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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
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
Burning Man Festival

“Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening. The event is described by many participants as an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A fireball billows up from a 52-foot tall wooden man as it goes up in flames September 2, 2000 during the15th annual Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert near Gerlach, Nevada. Despite high winds, dust storms, and a bit of rain, some 27,000 people camped out on a remote desert playa, or dry lake, for the week-long counter-cultural celebration of art and “radical self-expression”. (Photo by David McNew/Newsmakers)
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15 Oct 2011 10:41:00
Labourers pour molten iron into a container at a foundry in Xiangfan, Hubei province in this July 2, 2010 file photo. Iron ore is enjoying its biggest rally in years, outpacing copper and oil so far in 2016, but still weak forward prices show it may be tough to stretch the bullish outlook. Improving steel prices in top market China are helping fuel iron ore's climb as producers gear up for a seasonal uptick in demand. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Labourers pour molten iron into a container at a foundry in Xiangfan, Hubei province in this July 2, 2010 file photo. Iron ore is enjoying its biggest rally in years, outpacing copper and oil so far in 2016, but still weak forward prices show it may be tough to stretch the bullish outlook. Improving steel prices in top market China are helping fuel iron ore's climb as producers gear up for a seasonal uptick in demand. Yet there is no shortage of doubters who see gains in the bulk commodity as fleeting given a large glut and challenges for China's economy. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)
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24 Feb 2016 12:41:00
This picture taken on February 18, 2017 shows a customer holding a crested black macaque in Tomohon market in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Photo by Bay Ismoyo/AFP Photo)

This picture taken on February 18, 2017 shows a customer holding a crested black macaque in Tomohon market in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Authorities and activists are stepping up efforts to persuade villagers on Sulawesi island to stop consuming the critically endangered crested black macaques, one of many exotic creatures that form part of the local indigenous community' s diet. The macaque' s meat is prized by the ethnic Minahasan people, a largely Christian group in the world' s most populous Muslim- majority country, who have no reservation about eating exotic animals, unlike Indonesia' s Islamic communities. (Photo by Bay Ismoyo/AFP Photo)
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04 Apr 2017 10:01:00
Norwegian Trolls By Ivar Rodningen Part 1

Ivar Rodningem is a professional illustrator, whose imaginative mind transports us into a parallel world where trolls roam the lands. These creatures might seem scary at first sight, but in reality they are very docile and friendly, help each other and humans that they happen to meet. One of their characteristic features is of course their large noses and long tails. They are one with the nature, which is why it is almost impossible to see a troll if he doesn’t want to be found. Just like you and I they love having fun, though it is hard thing to do, considering their size.


See also:Part 2
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26 Feb 2015 20:03:00