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Indian rupee gets a symbol, joins elite currency club

The Indian rupee will soon have a unique symbol — a blend of the Devanagri 'Ra' and Roman 'R' — joining elite currencies like the US dollar, euro, British pound and Japanese yen in having a distinct identity.

The new symbol, designed by Bombay IIT post-graduate D Udaya Kumar, was approved by the cabinet today — reflecting that the Indian currency, backed by an over-trillion dollar economy, was finally making its presence felt on the international scene.

"It's a big statement on the Indian currency... The symbol would lend a distinctive character and identity to the currency and further highlight the strength and global face of the Indian economy," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

Though the symbol will not be printed or embossed on currency notes or coins, it would be included in the 'Unicode Standard' and major scripts of the world to ensure that it is easily displayed and printed in the electronic and print media.

Among currencies with distinctive identities, only the pound sterling has its symbol printed on the notes.

Unicode is an international standard that allows text data to be interchanged globally without conflict. After incorporation in the global and Indian codes, the symbol would be used by all individuals and entities within and outside the country.

The symbol will be adopted in a span of six months in the country, and within 18 to 24 months globally, Soni said, adding that it will feature on computer keyboards and softwares for worldwide use.

Soni said that the symbol, which reflects the Indian ethos and culture, would help distinguish the currency from the rupee or rupiah of other countries like Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Besides this, state governments would be asked to proactively promote the use of the new symbol, she added.

Kumar's entry was chosen from 3,000 designs competing for the currency symbol. He will get an award of Rs 2.5 lakh.

"It is a perfect blend of Indian and Roman letters — capital 'R' and Devanagri 'Ra' which represents rupaiah, to appeal to international and Indian audiences... My design is based on the tricolour, with two lines at the top and white space in between," a visibly-happy Kumar said.

Fire at oil depot in Jaipur; 5 killed, more then 100 injured

Five persons were killed and at least 90 people injured when a massive fire broke out in an oil depot in Sanganer area in Jaipur on Thursday night. Many of the injured are reportedly in critical condition.

All four oil containers at the depot have exploded due to the fire.

Two villages in the vicinity have been evacuated and people in one km radius have been asked to stay out. Efforts are still on to douse the fire but is not yet under control.

The Indian Oil Corporation has said that the fire broke out due to leakage in petrol pipeline. The IOC has meanwhile sent teams to Jaipur from Delhi and Mumbai.

Meanwhile, fire tenders have been sent to oil depot from Mathura.

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has appealed to Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora for help; And 80 Army Jawans have been helping in the rescue operation.

The oil depot contains about 80-90 lakh litres of fuel products however, exact extent of damage has yet to be assessed.

13 years old boy could get 21 years in US jail

He is the youngest person to be accused of robbing a bank that many in this midwestern US town can remember, and now he could end up spending a good chunk of his life behind bars.

A judge in the juvenile court, noting the premeditation and the “extremely aggressive” manner in which Denote Moore, 13, pointed an unloaded handgun at several bank tellers last month, ordered his case be moved to adult court.

The mid-day heist on April 13 shocked many in this Rust Belt city.

Sheriff Michael McCoy said Moore was the youngest person to be arrested for bank robbery in his 37 years on the force. A prosecutor said he could not remember another such case in his 19 years of work.

The move means a potential prison sentence for Moore of 21 to 45 years.

Had the case remained in the juvenile courts, Moore’s imprisonment would have ended on his 21st birthday.

The robbery occurred at about 11:35 am.

Moore was arrested within 30 minutes after hiding in a garage only a few blocks away from the bank. His clothing was stained red from a dye pack that had exploded in the pillow case where tellers had put the money.

Moore told police he thought he had been shot, hearing the pop and seeing a big puff of red smoke.

The teen told police he had run away from home a month earlier and was stealing to get money for “clothing and stuff.”

Illinois law allows a juvenile to be tried as an adult if he or she is older than 13 and a judge finds “it is not in the best interest of the public” for the minor to remain in the juvenile justice system. Moore will turn 14 next month.

The judge, noting Moore was on probation and failed to comply with counseling and missed several appointments with his probation officer, found the boy to be a poor candidate to work with officials further.

An estimated 200,000 juveniles are tried, sentenced or incarcerated as adults every year in the United States, according to the Campaign for Youth Justice.

An average of 7,500 juveniles are incarcerated in adult jails at any given time and 40 states allow youths charged as adults to be held in adult jails while they wait for their case to be heard.

Killer rabbits attack snakes (video)

A PAIR of rabid rabbits has been caught killing a series of snakes near Cairns.

For three weeks Armando Del Manso believed his dog was responsible for the dead snakes showing up with teeth marks all over them on his East Barron property’s lawn each morning.

But it turns out it was a pair of rampaging rabbits killing the snakes.

The 42-year-old boilermaker first made the discovery Tuesday night when he spotted the two wild rabbits attacking a king brown snake.

“The snake was raised up in the air in the striking position and the two rabbits worked their way around him and killed him in two minutes,” Mr Del Manso said.

“I’m gobsmacked, it’s absolutely incredible.

“We were watching from the veranda with a spotlight, and I thought, who is going to believe this, they’ll think I’m crazy.”

Wildlife expert Paul O’Callaghan of the Cairns Wildlife Safari said it was the first time he had heard of rabbits attacking snakes.

See video

Salman Khan gifts Kareena Kapoor Rs.250,000 bag

Bollywood star Salman Khan went out of his way and gifted a branded bag worth Rs.250,000 to his “Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna” co-star Kareena Kapoor.

Kareena and Salman went shopping together in Australia while they were shooting for the film and the young actress fell for a Dolce and Gabbana handbag.

“Kareena would usually land up shopping in the evenings after the shoot in Australia. She would go alone. But on one occasion, Salman accompanied her too,” said a unit source.

