Barack Obama in an advertising video for Kwik Fit .....

Awesome video to watch...

Toothpick City Took 34 Years to Build ......

Scott Weaver, 49, has spent the last 34 years building a model of San Francisco out of toothpicks. He has used more than a million tiny sticks to construct the city and its many landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf.

Six Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle

From Small Planes to Warships, Hundreds of Lives Were Lost in Mystery

Miami, Puerto Rico and Bermuda are separately some of the most sought-after vacation spots in the world.

But together, lines between them make up the approximate boundary of one of the most mysterious and deadly areas on the planet: the Bermuda Triangle.

Ever since Christopher Columbus sailed through the region in 1492, some weird, unexplained stuff has taken place over the Atlantic Ocean there.

Everything from bad weather to supernatural forces have been blamed for several high profile disappearances.

Here are just a few of the tales that deliver more questions than answers.

1945: Bomber Squad Disappears, So Do Rescuers



Although it was not the first unexplained occurrence in the area, many say that what happened to a bomber squadron in December 1945 sparked the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.

The five-plane squadron, Flight 19, with 27 men, set out on a training mission from their base in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and never returned.



1918: U.S. Battleship Goes Missing With 306 on Board
The USS Cyclops was a collier that operated between the East Coast and the Caribbean, servicing the Atlantic fleet for a time and then ran trans-Atlantic journeys until February 1918.


After fueling British ships in the south Atlantic in Brazilian waters, the ship embarked from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 16, 1918, came into Barbados in early March and then promptly disappeared completely.

The 306 crew and passengers were never heard from again and, while there are many theories, according to the Naval Historical Center, it "is one of the sea's unsolved mysteries."


1948: DC-3 Commercial Flight Vanishes
On Dec. 28, 1948, Capt. Robert Lindquist took off from San Juan with two crew members and 29 passengers heading for Miami.

When the plane was 50 miles away from Miami, Lindquist reportedly radioed the Miami airport for landing instructions. The airport's reply was met with silence. The plane was never seen again.

According to an investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board, the plane had electrical difficulties and low battery power. Those findings have not stopped many from blaming supernatural forces on the disappearance.





1976: Panamanian Ship Trades Cargo for Mystery




The Panamanian ship Sylvia L. Ossa was a cargo ship that was a regular near the mysterious waters of the Bermuda Triangle.

But in 1976, the Sylvia L. Ossa fell victim to the mysteries of the triangle when she and her 37-person crew disappeared without a trace.



The Coast Guard is reportedly still looking for clues to what happened to the 590-foot ship, pictured above.






1948: Star Tiger Drops Out of the Sky
On its way from England to Bermuda in January 1948, a Star Tiger passenger plane vanished with more than 30 people on board.

England's Civial Air Ministry conducted an investigation and found that a ship, the SS Troubadour, reported seeing a low-flying plane about halfway between Bermuda and Delaware Bay. If that plane was the Star Tiger, it was horribly off course.

Related
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The fate of the Star Tiger is still considered an unsolved mystery.

1963: Something Smells Funny With the Sulphur Queen's Disappearance
The Sulphur Queen was a 523-foot tanker that was originally intended to carry oil, but was converted to carry sulphur.


On Feb. 3, 1963, the ship sent a radio report that placed it 230 miles southeast of New Orleans, La., according to a report by Time magazine. Then nothing.

There was no SOS and no warning of trouble. The ship simply disappeared.

Two weeks later, pieces of a raft, a life vest and a broken oar washed up on Florida beaches.

An investigation launched by the Coast Guard shortly after the disappearance concluded that the vessel was nowhere near seaworthy and likely caught fire at sea.

Such a conclusion was not far-fetched. According to the article, "once, the Queen actually sailed into a New Jersey port with fires smoldering, unloaded her cargo, and sailed off again -- still burning."

Watch a video...n get ur queries cleared..

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7168091

Animals Battle Extinction...!!!

From Videos

The future beneath your fingertips

The success of the iPhone has given rise to a new grammar of touch control while the advent of multi-touch in Windows 7 will further accelerate the evolution of human computer interfaces, the South by SouthWest festival has been told.
The minute-long sequence in the film Minority Report in which Tom Cruise manipulated images on a screen using simple gestures has quickly become a cliche of future human computer interfaces.
While based on the real world science of John Underkoffler, who has since co-founded a company called g-Speak that sells the technology, it has become both the vision and barrier for many user interface and user experience designers.
The reality of standing at a giant screen and wearing special gloves may eventually render the Minority Report vision impractical, but it does reflect one certainty: the days of the mouse keyboard and desktop graphical interface are numbered.

