Group items tagged

In August 2007, as part of his installment at the Bienarte 2007 in Managua, Nicaragua, Costa Rican artist Guillermo Habacuc Vargas tied up a stray dog, Natividad, and left it without food or water in the exhibition hall for the duration of the event. Allegedly, the dog later died. Vargas alternatively defended his actions by claiming that the dog would have died anyway, and later that the dog did not die at all. Since the event, several petitions have circulated the Internet, in both English and Spanish, condemning Vargas and urging that the artist be banned from Bienarte 2008.

A starving, sick street dog was as part of an exposition in Managua, Nicaragua, in August.  Guillermo Vargas Habacuc found the dog tied up on a street corner in a poor Nicaragua barrio. Guillermo Vargas Habacuc then paid children to catch the dog.  Guillermo Vargas Habacuc then brought it to the 'showing'. The dog was not given food or water and died the dog in a corner of the salon where it died the following day. 

Whether it's a frisky kitten or a tubby tabby, a cat at home could cut your heart attack risk by almost a third, a new study suggests. The finding, from a 10-year study of more than 4,300 Americans, suggests that the stress relief pets provide humans is heart-healthy.

Cat owners "appeared to have a lower rate of dying from heart attacks" over 10 years of follow-up compared to feline-free folk, Qureshi said.

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America. Historians have also recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America, including British colonists in Berkeley Plantation, Virginia. At this site near the Charles River in December of 1619, a group of British settlers led by Captain John Woodlief knelt in prayer and pledged "Thanksgiving" to God for their healthy arrival after a long voyage across the Atlantic. This event has been acknowledged by some scholars and writers as the official first Thanksgiving among European settlers on record. Whether at Plymouth, Berkeley Plantation, or throughout the Americas, celebrations of thanks have held great meaning and importance over time. The legacy of thanks, and particularly of the feast, have survived the centuries as people throughout the United States gather family, friends, and enormous amounts of food for their yearly Thanksgiving meal.

The history of Thanksgiving goes much further back than Plymouth and 1621. In fact, people across the world from every culture have been celebrating and giving thanks for thousands of years. In this country, long before English colonists arrived, Native People celebrated many different days of thanksgiving. “Strawberry Thanksgiving” and “Green Corn Thanksgiving” are just two of kinds of celebrations for the Wampanoag and other Native People. In 1621, the English colonists at Plymouth (some people call them “Pilgrims” today) had a three-day feast to celebrate their first harvest. More than 90 native Wampanoag People joined the 50 English colonists in the festivities. Historians don­t know for sure why the Wampanoag joined the gathering or what activities went on for those three days. Form the one short paragraph that was written about the celebration at the time, we know that they ate, drank, and played games. Back in England, English people celebrated the harvest by feasting and playing games in much the same way. The English did not call the 1621 event a “thanksgiving.” A day of “thanksgiving” was very different for the colonists. It was a day of prayer to thank God when something really good happened. The English actually had their first thanksgiving in the summer of 1623. On this day they gave thanks for the rain that ended a long drought.

THE second order of mammals includes the Bats, or Chiroptera, literally hand-winged animals

As in the Primates, in which order the Bats were formerly included, there are four kinds of teeth, incisors, canines, premolars, and molars, the milk-set being followed by the permanent.

The word koala comes from Dharuk gula. Although the vowel /u/ was originally written in the Latin alphabet as "oo" (in spellings such as coola or koolah), it was changed to "oa" possibly due to an error.[3] The word is erroneously said to mean "doesn't drink"

The scientific name of the Koala's genus, Phascolarctos, is derived from Greek phaskolos "pouch" and arktos "bear". Its species name, cinereus, is Latin and means "ash-coloured"

Though it sounds like a classroom assignment from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, weather modification programs have been around for more than 50 years.

The problem is there are too many factors that affect the weather, making naturally occurring phenomena difficult to separate from man-made triggers.

"There was no strong scientific base for changing the weather."

Virtually overnight, Chongqing has become the largest city not only in China but in the world. Territory to the north and west has been annexed, so that the population now encompasses 13.89 million people.[*]

Chongqing, as a result, is a swirling cauldron of noise and smoke as buzzing motorbikes and overloaded buses strain to climb its steep hills.

economic laboratory

often quite large, or at least bulky, with sharp teeth and claws.

fine piece of engineering and craftsmanship.

smooth rides.

makes a statement about its owner,

More than a mere biological oddity, the discovery adds weight to Oremland's theory that the bacteria's ability evolved billions of years ago, when the first life was just getting started on Earth. At the time, the planet's oceans were devoid of oxygen, but hydrothermal vents spewed elements such as sulfur, iron and arsenic into the water column.

In this ancient stew, arsenic may have been an important nutrient to life. The life forms would have used whatever they could to survive these noxious waters, and sunlight and arsenic were probably plentiful.

Poison or Fuel?

Even small doses provoked large discharges of coral mucous -- a clear sign of environmental stress -- within 18 to 48 hours. Within 96 hours complete bleaching of corals had occurred.

