Being brave

My morning started off with an incredible thought process. What triggered that was my leg pain and the national anthem. Huh? Not something you come up daily with, is it? As it is I was just wondering about brave jawans today. I saw my anthem being played and I saw this guy standing up with one leg and a very cute and incredible smile on his face. It made me wonder what might have made this guy go out to the battle field. I mean he should have very obviously known the dangers that go with it. It could have been anything for him, a horrible death or a bullet in the wrong place or some thing as murderous. But knowing all that he still he went ahead. And I just thought ain’t he brave. Its not just him. So many other jawans. So so many people the world around. They barge in aware of all its dangers and all the pain it might bring through. And here I am with a small pain in my leg thinking that the world is over for me. I felt very tiny. But I felt a huge realize too. Because i have learned to ignore petty things. What were boulders became little stones too me. Now everything is possible. And it has made my day brighter. I walked to my office with the same smile I saw on that brave man. I felt lighter. I salute all the brave souls the world over.

Popular Superstitions

Call them funny or call them weird, these popular superstitions or old wives' tales are still heeded and can make the most logical person behave in the most illogical ways!

These colourful beliefs just refuse to die and have been passed down from generation to generation.

Broken mirror Long long ago when there were no mirrors, people looked at their reflections in water. One's reflection was considered to be like one's soul and as such if the reflection appeared contorted then the soul was considered broken. Even after the advent of mirrors the practice continues. A broken mirror distorts your reflection and is thus considered inauspicious.

Black cat crossing your path One of the most popular and oldest beliefs, this one is attributed to various sources. One version goes that black cats forebode doom; another goes that black cats are demons in disguise; and yet another goes that they were once pets of witches that turned into witches and hence they are witches in disguise. Contrary to worldwide beliefs about the black cat, the Japanese consider a black cat lucky. So the next time you see a black cat you decide whether you want turn back or walk ahead.

Walking under a slanting ladder This age-old belief is believed to have originated from those days when convicts were hung from the seventh rung of ladders. The belief those days was that if one walked under such a ladder, there was every likelihood of coming into contact with the ghost of the man who was hung.

13 and Friday the 13th The number 13 has always been and is still considered to be sinister by many. For some, going to office or carrying out any auspicious task is out of the question on the 13th day of a month. Many others consider only Friday the 13th to be inauspicious. Friday the 13th's bad reputation goes back to the days when under pressure from King Philip IV of France, Pope Clement V had ordered his men to capture and burn all the Templar knights, a brigade of powerful crusaders who the king felt were a threat to him.

The samurai were roughly the equivalent of feudal knights. Employed by the shogun or daimyo, they were members of hereditary warrior class that followed a strict "code" that defined their clothes, armor and behavior on the battlefield. But unlike most medieval knights, samurai warriors could read and they were well versed in Japanese art, literature and poetry.

The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushido. While they numbered less than 10% of Japan's population samurai teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in martial arts such as Kendo, meaning the way of the sword.

Kato Kiyomasa was one of the most powerful and well-known lords of the Sengoku Era. He commanded most of Japan's major clans during the invasion of Korea (1592–1598). In a handbook he addressed to "all samurai, regardless of rank" he told his followers that a warrior's only duty in life was to "grasp the long and the short swords and to die". He also ordered his followers to put forth great effort in studying the military classics, especially those related to loyalty and filial piety. He is best known for his quote:

The point of a samurai sword is called a Kissaki. This is the hardest part of the sword to polish and forge and to hand create a quality one would require an extremely skilful artisan. The value of a sword is determined largely by the quality of the point. The samurai would give names to their swords as they believe in the sword lived their warrior spirit.

"If a man does not investigate into the matter of Bushido daily, it will be difficult for him to die a brave and manly death. Thus it is essential to engrave this business of the warrior into one's mind well."

Most samurai were bound by a code of honor and were expected to set an example for those below them. From the earliest times, the Samurai felt that the path of the warrior was one of honor, emphasizing duty to one's master, and loyalty unto death.

World Travel

In this article ill bring to you some exotic places that i admire.

Queenstown, New Zealand

Staggering beauty and heart-pumping thrilss await in the resort town of Queenstown, which is also known for its Hobbits -- much of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed in the area. Outdoor enthusiasts flock to Queenstown for kayaking, bungee jumping, jetboating, white-water rafting, hiking and skiing. More mild-mannered adventurers can take a quiet cruise through nearby Milford Sound, part of the Fjordland National Park World Heritage area or sample South Island pinot noir from one of the region's 75 wineries.

Sedona, Arizona

Anyplace can have an amazing pool and spa, but an amazing pool and spa in the middle of a gorgeous desert? That's what you'll find at Sedona's resorts. If you do feel like taking a break from lounging poolside and sampling different kinds of massages, you'll find miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback tours. Afterward, of course, you'll need another massage. It's the good kind of vicious cycle.

Rock Hard

Rocks are so common that most of us take them for granted—cursing when we hit them with the garden hoe or taking advantage of them to drive in tent pegs on summer camping trips.

But what exactly is a rock?

To geologists, a rock is a natural substance composed of solid crystals of different minerals that have been fused together into a solid lump. The minerals may or may not have been formed at the same time. What matters is that natural processes glued them all together.

There are three basic types of rock: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic.

Extremely common in the Earth's crust, igneous rocks are volcanic and form from molten material. They include not only lava spewed from volcanoes, but also rocks like granite, which are formed by magma that solidifies far underground.

Typically, granite makes up large parts of all the continents. The seafloor is formed of a dark lava called basalt, the most common volcanic rock.

Granite rocks can be very old. Some granite, in Australia, is believed to be more than four billion years old, although when rocks get that old, they've been altered enough by geological forces that it's hard to classify them. Fossils are most frequently found in sedimentary rock, which comes in layers, called strata.

Metamorphic rocks are sedimentary or igneous rocks that have been transformed by pressure, heat, or the intrusion of fluids.

Snooping the net

News is out that criminals can spy on Internet users even if they're using secure connections to banks, online retailers or other sensitive Web sites.

The attacks demonstrated at the Black Hat conference here show how determined hackers can sniff around the edges of encrypted Internet traffic to pick up clues about what their targets are up to.

It's like tapping a telephone conversation and hearing muffled voices that hint at the tone of the conversation. The problem lies in the way Web browsers handle Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL, encryption technology. SSL is widely used on sites trafficking in sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, and its presence is shown as a padlock in the browser's address bar.

