April Fool Day 2008 - Top Memorable Pranks and Hoaxes

Mentioned here with Top 10 most memorable April Fool Day 2008 Pranks & Hoaxes.

1. Placed a pair of pants and shoes inside the only toilet stall in a men's room to make it appear someone was using the stall. It sat there for hours until someone called security to check if the person had died.

2. Sent a fake love note to a co-worker from another co-worker.

3. All the women in office individually spoke to the president, confiding that she is pregnant. By noon, he 'knew' that all of his female workers were pregnant and he could not tell anyone because each asked for confidentially.

4. Called the electric company, used a co-worker's name and told them he was moving so the electricity got turned off at the co-worker's house.

5. Filled the vending soda machine with cans of beer.

6. Rigged the boss' chair to drop suddenly during a staff meeting.

7. Placed a sign on the restroom door that read, "The company ran out of toilet tissue; please use your own resources."

8. Paged a co-worker over the loud speaker claiming the CEO was looking for him. The worker went into the CEOs office and the CEO didn't know who he was or why he was there.

9. Shrink-wrapped everything in a co-worker's cubicle.

10. Put a 'house for sale' ad in the newspaper regarding a co-worker's home

Fashion Trends 2008

You probably can't recall who said it, but whoever first uttered that fashion comes full circle every 30 years or so was not too far off. This season on the runway is reminiscent of the flowing 70s in both fabric and style. We are seeing much more of the long skirt and much less of the micro mini. Materials like silk and chiffon, which tend to flow and gather, are much more popular for Spring 2008 than fabrics like cotton or denim which tend to hold shape and stay stiffer in appearance. The word for the season is feminine, feminine, feminine! The exception to this seems to be in outerwear, where rubber is oddly back in style. Indoors, though, thin little belts, hats, and scarves are also popular and a throwback to the 70s as well as being womanly. Don't despair, though - some things from last season are still popular and can be recycled for this season. Accessories like metallic bags and clutches, as well as sequins and some of the longer pencil skirts can still be worn with confidence. Dresses with color blocks are still around as well, left over from last season and still cute. Headbands are still a popular accessory as well.

Sheers are in this year as a fabric style, which works well with the flow-y nature of the season. Pairing a sheer shirt over a camisole with denim jeans is a great casual look. In fact, a sheer scarf works with almost anything this season. Especially cute is the above-mentioned shirt and jeans with a little scarf and dressy sneakers. "Dressy sneakers" are another big hit this year, which will keep your feet happy as you get to be comfortable and stylish at the same time. Low-lying, patterned variety sneakers with ties that sport the best of brand names are the most popular for the young trendsetter.

Speaking of patterns, big bold prints such as tropical themes and jungle prints are back. For whatever reason, and it seems to happen every several years, tribal and jungle themes like leopard prints and zebra stripes make their way back to the runway. This year is no exception. Color is back, and black is out, at least for now. Last year, brown was the new black, and this year it is muted silver and grey that's all the rage when you want to opt for a non-color.

What about shoes, you ask? Pointy-toe pumps are back! Not that they ever really went out of style, but they certainly came second to the flip flop, the ballet slipper, and other such cutesy flat footwear, along with the rounded toe pump. Also noteworthy is what's in store for later on in the season. Fall 2008 promises to be chock full of the "bigger is better" theory. Bigger, chunkier heels, bigger, longer boots, and bigger and heavier accessories on the shoes themselves such as thick buckles and chains should be on your radar for footwear.

Of course, if we are going to talk shoes we must talk shades. Still popular, especially with the Divas, are the ever-present round and dark sunglasses that cover most of your face. The celebrities, of course, brought this trend to the forefront of fashion and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon. Also popular though, is the blue lens which seemed to disappear for a while. This lens is more appropriate with a smaller frame than with the oversized shades discussed. The RayBan Wayfarers, so popular in the 80s, also seem to be making a comeback this year.

Last but by no means least, there could not be a fashion article written about what's hot for 2008 without mentioning jeans. Designer denim continues to be the hottest thing around. We all know that True Religion, Citizens of Humanity, Buffalo, Seven for all Mankind and Lucky have become standard, almost run-of-the mill designer jeans. Even though they cost upward of $200.00, they are still the 'norm'. Slightly more pricey is Diesel, and this brand continues to be popular as well.

Relative newcomers, though, are some of the names that were actually around long before these newbies even existed. Yves St. Laurent, Donna Karan, and some of the more elite designer's names are being plastered on the derrieres of the most discriminating fashionistas this season. As for jean style and cut, the zipper-ankle and straight-leg varieties that were popular in the 80s are making a comeback. Expect to see them on the legs of the trendsetters this fall.

This season proves to be an interesting and eclectic mix of 70s and 80s styles. This may seem contradictory, but the feminine nature of the season's styles pulls from flowing 70s fabrics and cuts and seems to just use a hint of 80s metal and accessory - and it's a hit.

Modu Mini Phone - World's Lightest Mobile Phone Record

When you read through the Guinness Book of World Records, you find a lot of totally weird things. You see pictures of the person with the world's longest fingernails, for example. While not quite as outrageous, the Modu mini phone has also found its way into the Guinness Book of World Records, getting named the lightest mobile phone in the world.

As you recall, we saw the Modu mini phone earlier this year. The main module is all you need for basic phone functionality, but this central unit can then be shoved into a series of different jackets that provide extra functionality, like making it into a mobile gamer, mobile music listener, or even a smartphone.

The standalone mobile device weighs in at a barely-there 1.4 ounces and is 0.3-inches thick. If you didn't know any better, it's pretty easy to mistake the Modu mini phone for a car remote or something. Look for the Modu to hit the States either late this year or early next year.

Winemaker's Nose Insured for $8 Million

A Lloyd's of London syndicate said Tuesday it is insuring the nose of winemaker Ilja Gort for $8 million.

The Dutch winemaker and taster took out the policy after hearing about a man who lost his sense of smell in a car accident.

"I thought it must be a horror to lose your smell," Gort said. "It would mean that you cannot taste wine anymore. Tasting wine is something you do with your nose, not your mouth."

Gort, 47, said his nose is essential for him to produce top quality wines at his Chateau de la Garde vineyard in the Bordeaux region of France.

The custom policy covers Gort for the loss of either his nose or his sense of smell and has some conditions for protecting his nose. Among other things, he is barred from riding a motorcycle or working as a knife thrower's assistant or fire-breather.

And he can't be a boxer. "I may not fight against Mike Tyson," Gort said.

Jonathan Thomas, the lead underwriter for the Watkins Syndicate at the Lloyd's insurance market, also took note of Gort's long, curly beard in drafting the policy. A clause requires that the winemaker use only experienced barbers who will keep their razors steady near his nose.

"These insurance policies, they're not all dry," Thomas said. "There's a bit of fun we can add with them as well."

This is one of many Lloyd's body part insurance policies. Lloyd's reported movie icon Marlene Dietrich had her legs insured and Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards was paid when he injured his finger on tour in the 1990s.

America Ferrara, star of the ABC television show "Ugly Betty," has her smile insured for $10 million, Lloyd's said.

"Let's face it, it's a Lloyd's speciality," Thomas said. "Lloyd's specializes in unusual risks."

