GALLERY OF WORLD

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vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:27:00 -0800

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vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:56:00 -0800

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Water CIty Dubai

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:44:00 -0800

Architectural Concept: Lilypad Floating City
Water City By now, most of us have heard about the Island Cities being built in Dubai , but Inhabitant has just done a feature on a new concept by artist Vincent Callebaut for a self-sufficient floating city that will never have to face a problem about finding land to build on.

Award-winning architect Vincent Callebaut has designed a self-sustainable Lilypad City as a long-term solution to the problem of rising sea levels caused by climate change. A Lilypad City would provide a home for 50,000 people and would float atop water. The artificial island includes a lake, mountains, shopping malls and drifts on the ocean currents.

The Lilypad would take advantage of all of today�s green technologies, including generating power from the sun, wind and water, and would produce zero emissions from its residents.. Don�t expect to see construction on one of these anytime soon, but don�t be surprised if, like the Island Cities in Dubai , real estate starts branching out into the oceans in the next decade.

Interesting Strange Inventions

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:22:00 -0800

World's Fastest Land, Water and Ice Vehicles Ever Built

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:56:00 -0800

World's Fastest Land, Water and Ice Vehicles Ever Built

Under the water

1. USS Albacore (AGSS-569): Fastest Underwater Vehicle in the World

At a speed of 25 knots on the surface and 33 knots when submerge, USS Albacore (AGSS-569) is the fastest

underwater vehicle in the world. This vessel was a unique research submarine that pioneered the American

version of the teardrop hull form of modern submarines. Her keel was laid down in 1952 and was launched in

1953.

On land and water

2. Aquada: Fastest Amphibious Car in the World

The Aquada is the fastest amphibian vehicle ever built, equipped with HSA (High Speed Amphibian) technology

from the British company Gibbs Technologies. On land, it is capable of a maximum speed of 160 km/h or 100 mph

and 50 km/h or 30 mph (26 knots) on water. The vehicle is equipped with a mid-mounted V6 petrol engine, which

drives the rear wheels. It is a high speed amphibious vehicle. This unique machine is developed in the UK and

Detroit and is expected to go on sale in the U.S. this year at a price of $85,000.

On land, ice and water

3. Bob Windt's Hovercraft: Fastest Hovercraft in the World

The World's Hovercraft Speed Record on September 18, 1995 was set by Bob Windt of the US at a speed of

137.4 km/h or 85.87 mph. Windt a former aeronautical engineer at McDonnell Douglas, is the founder of Universal

Hovercraft and is considered to be "the godfather of personal hovercraft by the Learning Channels Junkyard Wars.

He designed the world's fastest hovercraft that holds the Guinness Hovercraft World Speed Record that was

established in Portugal in 1995.

On Ice

4. Bentley Continental GT: Fastest Car on Ice

This car, the Bentley Continental GT is the current world's fastest car on ice breaking the previous record of

296 km/h (184 mph) achieved with a Bugatti EB110 Supersport. This amazing car is equipped with a 6.0L, twin-

turbocharged W12 engine, producing 552 hp (412 kW) and with a top speed of 198 mph (319 km/h). In 2007, a

Bentley Continental GT Speed driven by four-time World Rally Champion Juha Kankkunen broke the world speed

record on ice on the frozen Baltic Sea near Oulu, Finland. It averaged 321.6km/h (199.86 mph) in both directions

on the "flying kilometer", reaching a maximum speed of 331 km/h (207 mph).

On water surface

5. Spirit of Australia: Fastest Water Vessel in the World

The Spirit of Australia is the world's fastest water vehicle. Ken Warby, an Australian motorboat racer currently holds

the Water speed record of 317.60 mph or 511.13 km/h. This was set in Blowering Dam in New South Wales, Australia

on 8 October 1978.

On the Ground

6. Hayabusa: Fastest Motorcycle in the World

Hayabusa by Suzuki is the fastest motorcycle in the world. Its 1300cc engine puts out 175 horsepower and has a

top-speed limit of 189 mph. Hayabusa means Peregrine Falcon and is also known as the GSX1300R in some

countries. It is a hyper sport motorcycle introduced by Suzuki in 1999. It has a 1340 cc (81.7 cu in) inline-4 engine

and was consistently tested as the fastest production motorcycle in the world. The 2008 model has a MSRP of

US$ 11,999.

7. Kenworth T400 Bandag Bullet: Fastest Truck in the World

Bandag Bullet is the world's fastest truck by achieving a record breaking exhibition run at the Queensland International

Air Show. The Bandag Bullet smashed the world record for a one kilometer run. The eight ton Kenworth T400-based

Bandag Bullet ran a standing start kilometer in 18.6 seconds with a terminal speed of over 300km/h. It ran that fast because

it have two twin-turbo, nitrous oxide injected V8 diesel engines with a total capacity of 24 liters (1500 cubic inches), which

produce 1100bhp and 5600 ft/lb of torque each.

8. SSC Ultimate Aero: Fastest Car in the World

SSC Ultimate Aero with the fastest recorded speed of 413 km/h or 257 mph is currently the world's fastest production

car. It is a Twin-Turbo V8 Engine with 1183 hp and with a base price is $650,000. Verified in 2007 by Guinness World

Records, the SSC Ultimate Aero takes the lead as the fastest car in the world beating Bugatti Veyron.

9. TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse): Fastest Conventional Train in the World

The French TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse) is the fastest conventional train in the world, using powered metal wheels

riding on metal rails. In April 2007, the TGV broke its own 1990 record with a new speed of 574.8 km/h 357.18 mph.

The name means "high-speed train" in French. It also holds the world's highest average speed for a regular passenger

service.

10. JR-Maglev: Fastest Non-conventional Tran in the World

The Japanese JR-Maglev is the fastest non-conventional train in the world, having achieved 581 km/h (361 mph) on a

magnetic -levitation track. The record was achieved on December 2, 203 with a three-car train set. This record is the

world's speed record for railed vehicles in a manned vehicle run.

11. Thrust SSC: Fastest Land Vehicle in the World

The Thrust SSC (Supersonic Car) is a British-designed and built jet-propelled car. This amazingly swift vehicle holds

the World land Speed Record, set on October 15, 1997. It achieved a speed of 1,228 km/h or 763 mph and became the

first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier. The car was driven by Andy Green in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada,

USA. It was powered by two afterburning Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines, as used in British F-4 Phantom II jet fighters.

It is 16.5 m (54 ft) long, 3.7 m (12 ft) wide and weighs 10.5 tons (10.7 t). The twin engines developed a thrust of 223 kN

(50,000 lbf) and burned around 4 Imperial gallons per second (18.2 l/s or 4.8 US gallons/s). Transformed into the usual

terms for car mileages based on its maximum speed, the fuel consumption was about 5,500 l/100 km or 0.04 mpg U.S.

Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!

World's Fastest Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Other Stuff)

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:54:00 -0800

World's Fastest Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Other Stuff)

It may surprise you that beneath our gentle, gadget-loving exterior, there lies a closeted obsession with speed. Sure, we tend to talk about Twitter and have been known to spend hours debating the best instant-messaging client -- or the best sci-fi villain (it's so obviously IG-88) -- but we turn our heads just like the next person when a Ferrari F430 rolls by.

In honor of our innate love of all things fast, we've gathered up a list of the fastest things on (or nearly on) Earth. You'll find no cheetahs or peregrine falcons here, just the most crazy-quick contraptions humans have ever strapped themselves into. With that, let's punch it....

Fastest Plane: X-15
The title of fastest piloted plane belongs to the incredible X-15. This rocket-powered test plane was designed and built in the early 1960s to see how human pilots could handle flying themselves into space. Carried by a modified B-52, the X-15 would detach at 45,000 feet and immediately ignite its Reaction Motors XLR-99 rocket engine, blasting up to the edge of the stratosphere thanks to 57,000 pounds of thrust. Incidentally, several test pilots received astronaut wings from NASA for their X-15 flights into what's technically outer space.. On October 3, 1967, test pilot Pete Knight took the craft to a mind-bending 4,519 mph, which still stands as the absolute speed record for an airplane. At that speed, you could fly from New York to Los Angeles in approximately 25 minutes.

