[photos] WEIRD wallpaper for your desktop

These totally fall in the ‘weird’ category …

Find lots more here - Source

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Get these beauties here - Source

Two xmas-related photos for your desktop

 

(8) Strange funeral customs

Eaten by Vultures

The ancient Zoroastrians believed life was a constant battle between light and dark, good and evil. Their duty was to preserve the natural balance until, as with all eschataological beliefs, the world would end and a new better world would be born in which true believers would live forever in spiritual delight.

However, in the boring material world people die and need to be disposed of. How to do this without upsetting the elements? Well the Zoroastrian way, which still exists in parts of Iran and India, is to perch the naked body onto a ‘dokhma’ (a stone tower) and let it be eaten by vultures. No waste, you see. Apparently in recent years a lack of vultures in India has made this process more difficult.

A very similar custom called sky burial was practised by Buddhists in Tibet who believe the body is nothing more than flesh after death.

Hanging Coffins

In certain regions in China and the Philippines it won’t be just birds you find nesting on cliff faces. Because the ancient tradition of coffin hanging amongst some groups, primarily the Bo people in China, in Sagada on Luzon Island in the Philippines and amongst the Sa’da Toraja people of Indonesia ensured some of the best spots for the deceased. The coffins were lowered down on ropes and fixed between wooden stakes. The practice does not exist today but the coffins are still there with their beautiful sea views.

Eating the Ashes

The Yanomami tribe of the Amazon do not believe in death. Or at least they do not believe in death as a natural state. They believe all death is inflicted from a hostile source, an evil spirit, a shaman of another tribe. To ensure the evil is destroyed the Yanomami cremate the body after death and swallow the ashes, during which there is a lot of screaming and shouting, thumping the earth and singing.

Another form of endocannabalism is practised by the Amahuaca tribe of Peru. They like to crush the bones of their tribe members into a paste, cook and eat. They also take hallucinatory drugs and kill their children. Still if you’re a woman you get to enjoy the company of all your husband’s brothers.

Funeral bundles

In the Andes the Paracas people would shape their dead into the fetal position and wrap them in a bundle with gifts, clothing, food and gold. The funeral bundle was then moved to a nearby burial site, often in a cave and marked with a pole or a cane.

Exploding Ashes

The great thing about ashes is you can scatter them anywhere. Off a cliff, in the sea, on a football pitch, in a computer, even in space. And yes all of these scatterings have happened. To be buried in a computer was the dying wish of one William Alan Watson who is now spending his time inside a SPARCstation. The floppy drive, hard drive and power supply had to be removed to accommodate William but apparently he now rests very peacefully. Condolences were written on Post-it notes and posted through the floppy slot.

One of the first men on Earth to have their ashes exploded in space was Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. In 1997 Gene along with the ashes of writer Timothy Leary and nineteen others were popped into a space capsule and blasted into orbit. Unfortunately after ten years the capsule dropped back to Earth and burnt up in the atmosphere. Still they were ashes not people.

Writer Hunter S Thompson (pictured above) was determined to cause a bang. His final wish after he shot himself through the head was to be the central part of a huge fireworks display. His ashes were exploded from a 150ft cannon during a party at his home in Colorado, all paid for by the actor Johnny Depp. It cost millions apparently.

Novelty Coffins in Ghana

Getting buried in Ghana is fun. Especially if you’re a member of the Ga tribe. The Ga tribe do coffins in a big big way. Basically whatever your job was or your love, interest or hobby is exactly what you are going to be buried in the earth in. So that guy down the road who loved cigarettes and smoked 100 a day and died yesterday at the age of 45 will be buried in a giant cigarette. The man who wore new shoes everyday will enter the ground in a giant shoe. The woman who washed floors is buried in a bucket, the fish man in a fish, the kid who liked coke a Coke bottle. You get the idea? It is simple and it is brilliant and I want to die in Ghana.

The Religions

We need to devote at least three lines to the world’s main religions so here goes:

• Christianity: House, church, coffin, burial, cremation
• Judaism: House, synagogue, burial (as soon as possible after death, same day or next day) seven days of mourning
• Islam: Bathe the body (males wash males, females wash females (except husbands and wives)) ,enshroud body in white sheets (no more than three), funeral prayer, burial, head pointing towards Mecca
• Buddhism: Prayers and cremation
• Hinduism: Funeral before sun goes down on day of death, body laid head pointing south, oil lamp lit next to body and burnt for three days after death, body washed and dressed, body covered with flowers and cremated

Go Green

As the world gets greener so do the funerals. You can now be buried wearing a bio-degradable shroud inside a cardboard or bamboo coffin within an eco-cemetery (a park or natural woodland) with a tree planted on top. No one will know you were ever here.

