There's some amazing animals out there, some exotic, some weird looking and others just really really really cute. Here are my top 20:
1. Panda
2. Polar Bear
3. Blue Whale
4. Golden Snub Nosed Monkey
5. Anaconda
6. Elephant
7. White Tiger
8. Albino Peacock
9. Giraffe
10. Orangutan
11. Killer Whale
12. Platypus
13. Walrus
14. Bongo
15. Sloth Bear
16. Star Nosed Mole
17. Bottle-Nosed Dolphin
18. Narwal
19. Carcal
20. Meerkat
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
SPOTLIGHT ---> BANFF NATIONAL PARK
It's so beautiful the first time I saw a picture I immediantly said "it's fake".
Here are some coooooooool facts:
- The Town of Banff has an elevation of 4,537 feet (1,383 metres) making it the highest town in Canada
- Banff National Park covers 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 miles)
- Mountains in Banff National Park are 45 to 120 million years old
- Banff National Park has in excess of 1,000 glaciers
- More than 4,000,000 visitors travel to Banff National Park every year since 1996
Something I did not know..."Genocide in Cambodia"
In researching Cambodia for its unique lifestyle and beautiful beach landscapes I uncovered a story that I had not heard about that literally left my mouth agape.
His name was Pol Pot - Born May 19th, 1928 in Kopong Thom, Cambodia.
Her grew up in a poor family but was able to obtain a radio scholarship in France and his adolescnt years were spent there, but rather than studying he spent most of his time becoming involved with the Communist Party.
(Communists: believe in revolution to create a society in which the means of production—land, factories, and mines—are owned by the people as a whole rather than by individuals.)
He returned to Cambodia in 1953 and for years he built up his reputation and gathered followers. 10 years later he became General of his group the CPK (Communist Party of Kampuchéa) and for the next thirteen years Pol Pot and other CPK members disappeared from public view and set up their party organization in a remote forest area.
After years of democratic struggles involving the government Pol Pot became premier in 1976, this was the start of a dark, horrific and tragic era.
Because of his communist ways the people of Cambodia were forced to reform, driven in to labour and denied food and medical care. Most amazingly anyone that upheld any education or had any political views was seen as an opponent and therefore executed.
Foreign languages were banned.
TV and newspapers shutdown.
Mail and telephone use restricted.
Bicyles banned.
Money forbidden.
Religion a sin.
Education removed.
Business shuttered.
Health care eliminated.
Parental authority removed.
Cambodia became sealed off from the world.
Their cities were evacuted and their inhabitants, on foot, travelled to Pol Pot's "Killing Fields" at gun point to begin their reform. Astonishingly.....20,000 died on this journey alone. Many began to die due to overwork, malnutrition and infection.
Facts: A day of labour started at 4am and finished at 10pm. Only two rest breaks were provided
One tin (180 grams) of rice was given to each person, every second day.
Old society was removed with the slaughter of the educated, the wealthy, Buddhist monks, police, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and former government officials. Pol Pot's slogan was "What is rotten must be removed".
Fact: Fifty percent of the estimated 425,000 Chinese living in Cambodia in 1975 perished.
On January 7, 1979, Phnom Penh fell and Pol Pot was deposed, with the Vietnam finally taking over the Cambodian government.
The anger builds up inside me when I discovered Pol Pot's death. Aged 73 he died in his own room of a suspected heart attack.......he had just been put on trial for his 1975-79 events. Most definately not a death similar to those murdered by his own regime.
25% of Cambodia's population was murdered throughout these 4 years of tyranny.
A memorial temple was built in memory of the victims taken during the genocide and commonly, bones and clothing surface after heavy rainfalls due to the extremely large number of bodies still buried in the area.
SOOOOOO......... I know this was a random history lesson but I found it fascinating how I had never heard of this tragedy before and was fascinated by the facts and some of the stories I had seen from videos. Therefore I thought, out of respect, I would take the time to share what I had uncovered.