Fastest Car: SSC Ultimate Aero
Unlike most of the things on this list, the fastest car in the world can not only be driven, it can also be owned (provided, of course, that you have $600,000). Although the Bugatti Veyron is often cited as the fastest thing on four wheels, only the SSC Ultimate Aero actually holds the official title of world's fastest production car. Built by Shelby SuperCars (which is not affiliated with famed car designer Carroll Shelby), this 1,183-horsepower, American-made monster is capable of 256 mph. But, this thing doesn't just rule on straightaways -- the Ultimate Aero also holds the world slalom record (averaging 73.1 mph), which it snatched away from the Italy's greatest supercar, the Ferrari Enzo.

Fastest Boat: "Spirit of Australia"
Proving, like the X-15, that old-fashioned knowhow is often better than new technology, the fastest boat in history was built in the 1970s by a man named Ken Warby in his shed. "The Spirit of Australia" set the world water speed record of 317.6 mph all the way back in 1978, and the record still stands today. Apparently, chasing this record is one of the most dangerous endeavors in the world, since around 85-percent of those who give it a go die in their attempts. For the complete, grisly record, check out this great article from Wired.

Fastest Bicycle: Fred Rompelberg Custom Bike
On October 3rd, 1995, Fred Rompelberg rode his double-geared, custom-designed bike behind a motor dragster and used its slipstream to draft his way to 167 mph, the fastest speed ever on a bicycle. At that speed, he could easily outrun most police helicopters. Not that he'd be able to lose them -- the Bonneville Salt Flats, where Rompelberg set his record, stretch for over 150 square miles.

Fastest Elevator: Taipei 101 Tower
Pack your bags and hit Asia if you want fast elevators -- six of the ten fastest in the world are located there. To ride the fastest of them all, get yourself to Taiwan and the Taipei 101 Tower. Two of the tower's elevators, built by Toshiba and GFC Elevator, will rocket you to the 89th floor observation deck at a gut-wrenching 37 mph. For comparison, the Empire State Building's elevator (the 9th fastest in the world) clocks in at a plodding 16 mph.

Fastest Sailboat: l'Hydroptère
Sure, sailing seems placid, but if you've ever ripped it downwind amidst six-foot ocean swells, you know that 15 mph under sail can feel like 50. That's why the l'Hydroptère's speed of 69 mph is so completely insane. This hydrofoil-equipped trimaran holds the unofficial world record for a sailboat, and apparently is capable of going even faster -- in December of 2008, it topped 70 mph before capsizing in an epic crash that sent its cheering crew sprawling into the Mediterranean. Who ever said sailing wasn't exciting?

Fastest Train: JR Maglev
The distinction of being the fastest train in the world belongs to Japan's JR-Maglev. It set a world speed record for a manned, railed vehicle when it hit 361 mph on December 2nd, 2003. The train uses magnetic levitation to float above its track, which eliminates rail friction and allows it to achieve such swift speeds. Altogether more amazing is the French TGV -- this conventional train rode its metal wheels and track to a baguette-crisping 357 mph. That's only four miles per hour slower (357 mph) than the fancy-pants Maglev train.

fast train in world

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:44:00 -0800

The Fastest Train in the World

The fastest commercial train in the world is now fully armed and operational, covering the line between New York and San Francisco. OK, I lied. Actually, that's what I wanted to write. Sadly for us, it's in China.

Developed with Siemens, Bombardier and Alstom, the new train swooshes across the red land at 245mph (394km/h). The service covers 663 miles (1,068 kilometers) at an average of 217mph (350km/h), which means it's the fastest train in operation in the world according to China's railways ministry. It's part of the network of 42 high-speed lines that will be finished by 2012. If you have never tried these amazing trains in Europe or Japan, imagine going from New York to Chicago in just a bit over three hours, no absurd controls, no waits, no taxis needed.

The new Chinese high-speed lines will increase their total network from 53,437 miles to 74,564 miles. That's still smaller than the US railway system which, but ours only has one single "high-speed" line, bridging the 456 miles that separate Boston from Washington at a whooping 70mph average, totaling seven hours. Don't take that line, folks. It will liquify your brain. [Time of India]

fast ship in world

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:36:00 -0800

Mighty Ships

Alright, I am another one of those who like ships. With so many different kinds of ships to be seen I had a field day during our cruise through Helsinki harbour. The one below, for example, is a ship that is not easily detected even inside a harbour basin because it is so well camouflaged. I had to look twice before I eventually spotted it.

Fast Attack Craft

The Gray Monk has told me that this kind of ship is called a Fast Attack Craft. Her raked superstructure deflects radar so that she will have a smaller signature on radar than a normal craft of her size. The idea is to make her appear less threatening and allow her to get in real close to launch missiles or torpedoes. As often before I wonder at how much creativity goes into the design of destructive weapons.

Opposite her in the harbour was moored the German Frigate BREMEN. Her main task is to fight U-boats but she is equally well equipped to fight aircrafts and other ships as well. She doesn't look it but she is 130 m long and her top speed is 30 knots. She carries along a crew of 219 men. I cannot imagine where they all fit in, must be a bit of a squeeze. Pity, we couldn't get on board and have a closer look around.

Frigate BREMEN with the coat of arms of the City of Bremen (a big key) visible on her bow

Another breathtaking sight on our cruise was the group of icebreakers basking in the sunshine at their summer mooring place enjoying the warmth no doubt. They must be pretty busy in winter keeping the passage from Helsinki to Tallin in Estland free of ice. These icebreakers are designed to break up an ice layer of up to five meters! Amazing, isn't it? I'd like to sail on an icebreaker myself one of these days, just once, in winter of course ...

The mighty URHO and her five sisters

The next turn to starboard brought us back into the harbour basin and our cruise to an end. What a way to start the day ...sigh...

Orphaned Ship Looks for Sugar Daddy

What happens when the military builds an innovative new ship that is built within budget and on schedule? Nothing, and that’s the problem. The Pentagon’s now-shuttered Office of Force Transformation paid M Ship in San Diego to build the Batman-esque craft, called Stiletto, as an experiment in all-carbon shipbuilding. The stealthy, fast ship seemed a natural for special operations, and possibly as an alternative to the very troubled Littoral Combat Ship, the Navy’s new shallow-water ship.

Everyone seems to like the 89-ft., 60-ton Stiletto. But thanks to the Pentagon’s archaic weapons-buying system, no one has the money to pay for it. So M Ship is following a time-honored tradition of looking for friends in Congress, as Roxana Tiron of The Hill reports:

Several months ago, M Ship Co. hired Duane Morris Government Affairs to raise its profile on Capitol Hill. The goal for this year is to secure $1.5 million in research and development funds in the defense authorization and appropriations bills to study the use of the M-hull design for a littoral combat-type scenario. That money would go towards designing a ship in less than a year. Ultimately, the company’s goal is to have a steady funding line starting in fiscal 2009, company executive director and co-founder Bill Burns said.

The current Stiletto platform could be doubled or tripled and can be used as an actual Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) or for a variety of ships complementing the Navy’s prized LCS.

Given the troubled state of the Pentagon’s other ship programs, Congress may well be agreeable to support a company that claims to have innovative (and affordable) technology.

First Littoral Combat Ship to be Commisioned – Freedom (LCS-1)

This coming Saturday the U.S. Navy will be commissioning its first Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom (LCS-1), in a ceremony at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Freedom is the first of ‘a new family of ships for the US Navy’. The U.S. Department of Defense tells us in a

A fast, agile, and high-technology surface combatant, Freedom will be a platform for launch and recovery of manned and unmanned vehicles. Its modular design will support interchangeable mission packages, allowing the ship to be reconfigured for antisubmarine warfare, mine warfare, or surface warfare missions on an as-needed basis. The LCS will be able to swap out mission packages pierside in a matter of days, adapting as the tactical situation demands. These ships will also feature advanced networking capability to share tactical information with other Navy aircraft, ships, submarines and joint units.

Freedom is an innovative combatant designed to operate quickly in shallow water environments to counter challenging threats in coastal regions, specifically mines, submarines and fast surface craft. The LCS is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and can operate in water less than 20 feet deep.

Ships Of The Future – LCS, Littoral Combat Ship

Popular Science brings us Future Navy Ships – Littoral Combat Ship. They write:

This is a small, fast ship (capable of 45 knots) for sub-hunting, mine-clearing, and fighting small boats near coastlines—the littoral region. Each LCS would be equipped with one of three distinct mission modules: a set of plug-and-play ship sensors, missiles, small boats, unmanned underwater vehicles and specially equipped helicopters, for mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare or surface combat. The base configuration would include antimissile batteries and a medium-caliber gun. The ships could clear mines and chase subs away from an area before the rest of the fleet arrived.

