World's Amazing Things, Facts, Pictures, Wallpapers, News

World's Rare Flowers.... Its Amazing

2010-01-10T11:28:00.007+05:30

Above is Undefind but Rare Flower

Below & Above are Undefined but..... Rare flower

Narilatha Mala

A very rare Narilatha flower at Somadasa Abeywickrema’s

house at Baddegama.

These are Narilatha Flowers

Above flower is called Fly Orchid

Above flower is Swap Pink

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Below is ARISAEMA CONSANGUINEUM (Like Cobra Head)

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Below flower is not artificial... Its Real....

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Beautiful Pink Puya

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Red Sunflowers (This photo has taken from www.pxleyes.com)

Below is the Youtan Poluo

(The smaller & thicker then your one hair)

Below is the Nepenthes Tenax

Below is the Kadupul Flower

Below is one of rarest Silversword or Ahinahina Plant

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Birds love Ylang-Ylang & so do I. Depending upon whom you ask, the name means Flower Of Flowers, Rare or Wilderness. In trad herb lore, it is a flower of Venus & the essential oil is officially recognised for langour & euphoria inducing qualities, along with the ability to help cure various ailments from motion sickness to high blood pressure. Margaret Mead noted that the South Pacific island dwellers used it liberally as an aphrodisiac, sprinkling it on beds & what-not.

Personally, i love the reek of it so much that i bung it everywhere; into big bottles of sweet almond oil to make body oil, into the sheets wash, floor wash, in an atomiser bottle to spray around as room freshener…Would cook with it if i could. The Wiki for it has this fabulous line re the scent; “The fragrance of ylang-ylang is rich and deep with notes of rubber and custard, and bright with hints of jasmine and neroli.”

And, a la the G.F.C. situation AND increasing concerns re toxic ingredients in perfumes, why not create your own concoctions with actual ingredients proven to enhance mood et al? Anyway, if you don’t have any in the house, try to snort some essential oil of Ylang-Ylang before the Full Moon & see if you do not notice the effect.

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The Plumeria Metallica Thai

Blue Bell Tunicate

Flower Power

Luscious Lotus

Orchid in the Blue

Purple Foxglove

passion flower

This is a rare / endangered species endemic to Mount Diablo.

Lachenalia viridiflora

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Bi Color pineapple lily

Shape is usually maintained through pruning, These plants grow well is most potting soil and are really easy to care for..

These flowering plants are hard to find to purchase or even to see it growing in someone’s yard, hopefully it will begin to become easier to obtain.

If you want to see more rare flowers got to www.toptropicals.com for an incredible show of exotics.

The Canary Tree is a small evergreen tree, with yellow flowers and an orange center and are so bright and beautiful as you can see in the pictures from top tropical’s.

This small tree is perfect if you want to grow this in your garden or if you decide that it’s best for you to grow them on a patio or deck in a container.

When growing this exotic house plant or as tropical garden flowers make sure to keep soil evenly moist. If it is under watered the leaves will wilt and may even fall off.

Make sure not to over water. Well drained soil is best and keeps this plant from getting too much moisture. The blooms will attract lots of butterflies and bees which I love having around my garden.Flowers help the bees with pollination which is very important for the reproduction of all plants.

This one is Abutilon grandifolium, Sida grandifolia

Even the buds of these flowers are pretty!

be a climber with thick green leaves growing up a small trellis. You will most often see this plant in hanging baskets where this magnificent plant does best with its incredible white or pink flowers draping over the sides.

The Hoya Plant needs bright light to bloom well, but will grow in medium light.

Temperatures should be between 55 and 75 degrees F.

You can grow these plants indoors in hanging pots or if you grow them outside you must live in climates where you don’t have frost in the winter warm temperatures and little humidity always helps.

For growing your plants outside you will have to use a trellis or planting sticks with tie backs, once it starts to bloom, the blooms can get heavy and may start to droop over which is fine or you can support them.

H. Ciliata

Great Picture By Martin Heigan

Macgillivaryi

H. Florde Cera

Imperialis

H. Parviflora

H. Shooting Stars

hoya SP.

Subcalvas

Compacta

Hserpens

kerrii

These pictures are thanks to toptropicals.com for awsome rare and exotic plants to purchase.

Capparis Sandwichiana the Rare Caper Plant

The pictures above are thanks to Forest and Kim Star

Now the Caper Plant Capparis Spinosa The more Common Caper

As You Can See The Flowers On Both Of These Caper Plants are Very Similar and Both Very Beautiful....

Below Flowers are called "Bleeding Heart"

This was taken at the United States Botanical Garden

Below are the Cigar Plant or Firecracker plant and ALL its colors!

Below are the beautiful pink Cuphea Cyanea

Below are Cuphea Micropetala

Below, the Candy Corn Vine

And Last but not the least...................... Rarest Photo which may u never seen before

THE PARROT FLOWER

This is a flower from Thailand .

It is also a protected species and not allowed to be exported.

This will be the only way we will be able to view this flower.

THE VERY RARE PARROT FLOWER.

Fitness hundred years ago [8 PICS]

2009-11-02T23:26:00.002+05:30

The Best of Christmas Photos From Around the Globe, 2008

2009-11-02T11:43:00.005+05:30

Christmas lights house, Melksham, England.

Vatican Mess. Benedicte XVI.

Christmas Santa sculpture made of sand, Puri, India.

School kids, Bhopal, India.

Christmas market, Nurnberg, Germany.

Christmas lights, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Christmas on US Air Base, Afghanistan.

Bird’s Nest stadium, Beijing, China.

Santa musicians plays in aquarium, Fuzhou, China.

African goat babies, Kids Crealy Adventure Park, Exeter, England.

Santa Claus skydiving, Southern Highlands, Sydney, Australia.

Adrenalin high speed boat Santas, Sydney harbour, Australia.

Christmas elephant, Jirasart school, Ayutthaya province, Thailand.

Christmas celebration, Beirut.

“Eco-friendly” Santa, Kidzania Theme Park, Tokyo, Japan.

Santa Claus parade, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Christmas fireworks near the Cathedral of Virgin Mary, Moscow, Russia.

Palestinian christian scouts outside the Church of Nativity, Bethlehem.

Indian street artist paints Jesus Christ face on the street of Kolkata, India.

Capital Holiday Tree, Washington, USA.

Santa Claus, somewhere in Laplandia.

Mountain Santa climber, near the Buckhan, South Korea.

Christmas marathon, Kioto, Japan.

Bavarian highlanders, Schoenau, Bavaria.

Christmas Place de la Concorde, Paris, France.

Christmas tree decoration, Moscow, Russia.

The L'Aquila earthquake

2009-11-02T11:20:00.003+05:30

Early Monday morning, central Italy was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake caused serious damage to several medieval hill towns in the region, killing over 260 residents, injuring over 1,000 and leaving 28,000 homeless. Despite the dangers from aftershocks, the search for survivors continues, and will be maintained until Sunday, after which the daunting tasks of cleanup and reconstruction willl begin.

Shattered roofs of collapsed houses are seen against the backdrop of snow-covered mountains after an earthquake in the Italian village of Onna April 6, 2009. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren)

An aerial view of the destruction in the city of L'Aquila, central Italy, Monday, April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake in mountainous central Italy knocked down whole blocks of buildings early Monday as residents slept - the country's deadliest quake in nearly three decades, officials said. (AP Photo/Guardia Forestale, HO)

Part of the wall of a house still stands amongst the rubble of collapsed buildings in the village of Castelnuovo, central Italy, Monday, April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The Duomo Cathedral of San Massimo is seen damaged in the town center of L'Aquila, central Italy, on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Six-year-old Sara Luce and her mother eat as they rest outdoors after an earthquake caused the collapse of St. Salvatore Hospital in Aquila April 6, 2009. (REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito)

An Italian military carabinieri walks on debris past destroyed buildings after an earthquake, in downtown Aquila April 6, 2009. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)

Rescue workers search for bodies amongst the rubble of a destroyed building on April 6, 2009 in L'Aquila, Italy. (Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)

A destroyed house is seen April 07, 2009 at the entrance of the off-limits village of Onna, near the epicenter of the April 6, 2009 earthquake in the region of the Abruzzo capital of L'Aquila. (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images)

Hands of a lifeless body lie amidst the debris of a collapsed home in the city of L'Aquila, after a strong earthquake rocked central Italy, early Monday, April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Giulio Colangeli is carried away by rescuers as his father Antonello reacts, in the city of L'Aquila early Monday, April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

Rescuers work to recover victims from inside a building overnight on April 8, 2009 in the Abruzzo capital L'Aquila. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

A view of Santa Maria Paganica church, severely damaged after the earthquake of April 7, 2009 in L'Aquila, Italy. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

A resident sleeps in a car in a yard in the Abruzzo capital L'Aquila on April 8, 2009 . (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Local people who were evacuated following a violent earthquake the day before wake up after spending the night in a shelter set up in a gymnasium of L'Aquila sport center university early on April 7, 2009. (MARIO LAPORTA/AFP/Getty Images)

A coroner carries the body of an infant to place with its mother in a coffin, after an earthquake in the Italian village of Onna April 6, 2009. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren)

Crushed cars are seen on a field in the Italian village of Onna April 7, 2009. (REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico)

Destroyed houses in the village of Onna are seen in this aerial view near L'Aquila, Italy on April 7, 2009. (REUTERS/Max Rossi)

A damaged house in the village of Castelnuovo, central Italy, following a strong earthquake, Monday, April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

An aerial view of Santa Maria Paganica church in L'Aquila, central Italy, on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, a day after a powerful earthquake struck the Abruzzo region. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A survivor sits in an ambulance a day after an earthquake struck the Italian village of Onna April 7, 2009. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren)

An entrance hall in a destroyed house is seen the morning after an earthquake struck the Italian village of Onna April 7, 2009. (REUTERS/Chris Helgren)

A rescuer continues to look for survivors in the remains of a collapsed building on April 8, 2009 in the Abruzzo capital L'Aquila. (FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

The Real Impression of Movement

2009-11-02T10:56:00.001+05:30

Looking Into the Past

2009-11-01T11:53:00.003+05:30

Images are made by finding old photographs of places, printing them out, and then holding the print up in the modern day location that the original photograph was taken. So far, most of the historical images have been available for free at the Library of Congress.

