I didn’t have much to add to my Christmas list this year, but now I know exactly what I want.  A trip to the Starkenberger Beer Resort.

Starkenberger offers beer drinking of course, but their most unique feature is their collection of beer-filled swimming pools.  The resort has seven heated beer pools where you can swim, or just sit and relax in the beer.  Some say that beer is good for the skin and immersing yourself in the pools is therapeutic.  I think it would just make me thirsty.

On their site, you can sign up for 2 hours of swim time for 135 Euros.  If you want a meat tray and a bottle of beer to go along with your swim, that’s an extra 4 Euros per person.  You can have up to four people in a pool, and you adjust the beer temperature to your comfort level.  This might be the only time you want your beer warm.

http://www.bierschwimmbad.com/

After seeing how many pets are killed, injured, lost, or traumatized after flying in the cargo hold of commercial airlines each year, Alysa Binder and her husband Dan Wiesel decided to do something about it.  They had just transported their dog, Zoe, in cargo for a cross-country move, and they saw how upset and disoriented she was when they landed.  They realized they were lucky she was only upset and not hurt, but didn’t want to have to put her through that experience again, or see other pet owners have to put their pets in cargo.  Some pets get overheated due to the lack of airflow in the cargo area, others suffer from lack of oxygen, and some try to escape from their crates which results in injury or death.

So they formed PetAirways, an airline only for pets (who will be called “pawsengers”), which will begin service on July 14th.  For now, the airline only services Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington D.C., but they hope to spread to 25 cities within the next couple years.

The PetAirways plane was made from a 19-passenger turbo prop with the seats and luggage bins removed.  They were replaced with 50 pet carriers which are secured by individual straps.  Each pet will have their own carrier and attendants stay with the animals from the moment you drop them off until you pick them up in the destination city.  People can’t fly on PetAirways, but if your flight is on a different schedule, PetAirways makes sure to have someone taking care of your pet until you are able to retrieve it.

Attendants also feed the pets before take-off and after landing, and make sure that they are comfortable.  For longer flights, the plane makes a pit stop so all animals are able to move around and use the restroom if needed.  There is also a trained veterinarian available at all times to look after the animals.  There is a pet lounge available for the animals to play in before and after flights.

Flights for pets isn’t cheap — they are offering special prices for now, but they are expecting flights to cost about $250 one way.  Still, $250 is a small amount to secure your pet’s safety and comfort.  I know I would never be able to put my pet in cargo, and for moves across the country it’s hard to transport a pet any other way.  PetAirways is one of the best ideas I’ve heard about in a long time, and I hope it turns out to be successful.

PetAirways also works in collaboration with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.  They will donate flights for pet adoptions and rescue so that more pets can be transported safely to their new homes.

www.petairways.com

The fashion house Versace is opening a new beachfront hotel in Dubai called the Palazzo Versace.  This top-dollar hotel wants their guests to be comfortable at all times.  Everyone knows that sometimes the sand on beaches gets hot and can even burn your feet in high temperatures.  Most people would just strap on some sandals and go for it.

Not at Palazzo Versace.  Instead they are placing a network of pipes beneath their beach that contain a coolant which absorbs the heat from the sand, leaving it a cool, comfortable temperature.  The hotel will also be refrigerating their pool so the water stays refreshing, and they are discussing options to put in giant fans outside that will keep a constant breeze blowing through.

It’s so nice to see that when the world is suffering from a recession, there is still enough money to refrigerate beaches.  God forbid rich people have to wear a pair of their Jimmy Choos out onto the beach to keep their feet from burning.  I think a hotel is nice if they have HBO and a continental breakfast.

Taking a new approach to an anti-litter campaign, the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is now using music to inspire people to clean up after themselves.  They changed the words to popular songs such as “Shake Your Groove Thing,” which is now “Keep It Opening Day Fresh” and “Bustin’ Loose” which became “We’re Steady Cleaning Up.”  Of course they also threw in some new lyrics to “Fantastic Voyage,” making it “Our New Concessions,” reminding patrons about the food and retail options available at the airport.  Don’t expect them not to try to subliminal message people into buying stuff while they’re at it.

The airport secured the rights to each of the songs from the original artists, who even agreed to record the new versions themselves.  They all have said they are pleased with the new versions.  (AKA: they aren’t famous anymore and need money.)  Herb Fame, from Peaches and Herb, who performed the remake to “Shake Your Groove Thing,” said it “was a worldwide song and people recognize the melody.  It was fun to do and every time I come through the airport I listen to it.”

The airport worked with psychologists to develop a better method to fighting the litter issue.  Signs are easy to overlook, and people see them everywhere.  With the music sounding so close to the original, it’s more of a subliminal message that people will hear all around them.  “The whole idea is to make it sound as much like the original as possible,” said Doug Strachan, Creative Innovations Manager for the City of Atlanta Department of Aviation, who rewrote the lyrics himself. “If it’s not really done with deft, then it kind of detracts from it rather than enhances it.”

