Sunday 20 January 2008

The Most Expensive Shoes In The World

Designer Stuart Weitzman calls them “CINDERELLA SLIPPERS” and why not the hefty price tag of the sandals is meant for deserving celebrities or queens from fairy tails who can afford to drop $2 million, earning the pride in return for owing the world’s most expensive sandals.

Designer aims at delivering fantasy sandals and this one fits his collection. Tall as 4½-inch, these stiletto sandals are encrusted with 565 platinum-set Kwiat diamonds including 55 carats of clear diamonds along with a huge 5-carat stone. The pricey yet elite pair of shoes is being displayed in Beverly Hills, California. Well, if you have the attitude to flaunt this luxurious pair then rush now.

Pakistans's Rich List 2008

"Indeed there has never been an actual study to determine who are Pakistan's richest men, but lately an outsourced email circulating on the web suggests a list of the most richest men the nation has. Surely the numbers are not the most accurate but indeed the list gives you an fair idea of what the upper echelon looks like, bar a few Army Generals that is."

Short-listing Pakistan's most influential business magnates or Groups has never been an easy task because there are the people who have been very powerful in nearly every regime that has held this country's reins since the last 60 years and then we have had those seasonal species that maneuvered their voice to be heard better than most within the power corridors, but later vanished into the oblivion for one reason or the other. We have selected only those tycoons who have made their presence felt for a better part of country's history, have earned consistently, have been setting up units at regular intervals or have been legends in stocks, currency or real estate business.

The list excludes many names that have previously qualified and all of Pakistan's most prominent feudal land lords who would definitely make it to the top 10, expect the few land owners which have declared their assets and work force and registered with the CBR Islamabad. In order to promote the new and 'unknown' Pakistani magnates we have excluded in previous entities.

Unfortunately, our extensive research does not currently include the names of a few stars that shone brightly amidst the galaxy of the influential creed of yesteryear like C.M.Latif of BECO- the Steel Man of Pakistan- who did make a lot of name once, but then got gifted with contentment somehow,although the late business wizard got very badly hit by Bhutto's nationalization of 1970 which had inflicted an astounding thud to everybody in business then. Had it not been the case, many of our tycoons may well have managed to gain the kind of status greeting the likes of Birlas and Tatas in India today, if not the one saluting Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.

Among these gifted individuals, you will find politicians- turned-businessm en, businessmen- turned-politicians or even the businessmen- cum-politicians. With malice towards none and with no intention to decorate somebody, We thus takes the pride of announcing these names. We hope this document will go a long way in serving as the most authentic endeavor of its kind for a very long time to come. It has been prepared very carefully in consultation with leading real estate barons, stock moguls, business leaders of virtue and senior bureaucrats at the Central Board of Revenue.


1 - Mian Muhammad Mansha Yaha Pakistan
Worth: £1.25b ($2.5 Billion) Industry: Businessman

Mansha has around 40 companies on board. Mansha, who owns the Muslim Commercial Bank is also setting up a $ 17m paper mill. He is one of the richest Pakistanis around. Nishat Group was country’s 15th richest family in 1970, 6th in 1990 and Number 1 in 1997. Mansha is on the board of nearly 50 companies. He is deemed to have made investments in many bourses, currency and metal exchanges both within and outside Pakistan. He could have bought the United Bank too, but then who doesn’t have adversaries. Nishat Group comprises of textiles, cement, leasing, insurance and management companies. If Mansha was bitten by Bhutto’s nationalization stint of 1970, his friends think he was compensated by Nawaz Sharif’s denationalization programme to a very good effect. There is no stopping Mansha and he is still on the move. Nishat group assets

2 - Asif Ali Zardari
Worth: £900 Million ($1.8 Billion) Industry: Politics

Asif dubbed Mr 10 % an unknown happy go lucky son of a small time businessman who struck gold by marrying one of the worlds most glamourous women Prime Ministers. Reportidly taking kick backs from many deals inside and outside of Pakistan, the most famous was a $4 Billion deal to by 32 Mirage jets from the French company Dassault. Documents which include letters from Dassault execs indicate and agreement was reached to pay 5% renumaration about $ 200 Million. Beside these many more kickback deals include "Ary Gold", Society General De Surveillance (SGS), Cotecna, and ZPC Ursus a polish tractor company.

