100 must-see landmarks from around the world
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Photographs/Images of General Interest
40 incredible facts about animals you may not know
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22 new secrets of the world’s ancient wonders revealed
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Up-close beneath Niagara Falls, the world's most powerful falls
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https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/wonder/ ... ailsignout
Niagara Falls is believed to be the most powerful falls in the world, with an incredible flow rate of more than 700,000 gallons (28 million litres) of water going over the rim per second. It is the fastest flowing falls in the world and the river beneath the falls narrows and reaches an unbelievable 40mph (60km/h). Known as the Niagara Gorge, it is a class 6 rapids system and it is considered unpassable, even for experienced white water rafters. Niagara Falls straddles the border of Canada and The United States of America, with the largest portion, Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian Side. The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls make up one third of Niagara Falls, and they lie on the U.S. side of the border. These falls attract at least 8 million visitors each year, with some estimates claiming that the number as closer to 30 million. A number of tourist activities and attractions add to the experience at this landmark. One of the most famous and exciting way to see the falls is from below. Sight seers can take a boat up the river, passing the American Falls and reaching the pool below Horsheshoe Falls. Experiencing Horseshoe Falls from below provides an unparalleled view of the height and the impressive rush of the water coming over the ledge. The loud roar and the mist add to the thrill as sightseers get as close to the falls as possible. The pool beneath the falls is 52m (160 feet) deep and the surface churns and splashes all around. Visitors are given rain shields to view the falls from this perspective, as the spray drenches everything in the basin, including the people on the boat. Departing from the American side of the border, visitors take the Maid of the Mist. On the Canadian side, they travel on the Hornblower. Guests can't help but be overwhelmed with the power and majesty of the falls when it is viewed close
Video:
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/wonder/ ... ailsignout
Niagara Falls is believed to be the most powerful falls in the world, with an incredible flow rate of more than 700,000 gallons (28 million litres) of water going over the rim per second. It is the fastest flowing falls in the world and the river beneath the falls narrows and reaches an unbelievable 40mph (60km/h). Known as the Niagara Gorge, it is a class 6 rapids system and it is considered unpassable, even for experienced white water rafters. Niagara Falls straddles the border of Canada and The United States of America, with the largest portion, Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian Side. The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls make up one third of Niagara Falls, and they lie on the U.S. side of the border. These falls attract at least 8 million visitors each year, with some estimates claiming that the number as closer to 30 million. A number of tourist activities and attractions add to the experience at this landmark. One of the most famous and exciting way to see the falls is from below. Sight seers can take a boat up the river, passing the American Falls and reaching the pool below Horsheshoe Falls. Experiencing Horseshoe Falls from below provides an unparalleled view of the height and the impressive rush of the water coming over the ledge. The loud roar and the mist add to the thrill as sightseers get as close to the falls as possible. The pool beneath the falls is 52m (160 feet) deep and the surface churns and splashes all around. Visitors are given rain shields to view the falls from this perspective, as the spray drenches everything in the basin, including the people on the boat. Departing from the American side of the border, visitors take the Maid of the Mist. On the Canadian side, they travel on the Hornblower. Guests can't help but be overwhelmed with the power and majesty of the falls when it is viewed close
The best wildlife photos taken this year reveal a horde of interlocked ants and a vicious stand-off between a fox and a marmot
- The London Natural History Museum's annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition awards photographers whose work inspires us to consider our place in the natural world and our responsibility to protect it.
- This year, the contest received 48,000 entries from photographers in 100 countries.
- The winning set of images includes snapshots of an interlocked army of ants, a stand-off between a surly fox and a shocked marmot, and a puma ambushing a guanaco.
- Here are 14 award-winning photographs from this year's contest.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Capturing the hidden, unfiltered world of the animal kingdom on camera isn't easy. But the winning images from the London Natural History Museum's annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition give rare glimpses of animals' resilience.
This year, the photographers behind these pictures climbed coastal cliffs in Norway, trekked through the jungles of Costa Rica, and dove deep into the waters of Indonesia to observe animals' struggles to survive and get a decent meal.