Super-Fast Ship Set for Drug War Duty

in the war on drugs: The Stiletto ship, an experimental design that’s garnered lots of praise but little in the way of traditional Pentagon backing during its development.

InsideDefense.com yesterday broke the news, though, that the ship is getting readied for its real-world debut.

The ship will leave its port at Norfolk, VA, at the end of May and arrive at the northern Colombian port city of Cartagena in early June, making four or five stops on its way south, according to Cdr. James Hruska, the
Stiletto project officer in the Pentagon’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office. . . .

Due to its shallow draft of merely 2.5 feet, the ship can maneuver very close to coastlines. And with a top speed of over 50 knots,
Stiletto could easily “outrun” the boats used by drug smugglers, Hruska said.

Stiletto will be unarmed, though; so, what is it good for?

The ship can launch a Rigid-hull Inflatable Boat, enabling the boarding of vessels at sea, Hruska said.

Stiletto officials want to use an experimental unmanned aerial vehicle called “Silver Fox” onboard the Stiletto during the planned operations in South America, Hruska told InsideDefense.com.
But the manufacturer, Advanced Ceramics Research of Tucson, AZ, had not yet agreed to loan the Pentagon a drone for the mission, he added.

One thing it cannot do, however, is find the crude submarines that are becoming increasingly popular among drug runners; Stiletto does not have a sonar system.

world fast airplane

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:28:00 -0800

Airplane Flight
-- How High? How Fast?

An airplane stays aloft because of the flow of air above and below its wing. That flow creates an upward "lift" force opposing gravity, which keeps the airplane from falling.

Streamlining and Drag

The cross-section ("profile") of an airplane wing must meet two demands. First, its rear must taper down to a thin edge, like a wedge. That is where two air flows join together, from above and below the wing, and such "streamlining" assures that they meet smoothly, without swirling flows which increase air resistance. In contrast, an open parachute, whose rear is a half-sphere, creates a great deal of swirling behind it and has a large resistance; trucks which end abruptly in a high cargo door similarly encounter relatively high air resistance.

[Contrary to intuition, the shape of the front is less critical. Perhaps our intuition owes too much to the bows of ships, which need a sharp edge to slice through surface waves. Deep-sea nuclear submarines have blunt spherical fronts, just as airships.do.]

Streamlining reduces air resistance ("drag" in aviation). Experiments have shown that the drag force D (bold face is not used here to distinguish vectors) increases with velocity v--in fact, it increases like v². It is also proportional to the air density d; all other factors we lump here into a coefficient A which is proportional to the wing area and depends on the shape of its cross section (that is where streamlining comes in) and and on the "angle of attack" with which is faces the air flow (angle=zero when the wing is lined up with the air flow).

D = A d v²

The proportionality of the drag of a streamlined wing to v² was found from observations, but it can also be supported by the rough ("hand-waving") argument below. Follow it slowly!.

A wing of an airplace facing an airstream loses energy mostly by shoving aside air whose space it proceeds to occupy. If the pattern of flow lines around the wing at low and high speeds is the same (reasonably true), when v doubles, the velocity of air shoved aside is also doubled, and from this process alone, the (kinetic) energy imparted to it, proportional to mv², should increase 4 times.

How about m? With the doubled velocity, the wing advances twice the distance as before each second, so the mass of air m shoved out of the way also doubles. The overall rate at which energy is imparted by the wing to the surrounding air, therefore, increases 8 times.

That rate should match the mechanical work done each second by the force D (i.e. the power required): it, too, should increase 8-fold. Since the distance covered per second is v, the work done each second is Dv. If v is doubled and Dv increases 8-fold, then D must grow 4 times --a growth proportional to v².

Lift

The second requirement is that the wing produces lift, an upward force holding the airplane aloft. To produce lift, the wing must be non-symmetrical--flat on the bottom but rising in a curve on top. That shape speeds up the air flow over the top, which reduces the air pressure there, and when the pressure on the bottom of the wing is larger than the one on the top, the net result is an upward force. [A wing symmetric on top and bottom, but meeting the air stream with a moderate angle of attack, also satisfies this non-symmetry condition.]

Researchers since the Wright brothers have used wind tunnels to test models of different wing profiles, and have this way identified cross sections suited for various types of flying. They also found by observations that the lift force produced by a wing was roughly proportional to the density d of the air and to the square of the velocity v of the airflow over it:

L = B d v²
Here L is the lift in (say) Newtons, d the air density (about 1.3 kg/meter³ at sea level) and v may be in meter/sec, mph or km per hour--whatever one prefers. The factor B depends on the profile of the wing, the wing's length and its width: a larger wing obviously gives a larger lift. Obviously, the lift is proportional to drag:airplanes usually fly at the "angle of attack" (defined earlier) which gives the most economical operation, when the lift/drag ratio is at its largest. That "best" value depends on a wing's design and can range from 10 (even less in warplanes) to 50 (in high-performance gliders).

One can increase the lift by increasing the angle of attack (as one does with a kite), but at the price of a much greater drag. Furthermore, if the angle is too steep, the orderly flow above the wind is disrupted and the wing "stalls, " suddenly losing much of its lift. Many airplane crashes have been traced to sudden stalls.

How high, how fast?

Suppose you design an airliner weighing W kilograms (about 10W Newtons). In level flight, of course, lift must balance the airplane's weight

L = W so B d v² = W
The value of W is set by B--in other words, the wing must be long enough, wide enough and efficient enough to keep the weight W of the loaded airliner in the air.

How high and how fast should the airliner fly? Passengers want to reach their destination quickly, so designers aim at a high "cruising speed." However, passengers also value safe landings, and hence the landing speed should be slow.

Speed is the main reason why airliners fly at an altitude above 30,000 feet or close to 10 kilometers. Air density decreases to about 1/2 with each added 5 km of altitude, so at 10 km, d is about 1/4 its sea-level value and an airplane can double its speed to generate the same lift, with the same drag D (which, as shown, also grows like dv²). The main reason airliners have pressurized cabins is to allow them to fly higher, in order to fly faster.

How fast? The practical limit seems to be around 600 mph (960 km/hour). Any closer to the speed of sound (1200 km/h = 746 mph, varies with temperature) and the air flow above the wing creates shock fronts which increase drag and reduce lift. Even to get that far, swept-back wings are needed.

Landing Safely

A speed of 600 mph at an altitude of 10 km seems to imply a sea-level landing speed of 300 mph (d is 4 times larger, so v can drop to 1/2). That is still too fast--even the space shuttle is said to land at 270 mph. One could fly at 70,000 feet (about 20 km) the way the U-2 reconnaissance plane does, and land (even without changing the angle of attack) at 150 mph. However, to create the necessary lift in the thin air at that height, B must be much bigger--that is, the wing must be much larger--or else the weight W must be reduced (or both). That was done for the U-2, a light-weight airplane with a very long and efficient wing, but such a design would not work on the scale of an airliner.

The practical solution is to increase the angle of attack during landings, and to temporarily increase the size of the wing. If you ever sat near the window of a landing airliner, you may have noted extra wing surfaces sliding out during the final approach, to provide more lift--and if you watched such an airliner from the ground, you would see that these surfaces extend downwards from the wing, at a steeper angle. All that of course makes drag much larger, but a landing airplane must anyway get rid of its extra speed.

All these allow the airliner to land at about 150 mph. Landing is actually a precision maneuver, in which the airliner (ideally) runs out of airspeed just before its wheels touch the ground. Glide slope radars and other navigation aids make it possible, thousands of times each day.

Non-stop around the world--How high? How fast?

One of the more memorable feats in aviation was the non-stop non-refuel flight of the Voyager airplane around the world, in December 1986. Designed by Burt Rutan and piloted by his brother Dick and by Jeana Yaeger, the plane now hangs above the lobby of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

Initially the hope was to have a pressurized cabin and to fly at 25,000 ft., but weight limitations precluded that, so that a slower, lower flight was undertaken, lasting 9 days. The take-off weight of "Voyager" was 9700 pounds, and to lift such a heavy airplane, it used two engines--one pushing and one pulling--to reach the required airspeed of 138 mph.

Halfway through the flight, as fuel was used up, less lift was needed. Therefore one engine was shut off, airspeed was allowed to drop to 79 mph, and to avoid reducing it even more, the flight altitude was raised to 11-12,000 feet. As a result the second half of the flight was much slower than the first, and much harder on the sleep-deprived pilots. They had, however, no other choice--flying faster would have required a less efficient wing angle, and would have wasted too much fuel.

