Amusing Magnetic Hill in Ladakh Defies Gravity - (places, tourism, unbelievable sites, Auckland, David, Lim)

A hill near picturesque Leh has magnetic properties which attracts metallic objects, making vehicles move up at a speed of about 20 km per hour with their engines off.

It is located on the Leh-Kargil-Batalik national highway, about 30 km from Leh town, at a height of 14,000 feet above sea level. On its eastern side, flows the Sindhu, which originates in Tibet and goes to Pakistan.

Not only vehicle, even helicopters and aircrafts feel the same magnetic impact. Locals and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel claim that the helicopters and aircrafts that pass through the area have to fly at a greater speed to avoid the magnetic impact of the hill. And if the aircraft comes within the radius of Magnetic Hill, it starts to jerk.
The area has become a popular sight seeing place also because of the sikh Gurudwara near the hill which is maintained by the Indian Army.  Guru Nanak Dev, the first of the ten Guru of Sikhism had meditated near this hill in the 17th century. The Magnetic wonder combined with religious sentiments makes this place a must visit while travelling to Ladakh.

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The 5 Most Dangerous Tourist Destinations on Earth!

All of these places have a lot to offer to those willing to take a chance and visit them, but, compared to other, just as beautiful, destinations they pose a higher risk. Just to be clear this is not a list of the most dangerous places on Earth; countries like Iraq, Sudan or Liberia haven’t been listed here because they are so dangerous that tourists have lost any interest of traveling there.

5. Brazil
Brazil is a beautiful country, with sunny beaches, clear waters, lush rainforests, incredible culture and many other attributes that make it a lovely travel destination. Unfortunately there is also a down side, a dark side of Brazil you’re bound to experience if you ever go. Despite the accelerated economic growth of recent years, poverty is still a serious issue here and people will do just about anything when their survival instincts kick-in.

You could end up with a switchblade pressing hard on your throat and be forced to surrender your wallet and valuables in order to keep your life. Kidnappings aren’t unusual in large cities like Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paolo; you just get pulled into a car and taken to the closest ATM in order to pay your own ransom. If you can’t do that, well, you better hope your family can or you’re in serious trouble. Drug cartels have a firm grip over the slums of many of Brazil’s large cities and the police simply don’t have the power to bring them to their knees, so you might be unlucky enough to find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and become a victim of their crossfire.

4. Sri Lanka
Resembling a tear falling down from the Indian mainland, Sri Lanka is an exotic paradise where natural beauty and man-built luxury combine perfectly.

With some of the most beautiful sights on the planet and a few of the world’s most luxurious resorts, Sri Lanka might seem like paradise to many tourists.

But those who keep in touch with world news would know that terrorism has been a great problem here ever since a conflict between the government and a revolutionary faction called the Tigers of Tamil broke out in 1983. Over 70,000 people have died since then and although foreigners are not directly threatened they could easily become collateral victims.

3. South Africa
With all the civil wars going on as we speak in African countries like Sudan, Liberia, Burundi and many others, some might say South Africa is one of the few islands of peace in an ocean of war.

But South Africa has its own problems and for many, they are enough to make them change their minds about spending a vacation there. The 2010 World Cup host is always rated as one of the top countries by homicide rate.

Most of the killing takes place in the poor parts of the country but it often reaches the more peaceful cities as well.

South Africa has been named the “rape capital of the world” on numerous occasions and more than 10 million of its inhabitants are HIV positive. Not exactly your dream destination, is it?

2. Colombia
With a gorgeous coast, lovely mountainous inland and some of the most beautiful women on Earth, Colombia sounds like the perfect travel destination.

And it is indeed worth a trip if you can live with the risks. It’s a known fact that Colombia supplies almost 80% of the cocaine in the world and people like Pablo Escobar have become legends to those that want to leave poverty behind through any means necessary.

Drug cartels around Colombia have no fear of the law, they bribe who they can and kill the rest, especially local authorities who refuse to do their bidding.

And one mustn’t ignore the dreaded FARC rebels, famous for kidnapping people and releasing them when nobody really thinks they’re alive anymore. Those are the lucky ones, many others are simply killed. There are thousands of people kidnapped in Colombia every year.

