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Friday, April 8, 2011

Top 10 Most Expensive Foods in the World...........



1. Italian White Alba Truffle – $160,406




2. Almas Caviar – $25,000



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3. Yubari Melons – $22,872






4. Dansuke Watermelon – $6,100






5. Domenico Crolla’s "Pizza Royale 007? – $4200






6. Samundari Khazana, the World’s Most Expensive Curry – $3200






7. Wagyu Steak – $2800







8. The Zillion Dollar Frittata – $1000






9. The World’s Most Expensive Bagel – $1000








  
10. Matsutake Mushrooms – $1000/pound

Weird food of the world..

Fried tarantulas – Cambodia
 An arachnophobe's worst nightmare comes fried and crunchy in Cambodia. In Phnom Penh markets and in the town of Skuon, locals deep fry spiders for locals and adventurous tourists alike. Buy one of these crispy snacks from a wandering hawker and you may even get to play with a live tarantula before tucking into one of his hairy brothers. The abdomen is only for the truly brave and is said to taste like "licking damp cobwebs."




 
Kumis/Airag – Central Asia

Made from fermented mare's milk, Kumis is an important drink for many Central Asian cultures. It is sour, slightly alcoholic and a rich source of vitamins and minerals – ideal for long treks across the Steppes.








Fugu – Japan

Certainly not as repugnant as some of the other dishes on our menu, fugu – or puffer fish – has nevertheless become a notorious delicacy thanks to the fact that eating it can be fatal unless it is properly prepared. The fish's liver, ovaries and skin contains large amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin and there is no known antidote.





 

Casu marzu – Sardinia

This is a Sardinian speciality that comes with a health warning. Most food that's crawling with maggots finds its way into the bin but the decomposition of this "rotten cheese" is positively encouraged. Pecorino Sardo is set aside so that cheese flies can lay eggs inside the rind which then hatch into crawling maggots. These feed on the cheese, aiding fermentation and producing a pungent smell. Officially banned in the EU, the maggots are eaten live with the cheese, assuming they haven't jumped away first – some can jump up to 15cm.





Sometimes described as "eggs with legs", Balut is an utterly gruesome – by some Western standards – delicacy from the Philippines. A common, everyday food, it is a fertilised duck or chicken egg containing a nearly-developed embryo – including feathers, feet, et al – that is boiled and eaten straight out of the shell.


Civet excrement coffee – Asia

Considered a delicacy in parts of Asia, these coffee beans are roasted after passing through the digestive system of a civet. Farmers on coffee plantations allow the weasel-like creatures to eat their crop in order to collect their bean-filled droppings for a steamy and surprisingly chocolatey beverage. While it has yet to make the menu at Starbucks, the beans can be bought in shops in London, including Selfridges.





Rat – Vietnam, China, Thailand, Laos

Rats destroy crops in rural Vietnam so farmers catch them, wrap them in banana leaves and sell them as a dinnertime treat. A roasted version can often be seen on the end of a stick in Thailand. Bats on a stick are also popular.








Live octopus – Japan and Korea

Many Westerners would find the practice of eating squirming octopus legs particularly hard to digest. It can seem cruel to the bystander, especially when the octopuses wrap themselves around the diner's chopsticks in an attempt not to be eaten. According to one diner's report, the wriggly bits can taste like "a party in your mouth" – but the suckers can be dangerous if they stick on the way down.






The smell of durian is so disagreeable that it has been banned from taxis, hire cars and public transport throughout southeast Asia. The novelist Anthony Burgess described it as "like eating sweet raspberry in the lavatory".







Cuy (guinea pig) – Peru

They may look cute in the classroom but a guinea pig on your plate looks less adorable. Peruvian families keep guinea pigs as they are a good source of protein for villagers living up in the Andes. Cuy, as they are called, are generally roasted before they are served with all limbs and the head attached. There is not a great deal of meat on them and the skin can be rather rubbery but otherwise they taste similar to rabbit.






Chicken feet – Worldwide

A common part of Asian, Jamaican and Peruvian cuisine, chicken feet are often served in soup or with black bean sauce. The foot is largely cartilage, while there are lots of small bones, so they certainly aren't for everyone.










