Top 10 “most beautiful” college campuses

1.  Stanford University, CA - From above, Stanford bears a couple indicators of its ground-level beauty, which benefits from a California climate and Texas-sized endowment.  Most buildings are hybrids (or derivatives) of the Richardsonian Romanesque and Mission Revival styles (hence, the red-tiled roofs, plaster, and rough-hewn stones).  Thanks to Frederick Law Olmsted’s consultations, the campus is on a generally flat plot of land and is littered with (un-Olmsted) scenic quads and predictably-dignified axial orientations.  Stanford also benefits from being one of the largest campuses by size, which has allowed it to have the semi-wooded area at the top of the screenshot.




2.  Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR - Lewis & Clark is lucky for a couple big reasons: (1) Portland has many expansive (and hilly and lush and full of footpaths) parks and (2) Lewis & Clark is next to one big one, Tryon Creek State Park.  Plus, as the screenshot shows, the campus itself has a high tree quotient, is walkable due to its small size, and has allowed the naturally hilly terrain to shape the campus’ growth.



3.  United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD - Notwithstanding the Chesapeake Bay’s odd hue in the screenshot, the Naval Academy’s waterfront location is a big plus.  Annapolis is arguably America’s sailing capital (I think the city even trademarked that phrase), boasting historic neighborhoods, many marinas and sailing clubs, and plenty of opportunities to enjoy the water.  As for the school’s campus, it benefits from institutional traditions and a nation’s willingness to memorialize them in the form of stately buildings and well-tended landscaping.



4.  Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA - (1) Intimate campus, (2) California climate, (3) urban location, etc.  There are plenty other colleges in/near Los Angeles that benefit from these things; but Occidental didn’t assume these alone are enough to ensure beauty (see Pepperdine, below).  The small campus also has plenty of impossibly picturesque red tile-roofed buildings similar to those found at Stanford.  But really, Occidental’s repeated selection as a film location is the best evidence of its beauty (e.g., Orange County, Pat and Mike, Clueless).  Apparently the campus in the movies that looks too-good-to-be-true really does exist.



5. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis - I admit, that the U’s campus has a few low points; the West Bank has that “Martian landscape” vibe, and the only good thing about the “Superblock” dorms is their impersonal nickname.  But on the flip side, campus straddles path-lined cliffs overlooking the Mississippi River, has one of the best campus “malls” you’ll find (designed by Cass Gilbert), a great view of Minneapolis’ nearby skyline, and big clump of picturesque buildings surrounding the original center of campus called “The Knoll.”  Even better, they just finished a new, horse shoe-shaped stadium (with a terrible name), which replaces the unfortunate series of parking lots in the screenshot’s upper-right hand corner, and by 2014, a light-rail line will run right through campus between Minneapolis and St. Paul.







6.  University of Cincinnati, OH - Although its campus isn’t half bad (densely located on hill in historic city, etc.), I actually selected Cincinnati due to its singular focus on cultivating modern architecture (for better or worse) designed by the highest profile architects out there.  As a result, it’s campus has a decidedly different vibe (read: modern, and not slavishly bent on rehashing older buildings) and is interesting in large part because of the many discrete examples of modern architecture - not so much because of their cohesiveness.  Students in the college’s excellent design school can just go on a walk if they want to see representative works by Frank Gehry, Morphosis, Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, or Charles Gwathmey, among others.



7.  Harvard University, Cambridge, MA - Harvard freshmen are among the luckiest college students; they get to live in extremely picturesque/historic buildings in the center of an equally picturesque/historic campus made up of quads, red bricks, painted clapboards, river paths, proximate commercial areas, and the best that 19th-century revivalism had to offer.



8. University of California - Santa Cruz - If this list’s numbers meant anything, UCSC’s campus would be number one, even though its impossibly photogenic campus doesn’t look like much from the air.  Located on the rising edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the campus has the least traditional layout on this list, perhaps in part due to its young (and decidedly progressive) heritage, and certainly due to its hilly placement just above the seaside town of Santa Cruz (nearly 1000 feet of elevation change from the top to the bottom of the screenshot).  Parks and (former) ranch lands ring the campus, which itself consists of the “Great Meadow” (bottom of screenshot), ravines, creeks, paths, redwood groves, and a number of random “curiosities” made by students.






