Dare devil

The moment a kayaker plunged down a 128-foot waterfall and emerged with just a scratch By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 7:33 PM on 28th December 2010 This is the jaw-dropping moment a lone kayaker decided to really take the plunge plummeting down a 128-foot waterfall. Kayak legend Rafa Ortiz was caught on camera tackling the enormous Big Banana Falls, in Mexico, by extreme sports photographer Lucas Gilman. Lucas and Rafa trekked through five miles of steaming jungle and dangerous drug growing cartels to reach the breath-taking falls with Rafa's only intention being to jump off them. Rafa Ortiz is the first known kayaker to drop the 128.6-foot tall Big Banana Waterfall on the Rio Alseseca in Veracruz, Mexico Beside the swirling whirlpool at the bottom of the falls Lucas had the job of capturing the moment Rafa made his dizzying descent. In just seconds Rafa's tiny kayak can be seen bursting out through the water before the heart-stopping dive to the water. Miraculously he got through the whole stunt with just a scratch, for which he needed three stitches, and a black eye. The waterfall is called Big Banana due to the numerous banana plantations in the region. Ortiz did end up needed three stitches for the scratch on his left eye Photographer Lucas, from Colorado, Denver, has followed extreme sports all over the world, but he said this was one of the most challenging shoots ever. Using two cameras, one horizontal and one vertical, he had just one chance to capture the perfect shot. He said: 'It was not like I could say to Rafa, 'do you mind climbing up 128 foot again and doing that again'. 'It's not just a question of that, it's also obviously extremely dangerous, if he comes down any other way than the right way the chances are he will be seriously injured or even be killed. 'I just seconds to get the right shot and luckily I got it.' Lucas was photographing Rafa, who is a Red Bull freestyle kayaker and one of only four people in the world to tackle a plus 100-foot waterfall, as part of an expedition to one of the remotest regions of Mexico. He said: 'It took us five days to get to the falls and the jungle wasn't the only thing we had to worry about, the area is heavily used by drug dealers to grow marajuana. 'I have been all over the world following extreme sports from India to Africa and Australia, and I'm always planning my next adventure.' Lucas captured the amazing action on his camera, a Nikon D3S. Lucas Gilman has also photographed other extreme kayakers, like Pat Keller dropping Upper Lewis falls in Washington State, left, and Evan Garcia drops the 101-foot tall Metlako in Oregon Gilman took this photo showing a dozen frames of Rush Sturges' sgoing down the Runs 90+ foot tall Lower Tomata Falls ns in Veracruz, Mexico - and losing his paddle part way down

Amazing Events In Pictures

An elephant stands next to the logo of the upcoming Cricket World Cup, while holding a cricket bat during the launch of the mascot's name, Stumpy, in Colombo, Sri Lanka Entertainers dressed as cartoon characters perform in a water skiing performance for tourists at Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre, eastern China's Shandong province A boy sits on the ice toilet at Ice Gallery in Seoul, South Korea Paramilitary policemen take part in a training session in a river on the outskirts of Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, China A Chinese man has a rather unusual party trick - 'swallowing' poisonous creatures live. Li Peng happily puts snakes, scorpions, spiders and lizards into his mouth before pulling them back out again. The 21-year-old, from Tonghua in northeast China's Jilin Province, first learnt how to carry out the trick two years ago while was working in a bar A woman walks past an image of lips at a department store in Tokyo An artist displays her makeup at the 2010 Taiwan International Tattoo Convention in Taipei  Students dressed as gladiators fight in the historic Roman amphitheatre in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Austria. The students of Regensburg University are taking part in a two-week-long experiment where they live through the daily routines of gladiators in ancient Rome Performers dance during a military party in Beijing Students shout "I love mother and father" in Korean as they lift logs during a two-week summer military camp for civilians at the Cheongryong Self-denial Training Camp in Ansan, South Korea Peruvian military officers participate in a military parade marking the 189th anniversary of Peru's independence in Lima A man stretches himself during a morning exercise session at the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing Charlie Timmins of Australia performs an air at Mt Albert during the Freestyle Day of the World Heli Challlenge at Mount Aspiring National Park in Wanaka, New Zealand Kent Couch (L) and John Freis (R) race over the plains of Oregon between their 70-mile journey from Bend to Paulina. Famed cluster balloonist Kent Couch is awaiting confirmation of a Guinness World Record hat trick. Fifty-year old Kent believes that he and his colleague John Freis, 59, may be the first men to compete in a cluster balloon race, as well as the first men to launch their cluster balloons simultaneously from the ground. In addition and most importantly, Kent believes that he may have broken the world altitude record of 18, 235 ft set by Englishman Mike Howard in 2001 Palestinian children attending UNRWA's (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) Summer Games attempt to smash their own world record for the number of kites flown simultaneously on the beach in Gaza City A Chinese boy takes part in a dinosaur show in Beijing Thorntons Chocolate launch their new Christmas range for 2010 with models dressed as Santa and elves at the Coach Makers pub in central London

