Global economy back on track next year

The global economy is expected to be back on track by early next year, said former World Bank economist and bond market expert Ismail Dalla.

“The world economy is in a recovery mode,” he said, adding that his outlook analysis was based primarily on the World Bank’s latest forecast for a positive growth of 2.8% in the world economy by the last quarter of 2010.

But he cautioned that “despite some signs of recovery due largely to the amount of money being pumped into the US economy, interest rates will remain low and unemployment will remain high for some time to come.”

[Via]

Microsoft-Yahoo! Merger

Microsoft will now power Yahoo! search while Yahoo! will become the worldwide relationship sales force for both companies’ premium search advertisers. Official Press Release

Nu Bra Show

Need I Say More?

Incredible watercolour paintings by boy aged just SIX

A street scene from the paintbrush of a child usually involves triangle-topped boxes for houses. And often an unnaturally large dog.

But Kieron Williamson's attempts are so beautifully rendered that artists ten times his age will be filled with envy.

Experts have said that the six-year-old's atmospheric paintings, which began with harbour scenes and expanded to include rural vistas, animal portraits and landmarks, have perspective, shadow and reflections that demonstrate an ability well beyond his years.

[Via]

Don't drink and drive

Alcohol impairs your judgement. Plan ahead. Don’t drink and drive.

Rain sound effect

Love the thunder effect. This is great! Let's all clap for them! oh wait...

Michael Schumacher returns to Formula One with Ferrari

A season that has already produced more than its fair share of thrills and spills just got even more exciting after it was confirmed on Wednesday that Michael Schumacher is to make a sensational comeback for Ferrari as temporary cover for the injured Felipe Massa.

[Via]

Jackie Chan punching computer viruses?

Jackie Chan punching computer viruses while wearing a helmet that says Kaspersky.

Nokia phone offers standby time of up to 23 days

Packed with a BP-4L 1500 mAh battery, it offers a standby time of up to 23 days! This latest addition in Nokia’s Eseries portfolio comes with an upgraded Email facility that works perfectly with Nokia Messaging service. For a price of RM1,295, the E52 offers a 3.2MP camera with autofocus and LED flash, assisted GPS with Nokia Maps, and a MicroSD card which supports up to 16GB.

For full technical specifications of the Nokia E52, check out the Nokia website at
http://www.nokia.com/NOKIA_COM_1/Press/Materials/White_Papers/pdf_files/data_sheets_2009/Nokia_E52_Datasheet.pdf

Good Boy, Obama

Do This :D

Highway Sign Has Every Word Misspelled But 'Exit'

A road sign that was put up within the last week has every word misspelled, except the word 'exit'.

Misspelled words include, ‘Buisness’, ‘Rothschield’, and ‘Schofeild’.

David Vieth, Director of the Bureau of Highway Operations for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, says Decker Supply Company out of Madison was contracted to make the sign. He says Decker will pay to have the sign fixed in the next few days.

"We may have one or two spelling mistakes in a year", Vieth said. "Three would be pretty unusual". He says the DOT’s file that includes the spelling for the sign was correct, so the mistake was likely made by Decker.

"We all make mistakes", Vieth said. "But for most of us, they’re not put up for all the public to see."

[Via]

RON 95 petrol launched, Shell targets 1m users

Shell Malaysia aims for one million motorists to use its new Shell Unleaded 95 (RON 95) fuel by Sept 1, says Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and Shell Timur Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Mohzani Abdul Wahab.

“We are targeting also by Sept 1, all our Shell petrol stations (over 900) in the country will be ready to offer this new fuel,” he said yesterday at the official launch of Shell Unleaded 95.

Mohzani said the new fuel was now available at Shell Alisha station in Batu 3, Federal Highway Klang-bound and by the first week of August, another Shell station in the Klang Valley would be ready to offer the RON 95 fuel.

Click here to know more about Shell Unleaded 95

Virtual Pets Drawings Come To Life

Shidonni is an online virtual world where kids draw their virtual pets and play with them as they pop to life.

Bill Gates quits Facebook over 'too many friends'

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said he was forced to give up on the social networking phenomenon Facebook after too many people wanted to be his friend.

