Canary Island Dunes Under Threat By Tourists Having Sex On Beach
Canary Island Dunes Under Threat By Tourists Having Sex On Beach

Tourists getting frisky at a popular ‘sex spot’ in Spain’s Canary Islands has scientists hot and bothered.

Researchers are concerned that travellers having sex on the beach could be eroding a delicate ecosystem.

Ph.D student Leví García Romero’s profile on the Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global states he is analysing “the role of the vegetation cover in the beach-dune systems of the Canary Islands as a basis for improving their management.” Romero is one of the study’s authors.

Per the IOCG, “This thesis doctoral analyzes from small scale the impact of urban-touristic development in four aeolian sedimentary systems in the Canaries: Maspalomas, Corralejo, Lambra and Jable Sur from, and from great scale only in Maspalomas, using the vegetation coverage as indicator.”

Researchers used Geographic Information Technologies to obtain and assess the data.

According to Romero’s IOCG page: “Results indicate that systems affected by urban touristic development have witnessed significant environmental change. Especially in Maspalomas, changes in the foredune has been detected reducing the nebkhas number and inside the dune system, one blowout and two erosional zones clearly defined since 2003 in the residuary active zone has been detected with relationship by buildings in Playa del Inglés.”

The NZ Herald reports: “One beach in particular, which is famous for being a gay tourism spot, has been used as a case study by experts from the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and Flinders University. The well-known Gran Canaria, near the Dunas de Maspalomas Special Nature Reserve, illustrates the environmental consequences of ‘cruising’.”

The scientists said the study (published in The Journal Of Environmental Management) was not focused on the demographic of tourists, but upon the impacts the activity was having on the environment.

“In the area of Gran Canaria, the team found that sex sports in places of dense vegetation and ‘nebkhas’ (vegetated dune hummocks) significantly damaged the landforms and native plants,” The NZ Herald reports.

According to Phys.org, “Of the 10 plant species found to be impacted, eight were native and three endemic to the particular kind of dunes of the Canary Islands.”

Flinders University’s Professor Patrick Hesp, who co-authored the study, has said similar activity has been reported in Australia.

The researchers said a mix of science and action could improve the situation, by combining targeted research with natural resource management.

The Canary Islands is not the only place tourists are going wild, causing authorities and researchers concern in the process.

To hear more about tourists having new experiences on vacation, check out the video below, where expats in Bali share their wildest Gojek experiences – or read this article, which details how some researchers want Bali to stop treating tourists like gods.

Tourists share wildest Gojek experiences in Bali

The post Canary Island Dunes Under Threat By Tourists Getting Frisky On The Beach appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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This Lufthansa First Class Seat Is Closer To The Front Than The Pilot’s
This Lufthansa First Class Seat Is Closer To The Front Than The Pilot’s

German airline Lufthansa’s first-class is so special it will throw a wrench in your brain.

Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but is unique. One way it is unusual is that one of its first-class seats is closer to the front of the plane than the pilot’s.

That’s according to luxury travel content creator @will.luxurytravel, who recently took to TikTok to share what these seats, found on Lufthansa’s massive 747’s, look like.

“When the first class seat you choose is in front of the captain,” Will captioned the video (watch it above).

“The seat you choose matters.”

He then signals out seat 1k as that hallowed seat that is closer to the front of the plane than the captain.

2a isn’t bad either, with Will claiming it is “further from other passengers.”

“Both have a bed and this awesome view. Which would you choose?”

Not every one of Will’s followers was immediately sold. TikTok user @George_K1907 wrote: “You missed the fact that this is exclusive to 747s. On any other plane if you are in row one you are behind the pilot.”

“This is on Lufthansa First Class,” Will replied. “And at present the only F they fly is onboard the 747.”

Another commenter wrote: “Omg… 1K is not in front of the captain! In fact, the co-pilot is sitting on top of you!!” Will responded to this: “Incorrect. The cockpit is physically further back above the 1a/1k.”

Another commenter wrote: “Surely the view is pretty similar no matter whatever window you [are] next to.”

Will rejected this, writing, “Actually no, further back the plane you get seats missing a window, and obstructed wing views.”

Now you know: if you ever want a once in a lifetime experience, have a crack at seat 1k in Lufthansa’s first-class and enjoy the exclusivity.

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Daniel Ricciardo Shocks America With $410,000 Patek Philippe Watch
Daniel Ricciardo Shocks America With $410,000 Patek Philippe Watch

Daniel Ricciardo is on a high right now.

