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Snowflake or Copito de Nieve was the only albino gorilla known from scientists. Real celebrity of Barcelona’s zoo, this white gorilla passes in November 2003 from a skin cancer.
It had been in captivity in 1996 in Equatorial Guinea (which used to belong to Spanish) and was brought to Spain by a Spanish scientist, Jordi Sabater Pi, who found it locked up by a hunter from the Fang tribe.
Adult, it weighted 399 £. It used to eat fruits, vegetables and skimmed dairy products.
It passed in its forties, which is rare knowing that a gorilla in its natural environment, lives, in average, 25 years.
Its albinism was the origin of its skin cancer which was fatal. While it was in captivity it had got 21 kids; none of them received this chromosomal anomaly.

Last August, in the highest holiday season, the low cost airline, Ryanair, brought suit Atràpalo and other web sites, in order to stop the sale of its flight tickets through online agencies.
Atràpalo’s web site enables, thanks to its search engine, access to offers from 70 airlines, which gives the possibility to compare prices and to combine options. Manuel Roca, executive director of Atràpalo explains his position in a press release, to media and to consumers:
“Our objective is to provide, the most offers as well as technology required to reach it in order to be able to compare prices. Our use is totally transparent and indisputably in favor of our consumers; we believe Ryanair is looking for establishing a distrust atmosphere towards online agencies to try selling its flight tickets through its own web page, avoiding price comparability.
Ryanair had threatened to not accept passengers who bought their ticket through an agency online, which created a big mess between users.
Two things follow from those actions: On one side, Ryanair’s dishonesty and wrong concurrence practices which created stress in clients’ mind, with the only objective to be harmful to our image and to our company, without doubting, that our consumers are also their clients. Moreover, instead of looking for new ideas to attack buyers, they preferred conflict and scandal.
Though, Atràpalo gave to its consumers, a message to reassure them: “It would be grave that the company cancels tickets already issued. The European Commission demonstrated this hypothesis is deplorable.”
Even if in reality the Irish company had never done it, this caused interventions of organizations such as the European Commission, which obligated Ryanair to respect reservations already done by internet users, giving notice of the illegality of the hypothetic threat execution.
The judge rejects Ryanair’s request against Atràpalo
On the 23th of January 2009, the court of Barcelona has rejected Ryanair’s request again Atràpalo about selling its flight tickets through our web site.
The court had recognized the right for Atràpalo to be an intermediary in ticket sale, and no prejudice is made to the airline.
The court had recognized Atràpalo as a travel agency legally accredited, and, from this fact, has the capacity to develop this activity.
The judgment emphasizes also that Atràpalo “does not need Ryanair’s approval to carry out its activity” and it is able to keep in conducting its clients to Ryanair’s home page to end their order (such as booking for suitcases, or insurance…), in total legality.
The judge recognized also that internet is a huge network which put in touch a lot of people, allowing communication and information exchanges and with the conclusion that, if the airline resorts to this channel to publicize its flights and its prices, there can be any limit, for users, to know these services.
For Ignacio Giral, travel executive director, “the biggest beneficiary from the judgment, is the consumer, whom the right to access to information is not limited, with the aim to compare and to chose companies and prices matching the most their needs”.
Atràpalo will be able to get on with selling Ryanair’s and other companies’ tickets in total legality .

Massimiliano Fuksas, architecte

Elected capital of the culture for 2013, it’s Marseille’s duty to be equal to this image. It is for this that luc Besson will have his multiplex.
Euromed Center, a construction of 70 000 m², will bring together offices, hotel, a multiplex and 14 various entertainment rooms: convention rooms, services, shops, leisure, a show room which can contain 2000 people.
It will be easy to access with the future tramline.
The cost of this project, about 300 millions of Euros, should transform this city in a huge international platform of Southern Europe.

Massimiliano Fuksas, architecte

Passionate of the aquatic word will be like a fish in the water.
With a mix of technology and science fiction which reminds us Jules Verne, the Poseidon Undersea Resort will open to public this year in Fiji islands.
24 rooms, a library, a fitness center and a restaurant reachable with elevator will outfit this underwater palace. You will be able to escape in the pacific wildlife.
Made from 70% of acrylic glass and built at a deep of 49 feet, you will miss gossips from the underwater only while you will be sleeping.
Windows have a reflexive film which makes invisible the inside from the outside. However for your personal convenience, you will be able to tint your window glass in order to sleep in a dark room.
If you imagine yourself being at the controls of the nautilus, and living Captain Nemo’s dreams, it will cost you 1500$ per person and per week. For this price, a private jet will take you from Fiji main airport to the Resort.
However, if you can afford this stay, you can already make a reservation. This Resort takes place in a private island, in Fiji, but the exact place is still a mystery.

Youtube

By Los Angeles Times

On the 15th of January 2009, the flight 1549, Airbus A320 takes off at 3h26pm from New York airport. 150 passengers are on board. Two minutes after taking off, while it was flying over the Bronx, the pilot reports that some swans are trapped in the jets. Passengers said they felt an increase of power; they saw flames and smelt a fuel odor. The airport of Teterboro, in the suburb of New York, is visible and the pilot decides to land. But, a little bit after, while he was flying over Manhattan, the plane goes down and manages to land to land on the water without big damages. The doors are open and passengers can go out though. The back of the plane is submerged, going out through this part is, though, impossible. Passengers gather on the wings and on the slices, anticipated in case of need of evacuation, which had become rafts.
Coast guard arrived fast and everyone was drained off safe.

picture from Rhobinhood

Have you already been in a bar completly made of ice???? Bar, chairs, even glasses that you drink from????

There are about twenty: Milan, London, Stockholm, Montreal, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Auckland, Poland, Alaska, Sydney, Dubai, Portugal, Captown (South Africa), Orlando, Las Vegas.

It’s something you can’t miss!!!!    They lend you a jackect and gloves at the entrance because  those bars have a constant temperature of  23 degree Fahrenheit. De facto, you are allowed to stay inside about 45 minutes, which is more than enough, believe me!!!!

And if you are a fan of Absolut Vodka, this bar is yours!!!! By the way, they’r even named Absolut Ice Bar

The entrance fees (about 10 pounds) includes a cocktail of your choice with the Absolut Vodka of your choice (lemon, Vanilla, mandarin…); For sure there will be something to your taste

With the crisis, companies aim to maximize economies of scale. You have probably already seen automatic cash register, toll booth or a metro train going without driver… Where is the future going?? Will we be all replace by robots?
You can have an idea on how our future is envisaged…

Youtube

Observe robot’s agility and facility to move. With an impeccable stability this tray-robot wanders around tables without hitting anything. And if you fell like to titillate it won’t bear you
With this kind of advanced technology how it will be in 30 years? Till where will go the progress?
You could also have another point of view on this invention: You will not have any more to meet nonchalant waiters, no needs to tip anymore or to be embarrassed while you ask for more mayo for example.