Fun Zone Collection

Funny Photos Captured In The Right Time

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:49:00 -0800

There are a lot of perfect situations in which we want to have a camera in our hands. But mostly we just don’t have one. And it’s also necessary to have the luck to “catch” such moments. Look at the photos below, they are all captured in the right time! Some of them assure us that things are not always what they seem. Now snuggle yourself and enjoy in these funny photos!

Top Badasses You Haven’t Heard Of

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:38:00 -0800

Okay granted there may be one or two on this list that you do know – though maybe not by name – but hopefully the vast majority of readers will be unfamiliar with most of the badass men and women featured on this list. History is full of badasses, and it is very hard to rank them, so here we are ranking by reverse chronological order. Enjoy the list and be sure to mention other badasses in the comments. This list was inspired by the book “Badass” by Ben Thompson which contains a chapter on each of the characters below as well as dozens more. You can buy it here.

10 Chandragupta Maurya
340 BC – 298 BC

Chandragupta Maurya, born in Bihar, Eastern India, was an orphaned commoner who changed the face of India and forever altered its history, by clawing his way from the slums to forging one of the most expansive Empires in India’s history. Not only did he command nine thousand war elephants, fifty million people and an army of thirty-six thousand – he also had one of the most badass (and awesome) bodyguard units ever. His personal bodyguard unit was made of up more than five hundred Greek and Indian warrior women. In order to destroy the Nanda empire, Maurya simply grabbed a bronze sword and singlehandedly stormed the palace. He was captured and jailed, but escaped – further cementing his place in history as a badass. Ultimately, he went on to destroy the ruling dynasty and put into place the long lasting Maurya dynasty.

9 The Surena
84–52 BC

The Surena (a general) was born into the Surena family who had, for generations, protected the Kings of Parthia (found in Modern day Iran), but it was the general who cemented the family name in the books of history. By all accounts he was the hottest guy in town, the strongest, the manliest and the deadliest – and was obviously such a badass that he is known only as THE Surena. When King Hydrodes was overthrown and expelled from Parthia, the Surena led the mission to recapture the Kingdom. He also had a huge harem of concubines, which took two hundred wagons to transport, that travelled with him everywhere – including on military campaigns. When Crassus stupidly decided to take over the Parthian Empire at the battle of Carrhae, he was brutally put down in one of the most embarrassing trounces of the Roman Army ever, by the Surena and his men. When offered the chance to surrender, Crassus told his men to flee and consequently sent them all to their deaths as the Surena chased them down and killed the lot of them. Crassus was personally beheaded by the Surena and had molten gold poured down his neck. Oh – and did I mention that the Surena was a cross-dresser? Well, not quite, but this is what Plutarch said of him: “[He was] the tallest and finest looking man himself, but the delicacy of his looks and effeminacy of his dress did not promise so much manhood as he really was master of; or his face was painted, and his hair parted after the fashion of the Medes.”

8 Charles Martel
688 – 22 October 741

Charles Martel – otherwise known as Charles the Hammer – was so badass that he not only stopped the Islamic invasion of Western Europe, he is considered to be a founding father of the Middle Ages and all of the delights that came from it (feudalism, knights and chivalry), and laid the groundwork for the Carolingian empire (he was Charlemagne’s Grandfather). He came to be in a position to lead the army against the invading Muslims, because he was the Mayor of the Palace under the Frankish kings. At that time the Kings were pretty useless and left all of the hard work up to the Mayor. He lost only one battle in his lifetime (the Battle of Cologne) but, most importantly, he won the Battle of Tours (October 10, 732) in which two French towns fought against the armies of the Umayyad Caliphat. The defeat of the Muslim army was very significant and, if the battle had gone the other way, we would probably all be speaking Arabic right now. The French army fought the battle entirely on foot which led many to declare that God had given the French the victory. Oh – and to top it all off he was humble too! Martel refused to accept an honorary title from the Pope for saving Europe.

7 Ulf The Quarrelsome
11th Century AD

Ulf (which means wolf) the Quarrelsome was a brutal Irish Warrior and brother of High King Brian Boru (pictured above). He despised the vikings because they murdered his mother while he was young. While King Brian made a name for himself by uniting Ireland, Ulf made a name for himself by whacking people over the head with a giant battle axe. The union of Ireland put an end to the Scandinavian power over the nation of small states and kingdoms, but some people weren’t too keen about the new state of affairs and they rebelled – with the help of thousands of vikings. It was the famous Battle of Clontarf, in 1014, that Ulf really showed his badassness. After almost singlehandedly destroying the viking rebels, Ulf came upon Bróðir of Man – one of the nastiest vikings around (and a sorcerer to boot). Here is Njals saga’s account of how Ulf ended the life of Bróðir – in revenge for killing his brother, King Brian: “Ulf the Quarrelsome cut open his belly, and led him round and round the trunk of a tree, and so wound all his entrails out of him, and he did not die before they were all drawn out of him.”

6 Harald Hardrada
1015 – September 25, 1066

Harald was the youngest of Saint King Olaf II of Norway’s three half-brothers, born to Åsta Gudbrandsdatter. After King Cnut killed his brother Saint Olaf (while Harald was a mere 15 years old), he went off to Constantinople and made himself rich. He then took the opportunity to join the most feared mercenary army, (the Byzantine Vanguard) and began working (or rather cleaving) his way through various armies at the paid request of various European kings. Over his lifetime Harald went on to battle anywhere he could – Europe, the Middle East and Jerusalem. He even managed to take a bit of time out to marry Princess Elisabeth of Russia. Eventually, Harald became the King of Norway (after the young illegitimate King Magnus mysteriously died). Not being content to rule just one country, he spent years trying to conquer Denmark (much to everyone’s annoyance – in Denmark and in Norway). He finally decided to put his energies elsewhere, which was to be his downfall, but the main reason that history remembers him – he decided to conquer England. Alas, his attempts to take England failed and his army was smashed by that of King Harold Godwinson. Harald was the last great Viking king of Norway, and his invasion of England, and death at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, marked the end of the Viking age and beginning of the High Middle Ages.

5 Tomoe Gozen
1157 – 1247

Two words sum up this amazing woman: concubine, warrior. Tomoe Gozen was an extremely rare thing: a female samurai warrior. Here is what a historical account of her says: “Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot. She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword and a mighty bow; and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.” High praise indeed for a male dominated nation, in the 13th century. This warrior woman was also a concubine of Minamoto no Yoshinaka, a revered Japanese general. When he was defeated on the battle field, the sexist pig told Tomoe to leave as he would be ashamed to die with a woman. She went on to behead many, slaughter many, and retire to a quiet life as a nun. Yes – a nun.

4 Miyamoto Musashi
1584 – 1645

Miyamoto Musashi was a kensei – a sword saint. In Japan, this word was used to refer to someone so badass with their sword that they were believed to posses preternatural abilities. Miyamoto Musashi was about the best example of this, ever. In his lifetime he fought over 60 duels, and won them all. He was trained in swordsmanship at the Yoshioka ryu school – a school he later singlehandedly destroyed. His first duel was at the age of thirteen and after that he basically wandered the country fighting as many people as possible, regardless of the weapon they wielded. At the age of thirty he had his most famous duel, against Sasaki Kojirō (The Demon of the Western Provinces). Sasaki Kojirō, fighting with a two handed sword, was defeated very quickly by Musashi, who fought with a little wooden staff, he carved in the boat on his way to the fight. Sick of fighting (and suffering from ill health) he retired to a cave to live as a hermit and write books. He died kneeling, with one hand on his sword and the other on his walking stick.

3 Agustina of Aragon
March 4, 1786 – May 29, 1857

Agustina de Aragón was a Spanish heroine who defended Spain during the Spanish War of Independence, first as a civilian and later as a professional officer in the Spanish Army. So badass were her actions that she became known as “the Spanish Joan of Arc”. When war broke out in 1808, in her small Spanish town, she took a basket of apples to feed the gunners. When she arrived she saw the Spanish soldiers take heavy losses to the French army, causing the Spaniards to flee. Instead of running away, Agustina ran to the cannons and began to defend the town on her own. The sight of her doing this gave the Spaniards the courage to return and help. After a bloody struggle, the French gave up the assault on Zaragosa and abandoned their siege for a few short weeks, before returning to fight their way into the city, house-by-house which ultimately won them the town. After being captured by the French, she was imprisoned but she subsequently mounted a daring escape and became a low-level rebel leader for the guerrilleros, helping to organize raids and attacks that harassed the French. On June 21, 1813, she acted as a front line battery commander at the Battle of Vitoria, under the command of Major Cairncross. This battle was to see the French Army that had occupied Spain effectively smashed beyond repair and driven out. She eventually married a doctor and lived the rest of her life in peace, proudly wearing her battle medals.

2 Jack Churchill
16 September 1906 – 8 March 1996

Now here is a man everyone should know about – he truly typifies badassness and bravery. Nicknamed “Fighting Jack Churchill” and “Mad Jack”, he was an English soldier who fought throughout World War II armed with just a longbow, arrows and a claymore (sword). He once said “any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed.” Remember that during this war he was basically using a sword and a bow and arrow against men with tanks and machine guns. He is the only soldier to have killed an enemy with an arrow in the war. And in true quirky British style, not only did he fight the good fight – he would rouse the troops with a merry tune on his bagpipes, as he was an expert piper and always took them with him to battle. In his most awesome moment, Churchill led a team of commandos into enemy lines playing “Will Ye No Come Back Again?” on his bagpipes. He was the only member of the group that made it to the objective alive – everyone else was killed around him. Perhaps the Germans liked his playing too much to kill him. When the war ended and the world celebrated, Churchill was not happy. He is recorded as saying: “If it wasn’t for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years!” In retirement he took up surfing in Australia before returning to England to live. In the photograph above you can see Churchill on the right with sword in hand.

1 Bhanbhagta Gurung
September 1921 – 1 March 2008

Bhanbhagta Gurung was from Nepal and for his actions of one day in World War II he received the Victoria Cross – the highest honor available to British and Commonwealth soldiers. The best way to appreciate Gurung’s true badassity is to read what the London papers said of his deeds: “On 5 March, 1945, at Snowdon-East, near Tamandu, Burma (now Myanmar), Gurung and his unit were approaching Snowdon-East. His company became pinned down by an enemy sniper and were suffering casualties. As this sniper was inflicting casualties on the section, Rifleman Bhanbhagta Gurung, being unable to fire from the lying position, stood up fully exposed to the heavy fire and calmly killed the enemy sniper with his rifle, thus saving his section from suffering further casualties. [And then it really gets badass:]

“The section advanced again but came under heavy fire once again. Without waiting for orders, Gurung dashed out to attack the first enemy fox-hole. Throwing two grenades, he killed the two occupants and without any hesitation rushed on to the next enemy fox-hole and killed the Japanese in it with his bayonet. He cleared two further fox-holes with bayonet and grenade. “During his single-handed attacks on these four enemy fox-holes, Rifleman Bhanbhagta Gurung was subjected to almost continuous and point-blank Light Machine Gun fire from a bunker on the North tip of the objective.” For the fifth time, Gurung “went forward alone in the face of heavy enemy fire to knock out this position. He doubled forward and leapt on to the roof of the bunker from where, his hand grenades being finished, he flung two No. 77 smoke grenades into the bunker slit.” Gurung killed two Japanese soldiers who ran out of the bunker with his Kukri, and then advanced into the cramped bunker and killed the remaining Japanese soldier.”

Frankly, while everyone on this list deserves a place, the last two do so especially.

Sexy Cleavage on Tennis Court

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:22:00 -0800

Many things pampering our eye when looking on tennis, inquiring ??

Top Crimes in The World

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:18:00 -0800

Shocking stories of true crime capture the public's imagination in a way that news seldom can. But what is it that makes certain crimes stick in our minds, and leaves us glued to the headlines for new clues?