The affable Australian Formula 1 star has been having an unexpectedly brilliant 2021. While his performance on track has been a little inconsistent with his move to new team McLaren (which is to be expected), the Perth boy delighted fans by taking home first place at the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren’s first win in almost a decade.

As a reward, he got to drive his hero Dale Earnhardt’s 1984 No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR ahead of the United States Grand Prix earlier in October – a dream come true for the Perth boy. He’s also been living it up whilst in North America, enjoying lavish Halloween parties with mates and even appearing on an episode of the final season of Ellen.

Looks like experiences aren’t the only valuable things Riccarido’s been collecting lately, either. It was hard to miss the expensive Patek Philippe ref. 5271P-001 that Ricciardo wore whilst chatting with the talk show host: an uncharacteristically lavish piece that’ll set you back around AU$410,000.

Images: YouTube / Patek Philippe

Part of the Grand Complications collection, arguably the most prestigious collection in all of watchmaking, Ricciardo’s new piece of wrist candy features both a chronograph and a perpetual calendar, with a leap year and day/night indicator. Chronographs and racing drivers go together like strawberries and cream, but this is a pretty luxe racing tool.

RELATED: Queue Jumper! Mark Wahlberg Rocks The New Patek Philippe Everyone Wants

On top of that, its bezel and lugs are set with 58 baguette-cut diamonds, with another 22 diamonds set in its foldover clasp, plus a diamond instead of a 12 o’clock marker. Oh, and it’s made out of platinum. Guess Ricciardo’s putting that new McLaren salary to good use…

This isn’t the only expensive Patek that Ricciardo owns. He’s also been spotted wearing a rose gold Nautilus Chronograph, too (which seems to be a favourite piece amongst F1 drivers).

What’s interesting is that McLaren actually has a sponsorship deal with another prestigious watchmaker, Richard Mille – so Ricciardo normally wears one of their watches when he’s on the clock, so to speak. When he’s off-duty, however, he can wear what he likes. Which seems to be Pateks.

Check out some of the other ‘off-duty’ watches F1 drivers wear below.

The 2021 Formula One World Championship has only four races to go, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Ricciardo’s former teammate) currently ahead in the driver’s championship with 312.5 points to reigning World Champion, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, and his 293.5 points.

RELATED: Jeremy Clarkson Takes Aim At Lewis Hamilton With ‘Anti-Woke’ Rant

Next up is the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos this weekend, and then Qatar Grand Prix on the weekend after that. Ricciardo and McLaren will be looking to regain their 3rd place position in the constructor’s championship after slipping behind Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix last weekend.

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“Fails The Laugh Test”: Australia’s New Electric Car Strategy Is Embarrassingly Bad
“Fails The Laugh Test”: Australia’s New Electric Car Strategy Is Embarrassingly Bad

In the aftermath of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (better known as COP26), the Coalition Government has unveiled a new $250 million electric vehicle policy – a stunning backflip for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who during the 2019 election railed against Labor’s EV policies, saying that they would “end the weekend” because EVs can’t tow or go off-road, according to him (which is bullshit, as the image above proves).

The policy centres around working with the private sector to improve Australia’s EV charging network as well as low-interest financing support for fleet vehicles. It’s a (somewhat) refreshing change of pace after years of inaction from the federal government, but critics have already got stuck into Morrison for this strategy, which they reckon doesn’t go far enough.

“Unlike every leading electric vehicle market globally, the plan delivers no financial or tax support to help Australian motorists make the switch to a cleaner car,” a trio of University of Queensland researchers explained in The Conversation.

“The government has failed to explain how the policy will help Australia achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, just as it failed to do when releasing its economy-wide emissions reduction plan last month… the new plan is not the national electric vehicle strategy Australia deserves and badly needs.”

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has been particularly pointed in his criticism, pointing out that this new policy passes more than a slight resemblance to the Labor policy Morrison pooh-poohed, telling Sky News that “it fails the laugh test.”

“[Morrison’s] hoping that people are goldfish, and they don’t remember what happened just two years ago.”

In short: it’s too little, too late, and out of step with the rest of the planet. Talk about embarrassing.

Speaking of embarrassing, watch the Tesla Model S Plaid embarrass Europe’s supercars by doing 0-60mph in under 2 seconds below.

As Albanese has pointed out on numerous occasions, Australia only needs to look to the example of Norway to see how easy it can be to get people driving EVs.

Despite the fact that Norway is a prominent oil producer, you not only receive substantial financial incentives when purchasing a new electric car, but EVs are also exempt from the annual road tax, all public parking fees, toll payments and are even allowed to use bus lanes in the Scandinavian country.

