Shock and awe : Does skin sell ?

Nowadays you need a bare bottom even if you're just trying to launch a handbag.

There seems to be just one thought behind ad after ad - no publicity is bad publicity. While some may actually love the eyecandy on offer, others would remember the campaign for being outrageous. In either case it's a win-win situation for the advertiser. It is the company, the brand and the product that ultimately grabs attention.

Prahlad Kakkar of Genesis Advertising has a message for those embarassed by increasingly graphic ads like Kamasutra condoms and the 7-up TV spot featuring a voluptuous bikini model.

According to him: "Nudity was always acceptable when you see the larger picture. For example in villages it is the way of life. It is certainly not a taboo for scores of villagers for whom it is a natural state of existence, especially in the tribal belt. It is a city-centric middle class syndrome to consider nudity a taboo subject."

"Moreover I think the perception of nudity is quite a subjective matter. If you don't like it, just close your eyes. After all, it might look beautiful to someone else. Why should a moral brigade police your thoughts, likes and dislikes ?"

However not everybody is willing to join in on Kakkar's spirited defence of nudity in advertising.

To be honest, I don't think nudity has much of a future in advertising. Maybe in an one-off case like Tuff shoes it succeeded. Maybe nudity can still work well with certain prodcuts like condoms where it appears both logical and seductive. But that doesn't mean you can use naked models to sell consumer goods. I don't think nudity will really catch on in the long-run," insist Sunil Shethi of Sunny Advertising.

What do you say ?

Tiger walks away from zoo...

Tiger walks away from zoo, sits in middle of road. Cows do it, even the odd deer or moose, but it's a rare sight to see a tiger lying in the middle of an Ontario road. But that's what a driver near the town of Wendover, east of Ottawa, reported to police. Turns out the large cat had ambled away from its enclosure at nearby Papanack Zoo. Zoo workers were summoned and quickly tranquilized the animal in a back yard across the road, and took it back to captivity. The zoo is trying to figure out how the tiger was able to leave its enclosure. The family-owned and operated Papanack Zoo has been breeding exotic animals and birds since the early 1980s.

source

Happy Birthday to Lata Mangeshkar .

Lata Mangeshkar is not just a name, it is a tune undefined. The most popular singer, India has ever known.

Born September 28, 1929 in Indore, Lata Mangeshkar has been active in all walks of Indian popular and light classical music having sung film songs, ghazals, bhajans and pop. She is the supreme voice of popular Indian music, an Indian Institution. Until the 1991 edition, when her entry disappeared, the Guinness Book of Records listed her as the most recorded artist in the world with not less than 30,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs recorded in 20 Indian languages between 1948 and 1987. Today the number might have reached 40,000!!!

Her first Playback was in a Marathi film in 1942 - Kitti Haasal(was not used)and 1942 - Pahili Mangalagaur (naatli chaitrachi navalai...), she even acted in a few marathi films........and her first Hindi song(but in a Marathi Film)1943 - Gajabhau (maata ek sapoot ki duniya badal de tu...)

The Royal Albert Hall, London has recorded the graph of Lata's voice with the help of a computer which is by far the "Most Perfect" in the World.

Lataji has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by 6 universities including the New York University.

She has been Voted as The Most Important Indian of the 20th Century (Arts) in a Net Survey By IndiaWorld.com.

Some of Lataji's awards include :

1969 : Padam Bhushan
1974 : Guinness Book of World Records:for singing the maximum number
of songs in the world
1980 : Was presented key of the city of Georgetown, Guyana, South America
1980 : Honorary Citizenship. The Republic of Suriname, South America
1985 : 9th June declared as Asia Day in honour of her arrival in Toronto, Canada
1987 : Honorary Citizenship of the U.S.A, Houston, Texas, U.S.A
1989 : Dada Saheb Phalke Award
1990 : Honorary Doctorate (Literature) By Pune University
1998 : Lux Zee Cine Lifetime Achievement Award
1999 : Padma Vibhushan
1999 : NTR Award
2000 : Lifetime Achievement Award by IIFA in London
2000 : Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar by the Chaturang PratishthanThe Bharat Ratna Award
2001 : Bharat Ratna - The Nation's Highest Civilian Award
2001 : Noorjehan Award : First Reciepient
2001 : Maharashtra Ratna : First Reciepient
2002 : Felicitation By CII ( For Contribution to Music & the Film Industry)
2002 : Hakim Khan Sur Award ( For National Integration by Maharana Mewar Foundation)

First Reciepient Doctor of Literature from Shivaji, Kolhapur, Pune, Khairagadh Music University, Hyderabad University & New York University.

