Wednesday 14 March 2012
Sunday 4 March 2012
Exotic antarctica
Antarctica is southernmost continent, encapsulating the
South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere,
almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the
Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km2 (5.4 million sq mi), it is the
fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South
America. For comparison: Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia.
About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages at least 1.6 kilometres
(1.0 mi) in thickness.
Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. It has no permanent residents, but a number of governments maintain permanent manned research stations throughout the continent. The number of people conducting and supporting scientific research and other work on the continent and its nearby islands varies from about 1,000 in winter to about 5,000 in the summer.
Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. It has no permanent residents, but a number of governments maintain permanent manned research stations throughout the continent. The number of people conducting and supporting scientific research and other work on the continent and its nearby islands varies from about 1,000 in winter to about 5,000 in the summer.
wOrld's longest-lasting light bulb celebrates 110 years
Over 110 years, Livermore's Centennial Light Bulb has come to be
recognized as the world's longest-lasting light, beaming 24 hours a day. Its
4-watt output and hand-blown glass bulb cast a soft crimson glow from a
filament about the width of a human hair.
First installed at the fire department hose cart house on L Street in 1901.
Shortly after it moved to the main firehouse on Second. In 1903 it was moved to
the new Station 1 on First and McLeod, and survived the renovation of the
Firehouse in 1937, when it was off for about a week. During it's first 75 years
it was connected directly to the 110 Volt city power, (subject to the power
outage), and not to the back-up generator for fear of a power surge.In 1976 it was moved with a full
police and fire truck escort, under the watch of Captain Kirby Slate, to its
present site in 1976 at Fire Station 6, 4550 East Ave., Livermore, California.
It was then hooked to a seperate power source at 120V according to Frank Maul,
Retired City Electrician, with no interuptions since.
Its declared the oldest known working light-bulb by Guinness Book of World Records.
Saturday 3 March 2012
PETRA :: half as old as Time
Petra - Half as old as Time
Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Nabatean city of Petra is considered among the Seven Wonders of the World. In the description of the “universal outstanding value” of this World Heritage Site, UNESCO describes the ancient city as a “major caravan centre for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the spices of India, a crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia.”
The poet John William Burgon memorably described the spellbinding ruins of Petra as “a rose-red city half as old as time.” Around AD 663, an earthquake destroyed parts of Petra and choked water supply, leading to its abandonment. The city remained lost to the world until the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, in the guise of an Arabic scholar, rediscovered it for the Western world.
Petra, a world hidden within the mountains of Jordan, was built several centuries ago. This ancient "caravan city" was the capital of the Nabataean Arabs, an ancient Semitic race of people who inhabited Jordan. They were mostly traders and agriculturists.
Tombs, caves, temples, monasteries, amphitheatres, gates, street facades – you need at least a couple of days to explore Petra.
The rock-cut architecture takes your breath away. Animals, deities and mortals, mostly carved in rock, greet you everywhere in this World Heritage Site. The architecture is heavily influenced by Assyrian, Egyptian, Hellenistic and Roman styles.
Perhaps the most stereotyped image of Petra is Al Khazneh or the Treasury. Entry is through the Siq, a long narrow gorge, no more than 3 meters wide in some places, which gives the impression that the mountain has parted ways to allow you to enter it. Back in the day, caravans made their grand entry to Petra via the Siq.
The Treasury or Al Khazneh is one of Petra’s most recognizable monuments and one celebrated in Hollywood classics such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Tintin fans will also recognize the monument for its appearance in the Red Sea Sharks.
The Street of Facades in Petra is lined with rock-cut tombs in sandstone. Bodies were interred in chambers carved on the rocks.
The Royal Tombs, much larger in scale, and Urn Tombs lead to a single chamber, which was probably an ancient Byzantine church.
TRAVEL TIPS: Royal Jordanian Airlines flies three times a week (ex Mumbai) and five times a week (ex Delhi)
to Amman, Jordan, from where Petra is a three-hour drive. Jordan
Express Tourist Transportation (JETT) operates air-conditioned luxury
buses to nearby Wadi Musa, where a selection of accommodation is
available.
Petra is not just a city of tombs and rock cut temples. Meet the Bedouins here, stay in a cave, ride a horse up to the monastery, or watch craftsmen create sand art in bottles. Petra, as the BBC says, is one of the places you must see before you die.
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