ANIMAL

Evil of Mankind - Images of WHALE FISHING (RARE IMAGES)

2010-04-20T01:38:00.000-07:00

Very rare kingfisher shots during fishing

2010-04-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

Laureate World Press Photo contest has been recognized Hungarian master Joe Petersburger,
who took pictures of kingfisher, hunting for fish. Kingfisher love of solitude, to see them – a rarity.
Therefore, these photos are exclusive.
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia.
There are roughly 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with little differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey as well as fish, usually caught by swooping down from a perch. Like other members of their order they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground. A few species, principally insular forms, are threatened with extinction.

Cat Friends Cute Pictures

2010-04-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

funny animals

2010-03-23T02:19:00.000-07:00

Fat Cats

2010-03-16T03:47:00.000-07:00

Animal Cutest pose

2010-03-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

These funny animals

2010-03-04T03:37:00.001-08:00

Newborn White Bengal Tigers from Olmense zoo in Olmen

2010-02-08T02:56:00.001-08:00

Those photos of newborn White Bengal Tigers, two females named Kamala and Kamika and one male named Khalid are taken at the Olmense zoo in Olmen, Belgium on May 22, 2009.

They were born on May 12 and they are not albinos but they do not have red and black pigments as it is normal for this kind of tigers. They only have black pigments.

An incredible encounter!

2010-02-06T00:19:00.001-08:00

These photos were taken by Norbert Rosing in Hudson Bay, Canada. He really thought that it was the end for his sled dogs when he saw a big polar bear coming out from nowhere.

But instead of ripping their hearts off, the bear and dogs started … to play. Moreover, the bear kept coming every day to play with dogs till they took off.

The Euro fell sharply against the Dollar for the fourth consecutive week and has fallen more than 850 pips since January 10. EUR/USD came under pressure on concerns about financial and fiscal problems in many countries of the European Union. Also global risk aversion trigger further falls in the pair that tumbled on Friday at 1.3584, reaching the lowest price in eight months.

According to James Chen from FX Solutions, EUR/USD “has displayed continued marked bearishness recently, strongly confirming a new downtrend in the pair. This new downtrend was initiated after the previous long-term uptrend was broken decisively to the downside in early December”.

At 1.3400 James Chen targeted the next key support. “Upside resistance within the context of the strong bearish trend resides around the noted 1.3800 price region”, said the analyst.

Amazing photographs of snakes like you’ve never seen before

2009-12-22T05:01:00.001-08:00

Poisoning Symptoms

The signs and symptoms seen in poisoning are so wide and variable that there is no easy way to classify them.

Some poisons enlarge the pupils, while others shrink them.
Some result in excessive drooling, while others dry the mouth and skin.
Some speed the heart, while others slow the heart.
Some increase the breathing rate, while others slow it.
Some cause pain, while others are painless.
Some cause hyperactivity, while others cause drowsiness. Confusion is often seen with these symptoms.

When the cause of the poisoning is unknown

A big part of figuring out what type of poisoning has occurred is connecting the signs and symptoms to each other, and to additional available information.

Two different poisons, for example, may make the heart beat quickly. However, only one of them may cause the skin and mouth to be very dry. This simple distinction may help narrow the possibilities.
If more than one person has the same signs and symptoms, and they have a common exposure source, such as contaminated food, water, or workplace environment, then poisoning would be suspected.
When two or more poisons act together, they may cause signs and symptoms not typical of any single poison.

Toxidromes

Certain poisons cause what toxicologists call toxidromes - a contraction of the words toxic and syndrome. Toxidromes consist of groups of signs and symptoms found together with a given type of poisoning.

For example: Jimson weed, a plant smoked or ingested for its hallucinogenic properties, produces the anticholinergic toxidrome: Rapid heart rate, large pupils, dry hot skin, retention of urine, mental confusion, hallucinations, and coma.
Most poisons either have no associated toxidrome or have only some of the expected features of the toxidrome.

Delayed onset of symptoms

A person can be poisoned and not show symptoms for hours, days, or months. Cases of poisoning with a prolonged onset of symptoms are particularly dangerous because there may be a dangerous delay in obtaining medical attention.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is considered one of the safest drugs but is toxic to the liver when taken in large quantities. Because it acts so slowly, 7-12 hours may pass before the first symptoms begin (no appetite when normally hungry, nausea, and vomiting).
The classic example of a very slow poison is lead. Before 1970, most paints contained lead. Young children would eat paint chips and, after several months, develop abnormalities of the nervous system.

Cool racoons

2009-12-18T02:33:00.001-08:00

Beautifull Lovely Bird

2009-12-11T02:44:00.000-08:00

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that can cause significant communication, social and behavioral challenges. For years autism was rare, occurring in just 5 children per 10,000 live births. But since the early 1990s, that rate has increased exponentially and today it is reported to affect an average of 1 in 100 children in the United States. There was also a time when autism was thought to be a fate that simply had to be accepted, but we now know that many of the debilitating symptoms of autism can be prevented or reduced with early diagnosis and intervention. A notable treatment approach for older preschool-aged children is applied behavior analysis (ABA), a structured method used in many schools and treatment clinics to teach new skills while encouraging positive behaviors and discouraging negative ones. And a new study has found that a novel intervention called the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is effective for improving IQ, language ability, and social interaction for very young children with autism—some as young as 18 months.

