If you grew up American, like me, then your typical idea of “Tropical Fruit” was bananas and the occasional kiwi. When I was a kid, Pineapples were something you rarely saw in a grocery store and mangos were something mentioned in movies or songs and I just assumed they didn’t exist for real and I just assumed Sesame Street and Don Ho were lying to me.

The internet has effectively erased the borders when it comes to things like a country’s native foods, and the global distribution of goods has brought the weird to our neighborhood food dispensaries.  Here are 10 bizarre fruits that people actually eat, that we otherwise never would have heard of.

10. Kiwano

Kiwanos are a strange melon/cucumber relative originally from New Zealand. The outside looks more like something from an 80s side-scroller than a fruit, and the inside is even more bizarre. Usually when something is that green, it is oozing out of a dead alien, and to be honest, isn’t real. But they are. When I was a kid, the commissary (the grocery store if you grew up on a military base) had them once and I talked my mother into buying one. I then spent 2 weeks staring at it, wondering if it was going to scream at me and club me to death if I tried to cut it (it didn’t).

I eventually sliced it open, and as is the case with most tropical fruit, I decided I preferred apples. They are apparently pretty popular, though and work okay in fruit salads.

9. Dragon Fruit

Also known as Pitaya, the dragon fruit lives up to its name in appearance. From the outside, it looks like a decorative modern art flame, and on the inside, well, that is what I figured a dragon must look like on the inside. They originally come from Mexico and New Mexico, but are pretty popular in the eastern world now and grown heavily in the islands of Indonesia, up across South East Asia, in Australia and even as far as Israel.

It is the fruit of a cactus, and is described as having a very watermelon like taste, despite looking like vanilla ice cream studded with dead fruit flies.

 8. Durian

Ahh, durian. Alternately known as “The King of Fruit” and “The fruit that smells like rotting garbage and onions.” My favorite description is from Richard Sterling and quoted on Wikipedia as this:

“Its odor is best described as pig-sh*t, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away.”

The same page also mentions that they have also been described as smelling like civet, sewage, stale vomit, skunk spray and used surgical swabs. Yum.  Some people are absolutely in love with it, and apparently a variety of animals including tigers can’t get enough of stale vomit encased in a fruity hedgehog, but the people in Singapore seem to have the right idea; the fruit is banned from all public transportation.

7. Buddha’s Hand

Buddha’s hand is a citrus fruit with little real “fruit” to it, being mostly citron scented rind, in the form of awful looking yellow fingers. It is easily the most horrible looking thing bearing the name “Buddha” unless some sick bastard named a rotting carcass after Siddhartha.

People don’t generally eat them, because of the lack of actual fruit in it, but they use them to perfume rooms because they put out a pretty powerful citrusy fragrance, however since their pith (the bitter white part of the citrus peel) is actually not bitter, the “fingers” are sometimes cut off and used in fish dishes or salads.

6. Passion Fruit

While passion fruits aren’t exactly rare these days, they still kind of freak me out, and they are odd looking. They are originally South American and the skins have been shown to contain trace amounts of cyanogenic glycosides, which is to say microscopic amounts of really nasty poison, but then again so do apple seeds, so don’t sweat it.

People are almost as psycho about passion fruit as they are durian, although not smelling like a corpse suggests that they may be on to something. Here’s a fun bit of trivia: Guess how the Passion Fruit got its name? Well, before the fruit was named, the flower was called the “Passion Flower”. Do the flower and fruit inspire lust? Do they keep couples together through tough times? Or rather, did the flowers remind the first Europeans to discover them think of Jesus being tortured (the Passion)and named them after that? Hint, it had nothing to do with love.

5. Screw Pine

I love anything where the name could get a kid in trouble for saying it in school, which includes the word “screw” and anything that sounds like “ass.” Screw pines also go by the more boring name of Pandanus… okay, so “Panda anus” is a winner too. The fruit is used for everything from dyes to food. Not the most exciting thing on the list, but it certainly has the most fun name.

4. Rambutan

I’ll be honest with you; rambutan reminds me of a vegetarian testicle. Sorry for that, but I aim for honesty in my writing and it looks like some weird critter from Australia carries them around to make babies and possibly drink from. It hails from Southeast Asia and is popular for jams and jellies, and the mildly poisonous seeds are sometimes roasted and eaten (roasting them apparently makes them safe).

3. Akebia Quinata

These fruit look like they are just as likely to eat you as you are it. The sausage shaped pods are filled with edible goo that looks like it should be bursting with flies, but they come from chocolate scented flowers, which means they may not be half bad. The stem of the plant is used as a diuretic because it contains 30% potassium salts, and New Zealand has banned the sale of the plant because it is apparently a virulent pest that likes to squeeze out competing flora.

