April 23, 2009

Deklarasi Permatang Pauh

Slightly over ten years ago, on 12 September 1998, Anwar delivered his most famous Permatang Pauh Declaration.

What is the Permatang Pauh Declaration? What was it all about? Many Malaysians were not politically awoken on 12 September 1998 and probably never heard of the Permatang Pauh Declaration.

Slightly over one year ago another declaration was launched. This is called the People’s Declaration. Probably more people have heard of this declaration although there would still be many who are totally ignorant of what the People’s Declaration is all about.

The Permatang Pauh Declaration was Anwar’s declaration to the rakyat of Malaysia. The People’s Declaration was a declaration by the civil society movements, which was endorsed and adopted by seven political parties, Pakatan Rakyat included.

Today, I want Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat to renew their vows. Let the Permatang Pauh Declaration and the People’s Declaration become the foundation of the Penanti by-election. While the People’s Declaration was born in the Blog House in Kuala Lumpur, the Permatang Pauh Declaration was born where the Penanti by-election is going to be held.

Read the Permatang Pauh Declaration below. And read the People’s Declaration here (http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/the-peoples-voice-the-peoples-declaration/). During the Penanti by-election campaign we want to hear these two Declarations chanted over and over again or else be prepared to face the wrath of the voters.

Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Mansor Othman, the people have spoken. Do not take us for granted. So many times in the past we have heard manis mulut talk whenever you needed our votes. Our votes do not come cheap. Our votes come with a price. Are you prepared to pay that price? Let us hear it in Penanti.


THE PERMATANG PAUH DECLARATION

Being conscious of the Quranic injunction, which urges striving towards betterment;

And inspired by the Asian traditions, which all encourage renewal for the individual and for society;

And acknowledging that Malaysia is in the grip of a terrible crisis and requires recourse to its inner strengths in order to rise again,

We, the citizens of Malaysia of all cultural and religious backgrounds, are determined to launch a movement for comprehensive reform:

A reform movement shining with a light radiating from aspiring and pure hearts; from the awareness that man is truly noble and free, with rights and responsibilities, that it is a sacrilege to abuse and denigrate any man or woman, to bind and restrict any man or woman without following the due process of just laws;

A reform movement to establish justice for all, the weak and strong, the rich and poor, to preserve the institutions and processes of law from the defilement of graft and abuse of power;

A reform movement to sanctify the power of the people through democratic means, for democracy is an imperative: man's instinct for justice makes democracy a possibility, but the existence of tendencies to oppress makes it a necessity;

A reform movement that champions economic justice, one that advocates fairness in economic growth and distribution so that the rich do not get richer at the expense of the poor, for the world has enough for everyone, but too little to satisfy everyone's greed;

A reform movement to eradicate graft and abuse of power, to strip the opulent and greedy clique of their power to manipulate the market;

A reform movement to reinforce a dynamic cultural identity, where faith in our noble cultural traditions is intact, but there is openness to all that is good in all traditions;

A reform movement to launch the Malaysian nation into the information age and the borderless world, encouraging wisdom, self-assurance and openness towards a global friendship based on the principles of truth and justice.

We launch this reform movement as a peaceful movement, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution and in observance of the principles of the rule of law.

The hour has come. Unite for Reformasi.

ANWAR IBRAHIM
Permatang Pauh
12 September 1998

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Deklarasi Permatang Pauh

Menyedari gesaan al-Quran yang bermaksud “tidaklah kami mahu melainkan untuk melakukan islah sekuat daya kami”;

Dan berilhamkan tradisi budaya-budaya Asia yang keseluruhannya menganjurkan pembaharuan diri dan masyarakat;

Dan menginsafi bahawa Malaysia kini dicengkam kemelut yang dahsyat dan memerlukan kekuatan dalaman untuk bangun semula;

Maka kami rakyat Malaysia yang berbilang bangsa dan agama bertekat untuk melancarkan gerakan reformasi yang menyeluruh:

* Gerakan reformasi yang terpancar perjuangan hati nurani, dari kesedaran bahawa sesungguhnya diri manusia itu mulia dan merdeka, mempunyai hak dan tanggungjawab, diri manusia haram dizalimi dan diaibkan, haram di belenggu dan disekat tanpa mengikut proses dan undang-undang yang adil;

* Gerakan reformasi untuk menegakkan keadilan untuk semua, yang kuat dan yang lemah, yang kaya dan yang miskin; membersihkan institusi dan proses undang-undang dari dicemari oleh penyalahgunaan kuasa dan rasuah;

* Gerakan reformasi untuk mendaulatkan kuasa rakyat melalui proses demokrasi. Democrasi itu satu kemestian, kerana semangat keadilan yang ada dalam diri manusia membolehkan demokrasi dilaksana, tetapi kecenderungan manusia untuk berlaku zalim menjadikan demokrasi satu kewajipan;

* Gerakan reformasi untuk memperjuangkan keadilan ekonomi, menjana pertumbuhan dan pengagihan yang saksama, jangan yang kaya bertambah kaya yang miskin papa kedana. Dunia ini mencukupi untuk keperluan semua, tetapi tidak mencukupi untuk memenuhi kerakusan individu;

* Gerakan reformasi untuk membanteras rasuah dan penyalahgunaan kuasa, mengikis manipulasi pasaran oleh segelintir golongan rakus dan mahakaya;

* Gerakan reformasi untuk memperkukuhkan jayadiri budaya yang dinamis, setia kepada warisan bangsa yang murni dan terbuka kepada segala yang baik dari semua budaya;

* Gerakan reformasi untuk membawa bangsa Malaysia ke zaman maklumat dan dunia tanpa sempadan, menjana kebijaksanaan, keyakinan dan keterbukaan untuk menjalin persahabatan sejagat berdasarkan prinsip kebenaran dan keadilan.

Kami akan menggerakkan reformasi ini dengan aman, mengikut semangat perlembagaan dan bernafaskan prinsip pemerintahan undang-undang.

Masanya telah tiba. Bersatulah untuk reformasi.

ANWAR IBRAHIM
Permatang Pauh
12 September 1998

April 09, 2009

Cost Of Living In Malaysia

Cost of living in Malaysia
by Dr.Zain Azrai

The argument in this thread from day one is the cost of living in each country(especially UK and Europe) based on what you earn in the respective country and whether the standards are higher than in Malaysia.

I tried to point out that many Malaysians always convert and that is why they say the UK is expensive. In fact, the cost of living is much cheaper than in Malaysia.

In actual fact, Malaysians are being conned because for such a rich and resource rich country, the pay in Malaysia is way too low compared to the cost of living and inflation.

One good example is Singapore.

Singaporeans (average) earns around S$3000 to S$4000 and nearly everything is half the price of Malaysia . Eg clothes, computer parts, electronics etc. But the average Malaysian still earns M$2000 plus and goods are double the price of Singapore .

This is the same as the UK. If you earn around 2000 pounds, you can liken this to the person earning RM$2000 in Malaysia. I give you some examples below. Maybe you can understand.

1) Good terrace house

It is more or less the same. If you want a house in KL, it would most probably be in Puchong and not Damansara Heights. So your house would be RM$200,000. In UK, you can get a decent new house in Zone 6 (still within the tube) for 200,000 pounds.

If non London, you can get a nice house also for less than 200,000 pounds outside London. The same also applies to buying a house in Seremban, Kajang etc. You can buy a nice house for RM200,000 below. So buying a house is the same for the local and the Malaysian.

Renting a place is the same too or maybe cheaper than in Malaysia (I am not sure of this). A 2-bedroom flat in London is about 750 pounds (Zone 2). 500 pounds outside Zone 6 but still able to commute to London. A 2-bedroom house in Nottingham is 450 to 500 pounds. A 3-bedroom house in Belfast is about 300 pounds.

2) A car

A good Wira is RM$55,000. Most Malaysians have to take 7-year loans and be in debt all the time. If you are earning RM$2000 a month, you take nearly 3 years saving the RM$2000 with not eating at all just to buy a Wira.

In UK, the average local earns about 2000 pounds. He saves 3 months, he can buy outright a good Ford Fiesta or a Vauxhall Corsa without being in debt.

If buying a second hand car, even better. A 1990 Mercedes 190E cost 500 pounds. My 1996 Mercedes E220 cost 2000 pounds. My friend just gave me his 1989 Honda Accord (Auto) for free because he said he could only get 30 pounds for it.

