Wonderful American Idol Contestants Yet

 Season 10 of the most popular reality TV show American Idol is about to reach its finale. This show has produced some of the best music artists in American music industry. But few of the contestants really made more out of it then just getting the American Idol title.

I know this may be one of those controversial posts which trigger a long comment thread fights but we have no purpose in doing so. People selected below have proven themselves by selling record albums worldwide and have gained fame not just only from the show. Here i have complied a list of the 10 best american idol contestants till season 10.

Most Incredible Technological Achievements in Aeronautical History

 Since its invention about a century ago, the airplane has developed from two wooden planks held together by wires to a giant metal bird comprising of millions of parts. The airplanes have completely revolutionized the world, in each and every aspect. Who could’ve thought a few hundred years ago that Man would one day take to the skies?

Following is a list of the most important technological achievements in aeronautical industry that transformed the airplane into what it is today.

Most famous revolutionaries in history

 In times of tyranny there have always been those who have stood up to injustice and immorality. These revolutionaries struggle to dispense justice and righteousness. In times of darkness these men rise, like a breath exhaled from the Earth and devour the unjust. To these people, I dedicate this post and recount some of the great names that have stood up for good, for honor and for justice.

Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)

Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is the greatest revolutionary in the history of the World. His religious revolution not only altered the history of Arabia, but that of the World. His influence on the World was

American Idol Contestants Yet

 Season 10 of the most popular reality TV show American Idol is about to reach its finale. This show has produced some of the best music artists in American music industry. But few of the contestants really made more out of it then just getting the American Idol title.

I know this may be one of those controversial posts which trigger a long comment thread fights but we have no purpose in doing so. People selected below have proven themselves by selling record albums worldwide and have gained fame not just only from the show. Here i have complied a list of the 10 best american idol contestants till season 10.

Incredible SAS Operations

5. Malayan Emergency

The rebellion in Malaya started in 1948. It was an attempt to overthrow the colonial British rule, and establish a Communist government. The CTs (Communist Terrorists) set up bases in the thick jungle, and from there, launched raids and attacks against police stations, rubber plantations and tin mines. The British forces deployed in Malaya were unwilling, and unable, to operate in the primary jungle, so they concentrated their forces around the targets the terrorists were most likely to strike.

As there was no need for it, the regular SAS had been disbanded at the end of the Second World War. Now, it was reformed in Malaya, with a strength of 3 squadrons. Small patrols of SAS moved deep into the jungle, and soon became skilled in jungle warfare and survival skills. Several Iban tribesman were brought in from Borneo, to teach the soldiers how to track and detect the faintest traces left by the guerrillas.

Wonderful Underrecognized Music Locations

5. Iceland

Iceland’s most famous artist is by far Bjork. Iceland features many other genres of music though, ranging from a very large indie scene to folk to electronica. It even features a SXSW-esque festival in Reykjavik called Iceland Airwaves in which all clubs in Reykjavik are filled with local and international artists. Iceland also has a number of niche music festivals. The most unique of these being Viking-themed, LBGT artists in a Gay pride festival and, a young artists-based festival.

Popular Icelandic Artists: Bjork, Sigur Ros, Mum, Esja

4. Denver

Colorado, USA

Watershed Moments In History

5. Vaccine for small pox

Smallpox has been, without a shadow of a doubt, the deadliest disease in the history of human kind. Smallpox was greatly feared, as one in three of those who contracted the disease died, and those who survived were often badly disfigured. During the 18th century, small pox killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans per year, and was responsible for an estimated 300–500 million deaths during the 20th century. With the arrival of European Settlers in the New World, the outbreak of small pox wiped out 80-90% of the Native-American population. A cure was strongly needed. Englishman Edward Jenner had observed that

milkmaids did not generally get smallpox and theorized that cowpox, a disease contracted by milkmaids, similar to smallpox but far less virulent, protected milkmaids from smallpox. Jenner then tested his hypothesis by inoculating 8-year-old James Phipps, and from there on several other people, and discovered that those

Events Surrounding September 11

5. US Government Exercises

On September 11, 2001, the United States government held a series of military exercises and drills. Operation Northern Vigilance was a NORAD operation, which involved deploying fighter aircraft to the northwestern part of North America, specifically Alaska and Northern Canada. The exercise was one part simulation, one part real world. It was in response to a similar test acted out by Russia on September 11, where long-range bombers were dispatched to Russia’s high north. The exercises were immediately called off after the news of the terrorist attacks, and all simulated information was purged from NORADs computer screens. However, the event was a distraction for the US government on 9/11.