दुनिया के 5 सबसे बड़े सच .......................

9:56pm Dec 29 दुनिया के 5 सबसे बड़े सच .................... ........ पहला सच .............. १. आप अपने सारे दांतों को जुबान से नही छू सकते .......... ......... दूसरा सच ......... २. पहले सच को पढ़ने के बाद सारे बेवकूफ ऐसा करने की कोसिस करते है ............. - - ....तीसरा सच ......... ३. पहला सच झूठ है ........ - - ......चौथा सच ......... ४. आप अब हंस रहे है क्योकि आप बेवकूफ बन गए है ............ - ......... पांचवा सच ................ ५. अब आप इस स्क्रैप को forword करेंगे क्योकि आप अकेले बेवकूफ नही बनना चाहते है

व्हेज मान्चुरिअन

 

चायनीज फूडला आपण व ते आपल्याकडे आता चांगलेच रूळलेत. गाडीवरचे असो किंवा चांगल्या हॉटेल मधले असो, प्रत्येकाची स्वत:ची खासियत आहे. इथे जागोजागी चायनीज जॉइंट्स आहेत. पण इथले-अमेरिकेत मिळणारे  चायनीज एकतर गोडाकडे झुकणारे किंवा तिखट करा म्हटले की हमखास आंबटढोक लागणारे. सुरवातीला तर आपल्याकडच्या गाडीवरच्या चायनिजच्या आठवणी काढून काढून खायचो…..    आता हळूहळू इतक्या वर्षात हेही आनंदाने खाऊ लागलोत पण मनात मात्र अजूनही ती चव रेंगाळतेच. कधीकधी फारच इच्छा झाली की मग मात्र खटाटोप करतेच. चायनीज मग ते मान्चुरिअन असो, पनीर चिली वा चायनीज राईस- न्यूडल्स काहीही करा आधीच्या तयारीलाच वेळ जास्त. प्रत्यक्ष पदार्थ पंधरा मिनिटात तयार आणि पुढच्या पंधरा मिनिटात चट्टामट्टा….. 

 

साहित्य:

एक मध्यम गाजर किसून, किसलेला कोबी दोन वाट्या, किसलेला फ्लॉवर एक वाटी
प्रत्येकी अर्धी वाटी मटार व मका दाणे
अर्धी वाटी चिरलेली कांद्याची पात व पातीचे कांदे
एक मोठी सिमला मिरची व एक मध्यम कांदा चौकोनी तुकडे करून
चार-पाच लाल सुक्या मिरच्या, तीन चार हिरव्या मिरच्या
दहा-बारा लसूण पाकळ्या व बोटभर आले बारीक चिरून
मशरूम्स, बेबी कॉर्न, वॉटर चेसनटस, बांबूच्या पातळ पट्ट्या ( ऐच्छिक )
एक मोठा चमचा व्हिनीगर, दोन मोठे चमचे सोया सॉस, चार मोठे चमचे तेल व तळण्याकरीता तेल
चार मोठे चमचे कॉर्न स्टार्च , तीन कप पाणी व चवीनुसार मीठ

