Thursday, November 19, 2009

World's 12 Longest

World's longest living marriage (85 years)
Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, of North Carolina, have been married for 85 years as of May 13, 2009. Zelmyra is 101 years old and Herbert turned 104 on June 10th, 2009. They have shared the same home in the Brownsville community of New Bern for 50 years.
World's longest serving bartender (77 years)
Angelo Cammarata is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world's longest-serving bartender. He's been pouring for most of his 77 years at Cammarata's Café, the West View watering hole. But now, the place he still helps his sons John and Frank run, has been sold, and the Cammaratas will be out of there within weeks, when the new owners are approved by the state. "Camm," as people call him, started serving beer at his father's North Side grocery the moment Prohibition ended, at midnight on April 7, 1933. The memory is as clear to him as the strike of the library clock that signaled it was time to start opening bottles of Fort Pitt. His immigrant father built a bar on that site in 1935, and Angelo kept working there, taking a break to serve in the Navy in World War II. In 1971 he sold the bar to his sons. In September 2009, the Café was sold and Camm, 95, decided it was time to retire.
World's longest point in professional tennis (29 minutes)
This year, 2009, marks the 25th anniversary of a historic tennis match. At a Virginia Slims tournament in 1984, Vicki Nelson and Jean Hepner exchanged 643 shots. It remains the longest single rally in the history of professional tennis. The 6-hour-31-minute marathon was itself the longest match in tennis history for nearly 20 years and remains the longest match completed on a single day. The rally that put Nelson-Dunbar and Hepner in the record books came at set point for Hepner, who was ahead in the second-set tie breaker, which lasted 1:47 on its own. The 13-11 tiebreaker lasted 1 hour 47 minutes - the longest in the history of professional tennis - and had one point that lasted 29 minutes, with the ball crossing the net 643 times. Nelson finally won the game.
World's longest speech (124 hours)
Frenchman Lluis Colet broke the world record for the longest speech after rambling nonstop for 124 hours about Spanish painter Salvador Dali, Catalan culture and other topics. The 62-year-old Catalan and local government worker spoke for five straight days and four nights to set the record in the southern French town of Perpignan. Three notaries were on hand to recognize the feat which allowed Colet to enter in the Guinness Book of Records. The previous record was held by an Indian man who delivered a 120-hour speech.
World's longest burning lightbulb (107 years)
The world's longest lightbulb, a low-watt firehouse bulb, has been burning continuously since 1901. Long after his retirement, ex-firefighter Tom Bramell still likes to visit Station No. 6 for old times' sake, whistling in amazement at all the changes. But one thing remains exactly the same. The sturdy little object hangs from the ceiling in the firehouse's engine bay, emitting its familiar faint orange glow. At 107 years and counting, the low-watt wonder with the curlicue carbon filament has been named the planet's longest continuously burning bulb by both Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It Or Not.The Livermore lightbulb has never been turned off, which many suspect is the secret to its longevity. Livermore's bulb has burned for nearly a million hours.
World's longest movie (87 hours)
Directed by John Henry Timmis IV, "The Cure for Insomnia" is officially the world's longest movie, according to Guinness World Records, as of its release in 1987. Running 5220 minutes (87 hours) in length, the movie has no plot, instead consisting of artist L. D. Groban reading his lengthy poem of the same name over the course of three and a half days, spliced with occasional clips from heavy metal and pornographic videos.
World's longest running soap opera (72 years)
The world's longest running soap opera, Guiding Light, has been on for 72 years following the lives of four families in America. Starting out as a radio play in 1937 before graduating to CBS daytime TV in 1952, it was funded by Procter & Gamble, which employed Irna Phillips, the "mother of the genre", to write it. In the mid-60s, it was one of the first soaps to feature African-American actors in regular roles. Its fictional "anywhere America" location moved around until 1966, when it settled in a town called Springfield. Kevin Bacon, Calista Flockhart and Mickey Rourke all started out on the show. The show won dozens of awards in its seven-decade span and ran up more than 15,700 episodes, each ending in a cliffhanger.
World's longest reigning monarch (63 years)
Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 81, is the world's longest-reigning monarch. He ascended to the throne following the death of his brother, King Ananda Mahidol, on June 9, 1946, and was formally crowned on May 5, 1950. Thailand abolished absolute monarchy in the 1930s, so the king wields little power although he recently appealed for unity amid Thailand's four-year-long political crisis. He remains a deeply revered figure and enjoys immense popularity.
World's longest blackout (66 days)
In 1998 Auckland had a blackout power crisis for five weeks. Almost all of downtown Auckland in New Zealand was supplied electricity by Mercury Energy via four power cables, two of them 40-year-old oil-filled cables that were past their replacement date. One of the cables failed on January 20, possibly due to the unusually hot and dry conditions, another on February 9. Due to the increased load from the failure of the first cables, the remaining two failed on February 19 and 20, leaving about 20 city blocks (except parts of a few streets) without power during 66 days. 7500 businesses and residents were affected. Estimated loss due to the power failure was $156 million USD.
World's longest engagement (67 years)
Next time your fiancée starts to bug you about the wedding date you can comfort her by telling her about Octavio Guillen and Adriana Martinez, who hold the record for the world's longest engagemant and quite possibly, the world's coldest feet. Octavio Guillen and Adriana Martinez were engaged in Mexico in 1902 ,but kept putting the wedding off over and over again. After 67 years, in June 1969, Octavio Guillen must have run out of excuses and the world's longest engagement ended with their vows. They were both 15 years old when they were engaged and 82 years old on their wedding day.
World's longest movie kiss (3min 5sec)
In 1941, a kiss made movie history. Jayne Wyman and Regis Toomey kissed for three minutes and five seconds during the film You're In The Army Now. This actually took up 1/25th of the film's total running time. This comedy film is about two vacuum-cleaner salesmen who are accidentally inducted into the army and the hijinks that follow.
World's longest solar eclipse of the century (6min 32sec)
The solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 was the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting as much as 6 minutes and 39 seconds in some places. It caused tourist interest in eastern China, Nepal and India. In some parts of the continent, the moon completely blocked out the sun for more than six-and-a-half minutes. The eclipse - the longest since July 1991 - was visible in India, Nepal, Burma, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China. There won't be a longer eclipse than that day for another 123 years (June 13, 2132).

