MFS - Strange But True - Places 13

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Places 13 .
Murudeshwara and the world's tallest Shiva statue.Murudeshwara (Kannada: ಮುರುಡೇಶ್ವರ) is a town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. "Murudeshwara" is another name of the Hindu god Shiva. Famous for the world's tallest Shiva statue, this beach town lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and is also famous for the Murudeshwara Temple.Read more about this place on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS - Strange But True - People 12

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - People 12 .

Lee Redmond (born February 2, 1941) held the record in the Guinness World Records for longest fingernails on both hands. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Enquirer featured her every few years and kept track of the progress of her nails.

On February 10, 2009, her record-setting nails were broken off when she was ejected from a car in a four-car pile-up in Holladay, Utah. Her injuries were serious, but not life threatening.

The 68-year-old won't grow her nails out again, saying it took 30 years the first time and she may not live for another 30."

Read more about her on MFS,with 2 videoclips.

MFS - Strange But True - Creatures / Animals 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Creatures / Animals 11 .

The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. It is a larger and less aggressive relative of the Common Snapping Turtle. The epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.

The largest freshwater turtle in North America, the alligator snapper keeps to primarily southern U.S. waters, while the smaller, more aggressive common snapper inhabits lakes and streams from South America to Canada. These turtles can remain submerged for three hours. Typically only nesting females will venture onto open land.
Surprisingly, due to the pet trade and other factors the species has found its way to Asia and Europe with a breeding/research center found in Japan.Read more about this animal on MFS,with videoclip. Picture : The Common and Alligator snapping turtle.

MFS - Strange But True - Things / Other 14

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Things / Other 14.

An inuksuk (plural inuksuit)(from the Inuktitut: ᐃᓄᒃᓱᒃ, plural ᐃᓄᒃᓱᐃᑦ)is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland. This region, above the Arctic Circle, is dominated by the tundra biome, containing areas with few natural landmarks.
The inuksuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for hunting grounds, or as a food cache. The Inupiat in northern Alaska used inuksuit to assist in the herding of caribou into contained areas for slaughter. Inuksuit vary in shape and size, with deep roots in the Inuit culture.

An inunnguaq forms the basis of the logo of the 2010 Winter Olympics designed by Vancouver artist Elena Rivera MacGregor. Its use in this context has been controversial, both among the Inuit and the First Nations of British Columbia.

Read more about them on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS- Strange But True - Places 12

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Places 12.
The Leshan Giant Buddha was built during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. It is the largest carved stone Buddha in the world.

The Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It was not damaged by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
Read more about it on MFS.

MFS - Strange But True - Creatures / Animals 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Creatures / Animals 11 .

The Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a large freshwater turtle of the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada south, west to the Rocky Mountains (and beyond, where introduced), throughout Mexico, and as far south as Ecuador. The Snapping Turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the western United States.
Common snappers are noted for their belligerent disposition when out of the water, their powerful beak-like jaws and their highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific name "serpentina", meaning "snake-like"). In some areas they are hunted very heavily for their meat, a popular ingredient in turtle soup. These turtles have lived for up to 47 years in captivity, while the lifespan of wild individuals is estimated to be around 30 years.Read more about them on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS - Strange But True

Have a great Week-End !
This is Lily the bear ,she's about to give birth in her den!
You can follow her live on her webcam.

UPDATE:

The long wait is over. When labor started at 1:59 PM CST yesterday, we thought it would be short. Cubs average only ¾ pound and 9 inches long. How long could that take? Along with thousands of you, we spent a sleepless night as bouts of labor continued for 21 hours and 39 minutes. Finally, at 11:38 AM CST, Lily made some contortions, looked under her, and began the intense sweet motherly grunts that bears only make to cubs. Could it be? A loud squawk from the cub made it definite. Lily tucked her head under her chest to care for the cub and breathe on it.

A few minutes later there were more contortions. This time it was only the afterbirth. As Lily rose up to eat the afterbirth, she let cold air under her, making the cub squawk and making people wonder if it was a second cub. First litters are typically 1 or 2. We listened long and hard today but never heard two cub voices.

Now at 8:23 PM, we think Lily is done. She had a single cub.

MFS - Strange But True - People 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But true - People 11.

1.The most pierced man in the world.

2.The longest beard in the world.

