Locating North Star

When I was a small child, my father showed me the famous Great Bear. I later came to know that the constellation was astronomically known as the Ursa Major. The constellation is dominated by a seven-star shaped “The Plough” or the Big Dipper. The component stars are the seven brightest of the formal constellation Ursa Major. The Plough can be seen every night easily as it is vividly visible. I did not know the importance of the Plough then, but many years later.

Many years later as part of my basic map reading training in the military academy, I was introduced to many more astronomical shapes that dot the sky. It was then I came to know that in conjunction with the Plough and another constellation Cassiopeia, one can determine the North Pole for direction keeping. The last two stars of the Plough are called pointers and when a line is drawn one can find the North Pole easily. And to be sure, of the exact location of the North Pole, the W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia containing five stars comes handy. Located almost opposite to the Plough on the other side of the North Pole lies this W-shaped constellation. By joining the pointers and the central star of the Cassiopeia, one can easily determine the exact location of the North Pole.

For novices in astronomy, this could be the jumpstart to know the shapes of the basic constellations and how these help us to keep directions in a moonless night even without a compass.

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Baking Techniques For Beginners

By: Thomas Leopold

Just as any kind of forms of cooking, cooking demands that you just use the right utensils and pots and pans for the task. It can be easier to make use of different kitchenware particularly if you do not have the right one for a particular formula. Nonetheless, if you would like get excellent results, you have to have the exact applications for cooking such as non-stick pans, glass casseroles. Always use the perfect size at the same time.

Experimenting is inspired in cooking, but that is certainly if you've been cooking for long periods now. If you're just beginning, it will be ideal if you follow the guidelines purely. If you're told to apply butter, don't use margarine. If the instructions claims try a non-stick pan, then use a non-stick pan. Always perform as you are instructed to accomplish an improvement.

Baking is usually an skill and also you will find essential tactics that you have to know first when you can proceed to a differnt one. You'll find fundamental and you will find innovative approaches. Some of the simple procedures consist of whipping, mixing up, rubbing, creaming, and folding. Training helps make great therefore do your best to master these kinds of important techniques.

A different thing you must keep in mind while cooking will be temp. Usually observe directions in relation to modifying the heat. As rule of the thumb, certainly not set the temperatures too high specially because cooking involves that you make meals at a longer time. To make sure meals are safe and sound, open the oven to check once several times if you began.

Even any 7-year aged can prepare so long as he or she is offered the ideal tools and is led properly through the types of procedures. No matter what you're wanting to cook, you can for no reason deny the actual fact the fundamentals are the most critical items that you have to consider. Continue just practising until eventually you will have perfected the fine art and mainly else, like!

Author Resource:-> Thomas Leopold is a skilled blogger who is currently writing regarding recipes and cooking. He recently released his newest recipe reviews on his chocolate brownie blog.

 

Article From Article Submission Site

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Children-our future aspirations

The world at this point in time is torn in conflicts – there is unrest everywhere, both within and without. Wars, terror, demos and killings are making the grownups worse than animals. Instead of resolving issues with tact and wisdom, we are pounding bombs and killing people.

My son once asked me, “Father, you give us lectures and sermons on sincerity of purpose, honest, humanity, peace and love every minute of the day. Why don’t you the elders around the world act upon what you profess and want us to do?” I was dumbstruck as I didn’t have any answer to his innocent question and very objective observation.

I only hope that our children, so pure and simple, don’t grow up to be men and women like us – I wish them to grow differently, the way they dream and aspire. I pray their innocent faces do not get hardened and blackened in dust and smoke of wars and bombs exploding around them.  Let our children be what we want them to become in a peaceful and lovable environment. Let our children be our only aspirations. Ameen

by Shaun D Metcalfe

Curious by 2121studio

by _Paula AnDDrade

by LindsayStark

by Katie Björn

by Edith Hoffman

by SangeethaCan

by Tatiana Cardeal

by Aitor Las Hayas

by K U R C H I

All above photos are shared at Jalalspages Children’s Album (Flcikr)

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Collecting Japanese Erasers and Iwako Erasers as a Hobby

By: Riley Abney

Japan surely knows how to form items and things adorable and cute. Erasers for children are not an exception and return in any and each scent, color and shape. The Japanese eraser can be made so that they resemble just concerning anything and simply a brief search on the Web can let you recognize the large choice offered in the Japanese eraser. The Japanese erasers for youngsters are non-toxic, dye coloured and recyclable and so are completely safe for kids.

