An Italian New Year's Eve

Milano

Roma




Napoli




Firenze




Cagliari




Bologna


To celebrate the night between December 31 and January 1st, called "Capodanno" it is an Italian tradition to shoot fireworks, as in many other cities around the world. In Venice they will celebrate like last year with the "Love 2010 event". On St. Mark's square from the central tower a spectacular program of music and lights will be performed, with projections that will color the historic buildings surrounding the square. At midnight the water of the lagoon at San Marco will host a fireworks display that will light up New Year's Eve. And for all, a toast with Bellini.
I wish I was there!
But the Italian tradition includes also a number of superstitious rituals for the first hours of the new year, all aiming at ensuring abundance, prosperity and happiness for the entire year. To start at home... kissing under the mistletoe is a sign of good omen. On New Year's Eve, also hanging some mistletoe on the front door it is said it will take away the evil spirits from your home, this tradition comes directly from ancient beliefs handed down by the Druids. In many towns and villages a long procession of people, skiing or walking, with torches in their hands will wind up the hills or the mountains, where a huge effigy of wood and rags will be burned and with it, symbolically, the fire will erase all the troubles and sorrows of the old year.









Also important is what you eat that night and particular care is given to the decoration of the table.







Tradition has it that, both at home, at friends or in restaurants, dinner on the last day of the year should last several hours, to celebrate the stroke of midnight still at the table! Dinner could become a party lasting until well past Midnight, with dance and music, more champagne, streamers and coriandoli (which in English are called "confetti" and I have no idea why...since confetti in Italian are those almonds coated in sugar given away at weddings!) The rich, lengthy dinner, called "il Cenone di Capodanno" (big dinner) always requires to eat plenty of lentils which are a pledge of wealth for the new year and since every lentil represents a coin, more we will eat, more money we will have! Here is one of the most popular dish in the North for that evening: the Zampone (boned pigs' forelegs stuffed with a mixture of ground pork, pork rinds, and spices) with lentils, mashed potatoes, spinach and mostarda, an Italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustard flavored syrup.





A festive table in the south with its specialty of cannoli, cassata, marzipan.



In Val d'Aosta and the Marches, while the clock strikes midnight it brings good luck to eat 12 black grapes, while in Romagna is fine to eat grapes of any color. From North to South pomegranate is also said to bring good luck, with its lively, festive color and the numerous tiny parts of the fruit, which again means wealth.


In Abruzzo, dinner often must have 7 soups of 7 different vegetables, also bearers of wealth. And on and on... for each region of Italy a different tradition...! But indispensable everywhere is a "cin cin" a toast with champagne or sparkling wine, uncorked exactly at midnight and always making the big bang: this noise, like the one of firecrackers, in ancient times was said helping to ward off the evil eye. As you can see many traditions for Capodanno have pagan roots, since it is not considered a religious holiday.
One of the oldest traditions is to break on the floor some pieces from the table, like plates, cups, trays, precisely at midnight, to drive away all the evil that has accumulated during the year and in general disposing of old or unused items signify changes. The practice to throw them from the window was widespread in Italy in various ways, and is still living partially in large cities like Rome and Naples, often with damage to parked cars and sometimes even to the unwary passers-by but fortunately it has become a custom almost abandoned!

And now from my home to yours a toast to the New Year: may it bring

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7 Phenomenal Wonders of the Natural World

The classical natural wonders are huge and hard to miss – vast canyons, giant mountains and the like. Many of the most fantastic natural phenomena, however, are also least easy to spot. Some are incredibly rare while others are located in hard-to-reach parts of the planet. From moving rocks to mammatus clouds and red tides to fire rainbows, here are seven of the most spectacular phenomenal wonders of the natural world. 1) 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.
2) Columnar Basalt





When a thick lava flow cools it contracts vertically but cracks perpendicular to its directional flow with remarkable geometric regularity – in most cases forming a regular grid of remarkable hexagonal extrusions that almost appear to be made by man. One of the most famous such examples is the Giant’s Causeway on the coast of Ireland (shown above) though the largest and most widely recognized would be Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. Basalt also forms different but equally fascinating ways when eruptions are exposed to air or water.
3) Blue Holes





Blue holes are giant and sudden drops in underwater elevation that get their name from the dark and foreboding blue tone they exhibit when viewed from above in relationship to surrounding waters. They can be hundreds of feet deep and while divers are able to explore some of them they are largely devoid of oxygen that would support sea life due to poor water circulation – leaving them eerily empty. Some blue holes, however, contain ancient fossil remains that have been discovered, preserved in their depths.
4) Red Tides





Red tides are also known as algal blooms – sudden influxes of massive amounts of colored single-cell algae that can convert entire areas of an ocean or beach into a blood red color. 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.
5) Ice Circles