But how long was the longest beard in the world?

Read more about it on MFS.

Picture:Sarwan Singh .

MFS - Strange But True - Places 12

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Places 12 .

The Buddhas of Bamyan (Persian: بت های باميان - but hay-e bamiyaan) were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated 230 km (143 miles) northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2500 meters (8,202 ft). Built in 507, the larger in 554, the statues represented the classic blended style of Gandhara art.
They were intentionally dynamited and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban, on orders from leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, after the Taliban government declared that they were "idols" (which are forbidden under Sharia law). International opinion strongly condemned the destruction of the Buddhas, which was viewed as an example of the intolerance of the Taliban and of Islamism. Japan and Switzerland, among others, have pledged support for the rebuilding of the statues.
Read more about these statues on MFS,with videoclip of them before the destruction.

MFS - Strange But True - Creatures/Animals 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Creatures/Animals 11 .

Rafetus swinhoei, commonly known as the Shanghai soft-shell turtle, Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle, or Swinhoe's soft-shell turtle, is a species of soft-shell turtle. It may be the largest fresh water turtle in the world. It is listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List 2006, and is one of the rarest turtles in the world.Also a short piece about the Asian Giant Softshelled Turtle.And a rare Albino Softshelled Turtle.Read more about it on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS - Strange But True - Places 12

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Places 12 .

The sailing stones (sliding rocks, moving rocks) are a geological phenomenon where rocks move in long tracks along a smooth valley floor without human or animal intervention. They have been recorded and studied in a number of places around Racetrack Playa, Death Valley, where the number and length of travel grooves are notable. The force behind their movement is not understood and is the subject of research.Read more about the how and when they move on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS - Strange But True - People 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - People 11 .
Elaine Davidson is the "Most Pierced Woman" according to the Guinness World Records.

When examined by a Guinness World Record official in May 2000, Davidson had 462 piercings, with 192 in her face alone. By August 9, 2001 when she was re-examined she was found to have 720 piercings.Read more about her on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS - The Many Faces Of Spaces

Martin Luther King "I have a dream" full speech version!


Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King Day in 2010 is on Monday, the 18th of January.

In the United States, Martin Luther King Day is always observed on the third Monday of January.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, and he has become a human rights icon: King is recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.

"An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law."
Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes

Haiti earthquake: ICRC relief effort gathers pace,make a donation.

MFS - Strange But True - Things/ Other 14

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Things / Other 14 .

The titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum (from Ancient Greek amorphos, "without form, misshapen" + phallos, "penis", and titan, "giant") is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The largest single flower is borne by the Rafflesia arnoldii; the largest branched inflorescence in the plant kingdom belongs to the Talipot palm (Corypha umbraculifera). It thrives at the edges of rainforests near open grasslands. Though found in many botanic gardens around the world it is still indigenous only to the tropical forests of Sumatra. Due to its fragrance, which is reminiscent of the smell of a decomposing mammal, the titan arum is also known as a carrion flower, the "Corpse flower", or "Corpse plant" (in Indonesian, "bunga bangkai" – bunga means flower, while bangkai means corpse or cadaver; for the same reason, the same title is also attributed to Rafflesia which, like the titan arum, also grows in the rainforests of Sumatra).Read more about it on MFS,with videoclip narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

MFS - Strange But True - Creatures / Animals 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Creatures / Animals 11 .

The mata mata (binomial name Chelus fimbriatus) is a freshwater turtle found in South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco basins.
The mata mata was described for the first time by French naturalist Pierre Barrère in 1741 as a "large land turtle with spiky and ridged scales".It was first classified as Chelus fimbriatus by German naturalist Johann Gottlob Schneider in 1783. It was renamed 14 different times in 2 centuries, finally being renamed Chelus fimbriatus in 1934 by Robert Mertens and Muller.Read more about this turtle on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS - Strange But True - Things / Other 14

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Things / Other 14 .

Rafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth, and a strong odor of decaying flesh - the latter point earning it the nickname of "corpse flower". It occurs only in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo in the Indonesian Archipelago. Although there are some plants with larger flowering organs like the Titan Arum and Talipot palm, those are technically clusters of many flowers.
Read more about this giant flower on MFS,With videoclip narrated by David Attenborough.

