Whether you are looking for a holiday now or planning one for the future, this list will help you make the right choice. I have selected some of the best holiday destinations from around the world, focusing on a particular aspect of each place. So, here you have it: 10 hot holiday destinations, In no particular order:

1. The Maldives

For: Relaxation
The Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, about 435 miles South-West of Sri Lanka. It is a popular tourist destination because of the astoundingly beautiful resorts and scenery. In most cases you can stay in a private villa which sits out in the middle of the water – connected to the mainland by a small walkway. If you want to go somewhere to relax – this is the place to do it. The official language of the Maldives is Dhivehi, which is very closely related to Sinhala, the language of Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, you will have no problems speaking English in the tourist spots. Don’t forget to pack your laptop so you can read the List Universe while you are sipping margaritas on your private porch floating on the ocean!

2. Queenstown New Zealand

For: Excitement
In Winter or Summer, Queenstown is a fantastic place to holiday. In the Winter it is full of people there for the skiing, and in summer it is full of people there to take the white water trips down the Shotover river. I would also say that the food in Queenstown ranks as the best I have eaten in the entire world; though food in New Zealand is of an extremely high standard in general. There are a large number of hotels right on the waterfront of Lake Wakitipu (New Zealand’s longest lake and third largest). The water is bitterly cold (even in summer) – but it is beautiful to look at from your hotel window and if you can stand the cold, bathing is certainly allowed. Queenstown is also New Zealand’s jetboat and bungy jumping capital. And if you think the price is too high – you can always pop to Arrowtown right next door and try panning for gold in one of New Zealand’s old mining towns. Oh – and don’t forget, New Zealander’s are the friendliest people in the world.

3. Paris France

For: Food
Everyone knows that Paris is the City of Romance and Food, but it has that reputation for a good reason! The food in France is simply outstanding and almost unparalleled around the world. You can stay at very inexpensive hotels, or very expensive ones, depending on your budget; just make sure you leave enough money for the food and wine. Some of the things you will have to do: 1) eat macaroons at La Duree, on the Champs Elysee (you won’t be able to control yourself when you taste these things!), 2) eat ice-cream at Berthillon – the best ice-cream in the world (handmade entirely from natural ingredients), and 3) eat pastries at Pierre Hermé – the picasso of pastry. Don’t forget to check out Printemps – the incredible department store found on Boulevard Haussmann.

4. New York United States of America

For: Shopping
With the US dollar at an all time low, it is the perfect opportunity for non-Americans to travel to New York and pick up some bargains. In addition, you get to see one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the United States, and can experience the hustle and bustle of an incredibly busy city. New York has many state parks and two major forest preserves. Adirondack Park, roughly the size of the state of Vermont and the largest state park in the United States, was established in 1892 and given state constitutional protection in 1894. Major destinations include the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Broadway theatre productions, museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other tourist attractions including Central Park, Washington Square Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden, luxury shopping along Fifth and Madison Avenues, and events such as the Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village, the Tribeca Film Festival, and free performances in Central Park at Summerstage. New York’s food culture, influenced by the city’s immigrants and large number of dining patrons, is diverse. Jewish and Italian immigrants made the city famous for bagels, cheesecake and New York-style pizza. The city also boasts some of the finest haute cuisine restaurants in the USA.

5. Hong Kong China

For: Unique Culture
Hong Kong is frequently described as a place where East meets West, a meeting reflected in its economic infrastructure, education and street culture. On one street corner, there may be traditional Chinese shops selling Chinese herbal medicine, Buddhist paraphernalia or bowls of synthetic shark fin soup. But around the next, one may find theatres showing the latest Hollywood blockbuster, an English-style pub, a Catholic Church or a McDonald’s. The city’s cosmopolitan flavour can also be seen in the wide variety of cuisines available. While different varieties of Chinese selections, especially seafood, are most popular, there are also many European, American, Japanese, Korean, and other restaurants. Ethnic dishes served in cha chaan teng’s and dai pai dong’s are also popular. The people of Hong Kong take their food seriously and many top chefs make their way to the city to show off their talents to these discerning diners. The Hong Kong government also supports cultural institutions such as the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

