"Canberra's Balloon Spectacular"

Listed as one of the top four hot air ballooning events in the world, Canberra's Balloon Spectacular fills the lawns of Old Parliament House with a flurry of colour and movement as giant balloons from around the world inflate and slowly drift into the Canberra sky.

The event is one of the few places in the world where hot air balloons can fly so close to government landmarks and buildings of national significance. But the action is not just in the sky. Listen to live music and indulge in a delicious range of hot breakfast options at this family friendly event.

In 2012, special shapes will be attending the Balloon Spectacular, including two kangaroo balloons, Polly and Tom, and a giant beaver called Bud. E. Beaver. Be sure not to miss these magnificent novelty shapes in Canberra's skyline over the 9 days, (March 10-18).

"a 30-story tall hotel in 360 hours"

China has yet another world record. Over new years, the Chinese sustainable building company, Broad Group has managed to build from total scratch a 30-story tall hotel in 360 hours. The big surprise is, that the construction crew in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha did not have a single injury or even death during the 15 days of completion. The Ark Hotel was built on Dongting lake, in the Hunan Province and is designed to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake, as tested by the China Academy of Building Research. It was a perfectly planned project, with all materials being prefabricated and even complete sections built off-site, resulting in very little wastage. Just under two days were needed to finish the main skeleton and another 90 hours for the cladding.

"mother of culture"

Natural scenery, temples, shrines, towns and homes intermingle with a poignant historical beauty. Whether it is the Gion Festival, the Tea Ceremony or Japanese flower arrangement or Nishijin-brocade, so many aspects of characteristic Japanese culture continue to thrive in Kyoto. Over a period of 1200 years, dating from the decision to move the capital to Kyoto in 794, it nurtured a splendid, delicate and unique kind of culture, and over the course of history came to be considered the mother of culture within Japan.

The "reincarnation of Iron Wolf"

Apocalypse is another reincarnation of an existing roller coaster. For 21 years it was Iron Wolf ; a fixture at Six Flags Great America near Chicago. Now the stand-up coaster will become Apocalypse. Sporting a 90 foot tall drop, a vertical loop, and a corkscrew, the layout won’t blow any minds, but the stand-up riding position will be something different for most. Iron Wolf was well-known in the coaster enthusiast community as the first coaster from famous designers Bolliger & Mabillard. But locals will see this as a new roller coaster.

"Ruins of Pinara"

According to historian Strabo, Pinara was one of the largest and most important cities of the Lycian League of States in what is now modern Turkey. Pinara was established on the main road which ran through Lycia; this accounted for the city's prosperity.

Like the other Lycian cities in the region, Pinara has a wealth of ancient funerary art in its well-preserved tombs and sarcophagi. Even though the site has been abandoned by the archaeologist and is quite overgrown with foliage, the ruins are in good state of preservation. The city was founded between two hills. An Odeion is found at the base of the smaller hill, and the scant remains of a small temple are near it. The theatre is located on the side of the hill behind. Rock-cut tombs dating to the Roman period can be seen in the southern part of the city. Several of these are very interesting with their elaborate carving and reliefs. One comprises a high, pointed arch that is crowned with the ears and horns of an ox.

"Mission to the sun"

In 2018, NASA plans to launch a spacecraft called Solar Probe Plus to study the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, and its expansion into space, known as the solar wind.

“We want to share our love"

Made up of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, the trio first appeared on the popular Italian talent show Ti Lascio Una Canzone and dazzled viewers with their flawless rendition of the Italian standard “O Sole Mio.”

Il Volo‘s self-titled debut album, which was released in Italy late last year, has already been certified platinum! Piero, Ignazio and Gianluca worked with a number of renowned producers including Humberto Gatica and their album is coming to the US on April 12th!

The guys shared in a statement about their music, “We want to share our love for this music with poeple all over the world, including kids our own age.”

"Race to Wrigley"

Chicago Cubs Charities' 7th Annual Race to Wrigley 5k Run, which starts and finishes at legendary Wrigley Field, helps kick off the baseball season and runners and sponsors can show their support for a good cause.

"Test your mental grit"

Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. As the leading company in the booming obstacle course industry, Tough Mudder has already challenged half a million inspiring participants worldwide and raised more than $2 million dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project. But Tough Mudder is more than an event, it’s a way of thinking. By running a Tough Mudder challenge, you’ll unlock a true sense of accomplishment, have a great time, and discover a camaraderie with your fellow participants that’s experienced all too rarely these days.

"authentic Mexican Masked Wrestling, Striptease & Comedy"

Welcome to Lucha VaVOOM

Where authentic Mexican Masked Wrestling, Striptease & Comedy collide (est 2002)

We will be doing some Very Special Cinco de Mayo events in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Los Angeles 4th & 5th May at the Mayan and Chicago 5th May at the Park West

"Aurora Borealis" in Fáskrúðsfjörður, Iceland

The Northern Lights are seen in the skies near Faskusfjordur on the east coast of Iceland Thursday March 8, 2012. A solar storm shook the Earth's magnetic field early Friday, but scientists said they had no reports of any problems with electrical systems. After reports Thursday of the storm fizzling out, a surge of activity prompted space weather forecasters to issue alerts about changes in the magnetic field.