While many see these apparently perfect ice circles as worthy of conspiracy theorizing, scientists generally accept that they are formed by eddies in the water that spin a sizable piece of ice in a circular motion. As a result of this rotation, other pieces of ice and flotsam wear relatively evenly at the edges of the ice until it slowly forms into an essentially ideal circle. 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 as shown above.
6) Mammatus Clouds





True to their ominous appearance, mammatus clouds are often harbingers of a coming storm or other extreme weather system. Typically composed primarily of ice, they can extend for hundreds of miles in each direction and individual formations can remain visibly static for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. While they may appear foreboding they are merely the messengers – appearing around, before or even after severe weather.
7) Fire Rainbows


A circumhorizontal fire rainbow arc occurs at a rare confluence of right time and right place for the sun and certain clouds. Crystals within the clouds refract light into the various visible waves of the spectrum but only if they are arrayed correctly relative to the ground below. Due to the rarity with which all of these events happen in conjunction with one another, there are relatively few remarkable photos of this phenomena

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7 Engineering Wonders of the Modern World

Would you believe that the tallest bridge in France reaches higher than the Eiffel tower, or that a single dam in China can hold back 1.4 trillion cubic feet or water? Each of the projects depicted here has set at least one world record for its height, scale, daring or ingenuity. From Venice to Boston, Egypt to England, here are seven amazing engineering wonders of the modern world. Know of others? Add to the list below!





Venice, Italy: The Venice Tide Barrier Project will be the largest flood prevention project in the world. The project has been debated in one form or another for over 40 years as a way to protect this historical city-on-the-water for future generations. With Venice slowly sinking, and the water around it slowly rising, and floods always a fear, Italians have known for a long time that something needs to be done. Finally, the Prime Minister of Italy approved the second phase of the plan, including 80 hinged barriers, each approximately 6,500 square feet.






Zhangjiajie, China: The Bailong Elevator is the world’s largest exterior elevator. At over 1,000 feet tall, this elevator looms high midway up a cliff overlooking a valley far below. Moreover, the elevator is mostly glass, affording passengers a dizzying view to the depths below. There is some concern, however, about the elevator’s long-term impact on the surrounding natural environment.








Millau, France: The Millau Viaduct is the highest bridge in the world. At almost 1,000 feet high (taller than the even the Eiffel Tower) and over 8,000 feet long it sometimes sits above the cloud line, as shown in the beautiful photographs above. The engineered wonder of the bridge itself is nearly as amazing as the view of the valley below.



More, Norway to Easington, Britain: The Langeled Pipeline is slated to be the longest underwater gas pipeline in the world. It will ultimately supply 20% of Britain’s gas needs, connecting England to the largest gas field in Europe via 750 miles of complex underwater terrain. Engineers have had to account for subzero temperatures an stormy waters in addition to developing techniques for installing the pipeline in the first place. They are able to lay an amazing 8 miles of pipe per day.










Yangtze, China: The Three Gorges Dam has drawn fire from people around the world for its role in raising water levels and displacing millions of Chinese residents in the area. As a work of engineering, however, it is unparalleled. It will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, 600 feet high and holding 1.4 trillion cubic feet of water behind 100 million cubic feet of concrete. This engineering wonder will also eventually provide as much as 10% of China’s vast power needs.





Boston, Massachusetts: The so-called Big Dig is a massive tunneling project in the heart of Boston, and is the most massive and expensive construction project in the history of the United States (at 15 billion dollars). Disaster and scandal have haunted this endeavor from the beginning, including accidents, deaths and even arrests for criminal negligence. Engineers were forced to navigate a maze of subways, pipes and utility lines in the course of the project, all with minimum disturbance to the bustling streets of Boston above.





Mubarak, Egypt: The Toshka Project is an amazing attempt to convert a half million acres of desert landscape into arable land. The Mubarak Pumping Station is at the center of this effort, and will channel millions of cubic feet of water per hour. It will ultimately redirect 10% of the country’s water from the Nile and will increase the inhabitable land in Egypt by as much as 25%.

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ORIGINAL TITANIC IMAGES

British luxury liner "S.S. Titanic" in dock at Southampton prior to her fatal maiden voyage.
Location:Southampto n, United KingdomDate taken:1912

Captain E.J. Simth, who would skipper the Titanic on its fateful voyage.
Date taken:1910

British White Star Lines' luxury liner "Titanic" being towed through Victoria Channel, into Belfast Lough for her sea trials, April 2, 1912.
Location:Belfast, IrelandDate taken:April 02, 1912

Passengers strolling past lifeboats aboard the ocean liner Titanic.
Date taken:1912

Illustrated cross section of British White Star Lines' luxury liner "Titanic" showing decks, storage areas etc. as well as probable points of impact w. iceberg below waterline.
Date taken:1912