Note: The story of the non-stop flight around the world is told in "Voyager" by Jeana Yaeger,
Dick Rutan and Phil Patton, viii + 337 pp, Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1987.

The Apollo 10 craft reached Mach 37.6 upon re-entry;
the Helios satellite obriting the sun travels at Mach 227.3.
Keep in mind these are spacecraft and not aircraft.

#	Plane	Top Speed	Max. Altitude
1.	X-43 (Unmanned)	Mach 9.8	110,000 feet
2.	X-15	Mach 6.72	354,200 feet
2.	The X-15 is the fastest manned aircraft in the world.
3.	SR-71 Blackbird (YF-12)	Mach 3.2+	85,000+ feet
3.	The SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest airplane in the world.
4.	MiG-25R Foxbat-B	Mach 3.2	123,524 feet
4.	X-2	Mach 3.2	126,200 feet
5.	XB-70 Valkyrie	Mach 3.1	77,350 feet
6.	MiG-31 Foxhound	Mach 2.83	67,600 feet
7.	MiG-25 Foxbat (Ye-155)	Mach 2.8	118,900 feet
8.	F-15 Eagle	Mach 2.5	60,000 feet
8.	F-111 Aardvark	Mach 2.5	60,000+ feet
9.	X-1	Mach 2.435	90,440 feet
10.	Su-24 Fencer	Mach 2.4	57,400 feet
11.	Tu-144 Charger	Mach 2.35	59,055 feet
11.	MiG-23 Flogger	Mach 2.35	60,700 feet
11.	Su-27 Flanker	Mach 2.35	59,055 feet
12.	F-14A Tomcat	Mach 2.34	58,000+ feet
13.	F-106 Delta Dart	Mach 2.31	57,000 feet
14.	IAI Kfir	Mach 2.3	75,000 feet
14.	English Electric Lightning	Mach 2.3	60,000 feet
14.	MiG-29 Fulcrum	Mach 2.3	59,060 feet
14.	F-107 Ultra Sabre	Mach 2.3	48,000 feet
15.	Tornado ADV	Mach 2.2	69,997 feet
15.	F-4 Phantom	Mach 2.2	62,250 feet
15.	Mirage 2000	Mach 2.2	59,055 feet
15.	F-104 Starfighter	Mach 2.2	58,000 feet (120,800 feet NF-104A)
15.	B-58 Hustler	Mach 2.2	64,800 feet
16.	F-105 Thunderchief	Mach 2.1	52,000 feet
16.	A-5 Vigilante	Mach 2.1	52,100 feet
17.	Su-22	Mach 2.09	59,055 feet
18.	Tu-160 Blackjack	Mach 2.05	49,200 feet
18.	MiG-21 Fishbed	Mach 2.05	50,000 feet
18.	Concorde	Mach 2.05	60,000 feet
19.	D558-2 Skyrocket	Mach 2.005	83,235 feet
20.	YF-23 Black Widow II	Mach 2 (AB)	65,000 feet
20.	F-20 Tigershark	Mach 2+	55,000 feet
20.	YF-17 Cobra	Mach 2+	50,000 feet
21.	Saab JAS 39 Gripen	Mach 2	50,000 feet
21.	F-16 Fighting Falcon	Mach 2	50,000+ feet
21.	Saab 37 Viggen	Mach 2	60,039 feet
21.	Saab 35 Draken	Mach 2	65,600 feet
22.	Tu-22M Backfire	Mach 1.88	43,635 feet
22.	F-14B/D Tomcat	Mach 1.88	53,000+ feet
23.	Su-34	Mach 1.8	45,890 feet
23.	F/A-18E/F Super Hornet	Mach 1.8	50,000+ feet
23.	F-22 Raptor	Mach 1.8 (AB)	50,000 feet
24.	XF-104 Starfighter	Mach 1.79	58,000 feet
25.	F-8 Crusader	Mach 1.72	58,000 feet
26.	F-101B Voodoo	Mach 1.66	52,100 feet
27.	X-29 FSW	Mach 1.6	50,000 feet
28.	Tu-22 Blinder	Mach 1.52	48,228 feet
28.	XF8U-1 Crusader	Mach 1.52	58,000 feet
29.	SEPECAT Jaguar	Mach 1.5	45,930 feet
30.	F-5 Freedom Fighter	Mach 1.4	50,700 feet
31.	F-100 Super Sabre	Mach 1.3	51,000 feet
32.	X-31 EFMI	Mach 1.28	40,000 feet
33.	B-1b Lancer	Mach 1.25	50,000+ feet
34.	F-102 Delta Dagger	Mach 1.23	55,000 feet
35.	T-38 Talon	Mach 1.22	55,000+ feet
36.	XF-90	Mach 1.1	39,000 feet
37.	MiG-17 Fresco	Mach 1.05	52,366 feet
38.	F-86 Sabre	Mach 1.04	50,800 feet
39.	F-117 Nighthawk	High Subsonic	45,000 feet
40.	AV-8B Harrier II	Mach 0.98	41,700+ feet
41.	F-94 Starfire	Mach 0.97	51,800 feet
42.	A-6 Intruder	Mach 0.94	42,400 feet
43.	Saab 32 Lansen	Mach 0.93	52,500 feet
44.	F-80 Shooting Star	Mach 0.88	46,800 feet
45.	BAe Nimrod 2000	Mach 0.87	42,000 feet
46.	B-52 Stratofortress	Mach 0.86	55,000 feet
47.	U-2 Dragon Lady	Mach 0.8	90,000 feet
48.	C-5 Galaxy	Mach 0.79	35,750 feet
49.	C-141 Starlifter	Mach 0.77	41,600 feet
49.	C-17 Globemaster III	Mach 0.77	45,000 feet
50.	Westland Lynx	Mach 0.3	10,600+ feet
50.	The Lynx is the fastest helicopter in the world.

US Politics blogs

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 08:11:00 -0800

Survey: 40% of Americans Curtailing Holiday Spending Due to Health Care Costs

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on December 04

It's not just the Senate that is debating health care. An opinion survey out this week finds that two out of five Americans plan to spend less this holiday season because of rising health care costs, and three out of ten say health care costs have led to arguments and tension within the family.

The survey, by Misericordia University in Dallas, PA and Braun Research, was undertaken, says the school, to determine how health care issues impact individual budgets and relationships. The researchers contacted more than more than 1,000 Americans by telephone between Nov. 6 and Nov. 16.

Meanwhile, a new Thompson Reuters survey found that 60% of the public supports a publicly financed health insurer (i.e., the "public option"), and 35% strongly believe the quality of health care in the U.S. 12 months from now will be worse than it is today. Only 11.9% strongly believe it will be better.

The Misericordia survey found that, in addition to decreased holiday spending and increased tensions, Americans report that their top concerns with health care reform include the cost to future generations and impact on the federal deficit, the cost of out-of-pocket expenses and the accessibility of insurance coverage. Parents and those who classify themselves as "conservative” are more likely to be sensitive to the possible negative impacts of health care reform while parents in general remain more concerned than others with quality and access to care.

Additional findings:

· Nearly a quarter of Americans admit that they would consider withholding information from an insurance provider if it might limit their ability to access health care. Those who consider their views “very liberal” are more likely than others to withhold information or bend the truth about their family’s’ and their personal medical history.

· Nearly a quarter of Americans are taking fewer sick days at work (a finding that bolsters concerns that workers are not taking time off when they get the flu, for fear of losing their job).

· The recession has pressured Americans to change their behavior regarding health care, primarily by visiting the doctor less. A third of Americans are concerned about losing their health care insurance and one in ten Americans has been forced to drop their health care insurance.

· More than 90% of Americans are satisfied with their insurance coverage. However, 33% do not take advantage of preventive health testing/screenings even when it is available through their current coverage--an interesting finding, given the fierce debate over mammograms, and the amendment just passed in the Senate requiring insurers to pay for annual mammograms for all women over 40. Perhaps this issue isn't all that critical to the electorate?

· The majority of Americans feel either annoyed or frustrated by the current health care debate. Older Americans nearing retirement are following the debate most closely and tend to feel more anger, tension and helplessness.

New Health Care Poll Looks At Swing Districts

Posted by: Cathy Arnst on November 24

Opinion polls on health care reform keep piling up, and most of them show the public's deep ambivalence, if not rejection, of the House and Senate bills on the table. But a new survey of residents in key battleground congressional districts found that support for reform can go way up if people are asked their opinion of specific proposals that might either save money or improve care.

The poll, sponsored by a pro-reform coalition of business and labor unions called America's Agenda, sought out likely voters in Congressional districts where represenatives are could face tough opposition in the next election, as well as those represented by conservative Democrats, often called "Blue Dog" Democrats. It found that only 36% of these moderate-to-conservative voters favor current reform proposals (28% strongly), with 38% opposed (30% strongly) and 26% undecided.

But then the pollsters asked voters if they would support a reform bill that required that teams of doctors and nurses work together to coordinate all of patient's health care needs, particularly for those with chronic diseases. Under that scenario, 57% of voters in Blue Dog
districts and 70% of voters in swing Republican districts would be in favor of a health care reform.

It's a bit of a trick question, since neither the House and Senate bills include any meaningful incentives to encourage such coordinated care, often referred to as the patient centered medical home. Though the concept holds great favor among health care experts, the current fee-for-service payment structure, which rewards doctors for the quantity of services rendered, works against the medical home. There is also the lack of widespread implementation of electronic health records that are almost a necessity for coordinated care. Add in the fact that 83% of primary care practitioners are not tied into a network of care givers--in fact, half are in single-doctor practices--and coordinated care appears a long way off.

Still, the survey does show that people might show greater support for a reform bill that focused on improving care and making the system more cost-efficient, rather than just figuring out how to cover the uninsured. While such proposals as mandating that citizens buy insurance without providing a public financed option, or taxing high-coverage "Cadillac" plans, typically poll very low, reform proposals that improve care, even if it means dramatic changes in the existing delivery system, are usually quite popular. "People are saying I can support reform. They really do want the reform agenda to focus on care improvement and chronic care and team care," says George Halvorson, CEO of managed care provider Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser is one of the nation's largest practitioners of coordinated care, and a member of America's Agenda.

Congress doesn't seem to be listening, however, since the current bills do little to reduce costs and nothing to change the delivery system, other than fund a few pilot projects. A Rasmussen Reports poll released this week found that just 38% of American voters favor the Democratic health care plan against 56% who are opposed. A Robert Wood Johnson poll was more positive, but did point out that Americans are pretty conflicted over what health care reform would mean for them:

Asked how the health care overhaul would affect their own access to medical care, 57 percent said it would stay the same. Similarly, 61 percent said their personal financial situation would stay about the same. Among those who do expect a change, 28 percent said they thought their access to care would get worse, while 15 percent said they thought it would improve. On finances, 27 percent said they thought the health care bill would make them worse off financially, while 12 percent expected an improvement.

Meanwhile, here are the results of five other polls on health care reform released in the last week:

• Fox - Favor 35% Oppose 51%
• Quinnipiac - Favor 35% Oppose 51%
• CBS News - Favor 40% Oppose 45%
• CNN - Favor 46% Oppose 49%
• PPP - Favor 40% Oppose 52%
(Source: pollster.com. Polls taken November 13 to 18)

Congress might want to take another look at the medical home model if it wants to win support.

Congress Threatens Fed Oversight, Markets Watch Warily

Posted by: Theo Francis on November 23

On Capitol Hill, it's almost like open season on the Federal Reserve: Lawmakers are threatening to diminish its regulatory powers, lay bare its books, and let the government pick more of the top officials now named by boards dominated by bankers and corporate executives. Critics worry the proposals could drive down the dollar and undermine confidence in the U.S. as an economic bastion if they pass.

And yet, that's a big if, analysts say.

3D Media Walls: From the Oil Patch to the Research Lab

Posted by: Steve LeVine on November 16

For the last decade or so, energy companies have much-reduced the risk they face in the oil patch through the use of 3D technology. Rather than blindly drilling underground on the basis of little more than sonic data transferred into lines on long sheets of paper, the companies have been able to project 3D images of a subterranean reservoir onto a screen, snap on some fancy glasses, and figuratively walk through an oilfield, picking precisely where to drill.

Now the companies responsible for this technology are branching out. Companies like Norway's Cyviz, Belgium's Barco and Canada's Christie Digital are marketing 3-D "media walls" to militaries, to pharmaceutical companies, to aerospace companies, and more. Pharmaceutical researchers based in offices around the world can simultaneously, for instance, make a close examination of the molecular structure of a virus, and figure out strategies for attacking it. The companies are hot competitors in Washington, D.C., at the moment, vying for the business of government agencies.

I asked Washington-based Cyviz executive Jeff Eisenhard to talk about the technology.

How the Health Care Bill Could Hurt Renewable Power

Posted by: John Carey on November 16

Health care and solar power seem to be worlds apart. Yet the massive health care bill could cast a pall on renewable energy.

How? The link is an obscure tax provision in the House version of the health care bill, explains tax attorney Jerome Breed, a partner at Bryan Cave LLP. The provision actually has nothing to do with health care either—its purpose is to raise revenue.

The provision centers around the idea of “economic substance.” It puts into legislation the idea that a transaction (such as putting solar panels on a business) has to have some economic substance (i.e. an economic return) to be eligible for a tax credit. In the case of solar panels, the federal government offers a tax credit of 30% of the cost of systems business owners or investors install. But what if the return is mostly in the tax credit—so that the owener or investor really doesn't get any other economic benefit? “It’s not clear if, when you take away the effect of the credit, there has been a meaningful change in their economic position,” explains Breed. So if an economic substance requirement passed, the owner or investor would no longer be eligible for the tax credit.

Renwables power isn’t the only industry that could get hit by this provision. The economic substance doctrine would also make it harder to use the low income housing tax credit, the credit for rehabbing historical buildings, and others, says Breed.

Why is the provision in the bill at all? It’s a revenue raiser. The House expects to get about $5.4 billion, mostly from penalties levied from transactions that don’t meet the economic substance test. The provision is also supposed to discourage people from entering into transactions that don’t result in economic substance, thus preventing tax money for being used for dubious purposes.

Clearly, some sort of provision disallowing dubious transactions is needed. Otherwise, “there could be fraud,” says Breed. “Someone could claim tax credit for building 1000 solar panels in the desert that don’t exist, or could claim that the panels cost $1 million when they only cost $100,000. So it’s appropriate to protect against that type of transaction.”

The worry is, though, that a blanket prohibition against transactions without economic substance will also knock out many legitimate transactions. Tax lawyers have been meeting with the Joint Committee on Taxation to push for a compromise position, so far without success.

Averting a Digital Horror Story-merchant

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 08:08:00 -0800

Averting a Digital Horror Story

Amazon.com's growing might and the sizzling success of the Kindle has publishers terrified. Hachette, Harlequin, and others are fighting back

O'Reilly: "We see ourselves as canaries in the coal mine" Eric Millette

By Spencer E. Ante

Browse Issues

Browse the BusinessWeek Archive

Kiwitech's Batra is working with Hachette to develop an iPhone app Michael Rubenstein/Redux

Hachette's Young: "We are giving away the family jewels" Bill Wadman

On Christmas Day, for the first time in its history, Amazon.com (AMZN) sold more digital books than the old fashioned kind. It was a watershed moment for the book industry—but it's scaring the hell out of traditional publishers. Even though they make the same amount on sales of both kinds of books, they see Amazon's digital dominance as a looming threat to their business, and with good reason. Their big worry: Amazon will end up with the same kind of pricing power in books that Apple (AAPL) has in music, and that the book industry will suffer the same kind of bruising decline.

One goal for publishers is to dilute Amazon's power. Hachette is selling e-books through more than a dozen partners, including Sony (SNE), Apple, and small retailers such as Fictionwise. By partnering with multiple outlets, publishers hope to regain control over pricing and gather purchasing data that could fuel future sales. They're unhappy Amazon has dropped the price of some new digital best-sellers to as little as $7.99, compared with $35 for hardcovers. Hachette and Simon & Schuster plan to delay the release of certain digital books for several months to avoid undercutting the sale of best-sellers. "We are giving away the family jewels," says David Young, chairman and chief executive of Hachette Book Group, which publishes authors Malcolm Gladwell and Walter Mosley.

Publishers are typically paid about half the hardcover's retail price, whether a digital book or hardcover is sold. But Amazon has been pushing to pay them less, and many publishers think cheap digital books will open the door to lower industry revenues in the future. Amazon, for its part, says publishers' concerns are overblown. "We are selling a lot of books for publishers. We feel like that relationship continues to be a good one," says Ian Freed, Amazon's vice-president for the Kindle business.

Several publishers are trying to reinvent their businesses before Amazon, or someone else, does it for them. "We are thinking very hard about what opportunities there are to prevent our business from being destroyed," says Young.

