Archive for May 19th, 2010

What is Treasure Hunting?

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
Satish asked:

Treasure hunting is a rather contagious pastime. For some, it can become an

obsession (in the best sense of the word!). People worldwide are fascinated with the hobby of treasure hunting.

Coming across a valuable item in your treasure hunt can be a real thrill. Even an

item that may not have monetary value could be personally attractive to the right hunter.Part of the thrill is in the chase; not knowing what you may find lends a sense of mystery and intrigue to the treasure hunt.

In years past, a treasure hunt could have been a very dangerous quest. Pirating

was rampant, with several competitive and devious hunters often after the same prize. Quite often, the myth or rumor of a valuable buried or sunken treasure led to bloodshed and fighting between hunters.

Before airplanes became the preferred method of worldwide travel, those in

search of life in a new land would travel by ship to their new destination. As it could take months to sail from one continent to another, passengers were unsure if they would even return to their home land. They would pack up all of their worldly possessions to take with them to the ‘new world’. One might pack several trunks of furs, coins, jewelry, dishware, and other valuable goods to take with them to their new life.

These ships laden with valuable items were prime targets for pirates.

Ships were always on the look out for pirates that may try to board and rob, or

even kill, the passengers onboard. While this high seas robbery is certainly not

called treasure hunting, it demonstrates just how vulnerable these ‘treasures’ were. People traveling away from home were not only vulnerable to theft while sailing; these pirates had no qualms about robbing a ship after a natural disaster struck.

Ships sailing far from home had to endure terrible storms, barrier reefs,

extremely high waves and more as they slowly made their way from one point to the next. Unfortunately, many ships succumbed to the dangers they faced, and sank.

Before GPS and radio, it was really anyone’s guess where they ship may have gone down. Tales and fables would develop about the location of the sunken ship and its possible contents. For example, if a royal family member or businessman was on board, one might assume that quite a bit of valuable merchandise sank with the ship.

If the ship was not immediately located, an air of mystery would develop around

the tale as it was passed down through generations of curious people. Those will the

resources and desire would undoubtedly go in search of the ship in an effort to recover some of the ‘treasures’ on board. These expeditions were treasure hunts in the truest sense of the word!

A treasure may also be something that a person unfortunately lost. Of course, if

you find a valuable item, you should make every attempt to return it to its rightful owner. But in most cases, the owner is never found, leaving the treasure hunter as the new owner. We’ll discuss great places to find this kind of treasure a little later on, but some items that you could expect to come across include watches, rings, coins, or necklaces.

Other treasures may have been worthless when they were disposed of, but have

now become so rare or desirable that they have increased in value. Arrowheads from battles past; carvings; certain stones, etc can all prove to be valuable finds.

Before there were designated garbage dumps, unwanted items were often buried or simply thrown into the bush. Over time, these items were long forgotten. However, finding a rare dish, for example, that can be traced to a certain crafter or era could be a real treasure.

Some treasures may have absolutely no monetary value at all, but could be very

sentimentally valuable to the right person. Old family photos, a favorite teddy bear, or a letter from your first love would all be great treasures to find. It would rare to stumble across a sentimental treasure unless you were specifically looking for it, but it can happen!

Whatever your reason for treasure hunting; whatever you are searching for, you

are sure to find a few surprises along the way! Treasure hunting is truly a hobby for anyone to enjoy.

Gold Mining Equipment

James Bond Quiz: Which is the Coolest James Bond Film?

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
Joel Owens asked:

James Bond is no Superman. Though this may be true, his propensity for saving the world can rival that of any popular superhero we know. With his martini-toting allure and appeal that every man wants to have and every woman wants, James Bond has become the very epitome of masculinity on and off screen. No one can deny it. James Bond films are a phenomenon in Hollywood box office history with millions of ticket and merchandise sales under this franchise’s belt.

Almost 45 years of BONDage gave us 22 007 films. In every offering, we James Bond actors put on their moves to channel the Bond suaveness. In these films, we found ourselves awestruck by action-packed scenes, galvanizing gadgets and vile villains that made the viewing experience more exciting. So relive the excitement and reminisce as we look back at some James Bond films that made our jaws drop.

5. Dr. No

This film first launched the Bond fever on the silver screen that’s why it made the list. Aside from that, this film has introduced us to the world of suaveness as Bond takes care of the deed to save the world from megalomaniacs. The exciting storyline brings Bond to the depths of Jamaica to look into the suspicious disappearance of another British spy. He faces the sinister Dr. Julius No, a demented scientist who schemes on firing rocket missiles to destroy the western world. In this film, we do not only see Bond duke it out with the vilest nemeses. We also see him bag the very first James Bond girl, Ursula Andress.

4. From Russia With Love

This 007 film has introduced us to a lot of fascinating James Bond villains like the SPECTRE, our favorite spy’s worst archenemy. Not only that. This is the film where we first catch a glimpse of Ernst Stavro Blofeld…well, even if it was just his hand, and his Persian cat.

This is the first 007 movie focused on the secret agent’s love ventures and action adventures. The plot is basically about the Russians sending a voluptuous female spy, Daniell Banachi, along with other antiheroes to annihilate Bond and stop his conquest to save the world.

3. Diamonds are Forever

James Bond goes on a cat-and-mouse chase to foil his vilest enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. He goes to countries like Japan, Egypt and Maui to finally put an end to the man who is responsible for the death of Tracy, one of the many women he has gotten himself involved with. The most fascinating thing about this movie is that we see Bond suffocating the bald evil of a man, Blofeld.

Just when you think the chase between these two is over, the plot thickens. Bond goes on a spying-spree to investigate a diamond-smuggling operation in South Africa. The mission takes him to the City of Sins where he meets the voluptuous villain, Plenty O’toole, and foils the scheming she was trying to pull. Then, there are the cool gadgets like the moon buggy and the submarine that the characters use in the race against time to save the world. When he is already about to do the final kill to finish the mission, he is surprised to find out that Blofeld is indeed alive and now has a clone! As always, our spy survives the mission and goes on doing the things he’s best at—spying and womanizing.

2. Die Another Day

James Bond is trapped in North Korea after a failed mission that almost cost him his life and honor. Being a true spy, he survives all the torture and when a prisoner trade has been done by Korea and the world peace forces, he goes back to England accused of being a traitor for spilling secret information. Bond pursues the enemies and once again, is commissioned by the government to go on a mission to stop terrorism.

The story, soundtrack and the overall appeal of the movie are awesome, although this movie might be too long for some audience to stomach. However, I admit that what made this Bond film join the roster of top Bond films, are the gadgets. That invisible James Bond vehicle is just stunning. With a technology like that, it is no wonder that Bond is able to dodge the fastest bullet and survive the harshest explosives.

1. Tomorrow Never Dies

Tomorrow Never Dies revolves around a demented media mogul trying to make superpowers of the world clash against each other to create pandemonium. Together with Wan Lin, the tough Asian chick portrayed by Michelle Yeoh, Bond fights the mastermind and brings world peace back.

The plot may be common, and the ending a usual mission accomplished for Bond. However, this movie boasts of ass-kicking fight scenes that we haven’t seen so beautifully captured on camera. The James Bond girls in this movie are tough and believably lethal to boot. The gadgets are a big plus, as well. The BMW0il and BMW1200 motorcycle are eye candies especially when Bond rides them and had an uncanny car chase scene with Michelle Yeoh. No doubt about it, this movie is the definitive piece among the 22 James Bond films.