Natures Best

Top 10 Most Beautiful Cities in the World

2012-12-06T02:17:00.002-08:00

Top 10 Most Beautiful Cities in the World

Dreaming of traveling the world or visiting some of the most famous cities in the world? Then this list of the top ten most beautiful cities in the world can help you plan your dream vacation. It is little bit hard to come up with this list because beauty is very subjective. Nevertheless, this list was created based on surveys, number of tourists, and the overall aesthetic design of the cities.

10. Budapest

Budapest brings you back to the period of renaissance with its baroque and gothic monuments. Danube River runs through the city which makes the city more alluring. One of the greatest landmarks of Budapest is its awe-inspiring Parliament Building that is designed by renowned architects. While you are visiting this city, take a walk through its most romantic pathways and the Chain Bridge.

9. Rome

The whole city is like a living relic that has endured for thousands of years. Rome is known because of its ancient monuments, arts, and culture. With the outstanding cafés and restaurants, Rome begins to be a center for both the modern and ancient world. One day is not enough to stroll around the city. While most tourists might be attracted to its landmarks, it is worth noting that Rome is also filled with fantastic districts that will prove Rome is truly an eternal city.

8. Bruges

Though a small city compared to others, Burges has a huge heart for beauty. Bruges is famous because of its ancient attractive looks which are sprinkled with elements of baroque and gothic architectural designs. Take a pleasurable walk in its antique cobbled-stone lanes while looking at the surrounding oval canal. Also, Since it is located in the center of Europe, it is one of the most visited cities.

7. Amsterdam

This city is filled with buildings that are very delightfully aligned through Amsterdam’s main canals. Amsterdam is very charming in its design and architectural works. With stunning places and landmarks, Amsterdam is a favorite spot for film making.

6. Rio de Janeiro

The beauty of Rio de Janeiro is incomparable to other cities in the world. It has a very unique setting which is a blend of both the nature and man’s civilization. As you climb Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado statue, you will witness an awe-inspiring and the most magnificent views you could ever have seen in this lifetime.

5. Florence

Florence should not be left out in this list. With so many buildings and landmarks only unique in the renaissance age, Florence has remarkably preserved the original ambiance of the city. While you are in Florence, visit Piazzale Michelangelo which is a terrace made in the 19th century. The place is perfect to witness the remarkable and awesome view of the entire city.

4. Paris

Because of the beautiful and picturesque view of Paris, the standard of living here is very high. There are many attractive places that your eyes can feast upon such as the streets of Montmartre, Eiffel tower, beautiful squares, and many others. You can explore the city through riding a boat on the Seine and be captivated by the city’s beauty.

3. Prague

Every monument of Prague is like a museum by itself. You can enjoy more of the city by going through the Vltava River. The Old Town Square is also famous because of its beautifully-preserved streets and monuments.

2. Lisbon

Because of its natural landscape, Lisbon is seated on a series of hills that run down to grand Tagus River. At Every turn of the way, there are simple and extraordinary views that you can enjoy. Lisbon is peculiar in many ways which is a combination of the cobbled designs, pastel-colored buildings, beautiful building façades, and gorgeous appearance.

1. Venice

Venice is in our number one spot for many reasons. First of all, Venice is staggered with beautiful buildings that are uniquely designed from each other. With the canals that run through the city, Venice is even more romantically enhanced. Venice is almost magical and truly an amazing city that cannot be compared to others.

Audience Choice

0. Istanbul

Istanbul, is located on two continents: Asia and Europe. It is the largest city in Turkey. The history of Istanbul is considered to begin at 660BC. It has many famous mosques and is one of the most favorite spots for tourists and filming.

Now that you have seen the list of ten most beautiful cities in the world, you can now have a general idea on which city you would like to spend your next vacation at. Just remember to savor each moment and treasure the beauty that you experience in each city.

top 10 Beautiful Yet Toxic Caterpillars

2011-05-02T21:02:00.005-07:00

Caterpillars come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Their beauty can often be deceiving since their hairs often contain venom which can be poisonous to humans and predators. Toxic caterpillars can be found in many places including backyard gardens, parks and fields. The following list describes 10 of the most beautiful, yet dangerously toxic caterpillars in the world.

1. The Saddleback Caterpillar

This unique looking slug caterpillar is mostly green with brown at each end with a white-ringed purple-brown dot in the center which looks like a saddle. When fully grown, it measures approximately one inch long and 3/8 inch wide. It has a pair of fleshy horns at each end which contain hairs that secrete irritating venom along with protruding spines in every direction. Its stings are painful and can cause swelling, nausea and a rash which lasts for days. The Saddleback Caterpillar can be found in gardens, flower pots, fields and forests. It eats everything from garden plants to trees and shrubs.

2) The Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar

This creature starts off pale yellow, but later develops the bright orange/yellow and jet black striped bands. It has a voracious appetite and can consume entire areas of weeds. When it runs out of food, or sometimes for no apparent reason, it can actually turn cannibalistic. The Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar was introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to biologically control poisonous ragwort and Tansy. Oftentimes, these caterpillars cluster together in an attempt to defend themselves against predators. As they age, they tend to act aggressively toward each other. Survival is often cut short due to completely consuming food sources before reaching maturity.

3) The Monarch Caterpillar

This yellow, black and white striped caterpillar is so small immediately after hatching that it can barely be seen. It has two pairs of black filaments, one pair on each end of the body. It grows very fast, feeds only on milkweed leaves and cannot exist without them. When fully grown, the Monarch Caterpillar is about 2 inches long. Although beautiful to look at, it is poisonous or distasteful to birds and mammals due to cardiac glycosides that are contained in the milkweed it eats. When the Monarch Caterpillar emerges into a butterfly, it is considered the most beautiful and “king” of all butterflies.

4) The Gypsy Moth Caterpillar

Present from May through mid-July, newly hatched Gypsy Moth Caterpillars are black with long stiff bristles. Older caterpillars have five pairs of raised blue spots and six pairs of raised red spots on their backs with fewer hairs. The hairs can cause pain on contact and lead to dermatitis. In order to spread throughout the forest, they climb to tree tops, spin a thread, dangle from it and wait for the breeze to carry them away. These caterpillars love to feed on certain types of leaves, such as maple, elm and oak. Damage from feeding infestations can cause complete defoliation leading to disease, vulnerability to other insects or tree death.

5) The Bag Shelter Caterpillar

Known as Processionary Caterpillars for walking in processions, these are amongst the most dangerous and should not be touched. Coming in contact with one can cause external and internal bleeding. The poison contains chemicals which are potent enough to cause humans to bleed to death. Airborne hairs will cause rashes and respiratory problems. Bag Shelter Caterpillars are dark brown with a brown head and long soft hairs. They live inside a brown bag made of silk and come out at night to feed. They can be found resting or hiding on the base of medium to large size wattle tree trunks and eat the leaves.

6) The Puss Caterpillar

The most poisonous caterpillar in North America is the Puss or Woolly Slug Caterpillar. Don’t be fooled by its fluffy cotton ball appearance as it will release acid on anything that touches it and is loaded with poisonous spines all over its body. Although the long, soft hairs are harmless, the spines can cause immediate, excruciating pain. Symptoms from a sting can last several days and include headache, nausea and vomiting. Its colors vary from grayish-white to golden-brown to dark charcoal gray and its body tapers to a tail. These inch long caterpillars can be found in citrus trees, elms, oaks and garden plants.

7) The Stinging Rose Caterpillar

The flamboyant Stinging Rose or Rose Slug Caterpillar is less than an inch long and comes in red, orange and yellow with purple and green pinstripes. It proudly wears its bright colors as a warning announcing how dangerous it is; aka aposematic coloration. This colorful species has black-tipped spines with poison glands. Touching this caterpillar will cause the tips of the spines to break off and venom to enter the skin. This can cause an irritating skin rash and a hypersensitive reaction. These caterpillars can be found on woody plants such as dogwood, maple, oak, cherry, apple, poplar and hickory.

8) The Hickory Tussock Caterpillar

These black and white caterpillars are covered in grayish-white hairs with black spots on the sides and black tufts along the middle of the back. Two long, sharp, thin black hairs protrude from the front and back of the caterpillar connected to poison glands. Poisoning occurs when coming into contact with hairs or spines and causes skin rashes or hypersensitivity. Hickory Tussock Caterpillars are commonly seen from June to September and can be found in southern Canada and parts of North America. They feed for about eight weeks on hickory, pecan and walnuts in addition to elm, oak and willow.

9) The Io Moth Caterpillar

As the Io Moth Caterpillar develops, it goes from orange to bright green with red and white stripes running the length of the body. These two inch creatures tend to travel in single file processions over food plants and young caterpillars feed in groups. Two types of poisons are released from their spines with the slightest touch and pack a powerful sting, burning sensation and inflammation. They feed on many trees and shrubs including willow, maple, elm, oak, holly, aspen, locust, cherry, pear and sassafras. This species can be found in open woods, meadows and cornfields from February through September.

10) The Spiny Oak Slug Caterpillar

This beautiful caterpillar comes in a rainbow of pastel colors including green, blue, pink and yellow and is a little less than an inch long. It is rather flat and has four clusters of darker spines near the hind end. Poison released by the spines can cause a severe reaction and warrant medical attention. The Spiny Oak Slug Caterpillar likes to feed on sycamore, willow, ash, oak, hackberry and chestnut along with other trees and smaller woody plants. This species can be found in the woodlands from southern Quebec to Maine and south through Missouri, Texas and Florida.

10 of the Worlds Spikiest living things

2011-05-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Not all creatures or plants have a guaranteed way to defend themselves against others who want to harm them. Nature has given many species a built-in safeguard from their predators, and some have no protection at all. An earthworm, for example has no guard against the birds that would scoop them up and swallow them whole. A marigold flower was gifted with a bad odor to ward off many animals that would eat them, but is this odor enough of a defense to guard against all predators? No, it is not. There are some animals that would just hold their noses… and some were given no great smelling ability to begin with, so they would not care. There are some living things that have inoculations that will preserve them from being endangered. They will not be on the endangered list for a long, long time.

1. Thorny Devil

This gentle lizard lives in central Australia, an arid and sandy habitat. It feeds on ants and tarantulas and grows up to 8 inches long. You would think that something this small would be prime pickings for most other animals, but this thorny devil is covered with sharp, hard thorns. Not only does that deter predators, but the thorny devil also can camouflage itself by changing colors to imitate its surroundings. This animal knows another trick. It has a false head on the back of its neck so when a predator comes around the thorny devil will bury its real head in the sand for protection.

2. Sea Urchins

Fascinating animals that have spines surrounding their shell for protection, these animals do have a couple of predators that find their way around the spikes: humans and sea otters. There is not too much to eat on a sea urchin, but as typical humans, we will always find something to eat or a use for it. People actually collect them for decoration. One kind of urchin, the flower urchin, has venom on the tip of its spikes. Nobody wants to eat a poisonous pincushion! The sea urchin has hundreds of tiny tuber feet, which they use for traveling. They eat bits of plants and small animals by using their teeth. They grow five teeth in the middle of their backside, which they use to pull, tear and rip algae off rocks. They are about four inches and come in many different colors, purple and pink being the most common. The sea urchin can live and reproduce for up to 200 years.

3. Lionfish

The stunning lionfish is named for its fan-shaped fins and a spiky dorsal fin, which make them look like they have a huge lion’s mane. They have two predator defenses that come in handy. One is that their color allows them to be camouflaged in their habitat, and they also have venom in their dorsal spines. This poison will make a human sick and unable to breathe normally, but it is very seldom fatal. The lionfish will grow to be about a foot long, and people describe them as being ill tempered because the fish has nothing to fear thanks to its sharp and venomous spikes. It is considered one of the most poisonous fish in the world.

4. Porcupine fish

These interesting little swimmers are much like the puffer fish, only they have spines all over their skin. The fish grows to be around four feet or larger and instead of having venom in their spikes, the porcupine fish have a poison in their bodies, which if ingested could paralyze a person or even cause death. These fish have large beck-like teeth that never stop growing, so they like to live around coral to bite on and wear their teeth down. If they are threatened by another bigger fish, the porcupine will inflate its body, just like the puffer, and become too big for the predator to eat. These fish are great swimmers except, as you can imagine, when they are all puffed up.

5. Australian echidna

These echidnas are sometimes called spiny anteaters. Their bodies are brownish black and covered with spines and coarse hair. The arms of the echidna are very strong with claws that are designed to dig. The snout on this animal is long and tubular which helps them smell their prey and eat it, too. The echidna’s snout also contains a sticky tongue that helps the animal catch their prey. They can stick their tongue in an ant hole and come out with hundreds of their favorite snack. Some even have spikes on their tongues. These spiny anteaters can live to be 40 or 50 years old.

6. European Hedgehog

This hedgehog has no tail so that more of its body can be covered with dense spines. When in danger, the hedgehog will roll up in a ball of spines to stick anything that wants to take a bite. They are little guys growing to only nine or ten and a half inches long. They love to eat small animals, worms, insects and spiders, but they will also try to find birds’ eggs to eat. This might be the European hedgehog’s downfall. They are eating so many eggs of ground nesting waders like Snipe, Dunlin, Redshank and Lapwing, that they are considered a pest in some areas.

7. Spiny-backed Orb Weaver

Even though this little spider is noticeable because of its colors, it does not have anything strange or different going on with it otherwise. It does have a hard abdomen that can be white, orange, or yellow with red markings. And, oh, yes… there are thorns coming out of this abdomen that supposedly protect it from predators, but the spider is so small no other animal can see it to eat it. Other than that, it is a typical spider that weaves flat webs to catch flying bugs for its dinner. They are harmless and only come indoors if someone or something brings them inside.

8. Io Moth Caterpillar

This little caterpillar is very cute with its little yellow trees sticking out all over its body. You would probably want to pick it up to have a closer look. If you did, you would more than likely have either an itchy or a burning sensation or need medical assistance. Those little yellow tree-like structures are spines that are attached to poison glands and are meant for predators. Their bodies are pale green with yellow and red stripes growing to about two inches. Even though they catch your eye and are interesting to look at, you had better look at them from afar. These caterpillars turn into the most beautiful butterflies you have ever seen.

9. Spike-headed Katydid

This is the craziest looking thing ever seen. It is related to the grasshopper and cricket, but this katydid must have been adopted. This insect is a bright beautiful green color with little thorns all over its body—even its legs. If you would touch one of the thorns, it would easily cut through your skin. Its head is bigger than a grasshopper’s head, and it has what looks like a crown on the top of it made out of thorns with a reddish hue.

10. Thorn Trees of Africa

Last but not least is a plant that has tremendous thorns growing all over it. The thorns can be long and straight or short and curved. These thorns deter any animal from climbing it to eat the leaves, but some animals, like giraffes, have leathery tongues and don’t feel the pain against either type of thorn. When this happens, the tree produces chemicals, which make the leaves taste bad. This acacia also has a deal worked out with cocktail ants. They chase off insects while the tree lets them live in the thorns and eat sweet sap the tree produces.

10 Top Mountain Treks

2011-05-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Almost all adventure seekers enjoy mountain trekking. It is an exciting and adventurous sport, be it mountain climbing, camping, rock climbing or exploring. The following ten mountain treks are, if not the most famous, definitely among the most famous in the world. Some of them are only for professionals, others are easier to climb, but each of them is awe-inspiring.

1. Mont Blanc

This is rightfully a classic of Europe’s circuits. It is amongst the most popular mountaineering routes in the entire world. Its popularity has been growing since the end of the 18th century. The splendid views of Mont Blanc are due to the fact that this famous trek goes through various deep glacial valleys and traverses three countries: Italy, Switzerland, and France. The difficulty rating for this trek is moderate to strenuous.

2. Lycian Way

This is the first long distance footpath one should make in Turkey. It may not be amongst the most legendary mountain treks, but it is still genuinely impressive though under-appreciated. This Turkish trek winds along the most dramatic coastline of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Mount Olympus’ limestone peaks which rise very high above the dazzling aquamarine waters. It goes by sunken cities and ancient ruins, meandering through beautiful wooded valleys but also along magnificent cliff tops that overlook desolate beaches. The difficulty rating for this trek is moderate to strenuous.

3. The GR20

This mountain trek is actually named The Grand Randonnée 20 but the Corsicans also call it Fra li Monti. It is undoubtedly among the toughest yet finest long-distance mountain treks in Europe. This superb pathway was established in 1972 and it goes across the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea from the northern side towards the southern. The landscape variety is amazing, starting with steep and rocky paths in the northern part and ending with abundant green meadows down in the south. The difficulty rating for this trek is challenging.

4. Mount Toubkal Climb

This is the highest peak in North Africa and probably a surprising selection for many. But once you reach the summit and get the chance to admire the Marrakech plains which roll away towards the north as well as the Anti Atlas mountains towards the south, you will understand how special this trek is. The panoramic views are completed by the tooth-like crests of the High Atlas spreading to the west and east. As it winds up towards the summit, the path goes through secluded Berber villages which have not changed for centuries, a captivating insight into a forgotten way of life. The difficulty rating for this trek is strenuous.

5. Kilimanjaro Climb

This mountain trek is definitely more renowned than its cousin from Morocco. Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit offers a unique view which is simply amazing. The glacier capped volcano which rises from the lavish forests of the plains around it goes up 5,895 meters into the stratosphere and this makes it the highest point in Africa. The difficulty rating for this trek is strenuous to tough.

6. Everest Base Camp

Mount Everest lies at the very heart of Nepal, which is without a doubt one of the most marvelous countries on Earth. It is known as the highest point on this planet. The summit is reachable only by the professional mountaineer; however, the Everest Base Camp can be attained by any experienced trekker. This mountain trek may be the most famed of them all. It pursues the well-known, classic route through Sherpa and attracts numerous trekkers year after year. The difficulty rating for this trek is strenuous.

7. Annapurna Sanctuary

This is some kind of a natural amphitheatre formed by part of the Annapurna Himal massif which is very vast and has a few peaks that go beyond 7,000 meters. It is ringed by fellow giants Annapurna 1, Gangapurna, Glacier Dome, Machhapuchhare and Fang. This mountain trek is a reasonably tough high altitude one which however presents mountain views that are awe-inspiring and which can compete with any other perspective offered by the Himalayas. The difficulty rating for this trek is moderate to challenging.

8. The Huayhuash Circuit

Any true walking enthusiast should try this mountain trek. It is meant for those who are ready to take on a physical challenge. The trek follows a breathtaking high altitude course through the Andes, visiting the famous valley mentioned by Joe Simpson in “Touching the World”, his epic story. The Huayhuash has splendidly glaciated peaks which can be very steep (this includes Yerupaja, Peru’s second highest peak – 6634m) which make it probably the most majestic range of the Peruvian Andes. The difficulty rating for this trek is strenuous.

9. The Inca Trail

No one can argue that this is the most renowned mountain trek in all South America. It is truly a “must” for any decent trekker. In the beginning it was meant to be a highway (an ancient one) which used to connect Cuzco, the Inca capital, with the famous Machu Picchu, the lost city. Fortunately, now it has been reinstated to its original magnificence. This pathway goes through the splendid mountain scenery of cloud forest and snow covered Andean peaks, the supreme goal being Machu Picchu, obviously. The difficulty rating for this trek is moderate.

10. Fitzroy and Paine

This Argentinian mountain trek is a really adventurous one that goes among the overwhelming summits on the Continental Ice-Cap. This mighty sculpting force which lies right on the eastern side of the world’s third largest mass of ice has given birth to a scenery of jagged mountains, sparkling lakes and sensational glaciers “working” together with the brutal movements of plate tectonics. This is definitely a stunning trek that leads the walker through the wilderness of Patagonia. The difficulty rating for this trek is strenuous.

