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Picasso had many lovers, but he married his second wife, Jacqueline Roque, when he was 79 (she was 27).



Evocation (The Burial of Casagemas), 1901. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) currently on display as part of the Courtauld Gallery's Becoming Picasso exhibition. Picture: Musée d’art moderne, Paris

Picasso was once questioned by police about whether he had stolen the Mona Lisa. After the painting went missing from the Louvre in Paris in 1911, poet and "friend" Guillaume Apollinaire pointed the finger at Picasso.



The Blue Room (The Tub), 1901. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), currently on display as part of the Courtauld Gallery's Becoming Picasso exhibition. Picture: The Phillips Collection, Washington

Pablo Picasso was baptised Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Matryr Patricio Clito Ruiz y Picasso.

The names referred to family friends and saints.



The painter Pablo Picasso in Mougins, France in 1971, two years before he died. Picture: AFP/Getty Images

A Red/Green/Blue overlay of optical, X-Ray and radio observations made by 3 different telescopes. In red are the 7-mm (44GHz) observations made with the Australian Compact Array in New South Wales, in green are the optical observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope, and in blue is an X-ray view of the remnant, observed by Nasa's space based Chandra X-ray Observatory.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

A Radio image of the remnant of SN 1987A produced from observations performed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA)

Image of the remnants of 1987A as seen at optical wavelengths with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2011

By the next morning news of the discovery had spread across the globe and southern hemisphere stargazers began watching the aftermath of this enormous stellar explosion, known as a supernova.

In the two and a half decades since then, the remnant of Supernova 1987A has continued to be a focus for researchers around the world, providing a wealth of information about one of the Universe’s most extreme events.


The death of a star: Contours of different wavelengths of radio emissions and a Hubble space telescope image of Supernova 1987A combined to provide a unique view of its death throes

SUPERNOVA 1987A

In February of 1987 astronomers observing the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby dwarf galaxy, noticed the sudden appearance of what looked like a new star.

In fact they weren’t watching the beginnings of a star but the end of one and the brightest supernova seen from Earth in the four centuries since the telescope was invented.

cross-bred man na siya, matod sa doggie ni islander.

A more expensive injection form of the drug was discovered a decade ago.

It has since been approved by the regulatory body the Food and Drug Association to treat individuals with acromegaly, a condition in which there is too much growth hormone in adults, resulting in abnormal growth of body tissues, especially hands, feet, and face.

Now Longo believes that it might also be useful in the treatment of cancer.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/, images from various internet sources

But it is Dr Longo who has taken the first step into developing anticancer and antiaging drugs with lessons learned from Laron syndrome.

In 2008 he founded DSR Pharmaceuticals with the aim of developing a pill that blocks the growth hormone receptor.

It is hoped the drug will do artificially what the genetic defect in Laron syndrome does naturally - protect against DNA damage that fuels cancer growth.

Enlisting the help of a family acquaintance Guevara-Aguirre, visited the provinces of southern Ecuador, not too far from where he had spent parts of his childhood, to find more.

He met with families, asked questions, and took blood samples, discovering more and more cases each week.

By late 1989, they had enough casesâ€" 20 total, 19 of them womenâ€"to publish an article on the 'Little Women of Loja' in NEJM, which recognised the growth hormone deficiency in the inbred people.

They are also studying whether the Laron dwarfs could hold the key for the prevention of diabetes, as despite a tendency to obesity due to overeating and a poor diet, it is another condition to which they appear immune.

Guevara-Aguirre was inspired to study Laron syndrome after growing up in the Loja province in southern Ecuador, where he often saw short people known locally as pigmeitos - loosely translates as pygmies - living in small towns.

He told Discovery Magazine: 'I had seen maybe 20 of them on the streets when I was young.'


An Ecuadorian man with Laron syndrome (pictured with his children in the early 1990s). He lived free of cancer and diabetes to 87, a decade longer than the average Ecuadorian. He was killed in a car accident in 2012

In ordinary humans, too much of the hormone can lead a person to develop breast, prostate or bowel cancers at an early age, Discovery Magazine reports.

Studies of the Laron group showed that  while they had high levels of growth hormone, their cells were not generating IGF-1.

Dr Jaime Guevara-Aguirre, a hormone expert from the Ecuadorian Institute of Endocrinology, and Dr Valter Longo at the University of Southern California have been studying the Laron group for the best part of two decades.