6. Venice Italy


For: History
Every time I have been to Venice I have had an amazing holiday. Not only is the city incredible for its history, it is incredible for its food, its architecture, and its uniqueness. I have been in both summer and winter and would suggest that either of those seasons is perfectly fine for a visit. In summer it gets very hot and crowded, and in Winter it is not crowded but can be a bit on the cold side. If you are interested in old Churches, this is the place to go – there is one around every corner. The ambience of the city is one of mystery and rich culture. I recommend the Hotel Bauer which is just a few meters away from the San Marco square (the heart of the city). One of the best things about Venice is that you can leave your hotel and just start walking – you don’t need to worry about maps as you will eventually find your way back to the hotel. This is also an excellent way to explore the tiny dark alleys. Be sure to go for a trip on a gondola – but be prepared to pay big for the privilege – it is not cheap – on my last trip it cost me 75 Euros for 45 minutes.

7. Pyongyang North Korea


For: Exclusivity
This one is for the intellect – so that you can one day say that you have been the last bastion of Stalinist communist. It is very difficult to obtain a visa to visit North Korea, and if you do, it will be an expensive holiday. But you will be in a very small group of people who can say that have visited. By all accounts the food is extremely good and plentiful. You will be waited on hand and foot, and you will have a tour guide with you the whole time to explain things (okay – they are communist agents, but they will still explain things). You can visit the large shopping center and watch people who are paid to shop (so they look prosperous) and if you time it right, you may get a chance to see the amazing Mass Games, which are held every year on the 15th of April at the Arirang Festival, to celebrate the birthday of the Dictator Kim Il-sung.

8. Cape Town South Africa

For: Beaches
Cape Town is the third most populace city in South Africa, and it is the most popular tourist destination due to its good climate and natural setting. It is the home of the famous Table Mountain. Due to the city’s unique geography, it is possible to visit several different beaches in the same day, each with a different setting and atmosphere. Cape Town is noted for its architectural heritage, with the highest density of Cape Dutch style buildings in the world. Night life in the city caters for all tastes, with a range of restaurants and cafes that are generally recognized as including some of the finest eateries in South Africa (both in food quality and decor terms). Night clubs and bars abound with popular areas including the top end of Long Street and its immediate surrounds, as well as the redeveloped Cape Malay quarter, De Waterkant.

9. Sydney Australia

For: The Nightlife
Aside from having the most deadly creatures in the world, Syndey is a wonderful place. It is vibrant and pumping at all times – though especially at night. If you like the nightlife – this is the destination for you. Australian people are very friendly and the crime rates are reasonable. You can go on a harbour cruise at night and have dinner while floating under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or you can go out to the country side to see some amazing and unique flora and fauna. You can even spend an evening at the opera in the famous Sydney Opera House, home to the third busiest opera company in the world. Sydney’s most popular nightspots include Kings Cross, Oxford Street, Darling Harbour, Circular Quay and The Rocks which all contain various bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Star City Casino, is Sydney’s only casino and is situated around Darling Harbour.

10. Monte Carlo Monaco

For: The gambling
If you fancy holidaying Bond style, this is definitely the place for you. Be prepared to come home with no money – but memories you will cherish forever. This is the city of the Rich. Did you know, citizens of Monaco are not allowed to enter the casinos? They are also exempt from tax, making this a popular spot for the world’s billionaires. As well as gambling, Monte Carlo hosts the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix and many fashion shows. This country was, of course, home to the American actress Grace Kelly (Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco) before her death in 1982.

10 Largest Robberies in History

Most men have probably had a fantasy or two about pulling off a “once in a lifetime” kind of heist worth millions. Fortunately, most of us are sane enough not to let it get further than a thought. Below are a few men who were not. The only criteria for entry on this list is that they must have gotten away with it, at least temporarily. Anyone caught in the act does not qualify for this list. Whether it be cash, jewels, art or anything else worth big bucks, you can bet there is someone, somewhere, planning on stealing it. All values are in US$ or UK£, which bear in mind, are worth more than US dollars. I have roughly adjusted for inflation of some of the older robberies to show where they compare to some of the modern monster hauls. Incredibly, no one was killed during any of the below robberies (as far as I can tell), the mark of true professionals. Feel free to add any others I may have missed in the comments section. This list was originally sent in as a top 20, but it has been broken up due to the size of the items – the second installment will appear in the future.

