Painted backstreet of Dozza in the province Bologna, Italy

Dozza is an Italian comune in the province of Bologna. Dozza is known for its festival of the painted wall, which takes place every two years. During this festival, famous national and international artists paint steady works on the walls of the houses. A local landmark is the Sforza's Castle, which hosts the regional winebar of the Emilia-Romagna.

Polar bear rolling on the frozen Beaufort sea, near Point Barrow, Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait. Alaska is the 4th least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately half of Alaska's 722,718 residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area.

Alaska was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million ($113 million in today's dollars) at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km²). The land went through several administrative changes before becoming an organized (or incorporated) territory on May 11, 1912, and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.

The name "Alaska" (Аляска) was already introduced in the Russian colonial period, when it was used only for the peninsula and is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning "the mainland" or, more literally, "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed". It is also known as Alyeska, the "great land", an Aleut word derived from the same root.

Augustine Volcano erupting on January 12, 2006.

Grizzly bear fishing for salmonat Brooks Falls.

 

Fireworks over Victoria Harbour, Hongkong

Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour situated between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent development as a trading centre.

Throughout its history, the harbour has seen numerous reclamation projects undertaken on both shores, many of which have caused controversy in recent years due to environmental concerns concerning water quality and natural habitats in addition to economic concerns that benefits of land reclamation may be less than the effects of decreased harbour width, affecting the number of vessels passing through the harbour. Nonetheless it still retains its founding role as a port for thousands of international vessels each year.

Long famous for its spectacular views, the harbour is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. Lying in the middle of the territory's dense urban region, the harbour is the site of annual fireworks displays and its promenades are popular gathering places for tourists and residents.

Night view of Victoria Harbour from Victoria Peak

Victoria Harbour seen westward fromCentral Plaza, with the shores of Hong Kong Island at the left and Kowloon at the right.

Close-up to bumper cars in Stuttgart, Germany

Bumper car is the generic name for a type of flat ride consisting of several small electric cars which draw power from the floor and/or ceiling, and which are turned on and off remotely by an operator. They are also known as dashing cars, dodgem cars, or simplydodgems, the last name being the usual term in British English.

The inventor was Victor Levand, who worked for G.E.

Power is commonly supplied by one of two methods:

• The oldest and most common method uses a conductive floor and ceiling, each with a separate power polarity. Contacts under the vehicle touch the floor while a pole mounted contact touches the ceiling, forming a complete circuit.
• A newer method uses alternating strips of metal across the floor separated by insulating spacers, and no ceiling grid. The alternating strips carry the supply current, and the bumper cars are large enough so that the vehicle body can always cover at least two strips at any one time. An array of brushes under the car make random contact with whatever strip is below, and the voltage polarity on each contact is sorted out to always provide a correct and complete circuit to operate the vehicle.

Hall of State, Dallas, Texas

The Hall of State (originally the State of Texas Building) is a building in Dallas's Fair Park that commemorates the history of the U.S. state of Texas and is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the state.

History

Built in 1936 at the astronomical (especially during the Great Depression) price of $1.2 million, the building was the most expensive per unit area of any structure built in Texas. It was designed for the centennial of the Republic of Texas by architectDonald Barthelme in the beaux arts style and is considered one of the most representative examples of art deco architecture in Texas. Most of the Art Deco ornamental metalwork, including the light fixtures were made by Potter Art Metal Studios of Dallas; a 90 year old company still in existence today. The Hall of State is the culmination of the 1,500 feet (460 m) long Esplanade of State which is flanked by six exhibition pavilions and features a long reflecting pool. It was built using Texaslimestone and features memorials to many of the heroes of Texas history.

The exterior of the Hall of State

The curved exedra at the entrance of the Hall of State

Internal Great Hall

Lake Como, Italy

Lake Como (Lago di Como in Italian, also known as Lario; Lach de Comm in Insubric; Latin: Larius Lacus) is a lake of glacial origin inLombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over 400 m (1320 ft) deep it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe and the bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres (656 ft) below sea-level.

Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces (such as Villa Olmo, Villa Serbelloni and Villa Carlotta). Many celebrities have or had homes on the shores of Lake Como, such as Matthew Bellamy, Madonna, George Clooney,^[2] Gianni Versace, Ronaldinho,Sylvester Stallone, Richard Branson, and Ben Spies. Lake Como is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy.