Author: Ms. R.

Whatever solitude he sought in the woods of Concord, Massachusetts, writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau was never really alone at Walden Pond. He had plenty of beaked, scaly, and leafy neighbors at the kettle pond—the state’s deepest natural puddle—and he chronicled his encounters with them in Walden: Or, Life in the Woods, his 1854 account of a stint in a humble cabin. Thoreau remarks on the fish—schools of small perch, flashing bronze in the greenish water, as well……

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If savannah is the transitional ecosystem between desert and forest, the city of Kaédi is located in a region where desert and savannah meet. This is the Gorgol region of southern Mauritania. Located just north of the Senegal River, this is one of the few places in Mauritania where agriculture is a possible, but it is a far cry from classifying as a fertile area. Vast arid expanses punctuated by tiny villages dominate the landscape for hundreds of kilometers……

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The steep slopes of Italy‘s volcanic Albano Lake hide a number of archaeological, historical, and natural wonders.  Among these wonders is a nearly inaccessible hermitage: the Romitorio di Sant’Angelo in Lacu. The trail to the site on the Castelli Romani hiking maps is steep and rocky, making the journey challenging. The site is located above a small canyon on the side of the lake opposite the town of Castel Gandolfo and below the Palazzolo nunnery. The earliest record of……

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In this cemetery in Horbury lies an unusual gravestone that tells a story of the life of one of the town’s most celebrated businesses. William Oates Sykes was born into the Sykes sports manufacturers family, after his father William moved to Horbury and bought a saddlery business in 1874.   Moving into the football business, the family’s Zig-Zag branded footballs were used in many leading events, including the FA Cup finals of 1936, 1937, 1939, and 1946. Skyes expanded the……

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When it comes to teamwork, bottlenose dolphins have some pretty sophisticated social sensibilities. They interact with a wide network of individuals and form different kinds of groups. Scientists delving into the nature of this complicated social sphere have looked recently at how individual dolphins choose and recognize members of their most strategic alliances. The research, on a population in Shark Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site off the westernmost point of Australia, shows that when male dolphins need or……

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Build by a wealthy local merchant around 1800, the cave holds an ancient sarcophagus. The exact origin of the sarcophagus is not entirely clear, but it assumed it was the final resting place of a wealthy seafarer from Phoenicia and is more than 2,000 years old. Taking a stroll through the beautiful Christiansen Park and stumbling over this oddly out of place cave will leave visitors awed and pondering how the ancient relic made its way across the seven……

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There are many statues and sculptures dotted around the city of Budapest. Most represent the famous deeds of real people. However, lurking amid lush green lilypads and cowering in the dismal brown waters of a public garden lies a very different sculpture than others found around the city. The statue immortalizes a key scene from a century-old local novel. This little fictional fellow, Ernö Nemecsek, has two statues in the city and even a plaque to commemorate his death…….

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During their long history, the Romans built hundreds of amphitheaters across the large territory they controlled. Today, around 230 of them remain across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Among the ones built in the Balkan Peninsula, the largest was in the ancient city of Dyrrachium, now Durrës, in Albania. The amphitheater in Durrës was built in this flourishing town in the early second century during the reign of Trajan. When filled, it could hold over 20,000 people. The amphitheater was……

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Ahead of its opening in 2013, Trinity Leeds commissioned Scottish artist Andy Scott to make a sculpture as part of its public arts program.  Scott spent 10 months hand-welding small rectangles into the Cleveland packhorse he created, which results in a shimmering effect when you look at the steel sculpture. He wanted to reflect the wool and textile industries that are at the core of the cities industrial heritage, when pack horses were used to carry cloth and other……

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After a long walk up the 100 or so steps at Mount Bonnell, you will find a large open area with a great view where you can see houses next to the river, large hills in the distance and the whole city. The highest natural point in Austin, Texas, it stands 775 feet tall—less a mountain and more a really really tall hill….

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“Giganticus Headicus,” is a giant tiki-style head constructed in 2004 by area artist Gregg Arnold. The statue is 14 feet tall and crafted from cement, chicken wire, and styrofoam. This unique work of art can be found in Antares Point near Kingman, Arizona along Route 66 adjacent to the former Kozy Corner Trailer Park. The main A-frame building where the head sits was originally a location for Nickerson Farms, a popular chain of restaurants/gift shops that existed between 1960 to……

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Located atop the Palongsan Mountain near the city of Daegu in South Korea, stands a large statue of Buddha. Statues of this kind are not rare in Asia, but this one stands out thanks to its hat, so much so that it is known as Gatbawi Buddha, meaning Stone Hat Buddha. The granite sculpture is over 13 feet (four meters) tall and wears a wide, six-inch (15 centimeters) thick, flat stone as a hat or a gat, a traditional……

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