Amazing Panorama

A panorama of Melbourne's Yarra River at twilight, showing the Central Business District on the left and the Southbank entertainment district on the right


Los Angeles and Griffith Observatory, as viewed from the Hollywood Hills. Taken as a 20 segment 2x10 panorama with a Canon 5D and 70-200mm f/2.8L lens.


Cows in a beautiful green field


A panorama of the city, taken from the Chalet du Mont Royal at the top of Mount Royal in Montreal. It is a 3x5 segment panorama taken with a Canon 5D and 24-105mm f/4L IS at 105mm and f/8. Each exposure was around three seconds.


This image shows a panorama photo of the castle Blankenhain and its pond (near Crimmitschau, Germany).


View from Connors Hill in East Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia.


Panoramic image looking south from the upper deck of the 'Top of the Rock' observation deck on Rockefeller Center.


Dinner plain summer


Loch Ard Gorge Panorama


Summer scenery from Mt Hotham, Victoria, Australia


Panoramic Image of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley


Alpine Range scenery as viewed just past Mt Hotham. East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia


A panorama of the Melbourne skyline from Yarra's Edge, Docklands at twilight. Taken with a Canon 5D with a 24-105mm f/4L IS


 A panorama of 4 images stiched together, showing the city of Salzburg from the top of the fortress.

Amazing Petroglyph--image drawn or painted on a rock face

Petroglyphs are images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, pecking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images. Petroglyphs are found world-wide, and are often (but not always) associated with prehistoric peoples. The word comes from the Greek words petros meaning "stone" and glyphein meaning "to carve" (it was originally coined in French as pétroglyphe).

The term petroglyph should not be confused with pictograph, which is an image drawn or painted on a rock face. Both types of image belong to the wider and more general category of rock art. Petroforms, or patterns and shapes made by many large rocks and boulders over the ground, are also quite different. Inukshuks are also unique, and found only in the Arctic (except for reproductions and imitations built in more southerly latitudes).

Petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock near Canyonlands National Park, south of Moab, south eastern Utah, USA

Rock carving known as "Meerkatze" (named by archaeologist Leo Frobenius), rampant lionesses in Wadi Methkandoush, Mesak Settafet region of Libya.

History
 
 
A petroglyph of a caravan of bighorn sheep near Moab, Utah, USA; a common theme in glyphs from the desert southwest

The oldest petroglyphs are dated to approximately the Neolithic and late Upper Paleolithic boundary, about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, if not earlier (Kamyana Mohyla). Around 7,000 to 9,000 years ago, other precursors of writing systems, such as pictographs and ideograms, began to appear. Petroglyphs were still common though, and some cultures continued using them much longer, even until contact with Western culture was made in the 20th century. Petroglyphs have been found in all parts of the globe except Antarctica with highest concentrations in parts of Africa, Scandinavia, Siberia, southwestern North America and Australia.


Composite image of petroglyphs from Scandinavia (Häljesta, Västmanland in Sweden). Nordic Bronze Age. The glyphs have been painted to make them more visible.


Interpretation

There are many theories to explain their purpose, depending on their location, age, and the type of image. Some petroglyphs are thought to be astronomical markers, maps, and other forms of symbolic communication, including a form of "pre-writing". They might also have been a by-product of other rituals: sites in India, for example, have been identified as musical instruments or "rock gongs". [1]

Some petroglyph images probably had deep cultural and religious significance for the societies that created them; in many cases this significance remains for their descendants. Many petroglyphs are thought to represent some kind of not-yet-fully understood symbolic or ritual language. Later glyphs from the Nordic Bronze Age in Scandinavia seem to refer to some form of territorial boundary between tribes, in addition to possible religious meanings. It also appears that local or regional dialects from similar or neighboring peoples exist. The Siberian inscriptions almost look like some early form of runes, although there is not thought to be any relationship between them. They are not yet well understood.

Some researchers have noticed the resemblance of different styles of petroglyphs across different continents; while it is expected that all people would be inspired by their surroundings, it is harder to explain the common styles. This could be mere coincidence, an indication that certain groups of people migrated widely from some initial common area, or indication of a common origin. In 1853 George Tate read a paper to the Berwick Naturalists' Club at which a Mr John Collingwood Bruce agreed that the carvings had "... a common origin, and indicate a symbolic meaning, representing some popular thought." [2] In his cataloguing of Scottish rock art, Ronald Morris summarised 104 different theories on their interpretation. [3].

Other, more controversial, explanations are grounded in Jungian psychology and the views of Mircea Eliade. According to these theories it is possible that the similarity of petroglyphs (and other atavistic or archetypal symbols) from different cultures and continents is a result of the genetically inherited structure of the human brain.

Other theories suggest that petroglyphs were made by shamans in an altered state of consciousness[4], perhaps induced by the use of natural hallucinogens. Many of the geometric patterns (known as form constants) which recur in petroglyphs and cave paintings have been shown to be "hard-wired" into the human brain; they frequently occur in visual disturbances and hallucinations brought on by drugs, migraine and other stimuli.

Present-day links between shamanism and rock-art amongst the San people of the Kalahari desert have been studied by the Rock Art Research Institute (RARI) of the University of the Witwatersrand [1]. Though the San people's artworks are predominantly paintings, the beliefs behind them can perhaps be used as a basis for understanding other types of rock art, including petroglyphs

A petroglyph of a caravan of bighorn sheep near Moab, Utah, USA; a common theme in glyphs from the desert southwest

Asia

 Photo of Cheung Chau Rock Carving

KyrgyzPetroglyphs


Tanbaly


 Buddhist stone carvings at Ili River, Kazakhstan


India

 Petroglyphs at Edakkal Caves in Wayanad, Kerala. They date back to about 4000 BC.

Philippines


Petroglyphs on a rock wall found in the Sierra Madre mountain range, Rizal, Philippines

Pacific

 Petroglyph on western coast of Hawaii

 Petroglyphs at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park


Petroglyphs at Orongo, Rapa Nui (Easter Island). A Makemake at the base and two birdmen higher up

North America

  Petroglyphs on a Bishop Tuff tableland, eastern California, USA

Southern Utah, USA
Southern Utah, USA


Arches National Park


Peterborough, Ontario, Canada


Arizona, USA


Columbia River Gorge, Washington, USA


Upside-down man in Western Colorado, USA


Rochester Rock Art Panel in the San Rafael Swell in Utah, USA


 Outside Parras, Coahuila, Mexico


Europe

Petroglyph from Foppe of Nadro, Val Camonica, Italy
Duel in Foppe of Nadro, Val Camonica, Italy


Running Priest in Capo di Ponte, Val Camonica, Italy


 Engravers from Val Camonica, Italy


Rock Carving in Tanum, Sweden


Carving "The Shoemaker", Brastad, Sweden


Petroglyph in Roque Bentayga, Gran Canaria (Canary Islands).


Petroglyph at Dalgarven Mill, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Amazing Peru Rocks

Huayna Picchu (mountain at center) towers above this view of the ruins of Machu Picchu, in the Peruvian Andes, seen on October 13, 2008 (© Gary Noel)


Cobblestone Streets of Cuzco, where the Peru Rocks team gathered and acclimatized before their climb to Machu Picchu, seen on October 7, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Local Peruvian boys taking part in a parade in Cuzco on October 8, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Trekkers write last minute dedications on the prayer flags that were carried to Machu Picchu, October 8, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Narrow cobblestone Streets in Cuzco, Peru October 7, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


First sight of the Llactapata Ruins along the Inca Trail, still four kilometers west of Machu Picchu, seen on October 10, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Llactapata steps, part of a complex of ruins related to Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail. Photo taken October 10, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


View of snowcapped mountains along the Inca trail, October 10, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


A night scene from the first campsite at the village of Wayllabamba, Peru on October 11, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Team member Shannon Foley, seen uploading the daily podcast journals which let the world watch as the team progressed on their trek, October 11, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


An Alpaca encountered along the Inca Trail, October 11, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Team members and musicians Tony Scalzo, Joey Shuffield, and Miles Zuniga from Fastball join Mike Peters of the Alarm, Cy Curnin of The Fixx, Nick Harper and Brien McVernon for a jam session with the porters on the mountain, October 11, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Mike Peters from the Alarm with his wife Jules, happy to have arrived at Machu Picchu on October 13, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


First sight of the ruins of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate, October 13, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Sixteen of a group of travelers from Colorado that all made the trek together, October 13, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Closer view of more ruins along the trail to Machu Picchu, October 12, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


The entire Peru Rocks crew dedicating the prayer flags at their final destination, Machu Picchu, October 13, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


The ruins of Machu Picchu, October 14, 2008. Constructed around 1460, overlooked by Spanish conquerors, and rediscovered by the West in 1911, the treasured site is visited by over 400,000 travelers every year. (© Gary Noel) #


A vessel containing the Ashes of Otto Schutt, a San Francisco man who passed away in May, a victim of colon cancer. Otto's ashes were brought on the trek by his two friends Lee Williams and David Dexter and his nephew Derrick Tabish on October 14, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Derrick Tabish, David Dexter and Lee Williams celebrate the life of Otto Schutt by spreading his ashes along the Inca Trail, October 14, 2008. Otto and Lee had planned to make the trek together, in part as a way to have a goal to look forward to as Otto endured his cancer treatment. Unfortunately, Otto lost his battle with cancer in May of 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Peru Rocks concert performed in the Plaza de Armas in Aguas Calientes, October 14, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Musician Nick Harper performing in Lima, Peru at the finale concert, wrapping up the trek on October 15, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


Visit to the children's ward at the main cancer center INEN in Peru, where the children received gifts and cards the trekkers had brought on October 16, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #


A visit to the chemotherapy room at INEN, the main cancer center in Lima, Peru October 16, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #



Young Peruvian patients smile, excited to receive so many visitors at their local cancer center INEN, October 16, 2008. (© Gary Noel) #

souce:boston

Most Amazing Hot Springs Around the World

A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the earth’s crust. 

There are hot springs all over the earth, on every continent and even under the oceans and seas.

Many were created between 20 and 45 million years ago as a result of violent volcanic activity.

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Silex Spring at Fountain Paint Pot 


Silex Spring is located in Yellowstone National Park. Hot water is a better solvent than cooler water, dissolving large amounts of silica — the major element of these volcanic rocks in the form of sinter lines the bottom of Silex Spring. It forms terraces along the runoff channels and gives the spring its name.
The spring overflows most of the year, creating a hot environment where thermophiles thrive which become food for several kinds of flies that live in and on the hot water. The flies then become food for mites, spiders, various insects, and birds.

Emerald Spring



Emerald Spring is a boiling hot spring located in Norris Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park.
Emerald Spring is 27 feet (8 m) deep. The water temperature in the spring is around 172°F (78°C). The spring gets its name the emerald green color of the water created by sunlight filtering through the water, giving the light a blue color, and reflecting off the yellow sulphur creating the green hue
While Emerald Spring is a mostly calm pool, which usually only has a few bubbles rising to the surface, it does experience periods of turbidity and small 3-foot (1 m) high eruptions. In 1931, Emerald experienced a period of extremely vigorous activity with eruptions measuing 60 to 75 feet (18.2–22.9 m) in height






Mammoth Hot Springs



Terrace Mountain at Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The most famous feature at the springs is the Minerva Terrace — a series of travertine terraces which have been created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. Over 2 tons flows into Mammoth each day in a solution.


Due to recent minor earthquake activity, the spring vent has shifted, rendering the terraces dry.

A system of small fissures carries water upward to create approximately 50 hot springs in the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Although these springs lie outside the caldera boundary, their energy has been attributed to the same magmatic system that fuels other Yellowstone geothermal areas.

Another major component for terrace growth is the mineral calcium carbonate. Thick layers of sedimentary limestone deposited millions of years ago by vast seas lie beneath the Mammoth area. As ground water seeps slowly downward, it comes in contact with hot gases charged with carbon dioxide rising from the magma chamber. Some carbon dioxide is readily dissolved in the hot water to form a weak carbonic acid solution.

This hot, acidic solution dissolves great quantities of limestone as it works up through the rock layers to the surface hot springs. Once exposed to the open air, some of the carbon dioxide escapes from the solution. A solid mineral reforms and is deposited as the travertine that forms the terraces.


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Blood Pond Hot Spring



Blood Pond Hot Spring is one of the “hells” (jigoku) of Beppu, Japan — nine spectacular natural hot springs that are more for viewing rather than bathing. The “blood pond hell” features a pond of hot, red water, colored as such by iron in the waters. It’s allegedly the most photogenic of the nine hells.


Deildartunguhver Hot Spring 



Deildartunguhver is the largest hot spring in Iceland, located in Reykholtsdalur. It’s characterized by a very high flow rate for a hot spring at 180 liters/second of boiling water and emerges at 206°F (97°C). It’s the highest-flow hot spring in all of Europe. Some of the water is used for heating, being piped 21 miles (34 kilometers) to Borgarnes and 40 miles (64 kilometers) to Akranes.




Deildartunguhver Hot Spring 



Deildartunguhver is the largest hot spring in Iceland, located in Reykholtsdalur. It’s characterized by a very high flow rate for a hot spring at 180 liters/second of boiling water and emerges at 206°F (97°C). It’s the highest-flow hot spring in all of Europe. Some of the water is used for heating, being piped 21 miles (34 kilometers) to Borgarnes and 40 miles (64 kilometers) to Akranes.



Jigokudani Hot Springs

 

Jigokudani Hot Springs in Nagano Prefecture, Japan is most famous for its so called “snow monkeys” — wild Japanese monkeys enjoying the naturally hot waters alongside the human visitors


The monkeys enjoy bathing especially during the cold winter months when temperatures drop below freezing, and the valley is covered by a thick layer of snow. But even in the summer they take occasional baths, sometimes allured by food thrown into the pool by park wardens.

Jigokudani Yaen Koen or “Jigokudani Monkey Park” is the chosen home of more than 100 Japanese Macaques, Japan’s indigenous monkeys. The park is located in “Hell Valley,” named for the volcanic activities in the area. 



Blue Lagoon




The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of the largest attractions in Iceland. The steamy waters are part of a lava formation, and a large swimming pool is heated with the run-off water from a nearby geothermal power plant
Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After passing through the turbines the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal hot water heating system. The water is then fed into the lagoon for users to bathe in.

 

The warm waters are rich in minerals such as silica and sulfur. Bathing in the Blue Lagoon for therapeutic purposes is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 40°C (104°F).

The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland. It’s situated about 24 miles (39 kilometers) from the capital city of Reykjavík.
The Blue Lagoon spa and geothermal complex is clearly visible from any of the usual satellite imagery. It was used for the thermal spa scenes in the filming of Hostel: Part II.

Top Strange Phenomena of the Mind

Déjà Vu



Déjà vu is the experience of being certain that you have experienced or seen a new situation previously - you feel as though the event has already happened or is repeating itself. The experience is usually accompanied by a strong sense of familiarity and a sense of eeriness, strangeness, or weirdness. The “previous” experience is usually attributed to a dream, but sometimes there is a firm sense that it has truly occurred in the past.


Déjà Vécu



Déjà vécu (pronounced vay-koo) is what most people are experiencing when they think they are experiencing deja vu. Déjà vu is the sense of having seen something before, whereas déjà vécu is the experience of having seen an event before, but in great detail - such as recognizing smells and sounds. This is also usually accompanied by a very strong feeling of knowing what is going to come next. In my own experience of this, I have not only known what was going to come next, but have been able to tell those around me what is going to come next - and I am right. This is a very eerie and unexplainable sensation.


Déjà Visité



Déjà visité is a less common experience and it involves an uncanny knowledge of a new place. For example, you may know your way around a a new town or a landscape despite having never been there, and knowing that it is impossible for you to have this knowledge. Déjà visité is about spatial and geographical relationships, while déjà vécu is about temporal occurrences. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote about an experience of this in his book “Our Old Home” in which he visited a ruined castle and had a full knowledge of its layout. He was later able to trace the experience to a poem he had read many years early by Alexander Pope in which the castle was accurately described.


Déjà Senti



Déjà senti is the phenomenon of having “already felt” something. This is exclusively a mental phenomenon and seldom remains in your memory afterwards. In the words of a person having experienced it: “What is occupying the attention is what has occupied it before, and indeed has been familiar, but has been forgotten for a time, and now is recovered with a slight sense of satisfaction as if it had been sought for. The recollection is always started by another person’s voice, or by my own verbalized thought, or by what I am reading and mentally verbalize; and I think that during the abnormal state I generally verbalize some such phrase of simple recognition as ‘Oh yes—I see’, ‘Of course—I remember’, etc., but a minute or two later I can recollect neither the words nor the verbalized thought which gave rise to the recollection. I only find strongly that they resemble what I have felt before under similar abnormal conditions.”

You could think of it as the feeling of having just spoken, but realizing that you, in fact, didn’t utter a word.


Jamais Vu



Jamais vu (never seen) describes a familiar situation which is not recognized. It is often considered to be the opposite of déjà vu and it involves a sense of eeriness. The observer does not recognize the situation despite knowing rationally that they have been there before. It is commonly explained as when a person momentarily doesn’t recognize a person, word, or place that they know. Chris Moulin, of Leeds University, asked 92 volunteers to write out “door” 30 times in 60 seconds. He reported that 68 per cent of his guinea pigs showed symptoms of jamais vu, such as beginning to doubt that “door” was a real word. This has lead him to believe that jamais vu may be a symptom of brain fatigue.



Presque Vu



Presque vu is very similar to the “tip of the tongue” sensation - it is the strong feeling that you are about to experience an epiphany - though the epiphany seldom comes. The term “presque vu” means “almost seen”. The sensation of presque vu can be very disorienting and distracting.


L’esprit de l’Escalier



L’esprit de l’escalier (stairway wit) is the sense of thinking of a clever comeback when it is too late. The phrase can be used to describe a riposte to an insult, or any witty, clever remark that comes to mind too late to be useful—when one is on the “staircase” leaving the scene. The German word treppenwitz is used to express the same idea. The closest phrase in English to describe this situation is “being wise after the event”. The phenomenon is usually accompanied by a feeling of regret at having not thought of the riposte when it was most needed or suitable.


