Ancient wonder, meet modern daredevil.
Cedric Dumont toured the Pyramids of Giza Thursday by air, flying in a wingsuit for a view that many tourists and history buffs would envy.
Dumont's stunt had to be cleared with Egypt's defense department, sponsor Red Bull noted, but it was well worth the effort.
"Flying over the pyramids has such a mystical and unmatched energy, one of the most incredible flights I have ever performed," Dumont told Red Bull.
The Belgian said on his website that adventure sport "takes me to amazing places."
We'll say.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/31/wingsuit-pyramids_n_6581932.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Saturday, 31 January 2015
7 Explorers Name The Most Beautiful Place They've Ever Seen
Looking for travel inspiration? We've been asking fascinating people -- Pulitzer Prize-winners, world champion athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, and more -- to share the greatest travel journeys of their lives.
New Guinea
Scientist and author Jared Diamond, who won the Pulitzer Prize for "Guns, Germs, and Steel," is emphatic: "The most beautiful, exciting place in the world is New Guinea, with no close seconds. This is not my opinion, this is objective fact."
Here's his case: "Within this island, you get the whole world, from the equator to the North Pole, squeezed in. It's on the equator, but its mountains are 16,500 feet high, so there are glaciers. That means that as you go up a New Guinea mountain, you're going from tropical rainforest, into oak forest, into beach forest, into sub-alpine forest, into tundra, and then finally up to the glaciers, all within a few miles. In fact, it is the only place in the world where you can stand on a coral reef and look up at a glacier. Also, there are hundreds of different tribes with hundreds of different languages, so from a human point of view, it is the most exciting place in the world." [Map]
Huli Wigmen crossing in the forests of the Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. (Wade Davis via Getty Images)
Aerial view of the Bensbach River floodplains. (Col Roberts via Getty Images)
Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Acclaimed Afghan-American memoirist Tamim Ansary moved from Kabul to the United States as a 16-year-old to attend high school. "Every year they would do a trip in spring, a camping trip someplace," he recalled. "One year they went to Canyonlands, which is in Red Rock Country in Utah. I remember then, I said, 'I'm coming back here before I die.' A couple of years ago, we did go back. I'm too old to make the hike anymore. I couldn't hike into all the places that I remember. But the Red Rock Country of Utah is just overwhelming. Don't let your life go by without having been there." [Map]
Mesa Arch sunrise landscape in Canyonlands National Park. (Dave Soldano Images via Getty Images)
(Alan Majchrowicz via Getty Images)
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota
Tamim Ansary also raved about the Boundary Waters wilderness area. "If you look at the map of the United States and Canada, you'll find it along the border there. It's thousands of lakes. They only let three parties put in at any portage point in a day, and they don't let you come closer than a quarter mile. They have to carry your canoe and all your stuff down; then you get into whatever lake you've come to, and that connects to another lake, and that connects to another lake. And there's nobody there! We were there for a while and we saw one other party. We camped in a little island that had a campground and everything, but only one and there was nothing else there. I just loved that." [Map]
Birch Lake, Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area, Minnesota. (Christian Heeb via 500px)
Rishikesh, India
Britta Hölzel is a rare combination, a Ph.D. neuroscientist and a yoga and meditation practitioner. Her research at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere has focused on how meditation changes the brain.
"I've traveled to India again and again," she said. "A special place is a town in the north of India that's called Rishikesh. They call it the yoga capital of the world, a lot of yoga ashrams are there. It's right where the Ganges comes out from the Himalayas and goes into the open flatlands. While there, I had a moment of deep realization that this is how I want to spend my life. This is what I want to dedicate my life to, both the research and this kind of practice, because I think it just makes such a profound difference to one's life to have an orientation towards living a good and spiritual life and a meaningful life. To me, that makes the entire difference." [Map]
Suspension bridge to Swarg Niwas Temple, Rishikesh. (Exotica.im/UIG via Getty Images)
The Ganges River near Rishikesh. (Ivan604 via Getty Images)
High Sierra Trail, California
To win last year's World's Toughest Mudder contest, endurance athlete Ryan Atkins raced for 24 hours straight, covering 95 miles in the Nevada desert, all while wearing a wetsuit.
Endurance competitions have sent Atkins to some incredible locations. "One of my coolest traveling experiences was running the High Sierra Trail in California," he said. "That was awesome, probably the greatest trail I've ever experienced. It starts at Sequoia National Park and finishes on top of Mount Whitney in California, and it's just a totally gorgeous trail. That one stands out." [Map]
High Sierra Trail approaching Mt. Humphreys (Gettystock)
Killarney Provincial Park, Canada
We also asked Ryan Atkins about the most beautiful place he's ever visited. "Honestly, it’s probably a park not too far from where I live," he says. "Killarney Provincial Park, about five or six hours north of Toronto. It's beautiful Canadian forest, with crystal-clear lakes and white quartzite rock all over. There's hiking and canoeing. It's just a gorgeous place." [Map]
Island in Georgian Bay along the Chikanishing Trail, Killarney Provincial Park
Hanalei, Hawaii
"I would say the most beautiful place I've seen is Hanalei, which is on the northern side of the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands," says Tim Kochis, the itinerant former CEO and chairman of Aspiriant, a large independent wealth management firm.
"It is just beautiful, particularly in the sunshine, and then after a rain because there are these series of waterfalls that are falling from the north shore mountains into the ocean. If you see this from any distance, you wonder, how could any place on the planet be more beautiful than this?" [Map]
Stand-up paddle board in Hanalei Bay; Kauai, Hawaii.
A morning shot of Hanalei Valley. (Scott Ingram Photography via Flickr)
Tuscany and Positano, Italy
Lalita Tademy has written multiple bestselling historical epics. Asked about her favorite travel journey, she said, "My husband and I went to Italy for a month. For two weeks of that, we were stationary in Tuscany. We rented a farm house. I wrote every morning, very early. Then in the afternoons, we'd go and visit hill towns and just walk around. We had no real plan. We would just walk. We would stumble into markets that were vibrant and wonderful, or restaurants that we hadn't done any reading but they turned out to be just absolutely delightful." [Map]
Positano, she said, was the most beautiful place she's ever seen. "Absolutely blew me away. Up on the cliffs, perched up above everything, watching the ocean, the boats. It was just stunning. I spent so much time on the balcony, just staring. It was inspiring, and the colors were beautiful, everything in bloom. Gorgeous." [Map]
Sunrise over farm of olive groves and vineyards in Tuscany. (Gettystock)
Positano, Italy on the Amalfi Coast. (Gettystock)
Mongolia
Senior U.S. policy aide Jamie Metzl has traveled to virtually every corner of Asia. His favorite destination? "Oh, that's an easy one," he said. "I absolutely love Mongolia, it is such a magical place. The Gobi Desert is actually where most of the dinosaurs in the Museum of Natural History come from."
He continued: "As opposed to China, Mongolia is this huge country with a very small number of people. Everyone has their little tent -- the Turkic word is yurt, but in Mongolia it's call a ger, and you're miles away from everybody else. So there's this expansive frontier culture, a culture of welcoming and of self-reliance and of not wanting to be part of some system that's going to oppress you. And the people, at least my Mongolian friends -- I certainly don't vouch for every Mongolian -- but they're just such a creative, fun-loving, big-hearted people. They're not the only people in the world that way, but it's certainly in a way that's touched me." [Map]
A row of Mongolian gers. (Gettystock)
Sand dunes in the Gobi Desert. (David Santiago Garcia via Getty Images)
+++
Transcription services by Tigerfish; now offering transcripts in two-hours guaranteed.
Sophia is a project to collect life lessons from fascinating people. Learn more or sign up to receive lessons for living directly via Facebook or our email newsletter.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/31/most-beautiful-places-in-world_n_6548580.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
New Guinea
Scientist and author Jared Diamond, who won the Pulitzer Prize for "Guns, Germs, and Steel," is emphatic: "The most beautiful, exciting place in the world is New Guinea, with no close seconds. This is not my opinion, this is objective fact."