Some More Pieces of Clever Transforming Furniture

2009-11-01T11:13:00.004+05:30

Why is transforming furniture so alluring? Does it appeal to our sense that innovation is progress, the fact that fewer materials for more uses is sustainable or simply a return to the childhood love of things that we can actively change and shape as we wish? Whatever the reason, these designs range from humorous and impractical to jaw-droppingly cool. Be sure to scroll all the way down: the best (pictured briefly above) has been saved for last and check here for more unusual urban furniture.

This comfy number is not one nor two but three pieces of furniture in one: a sofa, lounger and a chair. A good deal of transforming furniture looks or feels better in one configuration or another, but this three-in-one by Roel Verhagen-Kaptein is appealing in each of its transformations.

Normally we think of convertible furniture as transforming from one useful thing into something else with a practical function. These simply elegant folding chairs by Studio Dror collapse into something you might actually want to use simply for wall decoration: a simpler refined furniture solution than sticking cheap folding chairs back into the closet.

Next time you go on a picnic with some friends you may want to grab a second basket, the so-called Mealbox by Igland Design. Fourteen puzzle pieces slip out of this simple container and assemble into a table and chairs that seat six – a humorous variation on fast food.

Compact, clever and portable, the Fence Chair by Alain Berteau is a simple blend of traditional picket fence vernacular and sustainable modularity. The repeated use of a single simple form allows for compact shipping and the seats can be split or joined as needed.

A storable box or subtle side table by all appearances, this articulated shelving system by Bertrand Pinceman folds out into a rather nice bookcase. It is designed to work both on its side and upright.

Marta Antoszkeiwicz’s design is not like most transforming furniture that relies on clever bends, twists and hidden tricks to work. This simple table and chairs set relies only on sliding pieces under and out from under one another. The result, though, is impressive: chairs that go well with the table in either configuration and don’t look like extra elements.

Similar in principle to a Murphy bed (which folds down from the wall when needed) this cabinet dining room set has everything one needs to sit down to a comfortable meal and then slides back into place. Neat as this complete furniture solution sounds, though, it isn’t clear how much space is needed behind-the-scenes to make it work.

Yellow might not be the best color, but you have to appreciate this simply brilliant Tetris-based Chairs + Table design. Aside from the sofa, bed, and chairs-and-tables configuration these also pack up nicely to be stored. The material is designed to be soft enough to be comfortable but resilient enough to work as an eating or work surface. Also, one could imagine that, with sufficient pieces, other creative furniture constructions would be possible.

We’re all familiar with beds that fold out from sofas, but few do so as easily and elegantly as this one by Flou. In Modernist tradition, the form of the bed is also partly visible in the form of the couch with each fold-out layer articulated individually.

Now this one is particularly strange: a stove and kitchen workspace that doubles as a comfortable chair? An odd combination to be sure, but it is a step in an interesting direction. This kind of out-of-the-box thinking could result in furniture that not only serves a similar function to its counterpart but that would have different purposes in various rooms around a house.

Would you believe that everything shown in the above image can be fit into a box that is less than 3 feet by 4 feet? The creative furniture within can be carried, unpacked and rapidly assembled by just two people. It probably goes without saying but: the box itself is also reused in the final results. Check out the video below to see the boxed room in action and go here to see more awesome urban furniture!

More Creative Furniture

2009-11-01T10:47:00.004+05:30

Flat pack furniture is exactly what it sounds like: furniture that starts out entirely as sheets of wood, metal or even cardboard. In addition to being clever and simply aesthetically awesome, flat pack furniture is also eco-friendly and highly creative. Without further ado, here are 20 more examples of incredibly compact and transforming flat-pack furniture for cramped urban living.

Designer Keiji Ashizawa has applied flat-pack design principles in developing his sleek set of furniture objects including the above chairs and stools. Like giant versions of 3D toy puzzles or model cars, there is a playful aspect to these powerful industrial-produced sturdy-yet-elegant metal designs.

RawStudio is the brainchild of Nick Rawcliffe, a talented designer with an impressive resume. He studied at the Bauhaus and Royal College of Art before moving to work in Japan. His furniture work is as eclectic as his background, which is difficult to pin down stylistically between his studio’s slotted and hanging chairs.

In the same puzzle-piece tradition of the above examples in wood and metal David Graas’s stool and chair designs take the best possible advantage of the strengths of cardboard to create sturdy furniture that also has a strangely unique style and come in a compact form.

The desFurniture group designs impressively simple pieces of furniture that “push the boundaries of efficiency while maintaining craftsmanship.” Much of their work is created out of a single sheet of plywood and requires no fasteners, adhesives or complex tools. These combine aspects of portable, elegant, simple and ecological furniture design. Shown above are a single-panel lounger, stool, chair and bookcase.

Similar in concept to desFurniture, students of the Ryerson School of Furniture Design created a series of creative furniture pieces each from a single 4×4 foot sheet of plywood. The above desk, laptop stand and tables were each created using this strictly limited amount of material and demonstrate an impressive range of possibilities.

So now that you’ve seen the possibilities of flat-pack design, why not build outsdie the box with a cool flat-pack house? Talk about a great conversation piece! Alternatively, for something more within reach, how about a creative flat-pack book shelf where you flip the supports open and the shelves fall into place? Another possibility for anyone with a saw and a piece of plywood: build your own!

Some Amazing Transformable, Convertible & Collapsible Urban Furniture for Cramped City Living Part-2

2009-11-01T10:43:00.004+05:30

As cities become denser, we all find ourselves wishing we had more space at times, or wanting to make better use of the space we have. Purchasing changeable furniture that adapts to different uses is one solution to this problem. The above example of the Safe Bedside Table is a more funny than useful. However, the transformable, convertible and collapsible designs below are impressively practical.

Flexible Love is an amazing piece of furniture that is ecological, adaptable and highly practical. Made of minimal and sustainable materials, this piece converts from a single-person chair into a flexible bench seating up to sixteen people. Don’t believe it? Watch it.

Tagei is a remarkably beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and somehow manages to be an attractive piece of furniture both when collapsed and extended. One could easily imagine using this as a side table and extending it into a bench for gatherings.

Scheren Regal presents an interesting shelving option. This piece would be highly portable for moves and could be used as a side table until more storage is needed, with an elegant but engineered look typical of good German design.

Futaba is a brilliantly simple design solution, and converts with amazing ease. The quick-and-easy method of transformation makes this one of the more practical transforming items listed here.

Chair Library is perhaps a little garish but would certainly work for people whose houses are already overly filled with books. The storage spaces make good overflow storage, at least, as a stop-gap measure before buying more book shelves.

Mogga is a remarkably elegant chair that turns into a table. The actually mechanical means by which it transforms is as impressive as the fact that it can so easily convert from one use to another.

Ali is a neat and simple piece of furniture that can be configured in a variety of ways. It can be folded and stored, used as a long sofa or pair of love seats or even folded flat into a bed. This seems a much more streamlined solution than many hide-a-beds.

Doc is another amazing couch-and-bed solution, but as an added bonus: this one converts into a bunk bed for two. This piece seems like a great solution for people who have visiting friends or farmily who bring children on frequent visits.

Fletcher Capstan Tables are beautifully designed and as expensive as you might expect. Still, one has to weigh the cost of one’s furniture versus the cost of more real estate. Either way, it is impressive to see these in action. Know of other collapsing, converting or transforming furniture? Feel free to share below!

7 of the Smallest Hotels and Hotel Rooms in the World: From Pipe Rooms to Capsule Hotels

2009-11-01T09:15:00.002+05:30

Think your last apartment or hotel was small? Believe it or not, there are a lot of contenders for the dubious title of smallest hotel on the planet. Some claim it by number of rooms, others by size and all are quick to defend their position. However, you can judge for yourself after taking a look at this incredible collection of the tiniest hotels in the world!

A few feet from the flowing Danube river in Germany, these cramped Das Park pipe hotel accommodation as cozy as they are tiny. Simplicity is the key word to these elegant designs, blank round pipes on the exterior and minimally finished rooms on the inside. Even better, guests get to stay in a lovely park setting and pay only what they want to.