Capgras Delusion



Capgras delusion is the phenomenon in which a person believes that a close friend or family member has been replaced by an identical looking impostor. This could be tied in to the old belief that babies were stolen and replaced by changelings in medieval folklore, as well as the modern idea of aliens taking over the bodies of people on earth to live amongst us for reasons unknown. This delusion is most common in people with schizophrenia but it can occur in other disorders. 


Fregoli Delusion



Fregoli delusion is a rare brain phenomenon in which a person holds the belief that different people are, in fact, the same person in a variety of disguises. It is often associated with paranoia and the belief that the person in disguise is trying to persecute them. The condition is named after the Italian actor Leopoldo Fregoli who was renowned for his ability to make quick changes of appearance during his stage act. It was first reported in 1927 in the case study of a 27-year-old woman who believed she was being persecuted by two actors whom she often went to see at the theatre. She believed that these people “pursued her closely, taking the form of people she knows or meets”.


Prosopagnosia



Prosopagnosia is a phenomenon in which a person is unable to recognize faces of people or objects that they should know. People experiencing this disorder are usually able to use their other senses to recognize people - such as a person’s perfume, the shape or style of their hair, the sound of their voice, or even their gait. A classic case of this disorder was presented in the 1998 book (and later Opera by Michael Nyman) called “The man who mistook his wife for a hat”.

source:listverse

Prominent Lunar Craters

Deepest craters:

The following are some of the deepest lunar craters.

Moretus

Moretus is the deepest lunar crater with a depth of 5.0 km. it is located near the south pole of the moon. The crater appears oblong and the floor is flat.


Tycho 


Tycho has a depth of 4.8 km. It is surrounded by a distinctive ray system that forms long spokes which can reach as long as 1,500 km. These rays can be observed when this crater is illuminated by earthlight.


Piccolomoni 


Piccolomini has a depth of 4.5 km. Piccolomini is formed 3.2 to 3.8 billion years ago. The floor of the crater is smooth with only minor hills.


Albategnius


Having a depth of 4.4 km and a diameter of 129 km Albategnius is an ancient lunar impact crater. The outer wall is hexagonal and eroded with impacts, valleys and land ships.


Largest craters:

The following are some of the largest lunar craters.

Bailly


Bailly is the largest crater on the near side of the Moon with a diameter of 303 km and depth of 4.3 km. This can be visible during full moon days. Bailly has remained free of lava flooding and is covered with a multitude of ridges and craters. This crater is estimated to be more than 3 billion years old.


Schickard

Having a diameter of 227 km Schickard is the second largest crater. It appears oblong due to foreshortening as it lies near the lunar limb. The floor of this crater is partially flooded by lava and the other portion is rough-textured.


Clavius 



Clavius is the third largest crater with a diameter of 225 km and depth of 3.5 km. This crater is estimated to be about 4 billion years old. Clavius can be seen as a notch about one or two days after the moon reaches first quarter.


Humboldt


Humboldt is a large lunar crater with a diameter of 207 km. The depth of this crater is unknown. This crater is an irregular circle having a network of clefts forming a pattern of radial spokes and concentric arc on its surface floor.


Maginus 


Maginus is a large lunar with a diameter of 194 km and a depth of 4.3 Km. It is located in the southern highlands. The floor of this crater is flat and it has a pair of low central peaks

The sapphire mines of Madagascar

The tiny village of Ilakaka, Madagascar had barely 40 residents before 1998. Then, a large deposit of sapphires was discovered along a nearby riverbed, and caught the eye of some Thai businessmen in the gem trade. Word got out, and Ilakaka swelled to tens of thousands of residents - the center of a sapphire boom, today the source of nearly 50% of all the sapphires in the world. Illegal miners mixed with large-scale operations, all operating under little or no regulation, in a wild-west atmosphere of potential fortunes, lawlesness, violence and hardship. In the years since, the easily-mined sapphire fields have been picked clean, and the remaining miners often work in deep holes, climbing far underground. Mining is also a family effort - according to an official study, of the 21,000 children living in the region, 19,000 belong to working families. 

Miners work in unison on September 13, 2008 as they shovel sand and loose gravel at an open-pit sapphire mine where they work for a daily wage near the southwestern Madagascan town of Ilakaka. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) 


Miners dig in a sapphire mine on September 12, 2008 near the southwestern Madagascan town of Ilakaka (background). The mushrooming town of Ilakaka, which in October 1998 saw a major influx of illegal miners who came in search of fortune after the discovery of a large sapphire deposit. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Dieudonne Laha, shows precious stones that he found in the past two days after he and others dug out and washed gravel in a nearby river basin in their search for sapphires on September 14, 2008 in Anzanakaro near Ilakaka, Madagascar. The gravel which is dug up from deep holes is washed and strained in the nearby river as the miners scrutinize their rocky crop in search for sapphires. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Miners finishing their shift at an open sapphire pit mine walk back to their families in the nearby town of Ilakaka, Madagascar (background) on September 12, 2008. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


View taken on September 15, 2008 of the mushrooming town of Ilakaka, which in October 1998 saw a major influx of illegal miners who came in search of fortune after the discovery of a large sapphire deposit. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Noushad Hajirwa (left), a tough and knowledgable Sri Lankan gem buyer takes a close look at sapphire stones offered to him by local miners in the Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 13, 2008. Hajirwa is one of the many Thai and Sri Lankan gem buyers who do business in the town. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


A worker takes a close look at a sapphire at a local precious stone business in the Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 13, 2008. Local miners in the region work deep narrow holes where they scrape gravel and sand in search of sapphires and fortune. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


A local miner joins others at the window of a precious stone business in Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 13, 2008 in the hope that a Sri Lankan gem buyer examining his stones will want to buy them. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Four sapphires sit on next to a wad of notes at a local precious stone business on September 13, 2008, where a Sri Lankan gem buyer examines stones that local miners have harvested from deep holes, gravel and sand nearby. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #



Miners scramble up the walls of an open-cast sapphire mine, near the Ilakaka, Madagascar at the end of their shift on September 12, 2008. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Miners work in unison to move gravel and sand up a hillside on September 12, 2008 at an open pit sapphire mine near Ilakaka, Madagascar. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Francois Rantonirina, age 10, carries a shovel and a makeshift strainer as he and his mother leave a river basin where they had spent the morning sifting through gravel extracted from the ground in search for Sapphires in Manombo Be, near Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 12, 2008. According to an official Madagascan study, of the 21,000 children living in the region, 19,000 belong to working families. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Miners working in an open pit sapphire mine near the southwestern Madagascan town of Ilakaka head home, climbing out of the pit at the end of their shift on September 13, 2008. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Children of miners are buffeted by flying sand as they play on a hillside near an open pit sapphire mine near Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 13, 2008. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Two miners work on securing a bag of gravel taken from a deep hole they and others dug near a river basin in their search for sapphires on September 14, 2008 in Anzanakaro near Ilakaka, Madagascar. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


A young miner holds on tight to a rope as he is lowered into a deep hole in the ground in a field in Anzanakaro near Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 14, 2008. Local miners and many of their family members work deep narrow holes where they scrape gravel and sand in search of sapphires. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Five men watch as miners work together to move sand and gravel up the side wall of an open-pit sapphire mine near Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 12, 2008. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Mandraisara (right) and her friend Tafitasoaniaina (left) dance as they sing a song heard on a local popular radio station, near mountains of sand and gravel that their parents helped dig out of an open pit sapphire mine near Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 13, 2008. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Miners sift gravel in their makeshift strainers in a river basin in their search for sapphires on September 14, 2008 in Anzanakaro near Ilakaka, Madagascar. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Donne, age 13, sits near where his father is preparing coffee during a break from mining in Anzanakaro, Madagascar on September 14, 2008. Donne does not go to school anymore but dreams of being a doctor someday. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


A miner waits patiently for his partner to tug on the rope inside a deep hole in a nearby river basin in their quest for sapphires on September 14, 2008 in Anzanakaro, Madagascar. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Donne, age 13, watches as adult miners head to a river basin to strain gravel they have extracted from deep holes in the ground in Anzanakaro, Madagascar on September 14, 2008. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Miners work a pock-marked field beside a river basin searching for sapphires on September 14, 2008 near Ilakaka, Madagascar. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #


Sapphires of various colors are shown, lined up at a local precious stone business in the Ilakaka, Madagascar on September 13, 2008. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #

Miners toil atop an outer wall of an open pit sapphire mine on September 12, 2008 as they continue their search for sapphires near Ilakaka, Madagascar. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images) #                                         Source:boston

Extraordinary Human Abilities

This list of extraordinary human abilities was inspired The Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Memory when I began thinking about how some people are blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) with the ability to recall a scene as if they were looking at a photograph. And how other people can recreate music from memory, such as Mozart’s famed reproduction of Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere after one hearing. What other extraordinary abilities might humans have? I’ve listed nine of the most well understood (i.e. not paranormal or ‘fringe science’) and interesting abilities rated from most common to most interesting and rare. Bear in mind that most of these unusual abilities are genetic and cannot be controlled by the person affected but are an inherent quality of their physical self.

Supertasters

People who experience taste with greater intensity than the rest of the population are called supertasters. Having extra fungiform papillae (the mushroom shaped bumps on the tongue that are covered in taste buds) is thought to be the reason why these people have a stronger response to the sensation of taste. Of the five types of taste, sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami, a supertaster generally finds bitterness to be the most perceptible. 

Scientists first noticed the differing abilities of people to taste a known compound when a DuPont chemist called Arthur Fox asked people to taste Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC). Some people could taste its bitterness; some couldn’t - whether people could depended on their genetic make-up (a variant of this test is now one of the most common genetic tests on humans). While about 70% of people can taste PTC, two thirds of them are rated as medium and only one third (approximately 25% of the wider population) are supertasters. 

Supertasters will often dislike certain foods, particularly bitter ones, such as brussel sprouts, cabbage, coffee, and grapefruit juice. Women, Asians, and Africans are most likely to have the increased number of fungiform papillae that make them supertasters.
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Absolute pitch



People with absolute pitch are capable of identifying and reproducing a tone without needing a known reference. It is not simply a better ability to hear but the ability to mentally class sounds into remembered categories. Examples of this include identifying the pitch of everyday noises (e.g. horns, sirens, and engines), being able to sing a named note without hearing a reference, naming the tones of a chord, or naming the key signature of a song. Doing any of these is a cognitive act – it requires one to remember the frequency of each tone, be able to label it (e.g. ‘A’, ‘C#’, or ‘F-flat’), and sufficient exposure to the range of sound within each label. Opinions vary as to whether absolute pitch is genetic or a learned ability that is strongly influenced to one’s exposure to music at crucial developmental stages – much like how a child’s ability to identify colors by their frequency depends on the type and level of their exposure to it. 

Estimates of the portion of the population having absolute pitch range from 3% of the general population in the US and Europe to 8% of those (from the same areas) who are semi-professional or professional musicians. In music conservatories in Japan however, about 70% of musicians have absolute pitch. Part of the reason for this significantly larger percentage may be because absolute pitch is more common among people who grew up in a tonal (Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese) or pitch accent (Japanese) language environment. Absolute pitch is also more common in those who are blind from birth, have William’s Syndrome, or have an autism spectrum disorder.


Tetrachromacy



Tetrachromacy is the ability to see light from four distinct sources. An example of this in the animal kingdom is the zebrafish (Danio rerio), which can see light from the red, green, blue, and ultraviolet sections of the light spectrum. True tetrachromacy in humans is much rarer however – according to Wikipedia only two possible tetrachromats have been identified. 

Humans are normally trichromats, having three types of cone cells that receive light from either the red, green, or blue part of the light spectrum. Each cone can pick up about 100 graduations of color and the brain combines colors and graduations so that there are about 1 million distinguishable hues coloring your world. A true tetrachromat with an extra type of cone between red and green (in the orange range) would, theoretically, be able to perceive 100 million colors. 

Like supertasting, tetrachromacy is thought to be much more common in women than men – estimates range from 2 – 3% to 50% of women. Interestingly, colour-blindness in men (much more common than in women) may be inherited from women with tetrachromacy.

Echolocation



Echolocation is how bats fly around in dark forests – they emit a sound, wait for the echo to return, and use that sound of the echo in each ear plus the return time to work out where an object is and how far away. Surprisingly (well, maybe not on this list!), humans are also capable of using echolocation. Use of echolocation is probably restricted to blind people because it takes a long time to master and heightened sensitivity to reflected sound. 

To navigate via echolocation a person actively creates a noise (e.g. tapping a cane or clicking the tongue) and determines from the echoes where objects are located around them. People skilled at this can often tell where an object is, what size it is, and its density. Because humans cannot make or hear the higher pitched frequencies that bats and dolphins use they can only picture objects that are comparatively larger than those ‘seen’ by echolocating animals.

People with the ability to echolocate include James Holman, Daniel Kish, and Ben Underwood. Perhaps the most remarkable and well-documented of cases is the story of Ben Underwood, who lost both his eyes to retinal cancer at the age of three. He is shown in the video above (warning: the scene where he puts in his prosthetic eyeballs may be a bit disturbing for some).

Genetic Chimerism



In the Iliad Homer described a creature having body parts from different animals, a chimera, from this mythological monster comes the name of the genetic equivalent – chimerism. Genetic chimerism, or tetragametism, in humans and other animals happens when two fertilized eggs or embryos fuse together early in pregnancy. Each zygote carries a copy of its parents DNA and thus a distinct genetic profile. When these merge, each population of cells retains its genetic character and the resulting embryo becomes a mixture of both. Essentially, a human chimera is their own twin.

Chimerism in humans is very rare; Wikipedia states that there are only about 40 reported cases. DNA testing is often used to establish whether a person is biologically related to their parents or children and can uncover cases of chimerism when DNA results show that children are not biologically related to their mothers - because the child inherited a different DNA profile to the one shown by a blood test. This is what happened in the case of Lydia Fairchild: DNA tests of herself and her children led the state to think that she was not actually their mother.

People born with chimerism typically have immune systems that make them tolerant to both genetically distinct populations of cells in their body. This means that a chimera has a much wider array of people to choose from should they need an organ transplant.


Synesthesia



Imagine consistently associating numbers or letters with certain colours, or hearing a specific word which triggers a particular sensation of taste on your tongue. These are two forms of a neurological condition called synesthesia. Synesthesia is when stimulation of a particular sensory or cognitive pathway leads to an involuntary (i.e. synesthesia is not learnt) response in other sensory or cognitive pathways. 

Synesthesia is most often genetic and the grapheme (letters, numbers, or other symbols) to colour form of synesthesia is the commonest. Other synesthetes can experience special-sequence synesthesia (e.g. where dates have a precise location in space), ordinal linguistic personification (when numbers have personalities), or sound to colour synesthesia (where tones are perceived as colours).

Although synesthesia is a neurological condition it shouldn’t be thought of as a disorder, because generally it does not interfere with a person’s ability to function. Most people are not even aware that their experiences of life elicit more sensory responses than other peoples might and the ones that are rarely consider synesthesia to have a negative impact on their lives.

Predictions of the percentage of people with synesthesia vary widely, from 1 in 20 to 1 in 20,000. Studies from 2005 and 2006, using a random population sample, suggested 1 in about 23 people have synesthesia. Examples of people with synesthesia include the author Vladimir Nabokov, composer Olivier Messiaen, and scientist Richard Feynman. Daniel Tammet, who is mentioned in the next section of this list, is a synesthete (in addition to being a mental calculator) who sees numbers with shapes and texture.
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Mental calculators


The most extraordinary group of people adept at performing complex mental calculations is those who are also autistic savants. While there are many trained people who can work out multiplications of large numbers (among other calculations) in their head extremely fast – mostly mathematicians, writers, and linguists – the untrained ability of autistic savants is the most interesting. The majority of these people are born with savant syndrome (only an estimated 50% of people with savantism are also autistic), which is still poorly understood, few develop it later in life, usually due to a head injury. 

There are less than 100 recognised prodigious savants in the world and of the savants with autism who are capable of using mental calculation techniques there are even less. Recent research has suggested that a blood flow to the part of the brain responsible for mathematical calculations of six to seven times the normal rate is one of the factors that enables mental calculators to work out math much faster than the average person. 

Examples of people with extraordinary calculation skills include Daniel McCartney, Salo Finkelstein, and Alexander Aitken. Daniel Tammet is one of few who are also autistic savants.


Immortal cells



There is only one known case of a person having immortal cells (cells that can divide indefinitely outside of the human body, defying the Hayflick Limit) and that is of a woman named Henrietta Lacks. In 1951, 31 year old Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which she died from within the year. Unknown to her and her family (i.e. without informed consent) a surgeon took a tissue sample from her tumor that was passed on to a Dr. George Gey. A scientist for the John Hopkins University Tissue Culture Laboratory, Gey propagated Lacks’ tissue sample into an immortal cell line – the HeLa cell line (pictured above). The cells from Lacks’ tumour have an active version of the telomerase enzyme (telomerase is the mechanism by which cells age or are aged) and proliferate abnormally fast. On the day of Henrietta Lacks’ death, Dr. Gey announced to the world that a new age in medical research had begun – one that might provide a cure for cancer. 

HeLa cells were utilised in 1954 by Jonas Salk to develop the cure for polio. Since then they’ve been used in researching cancer, AIDS, the effects of radiation and toxic substances, and for mapping genes, among other things.

Today, the HeLa cells are so common in laboratories that they contaminate many other cell cultures and have rendered some biological studies invalid through their presence. There are also more HeLa cells alive today than when Henrietta Lacks was alive – they outweigh her physical mass by many times. Tragically, Lacks was never told of the immensely valuable contribution her cells made to science and her family was not informed until many years later that her cells were being used for research purposes (a 1990 court ruling later verified Lacks’ hospital as the owner of her discarded tissue and cells).

