JULY 21, 2013
Photograph by Christian Ziegler, National Geographic
This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures
A lichen-colored caterpillar disappears into its surroundings in Sarawak, Borneo. Staying alive in the tropics, where nearly everything is food for something else, often calls for such trickery to fool a predator’s eye.
source:::National Geographic
natarajan
In its heyday, Detroit was a bustling city. The population spiked from just over 285,000 in 1900 to over 1.5 million by 1930.
New residents flooded the city as demand for labor rose. And unions hugely improved working conditions for these workers, giving them 8-hour workdays and a minimum wage.
With the population boom came a thriving arts and culture scene. One of the top destinations in old-time Detroit was the Detroit Opera House.
Detroit wasn’t all about the auto industry. The Detroit River was a major hub for cargo shipping and passenger transport throughout the Great Lakes region Other big industries included stoves, ships, cigars, pharmaceuticals, beer, and rail car
Even if Detroit’s winters were harsh, the scenery was beautiful.
STATUS OF DETROIT TODAY ….
Detroit’s median home sale price is around $25,200, which is a huge jump from earlier in the year, when rock bottom was at $17,000 (though way down from its 2006 peak of $83,00).
But you can buy a house for cheaper than that. A ton cheaper, in fact.
Wayne County treasury officials are going door-to-door striking controversial deals with whomever is living inside about 1,500 of the more than 6,000 tax-foreclosed properties, according to Christine MacDonald of The Detroit News.
Even though last year’s unpaid property taxes total $17.6 million, the city says it prefers occupied homes to unsold lots and is willing to sell the properties for as little as $500.
The county treasury hasn’t made the list of properties available to the public yet since it’s attempting to first visit a majority of the homes that it believes to be occupied, MacDonald says.
In the meantime, we found at least 13 homes (and one retail space) that you can buy for less than $100. With some deals in the single digits, we posit that these are some of the cheapest houses you can find in America.
Price: $1
Square feet: 1,434
Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $24,600. The price was reduced $49 last December. The single family home also has a full basement.
Price: $1
Square feet: 1,244
Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $28,800. It features a large living room and a one-car garage.
Price: $1
Square feet: 704
Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $23,700. This house last sold in July 2003 for $20,000.
Price: $25
Square feet: 1,200
Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $25,000. It was recently listed.
Price: $25
Square feet: 1,755
This house last sold in October 2008 for $12,000. The price has increased $1 since Dec. 16, 2011.
Price: $94
Square feet: 1,104
Zillow estimates this home’s worth at $37,700. This house last sold in July 2006 for $110,00.
Price: $14
Square feet: 3,000
Zillow estimates this property’s worth at $175,600. It was recently listed.
SOURCE::::: BUSINESSINSIDER.COM
natarajan
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/detroit-houses-for-1-dollar-2012-2?op=1#ixzz2ZgDA0lJ9
From the world’s mightiest and most elusive creatures, to spectacular landscapes in the farthest flung corners of the globe, National Geographic has been capturing the wonder and diversity of our planet and its inhabitants for more than a century.
Since 1888, National Geographic magazine has brought the people and places of our immense planet into the homes – and imaginations – of millions of readers.
Printed in 37 languages, and instantly recognizable by the yellow-bordered cover, the magazine is revered for its world-class imagery, showcasing the talents of its intrepid photographers.
The publication is now celebrating its landmark 125th anniversary.
Some of its most striking images that capture and encapsulate the beauty of the four corners of the globe
A boy sits on top of a car on Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas
Cambodian villagers celebrate as they get a fresh water well for the first time
A man descends into Majlis al Jinn cave, Oman
A lioness and her cubs huddle together.
Two ostriches (Struthio camelus) inquisitively look over a wooden plank fence
Monarch butterflies in flight
An Adelie penguin jumping on an iceberg.
Pride of the Serengeti Plains: A pride of lions – including five lionesses and eight cubs rests near a hilltop waterhole
A Tibetan girl dressed in traditional clothes for a horse festival
California loggers and a giant Mark Twain Redwood that they cut down in 1892
Schoolboys wrestle in snow, Deerfield, Massachusetts
Lightning bugs at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve north of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas
Oak trees at night under a starry sky along the Cherohala Skyway, North Carolina
A bison in steam during winter, Yellowstone National Park
source:::::mailonline.com US
NATARAJAN
Painting Like A Camera!
The Spanish painter Pedro Campus paints the way most people take photos. His gallery in London will astound anyone who is not familiar with his work, as his paintings mimic reality so closely that at fitst look you will be convinced they are photos!
source::::babamail.com
natarajan
Desperate times require desperate measures – and when an impala was targeted by two vicious cheetahs, it made a jump for it that will not soon be forgotten.
The distressed animal was captured on camera leaping into a car full of tourists in order to escape the predators.
The terrified animal appeared to be seconds away from death when an unexpected window of opportunity appeared – quite literally.