ESDM was developed by Dr. Geraldine Dawson, a University of North Carolina psychologist and chief science officer of the patient-advocacy group Autism Speaks, and Sally Rogers, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and a researcher at the UC Davis MIND Institute in California. The intervention, tailored for toddlers as young as 12 months old, is delivered by trained therapists and parents, who receive instruction and training, in the child’s natural environment. “It’s a very pleasing kind of therapy, kids are happy,” Rogers explains. “It is play, and it can happen everywhere.” Dawson adds that this type of intervention builds on a fun, positive relationship with the therapist

Beautiful Snow Animals

2009-11-28T01:26:00.001-08:00

Least weasel lives wherever it can make a den to raise its young and store its food. The den is in a pile of rocks or loose earth. When lemmings are plentiful, so are weasels. Although they depend mostly on lemmings for food, they are not afraid to attack an Arctic hare. The adult male is about 30 cm. ( 12 in.) long including the tail. The female is smaller. This animal is slim so it can go into lemmings’ tunnels. The winter coats are white, and summer coats are brown. Ermine are fast, very brave and always hungry. When the ermine kills an animal it takes the food home. The weasel can be found almost anywhere in Canada (the coast, the mountains, the prairies and the far north). The weasel will move into a den of an animal that it has killed.

The Arctic hare is the largest hare in North America. Its fur is grayish brown in the summer. It has short ears with black tips. In the winter it has white fur, except for the black tips on its ears. Its white fur helps camouflage it from predators in the winter. In the northernmost parts of its range, it is always white. The Arctic hare has long claws, especially on its hind legs. It uses the claws to dig in packed snow. They can hop on their hind legs like kangaroos at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour. The Arctic hare also has incisors that are longer and straighter than most hares. It uses them to pull plants out from rocky crevices.

Polar bears have a thick oily fur coat and a layer of blubber under their skin. They spend most of their time on the pack ice or in the water, where they can hunt their favorite food – the ringed seal. The white fur helps the bear sneak up on seals that are laying on the ice. In the summer it is harder to catch seals, so before summer arrives, the bears eat as much as they can to fatten up, then live off the fat in their bodies. The females digs a den in the snow to hibernate during the worst part of the winter. The cubs are born in the den. The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world’s largest carnivore species found on land.

The Harp Seal is a marine mammal that spends most of its life in the sea, but also goes onto ice floes. It is a pinniped that lives along shorelines in the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, ranging from Russia to Greenland to Canada. The Harp Seal has short, thick white fur with black patches and a black face. The young are all white. These seals grow to be up to 5.5 feet (1.7 m) long and can weigh up to 285 pounds (130 kg); females are a bit smaller. The whiskers contribute to the seal’s sense of touch. The nostrils are closed in the resting state. Harp Seals are carnivores. They eat mostly fish and crustaceans. Seals don’t chew their food; they swallow it in large chunks. They can crush the shells of crustaceans with their flat back teeth. Harp seals are hunted by killer whales, polar bears, and people.

Deer Rangifer tarandus of Arctic and subarctic regions, common to North America and Eurasia. About 1.2 m/4 ft at the shoulder, it has a thick, brownish coat and broad hooves well adapted to travel over snow. It is the only deer in which both sexes have antlers; these can grow to 1.5 m/5 ft long, and are shed in winter. The Old World reindeer have been domesticated by the Lapps of Scandinavia for centuries. There are two types of North American caribou: the large woodland caribou of the more southerly regions, and the barren-ground caribou of the far north. Reindeer migrate south in winter, moving in large herds. They eat grass, small plants, and lichens.

Two Headed Snake

2009-11-19T03:34:00.001-08:00

This is a rare two headed snake found by a farmer in a village in Alicante, Spain.The chances of a two headed snake surviving in the wild is very slim as both would often fight over which head will swallow the prey as well as difficulty in deciding which direction to go.

Meditation is an intensely personal and spiritual experience. The desired purpose of each meditation technique is to channel normal waking consciousness into a more positive direction by totally transforming one`s state of mind. To meditate is to turn inwards, to concentrate on the inner self.

The entire process of meditation usually entails the three stages of concentration, meditation and enlightenment or absorption. The meditator starts off by concentrating on a certain point. Once attention gets engaged, concentration turns into meditation. And through continuous meditation, the meditator merges with the object of concentration, which might either be the present moment or the Divine Entity.

In some branches of Indian philosopohy, direct perception from the inner self (mana) together with perception that is filtered through the five senses (pancha indriya) form a part of their valid epistemology (pratyaksha jnana). And this self-realization or self-awareness (as popularized by yogananda/paramahansa- yogananda.asp' class='article'> Paramahansa Yogananda), is nothing but the knowledge of the "pure being"—the Self.

Humanity is increasingly turning towards various meditative techniques in order to cope with the increasing stress of modern-day lifestyles. Unable to locate stability in the outside world, people have directed their gaze inwards in a bid to attain peace of mind. Modern psychotherapists have begun to discover various therapeutic benefits of meditation practices. The state of relaxation and the altered state of consciousness—both induced by meditation—are especially effective in psychotherapy.

But more than anything else, meditation is being used as a personal growth device these days—for inculcating a more positive attitude towards life at large.

World's Biggest Animals

2009-10-30T10:02:00.001-07:00

1: World's Biggest Dog
Say hello to this gargantuan specimen named Hercules, purportedly the Guinness Record holder for World's Biggest Dog. Hercules is an English Mastiff and has a 38 inch neck and weighs 282 pounds.With "paws the size of softballs", the three-year-old monster is far larger and heavier than his breed's standard 200lb. limit. Hercules owner Mr. Flynn says that Hercules weight is natural and not induced by a bizarre diet: "I fed him normal food and he just grew, and grew, and grew”.

2: World's Biggest Horse
Radar, a Belgian draught horse, is the World’s Tallest Living Horse. This huge horse, at 6ft 71/2in from hoof to shoulder, is from Mount Pleasant, Texas. At 2,400lb, he has a giant appetite to match, putting away 20 gallons of water a day and 18lb of grain.

3: World’s Biggest Cow
The Liaoning Provincial Agricultural Museum is appealing to the Guinness Book of Records to recognise a 900 kg (1984 pounds) pig which died on February 5 as the biggest pig ever. When the pig died it was 2.5 metres long, had a waistline of 2.23 metres and a tusk of 14.4 centimetres long. According to XU Changjin, a farmer of Wafangdian city, the pig was only 5 years old. He kept his pig in a good built sty and gave it quality food all its life.

