All About cryptocurrency, how does it work and why do we use it?

What is Cryptocurrency, Everything You Need To Know

Cryptocurrency is a form of digital money that is designed to be secure and, in many cases, anonymous. 

What is a 'Cryptocurrency

A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security. A 

cryptocurrency is difficult to counterfeit because of this security feature. 

A defining feature of a cryptocurrency

 and arguably its most endearing allure, is its organic nature; it is not issued by any central 

authority, rendering it theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation.

It is a currency associated with the internet that uses cryptography, the process of converting legible information into an almost uncrackable code, to track purchases and transfers.

Cryptography was born out of the need for secure communication in the Second World War. It has evolved in the digital era with elements of mathematical theory and computer science to become a way to secure communications, information and money online. 

The first cryptocurrency was bitcoin, which was created in 2009 and is still the best known. There has been a proliferation of cryptocurrencies in the past decade and there are now more than 1000 available on the internet. Bitcoin is now worth more than $15,000 as of December 2017, soaring to record levels as interest Boom....

world refuses to lose?

world refuses to lose?
Following the capture of Palmyra by Daesh in May of this year, historian Tom Holland wrote that ‘to mutilate a country’s past is to cripple its future.’ Following this argument, the imminent destruction of one of the most spectacular Greco-Roman ruins in the Middle East would not be mere collateral damage, but would have long-term repercussions for generations to come. In August and October, fears were confirmed with the explosive demolition of Palmyra’s Temple of Baalshamin (and later the Arch of Triumph),

 just days after Daesh publicly beheaded the site’s antiquities director. Satellite images and photographic evidence supplied by the extremist group reduced the 2,000-year-old structure to a pile of rubble. And yet, weighed up against loss of life and that of entire communities, reports on material destruction seem to fall flat. But can the plight of civilians be separated so rigidly from their cultural heritage? Are we overlooking the many forms that violence can take when it comes to terrorism?

The destruction joins a long list of obliterated ancient sites and symbols that once epitomised the Middle East’s pre-Islamic cultural heritage and diversity. Similar historical sites and artefacts in Iraq have been targeted this year, justified by Daesh in their fight against ‘idolatry’ and the upholding of their fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law. Researchers and activists also point towards the incentive of a large financial gain and the profit of the looted antiquities and relics. January witnessed the central library of Mosul ransacked and thousands of books burnt; in February, Daesh demolished masses of ancient artefacts at the city’s central museum; in March, a video emerged showing jihadists blowing up the 3,000-year-old Assyrian city of Nimrud; in April, footage was broadcast in April depicting militants violently damaging Iraq’s ancient city of Hatra with sledgehammers and assault rifles. Such calculated and personal destruction of beautiful wall structures and statues, bit by bit, makes for painful viewing.

Yet while 2015 appears to have witnessed an unprecedented scale of destruction, vandalism of cultural heritage is nothing new. The erasure of the past in order to legitimise a current regime is an act that has been carried out in varying levels throughout history.. Famously, the Library of Alexandria (Egypt) was one of the most significant libraries of the ancient world, until its destruction by fire and the loss of an incalculable mass of cultural knowledge. Opinions vary, but many sources seem to corroborate a fire set by Julius Caesar during his siege of Alexandria in 48 BC. Socrates of Constantinople later writes of the elimination of all pagan temples in the same city, around AD 391. Clearly, the destruction of cultural monuments dates back a long way, often perpetrated in the midst of war and in the name of religious extremism.

Even today, Daesh is not a sole player in its attempted eradication of any memory and history at odds with its own ideologies. Since 1985 especially, fast-paced and ongoing demolition of sites associated with early Islam is commonplace in Saudi Arabia. Today, the government’s planned expansion of Mecca’s Grand Mosque has led to the obliteration of surrounding eighth-century marble columns and arched porticos, as well as the extensive destruction of multiple mosques and key sites dating from the time of Muhammad. When compared with widespread responses of international indignation to Daesh’s movements in Iraq and Syria (as well as similar condemnation in other countries, such as when the Taliban blew up the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan in 2001), Western reaction to Saudi Arabia’s state-sponsored destructive activity has been noticeably absent.

Extensive media coverage of Palmyra, along with the UN announcing the Temple’s destruction as a ‘war crime’, resulted in some people declaring the absurdity of such grief over material loss in the face of much greater attacks on and disruption of human life. Yet why does it have to be an either/or matter? If there’s a question of coverage deficiency on Daesh’s brutal massacres in the Middle East, or a rather Eurocentric media output in the West (which is certainly an issue), we have a problem that needs to be dealt with in its own right. The answer is not to decrease other avenues of media representation on issues such as the destruction of Palmyra, but to raise awareness of all of Daesh’s crimes to the same necessary level and quality of discussion.

Although Daesh’s campaign against ancient history is not a direct assault on human life, it is an assault on human culture and the nature of this unique civilisation. It is an assault on thousands of years of preservation, care, creativity, and worship. As Holland goes on to argue, it’s not just a matter of preserving the past: ‘When, in due course, the killing stops, the blood dries, and the Syrian people attempt to refashion something out of the rubble to which their land has been reduced, they will need symbols.’ The destruction of these sites and artefacts is as important for the future as it is for the past.

However, as Daesh continues to threaten centuries of historical symbolism and achievement, changes are being implemented to conserve and make known some of the greatest historical wonders of the world, wonders that do still exist. Efforts at conservation and chronicling of cultural heritage is an outlet for solidarity in the face of terrorism, for revival in the face of destruction, for cultural appreciation in the face of cultural vandalism. One detrimental impact of war in the Middle East has been a huge hit to tourism and an obstacle to cultural awareness and enjoyment of one of the most historically rich regions in the world. Hope comes from an unlikely source

Just last month, Google Street View expanded its coverage to the ancient archaeological site of Petra (and twenty-nine other sites across Jordan), allowing history enthusiasts to enjoy a narrated tour of the ruin’s extensive tombs, sites and amphitheatres with a click of their keyboard. The launch joins a number of ‘world wonders’ already viewable from Google, such as the temples of Angkor in Cambodia and the ruins of Pompeii. Although concerns over virtual tourism are not lost on me – certainly ‘travel’ of this type is not going to generate much local revenue –, the move has been hailed by many as a new era of accessible cultural knowledge for all,

 especially when tourism in many of these areas has dwindled in recent years due to increasing conflict. Advocates of such technology also point out damage in the past caused by the thousands of tourists visiting sites like Petra every day. Is technology and highly-advanced cyber-viewing a new way of promoting both the preservation and accessibility of history?

While I’m not sure that the long-term vision of allowing tourists to explore the world from their armchairs is particularly wise, I’m inclined to think that the temporary virtual exploration of sites either threatened by future destruction or rendered unvisitable by violence in the Middle East could be a good thing. Stories of violent destruction and inhumanity are so unrelenting that the rich abundance of culture and history hidden within the borders of war-torn countries tends to be overlooked. Failing to value their heritage would be adding to the existing tragedy. We should look forward to a time in which computer-simulation of tourism becomes unnecessary –
but, for now, technology and history seem to be improbable allies banding together in defiance of a common enemy....

New Year, New You In College

 How to Start Off the Semester 

For many students, the New Year marks an opportunity for a fresh start. Whether your life could benefit from increased productivity and organization, or just a general sense of change, here are several ideas to help you start the New Year on the best possible note.

Establish a routine

If your goals for the New Year include a boost in productivity, consider strengthening your organizational skills first. Establishing great habits early in the spring term can also help you lower your stress levels come final exam time.

Purchase a planner and write in it as much as possible. Record every task that you must complete—homework and project due dates, household chores, upcoming concerts, work shifts, etc. Listing your obligations and events in one place can help you prepare for each week, and you can also avoid overbooking yourself.

Remember to set aside time for extracurricular activities and relaxation, but aim to over-estimate the amount of studying you will do each week. Many people find that it feels fantastic to sit down and finish the day’s work well before the end of their scheduled review session. Routine can ease the weight of heavy workloads, so when the end-of-term crunch sets in, you will already be in the habit of chipping away at your scholarly to-do list every day.