Photographers from 100 countries submitted 48,000 entries for the contest, including photos of an interlocked ant army, a stand-off between a surly fox and a shocked marmot, and a puma ambushing a guanaco.
Slide show at:
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/photos/t ... ailsignout
- The London Natural History Museum's annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition awards photographers whose work inspires us to consider our place in the natural world and our responsibility to protect it.
- This year, the contest received 48,000 entries from photographers in 100 countries.
- The winning set of images includes snapshots of an interlocked army of ants, a stand-off between a surly fox and a shocked marmot, and a puma ambushing a guanaco.
- Here are 14 award-winning photographs from this year's contest.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Capturing the hidden, unfiltered world of the animal kingdom on camera isn't easy. But the winning images from the London Natural History Museum's annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition give rare glimpses of animals' resilience.
This year, the photographers behind these pictures climbed coastal cliffs in Norway, trekked through the jungles of Costa Rica, and dove deep into the waters of Indonesia to observe animals' struggles to survive and get a decent meal.
Photographers from 100 countries submitted 48,000 entries for the contest, including photos of an interlocked ant army, a stand-off between a surly fox and a shocked marmot, and a puma ambushing a guanaco.
Slide show at:
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/photos/t ... ailsignout
Nature Photographer Of The Year: Inspirational 2019 Winning Images
The winners in the other nine categories, the special young NPOTY award and of the Fred Hazelhoff portfolio award, which was given to the beautiful photos of Romanian photographer Gheorghe Popa, were chosen from 14,000 entries from more than 73 countries, a new record for this competition. The 2019 winners of the Nature Photographer Of The Year photo competition are an inspirational reminder of the extraordinary wonder of the natural world.
Slide show:
https://www3.forbes.com/lifestyle/natur ... 8323d1caj1
The winners in the other nine categories, the special young NPOTY award and of the Fred Hazelhoff portfolio award, which was given to the beautiful photos of Romanian photographer Gheorghe Popa, were chosen from 14,000 entries from more than 73 countries, a new record for this competition. The 2019 winners of the Nature Photographer Of The Year photo competition are an inspirational reminder of the extraordinary wonder of the natural world.
Slide show:
https://www3.forbes.com/lifestyle/natur ... 8323d1caj1
Crazy-Strict Rules the Royal Family Has to Follow
From specific diets to forbidden board games, the world's most-watched family has more random rules than you'd expect. Click through for the 60 weirdest, strictest traditions that the royal family is (pretty much) required to follow.
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From specific diets to forbidden board games, the world's most-watched family has more random rules than you'd expect. Click through for the 60 weirdest, strictest traditions that the royal family is (pretty much) required to follow.
Slide show
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/roy ... ut#image=1
National Geographic
The best photos of 2019
Check out the 100 best images of the year—curated from 106 photographers, 121 stories, and more than 2 million photographs.
https://email.nationalgeographic.com/H/ ... 3f9fa/HTML
The best photos of 2019
Check out the 100 best images of the year—curated from 106 photographers, 121 stories, and more than 2 million photographs.
https://email.nationalgeographic.com/H/ ... 3f9fa/HTML
The world's most beautiful natural wonders
Stunning scenery from Mother Nature
Our natural environment has the power to move and inspire, encouraging people to travel to far-flung destinations just to catch a glimpse of Mother Nature in action. From a multi-colored canyon to a colossal glacier floating on tranquil teal waters, these are the world's most picturesque natural wonders. Get ready to pack your bags because if these gems aren't enough to inspire your next adventure, we're not sure what will be!
Slide show:
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/tra ... ut#image=1
Stunning scenery from Mother Nature
Our natural environment has the power to move and inspire, encouraging people to travel to far-flung destinations just to catch a glimpse of Mother Nature in action. From a multi-colored canyon to a colossal glacier floating on tranquil teal waters, these are the world's most picturesque natural wonders. Get ready to pack your bags because if these gems aren't enough to inspire your next adventure, we're not sure what will be!
