Christmas Stories: The Gold and Ivory Tablecloth

At Christmastime, men and women everywhere gather in their churches to wonder anew at the greatest miracle the world has ever known. But the story I like best to recall was not a miracle—not exactly.

It happened to a pastor who was very young. His church was very old. Once, long ago, it had flourished. Famous men had preached from its pulpit, prayed before its altar. Rich and poor alike had worshiped there and built it beautifully. Now the good days had passed from the section of town where it stood. But the pastor and his young wife believed in their run-down church. They felt that with paint, hammer, and faith, they could get it in shape. Together they went to work.

But late in December, a severe storm whipped through the river valley, and the worst blow fell on the little church—a huge chunk of rain-soaked plaster fell out of the inside wall just behind the altar. Sorrowfully the pastor and his wife swept away the mess, but they couldn’t hide the ragged hole. The pastor looked at it and had to remind himself quickly, “Thy will be done!”

The joyful purpose of the storm that had knocked a hole in the wall of the church was now quite clear.

But his wife wept, “Christmas is only two days away!”

That afternoon the dispirited couple attended an auction held for the benefit of a youth group. The auctioneer opened a box and shook out of its folds a handsome gold-and-ivory lace tablecloth. It was a magnificent item, nearly 15 feet long. But it, too, dated from a long-vanished era. Who, today, had any use for such a thing? There were a few halfhearted bids. Then the pastor was seized with what he thought was a great idea. He bid it in for six dollars and fifty cents.

He carried the cloth back to the church and tacked it up on the wall behind the altar. It completely hid the hole! And the extraordinary beauty of its shimmering handwork cast a fine, holiday glow over the chancel. It was a great triumph. Happily he went back to preparing his Christmas sermon.

Just before noon on the day of Christmas Eve, as the pastor was opening the church, he noticed a woman standing in the cold at the bus stop.

“The bus won’t be here for 40 minutes!” he called, and he invited her into the church to get warm.

She told him that she had come from the city that morning to be interviewed for a job as governess to the children of one of the wealthy families in town but she had been turned down. A war refugee, she had imperfect English.

The woman sat down in a pew and chafed her hands and rested. After a while, she dropped her head and prayed. She looked up as the pastor began to adjust the great gold-and-ivory lace cloth across the hole. She rose suddenly and walked up the steps of the chancel. She looked at the tablecloth. The pastor smiled and started to tell her about the storm damage, but she didn’t seem to listen. She took up a fold of the cloth and rubbed it between her fingers.

“It is mine!” she said. “It is my banquet cloth!” She lifted up a corner and showed the surprised pastor that there were initials monogrammed on it. “My husband had the cloth made especially for me in Brussels! There could not be another like it!”

For the next few minutes, the woman and the pastor talked excitedly together. She explained that she was Viennese, that she and her husband had opposed the Nazis and decided to leave the country. They were advised to go separately. Her husband put her on a train for Switzerland. They planned that he would join her as soon as he could arrange to ship their household goods across the border.

She never saw him again. Later she heard that he had died in a concentration camp.

“I have always felt that it was my fault—to leave without him,” she said. “Perhaps these years of wandering have been my punishment!”

The pastor tried to comfort her, urged her to take the cloth with her. She refused. Then she went away.

As the church began to fill on Christmas Eve, it was clear that the cloth was going to be a great success. It had been skillfully designed to look its best by candlelight.

After the service, the pastor stood at the doorway; many people told him that the church looked beautiful. One gentle-faced, middle-aged man—he was the local clock-and-watch repairman—looked rather puzzled.

“It is strange,” he said in his soft accent. “Many years ago, my wife—God rest her—and I owned such a cloth. In our home in Vienna, my wife put it on the table”—and here he smiled—“only when the bishop came to dinner!”

The pastor suddenly became very excited. He told the jeweler about the woman who had been in church earlier in the day.

The startled jeweler clutched the pastor’s arm. “Can it be? Does she live?”

Together the two got in touch with the family who had interviewed her. Then, in the pastor’s car, they started for the city. And as Christmas Day was born, this man and his wife—who had been separated through so many saddened Yuletides—were reunited.

To all who heard this story, the joyful purpose of the storm that had knocked a hole in the wall of the church was now quite clear. Of course, people said it was a miracle, but I think you will agree it was the season for it!