Amazing places

2011-05-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

US Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater is located in the northern region of the Arizona desert, United States. Approximately 45 miles easy of Flagstaff this massive crater is the handy work of a 50 meter wide meteorite that broke the atmosphere and smashed into our planet sometime around 50, 000 years ago. Although now a desert, this area was once grassy plains dotted with woodlands that ancient beasts like the wholly mammoth and ground sloths would have inhabited.

Don Juan Pond

Located in Antarctica, the Don Juan Pond is a seriously salty body of water. To put things in perspective, compared with the dead sea which is 8 times saltier than sea water, the Don Juan Pond is a staggering 18 times saltier than sea water! Although not very deep, the Don Juan Pond never freezes thanks to its high salt content even when temperatures drop as low as -30 degrees. This intriguing body of water was first discovered in 1961.

The Great Dune of Pyla

When you think of sand dunes you mostly think of deserts, right? Well there are no deserts in Europe however the Great Dune of Pyla is indeed Europe’s largest sand dune. Located in France, the Great Dune of Pyla is a massive tourist attraction and a favorite spot of para gliders. The dune comes in from the coast with the steep side facing a forest, such a strange sight! Running along 3km of coastline the dune peaks of a height of around 100 meters and covers 500 meters from coast to forest, truly spectacular!

83 – 42

83-42

83-42 does have a strange name and certainly doesn’t seem extraordinary at first glance, however this small piece of land which is only 35 x 15 meters is the northernmost piece of permanent land on the earth which measures at around 400 miles from the North Pole. 83-42 was discovered in 1998 and was confirmed to be a permanent land formation after the discovery of lichen on the island. Only 5 people have ever stepped foot on 83-42.

Iceberg B – 15

Iceberg B-15

Iceberg B-15 was first created back in 2000 when part of the Ross Ice Shelf detached, although today the iceberg has broken up into many smaller pieces of which some are still around today. When Iceberg B-15 first broke from the Ross Ice Shelf is was the largest iceberg ever recorded with measuring in at 3, 100 km squared making Iceberg B-15 even larger than Jamaica in its day.

The Door to Hell

Door to Hell

The Door to Hell is the only item on this list that has direct human involvement, however the creation of the Door to Hell certainly wasn’t the intended outcome. The Door to Hell is located in Turkmenistan, close to the town of Darvaza. The name ‘Door to Hell’ comes from the fact that this hole has been burning for over 35 years without stopping! The Door to Hell was initially discovered while drilling for gas deposits but the cavern caved in, took a lot of expensive equipment with it and filled with poisonous gas so it was decided the best course of action would be to burn the gas out – it has still yet to burn out.

Mount Roraima

Mount Roraima is a massive tabletop mountain that is found in Venezuela/Brazil/ Guyana. The side facing Brazil and the side facing Guyana are both vertical cliffs that reach 400 meters in height, whereas the side facing Venezuela is a steep incline and although steep it is accessible. This unique mountain boats a variety of plant life, much of it unique and also creates some of the largest and most spectacular waterfalls in the world.

Socotra

Socotra is a world heritage sight that is located within the Republic of Yemen and is widely considered the most bio-diverse place in the Arabian Sea. This alien land boats some of the most unusual looking plant life found in the world, most of which is unique to Socotra due to its harsh climate. As well as plant life Socotra is home to a host of creatures ranging from spiders to birds and even spectacular coral reefs that are entirely unique to Socotra.

Rotorua

Rotorua is a very interesting city found in northern New Zealand. What makes Rotorua so special is all the geothermal activity that takes places there providing locals and tourists with many fantastic features such as hot springs and boiling mud piles like the spectacular ones found in the picture above. If you do decide to visit Rotorua in your lifetime just be aware that the whole area smells like rotten eggs due to the high sulfur content!

Guaira Falls

Guaíra Falls

The Guaíra Falls was once located on the border between Brazil and Paraguay and was the largest waterfall in the world, dwarfing waterfalls like the acclaimed Niagara Falls. Unfortunately this spectacle of nature is no more due to flooding caused by the creation of dams in the area.
Keep your eyes peeled for more articles on the most amazing places on earth in the weeks to come! There are just far to many amazing spectacles of nature on this beautiful planet to condense down to 10!

Read more: http://www.itsnature.org/what-on-earth/10-amazing-places-on-earth/#ixzz0TP4oCAps

2011-02-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

Monkey Eating Eagle

The Philippine Eagle- Pithecophaga jefferyi,also known as the Great Philippine Eagle or Monkey-eating Eagle, is among the rarest, largest, and most powerful birds in the world. This bird of prey is endemic to forests in the Philippines, where it is the national bird. It has numerous local names, including Haribon, Haring Ibon (which means "Bird King") and banog. Killing thiscritically endangered species is punishable under Philippine law by twelve years in jail and heavy fines.Can you imagine a hawk that, despite having a wingspan greater than 213 cm (7 ft.), manoeuvres through the forest canopy with ease and snatches monkeys from trees? Well, the Philippine Eagle is just such a bird!

The Philippine Eagle is sometimes known as the Monkey-eating Eagle. While they do eat monkeys such as long-tailed macaques, flying lemurs are much more common prey.

These eagles are rather plainly coloured birds, being largely brown-backed and white-chested. When they are excited, they raise a short crest on the head, which gives them a punk look. They can be extremely long-lived—one captive bird died at the ripe old age of 41.

The Philippine Eagle is the second largest of its group, smaller than only the Harpy Eagle. Unfortunately, it is the rarest, with only several hundred pairs left in the rainforests of the Philippines (and only on the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte and Mindanao).

The reason these eagles are so rare today is simple: most of their habitat has been cut down. Each breeding pair needs between 65 and 130 square kilometres (25 to 50 square miles) of continuous rainforest for territory, so the destruction of 90% of the Philippine rainforest has been particularly devastating to this species.

Protection of the remaining forest and the establishment of the Philippine Eagle Foundation on Mindanao Island (where more than 20 birds have been raised, as of 2008) have been positive steps to saving this species. The Philippine Eagle has been the Philippines’s national emblem since 1995.

2011-01-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

10 World Biggest Holes Created By Human and Nature

It is believed that holes are wrath of god on this earth and are pathway to hell. Most people reading this would agree but here it is certainly not the case. Holes created in different parts of the world either due to human works like mining, as sum of these are diamond mine shafts that have been abandoned or due to wrath of god as we all know through meteor shower or something similar falling that made the dinosaurs extinct are today popular vacation spots as they are a visual extravaganza.

Whether it’s the Great Blue Hole of Belize, Mirny Diamond Mine of Siberia or the Burning Gates of Turkmenistan, all of these attract a hell lot of tourists and adventure seekers every year just to get a glimpse and experience the ultimate souvenir of nature. Check these cool pictures.

Mirny Diamond Mine of Siberia

Great Blue Hole – Belize

Burning Gates of Turkmenistan

Kimberley Big Hole - South Africa

Bingham Canyon Mine – Utah

Glory Hole in Monticello Dam California

Diavik Diamond Mine – Canada

Guatemala Sinkhole

Chuquicamata Copper Mine – Chile

Udachnaya Pipe – Russia

2011-01-19T19:47:00.001-08:00

10Banaue Rice Terraces

Philippines

The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe. Locals to this day still plant rice and vegetables on the terraces. The result is the gradual erosion of the characteristic “steps”, which need constant reconstruction and care.

Sigiriya

Sri Lanka

Sigiriya (Lion’s rock) is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin situated in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos), which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. The Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I (AD 477 – 495), and it is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka. Sigiriya may have been inhabited through prehistoric times. It was used as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 5th century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the Buddhist Sangha.

Tower of Hercules

Spain

The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the centre of A Coruña, Galicia, in north-western Spain. The name Corunna is said to be derived from the ancient column. The structure is 55 meters (180 ft) tall and overlooks the North Atlantic coast of Spain. It is almost 1900 years old, was rehabilitated in 1791, and is the oldest Roman lighthouse still used as a lighthouse.

Toruń

Poland

Toruń is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus. The first settlement in the vicinity is dated by archaeologists to 1100 BC. During medieval times, in the 7th-13th centuries, it was the location of an old Polish settlement, at a ford in the river. The Teutonic Knights built a castle in the vicinity of the Polish settlement in the years 1230-31. In 1263 Franciscan monks settled in the city, followed in 1239 by Dominicans. In 1264 the nearby New Town was founded. In 1280, the city (or as it was then, both cities) joined the mercantile Hanseatic League and was soon turned into an important medieval trade centre. As you can see from the photograph above, it is a beautiful medieval city and well worth visiting.

Ajanta Caves

India

The Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BC, containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious art and universal pictorial art. By AD 480 the caves at Ajanta were abandoned. During the next 1300 years the jungle grew back and the caves were hidden, unvisited and undisturbed until the Spring of 1819 when a British officer in the Madras army entered the steep gorge on the trail of a tiger. Somehow, deep within the tangled undergrowth, he came across the almost hidden entrance to one of the caves. Exploring that first cave, long since a home to nothing more than birds and bats and a lair for other, larger, animals, Captain Smith wrote his name in pencil on one of the walls. Still faintly visible, it records his name and the date, April 1819.

Valley of Flowers

India

The Valley of Flowers is an outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breathtakingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park is renowned. Valley of flower is splashed with colour as it bloomed with hundreds different beautiful flowers, taking on various shades of colours as time progressed. Valley was declared a national park in 1982, and now it is a World Heritage Site. The locals, of course, always knew of the existence of the valley, and believed that it was inhabited by fairies.

Metéora

The Metéora (“suspended rocks”) is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. Access to the monasteries was originally (and deliberately) difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced, so the story goes, only “when the Lord let them break”.

Bagan

Myanmar

Bagan is an ancient city in the Mandalay Division of Burma. Formally titled Arimaddanapura or Arimaddana (the City of the Enemy Crusher) and also known as Tambadipa (the Land of Copper) or Tassadessa (the Parched Land), it was the ancient capital of several ancient kingdoms in Burma. Bagan was submitted to become a UNESCO heritage site[1] but many speculate of politics as partly the reason for the exclusion. UNESCO does not designate Bagan as a World Heritage Site. The main reason given is that the military junta (SPDC) has haphazardly restored ancient stupas, temples and buildings, ignoring original architectural styles and using modern materials which bear little or no resemblance to the original designs. Nevertheless, this is still a must-see wonder of the world.

