6 Scariest Natural Disasters

There’s nothing quite as frightening as when Mother throws one of her temper tantrums. Mother Nature, that is. And while there’s some comfort in knowing that at least there’s a little science in her madness, the explanations are enough to keep you up at night.

. Krakatoa’s Really, Really Big Bang
The terrible tsunami that devastated Indonesia in December 2004 wasn’t the first time nature had vented its fury on the South East Asian nation. At 10:02 a.m. on August 27, 1883, the volcano on the island of Krakatoa [wiki], in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, erupted. More accurately, it exploded. The detonation threw smoke and ash 17 miles in the air. 

In fact, the ferocity of the burst echoed so loudly that the sound of the explosion was heard on Rodriguez Island, nearly 3,000 miles away (imagine being in New York and hearing a boom from San Francisco!). The pressure wave caused barometers to twitch as far away as London seven times as the shock bounded and rebounded around the globe.

But the eruption itself wasn’t the worst of it. The explosion sent tsunami waves over 100 feet high toward Java and Sumatra. Ships were carried a mile and a half inland and dumped in the jungle. The disruption was so great, the tide actually rose several inches in New York. 

In all, more than 36,000 people were killed by the tsunami, and most of the nearby coasts of both islands were laid waste. As for Krakatoa, the island blew itself out of existence. It reemerged years later, the result of continued volcanic activity in this turbulent part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

“Bring Out Your Dead!” The Black Death

Between 1347 and 1351, a plague raged through Europe. Arriving in Messina, Sicily, on a Black Sea merchant ship, the disease was initially thought of as solely an animal sickness – like bird flu or mad cow disease. But somehow fleas managed to transmit the condition from rats to people. 

Called the Black Death [wiki] because of the dark spots that appeared on victims’ skin, the pandemic wasn’t just the bubonic plague. In fact, the vicious strain was actually a lethal combination of four variations of plague: bubonic (causing buboes, or inflammations of the lymph nodes), enteric (intestinal), septicemic (an infection of the blood), and pneumonic (filling the lungs with fluid). Quadruple yuck. 

Even worse, the Black Death worked fast. People who were perfectly healthy at midday were dead by sunset. And the staggering death toll reflects it. An estimated 12 million people in Asia and 25 million in Europe (or one-third of Europe’s population) were wiped out. 

An indiscriminate killer, the disease destroyed rich and poor alike, though only one reigning monarch is known to have died: King Alfonse XI of Castile, who refused to abandon his troops when plague struck his army.
 

 Russia Dodges a Bullet from Space: The Tunguska Blast
At 7:17 a.m. on June 30, 1908, a 15-megaton explosion (more than 1,000 times that at Hiroshima) flattened a massive part of the Tunguska region of Siberia. The devastated area was 57 miles across, and the explosion shattered windows 400 miles away. 

A real investigation of the event wasn’t undertaken until 1927. But that’s not the weird part. The strangest fact about the incident is that there was no impact crater. An entire forest flattened, but there was no hole, meaning the object had exploded in the air. Scientists now believe that the object was an asteroid or extinct stony comet; the pressure of its descent simply blew it apart before it hit the ground. 

But the mysterious nature of the event has lead to a whole literature of ludicrous theories, blaming the blast on everything form a black hole passing through earth to a chunk of antimatter to an exploding UFO to – we love this one – an energy death ray built by Nikola Tesla and test-fired form the Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island. Whatever they believe, scientists have shuddered and thanked their lucky stars, contemplating what might have happened had the object decided to explode over, say Central Park. Due to the remoteness of Tunguska, not a single person was killed by the blast.


 The Day the Little Conemaugh Got Much Bigger
Lake Conemough lies 14 miles up the Little Conemaugh River from the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. On May 31, 1889, the dam that held back the lake waters burst after two days of torrential rain. 

The results were devastating. A wall of water 60 feet high, moving at 40 mph, crashed down on the unsuspecting people of Johnstown and the water and debris it carried all but flattened the entire town. In an utterly tragic twist, the town was downstream from a wire factory that was also flattened by the water. Many townspeople caught in the deluge got so entangled in barbed wire that they couldn’t escape. In the end, 2,209 people were killed, including 99 entire families. 

But Mother Nature was not wholly to blame for the tragedy. The Lake Conemough Dam was the property of the South Fork Fishing and Forestry Club, which had turned the area into a mountain retreat for the wealthy. However, the club had neglected proper maintenance on the dam. Despite its culpability, though, it was never held legally responsible.


From the People Who Brought You World War I: The Flu
Just as the Great War was ending and the world looked like it might finally get back to normal, the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 struck. The pandemic most likely originated in China, but its huge and devastating impact on Spain’s population earned it the name “Spanish flu” while the French called it “La Grippe.” Even such luminaries as President Woodrow Wilson caught the bug, in his case while attending the Versailles Peace Conference. In the end, one-fifth of the world’s population would become infected, and more people would die – some estimates are as high as 40 million – than had during four years of fighting in the First World War. Ironically, the war can be held party responsible not only for spreading the flu, but also for checking it. Populations were weakened, and thereby made more susceptible, by shortages and rationing and the fact that many of the strongest and healthiest members had been killed in some trench or no-man’s-land. But the war had also advanced medical learning and germ theory, and steeled people to hardship. They were used to self-sacrifice and putting the nation before the individual. So they were more calm and cooperative with the measures taken by their public health departments, some of which were tremendously restrictive.


Yellowstone National … Supervolcano?
So what exactly is a supervolcano? Just picture a volcano with 10,000 times the explosive force of Mount St. Helens. And unlike Mount Fuji, supervolcanoes aren’t available in nice cone shapes. Rather, these extreme volcanoes form in depressions called calderas, where the magma gets so thick that gas can’t escape. The pressure keeps building and building until all hell literally breaks loose. 

We have our very own supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park. The entire park. In fact, the caldera under Yellowstone is so big – 4,000 square kilometers – no one knew it was there until satellite images told us so. By all estimates, it erupts about every 600,000 years, and the last eruption was 640,000 years ago. We’re due. 

So what happens if it blows? The last eruption of a supervolcano was at Lake Toba in Sumatra 75,000 years ago. So much ash was released into the atmosphere that the sun was blocked out, the global temperature dropped 21 degrees, and three-quarters of all plant life in the Northern Hemisphere died. Ice age, anyone? Hopeful geologists content that we may be saved by the venting that occurs at Yellowstone through geysers like Old Faithful, relieving a bit of pressure from the caldera. Let’s hope they’re right.

Better Disasters through Science: The China Syndrome

OK, so it’s not technically a purely natural disaster. But it involves a lot of physics and stuff, and it would certainly cause one heck of a natural disaster. 

The name (from the film The China Syndrome of 1979, the same year as the Three Mile Island snafu) comes down from the theory that, in the event of a meltdown, molten nuclear material would be so hot that it would melt all the way through the earth and come out in China. Of course, we all know that’s just plain silly. 

But experts do tell us that a melting reactor core would be able to sink about 15 meters into the earth’s crust, at which point it would hit the water table. The resulting massive release of hot steam would then throw the material back out of the earth with tremendous force, causing the radioactive fallout to be spread across an even wider area. Feel any better about it? We certainly don’t.

5 World Record Holders Who Will Freak You Out

Just about everyone has something odd about them. Strange talents, peculiar attributes, uncanny abilities - if it can be done, humans normally find a way to do it.

Then, there are those who are extreme. Uber-Extreme. These are the people who make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for attributes that baffle the sensibilities of most people. These people aren’t necessarily weird, but they all share one common attribute.

They are extreme in some way.
Longest Hair, AKA Girl From The Ring Grown Up

Yep, it’s a creepy resemblance for anyone who has seen The Ring. The book lists Xie Qiuping’s hair at over 18ft long. Not sure if my depth perception is off, but either this picture was taken after she cut it a bit or she is standing on a 4ft tall chair next to an 8ft tall child and is 14ft tall herself.

Sources close to the story have confirmed that she is not 14ft tall.


Eye-Popping, AKA Looney Toons IRL


According to FastFastLane, Kim Goodman of Chicago, Illinois holds the Guinness World Record for her ability to pop her eyes out — called ‘globe luxation’ — to a protrusion of .47 inches (12 millimeters) beyond her eye sockets.

It’s one of those attributes that make people scream. Some, including Kim, call it a gift. Others would never do it even if they could. What if you couldn’t get them back in?



25 Digits, AKA Hannibal Lecter’s Nightmare

Hannibal in Silence of the Lambs and Count Rugen in The Princess Bride each had 6 fingers. They were nothing compared to Devendra Harne.

According to TheLongestList oftheLongestStuff attheLongestDomainName atLongLast (yes, that’s their name - sort of ironic) Devendra has 25 digits - 12 fingers and 13 toes. He has a condition called polydactyly.

There are two people who hold the record for having the most fingers and toes on a living person and they both carry the condition polydactyly. Pranamya Menaria has twelve fingers and thirteen toes, for a total of twenty-five. He lives in India and was born on August 10, 2005.

Devendra Harne also suffers from the same condition and also has twelve fingers and thirteen toes, also totalling twenty-five. He also lives in India and was born on January 9, 1995.

Typing will probably be very easy for him.


Longest Tongues, AKA The Next Generation of KISS

Gene Simmons is known to have a long tongue. He knows how to use it. If Stephen Taylor (3.74 in) and Annika Irmler (2.76 in) took their world’s longest tongues, threw on some face paint, and picked up guitars, we could introduce KISS back into the world.


One thing comes to mind when you look at these two. Well, I’m sure more than one thing comes to mind, but for me, my first thought was…

“Wow, I wonder if they can touch their elbow with their tongue!”

That’s what you were wondering too, right?



Smallest Waist, Proof That Anorexia is Unnecessary


Corsets. Some understand and appreciate their benefits. Others see a 15? waste (is that a size negative-5?) and think, “At least she didn’t do it by dieting.”

Neatorama gave a very straight-forward explanation three years ago of how Cathy Jung was able to achieve her unnatural figure:

Cathie Jung wore her first corset for her wedding in 1959. Now she wears it 24/7, and when it becomes loose fitting, she would wear a smaller one. The result? She now has a 15-inch waist.

If I didn’t read into this, I would have sworn that the image was the product of Photoshop, and a poor job at that. Nope. It’s real.

8 Amazing Weight Loss Stories

Manuel Uribe: Lost almost 1000 pounds

One of the most heartwarming diet, health, and weight loss stories that has been ongoing since January 2006 is the effort being undertaken by former half-ton man Manuel Uribe, aka "The World's Heaviest Man," to lose almost 1,000 pounds and save his life. Manuel Uribe Garza (born June 11, 1965) is a man from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, and was one of the heaviest people in medical history. After reaching a peak weight of around 597 kg (1,316 lb) and being unable to leave his bed since 2001, Uribe lost considerable weight with the help of doctors and nutritionists, and by following the Zone diet. 

Uribe drew worldwide attention when he appeared on the Televisa television network in January 2006, but turned down offers for gastric surgery in Italy. In March 2007, Uribe set a goal to lower his weight to 120 kg (265 lb). He has also been featured on "World's Heaviest Man", a television documentary about his bedridden life and attempts to lose weight. By the end of 2008, Uribe had reduced his weight to 360 kg (800 lb). His weight loss efforts continue to this day. 


David Smith: Lost 400 pounds and became a personal trainer

This is an amazing weight loss success story of a former 630-pound man named David Smith. In 2003, David weighted over 600 pounds and decided to change his life only through carb cycling and exercise. After 4 years, he weighted a stunning 229 pounds, losing 401 pounds but still had excess skin on his body. He underwent several surgeries to remove the excess skin; since then, he looks just like any other guy, and became a certified personal trainer through ACE. 




 Rosalie Bradford: Guinness World Record for most weight lost by a woman

Rosalie Bradford (1943 - 2006) holds the Guinness World Record for most weight lost by a woman. In 1987, the longtime binge-eater weighed an astounding 1,199 lb, having spent 8 years immobile in bed. Following an intervention from friends and weight-loss guru Richard Simmons she started exercising as best she could (she could only clap her hands to Simmons' videos at first) and amazingly eventually slimmed down to about 200 lb. 

Sadly enough, in one of the five sessions of surgery to remove excess skin during her weight loss, she had some complications that later caused her death. She died on November 29, 2006 at a hospital in Lakeland at the age of 63. Rosalie Bradford posthumously continues to hold the world record for having lost the most weight. 





John Stone: Wanted to lose his beer belly and became a bodybuilder

John Stone is an internet legend. This man fell into a pattern familiar to many people: being reasonably athletic at some point and then gradually letting it all go, so in 2003 he decided to make a few major changes, establishing a fairly tough goal: to lose his beer-belly. So he went to the gym. Five years later, it’s difficult to recognize him. John Stone became a bodybuilder and every month during the past 5 years he took pictures of him and put them on his blog. See what desire and hard work can do. 


 Rob Cooper: lost 300 pounds in 2 years

Rob Cooper, also known as the Former Fat Guy once weighed 475 pounds. Through a system of natural health, whole foods and a basic walking program of 20 minutes a day, lost nearly 300 pounds of fat over 2 and a half years. 

He began weight training and put on over 50 pounds of muscle in the years since, lowering his body fat even further. Residing in Canada, Rob is now healthy, muscular, and follows a healthy eating plan and exercise routine. 


 Jon Brower Minnoch: Lost 22kg per month

Jon Brower Minnoch was born in 1941 and held the record of the world's largest man. At his peak in 1978 Jon Brower Minnoch tipped the scales at an estimated 635 kilograms or 1397 pounds. He had to be hospitalized. 

After following a strict diet plan, Jon Brower Minnoch (USA), reduced to 216 kg (34 st) by July 1979, thus indicating a weight loss of at least 419 kg (66 st) in 16 months. This averages at 22.05 kg (3 st 9 lbs or 57.75 lbs) a month! 

The diet consisted of just 1,200 calories a day. Sadly, though, by October 1981, the former taxi driver had put on over 89 kg (34 st), undoing all his good work. Jon Brower Minnoch passed away on September 10, 1983 weighing 362 kilograms or 796 pounds. 



 Michael Hebranko: former heaviest man on earth down seized to 90 kg

Michael Hebranko (b. May 14, 1953) suffered from an extreme case of morbid obesity, known to be among the heaviest people in the world. 

After a stay at the St. Luke’s Hospital in New York, he dropped his weight from 411 kg (910 lb) to 90 kg (200 lb) and waist size from 290 cm (110 in) to 91 cm (36 in) in 19 months with the help of the dieting and exercise coach Richard Simmons and was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest recorded weight loss in 1990. He lost some of this weight from surgical removal of fat. He then toured the United States lecturing about his experiences and advocating dieting and exercise and appeared in infomercials promoting Richard Simmons. 

However, seven years later, he gained up to 453 kg (1,000 lb) and had to be repeatedly hospitalized to the Brookhaven Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. In June 1999, Hebranko was at his peak weight of 500 kg (1,100 lb). 


Steve Vaught: Started a cross country walk to lose weight

Steve Vaught undertook an incredible challenge beginning in 2005: to walk across the US. He began the 3,000-mile trek from his Oceanside, California home to Manhattan on April 10, 2005, when he weighed 410 pounds and was suffering severe depression after accidentally killing two pedestrians while driving 15 years ago. 

Apart from attracting his fair share of media attention, he managed to shed over 100 lb in the process. But Vaught's journey was not without controversy. Questions were raised by both the media and fans as to whether Vaught caught rides and did not in fact walk every mile. Vaught was also still morbidly obese upon completion of his journey. In his defense he claims "You can't cheat. There is no possible way to cheat. It was my journey (…) I didn't care about where I was at and where I was going. I don't care if it was 2,800 or 1,500 miles. . . . It's about where your head is."

5 Strangely Coloured Beaches

Unless you're lucky enough to have visited some of the unique shorelines below you'll probably be used to seeing - at best - golden beaches on your travels. In fact a lot of people believe golden sands to be the only option when it comes to beaches. To prove otherwise, and to show off a few of the world's most uniquely coloured stretches of sand, we present the following selection....

Punalu'u Beach



Punalu'u Beach is the most visited of the few black sand beaches on Hawaii's Big Island and the stunningly black sand is actually volcanic rock, deposited as lava and subsequently cooled when met by the ocean. Apparently to take any of the sand home would result in you being cursed by a volcano goddess by the name of Pele.

Papakolea Beach



One of only 2 green sand beaches in the world, the truly magnificent sight of Papakolea Beach can be experienced by travelling to Hawaii's Ka'u district. Again, the unique colour of its sand can be attributed to volcanic activity - specifically, the green hue belongs to the abundance of olivine crystals which have been produced as a result of a nearby cinder cone erupting and eroding.



Hyams Beach



You may need to wear your shades when visiting Hyams Beach in New South Wales, Australia, but not just due to the sun. It's not surprising after looking at photos but this sublime stretch of beach is home to the whitest sand in the world, an honour awarded by the Guinness Book of Records.


Pfeiffer Beach



The hills surrounding Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, California, are rich in Manganese Garnet. A result of this being washed down onto the beach is the colour scheme you can see above - the entire stretch of sand has become a shifting, pink and purple canvas. Although it's probably inedible, I can't help picturing a bowl of Raspberry Ripple ice-cream every time I see it.


Kaihalulu



You won't find many beaches elsewhere in the world with sand as red as this one. Kaihalulu, or Red Sand Beach, is situated on the island of Maui and can thank the neighbouring cindercone hill for its intensely deep red appearance.

Amazing Tiny Photos

Double transgenic mouse embryo, 18.5 days


Zebrafish embryo midbrain and diencephalon


Testudinella patina (a rotifer)


 Marine diatoms attached to Polysiphonia (red algae)


Sea water with mixed zooplankton and needle eye


Hydrophilidae sp. (water scavenger beetle) larva


 Xenopus (frog) embryos


Erpobdella octoculata (fresh water leech) 


Papaver subpiriforme (corn poppies) flower bud


Antique microscope slide featuring thin section of diseased ivory 


 Opening stamen of Mirabilis jalapa (flower)


Ophryotrocha diadema (marine worm) embryo, showing nervous 


 Coiled radula of Patella vulgaris (mollusk) 


Cedrus atlantica (cedar) leaf crosscut


Trematode sp. (parasitic worm) 


Mimetidae sp. (spider) egg case


 Kaleidofly of a Halloween Pennant (dragonfly)


Amisega floridensis (parasitic wasp)
Epilobium parviflorum (small-flowered willowherb) seeds


Clione sp. (planktonic mollusk) larva 

Most Epic Japanese Tea Houses

The art of tea drinking was fiirst introduced to Japan in the 9th century by the Buddhist monk Eichu upon his return from China. Over the centuries, tea drinking became ingrained in Japanese culture; in the 13th century it was a status symbol for the ruling warrior class, and by the 16th century, the custom had trickled down to all walks of life. 

The most well-known historical figure in Japanese tea ceremony is Sen no Rikyu, whose saying, ‘ichi-go ichi-e’ means that all meetings should be treasured because each is different and will never happen again. Sen no Rikyu’s principles of harmony, respect, purity, tranquility are still central to today’s tea ceremony practice.

The place in which the tea ceremony happens, the teahouse, also helps to elicit these principles from guests. Usually small and simple wooden structures located in remote, quiet areas, the teahouse envelope has recently been pushed as architects create modern interpretations of the place of the tea ceremony gathering, while still striving to maintain the uncomplicated beauty of the traditional form. 

Check out list of five modern tea houses, which includes an inflatable igloo, a tea house on stilts, a cube, a round house and an eco-friendly bamboo hut. Tea, anyone?


Inflatable Teahouse



Kengo Kuma’s inflatable teahouse can be found in the garden of the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt. The innovative design allows for flexibility and mobility while upholding the simple is beautiful tea house aesthetic. Air pumped into the house helps it to bloom from the ground up, growing into a 20 square metre structure that can hold nine tatami mats, an electric stove, a raised alcove called a tokonoma and a preparation room for the tea ceremony. A double membrane structure helps to heat the interior, which also incorporates LED lights for tea times at night. 


Teahouse on Stilts



Terunobu Fujimori’s teahouse looks like it might topple over at any second, sitting high up amongst the tree tops on crooked stilts. Located in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, this teahouse, dubbed ‘Takasugi-an’, or ‘a teahouse [built] too high’, really pushes the limits of the traditional teahouse structure. To get into the small, 2.7 square metre (4.5 tatami mat) building made of plaster and bamboo, guests must climb a ladder leaning against one of two chestnut tree trunks, remembering to take off their shoes half-way up. But it’s well worth the effort: once inside, guests are afforded excellent views of the surrounding valley and Fujimori’s hometown. 



Souan (Simple Hut) Teahouse



Built in 2003, Toshihiko Suzuki’s Souan teahouse mixes the old and new to create a modern take on the old standby. The exterior is made from aluminum, with circular cutouts to allow natural light to enter the room, while rice-papered walls on the inside evoke a sense of calm. The two-tatami mat teahouse also features computerized tungsten lighting that cycles up and down the walls to create the illusion that the interior is larger than it actually is. The Souan teahouse is located in the architect’s atelier in Yamagata Prefecture. 



Round Teahouse



Forget about square or rectangular teahouses; what about a round one? This circular teahouse built from oak and burnt larch wood in Prague, Czech Republic, was created through a collaboration between David Maštálka from A1 Architects and sculptor Vojtech Bilisic. The round house leads guests to gather around the hearth where the tea is being made; together with the domed, translucent roof of rice paper and the easy, open access to what the architect calls a “slightly wild but even so graceful” gardens nearby, this tea house is definitely a cozy and welcoming place to gather!




