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Extreme Plane Landings at Maho Beach, Saint Martin

Ieva — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:18:58 +0000

You’d expect a typical beach to be a nice and quiet haven to relax and chill – but tourists flood the Maho Beach on the Saint Martin island to get exactly the opposite. The beach on the Dutch side of the Caribbean islands is known for all the low-flying airliners, which fly so closely above the beach that people can actually be blown into the water because of the jet blast (or that’s at least what the local government signs warn you about).

Local Princess Juliana International Airport is not only really close to the beach, but also has an unusually short runway of only 7,150 feet (2180 meters). In order to complete a smooth landing, the aircraft gets as close to the beginning of the Runway 10 as possible – and ends up flying right over the heads of eager tourists, directing their cameras towards the impressive sight.

The plane spotting has become so popular that the local residents have even developed a whole infrastructure around it: the beach bar owners put up boards with timetables of the arrivals and departures so that people could plan their time; one of the bars even broadcasts real-time radio transmissions between the airport’s control tower and and the aircraft. How many roaring airlines over your head would you handle in one day?

Source: wikipedia…/Maho_Beach via: twistedsifter

Image credits: Benny Zheng

image credits: Kent Miller

image credits: Fabi Fliervoet

Image credits: Mitchell Weinstock

image credits: Fyodor Borisov

image credits: fussball_89

image credits: sxmloulou

KLM Boeing 747 Landing

Girl Gets Blown Away by Jet Plane Blast on Beach

Extreme Plane Landings at Maho Beach, Saint Martin originally appeared on Bored Panda on May 17, 2013.

20 Amazing Examples of Animal Camouflage

Lina — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:05:04 +0000

Survival can become a challenging task in the wild – especially if you’re smaller or slower than your possible predators. This is why many animal species have developed different ways to camouflage themselves throughout the course of evolution. Ways to camouflage differ depending mostly on three factors: the physiology and behavior of the animal, then those of the predator and the environment, in which the animal lives and hunts its food. Blending in with the environment is the most common approach.

Natural selection plays its part here as well: as the way in which an animal camouflages itself is determined genetically, every new generation adapts to its surroundings better. What usually happens is than an animal imitates the coloration of its natural habitat, although some species are known to be able to adjust their coloration. The most common example is a chameleon, although some furry animals and birds may loose their feathers and fur completely and replace it with a new one for a new season.

Surprisingly, sometimes the best way to camouflage oneself is to stick with the herd: for example, when a lion walk by a bunch of zebras, it only sees a big striped mass. Some fish that are covered in bright vertical stripes might also be clearly visible when alone, but if a large group of them swims by, a predator will see an unidentified colored blob. Without further ado, here are 20 amazing examples of animal camouflage. Can you find all the animals?

1. Owl

Image credits: eoiarucasadvancedone.blogspot

2. Uroplatus Geckos

Image credits: imgur | Jialiang Gao

3. Willow Ptarmigan

Image credits: Art Wolfe

4. Toads

Image credits: photography.nationalgeographic.com

5. Common Baron Caterpillar

Image credits: wohinauswandern

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5-Year-Old Posing As the Most Influential Women in History

Tomas — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:17:15 +0000

Photographer Jaime Moore was looking for inspirational ideas to celebrate her daughter Emma’s 5th birthday, and ended up photographing her beautiful girl posing as some of the most influential women in history. Jaime chose 5 women for Emma to impersonate, and thus her daughter became the mini version of Coco Chanel, Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller and Jane Goodall.

“I had been searching everywhere for new-creative inspiration for her 5yr pictures. I noticed quite a pattern of so many young girls dressing up as beautiful Disney Princesses. It started me thinking about all the REAL women for my daughter to know about and look up too, REAL women who without ever meeting Emma have changed her life for the better,” says Jaime. “I wanted her to know the value of these amazing women who had gone against everything so she can now have everything. So let’s set aside the Barbie Dolls and the Disney Princesses for just a moment, and let’s show our girls the REAL women they can be,” she explained.

If you like this, check out the photos Bill Gekas – he recreates classic paintings with his 5-year-old daughter. You might also like the crazy photos of Jason Lee and Dave Engledow.

Website: jaimemoorephotography.com, facebook

Susan B. Anthony

Amelia Earhart

Coco Chanel

Helen Keller

Jane Goodall

Emma

5-Year-Old Posing As the Most Influential Women in History originally appeared on Bored Panda on May 15, 2013.

26 Faces in Everyday Objects

Tomas — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:09:53 +0000

Have you ever noticed how various objects and constructions look as if they’ve got faces – they are smiling, being angry or amazed. However, what some may call acuteness to detail is usually attributed to a psychological phenomenon, called pareidolia – that’s when a person perceives a random stimulus as something significant, for e.g., sees faces on clouds or buildings.

On the other hand, it doesn’t necessary mean you’re crazy. For example, carmakers are very much aware of this tendency of people to see faces on inanimate objects, and according to car critic Dan Neil “sometimes they play toward it, and sometimes they play against it.”

