Another Explanation for the Mass-death of birds.

/http://www.theonion.com/articles/paranoid-duck-convinced-cia-killing-off-us-bird-po,18953/

Animal- In Soviet Russia, dolphin hunts you!

Thanks to icons such as Sea World and Flipper, the dolphin has gained a reputation as one of nature's brightest and most capable of creatures. This is true. Dolphins are truly very intelligent animals who use problem solving skills and team work when hunting and are the only non-primate animals to engage in pleasure sex. However, dolphins also have the potential to be quite dangerous- particularly in the case of the Soviet military. As part of a Naval research in the Soviet Union, dolphins were trained to attack enemy vessels. It didn't end there. They were able to distinguish Soviet submarines from American ones based on the sound of the propellers and were trained to either kill enemy sailors caught in the water, or bring them to the surface for capture. Some even were trained for kamikaze missions in which they would have carried mines on their backs that would explode when hitting enemy ships. This sort of changes what we might have thought before, doesn't it? Flipper was, in fact, a Communist.

Landmark- Jeita Grotto

Located in Lebanon, the Grotto consists of two limestone caves just north of Beirut. The two are each on their own marvelous to look at, but combined form a proverbial geological treasure trove. The bottom one includes a river (which is the only way to access the lower cave). This river is an invaluable source of freshwater for a large portion of Lebonese people. It is currently competing to be one of the new 7 wonders of the world. Fingers crossed, people.

National Park- Spring Time in Alaska

http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

Denali National Park is in Alaska around the base of Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in the United States. Alaska's relatively low population makes for less development, but also attracts large industries due to Alaska's oil reserves, which leads to constant efforts by environmentalists to enforce conservation ideals. Apart from that, this park houses abundant wildlife including gold eagles. 10 points for guessing how many of those species are represented in the Palin's living room.

Ice, Ice Baby

http://www.heimaslod.is/index.php/Vestmannaeyjar_Research_and_Study_Center

This center in Iceland focuses on marine studies as well as general environmental issues in southern Iceland. This center was especially appealing to me due to Iceland's unique usage of geo-thermal energy that has become world famous. Furthermore, I was interested in studying the impact that Iceland's 2008 economic crisis might have had on scientific and environmental research.

Robben Island From Above

 

This image is from Robben Island in Cape Town, South Africa. Originally used by Dutch colonists as a leper colony and mental asylum, the island gained its fame in the late 1900's as a political prison for anti-Apartheid activists such as Nelson Mandela and current South African president, Jacob Zuma. I visited there in the summer of 2010 with Mercer On Mission. This map traces out the first part of the island including the main prison and graveyard for lepers. The black spot indicates the first time I (or most of the people on the trip) had ever seen a penguin in the wild. Don't be deceived; they are anything but cute and cuddly. 

Crater Lake Bathymetric Map

United States Tornado Reports from 1950-2004 Map