26.12.2004: The Day of Disaster.....

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake.^[4][5] The resulting tsunami is given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, South Asian tsunami, Indonesian tsunami, and the Boxing Day tsunami.

The earthquake was caused by subduction and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (98 ft) high.^[6] It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

With a magnitude of M_w 9.1–9.3, it is the third largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. The earthquake had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, between 8.3 and 10 minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1 centimetre (0.4 inches)^[7] and triggered other earthquakes as far away as Alaska.^[8] Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Indonesia.^[9] The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response. In all, the worldwide community donated more than $14 billion (2004 US$) in humanitarian aid.^[10]

HIV / AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).^[1] During the initial infection a person may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. This is typically followed by a prolonged period without symptoms. As the illness progresses it interferes more and more with the immune system, making people much more likely to get infections, including opportunistic infections, and tumors that do not usually affect people with working immune systems.

HIV is transmitted primarily via unprotected sexual intercourse (including anal and even oral sex), contaminated blood transfusions and hypodermic needles, and from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding.^[2] Some bodily fluids, such as saliva and tears, do not transmit HIV.^[3] Prevention of HIV infection, primarily through safe sex and needle-exchange programs, is a key strategy to control the spread of the disease. There is no cure or vaccine; however, antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease and may lead to a near-normal life expectancy. While antiretroviral treatment reduces the risk of death and complications from the disease, these medications are expensive and may be associated with side effects.

Genetic research indicates that HIV originated in west-central Africa during the early twentieth century.^[4] AIDS was first recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981 and its cause—HIV infection—was identified in the early part of the decade.^[5] Since its discovery, AIDS has caused nearly 30 million deaths (as of 2009).^[6] As of 2010, approximately 34 million people have contracted HIV globally.^[7] AIDS is considered a pandemic—a disease outbreak which is present over a large area and is actively spreading.^[8]

HIV/AIDS has had a great impact on society, both as an illness and as a source of discrimination. The disease also has significant economic impacts. There are many misconceptions about HIV/AIDS such as the belief that it can be transmitted by casual non-sexual contact. The disease has also become subject to many controversies involving religion.

AMITABH BACHCHAN: 7 Decades Of Living Legend

Amitabh Bachchan,  born Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan on 11 October 1942) is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades.^[1][2] Bachchan is regarded as the greatest and most influential actor in the history of Indian cinema.^[3][4][5]

Bachchan has won numerous major awards in his career, including three National Film Awards as Best Actor, and fourteen Filmfare Awards. He is the most-nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 37 nominations overall. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer and television presenter. He also had a stint in politics in the 1980s. He has received both the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan civilian awards from the Indian government. 

OZONE DEPLETION: World Ozone Day Special...

Layers Of Atmosphere

Ozone depletion describes two distinct but related phenomena observed since the late 1970s: a steady decline of about 4% per decade in the total volume of ozone in Earth's stratosphere (the ozone layer), and a much larger springtime decrease in stratospheric ozone over Earth's polar regions. The latter phenomenon is referred to as the ozone hole. In addition to these well-known stratospheric phenomena, there are also springtime polar tropospheric ozone depletion events.

The details of polar ozone hole formation differ from that of mid-latitude thinning, but the most important process in both is catalytic destruction of ozone by atomic halogens.^[1] The main source of these halogen atoms in the stratosphere is photodissociation of man-made halocarbon refrigerants (CFCs, freons, halons). These compounds are transported into the stratosphere after being emitted at the surface. ^[2] Both types of ozone depletion were observed to increase as emissions of halo-carbons increased.

CFCs and other contributory substances are referred to as ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Since the ozone layer prevents most harmful UVB wavelengths (280–315 nm) of ultraviolet light (UV light) from passing through the Earth's atmosphere, observed and projected decreases in ozone have generated worldwide concern leading to adoption of the Montreal Protocol that bans the production of CFCs, halons, and other ozone-depleting chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethane. It is suspected that a variety of biological consequences such as increases in skin cancer, cataracts,^[3] damage to plants, and reduction of plankton populations in the ocean's photic zone may result from the increased UV exposure due to ozone depletion.

