This is something you probably did not know about the Earth. These giant holes in the earth’s crust, created by nature or by human hands.

Monticello Dam was constructed between 1953 and 1957. The dam is a medium concrete-arch dam with a structural height of 304 ft (93 m) and a crest length of 1023 ft (312 m). It contains 326,000 cubic yards (249,000 m?) of concrete. Napa County, California, United States.

Guatemala city – A 330-foot-deep sinkhole killed at least two teenagers as it swallowed about a dozen homes early Friday and forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people in a crowded Guatemala City neighborhood. Officials blamed the sinkhole on recent rains and an underground sewage flow from a ruptured main.

Mir Mine (kimberlite diamond pipe “Peace”) is an abandoned open pit diamond mine located in Mirny, Eastern Siberia. The mine is 525 m deep and has a diameter of 1200 m. It was the first and one of the largest diamond pipes of the USSR.

The Bingham Canyon Mine is an open-pit mine extracting a large porphyry copper deposit southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in the Oquirrh Mountains. It is owned by Rio Tinto plc through Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation which operates the mine, a concentrator and a smelter. The mine has been in production since 1906, and has resulted in the creation of a pit over 0.75 miles (1.2 km) deep, 2.5 miles (4 km) wide, and covering 1,900 acres (7.7 km2). According to Kennecott, it is the world’s largest man-made excavation.
Over its life, Bingham Canyon has proven to be one of the world’s most productive mines. As of 2004, ore from the mine has yielded more than 17 million tons (15.4 Mt) of copper, 23 million ounces (652 t) of gold, 190 million ounces (5386 t) of silver, and 850 million pounds (386 kt) of molybdenum. The value of these resources is greater than the Comstock Lode, Klondike, and California gold rush mining regions combined. Cumulatively, Bingham Canyon has produced more copper than any other mine in the world, although mines in Chile, Arizona, and New Mexico now exceed Bingham Canyon’s annual production rate. High molybdenum prices in 2005 made the molybdenum produced at Bingham Canyon in that year worth even more than the copper. The value of the metal produced in 2006 at Bingham Canyon was US$1.8 billion dollars.
The mine is regarded as one of the most up-to-date integrated copper operations in the world, employing 1,400 people. The smelting and refining facilities are recognised as being among the world’s best for environmental protection practice and achievement.
The infrastructure required for an operation this size is impressive. 450,000 tons (408 kt) of material are removed from the mine daily. Electric shovels can carry up to 56 cubic yards (43 m3) or 98 tons (89 t) of ore in a single scoop. Ore is loaded into a fleet of 64 very large dump trucks which each carry 255 tons (231 t) of ore at a time, at a cost of approximately US$3 million per truck. There is a five mile (8 km) series of conveyors that take ore to the Copperton concentrator and flotation plant. The longest conveyor is 2.5 miles (4 km) long and passes through an existing railroad tunnel inside the mine.

Kimberley is famous for the Big Hole, which is often called the worlds deepest man made hole. Kimberley is the place where diamonds are found. And the Big Hole is a huge pit, almost circular and 215m deep, right in the middle of the town. Just for completeness sake: Kimberley Big Hole is not the biggest man made hole, that is Jagersfontein Mine.
The diamonds found at Kimberly were formed in vertical pipes. Huge layers of rocks eroded, and so it is cut through by todays surface. The circular pipe reaches the surface right on the farm, two Dutch settlers bought in 1871. The two brothers called Johannes Nicolaas and Diederik Arnoldus de Beer soon discovered the diamonds on their ground. This lead to a diamond rush, which made it impossible for them to keep the land. They were not able to protect it from the growing tide of intruders, so they sold it. And although they did not become the owners of the mines, one of the mines inherited their name and until today the diamond trade is connected with their names. De Beers is the company which today controlls virtually all diamonds on Earth.
Today the Big Hole is about 215m deep, but 40m of ground water leave only 175m visible. Originally the hole was 240m deep, but after it was abandoned it was used to throw debris in. The underground Kimberly Mine was mined to a depth of 1097m.

The Diavik Diamond Mine is a diamond mine in the North Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, about 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of Yellowknife. It has become an important part of the regional economy, employing 700, grossing C$100 million in sales, and producing 8 million carats or about 1,600 kg (3,527 lb) of diamonds annually. The area was surveyed in 1992 and construction began in 2001, with production commencing in January 2003. It is connected by an ice road and Diavik Airport with a 5,235 feet (1,596 m) gravel runway regularly accommodating Boeing 737 jet aircraft.

The Great Blue Hole is a large underwater sinkhole off of the coast of Belize. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll 60 miles from the mainland and Belize City. The hole is almost perfectly circular, over 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep. It was formed as a limestone cave system during the last ice age when sea levels were much lower. As the ocean began to rise again the caves flooded, and the roof collapsed.
This site was made famous by Jacques-Yves Cousteau who declared it one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world. In 1971 he brought his ship, the Calypso to the hole to chart its depths.

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

The Cuban photographer Alberto Corda took some photos of an argentine doctor and Cuban revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara in March of 1960.

This photo was assumed as a basis of the romantic revolutionist’s iconic image.

The nose image on the left and the palms one on the right didn’t go down in history.

Che Guevara couldn’t keep still on Cuba and was eager to do something, for instance revolution. He couldn’t also do anything in Congo, as this country was inhabited by sluggish people (How fascinating are Che’s Congolese diaries!) After all, Che Guevara moved to Bolivia and also failed to stir up Vallengrad peasantry to revolt. The Bolivian army soldiers (and of course, where to go without CIA) shot Che Guevara on 9th of October 1967. They didn’t shoot him in the face, so that it could be seen that the killed person was Che Guevara.