Having 8 prime properties in the UK, of which is the famous Rockwood Estate which is 365 Acres worth 4.35 Million pounds which has now been sold and the money sent back to the Govt of Pakistan. Also 14 Multi Million dolloar mansions in the USA including owning Holiday Inn Hotel in Houston Texas and Iqbal Memon and Mr Hashwani.

Mr Zardari has stakes in sugar mills all over Pakistan which include Sakrand Sugar Mills, Nawabshah, Ansari, Hyderabad, Mirza Sugar Mills, Badin, Pangrio, Thatta, Bachani, Sanghar Sugar Mills.

3 - Sir Anwar Pervaiz UK
Ranking: 3 Worth: £750m ($1.5billion) Industry: Businessman

Chairman of Bestway Group. The Bestway Group started in 1976 with its first Bestway cash and carry warehouse opened in London. Today the have in total around 50 Cash and Carry’s. Including their recent takeover of rival group Batleys for around £100m. Bestway Group ventured into Pakistan’s huge the cement business in 1995 and set up cement manufacturing plant in Pakistan at a cost of $120 million.

Taking Advantage of Pakistan growing economy they also acquired a 25.5% stake in United Bank Limited in 2002. Today, the Bestway Group has interests in cash & carry wholesale, property investments, retail outlets, milling of rice, lentils and pulses, cement production and more recently into banking. The group’s total sales amounted to in excess of £ 2 billion. The group provides direct employment to thousands in the UK and Pakistan. The have many interests in Pakistan too.

Sir Anwar Pervaiz and his his partners sheer hard work has bought them to outstanding international levels, which definitely makes him an ideal role model for many young Pakistanis today. He still on the move!

4 - Nawaz Sharif & Shahbaz Sharif Family Saudi Arabia/Pakistan[/b]
Worth: £700m ($1.4billion) Industry: Politics/Businessman

Mr Sharif Businessman turned politician the former Prime Minister of Pakistan. He was ousted in a military coup in 1999 and was forced to forfeit $ 9million dollars and some of his assets including his $5m Mansion is Raiwind near Lahore. Before becoming PM he was a major share holder along with his brother and cousins of Ittefaq Group, having assets well in excess of £50m in the 90's. However he got richer when he took commissions from foreign companies for construction in Pakistan. He build the first motorway and many new roads and took heavy kickbacks. He then also stole $100m from the Iqra funds, he started a new scheme 'Ghar Apna' in which he again looted around $40m, the 'Mulk swaaro' scheme involving public & govt. money collections to help pay pf Pakistan's debts also was pocketed. In Saudi Arabia where it is known he has a new huge business empire in various sectors.

5 - Saddaruddin Hashwani Pakistan
Worth: £550m ($1.1 Billion) Industry: Businessman

Saddaruddin Hashwani is Chairman Hashoo Group is known for his dominance in Pakistan’s hotel industry, though Hashwanis are have huge strength in real estate business too. Hashwanis are involved in trading of cotton, grain and steel and till the nationalization of cotton export in 1974, they were widely being dubbed as the Cotton Kings of Pakistan. Today, this group has excelled in export of rice, wheat, cotton and barley.

It owns textile units, besides having invested billions in mines, minerals. hotels, insurance, batteries, tobacco, residential properties, construction, engineering and information technology. In 1984, Hashwani defeated the Lakhanis in the bid for Premier Tobacco but was arrested along with his brother Akbar in 1986 for allegedly evading customs duty on cigarettes.