5: World's Biggest Catfish
At 646LB this Mekong Giant Catfish is the largest freshwater fish in the world. With nearly nine feet long (2.7 meters) and as big as a grizzly bear, this huge catfish caught in northern Thailand may be the largest freshwater fish ever recorded. Although there are many claims and rumours about the world’s largest freshwater specimens, especially from misguided anglers. However, in the eyes of scientist's the Mekong Giant Catfish has taken pole position with the recorded capture of this huge 646LB specimen by local fishermen in 2005. Many anglers over look the fact that some larger fish that can be caught in the worlds rivers, such as Sturgeon, migrate between river and sea, and therefore not considered to be freshwater species in the true sense of the word.

6: World's Tallest Dog
Hercules might be the biggest dog in the world, but the tallest according to the Guinness World Records is Gibson, a Harlequin Great Dane, who is 42.2 inches. The 170-pound Dane is more than 7 feet tall, taller than most NBA basketball players.

7: World's Biggest Cat
Jungle Island in Miami is home to a liger (a hybrid cross between a male lion and a female tiger) named Hercules, the largest non-obese liger. The liger is recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the largest cat on Earth, weighing in at 900 lbs.

8: World's Biggest Stingray ever caught
It took 90 minutes to land, 13 men to heave it out of the water... and weighed 55 stone when they finally got it to the scales. So it's little wonder that when Ian Welch first hooked the record stingray, it almost pulled him into the river. The angler, from Aldershot, Hampshire, was fishing in Thailand when he landed the ray, which is the biggest freshwater fish to be caught with a rod, with over 7ft long and wide, with a tail of 10ft.

9: World's Biggest Shark ever caught

More likely to eat than be eaten, this giant whale shark was caught off the coast of China by hardcore fishermen who managed to harness the ten-metre, eight-tonne whopper. Whale sharks are the world's largest living fish, it is estimated that they can reach an 18 metre length. They live in warm water along the coast and open seas and spend most of their time near the surface.

Health Insurance & Injury Update :-

Seattle Brain Injury Lawyer | Seattle Brain Injury Attorney
Brain injury, head injury, closed head injury, concussion, coma, traumatic brain injury, brain injury information

Brain Injury Lawyers - Experienced lawyers handling head injury cases for accident victims all over Washington State.

Information regarding injury to the brain, closed head injury, concussion –
A brain injury, or traumatic brain injury (TBI), occurs most frequently when the head is struck or hit by some external force. Traumatic brain injury most often results when there is a blow to the head in a car accident or fall. It can also occur when the head is thrown back and forth in a collision, without striking any object, if the brain hits the inside of the skull with some force.

Of all types of injury, traumatic brain injuries are among the most likely to result in death or permanent disability. Each year more than 80,000 Americans survive a hospitalization for traumatic brain injury but are discharged with TBI-related disabilities. An estimated 5.3 million Americans are living today with a TBI-related disability. Twenty-two percent of people who have a TBI die from their injuries.

The majority of traumatic brain injuries are caused by accidents, often leaving the injured in a financial crisis. The injured are sometimes unable to care from themselves or earn a living. It is estimated that persons suffering a severe traumatic brain injury may incur between 600,000.00 and 1.9 million dollars in long-term rehabilitative care. With this in mind, a qualified lawyer with extensive experience in handling traumatic brain injury cases should be hired as quickly as possible to seek the compensation you and your family need. Our lawyers have experience with cases involving both mild and severe brain injuries, including a $3.1M settlement, believed to be the largest settlement in the history of Mason County.

Shark pictures show amazing killing display

2009-10-22T10:16:00.001-07:00

These shots capture the splendour and horror of a great white shark weighing two tons leaping 10ft from the water as it closes inevitably on its victim.
After reaching speeds of up to 35mph on its ascent from the depths, the shark uses serried ranks of razor-sharp teeth to tear into the seal.
The wildlife photographer Chris Fellows spends over half of each year waiting off the coast of South Africa to capture the sharks at their grisly work
These dramatic pictures, taken near Seal Island, in False Bay, are part of a decade-long campaign to promote positive awareness of great white sharks, which are classed as “endangered” largely due to being hunted by man.
On occasion the photography team used an artificial lure to attract the sharks before snapping them in action with the seals.
“The sharks feed on young seals when they are attempting to return to Seal Island after a few days out feeding,” Mr Fellows said. “The sharks will bite the seal, typically in half in the first go, and then come round and pick the other half up. It is all on the surface and it happens in a few minutes.”

Mr Fellows added: “When children see a shark eat a seal they feel sorry for the seal, but it’s like a lion catching a zebra – it’s a natural phenomenon.

Latest Forex Update :-

IMF To Visit Romania Oct 28-Nov 9 To Review Loan Package

International Monetary Fund Officials are scheduled to conduct their second review of a $17.1 billion Romanian loan package Oct. 28 through Nov. 9 in Bucharest, the Fund said Thursday.

"During this visit, the IMF mission will evaluate the country's recent economic performance and will discuss with authorities the economic objectives for the coming year, along with the policy measures and structural reforms needed to reach those objectives," Jeffrey Franks, the IMF's Romania mission chief said.

Fund officials will be joined by officials from the European Commission and the World Bank. The visit comes after a Romanian government collapse but before a new governing structure has been fully formed. Fund officials anticipate another review could be required once a new government is in place.

The Fund is looking for Romania to commit to a 2010 budget deficit of no more than 5.9% of gross domestic product as they consider releasing a second installment of funding for the country.

That installment would be about $2.25 billion. The Fund already has disbursed nearly $10 billion to Romania.

-By Meena Thiruvengadam, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6629; meena.thiruvengadam@dowjones.com

Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/access/al?rnd=4x5ks2bV7EdKor3uWxlUEg%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.

Forex: GBP/USD tests 1.6600, back to 1.6575

The Sterling has continued with its advance against the Dollar from today's low at 1.6485, MA55 hourly chart, during the American session to test the 1.6600 level in the last minutes. Currently the pair is trading around 1.6575/85, 0.10% below today's opening price action.

The FastBrokers Research Team comments: “The Cable is dipping after breaking through our previous 3rd and 4th tier downtrend lines and the psychological 1.65 level. We mentioned before how a failure of both our 3rd and 4th tiers signals a probable retest of September highs and possibly the highly psychological 1.70 level. The Pound continues to find strength in the BoE’s decision to stray from its overtly dovish monetary policy in light of recent optimistic econ data.”

Amazing Pro Animal Photography

2009-10-18T23:12:00.001-07:00

Health Update :-

High school teams raise breast cancer awareness :-

Seeing pink throughout October makes sisters Cara and Mary Kate Facchina feel fortunate.

More than most teenagers, the Mount de Sales tennis players understand the importance of the pink initiatives supported by many high school teams during breast cancer Awareness Month to raise money for the cause and emphasize the need for early detection.

Had it not been for early detection, their mother, Eileen Facchina, might not be coaching Cara and Mary Kate on the tennis court today.

Seven years ago, Eileen Facchina was diagnosed with breast cancer. Because her mother had died from the disease and her sister had had it, too, she was vigilant. Her cancer was caught early, when, she said, it was barely there. She had a double mastectomy and has been cancer-free since.

During October, many local teams participate in national breast cancer awareness initiatives such as the Side-Out Foundation's Dig Pink for volleyball and Longstreth's Play 4 The Cure for field hockey. Some also run the Komen Maryland Race for the Cure.

Others, including the Facchinas' Mount de Sales team, raise money by selling pink wristbands or pink shoelaces. The Sailors began selling pink shoelaces several years ago, donating the money to Mercy Hospital to help fund transportation for radiation patients.

The Talented Roosendaal Rats

2009-10-15T03:10:00.001-07:00

Rats have been called many things, but… talented? That doesn’t happen very often, but these two rats aren’t ordinary either. Just like the surfing rats, they do cool tricks.

Trained by Dutch photographer Ellen van Deelen to hold different musical instruments and pose for the camera, the Roosendaal Rats are considered very talented by their owner. She confesses rats weren’t exactly her favorite creatures, but, after buying these two, she realized they are highly intelligent creatures.

They simply grab the instruments, hold them in a professional manner and aren’t camera shy at all. On the contrary, they listen to their trainer’s commands to the letter, during photo-shoots.

Now, Ellen aims even higher and wants to teach her furry pets to play the instruments and wants to turn the duo into a larger band.

Types of Personal Accident Insurance Policies
Under personal accident insurance, the policyholder, if injured, receives cash benefits every month, just like income, for as long as s/he is unable to work due to the accidental injuries. This income is non-taxable and does not exceed the policyholder’s after-tax earnings minus the state benefits s/he can claim. In case of death of the policyholder due to an accident, the family receives a specific lump-sum amount.

There are eight common types of personal accident insurance policies:

• Individual: This policy can be taken by any individual. The benefits usually enclose partners and children. Since several activities are excluded from this policy, it is not as useful for people who love adventurous sports, like mountaineering and rock climbing.
• Children: The purpose of this policy is to provide financial help to parents if they are unable to work or if they incur expenses as a result of an accident.
• Group: This policy is used by companies to cover employees for expenses related to accidents.
• Self-employed: Since self employed individuals are not eligible for employee benefits, they are worse off when injured in an accident.
• Team: Through a team accident insurance policy, organizers can seek cover for all the members of a sports team.
• Professional: This policy is specifically for self employed professionals, such as a sportsperson, actor, lawyer or doctor, who have special requirements.
• Over 50: This policy targets people over 50 years of age, as accidents can cause more grievous injuries to them.
• Travel accidents: This policy offers benefits in case the policyholder meets with an accident while traveling.

wonderful collection of avian imagery, simply magnificent

2009-10-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Types of Home Equity Loans
The home equity loan can be applied by filling the application form on the online and generally the approval time varies from loan to loan. Many borrowers get an instant approval as soon as they apply online. However, in some cases we will need additional information before we can arrive at a credit decision.

There are basically two types of home equity loans. A traditional home equity loan also called as second mortgage and a newer type is a home equity line of credit also abbreviated as HELOC.

The traditional home equity loan is a loan in which the bank/lender offers you a lump sum of money that must be paid back within a period of time. In this type of home equity loan the interest rate begins as soon as the bank/lender issues you the money.

While in the newer type that is the home equity line of credit the bank/lender will issue you a checkbook or the credit card to purchase, which then will accrue from the home equity. In this type of loan that is line of credit the interest rate begins only after you make the purchase actually. These allow you to borrow up to a certain amount for the life of the loan - a time limit set by the lender. The helloc gives you more flexibility than a fixed-rate home equity loan.

There is several ways for the repayment of an online home equity loans. The most common and popular way of repayment is to make regular payments towards your interest and principal. It is possible to remain in debt with a home equity loan, paying only the interest and not paying down the principal. The time period for the home equity online loan repayment is usually the shorter period than the first mortgages.

amazing Wild life in africa

2009-09-22T04:56:00.001-07:00

Today Eye On Fed Meet :-

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has said that the recession is "very likely over," but the Fed isn't acting like we're in a recovery.
Economists widely believe the central bank will keep interest rates between 0% and 0.25% at the conclusion of its two-day meeting Wednesday. The Fed is also expected to say very little about its plans to wind down more than a trillion dollars in lending and bailout programs, and it will likely stay away from any overly enthusiastic language about the economic outlook.
"This will be one the quietest Fed meetings in quite some time," said Rich Yamarone, director of economic research at Argus Research. "The last thing they want to do at this stage of the game is to upset the apple cart. They're liking what they're seeing in some of the economic data, so it's just steady as she goes."
The Fed uses its rate-setting tool in an attempt to balance unemployment and inflation, typically lowering rates during a recession to boost economic activity and raising rates coming out of a downturn to stave off rampant inflation.
But experts argue that the recovery from this recession is so tenuous that the Fed is right to keep its finger off the rate-hike button for now.
"The Fed normally anticipates the recovery by raising rates, taking away the punch bowl just as the party gets interesting," said Peter Morici, professor of economics at the University of Maryland. "But this is not a normal recovery. It's tepid and weak."
Unemployment is still rising, retail sales are far from robust, manufacturers' capacity utilization remains at ultra-low levels and wages are still depressed. Home sales and new home construction are making a comeback, but they're coming off of historic lows.
Inflation not an issue for now: As a result of the still shaky economy and low consumer confidence, concerns about inflation have been mostly muted.
"If people aren't spending the money, you can't have inflation," said Morici. "If Bernanke puts a pile of money out on the street, it doesn't count if it doesn't chase goods."