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Fakta-fakta Tentang Greenland

Greenland adalah pulau terbesar di dunia yang terletak di lepas pantai timur laut Kanada di Samudra Atlantik Utara. Secara geografis, Greenland dianggap bagian dari Amerika Utara, namun secara politik wilayah ini adalah bagian dari negara Eropa, Denmark. Pada tahun 1979, Denmark memberikan pemerintahan dalam negeri bagi Greenland. Sejak itu, Greenland bertanggung jawab untuk urusan internal mereka sendiri. Namun, tujuan jangka panjang mereka adalah kemerdekaan penuh dari Denmark.

Ukuran Greenland hampir satu setengah kali ukuran Alaska, negara bagian terbesar Amerika Serikat. Tapi karena sekitar 85 persen lahannya ditutupi oleh es, sebagian besar wilayah pulau ini tetap tak berpenghuni. Kebanyakan orang tinggal di sepanjang pantai yang umumnya bebas es, terutama di barat daya.

Perekonomian pulau itu, sebagaimana kegiatan rekreasinya, terkait erat dengan aktivitas berburu dan perikanan. Daging anjing laut, paus, karibu, dan rusa adalah makanan populer. Burung laut dan ikan, termasuk ikan cod dan trout, serta udang dan kerang lainnya juga menjadi bagian dari makanan orang Greenland.

Penduduk

Greenland memiliki penduduk sekitar 60.000 jiwa. Sekitar seperempat dari penduduknya tinggal di Nuuk (atau Godthab), ibukota. Kebanyakan penduduk Greenland asli adalah campuran dari orang Inuit (dahulu disebut Eskimo) dan Denmark. Sekitar 10 persen dari populasi berasal dari Denmark atau tempat lain.

Bahasa

Kebanyakan orang Greenland berbicara dalam bahasa Greenland, atau Kalaallisut, dialek Inuit. Namun, bahasa Denmark umumnya digunakan dalam pemerintahan dan pendidikan tinggi. Baik bahasa Denmark dan bahasa Inggris diajarkan sebagai bahasa kedua di sekolah dasar. Pada tahun 2009, bahasa Greenland menjadi bahasa resmi Greenland.

Agama

Kebanyakan orang Greenland menjadi anggota Gereja Lutheran Injili. Ada juga komunitas kecil pemeluk Katolik Roma, Advent, Bahai, dan Saksi-Saksi Yehuwa.

Sekolah dan Perpustakaan

Sekolah umum di Greenland dibiayai oleh pemerintah, dan pendidikan di semua jenjang gratis. Anak-anak antara usia 6 dan 15 tahun diwajibkan mengikuti sekolah dasar. Banyak dari mereka yang melanjutkan ke salah satu dari tiga sekolah menengah di pulau itu. Pendidikan tinggi ada di University of Greenland di Nuuk atau di sebuah universitas di Denmark.

Museum Greenland, di Nuuk, berisi publikasi tentang Greenland, Kutub Utara, dan orang-orang Inuit. Museum dan Arsip Nasional Greenland, juga terletak di Nuuk, berisi koleksi budaya Greenland dari zaman kuno sampai sekarang.

Bentang Alam

Dengan luas 2.175.600 kilometer persegi, bentuk Greenland menyerupai mangkuk besar berisi es. Bagian tengahnya terdorong ke bawah permukaan laut oleh massa es yang di beberapa tempat tebalnya bisa lebih dari 3.050 meter. Sebagian besar tanah bebas es terletak di sepanjang pantai, yang dikelilingi oleh pegunungan yang memiliki ketinggian sekitar 3.660 meter. Puncak tertinggi Greenland, Gunnbjørns Fjæld, tingginya 3.700 meter.

Dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, sebagai akibat dari pemanasan global, es di Greenland telah mencair pada tingkat yang mengkhawatirkan. Beberapa ilmuwan khawatir bahwa fenomena ini akan menyebabkan naiknya permukaan air laut global. Kenaikan tersebut akan membanjiri kota-kota pesisir dan pulau-pulau dataran rendah.

Greenland lebih dekat ke Kutub Utara daripada wilayah lain di dunia. Sekitar lima-perenam pulau ini terletak di utara Lingkaran Arktik. Karena lintang tingginya, sebagian besar dari pulau ini mengalami siang hari terus menerus di musim panas dan kegelapan terus-menerus di musim dingin.

