Thursday, February 9, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com

Underwater weddings: In Thailand, get hitched with the fishes

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 07:58 PM PST

Some say keeping a marriage afloat is a constant struggle, a battle to keep your heads above water. If that's indeed true, it seems only fitting that you and your sweetheart start your journey as one under the sea, in full scuba gear.

Now in its 16th year, Trang Underwater Weddings welcomes couples from around the world to exchange vows with the fishes from February 10-12.

This year, organizers say they have 34 couples signed up to take part in the underwater wedding, a mix of both Thai and international divers. Prices start from 25,000 baht per couple. 

Guinness recognition

The first underwater wedding took place in 1996, to promote tourism in Trang. Since then it has grown steadily, even being awarded "Largest Underwater Wedding Ceremony" by Guinness World Records in 2000.

In addition to the marriage registration, which takes place underwater, the three-day event features Thai traditional wedding ceremonies including the pouring of water over the couples' hands, a parade and other events. Afterwards, the newlyweds are escorted to their honeymoon suites by old –- and presumably happy -- married couples.

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5 Valentine recipes from 5 top chefs

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 02:05 PM PST

by Anthea Gerrie

Nothing proves your love like a well-cooked meal. And nothing sabotages the moment like a badly cooked one.

We searched the planet for the most positively passionate chefs, and found five for whom food isn't just for eating, it's for loving.

So wherever you are and whatever your culinary skills, you can score some passion points with these simple but sumptous Valentine recipes. 

1. Shannon Bennett, Melbourne:
Coq au vin in sweet wine

5 Valentine recipes from 5 top chefsMelts first on your eyes, then in your mouth.

Shannon Bennett of Vue de Monde in Melbourne treasures the meal he enjoyed with his wife at Bras, one of the world's top restaurants, which is tucked away in a remote corner of France.

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Japan's weirdest snowscape: The Monsters of Zao

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:55 PM PST

by Lisa Jardine

When Hilary Wendel, a Tokyo-based photographer and good friend, asked me to tag along as she photographed "Japan's scariest monsters," I was apprehensive at first.

Fortunately for us both, the Snow Monsters of Zao in Yamagata Prefecture are more impressive than terrifying.

They are actually Aomori fir trees that have been coated with extremely wet snow and ice carried by a cold Siberian jet stream that also freezes them almost solid in some of the most peculiar shapes I've ever seen.

And they're easy to reach from Kanto too -- tickets from Tokyo Station to Yamagata by Shinkansen cost ¥21,800 round-trip and the train takes 150 minutes to get there.

If you're skiing and not just snapping, you might want to consider sending your equipment and luggage ahead by Japan's extremely convenient takkyubin service so as not to start the trip off with a sardine-can experience on the subway.

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Roving robotic scarecrows battle airport birds

Posted: 08 Feb 2012 01:52 AM PST

by Frances Cha, Seoul Editor

It sounds like something out of a Marvel Comic: an atomic research institute and a weapons manufacturer team up to create a new robot. 

But instead of fighting crime, this new semi-autonomous robot will be fighting birds. 

"They were originally commissioned by the military to prevent bird strikes at military airports," said Yi Jongmin, head of public relations at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI).

The robotics lab at KAERI spearheaded the development -- officially dubbed "Airport Birdstrike Prevention System" -- in conjunction with weapons manufacturer LIG Nex1 (whose company website, by the way, is one of the most intense we've ever seen). 

kaeriThe controller directs up to four semi-autonomous robots from a base in the airport. Bird strikes remain one of the top problems for airlines and airports around the world. 

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at 9:27 AM