FuN On WeB

World’s Top Ten Friendliest Countries

01. Ireland

Centuries of turmoil, conquest, famine and subsequent immigration have certainly taken their toll on the Irish: it's left them with a deliciously dark sense of humour and a welcoming attitude towards strangers. That famous ability of the Irish to find craic (fun times) in boom or bust times means you're always in for a treat.
Here is the list of top ten friendliest countries of the world, after the break...

02. Samoa

What's this? Samoa reckons they have 'the world's friendliest people'? Hmmm, trouble is there's no ratifying body for such a claim, meaning the Samoans have to contend with the challenge of Fiji, which also self-applies the title. Though readers can rest assured that Samoa harbours lovely and warm people.

03. United States

Blamed for the coming of World War III, the Anti-Christ, Bon Jovi, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, rampant street crime and noise pollution through overloud talking, Americans just take it all in their stride. Americans may be patriotic and love their country but they'll invariably welcome you and help you get the best out of the United States.

04. Malawi

Whereas other African nations are beset by tribal war and fighting, Malawians describe themselves as 'the friendliest people in Africa. Anyone who's visited will know that the rare (for Africa) cohesion of the country's ethnic groups is solid evidence for this, as is the people's propensity to welcome you into their homes as well as their nation.

05. Fiji

Fijians have got plenty to smile about lush islands, kaleidoscopic reefs, cobalt sea, a wealth of marine life, world-class diving, romantic coastlines, awesome cuisine and they love to spread the love around. Fijians have a rep for helping all travellers feel welcome, thereby allowing you to uncover the best from this sprawling group of islands.

06. Indonesia

It's hard to make generalisations about a country that contains so many different cultures still, a cliché you'll hear often is that Indonesian people greet foreigners with open arms. Fact is they do, but the media limelight is stolen by the knack of their law-enforcement officers for welcoming drug dealers and bomb makers in an altogether different ritual.

07. Vietnam

Vietnam's another country inextricably caught up in Western images and stereotypes: napalm death; tormented American soldiers; assassins hiding in the rice fields. But Vietnam put all that behind it a long time ago and is now on a drive to become the new 'Asian' tiger economy.

08. Thailand

Southeast Asia's most-visited country is bound to offer up a welter of stereotypes and clichès. Here are some of them: dazzling islands and beaches; lush and balmy weather; great shopping and great food; the 'France of Asia'. The Thai people's gracious hospitality does indeed take some beating.

09. Scotland

Scotland's becoming the destination for visitors to the British Isles, winning out over London. The Scots have survived English invasion, brutal weather and the pain of having the world's worst goalkeepers. This fighting spirit against insurmountable odds has left them with an extroverted, buoyant demeanour and a blackly humorous nationalism.

10. Turkey

It's a shame that for such a long time the Western world's image of Turkey revolved around the drug-smuggling film Midnight Express. Thankfully, we can report the Turkish people actually have an unsurpassed reputation for hospitality. With their heavenly cuisine, dreamy coastline and historical sites, the Turks know there's no reason to be secretive.

Posted on Friday, February 04, 2011 / 5 comments / Read More

Top 10 Faces to Watch in 2011

01. Chloe Moretz

2010 was the year of the teen fashion icon and Chloë Moretz, just 13, came out on top as the reigning queen. Hand posed just so on her hip, or peering out from behind her sweeeping bob, she was seen at all the best fashion parties, wearing labels such as Chanel and Miu Miu, and giving the air of a much older fashion pro. At a party hosted by Miuccia Prada in London she arrived arm-in-arm with Emma Roberts. She rose to fame after her role as a foul-mouthed hit girl in "Kick-Ass" and is currently filming "Hugo Cabret", directed by Martin Scorsese. There's a reason why Karl Lagerfeld loves her. Want to know who's going to be the next big thing in 2011? Here are the top ten fashionable faces of 2011, after the break...

02. Isabel Lucas

Australian actress Isabel Lucas had her breakout moment in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", alongside Megan Fox. Hollywood casting agents love the 25 year-old brunette, who recently had "a moment" on the red carpet at the premiere of Sofia Coppola's latest film, "Somewhere", in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton.

03. Tali Lennox

The beautiful daughter of pop veteran Annie, Tali Lennox, was our favourite social butterfly of 2010. The model embodies quirky London style; at the opening of the Christian Dior store in London last month, she paired a lighter-than-air, floaty cocktail dress with a black fedora. Here she is in "Black Swan"-inspired corset with lace. Watch out Alexa Chung..

04. Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley

In 2010, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley proved she could do more than land the best advertising campaigns and a lucrative contract with Victoria's Secret. She can act too, landing the lead role in the third Transformers movie opposite Shia LeBeouf and snapping the role away from Megan Fox. The film comes out in June 2011 and we know Huntington-Whiteley will be pulling out all the stops on red carpets across the globe. We see the role of Bond Girl in her future.

05. Kate Middleton

The eyes of the world will be on the future Queen of England when she marries Prince William in April. The feverish speculation over her wedding dress has spawned hundreds of designer sketches from the fashion world's greatest names. Her style is endlessly compared to Princess Diana's, while her love of high street fashion is also worthy of praise. The Issa dress she wore on the day her engagement was announced sold out online withing 24 hours, and Reiss is hurriedly remaking the past season dress she wore in the official portrait taken by Mario Testino.

