Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Al-Quaeda's latest recruits!

The US military has recovered a video reported to be an Al Quaeda recruiting tool. It features children,probably pre-teen or barely into their teens with Kalashnikovs in mock hold-up scenes.



According to ABC news,at one point in the video, three recruits stand in front of a black flag reciting a verse from the Koran, roughly translated to "fight them and they will be tortured upon your hands and you will be victorious."

The terrorist organisation has now started recruiting even women suicide bombers with Down's syndrome. In a recent incident, two such women were fooled into wearing explosive vests which were then detonated remotely by mobile phones as the women mingled with crowds.Pathetic!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Virgin Galactic Spacecraft

Virgin galactic's space tourist spacecraft will soon be a reality!



Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Gaza wall

With Israel having blocked supplies from reaching the Gaza Strip,the desparate Palestinians, starved for essential food supplies, medicines and fuel tore down the Gaza wall separating Gaza and the Egyptian town of Rafah, by blasts and with bulldozers.Some 200,000 Palestinians poured out of Gaza and into Egypt through this breach. The Egyptian police patrol were supposedly overwhelmed after an initial retaliation.

Palestinians walked unhindered over the toppled metal plates that once made up the border wall, carrying goats, chickens and crates of Coke. There were some who even brought back televisions,car tires, and even a motorcycle!

The Guardian has a short write up on the walled barrier which is seven miles in length,eight to nine feet high and made of corrugated sheet metal, with short stretches of concrete blocks and of barbed wire.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Rise and rise of food prices

Food prices are on the rise in an unprecedented way. In the US, the falling value of the dollar is contributing in no less a measure to this in general and in particular to the rise in prices of imported foods such as fruit from Spain. A gallon of whole milk that sold for $2.78 in January 2000 costs around $4 today.The free falling dollar isn't the only culprit. Record oil prices and the rush for meeting the huge demand for biofuels,as ethanol production has gone up several folds to meet clean air standards and reduce dependence on crude oil,seem to be having a ripple effect on food prices. Average food prices have gone up by 5.4% in the last one year and prices of dairy and related products has soared 14 percent.

Adding to these woes are higher demand in developing nations for food products due to increased population and rising incomes. According to the IHT,the other oil shock is the shortages and soaring prices for palm oil, soybean oil and many other types of vegetable oils.It reports that food riots have erupted in recent months in Guinea, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Yemen. Pakistan, in recent weeks, is witnessing shortages in wheat and China has put price controls on cooking oil, grain, meat, milk and eggs.

Also,to cope with increased oil demands, countries are enhancing their oil crop acreage which, according to conservation groups,are leading to tropical forests being leveled to make way for oil palm plantations, destroying habitat for orangutans and Sumatran rhinoceroses while also releasing greenhouse gases.

With agroflation pounding in and food prices set to rise by 50% over the next decade, we can all be sure of a drop in standard of living.

Monday, January 14, 2008

RBS 6 Nations

For rugby fans who are interested to know the latest news and happenings in the world of European Rugby, RBS6nations is the official website for Europe's premier international rugby tournament.It gives rugby lovers the latest rugby news, fixtures,results and match analysis from the world of European rugby in which the six sides such as England, France, Ireland, Italy,Scotland and Wales compete.You can search their database to find out the results of games played years back from 1991 or the most recent results.If you can’t attend live matches, you could subscribe to their mobile videos to see some of their games.The website is updated daily.

They also provide some interactive rugby games and have a podcast section in it. Another interesting service they provide is video highlights for viewing missed matches.They also have the online version of the official magazine of the RBS 6 Nations where one can read some of the reviews about the games and the gaming teams.Their online store too has a lot of niche rugby merchandise and other products.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Dexcasinos

The popularity of casinos, in particular, the online casino industry, in recent times has spiked tremendously. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sift through the many available online and hone in on the genuine ones. If one is looking for safe and trusted casinos online, Dexcasinos is the place to go to for more complete information on this subject. Dexcasinos is a dedicated site that provides information and a complete ratings guide to the best online casinos, poker rooms and gaming sites on the web. Since we are wagering our money online, we need to look for professional and secure gaming environment which are also userfriendly.

Dexcasinos is a new online casino portal, which lays down the base for amateurs and novice players as well as professional gamblers.They offer a variety of information from a team of people who have years of gambling experience in online casinos and poker rooms. Interesting news and articles have been posted on the site for the readers. The recommended casinos can be accessed by clicking on the links provided on the site itself.

Players can take comfort from the fact that they will be free from online fraud and be assured that they are in the right gambling room because Dexcasinos offers a straight forward and rewarding gambling games on the internet.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

India's Nano

Four years after its conception, Tatas, India's leading automobile manufacturer, have unveiled the world's cheapest car for Rupees 100,000($2500)at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi.The car comes fitted with a rear-mounted 623cc engine,hollow steering-wheel shaft,an analog speedometer in place of a digital equivalent and runs with a horsepower of 33.