Eco-friendly Teahouse



Naomi Darling created this lovely eco-friendly teahouse in the woods of Stoney Creek, Conneticut, which features local and recycled materials. The stone came from a local quarry, while bamboo was harvested on-site, and the roof is made of recycled metal. Now all that’s needed is some tea and some good friends!

Enormous Cracks

See the diagonal line that runs through the orchard in the incredible photo above?That's the san andreas fault - a point where the edges of 2 tectonic plates meet - producing a visible displacement amongst the rows of trees. When they were planted years ago the rows were straight, but as the 2 ginormous land masses moved in opposite directions and rubbed against each other over the years the orchard was split. The top half of the field sits on the pacific plate, the bottom half on the north american plate. 



Here's another fault line. It's called álfagjá rift valley and can be found in reykjanes, iceland. At one point along the rift the two plates (eurasian and north american), have been connected by the miðlína bridge, seen in the photo. on the left: eurasia, on the right: North America.



Another frightening tectonic rift, Thingvellir, Iceland.



The incredible walls of a huge tectonic crack in aguateca, used as a defense by the mayas. The rift is 1 ½ km long and measures between 2 and 10 metres wide.

Tectonic rifts of this magnitude usually develop at a rate too slow for the human eye to notice. However back in september 2005, a 60km long collection of cracks opened up in ethiopia's afar region, all over the space of 3 weeks. Over the next year the fissures widened until in september 2006 a volcanic vent opened up and blew open a ½ km long crack. The area in question - the afar triangle - is a meeting point of 3 tectonic plates and geologists predict that soon (by soon they mean approximately 10 million years) it will sink and become a new ocean basin, splitting the continent apart.


A section of the cracks that appeared in 2005


The volcanic vent that opened up in 2006, surrounded by ash


A close-up of the huge vent

16 Unique and Impressive On-Screen Transformations

Many movies require actors and actresses to wear costumes or to apply basic makeup to take on a specific role. Some directors may even require an actors and actresses to change their hair color or lose weight. Few movies, however, require its stars to undergo massive transformations for their roles-a select few of which are unique to the point that they create a memorable experience in and of themselves. From prosthetic body parts to changing one’s race, gender or species, these are the most unique transformations that actors have undergone for their on-screen performances.

Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


In the film adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s famous children’s book , Pitt plays a character that ages backwards. He went several transformations for this film, and it is not until the end do female movie goers get to see the Brad Pitt they are used to. Certainly different than PItt’s role in Fight Club.

Heath Ledger – Batman: The Dark Knight


Heralded as Ledger’s career defining performance, his portrayal of The Joker was quite different than that of his precursor, Jack Nicholson. A nice touch was the subtler green hair, an overall more disturbed and disheveled appearance, and the “Chelsea Grin” facial scars. His portrayal of The Joker could easily be regarded as the only character in this franchise capable of giving children nightmares.


Charlize Theron – Monster


Theron takes a break from being unbelievably hot by gaining weight, aging 25 years, and not wearing make up. And the denouement of her portrayal of a lesbian prostitute-turned-serial killer character, is the bad fitting jeans that moms used to wear in the early 1990s. Definitely a change of pace for Theron, and a look that we hope to not see her embrace again in the coming years, or ever.


Emma Thompson – Nanny McPhee


In this film, Thompson plays a haggard, wart-covered, and uni-browed nanny whose unflattering characteristics vanish upon the children entrusted to her care learning to mind her. She is almost unrecognizable until then end of the movie, which makes you go…”Oh yeah…it’s Emma Thompson.”


Mike Myers – The Cat in the Hat

For The Cat in The Hat, Myers had the distinction of playing Dr. Seuss’ most famous character, and donned a full cat suit and whiskers in order to complete the transformation. For this film, makeup guru Rick Baker was enlisted, who also did the makeup and special effects consulting on Hellboy and Norbit, among others.


Jim Carrey - The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

After filming The Mask, Carrey swore off future films involving intense make-up, but claims he was unable to pass on this role. Reportedly, the makeup and costume donned by Carrey for this film took between 3-8 hours to complete. This unique transformation seems as if it could not have been executed successfully, had it been anyone but Carrey.


Rebecca Romijn– X Men

Romijn’s makeup in X Men, was the culmination of the work of four make-up artists, a hundred small silicon prosetetics, lots of body paint, and nine hours of application per use. The end result is completely worth it. According to Romijn, for X Men 2, the application time was shortened to six hours, which helped her from becoming an evil bitch woman.


Gwenyth Paltrow - Shallow Hal

Gwenyth Paltrow plays the love interest of Hal (Jack Black) in this 2001 comedy about a shallow man who eventually falls in love with a very fat (but inwardly beautiful woman), because he is hypnotized into believing she is outwardly beautiful. The application of her body suit and accompanying make-up took four hours each time. The upside of seeing Paltrow wearing a fat suit in this fim, is also getting to see her real body in a thong.


Ron Pearlman - Hell Boy

Ron Pearlman is well known for having donned makeup and prosethetics for roles (Beauty and the Beast), but most impressive was what he became for the filming for the Hellboy Franchise. Most of his red body suit was made of red latex, and the costume itself took 4 hours per application. The upside for Pearlman, is that in this role, he got to be the baddest of all badasses.


Eddie Murphy – Norbit 




For Norbit, Murphy enlisted the work of Rick Baker – with whom he worked on The Nutty Professor and Coming to America – to help create a multitude of other characters, all played by Murphy. Probably the most outrageous of these, was “Rasputia Latimore”, an outrageously sex-crazed and obese woman, who becomes the overbearing wife of the film’s eponymous star. The body suit donned by Murphy for this role (see above) is definitely a masterpiece in and of itself.


Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder

Tom Cruise’s cameo performance in Tropic Thunder surprised most moviegoers, and arguably stole the show with his depiction of a greedy and ruthless Hollywood producer. For this role, Cruise’s diet-coke addicted “Les Grossman” donned a fat suit, bald wig, chest hair mat and prosthetic hands, among others. It is widely speculated that the inspiration for this character was the human penis (a dick). Which makes a lot of sense if you were to think about.


Robin Willimas - Mrs. Doubtfire

Robin Williams portrayal as Mrs Doubtfire in this 1993 comedy was so believable, that it made most people wonder if dressing drag was Williams’ regular routine. Interestingly, the prosthetic mask used in the film (which famously goes flying into the street), was actually a prop; Williams’ real facial makeup was a composite of eight separate pieces and a whole lot of blush.


John Travolta – Hairspray

In Hairspray, Travolta gives a surprisingly convincing performance as “Edna”, a character he envisioned to be Sophia Loren…if she were to gain 200 lbs. This role required Travolta to undergo five hours of extensive make up and prosthetics to complete his transformation. He even wore high heels in a number of scenes, which begs wondering how he was able to do so as effortlessly as he did. Experience?


Eric Stoltz - Mask

Based on a true story, Eric Stoltz plays a character whose mother is played by Cher, so naturally a serious physical disfigurement is to be expected. However, in this film he portrays more specifically a child suffering from craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. The massive prosthetic cranium earned Michael Westmore & Zoltan Elek an Academy Award for Best Makeup in 1985.


Selma Blair - A Dirty Shame

The normally small-chested Blair portrays a stripper named “Ursula Udders” in this 2004 offbeat film. The prosthetic breasts used in the film required four hours of make-up. For the nude scene, her ‘nude’ version of the prosthetic breasts cost $5,000 and the studio’s lighting was so bright that the film only had several hours to film before the lights started to crack them. It was essentially a one-time use set, that were discarded shortly after.


John Matuszak - The Goonies

The one-time professional football player Matuszak famously transformed into everyone’s favorite childhood freak, Lotney “Sloth” Fratelli, in Spielberg’s 1986 The Goonies. The application of his make up – which was quite groundbreaking at the time – took a total of five hours per application. Well worth it. Baby Ruth!

Rock’s Aging Sex Icons Need To Quit Already

In the last decade or so, popular culture has been enamored and humored by the aging rock superstar. And what started out as mild amusement of getting to see a hair metal band from your childhood on a “one-time-only reunion tour”, has developed into a full-blown addiction: as a society we are unwilling to let these celebrities escape the limelight. And given their largely narcissistic ways, they are happy with the renewed attention. Suffice to say, it is strange to see someone your grandfather’s age running around with wispy long hair and spandex pants. Here’s a list of rock’s sex icons that should, in the name of dignity and pride, gracefully bow out and perhaps consider some more distinguished pursuits.

Bret Michaels


Michaels’ success with Poison was marked by an abundance of money, girls and drugs…and sex. Michaels once famously told Playboy that he loves threesomes and that the biggest sexual turn-on is giving oral sex. And to top it off, he is open about having lost count of how many women he has slept with. In his youth Michaels was fit, and widely considered to be one of the better looking rock stars out there; not only successful, he was a veritable sexual icon. Now, Michaels is reputed to have lost or spent a good chunk of his earnings – not to mention self-respect – looking for love on VH1. Now in second season of “Rock of Love”, Michaels is showcased as a vain and self-obsessed has-been, who is encouraged to debauch bipolar strippers and alcohol-abusive women for our viewing pleasure. The verdict is still out on whether his ubiquitous bandanna is sewn into his wig, or if it is just tied really tight.

Gene Simmons


Famous for his long, pointy tongue, the lead singer of Kiss claims to have slept with over five thousand women. Simmons’ sexual appeal during his prime was due to his mysterious makeup, his outrageous behavior, and his fame and fortune. His Playboy playmate partner of 25 years with whom he has two children, doesn’t value marriage or monogamy in their relationship. Much to the world’s chagrin, a sex tape of Simmons and a young female model was recently leaked to the Internet, featuring the once great rocker – now in his sixties – having awkward and uncomfortable-looking sex for what seems like an eternity. More than anything, the existence of the tape begs whether his high number of sexual partners is really just an exaggeration, or even a result of an age-related memory fault.


Keith Richards

During the height of The Rolling Stones popularity, women (and some men) wanted Richards, and men (those who didn’t want him) wanted to be him. A talented and creative musician, Richards’ style defined an era both in music and in fashion. There are no shortages of stories regarding the sexual escapades that he and fellow Stones got into during their heyday. Most recently, however, Richards claimed to have snorted the ashes of his own father mixed in with cocaine. Realizing that this alienated normal people, Richards later went on the record to deny this statement. Presently, Richards’ skeletal remains can be found featured in tabloids, still parading about in flamboyant clothing, eyeliner and looking generally confused.


Steven Tyler


Lead singer of Aerosmith, and owner the world’s most famous lips, Tyler is a vocal advocate of not marrying. In a recent Elle interview, Tyler claimed that if you were to be in a monogamous relationship, to “lie ‘til you die’, regarding claims of infidelity. It seems that he had an elaborate system for evading comprising situations and drama; Tyler also admits that during the band’s tour, he and band mates would refrain from sexual activity with groupies the last ten days before returning home, so their girlfriends wouldn’t suspect (smell?) anything. Back in the early 1980s, his microphone scarf & tight jeans ensemble would make the ladies go wild. But now, the dude looks like a lady.


David Lee Roth


Most true Van Halen fans prefer Roth to Van Hagar, and probably all women did as well. He was perhaps the sex icon of the late 1970s, even if his vocal ability was questioned. Roth had a very interesting and business-like approach to selecting the women he would fornicate with at concerts. His staff would find him the “hottest girls” and at the end of the concert, he would announce the winning girls who would get a pass: “Blond, pink top, sector A4.” DLR was also known to have his staff members take Polaroid photos of the girls in bizarre situations like acting as a nude table for the stars, to say the least. At the ripe age of 53 in 2007, Roth went on a comeback tour with Van Halen. Unfortunately, he still performs shirtless.


Robert Plant

Led Zeppelin’s famous front man claims to have had a fetish for watching live sex shows. Known for his falsetto, his deep v-necked suits, wild hair (including chest) and tight pants, Plant epitomized the term “Rock God”. Plant once said the difference between a fan and a groupie is a fan is someone to have sex with and a groupie is someone who wants to take care of you like a mother or girlfriend. During Led Zeppelin’s rise to prominence, Plant was young and an effortless sexual appeal. Now Plant resembles an aging peasant character from The Lord of the Rings. Fortunately for Plant, he still has most of his hair. However, when you turn 60, you should not be able to have shoulder-length hair. I guess he didn’t get the memo.


Axl Rose

According to Rolling Stone, Axl Rose recorded “Rocket Queen” in the recording studio while having sex with his girlfriend Adriana Smith. Interestingly, Smith happened to be a Guns n’ Roses member Steven Adler’s ex. Smith wanted to get back at Adler for cheating on her. Rose wanted the sounds of her real orgasm recorded in the song. Seemed like everyone won. Rose was well known had that “bad boy” quality that women love, even if he wore women’s jeans and sang rather cheesy love ballads at times (note: this does not discount the merits of “Appetite for Destruction”). Since his “comeback” during the MTV Music Video Awards by performing with Guns n’ Roses, he’s gone way downhill. Rather than falling off the radar, he tried and failed at a comeback. But at least he finally finished “Chinese Democracy”. Rose can now be seen wandering the streets of L.A. sporting fake dreadlocks or a goatee…or both. 


Richie Sambora


In the eighties, Sambora’s conquests had good things to say about his lovemaking style. They said he had good rhythm (guitar?) and would perform oral sex for hours. Being part of one of the most successful rock bands in the world, made an already handsome Sambora, much more attractive. Since Bon Jovi’s highly successful comeback and the bands subsequent collective aging, Sambora has split from his wife, Heather Locklear, dated Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife, Denise Richards, put on a bunch of weight and went to rehab for alcohol problems. Now, many question whether or not allowing him to perform oral sex is in anyone’s best interest.


Ozzy Osbourne

As a young musician, Ozzy was rich and crazy. He famously bit the head off of a bat which stirred his name in the media as well as made him seem a more dangerous sex icon. Wife, Sharon Osbourne has gushed that Ozzy can perform sexual acts for hours and is a fantastic lover. Ozzy became monogamous when Sharon faked a positive AIDS test result. After that “scare”, Sharon claims Ozzy never cheated again A look into the life of the family (via their television show) on MTV, shows Ozzy as a shuffling, mumbling, stuttering invalid who is hardly considered a sex icon any longer. But he still performs, somehow – at concerts that is.


Lars Ulrich

Ulrich recently boasted that while on tour with Guns n’ Roses, he and Axl Rose had numeous orgies with groupies. Ulrich was one of the bad boy sex machines while in Metallica, being handsome, popular and successful and had no problem getting girls backstage to come to the band’s infamous sex parties. He has also at times had tumultuous relationships with his fellow band mates, which furthered his bad boy persona. Now Ulrich can be occasionally found in tabloid magazines looking haggard and old. Metallica is still estimated to be worth more than $189 million, but the recent Napster scandal has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth for Ulrich, and has women who love pirating music looking elsewhere. 


Fred Durst

Once the lead singer of Limp Bizkit, Durst has expressed on his website: “I’ve had plenty of sex. I’ve lied terribly. I’ve cheated.” During his peak, he was rumored to be involved sexually with both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. His lyrics were honest, vulgar and angry, which fueled his sex appeal - plus he work backwards hats and had tattoos. Today Durst is virtually unrecognizable. He has recently ditched his trademark cap for a ¼” of sparse, silvery hair, and only in his thirties, he looks largely overweight and aged. Recently, a sex tape with Durst and his 20 year-old girlfriend was leaked onto the Internet. Many speculate this was Durst’s own doing for publicity purposes, a claim that Durst himself denies. Let’s hope it’s the last sex tape we ever hear about from this guy.


Eddie Van Halen

As the lead guitarist of supergroup “Van Halen”, Eddie was a handsome star that seems to have fallen victim to the “gross side “ via drugs, aging and a brief bout with cancer and other illnesses. Most recently, Van Halen has teamed up with porn director to write two songs for an adult film “Sacred Sin”. He insists he is a fan of his friend/director’s work and wants to be a part of it. In the last decade, Van Halen underwent a hip replacement surgery, but still feels comfortable taking his shirt off and playing guitar in front of thousands for his bands’ many comeback tours. Recently, Van Halen has split from his wife, and put himself back out on the market. The timing is probably not coincidental.


Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger is one of the most famous rockers of all time, and one that has aged most interestingly. Like most of his contemporaries, he has been able to retain his physique, but he has surprisingly kept all of his hair. Additionally, Jagger’s face has aged seemingly twice as fast as the rest of him. Jagger has famously claimed that, “if you are not having sex then you are wasting your time.” Being a young sex symbol, Jagger indulged in relationships with high-profile women such as Carla Bruni, Janice Dickinson, Jerry Hall(with whom he has four children) and many, many others. At the age of 65, Jagger and his rubber face are still touring the world, for reasons that remain a mystery to most of us. He is also still actively dating super models.

The 5 Most Beautiful Castles in Asia and the Middle East

Himeji Castle, Japan


Known also as White Heron Castle because of its beautiful white exterior, Himeji is the most visited castle in all of Japan and the first national landmark to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list.

Himeji Castle started as a fort in 1331 but over the centuries, the warlords who ruled over the land enlarged it and left their mark on the structure. The Himeji Castle complex that we see today was finally completed in 1609 and unlike other Japanese castles has never suffered serious damage due to earthquakes, fires or wars.


The best time to visit Himeji Castle is in the first half of April, during the cherry blossom season.

Mehrangarh Fort, India




Built atop a 125-metre high hill, Mehrangarh Fort lies in the centre of Jodhpur, one of India’s greatest cities. Construction began in 1459 by order of Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur, but most of the structure was completed during 1638-1678, in the time of Jaswant Singh.




Inside the 36-metres high, 21-metres wide walls of Mehrangarh fortress lie some of the most beautiful and historical palaces in India, all known for their impressive carvings and lavish courtyards.




Krak des Chevaliers, Syria




Described by Lawrence of Arabia as “the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world”, Krak des Chevaliers was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades. It was used by King Edward the First as an example for his castles in Britain and is one of the few places where Crusader art can still be observed.




Krak des Chevaliers was a virtually impenetrable fortress and made the Knights Hospitaller a force to be reckoned with in the Holy Land, until the year 1271 when Mameluke Sultan Baibars finally captured it.


Krak des Chevaliers suffered serious damage from repeated Israeli aircraft attacks since 1948.

Matsumoto Castle, Japan



Built in the city of Matsumoto, Nagoya Province, Matsumoto Castle lies very close to Tokyo, making it a popular attraction for both Japanese and foreign tourists. It is a great example of Japanese flatland castles, not being built atop hills or cliffs.




Surrounded by a moat with swans and ducks, the black exterior of Matsumoto Castle earned it the nickname Crow Castle. However the best time to visit this masterpiece of medieval Japanese architecture is in winter, when the dark walls are covered by pure white snow.


Although Matsumoto Castle was never attacked because the civil wars ended, the Ishikawa clan rebuilt it in anticipation of gun warfare. The walls were reinforced to resist bullets and gun-slots were installed.








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Arg-e-Bam, Iran




The fortress of Arg-e-Bam is considered by many to be the biggest most beautiful mud-brick structure in the world. Its origins date back to 500 BC, during the Ashkani era and it was inhabited until the year 1850 when for unknown reasons it was deserted.




Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Arg-e-Bam was severely damaged by a powerful earthquake in 2003. Practically 80% of the citadel complex collapsed, but now countries like China, France and Italy are helping Iran rebuild Arg-e-Bam in the name of historical preservation.

The Bizzare South American armoured suckermouth catfish found in Leicestershire

An armoured suckermouth catfish, a reptilian-like fish normally found in South America, has been found in a Leicestershire waterway.

The prehistoric creature has scaly skin similar to a crocodile and an impressive set of teeth. 

It was found, already dead, by schoolboy fisherman Shawn Brown in the Grand Union Canal at Wigston.

The 14-year-old took a picture of his 10 ins-long discovery and showed it to a number of aquarists who managed to identify it. 

The armoured suckermouth catfish normally lives in Panama, Costa Rica and South America. 

Experts say it is the first time one has been found in our waterways. 

It is thought to have been released into the canal after growing too big for somebody's aquarium but could not survive in the colder water. 

John Hall, who runs All Seasons Angling tackle shop in Wigston, said: "We are only 300 yards from where Shawn found it and he came in here and showed me the photo. He is a good little fisherman and as soon as he saw it knew it didn't belong here. 

"He went home and looked it up on the internet to try and see what it was but he had to send it off to experts to identify it. 

"It had teeth as well and I'm sure it was scare a lot of anglers who saw it swimming up river. But it looks worse than it actually is." 

The armoured suckermouth catfish – Hypostomus plecostomus in Latin – are herbivores and use their distinctive mouths to hoover up algae off rocks. 

Their tough armoured plating acts as a defence mechanism to ward off predators in tropical waters. 

They pose no threat to humans although it is not known what effect they would have on native fish if they were to ever breed here. 

Ian Wellby, a fisheries scientist at Brooksby College, Leics, said: "It is not something you want in your freshwaters but it is quite harmless. 

"It is the first one I have ever heard of in Britain before. It is a warm water fish and could not survive our winters."

Inspirational Older People

Olive Riley (108-year-old): World's Oldest Blogger

Believed to have been the world's oldest blogger, australian woman Olive Riley began her blog The Life of Riley in February 2007 at the age of 107 and made her final post on 26 June 2008 from a nursing home in Woy Woy, New South Wales, complaining of a cough about two weeks before she died at the age of 108. She had posted over 70 entries, as well as several video posts on YouTube. Her blog (or "blob" as she called it) was inspired by her experience with documentary filmmaker Michael Rubbo who, in 2005, made a documentary about her titled All About Olive. 


