You Won’t Believe This Aerial Photographs Are Real

A Sand Art Portrait of Barack Obama

 This impressive homage to the new U.S. president-elect is the work of talented Cuban-born American artist Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada, who sculpted this gigantic face of Barack Obama using gravel, sand and soil in Barcelona, where he now lives.

The massive portrait of Obama's face measures 445 feet long by 264 feet wide and covers nearly 1 hectare of Barcelona beachfront. The artwork used over 500 tons of donated materials.

Camel Shadows in the Desert

A picture taken of camels in the desert. It is considered one of the best pictures of the year (2005). Look closely, the camels are the little white lines in the picture. The black you see is just the shadows!

Giant Oak Tree Illusion

A giant oak tree lying on its side. This stunning photograph was taken by Swedish Photographer Jocke Berglund.The remarkable shape of trunk, branches and foliage was created by a combination of storm damage and scars left on the landscape by forestry machinery used to retrieve logs.The image, entitled Hurricane Tree, won him The World In Our Hands prize at the Shell Wildlife Photographer Of The Year competition.

3D Crop Circle

The astonishing three-dimensional design, 200ft in diameter, has been created in a wheat field at Silbury Hill in Wiltshire.

Buildings Letters

A reader send us this picture, unfortunately no information was provided. These buildings look extremely similar to some alphabet letters, don't they?

Moon and Star Island

This picture has been circulating in the internet over years and is an hoax, but only the star. The "moon" is the Island of Molokini, located between the islands of Maui and Kahoolawe, Hawaii. Its crescent shape forms a beautiful lagoon inside, which is home to about 250 species of fish, some of which can be found nowhere else on Earth.

Giant Flamingo

What we have here is a bunch of flamingos posing together for an auto-portrait, which accidentally looks like one giant Flamingo.

Strange face in Peruvian sand dune

Some people believe that is the face of Jesus.You can see it for yourself if you visit this Google Maps.

Giant Ferrari Logo

This red spot, is the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi and is world's first Ferrari theme park and largest attraction of its kind. Its iconic sleek red roof is directly inspired by the classic double curve side profile of the Ferrari GT body, spanning 200,000 m2 and carrying the largest Ferrari logo ever created.

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Rapper Nate Dogg Dead at 41

Heaven just got another Dogg.

Sadly, after years of battling deteriorating health, rapper and LBC native Nate Dogg (whose real name was Nathaniel Hale) passed away at the age of 41.

No exact cause of death was immediately released when the family announced his death to the Long Beach Press Telegram, though the rapper suffered two massive strokes in recent years, one in 2007 which left him partially paralyzed, and another in 2008.

Nate Dogg was a four-time Grammy nominee and a major participant in the West Coast G-Funk sound, contributing memorable and chart-topping hooks to hits spanning the past two decades, starting with his heavy featuring on Dr. Dre's The Chronic. He went on to add his smooth, laid-back sound to Warren G's "Regulate," Dre and Snoop Dogg's "The Next Episode," Ludacris' "Area Codes" and Eminem's "Shake That." His most recent solo album, Nate Dogg, was released in 2008.

Frequent collaborator and longtime friend Snoop (back in 1991, then unknown pals Snoop, Nate and Warren G formed a rap group called 213) was the first to publicly mourn the loss.

"We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb," he tweeted last night. "One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met.

"I love u buddy luv. U will always b wit me 4ever n a day u put the g n g funk u put the 1 n 213 n u put yo stamp on evrybdy u ever didit wit. I miss u cuzz I am so sad but so happy I got to grow up with u and I will c u again n heaven cuz u know d slogan…all doggs go to heaven yo homie n baby brotha bigg snoopdogg!!

"RIP NATE DOGG."

As for Warren G, he has yet to publicly comment on the passing, but sadly just Sunday addressed fan concerns about Nate's health.

"For those that don't know awhile back nate had 2 strokes he is in therapy thanks again for your support."

Meanwhile, other fans and friends of Nate have weighed in on Twitter, offering up their own condolences.

• Daz Dillinger: "R.I.P. TO MY HOMEBOY NATE DOGG DPGC DOGG POUND GANGSTA 4 LIFE."

• Xzibit: "We love you Nate Dogg, it's never going to be the same."

• Reggie Bush: "R.I.B. Nate Dogg!!!! Rest In Beats!"

• Ludacris: "There is a certain void in hip hop's heart that can never be filled. Glad we got to make history together. RT @SnoopDogg: RIP NATE DOGG."

• The Game: "I lost a friend. Been here before. Tears. Memories. One day someone will lose 'US' as well. LIVING until that day comes is our only option."

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The world's billionaires 2011

America's wealthiest still dominate the global ranks, but more new billionaires now come from China, Russia and other developing economies – and Mexico’s Carlos Slim Helú is holding on to the title of world’s richest man.

2011: A record year in numbers, money and impact

This 25th year of tracking global wealth was one to remember. The Forbes 2011 Billionaires List breaks two records: number of billionaires (1,210) and combined wealth ($4.5 trillion).

This combined wealth surpasses the gross domestic product of Germany, one of only six nations to have fewer billionaires this year than in 2010. Brazil, Russia, India and China produced 108 of this year's 214 new names. These four nations are home to one in four members, up from one in 10 five years ago.