The foremost necessary issue about the Japanese eraser is that it is very inexpensive. Thus, considering the expensive toys and different electronics within the market, these Japanese erasers can be used as an in expensive and fun toy. You can also give these erasers as a present to children or perhaps adults on any special occasions. Imagine the reaction from an one that never imagined obtaining a hamburger formed eraser as a gift. The simplicity and cuteness of these erasers is just enough to bring a smile on almost anybody's face. Many individuals conjointly have the hobby of collecting totally different sizes and shapes of the Japanese erasers. People who collect Japanese erasers tend to have a variety of things to discuss with any fellow collectors such as the newly released erasers, the favorite eraser type and any new addition within the collection.

A number of the foremost fashionable erasers are of characters just like the Hello Kitty and individuals truly get hooked to collecting Japanese erasers. Therefore, I hope you've got understood that Japanese erasers come back in different sizes and shapes and you'll be able to definitely browse them on the Internet. I'm sure that there are websites on the Web which are set up by individuals collecting Japanese erasers as a hobby to let different collectors grasp concerning the various types of erasers and therefore the recent additions in their collections and other general information.

Author Resource:-> Visit this website Iwako Erasers to guide your call-making. JT has been writing articles on-line for nearly 2 years - take a look at his latest site featuring all Japanese Erasers and food erasers in stock.

Article From Article Submission Site

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A Total Eclipse at the End of the World

 Credit & Copyright: Fred Bruenjes (moonglow.net)

Explanation: Would you go to the end of the world to see a total eclipse of the Sun? If you did, would you be surprised to find someone else there already? In 2003, the Sun, the Moon, Antarctica, and two photographers all lined up in Antarctica during an unusual total solar eclipse. Even given the extreme location, a group of enthusiastic eclipse chasers ventured near the bottom of the world to experience the surreal momentary disappearance of the Sun behind the Moon. One of the treasures collected was the above picture -- a composite of four separate images digitally combined to realistically simulate how the adaptive human eye saw the eclipse. As the image was taken, both the Moon and the Sun peaked together over an Antarctic ridge. In the sudden darkness, the magnificent corona of the Sun became visible around the Moon. Quite by accident, another photographer was caught in one of the images checking his video camera. Visible to his left are an equipment bag and a collapsible chair.

Astronomy picture of the day by NASA

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Art Collecting as a Hobby

There is no limit to collecting things as a hobby. I have talked of many types of objects that people collect as a hobby, today it is the art in any form that attracts people and ultimately becomes their passion and favourite hobby. There are no bounds that would restrict the definition of art. It may range from sculptures, paintings, painted mugs and even rare artifacts.   

Art collecting may start from small things, but as one matures in collecting artwork in all its forms, it rather starts to become expensive. We often watch auctions of rare paintings that end up in millions of dollars. It is for the reason that art lovers over a period of time become obsessed with their prized possessions and would want to add more rare, unique and of course expensive artwork to their collection.

The art collectors can do the collecting in many ways, like restricting them to a certain period of history, artist, type of paintings, sculptures or whatever they intend collecting. Some even collect broaches and cigarette lighters with an artistic design.  

One thing that is peculiar to art collectors is their never ending quest to dig in and find unique things possessed by no one else before. It is the thrill and sort of adventurism attached to the hobby that makes it one of the most expensive hobbies. Collectors travel long distance, other continents and countries to find what they are looking for to enlarge their collection. When talking of art many big names of artists and their paintings are taken. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Liza being the world famous. Then there are painters like Michael Angelo, Von Gough, Picasso and many more. Talking of Pakistan, names like Chughtai, Sadequain, Ustad Allah Bux, Gulgee and lot others make headlines. We will talk about all these great men in time.