The Yotel airport hotel is as cleverly designed as it was named, a slick luxury hotel room in a very small space. It is located incredibly close to the check-in counter at London’s Heathrow airport and comes with flat screen televisions, wireless internet and 24 hour room service. The basic idea is to blend luxury, convenience and reasonable pricing as well as clever and creative space solutions that maximize comfort and minimize space.

On the island El Hierro, a part of the Canary archipelago, sits the strange little Punta Grande stone hotel that is the opposite of luxurious. It has no amenities to speak of and sits dangerously close to the waves, which often toss up over the rocks and hit the sides of the hotel itself. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful getway for those seeking a full retreat from the typical bustle of urban living.

This one room hotel in Cambodia is arguably the most luxurious guest room in the world, or the smallest, or maybe even both. Despite having only one room this hotel has everything a normal hotel would, including a reception area, doorman and full services found in any respectable hotel setting. The single room can even be turned into a restaurant on demand.

The town of Eernum, Hollad is perhaps too eager for the title of smallest hotel in the world. As their own modest one room hotel’s website itself points out: it is the town’s only claim to fame, alongside its three cafes, candle maker an mustard museum. Nonetheless, they do boast a Guinness Book of Records spot for their curious an quaint accommodations and a crown prince’s wedding night as well.

Though most people have heard of them by now, not mentioning capsule hotels in a list of the world’s tiniest hotel rooms would be impossible. Despite their almost unbelievably small size, capsule hotel rooms can cost as much as $40 a night and often feature surprising amenities including wireless internet access and television sets. Outside of the rooms themselves, vending machines, restaurants, pools and other communal spaces can also typically be found. On a more humorous note, thrill-seeking foreigners are sometimes discouraged from staying in these, while intoxicated local businessmen too drunk to go home are welcome.

The Phillips so-called “One Star Is Born” high-tech hotel project may be the wave of the future, based as much on economic savings as on technological innovation. The Citizenm hotel in Amsterdam is a test version including ready-made rooms that are jacked into a grid when a customer arrives and set to their preset preferences. In theory, this will provide greater customization for the user while reducing costs.

Amazing Mehndi Designs Part -2

2009-11-01T08:59:00.002+05:30

Amazing Mehndi Designs Part -1

2009-10-31T23:28:00.005+05:30

Hong Kong International Airport.... World's Best

2009-10-31T23:25:00.004+05:30

The Hong Kong International Airport was named the world's best for the seventh year in an annual survey of passengers, with Asian airports dominating the top positions in the list. The annual survey conducted by Skytrax, a U.K. based consultancy, judges airports on more than 40 categories, ranking them after collecting 8.2 million questionnaires completed by passengers over a 10 month period. The passengers judged 190 airports on factors like shopping, dining, staff courtesy, baggage delivery and wait-times at security, reports the Age.com.au. Hong Kong, with its reputation for efficiency and comfort, bested airports in Singapore and Seoul, South Korea, which ranked second and third respectively. Also in the top 10 were airports in Kansai, Japan, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Airports in Europe - Munich, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; Zurich, Switzerland; and Helsinki, Finland - took most of the remaining top spots. Cape Town, South Africa rounded out the list at No.10. Missing from the list were any airports in the United States.

world's best dazzling Christmas lights

2009-10-31T15:04:00.002+05:30

Is this spectacular splash of colour the world's best Christmas lights display?

Over 20,000 multi-coloured lights and five miles of cable were used to light up the Denver City and County Building.

The amazing annual illumination is thought to be one of the largest in the world and dates back to 1935.

Amazing Young Body Builder

2009-10-29T00:13:00.002+05:30

Amazing Young bodybuilder Richard Sandrak

He started to lift weighs when he was only 6 years old.
When he was 10, all his friends with whom he attended sport respected him for what he was capable of doing.
Now he is 16 years old and he doesn’t think to stop.

Amazing Bottle Art

2009-10-29T00:04:00.003+05:30

Amazing Eiffel Tower photomontage.... Amazing, Best, Awsome, Funny, Intresting...

2009-10-29T00:01:00.001+05:30

10 world's best ever quotes by famous people.

2009-10-28T23:38:00.002+05:30

MOST AMAZING EXTINCT ANIMALS

2009-10-28T23:22:00.001+05:30

1. Tyrannosaurus Rex (extinct 65 million years ago)

Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the largest land carnivores of all time, measuring up to 43.3 feet long, and 16.6 ft tall, with an estimated mass that goes up to 7 tons. Like other tyrannosaurids, Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to the large and powerful hindlimbs, Tyrannosaurus forelimbs were small and they retained only two digits.

Fossils of T. rex have been found in North American rock formations dating to the last three million years of the Cretaceous Period at the end of the Maastrichtian stage, approximately 68.5 to 65.5 million years ago; it was among the last dinosaurs to exist prior to the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event. More than 30 specimens of T. rex have been identified, some of which are nearly complete skeletons. Some researchers have discovered soft tissue as well. The abundance of fossil material has allowed significant research into many aspects of its biology, including life history and biomechanics.

2. Quagga: half zebra, half horse (extinct since 1883)

One of Africa's most famous extinct animals, the quagga was a subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid marks on the front part of the body only. In the mid-section, the stripes faded and the dark, inter-stripe spaces became wider, and the hindquarters were a plain brown. The name comes from a Khoikhoi word for zebra and is onomatopoeic, being said to resemble the quagga's call.

The quagga was originally classified as an individual species, Equus quagga, in 1788. Over the next fifty years or so, many other zebras were described by naturalists and explorers. Because of the great variation in coat patterns (no two zebras are alike), taxonomists were left with a great number of described "species", and no easy way to tell which of these were true species, which were subspecies, and which were simply natural variants. Long before this confusion was sorted out, the quagga had been hunted to extinction for meat, hides, and to preserve feed for domesticated stock. The last wild quagga was probably shot in the late 1870s, and the last specimen in captivity died on August 12, 1883 at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam.

Because of the great confusion between different zebra species, particularly among the general public, the quagga had become extinct before it was realized that it appeared to be a separate species. The quagga was the first extinct creature to have its DNA studied. Recent genetic research at the Smithsonian Institution has demonstrated that the quagga was in fact not a separate species at all, but diverged from the extremely variable plains zebra.

3. Thylacine: The Tasmanian Tiger (extinct since 1936)

The Thylacine was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. Native to Australia and New Guinea, it is thought to have become extinct in the 20th century. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger (due to its striped back), and also known as the Tasmanian Wolf, and colloquially the Tassie (or Tazzy) Tiger or simply the Tiger. It was the last extant member of its genus, Thylacinus, although a number of related species have been found in the fossil record dating back to the early Miocene.

The Thylacine became extinct on the Australian mainland thousands of years before European settlement of the continent, but survived on the island of Tasmania along with a number of other endemic species such as the Tasmanian Devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributory factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat. Despite being officially classified as extinct, sightings are still reported.

4. Irish Deer: the largest deer that ever lived (extinct about 7,700 years ago)

The Irish Elk or Giant Deer, was the largest deer that ever lived. It lived in Eurasia, from Ireland to east of Lake Baikal, during the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene. The latest known remains of the species have been carbon dated to about 5,700 BC, or about 7,700 years ago. The Giant Deer is famous for its formidable size (about 2.1 meters or 7 feet tall at the shoulders), and in particular for having the largest antlers of any known cervid (a maximum of 3.65 meters/12 feet from tip to tip and weighing up to 90 pounds).

Discussion of the cause of their extinction has still focused on the antlers (rather than on their overall body size), which may be due more to their impact on the observer than any actual property. Some have suggested hunting by man was a contributing factor in the demise of the Irish Elk as it was with many prehistoric megafauna, even assuming that the large antler size restricted the movement of males through forested regions or that it was by some other means a "maladaptation". But evidence for overhunting is equivocal, and as a continental species, it would have co-evolved with humans throughout its existence and presumably have adapted to their presence.

WORLD'S FIRST BUTTERFLY GARDEN IN AN AIRPORT

2009-10-28T23:19:00.001+05:30

Be captivated by the ethereal beauty of butterflies at the world’s first Butterfly Garden in an airport. Located in the Transit Mall of singapore's Changi Airport Terminal 3, the garden is designed as a tropical nature retreat to create a tropical butterfly habitat.

This magical attraction features different topical butterfly specimens at different periods of the year within a seemingly natural environment.

Educational Corners within the garden enable visitors to gain a deeper understanding of butterflies. Individual enclosures allow visitors to witness the breeding and feeding of butterflies at a close range. One can even witness butterflies leaving their pupae and preparing to take their first flight in the Emergence Enclosure!

Possessing an ethereal beauty that is both uplifting and inspirational, these colourful tropical butterflies are sure to brighten up your day.

WAVE ROCKS

2009-10-28T23:17:00.001+05:30

The Wave is a sandstone formation on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, located in northern portion of the U.S. state of Arizona, just south of the Utah-Arizona border about halfway between Kanab, Utah and Arizona.

This formation can be reached by hiking approximately 3 miles across rugged, trailless landscape, making the round-trip to and from The Wave a nearly 6-mile hike that climbs about 350 feet (107 meters) in altitude. Temperatures in this area easily climb above 100 F in the summer, so it is best to start the hike early. It is recommended to carry 1 gallon of water per person and lunch.

The Wave itself is worth exploring in great detail. The soft sandstone is fragile, so one needs to walk carefully to not break the small ridges. A good time for photographing the Wave is the few hours around midday when there are no shadows in the center, although early morning and late afternoon shadows can also make for dramatic photos.

