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TOWN WITH AN UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE TO A PERSON WITH ARMS STRETCHED OUT

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The small town of Centuripe is known for its wealth of Roman ruins and rare ancient sculptures, but a drone shot from the air has uncovered its rare shape – an uncanny resemblance to a person with arms stretched out.

Photographer and drone pilot Pio Andrea Peri noticed his hometown’s unusual shape on Google Earth and decided to use his drone to see if it was true.

He flew his drone as high as he could above the town and began taking photos.

To his surprise, it revealed the shape of a human.

But due to the limitations of his drone, Peri reportedly needed to stitch together several photos to fit in the entire village.

Aerial images show two longer stretches of buildings that resemble ‘arms’ and another two resembling ‘legs’, while a shorter fifth stretch makes up the ‘head’.

“It was a hard shot to create,” he said. “I had to use multiple shots because of the height limit of the drone.”

Peri took the snaps in 2021 and they have since resurfaced on social media with many amazed by the village’s resemblance to a person.

“There are those looking from above who see a man lying down, then there are those who see a starfish … How about you? What do you see watching Centuripe?” he asked his Instagram followers alongside one of his aerial shots.

“Wow, this town has such an incredible shape,” one person responded.

“Love this! I see a man living free with the land!” wrote another.

Meanwhile, a local thanked the photographer for his work.

“Centuripe deserved some visibility and we are honoured that a master like you gave it. Gorgeous pictures,” they wrote.

Others described the village’s shape as “crazy”, “incredible” and “cool”.

“Would love to see how the people get around. I see one road around the outer edge. Very interesting,” a Facebook user wrote.

“I’m on my way from the right arm, should be to the left arm oh I’d say in about an hour or so,” said another.

“In a country shaped like a boot, there’s a town shaped like a person,” a third added.

However, while many were amazed by Peri’s images, some accused him of doctoring them.

“The whole world was incredulous at the bizarre shape of this town. Many did not believe it was true, and they thought that I had drawn the photo on the PC,” Pio said, according to the Daily Mail.

“But when they realized the truth by searching on Google Earth many of them personally apologized for what they said to me.”

“I’m proud of the pictures and I’m happy with my results; being a self-taught person I believe a lot in what I do.”

He explained how difficult it was to create the final image.

“I overlaid about 18 shots manually in post production and it took two hours of editing. I’m very happy with the result.”

At the time, the town’s mayor invited photographer Peri to stage an exhibition of his photographs.

The ancient town of Centuripe, built on a hill about 730m above sea level, has a population of around 5000 inhabitants.

The town’s current layout and design is said to date back to the 16th century with its tiny, winding streets leading down to terraced buildings.

The picturesque alleyways are reportedly designed for animal transport.

Due to its high position, Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi called Centuripe “the balcony of Sicily”.

From the top of the town, the famous Mt Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, is visible in the distance, as are sprawling views of the surrounding countryside.

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History of Abuja

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The land now called Abuja was originally the southwestern part of the ancient Habe (Hausa) kingdom of Zazzau (Zaria). It was populated for centuries by several semi-independent tribes. The largest of the tribes was Gbagyi (Gwari), followed by the Koro and a few other smaller tribes. In the early 1800’′s when Zaria fell to Fulani invaders, Muhammed Makau, fled south with some followers and his brothers- Abu Ja and Kwaka. Abu Ja succeeded Makau in 1825. The full name of the king was Abubakar, Abu was his nickname. By some accounts, his fair complexion earned him the nickname Ja which means red or fair-skinned in Hausa. He became known as Abu-Ja meaning Abu the red or Abubakar the fair one. Other sources say that the Ja is a shortened form of lshaku Jatau, his father’s name. King Abubakar founded the kingdom of Abuja.

Abuja became a major commercial center where long-distance traders exchanged goods. The inhabitants fought off the Fulani and were not conquered as the neighbouring lands were. In 1902, Abuja was occupied by the British colonial army The British reorganized the kingdoms and called them emirates which means kingdoms in Arabic. Until 1975, it remained a quiet part of Nigeria. The problems associated with the capital being in Lagos, led to the search for a new capital that year. Abuja was selected from among 33 possible sites. The criteria used for selection included: centrality, health, climate, land availability and use, water supply, multi-access possibilities, security, existence of resources, drainage, good soil, physical planning convenience, and ethnic accord.

