Sensational Drone Footage of Sheep being Herded in New Zealand

The majesty of nature has been captured via drone footage once again thanks to an aerial photographer in New Zealand.

Tim Whittaker managed to film hundreds of sheep being herded in a field from a perspective that leaves the animals resembling a school of fish or a flock of birds.

The breathtaking film also shows the subtle ways in which their direction can shift due to outside forces such as herding dogs.

To an on-the-ground observer, the movement of the mass of sheep may seem chaotic, but the maneuvers of the animals are revealed to remarkably harmonious when seen from above.

 

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Eerie looking night flock.

The Chinese government has issued a new directive banning “bizarre architecture”

The Chinese government has issued a new directive banning “bizarre architecture”, and criticising some of the “oversized, xenocentric, weird” buildings in the country.

China has seen a number of architectural gems springing up in recent years, including one building shaped like a teapot and another that has been likened to a pair of trousers.

Under the new directive, buildings are to be “economical, functional, aesthetically pleasing” and “environmentally friendly”.

Here is a selection of the more adventurous buildings that have been developed.

 

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The Guangzhou Circle was designed by Italian architect Joseph di Pasquale and opened in 2013. It is the world’s tallest circle-shaped building at 138m and stands on the banks of the Pearl River.

 

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This teapot-shaped building in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, has perhaps the most outlandish design. It was originally designed as a sales office and now includes an exhibition centre.

 

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copyright Prisma Bildagentur AG / Alamy Image caption The headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) was named the Best Tall Building Worldwide from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in 2013, yet some have called it “big pants” due to its resemblance to a pair of trousers.

 

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The Phoenix Towers in Wuhan are to be one kilometre tall and are scheduled to be completed in the next couple of years. Their exteriors will be covered in solar panels.

 

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The Gate of the Orient was completed in 2014 in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Like the CCTV building, it too has been compared to a pair of trousers.

 

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The Sunrise East Kempinski Hotel is set near the Yanqi Lake in the Huairou District of Beijing.

 

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Another dramatic looking hotel is the Sheraton Hot Spring Resort on Taihu Lake, Huzhou, which comes complete with rubber ducks.

 

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This Inner Mongolian city of Ordos is known as a ghost town due to the low population level, yet it boasts two architectural gems, the City Library (left) and the Ordos Museum.

Peace Train

Now I’ve been happy lately
Thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be
Something good has begun
Oh, I’ve been smiling lately
Dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be
Someday it’s going to come

‘Cause I’m on the edge of darkness
There ride the Peace Train
Oh, Peace Train take this country
Come take me home again

Now I’ve been smiling lately,
Thinkin’ about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
Something good has begun

Oh Peace Train sounding louder
Glide on the Peace Train
Come on now Peace Train
Yes, Peace Train holy roller

Everyone jump upon the Peace Train
Come on now, Peace Train

Get your bags together,
Go bring your good friends, too
‘Cause it’s getting nearer,
It soon will be with you

Now come and join the living,
It’s not so far from you
And it’s getting nearer,
Soon it will all be true

Oh Peace Train sounding louder
Glide on the Peace Train
Come on now Peace Train
Peace Train

Now I’ve been crying lately,
Thinkin’ about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating,
Why can’t we live in bliss

‘Cause out on the edge of darkness,
There rides a Peace Train
Oh Peace Train take this country,
Come take me home again

Oh Peace Train sounding louder
Glide on the Peace Train
Come on now, Peace Train
Yes, Peace Train holy roller

Everyone jump upon the Peace Train
Come on, come on, come on
Yes, come on, peace train
Yes, it’s the peace train

Come on now, peace train
Oh, peace train

Willie Nelson and his Adoration of Cannabis

Marijuana enthusiasts around the world have been shocked by the news that Willie Nelson no longer smokes cannabis. Cue the “Has hell frozen over?” jokes.

But the Grammy award-winning musician’s son, Lukas Nelson, has taken to social media to clear the air and provide a little cannabis clarity.

While the Country Music Hall of Famer recently told a local television station that he doesn’t smoke marijuana anymore for health reasons, his son clarified that he does still consume cannabis. Just not by smoking it.

On Tuesday, Lukas Nelson tweeted: “There is a lot of articles going around saying my father is no longer smoking weed. It’s almost 2020, how people ingest cannabis has changed.”

“Between vaping, edibles, gummies, drops, etc. I think it’s safe to say Willie will never stop enjoying Mary Jane!” he said.

The comment behind the cannabis controversy happened late last month, when the elder Nelson told local San Antonio news station KSAT that breathing “is a little more difficult these days and I have to be careful” and that “I’ve abused my lungs quite a bit in the past” so he was putting down the joint.

Willie’s house a couple years ago

Mandarin Duck

The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm (26–30 in) wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck, the only other member of the genus Aix. Aix is an Ancient Greek word which was used by Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird, and galericulata is the Latin for a wig, derived from galerum, a cap or bonnet.

The species was once widespread in East Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest habitat have reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs. The Asian populations are migratory, overwintering in lowland eastern China and southern Japan.

Specimens frequently escape from collections, and in the 20th century, a large, feral population was established in Great Britain; more recently, small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks of Dublin. Now, about 7,000 are in Britain with other populations on the European continent, the largest of which is in the region of Berlin. Isolated populations exist in the United States. The town of Black Mountain, North Carolina, has a limited population, and a free-flying feral population of several hundred mandarins exist in Sonoma County, California. This population is the result of several ducks escaping from captivity, then reproducing in the wild. In 2018, a single bird, dubbed Mandarin Patinkin, was seen in New York City’s Central Park.