2. Atemoya

Atemoya are a hybrid made from Sugar Apples and Cherimoya. Much like the durian, they look like you could shove it onto the end of a stick and smite foes with them, but they are actually smooth and soft like the sherimoya. They are described as tasting like a pina colada with vanilla, which actually sounds quite delightful. Oh, and because nothing tropical seems to be without a horrific dark side, the seeds are inedible and poisonous. Also, the flowers have a weird behavior; from 2 to 4 PM, they are female, and on alternating days, from 3 to 5 they are male. This fruit is a lot like Cillian Murphy in Peacock.

1. Snakeskin Fruit

Some fruit names are deceptive; Breadfruit tastes nothing like bread, and road apples couldn’t look less like a road if they tried. (They taste awful, too.) This one pretty much hits the nail on the head. I will take my vegetable matter without disturbing scales, thank you very much. Pinching the end of the fruit causes the skin to slough off, and the pieces of fruit resemble garlic. The flavor is described as sweet and acidic, that is if you can get past the fact that it looks like garlic from the plant the lizard people in V came from.

List by: David Dietle

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the new holiday destination will be the world’s first Ferrari theme park and largest attraction of its kind to open in 2010.

The theme park will feature an iconic sleek red roof that’s said to be directly inspired by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT body, spanning 2,152,782 square feet and carrying the largest Ferrari logo ever created.

There will be a number of attractions, including rides for children of all ages and the world’s fastest  rollercoaster, travelling at speeds exceeding 124 mph. Another ride will rocket passengers through the roof and to a height of 203 feet to simulate the G-forces experienced by a drivers in an F1 car.

The site is located on Yas Island on the North East side of Abu Dhabi’s mainland, which is about a 10-minute drive from Abu Dhabi International Airport and 50 minutes from Yas Marina Circuit, which will host the inaugural Abu Dhabi GP later this year.

If you’re a long-time jailbreaker of Apple products, the wait for the iPhone 4S untethered break may have been particularly treacherous, and the release of the A4 jailbreak late last month must have looked like raw steak to a lion.

Thankfully, the many contributing developers have released what we’ve all been waiting for.

So, you’re jailbroken; that’s great and all, but what’s next? Well, fire up Cydia, and we’ll take you on a little journey through some of the best tweaks available for your recently unshackled device. We’re going to run through our favs, so watch closely, and you’ll have a few very useful tweaks to get you started!

Note, at time of writing, the jailbreak has been out for mere hours, so Cydia may be susceptible to crashes, server overloads, or indeed not launch properly at all. Don’t fret, this is a normal occurrence as hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of likeminded gadgeteers seek the same benefits as yourselves. You’ll find that, once the dust settles, Saurik and Co. will have everything running smoothly once again.

3G Unrestrictor for iOS 5

Rather than attempting to pack loads of unnecessary features in, this tweak does one thing – and does it very well indeed. You may have tried to download, say a music video or movie from iTunes while on the go, only to realize the download would not start. This is because Apple limits the number of MB’s downloadable through a cellular connection to just twenty, leaving those on unlimited packages and bereft of an available Wi-Fi Hotspot just a tad bit miffed.

Enter 3G Unrestrictor. Recently updated for iOS 5, it tricks your device into thinking it’s on Wi-Fi whenever you activate it, meaning no more unnecessary limitations. It’s particularly popular amongst FaceTime users, a feature which can only be used over Wi-Fi; so says Apple.

It’s one of those tweaks which should certainly feature in your staple diet of Cydia imports, and is still just 99 cents as an introductory offer before it rises to the usual price of $3.99. At either price, it’s well worth it, and you can check out our full feature including download information here.

BiteSMS 6.0

BiteSMS is Messaging the way it always should have been, and we’d go as far as to say it’s pretty much got it all. From the ability to create a message from any app with QuickCompose to the feature allowing messages to be pre-written and sent at specified dates and times, it is as close to perfection as you will get on iOS.

Despite packing in so many features, it still manages to keep that quintessentially Apple simplicity, and somehow doesn’t feel too overloaded. It’s only recently been updated for iOS 5 compatibility, but fits in once again like a glove.

It’s fully integrated with NotificationCenter, so you’ll never miss a trick, but this five-star app will set you back ten bucks.

You can read our full, extensive coverage of BiteSMS here.

FastTweet+

Since iOS 5 came packaged with that inbuilt Twitter API, FastTweet is a no frills way to tweet quickly and efficiently. Similarly to 3G Unrestrictor, this tweak has one sole purpose, and does it to absolute perfection.

Of course, you can’t check your direct messages or currently trending fad of the hour, but that’s not its purpose, and there are a bunch of other apps available with varying interfaces to cater to those needs. You tweet, you close, and you tweet again. Nice and simple – just how we like it.

Sound good to you? Well what are you waiting for; check out the full post here!

Zephyr

This great tweak, courtesy of chpwn, allows you to slide between apps in a similar way multitasking gestures does on the iPad. It helps make an already smooth OS even smoother, and allows the multitasking bar to be opened with a swipe, as opposed to double-tapping the home button which we all – at some stage – get wrong and end up closing our currently-open app.

