Vegan Crunk: Spiral Dining

I'm sort of obsessed with Groupon. Anytime a remotely vegan-friendly restaurant offers up a deal, I just can't resist. Sometimes, the deals are real duds (like the time Sky Grille in Memphis wouldn't let me use my Groupon for my cocktails even though it clearly said "$20 for food and drink"). But Groupon (and let's not forget Living Social) helps me branch out and try new local eateries. I rarely ever use Groupon for anything but dining out coupons.

But when Cat of The Verdant Life sent me a link to a Groupon deal offering a World Cuisine Spiralizer for $25 with shipping, I jumped on that. It was the one raw food tool that was missing from my arsenal, but thankfully, it arrived a few weeks back. Before, my raw spaghetti was more like fettucine because I only had a vegetable peeler for cutting wide noodles.

But now, I can make fabulous looking 'sketti to use in recipes like this Sweet Potato & Zucchini Mac 'n' Cheese from Eat Raw, Eat Well:

Not only does the spiralizer make for lovely noodz, but Eat Raw, Eat Well makes for lovely healthy dinner ideas. I've tried lots of raw pasta dishes over the years but never a raw mac 'n' cheese. It's so good, y'all! The cheese is a simple cashew cheese made in the food processor, and it's all topped with a sprinklin' of Chipotle & Cayenne Parma.
I was sent Eat Raw, Eat Well by Douglas NcNish to review, and it hasn't let me down yet. There are several other raw pasta recipes I'd love to try, like the Pasta Bolognese and Zucchini Pasta Aglio e Olio (zuke noodles with an olive oil-based sauce).

There are 400 recipes total ranging from raw Pear & Pumpkin Porridge to Raw Chickpea Hummus and Barbecue Pulled Burdock Sandwiches and Lemon & Cilantro Falafels. Yum!

I made one of the salad dressings from the book to top the salad I served with my raw mac 'n' cheese. This "Roasted" Garlic, Hemp, & Parsley Dressing was the bomb-diggity:

The garlic is "roasted" with a dehydrator, and even though I have a trusty Excalibur, I didn't "roast" my garlic for this dressing. I just forgot. You have to plan way ahead for that kind of stuff, and that didn't happen. But even without roasting, the garlicky green dressing was delicious atop my garden salad.

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Tech Talk News: Apple v.s. Google, Now The War Wages Over Maps!!

Apple v.s. Google is like the Knicks v.s. the Pacers in the 90?s. They can not see eye to eye and coexist in the tech world. Hit the jump for the latest story on the two tech companies.

ShottaDru X TatWza

Some things have started to change since the passing of Steve Jobs (witness the Apple dividend) but others not only remain the same, they rage on and even accelerate. Like the holy war between Apple and Google.

Jobs was known to have a chip on his shoulder about Android, claiming that Google unceremoniously stole it from Apple. Biographer Walter Isaacson had this doozy of a quote in Steve Jobs:

I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple?s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I?m going to destroy Android, because it?s a stolen product. I?m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.

Some things never change.

Google developed an amazing Navigation app for Android and it?s free. But it?s not available on iOS because Google?s loathe to give consumers any incentive to buy an iOS device. Google, after all, wants you to purchase an Android device. And it?s not going to put one of its defining apps (like Navigation) on iOS any time soon.

But there?s no love lost by Apple either.

In March Apple began using OpenStreetMap data in iPhoto for iOS ? where Google map data would be the logical choice. Google?s map data is richer, it includes satellite, terrain and street view imagery, live traffic and information about practically every local business in the universe (complete with phone numbers and reviews).

(You can compare the quality of Apple?s, Google?s and OSM?s map data on this mashup site).

So why would Apple switch to obviously inferior map data in its products instead of using Google?s?

One word. Spite.

Just like Google?s loathe to release its amazing Navigation app on iOS, Apple?s loathe to pay Google to use its map data on iOS. (It?s unclear if Apple actually pays Google any cash for its map data, but the location data and queries are highly valuable and Google could probably find a way to make money from it, if it isn?t doing so already).