For the average Internet user, the research reinforces the importance of being careful on public Wi-Fi networks, where an attacker could plant himself in a position to look at your traffic. For the attacks to work, the attacker must first have access to the victim's network.

Rival for iPad ?

Here is the rival for Apple Inc’s iPad.

Research In Motion Ltd, maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, is planning to introduce a tablet computer in November to compete with Apple Inc’s iPad.

The device will have roughly the same dimensions as the iPad, which has a 9.7-inch diagonal screen. The device will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology that will allow people to connect to the Internet through their BlackBerry smartphones.

Be cautious when Filing Tax Online

The advantages of filing your income tax returns online are plentiful. For instance, you can file your returns anytime, anywhere, away from the prying eyes of others and within the confines of your own home.

However, you do need to ensure you protect your personal information online. It is no coincidence that identity theft rate related to tax return filing rises in keeping with the increasing popularity of online tax filing.

Be skeptical of emails that feature Web links. Those links can be part of a phishing scam that takes you to look-alike Web pages designed to steal your sensitive personal information, from PAN numbers to credit card account information. If you need to log in, do so independently and through the log-in Web page – not by clicking on a link.

When you go to file your taxes, make sure you've reached the correct site. One easy way is to look for a green address bar that indicates that the Web site is authentic.

Make sure you're entering your personal information in a secured session by looking for https://

Do not respond to any tax issues or requests using fax. You might receive a email scam requesting for a fax with personal information to be sent back to “The Income Tax Department.” The Income Tax Department will never request personal information via fax.

100 days of oil spill

A 100 days have passed since the April 20 explosion on the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 men and caused millions of gallon of crude to spill into the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama described it as the "worst environmental disaster America has ever faced", and environmental groups spoke in almost biblical terms of "dark shadows" and the "black hand of tar".

One of the first species to face risk could be the brown pelican, which has just entered its breeding season on Louisiana's coastal islands. The brown pelican was just removed from the endangered species list last year.

BP has been estimating the leak was flowing at a rate of 5,000 barrels per day, but scientists and the government have questioned that figure. Scientists analyzing video of the oil gushing from the seabed have pegged the spill's volume at about 70,000 barrels (11 million liters) per day.

In a statement President Obama said his administration will use "every single available resource at our disposal" to respond to the massive oil spill expected to reach the Gulf coastline within a day. He said the oil company BP ultimately will pay the cost of the cleanup.

Are we going to change the color of the animals now? Join the Awareness !!

Consume less oil

This entry comes by popular request. A lot of people have been asking what they can do to less oil, and reduce demand for the sticky stuff ruining beaches everywhere. Here's my top ten, feel free to add to it in comments:

1. Carpool, cycle or use public transport to go to work.

2. Choose, when possible, products packaged without plastic and recycle or re-use containers.

3. Buy organic fruits and vegetables.

4. Buy beauty products (shampoo, soap, make-up) based on natural ingredients, not oil.

5. Choose when possible locally produced products (less transport involved).

6. Buy clothes made out of organic cotton or hemp - not from oil derivatives.

7. Use non-disposable items in picnics and summer festivals.

8. Quit bottled water.

9. Fly less.

10. Demand that your government encourage renewable energy instead of subsidizing oil.

Courtesy: Greenpeace

Wonderful Message!!

Book Review- Shadow Kiss

For those who enjoy reading vampire stories this one would be whole-some treat. I highly recommend the series. For those who ar new go in the order of vampire academy, frost bite and then come to this. And don’t read any further because it will be a spoiler for the other two books.

Rose is still trying to deal with her forbidden love for Dimitri - for her whole life she has been taught that protecting the Moroi is more important than anything and that, as a Dhampir, her needs should come last. She is starting to feel resentment towards Lissa after watching her being so happy and in love with Christian while knowing that she and Dimitri will never be able to be together. But that isn't the only thing going on with Rose, she is getting increasingly angry over the smallest things and can't understand why her temper is so out of control.

If you're a fan of the last 2 books in the series then you're going to loveShadow Kiss. It is by far my favorite in the series and I am desperate to get my hands on the next.

This book will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride like no other you've been on before. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'm just going to say that this book will leave you spinning - the twist Richelle put in at the end was utterly heartbreaking and I have no idea how she is going to be able to fix things.

This is seriously a must read for urban fantasy fans both young and old.

Riots against FIFA spending

Thousands of South Africans staged a march to protest against lavish spending on the tournament and the sacking of security staff, inflicting a new embarrassment on organisers.

As the country marked the 34th anniversary of the Soweto uprising against apartheid rule, about 3000 people marched in Durban to denounce Fifa and the government for their spending priorities when millions live in poverty.

"Get out Fifa mafia!" chanted the crowds in a Durban park, their ranks swelled by stewards who were involved in clashes with riot police after protests over their wages.

Monday's protests triggered walkouts by other stewards, which have led South Africa's police to take control at the World Cup stadiums in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Durban.

Ever since it was awarded the staging rights, South Africa's government has faced accusations it should not be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on stadiums when about 40% of the population lives on less than $2 a day.

"If we have money for stadiums, we should not have any homeless people or people having to live in shacks," organiser Allan Murphy said ahead of the protest.

Much of the marchers' ire was directed towards Fifa, which has made record amounts of money from the first World Cup to be held in Africa.

Football's governing body has insisted that the dispute over stewards' wages is not its responsibility, having sub-contracted the work.

But there is widespread anger among South Africans towards Fifa, whose demands for a smooth-running tournament has seen the government pour R33-billion ($4,3-billion) into World Cup preparations.

Dolphins

SAVE DOLPHINS

Leonardo da Vinci

The term Renaissance man is used to describe a person who seems to know, and know how to do, nearly everything. He or she is skilled in multiple disciplines, and, being well-ed ucated, has a broad knowledge of all sorts of subjects. When someone refers t o another as a Renaissance man, you know that person really has his or her stuff together and would most likely be a great addition to your trivia team. A polymath is another word used to describe such a person; the word comes from Greek, meaning "having learned much."

The phrase Renaissance man comes from the period of the same name between the 14th and 17th centuries, the Renaissance. This is the point when historians agree civilization emerged from the Dark Ages and began a new period of intellectual enlightenment. Scholars and artists during these times took on all kinds of studies, including painting, sculpting, science and mathematics, engineering

and philosophy.