 Buster Martin (102-year-old): UK's Oldest Employee and Marathon Runner

Pierre Jean "Buster" Martin claims to be the United Kingdom's oldest employee at the age of 102. Martin works for a well-known plumbing company in southeast London as a van cleaner, and notably refused to take a day off on the day he celebrated his 100th birthday. But he is also a marathon runner. After walking the 10 km (6 miles) distance of the Great Capital Run in 2 hours 22 minutes and the Roding Valley Half Marathon in 5 hours 13 minutes, Martin was entered for the 2008 London Marathon. According to press reports, he walked the 26 mile course in approximately 10 hours. 

If the claims about his age are true, he could be the oldest recorded marathon participant in the world. However, officials of the Guinness World Records organization said that they did not consider Martin eligible for the record because he had never provided proof is his age. 


Winifred Pristell (70-year-old): Holds two World Records in Powerlifting

Meet Winifred Pristell, 70 years old. This great-grandma they call "Heavy Metal" is a competitive weightlifter with two world records and aspirations for more. Winifred first took up the sport in her late 40’s due to her struggles with her weight. When she turned 60 she started to lift competitively in powerlifting meets. At 68, she set world records for her age in the bench press at 176.2 pounds and 270 pounds in the deadlift. 

Even though she has been struggling lately with arthritis and joint issues, at 70 Winifred still works out three days a week. 


 Jennifer Figge (56-year-old): First Woman to Swim the Atlantic

56-year-old Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand, exhilarated and exhausted as she touched land this week for the first time in almost a month. Reaching a beach in Trinidad, she became the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean --a dream she'd had since the early 1960s, when a stormy trans-Atlantic flight got her thinking she could don a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed. 

The 56-year-old left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on Jan. 12, battling waves of up to 30 feet (9 meters) and strong winds. She had originally planned to swim the Bahamas, but inclement weather forced her to veer 1,000 miles (1,610 kms) off course to Trinidad. 


The Great Omani (92-year-old): World's Oldest Escapologist

Ron Cunningham, who died in 2007 at the age of 92, was an escapologist and end-of the-pier artist specializing in feats such as eating light bulbs and removing a straitjacket while hanging upside down with his trousers on fire. 

To impress audiences he put himself in great danger during many of his stunts using fire, water and glass at his local pub the Bedford Tavern in Brighton. It was here where he performed his last stunt in 2005. This was the escape out of handcuffs with both arms on fire with lighter fluid. He died in Brighton, East Sussex after a whisky and a cigar at his home on October 15, 2007. His last request was for a trapdoor in the hearse at his funeral. He wrote a short poem, which was read at the occasion: “They lay the Great Omani in his box / They have done it up with nails not locks / But at his funeral do not despair / Chances are he won't be there.” 


 Arthur Winston (100-year-old): Worked for 72 years at the same company and only took one day off

A Los Angeles Metro employee for 72 years, Arthur Winston (1906 - 2006) was known for being honored as the "Employee of the Century" because he was never late to work and only took one day off during his entire career, that being for his wife's funeral in 1988. He retired at age 100. 



 Bernie Marks (78-year-old): Oldest Man to have a Bar Mitzvah

It took Holocaust survivor Bernie Marks over 60 years to realize his father's and grandfathers' dreams, but he finally honored them - and Jews worldwide - by having a bar mitzvah, the Jewish ceremony that marks the symbolic passage to manhood. 

When he was 13, he was living in a Polish ghetto under Nazi rule. Later, his family was sent to Auschwitz where he last saw his mother and brother. Marks and his father were sent to a labor camp until they were liberated by US forces in 1945. So now, 66 years later, in a strong, melodic voice that moved some at Sacramento Congregation B'nai Israel to tears, Marks chanted the Hebrew passages with his daughters and grandchildren looking on. 


Brownie Mary (70-year-old): Medical Cannabis Activist

Popularly known as "Brownie Mary", Mary Jane Rathbun (1923 - 1999) was an American hospital volunteer who became internationally known as a medical cannabis activist. Brownie Mary was famous for baking and distributing "Alice B. Toklas brownies" and volunteering in the AIDS ward of San Francisco General Hospital. She was active in efforts to legalize cannabis use for people with AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and other diseases. In 1992, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors declared August 25 "Brownie Mary Day." 

"My kids [people with AIDS and cancer] need this and I'm ready to go to jail for my principles... I'm not going to cut any deals with them. If I go to jail, I go to jail," she once said. 

She was named a "Living Saint" in 1994 at the San Francisco Saints Alive Benefit. In 1997 the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence dubbed her "Saint Brownie Fucking Mary" at Mary's request as she was a lifelong atheist. Mary was also included in the Sisters' Nuns of the Above AIDS Memorial Quilt for her work with and advocating for people with AIDS. Brownie Mary died of a heart attack at a Laguna Honda nursing home for the poor at age 77.

Ancient Wonders of the World

Colossus of Rhodes

"The Colossus of Rhodes was a giant statue of the god Helios, erected on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 BC and 280 BC. It was roughly the same size as the Statue of Liberty in New York, although it stood on a lower platform. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World."


The Hanging Gardens

"The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis) and the walls of Babylon (present-day Iraq) were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. They were both supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC."


The Mausoleum of Maussollos

"The Mausoleum of Maussollos, or Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was a tomb built between 353-350 BC at halicarnassus (present Bodrum, Turkey), for Mausolus..a provincial king in the Persian Empire, and Artemisia, his wife, and sister. It was designed by four Greek architects - Bryaxis, Leochares, Scopas and Timotheus."








The Lighthouse of Alexandria

"The Pharos of Alexandria was a lighthouse built in the 3rd century BC on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt to serve as that port's landmark, and later, a lighthouse."

"With a height variously estimated at between 115 and 135 metres (383 - 440 ft) it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries, and was identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the World by Antipater of Sidon."

"It ceased operating and was largely destroyed as a result of two earthquakes in the 14th century AD; some of its remains were found on the floor of Alexandria's Eastern Harbour by divers in 1994. More of the remains have subsequently been revealed by satellite imaging."


Statue of Zeus at Olympia

"The Statue of Zeus at Olympia is one of the classical Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was carved by the famed Classical sculptor Phidias (5th century BC) circa 435 BC in Olympia, Greece."



Great Pyramid of Giza

"The Great Pyramid of Giza..is the oldest and last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the World. Most Egyptologists agree the pyramid was constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. It is generally believed the Great Pyramid was built as the tomb of Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu (Cheops), after whom it is sometimes called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu. Khufu's vizier, Hemon, is credited as the architect of the Great Pyramid."


The Temple of Artemis

"The Temple of Artemis..also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the Achaemenid dynasty of the Persian Empire. Nothing remains of the original temple, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World."

Each Grain Of Sand A Tiny Work Of Art

Take Us Closer to One of the Little Ones

When you take a moonlit stroll on the beach, how often do you think about the tiny grains of sand creeping in between your toes? From above, sand seems like a bunch of tiny brown rocks, perhaps peppered with occasional shells or cigarette butts. But sand has a far more fascinating story to tell. 

Composed of the remnants of volcanic explosions, eroded mountains, dead organisms, and even degraded man-made structures, sand can reveal the history—both biological and geologic—of a local environment. And examined closely enough,sand can reveal spectacular colors, shapes, and textures.
These images of sand from around the world using an Edge 3D Microscope


Lumahai Beach, Kauai, Hawaii 
Bright green olivine is a significant mineral in Hawaii’s slow-flowing basaltic lava and is rich in iron. Its density allows it to separate from other sand grains in the rolling and depositing action of waves, which results in the accumulation that tints this beach a yellowish green. Dense sands like olivine are also resistant to weathering, allowing it to endure millennia of constant waves. 


Northern Sahara, Morocco 
The pitted and frosted surface of these grains is typical of desert sand, where grains constantly collide with one another. Many desert sands have a faint red color caused by a thin layer of iron that precipitates from the atmosphere and coats the grains. 



Plum Island, Massachusetts 
Metamorphic minerals, which form at high temperatures and pressures underground, can become heavy, brightly colored sands like these. But color is often unreliable for identifying different types of sands. 

Here, the pink and red grains are garnet, but garnet can also be brown, black, green, or orange, depending on the chemistry. The bright green epidote in the center can also be gray, brown, or nearly black. The angular, black magnetite—the most common naturally occurring magnetic material on earth—is always black, however, and is frequently found near garnet.



Makena Point, Maui, Hawai

This sand, red from iron oxide, was found at Makena Point, Maui. It eroded from igneous rock, which was produced by the solidification of molten magma. 


Maui, Hawaii
Not all sand is made of tiny bits of rock. Biogenic sand, which forms from the remains of marine life, is the major ingredient of many tropical beaches. The grains here are tiny fragments of a baby sea urchin shell. 

The raised bumps on the white grain represent the sites of insertion for the sea urchin’s spines. The blue grain has eroded to the point that the raised bumps have been completely rubbed off. 


Taketomi Island, Okinawa, Japan
Looking like a puffy white star studded with little pearls, this is the shell of an amoeboid protist called a foraminifera, or foram. An estimated four thousand types of forams live in the world’s oceans. 

The shells, called tests, are made mainly of calcium carbonate, which the animals derive from carbon atoms in the air and water. Forams thus play a significant role in the carbon cycle. 


Maui, Hawaii
The glasslike needles are sponge spicules, which form the internal skeletons of sponges. They are made of silica, can be found in a variety of bizarre shapes (including spiders and fishhooks), and are hard and sharp enough to cut through human flesh. 

They surround the tip of a spiral shell, composed primarily of calcium carbonate, that has broken off and eroded. 


Geriba Beach, Brazil

Worms have burrowed trails into this shell fragment. Worms like these are abundant in the ocean as well as on land.


Delos Island, Greece
Man-made objects can also become sand. This grain was found on the Greek island of Delos, one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. 

Delos had no indigenous marble, and an enormous amount of marble had to be quarried and brought to the island to erect the temples. Over the years, the marble blocks have eroded and the local beaches are now peppered with different types of marble.


New Mexico

Some sand comes from decidedly less artistic human activity. Here, a small grain of copper is impacted into a larger nugget, also of copper. These grains precipitated downwind of an unregulated, smoke-belching copper smelter. 

Credit:www.sandgrains.com

Artist's / Scientist's : Dr. Gary Greenberg

Ancient rock art from around the world

Introduction
Even 15,000 years ago, humans were compelled to decorate the interior walls of their abodes. Back then – the Stone Age – home was often no more than a cave, but the artwork was sophisticated and sublime. The Altamira Cave in northern Spain contains some of Europe's best known and best preserved Paleolithic rock art, including the painted ceiling shown here. Scholars consider the paintings, primarily of bison and other wildlife, masterpieces of creative genius

Lascaux cave drawings threatened by fungus

The famed Lascaux caves in France have been shuttered since 1963, when green algae and mosses began to cover the 15,000- to 17,000 year-old murals of bulls, horses, and other creatures. The deterioration was blamed on chemical reactions with visitors' breath. As a consolation, the government built a replica cavern nearby, which remains a top tourist draw. But the spread of fungus in the original cave hasn't stopped, thanks in part to global warming, researchers said at a recent meeting about the artwork. Ideas to fight the fungus include the use of biocides and an elaborate climate control system.

Uranium traces help date oldest rock art in Britain

Rock art in Britain appears to date back at least 12,800 years, according to scientists who used minute traces of radioactive uranium in a limestone crust to date the rock art. The crusts formed over the etchings of bison and other creatures, so the dates set a minimum age for the work. The finding helps round out a picture of Ice Age Ice-Age hunter-gatherers occupying the caves each spring to find horse, reindeer, and other wildlife for meat, hides, and fur. This overdrawn image here shows a stag engraving in the biggest cavern at Creswell Crags.

Earliest oil paintings in Afghan cave

The world's earliest known oil paintings are found in a series of intact – albeit weather-beaten and looter-ravaged – caves in Afghanistan's Bamiyan Valley. Archaeologists dated the paintings to the mid-seventh century, which is several hundred years before the painting technique emerged in Europe. The murals depict Buddhas and mythical creatures and were made with what appear to be walnut and poppy-seed oils, scientists say. The site of the paintings is perhaps more infamously known as where the Taliban blew up two giant stone Buddha statues in 2001.

South African rock reveals history of the San

Painted walls and overhangs in South Africa are helping scholars piece together the millennia-long history of the San, a group of hunter-gatherers who became extinct after European colonization in the 19th century. More than 40,000 paintings in 500 rock shelters have been discovered. They depict animals such as the eland – a type of spiral-horned antelope – and hunters and are thought to represent religious beliefs of the San. Researchers hope that by firmly dating the paintings, they can see how the people changed over time.

Rock depicts supernova

The star symbol right of center in this rock carving may represent the fiery death of an ancient star in the year 1006. If so, it would be the first North American representation of a celestial event, previously known from astronomers' records in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The supernova of 1006 was likely as bright as the quarter moon, according to computer simulations. This piece of rock art was discovered in the White Tank Regional Park outside of Phoenix, Ariz.

Rock art under siege in Nevada

Figures and shapes etched into rocks all around Nevada hint at stories of people who roamed the land centuries to millennia ago. But rock art enthusiasts fear vandals and looters will destroy the etchings before scientists have sufficient tools and knowledge to comprehend the historical record. The problem, according to groups mobilizing to protect the ancient artwork, is Nevada's rapid growth, which is putting people much closer to sites such as the petroglyphs shown here in the Pah Rah Mountain Range near Reno.

Gas caught between rock and an art place

The more than 10,000 carvings and paintings of bulls, sheep, hunters, the hunted, warriors and wildlife all etched and stroked onto the cliff walls along Utah's Nine Mile Canyon make up what is known as the world's longest art gallery. The rock art dates to between A.D. 700 and 1300 and archaeologists believe it is the creation of the Fremont people, who were the ancestors of modern-day Utes. But the rock isn't the only draw to the remote stretch of Utah: It's also rich in oil and gas. A rush to exploit the natural resources has raised concerns that dust kicked up by industrial truck traffic could harm the artwork.

Britain's worst pub kitchen

This picture shows the conditions inside Britain's worst pub kitchen, the Rose and Crown in Thaxted, Essex, where inspectors found nearly 200 items of rotting food.

Environmental health officials immediately closed the establishment after discovering the piles of expired ingredients.

Work surfaces and utensils were smothered in thick grease, floors littered with rotting detritus and fridges covered in mould and dozens of dirty food containers.

The kitchen did not even have any running hot running water meaning staff could not wash up or clean their hands properly.

Inspectors found the owner was still preparing food in the rancid conditions.

The discovery was made after a surprise inspection by environmental health officers from Uttlesford District Council on December 9 last year.

In total, 190 items of "mouldy, slimy, putrescent or expired foodstuffs" were found at the scene.

The owner of the pub, Nicholas Marchetto, pleaded guilty to 23 food and hygiene offences at Harlow Magistrates' Court.

He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay another £1,000 towards the council's costs.

Geoff Smith, the council's head of environmental health, described the conditions at the pub as "totally unacceptable".

He said: "The conditions demonstrated a complete breakdown of any hygiene management controls and a disregard for consumer safety when food continued to be prepared in the conditions found.

"The large quantity unfit for human consumption on the premises had placed public health at risk.

"Where offences of such magnitude are identified, this authority will not hesitate to take legal proceedings to secure compliance and ensure the safety of the consumer."

Food hygiene expert Dr Lisa Ackerley, a former environmental health officer with 20 years experience, said the case was one of the worst she had ever seen.

Dr Ackerley, who runs food safety consultancy Hygiene Audit Systems, said: "What has astonished me about this case is that the owner was still running the kitchen and serving the food.

"It looks like he is almost wilfully trying to poison people because there is just no way that a person wouldn't realise that this is potentially lethal for customers.

"After more than 20 years in the business I have never seen such a large amount of spoilage.

"The poisoning caused by this bacterial growth isn't always just about sickness and diarrhoea.

"As we saw last week with the ecoli outbreak which killed a little boy this sort of bad hygiene can cause major health complications and even death.

"The fine for this man is just not high enough – he can't even plead ignorance of health and safety laws – he shouldn't be allowed to serve food again."

Twelve of the offences were under the General Food and Regulations 2004; seven under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2006 and four under the Food Labelling Regulations 1996.

Mr Marchetto has now reopened the pub and says that he has "put things right". It is not currently serving food.

A parrot whose cries of alarm helped save the life of a choking girl has been hailed a hero.

Willie, a Quaker parrot, has been awarded the local Red Cross chapter's Animal Lifesaver Award in Denver, Colorado.

His histrionics alerted his owner, Megan Howard, who was baby-sitting the toddler last November.

The feathered protector squawked "Mama, baby" and flapped his wings to get her attention.

Ms Howard returned to find the little girl, Hannah, already turning blue after choking on her breakfast.

The carer saved Hannah by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre.

And she joined in the praise for her avian friend - labelling Willie "the real hero".

Hannah's mother, Samantha Kuusk, has admitted recounting the episode is still painful.

"The part where she turned blue is always when my heart drops no matter how many times I've heard it," she said.

"My heart drops in my stomach and I get all teary eyed."

Willie received his award during a "Breakfast of Champions" event attended by Colorado governor Bill Ritter and Denver mayor John Hickenlooper.

World’s top party-animal destinations

Do you like to hang out in clubs until the break of dawn, dancing until you feel like you just used up the last drop of energy in your body? Do you love the nightlife? If your answer is positive you’ll want to check out these locations for the ultimate party experience.

1 Koh Phangan, Thailand


The popular Fullmoon parties of Koh Phangan began a few years back when a group of tourists discovered that the full moons seen from this beach were the most beautiful they had ever seen and decided to throw a party to celebrate this discovery. Ever since then, party people from all over the globe have been coming to Koh Phangan to join the celebrations.

A Fullmoon party takes place on this beach at least once every month with 8 to 12,000 people attending during low season, 15 to 20,000 during high season and 30,000 on New Year’s Eve. Every party starts at sundown when the moon starts to take shape over the sandy beaches and as the night settles-in music starts to take over, as MCs take turn to please all those present by mixing trance, techno, drum and bass and even reggae. Fire-dancers and fire-eaters complete the party atmosphere and make sure that you won’t soon forget your Koh Phangan adventure.


2 Goa, India

Goa has been one of the planet’s most popular party scenes ever since the 1960s when the hippies reached India’s oriental beaches and introduced their culture to these places. To this day hippie influences can be detected in the psychedelic trance and techno beats that can be heard at Goa parties and there are those who say that Goa music makes no sense until your high on drugs, preferably acid.


A Portuguese colony until 1962, Goa is a must-visit destination for all party animals that are looking for something different, like psychedelic trance. The beaches here are filled with clubs and shacks, but the recent death of a British tourist has drawn attention on these establishments and inquiries have revealed that Goa is more than just a party paradise, it’s also a drugs, sex and crime paradise, and the authorities say things will soon change.


3 Cancun, Mexico


Cancun is officially the world’s most popular spring break destination and for good reason. This incredible resort offers its visitors some of the world’s most beautiful sunbathed beaches, luxury hotels and most importantly, some of the wildest nightclubs in South America.



In the day time Cancun is very calm, people just like to swim in the turquoise waters, lay in the sunlight or by the pool, sipping cocktails, but that all changes as soon as the sun sets and the clubs open their gates for all the hungry party animals. Whether you like house music, dance, rock, jazz, latino or any other music genre for that matter, you’re guaranteed to find a place to enjoy yourself in Cancun.



Just one thing you should remember, in case you didn’t know this: don’t drink the water! As long as you only drink bottled water, your Mexican experience should be one to remember for all the right reasons.


4 Ios, Greece



Often referred to as the Acropolis of party destinations, Ios is indeed one of the top adult party destinations in Europe. Calm little port city by day, Ios comes alive at midnight when all the tourists stampede towards the more than 100 clubs set around the center of town. Whether they opt for the Blue Note, the Flame or the Slammer Bar, everyone is guaranteed a good time in Ios.



What makes Ios special among all Greece travel destinations, is the fact that it has no special attractions, no ruins to visit, tourists come here for just two things: drinking and sex. The 20-some-year-old visitor base is made up of heavy drinkers that pass out in the alleys of the resort and don’t recover until the next evening.


So if you’re into partying until daybreak, drinking yourself unconscious and having random sex, than Ios should be at the top of your party destinations list.



5 Ibiza, Spain


If you eat, drink and breathe clubbing than Ibiza is definitely the place for you! This little island is known as the Mecca of nightlife and it’s famous for the wild parties that go on from May till October. 7 major clubs ( Amnesia, Pacha, El Divino, Es Paradis, Eden, Space and Privilege) and many other smaller ones try to satisfy every taste with genres reaching from house and techno to jazz, hip-hop and r’n’b, but, even though Ibiza now offers musical diversity, the club-scene still manages to steal the spotlight. All of the world’s top DJs perform here during the summer gathering huge masses that like to dance to their crazy beats form dusk till dawn.



The best thing about this place is that there’s never a dull night, there’s bound to be a party at one of the clubs, so you’re guaranteed to have a good time whether it’s a week day or the weekend.


Ibiza is also one of those places where everyone that’s anyone likes to make an appearance and have a taste of the famous nig

Amazing Airport

Princess Juliana International Airport serves the Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin.
 The airport serves as a hub for Windward Islands Airways and is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands, including Anguilla, Saba, St. Barthélemy and St. Eustatius. It is named after Juliana of the Netherlands, who was crown princess when the airport opened

Airport by the Beach




Jumbo Jet vs People on the Beach




Boeing 747 landing




SXM - KLM Boeing 747 St Maarten Maho Beach




747 Landing Maho Beach, St. Maarten

Whales back at sea but disoriented

Eleven long-finned pilot whales were returned to sea today after surviving a mass stranding on a remote southwest Australian beach, but they appeared disoriented and were trying to return to shore, an official said.

The animals had been trucked overland to a bay with deeper waters in an attempt to save them after nearly 70 others died when they beached themselves early yesterday in Western Australia state. 