Beautifull Butterfly

2009-09-20T23:59:00.001-07:00

Euro Climbs on Growing Optimism

The euro climbed versus a number of currencies in the start of this week as investors’ confidence rose in the region, providing support for speculations regarding the end of the recession in the countries using the European common currency.
This week started with pending to the side of risk appetite continuing market trends perceived in the end of last week, when the euro climbed fueled by renewed attractiveness as countries like Germany indicate significant positive economic improvements, suggesting that the recession may end sooner than expected in the Eurozone. Today, the euro is also gaining on speculations that a report regarding factory orders in Germany will show an expansion in July, if confirmed, it will be the fifth consecutive month with positive figures in this sector. Currencies like the yen and the dollar lost the most versus the euro, as traders leave safety attracted by yielding in emergent markets.
The euro is likely to have a positive week, mainly versus the yen, which could be overpriced after last week’s rally, but it will be difficult for the European common currency to climb very sharply, considering that even if the region is publishing several positive reports, most of the bloc’s members still face recession and complications in different sectors of the economy.
If you want to comment on the Euro’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

BullFrog And The Unlucky Sparrow

2009-09-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Spectacular captures of the American Bullfrog preying on an unlucky sparrow. Growing up to a length of 20 centimeters or 7.9 inches, the bullfrog preys on any animal that it can overpower and stuff down its throat. Their stomachs have been found to contain rodents, small turtles, snakes, frogs including bullfrogs and birds of course.

Ambush predators as they are known for, the bullfrog can be seen submerging large preys (in this case the sparrow) into the water to cut their air supply and defense.

Forex: GBP/USD: Pound drops back to week lows at 1.6115 on weak stock markets
The Pound's recovery seen during Asian session has been short lived as the pair turned down after having reached 1.6190 to test levels at 1.6115 intra-week low on the back of negative opening on European markets.

So far support level at 1.6115 remains intact, as the Pound trades around 1.6135. In case of further decline, next support levels lie at 1.6035 (Jul 14 low) and 1.5940. On the upside , initial resistance area could be at 1.6185, previous intra-week low and above here, 1.6225 and 1.6280.

Have You Ever Been So Tired?

2009-08-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

World’s oldest animals

2009-08-12T09:46:00.001-07:00

Jonathan the tortorise and Mischief the cat may have hit the headlines for their longevity, but there are plenty of other creatures giving them a run for their money in the age stakes.

This photo of a tortoise was taken on the island of St. Helena in the South atlantic Ocean. The tortoise, named Jonathan, still lives there today. He may be the world’s oldest living animal.

A spokesman for the island’s tourist board said Jonathan is owned by the St Helena government and lives in the specially built plantation on the governor’s land.

He said: “Jonathan is the sole survivor of three tortoises that arrived on St Helena Island in 1882.

“He was already mature when he arrived and was at least 50-years-old.

“Therefore his minimum age is 176-years-old. He is the oldest inhabitant on St Helena and is claimed to be the oldest living tortoise in the world.

Icelandic scientists have found a 400-year-old clam, nearly twice as old as any other animal in history.

The clam — a qahog or, technically, Arctica islandica — spent those centuries in the frigid Atlantic waters off Iceland’s north coast.

As the press release notes, “When this animal was a juvenile, King James I replaced Qqueen Elizabeth as English monarch, Shakespeare was writing his greatest plays Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth and Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake for espousing the view that the Sun rather than the Earth was the centre of the universe.”

Rabbit: Fourteen-year-old George, from Tewksbury, Massachusetts in the US, was recognised as the oldest rabbit in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records earlier this year.

The average life expectancy of a rabbit is six to eight years, making George an estimated 160 years old in human terms. His owners met at college and fed their pet Doritos.

Cat: Spike, a ginger and white tom, died two months after his 31st birthday in July 2001 – making him the world’s oldest cat.

He was bought for two shillings and sixpence in London’s Brick Lane market in 1970 and nearly died at the age of 19 when he was attacked by a dog.

Spike’s owners, from Bridport in Devon, used to put aloe vera gel into his cat food.

Spider: The world’s oldest spider is thought to have been a female from the Theraphosidae family, which lived up to the age of 28. The bird-eating arachnid was captured in Mexico in 1935.
Dog: At 29, black Labrador Bella was thought to be the oldest dog in the UK until her death in September.
She was bought from an RSPCA sanctuary 26 years ago and lived out her long life in Derbyshire.
Guinea Pig: The average age for a guinea pig may be between five and eight years, but the official record is 14 years and 10 and a half months.
Monkey: Bueno, a black spider monkey, died in 2005 at the age of 53 and was thought to be the world’s eldest monkey.

She lived a “stress-free” life at the Japan Monkey Centre in Aichi, 150 miles west of Tokyo. The average black spider monkey lives for between 30 and 33 years.

Goldfish: Tish beat all the records by living to a ripe old age of 43 after being won a funfair in Doncaster in 1956.

As he aged, his scales faded from orange to silver but his owner Hilda Hand said the key to his longevity was not feeding him too much and placing him in the sun every now and then.

