6 Aug 2015

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

A male Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) capturing a common starling. This small bird of prey species is found throughout the temperate and subtropical parts of the Old World, and though it specialises in catchingwoodland birds it can be found in any habitat. Males tend to take smaller birds, including titsfinches, and sparrows, while the larger females catch primarily thrushes and starlings.

4 Aug 2015

Wrestlers

Wrestlers is an oil painting on canvas completed by Thomas Eakins in 1899. It depicts two nearly naked men engaged in a wrestling match, with one holding the other in a half nelson and crotch hold. Eakins painted the work using a photograph of models as a study; for the background, he used the Quaker City Barge Club on Philadelphia'sBoathouse Row. This painting, as well as an oil sketch, are held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; an unfinished version is held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

30 Mar 2015

Tule fog

Tule fog is a thick ground fog that settles in the San Joaquin Valley andSacramento Valley areas of California'sGreat Central Valley during the state'srainy season. It forms when there is a high relative humidity (typically after a heavy rain), calm winds, and rapid cooling during the night, and is typically confined to the Great Central Valley region by the surrounding mountain ranges. Tule fog, a low cloud usually below 2,000 feet (610 m) in altitude, is highly immobile and can last for weeks if undisturbed. This fog is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in California.

23 Mar 2015

Britain in the First World War


A British recruitment poster from the First World War, featuring imagery of Saint George and the DragonBritain in the First World War fielded more than five million troops. Enrollment was initially voluntary, and in 1914 and 1915 the British military released numerous recruitme nt posters to attract troops. As the war progressed there were fewer volunteers to fill the ranks, andin 1916 the Military Service Act, which provided for the conscription of single men aged 18–41, was introduced. By the end of the war the law's scope had been
extended to include older and married men.

16 Mar 2015

Senegalese Wrestling

Senegalese wrestling match between Mame Balla and Pape Mor Lô during the World African Wrestling world tour in Paris Bercy. This type of folk wrestling is traditionally practiced by the Serer people of Senegal and part of the larger West African form of traditional wrestling, the only such tradition to allow blows with the hands. In this form of wrestling, fighters attempt to throw their opponents to the ground by lifting them up and over, usually outside a given area.
Originating as a preparatory exercise among Serer warriors, this form of wrestling is known as njom in Serer; the term is from the Serer principle of Jom and means heart or honor. The sport is a national sport in Senegal and parts of The Gambia.

7 Mar 2015

Fantasia

Fantasia, also known as lab el baroud ("the gunpowder play"), is a traditional exhibition of horsemanship in the Maghreb region of North Africa. A group of horse riders, all wearing traditional clothes, charge along a straight path at the same speed before firing into the sky using old muskets or muzzle-loading rifles at the end of the charge. It is considered to symbolize a strong relationship between the man and the horse.

19 Feb 2015

R. V. C. Bodley


R. V. C. Bodley (1892–1970) was a British Army officer, author and journalist. After studying at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in 1911 Bodley was commissioned into the King's Royal Rifle Corps and subsequently served with them during theFirst World War. After witnessing the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, he grew disillusioned with the military and went to live in the Sahara as a nomad for seven years. During the 1930s he was one of few Westerners allowed access to Japan's South Pacific Mandates. These experiences formed the basis of several books, including Algeria from Within (1927) and Wind in the Sahara (1944).

18 Feb 2015

Purple Finch


A male (top) and female purple finch (Haemorhous purpureus), photographed in the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Areain Quebec. This species, part of the finch family, mainly eats seeds, berries and insects. They breed in the coniferous and mixed forests of Canada and the northeastern United States; birds from the northern part of this species' range will migrate in the winter.

16 Feb 2015

Short-snouted Seahorse


The short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) is a species of seahorse in the family SyngnathidaeEndemic to the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the North Atlantic, it is often found in shallow muddy waters, estuaries or seagrass beds.