Here's his case: "Within this island, you get the whole world, from the equator to the North Pole, squeezed in. It's on the equator, but its mountains are 16,500 feet high, so there are glaciers. That means that as you go up a New Guinea mountain, you're going from tropical rainforest, into oak forest, into beach forest, into sub-alpine forest, into tundra, and then finally up to the glaciers, all within a few miles. In fact, it is the only place in the world where you can stand on a coral reef and look up at a glacier. Also, there are hundreds of different tribes with hundreds of different languages, so from a human point of view, it is the most exciting place in the world." [Map]
Huli Wigmen crossing in the forests of the Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. (Wade Davis via Getty Images)
Aerial view of the Bensbach River floodplains. (Col Roberts via Getty Images)
Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Acclaimed Afghan-American memoirist Tamim Ansary moved from Kabul to the United States as a 16-year-old to attend high school. "Every year they would do a trip in spring, a camping trip someplace," he recalled. "One year they went to Canyonlands, which is in Red Rock Country in Utah. I remember then, I said, 'I'm coming back here before I die.' A couple of years ago, we did go back. I'm too old to make the hike anymore. I couldn't hike into all the places that I remember. But the Red Rock Country of Utah is just overwhelming. Don't let your life go by without having been there." [Map]
Mesa Arch sunrise landscape in Canyonlands National Park. (Dave Soldano Images via Getty Images)
(Alan Majchrowicz via Getty Images)
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota
Tamim Ansary also raved about the Boundary Waters wilderness area. "If you look at the map of the United States and Canada, you'll find it along the border there. It's thousands of lakes. They only let three parties put in at any portage point in a day, and they don't let you come closer than a quarter mile. They have to carry your canoe and all your stuff down; then you get into whatever lake you've come to, and that connects to another lake, and that connects to another lake. And there's nobody there! We were there for a while and we saw one other party. We camped in a little island that had a campground and everything, but only one and there was nothing else there. I just loved that." [Map]
Birch Lake, Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area, Minnesota. (Christian Heeb via 500px)
Rishikesh, India
Britta Hölzel is a rare combination, a Ph.D. neuroscientist and a yoga and meditation practitioner. Her research at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere has focused on how meditation changes the brain.
"I've traveled to India again and again," she said. "A special place is a town in the north of India that's called Rishikesh. They call it the yoga capital of the world, a lot of yoga ashrams are there. It's right where the Ganges comes out from the Himalayas and goes into the open flatlands. While there, I had a moment of deep realization that this is how I want to spend my life. This is what I want to dedicate my life to, both the research and this kind of practice, because I think it just makes such a profound difference to one's life to have an orientation towards living a good and spiritual life and a meaningful life. To me, that makes the entire difference." [Map]
Suspension bridge to Swarg Niwas Temple, Rishikesh. (Exotica.im/UIG via Getty Images)
The Ganges River near Rishikesh. (Ivan604 via Getty Images)
High Sierra Trail, California
To win last year's World's Toughest Mudder contest, endurance athlete Ryan Atkins raced for 24 hours straight, covering 95 miles in the Nevada desert, all while wearing a wetsuit.
Endurance competitions have sent Atkins to some incredible locations. "One of my coolest traveling experiences was running the High Sierra Trail in California," he said. "That was awesome, probably the greatest trail I've ever experienced. It starts at Sequoia National Park and finishes on top of Mount Whitney in California, and it's just a totally gorgeous trail. That one stands out." [Map]
High Sierra Trail approaching Mt. Humphreys (Gettystock)
Killarney Provincial Park, Canada
We also asked Ryan Atkins about the most beautiful place he's ever visited. "Honestly, it’s probably a park not too far from where I live," he says. "Killarney Provincial Park, about five or six hours north of Toronto. It's beautiful Canadian forest, with crystal-clear lakes and white quartzite rock all over. There's hiking and canoeing. It's just a gorgeous place." [Map]
Island in Georgian Bay along the Chikanishing Trail, Killarney Provincial Park
Hanalei, Hawaii
"I would say the most beautiful place I've seen is Hanalei, which is on the northern side of the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands," says Tim Kochis, the itinerant former CEO and chairman of Aspiriant, a large independent wealth management firm.
"It is just beautiful, particularly in the sunshine, and then after a rain because there are these series of waterfalls that are falling from the north shore mountains into the ocean. If you see this from any distance, you wonder, how could any place on the planet be more beautiful than this?" [Map]
Stand-up paddle board in Hanalei Bay; Kauai, Hawaii.
A morning shot of Hanalei Valley. (Scott Ingram Photography via Flickr)
Tuscany and Positano, Italy
Lalita Tademy has written multiple bestselling historical epics. Asked about her favorite travel journey, she said, "My husband and I went to Italy for a month. For two weeks of that, we were stationary in Tuscany. We rented a farm house. I wrote every morning, very early. Then in the afternoons, we'd go and visit hill towns and just walk around. We had no real plan. We would just walk. We would stumble into markets that were vibrant and wonderful, or restaurants that we hadn't done any reading but they turned out to be just absolutely delightful." [Map]
Positano, she said, was the most beautiful place she's ever seen. "Absolutely blew me away. Up on the cliffs, perched up above everything, watching the ocean, the boats. It was just stunning. I spent so much time on the balcony, just staring. It was inspiring, and the colors were beautiful, everything in bloom. Gorgeous." [Map]
Sunrise over farm of olive groves and vineyards in Tuscany. (Gettystock)
Positano, Italy on the Amalfi Coast. (Gettystock)
Mongolia
Senior U.S. policy aide Jamie Metzl has traveled to virtually every corner of Asia. His favorite destination? "Oh, that's an easy one," he said. "I absolutely love Mongolia, it is such a magical place. The Gobi Desert is actually where most of the dinosaurs in the Museum of Natural History come from."
He continued: "As opposed to China, Mongolia is this huge country with a very small number of people. Everyone has their little tent -- the Turkic word is yurt, but in Mongolia it's call a ger, and you're miles away from everybody else. So there's this expansive frontier culture, a culture of welcoming and of self-reliance and of not wanting to be part of some system that's going to oppress you. And the people, at least my Mongolian friends -- I certainly don't vouch for every Mongolian -- but they're just such a creative, fun-loving, big-hearted people. They're not the only people in the world that way, but it's certainly in a way that's touched me." [Map]
A row of Mongolian gers. (Gettystock)
Sand dunes in the Gobi Desert. (David Santiago Garcia via Getty Images)
Transcription services by Tigerfish; now offering transcripts in two-hours guaranteed.
Sophia is a project to collect life lessons from fascinating people. Learn more or sign up to receive lessons for living directly via Facebook or our email newsletter.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/31/most-beautiful-places-in-world_n_6548580.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Hotels Can Track Those Towels That You Steal
There's something utterly delicious about hotel beds... and towels... and robes. They're so decadently fluffy and epically cozy, we'd totally steal them if we could.
And much of the time, we do. Towels are among the most-stolen items in hotels, The Telegraph reports. We could've guessed that.
But we never would've guessed that hotels can tell when you've stolen a towel (or robe or duvet cover for that matter). It's all thanks to a tiny, M&M-sized tracking device that thousands of hotels have embedded in their linens -- a device that lets them know where their towels, robes and bedsheets are at all times.
The main service they use is Linen Technology Tracking, which provides the chips to some 2,000 hotels around the country, according to its executive VP William Serbin. The company's initial goal was to let hotels track which linens had made it from the hotel to the cleaners and back again, but the chips have also proven handy for keeping tabs on stolen goods that guests think have slipped out unnoticed.
"One hotel uses the chips to monitor the elevator banks," Serbin told The Huffington Post. "Any time one of their towels passes through the elevator bay, Housekeeping gets an alert."
While he says the hotel in question doesn't charge guests for lifting towels or robes (he can't say which hotels have his trackers installed, but we've found the name of at least one that does), hotels that use Linen Tracking do know precisely how many linens have been stolen each month. The average hotel loses 10 to 20 percent of its linens per month -- mostly to wear and tear, Serbin says. Two percent of linens that go missing are stolen, he estimates.
His company’s chips send signals to antennae at the hotel's entrance or exit, letting owners know if a linen has left the property -- they do not tell hoteliers the exact coordinates of a missing towel or robe.
... And for that, hotel thieves everywhere are thankful.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/stealing-hotel-towels_n_6555486.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
And much of the time, we do. Towels are among the most-stolen items in hotels, The Telegraph reports. We could've guessed that.
But we never would've guessed that hotels can tell when you've stolen a towel (or robe or duvet cover for that matter). It's all thanks to a tiny, M&M-sized tracking device that thousands of hotels have embedded in their linens -- a device that lets them know where their towels, robes and bedsheets are at all times.
The main service they use is Linen Technology Tracking, which provides the chips to some 2,000 hotels around the country, according to its executive VP William Serbin. The company's initial goal was to let hotels track which linens had made it from the hotel to the cleaners and back again, but the chips have also proven handy for keeping tabs on stolen goods that guests think have slipped out unnoticed.
