As a bonus, it also provides the occasion for a teachable moment on American prudery. Like the Frontierlands and ToonTowns of other parks, this center of “wellness” represents a clear departure from the adjacent neighborhood. And so it was that I warmed to the idea of Tropical Islands despite myself.Īlas, one martini provided insufficient ballast for the park’s spa and sauna area, which occupies a generous one-third of Tropical Islands’ real estate. Both are magically transformed each evening from entertaining schmaltz islands to islands of schmaltz entertainment.Īround showtime, three-course meals of guinea fowl, blue marlin and blueberry mousse can be procured at the adjacent Paradiso restaurant, but “we can make you a cosmo or another cocktail right now,” said the faux Samoan behind the bar. The attraction, in addition to the sea itself, with its stainless-steel ocean floor, is the pair of sandbars floating on it. Germans of all ages frolicked in the sand nearby, while others camped overnight in canvas tents (just $30 a person for a pallet with high-thread-count sheets). A cerulean screen, of course, dotted with Magritte-style clouds and mounted over a tropical sea called Tropical Sea. Densely planted coffee bushes and banana trees conspired to create a remarkably realistic jungle, the effect spoiled only by the sound of flip-flops and the occasional bad European bathing suit.ĭeep and dark it was, the palms overhead eventually obscuring the sky, until they stopped obscuring it and a great cerulean-ness came into view. Just beyond the turnstiles, there was a bridge over a swamp heavily stocked with mangroves, and paths leading past thousands of specimens of tropical flora. The snow might be piling up against the building’s base, but inside is 175 million cubic feet of air kept at a temperature of 79 degrees round-the-clock, 365 days a year, not to mention eight football fields of landscaping made barefoot-friendly by an under-floor heating system. Instead, in 2004 it became a German water park with an English name, Tropical Islands, the moniker apparently lending an extra touch of the exotic for the hordes of Berliners who patronize it. Sure, CargoLifter went belly-up in 2002, its business plan disintegrating, but still: You’d expect that a scheme equally grandiose, or at the very least sinister, would have found a home there. There before us stood hubris of a rare order: 14,000 tons of steel supporting a 700,000-square-foot structure 32 stories high, an aviation Xanadu.
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In so doing he discovered a number of repeated mistakes in the way he composed images. The impetus for this lesson occurred when Danson reviewed some of his early work with a critical eye. And even if “unhappy” is too strong a word, and you’re pretty “satisfied” with your work, that’s not enough for Danson-who wants you to be really pleased with the images you make. The topic of this episode is improving your compositional skills with simple techniques.īritish pro Nigel Danson says he created this episode for outdoor photographers who are unhappy with their landscape photos. The tutorial below from one of our favorite landscape photographers will help shorten your learning curve by explaining what to do, and habits to avoid, when shooting in the great outdoors. Put another way, the best photographers have the courage to try new things, make mistakes, and learn how to avoid them in the future. "I will continue to capture their beauty as long as I am able to hold a camera and keep a vigilant eye on them," Yang said, adding that he will make it his life's mission to document this remarkable creature.Photography, like most artistic endeavors, is all about experimentation and practice. Today, pods of these captivating creatures can once again be observed leaping above the water's surface, allowing enthusiastic shutterbugs and local residents to marvel at their beauty. "This is a distinctive sight in the Yichang region and serves as evidence of the improved ecological environment in the Yangtze River basin," Yang said.įinless porpoises swim in the Yangtze River in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, May 10, 2021. By 2019, he was able to snap even more photos, including images of the porpoises skillfully catching fish near the riverbank. In 2017, Yang was fortunate enough to spot a finless porpoise after a long gap and capture a photo of it. However, significant measures have been implemented to reverse the fate of this species. Over the past few decades, there has been a substantial decrease in the finless porpoise population, primarily caused by overfishing and excessive human activity. I would frequently observe them trailing boats as they made their way down the river," Yang said, adding that as human activity increased, finless porpoises became rare along the Yichang section of the river. "I first encountered a finless porpoise as a teenager when there were far fewer boats on the Yangtze River. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)Ī long-time resident of Yichang, Yang has observed and captured the changes with his camera. This aerial photo taken on shows finless porpoises swimming in the Yangtze River in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province. Over the last five years alone, the population of Yangtze finless porpoises has increased to 1,249, marking a rise of 23.4 percent. In 2006, surveys began to collect vital data on this endangered species. The Yangtze finless porpoise is under top-level national protection in the country. The Yangtze finless porpoise, the namesake of China's longest river, is so connected to the Yangtze River that any change in the health of its environment can support or threaten its survival. As soon as one of them emerges from the water, I can tell which family it belongs to," Yang said. "I know this group of finless porpoises very well. Upon arrival, he patiently waits there for a pod of finless porpoises to emerge from the glistening water, hoping to capture their beauty through his lens.Īs a devoted admirer of the finless porpoise, this shutterbug has taken over 100,000 vivid photos of the endangered species in the past six years. WUHAN, March 27 (Xinhua) - Every day, Yang He, a 64-year-old photographer, wakes up in the wee hours and drives to the bank of the Yangtze River in the central Chinese city of Yichang. The money is put towards the prize pool for the next draw if there aren’t any winners in a certain tier. Half of the ticket revenue is put towards the prize pool for each draw, and 20% of that amount is allocated to the Jackpot. Prizes in Take 5 are pari-mutuel, apart from the match-2 tier, which means the individual prize amounts aren’t fixed and can change from draw to draw. Prizes start from matching just two numbers - where you’ll be awarded a free Quick Pick for a future draw - and the jackpot can be won by matching all five numbers. To enter, you need to choose five numbers between 1 and 39. Pick up your tickets by 2:15 PM for Midday and 10:20 PM for Evening to play the next draw. The Midday draw takes place every afternoon at 2:30 PM EST, and the Evening draw is held every night at 10:30 PM EST. Already the best amateur in women's golf, Rose Zhang set another record Thursday to take a five-shot lead in the Augusta National Women's Amateur, leaving her one round away at the. |