Author: Ms. R.

No one seemed to notice them until they were gone. Four statues, located outside the front entrance of the historic Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Ireland, are the latest in a long list of monuments that have been removed across the world as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. But the precise reason why these statues are gone depends on whom you ask. To some, including hotel management, two of the statues reference the transatlantic slave trade, in which……

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“Eye spots” are an evolutionary feature employed by various species to deter predators. Insects use them to misdirect birds, and some fish feature false pairs to intimidate larger fish, but no animal has ever been known to successfully deploy eye-spots against larger mammalian predators. Today, however, several hundred cattle in northern Botswana with eyes painted on their butts would beg to differ. The “eye-cows” are the result of a four-year study released earlier this month by an international team……

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Rizwan Mithawala has clambered up trees to photograph the atlas moth, lost his way deep in the forest, and felt the sting of tick bites while chasing butterflies. As a conservation writer, editor, and photographer for the Wildlife Conservation Trust, his job takes him to national parks across India. Most weekends, he can be found at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a sprawling, 40-square-mile forest that boasts as many as 170 species of butterflies in the metropolis of Mumbai…….

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Toward the end of World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, exposing over 500,000 people to radiation and killing some 200,000 civilians instantly. During the early morning hours of that fateful day in August, a local person was sitting on a set of stone steps in front of a bank in Hiroshima waiting for it to open. Then, without warning, the bomb fell from the sky and detonated. The person was killed immediately. It’s still……

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The city center of Kragujevac is home to a statue dedicated to the first Relay Of Youth. The statue is designed in such a manner that it appears the woman is pregnant, but this is actually made to mimic a raised knee running. She is also simulating the passing of the baton during the Relay Of Youth. The statue not only represents the event, but also Nada Stevanović, the first baton carrier of the relay. The sculpture was designed……

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The Asemapäällikönhovi building is a commercial/residential property designed by architect Eino Tuompo and completed in 1976. It’s internationally renowned for its distinct Brutalist architecture and is one of the most important works completed in this style in Finland. The building is a favorite among filmmakers and photographers. In 2020, it was featured on the Swedish show Advokaten. The building has a long history with media production, being home to a large television studio inaugurated by the Mayor of Helsinki in……

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Japan‘s famous Edo period began in 1603 and lasted until 1868. It was a relatively peaceful era after centuries of feudal wars. Eventually, tourism became a major pastime across the country, although commoners were not allowed to travel. As nationwide travel became more popular, many books listed the best places to visit around the country, from hot springs to mountains. Although those lists were not definite, the Kintai Bridge, the Kazura Bridge of Iya, and the Saruhashi Bridge are often……

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The Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the tributaries that belongs to the mighty Yangtze River in southeast China. The canyon received its peculiar name from an old Chinese legend that told of a tiger who escaped a hunter by leaping across the gorge. The altitude difference between the surrounding mountain peaks and the riverbed reaches well over 12,000 feet (3,800 meters), making it one of the deepest gorges on the planet. The gorge also belongs to the Three Parallel……

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This 39 foot (12 meters) tall statue cannot be missed when arriving at the island of Langkawi by ferry or cruise ship. The magnificent sculpture is constructed as though the eagle is preparing to take flight and stands in the center of a gorgeously decorated plaza. From the tip of the plaza, there is an excellent view of the Kuha bay. Dataran Lang is decorated with miniature fountains, terraces, and bridges, making it the ideal spot to take a……

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