Dog Sledding Amazing Pictures

Tippi Degre,The Real Life Mowgli

Her "brother" was an elephant, her best friend a leopard and her playground the African bush. Tippi Degre has been labelled the 'real-life Mowgli'

Now Tippi's new book, 'Tippi: My Book of Africa', showcases the magical images that have led to comparisons with Rudyard Kipling's young hero in The Jungle Book

Born in Windhoek, Namibia in 1990, Tippi Benjamine Okanti Degre lived with her French parents, wildlife photographers Sylvie Robert and Alain Degre. The three of them travelled extensively through Africa on a unique and incredible adventure

She showed an unusual bond between man and beast. Sylvie, Tippi's mother, explains: "She was in the mindset of these animals. She believed the animals were her size and her friends. She was using her imagination to live in these different conditions"

Using her innocence and imagination, the young 'Mowgli' befriended one of the giants of the animal kingdom, Abu the African elephant

"She had no fear," says Sylvie. "She did not realise she was not the same size as Abu the elephant. She would look into its eyes and speak to him"

The Most Powerful Mafia Of The World

10. (Yardies gang) Jamaican-British Mafia (Yardies gang)

On the tenth place came from Jamaica in the UK who moved to England in 50 years. This ethnic group controls a good part of the operations on the arms trade and drugs. This Mafia is not trying to infiltrate government agencies, and therefore not as strong as the others. In the British police do not dare to classify Yardie gangs as organized crime, because they have no real structure or the central government.

09. Albanian Mafia

Albania is composed of numerous criminal gangs. Their rules have remained unchanged since the XV century ... The Albanian mafia is involved in white slave trafficking, alcohol and tobacco, controlling prostitution, car theft and racketeering. His "activities" she began in the 80's of last century. Widely represented in the U.S. and Britain. A distinctive feature is the brutality used in promotions for revenge.

08. Serbian mafia

Serbian mafia has found its place in the ranks of leaders, because it works in dozens of countries and is linked to drug trafficking, contract killings, racketeering, robbery, and control rates and gambling houses. The lists submitted to Interpol about 350 Serb civilians, who often are staff members and leaders of major drug cartels in the world. Serbian gangsters known and intellectual robberies, which often act out Hollywood scripts, as well as fast and clean executions. Currently there are about 30-40 teams working in Serbia

07. Israeli Mafia

These guys are working in the field of banditry in many countries, the main kind of activity - drug trafficking and prostitution. Times have changed, and if they had once looked with awe because of their ability Roofing is now a ruthless killer is not much thought before pulling the trigger. Russian-Israeli mafia is stronger in the U.S. political system so well that knock them out of there by force, even the vaunted U.S. military.

06. Meksikanskaya Mafia

Mexican Mafia - a powerful criminal organizations in the U.S., leaving the roots in the prison world. Originated in the first 50 years, was positioned as the protection of Mexicans imprisoned in the United States, from other criminals and security of prisons. Main activities - extortion and drug trafficking. Tend to be short shrift over the disagreeable and not paying them to set them the same tax.

05. Japanese Yakuza

The Japanese mafia is proudly traces its origin from the impoverished gentry samurai, or ronin, as they are called in Japan. The heirs of the founding fathers of many children of noblemen, who were not often nothing more than the sword, they will inherit only the right to wear a sword, and even her hair in a samurai: shave the forehead and crown, the long hair from the back in a tight plait braid, and stick to a bluish scalp. Although the Japanese mafia is known throughout the world, in everyday life of this town once uglyadet it hard. Meanwhile, the Japanese mafia has one hundred and ten thousand people, while loud and boisterous American - all twenty thousand. If we consider that the U.S. population is about twice as much as the Japanese, it is easy to calculate that for every Japanese has eleven times more than the American, professional rapists, robbers and murderers. Fields of activity: racketeering, distribution of pornography banned from Europe and America, prostitution and illegal immigration.