Focus on your extracurriculars

It’s also worthwhile to set extracurricular goals. After all, it’s important to live a balanced life! Endeavor to earn a faster mile time than you ever have before or finally put your idea for a short story down on paper. You can also join a new club to broaden your interests and social circles. The most difficult moments of your semester will be less draining if another activity exists to take your mind off of school from time to time.

Reflect on the previous year

Last, use the New Year as a chance to reflect. Implementing new strategies for success is only half the story of positive change—the other half involves reinforcing those habits that have been working thus far. Look back, and try to identify the study habits, routines, and other aspects of life that contributed to your success over the past year.

Keep them in mind when the challenges of the New Year present themselves. If it helped to eat a small meal before exams, keep doing so. If studying before bed worked better for you than studying in the afternoon, plan your review sessions accordingly. If rewarding yourself with a trip to the movies after finishing an important paper rejuvenated you, search for show times between your final revisions.

Similarly, reflection can present a chance to spot the habits that were not successful, and you can then minimize these occurrences in your life. Procrastinating on papers until the last possible moment is one common example. It can be difficult to leave these routines behind, but the New Year is your opportunity to aim for the best you.

With the successes of the past year in mind, as well as a desire to curb harmful habits and to seize the wonderful opportunities that present themselves, the New Year will be your best yet

History of SeaWorld

SeaWorld’s long-standing history dates back to the early 1960’s, when four graduates of UCLA originally had the idea to construct an underwater restaurant. When those plans were eventually deemed unfeasible for construction purposes, they decided to go another route and open up a marine zoological park. Thus, SeaWorld was born.

The first SeaWorld was not built in Orlando, but actually in San Diego, Calif. With an initial investment of only .5 million dollars, SeaWorld San Diego opened on March 21, 1964 with only 45 employees, several dolphins, sea lions and two seawater aquariums. The park was an instant success, drawing in over 400,000 visitors its first year alone. Four years later, in 1968, SeaWorld offered its stock publicly, enabling the company to further its growth opportunities. Soon after, in 1970, a second SeaWorld park opened in Aurora, Ohio, near Cleveland. Then, when Walt Disney World opened in Central Florida during SeaWorld Ohio’s second season of operation, Orlando immediately became the top choice for a third SeaWorld theme park. While SeaWorld Ohio was only a seasonally-operated park because of its climate, a new year-round park, SeaWorld Orlando, opened in 1973 to instant success, much like its predecessors.

While SeaWorld is now under the realm of Anheuser-Busch, that wasn’t always the case. William Jovanovich, who owned the publishing company Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, or HBJ, bought out the SeaWorld chain for just .7 million dollars in 1976. But soon after, HBJ became the target of large companies who were poised for a takeover, which led to an increased amount of debt for the company.
HBJ began selling off its assets, but maintained that its theme park division was not for sale, even solidifying that by opening up SeaWorld’s largest theme park in 1988 in San Antonio, Texas. But continued budget concerns forced layoffs at the SeaWorld parks, and when Jovanovich retired in December of 1988, his replacement, Ralph D. Caulo, restructured the company and sold the theme park division to Anheuser-Busch, which placed the four SeaWorld theme parks under its subsidiary, the Busch Entertainment Corporation. The BEC had originally entered the theme park market in 1959 with the opening of Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. 

Busch immediately began to sink millions into its new theme parks, including expanding SeaWorld Orlando, adding thrill rides and a brand new Shamu stadium, along with other areas and programs. Discovery Cove opened under the BEC in 2000, and on March 6, 2007, plans were also announced to build a water park that only SeaWorld could build, Aquatica. Aquatica was opened on March 1, 2008, here in Orlando,
Florida. Anheuser-Busch sold SeaWorld Ohio to Six Flags in 2001, but the three remaining parks are still committed to SeaWorld’s founding principles, which are quality in the areas of education, entertainment, research and conservation. They are also accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), a recognition that means that these facilities have achieved high levels of animal husbandry technique, medical care and management competence in their zoological exhibition, collections, public education and park operations.

History of C++ Info

During the 60s,
while computers were still in an early stage of development, many new programming languages appeared. Among them, ALGOL 60, was developed as an alternative to FORTRAN but taking from it some concepts of structured programming which would later inspire most procedural languages, such as CPL and its succesors (like C++). ALGOL 68 also directly influenced the development of data types in C. Nevertheless ALGOL was an non-specific language and its abstraction made it impractical to solve most commercial tasks.

In 1963 the CPL (Combined Programming language) appeared with the idea of being more specific for concrete programming tasks of that time than ALGOL or FORTRAN. Nevertheless this same specificity made it a big language and, therefore, difficult to learn and implement.

In 1967, Martin Richards developed the BCPL (Basic Combined Programming Language), that signified a simplification of CPL but kept most important features the language offered. Although it too was an abstract and somewhat large language.

In 1970, Ken Thompson, immersed in the development of UNIX at Bell Labs, created the B language. It was a port of BCPL for a specific machine and system (DEC PDP-7 and UNIX), and was adapted to his particular taste and necessities. The final result was an even greater simplification of CPL, although dependent on the system. It had great limitations, like it did not compile to executable code but threaded-code, which generates slower code in execution, and therefore was inadequate for the development of an operating system. Therefore, from 1971, Dennis Ritchie, from the Bell Labs team, began the development of a B compiler which, among other things, was able to generate executable code directly. This "New B", finally called C, introduced in addition, some other new concepts to the language like data types (char).

In 1973, Dennis Ritchie, had developed the basis of C. The inclusion of types, its handling, as well as the improvement of arrays and pointers, along with the later demonstrated capacity of portability without becoming a high-level language, contributed to the expansion of the C language. It was established with the book "The C Programming Language" by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, known as the White Book, and that served as de facto standard until the publication of formal ANSI standard (ANSI X3J11 committee) in 1989.

In 1980, Bjarne Stroustrup, from Bell labs, began the development of the C++ language, that would receive formally this name at the end of 1983, when its first manual was going to be published. In October 1985, the first commercial release of the language appeared as well as the first edition of the book "The C++ Programming Language" by Bjarne Stroustrup.

During the 80s, the C++ language was being refined until it became a language with its own personality. All that with very few losses of compatibility with the code with C, and without resigning to its most important characteristics. In fact, the ANSI standard for the C language published in 1989 took good part of the contributions of C++ to structured programming.

From 1990 on, ANSI committee X3J16 began the development of a specific standard for C++. In the period elapsed until the publication of the standard in 1998, C++ lived a great expansion in its use and today is the preferred language to develop professional applications on all platforms.

C++ has been evolving, and a new version of the standard, c++0x, is being developed to be published soon, with several new features.

A Brief History of Computers and Networks,

                                                  Part II
In 1943 development begins on the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) in earnest at Penn State. Designed by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert of the Moore School, they get help from John von Neumann and others. In 1944, the Havard Mark I is introduced. Based on a series of proposals from Howard Aiken in the late 1930's, the Mark I computes complex tables for the U.S. Navy. It uses a paper tape to store instructions and Aiken hires Grace Hopper("Amazing Grace") as one of three programmers working on the machine. Thomas J. Watson Sr. plays a pivotal role involving his company, IBM, in the machine's development.
Early in 1945, with the Mark I stopped for repairs, Hopper notices a moth in one of the relays, possibly causing the problem. From this day on, Hopper refers to fixing the system as "debugging". The same year Von Neumann proposes the concept of a "stored program" in a paper that is never officially published.
Work completes on ENIAC in 1946. Although only three years old the machine is woefully behind on technology, but the inventors opt to continue while working on a more modern machine, the EDVAC. Programming ENIAC requires it to be rewired. A later version eliminates this problem. To make the machine appear more impressive to reporters during its unveiling, a team member (possibly Eckert) puts translucent spheres(halved ping pong balls) over the lights. The US patent office will later recognize this as the first computer.
The next year scientists employed by Bell Labs complete work on the transistor (John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley receive the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956), and by 1948 teams around the world work on a "stored program" machine. The first, nicknamed "Baby", is a prototype of a much larger machine under construction in Britain and is shown in June 1948.
The impetus over the next 5 years for advances in computers is mostly the government and military. UNIVAC, delivered in 1951 to the Census Bureau, results in a tremendous financial loss to its manufacturer, Remington-Rand. The next year Grace Hopper, now an employee of that company proposes "reuseable software," code segments that could be extracted and assembled according to instructions in a "higher level language." The concept of compiling is born. Hopper would revise this concept over the next twenty years and her ideas would become an integral part of all modern computers. CBS uses one of the 46 UNIVAC computers produced to predict the outcome of the 1952 Presidential Election. They do not air the prediction for 3 hours because they do not trust the machine.