Most consider Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), the Italian scientist, inventor and artist, the ultimate Renaissance man, and you'll often see him associated with the term. Leonardo was a master painter, and many of his works are recognized worldwide, including the

"Mona Lisa," the "Last Supper," and his sketch of the "Vitruvian Man." He was also a sculptor, an anatomy expert, an engineer and an architect, and his seemingly endless amount of ideas and inventions were extremely far ahead of their time. Most of his machines or gadgets were merely proposed and remain sketches on paper, but Leonardo also predicted a myriad of modern technologies, including the parachute, steam engine, tank, helicopter, airplane

and submarine.

But did the one-of-a-kind genius have the foresight to dream up the basic principle for the modern era's most influential mode of transportation -- the car? If so, what did it look like, and how did it work? One has to find out..

NASCAR World Cup

The 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup season was in the midst of an upsurge. As the 1980s drew to a close, the popularity of NASCAR stock car racing was spiraling upward dramatically. Sponsorship from corporate America was strong, the dynamic heroes behind the wheel were becoming household names, and all of the NASCAR Winston Cup events were being televised live. Trackside attendance was running at record levels and promoters were adding new grandstands to accommodate the demand for tickets.

On a sad note, Tim Richmond, an energized and immensely popular driver, had electrified the audience with his brazen displays of courage only to die prematurely of the AIDS virus in 1989. Richmond was Winston Cup racing's top winner in 1986, but had to sit out most of the 1987 campaign as he concealed the identity of his illness.

February 19, 1989: Daytona 500

In his 17th Daytona 500 start, Darrell Waltrip prevails in an economy run. Waltrip runs the final 132.5 miles without a pit stop and coasts across the finish line 7.64 seconds ahead of runner-up Ken Schrader. Most of the field runs on Hoosier tires as Goodyear pulls out of the race due to safety concerns with its new radial tire.

May 7, 1989: Winston 500

Davey Allison leads a 1-2-3 Ford sweep in the Winston 500 at Talladega. Allison outruns Terry Labonte and Mark Martin to score his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup win.

July 30, 1989: Talladega 500

By pocketing $47,965 for his second-place finish in the Talladega 500, Darrell Waltrip becomes NASCAR's first $10 million winner.

November 19, 1989: Atlanta Journal 500

Dale Earnhardt romps to an overwhelming victory in the season-ending Atlanta Journal 500 as Rusty Wallace wraps up his first NASCAR Winston Cup title with a 15th-place finish. Wallace nips Earnhardt by 12 points in the final tally. Veteran driver Grant Adcox is killed in a 202nd-lap crash.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini yoga is a form of physical and meditative yoga that comprises of various techniques using the mind, body and our senses.

The Kundalini energy is often represented as a snake coiled at the base of the spine. This yoga gives special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system – both essential parts for yogic awakening.

It goes beyond the physical performance of asanas with its emphasis on breathing, meditation, mudras and chanting. However, it can be very physically intense and appeals to those who are up for both mental and physical challenges. Here are some of the benefits one can derive from Kundalini yoga.

- Kundalini yoga helps in the better functioning of the digestive, glandular, cardiovascular, lymphatic and nervous system.

- It has a direct bearing with the glandular system and hence can enhance the ability to look and feel great.

- It heightens the senses. So, your ability to taste, smell, feel and see with sensitivity are increased.

- It helps eliminate and get rid of habits such as smoking and alcohol addiction.

- Kundalini yoga helps to enrich your sense of well-being and confidence that comes from the process of self-discovery of your inner self and reaching a relaxed state of mind and body.

- It also helps overcome negative feelings and encourages positive attitude and feelings.

- You can experience better sense of self-control and, overcome anger and resentment to find inner calm and mental peace.

- It strengthens the immune system too and helps you fight off several diseases and keep them at bay. A positive mind is a great weapon against all of them.

Sleep better with these foods

These food help you sleep better..

There are certain nutrients in salmon, as well as in beans, yogurt, and spinach that help you sleep better.

Salmon

The healthy fats in this fish (namely docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA for short) may boost levels of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin.

Beans

Beans and other legumes provide a nice sampling of B vitamins, including B6, B12, and folic acid, all of which help the body regulate sleep cycles and produce relaxing serotonin. In fact, studies have shown that boosting B vitamins may help people with insomnia.

Low-fat yogurt

Yogurt is a good source of calcium and magnesium – two important sleep-supporting minerals that together help you fall asleep faster and ratchet up your deep-sleep time. And skimping on both may lead to muscle cramps, higher stress levels, and worse sleep.

Spinach

Dark leafy greens are a great source of iron – a nutrient that may help protect against the sleep robber known as restless legs syndrome.

Condemn the honor killings

Scores of woman are killed every year with the count on the raise. In this day and age it tends to surprise some. But what is even more surprising and disgusting is that many of these killings are done by educated men. Men who walk amongst you and me wearing jeans and puma shoes, not old withered senile man.

Honor killings involves two people who profess to be in love and the entire community goes against them. Where it turns your kith and kin , your father and mother to monsters. What are these people against? Their son and daughter? Caste? No. These are excuses.

If you scratch away the top layer you will find the age old reason. The primeval reason for every ones survival-Love. They are against love, an emotion. They hate the emotion. What kind of men are they?

But wait a minute this is only part of the whole thing. Honor killing happens for various other reasons too.

Such "immoral behavior" may take the form of marital infidelity, refusing to submit to an arranged marriage, demanding a divorce, flirting with or receiving phone calls from men, failing to serve a meal on time, or -- grotesquely -- "allowing herself" to be raped. In the Turkish province of Sanliurfa, one young woman's "throat was slit in the town square because a love ballad was dedicated to her over the radio."

The horror stories continue still. Its time for every one to take a stand. Countless stories and countless horror stories have been written and seen. Brothers killing sisters, girl buried alive, father killing daughter the stories go on.

Come on humans, wake up. Let us stop this gruesome killings NOW. Before the entire woman race is wiped out in the name of 'honor', if you find any that is. Because if this happens the human race comes to an end.

Keep Clean. Go Green!!

Populer Superstitions

Call them funny or call them weird, these popular superstitions or old wives' tales are still heeded and can make the most logical person behave in the most illogical ways!

These colourful beliefs just refuse to die and have been passed down from generation to generation.