Next year Hachette is coming out with a digital version of Sebastian Junger's War that will include video clips, a first for the company. (The book, scheduled for release in May, is based on the author's reporting in Afghanistan and the footage will feature firefights and interviews with soldiers.) HarperCollins is selling a collection of classics on the Nintendo (NTDOY) DS handheld gaming device. Meanwhile, O'Reilly Media, which produces software user manuals, is testing completely new pricing schemes. Instead of selling individual books, it's offering unlimited access to 10,000 titles, videos, and pre-publication manuscripts on the Web for $42.99 a month. "Our mission is not making books," says Tim O'Reilly, the company's CEO and founder. "It's changing the world through spreading the knowledge of innovators."

Young believes people are interested in paying for variations on the standard book, say a single chapter or a searchable database. In late September, two authors, a few editors, and a technologist gathered in Hachette's New York City office to work on an iPhone application based on the popular food book, What to Drink with What You Eat. The heavily illustrated volume will have to be adapted for a screen smaller than a playing card. Gurvinder Batra, chief technology officer of Kiwitech, a Washington (D.C.) startup Hachette hired to develop the app, handed out printed shots of the screen and navigation. "To get to the right info I should not do more than two or three clicks," said Batra.

Merchant Accounts

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 07:48:00 -0800

What is Merchant Account?

As a definition of Merchant account we can say that a merchant account is an account that allows any types of debit or credit card payments for shopping. Bank which is account provider permits customer’s debit or credit cards to move amounts to retailers account in just a little time. Remember that, this account is not the same as the savings account that you have in local bank. It is best account for your product selling business, basically, great for online shopping.

These days most of the customers choose to shop using their cards which is the easiest way of shopping. In this format, the customer provides their credit card number and details, which is a payment entry procedure and then merchant account owner get the payment.

Types of Merchant Accounts
There are various types of merchant account. Depending on your business and your business requirements, you can select the type of merchant accounts that match you the finest. There are mainly two types of merchant accounts. One is called Money-Order/ Telephone-Order (MOTO) merchant account and the other is called Over the Counter (OTC) merchant account. Others, based on the business necessities and reasons, there are various types of merchant accounts obtainable. We can define the kinds of Merchant Account in these ways:

Internet Account: Internet merchant account permits to accept payments for their products or services that are put up for sale over the internet. For processing your transactions you can get help from those who are the provider of your internet account.

High Risk Accounts: High risk merchant accounts are used for the credit card dealing out accounts that are measured to be high risk due to high transaction amount. You will get detail information about it in our site.

Offshore Accounts: A persons may take offshore accounts for many motives, such as high risk merchant accounts, international market shares, and lenient business legislation and high volume merchant accounts and so on.

You should take a proper look on numerous of merchant service providers, before you make a decision upon your account provider. Cause, there are countless providers existing in the market, and you would want to select the top for your trade.

Benefit of Merchant Account in Business

Merchant accounts are recognized by millions of trade all over the world and this type of accounts help business proprietors bring in somber cash. In addition, there are countless reimbursements resulting from having merchant accounts for your business. Let’s discover the advantages below.

Affordable Simple process: Applying for merchant accounts is an easy procedure. Actually, it is easier and faster if you submit an application for merchant accounts in online. And it takes a very few time to set up an account. Moreover, free merchant account is the simple solution to dealing out payments. Remember that a free merchant account sets more relaxed rules for businesses.

Open to all businesses: You can start any kind of business whatever it is travel, pharmacy, online gambling or adult amusement business, you can deal the business through merchant accounts.

Support all cards: You can allow any types of credit cards from your clients through this account. In actual fact, once you submit an application for one or more merchant accounts, you can initiate accepting Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express from your clients.

Increase your sales: With merchant accounts, you can spectacularly enhance your sales. Customers will benefit from the easiness in which they able to purchases. So, fastest purchase will bring more customers.

Easy tracking system: With your merchant accounts, you can keep enhanced track of your economic transactions. You are able to take delivery of a monthly statement of your merchant account’s transactions. And in online it is easier, just sign in to your account and take the details of transaction.

So it shows that merchant account comes in the business as a blessing. So, why are you waiting for? If you are a seller, then takes the countless benefits of merchant account to increase your business.

How to Open a Merchant Account?

Online merchant account is widely used account for selling business. But there is also staying offline merchant account. Those who do not use the internet can apply for merchant accounts for store payment dealing out.

So as to apply for a merchant accounts, business owners need to apply to a bank for merchant account with valid business license, explanation of the company, business site and other demonstrable information. Upon endorsement, the bank will issue a credit card or any other tools that will be used to handle payments.

Now come to the issue that, how online merchant account can start. Online merchant account is known as a Payment Gateway. It is a very easier way to open an online merchant account. On the web a lot of provider offers various types of merchant accounts, but you will have to cautiously evaluate charge and term and condition to get a good contract. Later than choosing the suitable merchant account online offer for your business, apply for your online application. After getting the application form try to print it and fill it before mailing which is a safe way. After mailing within a few days probably 8 to 10 days you should take delivery of an email or postage answer to prove or refuse your submission. If the request accepted, you can right away start to set up credit processing services for your customers.

If your website is running, then you can include credit processing opportunity to it, so that customers can browse your items anytime and shop their favorite products through credit card. Your e-commerce or shopping website credit processing link will let the purchaser enjoy the easiness of ordering and paying from anywhere whatever they are in home or work.

There is variety of merchant account. And people love to use non payable free merchant account. But remember that free merchant account can have monthly high charge. So you can go for those which have no monthly charge or low monthly charge. It is also true that, in zero charge able merchant account you will not get all types of features.

About High Risk Merchant Account

High risk merchant bill is that type of bill whose benefit provided to internet merchants that have been expected “high-risk” by Master Card or Visa Card. We know that risk businesses are those that have high quantity of sales or charge backs, with a guarantee of money back strategy or high dissatisfaction rate from customers.

It’a type of account that accepts credit card payments from customers which is a high risk business such as pharmaceuticals, online gaming, telemarketing and the likes. Here are also some other business categories that are measured as high risk:

Adult Products or Websites
Recreation Services
Lotteries
Coin Shops
Downloading of Software
Apartment Brokerage Business
Horoscope
Time Share Sales
Used Auto Sales
Weight Loss Centers
Auto Rental
Any types of Custom Products
Dating Sites
Replica sales
Detective Services
Credit Repair
Insurance Products
Sports Cards
ISP or web hosting services
Online gambling or casinos
Online auctions

The risks of high risk merchant accounts:

It is well proved that most sellers of such high risk merchant account provide low rating products.
This high risk account processor has very low reporting method which makes it difficult or impracticable to see when and how much you will obtain cash for which time.

Yes the high risk merchant account is a better way of earning fast, but, you must get to have a discussion to a real life experience person, who knows the requirements of this account and knows real solutions of fast earning from high risk merchant account.

Ecommerce Merchant Account

If you run an ecommerce business and you even don’t be familiar with what an ecommerce merchant account is then it is sure that you are facing so many hazards with your money transaction. If I said that internet merchant account comes based on the ecommerce merchant account, then it will not be a great mistake.

If you still have an Internet Website to promote your business, then this would be a great time to put your place in here by starting an Ecommerce site with internet merchant account. Increasingly, customers are looking to the Internet to discover companies that propose the products and terms they look for. Ecommerce business is now growing at a tremendously rapid rate and in addition of Internet merchant account it gets more extra popularity to the consumers. Now people can purchase anything from ecommerce site by their any kind of card within a minute, which have been possible for Internet merchant account.

You can obtain the rewards of having right to use to an ecommerce account swiftly and effortlessly because there are lots of special services out on the internet to decide from. Each has their exceptional character in features and related benefits to take benefit of.

Though internet merchant account is the best form for ecommerce business, but, to reap the best advantages of it, you must need to find a good provider which is reliable and secure. You have to attempt to keep away from any hidden or needless costs. Read the conditions and stipulations watchfully and then evaluate them to get which one suit you best. Evaluate even the inducements that are provided and pick only those which best fit the business’ needs. After you have researched the obtainable accounts you may choose the one that is superior for you and go on applying for it. But always remember that you need to get add yourself with international merchant account, which will give you worldwide business offer whatever your business is small or big.

Benefit of Merchant Account in Business

Open to all businesses: You can start any kind of business whatever it is travel, pharmacy, online gambling or adult amusement business, you can deal the business through merchant accounts.