World's smallest animals

2009-07-09T01:21:00.000-07:00

The smallest dog, Chihuahua Ducky, from Massachusetts. The dog is only 4.9 inches tall (about 12 cm)
The smallest snake. Only 10 cm long
The smallest fish is 7.9 mm long
The smallest horse is 43 cm tall

The smallest cat, Mr. Peebles from Illinois, USA. He is 15.5 cm tall and 49 cm long
The smallest hamster. 2.5 cm
The smallest chameleon 1.2 cm long, Madagascar
The smallest lizard - 16 mm long
The smallest cow. 81-91 cm long
The smallest horsefish - 16 mm long

White Deer

2009-06-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

Amazing Photography Truly

2009-06-12T23:58:00.000-07:00

These are very creative photos that have a touch of humour in it. We should appreciate all those talented photographers who taken these excellent photos with much efforts, imaginations and creativity.Ohhh No Man !! What is the size of your jaw? I think I’m bit over sized !

You are my best Friend

l never talk to you again....

Do you mean to say you didn’t meet her today?

Teaser

Tired

Softdrink Addict

Kung Fu Master

Turtle and apple

Please wait a little

Six feet

Out of Balance

No Birds

So Hungry

Collaboration

Anatomy Lesson

White Tiger In Deep Water

2009-05-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

Deer With Weird Claws

2009-05-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

Cyclops cats, two-headed birds and monster dogs

2009-05-01T02:12:00.001-07:00

Animal Entertain childeran

2009-04-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Funny Activity of Animal

2009-04-03T21:24:00.001-07:00

New Species Found in Remote Asian Sea?

2009-03-21T01:05:00.000-07:00

A square jaw and edgy brow give a distinctive profile to this boxfish, one of many exotic marine creatures recently found by scientists exploring Southeast Asia's Celebes Sea.The international team of researchers recently returned from two weeks in the Celebes, a little-explored sea between Malaysia and the Philippines that is home to one of the world's deepest ocean basins

The team found several species that are likely new to science, Madin added, including a swimming sea cucumber, a black jellyfish, and a spiny orange worm with tentacles growing out its head.

Experts will be studying the hundred specimens brought back from the expedition to determine which species are new discoveries.

Cute Small Wonder Images

2009-03-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

Picture From National Geography

2009-03-17T04:54:00.000-07:00

Bird in Flight ( Best Photography )

2009-03-15T01:35:00.000-07:00

The top 10 Famous Monkeys in Science

2009-03-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

It’s a common theory that, given enough time (and food … and ink ribbon), a million monkeys on a million typewriters will eventually bang out the works of Shakespeare. But that only goes for average monkeys. Round up a few higher-class primates armed with an education and some travel experience, and we wouldn’t be surprised if you got a masterpiece on par with Harry Potter or The Firm. In fact, the following 10 hot-shot simians might even know enough to assemble a science textbook; in which case, they’d definitely need to leave room for a chapter about themselves.

1. Koko

Noam Chomsky didn’t get long to bask in the glory of Nim Chimpsky’s failures. In 1972, Stanford graduate student Francine Patterson began teaching American Sign Language to a female lowland gorrila named Koko. In only a few weeks, she was making the correct signs for food and drink.

Known as the world’s first "speaking" gorilla, Koko currently boasts a vocabulary of more than 1,000 signs and understand roughly 2,000 spoken words. She still struggles with the occasional word, though. Unfortunately, one of them happens to be "people," which she tends to substitute with "nipple," thus explaining how she became the defendant in a sexual harassment case against some caretakers a few months back (seriously).

When not signing or pushing the envelope of political incorrectness,koko enjoys playing on her computer. In 1998, she even logged onto America Online and fielded questions from the public through an interpreter. During that chat, fans were able to learn what pet Koko would like to have ("dog"), the first-hand gossip on what she thought about the male gorilla brought in to be her mate ("frown bad bad bad"), and what a 310-pound gorilla really wants ("candy, give me"). But such mindless banter clearly wasn’t enough to hold the attention of a genius gorilla. Koko soon grew bored with the chat (calling it "obnoxious") and wandered off to play with her dolls.

2. Kanzi

So you think you’re special because you taught you simian sign language? Before you go and register the little guy in any big talent shows, be prepared to put your monkey where your mouth is.

In the 1980s, researchers at Georgia State University began studying the bonobo chimpanzees’ ability to understand and mimic human language. They started out with a bonobo trainee named Matata, but even after several years, they weren’t able to make much headway with her. Matata’s adopted baby son Kanzi, however, was a different story. Turns out, the young chimp picked up quite bit (more than his mommy, certainly) by accompanying Matata to "school" every day. In 2002, researchers began noticing that Kanzi was able to express his needs using four distinct sounds that corresponded to specific objects or commands (banana, juice, grapes, and yes). While this particular brand of beat poetry isn’t necessarily stimulating, the very suggestion that primates employ an audible "language" is a direct affront to the linguistic experts who claim they don’t have the marbles to do so.Besides accomplishing the academic kiss-off "Nim" Chimpsky could only dream about, Kanzi has established himself a true primate prodigy. In addition to "bonobo," he understands between 2,000 and 3,000 spoken words in English. He even communicates with his tutor, psychologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, by punching abstract symbols on a special keyboard. While most Americans still can’t bring themselves to learn a second language, Kanzi is now dabbling in three.

3. Indah and Azy

While chimpanzees and gorillas are puttering about in English classes, orangutan siblings Azy and Indah are working on something more akin to studying for the LSAT. At the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo exhibit, the "Think Tank," primates are taught to practice more abstract ways of thinking, often working with logic puzzles and communicating via symbols.

Indah, for instance, learned to combine symbols representing verbs and nouns to create simple commands, such as "open bag." She was also a (relative) math whiz, having mastered the numbers one, two , and three. Before her death in 2004, her trainers were well on their way to teaching her how to assign numerical values to objects - the first step in monetary exchange. (She was so close to being able to go shoe shopping!)