The sinking of the British luxery liner "Titanic" by Henry Reuterdahl based on material supplied by survivors of the shipwreck.
Date taken:April 1912

Illustration of lifeboats around the ocean liner Titanic as it goes down in the Atlantic Ocean.
Date taken:1912

Passengers in life jackets prepare to abandon ship after the ocean liner Titanic struck an iceberg and began sinking.
Date taken:August 12, 1912

Rescuers from the ship Carpathia helping Titanic's radio operator Harold Bride off ship, Bride's SOS alerted public to sinking of the Titanic

Anxious callers outside offices of the White Star line waiting to learn news of survivors of shipwreck of luxury liner "Titanic" which sank off Newfoundland after it struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage.
Location:New York, NY, USDate taken:April 1912

Survivors of the ordeal crying after watching the movie about the "Titanic," and reminisencing about being in the same lifeboat.
Location:US

A view showing the statue in memory of those who were drowned in the "Titanic" disaster in the Donegall Square in front of the City Hall.
Location:Belfast, IrelandDate taken:1941

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Amazing modern swimming pool house by Hariri & Hariri Architecture

Wooden Pool House Contemporary architecture

In the suburbs of Connecticut, there is a tiny architectural jewel created . It’s in fact a swimming pool house, but with its 365sq.m area it might as well be the main house. Built of natural stone and Ipe wood, the pool house is eye-candy with its blend of minimalist elegance and modernistic sophistication. The building’s distinctive feature is an angular archway that parallels the pool and gives great protection against sun and bad weather if the owners decide to dine outside. On the inside there are the usual premises – bar, kitchen and bathroom. Lovely!

Ultra Modern and Stylisg luxury pool house

Contemporary architecture pool house

Modern Home Architecture

Modern Home and Garden Architecture Pool House

Pool House Dining Place on the terrace

Modern interior design Living room

Contemporary design

night view pool witn lights

Modern House design

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The World's Most Romantic Hotels Le Sirenuse — Positano, Italy

The Old Palazzo Of The Marchesi Sersale Was Converted Into The Le Sirenuse Hotel In 1951.

Romantic View 5 stars hotel

A Series Of Renovations Have Turned This Building Into One Of The Finest Hotels Of Southern Italy. The Hotel Has 63 Rooms, 2 Bars, Heated Outdoor Swimming Pool, Fine Dining And Light Lunch Served By The Pool By Multinational Staff.

Romantic View 5 stars hotel in italy


Most Rooms With Seaview, Jacuzzi, All With A/C. The Restaurant Is Closed During The Months Of December, January And February, Therefore The Hotel Will Offer Full American Breakfast Only Via Room Service. The Bar Remains Open When The Restaurant Is Closed.

Interior design bedroom romantic hotel

Le Sirenuse opened in 1951, when the Sersale family decided to turn their summer house in Positano into a small elegant hotel. They started with eight
Romantic interior design in luxury hotel in italy
rooms and a large terrace overlooking the Islands of the Sirens.
Fifty years later the hotel has 62 rooms with all the comforts of a five star luxury hotel without losing the atmosphere of a family home. The Sersale family still owns and manages the hotel with that special touch.

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Romania Stones That Literally Grow by Themselves !

Romania may be known as the land of Dracula, heaped with bloodthirsty vampires and other creatures shaped by Hollywood imagination, but it is also a land where nature has had an interesting activity



Far less known to the world then Dracula, stand an impressive number of stones which quite literally grow by themselves. This may be a great subject for the next Stephen King novel, living stones attacking a group of American scientists trying to investigate the roots of Dracula’s legend. The stones are real and known to mortals as Trovants.



Near a village, just south of central Romania a number of stone formations with alien features lie dormant, witnesses to the passing of time; that is – until it rains. Not long after the last drops of water fall, they begin a multiplication process. Small oval or round blain-like forms appear on the upper part of them. Many people are amazed and even locals are impressed when after heavy rainfall these rock formations begin to live.’Locals have aptly dubbed them, “growing stones.”




Trovants have a hard stone core but their shells are made of sand, as most examples have been found in sandy regions. Geologists argue that the rocks are the result of a cementation process that occurred millions of years ago in this region and it is somehow accepted that their creation has its roots in the early diagenesis Scientifically these stones are sandstone concretions and the weird forms are achieved by an irregular secretion of cement.








In 2006 a museum was built to host some of these remarkable pieces. Within the walls and outside of the “Muzeul Trovantilor” (Trovant Museum) in Costesti, a village in the Valcea region, visitors can see various Trovants in different shapes and sizes from small examples to some that are over 10 meters tall.