Broken mirror Long long ago when there were no mirrors, people looked at their reflections in water. One's reflection was considered to be like one's soul and as such if the reflection appeared contorted then the soul was considered broken. Even after the advent of mirrors the practice continues. A broken mirror distorts your reflection and is thus considered inauspicious.

Black cat crossing your path One of the most popular and oldest beliefs, this one is attributed to various sources. One version goes that black cats forebode doom; another goes that black cats are demons in disguise; and yet another goes that they were once pets of witches that turned into witches and hence they are witches in disguise. Contrary to worldwide beliefs about the black cat, the Japanese consider a black cat lucky. So the next time you see a black cat you decide whether you want turn back or walk ahead.

Walking under a slanting ladder This age-old belief is believed to have originated from those days when convicts were hung from the seventh rung of ladders. The belief those days was that if one walked under such a ladder, there was every likelihood of coming into contact with the ghost of the man who was hung.

13 and Friday the 13th The number 13 has always been and is still considered to be sinister by many. For some, going to office or carrying out any auspicious task is out of the question on the 13th day of a month. Many others consider only Friday the 13th to be inauspicious. Friday the 13th's bad reputation goes back to the days when under pressure from King Philip IV of France, Pope Clement V had ordered his men to capture and burn all the Templar knights, a brigade of powerful crusaders who the king felt were a threat to him.

What do people buy most in online

With the advent of the World Wide Web, the face of how people function with the various facilities, products and services made available to them has changed drastically. Everything under the sun is available online and to lay your hands on it is just a single click of the mouse away. These transactions take place on a global platform and the usage of the internet is extremely economical than to physically travel around and shop for things you need to search vividly for. All you need is a credit card number or an online payment account and you are good to go. Time is precious to all and that is exactly what is conserved to great extents with the advantage of having to shop from home within a few minutes.

When it comes to computer software it is extremely profitable to buy online because they can be purchased at lower rates owing to the absence of costs incurred on packaging and shipping. All you have to do is buy the software from the websites and install it in your computers. Although in order to avoid piracy they do have some special regulatory precautions in place. When it comes to booking travel packages or holidays, doing so online is very economical since you gain access to virtual tours and a detailed list of multiple flights of different companies in a single website where you can easily compare the rates and save a lot of money on cheaper flights. Travel and tourism industry is booming thanks to the increase in the internet savvy individuals.

When it comes to fashion accessories there is a certain freedom to shop at your leisure from home rather than stand for hours in the departmental stores spending a lot of time on finalizing the product. Besides there are no dearth for the designer clothes, shoes, handbags, sunglasses, watches, jewelry available online. Moreover, for all those who do not want to spend a fortune on the big designer brands they can easily opt for exact look-alike designer replicas that are available in plenty on the internet. Thus all these factors make these products extremely popular with a lot of people shopping online around the world.

Beetroot juice for your stamina

Drinking beetroot juice boosts your stamina, concludes a new study, which adds that the magical drink can help you exercise for up to 16 percent longer.

A study reveals that drinking beetroot juice reduces oxygen uptake to an extent that cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.

The research team conducted their study with eight men aged between 19 and 38. They were given 500ml per day of organic beetroot juice for six consecutive days before completing a series of tests, involving cycling on an exercise bike. On another occasion, they were given a placebo of blackcurrant cordial for six consecutive days before completing the same cycling tests.

After drinking beetroot juice the group was able to cycle for an average of 11.25 minutes, which is 92 seconds longer than when they were given the placebo. This would translate into an approximate 2 percent reduction in the time taken to cover a set distance. The group that had consumed the beetroot juice also had lower resting blood pressure.

The research has been published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

Somniloquy

Somniloquy is a sleeping disorder related with the talking aloud in one’s sleep, sleep talking. Somniloquy occurs at an unconscious level when the person doing so is not aware of the fact that he is doing it. Somniloquy or sleep-talking is a parasomnia which can be quite loud, ranging from simple sounds to long speeches, and can take place many times during sleep. A listener may or may not be capable to understand what the person is saying.

Sleep talking causes are not completely known. Many times, the cause of this sleep talking can not be associated with any identifiable underlying problem or disease.

Sleep talking may be associated with sleep-related disorders, such as:

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Sleep walking

Sleep-related epilepsy

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) behavior disorder (an unusual disorder in which individuals tend to act out their dreams while asleep)

Sleep apnea

Nighttime sleep eating syndrome

Justice??

Save the Trees

The modern tower of Pisa

We know about the architectural mistake of the famous leaning tower of pisa. But here is the modern architectural wonder - the modern leaning tower in Abu Dhabi.

It’s a perfect metaphor for the teetering global real-estate market: Capital Gate, the glassy tower at the center of Abu Dhabi’s $2.2 billion Capital Centre development, has just been submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s most inclined building,” according to the press release. Or more precisely — by about 14.1 degrees.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, which leans 3.9 degrees, was an engineering mistake – a 185-foot-tall, 16,000-ton tower that was rather stupidly placed on a 10-foot-thick foundation, with nothing but soft sand and clay beneath. Even before the third story of the tower was built, the structure had begun to tilt. It wasn’t settling properly on the unstable sand. Attempts to compensate for the tower’s slant by making walls on one side of the building taller than the other, didn’t work out. It wasn’t until the 20th century that soil beneath the tower was shifted around to level out the structure just a bit.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa looks like an elderly person who’s likely to break a hip. Capital Gate, on the other hand, looks like a sexy lady swaying her hips. It leans westward about 18 degrees. And it twists ever so slightly, an engineering feat that guarantees the building will look different from all angles, the Capital Gate’s Web site boasts. Its intentional lean is supported by a slanting core that actually pulls in the opposite direction that the building appears to tilt. In addition, the gravitational pull is offset by a reinforced steel foundation that extends 98 feet down into the ground.

Sounds pretty secure to me!

Refresh your ward robe

When was the last time you looked into your closet and thought — or said aloud as some of us do — “I have nothing to wear!” Last week? Yesterday? Just this morning? It always seems to happen when you have to be at work in 15 minutes or when someone (a friend, date or mate) is waiting for you to get ready to go out. And it’s not that your closet is empty, exactly — there definitely are clothes in there. But it could be that you’ve made some unfortunate purchases or you haven’t had the time or the money to make any recent changes or additions. So what’s a busy, broke, style-challenged gal (or guy — yes, I think the fellas could try this, too) to do? Throw a party. Say what? Yes, a party.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know — right now, you’re thinking, “Wait, where’s the money-saving style tip? Parties cost money and how’s a party going to revitalize my stale wardrobe?” Well, this isn’t just any party — it’s a sort of potluck-clothing swap hybrid. If you want to be fancy, you can call it a food and fashion fete.

