Richat Structure: Puzzling Formation & Spectacular Photographs

The Richat Structure, Oudane, Mauritania, is not really a structure but a huge circular formation (50 km in diameter - 30 miles), that resembles an eye when looked upon from space. Originally thought to be a crater, this volcanic dome is most likely a product of erosion, an ancient geological artifact in the middle of featureless Maur Adrar desert, in Africa's Western Sahara. The earliest space missions used it as a landmark, the adventurous 4x4 enthusiasts consider it to be their playground, and scientists are still debating its origin.



The Google Maps coordinates are 21.124217, -11.395569


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If you unzoom, you can distinctly see the eye:


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We even found some Photoshop of this eye, combining it into an Optimus Prime-like face:


(image credit: Lebovski)

The meteorite impact theory could not explain the flatness of the "crater"'s floor, so the most accepted explanation is the erosion of the initial volcanic dome, which gradually peeled away the layers of rock, creating the present onion-like form.

This image was taken by an Expedition 15 crew member on the International Space Station. (via Space.com)



The following picture must have simulated color, for it looks almost like a fantastic lake:


(image credit: United States Geological Survey - USGS)

"Paleozoic quartzites form the resistant beds outlining the structure." (GSA Journals) A couple of other simulated images to illustrate that:

The topographical 3-D relief image, found on Wikipedia, shows "Le Guelb ri Richat" in most detail (The view is exaggerated six times vertically, the colors are slightly enhanced):



Here is a portion of this visualization, looking like landscape on some other planet:


Credit: NASA/JPL/NIMA

Johnnie Shannon image-enhanced the satellite image, clearly showing an eroded circular anticline (structural dome) of layered sedimentary rocks:



and Christoph Hormann created a spectacular view, using various modeling software:


(see more on his site)


Barren landscape is a welcome challenge to 4x4 enthusiasts

You might think that this area is so remote and hostile that hardly anyone visits there. You would be quite wrong. There are companies offering organized tours, especially of the off-roading variety. Manfred Schweda from This Fab Trek has some good imagery of such journeys:







Surprisingly, there is also a hotel smack in the middle of the Richat Structure. It's nothing luxurious, but adequate accommodations to the tired "Mad Max" kinds of tourists:




The Longest Train in the World

The area around "the guelb" is interesting as well: F'Derik, one of the biggest iron mines in the world is located about 100 miles southeast. The iron ore produced there is exported all the way to the Atlantic port of Nouadhibou, via a 419-mile (674-kilometre) railway, which is the longest non-stop railroad in the world... (no passengers allowed).

The train from Nouadhibou to Choum is the longest train in the world. Its chain of cars can be up to three kilometres long.




(images credit: Mauritania Travel Diaries)
Source:- everypictures

Tags: Richat, Structure earth, Spectacular Photographs, Puzzling Formation, Beautiful world

Homegirl Cafe

The exterior of Homegirl cafe catering is a new place in Los Angeles ca , staffed by 30 at risk and formerly gang involved young women. They make lunches and learn catering work at supporting cooking classes. who are training to learn restaurant and catering work They might get a full time employment and change their lives for better.































Source:- Reuters

Newborn Elephant

Amazing pictures:- After a twenty-two-month pregnancy, a mother elephant will give birth to a Newborn that will weigh about 15 kg.

Spiraling Cycling Pavilion

BIG Unveils Spiraling Cycling Pavilion in Shanghai architects recently completed construction on the Danish Pavilion, a stunning beacon for sustainable transportation at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Conceived as an elegantly sloping circular loop, the structure is topped with a rooftop garden that holds 300 bicycles that give visitors a chance to experience Denmark’s favorite mode of transportation. The pavilion is wrapped with a punctured facade that allows daylight to filter in, and when the sun sets the exterior ignites with light as pedestrians and cyclists zip through the interior spaces.

BIG’s Danish Pavilion encourages the use of pedal power and walking as sustainable methods of transportation, giving visitors a chance to experience the best aspects of Danish city life. The building is constructed from white painted steel, which reflects head to keep the interior cool throughout Shanghai’s summer. Bike paths are paved throughout the structure using a light blue surfacing texture that is also featured on Danish cycle paths. After the 2010 Shanghai Expo has run its course the Danish Pavilion can be moved and relocated to act as a hub for Shanghai’s new fleet of city bikes.