With innovative engineering that spurs superflous technology, the car is aptly called 'The People's Car'.Chairman Ratan Tata has said the car will be the least polluting car in India and will meet necessary safety standards. He said the Nano would pass domestic and European emission standards and would average about 50 miles per gallon. The major downside of this ultra-cheap car would be the clogging of the already choked and crowded roads. And with 80 new models expected to be introduced in India this year from a slew of manufacturers, the nightmare of traffic on the city roads will be unimaginable.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Operation Clear Skies

A platoon of ten thousand cops are to guard President George Bush on his historic visit to Isreal tomorrow. It will be the first visit by a US president in more than a decade. The huge security exercise has been aptly named Operation Clear Skies.

So, what exactly is the purpose of this visit? Is he going to broker a deal between the increasingly isolated Fatah and Israel or peace between the katyusha-firing Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israelis? No one is sure.

Meanwhile Iran has denied that five Iranian boats made aggressive manoeuvers and showed hostile intent against three U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route in the Gulf. It is also reported that the Iranian vessels dropped small white boxes into the water.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

$100 breached!

Crude oil has breached $100/barrel for the first time. Where are we heading from here on?


Monday, December 31, 2007

Lady in white

Benazir Bhutto was not the saint that she is made out to be in the innumerable eulogies. She and her ex-con husband squirreled away a billion odd dollars by granting licenses to import gold, setting up a regulatory body to enhance customs duties(and happily embezzling part of the funds to offshore a/cs),setting up sugar mills,granting exclusive rights to aircraft manufacturers, illegal commissions from overseas tractor companies... the list goes on.She has even been accused of complicity in the killing of her brother Murtaza Bhutto in 1996 by uniformed police officers whilst she was Prime Minister.

A exclusive video footage of the last few moments of Benazir.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Animal sacrifices

Its the three day 'festival of sacrifice' for the Moslems. But did you know just how inhuman is the killing of animals that these people practice at all times and specially during this time?

The pictures on this site are graphic and not for the faint hearted ones. The sordid killing of these poor defenceless animals makes one weep. Can people stoop so low and be so cruel?!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

MJ in bandages

Is it any wonder that Michael Jackson is called Whacko Jacko!? These days he makes weird public appearances like this with bandages stuck on his face! The biggest pop star of the '80s supposedly has vitiligo, a disorder whereby pigment disappears from the skin, leaving large white blotches which make exposure to direct sunlight dangerous. The poor sod is probably covering up his patches with the band aids.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Quaddafi and his female entourage

Libya's eccentric leader, Muammar(Muhammad??)Quaddafi(Gaddafi,Kaddafi??)on his visit to Paris,is staying in a tent there, bedouin style, with women-only bodyguards! Apparently,he suffers from claustrophobia.

Besides signing nuclear contracts,he wants 200 attractive french females there!

"I want to go to Renault plant to see the laborer section and to meet 200 attractive French women."
Very interesting :))

Some Quaddafi trivia :

  • Plans to act as screenwriter for a $40 million epic about the Italian invasion of Libya.


  • Sees the solution of Israel and Palestine conflict based on a unified state called Isratine.

  • Wednesday, December 12, 2007

    Paris and Champagne






    Champagne in a can! And Paris modelling in the buff for it! With a gold painted body coat...

    Check the controversial pic here

    Friday, December 7, 2007

    A Google Wedding


    Decadence is cool when Google does it. One of the google guys, Larry Page is getting married tomorrow in style on a tiny island called Necker Island,in the Caribbean, owned by Virgin's Chairman, Richard Branson. According to Forbes, Branson is renting the place out for $15,000 per day for up to seven guests, or $31,000 per day for 26 people.

    More on The Wedding here

    Hospital beds turned five times a day!

    Britain's National Health Services is an ailing albatross. Now, its come up with a novel idea to ensure that its Moslem patients come to its doors faithfully. It turns its patients’ beds,so they face towards the city of Mecca, five times a day! Not only this, but the lengthy procedure also includes providing fresh bathing water to wash before and after prayers and a taxpayer-funded training programme for several hundred hospital staff so as to ensure that all are familiar with the workings of the Muslim faith! Isnt that just swell?!

    Even Saudi Arabia may not have come about with such a logic-defying scheme!!

    Monday, December 3, 2007

    Santa's stop only for 34 microseconds!

    Christmas is approaching and St.Nicholas(Santa Claus) must be busy shopping for presents. The Swedes, given to detail even where fables are concerned, have made an amusing calculation about Santa's journey of gift-giving!Ho!Ho!Ho!Interesting!



    Between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Santa Claus's route around the planet includes stops at 2.5 billion homes, assuming that children of all religions receive a present from the jolly man in the red suit, Anders Larsson of the engineering consultancy Sweco told Agence France-Presse.

    "He has 34 microseconds at each stop" to slide down the chimney, drop off the presents, nibble on his cookies and milk and hop back on his sleigh, Larsson said.

    Santa's reindeer must travel at a speed of 5800 kilometres per second to make the trip on time.