For some, it's the sheer brazenness of a daring daylight robbery. For others, it's items missing from an impenetrable vault, or crimes that involve well-known people. While huge cash heists and the theft of priceless artifacts can still intrigue, nothing piques public interest like an unsolved mystery. As long as the loot is still missing or the burglars are still at large, we wait to see how the drama will unfold, or maybe even fantasize that we'll crack the case.

While crime has changed dramatically over the past century, with cyberthieves taking the place of the Tommy-gun toting mobster, these Top Crimes in The World prove that there's always someone willing to break the law to score a massive illegal payday.

10. The Gardner Museum Theft

Boston socialite Isabella Stewart Gardner left her home and art collection to the city of Boston upon her death in 1924, with the stipulation that her home remain arranged exactly as she left it. Museum curators managed to leave Gardner's collections intact until 1990, when a group of thieves disguised as Boston police officers executed a daring robbery. The unknown burglars got away with a collection of 13 works of art valued at more than $500 million. To add insult to injury, the museum was uninsured at the time, and to this day the artwork has never been recovered.

The empty frames for these works hang on the museum's walls as a memorial to the lost paintings. Despite a $5 million reward, offers of immunity to the thieves and a stint on "America's Most Wanted," the case remains unsolved. A 2009 book, "The Gardner Heist," claims that the theft was carried out by an imprisoned Boston mobster with links to the Irish Republican Army, but this theory is yet unproven. Today, the museum holds out hope for the return of the missing pieces, and provides instructions on its Web site explaining how to protect and store the works, just in case the thieves happen to check in.

9. Brink's Security Robbery

It takes extreme confidence -- or sheer stupidity -- to rob one of the world's leading security companies. Yet in January 1950, a gang of thieves infiltrated the Brink's Security World Headquarters in Boston. The perpetrators wore rubber Halloween masks and homemade Brinks uniforms to penetrate the building. Their haul of $3 million was at the time the largest heist in history, and they vowed not to spend the money until the six-year statute of limitations for theft had passed.

Without use of the money from the robbery, some of the thieves continued living a life of crime. One member of the group was soon arrested for an unrelated incident, and ended up serving as an informant for the Brinks case after his fellow thieves made several attempts on his life. Based on his testimony, the entire gang was sentenced to life in prison.

Only a small portion of the money was ever found, and the rest is rumored to be hidden somewhere in the hills of Minnesota. A series of movies were made based on this story, with the 1978 film "The Brink's Job" among the most well-known.

8. Lufthansa Heist

The Lufthansa Heist has all the makings of a classic mobster movie, and did serve as inspiration for the popular film "Goodfellas." In 1978, the Lucchese crime family learned of a cash-filled vault at New York's JFK airport. To avoid problems with the rival Gambino family, who claimed JFK within their home turf, the Luccheses invited the Gambinos to take part in infiltrating the vault. They waited until a night in December when the vault was stocked by a recent arrival on Lufthansa Air. Relying on help from carefully placed insiders, the gang stole $5 million in less than an hour and headed off to celebrate.

Despite the reputation for criminal success that each of these families enjoyed, much of what happened after the theft made them look like rank amateurs. The night of the robbery, the getaway driver took the van from the scene of the crime straight to his girlfriend's house. Instead of destroying the van as directed, he parked in a no-parking zone and went inside to imbibe in marijuana and cocaine. Cops quickly spotted the van and linked it to the crime, then arrested the driver. In an effort to save himself from prison, he provided information on the rest of the gang, resulting in multiple arrests. The driver was soon found dead, likely killed by a fellow family member, and the rest of the gang members ended up in prison or witness protection. To this day, no one but the thieves knows what happened to the money.

7. Stealing the Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa may be one of the most famous works of art in the world, but few people are aware that she was once stolen by an overly patriotic Italian man. On August 21, 1911, guards at the Louvre noticed the painting was absent, but failed to act because they assumed it was out for restoration. It wasn't until the next day that the museum alerted authorities, who sealed the French border and undertook a massive manhunt. Fans of the painting visited the empty spot on the museum wall, and some even wrote love letters to the lost Lisa. Artist Pablo Picasso came under suspicion when police discovered he had likely purchased some other works of art that were stolen from the museum years earlier.

In December 1913, thief Vincenzo Peruggia was apprehended after trying to sell the painting to an art dealer. Astoundingly, Peruggia had once worked for the museum, and had even built the case the Mona Lisa was housed in, but never came under suspicion until he was caught. Peruggia became a national hero in Italy for trying to bring the Mona Lisa "home," even though Leonardo da Vinci actually created this famous work of art in Paris. Peruggia served less than a year in jail for his crime. Today the Mona Lisa is much better protected, reigning over the Louvre from behind a thick panel of bulletproof glass.

6. Antwerp Diamond Heist

More than 80 percent of the world's diamonds pass through the Diamond District in Antwerp, Belgium, so it's no wonder the area is under 24-hour police protection. Despite the area's extreme security, a group of thieves known as the School of Turin managed to steal more than $100 million in cash and diamonds over Valentine's Day weekend in 2003.

The group's mastermind, Leonardo Notarbartolo, spent nearly 2 years working in the district as a diamond dealer prior to the robbery. This extraordinary dedication to casing the scene of the crime was necessary to allow Notarbartolo to penetrate the 10 layers of security used to protect the diamonds. During the robbery, the thieves beat security cameras, motion detectors, a drill-proof steel door and a lock with more than 100 million possible combinations to gain access to the vault, all without setting off the alarm.

After all of their careful planning and preparation, these thieves were caught when they were nabbed for littering. A few days after the heist, a local farmer called police to report that trash had been dumped on his property, and investigators found documents that led them to Notarbartolo and his cohorts. While Notarbartolo was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the gems and money were never found. Notarbartolo claims he was double-crossed by insiders within the diamond trade, who ended up with the bulk of the loot . The 2010 book "Flawless" provides an inside look at the fate of the cash and jewels.

5. Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping

Charles Lindbergh became an American hero in 1927 after he completed the first solo flight around the world. While his fame helped him promote the aviation industry in the U.S., it also led to personal tragedy when his son Charles was kidnapped and held for ransom.

On March 1, 1932, Lindbergh's maid discovered his infant son Charles had been taken from his crib. Lindbergh found a ransom note nearby and quickly alerted authorities. After a series of bizarre exchanges with the kidnappers, including 13 ransom notes, the Lindberghs paid $50,000 to an unnamed individual in May 1932. This individual provided the family with a note that said the child could be found on a boat off Martha's Vineyard. Police raced to the harbor, but the child and the boat were nowhere in sight.

The next day, the child's body was found by accident and identified. An autopsy showed the child had been dead for 2 months, indicating that he was killed immediately after he was taken.

It wasn't until 1934 that investigators traced some of the ransom money to New York based on a list of serial numbers. A quick-thinking gas station clerk matched serial numbers to a license plate, which helped the police finally capture the killer. Bruno Richard Hauptmann was arrested in the fall of 1934 and put to death for his crime in April 1936.

4. The Great Train Robbery

In August 1963, it took just 15 minutes for a gang of thieves to swipe nearly $7 million from a British Royal Mail car. While their total haul would be worth about $80 million today, much of the loot was never found. But despite their quick getaway, the thieves made it easy for law enforcement to catch up and secure their arrest. Not only did the perpetrators leave fingerprints all over the train car, they also spoke openly about their hideout during the robbery, allowing passengers and crew to gather important clues.

Once the gang was apprehended, the local government began a courthouse renovation designed to accommodate the massive trials required for all 15 thieves. Each received a 30-year sentence, but one, Ronnie Biggs, managed to escape after just 15 months. Biggs fled to Brazil, which refused to extradite him, allowing him to live openly in Rio de Janeiro despite his criminal status. His son even became a famous musician, providing an upscale lifestyle for Biggs. At the age of 71, Biggs had a change of heart and returned to England to serve the remaining 28 years of his sentence. He was released eight years later on compassionate grounds due to illness.

The bizarre story of the Great Train Robbery continues to intrigue the public, and has been immortalized in books, movies, TV, the theater and pop music.

3. D.B. Cooper

In November 1971, a man named Dan Cooper bought an airline ticket from Portland to Seattle and boarded his flight. Once on board, Cooper produced a ransom note asking for $200,000 and four parachutes, threatening flight attendants with a bomb if his demands were not met. The flight crew landed, released all passengers and secured the required items before taking off again under Cooper's orders.

Shortly after takeoff, Cooper strapped on one of the parachutes, grabbed the cash, and jumped from a height of 10,000 feet into the deep woods below. To this day, no one knows if he lived or died.

Despite a massive manhunt, no evidence of the case was found until 1980, when a child playing in the woods discovered $5,800 floating in the river and along the bank. The FBI later confirmed that the serial numbers on these bills matched those given to Cooper on the plane. To this day, the rest of the money has never turned up in circulation, which indicates Cooper never got around to spending a dime of his haul.

In 1995, Floridian Duane Weber confessed on his deathbed that he was the elusive D.B. Cooper. His wife alerted the FBI, who deemed him a credible match, but dropped the case in 1998 due to lack of evidence. Today the mystery remains unsolved, and Cooper's story continues to live on in popular culture, as well as in the hearts of treasure hunters who search the woods for the remainder of the lost fortune.

2. Baker Street Robbery

This 1971 London bank robbery combines comically poor police work with a royal sex scandal that remains shrouded in mystery to this day. Late on the night of September 11, a gang of thieves entered a nearby storefront, then tunneled up into the bank. The burglars used a set of walkie-talkies to communicate, but had no idea their entire conversation had been picked up by a local ham radio enthusiast. Though the radio user quickly contacted the police, they were unable to determine exactly which bank the thieves were targeting. Despite the fact that the police could hear the entire conversation, the gang managed to get away with more than 500,000 pounds (about $775,000) in cash and jewels from bank deposit boxes.

The story made headlines for the next three days, until the British government mysteriously issued a gag order that prevented news media from covering the robbery. Though rumors suggest the thieves were eventually caught and sentenced to prison, their identities and the terms of capture were never revealed. In 2008, a movie titled "The Bank Job" was released, and was largely based on information about the case. The movie suggests that the British government imposed the gag order and covered up the story to protect Princess Margaret and other royals from damaging photos taken from the vaults. To this day, there is no evidence to suggest the money or jewels were ever found.

1. Bernie Madoff

Disgraced-financier Bernie Madoff might just be the most brazen thief in history. Not only did he scam investors out of as much as $50 billion, but he did it out in the open, for the entire world to see. From 1960 to 2008, Madoff operated an incredibly successful Wall Street investment firm. Known for earning his investors historic returns, Madoff counted some of the world's richest and most famous people among his clients. For many, the success of Madoff's firm seemed too good to be true, but that didn't stop investors from pouring billions into the company.

As early as 1999, financial analysts pointed out that Madoff's return rates from his investments were not only unbelievable, but also mathematically impossible. Using a giant Ponzi scheme, Madoff used money from new investors to pay returns to older clients, and then generated new clients to continue the cycle. Despite years of complaints to the SEC, no action was taken and the scam continued.

It all came crashing down in 2008, when Madoff found he was unable to drum up enough new clients to keep the cash flowing. He let his sons in on his secret, and they alerted authorities. After a swift investigation, Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison.

All About Che Guevara

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 9 Feb 2011 06:14:00 -0800

Che Guevara. He is loved and he is hated. He is one of the biggest commercial successes and one of the most brutal murderers in recent history. It is no wonder that a man so passionately loved and hated is familiar to most people. This list looks at some of the less familiar aspects of his life. If you have other little known facts about Che Guevara, be sure to tell us in the comments.

10. Not so Glamorous Name

The name “Che Guevara” either incites love or hate. The name is synonymous with freedom fighting to some, and butchery to others. What most people don’t know is that Che’s real name was not quite so romantic; he was born Ernesto Lynch. That’s right – Che Guevara was actually plain old Mr Lynch. It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it does it? His surname comes from the fact that his family was half Irish. Ernesto Lynch is pictured above at the age of 22.