Source:- Inhabitat

Clown Bomb

clown bomb explosion wallpaper

world's youngest fashion designer

Cecilia Cassini Her idol is Coco Chanel. She has a taste for vintage fabrics. She has her sights set on the runways of Paris. And she's 10.

While other children were reading "Cinderella" and watching "Dora the Explorer," Cecilia Cassini was polishing her reading skills by flipping through Lucky and Vogue, and preparing a third-grade book report on "The Devil Wears Prada." And now, what started with a birthday gift of a sewing machine has blossomed into a fledgling fashion business with the help of manager Pilar DeMann, the woman who plotted the Kardashians' path from C-level obscurity to branding juggernaut.

Cecilia, a spunky fifth-grader from Encino, Calif., is selling her collection of one-of-a-kind girls' dresses at Lifesize at Fred Segal Santa Monica, where she will have a trunk show Saturday.

Her look is homespun but sassy, with simple dresses constructed from a skirt in one fabric and a bodice — strapless or tank-style — in another. The pieces are quirky cute with sequin, fabric rosette or bow details.

Billed as "the youngest fashion designer in the country," she has already been a guest at New York Fashion Week (trailed by a German TV crew), launched a slick e-commerce site and garnered corporate sponsors and interest from several TV producers.

DeMann thinks she is an ideal role model for young girls. Cecilia is a wholesome kid who doesn't want to watch TV and play video games all day. "She just wants to sew dresses and inspire other kids."

The modeling world has long put a premium on youth, with L.A.'s Gerren Taylor strutting the catwalk for the first time in 2003 at the tender age of 12. But now, the fashion industry is courting pint-size tastemakers too.

Last year, 13-year-old blogger and muse Tavi Gevinson was hired to promote the Rodarte for Target collection, while 17-year-old blogger Jane Aldridge was tapped to design shoes for Urban Outfitters. Russian designer Kira Plastinina was just 15 when her fashion empire expanded to the U.S. (and 16 when her company filed for bankruptcy protection), and Brazilian designer Pedro Lourenco just 19 when he showed his collection of high-end leather dresses on the Paris runway last October. Up next, 13-year-old Lourdes Leon and mom Madonna are designing the Material Girl line debuting at Macy's for the back-to-school season.

"The bar is so much higher today in terms of shock value," says Kit Yarrow, chairman of the department of psychology at Golden Gate University, and co-author of "Gen Buy: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings are Revolutionizing Retail." "An 18-year-old starting a company is not that interesting anymore. Now you have to be 8 or 10 to be newsworthy and captivating."

As for the psychology behind the trend, "kids today have more influence and stature in the family and they are more empowered," Yarrow says. "When a kid gets an idea, you might imagine on an episode of 'Leave It to Beaver' that the mom would say, 'That's nice, now go out and play.' But now, a kid gets an idea, and the parents take it seriously, and ask themselves if they should help develop it."

On a recent afternoon at the Lifesize boutique, Cecilia checks herself out as she walks past a mirror. She's perfectly styled in one of her strapless dresses with a matching bow in her hair.

She sifts through a rack of her creations like an expert, pulling out a dress sewn from gold vintage Giorgio Armani fabric. "I got this at the fabric store that sponsors me, International Silks & Woolen," she says, as the 1980s bubble gum pop song "Mickey" plays in background.

Cecilia finishes her homework during school hours so she can sew in the evening. Each dress ($62 to $150) takes about 15 minutes to make on her Singer Confidence. (Singer is another sponsor.)

"At New York Fashion Week, what really inspired me was all the taxi cabs, so I made this," she says, referring to a gold-and-black diamond print dress with a stretchy gold jersey bodice.

Her parents are as baffled as anyone about where the young designer gets her fashion sense. "When she was a baby, before she could walk, before she could talk, she was pointing to the outfits she wanted," says mom Michelle Cassini, a yoga instructor who doesn't own a single piece of Chanel. "As soon as she could use scissors, she was turning clothes into something new."

