The Earth is a place of wonders, each of which more breathtaking than the other. The truth is that we are still unaware of everything this world keeps hidden from the human eye.
It was 1991 when a farmer from Vietnam discovered a cave which seemed to be unexplored at that point. It was located in Vietnam’s Phon Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Sadly, he was as well unable to get inside because of the deafening roar of water which greeted him at the entrance.
It took some years before British explorers decided to get inside the cave and what they stumbled upon left them completely speechless.
The place has been described as heaven on Earth and it definitely resembles something divine.
Inside the cave there are lakes with crystal clear water, finest sand in the world, and even a river. Soon Dong, the cave, is considered largest in the world with measuring 5 kilometers in length and 150 meters in width.
What is most impressive of all is that inside this magnificent cave there are clouds and even plants and wildlife.
In order to get inside, you first need to descend 80 meters on a rope, but it’s more than worth it.
To see what this stunning place looks like, take a look at the photos below. Breathtaking indeed.
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The small submersible journeying to visit the wreckage of the Titanic with five passengers onboard which went missing and later imploded caught the attention of millions. The passengers suffered immediate death. Among them was a young man, the son of businessman Shahzada Dawood who only went on the journey to keep his dad company.
The search for the submarine was immense, but sadly, it ended with tragedy. The Titan‘s tail cone, which was found approximately 1,600 feet from the Titanic’s bow, was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle from Horizon Arctic, as reported by Rear Admiral John Mauger.
NBC News’ Armin Cate said about what happened next: “From my understanding, the submersible imploded. In other words, the force of the water was so strong that it blew the back and the front of the submersible off.
“When you crush that tube in the middle it’s like crushing a can of Coca-Cola you might say.”
Immediately after the submersible lost contact, a sound compatible with an implosion was heard, according to fresh confirmation from the US Navy. As per media reports, the OceanGate’s Titan may not have been operating in line with international laws.
There are now questions regarding the reasons which led to the implosion and how it actually looked like.
Independent 3D artists have shared bone-chilling videos on TikTok depicting what might have happened during the suspected implosion of the Titan sub.
One of the videos, posted by user @sincerelybootz, what resembles a military sub suddenly flattens out, curls into a taco-shaped piece of metal, and rips into a pieces, only air bubbles and shrapnel behind.
Another clip, posted by user @starfieldstudio, animation of the OceanGate Titan shows the sub careening toward the seafloor when it begins to crumble like a stomped tin can. The metal simply explodes, leaving nothing behind. “The hull would immediately heat the air in the sub to around the surface of the sun’s temperature, as a wall of metal and seawater smashed one end of the boat to the other, all in around 30 milliseconds,” the caption reads.
OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, who was killed during the dive, allegedly dismissed warnings about the submersible’s safety in the past.
Correspondence between Rush and an expert on the deep sea, Rob McCallum, was revealed. In it, a message sent from McCallum to Rush, he writes, “I think you are potentially placing yourself and your clients in a dangerous dynamic. In your race to [the] Titanic you are mirroring that famous catch cry: ‘She is unsinkable.’” He then adds: “I implore you to take every care in your testing and sea trials and to be very, very conservative.”
To what Rush responds, “We have heard the baseless cries of ‘you are going to kill someone’ way too often. I take this as a serious personal insult.”
According to the Guardian, “The vessel was not registered with international agencies, nor was it classified by a maritime industry group that sets basic engineering standards. Its operators OceanGate have said this is because they believed Titan’s design was so innovative it would take years for inspectors to understand it.”
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Madonna has experienced a health scare and will postpone at least some of her Celebration world tour that was to kick off next month. The tour aimed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her breakout single, Holiday, and was expected to follow her experimental, theatre-based Madame X shows in 2019 and 2020.
“I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” Madonna said in the tour’s announcement video.
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The diva’s longtime manager Guy Oseary revealed that the global popstar has been admitted to hospital because of infection that was “serious” and led to “a several day stay in the ICU” adding that a full recovery is expected. “At this time we need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour,” he added. “We will share more details with you as soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows.”
As per media reports, she had been receiving treatment at a hospital in New York City. As of now, Madonna has reportedly been discharged from hospital and transported back to her New York home via private ambulance.
A number of celebs and friends, as well as fans, wished the diva a speedy recovery.
Some of the tweets following the news of her hospital admission read: “Madonna is the blueprint whose influence continues to carry through EVERY cycle of pop stars,” and “Yes, even your fave. The literal definition of ‘icon.’ Yet she’s been ridiculed and minimised from the start of her career. Glad she’s expected to fully recover. Show some respect.”
