New species of ugly big-headed fish discovered in Idaho and Montana rivers



Say hello to the cedar sculpin, a previously unknown species of fish that was recently discovered living in the rivers of Idaho and Montana.
Researchers working at the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station stumbled upon this rather homely little fellow — a species of bottom-dwelling freshwater sculpin — when they were taking stock of the species that were living in the Columbia River basin. It wasn't clear that it was actually a new species at first, since it looks very similar to another type of sculpin that lives in the area, called the shorthead sculpin. However, a comparison of the physical characteristics of both and an analysis of their DNA confirmed it.
"The discovery of a new fish is something I never thought would happen in my career because it's very rare in the United States," Michael Young, a research fisheries biologist with the U.S. Forest Service, told Reuters.
The differences between this species and its distant relation are fairly minor at first glance — slightly different measurements of their head and pelvis, and differences in the arrangement of a row of pores between their anal fin and their tail fin. They also have a small, skin-covered spine just in front of their gills, and while many species of sculpin have these 'preopercular spines,' this is apparently something the other species of sculpin in the area don't have.

The cedar sculpin and its relatives may not be much to look at, but they're a valuable part of the local river ecology. There's a large focus on them as being a favourite food of sport fish like trout, thus their value to anglers. In fact, there are even fishing flies (like this one) designed after them.
However, there has been a call in recent years for the focus to switch from sport fish to the sculpin as the representatives for conservation efforts. With the high number of species, and their tendency to have the largest populations of small fish in any particular ecosystem, keeping them healthy would mean keeping the entire ecosystem healthy.

On cam: Singer gets electrocuted on stage

This singer suffered a severe electric shock while performing on stage at a carnival.

Performer Nolberto has suffered a severe electric shock during a live show at a carnival in Ranchillos, Argentina.

Algiers - City of Aafrica

Local architecture


Algiers waterfront
 





Cosmopolitan Algiers

There are many public buildings of interest, including the whole Kasbah quarter, Martyrs Square (Sahat ech-Chouhada ساحة الشهداء), the government offices (formerly the British consulate), the "Grand", "New", and Ketchaoua Mosques, the Roman Catholic cathedral of Notre Dame d'Afrique, the Bardo Museum (a former Turkish mansion), the old Bibliothèque Nationale d'Alger—a Turkish palace built in 1799–1800—and the new National Library, built in a style reminiscent of the British Library.

The main building in the Kasbah was begun in 1516 on the site of an older building, and served as the palace of the deys until the French conquest. A road has been cut through the centre of the building, the mosque turned into barracks, and the hall of audience allowed to fall into ruin. There still remain a minaret and some marble arches and columns. Traces exist of the vaults in which were stored the treasures of the dey.

The Great Mosque (Jamaa-el-Kebir الجامع الكبير) is the oldest mosque in Algiers. It was first built by Yusuf ibn Tashfin, but reconstructed many times. The pulpit (minbar منبر) bears an inscription showing that the building existed in 1097. The minaret was built by the sultan of Tlemcen, in 1324.[13] The interior of the mosque is square and is divided into aisles by columns joined by Moorish arches.

The New Mosque (Jamaa-el-Jedid الجامع الجديد), dating from the 17th century, is in the form of a Greek cross, surmounted by a large white cupola, with four small cupolas at the corners. The minaret is 27 metres (89 ft) high. The interior resembles that of the Grand Mosque.

The church of the Holy Trinity (built in 1870) stands at the southern end of the rue d'Isly near the site of the demolished Fort Bab Azoun باب عزون. The interior is richly decorated with various coloured marbles. Many of these marbles contain memorial inscriptions relating to the British residents (voluntary and involuntary) of Algiers from the time of John Tipton, the first English consul, in 1580 (NB Some sources give 1585). One tablet records that in 1631 two Algerine pirate crews landed in Ireland, sacked Baltimore.
 






The Ketchaoua Mosque

The Ketchaoua mosque (Djamaa Ketchaoua جامع كتشاوة), at the foot of the Casbah, was before independence in 1962 the cathedral of St Philippe, itself made in 1845 from a mosque dating from 1612. The principal entrance, reached by a flight of 23 steps, is ornamented with a portico supported by four black-veined marble columns. The roof of the nave is of Moorish plaster work. It rests on a series of arcades supported by white marble columns. Several of these columns belonged to the original mosque. In one of the chapels was a tomb containing the bones of San Geronimo. The building seems a curious blend of Moorish and Byzantine styles.