9.  University of Chicago, IL - If UCSC is the most beautiful on the list, the University of Chicago campus is the most beautiful urban campus, taking up a prime location in Hyde Park’s mix of parks, respectable homes, and green corridors leading to Lake Michigan.  Whereas Chicago has one of the best collections of modern architecture in the world, the University of Chicago has one of the best collections of neo-Gothic buildings in the world, thanks to the deep pockets of its founding benefactor, John D. Rockefeller, who thought “emulating” Oxford University’s look might jump start his own institution’s academic prestige.  Those lofty aspirations led to Henry Ives Cobb’s quad-centric master plan, which emphasized a certain stylistic regularity and has gradually given way to a smattering of later, notable buildings (e.g., SOM’s Brutalist Rugenstein Library, Mies van der Rohe’s Social Service Admin Building, and Eero Saarinen’s Law School Building).



10.  University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN - Notre Dame’s campus reminds me of University of Chicago’s campus.  As the screenshot shows, it also has tons of quads, and a generally homogeneous collection of campus buildings, albeit in a less exciting setting (sorry, South Bend).  But hey, when you have a lore-laden stadium near the center of campus, which itself has an extra long (and lush) mall and Golden Dome to boot, you’re doing pretty well.

source :  http://structurehub.com

ThreadBanger 10 Ways to Save the Earth on Earth

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10 Ways to Save the Earth on Earth Day

 

10. Carpool or re-think you commute:

• If you live close enough, ditch you car and walk or bike to work.
• Car pollution alone kills about 30,000 people per year
• Most ozone pollution is caused by motor vehicles
• Wouldn't it be nicer to have the streets and freeways less congested?
• Look into starting a carpool group in your area. Poll your office to see who's interested. Who knows, you may live on the same street as one of your coworker!

9. Make your own cleaning supplies

• It's simple, really! If you didn't already see the episode of Decor It Yourself where Meg showed how to make all-natural cleaning products, watch it now!
• It is reported that cleaning products are the cause of 8% of non vehicular emmisons of volitile organic compounds
• The chemicals frequently reported in poison cases are found in cleaning products

8. Use energy efficient light bulbs 

• According to Energy Star, "If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than 0 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."
• Enough said.

7. Use reusable shopping bags and lunch boxes

• Consider this: the average American family accumulates about 60 plastic bags for only 4 visits to the supermarket.
• If you watched the earlier Thread Heads episode, you'll know that tote bags are easy to make!
• Tote bags are more stylish and fun to use, and some supermarkets will give you discounts or enter you in a raffle just for bringing your own bag!

6. Reduce your carbon footprint

• What is a Carbon Footprint? It's a measure of the impact that our activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases we produced. It's measured in units of carbon dioxide.
• You can calculate your carbon footprint and once you know the harm that simple everyday things contribute to the environment, work to REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT!

5. Buy locally and support your local farmers market

• When we choose not to buy locally, we pay for it. This means that the products have to be picked, packed and shipped from faraway places which contribute to pollution from car/truck emmisons. It also means that the produce have to be grown in a special way and given much more preservatives the survive the long haul they must travel to get to your grocery store.
• If we support local farmers, not only does the produce contain more nutrients, but it also allows local farmers to keep their businesses alive and well. The produce is also more affordable than buying from mainstream markets.
• Need help? Find your local farmers market here.

4. Use rechargeable batteries

• Think about how many batteries you go through a month. From portable electronic devices, remote controls, clocks to stereos, some cell phones and toys, we are contributing to the toxicity of the Earth.
• Batteries contain toxic elements such as cadmium, mercury, zinc and lead. Once these batteries and disposed and reach the landfill, the contents eventually released into the ground, soil, air and water.
• Though rechargable batteries may be a little mor expensive, they last much longer and by using these, you can eliminate toxic waste that gets back into the air we breathe, water we use and the soil that we grow stuff in.
• If you do have batteries that are non-rechargable, they should be recycled. Click here to find you local recycling center.

3. Conserve on the heater and air conditioning

• In the winter time, use less heat to keep warm. Layer on the sweaters and bust of the extra thick comforters at night. (This is also better for your skin and overall health - heat is very drying)
• In the summer, make sure you have thick curtains to keep the cold air in, turn off the lights when you're not using them.
• Get an energy audit, so you can evaluate how much energy your home is using, how to reduce it and where the energy is leaking from.
• Clean your filters on air conditioners monthly
• Last year, Americans saved enough energy to power 10 million homes (this year, you can be one of those people that help!)

