According to history, the original concept of "ocean" goes back to notions of Mesopotamian and Indo-European mythology, imagining the world to be encircled by a great river. The world was imagined to be enclosed by a celestial ocean above the heavens, and an ocean of the underworld below.

Marine Creatures

Siamese Fighting Fish

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Blue Tang

Clown Fish

Mandarin Goby

Sea Dragon

Fish come in many shapes and sizes. This is a sea dragon, a close relative of the seahorse. Their leaf-like appendages enable them to blend in with floating seaweed.

Lion fish

Head on view of a Red lionfish

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Articles and Interesting Facts

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Anne Lyken Garner says "the so-called Devil’s Triangle is found North West of the Atlantic Ocean. There are several documented cases of aircrafts, ships and boats which have disappeared in this area. So frequent are the accidents which have occurred in this region, that popular myths and paranormal explanations are now associated with the Triangle." Read More about the Bermuda Triangle: Plane Crashes and Other Disappearances

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According to Greek Mythology, Poseidon was God of the Sea and the “Earth-Shaker” of earthquakes. It is he that controls the plan of the oceans to destruct and destroy. Six of the World's Most Deadly, Dangerous, and Disastrous Oceans and Seas



A kelp forest typically occurs in cold, nutrient-rich water and is among the most beautiful and biologically productive habitat in the marine environment.

The coast of California is home to one of the most spectacular kelp forests in the country. Within the confines of this massive forest of kelp there lies an abundance of fishes, invertebrates, algae, marine birds, and marine mammals. Kelpmania

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R J Evans says "Have you ever wanted to visit another planet but don’t quite have the wallet power (or for that matter the decades it may take for commercial space flight to Mars to become available)? If you want and out of this world experience you could try, as an alternative, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. It is one of the landscapes on planet Earth where you may feel that you are somewhere else in the universe entirely." Read about the Sea of Salt


Nobert soloria Bermosa says "Corals grow in clear and shallow water up to depths of 60 meters or 200 feet. These organisms depend on sunlight although they can catch small fish and planktons. Most corals are found in tropical and subtropical waters." 25 Important, Unique and Colorful Corals in the World


Resources

• NOAA National Ocean Service Education: Corals
• Corals, Coral Pictures, Coral Facts - National Geographic

Himalayan Monal

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Billions of years ago, our earliest ancestors established themselves on planet earth. The earth that we see today is filled with fossilized organisms that prove, without a doubt, that life has continued to evolve and change with each planetary formation.

Now, imagine an animal that lives in freezing waters or at pressures that would crush a human being in an instant. These are the animals that fascinate us the most. Although the appearance of exotic birds and the smooth stride of the panther is to be admired, the creatures that have remained among us through destruction of our planet day after day are the ones that are the most intriguing. Read more about exotic animals

Venice, Italy, as described by Louie Jerome, is a beautiful city which is rapidly disappearing into the salty waters of the Adriatic lagoon it stands on, and structural engineers can do nothing about it.

Venice, Northern Italy, is a city that is worth seeing before it is too late. The whole place is slowly sinking into the sea and in recent years the rate of that sinking has started to speed up. The City is built on a hundred and eighteen small islands in a lagoon off the coast of Italy. It’s a salt water lagoon and the islands are linked by bridges. The whole thing is indeed an amazing sight.

I'm a sucker for seeing truTV videos that cause actual pain to people partaking in extreme sports and experiencing some out of the ordinary situations while on vacation. But trust me, I think all of us are a bit curious in these situations and think to ourselves, what were these people thinking?

In one video, a marine biologist took a trip to the Everglades to study a rare man eating fish, and what happened next was straight out of a horror movie. The fish started leaping into his boat and into his head, and all the while he was laughing in hysterics. Wouldn't you?

My second favorite truTV video was a Lawyer on vacation that decides, well maybe I'll try bungee jumping. What the heck, I'm got the money and I have no fear in the courtroom, so this should be easy for someone like me.

Trust me, I've bungee jumped before, it's no picnic the first time around. I had to actually be pushed off the platform in Mexico when I went at 18 years old on Spring Break. Of course, after the fact, I just wanted to do it again.

In this case, the lawyer plummets to the ground after his cord breaks, and if you want me to say it was a terrible situation, I will agree, he actually lived through it.

