Jordan's new Star Trek theme park

Jordan will soon have its huge new Star Trek-themed attraction, after funding worth $1.5bn was secured for the whole project. The ambitious 184 acre site will be called the Red Sea Astrarium and will be located in the coastal town of Aqaba. It will feature four hotels and Star Trek-themed attractions, including a state of the art space flight adventure simulator ride.

In the park the visitor will be able to see attractions which will feature Jordan's Nabatean, Babylonia, Roman and British influences, along with theatrical productions, night time shows, restaurants and shops. The park is a project introduced by King Abdullah of Jordan, who is a massive Star Trek fan, having featured as an extra in an episode of the television show Star Trek: Voyager. 

Construction on the park is expected to begin in March 2012 and the opening is scheduled for 2014. So if anyone wishes to visit the Middle-Eastern country, probably wait 3 years in order to visit this unique park.  

Virtual Supermarket

An international supermarket giant has introduced virtual goods to subway commuters in South Korea, eliminating the need for a physical store. Supermarket chain Home Plus has plastered a subway station with facsimiles of groceries, labelled with a unique code for each product. The commuters can pass by on their way to work, they can use a mobile phone app to take pictures of the products they want, then check out. The groceries are automatically delivered to their doorstep by the end of the work day. 

This virtual grocery store has been a massive hit, reporting a 130 percent increase in on-line sales. However this experiment is just one of the increasingly innovative ways mobile devices are being used in retail. Smartphones are clearly a new horizon where special offers will be advertised, as is the case in the United States. Whether or not virtual markets catch on, some experts believe radical changes in shopping are right around the corner.  

960 times to get the driving licence

Cha Sa a 69 year old woman from South Korea took the driving exam 960 times! For three years, from April 2005, she took the exam five times a week. After a while she took the exam twice a week. "When she finally got the driving licence everyone started cheering and embraced her, giving her flowers", said Park Su-Yoni, a driving instructor at the school she attended. "It was like taking off our backs a heavy weight. We could not find the courage to tell her to resign...".

When she finally achieved passing the driving test, Hyundai-Kia Automotive, the largest company in South Korea, launched a campaign via the internet requesting people to send her congratulations. Cha received thousands of messages and eventually Hyundai donated a car worth $16.800. Cha, who's name means "vehicle" in Korean, is being advertise by Hyundai. Cha faced the difficulty of answering the 40 multiple questions in the theory exam. She did not understand the terminology. She failed the theory exam 949 times and passed the 950th one. She eventually passed the practical test twice, after failing it four times. Every time she took the exam she payed $5. 

Angkor Wat

The Temples of Angkor Wat, in Cambodia,were built between 1220 BC to 802 BC. The impressive complex of temples of Angkor Wat have countless temples spanning in an area of 400 sq km.

 The most popular temples are Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Phrom which are, as many Hollywood fans would recognise, the site from the film Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie.

The temple complex has recently had a massive influx of tourists, explaining why Siem Reap, a town near Angkor Wat, has many hotels, in comparison to the one that it had 15 years ago. 

Full train

Many of us have complained about public transport, especially when we use it during peak times. However, from my previous experience from European capitals, especially London and Athens, I am not complaining after seeing this video. The situation in Japan, especially its capital Tokyo, is much worse than any European city. 

All I can say is that if this was the case in my city, I would take the car!

A name visible from space

The eccentric billionaire and sheik of Abu Dhabi, Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, carved his name in the sand with large letters in order for it to be visible from space. Each letter of his name, "Hamad", is 1km. long whist its width is about 3 km. The word was written on an island owned by the sheik. A solution to preserve the name was given by allowing the entry of seawater within the shapes of the letters, since this was done within a dessert area.  

Sheikh Hamad, also known as "Sheikh of the rainbow" is a member of the royal family who runs Abu Dhabi. He owns 200 cars, including seven Merceded 500 SELs painted with different colours, hence his nickname. 

   

A house worth 507 euros!

Indian company Tata Group, which became known as the maker of the cheapest cars in the world, now has manufactured the cheapest house for only 507 euros. This house can be completed within a week. The basic package given with this price includes a 20 square meters house , with walls (exterior and interior) from coir and jute, while its life expectancy is estimated to be approximately 20 years. The company, however, plans to offer prefabricated houses that contain windows, roofs, doors and many more.

Although this has a limited life expectancy, it can be a solution for thousands of poor and homeless people which could even be paid by the state. In subsequent drafts of the Tata Group, most advanced projects are being constructed, equipped with solar panels and porches, addressed to a wider audience.  

Store to get rid of your nerves

Recently a store opened, within a shopping centre in the city of Shenyang (China), where customers can enter and brake whatever they want and anything they can find within the shop in order to get rid of their nerves. However this store allows only women to enter. That is why the shop is decorated as a house and the items are placed in such a way to reflect this atmosphere. Thus they walk into the living room and brake the television, in the kitchen to smash the plates (opa)...