Gort wasn't the first wine tester to get coverage from Thomas. He insured the senses of both taste and smell for wine taster Angela Mount for $20.1 million in 2003 for her bosses at British supermarket chain Somerfield.

Source : AP

Letters arrives after 21 years

This family photo provided by Emily Shih (Hwaung) shows Shih in 1987. Shih sent a note in a bottle for a 1987 class project that was recently found in Alaska. About 21 years passed between the time Shih put the message in a soda bottle and Merle Brandell, not pictured, picked it up on the beach.

Source : (AP Photo/Courtesy of Emily Shih)

Dog prays at Japanese Zen temple

One-and-a-half-year old Chihuahua dog 'Conan' prays with his owner and chief priest Joei Yoshikuni during a morning pray at the Shuri-Kannondo temple in Okinawa islands, southwestern Japan,

Source : AP

Leonid Stadnik - World's Tallest Man at Ukrain

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko speaks with Ukrainian Leonid Stadnik, the world's tallest man, measuing 2.55 meters high according to the Guinness World Records, in Kiev, 24 March 2008.

Ukrainian president presented Leonid Stadnik with a car which was specially adapted for him by Ukrainian corporation Autozaz-Daewoo. EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

Leonid Stadnik Biography from Wikipedia

Leonid Ivanovyc Stadnyk (born 1971 in Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union) is the world's tallest living man according to Guinness World Records 2008. He is a certified veterinarian and veterinary surgeon and lives with his mother in the village of Podolyantsi, Ukraine. Leonid Stadnyk's excessive growth began after brain surgery when he was 14 years old. He developed a pituitary gland tumor which caused the gland to secrete large amounts of growth hormone, resulting in what doctors describe as acromegalic gigantism.

On August 8, 2007, Guinness book's spokeswoman Amarilis Espinoza stated that in the 2008 edition of the record book, Mr Stadnyk at 2.59m, replaces Bao Xishun, a native of Inner Mongolia in China who stands 2.36 m. In the past, Stadnyk refused to be measured and consequently denied the GWR recognition. In 2007, the Guinness World Records was permitted to take height measurements, thereby officially recognizing Stadnyk as the world's tallest man.

A Pravda news report in Spring 2006 reported that Leonid Stadnyk grew 2 cm (0.79 in) in the previous year, not accounting the time between the original Spring 2004 report and Spring 2005. According to Pravda, his health is slowly failing in that he needs to hold on to limbs of trees and the side of his house to walk about. A group of Ukrainian business people donated a satellite dish and a computer to Stadnyk and now he has Internet access.

Source : huliq.com

World Record for Longest Ever Cricket Match

Two Brisbane cricket teams are taking a well earned rest this morning after playing more than 50 hours of continuous cricket in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest ever match.

The players - members and friends from the Citipointe Church Christian Outreach Centre in Mansfield, south of the city - last night smashed the standing record of 35-and-a-half hours set by UK club Chesterfield when they played their last ball at a northside cricket field 10.45pm.

The teams had hoped to rack up 60 hours on the pitch, but decided to wrap up after 50 hours and 15 minutes.

"People were mentally struggling," organiser Perry Le Petit said this morning.

"Everyone was very very tired and there were a lot of weary bodies.

"At the end of the day, we had a duty of care."

The group took to Sel Outridge Park at Redland Bay at 8.30pm on Thursday, playing in shifts, with rotations only for meals and sleep.

A minimum of eight players per side were required to be participating in the match at all times under Guinness World Record rules.

It is the second successful attempt by the group, after setting a previous record of 33-and-a-half hours in 2006 that was eventually beaten by the English in September last year.

Mr Le Petit, a Gold Coast fitter and turner, said the players were thrilled to see the title returned to Australian soil.

"We're all very happy about what we've achieved.
"We've had so much support and encouragement, it has been fantastic."

However, the group, including a small army of officials, umpires and medical support staff, will wait for official confirmation from Guinness World Records before celebrating with a barbecue and an auction of match "memorabilia".

The marathon match was not without its on-field dramas, with several injuries and a mass pitch invasion by up to 20 drunk streakers on the first day of play.

An anticipated $5000 raised by the players will be donated to Cambodian-based charity refuge She Rescue Home set up for victims of the Asian sex slave trade.

Source : brisbanetimes.com.au

50 meter freestyle swimming world record set by Alain Bernard

Alain Bernard set a world record in the 50-meter freestyle Sunday, after twice lowering the 100 freestyle mark in the previous two days at the European swimming championships.

The muscular Frenchman finished in 21.50 seconds to beat the time of 21.56 set last month by Eamon Sullivan of Australia. Sullivan lowered Alexander Popov's previous record of 21.64, set in Moscow on June 16, 2000.

"I had to stay calm for this semifinal," Bernard said. "I had an excellent start, which is not that usual for me. Then I thought I had to exploit my fantastic shape here in Eindhoven. I put all my power on at 35 meters."

Bernard set a world record of 47.50 seconds to win the 100 freestyle final on Saturday. That took one-tenth of a second off the record of 47.60 he swam Friday in the semifinals, to shatter Pieter van den Hoogenband's old mark set at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

On Sunday, 24-year-old Bernard easily beat Stefan Nystrand of Sweden, who finished in 22.12 in their second semifinal to be third fastest into the final.

Russian teenager Anastasia Zueva won her second gold of the championships in the 50 backstroke in a European record, adding to her victory in the 100 backstroke — also in a European record time — on Friday.

The 17-year-old Zueva's time of 28.05 was well outside the world record set earlier in the day and on the other side of the world by Sophie Edington, who clocked 27.67 at the Australian Olympic trials in Sydney.

Nina Zhivanevskaya of Spain, the 2003 world champion and holder of the old European record, was second and Sanja Jovanovic of Croatia was third.

World record holder Oleg Lisogor of Ukraine took the European 50 breaststroke in 27.43 after sharing the title for the last two years with Alessandro Terrin of Italy following the pair's tie at the last European championships. This time, Terrin had to settle for bronze as Alexander Dale Oen took silver.

With world champion Laure Manaudou not racing, Sara Isakovic of Slovenia won the women's 200 freestyle in 1:57.45, touching just ahead of Olympic champion Camelia Potec of Romania and third-place Agnes Mutina of Hungary.

Evgeny Korotyshkin of Russia won the men's 100 butterfly in 51.89 and sealed a place at the Olympics after starting in lane eight because he had the slowest qualifying time. Peter Mankoc of Slovenia was second in 52.07 and Rafael Munoz Perez of Spain was third in 52.09.

In her last season of competitive swimming, continental record holder Flavia Rigamonti of Switzerland won the first ever European championship women's 1500 final in 15:58.54. Erika Villaecija of Spain collected her second silver of the championships after placing second in the 800 freestyle, and Lotte Friis of Denmark was third.

Markus Rogan added the 200 backstroke title to the 100 backstroke gold he won earlier in the championships. The Austrian touched in 1:55.85, ahead of European record holder Arkady Vyatchanin of Russia and Razvan Florea of Romania.

In the evening's final race, Filippo Magnini anchored Italy to its fifth straight 800freestyle title in 7:09.94. Russia was second and Austria third.

In the diving competition, Julia Pakhalina of Russia won the women's 3-meter springboard with 347.40 points. The German pair of Sascha Klein and Patrick Hausding won the men's 10-meter platform synchro.

