Oriens

Famous Building Models

admin1 — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:09:14 +0000

In the Japanese city of Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, is an amusement park which has recently opened the “Tobu World Square” exhibition. It presents structures to the scale of 1:25, including 45 copies of buildings and structures that are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Amongst other things, it also includes the now non existent twin towers of the WTC.

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Ghost Town Kolmanskop Namibia

admin1 — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:00:11 +0000

Before World War I, Namibia came down on diamond fever. In the area now called Kolmanskop, the precious stones were found in abundance throughout 1908, activating an influx of new colonists hoping to capitalize on the riches.

For the most part, they were successful; resident of Kolmanskop accumulated enough wealthiness to build an entire town influenced by German aesthetics, replete with ballrooms, bowling alleys, mansions, and the first x-ray machine south of the equator.

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That said, history is a fickle mistress. The outbreak of the war caused a chain reaction reaching all the way to Kolmanskop as the diamond market slowly dried up. By less than 50 years after its inception, Kolmanskop had become a ghost town reclaimed by the desert. Today visitors can explore the structurally sound, completely vacant buildings, leaving poor in minerals but rich in aesthetic momentos.

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Vintage Tattoos

admin1 — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:31:25 +0000

Cool pictures collection of old school vintage tattoos. Cool designs that look as good today as they did in the olden days.

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Awesome Photography by Guido Shterkendris

admin1 — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:12:56 +0000

Very cool wildlife photographer and his pictures.

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Banksy in San Francisco

admin1 — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:15:21 +0000

Banksy is a pseudonymous British graffiti artist. He is believed to be a native of Yate, South Gloucestershire, near Bristol and to have been born in 1974,[5] but his identity is unknown.

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The Skeletons of Waldsassen Basillica

admin1 — Sat, 08 May 2010 20:27:53 +0000

Skeletons dressed in extravagant 1700s royal costumes cavort in the aisles of this German Basilica

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In the Waldsassen Basillica in Waldsassen, Germany, the halls of the church are lined with an unusual sort of decoration.

Known as the “Holy Bodies,” they are the skeletons of Christian martyrs who were exhumed from the catacombs of Rome between 1688 and 1765. What makes these even more unusual than standard skeletal relics is that these skeletons are dressed in elaborate 1700s garb, covered in jewels, and generally look like royalty. Each year, the church celebrates a Holy-Bodies-Fest celebrating these martyrs, with the idea that we too are “Holy Bodies.” Beyond this, little about the extravagantly dressed bodies is known.

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The church also has a famous statue of Christ, but its arms were broken off by a soldier. The armless Christ is seen as a symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation, and people make pilgrimages to the church to pray to the “savior without arms.”

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The Conch Republic

admin1 — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:21:10 +0000

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We hear the term “third world” tossed around with a much greater frequency than the other “worlds.” Based on an outmoded Cold War taxonomy in which the first world consists of capitalist NATO nations and their allies, the second world of the communist Soviet Union and its allies, the third of former colonies/developing nations, and the fourth rarely mentioned world of stateless nations or peoples.

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The Conch Republic in the Florida Keys has declared that is the world’s first “fifth world” nation: “We exist as a ‘State of Mind,’ and aspire only to bring more Warmth, Humor and Respect to a planet we find in sore need of all three.”

In the early 80s, South Florida became a conduit for illegal immigrants and illegal drugs. To stem the flow, the United States Border Patrol set up inspection points on the two roads connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland. Key West City was not happy. The federal government did not respond to their protests, and the mayor of the city, Dennis Wardlow, declared “independence” on April 23, 1982. Interpreting the roadblock as a national border, the city decided to become another nation.

Wardlow, though, is a bit of a joker. His protest was a tongue-in-cheek gambit for attention and a boost in tourism. Though the roadblock was shortly removed, the city continues to joke about its “secession” and hosts an annual Independence celebration each April.

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All residents are dual citizens of both America and the Conch Republic. But non-native Conch Republicans can buy a Conch Republic passport for a very reasonable $100. Though some tourists come for the Conch Republic, most come to see Ernest Hemingway’s House which is also located in the Conch Republic and home to its own oddity, 60 cats descended from Hemmingway’s famous six toed cat. Many of the descendant cats are also six toed.

