Trail trees are living landmarks that hold cultural and historical significance for Indigenous peoples across North America. These trees, typically hardwood species such as oak, hickory, or maple, were deliberately shaped and bent by Indigenous peoples to serve as navigational aids, trail markers, and territorial boundary indicators.
Situated at an altitude of over 2,000 meters above sea level, this picturesque Iranian village is renowned for its distinctive stepped architecture, lush landscapes, and vibrant cultural traditions. Uraman Takht is characterized by its unique layout, with multi-story stone houses built into the mountainside in a terraced fashion, giving rise to the nickname "the hanging village." These traditional dwellings, known as "kotchals," feature flat roofs that serve as communal spaces for social gatherings, drying crops, and enjoying panoramic views of the surrounding valleys and peaks.
Hymenopus coronatus, commonly known as the orchid mantis, is a remarkable and visually striking insect species belonging to the family Hymenopodidae. Native to Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia, the orchid mantis is renowned for its remarkable camouflage and unique hunting tactics. One of the most distinctive features of Hymenopus coronatus is its uncanny resemblance to a delicate orchid flower, with its vibrant pink or white coloration, intricate patterns, and petal-like extensions. This remarkable camouflage allows the orchid mantis to blend seamlessly into its natural habitat, where it lies in wait for unsuspecting prey. Despite its floral appearance, the orchid mantis is a formidable predator, adept at capturing a wide range of insect prey, including flies, bees, and butterflies. Using its powerful forelegs, the mantis employs ambush tactics, remaining perfectly still until its prey ventures within striking distance, at which point it delivers a lightning-fast strike, immobilizing its victim with its sharp mandibles.
Christine Chubbuck was an American television news reporter who worked for stations WTOG and WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida. On the morning of July 15, 1974, Christine Chubbuck made headlines around the world when she committed suicide during a live broadcast of her news program. In a shocking and unprecedented act, Chubbuck drew a revolver and shot herself in the head, shocking viewers and leaving her colleagues and loved ones reeling with grief and disbelief.
Horace Roye was a British photographer. Roye's photograph Tomorrow's Crucifixion, depicting a nude model wearing a gas mask while pinned to a crucifix caused controversy when published in the North London Recorder in August 1938, but later became a noted photograph of its time. In 1954 with a fellow photographer called Vala, Roye came up with the Roye-Vala 3-D Process. Not to miss an opportunity his company The Camera Studies Club published the Stereo Glamour Series of 3-D books of nude studies and pin-ups. As a photographer of nudes, he successfully contested the obscenity laws of his day. An account of which he published in 1960 in the booklet Unique Verdict – the Story of an Unsuccessful Prosecution. Roye retired to Portugal. During the 1974 revolution, he was besieged in his house, holding out with a shotgun. Forced to sell up he returned to England.[2] In 1980, he made his final move to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. He became Morocco's oldest British expatriate, and he was also the longest-serving member of the British Institute of Professional Photographers. He took up parasailing at the age of 75 and water-skied on the river Bouregeg until he was 78 years old. In 2002 at the age of 96, Roye was stabbed to death by an intruder at his home in the kasbah of Rabat.
Stephen Gough, popularly known as the "Naked Rambler", is a British pro-nudity activist and former Royal Marine. In 2003 and 2004, he walked the length of Great Britain naked, but was arrested when he did it again in 2005 and 2006. Since then, he has spent most of the intervening years in prison, having been repeatedly rearrested for contempt of court for public nudity and imprisoned. He has been convicted of public order offences at least 40 times. Gough brought a lawsuit in the European Court for Human Rights, arguing that laws requiring him to wear clothing violated his rights to privacy and free expression. His claim was rejected in 2014.
The Cretto di Burri is a landscape artwork undertaken by Alberto Burri in 1984 and left unfinished in 1989 (due to lack of funds), based on the old city of Gibellina, Sicily. The original city of Gibellina was completely destroyed in the 1968 Belice earthquake. Gibellina has since been rebuilt, about 20 km from the city's original location.
Palais Bulles is a large house near Cannes, France, that was designed by the Hungarian architect Antti Lovag. It was built for the French industrialist Pierre Bernard, and later bought by the fashion designer Pierre Cardin as a holiday home.
Sarv-e Abarkuh stands as a testament to the enduring beauty and resilience of nature in the arid landscapes of Iran. Located in the Yazd Province, near the town of Abarkuh, this majestic cypress tree is revered as one of the oldest living organisms on Earth, with an estimated age of over 4,000 years.
The Roxburghe Club is a bibliophilic and publishing society based in the United Kingdom. The spur to the Club's foundation was the sale of the enormous library of the Duke of Roxburghe, which took place over 46 days in May–July 1812. The auction was eagerly followed by bibliophiles, the high point being the sale on 17 June 1812 of the first dated edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, sold to the Marquis of Blandford for £2,260, the highest price ever given for a book at that time. The Club has had a total of 350 members from its foundation to 2017. The circle has always been an exclusive one, with just one "black ball" (negative vote) being enough to exclude an applicant. Since 1839 the number of members at any one time has been limited to forty.