Sadarduddin’s brother Akbar and the children of another late brother Hassan Ali Hashwani together manage around 45 companies. Akbar runs the second Hashwani Group. He is one of the most well-known magnates in Pakistan who is a regular invitee at the Diplomatic Enclave. The list of local and international bigwigs known personally to Hashwani is unending

6 - Nasir Schon & family U.A.E/Pakistan
(Tied at 6) Worth: £500m ($1 Billion) Industry: Businessman

Nasir Schon is a prominent business leader of Pakistan and the CEO of Schon Group. Nasir Schon is the son of Captain Ather Schon Hussain, an ex-pilot of PIA. The Schon family is one of the few striving Muhajir Urdu business families in Pakistan. Starting off in Singapore in 1982, the peek of Schon group was in 1995 when they owned National Fibres, Schon Bank, Schon Textiles and Pak-China Fertizilers. Famous for the trend-setting roundabout, Schon Circle, Nasir Schon is also known to be one of the first people to have a Rolls-Royce in Pakistan.

Directors of Schon group flew to Dubai in 1997 in exile after the dismissal of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The directors of Schon group were known to have close contacts with the husband of former Prime Minister, Asif Zardari. Many assets of the Schon group were auctioned by the Nawaz Sharif government. Schon Group is the only group in Pakistan who has paid the government over 3 billion rupees ($65m) in order to return from exile. Living in Dubai gave Nasir Schon an opportunity to start businesses there.

Currently working on an $830 million real estate project known as Dubai lagoon, Schon group is also fighting to get back the assets they once lost. Currently, the Schon group operates a pilot training center in Pakistan known as Schon Air.

7 - Abdul Razzaq Yakoub & family U.A.E
Worth: £500m ($1 billion) Industry: Businessman

Mr Yakoub is a prominent Pakistani expatriate businessman based in Dubai. He is the president ARY group ($1.5Billion turnover) and World Memon Organization (WMO). He is one of Pakistan’s biggest media barons controlling around 7 channels. Besides this he has a huge property holdings in Karachi, Islamabad and Dubai amounting to over $200m. He is major in the gold market also having around 20 outlets in Asia. He has also been involved in paying Asif Zardari $5m in 1990’s for allowing him to import/export gold. Which he denies and claim’s is government forgeries.

8 - Rafiq Habib & Rasheed Habib Pakistan
Worth: £450m ($900 Million) Industry: Businessman

Legend has it that the Goddess of Wealth has been in love with the seasoned Habibs more than anybody else in Pakistan. Most pundits believe that Habibs own at least 100 companies throughout the world, but these content mega-tycoons never boast off, something which has made it uphill for most to predict about their financial standing. This industrial group was founded by Seth Habib Mitha, born in 1878 to Esmail Ali-a factory owner in Bombay. The financial strength of the Habibs can be gauged from the fact that Muhammad Ali Habib gave a cheque of Rs 80 million to Quaid-e-Azam in 1948 at a time when Pakistan government was penniless owing to delay in transfer of Pakistan’s share of Rs. 750 million by the Reserve Bank of India. They had offices in Europe in 1912. They incorporated the Habib Bank in 1941. They own the Habib Bank A.G Zurich, Bank Al-Habib, Indus Motors assembling Corolla cars and many dozens of units in sectors such as jute, paper sack, minerals, steel, tiles, synthetics sugar, glass, construction, concrete, farm autos, banking, oil, computers, music, paper, packages, leasing and capital management. Habibs today are headed by Rafiq Habib and Rashid Habib in two distinct groups. What makes them extremely influential players of all times is the fact that for dozens of top businessmen today, Habib were a myth once.

9 - Tariq Saigol & Nasim Saigol Pakistan
Worth: £425m ($850) Industry: Businessman

Hailing from Jhelum. The pioneer of the Saigol dynasty in 1890 was Amin Saigol who established a shoe shop that eventually transformed into Kohinoor Rubber Works. And then times saw them shining literally like the Kohinoor until their progress was halted by Nationalization in which they lost two-thirds of their wealth. Saigols got trifurcated in 1976 and 15 descendents of Amin Saigols four sons got a share. The name of the Saigols has been used in this part of the world as similes describing quantum of wealth. Yousaf Saigol, along with his brothers Sayeed Saigol, Bashir Saigol and Gul Saigol then nourished an excellent crop. In 1948, Saigols established the Kohinoor Textile Mills with a cost of Rs 8 million and this group happens to be the first to open an LC with the State Bank of Pakistan. They bought the United Bank in 1959 and then witnessed five of their units getting nationalized. They lived in Saudi Arabia during the Bhutto regime. Today, cousins Tariq and Nasim are holding the family’s fort together and have risen to unprecedented heights in individual capacities. NAB did haunt Nasim but Tariq spent more time either accepting or refusing prized slots everywhere. Tariq is the one of the finest business brains around.

10 - Dewan Yousaf Farooqui Pakistan
(Tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman

Mr Farooqui. The mentor of this group has been the Sindh Minister for Local Bodies. Industries, Labour, Transport, Mines & Minerals. Dewan Mushtaq Group is one of the Pakistan’s largest industrial conglomerates in sectors like polyester acrylic fiber, manufacturing and automotives. Six of their companies are listed at the Karachi & stock Exchange and one at the Luxembourg bourse. Dewan Farooqui Motors assembles around 10,000 cars annually under technical license agreement with Hyundai and Kia Motors of Korea. The Dewan Salman Fiber is the pride of this empire as it ranks 11th in the world in total production capacity. The group owns three textile units, a motorcycle manufacturing concern and the largest sugar unit in the country. Dewans also have business interests in India. They possess dozens of millions of shares of Saudi Cement and Pak land Cement. They also have the franchise licence for BMW in Pakistan and now Rolls Royce showrooms.

11 - Sultan Ali Lakhani & family Pakistan
(Tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman

The Lakhanis are currently having a hard time at the hands of NAB. Sultan Lakhani and his three brothers run this prestigious group and the chain of McDonald’s restaurants in Pakistan. NAB has alleged the Lakhanis of having created phoney companies through worthless directors and raised massive loans from various banks and financial institutions. Sultan is currently abroad after having served a jail term with younger sibling Amin, though the latter was released much earlier. NAB had reportedly demanded Rs 7 billion from Lakhanis, but later agreed they pay only Rs 1.5 billion over a 10-year period. Lakhanis, like their arch-rivals Hashwanis, are the most well-known of all Ismaeli tycoons. Their stakes range from media, tobacco, paper, chemicals and surgical equipment to cotton, packaging, insurance, detergents and other house-hold items, many of which are joint ventures with leading international conglomerates. Though Lakhanis are in turbulent waters currently, the success that greeted them during the last 25 years especially has been tremendous. They have rifts with large business empires despite being known fur their genteel nature. Whether it is any government in Sindh or at the Federal level, Lakhanis have had trusted friends everywhere, though the present era has proved a painful exception.

12 - Malik Riaz Hussain Pakistan
(Tied at 9) Worth: £400m ($800) Industry: Businessman

Malik Riaz Hussain heads the massive project which is currently developing state-of-the-art schemes in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Emerging out of the blue, this developer has reportedly developed tremendous connections where it matters in Pakistan-One of the few reasons why his constructed projects get completed in time without hindrance. Whether he has gifted bungalows free of cost of country’s bigwigs or offered them at highly concessional rates, the reality on the ground is that Malik has managed to mesmerize most through his generous wallet. His land-holdings both within and outside Pakistan amounts to nearly a billion dollar. He is the man behind the Bahria Town. Irrespective of who is in power; he continues to build house after house-swelling his wealth. He is also the first man to drive a Bentley car on Pakistani soil.

13 - Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid Pakistan
Worth: £390m ($780) Industry: Businessman

Sheikh Abid Hussain alias Seth Abid. He is one of the most resourceful developers/builders in the country owning vast stretches of land in major cities. On this land worth many billion of rupees, Seth has constructed residential schemes under the brand name of “Green Fort.” Seth came into this business after decades of notoriety as being one of the spearheads in cross-border smuggling. While many remember Seth for his allegedly illegal trading stints, a lot of informed circles still say with conviction that he, along with Dr.Qadeer and former Premier Bhutto, was the brain behind the success of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. About three dozen of Seth’s very close relatives, friends and nephews are members of country’s bourses and for many years now, the Seth Abid group assumes the role of king-makers during the annual polls of these stock exchanges. He is a leading investor in stocks, metals and currency but what gives him immense pleasure is his philanthropic institution Hamza Foundation that he sponsors for the welfare of deaf and dumb children. Pakistan has not had a single ruler, politician, bureaucrat or Army General who doesn’t know the Seth who is more of a myth for most. The Seth, throughout his life, has avoided publicity-a fact known to most journalists.
are $4.4 Billion. He is sometimes even regarded as the Pakistani who doesnt “show it off”.

Stupid Facts or Amazing Facts

1) The Human Body

The ashes of the average cremated person weigh nine pounds.

The skeleton of an average 160-pound body weighs about 29 pounds.

By age 60, most people have lost half their taste buds.

A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day will (on average) lose two teeth every 10 years.

90 percent of the population has an "innie" belly button.

The average human will shed 40 pounds of skin in a lifetime.

A fingernail or toenail takes about six months to a year to grow from base to tip.

The human body has 70,000 miles of blood vessels.

The thumbnail grows the slowest. The middle nail grows the fastest.

The space between your eyebrows is called the glabella.

The surface of the human skin is 6.5 square feet (2m).


2) Some more facts.

Regalation is the process that allows ice to refreeze.
A full moon always rises at sunset.

A regulation soccer game is 90 minutes.

A coward was originally a boy who took care of cows.

England is smaller than New England.

The age of a fish can be determined by the number of growth rings on its scales.

The average human eyelash lives about 150 days.

The average person’s hair will grow approximately 590 inches in a lifetime.

The average woman’s thighs are 1.5 times larger in circumference than the average man’s.

An average person uses the bathroom six times per day.

Mercury is the only metal liquid at room temperature.

Thermometers were once filled with brandy.

3.5% of the oceans is dissolved salt.

Brussel sprouts were discovered in Brussels.

Swedish fish are neither.

Blood is six times thicker than water.

Andromeda is the nearest galaxy.

Scooby Doo's first name is Scoobert.

The word "corduroy" comes from the French "cord du roi" or "cloth of the king."

Coca-cola was originally sold as a brain tonic.


3) Occupational Surnames:


Common surnames whose original meanings were occupations:

* Ackerman: plowman

* Barker: leather tanner

* Baxter: baker

* Brewster: brewer

* Carter: wagon driver

* Chandler: candle maker

* Clark: clerk

* Cohen: priest

* Collier: coal miner

* Conner: inspector

* Cooper: barrel maker

* Currier: curer of hides

* Dyker: stonemason

* Faber: artisan

* Ferrier: blacksmith

* Fletcher: arrow maker

* Fowler: bird hunter

* Fuller: cleaner of cloth goods

* Granger: farmer

* Hacker: woodcutter

* Harper: minstrel

* Hayward: fence inspector

* Hooper: maker of barrel hoops

* Kaufman: merchant

* Keeler: bargeman

* Lederer: leather maker

* Marshall: horse doctor

* Mercer: cloth merchant

* Pitman: coal miner

* Sawyer: sawer of timber into boards

* Schneider: tailor

* Tinker: traveling salesman

* Travers: collector of bridge tolls

* Tucker: cleaner of cloth goods

* Webster: weaver

* Wainwright: wagon maker

* Wechsler: moneychanger


4) Car Names:

Many car company names are named for real people.

Buick: David Dunbar Buick (1854-1929), a Scotsman, merged the failing Buick Manufacturing Company with another to form the Buick Motor Car Company in 1903.

Chevrolet: Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941) was a race car driver and designer who co-founded the company.

Chrysler: Walter Chrysler (1875-1940) formed the Chrysler Corporation in 1925.

Dodge: John (1864-1920) and Horace (1868-1920) Dodge founded the their own car company in 1914.

Ferrari: Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988) racing car driver and designer founded the company in 1929.

Ford: Henry Ford (1863-1947) founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903.

Mercedes-Benz: Karl Benz (1844-1929) is believed by many to be the inventor of the automobile. Mercedes Jellinek was a daughter of a German diplomat and investor.

Oldsmobile: Ransom Eli Olds (1864-1950) founded the Olds Motor Vehicle company in 1897.

