The hour the earth

The hour the earth went dark: Iconic buildings across the world turn off their lights to highlight climate change

Famous landmarks which normally light up the night sky are being plunged into darkness today to raise the profile of climate change. Sydney's iconic Harbor Bridge and Opera House were among the first buildings around the world to begin the blackout.  Later on Washington's National Cathedral, London's Clock Tower, the Great Wall of China and Tokyo Tower will also be dimmed at 8.30pm local time. Central Sydney icons have been taking part in the annual event since Earth Hour began as a Sydney-only event in 2007. Australia is among the first countries to hit the light switches each year. In New Zealand, Sky Tower in Auckland and parliament buildings in Wellington switched off two hours earlier. The small island nation of Samoa was the first to switch off the lights.  The Faleolo International Airport went dark as the community came together to launch a number of local green activities for the year ahead. People in Fiji also switched off their lights where possible despite the devastating floods. WWF, the Washington-based environmental group that organises the event, said the number of countries and territories participating had grown from 135 last year to 147 this year. Organizers say businesses and residents in 6,400 towns and cities are taking part. Libya, Algeria, Bhutan and French Guinea are among those participating for the first time. WWF official Dermot O'Gorman said: 'Earth Hour 2012 is a celebration of people power; the world's largest mass event in support of the planet.' UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon said: 'Turning off our lights is a symbol of our commitment to sustainable energy for all. 'We need to fuel our future with clean, efficient and affordable energy. By acting together today, we can power a brighter tomorrow.'

بالصـــور... ساعة الأرض ... من حول العالم

ساعة الأرض هو حدث سنوي يشارك فيه العالم بأسره بإطفاء الأنوار والأجهزة الكهربائية في الثامنة والنصف مساء لمدة ساعة، والهدف من ذلك هو رفع الوعي العام بخطر التغييرات المناخية التي يتسبب فيها الإنسان. صحيح أن إطفاء الكهرباء لمدة ساعة قد لا يبدو مهماً للكثيرين، لكنها وسيلة للفت الانتباه إلى مشكلة الانبعاثات الحرارية التي تتسبب فيها المدن، فهل تعلم أن نصف سكان الأرض يعيشون في المدن؟ وأن هذه المدن هي مصدر 70% من انبعاثات الكربون على كوكب الأرض يقوم الصندوق العالمي للطبيعة WWF بتنظيم هذا الحدث كل عام، واكتسب الحدث نجاحاً متزايداً منذ شارك فيه 2.2 مليون من سكان مدينة سيدني في 2007، حتى وصل نجاحه العام الماضي إلى مشاركة 5,251 مدينة في 135 دولة بعدد سكان قُدّر بـ1.8 مليار نسمة

World's Biggest ballerina

What a swinger... Flexi-gran steals the show at gymnastics champs and she's 86-years-old

Meet Johanna Quaas, the lycra-donning granny whose muscular physique puts Madonna to shame. At 86 Quass, of Halle, Saxony, would be forgiven for wanting to put her feet up, which she does - over her head that is. And her gymnastic prowess is not the only trophy in her cabinet, she was once a member of the East German handball champion team, too. The octogenarian showed off her skills at the 2012 Cottbus World Cup in Germany, where she wowed the crowd with her moves, performing an impressive parallel bar and floor demonstration. Ultra flexible Quaas was a late starter, beginning her gymnastics training at the age of 30. But that hasn't held her back. More than fifty years on she still steals the show from her younger rivals, as a multiple time senior champion of artistic gymnastics in Germany.  As she performs routines with the balance, strength and flexibility of a 20-year-old, this geriatric granny could easily be a quarter of her age - were it not for her tell-tale curly bob of snow-white hair and specs balanced on her nose.

Man Eat Hot Coal

Who Needs an Education When You Can Eat Hot Coal

People will eat the weirdest things. In the past we’ve featured strange eating habits like munching on bars of soap, gobbling handfuls of sand and eating sponges, but Ambuli Abu, from Coimbatore, India, is the only man I know of who can actually eat red-hot coal. I’ve seen people consume some of the hottest foods on Earth, but none can even hold a candle to Ambuli Abu, an Indian man who likes his food right out of the fire. The school drop-out has been making a name for himself by eating hot coal and light bulbs. It’s not the career everyone dreams of, but for Abu, this was apparently the best way to achieve his goal of setting a world record. In a video interview, the fire eater says he is aware that his mouth and stomach must be suffering as a result of his eating hot embers, and admits that it does cause him pain, but he tries to keep his heart strong in order to fulfill his dream of becoming a record setter. He adds that just the fact that he can do thins other cannot, keeps him going.