Based on a similar function of the Nokia N9, it’s a wonderful tweak, but then again, we’d expect nothing less from chpwn – one of the greatest to have ever done it.

Check out the full post here for more info and download.

ProTube

Continuing with the as it should have been motif of BiteSMS, this tweak demonstrates some of the features we’d love to see in the native YouTube iOS app.

YouTubing without ads seems like a distant memory, with most videos now featuring mandatory advertisements of up to 30 seconds. ProTube blocks them out, meaning you’ll probably not want to access the main site again for fear of the spam.

We’d have to pitch the clinching feature as MP3-saving capacity – meaning any audio can be ripped and saved for listening at any time, as depicted above. Then again, with AirPlay added to the mix, we’ll let you decide on your favorite. Want more? Go here!

Hands-Free Control for Siri

This Siri-centric marvel allows Apple’s new voice-recognition software to be launched, well.. by voice.

Although we wouldn’t necessarily want Siri to get to work on every word we speak within her earshot, the option would have been nice, but since Apple hasn’t catered to this just yet, developer Aman Gupta (@tmm1) has brought this feature to those jailbroken.

Have a look at our full post on this particular tweak, located here.

Overflow

Although we appreciate our iPhone 4S for its hardware capabilities and smooth operating system, we are also – to varying degrees – wooed by the aesthetics. After all, it’s a beautiful device, and making things look a little bit prettier here and there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Simply put, Overflow makes dock icons look like cover flow, and although there have been ways to achieve the look before, manually editing icons in WinterBoard is neither enjoyable, nor practical, since once the next very important app comes along, you’re stuck with an icon fixed at a 35 degree angle.

Overflow is simple, and unlike the manual method, easy to reverse. If you’re impressed by the screens, have a look at the full post, which you can find here.

SuperSwitcher

This tweak allows you to add nine of your favorite apps to the somewhat wasteful area above the active multitasking bar, which is very useful indeed – if you only have nine commonly-used apps.

It works perfectly, but we can’t help but feel there’s still some wasted space in which the dev could have filled to fit more apps. But that is something we can hope for with future updates, and those gripes shouldn’t take away anything from what is an essential app – especially to power users.

Refer to our full feature for more.

Springtomize 2

Springtomize was initially released last March, and as an alternative option to WinterBoard, allowed users to customize many aspects of iOS.

The sequel provides much of the same, bringing iOS 5 compatibility and a sleek new look. As well as customizing the aesthetics of just about anything, you can disable certain aspects you may not find particularly useful, such as Voice Control or Multitasking.

Well worth checking out, you can find a more detailed overview here.

IntelliScreenX

This tweak simply fills an extremely obvious gap left by Apple in iOS 5, bringing a Notification Center-like experience to the LockScreen. Maybe Tim Cook and his development team didn’t think iOS users would want such features on the device’s front page, but that’s by the by, since IntelliScreenX has it covered.

Building on the success of LockInfo, it provides up-to-date information on various forms of notifications, as well as catering for widgets.

It looks beautiful, and is extremely practical. See this post for more information.

BBSettings

SBSettings is, in our humble opinion, the most useful tool available to the jailbreak community. The essential aspects of the iPhone, such as power, Wi-Fi, and cellular data can be controlled with a simple slide across the top of the screen.

Taking advantage of the NotificationCenter in iOS 5, BBSettings makes things even easier by packaging the useful features of SBSettings into Apple’s new alerts infrastructure. For a full overview and download, see here.

Siri Mic Colors

Ahh, so you’ve been staring at the same old interface for three-and-a-bit months now, and if you like spontaneity, you’ve probably been itching to make little adjustments to the theme and UI to suit your taste. Whilst WinterBoard is the obvious option now you’re out of jail, it has been known to slow devices down as well as make them look awfully tacky at times.

So rather than throw WinterBoard in as a suggestion, let’s start with a few subtle changes; after all, minimalistic nearly always looks better, and in what appears to be the first of its kind, Siri Mic Colors allows you to do just what you’d expect.

You’ll need to add the repository http://repo.technetec.com to your list of sources, after which you’ll be able to change that purply Siri mic button to whatever you choose. It’s subtle, minimal, but still gives your device a little originality whilst maintaining class.

Siri Background Color

Again, this tweak does exactly as it says on the tin, bringing a little personality to an otherwise rather plain-looking area.

Let’s face it, we don’t love Siri for her looks, but her wonderfully-educated personality. That said, a change of clothes now and then would not go amiss, wouldn’t you agree?

As with the mic color changes, there are only a few available, but we reckon that keeps things clean, tasteful and simple.

Download from Cydia under the MacCiti.com repo.