Ozone cycle overview

Three forms (or allotropes) of oxygen are involved in the ozone-oxygen cycle: oxygen atoms (O or atomic oxygen), oxygen gas (O₂ or diatomic oxygen), and ozone gas (O₃ or triatomic oxygen). Ozone is formed in the stratosphere when oxygen molecules photodissociate after absorbing an ultraviolet photon whose wavelength is shorter than 240 nm. This converts a single O₂ into two atomic oxygen radicals. The atomic oxygen radicals then combine with separate O₂ molecules to create two O₃ molecules. These ozone molecules absorb UV light between 310 and 200 nm, following which ozone splits into a molecule of O₂ and an oxygen atom. The oxygen atom then joins up with an oxygen molecule to regenerate ozone. This is a continuing process which terminates when an oxygen atom "recombines" with an ozone molecule to make two O₂ molecules.

O + O₃ → 2 O₂ chemical equation

The overall amount of ozone in the stratosphere is determined by a balance between photochemical production and recombination.

Ozone can be destroyed by a number of free radical catalysts, the most important of which are the hydroxyl radical (OH·), the nitric oxide radical (NO·), the atomic chlorine ion (Cl·) and the atomic bromine ion (Br·). All of these have both natural and man-made sources; at the present time, most of the OH· and NO· in the stratosphere is of natural origin, but human activity has dramatically increased the levels of chlorine and bromine. These elements are found in certain stable organic compounds, especially chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which may find their way to the stratosphere without being destroyed in the troposphere due to their low reactivity. Once in the stratosphere, the Cl and Br atoms are liberated from the parent compounds by the action of ultraviolet light, e.g.

CFCl₃ + electromagnetic radiation → CFCl₂ + Cl

The Cl and Br atoms can then destroy ozone molecules through a variety of catalytic cycles. In the simplest example of such a cycle,^[4] a chlorine atom reacts with an ozone molecule, taking an oxygen atom with it (forming ClO) and leaving a normal oxygen molecule. The chlorine monoxide (i.e., the ClO) can react with a second molecule of ozone (i.e., O₃) to yield another chlorine atom and two molecules of oxygen. The chemical shorthand for these gas-phase reactions is:

10 Tips to prepare for your final exams.

It's that time of year again when the sun is shining, the mercury is rising and the air is filled with the frantic twitter of dawn birdsong. Such a shame that so many undergraduates are still awake at 5am to hear it, usually from the purgatory of a darkened room while hunched over a pile of books.
Yes, it's exam time, and for those with finals the summer break can't come soon enough. For now, though, there's some serious business. Here are 10 expert tips to help prepare you for the dreaded exam room.

1. Look after yourself

Try to be well rested and well nourished in preparation for exams. "Drink plenty of fluids, eat a good healthy breakfast," advises Professor Sarah Moore, co-author of The Ultimate Study Skills Handbook. "The fresher and more energetic you feel, the more it will support your ability to tackle the cognitive challenges."

2. Plan your work

Some people concentrate better at night, others prefer to be up with the larks. Stick to a consistent working pattern so your mind and body can adjust, and take plenty of short breaks.

NEIL ARMSTRONG: The first person who walks on the moon.

Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor and United States Naval Aviator. He was the first person to walk on the Moon. Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong was a United States Navy officer and had served in the Korean War. After the war, he served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight Station, now known as the Dryden Flight Research Center, where he logged over 900 flights. He graduated from Purdue University and the University of Southern California.

A participant in the U.S. Air Force's Man In Space Soonest and X-20 Dyna-Soar human spaceflight programs, Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962. His first spaceflight was the NASA Gemini 8 mission in 1966, for which he was the command pilot, becoming one of the first U.S. civilians in space.^[1] On this mission, he performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft with pilot David Scott.

Armstrong's second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969. On this mission, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent 2½ hours exploring, while Michael Collins remained in orbit in the Command Module. Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon along with Collins and Aldrin, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.

On August 25, 2012, Armstrong died in Cincinnati, Ohio,^[2] at the age of 82 due to complications from blocked coronary arteries.

EID MUBARAK

I wish all the viewers to a happy eid-al-fitr. 
=DHAAN=

33 blessings and benefits of fasting in ramadan

The blessings and benefits of Ramadhan Fasting are too many to be counted. If one does recognize them and realize their importance, he wishes to have the month of Ramadhan to be throughout the whole year.

These blessings are given by Allah to the fasting Muslims, who are to fast with full faith and expectation.

These blessings and benefits of the month of fasting during Ramadhan have been grouped and summarized into different categories. They are summarized here without commentary. It should be remembered that all of these blessings were taken directly from Holy Quran and Hadith.