Gates, the billionaire computer geek-turned-philanthropist who was honoured Saturday by India for his charity work, told an audience in New Delhi he had tried out Facebook but ended up with "10,000 people wanting to be my friends".

Gates, who remains Microsoft chairman, said he had trouble figuring out whether he "knew this person, did I not know this person".

"It was just way too much trouble so I gave it up," Gates told the business forum.

[Via]

Twitter Updates

• Ten Great Ways to Save Money At Work http://bit.ly/FHwyO
• 17 Fun Facts of Snails http://bit.ly/18jVzj
• The World’s Most Beautiful Currencies http://tinyurl.com/kscwzn
• Microsoft profit down 29% in last quarter http://bit.ly/6e0Hx
• Can't wait for Twitter's new home page, the current home page is pretty lame now http://ow.ly/i3GV
• 15 Great Moments In Caught Ya Lookin http://bit.ly/99xzM
• Girlfriends of the World, Take Note! http://bit.ly/QHEe9
• Damnit Google Stop Reading My Emails http://bit.ly/1a1NDR
• I don't think that's what you meant http://tinyurl.com/ljt956

Don't want to miss any of these? 
Follow @cwkhang on Twitter now!

Red wine increases women's sexual desire

Researchers concluded that levels of sexual desire were higher in women who were moderate drinkers of red wine than in their counterparts who preferred other alcoholic drinks, or were teetotal.

One theory put forward by the team of Italian doctors who carried out the study is that chemical compounds found in red wine may improve sexual functioning by increasing blood flow to key areas of the body.

[Via]

Don’t tell the colonel! KFC recipe may be out

After several attempts, the Long Island, N.Y., man says he may know the 11 herbs and spices in KFC’s recipe — and now he's sharing the secret with the world.

Douglas, 34, began his quest by searching the Internet for clues to the recipe. He found that there were thousands of people looking for directions to help them duplicate their favorite restaurant meals at home. In answer to their prayers, he started the Web site recipesecrets.net.

Ron Douglas shares the ingredients for his version of KFC's 11 herbs and spices recipe
— 1 teaspoon ground oregano
— 1 teaspoon chili powder
— 1 teaspoon ground sage
— 1 teaspoon dried basil
— 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
— 1 teaspoon pepper
— 2 teaspoons salt
— 2 tablespoons paprika
— 1 teaspoon onion salt
— 1 teaspoon garlic powder
— 2 tablespoons Accent

[Via]

Best Bowling Shot Ever

Ridiculous shot. Norm Duke purposely knocks down only 9 pins and gets a slow moving spinning ball to hit the other. Amazing!

Wedding Entrance Dance

What a way to begin a beautiful journey...

Dream Job: Massage Therapist

Yet he is still complaining..

Partial solar eclipse can be observed in Malaysia tomorrow

This century’s longest total solar eclipse can be observed as a partial solar eclipse in Malaysia between 8:23am and 9:48am on Wednesday.

However, it would be difficult to view the phenomenon with naked eyes as only 17.8% of the sun would be obscured by the moon, head of Angkasa space science research unit Mhd Fairos Asillam said.

The northern part of Peninsular Malaysia would be the best place to observe the eclipse, he said in a statement.

The total solar eclipse, which would last for six minutes and 39 seconds, would pass through Ryuku Islands in Japan and through the Pacific Ocean, he said.

Mhd Fairos said the moon’s umbral shadow would begin covering India and then Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China.

Malaysians would be able view the live webcasts of the eclipse through the websites www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/2009/, www.saros.org and www.eclipsetv.com.

Malaysians would be able to observe a partial solar eclipse on Jan 15, 2010, March 9, 2016 and Dec 26, 2019, he said.

[Via]

World Cup needs 15,000 volunteers

Organizers are looking for 15,000 volunteers to help with the first football World Cup to be held in Africa.

Among tasks volunteers are needed to perform are taking tickets, registering members of the media and transporting teams between hotels and stadiums.

Most of the volunteers will be South African. Ten percent of the slots are for other Africans, and 10 percent for non-Africans.

Volunteer coordinator Onke Mjo said that she expected up to 100,000 applications for the 15,000 World Cup spots.

