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Nature & the Environment

Nature & the Environment

Walk with the Pharoahs

Praise the Pharoahs!  At last, the miracle mile is cleared for us mortals. Egyptian authorities have unveiled a renovated ancient promenade in the city of Luxor that dates back 3,000 years. It's the latest government project undertaken to highlight the country's archaeological treasures. Read more here courtesy of ABC.net.au KLM fly to Cairo. Click above, Booking.com

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Adios, el Avila

In 1986, at the age of 21, Alejandra Melfo moved to Mérida, Venezuela. There, in the mountain city, she often looked out toward the horizon at the vast Sierra Nevada de Mérida: a large, muscular, towering expanse three miles in the sky and blanketed by snow and the broad sheets of glaciers. As the years went by, Melfo saw…

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Where is Ultraman when you need him?

It is so nice to see when something actually means something to the people around it, and that they treasure it and preserve it. Especially when it is larger than life. Sendai Daikannon, officially known as the Sendai Tendou Byakue Daikannon, is a large statue of Byakue Kannon bearing a gem in her hand located…

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Watch for low-flying planes

Wanna get high? Dubai has turned breaking world records into something of an art form over the years, and the emirate now has yet another to add to its list. The world's first and highest 360-degree infinity pool has just opened at the Palm Tower, a hotel and residential building from developer Nakheel that offers showstopping views…

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Spread eagle

April showers bring May flowers.  What do Mayflowers bring?  Pilgrims.  And what do Pilgrims do?  Thirst. Though it claims to be the oldest pub on the River Thames, this riverside pub’s real claim to fame is that patrons have a clear shot at seeing where the Mayflower was moored before its departure for the New World. Because…

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Smells like common sense

In most of the world, inhaling radon for pain relief sounds like a bizarre idea. In some places, though, it's so accepted that it's prescribed by doctors and covered by health insurance. And I have no idea how to talk about it. Thanks to the team at the Radonstollen in Bad Kreuznach: Watch the video courtesy of…

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We can Kurgan

As we often write here, as we humans get more clever, we often discover magical places and things that sometimes make us question our own "superiority," even with our intellectual and technical prowess. A good example is the Royal Kurgan of Kerch.  The Royal Kurgan, also called the Tsarskiy Kurgan, is one of the most…

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Image: ANA PAULA LUSTOSA

Anthropological soup

Sometimes, you never know when you'll have an epiphany.  In this case, please form an orderly queue for the Brasilian surprise, Biatüwi. Located in Manaus, this unasuming eatery has burst into the limelight over this past year as the place to eat.  After much soul-searching, Clarinda Ramos (holding her breath) opened when enough friends, family…

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Lights! iPhone! ACTION!

We don't know about you, but we started crying like babies when we saw James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 being trashed in No Time to Die.   They don't make them like that anymore..  That's like adding glitter to the Mona Lisa. But, like little childen, we were soon distracted by the mesmerising, almost, surreal beauty of…

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Let’s get Pagan!

The more we keep digging, the more we find about our ancient history.  With this, we can understand who we are, and why we behave the way that we do.  It's fascinating stuff. In this article, we cover the tumuli of Bougon, also called the necropolis of Bougon, an archaeological site dating back to the Neolithic…

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So says the National Geographic

If ever there was a venerable institution (especially in the USA) it would be The National Geographic (affiliate friends of ours.)  Decades old, the organisation has always been known for its global approach:  it makes no distinctions nor proffers favouritism in its activities.  In the past, it has opened doors to worlds that many people…

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Volk’s wagon

There can often be lots of fun things under your nose, and sometimes you miss them entirely.  Take the Brighton (UK) seashore, for example:  it has its own little railway.  Volk's Electric Railway (VER) is a narrow gauge heritage railway that runs along a length of the seafront of the English seaside resort of Brighton.…

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Take a look at Ghats

How lucky are we that there are so many fascinating places on earth, and that social media has made them so available to us.  No matter how long you have been alive, there is no shortage of new and wonderful places to go.  Take Yana, for example, in the western Ghats in India  Located 55 km…

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Hope springs eternal

As always, hope springs eternal.  Mankind will always correct its errant ways and will always achieve its highest aspiratiions.  And, humans keep trying to make that so. In 1900, Ida Hofmann, a German pianist, and her companion Henry Oedenkoven, the 25-year-old son of a businessman from Antwerp, purchased a hill in Ascona which had been known…

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Hail. I come from Nirivia

Here is something that you don't see often - a country within a state within a country.  Especially within the USA.  But, it's true.  Dear readers, please behold The Republic of Nirivia, which  resides in the middle of it all on the shores of one of the largest Great Lakes. Not only is Nirivia its own…

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Much to gain in Ukraine

How many of you have been to Ukraine?  We're betting not nearly enough.  And that's a shame. Ukraine is one of the least explored countries in Eastern Europe. This is a fact. But there is so much to see in the country and Ukraine is definitely an overlooked destination. Many Americans have heard about Kyiv, Lviv…

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Nutmeg Grenada

As much fun as it would be to wax on about this classy ride  from the 1970's (assuming that there are even any left that have not rusted their way back to Mother Earth.) No, this article is about a savoury Grenada of a different kind - Grenada, where more than 20% of the world’s…

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I’m still standing

Yeah, yeah yeah. We love old.  Old places, old things, old ideas, old values. And we love the fact that there's stuff  even older than us. So it thrills us to let you know (if you don't already) about Historic Hotels Worldwide.  As you might guess, they're exactly what it says on the label:  hotels of note…

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