Tips for Merchant Account Savings

There are some exceptional tips those are to help you lower your merchant account processing expenses, which we gather from various experienced merchant account holder’s experience. Even if one single tip from these applies to your condition, you may be capable to cut your processing cost considerably.

The merchant services industry is intensely competitive. Choose a few superior merchant companies and make them compete for your trade. You will be astonished that how much you can put away by doing this.
For the lowly reduction rates for dealings at a point of deal location, try to stay away from typing in the credit cards numbers manually, but rather swipe the credit card with your terminal. If you swipe the card and it is not read correctly, swipe it again, as a swiped credit card is normally given a lesser reduction rate per transaction and can put aside you money over numerous instances.
Be sure to keep in mind to progression any sales you obtain on the similar day they the transaction happens. For point of sale stores via credit card dealing out terminals you do not desire to stay to batch out your dealings for the day. Your processing fees rise for dealings older than 1 day normally and can amplify the percentage you give in fees per deal.
Getting a new merchant account may counterproductive if you’re annoying to lesser processing fees, but for trade that processing sufficient “card present” and “card not present transactions”, it may do just that.
Follow your credit card dealing out terminal instructions carefully when using it for expenditure. It will from time to time prompt you for extra information or have particular instructions for the dealing out of a number of corporate credit cards or debit cards. Given that the information requisite can save you per dealing fees.
Encourage your customer to use debit card, because debit card dealing out fees are a lot cheaper than accepting credit cards.

Let’s begin to implementing these strategies for charge savings and you can be in no doubt to start seeing a considerable raise in revenue and reduce in your coming credit card processing statements.

Some Words of Merchant Accounts

As a conclusion of review of any types of products or services, there came some advantages and some disadvantages of the products or services. But, I have not found any negative sites of merchant accounts. If you are able to find the right provider then you will also say as same as me.

At last, in a nutshell, I can only say again why you will take this countless beneficially services for your business.

A good way to start online business.
Flexible and Convenience.
No super add-ons.
Easy tracking system.
Safe transactions.
Can swap your account any time to other provider.
Saves you both time and money than any account.

So don’t stay for anything, start your business today. The merchant account brings an open door for both, small and new business owner. With a free merchant account you can add yourself with any kind of business. It has no hassle or extra charge to think about.

Today, it is the time of technology and using brains. If you are modern then you don’t need to depend on your fortune for the big capital of business, just start ecommerce or any kind of shopping website and add it with your merchant account then start your global business.

Cute Kids Around the World

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 06:21:00 -0800

4 Different Types Of Love

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Tue, 5 Jan 2010 04:15:00 -0800

We often mistake love as generally just being romantic and never really appreciating the other kinds of love that do exist.

SECURITY LOVE:
This love is the love that everybody needs to survive. It is that feeling of being cared for and nurtured. Some people would describe this as the type of love parents have for their children. This is so important: high on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; and studies have even proven that people have died of a "broken heart" (there have been no explanations for their deaths other than that).

FRIENDSHIP LOVE:
This is a love between yourself and someone that is totally honest, open and comfortable. You really only have this kind of bond with a few people. You might know a lot of people and be "friendly" with them in a group situation but they are not the best friends I am talking about here.
I have a theory that you can not truely be best friends with a member of the opposite sex. Down the line romance will always come up from either party and feelings will be misinterpreted and mistaken. When this happens, the friendship will change and possibly never be the same again.

ROMANTIC LOVE:
(The much anticipated love!) Most people experience this type of love many times in their life. It is when you see that person for the first time and he/she makes your knees go weak or gives you butterflies in your stomach.i.e. "Love at first sight”. Most people don’t even love the person they think they are in love with…they fall in love with the idea if being in love. This is more of a lustful kind of love, it wears off after a while and hopefully leads to...

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE:
This is the sincere love, the love that lasts forever. This kind of love comes when you have found the person you are destined to be with. Nothing can destroy unconditional love. It is like when you have an argument or disagree about something with that person and you realize that it doesn’t bother you because the love you have for him/her overcomes everything.

Quit Smoking Tips

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Tue, 5 Jan 2010 03:58:00 -0800

13 Tips to Quit Smoking

No. 1: Know Why You Want to Quit

So you want to quit smoking, but do you know why? “Because it’s bad for you” isn’t good enough. To get motivated, you need a powerful, personal reason to quit. Maybe you want to protect your family from secondhand smoke. Maybe the thought of lung cancer frightens you. Or maybe you’d like to look and feel younger. Choose a reason that is strong enough to outweigh the urge to light up.

No. 2: Don’t Go Cold Turkey

It may be tempting to toss your cigarettes and declare you’ve quit, plain and simple. But going cold turkey isn’t easy to do. Among those who try to stop smoking without therapy or medication, 95% end up relapsing. The reason is that smoking is an addiction. The brain depends on nicotine. In its absence, the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal occur.

No. 3: Try Nicotine-Replacement Therapy

When you stop smoking, nicotine withdrawal may make you frustrated, depressed, restless, or angry. The craving for “just one drag” may be overwhelming. Nicotine-replacement therapy can reduce these feelings. Studies suggest nicotine gum, lozenges, and patches can help double your chances of quitting successfully when used with an intensive behavioral program. But using these products while smoking is generally not recommended.

No. 4: Ask About Prescription Pills

To ease nicotine withdrawal without using products that contain nicotine, ask your doctor about prescription medications. There are pills that reduce cravings by altering the areas of the brain affected by nicotine. This change may also make smoking less satisfying if you do pick up a cigarette. Other drugs can help reduce troubling withdrawal symptoms, such as depression or inability to concentrate.

No. 5: Don’t Go It Alone

Tell your friends, family, and co-workers that you’re trying to quit. Their encouragement could make the difference. You may also want to join a support group or talk to a counselor. Behavioral therapy is a type of counseling that helps you identify and stick to quit-smoking strategies. Combine behavioral therapy with nicotine-replacement products or medication to boost your odds of success.

No. 6: Manage Stress

One reason people smoke is that the nicotine helps them relax. Once you quit, you’ll need another way to cope with stress. Try getting regular massages, listening to relaxing music, or learning yoga or tai chi. If possible, avoid stressful situations during the first few weeks after you stop smoking.

No. 7: Avoid Alcohol & Other Triggers

Certain activities may boost your urge to smoke. Alcohol is one of the most common triggers, so try to drink less when you first quit. If coffee is a trigger, switch to tea for a few weeks. And if you usually smoke after meals, find something else to do instead, like brushing your teeth or chewing gum.

No. 8: Clean House

Once you’ve smoked your last cigarette, toss all of your ashtrays and lighters. Wash any clothes that smell like smoke and clean your carpets, draperies, and upholstery. Use air fresheners to help rid your home of that familiar scent. You don’t want to see or smell anything that reminds you of smoking.

No. 9: Try and Try Again

It’s very common to have a relapse. Many smokers try several times before giving up cigarettes for good. Examine the emotions and circumstances that lead to your relapse. Use it as an opportunity to reaffirm your commitment to quitting. Once you’ve made the decision to try again, set a “quit date” within the next month.

No. 10: Get Moving

Physical activity can reduce nicotine cravings and ease some withdrawal symptoms. When you want to reach for a cigarette, put on your inline skates or jogging shoes instead. Even mild exercise is helpful, such as walking the dog or pulling weeds in the garden. The extra calories you burn will also ward off weight gain as you quit smoking.

No. 11: Eat Fruits & Veggies
Don’t try to diet while giving up cigarettes – too much deprivation is bound to backfire. Instead, focus on eating more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. A Duke University study suggests these foods make cigarettes taste terrible. This gives you a leg up in fighting your cravings while providing disease-fighting nutrients

No. 12: Choose Your Reward

In addition to the tremendous health benefits, one of the perks of giving up cigarettes is all the money you will save. Reward yourself by spending part of it on something fun.

No. 13: Do It for Your Health

There’s more than the monetary reward to consider. Smoking cessation has immediate health benefits. It lowers your blood pressure and reduces your pulse after only 20 minutes. Within a day, oxygen and carbon monoxide levels in your blood return to normal, and risk of a heart attack decreases. Long-term benefits include a reduced risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other cancers.

Friendship Kids Quotes

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Mon, 4 Jan 2010 03:32:00 -0800

"True friends are never forgotten, they live within our hearts and souls.... forever , and always , dancing on our stage of memories."

"Best friends need not be physically present, each keep the other company in the hearts."

"You have your whole life, So become someone's friend, before they leave you forever"

"It's better to love someone you can't have than to have someone you can't love."