I used it for a few months and decided to give it of for free too.

That alone speaks for itself.

Even if you are kuli or an office boy, you still can drive a Mercedes or a BM. Yes, kuli's and office boy's get paid quite well.

Average temp/office boy in London can earn about 7 to 10 pounds and hour. Overtime is 1.5 times or double. A brick-layer can earn 20 pounds an hour.

The same Indon who lays bricks in Malaysia earns RM$50 for the whole day.

Before I became a doctor, I used to be an office boy and I earned near 300 pounds a week working about 70 hours a week. My makan was 30 pounds a week. My rent was 70 pounds a week for a room but I still drove a BMW back then. I bought the 10-year old BMW 3 Series car for 200 pounds.

Amazing how an office boy can drive a safe and luxurious car.

3) Petrol

For a UK person earning 2000 pounds, 80 pence a litre/gallon is cheaper than RM$1.80 paid in Malaysia. If you don't convert, it is like paying 80 sen a litre in Malaysia

4) Shopping

20 pounds (which is 1% of 2000 pounds) can buy you 1 week's worth of groceries in Tesco. RM$100 (which is 10% of RM$2000) can also buy you 1 week's worth of groceries in Giant or Carrefour.

5) Utility Bills (This is what I pay in UK)

1. Virtually non-stop heating the whole day only 20 pounds a month. (Only 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

2. Electricity, I use my electricity maximum only 20 pounds a month. (Only 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

3. My water bill also comes to about 20 pounds a month (Only 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

4. My internet - I get 2Mbps for about 25 pounds (Bulldog DSL) (Also slightly above 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

5. Astro Equivalent (NTL cable or Sky) - 30 pounds per month (Also slightly above 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

In Malaysia, this is what I used to pay

1. Tenaga Bill comes to RM$200 to RM300 a month with 3 air-cons. (This is more than 10% of the RM$2000 earned)

2. Water (Puas) comes to RM$40 (This is about 2% of the RM$2000 earned)

3. Astro RM$100 (if you take Chinese package) (This is about 5% of the RM$2000 you earn)

4. Internet Streamyx 512K RM 88 per month (This is about 5% of RM2000 you earn)

6) Books

A good book is about 10 to 15 pounds in the UK . This is less than 1% of the 2000 pounds you earn. In Malaysia, you have to spend RM$75 to RM$100 for a decent book in MPH or Kinokuniya in KLCC. This is about 5% of the RM$2000 ringgit you earn.

7) Education

I think it is about RM$20,000 per year to do a degree in Sunway Monash and about RM$12,000 per year to send your kid to UM, UKM, USM etc. I am not sure about this.

But in UK , it is only 3000 pounds a year to send your kid to a great university. That also, the white man still makes a lot of noise because the grants were taken away. Previously, it was virtually free for the Englishman to send his kid to university but now, since the grant was taken away, he has to spend 3000 pounds per year to send his kid to university and less money to get drunk in the pub.

Well, if you are earning RM$2000 ringgit, sending your kid to UM to study is quite difficult. If you are earning 2000 pounds per month, you can easily send you kid to university in the UK.

Even worse for the poor non bumi's not given a place in local university.

Even if they can afford, they won't get a place because of the quota system. Unfortunately, the Chinaman and the Indian who gets 5A's in STPM have to be sacrificed and not given a place to let the Malay fellow with 2E's and 3 Fail's to enter the Medical Faculty or Law Faculty.

So the non-bumi's have to save RM100,000 per year to send their kid to the UK. In the UK, at least the white man still can go into university based on results and merit and only pay 3000 pounds per year.

8) Luxuries

Panasonic Plasma TV in Malaysia about RM20,000. If you are earning RM$2000 a month, memang mahal! You have to save 2 years your monthly salary to buy it. In UK, the same Panasonic ironically, Panasonic plasma is made in Japan and Japan is close to Malaysia, so the plasma should be cheaper in Malaysia ) is only 2000 pounds. And this is only 10% of the 2000pounds earned.

9) Health

NHS is free. Though the service is slow, quality is still there. You still can get a top quality by-pass for free although you may have to wait many months.