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Dal Makhani

Ingredients:
2 cups Urad dal

1 cup rajma
1/4 cup chana dal
1 tsp methi seeds
1 onion
1 cup tomato puree
3-4 garlic flakes
2 inch giner diced
1 cup cream
1 cup butter
1/4 tsp hing
1 cup yoghurt
1 tsp red chilli powder
fresh cream forgarnishing

Directions:

Soak All the dals overnight with the methi seeds. Pressure cook them in the morning with some salt, hing, 1 inch ginger and 2 flakes of garlic. In another pan, fry onions to golden brown add tomatoes and balance ginger garlic. when the batter is well mixed add in the red chilli powder and curd mix well and pour the dal in the pan. Let it boil for at least an hour. Now add in the cream and still boil for 10 mins. If u have to serve it whip fresh ceam and garnish dal with it. This dal is best cooked in the morning and eaten at dinner coz the flavour enhances more with the marination.

Paneer Makhani

Ingredients:
I kg ripe tomatos

1/2 kg paneer
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp bhuna jeera powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
5 flowers of mace
10 green cardamom
salt to taste
100 gm butter(preferably white)
1 cup fresh cream
1 tsp kasoori methi
1tsp sugar
Chopped dhania

Directions:
Boil tomatos with mace and green cardamom for 5 minutes.Then take out mace and cardamom and make a puree of tomatos.In a pan heat half of butter and add ginger-garlic paste, and fry well.Add tomato puree and fry. Reduce it by 1/4 th in quantity.Add red chilly, garam masala. jeera powder. Add salt and sugar and remaining butter and cook for a minutes.Add paneer cubes and fry a little.Now add fresh cream and kasuri methi.Kasuri methi should be dry roasted and crushed.Mix it well and cook for another 2 minutes.Decorate with chppoed dhania.If we use Tandoori Chicken instead of paneer, then we can make Butter Chicken with same recipe.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Samsung's 12 megapixel SCH-W880 made official