But one has to be really knowledgeable when taking up art as a hobby as there are fakes that can only be detected by the experts. New collectors often buy fakes and wouldn’t know that they are being fleeced. An Australian couple was jailed for nine months in 2007 after forging works by aboriginal artist Rover Thomas, four of which sold for over $307,000 through auction houses including Sotheby's and Christie's. Geert Jan Jensen has been called by the French police, the most sophisticated and prolific master forger that ever lived. He had over 12 million in Swiss bank accounts and 3 false identities. Not clever enough though as Dutch painter Karel Appel recognized one of Jansen's forgeries as his own work. When police investigated the farm where Jansen has his studio, they found 1600 forged paintings, including works purportedly by Cocteau, Dufy, Ferdinand Erfman, Charles Eyck, Leo Gestel, Bart van der Leck, Matisse, Miro and the most popular target of all, Picasso. Jansen was sentenced to one-year imprisonment and five additional years suspended sentence. I am amazed at the rather shorter sentences these faker get.

Anyway, as I progress in my blog, I will collect more information on the actual artwork and the fakes that create ripples among the collectors. But then wouldn’t fakes create a thrill?  

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Dizzyingly Delicious Kababs

Recipe and photo shared by Colors of My Dreams (at Flickr)

Dizzyingly delicious chicken seekh kababs with onion rings...tamarind sauce...lemon and home made desi style paratha.

Recipe for Seekh Kababs.

Ingredients :
2lbs minced meat chicken/beef
2 tsp red chilli powder ( spicy one not paprika...You will find easily at any Pakistani/Indian or Mexican grocery stores)
2 tsp salt or to taste
6 finely chopped green chillies
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tbs roasted gram flour
1 egg
1/2 medium size onion finely chopped
Half bunch of fresh coriander leaves finely chopped

Method :
Wash the minced meat and put in a strainer and gently press to squeezeout all the water.
Mix all the ingredients to the minced meat and knead well.
Keep aside for 1 hr or if you are planning to make next day you can refrigerate over night without mixing coriander leaves and onions.
Heat a gas oven or an electric oven with the skewers or BBQ grill.
Take a big ball of the keema mixture and hold a hot skewer carefully in the other hand.
Press the minced meat on to a hot skewer.
The keema will immediately stick to the hot skewer.
Repeat with left over mince on all the other skewers.
Place the skewers in the oven.
Keep rotating the skewers occasionally.
When cooked..gently remove the kababs from the skewers.
To serve sprinkle some chat masala and lemon juice on the kababs.

Tamarind Sauce Recipe.

Ingredients:
200gms Tamarind (Imli)
300gms of sugar
2 tsp roasted cumin (zeera) powder
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground garam masala powder

Method:
Soak tamarind in warm water for few hrs or overnight, if you wanna do it quick soak it in hot water....using your hands squeeze out the seeds and pulp from tamarind.

Add 3 cups of water (if it looks less add more) and bring it to a boil.

Note: Add all the ingredients above excluding sugar and mix well...let it cook for a while...then add sugar...cook again on medium heat still sugar dissolves completely and chutney gets semi thick (not too thick) 'cuz this chutney thickens more on cooling so check for consistency when using or you can get an idea from the picture :)

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Grilled Jerk Chicken Wings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Caribbean jerk seasoning
• 18 fresh chicken wingettes (2 to 3 pounds)
• 2 cups honey barbecue sauce
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

• Place jerk seasoning in a large re-sealable plastic bag; add chicken
• wings, a few at a time, and shake to coat. In a small bowl, combine
• the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard and ginger; set aside.
• Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and
• lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chicken wings, covered, over
• medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 12-16 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Brush with sauce. Grill or broil, uncovered, 8-10 minutes longer or
• until juices run clear, basting and turning several times. Yield:

6 Servings - Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Recipe Courtesy: Taste of Home

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Stamps of Malaya

Malaysia, before its independence, was known as Malaya and comprised of a number of independent states. These states issued their own stamps. The stamps bore the words “Malaya” at the centre top and the name of the state at the bottom centre. The stamps on the first page of my album on Malaysia are of this particular period.