Apple was just testing the water with iPhoto. A spate of rumors over the weekend suggest that Apple is dropping Google as the data provider in its stock Maps app, which installed by default on the home screen of millions of iPhones, iPods and iPads. It would follow similar defections by Wikipedia and foursquare.

Take that Android!

According to the rumors, Apple is going to replace the Google with OpenStreetMap in the version of Maps that ships with iOS 6 ? rumored to make its debut next month at WWDC. But instead of being inferior, rumors suggest that the new Apple offering could one-up Google Maps.

Apple has made several mapping acquisitions since 2009, including Placebase, Poly9, and C3 Technologies and rumors suggest that its been spending the last few years combining them into a super-secret Google-Maps killer. 9to5Mac?s Mark Gurman thinks that the result could be a stunning new iOS app that includes 3D renderings of cities and a ?much cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience.?

I?m fine with change for the better, but I?m not fine with Apple releasing an inferior mapping product because it?s in a stupid holy war with Google. Maps is too important an app for Apple to use as a pawn in its game with Google. I use an iPhone because it?s better than the others offerings out there, but it?s a close race. If Apple takes a step backwards and dumbs down Maps, I won?t hesitate to defect to Android, and I suspect that I won?t be the only one.

Google Maps has quite a compelling feature set, will Apple be able to compete?

ZDNET

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Sea Shepherd head faces charges

14 May 2012 Last updated at 17:35 ET

The founder of US-based anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, Paul Watson, has appeared in court in Germany.

The marine conservationist faces extradition to Costa Rica over charges arising from a clash with a ship that was fishing for sharks.

The confrontation occurred in 2002 in Guatemalan waters.

An official from the prosecutor's office said Mr Watson was accused of using his vessel to intimidate another, putting the crew at risk.

Guenter Wittig said Mr Watson was currently in temporary custody and a judge would decide whether to formally place him in detention pending extradition.

Sea Shepherd is a controversial direct action group best known for disrupting Japan's annual whale hunt.

In the past there have been collisions between its vessels and the whaling fleet, and its activists have also boarded Japanese vessels.

'Attempted murder'

The group said the German warrant related to an "alleged violation of ships traffic" which took place a decade ago when it "encountered an illegal shark finning operation" - referring to the practice of catching sharks, slicing off their valuable fins and returning the shark to the water where it will usually die.

On order of the Guatemalan authorities, the group says, it instructed the crew of the Costa Rican vessel in question, the Varadero, to head back to port to be prosecuted.

Continue reading the main story

?Start Quote

The crew of the Varadero accused the Sea Shepherd of trying to kill them, while the video evidence proves this to be a fallacy?

End Quote Sea Shepherd

"While escorting the Varadero back to port, the tables were turned and a Guatemalan gunboat was dispatched to intercept the Sea Shepherd crew," the statement claims.

"The crew of the Varadero accused the Sea Shepherd of trying to kill them, while the video evidence proves this to be a fallacy.

"To avoid the Guatemalan gunboat, Sea Shepherd then set sail for Costa Rica, where they uncovered even more illegal shark finning activities in the form of dried shark fins by the thousands on the roofs of industrial buildings."

Media cite Costa Rican reports as saying Mr Watson also faces an outstanding warrant for attempted murder stemming from the same incident.

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Orlando real estate market | Buying a home in Orlando | Towns Realty

The housing market across the country is still pretty grim, at least from the perspective of banks holding on to foreclosed homes that just will not sell. But there?s plenty of good news out there for people who are thinking of buying a home. In fact, now is probably the best time to take advantage of the Orlando real estate market.

When you see news about a difficult Orlando real estate market, what that really means is that prices are very low. As a buyer, that means the housing market is perfect. You can probably find a home at a price you can afford right now, and you may find that your mortgage payments will be less than any rent you are currently paying. In addition, because the market is somewhat flooded with homes that are not selling, that means you?ll have great selection. You can take your time and find just the right home for you and your family, because there?s probably the perfect house for you for sale right now.

In addition, the Florida real estate market is always a draw for investment. Because so many people retire to Florida, you can be sure that as the baby boomers retire the market will go up. The next ten years will see the entire baby boomer generation retiring, which means that the population of Florida is going to rise. The Orlando real estate market will benefit, and so will you if you buy now.

Add to all those factors the incentives that local, state, and federal programs are putting into the tax code and you?re looking at an excellent Orlando real estate market for buyers. You can get tax credits at both the state and federal level. The Orlando real estate market is bad for everyone except buyers right now. Take advantage while you can.

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Automobile Finance Get the greatest deals

An automobile finance is simple and even with less than perfect credit automobile financing or car loan is advantageous for a number of causes.

The procedure to acquire an automobile from an automobile dealer would be easier rather than walking directly into a business. Automobile dealers arrange for some beneficial solutions of automobiles loans and automobile insurance. Dealer financing is probably the very best route for a low interest auto loan as they deal in large volume. If you are not happy with the auto finance offered by your dealer you can often opt for automobile refinancing.

Vehicle Loan financing needs

There are particular needs that a single ought to meet to finance an auto loan. Its extremely critical that the value of your vehicle exceeds the amount owned. An upside down automobile loan consist of owing a lot more than a vehicles worth. In this case, you can not refinance the car loan.

If attainable, attempt and decrease the amount owed on the auto, and then finance. This will involve growing your monthly payments. Moreover, financing alternatives only apply to automobiles less than 5 years old or much more. Secondly, the balance owed on the loan must be at least $7500.

How Does the Automobile finance Approach Operate?

Automobile financing or auto loan is easy both indicates identical. To begin, make contact with your present lender and request a payoff balance. Subsequent, full an online application with an automobile loan finance company. When applying for an Car loan, you ought to include detail info about your car and loan amount. In some situations, you may possibly be asked to consist of the vehicle identification quantity on the application. If applying on the web, approvals are instant.

Picking Car Loan finance Lender

It would be advisable to refinance for an automobile loan through different lenders. Hence, you should devote some time and power to comparing lender rates and delivers. Do not accept the very first offer you received. A hasty selection might price you a lot more money. Rather, request on-line quotes from 3 to 4 lenders, and carefully critique provides. Choose the lender that gives the most savings.

For more, please go to: high risk personal loans

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2. Automobile Finance Get the very best deal An automobile finance is straightforward and even with much less than perfect credit automobile financing or auto loan is advantageous...
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5. Reach Out To Absolutely everyone With The Automobile Loans Factors that are becoming a lot more and more critical these days are the vehicles. It would now be unthinkable...

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Internet Marketing For Writers & Businesses: Online & Social ...

Promoting the Right Way on Twitter

You already know you can reach a wide audience when you do your marketing on Twitter, but what is the most effective way to promote your business? You can find a couple of schools of thought on when and where to promote. One says that there's no wrong way to promote, as long as you don't overpromote. The other maintains that you should promote/post only at certain, ideal times. More

See more from Internet & Social Media

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What You Need to Know to Begin Home Schooling

Whether your kids originally went to a public school or your starting them off with home schooling, you have quite a bit to think about if you?re going to teach your kids at home. You have to make sure you?re doing everything that?s legally required, and you also have to decide on a curriculum. Home schooling can be very rewarding, but it does require you to do some preparation.

Nevertheless, it is imperative to study the reality of home schooling so you will be certain that it?s the correct choice for your family before you begin. It?s all too possible that you might decide, several months into home schooling, that it wasn?t a good idea. Then, you will have to enroll your children into public schools again. Make sure everyone in your household understands and is supportive of this decision and what it will mean. If the parent who will be the home school teacher presently has outside employment, they will have to give it up. This may place an economic burden on the family. It is also necessary to realistically assess how successfully your child or children will adapt to being schooled at home. For some children, it will be fine, but other children flourish better in the more social environment of a traditional school.