They believe that having less IGF1 could mean suffering less of the DNA damage that occurs in all of us when we age and which leads to cancer.

Now scientists are developing a drug which they hope will do artificially what the genetic defect in Laron syndrome does naturally -  protect against DNA damage that fuels cancer growth.

There are around 300 people in the world with the condition Laron dwarfism, a third of whom live in remote villages in Ecuador’s southern Loja province.

Sufferers of Laron lack a hormone called Insulin-like Growth Factor 1, or IGF-1.

It is IGF-1, not growth hormone, that stimulates the cell to grow and divide to form new cells.


Jaime Guevara-Aguirre (pictured in 2009 with some participants in his research) was the first to identify a population of Ecuadorians with Laron syndrome

The Ecuadorian dwarf community 'immune to cancer and diabetes' who could hold cure to diseases

Laron dwarfs seem to be immune to cancer and other diseases

Sufferers of Laron lack a hormone called IGF-1, linked to cancer

Scientists developing drug they hope will mimic genetic defect in Laron

By Amanda Williams
4 April 2013

They are completely free of two of the most debilitating illnesses - diabetes and cancer.

Now scientists hope a community of dwarfs living in a remote corner of Ecuador could hold the key to a cure for both.

The Laron dwarfs, who have a condition believed to be caused by inbreeding, appear to be completely immune to cancer and other age and lifestyle associated diseases.

People who inherit the genetic defect are in perfect proportion but grow only to an average height of 4ft.


For more than 24 years, endocrinologists Jaime Guevara-Aguirre (top left) and Arlan Rosenbloom (top right) have tracked a population of Ecuadorians dwarves who seem to be immune to cancer

One of the earliest converts to Christianity was an Ethiopian eunuch who was a high court official of Candace the Queen of Ethiopia. Acts8:27-39 The reference to "eunuchs" in Matthew 19:12 has yielded various interpretations. One theory is that Jesus was referencing homosexuality when he said "For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb:" and what some claim is tolerance of homosexuality when he says later in Matthew 19:12 "He that is able to receive it, let him receive it." (wikipedia)

There is some confusion regarding eunuchs in Old Testament passages, since the Hebrew word for eunuch, saris (סריס), could also refer to other servants and officials who had not been castrated but served in similar capacities. The Egyptian royal servant Potiphar is described as a saris in Genesis 39:1, although he was married and hence unlikely to have been a eunuch. The cupbearer who became governor of Judah, Nehemiah, may have been a eunuch. (wikipedia)

Eunuchs in the Bible

Eunuchs are mentioned many times in the Bible such as in the Book of Isaiah (56:4) using the word סריס (saris). Although the Ancient Hebrews did not practice castration, eunuchs were common in other cultures featured in the Bible, such as Ancient Egypt, Babylonia, the Persian Empire and Ancient Rome.

In the Book of Esther, servants of the harem of Ahasuerus such as Hegai and Shashgaz as well as other servants such as Hatach, Harbonah, Bigthan, and Teresh are referred to as sarisim. Being exposed to the consorts of the king, they would have likely been castrated. (wikipedia)

i want my mommy... (sigh)

kangilngig palandungon.  simbako.  way makaako anang hitsuraa tawon no?

mahimo pod ug sa feria sa pista sa loon.

aguy, 4 posts man ang na-blangko replies #165-168), and i wouldn't know what to do.  my apologies.  wa motapot ang pictures.

humans, hohum.  boring...

unsay election?  moboto pay pahak.  besides, ahm ah pahpeeh...

The company said that the paid for ‘priority messages’ were intended to stop users from being bombarded with unwanted contact from strangers

But Facebook faced criticism yesterday after details of the costs became known, especially because it has boasted that ‘the site is ‘free and always will be’.

Peter Wood, social media director at digital marketing agency Steak, tweeted: ‘Facebook charging users in the UK to contact celebs online. 1-0 Twitter. Seems a bit mean to charge someone to send fan mail.’

more at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305396/Facebook-starts-charging-UK-users-10-send-messages-celebrities.html

The fee structure is decided by a mathematical formula that takes into account a number of factors, including the number of followers a user has on Facebook and how many messages they receive.