Leptis Magna

Libya

Leptis Magna was a prominent city of the Roman Empire. Its ruins are located in Al Khums, Libya, 130 km east of Tripoli, on the coast where the Wadi Lebda meets the sea. The site is one of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins in the Mediterranean. The city appears to have been founded by Phoenician colonists sometime around 1100 BC, although it did not achieve prominence until Carthage became a major power in the Mediterranean Sea in the 4th century BC. It nominally remained part of Carthage’s dominions until the end of the Third Punic War in 146 BC and then became part of the Roman Republic, although from about 200 BC onward, it was for all intents and purposes an independent city.

Library of Celsus

Turkey

This is number one for strictly personal reasons. I love books, I love libraries, and this site is dedicated to knowledge (as are libraries). The library of Celsus (in Turkey) was built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a monumental tomb for Celsus (who had been consul in 92 AD, governor of Asia in 115 AD, and a wealthy and popular local citizen). The building is important as one of few remaining examples of an ancient Roman-influenced library. It also shows that public libraries were built not only in Rome itself but throughout the Roman Empire. In a massive restoration which is considered to be very true to the historic building, the front façade was rebuilt and now serves as a prime example of Roman public architecture.

A list of the top 10 tallest mountains in the world.

2010-12-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

1. Mount Everest – 29,028 feet (8,848 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia between Nepal and Tibet, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. I would highly recommend reading the book Into Thin Air written by journalist Jon Krakauer, a survivor of the 1996 trek where 19 people were reported dead or missing.

2. K-2 (Mount Godwin) – 28,250 feet (8,611 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia, in the country of Pakistan, K-2 is the second tallest mountain in the world. K-2 also goes by the names of Mount Godwin, Austen, or Dapsang. Many climbers practice on K-2 before hitting the steep cliffs of Mount Everest.

3. Mount Kangchenjunga (Kinchinjunga) – 28,208 feet (8,598 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia between Nepal and India, Mount Kanchenjunga is the third tallest mountain in the world. Kanchenjunga is also called Kinchinjunga, although the main difference is just the pronunciation. When translated, Kanchenjunga means “The Five Treasures of Snows”, as it consists of five peaks, four of which are over 27,726 feet (8,450 meters) tall.

4. Mount Lhotse – 27,890 feet (8,501 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia in the country of Nepal, Mount Lhotse is the fourth tallest mountain in the world. Consisting of three summits, the main summit adjoins with Mount Everest and is so sharp that there is literally no place to sit down. Although it is the least climbed 8,000-meter peak in Nepal, climbers are still advised to ascend this peak before tackling Mount Everest.

5. Mount Makalu – 27,824 feet (8,481 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia between Nepal and Tibet, Mount Makalu is the fifth tallest mountain in the world. First climbed in 1955 by J. Franco’s French Exhibition, Mount Makalu has proved to be a challenging climb for only five of its sixteen attempts were successful.

6. Mount Cho Oyu – 26,906 feet (8,201 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia between Nepal and Tibet, Mount Cho Oyu is the sixth tallest mountain in the world. Translated from Tibetan, Mount Cho Oyu means “the Turquoise Goddess”. There have been well over 1,000 ascents on Mount Cho Oyu, with very few deaths.

7. Mount Dhaulagiri – 26,795 feet (8,167 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia in the country of Nepal, Mount Dhaulagiri is the seventh tallest mountain in the world. Mount Dhaulagiri, when translated from Sanskrit, means “white mountain”, and in 1808, it replaced Ecuador’s Chimborazo (20,561 ft.) as the postulated highest mountain in the world.

8. Mount Manaslu – 26,781 feet (8,163 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia in the country of Nepal, Mount Manaslu is the eighth tallest mountain in the world. The name Manaslu comes from the Sanskrit word “Manasa”, and can be translated as “Mountain of the Spirit”. In 1972, at 22,800 feet, fifteen members of a Korean expedition were killed when an avalanche buried their camp, when two years later, an all female exhibition successfully ascended the summit.

9. Mount Nanga Parbat – 26,657 feet (8,125 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia in the country of Pakistan, Mount Nanga Parbat is the ninth tallest mountain in the world. Nanga Parbat, which means “Naked Mountain”, is not an easy mountain to climb. Unstable glaciers and frequent storms and avalanches have proved hazardous for climbers of all levels.

10. Mount Annapurna – 26,545 feet (8,091 meters)

Located on the continent of Asia in the country of Nepal, Mount Annapurna is the tenth tallest mountain in the world. Annapurna comes from a Sanskrit name that can be translated as “Goddess of the Harvests”, or more simply “The Provider”. In 1950, Annapurna became the first 8,000 meter peak to be successfully climbed, and with the glaciers on the mountains western and northwestern slopes draining in to the gorge, it has formed the Kali Gandaki River.

The Bright Side Of Autumn

2010-11-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

Autumn is often described as dull and rainy. Sometimes we take it for granted. We forget that fall can be just as beautiful as spring and there’s no other season in the year when we can see such a variety of colors. Hurrying to our offices and supermarkets and homes, we often do not notice what’s around us, especially when it gets darker earlier in the evenings. This contributes to us missing out on the splendor of the season. So we project those dull and dreary feelings we have on autumn. I devote this beautiful photo collection to all those who have missed too many beautiful autumn moments and I hope it will brighten your rainy day wherever in the world you are.

Photo by parl

Photo by capn madd matt

Photo by Denis Collette…!!!

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

Photo by RunnerJenny

Photo by epicnom

Photo by rene j

Photo by Two Ladies & Two Cats

Photo by paul (dex)

Photo by dktrpepr

Photo by James Jordan

Photo by kisses are a better fate than wisdom

Photo by Brenda Anderson

Photo by Tom Olliver

Photo by BURИBLUE

Photo by James Jordan

Photo by cwalker71

Photo by *katz

Photo by Idle Type

Photo by shadarington

Photo by “KIUKO”

Photo by * starrynight1

Photo by photographer padawan *(xava du)

Photo by Luke Andrew Scowen Photography (2009)

Photo by vns2009

Photo by 96dpi

Photo by Indy Kethdy

Photo by bitzi☂

Photo by jmtimages

Photo by kanelstrand

The World: A Bird’s Eye View

2010-11-26T20:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we all can use a different perspective on things. With the hustle and bustle of our day to day lives, we can forget to look beyond ourselves — at the bigger picture. If that sounds like you, maybe you’ll enjoy a different view. Check out the collection of bird’s eye view photographs below and get a different look at the world around you.

Photo by PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE

Photo by heather

Photo by Cj Roberts

Photo by Zanthia

Photo by TimothyJ

Photo by Corie Howell

Photo by daia_

Photo by Scorpions and Centaurs

Photo by hint of plum

Photo by Tom Olliver

Photo by Asia Veroli

Photo by arash_rk

Photo by N!(K — loveforphotography –

Photo by bass_nroll

Photo by tanvach

Photo by philippe leroyer

Photo by Clancycoop

Photo by heather

Photo by Klearchos Kapoutsis

Photo by yasmapaz & ace_heart

Photo by tj.blackwell

Photo by Stuck in Customs

Photo by Darwin Bell

Photo by Cameron Chamberlain

Photo by afloden

Photo by -= Bruce Berrien =-

Photo by [phil h]

Photo by derajfast

Photo by gecampbell

Photo by Old Shoe Woman

Photo by Sam and Ian

Photo by Old Shoe Woman

Photo by Andreas.

Photo by philippe leroyer

Photo by lowfatbrains

2010-11-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

I sometimes stare at the sky and wonder why we have made such a mess of things. I wonder how we can tear up the seas and use up the trees all in the name of progress. It is such a tragedy that we are damaging things so fast and they will soon be way beyond repair.

It is very sad to think future generations will not have the natural things to enjoy as we have had, and that they will be paupers when it comes to the offerings of the natural world.

But, preserving nature is one thing ... appreciating it is quite another. There is so very much beauty all around us to see, touch, and hear. Nature is so miraculous because it is always changing. No matter how many times you look at something, it is always different.

Nature can set a sky aflame at sunset or magically transform a familiar landscape into a snow-white wonderland. It can paint a rainbow in the sky, paint beautiful autumn colors on trees, or paint a clump of daffodils in the grass with glow of soft sunlight.

Nature can bring a lot of beauty into our lives. Nature has a way of affecting our moods and it can force us to change our plans. Nature is responsible for the sun, clouds, rain, and snow. When it is sunny and bright outside, we feel cheerful inside. When it is cloudy and rainy, we often feel gloomy. When there is a beautiful and starry night, the moonlight makes us feel romantic.

When we see the leaves budding on a tree or when a timid flower pushes through the frozen ground, or when we smell the freshness of spring, new hope will always come to us. Nature is truly an intrinsic part of our lives.

When we wake and see a sunrise, when we walk and feel a breeze, when we gaze at the mountains and the splendor of the seas, when we see the earth renew its beauty at each season of the year, and when the stars shine at night, we should be so very thankful to the Lord for giving us all these wonderful and miraculous things. Learning to become more aware of nature can truly have a good effect on our lives in the way we look at things and in the way we feel about ourselves.

It is with much love that I dedicate these pages to a very special and wonderful person, Ginny Ellis. If it hadn't been for her, these pages would not be possible. I truly appreciate every beautiful poem that she has ever written. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Ginny, for bringing so much beauty into the world.

I would now like to share with you some of Ginny's and other poets verses and other things that capture Nature's moods and majesty. They may evoke some memories and dreams I do hope you will find something that you will enjoy.