In traditional schools, the teachers have to follow a set teaching outline and don?t always get a chance to be more flexible in their methods. Creativity is sometimes frowned upon. You, however, have complete control over how creative and/or flexible you want to be with your kids. For one thing, you only have your own child or children to think of, not twenty or thirty kids. This means you can create more innovative lessons, take frequent field trips and devise your own learning strategies. Local culture can come alive for your kids if you take them to events in your community. Some functions that come to mind are Pow Wows and Greek Food Festivals. Your area will have their own cultural programs that your kids can enjoy. Also, the traditional field trips to the library and museums are important. Hands-on experience is a much better way of teaching than just book learning and will make learning a lot more interesting for your children. They can learn how shoes are made from a boot maker, how cakes are created from a baker, and they can learn about the algae that turns the local swimming pool green from the man who sells pool supplies at the local Lowe?s Home Improvement Center. You can also place extra emphasis on areas where your child has a special interest or shows talent.

You never know when you?ll want to be able to prove something in the future, so remember to keep records when you home school. State laws might force you to keep certain records, and even if they don?t it?s usually the best policy to follow. Keep file folders and/or online records of every subject you cover, the books you work with and the number of hours spent on each topic.

You never know when this might come in handy, either to show state authorities, or in case you ever decide to enroll your child in a public or private school in the future and want to prove that you?ve done a thorough job at home schooling. They can be helpful for you as well, as you can can see areas where your child has made progress over the years and where he/she has problems. In some ways, the hardest part about home schooling is starting out with it. Since most people still think of school as a place they send their kids to on a bus, setting up your own school at home is always something of a challenge. Whichever type of home schooling you decide upon ? home schooling just your children, online home schooling, or a home schooling co-op ? once things are going smoothly, you will be glad you made this decision for the benefit of your children.

There is more content available on burn the fat review there is loads of points not detailed in this post, take a look at Author?s web blog to uncover more.

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RedBankGreen ? BATTER UP! BUT WHERE ARE THE GIRLS?

Lucas Sileno, 8, played catch with his dad, Phil, below, as Red Bank fifth- and sixth-graders faced off in an opening-day game Saturday. (Photos by Danielle Tepper. Click to enlarge)

By DANIELLE TEPPER

Red Bank?s Parks and Recreation department held its second annual baseball/softball day at Count Basie Fields Saturday to promote the town?s sports programs and to entice kids to sign up.

After several years of rebuilding, the department was able to field a seventh- and eighth-grade boys team for the first time in decade, parks & rec director Memone Crystian tells redbankgreen.

?Our objective is to get Red Bank kids playing through to the high school level,? she said, to the background sounds of hardballs landing in leather mitts. ?To do that, we need to get them interested, which is why we?re having a day like today.?

Next challenge: getting girls out on the diamond.

Crystian said the day, which doubled as a season opener and showcase for other sports, was organized in part to say ?thank you to the players and to the families who believe in the rec programs. We hope to grow this bigger and bigger every year as our program grows.?

All around Count Basie Park, kids in different grades participated in either sanctioned or exhibition games while almost 200 people wandered the fields and sidelines.

?We have football sign-ups on one end, soccer tryouts on another,? said Crystian. ?There?s free food and festivities, beautiful weather. It?s a great day to try to get kids to want to play outside.?

Crystian and Councilwoman Juanita Lewis both noted, however, that the program has seen one significant loss over recent years: female athletes.

?We?re losing our girls,? said Crystian. ?They?re just not turning to sports for some reason, so for this upcoming year, that?s our focus. We?re going door-to-door, sending emails, doing whatever we can to get them to come out for softball.?

Crystian said this is not just a concern for Red Bank recreation, but is an epidemic spreading across neighboring towns as well. ?Shrewsbury, Little Silver and Rumson have all cut their female teams completely because they had no one. We don?t want to do that. Girl athletes rock. We?re committed to making sure this program is there for the girls, too.?