In Malaysia, IJN charges RM$30,000. SJMC charges RM$50,000. GH is free but as many people know, GH and UH have clown doctors. For example doctors who wear tudung and use a pen to touch the patient because scared (dosa).

10) Assessments to local councils

I may pay high council tax but at least my council assures my streets are clean and safe, got no holes (pot holes) on my roads, and they jump and attend to me whenever I call them.

When I stayed in Malaysia, I paid my assessment and quite rent but MPSJ I lived in Subang told me to "podah" whenever I asked them to come and fill up the pot holes, cut the long lalang, put street lighting etc.

The councils, especially MPPJ and MPSJ, were more interested in eating nasi lemak and going for 10 teh tariks in a day during office hours and hardly did anything for their residents.

11) Income Tax

My national insurance and income tax also is not wasted. When I was unemployed in 1997, the government via social security paid for my 2-bedroom flat for one whole year and I was given about 100 pounds per week for me and my wife to live on. I am happy to know that one day if I lose my job, I can still claim social security and get my apartment paid and food to eat again for free. It is a good security to know.

The list goes on. Here alone you can see, the sterling you earn goes a long way in the UK. So your quality of life is far better in the UK than a Malaysian in Malaysia. It is just that Malaysians are just too content with what they have. But you compare apple for apple.

The British just love to complain. They have it made but still they love to complain. Nothing is good enough for the British. The government gives the citizens so much but they still seem to want more and more.


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Financial Wisdom

Some financial wisdom from the Oracle of Ohama!

Every new year, I adopt a couple of old maxims as my beacons to guide my future. This self-prescribed therapy has ensured that with each passing year, I grow wiser and not older. This year, I invite you to tap into the financial wisdom of our elders along with me, and become financially wiser.

Spending: If you buy things you don't need, you'll soon sell things you need.
Savings: Don't save what is left after spending; spend what is left after saving.
Hard work: All hard work brings profit; but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Laziness: A sleeping lobster is carried away by the water current.
Earnings: Never depend on a single source of income.
Borrowings: The borrower becomes the lender's slave.
Accounting: It's no use carrying an umbrella, if your shoes are leaking.
Auditing: Beware of little expenses; a small leak can sink a large ship.
Risk-taking: Never test the depth of the river with both feet.
Investment: Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

I'm certain that those who have already been practicing these principles remain financially healthy.

I'm equally confident that those who resolve to start practicing these principles will quickly regain their financial health.

Let us become wiser and lead a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful life.

- Warren Buffet

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April 02, 2009

THE TOP 15 richest living monarchs today


1. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah: Sultan of Brunei
Age: 61
Going at $22 billion
He became the 29th Sultan of Brunei 40 years ago as the heir of an unbroken 600-year-old Muslim dynasty. He rules the oil-rich land concurrently as prime minister, defense minister, finance minister and head of religion. His hobbies include collecting fine jewels and polo.


2. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (right): President of the United Arab Emirates
Age: 59
Going at $21 billion
He is the hereditary ruler of the tiny emirate Abu Dhabi, which holds one-tenth of the world's oil reserves. His endeavour is to reinvent the emirate as a 'cultural hub' of the Middle East.


3. King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz: Ruler of Saudi Arabia
Age: 83
Going at $19 billion
He became the king in August 2005. Shortly after he took the crown, he began the construction of a $26-billion city named in his honour. He is more cautious about spending money, however, than his half-brother, the late King Fahd.

Abdullah breeds Arabian horses as a hobby. His accomplishments also include the setting up of two libraries in Saudi Arabia and Morocco.


4. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum: Ruler of Dubai
Age: 57
Going at $16 billion
The 'CEO of Dubai Inc.' shares his fortunes with his two brothers. In 2007, government-holding companies of Dubai bought big stakes in HSBC and Deutsche Bank and also bid for US retailer Barneys.


5. King Bhumibol Adulyadej: King of Thailand
Age: 79
Going at $5 billion
Adulyadej, who is the world's longest-reigning monarch, is US-born, Swiss-educated and revered as a deity in Thailand. As an environmentalist, he has a royal car that runs on palm oil.


6. Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein (left): Prince of Liechtenstein, a self-named country.
Age: 62
Going at $4.5 billion
His family, whose fortune goes back 900 years, has been collecting art for four centuries. He owns a private LGT bank, real estate and Rice Tec, a US producer of genetically engineered rice.