Just as a warning, if you feel like watching these videos for any reason, besides just entertainment purposes, just remember that "the stories are real, the effect is actual."

In the past, or rather because I have felt I wasn't as deserving as some, I haven't recognized the use of blogger awards.

However, my latest is very special and it comes from a very dear writer friend, Glynis Smy from Scribbles.

Of course, as with every Bloggy Award, there are A Few Rules. They are, forthwith:

• Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
• Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
• Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
• Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!

Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

The 5 Recipients of The Superior Scribbler Award from New Scribbles By Glynis are:

1. IcyBC@Reach Beyond Limits
2. Joanne@Poetic Shutterbug
3. Laurie@Crocodile Soup for the Soul
4. Chris @ Christoncipher and friends
5. RJ Evan@ Webphemera

Fuldera: Fuldera, a tranquil and enchanting village of simple rustic pleasures, off the main valley road. For hiking, its green meadows full of wildflowers and beautiful larch forests are especially inviting.

When you initially choose a green vacation, do you ever take into consideration why the location you are traveling to earned that reputation?

With it's high mountain peaks and spectacular green valleys, it's no wonder that the residents promote an Eco-friendly, sustainable Switzerland.

Not only is the electricity in Switzerland mainly generated from hydroelectricity and nuclear power, but this act of conservation cuts down CO2 emissions, meaning cleaner air and crystal clean water. Furthermore, they are the world leaders in recyling, charging their residents for garbage removal, which initially allows for the residents to consider recycling everything they can. This will in turn save the environment and it will save them the cost in trash removal.

As Americans, we can learn a lot from these green practices. It's never to late to change our habits.

I think that's what initially got me interested in travel to Switzerland was the fact that the scenery was unblemished. There were still beautiful mountains and green pastures, along with the local animals that grazed the fields. It's a wonder of nature, and as a enormous nature enthusiast, it's somewhere I would love to spend a week just biking the friendly trails, while staying at a luxurious green resort in the mountains. Clean air is wonderful for the body and soul, don't you agree?

Of course, after those long days of grander, you will have to have a place to relax and unwind, and the most wonderful place that I have found to stay and visit was The St.Johan Cloister, a site registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. What was really appealing to me about this location was the construction itself. As a student of Archaeology, I have a huge appreciation for monasteries, churches, and fortifications, so a chance to experience a location like this in the middle of Eco-friendly environment is my idea of a perfect holiday.

Of course, times of contemplation and solitude in a beautiful country like Switzerland can be a challenge for many who are accustomed to a more urban lifestyle. However, with my knowledge of the area and the historical significance of many of the hotels, mountains, and other locations, it's quite easy to convince my family that a vacation to Switzerland is a wonderful choice.

Most serial murderers kill for the pleasure and simply because it's an act of anger. Most of these individuals share predictable behaviors stemming from historical serial murderers whom they admire and powerful, wealthy men that they want to become. This was the case of Jack the Ripper and Gary Ridgeway.

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Often times, these patterns start to depict the same kind of gruesome events that led Jack the Ripper to be one of the most notoriously known killers in 1888. Jack the Ripper would often remove the uterus and the heart of almost every one of his victims, giving him the name of "The Butcher".

For years, profilers have been obsessed by the fact that Jack the Ripper may have been a doctor or had some type of medical training. However, due to some advanced technology and skilled professionals, they may have come to the conclusion he was neither of these.

Crime has been evolving over the centuries. It has inevitably become harder to catch these individuals, but new technologies have been developed and we now have an advanced system to target these killers.


A system called Viggell is being used by Geographic Pro filers that breaks down the location of the killer using a math program that creates a 3 dimensional mountain outlined and shaded in different colors. When the profiler plugs in the information, the highest targeted area is highlighted in red which is called "The Red Summit". This is the area in which the profilers will most likely catch the killers.

When the area is targeted, the profiler will visit the site and determine why the killer chose this vicinity. They will examine the ease of access and the escape routes these killers may have considered. The result that is determined is called the "Jeopardy Surface".

Since killers tend to hunt in areas they know, computers are now able to pinpoint locations of these serial murderers. This was recently done with the information on file for Jack the Ripper.

They discovered that Jack would only hunt on the weekends, he would choose his victims on the basis of their age, and he only killed in areas he was familiar with, like Buck's Row in White Chapel.


