March, 2012 Archives

44 Fantastic Photos of Beautiful Cherry Blossom & Kite Festival in DC

March 29th, 2012 Permalink

Ah beautiful cherry blossoms, kites and love is in the Spring air. It’s that time again for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. It would be a great time to see DC since there is also a Blossom Kite Festival, previously called the Smithsonian Kite Festival. An estimated 1 million people will come to witness the events while the cherry blossoms are blooming. With the cost of gas astronomical, here are 44 fantastic photos, a tour for those of you who won’t be able to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival and Blossom Kite Festival this weekend. [44 Photos]

Cherry Blossom Festival time -- Squirrel nibbling on cherry blossoms

Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C.: A squirrel nibbling on cherry blossoms. The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., commemorates the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Ozaki of Tokyo City to DC. Photo #1 by © Fumiko Yarita via National Geographic Wallpaper

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Illegal Tour: Abandoned Amusement Park Nara Dreamland [65 PICS]

March 25th, 2012 Permalink

In Japan, an amusement park ripping off Disneyland and Coney Island opened in 1961. By 2006, the theme park closed, it was all but a ghost town. The fun part exists due to Nara Dreamland being left abandoned but not demolished. Enter urban explorers armed with cameras and exploring the Japanese ruins, or haikyo. They took all the danger and adrenaline rush to bring us on an illegal tour via their awesome captures. Yes there is security. Yes it is illegal. Yes it is an abandoned amusement park. We love these pics! [65 Photos]

Japanese knockoff of Disneyland -- Have a beer at abandoned Nara Dreamland

Built in 1961, this Japanese theme park was a Disneyland knockoff. Visitors had all but stopped coming by 2006, so the amusement park was closed. It was not demolished and became a playground for urban explorer photographers. Have a beer and enjoy this photo tour of abandoned Nara Dreamland. Photo #1 by © Bram Dauw

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37 Out-of-this-World Photos: Earth from Above

March 22nd, 2012 Permalink

Aerial photography can give us awesome perspectives, but when we zoom out and then observe the Big Blue Marble from high above, such as the breathtaking views of Earth from the ISS, it’s an eye-opening experience for most of us. Internationally, many countries have satellites and spacecrafts with their unblinking eyes focused on the Earth. These amazing photos offer us a unique window overlooking our world; viewing the Earth from above offers a stunning opportunity to see our wonderful planet in out-of-our-world ways that most humans will never experience in their lifetime. [37 Photos]

Aurora Australis and Daybreak

Aurora Australis and Daybreak. The Aurora Australis, seen at right on Earth’s horizon, and daybreak (left) highlight this ‘busy’ photograph taken by one of the Expedition 30 crew members aboard the International Space Station. Photo #1 by NASA

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Ruggedly Beautiful Na Pali Coast: Tropical Paradise for Adventurers [43 PICS]

March 11th, 2012 Permalink

Anyone else thinking, come on Spring, I wanna go out and play in nature? The tropical beauty of Na Pali along the shore of Kauai, Hawaii, and the rugged coastline could give adventure seekers a case of spring fever all year round. Na Pali means “the Cliffs” and those characteristic sheer cliffs which drop 4,000 feet (1200 m) straight down into the ocean make much of Na Pali Coast inaccessible by car. Nā Pali Coast State Park has 6,175 acres and stretches for 16 rugged miles along the northwest side of Kauaʻi paradise. Honopū Valley has been made iconic from movies filmed on Na Pali. Are you tired of winter too? We love these gorgeous pictures which gave us a serious case of Spring Fever. Enjoy! [43 Photos]

Kauai paradise, Na Pali Coast

Kauai paradise, Na Pali Coast. Seen here is the iconic landmark Honopū Valley which is within Nā Pali Coast State Park along the northwest shore of Kauai , Hawaii. It’s known for its distinctive 90 feet (27 m) tall natural arch which is the tallest in Hawaii. Photo #1 by Walt K

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Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Beautiful Wolf? (56 Pics)

March 9th, 2012 Permalink

Fear of the wolf –the predator–is woven into folklore, fairy tales, mythology, music, and art to depict wolves as villains. From the Brothers Grimm to present-day sci fi, wolves are infamous for gobbling up people, for huffing and puffing and blowing down houses, and for one of the most famous storybook scenes when the big bad wolf said to Little Red Riding Hood, “Ah the better to see you with, my dear. The better to hear you with, my dear. The better to eat you with, my dear.” But the big bad wolf reputation is totally undeserved as wolves rarely attack humans. Yet untold scores of wolves have been ruthlessly hunted, shot, poisoned or trapped because of how much humans fear these fascinating and beautiful animals. At one point, wolves had been hunted to near extinction. Now their numbers have rebounded due to conservation. Did you know that wolves don’t truly bark or howl at the moon, or that you have a better chance of being struck by lightning that being attacked by a wolf? [56 Photos]

Fighting wolves

Wolves have long been feared, made infamous by the Brothers Grimm in fairy tales, Aesop’s Fables, and legends aplenty from ancient times. But for all their spine-tingling howls, wolves almost never attack humans. Photo #1 by Tambako the Jaguar

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