Lataji has received about 250 trophies and 150 gold discs. The only Asian to have received the Platinum Disc of EMI London. Swar Bharati award given by Shankaracharya of Sankeshwar. In Tirupati, the title of Asthaan Sangeet Vidwaan Sarloo(Court Musician of the Shrine).

Cupid in the Cubicle

Traditional wisdom - mixing personal and professional lives can be risky. Today's reality - everyone, well almost everyone, loves a romance in the office.

About 58 per cent of the respondents in an Internet poll have voted in support of coochie-cooing at the coffee machine.

Monster.com, the job-hunting portal, ran a question on its website for a fortnight early this month to help decide whether pursuing an office romance is in the best interest of employees.

About 12,191 people sent their answers. It turns out that some 58 per cent of them have either had office romances or are having one or are ready to have one. The Monster Meter asked: "Have you ever had an office romance?"

"No, I don't think it's appropriate," said 42 per cent of the respondents. Some 25 per cent said, "Yes", another 23 per cent said, "No, but I wouldn't mind" and 10 per cent said, "I am having one now".

Dhruv Shenoy, vice-president, marketing, Monster Asia, said: "The result of this poll is an indication of the changing social dynamics at the workplace. Today, to keep up with the pressures of job and career, employees may be inclined to spend more and more time at the office. It also may mean they are spending more time with their colleagues, resulting in more companionships formed at the workplace."

Positives

1. Save time and save money : no need to search for a partner to spend evening with.

2. Familarity : since you worked together you already know the other person well enough to realise if a relationship is possible.

3.Shoulder to lean on : you have someone who will understand your problems and offer advice.

Negatives

1. Romance gets a way : having a relationship with a colleague may interfere with professional duties and decision-making.

2. Familarity breeds contempt : being in constant touch with each other may create friction.

3. Green-eyed monster : is he/she flirting with that bit**/bust*** ?

Could the love of your life be sitting in the next cubicle ?

Why Men Lie.

One day a woodcutter was cutting a branch when his axe slipped and fell into the river below. He fell on his knees and prayed and the Lord appeared.

"Why are you crying?", the Lord asked. The woodcutter replied that his axe had fallen into water.

The Lord went down into the water and reappeared with a golden axe. "Is this your axe?", he asked.

"No", The woodcutter replied.

The Lord went down again and came up with a silver axe. "Is this your axe?"

"No", he replied again. The Lord went down a third time and came up with an iron axe.

"Is this your axe?", the Lord asked.

"Yes!", he said.

The Lord was so pleased with the man's honesty that he gave him all three axes to keep, and the woodcutter went home happily.

Some days later while he was walking with his wife along the riverbank, she slipped and fell into the river. He dropped onto his knees and the Lord duly appeared again.

"Why are you crying?", the Lord asked.

"Oh Lord, my wife has fallen into the water!"

The Lord went down into the water and came up with Jennifer Lopez.

"Is this your wife?" the Lord asked.

"Yes!" cried the woodcutter.

The Lord was furious. "You cheat! That is a lie!"

The woodcutter replied, "Pardon me, Almighty! But there's a reason for my lie."

You see, if I had said "No" to Jennifer Lopez, you would come up with Catherine Zeta-Jones and then my wife. I would say "Yes" when my wife came up and you would leave all three with me. But Lord, I'm a poor man, and I wouldn't be able to take care of all three wives! That's why I said "Yes" the first time."

~Subramaniam Murugan.

10,000 elephants may be destroyed

The South African government plans to end its 10-year ban on culling elephants, which may result in the slaughter of up to 10,000 of the beasts.

