How many of us grew up watching the Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo wondering what it would be like if you could spend your time living below the ocean’s surface. Soon you will get your chance to discover what it would be like to stay in an underwater hotel. There are plans to build an underwater hotel in Dubai. The hotel has a unique structure which consists of two disks. The top disk is above water and will have a spa, pool, garden and upper terrace. The disk below will be 10 meters underwater and will houses 21 rooms plus a dive center. Guests will have the opportunity to sleep with the sea life. There will be large windows in their suits that they can look out and see the sea life in their natural habitat. A unique lighting system will illuminate the underwater scene outside the hotel windows. Photography and other technology in the room will allow guests to zoom out and get a close up view of the sea creatures The hotel is surrounded by a beautiful coral reef and is situated in clear blue water. The two disks are attached by 3 pillars. The pillars have elevators and stairs inside of them, which allow you to move from disk to disk. Some people might be skeptical of this hotel, especially if you have seen a shark attack movie. But the architects assure that there is no risk of danger. The above water portions of the hotel are suspended high enough to avoid tsunamis and flooding. The below water portion of the hotel can surface if it needs to.

Alison Hargreaves

In May 1995, Hargreaves broke two huge barriers: She climbed Mount Everest without the help of oxygen or a Sherpa. A month later, Hargreaves was killed in a violent storm while attempting to climb K2, one of the world’s most inhospitable mountains. She climbed other mountains while heavily pregnant, and she faced down criticism from some who said that a mother should not put herself in danger. In doing so, she braved a path for other female climbers.

Ellen MacArthur

When she broke the record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe in 2005, Ellen MacArthur was not just the best woman, but the best period, in the sport. Her achievements helped quash prejudices about women’s inferiority in long-distance sailing.

Helen Thayer

Thayer was the first woman to complete a solo expedition to the magnetic North Pole. She did this at age 50, pulling 160 pounds (73 kilograms) worth of pack on her sled, with only her dog to help. She has also trekked 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) across the Gobi Desert and lived for a year with a wolf pack in the Arctic Circle. In 2009, Thayer was named one of the most important explorers of the 20th century by the National Geographic Society.

The rear section of an airplane gives you the bumpiest ride as the rear is where you feel the turbulence the most.

Odds that you’ll be killed by an airplane falling from the sky are 1 in 25 million. Odds that it will happen today are 1 in 7 trillion.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads.

Tasmania is said to have the cleanest air in the world.

Club Direct, a travel insurance company in Britain, provides insurance plans for protection from falling coconuts.

France is the most visited country in the world. Approximately 80 million tourists visited France in 2010 and the Eiffel Tower was by far the most visited attraction.

At any give hour there are 61,000 people airborne over the US.

The world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (over 80 million passengers in 2010). Sydney Airport is the world’s 27th busiest airport with 33 million passengers in 2010.

The world’s most expensive plane ticket cost Sydney millionaire Julian Hayward a staggering $123.000. He was the first person to buy a seat on the Airbus A380 maiden flight between Singapore and Sydney in 2007.

There are some unique festivals that take place all over the world. An interesting event is coming up next month on June 4^th.  It takes place in Gloucester England on Coopers Hill. It is an annual event held every year that usually takes place on the last Monday in May. The Coopers Hill Cheese Rolling is a 200 year old tradition. People from all over the world come to watch the race. People enter into the race to run down a steep hill as fast as they can while trying to catch a 7lb wheel of cheese. The main goal of the race is to push and shove your competitors out of the way and pick up the cheese. It is very difficult; the cheese gets a one second head start and can reach speeds up to 112 km per hour. The first person over the finish line wins the cheese. It is an event that can get pretty dangerous since the hill is so steep and uneven. Injuries occur every year such as sprained or broken bones, concussions, scrapes and other wounds. If you want to experience something new check out the race next month!

This is an image of Tuna eyes, which can be found in Japan. It would be awkward to eat something that is starring at you. Tuna eyes are popular for their fatty, jelly-like tissues around the eyeballs. Some prefer to eat it raw even though it tastes rather “fishy” others would rather steam or fry it alongside garlic or soya sauce to spice it up and give it some more flavor.

The picture shows white ant eggs, which can be found in Cambodia. Food carts on the street offer a wide variety of unique foods.  White ant (or termites) eggs soup are probably one of the weirdest choices. The soup comes with a mixture of eggs, half embryos and baby ants. The eggs are soft and pop gently in your mouth with a wee bit of sour taste.

Some people are deathly scared of tarantulas and some people eat them. This dish is found in Cambodia. The people of Cambodia have had years of struggles under the Khmer Rogue. In times of starvation and hunger they did not have much to turn to. They started eating tarantulas for the meat in the heads and bodies.

