Stewie Griffin

Yummy

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 05:14:34 GMT

Free set of 20 delicious icons

Yummy is a set of delicious, tasty and beautiful free icons. Yummy contains 20 icons available in various sizes, from 48px square to 128px square. We also include scalable and editable vector icons in this set.

© iconeden.com

iValentine

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:01:53 GMT

Free set of 14 beautiful icons

iValentine is a set of 14 beautiful free icons ranging from 32px square icons to 256px square icons available in both vector and pixel format. With a warm and happy color scheme, iValentine is very easy to use and perfect for both web and print works.

© iconeden.com

Shine

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:53:53 GMT

Free set of 31 shiny realistic icons

Shine is a set of 31 shiny realistic icons ranging from 24px square icons to 128px square icons. With the fresh color scheme combines with prominent realistic shapes, Shine will make your websites and interfaces really stand out from the crowd. With 31 icons in 5 different size in both vector and pixel formats, Shine is extremely versatile.

© iconeden.com

Italy

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:33:43 GMT

Italy photo gallery

Italy consists of a mountainous peninsula in southern Europe extending into the Mediterranean Sea and includes the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and about 70 other smaller islands. The Alps form Italy's border with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. Most of Italy has warm, dry summers and mild winters, with northern Italy experiencing colder, wetter winters. There are some notable active volcanoes: Vesuvius (near Naples), Etna (on Sicily), and Stromboli (north of Sicily).

Although decades of struggle unified Italy in 1871, two Italys exist today: the prosperous, industrialized north and the less developed agricultural south, known as the Mezzogiorno (land of the midday sun). Their differences reach back to the Renaissance, when northern city-states flourished while the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily languished under French and Spanish rule. The government confronts corruption, which is traceable to organized crime and an unemployment rate in the south more than twice that of the north. To address regional inequalities, a constitutional referendum was held in 2001—the results favored giving greater autonomy to the country's 20 regions in tax, education, and environmental policies.

Milan reigns as Italy's first city of commerce, and the Po River plain is both Italy's agricultural heartland and southern Europe's most advanced industrial region. Turin, the capital of heavy industry, is home to Fiat—one of the world's largest car producers. A major attraction for pilgrims and tourists is the "Holy Shroud" in Turin's cathedral—tradition holds that this was Christ's burial cloth. Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance and is home to great works of civic and religious architecture, sculpture, and paintings. Rome, Italy's capital, exhibits the architectural and artistic grandeur of ancient civilizations.

Italy has to import almost all its raw materials and energy. Italy's economic strength is in the processing and manufacturing of goods, primarily in small and medium size family-owned firms. Its major industries include precision machinery, motor vehicles, fashion, clothing, and footwear. A founding member of both NATO and the European Union, Italy's superb transportation system, from airports to high-speed trains, connects it with the rest of Europe.

© National Geographic

Madagascar

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:25:23 GMT

Madagascar photo gallery

Off Africa's southeast coast in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island after Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo. A stunning diversity of plant and animal species found nowhere else evolved after the island broke away from the African continent 165 million years ago. It has a mountainous central plateau and coastal plains. The first settlers were of African and Asian origin, and 18 separate ethnic groups emerged, derived from an African and Malayo-Indonesian mixture. Asian features are most predominant in the central highlands people, and coastal people tend to show features of African origin. Most of the population depend on subsistence farming, based on rice and cattle, with coffee, vanilla, and seafood being important exports.

French colonial rule began in 1896; independence came in 1960. In 1990, after almost 20 years of Marxism, Madagascar lifted a ban on opposition parties, and a new president was elected in 1993. Elections in 2001 resulted in a period of civil unrest, lasting for several months, until Marc Ravalomanana was declared winner of the presidential election. Environmental degradation is a major concern as damaging agricultural practices cause deforestation, soil erosion, and desertification. The island is heavily exposed to tropical cyclones, which brought destructive floods in 2004.

© National Geographic

Australia

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 03:12:48 GMT

Australia photo gallery

An island continent located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Australia combines a wide variety of landscapes. The highest mountains are part of the Great Dividing Range that lines the east coast from Cape York Peninsula south to the state of Victoria. Most people reside along the southeast coast, in cities like Melbourne or Sydney, because winds from the southeast release rain there—leaving the interior beyond the mountains arid or semiarid. West of the Great Dividing Range the landscape consists mostly of plains and plateaus; the Macdonnell Ranges near the country's center are an exception. The Great Artesian Basin provides underground water for a region that would otherwise be desert. Vegetation ranges from rain forests in the far north to steppes and deserts in the vast interior (which Australians call the outback). There are more than 130 species of marsupials, such as kangaroos, koalas, and wombats. The Murray-Darling River Basin, covering about 14 percent of the continent, helps sustain wheat and wool industries.