"One hotel uses the chips to monitor the elevator banks," Serbin told The Huffington Post. "Any time one of their towels passes through the elevator bay, Housekeeping gets an alert."
While he says the hotel in question doesn't charge guests for lifting towels or robes (he can't say which hotels have his trackers installed, but we've found the name of at least one that does), hotels that use Linen Tracking do know precisely how many linens have been stolen each month. The average hotel loses 10 to 20 percent of its linens per month -- mostly to wear and tear, Serbin says. Two percent of linens that go missing are stolen, he estimates.
His company’s chips send signals to antennae at the hotel's entrance or exit, letting owners know if a linen has left the property -- they do not tell hoteliers the exact coordinates of a missing towel or robe.
... And for that, hotel thieves everywhere are thankful.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/stealing-hotel-towels_n_6555486.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
7 Explorers Name The Most Beautiful Place They've Ever Seen
Looking for travel inspiration? We've been asking fascinating people -- Pulitzer Prize-winners, world champion athletes, entrepreneurs, artists, and more -- to share the greatest travel journeys of their lives.
New Guinea
Scientist and author Jared Diamond, who won the Pulitzer Prize for "Guns, Germs, and Steel," is emphatic: "The most beautiful, exciting place in the world is New Guinea, with no close seconds. This is not my opinion, this is objective fact."
Here's his case: "Within this island, you get the whole world, from the equator to the North Pole, squeezed in. It's on the equator, but its mountains are 16,500 feet high, so there are glaciers. That means that as you go up a New Guinea mountain, you're going from tropical rainforest, into oak forest, into beach forest, into sub-alpine forest, into tundra, and then finally up to the glaciers, all within a few miles. In fact, it is the only place in the world where you can stand on a coral reef and look up at a glacier. Also, there are hundreds of different tribes with hundreds of different languages, so from a human point of view, it is the most exciting place in the world." [Map]
Huli Wigmen crossing in the forests of the Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. (Wade Davis via Getty Images)
Aerial view of the Bensbach River floodplains. (Col Roberts via Getty Images)
Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Acclaimed Afghan-American memoirist Tamim Ansary moved from Kabul to the United States as a 16-year-old to attend high school. "Every year they would do a trip in spring, a camping trip someplace," he recalled. "One year they went to Canyonlands, which is in Red Rock Country in Utah. I remember then, I said, 'I'm coming back here before I die.' A couple of years ago, we did go back. I'm too old to make the hike anymore. I couldn't hike into all the places that I remember. But the Red Rock Country of Utah is just overwhelming. Don't let your life go by without having been there." [Map]
Mesa Arch sunrise landscape in Canyonlands National Park. (Dave Soldano Images via Getty Images)
(Alan Majchrowicz via Getty Images)
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota
Tamim Ansary also raved about the Boundary Waters wilderness area. "If you look at the map of the United States and Canada, you'll find it along the border there. It's thousands of lakes. They only let three parties put in at any portage point in a day, and they don't let you come closer than a quarter mile. They have to carry your canoe and all your stuff down; then you get into whatever lake you've come to, and that connects to another lake, and that connects to another lake. And there's nobody there! We were there for a while and we saw one other party. We camped in a little island that had a campground and everything, but only one and there was nothing else there. I just loved that." [Map]
Birch Lake, Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area, Minnesota. (Christian Heeb via 500px)
Rishikesh, India
Britta Hölzel is a rare combination, a Ph.D. neuroscientist and a yoga and meditation practitioner. Her research at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere has focused on how meditation changes the brain.
"I've traveled to India again and again," she said. "A special place is a town in the north of India that's called Rishikesh. They call it the yoga capital of the world, a lot of yoga ashrams are there. It's right where the Ganges comes out from the Himalayas and goes into the open flatlands. While there, I had a moment of deep realization that this is how I want to spend my life. This is what I want to dedicate my life to, both the research and this kind of practice, because I think it just makes such a profound difference to one's life to have an orientation towards living a good and spiritual life and a meaningful life. To me, that makes the entire difference." [Map]
Suspension bridge to Swarg Niwas Temple, Rishikesh. (Exotica.im/UIG via Getty Images)
The Ganges River near Rishikesh. (Ivan604 via Getty Images)
High Sierra Trail, California
To win last year's World's Toughest Mudder contest, endurance athlete Ryan Atkins raced for 24 hours straight, covering 95 miles in the Nevada desert, all while wearing a wetsuit.
Endurance competitions have sent Atkins to some incredible locations. "One of my coolest traveling experiences was running the High Sierra Trail in California," he said. "That was awesome, probably the greatest trail I've ever experienced. It starts at Sequoia National Park and finishes on top of Mount Whitney in California, and it's just a totally gorgeous trail. That one stands out." [Map]
High Sierra Trail approaching Mt. Humphreys (Gettystock)
Killarney Provincial Park, Canada
We also asked Ryan Atkins about the most beautiful place he's ever visited. "Honestly, it’s probably a park not too far from where I live," he says. "Killarney Provincial Park, about five or six hours north of Toronto. It's beautiful Canadian forest, with crystal-clear lakes and white quartzite rock all over. There's hiking and canoeing. It's just a gorgeous place." [Map]
Island in Georgian Bay along the Chikanishing Trail, Killarney Provincial Park
Hanalei, Hawaii
"I would say the most beautiful place I've seen is Hanalei, which is on the northern side of the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands," says Tim Kochis, the itinerant former CEO and chairman of Aspiriant, a large independent wealth management firm.
"It is just beautiful, particularly in the sunshine, and then after a rain because there are these series of waterfalls that are falling from the north shore mountains into the ocean. If you see this from any distance, you wonder, how could any place on the planet be more beautiful than this?" [Map]
Stand-up paddle board in Hanalei Bay; Kauai, Hawaii.
A morning shot of Hanalei Valley. (Scott Ingram Photography via Flickr)
Tuscany and Positano, Italy
Lalita Tademy has written multiple bestselling historical epics. Asked about her favorite travel journey, she said, "My husband and I went to Italy for a month. For two weeks of that, we were stationary in Tuscany. We rented a farm house. I wrote every morning, very early. Then in the afternoons, we'd go and visit hill towns and just walk around. We had no real plan. We would just walk. We would stumble into markets that were vibrant and wonderful, or restaurants that we hadn't done any reading but they turned out to be just absolutely delightful." [Map]
Positano, she said, was the most beautiful place she's ever seen. "Absolutely blew me away. Up on the cliffs, perched up above everything, watching the ocean, the boats. It was just stunning. I spent so much time on the balcony, just staring. It was inspiring, and the colors were beautiful, everything in bloom. Gorgeous." [Map]
Sunrise over farm of olive groves and vineyards in Tuscany. (Gettystock)
Positano, Italy on the Amalfi Coast. (Gettystock)
Mongolia
Senior U.S. policy aide Jamie Metzl has traveled to virtually every corner of Asia. His favorite destination? "Oh, that's an easy one," he said. "I absolutely love Mongolia, it is such a magical place. The Gobi Desert is actually where most of the dinosaurs in the Museum of Natural History come from."
He continued: "As opposed to China, Mongolia is this huge country with a very small number of people. Everyone has their little tent -- the Turkic word is yurt, but in Mongolia it's call a ger, and you're miles away from everybody else. So there's this expansive frontier culture, a culture of welcoming and of self-reliance and of not wanting to be part of some system that's going to oppress you. And the people, at least my Mongolian friends -- I certainly don't vouch for every Mongolian -- but they're just such a creative, fun-loving, big-hearted people. They're not the only people in the world that way, but it's certainly in a way that's touched me." [Map]
A row of Mongolian gers. (Gettystock)
Sand dunes in the Gobi Desert. (David Santiago Garcia via Getty Images)
+++
Transcription services by Tigerfish; now offering transcripts in two-hours guaranteed. Interview text has been edited and condensed.
Sophia is a project to collect life lessons from fascinating people. Learn more or sign up to receive lessons for living directly via Facebook or our email newsletter.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/26/most-beautiful-places-in-world_n_6548580.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
New Guinea
Scientist and author Jared Diamond, who won the Pulitzer Prize for "Guns, Germs, and Steel," is emphatic: "The most beautiful, exciting place in the world is New Guinea, with no close seconds. This is not my opinion, this is objective fact."