Charges to contact somebody using the system can rise and fall under the system.

The fees were introduced for 10 per cent of British users as a trial at the end of last month with the plan to introduce it to all members of Facebook in the country.

How many people are going to 'like' this? Facebook starts charging UK users up to £10 to send messages to celebrities

Sliding scale of up to £10.68 to message those outside friendship circle

Fans pay full price to contact diver Tom Daly, but just 71p for Miranda Hart

Facebook says 'priority messages' stop users being bombarded with spam

By Tom Kelly
8 April 2013

Facebook has started charging users up to £10 to message celebrities and others outside their circle of friends.

Under the trial scheme, it costs 71p to send a standard message on the social networking site.

But the fees vary depending on the popularity of the recipient, with a current maximum charge of £10.68 to contact celebrities such as Olympic diver Tom Daley.


Top dollar: Facebook users will pay £10.69 to contact celebrities including diver Tom Daley, seen using his mobile phone during practice at the Aquatics Centre before the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games


Popular: It will cost users more to send a message to the young Olympic diver via Facebook than to less popular, or non-celebrity users

It puts him a tier above U.S. gangster rapper Snoop Dogg and Booker prize-winning author Salman Rushdie, both of whom cost £10.08 to message.

And in what may cause some embarrassment, many well-known figures such as broadcaster Louis Theroux and comedian Miranda Hart can currently be contacted for the standard charge of 71p.

An outside view shows the "Dancing Towers" (Tanzende Tuerme), a new architectural landmark and office building by Hadi Teherani in Hamburg, northern Germany, Apr. 4, 2013.

http://www.voanews.com/

Bolivia's The Strongest goalkeeper Daniel Vaca tries to stop the ball against Brazil's Sao Paulo FC during their Libertadores Cup soccer match in La Paz, Bolivia, Apr. 4, 2013.

http://www.voanews.com/

Volcano Mount Karangetang spews lava as seen from Bebali village in Siau district of Indonesia's North Sulawesi province, Apr. 4, 2013.

http://www.voanews.com/

Downtown Montreal, Canada is seen from from Mount Royal. (Photo by Van Dung Nguyen submitted to VOA Photo Contest)

http://www.voanews.com/

A helicopter casts a shadow on the ice as the passenger ship 'Soderarm' heads in a channel through the ice made by an icebreaker for the daily tour to the island of Husaro in the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden.

http://www.voanews.com/

05 April 2013


Chinese health workers collect bags of dead chickens at Huhuai wholesale agricultural market in Shanghai.

http://www.voanews.com/

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is one of the Milky Way's closest galactic neighbors. Even though it is a small, or so-called dwarf galaxy, the SMC is so bright that it is visible to the unaided eye from the Southern Hemisphere and near the equator.

http://www.voanews.com/

Workers help guide artist HA Schult's sculpture "Fluegelauto," a golden winged Ford Fiesta, onto the roof of the City Museum in Cologne, Germany. In the background is the Cologne Cathedral.

http://www.voanews.com/

Safe and sound: A rescuer pets the knocked-out leopard as it is placed in a cage before being taken to recover before its release back into the wild

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Knocked out: Officers lift the tranquilized leopard onto a truck following the successful rescue mission

Spot on: A member of the rescue team climbed down the well and after securing the animal with a rope, the leopard could be hauled out of the hole

Trapped: The leopard stares into the light from the well as forest officials get ready to tranquilize it

The Indian leopard is smaller than its African relative, with the Indian leopard normally between 4ft 2in and 4ft 8in long, compared to the sub-Saharan leopard, which can grow to be 5ft 4in long.

The leopard can be found across the Indian subcontinent, but as it is under threat from poachers and habitat loss is rarely found outside protected areas.

It is currently classified as ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) but as a result of the downward population trend it may soon qualify for a ‘Vulnerable‘ status.

According to locals, the leopard had been scouring for food at the temple fell down the narrow well.

Forest officials were called to the scene where they were forced to tranquilize the animal before climbing a ladder and going down the pit.


Saviors: Forest officials and volunteers gather around the narrow well to prepare for the rescue mission

They tied a rope around the groggy leopard and it was successfully pulled out of the hole.

After drying off the animal, forest officials transported it to a safe place for the leopard to recover before it is to be released into the wild.

