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7 Most Fascinating Hot Springs on Earth

2009-05-13T04:31:00.001-07:00

7 Most Fascinating Hot Springs on Earth

Produced by the emergence of heated groundwater from the earth's crust, they are located all over the earth, on every continent and even under the oceans and seas. Many were created between 20 and 45 million years ago as a result of violent volcanic activity, and can reach up to 350°C (662°F). Meet some of the most fascinating Hot Spring on planet earth.

The Grand Prismatic Spring: America's largest

America's largest hot spring and third largest in the world, the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is 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. (Photos: Magadelic Rock and Bonnie Sue)

Mammoth Hot Springs: largest carbonate-depositing spring in the world

Also at Yellowstone, the Mammoth Hot Springs is the largest known carbonate-depositing spring in the world. The most famous feature at the springs is the Minerva Terrace — a series of travertine terraces which have been created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. Over 2 tons flows into Mammoth each day in a solution. (Photos: Mila Zinkova, C Amalia and Thegreenj)

Blood Pond Hot Spring: welcome to hell

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

Blue Lagoon: Iceland's geothermal spa

The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of the largest attractions in Iceland. The steamy waters are part of a lava formation, and a large swimming pool is heated with the run-off water from a nearby geothermal power plant. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After passing through the turbines the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal hot water heating system. The water is then fed into the lagoon for users to bathe in. The warm waters are rich in minerals such as silica and sulfur. Bathing in the Blue Lagoon for therapeutic purposes is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 40°C (104°F). The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland. It’s situated about 24 miles (39 kilometers) from the capital city of Reykjavík. (Photos: Diamanx and Sandro Mancuso)

Glenwood Springs: world’s largest natural hot springs swimming pool

Glenwood Springs in Colorado, USA, has the world’s largest natural hot springs swimming pool with a flow rate of 143 liters/second. You can soak in the therapy pool full of salty minerals at 104°F (40°C), or swim in the huge 98°F (36°C) swimming pool. (Photos: christoph.schrey and fishingfoolcool)

Jigokudani Hot Springs: home to the japanese Snow Monkeys

The Jigokudani Hot Springs in Nagano Prefecture, Japan is most famous for its so called “snow monkeys” — wild Japanese monkeys enjoying the naturally hot waters alongside the human visitors. More than one hundred Macaques --Japan's indigenous monkeys-- live in the Jigokudani Monkey Park, located in a valley called the "Hell Valley" for the volcanic activities observed there. (Photos: Duchamp and Tim Kelf)

Deildartunguhver: highest flow hot spring in Europe

This hotspring in Reykholtsdalur, Iceland, is characterized by a very high flow rate for a hot spring (180 liters/second) and water emerges at 97 °C, the highest flow hot spring in Europe. Some of the water is used for heating, being piped 34 kilometers to Borgarnes and 64 kilometers to Akranes. (Photo: Johann Dreo)

10 Geological Wonders you didn’t know

2009-05-13T01:20:00.000-07:00

10 Geological Wonders you didn’t know

The Wave (between Arizona and Utah - USA) A red-rock stunner on the border of Arizona and Utah, The Wave is made of 190-million-year-old sand dunes that have turned to rock. This little-known formation is accessible only on foot via a three-mile hike and highly regulated.

Antelope Canyon (Arizona - USA)

The most visited and photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest, the Antelope Canyon is located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona. It includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon --or “The Crack”-- and Lower Antelope Canyon --or “The Corkscrew.”

The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tse' bighanilini, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." Lower Antelope Canyon is Hasdestwazi, or "spiral rock arches." Both are located within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation.

Great Blue Hole (Belize)

Part of the Lighthouse Reef System, The Great Blue Hole lies approximately 60 miles off the mainland out of Belize City. A large, almost perfectly circular hole approximately one quarter of a mile (0.4 km) across, it’s one of the most astounding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth. Inside this hole, the water is 480 feet (145 m) deep and it is the depth of water which gives the deep blue color that causes such structures throughout the world to be known as "blue holes."

Crystal Cave of the Giants (Mexico)

Found deep inside a mine in southern Chihuahua Mexico, these crystals were formed in a natural cave totally enclosed in bedrock. A geode full of spectacular crystals as tall as pine trees, and in some cases greater in circumference, they are a translucent gold and silver in color and come in many incredible forms and shapes. The Crystal Cave of the Giants was discovered within the same limestone body that hosts the silver-zinc-lead ore bodies exploited by the mine and it was probably dissolved by the same hydrothermal fluids that deposited the metals with the gypsum being crystallized during the waning stages of mineralization.

Eye of the Sahara (Mauritania)

This spectacular landform in Mauritania in the southwestern part of the Sahara desert is so huge with a diameter of 30 miles that it is visible from space. Called Richat Structure --or the Eye of the Sahara-- the The formation was originally thought to be caused by a meteorite impact but now geologists believe it is a product of uplift and erosion. The cause of its circular shape is still a mystery.

Blue Lake Cave (Brazil)

Mato Grosso do Sul region in Brazil (and especially the quiet town of Bonito) boasts many marvelous underground lakes: Gruta do Lago Azul, Gruta do Mimoso, Aquário Natural. The world famous "Gruta do Lago Azul” (Blue Lake Cave) is a natural monument whose interior is formed by stalactites, stalagmites and a huge and wonderful blue lake. The beauty of the lake is something impressive. The Blue Lake Cave has a big variety of geological formation but impresses mainly for the deep blue colored water of its inside lake.

Giants Causeway (Ireland)

An area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the Giants Causeway is a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Located on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland, most of its columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 meters (36 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 meters thick in places. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom.

Hell Gate (Uzbekistan)

Called by locals The Door to Hell, this place in Uzbekistan is situated near the small town of Darvaz. When geologists were drilling for gas, 35 years ago, they suddenly found an underground cavern that was so big, all the drilling site with all the equipment and camps got deep deep under the ground. None dared to go down there because the cavern was filled with gas, so they ignited it so that no poisonous gas could come out of the hole, and since then, it has been burning. Nobody knows how many tons of excellent gas has been burned for all those years but it just seems to be infinite.

Wave Rock (Australia)

The Wave Rock is a natural rock formation located in western Australia. It derives its name from the fact that it is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. The total outcrop covers several hectares; the "wave" part of the rock is about 15 meters high and approximately 110 meters long. One aspect of Wave Rock rarely shown on photographs is the retaining wall about halfway up the rock. This follows the contours and allows rainwater to be collected in a dam. It was constructed in 1951 by the Public Works Department, and such walls are common on many similar rocks in the wheatbelt.

Chocolate Hills (Philippines)

Composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi), this highly unusual geological formation, called Chocolate Hills, is located in Bohol, Philippines. There are a number of hypotheses regarding the formation of the hills. These include simple limestone weathering, sub-oceanic volcanism, the uplift of the seafloor and a more recent theory which maintains that as an ancient active volcano self-destructed, it spewed huge blocks of stone which were then covered with limestone and later thrust forth from the ocean bed.

10 Alien-Looking Places on Earth

2009-05-13T01:13:00.000-07:00

: 10 Alien-Looking Places on Earth
Dry Valleys (Antartica) Antarctica's Dry Valleys, with their barren gravel-strewn floors, are said to be the most similar place on Earth to Mars. Its fascinating landscape, located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound, get almost no snowfall, and except for a few steep rocks they are the only continental part of Antarctica devoid of ice. The terrain looks like something not of this Earth; the valley’s floor occasionally contains a perennially frozen lake with ice several meters thick. Under the ice, in the extremely salty water, live mysterious simple organisms, a subject of on-going research.

Socotra Island (Indian Ocean)
This island simply blows away any notion about what is considered “normal” for a landscape on Earth, you’d be inclined to think you were transported to another planet - or traveled to another era of Earth’s history. Socotra Island, which is part of a group of four islands, has been geographically isolated from mainland Africa for the last 6 or 7 million years. Like the Galapagos Islands, the island is teeming with 700 extremely rare species of flora and fauna, a full 1/3 of which are endemic.

The climate is harsh, hot and dry, and yet - the most amazing plant life thrives there. Situated in the Indian Ocean 250 km from Somalia and 340 km from Yemen, the wide sandy beaches rise to limestone plateaus full of caves (some 7 kilometers in length) and mountains up to 1525 meters high. The trees and plants of this island were preserved thru the long geological isolation, some varieties being 20 million years old.

Rio Tinto (Spain)
The giant opencast mines of Rio Tinto create a surreal, almost lunar landscape. Its growth has consumed not only mountains and valleys but even entire villages, whose populations had to be resettled in specially built towns nearby. Named after the river which flows through the region-itself named for the reddish streaks that colour its water-Rio Tinto has become a landscape within a landscape. The river red water is highly acidic (pH 1.7—2.5) and rich in heavy metals.

Kliluk, the Spotted Lake (Canada)
In the hot sun of summer, the water of Spotted Lake, located in British Columbia and Washington, evaporates and crystallizes the minerals, forming many white-rimmed circles: shallow pools that reflect the mineral content of the water in shades of blues and greens. It contains one of the worlds highest concentrations of minerals: magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts), calcium and sodium sulphates, plus eight other minerals and traces of four more, including silver and titanium.

The Indians soaked away aches and ailments in the healing mud and waters. One story cites a truce in a battle to allow both warring tribes to tend to their wounded in the Spotted Lake, "Kliluk".

Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia)
Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni is perhaps one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. A magnificent area with an impressive salt desert (the world's largest), active volcanoes, tall cacti islands and geyser flats, it exists like an alien mirage, something completely out-of-this-world. Oddee's crew went there in July 2008, be sure to check it out.

Vale da Lua (Brazil)
Vale da Lua (Moon Valley) is a water eroded rock formation with natural swimming pools, placed on a river in the brazilian cerrado forest. Located at Chapada, 38 km from Alto Paraíso de Goiás, it’s rock formations are one of the oldest on the planet, made of quartz with outcrops of crystals. (Photo by: Alex)

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

The Stone Forest (China)
The Shilin (Chinese for stone forest) is an impressive example of karst topography. Its rocks are made of limestone and are formed by water percolating the ground’s surface and eroding away everything but the pillars. It’s known since the Ming Dynasty as the 'First Wonder of the World.'

The Richat Structure (Mauritania)
This spectacular landform in Mauritania in the southwestern part of the Sahara desert, called the Richat Structure, is so huge with a diameter of 30 miles that it is visible from space. The formation was originally thought to be caused by a meteorite impact but now geologists believe it is a product of uplift and erosion. The cause of its circular shape is still a mystery.

Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves (Austria)
Ice caves are very different from normal caves. They have a strange feeling about them, as though they are not from this planet, and one has just temporarily stepped into their world when spelunking their depths.

There are many ice caves throughout the world, but the Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves in Austria are some of the largest known to man. They are located within the Tennengebirge Mountains near Salzburg and stretch for a remarkable 40 kilometers. Only a portion of the labyrinth is open to tourists but it's enough to get a taste of what the remaining network is like: a truly mesmerizing palate of Mother Nature's handicraft

10 Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces

2009-05-12T02:25:00.001-07:00

: 10 Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces
The Potala Palace: Tibet's greatest monumental structure Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. In 637 Emperor Songtsen Gampo decided to build this palace on a hill, and the structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman. The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s. As a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved. (Photo by MC)

Mont Saint-Michel: a Medieval Castle on a Small Island
Mont St Michel France is situated on a quasi-island on the Normandy coast, near Brittany, which at high tide is almost entirely separated from the mainland. Only a narrow causeway, constructed in the 1880s preserves a link to the coast. Beware: the tide comes in quickly - many tourists have drowned attempting to cross the sandy bay. Unlike other castles in France, which began as defensive structures or pleasure palaces, Mont St Michel had its beginnings as a monastery. Today, the Castle attracts over four million visitors a year, far more than most castles in France and has been featured in numerous movies, cartoons, and even videogames. (Photo by citiesXL and lct)

Predjamski Castle: Integrated in a Cave
Every castle in the world is unique in some way, no two are the same, but this one --even though it's rather small and humble compared to some-- is probably the only one in the world who is integrated in a cave, precisely the second largest cave system in Slovenia. Its name, Predjamski Grad, literally means "Castle in Front of the Cave."

The castle wasn't built in one go; first written records exist from 13th century, though the first part (left wing) was probably built in the first half of 12th century. Middle part was added in renaissance, and the right wing was build around 1570. Some things were added and changed later, but since 1990 renovation work is in progress, restoring it to the original 16th century look. (Photo by visitares

Neuschwanstein Castle: the Classic Fairytale's Castle
The most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria, sometimes referred to as Mad King Ludwig, the Neuschwanstein it’s a royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. egun in 1869 and left unfinished at Louis's death in 1886, the castle is the embodiment of 19th century romanticism. In a fantastical imitation of a medieval castle, Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is spectacularly sited on a high point over the Pullat River gorge.

The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well thought-out plan. The castle was equipped with all kinds of technical conveniences which were very modern, if not to say revolutionary at that time. Running water on all floors. There were toilets equipped with automatic flushing on every floor. A warm air heating system for the entire building. American tourists are already familiar with Neuschwanstein; the sleeping beauty Castle in DisneyLand, was modeled on it. (Photo by grotsasha)

Matsumoto Castle: Japan's most fascinating castle
Matsumoto Castle, locally known as Matsumotojo, is one of the most complete and beautiful among Japan's original castles. It is also a good example of a so called "hirajiro", a castle built on the plain rather than on a hill or mountain. Matsumotojo's castle tower and smaller, second turret were built from 1592 to 1614 and were both well defended, as peace was not yet fully secured at the time. In 1635, when no more military threats existed, a third, barely defended turret for moon viewing was added to the castle. (Photo by lpq)

Hunyad Castle: Dracula's Castle
Now located in Hunedoara, Romania, the Hunyad Castle was part of Principality of Transylvania, and it’s believed to be the place where Vlad III of Wallachia (commonly known as Dracula) was held prisoner for 7 years after he was deposed in 1462. The castle is a relic of the Hunyadi dynasty. It was built in Gothic style, but has Baroque and Renaissance architectural elements. It is a large and imposing building with tall and diversely colored roofs, towers and myriad windows and balconies adorned with stone carvings. (Photo by ctc)

Malbork Castle: World's Largest Brick Gothic Castle
The Castle in Malbork was built in Prussia by the Teutonic Order as an Ordensburg. The Order named it Marienburg, literally "Mary's Castle". The town which grew around it was also named Marienburg, but since 1945 it is again, after 173 years, part of Poland and known as Malbork. The castle is a classic example of a medieval fortress, and is the world’s largest brick gothic castle. UNESCO listed the castle and its museum as World Heritage Sites in December 1997. (Photo by ordensland)

Palacio da Pena: Oldest Palace inspired by European Romanticism
The oldest palace inspired by European Romanticism, the Pena National Palace in Portugal stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon. First built in the 15th century as a palace, it was later reconstructed and donated to the church as a monastery. An earthquake in 1755 ruined most of it, until Prince Fernando acquired it in 1838 rebuilt it. The style of the palace is an eclectic combination of the original and subsequent styles, plus Romantic, Bavarian, and Moorish architecture, plus an English garden. (Photo by cm-sintra and Matt & Isabel)

Löwenburg Castle: The Disneyland of the 18th century
Within the Wilhelmshöhe Hill Park which sits on one end of the city of Kassel, there stands what appears to be a medieval castle. However, the Löwenburg or "Lion's Castle" was ordered to be built by the Landgrave Wilhelm IX from Hessen Kassel (1743 -1821), the Walt Disney of his era, over a period of eight years between 1793 and 1801 as a romantic ruin. It was carefully designed by his royal court building inspector Heinrich Christoph Jussow who had gone to England specifically to study romantic English ruins and draw up a plan for the Landgrave's garden folly. Today scholars regard Löwenburg Castle ruins as one of the most significant buildings of its genre, in addition to being one of the first major neo-Gothic buildings in Germany. (Photo by Ben)

Prague Castle: World's Largest Ancient Castle
One of the biggest castles in the world, and according to Guinness Book of Records, the biggest ancient castle, Prague Castle is about 570 meters in length and an average of 130 meters wide. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here, and it was the place where the Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. (Photo by liberato)

10 Most Fascinating Natural Phenomena

2009-05-12T02:03:00.000-07:00

10 Most Fascinating Natural Phenomena

Aurora Borealis Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful events to occur in our world, the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, has both astounded and amazed people since it was first discovered. This phenomenon ocurrs when the sun gives off high-energy charged particles (also called ions) that travel out into space at speeds of 300 to 1200 kilometres per second. A cloud of such particles is called a plasma. The stream of plasma coming from the sun is known as the solar wind. As the solar wind interacts with the edge of the earth’s magnetic field, some of the particles are trapped by it and they follow the lines of magnetic force down into the ionosphere, the section of the earth’s atmosphere that extends from about 60 to 600 kilometers above the earth’s surface. When the particles collide with the gases in the ionosphere they start to glow, producing the spectacle that we know as the auroras, northern and southern.

Mammatus Clouds

Also known as mammatocumulus, meaning "bumpy clouds", they are a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud. Composed primarily of ice, Mammatus Clouds can extend for hundreds of miles in each direction, while individual formations can remain visibly static for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. True to their ominous appearance, mammatus clouds are often harbingers of a coming storm or other extreme weather system.

Red Tides

More correctly known as an algal bloom, the so-called Red tide is a natural event in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column and can convert entire areas of an ocean or beach into a blood red color. This phenomena is caused by high levels of phytoplankton accumulating to form dense, visible clouds near the surface of the water. While some of these can be relatively harmless, others can be harbingers of deadly toxins that cause the deaths of fish, birds and marine mammals. In some cases, even humans have been harmed by red tides though no human exposure are known to have been fatal. While they can be fatal, the constituent phytoplankton in ride tides are not harmful in small numbers.

Penitentes

These amazing ice spikes, generally known as penitentes due to their resemblance to processions of white-hooded monks, can be found on mountain glaciers and vary in size dramatically: from a few centimetres to 5 metres in height. Initially, the sun’s rays cause random dimples on the surface of the snow. Once such a dimple is formed, sunlight can be reflected within the dimple, increasing the localized sublimation. As this accelerates, deep troughs are formed, leaving peaks of ice standing between them.

Sailing Stones

The mysterious moving stones of the packed-mud desert of Death Valley have been a center of scientific controversy for decades. Rocks weighing up to hundreds of pounds have been known to move up to hundreds of yards at a time. Some scientists have proposed that a combination of strong winds and surface ice account for these movements. However, this theory does not explain evidence of different rocks starting side by side and moving at different rates and in disparate directions. Moreover, the physics calculations do not fully support this theory as wind speeds of hundreds of miles per hour would be needed to move some of the stones.

Supercells

Supercell is the name given to a continuously rotating updraft deep within a severe thunderstorm (a mesocyclone) and looks downright scary. They are usually isolated storms, which can last for hours, and sometimes can split in two, with one storm going to the left of the wind and one to the right. They can spout huge amounts of hail, rain and wind and are often responsible for tornados, though they can also occur without tornados. Supercells are often carriers of giant hailstones and although they can occur anywhere in the world they’re most frequent in the Great Plains of the US. (photo by Mark Humpage)

Fire Whirls

A fire whirl, also known as fire devil or fire tornado, is a rare phenomenon in which a fire, under certain conditions --depending on air temperature and currents--, acquires a vertical vorticity and forms a whirl, or a tornado-like effect of a vertically oriented rotating column of air. Fire whirls often occur during bush fires. Vertical rotating columns of fire form when the air currents and temperature are just right, creating a tornado-like effect. They can be as high as 30 to 200 ft tall and up to 10 ft wide but only last a few minutes, although some can last for longer if the winds are strong.