Small portion of the IBM 701 Courtesy IBM

IBM introduces the 701 the following year. It is the first commercially successful computer. In 1956 FORTRAN is introduced(proposed 1954, it takes nearly 3 years to develop the compiler). Two additional languages, LISP and COBOL, are added in 1957 and 1958. Other early languages include ALGOL and BASIC. Although never widely used, ALGOL is the basis for many of today's languages.
With the introduction of Control Data's CDC1604 in 1958, the first transistor powered computer, a new age dawns. Brilliant scientist Seymour Cray heads the development team. This year integrated circuits are introduced by two men, Jack Kilby and John Noyce, working independently. The second network is developed at MIT. Over the next three years computers begin affecting the day-to-day lives of most Americans. The addition of MICR characters at the bottom of checks is common.
In 1961 Fairchild Semiconductor introduces the integrated circuit. Within ten years all computers use these instead of the transistor. Formally building sized computers are now room-sized, and are considerably more powerful. The following year the Atlas becomes operational, displaying many of the features that make today's systems so powerful including virtual memory, pipeline instruction execution and paging. Designed at the University of Manchester, some of the people who developed Colossus thirty years earlier make contributions.
On April 7, 1964, IBM introduces the System/360. While a technical marvel, the main feature of this machine is business oriented...IBM guarantees the "upward compatibility" of the system, reducing the risk that a business would invest in outdated technology. Dartmouth College, where the first network was demonstrated 25 years earlier, moves to the forefront of the "computer age" with the introduction of TSS(Time Share System) a crude(by today's standards) networking system. It is the first Wide Area Network. In three years Randy Golden, President and Founder of Golden Ink, would begin working on this network.
Within a year MIT returns to the top of the intellectual computer community with the introduction of a greatly refined network that features shared resources and uses the first minicomputer(DEC's PDP-8) to manage telephone lines. Bell Labs and GE play major roles in its design.
In 1969 Bell Labs, unhappy with the direction of the MIT project, leaves and develops its own operating system, UNIX. One of the many precursors to today's Internet, ARPANet, is quietly launched. Alan Keys, who will later become a designer for Apple, proposes the "personal computer." Also in 1969, unhappy with Fairchild Semiconductor, a group of technicians begin discussing forming their own company. This company, formed the next year, would be known as Intel. The movie Colossus:The Forbin Project has a supercomputer as the villain. Next year, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes was the first feature length movie with the word computer in the title. In 1971, Texas Instruments introduces the first "pocket calculator." It weighs 2.5 pounds.

With the country embroiled in a crisis of confidence known as Watergate, in 1973 a little publicized judicial decision takes the patent for the computer away from Mauchly and Eckert and awards it to Atanasoff. Xerox introduces the mouse. Proposals are made for the first local area networks.
In 1975 the first personal computer is marketed in kit form. The Altair features 256 bytes of memory. Bill Gates, with others, writes a BASIC compiler for the machine. The next year Apple begins to market PC's, also in kit form. It includes a monitor and keyboard. The earliest RISC platforms become stable. In 1976, Queen Elizabeth goes on-line with the first royal email message.

During the next few years the personal computer explodes on the American scene. Microsoft, Apple and many smaller PC related companies form (and some die). By 1977 stores begin to sell PC's. Continuing today, companies strive to reduce the size and price of PC's while increasing capacity. Entering the fray, IBM introduces it's PC in 1981(it's actually IBM's second attempt, but the first failed miserably). Time selects the computer as its Man of the Year in 1982. Tron, a computer-generated special effects extravaganza is released the same year.

K2 Dream of a 2004 season

K2 North: a Dream of a 2004 season, with a few “clouds”

Even on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first climb of K2, the mountain continues to live up to expectations as a mountain of no compromises and no gifts!

After 3 years when not a single climber was able to reach the summit of the mountain (the last being Jose Antonio Garces on July 22, 2001 by way of the Abruzzi Spur), the 2004 season has seen no less than 43 summits to date (all from the south side) [this was before yesterday]. An absolute record – never before have there been this many successful summits achieved in a single season, especially when one realizes that in total, including this year – there have only been 241.

It is a record for the number of Italian climbers on the summit this year: 11 total, 5 on the K2 – 2004 – 50 years later team, (all summiting without oxygen). Of these 11, Silvio Mondinelli and Karl Unterkircher were the first two Italians to summit since Hans Kammerlander did so on July 22, 2001.

All of this occurred in a year which initially presented itself as one of the worst in terms of weather, at least until the last days of July. This too would have been a record: 200 climbers and no less than 11 expeditions on the south side.

On the north side of the mountain, only two expeditions were present: the Korean, which concluded tragically with the death of three climbers, and the Italian K2-2004 team, attempting the North Corner route, which was climbed originally in 1996 by an international expedition guided by Krzysztof Wielicki, who reached the summit with two other Russians, an American and the Italians Marco Bianchi and Christian Kuntner.

Out team of 7 climbers, who announced that they were packing for a return home, due to the continuing weather problems, will make their way back with equipment which will first travel by camel and then by air

World Beautiful Country

Argentina
She may have wanted the country to hold back its tears, but it’s pretty certain Evita shed a few when considering its incredible beauty.
From the urban splendor of Buenos Aires, rated one of the most beautiful cities in the world, to the massive expanse of the Pampas, Argentina is a land of evocative beauty. The Iguazu Falls, which straddle, Argentina and Brazil, are generally regarded as one of the two most impressive and beautiful waterfalls in the world – with only Victoria Falls in Zambia / Zimbabwe being rated above it with frequency.
Probably the scenic highlight of the country, though, is Patagonia. It is a world of stunning glaciers and impossible towering spears that tear the sky. Monte Fitzroy and Monte Cerro are possibly the most famous of all the mountains in the area, skewering the air above them with their six thousand feet high cliff faces. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas.
The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that is actually growing, Its average height is 240 feet above the water, and 558 feet ice depth.
Considering that it makes up an area almost five times the size of Manhattan, it’s unsurprising that this area makes up the third largest fresh water reserve in the world – and it is visually astonishing.
Namibia
The desert nation of Africa is hauntingly beautiful. It’s Germanic influence is evident throughout the country, which is one of the world’s natural treasure troves.
Etosha national park is indisputably one of the world’s greatest game reserves. Before the rainy season, it offers wildlife viewing that rivals the very best reserves on Earth. The Caprivi Strip is a water wonderland, with the Epupa falls generally regarded as the second largest waterfall in an arid area. The Erongo mountains, Spitkoppe and Brandberg are amongst the most remarkable mountains in the world, and the Namib Naukluft feature on the list of mountains that one must see, but that are often unknown.
The deserts to the South of the country are in many ways the highlights of the stunning nation. The skeleton coast, where glorious dunes plunge into stunning Atlantic waters with almost no inhabitants, is justifiably world famous. Even more so is the area of Sossusvlei, also in the enormous Namib Naukluft. It is usually seen as the single most beautiful desert scape on Earth. Dead Vlei, found within the greater Sossuvlei area, is an astounding area featuring trees petrified by centuries with little rain, and it often reduces first time visitors to speechless wonder.
Namibia is without any doubt one of the world’s most scenically magnificent countries.
 China
The world’s third largest country has some of its finest scenery. The Mekong River is one of the most extraordinary rivers in the world, arising in the vast Tibetan Plateau. This plateau is the largest and highest plateau in the world, with tens of thousands of glaciers including the Rongbuk, Midui and Hailuogou that eventually help feed the Mekong and many other rivers. If regarded as a canyon, the Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon is certainly the largest on Earth, stretching over 300 miles in length and attaining a mind boggling maximum depth of almost 20,000 feet near Mount Namcha Barwa in the Himalayas.
And of course the Himalayas are probably the ultimate visual highlight of the great country of China. Everest and Mount Qogir, the two tallest mountains on earth, are both on the border of China. Nine of the world’s fourteen ‘Eight Thousanders’ are in China or on the Chinese border.
Aside from the Himalayas, Mount Hua, Mount Tianmen and mount Tianzi are stunning. The Detian Falls, on the border with Vietnam, have been listed as some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world and the hills of Guanxi province are utterly astonishing.