When Malaya got independence on 31st August 1957 from the British, it started issuing its own stamps. The stamps were titled “Federation of Malaya.” The two stamps in the right column are of this period. The practice continued till 9 August 1963, when states of Sabah and Sarawak became part of Malaya. From then on the official name of Malaya changed to Malaysia. In the process, Singapore was detached from Malaya and became an independent state itself.

The first definitive stamps of Malaysia were issued in 1963. In 1982, Malaysia created its first miniature sheet to commemorate its 25th anniversary as an independent country. The first stamp about sports was issued in 1965 on the eve of the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.

In my next post I will share more stamps and will also tell my viewers how I got these.

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The stamps and postal history of erstwhile Czechoslovakia

When I started collecting stamps there was a country named Czechoslovakia that was there on the world map since 1918. Initially Czechoslovakia was a part of the greater Austro-Hungarian Empire, but later in 1918 after the WW-I, it declared independence and became a sovereign state. The country since then had gone under difficult times of its history. During the period of the WW-II (1939-45), it bore the wrath of the German invasion and was partially incorporated into the then Germany.

After the WW-II, a apart of the Czechoslovakia (to be more precise the eastern part of Carpathian Ruthenia) was taken over by then USSR, while the remaining country continued to be a severing country once again.

Since the country mainly consisted of two major parts, i.e. Cesko and Slovensko, the two could not co-exist as one country for long since both were culturally and economically at par with each other. Therefore, after long misunderstandings and bitterness, on January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia finally split into two independent states: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

My collection of Czechoslovakia is of the times when the country as Czechoslovakia was intact. The stamps date back from 1940s till 1975. For example second stamp from top left column was printed in 1946 as part of a set of seven stamps. Likewise the last stamp in the second columns was printed in 1948 as a part of a set of five stamps. The first stamp in the second column from the left was printed in 1949 as part of a set of six stamps. Since most of the stamps on this page of my album are almost of the same period, it is difficult for me to dig out each and every stamp. I would appreciate if someone from Czech Republic helps me out with the history of each stamp.

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The lucky climbers of Eight Thousanders

There are fourteen peaks around the world which are above 8,000 metres. Five of these are located in Pakistan in areas adjoining Pakistan and China. Four of these five peaks are located in the Karakoram Range, while the Nanga Parbat is located in the Himalayan Range.

The list of fourteen peaks is as under:

• Everest – 8,848m – Nepal/China
• K2 (also called Mt Godwin Austen or Chogori in local language) – 8,611m – Pakistan  
• Kanchenjunga – 8,586m – Nepal/India
• Lhotse – 8,516m – Nepal/China
• Makalu – 8,485m – Nepal/China
• Cho Oyu – 8,188m – Nepal/China
• Dhaulagiri 1 – 8,167m – Nepal
• Manaslu – 8,163m – Nepal
• Nanga Parbat – 8,126m – Pakistan
• Annapurna 1 – 8,091m – Nepal
• Gasherbrum 1 (also called the Hidden Peak) – 8,080m – Pakistan
• Broad Peak – 8,051m – Pakistan
• Gasherbrum II – 8,034m – Pakistan
• Shishapangma – 8,027m – China

So far only 18 lucky men have climbed all 14 peaks without oxygen. Reinhold Messne (above left), an Italian mountaineer, was the mountaineer to have scaled all the fourteen peaks. His last peak was scaled in 1986. Next year Jerzy Kukuczka (above centre) from Poland became the second luckiest to receive this honour. Juanito Oiarzabal (above right), a Spanish mountaineer, holds the record for climbing these mountains the most times – a total of 23 times between 1985 and 2009. He was the sixth man to reach these 14 summits, and the fourth in reaching them without artificial oxygen.