Before this year only the United States had produced more than 100 billionaires. China now has 115 and Russia 101.

Wealth creation is moving at an especially breakneck pace in the Asia-Pacific region, which has a record 332 billionaires, up from 234 a year ago and 130 at the depth of the financial crisis in 2009. Sizzling stock markets are behind this surge.

America's wealthiest still dominate the global ranks, but the U.S. is losing its grip. One in three billionaires is an American, down from nearly one in two a decade ago. It has 10 more than last year but 56 fewer than its 2008 peak.

Still there are inspiring newcomers. An obvious example is Facebook, which has spawned six billionaires, including chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, whose fortune this year jumped 238% to $13.5 billion.

The frenzy among investors for all things social pushed up private market values of online gaming outfit Zynga and made a billionaire of founder and chief executive Mark Pincus. Other notable American newcomers to the Forbes list include Groupon backer Eric Lefkofsky.

Why do we spend so much time tracking other people's money? It's because these moguls have the power to shape our world. Telecom billionaire turned Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati is keeping Lebanon's government together. Swiss-Italian entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli is focusing on saving the oceans. And Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have traveled to three continents working to raise philanthropic awareness among the ultra-rich.

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Mechanic Finds 4-Foot-Long Snake Under Hood

While fixing up a car, London mechanic Prem Gahru finds an unusual component under the hood.

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A Bottomless and Amazing Cave Located in Vietnam

This amаzing mammoth cave is located in Vietnam. It is оne of twenty such caves, which hаve jungles inside. Sоmetime the roof оf the cаve fell in, let sunlight in аnd all kinds оf plants soоn fоllowed.

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How to empty a lake of fish in minutes

Mali, and the village of Bamba in the north of Dogon country, where, since the beginning, that is to say since the Dogon arrived in this magic land in Mali long ago, a sacred fishing ritual is practiced, known as “Antogo”. A small yet very powerful lake rests just beneath Bamba. Antogo is celebrated only once a year, and only on this day is fishing allowed on the lake, it is strictly prohibited on any other day of the year.

Saturday, market day in Bamba. It’s 15:00 p.m, on May 2nd. The temperature is nudging 50 degrees, the sun burning in the sky. To coincide with the sixth month of the dry season the council of wise men of Bamba get together in order to fix the exact date of the Antogo ritual; for the first three market days of the month large wooden sticks are placed in the middle of the lake, signalling that the ritual is getting closer. The 3 sticks function as a signal for the whole region, warning that the date is coming soon.

In the past the whole area of Bamba was covered with green forests and bush, and the lake, the water of which was considered sacred and populated by good spirits, offered tons of fish, which contributed to local food requirements. The passage of time, climate change and parallel processes, including the massive desertification of the region, has meant that the area has transformed itself from a green zone into an arid, dry, eroded, infertile, rocky area, characterized today by huge problems in terms of water access and availability. This small yet eternal lake, apparently capable of resisting climate evolutions, represents a precious resource still today, above all from an identity and cultural point of view.

The ritual seems to contradict one of the distinguishing aspects of the Dogon culture, that is, the antipathy towards water, which they prefer to avoid when they can, confining and structuring their living around rocks, hills and semi-deserted areas, far away from the feared river Niger.

On the day of Antogo hundreds of Dogon come from all parts of the country to Bamba’s lake. Around the lake we notice 3 bigger groups of people, formed by the most respected and ancient families of various Dogon villages. The largest group is the one of Bamba, which includes people from 13 smaller villages around. Each of these groups, in a collective mystical silence, pronounce ritualistic formulas, together with the names of the most important families; finally, the word comes to the wise of Bamba, who, when done speaking, mark the beginning of the ritual itself.

A silent black frame gets drawn all around the lake, made of little kids, young and old men, carrying hand made tools to catch the fish. Women cannot participate to the ritual, getting close to the lake is strictly prohibited; in fact, in line with other aspects of the complex Dogon culture, which prohibits women from taking part in any of the ritualistic elements of life. Women are considered impure by definition, because of the menstrual cycle.

All of a sudden hundreds of Dogon jump wildly into the lake, in order to capture as many fish as possible in any way they can. Fish are then placed in a leather bag that they communally carry. The dance continues happily albeit chaotically, with everyone covered in mud is used to draw on the faces and bodies of the participants, the intensity of the moment is immense, overwhelming.

Just about 30 minutes later a gunshot marks the end of the ritual. All fish captured will be put together and given to the oldest man of Bamba, who will ensure proper distribution among all villages.

Antogo – embedded in mystery and magic – symbolises peace and cohesion among Dogon villages, absence of conflict and the sharing of the gifts coming from a common good.

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Forever Faithful

For those who just don’t believe pets truly bond with their human companions, maybe these photos will drive the point home.

CNN reports that Leao, a medium-sized brown mutt, took up a spot for at least two days alongside the grave of her deceased owner, Cristina Maria Cesario Santana, who had been among 655 killed in landslides. The pictures were taken Saturday by Vanderlei Almeida of Agence France Presse/Getty Images at a cemetery in Teresopolis amid the mountainous region northeast of Rio de Janeiro.

Sad tale, indeed, and we’ll update it if we hear more. In the meantime, hug your buddies… and here’s another image…

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