[Wow Mailz] Socotra Island: Unbelievable Beauty

Socotra Island: Unbelievable Beauty Imagine waking up on the Socotra Island and taking a good look around you . After a yelp of disbelief, you'd be inclined to think you were transported to  another planet - or traveled to another era of Earth's history. The second would be closer to the truth for this island, which is part of a group of 4 islands, has been geographically isolated from mainland Africa for the last 6 or 7 million years.  Like the Galapagos Islands, this island is teeming with 700 extremely rare  species of flora and fauna, a full 1/3 of which are endemic, i.e. found nowhere else on Earth. The climate is harsh, hot and dry, and yet - the most amazing plant life thrives there.  Situated in the Indian Ocean 250 km from Somalia and 340 km from Yemen,  the wide sandy beaches rise to limestone plateaus full of caves (some 7 kilometers in length) and mountains up to 1525 meters high. The name Socotra is derived from a Sanscrit name, meaning "The Island of Bliss"... Is it the beaches? The isolation and quiet? or the strange and crazy botanical allure? Alien-looking plants: H. P. Lovecraft's secret inspiration? Was the famous Chtulhu myths creator aware of these forbidding mountains with their hauntingly weird flora (think of plant mutations from his "The Color out of Space") ? We almost tempted to call Socotra the other "Mountains of Madness" - the trees and plants of this island were preserved thru the long geological isolation, some varieties being 20 million years old... We begin with the dracena cinnibaris or Dragon's Blood Tree, the source of valuable resin for varnishes, dyes, and "cure-all" medicine; also (predictably) used in medieval ritual magic and alchemy - The branches spread out into the sky and from below appear to hover over  the landscape like so many flying saucers... and from above they have a distinct mushroom look: There is also the Desert Rose (adenium obesium) which looks like  nothing so much as a blooming elephant leg: Dorstenia gigas - apparently does not require any soil and sinks roots straight into the bare rock: It also has a distinct personality and likes to smile for the camera: Somewhat similar to the weird Dorstenia gigas, is this "bucha" vegetable, found as far north as Croatia. I hope it's not pregnant with anything malignant inside  this sack. John Wyndham (with his "The Day of the Triffids") would've loved it: Also found in Socotra's landscape is the ever-strange and extremely rare  Cucumber Tree (dendrosicyos socotranum) - and yes, it's related to what's sitting in a pickle jar in your fridge: Getting around can be a challenge, as there are almost no roads Despite the fact that this island has around 40,000 inhabitants, the Yemeni govenment put in the first roads just 2 years ago - after negotiations with UNESCO,  which has declared this island a World Natural Heritage Site.  It is a quiet and peaceful enclave in an otherwise troubled world. If you decide to visit there, you can forget about beachfront hotels and restaurants; this island is geared towards eco-tourism and sustaining the local economy and way of life. This island is a birder's paradise as well, with 140 different species of birds; 10 of which are not found anywhere else in the world. A unique Socotra warbler,  sunbird, starling, bunting, sparrow and cisticola are among the ones found here.  There are also Socotra Cormorants: Want to see some fairy-tale (and possibly haunted) shipwrecks? There are diving tours available... Hopefully some IMAX crew would film it in all its glory one day. To give you a glimpse of Socotra's and Yemen's in general totally unique architecture, check out this place located on the mainland: Al Hajarah, Yemen - Walled city in the mist Computer game designers take note - this mysterious city in the foggy Yemen's Haraz Mountains can surely fire up imagination of anybody who decides to explore it: Dune? Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique? Pack your bags,  for this is on our good old planet Earth, no interstellar visa required.

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Posted By Nicest Blogger to Wow Mailz at 11/19/2008 02:48:00 AM

[Wow Mailz] Winter Fashion For Teenagers : Don't Miss

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Posted By Nicest Blogger to Wow Mailz at 11/19/2008 02:06:00 AM

