Say Where? : Heart - Shaped Landforms

Which one looks most like a heart to you?

Island in the middle of Gutierrez Lake in Patagonia.

Mangrove in New Caledonia

Galesnjak, Croatia

Forest in Cantabria, Spain













Comment with your opinions, my personal favorite is the Caledonian mangrove...very interesting how nature can turn out.

- M'Lady

Eat What? : Baby Mouse Wine

Yes, Baby mouse wine, is a common Korean drink said to cure almost any illness from asthma to liver problems. Baby mice only three days old are taken from their mothers and drowned alive in rice moonshine (wine), and set aside to ferment for up to a year. I tend to be ok with different countries traditional foods, but this drink lies more along the lines of animal cruelty; drowning the mice alive? I personally hope I never have the chance to taste this beverage. You may have a different opinion, and if so I would enjoy hearing why you believe this sounds like something you might want to try. If this picture doesn't keep you from gaging at the thought of gulping down one of these babies, I don't know what will.

-Ice Dancer

Say Where? : Caroline Islands

These are the Caroline Islands: a small strain of 500 land masses in the Pacific Ocean, close to better known islands such as the Phillippines and New Guinea. Most of the Caroline Islands are made up of coral structures that rise only slightly above sea level, making them uninhabitable but quite unique and pretty. Throughout history, the Caroline Islands have been controled by a variety of larger countries. They were first named "Islas Carolinas" by the Spanish ships that spotted them, and then later, was changed to the "New Phillippines". Because of their extensive missonary work, the dominant religion is Christianity, though most of the inhabitants would consider themselves indigenous. Mostly, only the natives reside on the islands, and they speak a number of different languages including Yapese, Chuukese, Carolinian, Pohnpeian, and Palauan. However, some Japanese and Filipinos also live there.
- M'Lady

Do What? : How To Take a Bullet

Next level safety apparatus.

If you ever find yourself in a sticky situation whilst traveling, you should know how to take a bullet. The eerie stand off in the abandoned courtyard may be your last as an international spy or an innocent tourist if you don't have this need-to-know skill.
Despite what you may see in movies, catching a bullet is impossible. A bullet travels at about 1400 mph, making the first person makes a catch a very popular fellow. A simple solution is to don a bulletproof vest before leaving your lavish apartment. A bulletproof vest, typically made of laminated or woven fibers will be adequate for stopping most handgun rounds and grenade shrapnel, so it will be fine for the urban mobsters. If you are a wanted man and you're feeling lucky in running from the military, a vest with ceramic plates will be recommended, able to stop most rifle rounds. If you choose this approach, a good cardio program will be necessary due to the 30 pound bulk you have just decided to put on.
For all of your foreign travel needs, a bulletproof vest should come in handy in both showing people not to mess with you and stopping those who try.
 ~3minuteman

See what? : Dog peeing fountain

In a city southern of paris, is the huge Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris. It is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. In one of these courtyards lies the infamous statue of the peeing dogs. The peeing dogs statue doesn't really need to be explained, for it speaks for itself. this statue was designed to represent the hunters of the royal palace and ther unique ways. After killing an animal, the dogs (were trained) would pee around the animal to mark there animal so the hunters would know which animal they shot, so they could run after the other animals that had been shot. The hunters were a vital peice of the castles life, and they had to be respected, so the royal family had a statue built.

-captaincoochie

Eat What? : Chicken Feet-Blood on a Stick

In Taiwan, a common dish, or snack, is chicken feet. Any night of the week you can venture down to the local supermarket, and buy a tasty bag of chicken feet. Although the thought of chicken feet may repulse most Americans, they are a common thing to eat in Taiwan. The "correct" way to eat a chicken foot: Begin with biting off the toes (I would avoid toenails), and then spitting out the bones. There is not a lot of meat on chicken feet, so if you are very hungry, go for something else--stinky tofu perhaps. Many stands around Taiwan also sell blood on a stick, and duck hearts. You can purchase the blood seasoned, such as "spicy flavor". Boiled animal parts is also a common dish. Dont be fooled by all the "interesting" sounding foods. Taiwan does have rather tasty dishes, and if you are feeling daring, blood on a stick could be good as well.