Porsche: Ferdinand Porsche (1875-1951), automobile designer and manufacturer, started his own company in 1930.

Rolls-Royce: A combination of Sir Henry Royce (1863-1933) and Charles Rolls (1877-1910 ). Royce founded the company in 1903 and Rolls promoted the car.


5) Weather:


To tell the temperature without a thermometer:

Count a cricket's "chirps" for 15 seconds and add 40. This tells you the degrees in Fahrenheit.

If you cut a hailstone in half and count the rings, that information will tell you how many times the hailstone fell and rose within the a thunderstorm's updrafts.

The cool rush of air preceding a thunderstorm is caused by the downward force of rainfall, and this rush of air is approximately 1-2 miles ahead of the oncoming storm!

A typical cloud reflects 75% of the Sun's energy, leaving 25% of sunlight to reach the ground.

The best time to go fishing, according to weather experts, is during a full moon cycle. A full moon causes increased electromagnetic energy, which in turn triggers traveling, feeding, and spawning responses in fish and their prey.



6) Life Spans

* An average elephant lives for about 55 years.

* A butterfly lives for about 6 months.

* A gorilla lives to about 40 years of age.

* A queen honeybee lives for about 7 years.

* A shark lives for about 100 years.

* An average lion lives for 25 years.

* An average parrot lives for 120 years.

* Ants may live up to 16 years.

* Dolphins live for about 25 years.

* Eagles live for about 40 years.

* Giant tortoises live to be 200 years old.

* Rattlesnakes live for about 19 years.

* The longest-lived insects are queen termites, which live for up to 100 years.

* The oldest known goldfish lived to 41 years of age.


7) Life in the 1500's


Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the b.o.

Baths equaled a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually loose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water".

Houses had thatched roofs. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the pets...dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats and dogs," There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. So, they found if they made beds with big posts and hung a sheet over the top, it addressed that problem. Hence those beautiful big 4 poster beds with canopies.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor". The wealthy had slate floors which would get slippery in the winter when wet. So they spread thresh on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed at the entry way, hence a "thresh hold".

They cooked in the kitchen in a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They mostly ate vegetables and didn't get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been in there for a month. Hence the rhyme: peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.

Sometimes they could obtain pork and would feel really special when that happened. When company came over, they would bring out some bacon and hang it to show it off. It was a sign of wealth and that a man "could really bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food. This happened most often with tomatoes, so they stopped eating tomatoes... for 400 years. Most people didn't have pewter plates, but had trenchers - a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Trencher were never washed and a lot of times worms got into the wood. After eating off wormy trenchers, they would get "trench mouth."

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the "upper crust".

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake".


England is old and small and they started running out of places to bury people. So, they would dig up coffins and would take their bones to a house and reuse the grave. In reopening these coffins, one out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on their wrist and lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night to listen for the bell. Hence on the "graveyard shift" they would know that someone was "saved by the bell" or he was a "dead ringer".


8) Firsts:

* The first beer can was used by Krueger Beer, and introduced in 1935.

* The first bra was created by a French designer in 1902.

* The first city in history to boast a million inhabitants was London, in 1811.

* The first continental phone call occurred in 1915 between New York and San Francisco.

* The first electronic computer was built in 1889 for the U.S. Census Bureau.

* The first heart transplant took place on December 3, 1967.

* The first issue of Rolling Stone magazine featured a photo of John Lennon on the cover.

* The first pay phone was installed in a Hartford, Connecticut bank in 1889.

* The first scheduled TV broadcast, in 1931, featured George Gershwin and Kate Smith.

* The first shopping center was built in Baltimore, MD, in 1896.

* The first sound recording ever made was "Mary Had a Little Lamb," in 1877 by Tom Edison.

* The first sperm banks opened in 1964 in Tokyo and Iowa City.

* The first stereo record went on the market in 1958.

* The first stewardesses were on United Airlines in 1930, and had to be registered nurses.

Aishwariya's Statue At Madamme Tussauds

Shah Rukh Khan's House Pictures


Time for Everything


TAKE TIME TO WORK - IT IS THE PRICE OF SUCCESS.