The items are actual items, not fake in any way, which are bought cheaply. However if the customers spend more than 38 yuan in the shopping centre they get a free go in smashing what they want. This might be relaxing for some people and could truly get rid of nerves, but I cannot help think that in a way it promotes violence, as being one option of solving any problem. 

Bracelet paradise in India

Women all around the world love and acquire countless bracelets. However in India, although this is the case, it also has α traditional element. The bracelet holds several symbolisms, which have been maintained through the centuries  till this day. 

It is a custom for Indian women to wear many bracelets made from different materials, including numerous kind of glass, gold and diamonds. The bracelets are so popular that whole markets exist, which only sell a large variety of bracelets, in many parts of India.

Map of Asia Images

The $2 billion house

India's richest man, who is the fifth richest man in the world, Mukesh Ambani has built the most expensive house in the world in Mumbai, worth $2 billion. It is given the name Antila, after a mythical island. The whole structure is 27 stories high, contains a health club with a gym and a dance studio, a ballroom, guest rooms, a range of lounges and  a fifty seater cinema. They also have 600 servants to do all the chores. 

Mukesh's wife had a great idea of building a house like this when she was in new York, staying at the Mandarin Oriental. Nita Ambani was so impressed with the interior Asian style decoration that she wanted something similar for her to live in. 

I can't say that I am impressed with the exterior look of the building but the interior looks fantastic. However it makes you think...isn't a waste of money??

The World is sinking

The world, which was constructed in Dubai as an archipelago of islands shaped like the countries of our planet, is sinking due to many mistakes made during its 'birth'. The sands are eroding and the channels between them are slitting up, said Richard Wilmot-Smith who is a British lawyer representing Penguin Marine, the company that has bought the rights to transport travellers to the World islands. The company is trying to forfeit the contract, stating that there is no work for them, especially since the global credit crunch.

This was a project to emphasise the modernity and the constructive miracles which have been built in Dubai the past two decades. The other 'wonder' is the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. The ironic factor is that, except for two islands, all the other parts of the world are uninhabited.

But there is a debate on this matter, since the company that constructed these islands, Nakheel, stated that the islands are not sinking, "our periodical monitoring survey over the past three years didn't observe any substantial erosion that requires sand nourishment", a statement said.

This probably emphasises how man finds it hard, if not impossible, to create land, which according to Christianity came into being after God spoke... Maybe this will sophisticate man to do better next time or make him understand his limits..!

Tunnel Bus

This new vehicle will be launched this year in China. The "Tunnel Bus" will be capable of carrying around 1.200 passengers, while at the same time allowing two lanes of ordinary road traffic pass beneath it.



A 186km test track has started its construction at the end of 2010 in the Mentougou district of Beijing. This new project will also be able to use standard tyres and follow painted Ines on the roads.. This is a great idea for the big cities all around the world. If this works in China I am sure we will see this in many busy cities.

Oldest Father

Ramjit Raghav, an Indian farmer, is the oldest father in the world, aged 94. Mr. Raghav, who is from Haryana in Northern India, celebrated the arrival of his newly born son Karamjit and claimed that he is "God's gift". He stated, "I am a strong follower of Lord Shiva. I wanted to have an offspring and prayed for him. This child is God's gift to me". This gift has made him the world's oldest father.

He and his wife, Shakuntala Devi who is believed to be in her late 40s, hope to try for a second child next year...Many will believe that that will be impossible...All we can do is wait and see..!

2 year old smoker

We all know how countries now are enforcing a smoke free world, where no one can smoke in public buildings. I am a supporter of this policy, although many of my friends will disagree with me. But one extreme example of someone smoking is two year old Ardi Rizal, who lives in Indonesia and is addicted to smoking. 

 He even surpasses his father, who smokes 40 cigarettes a day. The funny thing is that if his parents don't give him a cigarette then he hits his head on the wall until they do.

The handwritten newspaper

The Musalman Daily is the only handwritten newspaper in the world. Although we live in a digital era this Indian newspaper, written in Urdu, maintains its school-like look . It was founded by Syed Azmathullah in 1927, making it one of the oldest Urdu language daily newspaper published in Chennai, which is located  in the South Eastern part of India.

The four pages of the newspaper are written by calligraphers and then mass produced with a printing press. It is housed in a small one room office, without any modern facilities, except for the one computer acquired lately to make it easier for advertisers to send their ads to the newspaper via email. 

The calligraphers, who are named katib, are responsible each for one page. If one is sick then the others have to stay on and write that person's page, since there are not many katibs in town. Of course as anyone can imagine if the calligraphers make a mistake then they have to rewrite everything from scratch.