Top 10 Insurance Companies in the World 2011

Hey guys,
Today lets see the worlds top 10 insurance companies.

1. American International Group Inc.
Corporate Office: New York, USA
Started on: 1919
Total Asset: US$ 680 billion

2. Allianz SE
Corporate Office: Munich, Germany
Started on: 1891
Total Asset: US$ 884 billion

3. AXA S.A.
Corporate Office: Paris, France
Started on: 1816
Total Asset: US$ 1 trillion

4. Manulife Financial
Corporate Office: Toronto, Canada
Started on: 1887
Total Asset: US$ 500 billion(Approx.)

5. Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A
Corporate Office: Trieste, Italy
Started on: 1831
Total Asset: US$ 592 billion

6. ING Groep N.V
Corporate Office: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Started on: 1991
Total Asset: US$ 1.690 trillion

7. Prudential Financial , Inc.
Corporate Office: New Jersey, USA
Started on: 1875
Total Asset: US$ 490 billion

8. MetLife, Inc.
Corporate Office: New York, USA
Started on: 1868
Total Asset: US$ 740 billion

9. Zurich Financial Services AG
Corporate Office: Zurich, Switzerland
Started on: 1872
Total Asset: US$ 540 billion

10. Munich Re Group
Corporate Office: Munich, Germany
Started on: 1880
Total Asset: US$ 350 billion

Other Companies in the race includes:-
Aviva plc
Aegon N.V
China Life Insurance

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

It is time for that “big event” and whether it’s a dance, prom, birthday party, wedding or just a big night out there is nothing like adding just a little touch of luxury and hiring
a limousine to make it that extra bit special. But why settle for “The Norm” when these  are available to hire….

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

10 – Per Party Check-list (source)
Now, you may think this is a Photoshop image, but it is in fact real and from a Mexican limousine company that literally changed a Boeing 727 jet plane into a luxurious limousine! 100% road legal and truly amazing.

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

9 – The Party Crasher (source)
The Tank Limo is as overkill as it is possible to get, it might well be white, with a stylish leather green interior complete with a cocktail bar and Jacuzzi but it’s still a TANK! But at least you wont have a problem with doormen getting in the way.

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

8 – Text. (source)
VW campers will forever be associated with the hazy days of the 60s taking road trips along the coast and listening to hits from the Beach Boys on the radio. But with this amazing Limo those days can be here once again and I think this is pure class.

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

7 – The Fastest Limousine in the World! (source)
The Ferrari stretch limousine is 23 feet long and has a 400bhp engine and super cool “gull-wing” doors. Despite it being a limo it can still achieve 0-60mph in less than six seconds and has a claimed top speed of 170mph and is in fact “Guinness World Record” holder for the fastest limo in the world!

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

6 – The Luxury World of Grand Prix (source)
When it comes to limousines comfort is very important. But you can forget simple things like that with this simply incredible F1 car limo! It may not be a limo in the classic sense of the word but who cares when it is still capable of doing 300MPH!

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

5 – “Good news honey I have hired a hairiest caterpillar for our wedding! (source)
Next time you are going to that “special Party” why not hire what is officially ”the world’s hairiest limo!” with brightly coloured fluorescent orange fur, lots-o-legs, long eyelashes and a set of lips on the front grill it might be the best looking thing you see all night!

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

4 – The Best of the Best! (source)
When is a Limo not a Limo? Well it seems that it is not a Limo when it is in fact a bus! What you are looking at is in fact a bus that operates in Dubai home of the super wealthy and it seems super comfort seeking. But really it is just a super limo that follows a set route.

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

3 – Udderly Amazing! (source)
The World famous (that is what the website says anyway) Cow Limousine has to be the funniest, weirdest and most outrageous limousine in the world! I could tell you about how the cow “SQUIRTS” milk over 40ft and how it apparently has loads of “FART” space but it will be best just to click on that “source” link and read about it yourself because if I typed even half of it here you would never believe me.

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

2 – “Great Scott!” (source)
Valet? Where we’re going we don’t need to Valet parking! Because despite a number of website saying that this stretch DeLorean limo is a Photoshop edit, I can confirm that it is 100% real and the link goes to the exact website it all started from.

The World’s Top 10 Most Unusual Limousines

1 – The Dark Chauffeur (source)
It’s a Batman inspired Limo for crying out loud!!! This was always going to be my number one for the sheer levels of the word “EPIC” it covers, amazing to look at, real, and available to hire and it would make any night out or party arrival one that everyone would remember for years to come.