Male left and female

The First Ever Miss Universe Contest, 1952

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Armi Kuusela from Finland was the first winner of the event. She was 17 at the time. She was awarded a box of chocolates, a gold bangle and a return ticket on Pan American Airways.

 

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The contest was held on 28 June 1952 in Long Beach, California, USA.

 

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Miss United Kingdom, Aileen P. Chase, who was a runner up in Miss World the previous year didn’t even make it into the semi finals.

 

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Miss Hawaii, Miss Greece, Miss Hong Kong and Miss Germany were all runners up.

 

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Rare and Unique Historical Photos

 

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Union and Confederate Veterans in 1913. 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

 

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Queen Elizabeth and Marilyn Monroe 1956.  They are both 30 years old.

 

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Arnie in 1963 when he was 16 years old.

 

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1970 Queen Elizabeth rides by a guard who passed out. Embarrassing.

 

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Abe Lincoln and General George McClellan during the Civil War.

 

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Atari Space Invaders tournament in 1980.

 

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B-25 bomber sinks a Japanese destroyer in WW II.

 

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Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky 1995. Chemistry is bubbling with lust.

 

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Sean Connery signing a coconut on the set of Dr. No 1962.

 

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Albert Einstein’s desk right after he died in 1955.

 

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Filming the MGM Lion 1920’s.

 

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World’s first atomic bomb named ‘Gadget’.

 

rare Germans testing a Messerschmitt Bf 109 E3, 1940

German Messerschmitt BF 109 E3 testing 1940.

 

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1974 a photographer took a photo of two mimes in Central Park, one turned out to be Robin Williams.

 

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1942 Hitler watches testing of the monstrous Gustav rail gun.

 

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George H. W. Bush throwing out the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game 1991. Sort of a girly looking throw.

 

rare june 17 1991 Mt. pinutubo pyroclastic flow

June 17, 1991 guy in truck is scrambling to outrun pyroclastic volcanic flow from Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines. No word on whether he made it or not. Update, he did make it.

 

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World War II British soldiers wearing gas masks while peeling onions.

 

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Hoover Dam before it was flooded 1936.

 

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Crowd at original Woodstock gig 1969.

Amazing Geological Formations Near The Four Corners States

The Four Corners is a region of the United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area is named after the quadripoint where the boundaries of the four states meet, where the Four Corners Monument is located. It is the only location in the United States where four states meet.

 

 

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The Four Corners is part of the high Colorado Plateau. This makes it a center for weather systems, which stabilize on the plateau then proceed eastward through Colorado and into the central states. This weather system creates snow and rain fall over the central United States.

Protected areas in the Four Corners area include Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, Mesa Verde National Park, and Monument Valley. Mountain Ranges in the Four Corners include Sleeping Ute Mountains, Abajo Mountains, and the Chuska Mountains. The Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon Dam/Lake Powell are nearby.

 

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Another very strange geological formation is the Bisti Badlands in northwest New Mexico.  This is an Alien landscape that science fiction writers could not have thought up.

The Bisti Badlands, also called Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, is a vast rolling landscape of phantasmagoric formations of earth and stone located in northwestern New Mexico’s high desert lands. Wind and water erosion over a long time have carved a fantasy world of strange rock formations and hoodoos here in the form of pinnacles, spires, mushrooms and other unusual forms that have attracted names such as “Cracked Eggs”, “Bisti Wings” and “Rock Garden”.

Bisti is derived from the Navajo word “Bistahi” which means “among the adobe formations.” De-Na-Zin takes its name from another Navajo word for “cranes.” This little visited and largely unknown area was once an ancient riverine delta on the shores of an ancient sea, 70 million years ago. As the water slowly receded, a lush foliage grew along the many riverbanks and many prehistoric animals roamed the region. When the water disappeared totally, it left behind layers of jumbled sandstone, mudstone, shale and coal. Much of the coal burned away in ancient fires that lasted centuries. Erosion then shaped the characteristic features of the modern landscape of the Bisti Wilderness. Six thousand years ago, when the last ice age receded, the waters of the melting glaciers helped expose fossils and petrified wood, as well as eroding the rock into the hoodoos now visible.

 

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Mainly three kinds of formations are exposed in Bisti Wilderness area — the Ojo Alamo Formation, which has left bare the thick deposit of volcanic ash from an ancient eruption, and below that the Fruitland formation and the Kirtland Shale.

The Ojo Alamo Formation spans the Mesozoic/Cenozoic boundary, and mostly contain dinosaur fossils. The Fruitland Formation contains layers of sandstone, shale, and coal, and was laid down when the conditions were marshy, warm and humid, with poor drainage. The Fruitland Formation is found primarily on the western side of the Wilderness. The Kirtland Shale is the product of alluvial muds and overbank sand deposits from the many channels draining the coastal plain in the late Cretaceous period. It overlies the Fruitland Formation, and is exposed on the eastern side of the badlands. Many of the gray hoodoos in the wilderness are made up of this formation.

The unique egg-shaped formation, in the “egg factory” area, are also the result of erosion. The cracks are the result of differential weathering, while the speckled appearance due to mineral deposits in the stream that cut through the sedimentary rock.

 

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Hoodoos in the Bisti Badlands, Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico.