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5:06 AM
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Why is it that Greenland isn’t called Iceland and vice versa? After all, we know that Greenland is nearly entirely covered in ice and Iceland, well, isn’t!
Iceland had a few other names throughout history, including “Snæland” (snowland) and Garðarshólmur ("Garðar's little island"). Iceland current name came from a Norwegian Viking called Flóki Vilgerðarson. He chose the name after seeing a distant fjord full of sea-ice from a mountain. He didn’t think very much of Iceland, and that may be why he chose this uninviting name. You sometimes hear the story that Iceland was so named to discourage excessive immigration, but there seems to be no basis for this claim as thousands of people did in fact immigrate from Norway.
Greenland is said to have gotten its name from the Viking Erik the Red. After being banished from Norway and then Iceland, he settled in what is now Greenland. When his term of banishment expired, he returned to Icleand to invite his neighbors and friends to settle the new country with him. He purposely chose the pleasant name Grænland ("green land") to attract settlers, and he wasn’t really lying. Some parts of Greenland, especially where they settled, really are green, as these pictures from the tourist board attest (www.greenland-guide.dk/outdoor_life_photo.htm).
Mystery solved!
9:10 AM
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In this incredible macro photograph of a human eye, we see the stitches that resulted from a recent corneal transplant. The surgery was used to treat a patient suffering from Keratocnus, a degenerative disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve.
3:23 PM
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Gate Tower Building With a Highway Through it
One of the most curious building in Japan is the Gate Tower Building in Osaka, Japan. The 5th, 6th and 7th floors of this 16-story office building is occupied by an express highway - passing right through the building. On the building's floor information board on the ground floor, the tenants for the three floors are listed as the Hanshin Expressway. You can’t alight there tough as the elevator skips from the 4th floor to straight to the 8th
2:59 PM
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Whale learns to blow halo shaped bubbleA Beluga whale has become a sensation at an aquarium after learning how to blow halo-shaped bubbles. The extraordinary sight was captured on camera by photographer Hiroya Minakuchi at the Shimane aquarium in Japan. He said:"This beluga started making bubble rings when she was seven. And a couple of years ago she developed her technique. Now she blows the water from her mouth to make a current, which is not visible for us underwater. She then blows air from her blow hole into the current and that makes a ring shape."
12:00 PM
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The relics of St Gratianus on the Marienaltar of the Basilica of Waldsassen, Germany.
St Gratianus is enrobed in rich jewels and fine fabric be fitting his state as a martyr. It is known he died for his faith because his bones stand above a chalice filled with dried blood. His remains are on display in the Basilica of Waldsassen in Germany.
Photography Paul Koudounaris
11:07 AM
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which dictator killed the most people.
10:38 AM
Unknown
The Mir diamond mine in Siberia is the deepest ‘proper’ man-made hole. It’s 525m deep and 1,200m across. There’s a no-fly zone above it because the downdraft created by the hole had caused several helicopters to crash.
2:07 PM
Unknown
Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is a royal Islamic mosque located in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of the Sultanate of Brunei. The mosque considered one of the most beautiful mosques in the Asia Pacific and a major landmark and touristattraction of Brunei.
The mosque unites Mughal architecture and Italian styles. The plans were done by Booty and Edwards Chartered Architects according to designs by the Italian architect Cavaliere Rudolfo Nolli, who had already for decades been working at the gulf of Siam.
The mosque's most recognizable feature, the main dome, is covered in pure gold. The mosque stands 52 m (171 ft) high and can be seen from virtually anywhere in Bandar Seri Begawan. The main minaret is the mosque's tallest feature. In a unique way it mixes Renaissance and Italian architectural style. The minaret has an elevator to the top, where one can enjoy a panoramic view of the city.
The interior of the mosque is for prayer only. It has magnificent stained glass windows, arches, semi-domes and marble columns. Nearly all the material used for the building has been imported from abroad: the marble from Italy, the granite from Shanghai, the crystal chandeliers from England and the carpets from Saudi Arabia.
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