Follow the link to Know more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7945680.stm

Coca-Cola "Max" by Tugboat Japan

The campaign, which aims to promote the extra sweet coffee drink amongst extreme sports enthusiasts, transforms the toilet cubicle so that the person sitting on the loo feels as though they are the top of a dramatic ski jump.

In order to target its key audience, Tugboat transformed the toilets of a number of major ski resorts, with branding on the toilet holder reading: "Seriously kick-ass intensely sweet for the real coffee super zinging unstoppable Max! Taste-explosion!"

sweet cold drinks.....

will it work wat say....

No Holi for 150 years...

There is one village in Jharkhand has not celebrated Holi for 150 years, fearing a natural calamity if they do so.

Famine and deaths will follow if they celebrate Holi, believe residents of Durgapur village on the banks of the Khanjo river in Bokaro district, around 170 km from Ranchi.
Since my childhood I have not seen any celebration of Holi in the village. Some people who celebrated the festival some 50 years ago died," 85-year-old villager Maghi Mahto said.

Narrating the incident, he said: "Just after independence a few traders stayed on the day of Holi in our village. Going against our suggestion they celebrated Holi and died within a month. The cattle in their possession also died."
He said the incident reaffirmed the belief of villagers.

Villagers believe that Holi was last celebrated in Durgapur about 150 years ago during the reign of King Durga Prasad Singh.
"When Holi was celebrated in the village, cattle died and no crops grew for three successive years. The fear of famine prevents people from celebrating Holi."

Is It Time to Retrain B-Schools?

JOHN Thain has one. So do Richard Fuld, Stanley O’Neal andVikram Pandit. For that matter, so does John Paulson, the hedge fund kingpin.

Yes, all five have fat bank accounts, even now, and all have made their share of headlines. But these current and former giants of finance also are all card-carrying M.B.A.’s.

The master’s of business administration, a gateway credential throughout corporate America, is especially coveted on Wall Street; in recent years, top business schools have routinely sent more than 40 percent of their graduates into the world of finance.

But with the economy in disarray and so many financial firms in free fall, analysts, and even educators themselves, are wondering if the way business students are taught may have contributed to the most serious economic crisis in decades.

BA's T5 blunder knocks it out of Superbrands top 10

Setbacks for British Airways (BA), including the bungled launch of Terminal 5, have resulted in the airline falling out of the top 10 of the annual Business Superbrands survey for the first time.

The survey of 500 brands is voted on by a panel of 1,500 managers and organised by the Centre for Brand Analysis (CBA). It found the opening of Terminal 5 had severely damaged BA's business reputation and resulted in it dropping 28 places to 36.


Another brand to drop out of the top 10 was BBC Worldwide, which fell from four to 15. The BBC’s commercial arm held the top spot in 2007. The number one position has been retained by Google. Other new entries into the top ten include Sony, Nokia, Michelin and the London Stock Exchange, while Rolls-Royce rose from sixth to second. Business Superbrands Top 10 2009:

Google
Rolls-Royce
Sony
Microsoft
Nokia
GlaxoSmithKline
London Stock Exchange
Michelin
BP
Bupa

Could Cow Urine Cola Make a Splash?

In a country where cows are sacred, drinking their urine is close to godliness. And better yet, it's marketable.

The Indian proprietor behind the idea of a new beverage made from cow's urine says the drink will have many health benefits.(Getty/ABC News)

Along with protecting the bovine beast, the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) wants to make a cola from the cow's urine, which they say has curative properties.

"It has been established that cow urine is capable of curing even cancer, so imagine a drink which would not only be tasty but also healthy," Om Prakash, leader of RSS, told ABC News.

So How's It Taste?

The cola concoction is currently undergoing laboratory testing in the northern city of Lucknow. The group hopes it will be launched in the market by the end of this year.

"It won't be like carbonated drinks and would be devoid of any toxics or pesticides. What do you get by drinking colas? Nothing. It's all gas, and that too is not good for health," he said.

So ready to have healthy indian colas.....

Google launches AdSense mobile search engine

Google has expanded its advertising offering for publishers with the launch of its AdSense mobile search engine, which enables mobile publishers to embed a Google search box on their site.
The AdSense search product is available for both mobile network operators and mobile website owners, and is being rolled out around the world.

Pepsi-Logo-Redesign-Document-Internet-Hoax--Real-Thing....

The new Pepsi logo conforms to design principles that go back thousands of years, represents the Earth’s gravitational pull and also draws upon the greatest works of art, according to a document posted on the Reddit.com.

The logo is the work of the Arnell Group, run by founder Peter Arnell and owned by Omincom, and reportedly cost more than $1 million to create. Entitled Breathtaking Design Strategy, the document was part of the pitch to Pepsi. It is littered with historical, philosophical, scientific and mathematical ideas dating back to 3000 BC, referencing the Golden Ratio, Feng Shui and Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity.