VoiceUtils

Now this is where things get a little more interesting. VoiceUtils is the first of undoubtedly many tweaks bringing some form of customization go Siri’s commands.

It’s not too bad for a first attempt, and we fully expect to see a massive influx of similar tweaks in the coming days/weeks/months.

VoiceUtils allows you to respring, reboot, turn your device off and enter safe mode via Siri, all very handly little time-savers.

With the iPhone 4S now jailbroken, expect to see many Siri-related tweaks appearing in the near future. Although the wait has been rather agonizing at times, at least we’re not having to restore from a stop-gap tethered boot option.

As an added bonus to all these great tweaks, Grant Paul (or as he’s better known in the jailbreak community, @chpwn), has confirmed that his tweaks work just fine on the iPhone 4S. To refresh your memory, these include Zephyr (as mentioned above) along with classics such as the Infini- series, which allows an infinite scrolling of the springboard, folders and dock, as well as the very useful Gridlock, which allows icons to be placed in various positions as opposed to one after the other as dictated by Apple.

Source: redmondpie.com

Visit the 8 unique but unusual walls around the world. Every wall has their story behind and it might be a historical wall for the country. So the some of the wall had become a tourism place. Let’s take a look.

1 ) Chewing Gum Wall, Seattle, US

Not all walls are controversial and divisive. Seattle’s gum wall is the place for any unwanted chewing gum, a tradition which was started by people queuing for the theater. Currently the gum on the wall stretches to several inches thick and is a slightly alternative location for wedding photographs.

2 ) Storm King Wall, NY, US

Andy Goldsworthy (British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist) created the Storm King Wall in Mountainville, New York in 1997.  At 2,278 feet (694m) long, the site-specific sculpture is made from stones gathered around the Storm King Art Center’s property.

3 ) Security Wall, West Bank, Israel

This wall is the most controversial in the world. It is being constructed by the Israeli government to separate the Israeli and Palestinian people of the West Bank. Currently standing at 8m (26ft) high, this wall remains a source of hostility and resentment between the two peoples.

4 ) Vietnam War Memorial Wall, Washington D.C., US

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national war memorial in Washington, D.C. It is often described as the most moving memorial in the city, the Vietnam Memorial stands as tribute to those who died or went missing, intended to transcend political controversy in remembrance of the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Its centerpiece, the Memorial Wall designed by Maya Lin, is made up of two black granite walls engraved with the 58,256 names of the soldiers.

5 ) Belfast Peace Line, Belfast, Northern Ireland

The Peace Line stands over 20ft (6m) high and was constructed to separate Catholic and Protestant communities in Belfast thereby ‘keeping the peace’. What was meant as a temporary measure became more permanent as the barriers became longer and wider. The recent suggestion that they should be destroyed was met with anger from local residents and so its deconstruction remains a debated topic.

6 ) Green Line “Walls”, Cyprus

In downtown Nicosia, the Green Line is made mostly of big, colored oil barrels; as you walk along, these yield to bulldozered bunkers with thick green overgrowth. The term Green Line refers to the cease fire line that de facto divides the island nation of Cyprus into two, cutting through the capital of Nicosia. It was first established in 1964.

7 ) “Eco Barriers” Wall In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Beginning in March 2009, a concrete wall surrounds the Dona Marta favela, which sprawls over the Corcovado hills above Rio de Janeiro and housed approximately 7,000 residents in 2006 in more than 1,000 dwellings. Officials insist the wall exists to protect the remaining native forest as serves as an ecobarrier. Critics see the wall as a symbol of Brazil’s vast division between the rich and poor.

8 ) Lennon Wall in Prague, Czech Republic

The John Lennon Wall, began as hippie graffiti in the 80′s, was whitewashed by the secret police. The painting returned and when the wall was given back to the Knights of Malta in 1989 as part of a huge restitution deal. The Knights wanted to paint over it too, but the Ambassador from the French Embassy across the street pleaded its case. The wall had to be re-plastered in 1998, but an artist was hired to re-do Lennon’s portrait and small graffiti is tolerated today.

The person that said, “I’ve never eaten an ice cream I did not enjoy,” the same person that believes the doorway to Heaven has a Baskin & Robbins sign over it has obviously never tasted these wonderful flavors. (Wonderful to Someone) Welcome to “The Top 10 Ice Cream Flavors…FROM HELL.” A list of real ice cream flavors that you will not find in your neighborhood ice cream parlor unless you happen to live in Japan. Why is it not surprising that these weird flavors come from the same peoples that invented sushi? The next time you ask someone what flavor of ice cream they want and they reply, “Surprise me. I love it all.” Serve them up a big dish of one of these ice cream flavors and put that bold statement to the test.