MFS - Strange But True - Places 12

Updated on MFS - Strange But True -Places 12

The Vredefort crater is the largest verified impact crater on Earth. It is located in the Free State Province of South Africa, and named after the town of Vredefort, which is situated near its centre. The site is also referred to as Vredefort dome or Vredefort impact structure. In 2005, the Vredefort Dome was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites for its geologic interest.Read more about it on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS - Strange But True - Things/Other 13

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Things/Other 13 .The Armenian Genocide, also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Calamity, was the deliberate and systematic destruction (genocide) of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterised by the use of massacres, and the use of deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of Armenian deaths generally held to have been between one and one-and-a-half million.Other ethnic groups were similarly attacked by the Empire during this period, including Assyrians and Greeks, and some scholars consider those events to be part of the same policy of extermination.
It is widely acknowledged to have been one of the first modern genocides, as many Western sources point to the systematic, organized manner in which the killings were carried out to eliminate the Armenians. Indeed, the word genocide was coined in order to describe these events.Read more about it on MFS,with 2 videoclips.

MFS - The Many Faces Of Spaces

Have A Great Week - End ! For all who remember "The King"!

MFS - Strange But True - Creatures /Animals 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Creatures /Animals 11 .

The Cantor's giant soft-shelled turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) is a species of fresh water turtle. The turtle has a broad head and small eyes close to the tip of its snout. The carapace is smooth and olive colored. Juveniles may have dark-spotted carapaces and heads, with yellow around the carapace.
Cantor's giant soft-shelled turtles can grow up to 6 feet (about 2 meters) in length.Read more about this animal on MFS,with videoclip.

MFS - Strange But True - People 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - People 11 . Japanese body tattoos and full body suit .A body suit or full body suit is an extensive tattoo, usually of a similar pattern, style or theme that covers the entire torso or the entire body.
They are associated with freak show and circus performers, as well as with traditional Japanese tattooing.
Such suits are of significant cultural meaning in some traditional cultures, representing a rite of passage, marriage or a social designation.
Notable wearers :
Katzen

The Enigma

The Lizardman

Stalking Cat

Lucky Diamond Rich

Julia Gnuse

Leopard Man of Skye

Etienne Dumont living art

Isobel Varley

Zebraman Great Omi

Zombie Boy Rick

Matt Gone


To read and see more about it go to MFS,with 6 videoclips.

MFS - Strange But True - Places 12

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Places 12 .

Debre Damo and Monastary
Debre Damo is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th century monastery in northern Ethiopia. The mountain is steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about 1000 by 400 meters in dimension, 2216 meters above sea level, and located west of Adigrat in the Mehakelegnaw Zone of the Tigray Region. The monastery, accessible only by rope up a sheer cliff, is known for its collection of manuscripts, and having the earliest existing church building in Ethiopia still in its original style. Tradition claims the monastery was founded in the sixth century by Abuna Aregawi.Read more about it on MFS,with 2 videoclips.

MFS - Strange But True - Things / Other 13

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Things / Other 13 .

The Mesha Stele Aka The Moabite Stone
The Mesha Stele (popularized in the 19th century as the "Moabite Stone") is a black basalt stone bearing an inscription by the 9th century BC ruler Mesha of Moab.
The inscription was set up about 850 BC as a memorial of Mesha's victories over "Omri king of Israel" and his son, who had been "oppressing" Moab. It bears the earliest known reference to the sacred Hebrew name of God - YHWH - and is also notable as the most extensive inscription ever recovered that refers to ancient Israel (the "House of Omri"). French scholar André Lemaire has reconstructed a portion of line 31 of the stele as "House of David".
Read more about it on MFS,with 2 videoclips.

MFS - Strange But True - Creatures / Animals 11

Updated on MFS - Strange But True - Creatures / Animals 11.The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is a little North American mole found in wet low areas of eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States, with records extending along the Atlantic coast as far as extreme southeastern Georgia. It is the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura.
Star-nosed moles are easily identified by the eleven pairs of pink fleshy appendages ringing their snout which are used as a touch organ with more than 25,000 minute sensory receptors, known as Eimer’s organs, with which this hamster-sized mole feels its way around.Read more about this animal on MFS,with 2 videoclips.

MFS - The Many Faces Of Spaces

Have a Great Week - End !

Have a laugh for the first day of the year ,great for hangovers!