Somethin Wonderful

The Strange Neck Rings of Thailand's Kayan Women

2011-07-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Balancing on a Giant Rubber Band 1000 ft in the Air

2010-05-22T06:24:00.001-07:00

With the wind whistling in your ears, a breathtaking view before your eyes, and a yawning gulf beneath your feet, would it matter whether your steps over the abyss were so... well... elastic? Balancing and bouncing about on a thin but obligingly flat strip of nylon webbing may sound like a lot of fun, but when this stretchy, oversized rubber band is all that lies between exhilaration and a long freefall to the gorge floor thousands of feet down, you know this zany extreme sport isn’t for sissies. Tightrope walking’s looser, more flexible but no less gnarly younger cousin, slacklining redefines the word dynamic.
These pictures show two young South African enthusiasts of slacklining – which combines balance, concentration and fitness – taking a leisurely afternoon amble through the rarefied air over Cape Town in 2009. In so doing, Warren Gans and Sean Wakelin staked a claim as the first people to slackline on the famous Table Mountain landmark. Following the adrenalin-fuelled day, a serene evening set in, with photographer Greg Beadle remarking: “Sean had to strap his toes to stop the bleeding and carried his full pack back down, bravely carrying the war wounds of his first attempts at slacklining.”
OK, now bleeding feet we can take, but a first attempt at slacklining? Naturally, not everybody jumps in at the deep end in quite such drastic fashion; instead they start on less daunting low-slung lines. Like many extreme sports, slacklining presents itself as an activity for one and all, but a glance at some of the highlines set up in precipitous places tells you this take on the sport isn’t for old fogies with heart conditions. Just look at these drops. Yet, as intimidating as they look, the learning curve for the basics of slacklining is pretty quick. With a bit of perseverance over a few hours, most people are up and walking around like toddlers in playschool.
Slacklining was born when two wacky rock climbers living in Yosemite Valley in the early 80s, Adam Grosowsky and Jeff Ellington, began walking on parking lot chains and even ropes strung up between the trees to relieve boredom. They soon started stringing up their climbing webbing, and from there the sport spread. In 1983, the duo set up a 55-foot cable line at Lost Arrow Spire, nearly 3,000 feet up, but while neither of them was able to cross it, a webbing highline was set up in the same spot the next year by Scott Balcom and Darrin Carter. Balcom was the first person to cross the now now-famous line in 1985. Highlining had arrived.

Highlining has a helpfully self-explanatory name. The lines are placed great distances up in the air over ground or water. But most slackers, as they’re known, aren’t slackers when it comes to rigging, and take care to ensure that the anchors between which the line is secured are equally sized and suitably solid. No kidding. For safety’s sake, most highliners will also wear a climbing harness or swami belt with a leash attached to the slackline itself, but unleashed highline walks are not unheard of – especially in circles where some would argue balls outweigh brains by a considerable stretch.

Lines threaded through with extra webbing, doubled up, or supplemented with climbing ropes running along them are safety measures taken by the saner among slackers, and even those with testosterone levels higher than their IQ scores will pad all areas of the rigging which might come in contact with abrasive surfaces that read ‘Snap’ in big scary letters to the trained eye. Today, Lost Arrow Spire is probably the world's most well-known and revered highline, yet only a few dozen people have actually walked the line, most of them in the last decade.
Slacklining is no longer the left-field activity for the daringly discerning alone; increasingly popular, the sport is going more mainstream. Still, the extreme sports fanatics who would prefer it if highlining remained the preserve of the madcap rather than the many can sleep safe. As long as adrenalin addicts traverse lines thousands of feet up in air (like Christian Schou, who set the highest slackline record in 2006 with a walk in Kjerag, Norway, 3,281 feet up) this is one activity set to stay among the elite and crazy few.

wonderful animal Photography

2010-01-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Tags: wonderful, Animals, photography, Humor

Cool Beauty of Animal Photography

2010-01-15T12:42:00.001-08:00

Tags: Fabulous, Animals, Amazing, wonderful, Incredible, Interesting, Cool, Humor

wonderful animals photography

2010-01-15T12:36:00.003-08:00

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.

Fabulous animals photography by Peter Hebeisen

2010-01-15T12:32:00.001-08:00

Amazing Skate Pool With A Thousand Skulls

2009-12-18T03:59:00.000-08:00

In counter-cultural urban expression, there’s nothing more sublime than the sight of a skater achieving near weightlessness as they rip into a vertical transition before flying off the coping into thin air, clutching their board, while the concrete space from which they soared awaits their return. Ever since the early ’70s, when a legacy of past masters carved an ineffaceable groove in the concrete landscape with nothing but a plank and four wheels beneath their feet, the drained swimming pool has held a special place inside the ribcage of the street skater.

Environmental Graffiti talked to London-based street artist D*Face fresh from his return from painting an abandoned swimming pool for skateboarders in California.
Ramp skating may win more prizes, it may even hit greater heights, but riding the beautifully curved 1950s pools of San Bernadino – aka the ‘Badlands’ – is skating to the core, harking back to the early days when air was first caught and bones first broken. D*Face recently took a trip to the skate community where it all started to paint the perfect pool.

Inspired by skate graphics and the street art scene that spawned him, D*Face helped create a skater’s dream spot with his design for a pool dubbed ‘Ridiculous’ by the guys who discovered it, MTV host Peter King and legendary skateboarder Steve Alba. The slightly cryptic name is a marker of its ridiculously perfect shape and curvature, from a skater’s point of view.
San Bernadino was hit hard by the economic slump and subprime mortgage fiasco, so many of its properties have been left vacant. This gave the skating community the chance to mark their turf on an abundance of abandoned swimming pools – echoing the era when Alba and others took their hardcore style to the pools following the 1970s drought in Southern California.

The invitation to paint ‘Ridiculous’ was put out by MTV, but if that makes this sound more commercial than it perhaps should, remember that the guys who found it could, in theory, have been arrested for this stunt. And look no further than D*Face’s skull designs, hundreds of which litter the pool basin, to see that this is a graphic artist doing what comes naturally to him – and an artist who loves skating.
D*Face was, in the vernacular, stoked to paint the pool and realise a dream of visiting the traditional Mecca of all skate scenes, where his early interest in the relationship between art and skateboarding first came alive – even if he was just a little too young to know it at the time. Nourished by a passion for hip-hop and punk music, cartoon animation and of course street art, his style fitted the bill well.

Asked how his art interacts with skating and the skate aesthetic in his painting for ‘Ridiculous’, D*Face told EG:

“I guess because my work can be seen in the public domain, for free, by any passers-by, and uses elements of repetition to build awareness and subversion and shock to provoke reaction. Skateboarders I believe are a different breed. They pay attention to the environment that surrounds them, they are often chased off spots they’re illegally skating, so there’s a synergy between my work, skateboarders and skateboarding.”
“The Ridiculous pool was slightly different in as much as I hadn’t seen the actual pool before, so only had a very vague idea of the size. Also it was going to be ridden by skaters who hadn’t seen or weren’t necessary familiar with my work, so I wanted to produce a piece that had instant appeal and impact and would tessellate, enabling me to cover as much or as little of the pool as time allowed and to allow me to work with the natural flow and line of the pool that the skaters ride.”