The presentation goes on to compare “Planet Pepsi” to the Earth’s magnetic pull, with diagrams showing Pepsi as the gravitational force between the end of the aisle and the checkout stand. It explains how “investment in our DNA leads to breakthrough innovation and allows us to move out of the traditional linear system and into the future.” It also discusses how the Mona Lisa, nautilus shells and the Earth’s magnetic field relate to the Pepsi logo.

FutureBrand redesigns Cadbury's Roses packaging

FutureBrand has created a new look for Cadbury's Roses, the chocolate selection brand which is 70 years old this year.Cadbury briefed FutureBrand to make the product appeal to younger consumers without alienating Roses' older core fans.

The design, a simplified version of the current packaging which will be available from the middle of this month, is aimed at women over the age of 35. The blue of the box has been lightened and the drawing of a rose has become more contemporary.

In tribute to the well-remembered 1990s TV ad campaign which was based around using Roses to say "thank you", Futurebrand aimed to re-introduce the specialness of the brand and capture the essence of gifting.

The brand name on the packaging has been made more prominent and will appear as a gift card on the front, so enhancing the gift appeal and stand out. Alan Flude, creative director at FutureBrand, said: "The packaging has not undergone a major re-design for a long time so moving the brand forward and still keeping it friendly and inclusive was a challenge."

So new pack same taste is what's on store now.....

Obama speech censored in China

China has censored parts of the new US president's inauguration speech that have appeared on a number of websites. Live footage of the event on state television also cut away from Barack Obama when communism was mentioned.
China's leaders appear to have been upset by references to facing down communism and silencing dissent. English-language versions of the speech have been allowed on the internet, but many of the Chinese translations have omitted sensitive sections.

Selective editing

China keeps a firm grip on the country's media outlets and censors their news reports as a matter of routine.Like the rest of the world, it has been keenly following developments in the United States; President Obama's inauguration was front page news.
But the authorities seem not to want ordinary Chinese people to read the full, unexpurgated version of the president's speech.

In his inauguration address, President Obama said: "Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions." That entire passage was retained for an English-language version of the speech that appeared on the website of state-run Xinhua news agency.
Xinhua did not mention the word "communism" in its Chinese version.But in the Chinese-language version, the word "communism" was taken out. President Obama's comments addressed to world leaders who "blame their society's ills on the West" also fell foul of the censor's red pen.

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history," the president said. Once again, Xinhua included the passage in full in its English version, but the sentence was taken out of the Chinese translation.

China Central Television, the country's main broadcaster, aired the speech live with a simultaneous Chinese translation. But when the translator got to the part where President Obama talked about facing down communism, her voice suddenly faded away.
The programme suddenly cut back to the studio, where an off-guard presenter had to quickly ask a guest a question.

Censoring sensitive news reports is nothing new in China, where officials go to great lengths to cut critical material. These officials appear a little nervous about the arrival of a new US President, who might not be as friendly to China as President George W. Bush.
As an editorial in the state-run China Daily put it: "Given the popular American eagerness for a break from the Bush years, many wonder, or worry to be precise, whether the new president would ignore the hard-earned progress in bilateral ties."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7841580.stm

What say????....Media...freedom...public...policies....

Coca-Cola goes for a change

Coca-Cola looks set to drop its global strapline the 'Coke side of life' for a new line 'Open Happiness', after trademarking the slogan in the UK earlier this year.The line could be rolled out as early as next week according to reports in the US, where Coke is developing an ad campaign for the upcoming NFL Superbowl.
The introduction of the new slog would see the drinks giant replace ‘The Coke side of life', which it has used since 2006.Coca-Cola has used numerous taglines over the years, most notably ‘Can't beat the real thing' and more recently ‘Always Coca-Cola'.

Is it the effect of recession or something else would open soon....so lets wait for sometime......

http://www.brandrepublic.com/BrandRepublicNews/News/873605/Coca-Cola-replace-Coke-side-life-Open-Happiness/?DCMP=EMC-DailyNewsBulletin

Was Bapu a British soldier once?