Collagen is a protein found naturally in the body. It is used by the health and cosmetic industries to help revitalize aging skin. Collagen makes up 25% to 35% of all protein count in mammals. Why anyone would want to use it in ice cream is beyond me. (Could this be why the Japanese look so young?) I would not know whether to lick it or wear it on my face overnight to get that younger look. While I have known a few supermodels I would not mind nibbling on, I do not believe I would be thinking about their collagen. The lemon is a fruit that has more uses than you can shake a cone at. From cleaning products to pie and from cosmetics to insecticides, the lemon is one of the most widely used fruits for purposes other than eating than any other. So how did they solve the problem of lemon juice curdling milk and collagen? The world may never know this Japanese secret. I know I will not because I will never eat a collagen and lemon flavored ice cream. Sorry Yoshi, I just cannot do it.

For those of you that think Wasabi is a tribe of pygmies hidden deep in the Congo, guess again. While I would not put it past the Japanese to make an ice cream flavor made of that gooey stuff between elephant’s toes, (slow pygmies) Wasabi is actually a Japanese plant. Its root is used as a spice and is the main ingredient for the horseradish most commonly served with sushi. When you think about it, what could be more refreshing on a hot afternoon in Japan than a nice horseradish ice cream cone? Substitute chopped nuts for chopped raw fish for a complete meal!

Speaking of chopped raw fish, no salad would be complete without a dish of tuna fish ice cream. You have heard the old saying that you can tune a piano but you cannot tune a fish. Well apparently, you can, as long as it is squished up, mixed with cream, and frozen. I might be able to eat one of these if I had some mayo syrup to put on it. Unless all that licking uncovered a tuna fish eyeball. Then I think I would be in trouble. Can you say, tuna fish and puke ice cream?

Speaking of something that comes from intestines, Squid gut ice cream makes the top ten ice cream from hell list (not from hell, from Japan) It does not take a ninja master to figure out that squid gut ice cream is one of the most delicious of Japanese delicacies that can be found. The secret to this wonderful flavor is in the tiny chunks of squid gut that you can chew up and grind between your teeth to maximize the experience. I learn something new every day, I mean…, who knew squid have intestines?

There are two great benefits in charcoal ice cream, which is probably why it makes our top ten ice creams from hell list. (not from hell, from Japan) First, once you have eaten a bowl of this gray colored, icy cold treat, you do not have to worry about indigestion…, ever. Coating your stomach with charcoal ice cream is akin to drinking twelve bottles of Pepto Bismal laced with Elmer’s glue. The second and most useful benefit is if you are cooking out and you run out of fuel, well. There you have it. By the way, two days after you have eaten this delicious and nutritious ice cream, you can recycle it and save a ton on charcoal briquettes.

Indian Curry ice cream, not to be mistaken with Hautes Glaces is a very delectable treat made with, among other ingredients, Japans version of the original Indian Curry. To get an idea of what this tastes like without actually eating it, (or smelling it as it is very aromatic, to be kind) Japanese curry is usually used in the brown sauce that is served poured over most Japanese rice dishes. If that does not help, imagine licking a sweaty Indian Sumo Wrestler, which is why this came in at number five.

The deadliest form of ice cream known to man, Pit Viper Ice Cream tastes great. The danger is in harvesting the fast little suckers and then convincing them to get into the grinder. As a general rule, a pit viper would rather kill you as to look at you. Fortunately, the “pit” in pit viper stands for the unique indent between their eyes that allows the deadly snake to “see” an image of their prey from special sensors that detect body heat and convert in into a clear picture. To catch them, the chef covers his entire body with ice cream, allowing him to sneak up on them. If you believe that, I have a bridge for sale that you might be interested in.

A favorite of the Japanese Vampire hunter, this unique flavor may have been invented by the Italian Explorer, Vanito Helsingino, a direct descendent of the Vampire hunter, Van Helsing. Either that, or someone with really thick glasses grabbed the garlic powder instead of the sprinkles and the taste stuck. Regardless, garlic ice cream can be smelled from as far as three city blocks away so if you like garlic ice cream, just follow your nose. This flavor comes highly recommended as a spaghetti dinner desert.

The question is, if an Ox takes a drink of cold milk, does his tongue taste like ice cream? The world may never know, except the guy above. What we do know is that ox tongue ice cream comes in at number two on our list of ice cream flavors from hell. (not from hell, from Japan.) Different cultures have different ideas of what ox tongue actually is. In China, for example, ox tongue is simply a dough spiced and baked, rolled out in the shape of a tongue. In North America, ox tongue is actually cow tongue. Judging by the top cover i think the second one is a sure bet. Anyway, if you feel the urge for some delicious ice cream, try it and see for yourself.

Dare I say it? This Japanese delicacy is absolutely the epitome of great ice cream flavor. This ice cream is so good that in the great horsemeat ice cream shortage of 1900, there is a documented case of the villagers chasing down wild horses and licking them to death. That is how good it is. Called Basashi (Why does every thing eaten raw in Japan has the letters shi in it?) There are little chunks of raw horseflesh in the ice cream that gives it a unique flavor that is second to none, hence, the number one spot on our list.