Ice Circles

A rare phenomenon usually only seen in extremely cold countries, scientists generally accept that Ice Circles are formed when surface ice gathers in the center of a body of water rather than the edges. A slow moving river current can create a slow turning eddy, which rotates, forming an ice disc. Very slowly the edges are ground down until a gap is formed between the eddy and the surrounding ice. These ice circles have been seen with diameters of over 500 feet and can also at times be found in clusters and groups at different sizes. (Photo by Brook Tyler)

Gravity Waves

The undulating pattern of a Gravity Wave is caused by air displaced in the vertical plain, usually as a result of updrafts coming off the mountains or during thunderstorms. A wave pattern will only be generated when the updraft air is forced into a stable air pocket. The upward momentum of the draft triggers into the air pocket causes changes in the atmosphere, altering the fluid dynamics. Nature then tries to restore the fluid changes within the atmosphere, which present in a visible oscillating pattern within the cloud. (Photo by: NASA)

Hums

"The Hum" is the common name of a series of phenomena involving a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming noise not audible to all people. Hums have been reported in various geographical locations. In some cases a source has been located. A well-known case was reported in Taos, New Mexico, and thus the Hum is sometimes called the Taos Hum. They have been reported all over the world, especially in Europe: a Hum on the Big Island of Hawaii, typically related to volcanic action, is heard in locations dozens of miles apart. The Hum is most often described as sounding somewhat like a distant idling diesel engine. Difficult to detect with microphones, its source and nature are unknown.

10 of the World's Most Dangerous Roads

2009-05-12T01:54:00.000-07:00

: 10 of the World's Most Dangerous Roads
The Death Road (Bolivia) The North Yungas Road, also known as The Death Road, is a 61 to 69 km road leading from La Paz to Coroico (Bolivia's capital, to the Amazon region) in the Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger: in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous road. " One estimate is that 200-300 travelers were killed yearly along the road. The road includes crosses marking many of the spots where such vehicles have fallen.
At the end of 2006, after 20 years of construction, a new road (a by-pass) from La Paz to Coroico was opened to public. This new route features modern construction (bridges, drainage, etc.), multiple lanes, pavement, guardrails and many other elements that make it considerably safer than the original route. As a result, the original North Yungas Road is currently much less used by traffic, although an increasing number of adventure travelers bike it for the thrills.

Guoliang Tunnel Road (China)
The road in Taihang mountains was built by local villagers: it took five years to finish the 1,200 metre long tunnel which is about 5 meters high and 4 meters wide. Some of the villagers died in accidents during construction; undaunted, the others continued. On May 1, 1977, the tunnel was opened to traffic. It is located in the Taihang Mountains, in the Hunan Province of China.

Ruta 5: Arica to Iquique Road (Chile)
The road from Arica to Iquique is renowned for being dangerous; you drive past very deep valleys and wind your way through, spotting ever so often tell-tale vehicle skeletons at the bottom. The few times you can see cars and buses passing by, they were doing so at such a speed that you may think they are either tempting fate very foolishly or perhaps they are just ghosts whizzing past. The mono-hued and isolated scenery is well capable of endowing you with the capacity to have such visions, so concentrating and avoiding the use of any form of hallucinatory substance is essential here.
Siberian Road to Yakutsk (Russia)
The Russian Federal Highway connects Moscow to Yakutsk, where the coldest temperature ever recorded outside Antarctica was recorded. Yakutsk is also the largest city built on continuous permafrost. Most houses are built on concrete piles because of the frozen ground.

What does all this have to do with being one of the world's most dangerous roads? Well, during the winter, which is approximately ten months long, driving in and out of Yakutsk is subject to heavy snow, ice, and reduced visibility. However, winter road conditions are a picnic compared to trying to navigate the Russian Federal Highway on July and August. Though many Siberian residents will tell you the highway is not paved to keep the Germans out (a tired World War II era joke), the truth is because of the permafrost there is no asphalt, creating a mud induced traffic jam every time the summer rains swing Yakutsk's way. Near thousand car traffic jams are not unheard of and during these back ups and travelers might pass the time while stuck in Siberian traffic by looting, beating, and kidnapping other travelers. Siberian mud pirates.

Sichuan-Tibet Highway (China)
In China, the number of deaths caused by car accidents has nearly doubled in the past 20 years, climbing from 3.9 to 7.6 per 100,000 of the population between 1985 and 2005. The Sichuan-Tibet Highway, a high-elevation road between Chengdu and Tibet where landslides and rock avalanches are common, is undoubtedly part of the problem.

The 2,412km long Sichuan-Tibet Highway starts from Chengdu of Sichuan on the east and ends at Lhasa of Tibet on the west. The road stretches into Lhasa passing Ya’an, Garze and Chamdo. Sichuan-Tibet highway traverses 14 high mountains which average 4,000-5000m, spans dozens of famous rivers (Dadu River, Jinsha River, Lantsang River, Nujiang), crosses primeval forest and numerous dangerous sections. It has spectacular views along the line, with unique ethnic customs.

James Dalton Highway (Alaska)
The James Dalton Highway is a 414-mile gravel road. It heads straight north from the Livengood turnoff of the Elliott Highway, through arctic tundra to the farthest north reaches of Alaska. Alyeska built the 360-mile haul road, now known as the Dalton Highway, from the Yukon River to Prudhoe Bay, for $150 million to supply the oil facilities on the North Slope. The pipeline bridge across the 1,875 mile Yukon River is the only span across that river in Alaska.

But this is not a road for the faint of heart, or those with a brand-new vehicle! It is still the main supply route for the Prudhoe Bay oilfields, and you will be sharing the road with large tractor-trailers. Windshields and headlights are easy targets of flying rocks. Most rental companies will not allow you to drive their cars on the Dalton. Trucks speeding along the slippery gravel track kick up thick clouds of dust or mud, reducing visibility to absolute zero; potholes take a heavy toll on cars and services, gas, and repairs are practically nonexistent. Don't even consider driving the Dalton unless you have 4-wheel drive, a CB radio, extra fuel, food, tires, and a trunk filled with supplies.

Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road (Greece)
This is a narrow busy dirt track that stretches from Patiopoulo to Perdikaki in Greece. This road is a steep climb or decent, it is dangerous because it has huge pot holes and very little grip for the vehicles that travel on it. It is a narrow road with a sheer drop on either side of its slope with no guard rails or an prevention to stop a vehicle from going over. Many people die on his road every year, it is used by pedestrians, livestock and trucks, buses and cars. A very dangerous road that has gravel for grip in most places and there are no lines to determine where the edge is, this is especially dangerous at night, most of the accidents happen at night on this road.

Trollstigen (Norway)
Trollstigen (The Troll Ladder) is a mountain road in Rauma, Norway, part of Norwegian National Road 63 connecting Åndalsnes in Rauma and Valldal in Norddal. A popular tourist attraction due to its steep incline of 9% and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountain side, the road up is narrow with many sharp bends, and although it has been widened in recent years, vehicles over 12.4 meters long are prohibited from driving the road. At the top there is large parking place which allows visitors to leave their cars and walk for about ten minutes to a viewing balcony which overlooks the road with its bends and the Stigfossen waterfall. Stigfossen is a beautiful waterfall which falls 320 meters down the mountain side.

The A682 Road (England)
The A682 between junction 13 of the M65 and Long Preston is the worst road in England as it has claimed almost 100 fatalities over the last ten years. The 14 mile single lane A682 between junction 13 of the M65 near Nelson, Lancs, and Long Preston in North Yorkshire, had 22 serious accidents in the past three years - two of them fatal. Experts say it has an average of 0.5 deaths per 10 miles annually. It is a favorite for motorcyclists, especially early on a Sunday morning.

Stelvio Pass Road Trollstigen(Italy)
The highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps --and the second highest in the Alps, after the Col de l'Iseran (2770 m)--, the Stelvio Pass Road connects the Valtellina with the upper Adige valley and Merano. It is located in the Italian Alps, near Bormio and Sulden, 75 km from Bolzano, close to Swiss border.

While it might not be as risky as other deadly routes, it's certainly breathtaking. The tour books advise that the toughest and most spectacular climbing is from the Prato side, Bormio side approach is more tame. With 48 hairpins, this road is regarded as one of the finest continuous hairpin routes in the Alps. (Photo by Emiliano De Angeli and mcs

15 of the World's Greatest Living Rocks

2009-05-12T01:22:00.000-07:00

The practice of creating buildings, sculptures or monuments by carving natural rock is called 'Rock-cut architecture,' a tradition with over 5000 years. Some famous, others little known, meet some of the most breathtaking works created from the 'living rock.'

Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt)

A reclining lion with a human head that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile, near modern-day Cairo, is the largest monolith statue in the world. Standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high, the Great Sphinx of Giza is also the oldest known monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians in the third millennium BCE. The Great Sphinx faces due east and houses a small temple between its paws.

Petra (Jordan)

Famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" by John William Burgon, UNESCO has described Petra as one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage. In 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site, and recently designated as one of the “new wonders” of the world.

Located in Arabah, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains, the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. The Nabateans constructed it as their capital city around 100 BCE, after their decline, the site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced to the West by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

The picturesque site was featured in various films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger.

Mount Rushmore (USA)

A famous monumental granite sculpture created by Gutzon Borglum, Mount Rushmore is located within the United States Presidential Memorial that represents the first 150 years of the history of the United States of America with 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of former United States presidents (left to right): George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The entire memorial covers 1,278.45 acres (5.17 km2) and is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level. The memorial attracts approximately two million people annually.

Leshan Giant Buddha (China)

Built during the Tang Dynasty, the Leshan Giant Buddha is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The sculpture, which is seventy one meters (about 230 hundred feet) tall dwarfs the tourists that flock to see it. It is positioned so that it faces Mount Emei and stands at the meeting place of three rivers. Although the Government of China has promised a restoration program, the statue has suffered from the effects of pollution, particularly over the last twenty years. Fortunately, the statue was not damaged in the Sichuan earthquake of 2008.

Mahabalipuram Shore Temple (India)

Built on the shores of the Bay of Bengal in Mahabalipuram (India) in the early 8th century by the Pallava King Rajasimha. The shore temple actually consists of 2 back to back shrines, one facing the east (the Bay), and the smaller one facing west.

It stands on the edge of the Bay of Bengal. At high tide, the waves sweep into its compounds. The walls and their sculptures have been battered and eroded by the winds and waves for thirteen hundred years. Yet they stand intact.

Mahabalipuram was a flourishing sea port in the times of Periplus and Ptolemy (140 AD). There is an old legend here that originally there were seven temples; of these, six have been swallowed by the sea and only one temple -the Shore Temple- remained. There are evidences of submerged structures under the waves and sporadic excavations are going on, but it is too early to say whether there really was a glorious city and six more temples which now lie submerged under the waves off the coast off Mahabalipuram.

Abu Simbel (Egypt)

A set of two temples near the border of Egypt with Sudan, Abu Simbel was constructed for the pharaoh Ramesses II who reigned for 67 years during the 13th century BC (19th Dynasty). The temples were cut from the rock and shifted to higher ground in the 1960s as the waters of Lake Nasser began to rise following completion of the Aswan High Dam.

The Great Temple is dedicated to Ramesses II and a statue of him is seated with three other gods within the innermost part of the rock-cut temple (the sanctuary). The temple's facade is dominated by four enormous seated statues of the Pharaoh (each over 20 metres or 67 feet high), although one has been damaged since ancient times. The Small Temple was probably completed ahead of the Great Temple and is dedicated to Ramesses' favorite wife, Nefertari. At the entrance stand six 10-metre-high (33 feet) rock-cut statues - two of Ramesses and one of Nefertari on either side of the doorway.

Dazu Rock Carvings (China)

The Dazu rock carvings in Chongqing, China are hewn from the cliffside, featuring more than 5,000 statues and over 100,000 Chinese characters of inscriptions or epigraphs. It is reputed as 'the county of rock carving' and it’s located at the southeast of Sichuan province. The Dazu Rock Carvings was built from 650 in the Tang Dynasty and continued to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). Among the rock carvings, there are more than 5,000 statues and over 100,000 Chinese characters of inscriptions and epigraphs.

Church of St. George (Ethiopia)

The Church of St. George is a monolithic church in Lalibela, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. It is the most well known and last built (early thirteenth century) of the eleven churches in the Lalibela area, and has been referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". The dimensions of the complex are 25 meters by 25 meters by 30 meters, and there is a small baptismal pool outside the church, which stands in an artificial trench. According to Ethiopian cultural history, Bete Giyorgis was built after King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty had a vision in which he was instructed to construct the church; Saint George and God have both been referred to as the one who gave him the instructions.

As of 2006, Lalibela is still a pilgrimage site for members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church; the church itself is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela".

Borobudor (Indonesia)

Officially, Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. Actually, it is much older than that. The monument complex comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 statues of Rama citizens. Each wall has a story that relates to the stories of the birth of Buddha and other Buddha figures. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Rama citizens seated inside perforated stupa. (Photo by Simon Kennedy)

Cappadocia (Turkey)

Cappadocia lies in the mid-western part of Turkey. An extraordinary landscape formed millions of years ago by the combined work of lava spitting volcanoes, wind and water, there is culture too: the inhabitants of the area hew rooms, chapels, even whole villages out of the rocks. Religious Byzantine paintings can be found on the walls of the churches and monasteries.

Bingling Temple (China)

The Bingling Temple is a series of grottoes filled with Buddhist sculpture carved into natural caves and caverns in a canyon along the Yellow River. It lies just north of where the Yellow River empties into the Liujiaxia Reservoir created by the Liujiaxia Dam at Yongjing, about 80km from Lanzhou. The caves were a work in progress for more than a millennium. The first grotto was begun around 420 CE at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty. Work continued and more grottoes were added during several dynasties. The style of each grottoe can easily be connected to the typical artwork from its corresponding dynasty. The Bingling Temple is both stylistically and geographically a midpoint between the monumental Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan and the Buddhist Grottoes of central China, Yungang Grottoes near Datong and Longmen Grottoes near Luoyang.

Over the centuries, earthquakes, erosion, and looters have damaged or destroyed many of the caves and the artistic treasures within. Altogether there are 183 caves, 694 stone statues, and 82 clay sculptures that remain. Each cave is like a miniature temple filled with Buddhist imagery.

The sculptures, carvings, and frescoes that remain are outstanding examples of Buddhist artwork and draw visitors from around the world.

Hypogeum of Hal-Saflieni (Malta)

The Hypogeum in Hal-Saflieni, Paola, Malta, is a subterranean structure dating to the Saflieni phase in Maltese prehistory. Thought to be originally a sanctuary, it became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It is the only prehistoric underground temple in the world. The Hypogeum was depicted on a 2 cents 5 mils stamp issued in the Maltese Islands in 1980 to commemorate the acceptance by UNESCO of this unique structure in the World Heritage Site list. It was closed to visitors between 1992 and 1996 for restoration works; since it reopened only 80 people per day are allowed entry and there can be a 2-3 weeks wait to get a ticket.

It was discovered by accident in 1902 when workers cutting cisterns for a new housing development broke through its roof. The workers tried to hide the temple at first, but eventually it was found. The study of the structure was first entrusted to Father Manuel Magri of the Society of Jesus, who directed the excavations on behalf of the Museums Committee.

Buddhas of Bamiyan (Afghanistan)

The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two monumental statues of standing Buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamiyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km (143 miles) northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters (8,202 ft). Built during the sixth century, the statues represented the classic blended style of Indo-Greek art.

The main bodies were hewn directly from the sandstone cliffs, but details were modeled in mud mixed with straw, coated with stucco.

They were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban government declared that they were "idols" (which are forbidden under Sharia law). International opinion strongly condemned the destruction of the Buddhas, which was viewed as an example of the intolerance of the Taliban and of fundamentalist Islam. Japan and Switzerland, among others, have pledged support for the rebuilding of the statues.

Mada'in Saleh (Saudi Arabia)

Located in northern Hejaz (modern day Saudi Arabia), Mada'in Saleh --also called Al-Hijr ("rocky place")-- is an ancient city that was inhabited by Thamudis and Nabateans and was then known as Hegra. Some of the inscriptions found in the area date back to the 2nd millennium BC. However, all the remaining architectural elements are dated to the period of the Thamudi, Lihyan and Nabatean civilizations, between the 1st millennium BC and the second century AD. Mada'in Saleh is not only Saudi Arabia's most spectacular touristic site; it is also one of the greatest historic sites in the world. The rock tombs in this early morning light are of such an extraordinary beauty, consisting of different shapes and sizes, that gives Mada'in Salih a truly charming feeling. This historic sister city, Petra the former capital of Nabataean Kingdom, is located only 150 miles away to the north across the border with Jordan.

Naqsh-e Rustam (Iran)

Naqsh-e Rostam is a site believed by archaeologists to have been a cemetery for Persepolis, where Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid royalty were laid to rest. Located about 3-4 kilometers northwest of Persepolis in Iran's Fars province, the site contains funerary related works belonging to the Elamite (second millennium BCE), Achaemenid (550-330 BCE) and Sassanid (226-651 CE) eras.

The only surviving monument from the pre-Achaemenid period is a relief which was almost completely obliterated when the court scene of Bahram II (276-293 CE) was carved over it. The Naqsh-e Rostam structures have been built from white and grey Limestone without the use of mortar.

It is believed that Persians were the first to use colors to decorate stone carvings. A particularly striking feature of Naqsh-e Rostam stone carvings is the use of color; many of the site's inscriptions and carvings are covered with Lapis lazuli. Evidence shows that the carving of Darius had a lazuline beard and mustache, black hair and eyeliner, red eyes, lips and shoes as well as colorful robes, although the passage of time has left the colors at Naqsh-e Rostam unstable.

Beauty Of Mathematics :-)

2009-03-03T16:48:00.000-08:00

I recently got this from my finance manager.. about the beauty of mathematics.. I know its a very old one, still…

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn’t it?
And finally, take a look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Intresting Facts , May be useless but Amusing Never the less :-)

2009-03-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

Intresting Facts

(1) The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles.

(2) Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.

(3) Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles from the flush.

(4) The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.

(5) American car horns beep in the tone of F.

(6) No piece of paper can be folded into half more than 7 times.

(7) Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.

(8) 1 in every 4 Americans has appeared on television.

(9) You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

(10) Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.

(11) The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

(12) The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.

(13) A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brothers' first flight.

(14) American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.

(15) Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

(16) The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA."

(17) Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

(18) The 57 on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.

(19) The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

(20) Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.

(21) The first owner of the Marlboro company died of lung cancer.

(22) Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

(23) Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

(24) Adolf Hitler's mother seriously considered having an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor.

(25) Marilyn Monroe had six toes.

(26) All US Presidents have worn glasses. Some just didn't like being seen wearing them in public.

(27) The sound of E.T. walking was made by someone squishing her hands in jelly.

(28) Debra Winger was the voice of E.T.

(29) Pearls melt in vinegar.

(30) Thomas Jefferson is credited with inventing the coat hanger.

(31) Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.

(32) The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

(33) It's possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.

(34) Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in the palms of their hands.

(35) Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale of vodka.

(36) The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," uses every letter in the alphabet. (Developed by Western Union to Test telex/two communications)

(37) Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.

(38) A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

(39) The airplane Buddy Holly died in was the "American Pie."(Thus the name of the Don McLean song.)

(40) Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. * Spades - King David; * Clubs - Alexander the Great; *Hearts -Charlemagne; * Diamonds - Julius Caesar.