“She instantly liked a Dolce and Gabbana bag, stepped in and bought it. When she was about to pay the storekeeper refused to take the money saying it had already been paid for. Kareena stood zapped and wondered who could be that generous soul. It was only later that she got to know that it was Salman who had paid,” the source added.

The two actors plays main leads in Prem Soni’s directorial debut “Main Aurr Mrs.Khanna”. Sohail Khan, who has co-produced the movie with UTV SpotBoy Pictures, is also starring in it.

The film is scheduled for release Oct 16.

TODAY'S MODERN FAMILY

If you love sitcoms, and are pressed for time, watching ABC's new "Modern Family" could be an efficient solution.

It's like three, maybe four sitcoms all squeezed into one, and quite an enjoyable one.

"Modern Family" starts from the premise that many families today are no longer the classic unit TV loved back in the prehistoric days of "Father Knows Best," or even "Family Ties."

So it assembles a family that looks like it came from the $6.95 all-you-can-eat buffet table: a nervous mother of teenagers with a jerk husband, a gay couple and a grandfather who has married a fiery young Latina.

Almost all of Wednesday night's premiere is consumed with introducing this large cast, which is fine. Our quick glimpses of the characters just being themselves suggests we'll see neurotic, blockheaded, charming, poignant and funny.

In a sitcom, funny is good.

Quick rundown: Jay (Ed O'Neill) is the grandfather and patriarch. He just married Gloria (Sofia Vergara), for reasons that are a total mystery on both sides. Gloria brings along a son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez).

From his earlier marriage, Jay has a daughter, Claire (Julie Bowen), who is married to Phil (Ty Burrell), who is such a jerk we don't understand that one, either.

They have three kids - exasperated teenager Haley (Sarah Hyland), smart kid Alex (Ariel Winter) and screwed-up but funny Luke (Nolan Gould).

Jay also has a son, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), who is in a long-term relationship with Cameron (Eric Stonestreet). Jay tries to pretend he's okay with this, even though he isn't.

Tonight, Mitchell and Cameron adopt a Vietnamese baby, which also serves as a handy dramatic device to bring everyone together and let Jay toss out a casually offensive ethnic reference.

Perhaps most impressive, the producers find time to let each character be an idiot, but also show legitimate family fondness.

Much of what we're likely to see in "Modern Family" we've seen before: nervous mom vs. hormonal teenager; emotional Latina and buttoned-up Yanqui; gay couple that's a little hypersensitive. And so on.

But that's okay. Think of "Modern Family" as a high-quality one-stop.

Ayesha Takia’s sister to enter Bollywood next year

Bollywood actress-turned-businesswomen Ayesha Takia says her 21-year-old sister Natasha Takia is all set to enter the Hindi film industry next year. She wants her younger sibling to be welcomed by the audience like Kareena Kapoor was.

“My sister Natasha who is 21 will be in films next year. Hopefully she’ll be welcomed in the industry like other star sisters. I’m very excited for her. Let’s hope her career works. She’s preparing herself, working out ferociously. When I started out I had no clue about these things. At least now when they know I’m her sister they’ll give her a chance,” Ayesha said.

“There’re so many beautiful girls in this country. Maybe they’ll watch Natasha at least the first time because she’s my sister. But there’s the downside. They’ll start comparing us. Audiences are so unforgiving. They give you one chance, and then they let go,” she added.

Ayesha said she would like Natasha to be received like Kareena Kapoor, who became a bigger star than her elder sister Karisma. However, other star sisters like Tanisha (younger sister of Kajol) and Shamita Shetty (younger sister of Shilpa Shetty) were cold-shouldered by the audience.

Audiences would now get to see more of Natasha and less of Ayesha on the big screen as the latter has ventured into the business world.

“I’ve done it (films) for so long. I’m now enjoying making my own rules. I’m having a ball concentrating on business ventures. My first boutique hotel in Goa is on. We are hoping to start it this season,” she said.

The extra-hygenic kiss

In Riverside, California, kissing on the lips, unless both parties wipe their lips with carbonized rose water, is against the local health ordinance. Another laws forbids molesting a butterfly - it can make you poorer by $500. Even animals have not been spared. Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship! In Ventura County, California, cats and dogs are not allowed to have sex without a permit.

Shower with clothes on!

It is illegal to shower naked in the State of Florida, US. One also cannot fart in a public location after the hour of 6 p.m.! If that wasn’t enough, residents are only allowed to have sex in the missionary position - and a man is not allowed to kiss the woman’s bust during sexual intercourse! Other funny Florida laws include that a man not being allowed to wear a strapless gown and no person is allowed to have sexual relations with a porcupine!
:P

NRIs treated as "Not Required Indians"

ndubhai Amin, a non-resident Indian (NRI) settled in the UK earns interest income of Rs 3 lakh on his non-resident ordinary account bank deposit
in India in the current FY 2009-10. Enjoying his personal exemption limit of Rs 1.60 lakh and the eligible deduction of Rs 1 lakh u/s 80C, Amin is comfortable paying income tax of Rs 4,000 in the first slab of 10 per cent on his effective taxable income of Rs 40,000.

Flat tax of 20% and 30%

A huge shock awaits Amin and millions of NRIs, in regard to taxation of their interest and investment income and capital gains earned in India, proposed to be treated under the draft Direct Tax Code as "income from special sources."

In 2011-12, on the same interest income of Rs 3 lakh, Amin will be required to pay a hefty tax of Rs 60,000 at the flat rate of 20 per cent, without being eligible to claim any basic exemption or other deduction, as provided under rule three of the First Schedule to the Code.

Moreover, all capital gains earned by a non-resident will attract a flat tax of 30 per cent, irrespective of the amount of capital gains. While a resident Indian will be required to pay tax of Rs 3.84 lakh on his taxable income of Rs 25 lakh, an NRI earning equivalent capital gains will be called upon to pay almost double tax of Rs 7.5 lakh.

