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Angkor Wat

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Visit Angkor Wat

Siem Reap is a small town near the world famous temple of Angkor Wat. The town is charming and worth exploring, with some fine examples of Khmer and French colonial architecture set among the more modern developments. Nowadays, visitors are flocking in, using it as a base for visits to the nearby temples.

A Carved City

From the 9th to the 14th centuries, when Europe was still struggling out of the Dark Ages, the Cambodian Empire of Angkor covered most of present-day Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. The heart of this empire during the 12th century was the ancient capital of Angkor Thom, near present day Siem Reap, the site of the world’s largest temple complexes, which were rediscovered in 1861.This spectacular city was built over 30 years under the reign of King Suryavarman II (1113-1150). The area covers about 400 square kilometres and is full of the finest examples of Khmer art and architecture. Tourists are always amazed at the scale of the place.

In Angkor Wat you will find more than 100 stone monuments and temple buildings, each of which contains countless statues, sculptures and reliefs that have weathered extremely little over the last 800 years. To see the whole thing can take several days. The most important temples to visit in the area are Angkor Wat, especially at sunrise or sunset; Angkor Thom, the remains of the capital; Ta Prohm, a palace overgrown by jungle; and Bayon.

Getting a visa

Visas are required to enter Cambodia. You can obtain one on arrival at Siem Reap International Airport for $20, and 1 passport photo is required per person. You will also need another passport photo for the Angkor Temple Entrance Pass. Please ensure you take comfortable walking shoes, light clothing and plenty of water to drink as it is very hot there. The most commonly accepted currency in Cambodia is the US dollar.

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How We Spend Our Leisure Time

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If life seems more rushed than ever, you might be surprised to learn that we Americans don't have less leisure time than we did 40 years ago. We actually have more leisure time, and quite a bit more. What counts as leisure is up for argument, but under every definition the numbers have gone up. We get about 45 minutes a day of extra leisure.

Then why does it feel like we have so much less? It might be because we waste half of all our leisure time watching television. The average American adult devotes 2.5 hours a day to this hobby. And for every additional hour we get free, another 30 minutes goes into that boob tube. So if you want more free time, I recommend one thing: turn it off. This is easier said than done, especially during the world series.
When I was growing up, my mom had one piece of advice for me, and she said it every single morning. 'Get out of the house!' It's good advice. Come join the 6.8 million who are in a book club, or the 196,000 who attend pro beach volleyball, or the 680,000 who go to tractor pulls every month. There're even 3 million people who enjoy a sport called 'muzzleloading,' which involves shooting a gun that looks 200 years old.
And at the end of the day, there's a thing in your kitchen called a stove. Turn it on and invite people over. Only 38% of Americans entertain friends or family at home at least once a year. What were the other 62% of us doing? Getting a free meal, I suppose. We can do better, America. If we're going to watch so much television, can't we at least invite friends over to watch?

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Shuttle Discovery launches successfully

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The 114th Space Shuttle flight has blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. America’s mission to explore space is now back on track. The shuttle Discovery is 25 years old but carries the hopes of all Americans and the lives of seven astronauts. It is America's first manned space mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster. NASA has spent two years making sure everything is safe for this launch. It has overcome many hurdles but engineers are confident of a safe return to Earth.

Safety has been a major concern with this launch. A broken fuel gauge sensor stopped the original lift-off attempt two weeks ago. NASA technicians decided it was not a danger and gave the go-ahead for today’s mission. Hundreds of hi-tech cameras are photographing the launch from every angle to spot possible problems. There has already been one worry. “Something” fell off of the shuttle soon after the fuel tanks dropped off. NASA refuses to speculate on this until it has studied the videos.

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Asian Games

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The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1982 Games. Since the 1982 they have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), after the break-up of the Asian Games Federation. The Games are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and are described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.

Participation

All 45 members affiliated to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are eligible to take part in the Games. In history, 46 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have sent competitors to the Games. Israel has been excluded from the Games since 1976, the reason cited as being due to security reasons. Israel requested to participate in the 1982 Games, but the request was rejected by the organisers due to incident in 1972 Summer Olympics. Israel is now a member of the European Olympic Committees (EOC).
Due to its continuing ambiguous political status, Taiwan has participated in the Games under the flag of Chinese Taipei since 1990. Macau is allowed to compete as one of the NOCs in Asian Games, despite not being recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for participation in the Olympic Games.
In 2007, the President of OCA, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, rejected the proposal to allow Australia to participate in the Games. He stated that while Australia would add good value to the Asian Games, it would be unfair to the other NOCs in Oceania.
Only seven countries, namely India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand have competed in all editions of the games.

Medal count

Of the 46 National Olympic Committees participating throughout the history of the Games, 43 nations have won at least a single medal in the competition, leaving three nations: Bhutan, Maldives and Timor-Leste yet to win a single medal. 34 nations have won at least a single gold medal, while Japan and China became the only two nations in history to emerge as overall champions.

Future changes

The number of competition events is scheduled to shrink down to just 35 sports at the 2014 Games to be held in Incheon, South Korea. 2014 will also see the last Games hosted in even-numbered years, as the Olympic Council of Asia pushed the subsequent Games to just one year ahead of the Olympic Games. This means the 18th Asian Games which were originally planned for 2018 will be pushed to 2019.

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Gardening

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Gardening is the art of growing plants with the goal of crafting a purposeful landscape. Residential gardening most often takes place in or about a residence, in a space referred to as the garden. Although a garden typically is located on the land near a residence, it may also be located in a roof, in an atrium, on a balcony, in a window box, or on a patio or vivarium.

Gardening also takes place in non-residential green areas, such as parks, public or semi-public gardens, amusement and theme parks, along transportation corridors, and around tourist attractions and hotels. In these situations, a staff of gardeners or groundskeepers maintains the gardens.

Indoor gardening is concerned with the growing of houseplants within a residence or building, in a conservatory, or in a greenhouse. Indoor gardens are sometimes incorporated as part of air conditioning or heating systems.

Water gardening is concerned with growing plants adapted to pools and ponds. Bog gardens are also considered a type of water garden. These all require special conditions and considerations. A simple water garden may consist solely of a tub containing the water and plant.

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Wild Animals In Danger

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Wild animals (and wild plants) and the wild places where they live are seriously threatened almost everywhere. One species has become extinct in each year of this century. But many hundreds are now in danger. Lack of attention would lead to the rapid advance of the process of extinction.

Already many kinds of wild animals have been so reduced in number that their role in the ecosystem is forgotten. Animals like the great apes, the whales, seals etc. are thought to be in danger of extinction.

But even more important, perhaps than individual kinds of animals and plants, whole habitats are in danger of vanishing: marshes are being drained, and the world forests, especially tropical forests are being cut down to satisfy man’s needs of timber and paper.

What would our world be like if all the wild animals and wild plants vanished? - Would our life still exist then?

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