As if that wasn’t enough, China has urban beauty and cultural beauty that rivals anywhere on the planet. Its cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, are world famous and in a prominent list Hong Kong has recently been rated one of the world’s most beautiful. The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall of China are just three of the magnificent ancient structures that justify China’s place in the most beautiful countries on earth.

Beautifull World Information

Beautifull World Information
Home to stunning places like Rajasthan and Goa, India has everything from tropical beaches to the glacier capped Himalayas. From the town of Varanasi, to the great monument of love which is the Taj Mahal, to possibly the finest wildlife offered outside of Africa, the diversity, colors and frequent chaos of this nation can be overwhelming. Despite that, it undeniably has many of the most stunning places on planet Earth.
Home to stunning places like Rajasthan and Goa, India has everything from tropical beaches to the glacier capped Himalayas. From the town of Varanasi, to the great monument of love which is the Taj Mahal, to possibly the finest wildlife offered outside of Africa, the diversity, colors and frequent chaos of this nation can be overwhelming. Despite that, it undeniably has many of the most stunning places on planet Earth.
Europe’s mountain nation encompasses probably the very most beautiful parts of the Alps. The Matterhorn is listed number two on the most incredible mountains in the world list, and the Bernese Oberland makes up some of the most beautiful highlands on earth. The country has earned it’s cliché for near-perfection, as it is amongst the cleanest on earth. Wandering through the streets of some of the most beautiful towns and villages in the world, like Lugano and Luzern, one feels it would be possible to eat off the streets themselves!
The Canadian Rockies are justifiably famous as amongst the most beautiful in the world. The stunning view of the Twelve Apostles from Moraine Lake in Banff National Park is one of the most beautiful in the world, Vancouver is one of the world’s loveliest cities, the Baffin island mountains are known by few but are totally unmissable travel highlights, the country has the longest coastline in the world, and as featured in a recent list the mind bending Sam Ford Fjord is seen by some as the world’s most impressive fjord on planet earth! And you thought they only had Bieber?
Land of the Maasai Mara and image of wild Africa. The country has been rated in the top 3 wildlife countries on Earth, and Mount Kenya is the second tallest mountain on the continent. The spectacle of the great migration is one of the greatest in the world, and the views of Kilimanjaro from Amboseli National Park are ironically probably better than from Tanzania itself, in which the great mountain is situated!
Probably the most beautiful country in all of Europe, Italy is one of the world’s great tourist destinations for a reason. Not only are the Dolomite Alps some of the loveliest mountains on earth, but the Mediterranean finds its very most beautiful landscape on the Amalfi Coast, named the third most beautiful coastal drive in the world. Rome is one of the most stunning cities on earth, and Positano has been named the loveliest town in all the world. Some more of the world’s loveliest coast is found in the stunning island of Sicily, which also boasts some of the world’s most beautiful wildflowers in spring – as does Umbria! Add lakes like Como, a huge number of the most beautiful churches in the world, some of the greatest art works on the planet, and several of the most beautiful small cities on earth – including Florence and Venice – and Italy is certainly one of the most beautiful countries on earth!
Land of the Serengeti, Lake Victoria, Lake Natron and Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater, Zanzibar, the Spice Islands, Dar Es Salaam and a million more, Tanzania is almost beyond belief.
Mount Kilimanjaro rises over 3 miles above the surrounding plains, making it one of the world’s two mountains with greatest vertical relief, together with our own McKinley. It is also the largest free standing mountain in the world.
Birthplace of Freddie Mercury, the country is one of the very best wildlife destinations on earth. During the great migrations between Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti, which means ‘Endless Plains’, the largest migration of mammals in the world takes place. This spectacle sees millions of animals moving in search of better grazing and prey, and has been called the greatest sight on Earth. In February alone, an estimated 500,000 wildeest calves are born on the planes!
The immense flamingo flocks that dominate Lake Manyara and Lake Natron are breathtaking, and this is made all the more stunning by the fact that Natron itself is a vivid pink color due to its chemical content. Tanzania is almost too beautiful to believe.
This may be an unexpected addition to the top 10, but Colombia deserves its spot! It is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, due in part to its incredible altitude differences within the tropics. The country has some of the most impressive sections of the Andes, and Santa Marta is the highest coastal mountain range on Earth. Within only thirty miles of the Carribean Coast, the range rises over 18,000 feet!
Caño Cristales is often called the most beautiful river in the world, due mostly to being multi-colored, and spots such as Cabo de la Vela Tarona National Park and Salento and the Coffe Triangle ensure this country’s undisputed place on a world’s most beautiful list.
It is not only natural beauty that defines the country though. Cartagena is one of the most beautiful small cities in the world, and the country is justifiably famous for its fascinating architecture and Spanish Conquistador influence. Las Lajas Sanctuary is one of the most incredible and beautiful churches in the world, and its location is almost unbelievable. Cali, Mompox, Medellin and Popayan are other beautiful settlements in the country that ensure its cultural as well as natural beauty.

RAW Behind Lahore Attack on Sri Lankan Team – CID Report

In an interesting development, investigative journalists of The News have collected the copies of secret report by one of the main intelligence agencies of Pakistan CID warning of an imminent attack by Indian spy aka terrorist agency RAW on the visiting Sri Lankan team to Pakistan. The details of the report dated 22nd January 2009 are as following:

The report tagged “SECRET/IMMEDIATE” with subject “SOURCE REPORT” reads:

1. It has reliably been learnt that RAW (Indian intelligence agency) has assigned its agents the task to target Sri Lankan cricket team during its current visit to Lahore, especially while travelling between the hotel and stadium or at hotel during their stay.

2. It is evident that RAW intends to show Pakistan a security risk state for sports events, particularly when the European and the Indian teams have already postponed their proposed visits considering it a high security risk to visit Pakistan.

3. RAW has also collected photographs of leaders of Jamaatud Daawa (proscribed) and its establishments to target them.

4. Extreme vigilance and heightened security arrangements indicated.” (Source: The News)

It is a shameful act and i still wonder why our government never bring out in public the facts about the involvement of Indian terrorists.

Moreover, the Pubjab Governor Salman Taseer and his PPP backers should be punished for ignoring all the security warnings and changing all the top police officials few days before the incident. Salman Taseer was too busy playing his political games and trying to outwit his rivals and ignored the warning. He replaced all the top police officers of the province and installed new people who were clearly unaware of the gravity of the situation. Therefore, i think that they should be charged for bringing bad name to Pakistan and for the death of so many brave souls. I wonder when will our people learn?

The report also pointed out that RAW intends to attack the leadership of Jamaat Ud Dawaa in Pakistan and i hope we will now take care of them at least and won’t let them fall prey to Indian terrorists.

ISLAMABAD: The Crime Investigation Department (CID), Punjab, had accurately warned the Punjab government on Jan 22, 2009 about an Indian plan to target the Sri Lankan cricket team during its visit to Pakistan.

The CID, while referring to a source report, said this terrorist attack would be carried out by the infamous RAW, especially while the Sri Lankan team would be travelling “between the hotel and stadium or at hotel during their stay”.
And the incident, which the whole world saw on March 3, precisely happened the same way, raising a hundred-million dollar question as to why the Punjab government, under Governor Salmaan Taseer, let it happen so easily despite a clear warning from the intelligence agencies of the country.

Copy of this fabulous work of the CID, which was wasted by the government in the Punjab in a sheer show of criminal negligence harming the national interest, shows that Additional Inspector General of Police, CID, Punjab, Malik Muhammad Iqbal, shared this report with all concerned in the federal and provincial governments.
The report tagged “SCRET/IMMEDIATE” with subject “SOURCE REPORT” reads: “It has reliably been learnt that RAW (Indian intelligence agency) has assigned its agents the task to target Sri Lankan cricket team during its current visit to Lahore, especially while travelling between the hotel and stadium or at hotel during their stay.