The upshot of this is that Norway is now the world’s keenest adopter of EVs. For reference, around 74.8% of all light vehicles sold in 2020 in Norway were electric, compared to 6.2% in China (the world’s biggest EV market and manufacturer) and less than 2% in Australia.

RELATED: China’s ‘People’s Tesla’ Overtakes Elon’s Model 3 As Best Selling Electric Car

Of course, Norway is a smaller and richer country than Australia. But like Australia, Norway has a tough and unforgiving landscape – especially during their hellishly cold winters – and no local auto manufacturing industry to speak of.

A Tesla Model S charging in Gundagai, NSW. Image: Electrek

That’s really the only part of the government’s argument that holds water: why subsidise new EV sales when car makers already have a vested interest in making EVs more affordable? “Our plans aren’t about sending a lot of taxpayers’ money off to big multinationals to get costs down. They’ll do that themselves. They’ve a keen interest in doing that,” Morrison has said.

It’s a good point, but probably not a driving factor (pun intended) behind the government’s policy. We’d wager ideology and the fossil fuel lobby have had more of an influence on policy than that thought.

At the end of the day, it’s Australian consumers who are going to lose out. We’re already set back by behind geographically isolated and a right-hand drive country – car companies simply won’t bring their cool new EVs Down Under without a more progressive federal EV policy as they won’t be able to justify the cost.

RELATED: Porsche Unveils The Future Of Motorsport… Whether You Like It Or Not

That said, we don’t want to be all doom and gloom about the Australian EV landscape. Despite the odds, there are already some pretty cool EVs that are about to come Down Under – as well as some very cool cars that are already here. Here’s some of the best.

Image: Kia

Kia EV6

Kia’s newest electric vehicle, due on our shores next year, is a real revelation. High-tech, incredibly good looking, practical and with surprisingly hefty performance credentials to boot, it might just be the most exciting car reveal of 2021.

Its 239kW, dual-motor, all-wheel drive, 77.4 kWh battery setup is capable of a 0-100km/h time of around 3.5 seconds. That’s faster than a new BMW M3 Competition or a Lamborghini Urus. Crucially, however, it’s faster than Tesla’s forthcoming Model Y as well as the currently-available Model X Performance (but not as fast as the Model X Plaid, which hasn’t made its way Down Under yet).

The EV6, as well as its platform-sharing stablemates, represent a real ‘coming of age’ moment for the South Korean auto industry. We think they’re really going to shift the needle on the public perception of Korean cars, as well as one what an affordable EV is capable of. Hot stuff.

RELATED: ‘I Would Have Never Considered Buying A Kia… Until Now’

Image: Firstpost

Hyundai IONIQ 5

If you can’t wait for the Kia EV6, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 is already here… In theory, at least. Based on the same Hyundai Electric Global Modular Platform as the EV6 (as well as the recently-unveiled Genesis GV60), it’s a slightly different take on the formula: where the GV60 is aimed at luxury buyers and the EV6 is positioned as a performance offering, the IONIQ 5 is aimed at a broader, more design-focused audience. The Tesla and Apple crowd, basically. Just take a look at its futuristic design: origami-like angles blended with confident curves.

That said, Hyundai is reportedly working on a high-performance IONIQ 5 N variant, as well as a more affordable, de-specced version in order to compete with the Tesla Model 3 and forthcoming Polestar 2, Carsales relates.

We say ‘in theory’ as the first run of IONIQ 5s sold out within hours of online orders opening earlier this year, and Hyundai isn’t opening new orders until next year. This in of itself demonstrates the conundrum Australian EV buyers have: because the overall segment is so small, the demand for (certain) models is punishingly high… You can’t win, eh?

Image: Rivian

Rivian R1T

Aussies love utes, so bringing an electric ute to market seems like a no-brainer. Ford have their F-150 Lightning, but they’ve confirmed that it won’t be sold in Australia as there’s no plans for right-hand drive production. However, Ford have invested in American EV startup Rivian, who are bringing an electric ute Down Under: the R1T.

Not only does it look amazing – more conventional than Tesla’s Blade Runner-esque Cybertruck but still plenty futuristic – with over 482kms of range, 35cm of ground clearance and a 0-100km/h time of under 3 seconds (depending on your tyre choice), the R1T is a truly exciting prospect, which has already convinced hundreds of buyers to put deposits down for the forthcoming beast.

But the really exciting thing about the R1T is its practicality. Aside from the spacious interior cabin and large tray, the ute features a huge ‘gear tunnel’ under the rear seats which can store a number of different modules, including a ‘Camp Kitchen’ module that looks to be a game-changer for off-road camping – or simply be an extra storage location for large, bulky items.