(AP Photo/Jonina Oskardottir) ICELAND OUT

"A Big Rock and a Bunch of Idiots"

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art has acquired, in its wisdom, a 340 ton granite boulder that will form the centerpiece of Michael Heizer’s massive outdoor sculpture, “Levitated Mass.”

LACMA director Michael Govan points out that the huge rock is “only part of the sculpture,” which requires the construction of a subterranean slot upon which steel rails will support the rock, I mean the sculpture.

“The largest part of the sculpture is the negative space, the channel in the landscape,” he says. “It has its own independent sculptural presence. The marriage of these two forms comprises the sculpture.”

When was the last time you got to hear the term “negative space” used without facetiousness?

KONY 2012

A little-known American charity dedicated to helping victims of African conflict has scored a public relations coup. Invisible Children’s new 30-minute Kony 2012 video, directed by Jason Russell, has been viewed over 440,000 times since being placed on YouTube on March 5. The film is intended to raise public awareness of the devastating Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict in Uganda; Fast Company has written previously about the LRA’s routine use of child labor and rape.

blogs.trb.com

"a love triangle with a difference"

A trio of British badminton stars have ended up in a love triangle with a difference after 23-year-old Chris Adcock ditched his girlfriend in search of Olympic glory.

Wait a second, though: Adcock has not pulled the plug on his relationship with 21-year-old Gabby White, but has stopped playing mixed doubles with her in order to play alongside her 24-year-old arch-rival Imogen Bankier.

Adcock and Bankier are now hot favourites to grab Britain's Olympic qualification spot, while White will have to do with watching the Games on TV.

And the situation sparked a Twitter spat between the two women.

From left to right above: Gabby White, Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier.

"You've Got to Be Taught"

Oscar Hammerstein II's lyrics reflected his personality and belief system, making him one of the first to transform the genre of the Broadway musical from lighthearted boy-meets-girl frivolities to more substantial intellectual shows.

The lyricist-librettist-producer explored the subject of miscegenation in the seminal 1927 musical "Show Boat," which he wrote with composer Jerome Kern. In 1945's "Carousel," his second collaboration with composer Richard Rodgers, Hammerstein presented a romantic drama fantasy that dealt with death, heaven and forgiveness. And in the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein masterwork, "South Pacific," Hammerstein looked at racism especially in his song "You've Got to Be Taught."

"I thought the song 'You've Got to Be Taught' really educated a lot of people to make them think about the civil rights subject," said JoAnn Young, director of the new PBS special "Oscar Hammerstein II: Out of My Dreams," airing Sunday on KOCE. The special is hosted and narrated by "Glee's" Matthew Morrison, who appeared in the Lincoln Center revival of "South Pacific" four years ago.

"On the big screen: a cinematic masterpiece"

A symphonic night at the movies! On the big screen: a cinematic masterpiece that has become part of American popular culture — ­"We'll always have Paris," "Here's looking at you, kid." On the concert hall stage: The gifted musicians of Pacific Symphony provide the soundtrack by performing Max Steiner's glorious score live! Click on the heading for more information.

A battle that changed the course of history

USS Monitor , a 987-ton armored turret gunboat, was built at New York to the design of John Ericsson . She was the first of what became a large number of "monitors" in the United States and other navies. Commissioned on 25 February 1862, she soon was underway for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Monitor arrived there on 9 March, and was immediately sent into action against the Confederate ironclad Virginia , which had sunk two U.S. Navy ships the previous day . The resulting battle , the first between iron-armored warships, was a tactical draw. However, USS Monitor prevented the CSS Virginia from gaining control of Hampton Roads and thus preserved the Federal blockade of the Norfolk area.

Following this historic action, Monitor remained in the Hampton Roads area and, in mid-1862 was actively employed along the James River in support of the Army's Peninsular Campaign. In late December 1862, Monitor was ordered south for further operations. Caught in a storm off Cape Hatteras, she foundered on 31 December. Her wreck was discovered in 1974 and is now a marine sanctuary.

The "Ty Cobb Legend"

Lee Blessing gives us a three-dimensional look at baseball legend Ty Cobb in his fiercely honest one-act Cobb now onstage at Group rep in NoHo. Superbly staged by Gregg T. Daniel and gloriously acted by an ensemble of four, Cobb is represented at the beginning, middle and end of his life by three actors who play simultaneously around and against each other, as the man, like all men, attempts to sum up his life and make sense of his accomplishments.

"$85 million project is under way"

When plans for an extension campus in Hollywood for Boston-based Emerson College were announced, it sounded like an amorphous plan. Well, we knew architect Morphosis, Thom Mayne's architecture firm, was picked to design the campus at Sunset and Gordon. But in a profile on attorney Lewis Feldman, who represents Emerson College, in this week's Los Angeles Business Journal, there's a rendering of the reported $85 million project which is under way.

First, more background: The program is designed for Emerson College seniors, who will reside on this Hollywood extension as part of a live/study program that'll see the college students studying at this center, while doing internships with companies in Los Angeles.