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

To most people a rubbish bin might be just a place to put their waste, sadly to others it is a source of food. But to some people bins are none of those, they are all individual characters waiting for a little art attack on them to show people their true self. And this blog is dedicated to those people who try to bring a little bit of colour, maybe even a little bit of happiness to were there otherwise would never be any. It brings a smile on my own face to bring you…

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

10 – He just looks so happy! (source)
My first one may seem simple but it is well worth trying yourself, just go to a hobby/craft shop where you can buy these stick on eyes you see in the image and stick them on your own peddle bin at home at watch as it almost seems to start smiling!

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

9 – “I ate all this grit and now I don’t feel well at all!” (source)
To those that don’t know, this is a grit bin. it normally just sits on streets in the UK looking rather sorry for its self, but given a little bit of an art makeover and suddenly people start to take notice of it, and I for one feel rather sorry for it!

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

8 – Can I go large? (source)
While this images is a great example of how a normal everyday can recycling dome and a rubbish bin can look amazing I’m sure there is an underline story of how their food is rubbish and should be thrown in the bin rather than eating it. But maybe I am wrong and the artist does in fact just love Mcdonalds so much it inspired them to do this!

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

7 – Sponge Bob Trash Pants! (source)
Are you ready? Ooohhhh….Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? The wheelie bin?!? It has to be said that this strangely seems to work quite well! Turning the bin around revels a different Sponge Bob emotion on all 4 sides and just looks amazing.

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

6 – “Use the bin Luke!” (source)
This is just one of those amazing things you see in the street that everyone looks at and takes pictures of. Seen in California this amazing R2-D2 inspire bin brings a smile to most nerds faces even though underneath it is still just a rubbish bin!

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

5 – EXTERMINATE….RUBBISH!!! (source)
Seen in a park in Wiltshire is this rather impressive TARDIS rubbish bin that was made to try to encourage the local people to put there rubbish into it. I have no idea if the idea worked but it looks amazing anyway and well worth me including it in this list.

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

4 – The Mona Lisa of bins (source)
These amazing mosaic style bins are located in Arcata, California and are in fact part of an art exhibition that happens each and every year and I think they bring a real touch of class to something that people would otherwise walk pass and not notice.

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

3 – The Right Honourable Mr wheelie bin (source)
Like I said at the start of this post, adding some art to a rubbish bin can seem to bring out an actual personality in them that you would have otherwise overlooked and if ever there was a bin you just have to say “hello!” to it is this. Seen in Bristol and one of the friendliest bins in the World!

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

2 – …BARF! (source)
Once again we go back to Bristol that seems to be home of some of the greatest bins in the world! And this one I just loved, made out to look like the grit bin has barfed up some grit it’s simple to do yourself and simply brings a smile to your face and that is what life is all about.

The World’s Top 10 Best Images of Art Attacked Bins

1 – Coooookies! (source)
German Timm showed off his love of Sesame Street by using a bright blue public bin and a pair of eyes and made it look just like Cookie Monster! It is said to have gone viral and brought a smile to the face of millions of people who pass it each and everyday in New York. Funny, simple, genius, but yet underneath it is just a garbage bin.

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balms

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balms

Here in the UK those frosty mornings are now starting to kick in and if there is one thing you can suffer from at this time of year its chapped lips. But don’t worry! Simply apply some original lip balm to the sore sections of your lips and they will be feeling much better in no time. But choosing which lip balm is right for you might be easier said than done! It’s time to choose….

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balms

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balm

10 – Corn Dog Flavour (£3.44)–(source)
Lather up those sore lips and be instantly transported back to happier days. Life was so much simpler when you had no idea how many calories were actually in a corn dog, let alone like us Brits what a corn dog even was! ( It’s a sausage dipped in corn batter and fried)

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balm

9 – French Fry Flavour (£1.83)–(source)
“Would you like a Big Mac with that lip balm?” For those that don’t know a French Fry is a skinny chip. When I first saw this lip balm I thought it was some sort of joke but nope! It really is exactly what it says on the packet.

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balm

8 – Popcorn Flavour (£2.16)–(source)
Hold the phone because that great buttery flavoured popcorn taste you know and love is now available in a lip balm! Stop carrying that microwave around town just so you can rub the buttery taste onto your lips, just carry this instead!

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balm

7 – Roasted Hazelnut, Walnut & Almond Flavour (£2.51)–(source)
Not one that I would offer some poor old lady at a bus top suffering from chapped lips, but still one that I just had to include just for its silly name. But apparently it does taste rather nice and it is “All Natural Vegan Handmade Lip Balm” after all!

