Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Most Expensive Bra and Panties Set
Victoria’s Secret out-did their $10 million “Star of Victoria Fantasy Bra” and created a $15 million bra and underwear titled “Red Hot Fantasy.” The most expensive bra is made of red satin and 1,300 gemstones, including rubies and diamonds and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “most extravagant and expensive items of underwear ever created”.
The appearance of the most expensive bra was kept secret until it was revealed at the grand opening of Manhattan’s new Victoria’s Secret store on Broadway and 67th Street. It was then worn by spokes-model Gisele Bundchen underneath a see-through cover up. The one-of-a kind item was featured in Victoria’s Secret holiday catalog and is actually for sale.
So, if you are able to treat your lady (or yourself) to multi million-dollar lingerie, then the “Red Hot Fantasy” bra and panty set is for you. At whopping $15 million, how could you not feel good about your body after putting it on?
To this day, no one has purchased the most expensive bra in the world even after several serious inquiries. Victoria’s Secret even offers to deliver the bra to your doorstep in an armored car, which will probably be needed to cart away that $15 million you just dropped on it.
Several other bras come close to the “Red Hot Fantasy Bra”. Others include the “Very Sexy Bra” ($11 million), the “Star of Victoria Fantasy Bra” ($10 million), and the “Heavenly Star Bra” ($12.5 million).
Monday, October 3, 2011
It’s Greek to me
Greek tragedies, in their various artistic forms, have enthralled and mesmerized readers and audiences for many centuries. The current Greek tragedy, which is being played out in financial markets throughout the world for the last one and a half years, has been completely different in that sense.
Rather than enthralling and mesmerizing readers and audiences alike, this tragedy has been one of the major reasons of worry for bankers, money managers and investors in general. During the last two months, with Greece more and more likely to default on its debt, that worry has transformed into fear and uncertainty in the global financial market.
Along with the fear of Greek default, other global and regional economic problems, from debt problems in other European economies to economic woes in the US, have created a vicious cycle of fear and uncertainty. The World Economic Outlook (WEO), which was released recently by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and which signalled that traditional economic powerhouses (such as the US, Japan and other Western European economies) are headed for a long period of economic downturn, has raised alarm bells about the direction of the global economy. (The executive summary of the WEO, which has a tag line of Slowing Growth, Rising Risks, begins with the line, “The global economy is in a dangerous new phase.”)
Given such a perilous economic state, policymakers are scrambling for rescue plans (such as “Operation Twist” in the US) and investors are looking for safety, whereby they are fleeing riskier assets and moving into relatively safer ones. This “flight to safety”, especially during the last two months, gives an idea of how investors perceive risks and how assets are priced in an environment of fear and uncertainty. For example, when the rating agency Standard & Poor (S&P) downgraded the US sovereign credit rating from the highest rated AAA to a notch below to AA positive — the first such downgrade in US history — interest rates on five-year and 10-year US treasury bonds actually dropped following the announcement, when, in normal circumstances, it would have gone up as lending to the US would have been “riskier”.
The rise of the US dollar (USD) against other major currencies during the last few months has also taken many by surprise. Many have rightly predicted doom and gloom for the greenback, but the current crisis has once against showed the resilience of the USD during times of uncertainty. Normal economic theory would suggest that as emerging economies (read India, China and so forth) grow bigger in size, their currency will appreciate against the USD. Why then this sudden reversal of the trend especially given the economic woes in the US?
Well, the current economic scenario belies normal economic theory. The recent appreciation of the USD (and for that matter the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc) against other currencies doesn’t have to do with any change in fundamental economic factors. In fact, they are even discounting fundamental economic factors: What else then explains the massive appreciation of the USD against the Indian rupee (INR) despite the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) hiking key interest rates.
The key thing in today’s time is that, with a lot of uncertainity, investors, when investments are increasingly becoming fungible, don’t want to put their money where risks are “perceived” to be higher. Hence, they are taking their money out from countries such as India and putting it in US treasury bonds. (See the inverse relationship between the yield on 10-year US treasury bonds and the INR/USD exchange rate, which gets accetunated during times of crisis.) There is no doubt that in the long term (the extent of the global economic problem will determine the length of the period), currencies such as the INR will appreciate against the USD. But today’s time is no normal time.
Rather than enthralling and mesmerizing readers and audiences alike, this tragedy has been one of the major reasons of worry for bankers, money managers and investors in general. During the last two months, with Greece more and more likely to default on its debt, that worry has transformed into fear and uncertainty in the global financial market.
Along with the fear of Greek default, other global and regional economic problems, from debt problems in other European economies to economic woes in the US, have created a vicious cycle of fear and uncertainty. The World Economic Outlook (WEO), which was released recently by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and which signalled that traditional economic powerhouses (such as the US, Japan and other Western European economies) are headed for a long period of economic downturn, has raised alarm bells about the direction of the global economy. (The executive summary of the WEO, which has a tag line of Slowing Growth, Rising Risks, begins with the line, “The global economy is in a dangerous new phase.”)
Given such a perilous economic state, policymakers are scrambling for rescue plans (such as “Operation Twist” in the US) and investors are looking for safety, whereby they are fleeing riskier assets and moving into relatively safer ones. This “flight to safety”, especially during the last two months, gives an idea of how investors perceive risks and how assets are priced in an environment of fear and uncertainty. For example, when the rating agency Standard & Poor (S&P) downgraded the US sovereign credit rating from the highest rated AAA to a notch below to AA positive — the first such downgrade in US history — interest rates on five-year and 10-year US treasury bonds actually dropped following the announcement, when, in normal circumstances, it would have gone up as lending to the US would have been “riskier”.
The rise of the US dollar (USD) against other major currencies during the last few months has also taken many by surprise. Many have rightly predicted doom and gloom for the greenback, but the current crisis has once against showed the resilience of the USD during times of uncertainty. Normal economic theory would suggest that as emerging economies (read India, China and so forth) grow bigger in size, their currency will appreciate against the USD. Why then this sudden reversal of the trend especially given the economic woes in the US?
Well, the current economic scenario belies normal economic theory. The recent appreciation of the USD (and for that matter the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc) against other currencies doesn’t have to do with any change in fundamental economic factors. In fact, they are even discounting fundamental economic factors: What else then explains the massive appreciation of the USD against the Indian rupee (INR) despite the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) hiking key interest rates.
The key thing in today’s time is that, with a lot of uncertainity, investors, when investments are increasingly becoming fungible, don’t want to put their money where risks are “perceived” to be higher. Hence, they are taking their money out from countries such as India and putting it in US treasury bonds. (See the inverse relationship between the yield on 10-year US treasury bonds and the INR/USD exchange rate, which gets accetunated during times of crisis.) There is no doubt that in the long term (the extent of the global economic problem will determine the length of the period), currencies such as the INR will appreciate against the USD. But today’s time is no normal time.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Most Expensive Hotel Rooms in The World
Royal Penthouse Suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva
Nightly Rate: $53.000
The Imperial Suite, which is actually an entire top floor of the hotel, is reached via a private elevator and has four bedrooms, six bathrooms with mosaic marble floor, a cocktail lounge and a terrace with a dramatic view through the bulletproof windows over the city, Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc — all of which overlook Lake Geneva. The suite is decorated in a contemporary style, with marble and hardwood floors. The living room has a billiards table, a library and a cocktail lounge with a view of the water fountain, and can accommodate 40 people. The dining room seats 26 people around an oval mahogany table.
The hotel’s staff reassures guests that the security in the Imperial Suite is among the best in the world, ideal for celebrities or traveling heads of state who visit the United Nations headquarters next door at the Palais Wilson.
Most Expensive Cities In The World
Singapore
Singapore is both a city and country located in south east Asia. The city of just under 5 million people takes up the majority of the country of 710km2, leading to an extremely high population density of almost 7000 people per km2. It is located on a small island, which lies in one of the busiest waterways in the world which connects east Asia with south Asia, Africa and Europe. The city first started to grow to prominence under European rule because of it's high strategic importance and the city has continued to grow in stature since independence. The city has an extremely strong economy based it's business friendly policies leading to many international corporations having a base here. There is also a thriving high-tech manufacturing part to the economy, and the Port of Singapore is one of the world's busiest ports, particularly in the transhipment of goods. This thriving economy combined with lack of space for expansion leads to Singapore being the tenth most expensive city in the world to live.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Single Life
When you are single, you have only yourself to answer to. If you let the dishes and laundry pile up or you decide to spend half of your pay check on plastic flamingos to decorate your living room, no one else gets to have an opinion about it. Your time is your own, you can come and go as you please.
Being single gives you the freedom to explore who you are and what makes you tick without having the obligation to consult another person. So long as you have not made a commitment to just one person, you are at liberty to date as many people as you would like to see if being in a relationship is something you might want in the future. You can also be adventurous and flirtatious without offending anyone.
Single people are completely free to choose any career they wish without the ramifications of long hours, travel or even cross-country moves affecting anyone else. The lack of close family ties makes it possible for your career to be your life focus if you wish, without having to juggle the delicate work/family balance that so many people have to do these days.
So, as you can see, there are many advantages to being single. You learn to be content with being alone when you are not in a partnered relationship and it also gives you the time to reflect on who you are and what you want. Many people make the choice to remain single throughout their lives and are extremely happy with this decision.
Other people choose to use the time they are not in a committed relationship to work on any issues they might have that would prevent them from being a good life partner to someone down the road. They see the time they are single as an opportunity rather than wasting it being miserable because they are not in a romantic relationship.
The attitude you choose to embrace will be the determining factor in whether your experience as a single person is positive or not. It has been said that you need to learn how to be happy being alone before you even consider getting into a relationship. When you are happy with who you are, you have more to offer others and don’t burden them with the responsibility of making you happy. No other person has the ability to make you feel complete. Our happiness is our own responsibility and has to come from within.
Embrace your singleness if that is where you are at today, and know that even if it’s not what you desire permanently, you can choose to take steps toward changing your relationship status anytime you wish.
The Poorest Countries Of The World
Ethiopia ranks 170 out of 177 the poorest countries on the Human Development Index (UNDP HDI 2006). Half of its GDP depends on agricultural activity. The agricultural sector suffers lowdown because of poor cultivation techniques and frequent drought. 50% of its population 74.7 million bears the burden of poverty and 80% lives on bread line. 47% of males and 31% of females are literate. Some parts of Ethiopia run a high risk of hepatitis A, hepatitis E, typhoid fever, malaria, rabies, meningococcal meningitis and schistosomiasis.
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