Operation Northern Vigilance was not the only US exercise planned for September 11. A series of war games were also acted out, specifically Global Guardian. Global Guardian is an annual, command-level

exercise held in the United States. It is an important task, and the purpose of the drill is to test and validate US nuclear command, control and execution procedures. Vigilant Guardian is an exercise that was run in conjunction with Global Guardian. It involved a simulated bomber attack from the former Soviet Union. The drill was conducted in real time, and appeared legitimate in offices and on computers, but without any planes in the air. One of the drills included was a traditional simulated hijacking.

Incredibly Controversial Sting Operations

5. Marion Barry

Marion Barry is a well known politician and long-time mayor of Washington D.C. On December 22, 1988, police officers were about to make an undercover drug buy from Charles Lewis, a former Virgin Islands official, and were called back when they learned that Mayor Marion Barry was in Lewis’s hotel room. This led to a grand jury investigation into possible interference, by the mayor, in the drug investigation. Barry appeared before the grand jury and testified for three hours and later told reporters he had done nothing

wrong. Then, on January 18, 1990, the FBI and D.C. Police set up a sting operation and arrested Barry in a Washington D.C. Hotel, after he smoked crack cocaine in a room with his former girlfriend, who had become an FBI informant. It was there that Barry said the now famous words that are often associated with him; “Bitch set me up”. As a result of his arrest and the ensuing trial, Barry decided not to seek reelection as mayor. A grand jury returned 14 counts against him, including possible perjury before a grand jury. If

Top 5 Female Oscar Snubs

5. Samantha Morton

Best Supporting Actress, Minority Report (2002)

As the enigmatic precog Agatha, Morton plays a frightening symbol of what the future could become. Seeking to avenge her mother’s murder, Agatha is the heroine in a film where anti-heroes are the norm, and her character helps Tom Cruise beat the system.

4. Maggie Gyllenhaal

Best Actress, Secretary (2002)

She may be more famous as Jake Gyllenhaal’s older sister, but Maggie Gyllenhaal’s performance in Secretary shows that she is talented in her own right. It’s a powerful character study about personal dysfunction and the power of submission, as she becomes the submissive partner of eccentric attorney James Spader. Her devotion – which could also be argued as being a stalker or as a weak-willed woman – holds up, and her character Lee is one of the screen’s premier female anti-heroes.

Tragic Prison and Asylum Fires

5. Seacliff Lunatic Asylum

Seacliff, New Zealand

When constructed in the late 1800s, the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum was the largest building ever built in New Zealand at that time. The asylum was built in an isolated coastal spot and forested area. It could handle 500 patients with 50 staff. Created by one of New Zealand’s legendary 19th century architects, the prison was grand in scale and design. One commentator, describing the location and scale/grandiosity of the prison remarked: “The Victorians might not have wanted their lunatics living with them, but they liked to house them grandly.”

On December 8, 1942 at around 9:45 pm a fire broke out in Ward 5 of the hospital, which was a two-story, wooden “out building” added onto the original construction of the prison. It held between 39-41

female patients, all of whom were locked inside their cells or a common dormitory. Male prison workers

Amazing Sea Survivors

5. Steven Callahan

Steven Callahan was an avid sailor, naval architect and inventor, and was planning to sail from the Canary Islands across the Atlantic to the Bahamas, in a 6.5 meter self-built boat. About a week into his journey his boat was damaged during the night in bad weather, by something unknown (possibly a whale). He was forced to abandon ship and just managed to rescue his emergency supplies from the boat and inflate the life raft, before the boat sank. Among the emergency supplies that he saved were a sleeping bag, food and

water rations, navigational charts, a speargun, flares, solar stills (for condensing sea water into fresh drinking water) and a copy of Sea Survival by Dougal Robertson.