Leopard gets into a spot of bother... by falling down a well: Amazing rescue in India

Leopard saved after falling down a well on food hunt in northeast India

By Sara Malm
6 April 2013

A young leopard found itself in a deep trouble, after it fell down a well in northeast India.

The poor animal was discovered trapped in the pit at Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, India.

Forest officials, temple staff and volunteers all rallied around the narrow well to save the leopard and bring it back to the surface.


Not so s-well: The young leopard fell down the well at a temple in north east India

had this leopard not been rescued, i wouldn't have included this image.  but i checked, and, whew!  happy ending.  (for that ending, here's the link: http://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=71831.new#new)


A leopard trapped in a well looks up to forest officials on the premises of the Kamakhya temple in Gauhati, India. According to locals, the leopard fell into the well while scouring for food.

http://www.voanews.com/

04 April 2013


Men visit the graves of their ancestors during the Qing Ming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, at a Chinese cemetery in Singapore. The festival, which falls on April 4 this year, is a day for the Chinese to remember and honor their ancestors.

http://www.voanews.com/

amen.

The United States has apologised for the mishap and has said it would cooperate in addressing the damage.

The US Navy said in a statement Saturday that it did not want to speculate about the liability but would coordinate with the Philippine government to assess the damage to the reef.

"The Republic of the Philippines may submit to the Navy any and all information it believes relevant to determinations of coral reef damage," the statement said.

The commanding officer and three crew of the USS Guardian were relieved of their duties over the grounding, the US Navy announced earlier this week.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/

The incident stirred nationalist anger with demands that the United States pay a large amount of compensation for damaging the reef, which is world renowned for its rich marine life.

But Songco said they would only ask for the required amount based on the affected area.

"I am not worried about criticism (for the small amount). We are not trying to put one over them and we hope they will do the same with us," she said.

She said the last of the salvage ships had left Tubbataha but a team of US Navy divers and a US vessel remained in the area, assessing the damage.

"We don't want to be dishonest. It is just a simple process: measure it correctly and then they pay. That is all. It is very straightforward," she told AFP.

Earlier estimates said as much as 4,000 square metres of the reef had been destroyed when the USS Guardian minesweeper ran aground on Tubbataha on January 17 but Songco said their studies found the damage was less than feared.

It took the salvage teams until March 29 to remove the last of the 223-foot (68-metre) USS Guardian, which had to be cut into pieces so it could be lifted clear without damaging the reef further.


This photo, released on March 30, 2013 by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), shows a portion of the stern of the USS Guardian being lifted by a boat crane during its salvage operation at Tubbataha reef, off Palawan island, western Philippines

Philippines asking $1.4 mn from US for reef damage

AFP NewsAFP News â€" Sat, Apr 6, 2013

   
This file photo shows USS Guardian warship, on January 22, 2013, sitting aground on the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, Philippines, where it ran aground five days earlier. The Philippines will ask the US to pay $1.4 mln in compensation for damage caused by the ship to a protected coral reef, according to the manager of the reef

The Philippines will ask the United States to pay 58 million pesos ($1.4 million) in compensation for damage caused by a US warship to a protected coral reef, the manager of the reef said Saturday.

The amount is based on studies by Philippine agencies including the coast guard that found the USS Guardian damaged at least 2,345 square metres (25,240 square feet) of the protected Tubbataha reef, park superintendent Angelique Songco said.

She said a letter requesting compensation would be sent to the US embassy next week, stressing this is the amount required by a law passed to protect the reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site in a remote area of the Sulu Sea.

10) Reed Bank
Area: 3,423 square miles (8,866 sq km)
Location: West Philippine Sea, Philippines



http://geography.about.com/, images various internet sources

9) Great Chagos Bank
Area: 4,633 square miles (12,000 sq km)
Location: The Maldives

Saya Del Malha
Area: 15,444 square miles (40,000 sq km)
Location: Indian Ocean

7) Zhongsha Islands
Length: 50 miles (81 km)
Location: South China Sea

6) Andros Coral Reef
Length: 124 miles (200 km)
Location: Bahamas between the islands of Andros and Nassau

5) Florida Reef
Length: 200 miles (322 km)
Location: Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico near Florida

Quote from: Lollapalooza on April 08, 2013, 01:01:56 PM

familiar sa akin to...  i think, this is a 3D Screensaver if I'm not mistaken hehehehehe

maayo pa ka... nauna imong computer screen kay sa diving ani.

p.s. kanang imong bag-ong avatar; mora lagi ug coral reefs ilang mga buhok.

