General

Wakeboarding in Venice

Here’s a fun video of wakeboarding in St. Mark’s Square in Venice. Duncan Zuur was pulled by 20 horsepower motor winch, which was covered and hidden under the arches of a building. Once finished,  he receives a standing from tourists.

On a more serious note, Venice has been flooded twice so far this week, the worst floods for 22 years. And the problem is growing worse as sea levels rise with climate change and the foundations of Venice gradually sink. The tides rise about 2.7mm per year.

Authorities are trying to protect the city by building an underwater flood barrier, using massive hinged barriers attached to the seabed. Called MOSES (after the prophet who parted the Red Sea), the $7 billion dollar project was due for completion by 2007. But due to delays in government finance, that date has slipped back to 2011, then to 2012, and now likely to 2014.

If you haven’t already been to Venice yet, it’s one of those spectacular sights everyone should try and see before they die. And given the current crisis and the environmental predictions, probably better to go while you still can.

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