The aim here is to list out ten of the most expensive accidents that have taken place over the years. The lives that have been lost are undoubtedly priceless and cannot be measured in monetary terms.

1. Chernobyl

This is considered to be the most expensive accident in history. This disaster was the biggest catastrophe in socio-economic terms as half of the Ukrainian area was contaminated. About 1.7 million people were affected and 200,000 had to leave the area. The overall cost is estimated at $200 billion.

2. Space Shuttle Columbia

The wing of the Space Shuttle Columbia was damaged after which it was destroyed. The shuttle cost $6.3 billion and the investigation cost was estimated at $500 million. Additional costs were estimated at $300 million. The overall cost was $13 billion.

3. Prestige Oil Spill

The Prestige oil tanker, in 2002, was carrying heavy fuel during a storm in Spain. One of the tanks burst and the captain asked for help multiple times but nobody followed his instructions. Naturally, the storm destroyed the ship and the tanker split after which 20 million gallons of oil was released into the sea. The cleanup cost was estimated at $12 billion.

4. Challenger Explosion

Because of a faulty O-ring, the Space Shuttle Challenger took a mere 73 seconds to deteriorate. One joint was not sealed because of which the gas reached outside. The external tank then released liquid hydrogen, resulting in an explosion. The replacement costs were $4.5 billion and other costs were estimated at $1 billion.

5. Piper Alpha Oil Rig

In 1988, a few technicians were carrying out a routine check of the valves and 100 valves were supposed to be replaced. However, they forgot to check one. The same night, one of them pushed a button which was attached to the liquid gas pump. What followed was the costliest oil rig accident in history. The entire platform burst into flames and collapsed. Over 150 workers died and the damages were estimated at $3.4 billion.

6. Exxon Valdez

Even though this oil spill does not feature on the list of the largest oil spills in history, it was definitely the most expensive one. This is because the Prince William Sound is located in an extremely remote area. The ship’s master did not pay attention to the controls which caused the ship to crash. The cumulative clean up cost is estimated at $2.5 million.

7. B-2 Bomber Crash

This stealth bomber took off from Guam in 2008 and crashed shortly after. According to investigations, the data in the computers was distorted. The aircraft then moved up which caused it to stall and consequently crash. The losses accumulated to $1.4 Billion.

8. MetroLink Crash

This accident took place during September 2008 and is considered to be the worst train accident in California. A freight train and the commuter train crashed into each other, resulting in the death of 25 people. The losses amounted to $500 million.

9. Tanker Truck vs Bridge

In 2004, a tanker trunk and a car had an accident. The truck was carrying over 30,000 liters of fuel in Germany on the Wiehltal Bridge. The truck fell 90 feet, resulting in an explosion which ultimately destroyed the bridge. Repairs were estimated at $40 million whereas the replacement cost was $318 million.

10. Titanic

The Titanic sank during 1912 and the accident is said to be the most famous ones till date. The ship was considered to be the most luxurious of its time. When an iceberg hit the Titanic, the ship split in half and about 1,500 people died. $150 million were lost to the oceans.

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Some people have a tendency to collect items and they have collected something or the other during the course of their lives. While some collected coins, others collected stamps. These top 10 large databases collect newspapers, books, numbers, records- you name it, and they’ll have it.

1. Library of Congress

Even after the onset of the digital age, the Library of Congress is still among the largest databases of the world. It holds over 125 million items which consist of colonial newspapers, cook books and government proceedings. The library expands every day and if you are finding it difficult to extract information from the world wide web, the library of congress is the answer to all your problems.

2. Central Intelligence Agency

This database collects information on everything ranging from places to things to people. Even though the accurate size of this database is unknown, it holds both private and public information. 100 articles are added to the library every month and includes population statistics, maps as swell as military capabilities.

3. Amazon

This website holds over 250,000 textbooks and users can comment and interact with other users which makes Amazon the largest community on the web. Amazon has 55 million customers and above 40 terabytes of data.

4. YouTube

YouTube has been in operation for two years and holds a massive library of videos. A loyal user base follows the website and according to records-over a 100 million clips are watched on a daily basis. The size of this database seems to double every 5 months. Therefore, it goes without saying that the overall statistics are staggering.

5. ChoicePoint

ChoicePoint is basically a phone book which contains information about the population residing in the United States of America. It holds criminal histories as well as driving records. It has been said that the database would reach the moon and back at least 75 times. ChoicePoint has helped a number of authorities solve difficult and complicated cases in the past.