As for the women, no woman has so far completed the 14. Although Oh Eun-Sun (above left) of South Korea claimed to have scaled all fourteen, but her claim for the scaling the Kanchenjunga was not accepted due to some technical reasons. So for the time being she is one short to become the first woman mountain climber to bag the all 14 peaks. Following her is Edurne Pasaban (above right), from Spain, who has so far scaled 12 out of the 14. She is closely followed by Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Nives Meroi who have both climbed 11.

We keep our fingers crossed for the first lucky woman to receive the honour of scaling all fourteen eight thousanders and wish Oh Eun Sun and Edurne Pasaban the very best of luck.

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Samsung introduces Galaxy S 4G – the fastest Smartphone

Samsung Mobile has recently introduced its Galaxy S™ 4G in the USA.  It is boasted to be the fastest Smartphone in America’s Largest 4G Network™. Launched in collaboration with T-Mobile USA, the Android™ 2.2 (Froyo) powered Galaxy S 4G is T-Mobile’s first Smartphone capable of delivering theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps, delivering rich entertainment experiences at even faster speeds through its brilliant Super AMOLED touch screen display.

The Galaxy S 4G features 1 GHz "Hummingbird" processor along with 8–16 GB internal Flash memory, a 4-inch 480×800 pixel Super AMOLED (PenTile) capacitive touch screen display. It has a 5-megapixel camera and on select models, a VGA front-facing camera.

The Samsung Galaxy S has a PowerVR graphics processor yielding 90 million triangles per second, making it the fastest graphics processing unit in any Android phone to date. It is considered to be the first Android phone to be certified for DivX HD, and the thinnest Android phone measuring 9.9 mm.

Well for the moment it seems to be the gadget lovers’ new toy – time will tell its actual feedback.

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Creating Dolls

Originally posted at: Thatta Kedona

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NASA’s Hubble Telescope stretches itself to 13.2 billion light years away

Great news for the astronomy lovers and hobbyists!! Astronomers have pushed NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to its limits by finding what is likely to be the most distant object ever seen in the universe. The object's light traveled 13.2 billion years to reach Hubble, roughly 150 million years longer than the previous record holder. The age of the universe is approximately 13.7 billion years.

The tiny, dim object is a compact galaxy of blue stars that existed 480 million years after the big bang. More than 100 such mini-galaxies would be needed to make up our Milky Way. The new research offers surprising evidence that the rate of star birth in the early universe grew dramatically, increasing by about a factor of 10 from 480 million years to 650 million years after the big bang.

The farthest and one of the very earliest galaxies ever seen in the universe appears as a faint red blob in this ultra-deep–field exposure taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. This is the deepest infrared image taken of the universe. Based on the object's color, astronomers believe it is 13.2 billion light-years away. (Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), R. Bouwens (University of California, Santa Cruz, and Leiden University), and the HUDF09 Team)

Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington.

Report/photograph courtesy NASA

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10 Irresistible Mouthwatering Dishes

A major part of the household is spent on cooking – cooking for the family and the loved ones. While hotels, restaurants, eateries and snack bars around the world remain busy in cooking innovative dishes for their clients. While a dish may taste good, but it may not be attractive, irresistible or mouthwatering.  What makes a dish irresistible and mouthwatering is its appearance, decoration and aromatic smell that whets the appetitive. I have tried to gather a few dishes that if come in front of me, it will become difficult to resist me as these looked to be highly irresistible and even by looking at these I had a desire to eat these.

See if the following dishes appear to you irresistible or mouthwatering.