Algiers possesses a college with schools of law, medicine, science and letters. The college buildings are large and handsome. The Bardo Museum in Tunisia holds some of the ancient sculptures and mosaics discovered in Algeria, together with medals and Algerian money.

The port of Algiers is sheltered from all winds. There are two harbours, both artificial—the old or northern harbour and the southern or Agha harbour. The northern harbour covers an area of 95 hectares (235 acres). An opening in the south jetty affords an entrance into Agha harbour, constructed in Agha Bay. Agha harbour has also an independent entrance on its southern side. The inner harbour was begun in 1518 by Khair-ad-Din Barbarossa (see History, below), who, to accommodated his pirate vessels, caused the island on which was Fort Penon to be connected with the mainland by a mole. The lighthouse which occupies the site of Fort Penon was built in 1544.

Algiers was a walled city from the time of the deys until the close of the 19th century. The French, after their occupation of the city (1830), built a rampart, parapet and ditch, with two terminal forts, Bab Azoun باب عزون to the south and Bab-el-Oued باب الواد to the north. The forts and part of the ramparts were demolished at the beginning of the 20th century, when a line of forts occupying the heights of Bouzareah بوزريعة (at an elevation of 396 metres (1,299 ft) above the sea) took their place. Notre Dame d'Afrique, a church built (1858–1872) in a mixture of the Roman and Byzantine styles, is conspicuously situated overlooking the sea, on the shoulder of the Bouzareah hills, 3 km (2 mi) to the north of the city. Above the altar is a statue of the Virgin depicted as a black woman. The church also contains a solid silver statue of the archangel Michael, belonging to the confraternity of Neapolitan fishermen.

Villa Abd-el-Tif, former residence of the dey, was used during the French period, to accommodate French artists, chiefly painters, and winners of the Abd-el-Tif prize, among whom Maurice Boitel, for a while of two years. Nowadays, Algerian artists are back in the villa's studios.




 Monuments


The Monument of the Martyrs (Maquam E’chahid)
 









Grand Post Office

    Notre Dame d'Afrique , accessible by one cable car, is one of the city's most outstanding monuments: located in the district of Z' will ghara, the basilica was built around 1858.
    Monument des Martyrs ( Maquam E' chahid ): an iconic concrete monument commemorating the Algerian war for independence. The monument was opened in 1982 on the 20th anniversary of Algeria's independence. It is fashioned in the shape of three standing palm leaves which shelter the "Eternal Flame" beneath. At the edge of each palm leaf stands a statue of a soldier, each representing a stage of Algeria's struggle.

 

The El Jedid mosque at the Place des Martyrs



  •     The El Jedid mosque at the Place des Martyrs near the port.

  •     Place of the Emir Abdelkader (formerly Bugeaud): in memory of the famous emir Abd El-Kader, resistant during French conquest of Algeria.

  •     Grand Post Office (1910, by Voinot and Tondoire): construction of the neo-Moorish type which is in full centre town of Algiers.

  •     The Jardin d'essai (Garden of Test; El-Hamma): situated in the east of Algiers, it extends over 80 hectares (198 acres) and contains exotic plants and gardens. It was created in 1832 by A. Hardy.

  •     Villa Abd-el-Hair , with the top of the Garden of test, one of the old residences of the dey, where until 1962, were placed the artists prizes winner of Price Abd-el-Hair, and in particular Maurice Boitel and Andre Hamburg.

  •     Citadel .

  •     Riadh El-Feth (shopping centre and art gallery).

  •     Ketchaoua Mosque (This mosque became the Saint-Philippe cathedral during colonization before becoming again a mosque).

  •     National Library , is in the district of El HAMMA. Architecture modèrne.

  •     The Great Mosque of Algiers at the Rue de la Marine. It is the oldest mosque of Algiers and was built during the reign of the Almoravid sultan Yusuf ibn Tashfin.



