Couldn't resist sharing some of my favorite cute cat videos I found online. Enjoy!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
"White Sands National Monument" - New Mexico, Amazing Places Photos...
Porcelain desert or the glistening white sands is like no other place on earth. This awesome natural wonder is located in New Mexico. Amazing wave-like dunes of gypsum sand are engulfing 275 square miles of desert creating beautiful dune field. Porcelain desert officially known as White Sands National Monument is the biggest gypsum dune field in the world. The main road past White Sands National Monument is US 70; this is closed to all traffic for a few hours once or twice a week as test missiles are fired overhead. A paved road leads from the visitor center at the monument entrance on US 70 to the start of the sands 2 miles north.
The edge dunes are just a few feet high and support some plant life, with several species of grass, yucca and saltbush managing to survive at scattered points, but further into the monument there is little or no vegetation, just an unbroken white landscape. The road is paved for a while although blowing sand often covers the surface; towards the center though, the surface is just compacted gypsum, and the ‘road’ becomes a series of large cleared areas, which can be adapted to changes in dune position, as the sands move by up to 20 feet per year. In this surreal environment, everything is white, dazzlingly bright and intensely hot in summer, capped on most days by a clear blue sky.
The White Sands National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located about 25 km southwest of Alamogordo in western Otero County and northeastern Dona Ana County in the state of New Mexico, at an elevation of 4235 feet . The area is in the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin valley area and comprises the southern part of a 710-km² field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. The first exploration was led by a party of US Army officers in 1849.The Mescalero Apache were already living in the area at the time. The idea of creating a national park here goes back at least to 1898, when a group in El Paso proposed a Mescalero Their idea was for a game hunting preserve, which conflicted with the idea of preservation held by the Department of the Interior, and their plan was not successful.
In 1921-1922 Albert Bacon Fall, United States Secretary of the Interior and owner of a large ranch in Three Rivers near White Sands, promoted the idea of a national park there an “All-Year National Park” that, unlike more northerly parks, would be usable all year round. This idea ran into a number of difficulties and did not succeed. Tom Charles, an Alamogordo insurance agent and civic booster, was influenced by Fall’s ideas. By emphasizing the economic benefits Charles was able to mobilize enough support to have the park created.
Road into White Sands National Monument. The pavement further in is replaced by plowed sand.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Top 10 World Billionaires and his Private Jets...
When air travel is in question, the rich and famous fly in their own private jets. Equipped with luxurious interiors to suit their delicate taste, these private planes such as Cessna, Boeing, or Convair, make the trips their wealthy owners more comfortable and enjoyable. So, next time you fly in economy class I bet you’ll think about these lucky guys.
10. Donald Trump and his Boeing 727-23
Originally operated by American Airlines, this 1968 vintage jet was reconfigured to hold 23, with pale leather armchairs, gold plated seatbelt buckles, oil paintings, and Waterford crystal lamps. The Trump logo on the side of the aircraft is 30 feet long, 4 feet high, and made of 23 carat gold leaf.
9. Roman Abramovich and his Boeing 767-33A
This 767 may look ordinary on the outside, but its interior is reportedly outfitted with chestnut and decorated with gold. The aircraft can often be spotted at Luton Airport some 40 miles north of London, where Abramovich spends much of his time.
8. The Sultan of Brunei and his Boeing 747-430
The Sultan bought this 747 brand new for at least $100 million and had it fitted with a special interior and features such as washbasins of solid gold and Lalique crystal at an additional cost of some $120 million. The Sultan has several other aircraft, but this is his largest.
7. Jimmy Buffett and his Grumman HU-16 Albatross
This former military Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibian aircraft owned by singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett is named The Hemisphere Dancer. In 1996, it was shot at in Jamaica by local police who suspected it of carrying drugs.
6. Air Force One
The aircraft used to transport President George W. Bush on important state and domestic visits, Air Force One is a Boeing 747-200B that has been heavily modified with secure communications systems, electronic equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, front and aft air stairs, and the ability to refuel in-flight.