RELATED: Tesla Cybertruck Rival Threatens To Make Camping Actually Enjoyable

Image: Ford

Ford E-Transit

Ford might not be bringing the F-150 Lightning (or the Mustang Mach-E, for that matter) Down Under, but they are bringing their new E-Transit: an all-electric version of the iconic, best-selling van.

Not only will it be the most powerful Transit in Ford’s range (making 198kW and 430Nm of torque), but its ability to charge and run power tools on the go as well as its big, Tesla-style tablet centre console makes it extremely convenient. Also like a Tesla, it can also be set up to run the air conditioning whilst it’s on charge so that when you start your shift in the morning, you’ll have a perfectly cool or warm car ready to go – a big plus for fleet buyers.

Oh, and because it’s electric, it’ll be able to haul ass like nobody’s business. Imagine being able to chop a Golf GTI or Falcon Ute at lights in a bloody Transit van… Mad. It’s perhaps not the ‘halo car’ you’d expect from Ford but it’s actually a rather savvy move from Ford Australia to make the E-Transit their first EV on the market.

RELATED: Ford’s Plan To Make Australia’s Most Boring Cars Cool Again

Image: Audi

Audi e-tron GT

It’s not just the Koreans taking a modular approach to making EVs: ze Germans are doing it too. The e-tron GT, Audi’s first all-electric sports car, is based on the same platform as Porsche’s mind-blowing Taycan (more on that car here). A grand tourer of the finest Germanic tradition, it’s slightly longer, larger and practical than the Taycan. Like the Korean trio above, it demonstrates that just because a car shares a platform with another doesn’t mean they have to be carbon copies.

Despite its more luxurious focus, it’s no slouch: 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds, has a top speed of 245 km/h and boasts a maximum sustained power output of 350 kW, which can be temporarily boosted to 390 kW. The top-spec RS model is even more muscly: 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, a top speed of 250 km/h and 440 kW, 475 kW when boosted. That’s faster than a Lamborghini Huracàn… And you can still seat 5 people while doing it.

CNET have already called it “almost perfect” and “one of the best cars on the road today”. We’re just about ready to camp out at the docks for the first deliveries.

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Jesus Creepers Have Escaped Byron Bay & There’s Nothing You Can Do About It
Jesus Creepers Have Escaped Byron Bay & There’s Nothing You Can Do About It

There once was a time when it was considered sacrilege to dress like your dad – unless of course, they’re one of those rare fashionable dads. However, recent years have paved the way for ‘dad style’ to return in full force, with clothing inspired by the ’70s and ’80s proving popular once again.

Wide-leg trousers and Hawaiian shirts are perfect examples of these, both of which we’ve previously seen David Beckham rock on several occasions, which is all the proof you should need that they’re must-own items.

One item that has often been on the receiving end of much scrutiny, however, is the men’s sandal. Specifically, Jesus creepers, or Jesus sandals. To be clear, we’re not talking about thongs (or flip-flops if you’re American, jandals if you’re a Kiwi). Jesus creepers are a whole other beast entirely.

Colloquially named as such in reference to the footwear our Lord and Saviour was said to have worn, the Jesus creeper, for a time, was unofficially outlawed – this particularly disgruntled Reddit user, for example, refuses to date any men seen wearing them – and confined to the depths of the ‘never to be seen in public’ pile.

In its place, our options were limited to thongs or slides, along with the Birkenstock and its knock-off imitations, which have seen significant growth in popularity of late. There is also the Avarca sandal, but the less said about that, the better.

No longer confined to hippified coastal towns such as Byron Bay, the Jesus creeper is back and it’s out for blood.

Praise be!

The problem with this Jesus creeper renaissance is that it’s led to a dearth of quality slides for sale for men, with the holier-than-thou footwear cannibalizing the market.

Just check the listings of pretty much any online footwear supplier, where you’ll find next to no stylish options for slides. When we refer to stylish slides, we mean those that aren’t tarnished with large logos across the straps (the Three Stripe life isn’t for everyone). In our opinion, a person’s gaze shouldn’t be directed towards your feet, but rather your clothing choices instead.

Brands such as AERE, Indosole and Maseur are the only real accessible options, with more expensive pairs made from real leather and in Europe for those who are a bit more flush, such as those from the appropriately named brand Ancient Greek Sandals. For the rest of us mortals, listings at a more normal price point are inundated with either Birkenstocks (in the classic two-strap style we’re all accustomed to) or the dreaded Jesus creepers.