Knowing that no one on land was expecting to hear from him for a few weeks, his survival instincts kicked in. Over the next 76 days he drifted with the south equatorial current and the trade winds.

After finishing the supplies saved from the ship, he tried his hand at spear-fishing, and he ate primarily mahi-mahi, tiger fish and flying fish. After he exhausted his water supplies, he used the solar stills to obtain some precious water during the day (all the stills combined produced about 500ml of water per day). On one occasion, the spear of his spear gun broke off in a fishes back, and as the fish continued to swim beneath the life raft, the spear ripped a massive hole in the bottom inflatable tube of the raft. This caused the raft to

Weird Talking Donkeys

5. Ya’foor

Muhammad’s Talking Donkey

From the book The Beginning and the End comes an interesting story called “The Conversation of the Donkey.” In it, Muhammad receives from God a gift of four sheep, four goats, ten pots of gold and silver and a black donkey that can talk. The ensuing “conversation” between Muhammad and the donkey goes something like this:

Muhammad addresses the donkey asking, “What is your name?” “Yazid Ibn Shihab,” the donkey answers. Then Muhammad says to him, “I will call you Ya’foor!” Then Ya’foor replies, “I obey.” Muhammad then asks, “Do you desire females?” To which the donkey replies, “NO!”

Interesting, to say the least. Due to the difficulty in finding an image of Ya’foor, pictured above is the donkey Buraq, another donkey closely related to the tales of Muhammad.

Weird Sayings and Their Origins

5. Stumped

Lost for an answer? Let me help. The term, like a few other figures of speech now part of the English language, owes its existence to cricket. In the game the wicket is also called a ‘stump’. This alternative name goes back to the original wicket, which was a convenient stump in the field, the part of a tree trunk left standing after the tree had been felled or decayed naturally. A bowler who has hit the wicket, or stump, has

outwitted the batsman – he has stumped him. Back to the pavilion with you!

4. Gone for a Burton

In English slang ‘gone for a Burton’ means that someone is lost/missing, or has died. The township of Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire, in medieval times was already renowned as the centre of brewing. In the 19th century Lord Burton carried on the tradition. Soon his beer, called by his name, was promoted all over Britain. A special advertising campaign employed a series of large posters showing a workman asking

Highest Individual Scores in ICC Cricket World Cup History

 Since the first ICC Cricket World Cup was held in England in 1975, nine more have pitted a total of 19 nations against each other in the exciting ODI format, the tenth being the ongoing 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. With the World Cup hype touching the skies, we decided to do a roundup of World Cup records. Following is a list of the ten highest individual runs scored in an ICC Cricket World Cup match.

Gary Kirsten – 188* (159)

Sourav Ganguly – 183 (158)

Viv Richards – 181 (125)

Kapil Dev – 175* (138)

Virender Sehwag – 175 (140)

Craig Wishart – 172* (151)

Glenn Turner – 171* (201)

Andrew Hudson – 161

Imran Nazir – 160 (121)

Matthew Hayden – 158 (143)

Weird Special Agents and Spies

 Special agents and spies are the definition of cool – at least in movies, novels and TV shows, that is. It is perhaps the mystery and thrill that revolves around them and the finesse with which they pull through the most impossible of situations that draws viewers to revere the characters to the extent that some come to be considered pop culture icons. Following is a tribute to the said characters, a list of the best fictional special agents and spies ever.

Jason Bourne (Bourne Trilogy)

Unlike the legendary Bond, Jason Bourne doesn’t sport flashy gadgets and fancy threads. Bourne is a survivor who fights against impossible odds to unveil the mystery that shrouds his past with nothing more than his sharp mind and an unfaltering will.