Some of the authors are unknown but if you know the correct source of items listed, I will appreciate hearing from you so corrections can be made and proper credit given.

earth phenomena

2010-11-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

The Maelstrom

When you hear a name like maelstrom, you just know it’s about something wicked. Introduced in English by Edgar Allan Poe from the Nordic languages, from which it came from the Dutch word maelstrom (maalstroom in modern spelling), it literally means crushing current, which is quite a very good description.

A maelstom is basically a very big and powerful whirlpool, a free vortex; a free vortex with quite a downdraft. The original maelstrom was Moskstraumen, which is caused by a very powerful tidal current. Both Poe and Jules Verne depict it as a giant vortex that leads to the bottom of the ocean where it is in fact a crossroad of underwater currents. Well.. they were a bit off, but still, it’s quite a view to catch.

Fire Rainbow

The term ‘fire rainbow’ is really misleading; the correct term is circumhorizon arc. It’s basically an ice halo formed by ice crystals located very high, in the cirrus clouds. This huge flamboyant lovely display of colors is really not as rare as you might think, and how often it appears depends mostly on location, and especially latitude. For example, in the US it can be seen several times a summer in each year in the same place, but in Central or Northern Europe it’s very rare.

Of course, this rainbow is not formed the way ‘classic’ rainbows are formed. Light passes through the hexagonal ice crystals via a vertical side and leaves through the nearest horizontal bottom face. If there alignment is just right, it makes the whole cloud shine rainbow-colored.

Waterspouts

Waterspouts seem to be taken out of the Captain Planet series. You know, earth, wind, fire, all that? Well, here it’s all about wind and water actually, because a waterspout is in fact a really intense columnar vortex that takes place over a mass of water and links it to a cumuliform cloud.

Most of the time, they are weaker than land tornadoes, but some are extremely big and bring the water upward with immense speed and power.

They can actually be tornadic or non-tornadic. The non-tornadic ones are way more common and less dangerous with winds being slower than 70 mph (30 m/s). Tornadic waterspouts are similar at their core to a tornado, but they add huge masses of water to the show, making it a scenery hard to forget.

The even rarer ‘cousin’ of the waterspout is the snowspout (or icespout). They are basically a very rare form of waterspouts that form at the base of a snow squall. There have only been six (!) pictures taken of such an event, so there’s not really much we can give you here.The Honduran Rain of Fish

Oh this one’s good. We’ve all probably heard about this in one form of another, but most just chalk it up to folklore. Well, this isn’t the case! The department of Yoro is host of one of the most bizarre and amazing phenomena to ever take place: the rain of fish, that takes place every year for more than a century now.

Each year, between the months of May and July a dark clouds appears in the sky, followed by a massive thunderstorm, it rains a lot, the whole nine yards. It all lasts 2-3 hours, at the end of which people go out on the street where they find hundreds of living fish on the ground; yeah, they eat them.

There aren’t any clear conclusions, but a theory that’s accepted sometimes is that the strong winds and waterspouts take the fish from 200 km away. However, a significant number of scientists claim they are not sea water fish, but fresh water fish that swim from a nearby river to an underwater current, and some fish stray from the current and appear on the ground. But here’s the good part: National Geographic sent a team to investigate this, and they found that the fish aren’t found in any surrounding bodies of water, and also they’re all blind, so they came up with their own theory: they live in underground rivers, because they are blind. Anyway, if you ever visit Honduras in the summer, this is something you really should see.Moonbows

We’ve all (probably) seen rainbows, at day. But how many of us have seen rainbows at night? Yeah, this can actually happen, due to the light produced by the moon (thus moonbow, or lunar rainbow or white rainbow). Of course the light emitted by the moon is much much fainter than that of the sun, so as a result, so is the formed rainbow; most of the time, it’s even hard for the human eye to separate the colors there.

The biggest chance you have of ever seeing a moonbow is when the moon is full (or near to full), when it’s the brightest, but there are other conditions required. The sky has to be very dark (close to black), and, of course, there must bee rain falling opposite to the moon.

Penitentes

These sharp ice spikes can only be found at high altitudes. Ice (or snow) formations that take the form of blades or spikes varying from a few centimeters to 2 meters (or even more) have fascinated researchers since Darwin’s time, as he was the first to ever describe them.

He had to squeeze his way through such a field and was the first to notice they generally follow the direction of the sun? But how are they formed? The mechanism of their ‘birth’ is a bit complicated, and it relies on differential ablation. Basically, for penitentes to form, the dew point has to be below freezing. As a result, the snow will sublimate, which requires more energy than melting. The geometry of the surface provides a positive feedback mechanism for radiation, which is trapped by multiple reflections, creating hollows. These hollows, combined with wind that increases the dew point temperatures provide the right conditions for the sublimation to create the steep walls and peaks.

Supercells

Supercells are rotating updrafts within severe thunderstorms; they’re big, and bloody scary.

They can appear anywhere in the world given the right meteorological conditions, but most of the times they appear in the Great Plains of the US, last generally 2-3 hours and they sometimes split in 2, with the two resulting storms going in opposite directions.

The supercells usually produce huge amounts of hail, torrential rainfall, strong winds, and substantial downbursts and they are often carriers of giant hail. There are a whole lot of technical details left to be said, but I’m not gonna stress that here (maybe in a future post), find the anatomy of a supercell here. Scientists have given quite an interest in supercells, because, as you could have guessed from the pics, they’re really dangerous. Really.

Ice Circles

Ice Circles are pretty much what you’d expect from them.

However, they’re very rare, appearing only in slow moving waters from cold climates such as Northern Europe or America, but some have also been spotted in Britain, including a huge one bigger than 3 meters. There are two types of ice circles. Here’s the general necessary conditions for the first type to form.

No rain and temperatures below 0 Celsius for several days near a slow river bend. Thus, the water creates a force that is called ‘rotational shear’ and breaks a chunk of ice, twisting it around and grinding it to the surrounding ice, turning it into a perfect circle.

The second type is perhaps even more spectacular. Also called ice pans, these formations are basically surface slabs of ice that form in the middle of the river, and not on its side. They’re explained by sudden shifts of temperature. As the water cools off, it gives away heat that creates frazil ice (randomly oriented ice needles loose in the water). These ice particles can of course form an ice pan, and if the lake has enough frazil ice and the current is slow enough, the ice pan can reach the sizes that baffle people and even become a hanging dam.

beauty

2010-11-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Nature reveals its beauty in various forms; deserts, mountains, cliffs, forests, caves, valleys, rocks, islands, waterfalls, springs, oceans and others. Hope you enjoy this tour of beautiful places that take us into a different world – the world of mother nature.

In fact, we had done an article on Ten of the most beautiful places in the world a few days earlier; however, based on the response of our visitors showing interest in other places, we felt there is a lot missing and decided to bring more beauty your way.

Valley Swat- Pakistan

Photo by AamerJaved

Swat Valley is a beautiful piece of paradise, it is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. With high mountains, green meadows, and clear lakes, it is a place of great natural beauty that used to be popular with tourists as “the Switzerland of Pakistan”.

The Fairy Meadows – Pakistan

Photo by Ch. Khawar

Photo by jonmartin ()

The Fairy Meadows is a lush green plateau in foot gin of Nanga Parbat peak, Pakistan. It is the best place to view the majestic beauty of Nanga Parbat. Willy Merkl, the leader of the 1932 German-American expedition, named it Fairy Meadow due to its wonderful scenery.

Baltoro Glacier – Pakistan

Photo by Robert Dumas

Photo by ivpavlov

The Baltoro Glacier, at over 70km long, is one of the longest in the world and continually flanked by huge rock spires. At its source at Concordia lie some of the tallest mountains in the world. It’s dangerous beauty can’t be overestimated, the scenery is amazing.

Amazon Rainforest – Amazon Basin, South America

Amazon rainforest is the thickest rainforest that spans over a billion acres and encompasses areas in Brazil (60%), Peru (13%), Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Guyana, Bolivia, French Guiana and Suriname. The concentration of wildlife is very high and new species or subspecies of existing species continues to be discovered almost all the time. The majestic beauty and timelessness of this awe-inspiring tropical rainforest is indescribable in words and should be experienced.

Sognafjord (Sogne Fjord) – Norway

The second longest fjord (an inset of the sea between steep slopes) in the world and the largest in Norway, the magnificence of this has to be experienced for the magnitude to be understood. Reaching to more than 1,300 meters below sea level and above 2,000 meters above sea level, the sparkling water, the beautiful cliff faces and the picturesque villages make this a must visit place for nature lovers.

The Himalayas – Asia

This spectacle of awesome dimensions …the 3000 kilometer long towering mountain range with tiers of rock, ranges upon ranges, sky scraping peaks and canyons, is the planet’s highest mountain system and includes the world’s highest peaks; Mount Everest and K2. It stretches through Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. This is where earth meets the sky!

Yosemite Valley – California

The incomparable beauty of nature changing colors with seasons and the sigh of breeze in the pines can only be experienced at Yosemite Valley (Pronounced Yo-seh-mit-tea). Yosemite Valley is part of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This alpine valley offers incredible natural beauty and is just one mile in width and eight miles long with vertical granite walls rising above 2000 feet on either side. Nine ethereal waterfalls cascade into the valley. Wilderness hiking trails are as long as 800 miles.

The Niagara Falls – Ontario, Canada and New York, United States

Massive and beautiful waterfalls on the Niagara River, they are also famous for being a source of hydroelectric power. These falls are divided into three drops; Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls on the American side. These falls are said to have been formed at the end of the last ice age. These waterfalls may not be the highest but are certainly wide and the most powerful in North America.

Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa

Ernest Hemingway described this mountain as, “as wide as all the world, great, high and unbelievably white,” in his book, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.”

The roof of Africa as it is called is the world’s tallest free-standing mountain and a dormant stratovolcano. The Kibo Summit at the top of the mountain is one among the few peaks of Africa that still have glaciers.

Mamanuca Islands – Fiji

They are 20 islands in total. These beautiful islands of Mamanuca are varied; while some are small and can be walked around in a few minutes, others may take days to explore. For those who love nature and water bodies, these islands are a paradise with miles and miles of lilley snow white sand and beautiful turquoise blue beaches.

