On Friday, January 31st, 2014, more than a billion people of Chinese origin will usher in the first day of the year 4712. Known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, it marks the beginning of the longest and most significant of all Chinese festivals. As the name indicates, the four-thousand-year-old tradition whose date is determined by the lunar calendar, began as a way to mark the end of the dreary winter season and the beginning of spring....
Read news articleThe industrious honey bee not only provides us with delicious honey, but also, helps pollinate about a third of the world's fruits and vegetables. It is therefore no wonder that the ongoing deaths of millions of the tiny insects throughout the world, a phenomenon scientists call Colony-Collapse Disorder, has researchers extremely worried. What's even worse is that despite extensive investigation, the cause still remains a total mystery....
Read news articleEarly on the morning of January 10th, 2014, thousands of people gathered patiently outside the gates of the Nishinomiya shrine in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture waiting to participate in a 230-meter (754 feet) sprint across the shrine grounds, to win the coveted title of 'Lucky Man /(Woman)'....
Read news articleThis February, there's more reason to tune in to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia than just the sporting events - The chance to see thousands of lucky visitors make their own mark by having their faces displayed on the side of the Olympic Village's 2,000 square-meter (21,527 square-feet) MegaFon Pavilion....
Read news articleThe polar vortex that greeted many Americans at the start of the year, served as a rude reminder of the detrimental effects that global warming could have on our weather patterns. The fact that something has to be done to reverse or at least halt climate change is obvious, but the question for most of us is what and how? Turns out, that it doesn't take much money or resources - Just some ingenuity and will, both of which the founders of U.K. based design firm Studio Swine, seem to have in abundance....
Read news articleMany artists specialize in painting marine life. However, few do it like Peruvian artist Pascual Mimbela - By taking a plunge into the Pacific and creating his masterpieces, as his subjects swim by....
Read news articleWith most governments struggling to balance their budgets by taking money from residents through higher taxes, it is refreshing to hear about one that is doing just the opposite. On Tuesday, January 9th, the world woke up to the news that every Norwegian, right down to the newest born, was worth a million Kroner or about $164,000 USD - at least on paper. This was not a cruel joke on the residents but a reality that has come about thanks to the financial savvy of the country's government....
Read news articleThis holiday season, while most people were cuddled up in front of a fireplace, a few were striving to achieve what no human had been able to do - Peddle across the Antarctica! The three-way race between Britain's Maria Leijerstam, Spain's Juan Mendez and America's Daniel Burton began in mid-December from the Novo Russian airbase in Queen Maud Land, Eastern Antarctica....
Read news articleWhile in most cities the policemen and women are held in high esteem for their bravery, in Dubai they are admired for the cars they drive. That's because among their ever growing fleet of fast cars is a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, a Ferrari FF, a Lamborghini Aventador, a Bentley Continental and even a $2.6mm USD Aston Martin One-77. On December 24th, the officials announced their latest acquisition - A McLaren MP4-12C!...
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