When the eruption of a volcano on November 21st, 2013, resulted in a brand new island about a thousand kilometers south of Japan's capital Tokyo, experts were a little hesitant to declare that a permanent new landmass had been born. That's because these kind of volcanic islands have a tendency to disappear almost as rapidly, as they appear....
Read news articleFor winter buffs, the onset of spring means that their days of frolicking in the white powder are drawing to a close. However, before you tuck away that winter gear, here is an idea - How about some snowshoe baseball? Sounds a little crazy? Don't tell that to the residents of Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin. They have been playing it since 1961!...
Read news articleOn February 24th, 2014, the managers at UK's Legoland Windsor Resort sent out an unusual casting call across the nation. They were seeking a parrot that would 'shiver their timbers' for their new Pirate Shores attraction. Pet owners were asked to apply by sending a photo and a short convincing essay on why their bird was the 'Ultimate Parrot Pirate'....
Read news articleEven in this day of digital gaming, solving the Rubik's cube as rapidly as possible, remains a challenge most people can't seem to resist. While humans have been doing it ever since the 3x3x3 cube came to market in 1974, even robots are now getting into the fray....
Read news articleIn November 2013, super-typhoon Haiyan AKA Yolanda, swept through the Philippines decimating many of its cities and leaving thousands of residents homeless. As is usually the case following natural disasters, initially, there was tremendous outpouring of concern and aid from the international community. However as the months have passed, world focus has moved on to other issues and the donations, trickled down to almost nothing....
Read news articleEurope's obsession with food-throwing festivals is well known. There is of course the famous La Tomatina in Spain where contenders pelt each other with tomatoes and now Italy's Battaglia delle Arance where rotten oranges are the ammunition of choice....
Read news articleFestivals are a way of life for people that practice Hinduism. Not a month goes by without one. However, very few are as fun or as widely anticipated as Holi, the festival of colors. Celebrated annually at the beginning of spring, on the day following a full moon, this year's festivities will take place on March 17th....
Read news articleWhile television viewers have been inundated with reality shows about the everyday lives of ordinary people, none have been performed atop a giant hamster wheel. That is what two New York artists recently did, not just for an hour or two, but for a ten-day period starting from February 28th to March 9th, 2014....
Read news articleWhen life gives you snow . . . make snowmen and sell them? That is exactly what a few enterprising entrepreneurs in China's Chengdu District did when they were treated to a rare snowfall on February 10th, 2014....
Read news article