“Skulls or more importantly death plays a significant part in my work. It’s also something synonymous with skateboarding and skateboard art, so the idea was to cover the pool with over a 1000 life size skulls in various shades, as a tribute to the fallen skaters and past masters.”
“My work in the public domain is also ephemeral, subject to ever changing elements, both natural and human. Much like the graphics on a skateboard they’re only temporary. As soon as the boards are ridden they start to decay and take on their own life. The same can be said for my work in the street. It’s this natural element of weathering and ageing that is beautiful and brings a new life to the piece. The exact same effect applies to the Ridiculous pool. It wasn’t complete until it had been skated hard. The lines, scrapes and scuffs that run through the painting bring a whole new life and texture to the pool that would be impossible to replicate.”
And what about the history of his love for skating? D*Face told us:

“Skateboarding changed my life. I was never the academic kid and didn’t take particularly well to the education system, so I looked to other means of ‘education’ and found what I can only describe as the manuals to my life; Subway Art, Spraycan Art and Thrasher Magazine.”

“I used to get Thrasher from the older kids at school, around ‘82 – ‘89. Those magazines and books were like eye candy to a visually starving child, particularly the adverts in Thrasher for various skate brands’ boards. Those struck me hard. I didn’t know who or how you’d get to create such amazing artworks to grace the bottom of a skateboard, that was essentially then going to get ruined, but they had a profound influence on my work. I later came to find out the skate artwork that I was particularly inspired by was by Jim Philips and Vernon Johnson.”

“I skated my teenage years away and at a time where skateboarding was seen as an outcasts’ thing to do. We had to be resourceful in finding spots to skate, particularly as England was decades behind the USA in building actual skate parks, so skateboarding taught me to look at the city differently – you know, what had been designed as an architectural feature became a skate-able object. This looking differently at our public domain is a key factor in my work now as an artist. A blank wall with high visibility becomes a prime canvas to display artwork on.”

And finally, were there any other incentives for this gig? D*Face:

“Meeting Steve ‘Salba’ Alba who is a pool skating legend and a skater I’ve admired since a child. He’s a regular at the Ridiculous Pool, in fact the area San Bernardino where the pool is located is nicknamed Salba Land as he’s skated so many pools in that area. Also getting to fulfill a childhood dream of hopping backyards to skate pools with Salba and Peter King and watching amazing skaters session the pool was incentive enough.”

D*Face finally completed his creation after four, marathon 17-hour days of painting. As the sun set on the fourth day, over 100 skaters led by Steve Alba dropped in on the vertical backyard slopes, grinding the proverbial icing into D*Face’s creative cake: interactive street-art done good. Would other legends from back in the day have enjoyed the show? Only if they’d have been the ones to break in first.

With special thanks to D*Face for taking the time to answer our questions.

Amazing China’s 270 Million Year Old Stone Forest

2009-12-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

China’s southwest holds a treasure that only a few of the world’s regions can boast of: a forest made completely of stone and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. Shilin or Stone Forest is about 85 km southeast of Kunming in the Yunnan province. With its beautiful stone formations, caves and lakes, the national park is a popular tourist destination said to be 270 million years old!

The main entrance to the Stone Forest:

Karst landscapes are the results of mildly acidic water – namely rain that has picked up carbon dioxide
on its way through the atmosphere – dissolving soluble bedrock like limestone or dolostone. The mildly acidic rain water washes out existing rock fractures until they increase to larger openings and finally an underground drainage system.

Perfect for a scenic picnic:
One of Shilin's lakes

Over time, this steady drop has hollowed the stone, creating amazing stone formations and often caves, but also sinkholes and springs. With an area covering about 350 sq km (100 sq miles), Shilin is not only quite a large karst landscape but also one that more than matches its rivals in the world according to UNESCO:

“South China Karst represents one of the world’s most spectacular examples of humid tropical to subtropical karst landscapes. … The stone forests of Shilin are considered superlative natural phenomena and a world reference with a wider range of pinnacle shapes than other karst landscapes with pinnacles, and a higher diversity of shapes and changing colours.”

South China Karst is comprised of the three clusters, Libo Karst, Shilin Karst and Wulong Karst. The area is home to China’s Yi minority whose history, according to legend, starts right in the Stone Forest: Asham, daughter of a poor Sani shepherd (a branch of the Yi) came across the orphan Ahei who despite his youth was already employed by the landlord Azhi. Her parents decided to adopt Ahei and so Asham and he grew up together. Soon, they fell in love, married and would have lived happily ever after if Azhi, who was after Asham’s beauty, hadn’t kidnapped her. Ahei rescued her but had to kill Azhi and his son, after which the couple fled to the Stone Forest and started living there. They are said to have had five sons and daughters, the ancestors of today’s Sani people.

If we can’t all just go to the Stone Forest right now, at least the following video will give us a good impression of Shilin’s atmosphere and the amazing stone formations, some of which look like faces or people rather than trees. We’re sure there are many more legends that are just waiting to be discovered and told. Some other time.

Awesome Creation and Destruction Borne from the Barrel of a Gun

2009-12-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

Photos of bullets captured bursting through fragile, everyday objects emanate a rare power. The contrast between lethal, high velocity projectile and prone target hits you, excuse the expression, like a shot. When the object penetrated on impact is as patently childlike as a chocolate bunny, the capacity of the image to make the observer think is amplified – like a gunshot heard for the first time, the weapon’s silencer removed.
This next object is almost unrecognisable – it has been so smashed to smithereens. It’s an egg; an egg with all its associations of innocence and nascent life, utterly obliterated. Impossible not to think of the head of a human or animal upon looking at this exploded household item, to see the viscous remains of shell, yolk and white, frozen mid air, as the inner substance of brain and cranium.
Is this all too serious? Maybe. The photos – like this one of a banana disintegrating – are beautiful after all. And yet what were bullets designed for if not to kill? In an age where gun culture is rife, an age where 29,569 people were killed by guns in the US in 2004 alone, it is impossible to ignore the impact the modern bullet and the gun from which it sprang have had on the world.
A pack of cards; more robust than the other items shot here and yet effortlessly blown apart by a missile less than a centimetre in diameter – as the exit hole and flakes of paper vividly show. Gun politics is a subject as explosive as the weapon in question, with people lining up on both sides to dispute their right to bear arms versus tighter gun control laws. Wherever you stand on this issue, there’s no denying the destructive force of a speeding bullet.

Amazing and Strange Dragon Lizard Menaces Photographers

2009-12-02T03:41:00.000-08:00

The frilled or dragon lizard seems like a remnant from prehistoric times. In fact, this large reptile with a built-in parachute might remind fans of the 1993 movie Jurassic Park of the Dilophosaurus. Though the dinosaur’s ruffles in the movie were purely fictitious, the dragon lizard’s frills are not. It hisses and puffs up its neck frills in a display of aggression that intimidates rivals and predators.

A colourful, built-in umbrella:
Lizard threatened
Image via lidgecko

Look at that long tail!
The frilled-neck lizard, also called frilled lizard or frilled dragon (Chlamydosaurus klingii), is famous for its spectacular neck frill, displayed when it feels disturbed, alarmed or threatened. Most of its time though is spent in the safety of trees in tropical savannah woodlands in its native habitat ranging from northern Australia to southern New Guinea. There is only one recorded frilled-neck lizard species so far.

At up to 90 cms (3 ft), frilled dragons are large lizards that surprisingly feed mainly on insects. Cicadas, beetles, ants and termites are part of their diet, and they love butterflies and moths but occasionally also tuck into spiders, other lizards and small mammals.