Source : AP

50 hours continuous singing of the song world records

After 50 hours and almost 1,000 performances, the "Danny Boy" marathon at a Ferndale, Michigan coffee shop is in the books.AJ's Music Cafe hosted the effort to get into the Guinness Book of World Record for continuous singing of the song. The 50 hour marathon began at 3 p.m. Saturday and ran until 5 p.m. Monday.There were classical, folk, blues, rap, spoken word and foreign language versions of "Danny Boy" played on instruments including the piano, trombone, violin and kazoo.According to the cafe's Web site, owner AJ O'Neil planned to hold a mock funeral for the ballad at the marathon's conclusion.

On the Net: AJ's Music Cafe: http://www.ajsmusiccafe.com/

Largest Gathering of Games Characters world record 2008

Largest Gathering of Games Characters Guinness world record 2008 set by Cosplayers
A total of 80 people got together yesterday to set the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of games characters.

Sonic, Crash, Yoshi, Lara etc. etc. etc. met up on the Millennium bridge in London. The gathering included 30 children from Argyle Primary School, Kings Cross who all dressed up as Super Mario.
"I have had a great day, I have met all my favourite characters," one said. "The best one is Tails from Sonic." Truly inner London education is in a sorry state.

Vivendi representative Catherine Channon turned up to show her support for the event and true dedication to public relations by dressing up as Spyro. "It was a great idea by the folks over at Guinness, but when you get that many game characters together things are always going to get a bit heated," she observed.
Channon declined to comment directly on rumours Spyro was forced to break up a fight between Yoshi and the wolf out of Digimon on top of a bus.

Amazing Soft Drink Facts by Guinness world records

On this day in 1894, Coca-Cola was sold in its iconic glass bottles for the first time. As well as being the Most popular soft drink (in terms of number of drinks sold), here are some other records that have ‘Coke’ at their heart:

Largest line dance

The largest line dance involved 17,000 participants who performed the Cupid Shuffle for 8 minutes at the Ebony Black Family Reunion Tour organised by the Coca Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on 25 August 2007.

Largest soda float

The record for the world's largest soda float was one of 13,638 litres (3,000 gal) made by Coca-Cola at the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on 25 May 2007.

Largest spray painted picture

The largest spray painted picture measured 760.28 m² (8183.58 ft²) and was made for Coca-Cola Ýcecek by 580 students from nine universities around Turkey. It was completed at Hezarfen Airport, Istanbul, Turkey on 16 August 2004.

Most times for a product to be ‘placed’ on television

The most "placed" product on TV in 2007 was Coca-Cola, according to Nielsen, with 3,054 placements in the first six months alone. PQ Media, a media research firm in Stamford, Connecticut, USA, estimated that US advertisers spend just short of $1 billion (£500 million) a year on "product integration" on TV.

Largest global brand

According to a study released by AC Nielsen, the largest global brand in the world based on sales is Coca-Cola which in 2002 had sales of over $19 billion (£13 billion). The brand is present in 30 countries which account for 90% of the world's gross domestic product and cover all core geographic regions.

Amazing Astronomical Feats by Guinness world records

On this day in 1982, all 9 planets aligned on the same side of the sun. This phenomenon (called ‘Syzygy’) has inspired us to into and beyond our solar system for today’s records:

Closest moon to a planet
Of all the moons in the Solar System, the one which orbits closest to its planet is the tiny Martian satellite, Phobos.

Phobos is 9,378 km 5,827 miles from the centre of Mars - which corresponds to 5,981 km 3,716 miles above the Martian surface.

Phobos is a small potato-shaped irregular moon, measuring 27 x 22 x 18 km (17 x 14 x 11 miles). It is dark and covered with dusty craters and is almost certainly an asteroid which was captured by Mars' gravity many millions of years ago.

Closest planet to a star
The closest planet to any star discovered so far is a Jupiter-sized gas giant orbiting the star OGLE-TR-3. This 'hot Jupiter' orbits just 3.5 million km (2.1 million miles) from its parent star and has an orbital period of just 28 hr 33 min. OGLE-TR-3 is a G-type star (similar to the Sun) some 1,500 parsecs (4,900 light years) away.

Fastest planet
Mercury, which orbits the Sun at an average distance of 57.9 million km (35.9 million miles), has a orbital period of 87.9686 days, thus giving the highest average speed in orbit of 172,248 kph (107,030 mph). This is almost twice as fast as the Earth.

Highest cliffs in the Solar System
NASA's Voyager 2 probe encountered the planet Uranus and its collection of moons in 1986. The small moon Miranda, with a diameter of 472 km, has a surface made up of a jumble of bizarre geological features. One of the most prominent of these features is an enormous cliff with a vertical relief of about 20km 12 miles. This cliff, named Verona Rupes, is more than ten times higher than the walls of the Grand Canyon on Earth. That this towering cliff is so huge is made even more remarkable by the small size of Miranda itself. The white material exposed in the cliff face is probably mostly water ice.

Tallest clouds
The tallest eye-wall clouds are a massive vortex of clouds, similar to a hurricane, which were discovered at Saturn's south pole in 2006. Unlike Jupiter's Great Red Spot, this feature exhibits the classic eye wall clouds of a hurricane on Earth. This south polar vortex is the only time an eye wall has been detected on another planet and, with heights of between 35 and 70 km (18-46 miles), are roughly 5 times higher than occur in terrestrial hurricanes.

Largest Indoor Spinning Class world record sets by esporta

Esporta, the premium UK health club operator, has established a new Guinness World Record™ for the largest indoor spinning class.

Esporta, the premium UK health club operator, has established a new Guinness World Record™ for the largest indoor spinning class. The record involved 323 employees cycling simultaneously in an organised class and took place on 28 February, 2008 at the company’s annual conference which was held at the spectacular Concept Centre in Bedford.

Esporta’s CEO, Glenn Timms, who led the class together with fitness instructor Winston Stephenson said: “Spinning is very popular among the 3500 classes that are organised each week in Esporta’s 55 clubs across the UK – its high-tempo, instructor-led classroom format, creates a very conducive environment to help people get the most out of their workout. We are delighted to have established this Guinness World Record which is a demonstration of our drive to encourage all our employees to ‘live the dream’, regularly experiencing and replicating the benefits that our members enjoy participating in group exercise classes.”

According to Guinness World Records, the previous record took place at the Great Speed Stick Marathon, Santafe de Bogota, Colombia on 10 March 2001 and comprised 300 people cycling simultaneously.

Notes:
Spinning is an aerobic exercise that takes place in a classroom setting on specially designed stationary bicycles called spinning bikes. It is led by an instructor that uses music and enthusiastic coaching to motivate the participants, typically following routines that are designed to simulate terrain and situations encountered in actual bicycle rides, including hill climbs, sprints and interval training. Participants set goals based on their heart rate, which can be measured by hand or using a heart rate monitor and each person in the class can choose their own goals for the session. Besides being a great form of low impact aerobic activity (burning between 400-600 calories in 40 minutes), spinning is also beneficial in strengthening the muscles of the lower body.