Eidetic memory



When a person has photographic memory or total recall this is called eidetic memory. It is the ability to recall sounds, images, or objects from one’s memory with extreme accuracy. Examples of eidetic memory include the effort of Akira Haraguchi who recited from memory the first 100,000 decimal places of pi and the drawings of Stephen Wiltshire (who is also an autistic savant) – his recreation of Rome is shown in the video above. Kim Peek, the inspiration for the autistic (Peek is not actually autistic though) character of Raymond Babbit in the movie Rainman, also possesses eidetic memory – among other things he can recall some 12,000 books from memory. 

Whether true photographic memory exists in adults is still a controversial issue, but it is accepted that eidetic abilities are distributed evenly between men and women. One also cannot become an eidetiker through practice.

Dangerous Places On the Earth

Russia



In this crime-ridden, ex-Soviet state, no longer does the government stuff their Armani suits with rubles, but the vandals and gangsters. The Russian mafia runs amuck, there are more gangsters than police, and a Russian is assassinated every 18 minutes, averaging 84 murders per day in a nation of 143 million. The nucleus of Russian crime is stationed in the Republic of Chechnya, a region within Russia just north of Georgia. Prostitution, drug trafficking, and underground restaurants are arbitrarily controlled by the Chechens. Foreigners are kidnapped more frequently due to the higher ransom allocated. Crimes towards include but are not limited to: pick pocketing wallets, cell phones, cameras, cash, and physical assaults. From superpower to Third World country, think tanks are beginning to speculate if communism really was the cure for Russia. 


Brazil



For anyone traveling to Brazil, it is not a matter of whether you get mugged, it is a matter of when! Grinding poverty still lives alongside incredible wealth in a country that is riding a wave of economic growth. But with prosperity, rates of crime have also soared. Street crime is rampant in parts of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, and whilst many victims are left unharmed, having a broken bottle put to your throat for your bracelet is not pleasant. The incidences of “quicknappings” has risen in major cities. This involves being abducted and taken to an ATM to pay your ransom. If you can’t pay, thanks to mobile technology, your family is only a call away. Along with street crime, organized criminal groups have waged wars against police and public institutions that were unable to be bribed. Prison riots are brutally suppressed, drugs and narco-terrorism claim civilian casualties and if you survive all that - the piranhas are waiting.


South Africa



Any nation described as the ‘rape capital of the world’ should be one to take extra special care in. Although rape had shown a declining trend to 113.7 in 2004, it increased in 2005 to 118.3 per 100 000. Another damning statistic for South Africa is its appallingly high murder rate. The 2010 World Cup host is consistently in the Top 5 list of countries by homicide rate. Most crime is confined to poor areas but it hasn’t stopped gated communities springing up all over South Africa and armed guards protecting wealthy tourist groups. Farming in South Africa has become one of the most dangerous professions in the world. The murder rate for farmers is 313 per 100 000 - about 8 times the national average. And like anywhere, sex can be very dangerous in South Africa, where more than 10 million people are infected with HIV. 


Burundi



This small, densely populated and poor nation has giant problems. A civil war between Hutus and Tutsis tore the nation apart between 1993 and 2006. A ceasefire was declared however most provisions have not been implemented. Mass murder and mayhem compete with environmental problems as the biggest headaches for the people of Burundi. The list of assassinated leaders is extensive, and control of the nation has changed hands numerous times in the last 50 years. Crimes committed by roaming gangs and armed children are risks for visitors. Muggings, carjackings and kidnappings await, so you are advised not to stop the car for souvenirs. Should you be injured or harmed while in Burundi, you may need to be well trained, as local clinics have almost no resources to assist you. 


Antarctica



While murder, rape and robbery may not be a big problem in this part of the world, the hostile conditions are. Antarctica is home to some extreme weather conditions, with the mercury regularly dropping below -60 degrees Celsius (-100F) and winds tearing in at more than 100km/hr. If exposed to this weather for more than an hour, you will most certainly die. Antarctica has no hospitals, no food to forage and if you get lost, not a lot of hope. Stay with the tour groups. At least there is a McDonald’s at Scott Base if you manage to find it.


Afghanistan



This nation has for hundreds of years, been one of the worlds most strategically important and lusted after territories. However it remains one of the poorest, undeveloped and unstable. During the Soviet invasion, the Red Army planted more than 12 million landmines in Afghanistan. Hundreds of people are killed, shredded, and maimed each year due to these insidious devices. Following the Soviets came the Taliban, whose control meant women were banned from jobs and universities. In 2001, the United States overthrew the Taliban, but banditry, tribal rivalries and drug related violence has left the nation unstable. Suicide bombings are a constant threat, and nobody in Afghanistan is safe. The most lethal suicide attack occurred in Baghlan Province in November 2007, killing more than 70 people. Did I mention Afghanistan is also the worlds largest supplier of top grade hashish and opium? 


Somalia



Somalia is a failed state known for its anarchy, corruption, lack of government, and starvation. Travelers are warned against entering Somalia, the self-proclaimed “independent Republic of Somaliland” or even sailing near the Horn Of Africa. Pirates patrol these waters armed with AK-47s and will seize craft and hold crews to ransom. Inter-clan fighting has claimed thousands of lives in the north of the country, while territorial control in the capital, Mogadishu is carved up between many clans and warlords. Ethiopia attacked Islamic troops in Somalia in late 2006, resulting in hundreds of casualties and the internal displacement of thousands. Heck, if this place is too much for the Marines, what chance do you stand? Make sure your insurance is fully up to date. 


Sudan



Desperation, death and destruction are synonymous with Sudan. Terrorism is a mainstay of this nation, which has been controlled by Islamic military regimes since its independence. Some of the worlds most famous killers have earned their stripes in Sudan, finishing with degrees in car-bombing, rocket launching and genocide. Violence is rife in the Darfur region between government-backed militias, government troops and local insurgent groups. Sudan has been in open warfare with Chad partly due to the Darfur conflict. Since 2003, 230,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to eastern Chad from Darfur. More than two million have died during the 2 civil wars that spanned the last 50 years. Along with its bleak desert conditions, Sudan is one of the worst places on the planet. 


Colombia



Kidnapping is the main worry in Colombia. There were 2338 kidnappings in Colombia in 1998. Of the victims, 138 were killed by their captors. Ranked Fourth in the world for murders with 69.98/100000 in 2006, the popular targets are mayors, with dozens of them being slain each year. And of course, who can forget cocaine? Colombia supplies 75% of the worlds supply and thanks to Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel, paramilitary groups have waged war on the government in a bloody conflict with no end in sight. Even those working in the name of charity are not excluded from the frenzy. In 2005, 5 Catholic missionaries were murdered, down from 9 in 1999. Colombia’s beautiful coast and rugged mountains should make it a tourist paradise, instead it is among the most feared destinations you can visit.


Iraq



It doesn’t matter whether you are George Bush, Pele or Chuck Norris - you are not safe in Iraq. Despite its rich history and its oil reserves, it is a ruined nation that is wracked with violence, despair and confusion. Since 2003, the United States has occupied Iraq which has led to a civil war claiming the lives of more than 650 000 civilians. Al-Qaeda, Sunni insurgents, Shiite security forces, Kurdish rebels, American soldiers, Turkish troops and criminals are involved in a cycle of violence that unfortunately, will not abate any time soon. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs) and mines are a constant threat, as are suicide bombers who have slain hundreds. Kidnappings and random killings are reported with almost mind-numbing frequency. Since 2003, 2 million Iraqis have fled to neighboring countries and another 1.9 million in Iraq remain internally displaced. Depleted uranium used as armor-piercing rounds will poison Iraqi civilians and US servicemen for decades. Truly, a hell on earth.

Amazing Color Images of the First World War

Scottish Prisoners of War
North African Soldiers in France


Operating on a Horse in France
Australian Light Horse Brigade
Australian Soldier Gathers Anemones


French Gun in Northern France
German Field Hospital
Soldier, Woman, and Baby


French in the Frontline Trenches


Haircuts for the Soldiers
Children Amidst the Ruins


No Man’s Land from a Trench


Women in the Factories
Prisoner’s Of War
American Burial Plots
Russian Soldiers
Australian Soldiers Relaxing
Soldiers Cooking
French and British Soldiers
French Navy Gunners



In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Underrated International Destinations

Belfast, Northern Ireland



Thinking of an urban hell-hole ravaged by warring factions? Think again. Belfast has emerged from its troubled past to become a vibrant and unique cultural center. With its politically-inspired murals and pleasant, green parks, Belfast is a slice of Irish heaven, not to mention it’s easier on the wallet than Dublin.


Malealea, Lesotho



In the middle of South Africa is the arid mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Though not the easiest place to get to, it offers a great venue for camping, hiking and riding. The Basuto people of the region boast a rich culture and history, and are among the most friendly I have ever met. Be sure to bring your sunscreen though, especially in summer.


Bay Islands, Honduras



Looking for the last unspoiled beaches in the Caribbean? The Bay Islands have so far escaped the rampant commercialization of Cancun or Montego. Pristine, white beaches extend for miles, virtually untouched by the tourist trade. But go quickly, it likely won’t last for long.


Bilbao, Spain



Spain boasts a number of popular vacation spots, and with good reason. However, the generally overlooked Basque Country is well worth your time. The climate is normally milder than in other parts of Spain’s north, and it has a number of great museums and picturesque plazas.


Calgary, Canada



Calgary is typically the point of departure for visitors to Banff or Jasper, and most don’t stick around to see what this Alberta metropolis has to offer. But in the summer you can enjoy Calgary’s many greenways and bike trails. And rumor has it they enjoy a few winter sports as well…


Puebla, Mexico



Most visitors to Mexico never make it past the beaches of Cancun or Acapulco. But a few hours outside Mexico City stands the historic city of Puebla. With its beautiful colonial architecture, perfect weather and delicious local cuisine, Puebla has a particular allure and charm. And as the place of origin for Cinco de Mayo, it’s great for the history buff.


Gdansk, Poland



History hasn’t been too kind to this charming Baltic coastal town, which was razed to ashes during World War Two. But most of the old structures have been rebuilt with great precision, and it’s easy to spend hours (or days) just wandering through the pleasant historic quarter. Easily accessible by train from Berlin or Warsaw, Gdansk is definitely worth a visit.


Quito, Ecuador



Quito wraps itself around the base of Pichincha, a snow-capped volcano that provides one of the most unique backdrops of any city on earth. The historic downtown was among the first to be designated a UNICEF World Heritage Site. While you’re there, take the short flight to the Galapagos to check out one of the best-preserved biospheres on the planet.


Lisbon, Portugal



Even after it adopted the euro as its national currency, Portugal remains a fairly economical destination. It boasts a rich, multicultural history, great music and no shortage of spectacular vistas, awash in brilliant Mediterranean colors. And if that’s not enough, stick around for the food.


Granada, Nicaragua



One of the oldest colonial towns in Central America, Granada is accessible by road from Managua. Not as well-kept a secret as in years past, Granada is becoming a more popular destination for tourists due to its history and relative safety. But if you go in the off-season, you should get it mostly to yourself. Don’t miss out on the local coffee.


Stellenbosch, South Africa



South Africa is best known for its incredible wildlife reserves, and they are undoubtedly amazing. But many don’t realize that South Africa produces some of the best wine in the world. Take the road from Cape Town to explore the lush, green wine country, and don’t forget to grab a few bottles along the way.


Tangier, Morocco



Long the haven for drunken ex-pat writers and other scoundrels, Tangier has undergone a period of urban renewal that is helping to shake off its reputation as “the Tijuana of the Mediterranean.” You’d be hard-pressed to find water as blue as that which laps at its shores. Many visitors will be find its vibrance overwhelming, but the best way to see Tangier is to simply allow yourself to be swept away in it.


Montevideo, Uruguay



Generally overlooked because of its proximity to its bustling neighbor (Buenos Aires), Montevideo has much to offer with its interesting fusion of colonial and deco architecture. And as a smaller city, it’s generally more relaxed. While you’re there, go to a “parilla” and sample some of the best steak you’ll ever eat.


Hanoi, Vietnam



Assuming you can get used to the traffic (not as easy as it sounds), Hanoi never fails to leave an impression on its guests. Hardly the place that it was thirty years ago, Hanoi is an exciting, bustling city filled with the aroma of exotic spices. Don’t forget to see nearby Ha Long Bay, which may just be the single most beautiful place on earth.


Dakar, Senegal



The stifling, chaotic maze of Dakar might be too much for some, but those who brave the humidity and mosquitoes will walk away with a truly unforgettable experience. Don’t resist; let yourself be carried along by the sights and sounds. When you leave, Africa will no longer be an abstract notion or fleeting images on your TV. This is Africa at its most visceral, and I promise it will change you for the better.

Scenes from Antarctica

After waiting for over two weeks for his mate to return from the sea and relieve him of nest duty, this Adelie penguin's hunger helps him make the decision to abandon his egg in search of fish and krill in the sea. Photo taken December 12, 2002. Known populations of the Adelie penguin have dropped by 65% over the past 25 years. (Melanie Conner/National Science Foundation)



A killer whale (viewed from above) swims amid floating ice in the Ross Sea in January of 2005. Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center were studying the whales to determine if there are three separate species of Antarctic killer whales. (Donald LeRoi, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center/National Science Foundation) #


Palmer Station seen from the ocean on June 10, 2006. Palmer Station is the smallest of the three U.S. Antarctic Program research stations, located on Anvers Island, near the Antarctic Peninsula. (Glenn E. Grant/National Science Foundation) #



A molting emperor penguin seen on January 3, 2007. (Carlie Reum/National Science Foundation) #



Sculptured iceberg in North Bay, Rothera Point, Adelaide Island, Antarctica. ( Pete Bucktrout/British Antarctic Survey)



The Calkin Glacier, seen on November, 2003. The glacier is located in the Taylor Valley in Victoria Land, named for Parker Calkin, US Antarctic Program geologist who conducted research in the area during the 1960-61 and 1961-62 field seasons. (Brian Johnson/National Science Foundation) #


The aurora australis over the Dark Sector at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station on June 3, 2008. The Dark Sector is so-named due to the absence of light and radio wave interfence. The bright spot above the ground shield in the foreground is Jupiter. The white streaks of light going up are the Milky Way. (Keith Vanderlinde/National Science Foundation) #


Penguins on a massive iceberg near the Antarctic Peninsula on November 28, 2003. (Kurtis Burmeister/National Science Foundation) #


Nacreous clouds near McMurdo, Ross Island, Antarctica on August 28, 2004. These polar stratospheric clouds at 80,000 feet are the highest of all clouds. They only occur in the polar regions when the stratospheric temperature dips below 100 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. They are also the site of chemical reactions that break down ozone in the upper atmosphere and contribute to the creation of the ozone hole above Antarctica. (Zenobia Evans/National Science Foundation) #


The Commonwealth Glacier in the Transantarctic Mountains, seen on February 4, 2007. The glacier was named by the British Antarctic Expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott (1910-1913) after the Commonwealth of Australia. This glacier flows in a southeasterly direction, west of Mount Coleman, in Victoria Land. (Mike Embree/National Science Foundation) #


A balancing stone seen on the Dufek Massif in the Pensacola Mountains of Antarctica on January 18, 2007. (Bill Meurer/National Science Foundation) #


An aurora over the Elevated Station at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station on July 16, 2008. (Keith Vanderlinde/National Science Foundation) #


The northern edge of the giant iceberg B-15A seen on January 29, 2001. (Josh Landis/National Science Foundation) #


A view of the Antarctic coast from the Research Vessel NATHANIEL B. PALMER in April of 2007. (Patrick Rowe/National Science Foundation) #


A person stands silhouetted by the South Pole sunset on April 6, 2008. The sun dipped below the horizon on March 20th and did not appear again until September 22nd. (Calee Allen/National Science Foundation) #



A person stands underneath a natural arch in a glacier at Norsel Point, Anvers Island, Antarctica on July 30, 2006. (Glenn Grant/National Science Foundation) #



A full moon and 25 second exposure allowed sufficient light into this photo taken at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station during the long Antarctic night in July of 2005. The new station can be seen at far left, power plant in the center and the old mechanic's garage in the lower right. Red lights are used outside during the winter darkness as their spectrum does not pollute the sky, allowing scientists to conduct astrophysical studies without artificial light interference. The green light in the sky is the aurora australis. (Chris Danals/National Science Foundation) #




The former Russian icebreaker and now cruiseliner Kapitan Khlebnikov breaks through the annual sea ice near the Oates Coast of Antarctica on January 29, 2005. (Mike Usher/National Science Foundation) #



A view from the Research Vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer in April of 2007. (Patrick Rowe/National Science Foundation) #


US Antarctic Program participant DJ Jennings shows his frozen beard on October 26, 2006. (DJ Jennings/National Science Foundation) #


The first glow of sunrise appears above McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica on July 13, 2007. (Chad Carpenter/National Science Foundation) #



The Dome at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is seen above a field of sastrugi - ridges of snow formed by wind erosion on October 29, 2003. (Bill McAfee/National Science Foundation) #


South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, seen on February 23, 2006. (Melissa Rider/National Science Foundation) #



A cable protrudes from the ice wall at Explorer's Cover, New Harbor, McMurdo Sound in this photo taken on November 12, 2005. The cable was used for the Remotely Operable Micro-Environmental Observatory (ROMEO), an underwater camera. Connected to onshore equipment and linked by radio to the Internet, ROMEO allowed scientists to study benthic fauna year-round. (Steve Clabuesch/National Science Foundation) #



Ross Island as viewed from Black Island, about 25 miles away. The glow of lights of McMurdo Station (US) can be seen, and the glow of the sun just below the horizon creates a sunrise which will last for weeks. (Chad Carpenter/National Science Foundation) #


Icebergs near the Antarctic Peninsula in September 2002. (Jeffrey Kietzmann/National Science Foundation) #



An ice cave near Palmer Station, Anvers Island, Antarctica seen on July 24, 2000. (Zee Evans/National Science Foundation) #


Adelie penguins launch themselves out of the frigid water onto the ice on December 31, 2005. (Patrick Rowe/National Science Foundation) #


U.S. Antarctic Program participants handle ropes to secure the docking of a ship at Palmer Station, Anvers Island, Antarctica in the darkness of June 8, 2000. Swirling snow is illuminated above by the ship's lights. (Zee Evans/National Science Foundation) #


Soil biologist Dr. Diana Wall, Colorado State University, looks out across the Taylor Valley near Lake Hoare on January 17, 2006. Her group was conducting research on soil biota. (Emily Stone/National Science Foundation) #


Brooks de Wetter-Smith's photograph of an iceberg titled "Ice Tunnel" (Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum) #


The polar plateau seen on April 20, 2008. The polar plateau is comprised of a flat white snowy landscape as far as the eye can see in every direction. This photo depicts what most of Antarctica looks like - the bedrock of the continent is more than 2 miles below this snow surface. (Keith Vanderlinde/National Science Foundation) #

Fascinating Last Pictures Taken

Wiley Post & Will Rogers
1898 –1935, 1879 - 1935



Wiley Post who was the first pilot to fly solo around the world and his good friend Will Rogers a famous comedian, humorist and social commentator were set out to fly around the world together. This photo (that’s Will Rogers in the hat and tie, standing on the wing) was taken on August 15, 1935 shortly before taking off from a lagoon near Point Barrow Alaska. During take off Post’s experimental Lockheed Explorer sea plane crashed when its engine failed killing both men.