The following is a partial list for the blessings and benefits of Ramadhan Fasting:

01. Taqwa:

1. Fearing Allah (SWT)
2. Practicing the Revelations of Allah (SWT)
3. Accepting the little things that one has achieved
4. Preparing for departure from this world to the Hereafter
5. Self-discipline
6. Self-control
7. Self-restraint
8. Self-education
9. Self-evaluation

FRIENDSHIP DAY SPECIAL: What is friendship???

Friendship is a relationship between two people who hold mutual affection for each other. Friendships and acquaintanceship are thought of as spanning across the same continuum. The study of friendship is included in the fields of sociology, social psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and zoology. Various academic theories of friendship have been proposed, including social exchange theory, equity theory, relational dialectics, and attachment styles.

The value of friendship is often the result of friends consistently demonstrating the following:

• The tendency to desire what is best for the other
• Sympathy and empathy
• Honesty, even in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth
• Mutual understanding and compassion; ability to go to each other for emotional support
• Enjoyment of each other's company
• Trust in one another
• Positive reciprocity — equal give-and-take between the two parties
• The ability to be oneself, express one's feelings and make mistakes without fear of judgement.

Cultural variations

Ancient Greece

Friendship was a topic of moral philosophy which was greatly discussed by Plato, Aristotle, and Stoics. This was less discussed in the modern era, until the re-emergence of contextualist and feminist approaches to ethics. Openness in friendship was seen as an enlargement of the self; Aristotle wrote, "The excellent person is related to his friend in the same way as he is related to himself, since a friend is another self; and therefore, just as his own being is choiceworthy him, the friend's being is choice-worthy for him in the same or a similar way."In Ancient Greek, the same word was used for "friend" and "lover".

Islam

In Islamic culture, friendship, also known as companionship, is taken seriously and numerous important attributes of a worthwhile friend have emerged in Islamic media. These include, for both men ("brothers") and women ("sisters"): The notion of a righteous (or "Saalih") person, who can appropriately delineate between that which is "good" and that which is "evil", has appeared prominently; concordance with the perspectives and knowledge of other Islamic companions is considered to be important; forgiveness regarding mistakes and loyalty between friends is emphasized; and, a "love for the sake of Allah" is considered to be a relationship of the highest significance between two humans.

What can do in the month of ramadan???

The pious servants of Allaah will welcome this blessed month, awakening from their negligence, beseeching Allaah’s pardon, and repenting to Him. They will take a very pledge that they are, with immense pleasure, going to fully utilize this blessed month of Ramadaan with all of its mercies and the bliss that it brings. Moreover, they will spend their precious time worshipping Allaah, increasing their righteousness and good deeds. Thus, this month is meritorious for special pious deeds in which there are surely many virtues.
1. Read Quraan learning the translation of the meaning, pondering over its Verses are also recommended and encouraged acts.
And he (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever reads one letter from the Book of Allaah, will receive one Hasanah (reward for a good deed), and one Hasanah comes with ten like it. I do not say that Alif – Lam - Mim is a letter. Indeed Alif is a letter, and Lam is a letter, and Mim is a letter.

2. Make Dua (Supplications) One should make as much Dua for himself, family and the Muslim Ummah as much as he can during Ramadaan. 

RAMAZAAN MUBAARAK

The blog wishes you a very happy days of ramazan. Pray 5 X. Recite Quran. .................. :)
= Dhaan =

31 MAY: World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually. The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. In the past twenty years, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance across the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry.

How to maintain the love relationship with your girlfriend / boyfriend?

How to maintain the love relationship with your girlfriend?

Steps:

• Avoid becoming obsessed. No one likes a stalker. This does not mean not to hang around with her or go places with her a lot. It just means that if it's quite obvious she doesn't want to hang around you, or if she is doing something private (such as a get-together with close friends), then give her some space.
• Do not hit on people continuously, especially not in front of your girl. She could get the feeling that you don't like her. If you hit on her, make sure you don't do it all the time.
• Make sure you smell good -- hygiene is important. No one is going to want to hang around with someone who smells bad.
• Look good. She won't like it if you wear the same thing all the time. Just try to switch it up. You don't constantly have to change outfits. You might even want to joke about how to always wear the same clothes.
• Be nice to her friends. Don't give the impression you are interested in them beyond friendship. This is a big one. If you become friends with her friends, she will love you for it.
• Don't try and force anything on her. If you come out straight away and tell her you are interested in her in "that" way, she may become uncomfortable around you. Keep in mind, some people would prefer you to tell them straight up.
• Don't come on too strong at first. Be casual and cool. You'll know if she wants you to come on stronger. If she is coming on stronger than you are, that generally means you can step it up.
• Do not say that you are going to kill yourself if she gets mad at you, that may make her think that you are slightly obsessive, and have nothing better to live for than her.
• Don't try to rush her into anything, you'll only push her away.
• Don't talk to your friends about other girls. They might tell your girlfriend and she will want to ignore you.

58 easy way to lose weight..........:P

 You know the drill when it comes to losing weight — take in fewer calories, burn more calories. But you also know that most diets and quick weight-loss plans have about as much substance as a politician’s campaign pledges. You’re better off finding several simple things you can do on a daily basis — along with following the cardinal rules of eating more vegetables and less fat and getting more physical activity. Together, they should send the scale numbers in the right direction: down.

1. Once a week, indulge in a high-calorie-tasting, but low-calorie, treat. This should help keep you from feeling deprived and binging on higher-calorie foods. For instance:

• Lobster. Just 83 calories in 3 ounces.
• Shrimp. Just 60 calories in 12 large.
• Smoked salmon. Just 66 calories in two ounces. Sprinkle with capers for an even more elegant treat.
• Whipped cream. Just 8 calories in one tablespoon. Drop a dollop over a bowl of fresh fruit for dessert.

2. Treat high-calorie foods as jewels in the crown. Make a spoonful of ice cream the jewel and a bowl of fruit the crown. Cut down on the chips by pairing each bite with lots of chunky, filling fresh salsa, suggests Jeff Novick, director of nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Florida. Balance a little cheese with a lot of salad.

3. After breakfast, make water your primary drink. At breakfast, go ahead and drink orange juice. But throughout the rest of the day, focus on water instead of juice or soda. The average American consumes an extra 245 calories a day from soft drinks. That’s nearly 90,000 calories a year — or 25 pounds! And research shows that despite the calories, sugary drinks don’t trigger a sense of fullness the way that food does.

4. Carry a palm-size notebook everywhere you go for one week. Write down every single morsel that enters your lips — even water. Studies have found that people who maintain food diaries wind up eating about 15 percent less food than those who don’t.

Plus: 8 Kitchen Cabinet Makeovers for Weight Loss

5. Buy a pedometer, clip it to your belt, and aim for an extra 1,000 steps a day. On average, sedentary people take only 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day. Adding 2,000 steps will help you maintain your current weight and stop gaining weight; adding more than that will help you lose weight.

6. Add 10 percent to the amount of daily calories you think you’re eating, then adjust your eating habits accordingly. If you think you’re consuming 1,700 calories a day and don’t understand why you’re not losing weight, add another 170 calories to your guesstimate. Chances are, the new number is more accurate.

7. Eat five or six small meals or snacks a day instead of three large meals. A 1999 South African study found that when men ate parts of their morning meal at intervals over five hours, they consumed almost 30 percent fewer calories at lunch than when they ate a single breakfast. Other studies show that even if you eat the same number of calories distributed this way, your body releases less insulin, which keeps blood sugar steady and helps control hunger.

8. Walk for 45 minutes a day. The reason we’re suggesting 45 minutes instead of the typical 30 is that a Duke University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 300 calories a day with three miles of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you lose 30 pounds in a year without even changing how much you’re eating.

9. Find an online weight-loss buddy. A University of Vermont study found that online weight-loss buddies help you keep the weight off. The researchers followed volunteers for 18 months. Those assigned to an Internet-based weight maintenance program sustained their weight loss better than those who met face-to-face in a support group.

Plus: 15 Foods You Should Never Buy Again

10. Bring the color blue into your life more often. There’s a good reason you won’t see many fast-food restaurants decorated in blue: Believe it or not, the color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, dress in blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Conversely, avoid red, yellow, and orange in your dining areas. Studies find they encourage eating.

LINA MEDINA : The youngest confirmed mother in the world

Lina Medina with her cute infant

Lina Medina (born September 27, 1933, in Ticrapo, Huancavelica Region, Peru) is the youngest confirmed mother in medical history, giving birth at the age of five years, seven months and 17 days. She currently lives in Lima, the capital of Peru. Born in Ticrapo, Peru,^[1] to silversmith Tiburelo Medina and Victoria Losea,^[2] Medina was brought to a hospital by her parents at the age of five years due to increasing abdominal size. She was originally thought to have had a tumor, but her doctors determined she was in her seventh month of pregnancy. Dr. Gerardo Lozada took her to Lima, Peru, before the surgery to have other specialists confirm that Medina was pregnant.