About Esporta
Esporta Health Clubs (http://www.esporta.com) operate 55 premium health and leisure clubs in the UK and Ireland. Facilities range from club to club and include state-of-the-art fitness arenas and exercise studios; indoor and outdoor pools; spas, saunas and steam rooms; vibrant restaurants and bars; health and beauty areas; indoor and outdoor racquets facilities and a vast range of children's activities.

Esporta is renowned for the quality of its Tennis Academy, and was the first commercial operator in the UK to be awarded High Performance Status by the Lawn Tennis Association.

Saudi man breaks two world records with car plates and beads

A Saudi man has broken two Guinness World Records for the largest collection of handmade prayer beads and old car number plates, local media said Wednesday.

Mohammed Yahya Al-Assiri became the first Saudi to enter the famed Guinness Book of World Records.

Assiri's collection consists of 3,220 of handmade prayer beads which are exhibits at his personal museum in Dammam, in Saudi Arabia's eastern province. The previous record was held by a Kuwaiti national with a collection of 1,020 beads.

The second record that Assiri took is for the largest collection of 80 old car number plates issued during the era of the first Saudi king, Abdul Aziz. Some of the plates date back 65 years.

"I am very proud to be the first Saudi to enter, I wasn't aware that I was in," the zawya.com news portal quoted Assiri as saying.

Breaking Guinness records is new for the Arab world, with only five Saudi nationals currently fighting for the title. One Saudi man ate 22 scorpions keeping them in his mouth for two minutes before swallowing them.

Source : Russia New Room

Freestyle Swimming World Records set by Eamon Sullivan

Reigning Olympic champion Gary Hall Jnr says he is suspicious of Australian Eamon Sullivan's recent world record in the 50-metre freestyle.

The American raised doubts about Sullivan's rapid improvement to shave 0.08 seconds off Russian Olympic champion Alexander Popov's 2000 mark in a new record of 21.56 seconds in Sydney last month.

Hall, who is aiming to win a third straight Olympic 50m freestyle title in Beijing later this year, compared Sullivan's performance to that of drug cheats and says the public has every right to be suspicious of his swim.

"I am not accusing Eamon of cheating," Hall told Australian Associated Press by email Friday.

"I have been in this sport for a very long time and I have never seen such a drop in time from an elite level swimmer.

"Similar drops have been made by athletes that later were proven cheaters.

"It's no fault of Eamon that a lot of people are going to look at his swim suspiciously, unless, of course, he did cheat.

"Too many athletes have cheated. The public has a right to be suspicious of doping when they see a drop like that."

Hall said he was surprised Sullivan had lowered his best time from 22.00 seconds to 21.56s in a single swim without being fully tapered.

Hall's claims were dismissed by Sullivan's coach Grant Stoelwinder, who said the 22-year-old Australian had improved his times through maturity, uninterrupted training and extensive worldwide racing.

"I don't to feel like we have to justify (Eamon's) time," Stoelwinder said.

"He was blood and urine tested after the world record swim and also this week."

"This is a pity about elite sports these days. When somebody does something special that is the first thing that somebody wants to say."

Source : Agency.

Denny Morrison broke speed skating world record

Almost everything about Denny Morrison's preparation felt wrong, but the Canadian speed skater set a world record in the 1,500 metres Friday.

The 22-year-old from Fort. St. John, B.C., did it with a time of one minute 41.01 seconds at the ING Finale at the Olympic Oval. The previous mark was 1:42.32, shared by Shani Davis of the U.S. and Erban Wennemars of the Netherlands,

Morrison won the 1,500 at the world single distance championship Sunday in Nagano, Japan, and returned to Calgary on Monday afternoon. He was severely jet-lagged heading into Friday's race.

"Considering how tired I was, it was one hell of a race," Morrison said.

Coming a week after the pinnacle of the speedskating season, the ING Finale at the Oval is a more relaxed event for national team skaters. Morrison's sports psychologist, massage therapist and physiotherapist were not with him.

Morrison initially though he was starting on the outside lane and mentally rehearsed the race that way Thursday night. He had to re-visualize the race an hour before it started when he discovered he started on the inside lane.

"That's something I wasn't very good at two years ago, being resilient," Morrison said. "Everything had to be perfect for me or I didn't think I would have a good race. But I had the confidence today and that helped a lot.

"In terms of preparation it was a lot different for me, but as soon as I was on the starting line, everything was back to normal and away I went."

Morrison says he earned the record on his final lap, which was a personal best by about .8 seconds.

"I love training and racing in Calgary," he said. "I think it's the fastest ice in the world for me. All my personal bests are here."

Morrison, who started speedskating at age three, has been a member of Canada's speed skating team for four years. He helped Canada win an Olympic silver medal in the team pursuit in 2006.

In addition to winning his first world title this season, he was second in the overall World Cup standings in the 1,000 metres and won the bronze medal in that distance at the world championships.

"I had some high expectations going into the first two World Cups of this season which were in Calgary and Salt Lake City, which both have fast ice, and I never had the race of my life there," he said. "It was early in the season, but I think I made up for it today."

Morrison will take a break from training at the Oval, but when he's back on the ice, his 1,500-metre time will be posted on the wall beside the track among the other world records. There will be a Maple Leaf beside his time.

"That's pretty cool," Morrison said. "The last three years I've been looking up Shani Davis's record or Chad Hedrick's record and looking at that time and going 'How am I going to beat that?'

"Now it's my time and it's like 'How am I going to defend that?' and that'll push me that one extra step."

Source : Canadianpress

Longest Ever Model of a DNA Gene World Record

Cricket legend Dickie Bird was at Huddersfield University yesterday to see students and school pupils from across the town create a new record, by building the longest ever model of a DNA gene.

The 24 metre-long model, an exact replica of the insulin gene, will now be permanently installed in the university’s science school.

Ex-umpire Dickie, of Barnsley, who verified the attempt, said: “I think it’s an amazing achievement from a lot of people working together.

“It’s unbelievable what they can do with science now, and being able to see something like this on this scale is fantastic.”

As part of National Science and Engineering Week, the university invited about 60 sixth-form students from Morley High School, Rastrick High School, Huddersfield New College, Greenhead College, Shelley High School and Heckmondwike Grammar School.

They listened to lectures before joining about 40 university students to take part in the record attempt.

The record breakers, who now hope to feature in the Guinness Book of World Records, spent about an hour constructing the model, which consisted of 1,118 base pairs. The previous record was a model made up of 300 base pairs.

Dr Jeremy Hopwood, science lecturer and event organiser, said: “The big difference is that the previous record breaker was a random sequence. Our students followed the exact gene sequence for insulin. It was a great effort by a lot of people coming together. There’s only so much you can get from a textbook, so in terms of educational value something like this is brilliant.”

Prof Rob Smith, Dean of the school of applied sciences, added: “It’s wonderful to have a co-operative effort like this. It’s much more impressive than I ever imagined.”

Source : examiner.co.uk

Fastest Cocktail Mixologist set Guinness world Record

Fastest Hands in Las Vegas Mixes 253 Cocktails in 60 Minutes using DeKuyper Cordials and Hornitos Tequila

The fastest hands in Vegas are typically found at the blackjack or poker tables. Today, there is a new sheriff in town! Beam Global master mixologist Bobby “G” Gleason set a new Guinness World Record™ by mixing 253 delicious cocktails in 60 minutes. Using DeKuyper® cordials and liqueurs and Hornitos™ tequila, the record-breaking feat topped the previous record of 179 cocktails in 2004. The record was completed in front of the industry’s leading bartenders and distributors at the Nightclub & Bar Convention & Trade Show to demonstrate just how quick and easy it is to mix up creative cocktails.