Lewis says one possible reason is that girls just lose interest, and ?we need to find some other ways to reach them, new ways to get them engaged.

?Recreation is very important. It unites the town and gives opportunities to our kids,? said Lewis. ?We have a great director. She believes in Red Bank kids and does amazing things. She?s making more out of less because budget constraints are always looming, but she?ll go the extra mile.?

Information on Red Bank sports programs can be found here.

?

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FDA Issues Multiple Sclerosis Drug Alert

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Around the Web?

Get Monday going with a click of our links: Impatient parents encouraging daughters to freeze their eggs ? The New York Times Cameron Diaz says dads shouldn’t watch baby’s birth ? iVillage.com Batteries to blame for more kids’ ER visits ? Yahoo! Shine Connecticut and California best states for working mothers ? HuffPost Parents Saturday [...]

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The Avengers Inside Hopper's Iconic Nighthawks Painting [Image Cache]

John P. Glynn had the great idea to put the Avengers' diner bonus scene in Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. And his friend and Gizmodo reader Adal Rifai had the great idea to send it to us. It's a cool shot. [Thanks Adal!] More »

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Weekend warriors: Daniel Straus takes tournament and Michael Chiesa scores upset

The MMA world continued to turn as you were off celebrating Mother's Day, so here's a quick rundown of what you need to know from the weekend.

As you can see from the video highlights, at Bellator Daniel Straus took the featherweight tournament final in a unanimous decision over Marlon Sandro. With that win, Straus will get to vie for the Bellator featherweight belt, which is currently held by Pat Curran. Patricky Freire will fight for it next.

Bellator was also marred by controversy as Waachiim Spiritwolf was winning his bout with Marius Zaromskis. However, Spiritwolf sustained a cut too severe to go on. For if the stoppage was justified, let's turn to veteran MMA journalist Jim Genia:

Tough break for Waachim Spiritwolf on that cut-stoppage, as he was wrecking Marius Zaromskis.? However, in no way, shape or form do I question that stoppage.? Dr. Sherry Wulkan was the one who waved the bout off, and she's been a ringside physician for more MMA bouts than 99.9% of the world has even?read about on the Internet.

Marcin Held won with a quick heel hook, and Marcus Galvao took a decision to earn a spot in the bantamweight tournament finals.

Quarterfinals were underway at set of "The Ultimate Fighter." Before the bouts, Dana White broke the news about Dominick Cruz's torn ACL to both teams before confirming that Cruz will stay on to coach for the rest of the season.

In the first quarterfinal, James Vick pressured Joe Proctor and avoided his submissions to take the two-round decision. Michael Chiesa moved on to the semifinals by scoring a TKO over Justin Lawrence in the third round. Lawrence was considered the favorite coming into the show, so Chiesa's win was an upset.

This Friday, Team Cruz's Vinc Pichel will fight Team Faber's Chris Saunders and a bout between teammates, as Team Faber's Al Iaquinta faces Andy Ogle.

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Brochu returns to work (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Is This Modern Shelf Just a Rip-Off of KerPlunk? [Furniture]

We can't help but draw comparisons between Julien Vidame's Parallel Bars Bookshelf—created from just a couple of pieces of plexiglass with strategically drilled holes and an array of anodized aluminum tubes— and that classic kids' game KerPlunk. More »

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Does a military solution for Somali piracy work?

Somali pirate attacks have dropped, from 45 in 2010 to 24 in 2011, but there's no evidence that more naval patrols and aggressive private security firms are actually keeping pirates ashore.?

To some, the solution to Somali piracy is blindingly obvious. Patrol the seas. Capture the pirates. Send them to the briny deep. If it worked on the Barbary Coast, it should work in Somalia.

Skip to next paragraph

But with Somali pirates going further out to sea, such a solution is more difficult than it sounds. Patrolling the narrow waters of the Gulf of Aden ? as the European Naval Force and some other countries such as China, India, Japan, Russia, and Taiwan are doing ? is relatively simple. Patrolling the much broader Indian Ocean, where Somali pirates have moved, is more difficult.