The fact that Mahatma Gandhi, who used the tools of truth and non-violence in the fight for India's freedom, donned an army uniform may startle many. But it is true that Father of the Nation wore the British Army's uniform in 1899, although as a member of a voluntary ambulance unit during the Anglo-Boer War.
The Mahatma, then known as Mohandas Karamchand, along with fellow Indians in South Africa decided to join the voluntary ambulance unit. The little known fact, reported in the magazine 'Sainik Samachar' (Soldier's News), formerly called 'Fauji Akhbar', has been archived in the coffee table book "Soldiering On" released Friday in the centenary year of the magazine.
"It might seem surprising but it is that in the year 1899 Mahatma Gandhi donned a uniform. This uniform belonged to a voluntary ambulance unit, which he created," an article by J.P. Chaturvedi published in the Sainik Samachar edition of Oct 9, 1977 says.
Accompanying the article is a rare picture of Mahatma Gandhi sporting the British Army uniform.The decision to form a voluntary ambulance unit was part of Mahatma's strategy to bring the Indians settled in South Africa into the mainstream.
"The performance of his voluntary ambulance unit was appreciated by all when the Anglo-Boer war ended in 1902 after the capture of Transvaal. This unit consisted of 1100 Indians."The Commander-in-Chief of the Army mentioned the heroic deeds performed by this ambulance unit, whose members walked 20 to 25 miles a day to carry out their voluntary duties to help the injured," the article reads.
When the best of the British soldiers were forced into action during the war that "the Mahatma thought of raising an ambulance unit to help the wounded."
"The Governor of Natal was sympathetic and Gandhiji was able to secure the services of the eminent Dr. Booth to train his unit... Their (Indian volunteers') sense of service and capacity for hard work was appreciated and won them many admirers," says the book "Soldiering On". The book chronicles not just the important events in the history of the armed forces but also in the history of the nation.
"Soldiering On" was released by Defence Minister A.K. Antony at a grand function here attended by Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major, Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor and Indian Navy's vice chief Vice Admiral R.P. Suthan.

Where car ownership is highest....???

LUXEMBOURG'S roads are jammed with 647 cars for every 1,000 people, the highest ownership rate in the world. The tiny country is rich, which probably accounts for its motor-mania.
Car ownership is also high in wealthy countries with remote rural populations, such as Iceland and New Zealand. Surprisingly, 'AMERICA', home of the motor vehicle, has fewer cars per person than either Australia or Canada.

Facebook bigger than Japan - official

Facebook now has 150 million users and more than half of them use Facebook every day, according to a recent post on their blog http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=46881667130
Facebook is represented on every continent including Antartica. If it was a country it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria.
The company post also points out that Facebook reaches a cross section of society from grannies to students. So that knocks on the head the idea that some traditional marketeers hold that social media is only for young people.

So try to be a nationalist of this country......

Indian paper industry fastest growing in the world

Atleast paper growth is unaffected by 'RECESSION'.......

India has emerged as the fastest growing paper market in the world, registering a growth of 10% in per capita consumption of paper over the last one year. Per capita paper consumption increased to 8.3 kg as of December 2008 as compared to 7.5 kg during 2007-08, as per estimates of Indian Paper Manufacturers Association(IPMA).
The estimated turnover of the industry is Rs 25,000 crore. "The pulp and paper industry will grow at an estimated CAGR of 7-8% over the next decade. The installed capacity in the country is also slated to grow to 11.2 million tonne per annum by 2010 from the current level of 9 million tonne," said outgoing IPMA president Pradeep Dhobale.

Michael Phelps signs groundbreaking deal with Mazda in China

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is to become the brand spokesman for Mazda in China, in the largest single sponsorship deal for a Western celebrity in China's history.

This finally i believe has broken the deadlock.....

And now with this China is sure to accept more...
Good luck Michael Phelps....for your endeavour with Chinese.

Young men, not women, are worst spenders

Yes...it is true according to a survey....
But then accroding to me its a highly debatable issue....

what say?????

Burger King in News...4 something Strange....

Burger King US has released a new Facebook application that gives users a free Whopper when they delete 10 friends from their profile page.

Facebook users can visit the Whopper Sacrifice website to install the application, and select 10 friends they wish to remove from their friend list for a free Whopper voucher.

Usually when a friend is removed on Facebook, no announcement is made, however the Burger King application creates an update to inform the deleted friend that they have been "sacrificed for a free Whopper" on their wall.

Worlds Worst 3 Airports......

According to Forbe's list of airports...worlds worsts are in INDIA....
with CST Mumbai at top of the list followed by....IGI New Delhi...n Bengaluru International Airport at no 4......according to arrivals......
so we can have a breathe...as according to departure they are not the worst....
And b'coz of this i guess....there is a lot of airtraffic in India now-a-days...on a funny note....

OBAMA BUZZ...

hello friends ....

it seems 'OBAMA' buzz is still not out and people are taking every

opportunity hands on to take advantage of it....n so the news....goes

'OBAMA' meets 'SPIDER-MAN' in Marvel special.....

Marvel Comics is cashing in on Obamamania with a special edition of Spider-Man that features the superhero saving the president-elect's swearing-in ceremony from disaster।

And he's not going to complain b'coz he was a collector of the Spider-Man comics as a child.