WORLD'S LARGEST ISLAND

2009-10-28T23:15:00.001+05:30

Greenland is the world's largest island & its melting with an area of over 2 million square kilometers; however, much of the island is covered by an ice cap that can reach thicknesses of 3 kilometers.Its northerly location, at the point where the Atlantic meets the Arctic Ocean, means that Greenland is surrounded principally by cold ocean currents, so the coasts are constantly being cooled. This, combined with the radiation of cold from the inland ice, gives Greenland its arctic climate.

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

The ice cap or inland ice covers 1,833,900 square km, equivalent to 85 percent of Greenland's total area, and extends 2,500 km (1,553 miles) from north to south and up to 1,000 km from east to west. At its center, the ice can be up to 3 km thick, representing 10 percent of the world's total fresh water reserves.If all the ice were to melt, the world's oceans would rise seven meters.

Here are few pictures & description on Greedland Melting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP

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Royal Caribbean World's Largest Passenger Cruise Ship

M/S Freedom of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship. The world's largest passenger vessel, she can accommodate over 4,300 passengers on her fifteen passenger decks, served by over 1300 crew.

It is about 229 ft. longer, about 108,000 gross tons larger, and can accommodate 2,147 more passengers than RMS Titanic. Her operating costs are $1 million per day. Rooms for the maiden voyage were priced from $1,900 to $22,000 for the week. As routine service continues, starting room rates are expected to descend as low as $700 for cruises scheduled in the autumn of 2007. The ship consumes approximately 28,000 gallons of fuel per hour.

Facilities - The ship features three swimming areas; an interactive water park, a dedicated adult pool and the main pool. There are 2 whirlpools cantilevered out from the ship's sides. The Royal Promenade sports a coffee shop, Sorrento's Pizzeria, a Ben and Jerry's ice-cream shop, Vintage's winery, the Bull and Bear Irish pub, and many Duty-free shops. The 13th deck features a sports area with amenities such as a rock climbing wall, the FlowRider (an onboard wave generator for surfing), a miniature golf course and a full size basketball court. Other items include an ice skating rink, a casino, a Johnny Rockets, Wi-Fi capabilities throughout the ship, flat panel televisions in all staterooms, and cell phone connectivity.

WORLD’S GREAT ICONIC BUILDING SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

2009-10-28T23:11:00.001+05:30

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre on Bennelong Point in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour.

There is no doubt that the Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It is one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent.

The Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the world's most distinctive 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

The Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It sits at the north-eastern tip of the Sydney CBD, surrounded on three sides by the harbour (Sydney Cove and Farm Cove), and neighboured by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Contrary to its name, the building houses several separate venues rather than a single opera theatre, the two main venues, the Opera Theatre and the Concert Hall, being defined by the two larger shells. The Sydney Opera House is a major presenting venue for Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony, as well as hosting many touring productions in a variety of performance genres, and is a major tourist attraction. It is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts

The Sydney Opera House is an expressionist modern design, with a series of large precast concrete 'shells', each taken from a hemisphere of the same radius, forming the roofs of the structure, set on a monumental podium. The building covers 1.8 hectares (4.5 acres) of land, and is 183 metres (605 ft) long and 120 metres (388 ft) wide at its widest point. It is supported on 588 concrete piers sunk up to 25 metres below sea level. Its power supply is equivalent to that of a town of 25,000 people, and is distributed by 645 kilometres (401 Miles)of electrical cable.

The roofs of the House are covered in a subtle chevron pattern with 1,056,006 glossy white and matte cream Swedish-made tiles from "Höganäs", though from a distance the shells appear a brilliant white. Despite their self-cleaning nature, the tiles are still subject to periodic maintenance and replacement.

The Concert Hall is within the western group of shells, the Opera Theatre within the eastern group. The scale of the shells was chosen to reflect the internal height requirements, rising from the low entrance spaces, over the seating areas and up to the high stage towers. The minor venues (Drama Theatre, Playhouse, and The Studio) are located beneath the Concert Hall, as part of the western shell group. A much smaller group of shells set to one side of the Monumental Steps houses the Bennelong Restaurant. Although the roof structures of the Sydney Opera House are commonly referred to as shells (as they are in this article), they are in fact not shells in a strictly structural sense, but are instead precast concrete panels supported by precast concrete ribs.

Apart from the tile of the shells, and the glass curtain walls of the foyer spaces, the building's exterior is largely clad with aggregate panels composed of pink granite quarried in Tarana. Significant interior surface treatments also include off-form concrete, Australian white birch plywood supplied from Wauchope in northern New South Wales, and brush box glulam

Performance venues and facilities

The Opera House houses the following performance venues:

The Concert Hall, with 2,679 seats, is the home of the Sydney Symphony, and used by a large number of other concert presenters. It contains the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ, the largest mechanical tracker action organ in the world, with over 10,000 pipes.

The Opera Theatre, a proscenium theatre with 1,507 seats, is the Sydney home of Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet.

The Drama Theatre, a proscenium theatre with 544 seats, is used by the Sydney Theatre Company and other dance and theatrical presenters.

The Playhouse, an end-stage theatre with 398 seats.

The Studio, a flexible space, with a maximum capacity of 400 people, depending on configuration.

The Utzon Room, a small multi-purpose venue, seating up to 210. It is the only interior space to have been designed by Utzon, having been renovated in 2004 under his direction.

The Forecourt, a flexible open-air venue with a wide range of configuration options, including utilising the Monumental Steps as audience seating, used for a range of community events, Live Sites, and special-occasion performances.

Other areas (for example the northern and western foyers) are also used for performances on an occasional basis. Venues at the Sydney Opera House are also used for activities such as conferences, ceremonies, and social functions.

The building also houses - A recording studio, five restaurants, four souvenir shops, and a guided tour operation.

THE COOLEST PLACE ON EARTH

2009-10-28T23:09:00.001+05:30

Antarctica is the coldest place on the earth

Antarctica is a special place, no matter how you look at it. It’s the highest, driest, coldest, and windiest continent, for starters. One way that it’s very special is its position, squatting right on the south end of the Earth.

To begin with, the seventh continent is in the middle of its own lithospheric plate, completely isolated from other continents. It was part of Gondwanaland throughout the Paleozoic, stuck together with Africa, South America, Australia, and India. But then during the Jurassic that supercontinent slowly broke up over a hundred million years, until Australia split from it and left Antarctica alone, beginning in the Eocene about 50 million years ago. You can follow the history at the Paleomap Project site.

Ever since that time, the ocean has surrounded it on all sides, turning around it in a great westward current. Antarctica has gotten colder and colder, cooling the rest of the planet along with it. Over the years, it has accumulated a gigantic layer of ice to a height of 3,000 meters. That huge central mound stands up nearly halfway through the atmosphere, so like a bald-headed man with no hat, it loses heat directly to outer space. The cold air that results flows right off the ice cap by gravity, picking up speed as it goes, until the resulting katabatic winds roar off the continent’s edge onto the sea.

The cold winds freeze the seawater, building up immense areas of solid pack ice every Antarctic winter. The water left behind is saltier and, because salty water is denser than the rest of the ocean, it sinks and slowly moves northward on the seafloor to the rest of the world.

Throughout most of geologic time, the Earth has had a warmer and more equable climate than today. Large areas of the continents were covered by shallow seas, where the limestones and shales and coal measures we see today were laid down. Antarctica has been keeping the world cool lately, though, and by piling up more and more ice, it has drawn down the level of the sea. I’m grateful for that, because I like dry land.

Antarctica is not really responsible for the ice ages we’ve been living through for the past few million years, though. For that, you might blame Panama, which rose out of the water about 3 million years ago and cut off the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean. Now we have a complicated setup, involving Greenland with its ice cap and currents in the north Atlantic Ocean, that seems to switch back and forth between a cold-climate state and a warmer state, where we are today.

World's Best Laughter Man - All About Charlie Chaplin

2009-10-28T22:36:00.004+05:30

Charlie Chaplin biography

(April 16, 1889 - December 25, 1977)

Charlie Chaplin, who brought laughter to millions worldwide as the silent "Little Tramp" clown, had the type of deprived childhood that one would expect to find in a Dickens novel. Born in East Street, Walworth, London on 16 April, 1889, Charles Spencer Chaplin was the son of a music hall singer and his wife. Charlie Chaplin's parents divorced early in his life, with his father providing little to no support, either financial or otherwise, leaving his mother to support them as best she could. Charlie Chaplin's mother Hannah was the brightest spot in Charlie's childhood; formerly an actor on stage, she had lost her ability to perform, and managed to earn a subsistence living for herself, Charlie, and Charlie's older half-brother Sidney by sewing. She was an integral part of Charlie's young life, and he credited her with much of his success. Sadly, she slowly succumbed to mental illness, and by the time that Charlie Chaplin was 7 years old, she was confined to an asylum; Charlie and Sidney were relegated to a workhouse (a government facility for orphaned and abandoned children) -- not for the last time. After 2 months, she was released, and the family was happily reunited, for a time. In later years, she was readmitted for an 8-month stretch later, during which time Charlie Chaplin lived with his alcoholic father and stepmother, in a strained environment.

