Attack of the Phallic Thingies (This is Not A Post About Republicans)

There must be something in the air these days--Republican sex scandals (two right here in Florida!) have been piling up willy-nilly, one on top of the other, and architects worldwide are designing buildings and facilities that remind us rather vividly how great it is to be a member of the human race. Or something.

In the air, and in the water, too, apparently. I present herewith the Hydropolis Underwater Hotel, which is being erected in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as I write. To the tune of £300 million (that's about $608 million, my American friends).

Currently under construction in Dubai, Hydropolis is the world's first luxury underwater hotel. It will include three elements: the land station, where guests will be welcomed, the connecting tunnel, which will transport people by train to the main area of the hotel, and the 220 suites within the submarine leisure complex. It is one of the largest contemporary construction projects in the world, covering an area of 260 hectares, about the size of London's Hyde Park.

"Hydropolis is not a project; it's a passion," enthuses Joachim Hauser, the developer and designer of the hotel.

Blame fellow Shakesville contributor Wolfrum and our boss Melissa--they started this whole Thingie thing with a pair of stories about the naughty parking posts of Keiser, Oregon.

And Thingies went rapidly downstream from there.

Kate found a hardly-frigid mall in Reykjavik, Iceland. Space Cowboy exposed a skyscraper-in-the-works in San Diego, California. Mustang Bobby said he prefers his cocktails well-iced, thank you. Jeff demanded monumental respect. And Misty (ever the green Oregonian) showed how Mother Nature puts first Thingies first.

Could there be more Thingies in store for our frustrated friends on the Right? It's hard to say. Meanwhile, in the warm nether regions of South Florida, a tropical tree by the name of Kigelia pinnata readies its seed:


Also at Shakesville.