Central Bank of Iraq
18th March 2003- Baghdad, Iraq: $1 billion

Some robberies require careful planning. Others use brute force. But the largest in history was as simple was it was effective. Saddam Hussein treated Iraq as his own personal fiefdom, so it’s no surprise that he would feel that the Central Bank of Iraq was his personal bank account. The day before Coalition forces began bombing Iraq, he sent his son Qusay to make a withdrawal on his behalf with a handwritten note. Qusay oversaw the withdrawal of boxes stuffed with $100 bills in a five-hour operation which netted the dictator about $1 billion in US dollars. It didn’t get him very far, as he was caught sometime later hiding in a hole in the ground whilst his son was killed by US forces. Approximately $650 million was later found by US troops hidden in the walls of one of his palace’s, though the remaining $350 million has never been recovered and is considered lost.

City Bonds Robbery
2nd May 1990- London, UK: £292 million


John Goddard was a 58 year old messenger working for broker Sheppards, who was mugged whilst carrying a briefcase on a quiet London side street. However, the contents of that briefcase contained £292 million in bearer bonds. Goddard was delivering Bank of England Treasury bills from banks and building societies. Due to the nature of bearer bonds, whoever is carrying them is deemed the owner. They are as good as cash. He was held at knifepoint, whilst his assailant made off with 301 Treasury bills, most valued at £1 million each. Keith Cheeseman was arrested in connection to the crime and received a 6 and a half year sentence. Police believe that the mugging was carried out by Patrick Thomas, but he was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head before he could be charged. All but 2 of the bonds were recovered after police and the FBI infiltrated the gang responsible. It’s amazing that the second largest robbery in history was carried out by a low level thief brandishing only a knife on an insignificant back street.

Boston Museum
18th March 1990- Boston, USA: $300 million

Number 3 on our list is also considered the biggest art heist in history. Two men dressed as police officers convinced 2 inexperienced security guards at the Gardner Museum that they were responding to a disturbance. Contrary to museum policy, the 2 guards let the “officers” into the premises, where they quickly learned that they had been duped after being handcuffed by the men in the basement. Amazingly, the 2 men managed to do this despite having no visible weapons whatsoever. The men spent the next 81 minutes calmly selecting 12 pieces of art with a combined value of over $300 million, and this was 20 years ago. Among the paintings stolen were 3 Rembrandt’s and a Vermeer. The two then took the surveillance tapes and departed, never to be heard from again, though in 1994 an offer was made to return the paintings for $2.6 million and immunity from prosecution, but the writer was never heard from again. The men appear to possibly be amateurs, as they made no effort to avoid damaging the paintings and left even more valuable works behind. The case has never been solved and there is a $5 million reward for any information pertaining to the return of the artworks. Also, authorities have announced that they will not prosecute anyone who has the paintings and offers to return them.

Baghdad Bank Robbery
12th July 2007- Baghdad, Iraq: $282 million

Employees of the Dar Es Salaam bank showed up to work one morning to find that the doors were unlocked, the vault open, and all the money was gone. It is believed that 3 guards at the bank made off with a staggering $282 million in this whopping haul. Yes, more than a quarter of a billion dollars! That’s more money than the entire economies of some small countries. It is unclear why the bank had such a large amount of cash on hand, but it was all in US currency. It is suspected that the guards had the assistance of militias, to avoid detection at security checkpoints around Baghdad, as having a lazy $282 million in the boot of your car might raise suspicions. No one has been brought to justice for this brazen crime and none of the money has been recovered. The robbery received surprisingly little media coverage.

Knightsbridge Security Deposit
12th July 1987-UK: £60 million

Valerio Viccei migrated to the UK from Italy in 1986, where he was wanted for over 50 armed robberies. He decided to continue his successful trade in his new homeland, where he and an accomplice entered the Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Centre and asked to rent a Safe Deposit Box. After being led into the vault, they subdued the manager and the guards. Valerio hung a sign outside stating that the Deposit was temporarily closed to deter more customers, and then went about letting in more accomplices. The gang then plundered the safe deposit boxes at will and netted an estimated £60 million, which translates approximately into a whopping $174 million in today’s money. The police were not alerted until an hour after the robbery, giving the team plenty of time to flee the scene. Valerio fled to Latin America whilst his accomplices were arrested, then foolishly returned to England sometime later to retrieve his beloved Ferrari, where he was subsequently caught. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. One would think that with the better part of $174 million, you would just buy another Ferrari. Or two. He was killed in 2000 while on day release in Italy, as a result of a gunfight with police.