Interesting Fact: The airport in Barrow Alaska was renamed Wiley Post - Will Rogers Memorial Airport. 


John and Jackie Knill



On January 13, 2005 the bodies of Canadian couple John and Jackie Knill were discovered on a Thailand beach resort. They were two of the many victims killed from the December 26 2004 tsunami. Weeks later a Seattle man doing relief work found a damaged camera and discarded it but kept the memory card in the camera. After downloading the images he discovered pictures of the Knill’s enjoying their vacation, as well as shots of a huge wave approaching the shore. With each picture it shows the wave getting closer and closer to shore. The last picture taken of them before the wave hit (shown above) was shot just after 8.30 am on December 26. 

Interesting Fact: The Seattle man that discovered the images recognized the Knills from a missing person’s web site and contacted the couple’s two sons in Vancouver Canada. The man then drove from Seattle to Vancouver to give the sons their parent’s last images. 


Albert Einstein
b.1879 d.1955



The photograph above is the last known picture of Einstein, taken in March, 1955. There are not a lot of details concerning this photo but he is probably at his home near Princeton, New Jersey. A month later on April 17, 1955, Einstein experienced internal bleeding caused by the rupture of an aortic aneurysm, which had previously been diagnosed and reinforced. He went to the hospital and took a draft of a speech he was preparing for a television appearance commemorating the State of Israel’s seventh anniversary with him. Unfortunately he did not live long enough to complete it. The following day Einstein died at the age of 76.

Interesting Fact: Einstein’s brain was removed within seconds of his death (without the permission of his family) in hope that future neuroscience would be able to discover what made Einstein so intelligent. Recent scientific studies have suggested that regions involved in speech and language are smaller, while regions involved with numerical and spatial processing are larger.


Marilyn Monroe
b.1926 d 1962



Many believe Celebrity photographer George Barris took the last pictures of Marilyn Monroe. However, it was actually Life Magazine’s photographer Allan Grant. The pictures were taken July 7, 1962 during an interview at her home. Six pictures appeared in Life including the one pictured above.
Just under a month later on August 5, 1962, the LAPD received a call at 4:25AM from Dr. Hyman Engelberg proclaiming that Monroe was dead at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. The official cause of Monroe’s death was classified as “acute barbiturate poisoning”, and was also recorded as a “probable suicide. Many questions still remain unanswered about the circumstances of her death and the timeline from when Monroe’s body was found. 

Interesting Fact: The Life Magazine issue featuring Monroe’s interview was dated August 3 1962, just 2 day before her death. 
6

Bill Biggart
1947-2001



Photojournalist Bill Biggart was covering the events of September 11th and was Tragically killed as the second tower of the World Trade Center came down. Four days later Biggart’s body was recovered from the rubble and his personal effects, including his cameras were given to his wife. Biggart’s widow later handed over the camera bag to a good friend and fellow photographer. She was convinced that no pictures had survived because the falling debris had blown off the backs of the two film cameras and the lids of the film canisters had been peeled back. His friend turned his attention to the digital camera that was covered by ash. The lens had been sheared off but when he opened the chamber that held the flash card he discovered it was in pristine condition. The card contained 150 pictures including the last picture taken shown above which is time stamped 10:28 am and 24 seconds. The time was 10:30am when the second tower came down. 

Interesting Fact: When Biggart’s wife reached him on his cell phone shortly after the first tower fell. He told her not to worry, and would meet her in 20 minutes at his studio. “I’m safe,” he assured her, “I’m with the firemen.” It was the last time they ever spoke. About 20 minutes later, the second tower collapsed



Lady Diana
1961 d.1997



Last year when the long-awaited inquest into Lady Diana’s death began, this picture was released that shows the last picture taken before the crash. The press competed to be the first to print it even though the last photo ended up just showing part of her hair. Unfortunately and ironically photos like this one ended up contributing to the crash that ended her life. 

The photo shows the four speeding away from the Ritz Paris At around 12:20 a.m. on August 31, 1997 with Henri Paul the hotel driver, right, and Dodi Fayed’s bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones in the passenger seat. In the rear seat is Princess Diana (looking back at the pursuing paparazzi) with Dodi Fayed sitting next to her. Seconds after this picture was taken the Mercedes entered the Place de l’Alma underpass going at an estimated speed of 105 km/h (65 mph.) The driver lost control of the car and swerved to the left before colliding head-on with one of the pillars in the tunnel. Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul both died instantly. Trevor Rees-Jones was still conscious and had suffered multiple serious injuries to the face. Diana was critically injured but died later that morning in the hospital leaving Rees-Jones the only survivor.

Interesting Fact: As the casualties lay seriously injured or dead in their wrecked car, the photographers continued to take pictures. Critically injured Diana was reported to murmur the words, “oh my God,” and after the photographers were pushed away by emergency teams, the words, “leave me alone”.


Elvis Presley
1935 –1977



This last known photo of Elvis was taken on August 16 1977 at 12.28am. The picture was snapped as he is pulling into Graceland after a night out. That afternoon Presley was found on his bathroom floor by fiancée, Ginger Alden. According to the medical investigator, Presley had “stumbled or crawled several feet before he died”; he had apparently been using the bathroom at the time. Death was officially pronounced at 3:30 pm at Baptist Memorial Hospital.

Interesting Fact: Elvis had visited his dentist on August 15th to have a temporary crown put in and has been suggested that the codeine the dentist gave him that day resulted in an anaphylactic shock that assisted in his death because he had suffered allergic reactions to the drug previously.

Adolf Hitler
1889 –1945



This last know picture of Hitler was taken approximately two days prior to his death as he stands outside his Berlin bunker entrance surveying the devastating bomb damage. With Germany lying in ruins after six years of war, and with defeat imminent, Hitler decided to take his own life. But before doing so, he married Eva Braun and then penned his last will and testament. The next day in the afternoon on April 30, 1945 Braun and Hitler’ entered his living room to end their lives. Later that afternoon the remaining members of the bunker community found Hitler slumped over, and blood spilled over the arm of the couch. Eva was sitting at the other end. Hitler had killed himself by biting down on a cyanide capsule while shooting him self in the head. Eva only used the cyanide capsule.

Interesting Fact: When Hitler asked his physician to recommend a reliable method of suicide his doctor suggested combining a dose of cyanide with a gunshot to the head.


Anne Frank
b.1929 –d.1945



This is believed to be the last known photo of Anne Frank with her sister Margot taken in early to mid 1942. Later that year In July her sister Margot would be among the first to receive notice that she was to be sent to Nazi Germany ordering her to report for relocation to a work camp. Anne was then told by her father that the family would go into hiding. The Frank family was discovered and arrested on the morning of August 4th 1944. Having been arrested in hiding, they were considered criminals and were sent to the Punishment Barracks for hard labor. In March 1945, a typhus epidemic spread through the camp and killed approximately 17,000 prisoners. Witnesses later testified that Margot fell from her bunk in her weakened state and was killed by the shock, and that a few days later Anne Frank died.

Interesting Fact: In April 1945 just weeks after Anne Frank’s death, the camp was liberated by British troops.


Abraham Lincoln
b.1809 –1865



There is some controversy as to which photograph is the last picture of Abraham Lincoln taken before he was assassinated. I ran across three different photos on the Internet that claim last picture. However from information recently discovered the general consensus is the photo pictured above is the one. It was taken by Henry J. Warren during a photo session around the time of his inauguration. Mr. Warren took some candid photographs of crowd scenes on March 4th and two day later on March 6th Warren took this picture out on the White House Balcony.

A little over a month after this picture was taken on April 14, 1865 Lincoln attended a play at Ford’s Theater. John Wilkes Booth a well-known actor and a Confederate spy from Maryland crept up behind the President’s box and waited for the funniest line of the play, hoping the laughter would cover the noise of the gunshot. When the laughter came Booth jumped into the box with the President and aimed a single-shot, round-slug .44 caliber Derringer at his head, firing at point-blank range.

Top 10 Bizarre World Records

Before the Guinness Book of World records took on the format of a coffee table book, I used to read it cover to cover every year. Back then the categories seemed to be pretty straight forward. Tallest, shortest, heaviest, fastest etc. Now it seems many categories are a little contrived just to keep the book fresh and different. However I do have to admit some are quite interesting to watch. So here is a list of 10 world records that are different and entertaining.
10
Lying With Live Cockroaches



This guy lays down in a glass coffin while people pour a record amount of cockroaches on him. It is simply astonishing what people will do to get mentioned in a book.



9
French Kissing




8
Head Spins



This guy does 124 head spins with no hands break dance style. Tylenol anyone?




7
Slam dunk off a trampoline




These guys take their slam dunks off of a trampoline distance records very seriously.



6
Motorcycle Jump to a Moving Truck







 



5
Consecutive Three Pointers




4
House Speed Building





3
Highest Vocal Note by a Male



In this clip we see Adam Lopez - an Australian. He sings a note higher than D7 (the highest note on a piano). The host of the show actually asks this guy if he still has his testicles.



2
Freeflying




This is called “Freeflying.” Instead of falling belly to earth as an average skydiver would do these people fall vertically. It really has an eerie look to it. In some of the camera angles it looks like you are walking in on a ghostly party gathering. When falling this way it increases the freefall speed so since most parachutes are not designed to be opened at these speeds freeflyers must transition back to the belly to earth position and slow down their descent for several seconds before deploying their parachute. This was a world record for largest Vertical Formation and was set on August 3, 2007 over Chicago.

1
Rolling an Orange with your Nose




Terminal 4 at JFK International Airport was the unlikely location for 21-time Guinness record holder Ashrita Furman’s latest attempt to make history. Furman was attempting to break the Guinness record of 29 minutes for rolling an orange with his nose for one mile. Although rolling an orange with ones nose may look amusing, getting in record-setting form is serious business, said Furman. “It’s down to 29 minutes for the mile and it’s actually very fast, it’s a very intense record and so it’s a challenge to me even though it’s silly so hopefully it’ll work out.” After 24 minutes and 34 seconds, the orange and then Furman entered the record books, squashing the old record by over 3 minutes. It was the first for the orange, but Furman’s 87th time in the Guinness book.

Amazing Latin American Vacations

Peten Region, Guatemala



Take one of the direct international flights into Flores to explore this wondrous region. From the cobblestone streets of colonial Flores to the imposing Mayan ruins of Tikal, Peten offers an affordable and safe alternative for visitors to Guatemala. On a steamy summer day, you can dip into the cool waters of Lake Peten Itza or tour the caves of Ak’tun Kan. And make sure you take away some of the great local habanero chile salsa, unless you’re just too afraid of it.


Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia



The world’s largest salt flat is located in Bolivia, and it offers one of the most unique landscapes on the planet. The Salar de Uyuni covers over 12,000 sq km, and the salt is over 10 meters thick in the center, creating in effect a salt tundra. In summer, the salt planes are a completely flat and bone-dry expanse, but in the wet season, it is covered with a thin sheet of water that is still drivable. Rent a land rover for a camping trip, or stay in a hotel that’s completely made of salt! Definitely for the more seasoned trekker, but a truly unforgettable experience. You’ll probably never walk on the moon, but in Uyuni, you’ll come pretty close. 


Bocas del Toro, Panama



If you’re like me and passionately detest the hordes of tourists one associates with Costa Rica or other destinations, Panama might be a great alternative for you. Bocas del Toro is a small archipelago on the country’s western coast. Remote and difficult to access even today, the region’s indigenous and West African cultures have flourished over the centuries, and one usually hears more English or Creole than Spanish here. Check out nearby Red Frog beach for a quiet getaway, or take in some great snorkling in the reefs. Stay too long, and you’re likely to stay for good.


Jalisco state, Mexico



If there is such thing as a perfect climate, you’ll likely find it in Jalisco. Most come to Jalisco for the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, and it is undoubtedly a beautiful place. But if that’s not your thing, stay in the historic center of Guadalajara for some great food, music and museums - Old Mexico at its finest. Or tour the Jose Cuervo distillery for some free samples. You can also find less-crowded beaches like Barra de Navidad, La Manzanilla or San Patricio. Jalisco has much to offer, and you could easily spend weeks wandering around without even leaving the state. 


Rio de Janeiro, Brazil



Founded in the 16th Century as a fortification against French pirates stalking the Portuguese trade routes, Rio has become one of those places whose very name conjures images of steamy tropical nights, sensual Latin rhythms and beautiful, scantily-clad women. And that’s pretty accurate. Take in the Carnival atmosphere of the “cidade maravilhosa” along Impanema or Copacabana beach, or a panoramic flight around Sugarloaf Mountain in a helicopter (well worth it). Sadly, Rio does have a reputation for crime, and you should take certain precautions while visiting, but don’t let it keep you away.




Torres del Paine, Chile



At the southern tip of the New World lies Torres del Paine National Park, in Patagonian Chile. Visiting here might leave you with the impression that you have reached the end of the earth, and that you’d be crazy to go one step further for fear of falling into some infinite abyss. In other words, it be way down there. The park is home to lakes, vast glaciers and mountains massive and sheer. It’s certainly a must-do for the outdoorsman, but it offers something else, not easily explained in a travel brochure. Somewhere between the deafening silence in the air, the mighty rocks crowned with mist and snow, and the eternal and inexorable march of the glacial ice, you will feel as though you have borne witness to the dawn of creation itself, and it’s extraordinary.


Buenos Aires, Argentina



Tango, Madonna and escaped Nazis. That’s the extent of most people’s knowledge of this sprawling Argentine metropolis. Nevermind the quintessentially European feel of the place, it’s affordability, its world-class restaurants, its nightlife, its wine, its art. Nevermind the flourishing rock/hip-hop music scene, the internationally-renowned fashion industry or the cultural diversity born from being the capital of a nation of immigrants. Nevermind that you can fly there directly from the U.S., Europe and Australia for a reasonable price. Madonna? Who’s that?


Galapagos Islands, Ecuador



The Galapagos archipelago was claimed by the newly-independent Republic of Ecuador in 1832. Three years later, some egghead named Darwin visited the islands and came up with some universally popular scientific theories. Come to the Galapagos and it’s easy to see why he chose this spot. Giant tortoises, sea lions, penguins, albatrosses and countless other species rarely seen anywhere else can all be witness in this relatively small 19-island chain. Arrange your trip early, as restrictions to the delicate biosphere are understandably tight. And make sure you spend a few days there to help the local economy. 


Jau National Park, Brazil



Amazonia. Vast beyond comprehension, remote, and tragically delicate. Spanning Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana, the Amazon is one of the last frontiers, and it’s disappearing at a staggering rate. There are many points of entry to the region, and one of the best is located near Manaus in Brazil’s Amazonas state. Follow a straight-line road 200 km to Jau National Park, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tropical, constantly wet (it IS a rain forest) and home to myriad species of dolphins, fish, birds, crocodiles, turtles, monkeys, jaguars, tapirs and insects, the park can be explored by boat for the adventurous or by foot for the suicidal. Fall asleep in a hammock to the calls of the wild, and be grateful to have glimpsed the splendor of this ecological treasure before it’s gone forever.


Machu Picchu, Peru



The Empire of the Inca once ruled supreme across the inhospitable mountains of Peru. Remarkably, they constructed entire stone cities without the need for cement, and built sprawling networks of roads along the spine of the Andes which are still passable today. The most famous is the Camino del Inca, or the Inca Trail. Hire a guide to take you on the four-day journey from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, once a great mountain stronghold of the Inca. If the altitude gets to you, chew on some coca leaves (yes, it’s legal - no, it’s not cocaine) while you take in some of the most breathtaking vistas the Western Hemisphere has to offer. Passing through the Sun Gate as the morning fog slowly fades over the spectral city, long before the tour buses arrive from Cuzco, you might feel as though Machu Picchu has been waiting hundreds of years just for you.

Animals that lived along with your grandparents but not with you

More and more animals are becoming extinct each day, due to hunting, destruction of habitat, pollution, and so on. In the past 100 years, a significant number of animals have become extinct and you will never get the chance of seeing one, no matter what you do. Take a moment and think about what animals your grandchildren will have the chance to see, and what is the legacy you give them.

Japanese Sea Lion

Believed to be extinct since 1950, the Japanese Sea Lion lived in the coastal areas of the Japanese Archipelago and the Korean Peninsula. Weighing up to 450 to 560 kg and reaching lengths of 2.3 to 2.5 meters (the males; females were smalled), they preferred sandy open beaches, but they sometimes used rocky areas for breeding too. Harvest records from Japanese commercial fishermen in the early 1900s show that as many as 3,200 sea lions were harvested, and in total about 17.000 specimens were killed, enough to cause their extinction.

 Desert Rat Kangaroo


It lived in the driest, hottest and most desolate environments in Central Australia, relying on its fantastic resistance and independance of water; in fact, it was so prepared that it even shunned the succulent plants of the sandhills. It was first sighted by Europeans in 1841 and was not seen again for 90 years. The last sighting was in 1935, which makes it quite a mysterious creature. They were able to travel enormous distances and high speeds, and they ‘paused only to die’.