Matahari tengah malam bersinar di bagian utara pulau dari awal April hingga awal September, ketika matahari perlahan-lahan menghilang di bawah cakrawala. Matahari tidak naik di bagian paling utara Greenland dari pertengahan Oktober sampai akhir Februari. Dari akhir Februari sampai awal April, matahari perlahan terbit di atas cakrawala lagi.

Iklim

Musim panas di Greenland pendek dan dingin, sedang musim dinginnya sangat dingin. Suhu musim panas rata-rata sekitar 10 °C di selatan dan 5 °C di utara. Di musim dingin, suhu turun sampai -8 °C di selatan dan -20 °C di utara. Curah hujan tahunan berkisar dari 760 milimeter di selatan sampai 125 milimeter di utara.

Tanaman dan Hewan

Hanya tanaman dan hewan tertentu yang dapat bertahan hidup di iklim tundra yang keras di wilayah es Greenland. Rumput, heather, crowberry, tanaman berbunga rendah, dan rumpun kerdil birch tumbuh di daerah yang tanahnya tipis. Sebagian besar permukaan bebas es adalah batuan tandus yang ditutupi lumut. Ada sekitar 500 spesies tanaman liar. Tapi pohon hanya tumbuh di beberapa tempat di sepanjang pantai barat daya.

Hanya beberapa hewan liar yang dapat hidup di Greenland, antara lain rubah Arktik, serigala kutub, karibu, beruang kutub, musk ox, dan kelinci gunung. Mamalia laut meliputi anjing laut, paus, dan walrus. Ikan dan kerang meliputi cod, halibut, salmon, udang, kepiting, dan kerang. Ada juga populasi besar burung. Sekitar setengah dari burung-burung itu hanya ada di musim panas.

Sumber Daya Alam

Greenland memiliki banyak sumber daya alam, tetapi iklim dan es telah membuat sebagian besar sumber daya alam itu tidak dapat diakses. Mineral yang ada di Greenland antara lain seng, timah, bijih besi, batu bara, molibdenum, emas, platinum, dan uranium.

Mineral tanah yang langka juga melimpah. Mineral ini digunakan dalam pembuatan banyak produk teknologi tinggi. Mineral Greenland akan menjadi lebih mudah diakses saat es terus mencair. Juga, banyak perusahaan minyak mengeksplorasi minyak dan gas alam di perairan dingin di lepas pantai Greenland.

Ekonomi

Perikanan dan pengolahan ikan adalah andalan ekonomi Greenland. Industri lainnya sangat terbatas. Akibatnya, Greenland tergantung pada bantuan dari Denmark. Kesenjangan tingkat pendapatan antara penduduk terpelajar dengan masyarakat nelayan kecil menjadi besar.

Jasa

Beberapa orang Greenland bekerja dalam bidang kesehatan dan pelayanan publik lainnya. Matahari tengah malam dan pedalaman Greenland yang tertutup es luas menarik banyak wisatawan. Hotel kecil dan perusahaan jasa lainnya ada di sebagian besar kota-kota kecil.

Pertanian dan Perikanan

Perikanan dan pengolahan ikan mempekerjakan sekitar 25 persen dari angkatan kerja. Hasil tangkapan yang paling penting adalah udang, diikuti oleh halibut. Pabrik pengolahan ikan Greenland dimiliki oleh pemerintah. Domba diternak terutama di selatan Greenland, di mana ada sekitar 70 peternakan.

Pertambangan

Tambang Greenland yang terakhir beroperasi, dengan cadangan timbal dan seng, ditutup pada tahun 1990. Simpanan minyak, gas alam, timah, besi, molibdenum, uranium, emas, mineral tanah langka, dan berlian telah ditemukan, tetapi belum ditambang.

Perdagangan

Greenland harus mengimpor hampir semua barang, dari makanan olahan hingga peralatan konstruksi. Ekspor ikan dan produk ikan tak sebanding hasilnya untuk membayar impor ini. Akibatnya, Greenland selalu mengalami defisit perdagangan tahunan. Mitra dagang paling penting adalah Denmark.