Source

My first photo inclusion!

I’m feeling kind of good!  I received an email from the Schmap Niagara Falls Guide–my photo is in their online and mobile guide.  I took the picture at the Buttefly Conservatory.

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Hi 1websurfer,I am delighted to let you know that one of your photos with a Creative Commons license has been selected for inclusion in the newly released ninth edition of our Schmap Niagara Falls Guide:Butterfly Conservatory
www.schmap.com/niagarafalls/sights_stamford/p=260923/i=260923_95.jpg

If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this same link will take you directly to your photo in the iPhone version of our guide. On a desktop computer, you can still see exactly how your photo is displayed and credited in the iPhone version of our guide at:

Butterfly Conservatory
www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=niagarafalls&sid=sights_stamford&p=260923&i=260923_95

Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check out the customizable widgetized version of our Schmap Niagara Falls Guide, complete with your published photo:

www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=88016544N00/c=SM20791419

Please enjoy the guide!

Best regards,

Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides
www.schmap.me/ewilliams

 

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Awesome!

Here’s my photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/1websurfer/

Here’s a related :13 video:

[12 photos] Video stills from final video of Princess Diana

Read the details to all these photos here.

[6 photos] “Whisper Boats” are the mode of transportation in this Holland village

How pretty is this village!

All transportation in Giethoorn, Holland (Venice of the Netherlands) is done with a “whisper boat” (an electric powered boat, which hardly makes any noise).  It’s run with two big batteries, which allows seven hours of continuous ‘driving’. In the old part of the village, there were no roads and all transport was done by water.  Now there is a cycling path.

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Have you ever lived or visited there?  Post your experience.

[12 photos] Restored church creates heavenly living quarters

A couple purchased this old church in Kyloe, North Cumberland, England.  They invested lots of money to keep the outside and inside as it was, and restored instead of renovated (3 times more money).

What a heavenly idea!

[photos] 14 Images to help you smile

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Which one gave you the biggest smile?

[photos] Food carvings: Apple butterfly, Banana dolphin, Cauliflower lamb…

I wish I could create things like this…

* * * * *

I know your smiling right now.

Keep it going!

Autistic artist draws New York from memory

Stephen Wiltshire–”The Living Camera”

This astonishing 18ft drawing of the world’s most famous skyline was created by autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire after he spent just 20 minutes in a helicopter gazing at the panorama.

The unbelievably intricate picture was drawn at Brooklyn’s prestigious Pratt Institute from Stephen’s memory, with details of every building sketched in to scale.

Landmarks including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building can be seen towering above smaller buildings after just three days in his spellbinding creation.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223790/Autistic-artist-draws-18ft-picture-New-York-skyline-memory.html#ixzz0VWxlbCeq

[video] A swinging heart

I’m sure someone reading this understands the following explanation…

Video

A 39-year-old woman with a 1-year history of Stage IV melanoma presented with progressive shortness of breath, fatigue, and edema in the legs, which had developed over the course of the previous week. At the time of the melanoma diagnosis, a mediastinal and right supraclavicular mass had been seen without identification of a primary tumor. The patient had been treated with five cycles of biochemotherapy and then with antibodies against cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4. Subsequently, the superior vena cava syndrome and tracheal compression had developed, which had required stenting. The patient had then received radiation therapy. Integrated positron-emission tomography and computed tomography continued to show active and spreading disease. The physical examination revealed hypotension, tachycardia, jugular venous distention, pulsus paradoxus, and distant heart sounds. The blood pressure was 82/64 mm Hg, and the heart rate was 110 beats per minute. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a large pericardial effusion with swinging of the heart (see video) and collapse of the right atrium (RA) and left atrium (LA) in end diastole (Panel A, arrows) and diastolic collapse of the right ventricle (RV) (Panel B, arrows), which was consistent with pericardial tamponade. Pericardiocentesis yielded 1.6 liters of bloody fluid; the fluid was subsequently shown to be a malignant effusion. Swinging of the heart that is due to a large pericardial effusion is responsible for the beat-to-beat shift in the axis, amplitude, and morphology of the QRS interval (electrical alternans) on electrocardiography. In this patient, the condition resulted in a “pseudo” 2:1 atrioventricular-block pattern, with an absent QRS interval after every other P wave (Panel A, arrowheads), despite ventricular contraction on echocardiography. Follow-up echocardiography over the next 2 days showed no reaccumulation of effusion. Paclitaxel was administered, but the patient died within 2 months after the initiation of therapy.

