WcP Blog - World Culture Pictorial

Olympic flame to be lit in ceremony in Greece before 1800-mile torch relay and the London 2012 Games

WcP.Story.Teller — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:59:05 -0400

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The flame is lit from the rays of the sun, representing 'purity', by a 'high priestess' who captures the morning sun's rays in a parabolic mirror.

The ceremony comes amid political and economic turmoil in the home of the Ancient Olympics, where a week-long leg of the relay will be held.

The flame flies to Britain on 18 May for a 70-day relay around the UK.

The lighting ceremony takes place in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera from 11:30 local time (09:30BST).

The flame - an Olympic symbol meant to represent purity because it comes from the sun - is then placed in an urn and taken to the stadium where the ancient Olympic Games were staged.

There, it will light the London 2012 torch of Liverpool-born Greek world champion 10km swimmer Spyros Gianniotis, who will carry it on the first leg of the relay around Greece. He will pass it on to Alex Loukos, 19, the first British torchbearer, a boxer and, in 2005, one of a delegation of east London schoolchildren who travelled to Singapore as part of London's final bid for the Games.

The torch is due to travel 2,900kms (1,800 miles) through the country, carried by 500 torchbearers, on a route circling the country and traveling out to Crete. read more »

"A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world." - Leo F. Buscaglia

WcP.Poetic.Thought — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:36:16 -0400

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.

— Leo F. Buscaglia

ebook Quotable Wit and Wisdom - Collection 1 available via Amazon Kindle eBooks and Apple iBookstore

6th Annual Endangered Species Day: Friday, May 18, 2012; one in four of the world's mammals are threatened with extinction

WcP.Watchful.Eye — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:39:52 -0400

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Endangered Animal Photos For Earth Day - On Earth Day, it is important to not only recognize cute animals, but also those whose species may be in peril. For many species across the globe, extinction is a legitimate threat. A 2008 IUCN study found that one in four of the world's mammals are threatened with extinction.

Several of the species seen at above link are what the World Wildlife Fund calls "flagship species." Protection of these species "influences and supports the survival of other species" and "offers opportunities to protect whole landscapes or marine areas," according to the organization. read more »

Hubble celebrates 22nd anniversary in orbit with stunning mosaic space image of several million stars 650 light-years across

WcP.Scientific.Mind — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:19:50 -0400

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Happy Birthday, Hubble! A Stunning New Picture for a Special Day
Things didn't look too bright for the Hubble Space Telescope when it first went into orbit back in 1989: the $1.5 billion eye on the universe had gone into space with its light-gathering mirror polished to perfection, which was very good, but the mirror was also the wrong shape — which was very bad. It wasn't until 1993 that the shuttle Endeavour went aloft with a set of corrective optics — essentially space telescope glasses — that sharpened Hubble's blurry vision and allowed it to begin conducting the stargazing work it was built to do. Since that exercise in orbital optometry, Hubble has been sending home one astonishing photo after another — and one scientific breakthrough after another too.

This week the telescope celebrates its 22nd birthday in orbit, and the folks at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) are handing out party favors in the form of a dazzling new space image. Even by Hubble standards, it's pretty extraordinary. read more »

Oceans of trash? >9 million volunteers remove 153 million lbs of trash from >312000 miles of coastline and waterways in 26 years

WcP.Watchful.Eye — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:06:19 -0400

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New Data Shows What Trash is in Your Ocean and Waterways
New data released by the Ocean Conservancy highlights the need for humans to clean up their acts. The numbers, generated during the 2011 International Coastal Cleanup last September, are staggering.

With 598,076 volunteers around the world who picked up 9,184,428 pounds of trash from 20,776 miles of shorelines, rivers and lakes, it’s not surprising what is the most prolific item found – cigarette butts. If you are wondering how Ocean Conservancy knows down to the last one, how many butts there were, each volunteer is issued an inventory control sheet to keep tabs.

By now you are probably feeling a little ill, seeing just how much junk is floating around and landing on the world’s shores. But what about the damage being done to our wildlife? We know better — they don’t.

Stop Trash at the Source – You read more »

"Waddle we look like when we grow up, Mum?" Mother hen hatches baby ducklings and adopts them as her own

WcP.Humor — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:05:15 -0400

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Waddle we look like when we grow up, Mum? Hilda the hen hatches clutch of ducklings after sitting on wrong nest
They may not look like their mum - or sound like her - but that doesn't seem to bother these fluffy little birds. Hilda the hen nested over the five eggs for a month, apparently unaware that they had been laid by a duck. Farm owner Philip Palmer was also none the wiser as Hilda barely left the duck eggs alone until they hatched after 28 days. And even when tiny Indian runner ducklings emerged instead of fluffy yellow chicks, Hilda wasn't put off and adopted the babies as her own.

Phillip, 45, who runs the Farmer Palmer's children's activity farm near Poole, Dorset, said: 'Hilda doesn't seem bothered at all - the ducklings follow her around just as chicks would. 'It was so surprising but lovely and she has proved to be very capable at raising them. The ducklings aren't aware that their mother is a hen and Hilda is totally unaware that she's actually got a bunch of ducks waddling behind her.

'The ducklings don't leave her side and if they get scared they run for cover under their "mum". It is very sweet to see. The only way they will really notice the difference is when the ducks start swimming in the pond.'

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Photos courtesy of BNPS.co.uk / Mail Online

Extreme weather: 2012 kicks off with record heat, tornadoes & drought; 'strange spring' is 'climate change we're seeing'

WcP.Observer — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:56:26 -0400

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Extreme Weather USA: 2012 Kicks Off With Record Heat, Tornadoes & Drought
Yesterday, a dozen tornadoes ripped through Dallas, spurring panic in a highly populated, 6 million-strong metropolitan area. The footage captured by news helicopters was dramatic—semi trucks and trees were hurled into the air like newspapers tossed from a malevolent paperboy.

But the fleet of Texan tornadoes only marks the latest in a year that has already been packed with extreme weather—we've had record-hot winter months, unusually early tornadoes in the midwest, and states wracked with drought. Here's a closer look.

Tornadoes

There was nothing tremendously out of the ordinary about the tornadoes that hit Dallas, but climatologists were concerned about the spate of twisters that swept through Kentucky, Indiana, and three other states in early March. Those tornadoes killed 39 people and exacted untold property damage to homes and buildings across the region.

And tornado season doesn't usually begin until April, leading climate scientists to link the warmer weather to earlier (and potentially longer) seasons. Here's Joe Romm: read more »

Cartoon Walrus to oysters: "the time has come... " ("Poem in Art and Story" Collection 1)

WcP.Poetic.Thought — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 01:18:36 -0400

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing-wax --
Of cabbages -- and kings --
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need;
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now, if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

~ Lewis Carroll

New Book Release 2012 - "Poem in Art and Story" Collection 1

Miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of nature. - C.S. Lewis

WcP.Life.Coach — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:18:22 -0400

Miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of nature.

— C.S. Lewis

"Deforest to prevent wildfire", "kill barred owl to save another species"...sounds like whalers blaming whales, not overfishing

WcP.Watchful.Eye — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 23:00:36 -0400

Nature has nature’s law. We humans are just part of Nature. Forests, rather than dead land without trees, supply priceless necessities (shelter, food, oxygen, balanced weather, etc...) for humans... A good example - life in all forms is easily sustained in forests. Wildfires, if not caused by human error, are Nature’s call, and trees will come out the following spring. Sensitive birds (remember they have wings) know full well to fly away from harmful situations, particularly at the onset of smoke when the fire starts... yet unfortunately they can hardly survive without the environment for them to survive – forests... and sadly their speed is no faster than a hunter’s bullet. When mankind appreciates and takes care of Nature, Nature takes care of mankind. Philosophy and science are mostly stemmed from observing nature, and discovering nature’s laws, which make us wiser. As Einstein once said, “look into nature, and you will understand everything better”.

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Diving Line: prosperity or debt / ww3? 2012 landmark election rolling beyond US boundary: Dr. Ron Paul with CNN on Iran

WcP.Tomorrows.History — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:21:37 -0500

Question from apolitical minds who have no clue but simply follow instinct: Does Dr. Ron Paul sound like George Washington leading peasants across the Delaware River fighting the Battle of Trenton? Jefferson (together with other Founding Fathers Adams, Franklin...) writing the US Constitution? Churchill stubbornly holding the floor without audience (deserted by his British Parliament peers), insisting on warning about looming WWII? Or Ronald Reagan (who once said, veteran and physician doctor "Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country!")?