Close call: The impala jumps into a car to escape two cheetahs in Kruger National Park in South Africa
The animal had been chased by the cheetah along with its herd when it realised it was the only one left behind.
As the two ferocious animals appeared to have cornered the impala – it leaped into a nearby car which happened to have its windows rolled down.
Samantha Pittendrigh, 20, happened to be filming the chase when the impala jumped through the passenger-side window of a Toyota in front of her.
She said: ‘We started freaking out going crazy. We couldn’t believe it – we were absolutely dumbstruck.
‘We had absolutely no idea what was going on.
‘We watched the cheetah chasing the impala. We saw a few of them turn around in the bushes towards the road they were running from.’
‘We heard a little girl screaming in the car. The boy sitting outside the car filming looked a lot younger, so it must have been a family.
‘People in other cars screamed ‘open the door, open the door’.’
In the confusion, one of the passengers managed to open a door and the impala is seen just seconds later trotting across the road to freedom.
The cheetahs are just yards away but do not give chase.
The footage was captured in Kruger National Park, South Africa, where according to park rules you must stay inside your vehicle at all times.
The bewildered cheetahs are left with long noses and empty stomachs as the impala disappears into the car
Miss Pittendrigh, who is studying supply chain management at the University of Pretoria, was with her friends Tanith Human, 20, Carmen Thvle, 21, and Michelle De Jager, 21.
Unlike some of her friends, she has made several trips to Kruger National Park but was left stunned by the trip.
She added: ‘My family are so jealous. In all the years my parents have been going to Kruger Park they have never seen anything like it and we do go regularly.
‘It really is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and we managed to be in the right place at the right time.
‘I was very happy to witness something like that but I felt a sorry for the cheetah.
‘There are so many impala, it is not like they will miss one of them.’
However, the world’s fastest land-animal was not completely ‘cheetah-ed’, as one of them managed to make a kill a mere dozen feet along the road, according to Miss Pittendrig
source:::mailonline.com
natarajan
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2359288/Cheetah-ing-death-Impala-escapes-hungry-predators-jumping-car-tourists-let-coast-clear.html#ixzz2Yf9u0Is3
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1956 – நவம்பர் நுங்கம்பாக்கத்தில் பெரியவா முகாமிட்டிருந்தா. ஒரு நாள் ராத்திரி 10 மணிக்கு மவுண்ட் ரோடில் நடந்து சென்று கொண்டிருந்தார். 15 பேர் கூட சென்று
கொண்டிருந்தோம். இந்து பத்திரிகை ஆபீஸ் விஜயம்.
LIC கட்டிடம் அருகே வந்த போது கண்ணன பெரியவாளிடம் இது தான் புதுசா வந்திருக்கிற LIC அடுக்குமாடி கட்டிடம் என்று பெரியவாளிடம் கூறினார். சற்று நின்ற பெரியாவா என்னிடம் இதுலே மொத்தம் எததனை மாடிகள் என்றார்.
நான் தவறாக சொல்லி விட கூடாதென்று “சரியாக தெரியாது ..” என்றேன். “எண்ணி பார்த்துவிட்டு வா ..” என்று கூறி விறு விறு என்று நடக்க ஆரம்பித்தார்.
நான் இரண்டு மூன்று முறை எண்ணி’பார்த்தேன். பாதி எண்ணும் போதே கணக்கு விட்டு போய் மீண்டும் எண்ணும் படி ஆயிற்று . ஒருமுறை 12ம் மறுமுறை 13ம் வந்தது. அதற்குள் பெரியவா வெலிங்டன் டாக்கிஸ வரை சென்று விட்டிரு நதார். நான் ஓடி சென்று மூச்சிறைக்க நின்றேன். “எண்ணிட்டையா ? எத்தனை ? ” என்று பெரியவா கேட்டா. கீழிருந்து 13. டேரசை சேர்த்தா 14. ஆனா மாடிகள் 12 தான் வரது என்றேன். பெரியவா சிரித்து கொண்டார்.
“12 மாடிகளா ? இந்த வாரம் ஆனந்த விகடன் மேல் அட்டைலே வந்திருக்கிற பில்டிங் லே 18 மாடிகள் போட்டிருக்கே. நீ பார்த்தாயோ …? :” என்று கேட்டார். எனக்கு தூக்கி வாரி போட்டது. “நான் எண்ணி பார்க்கலே..” என்றேன். :”அப்புறம் போய் பாரு …” என்று நடந்தபடி கூறினார். கண்ணன் என்னை பார்த்து சிரித்தார் .
நான் சற்று பின் தங்கினேன். அந்த அதிர்ச்சியில் இருந்து மீளுவது அத்தனை எளிதாக இருக்கவில்லை. ஒரு பத்திரிக்கையைப் புரட்டுவதிலும் அதில் வரும் செய்திகளைப் படிப்பதிலும், படங்களை பார்ப்பதிலும் சாதாரண வாசகருக்கும் பெரியவளுக்கும் எத்தனை வேற்றுமை இருக்கிறது என்று எண்ணி வியந்தேன்.