1. Haiti
One of the most beautiful countries in the Caribbean, Haiti is also the lawless, poorest and most dangerous. Riots, killings and kidnapping used to take place on a daily basis but, after the deployment of UN troops in the area, the country gained some political and social stability.

Still, the inefficiency of the police and judiciary system help maintain Haiti in a state of crisis. Even the UN Council called for aid in stabilizing the country that is now confronted with problems caused by devastating hurricanes.

Of the 57 million demanded by international humanitarian organizations to help the Haitians, only one had been raised at the end of September 2008.

Famine and the lack of shelter could throw Haiti back into the chaos it fought so hard to climb out of.

Earth Hour Around the World : 2009, Auckland, New Zealand

More than 3,400 cities worldwide have taken part in Earth Hour, turning off their lights for one hour at 2030 local time in protest against climate change.
New Zealand was one of the first countries to take part. In Wellington, revellers turned the event into a celebration with a candle-lit concert.

Earth Hour 2009: Why it is important (Auckland, New Zealand, David Lim)

(Source: Philadelphia Science and Tech News Examiner)

On Saturday March 28 at 8:30 p.m., you can join a global call to action on climate change by participating in Earth Hour 2009.

Earth Hour 2009 is being promoted as the world’s first global election. Organizers at the World Wildlife Fund hope to reach a target of 1 billion “voters” who participate by switching off their lights. In this election, switching off your lights is a vote to promote awareness of climate change. These votes will be presented to world leaders at the United Nationals Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009.

By turning off the lights in your home at 8:30 p.m. (local time), your home will be celebrating alongside international landmarks such as the Shanghai Hong Kong New World Tower, Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney’s Opera House, CN Tower in Toronto and Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Casino.

According to Earth Hour Executive Director, Andy Ridley, “In 2007, Earth Hour was held in one city, Sydney. A year later, the number of cities had skyrocketed to 371.” Participation has smashed through expectations and is a global event with more than 2700 cities in 83 countries committed to participating as of Wednesday March 25.

The Nighttime Lights of the World image showing light sources in the United States.http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/49261main_usa_nightm.jpeOrganizers at the World Wildlife Fund are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. At this 15th meeting of the United Nationals’ Climate Change Convention, government officials, United Nations representatives, and observer organizations will meet to negotiate an update to the Kyoto Protocol.

Egypt’s First Lady, Her Excellency Madame Suzanne Mubarak, will be participating in Earth Hour and in Egypt the lights on the Sphinx and Great Pyramids of Giza will go out. “United together, we can and will make a difference. I am pleased to offer my support of Earth Hour and am encouraged by the World Wildlife Fund's sustainability initiatives. Earth Hour heightens awareness and brings hope to the preservation of our shared planet’s precious environment today and for generations to come.” Why does it matter?

For years, the only manmade object visible from space was the Great Wall of China. Humanity’s dependency on the conveniences provided by the ready availability of relatively cheap electricity, has changed with the concept of “light pollution.” Regardless of an individual’s personal view on the causes of climate change (global warming), the environment is continuing to change. Excessive release of artificial light is a symptom of excessive electrical usage.

The effects of light pollution can be observed when people try to view the night sky in urban areas and only see the brightest of the stars. These people stand in awe when they look up at the truly dark sky and see the multitude of stars present. From an ecological perspective, there is good evidence that light pollution contributes to the disruption of bird migrations and interferes with normal night behaviors of nocturnal animals.

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Samsung Blue Earth Solar-Powered Phone (David Lim, Auckland, New Zealand)

Samsung's the first Solar Powered Full-touch Screen Phone, named Blue Earth($TBA). Samsung develops this green phone to reduce CO2 emissions. It features Solar Panel on the back of the phone, made from recycled plastic extracted from water bottles, recycled packaging; adjusting screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth can all be adjusted in an energy-efficient mode called "Eco mode" and even an "eco walk" function that lets the user count their steps with an in-built pedometer, calculating how much CO2 emissions have been reduced. The Samsung Blue Earth will be available in the UK during the second half of 2009.