Organizers said they'd especially be looking for volunteers able to speak English, the standard language for World Cup events, as well as languages such as German and Japanese, expected to be the home languages of many fans.

Volunteering doesn't mean you'll get to see a match - entry to matches is not a perk of the job.

Work shifts can be arranged to leave some time for attending matches at the volunteer's expense, but volunteers need to commit to working at least 15 days over the course of the monthlong tournament.

Volunteers can apply starting Monday until Aug. 31 on the FIFA Web site.

They must be at least 18 as of March and able to speak, read and write English.

Hopefuls will be notified by January if they've made it to the next round, during which telephone interviews will be conducted for out-of-country applicants.

On the Web:
www.FIFA.com/volunteers2010

Roti canai and teh tarik for RM1

Fancy a roti canai and a teh tarik for RM1 – right in the heart of the city and in these tough economic times?

That is what you will get over at the Ukhwah Restoran Rakyat 1Malaysia in busy Lorong Medan Tuanku Satu (located next to Prescott Inn).

A piece of roti canai at the outlet costs 40 sen and a glass of teh tarik is priced at 60 sen.

The restaurant, run by Koperasi Pendidikan Islam Malaysia Bhd, or known as Ukhwah, is not profit-oriented.

The actual cost of making a roti canai is 20 sen, and by selling it at 40 sen, Ukhwah President, Datuk Rahim Baba says he still makes a 100% profit.

On the teh tarik, he makes a profit of 18 sen by selling it at 60 sen a glass.

To break even, the restaurant needs RM2,000-a-day or RM45,000-a-month in sales to cover the fixed costs of the RM7,000 rental per month for the premises and the salary of the 16 staff members, who are all locals.

[Via]

10,000 steps a day campaign to improve your health

Malaysians have been asked to walk 10,000 steps a day as part of their healthy lifestyle regime.

Health Minister Seri Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the 10,000-steps-a-day campaign was intended to push the people to improve their health by walking more and reducing their intake of unhealthy food.

Liow said his ministry had introduced a system whereby the people could determine whether they practised an active or sedentary lifestyle.

If you walk less than 5,000 steps per day, then you are considered to have a sedentary lifestyle. If you walk 7,500 to 10,000 steps you are considered somewhat active.

You are physically active when you walk more than 10,000 steps daily, which is equivalent to six to seven kilometres of walking per day, and you burn up to 400 calories from your body.

If you work on the 12th floor in your workplace, then you should stop the lift at the ninth floor and walk up. It’s even better if you walk all the way up

[Via]

NASA releases clearest videos yet of 1969 moonwalk

NASA released newly restored videos Thursday of two U.S. astronauts taking the world's first steps on the moon.

The images were released just four days before the 40th anniversary of the historic event that captivated the world on July 20, 1969.

[Via]

8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirt

You wear one and give one to your partner. Then whenever you both are "in range", the pixilated hearts start glowing to full charge. This means your beloved is somewhere nearby and you can go over and give him/her a hug! When you are out of range the glowing hearts dip to two and a half.

10 reasons the Apollo landings were 'faked'

Below is a list of ten of the most popular reasons given by conspiracy theorists who believe the Apollo Moon landings that began 40 years ago were faked.

1) When the astronauts are putting up the American flag it waves. There is no wind on the Moon.

2) No stars are visible in the pictures taken by the Apollo astronauts from the surface of the Moon.

3) No blast crater is visible in the pictures taken of the lunar landing module.

4) The landing module weighs 17 tons and yet sits on top of the sand making no impression. Next to it astronauts’ footprints can be seen in the sand.

5) The footprints in the fine lunar dust, with no moisture or atmosphere or strong gravity, are unexpectedly well preserved, as if made in wet sand.

6) When the landing module takes off from the Moon’s surface there is no visible flame from the rocket.

7) If you speed up the film of the astronauts walking on the Moon’s surface they look like they were filmed on Earth and slowed down.

8) The astronauts could not have survived the trip because of exposure to radiation from the Van Allen radiation belt.

9) The rocks brought back from the Moon are identical to rocks collected by scientific expeditions to Antarctica.

10) All six Moon landings happened during the Nixon administration. No other national leader has claimed to have landed astronauts on the Moon, despite 40 years of rapid technological development.