Demographics
Year                     Population
1977 (Census)     1,353,826
1987 (Census)     1,507,241
1998 (Census)     1,519,570
2007 (Estimate)     2,072,993

Algiers has a population of about 3,335,418(2012 estimate).


The ethnic distribution is 53% from an Arabic-speaking background, 44% from a Berber-speaking background and 3% foreign-born, mostly from China, Vietnam, and Mali.

    1940 – 300,000 people lived in Algiers.
    1960 – 900,000 people lived in Algiers.
    1963 – 600,000 people lived in Algiers.

Economy

 






"Centre Commercial Al Qods" in Algiers




Ministry of Finance of Algeria

Algiers is an important economic, commercial and financial center, with in particular a stock exchange with a capitalisation of 60 million euros. The city has the highest cost of living of any city in North Africa, as well as the 50th highest worldwide, as of March 2007, having gained one position compared to the previous year.[20]

Mohamed Ben Ali El Abbar, president of the Council d administration of the emirate group EMAAR, presented five "megaprojects" to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, during a ceremony which took place Saturday, July 15 with the Palate of the People of Algiers. The projects will transform the city of Algiers and its surroundings by equipping them with a retail area, and restoration and leisure facilities.

The first project will concentrate on the reorganization and the development of the infrastructures of the railway station "Aga" located in the downtown area. Ultramodern, the station, intended to accommodate more than 80.000 passengers per day, will become a center of circulation in the heart of the grid system, surrounded by commercial offices and buildings and hotels intended for travelers in transit. A shopping centre and three high-rise office buildings rising with the top of the commercial zone will accompany the project.

The second project will not relate to the bay of Algiers and aims to revitalize the sea front. The development of the 44 km (27 mi) sea front will include marinas, channels, luxury hotels, offices, apartments of great standing, luxury stores and leisure amenities. A crescent-shaped peninsula will be set up on the open sea. The project of the bay of Algiers will also comprise six small islands, of which four of round form, connected to each other by bridges and marinas and will include tourist and residential complexes.
Air Algérie head office in Place Audin near the University of Algiers, in Alger-Centre

The third project will relate to restructuring an area of Algiers, qualified by the originators of the project of "city of wellness". El Abbar indicated to the journalists that the complex would be "agréable for all those which will want to combine tourism and wellbeing or tourism and relaxation". The complex will include a university, a research center and a medical centre. It should also include a hospital complex, a care, centre, a hotel zone, an urban centre and a thermal spa with villas and apartments. The university will include a medical school and a school for care male nurses which will be able to accommodate 500 students. The university campus will have the possibility of seeing setting up broad ranges of buildings of research laboratories and residences.

Another project relates to technological implantation of a campus in Sidi Abdellah, 25 km (16 mi) south-east from Algiers. This 90 hectares (222 acres) site will include shopping centres, residential zones with high standard apartments and a golf course surrounded by villas and hotels. Two other residential zones, including 1.800 apartments and 40 high standard villas, will be built on the surrounding hills.

The fifth project is that of the tourist complex Colonel Abbès, which will be located 25 km (16 mi) west from Algiers. This complex will include several retail zones, meeting places, and residential zones composed of apartments and villas with views of the sea.[citation needed]

A Hewlett Packard office for French-speaking countries in Africa is in Algiers.
 


Tourist installations
 






Panorama of the city as seen from Bologhine district

Some 20 km (12 mi) to the west of Algiers are such seaside resorts as Sidi Fredj (ex-Sidi Ferruch), Palm Beach, Douaouda, Zéralda, and the Club of the Pines (residence of State); there are tourist complexes, Algerian and other restaurants, souvenir shops, supervised beaches, and other amenities. The city is also equipped with important hotel complexes such as the hotel Hilton, El-Aurassi or El Djazair. Algiers also has the first water park in the country. The tourism of Algiers is growing but is not as developed as that of the larger cities in Morocco or Tunisia.



Public transport
 










Public transport of Algiers



  •     ETUSA (urban and suburban bus transportation for Algiers) operates bus service in Algiers and the surrounding suburbs. 54 lines are currently operating, with service from 5:30 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.

  •     SNTF (national railroad company) operates commuter-rail lines connecting the capital to the surrounding suburbs.

  •     Algiers Metro, opened November 1, 2011.