[Wow Mailz] Ek Vivaah...Aisa Bhi : Wallpapers And Movie Review

Some things can never change. And never will! One may have a very modern outlook towards life, but most of us continue to be very traditional at heart. Every Rajshri film is rich in emotions and mirrors the traditions and culture with utmost simplicity and understanding. EK VIVAAH... AISA BHI is no exception! The present-day adaptation of Rajshri's own classic TAPASYA [Raakhee, Parikshit Sahni], EK VIVAAH... AISA BHI is a simple story of sacrifice that aims at pulling your heart strings. Every Rajshri film works for two reasons -- the storyline and strong emotions -- and EK VIVAAH... AISA BHI follows the tradition well. Of course, a story like the one in this film may seem regressive to the multiplex junta of metros, but the fact remains that cinema is all about narrating stories and EK VIVAAH... AISA BHI has a strong story to tell. Besides, there're ample moments in this film that strike a chord, that touch the core of your heart, that make you moist-eyed. And that's where this film scores big time.It's really disheartening to note that family sagas have actually disappeared from the face of Hindi movies. Come, watch EK VIVAAH... AISA BHI with your family and re-connect with your roots! <>Chandni [Isha Koppikar] belongs to a middle class family, living in one of the tiny bylanes of Bhopal. She lives with her father and younger siblings -- Anuj [Master Amey Pandya/Vishal Malhotra] and Sandhya [Baby Ishita Panchal/Amrita Prakash]. Chandni, who is deeply attached to her school-going brother and sister, is trained in classical and folk music. During a stage performance, she falls in love with Prem [Sonu Sood]. Prem hails from a rich business family. Life is picture perfect, until on the day of their engagement, Chandni's father [Alok Nath] passes away. Suddenly, she becomes the eldest in her family. On one hand, her mehendi adorned hands beckon her to the dream home of her fiancé. On the other hand are her younger siblings whom she cannot take along. Chandni decides not to marry, so that she can raise her little brother and sister with self respect. Prem understands her and waits for Chandni for twelve long years, until she fulfils all the responsibilities as an elder sister. Debutante director Kaushik Ghatak [a known name on television circuit] remains faithful to the subject material and most importantly, captures the sensitive moments well. The tale of sacrifice has been witnessed time and again, but it works only if the characters make you cry, even weep. In the latter part of EK VIVAAH... AISA BHI, you can't stop tears rolling down your cheeks at several points in the story, especially the Raksha Bandhan sequence and towards the end, when the brother returns with his wife. Rajshri has placed ample trust in Ghatak and the debutante doesn't let you down one bit. On the flipside, the music [Ravindra Jain] could've been better. 'Mujhme Zinda Hai Woh' is the only track that merits a mention. Also, too many songs in the first hour put you off after a point. Dialogues are good at places.Both Sonu Sood and Isha Koppikar vie for top honours. Sonu is restrained, mature and acts the part well. Isha is first-rate, exuding simplicity and strength that this character demands. Alok Nath is very good. Ditto for Vallabh Vyas and Smita Jaykar. Vishal Malhotra springs a surprise. He's excellent. Chhavi Mittal is effective as the sister-in-law. Amrita Prakash doesn't get much scope. Anang Desai is okay. On the whole, EK VIVAAH... AISA BHI is akin to a delicious Indian thali in times of Pastas and Pizzas. You may opt for international cuisine at times, but Indian food, for an Indian at heart, would never go out of vogue. At the box-office, expectedly, the film may start slow, but it has the merits to climb the ladder with each passing show. The strategy of releasing the film at single screens and that too at limited centres makes wise business sense, since EK VIVAAH... AISA BHI is not the multiplex kind of movie. Business at single screens of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar should be the best.

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Posted By Nicest Blogger to Wow Mailz at 11/19/2008 01:52:00 AM

[Wow Mailz] Computer Humor For The Day :)

Computer users Computer users are divided into three types: Novice, Intermediate and Expert. Novice Users - People who are afraid that simply pressing a key might break their computer. Intermediate Users - People who don't know how to fix their computer after they've just pressed a key that broke it. Expert Users - People who press the keys that break other people's computers. --------------------- THE COMPUTER PROGRAMMER: A man was crossing a road one day when a frog called out to him and said, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess." He bent over, picked up the frog, and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will tell everyone how smart and brave you are and how you are my hero." The man took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it, and returned it to his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will be your loving companion for an entire week." The man took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it, and returned it to his pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with you for a year and do ANYTHING you want." Again the man took the frog out, smiled at it, and put it back into his pocket. Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, that I'll stay with you for a year and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" The man said, "Look, I'm a computer programmer. I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog is cool."

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Posted By Nicest Blogger to Wow Mailz at 11/18/2008 09:47:00 PM

[Wow Mailz] Have A Fun Filled Wedne$day!!

Life without u is impossible, U r in my breath and blood. I cant stay for a second without u, If u r not there i am dead Oye hello i am talking about OXYGEN Have A Fun Filled

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Posted By Nicest Blogger to Wow Mailz at 11/18/2008 09:13:00 PM