British Bank of the Middle East
20th January, 1976- Beirut, Lebanon: £25 million


The 1970s saw the rise of the PLO, a terrorist group led by Yasser Arafat, whose aim was to carve out a homeland for the Palestinian people. They were at war. And wars cost money. Lots of it. Lebanon was in the midst of a civil war, and amid the chaos, a group associated with the PLO broke into a dozen banks, the largest of which was the British Bank of the Middle East. The group made off with a staggering £25 million worth of gold, jewels, stocks and currency, valued at much more than $100 million in today’s money. The group blasted the wall of the bank that was shared with the Catholic Church next door. With the assistance of Corsican locksmiths, they opened the vault and plundered the contents over the course of 2 days. Some of the stocks were later sold back to their owners.

Schiphol Airport Heist
25th February 2005- Amsterdam: $118 million est.

This haul is the largest diamond heist in history. $118 million is the estimate, as many of the stones were uncut, which make them much harder to value (and trace.) Whilst many of the other robberies on this list involve elegant planning and flawless execution, this was more akin to a smash and grab. 2 weeks prior to the robbery, 4 men stole a KLM cargo truck and KLM uniforms to divert suspicion until the last moment, so that they could move around the secure areas of the airport unhindered. (KLM is a major Dutch airline.) On February 25th, the thieves drove right up to a KLM truck that was carrying a large haul of uncut diamonds intended for delivery to Antwerp. In full view of many witnesses, they ordered the drivers out at gun-point and simply got in the truck and drove it away. Due to the fact that they knew exactly which truck to target, police suspect an inside job. It was the second time in 6 months that the airport terminal had been breached. Several men have been arrested in connection to the robbery.


United California Bank Robbery
24th March 1972- USA: $30 million est.

Whilst $30 million may not seem like much compared to the other monsters on this list, bear in mind that this occurred back in 1972. By today’s standards, it would be worth more than $100 million. At the time, it was a world record amount. A group of 7 men from Ohio, led by Amil Dinsio, broke into a branch of the United California Bank in Laguna Niguel, California, and looted the safe deposit vault. Due to the nature of safe deposit boxes and their undeclared contents, only an estimate is possible. They were eventually apprehended by the FBI. One of the men involved, Phil Christopher, has written an account of the robbery in the book Superthief. I couldn’t dig up too much information on this robbery, as even the FBI website does not have an account of the robbery or investigation, so if anyone wishes to add more information in the comments, feel free.

Antwerp Diamond Center
16th February 2003- Belgium: $100 million+

80% of the world’s uncut diamonds go through Antwerp, and don’t thieves know it! The city has seen its fair share of heists, but this one was incredible in both dollar value and the method with which it was executed. This haul was so large that the thieves literally couldn’t carry all their booty out of the vault, but still managed to empty an impressive 123 of 189 deposit boxes. Leonardo Notarbartolo, a 30 year career thief, was the leader of this stylish gang. The robbery was years in the making, with at least 4 people involved. They had rented office space in the building 3 years earlier, where Leonardo posed as an Italian diamond merchant to gain trust and credibility. He set up meetings and did small deals, no one ever suspecting a thing. When it was finally time to move, they inserted fake tapes into the security cameras to cover their movements. The vault was protected by 10 layers of security, including infrared heat detectors, Doppler radar, a magnetic field, a seismic sensor, and a lock with 100 million possible combinations. The robbery was called the heist of the century, and even now the police can’t explain exactly how it was done. Notarbartolo was caught after one of his accomplices failed to burn a garbage bag of evidence. The $100 million worth of gems has never been found and Notarbartolo is currently serving a 10 year sentence. Interestingly, Notarbartolo has claimed that a Jewish diamond merchant hired them for the heist and that they actually only stole roughly $20 million worth, with many of the deposit boxes already lying empty. He believes that he and his gang were used as part of a huge insurance fraud. Police have denied this possibility.

Harry Winston
5th December 2008-Paris, France: $108 million

Four armed men entered the upmarket jewelry store (“Jeweler to the Stars”) shortly before closing time, 3 of whom were dressed in wigs and women’s clothing. After cleaning out the display cases, they forced staff to loot the storage area, as the millions worth of jewels in the display cases just wasn’t enough for these guys. They cleaned the place out, without firing a shot. Harry Winston stock fell 9% the next day after word of the robbery got out. The store had been robbed the previous year, where thieves netted 10 million euros worth of jewels. One would think that perhaps it would be cheaper hiring some armed guards than getting robbed on a yearly basis. 25 people have since been arrested for the crime, aged 22 to 67. Good to see there is no age discrimination among thieves.