2. It is evident that RAW intends to show Pakistan a security risk state for sports events, particularly when the European and the Indian teams have already postponed their proposed visits considering it a high security risk to visit Pakistan.

3. RAW has also collected photographs of leaders of Jamaatud Daawa (proscribed) and its establishments to target them.

4. Extreme vigilance and heightened security arrangements indicated.”

The above report was sent to Syed Kamal Shah, interior secretary, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, Javed Mehmud, Chief Secretary, Punjab, Lahore, Dr Syed Tauqir Shah, Secretary to Chief Minister, Punjab, Lahore, and Nadeem Hassan Asif, Home Secretary, Government of Punjab, Lahore, on Jan 22 with the covering letter of Additional IGP, CID, Punjab, Lahore, Malik Muhammad Iqbal.
The same covering letter also included a note announcing that the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO), Lahore, and the Lahore commissioner were being informed separately for necessary action.
The same day on Jan 22, the issue because if its sensitivity was brought into the notice of the then-chief minister Shahbaz Sharif on whose instructions an urgent and confidential note was sent to the IGP Punjab, the Lahore commissioner, the CCPO Lahore, the chief secretary and the home secretary.
On behalf of the chief minister, it was said: “The chief minister has seen the enclosed source report and has desired that every effort may be made for the security of the Sri Lankan cricket team during its current visit to Lahore. He has further desired that extreme vigilance and heightened security arrangement may be made to avert any untoward incident.”

On the very next day on Jan 23, a meeting was held on the subject under the chairmanship of commissioner, Lahore, Khusro Pervaiz Khan, and attended by IB Director Mirza Tamraiz M Khan, DIG (traffic) Muhammad Ghalib Bandesha, Military Intelligence rep Col Saqib, Director ISI (Lahore) Ashraf Khan, DCO, Lahore, Sajjad Ahmad, district emergency officer, Lahore, Dr Ahmad Raza, SP/CID Lahore Azmatullah, Protocol Officer c/o DG Protocol, Lahore, Noorul Hassan, SP (traffic) Lahore Muhammad Asif Khan, SP City Lahore Rana Abdul Jabbar and others.
In the said meeting, the provincial government under Shahbaz Sharif took extremely tight security measures for the one-day international match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which was held on Jan 26, 2009.
Minutes of the meeting, as available with this correspondent, show how minutely the authorities at that time discussed each and every aspect of the terrorism threat and the security measures to be taken.
These minutes show the evolution of a comprehensive security plan and contingency plan to pre-empt the possible threat of terrorism by RAW.

The then-IG, Punjab, Shaukat Javed, personally visited the whole route of the cricket team for the one-day match and even talked to cops deployed there. The then-CCPO, Pervez Rathore, also visited the site more than once.
However, after the recent imposition of governor’s rule, not only the chief secretary and the inspector general police were changed but also the whole lot of police officers in Lahore, including the CCPO, SP (operations) and six other SPs, who were replaced by officers some of whom enjoy highly stinking reputation.

There is no explanation offered so far by any government authority as to why the warning of the CID was overlooked this time when the Punjab was ruled by Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer.
A two-day visit of this correspondent to Lahore shows the civilian bureaucracy there talking of how the civilian administration and police have been (mis)used by the provincial administration for political wheeling-dealing since the imposition of governor’s rule in the Punjab.
“Keeping in view the CID source report, the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team is a clear FIR against the Punjab governor and his administration,” one of these officials commented. (Source: The News)

Thanks to Teeth Maestro for the soft copies of the CID reports. I copied it from his site to share with our readers as well.

Aatish Taseer’s ; Stranger to History: A Sons Journey through Islamic Lands

By Mariaana Babar for The News Pakistan

Aatish Taseer, the 29-year old son of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, who is a journalist and lives in London, has written a book, a personal memoir, about his life story in which he has depicted his father in a manner that will shock and repel many of his Pakistani readers.

The book, titled “Stranger to History: A Son’s Journey through Islamic Lands”, is about to be launched in London in a week and in India a few weeks later. Indian magazine “Outlook” has acquired the rights to the book and as a gesture of friendly cooperation, the magazine has agreed to share their breaking story about the book with The News. The magazine will hit the stands in India on Friday.

Aatish has also been interviewed by the Outlook magazine, which says the book is ready to roll and Aatish is on the brink of entering a heady world of book launches and international book tours. It has been published by the Picador India.

According to the Outlook, the book is a fictional version of Aatish’s dramatic life story. Briefly, the story is this: “A short, intense relationship between a Pakistani politician, Salmaan Taseer, and an Indian journalist, Tavleen Singh, produces a child. As the relationship founders, the father (according to his son’s account) abandons the mother and the infant in London.

They move to Delhi, where the boy, Aatish, grows up in an elite Sikh family, but with an awareness of being ‘different’ because of his Muslim and Pakistani ancestry. “Twice in his childhood, he makes long-distance overtures to his father, but is rebuffed. In 2002, at the age of 21, he tries again, by simply landing up in Lahore, and meets with greater success. Salmaan’s political career has waned — the military rules; his party’s boss, Benazir Bhutto, is in exile — but he is, by now, a wealthy businessman and a media tycoon, with an elegant third wife and six other children.

“Relatives and family friends, who have known about Aatish for years, help him find a way into Salmaan’s life. So begins a father-son relationship that is, by no means, easy. And so dies a novel.

“There is this extraordinary story, but what does it mean? It’s not everybody else’s,î Aatish said, while looking back on his struggles five years ago to write that autobiographical novel.“Then came a turning point. In 2005, Aatish, now a journalist living in London, wrote for a UK magazine on the radicalisation of the British second-generation Pakistanis, making the unexceptionable liberal argument that it was linked to failures of identity on different fronts. Chuffed by his first cover story, he sent it to his father, to whom he now felt closer — and was shocked to receive a furious reply, accusing him, among other things, of blackening the family name by spreading ‘invidious anti-Muslim propaganda’.

“The accusations set off a storm of reactions in Aatish, from hurt and defensiveness to confusion and curiosity. How was his father, who (as he was to recount in his book) drank Scotch every evening, never fasted and prayed, even ate pork and once said: ‘It was only when I was in jail and all they gave me to read was the Quran…..(This portion of the text has been deleted as it was deemed unprintable.)

Defending his controversial decision to lay bare personal relationships and conversations, Aatish said it came from his conviction, after the letter incident, that “the personal circumstances contained a bigger story.” He, however, acknowledged that the writing of the book was also a way to overcome the despair he felt at having his relationship with his father suddenly run aground again — “a way to make my peace with that personal history.”

The memoir is a journalist’s engaging travelogue. But where the political and personal come together powerfully is in the last third part of the book, which finds Aatish in Pakistan among the Pakistanis.

Personal disappointment fuses with intellectual outrage in his searing final encounters with his father. And as a traveller trying to make sense of the broken pieces of his own ancestry, he takes political discoveries personally. He is wounded by reflexive anti-Indianism, which he encounters widely in Pakistan, and particularly among the youth.

The book quite clearly rejects the idea of Pakistan (while tacitly endorsing the idea of India), but Aatish still seems to be trying to keep the two. “I hope for this to be a book for Pakistan (though) I know that is a very naive thing to say—Neither with my father, nor with Pakistan, was it written to settle any scores. I hope that despite what looks like a bleak look at Pakistan, it is possible to see a genuine concern and affection for the place.”

The Outlook said the personal story of Aatish, meanwhile, had acquired new twists. Salmaan Taseer, with whom he has had no contact for the past 15 months — though he hears he is upset by news of his book — has been resurrected in the topsy-turvy world of Pakistani politics.

About six months ago, he became the Punjab governor. It is a ceremonial role, but since the dissolution of the Shahbaz Sharif government in the Punjab, the man wields real power — and controversially.

“The timing of the book is slightly insane,” he said, laughing uncertainly. “I wouldn’t have wished for it. He was just a businessman, and that was good enough for what I had to say. He didn’t need to be the governor of the Punjab.”

Is he prepared to lose the relationship with a book like this, coming especially at a sensitive time? “Whether I wrote the book or not, I am definitely pretty much persona non grata,” he said. But then he added: “My father is a bright, intelligent man, and well read. I hope he understands some day.”

Following is an extract of the book: “I had begun my journey asking why my father was Muslim, and this was why: none of Islam’s once powerful moral imperatives existed within him, but he was Muslim because he doubted the Holocaust, hated America and Israel, thought Hindus were weak and cowardly, and because the glories of the Islamic past excited him.

“The faith decayed within him, ceased to be dynamic, ceased to provide moral guidance, became nothing but a deep, unreachable historical and political identity. This was all that still had the force of faith. It was significant because in the end, this was the moderate Muslim, and it was too little moderation and in the wrong areas. It didn’t matter how someone prayed, how much they prayed, what dress they wore, whether they chose to drink or not, but it did matter that someone harboured feelings of hatred, for Jews, Americans or Hindus, that were founded in faith and only masked in political arguments.”

“I rose to leave the room. It was if a bank had burst. My father and I, for the first time, were beyond embarrassment. I returned a few moments later to say goodbye to him, but he had left for the day without a word. The now empty room produced a corresponding vacancy in me that was like despair. I wanted somehow to feel whole again; not reconciliation, that would be asking too much, just not this feeling of waste: my journey to find my father ending in an empty room in Lahore, the clear light of a bright morning breaking in to land on the criss-crossing arcs of a freshly swabbed floor.

“As the crow flies, the distance between my father and me had never been much, but the land had been marked by history for a unique division, of which I had inherited both broken pieces. My journey to seek out my father, and through him, his country, was a way for me to make my peace with that history. And it had not been without its rewards. My deep connection to the land that is Pakistan had been renewed. I felt lucky to have both countries; I felt that I’d been given what partition had denied many. For me, it meant the possibility of a different education, of embracing the three-tier history of India whole, perhaps an intellectual troika of Sanskrit, Urdu and English.

“These mismatches were the lot of people with garbled histories, but I preferred them to violent purities. The world is richer in its hybrids.

“But then there was the futility of the empty room, rupture on rupture, for which I could find no consolation, except that my father’s existence, so ghostly all my life, had at last acquired a gram of material weight. And, if not for that, who knows what sterile obsessions might still have held me fast/

The World Beautiful Country Information

The World Beautiful Country Information"

The mountain country of Nepal is predictably stunning. The capital of Kathmandu is possibly the most famous, and has exceptionally distinctive architecture, but the second largest town of Pokhara is the real jaw-dropper as it is looked upon by some of the tallest mountains on earth, in the Annapurna massif.

At the time of this list’s publication, Nepal has been rocked by a devastating earthquake that has claimed the lives of many. Our thoughts are with the people of the beautiful mountain nation.

Australia has 16,000 miles of coastline, boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the greatest natural wonders in the world, the Island of Tasmania is one of the world’s 10 most beautiful, and Sydney is one of the world’s ten loveliest cities. The Hamersley Mountain range is the second oldest in the world. The Land Down Under is over the top beautiful!

Often overlooked because of neighbouring beauty Thailand, the Philippines is one of the most stunning countries in the world. It’s made up of over 7000 stunning islands in the Pacific Ocean! Palawan in particular has been called the most beautiful island in the world!

Land of trolls and fjords, Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. While fjords such as Geiranger, Nærøyfjord and Sognefjord dominate the mental images of this Scandinavian gem, the Lofoten Islands are debatably its visual highlight. If you’re surprised by the Northern Lights while taking in these stunning sights, your mind may just start playing some Edvard Hagerup Grieg in spontaneous celebration!Land of trolls and fjords, Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. While fjords such as Geiranger, Nærøyfjord and Sognefjord dominate the mental images of this Scandinavian gem, the Lofoten Islands are debatably its visual highlight. If you’re surprised by the Northern Lights while taking in these stunning sights, your mind may just start playing some Edvard Hagerup Grieg in spontaneous celebration!Land of trolls and fjords, Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. While fjords such as Geiranger, Nærøyfjord and Sognefjord dominate the mental images of this Scandinavian gem, the Lofoten Islands are debatably its visual highlight. If you’re surprised by the Northern Lights while taking in these stunning sights, your mind may just start playing some Edvard Hagerup Grieg in spontaneous celebration!

The world’s most biodiverse country is also its fifth largest. Within such a massive area, it is unsurprising that there are scenic highlights. Foremost is undoubtedly the unparalleled Amazon Rainforest and Amazon River. The Rain Forest is by far the largest on earth, and would be the sixth largest country in the world were it independent. The Pantanal is one of the best wildlife destinations in the world, the Iguazu falls named the second most amazing waterfall in the world, and Rio de Janeiro has been named the second most beautiful city in the world.

Chile spans almost from the equator to the sub Antarctic, making it the longest contiguous country in the world as measured by latitude. Crammed into the almost 40 latitude degrees are some of the world’s most beautiful places. Last Hope Fjord is one of the most beautiful in the world, and the Atacama desert is astonishing, partly because it is the driest non-ice desert on Earth. Parque Nacional Torres del Paine is probably the most beautiful of all Chile’s wonders, and is South America’s answer to our own Yosemite.

Underwater Cities in Cuba

Havana, Cuba:
 A team of scientists continues to explore megalithic ruins found in the Yucatan Channel near Cuba. They have found evidence of an extensive urban environment stretching for miles along the ocean shore. Some believe that the civilization that inhabited these predates all known ancient American cultures. So far, only computer models of this mysterious underwater city exist.

North Sea, Europe: A lost natural landscape was found recently under the North Sea, once occupied by human hunter-gatherers over 10,000 years ago. What were once rivers, lakes and oceans are
 now all at the bottom of the sea, only made
 known through digital mapping.
 Scientists theorize that this amazingly
well-preserved landscape was at the heart
of an ancient civilization spread across Europe.

Atlantis, Antarctica? Over a hundred years ago, a museum curator in Istanbul made a remarkable discovery. Examining an ancient map on gazelle skin, he found a location marking a mountain chain where Antarctica is today. This map is, amazingly, one of many pieces of evidence people have used to try and claim that, in fact, Antarctica is the fabled lost continent of Atlantis. Other evidence
includes the recent discovery (via sonar technology) of land under Antarctica as well as the mapping systems used by ancient cartographers, which suggest Atlantis might have been located far from the Mediterranean Sea.

Underwater Cities

A wealth of human history lies submerged in ancient cities at the bottoms of lakes, seas and oceans of the world. Some of these were sent into the water via earthquakes, tsunamis or other disasters thousands of years ago. Many have just recently been rediscovered, by accident or through emergent technological innovations. Some have even caused scientists to question the history of human civilization.

Alexandria, Egypt:
Off the shores of Alexandria, the city of Alexander the Great, lie what are believed to be the ruins of the royal quarters of Cleopatra. It is believed that earthquakes over 1,500 years ago were responsible for casting this into the sea, along with artifacts, statues and other parts of Cleopatra’s palace. The city of Alexandria even plans to offer underwater tours of this wonder.

Bay of Cambay, India: A few years back discovered the remains of a vast 9,500 year old city. This submerged ruin has intact architecture and human remains. More significantly, this find predates all finds in the area by over 5,000 years, forcing historians to reevaluate their understanding of the history of civilazation in the region. The find has been termed Dwarka, or the ‘Golden City,’ after an ancient city-in-the sea said to belong to the Hindu god Krishna.

Kwan Phayao, Thailand: In itself perhaps not unusual, a 500 year old Thai temple sits at the bottom of lake Phayao. What makes this case strange is that the lake was actually made intentionally about 70 years ago, and that there has been recent discussion of potentially restoring the temple at the cost of billions of dollars. However, the ruins serve as a habitat for fish that many have argued should remain untouched.

Yonaguni-Jima, Japan: Discovered by a dive tour guide some twenty years ago, controversies have arisen around a mysterious pyramids found off the coast of Japan. These structures seem to have been carved right out of bedrock in a teraforming process using tools previously thought unavailable to ancient cultures of the region.

Eamazing and Beautiful World Country

Eamazing and Beautiful World Country Information

Home to stunning places like Rajasthan and Goa, India has everything from tropical beaches to the glacier capped Himalayas. From the town of Varanasi, to the great monument of love which is the Taj Mahal, to possibly the finest wildlife offered outside of Africa, the diversity, colors and frequent chaos of this nation can be overwhelming. Despite that, it undeniably has many of the most stunning places on planet Earth.

Home to stunning places like Rajasthan and Goa, India has everything from tropical beaches to the glacier capped Himalayas. From the town of Varanasi, to the great monument of love which is the Taj Mahal, to possibly the finest wildlife offered outside of Africa, the diversity, colors and frequent chaos of this nation can be overwhelming. Despite that, it undeniably has many of the most stunning places on planet Earth.

Europe’s mountain nation encompasses probably the very most beautiful parts of the Alps. The Matterhorn is listed number two on the most incredible mountains in the world list, and the Bernese Oberland makes up some of the most beautiful highlands on earth. The country has earned it’s cliché for near-perfection, as it is amongst the cleanest on earth. Wandering through the streets of some of the most beautiful towns and villages in the world, like Lugano and Luzern, one feels it would be possible to eat off the streets themselves!

The Canadian Rockies are justifiably famous as amongst the most beautiful in the world. The stunning view of the Twelve Apostles from Moraine Lake in Banff National Park is one of the most beautiful in the world, Vancouver is one of the world’s loveliest cities, the Baffin island mountains are known by few but are totally unmissable travel highlights, the country has the longest coastline in the world, and as featured in a recent list the mind bending Sam Ford Fjord is seen by some as the world’s most impressive fjord on planet earth! And you thought they only had Bieber?

Land of the Maasai Mara and image of wild Africa. The country has been rated in the top 3 wildlife countries on Earth, and Mount Kenya is the second tallest mountain on the continent. The spectacle of the great migration is one of the greatest in the world, and the views of Kilimanjaro from Amboseli National Park are ironically probably better than from Tanzania itself, in which the great mountain is situated!

University life?

how to make the most of extra-curricular opportunities
University is not just about studying and relaxing in the pub, but also learning how to seize opportunities when they arise - a valuable lesson that will prepare students well for later life
Matthew Draycott is not planning to mince his words. When the new undergraduates arrive for an induction-week pep talk on making the most of their time at Glyndwr University this September, the Enterprise Associate at the university’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning plans to give them both barrels.
“If you spend your time in the pub for three years, then it doesn’t matter if you get a 2:1. Your degree is no longer the only thing you need to leave university with. You need a set of practical experiences that will give you a competitive edge,” he says, sipping coffee in the North Wales university café.
The department where Draycott works aims to teach students about enterprise, making them more employable and inspiring many to start their own business. “The trend is for students to come to us earlier,” he adds. “We have seen a big increase in numbers of first years, especially from IT courses, in recent years.”
Of course, developing interests outside of your course is nothing new. From playing for a university sports team to chairing the debating society, one of the best aspects of undergraduate life has always been the chance for students to broaden their horizons. But with graduate unemployment currently at its highest level in over a decade, savvy students are increasingly realising that getting a job is not just about good grades, it’s about making the most of those extra-curricular activities.
“Students now view the university experience as something that leads to work. While students are often under increasing time pressure,
many having to work part-time to fund their studies, extra-curricular activities are now a big part of their thought process,” says Ed Marsh, National Union of Students (NUS) vice president for union development.
So you want to get involved. But what are the best options for you? Marsh says that, while traditional sports, politics and societies remain popular, he sees more students doing community outreach work, especially at inner-city universities with more diverse students populations. During his own undergraduate days at the University of Hull, he volunteered with local schools and nursing homes for the elderly.
Another growth area is student enterprise with students looking to use new skills from their course before they actually graduate. For the aspiring Alan Sugars and Richard Bransons, it’s a natural progression towards social enterprise. Hushpreet Dhaliwal, chief executive of the National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs (NACUE), says: “We can’t be a complacent generation. It’s about being the cause, not the effect.
“Many students arrive at university not knowing what they want to do in life. You have to expose yourself to all aspects of university life, create your own personal value and build networks from the start,” she adds.
Student-led NACUE is behind more than 70 university enterprise societies across the UK and supports more than 85 universities to stimulate student businesses. It recently advised on an Apprentice-style competition, led by students from King’s College London Business Club working with eOffice.
Dhaliwal advocates the stragegic of use of websites such as Twitter and LinkedIn. “Social networking helps to build awareness among the wider student enterprise community. It offers a fast and efficient means for students expose themselves to new opportunities in career development,” she says.
But perhaps the smartest students of all are the ones seeing the global picture. University courses in modern languages traditionally include a year of study or work experience overseas as a mandatory third year off campus. But recent research by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) estimates some 22,000 UK students are currently studying in other countries.

Maastricht University in the Netherlands is fast becoming a hotspot for school leavers turning their backs on the British university system for its winning combination of lower course fees and grants available from the Dutch government if undergraduates work 32 hours a week while they study. Maastricht University has been sending representatives to sixth-form careers days over the past year and is installing a fast-track admissions scheme for prospective UK students this summer.
Ed Mash of the NUS says: “We’re competing in a global market and the costs of courses at British universities are now higher than ever. Having an international perspective gives real value to the individual.”
Back at the coffee bar, Matthew Draycott is finishing his latte and checking his Twitter account, his favourite way these days of engaging with students and communicating to them the latest news from the student entrepreneurship sector..

Best Estimate of Your College Costs

How to Get the Best Estimate of Your College Costs

Did you know that colleges with higher sticker prices sometimes offer more financial aid? Or that colleges differ in the types of aid they offer? Below are a few tips that will help you estimate the real amount you’ll have to pay to attend the colleges you’re considering.

You can search for colleges by average net price and by the average percent of financial need colleges meet.
Focus on Net Price

Your net price for a college is the published price for tuition and fees minus your gift aid and education tax benefits. Gift aid includes grants and scholarships but not loans or money earned through a work-study job. Getting your estimated net price is the best way to get an early answer to the question of how much a college will really cost you. Learn more about net price.

Cost Figures to Know for Your College Search

Your personalized estimated net price is the best indicator of what a particular college will cost you. But if you’re just beginning your college search, the types of figures listed below can help you decide if you want to get more information on a college or use its net price calculator.

Average Net Price
The average net price of a college is what the student really pays to go to that college. The U.S. Department of Education defines average net price as the cost of attending a college (for an in-state student who lives on campus) minus the average amount of gift aid that a student at that school receives from the college and the government.

A college you’re interested in might have a published price of $23,410. But its average net price might be only $17,300 — which includes room and board and other costs. That’s a big difference.

Average Percent of Need Met
Most colleges are not able to cover 100 percent of a student’s demonstrated financial need. You can get an idea of how much aid a college might award you and your family by checking to see what it has typically awarded other students in the past.

For example, if your family has demonstrated need of $10,000, and the college you are interested in has an average percent of need met of 75 percent, then your financial aid award (for one academic year) from this college might be about $7,500..

Average Percent of Gift Aid
Different colleges have different ways of awarding their financial aid packages. The final award is generally divided into a combination of scholarships and grants, work-study jobs and loans. Only scholarships and grants are considered gift aid..

If a college awards you a financial aid package of $7,500, and the average percent of gift aid is 50 percent, then you can expect your award to include approximately $3,750 in grants and scholarships. The rest of the award would likely be a combination of loans and work-study earnings...

How to Transition from High School to College

Student Life 
How to Transition from High School to College

Choosing a college is a huge undertaking, with many late nights spent filling out online applications, requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation, and—lest we forget—writing those sleep-depriving personal statements. But you keep your eye on the prize, thinking once you have chosen the right school for you, all that stress will fade away . . .

Or does it?

The transition from high school to the college of your choice can be stressful too. But I’m here to help you take that stress and channel it in order to become a productive, happy, healthy contributor to your new college or university. It’s really not that hard. It’s actually pretty fun! So strap yourself in and get ready.