Hair-raising drafting

New section 13 (2) provides that such ‘special income’ shall be computed in accordance with the provisions of the Ninth Schedule, the drafting of which is literally hair-raising. It provides that the amount of accrual or receipt shall be computed as the taxable income, and no loss, allowance or deduction shall be allowed, as the same shall be presumed to have been granted. The only exception in this regard, in respect of capital gains arising from the transfer of equity shares or units of equity oriented mutual fund chargeable to STT, is quite amusing, as it stands redundant in view of the proposal to abolish STT (a classic instance of incoherent drafting).

The draftsman does not seem to have realized the harsh implications. It means that if an NRI sells a capital asset purchased for Rs 10 lakh at Rs 30 lakh, he will be required to pay tax of Rs 9 lakh at 30 per cent on the gross sale consideration of Rs 30 lakh without any deduction even for the cost of acquisition of Rs 10 lakh (not to mention any benefit of indexation on the same).

Determination of residential status

The residential status of an individual under the Code is proposed to be determined as per the current norms. However, the status of "not ordinarily resident" (NOR) is proposed to be eliminated. Despite the above, Clause 24 of the Sixth Schedule has still provided for exemption in respect of interest earned on foreign currency deposits in the case of NOR. Poor drafting indeed!

The Code has proposed to retain the current exemptions availed by a non-resident in case of interest earned on NRE and FCNR deposits with banks.

Special exemption for returning NRIs

A useful exemption has been provided in case of income earned outside India, if it is not derived from a business controlled from India, in the financial year in which the returning NRI becomes an Indian resident and the immediately succeeding financial year. However, the benefit of the said exemption would be available, only if such individual was a non-resident for nine years immediately preceding the financial year in which he becomes a resident.

Wealth-tax liability for NRIs

Proposed Section 102 of the Code provides for wealth tax liability in the case of the value of all global assets of an individual or HUF. However, an exemption has been provided in case of the value of assets located outside India in case of an individual who is not a citizen of India or an individual or HUF not resident in India. Hence, while returning NRIs who are non-citizens will enjoy wealth-tax exemption for their overseas assets, NRIs with Indian citizenship becoming residents will attract wealth-tax liability on such assets held abroad.

Illogical exemption under wealth-tax

Talking about wealth tax, the Code prescribes an exemption in respect of any house or plot of land belonging to an individual or HUF, if it is acquired before April 1, 2000. It is difficult to understand the logic as to why this exemption has been denied in all cases where such immovable property is acquired after March 31, 2000!

Proposals That Will Hurt the Global Indian Sentiment

Flat Rate of Tax

20% flat tax on interest & other investment income
30% flat tax on all capital gains
Apart from 20% & 30% TDS on above, TDS at a baffling rate of 35% prescribed on all residual income

No Personal Exemption

No personal exemption or deduction allowed in computing the above income treated as ‘income from special sources’.

Weird Interpretation

Poor drafting leads to such a weird interpretation that transfer of a capital asset may attract 30% tax on gross sale consideration.

What Discrimination!

Ironical but true! Non-Indian sportspersons, say Ricky Ponting or Shoaib Akhtar, required to pay a concessional tax of 10% on their game, advertisement and column earnings in India, thus enjoying a more privileged tax status than our own sons of the soil living abroad.
source:http:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Emma watson disappointed at no romance in Potter films

“Harry Potter” star Emma Watson is disappointed the wizard franchsie lacks in romance and it never blossomed among cast members on the set of the hit movies.

The young actors have long been the target of dating rumours, with tabloid gossips linking Watson to co-stars including Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, but the 19-year-old is adamant she will never date any of the other Potter actors and is disappointed in the lack of romance in the series too, reports buzzhollywood.com.

“As far as I know, not once in 10 years did anyone pair off. There are no boyfriend-girlfriend relationships at all because we all work so hard. There’s not the opportunity. Daniel and Rupert to me are like a pair of warm-hearted brothers,” she said.

However, there is one actor who found a partner during the filming of the hit wizard movies – Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy, is currently dating stunt assistant Jade Olivia.

Jackson tipped to be 2010’s highest earning star

Late pop legend Michael Jackson is set to become the highest earning celebrity of 2010, with experts predicting the star will bring in an estimated $240 million in revenue.

The King of Pop’s music shot back into the charts following his sudden death in June and the executors of his estate are planning to launch an official range of merchandise as well, reports contactmusic.com.

Bosses at the company behind Jackson’s doomed comeback concerts in London, AEG, are set to release a movie featuring rehearsal footage for his ‘This Is It’ residency, and are also reportedly considering a live album and DVD.

The ventures look set to make Jackson the highest earning celebrity in 2010, ahead of Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, Lady Gaga and Harry Potter actors Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe.

Also featuring in the top ten is British supercouple David and Victoria Beckham, racing driver Lewis Hamilton, “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson, Elvis Presley and Britney Spears, according to a survey of licensing and merchandising experts across Europe.

General Interesting Facts

• Vasudev Jakhar


• No piece of normal-size paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.


• All swans in England are the property of the queen or king.


• The first product to have a bar code scanned was Wrigley's gum.


• Earth is the only planet not named after a pagan God.


• A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight.


• In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her cheating adulterous husband but she may only do so with her bare hands.


• The new 787 Boeing was revealed on 7/8/07 or July 8th, 07.


• Adding a drop of olive oil and lemon juice to an ice cube then running it over your face gives you better results than some expensive skin care products.