(41) Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down-hence the __expression "to get fired."

(42) Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.

(43) Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

(44) Snails can sleep for 3 years without eating.

(45) Actor Tommy Lee Jones and US vice-president Al Gore were freshman roommates at Harvard.

(46) The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.

(47) Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th."

(48) The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

(49) There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

(50) All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20

(51) A pregnant gold fish is called a twit.

(52) Rocks explode in microwaves.

(53) Steam rollers don't actually roll steam.

(54) 1,111,111 x 1,111,111 = 1234567654321

(55) Coca-Cola is better at cleaning your drain pipes than products like Draino.

(56) The "save" icon on Microsoft Word shows a floppy disk, with the shutter on backwards.

(57) The combination "ough" can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and coughed."

(58) The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

(59) The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.

(60) Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order, as does arsenious, meaning "containing arsenic."

(61) Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.

(62) Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.

(63) The word "Checkmate" in chess comes from the Persian phrase "Shah Mat," which means, "the king is dead."

(64) Pinocchio is Italian for "pine head."

(65) Camel's milk does not curdle.

(66) Cat's urine glows under a blacklight.

(67) The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

(68) Non-dairy creamer is flammable.

(69) When opossums are playing 'possum', they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror.

(70) The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.

(71) If you toss a penny 10,000 times, it will not be heads 5,000 times, but more like 4,950. The heads picture weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom..

(72) The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified.

(73) The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. The only other word with the same amount of letters is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.

(74) An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

(75) When a gorilla is angry, he'll stick his tongue out at you

(76) In Tibet it is a sign of respect to stick your tongue out at guests.

(77) The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life."

(78) The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

(79) "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

(80) The Baby Ruth candy bar was actually named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth.

(81) Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always all the same sex.

(82) Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

(83) The phrase "sleep tight" derives from the fact that early mattresses were filled with straw and held up with rope stretched across the bedframe. A tight sleep was a comfortable sleep.

(84) "Three dog night" (attributed to Australian Aborigines) came about because on especially cold nights these nomadic people needed three dogs (dingos, actually) to keep from freezing.

(85) Gilligan of Gilligan's Island had a first name that was only used once, on the never-aired pilot show. His first name was Willy. The skipper's real name on Gilligan's Island is Jonas Grumby. It was mentioned once in the first episode on their radio's newscast about the wreck.

(86) In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

(87) Ivory bar soap floating was a mistake. They had been overmixing the soap formula causing excess air bubbles that made it float. Customers wrote and told how much they loved that it floated, and it has floated ever since. [It floats in gasoline, too.]

(88) Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself.

(89) Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it will digest itself.

(90) No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, and purple.

(91) There are three credit cards for every person in the United States.

(92) Coca-cola was originally green.

(93) Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than for the US Treasury.

(94) Smartest dogs: 1) border collie; 2)poodle; 3)golden retriever; Dumbest dog: Afghan

(95) Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters.

(96) Men can read smaller print than women; women can hear better.

(97) Chances that an American lives within 50 miles of where they grew up: 1 in 2.

(98) City with the most Rolls Royce's per capital: Hong Kong.

(99) State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.

(100) Chances of a white Christmas in New York: 1 in 4.

(101)Portion of US annual rainfall that falls in April: 1/12 .

(102) Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%.

(103) Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%.

(104) Estimated percentage of American adults who go on a diet each year: 44%.

(105) Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33.

(106) Average number of days a West German goes without washing his underwear: 7.

(107) Percentage of Americans who say that God has spoken to them: 36%.

(108) Percentage of Americans who regularly attend religious services: 43%.

(109) City with the highest per capita viewership of television evangelists: Washington DC.

(110) Percentage of American men who say they would marry the same woman if they had it to do all over again: 80%.

(111) Percentage of American women who say they would marry the same man: 50%.

(112) Percentage of men who say they are happier after their divorce or separation: 58%.

(113) Percentage of women who say they are happier after their divorce or separation: 85%.

(114) Number of different family relationships for which Hallmark makes cards: 105.

(115) Cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400.

(116) Average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000.

(117) Percentage of Americans who have visited Disneyland or Disney World: 70%.

(118) Portion of ice cream sold that is vanilla: 1/3.

(119) Portion of potatoes sold that are French fried: 1/3.

(120) Percentage of Americans that eat at McDonalds each day: 7

(121) Percentage of bird species that are monogamous: 90%

(122) Percentage of mammal species that are: 3%

(123) Number of US states that claim test scores in their elementary schools are above national average: 50%

(124) Portion of Harvard students who graduate with honors: 4/5

(125) Chances that a burglary in the US will be solved: 1 in 7.

(126) Portion of land in the US owned by the government: 1/3

(127) Only President to remain a bachelor: James Buchanon

(128) Only first lady to carry a loaded revolver: Eleanor Roosevelt

(129) Only President to win a Pulitzer: John F. Kennedy for 'Profiles in Courage'.

(130) Only President awarded a patent: Abe Lincoln, for a system of buoying vessels over shoals.

(131) Only food that does not spoil: honey

(132) Only person to win $64,000 Challenge and $64,000 Question: Dr. Joyce Brothers (subject is boxing)

(133) Only bird that can fly backwards: Hummingbird

(134) Only continent without reptiles or snakes: Antartica

(135) Only animal besides human that can get sunburn: pig

(136) Ostriches stick their heads in the sand to look for water.

(137) An eagle can kill a young deer and fly away with it.

(138) In the Caribbean there are oysters that can climb trees.

(139) Polar bears are left-handed.

(140) Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

(141) Eskimos never gamble.

(142) The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

(143) The youngest pope was 11 years old.

(144) Mark Twain didn't graduate from elementary school.

(145) Proportional to their weight, men are stronger than horses.

(146) Pilgrims ate popcorn at the first Thanksgiving dinner.

(147) Your nose and ears never stop growing.

(148) Jupiter is bigger than all the other planets in our solar system combined.

(149) Hot water is heavier than cold.

(150) The parachute was invented by da Vinci in 1515.

(151) They have square watermelons in Japan. They stack better.

(152) Cream does not weigh as much as milk.

(153) Starfish have eight eyes--one at the end of each leg.

(154) Iceland consumes more Coca-cola per capita than any other nation.

(155) The heart of an unborn baby girl beats faster than the heart of an unborn baby boy.

(156) First novel ever written on a typewriter was 'Tom Sawyer.'

(157) There are more collect calls on Father's Day than any other day of the year.

(158) Heinz Ketchup leaving the bottle travels at 25 miles per year.

(159) Men get hiccups more often than woman.

(160) Armadillos can be housebroken.

(161) Bugs have hair on their eyes.

(162) In 1727, pennies featured this motto: "Mind your own business!"

(163) A giraffe's tongue is two feet long.

(164) Elephants can stand on their heads.

(165) President Taft used to get stuck in his bathtub.

(166) Cockroaches flatulate every 15 minutes.

(167) Charles Osbourne had the hiccups for 69 years. He later said that the hardest part was keeping his false teeth in his mouth.

(168) To escape enemies, the African wood snake fills its eyes with blood and drools red spit from its mouth.

(169) The average elevator travels 10,000 miles a year.

(170) Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning.

(171) Goldfish remember better in cold water than in warm water.

(172) Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark.

(173) The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

(174) That San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

(175) If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

(176) Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

(177) "I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

(178) No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Superbowl.

(179) The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League all-stars Game.

(180) The children's nursery rhyme "Ring Around the Rosey" is a rhyme about the plague. Infected people with the plague would get red circular sores ("Ring around the rosey..."), these sores would smell very bad, so common folks would put flowers on their bodies somewhere (inconspicuously) so that they would cover the smell of the sores ("...a pocket full of posies..."). People who died from the plague would be burned so as to reduce the possible spread of the disease ("...ashes, ashes, we all fall down!").

Intresting Opening Lines Collected from Net for asking Out your Heart :-) Enjoy

2009-03-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

Pickup Lines

1. Is your Dad an astronaut? Because someone took the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes.
2. You must be tired because you've been running through my dreams all night
3. Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?
4. Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!
5. I know I don't look like much now, but I'm drinking milk.
6. Pardon me miss, I seem to have lost my phone number, could I borrow yours?
7. I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away!
8. Was your dad king? He must have been to make a princess like you.
9. Were you in Boy Scouts? Because you sure have tied my heart in a knot.
10. What does it feel like to be the most beautiful girl in this room?
11. You are the reason men fall in love.
12. I'm writing a term paper on the finer things in life, and I was wondering if I could interview you.
13. If you stood in front of a mirror and held up 11 roses, you would see 12 of the most beautiful things in the world.
14. When I saw you from across the room, I passed out cold and hit my head on the floor, so I'm going to need your name and number for insurance reasons.
15. Do you want to see a picture of a beautiful person? (hold up a mirror)
16. Did it hurt when you fell out of heaven?
17. Can I borrow a quarter, I told my Mom I'd call when I met the girl of my dreams.
18. Do you have a map? I keep getting lost in your eyes.
19. Excuse me, but I think I dropped something, my jaw!
20. Hello, I'm a thief, and I'm here to steal your heart.
21. I'm new in town. Could you give me directions to your apartment?
22. If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U and I together.
23. If I followed you home, would you keep me?
24. Was your father an alien? Because there's nothing else like you on earth!
25. Was your Dad a baker? Because you've got a nice set of buns.
26. You're like a dictionary, you add meaning to my life!
27. Hello. Cupid called. He says to tell you that he needs my heart back.
28. You remind me of a magnet, because you sure are attracting me over here!
29. If you were a laser, you'd be set on "stunning".
30. Excuse me, do you have any raisins? How about a date?
31. Hello. Are you taking any applications for a boyfriend?
32. Can I take your picture? I want Santa to know exactly what I want for Christmas.
33. Is it hot in here or is it just you?
34. Are you related to Mike Tyson? Because you knock me out.
35. If you were a burger at McDonalds, you'd be named McGourgous.
36. Your body must be a Visa, because it's everywhere I want to be.
37. How you doin?
38. Please come here, I'm desperate.
39. Didn't we go to different schools together?
40. Guy: Did you just fart? Girl: No, why? Guy: Because you just blew me away.
41. If I had a nickel for every girl as beautiful as you, I'd have five cents
42. Would you like some visene? Why? So you can see our clear future together.
43. I hear your body is made up of 75% water, man am I thirsty!
44. Do you sleep on your stomach? (No) Can I?
45. I love you, you're the best.
46. If I had a rose for every time I thought of you I'd be walking in a garden forever.
47. You're so sweet I'm getting cavities.
48. If I told you that you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?
49. If I had a camera, I'd use the whole roll.
50. Your name must be Lucky Charms, cause you're magically delicious.
51. Baby, have you been eaten your Campbell's soup? Because you are looking Mmm, Mmm good!
52. Are you wearing lipstick? Mind if I taste it?
53. If I were bread, would you be my butter?
54. God was showing off when he made you.
55. My name isn't Elmo, but you can tickle me all over.
56. Could you please step away from the bar? You're melting all the ice.
57. Hi, are you here to meet a nice guy/gal or will I do?
58. Aieeeah! Your eyes glow like the twin suns!
59. You fascinate me more than the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
60. I'm The Man in Demand
61. There's a star in the sky for every time I think of you
62. Hi, I'm incredibly rich.
63. I've noticed you noticing me and I'm just giving you notice that I've noticed you!
64. Do you have a boyfriend?
65. I know somebody who likes you but if I weren't so shy, I'd tell you who.
66. Pardon me, but what pickup line works best with you?
67. Statistically speaking the most effective pickup line of all time is "I love you".
68. You must be a parking ticket, because you have fine written all over you.
69. Excuse me, do you have the time? Woman: No. Man: Well I have the time and it says I have time for you alllll the time
70. Can I dip you in chocolate?
71. Roses are red, bananas are yellow, wanna go out with me like a nice little fellow?
72. Hi, whats your name? Did you go to (put in a place) yesterday? (no) Oh, right that was in my dream.
73. I heard milk does a body good but man, how much have you been drinking?
74. If love were a drop of water, I'd be in the Atlantic Ocean.
75. If you were a tear drop, I would never cry for fear of losing you.
76. You know what I fell in? (What?) Love with you.
77. Excuse me, do you have Band-aid? I skinned my knee when I fell for you.
78. Was your Dad in the Air Force? Because you're the bomb.
79. Hi, my name is (insert your name here)
80. Life without you is like a pencil without lead, pointless.
81. I'm a genetic engineer and I need to utilize your body for a stem cell experiment. It shouldn't hurt too bad.
82. My love for you is like diarrhea; I can't hold it in.
83. I think I've seen your picture somewhere. Oh yes, it was in the dictionary under SHA-BAM!
84. You're so hot that you make the sun jealous.
85. Do you know what the square root of 81 is? (Hopefully they say nine) Oh, then you are not just another pretty face.
86. I lost my teddy bear so can I cuddle with you instead?
87. You're so hot you melt the elastic in my underwear.
88. Hey c'mon now, I'm ugly, you're ugly, it's perfect.
89. Can I borrow your library card, because I'd like to check you out!
90. I should call the police because you're stealing my heart.
91. You're more beautiful than 100 pink flamingos on a golf course.
92. I can't wait until tomorrow. Somehow you get prettier every day.
93. If wishes came true I'd be having dinner with you tonight.
94. Girl: I'm sorry, I can't talk right now, I have a(n) (some instrument) lesson. Guy: (instrument)? I thought angels played harps.
95. Excuse me, you look sexy, what's your name?
96. If beauty were time, you'd be eternity.
97. Baby, you're so sweet, you put Hershey's out of business, and speaking of Hershey's, how about a kiss?
98. You see my friend over there? [Point to friend who sheepishly waves from afar] He wants to know if YOU think I'M cute.
99. ASL?
100. Can I have your heart? I need it to be complete and I don't feel whole without you.
101. It's never easy meeting a complete stranger, especially one as beautiful as you, without being properly introduced. But shall we try anyway?
102. Gently rub the girl's back and say, "I thought angels had wings."
103. You must be the cause of global warming.
104. I don't think a firefighter could put you out.
105. It looks like you need a man in your life. How about me?
106. Girl, you must be a parking ticket, cause you got fine written all over you.
107. Um, you have really beautiful...uh...eyes, yea. You are pretty. What I mean is...you have a nice forehead, er ah...Do you believe in when I walk by...(To yourself) Oh man, STUPID STUPID STUPID!
108. Hi, I'm Mr. Right. Someone said you were looking for me.
109. Is your name Pepsi? Because you sure are sizzling.
110. Are you a broom? Because you sure swept me off my feet.
111. If a star fell every time I thought of you, the sky would be black at night.
112. You're looking sharper than a page of Oscar Wilde witticisms that has been rolled up into a point, sprinkled with lemon juice and jabbed into someone's eye.
113. I think we should be lab partners because you and I have chemistry.
114. I don't know if it's igneous or metamorphic, but baby, you rock.
115. Did you know the distance from here (touch one side of the girl's shoulder) to here (touch other side of shoulder so your arm is around her) is the same distance from here (touch same spot last touched) to here (grab her around the waist)
116. Kiss me if I'm wrong, but don't you want to go out with me?
117. You must be Jamaican, because Jamaican me crazy.
118. I thought Veryfine only came in a bottle.
119. (Walk up to them, place an ice cube on the floor and crush it with your foot) Now that we've broken the ice, what's your name?
120. If I were a tear drop I would be born in your eyes, live on your cheeks, and die on your lips.
121. If you're here, who's running heaven?
122. Do you know Karate? Because your body is kickin'
123. I'm going to put this tear of mine in the ocean. When you find it I'll stop loving you.
124. If I were you I would go out with me.
125. Do you work for NASA? Because you're outta this world.
126. Walk up to a girl and look at the tag on the back of her shirt. When she asks what you're doing tell her your checking to see if she was made in heaven.
127. I couldn't pay attention in school (or work) today because I couldn't stop thinking about you.
128. Would you like a coolata, because you are ahota.
129. You're the marshmallows in my Lucky Charms.
130. If I ran McDonald's I'd name a sandwich after you called "The McGorgeous."
131. If I were a gardner, I'd plant your tulips next to mine.
132. Is there an airport near by or is that my heart taking off?
133. Did you hear the latest health report? You need to increase your daily intake of vitamin me.
134. One night I looked up at the stars and thought "Wow, how beautiful." Now that I'm looking at you, nothing else can compare.
135. May I borrow some of the chapstick you're wearing?
136. I have an owie on my lip, will you kiss it and make it better?
137. Hey good lookin' what'chya cookin'?
138. Love is when you don't want to go to sleep because reality is better than a dream. After seeing you, I don't ever want to sleep again.
139. Let's hide behind a rock and get a little bolder.
140. Lets get these windows a little foggy.

Funny Statements which make No Sense :-) Enjoy and laugh

2009-03-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

"Golden, Ripe, Boneless Bananas, 39 Cents A Pound."
- Ad in the "Missoulian" by Orange Street Food Farm

"I invented the internet".
- Al Gore, former U.S. Vice President

"Sure there have been injuries and deaths in boxing - but none of them serious."
- Alan Minter, Boxer

"I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness."
- Alicia Silverstone, Actress

"How to store your baby walker: First, remove baby."
- Anonymous Manufacturer

"This is no longer a slum neighborhood. I haven't heard of a Cubs fan being shot in a long time."
- Anonymous Wrigley Field Neighbor, Chicago, IL

"During the scrimmage, Tarkanian paced the sideline with his hands in his pockets while biting his nails."
- AP report describing Fresno State basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian

"Two grand slams in a week - man, that's seven or eight ribbies right there."
- Bill Madlock, Baseball broadcaster

"You guys line up alphabetically by height."
- Bill Peterson, Florida State football coach

"Men, I want you just thinking of one word all season. One word and one word only: Super Bowl."
- Bill Peterson, football coach

"The internet is a great way to get on the net."
- Bob Dole, Republican presidential candidate

"I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada."
- Britney Spears, Pop Singer
"Most cars on our roads have only one occupant, usually the driver."
- Carol Malia, BBC Anchorwoman

"The team has come along slow but fast."
- Casey Stengel, Baseball player/manager

"I think the team that wins Game 5 will win the series. Unless we lose Game 5."
- Charles Barkley, NBA Basketball Player

"China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese."
- Charles De Gaulle, former French President

"Football players win football games."
- Chuck Knox, football coach

"Most lies about blondes are false."
- Cincinnati Times-Star, headline

"If you give a person a fish, they'll fish for a day. But if you train a person to fish, they'll fish for a lifetime."
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President

"It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago"
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice-President

"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system!"
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President on the concept of a manned mission to Mars

"I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix."
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President

"Strangely, in slow motion replay, the ball seemed to hang in the air for even longer."
- David Acfield
Stupid Quotes "I haven't committed a crime. What I did was fail to comply with the law."
- David Dinkins, New York City Mayor, answering accusations that he failed to pay his taxes.

"The only reason we're 7-0 is because we've won all seven of our games."
- David Garcia, baseball team manager

"Sit by the homely girl, you'll look better by comparison."
- Debra Maffett, Miss America 1983

"We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out."
- Decca Records Rejecting the Beatles, in 1962

"Chemistry is a class you take in high school or college, where you figure out two plus two is 10, or something."
- Dennis Rodman, NBA Basketball player, on Chicago Bull's team chemistry being overrated

"We're just physically not physical enough."
- Denny Crum, Louisville basketball coach

"Weather forecast: precipitation in the morning, rain in the afternoon."
- Detroit Daily News

"The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing."
- Dizzy Dean explaining how he felt after being hit on the head by a ball in the 1934 World Series.