This yummy dish is found in South Korea. It is called Beondegi, which translates into silkworm larvae. The larvae are steamed and boiled before serving. The cook adds some seasoning for flavor. The seasoning will not help you get past the crunchy, nutty texture of the larvae. It is truly a unique dish that must have an acquired taste.

Baluts are half-fertilized duck or chicken eggs boiled with its shell. They are found as a local dish served throughout the Philippines. The balut are high in protein and considered an aphrodisiac among locals.

There are a lot of interesting foods found around the world. Keep any open mind while travelling you never know what you might like.

Attention students and parents!

If you are looking for something fun to do June 23 then check out Bikefest Toronto 2012.  It is a full day event beginning at 11 am and ending at 6pm. It is a great way to spend time with family and friends while enjoying cycling.

The Event: EC Bikefest is a hub of knowledge where cyclists new and old can make connections and get the information they need to pursue their passion.
MEC Bikefest Toronto features activities for cyclists of all skill levels:

■Dozens of Bike Clinics and Seminars
■Local Bicycle Retailers
■Bike Demos
■Free Basic Bike Repair and Tune-ups (provided by Bicycle Commons and Bike Sauce)
■MEC Bikefest Bike Swap
■Bicycle Donation Drop-off
■Bike Valet Parking (provided by Toronto Cyclists Union)
■Free Drop-in Activities for Kids
■City Cruise Bike Ride
■Morning Pastry Ride
■Gear Giveaways
■Live Bands

May is the most popular month to climb the highest mountain the in the world Mount. Everest. Great adventure seekers must complete the climb before monsoon season begins. The mountain that is named after the late Welsh surveyor and geographer George Everest has a peak of 29,035 feet. There are two main climbing routes to reach the top. The first route is the southeast range from Nepal and the second route is the north ridge from Tibet. Technically the southeast ridge is easier and most used. About 3000 people have reached the top of the mountain. Those people who have attempted have left over 100 tons of trash along the way. Along with the amount of trash left behind, the mountain is also being impacted by global warming. The once snow covered terrain is being replaced by dotted and bare rock. Over 120 corpses have been left behind on the mountain, which accompanies a statistic of 1 death for every 10 successful climbs.

The origin of the festival displays the rich history Canada has. The festival is a display of friendship between the Netherlands and Canada. In 1943 the Dutch Princess and her children came to Canada to escape Nazi occupation. While they were here she gave birth to her daughter Princess Margriet at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. Canada allowed the hospital to temporarily be international territory. This allowed the child to inherit her Dutch citizenship. After the war the Dutch Royal family sent 100,000 tulips to Canada to show gratitude. The tradition continues each year and the beauty of the friendship is on display for all to see.

Your school can check out the Ottawa Tulip Festival next May! click here to get more information

We’ve already seen how biometric technologies can help bring banking to illiterate users with NCR’s Pillar ATMs, and now we’re seeing how that same technology can be put to use in a different scenario. Specifically, in times of disaster, cardless banking ensures consumers can still access their accounts. Inspired by just that need, Japan’s Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank will soon roll out a line of ATMs that scan users’ palms and require no external form of identification.

Whereas most existing biometric ATMs still require authentication using a bank card, Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank’s devices will not. Rather, users of the bank’s new ATMs will register ahead of time at a local branch with their palm print and other key information. Then, to use one of the devices they’ll need only enter their birth date and a four-digit PIN along with having their palm scanned, according to a Nikkei report. The new technology will reportedly be installed at ten banks and a drive-through ATM in September.

We’ve also seen cardless banking via mobile phone, of course, but Ogaki Kyoritsu’s initiative goes a step further by completely removing the need for any additional cards or devices.

Hotels today are offering unprecedented services to set themselves apart, and just recently we’ve seen examples including a “soap concierge,” an animal psychic, and in-room perfume service, to name just a few. The latest spotting? At London’s Kensington Hotel, “Petite Etiquette” lessons now aim to teach basic table manners to children.

Having run just twice so far, the Petite Etiquette program targets children between five and ten years of age with dinner etiquette instruction. Specifically, the free hour-long classes are designed to help parents by teaching kids a variety of “easy-to-learn tips and tricks,” the hotel says. Manners expert Jean Broke-Smith is the instructor, and she offers pupils guidance on matters including posture, how to hold a knife and fork properly, and the importance of “please” and “thank you,” according to a recent Telegraph report.

The Kensington Hotel plans to host its Petite Etiquette classes on a regular basis during school half-terms and holidays subject to demand, it says. Hoteliers around the globe: how about you?