Here's his case: "Within this island, you get the whole world, from the equator to the North Pole, squeezed in. It's on the equator, but its mountains are 16,500 feet high, so there are glaciers. That means that as you go up a New Guinea mountain, you're going from tropical rainforest, into oak forest, into beach forest, into sub-alpine forest, into tundra, and then finally up to the glaciers, all within a few miles. In fact, it is the only place in the world where you can stand on a coral reef and look up at a glacier. Also, there are hundreds of different tribes with hundreds of different languages, so from a human point of view, it is the most exciting place in the world." [Map]
Huli Wigmen crossing in the forests of the Southern Highlands, Papua New Guinea. (Wade Davis via Getty Images)
Aerial view of the Bensbach River floodplains. (Col Roberts via Getty Images)
Canyonlands National Park, Utah
Acclaimed Afghan-American memoirist Tamim Ansary moved from Kabul to the United States as a 16-year-old to attend high school. "Every year they would do a trip in spring, a camping trip someplace," he recalled. "One year they went to Canyonlands, which is in Red Rock Country in Utah. I remember then, I said, 'I'm coming back here before I die.' A couple of years ago, we did go back. I'm too old to make the hike anymore. I couldn't hike into all the places that I remember. But the Red Rock Country of Utah is just overwhelming. Don't let your life go by without having been there." [Map]
Mesa Arch sunrise landscape in Canyonlands National Park. (Dave Soldano Images via Getty Images)
(Alan Majchrowicz via Getty Images)
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota
Tamim Ansary also raved about the Boundary Waters wilderness area. "If you look at the map of the United States and Canada, you'll find it along the border there. It's thousands of lakes. They only let three parties put in at any portage point in a day, and they don't let you come closer than a quarter mile. They have to carry your canoe and all your stuff down; then you get into whatever lake you've come to, and that connects to another lake, and that connects to another lake. And there's nobody there! We were there for a while and we saw one other party. We camped in a little island that had a campground and everything, but only one and there was nothing else there. I just loved that." [Map]
Birch Lake, Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area, Minnesota. (Christian Heeb via 500px)
Rishikesh, India
Britta Hölzel is a rare combination, a Ph.D. neuroscientist and a yoga and meditation practitioner. Her research at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere has focused on how meditation changes the brain.
"I've traveled to India again and again," she said. "A special place is a town in the north of India that's called Rishikesh. They call it the yoga capital of the world, a lot of yoga ashrams are there. It's right where the Ganges comes out from the Himalayas and goes into the open flatlands. While there, I had a moment of deep realization that this is how I want to spend my life. This is what I want to dedicate my life to, both the research and this kind of practice, because I think it just makes such a profound difference to one's life to have an orientation towards living a good and spiritual life and a meaningful life. To me, that makes the entire difference." [Map]
Suspension bridge to Swarg Niwas Temple, Rishikesh. (Exotica.im/UIG via Getty Images)
The Ganges River near Rishikesh. (Ivan604 via Getty Images)
High Sierra Trail, California
To win last year's World's Toughest Mudder contest, endurance athlete Ryan Atkins raced for 24 hours straight, covering 95 miles in the Nevada desert, all while wearing a wetsuit.
Endurance competitions have sent Atkins to some incredible locations. "One of my coolest traveling experiences was running the High Sierra Trail in California," he said. "That was awesome, probably the greatest trail I've ever experienced. It starts at Sequoia National Park and finishes on top of Mount Whitney in California, and it's just a totally gorgeous trail. That one stands out." [Map]
High Sierra Trail approaching Mt. Humphreys (Gettystock)
Killarney Provincial Park, Canada
We also asked Ryan Atkins about the most beautiful place he's ever visited. "Honestly, it’s probably a park not too far from where I live," he says. "Killarney Provincial Park, about five or six hours north of Toronto. It's beautiful Canadian forest, with crystal-clear lakes and white quartzite rock all over. There's hiking and canoeing. It's just a gorgeous place." [Map]
Island in Georgian Bay along the Chikanishing Trail, Killarney Provincial Park
Hanalei, Hawaii
"I would say the most beautiful place I've seen is Hanalei, which is on the northern side of the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands," says Tim Kochis, the itinerant former CEO and chairman of Aspiriant, a large independent wealth management firm.
"It is just beautiful, particularly in the sunshine, and then after a rain because there are these series of waterfalls that are falling from the north shore mountains into the ocean. If you see this from any distance, you wonder, how could any place on the planet be more beautiful than this?" [Map]
Stand-up paddle board in Hanalei Bay; Kauai, Hawaii.
A morning shot of Hanalei Valley. (Scott Ingram Photography via Flickr)
Tuscany and Positano, Italy
Lalita Tademy has written multiple bestselling historical epics. Asked about her favorite travel journey, she said, "My husband and I went to Italy for a month. For two weeks of that, we were stationary in Tuscany. We rented a farm house. I wrote every morning, very early. Then in the afternoons, we'd go and visit hill towns and just walk around. We had no real plan. We would just walk. We would stumble into markets that were vibrant and wonderful, or restaurants that we hadn't done any reading but they turned out to be just absolutely delightful." [Map]
Positano, she said, was the most beautiful place she's ever seen. "Absolutely blew me away. Up on the cliffs, perched up above everything, watching the ocean, the boats. It was just stunning. I spent so much time on the balcony, just staring. It was inspiring, and the colors were beautiful, everything in bloom. Gorgeous." [Map]
Sunrise over farm of olive groves and vineyards in Tuscany. (Gettystock)
Positano, Italy on the Amalfi Coast. (Gettystock)
Mongolia
Senior U.S. policy aide Jamie Metzl has traveled to virtually every corner of Asia. His favorite destination? "Oh, that's an easy one," he said. "I absolutely love Mongolia, it is such a magical place. The Gobi Desert is actually where most of the dinosaurs in the Museum of Natural History come from."
He continued: "As opposed to China, Mongolia is this huge country with a very small number of people. Everyone has their little tent -- the Turkic word is yurt, but in Mongolia it's call a ger, and you're miles away from everybody else. So there's this expansive frontier culture, a culture of welcoming and of self-reliance and of not wanting to be part of some system that's going to oppress you. And the people, at least my Mongolian friends -- I certainly don't vouch for every Mongolian -- but they're just such a creative, fun-loving, big-hearted people. They're not the only people in the world that way, but it's certainly in a way that's touched me." [Map]
A row of Mongolian gers. (Gettystock)
Sand dunes in the Gobi Desert. (David Santiago Garcia via Getty Images)
Transcription services by Tigerfish; now offering transcripts in two-hours guaranteed. Interview text has been edited and condensed.
Sophia is a project to collect life lessons from fascinating people. Learn more or sign up to receive lessons for living directly via Facebook or our email newsletter.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/26/most-beautiful-places-in-world_n_6548580.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Friday, 30 January 2015
The Shortlist For The 'Building Of The Year' Awards Showcases Innovation Across The Globe
From a pool of over 3,000 buildings designed and created in the past year, the folks over at Arch Daily have narrowed down their annual Building of the Year nominations.
The shortlist contains five buildings per category -- which range from houses and housing to educational and healthcare architecture. The competing designs hail from locales as diverse as Chile, Vietnam, Italy, China, Poland and Burundi, imagined by familiar firms like Shigeru Ban Architects, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Kengo Kuma & Associates and Grimshaw Architects. Whether it's an iceberg-inspired apartment complex in Denmark or a region's first library, the stunning creations represent some of the most boundary-pushing, awe-inspiring buildings popping up all over the world in the 21st century.
Below is a preview of 25 of the most impressive buildings in the running. When you're done feasting on the visual wonder that is architecture today, you can vote for your favorite projects here until February 4th, 2015 (read the complete rules).
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/30/building-of-the-year-2015-arch-daily_n_6581882.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
The shortlist contains five buildings per category -- which range from houses and housing to educational and healthcare architecture. The competing designs hail from locales as diverse as Chile, Vietnam, Italy, China, Poland and Burundi, imagined by familiar firms like Shigeru Ban Architects, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Kengo Kuma & Associates and Grimshaw Architects. Whether it's an iceberg-inspired apartment complex in Denmark or a region's first library, the stunning creations represent some of the most boundary-pushing, awe-inspiring buildings popping up all over the world in the 21st century.
Below is a preview of 25 of the most impressive buildings in the running. When you're done feasting on the visual wonder that is architecture today, you can vote for your favorite projects here until February 4th, 2015 (read the complete rules).
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/30/building-of-the-year-2015-arch-daily_n_6581882.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
16 Breathtakingly Beautiful Libraries From Around The World
What book lover doesn't cherish warm memories of browsing stacks at her college, or attending story time in his hometown? The knowledge housed in libraries can be a comfort, but the delights to be had when visiting them are many. Getting lost in their literary treasures is uniquely satisfying, but they are also places that radiate aesthetic beauty, often showcasing bold architectural experiments.