• 250 to 300 million cell phones are being used in the U.S


• You will weigh less if you weigh yourself when the moon is full


• Honeybees never sleep


• Carl Sagan was a pot smoker


• 5% of the world population lives in the US but 22% of the world's prisons population are held in the US


• 80% of all pictures on the internet are of naked women


• Horses can't vomit and pigs can't look up in the sky


• San Jose was the original capital of California


• Most lipstick have fish scales


• In Arizona it is illegal to have more than two dildos in one house


• Black olives contain on average 10 to 30% more oil than green olives
  
• Cats are the most popular pets in the United States
  
• The oldest dog died at the age of 29
  
• Tamiflu's main natural ingredient is Chinese star anise
  
• Not only the fur of the tiger is striped but also its skin
  
• The Germans tried to copy Coca-Cola and came up with the drink Fanta.
  
• Every day is about 55 billionths of a second longer than the day before it
• Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
  
• The largest potato was grown in Lebanon by Khalil Semhat near Tyre. The spud was 11.3 kilos (24.9 pounds)
  
• Footprints of astronauts who landed on the moon should last at least 10 million years since the moon has no atmosphere.
  
• The national orchestra of Monaco (a nation in Europe) has more individuals than its army.
  
• Earthworms have five hearts
  
• The Himalayan gogi berry contains, weight for weight, more iron than steak, more beta carotene than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges.
  
• Paraguay and Moldova are the only countries with national flags with different emblems on the obverse and reverse sides.
  
• Fingerprints of koalas are similar (in pattern, shape and size) to the fingerprints of humans
  
• Genetically-engineered babies were born first in 2001.
  
• If an Amish man has a beard, he is married.
  
• If a native Hawaiian woman places the flower on her right ear, she is available. (The bigger the flower, the more desperate)
  
• Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
  
• Pope Pius II wrote an erotic book "Historia de duobos amantibus" in 1444.
  
• SCUBA divers cannot pass gas at depths of 33 feet or below
  
• Pele has always hated his nickname, which he says sounds like "baby-talk in Portuguese".
  
• As of 2006, 200 million blogs were left without updates
  
• Two phone books with their pages interlaced require more than 8000 pounds of pressure to separte.
  
• Urban birds have developed a short, fast "rap style" of singing, different from their rural counterparts.
  
• The lion costume in the film Wizard of Oz was made from real lions.
  
• Fathers tend to determine the height of their child, mothers their weight.
  
• The Pope's been known to wear red Prada shoes.
  
• Donald Rumsfeld was both the youngest and the oldest defense secretary in US history.
  
• Coco Chanel started the trend for sun tans in 1923 when she got accidentally burnt on a cruise.
  
• Up to 25% of hospital keyboards carry the MRSA infection.
  
• In ancient Greece, children of wealthy families were dipped in olive oil at birth to keep them hairless throughout their lives.
  
• Ghandi didn't allow his wife to take penicillin to save her life from pneumonia but took quinine to save himself from malaria.
  
• Sex workers (Prostitutes) in Roman times charged the equivalent price of eight glasses of red wine.
  
• As of 2006, more than one in eight people in the United States show signs of addiction to the internet.
  
• More than 90% of plane crashes have survivors.
  
• The Mona Lisa used to hang on the wall of Napoleon’s bedroom.
  
• Barbie's full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts.
  
• Eating a packet of crisps a day is equivalent to drinking five liters of cooking oil a year.
  
• Plant seeds that have been stored for more than 200 years can be coaxed into new life.
  
• For every 10 successful attempts to climb Mount Everest there is one fatality. (As of 2006)
  
• Watching television can act as a natural painkiller for children
  
• Forty-one percent of English women have punched or kicked their partners, according to a study.
  
• The more panels a football has - and therefore the more seams - the easier it is to control in the air.
  
• Music can help reduce chronic pain by more than 20% and can alleviate depression by up to 25%.
  
• The egg came first.
  
• Modern teenagers are better behaved than their counterparts of 20 years ago, showing "less problematic behavior" involving sex, drugs and drink.
  
• Britain is still paying off debts that predate the Napoleonic wars because it's cheaper to do so than buy back the bonds on which they are based.
  
• In Bhutan government policy is based on Gross National Happiness; thus most street advertising is banned, as are tobacco and plastic bags.
  
• The best-value consumer purchase in terms of the price and usage is an electric kettle.
  
• Camel's milk, which is widely drunk in Arab countries, has 10 times more iron than cow's milk.
  
• Iceland has the highest concentration of broadband users in the world.
  
• Native Hawaiian women were not allowed to cook.
  
• The age limit for marriage in France was, until recently, 15 for girls, but 18 for boys. The age for girls was raised to 18 in 2006.
  
• The brain is soft and gelatinous - its consistency is something between jelly and cooked pasta.
  
• The Himalayas cover one-tenth of the Earth's surface.
  
• A "lost world" exists in the Indonesian jungle that is home to dozens of hitherto unknown animal and plant species.
  
• The two most famous actors who portrayed the “Marlboro Man” in the cigarette ads died of lung cancer.
  
• All US Presidents have worn glasses. Some just didn't like being seen wearing them in public.
  
• The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. It was the fashion in Renaissance Florence to shave them off.
  
• Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
  
• The first known marketer of the flushing toilet was Thomas Crapper.
  
• The average bed is home to over 6 billion dust mites.
  
• The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
  
• The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.
  
• The average American consumes 1.2 pounds of spider eggs a year and eat 2.5 pounds of insect parts a year. (This fact and the one prior to it have been judged as urban legends by many)
  
• Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do. (Makes you think about ambidextrous people) This fact is based on a study that had errors in it, thus it might not be a fact.
  
• Its impossible to smoke oneself to death with weed. You won\'t be able to retain enough motor control and consciousness to do so after such a large amount.
  
• Every drop of seawater contains approximately 1 billion gold atoms.
  
• The US national anthem actually has four verses, but everyone just knows the first one. When the whole anthem is sung, the third verse is usually omitted.
  