Founded in 1788 as a British convict colony, Australia was a place of banishment until gold strikes in 1851 opened floodgates of immigration. Independence came in 1901, with a constitution adapted in part from that of the United States. Immigration has been key to Australia's development since 1788; from 1945 through 2000 almost six million immigrants arrived. Aborigines number about 517,000, and the government is making efforts to settle aboriginal land rights. Australia has one of the world's highest living standards with 85 percent living in urban areas.

© National Geographic

South Africa

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:46:04 GMT

South Africa photo gallery

South Africa, Africa's southernmost nation, is also Africa's largest and most developed economy. Diamond and gold strikes in the late 19th century began transforming this land of African tribespeople, Boer farmers, and British traders into an industrial colossus. Today South Africa produces high-tech equipment and is a world leader in the output of gold and diamonds. On South Africa's high grassland plateau, or veld, lies its premier city, Johannesburg (usually shortened to Jo'burg). Johannesburg and its satellite cities are home to more than 8 million people—generating 9 percent of all economic activity in Africa.

From 1948 to 1991 South Africa's political system was dominated by apartheid, a policy of segregation that isolated blacks in so-called homelands and overcrowded townships. Blacks, or Africans, compose 78 percent of the population, with whites at 10 percent, coloreds (mixed race) 8.7 percent, and Asians (Indians) 2.5 percent. In 1989 a reform-minded government, spurred by international economic sanctions as well as domestic protests, began the process of dismantling apartheid. A year later Nelson Mandela, the long-jailed leader of a black nationalist group, was released.

By the middle of 1991 all remaining apartheid legislation was revoked, including the Population Registration Act, which classified South Africans by race and was widely considered the cornerstone of apartheid. In March 1992 white South Africans voted in favor of negotiations aimed at replacing the constitution with a nonracial one, accomplished in 1993. The first multiracial parliament was elected in 1994. Nelson Mandela—winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 in conjunction with former President Frederik W. de Klerk—became the new president, and the black homelands were abolished.

In the 21st century, South Africa is a democratic country representing all its diverse people—often called the rainbow nation. The government recognizes 11 official languages (including English). Today South Africa is making up for decades of social disruption and lost education, but high unemployment and the AIDS epidemic threaten economic progress. Without effective prevention and treatment, AIDS deaths could total 5 to 7 million by 2010.

© National Geographic

India

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:17:47 GMT

India photo gallery

The South Asian country of India includes a peninsula extending into the Indian Ocean, and it is a land of great contrasts in geography. The barren, snow-capped Himalaya, the world's tallest mountain system, rises along its northern border. South of the Himalaya, the low, fertile Ganges Plain is India's most populous region. The Great Indian Desert lies in the west, but eastern India receives some of the highest rainfall in the world during the monsoon season (June to October). India is second only to China in country population but India is growing faster (by some 17 million a year) and may surpass China by 2030. Although 81 percent of the people are Hindu, India also has more than 138 million Muslims—one of the world's largest Muslim populations.

Hindu culture evolved out of the mingling of indigenous Dravidian peoples and Aryan-speaking nomads who arrived from Central Asia in 1500 B.C. Islam spread across the subcontinent starting in the eighth century A.D. From the 17th century to the mid-20th century India was the pride of the British Empire. Guided by Mahatma Gandhi, Indians won nationhood in 1947. From British rule they inherited deep poverty but also parliamentary government, the English language, and a far-flung rail system, which helped knit the multiethnic country into a secular democracy often called the world's largest democracy.

Violence born of separatist yearnings or religious differences gnaws at national unity and takes lives: Sikh revolts since the 1980s have left thousands dead; in 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the victim of assassins' bullets; and seven years later her son Rajiv was killed by a bomb. Other problems include a ponderous bureaucracy, illiteracy, a high birthrate, and border disputes with Pakistan and China.

A 1948 cease-fire line, known as the Line of Control, divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. India claims that Kashmir legally is part of it, but Pakistan says that the mostly Muslim population should vote on which country to join. Diplomatic talks with China work to resolve border disputes in India's northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Hindu caste system reflects Indian economic and religious hierarchies. One out of six Indians suffers in the lowest caste as Untouchables. Indians in lower castes can escape serf-like conditions that exist in rigidly structured rural areas by going to live in India's chaotic cities. Mumbai (Bombay) is the largest city and is home to Bollywood, India's film industry. Bangalore is India's Silicon Valley. India has a burgeoning middle class and has made great strides in engineering and information technology. The country's space program plans to reach the moon in 2008.

