Finally! The freedom tower is on a roll !

After spending months wrangling for control of buildings and about budgetary allocations at ground zero, politicians and a private developer gathered today as excavation trucks rolled out to mark the beginning of construction of the Freedom Tower, the symbolic skyscraper designed to replace the destroyed World Trade Center buildings .Construction crews reported to the site in the morning with large excavating trucks.
Though politicians broke ground on the tower for the first time on July 4, 2004,there has been considerable delay in the start of the construction due to repeated redesigning of the building and its dynamics to better accomodate security measures at street level. Rising from its square base - which will be constructed of impermeable concrete and steel - the redesigned Freedom Tower will taper into eight tall isosceles triangles, forming a perfect octagon at its center. It is scheduled to open in 2011. Hopefully so!

Superbikes

These mean machines called Superbikes are a little different from regular motor bikes. Superbikes have a bigger engine, more valves and more power output.Superbikes usually have V-twin engines or inline 4 engines.They employ a lot of aerodynamics , stability and handling which increases its speed and capacity.They are not just normal bikes with bigger engines but the chassis is tuned and hardened to withstand that power and for greater stability as they drive a higher speed.Needless to add that they have altogether different dynamics and suspensions.

Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle racing that employs modified production motorcycles. Many countries such as the US,Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom operate national superbike championships. A World Superbike championship has run since 1988.

The Superbike category is highly popular with manufacturers. Because the race bikes are built from production road bikes, the marketing value of a Superbike victory is significant.

See this article for some of the latest and most powerful superbikes

Upwardly mobile oil prices

Check these Neat Freaks! Heh! Heh!

The junk that people keep in their cars is unbelievable. These pictures are really hilarious. Would make one throw up!

One flew over Bush's nest!

Watch bird poop on President Bush when he was giving a press conference. The Prez used his fingers, not a tissue, to wipe off the crap!

Jekyll and Hyde Deal?

The bilateral nuclear agreement between the US and India called the Henry Hyde Act was passed by the US congress last December. Under this Act,the draft detailing the peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement — known as the 123 agreement,after the numbered clause of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act from which it is derived —and which is a prerequisite of the Act, is now facing major differences as USA is now taking a hard stance on nuclear testing, life time fuel guarantees and reprocessing rights of spent fuel.
The press briefing of the white house on may 17th 2007,indicated possible travel plans for Nick Burns, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, next week to India.It also stated that the 123 Agreement was not complete, but positive discussions would take place soon on important issues of Nonproliferation and Nuclear Energy.
Hence, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told members of Parliament that several rounds of discussions had already taken place and joint statements of the PM,Manmohan Singh and US President George Bush have been laid on the table of the House and that next week may be the decisive round to sort out the remaining issues for finalising the agreement when Burns meets with Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.

In a new turnaround,even though the Bush administration has claimed progress on the 123 agreement as a prerequisite to implement the Indo-US nuclear deal, Nicholas Burns has cancelled his planned visit to New Delhi.
On May 2nd of this month, some US representatives have sent an open letter to Indian PM indicating concerns about an increasing cooperation with Iran. Read the document here

A contrarian view to the Hyde Act is that it will tie India's options and make her a vassal state of the US is opined in this article

Rudy Giuliani in drag!??!

Could this be the next President of the United States?
Rudy Giuliani, Ex-Mayor of New York City and Democrat turned Republican nominee is in the running for the Presidential post in the 2008 elections.He has a history of three marriages.His second wife,reportedly,was forced to go to court to keep his mistress out of the mayoral mansion while the family still lived there! After annulment of that marriage, he married his mistress, the current third wife. All these dalliances may not go well with the conservative approach of the republican party. To top it all,the man has made three public appearances in drag!
Check him out making out with Donald Trump!
Ewww! Gross!

Sly Stallone back in action

John Rambo is going to be back. The sequel is scheduled for a May2008 release. Watch the teaser here

Chinese imitation brands

Must say that the Chinese have made an art out of imitation. By giving some funny twists to the named brands, they manage to trade in a variety of items. See more for yourself

World first hydrogen fuel cell powered car?

Honda announced recently that it will have its cutting edge production versions of the Honda FCX hydrogen-powered concept sedan ready in 2008 for U.S. and Japanese customers with an awesome 68 mpg.However, these cars will be available only on lease and not for purchase for some time. Check out more here

End of cozy partnership

Tony Blair has announced finally that he will step down as prime minister on 27 June. War on terror and WMDs caught up with him at last!

All that glitters is not gold

The yellow metal is coveted by all. But the cost of mining it and the extreme hardships dovetailed with its extraction is staggering.Gold mineralisation occurs at depths between 1,000m and 4,000m below surface.Many have lost their lives in mining-related accidents. More about the efforts that go into the mining of gold in the deepest South African Driefontein mines.

The real world of the Chinese

A mix of the ancient and the modern, the downtrodden and the elite in the glorious People's Republic of China! Tall claims of economic prosperity and more transparency in public affairs is a bit out of touch with the reality shown.

Teaching terror to Palestinian kids?

Al-Aqsa TV launched by Hamas, the rebel Palestinian Group and now part of the Legislative Parliament broadcasts shows which are making children a mouthpiece of their propaganda against Jews. Mickey Mouse as Jihadist clone!?



Latest report says that Hamas has suspended the TV programme and taken it off the air.

New Gen replacements for batteries?

A viable alternative is being made available for our traditional batteries which have never progressed beyond the basic protoype developed during the 19th century. This new technology called Ultracapacitor can replace all our electrochemical batteries and is known to outperform even the lithium-ion batteries which are in use today at half the cost and charge time.
Capacitors store energy as an electric field between two conductors and provide quick and massive bursts of instant energy when voltage is applied to it, in endless cycles,unlike traditional batteries which generate energy by means of chemical reaction.
A Texas startup called EEStor claim that their battery-ultracapacitors will replace electrochemical battery in most devices like hybrid electric cars, laptops and cell phones. They will definitely be one of the things we require for reducing our energy consumption and carbon emissions from fossil fuel operated vehicles.

Brilliant interview with an enlightened author

With religious fanatics crawling all over the place, this CNN interview by Lou Dobbs with Christopher Hitchens, the author of 'God is Not Great : How Religion Poisons Everything',makes for refreshing change. Check out his fantastic quote "Religion ends and philosophy begins, just as alchemy ends and chemistry begins and astrology ends, and astronomy begins."

Aspartame, the killer sweetner ?

Aspartame is one of the main ingredients used in Diet Soda. It is used as a sweetener as it has no calories and is about 180 times sweeter than sugar. It has had a long history of testing and FDA involvement in finally approving it as a food additive in carbonated drinks apparently due to the push it received in approval by former Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. See the timeline of how aspartame became legal for human consumption.
Some of the dark truths of aspartame are :

It is a brain drug that stimulates your brain and is known to cause brain tumours
It causes you to crave carbohydrates. So, in effect, you won't lose weight using it.Quite the opposite!
It breaks down into Methonol inside the body which is highly toxic
Its breakdown products attack the bodies tissues and create Formaldehyde which builds up in the tissues forever

Aspartame poisoning is a contentious issue.Scientific papers have reported on research performed at companies that have a vested interest in sales of aspartame.However, the Aspartame Information Service.In view of the conflicting issues prevailing,it is better to view the product and its food chain with caution.

How Cocaine Is Made

Cocaine made in the jungle laboratories in Columbia with toxic substances like sulphuric acid, gasoline, etc.The United States' War on Drugs is a perpetual one as a large percentage of the illegal drugs produced in South America eventually land up in the U.S.