He did have a pattern, which was hard to discover back in 1988. He would usually hunt in this order:

North East
North West
South East
South West


The Viggell technology has possibly tracked down the exact home of the Ripper over 100 years after the murders occurred.

Gary Ridgeway

Unfortunately, this technology was not around in 1982 when a body was found in Green River, Washington by D etective Dave Reichert. It was a story that rocked the world and the media sensationalized. Years and years went by and the police had no information except for the fact all of the victims were prostitutes from the King County area.

Off of Civic Highway South, there was a strip of 3 to 4 miles with hundreds of prostitutes on every corner. These girls were perfect targets considering for $20.00, they would get in a car and never be seen again.

For over 20 years, remains of over 30-40 victims were picked up by the Green River Task Force. There were few individuals over the years brought in for questioning.

Ironically in 1987, Gary Ridgeway was one of the potential suspects because of an assault on a prostitute, but after the police searched his house, vehicle, and locker, there was no evidence to further investigate. The media grew tiresome and the families of the victims grew angry.

Detective Reichert had one other option which was to consult with the Devil himself, Ted Bundy. Ted advised the detective he may be able to help with the case of "The River Man". Bundy gave him clues and tips to the killer's personality, but he gave no exact answers. He said "the killer is probably going back to the site to check things out, to see if the bodies had been disturbed". If they were, he wouldn't even try to go back again. "That's what I did".

After 3 more bodies were removed from the river, DNA testing was done on all three. At the time, Detective Dave Reichert knew in his heart it was Gary Ridgeway. When the results came back, he was right.

The Green River Police Force moved in to arrest Ridgeway. When he was brought into custody, Detective Reichert said "Gary and I are going to have a little visit". As soon as Ridgeway walked by, Reichert stated "Gotcha Asshole". They spoke about the plea bargain he would make with the court, that being a confession to 48 murders with the names of the victims. In all actuality, he had raped and killed over 71 prostitutes and he believed he was doing the world a favor by removing this trash from our streets. He told the Detective "he knew it was wrong, but they deserved to die."

On his Judgment day, he pled guilty to 48 counts of murder. The parents and family of the victims finally had a chance to face this monster after 20 years of torture. One such parent spoke of God and how it is our nature to forgive, even when faced with the most horrible of individuals. This testimony brought Ridgeway to tears, which was probably one of the only times this killer actually showed some sort of emotion.

The aftermath of this case was hard to forget. As Detective Reichert said, he could still picture every victim being pulled out of the river. He could imagine the look of their body, the color of their hair, and of course their name. It would haunt him till this day.

Gary Ridgeway is said to be one of the most notorious killers in the world however, few have ever heard of him or his story. Had the Viggell technology been in existence back in the 80's, it wouldn't have taken so long to find this monster.

Also Check out :

Ed Gein The Wisconsin Grave Robber and Butcher of Plainfield

Robert Hansen: Alaskan Murderer

The Infamous and Bizarre Vampire of Brooklyn Albert Fish

The Bizarre and Twisted Evolution of HH Holmes Castle of Horrors

Serial Killer Jane Topan

I sit in classes that paint pictures of ancient civilizations and geological formations that are close to 300 million years old and I think to myself, why doesn't everyone appreciate these marvels of nature. For centuries, these locations were overflowing with rich cultural heritage and societies that appreciated the nature around them.

Nature and Landscape Photography

Scar House, Arkengarthdale

0.43m • © paul c

Canal in Autumn

0.54m • © John Illingworth

Swinsty Reservoir from Fewston Embankment

1.04m • © Kate Jewell

River Esk

0.72m • © Margaret Clough

The River Esk is a river in North Yorkshire, England that empties into the North Sea at Whitby after a course of around 28 miles (45 km) through the valley of Eskdale, named after the river itself.