Rescuers moved them out 100 yards (meters) to sea off Flinders Bay but the whales began moving back to shore, said Laura Sinclair, liaison officer with the Department of Environment and Conservation. 

"They're meandering around at the moment," Sinclair said. "It's not an unusual situation but we're just trying to guide them out further. If one strands itself again, it could put out distress signals which will bring them all back." 

She said rescuers on Jet Skis, boats and surfboards were trying to direct the animals. 

A group of 87 whales and five bottlenose dolphins beached themselves in Hamelin Bay. One dolphin and 72 whales died before they could be rescued. 

Volunteers and government employees worked all day and overnight to stabilize the survivors, keeping them wet and moving them into one pod in a safe holding area with slightly deeper water. 

Most beached whales die of dehydration, overheating or from their weight, which can crush their internal organs once they leave the weightlessness of the water. 

Rough seas and high waves hampered the rescue effort at Hamelin Bay and officials decided to move the surviving animals overland to deeper, more protected waters in Flinders Bay, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) away. 

Four whales and four dolphins were pushed back to sea before the move, Sinclair said. 

The remaining 11 whales — which measure up to 20 feet (6 meters) long and weigh up to 3.5 tons — were loaded into trucks by slings and individually transported to the new location Tuesday morning. 

It was the latest mass beaching of whales in Australia. Strandings happen periodically in Tasmania, in the southeast, as whales pass during their migration to and from Antarctic waters, but scientists do not know why. 

Department staff and scientists took measurements and DNA samples from the dead whales and dolphins to allow scientists to assess the genetic information and population structure of the pod. The dead whales will be transported to a nearby waste disposal area. 

Earlier this month, 194 pilot whales and seven dolphins became stranded on a sandbar in Tasmania and only 54 whales and five dolphins were able to be saved. In January, 45 sperm whales died after becoming beached on a different Tasmanian sandbar.

Sizzling Snow Slopes 10 Best Skiing Destinations in Europe

Europe is an absolute gemstone for winter sports and skiing resorts with most of the world’s best skiing spots in the continent. With the relative short distance between countries in the EU and the fact that the transportation is top notch, most of these skiing spots are brimming with tourists and skiing enthusiasts alike.

Considering how richly the continent is blessed in regards to snow-filled delights, it is a real task to just pick ten such scintillating spots. On any other day, you could pick a totally separate ten and that would make an equally appealing list. That is the extent to which the slopes of Europe encourage the adventure seeking skiers.

So here is our selection of the best skiing destinations Europe has to offer…

St. Anton, Austria


Skiing along with world class facilities and celebrity glitz and glamour is the attraction that St. Anton in Austria holds for its visitors. Along with amazing skiing slopes, superb facilities and training sessions for beginners, St. Anton has excellent powdery snow that allows you to enjoy your skiing to the fullest. Considered by many as arguably one of the top skiing destinations on the planet, this one is all about the thrill of going downhill a steep drop back to Zura, the challenging powder bowls of the Valluga along with the glitz and glam of the nightlife here.

Courchevel, France


While St. Anton is all about mixing skiing with entertainment, Courchevel is the place where you get seriously fanatic about skiing and just skiing. Many consider the snowfields and the slopes here as the single best skiing spot on the planet. Courchevel has a huge reputation across the globe, and when you visit the place, you will find out just why. Filled with a dedicated snowboarding park, as well as ice skating, tobogganing and ice climbing, this is all about chilling out!



Seefeld, Austria


If you wish to go to the home of cross-country skiing, then Seefeld in Austria is the place to go to in Europe. The 230 km of marked trial and courses that were designed to test out champions at the 1976 Olympics and 1985 World Championships should give you enough of a thrill. With plenty of powdery snow, very well maintained courses and cross-country skiing being its main attraction, this is a great for beginners and experts alike.


Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

Home of the Winter Olympics, Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo and skiing are synonymous. The maintenance of the slopes here is great, with facilities already in place because of the games, but the region also boasts some of the best snow in Europe, making it a consistent destination. A great place both for skiing enthusiasts and the casual visitors, the ski-hub is all about living it up in style, which is understandable as this is Italy we are talking about!




Chamonix, France


Going to Chamonix for a ski trip translates into skiing under the shadow of Europe’s highest peak, Mount Blanc. Not a bad deal by any stretch of the imagination, is it? Known as the free-riding hub of Europe, the place is all about showing off our skiing excellence with jaw-dropping cliffs and highly technical courses. Of course, the not-so-good with skis will also find enough space to start honing their skills. And when night dawns, there will be enough French wine to quench your taste buds, too!



Kranjska Gora, Slovenia


So how did this find a place in the list of the elite in Europe that is often restricted to France, Austria, Italy and Switzerland? Well, the slopes of Kranjska Gora in Slovenia are a great place for beginners to get on the fast track to skiing big time, and we sure as hell need slopes like these. The charming and beautiful Slovenian town floors you with its beauty while the training and instruction here will get you speeding down the slopes in no time. That does not mean that these slopes are bad for the pros either.


Kitzbuhel, Austria


Polly Hillbrunner Beauty Spa, magical 16th-century castle and Hahnenkamm world cup downhill race - Yes, Kitzbuhel has something for everyone. While the spa will especially appeal to the women, the 16th-century castle set in a background of snow will look like a page out of a fairytale. The downhill races are infamous for their crashes, but the guys would be up for this fun and mayhem. Apart from all that, there is plenty of skiing on these wonderful slopes, of course!



Levi, Lapland


Notice how we mention Lapland and not Finland in the title? That is because there is nothing more special than being in Santa’s home and skiing in the holiday season. So what if Christmas has come and gone? This is Santa’s home, and in his off season where else will Santa be but at his home! Levi has an obvious appeal for kids and families, but it also makes for a great skiing spot just on the basis of the slopes, powdery snow and the Northern Lights that will lighten up your trip.




St. Moritz, Switzerland



Apart from great skiing, how about playing a few games of your favorite sport on a frozen lake? It is not as dangerous as you might think and a whole lot of fun. St. Moritz in the Swiss Alps is all about living it up along with skiing in high-profile company. Do not be too surprised if you bump into a Michael Schumacher or David Beckham while you ski down these beautiful slopes. Just make sure you don’t bump into them too hard!



Val d’ Isere, France


The spectacular ski resort of Val d’ Isere is located in a region that includes both Tignes and Val d’Isere, boasting 97 lifts and high-altitude skiing to almost 3,500 m. This single resort offers everything there is to experience in skiing; ranging from high drops to big pipes. If you wish to test out your mettle and show off your skills, then these are the slopes to hit. Incredibly popular with the hardcore skiers, this is like a little skiing nirvana in the heart of France.

Europe holds in its heart many other skiing resorts that offer tourists with an experience that is unmatched anywhere else on the planet. If you are a winter sport enthusiast, then Europe must be your home as it is a one-stop spot for trying out every new trick and fine tuning all the new moves. Whether you are serious about skiing or just relaxing on a holiday, any one of these slopes will give you all the fun and adrenaline-rush you need.

Breathtaking Natural Swimming Pools

The Natural Way to Cool Off

Swimming can be great exercise and a lot of fun, not to mention an exciting sport at the Olympics. But the chlorine used in most pools can have some negative side effects, not the least of which is reliance on toxic (and finicky) chemicals.

Chlorine's damaging effects on hair are well known, but few people realize that a number of studies have linked inhalation of the chemical by swimmers to increased asthma rates. A Norwegian study also documented an increased risk of wheezing among children who swim in pools before 6 months of age. In an unpleasant reaction, pee and sweat in water can react with chlorine to form toxic breakdown products known as chloramines. 

For health, environmental and aesthetic reasons, a lot of people have expressed interest in alternatives to chlorine pools, and luckily there are more and more options to get wet without smelling like cleaning products. A company called TechnoPure offers alternative pool systems that treat water by pumping it through a chamber containing coated titanium plates and copper and zinc ions. The units cost a relatively affordable $5,500. DEL Ozone makes ozone injectors that can reduce the need for chlorine up to 90% -- there's been one installed at the White House for years! Some systems rely on a combination of ozone and copper and silver ions, while others are saline, though saltwater pools result in the formation of chlorine in the water. 

One elegant, eco-friendly solution that has had enthusiastic supporters in Europe for decades is the so-called natural swimming pool, which is slowly beginning to gain buzz in the U.S. Natural swimming pools, often called swimming ponds across the Atlantic, can be beautiful oases of greenery and sustainability, as well as safe, fun places to take a dip. 

Managed properly, natural swimming pools have crystal clear water and require no chemicals to maintain, as they are self-cleaning mini-ecosystems. "You can drink the water if you want to, and you don't necessarily have to take a shower," says Morgan Brown of Idaho-based Whole Water Systems, LLC. The natural pools designer says the systems also have lower maintenance costs than conventional pools, and their installation costs are not much more than standard designs.


How Do They Work?

The materials and designs of natural pools can vary widely. Many are lined with rubber or reinforced polyethylene. In most popular models, such as those offered by Kansas-based Total Habitat, the swimming area is separated from a zone planted with aquatic vegetation, which acts as a biological filter. A small waterfall can add ambiance as well as valuable aeration. A skimmer may be used to collect large debris. Total Habitat typically adds a UV sterilizer to assure any germs are killed. 

Worried about mosquitoes? Don't be! According to Total Habitat's president Mick Hilleary, natural predators and moving water make a natural swimming pools practically mosquito free. Hilleary says four tires stacked in your backyard will create 100 times more mosquitoes.


Smart Green Design

"Conventional pools that use ozone or chlorine are upsetting a natural balance. In fact it's hard to keep a chlorinated pool biologically dead, because nature gets in there," says Morgan Brown of Whole Water Systems, LLC. "With natural pools the living system takes care of itself." 

Brown says he knows of a public natural swimming pool that opened in Europe 15 years ago, yet managers have never reported any instance of a health problem there. "That's astounding, because that's not the case for chlorine pools," explains Brown. "If a Caddyshack instance happens with a toddler in a conventional pool you shock it with chemicals, and it takes 12 hours before it is safe to go back in. That doesn't happen in natural environments because good bugs take care of the bad." 

Brown says the hardest part about designing natural swimming pools is getting the water circulation right so that the water stays as crystal clear and appealing as a fresh alpine lake. When pools are first installed they sometimes take a while to settle to that level, and occasional growths of algae can discolor the water, even though they don't pose any health concern. Experts note that the longer the system has to stabilize, and the more established the plants in the filter zone become, the more likely it is that the water will be transparent. The reason wholly natural ponds are usually murky is because of nutrient overloading (often because of runoff from farm fields and treated lawns) and seepage of minerals and sediments from groundwater -- something blocked by a pool's liner.


Is Natural Pool Water Safe?

According to Brown, people always ask the health question first. He says people just need to think about pools a little differently. "Instead of creating an abhorrence of nature where everything is dead, it's creating natural healthy water that takes care of itself," says Brown. 

Brown believes properly designed natural pools provide virtually no risk of dangerous contamination, provided they are used reasonably, and not constantly stuffed to capacity with bathers. He says most health departments don't have any regulations on residential pools, so consumers have little worry about breaking any local codes. However, that's not necessarily the case with public pools, which often do have strict requirements. 

"Some of the current regulations for public pools are things natural pools would never be able to do, like zero E. coli. There probably isn't a natural body of water anywhere that has zero E. coli," says Brown. Instead, Brown designs to German regulations, which he says are twice as stringent as the rules that govern beach closures in the U.S., in terms of acceptable levels of contaminants.



Where Did the Idea Come From?

Morgan Brown says he first experienced natural swimming pools when he was living in Germany. In Munich a large public natural pool was his daily haunt, and it has safely supported sizable crowds for years. 

"Natural pools evolved from ponds that people swim in," explains Brown. "People started gradually making them better for swimming, and fixing problems with water. Europeans have decades worth of experience." 

The idea has admittedly been slow to catch on in America, some say because of our obsession with everything being clinically clean, and our apparent need to be in control of things. The well-heeled chemical industry certainly has had its stake in the popularization of pools. More Europeans, on the other hand, have been attracted to a back-to-nature mentality, and a people that has long popularized natural spa vacations, mineral water and walking for good health has found an appealing way to cool off.


From Eco-Resorts to Homes

So far most of Whole Water System's natural pool business has been aimed at eco-resorts and new planned communities. However, Brown says he is also excited to begin getting more into the residential pool market. He hopes green pools will resonate with eco- and budget-conscious Americans.

Whole Water Systems works with technology from the European firm BioNova (designs pictured), which also supplies many natural pools on the other side of the Atlantic.


Create a Peaceful Setting

The possibilities for natural pool designs are nearly limitless, from traditional looks to serene settings that closely resemble wild ponds.



Hybrid Pools

Taking up the natural pools banner in California is Vista-based Expanding Horizons, which has been designing and installing water features, gardens and other projects since 1978. 

The approach of Expanding Horizons founder Bryan Morse is to construct what he calls a "hybrid pool," which incorporates technology commonly found in conventional pools such as pool cleaners, surface skimmers and main drains. The designs often include beach entries, and water plants are seeded into the nooks and crannies between the perimeter boulders to enhance the natural experience. 

The regeneration zone is separate and forms an additional water feature in the garden -- what Morse calls a bog. In one design, a 70-foot long stream feeds purified water from the bog into the pool. Expanding Horizons digs a depression for the bog, lining it with a distribution network of pipes and washed aggregate. Then water-loving plants are seeded, such as cannas, dwarf horsetail, water cress, pennywort, rushes and umbrella palms. The result is a gorgeous garden that attracts wildlife and beneficial insects.


Across the Pond
Based in Bristol in the United Kingdom, Clear Water Revival makes some of the most appealing, sparkling, drool-worthy natural pools anywhere. The company's goal is to bring back an essence of Victorian England, with modern understanding of science and ecology. The gorgeous pools can even replace some of the ecological functions lost with the vast destruction of wetlands, particularly in the form of habitat for plants. 

Clear Water Revival tends to focus its natural pool designs around maximizing biodiversity and the educational value of the space, creating a very natural look and feel. There are a number of options offered, from simple clay linings to more advanced systems. Customers can even order DIY kits. 

As an added bonus, many Clear Water Revival designs can also be used for ice skating in the winter!


Clear Water Revival

Clear Water Revival works with a network of partners across the UK, and also offers renewable energy systems for pool heating and homes. The company has partnered with the Aqua Viva group of Austria and Germany in many of its pool designs, allowing for high efficiency systems. Affected pools can function well with fewer plants and only 20% of the area taken up by the regeneration zone (50% is more common). 

Aqua Viva systems have long-term filtration, with little maintenance needed, a unique substrate for plants and several advanced pumps and skimmers. The result is a lot of clean, healthy pool in a small space, if needed.


Green Pools by gartenART

Another British leader is gartenART, which boasts innovative, beautiful natural swimming pools. 

Have your own unique design built, or convert your conventional swimming pool to a natural one, keeping the original swimming area (or altering it if you wish). You just need to add a shallow plant area around it to enable natural purification. Another option is to keep the existing structure of the swimming pool and create the two areas inside that, giving you more flexibility.


Green Pools by gartenART

gartenART Director Tim Evans explains that the company's international design and consultancy service does a good business with English ex-pats abroad, including in France, Italy, Spain, Greece, the Carribean and elsewhere. "We have had a lot of interest but not much actual business from the U.S. so far," says Evans. "We consistently get more website hits and email enquiries from the U.S. than from any country except the UK, but this has not yet translated into real action."


Green Pools by gartenART

Believe it or not, this refreshing oasis is actually in London. gartenART installed this gorgeous, Asian-theme inspired water feature in the suburb of Mill Hill.


Green Pools by gartenART

Prefer a rustic look? gartenART designers installed this cool pool in Herts in the UK in 2007. Don't you want to dip your toes in?


Woodhouse Natural Pools

Will Woodhouse of UK-based Woodhouse Natural Pools has been developing and building natural swimming pools since 2000. Woodhouse has partnered with Austria's Biotop Natural Pool, which is one of the industry's original pioneers.

Woodhouse points out that, besides being beautiful, his natural pools naturally warm up fast and efficiently in the sun, meaning they don't cost a fortune to heat (like many conventional pools).

Woodhouse also touts the "softness" of the water, which he promotes as being especially gentle on skin and hair.


Woodhouse Natural Pools

Woodhouse Natural Pools offers a range of exciting options, from ultra-contemporary designs to features that integrate seamlessly into gardens or the surrounding landscape.


Kickback and Relax

Lounging by the side of a natural pool can be a whole different experience than visiting a conventional chlorine pool.



Michael Littlewood Designs

Natural landscape architect and garden designer Michael Littlewood of Somerset in the UK also has extensive experience in successfully designing natural swimming pools. In fact, he even wrote the first book in English on the subject, Natural Swimming Pools, Inspiration for Harmony with Nature.


Michael Littlewood Designs

A natural pool seems to harmonize with this picturesque mountain landscape much more than a shockingly blue artificial pool ever could.


Michael Littlewood Designs

Michael Littlewood and Total Habitat in the states are the founding members of the nascent Natural Swimming Pool/Pond Association. The small association has launched their own certification program to provide consumers with greater confidence. In addition to Littlewood's book, Total Habitat offers a handy e-book on natural pools, with 80 some images and step-by-step guides.


 Michael Littlewood Designs

Recreate halcyon days of meeting friends at a perfect swimming hole -- but without worrying about leeches, bacteria, pollution or other problems.



Michael Littlewood Designs

Natural pools come in many sizes and shapes, and no two are exactly alike.


Michael Littlewood Designs

Get ready for fun in the sun!

Bees and ants 'operate in teams'

Bees and ants are true team players unlike other creatures who seek safety in numbers for selfish reasons, according to researchers. 

Scientists from Edinburgh and Oxford Universities used mathematical models to study "swarm behaviour". 

They found that bison or fish want to get to the centre of large groups to keep themselves safe from predators. 

Ants and bees worked together as a single unit, and were prepared to die for the greater good of the colony. 

The study's findings appear to echo the insect worlds portrayed in the animated films Antz and Bee Movie, in which the characters live in rigidly conformist societies.

In some co-operative groups of animals - known as superorganisms - members are closely related, and work together to ensure their shared genetic material is passed on, the researchers concluded. 

In other groups they perform a policing role, for instance in honey bee hives where worker bees destroy any eggs not laid by the queen to ensure the queen's offspring survive. 

Dr Andy Gardner, from the University of Edinburgh, said: "We often see animals appearing to move in unison, such as bison or fish. 

"However, what looks like a team effort is in fact each animal jostling to get to the middle of the group to evade predators. 

"By contrast, an ant nest or a beehive can behave as a united organism in its own right. In a beehive, the workers are happy to help the community, even to die, because the queen carries and passes on their genes. 

"However, superorganisms are quite rare, and only exist when the internal conflict within a social group is suppressed - so we cannot use this term, for example, to describe human societies." 

The findings, funded by the Royal Society, are published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupts for first time in 20 years, shooting smoke 50,000ft into air

Picture of Mount Redoubt taken before the eruptions

A volcano has begun to erupt around 100 miles from the Alaskan city of Anchorage.

The Mount Redoubt eruption has sent plumes of smoke 50,000 feet above sea level.

Geologists at theAlaska Volcano Observatory say the volcano erupted three times in quick succession.

Mount Redoubt is roughly 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, which has a population of around 279,000.

Geophysicist John Power said: "This is a fairly large eruption, close to the larger cities in Alaska."

He said no cities had yet reported any ash fall from the volcano.

Geologists say seismic activity around the volcano has been intense in recent days, and they expect that the volcano would "blow soon".

Mr Power said Mount Redoubt last erupted nearly 20 years ago.

10 Incredible Faces In The Rock

Ah, so that’s where Yoda’s hiding!

Many of us go for a walk in the mountains to find solitude. But as the following pictures show, it could be a bit creepy – the mountain itself might be watching. Mountain faces are not only beautiful, but have been regarded as something mysterious by humans for centuries. As a result, there are many legends entwined around them.


One such popular legend is that of Lover’s Rock in Antequera in Andalusia, Spain. The hillock resembles a face lying down and is said to be that of an Indian warrior. According to the legend, the mountain witnessed the tragic love affair between a young Christian man from Antequera and a young woman from Africa. Because of their different religions, society did not tolerate their love. With troops on their heels, the couple is said to have fled to the mountain where they threw themselves off in a loving embrace rather than spend a lifetime without each other.



This is Mount Yiouktas in Heraklion, Crete. The Greek head of the gods, Zeus, is supposed to have been born on Crete and as legend has it, also died there, leaving his profile imprinted on the mountain as a mythical tomb.



This astonishingly real looking mountain face is located in Junagadh in Gujarat, India. The mountain is also known as Girnar Hill and is here seen from Bhavnath Temple. The photographer cheated a bit by turning the picture by 90 degrees, but the result is stunning. The five peaks of the mountain range are each adorned by intricately carved stone temples. As a pilgrimage, Hindus and Jains climb from peak to peak (around 8,000 steps). Legend has it that climbing Girnar barefoot will earn the pilgrim a place in heaven.


Now, leaving the legends, this awesome mountain face includes a whole mountain range and numerous fir trees. Unfortunately, Florida-based photographer Christopher Fay did not include any information about the location. Maybe someone will recognize it. What does the face remind you of, is it more Yoda or Gremlins?



This is another mountain showing a face in profile, also on Crete. It looks similar to Picture 2 but look at that nose and the elegant forehead! Crete seems laden with legends, but we knew that already from reading Greek mythology.


Here, the snow on this mountain in Iceland contributes in forming a rather grumpy looking face. No wonder mountaineers talk about the ‘north face’ of a mountain.