Here are few handpicked Top 16 Facebook Timeline cover images.

• click on Image To Save it.

When you don’t place a structure – particularly a very tall structure – on a solid foundation, this is what happens. The building starts to lean, further and further each year, and though it may take centuries, it will eventually come crashing down without serious efforts to stabilize it. That’s what is happening to most of these 11 leaning towers of the world, although a few are tilted on purpose.

This infographic from The Economist gives us an idea of just how much many of the buildings on this list are off-kilter, from Big Ben at just 0.26 degrees to the Suurhusen church tower in Germany at 5.19 degrees. Read on to learn more about each leaning tower.

1 ) Two Towers of Bologna, Italy

Bologna’s two most prominent towers – both of which lean at a considerable angle – are major landmarks of this Italian city. They were constructed between 1109 and 1119. The taller one is called Asinelli and the shorter Garisenda. Asineli stands at nearly 319 feet in height; it was withstood lightning strikes, fires, collapses and bombing attacks in World War II. Garisenda, which is cited several times in Dante’s Divine Comedy, began slanting in the 14th century due to the softening ground.

2 ) Big Ben, London, UK

The British Parliament’s Clock Tower (more commonly known as Big Ben) is leaning north-west by 0.26 degrees, or 17 inches (43.5cm), according to documents that were recently made public. The level of the tilt has increased to 0.9 millimeters a year since 2003, and it seems that underground developments including a parking lot and an extension of the London Underground have caused the problem.

3 ) Leaning Church Tower of Suurhusen, Germany

Suurhusen is the world’s most leaning tower that is unintentionally tilted. A late medieval steeple located in northwestern Germany, The Leaning Tower of Suurhusen is a brick gothic church that currently leans at an angle of 5.193 degrees – beating the far more famous Tower of Pisa by 1.22 degrees. It was originally built in the Middle Ages on a foundation of oak tree trunks preserved by marshy groundwater; when the land was drained in the 29th century the wood rotted, which caused the tilt.

4 ) Bad Frankenhausen Church Tower, Germany

An underground spring that winds beneath the entire town of Bad Frankenhausen in the eastern German state of Thuringia is leaching earth from below, making structures like the church tower extremely unstable. The church’s steeple has been slanting since at least 1640, reaching 4.8 degrees in recent years. Efforts to stabilize it have failed, and it seems that the steeple will soon be lost to collapse.

5 ) Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

The Leaning Tower was supposed to stand straight and plumb, an imperious monument to the trading power of 12th century Pisa. Built on soft clay, however, the tower began to list only a few years after construction began. Upon completion in 1350, the tower leaned about four and half feet, but as time passed, the angle of the 16,000-ton tower became more precarious. By 1990, the tower leaned about 13 feet (4 m) off kilter, and nearly two million pounds of lead ingots had to be placed on one of its sides to prevent its collapse. But the nearest the tower has been to destruction had nothing to do with its famed tilt. Allied forces ordered an American sergeant to blow it up during World War II when they thought the Germans were using it as an observation post. Only the reticence of the 23-year-old American saved the tower.

6 ) The Leaning Tower of Nevyansk, Russia

The Leaning Tower of Nevyansk is leaning tower situated in the center of Nevyansk and the most well-known building in the Middle Urals. It was funded by Peter the Great and built in the first half of 18th century by a famous Russian manufacturer Akinfiy Demidov. The height of the tower is 57.5 m (189 ft) from the ground. According to recent measurements, the deviation of the top part of the tower from a right angle is currently 2,20 m (7,2 ft). The exact date of the tower’s building is unknown, different historical sources mention dates between 1721 and 1745.

7 ) Leaning Tower of Burano, Italy

Tower of Burano or Church of Saint Martino is situated on the Venetian island Burano (it could more correctly be called an archipelago of four islands linked by bridges). Dating back to 15th century, the church boasts a leaning campanile (bell tower), which locals lovingly refer to as the “drunken” tower.

8 ) Leaning Tower in Torun, Poland

The Leaning Tower is undoubtedly the most attractive and famous tower in Toruń. This tower was a typical fortified tower, built as a part of the city walls at the turn of the 14th century clearly as a straight tower. Initially, despite its four-wall foundation, it did not have the front wall, which facilitated hoisting ammunition onto the higher floors. This popular tourist attraction leant as early as the Middle Ages presumably due to the instability of the ground and has been stable ever since. The tilt of the 15-metre (49.2 feet) tower is currently 146 cm (4.8 feet) off the perpendicular on the side of the street.

9 ) Oude Kerk, Netherlands

Built in 1246, Oude Kerk (Old Church) is the oldest building in Delft, and its leaning gothic tower was added between 1325 and 1350. Locals have feared that the tower, which was likely built on an old filled-up canal, would come tumbling down, and almost had the tower razed to the level of the church roof in 1843. Oude Kerk is the resting place of famed Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.