So why exactly has the Jesus creeper seen a second-coming? Well, not only is it due to a classic case of cyclical fashion, but menswear stylist Jeff Lack tells DMARGE, “Once reserved for Swamis and Gurus, the Jesus creeper sandal has hit mainstream pop culture.”

“Not to be worn with socks or a flowing linen robe, this footwear option will wear better and longer, particularly if you invest in a decent pair.”

If you want to get in on the Jesus creeper wave but don’t quite have the cojones to pull them off proper, Jeff admits that Birkenstocks are still a perfectly viable option, but (like with any type of footwear) you need to take the rest of your outfit into account to dictate when they should be worn.

Hey brah, could I get my açaí bowl to go?

“Jesus sandals for trousers, dressier and smart tailoring. Birkenstocks for shorts and casual wear… flip-flops and Havaiana style rubber thongs are reserved for washing the car and the beach.”

As for designers, Jeff recommends slides and sandals from Brador, MR PORTER, Tom Ford, Bottega Veneta and 124 Shoes.

Now go forth and multiply, as the Bible says.

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The ‘Secret’ First Class Seats Most Passengers Don’t Know About
The ‘Secret’ First Class Seats Most Passengers Don’t Know About

Some airlines are converting wasted business class space into first-class style suites.

This is happening as first-class is becoming less and less common, with first-class being already made a bit redundant with how good business class was getting pre-COVID, and even more so now that COVID has caused a lot of airlines to pull their larger aircraft (like the A380) from the sky.

The upshot? Most new aircraft are doing away with first-class and dedicating that space to business or premium economy. And the ones that are focussing on business have found that, with the herringbone type configuration that is proving to be most popular, there is a bit of extra cloth to cut, so to speak, at the front of the cabin.

CNN Travel reports that this space, on large passenger planes for international flights, is being used for “a new kind of seat – front-row business-plus.”

CNN Travel calls this “a kind of secret first-class, tucked away quietly at the front of business, but with more room, more hidden features, and more luxurious touches.”

JetBlue Mint Suite. Image Credit: Fortune

Anthony Harcup, a senior director at design house Teague, told CNN Travel space for these seats comes from the staggered layout commonly seen in business.

He said: “Business class seats get their density efficiencies by staggering or nesting passenger enclosures – often the feet of one passenger will nest under the side furniture of the passenger in front.”

“The front row seat is free of any forward nesting passenger.”

This space, CNN Travel reports, is often left empty, “or has something like a magazine rack screwed onto the top of it, or a cupboard for the galley kitchen on top.”

Harcup says: “Repurposing that space to house premium features and create more living space transforms it into prime aircraft real estate.”

This space can be utilized to put in a sofa, wardrobe, or even things like workplaces. Further options include romantic dining tables, bassinets, or even (mini) playrooms for kids (depending on the type of airline flying such suites).

Essentially: the sky is the limit. Who knows, if you were feeling really keen you could use this space to film yourself doing a champagne slammer (the latest trend in business class debauchery).

Watch pointy end passengers doing champagne slammers in the video below.

The way to spot if the plane you are flying on has these (somewhat) secret first-class seats is to look for extra little touches of luxury (like wood panelling) as you walk past, or by browsing your airline’s website for subtle distinctions in their business class offerings (look for words like business class plus or business suite).

RELATED: Unbundled Business Class Is The Way Of The Future, But Why?

The most well-known example of this space maximising phenomenon is JetBlue’s Mint Studio. Another is China Eastern’s Thompson Vantage XL+ front row.

But there have been rumours of other airlines mulling it over too, like Air New Zealand. Then you’ve got other airlines like Qatar Airways, whose Qsuite offering lets every single Qsuite ticket holder travel in a suite-style setting.

Maybe luxury (whether or not you want to call it first class) isn’t dead after all.

The post The ‘Secret’ First Class Seats Most Passengers Don’t Know About appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Salt Bae’s Sweat Suit Workout Could Literally Kill You
Salt Bae’s Sweat Suit Workout Could Literally Kill You

Many of us crave convenience. If there’s a task we want to complete, and there’s an easier way of completing said task, more often than not, we’re going to take it. In the case of losing body fat, however, the only true proven method is to stick to a calorie deficit diet and to exercise regularly.

But, as we said, we’re always in search of convenience. Speaking of which: one method some fitness junkies have turned to is to wear a bin bag over their clothes when exercising, whether it be in the gym or out running on the roads, in order to lose water weight.