At age 5, she cut up her older sister's Betsey Johnson dress when no one was looking, cinched it with ponytail holders, folded up the hem and taped it, customizing the design to her taste. "I have always loved fashion since I was little," Cecilia says. "I was painting my nails when I was like 2."

For her 6th birthday, she asked for a sewing machine, and she took a few lessons. "But the teacher wasn't so nice and told me something didn't match when I thought it did." The budding designer wanted total creative control.

At 7, she wrote her first letter at school to Coco Chanel. By age 8, she had designed a logo based on the Eiffel Tower. But her big break came last year at Tough Cookies, a children's shop in Sherman Oaks, Calif., when Michelle mentioned to the owner that her daughter made dresses. That led to a trunk show where Cecilia sold 50 pieces.

Then the fashionista-in-training met DeMann through a friend. "She fell in love with me and became my manager, and things started happening," says Cecilia, who wants to have her own fashion show, stores all over the world and "to inspire little girls to follow their dreams." (DeMann is hoping for a collection at a mass retailer, and a line of branded sewing machines, fabrics and patterns.)

"If the kid's creative, why not?" says Ira Mayer, publisher of the New York-based Youth Markets Alert newsletter, adding that 8- to 14-year-olds have $43 billion in annual spending power. "Hopefully, she has a sense of what's going to appeal to other people her age."

But first, she has to finish fifth grade.

"Education is still first," says Cecilia's father, Lionel Cassini, a photographer whose background is in the computer business. "At the same time, if she can start on a career path so that she already has something when she's 20, why shouldn't we encourage it?"









Source:- The Seattle Times

Top Link Latte for 30 April 2010

World’s Smallest Poisonous Frog Warning This tiny poison frog sitting pencil poisonous make YOU croak [Daily Mail]

Biomechanical Mike Stand Gets a Gleaming Grip [Wired]

Unearthed: giant Palouse earthworm not seen for last 20 years [ Metro ]

Japanese Scientists Create Elastic Water [theblogismine]

Chinese Man eats 1,500 lightbulbs [ Spluch]

10 Fun Things to Do in Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia, offers a world of opportunities for fun and adventure. Here's a list of at least ten things you don't want to miss when you come to the land of Oz.

1. Beautiful Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can, of course, take the pedestrian or cyclist's route, but the real fun is in making the effort to get to the top and the wonderful view once you get there. The entry price varies according to the day of the week. Being attached to solid ground by a harness and the shaking of the bridge due to the rushing traffic below tends to be a bit frightening for the faint of heart. However, if you're not easily scared, this is a great opportunity to get some exercise and some Beautiful to boot.

Photo: mikafanclub

2. Watch a play or opera in the Opera House. Sydney's iconic Opera House is good for more than just photo opportunities. Check the official website for up-to-date information on performances that may interest you. There are often opportunities to watch an opera while enjoying a meal or high tea.

Photo: wayfaring

3. Visit Darling Harbor. Located in the Central Business District of Sydney, Darling Harbour is a place of recreation and entertainment. There are numerous distractions here, including museums, entertainment centers, a casino, the Sydney Aquarium, and Sydney Wildlife World.

Photo: planetware

4. Visit Taronga Zoo via the ferry and cable car. The zoo cares for 2,600 animals, including several Australian Birds and species.

Photo: australia-trips

5. Visit Sydney's oldest pub Fortune of War, which was established in 1828. Located in the historic locale of The Rocks, Fortune of War maintains a rustic charm in its décor and personable, friendly service.

Photo: fortuneofwar

6. Try the local cuisine. Known as Bush Tucker, the local cuisine incorporates some ingredients that may come across as strange. But if you've never tasted a kangaroo or a crocodile before, how do you know you won't like it? The locals love it, and the kangaroo comes highly recommended.

Photo: rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

7. Visit Manly Beach, which is a 40 hour ferry ride from Sydney, and Bondi Beach. Both of these are extremely popular with the locals and tourists.