04. Chinese triads

The fact that the rapidly growing China is rapidly emerging as the leader for Global Development, said today all over the world. But there are negative aspects of this process. As we strengthen the leading position of China in the global economy, Chinese organized crime is rapidly expanding its presence in transnational criminal ways. "Triad" has already made a "third world" their competitors! "Riding" the migration process, mafia structures of China and the Chinese mafia in other countries took a leading position in the organization of human trafficking and establishing flows of illegal migration. The report by Europol (June of 2006) noted that Chinese mafia groups as a leader in human trafficking in countries of the European Union. Chinese "triads" pushed Japan's homegrown mafia - the Yakuza: the share of the Chinese account for about half of all crimes committed by foreigners.

03. Colombian drug cartels

Colombian mafia is one of the world's largest supplier of cocaine. All the efforts of public authorities are still in vain, as the business of gangsters are more than successful. Colombian drug mafia has existed since the mid-60's of last century. Cartels "Medellin" and "Kali" very quickly became the leading producer of cocaine in the world.

02. Sicilian and American Cosa Nostra

Salvatore Lo Bue, Salvatore Lo Cicero, Gaetano Lo Presti, Giuseppe Scaduto, Antonino Spera, Gregorio Agrigento, Luigi Caravello, Mariano Troia, Giovanni Adelfio and Francesco Bonomo ? XIII ?. Members of the Sicilian Mafia (from left), Salvatore Lo Bue, Salvatore Lo Cicero, Gaetano Lo Presti, Giuseppe Scaduto, Antonino Spera, Gregorio Agrigento, Luigi Caravello, Mariano Troia, Giovanni Adelfio and Francesco Bonomo In the XIII century. Sicily is constantly robbing not only the Algerian pirates, and French troops, mercenaries, who served severoitalyanskim dukes and princes. Organized armed struggle against the French islanders began in 1282 under the slogan «Morete alla Francia, Italia anela» («Die, France - sigh, Italy), the first letters of appeal Sicilians were the battle cry:« Mafia! ». Soon self-defense units have become units of professional soldiers, who began to take tribute from the peasants for protection from external enemies. In the XIX century. Mafia, which became a uniform system, even tried to achieve separation of the island from Italy and requested the union by Giuseppe Garibaldi, but forces the Principality of Piedmont caused her defeat. At the end of the XIX century. Thousands of Sicilians to escape from poverty and clan wars, moved to America. In major U.S. cities arose Cosa Nostra («Our Business") - a network of the Sicilian "family" that controlled the casinos, smuggling, prostitution, illegal liquor, tobacco and weapons, and engaged in racketeering. All "konsorterii" Sicily are "respectable community, led by Capo di tutti Capi, the head of all the chapters. Important figures in the structure of the Mafia are also picciotti di ficatu (assassins), stopalieri (bodyguards), gabellotti (judges) and consiglieri (advisers).

01. Russian Mafia

Russian Mafia has 500 000 people. Her godfathers control 70% of the Russian economy, as well as prostitution in Macau, and China, illegal drug trafficking in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, money laundering in Cyprus, Israel, Belgium and England, car theft, trafficking in nuclear materials and prostitution in Germany. With the disappearance of the Iron Curtain, the expansion of Russian crime has ceased to be controlled and directed, as it was before the Soviet collapse. The first wave of "exporting" crime area, then still the Soviet Union, took place in the early 70's, when allowed to emigrate to Israel of Soviet Jews. This wave was not comparable with the second - when the collapse of the Soviet Union collapsed, the Iron Curtain. Then the world is, indeed, has estimated the size of Russian crime, which he called "Russian mafia". Russian crime community is sometimes very specific interests in different countries. So, in December 1993, the Western press for the first time mentioned that the grouping of "shaking" of the Russian hockey players playing in foreign clubs, the so-called "foreign players". The mass of material on the subject in the press in the years to say that "racket sport has acquired a truly industrial scale. According to some, now Russia's criminal community operates in 50 countries.According to an American professor Louise Shelley, the PMA in 1991 withdrew from the Russian Federation $ 150 billion. According to other sources - $ 50 billion, but too much.

