Fwd: Fw: Hoover Dam Bridge + Breathtaking Gardens + Chaparral racing cars + Zodiac signs
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Sankara Iyer
Oct 8, 2016, 7:55:40 AM10/8/16
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I think you will all like to watch these wonderful photos. Some among us are fortunate to see this as well
Sankar
Here are eight spectacular gardens from around the world that will surely inspire you to visit:
Hoover Dam Bridge
The Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge is an arch bridge in the United States that spans the Colorado River between the states of Arizona and Nevada. The bridge is located within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area approximately 30 miles (48 km) south-east of Las Vegas, Nevada, and carries U.S. Route 93 over the Colorado River.
Opened in 2010, it was the key component of the Hoover Dam Bypass project, which rerouted US 93 from its previous routing along the top of Hoover Dam and removed several hairpin turns and blind curves from the route.
Dam information:
- The Hoover Dam was built after the 1930 Great Depression, the project was meant to provide jobs for thousands of unemployed Americans.
- Dam type: Concrete gravity-arch dam
- Top width: 45 ft. (14 m), Base width: 660 ft. (200 m)
- Height: 726 ft. (230 m), Length: 1245 ft. (380 m)
- Construction began in 1931 and ended in 1936
- Cost: $49 million
- Reservoir: 28,537,000 Acre ft. (35,200 Kilo cubic meter)
- Power annual generation: 4.2 Billion kWh
- Hoover Dam is a popular tourist site – annually visited by more than a million people
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The original name for the bridge was “Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge”
Now officially called: Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge
Mike O'Callaghan – (Sept. 10, 1929 – Mar. 5, 2004) Joined the Marines at sixteen, in 1952 he lost part of his left leg in the battle of Korean War, from 1971 to 1979 he was Governor of Nevada, later he was the Executive Editor at the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.
Pat Tillman – (Born Nov. 6, 1976) A famous NFL football player from Arizona, he gave up his well-paid job and joined the army. He was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.
Bridge technical information:
- Designed by T. Y. Lin International (林同棪)
- Bridge length: 1900 ft. (580 m)
- Arch span: 1060 ft. (320 m)
- Bridge width: Four lane highway
- Bridge height: 840 ft. (263 m), 2nd height of U.S.
- Bridge away from Hoover Dam: 1600 ft. (550 m)
- Construction began on Feb. 2005 and completed on Oct.2010
- Construction cost: $114 million
- This is the first Concrete-and-steel composite arch bridge built in the United States
- Pedestrian access to the bridge is available for tourists
Breathtaking Gardens
I love nothing more than walking amid a beautiful garden. In fact, whenever I travel, I always make it a point to visit a garden. They are after all, a wonderful source of beauty and inspiration and often have a calming and serene atmosphere. Without a doubt, whenever I visit a garden, it never ceases to amaze me. Full of character, some exude an air of romance, others have much history, while some are a work of art.
1. Montreal Botanical Garden, Quebec, Canada
Adorned with amazing sculptures and beautiful landscapes, this garden is a work of art and a must-see. It's been around for quite a number of years too - the garden was founded in 1931.
2. Villa D’Este, Tivoli, Italy
This garden has a historic flair to it. It was created by Cardinal Ippolito d'Este and it is filled with grottoes, sculptures and statuary. Its most well-known features are its ponds, canals and glorious fountains. To complement its beauty and calm, at certain periods of the day, organ music is played.
3. Hidcote Manor, UK
This beautifully designed garden is hedged into separate sections. This romantic garden was created by three generations of women and it was achieved with artful care, ensuring that the garden appears natural.
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4. Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Australia
The internationally renowned botanical gardens extends over nearly 100 acres of land. It includes a children's garden, an aboriginal heritage walk, a herbarium discovery walk and an observatory. This spectacular park is also one of the most popular destinations in Victoria, with over 1.5 million visitors each year.
5. Kenroku-en Garden, Ishikawa, Japan
The Kenroku-en Garden is one of Japan's Three Great Gardens. It is a haven of peace and tranquility, with an area of 28 acres. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan, and is especially stunning during the cherry blossom season in the Spring.
6. Majorelle Garden, Marrakech, Morocco
The Marjorelle Garden is a 12-acre botanical garden, established in the 1920s by painter Jaques Majorelle, and it also houses the Islamic Art Museum of Marrakech. The stunning cobalt blue accents enhance its beauty.