Scorpions – China, Vietnam

Like tarantulas, scorpions are usually eaten fried, though are also served coated in chocolate or in a soup. They are said to possess medicinal qualities, and are popular with tourists at Beijing's famous night market, alongside crickets, sea horses and countless other appetisers.












Seagull wine – Arctic Circle

Not something you're likely to find down your local Brakespeares, seagull wine is an invention of Inuits in desperate need of a drink during those cold Arctic nights. Simply stuff a dead seagull (in bits, or whole) into a bottle of water and leave in the sun.










Witchetty grub – Australia

An Australian term for large, white moth larvae, witchetty grubs are a staple in the Aboriginal diet. They can be eaten alive or cooked and are an excellent source of protein. They are said to taste like almonds.

The world's weirdest animals.


Western tarsier

The huge eyes of this pocket-sized primate - each bigger than its brain - are surely nature's most outlandish night vision goggles, while it's huge feet and powerful back legs mean it is capable of leaping from tree to tree in search of insects and small invertebrates.







 
 Sloane's viperfish

The front end of this fish is the stuff of nightmares, with a grotesque battery of fangs protruding from its cavernous mouth like the spikes of an iron maiden. The explanation for these features lies in the fish's habitat,between 1,000 and 2,000 metres below the surface of the ocean.






  



Bald uakari

The shocking red pate of this follically-challenged simian has earned it the nickname among South Americans of 'mono angles', or 'English monkey', in honour of the first sunburnt Britons to visit their homeland.









 

Fog-basking beetle

This ordinary-looking beetle employs an extraordinary method for capturing water. Rain in its Namib Desert home is a luxury, so when coastal fog rolls inland it performs a headstand in the sand, capturing droplets of water on its back legs.





Lowland streaked tenrec
Tenrecs hail from Madagascar, home to a number of oddball species – including the Aye Aye and the Lemur. Bristling with quills and boldly decked out in yellow and brown stripes, this creature will attack would-be assailants, aiming to drive home the lethal, detachable barbs around its neck.






 

Axolotl

A type of salamander, this amphibian is the Peter Pan of the animal world. It remains in its larval stage throughout its life, which explains its feathery gills and lidless eyes. It also has remarkable healing powers. An axolotl that loses a limb will quickly grow a new one and it can even regenerate complex body parts, including parts of its brain and its spinal chord, making it of particular interest to scientists.





Babirusas

It's no wonder that the bizarre tusks of the babirusa are the stuff of legend on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, inspiring tall tales and demonic masks among the islanders who share its home. The babirusas will sharpen the tusks against trees and use them during disputes with rivals.











 



Proboscis monkey

The Malay word for this primate is orang belanda, or 'Dutchman', its pot belly and big nose reminding locals of Borneo's first European settlers. Regardless of stereotypes, this monkey does boast one of the most comical faces in the animal kingdom.











Treehoppers
Also known as "thorn bugs", these insects are certainly adept at the art of impersonation. Some species have even more ornate, horn-like protrusions that allow them to resemble a dead leaf. If their disguise is rumbled, they spring away on powerful hind legs.

Top 10 Mobile Battery Saving Tips

Top 10 Mobile Battery Saving Tips :

If you're expecting a call and your battery icon starts blinking, the first thing you should do is find a charger. But if that's not an option, here are ten things you can do to hang on. We'll skip the usual tips about the 'memory effect' and which battery type is better — NiCd or Li-Ion — because you don't really have a choice in that.

Close Background Applications
If you're using a Smartphone, close applications that you don't need. Applications that stay active in the background use up a bit of CPU, which uses up battery. Make sure you 'exit' the applications from the menu, not by pressing the 'End' key, as that merely puts the application in the background. In Series 60 Smart phones (mostly Nokia’s), hold down the 'Menu' key to get a list of all applications running in the background to close them. In Windows Mobile 5 phones, open the 'Memory' application and check the 'Running programs' tab to close them.