His name was Pol Pot - Born May 19th, 1928 in Kopong Thom, Cambodia.
Her grew up in a poor family but was able to obtain a radio scholarship in France and his adolescnt years were spent there, but rather than studying he spent most of his time becoming involved with the Communist Party.
(Communists: believe in revolution to create a society in which the means of production—land, factories, and mines—are owned by the people as a whole rather than by individuals.)
He returned to Cambodia in 1953 and for years he built up his reputation and gathered followers. 10 years later he became General of his group the CPK (Communist Party of Kampuchéa) and for the next thirteen years Pol Pot and other CPK members disappeared from public view and set up their party organization in a remote forest area.
After years of democratic struggles involving the government Pol Pot became premier in 1976, this was the start of a dark, horrific and tragic era.
Because of his communist ways the people of Cambodia were forced to reform, driven in to labour and denied food and medical care. Most amazingly anyone that upheld any education or had any political views was seen as an opponent and therefore executed.
Foreign languages were banned.
TV and newspapers shutdown.
Mail and telephone use restricted.
Bicyles banned.
Money forbidden.
Religion a sin.
Education removed.
Business shuttered.
Health care eliminated.
Parental authority removed.
Cambodia became sealed off from the world.
Their cities were evacuted and their inhabitants, on foot, travelled to Pol Pot's "Killing Fields" at gun point to begin their reform. Astonishingly.....20,000 died on this journey alone. Many began to die due to overwork, malnutrition and infection.
Facts: A day of labour started at 4am and finished at 10pm. Only two rest breaks were provided
One tin (180 grams) of rice was given to each person, every second day.
Old society was removed with the slaughter of the educated, the wealthy, Buddhist monks, police, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and former government officials. Pol Pot's slogan was "What is rotten must be removed".
Fact: Fifty percent of the estimated 425,000 Chinese living in Cambodia in 1975 perished.
On January 7, 1979, Phnom Penh fell and Pol Pot was deposed, with the Vietnam finally taking over the Cambodian government.
The anger builds up inside me when I discovered Pol Pot's death. Aged 73 he died in his own room of a suspected heart attack.......he had just been put on trial for his 1975-79 events. Most definately not a death similar to those murdered by his own regime.
25% of Cambodia's population was murdered throughout these 4 years of tyranny.
A memorial temple was built in memory of the victims taken during the genocide and commonly, bones and clothing surface after heavy rainfalls due to the extremely large number of bodies still buried in the area.
SOOOOOO......... I know this was a random history lesson but I found it fascinating how I had never heard of this tragedy before and was fascinated by the facts and some of the stories I had seen from videos. Therefore I thought, out of respect, I would take the time to share what I had uncovered.
25 Places to visit before I die.....
1. Victoria Falls
2. Ignazu Falls
3. Pyramids of Giza
4. Great Wall of China
5. Angel Falls
6. New York Skyline
7. Burj Al Arab
8. Amazon Rainforest
9. Rio De Janeiro
10. Angkor Wat
11. Banff National Park
12. Galapagos Islands
13. Neuschwanstein Castle
14. Acropolis
15. Taj mahal
16. Borobudur
17. Amalfi Coast
18. Venice
19. Florence
20. Ngorongoro Crater
21. Baalbek
22. Bagan Temples & Pagodas
23. Machu Picchu
24. Matterhorn
2. Ignazu Falls
3. Pyramids of Giza
4. Great Wall of China
5. Angel Falls
6. New York Skyline
7. Burj Al Arab
8. Amazon Rainforest
9. Rio De Janeiro
10. Angkor Wat
11. Banff National Park
12. Galapagos Islands
13. Neuschwanstein Castle
14. Acropolis
15. Taj mahal
16. Borobudur
17. Amalfi Coast
18. Venice
19. Florence
20. Ngorongoro Crater
21. Baalbek
22. Bagan Temples & Pagodas
23. Machu Picchu
24. Matterhorn
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