Oh no! Child demolishes $15K Lego statue

Oh no! Child demolishes $15K Lego statue

Wednesday, June 1, 2016 / No Comments

To look but not touch proved to be too much for one young boy at a Lego show in southern China.

Within the first hour of the expo in Ningbo, a young boy pushed over a human-sized sculpture and sent its pieces toppling to the ground, according to state-run CCTV. Read More

'Universal Cancer Vaccine’ Breakthrough Claimed by Scientists

'Universal Cancer Vaccine’ Breakthrough Claimed by Scientists

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Researchers have found a way to persuade the body's immune system to attack tumours – and it is largely free from side effects.

Scientists have taken a “very positive step” towards creating a universal vaccine against cancer that makes the body’s immune system attack tumours as if they were a virus, experts have said. Read More

 

2 men killed in suspected murder-suicide, LAPD says; campus safe

2 men killed in suspected murder-suicide, LAPD says; campus safe

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Two men are dead in a suspected murder-suicide inside an engineering building at UCLA Wednesday morning.

Reports of a shooting happened shortly before 10 a.m. at Boelter Hall. The entire campus was placed on lockdown and students were told to shelter in place. Read More

15 Interesting Facts About Tornadoes

15 Interesting Facts About Tornadoes

Tuesday, April 7, 2015 / No Comments

#1 Tornadoes Come From Cumulonimbus and Cumulus Clouds

#2 Tornadoes Have Been Witnessed on Every Continent Except Antarctica

#3 Historians Aren’t Sure How The Word Tornado Came from Spanish

#4 A Funnel Cloud Is Only a Tornado When it Touches the Ground

#5 Hurricane Katrina Created Tornadoes All Across the East Coast

#6 When Storms Produce More Than One Tornado It’s Called an ‘Outbreak’

 #7 Supercells Are Storms That Have Cyclones of Air Built-in to Them

#8 Some Tornadoes Can’t Be Seen

#9 There Was a Tornado 2.5 Miles Wide in Nebraska In 2004

#10 Tornadoes Make Infrasound Below the 20Hz Range of Human Hearing

#11 A Tornado in 1925 Traveled Over 200 Miles

#12 Tornadoes Have Some of the Fastest Wind Speeds on Earth

#13 There Are 3 Scales for Rating Tornadoes

#14 The ‘Hook Echo’ Radar Signature of Tornadoes Was Found in 1953

#15 Storm-Chasers Are Thrill-Seeking Scientists That Save Lives

10 Tips to Improve Reading Speed & Reading...

10 Tips to Improve Reading Speed & Reading...

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by Speed Reading Expert, Richard L. Feldman, Ph.D. (Columbia University)

10. Read Early in the Day

Many people can double their reading speed and improve their concentration by reading the material that’s important to them early in the day.

9. Prioritize Your Reading

Create three piles for your reading materials – important, moderately important, and least important. Then read the material in their order of importance. You’ll improve your reading speed by doing this, and improve your reading comprehension by getting to the important material first, when your mind is clear and sharp.

8. Skim Material First for Main Ideas

Speed read for main ideas in nonfiction works like how-to books and educational texts. Scan the table of contents and first and last sentences of each paragraph. You’ll improve your reading speed and comprehension if you understand a book’s structure first. This will help you know which parts of the book to skim and which parts to read more carefully.





7. Form a Question

Improve your reading comprehension, reading speed, and concentration by turning headings and subheadings in textbooks and other nonfiction books into questions. Then scan the text for the answers. Your reading speed improves by doing this, and you become focused on your material.

6. Read in the Proper Environment

Prop your book or magazine using a bookstand – angling your reading material at 45 degrees improves your reading speed and reduces eyestrain. Avoid reading difficult or important material in bed, where your mind and body tend to relax. You’ll stay alert if you sit at a desk instead.

5. Write a Course of Action on Correspondence

Improve your reading speed and avoid re-reading correspondence by jotting brief notes immediately after reading each piece of correspondence. Simply refer to your notes on each piece when you’re reading to respond some time later.





4. Avoid Highlighting

Although readers believe that highlighting in yellow (or any other color, for that matter) improves their reading speed and comprehension, the reverse is actually true. Highlighting simply means they don’t want to bother learning the material right now. The result: They end up reading the material twice, and possibly not understanding or remembering it either time!

3. Preview Before Reading

Look through material first to get a sense of what’s interesting and important to you, and what you might be able to skip. Then focus on the sections that you need to understand and remember, and skim or skip the rest.

2. Use a Flexible Reading Speed

Some reading material must be read slowly and carefully: legal contracts, mathematical equations, and poetry are a few examples. Other reading material can be read at much faster speeds: newspapers, magazines, and novels. Adjust your reading speed to the type of reading material and your reading purpose.