Largest Earthquakes in the World

 Even the modern might of man feels helpless before the wrath of Mother Nature. When the very earth that we tread on begins to tremble and split asunder, it brings with it a force capable of causing unimaginable destruction. Earthquakes have destroyed many cities and taken many lives over the course of history. Unfortunately, as of now, Man is yet to discover a way to predict earthquakes. Seismologists are only able to rate the intensity of an earthquake (Moment Magnitude Scale) after its occurrence by measuring the amount of energy released. Methods have been devised to preempt earthquakes.

Cricket World Cup upsets

 Everyone loves an upset. People generally like to see the underdog win – unless, of course, it is their side that is losing. Each Cricket World Cup has seen its share of said surprises. Pleasant or not, these preserve the charm of the sporting event. And with every cricketing nation in the world watching, an upset in the world cup delivers the greatest impact.

The past couple of World Cups have seen a tad more than their share of the unexpected – probably a result of the many changes made to the format of the game over the years. Then again, cricket is a game of chance, as they say, and – not to undermine the efforts of the winning teams in the following list – luck does play a huge factor in most upsets.

Popular Super Bowl Ads of All Time

 Being one of the most watched American television broadcasts, the Super Bowl not only triggers immense anticipation and excitement, it raises commercial airtime rates exponentially. Commercial giants spend more lavishly on their ads than at any other time during the year, bringing their A-game to the screen. The hype surrounding Super Bowl commercials has long been almost on par with that of the game itself.

So if you’re tired of discussing the result of this year’s big game, join us as we scan through Super Bowl commercial history, listing ten of the most famous commercials of them all.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

 tates of America, the oldest being the Kentucky Derby. The annual two-day breed show is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City and features top-dogs from each of the breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club competing to be the Best in Show. There have been a total of 135 WKC dog shows, the first one being held in 1877 that featured over 1200 dogs. 2011’s WKC Dog Show had 2,500 dogs from 179 breeds.

Innovations and technologies

 As the year 2010 is about to finish, it has brought many innovations and technologies which will change the shape of the future. These innovations are dawn of a new era of autonomous power where technologies will run our daily life thus making are work more efficient and will reduce the time of discoveries. 2010 has turned out to be one such year, when people from around the world have achieved their groundbreaking innovative milestones.

So here I have compiled a list of ten most famous space and aviation innovations of 2010 which will surely widen the scope of aviation and space exploration.

The Most Anticipated Movies Of 2011

 2011 is here and boy does it have promising titles in store for movie-lovers, a lot of which are highly anticipated sequels and much awaited superhero flicks. Below, we’ve compiled a list of ten of the most drooled-over movies of the year with links to respective trailers (if available) at the end of each description.

Other notable movies scheduled for release this year are sequels X-Men: First Class, a second Sherlock Holmes and Fast Five (Fast and the Furious 5), the action/thriller flick Hannaand The Green Lantern.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Largest Stars in the Universe

 The study of the vast and enigmatic universe, the phenomena at work within it and the unfathomably large heavenly bodies that it encompasses makes one feel so tiny, so insignificant. We are mere specks compared to the size of our planet which is only a fraction of the size of the Sun. But there are stars out there that make even our Sun look like an insignificant fleck.

So here we have compiled a list of some of the largest known stars of the universe. The size of each star has been mentioned in solar radii, where one solar radius (1 R_☉) is equal to the radius of the Sun.

VY Canis Majoris

World's strangest airport names

1. Batman Airport (BAL), Turkey

An absurd selection of the world’s rudest, weirdest and strangest airport names.

2. Useless Loop (USL), Australia

3. Mafia Airport (MFA), Tanzania

4. Ogle Airport (OGL), Guyana

5. Moron Airport (OZP), Spain

6. Big Trout Airport (YTL), Canada

7. Gaylord Airport (GLR), USA

8. Phi Phi Island Airport (PHZ), Thailand

9. Asbestos Hill Airport (YAF), Canada