Niagara Falls are a group of big waterfalls located in the Niagara River, that is between New York (USA) and Ontario (Canada). Niagara means "thunder of water" in the Iroquois language. The ancient inhabitants of this land were the Ongiara, a very peaceable tribe that was intermediary between the French conquerors and other tribes. It is though that the first European that came to these lands was Samuel De Champlain in 1604. In the XIX century, this area became very popular. In addition of being a very important tourist destination, is also a very valuable source of hydraulic resources. There are several bridges that make easy to access to the waterfall's facilities. The zone of the south of Ontario maybe the most touristic area, and was a very popular destination for honeymoons during decades. They are surrounded by big parks with gardens, numerous hotels, casinos, and touristic attractions, like a big Ferris wheel that offers a great view of Niagara Falls both at day and at night. The waterfalls are lighted at night. As an additional entertainment, there are many comedy clubs, cafes and restaurants. One of the most stunning falls is Horseshoe Falls. It can be accessed through a tunnel that goes across the rock and ends in a balcony, offering a view of the waterfall from inside. In the American zone, there's an spectacular cavern, the Cave of Winds. There are also boat tours that take you close to the falls. The origin of Niagara Falls was the end of a glaciation that happened 10,000 years ago. The strength of the melt water acted like a natural digger, demolishing everything on its way, making the river's canals deeper. Great efforts have been done to control the erosion caused by the waterfalls so they don't end disappearing. In 1969, the Niagara River was diverted during months, to take measurements against this problem. Niagara Falls have supposed a challenge for many people. In 1829, Sam Patch was the first in jumping over the Canadian waterfalls and staying alive. Many others tried it after him. In 1901, Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over the Falls in a barrel. When she exited the barrel, she said "No one should ever try that again". But others tried, ignoring Annie's words. There are many stories and anecdotes around Niagara Falls, one of the most famous and important waterfalls in the world.

"I see trees of green... red roses too I see them bloom... for me and you And I think to myself... what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue... and clouds of white Bright blessed days... dark sacred nights And I think to myself... what a wonderful world. The colors of the rainbow... so pretty... in the sky Are also on the faces... of people going by I see friends shaking hands... sayin'... How do you do They're really sayin'... I love you. I hear babies cry... I watch them grow They'll learn much more... than I'll never know And I think to myself... What a wonderful world Yeah... I think to myself... What a wonderful world" -lyrics of the original song- This song "What A Wonderful World", is the original of the great Louis Armstrong, was edited in 1967 and was written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. "What A Wonderful World" is a song full of optimism and melancholy with many versions of many artist like Joey Ramone, B.B King, Celine Dion, Rod Steward, and more. Joey Ramone made this version in 2002 included in his album "Don't worry about me". Ramone gives to the song a very funny felling and a very Ramones sound. This version of Stephen Bennett, is unplugged and without a doubt a jewel. Was played at the 3rd Annual International Harp Guitar Gathering. A good option for a Spring afternoon. I hope you like it.

Some photographers have the ability to translate us to distant lands. Sometimes they let us watch the world through their eyes and take us to natural paradises. Here's an example of this. Enjoy these photos and don't forget to visit their home pages. Click the images to go to the pages E.J. Peiker Bill Lockhart Dark Ligth Imagery Nature Ron Magill Sergey Parinov Nick Brandt Geoff Ashton Corporate Fine Art G.R. Guy Jim Zuckerman Andrej Belic Aaron Logan Animal Photos The Nature Conservancy

Stanley Martin Lieber (Stan Lee) was born in 1922 in New York. He's the creative mind behind characters like The Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Hulk, Iron Man, Daredevil, X-Men, and more. When he finished his studies, Stan Lee began to work in Marvel. He was cousin of Martin Goodman's wife, the publisher of Marvel Comics. After a year of working there, he did his first work as a writer of comic stories. It was a short story starring by Captain America. But Stan Lee dreamed of creating his own characters, and being an important fiction author. That first work was signed with the name "Stan Lee", the name with which he's known worldwide. During the following years, Stan Lee was editor, artistic director, writer-director, and made up to 5 comic books per week. Stan Lee was a big fan of Errol Flynn movies, giving that touch of arrogant and brave hero to his own characters. Other people that inspired Stan Lee were the historical figures of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, that were leaders in times of war. For Lee, Roosevelt was the perfect President, responsible and protective. He admired the tenacity and strength of Churchill. One of the most strongest support of Stan Lee was his mother, who always had a big faith in her son's projects. Between the writers that Stan Lee admired most there were Mark Twain, H.G. Wells, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare... These writers were another source of inspiration for Lee. Stan Lee, with the drawers Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko took Marvel Comics to a golden age, being the most best-seller comics in USA during decades. But Stan Lee not only thought up great comic heroes, but also he did scripts for radio, TV and movies. One of Lee's great ideas was to bring Spiderman to the newspapers as a comic strip. Spiderman was published as a comic strip in thousands of newspapers all over the world. In the 80s, Stan Lee moved to Los Angeles, and became the creative director of the TV series of his characters. Years later, his super-heroes will appear on movies too. His charismatic personality made him do short appearances in the movies based on his characters, reminding us the legendary director Alfred Hitchcock. The success of Lee's heroes is based in that they have weaknesses, fears, some kind of vulnerability... but strength and thirst of justice. Without doubt, Stan Lee is the Midas King of Marvel Comics, that mixes talent and inventive with a strong commercial sense.