Turn Down Screen Brightness
The screen is one of the most power-consuming parts of the mobile phone. The lower the brightness, the lesser power it needs. Keep it as low as you can, so long as you can still see it! Also, some phones like the E61 and the BlackBerry Pearl come with auto-adjust features that increase the brightness in brightly lit areas and dim it in low-light areas. If you're setting the brightness low, make sure that auto-adjust is turned off.

Don't Use Animated Wallpapers or Screensavers
The animations in wallpapers and screensavers can drain a bit of battery as they also consume a wee bit of CPU. Turn them off.

Turn Off Keypad Lights
If you've been using the phone for a while, you may be able to use the keys without seeing them. If this is the case, the keypad backlight can be turned off. However, not a lot of phones support this, but it's worth considering if your phone does.

Decrease Screen Standby Time Out
The time till your screen dims out and/or gets turned off is configurable in most phones. 10 seconds is good, 5 seconds is better. Set it as low as you can go without it becoming inconvenient.


Turn Off Vibration
Probably the second most power-consuming feature of any mobile phone is the built-in vibration alert. See if you can do without it.

Turn Down Ringer Volume, Keypad Tones and Speaker During Calls
If you're mostly indoors, like in the office or at home, a low ringer volume can go a bit towards saving your battery. Most phones also have DTMF-like keypad tones, which are not necessary if the keypad has decent tactile feedback. I keep them turned off most of the time — you can try it too. Volume of the earpiece when you're on a call can also be lowered, and that helps too.

Disable Voice Clarity / EFR / Voice Privacy
Almost all phones now do Enhanced Full Rate (EFR) for voice communication that consumes a little more power. In most cases, the enhanced quality of EFR doesn't make a difference thanks to the high noise levels in our city. Keep it off, you probably won't miss it. Some phones (mostly Samsungs) have a 'voice privacy' feature which can also be turned off to save battery.

Turn off 3G / GPRS / EDGE
Most 3G/UMTS/WCDMA phones keep searching for 3G coverage by default. In India, they'll keep searching till 2008, draining your battery, so go to the network selection screen and choose GSM-only. If your phone has a secondary camera near the screen, it's a 3G phone. Check your phone’s specs on the website if you aren't sure. Sometimes, even regular GPRS or EDGE connections stay active in the back, so make sure you specifically disconnect when you're done browsing the web.

Nice funny thinking


There should be a better way to start a
day than waking up every morning

"ALCOHOL KILLS SLOWLY"
So what? Who's in a hurry?

Money is not everything
There's MasterCard & Visa.

Success is a relative term
It brings so many relatives.

God made relatives;
Thank God we can choose our friends.

One should love animals
They are so tasty.

Love thy neighbor
But don't get caught.

Behind every successful man, there is one woman
and behind every unsuccessful man, there are two.

Every man should marry
after all, happiness is not the only thing in life.

Wise men never marry
and when they marry they become otherwise.

Children in backseats cause accidents
Accidents in backseats cause children

A good discussion is like a miniskirt
Short enough to pertain interest and
long enough to cover the subject

When two's company,
three's the result!

A dress is like a barbed fence
It protects the premises without restricting the view

Love is photogenic
It needs darkness to develop

"Hard work never killed anybody"
But why take the risk! (I don't want to be an exception!)

"Work fascinates me"
I can look at it for hours!

Never put off the work till tomorrow
what you can put off today.

The more you learn, the more you know,
The more you know, the more you forget,
The more you forget, the less you know
So. Why learn.

Your future depends on your dreams
So go to sleep

Miniature Books

Forget glasses, youll need a magnifying glass to read the tiny print in these antique miniature books.
But simply because theyare small doesn't mean they don't tackle big subjects.




These thumbnail-sized publications“ which are to be sold at auction after they were discovered in a house clearance “ include The Bible and the London Almanack from 1842.

The smallest of the 16 books measures just 11/8in by 1in and the largest 31/8in by 31/8in “ a perfect size for the tiny inhabitants of Lilliput in Gullivers Travels.
You might need a magnifying glass to read it but the tiny books contain the exact same content as their full-sized versions

And yet, incredibly, each edition contains every word that the full-size version does.
 
Experts at Bamfords Auctioneers, in Derbyshire, who discovered the books, say they are expected to fetch a total of more than £2,000 when they go on sale next week.