Let’s start from the beginning,

You have chosen your college. You’ve submitted your housing information, perhaps filled out a roommate questionnaire, and picked out your meal plan. Maybe you’ve even gotten letters or e-mails from your academic advisor. You’re ready to make the transition from high school senior to college freshman. So, now what?

Freshman orientation is a great way to jump into your new surroundings. Most colleges and universities have summer programs that bring all new students together for a day or so not only to break the ice but to also get some business done so you don’t have to run around in a frenzy once the semester officially starts. Make every effort to attend your orientation! This is your school’s way of helping you reach that first rung on the ladder to a successful transition. You won’t succeed in that transition unless you know what to expect. That’s what orientation is all about.

You’re in college now

It’s finally happening: you are a bona fide college student. Believe it or not, most people will consider you an adult now, which can be scary because with this “adult” label comes responsibility. Your responsibility. Professors might give you assignments, but they can’t really tell you what to do. You have an unprecedented level of freedom, with no parents, no siblings—wait, no parents?! Who will tell you when to get up? When to go to class? When your assignments are due? Yes, these new responsibilities can be a stressful part of the transition, but students have proven time and time again that they can survive it. You will too!

Time management is your friend

It’s pretty simple: If you embrace time management, you will be successful as a college student. If you don’t, well, you can guess what will happen. So what does “time management” really mean? It’s basically looking at all your assignments, events, and responsibilities and then planning your time accordingly.

A rule of thumb: for every hour in the classroom, you should plan on three hours of studying outside the classroom. This is not like high school where you might be able to study the night before and pass a test or exam. College exams come perhaps only twice a semester, which means they cover a lot. If you don’t keep up with the studying and learn to manage your time, those exams could prove to be problematic. You don’t want that to happen.

Class flexibility figures into your time management too. Your class time isn’t structured like high school; the bell doesn’t ring when you have to change classes, and your class times will vary greatly depending on the day and between semesters. Some classes might be 50 minutes; some might be three hours! (True story. If you have to take any sort of lab, you’ll see.) These fluid class schedules are great in a lot of ways, but they also make effective time management skills even more important.

More money, more problems

Financial responsibility is a pretty new concept for most students transitioning from high school to college, especially when it comes to paying for tuition. FAFSA, Perkins Loans, Pell grants, subsidized and unsubsidized loans—these terms may not mean anything to you now, but believe me, they will.

Part of your new responsibilities as a college student is to be financially fit and not abuse any financial aid or other funds you may receive. Students sometimes see the need to take out more money in loans than necessary so they can use it for personal expenses in college. This is not a good idea, because six months after graduationjob or no job—you have to start paying that money back. If you, like most students, need to take a loan or two out to make ends meet, that’s fine, but don’t overdo it. Remember to think long term. Be financially responsible now so you will be able to pay your debts after graduation.

A different kind of “social responsibility

College is social. High school was too, but in college your fellow students can be a surprisingly important and influential part of your life. They will help you in study groups or with tutoring. They will be your support system when your family and hometown are hundreds or thousands of miles away. They will even enter the workforce with you as your peers and professional network for years to come.

You need to put yourself out there and be social to reap the benefits of surrounding yourself with supportive students, professors, and other staff. Do not be afraid to introduce yourself to faculty, staff, or fellow students, especially at the beginning of your college experience. Taking advantage of your college’s community is another new responsibility on your plate. This isn’t like high school, where relationships are made by the mere fact you are in the same homeroom with the same people every day for four years. In college, you may meet someone new every day for four years!

You may not be able to remember everyone’s names, at least not in the beginning, but this is how the transition helps you give back. When you become an upperclassman, you’ll have the opportunity to introduce yourself to those shy freshmen you see coming in the next few years. It will be up to you to help make them comfortable in their new surroundings.

It will be overwhelming at times. You will meet people from new places, new backgrounds, new ethnic groups, and new religions. You will meet people who challenge you—and not always in a good way—and people you will wish you had met years earlier. Remember, each new person is a new opportunity. You just don’t realize it yet. But you will.

Don’t sweat the small stuff”

So said Dr. Richard Carlson in his famous book. Remember those words. Live them. You will experience so many awesome things once you leave high school, you won’t ever want to go back and you won’t remember the little stuff that bothered you. Your college experience will comprise some of the best times of your life, memories you will carry with you for a long time. Just keep these tips in mind, and your transition will be a success.....

A taste of "Thailand"

A taste of Thailand
Let me preface this article with the disclaimer that in my ten-day excursion to Thailand, I visited three areas – Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai – which were all hubs of tourist activity. With the tourist industry comes a tendency towards Westernisation, and I only wish I had the knowledge of the Thai language to have enabled me to venture out into lesser-known parts of the country. Since I was constrained to the trodden paths, my experience of Thai food may not have been in its spiciest and most ‘authentic’ form. But then again, this may well have been a good thing for me given my weak palette for spice!

With the exception of a few delicious green curries, I erred away from dishes that sounded suspiciously spicy and chilli-filled. Instead, I found myself eating an awful lot of rice-based dishes. I have always been an avid fan of rice – an underrated comfort food – but I must confess, by day ten, even I thought I never wanted to see a grain of rice again!

The first thing that strikes me about the food I ate in Thailand is how light and healthy it is. My first (and possibly favorite) meal of the holiday was on a boat tour off the coast of Phuket. It was a buffet meal on a ‘floating island’ called Koh Panyi, which enabled us all to sample a range of dishes. At the spicier end of the selection was a chicken curry with coconut rice, which was much enjoyed by the sterner-palettes of my fellow travelers. However, for me, the main delight of the meal was a garlic pork dish, which was slightly salty, rich and indulgent, served with vegetable fried rice.

  It was here that I discovered that fried rice in Thailand is a far healthier and lighter dish than its typical student takeaway equivalent.
In spite of the name of the dish, the rice and vegetables are often boiled rather than fried and then briefly cooked together with some oil (and soy sauce plays no part in the occasion!) At this first lunch, I made a discovery that changed my experience of the rest of the trip – homemade oyster sauce. Although I’d only ever encountered oyster sauce before as a slightly sweet and nondescript flavoring in a dish at Wagamamas, this oyster sauce was salty, rich and sweet all at the same time, and, when served together with some boiled vegetables, created a meal I could have eaten for days!

When we hit Bangkok, we found ourselves surrounded by the far greater degree of culinary choices. On our first night, some friendly Germans from our hostel invited us to join them for dinner in Chinatown. While every big city in the world has a Chinatown, this experience was something quite different – the restaurants were set up from makeshift tables, boxes and stools and one chef was cooking every meal before our eyes from a few flaming-hot woks. This combination of factors gave the place a very homely feel. The menu presented to us was written in Thai so we had only good luck/my tactic of pointing at an appealing dish on a neighbouring table (which was much to the amusement of the waiter) to go by. It was certainly an adventure but I struck gold with a sweet and sour pork dish, which was not only delicious but also incredibly cheap!

By the time we reached Chiang Mai, we were pretty familiar with the format of a Thai restaurant menu. Popular dishes we sampled included, of course, Pad Thai (I tried this once despite disliking peanuts – which is often a key ingredient), Kuay Tiew (a wonderful light noodle soup), and Gai Med Ma Moung (chicken with cashew nuts, but be warned, this can sometimes be unexpectedly spicy!).

On the drinks front, Thailand also had a few delights to offer. I very much enjoyed the famous ‘Mai Tai’ cocktail, which was often served creatively in a pineapple. Anyone who enjoys rum will love this drink, however, probably not as strong as they make it in Thailand and sadly not for only about £3! You’ll also find alcoholic drinks flavoured with fruits like mango, passionfruit and the very suspicious (and gross!) durian.

On the ‘morning after’ side of things, Thailand surprised us all with various little coffee spots. As the climate was extremely humid, we leant towards iced coffee, which took the form of a black coffee with ice and was served alongside a cup of this hot, very sweet milky concoction to add to taste (I added the whole cup to satisfy my sweet tooth!). This drink proved a refreshing and invaluable cure on several mornings to prepare us for a day of sightseeing