Wall of Death...

Defying gravity: Meet the fearless performers who take on the 30ft Wall of Death... with no hands By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 1:45 PM on 26th July 2011 Hands outstretched and with a defiant grin on his face, this performer entertains hundreds as he races around the 'Wall of Death' in India. Racing along just feet from spectators and the floor on a rickety wooden 'bowl', daredevil performers defy the laws of gravity on motorbikes and in cars in Srinagar, Kashmir. The dangerous stunts catapult the drivers into stardom at regular fairs in the northern region of India. Death defying: A stuntman takes his hands off his motorbike as he races around the 'Wall of Death' at a fair in Srinagar, Kashmir Playing to the crowd: This performer hangs out of his car as he speeds around the 30ft wooden wall Using centrifugal force - or counter-centripetal to physicists - the cars and motorbikes are able to circle a 30ft vertical wall at high speed. Traditionally the 'cylinder' in which the vehicles perform is made from wood, allowing for cheap repair but also making the feat that more dangerous due to the rickety nature of the track. Huge crowds pack the top of the 'wall' to watch as performers climb out of car windows or take their hands off motorbike handlebars. Celebrities: The performers become stars after wowing crowds with their gravity-defying abilities

Remarkable photographs

Remarkable photographs which capture the vicious battle for survival in the wild 

By Sadie Whitelocks

Last updated at 4:27 PM on 21st July 2011

It's fight not flight that keeps them alive. 

From snarling lionesses in the bush to a great white shark snatching a seal from the air, these amazing pictures show nature at its most dramatic. 

The wildlife photographers who took them prowled four continents and placed themselves within yards of some of the wilds most lethal creatures to take these spectacular images.

Bald move: Photographer and writer Steve Bloom has spent a decade trekking the globe in a bid to capture some of nature's most feared species in moments of conflict such as these two bald eagles battling it out in Alaska

Photographer, Steve Bloom, 58, compiled the incredible set of pictures and took a walk on the wild side to capture many of the images himself.

While visiting a nature reserve in Assam, India, Steve found himself face-to-face with a two-ton rhino. 'I managed to gain permission to visit a section of the reserve people aren't usually allowed to go to,' explained Steve.

 

'The rhino was standing around happily grazing - until it saw me and suddenly charged. It ran with full force like an accelerating car. I was in an open jeep so I was in a quite vulnerable position. The armed ranger I was with tried to fire a warning shot into the air but his rifle jammed.

'Then the driver tried to start the jeep but in the heat of the moment the engine stalled. There was nothing I could do but point my camera at the beast. It suddenly swerved and covered us in dust. It felt like you could hear my heartbeat from the other end of India.'

Team effort: A group of bloody-mouthed African lions casually maul a hippopotamus as it is dragged to the ground in Masai Mara, Kenya 

No escape: Four large male lions attack a buffalo from all sides, again in the Masai Mara, Kenya

Dirty dancing: One polar bear raises its left leg towards its rival as they spar at Cape Churchill in Manitoba, Canada, while two kangaroos are at each others throats on Kangaroo Island in Australia 

Rustling up a storm: Two African elephants kick up dust as they prepare to charge at each other in Botswana

Deep dive: A great white shark is caught mid-attack in South Africa as it emerges out of the ocean depths, flinging itself towards its prey

Beary scary: Two grown polar bears spar in Cape Churchill, Manitoba, Canada (top) while two young brown bears play-fight in Katmai National Park in Alaska (bottom)

What big teeth you have: Two hippopotamus  - famed for their large mouths - battle it out in a river in Botswana

Water fight: Two hippos bear their teeth while they violently writhe in a Kenyan river

He began wildlife while on holiday in South Africa in 1993 and three years later decided to make it his full-time career.

Explaining his inspiration he said: 'As a child in South Africa, I’d always been interested in visual images, as well as cinema. There was no TV in South Africa, too, as the authorities at that time had banned it, so I spent a lot of time looking at Life and other photo magazines.'

But not all animals involved in conflicts reach in a messy end.  In many cases animals are fighting creatures of the same species for dominance - as shown in the picture of Japanese macaques squabbling in hot springs. In other situations it is the prey that has the upper hand.

Tusk tackle: This aerial view shows two African elephants fighting at Amboseli National Park in the Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya. Elephants use their tusks for digging for roots and for fighting each other during mating season 

Mud bath: Two male African Elephants thrash around on a muddy river bed battling it out in Botswana

'For example a cheetah is the fastest land animal at around 70 miles-per-hour,' said Steve. 'But it can only run in short bursts of speed. If it doesn't catch the antelope it's chasing within the first few seconds it's the antelope that will outrun the cheetah.

'So creatures need to be adaptable, learn from their surroundings and above all stay strong.'

Over recent years he has published numerous books exhibiting his work including Trading Places:The Merchants of Nairobi, Living Africa, Elephant!, Spirit of the Wild, Untamed and In Praise of Primates.