"If my best friend is the person I can always depend on, then my only best friend would be my mother or God.

"Friendship is like a precious flower, Ready to bloom every hour.
It may stop growing, or keep on flowing.

"Friendship : Our greatest joy and our greatest sorrow . For without our most cherished friends our world is so often filled with sad tomorrows."

"Without a world there is no friends, but without friends there is no world."

"Do you love me because I'm beautiful, or am I beautiful because you love me?"

"Now and forever, I'll remember all the promises still unbroken and think about all the words between us that never needed to be spoken."

"Met you as a stranger, Took you as a friend
Hope we meet in Heaven, Where friendship never ends"

"Good friends come and good friends go, but only the best friends stick around forever."

"Friendship is that sheltering tree which covers you with warmth when you are cold with Sorrow, balms your soul when you are hurt in heart and bandages with love when yo bleed inside!"

"A Gift of Friendship is Priceless, Especially When It Comes From YOU"

"I have my friends for their personality, my aquaintences for their opinions and my eninies for their brains."

"Some memories can hurt, but with you by my side our friendship will survive"

"The only thing on this earth that will never die is a memory and in our friendship we have made so many."

"Friendship is the comfort that comes from knowing that even when you feel all alone, you aren't."

"Rose is a flower that lives for an hour! Friendship is a tower that lives for ever!"

"The language of friendship is not words , but rather meanings . It is an intelligence above language."

Concept Car - BMW Vision

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Mon, 4 Jan 2010 03:10:00 -0800

New concept car - BMW Vision EfficientDynamics

The official world premier will take place this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
BMW will never fail to surprise me because every time they introduce a new car it is always a masterpiece.

The new BMW Vision is a hybrid car that has 2 electric motors and a three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. The total capacity is of 356 HP. The car can reach 100 km/h in only 4.8 seconds. And the best about this hybrid is the fuel consumption – no more than 3,76 liters for 100 km. Incredible! Love this car.
More pictures after the jump.

Creativity & Soul

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Sun, 3 Jan 2010 05:05:00 -0800

Best Compilation Pics of 2009

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Sun, 3 Jan 2010 04:44:00 -0800

Cars to be launched in 2010

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Fri, 1 Jan 2010 23:42:00 -0800

Animals Before Birth

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Fri, 1 Jan 2010 23:34:00 -0800

Wish You Happy New Year 2010

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Fri, 1 Jan 2010 23:29:00 -0800

HAPPY NEW YEAR & 2010 GIFT

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:58:00 -0800

Awesome Tea Pots

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:50:00 -0800

TEA is the second most popular beverage in the world.
Only water is rated higher in world consumption than tea.

2010 Honda Fury Unveiled

vrs115501@gmail.com (SARAVANAKUMAR) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:26:00 -0800

2010 Honda Fury Unveiled
Meet the 2010 Honda Fury chopper that debuted at the 2009 New York Show

As hard as it is to believe, this is the Honda Fury, recently unveiled at the New York Show. A proper chopper, it uses the motor from the VTX1300. As, er, furious as it looks, the Honda is a clever motorcycle. The seat height isn't actually a slow as it looks, neither as the forks raked out as much as they look. Honda even chose to forego the 240-section rear option to put in a 200 and maintain some handling. The engine itself displaces 1312cc, is liquid cooled and is hung from a chopper-spec frame ith a single disc at each end and, surprise, the fork is adjustable for preload and rebound. That gas tank, by the way, managed to squeeze in about 13 litres of fuel so you could, in theory, travel a fair bit on the Fury.

Here is what Honda had to say about the Fury

It's the chopper you would build for yourself--if you had a factory instead of a garage. Introducing the Fury, a machine that radiates attitude and delivers a total riding experience approaching the outer limits of motorcycling. Welcome to the wild side--of Honda.

With hand-built appearances radical enough to turn every head and catch every eye, only the Fury dares to open the door to the most extreme level of custom looks. But once you're rolling, the Fury experience is all about that special bond between rider and machine: the unmistakable big V-twin pulse, the characteristic Vee engine note and the no-nonsense riding stance bring you back to the core elements of riding.

Destined to become a milestone machine, the Fury captures the pure, undiluted chopper essence, places it within easy reach of nearly every rider and then backs it up with the same quality and reliability built into every Honda. It's a radical concept in a unique package, a combination never before offered--until today.

Features:

- Full-on chopper styling
- Longest wheelbase ever in a production Honda motorcycle
- Muscular V-twin power, sound and feel
- Clean looks, superior attention to detail
- Spacious riding position
- Low seat height
- Single-shock rear suspension features "hard tail" look
- Extra-wide 200-series rear tire
- Slim-look 21-inch front tire
- Legendary Honda fit, finish and reliability
- Unrivaled value

Honda Genuine Accessories* *
Leather Accessories: Custom Rider Seat (multiple designs), Custom Passenger Seat (multiple designs), Leather Front Pouch (Fury logo).
Backrests: Low Sissy Bar Upright, Passenger Backrest Pad.
Chrome Accessories: Rear Fender Panel, Chrome Allen Bolt Inserts (5, 6, 8mm).
Billet Accessories: Master Cylinder Cover, Oil Dipstick, Clutch Cover, Timing Cover, Upper Fork Bolt Cover, License Plate Frame.
Additional Accessories: Boulevard Screen, Braided Lines: clutch, idle/throttle and brake, Front Chin Spoiler (color matched), Front Chin Spoiler LED Light Kit, Outdoor Cover.
(Accessory availability and specifications subject to change without notice.)

**Final items subject to change.

Specifications*

Engine Type: 1312cc liquid-cooled 52° V-twin
Bore and Stroke: 89.5mm x 104.3mm
Compression Ratio: 9.2:1
Valve Train: SOHC; three valves per cylinder
Induction: PGM-FI with automatic enricher circuit, one 38mm throttle body
Ignition: Digital with three-dimensional mapping, two spark plugs per cylinder
Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive: Shaft
Suspension
Front: 45mm fork; 4.0 inches travel
Rear: Single shock with adjustable rebound damping and five-position spring preload adjustability; 3.7 inches travel
Brakes
Front: Single 336mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Rear: Single 296mm disc with single-piston caliper
Tires
Front: 90/90-21
Rear: 200/50-18
Wheelbase: 1810mm
Rake (Caster Angle): 38.0°
Trail: 89mm
Seat Height: 701mm
Fuel Capacity: 12.87 litres
Colors: Black, Silver, Burgundy, Blue, Matte Silver
Curb Weight†: 300kg

GALLERY OF WORLD

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World's Fastest Land, Water and Ice Vehicles Ever Built

World's Fastest Land, Water and Ice Vehicles Ever Built

Under the water

1. USS Albacore (AGSS-569): Fastest Underwater Vehicle in the World

On land and water

2. Aquada: Fastest Amphibious Car in the World

On land, ice and water

3. Bob Windt's Hovercraft: Fastest Hovercraft in the World

On Ice

4. Bentley Continental GT: Fastest Car on Ice

On water surface

5. Spirit of Australia: Fastest Water Vessel in the World

On the Ground

6. Hayabusa: Fastest Motorcycle in the World

7. Kenworth T400 Bandag Bullet: Fastest Truck in the World

8. SSC Ultimate Aero: Fastest Car in the World

9. TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse): Fastest Conventional Train in the World

10. JR-Maglev: Fastest Non-conventional Tran in the World

11. Thrust SSC: Fastest Land Vehicle in the World

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Mighty Ships

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world fast airplane

Airplane Flight -- How High? How Fast?

Streamlining and Drag

Lift

How high, how fast?

Landing Safely

Non-stop around the world--How high? How fast?

US Politics blogs

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Averting a Digital Horror Story

Amazon.com's growing might and the sizzling success of the Kindle has publishers terrified. Hachette, Harlequin, and others are fighting back

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Benefit of Merchant Account in Business

How to Open a Merchant Account?

About High Risk Merchant Account

Ecommerce Merchant Account

Benefit of Merchant Account in Business

Tips for Merchant Account Savings

Some Words of Merchant Accounts

Cute Kids Around the World

4 Different Types Of Love

Quit Smoking Tips

Friendship Kids Quotes

Concept Car - BMW Vision

Creativity & Soul

Best Compilation Pics of 2009

Cars to be launched in 2010

Animals Before Birth

Wish You Happy New Year 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR & 2010 GIFT

Awesome Tea Pots

2010 Honda Fury Unveiled

Airplane Flight
-- How High? How Fast?