El Palacio Mei-ling, en el Parque Nacional de la Montaña Zhongshan en Nanjing, muestra una particularidad cuando se le mira desde arriba: la casa se asemeja a una esmeralda -con su tejado brillante- y los árboles a su alrededor, el collar que la envuelve.

Antiguamente, este palacio era la vivienda del líder Chiang Kai-shek y de su esposa Soong May-ling, pero quedó deshabitada tras su huída a Taiwán en 1949, al terminar la Guerra Civil China. Algunas voces mantienen que esta ilusión óptica creada por los árboles fue intencionada, y que el collar simbolizaría el amor de la pareja; otras, en cambio, desmienten esta afirmación.

Sea como fuere, el palacio se abrió al público en el año 2013, tras un intenso trabajo de restauración que trató de mantener la esencia original de este lugar; así, los azulejos del techo no solo fueron reemplazados por otros del mismo color, sino también de la misma forma.

El proceso de privatización de la República Checa se realizó mediante un método distintivo. En lugar de venderlas para que el Estado ingresara el valor que le otorgaba el mercado, se las cedió a los ciudadanos.

UN MAPA de lo que ganan las familias españolas.

UNA INTERESANTE PINCELADA HISTÓRICA, ahora que estamos de resaca de los Oscars: Cómo Edison creó Hollywood contra su voluntad.

Es la acumulación de conocimiento lo que cuenta. El conocimiento es riqueza. Es por esto que el capitalismo NO es un juego suma cero. La cantidad de conocimiento de la humanidad aumenta y se acumula.

Happy Halloween everyone! If you’re still undecided as to what to be for your favorite spooky holiday, then look no further for inspiration! I’ve compiled a list of creepy crawlers from around the globe that are dressed as some of your favorite Halloween characters. If they can make Jack-o-lanterns scary, freak out their neighbors wearing “Jason’s masks”, and terrify children with their Steven King’s “It” makeups… then so can you!

So take a cue from these 7 decked out bugs that will give you the best Halloween costume ideas!

Jack-o-lantern Caterpillar

To start things off, I’d figured I’d go with one of the most classic Halloween costumes out there – the Jack-O-Lantern! This Common Awl caterpillar (Hasora badra) sports the look alarmingly well with its bright red/orange face and black “carved out” features. It will eventually transform into a dark brown butterfly with a wingspan of 50 to 55mm.

Until that time, it will remain in full trick-or-treating garb, rockin’ the freaky pumpkin look.

‘Jack Skellington’ Jumping Spider

Habitat: Costa Rica
Status: Not Evaluated

My favorite Halloween character of all time – Jack Skellington!! Hence, this spider is up there as one of the coolest jumpers I’ve seen. The photographer, Debbie Hall, who spotted this amazing creature in the jungles of Costa Rica wasn’t entirely sure of the species, though we do know it is in the family Salticidae. Unfortunately, that doesn’t exactly narrow things down as Salticidae is the largest family of spiders, consisting of over 5,000 species.

So, for now, we’ll just call it the Jack Skellington Jumper. If you do know what species this is, please let me know in the comments!

Pennywise Spider

Habitat: Ukraine
Status: Not Listed

This might be the most freaky Halloween costume idea we have on this list. This spider is taking on the form of the terrifying killer clown from Stephen King’s hit 1990’s film It.

A member of the crab spider in the family Thomisidae, this horrifying arachnid was spotted by Ukrainian photographer Igor Ryabov, 44, near his house in a spot where he often heads to practice his macro photography. As that place isn’t a 90’s film set, this crab spider is all too real!

Igor said: “When I first came across the spider I thought it was just going to be my usual macro shot and there didn’t seem anything particularly unusual about the spider.

“I didn’t notice its strange features.

“I was even more stunned to see how it looked on my computer screen because it was almost as if somebody had drawn the features on with a pen.”

This might be the creepiest creepy-crawley I’ve ever seen.

Tim Burton’s Caterpillar Creation

Habitat: Russian Far East, the Korean Peninsula and China
Status: No Conservation Concerns

The caterpillar of the Sino-Korean Owl Moth (Brahmaea certhia) looks like something straight out of a Tim Burton art exhibit. Tell me you can’t see this thing in some dark, twisted version of Alice in Wonderland (playing the smoking caterpillar of course)?

Even after it transforms into its adult moth version it is still pretty intimidating. The wingspan on this moth can reach 4.7 in in length!