9 Stinky Che

Che Guevara as a youth was nicknamed “Chancho” (pig) because of his bathing habits (or lack thereof) and the fact that he proudly wore a “weekly shirt” – ie, a shirt he changed once a week. All through his life people commented on his smelliness (though obviously not to his face once he had the power to execute people on a whim).

8 Ernesto The Geek

Contrary to the image we all have of Guevara, in his youth he was quite the geek. He loved playing Chess and even entered local tournaments. In between hanging out with his chess buddies, Ernesto would read poetry which he loved with a passion. His favorite subjects at school were mathematics and engineering. I think we could safely say that if he were a teenager today, he would be EMO. Pictured above is an artist’s impression of EMO Ernesto Lynch (AKA Che Guevara).

7 Cuban or not?

While Guevara is best remembered for his actions in Cuba, he was actually born in Argentina to wealthy parents and he never became a Cuban citizen. When he was born, his father said “the first thing to note is that in my son’s veins flowed the blood of the Irish rebels.”

6 Doctor of Medicine

There seems to be some dispute about this fact around the Internet, but in June 1953, Guevara completed his medical studies and graduated as Doctor Ernesto Guevara. While studying he was particularly interested in the disease Leprosy.

5 American Trip

In 1964, Guevara travelled to the United States to give a speech to the United Nations in New York. You can watch a portion of it in the video clip above. Whilst there he condemned the US for their racial segregation policies: “Those who kill their own children and discriminate daily against them because of the color of their skin; those who let the murderers of blacks remain free, protecting them, and furthermore punishing the black population because they demand their legitimate rights as free men — how can those who do this consider themselves guardians of freedom?”

4 Five Children

We tend not to see Guevara as a family man, but in fact he had one child with his first wife, Hilda Gadea, a daughter who was born in Mexico City on February 15, 1956, and he had four children with his second wife, the revolutionary Aleida March. Pictured above is Camilo – Che’s son.

3 No Hands

After hie execution, a military doctor amputated Che’s hands. Bolivian army officers transferred Guevara’s body to an undisclosed location and refused to reveal whether his remains had been buried or cremated. The hands were preserved in formaldehyde to be sent to Buenos Aires for fingerprint identification. (His fingerprints were on file with the Argentine police.) They were later sent to Cuba.

2 Ironic Icon

The high-contrast monochrome graphic of his face has become one of the world’s most universally merchandized and objectified images, found on an endless array of items, including t-shirts, hats, posters, tattoos, and even bikinis, ironically contributing to the consumer culture he despised. The original image was snapped at a memorial service by newspaper photographer Alberto Korda. At the time, only Korda thought highly of the shot, and hung the picture on his wall, where it stayed until an Italian journalist saw it, asked if he could have it, and Korda obliged.

1 Saint Ernesto

Guevara remains a beloved national hero to many in Cuba, where his image adorns the $3 Cuban Peso and school children begin each morning by pledging “We will be like Che.” In his native homeland of Argentina, where high schools bear his name, numerous Che museums dot the country, and in 2008 a 12 foot bronze statue of him was unveiled in his birth city of Rosario. Additionally, Guevara has been sanctified by some Bolivian farm workers as “Saint Ernesto”, to whom they pray for assistance. Needless to say, the Catholic Church does not consider Guevara to be a saint and strongly opposes the adulation of him.

Hollywood Actresses have Physical Defects!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 8 Feb 2011 05:06:00 -0800

Most of us think that celebrities are perfect people. They are not. In fact, some of the famous Hollywood actresses have physical defects, as they are human-beings just like the rest of us. Inside this post, you’ll find physical proofs.

Lily Allen

Defect: Third nipple
“When you touch it, it becomes solid,” Lily does not miss a single opportunity to talk about her… third nipple. Usually, the story is followed by a public demonstration of this miracle of her body. Lily is lucky to live in the 21st century. There were old times when the owner of a third nipple was considered to be a witch and had to be burned at the stake. Today, such a genetic anomaly appears in one woman of fifty, and it looks like a big mole.

Paris Hilton

Defect: lazy eye
Have you ever paid close attention to the photographs of Paris Hilton? She has a wonky left eye. A few years ago, possibly after a failed eye lift surgery, the famous blonde got a “drooping left eyelid”. This defect cannot be fixed, because of her love to the colored contact lenses. Yet, Paris does not want to change anything. She wouldn’t refuse wearing sky-blue colored contact lenses because this would mean she’ll have to return to her natural brown eyes. And this is too boring!

Megan Fox

Defect: deformed thumbs
The actress had to use hand double in the promotional clip for Motorola. Megan asked not to show close up shots of her hands. It turned out that “the sexiest woman on the planet” is beautiful everywhere except her fingers. She has a genetic condition called brachydactyly, which means she has clubbed thumbs. And the nail of the thumb is very short and wide.

Kate Bosworth

Defect: eyes of different color
Kate Bosworth always looks dazzling on the red carpet, but coming closer you’ll think that she has messed up with her colored contact lenses. The actress has one brown and one blue eye. This phenomenon is known as Heterochromia Iridium. It is common among dogs, cats, horses and other animals, but it’s rare among humans.

Vanessa Paradis

Defect: gap teeth
Do not rush to the dentist if you have a big distance between your front teeth. Due to the charms of Vanessa Paradis perfectly straight teeth are no longer in fashion! Glossy magazines and the beauty industry giants are singing praises to gap teeth which don’t spoil the person but make her look special. Today gap teeth are even considered to be an evidence of sexuality and joyfulness. But dentists call this defect diastema.

Kate Hudson

Defect: small breasts
Kate Hudson has never been embarrassed of her small breasts, which looked boyish when she weared bikini. “She is pretty but she got a chest like me in WhiteChicks,” actor Marlon Wayans wrote after the acress flashed her chest at the American Music Awards. Kate assured that she was perfectly happy with her body. However, there are rumors that on her birthday in April 2010 she had a breast increase from A to B.

Julia Roberts

Defect: huge mouth
Several years ago, recalling his joint set with Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant confessed that when he was kissing her he “was aware of a faint echo”. Of course, the British heartthrob was joking! However, beauty’s huge mouth really violates the ideal proportions of her face. Still, would Julia’s spectacular career be the same without her broad smile and endlessly long legs?

Hayden Panettiere

Defect: short legs
Wladimir Klitschko’s girlfriend is an unhappy owner of problematic figure. Not only that she has to constantly struggle with her weight, but she also suffers from her short legs. To hide her defects, Hayden carefully chooses her wardrobe giving preference to wearing stunning heeled shoes and dating two-meter gentlemen.

Katy Perry

Defect: skin problems
Before her wedding with Russell Brand, 25-year-old Katy is fighting desperately with both her overweight and skin problems. She admits that she has always been quite pimply and shy because of it. She has to thoroughly obscure tonal cream to cover up her acne issues. This year Katy has announced a war to acne on her face promoting the Proactiv Solution skin-care line.

Halle Berry

Defect: six toes on her leg
Every year a respected male magazine includes Halle Berry in the ratings of the most beautiful women on earth. And it’s despite the fact that the actress was born with six toes on her right foot. This anomaly is called polydactyl by doctors. According to statistics, one baby out of 5000 is born with with six toes and usually has an extra toe surgically removed. We are curious to know why Halle’s parents decided to leave her sixth toe.

Beutifull and Hottest Tennis Players

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 7 Feb 2011 06:16:00 -0800

Tennis is one of the most popular games on the Earth and no doubt there are many super hot female tennis players out there in courts, Today we had selected and ranked up a list of top 10 sexiest tennis players in the World with their hottest pictures we had found on the web. I hope you will enjoy the list because the photos are sizzling hot.

10: Elena Dementieva

Country

Russia

Residence

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Date of birth

October 15, 1981 (1981-10-15) (age 29)

Place of birth

Moscow, then Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Height

1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)

Turned pro

25 August 1998

Retired

29 October 2010

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

9: Martina Hingis

Country

Switzerland

Residence

Hürden, Switzerland

Date of birth

30 September 1980 (1980-09-30) (age 30)

Place of birth

Košice, Slovakia (then Czechoslovakia)

Height

1.70 metres (5 ft 7 in)

Turned pro

1994

Retired

2007

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

8: Sania Mirza

Country

India

Residence

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hyderabad, India

Date of birth

November 15, 1986 (1986-11-15) (age 24)

Place of birth

Mumbai, India

Height

1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)

Turned pro

2003

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

7: Olga Poutchkova

Country

Russia/ Belarus

Residence

Miami Shores, USA

Date of birth

September 27, 1987 (1987-09-27) (age 23)

Place of birth

Moscow, USSR (now Russia)

Height

1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)

Turned pro

2002

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

6: Sabine Lisicki

Country

Germany

Residence

Bradenton, Florida, United States

Date of birth

22 September 1989 (1989-09-22) (age 21)

Place of birth

Troisdorf, West Germany

Height

1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)

Turned pro

2006

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

5: Caroline Wozniacki

Country

Denmark

Residence

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Date of birth

11 July 1990 (1990-07-11) (age 20)

Place of birth

Odense, Denmark

Height

1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)

Turned pro

18 July 2005

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

4: Anna Chakvetadze

Country

Russia

Residence

Moscow, Russia

Date of birth

March 5, 1987 (1987-03-05) (age 23)

Place of birth

Moscow, Soviet Union
now Russia

Height

1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)

Turned pro

2003

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

3: Maria Sharapova

Country

Russia

Residence

Bradenton, Florida, USA

Date of birth

April 19, 1987 (1987-04-19) (age 23)

Place of birth

Nyagan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Height

1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]

Turned pro

April 19, 2001

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

2: Ana Ivanovic

Country

Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006)
Serbia (2006–present)

Residence

Basel, Switzerland

Date of birth

November 6, 1987 (1987-11-06) (age 23)

Place of birth

Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia

Height

1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1][2]

Turned pro

August 17, 2003

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

1: Anna Kournikova

Country

Russia / United States

Residence

Miami, Florida, United States

Date of birth

7 June 1981 (1981-06-07) (age 29)

Place of birth

Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

Height

1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)

Turned pro

October 1995

Plays

Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

The Worst Beach in the World

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 6 Feb 2011 06:27:00 -0800

What a comfort! Jump out of airplane in a few meters from the ground, namely jump right into the sea… and annual leave already starting! WOW! It’s very practical! Bags leave in the plane. However, they may have to wait at the airport. It is so close. It is important to take good ransom and enjoy the benefits of summer vacation. Albeit a little loud holiday. But who cares. :)

We found this beach on wikipedia, and here is what wikipedia have to say about this very noisy beach:
Maho Beach is a beach situated in St Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles, on the Dutch side of the island. The location is known worldwide because of the Princess Juliana InternationalAirport that is situated immediately adjacent to the beach.

Incoming air traffic is known to have to touch down as close as possible to the beginning of runway 10 due to the short runway length of 2,180 metres/7,152 ft, resulting in low-flying aircraft on their final approach overthe beach. Due to these low flying airplanes (including large passenger airliners such as the Boeing 747), the location is very popular with plane spotters.

People standing on the beach may also be blown into the water because of the jet blast from aircraft taking off from runway 10. The beach can also experience large waves which makes it popular with windsurfers and skimboarders. The local government warns that closely approaching and departing aircraft can “result in serious injury and/or death.” An additional fence has been added recently behind runway 10 to prevent irresponsible tourists from hanging on to the main fence surrounding the runway to be “blasted” by the aircraft engines’ flow.

As of 2008, it is one of the few places in the world where one can view aircraft in their flightpath virtually just outside the end of the runway. Watching airplanes overthe beach is such a popular activity that daily arrivals and departures airline timetables are displayed on a board in most bars and restaurants onthe beach, and the Sunset Beach Bar and Grill has a speaker on its outside deck that broadcasts the radio transmissions between pilots and the airport’s control tower. Sign warning passers-by about the risks of jet blast.

The beach itself is white sand and has little to no vegetation because of the jet blast erosion. The Caravanserai Resort, the popular Sunset Beach Bar and other restaurants/night clubs such as Bamboo Bernies and Bliss are located nearby.

