Sunday, 22 April, 2018

The Iridescent Hummingbirds

Posted on Thursday, 24 July, 2014Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

The Iridescent Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are small, colorful birds with iridescent feathers. Their name comes from the fact that they flap their wings so fast (about 80 times per second) that they make a humming noise. They can fly right, left, up, down, backwards, and even upside down, and are also able to hover by flapping their wings in a figure-8 pattern. The hummingbird’s feet are used for perching only, and are not used for hopping or walking.

Hummingbirds primarily eat flower nectar, tree sap, insects and pollen. Their specialized long and tapered bill is used to obtain nectar from the center of long, tubular flowers. The hummingbird’s fast breathing rate, fast heartbeat and high body temperature require that they eat often. Hummingbirds have a long tongue which they use to lick their food at a rate of up to 13 licks per second.

They are found only in the Western Hemisphere, from southeastern Alaska to southern Chile, although most live in the tropics. There are 320 species of hummingbirds, 12 of which summer in North America and winter in tropical areas. Habitat loss and destruction are the hummingbird’s main threats.

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The Kadazandusun people groups are the largest indigenous grouping in Sabah. The largest of these are the Central Dusun, the Coastal Kadazan, the Labuk-Kinabatangan Kadazan, and the Bundu Dusun. Although these various people groups are scattered across more than half of the state in the western, northern and central portions, most of them live in the interior, usually along one of the many rivers rather than in coastal areas. These groups are all primarily agriculturalists, with rice growing supplemented by vegetable gardening and animal husbandry. Many have also found jobs in the timber industry that has boomed in the last two decades. Village life is usually communal, but those in urban areas tend to be less so.

The flag of Libya was originally introduced in 1951, following the creation of the Kingdom of Libya. It consisted of a white star and crescent on a triband red-black-green design, with the central black band being twice the width of the outer bands. The design was based on the banner of the Senussi dynasty from Cyrenaica, which consisted of a black field and star and crescent design, and was later used as the flag of the region. The red was selected for the blood sacrificed for the freedom of Libya, black to remember the dark days that Libyans lived under the occupation of the Italians, and green to represent its primary wealth, agriculture, (Libya once being the 'breadbasket' of the Ottoman Empire) and the future prosperity of the country.

Philippines – Level 2: Exercise increased caution Friday, 13 April, 2018
Exercise increased caution in the Philippines due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and a measles outbreak. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Do not travel to: The Sulu Archipelago, including the southern Sulu Sea, due to crime, terrorism, and civil unrest. Marawi City in Mindanao due to terrorism and civil […]
Cameroon – Level 2: Exercise increased caution Wednesday, 11 April, 2018
Exercise increased caution in Cameroon due to crime. Some areas have increased risk. Read the entire Travel Advisory. Do Not Travel to: North, Far North, Northwest and Southwest Regions, and Parts of East and Adamawa Regions due to crime, terrorism, and civil unrest. Violent crime, such as armed robbery and carjacking, is common. Local police […]

Nicaragua Saturday, 21 April, 2018
Summary: There has been ongoing street violence in many areas in Nicaragua. This has involved the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition, resulting in serious injuries and ten reported deaths. These incidents are unpredictable and can happen at any time. Exercise extreme caution when planning travel and avoid affected areas entirely.
GOV.UK
Madagascar Saturday, 21 April, 2018
Summary: Due to political demonstrations taking place in the centre of Antananarivo from the morning of 21 April, and the possibility of robust action by the authorities to disperse them, you should avoid the area around Independence Square and the Town Hall.
GOV.UK

Eugène Galien-Laloue (1854–1941) was a French artist of French-Italian parents and was born in Paris on December 11, 1854. He was a populariser of street scenes, usually painted in autumn or winter, of the early 1900s, accurately representing the era in which he lived: a happy, bustling Paris, la Belle Époque, with horse-drawn carriages, trolley cars and its first omnibuses. Galien-Laloue's works are valued not only for their contribution to 20th-century art but for the actual history, which they document. The Paris Arc de Triomphe was painted in 1941. His work can be seen at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Louvier; Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Rochelle; Mulhouse, France.

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