Variety/Getty Images/ Christopher Polk
The 64-year-old hitmaker received message from the likes of The Weekend, who wrote “Sending our prayers [heart emoji, prayer-hand emoji] @madonna,” and Kathy Griffin, who posted, “I don’t know what’s going on with Madonna, I don’t know, but I love her and want to defend her. I don’t like how people are already piling on and making fun of her being obviously quite ill, or collapsed. She’ll be fine, we don’t know anything yet. But I’m going to be honest, I think a lot of it is ageism and misogyny.”
A week ago, Madonna shared a series of images of herself showing her in rehearsals in a post captioned “The Calm Before The Storm.”
We wish Madonna a complete recovery.
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Chagas is a tropical parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. It is spread mostly by insects in the subfamily Triatominae, known as “kissing bugs.” This disease is also known as a silent killer because symptoms may appear even years after a person gets infected.
The issue with it is that not much is done for either prevention or treatment of it because it is mainly the poor people from low-income housing in rural or suburban areas who get infected at night while sleeping.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Mexico, Central America, and South America, approximately 8 million people–6 to 7 million worldwide as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO)– have Chagas disease, the majority unaware of their infection. About 12,000 people die of Chagas each year, killing “more people in Latin America than any other parasite disease, including malaria,” as reported by the Guardian.
Wikipedia Commons / Felipe Guhl
Emiliana Rodríguez, who is now a mother, remembers a horrific scene from her childhood when she witnessed a friend of hers dropping down dead on the field during a game. At the time, she had no idea what took her friend’s life, her family only told her it was a “monster” which comes out during the night.
“The fear usually came at night. Sometimes I didn’t sleep,” she said. “I was afraid of sleeping and not waking up.”
Ever since, she has been afraid of that monster and the disease it spread, Chagas. Some 27 years later, she escaped her home country of Bolivia and moved to Barcelona, but what she didn’t know was that she couldn’t escape the Chagas.
When she learned she was pregnant, doctors discovered she had the infection in her body and she wasn’t even aware of it. There was fear that it could affect her baby as well. “I was paralysed with shock and remembered all those stories my relatives told me about people suddenly dying,” she said, also recalling the death of her friend. “I thought, ‘What’s going to happen to my baby?’”
Luckily, Rodríguez underwent treatment to prevent the parasite from reaching her unborn child through vertical transmission. After her baby girl was born, she tested negative.
An acute Chagas disease infection with swelling of the right eye (Romaña’s sign) / Wikipedia Commons
Another case comes from Mexico and it involves Elvira Idalia Hernández Cuevas who had never heard of Chagas until her 18-year-old was diagnosed with the silent killer.
“I had never heard of Chagas so I started to research it on the internet,” Hernández said in an interview with the Guardian. “I was terrified when I saw it described as a silent killer. I didn’t know what to do or where to go.”
The issue is that just like Hernández, many other people are unaware of this disease and the blood-sucking bugs which cause it.
Chagas is named after Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano Chagas, a Brazilian physician and researcher who identified the human case in 1909. Over the past several decades, Chagas disease is known to be prevalent in Latin America, North America, Europe, Japan and Australia.
Wikipedia Commons / Bärbel Stock
Speaking of the disease and what doctors knew about it, Hernández said, “In Mexico, the authorities say that there aren’t many people affected by Chagas and that it’s under control, but that’s not the situation.
“Medical professionals don’t receive any training and mistake Chagas for other heart diseases. The majority don’t realize there is Chagas in Mexico.”
Unfortunately, it is neglected partly because “it’s a silent disease that stays hidden for so long in your body … because of the asymptomatic nature of the initial part of the infection,” as per Colin Forsyth, a research manager at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi).
Referencing the poor populations, Forsyth continued, “The people affected just don’t have the power to influence healthcare policy. There’s this confluence of biological and social issues that keep it hidden.”
However, as there are more and more cases worldwide, things may change, but likely not in the near future.
Professor David Moore, a consultant at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, created the Chagas Hub, a UK-based facility with the primary goal of having “more people tested and treated, and to manage the risk of transmission, which in the UK is from mother to child,” he said.
This disease can only be treated with two medicines, benznidazole and nifurtimox, both of which have been on the market for half a decade but don’t seem to be much effective. Sadly, there are no funds for further research on which other drugs can be used to treat this silent killer.
At the moment, Rodríguez is doing all in her power to raise awareness about Chagas through a campaign by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. “I’m fed up with so much silence,” Rodríguez says. “I want people to talk about Chagas, and to know about it. I want people to get tested and to get treatment.”