On October 16, 2008, the Maho area of St. Maarten suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Omar and destroyed the Sunset Bar and Grill while also destroying Bamboo Bernies and Bliss. As of November 2009, Sunset Beach Bar and Grill and Bliss have both re-opened. Omar reducedthe beach to boulders, and damaged the nearby Royal Islander Club La Plage which re-opened February 14, 2009.

Runway 10/28 was originally runway 09/27 which was changed as a result of geomagnetic alterations since the original construction. This change occurred on November 1, 2008.

Various Woman Photograph Expressions on Social Sites

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 5 Feb 2011 05:07:00 -0800

Many people likes express her self in situs social. wish to see?? Enjoy this Picture... Then Express your self!!

People Caught Up in a Really Awkward Moments!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 4 Feb 2011 06:40:00 -0800

Everyone is going to stumble and fall or be caught in an awkward moment. Probably it happened to you so many times? But what if in that awkward moment find someone with a camera and solemnly submit that moment? It’s really bad…’cause your photo can be published in a journal next day or, simply, on a site like this. So let’s take a look at the next 13 people caught up in a really awkward moments!

Top Unique Bikinis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 3 Feb 2011 05:44:00 -0800

Along development of era, bikini now present with various models, innovative?? Emmm.. Enjoy this one..

Led Bikini
By far the most awesome Bikini ever, it's also the most impressive LED product.Guys can use it for directions as well, it better be water-proof though. This technology gives birth to a new term as well "Camel Glow". It may be a little inappropriate, but it contains no Nudity.

Solar Powered Bikini
If you like the idea of using solar energy to power up your electronics, you may really like the idea of solar clothing. There is a new solar concept that could help you look sexy and keep you cool at the beach without an effort. Designed by Andrew Schneider, the Solar Powered Bikini is part of his iDrink line. This standard medium-sized bikini with a USB connection provides new and fun possibilities with solar power. Made with 1" x 4" photovoltaic film panels (which supply 6.5 volts at 1.5 amps), a solar bikini like this can come in handy when you want to tan and stay refreshed at the same time without getting in the water. In other words, the solar bikini allows you to power up your ipod, keep your drink cold, in an environmentally friendly manner, while you tan.

Lettuce BikiniPETA
has created a sexy edible fashion for vegetarians; the lettuce bikini. As part of PETA's Lettuce Lady Campaign, vegetarians and PETA supporters are allowing themselves to be adorned in lettuce and photographed for PETA's vegetarian media campaigns and making appearances at PETA events. The vegetarian alternative to the bacon bra is fashionable, non-greasy and reminiscent of Eve in the Garden of Eden. Anyone looking to promote vegetarianism can make their own lettuce bikini at home to get in on the natural fashion. Step by step instructions to create this strange lettuce bikini are available on the lettuce lady website and should be designed only once you're ready to wear it. All you need to create your own unique bikini from lettuce is romance lettuce, which is preferred because of its large leaves for covering your boobs and bum.

Burkini (burqa+bikini)
A burqini (or burkini) swimsuit designed by Australian company Ahiida. Their goal is to design swimsuits “with the respect of Islamic values and aimed to enhance the lifestyle of the active Muslim female”. Well, at least these cute chicks save money on sunscreen.

World's Most Expensive Bikini
Would you like to spend U.S. $30 million for a piece of bikini? It sounds crazy but it's true. The glittering $30 million bikini has been created by Susan Rosen with Steinmetz Diamonds. This is the world's most expensive bikini, it uses all diamonds and no fabric. The bikini features over 150 carats of D Flawless diamonds, including a 51 carat D Flawless Pear Shape, a 30 carat D Flawless Emerald Cut, a pair of 15 carat D Flawless Rounds and a pair of 8 carat D Flawless Pear Shapes all set in platinum. Model Molly Sims wore this diamond-studded bikini for the centerfold of the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue

Dissolvable Bikini
A German company invented this marvelous new bikini that disappears once a girl puts it on and takes a swim. The sexy swimsuit disappears by dissolving in water, leaving a woman completely nude and embarrassed. The sexy black swimsuit looks like a real bikini, feels like a real bikini and fits like a real bikini. The only difference is that it's made from a material that completely melts away after a few seconds in water. Named the “Get Naked Bikini,” the item is being marketed as the ultimate form of revenge for recently-dumped dudes.

Bacon Bikini
The best combination for a man: women in bikini and bacon. It's a win-win situation

Pacman Bikini
The ultimate gift for your retro-gaming girlfriend. This Pacman bikini has it all- our favorite part is the ghost hiding at the bottom. Presumably he doesn't want to get eaten.

Bikini with built-in UV meter
Now you're all maybe starting to think about your summer holidays, it might be a good idea to think about ordering one of these cool bikinis with a built-in UV meter, especially if you're a sun and sand type like me. This SmartSwim Bikini from Solestrom is the world's first bikini to have a meter built into the fabric. The meter is battery-powered with a lifetime of up to two years; and is waterproof of course! The UV meter displays an intensity “level” of ultra violet intensity on a scale from 0 to 20.The SmartSwim Bikini costs about $170.

Eyelet-Trim bikini
If you are the kind of woman who would wear Swarovski Crystals anywhere on your body, you would certainly be interested in these bikinis that come with those famed crystals. The White & Pink Eyelet-Trim bikini has been designed by Alessandra Vicedomini and it will make you look almost like an exotic dancer in Paris' Lido. The bikini is crafted in Italy, sent to India for handcrafting, and comes back to Italy for further final touches. It costs $625 and I am sure that isn't a heavy price to pay for these luxurious and sexy bikinis.

Worst Sports Injuries

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 2 Feb 2011 05:25:00 -0800

These are examples of sport injuries that makes You to shudder, to blind eye or (and) to turn your head to the other side. Warning! This is not NSFW gallery, but some images are very disturbing!

World's Greatest Missing Treasures

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 1 Feb 2011 04:58:00 -0800

They were fantastic examples of opulence, decadence, and splendor. People marveled at their beauty, drooled over their excess, and cowered at their power. And now they're gone.

But where are they? And what happened to them? Ok. Lets begin..

1. The Amber Room

Described as the eighth wonder of the world by those who saw it, the Amber Room is certainly the most unique missing treasure in history.

It was an 11-foot-square hall consisting of large wall panels inlaid with several tons of superbly designed amber, large gold-leaf-edged mirrors, and four magnificent Florentine mosaics. Arranged in three tiers, the amber was inlaid with precious jewels, and glass display cases housed one of the most valuable collections of Prussian and Russian artwork ever assembled.

Created for Prussia's King Friedrich I and given to Russian czar Peter the Great in 1716, it was located at Catherine Palace, near St. Petersburg. Today, the Amber Room would be valued at more than $142 million.

When Adolf Hitler turned his Nazi war machine toward Russia, the keepers of the Amber Room got nervous. They tried to move it, but the amber began to crumble, so they tried to cover it with wallpaper. They were unsuccessful and when the Nazis stormed Leningrad (formerly called St. Petersburg) in October 1941, they claimed it and put it on display in Königsberg Castle during the remaining war years.

However, when Königsberg surrendered in April 1945, the fabled treasure was nowhere to be found. The Amber Room was never seen again. Did the Soviets unwittingly destroy their own treasure with bombs? Was it hidden in a now lost subterranean bunker outside the city? Or was it destroyed when Königsberg Castle burned shortly after the city surrendered?

We'll probably never know for sure. But fortunately for lovers of opulence, the Amber Room has been painstakingly recreated and is on display in Catherine Palace.

2. Blackbeard's Treasure

The famous pirate Blackbeard only spent about two years (1716-1718) plundering the high seas. Within that time, however, he amassed some serious wealth. While the Spanish were busy obtaining all the gold and silver they could extract from Mexico and South America, Blackbeard and his mates waited patiently, then pounced on the treasure-laden ships as they sailed back to Spain.

Blackbeard developed a fearsome reputation as a cruel and vicious opportunist. His reign of terror centered around the West Indies and the Atlantic coast of North America, with headquarters in both the Bahamas and North Carolina. His end came in November 1718, when British Lieutenant Robert Maynard decapitated the pirate and hung his head from the bowsprit of his ship as a grisly trophy.

But what happened to the vast treasure that Blackbeard had amassed? He acknowledged burying it but never disclosed the location. But that hasn't stopped countless treasure hunters from trying to get their hands on it.

Blackbeard's sunken ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, is believed to have been discovered near Beaufort, North Carolina, in 1996, but the loot wasn't onboard. Possible locations for the hidden stash include the Caribbean Islands, Virginia's Chesapeake Bay, and the caves of the Cayman Islands.

3. Treasures of Lima

In 1820, Lima, Peru, was on the edge of revolt. As a preventative measure, the viceroy of Lima decided to transport the city's fabulous wealth to Mexico for safekeeping. The treasures included jeweled stones, candlesticks, and two life-size solid gold statues of Mary holding the baby Jesus. In all, the treasure filled 11 ships and was valued at around $60 million.

Captain William Thompson, commander of the Mary Dear, was put in charge of transporting the riches to Mexico. But the viceroy should have done some research on the man to whom he handed such fabulous wealth because Thompson was a pirate, and a ruthless one at that. Once the ships were well out to sea, he cut the throats of the Peruvian guards and threw their bodies overboard.

Thompson headed for the Cocos Islands, in the Indian Ocean, where he and his men allegedly buried the treasure. They then decided to split up and lay low until the situation had calmed down, at which time they would reconvene to divvy up the spoils.

But the Mary Dear was captured, and the crew went on trial for piracy. All but Thompson and his first mate were hanged. To save their lives, the two agreed to lead the Spanish to the stolen treasure. They took them as far as the Cocos Islands and then managed to escape into the jungle. Thompson, the first mate, and the treasure were never seen again.

Since then more than 300 expeditions have tried -- unsuccessfully -- to locate the treasures of Lima. The most recent theory is that the treasure wasn't buried on the Cocos Islands at all but on an unknown island off the coast of Central America.

4. Pharaohs' Missing Treasure

When Howard Carter found the tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt's Valley of the Kings in 1922, he was mesmerized by the splendor of the artifacts that the young king took to the afterlife. Attached to the burial chamber was a treasury with so many jewels and other artifacts that it took Carter ten years to fully catalog them.

However, when the burial chambers of more prominent pharaohs were unearthed in the late 19th century, their treasure chambers were virtually empty. It is common knowledge that tomb robbers had been busy in the tombs over the centuries, but the scale of the theft required to clean out the tombs of the kings is beyond petty criminals. So, where is the vast wealth of the pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings?

Some scholars believe that the treasures were appropriated by the priests who conducted reburials in the Valley of the Kings during the period of the early 20th and late 21st Egyptian dynasties (425-343 B.C.). Pharaohs were not averse to reusing the funeral splendors of their ancestors, so this may have been carried out with official sanction.

One particular ruler, Herihor, has been the focus of special attention. Herihor was a high court official during the reign of Ramses XI. Upon Ramses' death, Herihor usurped the throne, dividing up the kingdom with a co-conspirator, his son-in-law Piankh. Herihor placed himself in charge of reburial proceedings at the Valley of the Kings, affording himself ample opportunity to pilfer on a grand scale.

His tomb has never been found. When and if it is, many scholars believe that the missing treasures of many of Egypt's pharaohs will finally see the light of day.

On the next pages, you will find more of the world's greatest missing treasures, including the Ark of the Covenant.

5. The Ark of the Covenant

To the ancient Israelites, the Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred thing on Earth. The central and paramount object of the Hebrew nation, this ornate chest was, according to the Bible, designed by God.

Measuring 44 inches long, 26 inches wide, and 26 inches high, the chest was made of acacia wood, overlaid inside and out with pure gold, and surrounded by an artistic gold border. Mounted on the solid gold cover were two golden cherubs, one at each end of the cover facing each other, with heads bowed and wings extending upward.

The Ark served as a holy archive for the safekeeping of sacred relics, including the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. As a historical and religious treasure, the Ark and its contents were absolutely priceless.