"Can you get a ticket for running a stop sign that is not
there?"
- Driver school applicant

"The world is more like it is now then it ever has before."
- Dwight Eisenhower

"A billion here, a billion there, sooner or later it adds up to real money."
- Everett Dirksen, Congressman

"Boxing’s all about getting the job done as quickly as possible, whether it takes 10 or 15 or 20 rounds."
- Frank Bruno, Boxer

"The streets are safe in Philadelphia. It's only the people who make them unsafe."
- Frank Rizzo, ex-police chief and mayor of Philadelphia.

"I have opinions of my own --strong opinions-- but I don't always agree with them."
- George Bush, former U.S. President

"It is white."
- George W. Bush, when asked what the White house was like by a student in East London

"If it weren't for electricity we'd all be watching television by candlelight."
- George Gobel

"If you think is was an accident, applaud."
- Geraldo Rivera, talk show host, to his audience on Natalie Wood's drowning

"I cannot tell you how grateful I am -- I am filled with humidity."
- Gib Lewis, speaker of the Texas House

"Does the album have any songs you like that aren't on it?
- Harry News, music reviewer

"Coming on to pitch is Mike Moore, who is six-foot-one and 212 years old."
- Herb Score, Sportscaster

"I do not like this word "bomb." It is not a bomb. It is a device that is exploding."
- Jacques le Blanc, French ambassador on nuclear weapons

"I don't want to ever, ever do something in life that isn't fun. Ever."
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, Actress, in the February Cosmopolitan.

"We're going to move left and right at the same time."
- Jerry Brown, Governor of California

"I have a God-given talent. I got it from my dad."
- Julian Wakefield, Missouri basketball player

"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas."
- Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery

Stupid Quotes "I don't diet. I just don't eat as much as I'd like to."
- Linda Evangelista, Supermodel

"He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning regardless of what time it is."
- Lou Duva, veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regime of heavyweight Andrew Golota.

I"The largest crowd ever in the state of Las Vegas."
- Mark Jones, TV Broadcaster

"Pitching is 80% of the game. The other half is hitting and fielding."
- Mickey Rivers, baseball player

"I'm a 4-wheel-drive pickup type of guy. So is my wife."
- Mike Greenwell, Baseball player

"If only faces could talk..."
- Pat Summerall, Sportscaster, during the Super Bowl

"All of the Mets' road wins against Los Angeles this year have been at Dodger Stadium."
- Ralph Kiner, NY Sportscaster

"Solutions are not the answer."
- Richard Nixon, former U.S. President

"Permitted vehicles not allowed."
- Road sign on US 27

"A bachelor's life is no life for a single man."
- Samuel Goldwyn

"SAFETY FIRST: Please put on your seat belt - prepare for accident."
- Sign on backseat of Taxi

"If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."
- Terry Venables

Fun Facts - February 2009

2009-02-26T21:39:00.000-08:00

The Astounding Cellular Makeup of the Human Body!!!

The human body is complex structure of cells, so many cells in fact that it would be impossible to count them all. Scientists estimate that there are around 75 trillion cells in the human body with an additional 750 trillion bacteria cells living in the human gut.

10% of your bodyweight consists of bacteria.

If you laid out all of your blood vessels from end to end, it would create a line that stretches out to 161,000 km (100,000 miles), or the distance around the equator 4 times.

The largest cell in the human body is the female egg and the smallest is the male sperm. It takes about 175,000 sperm cells to weigh as much as a single egg cell.

7-8% of your bodyweight is made up of blood, in the average human it is estimated to be about 5 litres.

The blood of an adult contains approximately 25 trillion cells.

A single drop of blood contains more than a staggering 250 million cells!

Only 40-50% of blood is composed of red blood cells.

Red blood cells have a limited life of approximately 120 days in which they will travel 480 km (300 miles) around your body.

It takes just 60 seconds for a blood cell to complete a whole circuit of the human body.[/COLO[COLOR=Purple]R]

It also means that every second 3 million blood cells die while simultaneously 3 million more are created.

30 Creepiest Clouds On Earth-Incredible Cloud Faces and Figures

2009-02-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

30 Creepiest Clouds On Earth

Incredible Cloud Faces and Figures

1. This cloud over Budapest in Hungary looks uncannily like an Australian Aboriginal man.

© sandor banyai

2. Some may liken this cloud above the Maldivian island of Meerufenfushito to the first female UK Prime Minister, Maggie Thatcher, others might see Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

© james gossage

3. There’s no mistake this cloud resembles actor Marlon Brando, best known for his role as Mafia boss Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather Trilogy.

© micheal poole

4. King Louis XIV looking regal in the sky.

© annegret richter

Amazing Cloud Animals >

Bizarre Clouds >

5. Betty Davis giving ‘that’ look.

richard carlson

6. Coming through! This guy’s in a hurry.

© flaminia grubacki

7. Jesus doing what he does best.

carl tidy

8. Carebear gone crazy.

fluffy von der flynn

9. Is it a shark? Is it a face? Whatever it is, it looks downright creepy.

chad ramsey

10. Crossed legged demon watching the world go by.

30 Creepiest Clouds On Earth-Amazing Cloud Animals

2009-02-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

30 Creepiest Clouds On Earth

Amazing Cloud Animals

1. The Donnie Darko Bunny lives on.

richard carlson

2. Smoke angel left behind from airplane flares.

russell e cooley

3. A cloud looking suspiciously like The Lion King cub, Simba, but has is it been ’shopped’?

gplex

4. Power station fumes form pigs in space.

© ian loxley

Incredible Cloud Faces and Figures >

Bizarre Clouds >

5. A freshly pruned poodle spotted in the sky above Chicago, Illinois.

© jackie morin

6. There’s something fishy about this cloud over The Blasket Islands, County Kerry, Ireland.

© gavin tobin

7. Dragon shaped cloud spotted over Monument Rocks Natural Area in Kansas.

rob graham

8. Anyone else think this looks like a roaring lion?

andy chan

9. Want gravy with your roast chicken?

© matt eyre

10. We’re in two minds whether this is the profile of an elephant or a gremlin resting on its elbow. What do you think?

30 Creepiest Clouds On Earth

2009-02-24T23:49:00.000-08:00

30 Creepiest Clouds On Earth

Bizzarre Clouds

1. Size matters?

richard carlson

2. ET phone home.

richard carlson

3. This cloud almost looks like a giant finger bursting through the heavens.

richard carlson

4. A clawed hand gropes its way across the sky.

patric shaw

Incredible Cloud Faces and Figures >

Amazing Cloud Animals >

5. It could be a spaceship, not unlike the Starship enterprise but does anyone else see the upside-down kayak?

nasa

6. These awesome clouds look like giant smoke signals. We’d hate to see the size of the people making them!

valuca

7. Weird cloud formations setting over a castle’s fort. Anyone know where this pic was taken?

neatorama

8. Disc shaped cloud hovering over mountain in …

photographer unkown

9. Classic UFO shape produced by lenticular clouds. This one was spotted over Damascus, Syria.

© gianandrea sandri and roberto cavallini

10. These lenticular clouds, known locally to New Zealanders as ‘pets’, look more like a mass landing of UFOs to us.

© glynn hubbard

The Sea Gypsies of the Andaman Sea

2009-02-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

The Sea Gypsies of the Andaman Sea

Image: HA’a (Robert Berman)

They may look like regular folks frolicking in the water on a hot summer’s day, but they’re really much more remarkable than that. They are the Moken, a group of about 2,000 to 3,000 people who are born, live and die traveling the Andaman Sea around Southern Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). Settling only during monsoon season, these “Sea Gypsies” live more than half the year in boats called kabang, each made from a single tree. They are master fishermen and expert divers, catching fish on spears with ease, while collecting a variety of other fruits of the sea by hand, such as sea cucumbers at low tide and shellfish at high tide.

Image: Ronnakorn Potisuwan

Moken children learn how to swim before they can walk. The Moken can plunge to depths of 75 feet without any life support gear and can also lower their heart rates in order to hold their breaths for twice as long as other humans. And that’s not all: Swedish scientist Anna Gislen also found that Moken children have the power to constrict their pupils to tiny pinpoints when they’re in the water, enabling them to sharpen their sight and see much better underwater than the rest of us.

Image: Ronnakorn Potisuwan

But how do they do it? At first, scientists thought that there might be some super-sighted genetic variation in play; after all, the Moken have been diving for hundreds of years. Perhaps, but Gislen’s studies with European children showed some pretty cool results - after four to six months of training, Swedish youngsters would automatically constrict their pupils when they came in contact with water, though not to the extent of the Moken children, who have been practising this exercise far longer.

Image: jameschew

With their almost superpower diving abilities, the Moken could easily exploit the sea, reaping more than they require to sell or trade, but they choose not to. They live simple, low-impact lives, never catching more than is required to survive. A peaceful and nonviolent people, the Moken treat everyone as family, sharing what they have and abstaining from the accumulation of worldly possessions.

To be sure, the Moken’s animist beliefs led them to worship the sea and respect its power. They know how to read the signs that the mighty ocean herself sends them, enabling them to find higher ground before anyone else knew that the 2004 Tsunami would hit.

Watch this interview with an old Moken about how they knew the tsunami was coming:

When asked how the Moken people knew that the tsunami would come, they speak of the Laboon, or the “wave that eats people,” a legend that has been passed down through the generations. Angry ancestral spirits bring on this “Big Wave,” but before it arrives, the sea recedes. Saleh Kalathalay, the village headman, recognized these signs before the 2004 Tsunami struck, and ran to warn everyone to move to higher ground to avoid the impending wave. Everyone was spared, except for one handicapped tribesman who was forgotten on the beach, and for this lapse of memory, the tribe believes it is cursed and will not rebuild their village in the same spot.

And although the Moken survived the devastating disaster of 2004, the traditional nomadic life and the knowledge of the sea that comes part and parcel with it, could soon be lost. Only about 1,000 Moken still lead the traditional life and the numbers continue to dwindle.

Image: Scruffy Dan and Breanne

Until the 1980s, the Sea Gypsies were largely untouched by modern civilisation. With the influx of entrepreneurs and tourists over the past 30 years and pressure from government, some Sea Gypsies are being forced to settle in permanent villages. Moken men are overworked by Burmese fishermen, often dying from the bends after diving deep and resurfacing quickly. And military presence restricts free movement of the Moken, resulting in difficulties ranging from an inability for young people to find spouses to a lack of trading opportunities for staples such as rice.

Dire though the situation seems, there is still hope. Moken leaders continue to forge ahead to bring people together and pass down the stories and rituals that have enabled these people to live for so long in partnership with the sea. Certainly, the knowledge that the Sea Gypsies have passed on to the rest of the world is something we won’t soon forget.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

10 Incredible Underground Lakes and Rivers [pics]

2009-02-24T15:48:00.000-08:00

10 Incredible Underground Lakes and Rivers [pics]

Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China was discovered during the Tang Dynasty almost 1,300 years ago. Image by Ian Sewell

Far below the Earth’s surface, where the sun rarely penetrates, is a world of twinkling glow worms, precious gems and limestone caves and mountains, a land inhabited by nature alone. Within this world are visions to rival many landscapes decorating our horizon; lakes lie still and calm, great networks of caves know no borders and rivers and rivulets carve an ever-evolving terrain.

We invite you to explore this remarkable subterranean domain through these incredible images we’ve complied for your viewing pleasure.

1. Cheddar Gorge is Britain’s biggest canyon and is found within the Cheddar Caves, where the UK’s oldest complete human skeleton was found in 1903. Known as the Cheddar Man, the remains were estimated to be 9,000 years old.

Snowman-1

2. Hamilton Pool Preserve, in Austin, Texas, was created quite naturally when the dome of an underground cave collapsed revealing this stunning natural pool. It is now frequented by day-trippers and naturalists. That’s naturalists not naturists, although no doubt someone has tried to go skinny dipping at one point!

Van Sutherland

3. Hamilton Pool from another perspective. When there’s been heavy rainfall, 45ft waterfalls cascade from the rim of the cavern. It must be pretty spectacular when you’re bathing.

Stuck in Customs

4. Stalagtites adorn the roof of Luray Caverns, Virginia, the still waters throwing a perfect reflection.

Ashley Dinges

5. Legend has it that early cavemen inhabited Wookey Caves in Somerset, England.

Wookey Caves

6. This underground lake in Mellisani Caves, near Kefalonia, was found when the roof of the cave collapsed after an earthquake in 1953.

Liana Photography

7. Lechuguilla Cave, in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico is the fifth longest cave discovered yet at 120 miles (193 km) long and measures 489 metres (1,604 ft) deep, making it the deepest in continental United States.

Dave Bunnell

8. This underground lake near Macan Ché on the Yucatán Peninsula is one of many that are considered to be gifts from the gods by the Mayans, and therefore sacred.

sanghavedanta

9. The limestone flow feeding into this underground lake in Mexico resembles a waterfall turned to stone. Maybe the Ice Queen is privy to this particular cavern?

Adam

10. How long must it have taken for this little waterfall in Banff, Canada, to make this underwater lake?

Petr

20 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries

2009-02-23T17:20:00.000-08:00

20 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries

For some people it’s castles with their noble history and crumbling towers, for others it’s abandoned factories or lost cities. But for those who enjoy reading, a huge beautiful library is a place of endless pleasure. Meet 20 of the biggest and most beautiful libraries around the globe.

Abbey Library St. Gallen, Switzerland

Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Trinity College LIbrary, AKA, The Long Room, Dublin, Ireland

Melk Monastery Library, Melk, Austria
Jay Walker's Private Library

Rijkmuseum Library, Amsterdam

Library of Parliament, Ottawa, Canada

Strahov Monastery - Theological Library, Prague, Czech Republic

Herzog August Library, Wolfenbüttel, Germany

Biblioteca Geral University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

Wiblingen Monastary Library, Ulm, Germany

Stiftsbibliothek Klosterneuburg, Klosterneuburg, Austria

Central Library, Seattle

Library of the Benedictine Monastery of Admont, Austria

George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

National Library, Belarus

Riksdagen Library, Swedish Parliament Library, Stockholm, Sweden

Sansovino Library, Rome, Italy

Old British Reading Room, British Museum, London, England

Library of Congress, Washington, DC, US

15 Hilarious Church Signs

2009-02-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

15 Hilarious Church Signs

You've seen them - the signs in front of churches, with a witticism or a pun that made you groan. Here is a list of 15 hilarious Church Signs.

Living on the Edge: 5 Clifftop Towns

2009-02-23T16:15:00.000-08:00

Living on the Edge: 5 Clifftop Towns

Ronda (Spain): divided by a 100-meter deep canyon

Located in a very mountainous area about 750 metres (2,500 ft) above mean sea level, Ronda is a clifftop town in the spanish province of Malaga. "El Tajo", a 100-meter deep canyon, separates the old town form the new one, leaving some of the buildings and houses right on the edge of abyss. Going from one side to the other is possible, as the canyon is spanned by three bridges, each built in a different historical age: Roman, Moorish and 18th Century. (Photos by giantginkgo and ed-latawiec)

Bonifacio (Corsica): 70 meters (230 ft) over the Mediterranean Sea

At the southern tip of the island of Corsica, Bonifacio is the largest commune of the island. This fragile looking citadel sits precariously at 70 meters (230 ft) over the white limestone cliffs, eaten away by the wind and waves of the Mediterranean Sea. A naval haven throughout the century, Bonifacio is now a small marina for expensive yachts from around the world. (photos by jacob metcalf and clivestanley)

Castellfolit de la Roca (Spain): situated on a 50 meters (164 ft) high basalt crag

A municipality in Catalonia, Spain, Castellfollit de la Roca is bordered by the confluence of the Fluvià and Toronell rivers, between which the town's basalt cliff rises. The basalt crag where the town is situated is over 50 meters high and almost a kilometre long. It was formed by the overlaying of two lava flows and it is one of the smallest towns in the province. (Photos by ferran)

Santorini (Greece): a 300 meter (984 ft) high paradise

Located about 200 km southeast from Greece's mainland, the archipelago of Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera. Its spectacular physical beauty, along with a dynamic nightlife, have made the island one of Europe's tourist hotspots. The Minoan eruption, which occurred some 3,600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization, left a large caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of feet deep and may have led indirectly to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 110 km (70 miles) to the south, through the creation of a gigantic tsunami. The giant central lagoon, more or less rectangular, mesures about 12 km by 7 km (8 mi by 4 mi) and is surrounded by 300 m (984 ft) high steep cliffs on three sides. (Photos by andreas, marcel and kdludwig)

Manarola (Italy): Italy's most precariously placed town

Located in Liguria, Manarola is certainly one of Italy's most precariously placed towns. It’s hard to say just how old this village is, but ancient Roman texts have been found which celebrated the wines produced there. Today, you can still enjoy strolls through the vineyards, a walk on the Via dell’Amore (Path of Love) and its brightly colored buildings just near the edge. (Photo by Herbert Wong)

7 Most Fascinating Hot Springs on Earth

2009-02-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

7 Most Fascinating Hot Springs on Earth

Published on 2/20/2009 under Places
TAGS: Hot Springs
Produced by the emergence of heated groundwater from the earth's crust, they are located all over the earth, on every continent and even under the oceans and seas. Many were created between 20 and 45 million years ago as a result of violent volcanic activity, and can reach up to 350°C (662°F). Meet some of the most fascinating Hot Spring on planet earth.

The Grand Prismatic Spring: America's largest

Mammoth Hot Springs: largest carbonate-depositing spring in the world

Blood Pond Hot Spring: welcome to hell

Blue Lagoon: Iceland's geothermal spa

Glenwood Springs: world’s largest natural hot springs swimming pool

Jigokudani Hot Springs: home to the japanese Snow Monkeys

Deildartunguhver: highest flow hot spring in Europe

10 Most Unique Lakes of our World

2009-02-16T23:24:00.001-08:00

10 Most Unique Lakes of our World

Plitvice Lakes (Croatia): Sixteen Lakes interconnected by Spectacular Waterfalls

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

Boiling Lake (Dominica): A Flooded Fumarole

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Caspian Sea (Russia): World's Largest Lake

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

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

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

Lake Karachay (Russia): Most Polluted Spot on Earth

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

10 Masterpieces of High-Speed Droplet Photography

2009-02-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

10 Masterpieces of High-Speed Droplet Photography

All images: © Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Since the iconic images of a moving galloping race horse were revealed in 1887 by English photographer Eadweard Muybridge, high-speed photography has come on in leaps and bounds. Multiple cameras are no longer needed to capture motion, just one, usually hideously expensive, camera is required (and some fancy equipment).

The Needle

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

High-speed photography allows us to view things that ordinarily move too quickly for us register as a single image. Everyday events such as a drop of water falling into a bowl are suddenly transformed into liquid sculpture. Beauty and art replace the mundane.

The Girl

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Those who specialise in high-speed photography are masters of patience. Trying to capture the perfect shot takes some setting up, and although there are various ways to catch the images, seemingly frozen in time, many photographers have their own personal technique, which they guard closely. The most common technique is to use high-speed flashes with quick shutter times. The images are often then polished up in Photoshop, or some digital imaging package, but only the background and shadows are manipulated, the actual fluid shape is left untouched.

Watermetery

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Water is often used in high-speed photography, as are other fluids, which are capable of producing infinite organic shapes, depending on how the photographer has set up the shot. Some photographers use specific equipment such as pipettes and drip feeders; others taint the fluid with color, resulting in sometimes strong and impressive images like these by Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) 2008 finalist, Vladimir Nefedov.