The most dangerous suspension bridge in the world.

admin1 — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:59:32 +0000

This bridge is located in northern Pakistan and it is the most dangerous suspension bridge in the world.
Its very old and it lacks many parts.

Consumers Reject Lower Energy Use As The Answer to Reducing Reliance on Fossil Fuels and Energy Imports

admin1 — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:38:24 +0000

Consumers call for strong government intervention in energy market

NEW YORK; March 9, 2010 – Three out of four consumers are concerned by energy and climate change issues, but nearly two thirds say that using less energy is not the answer to reducing reliance on fossil fuels or foreign energy supply, according to global research by Accenture (NYSE: ACN). The survey of 9,000 individuals in 22 countries also shows that almost nine out of ten consumers want more government intervention in the energy market.

The Accenture New Energy World Survey reveals that:

90 percent of consumers are concerned or extremely concerned by rising energy costs and 76 percent by the prospect of energy shortages.
83 percent are concerned by climate change and 80 percent by the level of local air pollution.
77 percent are concerned or very concerned about their country’s reliance on other countries providing oil and gas.
89 percent think it important or very important to reduce their country’s reliance on fossil fuels.

However, only a third of respondents say cutting energy should be the top priority in addressing energy issues:

37 percent say using less energy is the answer to limit their country’s reliance on fossil fuels, and 36 percent say that using less energy is the answer to reducing reliance on foreign countries providing oil and gas.
Two thirds (63 percent and 64 percent, respectively) believe the solution to these challenges lies in developing low carbon sources of energy.

“We cannot address climate change or energy security unless we both create new sources of clean energy and reduce consumer demand,” said Sander van ’t Noordende, Group Chief Executive of Accenture’s Resources operating group. “But our survey shows that consumers do not think lower energy use is a priority. It will take many years before renewable alternatives come fully on stream. Until they do, governments and energy companies will have to find creative ways to transform consumer habits and improve energy efficiency.”

Sander van ’t Noordende summarizes the findings of the New Energy World survey in a video.

Consumers do not trust energy companies

Only 22 percent of consumers surveyed unreservedly trust energy companies to take actions to address energy challenges.
Almost a third (32 percent) do not trust them to do so and 46 percent trust them only if they have direction from governments.
The highest levels of distrust are in the deregulated or partly deregulated markets of the UK (53 percent), US (51 percent) and Australia (46 percent).
The lowest levels of distrust are found in the regulated energy markets of Japan (3 percent), India (8 percent), China (12 percent).

Consumers demand more government intervention

When asked who should lead on taking actions to address energy challenges, only 21 percent of the survey respondents said energy companies should. Almost half (45 percent) think governments and political leaders should take the lead, and 24 percent say consumers themselves should lead.

Almost all consumers (85 percent) think that more government control and intervention is required to address energy challenges. Asked to choose the most important government actions required:

54 percent pointed to controlling energy prices
51 percent to providing incentives for new technologies
41 percent to making investment decisions regarding the development of sources of low-carbon energy.

“A return to command and control policies would not be good for consumers or energy companies,” said van ’t Noordende. “But unless policy makers can improve the performance of local energy markets, they may come under pressure to intervene in ways that limit consumer choice and restrict industry flexibility.”

Dislike of foreign energy companies

The Accenture survey also found that consumers prefer energy to be provided from domestically owned companies. Nearly three quarters (72 percent) are not comfortable with energy companies being owned by foreign owned companies. Sentiment against foreign ownership is strongest in the Netherlands (88 percent), followed by the United States and Italy (81 percent). Consumers in Spain (60 percent), the Middle East (53 percent) and India (33 percent) are least worried by foreign ownership.

Methodology

Accenture’s study, The New Energy World, A Consumer Perspective, is based on an online survey conducted in native languages with 9,005 consumers in 22 countries worldwide, during November 2009. The sample included 1,500 people in North America, 3,502 in Western Europe, and at least 500 in each of Australia, Japan, China, India, South Korea, the Middle East, Brazil and Mexico. The sample was representative of the general population as a whole in terms of age, gender, and socio-economic except for emerging economies with low internet penetration where the sample is representative of the urban population. The data collection was undertaken by Gfk NOP.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 176,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$21.58 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2009. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

Anti American propaganda from North Korea

admin1 — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:11:59 +0000

Collection of Anti-American propaganda posters from North Korea.

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