sculptures out of SALT

The artist with a real thirst for his work : He builds giant sculptures out of SALT

If art is a matter of taste, then Motoi Yamamoto must be a truly seasoned professional, creating incredible sculptures and intricate mazes entirely out of salt.  An exhibition of the Japanese artist's work is currently showing at the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Kanagawa, Japan, where it is causing quite a stir. The story behind Yamamoto's unusual technique is sad and tragic. He was a third-year student at the Kanazawa College of Art in 1996 when his younger sister died aged 24, two years after being diagnosed with brain cancer. To both ease his grief and honour her memory, Yamamoto started working on a series of salt Salt has a special place in the death rituals of Japan, often being handed out to people at the end of a funeral so they can sprinkle it on themselves to ward off evil.  Yamamoto creates the amazing floor installations by filling a plastic bottle, usually used for machine oil, with white salt and then painstakingly sprinkling it on the floor. He said: 'Drawing a labyrinth with salt is like following a trace of my memory. Memories seem to change and vanish as time goes by.  'However, what I seek is the way in which I can touch a precious moment in my memories that cannot be attained through pictures or writings.  'I always silently follow the trace, that is controlled as well as uncontrolled from the start point after I have completed it.' At the end of an exhibition Yamamoto always requests that the salt is returned to the ocean to make its journey come full circle.

Permoveh Personal Vehicle Prototype

Permoveh personal vehicle prototype can travel sideways, diagonally (video)

We've seen all sorts of great ideas to assist with personal mobility, and we think this prototype is up there with the rest of them. The Permoveh (from Personal Mobile Vehicle) was developed by Komori Masaharu, an associate professor from Kyoto University. Using a clever wheel-in-wheel system, the buggy can travel diagonally and laterally, with no need for turning space. The idea allows wheelchair users access to places that otherwise might have been too difficult with existing vehicles. Sadly we don't know whether we'll see this in production any time soon, but if you head on over the break, you'll see its creator showing off its moves.

ولا يزال الإبداع الياباني في إستمرار : عربة شخصية صغيرة تتحرك في جميع الاتجاهات

مع تفاقم مشكلة الزحام انصب اهتمام الباحثين في كثير من دول العالم على تطوير عربات شخصية صغيرة، ومنها سنشاهد اليوم مشروعاً مبتكراً من جامعة كيوتو اليابانية , ما تشاهدونها في هذه الصورة هي عربة اسمها بيرموفيه, تتسع لشخص واحد وتسير على 4 عجلات، وتتميز بجانب بساطة تصميمها في أنها تتحرك في كل الاتجاهات! كيف ذلك؟! الفكرة تكمن في مبدأ اسمه “عجلة داخل عجلة”! ,الصور الموضحة أدناه توضح ذلك ,  تسير العربة على 4 عجلات متساوية الحجم, تحوي كل عجلة بَكَرَات صغيرة كما في الصورة، وعند دوران العجلة الخارجية تتحرك العربة للأمام والخلف، أما حين تدور البكرات الصغيرة فتتحرك العربة يميناً ويساراً، وبالجمع بين الاثنين يمكن أن تتحرك العربة قُطرياً! أشتق اسم بيرموفيه Permoveh من Personal Mobility Vehicle (عربة التنقل الشخصية)، وتبلغ سرعة هذا النموذج الأولي حوالي 6 كيلومتر في الساعة بينما بلغت تكلفته 36,000 دولار. ومن المتوقع أن يكون متاحاً في الأسواق خلال 3-5 أعوام.صحيح أن التكلفة كبيرة وسرعتها بطيئة بعض الشيء لكنها خطوة على الطريق، وقد يكون هذا الابتكار مفيداً جداً لذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة في المستقبل. أما بالنسبة للوطن العربي فلا أظن أن الابتكار سيناسبنا (في المدى القريب والمتوسط على الأقل) لأن العائلة لازال لها دور اجتماعي لا يقل عن دور الفرد (على عكس الغرب)، لذا ففكرة العربات الشخصية الصغيرة لفرد واحد لن تكون مناسبةً لنا.

Little Animals

Pictures : Funny Little Animals