These fitness junkies include the master of maintaining a low body fat percentage, Salt Bae. We’ve also seen social media personality Gianluca Vacchi do it. But apart from these mavericks, it tends to be something only done by people wanting to lose weight fast and unsustainably, like fighters before a weigh-in.

Taking to Instagram to share a new series of images on his story, Salt Bae can be seen training in what is essentially a bin bag. His, though, is more of a well-fashioned bin bag style shirt, complete with elasticated arm and neck cuffs. Training and exercising whilst wearing a bin bag type garment isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, athletes of various levels (boxers, in particular) have been using the method for years – Bradley Cooper even dons one in the hit movie Silver Linings Playbook, wearing one over his grey tracksuit while out for a run – but its actual benefits seem to be pretty slim.

Image: IMDB.com

Many hold the belief that using a bin bag or any other kind of sauna suit, as they are known, can aid with ‘actual’ weight loss. However, various publications, including Livestrong, and Military.com, claim they only help people to lose water weight. This is why they are commonly used by boxers or MMA fighters, for example, as they can shed the water weight in order to meet a certain weight class.

But, since it is just water weight being lost, that same weight will go back on as soon as you eat and drink water to rehydrate. And rehydrate you must, because wearing a bin bag when training will cause you to produce excessive amounts of sweat.

As Livestrong states, “Your body uses some of its water stores to regulate body temperature. This is achieved through sweat production. Wearing a trash bag short circuits part of your body’s cooling process.”

“The trash bag prevents the sweat from evaporating, signalling the body to keep producing sweat in the hopes of lowering your body temperature. In this manner, the trash bag causes weight loss from water loss.”

“Weight loss attributed to water weight is only temporary and is also dangerous to your health. Gains can be expected once you rehydrate or eat. Because water is vital to many different body systems and functions, it’s not recommended to attempt to lose weight in this manner.”

Healthline also chimes in on the lack of any real benefit to wearing a sauna suit or bin bag when training, but adds there are a number of risks, as wearing on can have negative effects on: “thermal regulation, cardiovascular function, renal function, hydration, electrical activity, electrolyte balance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, body composition.”

These negative effects could potentially lead to “hyperthermia, dehydration and rhabdomyolysis, the break down of skeletal muscle.”

However, shedding water weight can help you to look more ripped, which we presume is Salt Bae’s reasoning. Bodybuilding.com says people who assume they have a layer of fat covering their abs, “could in fact be primarily ‘subcutaneous fluid’, otherwise known as ‘water weight’.”

“A lot of bodybuilders get very lean, and achieve vascularity in areas such as their arms and legs, yet still cannot get their lower abdominal muscles to appear. This is usually due, not to fat, but to fluid and excess sodium ions being deposited in the lower abdominal region, thereby masking the well-sculpted muscle that lies underneath.”

And, one way to help shed this water weight to reveal your washboard abs is to sweat. “Water retention is not simply ‘water’,” Bodybuilding.com adds, “but sodium ions trapped underneath the skin. This is why your sweat tastes salty.”

“A trick to use is to sit in a sauna and keep drinking water. In the beginning, your sweat will taste salty, telling you that you are retaining sodium. After a while, your sweat will begin to taste like water.”

Other, perhaps safer methods to help shed water weight and sodium ions, are to drink more water to help continually flush out your system, limit your intake of salt, and to eat more fibre.

So, while we so often encourage everyone to follow Salt Bae’s workouts and training advice – he is ridiculously ripped, after all – his latest endeavour should perhaps be best avoided.

You can check out some of Salt Bae’s most brutal workouts in the video below

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‘Thalassophiles’: The Modern-Day Vikings Invading The Travel Industry
‘Thalassophiles’: The Modern-Day Vikings Invading The Travel Industry

It’s no longer enough to love travelling. In 2021 you’ve got to post to Instagram about it. All you need to do to see this is scroll around the platform’s discover page for a minute or so; if you’ve ever expressed a vague interest in travel, some content from a travel blogger will likely pop up.

Many people on Instagram identity as ‘travellers’ (in their bio) or some other variation of a human who likes different aspects of nature or travel. Many people in particular, we’ve noticed in recent years, have started calling themselves thalassophiles (lovers of the sea) much in the same way some people put ‘sapiosexual’ in their Tinder bio.

Though your first instinct might be to cringe at this, we put on our goggles, did some swimming, and learned a little about this ancient new trend. Basically: there are a group of people who are making careers out of taking photos of themselves in shimmering waters all around the world, from the Maldives to Malaga, and having a damn good time doing it.

Not all of these Modern Day Vikings call themselves thalassophiles. But they all seem to be inspired by the ocean-loving spirit.

They then sell their e-courses and photography ‘presets’ to other aspiring social media users, and the vicarious tribe grows ever larger.

The movement is taking the travel industry by storm, with more and more people becoming inspired to go it alone, and work out their own itinerary, travelling the world using apps like BlaBlaCar, Workaway, Tinder Gold and Airbnb (rather than Renfe, Flight Centre and Topdeck). It hasn’t killed traditional travel companies yet, but it is disrupting them.

Speaking of disruption, Traveller reported in 2018 that backpackers don’t camp like they used to whilst on guided tours.

Ben Groundwater for Traveller wrote: “Contiki, the juggernaut of group travel for young people in Europe, now only offers one camping itinerary around the continent. One. Out of more than 300 trips the company runs there.”

“By far the more popular accommodation options involve staying at a mix of hostels and cabins (sometimes in campsites, sometimes aboard ferries or yachts), or staying in proper hotels in twin-share accommodation. And even for the hardy few, camping tours ain’t camping tours anymore.”

“Those passengers don’t even have to set up their own tents. They don’t have to wash their own dishes. There’s far more focus on travelling for them, and less focus on doing chores.”

He also wrote: “Millennials are pretty savvy – they know food, they know culture, they know sights and attractions, and they want to see and experience them. They want to go out and have fun, sure, but getting boozy in a campsite that could be pretty much anywhere in the world is not high up on their list of priorities.”

In 2021, we’d go a step further. Though bus tours aren’t dead yet, here at DMARGE we’d argue that no longer is it just camping as part of a tour that’s a dwindling art, but tour operators generally are under threat. And it’s truly international, with popular travel bloggers of all nationalities springing up to (virtually) guide their fans and followers around the world.

How Young People Will Travel In 2022, according to TikTok

Why? No longer do travellers turn exclusively to The Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor to plan their trips. They’ve got hordes of bloggers showcasing boutique bars, cloistered cloves and dropped pins for them to follow. Who needs Contiki, for instance, when you can customise your own trip and meet people as you go? The only reason to do an operated tour, these days, is to easily meet people, many believe (though you could also argue that’s always been the case).

That said, there is a future where old school travel companies work with influencers (the other good news for them is that people will always want to meet people, so presumably there will always be some kind of demand for operators of a kind).

“I only see the influencer marketing getting bigger,” Jade Broadus, creative director of Travel Mindset, once told Travel Weekly about influencers disrupting the travel industry.

According to Travel Weekly, she claimed people in their 30s want travel agents, but: “They just don’t know that they want that.”

“By travel agents partnering with influencers, they can gain a level of trust. People trust influencers like they trust their best friend.”

On that note: it’s certainly true that while professional travel bloggers may know the offbeat destinations of the world (or, more importantly, have the contacts and nous to find them wherever they go) like the back of their hand, their followers probably don’t. So maybe there will always be a place for guided tours – of a kind.

Another big secret many are cottoning onto is that, with the right filter, everything looks like a hidden gem…

RELATED: 2 Days In Sydney’s Hidden Hinterland

Still with us? Swim on back to the ocean; watch the video below to learn more about how the word ‘thalassophile’ has become such a buzzword in the travel blogging space, as well as to learn about how others are very much fearful of the ocean, and have ‘thalassophobia.’

Our distaste for the word itself aside, it makes sense people would turn to the ocean as a source of solace (and adventure), particularly here in Australia, where a temperate climate and an abundance of sea pools make the ocean more easily accessible (if you live on the coast) for a variety of people to enjoy than it is anywhere else in the world.

New South Wales, Australia, has more than 70 ocean pools.

Thanks to stats like this, a culture of sea-loving has sprung up.

Caroline from Places We Swim, whose Instagram photos rank highly for everywhere from Victoria’s The Pillars to NSW’s Clovelly and Bushranger’s Bay, told DMARGE: “Swimming is part of our daily lives and psyche in Australia.”

“I’m sure it’s to do with the landscape and climate. But we are very connected to swimming in Australia. We also learn to swim much younger than in most countries.”

“With regard to ocean pools, they almost exclusively exist in NSW, and there is over 100 dotted down the coast. NSW has to be one of the friendliest places to swim in the world.”

DMARGE has also (previously) spoken with photographer Rachael Kane, who has experience taking photos in Italy’s Capri and Amalfi Coast as well as Sydney’s Eastern and Northern beaches (and Byron Bay).