कृती:

फ्लॉवर, कोबी, गाजर किसून घ्यावे. मटार व मक्याचे दाणे फार टचटचीत असतील तर मिनिटभर मायक्रोव्हेव मध्ये ठेवून वाफवून घ्यावेत किंवा उकळते पाणी त्यावर ओतून संपूर्ण निथळून घ्यावेत. कांद्याची पात बारीक चिरून घ्यावी. एका भांड्यात हे सगळे घालून हाताने कुस्करून घ्यावे. मग चवीपुरते मीठ घालू पुन्हा कुस्करावे. मिठामुळे पाणी सुटेल. आता त्यात दोन चमचे लाल तिखट व दोन चमचे मैदा, एक चमचा तांदुळाचे पीठ घालून एकत्र करावे. नंतर त्यात दोन मोठे चमचे कॉर्न स्टार्च घालावे, जेणेकरून मिश्रण बांधले जाईल. मग छोटे छोटे गोळे वळून मध्यम आचेवर लालसर रंगावर तळून घ्यावेत.
भोपळी मिरची व कांद्याचे चौकोनी तुकडे करावेत. हिरव्या मिरचीचे पोट फोडून घ्यावे. बेबी कॉर्न, वॉटर चेसनटस, बांबू पट्ट्या, मशरूम्स यातले जे उपलब्ध असेल व आवडत असेल ते प्रत्येकी अर्धी वाटी चकत्या करून घ्यावे. पातीचा कांदा मुळे काढून संपूर्णच ठेवावा. लसूण व आले अगदी बारीक चिरावे. किसून अथवा मिक्सरला वाटून घेऊ नये. एका पसरट कढईत चार चमचे तेल घालून मोठ्या आचेवर ठेवावी. तेल तापले की त्यात आले लसूण टाकून मिनिटभर परतावे. त्यावर हिरव्या मिरच्या व लाल मिरच्या टाकून पुन्हा मिनिटभर परतावे. घेतलेल्या सगळ्या भाज्या आता त्यावर टाकाव्यात व पाच ते सात मिनिटे परतत राहावे. आच कमी करू नये. भाज्या अर्धवट शिजतील की मग व्हिनीगर व सोया सॉस घालावे. चवीनुसार मीठ व दोन भांडी पाणी घालून आच मध्यम करावी. झाकण ठेवू नये. साधारण पाच-सहा मिनिटात उकळी फुटली की तळून ठेवलेले गोळे घालावेत. लगेचच अर्धी वाटी गार पाण्यात कॉर्न स्टार्च विरघळवून घेऊन या मिश्रणाला लावावे व हालवत राहावे. कॉर्न स्टार्चमुळे मिश्रण थोडेसे घट्ट होऊ लागले की नीट ढवळून तीनचार मिनिटात बंद करावे. साध्या गरम भाताबरोबर, चायनीज फ्राईड राईसबरोबर किंवा नुसतेच……, आवडेल तसे परंतु गरम गरम खावे.

टीपा
मान्चुरिअन चे गोळे करताना तिखट आपल्या अंदाजानुसार कमी जास्त करावे. मिठामुळे पाणी सुटतेच तेव्हा वरून आणखी पाणी चुकूनही घालू नये. ग्रेव्हीत मीठ घालताना, गोळ्यात मीठ घातलेले आहेच व सोया सॉसमध्येही मीठ असते हे लक्षात घेऊन घालावे. नाहीतर हमखास खारट होण्याची शक्यता असते. ग्रेव्ही कोरडी हवी असल्यास कॉर्न स्टार्च लावून झाल्यावर जरा जास्त वेळ आचेवर ठेवावे. आणि जास्त पातळ हवी असल्यास त्यानुसार पाणी वाढवावे. ग्रेव्हीला जास्त तिखटपणा हवा असेल तर लाल व हिरवी मिरची जरा जास्त वेळ तेलात परतावी. अती तिखट हवे असेल तर ओली लाल मिरची दोन चमचे पाण्यात किंचितसे मीठ घालून वाटून घेऊन आले-लसणाबरोबर परतावी. ग्रेव्ही अगदी खडखडीत कोरडी हवी असेल तर अर्धा चमचा कॉर्न स्टार्च पाव वाटी पाण्यात कालवून मिश्रणाला लावून मोठ्या आचेवर परतून लागलीच वेगळ्या भांड्यात काढून घ्यावे. मान्चुरिअन उरल्यास पुन्हा खाताना अर्धी वाटी पाणी घालून उकळी आणून खावे. कॉर्न स्टार्चमुळे खूपच घट्ट झालेले असते.

AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHY

AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHY

 

 

 

Kanana Camp, Botswana. Pulling over by the side of the road to watch a grazing giraffe, we spotted an amber head lurking behind a small mound. A hungry lioness. Watching, waiting, camera to my eye, she eventually chose her moment and pounced just as the giraffe sensed danger. The lioness gave chase, but failed. Hungry, she lay down, invisible, in the grass not ten feet from us and waited again. (Photo and caption by Alex Tan)

 

 

 

 

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A supercell thunderstorm rolls across the Montana prairie at sunset. (Photo and caption by Sean Heavey) #

 

 

3

Salvation. Appreciate life to save the world. (Photo and caption by Hongsik Kim) #

 

4

The Great Pyramids. The people of Ancient Egypt believed that death on Earth was the start of a journey to the next world. The embalmed body of the King was entombed underneath or within the pyramid to protect it and allow his transformation and ascension to the afterlife. (Photo and caption by Jesus Oranday) #

 

5

The Music Of Love. This picture was taken in Tenganan Village, Bali (2010). Tenganan is the most famous Bali Aga (original Balinese) village and is located close to Candi Dasa in East Bali. A man was playing bamboo music to entertain a disabled child which is not his son, but he loves this child likes he loves his own son. (Photo and caption by Ario Wibisono) #

 

6

Liquid Planet. Another picture from the Liquid Vision Series, which shows a different point of view of waves. An angle that people are not used to seeing. (Photo and caption by Freddy Cerdeira) #

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7

Brown bear, Buskin River, Kodiak Alaska. This bear had been fishing in the river on this morning. It climbed onto the bank and laid down in the grass. This photo was taken about an hour after sunrise just as the sun was starting to clear the trees. The temperature was near the dew point and steam was rising off its body. It didn�t seem at all concerned by the fishermen in the river or the photographer on the bank. (Photo and caption by James Haskins) #

 

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Praying Mantis - Pseudocreobotra wahlbergii. This beautiful whalbergii evolved through two of its nymph-stages on the Barberton Daisy at left, surviving because of its bright color which blended so well with the flower. Towards the end of its growth into an adult, it became a little more adventurous (but not much more) as pictured here. Once it had shed the layer in this picture, it became a fully-fledged adult, and departed after about two weeks. Total stay in this tiny ecosystem was approximately six weeks. (Photo and caption by Fred Turck) #

 

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A Wrinkle in Time. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. (Photo and caption by Nikki Krecicki) #

 

 

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The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil is considered a wildlife sanctuary, but today, even in this isolated archipelago dolphins are victims of the bad habits of consumption. (Photo and caption by João Vianna) #

 

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Cosmic. Mother nature doing what she does best. (Photo and caption by Patrick John O'Doherty) #

 

 

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The baboon in front was harassing one of the babies in the troop. This male facing the camera attacked him. The whole fight was over in a few seconds but it was loud and seemingly vicious. The rest of the troop was scrambling around trying to get out of their way. There is, needless to say, always a lot of drama going on in a baboon troop. (Photo and caption by Sharon Raoli) #

 

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Unsafe Journey. A woman is riding between the railway carriages of a local train heading north from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Her luggage is tucked under the carriage in front of her. It is the month of Ramadan, a fast which culminates in Eid-ul-Fitr, a three-day celebration. Tens of thousands of people leave the city to go to their home village and celebrate with their families. Trains are packed and many who fail to get tickets before they sell out or can't afford buying them at the black market ride on the roof of the train or, like this woman, finds a quiet spot between the carriages. (Photo and caption by Amy Helene Johansson) #