Lethal embrace: A cheetah attacks a wildebeest head-on in the Serengeti, Tanzania

Group outing: Two pairs of polar bears rear up as they duel in the snow in Cape Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

NASA Shuttle Launch

 

NASA Shuttle Launch Let's light her up one last time! Atlantis overcomes a shaky launch to become the final Nasa shuttle to blast into spaceOne million spectators cram into Cape Canaveral and surrounding towns to watch the last launch of an American iconNervy moments as blast-off delayed 0.31 seconds from ignition due to launch pad problem'Let's light this fire one more time', says Commander Christopher Ferguson as he fires the enginesSpectators include former astronauts, Congressmen and celebrities By Daily Mail Reporter/Science And Tech Last updated at 5:54 PM on 9th July 2011 The space shuttle Atlantis thundered into orbit today, writing the final chapter in a 30-year story of triumphs, tragedy and, ultimately, unfulfilled expectations. A million-strong crowd crammed into Cape Canaveral surrounding towns to bid an emotional farewell to the shuttle as they watched it lift off on its 135th and final mission. They lined causeways and beaches around the central Florida site, angling for a last glimpse of the pioneering ship that has defined the U.S. space program for the past 30 years. While there were nervy moments as the countdown stalled for two minutes at 31 seconds while engineers fixed a problem with launch pad equipment - nothing  could stop the historic lift off. 'Good luck to you and your crew on this final flight of this true American icon,' shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach radioed to the crew minutes before takeoff, adding: 'Have a little fun up there.' Scroll down for video and a history of the Nasa shuttle programme It will be at least three years - possibly five or more - before astronauts launch again from U.S. soil, and so this final journey of the shuttle era packed in crowds and roused emotions on a scale not seen since the Apollo moon shots. After days of gloomy forecasts full of rain and heavy cloud cover, the spaceship lifted off at 11.29am local time (16.29 GMT) - just two minutes late - thundering away on the 135th shuttle mission 30 years and three months after the very first flight. The four experienced space fliers rode Atlantis from the same pad used more than a generation ago by the Apollo astronauts. The shuttle was visible for 42 seconds before disappearing into the clouds. Nasa waived its own weather rules to allow the lift-off to go forward. In the end, though, the countdown was delayed not by the weather but by the need to make certain the launch pad support equipment was retracted all the way. The crew will deliver a year's worth of critical supplies to the International Space Station and return with as much rubbish as possible. One last hurrah: Atlantis blasts off for the International Space Station on Nasa's last space shuttle mission Up, up and away: The shuttle almost didn't get off the ground though, as the giant countdown clock at Kennedy Space Center stuck at 0.31seconds for what seemed like an eternity Just as the spectators at Cape Canaveral in Florida and tens of millions of television viewers around the world had given up hope, Atlantis began to rise Commander Christopher Ferguson marked the occasion by announcing ‘Let’s light this fire one more time’ minutes before he blasted into orbit.  'The shuttle is always going to be a reflection of what a great nation can do when it dares to be bold and commits to follow through,' he added. It will be at least three years – possibly five or more – before astronauts are launched again from U.S. soil, and so this final journey of the shuttle era packed in crowds and roused emotions on a scale not seen since the Apollo moon shots. Nasa has set a long-term goal of  flying to an asteroid and eventually Mars. ‘Enjoy a little time here with your families again. But we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got another programme that we’ve got to get under way,’ Nasa administrator Charles Bolden told the launch control team after Atlantis reached orbit. He added: ‘We know what we’re doing. We know how to get there. We’ve just got to convince everybody else that we know what we’re doing.’ Atlantis’s crew will deliver a year’s worth of critical supplies to the International Space Station and return with as much trash as possible. The shuttle is scheduled to come home on July 20 after 12 days in orbit. When Atlantis returns to Earth for the final time, it will be placed in a museum with the other two shuttles. As it lifted off, Mr Boden said: ‘The space shuttle spreads its wings one final time for the start of a sentimental journey into history. We turn the page on a remarkable period in America’s history in space, while beginning the next chapter in our nation’s extraordinary story of exploration.’ Those watching from Cape Canaveral and surrounding towns included Nasa’s original shuttle pilot, Robert Crippen, now 73. He flew Columbia, along with Apollo 16 moon-walker John Young, on the test flight in 1981. Off to the ISS: The shuttle was visible for 42 seconds before disappearing into the clouds The final countdown: The shuttle lifts off as hundreds of fans watch a giant clock countdown with 13 seconds to go Best view in the house: Some of an estimated one million spectators watch the launch Emotional: Kennedy Space Centre employee Lisa Gorichky, cries as the shuttle lifts off while children watch from a nearby park Fond farewell: The blast-off marks the beginning of the end for Nasa's shuttle programme Soaring high: Thousands gather in the surf and on sand at Cocoa Beach, Florida to watch the shuttle pierce the clouds

Leaf Carving

Leaf Carving It’s hard not to love the brilliant display of colorful foliage that signals the entrance of autumn each year, but as the cold winter winds prevail, those leaves that once beautified the landscape are left to collect on the ground or be begrudging raked-up in some weekend chore. A new art form emerging out of China, however, is making use of these brittle leaves–creating delicate forms that will continue to be appreciated long after the jackets and sweaters of winter are hung in closets and the green buds of a new season sprout. Leaf carving art is one of the newest art forms in recent years. It’s inspiration comes from the beauty of nature. Creating these leaf carvings is no easy process, taking the delicate precision from a skilled artisan. With a knife, the leaf is slowly scraped of its outer layers, eventually revealing a near transparent surface. Special care is given to keep the veins intact to preserve the stability of the leaf.