Photo: tourstravelandhotelbooking

8. Experience the wine tasting tours that take you through the Hunter Valley region. Far more, than simple servings of wine and cheese, these tours incorporate a range of interesting activities, including exploring the vineyard, speaking with winery owners, and sharing a meal or two with the other travelers.

Photo: QGuide

9. Visit the Blue Mountains. Rather than a mountain range, the Blue Mountains is more of a plateau featuring large eroded gorges. When viewed from a distance, the mountains appear to be tinged with blue, hence, the name.

Photo: Virtualtourist

10. Visit Katoomba Scenic World. The most famous attractions are the Scenic Railway and Scenic Skyway. The railway is purportedly the steepest in the world. Scenic Skyway, which is also cable driven, features a floor that changes from opaque to transparent, so those in the cabin have the sense of flying over the gorge.

Photo: Charlie Brewer

Tags: Australia, top 10, beautiful Australia, Photography, Sydney casino, Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Wildlife World

Chinese Man eats 1,500 lightbulbs

Wang Xianjun, living in the Xitan community in Linshui County, Sichuan province, is a complete and total "eccentric" in the eyes of his neighbors. It is common for people to have rice or steamed buns for the breakfast, but Wang likes to eat an extra light bulb. The 54-year-old man started eating light bulbs at the age of 12, and has eaten approximately 1,500 bulbs over the past 42 years.

Wang regards himself as open-minded. When he was 12 years old, he accidentally swallowed a fish bone, and his parents became very worried. To their surprise, Wang did not feel uncomfortable at all. Then out of curiosity, he boldly picked up a piece of broken glass, and felt no adverse effects after eating it.

From then on, he began practicing eating light bulbs. He only dared to eat a small piece of glass at the beginning, but as time passed, he became addicted to eating bulbs. However, he does not eat bulbs every day. He sometimes only eats bulb splinters at breakfast, and at most, one bulb each time.

Source:- Metro Via Rexfeatures

Man claims no food or drink for 70 years

Indian military scientists are studying an 82-year-old who claims he has not had any food or drink for 70 years.

Prahlad Jani is being held in isolation in a hospital in Ahmedabad, Gurjarat, where he is being closely monitored by India's defence research organization, who believe he may have a genuine quality which could help save lives.

He has now spent six days without food or water under strict observation and doctors say his body has not yet shown any adverse effects from hunger or dehydration.

Mr Jani, who claims to have left home aged seven and lived as a wandering sadhu or holy man in Rajasthan, is regarded as a 'breatharian' who can live on a 'spiritual life-force' alone. He believes he is sustained by a goddess who pours an 'elixir' through a hole in his palate. His claims have been supported by an Indian doctor who specializes in studies of people who claim supernatural abilities, but he has also been dismissed by others as a "village fraud."

India's Defence Research Development Organisation, whose scientists develop drone aircraft, intercontinental ballistic missiles and new types of bombs. They believe Mr Prahlad could teach them to help soldiers survive longer without food, or disaster victims to hang on until help arrives.

"If his claims are verified, it will be a breakthrough in medical science," said Dr G Ilavazhagan, director of the Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences.

"We will be able to help save human lives during natural disasters, high altitude, sea journeys and other natural and human extremities. We can educate people about the survival techniques in adverse conditions with little food and water or nothing at all."

So far, Mr Prahlad appears to be standing up to scrutiny. He has not eaten or drunk any fluids in six days, and similarly has not passed urine or a stool in that time. He remains fit and healthy and shows no sign of lethargy. Doctors will continue observing him for 15 days in which time they would expect to see some muscle wastage, serious dehydration, weight loss,and fatigue followed by organ failure.

It is common in India for Jains and Hindus to fast, sometimes for up to eight days, without any adverse affects, as part of their religious worship. Most humans cannot survive without food for 50 days. The longest hunger strike recorded is 74 days.

According to Dr Sudhir Shah, who examined him in 2003, he went without food or water for ten days in which urine appeared to be reabsorbed by his body after forming in his bladder. Doubts were expressed about his claim after his weight fell slightly at the end of the trial.





Source:- Telegraph Via Metro