Bobby G averaged just over four cocktails per minute. A natural fit for the competition, DeKuyper®, the best selling line of cordials and liqueurs in the United States with nearly 60 flavors, and Hornitos Tequila, one of America’s original and favorite 100 percent Agave tequilas, came together to form the colorful cocktail menu featuring a wide range of flavors that could satisfy any palette.

Today’s “cocktail culture” means more people are entertaining at home, but many are intimidated about serving their own signature drinks. In mixing 253 cocktails in 60 minutes, Bobby G’s goal – in addition to setting a world record – was to eliminate the pressure of mixing cocktails.

“It’s all about balance,” said Bobby G. “When you have an excellent, super premium base spirit, like Hornitos tequila, and a variety of DeKuyper cordials, you can start to experiment and expand your home bartending skills. Combining great flavors and quality spirits – that’s when perfect cocktails come alive.”

In setting the world record, Bobby G proved that there is more to tequila than shots. By pairing the fine line of Hornitos tequila – Plata, Reposado and Anejo – with nearly 60 flavors of DeKuyper, Bobby G created 70 margaritas, including the Hornitos Blueberry Margarita and DeKuyper Pomegranate Margarita. These cocktails are memorable and fun and easy to make. For a complete list of cocktails Bobby G prepared, visit www.DeKuyperUSA.com in early March.

From the Record to the Road – Bobby G to Teach Cocktails 101

From March to July, Bobby G will be touring six cities to teach the fine art of making delicious cocktails for any occasion from Cinco de Mayo fiestas to backyard BBQ blasts. With mixing demonstrations and recipe tips using DeKuyper cordials and Hornitos tequila, Bobby G will show how easy it is to mix up new flavors of great tasting cocktails at home. Tour stops include Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.

About Bobby G

Bobby G has been tending bar and creating delicious drinks since 1984 and currently reigns as the master mixologist for Beam Global. The cocktail connoisseur got his start in the fast-paced nightclubs of South Florida before relocating to Las Vegas, where he opened bars at the Mirage Hotel, Treasure Island and the Bellagio. He worked with master mixologist Tony Abu-Ganim and studied under Francesco LaFranconi, the famed bartender and spirits educator. In addition to breaking the world record, Bobby G holds the title for the “World’s Most Sensuous Cocktail” by Penthouse magazine and has won many awards such as Bartender magazine’s New York International Cocktail Competition, putting him in the upper echelon of the bartending community.

soap sculpting limca book of world record 2008 india

A man hailing from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh has gained entry into the 'Limca Book of Records' for the year 2008 for carving 24 huge sculptures out of soaps in six months.

Dr. Pullela Mani Nageswara Rao found a place in the Limca Book of Records for the second time, his first successful attempt being in the year 2006, for carving 100 soaps in 100 days.

The artistic creations are made in international soap brands like Spring and Dove.

"I began from scratch on a wet soap which I turned into art work as a childhood artist. From then onwards, I carved 10 to 15 pieces and left it when I started studying for my MBBS. After 25 to 30 years of practice as a doctor, I resumed my hobby and made 100 soap carvings in 100 days. I started on July 4, 2005 and finished on October 13,
2005," said Dr. Rao.

For each big carving, he used 30 to 50 soaps of different colours, filling his entire house with the fragrance.

He also tried to gain entry into the Guinness Book of World Records, but failed to make it because of the absence of a suitable category.

"He gifted me a Buddha statue made of soaps a few years after our marriage. He started again after a long break when our children encouraged him to restart his artistic inclination," said Usha Rani, Dr. Rao's wife.

Some of his major soap carvings include those of Taj Mahal, Bhagavad Gita, Shirdi Saibaba, Arasavalti Surya temple, Tirupati Balaji, Sri Rama Pattabhishekam, Krishnaleelalu, Jesus Christ, Germany's Vennezula Whispering park statues, Washington Museum, Wimbeldon Trophy, Pope John Paul- II and the Eiffel Tower.

Dr. Rao plans to go to the USA soon and is looking forward to conducting an exhibition of his soap sculptures there.

Worlds Largest Fish Crab Cake 2008 Guinness World Record

Handy International's Jim Cupp (left), the chief architect of the record-holding crab cake, serves up the test crab cake to co-worker Jay Invancic as Howard Hammond watches.

The World's Largest Fish (Crab) cake.

Sort of leaves a bad taste in the mouth, doesn't it?

"Hey, we don't make fish cakes. We make crab cakes. But I'll take it for now until I can convince them to call it a crab cake," says Jim Cupp, regional sales manager for Handy International and the chief architect of the world's largest crab cake.

After more than a year of waiting, Handy International, the Crisfield seafood-processing company, is the proud co-owner of a Guinness World Records' certificate that finally designates a Maryland- Delaware culinary creation to be the largest crab - eh, fish - cake in the history of such endeavors. Stop the presses and pass the Old Bay.

And it's about time, by the way. The honor took a lot longer to make than the crab cake itself. But genius often has to wait to take its rightful place among, in this case, the likes of the world's largest omelette, slab of fudge, stir-fry and tiramisu.

The story of the Great Crab Cake begins in October 2006 at the Diamond State BBQ Championship held at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Delaware. Cooked up by Dover Downs, the idea was to make the world's largest crab cake because, well, it had never been done and it was National Seafood Week, after all. The communal meal would call for the usual ingredients, an unusual cooking apparatus and a statewide appetite.

Cupp, a man on a promotional mission, went to work on the project. Days before the Oct. 21 event at Dover Downs, Cupp oversaw two, 235-pound crab cake tests conducted at Handy's Crisfield plant. The colossal cakes passed the taste test.

It was go time. For the Dover Downs event, Cupp built a $10,000, three-foot rotisserie pan to hold the recipe, which required 152 pounds of crab- meat plus breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, onions and pasteurized eggs. Cupp joined forces with Dover's hotel chef, Fred Bohn, and together they cooked the 235-pound crab cake over an open flame for a mere nine hours (originally 236 pounds, the crab cake lost a pound in cooking shrinkage).

In order to follow Guinness' rules for authenticity, the event was videotaped, and Delaware's health department was on hand to certify cleanliness and edibility.

The flattened disk - resembling more of a mutant quiche - finally emerged from what could be described as an unappetizing industrial pan. Would the crab cake be dry as toast? Would it besmirch the proud name of crab cakes everywhere?

Nah. The crab cake was roundly admired before it was carved up into 600 sandwiches. Which were eaten. Completely.

"You would expect it to be dry, but it was very moist. We were blown away by the taste," says George Fiorile, vice president and general manager of hotel operations. Thus, the man had early first dibs.

"The flavor profile was terrific."

Flavor profile?

"That's what we use in the industry."

In other words, it was real good eating.

The memory of a truly jumbo crab cake needed to be savored. So, armed with videotape evidence and official verification, Cupp turned to the only player that matters when it comes to world records.

