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Friday, December 30, 2011

Coffee Bean Art

You must've seen a lot of pictures of coffee artwork, with interesting and beautiful images on foam in the cup of coffee, but I guess you’ve never seen any of this kind of art. You can also make something interesting with coffee beans, so next time before you grind them, try to make something funny – use this article if you lack inspiration!

















Saturday, December 24, 2011

Global Seed Vault in Norway



The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norwegian: Svalbard globale frøhvelv) is a secure seedbank located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen near the town of Longyearbyen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago, about 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) from the North Pole. The facility preserves a wide variety of plant seeds in an underground cavern. The seeds are duplicate samples, or "spare" copies, of seeds held in gene banks worldwide. The seed vault will provide insurance against the loss of seeds in genebanks, as well as a refuge for seeds in the case of large-scale regional or global crises. The seed vault is managed under terms spelled out in a tripartite agreement between the Norwegian government, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (NordGen).


Construction of the seed vault, which cost approximately NOK 45 million (US$9 million), was funded entirely by the Government of Norway. Storage of seeds in the seed vault is free of charge. Operational costs will be paid by Norway and the Global Crop Diversity Trust. Primary funding for the Trust comes from organisations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and from various governments worldwide. (link)























Sunday, December 4, 2011

Facts About McDonald's That Will Blow Your Mind




  • In 1992 when Rutgers professor Benjamin Barber coined the term "McWorld," there were 12,700 McDonald's worldwide. Today there are over 33,000.
  • The relentless spread of McDonald's over the past 61 years is an incredible business success story. In some markets the burger chain is just getting started, with plans to open 200 stores in China this year.
  • McDonald's serves 1% of the world's population every day
  • McDonald's sells more than 75 hamburgers every second
  • McDonald's' $24 billion in revenue makes it the 90th-largest economy in the world
  • Counting $32 billion in revenue from franchise stores, McDonald's claims the 68th biggest economy, bigger than Ecuador
  • McDonald's hires around 1 million workers in the US every year
  • This estimate from Fast Food Nation assumes a 700,000 domestic workforce with 150% turnover rate.
  • According to company estimates, one in every eight American workers has been employed by McDonald's some time
  • McDonald's is the world's largest distributor of toys, with one included in 20% of all sales
  • McDonald's' iconic golden arches are recognized by more people than the cross
  • A survey by Sponsorship Research International found that 88 percent could identify the arches and only 54 percent could name the Christian cross, according to Fast Food Nation.
  • The Queen of England owns a McDonald's near Buckingham Palace as part of her vast real estate portfolio
  • For the next three years, McDonald's is going to open one restaurant every day in China
  • McDonald's delivers in 18 countries!
  • Americans alone consume one billion pounds of beef at McDonald's in a year - five and a half million cattle