Here’s what you do. First, call two or three of your closest female friends and fill them in on the concept. Even if they’re not in dire need of a fashion infusion, I’m pretty sure they’ll be in because who doesn’t like a party. Next, decide on your venue. Among my set, usually the person with the biggest entertaining space at home wins. As you’re compiling the list (a good number is anywhere from 10 to 25), be sure to include some acquaintances whose style you really admire.

After the invites go out, it’s all pretty much like planning any other party. Have one room set up with refreshments and have another room set up to serve as the swap center, where you can display everything. If you have a portable hanging clothes rack or two, set those up so that clothes can be displayed store-style. An empty bookcase can be used to display shoes and a coat rack works for scarves and bags. A nearby study or bathroom can serve as a fitting room. And if you have a freestanding, full-length mirror, set that up in the room, too.

If the group is small (fewer than 10 or so people), then the swap can be fairly informal — everyone just takes a turn picking out an item until everything has a new home. If you have a larger group (up to 20 or so), you might want to draw numbers and then take turns selecting items. Once you make it all the way through one round, go in the opposite order for the second round so people who had last pick the first time have an early pick for the second round. The great thing about this concept is that it’s not just reserved to items from your closets. You can also do this with your kids’ clothes, kitchen gadgets or books. And it makes a fun fundraiser, too. Instead of simply swapping the items, you could auction them off, raising money for a local charity.

Webby Awards

There's one big difference between the Webby Awards and other ceremonies, like the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys: Virtually no one who wins a Webby thanks the academy.

In spite of that difference, the Webbys have a lot in common with other industry awards. In addition to their similar names, statuettes and ceremonies, the Webbys, the Oscars, the Emmys and the Grammys all rely on groups of professionals to select their winners. Plus, the awards are among the most prestigious that people can receive in each of their respective fields.

Let's start with some Webby history. The Webby Awards made their debut in 1996, long before the Internet was as prevalent as it is today. A magazine called The Web used donations to fund the awards, which recognized sites in 15 categories. Around 700 people attended the first Webby Awards ceremony, which was held at a San Francisco nightclub.

In 1998, The Web folded, and the newly formed International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences took over the Webby Awards. The Academy still exists today -- it's a voting body of Internet experts, business leaders and others. Its purpose is to recognize and encourage high-quality Internet content as well as to provide education and networking for technology professionals and the public.

Today, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has more than 750 members, and the 2010 awards involved more than 100 categories. The winners aren't just be Web sites you can browse on your computer. The Academy expanded its scope, and it now recognizes the sites you can visit and services you can use from mobile devices. It also bestows awards in interactive advertising and online film and video.

Weirdos

Of all the weirdos in the world i think this piece will take the cake for the day. I came across this news item when i was researching for back posts. You will understand when i tell you the story.

A husband strangled his wife for voting in the election in India. It happened when the wife voted for one of her relatives rahter than the person he asked her to vote in the on going sarpanch elections in north india. Of all the most weird reasons you get to kill. I suppose the worth of a life has so demeaned to a standard that you kill your own wife and get away with it. I just hope the young woman gets her justice.

Cock fighting cruelty

You may or may not have heard of the horrible "sport" called Cock Fighting. If you haven't, then here's what it is:

Cock fighting is a group "activity" in which people take their roosters and force them to fight each-other. People usually bet on what rooster will win. Usually it's fight-till-the-death.

This cruel act is against the law (as it should be) but (like pit bull fighting) is still happening everywhere. Animals every day are put in a small ring and bet on.

To help, if you see a cock fight or know about one, call the police as soon as possible.

Transport

For those waiting for news from space front..

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden regarding Friday's launch of Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 rocket, said "Congratulations to Space X on today's launch of its Falcon 9 launch vehicle. Space X's accomplishment is an important milestone in the commercial transportation effort and puts the company a step closer to providing cargo services to the International Space Station (ISS).

Preparations are proceeding for the first NASA-sponsored test launch under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) project. Later this year. COTS is a vital development and demonstration partnership to create a commercial space transportation system capable of providing cargo to the station.

Online Distractions

People who spend most of their time online often get distracted by the huge range of online activities and applications vying to attract attention.

Now, RescueTime, a company that creates time management and productivity software, has come up with a list of such online distractions.

When Google posted the classic game Pac-Man on its home page, it guzzled about 4.8 million hours of work time and $120 million in lost productivity, as calculated by RescueTime, reports ABCNews.com

Montana Low, RescueTime senior software developer, said that the calculations give a view into how people spend time online.

Looking at his company's data, he was able to determine the websites people tend to spend the most time on as well as the ones RescueTime software users said were the most distracting.

The list of the top 10 online distractions include:

1. Facebook 2. YouTube 3. Facebook Applications 4. Twitter 5. Amazon 6. Hulu 7. Netflix 8. Flickr 9. Blogger 10. Reddit

Funny Spam titles

The Top 10 Unintentionally Funny Spam Email Titles

Inspired by Pink Biz, here is a list of the 10 funniest spam email titles that I have received so far this week -

1. Don’t get mad, get Valium!

2. nuclear cheese helmet

3. Improve sperm flavour

4. Chicks dig larger poles. Get one today

5. Bomb her womb with your huge cannon

6. Join the Malware Affiliate Program

7. Women love big and thick ice cream

8. Gays Banned From Owning Pets In New York

9. Nuke Gay Whales For Jesus!

10. BREAKING NEWS: Home Office To Deport Anyone With Iq Below 100

Hopefully I don’t have to explain what sort of product or service most of those were trying to promote, though the last three on the list are rather intriguing

Planet has enough for everyones need

and not for everyones greed.

Enamoured by Elephants in circus

Cheers, laughter, and applause filled the big top tent at the Ringling Bros. Circus Saturday as children of all ages were captivated by the savage enslavement of Topsy the elephant.

Whether young or just young at heart, thrilled audience members watched with glee as a circus trainer forced the frightened Topsy to perform tricks by brutally poking and prodding the traumatized 4-year-old pachyderm.

The crowd reportedly let out loud gasps and vigorously clapped when Topsy stood up on his hind legs, an unnatural and excruciatingly painful movement that stresses and permanently damages the 8,000-pound elephant's joints.