But anticipating protest from animal welfare groups around the world, the government will have an 18-month consultation period before starting the cull, reports the Times of London.

Government officials say culling is needed to reduce the elephant population in the Kruger national park to protect trees, some of them 4,000 years old, as well as vegetation and water supplies. They say an adult elephant consumes about 375 pounds of vegetation a day.

The country's environment minister says between 7,000 and 10,000 animals would be killed, the report said. 'Elephant culling is something I would rather not have to do,' he said. 'If there was any way of avoiding it we would have done that. But the do-nothing approach is no longer an option.'

The current elephant population of about 14,000 in the Kruger Park reportedly has become a threat to the habitats of rare antelopes, eagles and other threatened creatures.

source : BigNews

Wanna chat with GOD ?

Exseno found this amazing link which I want to share with you .If you want to chat with GOD, click here....

IGOD

Robot Lobster

MEET the robot lobster and the android that not only smiles, frowns and blinks but also recognises people and talks back.

so romantic......

"Romance is the glamour which turns the dust of everyday life into a golden haze."
~Amanda Cross.

The Honeymoon is over.

A young couple got married and left on their honeymoon.
When they got back, the bride immediately called her mother.

"Well, how was the honeymoon?" asked the mother.
"Oh mamma!" she exclaimed. "The honeymoon was wonderful! So romantic!"

No sooner had she spoken the words than she burst out crying. "But mamma . . . as soon as we returned, Sam started using the most horrible language. He's been saying things I've never heard before! All these awful 4-letter words! You've got to come get me and take me home... please mamma!"

"Now Sarah . . ." her mother answered. "Calm down! Tell me, what could be so awful? What 4-letter words has he been using?"

"Please don't make me tell you, mamma." wept the daughter.
"I'm so embarrassed! They're just too awful! You've got to come get me and take me home... please mamma!"

"Darling, baby, you must tell me what has you so upset . . .
Tell your mother these horrible 4-letter words!"

Still sobbing, the bride replied, "Oh, mamma . . . words like dust, wash, iron, and cook!"

Sonia Sonia

Director Jagmohan Mundhra wants to make a film on Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The film will reportedly begin with her falling in love with Rajiv Gandhi and end after her husband is assassinated and she rises to lead his political party.

The role is a difficult one, and most people believe Mundhra has chosen the stunningly beautiful Italian actress Monica Bellucci (left in top image) for the role.

On the other hand, some insiders swear that Mundhra wants Preity Zinta, our very own Ms Salaam Namaste, to play Sonia.

Who do you think is better for the role - Monica or Preity ? And if not either, which actress do you think fits best in this role ?

Musharraf denied !!!

President Pervez Musharraf denied on Saturday telling the Washington Post that many Pakistanis felt crying rape was an easy way to make money and get a Canadian visa, saying the remark was made by someone else.

The Washington Post interview had quoted Musharraf as saying, "A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped."

"Let me say with total sincerity that I never said that and it has been misquoted," Musharraf said while addressing a gathering of women in New York.

Read More .

Sania under threat again.

Indian tennis sensation Sania Mirza will receive extra security after an Islamic group opposed to her on-court dress threatened to stop her from playing in next week's WTA event, police said on Friday.

Muslim clergymen have denounced the 18-year-old player for wearing skimpy skirts and colourful sleeveless tops on court, which they say are un-Islamic.

The teenager has emerged as one of India's most visible sporting icons following a sensational year in which she has climbed to 34 in the WTA world rankings.

In a country dominated by cricket, companies are queuing up to sign endorsements with her.

Mirza has refused to be rawn on the controversy over her clothes and is scheduled to play in Kolkata beginning on Monday, despite the call by a powerful Islamic group to stop her.

The group, Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, has warned that.....ts members would try to prevent Mirza from playing if she did not wear "proper clothes."

"What she wears offends Islam. She will be stopped from playing if she doesn't adhere to it," Siddiqullah Chowdhry, the group's chief, told Reuters.

Police are tightening security following the call.

