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*update* 21 Aug, 2014 Before any international trip Pope Francis visits Benedict XVI, a key Vatican archbishop revealed, noting the good relations between the two and how Pope Francis is carrying forward Benedict's vision.
Pope Francis: "He [Benedict XVI] opened a door that is institutional, not exceptional." "Let us think about what he said, I have got old, I do not have the strength. It was a beautiful gesture of nobility, of humility and courage." "He is a man of wisdom, of nuance that is good for me to hear him. And he encourages me sufficiently too."
*update* 06 June 2013 Pope Benedict XVI is on Facebook
*update* 23 March 2013 - Together Pope and Pope Emeritus make history with most powerful message: Beauty of Humility and Harmoney goes beyond religion Historic moment: 'We're brothers': Pope meets ex-pope: they kneel, side-by-side, pray together before lunch Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus BenedictThe two men dressed in white embraced warmly on the helipad in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo [photo by Osservatore Romano
] And in a series of gestures that ensued, Benedict made clear that he considered Francis to be pope while Francis made clear he considered his predecessor to be very much a revered brother and equal.  read more »

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...there were around 136 bikesharing programs in 165 cities around the world, such as in the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Korea, Japan, Germany, Greece,Ireland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK...

Bike sharing finally making it to the U.S.  read more »

Olympic rings lit with pyrotechnics - 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in London

The Olympic cauldron burns during the Opening Ceremony on July 28.

Sir Steve Redgrave hands off the Olympic torch to seven young athletes representing Britain’s hopes for the future.

A person dressed as Queen Elizabeth II parachutes into the Olympic stadium during the Opening Ceremony.

A blimp or a glowing UFO above the opening ceremony of the London Olympics??

Becks Bond? David Beckham passes under Tower Bridge driving a speedboat named 'Max Power' which carries the Olympic Torch with its torchbearer.

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Västra Hamnen, also known as the City of Tomorrow, was transformed from a former shipyard in 2001 and is now home to 4,000 people.

Europe’s ‘First Carbon-Neutral Neighborhood’: Western Harbour
With a smart heating and cooling system and renewable energy, the city district of Västra Hamnen (Western Harbor), in Malmö, Sweden has established itself as the first carbon-neutral neighborhood in Europe, says Malmö mayor Ilmar Reepalu.

Västra Hamnen, also known as the City of Tomorrow, was transformed from a former shipyard in 2001 and is now home to 4,000 people.

The district uses an aquifer thermal energy storage system to store water collected during the summer 70 meters (230 feet) underground and pump it up with wind energy to heat the homes during the winter. The chilled water is then reused to cool buildings in the summer. “There’s no need for air-conditioners in the district,” Reepalu proudly told the audience at the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Forum, held during the World Cities Summit on July 2 in Singapore.  read more »

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Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo released photographs of its newborn giant panda on July 6, showing its mother breastfeeding the tiny cub.

Born to 7-year-old Shin Shin on July 5, the panda--a male--is the first born at the zoo in Taito Ward as a result of natural breeding. “Even though she is a new mother, Shin Shin takes very good care of her cub,” said Yutaka Fukuda, deputy director of the zoo. “I'm sure she will be a good mother.”  read more »

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'BRAVE' Keeps Pixar's Winning Streak Alive
Ancient Scotland has been the setting for many past adventures in movies... And now it becomes Pixar's location for the studio's production of 'Brave'.

The story of BRAVE is a simple one with a red-headed and strong willed Princess Merida (voiced by Kelly McDonald) doing her own thing in the kingdom where her archery skills don't exactly endear her to the male community. Her mom, the Queen (voiced by Emma Thompson) isn't thrilled either. The final straw comes when Merida refuses to go along with an arranged marriage. To escape her planned-out future, she escapes into the woods where she falls under a wicked witch's---a funky witch's spell - voiced by Julie Waters. The spell turns mom into a giant black bear---with emotions--- but unable to speak and leading to chaos and fury throughout the kingdom. Will the Queen's spell be reversed before time runs out? Will the Princess make up with mom and make pop, King Fergus (voiced by Billy Connelly) proud?

As to the production itself, it's dedicated to Steve Jobs who gave a new lease on life to Pixar back in 1986. And as for the look of the film, Jobs would be proud.

"Legends are legends---they ring with truths" That line in the film pretty well sums things up.

Disney/Pixar's 'Brave,' Highlights The Beauty Of Scotland  read more »

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NASA Astronomy Photo of the Day, June 18, 2012
Why were the statues on Easter Island built? No one is sure. What is sure is that over 800 large stone statues exist there. The Easter Island statues, stand, on the average, over twice as tall as a person and have over 200 times as much mass. Few specifics are known about the history or meaning of the unusual statues, but many believe that they were created about 500 years ago in the images of local leaders of a lost civilization. Pictured above, some of the stone giants were illuminated in 2009 under the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy.

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Image Credit & Copyright: Manel Soria