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Most Amazing Lost Cities

Most Amazing Lost Cities


MACHU PICCHU (Peru): The Lost City of the Incas








ANGKOR (Cambodia): Contains the world's largest religious monument








MEMPHIS (Egypt): ancient capital of Egypt





Most Amazing Lost Cities


PETRA: stone structures carved into rocks








PALMYRA (Syria): the Bride of the Desert








POMPEII (Italy): buried by the volcano





Most Amazing Lost Cities


PALENQUE (Mexico): one of Mayan's most exquisite cities







EPHESUS (Turkey): one of the most important cities of early Christianity





Most Amazing Lost Cities


VIJAYANAGAR (India): capital of one of the largest Hindu empires



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SANCHI (India): the best-preserved group of Buddhist monuments

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Dinosaur renaissance

Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated terrestrial ecosystems for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. At the end of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 65 million years ago, a catastrophic extinction event ended dinosaurs' dominance on land. One group of dinosaurs is known to have survived to the present day: taxonomists consider modern birds to be direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs.

Since the first dinosaur fossils were recognized in the nineteenth century, mounted dinosaur skeletons have become major attractions at museums around the world.Dinosaurs have become a part of world culture and remain consistently popular among children and adults alike. They have been featured in best-selling books and films, and new discoveries are regularly covered by the media.

The term dinosaur is sometimes used informally to describe other prehistoric reptiles, such as the pelycosaur Dimetrodon, the winged pterosaurs, and the aquatic ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs, although technically none of these weredinosaurs.

The taxon Dinosauria was formally named in 1842 by English palaeontologist Richard Owen, who used it to refer to the "distinct tribe or sub-order of Saurian Reptiles" that were then being recognized in England and around the world. The term is derived from the Greek words deinos meaning "terrible", "fearsome", or "formidable") and [/Fσαύρα saura meaning "lizard" or "reptile"). Though the taxonomic name has often been interpreted as a reference to dinosaurs' teeth, claws, and other fearsome characteristics, Owen intended it merely to evoke their size and majestyDinosaurs were an extremely varied group of animals; according to a 2006 study, over 500 dinosaur genera have been identified with certainty so far, and the total number of genera preserved in the fossil record has been estimated at around 1,850, nearly 75% of which remain to be discovered. An earlier study predicted that about 3,400 dinosaur genera existed, including many which would not have been preserved in the fossil record. Some were herbivorous, others carnivorous. Somedinosaurs were bipeds, some were quadrupeds, and others, such as Ammosaurus and Iguanodon could walk just as easily on two or four legs. Regardless of body type, nearly all known dinosaurs were well-adapted for a predominantly terrestrial, rather than aquatic or aerial, habitat.




Distinguishing features of dinosaurs

While recent discoveries have made it more difficult to present a universally agreed-upon list of dinosaurs' distinguishing features, nearly all dinosaurs discovered so far share certain modifications to the ancestral archosaurian skeleton. Although some later groups of dinosaurs featured further modified versions of these traits, they are considered typical across Dinosauria; the earliest dinosaurs had them and passed them on to all theirdescendants. Such common structures across a taxonomic group are called synapomorphies.
Dinosaur synapomorphies include an elongated crest on the humerus, or upper arm bone, to accommodate the attachment of deltopectoral muscles; a shelf at the rear of the ilium, or main hip bone; a tibia, or shin bone, featuring a broad lower edge and a flange pointing out and to the rear; and an ascending projection on the astragalus, one of the ankle bones, which secures it to the tibia
A variety of other skeletal features were shared by many dinosaurs. However, because they were either common to other groups of archosaurs or were not present in all early dinosaurs, these features are not considered to be synapomorphies. Such shared features include a diapsid skull bearing two pairs of holes in the temporal region; holes in the snout and lower jaw (two characteristics shared by other archosaurs); loss of the skull's postfrontal bone; a long neck incorporating an S-shaped curve; an elongated scapula, or shoulder blade; forelimbs shorter and lighter than hind limbs, coupled to asymmetrical hands; a sacrum composed of three or more fused vertebrae; and an acetabulum, or hip socket, with a hole at the center of its inside surface
The open, or "perforate", hip joint described above had significant implications for dinosaur movement and behavior. Most notably, it allowed dinosaur hind limbs to be "underslung", or situated directly beneath the animals' bodies; this, in turn, alloweddinosaurs to stand ***** in a manner similar to modern mammals, but distinct from most other reptiles, whose limbs sprawl out to either side. Vertical limb configuration also enableddinosaurs to breathe easily while moving, which likely permitted stamina and activity levels that surpassed those of "sprawling" reptiles. Edmontonia was an "armored dinosaur" of the group Ankylosauria

Phylogenetic definition

Under phylogenetic taxonomy, dinosaurs are usually defined as all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of Triceratops and modern birds..It has also been suggested that Dinosauria be defined as all the descendants of the most recent common ancestor of Megalosaurus and Iguanodon, because these were two of the three genera cited by Richard Owen when he recognized the Dinosauria.] They are divided into Ornithischia (bird-hipped) and Saurischia (lizard-hipped), depending upon pelvic structure. Ornithischiandinosaurs had a four-pronged pelvic configuration, incorporating a caudally-directed (rear-pointing) pubis bone with (most commonly) a forward-pointing process. By contrast, the pelvic structure of saurischiandinosaurs was three-pronged, and featured a pubis bone directed cranially, or forwards, only. Ornithischia includes all taxa sharing a more recent common ancestor with Triceratops than with Saurischia, while Saurischia includes those taxa sharing a more recent common ancestor with birds than with Ornithischia.