Last month, we collected photos of some of the world's most stunning libraries, as captured by photographer Franck Bohbot. The list included the Bibliothèque Nationale de France with its dramatic lighting, and the Biblioteca Vallicelliana with its ornate ceilings. Commenters responded with impassioned cases for the beauty of their local libraries, so we asked readers to submit photos of their favorites. We issued appeals for submissions in multiple languages and received pictures from libraries all over the world. Below are 16 more photos of breathtaking libraries, from Amsterdam to Zurich:
Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington - Seattle, Washington, USA
Library of Parliament - Ottawa, Canada
Seattle Public Library - Washington, USA
Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart - Stuttgart, Germany
Birmingham Central Library - Birmingham, England
New York Public Library - New York City, USA
Trinity College Library - Dublin, Ireland
Strahov Monastery Library - Prague, Czech Republic
The University of Michigan Law Library - Michigan, USA
RWI Bibliothek - Zurich, Switzerland
Rijksmuseum Research Library - Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The Boston Public Library - Massachusetts, USA
The New York Public Library - New York City, USA
John Rylands Library - Manchester, England
William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library - Ohi, USA
Library of Parliament - Ottawa, Canada
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/30/beautiful-libraries_n_6566276.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Last month, we collected photos of some of the world's most stunning libraries, as captured by photographer Franck Bohbot. The list included the Bibliothèque Nationale de France with its dramatic lighting, and the Biblioteca Vallicelliana with its ornate ceilings. Commenters responded with impassioned cases for the beauty of their local libraries, so we asked readers to submit photos of their favorites. We issued appeals for submissions in multiple languages and received pictures from libraries all over the world. Below are 16 more photos of breathtaking libraries, from Amsterdam to Zurich:
Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington - Seattle, Washington, USA
Library of Parliament - Ottawa, Canada
Seattle Public Library - Washington, USA
Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart - Stuttgart, Germany
Birmingham Central Library - Birmingham, England
New York Public Library - New York City, USA
Trinity College Library - Dublin, Ireland
Strahov Monastery Library - Prague, Czech Republic
The University of Michigan Law Library - Michigan, USA
RWI Bibliothek - Zurich, Switzerland
Rijksmuseum Research Library - Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The Boston Public Library - Massachusetts, USA
The New York Public Library - New York City, USA
John Rylands Library - Manchester, England
William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library - Ohi, USA
Library of Parliament - Ottawa, Canada
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/30/beautiful-libraries_n_6566276.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
The Most Popular Places To Study Abroad By State
Ever wondered where American college students are going each semester? Well now we know thanks to the folks at Student Universe.
The travel deals site looked at booking data on their site to determine the results . Yes, London is awesome and Paris is stunning, but if the point of the study abroad semester is to be, you know, abroad and not with everyone you grew up with, consider casting a wider net for destination ideas.
If not, make haste to any one of these cities below.
Graphic courtesy of Student Universe.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/most-popular-study-abroad-destinations-by-state_n_6532422.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
The travel deals site looked at booking data on their site to determine the results . Yes, London is awesome and Paris is stunning, but if the point of the study abroad semester is to be, you know, abroad and not with everyone you grew up with, consider casting a wider net for destination ideas.
If not, make haste to any one of these cities below.
Graphic courtesy of Student Universe.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/most-popular-study-abroad-destinations-by-state_n_6532422.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Recreating the Odyssey, With An iPhone
If Homer had his own iPhone, he might've snapped shots of Ulysses on all his adventures, documenting every step of the hero’s long voyage. He might've taken pictures of the Proci, Penelope’s suitors, the Argo and Penelope herself. But his epic poem would never have been shrouded in mystery, legend and the oneiric atmosphere that has been inspiring writers and artists for centuries.
One such artist is photographer Stefano De Luigi, who followed the twelve legs of the journey narrated in the Odyssey, crossing the Mediterranean. The voyage took two full years, from Troy to Ithaca, crossing through Turkey, Tunisia, Italy and Greece.
The award-winning photographer left all his heavy photographic equipment behind, leaving home with nothing more than two iPhones in his pockets. His contemporary odyssey is entitled iDyssey, a photographic and multimedia project (including 90 photographs, 10 videos and one short film) that brings distant eras closer together through the use of new technologies and that most contemporary technological medium: the smartphone.
The Odyssey has been told in a thousand different ways, but never before has someone used an iPhone and Hipstamatic app to retell Homer's words. As De Luigi explains, “It’s the thinking, the story, your own view of reality that count. That’s the power of photography.” This is the spirit that gave rise to iDyssey, and it’s in that same spirit that Officine Fotografiche defends the idea that with a smartphone in your pocket, anyone can be a narrator. The important thing is to ask oneself questions about the meaning of a voyage, both exterior and interior, exploring its hidden nuances and the implications it may have for our daily existence, our lives and the challenges inherent in them.
Therefore, in occasion of the iDyssey exhibition (on display in the Roman offices of Officine Fotografiche from February 6-22), a media partnership between Instagramers Roma and HuffPost Italia is sponsoring the “Who is Our Modern-Day Ulysses” challenge.
Participants are invited to take part by sending an image from daily life taken using a smartphone and send it in from January 19 to February 15. The images (along with name, last name, title and Instagram account name) have to be sent to contest@officinefotografiche.org and shared on an individual Instagram account, using the hashtags #UlisseOggi and #huffpostitagram. The best images will be selected by February 25, and shown during the closing ceremonies for the iDyssey exhibition.
As the great film director Andrei Tarkovsky once said, “There is only one possible voyage: the one we take into our interior world.”
This post was originally published on HuffPost Italy and was translated into English.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/idyssey_n_6574648.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
One such artist is photographer Stefano De Luigi, who followed the twelve legs of the journey narrated in the Odyssey, crossing the Mediterranean. The voyage took two full years, from Troy to Ithaca, crossing through Turkey, Tunisia, Italy and Greece.
The award-winning photographer left all his heavy photographic equipment behind, leaving home with nothing more than two iPhones in his pockets. His contemporary odyssey is entitled iDyssey, a photographic and multimedia project (including 90 photographs, 10 videos and one short film) that brings distant eras closer together through the use of new technologies and that most contemporary technological medium: the smartphone.
The Odyssey has been told in a thousand different ways, but never before has someone used an iPhone and Hipstamatic app to retell Homer's words. As De Luigi explains, “It’s the thinking, the story, your own view of reality that count. That’s the power of photography.” This is the spirit that gave rise to iDyssey, and it’s in that same spirit that Officine Fotografiche defends the idea that with a smartphone in your pocket, anyone can be a narrator. The important thing is to ask oneself questions about the meaning of a voyage, both exterior and interior, exploring its hidden nuances and the implications it may have for our daily existence, our lives and the challenges inherent in them.
Therefore, in occasion of the iDyssey exhibition (on display in the Roman offices of Officine Fotografiche from February 6-22), a media partnership between Instagramers Roma and HuffPost Italia is sponsoring the “Who is Our Modern-Day Ulysses” challenge.
Participants are invited to take part by sending an image from daily life taken using a smartphone and send it in from January 19 to February 15. The images (along with name, last name, title and Instagram account name) have to be sent to contest@officinefotografiche.org and shared on an individual Instagram account, using the hashtags #UlisseOggi and #huffpostitagram. The best images will be selected by February 25, and shown during the closing ceremonies for the iDyssey exhibition.
As the great film director Andrei Tarkovsky once said, “There is only one possible voyage: the one we take into our interior world.”
This post was originally published on HuffPost Italy and was translated into English.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/idyssey_n_6574648.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Terminally Ill 6-Year-Old's Make-A-Wish Request Shows What True Friendship Is All About
Indiana 6-year-old Levi Mayhew suffers from a rare and fatal genetic disorder on the Zellweger spectrum. According to a spokesperson from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Levi is too sick to travel, so when he became eligible for his wish, he did something extra special with it.
Levi donated his Make-A-Wish trip to 10-year-old Emma Broyer, his closest school friend who has been one of his biggest cheerleaders throughout his medical challenges. Emma gives him encouraging letters and gifts and asks her friends to do the same, The Reporter-Times reports.
Levi's mom Rebecca Drake told WTHR that even in her son's toughest moments, Emma never fails to make him smile. "Just having Emma say 'Hi' to Levi made a world of difference. It opened two hearts at once," she said.