"We are keeping everything in mind and not taking any chances. We are making special and strong security arrangements," Gautam Chakraborty, additional police commissioner of Kolkata, told Reuters.

Scores of police officers are being deployed at the indoor venue for the tournament. Spectators will be frisked and will have to pass through metal detectors to enter the stadium.

Get Raped ! Make Money !

Pakistani activists have reacted with outrage to recent comments on rape victims by President Pervez Musharraf.

He said that rape was a "money-making concern" and many argued it was a way to get money and a visa to emigrate.

Pakistan's most-high profile rape victim, Mukhtar Mai, told the BBC no woman could subject herself to "such a horrendous experience" to make money.

Women's groups and activists protested in Karachi on Friday, shouting: "Down with chauvinism".

The president made his comments in an interview with the Washington Post on 13 September, incensing campaigners and others at home.

"You must understand the environment in Pakistan. This has become a money-making concern," he said.

"A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped."

In Karachi on Friday, 19 rights and advocacy groups vented their anger at the remarks, holding banners such as: "Who wants to be a millionaire - just get raped!"

Activist Fauzia Burney said: "General Musharraf's remarks are so shocking because they are so removed from reality."

The Women's Action Forum described the president's comments as "outrageous".

Source : BBC .

Hi John !

A woman went to a pet shop & immediately spotted a large, beautiful parrot. There was a sign on the cage that said $ 50.00. "Why so little," she asked the pet store owner. The owner looked at her and said, "Look, I should tell you first that this bird used to live in a house of Prostitution and sometimes it says some pretty vulgar stuff."

The woman thought about this, but decided she had to have the bird any way. She took it home and hung the bird's cage up in her living room and waited for it to say something.

The bird looked around the room, then at her, and said, "New house, new madam." The woman was a bit shocked at the implication, but then thought "that's really not so bad."

When her 2 teenage daughters returned from school the bird saw and said, "New house, new madam, new girls." The girls and the woman were a bit offended but then began to laugh about the situation considering how and where the parrot had been raised.

Moments later, the woman's husband John came home from work. The bird looked at him and said, "Hi, John!"

Source : Internet.

Celebrating Onam !

Food, festivals and feasts, a seamless whole everywhere - and in Kerala, too, where hotels and homes are getting ready to serve a traditional 27-course meal as Onam celebration has began on yesterday.

Onam is one of the most important festival of Kerala. It is a bright and colorful festival that celebrates the bounties of nature and a year of good harvest. The festival stretches on for ten days - days filled with feasting, boat racing, singing and dancing. Rituals along with new clothes, traditional cuisine, dance, and music mark this harvest festival.

The spectacular festival attracts thousands of tourists from across the country and globe. Immense popularity of the festival is further promoted by the Government of India by celebrating Kerala Tourism Week during the time of Onam.

One remarkable thing about Onam is that it is celebrated by all, not only Hindus but also by Christians and Muslims who are living in Kerala. It is one festival that unites all people regardless of race and religion.


Read more : ONAM.

Landmines

Visiting Afganistan for a second time, a war-correspondent noted that since the fall of the Taliban, wives who used to walk ten paces behind their husbands were now walking ten paces in front.

The journalist asked one of the men if this was a sign of growing equality.

"NO," the man replied."Landmines."

~ Kent King.

Sand Sculpture

copyright : www.strangevehicles.com .

Care for some Tiger Urine Dish ?

A restaurant in northeast China has been raided and closed for listing stir fried-tiger meat on its menu, a dish that turned out to be donkey dressed with tiger urine.

The 'Hufulou' restaurant in Hailin city in Heilongjiang province is located barely one kilometre (less than a mile) from the Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park, home to a species listed as one of the 10 most endangered in the world.

It was offering a dish of stir-fried tiger meat with hot peppers for 800 yuan (98 dollars), and raw tiger meat at 7,000 yuan (863 dollars) a kilogram, the China Daily reported Thursday.


Diners could wash it down with a bottle of wine pickled with tiger bone.

When asked how the restaurant obtained the meat, a waiter reportedly said the owner had good connections within the tiger park and got the meat of dead tigers.