Transportasi dan Komunikasi

Tidak ada jalan raya atau jalur kereta api yang menghubungkan kota-kota kecil dan permukiman Greenland. Semua kegiatan pariwisata dilakukan dengan pesawat atau kapal, dan di Greenland Utara dan Timur, menggunakan dogsled atau kereta anjing. Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Iceland Air, dan Greenland Air melayani penerbangan ke Greenland dari Denmark, Kanada, dan Islandia.

Greenland memiliki dua surat kabar nasional yang terbit dua kali seminggu baik Greenland maupun di Denmark. Greenland Radio and Television, lembaga penyiaran publik yang independen, menyiarkan program radio dan televisi.

Kota-kota Besar

Tidak ada kota-kota besar di Greenland, hanya beberapa lusin kota kecil dan permukiman. Di antara yang terbesar adalah Nuuk, Holsteinsborg (Sisimiut), Julianehåb (Qaqortoq), dan Jakobshavn (Ilulissat).

Nuuk (atau Godthab), ibukota dan kota terbesar Greenland, memiliki populasi penduduk sekitar 14.000 jiwa. Legislatif, pengadilan, dan lembaga pemerintah Greenland lainnya terletak di sini. Universitas Greenland, Museum Greenland, dan Perpustakaan Nasional juga terletak di Nuuk.

Nuuk, yang berarti “Titik,” terletak di fjord bebas es di barat daya Greenland. Ini adalah pusat perikanan dan pengolahan ikan yang penting. Nuuk memiliki pelabuhan, bandara, pusat telekomunikasi, dan rumah sakit modern. Kota kecil ini didirikan pada tahun 1721 oleh Hans Egede, seorang misionaris Lutheran.

Warisan Budaya

Musik, lagu, teater, dongeng, dan tari telah lama menjadi elemen sentral dalam budaya tradisional Inuit. Musik Inuit sering melibatkan bernyanyi disertai dengan drum. Tradisi yang paling dikenal adalah “duel lagu,” di mana dua pria mencari resolusi konflik di antara mereka. Setelah pengenalan agama Kristen di awal 1700-an, para misionaris melarang tradisi-tradisi Inuit. Tapi hari ini, unsur-unsur budaya Inuit lama kembali memainkan peran penting.

Dimulai pada pertengahan 1700-an, Denmark memperkenalkan musik Eropa dan musik klasik ke Greenland. Musik populer, seperti jazz, rock, dan hip-hop, menjadi bentuk musik populer yang dimulai pada pertengahan abad ke-20.

Pemerintah

Greenland adalah bagian dari Kerajaan Denmark, yang bertanggung jawab untuk kebijakan luar negeri dan pertahanan Greenland. Tapi karena terbentuknya pemerintahan sendiri pada tahun 1979, Pemerintah Dalam Negeri Greenland bertanggung jawab untuk semua urusan internal, meliputi keuangan, perdagangan, pendidikan, perumahan, kesehatan, dan lingkungan.

Pemerintah Dalam Negeri Greenland terdiri atas 31 anggota Landsting (parlemen) dan tujuh anggota Landsstyre (eksekutif). Landsting dipilih oleh rakyat, yang pada giliranya memilih Landsstyre. Greenland diwakili oleh dua anggota di parlemen Denmark. Pengadilan tinggi Greenland disebut Landsret.

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10 Amazing Mythological Objects

Perhaps as a child you worshiped Indiana Jones, bought yourself a fedora, and hoped to search for supernatural treasures long lost to mankind. Mythology has been rife with mysterious objects of power that imbue the user with unique abilities. So, fedora in hand, let’s venture into the world of mysterious and fantastic powers.

10. Cintamani Stone

Most people are familiar with the concept of the Philosopher’s Stone, but few have heard of the Cintamani Stone.
Said to be lost somewhere in Southeast Asia, the stone is the Oriental equivalent of the Philosopher’s Stone. The stone is thought to be a relic of Buddha, and is able to grant wishes.
Supernatural powers aside, the stone represents Buddhist values and teachings. It has never been found (of course), and there has never been any solid evidence of its existence.


9. The Seven-League Boots

The Seven-League Boots are a recurring artifact in numerous European fairy tales, and the boots themselves allowed one to travel seven leagues (roughly five kilometers or three miles) per step. The boots aren’t very well known, and they are featured primarily in the French fairytale Hop-o’-My-Thumb.
In the story, Hop-o’-My-Thumb is a small boy who is extremely intelligent. When his parents abandon him and his brothers, he becomes the (very tiny) man of the house. When an ogre decides to make a meal of the brothers, Hop-o’-My-Thumb steals their magical boots to escape and make his fortune for his family.