But, as it turned out, London-based Guinness World Records didn't have a category for crab cakes. (What do Brits know about Maryland blue crabs anyway?) But the company did have a "fish cake" category. As unsavory as that sounded to Cupp or any honorable Marylander, Cupp pursued the Guinness record.

He nagged and e-mailed, until last week the powers that are Guinness formally (sort of) recognized the Mid-Atlantic specialty. The embossed certificate hanging in his office reads, in part: "The largest fishcake weighed 106.59 kilograms (235 pounds) and was made by Handy International in conjunction with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino on Oct. 21, 2006."

Not exactly the Nobel Peace Prize, but still pretty cool - except for those words again: fish cake.

"I think they took the path of least resistance and lumped the crab cake up into the fish category," Cupp said. If it was any consolation (and it is), the Handy-Dover crab cake beat a reported existing fish cake record of 55 pounds.

Meanwhile at Dover Downs, the other proud parents also hung up their sealed and embossed Guinness certificate for the world's largest fish cake last week.

"Hey, whatever gets us in the book," says Dover spokeswoman Lisa Butler.

Not so fast.

Cupp says the certificate does not say anything about the record going into one of the famous annual Guinness books. It just means they have the record; it just means, for now, they have two pieces of paper hanging in offices. And that will not do. Cupp plans to research what it will take to have the record in a Guinness book.

"I'm working on that," he says

News Source : baltimoresun.com

Born With Heart Outside Body Guinness Record

Born With Heart Outside Body Guinness World Records 2008 Exclusive Video by Synesthete78Youtube.com



Christopher Wall was born in 1975 with Ectopia Cordis,or in other words born with his heart outside his chest, longer than anyone else according to Guinness Records. This inspiring profile is taken from the American television show Guinness World Records: Prime time and broadcast in September 1998. In the new 2008 book edition of Guinness it is reported that he is still alive continuing to break the record nearly 10 years after this aired!

Guinness World Records Top 100 on NBC January 27 2008! One Hundred Guinness Genes Genetic Philadelphia Omg Omfg Gross Ectopia Cordis USA

Top 50 Amazing Soccer (Football) Goals Video

Top 50 Amazing Soccer (Football) Goals Video

World Math Day 2008 - Most Math Questions Answered Record

More than 1,000,000 students from 150 countries logged onto the Internet yesterday as they took part in World Math Day and set a new world record for the most Math questions answered: 182,455,169 correct answers!

Competitors logged onto a math-based website and tried to answer questions while they were pitted against students from other countries. Students from nearly 150 countries took on the challenge.

Pupils at Red Hill Primary School, Chislehurst, took part in three days of activities involving the subject with help from the World of Maths, a group of experts who visit schools to help with pupils' maths.

Head teacher Margaret Warner said: "It has all added up to be a total success, and I am so glad the children have had so much fun with maths."

Sheriel Walker, also in the fifth grade, was the top math student in Florida last year. This year, she is facing off against international competition in China, Japan, Sweden and Germany. World Math Day is about more than just arithmetic. "They are learning geography skills," Klein said. "They are learning some reading skills and they are learning to be good sports."


Emma Morris, aged 12, from Year 8 at Woodhouse Middle School in Biddulph (UK), said: "I found it hard to beat some of the children from countries like China and Russia - it has been very challenging."

Here is the complete top 5:

New World Record: 182,455,169!!!

Students around across the globe set a fantastic new world record with 182,455,169 correct answers!

Congratulations also goes to Tatiana for taking out first place. Here is the complete top 5:

1. Tatiana D from Team Australia, Australia on 65,199
2. Rock T from George Heriots School, UK on 62,273
3. Kaya G from The McDonald College, Australia on 59,300
4. Chris T from The English College, United Arab Emirates on 57,375
5. TK from Garden International School, Malaysia on 56,643


In 2007 287,000 students from 98 countries answered 38,904,275 questions correctly

Facts from 2007 World Maths Day

98 countries
1297 schools
286,392 students
38,904,275 questions
34% average improvement in mental maths speed
109 was the most questions answered in 60 seconds
23 – the number of developers in the World Maths Day team
127 – the number of kids trying to hack the World Maths Day website during the 2007 event

For more information, go to WorldMathDay.com.

Worlds Largest Photo Mosaic Guinness World Record

This photo of the Discovery Space Shuttle was taken from the Jupiter Inlet on the east coast of Florida on December 9, 2006. It was the shuttle's first night launch in about 4 years and I was fortunate to have captured an incredible shot. From that moment, the photo has attracted significant attention, not only locally here in Florida where it has placed in photo contests, but also across the nation. Within a month, thanks to an upcoming Holiday Season, this photo found its way into hundreds of homes in at least 10 different states all across the country.

What followed was an idea intended to unite people from all across the nation, regardless of age, sex, race, religion, or political beliefs. On September 1, 2007, after nearly 7 months of intense planning and preparation, this project was officially launched and it's like nothing you have ever seen before.

We will be using our photo to set a NEW WORLD RECORD as the world's largest photo mosaic and will completely destroy the current world record set in Spain on October 31, 2006 by over 43 times. It will be almost 5 acres in size and visible from satellites orbiting miles above the earth.

Every picture is made up of little dots of color called pixels. We will be printing out each and every pixel in our picture as a 4 inch square of color which will then be affixed to pieces of plywood. Over 6,650 pieces of 4' x 8' plywood will then be laid out on the ground like a puzzle to recreate the original picture. Once the project has been certified as a new world record, the project will be dismantled, and all the plywood will be used to build new homes for fellow Americans.

Here's how you fit in: there are a limited number of pixels in this photo and all are available for sponsorship. Once all the pixels have been sponsored, the project will be built, displayed and certified. We are inviting you to be part of this record breaking journey with us. If you are the sponsor of a pixel, you will receive a certificate of authenticity, your name will be displayed on our web site, and once we have reached our goal, you will be known as a world record holder.

There are additional benefits to being involved with this project as well. You can sponsor a pixel to honor or memorialize a friend or family member as a unique gift. Your child's school can participate in our fundraising program and get their share of up to $3.8 million and you can earn rewards including mp3 players, digital cameras, trips to Florida, and even rides on G-Force One (ZERO-G'S airplane) where you can experience weightless flight just like the astronauts on the space shuttle.

Finally, if we can all pull together to do something as insignificant as set a new World Record, we can surely pull together to do things that can make our country better. Based on that, we are putting forth the following challenge: During the course of this project, we encourage everyone involved to do something selfless for someone you know and for someone you have never even met. Check out the "you did what?" pages for more details at http://www.powerfulpixel.com

Most Sky Lifts Guinness World Record

The World Record in the Allgäu succeeded. Christian Flühr (34, www.cf-1.net, SC Pallas Berlin) and Sylvie Maier (19, www.SnowAngel.de.ms) achieved a precision landing with completing 60 different lifts within one day in the Oberallgäu.

The start of THE Race Across THE Allgäu was on Tuesday, 26th of February, at six o’clock in the early morning at Riedberger Horn and ended almost 13 hours later in Germany’s highest locality, the Oberjoch.

On their way through the skiing areas of the Allgäu the athletes stopped over in ten stations between Söllereck and Grünten Station.

The longest distance to go between two skiing areas was the way from Ofterschwang to the Grüntenlifte, Rettenberg.

Also the Tyrolean enclave in the Allgäu, Jungholz, was a setting of the felicitous World Record attempt.

