[Image Credit](http://www.talkpundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/milky-way.jpg) The Milky Way is the galaxy which we live in. We can see it in the night sky, although we don't see the whole thing because we look at it from the inside. There is a lot of information about the milky way and our universe, but whether or not the information is accurate is debatable. A lot of it is based on unproven theories, which are also not disproved either. Some of these are Black Holes, Dark Matter, the Big Bang and so on. The Constellation Sagittarius is where the center of the milky way can be found in the night sky. The Milky Way looks like a band of light and darkness in the night sky with the naked eye and it is because of this that it is called the Milky Way. The light comes from stars in the Milky Way and the darkness comes from cosmic dust, blocking the light. Cameras are able to take better photos than what we can see, although seeing it in the night sky with the naked eye is spectacular in it's own right. The Milky Way is better seen in rural areas where there is little to no light pollution. It is also most clearly seen when the moon is below the horizon, when it is new moon and when the sky is clear with no clouds, humidity or air pollution. I personally love going on Hikes in the mountains where there is no civilization of any kind and looking at the stars, especially the Milky Way. Enjoy the pictures!  [Image Credit](https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1608/ganab_mosaic.jpg) This is a different Galaxy from ours, if we could see our Galaxy from the out side it should look similar.  [Image Credit](http://www.et.byu.edu/~mfreemie/security/picture8.jpeg)  [Image Credit](http://i.imgur.com/PgYKaSd.jpg)

Our eyes will move from beauty, especially if you see a beautiful woman. Here I also can not lie with what I see, the beautiful flower caught my attention. I do not know the name of this flower, Its size is very small, I found out on the roadside in my travels. Looks great because I use a macro lens, on my smartphone's camera, hope you like it.    *** ##

My love for critters of all sorts, even (especially?) the odd and unloveable, began at an early age in the fields of northern England and then in the suburbs of South Shore Montreal, which in the 1960s and 70s was critter paradise, at least the six-legged critter kind. Monarch butterflies feeding on milkweed - there must be caterpillars! Tomato hornworms chowing the tomato plants? Terrific! They're boss caterpillars. I don't think my mother shared the same view, given their influence on the summer crop. [Black swallowtail butterflies](http://www.pbase.com/rcm1840/lifecycleofblsw)? The coolest caterpillars, except for those rather stinky orange protuberances from their heads. But again, voracious consumers of anything related to dill and parsley, so they were only popular with the *mater familias* if we took them off their feeding grounds and kept them in the laboratory known as the "front porch". Crickets, grasshoppers, praying mantises, katydids - as kids, not only did we have our ears to the ground, but the rest was pretty close too, so we were often at eye level with these representatives of the insect world. But it wasn't just insects that caught our attention. We caught crayfish in the nearby creek - ask me how and I'll tell you the world's easiest trick for doing it...these are not the sharpest critters in the food chain. Sticklebacks and minnows were fair game as well, as were leopard frogs and a variety of toads. One year we found a snapping turtle, and there was indeed joy in Mudville that summer. Ah, the critter love runs deep in this one. I pored over books and books of butterfly and moth species of eastern North America, hoping against hope to spot a Cecropia or a Luna moth. Living where we lived, I had a better chance of seeing those more exotic species in books than in the garden or flying around the outside light. However, South Africa's critters are on a whole different scale to Canada's, and running into them tends to be, well, random. Today I thought I'd share with you a collection of critters I've met in South Africa over the last few years, just because it's Friday and who doesn't need a little Cute & Adorable (C&A) critter love on a Friday? ## Meet some critters from KZN The [Drakensberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drakensberg) mountains are a paradise for nature lovers, hikers and people who just want peace and quiet. Visiting a farm a couple of years ago not far from [Himeville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeville) in the province of KwaZulu Natal (KZN), on the eastern edge of the Drakensberg, we were impressed by the range of wild things wandering around alongside the cattle. As an aside, we were entertained daily on the farm by flocks of blue cranes and crowned cranes flying in to forage the nearby fields. Sometimes the crowned cranes would do their mesmerising mating dance...but cranes are a story for another day. Six-legged critters are the order of the day today. ### Moths Here's your first selection, some moths which appeared inside the farmhouse one December evening.

### Dear Steemit friends :  It is easy to visit Nassau, Bahamas and stay at the Atlantis resort for the entirety of your vacation. After all, Atlantis is reputed to have some of the best facilities on the entire island. No doubt we've spent quite a bit of time exploring what's on offer at Atlantis, and if you've followed me closely, you'll realise that Atlantis is every bit as good as the reviews say. (At least I think so!) Although I still have a few more blogs about Atlantis (I know, it's hard to believe), today's blog will be based elsewhere. For those of you who might have missed my blogs about Atlantis thus far, here are the links to each: - [The Dig at the lost city of Atlantis](https://steemit.com/travel/@sweetsssj/travel-with-me-70-the-dig-at-the-lost-city-of-atlantis) - [The hidden gem in Atlantis - Marina Village and the Bimini Road Restaurant](https://steemit.com/food/@sweetsssj/miss-delicious-65-the-hidden-gem-in-atlantis-the-marina-village-and-the-bimini-road-restaurant-photos-video) - [A look at the Atlantis Casino as a non gambler](https://steemit.com/travel/@sweetsssj/travel-with-me-73-a-look-at-the-atlantis-casino-from-a-non-gambler) - [A visit to Dolphin Cay to interact with Sea Lions!](https://steemit.com/travel/@sweetsssj/travel-with-me-74-a-visit-to-dolphin-cay-to-interact-with-sea-lions) - [Poseidon's Table - A restasurant worthy of Gods!](https://steemit.com/food/@sweetsssj/miss-delicious-68-poseidon-s-table-a-restaurant-worthy-of-gods) - [Saying hello to Sharks, Stingrays, Sawfish at the Predator Lagoon](https://steemit.com/travel/@sweetsssj/travel-with-me-75-saying-hello-to-sharks-stingrays-sawfish-at-the-predator-lagoon-photos-video) Aside from staying at Atlantis, I had the pleasure of staying a few days at the brand new ***Baha Mar Resort***, a direct competitor to Atlantis which opened in May of this year (2017). Mired by controversy, the *Baha Mar* resort has been in development for more than 10 years and hopes to revitalise the tourist industry in Bahamas bringing an additional 315,000 visitors to Bahamas annually as well as contribute $700 Million a year to Bahamas' tourism.  As one of the very first paying guests to this resort, I had the pleasure (or not) of experiencing first hand what a $4.2 Billion, 1000 acre development has to offer. Although the resort will comprise of three hotel brands - Grand Hyatt, SLS Hotels and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, only the Grand Hyatt is currently open for guests. Other amenities including 30 luxury retailers, the 18-hole Jack Niclaus Signature Gold Course, and a handful of restaurants are also yet to open. In my short stay, I only had access to the Casino, seven of the planned 11 swimming pools and a handful of restaurants. Still, an early look at this resort has given me an idea of whether I will be going back to Atlantis the next time I visit, or whether Baha Mar is worth a second look. http://image.ibb.co/f8Lu7v/DSC01982.jpg At first glance, much like Atlantis, the Baha Mar resort is a real feast to the eyes. A long bridge connecting the main road to the entrance, crosses over a beautiful pool fountain. At the end of it, a cylindrical funnel functions as the landing area, complemented by palm trees showing just how high the walls of this cylinder truly are. http://image.ibb.co/dadgnv/DSC01977.jpg The architectural style of Baha Mar draws similarities to Atlantis, yet projects a different flavour of grandeur. Certainly the golden reception, with it's distinctively Asian ornaments bring a different yet welcome style to the building. http://image.ibb.co/c5JQEa/DSC01976.jpg Across the foyer, we see a glimpse of the Casino through the large french windows. Reminding us that this Casino is in fact the largest Casino in Bahamas.  Almost like a flip on reality, the other side of the building reveals a tenderness and vulnerability with it's pink colours and humble stature. http://image.ibb.co/gwAGLF/DSC02427.jpg Today's ***Miss. Delicious*** takes us to one of the very first restaurants to open for business at this resort. Called ***3 Tides***, this restaurant prides itself as a *seafood-forward Mediterranean all day restaurant*. The executive chef, ***Brent Martin*** infuses Caribbean fish with locally sourced ingredients and turns them into fresh inventive Bahamian style dishes. http://image.ibb.co/hgCXSv/IMG_9933.jpg The restaurant is one level below the ground, so a walk down a lovely spiral staircase takes us into the main dining area. It's a very open space restaurant featuring three open "theatre" kitchens and is decorated with many colourful Bahamian displays of art. http://image.ibb.co/buFxua/IMG_8815.jpg http://image.ibb.co/iCWFfF/IMG_8816.jpg http://i.imgur.com/h1hdkT2.gif http://image.ibb.co/cwa5Ea/DSC02445.jpg http://image.ibb.co/kNS7Sv/DSC02444.jpg http://i.imgur.com/XeaTzKz.gif http://image.ibb.co/eYvu7v/DSC02441.jpg http://image.ibb.co/gQZAfF/DSC02428.jpg The menu itself is quite a simple wooden like folder. http://image.ibb.co/mrhz7v/IMG_8821.jpg And inside, we have just two pages of foods to order from. As always, it's about the quality and not quantity and I'm actually quite glad they've chosen to narrow their choice of dishes down to just a few. Let's see the dishes I ordered and begin the mouth watering! http://image.ibb.co/dursSv/IMG_8823.jpg ***The Garden***. *Quinoa Salad + Local Bahamian Field Greens.* This was a refreshing start to the meal, and a much needed chill down from a really long and hot day. The Quinoa added just enough substance to wake my appetite whilst the Cherry Tomatoes were sufficiently sweet and delicious. http://image.ibb.co/f9xMLF/IMG_8825.jpg With some food in the stomach, it was time to indulge in the ***Bahama Mama*** cocktail. I'm not a big drinker, but this was really quite potent. I felt like feinting after my first sip! http://image.ibb.co/fgBgLF/IMG_8834.jpg Next up, another meatier Salad, the ***Grilled Spanish Octopus***. I'm usually not a fan of cheese, but the goats cheese used here was really rich, combined with the grilled octopus strips which were both fresh and chewy, I barely noticed that I had eaten two salads in a row! http://image.ibb.co/cQNXSv/IMG_8824.jpg http://image.ibb.co/gRYvfF/IMG_9941.jpg ***Sauteed Wild Mushrooms with Thyme***. Continuing our light and healthy dinner, this little pot of Mushrooms tasted quite different from what I was expecting. The mushrooms tasted like what I could only describe as "earthy". It's texture was both chewy and meaty at the same time. The gentle sprinkle of Thyme added a bit of lemony taste which really picked up my appetite for the next dish. http://image.ibb.co/dKmFfF/IMG_8840.jpg This is the ***Bahamian Red Snapper Fillet***. Only being in Bahamas for a few days, this was now the 4th time I've indulged in the Bahamian Snapper fish. I can't get enough of the soft melting texture of it's meat. I believe it is served on a bed of yogurt potato salad which didn't agree with me at all. Besides, it's all about the snapper! http://image.ibb.co/cdO6nv/IMG_8839.jpg Every 30 minutes from 8:30pm to 10pm, there is a water fountain show at the main fountain bridge. This was no doubt an influence from China as the group who now own the hotel are Chinese. The show ran twice during my time at the restaurant, but I didn't leave my seat to go take a look. Here is a video of the show from my room! https://youtu.be/F3VoRWbKung http://image.ibb.co/jba5Ea/DSC01939.jpg