Move out of the way, this one’s about to get riled up:
Being otherwise fairly expressionless like most reptiles, there is really no warning sign as to when rivals or predators have overstepped the line. Suddenly, the lizard will raise its frill – not unlike an umbrella – and also open its mouth wide, making a threatening hissing sound. Its display of aggression also includes darkening its color and rocking on its hind legs. We wouldn’t want to cross it then!

Now, this one’s definitely not having a good day:
Here’s some action-packed footage of one frilled lizard feeding, then fighting with an intruder and finally running away to safety from a predator.

The frill-necked lizard’s colouring is said to be Australia’s most spectacular but it depends on the location. Northern Territory and Western Australia frilled lizards are usually red with yellow and orange frills, whereas those in the eastern territories are usually uniformly gray to brown, all depending on what colours will camouflage them best.

A brown frilled lizard, clicked at Horseshoe Bay, Queensland:

We’ll leave you with one of the funniest things we have ever seen – a frilled-neck lizard running. Its strategy is to look scary just long enough to run away and escape up the next tree. Given the running speed
it attains, the neck frills seem to work like a plane’s speed flaps. See for yourself if you don’t believe us:

Chlamydosaurus klingii, frilled dragon, frilled lizard, frilled neck lizard

4 Strange Animals Most In Need of a Haircut

2009-12-02T03:32:00.000-08:00

Regardless of what you think of body or facial hair, nature again is one step ahead when making animals
’ coats look good and practical: As defense mechanism, heat protection, natural filter or simply cuteness enhancer – excess hair or fur in animals always has a special purpose. We found five critters that could definitely do with a trim.
4. Tarantulas

The Chilean Rose Tarantula (Grammostola rosea) is characterised by its brown colour and ample pinkish or orange-red hair. The medium to large spider is a native of South America, specifically Chile’s Atacama Desert.

A Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula in all its glory:
Chilean Rose Tarantula
Image: Matt Reinbold

Though Grammostolas usually tend to run away from danger rather than defend themselves, they may raise their front legs and present their fangs in preparation to fight. Their main defense mechanism are the urticating or barbed hairs that they kick off, usually from their abdomens, aiming for the attacker’s skin or eyes to cause physical irritation. This strategy is common to New World tarantulas, i.e. those native to the Americas, which tend to be the hairiest species.

Believe it or not – the Chilean Rose Tarantula is a popular pet, especially with tarantula enthusiasts just starting out because of its docile nature.

A particularly hairy, adult male specimen:

3. Emperor Tamarins

The tamarin (Sanguinas ursula) is an about-squirrel-sized New World Monkey native to an area ranging from Costa Rica and southern Central America to the Amazon basin and north Bolivia. There are many tamarin species that differ considerably in colouration and appearance. Among the moustached tamarins, the Emperor Tamarin with its long, white moustache is probably the most striking.

What are you looking at?
Emperor tamarin
Image: Mila Zinkova

It is believed that the Emperor Tamarin (Sanguinus imperator) was named after German emperor William II who sported an equally impressive moustache. The Emperor Tamarin prefers the tropical rain forest as its habitat and spends most of its day in the trees, jumping around during the day and sleeping at night.

Emperor Tamarins live together in a matriarchal structure with the oldest female leading the group of two to eight animals, including mature males. Various specific cries help these primates identify impostors quickly. Also remarkable about the Emperor Tamarins is that they form mixed-species associations with Brown-mantled Tamarins (Saguinus fuscicollis).

Tamarin males do the child rearing:

2. Komondors

The Komondor is a breed of large Hungarian livestock guarding dog, easily identified by its long, white corded coat. It was first mentioned in a Hungarian codex in 1544 and is considered one of Hungary’s national treasures today.

Natural dreadlocks – the Komondor:
The Komondor’s natural guarding instinct and vigilance make it the perfect pet for rural and farm settings. The dog usually rests during the day, keeping an eye on the surroundings, but gets active at night when it moves around and patrols its area. It is said that Komondors will allow intruders to enter but not to leave, keeping them down until their owners arrive.

Who are you calling a mop?
Contrary to what one may believe, once corded, the Komondor’s 20-27 cm long coat does not shed much. Sometimes the cords need untangling and after a bath, Komondors take about two and a half days to dry! They are by far the canines with the most amount of fur. The coat is the dog’s defense mechanism as it will protect it from attackers, wolf bites for example.
1. Angora Rabbit

Though we are deeply impressed with the Komondor’s shaggy mane, our number one is the Angora Rabbit. This critter just seems to be nothing but fur! Not surprisingly, Angora Rabbits are bred because of their long Angora wool, which is removed by shearing, plucking or combing. Today, there are many individual breeds.

A fur ball, no, an English Angora Rabbit:

The Angora Rabbit originated in Ankara, Turkey and is the oldest type of domestic rabbit. There’s also an Angora Cat and an Angora Goat but neither of them is as furry as the Angora Rabbit. The latter was popular with French royalty around 1650 and soon in other parts of Europe.
Angora rabbit, Bearded monkey, Bearded pig, Chilean Rose tarantula, Emperor tamarin, guarding dog, Komondor, tarantulas

Cool and Incredible Model Of Mascow

2009-11-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

18 Most Amazing and Wonderful Natural Stones

2009-11-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

World largest And Wonderful shopping mall in China

2009-10-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

13 Strange and Ugly Halloween Geek Gadget Design

2009-10-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

2. Halloween and Special Effects Contact Lenses

3. Pumpkin PC Case and PC

4. DIY moving pumpkin

5. Ghost Mouse

6. Living Dead Dolls Pencil Sharpener

7. Remotely Controlled Tarantula

8. USB Key Skull Ring

9. Bubble Fogger Machine

10. Demo iPhone Case

11. LED Eyelashes from Korea

12. Halloween Bloody Hand Foot Mouse Pad

13. USB Flash Drive Finger fresh from crime scene

Wonderful animal Smiles

2009-10-31T12:09:00.001-07:00

10 Cool and Creative Bacon Art Pieces

2009-10-31T12:06:00.000-07:00

1.Bacon Jack-O-Lantern

2.Bacon Toilet

3.Bacon Bra

4.Bacon Suit

5. Fancy Bacon Sculpture by Simon Racheli

6.Bacon Coffee

7.Bacon AK-47

8.Bacon Angel

9.Bacon and Eggs

10.Felt Bacon Ensconced Refrigerator

Cool and Beautiful Scientific T-shirt

2009-10-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

12 Strange Condoms

2009-10-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

2. Tuxedo Condom

3.Obama Condom

4.Black Condom

5.Whiskey Condom

6.Rapex (the anti-rape condom)

7.Dinosaur Condom

8.Spray on Condom

9.Customize Condom

10.Phosphorescent Condom

11.Gun Condom

12.Wacky Rubbers

Most Wonderful Breathtaking Images On The Earth.

2009-10-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Awesome and cool Things You Should Do In Japan

2009-10-27T03:57:00.000-07:00

No.1 - Climb Mount Fuji

Sounds crazy, huh? But Japan's highest mountain, at 12,388 feet, is a doable climb. Sure, you need to be of reasonable fitness, but in this case that pretty much just means having all your limbs present with a set of fully functioning lungs to boot. Thousands of Japanese people and tons of tourists take on this magnificent climb every year. However, be aware that the climbing season only lasts from the start of July to the end of August. Get to the top to witness a majestic sunrise -- provided it's not cloudy, in which case it'll be more of a foggy orange glow.

As the weather gets colder, that travel bug is in the air, so check out AM's Top 10: Cool Cruises and Top 10: Little Italies.