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balm

6 – Carrot Cake Flavour (£1.91)–(source)
What is silent and smells like carrots? Bunny Farts! That is what the seller says anyway, but I just think that this is a great talking point with friends and a healthy alternative to all the other non-natural ones out there.

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balm

5 – Pepsi: Wild Cherry or Vanilla (£2.99)–(source)
Do you like the taste of Cherry Coke? Well in some shops I have seen Cherry Pepsi as well! And what better way to take care of those precious, kissable lips than to use this great looking (can’t comment on the taste yet) Wild Cherry Pepsi!

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balms

4 – Chocolate Peanut Butter flavour (£3.50)–(source)
Reese’s Pieces introduces this amazing peanut butter flavoured lip balm! Your favourite little chocolate pieces will always be on your lips whenever you apply this lip balm and it contains less than 1 calorie per lip wipe!

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balms

3 – Spearmint and pink cotton candy flavour (£2.54)–(source)
Ever wondered what a Unicorn tastes like? What about farts? Then why not combine the two great tastes in this one amazing lip balm! In reality it taste like spearmint and pink cotton candy and is in fact a natural beeswax and Shea cocoa butter lip balm.

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balms

2 – Dill Flavour (£2.99)–(source)
Dill-flavored Pickle Lip Balm saves you from having to rub an actual briny pickle on your lips in a delicious, but misguided, attempt to use pickle power to protect them. Does it work? Well for just £2.99 you can find out!

The World’s Top 10 Best Lip Balms

1 – Bacon Flavour  (£3.44)–(source)
Everyone loves bacon right? Well some people go so far as to say that everything tastes better with bacon! Well it is time to find out with this ultimate in weird lip balms, The Bacon Balm! Does it taste like bacon? I have no idea but for just over £3 I am willing to find out.

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

Known as the “Game of Kings” Chess is the ultimate in nerd games. It requires skill, knowledge and an underline mental problem to be good at it.  When it comes to chess I would consider myself not bad! …and when I say “not bad” I mean rubbish, but I once beat a blind 5yr old! Moving swiftly on I bring you…..

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

10 – “Because I got high!” (£20.61)–(source)
In the 70′s it was most probably illegal to play chess without being high! Although nowadays are a lot different, people still enjoy smoking pot when playing chess because they think it helps them play better. For all of those people, this might just be the best thing in the World!

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

9 – Light the way forward! (£499)–(source)
Ben Rousseau is the master of light play and this chess set just about says it all. With the amazing blue under-board LED’s and the rather impressive glass pieces Ben Rousseau has created what might well be one of the best looking chess sets in the World, but sadly it also has the price tag to go with it. But still…LOOK AT IT!!!

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

8 – Nerdy Slammers!  (£13.99)–(source)
Chess has never been so much fun with this fun chess and drinking game all rolled into one! All you have to do is to drink the piece you have captured, meaning the more pieces you capture the more drunk you get and the worse you play!  Even I could win if I owned this set! …in theory anyway.

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

7 – “I’m so rubbish at chess, it drives me up the wall!”  (£193.42)–(source)
Expensive? Yes it is. How cool is it? Just about jaw dropping! It has to be said that this is one of those chess sets that gets people talking about its self. Being hung on the wall like a 3D painting this chess set really is a work of art.

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

6 – “Pass the tweezers it’s my move!” (£3,778.90)–(source)
Don’t look at the price, look at how incredible it is! Made with 18 Carat  gold and pure silver pieces and believe it or not It is less than a single square inch in size! Pocket fun for those that can afford it, and an incredible chess set for us poor people to look at.

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

5 – Welcome Sir Chess-a-lot!  (£480.37)–(source)
The person that made this chess set & pieces out of chainmaille needs to be given a medal because this pure class! Sure it is a little expensive but look at it! It’s made of chainmaille people!…CHAINMAILLE!…all of it! …well I was impressed anyway.

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

4 – Bug Mate?!? (£19,000)–(source)
OK so it is far too expensive to buy (for us normal folks anyway) But a chess set featuring pieces that contain inspect covered in pure amber? Not a lot is ever going to top this one that is for sure. Stunning, over priced but being pure genius makes this one incredible set.

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

3 – Eat my shorts! …and my Queen! (£38.86)–(source)
There are a lot of us Simpsons fans out there, and for us this will bring an instant smile to your face. Not matter what your favourite character is they are all represented here and the fact that it doesn’t cost the earth makes this a fantastic gift.