To show his gratitude, Levi wished for Emma to take a special trip to Florida, "to visit the theme parks and see the ocean." For the little Indiana girl who'd never been on a plane, the surprise vacation was truly the trip of a lifetime.
When Emma and her family went to Florida, they brought along a "Flat Levi" figure, which they included on all of their adventures. At their welcome home party, they gave Levi a scrapbook of photos from "Emma and Levi's trip."
WTHR reports that there wasn't a dry eye in the room when Emma presented her scrapbook. Levi's mom Rebecca told the news station:
For more photos of Emma's Florida adventures with "Flat Levi," keep scrolling.
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/make-a-wish-trip-levi-mayhew-emma-broyer_n_6571668.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Levi donated his Make-A-Wish trip to 10-year-old Emma Broyer, his closest school friend who has been one of his biggest cheerleaders throughout his medical challenges. Emma gives him encouraging letters and gifts and asks her friends to do the same, The Reporter-Times reports.
Levi's mom Rebecca Drake told WTHR that even in her son's toughest moments, Emma never fails to make him smile. "Just having Emma say 'Hi' to Levi made a world of difference. It opened two hearts at once," she said.
To show his gratitude, Levi wished for Emma to take a special trip to Florida, "to visit the theme parks and see the ocean." For the little Indiana girl who'd never been on a plane, the surprise vacation was truly the trip of a lifetime.
When Emma and her family went to Florida, they brought along a "Flat Levi" figure, which they included on all of their adventures. At their welcome home party, they gave Levi a scrapbook of photos from "Emma and Levi's trip."
WTHR reports that there wasn't a dry eye in the room when Emma presented her scrapbook. Levi's mom Rebecca told the news station:
"It felt so good to give back to this little girl. Emma had given so much to us without even realizing it. It's a very warm feeling to know that another child loves and cares so much for your child, especially while facing the challenges stacked against us. It's so innocent and pure. If Angels really do walk the earth, Emma is one. She's Levi's angel. This story proves that the 'power of one' is astounding."
For more photos of Emma's Florida adventures with "Flat Levi," keep scrolling.
Like Us On Facebook | Follow Us On Twitter | Contact HuffPost ParentsSource: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/make-a-wish-trip-levi-mayhew-emma-broyer_n_6571668.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Pele's Hair, Or Lava Glass, Is As Mystical As It Is Beautiful (PHOTOS)
As the Puna lava flow remains mostly stalled near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii, visitors up the slope of the Kilauea volcano can still witness some pretty impressive geologic phenomena.
In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, most visitors are on the lookout for liquid magma, but astute observers may notice something even more perplexing: clumps of glistening, golden threads blowing in the winds. The hair-like strands can stack so high you'd think Rapunzel was sheared nearby.
This May 3, 2012, photo shows how much of Pele's Hair can accumulate in a parking lot immediately downwind of Halemaʻumaʻu Crater on Hawaii Island.
Volcanologists call it Pele’s Hair, after the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, but the golden strands are actually fragile volcanic fiberglass.
They're formed when lava is ejected into the air and small droplets are caught by the wind, which then cools and stretches them into very thin strands. Some threads can reach as long as 6 feet and are most likely gold in color due to weathering effects, experts say.
Pele’s Hair (as well as Pele’s Tears, which are the thicker ends of the strands) can tell geologists information about that lava’s history. For example, by looking closely at the strands' small crystals, scientists can tell eruption temperatures as well as the magma's path to the surface.
Pele's Hair can be found on other volcanoes in the world. In Iceland, for example, it's called “Nornahár," or Witch’s Hair.
Pele's Hair is seen clustered on a radio antenna near Hawaii Island's Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater.
Unfortunately, as with most things related to lava, you shouldn't touch them. The glass fibers can be sharp and get embedded in your skin if you're not careful.
Check out the pictures of Pele's Hair below, and for more information on where to find it, visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
These strands of Pele's Hair formed from a Mount Ulu eruption on Hawaii Island's Kilauea volcano between 1969 and 1974.
This fresh pinch of hair is from the Halemaʻumaʻu Overlook vent on Hawaii Island's Kilauea volcano.
Sheets of Pele's Hair can also be found on Erta Ale in Ethiopia, sometimes called the "Gateway to Hell" or "smoking mountain."
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/peles-hair-hawaii-volcanoes_n_6558700.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
In Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, most visitors are on the lookout for liquid magma, but astute observers may notice something even more perplexing: clumps of glistening, golden threads blowing in the winds. The hair-like strands can stack so high you'd think Rapunzel was sheared nearby.
Volcanologists call it Pele’s Hair, after the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, but the golden strands are actually fragile volcanic fiberglass.
They're formed when lava is ejected into the air and small droplets are caught by the wind, which then cools and stretches them into very thin strands. Some threads can reach as long as 6 feet and are most likely gold in color due to weathering effects, experts say.
Pele’s Hair (as well as Pele’s Tears, which are the thicker ends of the strands) can tell geologists information about that lava’s history. For example, by looking closely at the strands' small crystals, scientists can tell eruption temperatures as well as the magma's path to the surface.
Pele's Hair can be found on other volcanoes in the world. In Iceland, for example, it's called “Nornahár," or Witch’s Hair.
Unfortunately, as with most things related to lava, you shouldn't touch them. The glass fibers can be sharp and get embedded in your skin if you're not careful.
Check out the pictures of Pele's Hair below, and for more information on where to find it, visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/peles-hair-hawaii-volcanoes_n_6558700.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Most Of Hawaii's Coral Recover From Mass Bleaching Event
HONOLULU (AP) -- Coral rely on algae for food and their survival.
So when the stress of warmer-than-average ocean temperatures prompted many of Hawaii's corals to expel algae last year - a phenomenon called bleaching because coral lose their color when they do this - many were worried they might die.
Now the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources says most of the bleached corals have recovered. It plans to announce the result of its coral surveys on Thursday.
Even so, scientists say the experience weakened the coral, making them more likely to get sick. It's also going to be harder for them to withstand warm temperatures in the future.
The incident is a blow to the state's fragile reefs, which are already under pressure from runoff from development, overfishing and recreational use of the ocean.
Coral reefs are a critical part of the ecosystem, and their health is vital to the ocean environment. Coral cover just one-tenth of the ocean floor but are home to 25 percent of known marine species. Some fish eat coral, others hide from predators in them. Some species use coral as nursery grounds. Some types of shark will frequent coral reefs.
Mark Eakin, the coordinator the Coral Reef Watch program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said coral bleaching demonstrates that "climate change isn't something of the distant future."
Kaneohe Bay on Oahu's east side suffered the most serious bleaching in the state, which is home to 15 percent of all coral under U.S. jurisdiction. Seventy-five percent of the dominant coral species there lost some color or turned completely white.
Subsequent studies after waters cooled showed 12 percent of the bay's bleached coral died, said Anne Rosinski, a marine resource specialist with the state Division of Aquatic Resources.
The remainder regained some color and have been recovering. The coral were weakened to begin with after being covered by runoff from flooding. Then after the bleaching, a boat propeller destroyed some of the coral, she said.
Most bleached corals off Maui and Kauai have also recovered.
The state is trying to do what it can to eliminate other stresses on the coral so they'll be in better shape to survive warmer temperatures, Rosinski said.
"I just worry how much the corals can take," she said.
There's even bleaker news expected from an isolated atoll about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu.
Lisianski Island, which is part of a national marine preserve, suffered months of warmer-than-normal waters over the summer. Researchers visiting in the fall observed some bleaching, but the area is so remote scientists haven't been able to return to check on them since even though temperatures were high there for weeks afterward.
"We're expecting when they go back there's going to be a lot of dead coral," Eakin said.
Eakin recalled diving on a reef in Thailand after most of the coral there died after a 2010 mass bleaching event. He said the fish were hanging out in the water not knowing what to do.
"Severe bleaching events are like a blight that goes through and kills all the trees in the forest," he said.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/hawaii-coral-bleaching-recover_n_6573200.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
So when the stress of warmer-than-average ocean temperatures prompted many of Hawaii's corals to expel algae last year - a phenomenon called bleaching because coral lose their color when they do this - many were worried they might die.
Now the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources says most of the bleached corals have recovered. It plans to announce the result of its coral surveys on Thursday.
Even so, scientists say the experience weakened the coral, making them more likely to get sick. It's also going to be harder for them to withstand warm temperatures in the future.
The incident is a blow to the state's fragile reefs, which are already under pressure from runoff from development, overfishing and recreational use of the ocean.
