Adventurers and extreme sports athletes looking for a new challenge may well find what they're looking for in the newly announced Pacific Rowing Race. The event, which isn't scheduled to take place until June of 2014, will cover more than 2100 nautical miles, beginning in Monterey Bay, California and ending in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Organizers of the event expect that it will take around 30 to 35 days for the fastest two- and four-person crews to row the entire length of the course. The current record for an individual rower is 64 days, and was set back in 1997, but due to advances in technology and better boat design, a solo racer could easily break that record. On the other hand, teams who are more interested in enjoying the experience of being out on the ocean, and aren't trying to set new speed records, could take as much as 100 days to reach the finish line.

Along the way, racers will face a host of weather conditions, ranging from clear, calm days to potentially dangerous storms. They'll also have to contend with seas that can be both extremely turbulent or smooth as glass. And while they're out on the water, they'll experience breathtaking sunrises and sunsets and a peaceful solitude that is broken from time to time by a passing dolphin, whale, or other sea creature.

Some of the details on the race are still being worked out, but if you're interested in taking part in the event, there is an online form that you can fill out by clicking here. Completing that form will ensure that you receive the latest news on the event and keep you updated on any announcements from the race organizers.

Online entry for the Pacific Rowing Race is scheduled to open on April 2nd of this year, giving participants more than two years to prepare.

[Photo credit: Roz Savage]

Dolphins are some of the most intelligent marine mammals on the planet, are closely related to whales and porpoises and have a playful nature.

In this video, taken off St. Pete Beach in Florida, two dolphins stay right with a water skier, leaping into the air from time to time.



Their playful nature often has Dolphins leaping above the surface of the water for reasons unknown to scientists. They may be locating schools of fish by looking above the water (like birds do), communicating with other dolphins, dislodging parasites or simple amusement. Here, it looks like they just want to play.

Like that? Here's another one.

Extreme cold and snow have gripped parts of Europe in ways that the continent has not experienced in years. The images of people struggling to cope with the elements are chilling (no pun intended). Even in Split, Croatia, a coastal town on the Adriatic Sea, snow has blanketed the beaches as temperatures have plunged nearly 30 degrees below average for this time of year. Seeing people walk along the palm tree-lined shore as snow falls unrelentingly is almost too incongruous to process.

Visitors to the Tarkine Rainforest in Tasmania, Australia, can now help save the endangered Tasmanian devil. Scientists have set up 45 motion-sensitive cameras along the trails and are asking hikers to help them to collect data and track local populations of the marsupials.

Right on the Tarkine Devil Project's mission, it states they would like to "actively engage the broader community with the research. We will offer a direct hands on experience with the science via Tarkine Trails infrastructure, walks and custom built experiences".

While for a long time there was speculation about whether Tasmanian devils even lived in the Tarkine, there is now proof. What's really amazing about the discovery is that the Tarkine population seems to be void of the common facial tumor disease that causes most Tasmanian devils to starve to death, presenting a unique opportunity for researchers to learn more about the disease and to breed healthy devils.

If you'd like to sponsor a camera, click here for more information. To learn more about the project itself click here or check out the video above, which is part information, part guided tour as you get to experience the beautiful scenery of the Tarkine Rainforest in Australia.

American Airlines recently installed self-serve kiosks in a major makeover of its lobby at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The project eliminated the counters that separate ticket agents from long lines of passengers, allowing passengers to check in, get boarding passes and pay for on-board extras. Passengers like it but ticket agents are unhappy about the move. A union spokesperson working with ticket agents to unionize agrees.

"Agents are concerned about the effort by American Airlines to have customers totally bypass employees through the use of a variety of technologies, like agent-less travel, and contracting out the work of helping customers with kiosks, and other technology," Candice Johnson, of the Communications Workers of America, working with ticket agents to unionize told the Los Angeles Times.

Airline officials deny the claim and say the makeover of it's LAX lobby area is not related to its recent announcement to lay off 400 pilots, 2,300 flight attendants, 1,400 management and support staff positions and 8,800 ground workers and mechanics.

"While we're always looking for ways to operate more efficiently, we do not anticipate having less agents as a result of the redesign of our ticket counter," airline spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said.

While most people love enjoying the walking tours many European cities have to offer, another great way to see the sights while also improving your fitness is to take a running tour. It'll not only help you work off all those kebabs and beers, but you won't have to take time away from sightseeing to workout.