 



Miniature books “ defined as those smaller than 31/8in in height, width or thickness .

The incredible thumbnail-sized novels expected to fetch thousands under the hammer this month

Originally novelty products, they quickly became a sign of a printer’s skill and rival firms competed to outdo each other.

And the fascination with mini-printing continues. In 1985 a 1/32in by 1/32in edition of nursery rhyme Old King Cole was produced in Scotland.

Auctioneer Steven Iredale said the newly found collection was incredibly rare. 




˜Collections like these tend to belong to staunch book collectors. I have only really read about them in the past and have never come across them before,’ he said. ‘They can sell for thousands of pounds and we have had a lot of interest.

“ became fashionable in 1475 when the first, a tiny version of religious text the Officium Beatae Virginis Maria, was produced.

˜They started producing miniature books, usually The Bible, in the 15th century, but other books soon started getting the shrinking treatment.

˜This collection has come from a property we cleared and the books had been in the family for years.

'They really are superb and the skill and detail is fantastic.

The sale is part of a three-day event from March 16 to 18.

Miniature books are usually considered to be no more than 8cm in height, width, or thickness


The world's weirdest skyscrapers...


Looming above Bangkok's skyline like a giant Dumbo, this is the Chang building, a thick-legged monster with a porthole for an eye and a pair of tusks more often seen framing the trunk of Thailand's national animal.



Bangkok's second claim to dubious architectural fame is the "robot" building, actually the United Overseas Bank, a vision of cartoon craziness modelled on a toy robot and dating back to 1986.

Where to see it: On South Sathorn road, a 15-minute walk from the Surasak Skytrain station.


Known as the "koala" building for the bear shapes that hug each tower's circumference, this is Hong Kong's Lippo Centre, completed in 1988. The uniquely cuddly twin towers are 186m tall and were intended to appear less harsh on the eye than your average skyscraper.

Where to see it: Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong.

The futuristic shape and silver orb of the Fuji tower in Tokyo could have been lifted from the set of a Seventies' sci-fi film. The sea of cars beneath Fuji Television's headquarters and the night-time lasers only add to the industrial wasteland feel. The 32m wide globe is an observation deck.
Where to see it: Walk from the Odaiba Kaihin Koen monorail station.


The Brutalist-style Genex Tower is an enormous city gate welcoming new arrivals from Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport. It is 115m tall and has two raw concrete towers connected by a small bridge and a 360 degree restaurant. It scores extra retro points for its dated signage.

Where to see it: In the Novi Beograd district, Belgrade, Serbia.



This solar furnace has a curved wall of mirrors that sucks in light to generate heat. The tower's warped reflection of the surrounding French countryside creates a striking image. It is the largest solar furnace in the world and opened in 1970.

Where to see it: Visitors are welcome at Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via in the Pyrenees. Reach it by train from Villefranche-de-Conflent through to Mont-Louis.



Curious facts about sleep


Puzzle



Old building-What’s wrong with the picture?





Can you find the fault here?





















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.
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ANSWER :

The clocks are set wrong 1:00, and the sun is rising or setting.

Interesting facts for all


Welcome to the silly season! It’s summer/spring time love is in the air and yes, corruption too, because it’s Income Tax time. It’s bad enough paying tax, but when you have to pay a bribe for getting your tax refund, that really makes you feel lousy.

First, the good news. Most of you won’t have to pay bribes, because the IT department has taken whole heartedly to information technology. Earlier, income tax babus were notorious for extracting bribes for releasing refund cheques. If you didn’t pay up, they would send it out very late, so that by the time you got it, the cheque would have already expired! In other words, they made asses of assesses.

The government changed the system, from January 2007 onwards. First, they introduced the Refund Banker Scheme, under which refunds were directly sent to assesses’ bank accounts. Starting 2008, the IT department set up a Central Processing Centre (CPC) in Bangalore, where all returns are sent for automatic processing. Then the system of e-returns was introduced. Since 2010, all corporates, firms and other assesses who have to get accounts audited shall have to compulsorily file e-returns. Individuals can also file e-returns, though it’s not compulsory. Anyway, whether you file returns on the net or on paper, all of them are sent to the CPC which automatically processes them. These chaps are good – they process something like 1 ½ lakh returns every day!