• During World War II, IBM built counting machines the Nazis used to manage their death/concentration camps.
  
• During World War II, the British Intelligence used the Colossus Machines (precursor to computers) at Bletchley Park to help decode the enigma code of the Nazis.
  
• The first Computer was ENIAC, short for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer, unveiled on February 14, 1946 (Thanks D.B. of AU)
  
• The total combined weight of the worlds ant population is heavier than the weight of the human population.
  
• The deadliest war in history excluding World War II was a civil war in China in the 1850s in which the rebels were led by a man who thought he was the brother of Jesus Christ.
  
• Just about 3 people are born every second, and about 1.3333 people die every second. The result is about a 2 and 2/3 net increase of people every second. Almost 10 people mor live on this Earth now, than before you finished reading this.
  
  
• Happy Birthday (the song) is copyrighted.
  
• The number of people alive on earth right now is higher than the number of all the people that have died. Ever.
  
• Men with a certain rare medical condition can breastfeed babies
  
• There is a rare condition called Exploding Head Syndrome which you have probably never heard of.
  
• Scientists have determined that fungi are more closely related to human beings and animals than to other plants.
  
• In some (maybe all) Asian countries, the family name is written
  first and the individual name written second
  
• Abe Lincoln bought 50 cents worth of cocaine in 1860
  
• A German World War II submarine was sunk due to malfunction of the toilet.
  
• Washington State has the longest single beach in the United States.Long Beach, WA
  
• The largest living thing on the face of the Earth is a mushroom underground in Oregon, it measures three and a half miles in diameter.
  
• The town of Los Angeles, California, was originally named "El Pueblo la Nuestra Senora de Reina de los Angeles de la Porciuncula"
  
• 9 out of 10 people believe Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.This isn't true; Joseph Swan did.
  
• Honey is the only food that does not spoil. Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.
  
• The Population of the world can live within the state boundaries of Texas.
  
• Plastic lawn flamingos outnumber real flamingos in the U.S.A.
  
• Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel with over 50,000 words, none of which containing the letter "e."
  
• Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is not considered an insult! Despite the expensive food, tipping is welcome as in any other country.
  
• The largest pumpkin weighed 377 pounds.
  
• The largest cabbage weighed 144 pounds.
  
• Pinocchio was made of pine.
  
• Alfred Hitchcock had no belly button for it was eliminated during surgery.
  
• A quarter has 119 grooves around the edge.
  
• A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
  
• Cranberry Jell-0 is the only kind that contains real fruit.
  
• The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.
  
• Maine is the toothpick capital of the world.
  
• New Jersey has a spoon museum with over 5,400 spoons from almost all the states.
  
• There was once a town in West Virginia called "6."
  
• The parking meter was invented in North Dakota.
  
• Napoleon made his battle plans in a sandbox.
  
• Roman Emperor Caligula made his horse a senator.
  
• The green stuff on the occasional freak potato chip is chlorophyll.
  
• Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first.
  
• There are 333 toilet paper squares on a toilet paper roll.
  
• The Eiffel Tower has 2,500,000 rivets in it.
  
• "Jaws" is the most common name for a goldfish.
  
• On an average work day, a typist's fingers travel 12.6 miles.
  
• Every minute in the U.S. six people turn 17.
  
• Ten tons of space dust falls on the Earth every day.
  
• On average, a 4-year-old child asks 437 questions a day.
  
• Blue and white are the most common school colors.
  
• Swimming pools in Phoenix, Arizona, pick up 20 pounds of dust a year.
  
• In a normal lifetime an American will eat 200 pounds of peanuts and 10,000 pounds of meat.
  
• A new book is published every 13 minutes in America.
  
• America's best selling ice cream flavor is vanilla.
  
• Every year the sun loses 360 million tons.
  
• Because of Animal Crackers, many kids until they reach the age of ten, believe a bear is as tall as a giraffe.
  
• The Gulf Stream could carry a message in a bottle at an average of 4 miles per hour.
  
• The bulls-eye on a dartboard must be 5 feet 8 inches off the ground.
  
• The doorbell was invented in 1831.
  
• The electric shaver was patented on November 6, 1928.
  
• Japan is the largest exporter of frog's legs.
  
• There are seven points on the Statue of Liberty's crown.
  
• Napoleon was terrified of cats.
  
• The first Lifesaver flavor was peppermint.
  
• The typical American eats 263 eggs a year.
  
• The parking meter was invented by C.C. Magee in 1935.
  
• The oldest known vegetable is the pea.
  
• Jack is the most common name in nursery rhymes.
  
• The avocado has the most calories of any fruit.
  
• The first zoo in the USA was in Philadelphia.
  
• France has the highest per capita consumption of cheese.
  
• The shortest English word that contains the letters A, B, C, D, E, and F is "feedback."
  
• The state of California raises the most turkeys out of all of the states.
  
• George Washington Carver invented peanut butter.
  
• Iceland was the first country to legalize abortion in 1935.
  
• The dumbest domesticated animal is the turkey.
  
• Russia has the most movie theaters in the world.
  
• The most fatal car accidents occur on Saturday.
  
• The Eiffel Tower has 1792 steps.
  
• The mongoose was barred live entry into the U.S. in 1902.
  
• Goldfish swallowing started at Harvard in 1939.
  
• Dry fish food can make goldfish constipated.
  
• The stall closest to the door in a bathroom is the cleanest, because it is the least used.
  
• Toilet paper was invented in 1857.
  
• Alaska could hold the 21 smallest States.
  
• Before Prohibition, Schlitz Brewery owned more property in Chicago than anyone else, except the Catholic church.
  
• If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.
  
• Kermit the Frog is left-handed.
  
• Nondairy creamer is flammable.
  
• The car in the foreground on the back of a $10 bill is a 1925 Hupmobile.
  