Source

[photos] Staircase to…

Where does this staircase, located at Palace of Congresses in Biel, Switzerland lead to?

Source

 

[crafts/photos] How to make a rose from leaves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(10) Creations from money [photos]

Financial Orgami!  Here are my three favorites:

Money Hats

Money Suits

Money Bears

Click here to see the other seven.

So there, I fixed it…[humor/photos]

These pictures add meaning to the quote, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”  Enjoy!

Source: forwarded in an email

Money DOES grow on trees in Ingleton, North Yorkshire! [photos]

This gives new meaning to the term “financial growth.”

Did your mother ever chastise you with the words ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ in a possibly fruitless attempt to curb your profligate ways? Well, maybe – just maybe – she was wrong. There are places in England where money apparently does just that.

(http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Money_tree.jpg)

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyjakeman/3482999725/)

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackham/240783599/)

The details are found here.

Extensive celebrity portrait gallery [photos]

This website has an extensive list of celebrity portraits.  For example, there is 750+ portraits of Michael Jackson. 

You’ll find celebrity categories such as:

• music
• cinema
• television
• sports
• politics
• supermodels
• fiction
• other

 

Source

(7) Lighthouse Hotels [photos]

Boy, would I love to spend a weekend in one of these lighthouse hotels!  Some are remote and accessible only by helicopter, some have spas, some have in-house light keepers, while others rent the entire island.

In alphabetical order, here are some exterior/interior views and US prices of:

East Brother Light Station – East Brother Island, California [US $400 to $550]

Harlingen Lighthouse – Harlingen, Netherlands [US $400 to $550]

Heceta Head Lighthouse – Yachats, Oregon [US $250 -$400]

Molja Lighthouse – Aalesund, Norway [US $250 -$400]

Saugerties Lighthouse – Saugerties, New York [US $400 to $550]

Svinoey Lighthouse – 6099 Heroy, Norway [US $100 to $250] *accessible only by helicopter

West USK Lighthouse – Newport, UK [US $100 to $250]

To see more pictures of these lighthouses, click here.

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Question: Have you ever spent a night or a weekend in a lighthouse?  If so, describe the experience!

Woman survives impalement [news]

Michelle Childers and her husband, Daniel, were taking a recreational drive on a rural road in Idaho on Sept 5 when a spruce tree crashed through the passenger side window of the vehicle.

The twenty-two-year-old said she then felt a “strange” pressure on her neck and shoulder.

“I asked (my husband) ‘what where is it?’ “she told Fox News.

Her husband, twenty-two- year-old Daniel Childers, told her that the tree limb had impaled her.

The branch was more than an inch in diameter and 18 inches long.

However, Mrs Childers said she felt no pain.

The couple drove to the Lochsa Lodge near the Idaho-Montana border to call for help and was flown by helicopter to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Mont.

Childers said the 13-inch tree limb was removed from her neck during a six-hour surgery.

Doctors discovered that the branch had somehow missed her jugular vein and her windpipe. The branch penetrated its way to the back of her left shoulder.

Source

Have you had a similar experience?

Most complicated rail line

One million dollar coin [photos]

 

Epitaphs of IT professionals

Snapshots of a very troubled soul [photos]

Have you ever prevented someone from visiting your home because it was too ‘messy’?  How did it compare with these pictures?  This apartment in Houston was photographed by a landlord during an inspection…

(4) CREATIVE ads!

And the punch line…

Yoga and alcoholic similarities [humor/photos]

No explanations are necessary; the images say it all…

Unique desktop wallpaper [photos]

Don’t you just love changing your desktop with stunning wallpaper?  Well, I dug out another source.  You’ll find wallpaper in these categories:

• 3D
• Aerial
• Animated (requires membership)
• Creatures
• Flowers
• Fractual
• Landscape
• Macro
• Military
• Photos
• Space
• What’s New

Samples…

Source: Cognitive Distortion

Other related links

* MoodFlow * TheMind’sEye

Don’t take life so seriously [photos]

DANCE

REST

GET RETAIL THERAPY

SLEEP

KISS A LOT

RELAX IN NATURE

HAVE FUN

GIGGLE A LOT

SCREAM AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS

TAKE A BUBBLE BATH

And be happy!