Charlie Chaplin's first taste of show business

Sidney left home first, working first on a sailing ship, and later on the stage, opening the door for Charlie to follow in his footsteps later. Young Charlie Chaplin felt more alone than ever without the presence of his brother, his closest friend and confidant. However, there was a bright spot as well in Charlie Chaplin's 9th year -- he toured with a stage company, the 8 Lancashire Lads, with a kindhearted couple who led the troupe, and gave Charlie Chaplin his first taste of stage life. He also met a young Stan Laurel as part of the troupe.

At the age of 12, Charlie Chaplin's father died quite young.

At the age of 14, Charlie Chaplin's mother is readmitted to the asylum, while Sidney is out of town on an extended trip. Charlie provided for himself as best he can, desperate to avoid returning to the workhouse, until Sydney returns home. With Sidney's return, young Charlie Chaplin's luck begins to turn for the better. He wins a part in the stage play "Jim, A Romance of Cockney" to glowing reviews. Later in the same year, he earns the part of Billy in a stage adaptation of "Sherlock Holmes," again to sterling reviews, and tours with the company playing that part. The tour continues through the next year, and Hannah is again released, seemingly in her right mind. All seems to be going well, until Hannah relapses, and is institutionalized for the next 7 years; Charlie Chaplin is 16 years old.

Charlie Chaplin tours with the Karno troupe, and enters films

Charlie Chaplin continued in his acting career, as his brother Sidney joins the Karno troupe, again opening the way there for Charlie. Charlie Chaplin joined the Karno troupe the next year, again working alongside Stan Laurel. Two years later, Charlie Chaplin (along with the rest of the Karno troupe) tour the United States' vaudeville circuit. Two years later, in 1912, Charlie Chaplin returned with the Karno troupe to the USA, but this time decides to stay. The next year, Charlie Chaplin left the stage to join Mack Sennet's Keystone Films Studio, marking a milestone both in his own life and in the history of film.

Charlie Chaplin's famous Tramp character is born

The pace of film making in early Hollywood seems impossible by today's standards. In just two months, Charlie Chaplin appeared in the following Keystone films: Making a Living, Kid Auto Races, Mabel's Strange Predicament, Between Showers, A Film Johnnie, Tango Tangles, His Favourite Pastime, Cruel, Cruel Love. Although Charlie Chaplin started at the Keystone company as a bit player, with the introduction of his world-famous tramp character he quickly exploded into a major star. By April, at the age of 25, Charlie Chaplin directs his first film, 'Twenty Minutes of Love.'

By November of that year, Charlie Chaplin left Keystone, having signed an exclusive contract for the newly formed Essanay Film Company. Sidney follows in Charlie's steps this time, and joins the Keystone company shortly before Charlie left it.

In February of 1915, Charlie Chaplin began work for Essanay, with greater control over his films than ever before -- but not enough to avoid 'creative differences' with his bosses at Essanay. However, another milestone occurs at the same time -- he meets Edna Purviance, who was to be his leading lady for many of his films, as well as an off-again, on-again romance. At Essanay, Charlie Chaplin created many of the classic short films he's best remembered for, including His New Job, A Jitney Elopement, The Tramp, A Night in the Show, and The Immigrant. In February of 1916, Charlie Chaplin again jumped to another film company, Mutual, where he continues to create some of his finest shorts, including The Floorwalker, The Vagabond, The Pawnshop, Behind the Screen, and The Rink. In both his personal and professional life, his inner circle began to expand. He first hired Henry Bergman (the 'heavy villain' in so many of Charlie Chaplin's films), as well as hiring Tom Harrington as his personal secretary, a position which he kept for many decades, becoming Charlie Chaplin's right-hand man in many respects. It was also at Mutual that he hired Eric Campbell, the "gentle giant" that was his on-screen nemesis and personal friend, who co-starred in 11 of his 12 Mutual films..

Desiring even more creative control, Charlie Chaplin began building his own studio in the fall of 1917, and signed with yet another studio, First National. For the first time, Charlie Chaplin had complete control over every step of his films. Sadly, Eric Campbell died in a car accident, causing Charlie Chaplin's style of comedy to change, being centered more around Charlie Chaplin himself. For First National, Charlie Chaplin continued to create classic shorts: A Dog's Life, Shoulder Arms, and The Bond. In 1918, he also marries for the first (but not the last) time, to Mildred Harris.

Charlie Chaplin's woman troubles

Charlie Chaplin began in his personal life a recurring, destructive pattern -- he chases (and frequently marries) a young woman, loses interest in her (being consumed by his creative energies), goes through a messy breakup (or divorce), typically impacting his professional life, and then repeats the pattern. In November of that year, his first true love, Hetty Kelly, dies -- although Charlie Chaplin didn't find this out until he visited England in 1921.

Charlie Chaplin - pathos and comedy

1919 was a year of both great gains and losses for Charlie Chaplin. One of his most popular short films, Sunnyside, is released -- demonstrating a degree of both pathos and comedy mixed together to a high degree. Charlie Chaplin had been slowly moving the Little Tramp towards this more balanced characterization for some time -- and now Charlie the tramp is maturing. Sadly, Charlie the human being suffered a terrible loss, as his & Mildred's infant child is born, horribly deformed, and dies after only 3 days. Charlie Chaplin sought solace in his work, alienating his wife even more. In that same year, he formed United Artists with his closest friend Douglas Fairbanks and Fairbanks' wife, screen legend Mary Pickford -- in a successful effort to keep the major studios from monopolizing and controlling all aspects of production. In December of that year, A Day's Pleasure was released, dealing with a happy family trying to enjoy a quiet day at the beach -- somewhat ironically, considering the state of Charlie Chaplin's personal life at that stage. But something new was on the horizon -- Charlie Chaplin had begun production of The Kid.

Charlie Chaplin - The Kid

The Kid was Charlie Chaplin's first full-length movie. It, more than anything else to that date, made Charlie Chaplin a living legend. It took over a year to produce, and was an incredible success for Charlie Chaplin, both financially and artistically.

Over the next year, Charlie Chaplin continued working on The Kid, as his perfectionism takes more and more time in creating his film masterpieces. Sadly, he and Mildred Harris divorce at this time, in one of the most bitter Hollywood divorces seen up to this point. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, as The Kid is finally released to unanimous praise, and record box office success, in 1921. Charlie Chaplin had gone through a very difficult time, and needed time to relax, and renew himself. He took his first vacation, returning to Europe to crowds that were beyond his wildest dreams. In a bittersweet moment, he learns of Hetty Kelly's death from her brother while in London. More cheerfully, he begins several friendships in London that become lifelong, including with the famous writer H. G. Welles. In addition, he and Sydney brought their mother, Hannah, to the States, where she lived the rest of her life, under the best medical care that Charlie's money could provide.

Returning to America, and to his work, Charlie Chaplin quickly produced his next film, The Idle Class. Charlie Chaplin began working on his next film, Payday, in his professional life, and meets the European actress Pola Negri, with whom he has an off-again, on-again romantic relationship that goes on for nearly a year. Over the course of that year, Charlie Chaplin releases his next film, The Pilgrim (about an escaped convict who takes on the role of a preacher to avoid recapture), and prepares for his first dramatic film, A Woman of Paris, designed to catapult Edna Purviance into her own career. Audiences by now had associated the name Charlie Chaplin with comedy, however, and were not expecting serious fare. Although a good movie, it died at the box office -- and gave Charlie Chaplin his first commercial failure.

Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush - and in a family way

That was reversed by his next film, one of the classics of the silent era -- The Gold Rush. It is the story of the Little Tramp going north to the Alaskan gold rush, and by more luck than skill both getting the girl and becoming rich. It is touching, poignant, and hilarious, containing some of Charlie Chaplin's most famous routines. However, early in the filming of the movie, Charlie Chaplin's leading lady, Lita Grey, had to be replaced by Georgia Hale -- since Charlie Chaplin had married Lita Grey, and she had become pregnant. She was only 16 at the time.

Charlie Chaplin worried incessantly about his young wife's pregnancy -- had felt that the death of his first son was, in some way, his fault. Thankfully, in 1925 this child was born healthy -- Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. Charlie Chaplin had qualms about naming the child after himself, fearing that the boy would live in his father's shadow, but he gave way to Lita. That same year, The Gold Rush (read review) was released to critical acclaim and great financial success. Some believe it is Charlie Chaplin's finest film. Ironically, there was a third birth that year that would become integral to Charlie Chaplin years later -- Oona O'Neil was born.

The next year, Charlie Chaplin began work on his next film, The Circus (read review). As John McCabe noted in his excellent biography of Charlie Chaplin, The Circus was not the equal of The Gold Rush, but was a good film in its' own right -- and, given the circumstances under which it was filmed, it was a miracle that it was even palatable.

Charlie Chaplin in a messy divorce

Despite the birth of a second son, Sidney, in 1926, Charlie & Lita's marriage broke apart -- bitterly, and publicly. Charges went back and forth, with newspapers gleefully displaying the details of the Chaplins' marital woes. Charlie Chaplin always refused to discuss his marriage with Lita; Lita, however, wrote a one-sided account, Wife of the Life of the Party. The divorce ended in 1927 with a record-breaking divorce settlement of $825,000. The stress was enough to permanently turn Charlie Chaplin's hair prematurely white. During all of this, Charlie Chaplin continued to film The Circus (read review), one of his lesser-known, but best, films.