The Top Ten Myths about Human Cloning

1. Cloning Xeroxes a person:

Cloning merely re-creates the genes of the ancestor, not what he has learned or experienced. Technically, it re-creates the genotype, not the phenotype. (Even at that, only 99% of those genes get re-created because 1% of such a child's genes would come from those in the egg - mitochondrial DNA). Conventional wisdom holds that about half of who we are comes from our genes, the other half, from the environment.Cloning cannot re-create what in us came from the environment; it also cannot re-create memories. The false belief that cloning recreates a person stems in part from the common, current false belief in simplistic, genetic reductionism, i. e., that a person really is just determined by his genes. No reputable geneticist or psychologist believes this.

2. Human cloning is replication or making children into commodities:

Opponents of cloning often use these words to beg the question, to assume that children created by parents by a new method would not be loved. Similar things were said about "test tube" babies, who turned out to be some of the most-wanted, most-loved babies ever created in human history.Indeed, the opposite is true: evolution has created us with sex drives such that, if we do not carefully use contraception, children occur. Because children get created this way without being wanted, sexual reproduction is more likely to create unwanted, and hence possibly unloved, children than human cloning.Lawyers opposing cloning have a special reason for using these pejorative words. If cloning is just a new form of human reproduction, then it is Constitutionally protected from interference by the state. Several Supreme Court decisions declare that all forms of human reproduction, including the right not to reproduce, cannot be abridged by government.Use of words such as "replication" and "commodification" also assumes artificial wombs or commercial motives; about these fallacies, see below.

3. Human cloning reduces biological diversity:

Population genetics says otherwise. Six billion people now exist, soon to be eight billion, and most of them reproduce. Cloning requires in vitro fertilization, which is expensive and inefficient, with only a 20% success rate. Since 1978, at most a half million babies have been produced this way, or at most, one out of 12,000 babies.Over decades and with such great numbers, populations follow the Law of Regression to the Mean. This means that, even if someone tried to create a superior race by cloning, it would fail, because cloned people would have children with non-cloned people, and resulting genetic hybrids would soon be normalized.Cloning is simply a tool. It could be used with the motive of creating uniformity (but would fail, because of above), or it be used for the opposite reason, to try to increase diversity (which would also fail, for the same reason).

4. People created by cloning would be less ensouled than normal humans, or would be sub-human:

A human who had the same number of chromosomes as a child created sexually, who was gestated by a woman, and who talked, felt, and spoke as any other human, would ethically be human and a person. It is by now a principle of ethics that the origins of a person, be it from mixed-race parents, unmarried parents, in vitro fertilization, or a gay male couple hiring a surrogate mother, do not affect the personhood of the child born. The same would be true of a child created by cloning (who, of course, has to be gestated for nine months by a woman).Every deviation from normal reproduction has always been faced with this fear. Children greeted by sperm donation, in vitro fertilization, and surrogate motherhood were predicted to be less-than-human, but were not.A variation predicts that while, in fact, they will not be less-than-human, people will treat them this way and hence, such children will harmed. This objection reifies prejudice and makes it an ethical justification, which it is wrong to do. The correct response to prejudice is to expose it for what it is, combat it with reason and with evidence, not validate it as an ethical reason.

5. People created by cloning could be used for spare organs for normal humans:

Nothing could be done to a person created by cloning that right now could not be done to your brother or to a person's twin. The U. S. Constitution strongly implies that once a human fetus is outside the womb and alive, he has rights. Decisions backing this up give him rights to inherit property, rights not to suffer discrimination because of disability, and rights to U. S. citizenship.A variation of this myth assumes that a dictator could make cloned humans into special SWAT teams or suicidal bombers. But nothing about originating people this way gives anyone any special power over the resulting humans, who would have free will. Besides, if a dictator wants to create such assassins, he need not wait for cloning but can take orphans and try to indoctrinate them now in isolated camps.