4. Tetra2
Tetra2 can’t speak, she can’t do math, she doesn’t known sign language, and (trust us on this one) you won’t get her within 20 feet of a space shuttle. But Tetra2 can claim something the other monkeys on this list can’t: She’s a clone.

In 1999, scientists at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center split eight-cell rhesus embryos into four identical two-cell clones and implanted 13 of them into surrogate mothers. Four of the monkeys got pregnant, but only one of the babies, Tetra2, survived. For the first time, the seemingly impossible dream of every government on Earth (to own an army of genetically identical monkeys, of course) was within reach. As an added bonus, using cloned monkeys as identical subjects for medical experiments removes the genetic variables, meaning more accurate results. The scientific ramifications are potentially enormous … but we still prefer to focus on the monkey army.

5. Brachiator III

Speaking of monkey armies, robotics wizard Dr. Toshio Fukuda and his crack team of researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have clearly forgotten the key theme of science-fiction: the annihilation of human life at the hands of a vengeful machine. Their invention, an intelligent robotic monkey with the super tough nickname Brachiator III has trouble written all over it.

The faux ape represents two huge steps toward a fully functioning humanoid. Its unique frame, modeled from a gibbon ape’s skeleton, houses 14 motors that allow it to move every joint, making it capable of life-like movement. Dr. Fukuda also sees Brachiator III as a monumental advancement in artificial intelligence. Using a complex vision system an external computer brain, the metal monkey can actually make decisions about what movements to make and where to make them. It can even learn from its mistakes. If Brachiator III misses a bar while swinging round the jungle gym, its brain makes adjustments for the next attempt.

But don’t worry about hordes of invading pseudo-simians just yet. For now, a cumbersome external battery limits Brachiator’s environment to its jungle gym. It’ll have to wait until a smaller, more lightweight power source has been developed before it can learn to walk … and, of course, destroy.

6. Baker & Able
Never send a man to do a female monkey’s job. That was the logic of the U.s. Army’s Medical Research and Development Department in 1959 when they wanted to gauge the body’s physical response to space travel. Instead of relying on fit, able-bodied Americans, researchers there turned to two highly patriotic gals named Baker and Able (a rhesus monkey). On May 28, the monkeys steeled their nerves, entered the nose cone of a Jupiter AM-18 missile, and embarked on a suborbital mission into space. It would take two more years before a human male, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, had the guts to attempt the same thing.

During their 15-minute flight, the simian sidekicks reached speeds of 10,000 mph and soared to an altitude of 300 miles. For nine minutes, they were weightless. Even more impressive, they lived to screech about the experience - making them the first two living beings to survive a space flight. Sadly, life wasn’t all bananas and back-scratches after the girls returned home. By the time Baker and Able made the cover of Life magazine on June 15, Able was dead. Although her body could withstand forces 38 times the normal force of gravity, she couldn’t cope with the anesthesia necessary to remove a tiny electrode implanted in her body for the trip. She died four days after her return to Earth. Baker, however, spent the rest of her life basking in the glow of celebrity from her specially designed enclosure at the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. She died in 1984 at the ripe old age of 27.

7. David Greybeard
Once upon a time, not so long ago, members of the scientific community thought they had the whole evolution thing figured out. Simply put, humans were smarter than primates because humans made tools. But, apparently a few chipmaneez at the Gombe Stream Research Center in Tanzania didn’t get the memo.In 1960, then-fledling primatologist Jane Goodall was studying Gombe’s wild chimps when she came across an adult male "fishing" for termites by dipping a twig into a hole and feasting on the bugs that clung to the stick. She named him David Greybeard and began to track him, eventually finding that he (and other males) used such tools regularly. In addition, the chimps would customize their termite twigs by stripping off the leaves and bark layer to help fit the sticks into specific feeding holes. This was the first documented case of a non-human manufacturing a tool, and it turned the scientific community upside down. As eminent antropogolist Leakey put it, "Now we must redefine tool, redefine man, or accept chimpanzees as humans."

8. Oliver
If David Greybeard blurred the line between humans and chimpanzees by fishing for termites, you can imagine all the evolutionary issues raised when a chimp named Oliver started mixing his own Highballs.

Oliver was a bald-headed, Spock-eared chimpanzee that, besides playing bartender, also walked on two legs, used a toilet, and loved watching TV. For most of his life, Oliver’s various trainers paraded him around at carnivals and on television shows as a freak. But things changed for Oliver in 1975. A Manhattan lawyer who caught his act decided the chimp was so human-like that he just might be the elusive "missing link" between man and beast and put Oliver through a battery of scientific tests to prove it. Sure enough, an exam conducted in Japan indicated that oliver had 47 chromosomes - more than a human’s 46, and less than a chimp’s 48. The results were more than enough to get the press and the public excited. When subsequent exams proved inconclusive, though, the American media lost interest. But in 1996, researchers test Oliver again. This time, they definitively concluded that he had 48 chromosomes, making him all chimp. He wasn’t the missing link after all, but scientists still concede that he probably was the Albert Einstein of chimpanzees.

9. Hellion
You’ve probably wanted a "helper monkey" ever since you saw Mojo drinking beer on the couch with Homer Simpson. Unfortunately, it’s pretty hard to get one in real-life. But bear in mind, the fantasy wouldn’t exist at all if it weren’t for hellion, the first monkey trained to lend humans a helping hand (and tail).

In 1977, educational psychologist Mary Joan Willard started training capuchins - small, dexterous tree monkeys commonly seen with people such as organ grinders and David Schwimmer - to assist disabled humans. Just two years later, Willard placed her first trainee, Hellion, with a quadriplegic named Robert Foster, and it proved a startling success. In fact, the pair is still together today. using a mouth-operated laser Foster is able to point out what he wants Hellion to do. The monkey’s tasks range from combing Foster’s hair to locking the doors to operating the stereo. Hellion is even able to clean the house using a tiny vacuum.

