lifestyle

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Photo: Kalalau Beach. The natural beauty and isolation of Na Pali were populated by Native Hawaiians continuously for six centuries through the early 1900s. In recent decades, however, it has lured half-million visitors annually who hike its trails, camp overnight in its valleys, buzz over its 3,000 foot cliffs in helicopters and, sadly, at times prove poor stewards of Na Pali. Inset: How much Beer will the average person consume in a lifetime? National Geographic Human Footprint looks at how beer is consumed by the average American over a lifetime.

Photo: Na Pali Coastline of Kauai. Inset: Have you considered the impact of the cars that you will own over your entire lifetime? National Geographic Human Footprint took at look and the numbers are staggering.

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Photos courtesy of ecopreservationsociety.wordpress.com, secretofthecrystalskullsmovie.com / Diane Cook & Len Jenshel, Wings Over Kauai, and National Geographic

Original Source: Eco Preservation Society and Crystal Skulls

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Is this a time to be cloudy and sad,
When our mother Nature laughs around;
When even the deep blue heavens look glad,
And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground?

There are notes of joy from the hang-bird and wren,
And the gossip of swallows through all the sky;
The ground-squirrel gaily chirps by his den,
And the wilding bee hums merrily by.

- from "The Gladness Of Nature"
poem by William Cullen Bryant

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Surf lifesaving originated in Australia in 1906 in response to drownings at local beaches in Sydney. It comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport and has expanded globally to other countries including New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and the United States. Such groups became necessary following the relaxing of laws prohibiting daylight bathing on Australian beaches. Volunteer groups of men were trained in lifesaving methods and patrolled the beaches as lifesavers looking after public safety.

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VAUBAN, Germany - Residents of this upscale community are suburban pioneers, going where few soccer moms or commuting executives have ever gone before: they have given up their cars.

Street parking, driveways and home garages are generally forbidden in this experimental new district on the outskirts of Freiburg, near the French and Swiss borders. Vauban’s streets are completely “car-free” - except the main thoroughfare, where the tram to downtown Freiburg runs, and a few streets on one edge of the community. Car ownership is allowed, but there are only two places to park — large garages at the edge of the development, where a car-owner buys a space, for $40,000, along with a home. As a result, 70 percent of Vauban’s families do not own cars, and 57 percent sold a car to move here. Vauban, completed in 2006, is an example of a growing trend in Europe, the United States and elsewhere to separate suburban life from auto use, as a component of a movement called “smart planning.”

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href="https://www.delish.com/cooking/g1393/traditional-mexican-food-0710/" target="_blank">64 Mexican Recipes You'll Be Making On Repeat - Learn how to make all your restaurant favorites at home

Tacos, quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas... if you don't like Mexican food, we've got some questions. Whether it's Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, or a Friday night, these recipes are fun enough for a party, and easy enough to make a delish weeknight dinner. Once you've tried all of these, we've got 50 amazing tacos for you to work your way through.

51 Of Our Favorite Mexican Recipes For Tacos, Enchiladas And More

What's not to love about Mexican food? A cuisine where avocados, cheese and tortillas make a regular appearance obviously means you've hit a culinary jackpot. Mexican recipes are also rich with chiles, spice, herbs and bright, fresh flavors. They're diverse enough to excite most palates, yet comforting enough to please all.

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Image courtesy Fave Healthy Recipes

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*update* 2013
On 22 April 2009, she became the first Nobel laureate ever to reach the age of 100 - at the time of her death, she was the longest lived Nobel laureate

This astonishing woman - who studied medicine, survived Fascism and prejudice, and went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1986, who still takes an active part in politics in the Senate, is planning another book and campaigning for the rights of women in Africa.

In her autobiography she writes that she and her twin sister Paola (an artist who died in 2000 and whose artworks decorate her office walls) were born to Adamo Levi, “an electrical engineer and gifted mathematician”, and Adele Montalcini, “a talented painter and an exquisite human being”. There were two older siblings, Gino and Anna, also both now dead. “The four of us enjoyed a most wonderful family atmosphere,” she writes, “filled with love and reciprocal devotion. Both parents were highly cultured and instilled in us their high appreciation of intellectual pursuit. Her father “was a person of great intellectual and moral value, but he was a Victorian. As a child, I saw him as a person who dominated everything I did.”  read more »