8. The Ring of Gyges

Plenty of us have seen the Lord of the Rings movies and are familiar with the One Ring, the cursed ring that grants invisibility but eventually corrupts the souls of those who wear it. Luckily, mythology has a ring that grants invisibility without the nasty side effects. The Ring of Gyges was a ring from a story told by the famous philosopher Plato. In the story, Gyges is a shepherd who finds the ring after an earthquake reveals a cave near where he herds his flock.
Upon entering the cave, Gyges finds the ring on the finger of a corpse that doesn’t seem human. When he places it upon his finger, he discovers he can become invisible by adjusting it.
Gyges then goes to the palace of his local kingdom, woos the wife of the king, then kills him and becomes King of Lydia. So . . . maybe we were wrong about the soul-blackening part.

7. The Hand of Glory









This is an item you better hope a burglar never gets his hands on. The Hand of Glory was fashioned from a condemned murderer’s hands. A wax candle was affixed to one of the fingers, and the dead man’s hair was used as a wick. It had the power to unlock doors and freeze people in place.
Its flame could only be extinguished by the thief who wielded it, and it would have been a vital tool to the criminal trade if it ever existed. In its day, the Hand of Glory was considered to be the product of extremely black magic.


6. Skatert-Samobranka











Let’s say you’re out for a picnic, and you’ve forgotten the food. That’s not an issue, you just need to whip out your Skatert-Samobranka.
The Skatert-Samobranka was a magic tablecloth that could produce food when unfurled and cleaned itself up when it was folded again. As with most supernatural items, there were rules.
The Skatert-Samobranka was sentient, so it needed to be respected and cared for. If angered, it might have ruined the food, and any rips or holes would cause it to slowly lose its magical properties. That’s one temperamental tablecloth.

5. The Book of Thoth

The Book of Thoth was a book of ancient magic used by the Egyptian god of wisdom and magic, Thoth. 

The Book of Thoth was said to contain two spells—one to understand animals and one to understand the mind of the gods.

In an ancient Egyptian story, a prince of Egypt found the book after avoiding a series of traps. 

As punishment for finding the book, the prince’s family was killed, and the prince committed suicide. 

Years later, a new prince found the book but was warned by the old prince’s ghost not to take it. 

He didn’t listen and was promptly convinced by a beautiful woman to humiliate himself and kill his children. 

However, he discovered that the whole thing was an illusion created by the old prince’s ghost as a warning. 

He placed the book back into the old prince’s tomb and left.

4. Helmet of Invisibility

Another Greek legend, the Helmet of Invisibility was a helmet once owned by the hero Perseus that could grant you guessed it invisibility. Perseus wore the helmet in his quest to slay Medusa. 

It prevented her petrifying gaze from affecting him when he went into battle. 

Perseus returned with Medusa’s head, so his quest went quite well.

3. The Spear of Destiny

The Spear of Destiny is a sacred relic in the Christian faith. It is said that the spear that pierced Christ’s side was imbued with unique powers. Supposedly, only the owner of the Spear of Destiny could control the world. 

Many a conspiracy nut will tell you that Hitler, while dabbling in the occult, took the spear for himself and went on to conquer most of Europe. 

Later, when General Patton arrived in Nuremburg, he took the spear from the city, and Hitler’s reign of terror soon ended.

2. The Argo

Anyone familiar with classical mythology is probably familiar with The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, the tale of Jason and his team of heroes (the Argonauts), who quested to gain the Golden Fleece in Colchis so that Jason could claim his throne. 

The ship itself was said to be under the protection of the goddess Hera and was made from the timber of the forests of Dodona, which held the power of prophecy. 

When the quest for the Golden Fleece was done, the Argo was placed into the heavens as a constellation.

1. Dragon's Teeth

Dragons are the quintessential monster of European folklore: giant, fire-breathing lizards that may have been the medieval explanation for dinosaur bones. 

The Greek legend of Cadmus states that, in the days of yore, Cadmus killed the sacred dragon of the god of war—Ares. Athena, Ares’s sister, told Cadmus to plant the teeth, which grew into a fresh crop of soldiers. 