The Crown

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Vladimir is a recognized authority in the field of high-speed photography and once managed the professional photographic studio, Prozess in his native Russia. He says on his website (in Russian, so roughly translated):

“There is not yet a technique that could embody what occurs inside of us, and science has not thought up how to photograph dreams or happiness. Art of a photo is an attempt of visualization [of these things], made possible by manipulation of the images, given to us in the objective world and in sensations, they are then fixed using a camera, producing something imperceptible and unique…”

Ash Tray

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

The Bell

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

The Lira

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Red in White

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Crystal Vase

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Water Joke

© Vladimir Nefedov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

For your chance to enter the Sony World Photography Awards 2009, read our previous entries: Timon and Pumbaa and Environmental Graffiti Partners with Sony World Photography Awards. The closing date for Prince’s Rainforest Project Awards has been extended to February 28, 2009.

UPDATE: Since writing this post we heard from Vladimir, who very kindly offered a few words to be added to the article:

“If water and temporary life are inseparable, if eternal life for the person begins with immersion in water, don’t you agree that it would be rather strange for the Creator not to have decorated its main substance with gorgeous forms. A snowflake and an iceberg, a forest brook and Niagara, puddles on asphalt and storm surf - this is all the glory of water, perceived with our noble eyesight. And it is impossible to imagine that in the sphere of imperceptible it can suddenly deplete.

“Plus, photography, as a natural piece of art, not suffocated with corset of
aesthetics is always primaeval and will be always finding its authors and viewers. Modern technologies only multiply the freedom of photographer if they are applied as instruments and do not end in themselves.”

Vladimir Nefedov opens to us in a new way unimaginable forms created by the falling drop. In a number of these images, someone will be dazzled with subject associations, someone with Japanese elegance of contemplative “design”, others with a mysterious unrecognisable space.

Thanks again!
*Vladimir has a new website coming soon.

Source 1, 2

12 Most Incredible Crater Lakes On Earth

2009-02-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

12 Most Incredible Crater Lakes On Earth

Image: skimountaineer

The planet is home to some of the most amazing natural wonders - shaped by Mother Earth over millions of years. Yet few natural formations are as close to the heart of the planet and undergo such vibrant changes as crater lakes. Being connected with the inner regions of the Earth, these lakes can contract, expand, appear and vanish all in the geological blink of an eye.

While popular belief is that crater lakes are formed after water fills up meteorite impact craters, very few such lakes actually exist. Most of them are formed in volcanic craters - but all offer spectacular sights for sore eyes!

Fascinating, spectacular, stunning and at times deadly, this is a trip into the extraordinary world of crater lakes.

Lake Atitlán

Known as one of the most beautiful and picturesque lakes on the planet, Lake Atitlan in Guatemala has a long geological and cultural history. Though its depths have not been completely explored even today, the lake is the deepest in Central America, going down to 340 meters at some points. The enormous caldera that is home to Lake Atitlan was formed 84,000 years ago due to volcanic activity, and the region is still known as a hotbed for volcanoes.

Maya culture is predominant in this region and the lake is one of the main reasons for the vast settlements since the Mayan culture started to take shape here. Mayan sites such as Sambaj and Chiutinamit - and even underwater cities - are being excavated around Lake Atitlan. The beautiful lake has borne witness to volcanic activity, civil war and deadly landslides, yet its scenic panorama attracts tourists from all across the globe.

Images by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Lake Taupo

With a perimeter of 193 kilometers, a deepest point of 186 meters and a surface area of 616 square kilometers, Lake Taupo is arguably the most famous crater lake on the planet. Drained by the Waikato River, it is the largest freshwater lake in Australasia and attracts over 1.5 million tourists each year with its vast magnificence, breathtaking sights and the sheer joy of basking in its calm tranquility. Lake Taupo is located in the North Island of New Zealand and was formed by a volcanic eruption around 27,000 years ago.

The lake offers a cool and soothing retreat for both locals and tourists in the summer season, with weather that is moderate. Grand and still bubbling with geothermal activity in its depths, the volcano the lake sits on is dormant rather than extinct, meaning that although the next big eruption here could come anytime, it’s not very likely to be soon.

Images by 1, 2, 3, 4

Lake Nyos

With the rich mineral content of their water, crater lakes can assume various colorful shades - that tempt you to believe it’s party time. But ask people at Lake Nyos and they will tell you that a crater lake can be a carrier of death and dark poisonous clouds. The beautiful and deadly Lake Nyos is located in Cameroon. It sits majestically on top of an inactive volcano that can nevertheless quite easily leak fumes of death. The lake is one of the few lakes on the planet that is saturated with carbon dioxide, due to its constantly being emitted by the volcanic vents under its lake bed.

It was in 1986 that the lake suddenly spit out 1.6 million tons of CO2 into the air, killing over 1700 people and 3500 livestock in the nearby villages. The crater lake is held in its place by a natural dam of rocks that is also weakening constantly and could one day spell disaster!

Images by 1, 2, 3, 4 (via DRB)

Ojos del Salado Lake

If you are searching for the world’s highest lake, irrespective of size and magnitude, then look no further than the crater lake on top of Ojos del Salado, which stands 6,390 meters high. This is the world’s highest active volcano we’re talking about - the massive giant on the Argentina-Chile border that houses a lake 100 meters in diameter, with a perceptible depth of nothing beyond 5 to 10 meters. Quite obviously, then, the lake on top of Ojos del Salado is itself no huge water giant, but its magnificent setting and the fact that you can even find a small natural lake at this altitude make it one the kings of the planet.

Image by 1

Nemrut Lake

The sight on top of the dormant volcano of Nemrut in Turkey is both unique and extraordinary. Its large circular crater contains two lakes close to one another, offering a vivid contrast in terms of both appearance and temperature. Nestled at an altitude of 3050 meters, the caldera of the volcano contains a cold water lake that covers an area of 13 square kilometers and is 155 meters deep. Just next to it is a hot water lake with a temperature of around 60°c and a depth of 100 meters. The great physical and geographic contrast both the lakes on top of Nemrut present is a delight both for geologists and visiting tourists. Named after the Turkish king Nimrod, the lake is a photographer’s delight!

Images by 1, 2, 3, 4

Manicouagan Lake

Dubbed the ‘Eye of Quebec’, this great Canadian lake is famous for being a freshwater reservoir, and is one of the most visually compelling shots when photographed from a satellite. It is one of the few crater lakes on the planet to have taken shape because of the actual impact of an asteroid 214 million years ago.

The Manicouagan Lake contains within its perimeter an island with Mount Babel at its center, and the mountain is considered to be the central point of the crater the asteroid impact left behind. Covering an area of 1942 square kilometers, this unique lake is the heart of a major hydro-electricity program that powers the city of Quebec.

Images by 1, 2, 3

Lake Vico

If there is one crater lake that has a timeless charm, exquisite beauty and is a perfect tourist destination due to its romantic setting, Lake Vico has to be it. Located in Lazio, Central Italy, it is the highest of all the major Italian lakes with an altitude of 510 meters. Surrounded by the scenic Cimini Hills and part of a beautiful natural reserve, Vico is already famous for the unique lush green forest that surrounds it. But more than the geography of the lake, it is the legend behind its existence that captures your imagination. Local tales have it that Hercules defied the locals to pick up his club, and when they failed to do so he picked it up himself. It was from underneath this club that Lake Vico sprung to life. If you are not a geology

fan, then the story sits just fine with you!

Image by 1, 2, 3, 4

Mount Katmai

There are few sights on the entire planet that are as spectacular as the lake that sits majestically in the caldera of Mount Katmai in Alaska. Yet it is not just the splendor of the sight today that is impressive, but the very way in which the lake came into existence. Yes this remains one of the most awesome recorded geological moments in the planet’s history. It was in June of 1912 that the peak of Mount Katmai imploded to create the large crater that today houses a lake more than 800 feet deep.

Three glaciers that were once sitting on its peak collapsed into the crater to create the vast and grand lake that even now spills water from a few spots on the peak. The story of the lake on top of Mount Katmai is just as overwhelming as the beauty it exudes today!

Image by 1, 2, 3, 4

Rano Kau

The name of Rano Kau might not sound all that familiar but the name of Easter Island and its mysterious large stone statues are known across the world. It is on the edge of the crater wall in Rano Kau that one can find this ceremonial land of the ancient tribes that erected the giant statues. Within these ‘walls’ is the crater lake of Rano Kau - famous both as a geological and an archeological sight for obvious reasons.

The crater lake is not filled with large amounts of water as the rough sea winds sap away most of the moisture - but its depth ensures that this is the only place on Rano Kau that supports a mini-ecosystem of its own. A rare lake with a rare and mysterious background makes it a great tourist sight. Isn’t it?

Images by 1, 2, 3

Crater Lake

With an average depth of 350 meters and a deepest point of 594 meters beneath the surface, Crater Lake in Oregon, USA is the second deepest lake in North America and the ninth deepest on the planet. Formed after the collapse of Mount Mazama, the mineral-rich deep blue water of the lake along with its extraordinary clarity make it a picture perfect spot.

Crater Lake is home to arguably the purest water in all the US and has sacred significance to the Klamath tribe of Native Americans. The natives here believe that the battle between the sky god Skell and Llao, the god of the underworld, led to the collapse of Mount Mazama and the formation of Crater Lake. One great attraction at Crater Lake is an old stump called ‘Old Man of the Lake’, which has been bobbing vertically in the lake for over a century now!

Images 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Blue Lake

Blue Lake in South Australia is your chameleon of lakes, managing to change its color magically from season to season. If you took a look at the snaps of the Blue Lake in winter, then its grey surface would have you confused about why it was ever named the ‘Blue’ Lake in the first place. With an average depth of 72 to 75 meters and stretching across an area of 1087 meters by 657 meters, the lake took shape after a volcanic explosion near Mount Gambier.

The lake appears in a vivid copper blue in summer months, while in winter it turns into dull grey with astonishing ease. The reason for the change has not yet been determined with certainty, but the visual spectacle the lake can offer is rare indeed.

Images 1, 2

Lake Toba

Located in the heart of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and stretching across a vast 1,130 square kilometers, Lake Toba is the largest crater lake on the planet by a long way. However, being the largest volcanic lake in the world means that its history is similarly great in magnitude - and it has also had a disastrous impact on the planet.

The Toba Eruption occurred around 75,000 years ago and was potent enough to black out the sun for an entire year all over the planet! Since Lake Toba lies near a fault line, it is a place of constant volcanic activity and major earthquakes

Images by 1, 2, 3, 4

Crater lakes have a violent past, vibrant present and the potential to lead to a catastrophic future. Yet we are fascinated by their origin, beauty, unique existence and the multitude of rare delights they have on offer. A look at the best on the planet surely tells us why we are lured by their magic!

If you want to find out all the latest news on the environment, why not subscribe to our RSS feed? We’ll even throw in a free album.

Only in China

2009-02-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

Only in China

When this faulty plane from Shandong Airlines was stuck in a Zhengzhou airport, passengers were asked to get out and push it!

How to move a house in China

A fake chinese version of Nike!

An Optimus Prime Statue in Yunnan, China.

A Mercedes C vs its chinese copycat, the Geely Merrie 300

Poor Niagara! Meet the Iguazu Falls

2009-01-31T22:27:00.000-08:00

Poor Niagara! Meet the Iguazu Falls

One of the most amazing waterfalls in the world. Located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones, the waterfalls of the Iguazu River consists of nothing less than 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles); the most impressive of all being the Devil's Throat, a U-shaped 82-meter-high cliff.

It has been said that, when US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited the falls, she exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" That was our impression as well. While the falls can be reached from the two main towns on either side of the falls (Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil, and Puerto Iguazú in the Argentina), We went to the falls by the brazilian side and took some of the best pictures we could. Meet the Iguazu Falls.

Part of the Iguazu Falls from a distance

The wind, the water drops. Standing on the walkways, right in front of the falls, is one of the most amazing sensations you'll ever experience.

The Devil's Throat

The closest you'll get

Vertigo. The elevator let's you see the whole picture: the walkways, the river, the falls

Poor Niagara! Meet the Iguazu Falls

2009-01-31T17:43:00.000-08:00

: Poor Niagara! Meet the Iguazu Falls
One of the most amazing waterfalls in the world. Located on the border of the Brazilian state of Paraná and the Argentine province of Misiones, the waterfalls of the Iguazu River consists of nothing less than 275 falls along 2.7 kilometers (1.67 miles); the most impressive of all being the Devil's Throat, a U-shaped 82-meter-high cliff.

It has been said that, when US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited the falls, she exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" That was our impression as well. While the falls can be reached from the two main towns on either side of the falls (Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil, and Puerto Iguazú in the Argentina), We went to the falls by the brazilian side and took some of the best pictures we could. Meet the Iguazu Falls.

Part of the Iguazu Falls from a distance

The wind, the water drops. Standing on the walkways, right in front of the falls, is one of the most amazing sensations you'll ever experience.

The Devil's Throat

The closest you'll get

Vertigo. The elevator let's you see the whole picture: the walkways, the river, the falls

Tags: amazing, waterfalls, niagra, iguazu | Add Tags

10 Most Incredible Waterfalls of Ice

2009-01-29T17:06:00.000-08:00

10 Most Incredible Waterfalls of Ice

Image: Herman Erberr

We’re used to seeing stunning images of cascading waterfalls in all their fluid glory, but have you ever wondered how they would look if Jack Frost was let loose on them? Well, you need wait no longer as we have compiled a range of fantastic frozen waterfalls.

1. This enchanting image of an ice waterfall perfectly captures the force and flow of the water underneath the ice, making it hard to comprehend how it ever manages to freeze.

photogapher unknown

2. Ice climbers flock to The Fang in Vail, Colorado. The enormous ice pillar forms from the cascading waterfall only on exceptionally cold winters, and when it does the column can measure up to 50 meters high and has been known to have a base measuring 8 meters wide.

photographer unknown

3. If you think climbing an ice waterfall is scary, imagine the fear factor when part of the cascade breaks off and collapses to the ground mere meters from you and your buddy. That’s exactly what happened climbers Albert Leichtfried and Markus Bendler on their ascent of a frozen waterfall near Hokkaido, Japan. Their friend managed to capture the frightening moment on camera. Both climbers made it to safety soon after.

Image: Herman Erberr

4. Thick layers of ice sit on St Louis Falls in Beauharnois, Quebec. The area is home to one of the largest hydroelectric generating stations in the world.

Image: Eric Begin

5. This fantastic shot shows the waterfall freezing from outside in; there’s still a considerable waterfall flowing within the ice lume.

Image: hightechredneck

6. Undulating waves and nodules of ice give this waterfall in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois, such wonderful texture.

Image: leroidude

7. This random waterfall was discovered on the road side of a seldom travelled road near Hamilton, Canada.

Image: Martin Cathrae

8. The folds at the bottom of this waterfall demonstrate how slowly waterfalls can freeze, and are in stark contrast to the jagged, spiky icicles hanging from the edge of the rock.

Image: slieb25

9. This great image was taken in Oak Creek Canyon near a place called Temple of Mother Earth on the West Fork Trail, Sedona, Arizona.

Image: Eileen Nauman

10. A simply fabulous shot from the bottom of the ice waterfall looking up. Just look how the ice has built up from the spray on surrounding twigs. That’s what you call natural beauty.

Image: Stefan Gara

Japanese Atlantis: 5,000 year old city beneath the sea.

2009-01-28T02:22:00.000-08:00

Japanese Atlantis: 5,000 year old city beneath the sea.

A city lies dormant, deserted and forgotten. Submerged beneath the ocean off Yonaguni Jima is a Japanese Atlantis—an ancient city sunk by an earthquake about 2,000 years ago, according to marine geologist

Masaaki Kimura.

Kimura, who is a professor at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan has been diving at the site to measure and map its formations for more than 15 years and is convinced that what he sees are the remnants of a forgotten city, once which is over 5,000 years old.

“The largest structure looks like a complicated, monolithic, stepped pyramid that rises from a depth of 25 meters [82 feet],” said Kimura, who presented his latest theories about the site at a scientific conference in June.
Whoever created the city, most of it apparently sank in one of the huge seismic events that this part of the Pacific Rim is famous for, Kimura said.

The world’s largest recorded tsunami struck Yonaguni Jima in April 1771 with an estimated height of more than 131 feet (40 meters), he noted, so such a fate might also have befallen the ancient civilization.

Kimura said he has identified ten structures off Yonaguni and a further five related structures off the main island of Okinawa. In total the ruins cover an area spanning 984 feet by 492 feet (300 meters by 150 meters).

5 Amazing Blue Holes [pics]

2009-01-28T02:19:00.001-08:00

5 Amazing Blue Holes [pics]

Mon, Dec 22, 2008

*Update: we originally had 6, but now have 5! *

Image via travelpod

Have you ever swam out in the sea and not been able to see the bottom? All you can feel is the freezing cold water beneath your feet, all you see is dark blue water extending to infinity.

Imagine for one second descending into the blue, deeper and deeper with every kick and breath. The adrenaline kicks in and as the pressure builds, water compresses your chest - you’re scared, but there is something strangely inviting about the descent that makes it feel like you’re travelling to the center of the Earth. Looking ahead and all around you can see only a wall that drops for meters into the blackness below, and it is inviting, alluring. Welcome to the world of blue holes.

Effectively limestone sinkholes, or submarine caves, blue holes are given their name because of the contrasting deep blue of the hole and the lighter blue of the shallows around them. There are a number of blue holes across the globe but only a few are frequented by divers, each with its own unique biodiversity. Here we present five of the best in the world:

Great Blue Hole, Belize

Image via Neatorama

First discovered by Jacques Cousteau, one of the world’s most famous divers and marine conservationists, the Great Blue Hole in Belize is the best of the bunch, and every diver’s dream. Measuring 305m (1,000 ft) across and 123 m (400 ft) deep, the Blue Hole is almost perfectly circular and can be found in Lighthouse Reef Atoll, about 60 miles from Belize City.

Image Via Gadling

The Great Blue Hole in Belize is a Mecca for those wanting to dive among its giant stalactites and stalagmites that were formed during the last Ice Age. Starting at around 30-33 meters, the limestone formations become more intricate with depth, but few get to see what they look like as most divers are only qualified to go to a depth of around 30 meters, although, when it comes to diving in blue holes, many flout the rules.

Image via Neatorama

The Blue Hole, Dahab

Until only about 25 years ago, Dahab was a tiny Bedouin fishing village on the Sinai coast, about 50 miles from Sharm el-Sheikh to the south. Now it’s known worldwide for having great windsurfing conditions and some of the best shore diving anywhere.

Image via Let’s go Digital

Only a short drive north of the main centre of Dahab is the notorious Blue Hole, known among diving circles as the ‘World’s Most Dangerous Dive Site’. It can be accessed from the shore and is around 130m deep, but with a tunnel at 52 m many divers are tempted to go beyond the recreational diving limit of 40 m to experience everything the Egyptian blue hole has to offer, including nitrogen narcosis for the unfortunate few. Because the entrance is hidden and difficult to spot, divers looking for a way in often go too low, increasing the risk of ‘the bends’ or nitrogen narcosis, some are never seen again.

Dean’s Blue Hole, Bahamas

One of the deepest blue holes at 663ft deep, Dean’s is quite different from the previous two in that it widens to a 100 m cavern at about 20 m down. It is named after the family who own the land nearby and is another popular dive spot.

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4

The Vertical Blue 2008 free-diving competition was held here in April, when 25 national records and 5 world records were broken, and just the year before free-diver William Trubridge from New Zealand shattered the free-diving world record reaching lung-squishing depth of 84m, without the use of fins.

