There is an endless bounty of eye-catching gemstones throughout the world and this spectacular boulder opal is one unique beauty that looks like a shimmering crystal encased in a tree fossil. Its opalescent sheen seeps through the cracks of the seemingly wooden rings in lustrous hues of emerald green and aqua blue. Like something out of a fairy tale, the triangular piece radiates through an organic pattern mimicking the growth rings of tree.

Neon sea creatures have been captured lighting up the ocean with their vibrant colors – in what looked like a scene from Avatar. Photographer Simon Pierce, 39, took the images over several months after visiting both Nosy Sakatia in Madagascar and Mafia Island in Tanzania recently. (Photo by Simon Pierce/Caters News Agency)

“Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor white farmers in the Southern United States. It is similar in meaning to cracker (especially regarding Georgia and Alabama), hillbilly (especially regarding Appalachia and the Ozarks), and white trash (but without the last term's suggestions of immorality).

The Redneck Games are held in East Dublin, Georgia annually. The games were started by General Manager for WQZY-FM «Y96»; Mac Davis in response to a comment made by the media; that when the 1996 Olympic Games went to Atlanta, it would be held by a group of rednecks”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Barbara “Redneck Queen” Bailey shows the crowd the proper way to do the Bellyflop during the 13th Annual Summer Redneck Games July 11, 2009 in East Dublin, Georgia. Bailey won the event several year running in the 1990s. (Photo by Stephen Morton/Getty Images)

The Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian recently installed a new CT scanner in their radiology testing room, but what separates the machine from others of its kind is that it is designed in the likeness of a pirate ship. Being that the facility is designated for medical testing on children, the hospital opted for a playful piece of equipment when it came time to replace their old medical apparatus.

A buffalo was on the verge of becoming dinner for a pride of lions… before his best friend stepped in. Usually, this kind of scene in South Africa ends with a tasty buffalo steak for the lions, but not this time. Just when an attacking lion thought he had the upper-hand, he got a bit of a (hilarious) surprise.

French sculptor Pierre Matter was born in 1964. “A mystical child, then a tormented teenager, he studied mathematics half-heartedly. It was only logical that he headed naturally, though initially in an erratic manner, for the mysterious universe of artistic creation. His slow progression in this field led him to try out many kinds of expression and material, from oil to gouache to ink, from comic strips to canvas, and also bas-relief in stone.”