Slide show:
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/tra ... ut#image=1
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TODAY'S PAPER | JUNE 29, 2020
Don’t tear down statues
Pervez HoodbhoyUpdated June 27, 2020
WINSTON Churchill was a terrible man. He authorised use of chemical weapons against Afghans and Kurds, called China “a barbaric nation”, spoke of the “great hordes of Islam” and wrote of Indians as “a beastly people with a beastly religion”. When informed of mass deaths in the 1943 Bengal famine, he simply asked: “So is Gandhi dead yet?” Those nostalgic for the Raj love him, as do white supremacists. Zionists adore him for what he told the Palestine Royal Commission in 1937:
“I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place.”
Unsurprisingly, Churchill’s statue is iconic for leftists and progressives around the world. Galvanised by the killing of George Floyd, they want not just this statue gone but all historical monuments associated with oppression, slavery, and bigotry to be eliminated from public view. Thoroughly decent people are roaring: pull them down!
But stop! This is terribly dangerous. Step back and reflect upon the consequences.
I’ve dwelt on Churchill here because he is a metaphor for countless racist, supremacist leaders who led wars of conquest and plundered treasures. From Alexander the Great to Chandragupta Maurya, and Mohammed bin Qasim to Napoleon Bonaparte, ambitious conquerors subjugated weaker peoples on various pretexts. So shouldn’t we eliminate hurtful memories?
Left-liberals in the West should ponder the effects of effacing historical symbols as Pakistan-India have.
Let’s begin by bulldozing the pyramids of ancient Egypt. They are symbols of extreme oppression and the word ‘pharaoh’ is synonymous with cruelty. Thousands of slaves toiling in the scorching desert sun built tombs for the pharaoh king. When he died his retainers were obliged to collectively commit suicide and be buried in the same pyramid, ready to serve when he awakes in the after-life. Morally, the pyramids ought to be levelled.
And what to make of Babri mosque? For Hindu zealots it was the symbol of cultural oppression by Muslim invaders. In 1992 with bare hands and pick-axes a maddened crowd tore apart a five-centuries-old structure built by Emperor Babar, allegedly on the very site where Lord Ram was born. India has never recovered from that.
More Muslim heritage lies in the cross hairs. ‘Babar ki auladain’ (sons of Babur) is the pejorative name given to about two dozen or so Indian cities. In time Ahmadabad, Karimnagar, Jamalpur, Faridpur, Hajipur, Moradabad, and Secunderabad might disappear from the map of India and emerge reincarnated with Hindu names.
Where will the madness stop? Should the Taj Mahal also be torn down because it marks the extraordinary success of invaders? Of course, the Taj is a horrific example of the abuse of man by man much as the magnificent cathedrals of Europe are. Resources to build monuments were forcibly extracted from toiling peasants. The Taj is just the whim of a ruthless monarch mourning his favourite wife.
But look at the Taj in the moonlight and you see something even more enchanting than an architectural jewel. One can almost feel the soft emanations from the side-by-side graves of two star-crossed lovers. Life is surely complex, filled with nuances. My vote: preserve and protect the Taj.
Pakistan’s cultural vandalism exceeds India’s. Hindu heritage sites in Pakistan have all but vanished, and Buddhist statues and artifacts wilfully plundered and destroyed. Hardly a tear was shed in Pakistan when the Taliban blew up the 2,000-year old Buddhas in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province.
Deemed as corrupting Hindu influences, the celebration of cultural events such as Baisakhi and Basant, as well as kite flying, have been gradually forbidden or abandoned in recent decades. Even ‘Hindu trees’ like banyan, neem, and pipal have been punished — far fewer can be seen today in comparison to earlier times. I cannot forget the smouldering remains of a 200-year-old graceful banyan in the posh E-7 area of Islamabad, destroyed by students from a nearby madressah as a Hindu symbol.
I urge my iconoclastic liberal/left friends in the West to learn from Pakistan-India. In seeking purification by removing distasteful symbols of the past they risk cultural and aesthetic desertification. Pictures of pre-Partition Karachi and Lahore tell us how visually rich and architecturally beautiful they once were — and how cultural purification reduced them to boring blandness.
Eliminating symbols does nothing of substance. There was mass euphoria when crowds of Iraqis, helped by US marines with a 50-ton armoured vehicle, toppled a massive Saddam Hussein statue located exactly where the ousted tyrant had destroyed an older monument. But this was no new dawn for the people of Iraq. On the contrary, a decade of bitter Shia-Sunni sectarian warfare ensued.