The guard of this mountain seems to have been immortalized as a face jutting out of the mountain. No wonder it was popularly known as the ‘Old Man of the Mountain’. This rock face could be found in Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire until May 2003. Then, after hanging around for 12,000 years, the whole face fell off, just like that.


This rock face in Kings Canyon National Park in California does not look that extraordinary but if you look really closely, on top of the green moustache, huge nose and sleeping eyes, there seems to be a third eye, making him a cyclops!


In this picture of Lookout Mountain in Rock City, GA, the top of the mountain seems to be the headgear for the face underneath. Gives the term stone faced a whole new meaning.


This mountain top in Estes Park, Colorado does not only have a face, but doesn’t the top part going to the right look like a howling bear? Or maybe one starts seeing hidden faces and animals everywhere after looking at too many rock faces…

Amazing Vertigo-Inducing Viewing Platforms

Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona, USA

This horseshoe-shaped pant-filler hangs approximately 4'000ft above the floor of the grand canyon. But... below the platform is not a sheer drop of that height - it's still extremely high, but not 4'000ft worth. also, the platform is located in a side canyon, not the main one, although it's pretty close. all that said, this is still a monster.









Il Binocolo, Meran, Italy

Within the gardens of trauttmansdorff castle in italy you'll find this charming steel platform poking out through the trees, its name (meaning 'the binoculars') coming from the shape of the platform's small roof and the view of the surrounding landscape. I've no idea of the platform's height - it doesn't look incredibly high - but i know i wouldn't like to fall off the edge. designed by architect matteo thun.




Aurland Lookout, Aurland, Norway

Architects todd saunders and tommie wilhelmsen were commissioned to design a scenic rest-stop 2'000ft above aurland fjord in norway and came up with this beauty. The outermost end of the horizontal platform - which curves to form the structure's support - is closed off by a sheet of glass, offering an incredible view towards the ground for all those with the balls to make the trip to the end.






Top Of Tyrol, Tyrol, Austria

'Top of tyrol', designed by aste architecture, is a spectacular cantilevered viewing platform overhanging a ridge of mount isidor in austria. admittedly the same view could've been gained without the steel platform but it definitely provides a decievingly safe area for tourists wanting a perfect view of stubai glacier. Plus there's always the attraction of the thrill factor as you stand 9 metres away from the mountain.





Dachstein Skywalk, Dachstein Glacier, Austria

Nicknamed the 'balcony of the alps', the dachstein skywalk is perched above the 850ft vertical rockface of the hunerkogelin austria and offers views of both slovenia and the czech republic. In order to scare tourists as much as possible there's also a glass section of floor at the unsupported end of the cantilevered platform, a definite knee-trembler.





The Landscape Promontory, Ticino, Switzerland

The landscape promontory is a suspended viewing platform designed by paolo bürgi as part of the cardada project, a revitalisation of the cardada mountain that is expected to finish in 2010. As with 'il binocolo', the steel and titanium platform enables you to walk amongst the tree tops and experience a view of lake maggiore that was previously unattainable.

Hospital scandal: missed warnings

The shocking extent of the failures at an NHS hospital where hundreds of patients died unnecessarily can be disclosed today.

Senior managers at Stafford Hospital were told repeatedly that the standard of care they were delivering was not good enough but each time the warnings were ignored. 

The disclosures follow the publication last week of a damning report by the NHS regulator, the Healthcare Commission, that found that hundreds of patients died at the hospital because of the “appalling” treatment they received.

Today, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose that executives at Stafford Hospital were warned as early as 2002 by the commission’s predecessor that it had problems with the standard of its emergency care services and that it was not adequately staffed. However, they failed to act on the warnings. 

In 2006, a former government adviser warned the hospital about the standards of hygiene in A&E. Again, the warning was ignored. 

It was only when alerts were issued over the high mortality rate at the hospital that alarm bells rang. 

At that stage an investigation by the Healthcare Commission began, resulting in the publication of last week’s report and the suspension on full pay of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust’s chief executive, Martin Yeates, and the resignation of its chairman, Toni Brisby. 

The Sunday Telegraph launches a campaign today for a series of measures to ensure that the crisis in Staffordshire is never repeated in the NHS. The Heal Our Hospitals campaign demands the establishment of an independent inquiry into the regulation and supervision of NHS hospitals. 

This has been endorsed by the Patients Association and the Cure the NHS campaign group, which worked to expose the crisis at Stafford Hospital. The two groups today launch a petition demanding an inquiry. 

Richard Branson, the vice-president of the Patients Association, said: “The most important thing is that patients are happy and safe. I’ve signed the petition because I think patients need to have confidence that they will be. Inquiries are not about laying blame, they are about finding answers to important questions.” 

This newspaper is also calling for: 

Þ A review of hospital targets to ensure that they work to improve quality of care. 

Þ Nurses to focus on patient care — not form-filling — as their central duty. 

Þ Routine publication of comprehensive death rates for hospitals. 

Þ Patients to be given a stronger voice in the running of hospitals. 

Þ Assurance that senior hospital staff will not be rewarded for failure. 

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph yesterday, the chairman of the Healthcare Commission condemned the board at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust and bosses at the strategic health authority for failing to act. 

Sir Ian Kennedy said it was clear that serious problems at the hospital were evident as far back as 2002, yet no action was taken by managers. 

Sir Ian said board members and managers who had not already left should “examine their consciences”. 

“Anybody who had any responsibility for leadership and management must ask how they allowed this place to get into the state where patients were dying,” he said. 

Terry Deighton, an expert in risk assessment who carried out the inspection of A&E in February 2006 that led to another warning for Stafford Hospital, described the conditions as “absolutely disgusting”. He found blood encrusted on seats, puddles of urine on the lavatory floors and doctors and nurses washing their hands in sinks encrusted with grime. 

Mr Deighton’s report said standards of cleanliness risked placing patients in danger of infection but Mr Yeates insisted that Stafford Hospital was “very clean” and refused to meet Mr Deighton for over a year. 

The commission has also criticised standards of care at Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (BCH) after it struggled to meet rising demands. 

The commission is also investigating allegations that West London Mental Health Trust did not do enough to prevent patients harming themselves and other people. 

The disclosures have led to concern about standards of care in the NHS and calls for a change in the target-driven culture that many emergency care specialists believe is distorting clinical priorities within A&E departments. 

The Sunday Telegraph’s campaign has received the backing of health experts and practitioners. 

Claire Rayner, the president of the Patients Association, said: “The target culture has led to a dreadful waste of professional time and extra layers of management.” 

John Heyworth, the president of the College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The lack of doctors and nurses identified in Stafford is a dramatic example of what can happen when the focus on care in departments is lifted.” 

Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Many of the catastrophic failings identified at the Mid Staffordshire trust could have been avoided if there were simply enough nurses to care for patients.” 

The Conservatives will set out their own plan to put patient safety first this week. It includes giving patients power to hold failing hospitals to account, an end to the target culture and tougher inspections to root out failure. Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, said: “I welcome The Sunday Telegraph’s campaign. We need to make sure that patients are listened to and give responsibility to doctors and nurses.” 

A survey for Channel 4’s Dispatches programme to be broadcast tomorrow indicates that many nurses believe that the lives of patients were being placed in danger by a lack of training, staff shortages and long hours. It also indicates that more than a third (37 per cent) think that patient care in the NHS has become worse in the past five years. Mr Yeates refused to comment but his replacement, Eric Morton, said: “Care standards fell below those that our patients had a right to expect of their hospital and we regret this. We would like to offer our very sincere apology. 

“We would like to reassure the local community that our focus is, and will remain, on providing high-quality, efficient and safe health care for the people of Staffordshire. 

“We have put in place effective governance structures to address the key issues.” 

The Department of Health responded to the launch of The Sunday Telegraph campaign by insisting that the problems in Mid Staffordshire were down to “a complete failure of management” at a local level, which had been revealed through a “meticulous” inquiry by the Healthcare Commission. 

A spokesman said the system of regulation and management would be reviewed; trusts were expected to monitor mortality rates, and there was no secrecy over the figures; and the system of targets set minimum standards which patients would expect.

More than 100,000 children languish in 'coasting' schools, figures show

Shadow children's minister Michael Gove wants to "shine the light of accountability on all schools to ensure that parents do not have to put up with a second class education for their children". 

More than 100,000 children are being taught in "coasting" schools which fail to stretch their most able students.

The schools, many of which are located in leafy suburbs and shire counties, have avoided scrutiny in the past because they achieved average or better than average exam results. But the statistics hid the fact that talented pupils failed to achieve their full potential. 

Figures obtained by this paper from more than half of England's 150 education authorities suggest that at least 130 schools across the country can be classed as "coasting".

The figures are an embarrassment for the Government which has poured millions of pounds into raising standards in secondary schools and improving provision for bright pupils. 

Michael Gove, the shadow children's secretary, said: "It is worrying that so many schools are being identified as coasting. Parents have a right to expect that heads are continually striving for improvement. We need to shine the light of accountability on all schools to ensure that parents do not have to put up with a second class education for their children." 

Schools are classed by the Government as "coasting" if they display one or more of a list of indicators. These include pupils starting school with good SATs results but going on to get poor GCSEs, "unimpressive" pupil progress, static exam results, disappointing Ofsted ratings, "complacent" leadership and lack of pupil tracking and early intervention. 

The Sunday Telegraph asked education authorities if they had entered any of their schools into a new Government scheme, called Gaining Ground, which aims to tackling coasting secondary schools. 

Of the 83 councils which responded, 34 said they have entered more than 76 schools between them. Some, such as Calderdale, Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Herefordshire and Norfolk, have entered at least five coasting schools each. 

If the responses were replicated across all 150 authorities in England, it would mean that more than 130 schools, with more than 130,000 pupils, would be affected. 

The £40 million Gaining Ground scheme aimed at "kick starting" coasting schools will start next month. It will pay for consultants and training in the schools and for possible federations with successful secondaries. If schools fail to respond, local authorities have the power to intervene, by replacing governing bodies or head teachers. 

Councils with schools in the scheme denied that they were "coasting" and said none were complacent. A number of shire counties also complained of years of low per pupil funding, with the lion's share of Government spending focused on inner cities. 

Karen Charters, the head of school improvement at Gloucestershire County Council, which has five schools in the Gaining Ground scheme, said: "These schools are not seen as 'coasting' – they had already been addressing issues and measures are in place to support improvement. There should be no suggestion of complacency on the part of the authority or the schools." 

Leicestershire County Council said: "The term 'coasting' is not a phrase the authority wishes to subscribe to. It is not clearly defined and for some implies negative characteristics, such as complacency, that cannot be fairly ascribed to the schools." 

Norfolk County Council also objected to the term. It said the eight schools it had proposed for the scheme, which were yet to be signed off by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, were judged by Ofsted to be satisfactory but with the potential to improve. 

Professor Alan Smithers, the director of the centre for education and employment research at Buckingham University questioned how successful the Gaining Ground measures would be. 

"What is proposed smacks of bureaucratic intervention" he said. "Labour does not have a very good track record and has spent immense amounts of money on education in the last 12 years but we still have failing and coasting schools. Sending in consultants sounds like tinkering at the edges. "Research shows that what makes the greatest difference is the quality of teaching. The quality of teaching and shortages of specialist teachers in areas like maths, physics and foreign languages needs to be addressed." 

Head teachers criticised the crudeness of the indicators used by the Government to categorise schools. 

John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "Local authorities should not be forced to label schools as 'coasting' on the basis of only one indicator. Five of the indicators on the list do not qualify as good reasons on their own to judge a school." 

A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman said: "These schools are not 'failing' schools – they will have acceptable, or sometimes even good results, but may not be fulfilling the potential of their pupils. Sometimes they may not be stretching their most able pupils, or perhaps not meeting the needs of their pupils who face difficulties. 

"These schools may not have received focused attention to date, but will now qualify for additional funding and support to raise their ambition and improve pupils' progress." 

COUNCILS WITH 'COASTING' SCHOOLS 

Authorities marked “at least 1” have indicated that they hold information on coasting schools but have refused to provide it. Some authorities have provided the number of coasting schools but refused to supply their names. 

Bath and North East Somerset: at least 1 

Bedfordshire: 5 

Birmingham: at least 1 

Bournemouth: 2 – Glenmoor School, Winton Arts and Media College 

Bradford: at least 1 

Calderdale: 5 – Hipperholme and Lightcliffe High School, Holy Trinity CofE Senior School, Rastrick High School, Sowerby Bridge School, Todmorden High School. 

Cambridgeshire: 3 – Abbey College, Cromwell Community College, Melborun Village College 

Doncaster: 1 – Armthorpe School 

Dudley: at least 1 

East Riding: 1 – Howden Secondary School 

East Sussex: at least 1 

Gloucestershire: 4 – Archway School, Lakers Comprehensive School, Marling School, Sir William Romney’s School 

Herefordshire: 5 

Hillingdon: at least 1 

Hull: 4 

Isle of Wight: 2 

Leicestershire: 5 – Groby Community College, Hind Leys Community College, Bosworth Community College, Guthlaxton Community College, Countesthorpe Community College 

Middlesbrough: 1 – The Newlands FCJ School 

Milton Keynes: at least 1 

Norfolk: 8 – Cromer High, Flegg High, Hellesdon High, Hamond’s High, Long Stratton High, Sprowston Community High, Stalham High, Taverham High 

North East Lincolnshire: 1 – Humberston Comprehensive School 

Northumberland: 1 

Nottinghamshire: at least 1 

Portsmouth: 2 – City of Portsmouth Girls’ School, St Edmund’s Catholic School 

Somerset: 5 

St Helens: at least 1 

Stockport: at least 1 

Sunderland: 3 – Washington School, Hetton School, Monkwearmouth School 

Surrey: at least 1 

Trafford: 1 – Flixton Girls High 

Warrington: 2 – Penketh High, Woolston Community High 

Wakefield: at least 1 

West Sussex: at least one 

Wiltshire: 3

The 10 Most Amazing Things the Sky Can Do

Crystal Follies

An Austrian ski resort provided this image of ice crystals. The crystals act like prisms, bending the sunlight at no less than 22 degrees. Thus, that ring you see is called a 22-degree halo, and its inside appears dark because light is bent away from it.


When Boats Fly
Don't believe the cartoons—mirages don't happen solely in the desert. Light bends anytime it passes through air, but when the air temperature varies dramatically over a short distance, causing it to have great fluctuations in density, it can bend light so much that a mirage occurs.

This image is called a superior mirage because it makes the boat look taller than it actually is. And superior mirages always include a portion of the picture that's inverted, as you can see here.


he Eye of Sauron?

With this chimney blocking the glare of the sun, we can see a faint 22-degree halo in the sky over Finland. This is called a circumscribed halo because we can see it go all the way around. 

Halos happen all the time; they're more common than rainbows. But you have to block the sun's glare to see them.


Two Sunsets in One Day
The refraction of sunlight usually makes the sun appear flatter or more oval on the horizon during sunsets. This sunset over the Pacific Ocean, photographed by the European Southern Observatory in Chile, is a more pronounced version of that visual effect. 

Refraction severely flattens the top of the sun, but its light is brighter because of a shorter trip through the atmosphere. The double sun seen below is called an inferior mirage. This is the most common type of mirage, the one we see all the time on highways on hot days.


Aurora in Red
Subatomic particles fly out from the sun constantly, in what we call the solar wind. Luckily for living beings, the Earth's magnetosphere deflects most of these particles away from us. 

But at the planet's far polar regions, some of these particles enter our atmosphere and provide the sweeping light shows we know as auroras.

Auroras emit light in colors across the visible spectrum, but just a few dominate, with green being the most common color. Ionizing oxygen high in the Alaska skies allowed for these rare red aurora rays. 


Desert Strike
You might remember this one from elementary school science class: Negative charges accumulate in the lower parts of clouds; positive charges accumulate in the ground. 

When the voltage exceeds the air's capacity to insulate it—zap! This long, lone lightning bolt struck out across the Arizona sky near the Silverbell Mountains.


Dank Rainbow
"Corona" usually refers to the outer layer of the sun, visible only during solar eclipses. 

A corona here on Earth occurs when sunlight passes through tiny water droplets, separating into different bands, as you see here. 


Look What I Caught in My Web

Rainbows can form when light shines through water droplets in the air—the standard rainbow that we see not infrequently. 

But if the sun shines in at a low angle, they can also appear when water droplets affix to certain surfaces, like the dew on this spiderweb. Grass, heather, and other small plants are also good surfaces for dewbows. 


Not Ready for Nightfall
Sometimes mountaintops shine in the pinkish light seen here, even when the sun has yet to come over the horizon or, more commonly, when it has already descended below the horizon at dusk. 

This is called alpenglow, and it happens because the sunlight reflects downward off snow, water, or ice particles low in the atmosphere.  


Taking the "Bow" out of "Rainbow"

This flat rainbow is called a circumhorizontal arc, a rare phenomenon that can form only when the sun is above 58 degrees in the sky and shines through plates of ice crystals. This one showed up in Spokane, Washington, in 2006. 

5 Insanely Small And Inhabited Private Islands

Most people dream of owning their own island, a piece of tranquil heaven to truly call their own. For the majority of people however, this will always remain just that: a dream. On the flipside, there is a definite island-buying trend growing amongst those lucky enough to be able to afford such a residence, from movie stars through to politicians, which will one day result in all such people living offshore… or maybe not.

We’ve decided to show you some of the smallest island-based houses and villas currently inhabited around the world in order to prove that such a dream isn’t that unattainable and that your own private island needn’t be the size of London. They’re also incredible places to visit and provide a great opportunity to come back from holiday with some truly unique photographs.

Dunbar Rock, Honduras 

 

The next time you visit Honduras be sure to pop over to Guanaja, a Bay Island 70km from the shore. The island itself is stunning and worthy of the visit, but the real eye-opener is Dunbar Rock, an absolutely stunning property sitting just off the coast on a rocky island barely large enough to accomodate the building. Within the property are 6 bedrooms, plently for the family and a couple of guests, and rumour has it that dolphins can be spotted from the bedroom windows. If you have a spare US $1'700'000 you may be in luck as Dunbar Rock is currently for sale.

Unknown Property, Les Cheneaux Islands 

 

This lovely house sits on a tiny island amongst the 36 larger Les Cheneaux Islands off the south coast of Cedarville, Michigan, a popular destination for boating, sailing and fishing enthusiasts. The property pictured can be found just to the east of Marquette Island and looks to be a perfect spot to relax and take in the surrounding scenery, the house even boasting a stunning watchtower. Truly idyllic.


Clingstone, Rhode Island 

 

Sitting majestically just off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island is a beautiful mansion by the name of Clingstone - a name which makes sense as soon as the property is seen. The water-bound mansion is home to an incredible 23 rooms spread over 3 storeys and when bought by current owner Henry Wood in 1961 cost a very reasonable US $3'600, although the house wasn’t in such a pleasing state at the time after having been abandoned for over 20 years. We think you’ll agree that the restoration was a huge success.


Just Room Enough, 1000 Islands 

 

We’ve searched high and low to find the world’s smallest island-house and it seems clear, to us at least, that the winner has to be Just Room Enough, this extremely cute and picturesque residence which can be found amongst the 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence River, one of the world’s most beautiful collection of islands. Apparently the island is such a tight fit that the outdoor furniture can only be placed out front when passing boat traffic is minimal. Where the boat is kept is anyone’s guess.


Las Isletas, Nicaragua 

 

Las Isletas is an archipelago contained within Nicaragua’s Lake Cocibolca, Central America’s largest lake, and consists of 365 seperate islands. In recent years locals have seen a huge increase in the number of these Isletas being snapped up by island-hunting visitors intent on setting up their dream home but a large number of the smaller islands, such as the gorgeous example seen in the photograph above, are still inhabited by local fishermen.

IVF couples to be warned of birth defect risk

Couples applying for IVF are to be warned for the first time that their children face a greater risk of being born with birth defects, after new research.

The government's fertility watchdog has rewritten its guidelines to alert would-be parents to the health risks of artificial fertilisation methods. 

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's new advice makes clear that test-tube babies are up to 30 per cent more likely to suffer from certain birth defects.

Doctors will be ordered to inform parents about the potential dangers of the treatment, which accounts for 10,000 births in Britain every year. 

The move follows a major US study that showed that babies born using assisted reproductive techniques like IVF are twice as likely to suffer from some heart problems and cleft lip. 

Test-tube babies are also at four times the risk of certain gastrointestinal conditions, according to analysis of data from the National Births Defects Prevention Study by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Other studies have not identified any link between IVF and birth defects, and the HFEA will continue to stress that most babies are born healthy. 

But its experts have decided to alter guidelines that previously warned of the health risks associated with just one type of treatment known as ISCI - under which a single sperm is injected directly into the egg - to take into account growing fears about the safety of all forms of IVF. 

"Following the publication of a US study into birth defects, HFEA's Scientific and Clinical Advances Committee reviewed our guidance and advice about the risks of treatment," an HFEA spokesman said. 

"As with any medical procedure, it is important that patients understand what the treatment involves and what the risks may be. Our Code of Practice says that clinicians must tell patients about the possible side effects and risks of treatment, including any risks for the child." 

Richard Kennedy of the British Fertility Society, which promotes fertility treatments, welcomed the move but said that only around 3.5 per cent of IVF babies have a birth defect, compared to 2.5 per cent of the general population. 

"What we need to remember is that the overall risks of an abnormality occurring is increased with IVF but it is still a small risk. Nevertheless, patients need to be aware," he said.

Top 10 Vacations For The Newly Unemployed

Lost your job? Travel could be just the opportunity needed to expand horizons and build some new skills. 

A travel website has come up with a list of the top vacations for the newly unemployed, ranging from snorkeling for science in the Bahamas to working on an organic farm in New Zealand. 