© National Geographic

Cuba

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:20:03 GMT

Cuba photo gallery

The Republic of Cuba encompasses more than 4,000 islands and cays; the main island is the largest in the West Indies. Since its discovery five centuries ago by Christopher Columbus, strategic location and agricultural wealth have made Cuba a coveted prize. By the mid-1800s sugar plantations were satisfying a third of world demand.

Heavy U.S. involvement after Cuba's independence from Spain in 1902 was supplanted by an association with the Soviet Union following Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. In 1961 Castro established the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere. Since then more than a million Cubans have moved to the U.S. Cuba's centrally planned economy initially brought dramatic gains in education, health care, and social welfare. The economy crashed after Cuba was abandoned by the former U.S.S.R. and Eastern European trading partners in the early 1990s, and food and energy were tightly rationed.

Despite the U.S. trade embargo, Cuba's economy is improving due to Canadian, European, and Latin American investments—especially in tourism. The natural beauty of Cuba brings millions of tourists, with many coming to see the thousands of species of plants and animals that live nowhere else on Earth. Protected natural areas take up nearly 22 percent of Cuban territory, providing habitats for crocodiles, flamingos, orchids, and more. Politically the government still restricts human freedoms, although religious rights saw some progress in 1998 with Christmas, December 25, being reinstated as a national holiday. In southeastern Cuba, the U.S. maintains a presence at Guantanamo Bay; the 1934 treaty between Cuba and the U.S. grants a perpetual lease for the naval base—voided only by mutual consent or by U.S. abandonment of the base.

In February 2008, an aged and ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba's president, ending 49 years of uninterrupted rule. He named his brother, Raul, as successor.

© National Geographic

Nike

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:15:57 GMT

Major U.S. publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier

Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area. It is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment with revenue in excess of $18.6 billion USD in its fiscal year 2008. As of 2008, it employed more than 30,000 people worldwide. Nike and Precision Castparts are the only Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state of Oregon, according to The Oregonian.

The company was founded on January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. in 1978. The company takes its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding and subsidiaries including Cole Haan, Hurley International, Umbro and Converse. Nike also owned Bauer Hockey (later renamed Nike Bauer) between 1995 and 2008. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of "Just do it" and the Swoosh logo.

© Wikipedia.org

Adobe

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 00:33:29 GMT

Multimedia and creativity software products developer

Adobe Systems Inc. is an American computer software company headquartered in San Jose, California, USA. The company has historically focused upon the creation of multimedia and creativity software products, with a more-recent foray towards rich Internet application software development.

Adobe was founded in December 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, who established the company after leaving Xerox PARC in order to develop and sell the PostScript page description language. In 1985, Apple Computer licensed PostScript for use in its LaserWriter printers, which helped spark the desktop publishing revolution. The company name Adobe comes from Adobe Creek in Los Altos, California, which ran behind the house of one of the company's founders. Adobe acquired its former competitor, Macromedia, in December 2005, which added newer software products and platforms such as Adobe ColdFusion, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex to its product portfolio.

© Wikipedia.org

Target

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:49:52 GMT

One of the largest discount retailers in the United States

Target Corporation, usually known simply as Target, is an American retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902 as the Dayton Dry Goods Company. In 1962, the company opened its first Target store in nearby Roseville. The Target store concept grew and eventually became the largest division of Dayton Hudson Corporation, culminating in the company changing its name to Target Corporation in 2000. The company has opened stores in all but one state (the exception, as of October 2009, being Vermont), operating as Target, SuperTarget, and formerly Target Greatland.

Target is the second largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 28 on the Fortune 500 as of 2009, and is a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 index. The company licenses its bullseye trademark to Wesfarmers, owners of the separate Target Australia chain.

Target.com owns and oversees the company's e-commerce initiatives, such as the Target.com domain. Founded in early 2000 as target.direct, it was formed by separating the company's existing e-commerce operations from its retailing division, and combining it with its Rivertown Trading direct marketing unit into a stand-alone subsidiary. In 2002, target.direct and Amazon.com's subsidiary Amazon Enterprise Solutions created a partnership in which Amazon.com would provide order fulfillment and guest services for Target.com in exchange for fixed and variable fees. This electronic commerce relationship between target.direct and Amazon Enterprise Solutions will last until August 2010. After the company sold Marshall Field's and Mervyns in 2004, target.direct became Target.com. The domain target.com attracted at least 288 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com survey.