  •     Algiers tramway, opened on May 8, 2011.

  •     Houari Boumediene Airport is located 20 km (12 mi) from the city. The airport serves domestics, many European cities, West Africa, the Middle East, Asia and North America. On July 5, 2006, a new international air terminal was opened for service. The terminal is managed by Aéroports de Paris.

  • 4 urban ropeways:

  •     El Madania – Belouizdad

  •     Notre Dame d’Afrique – Bologhine

  •     Memorial des Martyres/Riad el Feth – Jardin d’essais


  •     Palais de la culture – Oued Kniss




Province projects

Several ongoing projects aim to solve Algiers deficit and transportation problems. A tram connecting the downtown area to Dergana is expected to open by the end of 2010.[22] Subway lines connecting Tafourah-Large Harrach Post office-El were expected in 2008, in addition to three Regional Express Network (RER) lines: Algiers-Aga-Thenia, Algiers-Aga-Elafroun, Algiers-Aga-Zeralda. Three new cable cars, reconstruction of roads and restoration of the city station—which will accommodate the High-speed rail line connecting Annaba, Algiers and Oran—are also ongoing. Congestion control measures including new roundabouts and motorways are also being added to the city.

New residential developments aim to solve Algiers current housing shortage.
 


Sports

Algiers is the sporting centre of Algeria. The city has a number of professional clubs in the variety of sports, which have won national and international titles. Among the sports facilities within the city, there is an enormous sporting complex – Complex of OCO – Mohamed Boudiaf. This includes the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 (capacity 80,000), a venue for athletics, an Olympic swimming pool, a multisports room (the Cupola), an 18-hole golf course, and several tennis courts.

The following major sporting events have been held in Algiers (not-exhaustive list):

    Mediterranean Games 1975.
    All-Africa Games 1978, 2007.
    African Cup of Nations 1990.
    African Handball Nations Championship 1989, 2001.

   

    Pan Arab Games 2004.
    FIBA Africa Championship 2005.
    Men's U19 World Championship 2005.

Football clubs

Major association football club based in Algiers include:

    MC Alger
    USM Alger
    CR Belouizdad
    NA Hussein Dey
    Paradou AC

   

    USM El Harrach
    RC Kouba
    OMR El Annasser
    JH Djazaïr (now defunct)

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Algeria
Twin towns – Sister cities



  • Algiers is twinned with:





  •     Jordan Amman, Jordan

  •     China Beijing, People's Republic of China

  •     Germany Berlin, Germany

  •     Tunisia Tunis, Tunisia

  •     France Paris, France

  •    

  •     Canada Montreal, Quebec[23]

  •     United Kingdom London, United Kingdom

  •     Lebanon Tyre, Lebanon

  •     Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria

  •     Italy Rome, Italy

  •    

  •     Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands

  •     Brazil São Paulo, Brazil

  •     China Shanghai, China

  •     Libya Tripoli, Libya

  •     Indonesia Surakarta, Indonesia (Since 2011)



Cooperation agreements

Algiers has cooperation agreements with:

    Portugal Lisbon, Portugal[24][25]

In addition, many of the wards and cities within Algiers maintain sister-city relationships with other foreign cities.
 


Films about Algiers



  •     Algiers, 1938, directed by John Cromwell;

  •     The Battle of Algiers, 1966, directed by Gillo Pontecorvo;

  •     Tahya ya Didou, Alger Insolite, 1970, Mohammed Zinet;

  •     Bab El-Oued City, 1994, directed by Merzak Allouache;

  •     Viva Laldjérie, 2003, directed by Nadir Moknèche, with Biyouna and Lubna Azabal;

  •     Bab el Web, 2004, directed by Merzak Allouache, with Samy Naceri, Julie Gayet, Faudel;

  •     Once upon a time in the Oued, 2005, directed by Djamel Bensalah;

  •     Beur, White, Red, 2005, directed by Mahmoud Zemmouri.

  •     Delice Paloma, 2007, directed by Nadir Moknèche, with Biyouna and Nadia Kaci.


Can you open this unopenable lock?

