Sea Gold

wrangling
lay claim to


The Sussex controversy pales in comparsion to the trouble stirred up over Odyssey's Black Swan Project. This shipwrect in the North Atlantic contained more than 17 tons of gold and sivler coins. In March 2007, Odyssey recovered the treasure and flew it back to Florida without revealing the exact location or identity of the shipwreck. The secrecy gave rise to a great deal of speculation and legal wrangling over the rightful ownership of the treasure. The Spanish government, for example, claimed the coins were from a Spanish ship the British sank in 1804. Others thought the treasure was from the British Merchant Royal, a vessel that sank in 1641. Even Peru laid claim to the treasure, saying the treasure had originated there.

Though Odyssey later confirmed that the ship was in fact Spanish, they maintain they still had a claim to the treasure. They claimed that the ship was a "mixed-use" vessel, used for both government and commercial purposes.

To avoid this type of haggling in the future, Odysesey is widely expected to announce partnership agreements with a number of countries. These agreements would cover the distribution of money from numerous shipwrecks amony the parties concerned.

The United Nations estimates there are more than 3 million shipwrecks on the ocean floor. Why do ships sink? Sometims it's because of the ship's poor design, which leads to instability. Ships also sink because of navigational errors, leading to collisions or running aground. Of course, bad weather is a big reason, as is warfare. Sometimes boats and ships are intentionally sunk. This is called scuttling.

Sea Gold

Modern day treasure hunting with Odsy marine exploration

It sounds like the plot of a new adventure movie: explorers using sophisticated technology to salvage the wreck of an ancient ship lost beneath the sea. The ship contains a disputed treasure worth half a billion dollars. Throw in a few explosions or sword fights, and it would make for a perfect summer blockbuster.

The star of this story, Odyssey Marine Explloration, won't be appearing in theters anytime sonn, but the company has generated headlines. Odyssey, which is based in the U.S. state of Florida, works to recover deep-water shipwrecks, Using high-tech sonar ships, Odyssey locates the wreckage of long-lost vessels and recovers any artifacts or treasure at the site.

Odyssey only targets vessels that are considered fair game under international laws. This usually means commercial ships that have sunk in international waters since non-commercial goverment and military vessels are the legal property of their respective countries. The only exception is if Odyssey has a pre-existing agreement with a county. In 2002, the company agreed to a deal with the U.K. government to share potential spoils from the HMS Sussex, a British ship that sank in 1694,. The agreement stalled under eavy criticism from British archeological organizations.

Urban Exploration 3

Since UE often occurs in places that are abandoned or neglected, safety is a very import concern. Disused sites may be unstable, while tunnels and sewers may flood if it rains - trapping explorers inside. Abandoned sites are often scattered with debris and broken glass, while hospitals and factories may contain dangeous chemicals. The legality of exploration must also be considered. While many sites are on public land with unrestricted access, others are on private property, condemned or fenced off and should be avoided. And since September 11, 2001, security has become espectially important. Walking down a dark tunnel is probably not worth jail time or a steep fine. In addition, there are ethical considerations. Every effort should be made to avoid damaging sites so they remain open and safe for future visitors. Explorers often refuse the locations of places they visit to protect them from vandalism.

While these risks are real, urban exploration can offer people an exciting glimpses of unseen places all around. From catacombs to abandoned buildings, you never know what adventures
may be waiting around the corner -- or under your feet.

08095 - Ubran Exploration 2

The term urban exploration covers a wide range of activities. Since it is usually a hobby, practitioners often visit sites that are near their homes. As a result, ubran explorers in different cities focus on examing different types of places based on their availability.

The most popular and readily accessible destinations are often abandoned buildings. Disused factories, hospitals, and even housing developments can offer interesting glimpses into the past and make great subjects for photography. Other popular destinations include obsolete military fortifications and even buildings destined for demolition.

Ancient European cities often lie atop networks of catacombs. These underground tunnels have served many purposes through the years. Some have acted as cemeteries and bunkers while others have sheltered revolutionaries, smugglers and religious groups. Some of the most famous catacombs, such as those in Rome, Paris and Odessa, have sections that are open for tours.

Over time, cities go through stages of growth and decline. In newer cities, which haven't experienced such a decline, it can be difficult to find abandoned buildings. In these places, urban explorers may decide to go underground and explore the city's storm drains or sewers.

080904 - Unban Eploration （1）

Human enviroments can be a lot like mazes. Both above and below ground, cities, especially very old ones, are home to interesting structures. Tunnels, sewers and old buildings wait just begging to be explored! While some of these are still in use, many others now lay neglected and forgotten. Urban explorers find, visit and sometimes document the unseen places around us. As urban exploration (UE) has grown in popularity, it has captured the popular imagination. Often misunderstood, UE has developed into a whole subculture, complete with web pages, newsletters, books and movies. Many major cities even have informal groups that meet or use the internet to share their adventures. Since UE has varying levels of intensity, it is open to a diverse group of people. The Cave Clan, an Australian group, is open to anyone older than 18 and has a memebership that ranges from tradespeople to government employees. The group provides a meeting place for like-minded people and encourages them to participate as much, or as little, as they are comfortable with. This might entail crawling through storm drains or may simply invole poking around old houses.

20080908 - Asia's Amazing Malls

New malls pop up everythere.

More than just a place to shop, these Asian malls - among the larget in the world - are entertianment destinations.

see eye to eye

with one's eyes closed:

Asian's Amazing Malls

More than just a place to shop, these Asian malls - among the largest in the world - are entertainment destinations. Shopper can find not only spacious indoor shopping areas but also ice-skating rinks, indoor atriums, amusement parks and more.

Big debut in Dubai

Located in the shadow of the world's tallest building, one of the world's largest shopping centers - the Dubai Mall - just opened this year. Under one roof, shoppers will find several distinct shopping areas, including a gold souk with 220 stores. It has retail space for 1200 stores in its 500000-square-meter area. The mall's centerpiece - a large aquarim with walk - through glass tunnels - will bring shoppers eye to eye with sharks, stingrays and other marine species.

Firsts for the Philippines

The Philippines claims three of the world's largest malls thanks to one man: Henry Sy, a Chines-Filipino entrepreneur, His company, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. has 30 malls in the Philippines, including the SM Mall of Asia. This mall, which opened in 2006, introduced many "firsts" to the Philippines, including an Olympic-size ice-skating rink and an IMAX theater. The mall has golf carts to accommodate those who need help moving around .

090302: Telephone Past, Present and Future

电话从出生开始已经走了很长的一段路了.
Telephone has comd a long way since its early days.

Imagine smoke signal, carrier pigeon and rider on a horseback. Although these may sound strange, years ago, people used them to communicate.

Bell received a patent for a telephone.