Phantom shiner


This elusive species of fish was once endemic to the Rio Grande basin and ranged from central New Mexico to southernmost Texas. Not too much information is available about them, and they were only spotted irregularly and only several times. The last known specimen was recorded in Mexico in 1975.


 Labrador duck


The labrador duck was never common; it’s believed that this species of duck has been extinct since 1875. It’s also believed that it was the first bird to be extinct in North America sincer 1500. It was also called the Pied Duck and it fed on small molluscs. Its extinctions is quite a mystery, because it was not sought much by hunters. Still, humans are still probably responsable for its extinction as they caused the decline in mussels and other shellfish on which they are believed to have fed in their winter quarters, due to growth of population and industry on the Eastern Seaboard; this meant that the duck had no food left.


 Quagga


The Quagga is a subspecies of the plains zebra which lived in great numbers in South Africa’s Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It got this name as an onomatopoeia, being said to resemble its call. The quagga was the first extinct creature to have its DNA studied although the only live photographed member was the Regent’s Park Zoo mare in London.


Tasmanian Wolf


It’s believed that the Tasmanian Wolf has been extinct for about 65 years. Despite its appearance and its popular name, this animal was not in fact a species of wolf, nor was it a dog, which it also resembled. It was actually a marsupial — the largest carnivorous marsupial in recent times — and was closely related to the kangaroo and the wombat. It’s extinction is attributed solely to human activities.


 Caspian Tiger


Caspian Tigers lived in China, Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey, being the westernmost subspecies of tiger. It’s believed that they became extinct in the late 1950s, though there have been several alleged sightings of the tiger. Being the third largest species of tiger ever to walk the face of the Earth, it still couldn’t resist the massive hunting parties which killed them down, mostly for fur. The Russian government have worked heavily to eradicate the Caspian tiger during planning a huge land reclamation programme in the beginning of the 20th century. They considered there was no room for the tiger in their plans and so instructed the Russian army to exterminate all tigers found around the area of the Caspian Sea, a project that was carried out very efficiently. Three cheers for the Russian government.

Top 10 Bizarre Traditions

Most of these traditions are now a part of history (and in most cases that is a good thing) and most are considered barbaric or evil. Yet some of them have only stopped recently. This is the list of the top 10 bizarre traditions that are now mostly lost to mankind. Warning: Contains adult material.

Foot Binding (??) 

Footbinding was a custom practised on young females for approximately one thousand years in China, beginning in the 10th century and ending in the early 20th century. In Chinese foot binding, young girls’ feet, usually at age 6 but often earlier, were wrapped in tight bandages so that they could not grow and develop normally; they would, instead, break and become highly deformed, not growing past 4-6 inches (10-15 cm). Today, it is a prominent cause of disability among some elderly Chinese women.



First, each foot would be soaked in a warm mixture of herbs and animal blood. This concoction caused any necrotised flesh to fall off. Then her toenails were cut back as far as possible to prevent ingrowth and subsequent infections. To prepare her for what was to come next the girl’s feet were delicately massaged. Silk or cotton bandages, ten feet long and two inches wide, were prepared by soaking in the same blood and herb mix as before. Each of the toes were then broken and wrapped in the wet bandages, which would constrict when drying, and pulled tightly downwards toward the heel. There may have been deep cuts made in the sole to facilitate this.

 Self Mummification (???) 



Sokushinbutsu were Buddhist monks or priests who allegedly caused their own deaths in a way that resulted in their being mummified. This practice reportedly took place almost exclusively in northern Japan around the Yamagata Prefecture. Between 16 and 24 such mummifications have been discovered.

For three years the priests would eat a special diet consisting only of nuts and seeds, while taking part in a regimen of rigorous physical activity that stripped them of their body fat. They then ate only bark and roots for another three years and began drinking a poisonous tea made from the sap of the Urushi tree, normally used to lacquer bowls. This caused vomiting and a rapid loss of bodily fluids, and most importantly, it killed off any maggots that might cause the body to decay after death. Finally, a self-mummifying monk would lock himself in a stone tomb barely larger than his body, where he would not move from the lotus position. His only connection to the outside world was an air tube and a bell. Each day he rang a bell to let those outside know that he was still alive. When the bell stopped ringing, the tube was removed and the tomb sealed. You can read more about this practice here.


 Eunuchs 



First off, in case you are confused, the photograph above is of a male Eunich. A eunuch is a castrated man; the term usually refers to those castrated in order to perform a specific social function, as was common in many societies of the past. In ancient China castration was both a traditional punishment (until the Sui Dynasty) and a means of gaining employment in the Imperial service. At the end of the Ming Dynasty there were 70,000 eunuchs in the Imperial palace. The value of such employment—certain eunuchs gained immense power that may have superseded that of the prime ministers—was such that self-castration had to be made illegal. The number of eunuchs in Imperial employ had fallen to 470 in 1912, when their employment ceased

Eunuchs castrated before puberty were also valued and trained in several cultures for their exceptional voices, which retained a childlike and other-worldly flexibility and treble pitch. Such eunuchs were known as castrati. Unfortunately the choice had to be made at an age when the boy would not yet be able to consciously choose whether to sacrifice his sexual potency, and there was no guarantee that the voice would remain of musical excellence after the operation.



sati



Sati was a Hindu funeral custom, now very rare and a serious criminal act in India, in which the dead man’s widow would throw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre in order to commit suicide. The act of sati was supposed to take place voluntarily, and from the existing accounts, most of them were indeed voluntary. The act may have been expected of widows in some communities. The extent to which any social pressures or expectations should be considered as compulsion has been the matter of much debate in modern times. It is frequently stated that a widow could expect little of life after her husband’s death, especially if she was childless. However, there were also instances where the wish of the widow to commit sati was not welcomed by others, and where efforts were made to prevent the death


Dueling Wikipedia | More Images



As practised from the 15th to 20th centuries in Western societies, a duel was a consensual fight between two people, with matched deadly weapons, in accordance with rules explicitly or implicitly agreed upon, over a point of honor, usually accompanied by a trusted representative (who might themselves fight), and in contravention of the law.

The duel usually developed out of the desire of one party (the challenger) to redress a perceived insult to his honor. The goal of the duel was not so much to kill the opponent as to gain “satisfaction,” i.e., to restore one’s honor by demonstrating a willingness to risk one’s life for it.

Duels could be fought with some sort of sword or, from the 18th Century on, with pistols. For this end special sets of duelling pistols were crafted for the wealthiest of noblemen. After the offence, whether real or imagined, the offended party would demand “satisfaction” from the offender, signalling this demand with an inescapably insulting gesture, such as throwing the glove before him, hence the phrase “throwing down the gauntlet”.





Seppuku (??) Wikipedia | More Images



Seppuku (Hara-Kiri) was a key part of bushido, the code of the samurai warriors; it was used by warriors to avoid falling into enemy hands, and to attenuate shame. Samurai could also be ordered by their daimyo (feudal lords) to commit seppuku. Later, disgraced warriors were sometimes allowed to commit seppuku rather than be executed in the normal manner. Since the main point of the act was to restore or protect one’s honor as a warrior, those who did not belong to the samurai caste were never ordered or expected to commit seppuku. Samurai women could only commit the act with permission.

A Samurai was bathed, dressed in white robes, fed his favorite meal, and when he was finished, his instrument was placed on his plate. Dressed ceremonially, with his sword placed in front of him and sometimes seated on special cloths, the warrior would prepare for death by writing a death poem. With his selected attendant (kaishakunin, his second) standing by, he would open his kimono (clothing), take up his tanto (knife) and plunge it into his abdomen, making a left-to-right cut. The kaishakunin would then perform daki-kubi, a cut in which the warrior was all but decapitated (a slight band of flesh is left attaching the head to the body).



 Human Sacrifice 



Human sacrifice is the act of killing a human being for the purposes of making an offering to a deity or other, normally supernatural, power. It was practiced in many ancient cultures. The practice has varied between different cultures, with some like the Mayans and Aztecs being notorious for their ritual killings, while others have looked down on the practice as primitive. Victims were ritually killed in a manner that was supposed to please or appease gods or spirits. Victims ranged from prisoners to infants to Vestal Virgins, who suffered such fates as burning, beheading and being buried alive.

Over time human sacrifice has become less common around the world, and sacrifices are now very rare. Most religions condemn the practice and present-day laws generally treat it as a criminal matter. Nonetheless it is still occasionally seen today, especially in the least developed areas of the world where traditional beliefs persist.


 Concubinage 



The photograph here shows a group of concubines standing behind their protectors (usually Eunuchs). Concubinage is the state of a woman or youth in an ongoing, quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status. Typically, the man has an official wife in addition to one or more concubines. Concubines have limited rights of support from the man, and their offspring are publicly acknowledged as the man’s children, albeit of lower status than children born by the official wife or wives.

Historically, concubinage was frequently voluntary (by the girl and/or her family’s arrangement), as it provided a measure of economic security for the woman involved. Involuntary, or servile, concubinage sometimes involves sexual slavery of one member of the relationship, typically the woman.


Geisha (??) 



The full traditions of the Geisha have now been replaced with a modern system. Once Geisha were plentiful in number. In 1900s, there were over 25,000 geisha. In the early 1930s, there were 80,000 geisha. Most geisha were in Kyoto, the old capital city of Japan. Nowadays, there are less than 10,000 geisha left. In Tokyo, there are only 100 geisha left. However, true geisha are much more rare. Modern geisha are not bought from poor families and brought into the geisha house as children. Becoming a geisha is now entirely voluntary, and women who are not the children of geisha can now become geisha. However the training remains as rigourous as before. Young girls have to be very committed to learn the art of traditional Japanese dancing, singing, music, and much more.

Traditional Geisha did not offer the services of prostitution, though some modern ones are rumored to.


Tibetan Sky Burial (????????)



Sky burial or ritual dissection was once a common practice in Tibet. A human corpse is cut into small pieces and placed on a mountaintop, exposing it to the elements and animals – especially to birds of prey. In one account, the leading mok cut off the limbs and hacked the body to pieces, handing each part to his assistants, who used rocks to pound the flesh and bones together to a pulp, which they mixed with tsampa (barley flour with tea and yak butter or milk) before the vultures were summoned to eat.

In several accounts, the flesh was stripped from the bones and given to vultures without further preparation; the bones then were broken up with sledgehammers, and usually mixed with tsampa before being given to the vultures. In another account, vultures were given the whole body. When only the bones remained, they were broken up with mallets, ground with tsampa, and given to crows and hawks that had waited until the vultures had departed.

The Communist government of China outlawed it in the 1960s so it was nearly a lost tradition, but they legalised it again in the 1980s.

Things there is no scientific explanation for

Every once in a while, you hear about something that sounds just unexplainable, but turns out to be not that out of the ordinary a few days later. Still, sometimes, the mystery just keeps going and going and there seems to be no scientific explanation for it. Here’s a list of some of the most intriguing mysteries science has been unable to explain, from cold fusion to female orgasms.

 Cold fusion

Cold fusion is a set of controversial effects reported in laboratory experiments. Basically, when atoms collide together, they can fuse together if there’s enough force. But according to the theories, this can only happen in extremely energized environment like the core of stars; (most) experiments showed that when a voltage is passed in heavy water between palladium electrodes, the deuterium atoms in the heavy water move into the palladium electrode, combining and releasing energy. The reason for this is still unknown.

 The Placebo effect



Go ahead, take this; you’ll be better! All you have to do is believe you’ll be better. This is how the placebo effect could be put in the simplest way. A placebo is a substance or procedure which a patient accepts as a medicine or therapy but which has no specific therapeutic activity for the condition; the results are believed to be caused by the power of suggestion. Nobody knows exactly what power we have that could be harvested to cure ourselves, but luckily scientists are trying to sort this out as we speak. It may take a while though - they’ve been doing this for decades, if not centuries.


Dark Matter

Dark matter is a form of hypothetical matter that doesn’t emit or reflect enough electromagnetic radiation to be observed directly, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter. Rewind; basically, our understanding of gravity doesn’t explain the distribution of visible objects in the universe. So in order to do this, modern scientists have “created” this form of matter. Never heard of MACHO and WIMP particles? Check the links out for more information.


 Female orgasms



It’s obvious for everybody what the purpose of male orgasms is - it plays a key reproductive role, important for the continuation of the human race. However, the scientific and evolutionary role of the female orgasm is still the subject of much debate. Also, if we’re at it, things aren’t certain about the G point either.


The WOW! signal.



Unfortunately, not many know about this. Jerry Ehman was absolutely stunned when he witnessed something nobody has been able to explain to this day. In the day of August 15th 1977, he received a radio signal from space that had expected hallmarks of potential non-terrestrial and non-solar system origin. It lasted for 72 seconds, the full duration Big Ear observed it, but has not been detected again. For more technical details, check this out.

Most Amazing Street Performers

ichel Lauzière: The Rollerblade Bottle Tune guy
The Rollerblade bottle tune guy? That's right. He makes music by rollerblading along a street with strategically placed and filled bottles. Not long ago, he sued Audi for picking up the idea in this ad; it got settled. 

Watch him on the following video playing Mozart's Symphony No. 40. It's absolutely fabulous. 

Ramana: The Man Who Levitated outside the White House

Ramana's repertoire includes "flying" up to 10 metres above ground, mind reading and other forms of Indian street trickery. A household name in his native Netherlands, Ramana has performed for Queen Beatrix and has been honoured in India with the Golden Cloth award, the highest cultural honour ever given to a westerner. On 2007, the dutch magician levitated in Times Square and in front of the White House as well. 

Senmaru: Japanese Juggler

Senmaru is a japanese street artist who performs the art of Japanese traditional juggling: the Daikagura. From a teacup balanced on top of a long pole, to other objects being spinned around on the top of his umbrella. The original purpose of Daikagura was to serve as a talisman for the people, chasing away evil on behalf of the gods of the shrines. Thus, Daikagura was originally a very sacred and serious performance. 




Johan Lorbeer: Defies Gravity

German performing artist Johan Lorbeer became famous in the past few years because of his “Still-Life” Performances, which took place in the public area. His installations includes “Proletarian Mural” and “Tarzan”, which are famous in Germany. Several of these performances feature Lorbeer in an apparently impossible position. 

With his still-life performances, this German artist seems to unhinge the laws of gravity. For hours on time, he remains, as a living work of art, in physically impossible positions. Elevated or reduced to the state of a sculpture, he interacts with the bewildered and irritated audience, whose appetite for communication rises as time goes by, often culminating in the wish to touch the artist in his superhuman, angelic appearance in order to participate in his abilities. The Secret? His arm is the supporting bar, and his real arm is hide inside his cloth. 


Ho Eng Hui: Breaks Coconuts with his finger

Ho Eng Hui is 56-year-old Kung Fu king and street performer in Malaysia who uses his index finger to smash through the tough shells of coconuts. Ho broke his finger in 1993, but perservered to win an entry in the Malaysian Book of Records for breaking through 3 coconuts in just over a minute. On this video by Reuters (after the ads) he shows his skills.

Seamless pictures

The Continents And Their Highest Points

Continents are the large landmasses on Earth, delimitated by convention rather than geographical properties. Here we will refer to elevation as the height above sea level. However, it has to be taken into consideration that distance from the center of the earth is not the same thing, due to the fact that our planet is an oblate spheroid, meaning that points at the Ecuator are farther out from the center than points at the poles. So here they are, in ascending order.

Continent: Australia
Elevation: 2,228 metres
Where: Mount Kosciuszko


With just over 2 000 meters, Mount Kosciuszko is not impressive by most standards. It’s not very difficult to reach the top, and it’s hard to consider it a deadly mountain. People actually climbed it (or most of it) using motorized vehicles, but that’s forbidden now, due to environmental concerns.

Continent: Oceania (let’s take it this way)
Elevation: 4,884 metres
Where: Carstensz Pyramid, New Guinea



There was a tight “fight” between Oceania and Antarctica, but the latter managed to be a bit higher. Accessing this peak requires a governemental permit and it was actually closed to tourists between 1995 and 2005.

Continent: Antarctica
Elevation: 4,892 metres
Where: Vinson Massif



Located just 1,200 km from the South Pole, and it was first climbed only in 1966 by a group of climbers from the USA.

Continent: Europe
Elevation: 5,642 metres
Where: Mount Elbrus




Since there is no clear limit between Europe and Asia, some say that Mount Elbrus is actually not in Europe, and the highest point in Europe is actually Mont Blanc (4,810 m). Still, at least for the sake of competition, we’ll take it in the old continent.

Continent: Africa
Elevation: 5,895 metres
Where: Kilimanjaro



Kilimanjaro is a volcano in Tanzania; with it’s almost 6 thousand meters, it gives a breathtaking view of the surroundings, which is why it’s a favorite of many tourists. It’s top is a crater wide of about 2 km.

Continent: North America
Elevation: 6,194 metres
Where: Mount McKinley


“The Great One”, as it’s often called, is the central attraction of the Denali Park, in Alaska.

Continent: South America
Elevation: 6,962 metres
Where: Aconcagua



The highest point in the Americas, it’ the highest point in both Western and Southern emispheres.

Continent: Asia
Elevation: 8848 metres
Where: Mount Everest

Storm-battered Yemen

A file photo from April 2007 handed out by the Aga Khan Award for architecture shows the ancient city of Shibam, Yemen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and and one of three major urban centres in Wadi Hadramaut. Heavy rains swept through Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramaut, which has now been declared a disaster zone, local officials said on October 24,2008. 


The damage seen from a helicopter above the Hadramaut Valley, Yemen on Saturday Oct.25, 2008, where at least 49 people were killed by floods sweeping through southern Yemen after a massive tropical storm slammed into the impoverished country. 


An aerial view shows the flood waters following two days of storms in the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut on October 25, 2008. 


Collapsed buildings are seen surrounded by flood waters in a town in the Yemeni province of Hadramaut on October 25, 2008. Aid operations swung into higher gear in Yemen today after floods killed scores of people and six more died from lightning strikes during two days of fierce storms. Both Hadramaut and Mahra provinces have been officially declared disaster zones. 