Image via prlog.com

The Blue Hole, Gozo

Not clearly as visible from the surface, the mouth to Malta’s Blue Hole starts at 7 m deep, and is the most popular dive site on the islands.

Image via Malta Scuba

Located within the blue hole is a cave at 15 m below where shoals of tuna, groupers and barracuda are often found hovering by the large boulders and rocks. Divers can swim through a short tunnel, or chimney, to get to a different area within the hole which has great coral gardens and reefs teeming with marine life, which is quite amazing considering how fished out many parts of the Mediterranean are.

Images via: 1, 2, 3, 4,

The Blue Cave, Korcula

Just off the coast of Korcula, one of Croatia’s biggest islands you’ll find Modra Spilja (the Blue Cave). Accessible only by boat, the blue hole is entered at 9 m below the surface of the waves and reaches a depth of 35 m, a baby compared to some other blue holes. But this means it is more easily lit up buy the sun’s rays, making visibility easier and the dive all the more pleasant. Marine life, sponges and corals line the walls, along with giant red and yellow gorgonias, or sea fans, making it one of Croatia’s top dive spots.

Images Via: 1, 2, 3,

The Seventh Circle of Hell

2009-01-28T02:15:00.000-08:00

The Seventh Circle of Hell

Tue, Jan 6, 2009

All images John Bradley via English Russia

Few people venture into the heart of the Kara-kum desert, but those who do are drawn by an eerie bright light that illuminates the night sky for miles around. From afar a glowing red light seems to float on the horizon, enticing onlookers ever closer to peer into what seems like Dante’s Inferno. Only when they arrive at the edge of the pit do they realize the bright lights are the dancing flames of a deep burning crater, known to locals as ‘The Doorway to Hell’.

This vast sinkhole in Turkmenistan was created many years ago by a Soviet gas company drilling for potential resources in the area. Reports of the expedition vary; some say the pit was created as early as the 1950s, another says 1971.

When drilling started, the rig suddenly disappeared into the ground. It had drilled into an underground cavern, the roof of which had collapsed, forming a 60 meter-wide, 20 meters deep. It was also rich in natural gas, which was now largely unusable and escaping into the atmosphere.

Some bright spark then thought, to contain the noxious gas, that it would be a good idea to burn it off, and so ignited the crater. Since then, the gas riddled pit has been burning indefinitely, and shows little sign of letting up.

There is now a lucrative tourism trade surrounding Turkmenistan’s Doorway to Hell, so good in fact that a small village has erupted near the pit. Darvaza is now home to about 350 inhabitants, who live a semi-nomadic lifestyle in the region and often set up their home near the burning sinkhole. With all that gas being released into the air, let’s just hope they’ve got strong stomachs and a poor sense of smell.

Source 1, 2, 3

10 People Who Survived the Impossible

2008-10-22T18:25:00.000-07:00

10 People Who Survived the Impossible

Vesna Vulovic: The Stewardess Who Survived a bombing at 33,000 feet

On January 26, 1972, a Yugoslav Airlines DC-9 departed from Copenhagen for Belgrade (via Zagreb) with 28 passengers and crew. At an altitude of approximately 33,000 feet, a bomb in the cargo section planted by the Ustashe Croatian separatist group exploded. The plane disintegrated and fell into the mountains below.

In what must be one of the greatest survival stories of all time, stewardess Vesna Vulovic survived the 33,000 foot descent in the tail section of the plane.

The 22 year old Vulovic wasn't even supposed to be on that plane. As she later stated in an interview, it was another Vesna who was supposed to be on that flight but she was happy with the mix-up as it allowed her to make her first trip to Denmark. She had a fractured skull, two broken legs, and three broken vertebrae - one of which was crushed and left her paralyzed from the waist down.

Vulovic spent several months in and out of hospitals and operations allowed her to walk once again. She became a celebrity when the Guinness Book of World Records invited her to a ceremony in London with Paul McCartney (she is listed for surviving the longest fall without a parachute). Vulovic is now a national hero in Serbia and spent the late 90s marching in Belgrade against Slobodan Milosovic.

Frane Selak: Escaped from a derailed train, a door-less plane, a bus crash, a car into flames, another 2 car accidents... then won Million Dollar lottery!

Luck has always been on his side or vice versa for croatian music teacher Frane Selak (born in 1929), who is well known around the world for as many fatal accidents as spectacular escapes. The first of his numerous near-death experiences began on a cold January day in 1962, when Selak was on a train to Dubrovnik. Seldom had Selak thought where he was heading until odyssey terminated, with the train suddenly plunging into the icy river killing 17 passengers. Although he managed to escape, not without a broken arm, minor scratches and bruises.

A year later, Selak was flying from Zagreb to Rijeka when abruptly a door blew away from the cockpit of the plane, as he was blown off the plane. The accident took a tool of 19 people; however, Selak was lucky enough to land on a haystack, to wake up in hospital with minor injuries. It was in 1966 that he met with the third misadventure while traveling on a bus that crashed and plunged into a river. There were four people dead, astonishingly Selak managed to escape unharmed.

In 1970, Selak was driving along when all of a sudden his car caught fire. He was fortunate again to have left the car before the fuel tank exploded. Three years later, Selak’s another car caught fire, blowing flames through the air vents. To a greater dismay, Selak only injury was that he lost most of his hair. He named “Lucky” by his friends.

In 1995, Selak was in Zagreb when a bus hit him, this time again it was nothing more for the man, except a few injuries. The following year, while driving through a mountain road, Selak drove off a guardrail to escape an oncoming truck and landed on a tree to watch his car explode 300 feet below.

Surprisingly, with the turn of events in 2003, Selak won $1,000,000 dollars in the Croatian lottery, when he was heard saying “I know God was watching me over all these years.” Selak feels he can be looked upon either as “the world’s unluckiest man, or the world’s luckiest man,” however he prefers the latter.

Andes Survivors: Crashed on the Andes Mountains, lasted 72 days

On Friday the 13th of October, 1972, a Uruguayan Air Force twin turboprop Fairchild FH-227D was flying over the Andes carrying Stella Maris College's "Old Christians" rugby union team from Montevideo, Uruguay, to play a match in Santiago, Chile. When the plane was flying through the pass in the mountains, the pilot notified air controllers in Santiago that he was over Curicó, Chile, and was cleared to descend. This would prove to be a fatal error. Since the pass was covered by the clouds, the pilots had to rely on the usual time required to cross the pass (dead reckoning). However, they failed to take into account strong headwinds that ultimately slowed the plane and increased the time required to complete the crossing. As a result, the turn and descent was initiated too soon, before the plane had passed through the mountains. Dipping into the cloud cover while still over the mountains, the Fairchild soon crashed on an unnamed peak (later called Glacier of Tears), located between Chile and Argentina.

Twelve people died in the crash. Survivors not only had to withstand the hunger and the fearful Mountains, but also 30 degree-below-zero temperatures during the night. They tried to survive with the scarce food reserves they had until being rescued, but they lost their hope when heard that the search had ceased on the radio. Desperate owing to the lack of food and physically exhausted, they were forced to feed themselves on their death partners to keep on living. Finally fed up with the extremely low temperatures and the avalanche threats, as well as anguished by the continuos deaths of their partners and the bad rescue prospects, two of them decided to cross the huge mountains to reach Chile. On 22nd of December of 1972, after being isolated for 72 days, the World found out and knew there were 16 survivors that beat Death in the Andes mountains.

Anatoli Bugorski: The Man Who Survived a Beam from a Particle Accelerator

As a researcher at the Institute for High Energy Physics in Protvino, Bugorski used to work with the largest Soviet particle accelerator, the Synchrotron U-70. On July 13, 1978, Bugorski was checking a malfunctioning piece of equipment when an accident occurred due to failed safety mechanisms. Bugorski was leaning over the piece of equipment when he stuck his head in the part through which the proton beam was running. Reportedly, he saw a flash “brighter than a thousand suns”, but did not feel any pain. The beam measured about 200,000 rads when it entered Bugorski’s skull, and about 300,000 rads when it exited after colliding with the inside of his head.

The left half of Bugorski’s face swelled up beyond recognition, and over the next several days started peeling off, showing the path that the proton beam (moving near the speed of light) had burned through parts of his face, his bone, and the brain tissue underneath. As it was believed that about 500 to 600 rads is enough to kill a person, Bugorski was taken to a clinic in Moscow where the doctors could observe his expected demise. However, Bugorski survived and even completed his Ph.D.. There was virtually no damage to his intellectual capacity, but the fatigue of mental work increased markedly. Bugroski completely lost hearing in the left ear and only a constant, unpleasant internal noise remained. The left half of his face was frozen, due to the destruction of nerves, and does not age. He is able to function perfectly well, save the fact that he has occasional petit mal seizures and very occasional grand mal seizures.

Roy Sullivan: Struck by Lightning 7 Times

Roy Sullivan was a Virginia Forest Ranger who had an incredible attraction to lightning... or rather it had an attraction to him. Over his 36-year career as a ranger, Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times - and survived each jolt, but not unscathed. His seventh strike put him in the Guinness Book of World Records:

In 1942, the first lightning strike shot through Sullivan's leg and knocked his big toenail off.

In 1969, a second strike burned off his eyebrows and knocked him unconscious.

In 1970, another strike left his shoulder seared.

In 1972 his hair was set on fire and Roy had to dump a bucket of water over his head to cool off.

On August 7, 1973, another bolt ripped through his hat and hit him on the head, set his hair on fire again, threw him out of his truck and knocked his left shoe off.

On June 5, 1976, a sixth strike in 1976 left him with an injured ankle.

On June 25th, 1977, the last lightning bolt to hit Roy Sullivan sent him to the hospital with chest and stomach burns in 1977.

His wife was also struck once, when a sudden storm welled up as she and her husband were out hanging wash on the back yard clothesline. On September 28, 1983, Roy Sullivan died at age 71, reportedly of a self-inflicted gunshot wound over troubles unrelated to lightning.

Simon Yates: Conquered Siula Grande, dropped 100ft into an Ice Crevasse, crawled 3 days

Simon Yates and Joe Simpson were the first to scale the west peak of the Siula Grande, in the Peruvian Andes. Disaster struck on the way down, and Yates was forced to let a badly wounded Simpson drop 100 feet into an ice crevasse. Simpson survived the fall and spent three days crawling back to base camp.

Truman Duncan: Cut in Two by a Train

Railroad switchman Truman Duncan fell off the front of a moving train car. He was swept underneath and cut in two. Despite losing both legs and a kidney, Duncan called the paramedics on his cell phone, survived a 45-minute wait, and then persevered through 23 surgeries.

Aron Ralston: Amputated his lower right Arm to Survive the Mountains

On May 2003, while Aron Ralston was on a canyoneering trip in Blue John Canyon (near Moab, Utah), a boulder fell and pinned his right forearm, crushing it.

Over five days of trying to lift and break the boulder, desperation took him to great measures like carving his name, date of birth and date of death into the boulder, drinking his own urine because of lack of water and videotaping his last goodbyes to his family. Finally, a dehydrated and delirious Ralston decided to bow his arm against a chockstone and snap the radius and ulna bones. Using the dull blade on his multiuse tool, he cut the soft tissue around the break. He then used the tool's pliers to tear at the tougher tendons. After Ralston was rescued, his arm was retrieved by park authorities and removed from under the boulder. It was cremated and given to Ralston. He returned to the boulder and left the ashes there.

Robert Evans: Survived Being Hit by Car, Then Train Hours Later

"He got two ambulance rides last night," said the police. "It's an extreme oddity that someone is hit by a car and a train on the same night. I can't imagine that this has ever happened before in Boulder." An early morning of September 2008, 46-year-old homeless man Robert Evans had a hit-and-run car accident. An then, when he was walking back from a hospital to his camp, he was knocked off a narrow railroad bridge into a creek by a train, surviving the second accident in seven hours. Police said Evans was hit by the railing of a stairway on the side of the train. The railroad bridge is only wide enough to accommodate the train tracks and is not intended for pedestrians or other traffic.

Mauro Prosperi: Survived 9 days in the Sahara Desert

Prosperi, a keen endurance runner, took part in the 1994 Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands) in Morocco. Part way through the 6-day 233 kilometre event a sandstorm caused Prosperi to lose his way. He ended up disoriented and ran in the wrong direction, ultimately running several hundred kilometres into Algeria. After 36 hours he ran out of food and water. He survived by drinking his own urine and eating bats resident in an abandoned mosque and the occasional snake found in the desert.

Not wishing to die a long drawn out death, Prosperi attempted to commit suicide in the mosque by slitting his wrists with a pen knife he had with him. The attempt failed - lack of water had caused Prosperi's blood to thicken and clotted the wound before he died.

After nine days alone in the desert he was found by a nomadic family and taken to an Algerian military camp and from there to a hospital. He was 186 miles off route, and reportedly had lost between 30 and 40 pounds (18 kg) in body weight.

Solar Tsunamis Filmed, Move Really Fast

2008-10-21T00:34:00.000-07:00

: Solar Tsunamis Filmed, Move Really Fast

Wed, Apr 2, 2008

I know that this comes as a shock, seeing as the sun is powered by the most powerful fusion reaction we can easily wrap our paltry little minds around, but the tsunamis of hot gas moving around its surface were filmed, and they move really, really fast.

Image from NASA

Considering that we didn’t even recognize that this phenomena existed until the 1990s, I think it’s pretty impressive that it took less than 20 years to capture it on film.

Using a spacecraft called STEREO, NASA has determined that these waves of hot gas release two billion times the ANNUAL energy consumption of the entire planet (non-Earth Hour, har har) in a fraction of a second.

In that same fraction of a second, they wave will also have traversed nearly one million miles, as they move at a speed that is so great that they’re blazing over the area of our planet in less than the blink of an eye, according to the STEREO team.

Unlike tsunamis on earth, we don’t yet totally know why they occur– explosions inside the sun, of course, but how, and why, are mysteries– but at least we have really, totally awesome video here.

The Violence of the Sun: From Monster Flares to Solar Quakes

2008-10-21T00:33:00.000-07:00

: The Violence of the Sun: From Monster Flares to Solar Quakes

Tue, May 20, 2008

Image from NASA. Not our sun, but you get the point.

I know - who would have thought that a ball of gas so hot we can measure, but not yet properly fathom, be put off by its fusion-powered viciousness? The sun is having a bad week, and we should all be paying attention, because it’s currently suffering quake tremors hundreds of times larger than our entire planet, and launching solar flares that are making me think about buying a higher SPF sunblock.

The ESA and NASA-sponsored probe SOHO was observing the sun, which was calmly blazing along at 15 million degrees Celsius, when this month it observed a series of solar flares reaching up into the sky, which in turn triggered the terrible solar earthquakes. The most scientifically interesting were 5-minute long monsters which covered more geographic territory than the planet Jupiter several times over, and left our flaming giant quaking as though it was a bell that had just been struck.
The flares, which are powerful towers of gas pulled away from the sun by its magnetic field, are among the most spectacular celestial phenomena, and can easily reach earth - not with flaming death, but via a proton cloud or coronal ejection which can punish aircraft navigation systems and other electronics, or cause the Aurora Borealis

Volcanoes Unleash Havoc in Chile and Alaska Volcanoes Unleash Havoc in Chile and Alaska

2008-10-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Volcanoes Unleash Havoc in Chile and Alaska

In the last month major volcanic activity has affected people in locations all over the globe: we take a look at two of the most serious recent eruptions.

Melipeuco, Chile

Thousands live in daily terror of the snow-capped Llaima volcano in Melipeuco, Chile. The ski industry thrives on the surrounding slopes, one of the most famous summer skiing destinations, yet the volcano is one of the most volatile in South America.

Just before dawn last Thursday a jet of hot pyroclastic rock was spewed 1,300 feet into the air, only a week after lava had flowed down one of its sides. Dozens were evacuated, many losing their livelihoods as property and public amenities were destroyed. The government may have imposed a red alert on the area but those who feed their families by working there have no choice but to return to the heart of the danger.

This is not the first time residents and tourists have been affected: on New Year’s Day a spectacular eruption forced the evacuation of much of the surrounding Conguillo National Park - a park that is today mainly off-limits.

Yet the molten rocks and gas are not the only hazards. There are fears that a large eruption could melt the snow that envelops the area, causing nearby rivers to burst their banks and flood neighbouring communities. There is no way of knowing if and when it might erupt again, “activity is going up and down very fast,” said Hugo Moreno, a geologist and volcano expert with state mining and geology service Sernageomin.

The 2000 volcanoes in Chile are some of the world’s most active, with around 50 having already erupted and a further 500 deemed potentially active.

Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Ten people were evacuated by the U.S. Coast Guard last Saturday after the Okmok volcano erupted on Umnak Island, sending a cloud of ash 35,000 feet into the air. Residents in Unalaska and Dutch Port reported light ashfall during the eruption, which lasted from noon through Saturday night.

Shortly after the eruption, the residents of the island’s cattle ranch, located close to the volcano, placed a call seeking evacuation before a fishing vessel whisked them to the safety of Unalaska, away from the 3250 feet volcano.

Jennifer Adleman, a geologist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, said: “There have been reports of eye irritation and people being able to taste it, if you will.” Two airline flights were cancelled as a result of the eruption.

Since 1805 Okmok has been highly active, with eruptions occurring roughly every 5 years. The last was in 1997 and produced large clouds of ash and lava that flowed five miles from the peak and there is likely to be more in the near future.

All images by Flickr user volcanodiscovery

Sources: 1,2

30 Objects Swallowed by Lava and Pyroclastic Ash Page 3

2008-10-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

30 Objects Swallowed by Lava and Pyroclastic Ash

Lava Eating Roads

1. If the sign won’t stop drivers in their tracks that big lump of lava in the road certainly will.

adam79

2. No stop sign required on this lava covered road, Hawaii

charley marley

3. Lava flow provides platform for perfect picture poses in Oahu, Hawaii

annamatic3000

4. Forboding lava flow crawls ever onwards in Pahoehoe, Hawaii

US Government

1. Landscapes Devoured by Lava >

2. Objects Engulfed in Pyroclastic Ash >

5. Are there any roads not covered in lava in Hawaii?

elrentaplats

6. Bonito lava flow at Sunset Crater National Monument, Arizona

jmenard48

7. Massive lava beds surrounding a sturdy pine forest in Lassen, California

unkown

8. The perfect spot for a picnic, Leirhnjúkur, Iceland

Andreas Tille

9. Lava streaming into the ocean in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii

10. Lava flow being swallowed and cooled by the waves, Hawaii

jennifer williams

30 Objects Swallowed by Lava and Pyroclastic Ash Page 2

2008-10-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

30 Objects Swallowed by Lava and Pyroclastic Ash

Objects Engulfed in Pyroclastic Ash

1. House buried under pyroclastic ash falls after eruption of Mount Unzen, Nagasaki

User Fg2

2. The face of a lava flow between fish factories on Heimaey Street, Iceland

US Geological Survey

3. Heimaey Street after the lava is cleared away

US Geological Survey

4. Cars covered in ash fall following the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines

US Geological Survey

1. Landscapes Devoured by Lava >

3. Lava Eating Roads >

5. Church in Dagenham, Plymouth after volcano eruption of ‘98

unknown

6. Nowhere is safe - Glendon Hospital, Plymouth after same volcano erupted

unknown

7. Even for politicians; the Council Chambers in Dagenham were buried in ash to the first floor

unknown

8. Ancient female corpse buried in pyroclastic fall out

unknown

9. Residents of Pompeii forever mummified by pyrocalstic ash fall, frozen in time

unknown

10. Darkened view from Soufriere Hills during the day after devasting eruption in Monserrat

US Geological Survey

Pages: 1 2 3 4

30 Objects Swallowed by Lava and Pyroclastic Ash Page 1

2008-10-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

30 Objects Swallowed by Lava and Pyroclastic Ash

Landscapes Devoured by Lava

1. School bus is devoured by lava flow, we’re hoping it was empty at the time.

unknown

2. Molten lava etches a path across a busy road, and no one seems too bothered!

US Government

3. House in Kupaianaha, Hawaii, engulfed in flames after cataclysmic volcano

JD Griggs

4. Wooden house standing strong in the path of lava flow, Kalapana, Hawaii

US Government

2. Objects Engulfed in Pyroclastic Ash >

3. Lava Eating Roads >

5. This house was carried down the mountain side after Mount Etna eruption

unknown

6. Car buried in ash and lava after 1980 Mount St Helens eruption, Washington

Danial Dzurisin

7. People still live inside this half submerged house in Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

amalthya

8. Trees find new life from layers of lava hundreds and thousands of years old

sparkyleigh

9. Road sign on Chain of Craters Road, Hawaii. The word ‘danger’ on the corner of the sign was burned off in a previous lava flow; get the message?