What do you think? Were the Moon landings faked? What evidence is there to support or defend your view?

[Via]

Photographer captures moment a bubble bursts

The photograph, taken by Richard Heeks, of Exeter, shows a soap bubble with one half still perfectly formed while the other shatters in a distinctive pattern of streaks.

[Via]

Value of love is £163,424, study finds

According to research hearing the words 'I love you' is worth £163, 424 in monetary value. [Read more]

How to Clean a Toilet With Coke

Is your toilet full of limescale and other nasty stains and you don't have a chemical toilet cleaner on hand? Or are you looking for less expensive and/or non-toxic cleaning solutions? Don't worry, just reach for the fridge, and grab a Coke!

Step 1, Pour a can or bottle of Coke into the bowl. Pour it around the rim so it flows over the stains around the inside of the bowl.

Step 2, Let it sit for an hour or more. The carbonic, citric, and phosphoric acids in the Coke will break down stains. For extra cleaning power, let the Coke sit in the toilet overnight.

Step 3, Clean the toilet with a brush (optional).

Step 4, Flush. The stains will be gone!

[Via]

Facebook’s Offical User Count Now 250 Million

It was only three months ago that Facebook announced that it had reached 200 million users worldwide. Now, CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the social network has passed 250 million active users. And back in January it was just 150 million.

[Via]

I heart Firefox

Nice Firefox Tee

[Via]

Panda USB Vaccine

Panda USB Vaccine is a free solution designed to protect against malware spreading through USB drives. It offers a double layer of preventive protection, allowing users to disable the AutoRun feature on computers as well as on USB drives and other devices.

Bride's bouquet brings down plane

The traditional throwing of a bride's bouquet for luck ended in disaster at an Italian wedding when the flowers caused a plane to crash.

The bride and groom had hired a small plane to fly past and throw the bouquet to a line of women guests, Corriere della Sera reported.

However, the flowers were sucked into the plane's engine causing it to catch fire and explode.

[Via]

Hey Cigs

May be you should really STOP smoking

Mario Teaches You How To Get Women

I've smashed my head into bricks overhead time and again and I never get ANY gold coins.

Instant Karma

Instant karma hits you when you try to screw with your co-star

Save our Planet

Ooo, the planet is fine..

Want to keep your wallet? Carry a baby picture

What would you do if you found a wallet on the street? Leave it? Take it to a police station? Post it back to the owner? Keep it, even?

The answer, scientists have found, depends rather more on evolution than morality.

Hundreds of wallets were planted on the streets of Edinburgh by psychologists last year. Perhaps surprisingly, nearly half of the 240 wallets were posted back. But there was a twist.

Richard Wiseman, a psychologist, and his team inserted one of four photographs behind a clear plastic window inside, showing either a smiling baby, a cute puppy, a happy family or a contented elderly couple. Some wallets had no image and some had charity papers inside.

When faced with the photograph of the baby people were far more likely to send the wallet back, the study found. In fact, only one in ten were hard-hearted enough not to do so. With no picture to tug at the emotions, just one in seven were sent back.

According to Dr Wiseman the result reflects a compassionate instinct towards vulnerable infants that people have evolved to ensure the survival of future generations. “The baby kicked off a caring feeling in people, which is not surprising from an evolutionary perspective,” he said.

[Via]

Best shirt for a graduation

Yeah, that's a good one!

Ask for more

That's the spirit we're looking for..

[Via]

My dad is a math teacher

So anyone got the number?

Women spend nearly one year deciding what to wear

Women will spend almost one year of their lives deciding what to wear, a study found.

Choosing outfits for work, nights out, dinner parties, holidays, gym and other activities means the average female will spend 287 days rifling through their wardrobe.

The biggest chunk of that time is used up picking a killer ensemble for Friday or Saturday nights out or selecting the right clothes for a holiday.

Experts found on average women spend 16 minutes every weekday morning deciding what to wear and around 14 minutes on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

The study also found on average women will try on two outfits each morning before coming to a final decision. And one in two women spend 15 minutes the night before work working out what to wear.