BBQ Hot Links by Harvey-Harv

balanced breakfast by Shooting Chris

Keemay wallay naan by fiction~dreamer

Thai Chicken in Basil Sauce by knightbefore_99

Western Omelet by chandarchandar

Vegetable Supreme (with pepperoni added) pan pizza at Pizza Hut by Scorpions and Centaurs

lunch... by micheleme3

hamur kizartma by @Benim mutfagim@Turkish Lady Asya

Mandi Rice - Arabian Favourite by friend_faraway

Duck Confit Leg with Toulousse Cassoulet and Brocolli by Lynnette Henderson

All above photos are also shared at Jalalspages Platter (Flickr)

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Vintage Car Rally in Sri Lanka

Vintage car rally organized by Ceylon Automobile association was held recently in Sri Lanka. The chief guest for this occasion was Mr. Jean Todt, President of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and his actress wife Mrs. Michelle Yeho. Following is a video covering the events of the day. You can see many classic cars in this video.

Originally posted by Orangeblood at YouSayToo

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Postage stamps of Gold Coast (Ghana)

There are many countries in the world which were once called something else as these were rather colonized by different maritime powers of periods before the 20th century or changed their names to suit the aspirations of their people.

The African continent has been invaded and colonized by the Dutch, French, Portuguese and the British. Of the many such colonies, Gold Coast was one. Gold Coast refers to the region of the West Africa, est of Ivory Coast and west of Slav Coast (an area that now constitutes Togo, Benin and Western Nigeria).

Gold Coast had changed hands with many colonists since 1482 when the Portuguese colonized it and called it Portuguese Gold Coast. About two hundred years later in 1642 it became the Dutch Gold coast. Till 1871, it had also been temporarily under the domination of Prussia and Denmark and was called so. In 1871 came the British and took control of the area as the British Gold Coast.

The first stamp of the Gold Coast were issued on 1 July 1875 in times of the rein of Queen Victoria. Gold Coast then became member of the Universal Postal Union in January 1879.

In 1957, the British Gold Coast became the first colony to gain independence and became present day Ghana. The first stamp of Ghana was printed in March 1957.

The two stamps in the top left column are of the period of the British Gold Coast, issued in 1948. The remaining stamps were issued by the independent Ghana after 1957 and are part of my stamp album.

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Sue Lawrence's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

175g plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
¼ teaspoon salt
70g light muscovado sugar
50g golden caster sugar
125ml sunflower oil
1 medium free range egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
150g chocolate chips or chunks (I used half white, half milk)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/Gas mark 4 and lightly butter two baking sheets. Then, sift the flour, bicarbonate of sugar and salt into a bowl. Beat together the sugars and oil until smooth using electric beaters, a food mixer or by hand, then add the egg and vanilla. Gradually tip the flour mixture into the oil mixture, and fold in gently before stirring in the chocolate chips. Be mindful not to overcook, else you chance them emerging all crunch and no chew.

Spoon heaped teaspoonfuls (or dessertspoonfuls) of the mixture on to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until pale golden yet still slightly soft in the centre. Be warned however – upon emerging from the oven, these particular cookies may not be as crisp or golden in appearance as one might hope but will achieve full glory upon cooling. Leave your cookies on their baking sheets to firm up for a couple of minutes once done (if you are too hasty, they’ll be too fragile to lift) then tenderly transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 20 – 24 small or 10 – 12 large

Originally shared by Mrs Magic at Flickr

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10 Majestic Animal Portraits

God created the nature in its finest and purest form. The virgin jungle abound millions of species of countless types and forms. It is the man who through his lens brings about the majesty and beauty of the animals and other living forms. Herein under is a selection of 10 majestic animal portraits that people, both novices and professional photographers have shot in the open jungles of Africa and the close environment of the zoos.

I have a group on Flickr where I invite Flickr members to share photographs exclusively of animals only. The following portraits of animals looked majestic to me and I thought of sharing with my viewers.