The First Laptop By Osborne

Pictured here is one of the first "portable" computers. It could be considered the first laptop.
This is the Osborne 1, which came out in 1981.
The computer cost $1,800, weighed 25 pounds, and had a 5 inch screen.


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Evolution Of The 25 Paise Coin in India

No longer a legal tender: The road has finally come to an end for the humble 25 paise coin. The Reserve Bank of India is withdrawing from circulation coins of 25 paise and below from June 30, 2011. Coins of denomination of 25 paise and below will not be accepted for exchange at the bank branches from July 1, 2011 onwards. We trace the history of the 25 paise coin from the British era to contemporary India.

1830s: The first of the quarter rupee coins were issued in India during the reign of William IV. The coins were made of silver.

1840s: The longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria also held the title of the Empress of India. During her reign a number of quarter rupee coins were issued. Soon after her ascent to the throne, a silver quarter rupee coin was issued in India. The coins featured the bust of a young Queen Victoria. She was made the queen soon after her 18th birthday

1870s: The coins issued later in Queen Victoria's reign had a more mature looking bust of the queen. The one-fourth rupee coins were made of silver.

1890s: While Queen Victoria was adding to her years in real life, she also put in a bit of weight on the her image on the coins.

1900s: The new century also witnessed a change on the British monarchy. Following the death of his mother Queen Victoria, Edward VII was crowned as the King of the United Kingdom and also as the Emperor of India. All new coins issued during the time bore his name and face.

1910s: A new design of coins were introduced in 1919 that sought to replace the existing silver quarter rupee coins. The new equivalent of the quarter rupee coin was the 4 aana coin, that was made from cupro-nickel instead of silver. The rising silver prices following the First World War necessitated this change. These coins had the effigy of King George V.

1920s: George V was crowned the King in 1910. He was also the first reigning British Monarch to tour India. The 4 aana coins introduced in 1919 didn't gain popularity and soon the quarter rupee coins had to be brought back.

1930s: King George VI was the last of the British monarchs to rule over India. His predecessor Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. There were no coins issued for Edward VIII. While coins of other denominations went for a design change, the quarter rupee coins continued, with only a new monarch replacing the old.

Early 1950s: Following the Independence of India the currency system continued with the British series of coins till the establishment of the Indian Republic. The first coins of independent India were introduced on August 15, 1950 and it included the quarter rupee coin made of nickel. The coins had the words 'char aana' embossed in Devnagri script and had the Ashoka Emblem on one side.

Late 1950s: Another major landmark in the history of the 25 paise coin happened following the introduction of the decimal series in accordance with the Indian Coinage Act that came into force from April 1, 1957. The 19 mm 25 paise coins were called '25 naye paise'. The tern 'naye paise' was used for wider public recognition of the new coinage system and was discontinued from June 1, 1964 when the term 'naye' was dropped. The coins weighed 5 grams and were made of nickel.

1970s: By the late 1960s, Indians had become used to the new coinage system. The text 'rupaiye ka chautha bhag' (one fourth of a rupee) was also replaced by 25 paise. While other coins of lower denominations underwent a major change and moved to aluminium, the 25 paise coin didn't change much.

Late 1980s to the 2000s: In 1988 the 25 paisa coin went steel and was made of ferratic stainless steel. It was a little heavier than its predecessor at 2.83 grams but was of the same size. The last 25 paise coins seen in popular circulation were minted in the year 2002.

A new symbol: In July 2010 the Government of India unveiled the new symbol for the Indian Rupee and designer D Udaya Kumar also designed a new symbol for the paise. But with the 25 paise going out of circulation we are unlikely to see the image above anywhere.