Kip Robinson

10. Stalactites hanging on for dear life in the face of a lava pool

US Geological Survey

Pages: 1 2 3 4

10 Most Incredible Waterfalls of Ice

2008-10-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

10 Most Incredible Waterfalls of Ice

Image: Herman Erberr

1. This enchanting image of an ice waterfall perfectly captures the force and flow of the water underneath the ice, making it hard to comprehend how it ever manages to free

ze.

photogapher unknown

4. Thick layers of ice sit on St Louis Falls in Beauharnois, Quebec. The area is home to one of the largest hydroelectric generating stations in the world.

Image: Eric Begin

5. This fantastic shot shows the waterfall free

zing from outside in; there’s still a considerable waterfall flowing within the ice lume.

Image: hightechredneck

6. Undulating waves and nodules of ice give this waterfall in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois, such wonderful texture.

Image: leroidude

7. This random waterfall was discovered on the road side of a seldom travelled road near Hamilton, Canada.

Image: Martin Cathrae

8. The folds at the bottom of this waterfall demonstrate how slowly waterfalls can free

ze, and are in stark contrast to the jagged, spiky icicles hanging from the edge of the rock.

Image: slieb25

9. This great image was taken in Oak Creek Canyon near a place called Temple of Mother Earth on the West Fork Trail, Sedona, Arizona.

Image: Eileen Nauman

20 Most Incredible Light Phenomena [pics] Set 3

2008-10-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

20 Most Incredible Light Phenomena [pics]

Rays & Shadows

Corona

Image by yogomozilla

The Corona is a type of plasma atmosphere that surrounds a celestial body and the most famous example is the sun’s which is visible during a total solar eclipse. It extends thousands of kilometers into space and contains ionized Iron at temperatures of almost 1 millionº C (1.8 millionº F). During an eclipse its shining light surrounds the darkened sun, an appearance from which its name is taken, derived from the Latin for ‘crown’.

Crepuscular Rays

Image by Bill_Wight_Ca

When darkly clouded regions or permeable obstacles such as tree branches filter the sun’s beam, rays of sunlight appear as straight columns radiating from a single point in the sky. The phenomenon, often used in horror movie

s, is most commonly seen at dawn or dusk and can even be witnessed under the ocean as the sun shines through sheets of cracked ice. This beautiful scene was captured at the Arches National Park in Utah.

Fata Morgana (Mirage)

Image by batram

The interaction between cold air near ground level and warm air immediately above it may act as a refracting lens and produce an upside down image of objects on the horizon, over which the actual image appears to hover. In this picture, taken in Thuringia, Germany, the horizon in the distance seems to have vanished leaving the furthest posts floating in mid-air, however the blue part of the road is merely a reflection of the sky above it. The common perception that mirages are entirely non-existent images that appear to those lost in the desert is a misnomer, probably confused with the effects of extreme dehydration which can cause hallucinations. Mirages are always of real objects, although it is true they can appear closer due to the effect.

Light Pillar

Image by vaeltaja

The reflection of light by ice crystals with almost perfect horizontal planar surfaces creates a powerful beam that is reminiscent of sci-fi movie

s. The light source may be the sun, moon or artificial light and an interesting characteristic is that the pillar will take on the colour of this source – in the image taken in Kaijonharju, Finland, the orange sunlight of dusk creates a similarly coloured magnificent pillar.

20 Most Incredible Light Phenomena [pics] Set 2

2008-10-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

20 Most Incredible Light Phenomena [pics]

Light Displays

Aurora

Image courtesy of US Air Force Senior Airman Joshua Strang

The collision of electronically charged particles in the earth’s upper atmosphere often creates magnificent light displays over the polar regions. The colour depends on the elemental content of the particles – most auroras appear green or red due to oxygen, however nitrogen sometimes creates a deep blue or violet appearance. This particular display is the famous Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the ancient Greek for the northern wind, Boreas.

Contrails

Image by Jasmic_is_back_in_the_building

The vapour trails that follow aircraft through the sky cause stunning man-made patterns in the atmosphere. They are created by either aircraft exhaust or airflow over wingtip vortices as it emerges into cold temperatures at high altitudes and condenses into water and ice droplets. In this example a flurry of trails crisscrosses the sky creating an intricate pattern.

Rocket Exhaust Trails

Image by ilmungo

High altitude winds contort the trails of rockets and their small exhaust particles diffract sunlight into vivid iridescent colours, sometimes carried by the same winds thousands of kilometres before dissipating. The image shows the trails of the Minotaur rocket launched from the US Air Force Base at Vandenberg, California.

Sky Polarisation

Image by Philipp_Klinger

The sky, like many other things around us, scatters polarised light consisting of a certain electromagnetic orientation. Polarization is always perpendicular to the light path itself and if only a single polarization direction is present in the light, the light is said to be linearly polarized. This image was captured with a wide-angle polarised filter lens to show just how spectacular the electromagnetic charge of the skies are.

Star Trails

Image by Fort Photo

Not technically visible to the naked eye this breathtaking image was captured by leaving a camera with a shutter opening of over an hour at night. The natural rotation of the earth causes the stars in the sky to move across the horizon, creating these wonderful trails behind them. The only star in the night sky that appears stationary at all times is Polaris, the North Star, which hovers above the celestial North. The same would be true in the south but there is no star bright enough over it.

Zodiacal Light

Image by Alex Tudorica

A faint triangular glow seen in the night sky extending up towards the heavens, the Zodiacal light is easily masked by light pollution or moonlight. It is produced when sunlight reflects off dust particles in the cosmos, known as cosmic dust and consequently its spectrum is the same as the solar system. Solar radiation causes the dust particles to spiral slowly, creating a majestic constellation of delicately sprinkled lights in the sky.

20 Most Incredible Light Phenomena [pics] Set1

2008-10-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

20 Most Incredible Light Phenomena [pics]

Ice and Water Refractions

Circumhorizontal Arc

Image by Todd_Sackmann

Also known as a ‘fire rainbow’ these streaks of colour are created when light is refracted through ice crystals in cirrus clouds. The phenomenon is especially rare as both the ice crystals and sun must be oriented in exact horizontal alignment to create the effect. This particularly dramatic example was captured in the sky over Spokane, WA, in 2006.

Brocken Spectre

Image by E64

As the sun shines from behind a climber or other object at altitude their shadow is projected through the upper surfaces of clouds, creating a curiously magnified triangular shape. The effect is often seen in conjunction with the glowing rings of a glory (Heiligenschein) – rings of coloured light that appear directly opposite the sun when sunlight is reflected by a cloud of uniformly-sized water droplets. It takes its name from the frequent fogs and low-altitude accessibility of the Brocken peaks in Germany, a region in which it is often witnessed.

Circumzenithal Arc

Image by Cdlune1890

Appearing like an ‘upside down rainbow’ the circumzenithal arc is similarly formed by the refraction of light through horizontal ice crystals in specific cloud forms. The phenomenon is centered at the zenith, parallel to the horizon, its colours running from blue to red towards the horizon and always in the form of an incomplete circular arc – a complete circle in a similar situation is the exceptionally rare Kern Arc, only captured on camera for the first time in 2007.

Fog Bow

Image by Mila Zinkova

This dramatic halo was seen below the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, appearing like an all-white rainbow. Like a rainbow it is created by the refraction of light through water droplets in the clouds, yet the unlike a rainbow the small size of fog droplets accounts for its lack of colour. Mariners often refer to them as ‘sea-dogs’ or ‘cloud bows’.

Glory

Image by cloudwender

When light is backscattered (a combination of reflection, refraction and diffraction) back towards its source by water droplets in clouds, the shadow of an object between the cloud and source may be wreathed in coloured bands. Named after the majestic effect it imparts – in some parts of China it is even called Buddha’s Light – it is often seen in conjunction with the Brocken Spectre. Here the beautiful bands dramatically surround a plane’s shadow against a cloud.

Natural Fireworks and Light Displays >

Piercing Rays and Solemn Shadows >

22º Halo

Image by tiagomuller

Halos are among the most well-known of optical phenomena and appear under a variety of guises. The most frequently scene is the 22º halo, caused by ice crystals in high altitude cirrus clouds, yet the particular shape and orientation of the crystals can create variation in the appearance of the halo. During very cold weather halos formed by crystals close to the ground reflect sunlight between them sending it in several directions at once, an effect known as diamond dust.

Iridescent Clouds

Image by hackdaddy

When the sun is positioned at precisely the correct angle behind clouds water droplets in them diffract light away, creating an intense streaking effect. The colouring is, like a rainbow, caused by the differing wavelengths of the light – different wavelengths are diffracted to different degrees, altering the angle of diffraction and consequently the colour of the light as it is perceived. In this image cloud iridescence is accompanied by a sharply coloured ranbow.

Moonbow

Image by xcom

The combination of a low moon and dark sky often creates moonbows, essentially rainbows produced by the moon’s light. Appearing in the opposite end of the sky to the moon itself, they usually are seen as completely white due to their weak colouring, however long-exposure photography can capture the true colours, as in this example taken at Yosemite National Park, California.

Parhelic Circle

Image by feuillu

The parhelic circle appears like a white band circling the sky and always at the same height above the horizon as the sun. Usually only fragments are seen, extending from ‘sundogs’ in the directions away from the sun. Millions of vertically facing ice crystals mirror the sun around the sky to form the beautiful phenomenon.

Rainbows

Image by Peter_from_Wellington

Rainbows can take many forms: multiple bows, bows that cross, red bows, twinned bows, coloured fringes, dark bands, spokes and many more, but they all share in common their range of colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. They are formed when light refracts through water droplets in the earth’s atmosphere, most often rain, but mist or fog can create similar effects, and are rarer than one might imagine. Over history many different cultures have ascribed to them a variety of meanings and explanations from the ancient Greek’s belief they were a path to the heavens, to the curious saying that the Irish leprechaun’s pot of gold lies at their end.

Antarctica’s Spellbinding Stripy Icebergs

2008-10-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Antarctica’s Spellbinding Stripy Icebergs

flygirljc777

Antarctica is the coldest and most barren continent on the face of the Earth, with spine chilling temperatures as low as -130°F (-90°C) in the winter. There is next to no vegetation, no permanent population and not a hotel in sight yet people still flock to the area in their droves to get a glimpse of the abundant wildlife and marine life, and these floating beauties: icebergs.

davewalsh

Only about one-tenth of an iceberg is visible above water making them dangerous to manoeuvre around, as the ill-fated Titanic discovered, and the largest ever recorded towered a whopping 551ft above sea level, roughly the height of a 55-storey building. They’re also capable of travelling an astounding 17 kms (11 miles) a day.

flygirljc777

The green stripes through these icebergs are caused by algae caught in the ice. Brown, yellow and black stripes are the result of sediments being picked up when the ice sheet works its way to the sea.

Source: Crooked Brains

5 Incredible Buildings Made of Ice

2008-10-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

5 Incredible Buildings Made of Ice

Have you ever sat back and wondered whether it would be possible for you to create a castle made of ice? Or perhaps an ice palace or frozen hotel?

The Snow Castle of Kemi, Finland. Image by Dmitry Makarov

Think of the unimaginable skill required to sculpt these edifices of ice: the sheer effort, determination and patience it would require is enough to drive any aspiring sculptor insane. Depending on which side of the glass you look at, the worst aspect or the most beautiful aspect of it all, is that the life cycle of these incredible frozen masses of H20 is like butterflies - incredibly short. So today we’re going to explore some of the most amazing buildings made out of ice, that have since disappeared and been rebuilt numerous times.

5. Ice Hotel, Quebec, Canada

Every January 10km east of Quebec City, an extraordinary ice hotel is erected. It boasts 85 beds covered with deer furs and is made with 15,000 tons of ice. The only place that is heated is the bathroom!

Image by Sandra Bellefoy

4. St Petersburg Ice Palace, Russia

For over 200 years now Russia’s old imperial capital, has recreated the ornate ice palace, built in1740 for Empress Anna Ioannovna. Visitors pay 150 rubles ($5; 4 euros) to see the complex, which was made with over 3 tons of ice from nearby lakes. You can also have your wedding here for the sum of 10,000 rubles.

Images Below Courtesy of BBC

3. The Ice Hotel, Jukkasjärvi Sweden

The World’s first ice hotel began in 1990 when French artist Jannot Derid held an exhibition in a cylindrical igloo. One night, there were no rooms available in the town, so some of the visitors decided to spend the night in the attraction, wrapped up in sleeping bags on top of reindeer skin. These were the first guests. The hotel now boasts over 80 rooms each year and only exists between December and April. With every year that passes, the design of the building and rooms changes. It is unique.

Image by Stephan Herz

Image by Tom Corser

2. Saint Paul Winter Carnival, Minnesota

The Saint Paul Winter Carnival has been going since 1886 after a New York journalist described the town as “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation.” The local Chamber of Commerce, eager to prove him wrong, created one of the most marvelous winter spectacles. The carnival features everything from the famous ice palace, (pictured below both in 2004 and 1887) to bobsledding and ice horse racing. It even has it’s own royal family!

Images below courtesy of Kendrick Eriksson

1. The Snow Castle of Kemi, Finland

The snowcastle of Kemi in Finland is the biggest in the world and it’s rebuilt every winter. In its first year, the huge ice sculpture drew up to three hundred thousand visitors.

The hotel sits on between 13,000 to 20,000 square metres of ground, depending on which year it is built. Every year, the architecture is completely different. Three features remain however, these are: a chapel, a restaurant and a hotel.

The Snow Castle of Kemi, Finland. Image by Dmitry Makarov

So, if you’re interested in how some of these incredible sculptures are made, here’s some ice carving in action!

Got anymore pictures of ice castles, hotels or spectacular buildings? If so, Environmental Graffiti would love to see them.

5 Extraordinary Uses Of Caves

2008-10-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

5 Extraordinary Uses Of Caves

Both beautiful and fascinating, caves can often come across as pretty things to look at and climb. In many cases this may be true. However, when you begin to look underneath the surface (’scuse the pun) there is so much more…

Dongzhong Primary School. Image Courtesy of Asian Offbeat

Rather than concentrate on the most beautiful caves around (that’s been done extremely well before), we’ve decided to explore some of the more interesting and unusual uses of caves.

5. Ayala Cave Disco, Trinidad, Cuba

On the outskirts of the historic, colonial town of Trinidad in Cuba, lies one of the most incredible caves. Stalactites hang from the ceiling, furniture and ornaments are made of rock and the whole place is lit with disco lights to the sound of Cuban music. It is absolutely magical and it’s the only one on the list that I have seen with my own eyes.

Image by Tcorrea

4. Khao Luang Cave Temple, Thailand

Khao Luang is not only one of the most important temples in its province Phetchaburi, it is also one of the most beautiful. The cave entrance is preceded by a set of concreate stairs from the foothills of the eponymous hill. The temple is famed for its architecture and the stunning Buddha statue, ordered by the King Chulalongkon. Altogether, 170 Buddha statues glisten inside the cave.

Image by Flickr User cfimages

3. Cave Hotels, Cappadocia, Turkey

Among our five most amazing uses for caves, the list would not be complete without at least mentioning some of the amazing caves from the region of Cappadocia, Turkey. We could do a whole blog post about it, however that might be a bit unfair.

The region is famous, for its unique geological and historical wonders, such as underground cities, cave temples and cave hotels. It is a haven for tourists. Below are just some of the incredible places you can stay in.

Cave Hotel Cappadocia. Image Couresy of Elkep Evi

Gamirasu Cave hotel. Image courtesy of Gamirasu.com

2. Cave School: Dongzhong Primary school

In southwest China’s Guizhou province, a huge cave has been used for something extraordinary. The cave, which is carved inside a mountain and was formed naturally over thousands of years by wind, water and seismic activity is now home to a primary school, complete with basketball courts, teaching rooms and small buildings.

Images below Courtesy of Asian Offbeat

1. The Secret Cave City of Arras, WW1

Underneath the northern French town of Arras, a secret city housing 25,000 soldiers just yards beneath the unsuspecting enemy was built.

Image courtesy of the Daily Mail

This massive feat of engineering included chapels, canteens, power stations, a light railway and a fully functioning hospital.

This “mega trench” was built after the slaughter at the battle of the Somme in 1916, when British generals attempted a new major offensive at Arras.

Image courtesy of the Daily Mail

This is perhaps one of the most amazing symbols of world war one: ingenuity, futility, determination, man-power and darkness all form part of this incredible underground city.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4 as well as numerous direct sources.

The Amazing Water Therapy

2008-10-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Water Therapy: The very best thing you can do for your health is to use The Amazing Water Therapy.
Here is why:

When you go to sleep for eight hours, your 100 Trillion cells are screaming for water, when you wake up. If you go have a cup of coffee (the caffeine tightens the tissue reducing circulation) and a donut ( which absorbs any available water and takes it out through the intestines) your 100 Trillion cells are still screaming for water.

Since you ignored your opportunity to hydrate the cells, they start dying at an abnormal rate. This large number of dehydrated, dead cells clog your circulatory system, kidneys and liver. Any food you eat during the day absorbs any available water.

Plus, it takes time to replace the dead cells, so your body is cluttered with dead cell toxins and replacement of new cells cannot be done at the normal rate, so you bloat up with toxins and your body over time is deprived of many of the cells that are needed for optimum function.

You can imagine what happens as this process takes place over time. You become diseased from the toxin accumulation and age sooner from the lost cells. So, it behooves any one who wishes to stay on the air to be a firm user of this wonderful technique.

/A friend who has been struggling and trying everything he could to reduce his high blood pressure with no luck, until started two weeks ago on the water therapy, followed by a doctors visit. The whole medical staff came to question him about what he took to reduce his blood pressure. It dropped at the high end by 23 points and also at the low end by 16 points. He did not make the connection until he talked to me. So he could not tell them what he did.. In case you lost the Amazing Water Therapy Text it is offered below, with my former comments:/ Love and Peace, jane

**AMAZING WATER THERAPY * *
*By *

Dr.Mahmoud Hussain - IBN SINA COMPANY

**Introduction*: *

* Drink six (6) glasses of water (1.5 liters) everyday in the manner prescribed below. Avoid medicine, tablets, injections, diagnosis, doctor fees, etc. You can never believe it before practicing it.