Topsy also delighted the audience after the trainer repeatedly thrust a hooked rod into his skin, causing the miserable animal to lift one leg and his trunk to simulate waving.

"Aww…" said the assembled circus-goers, who were taken by the cuteness of the barbaric spectacle.

Topsy and the other elephant performers, who are separated from each other at all times, preventing the socialization that's so crucial to their well-being, received a standing ovation from the crowd when they marched into the center ring, nervously rocking back and forth.

Unaware that the elephant was terrified of the glaring stage lights, deafening crowd noise, and constant beatings, Phil Wingren, who brought his family to the circus, remarked that Topsy must relish being a star.

Eyewitnesses who spotted the trainer patting the side of Topsy's body during the final trick were convinced the elephant and the man were best friends, though in fact the look of reverie on Topsy's face was the result of his daydreaming about stomping and crushing the cruel asshole's head like an overripe melon.

Egyptian Pyramids Actually Early Attempt At Camping

Once shrouded in mystery, the pyramids of Giza are now believed to be the earliest known attempt at camping out, a team of archeologists reported Monday. "It appears that around 400 BC, the pharaohs of Egypt began packing up all of their earthly possessions for some recreational camping on the banks of the Nile," said Dr. Tarek Hilal of Alexandria University, noting that the pyramids' dense outer walls and sharply angled faces would have been perfect for keeping rain out. "Furthermore, it seems that the extensive hieroglyphics showing spirits embarking on a journey to the afterlife was their way of telling spooky ghost stories." Despite the remarkable discovery, Hilal and his team are still unsure why so many ancient Egyptians decided to remove their inner organs before getting inside their stone sleeping bags at night.

Shocking oil spill estimates

As much as 40,000-plus barrels of oil per day are pouring from BP's ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico, a US official has said, more than doubling the previous government estimate.The lowest estimate that we're seeing that the scientists think is credible is probably about 20,000 barrels, and the highest that we're seeing is probably a little over 40,000.

The figures — which estimate the flow rate prior to BP cutting a busted riser pipe June 3 in order to attach a containment device — are more than double the previous estimate of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels per day.

In health related issues seventy-one people in Louisiana have suffered health problems that officials believe are linked to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Fifty of those who have reported symptoms including throat irritation, cough, shortness of breath, eye irritation, nausea, chest pain and headaches, worked on oil rigs or were part of the effort to clean up the spill.The most common symptom associated with the spill was headache, followed by nausea, cough and throat irritation.

On the clean up front BP Plc is to begin testing additional methods over the weekend to capture oil gushing out of a well in the Gulf of Mexico, as President Barack Obama travels to the region again next week to get a first-hand look at clean-up efforts.The second system will route the captured oil to a floating rig through hoses that were already installed for the failed “top-kill” operation, which was unable to plug the well.

Selling cheap-Shocker justice

Around 22,000 dead. More than 1,20,000 injured. Rs 1 lakh for each body. Rs 25,000 for every poisoned lung and damaged heart and blinded eyes. 26 years of long wait. And just 2 years in jail for the men who committed the worst crime against the people of this country.Thousands more are still waiting to be accepted as victims. People of Bhopal are still drinking toxic water poisoned by Union Carbide in December 1984. And the main culprit is living life kingsize in a mansion in New York.

If there is a failed state in the world, it’s India. It’s not Iraq. It’s not Somalia. It’s not Sudan. It’s India.

In all these three decades, the poor victims have done everything they could to get justice and compensation. They have cried and died on streets, sat hungry and faced police lathis on roads and filed court cases in the hope that one day they will get justice. And this!!. Justice- if we can it one.

Today, it was proved all over again that those who do politics in the name of poor in this country, always rule for the rich. The chairman of UC at the time of the gas attack (it was not an accident, the gas leak was caused because of cost-cutting steps taken by him) on the people of Bhopal, Anderson was arrested and later released on bail. He ran off to US in 1986 and we have not been able to find him or ask the US to extradite Anderson to India. Why?

*Why did Union Carbide not apply the same safety standards at its plant in India as it operated at a sister plant in West Virginia, US?

*On the night of the disaster, why did the six safety measures designed to prevent a gas leak fail to function?

*Why was the safety siren, intended to alert the people living close to the factory, turned off?

The people are entitled an answer for these questions.

Can an American come to India kill people in this country and run away with no consequences? That seems to be the case. We are still struggling to get a chance to question David Headley Coleman, an American citizen responsible for the worst terror attack on an Indian city in 2008. Will we succeed in getting Headley extradited to India?

Rs 1 lakh for every body. Rs 25,000 for every blinded eye. This is the cost of poor life in a failed state.

No country sells its people so cheap.

Heros of football

Superstars who pushed the limits of the game to make it the sport that it is today.

Pele: If anyone epitomises the spirit of the World Cup, it is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento — popularly knows as Pele. The limelight, vacated because of Ferenc Puskas-less Hungary, was seized by Pele. An upstart, which the football world loved to watch and talk about, Pele started off as a precocious 17-year old in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, scoring six goals, including a hat-trick against France in the semi-finals and a brace in the final against Sweden. He continued to torment defenders till the 1970 World Cup, where he was part of an incredible team which helped Brazil win their third Trophy.

Maradona: Images of a short, stocky man slaloming past defenders immediately come to our mind whenever we hear of Diego Armando Maradona. Two moments best describe the Argentine superstar. The first: raising his hand to score what is dubbed as “The Hand of God” goal against England to bring Argentina level in their crucial quarterfinal in the ‘86 World Cup. The second: His mazy run and finish - twisting, turning and leaving anything non-Argentine lying on the mat in his wake to score the “Goal of the Century”— in the same match to take Argentina into the semi-final. In 1994, his career ended the way it had started – with an enforced eviction--Maradona was banned for failing a drugs test in the 1994 edition in the US.

Ronaldo: There was nothing more terrifying in world football for goalkeepers than seeing Ronaldo, ball at his feet, dodging defenders, sidestepping them like he was gaming on a playstation. Performing step-overs for fun, Ronaldo usually completed the misery by rounding the keeper and scoring. The Brazilian's World Cup career was a curious tale of agony and ecstasy. After being selected, but not played, in the ‘94 edition, he was let loose in France four years later and was, along with Rivaldo, at the heart of the Brazilian team that marched into the finals. But due to massive seizures he suffered hours before the final, his game was well below par in the summit clash. But a rejuvenated and a fit-again Ronaldo returned - to torment defenders in Korea and Japan in 2002. While playing in the 2006 World Cup, he also overtook Gerd Muller, scoring 15 goals in World Cups, the most in the history of the tournament.

