This Cognac is ultimate luxury! Henri IV Dudognon Heritage, valued in the decanter shown here at 1 million British pounds sterling ($1.9 million US).

The name Henri IV honors the French king (1553-1610) who is a direct ancestor of Claudine Dudognon–Buraud, heiress to Maison Dudognon, which is located in the center of the smallest area of France’s Cognac Grande Champagne region. It has been producing this cognac since 1776. The decanter is made of 24 K Yellow Gold & Sterling Platinum and decorated with 6,500 certified brilliant cut diamonds. It weighs about 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) and is filled with 33 ounces of Dudognon Heritage Cognac Grande Champagne, aged in barrels for more than 100 years to produce an alcohol content of 41%. This a luxury masterpiece was created by jeweller Jose Davalos.

The most expensive Tequila – Tequila Ley .925

Mexican tequila distilling company called Tequila Ley .925 made the most expensive tequila bottle in the world – which currently holds the Guinness World Book of Records title for the most expensive tequila bottle ever made. Tequila Ley .925 an estimated value of 1 million Euros. Bottle made of platinum, adorned 6,000 brilliant-cut diamonds 1 to 30 points “D” quality. Bottle design by Fernando Altamirano.

The most expensive Vodka – DIVA Premium Vodka

Each bottle is decorated with precious stones. As a result, the cost of one bottle DIVA Premium Vodka is between £ 2000 to £ 540000 (from $ 3700 to $ 1000000). It is triple-distilled, ice-filtered, filtered through purifying Nordic birch charcoal, then finally passed through a fine sand of diamonds and gems.

Collection of the best Las Vegas Weddings photos.

A wedding party poses before a vintage Las Vegas neon sign moments after the marriage ceremony at a nearby chapel.

Florida residents Larry and Nicole Ford marry in Las Vegas and make a stop on Fremont Street to view the legendary Vegas signs as part of their wedding photo tour of the Strip.

A couple finalizes their Las Vegas wedding after a quick ceremony at the Little White Wedding Chapel, which features drive-through service.

Newlyweds pedal down Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas on a classic cruiser-style bicycle.

Newlyweds share a kiss as the sun sets behind palm trees in a Las Vegas display featuring a rotund statue of Elvis.

Newlyweds pose before a mural along Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas.

Newlyweds cavort along downtown Las Vegas’s Fremont Street.

A couple from the Netherlands pose shortly after their wedding at the Chapel of Flowers.

The wedding reception for these newlyweds includes refreshments from the In-N-Out Burger joint.

Elvis impersonator Greg Miller entertains guests at a Las Vegas wedding reception.

Source: National Geographic. Photos: Jared & Trish McMillen/StudioATG.com

See also http://lumq.com/03/wedding-in-jerusalem/

© Reuters, DPA, Getty Images

Traditional ?arnaval in Rio de Janeiro is taking place once a year and this year, the main celebration in the city will last from 2 to 5 February. The main event of the carnival is a competition in the traditional dance Samba. In Rio de Janeiro 12 main samba schools. In fact, it is areas of the city. During the carnival competition is taking place not only in the ability to dance, as well as competition for the best costume and decoration.

Also see last year’s best pictures from the ?arnival in Rio.

Photos: ©Reuters, AP, AFP, DPA

2. Star-nosed Mole (more info about Star-nosed Mole)

3. Red-lipped batfish

4. Narwhal (more info about Narwhal)

5. Megalopyge opercularis

The moth Megalopyge opercularis has numerous common names, including southern flannel moth, pussy moth, puss caterpillar, and, in Texas, asp. It is visually striking in both larval and adult forms. The inch-long larva is generously coated in long, luxuriant hair-like setae, making it resemble a tiny Persian cat, the characteristic that presumably gave it the name “puss.” The ‘fur’ of the larva contains venomous spines that cause extremely painful reactions in human skin upon contact. The reactions are sometimes localized to the affected area but are often very severe, radiating up a limb and causing burning, swelling, nausea, headache, abdominal distress, rashes, blisters, and sometimes chest pain, numbness, or difficulty breathing.