White rhino ~ on black by rogersmithpix

Galapagos portrait by VittorioRicci

Sch....Wetter? Augen zu und durch by Dieter Müßler

Red alert by rogersmithpix

Cheetah Cubs Mother, Masai Mara by Ian Yule

by isa 11

Giraffe by *Kicki*

Tiger eyes by Light Knight

Dios toro poderoso by festeig

Eye on You by LastBestPlace

All above photos are shared at Jalalspages Animal Kingdom (Flickr)

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Stamps on The Karakoram Range

Pakistan is a blessed country to have three of the major mountain ranges in the world, the Himalayas, the Karakoram and the Hindu Kush. Thirteen of the world's 30 tallest peaks are in Pakistan (of eleven over 8,000 meters high mountains tops, five are located in Pakistan). K-2, the world's biggest pyramid and second to Mt Everest and the Trango Towers are just the two examples of richness of our mountain treasure.

The Karakoram mountain range is spread over some 400 kilometres and over 192 kilometres wide. Protected Himalayas on south-east, Hindu-Kush on south-west, Kun-Lun chain of China on the north, the Pamirs on the west and high desolate Tibetan Plateau on the east, the Karakoram forms the greatest barrier on earth to the migration of the people. The junction point of the Karakorams and the Himalayas is shrouded by yet another mountain range, known as the Pir Panjal. The mighty Indus river, one of the fifteen longest rivers of the world, forces its way through the Karakorams and the Himalayas. The Karakorams are also known as the highest mountains range of the world since it houses seven peaks over 26,000 feet and thirty others over 25,000 feet. That is on an average the Karakoram tops are 25,000 feet and above.

The Pakistan Post issued a set of four stamps on 20th August 1981 describing four of its important mountain tops.

The Paisa 40 stamp (above top left) features Malubiting (also known as Malubiting West), which is the second highest peak in the Rakaposhi-Haramosh Mountains ( a sub range of the Karakoram). Malubiting rises above the north bank of the Indus River between its tributaries the Hunza River and the Shigar River. Malubiting lies about 40 km east-southeast of Rakaposhi, and about 50 km east of Gilgit. Malubiting rises steeply over the Phuparash River to the southwest, while on the east the large Chogo Lungma Glacier starts on its slopes.

The Re. 1 stamp (on the top right) features Haramosh Peak of the Karakoram range, with a height of 7,409m. The top is located some 65 kilometres east of Gilgit, in the south-central region of the Rakaposhi-Haramosh Mountains. It rises steeply above the north bank of the Indus River, a little ways upstream of its confluence with the Gilgit River. The massif has two summits, Haramosh Peak and Haramosh Kutwal Laila Peak.

The third stamp (above bottom left) of Rs. 1.50 denomination features K6, or Baltistan Peak, located in the Masherbrum Mountains. Despite being much lower than its sister mountains, the Eight-thousanders and high 7000m peaks such as Masherbrum, it has huge, steep faces, and great relief above the nearby valleys, making it an impressive peak. K6 is the highest peak in the area surrounding the Charakusa Glacier, a region which has seen renewed climbing interest in recent years. This glacier lies at the head of the Hushe Valley, which in turn leads to the Shyok River and thence to the Indus River.

And finally the Rs. 2 stamp (above bottom right) that features the K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth after Mount Everest. With a peak elevation of 8,611 metres (28,251 ft), K2 is is located on the border between the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China and Gilgit, in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. Due to the difficulty of ascent, K2 is known as the Savage Mountain. It is also the second highest fatality rate among the 'eight thousanders'. K2 is also known as “Chogori” in local language and Mt Godwin Austin.

Read in conjunction with Eight Thousanders of Pakistan

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10 Stunning reflections

Magic Burano by daniele romagnoli

reflection by * Yumi*

Confusion by Donolly

by Mirza Malang

by sandbox

Bay Bridge fades into the skyline by sportsam625

Ultimate Love by Dave Berryman

by Tabinda B@ri

Templo de Debod, Madrid by Gorrioni

De Potten 9544 by Frits1942

All photos above are shared at Jalalspages Silhouettes/Shadows/Reflections Album (Flickr)

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