Those who seek to efface history’s markers are merely self-righteous. Those seeking a pure, authentic past untainted by sin are chasing a phantom — it doesn’t exist. In my last Dawn op-ed (‘Dangerous delusions’) I wrote of the psychedelic substance being dished out to Pakistan’s masses every evening in the form of Ertugrul Ghazi and of the dangerous hallucinations it is inducing.
Spaceship Earth hurtles towards an uncertain future with a crew that’s terribly sick, more mentally and psychologically than physically. The doctors on board must record the history of various quarrelling groups professionally and clinically, all without emotion or embellishment. The naïve notion of heroes and villains must be dumped; history has actors only.
Let Churchill stay. That fat, cigar-smoking, racist Englishman cannot hurt anyone now that worms have eaten away his flesh. Instead, let’s get serious. The starting point must be the realisation that widow burning, slavery, and genocide are as much part of the human condition as are great acts of generosity and compassion. Every civilisation is the legacy of wars, conquests, and brutality. Even the cleverest surgery cannot cut out these bitter legacies without killing the patient.
The writer teaches physics in Lahore and Islamabad.
Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2020
https://www.dawn.com/news/1565493/dont- ... wn-statues
Don’t tear down statues
Pervez HoodbhoyUpdated June 27, 2020
WINSTON Churchill was a terrible man. He authorised use of chemical weapons against Afghans and Kurds, called China “a barbaric nation”, spoke of the “great hordes of Islam” and wrote of Indians as “a beastly people with a beastly religion”. When informed of mass deaths in the 1943 Bengal famine, he simply asked: “So is Gandhi dead yet?” Those nostalgic for the Raj love him, as do white supremacists. Zionists adore him for what he told the Palestine Royal Commission in 1937:
“I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place.”
Unsurprisingly, Churchill’s statue is iconic for leftists and progressives around the world. Galvanised by the killing of George Floyd, they want not just this statue gone but all historical monuments associated with oppression, slavery, and bigotry to be eliminated from public view. Thoroughly decent people are roaring: pull them down!
But stop! This is terribly dangerous. Step back and reflect upon the consequences.
I’ve dwelt on Churchill here because he is a metaphor for countless racist, supremacist leaders who led wars of conquest and plundered treasures. From Alexander the Great to Chandragupta Maurya, and Mohammed bin Qasim to Napoleon Bonaparte, ambitious conquerors subjugated weaker peoples on various pretexts. So shouldn’t we eliminate hurtful memories?
Left-liberals in the West should ponder the effects of effacing historical symbols as Pakistan-India have.
Let’s begin by bulldozing the pyramids of ancient Egypt. They are symbols of extreme oppression and the word ‘pharaoh’ is synonymous with cruelty. Thousands of slaves toiling in the scorching desert sun built tombs for the pharaoh king. When he died his retainers were obliged to collectively commit suicide and be buried in the same pyramid, ready to serve when he awakes in the after-life. Morally, the pyramids ought to be levelled.
And what to make of Babri mosque? For Hindu zealots it was the symbol of cultural oppression by Muslim invaders. In 1992 with bare hands and pick-axes a maddened crowd tore apart a five-centuries-old structure built by Emperor Babar, allegedly on the very site where Lord Ram was born. India has never recovered from that.
More Muslim heritage lies in the cross hairs. ‘Babar ki auladain’ (sons of Babur) is the pejorative name given to about two dozen or so Indian cities. In time Ahmadabad, Karimnagar, Jamalpur, Faridpur, Hajipur, Moradabad, and Secunderabad might disappear from the map of India and emerge reincarnated with Hindu names.
Where will the madness stop? Should the Taj Mahal also be torn down because it marks the extraordinary success of invaders? Of course, the Taj is a horrific example of the abuse of man by man much as the magnificent cathedrals of Europe are. Resources to build monuments were forcibly extracted from toiling peasants. The Taj is just the whim of a ruthless monarch mourning his favourite wife.
But look at the Taj in the moonlight and you see something even more enchanting than an architectural jewel. One can almost feel the soft emanations from the side-by-side graves of two star-crossed lovers. Life is surely complex, filled with nuances. My vote: preserve and protect the Taj.