Police subsequently raided the restaurant and the owner confessed the so-called tiger meat was actually donkey meat dressed with tiger urine to give it a "special" flavour.

Source : HT .

Incredible India

It's coming of age for India on the world tourist map. Overseas holidayers have put India in the Top Five list of most attractive and satisfying holiday destinations in the world, ahead of developed and traditional hotspots like US, France, Singapore and South Africa.

According to the latest Conde Nast Readers' Travel Awards survey, East was the flavour of the season among overseas holidayers, with Italy being the only country from the Western world to make it to the Top Five.
"New Zealand was voted the favourite holiday destination, followed by Thailand, Australia, Italy and India. The countries were ranked on an index of satisfaction with travel facilities and services - from hotels and spas to airlines and airports."

India scored mainly on account of its hospitality facilities - which included quality spas and hotels - while New Zealand got top marks for scenery, environmental friendliness and safety, ensuring its place at number one. While Italy and France maintained their reputation for excellent food, US' variety of attractions were a big hit among travellers. But holidayers voted Sri Lanka as the 'best value for money' destination.

"India has now become far more accessible than it was two years back. The growing air links, government focus on boosting tourism and a surge in the numberof quality hospitality properties have helped make a trip to India very satisfying for most holidayers."

Read More

Where is GOD ?

A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually.

So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.

The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?"

They boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed.

So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer.

So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?" The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude... God is missing - and they think WE did it!"

Quotable Quotes

"Being President is a lot like running a cemetery. You've got a lot of people under you and nobody's listening." ~ Bill Clinton.

"We'll always have death and taxes, but death doesn't get worse every year." ~ Tim Borten.

"To my eye, women get sexier around 35. They know a thing or two, and knowledge is always ruling." ~ Pierce Brosnan.

"Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener". ~ Paula Deen.

HUMOUR

***********************************

I was working in my village shop when I noticed a customer had left his mobile phone on the counter. I scrolled through the saved numbers and found one titled "Mum". I dialled the number and, when the man's mother answered, I told her to let him know what had happened.

I went back to serving customers. Five minutes later, the mobile rang. Before I could say anything, a woman said,"Martin, you've left your phone in the village shop."

~Robert Coombs.

Locked in a room for 20 years.

One war, two nuclear tests, five Prime Ministers, countless cricket matches. That's just a sample of the India, Annapurna Sahu has missed since 1985.

What was she doing in this period ? Watching the peeling plasters on the walls of her decrepit 5x4 ft room in the Gopabandhu Bazar area of Dhenkanal town in which nothing ever happened.

Termed insane by her family members, and therefore unfit to live with them, 45-year-old Annapurna was today freed from her dingy room, in which she was locked away for more than 20 years by her father.

Freedom came after police were tipped off about the illegal detention.

Some 20 years ago, Annapurna reportedly started behaving erratically, following which her father decided that it would be better to keep her confined in a room behind their house, rather than take her to psychiatrists.

Since then, Annapurna has remained in the stuffy room where she ate, slept and even defecated.

"She kept running away here and there. So I kept her confined," says her unrepentant father, a prosperous businessman.

Annapurna's father told the police that she was not given clothes as she tore them. "She would tear them out. For the last four months we didn't give her any clothes at all," he told the police.

After spending more than 20 years in the ill-lit room, Annapurna looks like a ghost of her self. Her tousled hair has turned grey.

She has practically forgotten how to talk.

Though a case under Section 341 of the Indian Penal Code can be lodged against Annapurna's father for illegal detention.

But far from taking action against her father, the police are eager to defend him.

"After all he is the woman's father," the local police officer said.


source : The Telegraph.

The Haunted Restaurant

Ghosts may be headed to court in Orlando to help settle a very human fight.

The owners of Amura Japanese Restaurant say they don't want to move into a renovated building at Church Street Station because it's haunted, according to a lawsuit filed by the building's landlord.

"I asked them if these were good ghosts or bad ghosts, and if they were good ghosts why it was a problem," said David Simmons, a lawyer representing the owners of Church Street Station, including boy-band magnate Lou Pearlman.