    Another report suggested however that Santa's sleigh, weighed down with presents and travelling at supersonic speed, would encounter such massive air resistance that the entire contraption would burst into flames and be vaporised within 4,26 thousandths of a second.


    Wednesday, November 28, 2007

    Lack of freedom of expression and basic human rights

    Human Rights violations in Islamic countries is not a new thing. However, the United Arab Emirates(especially Dubai, one of the seven Emirates which make up the UAE) projects itself as a forward thinking country. Regardless, through my personal experiences of having lived in that place, I can safely say that all the gloss is commercial and farcical. One of the most common,taken-for-granted practices is the confiscation of one's passport by the 'sponsor'(your employer). Even people working in prestigious institutions in high posts are not spared this indignation. Equal opportunity (for the sexes) employers is a rarity, if ever there is. There are a myriad other ways in which foreigners are subject to subtle violations of their basic human rights.

    This article by Human Rights Information is very enlightening about some of the issues there but it is by no means exhaustive.

    The country would well do to remember that a place is not all about tall buildings,all year long indoor ski resorts,imported Louvre museum branches, underwater restaurants and other such exotic stuff. A disgruntled populace is not the foundation that it should be building its commercial hub on.

    Monday, November 26, 2007

    Payday Loans

    These days most people live paycheck to paycheck. But sometimes, due to unforeseen circumstances, we may need a short infusion of cash to tide over a certain adhoc requirement when our current paycheck gets exhausted and the fresh one is yet to roll in.

    A payday loan comes in handy during such emergencies and is a small, short term one that is intended to offset our temporary expenses. Loan amounts are in the range of $100 and $1500 for a period that can range from 4 to 30 days.

    Cash advance 1500 is one such service which provides us with payday loans. Its transactions are all online.

    Benefits of this service are plenty:

  • Easy to process unlike personal loans.

  • Time taken for approval is fast.

  • No credit checks are done. However certain minimum criteria like employment status, threshold monthly income and an active checking or savings account are looked into.

  • Loans are unsecured. So, there is no question of giving up of assets as collateral.

  • Completion of application in the privacy of your own home.

  • Avoid sticky situations like bouncing of checks due to low balance, borrowing from family and friends or selling hard funded equity.

  • Secure and anonymous.

  • Option of “rolling over” a loan,which means that the loan can be extended to the next payday.

  • Access to several other websites that cater to payday loans for specific groups and their needs.


  • The website also educates you on the steps to be taken in choosing an online payday lender.

    Saturday, November 24, 2007

    Dirty Hotel Secrets

    Hotels are not the best places to live in. But one generally is under the impression that the big star hotels might put in a lot of care into the cleanliness aspect of their rooms. So, its quite shocking to see this undercover video which shows the scant regard shown by hotel cleaners in the upkeep of hotel glasses. I am very sure that sheets and towels also go through the same pedestrian treatment.


    Wednesday, November 21, 2007

    Is India under threat from the Chinese?

    The Chinese are long since the aggressors where India is concerned. For some time now, China has been eyeing the North-East border state of Arunachal Pradesh and not even issuing visas to Indian tourists from that state of India to its country as it considers the residents of Arunachal Pradesh to be Chinese! India, it seems, is still to wake up from the all too real threat! Even after 146 incursions in 2006! Isnt that strange!

    Ugliest man!

    He doesnt look ugly to me. But the poor rich man has lost faith in his looks garnering a wife for him! And to date, he has had 5000 marriage proposals turned down! That must be a downer for him! But he hasnt given up hope yet!

    He seems to have gone grey and lost most of his hair in his quest.
    Maybe if he stopped trying so hard, he may find success!

    More


    Sunday, November 18, 2007

    Chinese recycling!

    Do we ever stop and wonder how China makes goods so cheaply? It cant be cheap labor alone.

    As per this report used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China, threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent.People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns.

    Leave it to the Chinese to recycle stuff!

    Friday, November 16, 2007

    Taser death

    Cops in the North American continent routinely taser people for subduing them momentarily. Though tasers, usually, are not lethal, they can cause derivative deaths due to certain frailities in the humans involved. After all, 50000 volts of electricity being zapped on one's person is not a small jolt.

    In the video shown below,Canadian mounties taser an agitated international passenger who arrived at Vancouver airport who died minutes after that.Hm,this is defenitely overkill.


    Monday, November 12, 2007

    'Islamic' Products

    The flavour of the month is to bring about products which are Islamic-friendly.While Sharia-compliant stocks and bonds are being touted by the Indian stock houses and the UK Treasury respectively, Malaysia's carmaker Proton has gone a step ahead and is teaming up with Iran and Turkey to jointly develop an 'Islamic car',with Moslem-only features like a compass to determine the direction of Mecca for prayers and a Koran and headscarf keeping compartment!

    Meanwhile, the disconnect in the Islamic world continues merrily with Saudi Prince Walid Bin Talal placing his order for a luxury Airbus 380 personalised to his requirements.