In 1928, Charlie Chaplin released The Circus to popular acclaim, and also received a special Oscar for his work on the film as director, actor, producer. Sadly, this positive year was also crushingly negative, as Charlie's beloved mother died. Charlie Chaplin's life continued to be centered around his work, even in his grief, as he began work on his next film towards the end of that year: City Lights (read review).

Charlie Chaplin - the end of the Tramp

City Lights, released in 1931, was Charlie Chaplin's first non-silent film. But it still was not a 'talking' picture. Charlie Chaplin included the musical soundtrack, and used sound effects, but nobody spoke in the picture yet. This was a major gamble for Charlie Chaplin, since sound pictures had now become the standard. But it was a gamble that paid off handsomely. The movie was both a financial and critical success, and many believe it to be one of Charlie Chaplin's finest films, if not his best.

After City Lights, Charlie Chaplin did something totally out of character; he took a vacation. Actually, Charlie Chaplin took vacations quite frequently, both to refresh himself and to find new ideas for his films. But this was his first extended vacation, away from creating a new movie for nearly two years. He talks at length about this time in his autobiography (My Autobiography), including globe-trotting and how he was nearly assassinated in Japan; but perhaps his most pivotal moment was in 1932, when he met Paulette Goddard, who would costar in his next film -- Modern Times -- which would be the Tramp's final film.

After the release of Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard were married in secret, while on vacation in the Orient. Upon his return, Charlie Chaplin began his most audacious comedy yet - The Great Dictator, making fun of Adolph Hitler himself. Hitler, in many ways, was a natural subject for Charlie Chaplin to satirize. Hitler, it is said, adopted his mustache in imitation of Charlie Chaplin. Both were smaller men, of slight build. And Chaplin saw the ideas that Hitler was championing as horrible, evil; and Charlie Chaplin was determined to show the world what he saw.

Charlie Chaplin attacks Hitler in The Great Dictator

The Great Dictator was Charlie Chaplin's first truly talking picture, and when it was finally released in 1940, it was a worldwide sensation. Many people mistakenly think that the character of the Jewish Barber in the film is the Tramp, but Charlie Chaplin was adamant that they are different characters. Although the barber uses many of the Tramp's mannerisms, he is also clearly an individual in his own right. And the barber is far more long-winded, as the famous "Look Up, Hannah" speech at the end of the movie reminds us.

Charlie Chaplin un-American?

In the same year that Charlie Chaplin began working on The Great Dictator, the House Un-American Committee begins investigating Charlie Chaplin. At first glance, there seems to be no reason for this -- until the second glance. Earlier Charlie Chaplin had done his patriotic part in raising money for the war effort, alongside his long time friends Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford -- raising large amounts of money for the war. Charlie Chaplin was a lifelong pacifist, but he was also a realist who saw that the aggression of the Axis powers had to be stopped. In many ways, Charlie Chaplin was politically naive -- such as speaking at fund raisers for the Communist USSR, whom Charlie Chaplin simply saw as our allies in the fight. And by suggesting that America immediately open a two front war to help our "friends" in the Soviet Union. These were some of the reasons that the government began keeping tabs on the immigrant film maker (although he worked for all of these years in America, he maintained his British citizenship, and had no intention of becoming an American citizen).

1942 was a very busy year for Charlie Chaplin, at least in his personal life. Paulette Goddard, co-star of Modern Times and The Great Dictator, divorced Charlie Chaplin, and went on to be a star in her own right. In that same year, Charlie Chaplin met another young lady, whom he falls deeply, and permanently, in love with -- Oona O'Neil. Oona, although young, is mature beyond her years -- perhaps from having grown up in the household of her father, Eugene O'Neil, the famous playwright. Eugene O'Neil was opposed to having his daughter date Charlie Chaplin; given Charlie Chaplin's track record to date, one can hardly blame him. In addition, Charlie Chaplin met another young lady that year, whose relationship to Charlie Chaplin would almost seem to confirm the playwright's suspicions -- Joan Barry.

By all accounts, Joan Barry was a troubled young woman, who had some talent for acting. She had met Charlie Chaplin, who had given her a screen test for a role, but did not hire her for any of his movies. Although they dated on and off, nothing serious came of it. But in Joan Barry's mind, it was very serious -- serious enough that she breaks into Charlie Chaplin's home later that year, armed with a gun. Charlie Chaplin eventually talked her out of any violence, got her to leave quietly, and then called the police, resulting in a restraining order that should have served to keep her out of Charlie Chaplin's life.

Charlie Chaplin in the paternity suit

However, two things happened that next year that prevented that from happening. First was Joan Barry's pregnancy; she named Charlie Chaplin as the father. Second, Charlie Chaplin married Oona O'Neil -- and, in a very real sense, they lived happily ever after. The couple truly loved each other, were devoted to each other, and grew closer as time went on.

In the more immediate term, Charlie Chaplin denied being the father of Joan Barry's child, and a blood test proved his innocence. However, the blood test was inadmissable in the California court at the time, and a jury of his peers ordered Charlie Chaplin to pay child support. (This is recreated quite well in the 1992 'Chaplin' movie starring Robert Downey, and is highly recommended viewing).

In 1946, the first of Oona and Charlie Chaplin's children, Michael, is born. Over the years, he will have 7 more siblings (Josephine, Victoria, Eugene, Jane, Annette and Christopher). Charlie Chaplin also began his next film, a very great departure from anything Charlie has ever attempted -- the dark comedy Monsieur Verdoux .

Monsieur Verdoux is a very dark comedy, in which the title character, a fired bank clerk, makes his living by marrying rich older women and then killing them for their money. Charlie Chaplin used it to make a statement about the paradox of killing millions in war is virtuous for the winning side, but killing individuals is a crime. Although it has moments both humorous and engaging, it was not the fare that the public was expecting from Charlie Chaplin, and it did not do well domestically, although it did well overseas, and Charlie Chaplin made a tidy profit from it. He also used Edna Purviance on screen for the last time, essentially as an extra.

Charlie Chaplin's final films

In 1951, Charlie Chaplin made one of his finest films, and one of his least well known - Limelight. Limelight is the story of a formerly great dance hall tramp clown, Calvero (portrayed by Chaplin) on a downward spiral, contrasting with a young dancer on her way to fame - into the spotlight. A funny, poignant film, it also teamed two of the great clowns of the silent era, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, for the first and only time.

Limelight did not do well at American movie houses, largely due to the false rumors that Charlie Chaplin was a communist, as well as an organized protest by various unions resulting in theaters refusing to show the film. As a result, it was not seen widely in the United States of America for decades. Years later, when it finally played in Los Angeles, it was nominated for the Best Music Academy Award -- and won.

Charlie Chaplin in Exile

After Limelight, Charlie Chaplin took another vacation to England, wanting to show his new wife and children his native country. Upon leaving the territorial waters of the United States of America, Charlie Chaplin received a cable, informing him that the State Department had rescinded his reentry permit -- effectively locking him out of the country as an undesirable alien. There were many reasons for this -- Charlie Chaplin's unorthodox political views, the false accusation that he was a Communist, and not least of all, money. There would have been an attempt by the federal government to seize Charlie Chaplin's assets, which were enormous. However, his wife Oona returned to the United States, and promptly took all of the liquid assets, as well as liquidating everything she could -- leaving the government without a penny for its' trouble.

Charlie Chaplin was not, however, a man without a country. He was still a citizen of Great Britain, but he did not desire to live there. After the stress of the situation had been dealt with, the Chaplins relocated to Vevey, Switzerland in 1953, where they lived for the remainder of their lives together. After their death, it has been turned into an international Charlie Chaplin museum.

In 1954, Oona renounced her U.S. citizenship, casting her lot with her husband. And, ironically, Charlie Chaplin was awarded World Peace Council Prize in that same year. In the next year, he resumes doing what he does best -- making comedies.

His next film, A King In New York, was a biting indictment of modern society. In it, he played the role of King Shadov, an European monarch in exile, who comes to New York to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear power. Along the way, he pokes fun at the Red Scare, commercials, movies, celebrities, movie magazines, and life in urban America. Filmed in England, it was the last film in which he was on screen as a major character.

In the same year that A King In New York premiered, Charlie Chaplin's half-brother Wheeler Dryden died. Wheeler had been introduced to Charlie Chaplin many years before by Edna Purviance -- Charlie had been unaware of him. Wheeler was a competent, though not gifted, actor, and idolized his famous brother. He began to work for Charlie Chaplin in various roles and positions, and years later served as Charlie's assistant director on The Great Dictator and Monsieur Verdoux. Jerome Robinsons' photo journal, Charlie and Me, contains some interesting anecdotes about Charlie's lesser-known sibling.

Charlie Chaplin's professional pace seemed to be slowing down, to an outside observer. After all, he was now 69 years old. However, Charlie Chaplin was not finished working. He had been re-editing some of his earlier movies, and composing new music for some of them. Charlie Chaplin was musical by nature as well as profession, and he wrote some of the most enduring melodies of the century -- not least among them the song 'Smile'. However, before he could release his reedited movies, now narrated by Charlie Chaplin himself, death claimed another old friend -- Edna Purviance died in 1958. And, to add insult to injury, Charlie Chaplin's name was removed from Los Angeles' Walk of Fame.