In 607 B.C., Jerusalem, the capital city of the Israelite kingdom of Judah and home of Solomon's Temple, where the Ark was housed, was besieged and overthrown by the Babylonians. In a terrible slaughter, more than a million people were killed, with the survivors driven off into captivity.

Seventy years later, when the Israelites returned to rebuild the city, the Ark of the Covenant was gone. What happened to this priceless relic has been the subject of intense speculation ever since.

It is widely believed that the Ark was hidden by the Hebrews to keep it from the Babylonians. Possible locations for its hiding place range from Mount Nebo in Egypt to Ethiopia to a cave in the heart of Judah. Yet, if the Ark was hidden, why was it not recovered when the Israelites returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple?

Others believe that the Ark was destroyed by the rampaging Babylonians. Still another explanation put forth by the faithful is that God miraculously removed the Ark for safekeeping by means of divine intervention.

6. Montezuma's Treasure

The Spanish decimation of the Aztec empire in Mexico came to a head on July 1, 1520. After mortally wounding Emperor Montezuma, Hernando Cortés and his men were besieged by enraged Aztec warriors in the capital city of Tenochtitlán.

After days of fierce fighting, Cortés ordered his men to pack up the vast treasures of Montezuma in preparation for a night flight, but they didn't get far before the Aztecs fell upon them. The ensuing carnage filled Lake Tezcuco with Spanish bodies and the stolen treasures of Montezuma.

The terrified army had thrown the booty away in a vain attempt to escape with their lives. The hoard consisted of countless gold and silver ornaments, along with a huge array of jewels.

Cortés and a handful of his men got away with their lives and returned a year later to exact their revenge. When the inhabitants of Tenochtitlán got wind of the approaching invaders, they buried the remains of the city's treasure in and around Lake Tezcuco to prevent it from falling prey to the gold-crazed Spanish.

Today, a vast treasure trove remains hidden beneath nearly five centuries of mud and sludge on the outskirts of Mexico City, the modern day incarnation of Tenochtitlán. Generations of treasure seekers have sought the lost hoard without success. A former president of Mexico even had the lake bed dredged, but no treasure was found.

Top Political Scandals in USA

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:36:00 -0800

Political scandals in the United States have been around since the birth of the nation and don't show any signs of going away, much to the satisfaction of late-night comedians and talk show hosts. Who needs soap operas when real life in Washington is so scandalous? Check out these infamous political scandals.

6. Teapot Dome Scandal

The Teapot Dome Scandal was the largest of numerous scandals during the presidency of Warren Harding. Teapot Dome is an oil field reserved for emergency use by the U.S. Navy located on public land in Wyoming. Oil companies and politicians claimed the reserves were not necessary and that the oil companies could supply the Navy in the event of shortages.

In 1922, Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall accepted $404,000 in illegal gifts from oil company executives in return for leasing the rights to the oil at Teapot Dome to Mammoth Oil without asking for competitive bids. The leases were legal, but the gifts were not.

Fall's attempts to keep the gifts secret failed, and on April 14, 1922, The Wall Street Journal exposed the bribes. Fall denied the charges, but an investigation revealed a $100,000 no-interest loan in return for leases that Fall had forgotten to cover up.

In 1927, the Supreme Court ruled that the oil leases had been illegally obtained, and the U.S. Navy regained control of Teapot Dome and other reserves. Fall was found guilty of bribery in 1929, fined $100,000, and sentenced to one year in prison. He was the first cabinet member imprisoned for his actions while in office.

President Harding was not aware of the scandal at the time of his death in 1923, but it contributed to his administration being considered one of the most corrupt in history.

Find more historical misconceptions on the next page, including Watergate.

5. Chappaquiddick

Since being elected to the Senate in 1962, Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy has been known as a liberal who champions causes such as education and health care, but he has had less success in his personal life.

On July 18, 1969, Kennedy attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. He left the party with 29-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, who had campaigned for Ted's late brother Robert. Soon after the two left the party, Kennedy's car veered off a bridge and Kopechne drowned.

An experienced swimmer, Kennedy said he tried to rescue her but the tide was too strong. He swam to shore, went back to the party, and returned with two other men. Their rescue efforts also failed, but Kennedy waited until the next day to report the accident, calling his lawyer and Kopechne's parents first, claiming the crash had dazed him.

There was speculation that he tried to cover up that he was driving under the influence, but nothing was ever proven. Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, received a two-month suspended jail sentence, and lost his driver's license for a year.

The scandal may have contributed to his failed presidential bid in 1980, but it didn't hurt his reputation in the Senate. In April 2006, Time magazine named him one of "America's 10 Best Senators.

4. Watergate

Watergate is the name of the scandal that caused Richard Nixon to become the only U.S. president to resign from office.

On May 27, 1972, concerned that Nixon's bid for reelection was in jeopardy, former CIA agent E. Howard Hunt, Jr., former New York assistant district attorney G. Gordon Liddy, former CIA operative James W. McCord, Jr., and six other men broke into the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. They wiretapped phones, stole some documents, and photographed others.

When they broke in again on June 17 to fix a bug that wasn't working, a suspicious security guard called the Washington police, who arrested McCord and four other burglars. A cover-up began to destroy incriminating evidence, obstruct investigations, and halt any spread of scandal that might lead to the president. On August 29, Nixon announced that the break-in had been investigated and that no one in the White House was involved.

Despite his efforts to hide his involvement, Nixon was done in by his own tape recordings, one of which revealed that he had authorized hush money paid to Hunt. To avoid impeachment, Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. His successor, President Gerald Ford, granted him a blanket pardon on September 8, 1974, eliminating any possibility that Nixon would be indicted and tried.

Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein helped expose the scandal using information leaked by someone identified as Deep Throat, a source whose identity was kept hidden until 2005, when it was revealed that Deep Throat was former Nixon administration member William Mark Felt.

Learn about more political scandals in the next section, including the Iran-Contra Affair.

3. Wilbur Mills

During the Great Depression, Wilbur Mills served as a county judge in Arkansas and initiated government-funded programs to pay medical and prescription drug bills for the poor. Mills was elected to the House of Representatives in 1939 and served until 1977, with 18 of those years as head of the Ways and Means Committee.

In the 1960s, Mills played an integral role in the creation of the Medicare program, and he made an unsuccessful bid for president in the 1972 primary. Unfortunately for Mills, he's best known for one of Washington's juiciest scandals.

On October 7, 1974, Mills' car was stopped by police in West Potomac Park near the Jefferson Memorial. Mills was drunk and in the back seat of the car with an Argentine stripper named Fanne Foxe. When the police approached, Foxe fled the car.

Mills checked into an alcohol treatment center and was reelected to Congress in November 1974. But just one month later, Mills was seen drunk onstage with Fanne Foxe. Following the incident, Mills was forced to resign as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and did not run for reelection in 1976.

Mills died in 1992, and despite the scandal, several schools and highways in Arkansas are named for him.

2. The Iran-Contra Affair

On July 8, 1985, President Ronald Reagan told the American Bar Association that Iran was part of a "confederation of terrorist states." He failed to mention that members of his administration were secretly planning to sell weapons to Iran to facilitate the release of U.S. hostages held in Lebanon by pro-Iranian terrorist groups.

Profits from the arms sales were secretly sent to Nicaragua to aid rebel forces, known as the contras, in their attempt to overthrow the country's democratically-elected government. The incident became known as the Iran-Contra Affair and was the biggest scandal of Reagan's administration.

The weapons sale to Iran was authorized by Robert McFarlane, head of the National Security Council (NSC), in violation of U.S. government policies regarding terrorists and military aid to Iran. NSC staff member Oliver North arranged for a portion of the $48 million paid by Iran to be sent to the contras, which violated a 1984 law banning this type of aid. North and his secretary Fawn Hall also shredded critical documents.

President Reagan repeatedly denied rumors that the United States had exchanged arms for hostages but later stated that he'd been misinformed. He created a Special Review Board to investigate. In February 1987, the board found the president not guilty. Others involved were found guilty but either had their sentences overturned on appeal or were later pardoned by George H. W. Bush.

Find our final political scandal, the Keating Five, on the next page.

1. The Keating Five

After the banking industry was deregulated in the 1980s, savings and loan banks were allowed to invest deposits in commercial real estate, not just residential. Many savings banks began making risky investments, and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) tried to stop them, against the wishes of the Reagan administration, which was against government interference with business.

In 1989, when the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association of Irvine, California, collapsed, its chairman, Charles H. Keating, Jr., accused the FHLBB and its former head Edwin J. Gray of conspiring against him. Gray testified that five senators had asked him to back off on the Lincoln investigation.

These senators -- Alan Cranston of California, Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, John Glenn of Ohio, Donald Riegle of Michigan, and John McCain of Arizona -- became known as the Keating Five after it was revealed that they received a total of $1.3 million in campaign contributions from Keating. While an investigation determined that all five acted improperly, they all claimed this was a standard campaign funding practice.

In August 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee recommended censure for Cranston and criticized the other four for "questionable conduct."

Cranston had already decided not to run for reelection in 1992. DeConcini and Riegle served out their terms but did not run for reelection in 1994. John Glenn was reelected in 1992 and served until he retired in 1999. John McCain continues his work in the Senate, and in February 2007 announced his bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

See Your Baby Grow (Pictures of Step by Step)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 05:26:00 -0800

Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies. Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks after conception; approximately 40 weeks from the last normal menstrual period (LNMP) in humans. The World Health Organization defines normal termfor delivery as between 37 weeks and 42 weeks. Enjoy :)

When Peeping Photoshoot

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:19:00 -0800

Many people applies opportunity in narrowness to peep woman secret. There are man photographs is being applies the opportunity. Enjoys...

Naughty Advertising Ever part 2

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:36:00 -0800

Some few days ago funzone collection presents its collection about naughty advertisements. Still many again similar advertisements. Safe enjoys

Moment of Cheating

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:18:00 -0800

The whole world is cheating

Why Phi = 3.14 ?

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:36:00 -0800

Pi is an extremely interesting number that is important to all sorts of mathematical calculations. Anytime you find yourself working with circles, arcs, pendulums (which swing through an arc), etc. you find pi popping up. We have run into pi when looking at gears, spherical helium balloons and pendulum clocks. But you also find it in many unexpected places for reasons that seem to have nothing at all to do with circles.

On one level pi is simple: It is the ratio of a circle's circumference divided by its diameter. This ratio, for any circle, is always the same - 3.14 or so. You can prove this to yourself with a circle, a piece of tape and a ruler. Look around your house and find something circular: a jar lid, a CD, a plate - whatever you can find that is circular, the bigger the better. Measure its diameter (the width across the center of circle) with the ruler. Now wrap a piece of tape around around the circle and cut or mark the tape so that it is exactly as long as the outer edge (the circumference) of the circle you are measuring. Measure the piece of tape. With a calculator divide the length of the tape by the diameter you measured for the circle. The answer you will get, if you have measured accurately, is always 3.14.

The following figure shows how the circumference of a circle with a diameter of 1.27 inches is equal to a linear distance of 4 inches:

As you might imagine, 4.0 (the circumference) / 1.27 (the diameter) = 3.14.

As you can see, on this level pi is a basic fact of life for all circles. It is a constant, 3.14, for any circle you find. The funny thing about pi is that it also has another level. Pi is an irrational number (it cannot be expressed by any simple fraction of two integers) that has an infinite number of non-repeating digits. There are ways to calculate pi that have nothing to do with circles. Using these techniques, pi has been calculated out to millions of digits.

Naughty Advertising Ever part 1

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:15:00 -0800

All of us are witnesses that advertising industry is getting more inventive and creative in their campaigning each day. People from advertising industry tend to try to attract our attention in every way possible: sometimes their efforts are meant to disturb you or to stir emotion, other times they make all kinds of jokes and funny images. No matter what is the case, they intend to leave you touched and make you remember images and messages they sent you. Surely, the most effective way to get your message across (especially with male population) is being a bit ‘naughty’. Because of that, we have compiled today a collection of some marvelous examples of the most successful naughty advertising campaigns. Enjoy this attractive photo collection.