At eight o'clock in the afternoon in the valley station Herbert John, president of the Allgäu ski association, handed out the certificate for the new world record. 'Everybody is very glad the World Record worked like a charm and we are sure the extraordinary idea of Christian Flühr contributes to advertise how perfect the skiing conditions are in the Allgäu.'

It was the first record for Sylvie Maier but already the 10th for Christian Flühr (in three different disciplines).

Source Links: http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/
Sylvie Maier's website: http://www.snowangel.de.ms
Christian Flühr's website: http://www.cf-1.net

Amazing Cube Facts and Records

Ernő Rubik invented the Cube in the spring of 1974 in his home town of Budapest, Hungary. He wanted a working model to help explain three-dimensional geometry and ended up creating the world’s best selling toy.

* Rubik’s inspiration for the Cube’s internal mechanism came from pebbles in the River Danube whose edges had been smoothed away.

* Rubik called his invention the ‘Magic Cube’. It was renamed the Rubik’s Cube by the Ideal Toy Corporation in 1980.

* More than 300 million Rubik’s Cubes have been sold worldwide. If all the cubes were placed on top of each other they would reach the top of Mount Everest, twice!

* At the height of the Rubik’s craze in the mid-1980s, it was estimated that one-fifth of the world’s population had played the Cube.

* ‘Cubing’ still infects people of all ages. ‘Cubaholics’ are said to suffer from ‘Rubik's wrist’ and ‘Cubist's thumb’!

* Rubik’s Cube has featured in hundreds of books, magazines, movies and even had its own TV series on ABC in America. Millions of web pages, blogs and YouTube videos are now dedicated to cubing.

* The Cube has inspired everything from fashion, architecture and music to films, plays and political speeches. There is also a dedicated art movement known as ‘Rubikubism’.

* There are edible cubes, jewel-encrusted Cubes and even MP3 playing cubes! The biggest Cube in the world, on display in Knoxville, Tennessee, is 3 metres tall and weighs over 500kg.

* National and international ‘speedcubing’ championships have been held regularly since 2003. The World Cube Association now runs competitions where players have to solve the Cube one-handed, as well as having to solve the Cube using only your feet. There is even a competition where players have to solve the Cube as quickly as possibe blindfolded!

* In May 2007, Thibaut Jacquinot of France became the first person to complete the Cube in under 10 seconds in open competition, setting a world record time of 9.86 seconds. Already beaten twice this year, the current holder is Ron van Bruchem of the Netherlands with a time of 9.55 seconds.

* The speed Cubing Championships were held in Budapest in October 2007 and were attended by Ernő Rubik himself.

* In 2007 the Rubik's Cube beat stiff competition to be recognised in the annual Cool Brands list by the Superbrands organisation.

Source : http://www.rubiks.com

Meghave Meghave Music Release on Skies

For the first time in the history of Kannada cinema, the music of Kannada film, Meghave Meghave, was launched in the skies, thus finding a place in the Limca Book of World records.

This event was held in a chartered Air Deccan flight. Besides the cast and crew of the film, many important personalities from the Kannada film industry witnessed the event.

Former Health Minister Cheluvaraya Swamy released the CD of Meghave Meghave, while senior government official B Somashekhar released the audio cassette. Puneet Raj Kumar launched the film's website.

Meghave Meghave stars Ram, Gracy Singh and Sudeep, as well as veteran artists like K S L Swamy, Karibasavayya, Sanketh Kashi and Mandya Ramesh. It is directed by Nagendra Prasad and has music composed by Harikrishna.

"I am quite excited to be part of this great event," said Gracy, who makes her Kannada debut with this film. "I am happy to be a part of this film. I never thought such an event would happen when I started working for the film in Kathmandu."

Worlds Longest Ear Hair Guinnesss Record in India

An Indian grocer has made it into the record books - for having the longest ear hair in the world. Radhakant Bajpai, 50, has tufts of hair sprouting to an incredible 5.2inches at their longest point, reports The Sun.

The astonishing length was confirmed for the Guinness Book of Records by medical examiner Dr R P Gupta. Together, Bajpai’s ear tufts measure almost 9.8inches - long enough for two small ponytails. He uses a special shampoo and has stopped wearing rings and necklaces so he does not damage his luxuriant whiskers.

Mr Bajpai, of Naya Ganj in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, said he wished people would take it all more seriously. “Making it to Guinness World Records is indeed a special occasion for me and my family. God has been very kind to me,” he said. ananova

Largest Pinewood Derby track World Record

The largest pinewood derby track measures just more than 24 feet tall, and 192 feet long, was designed by Dean Dunlap and build by The Royal Rangers and Missionettes of Montana. It is more than 70 feet longer than the track which previously held the records.

Track designer, Dean Dunlap: "Our decision wasn't to make a world record breaking track. Our decision was to do something different out of the ordinary. We started building. We made modifications and it was someone outside the organization that suggested we had the record."

Previous record: 21 feet high and 125 feet long, set Jan. 6 at the Indiana State Museum.

Source : worldrecordsacademy.org

Newborn baby survives fall through Train Toilet

It's probably the ultimate survival story. A child is born prematurely, slips through the toilet bowl of a running train, crash lands onto the tracks. The entire train passes over her, but she is alive and is now sleeping peacefully at the Rajasthan Hospital in Ahmedabad.

It's nothing short of a miracle for the tiny bundle weighing just 1.4 kg also survived the midnight chill.

The baby's father, Prabhu Bhai says, "God and the doctors helped save my baby. My employer also helped me out."

Bhuri Kalbi from Rajasthan was on her way to Ahmedabad. Heavily pregnant, she felt weak and passed out on the toilet seat without realising she had delivered a baby right in that toilet.

It was only when she regained consciousness and her relatives pulled the chain, that the train stopped some two stations later.

Meanwhile, the baby was discovered by railwaymen and taken to a local doctor.

Dr Gautam Jain, who is looking after the the girl says, "The baby is stable now. We are hopeful that she will live. It was a miracle that she survived the accident."

The entire episode still sends shivers down her spine, but Bhuri Bai is just thankful to God that her child is safe and with her. Call it a miracle, or simply God's will, the fact is that fortune favours the brave.

Chicagoland Indycar 2007- Guinness Book Of World Records

The Indy Pro Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2007 has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the closest margin of victory in a car race.

The 67-lap, 100-mile race was decided by 0.0005 of a second. Logan Gomez edged his Sam Schmidt Motorsports teammate Alex Lloyd to the finish line by mere inches as they crossed the finish line at approximately 190 mph. The previous closest margin of victory in the Indy Pro Series was 0.0170 of a second at the Chicagoland event in 2003.

“It's a great honor to be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records,” said Gomez, a Crown Point, Ind., native who will return for his second season in the Indy Pro Series with Guthrie Racing in 2008. “I was happy just to get my first win at Chicagoland, but if you're going set a world record, I can't think of any better way than to win a race, even if it's by a very slim margin.”

14000 KG Biryani India Guinness World Record 2008

A team of over 20 chefs in the national capital has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for cooking a Biryani, a fried rice dish, weighing 14,000 kilograms. Prepared in a large vessel on a low flame on Saturday, the chefs took nine-hours to complete the veg biryani.