1. Enroll in a Speed Reading Class

Avoid on-line speed reading courses and do-it-yourself speed reading software. They don’t work. Speed reading is best learned in a speed reading class taught by a knowledgeable, experienced, speed reading expert.[source]

UNESCO - World Heritage Sites - Argentina

UNESCO - World Heritage Sites - Argentina

Tuesday, March 3, 2015 / No Comments

Los Glaciares National Park

The Los Glaciares National Park is an area of exceptional natural beauty, with rugged, towering mountains and numerous glacial lakes, including Lake Argentino, which is 160 km long. At its farthest end, three glaciers meet to dump their effluvia into the milky grey glacial water, launching massive igloo icebergs into the lake with thunderous splashes.[whc.unesco.org]

Walkways Close to Perito Moreno Glacier by Wikisanchez[via]

Los Glaciares National Park also has a number of lakes like Lake Viedma and Lake Argentino and the Fitz Roy Mountain, besides the beautiful glaciers. These lakes are fed by thawing glaciers. It is an ideal place for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. The park offers plenty of activities for tourists such as climbing, sport fishing, trekking and exploring the flora and fauna of the region. The place is also loved by bird watchers and you may even spot flamingos. The forested region has lenga and beech trees.

Fitz Roy Mountain at Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina[via]

Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina[via]

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Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil)

The ruins of São Miguel das Missões in Brazil, and those of San Ignacio Miní, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa María la Mayor in Argentina, lie at the heart of a tropical forest. They are the impressive remains of five Jesuit missions, built in the land of the Guaranis during the 17th and 18th centuries. Each is characterized by a specific layout and a different state of conservation.[whc.unesco.org]

"San Ignacio Miní" by Juan - Flickr[via]

The Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis are the archeological remains of towns created by the Jesuit Order. The towns existed between 1609 and 1818, and aimed to socially, culturally and religiously elevate the local Guarani Indians. They also provided protection and economic stability. Originally there were 30 missions, spread out over Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. The two Jesuit missions in Paraguay are now a separate WHS.

This designated site consists of five different missions:
- São Miguel das Missões (Brazil)
- San Ignacio Mini (Argentina)
- Nuestra Señora de Santa Ana (Argentina)
- Nuestra Señora de Loreto (Argentina)
- Santa María la Mayor (Argentina)[source]

"Ruinas de Sao Miguel das Missoes" por Goldemberg Fonseca de Almeida from Dourados - MS, Brazil[via]

"Santa Ana Jesuit-Guarani mission 1" by I, Pablo-flores[via]

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Iguazu National Park

The semicircular waterfall at the heart of this site is some 80 m high and 2,700 m in diameter and is situated on a basaltic line spanning the border between Argentina and Brazil. Made up of many cascades producing vast sprays of water, it is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. The surrounding subtropical rainforest has over 2,000 species of vascular plants and is home to the typical wildlife of the region: tapirs, giant anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and caymans.[whc.unesco.org]

Iguazu National Park: Abode Of The Majestic Iguazu Falls[via]






The Argentinian side of the park measures 49.200 ha. The adjacent Brazilian side is another World Heritage Site. The waterfalls on both sides together span over 2700 m., and have a height of 80 m. Iguazu is an indigenous (Tupi-Guarani) name, meaning Great Waters.

Iguazu National Park: Abode Of The Majestic Iguazu Falls[via]





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Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas

The Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas, contains an exceptional assemblage of cave art, executed between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. It takes its name (Cave of the Hands) from the stencilled outlines of human hands in the cave, but there are also many depictions of animals, such as guanacos (Lama guanicoe ), still commonly found in the region, as well as hunting scenes. The people responsible for the paintings may have been the ancestors of the historic hunter-gatherer communities of Patagonia found by European settlers in the 19th century.[whc.unesco.org]

         "Hands, at the Cave of the Hands" by Mariano[via]

The entrance to the cave is screened by a rock wall covered by many hand stencils. Most of the hands are left hands, which suggests that painters held the spraying pipe with their right hand. Within the rock shelter itself there are five concentrations of rock art, later figures and motifs often superimposed upon those from earlier periods. The paintings were made with natural mineral pigments - iron oxides for red and purple, kaolin for white, natrojarosite for yellow, and manganese oxide for black - ground and mixed with a binder, the nature of which is unknown.

               Cueva de las Manos (Cave of Hands)[via]

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Península Valdés

Península Valdés in Patagonia is a site of global significance for the conservation of marine mammals. It is home to an important breeding population of the endangered southern right whale as well as important breeding populations of southern elephant seals and southern sea lions. The orcas in this area have developed a unique hunting strategy to adapt to local coastal conditions.[whc.unesco.org]

Península Valdés[via]

The coastline is inhabited by marine mammals, like sea lions, elephant seals and fur seals. Southern right whales can be found in Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José, protected bodies of water located between the peninsula and the Patagonian mainland. 