1. Farm your way around the world: Join the nonprofit network Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms. In exchange for your room and board, usually in a family home, you'll work part-time on one of 1,200 organic farms around the world. Grow kiwis in New Zealand, for example, while learning the basics of self-sufficient farming, organic cooking, and alternative energy. 

2. House Swap: Home swapping allows you to exchange your house or apartment for someone else's, anywhere in the world. Whether you trade for a 400-year-old stone house in medieval Padua or a ski condo in Aspen, you won't pay a penny beyond the small registration fee. 

3. Sail Off Into the Sunset: Volunteer to work with a yacht delivery crew. Find opportunities around the world through the classifieds on Crew File, a free web resource that links yacht crews with sailing opportunities around the world. You don't need sailing skills or experience. Captains will often accept novices, if they have the right attitude, and teach them everything they need to know. 

4. Take Classes in a US National Park: Camp for a nominal fee, or stay in an inexpensive park cabin and take classes offered by the U.S. Park Service. Study the technical aspects of winter wildlife photography at Yellowstone National Park, learn new fishing techniques from the marine biologists at Biscayne, or hone your wilderness orienteering skills in the Great Smoky Mountains. 

5. Stretch Your Savings with Yoga Teacher Training: Yoga teacher training is available around the world at prices to suit any budget, but if you can afford it, do it in style at Absolute Yoga on Thailand's palm-canopied Koh Samui island. Some of the instructors are former investment bankers, so they'll know just where you're coming from. They say that most graduates recoup the cost of the tuition within four months. 

6. Finish Your Novel in a Medieval French Village: Got a half-written novel sitting in a drawer? Find inspiration at La Muse writers' retreat in Labastide-Esparbairenque, in the heart of Cathar country in the Languedoc. Its location in a quiet, secluded medieval village means there are no distractions here beyond the rustic food, the local farmers' markets, the nearby wineries, and the company of other writers. 

7. Good Works with Woodwork: Learn basic carpentry, acquire fluent Spanish, and help children with special needs by volunteering at a Peace Village center for handicapped children in the heart of La Gran Sabana National Park in Venezuela. You'll help construct a playground and therapeutic horse-riding facilities, renovate rooms and gardens, and learn wood and stoneworking techniques. 

8. Become a Chef - Or just eat like one: Study the classic repertoire of Italian cuisine at the Casa Ombuto, a restored luxury villa high in the tranquil hills of the Casentino valley, just south of Florence. You'll make gnocchi, roll pasta, bake pizza in a wood-burning oven, prepare a wild boar with polenta, and whip up a warm lemon pie with Italian meringue. If these skills don't get you a job, they will at least make you very popular. 

9. Work the Slopes: The Base Camp Group offers ski instructor training courses around the world from Banff to Verbier, at prices to suit every budget. It provides coaching on the slopes, exam preparation, instructor shadowing, work experience, and credentials in first aid and mountain safety. When you finish, you'll have an internationally recognized qualification. 

10. Save the whales, or whatever else needs saving: Protect the world's endangered animals and habitats by volunteering with Earthwatch. You'll work with scientists on a field research or conservation project in one of 50 countries around the world. You can band penguins in South Africa, tag endangered sea turtles on the beaches of the Pacific, or snorkel for science while monitoring coral reef health in the Bahamas.

Shanghai Where Bomb Shelters Become Bars

When you hit the town in a major world city, you look for certain things in the bars and clubs you go to: perhaps a cool underground vibe; or a place that you know is safe and relaxed even if otherwise the night out is blast. Well, in Shanghai you can be doubly sure of ticking these boxes by frequenting one of two nightspots there that in times past led a rather different life as a bomb shelter.


Underground vibe: Shelter

The straightforwardly named Shelter is a cavernous, down to earth dive that draws a mixed crowd and isn’t recommended for the claustrophobic. Clubbers enter a narrow room containing the bar and dance floor via an even narrower winding passageway. The low curved ceilings are constant reminders of the purpose this space once served.

Ooh la la: drag party at Shanghai Studio

The city’s other best-kept secret hotspot comes in the shape of Shanghai Studio. It’s less dingy and earthy than Shelter, and not quite as proud of its previously more sheltered existence. Inevitably, though, it’s a subterranean labyrinth of a club to explore, this time with art adorning the corridors, and catering to a more flamboyant clientele.

Burrowing back in time

The story behind Shanghai’s hidden haunts goes back to the bygone era of 1930s, as Newsweek reported this week. Bomb shelters were dug when the Japanese carried out air raids during their conflict with China, and through the later years of Civil War and then Cold War insecurity many more were built.

Industry to art: steel factory turned sculpture space

According to Newsweek, these days things are different, and the repurposing of abandoned structures in Shanghai isn’t limited to bomb shelters. A recent design revolution in the city has seen a slaughterhouse reborn as an art hub, flourmills moulded into art galleries, warehouses revamped as rock clubs, and a steel factory reshaped into a sculpture space. Yes, as China opens up to the world, industry is moving to the city’s outskirts, while creativity and commerce take centre stage.

A picture preserved: old cinema still in use
Good architects appreciate the value of preserving the original character of a building even when it is restored to perform a new, modern function. If the history of the Shanghai Studio and Shelter nightclubs has survived their respective transformations, then thankfully no nights here will ever bomb out badly.

Shanghai old and new

Scuba Diving Could Be Dangerous

On land I think I can run pretty quick and if I am in my car I know I am good to go, but underwater I just believe man easting killer sharks just have the edge. Now I would like to scuba dive, but I think I would have to do it in a tank or pretty colorful fish that just like to hang out and drink beer. So you find me a beer drinking colorful fish in a confined space let me know.

Google pulls some street images

Google has removed dozens of photos from its new UK Street View service. 

The street-mapping facility launched amid a fanfare of publicity but now the firm has been forced to pull some of the images after complaints. 

It is thought the pictures removed contained revealing images of homes, a man entering a London sex shop, people being arrested and a man being sick. 

A spokesperson for Google told that anyone could have their images removed if they asked. 

"We've got millions of images, so the percentage removed was very small," Google's Laura Scott told .

"We want this to be a useful tool and it's people's right to have their image removed. 

"The fact there are now gaps [in Street View] shows how responsive we are," she added. 

The imagery available comprises video taken along 22,369 miles of UK streets by customised camera cars. 

Offending photos have been replaced by a black image with the message "This image is no longer available". However, many of the images can still be viewed by moving up or down a notch on the street. 

Dr Ian Brown, a privacy expert at the Oxford Internet Institute, said he was not surprised that there were some offending images. 

"This is exactly what you would expect from a service that relies on individuals to help Google not make mistakes," he said. 

"They [Google] should have thought more carefully about how they designed the service to avoid exactly this sort of thing." 

Dr Brown said Google could have taken images twice, on different days, so offending images could have been easily replaced and protected privacy better.

Google says it has gone to great lengths to ensure privacy, suggesting that the service only shows imagery already visible from public thoroughfares. 

It also uses face recognition technology to blur out faces and registration plates that appear in the images. 

The Information Commissioner's Office ruled in 2008 that the blurring was sufficient to ensure that privacy was maintained.

The image of a man being sick in Shoreditch and a man emerging from a sex shop were removed
Two men in London make rude gestures towards the Google car

Here's Wally! Google hid the character from the Where's Wally children books on Putney High Street in London

Now you see it, now you don't: An image of bus passengers being questioned by police (above) is viewable from one angle but another view (below) has been blacked out

Google planted the character Sherlock Holmes in Oxford and a female Beefeater in Birmingham outside Selfridges

Fans of Manchester City may be bemused to see footballer Micah Richards' face blurred out on the stadium

Over zealous facial recognition software has fuzzed out Bobby Sands' face on a mural on Falls Road in Belfast

Irony: Banksy's 'One Nation Under CCTV' graffiti in London is captured by the Google Car
REMOVED: This picture of a man making the 'V' sign in Cardiff has been taken down
The same man, who is one of our workers, is caught on camera twice on two different days in West London by the Google Street View cameras

Pink elephant is caught on camera

A pink baby elephant has been caught on camera in Botswana. 

A wildlife cameraman took pictures of the calf when he spotted it among a herd of about 80 elephants in the Okavango Delta. 

Experts believe it is probably an albino, which is an extremely rare phenomenon in African elephants. 

They are unsure of its chances of long-term survival - the blazing African sunlight may cause blindness and skin problems for the calf. 

Mike Holding, who spotted the baby while filming for a BBC wildlife programme, said: "We only saw it for a couple of minutes as the herd crossed the river.

The baby elephant seems to be sheltering under its mother to protect itself from the sun


"This was a really exciting moment for everyone in camp. We knew it was a rare sighting - no-one could believe their eyes." 

Documented evidence 

Albino elephants are not usually white, but instead they have more of a reddish-brown or pink hue. 

While albinism is thought to be fairly common in Asian elephants, it is much less common in the larger African species.

Ecologist Dr Mike Chase, who runs conservation charity Elephants Without Borders, said: "I have only come across three references to albino calves, which have occurred in Kruger National Park in South Africa. 

"This is probably the first documented sighting of an albino elephant in northern Botswana. 

"We have been studying elephants in the region for nearly 10 years now, and this is the first documented evidence of an albino calf that I have come across." 

He said that the condition might make it difficult for the calf to survive into adulthood. 

"What happens to these young albino calves remains a mystery," said Dr Chase. 

"Surviving this very rare phenomenon is very difficult in the harsh African bush. The glaring sun may cause blindness and skin problems." 

However, he told BBC News that there might be a ray of hope for the pink calf as it already seemed to be learning to adapt to its condition.

Dr Chase explained: "Because this elephant calf was sighted in the Okavango Delta, he may have a greater chance of survival. He can seek refuge under the large trees and cake himself in a thick mud, which will protect him from the Sun. 

"Already the two-to-three-month-old calf seems to be walking in the shade of its mother. 

"This behaviour suggests it is aware of its susceptibility to the harsh African sun, and adapted a unique behaviour to improve its chances of survival." 

He added: "I have learned that elephants are highly adaptable, intelligent and masters of survival."

Strangest Wars

The Anglo-Zanzibar War: the shortest war in history, only 40 minutes long

Fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on 27 August 1896, the conflict lasted approximately 40 minutes, making it the shortest war in history. The immediate cause of the war was the death of the pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini and the subsequent succession of Sultan Khalid bin Barghash. The British authorities preferred Hamud bin Muhammed as Sultan. In accordance with a treaty signed in 1886, a condition for accession to the sultancy was that the candidate obtain the permission of the British Consul, and Khalid had not fulfilled this requirement. The British considered this a casus belli and sent an ultimatum to Khalid demanding that he order his forces to stand down and leave the palace. In response, Khalid called up his palace guard and barricaded himself inside the palace. 

The ultimatum expired at 09:00 on 27 August, by which time the British had gathered three cruisers, two gunships, 150 marines and sailors and 900 Zanzibaris in the harbour area. A bombardment which was opened at 09:02 set the palace on fire and disabled the defending artillery. The flag at the palace was shot down and fire ceased at 09:40. The Sultan's forces sustained roughly 500 casualties, while only one British sailor was injured. 


 The Pig War: triggered by the shooting of a pig

The Pig War was a confrontation in 1859 between American and British authorities over the boundary between the United States and British North America. The specific area in dispute was the San Juan Islands, which lie between Vancouver Island and the North American mainland. The Pig War, so called because it was triggered by the shooting of a pig, is also called the Pig Episode, the Pig and Potato War, the San Juan Boundary Dispute or the Northwestern Boundary Dispute. The pig was the only "casualty" of the war, making the conflict essentially bloodless. 


 Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War: lasted over 335 years with no casualties

The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War (1651–1986) was a war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly (located off the southwest coast of the United Kingdom). It is said to have been extended by the lack of a peace treaty for 335 years without a single shot being fired, which would make it one of the world's longest wars and the war with the fewest casualties. Despite the uncertain validity of the declaration of war, peace was finally declared in 1986. 


Moldovan-Transdniestrian War: where both sides’ officers would drink together during the nights and fight during the days

After the Soviet Union collapsed, two-thirds of Moldova wanted closer ties with Romania and neighbors to the west. But the area of the country to the east of the Dniestr river wanted to stay close to Ukraine and Russia. War broke out, and the east split to form Transdniestria, which remains unrecognized by the world. 

When Moldova and Transdniestria started fighting, it was a weird war. The local military called it the Drunken War, as officers of the combatants met every night to have a drink together. They went away in the morning and opened fire on each other. At night, they got together again to drink for those they had met with the previous night and who they had killed. 


Emu War: how Australia lost a war against birds

The Emu War, also known as The Great Emu War, was a week-long military operation undertaken in Australia in November 1932 to address public concern over the number of emus said to be running amuck in the Campion district of Western Australia. The emus were responding to a long, hot summer, which caused shortages of food and water. The "war" was conducted under the command of Major Meredith of the Royal Australian Artillery, commanding a force of soldiers armed with two Lewis machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. But shooting blindly into a group of birds which can run up to 50 km/h (30 mph) did not brought the expected results. The birds simply ran away even after being hit by a machine gun round. 

Over the course of a week or so, only a handful of the estimated 20,000 birds were actually killed. Major Meredith - the Australian commander in the "Emu war" - was astonished and famously compared the emus to Zulus. After a few days the Defence Minister ordered a withdrawal. And thus the "Emu War" ended in a military defeat for Australia. 

 The Football War: started with a football game

The Football War (La guerra del fútbol, in Spanish), also known as the 100-hours War, was a five-day war fought by El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. It was caused by political conflicts between Hondurans and Salvadorans, namely issues concerning immigration from El Salvador to Honduras. These existing tensions between the two countries coincided with the inflamed rioting during the second North American qualifying round for the 1970 FIFA World Cup; on 14 July 1969, the Salvadoran army launched an attack against Honduras. The Organization of American States negotiated a cease-fire which took effect on 20 July, with the Salvadoran troops withdrawn in early August. El Salvador ended up going to the 1970 FIFA World Cup1970 FIFA World Cup, where they failed to advance from the Group Stage. 




 War of 1812: caused by faulty telegraphic communications

Also called Mr. Madison's War, the War of 1812 was in many ways the strangest war in United States history. It could well be named the War of Faulty Communication. Two days before war was declared, the British government stated that it would repeal the laws which were the chief reason for fighting. If there had been telegraphic communication with Europe, the war might well have been avoided. 

The chief United States complaint against the British was interference with shipping. But New England, the great shipping section of the United States, bitterly opposed the idea of going to war. The demand for war came chiefly from the West and South. 

It is strange also that the war, fought for freedom of the seas, began with the invasion of Canada. In addition, the treaty of peace that ended the war settled none of the issues over which it had supposedly been fought. Finally, both sides claimed victory in the War of 1812, and it becomes clear that the whole struggle was a confused mass of contradictions.

8 Coolest Lamp Designs

Intravenous Lamp


A prescription for a stylised home.Even if you don’t have a strange affinity for hospitals, you might like the Lichtinfusion Lamp by Christain Maas. 



The Flower Light


It appears to be just a concept for the moment, LULL is a lamp that opens and closes like a flower. In the evening the lamp gives a warm glow, to give a feeling of safety while it slowly turns itself off. In the morning the lamp opens, gradually increasing the light intensity to give the user a more comfortable awakening.


Butt-On Lamp


Butt-On (button, get it? hehe) is a fun filled way to look at (so-called) zero watt night lamps.Butt-On is a low wattage night light with an integrated switch. Pinch the Butt-On to turn on the light and give it another squeeze to turn it off.
The material is made from soft translucent silicon based rubber for a better tactile feel.


 Reading pillow

This pillow is designed for children to enhance their reading experience at night. LED touch lights are integrated and adjustable by angle and brightness. A blanket to lay upon can be rolled out as well


3D printed Brain Lamp

Alexander Lervik’s MyBrain lamp is modeled on his own brain, as run off a 3D printer. In the coming era of mass-customization, we won’t have to settle for lamps based on their designers’ brains — we can each of us get lamps based on our own brains.

The light book

The Enlightenment lamp is creatively created in the shape of a book entitled, you guessed it, “The Enlightenment.” It’s not a heavy book, it’s a light book. The Enlightenment is made of white Plexiglas and is supplied with a 9 watt energy-saving lamp. As an added bonus, by purchasing The Enlightenment lamp you will be supporting educational projects by a
charitable organization which will mean a brighter future of enlightenment for many. 



Ice Cold Beer Mug Sparkle Night Light



The Ice Cold Beer Mug Sparkle Night Light is the perfect accessory for the drunk who stumbles in to a dark house at 3 a.m.



The alien abduction lamp

Whether you are a UFO fanatic or not, there’s something appealing about the light coming out from under this flying saucer. The antenna on top is used to turn the lamp on and off (and communicate back with the mothership). There’s also the more humorous bovine being lifted edition

Underwater volcano sends huge columns of ash into Pacific sky

Scientists are on their way to the site of a large undersea volcano that has been erupting for days near Tonga, sending columns of smoke and ash thousands of feet into the sky above the Pacific Ocean. 

The spectacular plumes are erupting from the ocean about six or seven miles (10 - 12 km) off the coast of the main island of Tongatapu, near the low-lying twin volcanic islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai. 

The eruption can be seen clearly from the capital, Nuku'alofa, although residents only reported seeing columns of smoke rising from the sea on Wednesday, two days after it is believed to have begun. 

Locals described it as a cloud of ash visible above the waterfront. Nuku'alofa resident Mary Fonua said the eruption appeared to have increased in size during Wednesday.

"The plume is bigger than it was this morning when you could have mistaken it for a cloud," Ms Fonua said, "but it's far enough away not to be threatening." 

Authorities in Tonga said there was no immediate danger to people living on the island. Tonga's chief geologist, Kelepi Mafi, said: "It's a very significant eruption, on quite a large scale." However, he added, "This is not unusual for this area and we expect this to happen here at any time." 

Tonga's police deputy commander Taniela Faletau said coastal villages close to the broiling ocean site were not yet at risk and that no warnings had been issued. On Thursday, trade winds were blowing gas and steam away from the island, although large amounts of pumice thrown up by the volcano would probably soon line beaches on the southern coast of nearby Fiji said Mr Mafi 

However if the volcano continued to grow, it had the potential to be devastating, one expert told The Times. Professor Simon Turner, a geochemist at Macquarie University in Sydney, said: 'Underwater volcanos can be violent, and have a strong climatic effect..This one isn't getting into the stratosphere yet but as it continues to grow that is a possibility. 

"Pinatubo's big eruption in the 1990s reduced northern hemisphere temperatures by 0.2 C - the same as El Nino. I would be surprised if this even got close to that but it's hard to completely predict the natural world. 

"Two years ago we were mapping around Tufoa (a Tongan island) where a volcano erupted about 1000 years ago. We found ash several metres thick several kilometres away; it shows what devastation these volcanoes can cause." 

Without comprehensive data from Tonga or from the eruption site, it was still too early to say whether this volcano would be short-lived or continue to grow, he said. It was not yet known how close to the surface the eruption is. 

During the past three weeks sharp tremors have been felt in Nuku'alofa about twice a week. On Friday, an earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale struck about 20 miles (35 km) from the capital at a depth of nearly 150 km and Tonga officials said the tremors could be related to the erution. However Professor Turner said the events were probably not linked. 

"If this eruption was caused by the earthquake, it would mean magma coming 110 km to the surface in a few days," he said. "I think that would be fairly unlikely." 

An eruption in 2002 in the same area off the western end of Tongatapu, near two small volcanic islands, resulted in an islet appearing for several weeks afterwards and leaving a thick layer of pumice covering the sea for miles. Geologists believe this eruption is already bigger than that one. 

Submarine volcanoes are underwater fissures in the earth's surface from which magma can erupt and are usually caused by shifting of tectonic plates. Most are located in the depths of oceans, but some do exist in shallow water, and it is these which throw material into the air during an eruption. 

Tonga, a 170-island archipelago about halfway between Australia and Tahiti, is part of the Pacific "ring of fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones where continental plates in the earth's crust collide.

10 of the World's Most Bizarre Competitions

 Midget Throwing Contest

The Midget Throwing, or Dwarf Tossing, originated in Australia in the 1980's. A bar attraction in which dwarves wearing special padded clothing or Velcro costumes are thrown onto mattresses or at Velcro-coated walls, participants of the contest compete to throw the dwarf the farthest. 

Dwarf tossing is widely considered to be offensive to the dignity of dwarfs, and some legislators have considered bans. Proponents of the sport have criticized such moves, with some arguing bans deny dwarfs a possible source of income. 



Air Guitar Championships

Since 1996 the annual Air Guitar World Championships contest has been a part of the Oulu Music Video Festival in Oulu, Finland. The idea of the contest was originally coined as a joke (in which the performers pretended to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar solos) meant only to be a side attraction for the music video festival. 

The first on-off air guitar competitions have been organized in the early 1980s in Sweden and in the United States. With rules such as “No back-up bands – air or real – are allowed” and “Competitors may finger pick or strum with either electric or acoustic – but all ‘real’ instruments are banned”, it’s obvious that these guitar heroes take the competition quite seriously. In 2008, the gold winner was Craig “Hot Lixx Hulahan” Billmeie from the US. 



 Extreme Ironing World Championships

The Extreme Ironing World Championships started in Leicester, UK in 1997, and is an exciting and dangeous sport where anyone who would like to participate should be ready for ironing a few items of laundry, preferably on a difficult climb of a mountainside, ice or under water. 

The description on the official Extreme Ironing Bureau does the sport some justice: "It is an outdoor activity that combines the danger and excitement of an 'extreme' sport with the satisfaction of a well pressed shirt. It involves taking an iron and board (if possible) to remote locations and ironing a few items of laundry. This can involve ironing on a mountainside, preferably on a difficult climb, or taking an iron skiing, snowboarding or canoeing." 