7. King Mohammed IV (right): King of Morocco
Age: 44
Going at $2 billion
He is nicknamed the 'king of the poor' on account of his efforts to alleviate poverty and improve human rights. His palace's reported operating budget exceeds $9,60,000 a day,much of which is spent on clothes and car repairs.


8. Prince Albert II: Prince of Monaco
Age: 49
Going at 1.2 billion
This eligible bachelor inherited the tiny principality of Monaco after his father's death in 2005 (his father, you might remember, married legendary US actress Grace Kelly). He also inherited a fortune in real estate, art and a stake in Monte Carlo's casinos. This year, he hosted functions to pay tribute to his mother, Grace Kelly, who died 25 years ago.


9. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani: Emir of Qatar
Age: 55
Going at $1 billion
He overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1995. He is a sports enthusiast and is responsible for bringing events like the Asian Games to the tiny state. He funds the Al Jazeera and its English sister station.


10. Prince Karim Al Husseini: Aga Khan
Age: 70
Going at $1 billion
Only this year, he celebrated his 50th anniversary as leader of the world's 15 million Ismaili Muslims. He is a suave businessman, operating businesses from France and Switzerland. He also owns large horse farms.

Husseini is currently in the process of divorcing his second wife. His first ex-wife received a reported $20 million after they parted ways.


11. Queen Elizabeth II: Queen of the United Kingdom
Age: 81
Going at $600 million
The queen, who has been holding on to her throne for quite some time now, keeps an active travel schedule. She has real estate holdings in England and Scotland which are appreciating, and also owns a valuable stamp collection. She is also an amateur photographer and is passionate about Welsh Corgis (a cute, small dog) and horses.


12. Sheikh Sabah Al Sabah: Emir of Kuwait
Age: 78
Going at $500 million
He took over as emir in 2006 after the crown prince was deemed too ill to ascend the throne following the death of former emir Sheikh Jaber. Soon after he took the throne, however, he voted for a significant raise in the royal family stipend.


13. Sultan Qaboos Bin Said: Sultan of Oman
Age: 66
Going at $500 million
After six years of living under house arrest, this sultan overthrew his father in 1970. He then began an active modernisation programme after opening up his country to the outside world. His fortune today is tied up in oil. He has funded the restoration of over a dozen mosques.


14. Queen Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard: Queen of the Netherlands
Age: 69
Going at $300 million
This dynamic woman wields more power than most of Europe's reigning monarchs: She appoints the country's prime minister and deputies and also signs Bills into laws. Her family fortune includes real estate, equity investments and antiques, which she reportedly actively manages.


15. King Mswati II: King of Swaziland
Age: 39
Going at $200 million
He is Africa's last absolute monarch, assuming the throne when he was 18 years. His gets his wealth from investments and real estate. He reportedly loves to spend his money, starting with building palaces for each of his 13 wives. He recently held a reported million dollar-plus birthday bash for himself, which critics denounced given the country's poverty and high AIDS rate.

Artist At Work

Here are 7 pictures of European trucks whose trailers are decorated to look like the sides are missing and the products they are hauling are painted on the sides and back.

The first one is of a bottle of beer and looks so real, like it is coming out the side of the trailer.

The second is of canvas tote bag.

The third is of Pepsi cases and they are all stacked on the ceiling, and the bottom of the trailer is empty.

The fourth is of another truck with the windshield facing the back and there has been a driver painted in the driver's seat looking back over his shoulder to appear like he is driving backwards. (Now this one is just plain scary, even when the German reads 'On the wrong way?')

The fifth one is of an aquarium with fish swimming in it.

The sixth one is of a bookshelf with books lined up in it and a post-it-note with an advertisement on it, probably for the company that sells the books.

The last one is for Pringles-Hot & Spicy. The 'inside' of the trailer has the appearance of having been through a fire.

Do you know your durians?

The Penangites are connorsieurs & take their durians very seriously.

A selection of branded durians in a plantation in Balik Pulau, the durian centre of Penang

D11 'Number Eleven' was a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.


D604
The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some 'body' to it as the seed is small


D600 This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I documented is a bit hard.


D700
The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong..