© Wikipedia.org

eBay

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:39:47 GMT

World's biggest online auction and shopping website

The online auction website was founded as AuctionWeb in San Jose, California, on September 3, 1995, by French-born Iranian computer programmer Pierre Omidyar as part of a larger personal site that included, among other things, Omidyar's own tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Ebola virus.

In November 1996, eBay entered into its first third-party licensing deal, with a company called Electronic Travel Auction to use SmartMarket Technology to sell plane tickets and other travel products. Growth was phenomenal; in January 1997 the site hosted 2,000,000 auctions, compared with 250,000 during the whole of 1996. The company officially changed the name of its service from AuctionWeb to eBay in September 1997. Originally, the site belonged to Echo Bay Technology Group, Omidyar's consulting firm. Omidyar had tried to register the domain name echobay.com, but found it already taken by the Echo Bay Mines, a gold mining company, so he shortened it to his second choice, eBay.com.

As the company expanded product categories beyond collectibles into almost any saleable item, business grew quickly. In February 2002, the company purchased IBazar, a similar European auction web site founded in 1995 and then bought PayPal on October 14, 2002. In early 2008, the company had expanded worldwide, counted hundreds of millions of registered users, 15,000+ employees and revenues of almost $7.7 billion.

© Wikipedia.org

Amazon

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:37:22 GMT

America's largest international online retailer

Amazon.com Inc. is an American-based multinational electronic commerce company. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, it is America's largest online retailer, with nearly three times the Internet sales revenue of the runner up, Staples, Inc., as of January 2010.

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com, Inc. in 1994 and launched it online in 1995. It started as an online bookstore, but soon diversified to product lines of VHS, DVD, music CDs and MP3s, computer software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and so on. Amazon has established separate websites in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, and China. It also provides international shipping to certain countries for some of its products.

On January 15, 2009, a survey published by Verdict Research found that Amazon was the UK's favorite music and video retailer, and came third in overall retail rankings.

© Wikipedia.org

Apple

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:12:12 GMT

Manufacturer of electronics, software and personal computers

Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include Macintosh computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating system; the iTunes media browser; the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software; the iWork suite of productivity software; Aperture, a professional photography package; Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products; and Logic Studio, a suite of audio tools. As of January 2010 the company operates 284 retail stores in ten countries, and an online store where hardware and software products are sold.

Established in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976 and incorporated January 3, 1977, the company was called Apple Computer, Inc. for its first 30 years, but dropped the word "Computer" on January 9, 2007 to reflect the company's ongoing expansion into the consumer electronics market in addition to its traditional focus on personal computers. Apple has about 35,000 employees worldwide and had worldwide annual sales of US$42.91 billion in its fiscal year ending September 26, 2009. For reasons as various as its philosophy of comprehensive aesthetic design to its distinctive advertising campaigns, Apple has established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry. This includes a customer base that is devoted to the company and its brand, particularly in the United States. Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008 and in the world in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

© Wikipedia.org

Intel

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:05:21 GMT

The world's largest semiconductor chip maker

Since 1968, Intel Corporation has been recognized all over the world because of its new integrated electronics. Intel Corp. has worked very intelligently on its marketing strategies. It has become one of the major established computer brands because of its once prolonged "Intel Inside" campaign. Around 39 years ago, the Intel logo which featured a "dropped e" was designed by Silicon Valley pioneers Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore. In 1991, the company signified the Intel logo with the "Intel Inside" slogan in order to promote the new redesigned insignia.

In 2002, the company renovated the Intel logo from the "dropped e" representation to a "swoosh" around the firm name with an intelligent "Leap Ahead" slogan. This Intel logo with a slogan reflects the company’s goal to drive up to the next leap with an intelligent approach.

The new redesigned Intel logo highlights a swoosh wrapping the company name with a "Leap Ahead" slogan. It enhances the exquisiteness of the Intel logo along with working on the marketing scheme of stepping ahead.

Intel logo is tinted in dull blue shade which projects a notion of supremacy and authority of the Intel Corp. The blue hue reflects a highly professional idea and totally compliments the company and its products.