Coral reefs are a critical part of the ecosystem, and their health is vital to the ocean environment. Coral cover just one-tenth of the ocean floor but are home to 25 percent of known marine species. Some fish eat coral, others hide from predators in them. Some species use coral as nursery grounds. Some types of shark will frequent coral reefs.
Mark Eakin, the coordinator the Coral Reef Watch program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said coral bleaching demonstrates that "climate change isn't something of the distant future."
Kaneohe Bay on Oahu's east side suffered the most serious bleaching in the state, which is home to 15 percent of all coral under U.S. jurisdiction. Seventy-five percent of the dominant coral species there lost some color or turned completely white.
Subsequent studies after waters cooled showed 12 percent of the bay's bleached coral died, said Anne Rosinski, a marine resource specialist with the state Division of Aquatic Resources.
The remainder regained some color and have been recovering. The coral were weakened to begin with after being covered by runoff from flooding. Then after the bleaching, a boat propeller destroyed some of the coral, she said.
Most bleached corals off Maui and Kauai have also recovered.
The state is trying to do what it can to eliminate other stresses on the coral so they'll be in better shape to survive warmer temperatures, Rosinski said.
"I just worry how much the corals can take," she said.
There's even bleaker news expected from an isolated atoll about 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu.
Lisianski Island, which is part of a national marine preserve, suffered months of warmer-than-normal waters over the summer. Researchers visiting in the fall observed some bleaching, but the area is so remote scientists haven't been able to return to check on them since even though temperatures were high there for weeks afterward.
"We're expecting when they go back there's going to be a lot of dead coral," Eakin said.
Eakin recalled diving on a reef in Thailand after most of the coral there died after a 2010 mass bleaching event. He said the fish were hanging out in the water not knowing what to do.
"Severe bleaching events are like a blight that goes through and kills all the trees in the forest," he said.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/hawaii-coral-bleaching-recover_n_6573200.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
A Free Couch To Crash On In Iran
By SANDRA KEIL, OZY
At a party with loud music booming, young girls — in heavy makeup, carefully styled hair and too-short miniskirts — mingle with young men. I witness homemade alcohol (a strong aniseed liqueur) and some risqué images on the wall that would fall foul of the morality police. A reasonable scene most anywhere in the West, but far less so in Tehran, the heart of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where all of the above is forbidden, demonized and criminalized.
It’s no secret that there’s a subculture in Iran and in much of the Middle East. Modern, young people are living life increasingly on their own terms — if only in private. What’s new here? The place is packed with tourists.
Getting into Iran for a casual vacation jaunt is difficult, to say the least. But there’s one way in for bold backpackers — Couchsurfing, a popular social network that allows people around the globe free places to sleep in strangers’ homes, like a poor man’s Airbnb. It can be a casual arrangement, but often, hosts and guests bond, hang out and go out together. Despite Iran’s difficult tourist laws, Iranians are allowed to have guests visit from other countries. The government is none too pleased, but the practice continues relatively unabated. It’s difficult to say how many Iranians participate in Couchsurfing, but the company estimates 50,000 Iranians are signed up.
All of this might be a sign of the times under the more moderate — compared with his predecessor — President Hassan Rouhani. Though Facebook is banned in the country, apps are aplenty, and Rouhani is on Twitter. Sure, there’s a risk for companies like Couchsurfing, which sends travelers into traditionally closed countries like Iran or China, but there’s also a chance for “high reward,” says Arvind Malhotra, professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina.
An Iranian woman walks in an old neighborhood in downtown Tehran on December 30, 2014. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)
Of course, the fun could stop soon. If it pisses off the moral police too much, “it’ll be shut down faster than you can say couch surfing,” Malhotra says. Or, Couchsurfing itself might back out because of liability issues — what of a potential kidnapping?! — says Matthew Mitchell, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. (The company wouldn’t comment on liability issues.) Others still tell travelers to just stay away: “I would capital N-O-T push the laws there,” says Malia Everette, CEO of Altruvistas, a travel agency that leads trips to Iran. Not to mention the worries that come with being female or gay, says Dave Ways, a travel writer at The Longest Way Home, who’s couch surfed in Iran. Some hosts may have “other expectations” for female guests, he advises — which, sure, can happen anywhere. It’s no secret that Couchsurfing’s site has previously been used for dating and, ahem, more.
Soon after meeting my host’s two female friends, Yara and Leyan, we were at the party, which was taking place at their home (names of partying Iranians have been changed to protect them). Both women wear the mandatory headscarf, which on them is more like a fashion accessory than a police-approved uniform; it’s draped loosely over their heads, hair flowing out. Omid, my actual host, makes it to the party later. The slim student says he’s happy to meet other German visitors like myself. He’s never been to Germany himself, but he is a big fan of the soccer team Bayern Munich since he can catch Bundesliga games in Iran.
For the Iranians themselves, traveling is far from straightforward. The men have to complete military service before getting a passport. Women are only allowed to leave the country with the consent of husbands or fathers. Which means Couchsurfing, for many, is as close to travel as they get. Omid dreams of traveling to Europe, but he can’t afford it. Spending time with Europeans gives him “a slight feel for Europe.” You can see the sensibilities imbued by the travelers everywhere: At the party, the décor is European rather than traditional. There are no “Oriental” trinkets, not even a Persian carpet.
Couchsurfing has even penetrated past the capital, to Shiraz, in the south. This city with 1.5 million inhabitants, which is famous for its green spaces, is also known as the Garden of Iran. It’s where Marjaan likes to have female couch surfers to stay. She spends much of her days hunched over her desk … drawing nudes. The 23-year-old aspiring artist enjoys reading banned literature, listens to prohibited music, and enjoys slightly revealing clothes. She also still lives with her parents, who adhere to Islamic traditions. That makes male couch surfers taboo, but from time to time she’s allowed to have female travelers to stay. Her room lacks both a bed and a couch because she needs room for her art. Marjaan hides money in her room, along with her secret passport and her dreams of going to Europe.
Iranians shop at the main bazaar in Tehran on December 18, 2014.(ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)
Nathan Siegel contributed reporting.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/iran-couchsurfing_n_6572448.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
At a party with loud music booming, young girls — in heavy makeup, carefully styled hair and too-short miniskirts — mingle with young men. I witness homemade alcohol (a strong aniseed liqueur) and some risqué images on the wall that would fall foul of the morality police. A reasonable scene most anywhere in the West, but far less so in Tehran, the heart of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where all of the above is forbidden, demonized and criminalized.
It’s no secret that there’s a subculture in Iran and in much of the Middle East. Modern, young people are living life increasingly on their own terms — if only in private. What’s new here? The place is packed with tourists.
Getting into Iran for a casual vacation jaunt is difficult, to say the least. But there’s one way in for bold backpackers — Couchsurfing, a popular social network that allows people around the globe free places to sleep in strangers’ homes, like a poor man’s Airbnb. It can be a casual arrangement, but often, hosts and guests bond, hang out and go out together. Despite Iran’s difficult tourist laws, Iranians are allowed to have guests visit from other countries. The government is none too pleased, but the practice continues relatively unabated. It’s difficult to say how many Iranians participate in Couchsurfing, but the company estimates 50,000 Iranians are signed up.
All of this might be a sign of the times under the more moderate — compared with his predecessor — President Hassan Rouhani. Though Facebook is banned in the country, apps are aplenty, and Rouhani is on Twitter. Sure, there’s a risk for companies like Couchsurfing, which sends travelers into traditionally closed countries like Iran or China, but there’s also a chance for “high reward,” says Arvind Malhotra, professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina.
An Iranian woman walks in an old neighborhood in downtown Tehran on December 30, 2014. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)
Of course, the fun could stop soon. If it pisses off the moral police too much, “it’ll be shut down faster than you can say couch surfing,” Malhotra says. Or, Couchsurfing itself might back out because of liability issues — what of a potential kidnapping?! — says Matthew Mitchell, senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. (The company wouldn’t comment on liability issues.) Others still tell travelers to just stay away: “I would capital N-O-T push the laws there,” says Malia Everette, CEO of Altruvistas, a travel agency that leads trips to Iran. Not to mention the worries that come with being female or gay, says Dave Ways, a travel writer at The Longest Way Home, who’s couch surfed in Iran. Some hosts may have “other expectations” for female guests, he advises — which, sure, can happen anywhere. It’s no secret that Couchsurfing’s site has previously been used for dating and, ahem, more.
