Strombolicchio is a volcanic plug and part of the same geological platform as the island of Stromboli. Its believed to have been created by the original volcano from which the island of Stromboli was built up. A staircase consisting of 200 steps leading to the lighthouse from the sea was also built. For some time, Strombolicchio became a popular tourist attraction. It is still possible to take a boat trip to the island, circle around and back....
A few were convicted just for exposing themselves. Nevertheless, they are all sex offenders - a stigma they have to carry as long as they live. Photo credit:Noah Rabinowitz Being a sex offender is hard in the state of Florida. Even if offenders find homes that meets all residency requirements, landlords often refuse to rent to them. Being in the sex offender registry renders them effectively unemployable. Dick Witherow himself was almost charged with statutory rape as a teenager when he got his 14-year-old girlfriend pregnant....
Rivalry between families caused one group of Ndebele to go farther north into Zimbabwe. Intermarriages ensued and cultural exchanged happened. It is believed that early Ndebele house structure and house-painting strategies were adopted as a result of these relationships. Forced into an oppressive life, the Ndebele people started using expressive symbols to secretly communicate with each other. These paintings became an expression of both cultural resistance and continuity. A well-painted home indicates the female of the household is a good wife and mother....
Since 1965, the Petoskey stone is Michigans official state stone. Photo credit Over 350 million years ago during the Devonian period, Michigan was quite different. Then the earths plates moved and pushed Michigan north and above sea level. The stone was named Petoskey because they are found in great abundance in the Petoskey area. The city of Petoskey was also named after the same person. Some say, the coral pattern in the stone looks like sun rays radiating from small suns....
In the 18th century, the causeway was much longer because the old dikes were farther from the coast. In the early days, the only way to reach Noirmoutier was by boat. It was in 1701 that the passage connecting the mainland to the island was first mentioned on a map. This curiosity has existed since the collapse of the plateau which gave birth to the bay of Bourgneuf. Later, stabilization work was done to prevent sand from moving and a cobblestone road was laid down....
Iceland represents the largest portion of the mid-Atlantic ridge exposed above sea level. This makes Iceland very special and a popular place for geologists and scientists. This is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The place where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is best visible is at Thingvellir National Park, in southwestern Iceland. The section of the ridge that includes the island of Iceland is known as the Reykjanes Ridge. The ridge is spreading at an average rate of about 2....
Forty years later, the tires are still there causing more harm than good in the coastal Florida waters. This was before recycling caught on. They were convinced that corals would attach and grow on the tires and provide additional habitat for marine life. It was a well intentioned but not a particularly well thought out plan. The tires were bundled together with steel clips and nylon rope and lowered onto the sea floor....
Sometimes the surface of glaciers exhibit peculiar water filled cylindrical holes of varying sizes. At the bottom of these holes, there is usually deposits of dark colored sediments. The rest is filled with melt water. These are called cryoconite holes and are formed due to certain powdery windblown dust, called cryoconite. The name comes from the words cryo which means ice, and conite which means dust. Cryoconite Holes on Greenland Ice Sheet, Greenland, 10 July, 2008....
It is the world’s longest hedge maze. The maze has several dead ends and multiple paths punctuated by six raised bridges. The correct exit ends at a central observation tower. But clipping back a total of nearly 8 km of hedge by hand is only half the problem. Not getting lost is the real challenge, particularly for new recruits. The maze is so complex it can take over an hour and a half just to walk through it....
After his graduate studies Hatakeyama began photographing these quarries and factories. Hatakeyama was impressed by the engineers ability to predict how the rock would break. One could say that they were in dialogue with nature in the form of the rocks. Blast is one of Hatakeyamas best-known series and it has been frequently exhibited in museum exhibitions worldwide. [viaSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art]
Mocona does not follow the normal downward and forward trajectory that most waterfalls do. Instead, it runs along the length of the river with water spilling off the side into a gorge. The name Mocona means to swallow everything in the Guarani language and is used mostly in Argentina. Yucuma means the big fall and is popular in Brazil. The canyon is only visible in two places, one of which is the Mocona Falls....
This tiny island is home to one of the largest colonies of gannets. As you approaches the island by boat, the stench becomes overbearing. Gannets have now colonized the island in huge numbers, probably arriving from Lundy island where they were disturbed. By the 1890’s there were 200 or more and in 1905 Cardiff Naturalists Society recorded 300 breeding pairs. Gannet population has been steadily increasing since. The cacophony of sounds they make is deafening....
When returned to its resting state the sculpture reassumes its shape. Each sheet is glued individually by hand until he had created a small block. For the finer features, he uses an angle grinder that allows him to achieve greater detail. He puts the finishing touches on the sculpture with sandpaper. Each bust comprises roughly 7,000 to 8,000 sheets of paper and weighs about 30 pounds. Li Hongbo has exhibited his sculptures in various museums around the world....
