Striped Ice ...

Icebergs in the Antarctic area sometimes have stripes, formed by
layers of snow that react to different conditions.

Blue stripes are often created when a crevice in the ice sheet
fills up with meltwater and freezes so quickly that no bubbles form.

When an iceberg falls into the sea, a layer of salty seawater can
freeze to the underside. If this is rich in algae, it can form a
green stripe.

Brown, black and yellow lines are caused by sediment, picked up
when the ice sheet grinds downhill towards the sea. Nature is amaz ing!

The water froze the instant the wave broke through the

ice. That's what it is like in Antarctica where it is the

coldest weather in decades. Water freezes the instant

it comes in contact with the air. The temperature of the

water is already some degrees below freezing.

Just look at how the wave froze in mid-air!!!

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(download)

 

Liquid Gold: The 10 Most Expensive Whiskies in the World




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Grain, water, a wooden barrel and a little time. Whisky is a colorful character with an ever-changing spirit. The subject of literature, culture and folklore throughout the world, finicky booze-hounds have long paid a pretty penny for bottles of the most coveted casks. Pour a finger or two and hit the jump to drink in 10 bottles of whisky that truly break the bank.


10: Ladybank Single Malt: $4,700


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Rounding out the top of the list is the Ladybank Distillery in Edinburgh, Scotland. Only 300 bottles of the rare Single Malt Scotch are bottled each year, and to obtain one — you have to become a member of the club. The price of admission? — about $4,700 a year.

 



9: The Macallan 1947 Fine and Rare Collection: $6,800

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This sherry cask Speyside scotch was bottled for Italy in 1962 before it was repackaged for Macallan’s Fine and Rare line of whiskies. The distillery used peat in its kilns because of the scarcity and high price of coal during WWII, the 1947 bottle, so this 15 year old has an earthy quality not present in modern Macallans.


8: Chivas Regal Royal Salute 50 year old: $10,000

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A swill special enough to be packaged for the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the Chivas Regal Royal Salute is a 50 year old Scotch with smoky anise and raisin flavors. Only 255 bottles were made, 10 of which were destined for America, where collectors eagerly poured out $10,000 each.

 

 



7: The Macallan 1939 40 year old Fine and Rare Collection: $10,125

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“Peaty and powerful,” with overtones of sweet toffee and dried fruits, Macallan’s 1939 is a 40 year old first bottled in 1979. In 2002, it was added to the distillery’s Fine and Rare line and re-bottled. It can be found today for around $10,125.


6: Glenfarclas 1955 50 year old: $10,878

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Wealthy tasters are warned to overlook this richly scented 50 year old Speyside at their own “peril.” Spicy and silky with a sweet start, this is the oldest batch ever bottled by the Glenfarclas distillery.


5: Dalmore 50 Year Old Decanter: $11,000

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Only 60 crystal-cut bottles of this Highland single malt were produced. Filled in 1978, this dark sherry-aged Dalmore has a reputation for being intense and deeply flavored and is considered by many aficionados among the best 50 year olds in the world.

 

 



4: Macallan 55 Year old Lalique Crystal Decanter: $12,500

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 The eye-catching crystal bottle of Macallan’s 55 year old Lalique was based on a 1910 perfume bottle designed by Rene Lalique . Exotic, with hints of peat smoke, the taste is smooth with lingering citrus overtones.

 

 



3: Glenfiddich 1937 Rare Collection: $20,000

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Rare doesn’t describe it. Only one bottle of Glenfiddich’s 1937 Rare Collection was ever produced, and it just might be the oldest bottle of whisky in the world. It was snatched up at a 2006 auction for a bargain $20,000.

 

 



2: Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch: $58,000

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Only a dozen bottles of Dalmore 62 single malt were corked in 1942. One night in 2005, a man bought a bottle for $58,000, and downed it with five of his buddies.

 

 



1: The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare: $75,000

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“Dry and concentrated” — what else would you expect from one of the most expensive whiskies in the world? Help yourself to a little licorice aftertaste. In 2005, a South Korean businessman paid $70,000 for a bottle of Macallan’s 1926, the finest and rarest of the Fine and Rare.

The Whys and the Wherefores ...

Q: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?
A: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay called "pygg".  When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as "pygg banks." When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a bank that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

Q: Why do men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left?
A: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left. And that's where women's buttons have remained since.  

Q: Why do X's at the end of a letter signify kisses?
A: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.  

Q: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called "passing the buck"?
A: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility, he would "pass the buck" to the next player. 
  

Q: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?
A: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously.  When a guest trusted his host, he would then just touch or clink the host's glass with his own. 
  

Q: Why are people in the public eye said to be "in the limelight"?
A: Invented in 1825, limelight was used in lighthouses and stage lighting by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, performers on stage "in the limelight" were seen by the audience to be the center of attention. 
  

Q: Why do ships and aircraft in trouble use "mayday" as their call for help?
A: This comes from the French word "m'aidez", meaning "help me" -- and is pronounced "mayday," 
  

Q: Why is someone who is feeling great "on cloud nine"?
A: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares. 
  

Q: Why are zero scores in tennis called "love"?
A: In France , where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on scoreboard looked like an egg and was called "l'oeuf," which is French for "egg." When tennis was introduced in the US , Americans pronounced it "love".


Q: In golf, where did the term "Caddie" come from? 
A. When Mary, later Queen of Scots, went to France as a young girl (for education & survival), Louis, King of France, learned that she loved the Scot game "golf." So he had the first golf course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced 'ca-day' and the Scots changed it into "caddie." 

Surf and Sand ...

These incredible images of waves were taken by the number 1 photographer of surf: Clark Little.  He has dedicated his life to photographing the waves and has published a selection of the the best images of his career.  He captures magical moments inside the "tube", as surfers say.

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Sun ... glints off wave 

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Sand ... in surf 

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Tubular ... shining 

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Beach ... surf crashes down 

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Molten ... liquid gold 

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White ... tumultuous water

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Splash ... stunning shot 

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Red ... mysterious shot 

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Break ... wave crashes down 

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