Sahara Sunset – Sahara Desert

While the Sahara Desert is a wonderful place to see for the wide expanse of sand dunes, the sunset there is sure to take your breath away. A night spent camping on the sand dunes of this three-million year old desert, watching the sky change colors at dusk, is a dream come true for any nature lover.

Natural Springs and Limestone Cliffs of Pamukkale – Turkey

The Turkish people call it the eighth wonder of the world and people who visit the place do not argue. Pamukkale is one of nature’s wonders, with hot pools and white cliffs. The water flowing down the cliffs has turned the place into an exotic white cotton color with stalactites and basins. This elaborate calcium formation is the largest of its kind, spreading miles and miles. The pristine surroundings are not only emotionally but physically cathartic. The water is believed to be therapeutic, curing various maladies. In spite of being filled with tourists, it still retains the old world charm and peace that we long for.

Beautiful Earth

2010-11-02T18:38:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Beautiful Earth

View more presentations from jaimelavie.

10 Dangerous animals

2010-10-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

10. The Bear

As humans, we share our world with many different species and animals. I am going to take you on adventure showing you the 10 most dangerous animals in the world! 10. The Bear Like Yogi Bear, bears can be your best friend and make you just want to cuddle with them. But in the wild, are they the same way? Bears are extremely dangerous met 1 on 1 in the wild which gets them the #10 spot in most dangerous animal.

Fatalities a year: 5-10

Image via Wikipedia

9.The Shark

As children, we were all raised to be scared of sharks. From the blood and teeth in the movies, we would hate them. Well, sharks aren’t as bad as they are in the movies but they sure are nasty killers.

Fatalities per year:About 100

8. The Jellyfish

Jellyfish are interesting but extremely scary creatures. From big and annoying jellyfish to extremely small, deadly ones, jellyfish make their way to #8. When making contact, the jellyfish’s tentacles can paralyze a human and manifests itself as cardiac arrest.

Fatalities a year: About 100

Image via Wikipedia

7. The Hippopotamus

Mostly found in Africa, the hippopotamus is a large ruthless animal that lives in water and land. Its mouth can open up to 4 feet and can crush like a sledgehammer. With these characteristics, it is bound to make it into the #7 spot.

Fatalities a year:100-150

6. The Elephant

Despite their friendly appearance and cleverness, elephants have been known to attack without warning, sometimes killing zookeepers whom they’ve known for 15 years. With their size and huge tusks, it is easy to imagine why the elephant made it to spot #6.

Fatalities a year:300-500

Image via Wikipedia

5. The Crocodile

Mostly found in Africa and Australia, the crocodile is one of the world’s most deadliest animals. The crocodile has an amazing speed and bone-crushing jaw force. One meal will last it a while so it can wait under water to plan it’s next attack.

Fatalities a year: 600-800

4. Big Cats

Animals such as lions, tigers and jaguars all fall into #4. With outrageous speeds, you are sure to be caught if you take the risky chance and run(if you do ever fall in to that situation, do not turn and run and rather look it in the eyes and open your coat to make you look bigger).

Fatalities a year: About 800

3. The Scorpion

Though much smaller than most of the creatures behind it, the scorpion has a venomous sting. The scorpion most likely causes more fatalities than recorded due to the fact that the attacks occur in isolated places as it is their habitat.

Fatalities a year:800-2000

2. Venomous Snakes

More than 450 species of snakes are venomous and 250 capable of killing a man enlarging the chance of a snake you encounter to be extremely dangerous. Attacks occur mostly in Africa, Asia and North America. Humans are a great prey for venomous snakes due to the bloodstream. Once injected with venom, it runs through your whole body.

Fatalities a year:50-125,000

Image via Wikipedia

AND THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR…….

1. The Mosquito

I bet you were expecting the most vicious most scary animal but the biggest killer in the whole world… is the mosquito. Thanks to its ability to spread diseases with an alarming efficiency, the mosquito makes its way into #1. Best known for spreading Malaria, mosquitoes also spread elephantiasis, yellow fever and West Nile Virus.

Fatalities a year:2-3 million (wow)

(humans)

Poisonous Animals

2010-10-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

1. Box Jellyfish

(Image credits: jlambusphotography)

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 panty 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

(Image credits: Enygmatic-Halycon)

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

(Image credits: Wikipedia)

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

(Image credits: Tom Weilenmann)

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 most venomous 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

(Image credits: furryscaly)

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

(Image credits: laszlo-photo)

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 Sea to the Queensland Great Barrier Reef.

7. The Brazilian wandering spider

(Image credits: Wikipedia)

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 erections lasting for many hours that lead to impotence.

8. Inland Taipan

(Image credits: kleinmatt66)

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

(Image credits: ucumari)

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 probably the 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

(Image credits: Wikipedia)

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 very poisonous 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.

Best Pictures of Nature

2010-10-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

Nature is all around us, and its beauties are unlimited. Luckily, there are still people in the world who see this beauty and choose to share it with those of us that are too busy to normally take notice. They take what seems like the ordinary and present it to us in a way that shows us the elegance, the magnificence and the amazing that is on this rock we call Earth. This post features 30 most beautiful examples of nature photography captured by most talented photographers of the world .

30 Photos

Photo credit 1 to 4: Tony Hadley

Photo credit: Cherlyn

Photo credit: Uros Kricka

Photo credit: Xiang Gao

Photo credit: Vancea Dorin

Photo credit: Dimitris Vasiliou

Photo credit: Chris Stachura

Photo credit: ~black-moon16

Photo credit: Karl Schuler

Photo credit: ^kkart

Photo credit: ~jorgegaep200

Photo credit: ~derDommy

Photo credit: ~hungry-vampire-f

Photo credit: Diabos

Photo credit: Tony Georgiadis

Photo credit: Samir Kurtagic

Photo credit: Dr. Didi Baev

Photo credit: Drew Nguyen

Photo credit: Pasi Maenpaaf

Photo credit: Dave Wiens

Photo credit: Lennart. K.V. Bardal

Photo credit: ~keirajenta

Photo credit: Ernest W

Photo credit: WVUARTIST

Photo credit: Emily Alkema

Photo credit: Roger Leekam

Photo credit: ~m-ozgur

MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACHES IN THE WORLD

2010-10-18T19:07:00.001-07:00

10. Whitehaven, Australia

7 Kilometers of cleanest white sand beach in one of the most isolated coast in the world would certainly be sufficient for our relaxing need. Isn’t It? Sunglasses is a necessity at this beach because the sand is truly white.

Whitehaven beach, Australia

9. Tulum Beach, Mexico

One of the first resorts in Mexico. Perhaps hundreds years ago also had been used by the Mayan as a resort as well. Ever dream of swimming in the white sandy beach, calm and relax accompanied by a Background of mayan pyramid? Here your dream come true. You can also Escape into wonderful Villa La Estancia Puerto Vallarta resort and enjoy the vacation.

Tulum Beach, Mexico

8. Mnemba Lodge, Tanzania

Most beautiful beaches in Africa continent, although not located in mainland of Africa. The trip to this beach is not easy, but if you have reached on this beach, everything seemed to be valuable with the relaxing white sand and very beautiful beach.

Mnemba Lodge, Tanzania

7. Lanikai Beach, Hawaii

This beach is not so large, but this is a beach with the clearest water and cleanest blue in hawaii. Complete with view of two small islands called Mokuluas in the distance. Good Bye Waikiki!

Lanikai Beach, Hawaii

6. Kondoi, Coral beach Okinawa, Japan

Okinawa. the safest islands in the world. the door here is never locked. 3 of 10 the oldest human in the world live in these islands. Very relaxing atmosphere results from the atmosphere of a typical Japanese countryside combined with beautiful beaches. Magnificent! Just one thing need consideration, It’s expensive place.

Kondoi Coral beach, Okinawa, Japan

5. Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda

Bermuda is one of the most expensive place for beach tour in the world. But that didn’t stop thousands of tourists come to visit this island every year. The friendly weather, friendly calm water and waves, crystal clear water, and the pink sand make Horseshoey Bay almost unparalleled with the rest beach of this planet. This is the best beach and island in Caribbean!

Horseshoe Bay Bermuda

4. Boracay, Philippines

Boracay is an island in the Philippines that located about 200 miles south of Manila and 2 kms from the northwest tip of Panay island in the Visayas Region in Philippines. In 1990, It was elected by the BMW Tropical Beach Handbook as one of the best beaches in the world and again in 1996 by the British publication TV Quick as the world’s number one tropical beach.

Boracay, Philippines

3. Anguilla

Ranked first in the top 10 World Best beaches of 2005 by the Discovery Channel Travel and Adventure certainly not a nonsense. Anguilla has it all. Quiet, clean, modern, complete with little island life that really “Carribean”.

Anguilla

2. Maldives

The best calm beach in the world. Beautiful, quiet, modern and secluded. The very rare combination found on the beaches in the world. Welcome to Maldives.

Maldives

1. Fernando De Noronha, Brazil

Fernando De Noronha, is is an archipelago of 21 islands and islets in theAtlantic Ocean, around 220 miles offshore from the Brazilian coast.Probably the most beautiful beaches in the world where only a few people know about it. Fernando De Noronha is One of the Unesco World Heritage Site as “the most beautiful marine park in the World”.

Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

AMAZING TEMPLES IN THE WORLD

2010-10-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

More than a quarter of all people in the world belong to Eastern religions, which include Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Taoism. These people worship in temples, which are architecturally as diverse as the religions are different from each other. From the ancient ruins of Ankor Wat to the distinctly modern Wat Rong Khun, there are hundreds if not thousands of amazing temples in the world. Here they are, in no particular order:

Tiger’s Nest Monastery

Tiger’s Nest Monastery, perched precariously on the edge of a 3,000-feet-high cliff in Paro Valley, is one of the holiest places in Bhutan. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche , the second Buddha, flew onto the cliff on the back of a tigress, and then meditated in a cave which now exists within the monastery walls.

