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Crisscrossing the highland plains in western Bolivia is a network of thousands of near perfectly straight lines etched into the ground. These lines do not make any figures or shapes, but they go on remarkably straight for tens of kilometers. Whoever created them worked extremely precisely, which was not easy task in this hilly terrain with rocks, shrubs and other natural obstacles.

At least we now know what has happened to all of those people abducted by aliens over the years. They are taken to participate in a particularly lethal competition against a dancebot which just seems to win, whoever is put up against him.  For this particularly unballetic human specimen, things are not looking good in this animated short directed by Justin Connolly who should be snapped up by Aardman (or the likes) immediately.

Every year, the Nazi Party used to hold large annual rallies in Nuremberg, which was at that time the center of the German Reich. These rallies were grandiose propaganda events, carefully orchestrated to reinforce party enthusiasm and to showcase the power of National Socialism to the rest of Germany and to the world.

Moss is a common plant in Iceland. It grows abundantly in the mountainous region and is a special characteristic of Iceland’s lava fields. One of the most spectacular moss blanket is located on the southern coast of Iceland, over the Eldraun Lava Field.

Every year in Japan, spring’s cherry blossoms burst into summer's colorful flames known as “hanabi taikai,” which partially translates to “flowers of fire.” The 200 fireworks shows are part of an annual tradition dating back to the 18th century. Pyrotechnics across the country compete to create the best spectacle, lighting up the nighttime skies with utter beauty.

In The Wash, a squarish estuary on the East coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire, there is a peculiar island, perfectly circular, with a dimple in the middle resembling a giant doughnut. This doughnut, known as the ‘Outer Trial Bank’, is one of two islands constructed during the 1970s to study the feasibility of converting the entire estuary into a fresh water reservoir.

Hugging for even 20 seconds a day can make you live longer, say the researchers at the University of North Carolina. It absolutely makes sense. Hugging releases chemicals (Oxytocin, Dopamine, and Serotonin) in the brain that make you feel happier, more valued, and help lower the heart rate and relieve stress and depression. It doesn’t even need to be interpersonal. Hugging animals has the same effect, and hugging inanimate objects does wonders for the brain too. Perhaps that’s why children hug their teddy bears, and adults hug pillows in their sleep.

Kavicsos Lake, or "pebble lake" in Hungarian, is a picturesque lake around 2 km crosswise over found south of Budapest, only a 30-minute ride far from the downtown area. The lake sits at the site of a previous rock quarry, and subsequently its name. 

Fordite, also known as Detroit agate, comes in bright colors and psychedelic swirls, and are often crafted into eye-catching jewelry. But fordite is not a gemstone, rather it is dried paint that built up, layer upon layer, in factories that painted automobiles long ago. Especially in Detroit, and hence the name.

“We will never forget”, is the phrase that has been famously repeated over and over again since the devastating attack on New York City on September 11, fourteen years ago. Yet, this giant monument erected on the shores of Bayonne, New Jersey, just 16 km from New York City has been largely forgotten.