Blog Archives
ARE YOU A BIOLOGICAL ACCIDENT? (VIDEO)
A logical and realistic look into the Athesistic world view & claim that we are all simply “biological accidents”.. with no purpose.
AMAZING DRONE FOOTAGE OF THE PROPHET’S MOSQUE (VIDEO)
Check out this amazing footage of the Prophet’s Mosque (peace and blessings be upon him) captured by a drone.
7 Interesting Facts About Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca
Source: http://www.traveladvisortips.com/
1. The Hassan II mosque, also called the Grand Mosque of Hassan II, is the the second largest mosque and third largest religious building in the entire world. The only mosque larger is in Mecca, and the minaret on the Grand Mosque is the tallest one around the globe, even taller than the one located in Mecca.
2. Most Casablanca Morocco hotels offer a view of the mosque, which is not difficult considering it towers over the city and surrounding area. This mosque was not completed until the year 1993, and it took 7 years to build during which the work was done around the clock by thousands of craftsmen and laborers.
The Cure – Blood: a primer (Video)
In this animation, we delve into the different functions and components of blood. Blood is a mixture of various cells suspended in a fluid called plasma. Although fundamentally different in both appearance and function, all blood cells originate from a single type of stem cell in the bone marrow. Red blood cells, or erythrocytes, are made up of little sacs of haemoglobin which are designed to carry oxygen. White blood cells, or leukocytes, are part of our immune system and move in and out of blood vessels searching for any signs of infection or cellular abnormalities. Platelets, or thrombocytes, help repair the blood vessel in the event of an injury by helping the blood to clot.
Are zoos good or bad for animals?
Source: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/
By: Jennifer Horton
Humans have an insatiable fascination with wild animals. Every year, millions of people go on safaris, board whale-watching cruises and watch Jeff Corwin get attacked by snakes on Animal Planet; others drive to their localzoo for a full day of animal gazing.
This interest in animals is nothing new: Zoos have been entertaining people with exotic animal collections as far back as 1250 B.C.
Later, in early 13th-century England, Henry III moved his family’s royal menagerie to the Tower of Londonfor public viewing. For a small fee, visitors would be treated to glimpses of animals like lions,camels and lynxes. And if they brought a dog or cat to feed the lions, they got in for free
The first modern zoo — the Imperial Menagerie in Vienna, Austria — was established in 1752 and continues to attract visitors to this day. Nearby, in Germany, is the world’s largest animal collection: Zoo Berlin (formerly The Berlin Zoological Gardens) houses more than 15,000 animals from almost 1,700 species
All U.S. animal exhibitors, like the 265-acre (107-hectare) Bronx Zoo just a subway ride away from Fifth Avenue, must apply for and receive a license from the Department of Agriculture. Millions of people visit the thousands of zoos around the world, proving that we simply never grow tired of observing wildlife.
Depending on your point of view, though, zoos are either sanctuaries of education and entertainment or unnecessary prisons. While some people argue that zoos play an important role in conservation and research, others counter that they do more harm than good.
So which is it? Are zoos good or bad? And how do you differentiate between what’s good for one animal versus what’s good for the entire species? It’s a delicate question and one that can’t easily be answered. Let’s start with the good news.
Zoo Pros: Education, Conservation, Entertainment
Zoos have improved significantly in the last 4,000 or so years. Gone are the old steel-bar enclosures and cold cement cages. Most zoos these days use natural-looking barriers like moats or ditches to separate animals from people, and have mini-habitats that resemble the animals’ natural environment.
Adding another point for zoo pros, the procedure for acquiring animals has also changed. Whereas zoos previously captured most of their specimens directly from the wild, they now get many animals throughcaptive breeding programs and other zoos. Some breeding programs also help to restore threatened species. After 10 years of working to strengthen the population numbers of the endangered Californiacondor, a type of vulture, the Los Angeles and San Diego zoos were able to rebuild a population of fewer than two dozen birds to around 170 birds
Successful breeding programs brought the Pere David’s deer back from extinction. Though this Asian deer ceased to exist in the wild, Chinese and European zoo programs enabled four of the deer to be released back into the wild in 1985, where they’re now self-sustaining.
Some zoos also take in abandoned animals that wouldn’t otherwise have a home. Both the Baltimore Zoo and the Detroit Zoo have taken in polar bears rescued from a traveling circus, and the Bronx Zoo took in an orphaned snow leopard from Pakistan in 2007. The cub, Leo, now spends his time frolicking and chasing small animals that wander into his enclosure
And although zoo animals aren’t treated quite like guests at a four-star hotel, their care has improved tremendously. Zookeepers now understand that many animals, such as monkeys, bears and elephants, need engaging activities to prevent boredom and mental deterioration. This is why you’ll often see chimpsplaying with toys or tigers “hunting” for a meal.
Aside from taking care of captive animals, many zoos also contribute to the care of their wild counterparts. The Toledo Zoo, in conjunction with the Nature Conservancy, is helping to restore butterfly habitats in Ohio, and the Bronx Zoo has channeled more than $3 million toward conservation projects in central Africa
Zoos also present an opportunity for scientists to conduct research. In 2002, zoos participated in 2,230 research and conservation projects in more than 80 countries. The information they gather helps them to develop new medicines and techniques to improve animal health.
Beyond the positive impact zoos try to have on animals, they often affect the people visiting as well. Zoos don’t just entertain, they also aim to educate. With a variety of programs geared toward children and adults, zoos teach people about the needs of animals and the importance of conservation. And if people get excited enough, the thinking goes that they’ll be more inclined to donate money to conservation efforts — another zoo pro.
The fact that zoos impact people in a positive way is nice, but it’s not the people critics worry about — it’s the animals.
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