 World Sauna Championships

The World Sauna Championship takes place in Heinola, Finland every August. This championship was started in 1999. Competitors from over 20 countries take part in the competition at their own risk, and have to sign a form agreeing not to take legal action on the organization. The competitors must sit in a 110° sauna and half a liter of water is added every 30 seconds. They must sit erect with their thighs and buttocks on the seat. They cannot touch any surface with their hands and forearms have to be in an upright position and must stay on their knees. The person who sits longest is the winner. 



 World's Ugliest Dog Contest

The World's Ugliest Dog Contest takes place every year at the coliseum in Petaluma, California, U.S., to decide which of the dogs entered in the contest is the ugliest. Along with the title of "The World's Ugliest Dog", the winner's owner gets a USD $1,000. The winner of the 2007 World's Ugliest Dog was Elwood, a Chinese Crested-Chihuahua mixed breed dog owned by Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey. 2008's winner was also a Chinese Crested, Jeanenne Teed's Gus. He is hairless, with three legs and one eye. 


 World Beard and Moustache Championships

This beardy weirdy competition gives rise to thousands of carefully coiffed men, all vying for the title of most inventive and perfectly sculpted facial hair. Entrants include bearded renditions of the Golden Gate Bridge, Buckingham Palace, or just plain whacky handlebar creations. The next competition will be held on May 23, 2009 in the City of Anchorage, Alaska. Don’t forget your scissors. 


Miss Russian Army

What could the Russian Army do to get good publicity and to recruit more man? The Russian Defense Ministry decided to throw a beauty contest, so in June 2005, nineteen female soldiers and sailors participated in the competition (entitled "Beauties in Shoulder Straps"), which was broadcast on live television. The event included the soldiers walking down the catwalk in uniform and singing songs while accompanied by guitarists (a memorable lyric included the phrases, "Since we're soldiers, our first concern is automatic weapons; boys come second"). Other events, shown on film, saw the contestants competing in drills, crawling in combat uniform, entering tanks, and running with automatic weapons. The jury ultimately gave the title to Lieutenant Ksenya Agarkova, an engineer with Russia's Northern Fleet. 


The World Black Pudding Throwing Championship

The bizarre contest celebrates the ancient rivalry between Lancashire and Yorkshire and attracts people from far away as Australia to the small town of Ramsbottom. The aim of the game is to throw a Black Pudding that has been 'swaddled' or wrapped in a pair of ladies tights at collection of Yorkshire Puddings ( if you don't know, do a search on the web for the recipe, this is a Lancashire site) on a plinth 20 feet up on the side of the pub wall. To a competitor standing on the 'Golden Grid' introduced by a member of the media in 2001 for pictorial effect, it's a difficult task as only an underarm throw can be used. 


World Conker Championships

It’s a great spectacle as modern day gladiators fight for glory armed only with a nut and 12” of string. Organised by Ashton Conker Club, the competition first took place in 1965 and has grown ever since. Teams from all over the world meet for the competition. The competitors play on eight white podiums on the village green and go through rounds until the winner emerges and is lead to the Conker Throne and crowned with conkers. There are separate Men’s, Ladies’ and Junior competitions. 

As well as being a fantastic fun family day out with stalls and sideshows, there is a serious point: to raise money for charities for the blind and the visually impaired. Last year’s total raised was £25,000. 


Worm Charming Championship

What could bring together hundreds of people, TV camera crews and funny dressed up men with WORMS? It could only be the Worm Charming competition, of course! Charmers came from all over the world to take part in 30 minutes of muddy madness - banging, tapping and stabbing the ground with pitchforks to entice the worms to the surface. 

The World Worm Charming Championship started in 1980 and is now an annual event that celebrates the sport. It was organized by then-headmaster John Bailey, who wrote the original rules for the competition. The current world record, as listed by Guinness World Records, was established at that first event with teenager Tom Shufflebotham collecting 511 worms in 30 minutes.

6 Roadside Landmarks

Certain folks were quick to catch on to the Automobile Age's equation of commerce: Anything on the side of the highway is a form of mass communication. If you add products or services to sell, the sum total might just be big profits.

These people were the first on the new roadside scene. They learned, just like in the movies, that if you build it, they will come. Better put, they might come. These pioneers honed their drive-by propaganda skills over the years, crafting advertising carefully concealed as outlandish art.

Others possessed particularly clever schemes and built (and, in some cases, continue to build) something so bold and so different that it was an attraction in itself. They didn't depend on their creation to sell something -- it sold itself and lured in hordes with money to spend. 

When communities realized this was the case, they often got in on the act, with local governments authorizing the construction of a work of public art that was excessive in one way or another.

Still others never cared about dollars and cents; they just wanted to make a statement. These people just wanted to build something that would tell everyone, "Yes, we were on the planet Earth for a spell. And we left our mark. There it is, on the side of the road."

Whatever their motives, many people have worked their fingers to the bone creating lasting works of roadside Americana. And a road trip in the United States would lose a coat or two of its luster without their efforts.

Sure, there are picturesque peaks, plunging canyons, wide-open spaces, and resort destinations, but the manufactured spectacle is a nice complement to the traditionally beautiful sights of nature. 

In a few instances, a particular roadside landmark has transcended its purpose and origins to become an American icon in the same league as the Empire State Building or the Grand Canyon. People all over the country and, in some cases, all over the world, know of them.

Wall Drug. The Hollywood sign. Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. These are all places that mark the end of the rainbow on a road trip, pots of gold next to which you just have to pose for a few photos.

These places are the things of childhood nostalgia. The mental image of the family at Wall Drug is cemented in many a brain right next to the trip to Yellowstone.

Ultimately, the best roadside diversions are the ones that remain etched in your memory from the second you first lay eyes on them. In this article, you'll find some that rise to the top based on longevity, publicity, or just plain originality.


London Bridge: Lake Havasu City, Arizona


After local authorities determined the old London Bridge, built in 1831, was sinking into the Thames River, the crumbling granite went up for auction as plans were drawn for a replacement.

The winning bidder -- Lake Havasu City founder Robert McCulloch -- paid about $2.5 million for the old one, then shipped it to Long Beach, trucked it to Arizona, and rebuilt it over a manufactured lagoon as a tourist attraction. It was rededicated in 1971.


 Hollywood Sign: Hollywood, California


Before it became an icon of impending celebrity to newcomers with stars in their eyes, the Hollywood sign, built in 1923, was a real estate promotion that actually read "Hollywoodland."

The last four letters didn't survive, but the first nine did -- albeit barely. By 1973, the sign was falling apart -- one "O" had toppled down the hill, and an arsonist had set fire to an "L" -- prompting a $250,000 reconstruction.


 Tinkertown: Sandia Park, New Mexico


A lifetime of carving and collecting by the late Ross Ward is the bedrock for a sprawling and charmingly eclectic tourist attraction in Sandia Park, New Mexico, just northeast of Albuquerque on Old Route 66.

The museum is surrounded by barricades fashioned from bottles and includes a miniature town -- Tinkertown -- that Ward began carving in the early 1960s. His catchphrase: "I did all this while you were watching TV."


 The Blue Whale: Catoosa, Oklahoma


Hugh Davis originally built this happy beast in the early 1970s as an anniversary present for his wife. The 80-foot smiling cement whale attracted so much attention on Route 66 that it became the showpiece for a reptile zoo and swimming hole operated by Davis until shortly before his death.

The community of Catoosa, Oklahoma, has since rallied around the Blue Whale, refurbishing it and applying thousands of gallons of blue paint in the process.


Mitchell Corn Palace: Mitchell, South Dakota

Mitchell, South Dakota, is "Corn Capital of the World," a designation backed up by this one-of-a-kind community center.

Since 1921, locals have been decorating the outside of the turreted, czarist Russia-style palace with murals each year. But there's a twist: The medium is not paint, but thousands of bushels of corn and other South Dakota grains.

After the annual fall harvest, pigeons devour the palace's second skin, leaving it to wait out the winter in the buff.



Tower Conoco Station: Shamrock, Texas


Route 66 is not remembered as simply a conduit between Chicago and Los Angeles but as a passage to the heart of American cool.

With the convertible top down and the sun-soaked beaches of paradise somewhere over the horizon, day-to-day life was temporarily forgotten in the rear-view mirror. Because the road snaked right through the heart of numerous cities and towns, the opportunities for fun were plentiful.

The architectural style and roadside art of Route 66, such as the Tower Conoco Station, are now irrevocably linked to the image of 1950s and 1960s American cool, as all things retro are continually recycled into new and hip. 

Now represented by a patchwork of interstates, two-laners, and decrepit stretches of asphalt, old Route 66 doesn't really exist, at least in the eyes of Congress or mapmakers.

But it still exists for the nostalgic tourists -- an unusual mix of bikers, travelers, and RVers -- who stick as close as possible to the roads that were once Route 66 and see the old sights that have withstood the test of time, as well as the ones that haven't.

Walking catfish spotted in the Thames by angler

A walking catfish has been spotted in the Thames by an angler.

The air-breathing fish, which can survive out of water for 'extended periods' as it searches for water, was found in the Thames Estuary at Woolwich by angler Birol Koca. 

Mr Koca immediately phoned the Environment Agency who sent an officer to the scene to confirm the find.

The walking catfish, or Clarias batrachus, is a species of freshwater airbreathing catfish found primarily in Southeast Asia. 

The fish, which could be a 'significant risk' to the environment, used its pectoral fins to 'wiggle' on land as it searches out a new home. 

Catfish can pose a threat to the environment if they escape into the wild by competing with native fish for food and habitats and spreading disease or parasites, the Environment Agency warned. 

In Florida the fish has become a 'pest' after it was brought over from Thailand in the 1960s. 

Residents of the US state regularly have to stop cars to wait for huge 'shoals' of the fish to pass as they shuffle along the road looking for water. 

Mr Koca said: "I spotted the fish laying on the shore and instantly recognised it as a catfish. 

"I knew that these fish should not be in our local rivers so I called the Environment Agency's 24 hour incident line. It looked dead, but I wanted to make sure." 

Fisheries officer Emma Barton said: "Non-native fish can pose a significant risk to the local environment. 

"The local angler acted very responsibly. By working with us, they have helped ensure that the Thames and the wider environment is protected. We urge others to do the same." 

She added: "This species which is native to South East Asia has the ability to walk over land using its stiff pectoral 'spines' and a back-and-forth movement of the body. 

"It also has an air-breathing organ which functions much like a lung when it's on land."&£8232; It is likely that the catfish was illegally introduced from an aquarium after it grew too large for its home. 

Local Graham Telfer, 32, said: "Let's hope this isn't a sign of things to come. The last thing we need is a bunch of walking catfish taking to the streets. 

"Hopefully we've caught this in time and we're not going to face an invasion of these bloody things."

How many rainbows can you see in this picture? Photographer claims to have captured SIX in 'sight of a lifetime'

For Australian amateur photographer Nola Davies it was the snap of a lifetime: six individual rainbows curving beautifully into the stillness of a lake near her home

But for others, spotting each one in her miraculous photograph might perhaps take a little more work.

Mrs Davies took this stunning picture from her home overlooking Camden Haven river two hundred miles north of Sydney, Australia.

But while some cynics might say that it is only possible to spot three or four rainbows at best, Mrs Davies claims to be able to see a total of six hidden in the photo.

She thought she had captured four rainbows and sent it to British atmospheric optics expert Dr Les Cowley who claims he can see two more in the frame.

Nola Davies took this stunning photo of what she thought were four rainbows near her home

Dr Cowley said: 'Over the years many other strange and unexplained rainbows have been reported but without good photographs it's hard to know what was really seen. Nola's six are a sight of a lifetime though.'  

Nola explained: 'I was with my husband John and we were only aware of four rainbows at the time. It was early morning with the sun roughly from the right hand side downriver.'  

'Some of the extra rainbows that can be seen appear to be reflections, but they are actually caused by sunlight reflecting from the water and hitting different raindrops from the initial bows.

Dr Cowley explains: 'All rainbows are made when sunlight is reflected inside falling raindrops.

'The bow we see most often and the brightest one in Nola's picture (1) comes from just one reflection inside almost perfectly round raindrops. All but the largest raindrops are round and not at all like the teardrops commonly pictured.'


An expert has identified the six different rainbows within the image - can you see each one?

He continued: 'The outer bow (2), the one we also see sometimes, comes when sunlight reflects twice in each raindrop.

'Now we enter the territory of rare and unusual events.

'A third bow (3) crosses the two brightest ones. That was made from sunlight first reflected upwards from the river before reflecting once again inside the raindrops.

'To raindrops it looks as though a second sun is shining upwards from the water. To have a chance of seeing this bow you need a large sheet of calm water in front or behind you.

'The bright upside-down bow in the water (4) is not an ordinary reflection of the one in the sky but it is made by rays of light from a different set of raindrops bounced upwards by the river.

'Bow 5 needs even more reflections two from the river and one inside the raindrops.'  

The last rainbow is barely discernible, but Dr Cowley insists it is there if you look hard enough.

He added: 'Bow 6, of which Nola's camera has caught just a faint fragment, is from one river reflection and two more inside raindrops.  

'It is so faint because of the many reflections and because its colours are spread out.'

Most Fascinating Natural Wonders

Tessellated pavement

A tessellated pavement is a rare erosional feature formed in flat-lying sedimentary rock formations that occurs on some ocean shores. It is so named because the rock has fractured into regular rectangular blocks that appear like tiles, or tessellations. The cracks (or joints) were formed when the rock fractured through the action of stress on the Earth’s crust and were subsequently modified by sand and wave action
A well-known example of this formation can be found at Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula of Tasmania.


 Colorful Lake 

Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin. This vividly colored hot spring exemplifies Yellowstone’s world-renowned geothermal features. Mineral deposits next to the spring are colored by microbes that thrive in hot water.
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the US and third largest in the world next to those in New Zealand, about 250 by 300 feet (75 by 91 meters) in size and 160 feet (49 meters) deep, discharging an estimated 560 gallons (2000 liters) of 160°F (71°C) water/minute.
The vivid colors in the spring ranging from green to brilliant red and orange are the result of algae and pigmented bacteria in the microbial mats that grow around the edges of the mineral-rich water, the amount of color dependant on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids produced by the organisms. The center of the pool is sterile due to extreme heat.
During summer the chlorophyll content of the organisms is low and thus the mats appear orange, red, or yellow. But in winter, the mats are usually dark green because sunlight is more scarce and the microbes produce more chlorophyll to compensate, thereby masking the carotenoid colors.
The deep azure blue color of the water in the center of the pool results from a light-absorbing overtone of the hydroxy stretch of water. While this effect is responsible for making all large bodies of water blue, it’s particularly intense in Grand Prismatic Spring due to the high purity and depth of the water in its center.


Columnar Basalt


Though it certainly looks chiseled and hewn, this incredible rock bridge is completely natural.
40,000 interlocking basalt columns which are mostly hexagonal..When a thick lava flow cools it contracts vertically but cracks perpendicular to its directional flow with remarkable geometric regularity - in most cases forming a regular grid of remarkable hexagonal extrusions that almost appear to be made by man. One of the most famous such examples is the Giant’s Causeway on the coast of Ireland (shown above) though the largest and most widely recognized would be Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. Basalt also forms different but equally fascinating ways when eruptions are exposed to air or water.


Walking In The Sky

Salar de Uyuni. Some 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake.
When the lake dried, it left behind two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake, and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Uyuni. Uyuni is roughly 25 times the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States.
During the Bolivian rainy season the flats are covered in several inches of water—reflecting the sky like a giant mirror. The rest of the year the flat looks like a massive field of snow. The way the salt dries in a consistent hexagonal pattern is most interesting.



Strange Rock Formations

Rock outcrops and unusual formations that seem difficult to explain away through natural phenomena are popularly held up as proof of aliens, unknown civilizations, government conspiracies and more. Usually, these rock structures can in fact be explained by geological history and even weather, intentional in design as they may appear to be.



Red lakes

Southwest Bolivia is dotted with breath-taking lakes and lagoons colored from ice green to deep reds, but one of the most amazing ones is the Red Lake, also known as the Laguna Colorada. Like the name suggests it has a reddish color given by an astronomical number of micro-organisms that live in its waters and by the salt crust. Laguna Colorada is an unforgetable sight especially if you’re lucky enough to spot the rare flamingos that like to spend their time here.



Underground Lakes

Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China was discovered during the Tang Dynasty almost 1,300 years ago.It’s a huge underground cave system with stunning rock formations, stalagmites and stalactites, illuminated with coloured lights. The cave can hold comfortably 1000 people. 


 Animal Migration 

Animal Migration, seasonal or periodic movement of animals in response to changes in climate or food availability, or to ensure reproduction. Migration most commonly involves movement from one area to another and then back again. This round-trip, or return migration, may be of a seasonal nature, as in the spring and autumn migrations of many birds. Or it may require a lifetime to complete, as in various species of Pacific salmon that are born in freshwater streams, travel to ocean waters, and then return to the stream where they were born to breed before dying.

10 Weird Gourmet Foods

The luxury world of the couture is an interesting place. People are always on the search for the newest, most shocking art or fashion to impress their other rich friends. The culinary world is no exception. While there are still people who love their lobster and fillet mignon, many modern chefs like to experiment with the newest and craziest ingredients, while others like to reach back deep into the past -say, the middle ages- for inspiration. As a result, there are some gourmet foods that are just too out there for the average man and woman to even begin to comprehend. I invite you, my friends, to travel this weird world with me, the strange land of the couture gourmets.

 Canard à la Rouennaise (Duck in Blood Sauce)

Have you ever ate a duck and thought, “I could get so much more out of those bones and guts?” If so, Canard à la Rouennaise is right up your alley. Basically, the recipe takes a nice roast duck, then places the carcass in a press and crushes the juice out of everything left over. The result is a very bloody, very rich “sauce” that can cost around $1000 a plate. 

While the presentation may be quite interesting, as they crush the duck right at your table, I just can't understand paying that much for some blood. I know a lot of people love marrow, but isn't this just too crazy?

Huitlacoche (Corn Fungus)

Corn smut is a fungus that destroys corn crops. Like many indigenous people, early villagers decided to make the most out of a bad situation and ate the fungus that took over their crop. Nowadays, the smut is considered to be quite a delicacy and sometimes costs more than corn itself. 

This is the only thing on this list I have actually ate, of course, that's probably because I don't have the money to be a real gourmet foodie. Surprisingly, it's very delicious if you get it from a good restaurant -preferably one actually in Mexico. It's similar to mushrooms and quite has a nice

Durian 

Many people claim durian is quite good. The smell however, is one of the worst things on Earth. It is said that you can smell the durian fruit stands from all the way down the street. Some hotels and airports refuse to let people bring the fruit inside for fear that it will chase away their customers. 

While many people hate the fruit -smell is closely associated with taste after all, many people are quite passionate about their love of durian. The fruit is said to be strongly flavored and savory, with a custard-like texture. Anthony Bordain may have described it the best when he said, "its taste can only be described as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise. ...Your breath will smell as if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother."

De Jaeger (Snail Caviar)

French foodies flip over a lot of things, but two things they hold close to heart are caviar and escargot. So a pair of snail farmers thought, “why not combine them?” The flavor is said to be delicate and quite nice, but from what I hear, most people still prefer caviar. 

The process to making snail caviar is a carefully guarded secret by the couple who invented it. We do know it involves very happy snails getting freaky in a huge barn and a hand review all of the eggs to make sure they are up to par. Between there being only one supplier and requiring quite tedious harvesting, all done by hand, the price of the snail caviar is quite high -about $82 an ounce to be more specific.

Bird Nest Soup

Bird nest soup, as the name suggests, is created using nests created by the nests of cave swifts. These specific birds create their nest from their own saliva, which hardens into a sort of shell. When boiled, the nest creates a unique flavor and jelly-like consistency that is quite popular in many parts of Asia -at least, amongst those who can afford it. The nests are one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. Just one bowl of the soup costs between $30 and $100 American dollars. 

Of the multiple species of cave swifts that create these nests, the most expensive nests come from in a red shaded and are said to have additional medicinal qualities. These health benefits range from curing asthma to boosting the immune system to aiding digestion. Like many medicinal meals from the East though, this has not been scientifically proven as of yet.

Balut (Duck Fetus Egg)

Surely you've heard the urban legend that someone bought a carton of eggs, cracked one open and found a chicken fetus inside? Well, this is sort of the same thing, except it's not an urban legend and it's a duck instead of a chicken. Oh yeah, and it's on purpose. 

Basically, you take your fertilized egg, boil it and there's your meal. Most people seem to eat the egg around the fetus and then snack down the baby duckling bones and all. The “ripeness” of the egg varies from country to country, but it can be eaten any time from being boneless and tiny to pretty much being baby ducks with tender bones and beaks.

 Kopi Luwak (Poop Coffee)

I must admit, it was hard to choose the ranking positions for this list. It's hard to compare duck fetus to corn fungus to killer octopi, but I have to say that coffee beans that have been partially digested definitely deserve a place in the top three. If the title or photo of this one hasn't given it away already, let me be clear. Kopi Luwak is a very popular coffee blend right now, despite the fact that the beans get their special flavor by being eaten and then pooped out by a civet -a cute mammal from South-east Asia. 

The coffee is one of the most expensive brews in the world, selling for between $120 and $600 a pound. Because the digestive enzymes of the civets break down the proteins in the beans that ordinarily make coffee bitter, the blend is naturally sweeter.

 Casu Marzu (Maggot Cheese)

Casu Marzu is a sheep's milk cheese loaded with writhing, live fly larva. It is illegal in many countries for its obvious health dangers, but for some reason, foodies still actively seek it out. Even worse, the cheese can become toxic after the maggots die, so it has to be eaten while they are still very alive. The texture is rather creamy and it is generally served on Sardinian flat bread. Dinners are expected to keep their hands over the cheese as they place it in their mouth because these larva can jump up to 15 cm -potentially right into dinner's eyes. 