Weight Loss Alternative

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:12:00 -0800

Many people wishs ideal body, they must do diet and many doing athletics. Some people can do diet truly, partly doing diet abundantly and partly cannot do diet. Actually there are other alternative to do diet, Metmorfin!

How can Metformin Weight Loss help you to slim down? Well, in short, it will reduce your feeling of being hungry. If your most important overweight problem area is your belly, then there is a good chance you are overweight on the account of too much insulin production. Eating makes your blood sugar level rise and the higher it goes, the more insulin your Pancreas produces. This insulin tells your brain to feel hungry, your liver to manufacture fat, and the fat cells in your waist area to suck up this fat.

To fight this kind of obesity, you need to stay away from food that makes your blood sugar rise excessively and to take Metformin Weight Loss which prevents your blood sugar level to rise too much. Stay away from flour made foods like bread, pastry and pasta, fruit juices and basically anything that has sugar added to it. Consume fruit and potatoes only with meals.

Metformin Weight Loss effects are reduced by excess lactic acids in your blood, but working out does not make those acid levels rise enough to counteract Metformin Weight Loss benefits. So no, taking Metformin Weight Loss is no excuse to stop exercising. Daily exercising will always stay number 1 when it comes to losing weight.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS is caused by high blood levels of insulin and leads to obesity in woman. It is a rather common affliction and women suffering from PCOS will benefit from Metformin Weight Loss and lose weight. Check out our section on PCOS for more information.

Metformin Weight Loss is safe and effective as weight loss alternative, but you will not see any benefits if you keep eating food that increases your blood sugar quickly. It does not help you lose weight taking Metformin Weight Loss after indulging in 2 slices of Cherry Pie!

Common prescription: take 500mg of Metformin Weigth Loss a few minutes before meals, 3 times a day.

It's kind of hard to answer the question if there are two different two types metformin. It all depends on how you look at it... You could differentiate between Metformin and Glucophage. There's the standard type of Metformin and the "different" ER/XR version. And then there are the really different combinations of Metformin with another drug.

Visit : two types metformin

Top 10 Amazing Bridges Arround The World

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 03:14:00 -0800

Bridges have been around ever since humans began to move themselves -- and their goods -- from one place to another. Early bridge engineers had to do little more than fell a tree across a ravine or stream, but they soon discovered that they could span greater distances and haul heavier loads by putting more time and energy into their structures.

Roman engineers perfected the stone arch and used it to build aqueducts -- bridges that conveyed fresh water great distances -- and similar structures to carry traffic across streams and rivers. But the Industrial Revolution took bridge building to new heights and even greater lengths.

By the end of the 19th century, record-breaking bridges seemed to come fast and furious. The Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, was the longest spanning bridge in the world -- until Scottish engineers completed the Firth of Forth Bridge just seven years later.

A new century brought longer, more amazing bridges. In 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge stretched its 8,981-foot (2,737-meter) back over the treacherous waters of the San Francisco Bay.

Today, engineers continue to test the limits of science and imagination. They experiment with innovative materials, designs and methods of construction. Their finished products move cars and trains. They also move people's souls. What follows is a survey of some of the most breathtaking bridges of the modern era. We've limited ourselves to just 10 bridges, but not to any particular region of the world.
Our first stop is the Hangzhou Bay Bridge in China.

10. The Hangzhou Bay Bridge

The Chinese are not new to bridge building. The Anlan Bridge, a suspension bridge first constructed in A.D. 300 using bamboo cables, still carries pedestrians across the 1,000-foot (305-meter) Min River. More than 1,700 years later, in the Jiangsu Province, Chinese engineers completed a project that includes a 4,888-foot (1,490-meter) suspension bridge and a 2,575-foot (758-meter) cable-stayed bridge. Known as the Runyang Bridge, it was the country's longest bridge -- for a while.

Today, the Hangzhou Bridge, which opened in May 2008 after nine years of planning and construction, holds the honor as China's longest bridge. It stretches a mind-boggling 22 miles (36 kilometers) across the Qiantang River at the Yangtze River Delta on the East China Sea. That's almost 25 times longer than the Runyang Bridge and nine times longer than Japan's pride and joy, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge! The cable-stayed bridge snakes across the open ocean, carrying six lanes of traffic in both directions. Commuters have to pay 80 yuan, or almost $12, to cross it, but the toll fee is nothing compared to the bridge's price tag of 11.8 billion yuan ($1.72 billion). If it lasts as long as expected -- 100 years -- it should have a long time to pay for itself.

Up next, we're headed west across Asia to the very eastern edge of Europe. There we'll find the Strait of Bosporus and the next amazing bridge on our list.

9. The Bosphorus Bridge

The Strait of Bosporus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It also separates Asia from Europe. As such, it holds great strategic value during times of war and peace. Although attempts to bridge the narrow body of water date back to the Persian Empire, the most impressive structure didn't open for business until 1973. That's when engineers completed the Bosporus Bridge, a 4,954-foot- (1.51-kilometer-) long suspension bridge that remained the only bridge in the world linking two continents until the Fatih Sultan Mehmed Bridge suspended its roadway above the strait nearly 15 years later.

Even with a companion bridge stealing some of its glory, the Bosporus Bridge remains a grand sight, especially at night. Thanks to an LED lighting system, the bridge's towers and zigzagged cables glow brilliantly in different colors.

Day or night, the Bosporus Bridge shuttles traffic between continents on an eight-lane deck. Each direction has three lanes for vehicles, plus one emergency lane and one sidewalk. Pedestrians were allowed to access the bridge until 1977, when authorities stopped the practice for safety reasons. They temporarily suspended the rule in May 2005 when Venus Williams and Ïpek Senoglu played a tennis match on the bridge to promote the inaugural Istanbul Cup in Turkey. Fans gathered on two of the bridge's lanes to watch the players trade volleys from Asia to Europe and back again.

The next bridge on our list has never hosted a tennis match, but it has become one of England's hottest tourist attractions.

8. Gateshead Millennium Bridge

In a bascule bridge, one or two pieces of the bridge deck, known as leaves, swing up to provide clearance for boat traffic passing underneath. They open quickly and efficiently but aren't the most elegant pieces of architecture. This was the challenge facing engineers when officials in Gateshead, England, announced a contest in 1996 to design an innovative cycle and pedestrian bridge to span the Tyne River. The new structure had to allow ships to pass underneath without blocking the view of other nearby bridges or interfering with cultural activities taking place on either bank.

The winning design solved the problem, not with a bascule-type system, but with a never-seen-before tilting mechanism. Here's how it works. The bridge is made up of a pair of steel arches. In its "down" position, one arch forms the deck of the pedestrian and cycle path. The other arch sits at a 90-degree angle to the first, with cables strung between the two to provide support for the deck. When the bridge needs to move to its "up" position, eight electric motors tilt both arches as a single, rigid structure. As one arch lowers, the other rises to act as a counterbalance.

When the 413-foot- (126-meter-) long bridge opened in 2000, 36,000 people lined the banks of the river to watch the bridge's inaugural tilt . And in 2007, its likeness appeared on a new pound coin from the Royal Mint.

7. Millau Viaduct

The Eiffel Tower, which looms over the Paris skyline, measures 1,063 feet (324 meters) high from its four-footed base to the tip of its flagpole. Now imagine tearing the tower from its moorings and carrying it southeastward, through the Massif Central region of France to the Cévennes Mountains. Now imagine setting the tower down in the Tarn Valley, a deep gorge surrounded by high, rolling hills near the town of Millau, France. Now, finally, picture lining up six more similar towers and stringing a roadway across the valley. Et voila -- the Millau Viaduct, a massive bridge that opened in 2004 to carry the A75 motorway south to Beziers.

In reality, the highest point of this cable-stayed bridge is taller than the Eiffel Tower by 62 feet (19 meters) and only a little bit shorter than the Empire State Building (1,250 feet or 381 meters tall, if you're wondering). A car traveling over the span is actually suspended 890 feet (271 meters) above the valley. Drivers who overcome their fear of heights can shave 62 miles (100 kilometers) and four hours off the long trip from Clermont-Ferrand to popular destinations along the Mediterranean Sea. The bridge also reduces pollution by relieving congestion that used to occur as cars queued up to cross a much older and smaller bridge in Millau.

Another amazing cable-stayed bridge is the Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge in Brazil. That's the next stop on our tour.

6. Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge

São Paulo, Brazil, just down the coast from Rio de Janeiro, is known for its extravagance. It's a cosmopolitan city, with a flourishing nightlife and a lively arts scene. It's also Brazil's financial hub -- home to some of the wealthiest people in the country. Because of these qualities, it's not surprising that the paulistanos (São Paulo inhabitants) designed and built one of the most unique bridges in the world.

Named after the Brazilian media mogul Octavio Frias de Oliveira, the cable-stayed bridge spans the Pinheiros River, which bisects the western side of the city. The bridge is only 2,953 feet (900 meters) long and not particularly high at 453 feet (138 meters), but its design features two curved decks that cross each other through an X-shaped supporting tower. The two roadways, suspended from the tower by 144 cables, link the São Paulo districts of Brooklin and Real Parque.

Motorists crossing the bridge at night enjoy a spectacular show courtesy of LED lights. The lighting system enables bridge authorities to illuminate the X-shaped tower with different colors for commemorative dates or for special events. But it's not all about special effects. A series of 140-watt bulbs shine on the roads to ensure the safety of drivers.

Innovative safety features also define the next bridge we're going to cover. To get to it, we need to travel out of South America, through Central America and into the United States.

5. St. Anthony Falls Bridge

On Aug. 1, 2007, a steel deck truss bridge carrying motorists in and out of Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River during the evening rush hour. An investigation revealed that 16 gusset plates, which connected steel beams in the center span to the load-bearing columns, were too thin to function properly. As a result, they fractured and caused the bridge to collapse. Within hours, officials vowed to rebuild the bridge and to restore public confidence by incorporating a variety of advanced safety features. The result was the St. Anthony Falls Bridge, which opened in September 2008.

This box girder bridge truly is a marvel of modern engineering. It's made with high-performance concrete, which provides great strength and inhibits corrosion. More than 15 million pounds (6.8 million kilograms) of rebar -- all of it coated with epoxy to prevent the steel from getting weak and brittle -- reinforce the concrete . At the same time, 323 sensors embedded in the bridge substrate constantly monitor the integrity of the structure, collecting data that can be analyzed to determine unusual stress points or other trouble spots. While it forms a solid foundation, the concrete is also cleaning the air. That's because it's made with cement containing TX Active, an agent that, in the presence of light, breaks down air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and benzene.

High-tech materials such as TX Active are becoming commonplace in modern bridges. One such bridge is located to the east of Minneapolis, in Fond du Lac, Wis.

4. DeNeveu Creek Bridge

Concrete, a hard and porous composite of cement, sand, aggregate and gravel, forms the foundation of most bridges. It holds up well to compressive forces (those that push down at right angles), but not as well to tensile forces (those that act along the length of the material to pull it apart). Engineers use steel bars, also known as rebar, to reinforce the tensile strength of concrete.

Unfortunately, steel rebar can corrode when exposed to freshwater or saltwater, which can cause distress in the concrete. One method to prevent this wear and tear involves coating the rebar with epoxy to shield the steel from corrosive chemicals. But scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed another solution -- a reinforcing matrix made from a novel fiber-reinforced polymer. Because it is nonmetallic, the polymer material won't corrode, which means the concrete remains stronger longer.

The first real-world test of this new and improved concrete is the DeNeveu Creek Bridge, a 40-meter (131-foot) span along Highway 151 in Fond du Lac, Wis. Driving over the bridge, you would never know there is anything special hidden inside the nondescript box girder bridge. But the real payoff will come far into the future. The bridge deck is durable enough to last at least 75 years, whereas most traditional bridge decks last between 30 and 40 years before they need to be replaced. That means the DeNeveu Creek Bridge, completed in 2005, may not need any significant maintenance until 2080!
Next, we're headed back to Europe and a border-crossing bridge that links Denmark and Sweden.