7. Kew Gardens, London
This garden encompasses an impressive 326 acres and contains more than 50,000 different species of plants. It also hosts a number of famous buildings, such as the Pagoda, the Temperate House and the Palm House. The garden also has a number of incredible sights, which include the Japanese Gateway, the Waterlily Pond, the Treetop Walkway and Kew Palace.
8. Butchart Gardens, British Colombia, Canada
Owned by Robert Pim Butchart, this grand garden, was actually quite small at first, having initially started off as a small garden around Butchart's house. Today, however, it is one of the top tourist attractions in Victoria, British Colombia.
Chaparral racing cars
Chaparral is a historic racing car manufacturer that was synonymous with radical and innovative design during its heyday in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The 2J, for instance, competed in the North American CanAm Championship with a couple of fans sticking out of its rear end for better aerodynamics.
The company's cars were also notable for wearing some of the biggest wings ever seen on racers - both before and since. Its incredible creations have inspired a vision of the future, which appeared in the most recent installment of Gran Turismo. The Chevrolet Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo, as the virtual car is named, is powered by - wait for it - "laser pulse shock waves". Find out more about the cars that inspired this awe-inspiring concept below:
The 2X Vision Gran Turismo is said to combine the sensations of a flying suit with that of a MotoGP bike.
Below is the unique Chaparral 2J. Note the twin fans at the rear.
The Chaparral kicked off its operations with the 1, pictured below. Built by Jim Hall, Dick Troutman and Tom Barnes with input from Chevrolet engineers, it was conceived as an all-American racing car.
The car was produced in a small workshop in Culver City, California. The location would later become Sony Entertainment's American headquarters.
A small-block Chevrolet V8 powered the little car. While it only produced 300 horsepower, the car's lightweight aluminum body meant that it was fast.
In fact, when the car took to the track at Laguna Seca during its first-ever competitive outing, it finished second.
Only five of these cars were ever built. They're worth about $3 million each today.
Chaparral is best-known for the bonkers-looking 2J.
The rear-engined monster pioneered ground-effect aerodynamics.
The car effectively sucked itself to the racing track beneath it.
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Power came from a big-block Chevrolet V8, which produced...
...650 horsepower. Back in 1970!
The fans at the back of the car were powered by a separate 2-cylinder snowmobile engine.
The result was that the car had a huge aerodynamic advantage over its rivals.
In fact, its competitors called it the "sucker car".
Sadly, the car only raced for one season.
It was outlawed by the Sports Car Club of America at the end of 1970. The body succumbed to pressure from Chaparral's rivals.
The innovation observable in the cars above have been brought into the 21st Century.
A prototype of the Vision 2X was recently shown at the LA Auto Show.
It is a shining example of how Chaparral's innovative spirit is alive and well today.
Zodiac signs
You may believe that you’ve been a Pisces, Aries, Virgo or Sagittarius your entire life, but all that’s about to change following a rather unusual announcement by NASA. Apparently, the sun passes through 13 constellations throughout the course of a calendar year, as opposed to 12 like we’ve been erroneously taught our entire lives.
The reason for this anomaly is that when the Babylonians came up with the zodiac some 3,000 years ago, they desired to have dates on their calendar that corresponded with the 12 phases of the moon. The thing is that this meant they had to omit one of the constellations they could see.
To ensure their zodiac remained tidy, they dropped the Ophiuchus from it, leaving only 12 astrological signs. Ophiuchus is supposedly the Serpent Bearer, and people born between November 29th and December 17th are actually Ophiuchuses, as opposed to Scorpios or Sagittariuses.
Furthermore, although the traditional 12-part zodiac that we’ve grown up with is divided into equal parts, it doesn’t actually reflect how long the Earth is in line with a given constellation as it rotates on its axis. A good example of this is Virgo, which is in line with the earth for a full 45 days, even though the astrological sign only lasts for one month (August 22nd-September 22nd).
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Another thing contributing to the shift in the zodiac we’ve traditionally been taught is the fact that the Earth’s axis doesn’t even point in the same direction as it did when the original constellations were drawn, rendering them somewhat inaccurate.
Want to know what your new astrological sign is? Check out the list below:
Capricorn: Jan. 20 to Feb. 16
Capricorn: Jan. 20 to Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16 to March 11
Pisces: March 11 to April 18
Aries: April 18 to May 13
Taurus: May 13 to June 21
Gemini: June 21 to July 20
Cancer: July 20 to Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10 to Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16 to Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30 to Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23 to Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29 to Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17 to Jan. 20
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