There is an almost universal consensus among paleontologists that birds are the descendants of theropod dinosaurs. Using the strict cladistical definition that all descendants of a single common ancestor are related, modern birds are dinosaurs and dinosaurs are, therefore, not extinct. Modern birds are classified by most paleontologists as belonging to the subgroup Maniraptora, which are coelurosaurs, which are theropods, which are saurischians, which aredinosaurs.
However, referring to birds as 'avian dinosaurs' and to all other dinosaurs as 'non-avian dinosaurs' is cumbersome. Birds are still referred to as birds, at least in popular usage and among ornithologists. It is also technically correct to refer to birds as a distinct group under the older Linnaean classification system, which accepts paraphyletic taxa that exclude somedescendants of a single common ancestor. Paleontologists mostly use cladistics, which classifies birds as dinosaurs, but some biologists of the older generation do not.
For clarity, this article will use 'dinosaur' as a synonym for 'non-avian dinosaur', and 'bird' as a synonym for 'avian dinosaur' (meaning any animal that evolved from the common ancestor of Archaeopteryx andmodern birds). The term 'non-avian dinosaur' will be used for emphasis as needed.

Study of dinosaurs

Knowledge about dinosaurs is derived from a variety of fossil and non-fossil records, including fossilized bones, feces, trackways, gastroliths, feathers, impressions of skin, internal organs and soft tissues.Many fields of study contribute to our understanding of dinosaurs, including physics, chemistry, biology, and the earth sciences (of which paleontology is a sub-discipline).
Dinosaur remains have been found on every continent on Earth, including Antarctica. Numerous fossils of identical and closely related dinosaur species have been found on different continents, in accordance with the generally-accepted theory that all land masses were once connected in a super-continent called Pangaea

The "Dinosaur renaissance"was a small-scale scientific revolution started in the late 1960s, which led to renewed academic and popular interest in dinosaurs. It was sparked by new discoveries and research indicating that dinosaurs may have been active and warm-blooded animals, rather than cold-blooded and sluggish as had been the prevailing view during the first half of the twentieth century.
The new view of dinosaurs was championed by John Ostrom, who argued that birds evolved from coelurosaurian dinosaurs, and particularly Robert Bakker who argued passionately that dinosaurs were warm-blooded in a way similar to modern mammals and birds. Bakker frequently portrayed his ideas as a renaissance of those popular in the late nineteenth century, referring to the period in between the wars as "the dinosaur doldrums".
The dinosaur renaissance led to a profound shift in thinking on nearly all aspects of dinosaur biology, including physiology, evolution, behaviour, ecology and extinction. It has also lead to multiple depictions of dinosaurs in popular culture.

The tallest and heaviest dinosaur known from good skeletons is Brachiosaurus brancai (also known as Giraffatitan. Its remains were discovered in Tanzania between 1907–12. Bones from multiple similarly-sized individuals were incorporated into the skeleton now mounted and on display at the Humboldt Museum of Berlin; this mount is 12 m (38 ft) tall, 22.5 m (74 ft) long, and would have belonged to an animal that weighed between 30,000–60,000 kg (33–66 short tons). The longest complete dinosaur is the 27 m (89 ft) long Diplodocus which was discovered in Wyoming in the United States and displayed in Pittsburgh's Carnegie Natural History Museum in 1907.]
Comparative size of Eoraptor

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Natural Wonders

Natural Wonders
Victoria Falls




Victoria Falls, which separates Zimbabwe from Zambia, is considered a remarkable spectacle because of the peculiar, narrow chasm into which the water falls, allowing one to view the falls head on. David Livingstone renamed the falls for Queen Victoria in 1955. Today visitors can kayak, canoe, fish, take guided walking safaris and ride horseback around the falls

Northern Lights




In this 25-second time exposure, Dog Musher's Hall is seen in the foreground as the aurora lights up the sky over Fairbanks, Alaska, Sept. 30, 2006. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, brings together two mythological deities -- Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn, and Boreas, Greek god of the north wind -- to describe an event witnessed mostly at night in high northerly latitudes.