6. All people created from the same genotype would be raised in batches and share secret empathy or communication:

Pure science fiction. If I wanted to recreate the genotype of my funny Uncle Harry, why would my wife want to gestate 5 or 6 other babies at the same time? Indeed, we now know that the womb cannot support more than 2-3 fetuses without creating a likely disability in one. Guidelines now call for no more than two embryos to be introduced by in vitro fertilization, which of course is required to use cloning.Such assumptions about cloned humans being created in batches are linked to nightmarish science fiction scenarios where humane society has been destroyed and where industrialized machines have taken over human reproduction. But this is just someone's nightmare, not facts upon which to base state and federal laws.

7. Scientists who work on human cloning are evil or motivated by bad motives:

The stuff of Hollywood and scary writers. Scientists are just people. Most of them have kids of their own and care a lot for kids. No one wants to bring a handicapped child into the world. Movies and novels never portray life scientists with sympathy. This anti-science prejudice started with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and continues with nefarious scientists working for the Government on The X Files.People who call themselves scientists and grandstand for television, such as Richard Seed and Brigette Boisselier of the Raelians, are not real scientists but people who use the aura of science to gain attention. Real scientists don't spend all their time flying around the world to be on TV but stay at home in their clinics doing their work.

8. Babies created by cloning could be grown in artificial wombs:

Nope, sorry. Medicine has been trying for fifty years to create an artificial womb, but has never come close to succeeding. Indeed, controversial experiments in 1973 on live-born fetuses in studying artificial wombs effectively shut down such research.Finally, if anything like such wombs existed, we could save premature babies who haven't developed lung function, but unfortunately, we still can't - premature babies who can't breathe at all die. Thus, any human baby still needs a human woman to gestate him for at least six months, and to be healthy, nine months. This puts the lie to many science fiction stories and to many predictions about cloning and industrial reproduction.

9. Only selfish people want to create a child by cloning:

First, this assumes that ordinary people don't create children for selfish reasons, such as a desire to have someone take care of them in old age, a desire to see part of themselves continue after death, and/or the desire to leave their estate to someone. Many people are hypocritical or deceived about why they came to have children. Very few people just decide that they want to bring more joy into the world, and hence create a child to raise and support for life as an end-in-himself. Let's be honest here. Second, a couple using cloning need not create a copy of one of them. As said above, Uncle Harry could be a prime candidate.On the other hand, if a couple chooses a famous person, critics accuse them of creating designer babies. Either way, they can't win: if they re-create one of their genotypes, they are narcissistic; if they choose someone else's genes, they're guilty of creating designer babies.In general, why should a couple using cloning have a higher justification required of them than a couple using sexual reproduction? If we ask: what counts as a good reason for creating a child, then why should cloning have any special test that is not required for sexual reproduction? Indeed, and more generally, what right does government have to require, or judge, any couple's reasons for having a child, even if they are seen by others to be selfish?Couples desiring to use cloning should not bear an undue burden of justification.

10. Human cloning is inherently evil: it can only be used for bad purposes by bad people:

No, it's just a tool, just another way to create a family. A long legacy in science fiction novels and movies make the word "cloning" so fraught with bad connotations that it can hardly be used in any discussion that purports to be impartial. It is like discussing equal rights for women by starting to discuss whether "the chicks" would fare better with equal rights. To most people, "cloning" implies selfish parents, crazy scientists, and out-of- control technology, so a fair discussion using this word isn't possible. Perhaps the phrase, "somatic cell nuclear transplantation" is better, even if it's a scientific mouthful. So if we shouldn't call a person created by cloning, a "clone," what should we call him? Answer: a person.

15 Amazing Facts

1. Fingernails grow four times faster than toenails.
2. Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people
3. If you rub an onion on your foot – within 30 – 60 minutes you will be able to taste it – this is because it travels through the blood stream.
4. You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath (if you hold it until you go unconscious, you begin to breath normally as soon as you do).
5. On one square inch of human skin there are 20 million microscopic creatures.
6. Armadillos are the only creatures apart from men that can catch leprosy – there are known cases of armadillo to human transfers of the disease.
7. A snail can sleep for 3 – 4 years – during which period it does not need food.
8. Giraffes can live longer without water than camels.
9. The songs of humpback whales can change dramatically from year to year, yet each whale in an oceanwide population always sings the same song as the others.
10. The forces required to remove a foot from quicksand at a speed of one centimeter per second would require the same amount of force as “that needed to lift a medium-sized car.”
11. To test if a pearl is real, you can rub vinegar on it – the composition of the pearl will cause it to bubble furiously.
12. Goldfish kept in a dark room turn much paler – and if it wasn’t for the color in the food they eat, they would turn completely white.
13. Unlike normal bees, the Queen bee’s stinger is not barbed and can be used repeatedly without harming her.
14. Quicksand doesn’t directly kill humans as it is usually not very deep at all – it is the fact that it can be incredibly difficult to remove yourself from quicksand that causes death by the environment – such as exposure.
15. Men are over 30% stronger than women on average, especially in the upper body, and men’s brains are heavier than women’s.