9 Feb 2015

Common Blackbird


The common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a species of true thrush found throughout much of the world, though known under a variety of names. These omnivorous birds eat a wide range of insectsearthwormsberries, andfruits.

4 Feb 2015

Namaqua Chameleon


The Namaqua chameleon is a lizard found in the western desert regions of NamibiaSouth Africa, and southernAngola. This species, which can reach 25 centimetres (9.8 in) in length, is common in the Namib Desert. It has evolved several adaptations which allow it to thrive in hot and arid areas, such as the ability to change color to control temperature.

27 Jan 2015

Lindau


The entrance to the harbor of LindauBavaria, Germany, a major town and island in the international Lake Constance. The current harbor in Lindau was built in the mid-19th century, together with the Bavarian Lion (left) and the Lindau Lighthouse (right). The harbor entrance serves as a tourist attraction.

21 Jan 2015

Armenian Woman

An Armenian woman in traditional dress, photographed on a hillside near Artvin circa 1910 by Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky.
This early color photograph was created through the three-color separation process. Three black-and-whiteexposures were taken, using red, blue, and yellow filters. These exposures were then projected with similar colored filters to create a full-color image.

18 Jan 2015

Tunnel View

Tunnel View is a scenic overlook on California State Route 41 in Yosemite National Park. Opened in 1933, it provides an expansive view looking east along Yosemite ValleyEl Capitan dominates the view on the left, on the right are the Cathedral Rocks andBridalveil Fall, and in the distance near the center of the picture is Half Dome.

17 Jan 2015


samurai with his sword and armor, photographed by Felice Beato c. 1860. The samurai, records of which date back to the early 10th-century Kokin Wakashū, were the military nobility of medieval and early-modern Japan. As Japan modernized during the Meiji period beginning in the late 1860s, the samurai lost much of their power, and the status was ultimately dissolved. However, samurai values remain common in Japanese society.

14 Jan 2015

Black-Capped Kingfisher

The black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) is a large tree kingfisher found throughout tropical Asia. Firstdescribed by Pieter Boddaert in 1783, this species frequents coastal waters, particularly those with mangroves. It feeds primarily on insects.

13 Jan 2015

Play Station


Two versions of the PlayStation 2, a home video game console produced by Sony and the most successful console of the sixth generation. The original model (left), known informally as the "fat" model, was released in 2000 and included a docking bay for an internal hard disk drive. The "slimline" version (right) was released in 2004; it did not include the docking bay or an internal power supply, but was smaller, lighter, and quieter, and included an Ethernetport.

Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption

Diet Coke and Mentos eruption is a reaction between the carbonated beverageDiet Coke and Mentos mints that causes the liquid to spray out of its container. The mints cause nucleation that releases dissolved carbon dioxide so fast it pushes the liquid up and out of the bottle, in what has been described as an eruption or geyser. Though this was demonstrated on television as early as 1999, the reaction went viral in 2005, after Steve Spangler posted a video toYouTube.

9 Jan 2015

Ellmau


Ellmau is a municipality in the Kufstein district of SölllandlAustria. This village, first recorded in the 12th century, is a popular resort in both winter and summer.

6 Jan 2015

Alaska Purchase

The check used for the Alaska Purchase, issued on August 1, 1868, and signed by US Secretary of State William H. Seward. For a total of $7.2 million, the United States government purchased Russian America from the Russian Empire (represented here by Russian Minister to the United States Eduard de Stoeckl). The lands involved became the modern state of Alaska in 1959.

2 Jan 2015

Ophelia


Ophelia is an oil painting on canvas completed by Sir John Everett Millais between 1851 and 1852. It depicts the character Ophelia, from Shakespeare's play Hamlet, singing before she drowns in a river in Denmark; this death scene is not seen onstage, but is instead described in a speech by Queen Gertrude. The painting was completed in two stages: first, the setting (drawn from the Hogsmill River in Surrey) then Ophelia (portrayed by Elizabeth Siddal). The painting is now owned by Tate Britainand valued at more than £30 million.