Pakistan’s cultural vandalism exceeds India’s. Hindu heritage sites in Pakistan have all but vanished, and Buddhist statues and artifacts wilfully plundered and destroyed. Hardly a tear was shed in Pakistan when the Taliban blew up the 2,000-year old Buddhas in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province.
Deemed as corrupting Hindu influences, the celebration of cultural events such as Baisakhi and Basant, as well as kite flying, have been gradually forbidden or abandoned in recent decades. Even ‘Hindu trees’ like banyan, neem, and pipal have been punished — far fewer can be seen today in comparison to earlier times. I cannot forget the smouldering remains of a 200-year-old graceful banyan in the posh E-7 area of Islamabad, destroyed by students from a nearby madressah as a Hindu symbol.
I urge my iconoclastic liberal/left friends in the West to learn from Pakistan-India. In seeking purification by removing distasteful symbols of the past they risk cultural and aesthetic desertification. Pictures of pre-Partition Karachi and Lahore tell us how visually rich and architecturally beautiful they once were — and how cultural purification reduced them to boring blandness.
Eliminating symbols does nothing of substance. There was mass euphoria when crowds of Iraqis, helped by US marines with a 50-ton armoured vehicle, toppled a massive Saddam Hussein statue located exactly where the ousted tyrant had destroyed an older monument. But this was no new dawn for the people of Iraq. On the contrary, a decade of bitter Shia-Sunni sectarian warfare ensued.
Those who seek to efface history’s markers are merely self-righteous. Those seeking a pure, authentic past untainted by sin are chasing a phantom — it doesn’t exist. In my last Dawn op-ed (‘Dangerous delusions’) I wrote of the psychedelic substance being dished out to Pakistan’s masses every evening in the form of Ertugrul Ghazi and of the dangerous hallucinations it is inducing.
Spaceship Earth hurtles towards an uncertain future with a crew that’s terribly sick, more mentally and psychologically than physically. The doctors on board must record the history of various quarrelling groups professionally and clinically, all without emotion or embellishment. The naïve notion of heroes and villains must be dumped; history has actors only.
Let Churchill stay. That fat, cigar-smoking, racist Englishman cannot hurt anyone now that worms have eaten away his flesh. Instead, let’s get serious. The starting point must be the realisation that widow burning, slavery, and genocide are as much part of the human condition as are great acts of generosity and compassion. Every civilisation is the legacy of wars, conquests, and brutality. Even the cleverest surgery cannot cut out these bitter legacies without killing the patient.
The writer teaches physics in Lahore and Islamabad.
Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2020
https://www.dawn.com/news/1565493/dont- ... wn-statues
Insane Classified Photos That The Government Was Forced To Release
A lot of key photos from iconic and notorious events in America’s history have been released due to the statute of limitations… Classified photos are now available for the public to view, but many of them lead to more questions than answers…
Is This A Real UFO?
Naturally, after the CIA declassified these photos, people flocked to the ones of the bizarre UFO’s. No one can really tell what this is… None of these photos come with an explanation.
Slide show of more photos at:
https://upbeatnews.com/spa/insane-class ... ef2bdaba11
A lot of key photos from iconic and notorious events in America’s history have been released due to the statute of limitations… Classified photos are now available for the public to view, but many of them lead to more questions than answers…
Is This A Real UFO?
Naturally, after the CIA declassified these photos, people flocked to the ones of the bizarre UFO’s. No one can really tell what this is… None of these photos come with an explanation.
Slide show of more photos at:
https://upbeatnews.com/spa/insane-class ... ef2bdaba11
2021 IN REVIEW
Documenting this tumultuous year pulled our photographers and journalists into scenes of anguish, despair, and loss. But they also witnessed moments of inspiration, resolve, and hope.
This is the year in review.
Photos at:
https://email.nationalgeographic.com/H/ ... b12fd/HTML
Documenting this tumultuous year pulled our photographers and journalists into scenes of anguish, despair, and loss. But they also witnessed moments of inspiration, resolve, and hope.
This is the year in review.
Photos at:
https://email.nationalgeographic.com/H/ ... b12fd/HTML