Christopher and Yoko Chung were all set last year to move their popular sushi restaurant across the street into the building at 125 Church St., which once housed Lili Marlene's Aviator's Pub & Restaurant during Church Street Station's tourism heyday in the 1980s.

"There have been several documented reports from subcontractors and others of having seen ghosts or apparitions in the restaurant at night," the Chungs' attorney Lynn Franklin wrote to the building's owner in November.

"There is no evidence," says the lawsuit, "that there are ghosts or apparitions in the premises or, if there are, that the ghosts or apparitions interfere with the defendants' quiet enjoyment and use of the premises."

Source : Orlando Sentinel .

Meet the real Rain Man.

Kim Peek was the inspiration for screen writer Barry Morrow's 1988 Oscar-winning movie Rain Man.

The 53 years old Kim is not autistic but developmentally disabled.

He's memorized 9000 books, can predict weather and has been likened to Mozart.

He is expert in at least 15 different subject.

At four and a half he had memorized the first eight volumes of an encyclopedia set.

Born without a corpus callosum, the connecting tissue between the two lobes of the brain, can read two pages of a book at once and he never forgets it.

In 2004, NASA scientists submitted him to a series of tests including computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. They were attempting to create a three-dimensional look at his brain structure. They wanted to compare the images to MRI scans done in 1988.

Read More .

Feeling Hungry ???

Inside a dark room, realistic-looking "human body parts" are stacked on shelves and hanging on meat hooks. The place looks like a mortuary or the lair of a serial killer, but in fact, it's a bakery. What appears to be putrefying body parts are the bread sculptures of 28-year-old art student Kittiwat Unarrom.

"Of course, people were shocked and thought that I was mad when they saw the works. But once they knew the idea behind it, they understood and became interested in the work itself, instead of thinking that I am crazy," said the fine arts masters degree student.

He hopes his realistic artwork will make people ponder whether they are consuming food, or food is consuming them.

"Everyone's life is rushed nowadays, even when it comes to eating," he said. "When we eat, we don't think about our health or safety, we only think of our taste buds."

"When people see the bread, they don't want to eat it. But when they taste it, it's just normal bread," he said. "The lesson is 'don't judge just by outer appearances."

copyright : 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Read The Full Story

Just Browsing

Popping in and out of tiny, cottage-like shops in a small town, my friend peered in through one window to see shelf-upon-shelf of interesting-looking books.She went inside.

A lady appeared through a bead curtain and asked,"can i help you ?"

"No, just browsing," said my friend.

"Fine," came the curt reply,"but it is usual to log in before browsing someone's home."

source : anonymous

FUNTOOOSH

I wanted to buy a CD player, but was completely perplexed by one model's promotional sign. So I called the salesclerk over and asked,"What does 'hybrid pulse D/A converter' mean ?"

"That means," he answered,"that this machine will read the digital information that is encoded on CDs and convert it into an audio signal - that is, into music."

"In other words," I said,"this CD player plays CDs."

"Exactly."

- SHINE RAJU.

*************************

Quote of the week.

"Men fall in love with their eyes. Women fall in love with their ears." ~ Dr. Phil Mcgraw.

*************************

That's all for this weekend.....meet you again on Monday....till then have fun....and

DO TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF.

Bamiyan Buddhas may smile again.

When the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan destroyed two 1,600-year-old Buddha statues lining Bamiyan Valley's soaring cliffs, the world shook with shock at the demise of such huge archaeological treasures.

Internationally renowned artist Hiro Yamagata stands next to a holographic cube Monday at his studio in Torrance, California.

Japanese artist Hiro Yamagata plans to commemorate the towering Buddhas by projecting multicolored laser images onto the clay cliff-sides where the figures once stood, about 130 km west of Kabul.

The Buddhas must be rebuilt for their historical, not religious, value.

"The Taliban did a very bad thing destroying the Buddhas," says Sadeq, a 24-year old Bamiyan merchant whose general goods store looks out on the empty niches where the Buddhas once stood. "They thought people worshipped them. But it wasn't a holy site, it was a historic site."

Source : The Japan Times , MSNBC.