In 1959, The Chaplin Revue was released, to worldwide acclaim. Charlie Chaplin continued his work in Switzerland, writing and composing, and raising his growing brood of children. In 1964 he published his autobiography, which he humbly titled 'My Autobiography.' It was an interesting look into the life of Charlie Chaplin, although incomplete -- he mentioned his marriage to Lita Grey in only one sentence.

In 1965, death again intruded on Charlie Chaplin's family life, as his older brother Sidney died. This was a strong blow to Charlie Chaplin, second only to the loss of him mother in 1928. Sidney had been his brother, friend, companion, confidant and business manager all rolled into one. Charlie Charplin grieved deeply for the loss of his beloved brother.

But Charlie Chaplin did not stop working. After dealing with his grief as best he could, in 1966 Charlie began work on his next, and final, movie, A Countess in Hong Kong. It was a number of firsts for Charlie Chaplin -- he did not star in the film, and only had a small, Hitchcock-esque walk-on scene as a porter. Instead, he directed two of Hollywood's largest stars of the day, Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren. Although an interesting idea, it was not a hit at the box office when released in 1967.

In 1968, Charlie Chaplin was now 79 years old. It is not surprising that more and more of his friends and coworkers died -- for example, his longtime cameraman and assistant Rollie Totheroh died the previous year. However, Charlie Chaplin's oldest son, Charles Chaplin Jr., died. Again, Charlie Chaplin worked through his grief, and threw himself into his work. He was preparing a new film, 'The Freak', about a young girl who sprouts wings, as a vehicle for his daughter -- but it never went past the planning stages.

In 1972, Charlie Chaplin did something he never thought he would do -- he returned to the United States of America. He was returning to accept a lifetime achievement Academy Award. The foolishness of 20 years previous had been forgotten, and Charlie Chaplin was greeted by America with open arms. Correcting another old injustice, Charlie Chaplin's name was added again to the 'Walk of Fame' in Los Angeles. Charlie Chaplin was also awarded the Golden Lion at that year's Venice Film Festival .

In 1974, Charlie Chaplin published another book, 'My Life in Pictures.' The next year, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, and became Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin.

In 1977, Charlie Chaplin passed away, on Christmas Day. He left behind grieving family and friends, and millions of fans worldwide.

Quotes by Charlie Chaplin:

"To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!"
"I remain just one thing, and one thing only -- and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician."
"Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain"

18 Amazing Buildings in the world

2009-10-26T15:03:00.004+05:30

Dubai Rotating Towers

Regatta Hotel Jakarta

Cctv Bldg

Chicago Spire

Singapore Green Building

River Gym

Bio Marine Inspired

Moscow Crystal Island

Crooked House

Book Themed Building

Spiky Tower

Grocery Basket Building

Millennium Dome

Honeycomb Building

Rabbit Building

World’s Tallest Building

Shanghai World Finance

Beijing Olympic Stadium

20 Coooool & Amazing Gadgets

2009-10-26T14:54:00.003+05:30

Skelecycle- Wearable Motorcycle

Amazing Climbing Robot

Wallet Phone

Electronic Bike

Futuristic Gas Mask

Massage Chair

Most Expensive Mobile Phone

Cool Reading Light

More than Just A Media Player

Underwater Digital Camera Mask

Portable Camcorder

Shotgun Can Opener

Ride On Cooler

Bag TV

Diamond Studden USB

Lightest Notebook

Crunchpad

OLED TV

PSP GO

Futuristic Cellphone

10 Most Amazing & Creative Ice Cubes Trays

2009-10-26T14:49:00.003+05:30

Everyone needs ice in your drink in the summer, why stick with the boring cube shaped ice when you could have some bullets or even some lego shaped ice.

AK 47 Bullets

Citrus Sippers

Cool Jewels

Cool Shooters

Fishbone Ice

Gin & Titonic

Ice Invaders

Lego Trays

Pi Cubes

Tetris Cubes

5 Fantastic Concept Cars

2009-10-26T14:44:00.002+05:30

Magnet Car

The Magnet Car was designed by Mat˙ö Proch·czka as a solution to the challenge of finding more fuel efficient methods of transport. This car uses magnets the same polarity as the road, which effectively ‘lifts’ the car off the road, making it lighter by 50%. Of course, this is a true ‘concept car’, as magnetised roads are a purely hypothetical idea, and yet to be realised.

Audi Locus

Turkish designer Ugur Sahin descirbed the main feature of the car as “the way its surface shapes are formed with continous flow”. He also comments that he was inspired by nature, in that there are no straight lines in nature. Its most outstanding features is the roof, which combines the windshield and the rear window into one continous glass surface. In Sahin’s words, he wanted to create a car that “creates a relaxing, energetic, vibrant and confident feeling”.

BRB Evolution

The BRB Evolution, designed by Daniel Bailey, has two innovative features to combat the changing issues in the future of urban transport. Firstly, it is powered by electricity and a hydrogen fuel cell, which would reduce pollution. Secondly, and arguably the most creative, it has the ability to fold to 50% of its original size, to help with the anticipated limited car-parking space in the future of big cities.

Audi RSQ Concept

This car, designed especially for the motion picture I, Robot and was intended as an amitious product placement rather than be actually built. It’s features include being a mid-engined sports car, its two doors are rear-hinged to the C-posts of the body and open according to the butterfly principle.

Audi O

This concept car was designed in 2008 by Ondrej Jirec, a design student from the Czech Republic. The car features glass windows running along the bottom edge which produces a unique profile view of the car. It is primarily intended to fuse a powerful audio system with a sporty hatchback design and as such, has DJ mixing decks, a double firewall surrounding the engine to block external noise, and the ability to download music from the internet on the go.

The Worlds Most Dangerous Roads

2009-10-26T14:40:00.001+05:30

Guoliang Tunnel Road in China

Deep in the Taihang mountains in China is the Guoliang Tunnel. It took 13 villagers 5 years to carve the 1200m-long tunnel through the mountains to connect their isolated village with the outside world. The tunnel was chiselled out with hammers and steel tools. The walls of the tunnel are unstable and with many twists and blind corners, one could easily drive over the edge into a seemingly never-ending drop. It is not surprising, then, that some of the villagers
lost their lives trying to build this road.

Lena Highway

The M56 Lena Highway in Russia is a truely dangerous road. Despite being a federal highway, it is just a dirt track, that during heavy rains in the summer,turns to impassable mud that can swallow small vehicles whole. The highway gets its name from the nearby Lena river, which feezes over in the winter and drivers can actually drive over the frozen river to reach the city of Yakutsk. The highway is famous for its lawlessness, as trucks get stuck in the mud and become victim to people breaking into them in search of food and warmth.

Bolivia’s Road of Death

This road, like the Lena Highway, is the only connection between many isolated villages in Bolivia. As such, people are forced to navigate this treacherous road that has claimed many lives. It is estimated that 200-300 people a year die on this road and it is littered with crosses showing the places where travellers have lost their lives. Its sheer cliffs, lack of guardrails and its single-lane width, combined with loose rocks and common fog have rightly earned this road as “the world’s most dangerous road” in 1995.

The Halsema Highway

This road offers a beautiful view along its 100km stretch from Baguio to Sagada in the Phillipines. However, with many twists and turns through the mountains it can become a very dangerous journey. It is the highest highway in the Phillipines and the sides of the mountains are liable to landslides and include many ravines and narrow paths, making this journey truely dangerous.

The Skippers Canyon Road

This narrow road snakes its way through Skipper’s Canyon in New Zealand and features vertical drops down to the Shotover River. The 17km-long road has many dangerous bends, and one slip could mean certain death. With the increase of traffic due to technology and tourism, this road has to be maintained regularly to ensure driver safety. Nevertheless, rental car companies don’t allow customers to travel on the road due to its dangerousness.

Highway of Death

This road linking Kuwait to Basra, Iraq was the site where many Iraqi military personnel and civilians were killed by American aircraft. This road has become one of the most famous images of the Gulf War, as both sides are littered with debris and hundreds of vehicles that were destroyed in the attacks. Officially known as Highway 80, its moniker serves as a startling reminder as to how dangerous some roads can be, especially in war-torn areas such as Iraq.

10 Amazing Tornado Pictures

2009-10-26T14:36:00.002+05:30

10 Tornadoes that will make you think about where you live.

Tornado Coming at Me

Tornado with Lightning

Fiery Tornado

Beginnings of a Tornado

Lightning and Tornado Side by Side

Rainbow After the Tornado

Mushroom Cloud Tornado

Tornado Up close

Twin Tornadoes

Tornado Over the Ocean

12 Of The Most Iconic Photographs Ever Taken

2009-10-26T14:30:00.002+05:30

Timothy H. O’Sullivan – Battle of Gettysburg

This photograph has become synonymous with The Battle of Gettysburg, which was the most bloody battle of the American Civil War. Photographer Timothy H. O’Sullivan documented and recorded the battlefield, and this picture became a sensation. For many, this was their first chance to see, first hand, the true extent of the Civil War. However, it was not until 40 years after the battle that the pictures were mass produced, as photo-engraving had not been established. The picture shows dead confederate soldiers on the battlefield, and has earned its place in history as an iconic photograph.