TAKE TIME TO THINK - IT IS SOURCE OF POWER.


TAKE TIME TO PRAY - IT IS THE KEY TO REVELATION


TAKE TIME TO PLAY - IT IS THE SECRET OF YOUTH


TAKE TIME TO READ - IT IS THE SECRET OF WISDOM


TAKE TIME TO BE GOOD - IT IS THE ROAD OF HAPPINESS


TAKE TIME TO DREAM - IT IS THE WAY TO THE MOON


TAKE TIME TO LOVE - IT IS THE PRIVILEGE OF GOD


TAKE TIME TO SERVE - IT IS THE MISSION OF LIFE


TAKE TIME TO LAOUGH - IT IS THE MUSIC OF SOUL.

Tom Cruise New Video: “Psychiatry Doesn’t Work”

Another Tom Cruise video has surfaced.

In the video — which has been removed from YouTube — he dismisses psychiatry and claims that Scientologists “have the ability to crush” drug companies.

Alternating between laughing and whispering, the actor, 46, says, “We actually have an easier time getting people off heroin and methadone than these psychiatric drugs, and I’ve worked very diligently to educate people about this.

“We have the ability to be able to fight [drug companies] to be able to crush these guys.”

Staring intently into the camera, he declares, “Oh, I’m going hard on those guys, and their reign ... psychiatrists. I’ve had…I mean…I’ve absolutely had it. It’s disgusting to me... No mercy... None... Psychiatry doesn’t work.

“When you study the effects…it’s a crime against humanity.”

He later recalls meeting a journalist. “I was doing an interview with someone [and] she said, ‘I want to know who you are,’” Cruise said, “and I said, ‘Know...I’m a Scientologist.’”

Conan O'Brien Buys $10.5 Million L.A. Home

Conan O'Brien is already getting ready for his move to L.A. next year, when he's expected to take over for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show – by buying a 10.5 million home in Brentwood, Calif., the Los Angeles Times reports.

The TV host's new pad is a New England style six-bedroom home in a gated compound. The master suit includes a sitting room, balcony and two bathrooms, the paper says.

Other amenities at the 44-year-old star's new home include a screening room, expansive views, a 1,500-bottle wine room, a pool, spa, library, 10-foot ceilings and six fireplaces.

The star currently hosts Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony Celebrate with a Baby Shower

Jennifer Lopez celebrated her pregnancy with a baby shower Saturday on the rooftop of the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City.

The singer and her husband Marc Anthony both attended the afternoon shower, which was hosted by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Lopez's producer on the 2002 film Maid in Manhattan.

Lopez, 38, "looked very pretty – and very pregnant," according to an eyewitness, who saw the couple arrive flanked by bodyguards.

Among the guests were actress Leah Remini and designer Roberto Cavalli, who gifted Lopez with a pink leopard crib, according to a source. As for the d̩cor, everything at the shower was blue and pink Рand the room was covered with Swarovski crystal, said the source.

Last month the singer, who is due in a few weeks, was given matching pink and blue Tuni & G onesies from her sister Lynda Lopez. The pop star has been mum about whether she's expecting twins, though multiple sources have told PEOPLE she's having two bundles of joy.

The singer first announced she would be starting a family with her husband of three years, Marc Anthony, 39, last November after months of speculation.

"This is a special time in our lives," Lopez told an audience during a concert in Miami, the final stop on the couple’s El Cantante tour.

Even as her baby bump grew increasingly noticeable with each performance, Lopez had avoided discussing her impending motherhood.

"We're just getting used to the fact that we've told everybody" Lopez tells Harper's Bazaar for its February issue.

When asked how long she is planning to take off from her career as a singer, actress and designer, Lopez says, "I don't know – and I like that."

Samaire Armstrong in yellow wifebeaters while out in Sunset Plaza




Nicole Vaidisova - Reebok Lifestyle Photoshoot



Vanessa Anne Hudgens - Seventeen Magazine

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Mary-Kate Olsen - Nylon Magazine (January 2008)

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