The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games

The ancient Olympic Games were primarily a part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. The festival and the games were held in Olympia (see 'Did you know' in the glossary), a rural sanctuary site (model shown here, courtesy of the British Museum) in the western Peloponnesos.

The Greeks that came to the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke the same language. The athletes were all male citizens of the city-states from every corner of the Greek world, coming from as far away as Iberia (Spain) in the west and the Black Sea (Turkey) in the east.

The sanctuary was named in antiquity after Mt. Olympos (see 'Did you know' in the glossary), the highest mountain in mainland Greece. In Greek mythology, Mt. Olympos was the home of the greatest of the Greek gods and goddesses.

The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games

Omaha Tooth Whitening

Laser Teeth Whitening

By: Mark Freeman

There's something about a big smile. Especially a big smile that shows beautiful white teeth. A bright white smile says "healthy", and admit it, people with beautiful white teeth somehow even look happier. A whiter smile can make a person more confident and outgoing in social situations. Unfortunately most of us don't have the whitest smile that we could. Years of drinking dark colored beverages such as coffee, tea, soda, and red wine, smoking, and aging take their toll on the color of tooth enamel. The great news is that today anyone can have a dazzling white smile.

Omaha Tooth Whitening

About Cranes

Swirling gray masses of sandhill cranes descend on south-central Nebraska each year, heralding the arrival of spring and the largest gathering of cranes in the world. The Platte River Valley becomes a six-week pit stop from late February to early April for a half million sandhill cranes journeying north to their Arctic breeding grounds.

“It’s one of the world’s greatest migration spectacles,” says Paul Tebbel, director of the National Audubon Society’s Rowe Sanctuary in Nebraska. “Everywhere you look, there are cranes in the air.” Considered a premiere viewing spot for sandhill cranes, the sanctuary is also the site of National Geographic’s Crane Cam.

As one of the world’s oldest bird species, these elegant, red-headed birds—also known as Grus canadensis—have been a part of Nebraska’s landscape for more than nine million years. And for them, the Platte is the perfect place to take a break during their migration. Lean after traveling from their winter homes in New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico, these omnivorous cranes spend their days feasting in farm fields and wet meadows surrounding the Platte. Eating insects and waste corn enables them to pack up to two pounds (one kilogram) on their stately frames, which weigh 6 to12 pounds (3 to 5.5 kilograms) and roughly stand four-feet (one-meter) tall with a six-foot (two-meter) wingspan. This vital energy reserve helps ensure the cranes’ survival and reproductive success after they leave the Platte for Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.

Aside from providing precious nutrients, the Platte is also a haven. As the day comes to a close, thousands of cranes return from the fields to seek refuge in the middle of the wide, shallow Platte River. From its submerged sandbars, the cranes have a 360-degree view while they roost, which helps them keep an eye out for approaching predators such as coyotes and eagles.


About Cranes

Marco Polo Bridge - Lugou Qiao - Lugou Bridge

Lugou Qiao, also known as the Marco Polo Bridge, is one of earliest segmented stone arch bridge about 16 km in the outside of Beijing .

The bridge is 260 meters long and has 250 marble balustrades supporting 485 carved stone lions. First built in 1192, the original arches were washed away in the 17th century. The bridge is a composite of different eras, widened in 1969 to span the Yongding River near the town of Wanping.

In the Mingchang period (1190-1208) of the Jin dynasty, the bridge was listed into the "Eight Scenic Spots of Yanjing (Beijing)" under the title "Lugou Xiaoyue" (Moon Over Lugou at Daybreak), which has remained throughout the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

In 1751, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) personally edited the poetic titles for the 8 views, and wrote the inscriptions for the steles, including the "Lugou Xiaoyue" tablet which still stands by the bridge.

The Luguo Bridge has been standing over the Yongding River for 800 years. The entire bridge is made of huge granite blocks, with carved stone lions crouched along the railings on both sides. No two lions are alike, and smaller carved lions can be found strategically placed on and beside them.

In ancient times the bridge was renowned for its spectacular views of the moon during the Mid-autumn Festival.

Marco Polo Bridge - Lugou Qiao - Lugou Bridge

Two-Headed Turtle Found in China

In biology, two heads are rarely better than one. But this unusual golden coin turtle, found in China, appears to be doing just fine. A businessman from the city of Qingdao says he bought the reptile at an animal market last year.

According to press reports released Wednesday, the turtle's two heads cooperate well and can even eat at the same time. Its owner says the reptile eats more than one-headed turtles do and has grown over the past year.

The creature most likely developed its unusual anatomy while still in the egg. Its embryo began to split in two—the process that gives rise to identical twins—but then failed to fully separate.

While uncommon, abnormalities caused by incompletely split embryos occur in many animal species, including fish, snakes, rats, cows—even humans, where the phenomenon leads to what are known as Siamese, or conjoined, twins.

Experts say survival rates for two-headed animals tend to be lower in the wild. But in captivity such animals can prosper. At the San Diego Zoo a two-headed corn snake named Thelma and Louise produced 15 normal offspring before it died.

Two-Headed Turtle Found in China