Rio de Janeiro




Aerial view of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On New Year's Day, 1502, Portuguese explorers glided toward a narrow opening in Brazil's coastline, guarded by fabulously shaped mountains. Beyond this entrance lay a body of water stretching 20 miles inland. Convinced they had reached the mouth of a great river, they named the area River of the First of January.

Grand Canyon




The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the largest gorge in the world -- a 290-mile-long gash across the face of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. Rim to rim, it measures up to 18 miles across, with an average width of 10 miles. Its average depth is 1 mile. Visitors marvel at the magic of its myriad hues, strata, spires and gorges.

Great Barrier Reef




An aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's Queensland state. Scientists have identified early warning signs of rising ocean temperatures that threaten to drain Australia'sGreat Barrier Reef of its vibrant colors.

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Greenland is the world's largest island & its melting....

Greenland is the world's largest island. Formerly a province of Denmark, it gained the status of an autonomous Danish dependent territory with limited self-government as well as its own parliament in 1979.



The climate in Greenland is extremely harsh. More than 80% of the island is covered by an ice cap which is 4km thick in places.

Preliminary results suggest that Greenland's ice cover has shrunk to a record low this summer, 2007. Dr Bob Corell, chairman of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, told a symposium of scientists and religious leaders inGreenland, which finished this week, that the acceleration of the Arctic ice melt was now "massive".
Here are few pictures & description on Greedland Melting.




Greenland's Ice Sheet is undergoing massive changes, including melted lakes on the surface and holes in the overflow channel leading to a moulin, a crevasse through which water enters a glacier bed from the surface.



Scientists discover large holes on the surface of Greenland's Ice Sheet, which can shift vertically and horizontally as a result.



Melted ice can be seen on the surface of the ice sheet.



Several fractures have appeared on the ice sheet. A large surface glacial lake can drain in less than two hours, pouring water down through a 980-meter-thick ice sheet at an average rate exceeding that of the flow at Niagara Falls.



A large channel has been carved out by melted water on the ice sheet's surface.



Meltwater, or the melting of snow or ice, rushes across the surface of the ice sheet, filling up a lake.



Scientist Ian Joughin observes a large fracture running through the lake basin in Greenland. Newly formed blocks of ice are more prevalent on the surface of the ice sheet.

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60 Incredible Aerial Photos You Must See

Region of Kitaa, Groenland, Danemark

Camels in India

Breeding near lake coleridge, New Zealand

Factory on an island, east of Hiroshima Honshu Japan

Windmills of Banning Pass, Palm Springs, California, US

Storm over the Amazon Rainforest

Wollman rink in Central Park, New York City, United States

Northern gannet colony, Eldey island, Iceland

The Corcovado overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Unloading trucks in Lagos, Nigeria

Barringer Crater Near Flagstaff, Northern Arizona, United States

Charles de Gaulle Etoile square, Paris, France

Boat near Tagbilaran Island of Bohol, Philippines

Aligre market in the XII arrondissement, Paris, France

Financial District, Manhattan New York, United States

Grounded boat, Aral sea Aralsk region, Kazakhstan

Fishing nets on the Beach, Saham, Oman

Folgefonni Glacier on the high plateus of Norway

Meanders in the Amazon River near Manaus, Brazil

The Arecibo radio telescope, Puerto Rico

Town of Koh Pannyi Phand, Nga Nay, Thailand

Houses on stilts at Fisherman’s Point, Orinoco Delta, Venezuela

Deforestation in the national parc of Los Haitises, Dominican Republic

Islet and sea bed, Exuma Cays, Bahamas

Volcano of Rano Raraku national park of Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Chile

Masai cattle pan near Masaï Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Windmill amid fields, North Holland province, Netherlands

Tree plantation near Seix Pyrenees, France

Town of Ushuaia, Ground of Fire, Argentina

Ritual baths in Gange Uttar, Pradesh, India

Pedestrians in the streets of Tokyo, Japan

Oil platform on Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

Mangroves in Everglades National Park, Florida, US

Highways over LA, California, US

Karymsky volcano erupting, Kamchatka, Russia

Nuclear Power Station at Saint Laurent Nouan on the Loire river, France

Philae’s temple dedicated to Isis, Egypt

Mar del Plata beach, Buenos Aires province, Argentina

Nosy Nato Island – it's lagoon, south of Nosy Boraha, Toamasina region, Madagascar

Oryx in the dunes of Sossusvlei Swakopmund region, Namibia

Presidential palace in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

The medieval city, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Tulip fields near Lisse, Amsterdam Region, Netherlands

Tower Bridge, London, England, United Kingdom

Cotton fabrics drying in the sun in Sanganer, Rajasthan, India

Mongol bouriate horses in the wild on the shores of the Baïkal lake, Siberia, Russia

Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Japan

The Burj Dubai tower, Dubai, UAE

Talc quarry at Trimouns Ariège, France

Tree plantation near Christchurch South Island, New Zealand

The islets of Vabbinfaru, North Male, Atolls, Maldives

Village ravaged by Hurricane Mitch, onguanaja Islas de la Bahía, Honduras

Glacier flowing into the San Rafael lagoon, Chile

Maelifell, bordering the Myrdalsjökull glacier, Iceland

Yokohama, Honshu, Japan

Schoolboys With San Pedro, Bas Sassandra, Ivory Coast

The Jumeirah Palm island, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Punta Arena in the national park of Jaragua, Pedernales, Dominican Republic

Pyramid of king Snefrou, Egypt

Taj Mahal, Agra Uttar, Pradesh, India

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Sometimes You Just Have to Trust the Pilot

I’ve never been able to completely relax on an airplane. Far too many scary scenarios fly through my mind, especially during takeoffs and landings. However, compared to some of the situations below, I’ve had it easy.

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SOME INTERESTING GEOGRAPHY

SOME INTERESTING GEOGRAPHY
Alaska
More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska .
Amazon
The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply. The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that, more than one hundred miles at sea off the mouth of the river, one can dip fresh water out of the ocean. The volume of water in the Amazon river is greater than the next eight largest rivers in the world combined and three times the flow of all rivers in the United States .

Antarctica
Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country. Ninety percent of the world's ice covers Antarctica . This ice also represents seventy % of all thefresh water in the world. As strange as it sounds, however, Antarctica is essentially a desert. The average yearly total precipitation is about two inches. Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, i.e.), Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with an absolute humidity lower than the Gobi desert.

Brazil
Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

Canada
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian word meaning ' Big Village .'
Chicago
Next to Warsaw , Chicago has the largest Polish population in the world.

Detroit
Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan carries the designation M-1, so named because it was the first paved road any where.

Damascus , Syria
Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC, making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in existence.

Istanbul , Turkey
Istanbul (AKA Constantinople), Turkey , is the only city in the world located on two continents.

Los Angeles
Los Angeles' full name is El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula -- and can be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size: L.A.

New York City
The term 'The Big Apple' was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who used the slang expression 'apple' for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple.
There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Ohio
There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio , every one is man made.

Pitcairn Island
The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia , at just 1.75 sq. miles.

Rome
The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome , Italy in 133 B.C. There is a city called Rome on every continent.

Siberia
Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.

S.M.O.M
The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military Order ofMalta ( S.MO .M.). It is located in the city of Rome, Italy, has an area of two tennis courts, and as of 2001 has a population of 80, 20 less people than the Vatican. It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the Vatican is.

Sahara Desert
In the Sahara Desert , there is a town named Tidikelt, which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years. Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island . There has been no rainfall there for two million years.
Spain
SPAIN literally means 'the land of rabbits.'

St. Paul, Minnesota
St. Paul, Minnesota , was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant who set up the first business there.
Roads
Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A: 1%, in Canada : 75%.

Texas
The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Texas . It is as deep as 20 empire state buildings but only 3 inches wide.

United States
The 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.

Waterfalls
The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet. IT is 15 times higher than Niagara Falls

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10 Most Poisonous Animals Around

1. Box Jellyfish

The top prize for “The World Most Venomous Animal,” would go to the Box Jellyfish. It has caused at least 5,567 recorded deaths since 1954. Their venom is among the most deadly in the world. It’s toxins attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells. And the worst part of it is that jelly box venom is so overpoweringly painful, that human victims go in shock, drown or die of heart failure before even reaching shore. Survivors experience pain weeks after the contact with box jellies.

You have virtually no chance to survive the venomous sting, unless treated immediately. After a sting, vinegar should be applied for a minimum of 30 seconds. Vinegar has acetic acid, which disables the box jelly’s nematocysts that have not yet discharged into the bloodstream (though it will not alleviate the pain). Wearing ***** hose while swimming is also a good prevention measure since it can prevent jellies from being able to harm your legs.

Jelly box can be found in the waters around Asia and Australia.

2. King Cobra

The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world’s longest venomous snake - growing up to 5.6 m (18.5 ft) in length. Ophiophagus, literally means “snake-eater” as it eats other snakes. One single bite of this deadly snake can easily kill a human. This snake is even capable of killing a full-grown Asian Elephant within 3 hours if the larger animal is bitten in a vulnerable area such as the trunk.

It’s venom is not as toxic as other venomous snakes, but King Cobra is capable of injecting 5 times more venom than black mamba and can result in mortality up to 5 times faster than that of the black mamba. It is quite widespread, ranging across South and South-east Asia, living in dense highland forests.