Once the return is processed and a refund is due to you, currently the CPC sends the money directly to your bank account, if you have provided details earlier. You can view the status of your refund 10 days after it has been sent to the Refund Banker by the Assessing Officer; by entering your PAN and Assessment Year details in the following website: https://tin.tin.nsdl.com/oltas/refundstatuslogin.html

Now that’s wonderful; this is indeed something that must be celebrated! Corruption has been dramatically brought down, through the intervention of Information Technology.

But is everything squeaky clean? Ipaidabribe.com did a quick check to find out whether corruption still lurks in the IT department, and discovered that behind all the good reforms they have carried out, there is bad news.

What is the catch, you ask? At present, the CPC directly and automatically processes all refunds below Rs. 1 lakh. No human interface is involved. But all returns where refunds are more than Rs. 1 lakh are sent back to the assessing officers concerned, who then manually issue the refunds. No prizes for guessing what happens next, these officials take bribes! I am told the bribe is between Rs. 2000 to Rs. 4000 normally, but it could be much higher, depending upon how greedy the officer is.




Now why does the IT department send high value returns back to the assessing officers, when the CPC can easily process them too?

Ipaidabribe.com spoke to a senior officer in the government to find out why. He says that the IT department needs to check whether the assesse concerned has any previous dues pending, before they can release the refund. That sounds justified, but most businessmen say that this is only a ploy to delay sending the refund and to collect bribes.

How can the system be improved? In the long term, all returns should be automatically processed. But in the short term, the manual system has to disclose publicly where the return is lying. If you can track your return in the CPC office, then why should you not be able to track it in the office of the assessing officer?

So we recommend the following steps to the IT department

• The details of the returns sent back to the assessing officers, including the date on which these have been sent back, should be made public by the CPC.

• Following this, the assessing officers should also have a net-based tracking system that shows when they received the return and what its current status is.

• The IT department should also give details of all pending arrears or demands of tax to the CPC with periodic updates, so that these can be verified by the CPC itself and refunds are issued by them only after verification.

• Citizens should also be able to view their tax arrears online, just as they are able to follow their refund status online. That way, there will be full transparency and citizens can themselves take action to pay the arrears. It will be a win-win situation for the IT department and citizens too!

Now, to all of you out there, till then, please try to trap some of these corrupt IT officials and clerks. You can record their corrupt acts using a mobile phone. If somebody demands a bribe for you to get your return, get the details and report the case to the Central Vigilance Commission, athttp://www.vigeye.com/. They promise to investigate into the matter.

Complain to higher level officials. Improve your body language. Don’t be submissive, get angry and say enough is enough.

Till technology catches up, the answer lies with you. If you complain and dig in your heels, they cannot delay your refunds. So, please go ahead and ensure you don’t pay a bribe.

The Most Green Countries


Let's talk about the most friendly countries - that is, normal, virtually unpolluted environment. There are very few places left, so please see this information in order to know where even nature is not destroyed by man. Lately, though, many people reflect on their own attitude towards the environment, and began to be corrected - someone from the car refuses to who, Wind determines who uses "green" gadgets and appliances.

All countries would be as clean as those described here.
Now, scientists at Yale University ranked these countries, given the many factors. Countries were evaluated by stoballnoy (Russian Word) scale.

05 Norway
In the fifth place - Norway 81.1 points. CO2. By 2030, Norway will become a country with virtually no industrial emissions of CO2. Already countries are taking steps to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, looking for ways to reduce emissions. To achieve this, the government makes the purchase of related equipment and technologies. Plans are under way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40%.


Incidentally, the steps are not purely scientific, but economic. So, those motorists who have a car with engine on diesel fuel, should pay more. In addition, Norway paves the additional railway line, to save the inhabitants of the country from having to travel by car over long distances. The country also leads in the order of landscapes, disturbed previously.

04 Sweden


In the fourth place Sweden - 86.0 points. While the rest of the country are experiencing hard times due to the need to always pay more for fuel, going to Sweden already in 2020 to transfer all the houses on the fuel-free mode. The Government has not gone mad and not going to turn off all heating and gas. Sweden is gradually shifting to renewable energy sources.