We might still have debates over whether the SCH-W880 represents a cameraphone or our newly minted category of phonecamera, but there's no doubt about this: the Samsung AMOLED 12M is now official and coming to (at least) Korea in October. With a 3x optical zoom, 720p video recording, dedicated camera controls, and a 800 x 480 3.3-inch AMOLED display grabbing the headlines. Touch AF makes use of the touchscreen to let you choose focus areas, while image stabilization and Smart Auto modes fill out the software side of the camera.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Chicken in dark soya sauce

Ingredients:
4 tbsps yoghurt
1 tbsp tomato Sauce(ketchup)
Coriander leaves for garnishing
1 kg Chicken
6 tbsps soy Sauce(dark)
8 nos green Chilies(slit lengthwise)
6 nos. onion(sliced)
5 tsps ginger/Garlic paste
2 tbsps black Pepper
1 tbsp clarified Butter
Salt to taste

Method:
Marinate the chicken with ginger/garlic paste, dark soya sauce, slitted green chillies, pepper powder, curds & salt. Keep for 10mins. Make sure you use the dark soy sauce not the thin watery kind Take the ghee in a kadai - fry the sliced onions till brown & bit crispy. Keep it aside. In the remaining ghee pour the marinated chicken & cook without water. Once the chicken is done add the tomato ketchup & the fried onions . Cook for just 3mins. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Chicken 65

Ingredients:
2cups Boneless chicken pieces
1tsp Ginger garlic paste
1tsp Fennel seed powder
1no White Egg yolk
2tbsp Corn flour
1/4tsp Red food colour
1tsp Cumin seed powder
1/2tsp SaltOil for deep frying
2no Green chillies
5nos Curry leavesSpring onion( for garnishing)

To Mix:
1cup Thick yogurt
1tsp Pepper powder
1tsp Garam masala powder
1/2tsp Turmeric powder
Salt

Method:
Mix white egg yolk, food colour, cumin seed powder, ginger garlic paste, fennel seed powder, salt n corn flour into thick paste, squeeze out excess of water from the chicken pieces n mix with the spices..marinate the chicken pieces for atleast one hour..heat oil for deep frying, fry them in batches until they get well cooked...
Heat oil in another pan, fry the curry leaves n slit opened green chillies..meanwhile mix all the ingredients from list (to mix)..
Once the green chillies r well fried, add the thick paste of yogurt n all spices, stir them continously in simmer,
once they start boiling add the already fried chicken pieces n cook them until the oil get separates, its should be dry..chicken pieces will get well coated with the yoghurt gravy.

Murgh-e-Khalmi

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken-skinned and cut into 8-10 pieces
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
salt to taste
1 cup yoghurt-placed in a colander to drain out excess water
2 cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon-broken, roasted and powdered
1/2 tsp black cumin seeds-roasted and powdered
a large pinch of kesar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup refined flour
1 egg-slightly beaten
1 large onion-sliced into rings
1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1 lemon cut into wedges

Method:
Wash the chicken and wipe dry. Prick in 2-3 places. Mix all the ingredients, except those for garnishing. Marinate the chicken for 2-3 hours in the mixture.
Before serving, place the marinated chicken on a drip-tray and grill till light brown, or bake in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes. It is best cooked in a tandoor.
A drip-tray is essential, because the drippings need to escape. Chicken cooked in drippings become soggy.
Serve hot, garnished with onion rings, chopped mint leaves and lemon wedges.

Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:
4 tbsp oil
2 onions - finely chopped
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp thick tomato puree
1/2 kg minced chicken
75 gm fresh breadcrumbs
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1/2 tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp hung yoghurt
salt and pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter/ oil
Sauce:
1 tbsp flour
175 ml chicken stock
150 ml yoghurt
chopped coriander to garnish.

Method:
Fry the onion, garlic paste and tomato puree together.
Grind the mixture with the remaining meatball ingredients together. Shape into balls and coat with flour.
Fry in hot oil until brown. Remove from the pan. Fry the flour in the pan.
Add chicken stock. Stir in the yoghurt.
Place the meatballs in the gravy and allow it to heat through. Garnish with coriander. Serve with pasta.