The monastery, formally called Taktshang Goemba, was built in 1692 and reconstructed in 1998 after a fire. Now, the monastery is restricted to practicing Buddhists on religious retreats and is off-limits to ordinary tourists.

Wat Rong Khun

Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai, Thailand is unlike any Buddhist temples in the world. The all-white, highly ornate structure gilded in mosaic mirrors that seem to shine magically, is done in a distinctly contemporary style. It is the brainchild of renowned Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat.

Actually, the temple is still under construction. Chalermchai expects it will take another 90 years to complete, making it the Buddhist temple equivalent of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain!

Prambanan

Prambanan is a Hindu temple in Central Java, Indonesia. The temple was built in 850 CE, and is composed of 8 main shrines and 250 surrounding smaller ones.

Nearly all the walls of the temple are covered in exquisite bas relief carvings, which narrate stories of Vishnu’s incarnations, adventures of Hanuman the Monkey King, the Ramayana epic and other legends.

Though not the biggest temple in Indonesia , Prambanan makes up in beauty and grace for what it lacks in size.

Shwedagon Pagoda

No one knows exactly when the Shwedagon Paya (or Pagoda) in Myanmar was built - legend has it that it is 2,500 years old though archaeologists estimate that it was built between the 6th and 10th century.

Now, when people say "golden temple" they usually mean that the structure is golden in color. But when it comes to the Shwedagon Pagoda, golden literally means covered in gold! In the 15th century, a queen of the Mon people donated her weight in gold to the temple. This tradition continues until today, where pilgrims often save for years to buy small packets of gold leafs to stick to the temple walls.

As if all that gold wasn’t enough, the spire of the stupa or dome is covered with over 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 rubies (there’s even a 76 carat diamond at the very tip!). And oh, the temple housed one of the holiest relics in Buddhism: eight strands of Buddha’s hair.

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven is a Taoist temple in Beijing, the capital of China. The temple was constructed in 14th century by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty (who also built the Forbidden City) as his personal temple, where he would pray for good harvest and to atone for the sins of his people.

The Temple’s architecture is quite interesting: everything in the temple, which represents Heaven, is circular whereas the ground levels, which represent the Earth, are square.

Chion-in Temple

Chion-in Temple was built in 1234 CE to honor the founder of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism, a priest named Honen, who fasted to death in the very spot. At one point in time, the complex had 21 buildings but due to earthquakes and fire, the oldest surviving building is from the 17th century.

Visitors to the Chion-in Temple must first pass through the largest gate in Japan: the two-story San-mon Gate. The temple bell is also a record setter: it weighs 74 tons and needs 17 monks to ring it during the New Year celebrations.

Another interesting feature of the Chion-in Temple is the "singing" floor of the Assembly Hall. Called a uguisu-bari or nightingale floor, the wooden planks were designed to creak at every footstep to alert the monks of intruders!

Borobudur

In the 19th century, Dutch occupiers of Indonesia found a massive ancient ruin deep in the jungles of Java. What they discovered was the complex of Borobudur, a gigantic structure built with nearly 2 million cubic feet (55,000 m³) of stones. The temple has nearly 2,700 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.

Until today, no one knows for sure when and why it was built, nor the reason for its complete abandonment hundreds of years ago. Some scholars believe that Borobudur is actually a giant textbook of Buddhism, as its bas reliefs tell the story of the life of Buddha and the principles of his teachings. To "read," a pilgrim must make his way through nine platforms and walk a distance of over 2 miles.

Golden Temple

The Harmandir Sahib (meaning The Abode of God) or simply the Golden Temple in Punjab, India is the most sacred shrine of Sikhism. For the Sikhs, the Golden Temple symbolizes infinite freedom and spiritual independence.

The site of the Temple began with a small lake that was so peaceful that even Buddha came there to meditate. Thousands of years later, Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism also lived and meditate by the lake.

Construction of the Golden Temple began in the 1500s, when the fourth Guru of Sikhism enlarged the lake that became Amritsar or Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, around which the temple and the city grew. The Temple itself is decorated with marble sculptures, gilded in gold, and covered in precious stones.

Vishnu Temple of Srirangam

The Temple of Srirangam (Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple), in the Indian city of Tiruchirapalli (or Trichy), is the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world.

The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, one of three Gods in Hinduism. Legend has it that a long time ago, a sage rested and put down a statue of Vishnu reclining on a great serpent. When he was ready to resume his journey, he discovered that the statue couldn’t be moved, so a small temple was built over it. Over centuries, the temple "grew" as larger ones were built over the existing buildings.

The temple complex is massive: it encompasses an area of over 150 acres (63 hectares) with seven concentric walls, the outermost being about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long! The walls demarcate enclosures within enclosures, each more sacred than the next, with the inner-most enclosure is forbidden to non-Hindus.

The Temple of Srirangam is famous for its gopurams or entrances beneath colorful pyramids. The temple has 21 gopurams total, with the largest one having 15 stories and is nearly 200 feet (60 m) tall.

Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Bayon

Last but definitely not least is the largest temple in history and the inspiration to countless novels and action movies of Hollywood: Ankor Wat.

Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century in what is now Cambodia. The world famous temple was first a Hindu one, dedicated to Vishnu. In the 14th or 15th century, as Buddhism swept across Asia, it became a Buddhist temple.

The Western world’s got a glimpse of Angkor Wat when a 16th century Portuguese monk visited the temple and eloquently described it as "of such extraordinary construction that it is not possible to describe it with a pen, particularly since it is like no other building in the world. It has towers and decoration and all the refinements which the human genius can conceive of." His words still rang true today.

Tourists visiting Angkor Wat usually also visit the nearby ruins of Angkor Thom and Bayon , two fantastic temples that serve as the ancient capital of Khmer empire.

Flowers

2010-10-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Flowers In The World

Canna
Cannas not only feature pretty blossoms, but also beautiful leaves (often likened to that of the banana plant) that come in a variety of stunning colors. Popularized in Victorian times, Cannas are popular garden plants.

Cherry Blossom
The unofficial flower of Japan, the spectacular display of blossoms that arrive in the spring are celebrated by festivals both in Japan and the U.S. The most popular colors are white and pink. They are beautiful while on the trees and remain a stunning sight even after carpeting the ground.

Colorado Columbine
Growing high in the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Columbine is a welcome reward for the enterprising climbers of Colorado's 14,000-foot high mountains. Picking one in the wild carries a fine ($5-$50 depending on the Ranger who catches you)!

Hydrangea
Magical snowball puffs in fall: gorgeous. The clusters of star-shaped blossoms, often found in delicate pastel hues, embody innocence. They are popular in wedding bouquets and as garden flowers.

Lily of the Valley
A delicate and fragrant sign of spring, the Lily of the Valley has inspired a number of legends. One such Christian legend explains that the tears that Mary shed at the cross turned to Lilies of the Valley, prompting the flower to sometimes be referred to as "Our Lady's Tears." Another legend tells of Lilies of the Valley springing from the blood of St. George during his battle with the dragon.

Calla Lily
While visually stunning and elegant, this beautiful flower is actually a member the poisonous species, Zantedeschia. All parts of the plant are highly toxic, with the capability to kill livestock and children if ingested.

Black Eyed Susan
The black eyed susan, a cheerful wildflower, is a perennial that serves as a beautiful back drop in any garden. The contrast of the bright gold yellow petals and dark middle makes it any easy one to spot and recognize. This official drink of the Preakness stakes horse race is named after this flower, consisting of 2 parts Bourbon whiskey, 1 part citrus vodka, 3 parts sweet & sour mix, one part orange juice and garnished with orange and a cocktail cherry.

Bleeding Heart
These whimsical, almost fairy-like blossoms are a traditional favorite in shady gardens. The flowers are either red, pink or white and appear in April-June.

Blue Bells
In spring, many European woods are covered by dense carpets of this flower; these are commonly referred to as "bluebell woods". It is thought that they were named by the romantic poets of the 19th century, who felt they symbolized solitude and regret.

Lantana
These delicate flowers, with their pink and yellow petals, are butterfly magnets. The bush can grow to be quite large and the color of the petals change as the plant ages. Beware - Lantana is considered a weed by many that is quite difficult to get rid of.

Rose
Roses are one of the most romantic and wonderfully scented of flowers. The giving of roses is steeped in tradition and cultural meaning, from the yellow rose of friendship to the deep red rose of true love.

Oriental Poppy
This perennial poppy has a delicate and striking color. After flowering in the spring, their foliage dies back entirely, only to grow new leaves once again with the autumn rains. The Oriental Poppy is the flower of The Wizard of Oz.

Mussaenda erythrophylla (Ashanti Blood, Red Flag Bush, Tropical Dogwood)
These plants are native to the Old World tropics, from West Africa through the Indian sub-continent, Southeast Asia and into southern China. The beautiful red and yellow petals are a real showstopper. A favorite of not only of gardeners, but also butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

Begonia
The first Begonia was introduced into England in 1777. Now one of the most popular flowers grown in the United States, Begonias are prized for their flowers as well as their leaves. This versatile plant can be grown either inside or out.

Ixora
Ixora flowers, also commonly called West Indian Jasmine, are often used in Hindu worship, as well as in Indian folk medicine. This plant has traditionally been associated with enhanced sexuality and the re-kindling of passion. Who wouldn't want that as a gift!

Dendrobium
Dendrobium is a large genus of tropical orchids that include over a thousand species. The sprays of flowers are so delicate and yet so perfectly formed, they appear magical.

land animals

2010-10-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

Binturong

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The Binturong, also known as the Bearcat, lives in forests from Himalayas to the Philippines. For their stature and walking, these animal has obtained the interesting nickname – Bearcat, because it truly seems that they have characteristics of both the animals. Binturongs are fairly large in size, reaching 61-97 in length,...

Edible Dormouse

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It’s not often that an animal is named “edible”, and although it may seem rather barbaric, the truth is that in Ancient Rome these Dormice were deliberately bred in special farms, and when a celebration was coming near, they were fed with acorns and chestnuts and then served as a delicacy. Nowadays, this animal,...