6. Giant Anteater

The Giant anteater can be found in large parts of southern Central America and the northern and central parts of South America. The anteater’s mouth is a small opening at the end of a long snout on an elongated head. They have very poor eyesight but well-developed hearing and smelling senses. A keen sense of smell is critical for the Giant anteater. It is used to locate ant colonies located in the anteater’s territory. The coat is gray in color with a distinctive black and white shoulder stripe. Anteaters feed on ants and termites ripping open a nest and harvesting the insects with their long thin grey tongue that can grow up to a meter in length. Tongue of anteater covered with sticky saliva.

7. Giant isopod

They are thought to be abundant in cold, deep waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean and, is the largest known isopod and is the one most often referred to by the common name “giant isopod“. Maturing to a length between 19 and 37 cm, and maximally reaching a weight of approximately 1.7 kg. Giant isopods are important scavengers in the deep-sea benthic environment. Although generalist scavengers, these isopods are mostly carnivorous and feed on dead whales, fish, and squid.

8. Long-Eared Jerboa

The Long-eared Jerboa is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent with a long tail, long hind legs for jumping, and exceptionally large ears. The Long-eared Jerboa can be found in desert of Trans Altai Govi Desert and the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

9. Platypus

The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a unique mammals species because they lay eggs. The platypus lives only in Australia. It has webbed feet and a large, rubbery snout; these are features that appear closer to those of a duck than to those of any known mammal. The body and the broad, flat tail of the Platypus are covered with dense brown fur that traps a layer of insulating air to keep the animal warm. Weight varies considerably from 700 g to 2.4 kg with males being larger than females: males average 50 cm total length while females average 43 cm. It is one of the few venomous mammals ; the male Platypus has a spur on the hind foot which delivers a poison. Platypus venom is not considered to be life-threatening to a healthy human. Platypus poison triggers severe pain, but is so excruciating that the victim may be incapacitated.

10. The Philippine Tarsier (more info about Star-nosed Mole)

Sources: wikipedia nature|pbs

This special project of “Eyescapes” were photographed by famous photographer Rankin. “The eye is the first thing that I look at,” says Rankin. See and enjoy beautiful series of photos “Eyescapes”.

© Rankin

Beautiful and appetizing

There was the fashion show for pets in New York – Pet Fashion Week. One of the original organizers of the event was the Swarovski company, which determined the participants Fashion Week. As reported in a press release Pet Fashion Week, the organizers witnessed the rapid development of the fashion industry for the animals and see the open market prospects.
Photo: Timothy A. Clary / AFP
Source: petfashionweek.com

The contestants in the Miss Universe competition have been showing off some bizarre dresses
designed to reflect their country’s culture.
Thousands of spectators packed the Reforma Avenue in Mexico City to watch the striking, beautiful and in some cases strange costumes, worn by the hopefuls to win the beauty pageant, which will be held in the Mexican capital on May 28.
The loudest cheer was unsurprisingly for Miss Mexico, or Rosa Maria Ojeda, whose dress was decorated with images of Mexican food, including corn on the cob and tropical fruit, alongside symbols of ancient Indian cultures.
Miss USA, or Rachel Smith, showed the United States’ love for rock and roll, dressing in an Elvis Presley-style white suit and holding an electric guitar.
A dreadlocked Miss Jamaica, or Zahra Redwood, the first Rastafarian to compete for the beauty prize, went for a reggae theme with a T-shirt of singer Bob Marley.
There was some protests, with one group of women wearing white dresses covered in fake blood trying to draw attention to towns or states in Mexico where women have been raped or killed, in some cases with alleged involvement by police or soldiers.

Miss Spain

Miss Switzerland

Miss Tanzania

Miss Thailand

Miss Ukraine

Miss Norway

Miss Poland

Miss Puerto Rico

Miss Russia

Miss Serbia

Miss Italy

Miss Jamaica

Miss Korea

Miss Mexico

Miss New Zealand

Miss Finland

Miss France

Miss Germany

Miss Greece

Miss Honduras

Miss Colombia

Miss Croatia

Miss Czech Republic

Miss Dominicana RepublicMiss Estonia

Miss Albania

Miss Angola

="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068010673244753794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_ySCIT3KO9Zc/RlUw2xikT4I/AAAAAAAAFw4/dUSLkbrUFN8/s400/Antigua.jpg" border="0" />Miss Antigua and Barbuda

Miss Aruba

Miss Canada