2. Don't use paper / plastic plates, utensils

 

• By using disposable utensils and plates, we are contributing to the landfills with extra trash. Sure, it's way easier to throw away your dishes and utensils after a meal then to wash it, but let's face it, it's not only cheaper to use reusable dishware but it's also more eco-friendly.
• What's the point of throwing away stuff when you're just going to have to buy it every week?
• However, if you're at an outdoor gathering like a pic-nic and it just makes sense to buy disposable products, make sure they're biodegradable and eco friendly.
• Bamboo is another great renewable resource for housewares, check out Totally Bamboo for great bamboo products that are good for the environment.

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

• It may be the oldest saying in the book, but there's a reason why. If we recycle, reuse and reduce, we can help make our Earth a better, cleaner and longer lasting place for future generations.
• Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W lightbulb for up to 6 hours
• Reduce – Reducing waste means avoiding unnecessary waste production
• Reuse – Reusing waste means the multiple use of a product in its form
• Recycle – Recycling waste means using waste materials to manufacture other products of a similar nature  

Take the time and think about how you can make a differece. You may only be one person, but if everyone contributed a little, think of the difference all of us could make together! So when it comes to recycling and saving the Earth, do it for yourself, do it for Earth Day!

source : http://www.threadbanger.com

top 10 Biggest Explosions

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1. Atomic blasts over Hiroshima and Nagasaki (August 6 and 9, 1945)
Ordered by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to force Japan into submission and prevent greater loss of life from an endless war, the devastating dropping of the "Little Boy" atomic bomb was the first use of a nuclear weapon in world history. The bomb contained 130 lbs. of uranium-235 and detonated at approx.
1,900 feet above the city with a force that equaled about 13 kilotons of TNT.
Scientists considered "Little Boy" to be inefficient, estimating that less than 2% of the bomb's nuclear material actually fissioned in the blast, and yet its effect was devastating: the blast radius was about 1 mile across, killing approximately 140,000 (mostly civilians) almost instantly, with thousands more to die of radiation poisoning and other injuries in the weeks and years to come.


Three days after the Hiroshima blast, U.S. forces dropped the "Fat Man" atomic bomb over Nagasaki, prompting the Japanese to surrender on August 15. It would be the second, and to date, last use of a nuclear weapon in history, killing an estimated 80,000 Japanese.


2. Soviet Nuclear Test, Novaya Zemlya (October 1961)
In the years following the Hiroshima and Nagasaki blasts, the U.S. and Soviet Union began a Cold War campaign of nuclear one-upmanship that saw its single biggest explosion in a October 1961 Soviet-conducted test blast over the Arctic.
The detonation was caused by a 58-megaton bomb, 4,000 times more powerful than "Little Boy."


3. MINOR SCALE, U.S. Defense Nuclear Agency, White Sands Missile Range (June 27, 1985)
The ironically named "MINOR SCALE" blast in the desert of New Mexico in 1985 consisted of up to 4,800 short tons of Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO).
Considered by many to be the largest artificial, non-nuclear explosion in recorded history, the test simulated the effects of an 8-KT nuclear weapon in order to test possible responses of weapon systems and the blast's effects on communications equipment, vehicles and buildings.




4. Krakatoa volcanic eruptions (August 26-27, 1883)
The Krakatoa eruptions of 1883 exploded with a force of approx. 200 megatons of TNT, or approximately 13,000 times the yield of the Hiroshima atomic blast, making it one of the most violent volcanic blasts in modern history.
The blast's death toll was more than 36,400, and it's believed to be the loudest sound ever observed, having been heard as far as 3,000 miles away.
The Krakatoa blast is also said to be the cause of the red sky in the famous painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch.
The volcanic blast had spewed so much debris into the atmosphere that it caused deep red twilights visible in the skies over Europe (including Munch's hometown in Norway) from November 1883 to February 1884.



5. The Halifax Cargo Ship Explosion, Nova Scotia, Canada (December 6, 1917)
A cargo ship from France carrying explosives for WWI was struck by another ship in Halifax Harbor.
The explosion hurled debris, caused fires and building collapses, killing 2,000 people and injuring 9,000 more.
The blast also caused a tsunami in the harbor, along with a pressure wave of air that devastated the shoreline and hurtled shards of the destroyed ship for many miles.



6. Explosion at Port Chicago (July 17, 1944)
Two ships loaded with more than 4,600 tons of explosives to be used in WWII collided at Port Chicago, 30 miles north of San Francisco.
This impact, coupled with an additional 400 tons of explosives sitting on adjacent railway cars, killed around 320 workers, damaged buildings, caused injury as far away as San Francisc, and caused tremors felt as far away as Nevada.



7. Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Disaster, U.S.S.R. (April 25, 1986)
The worst nuclear power plant disaster in history occurred April 25, 1986 in the U.S.S.R. region of Chernobyl.
Four inexperienced engineers conducted an electrical experiment on Chernobyl's number 4 reactor, setting off a cataclysmic chain of events that caused the reactor to explode, blowing off its concrete and steel lid.
The blast sent more than 50 tons of radioactive material into the atmosphere, killed 32 people at the scene and led to an estimated 5,000 deaths from cancer and other radiation-caused illnesses in the following years.




8. The Yellowstone Caldera Eruption, Wyoming, USA (640,000 years ago)
Perhaps the largest explosion the Earth has known occurred approx. 640,000 years ago at the site of the Yellowstone Caldera in the northwest corner of Wyoming.
The blast was estimated to be about 2,500 times the magnitude of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, affected an area of approx 34 miles by 45 miles, and spread a layer of ash over most of North America.
The area is now commonly referred to as the "Yellowstone supervolcano" referring to its potential for massive devastation that many scientists feel will re-occur some day in the distant (or not so distant) future.



9. Gamma Ray Burst, 12 billion light years from Earth (observed on Earth in 1998)
Scientists in 1998 observed an almost unfathomable burst of gamma ray energy 12 billion light years away from us.
They measured it to have released an amount of energy equaling all the estimated 10 billion trillion stars in the universe.
Its distance from our own galaxy prevented the blast from affecting us or our sun, yet the scale of the explosion has led astronomers to label it the biggest documented explosion in history.




10. The Big Bang, Birth of the Universe (13.7 billion years ago)
Though still the subject of debate in the scientific and theological communities, the "Big Bang" would have to be considered the largest explosion EVER.
The forces involved may not meet a strict definition of "explosion," yet Georges Lemaitre's Big Bang theory postulates that all the mass in the universe began as a condensed "primeval atom" that burst forth with such dense energy and high temperature and pressure to give birth to everything within the universe
. While initially discounted by his peers when Lemaitre introduced the concept in 1931, other related discoveries such as the cosmic microwave background radiation in 1964 helped solidify the Big Bang as the most well-reasoned theory on the origin of the cosmos.

source : http://www.dailycognition.com

we have the rules to protect our girls

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source : google search

Top 10 Mysteries of Outer Space

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by mtarmyman

 

Since the beginning of life, man has looked to the stars with a sense of wonder. Between then and now, many advances have been made in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and physics in an attempt to explain the things we see above, yet the more we believe we understand, the less we really seem to know. In something as big as the universe, there are bound to be unexplainable phenomena, and things we truly can’t grasp. The universe shows us how small we really are, and in a place so big, is it really plausible to believe that we are alone? And is there any reason someone might not want us to know? This is a list of what I believe to be some of the best mysteries and conspiracy theories of outer space.

10 Simulacrum in Eagle Nebula

 

One of the strangest photos that has ever been taken of space is that of the Eagle Nebula. The photo itself is supposed to show the birth of a star from the gaseous clouds. However, when the photo was shown on CNN, hundreds of calls came in from people reporting they could see a face in the cloud. When the color of the photo was adjusted, a large human form seemed to appear within the cloud. Scientist have not been able to explain this phenomena (though listverse very possible has on this list – see item 1). You can read more about it here.

 

9 Where did galaxies come from?

 

Science has only recently been able to explain where the stars and planets came from. Now, scientists have turned their attention to a much bigger mystery, where did galaxies come from? What is known is that galaxies are not scattered randomly throughout space, rather they are found in clusters, known as “super clusters”. Scientists have two main theories to attempt to explain galaxy formation. First, the gas left over from the big bang clustered together to form galaxies, in which stars and planets were born. Second is that gas from the big bang created stars and planets all over the universe, and they migrated through gravity into galaxies. Neither theory has been universally accepted yet.

 

8 Other Earths

 

Our star, the sun, is just one of trillions in the universe. When you look at the fact that our star has eight planets, and do the math, it tells you that it is possible for there to be eight times as many planets in the universe than stars; an astounding figure. Is it not possible that just one of those planets might have life on it? It is a fact that, since the year 2000, hundreds of extra solar planets have been discovered orbiting distant stars. Some of these have found to be earth- like, such as the planet Gliese 581d, a planet believed to have liquid water on its surface. Could it possibly contain life? Hopefully with advances in technology in the next decade, we will soon know the answer. Till then, it remains one of space’s greatest mysteries.