Beckenbauer: It was the 1974 World Cup final and the Netherlands, who were in their element playing what was known as “Total Football” was up against West Germany. Franz Beckenbauer, controlling the attacking instincts of Johann Cryuff, was instrumental in inspiring West Germany's famous come-from-behind victory (2-1).‘The Kaiser' epitomised the German spirit; in the semifinal of 1970 World Cup against Italy, a match which finished 4-3 to the Italians, he played on with a dislocated shoulder.

Garrincha: Going for back-to-back World Cup titles in 1962, Brazil was rocked by an injury to Pele, who was ruled out of the tournament after the initial stages. Garrincha seized the initiative and brought home the Selecao's second consecutive World Cup. Widely regarded as the world's greatest dribbler, he was a constant thorn in the opposition defence. He was, perhaps, the true embodiment of the hedonistic, all-round displays that characterised the double-winning ‘Samba' side of 1958 and 1962.

Stop this now

Have a healthy smoke..

Executives at Philip Morris USA this week unveiled Marlboro Earth, a new eco-friendly cigarette that gradually eliminates the causes of global warming and environmental destruction at their source.

"By killing off the No. 1 threat to the environment, new Marlboro Earths will have a long-term effect on the overall health of our planet," Philip Morris spokesperson Janet Weiss said. "If everyone in America does their part and joins our new green-smoking movement, then together we can eradicate man's destructive practices once and for all."

According to a press release from Philip Morris, the new environmentally friendly cigarettes work by employing powerful carcinogens that accumulate in the lungs of smokers, slowly breaking down their vital organs and eliminating the danger posed to the overpopulated planet by the human race.

Because Marlboro Earths take decades to work, the company stresses that people should start using them as early as possible, ideally during childhood or adolescence, in order to maximize the product's effectiveness.

"We've got to get everybody on board, the sooner the better," said Weiss, stressing that nothing less than the fate of the planet was at stake. "It doesn't take much. As few as two packs of Marlboro Earths a day can make all the difference in the world."

"Go ahead," Weiss continued. "Light up, breathe in, and help save Mother Earth."

The new cigarettes, released in limited test-market cities over the past two months, will be ready for a national rollout in mid-June. An ad campaign with the slogan "Marlboro Earth: Saving the Environment One Customer at a Time" has already been launched, and the product's iconic new packaging, which is similar to the traditional Marlboro design but also features a tree, is reportedly testing "through the roof" with consumers.

Philip Morris executives stressed that the new cigarettes, which contain the same great taste smokers have come to expect from Marlboro, but with nearly three times the tar and carbon monoxide, could make a huge difference in as little as 40 to 50 years, cutting down on urban sprawl, overpopulation, and eventually helping to enrich the soil with powerful fertilizers.

Eye contact with the president

I read in a recent article that U.S president Obama is making rounds trying to catch the eye of every citizen in an attempt to convince the anxious populace that his legislation is working fine and that everything is going to be ok. President Barack Obama has embarked on a 50-state, 30,000-town tour during which time he plans to gaze assuredly into the eyes of each American citizen, one at a time.

Well this is quite a noval approach not to mention a sure way of connecting with people. I was surpised nevertheless when i read the article. But i was wondering about the enormous security issues that might arise with this tour and the costs that might come along.

In their announcement of this "2010 Eye-to-Eye Tour," the White House officials have said that Obama will first spend two weeks making eye contact with the 55 million residents of the densely populated Northeastern states, looking into their eyes and, if necessary, offering them an encouraging head nod. Obama will then continue down the East Coast before taking on the tour's biggest challenge: gazing with confidence into the eyes of a hostile Southern electorate that largely rejects his policies.

According to the article patrons at the Beefside Family Restaurant in Concord, NH, many of whom expressed concern that the country was more divided than ever, were placated Tuesday when the president went from booth to booth making eye contact with every man, woman, and child present. If diners attempted to avoid his glance, Obama maneuvered his head quickly but confidently until he made direct eye contact and held their gaze.

Recent poll numbers indicate that Obama is slowly earning the trust of Americans throughout the country and we only hope this tour has positive effects on the intended recipients.

Save Tigers

Food culture

The hunt for food is the most dominant activity in the lives of all animals, and the collection, growing ,hunting of food was the primary occupation of all human beings for thousands of years.Although technological advances mean far few people take part in the production these days, the preparation, consumption and the enjoyment of food remains a significant factor in our lives.

The food we prepare may vary from culture to culture. Sometimes we prepare food in what may be considered disgusting in other cultures. And many may feel the same way about ours..

Africans were horrified by an American baby food company's product packaging.

The Chinese are raising St. Bernard dogs for food.

Family mistakes cremated remains of relative for food product.

Roast fetus is the latest gourmet food in Taiwan.

Chinese restaurants use cat meat in their entrees.

Korean company solicits American shelters for dogs to turn into soup.

Tourists dining at a Chinese restaurant are served a dish made from their own dog.

Cultural differences lead to humorous incidents.

Kit Kat chocolate bars bring luck to Japanese students during exams.

Automobile Fauxpas

Handheld police radar unit inadvertently tracks a military aircraft on maneuvers.

A pair of Arkansas rednecks are injured using a .22 caliber bullet in place of a burnt-out automobile fuse.

People shouldn't wear seat belts because they might not be able to escape their vehicles in car fires.

Cars equipped with remote keyless entry systems can be unlocked via cell phone.

Adding acetone to gasoline in an effort to improve gas mileage is a good idea.

Dashboard gas pump icon tells which side the vehicle's fuel door is on.

Skinput Keyboards

Easily something Steven Spielberg could have thought about. Keyboards are the new creepy crawlies. A team of 3 researchers working with Microsoft, Chris Harrison, Dan Morris and Desney Tan are studying a human touchscreen named Skinput.

The touch screen will be projected with a laser on the hands and forearms that can be used as keyboards or remote controls. It would seem a very complex system but Skinput unites only 2 factors: the low frequencies of sound produced by finger touch on the skin and micro projectors that transmit the image. Skinput would offer the possibility of using the skin as a keyboard or controller for games and applications.Through a strip wound in the arm with a mini projector and a microphone shows a drop down menu on the skin or a digital keyboard.