Rachel said: “I think it is a magic cocktail of; people at the beach are all on holidays, they are walking to the beach, they dress to impress – no matter if you are a movie star or a mechanic. Anchored off the calm Mediterranean beaches are glamourous super yachts. You as a participant absorb the beauty, you believe in it. No sand no worries, they happily lie on pebbles all day to unashamedly worship the sun, or even better a sun lounge on the pebbles with a personal waiter.”

Photographer and videographer Chris Mohen, for his part, said: “People need that place to clear the mind and start or end the day.”

“After travelling overseas quite extensively, especially to places like Nice in the south of France really shows that to me, the daily swim is pretty essential for humans of coastal areas and probably shows why people who live on the coast crave that morning or evening swim so much.”

We’ll swim to that.

The post Has Instagram Made Lonely Planet & TopDeck Irrelevant? appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Video Sums Up The Brutal Truth About Men Who  Love Whisky
Video Sums Up The Brutal Truth About Men Who Love Whisky

As is the unfortunate case with modern society, things you do, say and wear can often be the subject of mirth. Guys who skip leg day, for example, are ridiculed for the stark contrast between their huge upper bodies attached to a set of chicken legs. And, men who choose to wear an Avarca sandal may as well sign their own figurative (fashion) death warrant.

The same can be said of the drinks we choose to consume. According to close-minded stereotypes, men should drink beer and women should drink wine. Of course, as the world becomes less battered over the head with tropes, these roles can be reversed – there’s certainly nothing wrong with a man enjoying a glass of red with a steak or a chilled glass of rosé on a hot summer’s day. But what about bourbon and whisky (or depending on your geographical location, whiskey)?

The incredibly popular distilled drinks, made in locations around the world – with countries including Scotland, Japan, and the United States of America being notable producers – have certainly formulated a certain stereotype. Indeed, it would be common to associate dark spirits with images of men who only eat meat, have a broom for a moustache and who will only venture outside wearing a suit and a fedora.

This may only be true for gents who choose to order a whisk(e)y when out at a bar in a restaurant of course, as a far younger demographic may choose to drink it in the comfort of their own home. In fact, British polling agency YouGov found that 84 per cent of UK whisky drinks “started to enjoy whisky before the age of 31.”

Regardless, a TikTok video (watch it at the top of this page) produced by comedian Trevor Wallace perhaps captures the stereotypical whisk(e)y drinker perfectly. Donning the aforementioned moustache, glasses, and a set of braces to hold his trousers up, Trevor’s opening line sets the scene:

“I don’t drink whisk(e)y to be better than everybody. I drink whisk(e)y because I am better than everybody.” He then proceeds to do what we imagine a great deal of wannabe whisk(e)y lovers do: take a sip of it, because “of how smooth it is,” followed by a gag of disapproval.

His sketch also brings to light how some whisk(e)y drinkers will only drink some dram of a certain age: “What is this, only aged for two years?! Get this toddler out of here,” he exclaims.

He also plays on the idea that some drinkers will be able to tell you the aromatic notes they smell, in order to sound more educated than the people they’re with: “This one has notes of cedar oak, burnt BMW leather seats and swinging at the bouncer.”

Other unfortunate events to happen post-whisky drink are brought to the fore too, such as ‘Whisky Dick’, the slang term given to the phenomenon of alcohol-related erectile dysfunction: “You smell that? That’s the smell of my dick not working tonight. Or any night. It’s been 7 years.”

Not just reserved for whisk(e)y drinkers, but any type of alcohol, it’s unclear where the slang term originated, but clearly, whisk(e)y is the main culprit.

Trevor also covers whether one should drink their whisk(e)y neat (on its own), or on ice. As The Gentleman’s Journal states: “Ice in a single malt Scotch is one of the world’s most contentious issues. Some swear by its addition, claiming that a welcome drop in temperature affords the spirit a smoother, cleaner taste.”

RELATED: ‘Neat’ Whisky Drinking Rules You Need To Know, According To Experts

“But others decree ice in fine whiskies, and consider cubes to have no place in our delicate, well-distilled drams.” The general consensus suggests you shouldn’t add ice to your whisky, but you could add a drop of water instead. Trevor is in the latter camp:

“Do I like my whisk(e)y on ice?” he ponders, before answering his own question with “What is this, a god damn musical?”

“Pu****s on ice, starring, you.”

“I like my whisk(e)y neat. Needs. Everyone’s. Attention. To how f*****g manly I am.”

You may or may not agree with Trevor’s barrage on the stereotypical whisk(e)y drinker. Either way, it’s definitely worth a laugh.

The post Video Sums Up The Brutal Truth About Men Who Love Whiskey appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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