6. Sprint

The telecommunication company has over 50 million subscribers. In the past, it offered long distance packages as well. The records are highly detailed and holds at least 3 trillion rows of database, over 350 call records on a daily basis and 70,000 insertions every second. Sprint is quite notorious and infamous and expands quite rapidly.

7. Google

Google has never made the true size of their database public. However, the type and amount of information found on the website is overwhelming. According to statistics, over 90 million searches are carried out every day. Google has been called the king of internet databases.

8. AT&T

This is similar to Sprint and is the oldest company that deals with telecommunications. It holds over 310 terabytes of information and almost 2 trillion rows- making the call records extremely extensive. In addition to that, one can also find old records. Therefore, if your grandfather ever made a call using AT&T, the company will probably still have the records.

9. National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center

The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center is the second largest database of the world. It is controlled by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States of America. It holds research information related to atomic energy, high energy physics, theories related to various topics, etc.

10. World Data Centre for Climate

This database is controlled and maintained by the German Climate Computing Centre as well as the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. This database could be examined to find the patterns that led to the severe changes in the climatic conditions.

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May it be a festival, an anniversary or any other occasion, presenting your loved ones with gifts is a very common practice. Gifts are for people of all ages and groups. Some of the items have been quite popular amongst the crowd and comes to our mind as the first choice when it comes to gift someone something special. Here is a list of top 10 items which have proved to be the most sought after gifts this year.

1. Nintendo Wii

Topping the list as the world’s most sought after gift is Nintendo Wii. This gaming system has been designed for people of all ages. The popular game titles such as “Wii Fit” are a do-it-yourself game simulation. Its popularity can be estimated by the fact that it has been rated as the most searched item on Google. The famous “MarioKart Wii”, can also be played using Wii. The Nintendo Wii has been priced at $250.

2. Wii Fit

Standing on the second spot is Wii Fit. This product is most searched for and is an ideal gift for anyone. The best thing about this video game is that helps players not to become couch potatoes as all the games are based on motion sensing technology. Apart from the “Wii Fit “disc comes a balancing board. While staring at the television you can perform various exercises like yoga and aerobics on the balance board.

3. IPod Touch

This is the latest offering by Apple and just like any other Apple product it has become the favorite among the crowds in no time. IPod Touch has become an outstanding alternative for those who like their existing phone or don’t want to pay heavy price for AT&T’s data plan. With a 32 gigabyte hard drive, it is the third most preferred gift.

4. Xbox 360

What do you think would make even a videogame nerd squeal? Xbox 360 Pro. The ultimate gaming equipment stands fourth on the list. The base model comes with a 60 GB hard drive and 500MHz graphics processor. With the Xbox Live you can even play online with your friend on the other side of the world. For those who are crazier about Xbox, there is Xbox 360 Elite which is much more powerful and also $100 more costly.

5. Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is part of an all new continuation in the original Game Boy systems, which have been the most popular handheld gaming systems. The Nintendo DS is quite different from its predecessors as it is equipped with a crisp color graphics and a battery life of at least of 6 to 7 hours. Along with this, the product also has a built-in wireless mode allowing players to chat and share games online.

6. IPod Nano

From the day of its launch, IPod Nano still remains one of the most popular choices among the crowd. The fact that it is small, cheap and has the same 8GB capacity from its basic models magnetizes all tech savvy people. Its storage capacity suffices for about 2000 songs, 8 straight hours of video and over 7000 photos. Also available in the 16 GB version, it is handy enough for the fussiest user.

7. Ugg Boots

Just trailing after IPod Nano on the list are, the sheepskin boots which seem to once again gaining popularity among the crowds. These boots, also known as Ugg Boots, were once quite popular in Australia and just after a decade were also in demand in America. After celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio were spotted in these boots, it has become one of the most searched-for gifts this year.

8. Nikon D90

This is the only camera which is featured in the top 10 list. The 12.9 megapixel SLR camera has a brilliant resolution of 4288 by 2848 pixels in size. It is also capable of recording video clips. Though a device of professional level, it is in huge demand. The only drawback faced was that the D90 costs almost as much as all the top seven items combined.

9. Zune

As an answer to Apple’s IPod, Microsoft launched its own toy, Zune. Catering to the likes of geeks with abundant collection of music is sure to like the massive space available on the Zune. It is accompanied with a built-in FM tuner and also lets you share files wirelessly with other Zune users. The 80GB model is priced at $230.