Pesticides, hydrocarbons and other contaminants have also been found to induce algae or coral to release viruses, hastening the bleaching process.

An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen are released annually in reef areas, with 25 percent of the sunscreen ingredients on skin released into water over the course of a 20-minute submersion.

Juanita Bermúdez, the director of the Códice Gallery, stated that the animal was fed regularly and was only tied up for three hours on one day before it escaped.[6][7] Vargas himself refused to comment on the fate of the dog,[7][5] but noted that no one tried to free the dog, give it food, call the police, or do anything for the dog.[5] Vargas stated that the exhibit and the surrounding controversy highlight people's hypocrisy because no one cares about a dog that starves to death in the street.[5] In an interview with El Tiempo, Vargas explained that he was inspired by the death of Natividad Canda, an indigent Nicaraguan addict, who was killed by two Rottweilers in Cartago Province, Costa Rica, while being filmed by the news media in the presence of police, firefighters, and security guards.[10] Upon conducting a probe, the Humane Society of the United States was informed that the dog was in a state of starvation when it was captured and escaped after one day of captivity; however, the organization also categorically condemned "the use of live animals in exhibits such as this." [11] The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) also investigated the exhibit.[8] WSPA found the information regarding the issue to be "inconsistent" and met with sponsors of the Honduras Bienal to ensure that no animals would be abused at the 2008 exhibition in that country. [8]

Back in October 2007 Costa Rican artist Guillermo 'Habacuc' Vargas "paid some children to chase and catch a stray dog, after which he chained up the poor animal in a gallery, telling the viewing public not to feed or water it". Allegedly bowls of water and food were placed near the dog but alas, both items were just out of the its reach. On the wall above the dog the phrase "Eres Lo Que Lees" (translates as "You Are What You Read") was written in dog biscuits. The outcome of the exhibition was that "the dog slowly starved to death and eventually died in the gallery in view of everyone".

The round-Snouted head and neck are usually darker than he body (glossy black in winter, dark brown in summer). The eye is of average size with a blackish brown iris.

The back, sides and tail may be buff-grey to greyish brown, buff-brown, brown or reddish dark brown

shelters in rat burrows

Hong Kong has one of the highest population densities in the world—more than 6,350 persons per km2 (more than 16,400 per mi2). Roughly 98% of the population of 6,940,432 (2006 est.) are Chinese; the majority of them have their family origins in Guangdong province. There are also significant numbers of Europeans and Americans, Filipinos (mostly domestic servants), and Indians and Pakistanis. About 60,000 Hong Kong residents emigrate each year, mainly to North America or Australia. This outflow is more than counterbalanced by legal and illegal immigration from China.

The leading religious affiliations among the Chinese are Buddhism, Daoism (Taoism), and traditional sects, followed by Christianity and Islam. English and Chinese are the languages of government. The Cantonese dialect is the usual medium of communication, although Mandarin has been promoted since the reversion to Chinese sovereignty.

Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am)

reasoning and problem solving

deductive, inductive or abductive

he brain is composed of: A.         The cerebrum, which is divided into two cerebral hemispheres. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and is divided into lobes where discrete functions occur. Higher reasoning takes place in the cerebrum. B.         The cerebellum, or little brain, located beneath the cerebrum. The cerebellum controls coordination and balance. C.         The brain stem, which is the lowest portion of the brain and connects to the spinal cord, controls involuntary functions essential for life, such as the beating of the heart and breathing. D.         The meninges, membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. There are three meninges.

USAThe United States has some of the best snowboarding in the world. With Colorado, Wyoming, California and Utah in the west and Vermont in the east home to great resorts that cater to snowboarders. Resorts famous for their snowboarding include Crested Butte in Colorado, Vail in Colorado and Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley and Heavenly Valley in California. California abounds with a vast selection of snowboarding options. Sugar Bowl and Kirkwood are also favorites among California snowboarders.

CanadaSome of the very best snowboarding in the entire world is in Canada, with a great amount of resorts from the east to the west. Whistler/Blackcomb is the premier destination for snowboarders in Canada, but you can't overlook the smaller resorts including Silver Star, Apex, BigWhite, Whitewater and Sunpeaks. You also can't forget Banff, with some of the most beautiful and majestic scenery anywhere and their resorts like Lake Louise.

JapanJapan? Great for snowboarding? Yes. As well as skiing. People forget that Japan has many mountains and cold areas since the country is very long and reaches quite far north. In fact, Japan has over 600 ski and snowboarding resorts! A little ways from Tokyo, you'll find some nice resorts, but they tend to be more crowded and expensive due to their popularity with Tokyo residents. To experience Japanese snowboarding at its best, you'll want to travel away from Tokyo. Around Japan's 600+ resorts, you'll find everything from ultra modern and high tech resorts to traditional resorts to small time, family run resorts. You can't forget Nagano, also not too far from Tokyo and home to the 1998 Winter Olympics.