© FamousLogos.org

Burger King

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:55:11 GMT

Global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants

The Burger King logo made its debut in 1967, and is still nearly what it used to look like before. It started off its base in USA as Insta Burger King by James McLamore and David Edgerton. The Burger King logo has a circular appearance with a little tilt of the fonts, plus coupled with vibrant colors. The logo design comprises of bun halves with the fonts in the middle. The journey of the Burger King logo remained smooth throughout. The early logo was with ochre colors buns with a dull blue swoosh which changed to a bright blue and finally to a dull one again. The final Burger King logo is nearly circular with burgundy fonts.

The Burger King logo illustrates a tempting and bubbly picture of a fast food chain, perfect for the fast food culture among the youth. The lively colors used are catchy enough to attract people.

Burger King logo comes as a tilted circle with bun halves on either side of the logo and the font emerging in the middle, together with a swirl underlining the complete design. It truly reflects the vibrant nature of the food chain.

The three colors used in the Burger King logo are red, yellow and blue. The beauty of the three primary colors forms an eye-catching motif just enough to attract all age groups to the ever green love for fast food.

© FamousLogos.org

Starbucks

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 02:28:51 GMT

International coffee and coffeehouse chain

The company was founded in 1971, since which it has followed a number of paths of development and evolution. The two pioneers were IL Giornale and Schultz, who combined in 1987 and gave it a new name of Starbucks Corporation. The early logos had IL Giornale over it and then the Starbucks logo formulated itself to the one we see today with a Siren.

The Starbucks logo features a Siren which is a slightly evoluted one but still maintains its history and tradition with which the company first made its way to fame. The latest Starbucks logo takes care of the dignity and reputation of all.

The shape of the Starbucks logo is circular with another circle within it. The fonts are written inside with the stars alongside together emerging as an elegant picture. Moreover it highlights the presence of a Siren which symbolizes the originality of the Starbucks logo.

Plain colors used in the Starbucks logo characterize the simplicity of the logo. The only colors used are black, white and deep green. The two tailed mermaid is a combination of black and white, while the green color forms the background of the fonts.

© FamousLogos.org

McDonald's

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:55:30 GMT

World's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants

Created by Jim Schindler in 1962, McDonald’s logo has proven itself to be an insignia of multinational business expansion. Recognized directly with the US, McDonald’s logo is also labeled as “part of Americanization and American cultural imperialism”. Elegance, significance and solid corporate character are clearly depicted by the golden arches of the McDonald’s logo. Later in 1968, the name “McDonald’s” was adjoined with the McDonald’s logo.

The two golden arches were initially designed to resemble the new arched shaped symbols on the side of the newborn restaurant. Later, the designer of the McDonald’s logo merged the two arches to outline the famed “M” now identified globally. Hence, the McDonald’s logo possesses a simple golden colored “M” which reflects the name of the food chain.

Two prominent shades, golden and red, are used in the McDonald’s logo to represent its bold nature. Golden hue is employed to color the two arches, now merged to form “M” in the McDonald’s logo. Nonetheless, the red color is utilized to fill the background of the distinguished McDonald’s logo. Boldness, power and strong corporate image are truly reflected by the use of these two confident colors.

© FamousLogos.org

Coca-Cola

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 19:50:42 GMT

The famous logo of the Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola logo, created by Frank Mason Robinson in 1885, is the world’s most famous soft drink. In the 19th century, it was initiated as a "patent medicine" by John S. Pemberton, who later was the one of the founder of the cursive script of the Coca-Cola logo.

Much like the Coca-Cola logo itself, its bottle remains distinct in its design and layout. Created in 1915, by Earl R. Dean, the Coca-Cola bottle came as a "contour bottle" or "hobble-skirt" bottle, wide from the middle and narrow from the bottom. The bottle’s design was to resemble the two ingredients, coca leaf and cola nut, but instead the founders were motivated by the gourd-shaped cocoa pod. With the passage of time and the advancement in the technology, the Coca-Cola Company introduced the aluminum can much appearing like the first designs of the bottle, but generally remained infamous. In 2007, the Coca-Cola logo slightly changed and remained a simple white and red swirl.

The Coca-Cola logo, like the brand itself, is recognized globally. The characteristic design with a white swirl and a cursive style revives the youth spirit.

The Coca-Cola logo comes in a rectangular shape or a circular shape with the hobble-skirt bottle on top. The rectangular design is a fairly simple one with a cursive font and the swirl.

The only two colors used in the Coca-Cola logo are red and white, both appearing vibrant nevertheless simple in design as well as tempting the youth minds. The fonts are written in white with an energetic red background.

© FamousLogos.org