He then threw a precious gem in amid the soldiers, who fought each other for it until there were five survivors. These five later went on to found the city of Thebes. 

To this day, to “sow dragon’s teeth” means to cause something that breeds dispute.

source: Listverse

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Eaten Alive by Anaconda

Last night the TV-watching world held its collective breath as viewers watched the Discovery Channel’s 2-hour special, “Eaten Alive,” in which naturalist Paul Rosolie approached a 20-foot-long Amazonian green anaconda with — in theory — a plan to be swallowed.

It takes guts to slather yourself in pig’s blood and walk up to a snake that literally has enough constricting power to break your bones. But it takes even more guts to call the event off after you’ve promised the world a show.

So, what made Rosolie call for rescue? Well, the snake was doing what anacondas do best: she was trying to suffocate Rosolie.

“I can tell you that the thing beat the shit out of me and constricted me,” Rosolie told Entertainment Weekly in an interview posted before the show aired but after the stunt had already taken place.

At one point, the team removed the crush-proof armor around one of Rosolie’s arms, which gave him more mobility but also exposed the arm to the snake’s powerful grip.

While some doubt that it was ever Rosolie’s intent to go through with the stunt, the encounter sounds terrifying. Even though Rosolie wore a protective, “snake-proof” suit, the anaconda still overwhelmed the 27-year-old man.

The snake initially latched on to Rosolie’s arm, at which point she immediately began coiling herself around his body. He could hear ominous sounds as the snake moved her mouth toward his head.

“I felt her jaw on my helmet and I could hear a gurgling and wheezing,” Rosolie told AFP.

At first he struggled to move into a more eatable position and to avoid the deadly coils, but the snake was too strong.

“I’m trying to use my legs to get into a better position. I’m actually trying to get away from this snake right now,” he said during the encounter.

Rosolie’s goal was to be swallowed whole in a special suit designed to help him breath throughout the entire ordeal. He searched for two months for the right snake.

“She nailed me right in the face,” he recalled, “and the last thing I saw was her mouth wide open before everything went black. And then she wrapped me and I felt the suit cracking and my arms ripping out of their sockets. It was absolutely terrifying,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

Instead of being immediately engulfed, he was slowly constricted to the point where he felt light-headed. “I’m not getting air that well,” he said as the snake continued to squeeze.

“Guys, she’s really heavy. She’s got me pinned here. I’m trying to move, and I can’t move at all. I’m just face down in the mud,” Rosolie said. He remained wrapped in her clutches for over an hour. It actually looks pretty scary:

“My whole upper body has 200 pounds of snake on it, so everything I’m doing doesn’t work, and I can just hear [her] tightening,” he said while straining to breath. “She’s lifting and moving my body… each time she breathes, I can feel myself going up and down.”

A little later, he said: “I’m starting to get a little light headed. I really can’t move right now, so I want to see what she does next.” Generally, anacondas will constrict their prey for as long as it takes to suffocate the animal. With each breath, the snake tightens its grip a little more.

The team, already worried about the stunt, became really anxious when Rosolie’s heart rate began to slow.

“If I wasn’t in this suit right now, I’d be dying,” Rosolie gasped, shortly before the stunt was cancelled to prevent any serious injury to himself.

“Her crush force was fully on my exposed arm so I just started to feel the blood drain out of my hand and I felt the bone start to flex and when that got to a point when I felt like it was about to snap, I had to tap out,” Rosolie told AFP.

Despite outcries that the stunt was cruel to animals, potentially staged, and was a terrible idea, Rosolie insists that he and the team always had the snake’s safety in mind, in addition to his own.

“I’m being careful how much I’m saying here, but the plan was once she got to my waist, they’d pull me back out — that’s partly for my safety, partly for the snake’s. Because once she got past my waist it would be difficult for me to get pulled out,” Rosolie told Entertainment Weekly.

In the end, Rosolie was not eaten alive, but he was certainly constricted. He told Entertainment Weekly that it took him months to recover after the encounter, despite reportedly suffering only minor injuries.

Rosolie says this crazy stunt was all for a good cause. Over the last decade, Rosolie has watched thousands of miles of rainforest burnt to the ground, and he hoped to raise awareness and public support to stop this kind of destruction.

“I wanted to do something that would sort of shock people and force a dialogue about what’s going on here,” he told Entertainment Weekly. But, actually, the internet has responded pretty negatively to the stunt.