Finger fun [photos]

I just love these!  Bravo to the one behind the hand.

CANOEIST

CONDUCTOR

FOOTBALL PLAYER

GOALKEEPER

PEACOCK

PIANIST

WEIGHT-LIFTER

From an email.

Yikes! Unilateral epistaxis [photo/video]

The things people get lodged in their bodily cavities is astounding!  Watch a video of this thing being removed…

Unilateral Epistaxis

A 44-year-old man presented with a 7-day history of epistaxis on the left side. He reported that he had washed his face in a freshwater stream 7 days before the onset of symptoms. A suspected blood clot was seen in the left middle turbinate on anterior rhinoscopy, although endoscopic examination showed that the possible clot was a living leech. After lidocaine nasal spray was applied to the left nasal cavity, the leech was retrieved with an aspirator (video). The epistaxis subsequently resolved. Although leech infestation is not a common cause of nasal bleeding, it should be considered when an exposure that is consistent with such infestation has occurred.

Source

ER High school yearbook pics [photos]

Here are some high school yearbook pics of the following celebrities from the TV show “ER”: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Gloria Reuben, Jorja Fox, Julianna Marguilies, Noah Wyle, and Sherry Stringfield.

                                            

Source

Celebrity yearbook photos

See the following celebrities in their yearbook pics:

A

America Ferrera (4)
Angelina Jolie (2)
Avril Lavigne (3)
Axl Rose

B

Barak Obama
Benjamin Spock
Benny Hinn
Bill Clinton
Billy Bob Thornton
Bob Dylan (2)
Brad Pitt (3)
Britney Spears
Brooke Shields
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Willis
Buddy Holly

C

Cameron Diaz (2)
Carrie Fisher
Carson Daly
Chad Smith
Chris Daughtery
Christina Aguilera
Clint Eastwood
Clyde Drexler
Courtney Cox

D

Daniel Radcliffe
Dave Mustained
David Letterman
Demi Moore
Don Drysdale
Dustin Hoffman
Dwight D. Eisenhower

E

Edward Norton
Eddie Van Halen
Elvis Presley
Eminem (2)
Enrique Iglesias
Eva Longoria

F

Farah Fawcett
Fred Durst

G

Garry Shandling
Gene Simmons
George Clooney (2)
George Lucas (2)
Gerald Ford
Gwen Stefani

H

Halle Berry (2)
Harrison Ford
Helen Hunt
Hillary Clinton
Hilary Swank
Howard Stern
Hugh Hefner
Hulk Hogan

J

Jack Black
Jack Elam
Jack Nicholson
James Dean
James Hetfield
Jamie Lee Curtis
Janet Jackson
Janis Joplin (2)
Jason Newsted
Jay Leno
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Lopez
Jessica Biel
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Smits
Joey Fatone
John Belushi
John F. Kennedy
Johnny Cash (2)
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Stewart
Julia Roberts
Julianne Moore
Justin Timberlake

K

Karl Rove
Katie Holmes
Keanu Reeves
Kelly Clarkson
Kid Rock
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Hammet
Kobe Bryant
Kurt Cobain (2)
Kurt Vonnegut

L

Lance Bass
Larry Bird
Lars Ulrich
Lauren Graham (2)
Liam Gallagher
Lindsay Lohan
Lisa Marie Presley

M

Madonna
Mariah Carey (2)
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Monroe
Matt Damon
Matthew McConaughey
Meatloaf
Meg Ryan
Michael Douglas
Michael Jordan
Michelle Pfeiffer
Mickey Mantle
Missy Elliot
Monica Lewinsky
Mya

N

Natalie Portman (3)
Neil Armstrong
Nelly Furtado
Nolan Ryan

O

O J Simpson
Oprah Winfrey
Owen Wilson

P

P Diddy
Pamela Anderson (3)
Paris Hilton
Patrick Swayze
Paul Stanley
Paula Abdul (2)
Peter Falk
Pink

R

Renee Zellweger
Richard Nixon
Robert Redford
Rodney Dangerfield
Ronald Reagan

S

Sandra Bullock
Shania Twain
Shaquille O’Neal
Sharon Stone
Shirley Manson
Slash
Snoop Dogg
Stephen King
Steve Allen
Steve Val

T

Tiger Woods
Tina Fey
Tina Turner
Tom Cruise
Tom Hanks
Tom Waits
Toni Morrison
Tony Randall
Traci Lords
Tyra Banks

Source