• If you can see a rainbow you must have your back to the sun.
  
• The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.
  
• It's rumored that sucking on a copper penny will cause a breathalyzer to read 0. Myth Busters on the Discovery Channel proved this wrong.
  
• The ship, the Queen Elizabeth 2, should always be written as QE2. QEII is the actual queen.
  
• The correct response to the Irish greeting, "Top of the morning to you," is "and the rest of the day to yourself."
  
• Columbia University is the second largest landowner in New York City, after the Catholic Church.
  
• When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play football at home to a sellout crowd, the stadium becomes the state's third largest city.
  
• Ohio is listed as the 17th state in the U.S., but technically it is Number 47. Until August 7, 1953, Congress forgot to vote on a resolution to admit Ohio to the Union.
  
• When Saigon fell, the signal for all Americans to evacuate was Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" being played on the radio.
  
• The pet ferret was domesticated more than 500 years before the house cat.
  
• The dome on Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home, conceals a billiards room. In Jefferson's day, billiards were illegal in Virginia.
  
• The most common speed limit sign in the United States is 25 m.p.h.
  
• At any one time, there are 100 million phone conversations going on in the United States.
  
• The world's record for continuous pogo stick jumping is 41 hours.
  
• The Ottoman Empire once had seven emperors in seven months. They died of (in order): burning, choking, drowning, stabbing, heart failure, poisoning and being thrown from a horse.
  
• You can make edible cheese from the milk of 24 different mammals.
  
• Sir Isaac Newton, who invented Calculus, had trouble with names to the point where he would forget his brothers' names.
  
• In medieval Thailand, they had moveable type printing presses. The type was made from baked oxen dung.
  
• By law, employees do not have to wash hands after sneezing.
  
• The average American consumes enough caffeine in one year to kill a horse.
  
• More American workers (18%) call sick on Friday than any other day of the week. Tuesday has the lowest percent of absenteeism (11%).
  
• Enough beer is poured every Saturday across America to fill the Orange Bowl.
  
• A newborn expels its own body weight in waste every 60 hours.
  
• Whales die if their echo system fails.
  
• Florida's beaches lose 20 million cubic yards of sand annually.
  
• Naturalists use marshmallows to lure alligators out of swamps.
  
• It takes a ton of water to make a pound of refined sugar.
  
• Weevils are more resistant to poisons in the morning than at night.
  
• Cacao, the main ingredient of chocolate is the most pest-ridden tree in the jungle.
  
• In deep space most lubricants will disappear.
  
• America once issued a 5-cent bill.
  
• The average person can live 11 days without water.
  
• In 1221 the daughter of Genghis Khan ordered the killing of the entire population of the city of Nishapur (about 60,000) in one hour. The order came after her husband killing. (Moguls claim that 1.7 million were killed)
  
• There are 35 million digestive glands in the stomach.
  
• In 1800 on 50 cities on earth had a population of more than 100,000.
  
• More steel in the US is used to make bottle caps than to manufacture automobile bodies.
  
• It is possible for any American citizen to give whatever name he or she chooses to any unnamed mountain or hill in the United States.
  
• King Henry III of France, Louis XVI of France and Napoleon all suffered from ailurophobia--fear of cats.
  
• Before 1850 golf balls were made of leather and stuffed with feathers.
  
• Clocks made before 1687 had only one hand, and hour hand.
  
• The motto of the American people, "In God We Trust," was not adopted as the national slogan until 1956.
  
• More Americans have died in automobile accidents than have died in all the wars ever fought by the United States.
  
• The ampersand (&) was once a letter of the English alphabet.
  
• The principality of Monaco consists of 370 acres.
  
• There are more than 40,000 characters in Chinese script.
  
• During the time of Peter the Great, any Russian man who had a beard was required to pay a special tax.
  
• The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
  
• Coca-Cola was originally green.
  
• Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. treasury.
  
• The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters (I was thankfully corrected by a friend: The Hawai'ian alphabet has 13 letters, A, E, I, O, U, H, K, L, M, N, P, W, ' (which is called an okina).
  
• Men can read smaller print than women; women can hear better.
  
• The amount American Airlines saved in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class: $40,000.
  
• City with the most Rolls Royces per capita: Hong Kong.
  
• State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.
  
• Percentage of Africa that is wilderness--28%. Percentage of North America that is wilderness--38%.
  
• Average number of days a German goes without washing his underwear: 7.
  
• Percentage of American men who say they would marry the same woman if they had it to do all over again: 80%.
  
• Percentage of American women who say they'd marry the same man: 50%.
  
• Cost of raising a medium size dog to the age of 11: $6,400.
  
• Average people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000.
  
• Average lifespan of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.
  
• The only President to win a Pulitzer Prize: John Kennedy for "Profiles in Courage."
  
• The youngest Pope was 11 years old.
  
• Ieland consumes more Coca-Cola per capita than any other nation.
  
• First novel ever written on a typewriter: "Tom Sawyer."
  
• A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why. (This was challenged and proved wrong by the TV show "Mythbusters")
  
• The main library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
  
• Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Spades--King David, Clubs--Alexander the Great, Hearts--Charlemagne and Diamonds--Julius Caesar.
  
• If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one leg front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all 4 legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
  
• Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th. The last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
  
• The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are useable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.
  
• The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth 2, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
  
• The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado.
  
• The first airline, DELAG, was established on October 16, 1909, to carry passengers between German cities by Zeppelin airships. Up to November 1913, more than 34,000 people had used the service.
  