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The WHO established World Chagas Disease Day, which runs every year on April 14, the day in 1909 when Carlos discovered the first human case. WHO writes that “Global targets for 2030 and milestones are set out to prevent, control, eliminate and eradicate a diverse set of 20 diseases and disease groups.” This includes Chagas.
To prevent a possible infestation, the CDC recommends that you:
Seal cracks and gaps around windows, walls, roofs and doors
Remove wood, brush and rock piles near your house
Use screens on doors and windows and repair any holes or tears
Seal holes and cracks leading to the attic, to crawl spaces below the house and to the outside
Have pets sleep indoors, especially at night
Keep your house and any outdoor pet resting areas clean, in addition to periodically checking both areas for the presence of bugs.
In case you see this bug, you shouldn’t smash it. Instead, you should carefully place the bug in a container and fill the container with rubbing alcohol or freeze it in water which you will then bring to your local health department or a university laboratory for identification.
Have you ever heard of Chagas yourself?
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Actress Miriam Margolyes, best known for her roles in the 1993 film The Age of Innocence and as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter franchise, posed for the June issue of Vogue magazine as part of its Pride Month celebrations.
She has been one of the many UK’s most prominent LGBTQ+ actors, musicians, politicians and athletes who took part at Vogue’s most recent issues where they spoke openly about their sexuality.
Others, alongside Miriam, have been actress Janelle Monáe, singer Rina Sawayama, The Last of Us’s Bella Ramsey, Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa and House of the Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy. Among the interviews there were people who are not celebrities as well, among them the first gay couple to get married in the UK in 2014 to the oldestperson to undergo gender reassignment surgery at 81.
Among the rest, Miriam told the magazine that she “never had any shame about being gay” and “wouldn’t want to be straight for anything,” adding: “I think gay people are very lucky because we are not conventional, we are a group slightly apart. It gives us an edge. We’re good artists, we’re good musicians.”
Asked what she thinks about the future of LGBTQ rights in the UK, she was honest in that she has little hope. “It’s not so much the gay part of things. I’m worried about all of it,” she said. “I just think England has become a s***-hole. And the government is at the heart of the s***. There’s been a moral slide in England into the deep pit of iniquity.”
Miriam has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community ever since she came out of the closet and shared with the world that she is a lesbian. This happened back in 1966 when homosexuality was illegal in Britain, thus her move was considered bold and very brave by people from the community who felt the same. In the Vogue interview, she spoke of those times and said, “I never had any shame about being gay or anything really. I knew it wasn’t criminal because it was me. I couldn’t be criminal.”
In her book This Much Is True, the actress revealed that her mother passed away shortly after Miriam revealed she was gay. This loss caused immense pain at Miriam who harbored guilt for many years. “I always believed that my coming out in some way caused it,” she wrote. “I had caused the person I loved most in the world a pain she could not bear. It was a horrendous time and I was very unhappy. I knew I couldn’t change what I was; I should not have told them.”
The award-winning actress posed for a photo for which she wore her grey tresses styled in a bun and sported eye-catching make up adding a deep rouge lip.
Miriam making her British Vogue debut in July 2023 “Pride & Joy” issue!
Speaking about her body image, Miriam admitted that she has struggled with insecurities, but is determined to embrace her form regardless.
“I think my face is kind and warm and open and smiley,” she said. “But I hate my body. I hate big t**s [and I have] a drooping belly, little twisted legs. I’m not thrilled with that. But you just make the best of it. You have to. You do the best you can.”
She commented: “It’s a strong position if you’re not afraid to be who you are.
“We’re all so insecure. People are frightened such a lot of the time and what I’ve always tried to do… (is) make people feel good about themselves.”
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65-year-old actor Julian Sands who pivoted from the romantic lead in A Room With a View and played in films such as Warlock was confirmed dead Tuesday after being reported missing near after going on a hike at the snow-covered mountains of Southern California on Jan. 13.
Sands was an avid mountaineer. In a 2020 interview with The Guardian, when he was asked when he was happiest, he answered: “Close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning.” On the day he went missing, he had gone hiking alone in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel Mountains, about 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles, which is a popular location for hikers and mountain lovers.
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
Following the report that he had gone missing, a search was conducted. Unfortunately, the search was concluded Saturday, after five months. He was searched for with helicopters and drones but the crews were severely hampered by wintry conditions that lasted through spring. He was only discovered when hikers stumbled upon remains of a human which then turned out to be Sands’.
The exact reason for his passing has not been determined yet. “The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement, per BBC. “We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to try to locate Mr Sands.”