Lawrence Beitler – Lynching

Lawrence Beitler took this iconic photograph on August 7, 1930, showing the lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith. It sold thousands of copies, which Beitler stayed up for 10 days and nights printing them. It has become iconic over the years as it is one of the best and most recognisable images of lynchingwhich at the time was commonplace, but now serves only as a reminder of the pre-Civil Rights era. The photo shows a crowd that have turned out to view the lynching, and the audience a mixture of anger and fulfillment. The photo was so popular it has been the inspiration for many poems and songs down the years.

Joe Rosenthal – Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is an historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag of the United States atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. It became the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as its publication, and came to be regarded in the United States as one of the most significant and recognizable images of the war, and possibly the most reproduced photograph of all time.

Alberto Korda – Che Guevara

Alberto Korda’s well known photograph of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, titled ‘Guerrillero Heroico’ or ‘Heroic Guerrilla’ has become a symbol of the 20th centry. It shows Che, as he was known, at a memorial service for victims of the La Coubre explosion. The picture depicts the then-31 year-old’s stoic and character and now appear on T-shirts, tattoos, murials and walls all around the world. Despite being one of the most reproduced images in history, Korda, a lifelong Communist and supporter of the Cuban Revolution, claimed no payment for his picture. The rights of the picture are now disputed. Still, it remains
one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century.

Eddie Adams – Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executing Nguyễn Văn Lém

Most of the iconic images of the 20th and 21st century have owned their photographers Pulitzer prizes for their work, and this image is no exception. Eddie Adams was famous for his portraits of celebrties and for being a prolific photojournalist, having been in 13 wars. However, possibly his most famous image is of the execution of Nguy?n Van LÈm by Nguy?n Ng?c Loan during the Vietnam War. Adams later apologized in person to General Nguyen and his family for the irreparable damage it did to Loan’s honor while he was alive.

Moon Landing

Possibly the most talked-about, debated and controversial picture in history, the picture of the moon landing has been seen as a feat of human engineering at its best, and has been speculated as a hoax by contractors of the event. Those in doubt of the authenticity of the picture have come up with many suggestions as to why and how it might have been faked. However, none of the accusations have been proved correct and the debate continues in some circles. For many, though, it provides a sense of accomplishment and acheivement by the human race to send a man to the moon, which for years was considered an impossibility. The American flag also installs national pride in the US as the winners of the so-called ‘Space Race’, and their establishment as the world’s one remaining super power.

Richard Drew – The Falling Man

“The Falling Man” is a photograph taken by Richard Drew at 9:41:15 a.m., on September 11, 2001 of a man falling from the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks in New York City. The man in the photohraph remains unknown. Many people find the image disturbing because it is a horrific image of what people had to resort to during the attacks. The picture is deceptive, however, as it suggest that man was falling straight down, however, this is just one of many photographs of his fall. It is evident from these other pictures that he tumbling out of control.

Huynh Cong Ut – Napalm Strike

This photo of a naked and terrified young girl running towards Pulitzer prize-winning photographer Nick Ut has entered popular culture as a symbol of the horror of the Vietnam War. It was taken during the American bombing of the village of Trang Bang, Viet Nam. However there has been much controversy over the events depicted in the photo. It is suggested that American bombers had nothing to do with this event and that there have been many derogatory and misleading comments about the American troops in regard to this photo. Nevertheless, it is said that this photo ended the war in Vietnam and served as an icon for the peace movement that was prevelent in the 1970s.

Stanley J. Forman – Fire on Marlborough Street

On July 22, 1975, Stanley J. Forman took this infamous photograph while working for the Boston Herald. He climbed on the back of a fire truck as it raced towards a reported fire at Marlborough Street. Just as the crew had arrived at the scene, a young woman and small girl fell from an apartment above. The woman died instantly, but the young girl lived. This photo earned Forman a Pulitzer prize, and in addition, convinced Boston and several other cities to introduce more comprehensive fire safety laws.

Tank Man – Jeff Widener

Often considered the most iconic photograph in history, ‘tank man’ or ‘the unknown rebel’ shows an act of courage and defiance and earned the anonymous man widespread fame. It took place during the protests at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, and has subsequently become a symbol of the end of the Cold War era, and one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century. Four people claim to have took photos of the event, but the most reproduced image, and the most famous was by Jeff Widener.

Mike Wells – Uganda

This example of emotive imagery is of child in Uganda holding hands with a missionary. The stark contrast between the two people serves as a reminder of the gulf in wealth between developed and developing countries. Mike Wells, the photographer, took this picture to show the extent of starvation in Africa. He took it for a magazine, and when they went 5 months without printing it, he decided to enter it into a competition. However, Wells has stated that he is against winning a compeition with a picture of a starving boy.

Kevin Carter – Vulture Stalking a Child

This shocking photo depicts a starving Sudanese child being stalked by a patient vulture. It is a horrific picture that gave people a true look at the dire condition in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kevin Carter, who took the photo, won a Pulitzer Prize for this work. Kevin then came under a lot of scrutiny for spending over 20 minutes setting up the photo instead of helping the child. Three months after taking the photo, he committed suicide.

10 Worst Disasters

2009-10-26T14:23:00.002+05:30

10 Of The Worst Natural Disasters Ever

Hurricane Katrina

On August the 29th Katrina hit Louisiana, most notably New Orleans where 80% of the city flooded because the flood protection system was breached in more than fifty places. The hurricane caused over $80 billion in damages and over 1800 people were confirmed to have died with over 700 missing.

Cyclone Nargis

At the end of April and start of May of 2008, the Nargis Cyclone hit Sri Lanka and Burma. In Sri Lanka the flooding had caused landslides in ten districts, whereas in Burma it hit the town of Bogale with over 10,000 deaths. The cyclone caused roughly $10 billion in damages and over 135,000 died with over 50,000 missing.

1931 China Floods

In winter of 1930 China suffered from heavy snowstorms which then defrosted in the spring of the 1931 this raised the river levels, so in July when the rain increased and 7 cyclones hit, the rivers began to flood. The rivers affected were the Yellow River, Yangtze River and the Huai River. The damages the floods caused was indescribable and the death toll estimations ranged from 400,000 to 4,000,000.

1556 Shaanxi Earthquake

On the 23rd January 1556 an earthquake wiped out an 840km (250miles) wide area which affected more than 90 counties. The casualties are estimated at around 800,000 with a large amount of these being people who lived in Yaodongs which are artificial caves which caved in during the earthquake.

Bhola Cyclone

On November the 12th 1970 the cyclone struck Bangladesh which was then still Pakistan. The cyclone was the deadliest ever recorded, with the death toll be estimated as high as 500,000. The aftermath of the storm led the government losing control of the area, which then led to the Bangladesh Liberation War which ended up in the creation of Bangladesh.

Banqiao Dam Failure

The dam was built in the early 1950’s and was designed to cope with up to 12 inches of rainfall per day, but in August 1975 over the rainfall was over 40 inches per day. This led to the dam failing. The flood waters then caused a large wave which was 10km (6.2miles) wide and 3-7m high. The flooding caused over 150,000 and nearly 6,000,000 buildings collapsed.

Nevado del Ruiz Volcano of 1985

On November 13th 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz volcano which had laid dormant for almost 150 years erupted. Even though geologists had warned the authorities of an imminent eruption, the authorities didn’t listen and failed to evacuate the town of Armero where after the eruption 20,000 out of the 29,000 inhabitants died. The eruption cost Colombia $7.7 billion.

Tangshan Earthquake of 1976

On July 28th 1976, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit China with the epicenter being near Tangshan in Hebei. The chinese government initially reported the death toll to be over 650,000 but they later changed that to be roughly 250,000 with over 160,000 severely injured.

Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004

On December 26th 2004 a 9.3 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami which killed more than 225,000 people in 11 countries. The waves which hit the coastlines were as high as 30m in some areas. The worldwide response was fantastic, more than $7 billion dollars was donated in humanitarian aid.

Mount Vesuvius

On the 24th and 25th of August 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted. The eruption lasted 18-20 hours and produced a rain of volcanic rock which covered the city of Pompeii and also destroyed the city of Herculaneum and killed up to 25,000 people.

Amazing Ivory Art

2009-10-26T13:52:00.002+05:30

Creative Art on Ivory

Ivory is a Banned Item.

No Harm in looking at the Creativity with Ivory when it was not Banned

Unbelievable..... Horrible.... Awesome & Amazing photos

2009-10-26T13:41:00.005+05:30

))))))Unbeliaval(((((((((

Awwwweeesssooommmmeee Road Art..... Amazing

2009-10-26T13:31:00.007+05:30

Amazing Road Art!!! Must See!!!

Amazing Tattoo Art on Body's Tampting Parts

2009-10-26T12:27:00.002+05:30

Spicy Tattoos on tempting parts

Amazing Coooooool Sand Art

2009-10-26T12:25:00.001+05:30

Meet this cool artist

Amazing & Awesome Pencil Art

2009-10-26T12:22:00.001+05:30

Amazing Pencil Art

Amazing Theme Chess Pieces

2009-10-26T12:20:00.002+05:30

Themed Chess Pieces

Amazing Tattoo

2009-10-26T12:18:00.001+05:30

Body Carvings Tattoo.... Toooooo Much Painful

Pictures r in the Pictures!!!!!! Amazing

2009-10-26T12:16:00.003+05:30