Maybe he hasn’t listened to the songs he wrote, because they sound absolutely ridiculous.  Here are some lyrics from the future hit “Our New Concessions”: “Wow!  New shopping, new spas, new food! / People can’t you see, oh can’t you see, Hartsfield-Jackson wants to serve you.  (That’s right we mean it!) / We want to serve your happiness with purses… / Construction’s almost complete (It’s almost done!) / It’ll be brand new.  (So new!)”

Along with the new music, the airport has also started using a special scent in the airport to help people relax, which is called “Breeze.”  It’s an attempt to add even more sensory reminders that the airport is a “clean” atmosphere.  They are currently developing a custom scent for the airport to replace this one.

No matter what the Atlanta airport does, I doubt I would ever feel relaxed there.  It is one of the busiest airports in the country and has always been my least favorite stopping point for a layover.  They’re going to need to start pumping some anti-anxiety scent in with the “Breeze” if they really want people to relax and take in their awesome new music.

Click Read More to read some of the new lyrics to the classic songs.

“Opening Day Fresh” (To the “Shake Your Groove Thing” tune.  To encourage patrons to treat the airport as though it was as clean as the first day it opened.)

“Opening Day fresh, Opening Day fresh,

Yeah, yeah

Hartsfield-Jackson do it now

Opening Day fresh, Opening Day fresh,

Yeah, yeah

Show ‘em how we do it now!

Show ‘em how we do it now!”

“Our New Concessions” (To the tune of “Fantastic Voyage” — this one is especially ridiculous.)

You’re here early and man that’s great

But how you gonna deal with a real long wait?

You’re bored stiff and getting irate

Don’t worry about the time, stop hangin’ ’round the gate

Get straight, straight, triangulate

Investigate the airport it’s a fun creation

Take a look around (It’s really fun!)

Take a look around

Now the airport’s cool you’ll soon be a fan

Lots of new stores it’s called the retail plan!

The Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky has worked for animal and environmental conservation since it’s opening in 1999.  They acquired the only Shark Ray in this part of the world when they took in Sweet Pea.  Soon after Sweet Pea they got Scooter, which made them the only male/female Shark Ray pair in the Northern Hemisphere.  By working closely with conservationists and Shark Ray specialists, Newport began the world’s first Shark Ray breeding program, a key in keeping these rare creatures in existence.

Now Newport Aquarium has announced the arrival of their newest addition to the Shark Ray family — Sunshine, a baby Shark Ray, who will be able to help them understand the needs of a growing Shark Ray so they will be prepared if Sweet Pea and Scooter have one of their own.

Click Read More to see videos of the Shark Rays, including one of Sunshine being introduced to her new home at the Newport Aquarium.

http://www.newportaquarium.com

Chemically Green did an article about “living walls” — buildings that have used vegetation to cover walls or even entire buildings.  It’s environmentally friendly, brings some more green to city life, and is also a form of art.  My favorite example from the article is the SkyFarm in Toronto (pictured above).  Not only does this building look cool, but they are actually using it as a farm.  It’s a vertical garden where they think crops may earn up to $23 million a year.

Other examples include the Sydney International Airport, Vancouver Aquarium, and other buildings and walls around the world that have taken advantage of the “green” trend.  Click here to read the full article on Chemically Green: Living Walls

I’ve been seeing this Civic commercial on TV for a while now, and I never could figure out what was going on.  I was thinking, “Where is this music coming from and why are they so excited about it?”  Finally I looked it up online and watched it closely a few times to figure it out.  They designed those little road grooves (that normally are used to tell you to slow down) to play out the tune of the William Tell Overture (better known to some as the Lone Ranger theme).

Once I actually figured out what the commercial was showing, I thought it was such a cool idea and researched it a little more to find out if it was a real road.  Turns out it is.  The road is Avenue K in Lancaster, California, and it is one of only four such “musical roads” in the world.  The grooves were “tuned” for the road’s 55mph speed limit and configured to work with the exact size and tires of a Honda Civic.  It would work with any car, although it may be slightly out of tune with larger vehicles.  The grooves were completed on September 5th.

Unfortunately, people living close to the road haven’t found it quite as entertaining as those who drive on it and have been taking their complaints to city hall.  When they constructed it, they didn’t think the sound would travel far enough to bother residents, but so many complaints were filed that the road has since been paved over.  It was a historical feat, being the first musical road in the United States, but I’m sure it won’t be the last.  Someone let me know when I can get my street custom tuned to “Womanizer” by Britney Spears.

Beer is a beautiful thing.  First you drink and enjoy it, then you pray inside of the bottles.  Well, at least the monks of Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew in Thailand do.  They have constructed an entire complex of temples, stairs, bridges, mosaics, and even toilets out of empty beer bottles.  In a new method of recycling, locals drop off their empties at the complex, and the monks can then use them to construct more buildings on the property, which already consists of 20 structures.

The monks say that the over one million bottles used in the complex have been a perfect method for building as they are easy to clean and provide good lighting.  They use green Heineken bottles, brown Chang beer, various soft drinks, and Thai Red Bull bottles.  They also use the bottle caps to make their mosaics, not letting anything go to waste.

See more pictures of the structures by clicking Read More.