3. Marbled Cone Snail

This little beautiful looking Marbled Cone snail can be as deadly as any other animal on this list. One drop of its venom is so powerful that it can kill more than 20 humans. If you ever happen to be in warm salt water environment (where these snails are often found) and see it, don’t even think of picking it up. Of course, the true purpose of its venom is to catch its prey.

Symptoms of a cone snail sting can start immediately or can be delayed in onset for days. It results in intense pain, swelling, numbness and tingling. Severe cases involve muscle paralysis, vision changes and breathing failure. There is no antivenom. However, only about 30 human deaths have been recorded from cone snail envenomation.

4. Blue-Ringed Octopus

The Blue-Ringed Octopus is very small, only the size of a golf ball, but its venom is so powerful that can kill a human. Actually it carries enough poison to kill 26 adult humans within minutes, and there is no antidote. They are currently recognized as one of the world’s mostvenomous animals.

Its painless bite may seem harmless, but the deadly neurotoxins begin working immediately resulting in muscular weakness, numbness, followed by a cessation and breathing and ultimately death.

They can be found in tide pools in the Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia.

5. Death Stalker Scorpion

Contrarily to the popular belief most of the scorpions are relatively harmless to humans as stings produce only local effects (pain, numbness or swelling). However, the Death Starker Scorpion is highly dangerous species because its venom is a powerful cocktail of neurotoxins which causes an intense and unbearable pain, then fever, followed by coma, convulsions, paralysis and death. Fortunately, while a sting from this scorpion is extremely painful, it would be unlikely to kill a healthy, adult human. Young children, the old, or infirm (with a heart condition) are at the biggest risk.

Death stalker scorpions are spread in North Africa and Middle East.

6. Stonefish

Maybe Stonefish would never win a beauty contest, but it would definitely win the top prize for being “The World Most Venomous Fish”. Its venom causes such a severe pain that the victims of its sting want the affected limb to be amputated. It is described as the worst pain known to man. It is accompanied with possible shock, paralysis, and tissue death. If not given medical attention within a couple of hours It can be fatal to humans.

Stonefish stores its toxins in gruesome-looking spines that are designed to hurt would-be predators.

Stonefish mostly live above the tropic of Capricorn, often found in the shallow tropical marine waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, ranging from the Red Seato the Queensland Great Barrier Reef.

7. The Brazilian wandering spider

The Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria) or banana spider appears in the Guinness Book of World Records 2007 for the most venomous spider and is the spider responsible for most human deaths.

This spider is believed to have the most potent neurotoxic venom of any living spider. Only 0.006mg (0.00000021oz) is sufficient to kill a mouse. They are also so dangerous because of their wandering nature. They often hide during daytime in highly populated areas inside houses, clothes, boots, and cars.

Its venomous bite causes not only intense pain, the venom of the spider can also cause priapism - uncomfortable *****ions lasting for many hours that lead to impotence.

8. Inland Taipan

The prize for “The World’s Most Venomous Snake” goes to the Inland Taipan of Australia. Just a single bite from this snake contains enough venom to kill 100 human adults or an army of 250,000 mice. Its venom is at least 200 - 400 times more toxic than a common cobra. The Inland Taiwan’s extremely neurotoxic venom can kill an adult human in as little as 45 minutes. Fortunately this snake is very shy and there have been no documented human fatalities (all known bites were treated with antivenin).

9. Poison Dart Frog

If you ever happen to be running through the rain forests somewhere in Central or South America, do not ever pick up beautiful and colorful frogs - it can be the Poison Dart Frog. This frog is probablythe most poisonous animal on earth.The 2 inch long (5cm) golden poison dart frog has enough venom to kill 10 adult humans or 20,000 mice. Only 2 micrograms of this lethal toxin (the amount that fits on the head of a pin) is capable of killing a human or other large mammal. They are called “dart frogs” because indigenous Amerindians’ use of their toxic secretions to poison the tips of their blow-darts. Poison dart frogs keep their poison in their skins and will sicken or kill anybody who touches or eats it.

10. Puffer Fish

Puffer Fish are the second most poisonous vertebrate on earth (the first one is golden dart Frog). The meat of some species is a delicacy in both Japan (as fugu) and Korea (as bok-uh) but the problem is that the skin and certain organs of many puffer fish are verypoisonous to humans.

This puffy fish produce rapid and violent death..Puffer’s poisoning causes deadening of the tongue and lips, dizziness, vomiting, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, and muscle paralysis. Victims die from suffocation as diaphragm muscles are paralyzed. Most of the victims die after four to 24 hours. There is no known antidote, Most deaths from fugu happen when untrained people catch and prepare the fish.

Statistics show that there were 20 to 44 incidents of fugu poisoning per year between 1996 and 2006 in all of Japan and up to six incidents per year led to death. Since Fugu’s poison can cause near instantaneous death, only licensed chefs are allowed to prepare it.

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