 

 

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Lightning Strike NY Harbor. This shot was captured during a major electrical storm. There was little wind and no rain which allowed me to stay safely inside and shoot from an open window. This was the 82nd exposure out of 150 made that night. The camera was mounted on a tripod, exposures made with a cable release for 5 seconds at f10. Except for a some minor level adjustments and a square crop this was what came out of the camera. (Photo and caption by Jay Fine) #

 

 

 

 

 

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Boise Sunrise. With the fog and morning light this looks like a place I'd love to be. If you look very closely, you can see a deer in a clearing in the center left area of the picture (small dot, head poking above bushes, see detail). (Photo and caption by Glen Hush) #

 

 

 

 

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The Look. There are only 400 of these birds in existence. (Photo and caption by Rolf Skrypzak) #

 

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Against the windstorm on Mont Blanc. My friend Laszlo Varkonyi is leading a group on Mont Blanc, he died on Everest this April in a fatal accident: a big serac fell down. (Photo and caption by Aniko Molnar) #

 

 

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Mystery Bug. This was on my clothesline. I have no idea what it is. I have used a macro lens as the insect was only an inch or so long. We live in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia. The rainforest around our house sometimes brings forth intriguing creatures like this. I know it looks like a studio shot but it isn't. The photograph was was taken in natural light. The background is a sheet that was serendipitously drying on the clothesline at the time. I have rotated the image to make the insect easier to examine. If anyone can tell me what it is I would be grateful. (Photo and caption by Stephen Hocking) #

 

 

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Pure Elements. I drove my 4x4 over rivers to get a view of the Volcano eruption at "Fimmvorduhals" in Iceland. It was a full moon and strong winds gave me problems standing still outside the truck. I had my camera with me and zoom lens but no tripod, suddenly there was a magical moment, I was experiencing a display of nature rarely seen by man. I found my camera with the zoom lens, rushed out of the truck, trying to fight the strong wind. I pushed the camera on to the hood of the truck trying to stand still, holding my breath, I shot 30 frames, and only one shot was good. (Photo and caption by Olafur Ragnarsson) #

 

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Bicycle Crash. Zestful BMX (Bicycle Moto-Cross) rider crashes after a failed attempt to grind the handrail. When in pain, even the ambitious, strong, extreme sports loving man looks like a simple, tired, vulnerable person. (Photo and caption by Karolis Milasevicius) #

 

 

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The Serra da Leba Road near Lubango (Huíla, Angola). This is Serra da Leba, a landmark in Angola. A road built in the 70's, it's been in the country's postcard images for decades, but all shots were taken by day. I wanted something different and tried a night shot. But it seemed impossible: pitch dark, foggy, altitude of 1,800m (5,000ft). I wanted no more than 60sec of exposure, max, to avoid digital noise. But a car takes a few minutes to climb or descend this section of the road. The fog was dense and blocking the view! Suddenly the fog cleared, a few cars went down, others went up, they met in the middle in under 60sec... Painting done! (Photo and caption by Kostadin Luchansky) #

 

 

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A Llama stands at the crest of a hill as the sun sets behind it at Chavín de Huántar, Peru. (Photo and caption by John Palmer Gregg) #

 

 

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Fallen Angel. A legionnaire from the French Foreign Legion's 2REP (Foreign Parachute Regiment) sits in an armored personnel carrier en route to an operation near Badpash Kusa Kala, Afghanistan on June 16, 2010. (Photo and caption by Steven Greaves) #

 

 

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Foot and Thistle, Mountain Gorilla of Rwanda. I was fortunate to visit the rare and endangered Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda, February of 2010. This young gorilla had fallen asleep with a thistle grasped in his foot. The thistle is one of their food sources. They learn to extract the pith from the spine-defended inedible stem. This particular gorilla demonstrates syndactyly of the third and fourth toes, a common congenital malformation also found in humans. (Photo and caption by Jim Edwards) #