Contemporary newspaper accounts indicate that interest in the case developed on many fronts. The San Antonio Light newspaper reported in its July 16, 1939, edition — in anticipation of the girl's expected visit to university scientific facilities in the United States — that a national Peruvian obstetrician/midwife association had demanded before the birth that the girl be transported to a national maternity hospital and quoted April 18 reports in the Peruvian paper La Crónica stating that a North American filmmaking concern sent a representative "with authority to offer the sum of $5000 to benefit the minor [in exchange for filming rights] ... we know that the offer was rejected."^[3] The same article, reprinted from a Chicago paper, noted that Dr. Lozada had made films of Medina for scientific documentation and had shown them around April 21 while addressing Peru's National Academy of Medicine; on a subsequent visit to visit Lina's remote hometown, some of the baggage carrying the films had been dropped into the river while crossing "a very primitive bridge": "Enough of his pictorial record remained, however, to intrigue the learned savants."^[3]

RMS TITANIC: A Century After ..............

RMS Titanic was a passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. The sinking of Titanic caused the deaths of 1,514 people in one of the deadliestpeacetime maritime disasters in history. She was the largest ship afloat at the time of her maiden voyage. One of three Olympic class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line, she was built between 1909–11 by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. She carried 2,224 people.

Her passengers included some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as over a thousand emigrants from Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and elsewhere seeking a new life in North America. The ship was designed to be the last word in comfort and luxury, with an on-board gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class restaurants and opulent cabins. She also had a powerful wireless telegraph provided for the convenience of passengers as well as for operational use. Though she had advanced safety features such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, she lacked enough lifeboats to accommodate all of those aboard. Due to outdated maritime safety regulations, she carried only enough lifeboats for 1,178 people – a third of her total passenger and crew capacity.

After leaving Southampton on 10 April 1912, Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland before heading westwards towards New York. On 14 April 1912, four days into the crossing and about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, she hit an iceberg at 11:40 pm (ship's time; UTC-3). The glancing collision caused Titanic's hull plates to buckle inwards in a number of locations on her starboardside and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea. Over the next two and a half hours, the ship gradually filled with water and sank. Passengers and some crew members were evacuated in lifeboats, many of which were launched only partly filled. A disproportionate number of men – over 90% of those in Second Class – were left aboard due to a "women and children first" protocol followed by the officers loading the lifeboats. Just before 2:20 am Titanic broke up and sank bow-first with over a thousand people still on board. Those in the water died within minutes from hypothermia caused by immersion in the freezing ocean. The 710 survivors were taken aboard from the lifeboats by theRMS Carpathia a few hours later.

The disaster was greeted with worldwide shock and outrage at the huge loss of life and the regulatory and operational failures that had led to it. Public inquiries in Britain and the United States led to major improvements in maritime safety. One of their most important legacies was the establishment in 1914 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which still governs maritime safety today. Many of the survivors lost all of their money and possessions and were left destitute; many families, particularly those of crew members from Southampton, lost their primary bread-winners. They were helped by an outpouring of public sympathy and charitable donations. Some of the male survivors, notably the White Star Line's chairman, J. Bruce Ismay, were accused of cowardice for leaving the ship while people were still on board, and they faced social ostracism.

The wreck of the Titanic remains on the seabed, gradually disintegrating at a depth of 12,415 feet (3,784 m). Since its rediscovery in 1985, thousands of artefacts have been recovered from the sea bed and put on display at museums around the world. Titanic has become one of the most famous ships in history, her memory kept alive by numerous books, films, exhibits and memorials.

Built in Belfast, Ireland, UK, the RMS Titanic was the second of the three Olympic-class ocean liners – the others were the RMS Olympic and the RMS Britannic (originally named Gigantic).^[2] They were by far the largest vessels of the British shipping company White Star Line's fleet, which comprised 29 steamers and tenders in 1912.^[3] The three ships had their genesis in a discussion in mid-1907 between the White Star Line's chairman, J. Bruce Ismay, and the American financier J. Pierpont Morgan, who controlled the White Star Line's parent corporation, the International Mercantile Marine Co. The White Star Line faced a growing challenge from its main rivals Cunard, which had just launched Lusitania and Mauretania – the fastest passenger ships then in service – and the German lines Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd. Ismay preferred to compete on size rather than speed and proposed to commission a new class of liners that would be bigger than anything that had gone before as well as being the last word in comfort and luxury.^[4]