Everyone wanted to be photographed with a well-known dead body.

Che Guevara’s hands were cut off and sent to Cuba, so that the Argentine police could compare them with the file samples. The body was buried next to the landing strip in a common grave.

The Bolivians first cut off the hands, and after that decided to do the same thing with Che’s fingers.

Only in 1997 the Cuban delegation reported that the body was found. They transported the remains to Cuba, and then buried them in a Santa-Clara town mausoleum.

In the same year old man who took part in burying Che Guevara in Bolivia decided to put some documents, photos and the lock of Che’s hair up for auction. This lot was sold for 119 000 dollars. Willoldo insists that only he knows where Che Guevara is buried, and there are another person’s remains on Cuba.

Three days ago, on 19th of January, the stamp with the name “50 years of Cuban Revolution victory” (joint Russia and Cuba edition) was issued. And the star, unlike on the old Cuban stamp, was displayed, of course. It’s worthy to mention that the US can’t venture on such a stamp issue.

But now USA uses this type of Che image!

Years later I learned a lot about various methods to move practically anything regardless of the size. Nonetheless I’m still captivated by big mechanisms that can easily lift and move objects that are also humongous. All these mechanisms are nothing but extension of our own arms, a logical sequel of a digging stick, stone hammer, lever, etc. It started so simply, and has gone so far.

This picture shows a floating crane “Titan” lifting a passenger ferry Karrabbee in Sidney, Australia. During the traditional ferry competition one of ferries happened to… sink. Luckily it happened after all passengers had gotten off the board. So the organizers simply pulled the “Titan” to the site and picked up the ferry from the bottom. By the way, this thing actually floats itself too! Who knows, perhaps, if their catholic highnesses of middle ages knew of such machines in their time, there would have been fewer her majesty ships at the bottom of the see. “Titan” lifted Karrabbee in 1984. And in late 80s “Titan” sank itself when it was being towed from Australia to Asia during a storm or something. Don’t you just love this picture: “Titan” floating from Australia to Asia…

And this cutie is called “Yoshida”.

Doesn’t it look like one of those lovely monsters from Japanese movies? Say, Godzilla, Motra and such? Floating crane Yoshida was built by Mitsubishi heavy Industries Division. Its lifting capacity is 3700 tons with 925 tonns per each hook.


Here is a submarine hanging on its ropes as a fish on a fishing rod.

Here is a floating crane «Asian Hercules» puting down the famous Gateshead Millennium Bridge in New Castle.

«Asian Hercules» participated in dismantling of the world’s largest (as of 2002) gantry cranes “Kockums” and replacing it with the new one called “Hyundai”.

Here is “Kockums”, 128m high and capable of lifting 1,500 tons with rail track 175 meters wide and 710 meters long.


It was assembled in 1973-74. It stood in the shipyard in Malmo, in Sweden, and up till its dismantling it had participated in the construction of 75 boats and ships. For the very last time it was used in 1997 when it loaded the Oresund Bridge’s fundamental high pillars (see the picture below) onto a cargo ship.

By then the Kockums crane had significantly worn out. In the 1990s it was sold to Burmeister & Wain, a Danish company which soon became bankrupt even before the dismantling began. Thus the Kockums remained integral until 2002 when it was again sold to Hyundai Heavy Industries (a Korean company) for… (guess how much). One dollar! It was shipped thereafter to Korea as a historical object of interest. By the way, Koreans named it “Malmo tears”. The Swedes cried when saying goodbye to the Malmo landmark that served as a background to their lives.
Dismantling.

The Koreans put a bright Korean thingamajig in the place of the previous crane loved by so many Swedes.





Some retro: 1951, floating crane “London Mammoth” is towing a steamer.

7500t Full Revolving Floating Crane. This name speaks for itself. It lifts 7500 tonns and spins like an ice skater. It is set on a floating platform which also has another crane of a smaller size and plenty of various hoists – just in case. This wonder is assembled in Shanghai by the Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co.

Seven and a half thousand tons – this is really a lot. I don’t think there are crane with bigger capacity. But we’ll keep looking.

The Army has a Special Forces Corps unified command and its formed of 3 Special Forces Brigades, a High Command GAFE group, a GAFE group assigned to the Airborne Brigade and several Amphibious Special Forces Groups.

The Special Forces Brigades are formed by 9 SF battalions. The First brigade has the 1°, 2° y 3° SF battalions, The Second brigade has the 5°,6°,7° y 8°, and the Third brigade has the 4° y 9° and a Rapid Intervention Force group.
The High Command GAFE is a group with no more than 100 members, they are specially trained in counter-terrorist tactics. They receive orders directly from the Secretary of National Defense.
The Navy has a special operations force called Fuerzas Especiales, better known as FES. Their specialty are unconventional warfare, assault, counter-terrorism, and special reconnaissance operations.
There is also another special forces unit called Batallones de Comandos Anfibios. These units carry out special tasks for the Amphibious Reaction Forces (Marines).

14. Plasterer

13. Foreman

12. Grinder

11. Porter

10. ?

9. Air-conditioner mounter

8. Mechanic

7. Loader driver

6. Electrician

5. Painter

4. Engineer-Airman

3. Electrician

2. Electrician

1. Military service of North Korea

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

Photos: © Reuters/Scanpix

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