4) The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
Length: 585 miles (943 km)
Location: Atlantic Ocean near Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras

3) New Caledonia Barrier Reef
Length: 932 miles (1,500 km)
Location: Pacific Ocean near New Caledonia

2) Red Sea Coral Reef
Length: 1,180 miles (1,900 km)
Location: Red Sea near Israel, Egypt and Djibouti

Earth's largest coral reefs

1) Great Barrier Reef
Length: 1,553 miles (2,500 km)
Location: Coral Sea near Australia

asa man ani ang gi-sekreto nimog order, bai hubs?

btw, nahurot na ba nimog kaon ang 12 apostles?

The pope, formerly the archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Bergoglio, was elected in a conclave on March 13 and his inauguration was on March 19.

His predecessor Benedict XVI brought to an abrupt end a troubled pontificate in February, saying he was too weak in mind and body to carry on.

Earlier on Sunday, Francis spoke to 100,000 pilgrims in St Peter's Square at one of his traditional weekly blessings, urging them to evangelise and "not be afraid to be Christians".

"We must have the courage to go out and proclaim the risen Christ," he said.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/

Pope Francis waves at the end of mass, from the balcony of Rome's St. John Lateran basilica, on April 7, 2013 Photo By Gabriel Bouys

With a series of significant symbolic gestures, the 76-year-old has shown that he intends to bring the Church closer to ordinary people, to reach out to the needy and to shake up Vatican traditions.

Experts are watching closely for the pope's appointments to key Vatican posts in the coming days, however, for signs of concrete action on challenges including the need for root-and-branch reform of the scandal-hit Vatican bureaucracy.

The pope, who named himself after St Francis of Assisi saying he was inspired by the saint's actions to alleviate poverty and promote peace, appointed the Spanish leader of the main Franciscan order to a top post on Saturday.

"God's patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life," he added.

After the mass, Francis addressed the crowd in the square saying: "Thank you for being here. I ask you to pray for me. I need it. Don't forget!

"Let's go forward together -- people and bishop together," said the pope, who has stressed the importance of his role as bishop of Rome.

A boy holds a Pope Francis flag in St. Peter's square in the Vatican on April 7, 2013 Photo By Gabriel Bouys

Latin America's first pontiff spoke to and embraced one-by-one a long line of elderly and disabled people in wheelchairs in emotional scenes that drew rounds of applause from the congregation.

"God always waits for us, even when we have left him behind," Francis, the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years, said in his homily.

"We hear many offers from the world around us but let us take up God's offer instead," he said.

Pope completes installation with emotional Rome mass

AFP News
08 April 2013


Pope Francis (R) celebrates a mass with Cardinal Agostino Vallini (L) on April 7, 2013, in Rome's Saint John Lateran basilica. The pope on Sunday completed his installation as pontiff at an emotional ceremony in which he formally took possession of the basilica -- the official seat of the city's bishop Photo By Gabriel Bouys

Pope Francis on Sunday completed his installation as pontiff at an emotional ceremony in which he formally took possession of Rome's St John Lateran basilica -- the official seat of the city's bishop.

The pope was driven around the square in front of the basilica in an open-topped car with a crowd of thousands chanting "Long live the pope!" and one group holding up a banner reading: "We Love You!"

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics smiled and kissed children held up to him by members of his security detail, taking off his white skullcap because of the strong wind.

ARE WE ON THE BRINK OF WAR?

Most experts consider North Korea's threats to be bluster but warn of the potential for miscalculations to blow up.

Stanford University's Siegfried Hecker, to whom North Korea revealed a uranium enrichment facility in 2010, doubted that Pyongyang would use nuclear weapons even if it could as such a step would "result in a devastating military response and would spell the end of the regime."

Still, North Korea has a history of taking action around April 15, the 101st birth anniversary of the regime's founder Kim Il-Sung, grandfather of Kim Jong-Un.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/

WHAT ARE THE US MILITARY RESOURCES IN THE REGION?