View of Mount Baldy in California (Shuttershock)
According to the BBC, the actor’s family had already accepted that Sands was deceased, though this news will no doubt give them closure.
“We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer,” the family said in a statement.
“I have come to terms with the fact he’s gone and for me that’s how I’ve dealt with it,” his brother Nick Sands said, saying he had already said his “goodbyes.”
In a statement shared with the Los Angeles Times, Sands’ manager, Sarah Jackson, said the actor “was a great friend and client.”
“He chose interesting projects that mattered to him and was adored by everyone who worked with him,” Jackson said. “He was a passionate climber, and we draw [consolation] from knowing that he passed in a place he loved, doing what he loved. We are filled with the most beautiful memories.”
Sands’ films include Arachnophobia, Naked Lunch, Warlock, Ocean’s 13, Warlock, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Leaving Las Vegas. On TV, he had recurring roles on 24 and Smallville.
“I didn’t want to be a Hollywood actor,” he told The Guardian in 2018, saying he wanted to challenge himself as an actor. “I was looking for something exotic, things that took me out of myself…I think I found myself a little boring.”
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
Although he wasn’t an A-list actor, he earned respect and appreciation both from his fans and the critics. “He was always good, always gallant and dignified,” said former New York Times film critic Janet Maslin. “I don’t remember a false move from him.”
We are so very sorry for this loss. May he rest in peace.
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Cathy Weed, a mom from Gwinnett County lost her life in a tragic manner after she stepped on an ant hill in her yard.
She was someone whom the entire community adored, a devoted mother who never missed any of her son’s baseball games, and an important pillar of the community, thus her loss left many heartbroken.
Tributes to Cathy were paid by those who knew her on the baseball field on which she cheered her son Gray who was a rising Sophomore and a member of the Mountain View High School Bears baseball team.
The tragedy happened after Cathy accidentally stepped on the ant hill. Sadly, she had had lethal allergy to fire ants and the reaction was so severe that she didn’t even have the time to get to her medication.
Her death was both sudden and immediate.
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Back in 2018, Cathy experienced something similar but managed to survive. She experienced allergic reaction to an ant bite but was rushed to the ER on time. Back then, she spoke of the importance of having EpiPen at hand in case some is allergic to something. It was during the time when there was shortage of EpiPens. Sadly, years later, the same allergic reaction ended up taking her life.
Cathy’s obituary highlighted how special of a person she was. It read that she was an “extraordinary individual who touched the lives of everyone she encountered. Her warm smile, kind heart, and unwavering compassion will forever be remembered.”
Jason Johnson, the coach of Cathy’s son’s team described her as a wonderful person who shared a very strong bond with her son. “His mom was everything to [Gary], and he was 100%, even more so to her.”
We are so very sorry for this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers go to the grieving family.
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Despite years of research and the advance of techology, there are some things about human’s body that still remain a mystery for doctors and researchers. Knowing how complex our bodies are, this doesn’t really come as a surprise.
As some of us have what we call a sixth sense and can predict things in advance, a recent research revealed that we can also sense when death is approaching. Scientists say that when someone dies, the body immediately begins to break down. During these moments, putrescine, a foul and toxic scent that is the result of decomposition, is released. Apparently, humans subconsciously recognize this putrefying odor. Not only that, the scent, when released, causes an immediate response.
Two researchers, Arnaud Wisman from the University of Kent’s School of Psychology in Canterbury, UK and Ilan Shira from the Department of Behavioral Sciences in Arkansas’ Tech University in Russellville, AK, say that just like animals, humans can sense scents and then act accordingly. At the end of the day, that’s part of survival across the species.
When humans are exposed to the odor of putrescine, they express a conscious and subconscious reaction to it.
Some of the experiments conducted by these two researchers revealed that when people are exposed to the scent of putrescine, they move away, just like the animals which either run away or fight when they sense danger.
“We do not know why we like (or dislike) someone’s smell, and we’re usually not aware of how scent influences our emotions, preferences, and attitudes,” Wisman and Shira explain.
“It is hard to think of a scent as frightening,” other researchers claim. However, scents do make people more vigilant of their surroundings.
Sex pheromones, which are defined as odors produced by either males or females, that stimulate one or more behavioral reactions in the opposite sex, bringing the males and females together for the purpose of mating are just another example of the effect of scent at humans.
“Putrescine signals a different type of message than pheromones, but people’s responses to putrescine (avoidance and hostility) do seem indeed to be the opposite of responses to many sexual pheromones,” researchers explain. At the same time, the researchers explain that humans are not aware o the odor and don’t consciously associate it with death or fear.
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