No.2 - Bathe naked with your mates

Going on a trip to Japan and taking a shower in your hotel room instead of hosing yourself down in an onsen would be like going to China and forgoing Peking duck in favor of a burger and fries. For many tourists, the biggest hurdle is the getting naked thing. Rest assured, it's nothing to be afraid of. Your fellow bathers are not interested in your wares; they're just there to relax, and that's what you should be there for too. So take a deep breath, jump into your birthday suit and head for the baths. Each one is usually a different temperature, so it's best to dip your toe in before fully immersing yourself in a pool full of water just short of boiling.

No.3 - Spend a night in a love hotel

If you're in Japan with your other half, it's worth spending some time in one of these places, whether it's for a two-hour “rest” or an overnight “sleep.” The buildings are, more often than not, dazzling in design, and the rooms elaborate in the extreme, equipped with toys, a big TV, video games and even, in some cases, a karaoke machine -- not to mention more mirrors than a disco ball. Discretion is the name of the game in a love hotel -- you'll not see a single member of staff the whole time you're there, even when you check in and out. The nation's 25,000 love hotels are visited around 500 million times a year -- now that's a whole lotta lovin'.
No.4 - Play with your balls in a pachinko parlor

The pachinko parlor is where people go to relax. The noise and smoky atmosphere may not be everyone's idea of kicking back, but it's a pastime deeply entrenched in Japanese life and is worth a go at least once. Pay for some balls and then use the dial on the machine to send them into the field of play. If your balls go into the right hole, you'll trigger a go on a kind of slot machine. If you're lucky, you'll win more balls. If you're unlucky, you'll be 50 bucks down in a matter of minutes. When you have more balls than you can handle, you can exchange them for cash.

No.5 - Lose yourself in Akihabara

If you love gadgets and electronics, you'll love this place in the country's capital. Brush shoulders with the nation's geeks and browse the numerous stores showing off the very latest in tech. Brand-new as well as used goods are on offer, and prices may well be more attractive than what you'll find back home. Many electronic items never make it out of Japan, so you might see some flashy new contraptions on display -- even if you're not sure what they actually do.

No.6 - Eat at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant

There's nothing in the world quite like the experience of grabbing your dinner as it passes by on a slow-moving conveyor belt. Welcome to the world of conveyor-belt sushi. Don't like raw fish? You'll see cooked items trundling by too, so there's no excuse not to partake in this quintessentially Japanese experience. Don't forget to be impressed by the chefs as you watch them speedily prep the food with knives that, with one false move, could easily carve up more than just fish.

No.7 - Ride the bullet train

A train journey like no other: The shinkansen whisks people from one end of Japan to the other, and has been doing so since 1964 at speeds of up to 186 mph. It is the way to travel in Japan. With spotless cars and comfy seats sporting ample legroom, not forgetting the impeccable service (the conductors even bow on entering and leaving the car), you won't want to get off. Marvel at the timekeeping, too -- your train will arrive at its destination to the very second -- guaranteed.

No.8 - Belt out some karaoke tunes

In Japan, karaoke is as popular as it ever was, with friends spending hours in little rooms with mics, big songbooks and loud voices. There are hundreds of English-language songs available -- old and new -- so choose a number, take a deep breath and step up to the plate. It doesn't matter if you sound like a cat in a washing machine; taking part is what counts. It's a great stress relief and far more addictive than you might imagine. Best of all, you're with your friends in a private room, so don't be shy!

No.9 - Go to a sumo tournament

People often dismiss sumo as just a bunch of fat guys slapping each other about, but it's so much more than that. Go along to a bout and soak up the electric atmosphere while wallowing in the pomp and ceremony. The wrestlers may be a bit on the pudgy side, but the truth is that it's mostly muscle and they're far more agile than you might imagine. You'll quickly find yourself engrossed and cheering your man till he gets pushed out of the ring or slips up and slams into the ground. And when these guys hit the ground, you'd better hold on to your seat as there's a chance it might register on the Richter scale.

No.10 - Try speaking Japanese

Go on, give it a go. You'll either get laughed out of town or you'll get a smile wider than the island of Shikoku (and that's a really wide island), but at least you'll get a reaction. The Japanese love it when a foreigner has a go at their lingo. The main point to remember: Don't be afraid. Look in your phrase book and pick out a question. Sure, you probably won't understand the answer they fire back, but if you nod and smile then they'll think you understood and will probably heap nothing but praise on your outstanding language skills -- though, of course, you won't understand that that's what they're saying.

Wonderful Show from Antiaircraft

2009-10-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Bunch of Grapes Auctioned for $910 in Japan

2009-10-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

A new variety of premium grapes debuted in Japan on Monday, with a single bunch fetching as much as 100,000 yen ($910).

A Japanese hotel manager paid that amount, or about 2,860 yen ($26) per grape, for a 1 1/2 pound (700-gram) bunch of the Ruby Roman grapes to serve guests at an upscale hotel, officials said. heck out 2 more pics after the jump.
“We believe the price was probably a record high,” said local agricultural official Hirofumi Isu. “They’re delicious — sweet but fresh at the same time, very well balanced.”

The tomato-colored grapes made their debut at an auction in Japan’s northwestern Ishikawa prefecture, where they have been under development since 1994 in a state-led project.

The bunch that fetched the top price had about 35 grapes, each slightly smaller than a pingpong ball, Isu said.
The average price for the Ruby Roman grapes at Monday’s auction was about 27,000 yen ($245) a bunch.

Isu said local farmers hope to sell 1,500 bunches, or 1 ton, of the grapes by mid-September.

Fruit is generally expensive in Japan, and people often buy grapes, peaches and melons as luxury gifts. Japanese are often willing to pay top prices for high-end fruits, especially for the prestige of owning the very first ones of the year.

Beautiful highways and high quality highways picture

2009-10-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

50 Beautiful and Stunning Underwater Photos

2009-10-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Which is the most important part of the body?

2009-10-15T09:19:00.001-07:00

My mother
used to ask me what is the most important part of the body? Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct Answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, 'My ears, Mommy.'

She said, 'No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.'

Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer.

So this time I told her, 'Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.'

She looked at me and told me, 'You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.'

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years,

Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, 'No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child.'

Then one year, my grandfather died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my father cried.

I remember that especially because it was only the second time I saw him cry.

My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to my Grandfather.

She asked me, 'Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?'
I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me.

She saw the confusion on my face and told me, 'This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in your life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you were wrong and I have given you an example why.

But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson. 'She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, 'My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.'

I asked, 'Is it because it holds up my head?'

She replied, 'No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.'

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one. It is made for others and not for yourself. It is sympathetic to the pain of others.

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did . But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.

The origination of this letter is unknown, but it brings a blessing to everyone who passes it on.

Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them, but you always know they are there.

Share this with a friend, I just did..

Awesome and Beautiful Australian Birds Nature photography

2009-10-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Awesome and Incredible Bamboo Architecture by Vo Trong Nghia

2009-10-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Bamboo is the stuff of green dreams these days. Not only is it a winning combination of strong, lightweight and flexible; it also scores highly in the sustainable stakes, being super fast growing and easy to harvest locally in many parts of the world. What’s more, it is increasingly being lauded for its aesthetic qualities. None of this is news to any architect worth their salt – but one in particular, Vietnamese virtuoso Vo Trong Nghia, stands out for his exceptional bamboo designs.
In a piece by Vietnamese American writer and broadcaster Nguyen Qui Duc, Duc laments the rushed redevelopment of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, and calls for preserving the city’s beauty and character without tastelessly replicating the old French-style villas that have been razed to the ground. Instead of the rapidly rising glass-and steel structures being built, modernisation should mean both preservation and innovation – and that’s exactly what Vo Trong Nghia is all about.
As a young man, Nghia was selected to study architecture in Japan. However, his early life in a small village in central Vietnam proved the ideal and natural foundation for what he would learn in the land of the Rising Sun and the architectural projects that have followed in his homeland. “We used bamboo and cane and such materials for everything,” recalls the architect. From farming tools to cooking utensils, it was all woven together – just as many of his buildings are today.
Mingling international inspiration with the influence of his roots, Nghia is big on bamboo. The rounded bar he designed for his Water and Wind Cafe features a 30-foot bamboo frame covered in a local bush plant. Like a giant version of the haystacks that dot the Vietnamese countryside, it is also African-esque, with a pointed open dome that allows light to infuse the interior. Elsewhere, Nghia’s curving bamboo structures are bound together with not a nail in sight.
As proof of his green credentials, Nghia has built a factory in Vietnam where bamboo is treated and given its warm brown colour. It is said his structures will last twenty years. “At the end of the day, if you have to remove or take apart buildings,” says Nghia, “You won’t end up with piles of concrete that’s destructive to the environment.” He is also trying to get more bamboo growing ventures off the ground, an architect weaving homegrown tradition with aesthetic innovation.

Strange and Incredible Myth Behind the Feejee Mermaid

2009-10-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

On a warm evening in the summer of 1842, the English gentleman Dr. J. Griffin wandered alone on a deserted tropical beach. He swatted the bothersome insects that buzzed about his head, cursing the muggy weather which caused them to breed in such numbers at this time of year. For Dr Griffin was a fellow of that distinguished organisation, the British Lyceum of Natural History, and was thus no stranger to the wonders – and horrors – that nature is capable of. However, even his learned mind was ill-prepared for what lay around the next bend on this particular evening. For there on the white sands, gasping its last breath, was a being seemingly ripped from the pages of mythology itself…
The 19th century: surely the age of the showman and the hoaxer as much as it was the age of scientific discovery. For every Darwin who stepped forward to enlighten the public by dispelling superstition, there was a Barnum who was happy to provide them with some wonder – for a special discounted fee, of course. And for the price of a half-loaf of bread, any child of the 1840’s who was hard up for a little excitement could witness Dr. Griffin’s stupendous find, the Feejee Mermaid, courtesy of his business associate, Mr. Barnum. An ancient art form in the waters of the far East, these grisly composite animals are still known as ‘Feejee mermaids’ wherever they are found in honour of Barnum’s famous fake.
But while any student of the strange will know that the Feejee mermaid was just another of P. T. Barnum’s infamous hoaxes (as were Dr. Griffin and the fictional ‘Lyceum of Natural History’), only a more dedicated search through the annals of the strange will reveal that he was building on a much older idea. Indeed, it seems that no mythological creature is so improbable or silly that nobody has, with all seriousness, reported an encounter with one.

Medieval tales of mermaids, today dismissed as easily as those of manticores or griffins, climaxed with a less easily-dismissed sighting by none other than Columbus himself. In 1493, Columbus described seeing three mermaids off the coast of Haiti. He wrote that they “came quite high out of the water”, and were “not as pretty as they are depicted, for somehow in the face they look like men.”
It is most often interpreted that what Columbus actually saw was a group of West Indian Manatees, large aquatic mammals native to the Caribbean. A single glance at one of these beasts is enough to convince that if this was the case, Columbus must have been using the word ‘mermaid’ in jest and not literally, as it is difficult to imagine any sailor confusing one of these chunky creatures for a beast that was part human female, even one with a face that was ’somehow’ like that of a man.

That such historical documents are open to interpretation remains a stumbling block for those who wish to track the appearance of strange beasts throughout antiquity. Perhaps Columbus had drunk just a bit too much grog after being too long at sea; perhaps he applied the term as a symbolic name for this new species of animal. Or perhaps he really meant what he said.
Pot-boiler books about the occult abound with other examples which prove difficult or impossible to track down and confirm, however they may fire the imagination of readers.

In 1830 a strange corpse reportedly washed up on the beach at Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, the wild and storm-ridden islands off the North-West coast of Scotland. It was about the size of a ‘well-nourished’ child, though its breasts, which clearly marked it as being female, were too ‘well-developed’ to have been those of a child. The creature had the hind-quarters of a fish, though without scales. Its skin was pale and its hair was black. According to the folklore collection Carmina Gadelica, the mermaid was actually alive when first spotted, but frustrated villagers who failed to capture and instead stoned it to death. Regardless, town elder Duncan Shaw constructed a tiny coffin for it and gave it a Christian burial. Again, it is difficult to imagine a manatee demanding such treatment.
Three years later, a creature more closely resembling the efforts of Barnum than the seductive sirens of legends was caught alive off the coast of the island of Yell. The upper body was described as being ‘monkeyish’, and the lower body was again like that of a fish. The fishermen responsible kept it in their boat for several hours, after which time its pitiful moaning finally compelled them to return it to the sea. The existence of mermaids has long been an accepted part of Irish and Scottish folklore, where they are known as the ‘maighdean mhara’ (literally, ‘maiden of the sea’.)
Such tales continued well up until the end of the 19th century. 20th century mermaid sightings are sparser. A creature with the upper body of a human female and the hind quarters of a fish was reported by the crew of the Leonidas in 1917 as it traveled from New York to Le Havre in France. This account claims that the being, which had long black hair, swam alongside the ship for six hours, rising itself out of the water for up to fifteen minutes at a time, allowing all the sailors onboard to see it clearly; all agreed that it was a mermaid.

As recently as August 2009, an alleged sighting brought tourists flocking to the town of Kiryat Yam in Israel. The creature appears for just a few minutes at dusk on certain nights. The town’s tourist board are taking full advantage of development, with a 1 million dollar reward for the first person to photograph it.
So what is the dedicated student of Forteana to make of such tales? The problem with most of them is that they occurred so long ago that any investigation carried out would achieve nothing. No new information is likely to come about regarding them; they remain stirring stories from which few conclusions can be drawn. In fact, they are for the most part similar to the folktales of yore in all respects except that they are alleged to be true. Note the similarity between the tale of the Benbecula creature and my own fictional effort at the top of the page. Incapable of being debunked or confirmed, these stories are passed on like legends. As for the Israeli mermaid, in all likelihood the most important lesson it will teach us is that a good idea never dies.

If the human need for wonder is as boundless as the waters of the ocean deeps, than strange tales of merfolk and other such creatures will doubtlessly continue.

10 Peculiarly Precarious Modern Buildings

2009-10-05T11:17:00.002-07:00

The world’s worst skyscraper disaster is still fresh in our minds, and every year sees a new calamity in our global obsession with building storey after storey, higher and higher. You would think that all architects would be careful to make their buildings look as stable as mountains. You’d be wrong. Thanks to modern building materials and behind-the-scenes architectural wizardry, the new field of precarious-looking urban architecture is on the rise – as these ten vertigo-inducing examples illustrate.

Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi – the most acutely leaning building in the world. It bows out 18 degrees from the vertical – in comparison, Pisa’s famous tower is only leaning at 3.99 degrees. Technologically ambitious and architecturally stunning, it looks like nothing on earth. (Well, okay, it does look like something in particular, but this is a family-friendly corner of the Web and we refuse to draw certain parallels).
And by the looks of the first concept drawings, Capital Gate was meant to be even more ambitious. How on earth would this design have stayed up? Judging from the reworked shape, the designers couldn’t answer that question either.
If you live in the Danish principality of Rødovre, you may see this queasy-making structure against the skyline. This ‘Sky Village’ is made up of 60 metre square blocks built up around the building’s core. Exactly how is up to the buildiers – meaning that in theory, no two buildings would look alike. We applaud engineering flexibility, but our applause for rock-steady stability is louder. Exactly how will it stay upright, please?
It may look like a bad or possibly drunken attempt at Photoshopping – but the Walters Towers will soon be reality. Forming an enormous W (possibly standing for “weird”), this apartment block complex in Prague is the slightly fevered work of architects Bjarke Ingels Group, and for obvious reasons, uses the latest in load-bearing building materials.
Our questions are endless. Do the lifts go diagonally? Is it safe? How would it fit in with the current Prague skyline? Is it safe? Exactly how is the weight distributed? Oh, and is it safe?
How would you feel about living in a building that looks less built than balanced? This Singaporean residential complex by OMA comprises of 31 six-storey apartment buildings stacked up in a thrilling haphazard manner, with the aim of circulating fresh air around every building. Since this is Singapore, heat loss wouldn’t be a problem – but what about air-con efficiency? And that certainly isn’t a balcony-view for the squeamish.
Costing over $600 million and reaching 51 floors into the blue, the China Central Television Headquarters in Beijing was completed in December 2008. It is built of steel, and its two rakishly-skewed towers had to be joined in the dead of night when the metal was coolest, to prevent expansion distortion. The local nickname? “Big shorts”.
In February this year, it narrowly escaped damage when the nearby Television Cultural Centre caught fire after opening ceremony fireworks went awry. This event has sparked an inquiry into the widespread use of high-explosive fireworks in China – and into the subsequent attempt by national authorities to suppress coverage of the blaze.
Commanding what must be one of the most spectacular views in Sydney, the Holman House teeters on the brink of architectural possibilities. Although not quite as unstable as the above photos suggests, the house juts out from the cliff edge so alarmingly that we commend its current occupants for their nerve (and try to hide our jealousy at having that view). But isn’t the Sydney basin prone to earthquakes?
The new Museum of Image and Sound in Rio de Janeiro is an award-winning response to the question “How unconventional can we make a museum look?” Looking like a stylishly collapsing carpark (ahem, arguably), the front-facing “vertical boulevard” hides galleries, auditoriums and even an outdoor cinema perched on top. No word on what the residents of the surrounding tower-blocks think of this last feature.
Due to open in 2011, the design is meant to channel the energy of the beach promenade, providing an extension of its movement rather than an interruption. If they could turn one side of those steps into a waterslide, we think it would be made completely perfect.
As well as challenging our assumptions and sensibilities, good architecture should make us feel happy. So what about this house from Ensamble Studio that seems designed to perturb, upset and make us permanently uneasy? From the swimming pool sticking out into thin air to the apparently badly-supported slab of concrete poking high above the roof, this void-riddled structure is certainly fascinating and challenging…but is it lovable?
Unlike with Capital Gate, there is no attempt to subvert the shape of the two towers that make Madrid’s Puerta de Europa. These massive structures (115 metres tall) look like conventional skyscrapers – except ones that lean towards each other at a 15-degree angle.
Completed in 1996, they were the world’s first leaning high-rise buildings (so urbanites who suffer from vertigo, you now have someone to blame for the trend). They are positioned so far apart to provide the room for a subway interchange.
The new housing development of Strandkanten in Tromsø, Norway, is 900 decided modernistic homes making best use of reclaimed land – and of design possibilities. The waterfront properties lean out over the water as if they long to go for a dip.

After hundreds of years of straight-up window design, how do we feel about windows that themselves lean out, making it impossible for us to safely do so? And there is the potential problem with all these designs: they’re built for people, and need a warm public response to become a success.

Catching an Anaconda(Amazing dont miss it)

2009-10-01T13:06:00.001-07:00

15 Awesomeand Creative Doorstops

2009-09-04T15:58:00.001-07:00

Modern door stoppers and creative doorstop designs that will hold your door open or closed in style.
Swiss Cheese Doorstop
Wizard Of Oz Doorstop
Banana Doorstop
Key Doorstop
Stop Doorstop
Elephant Trunk Doorstop
Cross Doorstop
Wedge Racer Doorstop
Dachshund Doorstop
Mr P Doorstop
Paint Tube Doorstop
Gold Doorstop
Foot In The Door Doorstop
James the Doorman

Mind-Boggling Photo Manipulations by Erik Johansson

2009-08-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Go Your Own Road
Ironing out some kinks in the character - Stryktalig
Self-portrait?
Face vs. Fist
The Room
The last tree - Sista Trädet, Sista Hösten

Awesome and Beautiful Nature’s Pink Camouflage

2009-07-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Shocking pink katydid
1. The Pink Katydids – Punk Rock
Katydid profile
Pink, white and green katydid found in Osaka, Japan
2. The Rose Dragonflies – Pop
Gorgeous in pink
3. Pink Mantis – Independent Rock
4. The Pink Grasshoppers – Ska
5. The Lonely Leafhoppers – Blues
6. The Pink Furry Moths – Country

Amazing and spectacular Rainbows Emerging from Inside the Iguazu Falls

2009-07-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

25 Beautiful Motivational Posters

2009-07-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.

Awesome Exploding Water Balloons Crystallized in Time

2009-07-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Snapshots of water-filled balloons bursting figure as amazingly frozen moments in time. Granted, they also bring back memories of when you were a young scamp, mischievously dropping water bombs on hapless cyclists from overpasses,
or soaking whole streets in drive-by drench-athons – but those days of innocence are gone now. So, it just leaves us to sit back and wonder at the beautiful physics of the things – as well as the devilish uses to which they can be put.

In a general sense it’s all to do with pressure – like peer pressure, but without the wicked little peers saying stuff like, “go on, soak the suckers, or we’ll soak you”. Yes, pressure. The pressure of the point of the pin, needle or whatever else it is that exerts force on the balloon, and the high pressure of the water inside the balloon, which is suddenly allowed to disperse. Since the water cannot all escape from the tiny hole pricked in the elastic material, it bursts to even out the pressure.

But enough talk; let’s see some shots of a water bomb bursting in sequence. A dart is let fly en route to puncture a balloon…

When the dart pierces the skin of its target, the balloon creases as it starts to split open, while ripples in the water’s surface tension begin to appear.

The water’s effervescence becomes more turbulent as it bulges, making its escape, even as the latex of the balloon surrenders to gravity.

Then there’s the magic moment from a photographic point of view, the instant when the water, shorn of its rubbery mould, still holds its roughly pear-shaped form…

…Before collapsing in a shower of water droplets.

s with so many things that are meant to be fun, some folks seem to take it all so very seriously. Throwing techniques include: not tying the water balloon closed but instead just twisting the end a few times so water begins to squirt out on the flight path; and overfilling the balloon so there’s enough weight and water to cause a good soaking even if it explodes on the ground. There are even accessories called ‘water balloon launchers’ as well as different types of nozzles and valves, all brought to you by a variety of money spinning manufacturers.
Maybe we’re traditionalists here at EG, but give us any balloons and we’re away, off on a journey of mischief and mayhem. Yes, we know you’re not supposed to use standard air balloons because they’re meant to be too thick, but when you’re holding a water bomb as big as a watermelon, no matter how hard to handle it may be, you know you’re going to cause a splash if it’s dropped from a great height. Oh yes.