[Via]

Burger King apology to Hindus for advert

Burger King has been forced to apologise to Hindus after it showed a revered Indian goddess with a 'forbidden' Whopper burger.

The advertisement shows a picture of Lakshmi, the Indian goddess of wealth, about to eat one of the beef burgers, which are forbidden under Hindu religion.

The fast food chain quickly withdrew the advertisement from its stores in Spain after Hindus across the world complained at the denigration of their religion.

The advertisement shows a picture of Lakshmi, the Indian goddess of wealth, above one of the burgers, which are forbidden under Hindu religion.

[Via]

Daily ejaculation boosts sperm quality

Men seeking to become a dad should have sex each day, or ejaculate daily, for a week before their partner ovulates in order to maximise sperm quality, according to a study presented on Tuesday.

Australian fertility specialist David Greening recruited 118 men whose sperm had a higher-than-normal level of DNA damage.

Before the test, on average 34 percent of the group's sperm was rated as damaged, meaning that it was classified as "poor" in quality. Among individuals, this ranged from 15 percent to 98 percent.

The men were asked to ejaculate daily for seven days, but were not given any drugs or told to make any changes to lifestyle.

After seven days, their sperm was examined again.

The average of damaged sperm fell to 26 percent, placing it in the category of "fair" in quality.

Fourth-fifths of the men saw an increase in sperm quality, and many of them moved into the "good" range and out of the "poor" or "fair" categories.

[Via]

Workers have daily smile scans

Japanese railway workers face enforced "smile scans" every morning in a bid to boost their customer services, it has been claimed.

More than 500 staff at Keihin Electric Express Railway are expected to be subjected to daily face scans by "smile police" bosses.

The "smile scan" software, developed by the Japanese company Omron, produces a sweeping analysis of a smile based on facial characteristics, from lip curves and eye movements to wrinkles.

After scanning a face, the device produces a rating between zero to 100 depending on the estimated value of the fulfilled potential of a person's biggest smile.

For those with a below-par grin, one of an array of smile-boosting messages will op up on the computer screen ranging from "you still look too serious" to "lift up your mouth corners", according to the Mainichi Daily News.

[Via]

New rollercoaster crowned the world's steepest

Thrill-seekers are set to be scared senseless by a new record-breaking rollercoaster ride which is the steepest ever.

The "Mumbo Jumbo" coaster at the Flamingo Land Park, near Malton, North Yorks, plunges passengers down 112 degrees and puts them through similar forces to those experienced by jet pilots.

The £4 million ride, which lasts for 38 seconds, has been confirmed as the world's steepest by Guinness World of Records.

[Via]

Man runs 100 yards on fire and breaks world record

A Scottish nurse broke a world record by setting himself on fire and running for nearly 100 yards engulfed in a ball of flames.

Keith Malcolm, from Aberdeen, was doused in petrol before sprinting 259ft ablaze to beat the previous fire-run record of 227ft.

To claim the record the amateur stuntman wore eight layers of protective clothing, including four layers of fireproof undergarments, a Formula One fireproof jacket and three overalls.

He also wore three fire hoods and a helmet and coated himself in special protective "stunt gel" so he would not be harmed by the flames, which are believed to have reached 1,000C.

[Via]

Coffee may reverse Alzheimer's

Drinking five cups of coffee a day could reverse memory problems seen in Alzheimer's disease, US scientists say.

The Florida research, carried out on mice, also suggested caffeine hampered the production of the protein plaques which are the hallmark of the disease.

Previous research has also suggested a protective effect from caffeine.

[Via]

Microsoft drops vomiting ad after complaints

After a wave of complaints from customers, Microsoft has dropped a controversial online ad for its Internet Explorer web browser that featured a vomiting woman.

The spot, which hit the internet earlier this week, had received a mixed reception from web users.

In the minute-long advert, Dean Cain - the actor best known for playing Superman in the 1990s TV series - fronts a spoof public information film highlighting the features of the new software.

[Via]

Book: Everything men know about women

Fully reveals the shocking truth!

How to Get the Day Off Work

Need some ideas to get the day off work?

UFO spotted over theme park in Virginia

Denna Smith, a writer who filmed a circular shape hovering in the sky over Virginia, in the United States, says she believes it is a space ship.

[Via]