• Titanic was running at 22 knots when she hit the iceberg
  
• The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; '7' was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. 'UP' indicated the direction of the bubbles
  
• Francis Scott Key was a young lawyer who wrote the poem, 'The Star Spangled Banner', after being inspired by watching the Americans fight off the British attack of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The poem became the words to the national anthem
  
• Because radio waves travel at 186,000 miles per second and sound waves saunter at 700 miles per hour, a broadcast voice can be heard sooner 13,000 miles away than it can be heard at the back of the room in which it originated
  
• Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know your there
  
• The bagpipe was originally made from the whole skin of a dead sheep
  Inventor Samuel Colt patented his revolver in 1836.
  
• 
  It has been recommended by dentists that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet (two meters) away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush!
  
• In ancient Rome it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose
  
• It is possible to drown and not die. Technically the term 'drowning' refers to the process of taking water into the lungs, not to death caused by that process.
  
• The first known heart medicine was discovered in an English garden. In 1799, physician John Ferriar noted the effect of dried leaves of the common foxglove plant, digitalis purpurea, on heart action. Still used in heart medications, digitalis slows the pulse and increases the force of heart contractions and the amount of b lood pumped per heartbeat.
  
• Dry cereal for breakfast was invented by John Henry Kellogg at the turn of the century
  
• During World War II, a German U-boat was sunk by a truck. The U-boat in question attacked a convoy in the Atlantic and then rose to see the effect. The merchant ship it sank had material strapped to its deck including a fleet of trucks, one of which was thrown in the air by the explosion, landing on the U-boat and breaking its back
  
• eremy Bentham, a British philosopher who died in 1832,left his entire estate to the London Hospital provided that his body be allowed to preside over its board meetings. His skeleton was clothed and fitted with a wax mask of his face. It was present at the meeting for 92 years.
  
• Diet Coke was only invented in 1982.
  
• Methane gas can often be seen bubbling up from the bottom of ponds. It is produced by the decomposition of dead plants and animals in the mud.
  There are more than 1,700 references to gems and precious stones in the King James translation of the Bible.
  
• The E. Coli bacterium propels itself with a 'motor' only one-millionth of an inch in diameter, a thousand times smaller than the tiniest motors built to date by man. The rotation of the bacterial motor comes from a current of protons. The efficiency of the motor approaches 100 per cent.
  
• Henry Ford produced the model T only in black because the black paint available at the time was the fastest to dry.
  
• At - 40 degrees Centigrade a person loses about 14.4 calories per hour by breathing.
  
• Pet superstores now sell about 40 percent of all pet food
  
• One million Americans, about 3,000 each day, take up smoking each year. Most of them are children.
  
• In 1933, Mickey Mouse, an animated cartoon character, received 800,000 fan letters.
  
• There are only four words in the English language which end in '-dous': tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous
  
• If you attempted to count to stars in a galaxy at a rate of one every second it would take around 3,000 years to count them all.
  
• Less than 3% of Nestlé's sales are for chocolate.
  
• The average person will spend two weeks over their lifetime waiting for the traffic light to change
  
• More than 2500 left handed people are killed every year from using right handed products
  
• It is estimated that at any one time, 0.7% of the world's population are drunk
  
• The tip of a 1/3 inch long hour-hand on a wristwatch travels at 0.00000275 mph
  
• Less than one per cent of the 500 Chinese cities have clean air, respiratory disease is China's leading cause of death.
  
• The number of cars on the planet is increasing three times faster than the population growth
  
• The X's that people sometimes put at the end of letters or notes to mean a kiss, actually started back in the 1000's when Lords would sign their names at the end of documents to other important people. It was originally a cross that they would kiss after signing to signify that they were faithful to God and their King. Over the years though, it slanted into the X
  
• Nova Scotia is Latin for 'New Scotland.'
  
• The collecting of Beer mats is called Tegestology.
  
• Even though it is widely attributed to him Shakespeare never actually used the word 'gadzooks'.
  
• Only 2 blue moons (the saying 'only once in a blue moon ' refers to the occurrence of two full moons during one calendar month) are to occur between now and 2001. Those times are January 1999 and March 1999
  
• "Naked" means to be unprotected. "Nude" means unclothed
  
• pper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower', because in the time when al original print had to be set in individual letters, the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case stored smaller, 'lower case' letters
  In the 40's, the Bich pen was changed to Bic for fear that Americans would pronounce it 'Bitch.'

Make free calls to your friends and family

Hey guys I have found a couple of websites that allow you to make free phone calls to the people in United states and Canada and the best thing is that the number of calls you are allowed to make are unlimited.Well as you google about making free calls to phones using your pc,a bunch of results pop up.Most of them needs you to install their software for making free calls like the software from www.mediaringtalk.com and www.icall.com etc….There are some other websites which allow you to make calls without installing any software like www.evaphone.com and www.callingamerica.com

Here are the websites:

1.evaphone:

Allows you to call to any country,but the calls you can make are limited.For more details visit the website.

2.callingamerica:

Allows you to make free calls to US and canada.Calls you can make are unlimited.But every call will be cut after 15minutes.For more details visit the website.

3.mediaringtalk:

Allows you to make free calls to UK,China,Singapore,Australia,US,Canada,But you have to install their software.For more details visit the website.

Found: Antibodies to target HIV more effectively

The discovery of two powerful new HIV antibodies will help tackle HIV more effectively. Researchers will now try to exploit a newfound vulnerability on the virus to craft novel approaches to designing an AIDS vaccine.

Besides, the global collaboration that led to the discovery of the two new broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs) are likely to produce more such antibodies.

They may further reveal additional vulnerabilities of HIV, adding still more vitality to the effort to develop a vaccine against AIDS.

“The findings themselves are an exciting advance toward the goal of an effective AIDS vaccine because now we’ve got a new, potentially better target on HIV to focus our efforts for vaccine design,” said Wayne Koff, senior vice-president of research and development at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), Scripps Research Institute.

“And having identified this one, we’re set up to find more, which should further accelerate global efforts in AIDS vaccine development,” he added, according to a statement from the institute.