Beautiful Obama Sand Portrait Art

2009-07-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

How big should your canvas be? How about 2.5 acres of ground to create a gigantic Obama portrait? This piece is called “Expectations,” sand art by Jorge Rodrigues Gerada.

Awesome Sand Art Portrait of Obama

2009-07-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

Cool Concrete Flooring Art

2009-07-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

10 Awesome and Fabulous Photographs of Birds in Flight with Web Source

2009-07-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

20 Awesome And Unusual Looking Ties

2009-06-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

Pouring Beer Necktie

Keyboard Tie
Space Invaderstie
Eye Chart Tie
Foot Long Hotdog Tie
Binary Code Tie
Crossword Puzzle Black White Necktie
New York Taxi Cab Shaped Tie
Scene Tie
Moons Surface Tie
Bit Tie
Kingofhearts Tie
Zebra Print Tie
Math Equations Silk Tie
Menu Tie
USB Tie
Circuit Board Tie
The circuit board pattern is printed on the fabric, but the lights in this design are fully functional, and flash in a variety of patterns.

Earbuds Tie
Photoshop Tie
Solar Powered Tie
It's an invention of Iowa State University, it has a pouch to hold on your gadget while it gets energized.

8 Awesome and Wonderful Green Roofs

2009-06-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

Green roofs have been around for centuries in Northern Scandanavia, but they’ve really only become a popular trend in the last few decades. Recognized now for their ability to reduce the urban heat island effect while also reducing heat loss and energy consumption in winter months - among many other benefits - green roofs are really taking off, all around the world. And these aren’t just your average pieces of sod plopped on top of a building, either. These roofs are meant to be seen, designed by the artistically inclined in newfound attempts to express and flex their creativity.

Here’s a roundup of eight great green roofs for you to admire:

1. GENO Haus, Stuttgart, Germany
The government sponsored the building of this roof in 1969; made of a Styrofoam base, this green roof remained functional until it was renovated with improvements in 1990. Germany was an early green roof adapter in the 1960s and continues to lead the way today, with an estimated 10% of all German roofs being “green”.

2. Nine Houses, Dietikon, Switzerland
This set of nine houses built in 1993 by architect Peter Vetsch were made out of concrete and buried in earth and grass. They remind of modern hobbit houses.

3. The Solaire, New York, United States

Built in 2003 with two green roofs by designer Rafael Pelli and landscape architect Diana Balmori, The Solaire was the first green residential building in North America. Residents live steps from the Financial District and Tribeca, and have the opportunity to experience a beautiful rooftop oasis when they come home each day.

4. Fukuoka Prefectural International Hall, Japan

Emilio Ambasz found a home for a 100,000-square-foot park in the form of 15 terraces atop a government building in Japan. This green roof features a whopping 35,000 plants representing 76 different species. A window office in this building will get you the best view the of the city, hands down.

5. Historial de la Vendée in Les-Lucs-sur-Boulogne, France
Nearly two acres of green space featuring native species was incorporated into the roof at Historial de la Vendée in France. The museum opened in June 2006.

6. Chicago City Hall, United States
One of the examples of green roofs built in the United States is the one that exists on top of Chicago City Hall. Although the roof is not normally accessible to the public, views from surrounding buildings reveal an organized sunburst pattern that is in keeping with the symmetry of the building’s architecture.

7. California Academy of Sciences, United States

7. California Academy of Sciences, United States

A visit to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park must now also include a tour of the outstanding 2.5 acre green roof of the California Academy of Sciences. The Academy claims that the building consumes an amazing 30-35% less energy than required by code.

8. School of Art and Design, Singapore
Wouldn’t you like to study here? A curving green roof protects a five-story glass building that allows for ample sunlight to shine in and pretty views to look out to. Simply inspiring.

For more pictures of amazing green roofs, check out Green Roofs Australia.

Swirling Non-Supercell Tornadoes in Pictures

2009-05-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

While we here at Environmental Graffiti do not claim to be scientists, we do think we’ve seen enough cool stuff to give you the run down on certain subjects. Awesome insects, peculiar clouds, even the occasional entry involving quantum physics
. That’s just something we do, and something we hope you come here for.

Today’s cool stuff just happens to be non-supercell tornadoes. Limited research suggests the common person (and the common Environmental Graffiti writer, consequently) has no idea what on earth a non-supercell tornado is.

A non-supercell tornado comes in many flavors: dust devils, dust tubes, and waterspouts, to name just a few. The basic difference is that these type of vortexes are not born of a larger storm system and appear only sporadically. Also, as is apparent in this photo, they do not seem to pose any real danger as there should be more arm flailing and/or opposite direction running.
What follows is a list of the most incredible non-supercell tornadoes we could find on the web.

Dust Devil

We’ve all done it; running headlong in a spring field, bumbling over knee-high grass to catch a small swirling cloud that dissipates just before you reach it. Well, maybe not all of us, but for some, this is a springtime childhood memory that is just as ingrained as watermelons or ant extermination via magnifying glass.

Dust devils normally form on warm days and with clear skies.

Martian Dust DevilWhat makes this dust devil so amazing isn’t so much the vortex itself, but its extraterrestrial location. While Mars has a relatively thin atmosphere, it is still dense enough to have the occasional dust devil.

These dust devils also have the peculiar ability to excite NASA scientists into peeing their collective pants. The dust devil’s high gusts occasionally sweep over the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers, cleaning the collected dirt off their solar panels and extending their life span far beyond expectations.

Landspout or Dust Tube Tornado

Landspout or dust tube tornadoes are weaker versions of supercell tornadoes. Essentially, they are waterspouts over land. They dissipate quickly and are less destructive.
t is difficult for the untrained to really tell the difference between a landspout and supercell tornado, but witnessing one or the other would probably spur even the hardiest Environmental Graffiti writer into squatting under his or her cheap IKEA desk.

Waterspouts

Waterspouts are basically nonsupercell tornadoes that appear over water. They are normally much smaller and weaker than supercell tornadoes and dissipate quickly. Amazingly, waterspouts have been known to suck whole schools of fish into the air and hurl them at unsuspecting bystanders. This activity, we believe, is absolute proof that the waterspout is the funniest natural phenomenon on the planet.

The waterspout above was spotted in Punta Gorda (translated “fat woman point?”) Florida in 2005. Pretty. The wimpier ones below are from a beach near The Hague in the Netherlands.

Fire Whirl

Amazingly, this swirling braid of fire is not the business end of the Balrog of Moria’s whip (first and last Lord of the Rings reference, we promise). The vortex is a phenomenon known as a fire whirl. While not a tornado per se, this type of vortex was too amazing to leave out. Air currents inside blazing infernos sometimes swirl about, creating this awe-inspiring, pants-crapping effect.

Here is the beginning of my post. And here is the rest of it.

5 Incredible Works of Leather Art

2009-05-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

Leather is one of the most versatile materials available to an artist.
Normally the preserve of clothing or sofas, artists have been using it for centuries as a form of decoration and self expression.

From the elaborate saddle covers of the 5th century BC Nomads of the Altaic Region to modern day contemporary wall hangings, working with such an unforgiving medium as leather requires a truly masterful skill-set to produce a work of art from what is basically tanned animal hide. Fortunately the advancement of both tools and techniques has enabled artists to do more with leather than ever before, most notably in the realm of sculpture and intricate pictures. Let’s celebrate the skill and talent of the master craftsmen and women with a look at five incredible works of leather art.

