Switzerland, The land of natural beauty

 Switzerland in its full name the Swiss Confederation  , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western Europe, where it is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found. Among them are the two global cities and economic centres of Zurich and Geneva.

The Hyacinth Macaw

The Hyacinth Macaw , or Hyacinthine Macaw, is a parrot native to central and eastern South America. With a length (from the top of its head to the tip of its long pointed tail) of about 100 cm (3.3 ft) it is longer than any other species of parrot. It is the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species, though the flightless Kakapo of New Zealand can outweigh it at up to 3.5 kg. While generally easily recognized, it can be confused with the far rarer and smaller Lear's Macaw. Habitat loss and trapping wild birds for the pet trade has taken a heavy toll on their population in the wild, and as a result the species is classified as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, and it is protected by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Gum Power / Chewing Gum Battery !

Poor Singapore, chewing gum is banned in that country so I suppose they may never get to experience the Chewing Gum Battery Concept! It is a simple and innovative idea where paper battery is kept charged at a solar empowered dispensing station, and can be easily used for gadgets whose battery dies out unexpectedly. I suppose it is intended for tourist places or maybe college campus, but it sure is a neat way to get instant power.
Chewing Gum Battery is a 2012 iF Design Talents entry.
Designer: Ping-Yi Lin

IC 1396 – Elephant-Trunk Nebula by Bill Snyder IC 1396 – Elephant-Trunk Nebula by Bill Snyder

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IC 1396 – Elephant-Trunk Nebula by Bill Snyder Credit: Bill SnyderThis picture shows the column of dust known as the ‘Elephant’s Trunk’ in the constellation of Cepheus. Deep within the dense clumps of dust and gas that make up the ‘trunk’ new stars are currently forming.

Amazing Photos: Royal Observatory’s 2012 Space Photographer of the Year Finalists.

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Double Arch with a Perseid Meteor and the Milky Way by Thomas O'Brien Credit: Thomas O'BrienA meteor captured streaking across the sky above Arches National Park, Utah, during the annual Perseid meteor shower. The Perseids is one of the most prolific showers, often with around 80 meteors an hour during its peak. Nevertheless, meteors are hard to catch on camera. The photographer has used an artificial light source to illuminate and emphasise the dramatic rock formations.