Check out the terrifying stunt below:

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

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TunnelBear VPN

What is TunnelBear?

TunnelBear is the world’s easiest to use consumer VPN software that securely “tunnels” your internet connection to locations around the world. TunnelBear can be used to protect your privacy, to bypass internet censorship and to experience the internet as people in other countries experience it. what is tunnelbear?

So.. TunnelBear is helping us to access blocked sites from ISP.

How to install it on windows?

1. Download TunnelBear software from tunnelbear website: Download
2. Choose your OS
3. After downloading, run the exe. 
    you have to install .NET Framework is required for tunnelbear installation. 
4. login to your tunnelbear account.
5. then click ON


to install on linux:

1. Download the OVPN Zip from here: Download
2. Unzip the folder to your machine. Do not delete this file after setup, you’ll need to keep it.
3. Open the synaptic package manager
4. Search for OpenVPN, install OpenVPN and the plugins:
   • network-manager-openvpn
   • network-manager-openvpn-gnome
   • or use this command line: sudo apt-get install network-manager-openvpn-gnome
5. Open network settings
6. Click the plus button to add a new connection
7. Select VPN as the interface, click “Create”
8. Select “Import a saved VPN configuration” from the drop-down menu
9. Find the unzipped folder
10. Click the .OVPN file for the country you’d like to connect to
11. Fill out your username and password
12. All the other fields should be automatically configured
13. Click save
14. Select the VPN server you’d like to connect to from the Network settings list
15. Toggle the switch to “On”
16. A lock will now appear over the network plug and you should be able to browse to your desired country.
17. Manually set your DNS servers

The only known issue we saw during testing was with older versions of network manager that had trouble configuring the necessary DNS settings. Once the Bears upgraded to the latest version of their distribution, everything started working fine.

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Cinemagraph

sample:

Cinemagraph? Yeah maybe this word is new for you, but I am damn sure you will hear this word again and again in the future. Cinemagraph is a new technique in which we can create an image with movement.

You may be wondering what is difference in general gif images and these Cinemagraphs, Cinemagraphs look like image but having particular moving area similar to video.

Cinemagraphs more than a photo, but not quite a video.
The first time I ever see this type of photography was almost a week ago, I came across two amazing blog, from Jamie Beck and Coco Rocha. They make this awesome picture that they called “cinemagraph”.
The cinemagraph are simply a .gif file with more artistic feel that the regular .gif you see everywhere. You need first a good picture that look great as a still photo. When you have your composition right and everything ready, ask your models to stay as still as possible for you to take a video in the highest resolution that your camera had. Remember to use a tripod to minimize camera shake. I use 1080p at 25 fps this will help you to have a better picture quality when you work with the frames.
Now you have your video, open Photoshop CS5 go to file>open and search for the video

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In the animation palette select only the frames that you want the movement, one or two second are enough in most case but you make that decision. When you are happy with the selection go to file>export>Render Video… Then rename the file and hit Render.
Now go to File>import>video frame to layers… Now the animation palette have the frame and in the layers palette have all the frame in layers that you can mask and edit. Select the fist frame and in the layer palette only the fist layer would be visible. This is going to be the still photograph. Select the second frame and in the layer palette select both the fist layer and the second layer. Mask the second layer to show the part you want to move.
Make the same with all the frames just remember that the layer that are visible are the ones that are going to appear in that specific frame.
You can preview the animation at anytime by pressing the space bar.
To make an smooth transition in the animation the fist frame most be the same as the last frame. Is easy to make this once you finish all the masking and everything. Select all frames copy them and paste them after the original frames. Now in the animation palette menu select Reverse frame and you are done.

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Select the time for each frame to show, play with the value until you like the result, mine work with 0.16 sec in each frame . You can add some adjustment layer on the top to change the colors or give other effect. Since its going to be a .gif file we are limited with 256 colors thats why its a good idea to give a Duo-tone or cross processing to limit the color and get the most of the gif file. I use the cross processing effect for my image, once you are done, it’s time to make the gif file.
To save the animation go to File>save for web and device, select gif, make sure the animation loop is set to forever

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That’s it, you are done. If you make one please leave a comment with the link, i will love to see them.
Now go out and shoot!


Source : http://fernandojbaez.com/cinemagraph-tutorial/

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