*When Airbnb first launched in 2008, it was this new, innovative model that was disrupting the hotel business. Today, it and many rental sites that have started since, are key players in the hospitality industry. However, none of it would have been possible if the sharing economy, the idea of “renting” out unused assets, wasn’t also becoming more popular, it was quickly becoming the norm.*  Ten years ago, renting a room in someone’s home or swapping houses for vacation was highly unusual. When going on vacation, most people would rely on traditional hotels and occasionally hostels. Now, it’s the norm. Thanks to the sharing economy and startups like Airbnb, Uber, and Upwork, anyone can make some cash on the side or grow a side-hustle into a full-fledged business. At [BookingTeam.com](https://bookingteam.com/), we work with our customers to maximize the earning potential of their properties. To survive in the vacation rental business today, property managers and owners need to have a sharing economy mindset. What is the sharing economy and what are the benefits? The sharing economy came about because it offered the ability for people to monetize unused assets. At its core, the sharing economy is about finding the most efficient use of money and resources. It’s about making businesses leaner and working faster and smarter. ### 1. Adopt a zero-waste mindset. According to numerous [statistics](https://www.inc.com/laura-montini/infographic/the-sharing-economy-disrupting-life-as-we-know-it.html), people are wasteful. We throw out food and clothes, while others starve. We spend a significant amount of money in repairs, gas, etc. to keep a car on the road when we could share the costs by carpooling. Now, technology has made it possible to decrease the amount of waste we create while also generating a profit. In the hospitality industry, allows people that have rooms or houses that they don’t use at least part of the year to make a profit. Instead of leaving it empty and still pay for the upkeep, rent it out and make money. ### 2. Increase productivity. Part of the sharing economy concept is finding ways to do more with less. This is especially true when it comes to time. Time is a commodity, more precious and valuable than money, so how you use your time is key to running a successful business. If you are managing a vacation rental, it is important to make your business processes as efficient as possible. Repetitive tasks should be automated with technology. For example, [BookingTeam.com](https://bookingteam.com/listings-no-map/) offloads the tedious work of creating listings and answering guest inquiries plus automating dozens of repetitive but important tasks. Our platform shares your listings with the most popular rental sites so that it can reach the highest number of potential guests, while we optimize your pricing and overall performance. ### 3. Use data and technology. The sharing economy wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the advances in data and technology. We can now quantify how much waste we produce, get a better idea of why, and take steps to turn that waste into profit. In vacation rentals, waste is usually those properties that sit vacant for weeks or months. **Embracing the sharing economy means managing properties with efficiency and zero-waste in mind. By using data and [BookingTeam.com’s](https://bookingteam.com/tips-articles/) platform, property managers, and owners can team up with booking professionals who adjust pricing, promotions, booking dates and other factors to more effectively influence booking conversion rates across all main booking sites, this saves our hosts loads of time so they can focus on excellence in hospitality and happier guests, which is what it is all about!**