‘Jason’s Mask’ Harvestman

Habitat: Ecuador
Status: Not Evaluated

Halloween must be all the rage in the jungles of South America because here’s another fantastically freaky arachnid! This is a species of Harvestman that has yet to be identified. I have taken the liberty of nicknaming it the Jason’s Mask Harvestman due to its uncanny likeness to the quintessential killer’s mask:

Oogie Boogie Moth

Habitat: Ontario, Quebec and Maine to Florida, west to Texas, north to Kansas and Illinois
Status: No Conservation Concerns

The name of this tiny moth (wingspan is 12-15 mm) is completely and utterly misleading. It’s called the Elegant Grass-veneer Moth (Microcrambus elegans) and I have no idea why. I mean, does looking EXACTLY like the Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas make you look elegant in any way shape or form? I think not.

So maybe the scientists who named this little species had never seen the Tim Burton film before… but personally, I think they really missed out on a great naming opportunity with this one. Microcrambus oogie boogie sounds more appropriate to me! What do you think?

Death’s Head Hawkmoth

Habitat: throughout the Middle East & Mediterranean, as far north as southern Great Britain
Status: No Conservation Concerns

 

Because I didn’t want to end things on a completely terrifying note, you can be comforted by the Death’s-head Hawkmoth’s defense strategy. To appear frightening (as if its appearance wasn’t enough), the moth will emit a loud squeaking noise by expelling air through its proboscis. While this is supposed to be scary, it’s actually rather cute, in my opinion!

http://youtu.be/efyufhtO7VU

And that concludes the list of creepy crawlers that are permanently in the Halloween Spirit by wearing their best Halloween costumes! I hope you’re now inspired with these Halloween costume ideas to go out and do some trick-or-treating tonight! Have fun everyone!

The post 7 Creepy Crawlers Always In the Halloween Spirit appeared first on The Featured Creature.

JORGE GALINDO:

El martes se presentó el Partido X. Vaya por delante que cualquier iniciativa que pretenda mejorar la élite política que tenemos me parece bienvenida. Sin embargo, tras escuchar la presentación, hojear sus escritos y oír esta entrevista, tengo la impresión de que la perspectiva de la plataforma se forma bajo una ilusión.

Seguid leyendo.

EL FUNDADOR DE FEMEN —sí, es un tío—, opina esto tan feminista sobre 'sus' chicas:

When the Femen founder finally spoke to Ms Green, he sought to justify his role within the organisation and acknowledged the paradox of being a “patriarch” running a feminist protest group. “These girls are weak,” he says in the film.

“They don’t have the strength of character. They don’t even have the desire to be strong. Instead, they show submissiveness, spinelessness, lack of punctuality, and many other factors which prevent them from becoming political activists. These are qualities which it was essential to teach them.”

Qué encanto, ¿eh?

he’s in the band Cock-a-doodle DOOM

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Habitat: domesticated

The Jacobin Pigeon is one of your typical ‘high society pigeons’ – always rockin’ a fancy feathered parka to look stylish! This fancy breed of pigeon, like other varieties of domesticated pigeons, descended from Rock Pigeons (Columba livia). It’s been bred to have a huge feathered collar that encompasses its tiny head. According to breeders, the Jacobin pigeon was developed from a mutation known as early as the 1500’s. It went through four major stages of development to reach the bird we all know and love today.

When you look at it from the side, you can’t even tell there’s a head there at all! Oh fancy pigeons, you so silly.

Jacobin pigeons were named after the Jacobin order of monks who date from 1100 and were known for their distinctive hooded habits. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the Jacobins were Dominican friars so-called after the nearby church of St Jacques in Paris. (Jacobean refers to the reign of James I.) The hood of the pigeon measures somewhere around 5-6 inches and stands just above the head.

What adorable creatures, aren’t they?

The post Meet the Fancy Pigeons That Rock Parkas: Jacobin Pigeons appeared first on The Featured Creature.

SEGUN LA OCDE, el país más generoso y que da más dinero voluntariamente para causas sociales no es otro que el de esos egoístas ultraneokapitalistas, los EEUU. Donan hasta un 10% del PIB cada año. Ahora mirad en el gráfico a qué altura queda España, anda.

Habitat: Indonesia
Status: Not Listed

A new species of Epaulette Shark, or Walking Shark (Hemiscyllium Halmahera), has been discovered in Halmahera in north eastern Indonesia. This will be the ninth recognized species of walking shark in the world.