The United States stations 28,500 troops in South Korea and around 50,000 in Japan. It also keeps nearly 6,000 troops in Guam, a base for fighter-bombers and submarines, and 50,000 troops in Hawaii.

More than 40 US Navy vessels are permanently based in the Pacific with plans to increase the number as part of a growing US focus on Asia.

The Yokosuka base south of Tokyo is home to the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, two cruisers and seven destroyers. The USS John Stennis aircraft carrier is temporarily in Singapore on its way back from a mission in the Gulf.

WHAT ARE NORTH KOREA'S CAPABILITIES?

North Korea is seen as capable of attacking South Korea and Japan, but experts doubt it can strike the United States with the possible exception of Guam.

The Arms Control Association research group estimates that North Korea's Rodong-1 missile has a range of 1,300 kilometers (800 miles). The Musadan theoretically has a range of 3,000-4,000 kilometers (1,900-2,500 miles), but North Korea has never tested it.

WHAT ROLE HAVE US-SOUTH KOREA EXERCISES PLAYED?

The United States and South Korea are carrying out their annual "Foal Eagle" exercises through April after starting them in March. North Korea regularly denounces the tests as a preparation for war, but tensions have been especially high this year.

The United States took the unprecedented step of announcing a test run by its nuclear-capable B-2 bombers. US officials said the step was meant to reassure South Korea, but Pyongyang voiced outrage and US peace activists called the move provocative.

The United States has also sent to South Korea its stealth F-22 jets, moved two destroyers to nearby waters and -- in response to North Korean threats against US bases -- sent a missile defense battery to its Pacific territory of Guam.

WHAT DOES NORTH KOREA WANT?

Experts know little about North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who is believed to be in his late 20s and who succeeded his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011.

North Korea has indicated that it wants recognition as a nuclear weapons state -- seen as a guarantor of the regime's survival. The United States has refused.

Some experts believe North Korea is operating from a playbook of steadily upping the ante and had planned out actions to coincide with the inauguration of conservative South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?

The latest crisis erupted when North Korea fired a long-range rocket on December 12 that splashed down near the Philippines. Pyongyang said it was a peaceful satellite launch and US experts acknowledge that the regime put a small object into orbit.

The United States and its allies said that the launch was aimed at developing ballistic missile capabilities and moved at the United Nations to tighten sanctions. North Korea voiced anger and carried out its third nuclear test on February 12, defying even its main ally China.

The UN Security Council on March 7 unanimously approved new sanctions that include greater scrutiny of shady financial dealings by the impoverished regime.

North Korea had warned of consequences for the UN vote and afterward renounced a 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War and declared itself at war with the US-allied South.

North Korea's military has said it has final approval for a nuclear strike on the United States.

North Korea crisis: How did it come to this?

AFP NewsAFP News â€" Sat, Apr 6, 2013


AFP News/Jung Yeon-Je - A South Korean soldier stands on a military guard post near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas in the border city of Paju on April 5, 2013

Tensions have soared in recent weeks over North Korea, which has threatened a nuclear strike against the United States and has allegedly moved missiles to its east coast.

           

At birth, a baby llama (called a cria) can weigh between 9 and 14 kilograms (20 and 30 lb). Llamas can live for a period of about 20â€"30 years depending on how well they are taken care of.[citation needed] Llamas are very social animals and live with other llamas as a herd. The wool produced by a llama is very soft and lanolin-free. Llamas are intelligent and can learn simple tasks after a few repetitions. When using a pack, llamas can carry about 25% to 30% of their body weight for 8â€"13 km (5â€"8 miles).

The name llama (in the past also spelled 'lama' or 'glama') was adopted by European settlers from native Peruvians. (wikipedia)

The llama (Lama glama) is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times.



The height of a full-grown, full-size llama is 1.7 to 1.8 m (5.5 to 6.0 ft) tall at the top of the head, and can weigh between 130 to 200 kilograms (280 to 450 lb).

wikipedia/

A lama eats at the Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich, southern Germany.

http://www.voanews.com/

A 138-meter (452-foot) kite in the shape of the Great Wall and China's first emperor Qin Shihuan (L), who gave orders to build the Great Wall, flies above Daming Palace National Heritage Park during a kite fair in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

http://www.voanews.com/

Swiss guards gather before a weekly general audience led by Pope Francis in Saint Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican.

http://www.voanews.com/