3. Oresund Bridge

The Oresund Bridge may have been difficult to build, but the result of all that hard work was breathtakingly beautiful.

Building a single-purpose bridge is a complex engineering feat. Now add other complicating factors, like a bridge to carry both trains and cars. And join that bridge seamlessly with an immersed tunnel. These were the design requirements facing engineers when they began planning how to connect Denmark and Sweden across the Oresund Strait. Their solution was one of the largest infrastructure projects in European history: the $3 billion Oresund Fixed Link.

The Fixed Link actually consists of three major parts. If you're traveling from Copenhagen to Malmö, Sweden, the first thing you encounter is an immersed tunnel 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long. Back at sea level, you emerge from the tunnel onto Peberholm, a Danish artificial island built from material dredged up during construction. After Peberholm, you access the final leg of the Fixed Link, a cable-stayed bridge stretching for 5 miles (8 kilometers) and ending on Swedish soil.

Collectively, the Oresund Fixed Link is a miracle of modern engineering. It is the world's longest cable-stayed bridge for both road and railway [source: Oresund Bridge Web site]. Its towers are 669 feet (204 meters) high and provide a navigational clearance of 187 feet (57 meters) under the main span. The bridge features two levels, with the railway running along the lower deck and the roadway on the upper.

Luckily, Oresund Bridge builders didn't have to deal with earthquakes and other seismic activity during construction. The engineers in charge of the next bridge on our list weren't so lucky.

2. The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge may lose its title as the world's longest suspension bridge. A proposed bridge over the Strait of Messina that would link Sicily to mainland Italy could steal its title.

Japan is both a bridge-building dream and a nightmare. Japan consists of four main islands and 4,000 smaller islands -- a veritable mother lode of options and opportunities for bridge crossings. Unfortunately, Japan is also located in the Ring of Fire, an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. That makes building big structures a supreme engineering challenge. With the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japanese engineers were up to the challenge.

The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge opened in 1998 and stunned the world with its epic size. It spans 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometers) across the Akashi Strait, with a central section stretching almost half of that length. Its towers soar 928 feet (283 meters) above the water, and its cables carry tensile forces of 132,000 tons (120,000 metric tons). It's not just the crowning glory of Japan's elaborate bridge system; it's the longest spanning suspension bridge, with the highest towers, in the world. What makes the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge even more amazing is the fact that it weathered a 7.2-magnitude earthquake during construction. The temblor struck on Jan. 17, 1995, creating a new fault near the bridge. This shifted the bridge's foundations and expanded the central span of the bridge by 2.6 feet (80 centimeters) and one side span by almost a foot (30 centimeters). Luckily, the earthquake didn't damage the towers. Engineers increased the length of the cables, redesigned the girders to accommodate the increased length of the bridge and proceeded with no further mishaps.

Back in North America, another long bridge tested the skill and ingenuity of engineers

1. Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

Two bridges span the Chesapeake Bay, a long estuary sandwiched between Virginia and Maryland. The first is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a dual-span, 4.32-mile- (6.95-kilometer-) long bridge that connects the eastern and western shores of Maryland. Although this bridge offers an interesting collection of designs in a single structure -- cantilever, arch and suspension -- it pales a bit when it is compared to its cousin located a few miles to the south. The official name of this second bridge is the Lucius J. Kellam, Jr. Bridge-Tunnel, more commonly known as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

As its name suggests, the link consists of a series of bridges and tunnels to span the 17 miles (27.4 kilometers) of brackish water separating Cape Charles and Virginia Beach, Virginia. The majority of the bridge-tunnel complex is above the water, supported by more than 5,000 piers. Most of these piers are relatively short, so that the bridge seems to skim just above the surface of the water. To allow ships to pass, two 1-mile- (1.6-kilometer-) long tunnels carry traffic beneath the bay's primary navigation channels. Man-made islands, each approximately 5 acres (2 hectares) in size, are located at each end of the two tunnels and act as transition points between the tunnels and bridges.

When the original bridge-tunnel complex (what is now the northbound side) opened in 1965, it won the American Society of Civil Engineers award for "Outstanding Engineering Achievement." It was also designated "One of Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World" in 1965. Thirty years later, engineers began construction on a second link (the southbound side), which opened to traffic in 1999.

by William Harris

10 Construction Projects That Broke the Bank

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 05:33:00 -0800

We live in an era in which practically anything that can be imagined can be built: artificial islands, floating hotels, skyscrapers that cause passersby to strain their necks just looking up at them, massive underwater tunnels and bridges spanning once-unthinkable lengths. But with these great construction projects come complications, including cost overruns, accidents and even utter disaster. For every great success, such as Dubai's super-swank, self-proclaimed seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel, there's a project like North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel, mired in controversy, uninhabitable and looming over the Pyongyang skyline.

In this article, we're going to take a look at 10 construction projects that broke the bank, including the Ryugyong Hotel. In making up our list, we looked at a variety of criteria: overall cost, cost overrun, size, ambition and general notoriety. Some of these projects took decades to plan and construct; a couple aren't finished and may never be. Several can be called white elephants -- eyesores or constructions infamous for their cost or general uselessness. Others fulfill their expected purposes, perhaps even serving as gems of modern engineering, but they remain controversial or well known for the costs and challenges they incurred.

We're going to start with some lesser-known but still astoundingly pricey construction projects and then move on to some of the most famous culprits, such as the Chunnel and the Big Dig.

10. Ryugyong Hotel

The Ryugyong Hotel dominates the Pyongyang skyline but is uninhabitable.

Esquire magazine called it "The Worst Building in the History of Mankind" [source: Hagberg]. It's also been called the "Hotel of Doom," the "Phantom Hotel" and the "world's worst building" [source: Herskovitz]. It's the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. This 105-story monstrosity rises 330 meters (1,082 feet) into the air, composed of three slabs that meet at the building's apex, forming a sort of pyramid.

The building was intended to be a 3,000-room hotel. It's among the world's tallest skyscrapers and could be considered the world's tallest hotel, except that it hasn't been used as a hotel -- or anything else. That's because the Ryugyong Hotel has never been completed, although it has been built to its intended height.

Construction began in 1987 and stopped in 1992 after North Korea spent as much as 2 percent of its GDP on the project and funding dried up. Exact figures are difficult to get, owing to the communist government's extraordinarily repressive and secretive nature, but North Korean GDP was estimated to be $21.3 billion in 1994, and 2 percent of that is $426 million.

The unattractive gray building is certainly a white elephant. The North Korean government routinely airbrushes it out of official photos, despite initially bragging about the building in state-run media and distributing postage stamps featuring its image.

Work on the building resumed in 2008 with an Egyptian company called Orascom entrusted with refurbishing the moribund hotel. But even if they complete the interior, some experts wonder if the Ryugyong's apparently shoddy construction will ever be safe enough to be occupied.

9. Iridium Satellites

A Delta II rocket launches Iridium's last five satellites in 2002 from Vandenberg Air Force base, California.

Conceived in 1987 by engineers from Motorola, who provided much of the financial backing, Iridium is a network of 66 satellites (and 13 in-orbit "spares") intended to provide worldwide satellite phone, data and fax services. Iridium was supposed to allow people to communicate anytime, anywhere.

Iridium LLC was created in 1992. Limited service began in 1998. Only 474 days later, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The main problem was the tremendous initial cost of launching the satellites: $5 billion . Iridium charged high fees and needed at least 1 million subscribers just to stay out of the red. But many traditional GSM cell phone providers began providing their customers cheap roaming services across state and international boundaries, eliminating one of the main advantages of Iridium -- worldwide service. Iridium's phones were bulky, didn't work indoors and were extremely expensive, with one Motorola model costing more than $2,000.

Iridium only managed to accrue 55,000 subscribers. Several of the satellites weren't launched, and for a time, it seemed that the satellites would simply be deorbited and burn up in the atmosphere. The existing satellites were eventually sold to a new company called Iridium Satellite for just $20 million. In 2002, Iridium Satellite launched the last five satellites. As of 2008, Iridium Satellite claimed that they had around 250,000 subscribers, including many from the military.

8. MOSE Project

Tourists cross makeshift walkways in the flooded Piazza San Marco during December 2008.

Some projects never seem to finish. This one can't get started. The MOSE Project -- named after the biblical Moses and the acronym Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico (or experimental electromechanic module for non-Italian speakers) -- is the result of 30 years of negotiations first begun after Venice experienced a catastrophic flood in 1966.

The project hopes to stem flooding and save the city from sinking deeper into the lagoon on which it's located. In the last century, Venice has sunk 11 inches (or about 28 centimeters). And whereas in the early 20th century, Venice experienced flooding about seven times a year, it now happens around 100 times a year .

MOSE calls for 78 hinged metal gates to be placed along three channels in the Venice lagoon. The gates could be as large as 66 feet (20 meters) wide, 16 feet (5 meters) thick and 92 feet (28 meters) long [source: Squires]. The 300-ton (272-metric ton) gates mostly will be on the seafloor. But when water levels reach a certain level, the barriers will automatically fill with air, rising within 30 minutes and creating a dam 0.93 miles (1.5 kilometers) long. When the waters recede, the gates can descend back to the seafloor in 15 minutes.

Like many projects of its type, cost estimates vary wildly -- from $5.5 billion to $10.4 billion .

Construction finally began in May 2003 and should be finished in 2012, but environmental groups and maritime-related businesses have raised concerns about the project, so the work is far from done.

7. FIA Satellites

The Future Imagery Architecture program was designed to be the U.S. government's next-generation system of spy satellites, capable of operating at night or peering through poor weather. A contract for two satellites was awarded to the Boeing Company, which wasn't known for its ability to manufacture satellites with sophisticated optics.

A team from Boeing asked for $100 million just to put together its proposal for the FIA project .

Boeing's design, which was highly ambitious in order to compete with the more experienced Lockheed Martin Corporation, ended up being too complex to be built. But before that conclusion was reached, Boeing often received faulty parts from suppliers or simply used the wrong ones. The government spent $10 billion on the project, about twice as much as was initially budgeted, before revoking the Boeing contract and turning to Lockheed Martin . Boeing still asked for a $500 million "termination fee" and received $430 million for its troubles. The company also was allowed to fulfill the contract for one of the satellites that used advanced radar for imaging.

The entire program was finally scrapped in September 2005, and the government may have spent up to $18 billion. In 2007, another classified U.S. spy satellite program was axed by then-Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell.

6. Montreal-Mirabel Airport

This picture sums up the state of Montreal-Mirabel these days: empty.

One of the world's largest airports sits practically empty and unused. Montreal-Mirabel Airport is a $1 billion airport located 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Montreal, Canada. The airport opened in 1975 during a time when Montreal was experiencing a building boom in preparation for the Olympics.

Montreal-Mirabel was supposed to be one of the world's major airports, taking in 50 million passengers a year with six runways and six terminals. It didn't even manage to crack 3 million, and the last passenger flight took off on Oct. 31, 2004.

The airport's failure can be attributed in part to bureaucratic and political struggles, particularly relating to groups lobbying for Quebec's independence, which prevented lawmakers from settling on a plan to create transportation routes linking the airport to downtown Montreal. Banks, businesses and English-speaking Montreal residents left as squabbles over Quebecois separatism intensified, bogging down the region's economy. The 1970s energy crisis also harmed the aviation industry.

The airport was intended to be a hub for quick trans-Atlantic flights on the Concorde, another infamous boondoggle. Instead, traffic was stolen away by Montreal-Dorval Airport (now called Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport), which expanded to take advantage of the newly ascendant Boeing 747.

In February 2006, the Montreal Airports Authority announced a deal with two French developers to turn Montreal-Mirabel into a massive space-and-water-themed amusement park. The first of three renovations is expected to cost $100 million. As of early 2009, construction on the theme park hadn't begun.

5. Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia has been under construction for more than 130 years.

The Sagrada Familia, or the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, is a cathedral located in central Barcelona, designed by legendary architect Antoni Gaudi. Construction began on March 19, 1882, and continued until Gaudi was hit by a streetcar and killed in 1926. At that time, only 15 percent of the building was completed. It's still not finished.

Construction has been halted frequently because of lack of funding, with donations providing a lot of the necessary financing. In recent years more money has poured in, and the church has benefited from its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The sheer scope and ambition of the project have also made work proceed slowly, and some original plans and models were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Sagrada Familia is a gorgeous cathedral, with delicately shaped spires rising high into the sky. The structure is filled with tremendously detailed carvings, sculptures, friezes and other ornamentation.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2026, and despite ongoing work, Sagrada Familia remains Spain's most popular monument. However, 400 prominent Spanish artists and intellectuals released a statement in December 2008 saying that construction should stop. They argued that the building no longer matches Gaudi's artistic vision and has been compromised in the name of tourism. But defenders of the ongoing construction say that Sagrada Familia is great precisely because it's a collective work, clearly bearing Gaudi's imprimatur but also featuring contributions from workers and artists over many decades.

4. The International Space Station

Computer-generated artist's rendering of the International Space Station as of Aug. 30, 2007

Between 1984 and 1993, $11.2 billion was spent on Space Station Freedom, the U.S. predecessor to the International Space Station (ISS). When the ISS replaced Space Station Freedom, President Clinton pegged the cost of the new project at $17.4 billion. In 2006, the Government Accountability Office said that $35 billion had been spent since 1985 and that it would take about $100 billion to complete the station .

There are many complicating factors in figuring out the station's approximate cost. It receives major contributions from a group of countries: the United States, Russia, Japan and 10 members of the European Space Agency. Shuttle flights, refueling, maintenance and other related costs may or may not be included in estimates, likely contributing to NASA saying that the station will be cheaper than the GAO's estimate. There are also unforeseen costs and setbacks, such as the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

When considering costs, are we asking how much is it to complete the station or to complete and run it for a certain period of time? The European Space Agency states the estimated cost will be 100 billion euros ($123 billion) to assemble the station and run it for 10 years.

No matter the final cost, the space station is certainly the most expensive science experiment ever attempted. But proponents of the station argue that it is an unprecedented opportunity for international cooperation, to test the limits of space technology and to conduct valuable, potentially groundbreaking research in a unique environment.

3. The Millennium Dome

The Millennium Dome, now known as the O2 Arena, is considered a white elephant by many Britons.

Perhaps as close as one gets to a literal white elephant, this white, domed behemoth, built to house a celebration for the new millennium, has become an embarrassing eyesore for many Londoners. The Millennium Dome has been controversial ever since its inception in the mid-1990s.

Costs rose throughout the planning and construction phases, with the British government regularly dispersing more money to the dome's builders. In the end, the dome cost 789 million pounds ($1.1 billion) to build .

Ticket sales for the attractions were far below expectations. The New Millennium Experience Company, the dome's operator, only made 189 million pounds ($275 million) in revenues. There were accusations of fraud by vendors and suppliers. A band of thieves even attempted to steal a 203-carat diamond on display.

The dome was only open for a year, closing on Dec. 31, 2000 -- just before the start of the new millennium. In 2001, maintenance costs were 28.4 million pounds ($41.3 million).The following year, monthly maintenance alone clocked in at 250,000 pounds ($363,950).

For a time, it was unclear what the dome's post-celebration role would be, or if it would just be an ugly reminder of hundreds of millions of pounds wasted. Eventually the naming rights to the dome were sold to mobile phone company O2. On July 24, 2007, the dome reopened under the name the O2 Arena after Anschutz Entertainment, the venue's new owners, spent 600 million pounds ($1.2 billion) to renovate the site, adding a 20,000-seat concert arena. It's now used to host concerts, sporting events, traveling exhibitions and a movie multiplex.

2. The Chunnel

Vehicles approach the entrance of the Channel Tunnel on June 27, 2006, in Folkestone, England.

The Chunnel, or the Channel Tunnel, is a trio of 31-mile (50-kilometer) long tunnels underneath the English Channel, connecting the United Kingdom and France. When finished in 1994, the Chunnel's $21 billion cost made it the most expensive construction project in history . Construction involved 13,000 engineers and workers, 250,000 engineering drawings and, sadly, 10 deaths.

Building the Chunnel took six years, but plans for constructing some sort of underwater tunnel spanning the English Channel dated back to 1802, with many false starts along the way. Several pilot tunnels, some thousands of feet long, were dug in the late 19th century. In the 20th century, it took the British and French governments decades to finalize plans for construction. The project was canceled more than once but finally came together in the late 1980s.

Besides a few incidents of fires, the Chunnel has been largely successful, providing a popular method of transport for people and freight between the United Kingdom and France. But the project's initial cost was severe, and it continues to exact a heavy financial toll. In early 2009, a new rail link connecting London to the British side of the Chunnel opened. It cost $13.8 billion -- the most expensive individual construction effort in the country's history.

1. The Big Dig

It doesn't look like much, but that little section of highway and underground Boston from which cars are exiting cost a lot of money.

In 1980s Boston, traffic on the city's Central Artery lasted 10 hours a day and cost the local economy about $500 million. In response, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project -- or Big Dig -- was launched to replace the six-lane Central Artery with an underground road with eight to ten lanes. The project, one of the most difficult infrastructure projects ever attempted, also involved the construction of several other major bridges, roads and tunnels, some of them going under Boston Harbor.

Construction began near the end of 1991 and finished on Dec. 31, 2007. The original cost estimate was $2.6 billion, eventually rising to $14.8 billion by the time the project was done. But with the interest due on borrowed funds -- which will be paid through 2038 -- the Big Dig will eventually cost $22 billion.

The city practiced a process it called mitigation to minimize harm to residents' daily lives and commutes. But mitigation also contributed to the project's massive cost overruns and didn't always work. Some businesses suffered because of the rampant construction.

There were other setbacks through flaws in design or construction, the deaths of four workers and one motorist, criminal charges against some companies and numerous lawsuits. But many aspects of the project's work -- which employed as many as 5,000 workers on some days -- have been called marvels of engineering. And the Big Dig has reunified the city, improved traffic flow greatly, opened up new parts of the city to development and added green space.

by Jacob Silverman

Fastest Trains in The World

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 22:48:00 -0800

As moda transportation of this bullet trains has many excesses. The big haulage and most importantly with the same comfort, pollution yielded can one tenth smaller compared to with airplane. This cars between it still using conventional wheels but mechanically newest and sophisticated applies technology superconducting magnetic levitation ( maglev train) which floats above rail.

in Japan

Tokaido Shinkansen – Japan

Japan sets the river on fire by launching car quickly of Shinkansen ( ball car) in the year 1964 to serve route Tokyo-Nagoya-Kyoto-Osaka, and its(the speed " only" shifts 201 km/jam ( in that year udah which is fastest).

Car WIN 350 Eksperimental:

JR E3

JR E4

Every lane has names ( Tokaido, Toho, etc), and every type is identified with an epithet ( Nozomi, Hikari, etc). Almost 40 years since launched first time, Shinkansen has transported 6 billion passenger without there are accident means. Route Shinkansen also has a real frequency height, like route Tokyo and Shin-Osaka which able to be passed by six cars per-hour cars ( not per-day).

JR 300

" Hikari" means " light", be first Shinkansen service at route Tokaido/Sanyo. Since car appearance Nozomi, now provides service mid-level with a few cessation of attachment, but permanent high-speedly. Hikari connects Tokyo and Osaka during about 3 hour a clock. The trimming more having nuancely is supersonic jet propulsion compared to car, which futuristis design and extraordinary comfort.

Various of JR 500

JR 800 New

It Means " hope", cars Nozomi only require time 2,5 hours to pass through over Tokyo-Osaka, and 5 hours finite to all purpose of in tip of very archipelago south in Hakata ( Fukuoka). Rails in Japan supports commercially mobilization of the massive of resident in this districts, even to implement it every car requires finite cost of $40 million.

Storm Troopers

JR-Maglev MLX01

This car is superconducting magnetic levitation type - maglev ( floats above rail magnetically) and in testing it ready to reach speed of 581 km/h and so far untapped commercially. China went forward a step with lebh formerly operates this maglev type car in the year 2004.

on French

Train a Grande Vitesse ( TGV) – French

Opened in the early of year 80-an, TGV serves route Lyon and Paris, The route is then is added to other town in French even to other state. This car built by Alstrom SA - the second biggest car maker company in world. New generation car of TGV V-150 breaks a record speed for conventional beroda car at a speed of 515 km/jam. This car applies supercharged engine and meiliki big car wheel. Its new champion is now reachs 574,8 km/h

in Germany

InterCity Express ( ICE)

In the beginning of year 90, Germany opens its super train to serve route Hannover, Wurzburg, Mannheim, and Stuttgart. This car built by Siemens and reachs speed of 280 km/h.

Transrapid

Germany also builds The maglev car Transrapid capable to reach speed of 550 km/h but unhappily have ever experienced accident at September 2006 at elbow town Lathen and defeats 23 passengers.

in China

Car Maglev Shanghai – China

Built with German technology, this car can reach speed until 430 km/h and ready to bring passenger from international airport of Pudong towards Longyang Road Station in downtown only during 8 minutes.

in South Korea

Korean Train Express (KTX)

in Taiwan

Taiwan High Speed Rail

After a few years postponement, finally Taiwan High Speed Rail is opened its use on 5 January 2008. This Speed train was built with Japan technology bases Shinkansen and shortens time to go through from Taipei towards Kaoshiung becomes 90 minutes from before all which 4 hours.

in Italia

Direttissima

Itali opens its speed cars for route Roma and Florensia with speed of 254 km/h.

in England

Eurostar

This Speed cars operated in the year 1994 and serves route from London to French and Belgia ( through tunnelling under sea). From London to Paris applies this car eats time 2 hours 35 minutes. with speed reachs 300 km/h.

Freedom Ship - The Floating City

noreply@blogger.com (byu) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:11:00 -0800

No cruise ship that has ever been built can compare to the enormity of Freedom Ship. Imagine a mile-long stretch of 25-story-tall buildings in New York City; now imagine that floating on the water. If you can picture that, then you get the general idea of Freedom Ship's size. At 4,320 feet (1,317 meters) long, 725 feet (221 m) wide and 340 feet (103 m) tall, the ship is taller than the length of a football field and wider than two football fields put together. And not only can a ship that size float on water, but it may be navigating the world's oceans as early as 2005.

Freedom Ship will dwarf any ocean-going vessel operating today -- it will be more than four times longer than any current cruise ship.

This is ship Freedom, dream yacht futuristik which might possibly will become reality. Possibly You have ever seen conspecific illustration in medias iptek or scientific publications outside there. With all technological advanceses in century 21 likely nothing that not possibly to realized.

Freedom Ship will be built on top of 520 airtight steel cells that will be bolted together to form a sturdy base. Each cell will be 80 feet (24 meters) tall, between 50 and 100 feet (15 and 30 m) wide and between 50 and 120 feet (15 and 37 m) long. These cells will be assembled to form larger units that are about 300 x 400 feet (91 x 122 m). These larger units will then be taken out to sea, where they will be put together to form the ship's nearly mile-long base. The rest of the ship will be constructed on top of this base. Norman Nixon, who developed the idea of a floating city, has said that it will take about three years to finish the ship once construction begins.

It will take a tremendous amount of engine power to push the gigantic ship through the water. The vessel will be equipped with 100 diesel engines that can generate 3,700 horsepower each. Developers project the cost of each engine to be about $1 million. That may give you an idea of how expensive the project is, although the total cost of Freedom Ship has not been released. The ship's high construction cost will be passed on to residents, who will pay up to $11 million to purchase living space on the floating city. In the next section, you'll find out what these residents will get for such a price.

Source : howstuffworks.com