Ring-tailed Lemur

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The Ring-tailed Lemur has obtained its name for the long, fluffy tail with black and white stripes. They are one of the lemur species endemic to Madagascar, which means only there do they live in the wild. They are very interesting animals, and as many natives know, they can emit a variety of sounds – squeaking, hissing, or...

Common Dormouse

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The Common Dormouse is a nocturnal predator. This animal spends the night in a tree cavity, thick bushes or a nest. These small mammals inhabit deciduous and mixed type forests in all parts of Europe, except Ireland, Finland and the Iberian Peninsula. Common Dormice were often mistaken to be a small squirrel – the animal reaches...

Geoffroy’s Tamarin

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Also known as the Panamanian, Red-crested or Rufous-naped Tamarin, the Geoffroy’s Tamarin is a black and white tamarin species with a reddish nape. Geoffroy’s Tamarin is found in Panama and Colombia, and some researchers treat it as a subspecies to the cottontop tamarin. However, research actually indicates that they...

Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey

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Also known as the black-handed spider monkey, Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey originates from parts of Mexico and possibly Colombia. There are 5 subspecies of Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey and some primatologists actually classify the black-headed spider monkey as the same species as Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey. Look up! The 5...

Red-faced Spider Monkey

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The Red-faced spider monkey, also known as the Guiana spider monkey, is found in the northern areas of South America in Brazil to Guyana, as well as French Guiana. Its name comes from its striking appearance, as this black spider monkey has a glossy black coat, black face, and pink muzzle. A red-faced spider monkey They are highly...

Black-headed Spider Monkey

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The black-headed spider monkey is a type of monkey found in Panama, Columbia, and Ecuador. There are 2 subspecies of the black-headed spider monkey: Ateles fusciceps fusciceps – Ecuador Ateles fusciceps rufiventris – southwest Colombia to eastern Panama Curious black-headed spider monkey The Ateles fusciceps fusciceps...

Cotton-Top Tamarin

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Also known as the Pinche Tamarin, the Cottontop Tamarin is a small monkey from South America. It is so light, that this little creature weighs a mere 500 grams! It lives around the edges of tropical rainforests as well as secondary forests. This little creature weighs only 500 grams! This species of tamarins are about the same size...

Spider Monkey

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Spider monkeys are found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. There are 7 types of spider monkeys in the world. Their name derives from their disproportionate long limbs and long tail, which makes them one of the largest monkeys in this region. In fact, their long tail becomes like a 5th hand! Spider monkey in...

Brushtail Possum

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The Brushtail Possum is one of the most widely known Australian marsupials, that is – a mammal with a pouch. Initially, they lived only in Australia, but in 1858 they were also introduced to New Zealand, where their numbers have grown to 25 million. These small mammals live in the trees and in the past they were a common target...

Cottontop Tamarin

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Cottontail Tamarins have a very unusual appearance, as well as an extremely good abilities to adapt to living in captivity, which is why these animals have become very popular for holding in zoos. The animal’s Latin name (Oedipus) means “on swollen legs” refers to the tamarin’s long, woolly extremities. These tamarins are...

Blue Monkeys

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The Blue Monkey is an elusive and rather shy inhabitant of the African jungle. Despite their name, the Blue Monkeys aren’t actually blue, but gray instead. Their habitat ranges from the Eastern part of South Africa up to Zimbabwe, Kenya and Kongo. Blue Monkeys are among the largest members of the monkey family and are known...

Pigtail Macaque

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The Pigtail Macaque is one of the biggest members of the monkey family. As the name suggests, this monkey has a short tail, which is often rolled up and raised in the air. They have a rather imposing, if not daunting looks, but actually these monkeys are highly intelligent and can easily be tamed. Despite their rather threatening...

Venezuelan Red Howler

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As the name suggests this New – World Monkey mostly inhabits territories in Venezuela. However it is also fairly common in Bolivia, parts of Brazil and Peru. Males and females are roughly the same size 1.6 – 2 feet long (50 – 60 cm) without the tail and the tail usually is the same length. Those monkeys usually...

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Creatures you dont want to meet in the ocean

2010-10-08T21:04:00.002-07:00

Here’s something to keep in mind the next time you find yourself fancying a quick swim to cool down after a hot day on the beach… 22 sea creatures that are lurking below, sharing the same waters. Keep our advice… If it’s not chlorine, stay well away!

#22 The Stargazer

The stargazers are a family Uranoscopidae of perciform fish that have eyes on top of their heads (hense the name).

#21 The Lizard Fish

The Lizardfishes are a family, the Synodontidae, of aulopiform fish. They are found in tropical and subtropical marine waters throughout the world.

#20 The Fimbriated Moray Eel

The fimbriated moray eel is of the family Muraenidae, found in the Indo-Pacific oceans, around reefs, harbours and small caves, at depths down to 45 meters.

#19 The Giant Isopod

Related to both shrimp and crabs, Giant Isopods are found deep in the cold Atlantic waters.

#18 The Viperfish

A viperfish is a deepwater fish in the genus Chauliodus, with long, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. They grow to lengths of 30 to 60 cm (12 - 24 inches).

#17 The Giant Squid

Giant squids can grow to an incredible size; estimates put the maximum size at 13 metres for females and 10 metres for males.

#16 The Saccopharyngiformes (Gulper Eel)

Due to the gulper eel's specialised body shape, it is a poor swimmer and relies on the luminescent organ at the tip of its tail to attract prey.

#15 The Angler Fish

Anglers are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, wherein a fleshy growth from the fish's head acts as a lure; this is considered analogous to angling.

#14 The Barreleye

Barreleyes are also known as the spook fish, they are small, unusual-looking deep-sea osmeriform fish comprising the family Opisthoproctidae. Found in tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans

#13 The Coffinfish

Coffinfish are bottom-dwelling fishes found on the continental slopes of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, at depths of up to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft).

#12 The Wolffish

"A face not even a mother could love" The Atlantic Wolffish, also known as the Seawolf, Atlantic catfish, ocean catfish, wolf eel, or sea cat, is a marine fish, the largest of the wolffish family Anarhichadidae.

#11 The Chimaera Fish

Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes, known informally as ghost sharks. They may be the oldest and most enigmatic groups of fishes alive today.

#10 The Axolotl

The axolotl is the best known of the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts.

#9 The Lumpfish

Living up to its name, the lumpfish has scaleless skin with a bumpy ridge down its back (which is actually a modification of the first dorsal fin) and rows of knobby protuberances, called tubercles, down each side.

#8 The Vampire Squid

The Vampire Squid, or Vampyroteuthis infernalis (which literally translates as “vampire squid from hell”), is another inhabitant of the deep sea, usually found in temperate and tropical oceans and was actually incorrectly identified as an octopus when it was first spotted.

#7 The Hagfish

Hagfish have elongated, eel-like bodies (so flexible they sometimes tie themselves in knots). They have four hearts, two brains, and a paddle-like tail.

#6 The Fangtooth

Fangtooths are deep-sea, ferocious-looking beryciform fish of the family Anoplogastridae. Found in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean.

#5 The Lamprey

A lamprey is a parasitic marine/aquatic animal with a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated directly, their name means stone lickers.

#4 The Sperm Whale

The sperm whale is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal.

#3 The Frilled Shark

The frilled shark is one of the two extant species of shark in the family Chlamydoselachidae. This uncommon species is found over the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope, generally near the bottom though there is evidence of substantial upward movements.

#2 The Piglet Squid

The Piglet Squid, Helicocranchia pfefferi, is about the size of an orange, it was named because of its tuft of bristle-like arms and tentacles and rotund shape, is normally found more than 320 feet (100m) below the surface of the ocean.

#1 Great White Shark

The great white shark, also known as white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in ALL major oceans. It becomes sexually mature at around 15 years of age and has a lifespan of 30 to over 100 years. It's arguably the world's largest known predatory fish and is the only surviving species of its genus, Carcharodon.

The un expected

2010-10-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

For all the amazing and beautiful creations nature provides us with there are always going to be the less attractive of specimens, that’s fine because that’s how nature intended them. Well, these examples are certainly not how nature intended them. Proof that even nature can get it wrong!

10 – Two Headed Kitten

Would you trust this 2 faced kitten?

9 – Seven Legged Lamb

Almost an octo-lamb

8 – Cat With Four Ears

Just try sneaking up on this cat!

7 – Two Headed Snake

Being a mutants not always bad, this snake sold for a pile of cash!

6 – Two Headed Turtle

Hopefully that is a two headed turtle, if not it must be very tight in there!

5 – Six Legged Deer

Frankenstein Bambi?

4 – Four Legged Chicken

Four legged chicken? erm... no thanks

3 – Two Headed Piglet

Rudy the 2 headed piglet

2 – Cyclops Pig

I don't know where to start with this, i think its a pig...

1 – Cyclops Kitten!

Snug as a bug in a rug, peaceful yet... menacing!

nature of dancers

2010-10-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music,^[1] used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual orperformance setting.

Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans, and is also performed by other animals (bee dance, patterns of behaviour such as a mating dance).Gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are sports that incorporate dance, whilemartial arts kata are often compared to dances. Motion in ordinarily inanimate objects may also be described as dances (the leaves danced in the wind).

Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic andmoral constraints and range from functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuosotechniques such as ballet. Dance can be participatory, social or performed for an audience. It can also be ceremonial, competitive or erotic. Dance movements may be without significance in themselves, such as in ballet or European folk dance, or have a gestural vocabulary/symbolicsystem as in many Asian dances. Dance can embody or express ideas, emotions or tell astory.

Dancing has evolved many styles. Breakdancing and Krumping are related to the hip hop culture. African dance is interpretive. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are classical styles of dance while Square and the Electric Slide are forms of step dances.

Every dance, no matter what style, has something in common. It not only involves flexibility and body movement, but also physics. If the proper physics is not taken into consideration, injuries may occur.

Choreography is the art of creating dances. The person who creates (i.e., choreographs) a dance is known as the choreographer.

Sample of dance by Philippine all star