 

7 Are there Other Universes?

 

This is one of the more controversial arguments out there. The theory is that there are an infinite number of universes, each which is governed by its own set of laws and physics. Many scientists dismiss this argument as nothing more than speculation, as there is no evidence or mathematical law that allows for the existence of other universes. However, believers in this theory have argued that there are none that disprove it either. This is one mystery which can only be solved if we were able to travel there, however, with the expansion of the universe, it is unlikely humanity will ever find the answer.

 

6 Dark Matter

 

Albert Einstein’s equation E = MC^2 is perhaps the best known equation of the century. However when applied to space, an anomaly occurs. When we use it to determine how much matter the universe should have, we realize that we have only found four percent of the matter in the universe! Where is the rest of it? Many believe it is in the form of dark matter. Where is this dark matter? It’s everywhere,  wherever there is no visible matter. Scientists have yet to show any conclusive proof that dark matter does in fact exist. The fact that you can’t see it, touch it, and light and radio waves pass right through it undeterred makes it extremely hard to detect.

 

5 Mars/Earth Connection

 

When talking about life on other planets, some say we need go no further than our own solar system. Mars has always been thought to harbor life by many conspiracy theorists, saying that NASA is covering it up. Many photos have also called into question civilization on Mars, such as the face on Mars, Pyramids on Mars, and photo of what appears to be an ape like figure sitting on a rock on Mars. While scientists have come out to debunk these photos, they have also admitted that they believe liquid oceans once covered the surface of Mars before its magnetic field disappeared. Is it possible that life did indeed once exist? The current missions to Mars hopes to answer this question.

 

4 UFO sightings by NASA Astronauts

 

NASA Astronauts are some of the most highly trained and specialized people in the world. Often they are expert scientists that can explain almost anything. So when they see something they can’t explain, you can bet it is going to raise eyebrows. One of the most famous incidents occurred on a live broadcast on NBC in 1963. Major Gordon Cooper was at the end of his 22 orbit solo journey around the earth when he said that out of one of his windows he could see a glowing green object fast approaching. The object then made a sharp turn and shot away. He was sure he was not seeing things, as the radar in his spacecraft picked up the object as well. Upon his return to earth interviewers wanted to ask him about the object, however NASA officials would not allow it. You can read about this and other Astronaut sightings at this web site.

 

3 “White” Holes

 

One of Albert Einstein’s greatest accomplishments was the proving, though mathematics, the existence of black holes. From the advances in technology, we now have been able to find several black holes, and believe one to be at the center of our very own Milky Way galaxy. What is astonishing, however, is what Einstein also proved through his equations;  white holes also exist. The exact opposite of black holes, white holes are believed to “spit out” an incredible amount of matter from seemingly nothing. Such an object should  be easy to find, yet none have been. If one was found, it may help us explain other unknown mysteries, such as where the material that made the galaxies came from.

 

2 Ruins on Moon

 

In this list we have discussed the possibility of life on distant planets, and in near planets. But could it possibly at one time have been as close as the moon? This conspiracy theory states that there are indeed ancient ruins and buildings on the moon, but the government has been censoring them from the public. This theory had no backing until two recent breakthroughs. A man who claims to have worked for the government censoring moon photos came forward with several, explaining how the censorship was done and that indeed there were structures on the moon. More recently, scientist announced they believe they have discovered water, possibly in ice or liquid form, under the surface of the moon. For conspiracy theorists, this was all the proof they needed, while critics dismiss it as “ridiculous speculation”. You can read more about this, and watch a fascinating video, here.

 

1 Dark Energy

 

Dark energy is the greatest mystery in the universe today, because of the fact that it is believed to be all around us, and it explains why there seems to be anomalies within the law of gravity. By the law of gravity, large objects, like galaxy clusters, should attract each other, and their gravitational pull should pull in other objects. This however, is not the case, and the fact is most galaxy clusters are moving farther apart. This is due to the fact that the universe is expanding at an incredible rate. To answer the question of why this is, scientists developed the theory of Dark Energy, which has the opposite effect as gravity, pushing things apart. Mathematical calculations have shown that if it exists, it makes up 74% of our universe, outweighing gravity, and this is why the universe is stretching out. However we still have no conclusive proof, so it remains a mystery to us.

source : http://listverse.com

The most famous paintings

Monalisa – Leonardo da Vinci

O quarto – Van Gogh

O grito – Edvard Munch

A Anunciação – Leonardo da Vinci

A Última Ceia – Leonardo da Vinci

Abaporu – Tarsila do Amaral

 

source : http://tab.net.br