"Eared seals" by Reinhard Jahn[via]

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Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks

These two contiguous parks, extending over 275,300 ha in the desert region on the western border of the Sierra Pampeanas of central Argentina, contain the most complete continental fossil record known from the Triassic Period (245-208 million years ago). Six geological formations in the parks contain fossils of a wide range of ancestors of mammals, dinosaurs and plants revealing the evolution of vertebrates and the nature of palaeo-environments in the Triassic Period.[whc.unesco.org]

Ischigualasto, Argentina[via]

The park covers an area of 2,150 square kilometres (830 sq mi), at an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) above mean sea level. Its purpose is to protect important archaeological and palaeontological sites found in the area. It has landscapes of great beauty, with flora and fauna typical of the mountain biome.

"Talampaya" by I, HANNAN.[via]

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Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba

The Jesuit Block in Córdoba, heart of the former Jesuit Province of Paraguay, contains the core buildings of the Jesuit system: the university, the church and residence of the Society of Jesus, and the college. Along with the five estancias, or farming estates, they contain religious and secular buildings, which illustrate the unique religious, social, and economic experiment carried out in the world for a period of over 150 years in the 17th and 18th centuries.[whc.unesco.org]

"View of the Estancia Alta Gracia"[via]

The five included Estancias in the Province of Córdoba are:
 Alta Gracia
 Santa Catalina
 Jesus Maria
 Candelaria
 Caroya

Estancia Santa Catalina, the largest of the five Jesuit Estancias in Cordoba[via]

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Quebrada de Humahuaca

Quebrada de Humahuaca follows the line of a major cultural route, the Camino Inca, along the spectacular valley of the Rio Grande, from its source in the cold high desert plateau of the High Andean lands to its confluence with the Rio Leone some 150 km to the south. The valley shows substantial evidence of its use as a major trade route over the past 10,000 years. It features visible traces of prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities, of the Inca Empire (15th to 16th centuries) and of the fight for independence in the 19th and 20th centuries.[whc.unesco.org]

"View of the Quebrada de Humahuaca form the Ruta Provincial 52, that climbs up to 4200 a.s.l"[via]

Numerous tracks, roads and settlements testify to the civilizations that once lived here: hunter-gatherers, indigenous Omaguacas, Inca, Spanish and the Argentine Republic.

Quebrada de Humahuaca[via]

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Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System

This site is an extensive Inca communication, trade and defence network of roads covering 30,000 km. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains linked the snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000 m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys and absolute deserts. It reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century, when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. The Qhapac Ñan, Andean Road System includes 273 component sites spread over more than 6,000 km that were selected to highlight the social, political, architectural and engineering achievements of the network, along with its associated infrastructure for trade, accommodation and storage, as well as sites of religious significance.[whc.unesco.org]

 Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System[via]

This is a serial nomination of over 720km of stretches of road and 291 archaeological sites, stretching across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

"Carte Qhapaq Nan"[via]

Have a nice trip!..

The Most Famous Breakfasts From Around The World

The Most Famous Breakfasts From Around The World

Sunday, March 1, 2015 / No Comments

Breakfast... The most important meal of the day. Do you slide over with cornflakes, peanut butter and jelly? Check out this delicious list of the best breakfasts from around the world.. You may have a new dream to travel all around the world just for breakfasts...

#1 Australian Breakfast

 Scrambled eggs, bacon, spinach, bangers (sausage), mushrooms, and house-made relish.[via]

#2 Turkish Breakfast

 Usually there will be a creamy cheese, fresh Turkish bread, butter, boiled or scrambled eggs, tomatoes, honey, yogurt, olives, jam, fruit and some raw seasonal vegetables. Sometimes you may even be lucky enough to get sucuk (dried Turkish sausage) added to the mix.[via]

#3 Egyptian Breakfast

 The breakfast of choice here is Foul Madamas. It’s made from fava beans, chickpeas, garlic and lemon. Above you’ll see the dish topped with olive oil, cayenne, tahini sauce, a hard boiled egg, and some diced green veggies.[via]

#4 Brazilian Breakfast

 A delicious selection of meats, cheeses and bread is the normal breakfast fare here.[via]

#5 Hawaiian Breakfast

Consisting of a frittata and a fresh fruit platter made from fruits picked fresh from the farm. The passion fruit (Lilikoi), guava, papaya, rambutan and Jaboticaba platter.[via]

#6 Polish Breakfast

A traditional Polish Breakfast Cheese, Ham, Cucumber, Bread and Fried eggs.[via]

#7 English Breakfast

Beans, sausages, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, hash browns and toast.[via]

#8 German Breakfast

Traditional German breakfast with sliced cold meats including ham, sausage and salami.[via]

#9 Irish Breakfast

Bacon, Egg, Sausage, Black and White Pudding, Beans, Grilled Tomato.[via]

#10 Thai Breakfast

 A minty spicy fish with a sweet & spicy pork, served with rice.[via]

 Have a nice breakfast trip...