(Pigs-Blood on a stick)






~Ice Dancer

Say Where? : Christmas Island

This is Christmas Island, a small territory off the northwest coast of Australia, covered almost completely in rainforest. Because of its isolated location, the island only has 1,403 human residents, a lot of them being scientific researchers or photographers interested in the island's endemism. Christmas Island doesn't actually have any native or indigenious people, for when it was discovered on December 25th 1643 (the reason for its name of "Christmas Island"), it was found to be uninhabited by human beings. However, it as long been home to a number of exotic species that can be found no where else in the world, including different kinds of boobies, crabs, flowers, trees, vines and grasses. This makes the area a spot where many endangered species hail from, like some native rats and bats.

But which species is this little island known for you might ask? Well, this might sum it up. 

This is the Christmas Island Crab, a vibrantly red giant crab that gather in the hundreds on the island, and migrate every November. The people there even close of the roads to honor the migration, and to give the crabs safety in moving.

-M'Lady



See what? : Atlantis

Each week I (captaincoochie) will present a new structure or monument. This new structure is not necessarily very famous and it might not even be known. It is time for these unknown or forgotten structures to be acknowledged.

The Underwater City of Atlantis (in Greek, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, "island of Atlas") is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato’s dialogues Timaeus and Critias. In Plato's account, Atlantis was a military city perfecting in naval power. It is located in front of the Pillars of Hercules that conquered many parts of Western Europe approximately 9600 BC. After a failed attempt to invade Athens, Atlantis sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune". Scholars dispute whether and how much Plato's story or account was inspired by older traditions. Some scholars argue Plato drew upon memories of past events such as the Thera eruption or the Trojan War, while others insist that he took inspiration from contemporary events like the destruction of Helike in 373 BC or the failed Athenian invasion of Sicily in 415–413 BC. This ancient forgotten city has had many people go and look for it, but they have all failed, it has also inspired movie directors such as Gary Trousdale, who has made a cartoon version of atlantis who has taught everyone about this great monument.
- CaptainCoochie

Do What? : How To Use Chopsticks

Chopsticks are a traditional way to eat Asian foods such as sticky rice and noodle dishes. Chopsticks originated in ancient China as early as the Shang dynasty (1766-1122 BCE). The earliest evidence of a pair of chopsticks was made out of bronze, excavated from the Ruins of Yin near Anyang, Henan, dated roughly at about 1200 BCE.
Southeast Asian countries traditionally ate with their hands, but due to the influence of Chinese missionaries, countries like Indonesia and Thailand started using chopsticks, albeit only with noodle dishes.
Chopsticks are now found everywhere you can find Asian cuisine, so learning how to use them might just be necessary for survival.




How To Use Chopsticks:
1. With the hand of your choice, put one stick in the crook of your thumb, resting it on the top of your ring finger.

2. Put the other chopstick next to the first one in the crook of your thumb, but then hold it between your index and middle fingers, almost like a pencil.

3. When picking something up, the bottom chopstick will remain as a steady base while the top stick applies all of the pressure.

4. This traditional eating method may take some getting used to, but it is good to know when in an Asian restaurant. Enjoy!

~3minuteman

Eat what? : Baby Bees (蜂の仔（はちのこ, 蜂の子)

In Japan a common dish known as hachi no ko, or baby bees, is normally fried or served with rice. Bee larve are a specialty of Nagano, the capital city of Nagano Prefecture located on the Japanese island Honshu. To drive bees out of their nests (this is normally done in august) firecrackers are inserted into them. Once all of the bees are gone the larve are collected. If not freid and served over rice, these bees are canned and distributed across Japan. A similar dish with wasp larve is also common. Wasp larve are roasted and sprinkled with salt before consumption. Personally I would love to try bees, and given the fact I will be traveling to Japan over spring break I might have to opertunity. I can see why the averqage American would be turned off by the idea of eating insects, but they could end up being rather tasty. It will be difficult to get past the crunchy feeling and the constant relization of what I am eating, however if a large bowl of hachi no ko is placed in front of me, I think i'll go for it. I would love your insight on the subject, so if you have an opinion about eating bees please let me know.

This photo and other photos of hachi no ko can be found here.

-Ice Dancer