This is one of the only things on this list that makes me want to throw up just by looking at it. I mean, this is one food that almost makes Gordon Ramsay puke -that alone says how disgusting this specialty is. Flies are filthy and eating the living bodies and excrement of their larva is just not right, regardless of where you're from.

Ortolan

Eating a roasted bird isn't really that crazy, but the process leading up to the roasting of Ortolan birds has actually caused France to declare it illegal for humane reasons. Ortolan birds are nocturnal, sparrow-like birds. To prepare them for cooking, the live birds are trapped in a dark box. The darkness messes with their eating schedule and causes them to continually eat until they are about two to three times their original size. After a proper level of obesity has occurred, the birds are drowned in brandy or other liquor and then, finally, roasted. 

Funny how a country that defends fois gras even finds this practice too barbaric. If tortured animals make yummier meals, than this little guy must be quite a treat.

 Live Baby Octopus

Here's a food that wouldn't be so strange if it was served in any other manner. Even other foods eaten alive, like shrimp aren't that strange, the main thing here is the whole life-threatening thing. Live octopi can choke you with their moving tentacles. It's a real-life kill or be killed situation. 

Dipping your dinner in alcohol is said to help knock them out momentarily and make them less deadly, but that is to be debated. Truly skilled baby octopi eaters will barely chew their meals before gulping them down, but amateurs generally choose to chew them thoroughly -which can take up to 15 minutes. As you can see in the video, eating the treat can be quite a challenge for a novice.

Parrot who plays golf and basketball becomes YouTube hit

A parrot who plays golf and basketball has become an internet hit on the website YouTube.

The bird, called AJ, can be seen putting a golf ball, slam dunking a basketball and performing gymnastic routines.

Thousands of fans have watched the sporting all-rounder demonstrate his prowess in a one minute 14 second clip on video sharing website YouTube.

The green and yellow parrot's personal trainer offers encouragement from the sidelines with comments such as "good bird" and "good job."

And the bird psyches himself up for the challenge by repeating: "Put the ball in the basket. Put the ball in the basket."

The Indian Ringneck Parakeet starts his gymnastic routine by playing dead and jumping to his feet as a man out of view of the camera says: "get up".

The 18-year-old parrot rolls over sideways and climbs onto his trainer's finger, which he uses as a high bar to perform more remarkable stunts.

As the trainer says "do a flip" and "turn around" the obedient parrot rolls over the finger using his feet to grip. He then balances and turns on the spot.

He finishes the routine by offering a claw to shake hands.

The parrot leaves the gymnasium and heads to a miniature golf course where he holds a club in his beak and swings at a ball.

The ball rolls smoothly across the green, avoiding the bunkers, and falls into the hole - possibly for a birdie.

AJ picks the ball out of the hole and hands it to his trainer.

He then plays the ball again to demonstrate his previous effort was not a fluke.

Taking a miniature yellow basketball in his beak, the parrot climbs a ladder onto a table with court markings and a basketball net and backboard at one end.

He repeats his trainer's command to "put the ball in the basket" and slams the ball through the hoop for two points.

Owner Dave Cota, of Florida, USA, a 40-year-old, an entrepreneur who has worked in the sports industry, said: "It seems that he can play anything I show him.

"I have had him since he was very young and he just loves to play sports. I have had no trouble training him at all - he is very special."

AJ even has a custom-built golf course which cost around £2,000.

Dave added: "He also has his own custom-made golf clubs and bag. It cost a lot but it's worth it because he likes doing it so much."

Television wildlife expert Chris Packham explained the parrot species had a natural ability to learn and mimic human behaviour.

He said: "The Parrot's beak and claws, designed to grasp and break open fruit, gives it a dexterity not found in all birds.

"Bring that together with its ability to learn and mimic and you can see why these creatures are so endearing to humans and so popular as pets."

What a Sight - Space Looking Out for World Heritage

The image above shows the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park as seen from space. It is one of 30 extra large high-res satellite images of UNESCO World Heritage sites which are being exhibited in Paris
The images were taken from around 700 kilometres above the earth. They provide information on the current status of World Heritage sites and also make visible whether criteria such as buffer zones around the World Heritage sites are observed 
The Pyramids at Giza in Cairo

The Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland
The Laponian Area of northern Sweden, in the Arctic Circle
Mount Kenya National Park

The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (also known as Ayers Rock) in Australia

The Chan Chan Archaeological Zone in Peru
Berlin's Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and Tiergarten

Samarra Archaeological City in Iraq

Are you in there, Bindi? The 10ft snake that swallowed a 14lb pet terrier... WHOLE

If this snake looks a little out of shape, there's a very good reason for its swollen tummy.

It's just swallowed a pet dog, together with its collar and name tag.

Owner Patty Buntine was mystified when her three-year-old Maltese terrier cross Bindi disappeared from her home in Katherine, in Australia's northern territory.

Stuffed: The lump bulging from this snake's belly appears to be tragic Bindi

But a quick maths calculation by a professional snake catcher soon provided the answer.

The 10-foot long olive python with the enormously bulging tummy weighed 35lb. Usually it would weigh about 21lb, meaning that whatever it had swallowed weighed 14lb - roughly the size of poor little Bindi.

There is one more piece of compelling evidence. Since the snake showed up in Ms Buntine's back yard Bindi hasn't been seen.


Bindi was a Maltese terrier like the one above (file photo)

'She didn't show up for her routine breakfast at 7am and because she was always there I got worried and went to look for her,' Ms Buntine told the Sunday Territorian newspaper.

'I went around the side of the house and that's when I found the snake. It couldn't move and had its head up in a striking position.

'Its belly was bulging - it looked like a great big coconut was inside it. I knew straight away that it had ate Bindi. 

'I felt terrible - it's not very nice at all to think my little dog went that way.'

She described her dog as 'a little smarty pants, darting all over the place.'

In fact Bindi was so good at escaping bathtime that Ms Buntine is still trying to understand how she didn't know the snake was slithering up towards her.

Snake catcher David Reed agreed that Bindi was in the snake's stomach.

'I've had a lot of calls about dogs that have been bitten by snakes and I have even had an olive python that had eaten some new-born puppies, but never one like this,' he said.

He said the olive python - a species which are harmless to humans - had consumed 60 per cent of its body weight in a single meal. 

'It is really amazing. It's equivalent to a 220lb man eating a 132lb steak.' 

Once the snake has digested its canine meal, it will be released back into the wild - a long way from houses that have small pet dogs.

Giant fish trap built 1,000 years ago is found by chance off British coast

For centuries it has lain undisturbed beneath the waves, just a stone's throw from one of Britain's best-loved beaches.

Stretching more than 280 yards along the sea bed, this bizarre V-shaped structure is a giant fish trap, used at the time of the Norman Conquest to catch hundreds of fish without the need for a boat, rod or net.

The ancient structure - discovered by archaeologists studying aerial photographs of the West Wales coast - is so large it can now be seen on Google Earth.

Scientists believe it is one of the biggest structurse of its kind.

Made out of stone and resting on the riverbed it is 850ft wide at its opening

This image shows the coastline curving round with the trap visible out at sea. From the way it has been angled the fish would become trapped when the tide went out
 

'The fish trap is a fascinating find,' says project leader Dr Ziggy Otto

The fish trap is submerged at low tide and no longer catches fish. But in its day, it was designed to act as a natural rock pool - trapping fish behind its rock walls as the tide flowed out.

Dr Ziggy Otto, a diver and lecturer in the coastal environment at Pembrokeshire College, believes the trap is around 1,000 years old.

'It is an amazing structure,' he said. 'It looks well defined on the photographs, but when you are in the water it looks just like a natural reef.

'There can be little doubt that this rather impressive, and quite apparently man made, structure is an ancient fish trap. The structure is entirely underwater at all stages of the tide.'

The trap is just 12ft deep close to Poppit Sands on the Teifi Estuary in Dyfed. Dr Otto believes the walls are made of locally quarried rock or boulders brought down to the coast by glaciers during the last ice age.

The trap's walls are covered in algae, worms and sea anemones. The wall is around three feet wide, and only the top foot is exposed. The researchers are unsure how tall the original trap was - and how much is buried under the shifting sands.

The V-shaped structure has a gap at its point where fisherman would have placed nets to catch fish. They could also have blocked up the gap, and then scooped up fish trapped in the shallows.

The trap could have been used to catch migratory salmon and trout as they swam up the Teifi, said Dr Otto.

Fish traps, or fish weirs, were common and controversial in Britain 1,000 years ago. They were so effective at removing fish from rivers, the Magna Carta banned them - allowing them only on the coast.

Louise Austin, of the Dyfed Archaeological Trust, said: 'Fish traps were a widely used means of catching fish in the past which made a significant contribution to the economy of many coastal and estuarine communities. Today only a few are known to survive in Wales.'

On an exploratory dive, archaeologists discovered that the trap was acting like a natural reef and was covered in tube dwelling worms, red algae and sea anemones.

They plan to visit the trap again tomorrow.

Although it was recently spotted on aerial photographs, an armchair archaeologists could have discovered the trap for themselves on Google Earth.

Google said the V-shaped structure has been visible on its collection of satellite and aerial photos since at least December 2006.



The trap, made of stones, is located near Cardigan, Wales

'It's true that many amazing discoveries have been made in Google Earth - a pristine forest in Mozambique that is home to previously unknown species, a fringing coral reef off the coast of Australia, and the remains of an Ancient Roman villa, to name just a few,' a spokesman said.

'Everyday we're impressed and inspired by what eagle-eyed armchair explorers and scientists alike discover about our world using this technology.'

Last month, a mysterious grid of lines in the Atlantic was spotted on Google Earth 600 miles off the coast of Africa. The discovery set internet bloggers buzzing with excitement and appeared to baffle Atlantis experts.

However, the grids turned out to have been created when the Google map was created - and do not exist in the real world.

10 Weird Sports From Around The World

Depending on an individual’s perspective, some sports outside professional leagues can be classified as weird. North Americans aren’t too fond of cricket and even a few South Americans haven’t even heard of hockey. 

The following sports go beyond the boundaries of unusual sports when it comes to rules and equipment.

Weird Sport #1. The Ultimate Test: Man v.s. Horse

If you thought the sport had anything to do with strength, then you’re wrong. The annual Man Versus Horse marathon requires stamina and agility. Taking place in the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells, the marathon puts human contestants up against mounted horse contestants. 

The event started in 1980, when a landlord decided to hold the event after hearing two men arguing about whether or not an individual could beat a horse in a cross country race.

 
Weird Sport #2. Where Love Is The Key To Success

First introduced in Finland, wife carrying is an actual sport where male competitors race while carrying a female teammate. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle course in the fastest time. Major competitions are held in Sonkajarvi, Finland, Monona, Wisconsin and in Marquette, Michigan. 

Talk about tough love.


Weird Sport #3. Going For A Different Kind Of Swim

Even though it does seem kind of gross, bog snorkelling is a sporting event where competitors swim in a water-filled trench cut through a peat bog. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers and can only complete the course by swimming with their flippers and not using traditional swimming techniques.

The World Bog Snorkelling Championships take place every August Bank Holiday in a dense peat bog near Llanwrtyd Wells, in Wales.



Weird Sport #4. Putting Your Toe To Good Use

A popular activity for children, toe wrestling is now a competitive sport. The World Toe Wrestling Competition first started at a pub in Derbyshire, UK in 1976. Locals thought it would be a great idea to hold a competition where individuals lock toes together and force their opponent’s foot to the ground. The organizers applied in 1997 to get the sport included in the Olympics, but unfortunately, it was not accepted.



Weird Sport #5. Another Use For Those Fists Of Steel

Despite not being well-renowned in the media, fistball is an old sport that’s practiced all over the world. Like tennis and volleyball, the purpose of the sport is to hit the ball with your fist or arm and place it in the opponent’s half where they won’t get to it. After passing the net, the ball may be contacted up to three times (bounces are allowed) by the five players on each team.

The sport is played indoors and outdoors and is featured in The World Games. 



Weird Sport #6. Taking Underwater Sports To The Next Level

Octopush (also known as underwater hockey) is a non-contact sport where two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool and into “goals”. Just like hockey but underwater, the game has actually become popular in countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. 


Weird Sport #7. Reinventing A Childhood Sport

Even though it’s not entirely unusual, the fact that there is a kickball league is fun, yet weird. The popular playground game has now become a competitive sport with the creation of the World Adult Kickball Association. 


Weird Sport #8. Combining Brains And Brawn

If you’re looking for a sport that combines using your strength as well as intelligence, then chess boxing is for you. The sport is a combination of boxing and chess with the different games alternating after each round. A match between two individuals lasts up to eleven rounds, starting with a four minute chess round and followed by two minutes of boxing.

The sport is governed by the World Chess Boxing Organization whose motto is:

“Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board”



Weird Sport #9. Finding Out Who's Faster: You Or Cheese

Cheese rolling is probably one of the simplest sports out there. From the top of hill, a round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled and competitors chase after it. The first individual across the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins (the cheese of course).

Competitors aim to catch the rolling cheese but this rarely happens as it has a one second head start and can reach speeds up to 112 km/hr. In 1997, the cheese took a wrong turn down the hill and accidentally injured a spectator.



Weird Sport #10. Putting Testosterone To Good Use

Facial hair can certainly make a man more masculine, but a competition? The World Beard And Moustache Championships is a biennial competition where men show off their extraordinary beards and moustaches. Categories include Dali moustache, goatee and full beard freestyle. 

If only the competitors played in rock bands.

10 Most Fascinating Dogs

Sgt. Stubby: America's first war dog hero

America's first war dog, Stubby, served for 18 months and participated in seventeen battles on the Western Front. In February of 1918 he saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks. This pit bull terrier dog was the most decorated war dog of World War I and the only dog to be promoted to sergeant through combat. 

He also located and comforted wounded, carried messages under fire and even once caught a German spy by the seat of his pants after hearing a noise coming from a small patch of brush. He went to investigate and found a German spy. Stubby put his ears back and began to bark. The German began to run and Stubby took off after him, biting the soldier on his legs causing him to trip and fall. Then he attacked the soldier's arms and finally bit and held onto his rear end. By this time some of the Allied soldiers had come to see what all the noise was. When they saw that the dog had captured a spy they cheered. He became the first dog to be given rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. 

After the war, Stubby became Georgetown University's mascot when his owner, Robert Conroy was headed to law school and took the dog along. Old age finally caught up with the small warrior on April 4th, 1926, as he took ill and died in Conroy's arms. 




Legend has it that in his lifetime he saved 27 people from the Docks / River Tawe. Swansea Jack died in October 1937 after eating rat poison. He was named 'Dog of the Century' by NewFound Friends of Bristol. He received a silver cup from the Lord Mayor of London and he is still the only dog to have been awarded two bronze medals by the National Canine Defence League (now known as Dogs Trust). 


Swansea Jack: The Baywatch dog who saved 27 people

Born in Newfoundland, Swansea Jack lived in the North Dock area of Swansea with his master, William Thomas. He would always respond to cries for help from the water, diving into the water and pulling whoever was in difficulty to safety at the dockside. His first rescue, in June 1931, when he saved a 12-year-old boy, went unreported. A few weeks later, this time in front of a crowd, Jack rescued a swimmer from the docks. 

Legend has it that in his lifetime he saved 27 people from the Docks / River Tawe. Swansea Jack died in October 1937 after eating rat poison. He was named 'Dog of the Century' by NewFound Friends of Bristol. He received a silver cup from the Lord Mayor of London and he is still the only dog to have been awarded two bronze medals by the National Canine Defence League (now known as Dogs Trust). 


 Jim: the "Wonder Dog" who could predict the future

Born in Louisiana in 1925, Jim displayed signs of extremely high intelligence. He was able to pick out colors a person was wearing, although dogs are apparently color-blind. He could pick out a car by its owner, color, make, or license plate number. 

Jim became a hunting dog who knew which fields contained birds and which ones didn't. Mr. VanArsdale would let Jim choose the field in which to hunt and he was never disappointed. 

Jim was examined at the University of Missouri by a group of veterinarians and scientists. Results of the examination were normal. He responded to their requests given in Italian, French, German and Spanish. He was taken before a Greek class and given several requests in Greek which he successfully answered. Jim picked the winner in the 1936 World Series. He correctly predicted that Roosevelt would be re-elected in 1936. He also correctly picked the winner in the Kentucky Derby for seven years. And most amazingly, he could predict accurately the sex of an unborn infant. 

The Wonder Dog died on March 18, 1937 and was buried in a cemetery in Marshall. A small white stone was erected over his grave bearing the inscription "Jim, the Wonder Dog." 



Appollo: A 9/11 hero

A search and rescue dog who served with the K-9 unit of the NYPD, Appollo was awarded the Dickin Medal, the animals' equivalent of the Victoria Cross, in recognition of the work done by all search and rescue dogs following the September 11 attacks. 

A German Shepherd born around 1992, he and his handler, Peter Davies, were called in to assist with the rescue operations after the September 11 terror attacks. They arrived at the World Trade Center site fifteen minutes after the attack, making Appollo the first search and rescue dog to arrive at the site after the collapse of the World Trade Center. At one point, Appollo was almost killed by flames and falling debris. However, he survived, having been drenched after falling into a pool of water just before this incident. Appollo started working again as soon as Davies had brushed the debris off him. He died in November 2006. 


Faith: The bipedal dog

Faith Stringfellow is an amazing little dog who suffered from a birth defect. The mother dog was actually trying to terminate Faith's life when she was rescued from a teenager boy. She only had one front leg and it had to be removed when she was 7 months because it was starting to atrophy. Faith has learned to stand and walk on her two back legs like a human. 

It’s not all that unusual to see a dog stand up to greet their loved ones, but Faith remains upright and actually gets around this way. She may be the worlds first and only biped canine. Faith is now a therapy dog and makes public appearance to encourage others to live to their full potential. 



 The Sheepherder Dog: Kept a sheep ranch by himself for 2 years

In the 1870s, a sheep rancher in New Mexico died alone in his remote home. Two years later, his death was discovered by visitors. Yet his flock of sheep were doing just fine, and had actually increased in number! His dog had been tending the flocks in his absence. The rancher had trained his dog to drive the flocks to their pasture in the morning, guard them all day, and return them to their fold at night, and he'd continued these duties when the rancher disappeared, killing some sheep as necessary for food but faithfully tending the rest. 

In 1879, the New Mexico legislature voted to award a pension to the hard-working (but nameless) sheep dog. There are no pictures of this dog. 



Greyfriars Bobby: Guarded his owner's grave for 14 years

Greyfriars Bobby became famous as a symbol of loyalty in Britain. He was a Skye terrier devoted to his owner, John Gray. When Gray died in 1858, he was buried without a gravestone. Still, Bobby found the spot and stayed there, guarding the grave and leaving only for food, for 14 years. Greyfriars Bobby himself died in 1872. A granite fountain was erected in 1873 to honor his loyalty, commissioned by a countess and paid for by the RSPCA. John Gray eventually got a headstone, paid for by Bobby’s fans. And Bobby received a headstone for his grave in 1981. 


Max: The collie who sniffed out his owner’s cancer

Maureen Burns in Rugby, England has a 10-year-old mixed breed collie named Max who probably saved her life. The 64-year-old realized something was wrong when Max started acting strangely. He would keep sniffing Maureen’s breath and nudging her right breast. Max’s odd behavior prompted Maureen to check her breasts and she discovered a small lump in the right one. But the growth did not show up on a hospital mammogram. 

Still convinced that something was wrong, she persuaded surgeons to do a biopsy. And Maureen’s hunch was proved right when the results confirmed there was a lump – and it was malignant. She’s had surgery to remove the lump, followed by radiation treatment, and her prognosis is excellent. Mrs. Burns is convinced that she is alive today because of her dog’s keen sense of smell. 


Bobbie: Traveled 2.800 miles to return to this family

In 1923, while on a family road trip in Indiana, Bobbie —a two-year old Scotch Collie/English Shepherd mix— was separated from his owners and lost. After an exhaustive search the broken-hearted family returned to their home in Oregon never expecting to see their beloved dog again. Six months later, Bobbie appeared on their doorstep mangy and scrawny with feet worn to the bone; he showed all the signs of having walked the entire way back alone. During his ordeal he crossed 2,800 miles of plain, desert and mountains in the dead of winter to return home. He received hundreds of letters from people around the world and was honored with a jewel-studded harness and collar, ribbons and keys to cities.Bobbie's demonstration of loyalty is celebrated during Silverton's annual children's pet parade that serves as a reminder of the special place animals and pets have in people's lives. 


 Coal: World's first dog with a bionic leg

Here’s the story of Coal, an eight-and-a-half year old hound had his left paw amputated because of cancer. He faced being put down because his other legs would be too weak to carry him. Instead of that, his owner Reg Walker spent £10,000 to fit him with a sophisticated bionic leg, which was designed to be compatible with Coal's own tissue. The titanium alloy used mimics animal hide, allowing the skin and the bone from above to seal the metal implant below without it being rejected by the body. 

Coal is a very special dog, he goes on tour with his owner (who is a music industry security guard) and he's the only dog to have allowed into Live 8 and the only dog that has ever been backstage at the Royal Albert Hall. Now he has an absolutely normal quality of life, which he wouldn't have had before.

Man receives £22,000 phone bill for holiday TV downloads

A man has received a phone bill for almost £22,000 after downloading television programmes during a skiing holiday.

Will Pierce, 42, said that he and his son Louis, eight, had downloaded episodes of Top Gear and Kavanagh QC because their hotel had no English television channels.

He had assumed that the