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“The Ainu (アイヌ?), also called Aynu, Aino (アイノ), and in historical texts Ezo (蝦夷), are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. Most of those who identify themselves as Ainu still live in this same region, though the exact number of living Ainu is unknown. This is due to ethnic issues in Japan resulting in those with Ainu backgrounds hiding their identities and confusion over mixed heritages. In Japan, because of intermarriage over many years with Japanese, the concept of a 'pure Ainu' ethnic group is no longer feasible. Official estimates of the population are of around 25,000, while the unofficial number is upwards of 200,000 people”. – Wkipedia

Photo: A captive bear drinking from a large bottle held by an Ainu tribeswoman. (Photo by Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images). Circa 1955
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24 Mar 2011 14:01:00


“The red panda (Ailurus fulgens, or shining-cat), is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs. It feeds mainly on bamboo, but is omnivorous and may also eat eggs, birds, insects, and small mammals. It is a solitary animal, mainly active from dusk to dawn, and is largely sedentary during the day”. – Wikipedia

Photo: In this handout image provided by Taronga Zoo, Seba, a baby Red Panda, explores his new home at Taronga Zoo on April 7, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. The Red Panda cub was born at Christmas and is the 45th to be born at the zoo since 1977. (Photo by Peter Hardin/Taronga Zoo via Getty Images)
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07 Apr 2011 08:51:00


“The technology was designed to address the risk associated with head-on or nearly head-on motorcycle collisions, which account for a large percentage of motorcycle crashes. The airbag was designed to deploy during a severe frontal collision in which a rider could be thrown forward from the motorcycle. Once deployed, the airbag stands upright in front of the rider to help absorb the rider’s kinetic energy prior to leaving the motorcycle”. – Ohio.Honda.com

Photo: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.'s world's first production motorcycle airbag system is introduced at a press conference at Honda's HQ on September 8, 2005 in Tokyo, Japan. The motorcycle airbag system to be installed to lessen the injuries of the rider is comprised of the airbag module that include the airbag and the inflator, crash sensors that monitor acceleration changes and an ECU that performs calculation to determine when a collision is occuring. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)
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20 Jun 2011 14:29:00
A new LED light fixture is secured to the side of a lift as crews replace existing street lights

A new LED light fixture is secured to the side of a lift as crews replace existing street lights August 1, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The new energy-efficient fixtures are expected to reduce the city's annual electricity use by eight million kilowatt hours, saving about USD 400,000. The city estimates the LEDs will last about 15 years, nine years longer than the current lights. Funding for the project comes from federal energy conservation bonds and an American Recovery & Reinvestment Act grant. The city plans to replace all of its 50,000 streetlights after more funding is secured. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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02 Aug 2011 14:27:00
Kew Gardens employee Lauren Bird Royal examines the flowering of the Titan Arum lily at the Botanical Gardens

“The titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum (from Ancient Greek amorphos, “without form, misshapen” + phallos, “phallus”, and titan, “giant”) is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. The titan arum's inflorescence is not as large as that of the Talipot palm, Corypha umbraculifera, but the inflorescence of the Talipot palm is branched rather than unbranched”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Kew Gardens employee Lauren Bird Royal examines the flowering of the Titan Arum lily at the Botanical Gardens at Kew on September 30, 2005 in London, England. For the first time in horticultural history, the Titan Arum lily can be seen at all three active stages in its lifecycle – in flower, fruit and leaf.The flowering corm is nearly three metres tall and weighs 91kg and is very rarely seen outside of the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
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20 Sep 2011 11:13:00
A 'Double Eagle' gold twenty dollar coin

“A Double Eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. (Its gold content of 0.9675 troy oz was worth $20 at the then official price of $20.67/oz). The coins are made from a 90% gold (0.900 fine = 21.6 kt) and 10% copper alloy”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A “Double Eagle” gold twenty dollar coin is displayed above a catalogue picture showing the reverse side of the coin at Goldsmith's Hall on March 2, 2012 in London, England. Nearly half a million of these coins were originally minted in the midst of the Great Depression in the US. Only 13 are known today after the rest were melted down before they ever left the US Mint, sacrificed as part of a strategy to stabalise the American economy. In 2002 a Double Eagle sold at auction for $7.6 million. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
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03 Mar 2012 10:37:00
A leader “Rolli” of a yodel group “Schuppel” runs in the snow in front of a farmstead during the “Silvesterchlausen” in the early morning in Urnaesch in the Swiss canton Appenzell Ausserroden on January 13, 2017. The “Silvesterchlausen” is a tradition of the Swiss canton Appenzell, where colorfull characters organized in groups called “Schuppel”, chase out the old year and welcome the new one. They run all day long from farmstead to farmstead, gather together to sing a jodel and great the farmers. A “Schuppel” consists of some “Schelli” and two “Rolli”, sometimes with female dresses and nice scenes over the head, despite the dress all participants are males. The Silversterchlausen run twice a year, first for the new Silvester on December 31, and then again on January 13, for the old Silvester following the Julian calendar. (Photo by Michael Buholzer/AFP Photo)

A leader “Rolli” of a yodel group “Schuppel” runs in the snow in front of a farmstead during the “Silvesterchlausen” in the early morning in Urnaesch in the Swiss canton Appenzell Ausserroden on January 13, 2017. (Photo by Michael Buholzer/AFP Photo)
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14 Jan 2017 12:41:00
A witch doctor prepares an offering for the inauguration of the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Defense of Life, prior to the World Climate Change Conference, in Tiquipaya, Bolivia, October 10, 2015. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

A witch doctor prepares an offering for the inauguration of the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Defense of Life, prior to the World Climate Change Conference, in Tiquipaya, Bolivia, October 10, 2015. Almost 150 nations, including major emitters led by China and the United States, have submitted plans to the United Nations for curbing greenhouse gas emissions blamed by the U.N. for causing more floods, droughts and heat waves. France will host the conference in Le Bourget, near Paris, from November 30 to December 11, 2015. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)
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14 Oct 2015 08:00:00