Ninety-year-old Yemeni man, Jamaan Hamid Huwaidi, walks in front of four collapsed houses that belong to his family in the village Mishtah in the eastern Yemeni Hadramaut valley on October 27, 2008. President Ali Abdullah Saleh allocated yesterday 100 million dollars in aid to flood-hit areas of southeast Yemen. Rescue teams, chiefly using military helicopters, were continuing operations to help people affected by the flood, especially in isolated villages. 



Collapsed houses are seen in Dhamir Nahar village in southeastern Yemen October 27, 2008. 



Travellers are stranded after the collapse of a bridge in the southeastern Yemeni valley of Sayoun October 25, 2008. 


A Yemeni family searches for possessions amid the rubble of their collapsed house following two days of heavy storms in the village Mishtah in the eastern Yemeni Hadramaut valley on October 27, 2008. 


A Yemeni man gestures towards the historical city of Shibam in Hadramaut province of eastern Yemen on October 28, 2008, damaged by ferocious storms. Many other people are still missing and thousands are without shelter, a government official said. 


An aerial picture shows damaged buildings in the ancient city of Shibam, in the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut on October 25, 2008 following two days of fierce storms in the area. Both Hadramaut and Mahra provinces have been officially declared disaster zones.  


Locals stand in a flooded area near a washed-out road in the southeastern Yemeni valley of Sayoun October 25, 2008. 


Residents gather at the site of collapsed houses in the oil-rich Sah district in southeastern Yemen October 27, 2008. 



Buildings in the ancient city of Shibam are seen in the southeastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut, October 28, 2008. Shibam largely survived a devastating flood that hit southeastern Yemen destroying hundreds of mud houses and leaving dozens of people dead or missing. 


Houses damaged by floods are seen near receding floodwaters in the southeastern Yemeni valley of Sayoun October 25, 2008. 


Travellers are seen stranded after the collapse of a bridge in the southeastern Yemeni valley of Sayoun October 25, 2008. 


Silt and mud cover the land around damaged homes following two days of storms in the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut on October 25, 2008. 



Residents of the historic city of Shibam, Yemen, flee as a two-story mud brick house disintegrates, its foundations undermined by flood water, following a massive tropical storm which slammed into the impoverished country Saturday Oct. 25, 2008. 


Yemenis search for their belongings amid the rubble collapsed houses following two days of heavy storms in the village Mishtah in the eastern Yemeni Hadramaut province on October 27, 2008. 

The ancient city of Shibam is seen in this aerial photograph in the southeastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut, October 28, 2008. 

Yeminis walk past destroyed buildings and flood waters in the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut on October 25, 2008, following two days of storms. 

 
A Yemeni boy rests on the rubble of his collapsed home in the historical city of Shibam in Hadramaut province of eastern Yemen on October 28, 2008. 

Several buildings are seen inside the city of Shibam, Yemen on a clear day following a recent encounter with severe storms and flooding on October 28, 2008. 

Source:boston

Amazing Displays Of Fossils Art

Art is a relative term, especially in these modern times. In its most accepted term, art is the deliberate process of arranging certain elements in such a way that appeals to the senses, trying to achieve beauty. But what these elements are and how they are arranged is up to the artist. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that certain artists have used fossils (preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms) to create amazing works of art, very original and interesting; here are just a few of them.

Fossil Fish mural, by Tom Lindgren

GeoDecor specimens adorn this Southern California home (Interior by Adams Architects)


A sample of Stephanoceras sp. Aalenian, Inferior Oolite, Somerset, about 165 mil. years old


A few “paintings”, from here



A smoky quartz from Brazil



A fish and sting ray mural


Blending beauty with usefulness


A vase



sculpture

Amazing Sandcastles

Afghanistan's Korengal Valley

A 50 caliber machine gun points out towards an Afghan village October 23, 2008 at the U.S. Army combat outpost Dallas in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. OP Dallas is located in the Korengal Valley, site of some of the heaviest combat between American forces and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. 


U.S. Army officers fly back to the unit headquarters following a memorial service for Sgt. John Penich October 23, 2008 at the Korengal Outpost in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. Penich, from Beach Park, Illinois, was killed by a mortar round while in combat October 16. 


U.S. Army SFC Isaac Migli, 26, walks up a mountainside towards an American outpost in the Korengal Valley October 24, 2008 in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. 



An American soldier leaves combat outpost Dallas October 23, 2008 in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. 


Artillerymen await coordinates before firing a 155mm Howitzer on a Taliban position October 22, 2008 from Camp Blessing in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. Their unit, Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion of the 321 Field Artillery, has fired more than 5,900 shells since they deployed to Afghanistan less than a year ago, making it the busiest artillery unit in the U.S. Army, according to to military officers. They most often fire in support of Army infantry units fighting Taliban insurgents in the nearby Korengal Valley. 



Artillerymen fire a 155mm Howitzer at a Taliban position October 22, 2008 from Camp Blessing in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. 


U.S. Army SFC Isaac Migli, 26, walks up a mountainside towards an American outpost in the Korengal Valley October 24, 2008 in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. 



A monkey rides on the back of a U.S. Army soldier October 23, 2008 at combat outpost Dallas in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. The monkey went along as a temporary mascot with soldiers who were switching out with comrades who had been in the remote outpost for a week. 


U.S. Army SFC. Isaac Migli, 26, walks through a mountaintop outpost in the Korengal Valley October 24, 2008 in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan.  


U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph Debose, 26, stands amongst village elders as Afghan and American forces search for weapons October 25, 2008 in the Korengal Valley of Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents enjoy widespread public support in the contested valley. 

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U.S. Army Spc. Clayton Hodge, 22, rests after climbing a mountainside on patrol October 26, 2008 in the Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan. He and fellow members of the 1-26 Infantry are involved in some of the heaviest fighting between American forces and Taliban insurgents. 


Village elders speak with a U.S. Marine (L), through an interpreter as American and Afghan forces search for weapons October 25, 2008 in the Korengal Valley of Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan. 


An Afghan elder from the Korengal Valley speaks during a meeting with U.S. and Afghan military officials October 30, 2008 at the Korengal Outpost in eastern Afghanistan. U.S. and Afghan officers tried to convince the elders to accept a new paved road through the Korengal Valley as part of a large American development project. The elders refused the road, however, saying that they would prohibit anyone in their valley from working on the project. The Taliban is very popular in the Korengal Valley and most of the elders have strong family ties to local Taliban fighters, who oppose the American presence in their area. 


U.S. Marines scan for Taliban insurgents as Afghan forces search a house for weapons October 25, 2008 in the Korengal Valley of Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan.



U.S. Army soldiers take a concealed position as Afghan forces search for weapons October 25, 2008 in the Korengal Valley of Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan.


A bullet hole mars the view from an armored Humvee as an Afghan soldier races towards a Chinook transport helicopter for his two-week leave from the Korengal Outpost October 29, 2008 in eastern Afghanistan. Viper Company of the 1-26 Infantry as well as Afghan Army soldiers are based there at the remote base and fight in some of the heaviest combat with Taliban insurgents in all of Afghanistan. The road to the outpost is so dangerous that most soldiers can only arrive and depart by helicopter. 



A U.S. Army soldier pays his respects at a memorial service for Sgt. John Penich October 23, 2008 at the Korengal Outpost in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. Penich, from Beach Park, Illinois, was killed by a mortar round while in combat October 16. 



A U.S soldier watches a DVD on his laptop at the Korengal Outpost October 29, 2008 in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. Soldiers stationed at the base will be there for at least a year and receive just over two weeks of leave outside of Afghanistan during their deployment. 

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An Army soldier describes a firefight from the previous day by pointing out military positions on a breakfast burrito at the Korengal Outpost October 29, 2008 in eastern Afghanistan. (John Moore/Getty Images) #


A soldier is seen in a mirror as he walks into his barracks at the Korengal Outpost October 29, 2008 in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. 


A U.S. Army Chinook transport helicopter sling loads supplies through the Korengal Valley to resupply soldiers in the remote area on October 27, 2008 in Afghanistan. The military spends huge effort and money to fly in supplies to soldiers from the 1-26 Infantry based in the Korengal Valley - the unpaved road into the area is bad and will become more treacherous with the onset of winter. 



A U.S. Army Chinook transport helicopter arrives with soldiers and supplies to the Korengal Outpost on October 27, 2008 in the Korengal Vallay, Afghanistan. 


A U.S. Army helicopter gunner, his helmet face painted as a skull, awaits soldiers to board his Chinook transport helicopter October 30, 2008 for transport out of the Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents had attacked a nearby U.S. Army outpost, and the Americans responded with machine guns, mortars and helicopter gunships. 


U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Yeatman, 21, breathes heavily after climbing a mountaintop overlooking a Taliban position October 28, 2008 in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. American forces from 2nd Platoon Viper Company of the 1-26 Infantry occupied the strategic mountaintop, and were shot at by Taliban insurgents. 



U.S. Army Spc. Kyle Stephenson grimaces from the sound of outgoing shots during a firefight October 28, 2008 in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. American forces from 2nd Platoon Viper Company of the 1-26 Infantry had occupied a strategic mountaintop when they were fired upon by Taliban insurgents. 



U.S. Army mortars explode on suspected Taliban insurgent positions during a firefight October 28, 2008 in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. 


U.S. Army Pvt. Jerry Chavez shoots his M-4 rifle on burst during a firefight with Taliban insurgents October 28, 2008 in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. American forces from 2nd Platoon Viper Company of the 1-26 Infantry had occupied a strategic mountaintop when they were fired upon by Taliban militia. 


A U.S. Army soldier looks to a Taliban position following a firefight October 28, 2008 in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. No Americans were injured in the fight and Taliban casualties were unknown. 


U.S. Army Spc. Kyle Stephenson, 21, passes through a village during a mission to overlook a Taliban position October 28, 2008 in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. 
The U.S. soldier depicted in the following two photographs was not stationed in the Korengal Valley, he was, however killed by a roadside bomb along with four other soldiers while on patrol in Gerdia Seria, Afghanistan on September 17th.


Imam Hashim Raza leads mourners in prayer during a funeral for Mohsin Naqvi at al-Fatima Islamic Center in Colonie, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 22, 2008. Naqvi was a Muslim, a native of Pakistan (he emigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was 8 years old and became a citizen at 16) and a U.S. Army officer. He was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol last week in Afghanistan.


Hassan Naqvi mourns beside the coffin of his brother Mohsin Naqvi before a funeral at al-Fatima Islamic Center in Colonie, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 22, 2008.


Source:boston

The Biggest Stadiums On Earth

Colossal sports stadiums around the world are truly modern marvels, and they are some of the largest man-made structures on the planet. The first known stadium was the one used for the first Olympic games in Ancient Greece back in 776 BC. Since then, modern machinery has revolutionised how we construct these massive venues, and today they are bigger and more elaborate than ever.

This list of stadiums will not include racetracks (auto or horse racing), because they are not true stadiums. Racetracks are the largest sports facilities in the world, though, with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway being the largest – this place can hold nearly 400,000 people for one race! Here’s a list of the biggest sports stadiums in the world, and just how big they are.

Strahov Stadium, Czech Republic



Strahov Stadium: Construction began on this massive stadium back in 1926, and when it was completed, this behemoth could seat up to 250,000 people. The playing field alone is 63,500 square meters in size! Strahov Stadium is located in Prague, Czech Republic, and it has been used for a variety of sporting events as well as large political events.This stadium has also hosted some of the biggest concerts ever. Some of the bands that have played here included Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, U2, and Genesis. The future of Strahov Stadium is up-in-the-air at this point, but many people would like to see it turned into a large commercial zone with hotels, restaurants, shops, etc. There has also been talk of converting it into an Olympic village if Prague were to win a future bid to host the Olympics.




Rungrado May Day Stadium, Pyongyang



Rungrado May Day Stadium: The Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea is considered to be one of the biggest stadiums in the world – based upon capacity. This stadium will seat 150,000 people during sporting events, parades, and celebrations. May Day stadium has even held as many as 190,000 people for a 1995 professional wrestling match – the largest crowd ever for this type of event. Rungrado May Day Stadium covers an astonishing 2.2 million square feet of floor space, and the roof peaks at about 200ft into the air. May Day Stadium also features some great architecture with the roof consisting of 16 arches that resemble a parachute or flower.


Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi



Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is located in Delhi, India, and it was built back in 1982. This massive stadium will seat up to 130,000 people for sporting events or concerts. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is used mostly for football matches, but there have also been lots of large-scale concerts and even some cricket matches hosted here. In 2010 the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will be the site of the Commonwealth Games.


Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata



Salt Lake Stadium: This multipurpose stadium in Kolkata, India was opened in 1984 and while it is used mostly for football matches, it has seen its fair share of emotional, and sometimes violent, fanfare. Salt Lake Stadium is built on over 76 acres of land and will seat approximately 120,000 people in its 3-tier stadium designed seating.


Eden Gardens, Kolkata



Eden Gardens: This gigantic stadium, like the Salt Lake Stadium, is located in Kolkata, India. This stadium is primarily used to play cricket, and it is one of the largest cricketing facilities in the world. Originally, this stadium could hold 120,000 people, but after some recent renovations it can now only hold about 88,000 – although it is still capable of holding over 100,000 for larger events.


Estadio Azteca, Mexico City



Estadio Azteca: This huge football stadium in Mexico City was opened in 1966, and then renovated in 1985. This stadium will seat approximately 115,000 people for a football match, and it has also hosted many of the most famous singers/bands of all-time including Michael Jackson, U2, Elton John, Robbie Williams, and many others. This stadium has also hosted the FIFA World Cup twice, as well as the 1968 Summer Olympics. The playing field at Estadio Azteca is situated 31 feet below ground level, and it’s surrounded by three big rings of seating which tower above the playing field – it’s quite a site!


Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor



Michigan Stadium: Home of the University of Michigan Wolverines football (American) team, Michigan Stadium is the largest college football stadium in the United States. This stadium, nicknamed ‘the big house’, has an official capacity of 107,501, but attendance frequently surpasses that amount. Michigan Stadium has College football’s highest attendance record of 112,118 in 2003 against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

This huge stadium is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and on game days the population of the city nearly doubles with well-over 100,000 fans flocking to Michigan Stadium to cheer-on their Wolverines.


Beaver Stadium, Pennsylvania



Beaver Stadium: Slightly smaller than Michigan Stadium is Beaver Stadium, which is located on the campus of Penn State University in Pennsylvania. This stadium is home to the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. The seating capacity at Beaver Stadium is an astounding 107,282 with the largest crowd to ever see a football game at Beaver Stadium being 110,753 back in 2002, against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Beaver Stadium is the third largest stadium in North America, and the sixth largest in the world.


Ohio Stadium, Columbus



Ohio Stadium: Ohio Stadium is the home of the Ohio State Buckeye’s college football team, and it’s located in Columbus, Ohio. Nicknamed ‘The Horseshoe’, because the stadium is in the shape of a horseshoe, this mammoth stadium is able to seat over 100,000 people for a college football game – 102,329 to be exact. Ohio Stadium is 919 feet in length and 679 feet wide, and it sits upon a 14.5 acre lot.

Ohio Stadium is also a popular concert venue that has hosted acts including U2, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Metallica. During a concert, this huge stadium can pack-in about 110,000 people – making it one of the top 10 biggest stadiums in the world.


Neyland Stadium, Knoxville



Neyland Stadium: The next largest stadium in the world is yet again another college football stadium in the United States. This monstrous stadium is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and is the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team. Neyland Stadium is the third largest in the USA with a capacity of 102,037. The largest crowd ever to attend a game here was 109,061 back in 2004. The natural grass field is famous for the orange and white checkerboard pattern in the end zones, which originated back in 1964.


Cairo International Stadium, Cairo



Cairo International Stadium: This multipurpose stadium in Cairo, Egypt is considered to be the top Olympic training facility in both the Middle East and Africa. Cairo International Stadium currently has a capacity of 100,500, but there have been close to 120,000 people in this stadium at any one time for big football matches. Because of the immense size, it has been used as the location of the African Cup in 1986 and 2006.


Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta



Gelora Bung Karno Stadium: This gigantic stadium, located in Central Jakarta, Indonesia, was completed in 1960 and is used mostly for football matches. This $12.5 million stadium has a capacity of approximately 100,000, although some recent renovations will lower this number to about 88,000 but it will still be one of the biggest stadiums in the world.

The Gelora Bung Karno Stadium features an enormous steel roof that forms a huge ring over the spectators, and thus protects them from the extremely hot weather conditions. This large stadium has been the site for many big events including the Asian Games (twice), SEA Games, and the Tiger Cup (twice).


Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne



Melbourne Cricket Ground: This historic stadium in Melbourne, Australia is the largest in the country, and it also features the record for the world’s tallest light light towers at a sporting venue with each of the 6 light towers standing taller than a 24 storey building! The MCG’s massive size is large enough to seat about 100,000 fans, although there has been well-over 120,000 people squeezed into this place at any one time. Just in case you needed reminding of the sheer scale of the MCG, it has an overall volume of 1.7 million cubic meters.

The MCG Stadium is used for cricket, football, rugby, and concerts throughout the year with the most famous event held at this huge stadium being the 1956 Olympic games, where it served as the main stadium.


Camp Nou, Barcelona



Camp Nou: This is the largest stadium in Europe, and it’s located in Barcelona, Spain. This gigantic Camp Nou is primarily the home of the FC Barcelona football team, but it also serves as a venue for concerts and other big events. Some of the singers who have performed at Camp Nou include Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, U2, Frank Sinatra, Sting, Peter Gabriel, and many others. This huge stadium has a capacity of 98,772, but Camp Nou has accommodated much more than that during certain events. When the Pope celebrated mass at Camp Nou in 1982, for example, a crowd of over 120,000 squeezed in.

Recent plans to restructure the design of Camp Nou Stadium will include an additional 10,000 seats, putting the capacity of this stadium within the top 10 biggest stadiums in the world.


Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro



Estadio do Maracana: This is the largest stadium in Brazil, and one of the largest in the world as well. This Estadio do Maracana stadium was originally built in Rio de Janeiro to host the FIFA World Cup in 1950 with the final match attracting an estimated 210,000 people! Although Esatadio do Maracana is capable of holding such a high amount of fans, it’s official capacity today is 95,000.

This stadium will be one of the only venues ever to host the FIFA World Cup twice, when it hosts the tournament again in 2014. Aside from football matches, this mammoth stadium has been the site of plenty of huge concerts including Paul McCartney, Rush, Madonna, Kiss, and The Rolling Stones to name a few.


Sanford Stadium, Athens



Sanford Stadium: This large American football stadium is the home to the University of Georgia Bulldogs and was also the site of the 1996 Summer Olympic football matches. Sanford stadium was originally constructed back in 1929, and since then has undergone a slew of expansions which now put the capacity of this stadium at 92,746. (For our UK readers we should point out that Sanford Stadium is located in Athens, Georgia and not Athens, Greece.)


Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles



Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Slightly smaller than Georgia’s Sanford Stadium is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum near the campus of the University of Southern California and is located on 17 acres in Exposition Park, which also houses museums, gardens, and the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

This historic stadium currently boasts an attendance capacity of 92,516 with the USC Trojans American football team primary tenant. This colossal stadium has been home to the Summer Olympics twice (1932, 1984), a number of different professional sports teams, and countless large-scale concerts.


Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge



Tiger Stadium: Tiger Stadium is the primary residence of the Louisiana State University American football team, and it’s located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This stadium gets extremely loud and rowdy on game days, especially when all of its 92,400 seats are filled. Tiger Stadium is considered to be not only one of the largest stadiums in the USA, but also one of the loudest during football games. ESPN recorded decibel levels of 119 during an LSU game in 2003 – that’s like sitting front row at a Metallica concert! For this reason, Tiger Stadium is nicknamed ‘Death Valley’.

At an LSU game in 1988, the LSU Geology Department actually registered the crowd reaction to the winning play of the game as a legitimate earthquake – this game against Auburn is, of course, nicknamed the ‘Earthquake Game’. Now that’s a rocking stadium!


Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa



Bryant-Denny Stadium: Home to the University of Alabama American football team, this spectalular stadium is the seventh largest of its kind in the United States. Bryant-Denny Stadium is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and its current attendance capacity is 92,138. Construction on this huge structure began back in 1929, and when it was first completed, it only had a capacity of 12,000 but has come a long way since then.

Many expansions have been added on to this stadium, including the most recent expansion, a $47 million addition that was finished in 2006. There are 123 skyboxes, a natural grass field, and more tradition than almost any other stadium in America.


FedEx Field, Landover



FedEx Field: Opened in 1997 for $250 million, FedEx Field (Jack Kent Cooke Stadium at that time) became the largest stadium in the National Football League. FedEx Field is the home of the Washington Redskins, who actually play at this Landover, Maryland stadium. There are 5 separate levels in FedEx Field: lower, club, lower suites, upper suites, and the upper level. With a maximum capacity of 91,704, FedEx Field is one of the top 20 largest stadiums in the world.


Rose Bowl, Pasadena



Rose Bowl: Located in the sunny Southern California city of Pasadena, the Rose Bowl is an official national historic landmark, and also the site of college football’s famous Rose Bowl game. The Rose Bowl is also the home field for the UCLA Bruins football team. This historic stadium regularly holds 91,136 for Bruin’s games, and 92,542 for the annual Rose Bowl game.

The Rose Bowl measures about 695 feet long by 880 feet wide with the highest point of the stadium soaring 100 feet into the air. The FIFA World Cup finals, 1984 Summer Olympic football matches and the Super Bowl have all been hosted here as well as numerous concerts and events.


Wembley Stadium, London



Wembley Stadium: Situated in the London Borough of Brent, Wembley Stadium is the primary home to the England National Football Team. This awesome stadium has a capacity of 90,000, making it the second largest stadium in Europe. Wembley Stadium is the largest covered stadium in the world (based on capacity), and it’s also the most expensive stadium ever built, at roughly $1.57 billion.

One of the most notable features of this huge stadium is the large arch that reaches 459 feet toward the sky: not only does this feature look cool, but it also supports the majority of the roof. The immense size and awesome architecture of Wembley Stadium make it one of the most popular sport and music venues in the world.


Azadi Stadium, Tehran



Azadi Stadium: This large complex is Iran’s national stadium and also their largest. The Azadi will seat about 90,000, making it about as large as Wembley Stadium. Azadi is used mostly for football matches and was originally built to host the 1974 Asian Games: at that time it had a capacity of around 100,000. This stadium also features one of the largest jumbotrons in the world, a giant screen with an area of about 300 square meters.

Top 10 Amazing Paintings on Feathers

This is a list of amazing illustrations painted directly on to feathers. Many thanks to heavybison for forwarding me the email of these! So, here are the top 10 amazing paintings on feathers. As usual.These paintings were all made by Julie Thompson.

Earth From Above

Icebreaker Louis Saint Laurent in Resolute Bay, Nunavut Territory, Canada. 



Worker resting on bales of cotton, Thonakaha, Korhogo, Ivory Coast. Cotton crops occupy approximately 335,000 square klilometers worldwide, and use nearly one quarter of all pesticides sold. 


Mountainous countryside near Maelifellssandur, Myrdalsjökull Region, Iceland. Once the young lava fields of Iceland cool down, life begins anew little by little. Ice, wind and water flatten and carve out shapes to begin with, then, during the summer, bacteria, lichen and fungi prepare the soil for plants, in particular mosses which adapt to an environment which remains difficult. These plants colonise the most favourable sites and terrain little by little, forming a new ecosystem. 


Tree of life", Tsavo national park, Kenya. This acacia is a symbol of life in the vast expanses of thorny savanna, where wild animals come to take advantage of its leaves or its shade. Tsavo National Park in southeastern Kenya, crossed by the Nairobi-Mombasa road and railway axis, is the country's largest protected area (8,200 square miles, or 21,000 square kilometers) and was declared a national park in 1948. 


Iraqi tank graveyard in the desert near Al Jahrah, Kuwait. This graveyard of tanks will bear witness for many years to the damage that war causes both to the environment and to human health. In 1991, during the first Gulf War, a million depleted uranium shells were fired at Iraqi forces, spreading toxic, radioactive dust for miles around. Such dust is known to have lasting effects on the environment and to cause various forms of cancer and other serious illnesses among humans. 


Village in the Rheris Valley, Er Rachidia region, High Atlas Mountains, Morocco. Fortified villages are frequently seen along the valley of the Rheris, as they are on most rivers of southern Morocco, inspired by the Berber architecture built to protect against invaders. Today, with the threat of raids now gone, the close clustering of dwellings, small windows, and roofs covering houses and narrow streets serve the purpose of protecting occupants from heat and dust. The flat, connecting roofs also provide a place for drying crops. 


Road interrupted by a sand dune, Nile Valley, Egypt. Dunes cover nearly one-third of the Sahara, and the highest, in linear form, can attain a height of almost 1,000 feet (300 m). Barchans are mobile, crescent-shaped dunes that move in the direction of the prevailing wind at rates as high as 33 feet (10 m) per year, sometimes even covering infrastructures such as this road in the Nile Valley. 



Town of Koh Pannyi, Phand Nga bay, Thailand. The south-western coast of Thailand offers a series of beautiful bays lined with many islands. Phang-nga Bay's special formations were created after the thawing of ice 15,000 years ago. Rising waters then submerged arid calcareous mountains, leaving only their peaks visible to the eye. The bay was turned into a marine park in 1981. One of its popular attractions is the village of Koh Panyi, which was built on piles two centuries ago by Muslim sailors coming from Malaysia. The inhabitants make a living via traditional fishing and tourism. Preserved by its configuration, the bay floor of Phang-nga Bay suffered much less from the tsunami of December 26, 2004 than nearby sites.  


Icebergs and an Adelie penguin, Adelie Land, Antarctica. Antarctica, the sixth continent, is a unique observation point for atmospheric and climatic phenomena; its ancient ice, which trapped air when it was formed, contains evidence of the Earth's climate as it has changed and developed over the past millions of years. 

A whale swims off the Valdes peninsula, Argentina. After summering in the Arctic, whales return to the southern seas each winter to reproduce. From July to November, whales mate and bear their young along the coasts of the Valdes Peninsula in Argentina. Until the 1950s, this migratory marine mammal was extensively hunted for its meat and the oil extracted from its fat, which brought it to the edge of extinction. Protective measures were adopted after international attention was focused on the problem in 1937. In 1982 a moratorium was declared on whale hunting for commercial purposes, and in 1994 the southern seas became a whale sanctuary. After decades of protection, 7 of the 13 whale species, of which only a few thousand remain (10 to 60 times fewer than in the early 20th century), are still endangered

Source:boston

Unusual Churches

 The Church of Hallgrímur, Reykjavík, Iceland

  


The Church of Hallgrímur is very very unusual, never seen anything like that.

This Lutheran parish church is also a very tall one, reaching 74.5 metres (244 ft) height. It is the fourth tallest architectural structure in Iceland.

It took incredibly long to build it (38 years!) Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986.

The Architect of this building is Guðjón Samúelssondesign.

More info: Hallgrímskirkja



 Cathedral of Brasilia in Brasilia, Brazil

 


This is a very famous Cathedral of Brasília designed by Oscar Niemeyer. It looks really modern but somehow childish to me. These columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 t, represent two hands moving upwards to heaven.

The construction was finished in 1970. 
More info: Cathedral of Brasília


Paoay Church (St. Augustine Parish) in Philippines

 



Paoay Church reminds me of Aztec architecture. It looks very massive and strong. The walls of the church are 1.67 meters thick and are supported by 24 carved and massive buttresses.  

Its construction started in 1704 and was completed in 1894 by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo. It is said, that Its construction primarily was intended to withstand earthquakes. And it could test the strength of the walls very soon, because the church was damaged by an earthquake in 1706 and 1927. 

The design of the church is a mixture of Gothic, Oriental and Baroque influence.


Duomo (Milan Cathedral) in Italy

  

Duomo looks incredibly tall and majestic. It even has an evil and scary look in this picture. After checking the Wikipedia for more info I found there were more photos of this cathedral, but they don’t look as cool as this photo here. Maybe its just an illusion made by a good photographer that this building is so amazing.

On the other hand, Mark Twain said the following of the Duomo in Milan in his work, Innocents Abroad: 
"They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter’s at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands."



 Church Ruins in Goreme, Turkey

 



The rock cut ruins of a church by persecuted Christians. 
Not sure when it was built, but definitely look very ancient. How did those guys carved the inside of these rocks? 

The Cappadocia valley, where this church stands, is very popular for its rocks that the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries.

There are an estimated 150 churches and several monasteries in the canyon between the villages of Ihlara and Selime.

Those rocks are volcanic deposits, so that means they are soft rocks, making it possible to carve such structures.


Green church, Buenos Aires, Argentina

 


 

Don’t have info about this church, nevertheless it’s very unusual. I have never seen a church so green, have you?

 

Michael: “a parish church in Buenos Aires, Argentina known as the “Huerto de Olivos”, or “Garden of Olives,” most likely a reference Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives”  


. Borgund Stave Church, Lærdal, Norway

 


Stave churches may have been very usual all over medieval northwestern Europe but now you can only find them in Norway. Well ok, there is one one in Sweden, but nowhere else. 

Borgund stave church located in Borgund, Lærdal, Norway is the best preserved of Norway’s 28 extant stave churches. This wooden church, probably built in the end of the 12th century, has not changed structure or had a major reconstruction since the date it was built.

Interesting fact: the church is also featured as a Wonder for the Viking civilization in the video game Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.


Paraportiani Church, Mykonos, Greece

 



I will just cite, what the author of this picture wrote about it:

"Paraportianí Church is one of the most famous architectural structures in Greece. Its name means secondary gate, because it was built on the site of one of the gates of the Medieval stone walls. Some parts of this beautiful church date from 1425 and the rest was built during the 16th and 17th centuries. "


Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

 


I have never seen anything as incredible as this building! Never been to Spain, but if I ever happen to do so, I will definitely include Sangrada Família on the must-see list. I wonder, how does it look in reality?

Sagrada Família is a very massive Roman Catholic basilica under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Construction began in 1882 and continues to this day. A very famous architect Antoni Gaudí worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to this endeavour. 

In the center there is going to be a tower of Jesus Christ, surmounted by a giant cross; the tower’s total height will be 170 m (557,7ft).

There is so much info on this one, that you should check Wikipedia.


 St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia

 



Cathedral of Saint Basil the Blessed , is a multi-tented church which stands on the Red Square in Moscow.

This church looks really cool, because It has very unusual onion domes which look playful and colorful. Sometimes people even say, that they remind them of lollypops.

The cathedral was built in 1555 -1561 by Ivan IV (a.k.a Ivan the Terrible) to celebrate the capture of the Khanate of Kazan.

A legend says that Ivan had the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, blinded to prevent him from building a more magnificent building for anyone else. In fact, Postnik Yakovlev built a number of churches after Saint Basil’s.

More info: Saint Basil’s Cathedral



. Church in Stykkishólmur, Iceland

 
This church in Iceland looks really weird, like some alien structure. If you have more info on that one, let me know. 


Basilica de Higuey, Dominican Republic

 


Basilica de Higuey is located in the city of Higuey, Dominican Republic. Its unusual look reminds me of a basket.

The church is one of the most respected monuments of the Dominican Republic. The basilica was inaugurated on January 21, 1971, and was built by French architects.


 Grace Fellowship Baptist Church, Baltimore, MD, USA
 

This strange building is actually a church. Once it was famous for being "Detroit’s most beautiful Chinese-American restaurant". Later it closed down and became the Omega Baptist Church and then the Grace Fellowship Baptist Church. Located at 265 Baltimore, MD, USA. 
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Las Lajas Cathedral in Columbia

 


Las Lajas Cathedral looks unusual to me because one side of it seems to be a part of a bridge across the river and the other side rests on the hill. The overall look is really fascinating.

Built in 1916 inside the canyon of the Guaitara river where, according to local legend, the Virgin Mary appeared. 

You can find this church in southern Colombian Department of Nariño, municipality of Ipiales, near the border with Ecuador. 



 Jubilee Church in Rome, Italy

 
 

Jubilee Church has very distinctive curved walls which look like sails to me. Designed in 1996 by architect Richard Meier, the church has curved walls which serve the engineering purpose of minimizing thermal peak loads in the interior space.

The walls are made from a special cement, which contain titanium dioxide, so it destroys air pollution.

According to Borgarello "When the titanium dioxide absorbs ultraviolet light, it becomes powerfully reactive, breaking down pollutants that come in contact with the concrete."

St Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church in Chicago, IL, USA

 


Maybe I’ll better don’t tell what those domes remind me (haha). Very very unusual looking building I must say. Its massiveness and gray color looks like Soviet architecture. I was amazed when I read that it was actually in USA and not somewhere In Soviet Union.

St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic church is a is most known for its ultra-modern thirteen gold domed roof symbolizing the twelve apostles and Jesus Christ as the largest center dome. 


It is celebrating its 52 years, so it was built in 1956 (if my calculations are right).


Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France

 



Someone told that the roof of this building looks like Elvis’ hair.

Informally known as Ronchamp, the chapel of Notre Dame du Haut was completed in 1954 and is considered one of the finest examples of architecture by the late French/Swiss architect Le Corbusier. 

Most interesting fact to me is that, when it rains, water pours off the slanted roof onto a fountain, creating a dramatic waterfall.


 Odd Church in Huntington Beach, CA, USA

 
 

Don’t have info on that one, only this photo and the location: Huntington Beach, CA, USA.

As far as I understand it must be sponsored by Shell, because it has a huge SHELL logo on it (this statement can be absolutely different from the reality). Looks terrible overall.


Chapel of St. Gildas, Brittany, France  


 

This church is really odd one, sorry I have no info on it, only the words of the picture author: "This was on the canal to Carnac. Really odd church in the (seeming) middle of nowhere. "

 

Mads: “This is the chapel of St-Gildas, which sits upon the bank of the Canal du Blavet in Brittany, France. “Built like a stone barn into the base of a bare rocky cliff, this was once a holy place of the Druids. Gildas appears to have travelled widely throughout the Celtic world of Corwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. He arrived in Brittany in about AD 540 and is said to have preached Christianity to the people from a rough pulpit, now contained within the chapel.” (from ‘Cruising French Waterways’ by Hugh McKnight p.150)”


 Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil



Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro looks like a Pyramid of Egypt or Aztecs. 

It was built between 1964 and 1979. Conical in form it has internal diameter of 96 metres (315 ft) and an overall height of 75 metres (246 ft). The church has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people.

Four rectilinear stained glass windows soar 64 metres (210 ft) from floor to ceiling.

World’s Most Unique Bus Stops

Ventura, California - Creation of Dennis Oppenheim

Unknown - Do a stunt or 2 while waiting for the bus?




London - Created by Bruno Taylor




Dubai - You cannot expect millionaires to wait with the bus without some air-conditioning do you?





Germany - Now you finally get a chance to experience what Homer Simpson feels like vegetating on his couch every episode.




Unknown - Handy light sabers for you if you ever need to fight off another person trying to take your spot on the bus.




Soviet Union - Don’t think that is gonna fit into the bus.




Unknown - Nothing like some Ikea to make a bus-stop more comfortable.




Australia - Getting your face on a stamp, priceless.

Unknown - Take 1 bundle of free cash everytime the bus is 5 minutes late.. that is if you can break the glass.

Awesome Underground Lakes

Reed Flute Cave, China


Cave Lake near Margaret River, Australia


Cave Sopot-Boka Kotorska, Montenegro



Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland


Aktun-Chen, Mexico


Wookey Hole Cave, UK


Melisani Lake, Greece


Augusta, US


Luray Caverns, US

Mirror Lake, Czech Republic


Austria


Lake Souterrain St. Leonard, Switzerland

Extraordinary People with Real Superpower

The boy who sees without Eyes,



Ben Underwood taught himself to use echo location to navigate around the world. He is blind, both of his eyes were removed (cancer) when he was 3, but has managed to do some truly extraordinary feats. Basically he’s Daredevil He can see the world throught sounds like a sonar or a dolphin.





