facts

WOW sexy toys and chocolates

what is this? this is my lucky clove

Mara Magno on LBC Lebanon

Mexican cops held on corruption charges released

Why Mexico’s War on Drugs is Unwinnable

Emirates A380 Largest Aircraft At Pearson Airport

Real HULK

5 Insane Marriage Rituals From Around the World

Vietnam office rents among the highest in the world

Lingerie Worhsipping for Thy Love

Circus Trees

World's smallest aquarium

Pencil Art

Maria Jose Cristerna

Black Berry

Better don't wear PANTRY

Be careful when visiting China

Snake dies after biting silicone breast

9 Tips for Surviving the Supermarket

Sell & Recycle any USB Storage Device or Digital Camera Card & Save the Environment

Mass Burial Site - Tripoli, Libya

December 21 2012 Predictions – The End of The World 2012?

Black Market Body Parts

Mayan Calendar 2012 Predictions

THE INTERIOR OF A HOSPITAL CAR.—[SKETCHED BY MR. THEODORE R. DAVIS.]

Blogger Guides: How to Fix a Mistakenly Marked as Spam Blog

PEOPLE ARE AWESOME

White Pictures

This is Skoda Car Cake

The Art of Styrofoam

How to Make Fake Blood Using Glucose

Top 5 Poker Rooms in Las Vegas

21 Year Old American Won 8 Million Dollar

Cute Babies

Saudi Girl, 12, Married Off to 80-Year-Old Man

To realize

Kindergarten Centered Around a Legendary Tree