 
It takes three keys and four turns of them to open this unusual lock in Mandawa, Rajasthan. But why are there no keyholes, 

India abounds in places of historical interest and it is my passion to look into the past, to uncover places that have made history. And though it may not be possible to travel to those times, folklore comes in handy in my quest.
My passion led me to Mandawa, an old town in the Churu district of Rajasthan. This place boasts of having given India the great industrialist family, the Goenkas. Every street showcases century-old havelis proudly displaying frescoes, which are preserved as if they had been made only yesterday.
At the majestic and beautiful Sneh Ram Lada Haveli, I wandered into the antique shop in the basement. And here I saw an unusual lock, the most complicated one I have ever seen.


There, it's open! How did that work?
I held it in my hand for a while. Though it was made of iron, it was rust-free and solid, weighing at least a kilogram. I wondered how it could be opened. Confused, looking for holes where I could insert its three keys, I gave up. I couldn’t find a single one.
The owner of the shop said, "I will open it for you. Just observe."
First, he put the back-holder of one of the keys around the rocket-shaped pointer at the base of the lock and twisted it. The pointer was dislodged. That was our first keyhole. Inserting the first key, he turned it clockwise. Doing so raised the lock’s face a bit, revealing the second keyhole. He inserted a second key and turned it. A third keyhole was revealed as the lock’s face rose slightly as it did before. The shopkeeper then inserted the third key into the now-visible keyhole and opened the lock.

So lost was I watching this fascinating spectacle that I forgot to make a video of it!

Fishing on Pondicherry Beach - A photo-diary

Hauling in the catch of the day is a morning ritual on Pondicherry Beach, and one worth watching

It was very early morning on Pondicherry beach. Fishermen leave for the sea around 3 am to spread their nets. They return to shore after leaving the spread net in the sea for 4-5 hours. Around 7.30 am, about 15 to 20 fishermen start pulling the net slowly. It was a slow, long process. They haul in the nets for 30-40 minutes. In the final stage of pulling, a few more fishermen will add their strength to the group. A large quantity of fish (smelt fish or anchovies, called Nethili in Tamil) weighing 150-200 kg are trapped. As soon as the net is opened, retail fish merchants arrive and start collecting the fish in their vessels.

 Fishermen return to the shore with the catch
 They slowly pull in the laden nets from the sea
 A fisherman on Pondicherry beach
 A larger crowd joins in as the catch is hauled ashore.

 Fish merchants from the retail market collect the fish as it the nets are opened.

Going solo in Tamil Nadu

Traveling solo brings with it a sense of peace and introspection. Living one day at a time on her journey through Tamil Nadu, Rajbir Kaur experiences just that

The hall of one thousand pillars at the Madurai Meenakshi Temple
Last December summed up my entire 2013 beautifully. I traveled solo and was literally living one day at a time. After visiting a friend in Bangalore and traveling to Pondicherry together; I continued my journey thereon traveling solo.

The temple of Arunachaleswara in Tiruvannamalai

I visited Ramanashramam in Tiruvannamalai, where I experienced a deep sense of harmony and unity among all that is living.
Next was Madurai, where my film was screened at an international film festival. I also got a chance to visit the magnanimous Meenakshi Temple and an old palace in the city where sculptures dating back to 5th- 6th century are preserved.

A view of the rural countryside in Ramanathapuram

After Madurai, I instinctively headed to a quiet village near Ramanathapuram, where once my teacher lived. Initially, he was hesitant to tell me the address as he was very sure that it is impossible for a non-Tamil person to locate this quaint interior south Indian village. Well! he was not entirely wrong. The journey to the village was quite thrilling… I changed two buses and the roads scaped through green lush rice fields and coconut trees. Loud Tamil songs, equally loud people and the strong smell of fresh flowers that decked women’s hair fused the bus environment. I enjoyed the ride thoroughly.
I marvelled at my ability to communicate without talking too much. Every moment was a revelation on this journey. I arrived at my destination with quite an ease and was received with a lot of warmth and love even though I landed there unannounced. Maybe it’s just my mind but it actually felt like coming home. My hosts didn’t understand English or Hindi and I knew no Tamil. The only familiar word they heard from my mouth was my teacher’s name and that was enough. They welcomed me with open arms. I ate the yummiest idli and dosa there and not only my tummy but even my soul felt satiated at that place.