*UPDATE March 19, 2012*
Wikipedia: "Greece public debt-to-GDP ratio: 159.1% of nominal GDP"; "US public debt-to-GDP ratio: 115% since Feb/2012”
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
"US Outstanding Public Debt as of 19 Mar 2012 is: $15,580,446,972,442
The estimated population of US is 312,429,020
Each citizen's share of this debt is $49,868.76.
The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $4.02 billion per day since Sept. 28, 2007!"

read more »

Ruin of Nature. New law on horse slaughter: "outrage over documents planning to kill or slaughter 50,000 native wild horses"

WcP.Observer — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:28:23 -0500

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Washington Times - The week before US Thanksgiving 2011, President Obama quietly signed into law a spending bill that restores the American horse-slaughter industry
President Obama last month quietly signed into law a spending bill that restores the American horse-slaughter industry.

The ban on horse slaughtering had been imposed in 2006 when Congress defunded the government’s ability to inspect plants that butchered horses for consumption. Without inspections, the meat couldn’t be sold, and the industry withered. read more »

New Book Release 2012 - "Poem in Art and Story" Collection 1

WcP.Publisher — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:23:59 -0500

*2012* New book release:
Poem in Art and Story
Collection 1

Now available via Amazon Kindle eBooks and Apple iBookstore.

From the publisher -
It is a collection of classic poems. It is a collection of art. Top-talent design blending nature and society, sentiment and beauty... All in all, Poem in Art and Story Collection is about inspiration and mystery. The world and Future will remember poem and art, love and wisdom we all share and pass on...

Carnival & UFO: Fun & unknown Fate. Choose "between Compassion & Greed..., Guts & Honor make you a happy man", each day

WcP.Tomorrows.History — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:56:58 -0500

Tribute to Pop Music's Queen, Whitney Houston died young at 48. Music world lost a majestic voice, which will never be forgotten

WcP.Art — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:03:55 -0500

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LOS ANGELES - Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died Saturday. She was 48.

Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen told reporters outside the Beverly Hilton that Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. in her room on the fourth floor of the hotel. Her body remained there and Beverly Hills detectives were investigating.

"There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent at this time," Rosen said. Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, said Saturday that the cause of her death was unknown.

Rosen said police received a 911 call from hotel security about Houston at 3:43 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics who were already at the hotel because of a Grammy party unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, he said. Houston's death came on the eve of music's biggest night -- the Grammy Awards. It's a showcase where she once reigned, and her death was sure to cast a heavy pall on Sunday's ceremony. read more »

Magnificent Planet. 2012 version of Nasa's 'Blue Marble' - Earth space images (composite), taken by new Suomi satellite: Jan 4

WcP.Scientific.Mind — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:19:36 -0500

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Last week, NASA released its 2012 version of the famous "Blue Marble" image. By using a planet-pointing satellite, Suomi NPP, the space agency created an extremely high-resolution photograph of our watery world.
The photo centered on the western hemisphere, highlighting North and Central America. It went viral and got even more hits on Flickr than the iconic "Situation Room" photo, taken at the time of the assassination of Osama bin Laden.

Now, responding to public demand, the agency has created a companion image: this time focusing its lens toward the East and showing Africa, Saudi Arabia and India.

The Suomi NPP satellite hugs the Earth too closely to get this kind of image in one shot. It’s in a polar orbit with an altitude of 824 kilometers, but the perspective of the Eastern hemisphere Blue Marble is from 12,743 kilometers away.

As such, Nasa Goddard oceanographer Norman Kuring used images from six different orbits of the satellite over an eight-hour time period on Jan. 23, then stitched the photos together to achieve the final composite. read more »

True legend: Sword Master Bob Anderson, Olympic fencer, renowned film fight choreographer spanning more than 50 years

WcP.Movie.Critic — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:30:23 -0500

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New Book Release 2012 - "Quotable Wit and Wisdom" Collection 1

WcP.Publisher — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:55:19 -0500

*2012* New book release:
Quotable Wit and Wisdom
Collection 1

Now available via Amazon Kindle eBooks and Apple iBookstore.

From the publisher -
This is the first of a series of picturesque editions of "Quotable Wit and Wisdom" from great minds such as Emerson, Shakespeare, Hugo... portraits and glimpses featuring Plato, Bernard Shaw and Einstein. The selection of quotes in Collection 1 spans different topics - nature, philosophy, life, mind, truth... Art is blended uniquely with famous quotes to inspire life, as well as little-known quotes by Socrates, Leo Rosten, Bertrand Russell, John Bacon, Leo Buscaglia, Picasso and Louis Pasteur. Considering some readers need or enjoy larger fonts, quotations in text format are also included. Thank you, dear readers, for short or long we are going to share the same journey to brighten our own lives by "other men's writings.. by what others have labored hard for" (Socrates, Plato’s mentor).