10 ) Leaning Tower of Bedum, Netherlands

Leaning Tower of Bedum – the leaning church tower of Walfridus in the northern Dutch town of Bedum, also leaning more than the Tower of Pisa. At a 55.86m (183 ft), Pisa’s tower leans about 4m (13 ft), while Bedum’s tower leans 2.61m (8,6 ft) on its height of 35.7m (117 ft). If both towers were the same height, Bedum would have a greater tilt of 6cm (2,4 inches).

11 ) Gate of Europe, Capital Gate Tower & Olympic Stadium

Aging structures aren’t the only towers in the world that seem to tilt dangerously close to destruction. Just look at the Capital Gate Tower of Abu Dhabi, a mixed-use skyscraper reaching 520 feet into the sky with a dramatic 18-degree lean to the west. Capital Gate was named the ‘World’s furthest-leaning man-made tower’ by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010.

The tower is stabilized by the world’s first “pre-cambered core”, which includes a huge amount of concrete reinforced with steel, as well as 490 piles drilled nearly 100 feet into the earth.  Other intentionally leaning modern wonders include the Tower of Montreal at the Olympic Stadium and the Gate of Europe in Madrid. The Tower of Montreal is officially the world’s tallest leaning tower at 575.8 feet. The Gate of Europe towers are twin 374-foot-tall office buildings with an incline of 15 degrees.

Christmas has become a global festival, regardless of religion or location. Plan a great and meaningful Christmas, but do not forget the main purpose of Christmas, it’s not just having fun or party.

1 ) Bethlehem, West Bank

With today’s emphasis on present grabbing and overindulging, it’s hard to deny that the real meaning of Christmas often seems forgotten. For a refresher, nothing compares to a pilgrimage to Jesus’ birthplace. The energy on Manger Square and in the Old City on Christmas Eve could light a forest of Christmas trees. The place to be as the clock strikes 12 is St Catherine’s Church, for the Midnight Mass service.

2 ) Finland

When too much Santa is never enough, rug up and head north to Finland’s Arctic Circle. The jolly man in the red suit is this neighborhood’s most famous resident, and round these parts they milk him for all he’s worth. Still, the deep wintertime snow and reindeer-dotted forests go a long way toward off setting the touristy atmosphere, though there’s an amusement park called Santa Park not far from the village. You’ll need deep pockets, but you’d have to be pretty Grinch-like to leave without a smile.

3 ) New York City, USA

Surely you know what Christmas in the Big Apple looks like, thanks to countless movies: Christmas lights, cheesy muzak, preferably a light dusting of snow. The world’s tallest Christmas tree is lit at the Rockefeller Center in early December. Ice skating below it is a must for wintertime visitors, as is checking out the window displays in New York’s largest department stores. Finish with a New York Ballet performance of “The Nutcracker” for a Christmas straight out of central casting.

4 )  Bondi Beach, Australia

Hit the beach to talk turkey with fellow travellers. Bondi is the antithesis of northern-hemisphere Christmas cliches: sun, sand and surf replace snow and fairy lights. Come 25 December the beach acts as a magnet for backpackers a long way from home, who celebrate alongside other “Christmas orphans.” Bands and DJs rock the Pavilion, everyone checks out everyone else, and a festive atmosphere prevails. Items you may not normally take to Christmas dinner: swimsuit, sunscreen, sunhat.

5 ) The Vatican, Italy

You can rest assured that the spiritual heart of Catholicism knows how to do Christmas. The Eternal City is magical at any time of year, but December has an extra frisson, with roasted chestnuts sold on every corner and the city awash with presepi (nativity scenes) – check them out on St Peter’s Square, Piazza Navona, and in the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli on the Capitoline Hill. It’s the Vatican that pulls the most pilgrims. Midnight Mass in St Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, or at noon on Christmas Day, is an affair to remember.

6 ) Dublin, Ireland

With a cracking sense of humor, the staunchly Catholic Irish have a few novel ways to honor Christmas. The most eyebrow-raising is a morning swim on the 25th at the Forty-Foot sea-water pool. In the lead-up to the big day there’s life aplenty on Dublin’s streets and the craic flows. There’s the 12 Days of Christmas Market at the Docklands, cheesy pantos, Christmas lights, ice skating, and markets and seasonal cheer in Temple Bar. Don’t miss carols at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

7 ) Nuremberg, Germany

If present buying makes you think of heaving department stores, maybe you should experience the magical Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas Market), in Nuremberg’s Hauptmarkt. Here, 180 stalls proffer toys, trinkets, candles, gingerbread and sweets to shoppers warmed by sizzling bratwurst and mulled wine. Visit after dark, when the colored lights create a fairy-tale spectacle. Christmas shopping never looked this enchanting.

‘893-Yakuza’ is a project from Belgian creative Anton Kusters, who has spent the last two years documenting one of Japan’s most notorious crime families; The Yakuza.