1. The Hunters (Painted Leather)

Unlike dyeing leather, when you paint on leather the paint isn’t absorbed into the material and therefore artists have to be very careful not to bend or twist the leather as the paint can crack or flake off.

This vibrant depiction of two traditional hunters with their quarry is a brilliant illustration of the intricate detailing that can be achieved when using paint on leather. The use of form, colour and texture makes this painting appear three-dimensional while helping to give an illusion of movement in the huntsman’s clothing.

2. The Guitar (Sculptured and Carved Leather)

This piece won a Blue Ribbon at the 2008 Tennessee State Fair and is a brilliant example of the possibilities that exist when using leather as an art medium. It is life-like and immaculately detailed with a character all of its own. The artist has even gone so far as to include the Tennessee state flag on the body of the guitar.

3. Tipping the Hat (Carved Leather)

This incredible picture of a man tipping his hat carved into suede leather is a superb illustration of master leather craftsmanship. Excellently proportioned, even the hand is perfectly formed. A three dimensional effect is created by the fine detailing of the man and the illusion of distance with the background images. There’s even a vague similarity with Michael Jackson!

4. Hidden Face (Sculptured Leather)

Leather is a great medium for sculpture, which if used correctly can be used to produce a dramatic visual effect as is the case with this Peruvian leather sculpture.

This particular example of leather art is exceptionally well moulded, giving the impression of a face framed by folds of the leather. The careful positioning of the creases leads the eye to the central focus point, the face.

5. The Wilderness (Carved and Dyed Leather)

A number of tools including a swivel knife, veiner and pear shader are used in the art of leather carving. The intension with this type of leather art is to carve a design or image into the leather and thereby to create a three dimensional visual effect.

This scene of deer in a forest is just one example of what can be created when combining the technique of leather carving with dyeing. The artist has managed to capture a feeling of tranquility in the wilderness on this particular leather wallet purely by the placement and actions of the deer set against a natural backdrop of sky and ground.

Pregnant man shows off five-month-old daughter on U.S. TV

2009-05-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

'Pregnant man' shows off five-month-old daughter on U.S. TV and says baby No.2 will complete our 'American dream'

The transgender man who gave birth to a baby has showed off his daughter on an American television show.

Thomas Beatie shocked the world earlier this year when he gave birth to daughter Susan, despite having had a sex change operation.

Now Beatie, from Bend, Oregon, has revealed he is 10-weeks pregnant with his second baby.

We are living the American dream right now and I couldn't be happier.

'I have my loving wife and this miracle of a baby, I couldn't be happier,' he told Good Morning America.

Beatie, 34, was a former lesbian who had chest reconstruction and testosterone therapy, but chose to keep his female reproductive organs.

Beatie, who was born Tracy Lagondino, gave birth to Susan in June amid a blitz of media scrutiny.

He had been inseminated at home by his wife Nancy, 46, with sperm from a donor.

'She (Susan) is such a happy baby, she loves to smile and laugh,' he said.

'I had a natural birth. People do recognise me now, I am really surprised, New York is a big city but people recognise us instantaneously now I think.

'They say "That's the pregnant man".

'It is absolutely positive, 99 per cent positive. People when they meet us they just see us as a regular family.

'It is easy for people to see us as a family, because that is what we are, a husband, wife and child.'

Asked if he can understood why some people did not see his situation as 'normal', Beatie said: 'I think everyone is trying to find their own definition of normal.

'With all the differences in the world, different is clearly normal.'

Asked if he is still happy to be a man, he replied: 'Oh absolutely. There is nothing wrong with a pregnant man.

'It is just normal for us, it was completely the best decision for me to carry our child and we did not even give it a second thought.'

Beatie was also asked if he felt he could have given birth to Susan more 'privately'.

'I don't think it could have happened that way (privately),' he said.

'When I wrote the article for the Advocate, we were experiencing medical discrimination and we had legal questions we needed answers for.

'So we were talking to a gay and lesbian audience hoping to find answers and we couldn't find any. In our pursuit for answers this ensued.'

Beatie admitted that he had not spoken to his father since the birth of his daughter, but hoped to eventually introduce them to each other.

Asked if his family's negative attitude towards the pregnancy had been hard, he replied: 'Yes it has been hard.

'But Nancy's family has been incredibly supportive, her father and her brothers and sisters and children.'

And Nancy said that she was 'excited' about the couple having a second baby, even with the publicity that would surround it.

'I am so excited. Hopefully things will calm down and we can get on with our lives,' she said.

'It is neat to be able to educate people about different families and that is really what we are.

'There are so many different families out there and we are just another one.

'I have done this before (she has two other children) and what is wonderful is that I got to be on the other side of this and could support him through the labour experience and right through the pregnancy.

'I got to breast feed the baby, we are so closely bonded with her. He was able to carry her and I was able to breast feed her.'

Celebrities Looking Like Strange Creatures

2009-05-08T10:08:00.003-07:00

Posh Spice - Falcor

Flava Flav - Stripe
Ron Paul - Magneto
Pope Benedict - Darth Sidious
Mick Jagger - A batfish
John Kerry - Herman Munster
Jamie Hyneman - A Walrus
James Hetfield - Cowardly Lion
James Carville - Gollum
George Bush - Chimpanzee
Nick Nolte - Cthulu
Wilford Brimley - Diabeetus Cat
Gary Busley - A Horse
Robert Smith - Chinese Crested
Avril Lavigne - Chris Crocker
Jack White - Michael Jacson

Light Graffiti Artist Vicki DaSilva

2009-04-29T09:09:00.002-07:00

Vicki DaSilva is a light graffiti legend.
Influenced by the birth and boom of graffiti in New York City, she decided to develop her own more ephemeral but no less inspiring take on the art form, making thin air instead of subway cars her canvas, swapping spray cans for light sources, and capturing the play of light in long exposure photography. She has been creating light graffiti and light painting photographs since 1980
McCarren Pool (1985)
Vicki DaSilva’s work is broad in scope, from technical conceptual pieces involving track systems like those from her ‘Light Tartans’ series, to the more direct socio-political throw-ups of her ‘Financial Meltdown’ series. After concentrating on installation-based work for a long time, she became inspired to make some new light graffiti work during the Obama campaign. Here the artist herself talks exclusively to Environmental Graffiti.
Bailout Bull (2008)
EG: How would you explain the way light graffiti works to the novice?
Vicki DaSilva: Light graffiti is a very basic technique of using any light source as a method of drawing for a time exposure photograph in the dark, or at night. Using a camera that allows a ‘bulb’ setting for an extended time, while on a tripod, the light source is directed at the camera and the camera documents the movement of the light. Trial and error are needed to perfect any number of variables.
AIG = IOU (2009)
EG: What is your modus operandi in a nutshell?
Vicki DaSilva: My modus operandi is to create single frame time exposure photographs at site-specific locations at night that combine principles of drawing, painting, sculpture, performance and installation art with light. And to make lightgraffiti.com the most popular site for light graffiti.
Light Tartans: Fountain Park #4 (2007)
EG: What is the thinking behind your two – very different it seems – current projects?
Vicki DaSilva: My light painting photographic installation based works are made with the pursuit of contributing to contemporary fine art photography
with a body of work that is historically significant in terms of originality and execution of process.
Light Tartans: Fountain Park #6 (2008)

Top ten amazing food buildings

2009-04-15T10:07:00.001-07:00