Strongest solar storm in years, bombarding Earth w/ radiation... aurora borealis that swept across the night sky

WcP.Scientific.Mind — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:38:02 -0500

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Jan. 22, 2012 - Solar storm sparks dazzling northern lights
NASA observed a flare Sunday night at 11 p.m. EST Jan. 22, 2012, shows a solar flare erupting on the Sun's northeastern hemisphere, the strongest solar storm in more than six years, bombarding Earth with radiation with more to come. The biggest concern from the speedy eruption is the radiation, which arrived on Earth an hour later and will likely continue through Wednesday. It's mostly an issue for astronauts' health and satellite disruptions. It can cause communication problems for airplanes that go over the poles. Scientists have been expecting solar eruptions to become more intense as the sun enters a more active phase of its 11-year cycle, with an expected peak in 2013. read more »

Justice for innocent Dutch photographer. Erwin Vermeulen "taken away by police- no witness, nor questioned", jailed since Dec 16

WcP.Observer — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:05:28 -0500

"Your heart is a legend". KungFu movie superstar Jackie Chan calls for action to help children's educaion & to protect wildlife

WcP.Story.Teller — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:02:57 -0500

Happy and harmonious Lunar Year of the Dragon 2012!
"Build a School For a Dollar" - In the past 5 years, Jackie's fans have donated over US $90,000 and Jackie has matched this donation for a total of over US $180,000, enough to build 2-3 schools...

Jackie Chan's Diary January 17, 2012 "...a story that I wanted to share with you. Maybe you remember the little boy, Will Shadley, who starred in "The Spy Next Door" with me several years ago. He's twelve years old now and living in California and has been spending a lot of his time doing charity work..."

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Web goes on strike, Jan. 18, 2012 - Internet blackout to stop SOPA and PIPA: "guilty until proven innocent"?

WcP.Observer — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:29:32 -0500

SOPA Protests Sway Congress: 31 Opponents on Jan 18; 122 on Jan 19; Unfortunately, there are still more stated supporters than opponents in the Senate

Flawless and faultless beauty - seals: creatures of Nature, children of Snow. Photo: cutest adorable baby seal with big smile

WcP.Story.Teller — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:50:31 -0500

What's wrong with us? Who are we to stand by and watch the brutal clubbing of flawless and faultless beauty - seals: creatures of Nature, children of Snow? From StopTheSealHunt: "Sadly, in Canada close to 300,000 poor, defenseless baby seal pups (most between 2 weeks and 3 months of age) are brutally murdered every year in the annual, government-sanctioned commercial seal hunt - all for the sake of fashion, vanity, politics, money and greed. Many are even skinned alive while conscious. (What kind of heartless human being could even think of doing such a thing!?)"

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Meet the incredible smiling seal! read more »

Australia's doorstep: imprisoned citizens request"return us to shore in AU, remove urself fr our waters"; Taiji: Dutchman jailed

WcP.Observer — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 09:02:50 -0500

Is it "kidnapping" if they are taken away instead of sent back to Australia as AU citizens have requested - "return us to shore in Australia and then remove yourself from our waters"? - Traveling fr one side of globe to the other, armed"Gov. of Japan" ship detains 3 AU citizens while Taiji detains 5 CoveGuardians - Jan. 7, 2012: 14 miles off Australian coast (at the doorstep of their own homeland, of their own country's territory, within the Australian EEZ waters), three Australian citizens from Forest Rescue - Geoffrey Owen Tuxworth (47) of Perth, Simon Peterffy (44) of Bunbury, and Glen Pendlebury (27) of Fremantle - are now detained as prisoners on an armed Japanese ship "Government of Japan" with military personnel in Australian territorial waters. Per Forest Rescue statement - Simon Peterffy said: “We are onboard this ship because our government has failed to uphold its pre-election promise to end whaling in the Southern Ocean”, which sounds quite contrary to what the Chilean government is determined to do (though both Australia and Chile have declared sanctuaries, where whaling is prohibited) - read more »

Tsunami-fund "Government of Japan" in Antactica, armed men with masks: target & victim? Steve Irwin be rammed like Ady Gil?

WcP.Observer — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:00:58 -0500

*UPDATE 03/16/2012* "Whaling fleet kill quota: 1,035; Actual whales killed 266 Minkes, 1 Fin (Endangered); 768 Whales SAVED Swimming Free in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary...*

Shonan Maru 2's new version: "Government of Japan". Q: does it represent Japanese government? Or has Japanese government relocated onboard to exercise its power? Life in peril: $29mil Tsunami-fund armed coastguards vs 23 nations' volunteers

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