And for those pirate crews who do get captured, there?s one more consideration. Where do you take them for trial? Very few nations ? none of them, interestingly, in the countries providing naval patrols off the Somali coast ? have taken Somali pirates to put them on trial. Most pirates who do get captured are simply disarmed, dragged in their skiffs closer to Somali shores, and released.

As a Guardian headline this week sums it up, ?Outgunned Somali pirates can hardly believe their luck.?

Not all of the navies patrolling for pirates use gentle methods, of course. In November 2008, the Indian Navy sank a pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden. Russian Navy sailors apparently captured a Somali pirate ship earlier this year, and blew it up afterward. The video of this action went viral, alleging that the Russian sailors blew up the ship with the pirates on board, but there is no proof of that. (Advisory note: the video contains violence and may be difficult for sensitive viewers to watch). And on March 25, 2011, private security guards aboard a commercial freighter called the Avocet opened fire on an apparent Somali pirate crew aboard a skiff. The pirates never made it aboard the ship, but the video stirred controversy about the use of force in commercial shipping.

Does militarizing the seas actually deter piracy? The data don?t provide easy answers.

Since 2008, Somali pirate gangs have launched more than 800 attacks on commercial ships, with 170 ships hijacked, and 3,400 sailors held for ransom. Shipping firms have paid more than $530 million on private security firms during that time period, and $160 million was paid out to pirate gangs last year alone.

That, clearly, is the reason Somali gangs get into the pirate business. Do a few well-armed security guards onboard commercial ships, or a few naval patrol ships deter those pirates from taking to the high seas? Some point to the dropping number of pirate attacks ? from 45 attacks in 2010 to 24 in 2011 ? as a sign that naval patrolling and private security may be working.

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ASUS teases mystery product on its Facebook page

What's this? ASUS is teasing a mystery product shrouded in shadows on its Facebook page. From the looks of it, the piano-black hardware is mounted vertically onto a brushed metal cantilevered stand that just oozes style. Our vague, uninformed reckonings make us wonder if it's not an art-deco styled EeeBox, a desktop PC you'd be ashamed to hide under your desk, or the prettiest router we've ever seen. Either way, we'll keep our eyes peeled and in the meantime, you can cast your own idle speculation into the comments below.

ASUS teases mystery product on its Facebook page originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazing photo shows 'swarm' of stars

Tens of thousands of stars can be seen clustered together in a new image.

A ball of some of the oldest stars in the universe looks like a swarm of bees in a new view from an observatory in Chile.?

Skip to next paragraph

The photo, released today (May 9), was taken by a European Southern Observatory telescope and shows 100,000 stars crowded together in Messier 55, a globular star cluster located roughly 17,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius (The Archer). It is one of about 160 globular clusters orbiting the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy.

Scientists suspect the stars in globular clusters formed from single clouds of gas that condensed to make stars around the same time, around 10 billion years ago. That makes these stars some of the most ancient known. As such, they provide valuable archaeological evidence about what the universe was like not long after the Big Bang is thought to have given rise to it.

"As this formative period was just a few billion years after the Big Bang, nearly all of the gas on hand was the simplest, lightest and most common in the cosmos: hydrogen, along with some helium and much smaller amounts of heavier chemical elements such as oxygen and nitrogen," scientists with the European Southern Observatory wrote in a statement.

Astronomers estimate the universe is about 13.7 billion years old. In contrast, our own star, the sun, formed only 4.6 billion years ago, and is made of more complex, heavier elements that were around at this later epoch.

The new image was taken at the 4.1-metre Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile's Atacama desert.

The cluster Messier 55 (also known asNGC 6809) is easily visible through a small telescope, and stretches about two-thirds the width of the full moon across the sky. It was first observed in 1752 by French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, and later added by another French astronomer, Charles Messier, into his famous catalog of bright objects.

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