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://pp.userapi.com/c841033/v841033366/7516/m7xmtr73gYs.jpg __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dymkovo Settlement in Velikiy Ustyug city in frozen winter. At noon in the winter the sun does not rise high and at the expense of low rays appear blue colors. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Canon 5d, EF 28-90 mm

Welcome to my Steem Stats Report for Friday, July 07, 2017. All data is coming directly from the Steem blockchain and is based on UTC time. Only 384 new accounts yesterday. Hopefully we will see a lot of new accounts again as soon as [Hardfork 20](https://steemit.com/steemit/@steemitblog/proposing-hardfork-0-20-0-velocity) kicks in. > The focus of Hardfork 20 is on improving the process of account creation and reducing the friction involved in onboarding millions of new users. *More info: https://steemit.com/steemit/@steemitblog/proposing-hardfork-0-20-0-velocity* ## 1. Daily number of Posts (including comments)  Date | Posts --- | --- 2017-07-06 | 125,120 2017-07-05 | 118,909 2017-07-04 | 127,548 2017-07-03 | 130,600 2017-07-02 | 125,312 2017-07-01 | 125,155 2017-06-30 | 132,993

Ask Steemit是一个我在英文区开始的帖子。希望中文区的朋友们也能够来参加。 **这周的问题是： 让你最自豪的时刻是什么？** *** ## Announcing the winner of 10 SBD from the previous week The question from the previous week was *"What is an interesting fact about you that very few people know?"* You can read the full post [here](https://steemit.com/asksteemit/@nextgen622/ask-steemit-what-s-an-interesting-fact-about-you-that-very-few-people-know-10-sbd-for-the-best-response) ### The winning comment this week was from @silverfortune who commented with the following: **I sliced open a person today.** *No, seriously. Cadaver lab, doing dissections on dead people. Today, we mostly removed skin and fat from the back, but also sliced the medial border of the proximal attachment of the trapezius, and peeled it aside to see underneath. Fascinating stuff, but takes some getting used to.* As usual, there were a lot of great answers this week, so please take some time to read through all the great responses. *** ## The question for the Steemit community today is: What's your proudest moment?  *Thanks to @epicdesigns for the Ask Steemit logo* Thanks to @snooway for suggesting the question. As a result, @snooway will also be my guest judge this week Please include your answers in the comments below. I will be awarding 10 SBD to the best response. To qualify, you must upvote and resteem this post. *** Follow me @nextgen622 for weekly Ask Steemit posts

I will be adding a lot of Images of Beautiful Indian Places. Follow me to get more beautiful pictures of India. **View From Highest Point in Mount Abu**  **Yet Another Outstanding View**  **Temple at the Peak**  **Nothing Much to say :P**