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Lightning Crashes. A lightning bolt strikes the antenna of The Center building in Central Hong Kong during a storm on September 13, 2009. (Photo and caption by Michael Siward) #

 

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Oasis. (Photo and caption by Nam In Geun) #

 

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Me'enit Boy, Southwestern Ethiopia. One of our neighborhood friends, Sintiyu, looking on. A rare opportunity to see him undistracted by the camera, and absorbed in his family. (Photo and caption by Stephen Murdoch) #

 

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Moths to Light. Moths attracted to a light in front of my home. (Photo and caption by Steve Irvine) #

 

 

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Ki Gompa. This picture was taken when I visited the Buddhist Monastery of Ki. Ki is a tiny village in the middle of the Himalayas, and next to it is Ki Gompa (Ki Monastery). I lived with the monks for about a week, and this picture reflects the peaceful, almost heavenly atmosphere that characterizes this place. The Monastery is almost 4,000 meters high, and I had to climb almost 500 meters more to get this panorama. This place is a touch of heaven. (Photo and caption by Natalia Luzuriaga) #

 

 

34

Haunting Glimpse. An encounter with an elusive Canada Lynx is said to be a rare privilege. I am honored to have had the opportunity to see a Lynx up close and personal. As I photographed this beautiful cat, I felt transfixed by its wild, untamed, haunting eyes. This is a once in a lifetime chance that I will cherish forever. (Photo and caption by Janet Chester) #

 

35

Suradita Village, West Java, Indonesia. Children playing with their roosters. Actually it was not a real cockfight because the roosters didn't wear blades on their feet. Children like to play this game because they almost never have toys in their life. 

 

 

37

Power of childhood. City: Lençois; Estate: Bahia; Country: Brazil. (Photo and caption by Rodrigo West de Magalhaes) #

 

 

38

North Atlantic seals enduring winter storm. It was already -1 and with a strong wind it was colder still, Had to position myself so as to shield the camera from the wind to keep the image sharp the snow was being blown horizontally away from me. (Photo and caption by Eric Garnett) #

 

 

39

Great Blue Heron with fish. The largest and most widespread heron in North America. When foraging, they stand silently along riverbanks, lake shores, or in wet meadows, waiting for prey to come by, w

hich they then strike with their bills. (Photo and caption by Linh Dinh) #

 

 

 

41

Heavy load. One morning in August, I was on my way to pick up the newspaper. Everything was moist and wet, and I spotted this little fly on a small white flower, just outside my bedroom window. Two hours after I shot this picture I went outside again, and the fly was still sitting on the same flower - still not able to fly. (Photo and caption by Audun Wigen) #

 

42

Table Mountain. I took this picture in June 2009 while I was just outside of Cape Town, South Africa. I was working at a kids camp and took a quick shot of the sun setting over Table Mountain as we were headed in for dinner. I was in such a rush to capture the sunset while trying to keep an eye on a bunch of kids on the playground that I didn't even notice the boy in the right edge of my viewfinder. It wasn't until I was back home in Tennessee that I discovered the huge impact of this picture. The duality of the not-quite-teenage boy and the 260-million-year-old mountain in the same shot absolutely amazed me. (Photo and caption by Quinn Ballard) #

 

43

Herring Gull with Guillemot Chick. Taken on the Farne Islands, Northumberland, UK, the herring gull circled around the guillemot colony three or four times before dropping in and picking up this chick with the guillemot colony watching. (Photo and caption by Ron McCombe) #

 

 

 

44

Pyramid mountain. Maelifellssandur volcanic dust desert in Iceland. (Photo and caption by Sukru Mehmet Omur) #

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45

Giraffes at Savannah. Unusual perspective shot depicting two giraffes and a tree in Masai Mara, Kenya. (Photo and caption by Niko Saunio) #

 

fy her rebirth. (Photo and caption by Judy Starkman) #

47

Cloud and ship. Ukraine, Crimea, Black sea, view from Ai-Petri mountain. (Photo and caption by Yevgen Timashov) #