sQuba - World's First Swimming Car

Three decades ago James Bond (then enacted by British star Roger Moore) wowed the world with a car that could 'fly' under water in the movie "The Spy Who Loved Me". Only, it was animation and not an actual scene. But Frank M Rinderknecht, the 52-year-old automobile visionary and boss of Swiss automaker Rinspeed, has turned a dream into reality with his 'sQuba.'
Rinspeed sQuba is the most exciting thing at this year's Geneva Motor Show and is creating many a ripple.

sQuba is the world's first real submersible car that can 'move like a fish underwater'.

It can dive up to 32.8 feet (10 mt) below the surface of the water and can move at a sedate 1.8 miles per hour.

The sQuba has an open cockpit for 'safety reasons' (so that people can get out easily anytime in case of an emergency). The occupants of the car have to breathe compressed air through built-in scuba masks.

sQuba is an electric car that uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and 3 electric motors for propulsion. It is a zero-emission car as documented by the rotating license plate in the rear. It produces no exhaust emissions.

The 'sQuba's' filling station is the water reservoir. It is no surprise that the vehicle features powerful yet energy-saving LED lighting technology.

The first car that could drive underwater was Quandt's Amphibicar, built in 1968. Only 3,878 were produced but many are still being driven on roads. Then Gibbs Technologies came up with Gibbs Aquada in 2004 which Virgin boss Richard Branson used to break the speed record for crossing the English Channel. However, the sQuba seems to be the most exciting of them all.

To drive on the roads, the sQuba 'relies on a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged light-weight wheels from AEZ with 17- and 18-inch diameters.

Word of Mouth

Dinner is served - 165 feet up

A chef prepares meals while diners enjoy panoramic views harnessed in seats that swivel 180 degrees, suspended via a crane.
Here's a dining concept that'll make your head if not your stomach spin: It's dinner at a table suspended 165 feet in the air with chairs that swivel 180 degrees.

Dubbed Dinner in the Sky, the attraction is making its U.S. debut Monday in Orlando at the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions convention. About 25,000 attendees are expected at the one-stop-shopping event, where the amusement industry rolls out new thrill rides and related products.

The high-flying dining venue was introduced in Europe last year and consists of a platform suspended from a crane. Guests are harnessed into 22 seats, with space in the center for a chef and two helpers. With local officials' blessings, the platform can be transported to just about anywhere the crane can maneuver. One recent spot: in front of the Amiens Cathedral in France, with dinner prepared by a three-star Michelin chef.

'It was like eating with the 12 apostles and Jesus Christ,' quips David Ghysels, co-founder of the Belgium-based company.

Ghysels sees all sorts of U.S. possibilities for the dangling restaurant, including air space over the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls and golf courses.

'I think human beings always like to see what's happening from the air,' he says. 'And there are so many wonderful natural spots in the U.S. - Dinner in the Sky could go anywhere.'

The restaurant (dinnerinthesky.com) belongs firmly in the special-occasion category, however. The cost for eight hours is about $11,444 not including catering.

Seeing double: Indian baby born with four eyes, two mouths and two faces

To some she may seem an oddity, but to one Indian couple their newborn daughter is simply a God reincarnated. Their as yet un-named six-day-old baby girl was born with two faces, two mouths and four eyes in the rural Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, 50km north east of New Delhi.

Her parents, Vinod and Susham Singh from a village called Sani, said their little girl was "a gift from God". Excited villagers claim she is the reincarnation of the Indian God Ganesha and celebrated her arrival with clapping, cheering and offerings of gifts and money.

Doctors who delivered the baby said she appeared to be in good health, but said further tests will need to be carried out to determine any long-term health problems she may have.The baby is fed by hand. Doctors are not yet able to say is she will be able to have normal eating functions. They are also unable to say if she will be able to eat and function normally.

The excitement surrounding her arrival comes two years after the birth of another little girl, from the poverty stricken region of Bihar, who was born attached to her headless twin. In a 40 hour operation, doctors successfully removed the lifeless body from Lakshmi Tatma, who was hailed as a reincarnation of Vishnu. The extraordinary eight-limbed baby was born on the day devoted to the celebration of the four-armed Hindu deity Vishnu. Since the operation Lakshmi has successfully taken her first steps. Her mother Poonam Tatma said she believed her daughter was "a miracle".

Africa - An Ariel View

VIKRAM SAMVAT 2065

The official Indian calender celebrates its new year on 7th April 2008. Let me tell u something about this indian calender which is also the official calender of the Government of India , and only a few of us in this generation bothered to know about it .
The Vikram era or Vikram Samvat originated in 57 B.C. and the date marked the victory of The King Vikramaditya over the Sakas who had invaded Ujjain. To convert the year in Gregorian (Western) calender add 57 or 58 to the current year. The Western Calender is based on the Sun , in which a year is the time taken by the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun .This precisely measures 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds.
The official Indian Calender or the Vikram Samvat is based on both the sun and the moon ; while it uses a solar year- but divides it into 12 lunar months .

शुभ नव सम्वत्सर
2065

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