The Palk Strait in Rameshwaram

Transcending language barriers and having a direct heart-to-heart talk is rare to experience these days in today’s “smart" world. I feel blessed to have gone to this tiny, quiet village and met these lovely souls.
It was time to take leave. My next destination was Rameshwaram. I am not really a temple-going person; I get irked by the fancy rules of temples -- no camera, no phone, Rs 10 darshan, Rs 20 darshan, Rs 50 darshan. I wonder how much will it be worth to pay to get a glimpse of God. But keeping aside all the extravaganza around them, the ancient temples were highly energized centers around which cities were built so people could benefit. We need to disassociate from the hustle bustle around and attune to that center.
Rameshwaram, an island town separated from the mainland by the Pamban channel, welcomed me with a not-so-pleasant fishy stench that pervades the entire town. The moment the bus entered the town, I held my breath for as long as I could. I found Pamban Bridge more beautiful than Mumbai’s sea link and its view is far more blue! I also visited Dhanuskodi, a mysterious-looking place where stands the ruins of buildings lost to a cyclone and where the waters of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal meet.

My next destination was Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. It’s more of a touristy place famous for its Triveni Sangam — confluence of three seas. During my visit to Kanyakumari temple, a special pooja was going on in its sanctum sanctorum in a very traditional way with dhols and naiads, which was a unique experience to witness. Having only half a day at my disposal, I couldn’t explore places in nearby Kanyakumari.
My last destination was Salem, where I went to visit Mahajeev samadhi of Mayamma. A jeev samadhi is a place where a saint consciously drops the body and the prana (the vital life force) is still intact in the body, which means the energy of the spiritual saint is very much still present. Meditating at such a place is blissful. No better way to end this chapter of travel.

The Ramnad Palace, Ramanathapuram
In Lord Rama's footsteps at Rameshwaram
The walkway to Villondi Teertham, a sweet-water well that appears mysteriously in the midst of the ocean.

Frozen waterfalls - in the kingdom of the Snow Queen

The Polar Vortex that froze Niagara Falls in the United States and Canada made much news in the first week of January. It was a cold start to the year and brought some of the coldest winters to many parts of the northern hemisphere, even as the southern hemisphere experienced a blazing summer. While snow and ice are commonly seen on the Niagara Falls, it is not always that the waterfall completely freezes over. On the other hand, frozen waterfalls are a common feature of winter landscapes in Iceland, Scandinavia, Siberia and the northerly reaches of Zanskar in Ladakh.

Enjoy this gallery of exquisitely picturesque winter waterfalls from the world over.

The U.S. side of the Niagara Falls is pictured in Ontario, January 8, 2014.
Tourists pose for pictures in front of the partially frozen Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River in Jixian county, Shanxi province, China.
Strollers stand in front of a frozen waterfall at the Breitachklamm gorges in Oberstdorf, Germany.
Climbing an icefall in the Alps
Frozen waterfall, Maligne Canyon, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, winter landscape
Frozen Waterfall In Michigan
Frozen waterfall in Sikkim
Icicles and a Small Waterfall in Winter. Hokkaido, Japan
A winter stream in the Carpathian mountains of central and eastern Europe.
Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland
Todtnau Waterfall in the Black Forest, Germany, at winter time.
Icicles in a frozen waterfall
An ice waterfall in Siberia
Skógafoss in Iceland
Seljalandsfoss is one of the most famous waterfalls of Iceland.
Waterfall in Pingvellir Valley, Iceland
Steinsdalsfossen is a waterfall 2 kilometers west of Norheimsund, Hardanger in western Norway
Another view of Steindalsfossen in Norway
Goðafoss Waterfall, Iceland
Horsetail falls Frozen in Winter
Bridge Over Multnomah Falls in Winter
Frozen waterfall, Chadar Trek, Zanskar, Ladakh, India

Seasons Freezings - Enjoy the best winter photo galleries

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again,” wrote Lewis Carroll.
Winter sprinkles magic over the landscape. Winter is beautiful. Winter is festive. Winter begs to be celebrated.
Which is why, even as much of the northern hemisphere freezes over, we venture boldly into the cold in mitts and overcoats to build snowmen, ride sleds, quaff gluhwein and yell for joy. In Steinbeck's words, "What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?"
Enjoy these beautiful images of winter around the world - from the snow festivals in China and Japan, to excursions in Mount Zao and Zermatt, Ladakh and Sonmarg. Of glimpses of frozen waterfalls, warm-hearted Christmas markets and romantic cuddles in igloo hotels.
And what of desert cities where winter barely visits? Look at how Dubai recreates a winter wonderland in its ice cafes and ski resorts.
Finally, escape to an indoor tropical beach and strip down to your bathing suits even as blizzards rage outside. 