***Note*:** Since glasses contain different amounts, I measured the amount out in measuring cups and it came to 8 cups of water. j

***List of Diseases That Can Be Cured By Water Therapy: * *

* Blood Pressure/Hyper Tension
* Anemia (Blood Shortage)
* Rheumatism (Pain in joints/muscles)
* General Paralysis
* Obesity
* Arthritis
* Sinusitis
* Tachycardia
* Giddiness
* Cough
* Leukemia
* Asthma
* Bronchitis
* Pulmonary Tuberculosis
* Meningitis
* Kidney Stones
* Urogenital Diseases
* Hyper Acidity
* Dysentery
* Gastroenteritis
* Uterus Cancer
* Rectal Piodapse
* Constipation
* Hostorthobics
* Diabetes
* Eye Diseases
* Ophthalmic Hemorrhage & Opthalmia (Reddish eye)
* Irregular Menstruation
* Breast Cancer
* Laryngitis
* Headache

***Amazing Water Therapy Procedure:* **

* Early morning, after you get up from bed, (without even brushing your teeth) drink 1.50 liters of water i.e., 5 to 6 glasses. You may wash your face after.

* Here it is very essential to note that nothing else, neither drinks nor solid food of any sort should be taken within 1 hour before and after drinking these 1.5 liters of water.

* If required, boiled and filtered water may be used for this purpose.

* It is difficult to drink 1.5 liters of water at one time, but you will get used to it gradually. Sometimes a large straw is helpful.

* Initially, while practicing you may drink four glasses first and to balance
two glasses after a gap of two minutes.

* You may find the necessity to urinate 2 to 3 times within an hour, but it will become normal after quite some time.

**By Research and Experience: *
*
* The following diseases observed to be cured
with this therapy within the indicated days as below:

- Constipation - 1 day

- Acidity - 2 days

- Diabetes - 7 days

- Cancer - 4 weeks

- Pulmonary TB - 3 months

- BP & Hypertension - 4 weeks

*
**Note:** * It is advised that persons suffering from Arthritis or
Rheumatism should practice this therapy thrice a day,
i.e. morning, midday and night, 1 hour before meals for one week;
and twice a day subsequently until the disease disappears.

**
How Does Pure Water Act?* *

* Consuming ordinary drinking water by the right method purifies human body. It renders the colon more effective by forming new fresh blood, known in medical terms as \"Haematopaises\".

That the mucousal folds of the colon and intestines are activated by this method, is an undisputed fact, just as the theory that new fresh blood is produced by the mucousal fold.

* If the colon is cleansed then the nutrients of the food taken several times a day will be absorbed and by the action of the mucousal folds they are turned into fresh blood. The blood is all important in curing ailments and restoring health and for this to occur water should be consumed in a regular pattern.

****************
**Eat Fresh Fruits: **

We all think eating fruits means simply buying fruit, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths.
You will benefit much more, if you know how and when to eat fruit.

****Correct way of eating fresh fruit**:

Fruits should be taken on an empty stomach and not as dessert
after the meal as is often done.

If you eat fruit like that, it will also serve a major role to detoxify
your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight
loss and other life activities.

*
* *Fruit is the Most Important Food*: *

*Let us say you eat two slices of bread ... and then a slice of fruit.
As fruit digests faster than bread ,the slice of fruit digests quickly and is
ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but its passage
is blocked by the bread which takes longer to digest..

In the meantime the whole meal ferments and turns to acid.
Consequently, when the fruit comes into contact with the food in the
stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil!
So it is better to eat your fruits in an empty stomach or before your meals.

You have heard people complaining -

Â· every time I eat water-melon I burp,

Â· when I eat durian my stomach bloats up,

Â· when I eat banana

Â· I feel like running to the toilet, etc.:

The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and
produces gas and hence you will bloat! Actually, all this will not arise,
if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach.

Graying hair, balding, nervous outbursts, dark circles under the eyes - all these will not happen if you eat fruit on an empty stomach.

It is incorrectly presumed that some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic
and will enhance acidity in the stomach. Research however shows that
all fruits become alkaline in our body.
*
When You Need To Drink Fruit Juice:*

Drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans.
Don\'t drink juice that has been heated up.
Don\'t eat cooked fruits because you don\'t get the
nutrients at all. You only get the taste.

So stop making \'durian porridge\' if you want nutrients. Cooking fruit destroys all the vitamins.

Eating the pulp or whole fruit is far better than
drinking the juice as the fiber is good for you.

If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly,
because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

***Fruit Fast:** *

A 3 day \"fruit fast\" is a very simple and effective
way to cleanse and detoxify your body.

Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and
you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!

During the \"fruit fast\" you can eat different fruits
at different times, although occasionally mixed fruit salad would
also be permissible and more interesting.

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits,
you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy,
happiness and normal weight.

*Please spread this message to your friends, relatives and neighbors.
It is a great service to the cause of humanity ... Life is short ... Just go for it. Love, Peace, and Health so you can go for it.
*----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**This is my take on this Therapy: j.* *

I did not distribute The Amazing Water Therapy to urge anyone to drink more water. I sent it out for the value of the process suggested, on how to drink the water.

The reason Dr. Hussian\'s Therapy works, is this:
If you eat well before 10: 00 PM, preferably before 7:30 PM, it will help the food digest, this is because the digestive process stops around 10: 00 PM.

If you do not drink water or anything else 1 hour before and 1 hour after your meal; Two things will happen you will not dilute your gastric juices, thus allowing optimum digestion of the food and you will allow some of the water to enter your cells and not be absorbed by the food. As we age we produce less gastric juices, so if we eat a large meal before the digestive process turns off, it is helpful to take a digestive enzyme with the meal.

Remember when you wake up in the morning the cells of your body are screaming for water.
If you drink it with your breakfast the water will be absorbed by the food and flushed out through the system, and your cells will still be screaming for water and will begin to die from dehydration. The best time to water the cells of all the organs in the body and the blood supply is in the morning when you first wakeup.

When we eat breakfast and drink coffee without watering our internal cellular system, we are killing cells on the continuum. The cells can not renew themselves nor flush ones system as quickly, so the debris from their extinction accumulates and the body becomes a toxic dump, this leads to disease and organ breakdown.

Oh, by the way, when I was studying Bacteriology, about 50 years ago, I came upon a research paper from Mayo Clinic which claimed caffeine hardens the tissue, which reduces the blood flow through the system. Also, it is well know that alcohol dehydrates the system in addition to killing cells, including the cells in the blood vessels, thus thinning the vessel walls. This increases the demands on the heart, and reduces the efficiency of the Lymphatic Drainage, as this system
does not have a pump.

I am sure, if you read the book \"Your Body\'s Many Cries for Water\" by Herbert Shelton you have a good understanding of the process. I started Dr. Hussain\'s method on February 5 and continued on a daily basis to the present, and the results are awe inspiring. j.

From: Stonelite@sddc.net

Cinamon and Honey the Miracle cure

2008-10-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

[Facts on honey and cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a "Ram Ban" (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, in its issue dated 17 January, 1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES:

Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

ARTHRITIS:

Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon honey and half teaspoon cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS:

Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

TOOTHACHE:

Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied three times a day until the tooth stops aching.

CHOLESTEROL:

Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:

Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:

Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS:

According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:

Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION:

Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:

A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:

Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES:

Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:

Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:

Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:

Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.

FATIGUE:

Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than! than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the bo dy within a week.

BAD BREATH:

People of South America, first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS:

Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restore hearing.

Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it! } ]

this is a message my friend sent me

5 Incredible Underwater Habitats

2008-10-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

5 Incredible Underwater Habitats

Recently, hurricanes, floods and torrential rains have resulted in vast areas of land, sometimes whole villages and cities, being engulfed in water. The devastation is often catastrophic. People are left homeless and destitute, with little to call their own. The effects of these disasters leave their mark long after the waters have subsided. But what if there was a way out, an alternative? What if we fulfilled the dreams of Jules Verne, and many like him, and succeeded in living under the oceans. For a long time it was never thought truly possible, now it’s quickly becoming a reality.

We look at five habitats underwater that show it is possibe to live submerged beneath the waves.

1. Hydropolis Hotel, Dubai

Image Source
Designed by Joachim Hauser, this futuristic hotel is currently being built 20m below the surface of the Persian Gulf, just off the coast of Dubai. Touted to be the world’s first underwater luxury hotel, Hydropolis will include a marine biology research center but it’s doubtful whether it will be oozing eco credentials.

Image Source
The logistics of these underwater habitats are intriguing; for one, where is the waste diverted to? Imagine gazing out at the underwater world, mesmerized by the vision beyond, amazed and in awe of the creation, when something floats by your panoramic window… and it’s not a fish.

Image Source
If it succeeds without ruining everything around it, as many predict, it could be a blueprint for sustainable designers and architects for the future.

Sources 1,2

2. Hilton Maldives Undersea Restaurant, Rangali Island

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Built entirely off-site, in Singapore, this undersea restaurant in the Maldives was based on the success of the National Centre Aquarium’s design in Kuala Lumpur. It proved to be more of a pain to construct than first thought, with many recalculations to check centers of gravity, weight distributions and tidal flows. If this small design required so much fiddling before it became a reality, how many complications must be occurring with the larger resorts?

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Sitting 5m below sea level, the restaurant is able to serve 12 people at one sitting. Diners can sit back and enjoy watching life beyond the 5m wide viewing arch, which is made from acrylic and silicone sealed.

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3. Poseidon Undersea Resort, Fiji

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Although not exactly 20,000 leagues under the sea, the Poseidon Undersea Resort will sit 40 feet beneath the surface of a lagoon in Fiji. Plans for the resort have been underway since 2001 but there’s no sign of it yet in the lagoon… that’s because the hotel is being built in Portland, Oregon and will be transported to the site once completed. One can only imagine the carbon emissions totted up by that little trip.

Each room, or underwater pod, will be open to the water so guests can watch the marine world go by without getting wet, but at a cost of $30,000 per couple for a week’s stay you would hope there was at least one dive included in the price!

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4. Jules’ Undersea Lodge, Florida

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Initially an underwater research facility, used to explore the continental shelf off the coast of Puerto Rico, Jules’ Undersea Lodge now sits motionless in Emerald Lagoon in Key Largo, spending its retirement showing guests the wonders of the underwater world.

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Accessed by scuba diving down 21 feet to a landing platform, Jules’ Undersea Lodge is big enough to house six people at a time. It boasts two private rooms, a relatively spacious living area with kitchen and has huge windows in every room so guests can watch the fishes go by.

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The chamber sits on stilts just five feet from the bottom of the Lagoon and compressed air prevents water from flooding the rooms.

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5. Red Sea Star Restaurant, Israel

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The underwater Red Sea Star Restaurant, in the Israeli resort of Eilat, offers another take on underwater establishments. Designed by Israeli husband and wife team, Ayala and Albi Serfaty of Aqua Creations, the underwater theme is carried throughout the design, which has been created to look like a reef. Chairs take the form of sea-urchins and jelly fish, lights are starfish shaped and sand lies under an epoxy bonded floor, even the menu reflects the underwater theme, which given the setting seems somewhat disturbing.

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The view is not what most people would imagine as most of the reefs around Eilat are dead or dying. To recreate a reef system for diners, the restaurant management built an artificial reef from iron mesh and transferred various already broken species of coral onto it. Once in the water a new reef was born.

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20 Most Incredible Desert Oases [pics]

2008-10-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

20 Most Incredible Desert Oases [pics]

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The yellow sand dunes stretch to infinity, whilst the scorching sun of the Sahel beats down on your head. You’re tired and you’re thirsty – you’ve been travelling for miles, searching for water. Yet nonetheless you are cautious: nothing is as it seems in this land of smokescreens and mirrors. “Water! Water!” you begin to scream. No… even imagination is playing tricks on you. But what if in the distance, past the undulating sand dunes, lay the waters of sand-locked lagoons and waterfalls surrounded by palm trees?

It is this vision of utopia, surrounded by barren wasteland that inspired us to catalogue some of the most incredible desert oases before they are devoured by the desert sands and become mirages themselves.

1. Ubari Lakes are part of Erg Awbari Oasis in the Sahara. Located near Fezzan and 30kms north of Germa in Libya, these salt water lakes are a central trading point for many locals, who gather at the edges of the lake selling souvenirs and other goods.

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Umm Al-Maa, meaning Mother of Water, is one of the largest lakes in the oasis but unfortunately, like all the lakes, the water table in the area is so low that the lakes are drying up.

As well as the waters being extremely dirty, the saline levels are now similar to the Dead Sea (which is great news if you like floating in crud). The abandoned city of Gebraoun is also relatively nearby with its impressive ruins, the settlement is testament to the life-sustaining qualities that the lakes once had.

10 Ninjas Steve

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10 Ninjas Steve

LucaG

2. Huacachina is a small oasis town in the Ica region of southwest Peru. This oasis, named ‘Oasis of Americas’, is a popular resort with local families and tourists. A legend says the lagoon was created when an inquisitive young hunter disturbed a beautiful princess bathing. She fled, leaving the pool of water behind which became the lagoon.

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Eric Bronder

3. Turpan, or Tulufan as it’s also known, is an oasis city in the Xinjiang Uygur Region in China. It is just 8km west of the ruined city of Jiaohe, a border garrison town destroyed by Genghis Khan during the Han dynasty.

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4. We’re not entirely sure where this desert oasis is but we had to include it because, surely, this is what most people perceive as the typical oasis mirage? If anyone has been there, shoot us the location.

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5. This wonderful desert lake is set within Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Maranhao, Brasil. It forms part of a system of fresh water lagoons which fill up with rainwater during the first six months of the year and then gradually evaporate over time to be topped up again the following year. Some of the lakes within the park are dotted with palm trees. This lonely lake, however, has one solitary dry branch decorating its banks.

Ric e Ette

6. Crescent Lake in China’s Gobi Desert sits on the edge of an ancient city that once saw traders embark on their journey along the Silk Road to the West. Today it is drying up and has dropped more than 25 feet in the last 30 years, in part due to water being redirected for local farmers and a doubling of population, resulting in the slow disappearance of a lake that has existed for thousands of years.

Michael Zhao

7. The beautiful oasis of Chebika in Tunisia is probably one that most people know about without realizing it. It is where Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was filmed. The story goes that the oasis was actually named after one of the characters, Chewbacca.

Bartek Kuzia

Howard.Gees

8. This stunning image shows three men quenching their thirst at a small waterfall in the Saharan oasis of Timia, in Niger. It’s a picture perfect portrait of everyday oasis life for local desert dwellers.

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9. There are always small enclaves or villages dispersed near bodies of water, no matter how small, and this image shows why. Even in desert areas wholes farms can exist with the life giving powers of water.

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10. This remote desert lake, fringed by sand dunes is located in Khar Nuur, Mongolia. It’s a refreshing swimming spot for travelers who manage to venture into one of the world’s vast desert plains.

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11. Nahal David is a quiet oasis found near Bethlehem, Israel’s Palestinian West Bank. It’s certainly a far cry from the war-torn images often associated with that part of the world.

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12. This sprawling oasis is the village of Tinerhir, located at the foothills of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. Todra Gorge and oasis are about 14km away so travellers normally visit both oases on the one trip.

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13. Ghardaia is the main town in M’zab oasis in northern Algeria. Founded in the 11th century, the city was built around a cave which was reputedly inhabited by the female saint Daïa, and is still revered by M’zabite women today. The oasis offers some wonderful examples of original Arabic medieval architecture and is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage site.

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14. This castle is part of an oasis on the western shore of the Persian Gulf in Saudi Arabia, called Qatif. The city dates back to 3,500 BC and was for many years the main town and port in the western Gulf, which meant it was a popular spot for invasion and take over by ruling powers through the ages. This resulted in an eclectic mix of architecture and the area now boasts some of the best archeological sites in the kingdom.

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15. This oasis is hidden in the depths of the Oman desert, where a number of green oases dot the landscape. A few oases in the tiny Sultanate, on the corner of the Arabian Peninsula, are hotspots for botanical studies into agro-biodiversity where many of the ancient oasis are in rapid decline; researchers want to figure out why.

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16. Nakhl Fort sits overlooking a lush, green date-palm oasis in Oman. These impressive forts were strategically placed across much of the Oman desert, like many places, to protect villagers from invasion.

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17. This beautiful unnamed oasis is situated in Niger. If you have any further info, we’d love to hear about it in the comments section. Considering the recent unrest in the country it’s amazing to find places like this still.

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18. The lush green carpet of shrubland and fields sit in stark contrast to the barren hills in the background of this typical oasis village. Any clues to where it is?

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CaptAnil-Fun and Amazing Facts . This is the site where you find expected and unexpected a

7 Most Fascinating Hot Springs on Earth

7 Most Fascinating Hot Springs on Earth

The Grand Prismatic Spring: America's largest

Mammoth Hot Springs: largest carbonate-depositing spring in the world

Blood Pond Hot Spring: welcome to hell

Blue Lagoon: Iceland's geothermal spa

Glenwood Springs: world’s largest natural hot springs swimming pool

Jigokudani Hot Springs: home to the japanese Snow Monkeys

Deildartunguhver: highest flow hot spring in Europe

10 Geological Wonders you didn’t know

10 Geological Wonders you didn’t know

Antelope Canyon (Arizona - USA)

Great Blue Hole (Belize)

Crystal Cave of the Giants (Mexico)

Eye of the Sahara (Mauritania)

Blue Lake Cave (Brazil)

Giants Causeway (Ireland)

Hell Gate (Uzbekistan)

Wave Rock (Australia)

Chocolate Hills (Philippines)

10 Alien-Looking Places on Earth

10 Alien-Looking Places on Earth

Socotra Island (Indian Ocean)

Rio Tinto (Spain)

Kliluk, the Spotted Lake (Canada)

Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia)

Vale da Lua (Brazil)

Blood Pond Hot Spring (Japan)

The Stone Forest (China)

The Richat Structure (Mauritania)

Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves (Austria)

10 Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces

10 Most Fascinating Castles and Palaces

Mont Saint-Michel: a Medieval Castle on a Small Island

Predjamski Castle: Integrated in a Cave

Neuschwanstein Castle: the Classic Fairytale's Castle

Matsumoto Castle: Japan's most fascinating castle

Hunyad Castle: Dracula's Castle

Malbork Castle: World's Largest Brick Gothic Castle

Palacio da Pena: Oldest Palace inspired by European Romanticism

Löwenburg Castle: The Disneyland of the 18th century

Prague Castle: World's Largest Ancient Castle

10 Most Fascinating Natural Phenomena

10 Most Fascinating Natural Phenomena

Mammatus Clouds

Red Tides

Penitentes

Sailing Stones

Supercells

Fire Whirls

Ice Circles

Gravity Waves

Hums

10 of the World's Most Dangerous Roads

10 of the World's Most Dangerous Roads

Guoliang Tunnel Road (China)

Ruta 5: Arica to Iquique Road (Chile)

Siberian Road to Yakutsk (Russia)

Sichuan-Tibet Highway (China)

James Dalton Highway (Alaska)

Patiopoulo-Perdikaki Road (Greece)

Trollstigen (Norway)

The A682 Road (England)

Stelvio Pass Road Trollstigen(Italy)

15 of the World's Greatest Living Rocks

Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt)

Petra (Jordan)

Mount Rushmore (USA)

Leshan Giant Buddha (China)

Mahabalipuram Shore Temple (India)

Abu Simbel (Egypt)

Dazu Rock Carvings (China)

Church of St. George (Ethiopia)

Borobudor (Indonesia)

Cappadocia (Turkey)

Bingling Temple (China)

Hypogeum of Hal-Saflieni (Malta)

Buddhas of Bamiyan (Afghanistan)

Mada'in Saleh (Saudi Arabia)