Such a plan was not adopted now, but back in 1980, during one of the fuel crisis. Country focuses on energy use of rivers, wind and sun. Unfortunately, Sweden is building nuclear power plants, which are well, not exactly "clean". Are taking other steps. For example, chips turn into balls and sell to the population for heating. In addition, Sweden is gradually transferred to the use of biogas in vehicles instead of the normal methane. That sounds a bit strange, but much cheaper biofuels produced in the bowels of the earth gas.

03 Costa Rica
In third place Costa Rica - 86.4 points. This country has long stated its intention to remain a clean country, now Costa Rica working on the conservation of virgin forests and biodiversity. By 2021, Costa Rica is going to be a country with zero emissions of industrial carbon dioxide. To do this, the Government promotes the development of new types of alternative energy sources, implementing already existing in the industry. Of course, Costa Rica - a warm country, so it does not have to heat the house. This immediately almost one-third reduction in consumption of energy.




02 Switzerland
In second place Switzerland - 89.1 points. This country was the leader of the rating of the cleanest countries in 2008, now she has moved into second place. Switzerland is always working to stay clean, "green" country, gradually reducing the amount of emissions and arranging their own territory. The government is gradually creating new national parks, where nature comes in its original form.


In Switzerland, large and small companies, as well as individuals, are adopting "green" technologies, and promote the use of such technologies for its customers. For example the popular hotels in this country are doing discounts to those who arrive in hybrid cars. In addition, many homes use heating system that receives energy from geothermal sources. But, in general, Switzerland has never been a dirty country. That's really, truly - "Clean, not where sweeping, but where do not litter." For Switzerland, this slogan is native.








01 Iceland
For decades, Costa Rica has destroyed its own forests, sold abroad. It is making significant efforts to reduce the activity of companies, cut down forests, in addition, the country is trying to plant new trees to replace felled. Only in 2008, despite the crisis were planted 5 million new trees. This is not so much but gives hope for the restoration of destroyed earlier.


In the first place Iceland - 93.5 points. If we talk about geothermal energy, to whom, and lucky in that respect, it's Iceland. Iceland eliminating the need to burn something to get warm. No heat in this country plenty, despite the cold climate.
The Icelandic Government has encouraged residents of this small country to use "green" technology, but also the people themselves did not resist. Interestingly, earlier Iceland 70% dependent on the supply of coal, which is imported into this country. Now the dependence of the energy sphere of Iceland from coal is only 18%. Even if coal supply does stop, Iceland will survive. By 2050, Iceland is going to get rid of dependence on coal and oil, excluding those natural resources from the economy and industry of the country.



The 'puppy' born to a SHEEP



Ewe have got to be kidding! The 'puppy' born to a SHEEP
Vets say it’s impossible - but to Chinese farmer Liu Naiying his birth is a miracle.

For Mr Liu insists one of his sheep has given birth to a dog

The 'puppy' has wool like a lamb but its mouth, nose, eyes, paws and tail look more like a dog's.

Miracle': The sheep/dog and the ewe that allegedly gave birth to him in Shaanxi Province, China


His 'sheep dog' even plays like a hound.

The birth has prompted thousands to flock to his farm in Shaanxi Province to see for themselves.

Mr Liu told how he found the unusual baby animal shortly after it was born in one of his fields.

‘I was herding the sheep, and saw a sheep licking her newborn lamb on the grassland. The lamb was still wet,’ he said.

‘When I went up close to check on the lamb I was shocked because it looked so weird, like a cross between a sheep and a dog.

Strange: The 'puppy' has wool like a lamb but it's mouth, nose, eyes, paws and tail look more like a dog's



‘I was a bit frightened, as I've been raising sheep for 20 years and had never seen such a creature.’

Yue Guozhang, a researcher at Xi'an City Animal Husbandry Technology Centre, said sheep and dogs were different species.

‘It's not possible that a sheep could become pregnant with a puppy,’ he said. ‘It's likely that this is just an abnormal lamb.’