It may also be more common among people with a wilder imagination. Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote that when an artist is about to invent and paint some scene, he will be able to visualize it on practically any surface. So, if you happen to see an odd face on a wall every once in a while, don’t worry – chances are you’re perfectly normal

1. Sad Faucet

Image credits: adme.ru

2. Happy Headlights

Image credits: imgur

3. Drunk Washing Machine

Image credits: bart

4. Grizzly Bear

Image credits: inimini

5. Grumpy Train

Image credits: imgur

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Black and White Illusions by Chema Madoz

Tomas — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:58:31 +0000

If you love photography and and optical illusions, Spanish photographer Chema Madoz has a perfect mix for you! His unmistakable style is not burdened with unnecessary cluster and details, always in black and white and with a witty catch in every picture. The photographer creates this element of surprise by blending two unrelated objects that share at least one visually similar feature, or by placing an object in visually unexpected setting.

Born in 1958, Madoz studied History of Art at the Complutense University of Madrid and at the same time took photography courses at the Image Teaching Center. He had his first exhibition in 1983, and to date has held numerous exhibitions, published several albums, and was acknowledged with different international awards. Looking at his work, you almost hear Madoz say that things aren’t what they appear to be!

Website: chemamadoz.com

Black and White Illusions by Chema Madoz originally appeared on Bored Panda on May 13, 2013.

Chandelier Turns a Room into a Forest

Lina — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:22:41 +0000

Different lighting can completely change the look and feel of a room, but this incredible chandelier from Hilden & Diaz will take you straight to the jungle with just one click! Created by Thyra Hilden and Pio Diaz, “Forms of Nature” chandelier is a beautifully designed bundle of white tangled branches, casting shadows on the walls that look like forest trees. As the light bulb is placed in the center of the chandelier, it projects a 360 degree shadow formation on every wall and the ceiling.

„The shadows engulf the room and transform the walls into unruly shadows of branches, bushes and gnarled trees. Mirrorings are thrown out upon the walls and ceilings and provide weak Rorschach-like hints of faces, life and flow of consciousness. Diming the lights transforms the installation and one senses a weak fire burning deep in the center of the forest,“ describe Hilden and Diaz.

There’s seems to be already a line waiting for this concept model to be put into production, what about you?

Website: hildendiaz.dk | via: caoine.org

Chandelier Turns a Room into a Forest originally appeared on Bored Panda on May 13, 2013.

This Week’s Top 5 User Submitted Stories #31

Tomas — Sat, 11 May 2013 16:19:38 +0000

If you have a story that’s interesting to more people than you and your mother – share it with everyone else! The best stories will be featured on BoredPanda.com home page and will have a chance to cure 10,000 people from boredom everyday.

This Week’s Top 5 User Submitted Stories #31 originally appeared on Bored Panda on May 11, 2013.

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

Jolita — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:27:45 +0000

Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluision traveled the world exploring how the eating habits differ from country to country and presented their results in a photo album, called Hungry Planet: What the World Eats. The wife and husband’s team visited 24 different countries and 30 families to photograph them at home, at the market, and surrounded by their weekly food supplies.

Apart from being interesting and educative, the project brings up some social issues. The exposed weekly grocery list provides information not only about dietary habits, but also about health, economy, lifestyle, etc. It also clearly shows the division between the first world and the developing countries. Interestingly, less affluent families eat more nutritious food than those who could actually afford it. On the contrary, more economically stable families eat more processed food, while fresh products constitute just a small part of their diet.

Come to think of it, how much does your family spend on food per week and what kind of food do you eat?

Website: Peter Menzel, Book: What the World Eats

Mexico, Cuernavaca

The Casales family spends around $189 per week.

Ecuador, Tingo

The Ayme family spends around $32 per week.

United States, Texas

The Fernandezes family spends around $242 per week.

Guatemala, Todos Santos

The Mendozas family spends around $76 per week.

United States, North Carolina

The Revis family spends around $342 per week.

See the rest of Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

Celebrities When They Were Young (22 pics)

Tomas — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:53:16 +0000

We are so attached to certain images of some celebrities that seeing their childhood pictures leaves us surprised to find out they were once young, too. And guess what – most of them didn’t look like the most popular kids at school!

Eminem Aged 12

Steve Jobs Aged 18

Amy Winehouse Aged 8

Sean Connery Aged 23

Lady Gaga Aged 8

George Clooney Aged 15

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Real Life Mowgli: Girl Who Grew Up in the African Wildlife

Tomas — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:32:46 +0000

Riding a five-ton elephant, whom she called ‘my brother’, chilling with a cheetah or hugging a giant bullfrog as if it were a Teddy bear. The childhood of a French girl Tippi Degre sounds more like a newer version of Mowgli, rather than something real. A white child, she was born in Namibia to French wildlife photographer parents, and grew up in Africa. Tippi spent her whole childhood playing with wild animals including lion cubs, a mongoose, a snake, a cheetah, baby zebra, giraffes and crocodiles.

The little girl saw nothing unusual about her company: “I don’t have friends here. Because I never see children. So the animals are my friends,” she once said.

Tippi is now 23 years old, and the only child to wildlife photographer parents Sylvie Robert and Alain Degre, who published her photos in a book called Tippi of Africa. “It was magical to be able to be free in this nature with this child. She was a very lucky little girl – she was born and raised until the age of 10 totally in the wild.” said Sylvie.

Website: tippi.org, Book: Tippi of Africa

Real Life Mowgli: Girl Who Grew Up in the African Wildlife originally appeared on Bored Panda on May 8, 2013.