06. Abbie Cornish

Abbie Cornish's career has been bubbling away under the surface for years. We think 2011 will be the year she comes out on top. She has three big films on the way: the first is a starring role in Madonna's film, W.E., about King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Next she will be seen in Sucker Punch, a fantasy-world thriller directed by Zach Snyder (Watchmen). If that wasn't enough, she will be appearing opposite Robert De Niro in Limitless.

07. Romola Garai

Romola Garai is going to have two big things next year: "One Day" (with Anne Hathaway) and a new British TV series, "The Hour" (set behind the scenes of a broadcast newsroom in 1956). We're counting on "The Hour", written by BAFTA-winning Abi Morgan, to deliver a "Mad Men" fix of period costumes, burgeoning sexual politics and retro media shenanigans. Garai, Dominic West and Ben Whishaw form the central love triangle of Bel and her rivals Freddie and Hector. Will Bel be the new Peggy Olsen? Only time will tell.

08. Saoirse Ronan

Irish actress, Saoirse (pronounced "seer-sha") Ronan has that rare chameleon quality. As the wide-eyed younger sister to Keira Knightley in "Atonement" she won critical acclaim. It landed her the lead role in Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones", opposite Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon. Next she appears with Cate Blanchett in Hanna, and as Effie in "Effie Gray" (along with Orlando Bloom and Emma Thompson) about the relationship between Victorian artist John Ruskin and his teenage bride … We told you 2011 would be the year of the teens.

09. Lindsey Wixson

Model of the moment Lindsey Wixson made her catwalk debut at the spring/summer 2010 shows in New York aged just 15. She was immediately whisked off to Milan to open the spring/summer 2010 Prada show on an exclusive – meaning she could only walk for Prada. She appeared as the face of the last two Miu Miu campaigns, clocking up an impressive portfolio of magazine spreads and covers, and was recently confirmed as the new face of Marc Jacobs and Mulberry for spring.

10. Edie Campbell

Edie Campbell has already won a coveted spot on Vogue's best-dressed list, and has appeared alongside Kate Moss in the Burberry campaigns. With her rock star boyfriend, Johnny Borrell in tow, she will be cutting a rug in London all year, as fashion's new Penelope Tree.

Posted on Friday, February 04, 2011 / 0 comments / Read More

Nicholas church in Kiev

Church building was erected in the years 1899-1909 for the Roman Catholic community of Kiev. Design and construction of buildings produced under the guidance of the famous Kyiv architect Vladimir Gorodetsky. Church built in stylized Gothic forms with the long, gothic towers and steeples, differs slender proportions, ease and clarity of compositional structure. Difficult conditions for the construction and architectural solutions prompted the architects to use innovative at the time engineering technology. More after the break...

In 1933 the church was looted and closed, and in 1943 was badly damaged by shelling, was set on fire, and only by 1980 it was restored and partially reconstructed. Since 1980, Nicholas church was to function as a concert hall of the House of Organ and Chamber Music. Body Kiev House of organ music has been specially created by masters of firm «Rieger-Kloss» in city Krnov in Czechoslovakia.

Posted on Friday, February 04, 2011 / 0 comments / Read More

Facebook Is Worth $50 Billion

8 Charts That Show Why Facebook Is Worth $50 Billion
01 Facebook Reaches 70% of US Internet Users. That's Up From 48% In Aug. 2009

Image: Imran Khan, JP Morgan

Goldman Sachs made it official: Facebook is worth $50 billion.
And coincidentally, J.P. Morgan analyst Imran Khan put out his annual report on the state of the Internet earlier today, which has some statistics to explain why.
You knew that Facebook was big, but exactly how big might surprise you. More after the break...

02 Users Spend 10% Of Their Time On Facebook

Image: Imran Khan, JP Morgan

Facebook surpassed Yahoo this year, but it's also way ahead of Google, where users mostly come to search and then leave

03 More Than Half Of Facebook Users Visit Weekly

04 Facebook Is Driving Way More Traffic Than It Used To

Image: Imran Khan, JP Morgan

Its influence is particularly growing in e-commerce: traffic from Facebook to Amazon is up more than 3x from a year ago.

05 Facebook Connect Is Used By More Than 250 Million Users Per Month

Image: Facebook

This expands Facebook's reach way beyond its own site.

06 Heavy Facebook Users Are Addicted To Games

Image: Imran Khan, JP Morgan

This chart of game usage shows how Facebook isn't just a site, but a platform--like Windows for operating systems and Google for Internet search advertising. This is also great news for social gaming companies like Zynga, Playfish, Crowdstar, and Playdom.

07 Facebook Is Even The Number-Four SEARCH Site Worldwide

Image: Imran Khan, JP Morgan

08 Internet Ad Spending Is Still Catching Up With Time Spent Online

Image: Imran Khan, JP Morgan

This is good news for all online properties who rely on advertising, but particularly Facebook, where users spend more time than at any other site.

09 Now, Check Out Facebook's Move Into Email