Sehwag eyeing comeback in T20 Champions League

Virender Sehwag, who is nursing a shoulder injury, is looking to return to international field with the Twenty20 Champions League next month.

Sehwag, who has been out of the team since returning home midway through the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June, will be missing the tri-series in Sri Lanka as well as the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

“I am working hard on my shoulder and hoping that I will be fit before the Champions League T20,” Sehwag said.

“My rehabiliation is going really well. I am pushing myself hard. After first week of September, I will start batting properly in the nets. Normally I am throwing 20 or 50 balls a day but from second or third week of September I will start throwing more and try to play the local tournament if I get a chance,” Sehwag told CNN-IBN.

Sehwag, who kicked up a row after highlighting the nepotism in selection matters of Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), said he was happy with the outcome of the meeting with DCCA president Arun Jaitley.

“We had a positive meeting with Arun Jaitley and other members of the DDCA. Even Mr. M.K. Pataudi joined the meeting at my request and I am thankful to him.”

Sehwag said that he was not targeting anyone in DDCA, but was only opposed to the system.

“My fight is against the system. You have to change the system and put some good people who can look after cricket.”

Bhajji revs up controversy again, this time with Hummer

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has probably created more hullabaloo on and off the field than any other celebrity cricketer in India, and this time controversy has come riding on the back of his new Rs.1 crore Hummer SUV.

Bhajji – as he is popularly known – has been found on the wrong side of the law for driving his Hummer on Chandigarh’s roads without a number plate. His vehicle, imported from Britain last month, was Tuesday slapped with a penalty of Rs.3,000 for violation of the Motor Vehicles Act. He was forced to put up a registration plate, with a temporary Delhi number, on the SUV.

In April this year, he and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni deliberately gave a miss to the Padma national awards ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan after they were named this year for the prestigious Padma Shri honour. Both were reportedly busy with commercial shoots and not playing cricket for the country when the awards function took place in April.

Sports Minister Manohar Singh Gill was livid and even said the duo needed to learn from legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on how to treat such national honours.

From letting his hair down on the ramp and being featured in an advertisement for liquor – both prohibited by his religion – to having on and off field spats with Australians Andrew Symonds and Mathew Hayden; slapping fellow cricketer S. Sreesanth in full public view and doing a Ravana dance act on a TV dance show last year that got Hindu and Sikh organisations gunning for his blood – Bhajji has done it all.

Even the Sikh clergy was aghast with Bhajji because he posed as a Hindu mythological character and applied Hindu symbols on his forehead. In Hindu mythology, Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, was abducted by demon king Ravana to force her to marry him. Radical Hindu organisations objected to the dance number saying it mocked their gods.

Bhajji, 29, comes from a humble Sikh family in Punjab’s Jalandhar city but is known for his aggressive nature on field, putting him in the class of most badly behaved cricketers.

His mother and one of his sisters live in a small house in Jalandhar’s congested Daulatpuri locality. This sister – he has four other married ones – works in a private bank in Jalandhar and uses a two-wheeler to commute between work and home. Whenever in Jalandhar, Bhajji lives with them.

But the cricketer is now building a lavish house for his family in Jalandhar’s New Baradari area. Two years ago, Bhajji bought a palatial 1,800-square yards bungalow in Chandigarh’s upscale Sector 9. The property is worth Rs.150 million.

Bhajji had landed himself in trouble in April last year after his ‘Slapgate’ controversy in which he slapped fast bowler and fellow Indian cricketer S. Sreesanth after losing an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Mohali.

The incident almost put a stop on his playing career. The slap cost Bhajji a whopping Rs.34 million as he was dumped from IPL and faced a limited ban from playing.

Bhajji’s infamous “monkey” run-in with equally temperamental Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds almost saw India’s tour to Australia being abandoned in 2007.

The bowler also had an on and off-field spat with Australian opener Mathew Hayden who, of course, bit more than he could chew when he called the Bhajji “an obnoxious weed”.

The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) at Mohali, near here, had set up a probe against Bhajji in 2005 after he publicly went against then Indian cricket coach Greg Chappell, saying the coach was intimidating players in the team.

The bowler was trying to defend then Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly but ended up being reprimanded by the PCA.

Bhajji was also partner in a hair-cutting salon here a few years ago.

Big B, a genius, reclusive math professor in Teen Patti

Teen Patti is an edge-of-the-seat thriller starring legendary actors Amitabh Bachchan and Ben Kingsley. The film being produced by Ambika Hinduja’s Serendipity Film Productions, stars Bachchan in an unconventional role of a genius, reclusive mathematics professor.

Teen Patti with card gambling as the backdrop has Big B playing tutor to R. Madhavan and four newcomers Dhruv Ganesh, Siddharth Kher, Vaibhav Talwar and Shakti Kapoor’s daughter Shraddha Kapoor. According to reports, he tutors them about high stake gambling, but producer Ambika remains tight-lipped. She also clarifies that Kingsley isn’t playing a cameo but has “an integral part” in the film.

Made on a budget of Rs 35 crore and shot at Flame College, Pune and St John’s College, Cambridge, the film is a take on greed, deception and morality and will release year end. “And it is not based on the Hollywood flick 21,” asserts Hinduja. Teen Patti is the second film of the banner after Being Cyrus that starred Saif Ali Khan.

Amitabh Bachchan to host 'Big Boss 3'

Bollywood Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will host the third edition of reality TV show 'Big Boss'.

Bachchan, currently in Singapore, said on Friday that he would be hosting the show.

Big B, 66, replaces actress Shilpa Shetty, who was the host of the second season of the show which was aired on 'Colors' television channel.

The Big Boss house in second part was located at Lonavala, a hill station located around 125 kms from here. This will be Bachchan's second stint on the small screen. He was the host of popular game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' for two seasons.