The Emir of Abuja at the time, Altai Suleiman Bara, was asked to meet with his Emirate Council to approve contributing four of the live districts to Abuja to become the new capital. The council was divided as some districts considered it too much of a sacrifice; but at the end, they approved the request from the Federal Government. Thus, the Abuja in Niger State contributed 80% of the land of the territory Plateau State (Now Nassarawa State) contributed 16% of the South east territory and Kwara State (now Kogi State) contributed about 4% of the south west territory. The Emirate was then asked to give up the name Abuja for the Federal Capital Territory. Again the council was divided. In the end, they agreed believing that the name of the emirate would become famous throughout the world. The previous town of Abuja was renamed Suleja after the then Emir of Suleiman Barau and Ja the last syllable of the first emirate’s name. Another interesting historical fact is that in the Gbagyi (or Gwan) language, the word Aso means success or victory.

According to tradition, the original inhabitants of the region lived at the base of the rock for centuries without being conquered. The rock was a refuge as well as mystical source of strength. Asoro (Aso Koro) the name of the one of the local areas, therefore, means people of victory. In addition, the term Aso Rock is increasingly being used to refer not only to the physical structure of the most imposing rock in the area, but also as a symbol of government power and a nation.

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GIGANTIC NEW SNAKE SPECIES DISCOVERED IN AMAZON RAIN FOREST

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A team of scientists went to observe anacondas rumored to be the largest in existence. Professor Bryan Fry/The University of Queensland

Gigantic new snake species were discovered in the Amazon rain forest by a team of scientists who went to observe anacondas rumored to be the largest in existence. 

Scientists working in the Amazon rainforest have discovered a new species of snake, rumored to be the biggest in the world.

A team from the University of Queensland traveled to the Ecuadorian Amazon to search for the previously undocumented northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayima), following an invitation from the Waorani people to observe anacondas “rumoured to be the largest in existence,” according to the scientists.

The team joined the hunters on a 10-day expedition to the Bameno region of Baihuaeri Waorani Territory, before paddling down the river system to “find several anacondas lurking in the shallows, lying in wait for prey,” Professor Bryan Fry, a biologist from the University of Queensland, who led the team, said in a statement.

Anacondas are giant, non-venomous constricting snakes found in or near water in warm parts of South America.

“The size of these magnificent creatures was incredible – one female anaconda we encountered measured an astounding 6.3 metres (20.7 feet) long,” Fry said of the team’s discovery, which was made while filming for National Geographic’s upcoming series “Pole to Pole with Will Smith.”

The team also said they had heard anecdotal evidence that snakes of 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) and 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) had been sighted in the area.

Green anacondas are the world’s heaviest snakes, according to the UK’s Natural History Museum, which noted that the heaviest individual ever recorded weighed 227 kilograms (500 pounds). It measured 8.43 meters long (27.7 feet) and 1.11 meters (3.6 feet) wide.
While another species, the reticulated python, tends to be longer – often reaching more than 6.25 meters (20.5 feet) in length – it is lighter.

The discovery was made while filming for a National Geographic series.

The discovery was made while filming for a National Geographic series. Professor Bryan Fry/The University of Queensland

However, experts studying the creatures discovered that the newly identified gigantic snake species discovered in the Amazon rain forest, the northern green anaconda species diverged from the southern green anaconda almost 10 million years ago, and they differ genetically by 5.5%.

“It’s quite significant – to put it in perspective, humans differ from chimpanzees by only about 2 percent,” Fry said. The findings are described in the journal MDPI Diversity.

The team then set out to compare the genetics of the green anaconda with other specimens elsewhere to assess them as an indicator species for the health of ecosystems and warned that the Amazon is facing numerous threats.

“Deforestation of the Amazon basin from agricultural expansion has resulted in an estimated 20-31 percent habitat loss, which may impact up to 40 percent of its forests by 2050,” Fry said.

Habitat degradation, forest fires, drought and climate change threaten rare species like the anacondas, which exist in such rare ecosystems, he added.

CNN

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A WHOLE TOWN UNDER ONE ROOF

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A whole town under one roof!The town of Whittier, Alaska, is known for having nearly the entire population living in a single apartment building.

The building is called Begich Towers, a 14-story apartment complex that houses about 90% of the town’s residents (total: 272). This has earned Whittier the nickname of a “town under one roof”.

The building, originally constructed as an army barracks, now serves as a cozy condominium featuring a post office, general store, police station, laundromat, health clinic, mayor’s office, and a heated indoor pool.

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Whittier, Alaska is accessible only by air or through a single-lane tunnel that stretches over two miles through neighboring Maynard Mountain. The town’s weather conditions can be harsh during winter, making the Begich Towers a convenient and practical living solution for the residents, under one roof.

In addition to the Begich Towers, there is a second condo building in the town where the remaining residents also live under one roof. The town’s school and gym are located in a separate structure but are connected to the Begich Towers by a tunnel, allowing for easy access during the winter months. Isn’t it amazing, that in this town everyone lives under one roof.

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