Chilli Paneer

Ingredients:
350 gm paneer-cubed
2 tsp salt or to taste
1 egg
1/2cup cornflour
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
water to mix the batter
oil for deep frying
2 cups onions-chopped coarsely
2 tbsp green chillies-thickly sliced or to taste
1 tbsp Soya sauce (adjust according to strength)
2 tbsp vinegar
1/4tsp ajinomoto
some greens for garnish

Method:
Mix together the paneer, 1 tsp salt, egg, cornflour, garlic, ginger and enough water to have the pieces ?coated? with the mixture.
Heat the oil, and fry paneer pieces over high heat to a golden color.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wok, and stir fry the onions in it over high heat till they look ?wet?.
Add the green chillies and stir a few times, add the remaindered salt, soya sauce, vinegar, MSG and the paneer.
Mix well, and serve garnished with some greens.

Creamy Mushroom and Corn

Ingredients:
200 gm mushrooms-fresh, sliced thin
1 cup boiled corn (kernels only)
1/2 cup spring onions - chopped fine
2 tbsp butter1 tsp oil
1 tbsp maida
1/4 tsp pissi kali mirch
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp ajwain leaves-chopped fine
1/2 tsp oregano leaves
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup cream

Method:
Heat the butter and oil in a pan and add the onions. Saute till onions are a little soft.
Add the mushrooms and corn and saute for about a minute.
Add the flour and turn around till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Remove from heat and add the milk very gradually, stirring all the time to avoid lumps.
Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Add the kali mirch, salt and ajwain leaves, simmer for a few minutes, add cream and serve, garnished with the grated cheese.

Paneer Pasanda

Ingredients:
1/2 kg paneer-cut into broad slices
2 tbsp chickpea flour
1/4cup clarified butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 cup hung yogurt
1/4tsp turmeric
2 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
1/2tsp chilli powder
1/4tsp garam masala
2-3 green chillies - slit
1 1/2cup water
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp malai

Method:
Heat the clarified butter in a pan and fry the pieces of paneer. Lift them out and set aside. In the same clarified butter, add the cumin seeds, saute a little and add the ginger.
When the ginger turns a light brown, add the chickpea flour. Saute and add yogurt, turmeric, coriander powder, salt, chilli powder, and garam masala. Saute over a medium heat till the fat separates.
Add the green chillies, saute a little, then add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Add the fried pieces of paneer, simmer for about 2 minutes and serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander leaves and cream.

Cheese Balls

Ingredients:
1 cup cheese-grated
2 eggs
1/4cup maida
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
oil for frying

Method:
Mix all the ingredients except the oil, and beat to a fluffy batter.
Rest in a cool place about 15 minutes.
Heat the oil and deep fry spoonfuls of the batter to a golden color, first at high then medium.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Did you know......... some interesting facts (Part 1)

A zebra is white with black stripes.
All the planets in our solar system rotate anticlockwise, except Venus. It is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
Hummingbirds are the only animal that can also fly backwards.
Insects do not make noises with their voices. The noise of bees, mosquitoes and other buzzing insects is caused by rapidly moving their wings.
The cockroach is the fastest animal on 6 legs covering a meter a second.
The word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent".
The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning it's head are the rabbit and the parrot.
A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
The whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.
A hippopotamus can run faster than a man.
India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia' is the fear of long words.
Didaskaleinophobia is the fear of going to school.
Phobatrivaphobia is a fear of trivia about phobias !!
It is impossible to lick your elbow. ( We know you gonna try this !!! )
A snail can sleep for 3 years. ( wow, lucky chap eh ? )
The names of the continents all end with the same letter with which they start
In 1883 the explosion of the volcano Krakatoa put so much dust into the earth's atmosphere that sunsets appeared green and the moon appeared blue around the world for almost two years.
"Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
Twenty-Four-Karat Gold is not pure gold since there is a small amount of copper in it. Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be molded with the hands.
Electricity doesn't move through a wire but through a field around the wire.
Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are: Mizaru (See no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Say no evil ).
55 per cent of people yawn within 5 minutes of seeing someone else yawn. Reading about yawning makes most people yawn.

Mojito shoe by Julian Hakes

London architect Julian Hakes has designed a pair of shoes with no foot plate. Called Mojito, the design consists of a single piece that wraps around the wearer’s foot, forming support for the heel and ball. The foot naturally forms a bridge between the two. The product is made of carbon fibre, laminated with rubber on the side that touches the floor and leather on the side next to the skin.