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Dubai’s breathtaking new underwater villas
June 3, 2015, 11:52 amThe Hip Pocket
These villas allow you to channel your inner Ariel and live under the sea.
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If you’ve ever watched Finding Nemo or The Little Mermaid and thought, “wow, I hope that one day I too can live underwater”, we have some good news. Property developer Kleindienst Group has revealed plans for a new type of residence that makes the dream of living under the sea a reality.

The aptly named ‘Floating Seahorse’ villas were unveiled at The Dubai International Boat Show (where else?) earlier this year. Part executive bachelor bad, part boat, the bottom level of these three-storey architectural marvels will be completely submerged, exposing the owner to all the wonders of the kaleidoscopic marine world around them.

According to the brochure,“the master bedroom and bathroom will be totally submerged underwater and will command breathtaking views of the surrounding coral reef and marine life. The sea level accommodation will boast floor to ceiling windows, uninterrupted sea views, a fully-fitted kitchen with a dining area, an open plan living area and a sun deck.”

The villas will be situated off the coast of Dubai near the man-made island of ‘Europe’ and will set you back a lazy $US2.3 million. But the good news is that the concept can be replicated anywhere. So who knows, in a few years we may all be living in partly submerged villas. We’re just not sure what would happen if there was a storm.

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underwater2_1amsnat-1amsnfh.jpg
 
Dubai’s breathtaking new underwater villas
June 3, 2015, 11:52 amThe Hip Pocket
These villas allow you to channel your inner Ariel and live under the sea.
underwater3_1amsnat-1amsnfm.jpg

If you’ve ever watched Finding Nemo or The Little Mermaid and thought, “wow, I hope that one day I too can live underwater”, we have some good news. Property developer Kleindienst Group has revealed plans for a new type of residence that makes the dream of living under the sea a reality.

The aptly named ‘Floating Seahorse’ villas were unveiled at The Dubai International Boat Show (where else?) earlier this year. Part executive bachelor bad, part boat, the bottom level of these three-storey architectural marvels will be completely submerged, exposing the owner to all the wonders of the kaleidoscopic marine world around them.

According to the brochure,“the master bedroom and bathroom will be totally submerged underwater and will command breathtaking views of the surrounding coral reef and marine life. The sea level accommodation will boast floor to ceiling windows, uninterrupted sea views, a fully-fitted kitchen with a dining area, an open plan living area and a sun deck.”

The villas will be situated off the coast of Dubai near the man-made island of ‘Europe’ and will set you back a lazy $US2.3 million. But the good news is that the concept can be replicated anywhere. So who knows, in a few years we may all be living in partly submerged villas. We’re just not sure what would happen if there was a storm.

underater1_1amsnat-1amsnfb.jpg

underwater2_1amsnat-1amsnfh.jpg


underwater3_1amsnat-1amsnfm.jpg

The future is here!!!
 
...from this website... http://www.natureworldnews.com/arti...ls-that-literally-sex-themselves-to-death.htm ... the poor little bastards... what a way to go!... cheers.

Fatal Attraction: Meet the Marsupials that Literally Sex Themselves to Death

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Most animals will go to great lengths to find a mate and ensure their survival, but the fatal attraction between certain marsupials takes it too far, causing these species to literally sex themselves to death.

Scientists at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have discovered two more species of suicidally-sexed marsupials in Australia. One new species of Dusky Antechinus was discovered in remote, south-eastern Tasmania and another mainland form was raised to species status. These additions mean the team has now identified five new species of antechinus in the past three years alone - a 50 percent increase in diversity within this long-known genus of mammals.

However, the researchers believe three of the new antechinus are already destined for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with factors such as climate change, feral pests and habitat loss putting increased pressure on these marsupial populations.

"We discovered the Tasman Peninsula Dusky Antechinus not far from the old European settlement town of Port Arthur in Tasmania," Dr. Andrew Baker, a mammologist from QUT's Science and Engineering Faculty who led the study, said in a statement. "Most of its limited habitat falls within state forest, which is being logged. This species now apparently only lives in tiny, fragmented stands of intact forest that are under threat."

In addition, the Black-tailed and the Silver-headed Antechinus, which live on remote mountaintops spanning just a few miles in Queensland, may have the smallest natural habitat of any mammal in Australia. And soon they may have nowhere left to run as warming temperatures force them to higher and higher ground.

And the violent mating rituals that these marsupial species undergo do not help their cause either. Every year, all antechinus males fight ferociously for sex - then die.

"The breeding period is basically two to three weeks of speed-mating, with testosterone-fuelled males coupling with as many females as possible, for up to 14 hours at a time," Baker explained. "Ultimately, the testosterone triggers a malfunction in the stress hormone shut-off switch; the resulting rise in stress hormones causes the males' immune systems to collapse and they all drop dead before the females give birth to a single baby."

These annual sexcapades are extremely detrimental to the species' survival, cutting each antechinus population in half, researchers say. While this means the mother marsupials have enough spiders and insects to go around and eat, it also means the next precious generation of their kind rests on their shoulders alone.

So while these latest species discoveries are exciting, it's also bittersweet knowing that while they were just found, soon they may become extinct.

"Uncovering new mammals in developed countries like Australia is pretty rare and the fact we've found even more antechinus species hints at the biodiversity jewels still waiting to be unearthed. It's a shame that mere moments after discovery, these little Tasmanian marsupials are threatened with extinction at human hands," he added.

Baker is currently applying to the Tasmanian Government for a threatened species listing for the Tasman Peninsula Dusky Antechinus. His team is also seeking to have all three threatened antechinus species added to Australia's federal threatened species list, which will help ensure their protection.
 
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Stephen Speilberg: The Great White Hunter. Seriously, you would think he knew better. :frown:

He does hahaha!

...when I clicked on that 'spoiler' tag I thought that it was going to say... "the dinosaur isn't real"... or... "no dinosaurs were hurt while taking this photo"... lol!... cheers.
 
Stephen Hawking: "I'll be damned if I'm going to die before I know how the universe works".
(explaining his incredible life despite having motor neuron disease with an initial diagnosis of maybe 2 years to live).
 

I saw this today, the Associated Press is planning to upload over half a million videos from their archives to Youtube:

Mass newsreel upload for YouTube
July 22, 2015 6:18PM

AMERICAN multinational news agency The Associated Press is teaming up with newsreel icon British Movietone to place their extensive archive footage on YouTube.

THE two organisations will add more than a million minutes of digitised film to the video-sharing platform.

The archive will include coverage of major historical events like the bombing of Pearl Harbor and footage of celebrities like Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali.

The AP said on Wednesday more than 550,000 videos dating back to 1895 will be available on YouTube.

It said the upload of historical news content would be the largest ever placed on the platform.

A wide range of topics is covered including fashion, sports, political upheaval, entertainment and many others.

http://www.news.com.au/world/breaki...load-for-youtube/story-e6frfkui-1227452927885
 
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