Neverland

Though the property has been renamed, a floral clock  on the grounds still spells out Neverland. World famous pop king Michael Jackson lived there from 1988 to 2005. He paid $19.5 million for the property in 1987. It was one of the oddest celebrity compounds in history: A mansion and an amusement park, petting zoo, a railroad and a train station all spread over 2,800 acres in California’s Santa Barbara County, dotted with more typical star comforts like a tennis court, swimming pool and basketball court. He turned it into a personal fantasy land that encompassed 22 buildings, including a 12,000-square-foot French Normandy-style main house, two guest houses, and a movie theater that had trap doors for magic shows. In addition to the main house, there are two guest houses, one with four bed rooms and one with two bed rooms. There is also a movie theater. Jackson had a train with a steam engine called Katherine, named after his mother. The train to get you around the property. It was about a quarter mile from the main house to the 50-seat movie theater and a station house modeled after the one at Disney World. The topiary Neverland clock in front of it remains. Neverland was once home to orangutans, baboons, an elephant, giraffes and Jackson`s pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. But those animals are all gone. But even wiped of its amusement park rides and zoo animals, to many of Jackson`s fans, it will always be Neverland.

Face Off

Plastic surgery now a days has become more and more popular. Some people believe that it is a technique to raise the beauty of a person. The basic intention of this surgery is to enhance the appearance of the individual by changing the parts of the body. Plastic surgery, the practice of reshaping body tissues for reconstructive or aesthetic purposes dates back to antiquity. Derived from the Greek plastikos, meaning `to mold,` plastic surgery holds a critical place in cultures all over the world. For centuries, tribes would disc their lips, stretch their earlobes, bind their feet, file their teeth, and tattoo and scar their skin. If contemporary popular series such as Extreme Makeover and Nip/Tuck are any indication, plastic surgery has not lost any of its cultural power. While filed teeth may not appeal to everyone, men and women of today still have a wide range of surgical procedures from which to choose, including liposuction, nose jobs, eyelid surgery, tummy tucks, and breast augmentation and reduction. The term `plastic surgery` also includes nonsurgical options such as Botox, microdermabrasion, collagen injections, laser hair removal, and chemical peels. Plastic surgery, however, was not always so readily available or varied and was even shrouded in mystery, magic, and eroticism.
If someone was severely injured in a car accident or any horrible accident, he/she might reconstruct their outward appearance by means of plastic surgery and then get an opportunity to be reborn. Richard Lee Norris a 39-year-old Virginia man severely disfigured by a 1997 gun accident has received the most extensive full-face transplant in medical history, according to University of Maryland Medical Center surgeons. Based on these cases, Norris’ appearance is likely to gradually transform over time to look like a combination of his new and original face, and he may regain at least partial sensation.
In 1997, he accidentally shot himself in the face during an argument with his mother. But, in 2012, he underwent the most extensive face transplant ever - a 36-hour operation involving 150 medical staff at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Norris underwent a complex reconstruction which involved receiving his teeth, jaw and part of his tongue from a donor.The transplant, which came after dozens of other operations had failed to rebuild his face, also included tissue running from the neck to the scalp. Mr Norris, from Hillsville, Virginia, spent years living as a recluse after the accident, which took place when he was 22. Dr. Rodriquez is hopeful that Norris, who is unemployed and has lived with his parents since the accident, will now be able to have a full life.
Norris said - `My friends have moved on with their lives, starting families and careers. I can now start working on the life given back to me.`
The first person to receive a partial face transplant was Frenchwoman Isabelle Dinoire, whose face was mauled by her dog after she took an overdose of sleeping pills.The operation was carried out in 2005.

stunning Stars

The sun is the most important star in our galaxy. It is the source of life on earth. Most of all ancient civilizations worshiped the sun as a god. In the same way there are also about 300 billion different stars in our galaxy. All of which contain different history, characteristics and general information. They each contain their own story of how they came about. Many of these stars are a part of a certain constellation and have been around for billions of years.

Polaris is one the best known stars. Polaris is not hard to miss in the sky; it is the 50th brightest star and does not disappear. The reason this star will not disappear is due to the fact that the Earth’s axis is aligned pointing towards Polaris in the same direction North faces but will eventually shift over time. In comparison to the sun, this star is 10,000 times brighter, 100 times larger and has 10 times more mass to our sun. Polaris has about the same temperature as the sun. 

