living

"Jump" by Kyaw Thar of Myanmar

"Bunkyo-ku Street, Tokyo" by Chris Jongkind, UK

Original Source and photos courtesy of Digital Camera Photographer Of The Year / Telegraph

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2009 documentary The Cove.
For nearly 10 years, Ric O'Barry trained dolphins playing "Flipper" on the popular '60s TV show, and, in the process, popularized dolphins as entertainment. For the last 35 years, he's tried to undo all of that. Wherever dolphins are held captive, O'Barry is there -- protesting, cutting nets and getting arrested. He's a longtime critic of Florida attractions that feature captive dolphins, including Key Biscayne's Seaquarium, "like these dolphins volunteered to be in this concrete box."

His biggest splash may be the new documentary The Cove, a nail-biting film about dolphin slaughter in Japan. The movie, opening Friday in South Florida, has snagged a slew of festival awards, including the Sundance Audience Award, and has created Oscar buzz in its wake.

O'Barry, 69, of Coconut Grove, leads an unusual cast of daredevils to a secluded cove in Taiji on Japan's coast. Here, capturing and killing dolphins is legal. But trespassing isn't.  read more »

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U.S. Bicycle Route System

United States Bicycle Route System taking shape

EuroVelo & USBRS. Bicycle route system project is part of a global trend, as countries & provinces establish national cycling networks — composed of on-road and trail facilities — to make cycling easier and more enjoyable in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Examples include the National Cycle Network in the United Kingdom, La Route Verte (the "Green Way") in Quebec Province, the D-Route Network in Germany, and VeloLand Switzerland. The U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) to be established could become the largest national cycling route network on the planet. These systems are spurring major growth in bicycling and other non-motorized trips, with corresponding reductions in fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.  read more »

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A Burmese python measuring 17 feet in length was caught on the grounds of the Okeechobee Veterinary Hospital - the male snake weighed 207 pounds and measured 26 inches in diameter. The snakes are often abandoned by disgruntled pet owners when they become too large to handle and too expensive to feed. 150,000 snakes "out of control" & spreading - they can reproduce rapidly with female pythons laying up to 80 eggs at a time, and have no natural predators in Florida.

Fla. trapper captures 14-foot python near day care center  read more »

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"My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea." - Tommy Douglas 1961

Tommy Douglas - for introducing free healthcare to Canada - was voted "The Greatest Canadian" of all time. He was hospitalized at the age of 10. Due to a bone infection suffered four years earlier, Douglas's knee required several operations. Without the money to pay for a specialist, Tommy Douglas’ parents were told that the only option was to amputate their son's leg before the infection spread to the rest of his body. But before that could happen, a visiting surgeon offered to operate on Douglas for free, as long as his students were allowed to attend. The surgery saved Douglas's leg - quite possibly his life - and would serve as his inspiration for his dream of universally accessible medical care.

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