Berlin, Germany

There are so many facets to this capital city it would be hard to take it all in during a leisurely stroll. Mike's SightRunning Berlin offers an array of themed small group running tours daily from 6AM-midnight. Participants run 4-6 miles per hour and can see sights based on preference. Want to know what it felt like to run in the 2009 World Championships in Athletics marathon while taking in Brandenburg Gate, Bellevue Palace, and the Reichstag? Or to learn more about political Berlin with a run along the River Spree through the government district? Perhaps you're interested in a general city overview with a mix of history and modern fare? These are all tour options with Mike's SightRunning Berlin. And if you want to mix and match, customized tours are available, as well.

Between two cruise ships arriving in Florida and one in New Orleans, nearly 700 sick passengers were brought to shore over the weekend. Norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea, hit passengers and crew causing hundreds to become ill, many to be quarantined and sailings to be delayed. Its a common ailment, magnified by the closed environment of a cruise ship, but avoidable for the most part with some basic precautions and help is on the way in the form of a new vaccine.

Investigators with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) went on board Ruby Princess and Crown Princess to monitor cleaning procedures said Princess spokesperson Julie Benson. "We're working in close cooperation with the CDC to identify the cause," Benson told CNN after 499 cases occurred between the two ships, both based out of Fort Lauderdale.

In New Orleans, WDSU-TV reported Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas returned with 200 cases of the flu-like illness.

"At Royal Caribbean International we have high health standards for all our guests and crew," said Royal Caribbean in a statement. "During the sailing, we conduct enhanced cleaning on-board the ship, to help prevent the spread of the illness. Additionally, when Voyager of the Seas arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, this past Saturday, February 4, we conducted an extensive and thorough sanitizing on-board the ship and within the cruise terminal, to help prevent any illness from affecting the subsequent sailing."

The CDC notified officials in Louisiana Friday that a cruise ship might be coming in with a Norovirus outbreak, state epidemiologist Raoult Ratard said Sunday, reported CBS News. Putting the illness into perspective, Ratard said that on any given day about 10,000 people in the New Orleans area are likely to have diarrhea and about 30 percent of them because of the Norovirus.

"In a closed space like a cruise ship, in a nursing home, in a hospital, you want to be extra careful," Ratard said.

On the horizon, new a new medical breakthrough might have the answer to cruise passenger concerns over Norovirus incidents.

Using advanced technology that makes passengers appear as stick figures, mandatory full-body scans are being rolled out at all of Australia's major airports. Successful trials at Sydney and Melbourne airports last year signal the end of a loophole in legislation that had allowed passengers to request a pat-down instead of having to pass through a metal detector.

"I think the public understands that we live in a world where there are threats to our security and experience shows they want the peace of mind that comes with knowing government is doing all it can," said Transport Minister Anthony Albanese in the Australian.

The new scanners, part of a $28 million overhaul, tested successfully year on more than 23,000 passengers in trials from August 2-19 in Sydney and September 5-30 in Melbourne.

The Australian government is touting the technology as the most advanced available, with the equipment able to detect metallic and non-metallic items beneath clothing with few radio waves emitted.

How we remember our heroes usually depends on when we idolized them. The images that move us the most get etched into our brains. As a kid, I wanted to be Indiana Jones. In my mind, Harrison Ford will always been that whip-toting adventurer (though not the one with the sagging man-boobs in the most recent Indy film that I refuse to acknowledge). He'll always have a place on the Wall of Honor in the SkyMall Monday headquarters (next to a jar of Nutella). But what really becomes of our icons? Well, they die. They all die. That's the circle of life (it's a tad darker than hakuna matata). And, while we remember our heroes deaths, we never commemorate how they would look if they continued to entertain us after their demise...until now, thanks to SkyMall and the Undead Icons Statues.

Winning his second Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive on Sunday night taking the New York Giants to a 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in an exciting finish to an NFL season.

"It's been a wild game," Manning, who now has one more Super Bowl title than his older brother told FoxNews. "It's been a wild season."

Apparently not quite ready for it all to end, players on the flight home had a wild time too, celebrating on the plane. We wish all flights were like this.

Manning went 30 for 40 for 296 yards, with one touchdown pass and zero interceptions but credit was given the Giants wide receivers, including Puerto Rican standout Victor Cruz who made a big difference in this game.