Sirius also known as The Dog Star or Canicula was discovered in 1915. Sirius gets its name from the use in the Greek calendar. “The time of year when this star rose and set with the Sun was the hottest part of the summer, and was given the name Seirios, 'scorching', a name that was acquired by the star itself”.Sirius is the fifth closest star to the solar system”. It is only 8.6 light years from our solar system which makes this star the brightest star known. Sirius has a binary system which means that there are two stars revolving around each other. “Sirius A is a blue-white star 25.4 times bigger than the sun. Its surface temperature is twice as hot as the sun, over 20 times brighter, and it’s mass 2.32 times more.” Sirius B revolves around Sirius A. This star is the first white dwarf to be discovered. Its diameter is almost equal to that of the earths. “It has a mass is 98% that of the sun, making it extremely dense.”

Another famous star is Betelgeuse. This star gets its name from the Arabic meaning “Armpit of the Central one”. It is the tenth brightest star in our galaxy and the brightest star in Orion which is the constellation in which it lies in. This star shines an orange-red color, 7,500 times brighter than the sun. Its surface temperature is 6000F. Betelgeuse is one of the largest stars known with a diameter of 700 million miles. This star is 520 light years away and also has about five companion stars in its orbit which is rare for a Red Super Giant. “Red super giants are stars that are close to the end of their life”.  Betelgeuse has about ten years left till it ends in a supernova explosion.

VY Canis Majoris also known as VY CMa was discovered roughly around March 7, 1801, by a French astronomer Jerome Lalande. (universetoday) Throughout the 19th century it was believed that VY Canis Majoris was a single star until 1917, Guerin noticed a three nuclei (Robinson, IBVS 599) the red hypergiant is the largest star known in The Milky Way but also in the entire universe. “It has a diameter of about 3 billion kilometres. Its radius is about 1,800 to 2,100 times the radius of the Sun.”  VY Canis Majoris is about 40 times the mass of our sun. ” It has an average density of about 0.000005 to 0.000010 kg/cu.m. This is very less when compared to the density of water (1000 kg/cu.m).” This star is about 4,900 light years from the Earth.  This star is found in the constellation of Canis Major which lies in the southern part of the sky. The name in Latin means “the greater dog”. This star is one of the most luminous stars. “Its luminosity is about 450,000 times the luminosity of the sun.” It is believed that this star is extremely unstable, as huge amounts of it’s mass it being thrown off into the closest nebulae.

swimming bird

 Penguins are highly social, often breeding in large colonies. Some species forage cooperatively and may dive synchronously while foraging in small or large groups. Species that breed in large colonies often have elaborate visual and vocal displays. Vocalizations are characterized as loud, short brays, grunts or whistles, the type depending upon species, for instance, banded penguins (Spheniscus) are also known as 'jackass penguins' because of their braying, while the giant penguins of the genus Aptenodytes most often whistle. In colonial species in which chicks group together in a nursery (or crèche) recognition of mates and offspring seems based on individually distinguishable calls. Penguins have a number of characteristic physical features, such as their erect posture, stiff wings, and counter-shaded body coloring (dark backs and white fronts). Penguins are medium to large birds. The smallest (the Little Penguin) is typically 40 cm (16 inches) tall and a body mass of one kilogram, while the Emperor Penguin can reach 1.15 meters (43 inches) and attain a body mass of 22-37 kg.Depending upon the terrain, penguins on land will waddle along shorelines and ice, or hop from rock to rock, some species being more adept at one form of locomotion on land than another. When on ice or snow, penguins can move swiftly by tobogganing (sliding along on their belly and propelled by their wings and feet).  Underwater, penguins use their modified wings (or 'flippers') to propel themselves forward, and it is this underwater 'flying', combined with the solidity of their bones, that enables them to reach great depths. The Emperor penguin is an exceptional diver and can stay submerged for 18 minutes and dive as deep as 500 meters (1,640 ft). Swimming speeds average two to three knots (3.7km/hr), but may reach 15-20 knots (27.8-37km/hr) for short distances. Swimming often includes porpoising (repeatedly breaking the water's surface with enough momentum to lift the bird into the air for about one meter), which may be carried out for reasons of speed, escaping predators or even purely to aid breathing (and possibly a combination of these factors).