Soon after meeting my host’s two female friends, Yara and Leyan, we were at the party, which was taking place at their home (names of partying Iranians have been changed to protect them). Both women wear the mandatory headscarf, which on them is more like a fashion accessory than a police-approved uniform; it’s draped loosely over their heads, hair flowing out. Omid, my actual host, makes it to the party later. The slim student says he’s happy to meet other German visitors like myself. He’s never been to Germany himself, but he is a big fan of the soccer team Bayern Munich since he can catch Bundesliga games in Iran.
For the Iranians themselves, traveling is far from straightforward. The men have to complete military service before getting a passport. Women are only allowed to leave the country with the consent of husbands or fathers. Which means Couchsurfing, for many, is as close to travel as they get. Omid dreams of traveling to Europe, but he can’t afford it. Spending time with Europeans gives him “a slight feel for Europe.” You can see the sensibilities imbued by the travelers everywhere: At the party, the décor is European rather than traditional. There are no “Oriental” trinkets, not even a Persian carpet.
Couchsurfing has even penetrated past the capital, to Shiraz, in the south. This city with 1.5 million inhabitants, which is famous for its green spaces, is also known as the Garden of Iran. It’s where Marjaan likes to have female couch surfers to stay. She spends much of her days hunched over her desk … drawing nudes. The 23-year-old aspiring artist enjoys reading banned literature, listens to prohibited music, and enjoys slightly revealing clothes. She also still lives with her parents, who adhere to Islamic traditions. That makes male couch surfers taboo, but from time to time she’s allowed to have female travelers to stay. Her room lacks both a bed and a couch because she needs room for her art. Marjaan hides money in her room, along with her secret passport and her dreams of going to Europe.
Iranians shop at the main bazaar in Tehran on December 18, 2014.(ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)
Nathan Siegel contributed reporting.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/iran-couchsurfing_n_6572448.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Cuba Travel Information Is Now On KAYAK
Oh happy day -- you no longer need to be Beyonce to take a trip to Cuba. And thanks to KAYAK, this just became all too real.
The popular travel search engine announced it will list flight and hotel information for Cuba (aka travelers can now plan their trip to the Caribbean island on the site) on Thursday. KAYAK will list more than 300 hotels as well as flights, according to a press release.
While travelers can't book directly on the site, they can use the wealth of listings for "informational" purposes as they plan trips.
It's all joyous news to us in the U.S., as travel restrictions recently lessened -- travelers no longer need licenses to visit Cuba, though they still must belong in one of 12 categories like "academics" or "family members."
In any case, we can't wait to get to the land of culture, history and, oh yeah, beaches.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/cuba-kayak-_n_6572618.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
The popular travel search engine announced it will list flight and hotel information for Cuba (aka travelers can now plan their trip to the Caribbean island on the site) on Thursday. KAYAK will list more than 300 hotels as well as flights, according to a press release.
While travelers can't book directly on the site, they can use the wealth of listings for "informational" purposes as they plan trips.
It's all joyous news to us in the U.S., as travel restrictions recently lessened -- travelers no longer need licenses to visit Cuba, though they still must belong in one of 12 categories like "academics" or "family members."
In any case, we can't wait to get to the land of culture, history and, oh yeah, beaches.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/cuba-kayak-_n_6572618.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Lawmakers Seek To End Restrictions On Travel To Cuba
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Eight Republican and Democratic U.S. senators will introduce legislation on Thursday to end restrictions on U.S. citizens' travel to Cuba, the first effort in Congress toward ending the U.S. embargo since President Barack Obama moved to normalize relations last month.
The bill would end legal restrictions on travel to the island by U.S. citizens and legal residents, according to a statement about the senators' plans.
It would also end restrictions on banking transactions related to that travel.
The Obama administration announced some loosening of restrictions on travel last month, but Congress must vote to end the laws that put them in place.
The senators backing the bill include Republicans Jeff Flake, Jerry Moran, Michael Enzi and John Boozman, as well as Democrats Patrick Leahy, Richard Durbin, Tom Udall and Sheldon Whitehouse.
A companion bill will be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives next week by Republican Representative Mark Sanford and Democratic Representative Jim McGovern.
Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced on Dec. 17 they would work toward normalizing relations between their two countries, more than half a century after Castro's brother Fidel took power and began implementing communist rule in the island nation.
There has been vocal opposition toward the plan in the U.S. Congress, led by staunchly anti-Castro Cuban-American lawmakers including Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Robert Menendez.
Opponents of Obama's plans have so far not announced any legislation seeking to stop them. There will be hearings on Cuba next week in both the Senate and House.
Castro set a tough tone on relations with the United States in a speech on Wednesday, warning that any U.S. interference in Cuba's internal affairs would make rapprochement between the two countries meaningless. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu)
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/cuba-traveling-restrictions_n_6570088.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
Rare Photograph Captures The Blue-Green Magic Hidden On The Other Side Of An Iceberg
The tip of an iceberg has been well documented, both in photography and overused idioms. We've been told time and time again that the visible part of those giant chunks of frozen water -- the ones that adorn the pages of National Geographic -- represents only one tenth of the mass that is an iceberg. The rest lurks below the water, not often seen by the likes of tourists, photojournalists and roving scientists.
But, thanks to San Francisco-based photographer and filmmaker Alex Cornell, the invisible tail-end of an iceberg has been captured on camera.
Cornell shot the stunning glacial portrait on a vacation in Antarctica with his mom and sister -- they were in the Cierva Cove, to be exact, a glacial bay off the Antarctic peninsula. At first glance, a viewer undoubtedly notices that unlike the white icebergs we're used to, the one Cornell photographed is free of snow, more of a translucent blue-green than we're used to. According to Cornell's tour guide, this was because the berg had recently flipped.
How does this happen? "Melting can trigger calving," the Smithsonian explains, referencing a chunk's tendency to break off from glaciers and ice shelves, "but it can also change the equilibrium of an iceberg, causing it to flip." When that happens, the crystalline bottom of the ice mound becomes exposed.
"Before we arrived, the cove was filled with icebergs," Cornell recounted to HuffPost over email, "but this was the only one that had this pure jade coloring and clean texture. Despite its resemblance to the Fortress of Solitude, we checked and Superman had only just departed on business."
According to the National Snow & Ice Data Center, the iceberg was less likely the occasional headquarters of a D.C. hero, and more likely just... old. "Glacial ice often appears blue when it has become very dense," the organization writes on its site. "Years of compression gradually make the ice denser over time, forcing out the tiny air pockets between crystals. When glacier ice becomes extremely dense, the ice absorbs a small amount of red light, leaving a bluish tint in the reflected light, which is what we see. When glacier ice is white, that usually means that there are many tiny air bubbles still in the ice."
The photo is, nonetheless, a rare shot. Check out more of Cornell's photos from his Antarctic adventure below. Bonus: there's even more on his Instagram.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/alex-cornell-iceberg-phot_n_6550856.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
But, thanks to San Francisco-based photographer and filmmaker Alex Cornell, the invisible tail-end of an iceberg has been captured on camera.
Cornell shot the stunning glacial portrait on a vacation in Antarctica with his mom and sister -- they were in the Cierva Cove, to be exact, a glacial bay off the Antarctic peninsula. At first glance, a viewer undoubtedly notices that unlike the white icebergs we're used to, the one Cornell photographed is free of snow, more of a translucent blue-green than we're used to. According to Cornell's tour guide, this was because the berg had recently flipped.
How does this happen? "Melting can trigger calving," the Smithsonian explains, referencing a chunk's tendency to break off from glaciers and ice shelves, "but it can also change the equilibrium of an iceberg, causing it to flip." When that happens, the crystalline bottom of the ice mound becomes exposed.
"Before we arrived, the cove was filled with icebergs," Cornell recounted to HuffPost over email, "but this was the only one that had this pure jade coloring and clean texture. Despite its resemblance to the Fortress of Solitude, we checked and Superman had only just departed on business."
According to the National Snow & Ice Data Center, the iceberg was less likely the occasional headquarters of a D.C. hero, and more likely just... old. "Glacial ice often appears blue when it has become very dense," the organization writes on its site. "Years of compression gradually make the ice denser over time, forcing out the tiny air pockets between crystals. When glacier ice becomes extremely dense, the ice absorbs a small amount of red light, leaving a bluish tint in the reflected light, which is what we see. When glacier ice is white, that usually means that there are many tiny air bubbles still in the ice."
The photo is, nonetheless, a rare shot. Check out more of Cornell's photos from his Antarctic adventure below. Bonus: there's even more on his Instagram.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/alex-cornell-iceberg-phot_n_6550856.html?utm_hp_ref=travel&ir=Travel and provided by entertainment-movie-news.com
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