மேலட்டையில் பிரசுரமாயிருந்த அந்த நகைச்சுவையைப் படித்தவர்கள் சிரிப்பு வந்திருந்தால் சிரித்து விட்டுப்பத்திரிகையை புரட்டியிருப்பார்கள். சிரிப்பு வராதவர்கள் சிரிக்காமலேயே புரட்டியிருப்பார்கள்.
எத்தனை பேர் ” அந்த கட்டிடத்தில் எத்தனை மாடிகள் வரைய பட்டிருக்கின்றன” என்று பொறுமையாக எண்ணி பார்த்திருக்க போகிறார்கள்.. ? பிறரை சொல்வானேன்? நானே பார்க்கவில்லை. (அந்த ஜோக் என்னுடையது. படம் கோபுலு வரைநதது ).
எதையும் ஆராயந்து நோக்கும் பெரியவாளின் அபூர்வ சக்தி அதிசயிக்கக்தக்கது என்றால் அவரது நகைச்சுவை யுணர்வு மிகவும் ரசிக்கதக்கதாக இருக்கும்.
(From the experiences of Sri Baraneedharan, acclaimed tamil author)
source::::www.periva.proboards.com
natarajan
Read more: http://periva.proboards.com/thread/4707/lic/#ixzz2Yf3g3AUm
Photograph by Evan Williams,
Photograph by Dina Franchi
Photograph by Alastair McLean,
Photograph by Andrea Caldera,
Photograph by Nico Pepito,
Photograph by Chris Jongkind,
Photograph by Lawrence Taube
Photograph by Richard Kelley
Photograph by Chris Jongkind,
Photograph by Gareth Ohara,
Photograph by Dave Weekes
Photograph by Phui Ying Thong,
Photograph by Agnieszka Maciejewska, …
Photograph by Juan Jose Acevedo,
An army of perfectly aligned taxis queues up outside the central train station in Sendai, Japan
Photograph by Karina Saavedra,
Photograph by Hassibi Mora,
Photograph by Bon Taguiling,
Photograph by Takeshi Ishikawa
source::::: National Geographic .com
natarajan
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An incredible photo shows a mass of storm clouds churning over the Atlantic Ocean near Brazil and the Equator.
It was taken by one of the Expedition 36 crew members aboard the International Space Station.
A Russian spacecraft, docked to the orbiting outpost, partially covers a small patch of sunlight on the ocean waters in a break in the clouds.
The photo was taken using a 50mm lens.
As the International Space Station circles the earth, astronauts are able to capture stunning pictures such as this one as the orbiter crossed the Brazilian coast
Sunrise: This stunning image shows the Sun greeting the International Space Station as seen from the Russian section of the orbital outpos
The sun is about to come up over the South Pacific Ocean in this colorful scene photographed by one of the Expedition 35 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station
The most recent picture from NASA is the latest in a stunning series of pictures captured by astronauts that have been orbiting the planet this year.
The previous crew of Expedition 35, had Canadian Chris Hadfield on board who gained a cult following on Twitter for his images of the Earth from space.
A picture from from the International Space Station shows a darkened south-eastern United States just before dawn, with the moon rising above
Emerald Isle: The silhouettes of Ireland and Wales were captured in this beautiful picture taken from the ISS
This shot shows a vivid blue river snaking through Brazilian farmland
source::::mailonline.com
natarajan
Visitors watch water gushing from the section of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River, during a sand-washing operation
These photographs may look like scenes from an apocalyptic film.
But in fact they are of an annual operation to move 30 million tonnes of silt downstream a year in the Henan province.
Bystanders holding umbrellas are dwarfed as they watch the tremendous rush of water gushing through gaps in a dam.
It is part of a carefully-chorepgraphed operation to remove silt from the Yellow River in Luoyang.
More than 390 million tonnes shifted this way over the last 13 years.
The silt-carrying water gushes out of three specialised holes in the dam.
The Yellow River authority says the operation lowers the river bed in the lower reach of the river by an average of 2.03 meters each year.
The dam stands at 154m (505ft) tall and is 1,317m (4,321ft) wide.
When it was built opened in 2000, following a six-year construction, it had cost US$3.5billion to construct.
Residents turn out to watch the annual event – and try to avoid a drenching by protecting themselves with umbrellas
A cloud of water: The floodwater churns through Yellow River as bystanders stand and stare
source:::::mailonline.com
natarajan
Teacher Dale Irby has become an Internet sensation after school photos of him wearing the same tank top and shirt for 40 years went viral. Dale Irby, 63, accidentally wore the same brown v-necked tank top and big-collared disco shirt for two consecutive school photos from 1973. When he realised what he had done, wife Cathy dared him to repeat it for the third-year running. The PE teacher kept up the joke and for the past 40 years staff and pupils have eagerly awaited his arrival at school for the annual photo.Picture: Dallas Morning News / SWNS.com
source:::::The Telegraph UK
natarajan
Take off with Natarajan 