These are relatively small sharks with the largest only reaching 121 cm (48 in) in adult body length. Instead of swimming, these sharks “walk” along the ocean floor  by wriggling their bodies and using their small paddle-like pelvic and pectoral fins to push themselves forward.It will only swim if being chased and even then it doesn’t go too far like that. Why ‘run’ when you can ‘walk’?

They’re nocturnal creatures and will typically hang out in shallow water near reefs or even in tidepools. To deal with its preferred habitat, which comes with a depletion in water (and therefore oxygen to the shark’s gills), the shark has evolved to be able to increase the blood supply to its brain and can selectively shut down non-essential neural functions. This means that it’s able to survive without oxygen for up to an hour without any ill effects. No big deal or anything…

Good thing this guy’s harmless to humans. Can you imagine a Great White being able to do this… Oy vey.

Check out the full video:

The post New Species of Walking Shark Discovered… ‘Walking’ in Indonesia appeared first on The Featured Creature.

Y HABLANDO DE "menos mal que es Obama y no Bush". Las autoridades federales dan una nueva vuelta de tuerca: empiezan a exigir a las empresas de internet que les faciliten las contraseñas de usuarios que quieren investigar.

The U.S. government has demanded that major Internet companies divulge users' stored passwords, according to two industry sources familiar with these orders, which represent an escalation in surveillance techniques that has not previously been disclosed.

If the government is able to determine a person's password, which is typically stored in encrypted form, the credential could be used to log in to an account to peruse confidential correspondence or even impersonate the user. Obtaining it also would aid in deciphering encrypted devices in situations where passwords are reused.

Así que si un día véis que empiezo a hablar bien de Obama, ¡pensad que pueden haber obtenido mi contraseña de Blogger y estar posteando por mi!

¿POR QUÉ es distinto el acento de ingleses y estadounidenses?

(via)

A new species of tiny crustacean has just been discovered living on a deep sea mountain at 1,410 meters below sea level off the coast of Spain. It’s been named Uroptychus cartesi and it’s only one of four species that have been found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, although there are over 100 unique species in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

This little guy only measures 5-7 centimeters in length! It must have taken some pretty sharp eyes to spot this itty-bitty cutie. While it is closely related to a crab, Uroptychus cartesi is actually a species of squat lobster.

The new species was discovered by Spain’s INDEMARES program, which is exploring the country’s marine riches with a goal toward conservation. The species is described in the latest edition of ZooTaxa.

The post New Species of Teeny-Tiny Crustacean Discovered! appeared first on The Featured Creature.

SIETE VERDADES sorprendentes sobre el mundo. Lo sorprendente es que son buenas...

LAS DIEZ CIUDADES más pujantes y en mayor declive en el mundo, según un estudio del Brookings Institute. Adivinad dónde están cuatro (¡cuatro!) ciudades españolas.

Habitat: South America
Status: Not Listed

The seashell above, Adelomelon brasiliana, looks like your average shell. You might spot it on the beach (if you’re on the South American coast) and really not think much of it. I mean, from the outside it’s not that impressive – pure white or shades of grey and shaped rather averagely. It’s not until you see what it lays does this creature become interesting…

This marine gastropod mollusk gives rise to free-floating egg capsules that happen to look (a little too much) like alien spawn. Honestly, when I first saw the cover photo for this post I thought we were looking at props from an alien invasion movie. Invasion of the Sea Snails doesn’t sound as thrilling, though, as something from another planet. While it might not fit Hollywood’s standards, I think these snails produce some pretty incredible offspring.

Several snail embryos are laid in a big sac filled with intracapsular fluid, which contains a nice mixture of proteins and sugar for the snail to thrive on. In a study conducted by Diego C. Luzzatto, it was found that oviposition (or the laying of the eggs) was determined by water temperature. Reproduction occurred from September/October to May/June.

The eggs are laid and develop close to the shoreline. Since they are not attached to anything and able to float freely, they are in danger of being washed ashore during storms and becoming stranded, thus suffering mass mortality. This was probably the case with the photos above, unfortunately. According to the study, though, this only occured one year out of the three that Adelomelon brasiliana was studied. Hopefully this means mass strandings are not (too) common.

It takes around 57 ± 4 days for the snails to fully develop. As it got closer to the time of hatching, the protein and sugar concentration and pH of the intracapsular fluid decreased, according to the study.