 Snow is inspiring and ice brings out the artist in us. Why else would 7,000 artists chop away at countless ice blocks hewn out of the frozen Songhao River to create this magical landscape of ice buildings and sculptures spread over 6,458,400 square feet? January 5 marked the start of the Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin, northeastern China. The festival, in its 30th year, hopes to attract a million visitors. At night, the fairytale landscape comes aglow as LED lamps inside the structures come on.
 The Japanese city of Sapporo has hosted the eponymous Sapporo Snow Festival since 1950, when six school students built statues in Odori Park. Today, the festival is one of Japan's biggest winter events and draws thousands of kitted-up tourists who marvel at the artistry of the snow sculptures. An international sculpture contest is the highlight of the festival and teams compete for the top honours.
 The sheer poetry of a winter landscape has to be seen to be believed. A trip to Japan's Mount Zao will set skeptics right. From a cable car over a frost-glazed forest, gaze enraptured at scenery that stops your breath. The crystalline snow on the leaves and branches gives the impression that the trees are actually white.
 And what of that sly charmer, Jack Frost? He's a poet, painter and perhaps even an ice-cream fetishist. Take a look at his handiwork with hoarfrost last week in in Telc, Czech Republic.
 Though summer is cherished, the inevitability of winter is awaited eagerly in Switzerland. In the ski resort town of Zermatt, skies are grey and the snow is piled thick. Waking up to a frosty morning, Yahoo reader Shayantani explores the town on foot, a feat in itself (if you will excuse the pun).
 Spring will come again, but the romance of winter must be revelled in while it lasts. The 'Iglu-Lodge' in Oberstdorf, Germany under the peak of the 'Nebelhorn' at about 1,900 meters offers a total of ten igloos with two suites, a bar, restaurant and a 39-degree warm outdoor jacuzzi. The walls of the bar are decorated with ornate ice-reliefs with theme 'Western world'. Guests sleep in expedition sleeping bags on ice blocks covered with reindeer skins.
 It is bitterly cold in Nuremberg in Bavaria, but the winds have brought in warmth. The traditional Christkindlesmarkt has just been inaugurated by an angel called the Nuremberg Christkind. Angels blow the bugle and the atmosphere has turned magical.
 Winter comes to India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir in a sweeping frigid wave. When the worst of it passes, it leaves behind clear skies and stunning scenery like this vista of snow-draped hillsides and dales in Sonmarg. It isn't just snow, it is sheer poetry.
 A winter landscape can't get more dramatic than this image that appears to be straight out of Disney's Frozen. It is all real, of course, this waterfall in Sikkim.
 It's a raging 47 degrees outside but in here, you can sit on blocks of ice and sip hot chocolate. This Saudi Arabian family does exactly that at Chillout cafe in Dubai. Chillout, owned by UAE's Sharaf Group, is the first ice lounge in the Middle East, with temperatures set at -6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Farenheit). The cafe, with its illuminated interiors, curtains, paintings and seating arrangements, is all made of carved ice and frozen sculptures.
 Why spend those dollars on hotel stay in real ski resort when you can walk into a Dubai mall and experience it all in the Emirates? You could well be this young boy gazing through glass into Ski Dubai, the world's largest snowdome, at Mall of the Emirates.
 And finally, a different spin on winter. Imagine a paradise where winter overcoats are traded for bikinis, snowshoes for bare feet, and cold, crunchy snow for warm, golden sand. Sounds incredible? When winter temperatures drop below freezing German tourists hit the beach. An indoor beach, if you will. This decommissioned hangar now houses the Tropical Islands indoor resort, inside which is an unbelievable world where the sun shines and the waves lap.