Today, Hellion is a role model for other simian aides. At the 6,000-square-foot Helping Hands training center in Boston, young capuchins attended classes five to six times a week for a full year before receiving their first assignments. To date, the institute has placed more than 93 monkeys with disabled clients.

10. "Nim" Chimpsky

After David Greybeard proved that chimps could make tools, scientists scrambled to establish another dividing line between man and primate. This time, they decreed it to be the use of language. One avid proponent of the new theory was Noam Chomsky, renowned linguist at MIT. Chomsky derided trainers for attempting to teach sign language to primates and insisted that only the human mind is capable of grasping the complexities of language syntax.

Naturally, zoologist around the world became eager to prove him wrong. Enter Neam Chimpsky ("Nim" for short), the chimpanzee designed to be a stiff middle finger to the doubtful Chomsky. In the mid 1970s, trainers did everything they could to teach American Sign Language to Nim, but the chimp only mastered 125 signs. Apparently, his lingual development was sabotaged by his own one-track mind. his most advanced utterance was, "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you."

Nim might have failed to grasp the concepts of syntax and sentence structure, but he wasn’t a total disappointment. Turns out, Nim was a decent abstract artist. Working mostly with a mix of magic markers and crayons, he produced works of art that critics describe as childlike and playful.

He would often work for weeks in one color, then switch to another, allowing his drawings to highlight the transition between phases. Nim died in 2000. Today, his portfolio of roughly 200 drawings is valued at $25,000. via : http://lol-times.blogspot.com/2007/11/top-10-famous-monkeys-in-science.html

Lovely Animal Wallpaper

2009-03-11T03:18:00.000-07:00

Best Animal Wallpaper

2009-03-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Cute little animals

2009-03-07T02:10:00.000-08:00

Beautifull Wildlife Heros

2009-03-06T02:55:00.000-08:00

Amazing Digital Animals (Photoshop Work)

2009-03-04T03:13:00.000-08:00

Beautiful King Penguins of Falklands

2009-03-03T03:30:00.000-08:00

The Falkland Islands are not just famous for the 1982 conflict. Hundreds of thousands of penguins – including one of the world’s most northerly colonies of King penguins – live on the archipelago.The King population, which was once hunted for oil, was virtually wiped out by the late 1800s, but they started to reappear in the 1930s and have been steadily growing in number since.
The Kings and other species are a valuable asset to the Falklands, not least because they attract wildlife enthusiasts and cruise ship day trippers to the islands. Visitors are asked to keep their distance from the birds, and wardens usually keep watch.

The Dangerous & Deadliest Creatures on Earth

2009-03-03T03:24:00.001-08:00

The deadliest (and easy to miss) critters lurk in dark silence, ready to strike with either the barest of warnings or none at all - and with absolutely fatal venom.

1. The Cone Snail: can kill you in less than 4 minutes

Say, for instance, you happen to be happily walking through the low surf merrily picking up and discarding shells, looking for just the right one to decorate your desk back at the office.

With no warning at all, however, you feel a sharp sting from one of those pretty shells -- a sting that quickly flares into a crawling agony. With that quick sting, the cone snail's barbed spear has insidiously injected you with one of the most potent neurotoxins in existence.
2. Poison Arrow Frog: Lethal Touch

That frog over there, for instance: that tiny, brilliantly colored tree frog. Doesn't he look like some kind of Faberge ornament, there against that vermilion leaf? Wouldn't such a natural jewel look just gorgeous in a terrarium back home?
Pick him and you'll be dead in a matter of minutes. One second frolicking in the undergrowth, the next spasming and foaming on the jungle floor. No stinger, no bite, no venom: just the shimmering slime covering his brilliant body.

"They are the only animal in the world known to be able to kill a human by touch alone. They can jump as far as 2 inches."

3. The lazy clown of the insect world.

(image credit: Diego Gonçalves )

The adult moth is just a moth, but the hairs of the caterpillar are juicy with nasty stuff, so nasty that dozens of people die every year from just touching them. By the way, it’s not a good way to go, either: their venom is a extremely powerful anticoagulant, death happening as the blood itself breaks down. Not fun. Very not fun.

(image credit: Ronai Rocha )

4. Beaked Sea Snake

Another creature of nightmares that doesn’t come with a theme song is a strange import to the world aquatica. When you think snake you usually think of dry land. But if you go paddling around the Persian Gulf (or coastal islands of India) keep a wary eye out for the gently undulating wave of Enhydrina Schistosa .
(image credit: insatiable dreams )
(image credit: Kozy & Dan Kitchens )

5. Stone Fish waits for you to step on it

But it’s not time to leave the sea quite yet. There are two nasty things in the blue depths you should spend many a sleepless night frightened of. For the big one you’ll have to wait a bit, for the one right below it in terrifying lethality you just have to watch your step when you’re walking along the bottom of the ocean.
(image credit: island life )
(image credit: Letho )

6. Box Jellyfish should really be called the "coffin" jellyfish

Chironex fleckeri: a tiny jellyfish found off the coast of Australia and southeastern Asia. Only about sixteen inches long, it has four eye-clusters with twenty-four eyes, its tentacles carry thousands of nematocysts, microscopic stingers activated not by ill-will but by a simple brush against shell, or skin. Do this and they fire, injecting anyone and anything with the most powerful neurotoxin known.

(image credit: Zoltan Takacs )

As you can see on the top left of the image below, it's pretty hard to notice Chironex Fleckeri in the wild:

Blossoming Butterfly

2009-02-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

Beautifull Inocent animal

2009-02-28T19:13:00.001-08:00

Beauty Of Animal Photography

2009-02-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

Its Dog World

2009-02-24T04:21:00.000-08:00

Bird in hand is better than two

2009-02-23T01:02:00.001-08:00

It's often said that a bird in hand is better than two in the bush.... but must say a bird in hand is better even than a bird with hands....
See.........

Beautifull World under water

2009-02-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

Micro Images of Animal

2009-02-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

Prince Of Jungle

2009-02-22T21:10:00.000-08:00