Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Bachchan on Madame Tussaud Museum

The New York branch of Madame Tussaud's is all set to welcome a special guest on India's Independence Day and it’s none other than actor Aishwarya Rai’s (bachchan) wax statue, who's on loan from Madame Tussaud's London for six weeks.

It took three days for the New York staff to get her wax figure ready for display after it was shipped from London.

As finishing touches were being applied a day before the unveiling, the museum has already heard from eager fans in the US.

“It’s very exciting. We have already started to hear from fans anxious to see Aishwarya Rai, knowing that she is only here for a limited time. So, they want to come within the next couple of weeks just to make sure they get a glimpse of Mrs Aaiswarya bachchan,” Marketing Director, Madame Tussaud's New York, Rosemary A Preta said.

Mahatma Gandhi has been the only Indian figure on display until now at Madame Tussaud's New York. The museum expects to add to its Indian collection after seeing the enthusiastic response to the Aishwarya Rai display.

On August 15, Aishwarya’s wax figure will be unveiled, fittingly enough, with a lot of song and dance – a group of Bollywood actress and dancers will escort Ash to her temporary digs in the Big Apple.

Scuba Diving from Eiffel Tower

Scuba Diving from Eiffel Tower

The weather was nippy and overcast and the water just chest-high, but a new scuba-diving pool in Paris has something Bali, Belize and other diving hotspots don‘t: a terrific view of the Eiffel Tower.

"Through the water you can see the monument. It‘s magnificent," said New Zealand tourist Adrian Carter, one of the first to try it.

"This is better than the Eiffel Tower," said Carter, a 28-year-old computer programmer, his hair dripping from the 30-minute dive — his first ever.

The above-ground pool is under the Tower, between its four legs. It‘s small, at 50 feet by 50 feet, about half the size of a basketball court. Just 4 feet deep, it‘s safe for beginners and children aged 8 and older, said the event‘s organizers, an umbrella group of scuba associations. To add a touch of realism, the bottom of the pool is studded with waterproof photos of fluorescent fish.

More people milled around the pool‘s perimeter — watching the instructors as they floated on their backs staring up at the tower‘s steel girders — than actually queuing up for a lesson.

Organizers of the 10-day diving event said they were angling for tourists and Parisians alike.

He said organizers also hope the diving experience will focus attention on the environmental dangers threatening the ocean.

Organizers expect up to 3,000 people to take the plunge before the lessons end June 10 — so long as the dismal weather improves.

"I‘m still shivering," he said through chattering teeth. "I‘m going again tomorrow."

By : Associated Press

Amazing Facts of the Year 1904

Amazing Facts of the Year 1904

Maybe this will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1904...one hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for 1904 :>The average life expectancy in the U.S. Was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. Had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average wage in the U.S. Was 22 cents an hour.

The average U.S. Worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 perYear, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. Took place at home.

Ninety percent of all U.S. Physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law prohibiting poor people from entering the country for any reason.
The five leading causes of death in the U.S. Were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two of 10 U.S. Adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores.

According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." (Shocking!) Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. Had at least one full-time servant or domestic.

There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.(And didn't Chicago just have it's first murder free day in 5 years, wow)

And I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you in a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years. It staggers the mind.