Other-waters

The pufferfish, also called blowfish, swellfish, balloonfish or fugu is a fish of the family Tetraodontidae, order Tetraodontiformes, named for its ability to inflate itself to several times its normal size by swallowing water or air when threatened; the same adaptation is found in the related porcupinefish, which also have spines. The internal organs of the blowfish are highly toxic, but nevertheless its meat is considered a delicacy in Japan.

Alcatraz Island is located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California. It was formerly used as a military stockade and later as a maximum security prison. Today, the island is a historic site supervised by the National Park Service.

It is home to the now-abandoned haunted prison, the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States, early military fortifications, and natural features such as rock pools, a seabird colony, and unique views of the coastline.

Sir Clements Robert Markham (20 July 1830 – 1916) was a British explorer, author and geographer. As President of the Royal Geographical Society in the late nighteenth century Markham was instrumental in financing British exploration of the polar areas. His attempts to have the British be the first to reach the poles, however, ultimately ended in failure.

Markham was born in Stillingfleet, Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Westminster School and joined the Royal Navy in 1844, became a midshipman in 1848.

Sittin’ in the mornin’ sun
I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’ come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch ’em roll away again, yeah

The Diomede Islands (Big Diomede and Little Diomede) are two rocky islands located in the middle of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia.

Straddling international borders as well as the International Date Line, the islands, 2 mi. (3 km) apart, are the closest land approach between the United States of America (which controls Little Diomede) and Russia (Big Diomede, also known as Ratmanov Island). Big Diomede Island is Russia's easternmost point, while Alaska's Aleutian Islands extend the United States' land further west.