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

2 – The fight for Gotham City! (£496.04)–(source)
Simply press the Batman symbol on the side and 50 LED lights circle the clear playing area of the board which looks like the Gotham cityscape underneath and projects a Bat-Signal to the sky! No detail has been overlooked in this ultimate Batman collector’s chess set making it one of the most epic looking chess sets I have ever seen or read about!

The World’s Top 10 Best Chess Sets

1 – “It’s a Me a Kasparov!” (£34.99)–(source)
When I first saw this I had mental cry’s of “Shut up and take my money!” and that is why it is my number 1. It’s beautiful to look at, no cheaper than a normal chess set and sure to be the talking point as soon as people see it. So buy it, place it out on the table and watch as people like me instantly think we can play chess.

The World’s Top 10 Best Sandwich bags

Top 10 Sandwich bags

Sometimes I miss the simple things in life the most, like my mum making me a lunch box for school! But now days at lunch time (work not school)  I will go out of the office in hunt of whatever foods I fancy at the time. But more often than not I end up just having a sandwich from the local supermarket. But really I should not needlessly waste money and make my own sandwiches, that way I could have whatever filling I wanted and maybe even store them inside one of these…

The World’s Top 10 Best Sandwich bags

Top 10 Sandwich bags

10 – The Monster Sandwich (sadly not in size)

When one of your parents is a graphic designer you can expect the odd drawing found on your things, but the son of one such has graphic designer has a new drawing on his see through sandwich bag each and every day! He has done well over a thousand of them and by clicking on the image above you will get to see all of them!

Top 10 Sandwich bags

9 – Lunch time at the ugly bug ball. (£6.39)

Are you having some issues with people taking your sandwiches from the office fridge? Then why not get these sandwich bags that make it look like you have a mashed up bug in the sandwich!  Odd for sure, but also strangely cool.

Top 10 Sandwich bags

8 – Dinner for the one I love. (£2.92)

It seems that one of the best things about making my own sandwiches is that they will be made with love (and butter!) So these sandwich bags with lipstick kisses is suppose to remind people of that and reward them with not buying processed food packaged in a factory somewhere.

Top 10 Sandwich bags

7 –CSI: Lunch Time! (£2.92)

Why on earth you would want ‘Crime Scene’ or ‘quarantine’ enforcement tape going across your sandwiches is beyond me, but it does kind of look cool and is sure to make someone smile.

Top 10 Sandwich bags

6 – When did playtime become lunch time? (£1.40)

In school I remember that lunch times consisted or running around chasing girls with worms & spiders. But at what age did lunch time become about eating?!? Anyway, why not relive those days with these cool coloured sandwich bags with awesome stickers!

Top 10 Sandwich bags

5 – Kitty Bags! (£N/A)

What better thing to keep those Hello Kitty pocket pies you made in from my post “Top 10 Foods Inspired by Hello Kitty” than these cute looking Kitty White Sandwich bags! Sadly I couldn’t find a website or E-Bay auction to buy them from, but if anyone does then I am happy to include it here)

Top 10 Sandwich bags

4 –If Han Solo used lunch bags….(£7.96)

Why keep buying disposable sandwich bags when you could just buy one of these super cool Millennium Falcon inspires re-usable ones instead! Although not one I would have included in my “Top 10 Millennium Falcon Items” it is still very cool if only in the world of sandwich bags.

Top 10 Sandwich bags

3 – Even Superman likes to keep his sandwiches moist! (£N/A)

Sometimes when I am out and about looking for these top 10′s I come across something truly incredible, while these Super-Man inspired sandwich bags are just a concept design they are still amazing and if you click on the image it will take you “Daves geeky ideas“  it is a blog full of so much awesomeness I wanted to move into it!

Top 10 Sandwich bags

2 – Who needs padlocks when you can have mould! (£23.25)

I have to admit that in all my years of working in offices and factory’s I have never had my sandwiches/lunch bag stolen. But it you have you can either beat everyone up until you get to the right person and get them to pay for the hospital bills of everyone you beat to get to her or him plus some money for a new lunch, or just get these ‘mould bags’ and it should put off even the hardest of lunch thief’s. I still like the sound of the first option!

Top 10 Sandwich bags

1 – “You haven’t seen me, got it!?!” (£2.92)

These brilliant ‘lunch disguises’ offer up some cool sandwich bag art but without the design/creative gene needed! For just a few pounds making my own sandwiches has never looked so much fun.