An interesting post i found- A Visit to Azerbaijan

AZERBAIJAN is the largest of the three countries of the Southern Caucasus. About a thousand years ago, Turkic tribes began settling in this territory in large numbers. Those settlers absorbed some of the local traditions, and the locals adopted some of the settlers’ culture. Not surprisingly, therefore, the Azerbaijani language is closely related to Turkish and Turkmen.

Azeris are known to be a lively and warm people. Family ties are close, and relatives rely on each other in times of difficulty.

Azeris love music and poetry. In one form of music called mugam, a singer recites classical Azeri poems to the accompaniment of folk instruments. A mugam performer has to have thorough knowledge of traditional mugam repertoire and a knack for improvisation.

Tea is an important part of Azerbaijani culture

Tea is an important part of Azerbaijani culture. The beverage is served in small pear-shaped glasses with a sugar cube, perhaps accompanied by pistachios, almonds, and raisins. Tea houses can be found in even the smallest of towns.

The Caspian Sea, to the east of the country, is a habitat of the sturgeon. The beluga sturgeon can live more than 100 years. One of the biggest ever caught was 28 feet (8.5 m) in length and weighed 2,860 pounds (1,297 kg)! Sturgeons are prized for their eggs—their roe—the famous and costly black caviar.

Azeris are religious people who like to talk about God. Most of the population are Muslims. Other religious groups are also present, including more than a thousand of Jehovah’s Witnesses—many of them native Azerbaijanis.

Traditional Azeri musicians

The Lantern of the Photuris Firefly

THE lantern, or light organ, of a particular Photuris firefly is covered with jagged scales that dramatically enhance the brightness of the light that the insect produces. * Jagged scales Consider: Researchers have found that tiny scales on the lantern surface of some fireflies form a corrugated pattern, somewhat like overlapping shingles or tiles. The scales tilt up at one end by just 3 micrometers —less than one twentieth the thickness of a human hair. Yet this tiny tilt lets the lantern shine almost 50 percent more brightly than it would if the scales formed an even surface!

An Overview of Indonesia

Land Straddling the equator between Australia and continental Asia, Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. Most of its more than 17,500 islands feature rugged mountains and dense tropical forests. With more than 100 active volcanoes, it is also the most active volcanic region on earth.

PORTRAITS FROM THE PASTIgnaz Semmelweis

IGNAZ SEMMELWEIS may not be a household name, yet his work has benefited most modern families. Born in Buda (now Budapest), Hungary, he received his medical degree at the University of Vienna in 1844. On taking up his post as assistant to a professor at the First Maternity Clinic of Vienna’s General Hospital in 1846, Semmelweis faced an appalling reality —more than 13 percent of the women giving birth there died from a disease called childbed fever. Various theories as to the cause of this disease had been proposed, yet no one had solved the mystery. All attempts to reduce the mortality rate proved futile. Troubled by the spectacle of numerous mothers suffering a slow, agonizing death, Semmelweis determined to find the cause of the disease and prevent it.

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