The Horrible Effects of Dengue Fever

Imagine having horrible joint pains, swollen glands, a high fever, and a rash – all at the same time. Then you’ll have an idea of just how horrible the effects of dengue fever are. And with four different strands of the virus running rampant through the tropics and subtropics, it’s no wonder this debilitating sickness is sometimes called “breakbone fever”.

The Spellbinding Tilework Mosaics of Iranian Architecture

Vibrant jewel-like colors, intricate geometric patterns, graceful arches, majestic domes, and delicate latticework. These are some of the features we associate with Iranian (or Persian) architecture, which is undoubtedly some of the most beautiful in the world.

The Bataan Death March in Pictures

To demonstrate their military superiority, the Japanese Army forced horrified Filipino citizens to view the bodies of dead POWs.
The fierce tropical sun beats down on the heads of the men, all of them exhausted, starving and thirsty; many of them sick. They have had no rest breaks for hours. And there is no mercy for those who stumble or collapse. Soldiers shoot or bayonet anybody who can’t keep up and sometimes even those who do. Corpses lie along the road – a grim reminder to all that, at any moment, death may claim them.
The Bataan Death March, which had its 70th anniversary this year, is listed as one of the atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII. The list includes several massacres and cases of human experimentation, like those of the infamous Unit 731.

Foraging Chef Introduces Indigenous Swedish Cuisine to the World

Gone are the days when readers eagerly waited for books to cross the pond between Europe and North America. Modern technology has reduced the delay to mere days. An article on Newsweek's website reviewed one Swedish book a week before its launch. Fäviken, by Magnus Nilsson, offers a Scandinavian perspective on food to readers everywhere. More than just a collection of recipes, Fäviken presents an indigenous European sense of nature and history.

The Strange Lunar Beauty of the Algerian Sahara

The Sahara desert: a name that conjures romantic fantasies of shifting sand dunes, palm-lined oases, and hellish visions of vast waterless expanses. It’s a place known as much for its breathtaking beauty as its capacity to kill those foolish enough to get lost in its harsh wilderness. And it’s these two apparent contradictions of the Sahara that seem to be embodied so well here in Algeria.

Backdrop to Reality: The Brilliantly Colored Graffiti Murals of El Salvador

The Central American country of El Salvador is a great place to visit. Not only is the land itself both beautiful and striking, but the culture is fascinating and colorful. There is a flipside to any coin, however, and in El Salvador it is war and crime. With one of the highest murder rates in the Americas and constant problems with gangs, El Salvador has plenty of issues to address. Yet these seemingly contradictory realities offer a compelling backdrop to any visit. And one of the best insights into the light and dark aspects of life in El Salvador is provided by the street art murals found all over the country, from small hamlets in the mountains, to the capital city of San Salvador.

Wing Walkers: Death-Defying Aerial Stunts of 1920s Barnstorming

Up! Down! Flying around
Looping the loop and defying the ground
They're all, frightfully keen
Those magnificent men in their flying machines
They can fly upside down with their feet in the air
They don't think of danger
They really don't care”

So go the lyrics to the song “Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines,” from the movie of the same name. The words aptly describe the aerial exploits of a group of stuntmen and stuntwomen who, during the 1920s, repeatedly risked their lives in a quest for thrills and entertainment; and, at the end of the day, to earn a living.