10. Digital Picture Frame

Last on the list is Sony’s Digital Picture Frame which relieves from worrying about faded photographs. The frame is of 7 inch in size and has 256 megabytes of internal memory which is enough for 100 high resolution photographs which are swapped instantly. You can either choose one picture to be displayed for a while or put it on a slide show mode for variety.

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Instant messaging (IM) is nothing but a type of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is communicated through various devices connected over a network such as the Internet. There are several instant messaging services through which you can send messages to your friends and relatives worldwide in a jiffy.

1. Digsby

Digsby is a popular instant messaging service which faced some setbacks after getting crapware in their installer. Digsby has many chat networks which can help you combine your friends’ various usernames into one single entry on the list of contacts. Through IMAP and POP3, this messaging service supports email notifications for several web-based email services.

2. Adium

Adium is a popular instant messaging service for Mac OS X. It is a free and popular instant messaging client that supports multiple IM networks, such as Google Talk, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, XMPP, AIM and ICQ. This messaging service also supports social networking services such as Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook, MySpace among others. If you’d like to keep things confidential, Adium also offers the facility of record messaging.

3. Pidgin

Pidgin offers the advantage of downloading plug-ins using which you can enhance your chat experience. You can also connect to social networks, encrypt your conversations and do a great deal more.

4. Meebo

Meebo is another well-known immediate web based messaging solution. Registration is optional in case you are using a single service like Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, MSN Messenger or Google Talk; you can simply use that particular service to log into it through Meebo.

5. Trillian

Created by Cerulean Studios, Trillian is a immediate messaging facility for Windows that can connect to several services, such as ICQ, AIM, Windows Messenger, IRC, Skype networks and others.

6. Facebook

A global social networking website, Facebook is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. By using this immediate messaging facility users can add friends and send messages to them. By adding your personal profiles you can notify it to relatives and friends. You can also become a member of networks organized by region, workplace, city or school.

7. Twitter

A free social networking and micro-blogging service, Twitter helps its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets refer to text-based posts of up to 140 characters which are shown on the profile page of the author and delivered to followers or subscribers. Senders can allow open access or limit delivery to their near and dear ones.

8. MSN messenger

Windows Messenger is another instant messaging service which is popular. It is included in the Windows XP operating system. It is created for use by both corporate and home use. It was originally intended to be an integrated and streamlined version of MSN Messenger. The service attracts over 330 million active users each month.

9. AOL instant messaging

AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) is an immediate messaging and program which makes use of TOC protocol and the Oscar immediate application for enabling registered users to communicate in real time. In May 1997, it was released by AOL.

10. Google Talk

Google Talk is a free Windows web based application used for purposes of instant messaging and voice over internet protocol (VOIP), provided by Google Inc. On August 24, 2005 the first beta version of this program was released. XMPP, is another open protocol that is used for instant messaging between the Google Talk servers and its clients, allowing other XMPP users also to communicate with Google Talk users.

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If you have landed a nice job after passing out of college you will be all ready to take charge of the responsibilities given to you as a young and mature adult. However you must take care to avoid the grooming mistakes which young men generally make. The following are the top 10 common grooming mistakes.

1. Excess body hair

Though body hair is considered a sign of masculinity, too much of anything is bad. Hence you must ensure that the hair on your chest and other areas are trimmed to normal length. Especially when you wear open collar clothes, you must ensure that you have a neat look by trimming the hair on your body.

2. Too much facial hair

You must take care to maintain a clean and neat look by not letting your beard grow too long etc. So also too much hair on your head or any other part of the face will not leave a neat impression about you to others.

3. Ignoring ear and nose hair

Your first impression matters a lot. Overgrowth of hair on ears and nose can be quite ugly to look at. By using a small scissor, you can keep such hairs from making their outward appearance.

4. Ignoring thinning hair

You must not be careless about thinning of hair. In many people signs of thinning manifest itself when they are in their twenties. Through the proper hair cut you can remove balding spots. There are also many creams and serums that can slow down the process of balding and you can choose the right one after consulting a dermatologist.

5. Making use of too much hair gel

While choosing gels it is better to choose the lighter ones which can create definition and shape to your hair. You must be careful to use the proper gel that can give a natural look.

6. Using old razors

When you make use of disposable razors, you must ensure that you dispose them after a short duration. By using it for a longer time you can cause undue harm to the skin surface and your skin also bleed. In razors today you can see the indicator strip and know whether it has life or not.

7. Shaving on dry skin

You must shave only immediately after or during a shower because a dry shave can lead to rough or problem skin. This is mainly because after dry shaving men do not exfoliate or lubricate their skin which can cause ingrown hairs or razor burn. You can also minimize irritation and get maximum shave by using shaving gel and a proper or clean razor.

8. Uncut nails

You must see that your nails are cut and neat always. If you do not follow proper nail care routine you can become prone to bad fungal infections and improper nail growth. Your cuticles must be trimmed and nails must be filed regularly.

9. Not using moisturizer

You must make use of a good moisturizer which can ward off wrinkles and fine lines from appearing on your face. You may also suffer from skin irritation owing to shaving and by making use of a light moisturizer with less SPF you can replenish water content and keep your skin well hydrated.

10. Wearing too much cologne

You must not wear too much cologne which is a bad thing as far as good grooming is concerned. You just have to spray cologne two or three times in the appropriate places. You can sport cologne on areas such as back of the ears, pulse points etc.

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The term handgun usually means a gun meant to be operated by one hand and having a chamber which is integral to the barrel as opposed to the other type of handgun, the revolver, which has a revolving cylinder.

1. FN 57

The Fn 57 is a Belgian made semi automatic pistol manufactured by FN Herstal… The FN 57 is a delayed blowback single action pistol firing a 5.7×2.8mm cartridge. It comes supplied with a 20 round magazine and has an effective range of 50 ms .It is currently supplied with fully adjustable sights or fixed sights.

2. Beretta 92

The Beretta 92 is of Italian origin. It fires a 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. It has been in production since 1975 and is in service in the Italian, French and US military.

3. Walther P99

The Walther P99 is a semi automatic pistol of German origin. It is manufactured by Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen… It is used by the German police, Polish police and the Finnish army. .It fires a 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. And has short recoil operated, locked breech action. It has a muzzle velocity of 1339ft per second.

4. QSZ -92

The QSZ -92 is recoil operated locked breech pistol and uses a rotating barrel locking system. Its country of origin is The Peoples Republic of China. It uses a 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge and is manufactured by Norinco at the Changfeng Machine Shop. It has an effective range of 50m and has a muzzle velocity of 1148 ft per second.

5. FN-FNP45

The FN Herstal FNP pistol is of joint Belgium and US manufacture. It is manufactured in Columbia by FNH USA. It has been in production since February 2006 and fires amongst others a 9 x 19mm Parabellum cartridge. It comes with a 14-16 round magazine.

6. Mark 23

The Heckler and Koch Mk23 are of German and United States origin and consist of match grade semi automatic pistol, a laser aiming module and suppressor. It is the standard pistol meant for the US Special Forces. It has a short recoil DA\SA action and has an effective range of 50 Ms. It has been in production since 1991 and comes with a 12 round detachable box magazine.

7. Glock-17

Glock is a series of semi automatic pistols designed and produced by Glock GmbH of Deutsh-Wagram, Austria.  It has been in service since 1982. It has an extensive plastic structural content. It has a short recoil locked breech; tiliting barrel action fires amongst others a 9x 19mm Parabellum cartridge is used by the Austrian military and US Law Enforcement agencies.

8. HS2000

The HS 2000 is of Croatian origin and is produced by HS Produkt D.o.o.The Company’s most successful product HS2000 is a polymer framed semi automatic pistol. It is the standard issue of the Croatian army and is popular amongst the US law enforcement agencies.

9. Heckler and Koch USP

The Heckler & Koch USP is of German origin and is known as a Universal Self Loading pistol it is a semi automatic pistol with a mechanically locked breech and uses the short recoil mode of operation. It fires a 9X19mm Parabellum cartridge. And has been in operation since 1992.

10. SIGP250

The SIG P250 pistol is of mixed American and German origin. It is made by JP Sauer and Son and Sig Sauer Exeter. It is a semi automatic pistol. .whose action is based on recoil operation and comes with a 17 round magazine. It has iron sights with a 147 mm base.

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The following are the top 10 picks for the best regional social networks. These networks are places where people can go online and meet other people. There are several factors such as music, videos and blogging that contribute to making a good social networking site.

1. Facebook

Facebook is complete with fun applications which can be added to your Facebook profile. You can send gifts to your friends, play games with them, create virtual pets or virtual gardens. There are a whole range of options with which you can do various fun things. They are so big and hence have lots to offer.

2. MySpace

The music feature of the site allows you to add music to your MySpace profile. MySpace Video is similar to YouTube. You can download other people’s videos or add your own videos. You can also modify your profile with HTML and CSS which you cannot do in Facebook.

3. Hi5

Like MySpace, Hi5 also offers a lot of options. It has several videos you can add to your profile. You can show off your videos in your Hi5 profile. You can also share your music with others.

You can organize your friends into various folders and also the photos for showing acquaintances. You can also edit your profile using CSS.

4. 43 Things

43 Things helps you get the things which you wish to done with some social help. You can for instance learn a new language, create a budget, lose weight etc with the help of this social networking site. By logging on to the site, you can get help from other people who are also trying to do the same things as you. You just have to sign up and join a group or create your own group.

5. Windows Live Spaces

The easy profile design is the best thing about Windows Live Spaces. You just have to drag and drop your Windows Live Spaces profile and create what you want. You can also individualize the profile by adding different layouts and themes. You can also add other features such as satellite images, weather, horoscope and others.

6. Gather

If you like writing, you will love Gather. This is the ideal place for people who love writing stories, poetry or anything else. Gather has a strong community and you can easily join writing groups.

7. Worlds.com

You can get into Worlds.com without any hassles and change your avatar, travel around the world o chat with people easily.

8. Live Mocha

Live Mocha is another interesting social networking site which can teach you another language in case you happen to be interested in the same. On LiveMocha, the language lessons are so simple. The social networking aspect of the site is fantastic and you can speak to people from around the world.

9. Stickam

This site is most suitable for webcammers. You will adore Stickam if you have a webcam and would like to chat with people who also have webcams. Sites like Stickam make webcamming so much easier.

10. Profilactic

After signing up with Profilactic, you add in whichever social networking sites you have. Your Profilactic profile will update every time you update one of those sites. If you wish to know what your friend is doing on their site, you need not browse through their profiles. By logging on to Profilactic, you can be updated in minutes.

Popularity: 1% [?]

There are many unique ways for individuals to make money now that there are so many options available by simply having online access.  There are a number of different websites out there that boast that they have the potential or ability to be able to help the individual to make money.  Below are the top 10 money making websites online that have worked for a majority of the individuals who have tried them.

1. Quidco

This is a website that offers the user cash back.  The cash back is earned by shopping on specific websites, clicking on banner ads and signing up for websites.  Some of the websites charge for the signups but the money is refunded in the end.

2. Rns-topfuel

This is another website that is a paid to read email website.  The website pays the user to read emails as well as paying more money if the user uses search engines, clicking on banner ads and joining the website.

3. CashCrate

One of the easiest and most lucrative ways to make money online with CashCrate is to complete the free offers found in the Members Area. Free offers are typically short surveys, quizzes, website registrations, and trial products. CashCrate has several hundred different offers and paid surveys to choose from, ranging from $0.25 per offer all the way up to $50.00!

4. Mylot

This online forum actually offers the user payment for starting and contributing to conversations and discussions as well as for uploading photographs.  This site also offers a commission of up to 25% of what your referrals spend so the income potential is quite good.

5. Buyrefs

Through this website you are able to buy traffic to an individual’s own personal site.  This site also offers an option to buy sign ups.  The user is able to earn 10% of anything that referrals from your website spend so the income potential is really quite good with this website.  They also offer very low prices and are very quick at sending the sign ups.

6. Epinions

Epinions is another site that pays writers for reviews. However, instead of a single upfront payment, Epinions pays you a penny or two each time someone reads your review page. Epinions has a system in place to ensure that the best reviews are more likely to be read, so it’s essential in making money on this site to write clear, useful reviews. It’s also to your benefit to review items that people search on frequently.

7. Berrymails

This website is a site where the user is paid to read emails.  This website is very time consuming and requires the user to not only read emails but also to utilize specific search engines in order to continue to get these emails.

8. International Offers

This website is another website where the user is basically paid to click.  There are two different ways to earn money on this website, one is through clicking on banners and the other is by signing up for relevant websites.

9. Wordlinx

This is another simple way to make money online.  With this website you simply sign in and click on banner advertisements in order to make money.  This offers the user a way to make income however since there are times where there are no advertisements to click on the payment is often very low.

10. Google Adsense

This is an awesome program for those who have websites or blogs as it is a great way to make money through banner advertisements.  This program allows the individual to get paid every time that someone clicks on one of the banners.  This program offers a payout that is dependent upon your sites exposure levels.

Popularity: 1% [?]