So next time you’re walking along the Argentinian coast and come across what appears to be an alien invasion… no fear! They’re not giant alien boogers sent to steal your soul – just giant snail eggs. Yay! Your soul is safe!

… For now.

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OTRO CONSENSO CIENTÍFICO POR EL DESAGÜE: el departamento de Sanidad de EEUU ha retirado finalmente la recomendación —que parecía grabada a fuego durante décadas, como en su momento que el pescado azul o los huevos tenían colesterol— de reducir la sal en las comidas. En cantidades no desorbitadas no supone ningún riesgo para la salud. Pero claro, si leéis este blog ya hace tiempo que lo sabíais...

Id con cuidado, ecohistéricos, algún día el consenso científico que se esfume puede ser el vuestro...

TODA LA VERDAD sobre los datos de empleo en EEUU. Y aún hay otro factor: la maravillosa reforma sanitaria de Obama exime a las empresas de proporcionar cobertura sanitaria obligatoriamente a empleados que trabajen un máximo de 30 horas semanales, con lo que muchas han recortado la jornada de trabajadores que de otro modo seguirían trabajando 40 horas o más. Si queríais un ejemplo de libro de un gobierno introduciendo un incentivo perverso, ahí lo tenéis.

ANTONIO ESPAÑA, FABULOSO:

Imaginen que la Comisión Europea, asesorada por sus economistas de cabecera, decidiera intervenir en la medición estándar del tiempo para estimular la economía y conseguir el ansiado crecimiento. Para ello, emplearían el siguiente razonamiento: si se retrasaran, en promedio, todos los relojes 1,2 segundos por cada minuto transcurrido, se podría lograr 'gratis' un incremento de productividad del 2%. Pues si antes se fabricaba un determinado producto en 100 días, tras la medida adoptada, se tardaría únicamente 98 jornadas 'de reloj', con la consiguiente mejora de la competitividad. ¿Creen que tendría sentido una medida así? Estoy convencido de que opinan que no. Y, sin embargo, es lo que pretenden quienes reclaman una tasa de inflación moderada para salir de la crisis. Entre ellos bancos centrales, políticos y académicos.

Fíjense que la convención utilizada para medir el tiempo no altera nuestra capacidad para producir bienes económicos. Si un carpintero tarda dos días en montar una cocina, aunque hagamos que su reloj transcurra más lentamente, ello no comporta que necesite menos esfuerzo para terminar el montaje de los muebles. Pues bien, con el dinero, como medio de intercambio que facilita las transacciones comerciales, ocurre algo parecido que ya hemos comentado en otras ocasiones. Que la autoridad monetaria o el sistema bancario creen dinero adicional para ponerlo en circulación no implica que pasemos a tener automáticamente más equipamiento industrial ni una fuerza laboral más cualificada que nos permita producir más bienes de consumo con el mismo trabajo.

No dejéis de leer el resto.

EL COCHE ELÉCTRICO es menos 'verde' que el de gasolina:

Electric cars merely shift negative impacts from one place to another, he wrote, and "most electric-car assessments analyze only the charging of the car. This is an important factor indeed. But a more rigorous analysis would consider the environmental impacts over the vehicle's entire life cycle, from its construction through its operation and on to its eventual retirement at the junkyard."

¿ES REALMENTE POSIBLE afirmar científicamente que el ser humano está afectando al clima de la Tierra?

AL REVÉS DE LO QUE SE CREE, a las mujeres les beneficia la poligamia y a los hombres la monogamia. Dicen.

¿MISTERIO RESUELTO? DNI duplicados de la Familia Real: el Ayuntamiento de Portbou se inventaba el NIF de ciudadanos que no poseían documento de identidad. El ayuntamiento necesitaba poner un número en el BOP para cobrar las tasas de cementerio.

Este país lo inventa alguien y se le ríen en la cara por fantasioso y exagerado.

DESCUBREN el secreto del cemento que usaban los romanos y que ha permitido que sus construcciones estuviesen en estado muchas veces más que razonable durante un par de milenios. Podría revolucionar la arquitectura moderna, curiosamente.

ESA AUSTERIDAD QUE NOS ESTÁ MATANDO: "La deuda del conjunto de las administraciones públicas creció el 19,09 % en el primer trimestre de 2013 respecto al mismo período del año anterior y alcanzó 922.828 millones de euros, lo que equivale al 88,2 % del PIB, el nivel más alto de toda la serie histórica."

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