Three thousand kilograms of rice, 1,200 litres of oil and 6,000 litres of water apart from a large quantity of vegetables and spices were used on Saturday to prepare the delicacy.

Organised by a leading Indian rice exporter in collaboration with a media conglomerate, the record-making event attracted a turnout of a volley of onlookers who thronged the venue to witness the mega-cooking spectacle.

"We are all feeling very great about it. It will make our country as well as Delhi proud," said Gurnam Arora, the Joint Managing Director of Kohinoor Foods, one of the organisers.

Once prepared, the biryani stood the test true to its fame, as it tickled the taste buds of food enthusiasts.

"It was really nice, the biryani (rice delicacy) was really yummy. It had all the things (ingredients) in it," said Akshila, one of the visitors at the venue.

The biryani was later distributed amongst the orphans and destitute of the city.

Representatives from Guinness Book of World Records were present to adjudicate the event that broke the previously enlisted record of 8, 000 kilograms of rice dish.

Source : Sify.com & worldrecordsacedemy

World Amazing Motivational Tips

Motivated employees, research shows, work harder, smarter and more productively; apply more of themselves to a particular job, persevere stronger through tough odds, exhibit more passion towards their job and are more adamant about meeting goals and pursuing targets. While some people are innately more passionate about their jobs and careers than others, organisational structures and management styles can play a key role in tuning the motivational barometer. The key question then is how to transform a lukewarm workforce into an impassioned motivated one and truly reap the rewards of a successful selection process. Below the team at Bayt.com offer some key motivation pointers:-

1. Start Early
Motivating employees starts as early as the interview stage. Make sure you identify as early on as the interview and on-boarding stage the strengths a particular individual brings to the job and how these strengths will be actively incorporated and utilized in meeting the organizational targets and goals. Employees inspired with a clear vision of how their background, training and skills will directly be tapped into to affect the bottom line on certain key projects or tasks or towards pre-defined fixed goals will be far more motivated than their counterparts who are uncertain what dimension of their skills and expertise will be mobilized, to what tend and when.

2. Communicate Openly
An easy way to keep the troops upbeat and give them a feeling of being "in the loop" is to adopt an "open-door" management culture in which communication with peers and superiors alike is facilitated and encouraged. The more employees feel they can approach each other as well as their management with ideas, problems or concerns the less alienated they feel and the more likely they are to actively involve themselves and participate in realizing the company's vision, mission and value system. Moreover, management should take a very proactive approach in communicating the company's goals, strategies and direction at any point in time so employees' individual goals can be aligned with the organisation' s overriding ones and they never feel that they are operating as lone rangers or completely in the dark.

3. Diversify the Work
While some jobs can be by their very nature repetitive and monotonous, management can try to lighten the workload, vary it and make it more appealing by allowing for participation in peripheral tasks or projects, and can mitigate from the dullness of certain tasks by complementing them with more interesting tasks or allowing for more frequent travel, training, exposure to other departments, or rotational work. Multi-disciplinary projects that pull in employees from a variety of departments/ teams are a great way of exposing employees to new methods and practices and stretching their workload to more colorful dimensions.

4. Delegate Responsibility
Encourage team members to shine and show them that you trust them by giving them the limelight in key meetings, deals, projects, and allowing them to take full responsibility and reap the associated rewards. Employees should have clear goals and allowed free rein to achieve these goals in the most efficient and innovative manner so long as the appropriate support and oversight infrastructure is in place. Micro-management can be as detrimental to motivation levels as effectively abdicating the team altogether through sporadic, distant and intermittent management; effective managers are able to delegate reasonable levels of responsibility rather than stifle or abdicate their teams.

5. Challenge
Set the bar high and allow a certain amount of freedom to take risk to encourage creativity, growth and innovation. Show you trust your employees' judgement by allowing them this leeway to take calculated risks so long as they have been effectively thought through, possible scenarios have been well defined and quantified, and the personal accountability is there. While the risk of failure is always there, this freedom to take risks will provide a steep learning gradient and foster a mature, 'can-do' attitude.

6. Listen and Learn
Solicit feedback from employees on what they expect from the job and their management as well as what they have planned for their careers. Listening to employees opinions and feedback actively and genuinely is a surefire way to communicate your respect. Learn from them what they hope to contribute to the business, how they see the business moving and improving, and where they see themselves down the line. Prepare to be flexible in your style, targets and time and resource allocations in response to their genuine personal concerns, requests, goals and issues.

7. Train
Invest in top-caliber training and development programs that nurture staff, build their skills and allow them to learn and advance their careers. Allow your discussions with employees and their shared goals, hopes, dreams and ambitions to determine the course of their training to the extent possible within the framework of organisation' s goals and the broad possibilities of their role.

8. Give Feedback
The importance of giving regular and constructive feedback to encourage, motivate and guide cannot be overemphasized. Adopt a comprehensive firm-wide performance appraisal system for formal appraisals and complement that with regular informal face-to-face meetings discussing progress and performance and issues/concerns that hinder them. The purpose of these meetings should not be to 'criticize' but to guide, assist, mentor and coach the individual to better performance levels. Regular positive feedback for key accomplishments and contributions is a key criteria for raising employee morale.

9. Recognize and Reward
Companies can be extremely creative in devising ways to recognize and reward creative thinking, superlative performance, innovation, loyalty to the company and other key parameters considered important to the company. Staff incentive schemes can be as varied as the accomplishments that lead to them and can include anything from cash bonuses to company equity, days off, training, club memberships, awards or any number of other rewards.

10. Be Fair
Little does more to debilitate motivation levels than the feeling of working in an unfair environment where growth and progress is determined not on merit but on subjective extraneous criteria. Make sure employees are competing on a level playing field with equal opportunities for progress and advancement and that the 'rules of conduct' ie the company's expectations, goals, values and vision are clearly defined and transparent to all.

Tallest Cookie Tower Guinness world Record

Girl Scouts & Mt. Wilson Vista Council, in partnership with the California School of Culinary Arts Baking Club and Paseo Colorado, will kick-off the start of Girl Scout Cookie sales in Southern California with a special showcase event at Paseo Colorado on Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm in Garfield Promenade.

Girl Scouts and local area engineers will put their skills to the test as they construct the Tallest Cookie Tower and attempt to break the Guinness World RecordTM. The California School of Culinary Arts Baking Club will also unveil a spectacular 60+ Samoa Cookie. Girl Scouts will put the finishing touches on the largest Samoa Cookie in Southern California, while chefs and Girl Scouts will partner to create unique culinary creations with Girl Scout Cookies.

With this year's cookie program theme, Make It a Hit, Girl Scouts is putting the spotlight on the Annual Girl Scout Cookie Program (America�s leading business and economic literacy program for girls) with a show-stopping line up of activities at the Make It a Hit Cookie Extravaganza.

The Cookie Extravaganza showcase will provide girls with a unique opportunity to learn hands on from culinary and engineering experts and interact with the community. The cookie tower project, in particular, also highlights Girl Scouts recent focus on and girls� interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs.

Every year, Girl Scouts of all ages participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program, the leading entrepreneurial program that helps girls develop skills and learn values that will benefit them throughout their lives. From goal setting to money handling to communicating with adults, girls are exposed to math, science, technology, health & nutrition, team building, and the importance of good customer service.