Famous ladies of Pakistani politics

Famous ladies of Pakistani politics

Shiri Rehman








Shahzia muree







MPA Maiza hameed








Kashmala Tariq

Minister of informatiron Sindh

Marvi memon









Fatima Bhutto

Fahmeeda Mirza

Largest monument to the Turkey set World Record

The town of Frazee, Minnesota — known as the Turkey Capital of the World — hosts a 20 feet tall turkey statue (”Big Tom”) which is known as a popular roadside attraction and sets the world record for the Largest monument to the Turkey.This Big Tom stands over 20 feet (6.1 m) tall and is 17 feet (5.2 m) wide.It weighs over 5,000 pounds, having 1,000 pounds of steel reinforcement.
The legs were made a little shorter and stouter than a normal turkey to better handle the weight. The Largest monument to the Turkey is estimated to have 3,000 to 4,000 separate fiberglass feathers, which took the D.W.O. Fiberglass Company over 2,000 hours to make.
The original Largest monument to the Turkey was built on a metal frame and covered in cement, fiberglass, cardboard, and insulation. When it was finished in 1986, it stood 22 feet (6.7 m) tall and cost $20,000 to build, earning Frazee the title of “Home of the world’s largest turkey.”
Because of Big Tom’s physical makeup, it needed frequent repairs. There were also complaints that Big Tom was not proportioned like a real turkey.
The area committee decided that they needed a new Big Tom and commissioned artist Dave Oswald (D.W.O.) of Sparta Wisconsin whose work includes the giant 40 foot Holstien cow in New Salem, North Dakota and a 180 foot Northern Pike in Hayward, WI.
When removing the old Largest monument to the Turkey in July 1998, a cutting torch was used to remove the wings. As soon as the torch touched the bird, Big Tom caught fire, completely destroying the statue.
The new Largest monument to the Turkey arrived in Frazee in August 1998. Coming in three separate pieces on a flatbed trailer, it took eight hours to assemble.
World’s Largest TurkeyAddress: Route 10, Frazee, MNDirections: Hwy 29 to Rt 10. On a hilltop, southwest side of town, in Lions Park

Motorbike Sculpture from Cardboard

Chris Gilmour made Motorbike Sculpture from Cardboard

Mr Gilmour's pieces are made without even a supporting structure of metal or wood.
His sculptures include everything from violins and bicycles to a full-scale Queen Victoria.
Mr Gilmour's passion for using the unusual material stemmed from a desire to promote recycling.

Now Mr Gilmour, who is originally from Stockport but lives in Italy, exhibits his work all over the world selling pieces for thousands of pounds.
"My pieces provoke a chain of thought, thinking about a way of raising the idea of empowerment in the face of materialism and the over-emphasis society places on material possessions," he said. "I studied art in Bristol in 1997, then returned to Manchester where I had a studio with other artists. I moved to Italy in 2000.
"I was using cardboard originally to make prototypes and models, but the first piece that was a 'proper' sculpture was a life size cardboard cow made in 1998.
"This was made in response to the mad cow outbreak as a substitute for the cows being destroyed, a joke obviously.
"From here I started making more serious pieces and considering cardboard as a very interesting material to make artwork with.
"It is very flexible and has the possibility of calling up other associations with the products which were contained in the boxes I'm using.
"Obviously it's not as strong as more traditional sculpture materials, but I find the challenge of finding solutions to these kinds of problems to be one of the attractions of working with cardboard. The oldest piece I have made is over 15 years old and still looks fine.
"In the end they are no more fragile than works on paper, and even bronzes or wooden sculptures are easily damaged. So long as they are treated with care, and don't get wet, they should last a lifetime.
"The largest pieces I have made are the cars, a fiat 500, a maclaren race car and even the 1960s James Bond. Aston Martin.
"But I also like my smaller pieces like typewriters, guitars and cameras. So far all the pieces have been sold, and there is a waiting list for new works."