The Man Who Doesn’t Feel Cold



Dutchman Wim Hof, also known as the Iceman, is the man that swam under ice, and stood in bins filled with ice. He climbed the Mt. Blanc in shorts in the icy cold, harvested world records and always stands for new challenges.

Scientists can’t really explain it, but the 48-year-old Dutchman is able to withstand, and even thrive, in temperatures that could be fatal to the average person




The boy with Ultra-Fast Brain



Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it.
In his mind, he says, each number up to 10,000 has its own unique shape and feel, that he can “see” results of calculations as landscapes, and that he can “sense” whether a number is prime or composite. He has described his visual image of 289 as particularly ugly, 333 as particularly attractive, and pi as beautiful

He also has linguistic skils. He is capable of learning new languages very quickly. To prove this for a Channel Five documentary, Tammet was challenged to learn Icelandic in one week, a language with a popular reputation as one of the world’s most difficult languages to learn.




The Woman Who Can’t Forget




The “human calendar". That’s what some people call the woman who contacted UC Irvine neurobiologist Jim McGaugh six years ago and said, “I have a problem. I remember too much.” That’s the story of AJ, an extraordinary 40-year-old married woman who remembers everything.

McGaugh and fellow UCI researchers Larry Cahill and Elizabeth Parker have been studying the extraordinary case of a person who has “nonstop, uncontrollable and automatic” memory of her personal history and countless public events. If you randomly pick a date from the past 25 years and ask her about it, she’ll usually provide elaborate, verifiable details about what happened to her that day and if there were any significant news events on topics that interested her. She usually also recalls what day of the week it was and what the weather was like.

The woman, who was given the code name AJ to protect her privacy, is so unusual that UCI coined a name for her condition in a recent issue of the journal Neurocase: hyperthymestic syndrome.



The Man Who moves objects with his Mind



“Remember, there is no spoon”. Just like that kid from “The Matrix” movie,Miroslaw Magola –The “Magnetic Man”– defies laws of gravity with an extraordinary ability — applying the power of psycho kinesis he can raise anything from metal pans to marble statues, transport them through the air to affix to his body, then creates a force to keep them there — simply using mind control.

An avid enthusiast of the phenomenon of psychic energy, Miroslaw has developed his skill to manipulate lifeless objects in mid-air to obey his will, even forcing them spin around or shake. His mental powers are so keen that he can jump around while an object is stuck to his head without losing his mental grasp of the item.
Miroslaw explains how he employs psycho kinetics to perform these uncanny feats, “It works because I load myself with energy (I connect myself to it) and at the same time I wish for the object to raise.”
Miroslaw has undergone numerous tests for his perplexing skill which remains unexplained by conventional science to date.






The woman who can laugh with a peak volume of 110 decibels



This is Jittarat Wongsomboon, a 55 years-old woman from Thailand, who can laugh with a peak volume of 110 decibels! Can you believe this? Sounds strange, but it is true. On July 5, 2008, Jittarat participated in Ripley’s International Laughing Contest in the Thai resort town of Pattaya and won the odd competition by continuously laughing for 12 minutes and 26 seconds and hitting a booming volume of 110 decibels.




Monks generating magical heat energy from their bodies



Experts have been studying Buddhist monks for more than 20 years, trying to figure out just how in the hell they’re doing what they do. By using a meditation technique called
Tum-mo, these monks can lower their metabolism by 64 percent. To put it in perspective, your metabolism only drops 10 to 15 percent when you sleep. And yes, you should feel bad that there are people who make you look uptight when you’re asleep.
But far more awesome than that, the monks can also increase the temperatures of their fingers and toes by 17 degrees. No one knows how.



The Man Who Doesn’t Feel Pain



Tim Cridland is an entertainer and a former member of the Jim Rose Circus.
Tim specializes in sword swallowing, fire walking, sleeping on beds of nails (once even with a Toyota over him), body skewering and electrocuting himself. Tim says he can do this because he has mastered mind over matter. Researchers on the other hand say it’s because Tim was born with a mutation that makes it so he doesn’t feel pain the way normal people do.

It’s not that Tim and his ilk can’t feel anything, because they can feel when they are touched, and they can feel temperature. They simply do not register pain thanks to malfunctioning receptors in the nerve cells that tell your brain


The man who claps as Loud as a Helicopter


A Chinese man who can clap his hands nearly as loud as a helicopter is hoping to get into the record books. Zhang Quan, 70, of Chongqing city, had his clapping monitored by local environmental protection officials, reports Chongqing Business News
His claps apparently measured 107 decibels - three decibels lower than whirling helicopter blades.
Workers from the environmental protection bureau say Zhang could face arrest for noise pollution if he claps too often.
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The Man Who eats Everything




This basically means the guy can eat and even digest metal, glass and even toxic and poisonous material
Michel Lotito’s stomach lining is twice as thick as normal, a rare condition that most doctors agree developed in the womb, though nobody is sure how
Lotito does not often suffer from ill-effects due to his diet, even after the consumption of materials usually considered poisonous.

When performing he consumes around a kilogram of material daily, preceding it with mineral oil and drinking considerable quantities of water during the ‘meal’. He apparently possesses a stomach and intestine with walls of twice the expected thickness, and his digestive acids are, allegedly, unusually powerful, allowing him to digest a certain portion of his metallic meals.

Lotito even entered the Guinness book of records when he ate an airplane. The airplane took roughly two years to be ‘eaten’ from 1978 to 1980

Through God’s Eyes

Bank Notes Around the World

Amazing Most Unique Lakes of our World

Plitvice Lakes (Croatia): Sixteen Lakes interconnected by Spectacular Waterfalls
The Plitvice Lakes are a series of sixteen lakes interconnected by spectacular waterfalls, set in a deep woodland and populated by deers, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the lakes are renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colours change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight.





Boiling Lake (Dominica): A Flooded Fumarole

The Boiling Lake is situated in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica's World Heritage site. It is a flooded fumarole, or hole in the earth’s surface, 10.5 km east of Roseau, Dominica, on the Caribbean. It is filled with bubbling greyish-blue water that is usually enveloped in a cloud of vapor. The lake is approximately 60 m across.







Red Lagoon (Bolivia): Red (algae) + White (borax)

The Laguna Colorada (Red Lagoon) is a shallow salt lake in the southwest of the altiplano of Bolivia, close to the border with Chile. The lake contains borax islands, whose white color contrasts nicely with the reddish color of its waters, caused by red sediments and pigmentation of some algae.



Five-Flower Lake (China): Beautiful Multi-Coloured Lake with Fallen Tree Trunks

The Wuhua Hai, or Five-Flower Lake, is the signature of the Jiuzhaigon National Park in China. The lake is a shallow multi-coloured lake whose bottom is littered with fallen tree trunks. The water is so clear that you can see the trunks clearly. The water comes in different shares of turquoise, from yellowish to green, to blue. It is located at an elevation of 2472 meters, below Panda Lake and above the Pearl Shoal Waterfall.






Dead Sea (Israel and Jordan): Lowest Point on Earth

The Dead Sea is a salt lake situated between Israel and the West bank to the west, and Jordan to the east. It is 420 meters (1,378 ft) below sea level and its shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land. The Dead Sea is 330 m (1,083 ft) deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It is also the world's second saltiest body of water, after Lake Assal in Djibouti, with 30 percent salinity. It is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. This salinity makes for a harsh environment where animals cannot flourish and boats cannot sail. The Dead Sea is 67 kilometers (42 mi) long and 18 kilometers (11 mi) wide at its widest point. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.

The Dead Sea has attracted visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. Biblically, it was a place of refuge for King David. It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers.





Lake Baikal (Russia): Deepest and Oldest Lake in the World

Lake Baikal is located in Southern Siberia in Russia, and it's also known as the "Blue Eye of Siberia". It contains more water than all the North American Great Lakes combined. At 1,637 meters (5,371 ft), Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, and the largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, holding approximately twenty percent of the world's total fresh water. However, Lake Baikal contains less than one third the amount of water as the Caspian Sea which is the largest lake in the world. Lake Baikal was formed in an ancient rift valley and therefore is long and crescent-shaped with a surface area (31,500 km²) slightly less than that of Lake Superior or Lake Victoria. Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. At more than 25 million years old, it is the oldest lake in the world.





Lake Titicaca (Bolivia and Peru): World's Highest Navigable Lake

Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It sits 3,812 m (12,500 ft) above sea level making it the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. By volume of water it is also the largest lake in South America. Lake Titicaca is fed by rainfall and meltwater from glaciers on the sierras that abut the Altiplano.




Caspian Sea (Russia): World's Largest Lake

The Caspian Sea is the world's largest lake or largest inland body of water in the world, and accounts for 40 to 44 percent of the total lacustrine waters of the world. With a surface area of 394,299 km² (152,240 mi²), it has a surface area greater than the next six largest lakes combined.




Crater Lake (USA): its waters are considered one of the World's Most Clearest

Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in Oregon; due to several unique factors, most prominently that it has no inlets or tributaries, the waters of Crater Lake are considered one of the world's most clearest. The lake partly fills a nearly 4,000 foot (1,220 m) deep caldera that was formed around 5,677 (± 150) BC by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. Its deepest point has been measured at 1,949 feet (594 m) deep, making it the deepest lake in the United States, and the ninth deepest in the world.



Lake Karachay (Russia): Most Polluted Spot on Earth

Lake Karachay is a small lake in the southern Ural mountains in western Russia. Starting in 1951 the Soviet Union used Karachay as a dumping site for radioactive waste from Mayak, the nearby nuclear waste storage and reprocessing facility, located near the town of Ozyorsk. According to a report by the Washington, D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute on nuclear waste, Karachay is the "most polluted spot" on Earth. The lake accumulated some 4.44 exabecquerels (EBq) of radioactivity, including 3.6 EBq of Caesium-137 and 0.74 EBq of Strontium-90. For comparison, the Chernobyl disaster released from 5 to 12 EBq of radioactivity, however this radiation is not concentrated in one location.

Most Beautiful Mountains in the World

Perhaps Sir Edmund Hillary - the New Zealand mountaineer and explorer - said it best when he remarked, “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” No matter how daunting the task, pure human ambition has overcome unconquerable odds to subdue the tallest peaks in the world. If mountains are the “stairway to god’s heart”, we have no doubt stood beside him as equals. The following photoset celebrates the beauty witnessed along the way.




Ama Dablam - Eastern Nepal



First climbed in 1961 by the team of Mike Gill, Barry Bishop, Mike Ward, and Wally Romanes, Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal. Literally meaning ‘Mother and Pearl Necklace’ the peak was adopted by UK’s Invesco group as their worldwide logo and signature. After a 2006 avalanche a climbing permit along with an officer are required before you can climb Ama Dablam.




Shivling - Uttarakhand, India



The Shivling mountain, so-called because of its status as a sacred symbol of the Hindu god, Shiva, literally means ‘the phallus of Shiva’. Considered one of the most stunning peaks of the Garhwal region, the mountain soars 21,329 feet high. The Tapovan meadow which lies between Shivling and Gaumukh has become a popular pilgrimage site due to the stunning view of the mountain from that location.





Machapuchare - North-Central Nepal


Machapuchare, or ‘fish tail’, is revered by locals as sacred to the god Shiva and therefore has been declared off limits to climbing. At about 1,500 feet taller than Shivling, Machapuchare has never been climbed to its summit. The only known attempt at accomplishing the feat fell 50m short, after which the mountain was declared forbidden to climbers.





Matterhorn - Italy/Switzerland



Matterhorn has the distinction of being an iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps even though it isn’t the tallest peak in the region. Because of its status as a huge tourist attraction and one of the best known mountains in the world, authorities have taken extensive measures to build tourist facilities to make the mountain more accessible to novice climbers.







Fitz Roy - Argentina/Chile

Named Fitz Roy by Francisco Moreno after the Beagle’s captain Robert FitzRoy, the mountain is isn’t the tallest peak in the region and is less than half the size of some of the Himalayan peaks. However, extreme weather conditions and the difficulty of the climb has won the mountain the reputation of being extreme. The mountain is alternatively known as Cerro Chaltén.





Sajama - Bolivia

Sajama is better known as a volcano (though extinct) but is technically a mountain of volcanic ash. The highest peak in Bolivia, it is 21,463 feet high and is known for some of the tallest trees in the world, at 5200m. The first attempt to climb the mountain came from Joseph Prem in 1927, though the he wasn’t successful until August 1939 with the help of Wilfrid Kuehm. To their credit they took the much more difficult southeast ridge to accomplish the feat.










The Rockies - Canada/US

The Canadian Rocky Rockies have five national parks located inside, including four that comprise the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage site. We opted to profile the Canadian Rockies because they’re older, heavily glaciated, and have a very distinct appearance (sharp peaks separated by deep valleys). Mount Robson and Mount Columbia serve as the mountain’s highest peaks at 12,972 and 12,293 feet respectively.









Pumori - Nepal/Tibet

Lining the Nepal-Tibet border, Pumori - or ‘Unmarried Daughter’ - is a popular climbing route in spite of avalanche danger. Because of its proximity of Mount Everest, Pumori is often endearingly called ‘Everest’s Daughter’. The view of Everest from here is considered to be one of the best, given clear weather conditions.

Weird Piercing

Summer Ice Sculptures

10 of the Most Amazing Sand Sculptures From Around the World

As a kid you probably enjoyed making sandcastles on the beach but did you ever think sandcastles could be so big, so elaborate or intricate? Some take it seriously, very seriously. Amateurs, artists and businesses from around the globe compete to win the prestige, prizes and press attention from their sandcastles AKA sand sculptures, the more accurate term for this peculiar endeavour. Even the corporates at companies such as eBay take a good sandcastle seriously, eBay commissioned a monster 75 tonne sand sculpture for their 10th anniversary. These sand sculptures are typically made using river sand, which is a finer material when compared with beach sand and therefore more suited to being sculpted. Unlike your puny childhood attempt at sand castle glory, some of these oversized sandcastles withstand weeks of erosion before disappearing. Here are some of the finest examples of sand sculptures from around the world!


Lifesize Skoda, Sydney


Lifesize Skoda: Who would have thought it? For many long years the humble Skoda bore the brunt of a near-constant stream of contempt and abuse from the western car-owning world. Derided and written off as a poor man’s car (and a poor car for most), Skoda was bought over by Volkswagen in 1991 and like a Czech Phoenix has been transformed into a reliable and respectable brand with sales figures to match. Part of their renewal has been a successful viral marketing campaign, like when Skoda introduced their vehicles to Australia in a manner in which Aussies can relate - a life-sized car on Sydney’s Palm Beach scultped using 60 tonnes of sand. Since then Skoda have gone on to create a replica Fabia cake!



Neptune’s Sandcastle, Virginia Beach



Neptune’s Sandcastle: Neptune’s Sandcastle is the largest sandcastle in the world, which was sculpted for the 2006 Virginia Beach Neptune Festival. This 37ft, 4 storey tall sandcastle easily trumped the previous 32.5ft world record. Neptune’s Castle kept six, skillful, sand sculpters from Team Sandtastic busy moving and shaping over 3,000,000lbs of fine sand until it was completed. Check out the video for a timelapse of how they do it.



Rapunzel’s Castle, Fraser Valley



Rapunzel’s Castle: As the old story of Rapunzel goes, the fair lady was trapped in the tower by an evil witch until her Prince came along. This stunning castle was sculpted for the annual sand sculpting competition at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort in the Fraser Valley of BC Canada.



Boracay Island, Philippines



Boracay Island: Boracay Island in the Philippines is a tropical paradise famed for crystal blue waters, thriving marine life and palm-fringed whiter-than-white sand beaches. Tourists on holiday from Australia and Europe are drawn to Boracay Island for all these reasons and while they are there they might see an intricate shoreline creation such as this one! Castles like this have stiff competition on Boracay. This place seems to be the center of the sand sculpting world!



The Sandcastle Group, Myrtle Beach




The Sandcastle Group: The Sandcastle Group are holders of the World’s Longest Sand Sculpture, which stood at 16.39 miles long on Myrtle Beach, Florida. Reyelt and his team mobilised 8,000 volunteers to help construct it, all of whom are Guinness world record holders. The same poeple who were responsible for this monstrous sand castle recieved Guinness World Records in the past for the 25,000 tonne ‘Blue Beard’s Castle’ in 1985 and the five-storey high Lost City of Atlantis in 1986.






Sandsation, Berlin

Sandsation: Martin Tulinius created this small piece of paradise on earth back in August 2007 for the fifth annual Sandsation event in Berlin, Germany. And around 100,000 Germans filed through to enjoy some of the best sand sculptures in the world.




Castle to the Sun, Casco
Castle to the Sun: It took 40 dump truck loads to get the 1,000,000lbs of sand needed for the Castle to the Sun sculpture. Project leader Ed Jarrett spent his summer building this colossal 31.5ft tall sandcastle at Camp Sunshine with help from the kids staying at the camp and community volunteers. The sandcastle was to raise funds to benefit the camp for children with life threatening illnesses. You can see a time elapsed series of photos documenting the building process.



Zadanyuk & Varano, Fraser Valley

Zadanyuk & Varano: Winners of the World Championships of Sand Sculpture 2007 at Harrison Hot Springs, BC were sculpting masters Pavel Zadanyuk of Moscow and Richard Varano from Florida. The duo created Beauty and the Beast which won the Gold Medal with 1,951 votes of over 10,000 cast.



Sandology, Byron Beach

Sandology: You could have walked past this beautiful yet modest sandcastle creation and missed its significance. This sandcastle was created by Steve Machell of Sandology in 2005 on Byron Bay beach specifically for a marriage proposal. I wonder if Sarah said yes?



Here’s the Church, Fraser Valley

Here’s the Church: Here’s the Church, a sculpture that garnered 1855 votes to win the Silver Medal also at the World Championships of Sand Sculpture 2007 Harrison Hot Springs. Sculptors Michael Velling of Federal Way, Washington and John Gowdy of Venice, Italy had to settle for second best.