5. Mark Cuban and his Boeing 767-277
Billionaire Mark Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team, reportedly had custom-made seats installed on the aircraft that are large enough to accommodate the team’s tallest players.
4. Elvis Presley and his Convair 880
Named ‘Lisa Marie’ after Elvis’ daughter, this Convair 880 was customized with 28 seats instead of the usual 110. The tail of the now preserved jet was painted with The King’s personal logo, which stands for Care of Business.
3. Bill Gates and his Bombardier BD-700 Global Express
Owned by Challenger Administration LLC on Bill Gates’ behalf, this jet can carry eight people at a cruising altitude of 51,000 feet for a distance of 6,500 nautical miles, a range that permits nonstop Tokyo-New York or Los Angeles-Moscow.
2. Wayne Huizenga and his de Havilland Canada DHC-6-320 Twin Otter
One of the most rugged and reliable utility transport aircraft ever built, the unpressurized Twin Otter can carry up to 19 people and take off from and land on rough strips as short as 100 yards. This aircraft appeared in a seaplane chase scene in the James Bond film ‘Casino Royal’.
1. Harrison Ford and his Cessna 525B CJ3 Citation Jet
Harrison Ford pilots his own CJ3, which can carry six people in comfort for some 1,900 nautical miles. Ford is considered so good a pilot that the FAA asked him to be the spokesman for the runway incursion awareness and prevention campaign that the agency started in 2001.
10. Donald Trump and his Boeing 727-23
Originally operated by American Airlines, this 1968 vintage jet was reconfigured to hold 23, with pale leather armchairs, gold plated seatbelt buckles, oil paintings, and Waterford crystal lamps. The Trump logo on the side of the aircraft is 30 feet long, 4 feet high, and made of 23 carat gold leaf.
9. Roman Abramovich and his Boeing 767-33A
This 767 may look ordinary on the outside, but its interior is reportedly outfitted with chestnut and decorated with gold. The aircraft can often be spotted at Luton Airport some 40 miles north of London, where Abramovich spends much of his time.
8. The Sultan of Brunei and his Boeing 747-430
The Sultan bought this 747 brand new for at least $100 million and had it fitted with a special interior and features such as washbasins of solid gold and Lalique crystal at an additional cost of some $120 million. The Sultan has several other aircraft, but this is his largest.
7. Jimmy Buffett and his Grumman HU-16 Albatross
This former military Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibian aircraft owned by singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett is named The Hemisphere Dancer. In 1996, it was shot at in Jamaica by local police who suspected it of carrying drugs.
6. Air Force One
The aircraft used to transport President George W. Bush on important state and domestic visits, Air Force One is a Boeing 747-200B that has been heavily modified with secure communications systems, electronic equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, front and aft air stairs, and the ability to refuel in-flight.
5. Mark Cuban and his Boeing 767-277
Billionaire Mark Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team, reportedly had custom-made seats installed on the aircraft that are large enough to accommodate the team’s tallest players.
4. Elvis Presley and his Convair 880
Named ‘Lisa Marie’ after Elvis’ daughter, this Convair 880 was customized with 28 seats instead of the usual 110. The tail of the now preserved jet was painted with The King’s personal logo, which stands for Care of Business.
3. Bill Gates and his Bombardier BD-700 Global Express
Owned by Challenger Administration LLC on Bill Gates’ behalf, this jet can carry eight people at a cruising altitude of 51,000 feet for a distance of 6,500 nautical miles, a range that permits nonstop Tokyo-New York or Los Angeles-Moscow.
2. Wayne Huizenga and his de Havilland Canada DHC-6-320 Twin Otter
One of the most rugged and reliable utility transport aircraft ever built, the unpressurized Twin Otter can carry up to 19 people and take off from and land on rough strips as short as 100 yards. This aircraft appeared in a seaplane chase scene in the James Bond film ‘Casino Royal’.
1. Harrison Ford and his Cessna 525B CJ3 Citation Jet
Harrison Ford pilots his own CJ3, which can carry six people in comfort for some 1,900 nautical miles. Ford is considered so good a pilot that the FAA asked him to be the spokesman for the runway incursion awareness and prevention campaign that the agency started in 2001.
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