With Skinput you can control everything remotely without using any remote control, just as if the skin had a touch screen display.The image of a keyboard is projected from a laser on a body part and you will only have to wear a belt with micro transducer sensitive touch of fingers on the skin. New Scientist reported the testimony of the 20 volunteers who have tested and found it "innovative and simple" .The buttons and icons have been running without problems.

get maximum off your laptop battery

When laptops came into existence more than a decade ago, other than the obvious advantage of size and weight over a regular PC, they also served another important purpose - freedom from wires. A fully charged laptop of today runs for two hours at least. Netbooks, due to the use of low-power consuming internals, stretch that uptime to more than four hours on an average.

Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in use

This is a common mistake many tend to commit - leaving Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on even when not in use. These two wireless modules (especially Wi-Fi) can eat up your battery life pretty fast, as they keep searching for new networks and devices to connect.

Decrease screen brightness

A considerable chunk of power is used to illuminate your laptop's display. By having a conservative approach towards screen brightness, one can shoot those battery life figures upwards. For the uninitiated, brightness controls are typically on the Function (F1-F10) keys.

Improve your power-saving etiquettes

Now that you've selected the right kind of settings in your power profile, it's time to make good use of them. For example, when you're walking away from the laptop, close the lid, so that the laptop goes to "Sleep" mode (in Vista/7) or "Stand-by" (in XP).

Replace the battery

Laptop batteries, like cell-phone batteries, lose their capacity to hold power as years pass by. That's why you may see that your new laptop back then used to give you two to three hours of life, but after a few years struggles to run for even one hour.

The Best Fantasy Movies of All Time

Fantasy movies are included with fantastic themes, generally relating with magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. Fantasy movies unlike science fiction films that base their content upon some degree of scientific truth, take the audience to netherworld, fairty-tale places where events are unlikely to occur in real life. Hollywood produced number of fantasy movies, here is provided some of them. Fantasy can be scary but its purpose is to do more than scare you.

Lord of the Rings (2001)

The Princess Bride (1987)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

King Kong (1933)

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Clash of the Titans (1981)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Time Bandits (1981)

Save Dolphins

We all say we love animals and that we want to save them, but why? Some people don't know. Here's my opinion:

I love animals bcause they are living, breathing beings that should be treated right. Such as dolphins. Anyone realize how beautiful they are? Also, every animal serves a purpose in this world. Dolphins keep the fish population down. Just a little opinion since I haven't posted in a while.

Egyptian Found Guilty Of Building Pyramid

After many years of trawling through historical records, scientists and archaeologists have finally found enough evidence to bring charges against the creator of the world’s first ever pyramid scheme.

The Egyptian pharoah, Djoser, stands accused of constructing the prototype for one of history’s longest-lasting scams.Experts believe that he began work on the pyramid back in 2,700 B.C., aided and abetted by his grand vizier Imhotep.As pharoah, history notes that he himself profited greatly from the endeavours of those who built the structure into what it is today.

However, 99% of his workforce disappeared into history with nothing to show for their efforts.

Imhotep organised the pyramid builders into separate downlines, each with a leader, followed by supervisors, then gang masters and finally workers.This set-up was outstandingly successful as those at the top of the structure were given licence to use and abuse those at the bottom.The leaders were able to rest and enjoy life, receiving many perks, whilst the humble worker at the bottom literally broke their backs in return for having their basic needs serviced.

In fact, this new corporate strategy was so successful that many businesses continue to employ it to this day.

Bizzare laws

Here are some of the bizarre laws in britain. I came across them when I was doing some serious browsing.

• It is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas day
• Dying in the Houses of Parliament is a criminal offence
• Sticking a postage stamp upside down is an act of treason if it bears the monarch’s image
• Being topless in Liverpool is illegal unless you are female and work in a tropical fish store
• In Scotland it is an offence to prevent someone entering your house if they ask to use the toilet
• In the UK, a pregnant woman can urinate anywhere she likes, including in a policeman’s helmet
• If a sturgeon is washed onto the beach it becomes the property of the King
• It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament whilst wearing armour
• Within the city of York you may legally murder a Scotsman if he carries a bow and arrows

Shade Give away-Book review

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Peppers help you in weight loss

Following are the Facts of Chili peppers which Helps in fatloss:

· In the chili pepper diet study, weight loss increased by ten-fold when chilies were added to low-fat meals!

· Chili peppers help people to loss weight by rising level of their metabolism.

· Chili peppers make people feel good by releasing endorphins.

· Chilies curb your appetite-especially for fatty foods and sweets.

· Chilies make it easier to stick to a healthy diet because the food has more flavors.

It is proved by some Nutritionists and health practitioners that eating a diet packed with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and lean proteins is the best strategy for losing weight. And it also reduces the risk of degenerative diseases such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. If you want to do dieting then, you have to eat bland, boring food. According to researchers, Spicing up meals not only makes your food taste better... it helps you lose weight!

Stylish Notebooks

What happens when a quirky industrial designers joins hands with a tech company? Well, the result can be only be something more quirky and useful! Here’s the ASUS production of snazzy ASUS Eee PC 1008P netbook.

Designer’s design If you happen to be looking for a laptop style computer that is unlike any you’ve ever seen before, then you are in luck. This stylish netbook is covered in a reptilian-like textured pattern. You can choose between the classy brown or the girlish hot pink! Thin is in

Even though the ASUS 1008P netbook is a but thicker than its predecessor, it still is much thinner than most of the laptops found today. Thus, it is comfortable to hold and light enough to carry around everywhere.

Featured The ASUS Eee 1008P netbook boasts of 2GB RAM and an increased 250GB storage capacity. Since it runs on Intel’s latest Pinetrail chipset and an Atom N450 processor, it works very smoothly even with high powered applications and software with no lags whatsoever.

Smooth touch The keyboard of this ASUS netbook is an all new design that features squared-off keys for easy tactility and a smooth typing experience. Using its multi touch pad, you’ll be able to scroll using two fingers or princh to zoom in and out of a photo or document.

Screen scene The ASUS Eee PC 1008P sports a normal 1025x600 pixel glossy screen which is not very bright as compared to older models.

Other features Additional features of this well designed netbook include a LAN jack, a headphone/microphone jack, a multicard reader and two USB ports. The netbook’s speakers are quite loud and offer a good enough clarity. It also offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity and a 1.3 mega pixel webcam.