Ang Sim (Red Heart)
Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.


Khun Poh
This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangy flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.


Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian)
The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter.. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a 'Hor Lor' pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.


Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian)
Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange-reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.



Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian)
Xiao Hung, whose name means 'Little Red One,' originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau.
The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I tasted for this write-up is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.


Yah Kang (Centipede Durian)
Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name 'yah kang' means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.


Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian)
Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.


The following are some of the durians I tried the first time at Peng Siew Durian Estate in Titi Serong, Balik Pulau, on the AsiaExplorers Durian Feast, 17 June, 2006.

D17
D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.


Coupling
This durian got its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good....


Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian)
The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.



Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian)
Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means 'green skin'. Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.

Ang Jin (Red Yoke Durian)
As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.


Lin Fong Jiau
This durian is named after Lin Fong Jiau, aka Mrs Jackie Chan. I wonder whether it is indicative of the relationship of the celebrity couple.

April 01, 2009

Natural Wonders

The classical natural wonders are huge and hard to miss - vast canyons, giant mountains and the like. Many of the most fantastic natural phenomena, however, are also least easy to spot. Some are incredibly rare while others are located in hard-to-reach parts of the planet. From moving rocks to mammatus clouds and red tides to fire rainbows, here are seven of the most spectacular phenomenal wonders of the natural world.

1) Sailing Stones
The mysterious moving stones of the packed-mud desert of Death Valley have been a center of scientific controversy for decades. Rocks weighing up to hundreds of pounds have been known to move up to hundreds of yards at a time. Some scientists have proposed that a combination of strong winds and surface ice account for these movements. However, this theory does not explain evidence of different rocks starting side by side and moving at different rates and in disparate directions. Moreover, the physics calculations do not fully support this theory as wind speeds of hundreds of miles per hour would be needed to move some of the stones.

2) Columnar Basalt

When a thick lava flow cools it contracts vertically but cracks perpendicular to its directional flow with remarkable geometric regularity - in most cases forming a regular grid of remarkable hexagonal extrusions that almost appear to be made by man. One of the most famous such examples is the Giant's Causeway on the coast of Ireland (shown above) though the largest and most widely recognized would be Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Basalt also forms different but equally fascinating ways when eruptions are exposed to air or water.

3) Blue Holes


Blue holes are giant and sudden drops in underwater elevation that get their name from the dark and foreboding blue tone they exhibit when viewed from above in relationship to surrounding waters. They can be hundreds of feet deep and while divers are able to explore some of them they are largely devoid of oxygen that would support sea life due to poor water circulation - leaving them eerily empty. Some blue holes, however, contain ancient fossil remains that have been discovered, preserved in their depths.

4) Red Tides

Red tides are also known as algal blooms - sudden influxes of massive amounts of colored single-cell algae that can convert entire areas of an ocean or beach into a blood red color. While some of these can be relatively harmless, others can be harbingers of deadly toxins that cause the deaths of fish, birds and marine mammals. In some cases, even humans have been harmed by red tides though no human exposure are known to have been fatal. While they can be fatal, the constituent phytoplankton in ride tides are not harmful in small numbers.

5) Ice Circles


While many see these apparently perfect ice circles as worthy of conspiracy theorizing, scientists generally accept that they are formed by eddies in the water that spin a sizable piece of ice in a circular motion. As a result of this rotation, other pieces of ice and flotsam wear relatively evenly at the edges of the ice until it slowly forms into an essentially ideal circle. Ice circles have been seen with diameters of over 500 feet and can also at times be found in clusters and groups at different sizes as shown above.

6) Mammatus Clouds


True to their ominous appearance, mammatus clouds are often harbingers of a coming storm or other extreme weather system. Typically composed primarily of ice, they can extend for hundreds of miles in each direction and individual formations can remain visibly static for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. While they may appear foreboding they are merely the messengers - appearing around, before or even after severe weather.

7) Fire Rainbows


A circumhorizontal fire rainbow arc occurs at a rare confluence of right time and right place for the sun and certain clouds. Crystals within the clouds refract light into the various visible waves of the spectrum but only if they are arrayed correctly relative to the ground below. Due to the rarity with which all of these events happen in conjunction with one another, there are relatively few remarkable photos of this phenomena.