Geology

Grand Canyon

Arizona Waterfalls

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The most famous of Arizona’s waterfalls are all mostly located on the Havasupai Indian Reservation which is just west of the Grand Canyon along the Havasu Creek which is spring fed so the waterfalls do not dry up and loaded with minerals leading to a lovely blue-green hue in the water and pools below the falls. In 2008 the Havasu Creek area experienced massive flooding which has altered the landscape and waterfalls along the creek. Arizona Waterfalls by Joe Dorish

Mauna Loa - The River of Lava:

Mauna Loa is the most active and largest volcano in the world. It s name is Hawaiian for “long mountain.” It is located on the big island of Hawaii and it stands 13,682 feet about sea level. The crater at the top of this volcano is 4 square miles and almost 600 feet deep. This crater’s name is Mokuaweoweo. The last time Mauna Loa erupted was in 1984 and it is still considered to be an active volcano which could erupt again at any time. By Juliane Elliott

Gemini Springs Natural Park

Gemini Springs was a great place of commerce and government during the early days of the Florida frontier, and the city of DeBary. In the 1800’s, farming of citrus, timber, and the tapping of longleaf pine trees for turpentine, were of great importance on the land. By Lauren Axelrod

Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves

Image source

Eisriesenwelt is situated inside the Hochkogel mountain in the Alps. It is the largest ice cave in the world, extending more than 42km and visited by about 200,000 tourists every year.

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs is comprised of several cells that are continuously changing. The shelves are adorned with natural living growth that appears in several different color variations.

Accomodations

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Gamirasu Troglodyte Hotel is located in the heart of Cappadocia, Turkey near Urgup. The hotel boasts 18 rooms that have been completely restored and reopened in 1999. The hotel is situated in a retreat that has been there for over thousands of years. This hotel is a perfect honeymoon and wedding destination.

Daintree Ecolodge

Located in Queens land, Australia, this resort is nestled in one the oldest living rain forests boasting 15 lovely villas in a tree house setting. It perfectly secluded for romantic honeymoons and secret rendezvous’.

In 1936, Fred Smith and John and Albert Raskie built the Rock Garden Tavern on Route 13 just outside of Phillips, Wisconsin. During the construction of the Tavern, Fred grew interested in sculpting.

In 1949, Fred Smith, a retired lumberjack and Tavern owner, came up with the idea to create a park with living concrete sculptures portraying people that he knew and historical figures.

Over a period of 15 years, Fred Smith artistically constructed over 220 pieces depicting life and history.

As he added to his collection over the years, more and more significant figures started to come alive like Paul Bunyan, Abe Lincoln, Sacajawea, the Statue of Liberty, a depiction of the flag raising at Iwo Jimo, and so many more.

The most interesting characteristics on the sculptures are the surface pieces. To give the sculpture some depth, Fred added beer bottles, gadgets, colored glass and porcelain, light bulbs, and many other scrap pieces he thought would add to the complexity of the piece.

I believe the monument depicting the flag raising at Iwo Jima was one of the most significant pieces that Fred ever completed.

Smith is quoted as saying, "Nobody knows why I made them, not even me. This work just comes to me naturally."

Unfortunately, Fred suffered a stroke in 1964 and he was unable to continue his work on the park. He died on February 21, 1976.

After Fred's death, a storm rolled in that destroyed most of his life's work.

In the late 70's, the site was acquired by the Kohler Foundation of Wisconsin, who took on the undying task of refurbishing the sculptures to their former glory.

When the project was completed, the concrete park was donated to Price County, and is now a county park.

Admission is free, but donations are always welcome to keep this living sculpture park alive.

The bizarre glasses have been made by dropping hot candle wax into cold water. As a result, the top layer of wax hardens and floats and the stem is made from the wax below. The cups are shaped by dropping cold water balloon into hot wax till many layers are formed. Kaarsrecht Glas Made From Candle Wax - Homeqn

Every year it seems I wait until last minute to finish my Christmas shopping, along with sending tons of personal and business christmas cards to everyone I know.

The funny thing is, I always say I'm going to do it differently the next year and I never follow through, so this year I made a change. I figured since many of my recent decisions, like going back to college and selling the restaurants were actually choices that led me in the right direction, I would keep the train rolling on the right track.

Now, all of you know that I love being creative and sending one of a kind gifts, so when I found a site that allows you to personalize your Christmas cards before they ship, I was thrilled. I now have the ability to think of a cheerful one liner for the heading, a blessing or a message, and I can even add my own logo or pictures.

Personally, I like having the ability to say what I want to say on a holiday card, instead of settling for an often simple and unoriginal Christmas greeting.

On a side note, the holiday card's featured here are two that I am planning on using for the holidays. What do you think?