“Preparations started in 2008, and access was granted in april 2009, for two years. The project is now at full speed, with all elements of the story being produced as we speak. In 2011 and 2012, several magazine issues, a photo book, a documentary feature film, and a large exhibition will become reality.” – Anton Kusters

“Through many months of delicate preparations and negotiations by my brother Malik, our fixer Taka-san, and myself, we became the only westerners ever to be granted this kind of access to that closed world.”

“I try to share not only their extremely complex relationship to Japanese society, and also to show the personal struggle that each family member faces: being forced to live in two different worlds at the same time; worlds that often have conflicting morals and values… It turns out not to be a simple ‘black’ versus ‘white’ relationship, but most definitely one with many shades of grey.”

photo credit: anton kusters

Age is not a problem, as long as you have a vision and target, you can just turn into a billionaire like these 8 youngest self-made billionaires. Check it out!

1 ) Sergey Brin and Larry Page: you might not know their name, but you probably used their website today

Sergey Brin and Larry Page co-founded Google in 1998, and redefined the way people use the web. Now two of the world’s richest people, they still play an active role in the company, encouraging fresh approaches to Google’s unique culture and its expanding suite of services.

2 ) Mark Zuckerberg: the 27 year-old geek who created an empire

Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, which he started in his college dorm room in 2004 with roomates Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes.  Zuckerberg is responsible for setting the overall direction and product strategy for Facebook. He leads the design of Facebook’s service and development of its core technology and infrastructure.

In September 2010, Zuckerberg donated $100 million to the Newark Public School System to help renovate and revamp the system.  Zuckerberg won the 2007 Crunchie Award for ‘Best Startup CEO.’ He was the Time Magazine 2010 Person Of The Year.

3 ) Dustin Moskovitz: the 26 year-old who had the best college roommate ever

Dustin Moskovitz is a co-founder of Facebook and, more recently, Asana, a startup tackling the problem of workplace collaboration.  At Facebook, he was a leader in the technical staff, where he oversaw the major architecture of the site. He was also responsible for the companya™s mobile strategy and development. Starting Facebook with founder Mark Zuckerberg from their dorm room, Dustin has been instrumental in the growth and development of the site since its inception. Dustin attended Harvard University as an Economics major for two years before moving to Palo Alto, California to work fulltime at Facebook.

4 ) Yusaku Maezawa: from rock star to mega-rich retailer by age 35

Yusaku Maezawa, founder and CEO of START TODAY, has styled Zozotown as a shopping street in cyberspace, dividing it up into shops with individual identities and different types of merchandise.  Some of the stores in this virtual town, like United Arrows, Beams and Hysteric Glamour, already have brick-and-mortar manifestations, but are willing partners too in this rapidly growing enterprise.

5 ) Yoshikazu Tanaka: the 34 year-old who wants to rule the (social media) world

Yoshikazu Tanaka is CEO of GREE, Inc.  He joined Sony Communication Network current: So-net Entertainment Corporation after graduating Nihon University’s Faculty of Law in 1999.  He joined Rakuten, Inc. in 2002.  In 2004, he created GREE by avocation and left Rakuten, Inc. In the same year, he founded GREE, Inc. and became its CEO.

6 ) Oleg Bakhmatyuk: an egg-cellent 35 year-old business man

Oleg Bakhmatyuk founded Avangard in 2003. He is a controlling shareholder and currently holds the position of Non-Executive Chairman of the BoD.  Mr Bakhmatyuk has held a number of executive positions throughout his career at Prikarpatskaya Financial Company, Stanislavskaya Trading Company and Naftogaz of Ukraine. Oleg Bakhmatyuk owns several other companies in the food, transport, real estate and financial sectors, but Avangard remains his largest business holding.

Mr Bakhmatyuk graduated from the Chernivtsi Economic and Legal Institute with a degree in business administration and from the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas, specializing in engineering, physics and business administration.

7 ) Xiaofeng Peng: the 36 year-old who makes money from the sun.

Xiaofeng Peng is the chairman of our board of directors and the chief executive officer of our company. He founded our company in July 2005. Prior to founding our company, Mr. Peng founded Suzhou Liouxin in March 1997 and was its chief executive officer until February 2006. Suzhou Liouxin is a leading manufacturer of personal protective equipment in Asia. Mr. Peng graduated from Jiangxi Foreign Trade School in 1993 with a diploma in international business and from Beijing University Guanghua School of Management with an executive MBA degree in 2002. Mr. Peng, in his personal capacity, and his family members are engaged in certain alternative energy projects, including a project involving thin-film technology.

Most suitcases now days come with an expandable hood to accommodate more clothes and stuff. However very few have stopped to consider vacuum packing clothes,to make more space. The Pumpack is a suitcase designed where it includes a pump that helps to compress clothes and make more packing room.