From Octopus' Garden to Coral Cemetary

From TodayOnline.com

JAKARTA - Coral gardens that were among Asia's most spectacular just a few months ago have been transformed into desolate grey moonscapes by illegal fishermen who use explosives or cyanide to kill or stun their prey.

The site is among several to have been hit inside Komodo National Park in eastern Indonesia. The area's remote waters burst with staggering diversity, from corals in fluorescent reds and yellows to octopuses with lime-green banded eyes.

Dive operators and conservationists say Indonesia's government is not doing enough to keep illegal fishermen out of the boundaries of the national park, a United Nations World Heritage site. They say enforcement declined greatly following the exit two years ago of a United States-based environmental group that helped fight destructive fishing practices.

Local officials disagree, pointing to dozens of arrests and several deadly gunbattles with suspects.

Michael Ishak, a scuba instructor and professional underwater photographer who has made hundreds of trips to the area, said he's seen more illegal fishermen than ever this year. The pictures, he said, speak for themselves. AP

Please visit TodayOnline.com to see startling pictures of the devastation.

Thomas Paul Octopus Duvet

Everything Octopus has featured the fine octotastic goods of Thomas Paul before, such as the Octopus Throw and the oh-so-luxurious Octopus Shawl, however none have been quite as grand as this octopus duvet. Available for purchase at BobbyBerkHome.com.

Octopus Duvet Product Description

Octopus Bedding by Thomas Paul. Thomas Paul is pleased to present the debut of their bedding collection. Why limit your love of Thomas Paul to basic pillows and linens? Now you can have duvets and shams featuring your favorite Thomas Paul sea faring designs.

Made of 100% Cotton sateen, 600 thread count. The over-scaled motifs on the duvet covers and shams are hand screened.

When a young New York necktie designer named Thomas Paul Fernez decided to try his hand at home textiles, he was really onto something. From the beginning, his inspired sense of contrast in both color and proportion began to define a signature THOMASPAUL style, capturing the attention of style editors around the globe. The thomaspaul pillow collections are grouped by fabrication in a complete range of color-ways, and thomaspaul totes come in a range of patterns in both gusseted and magazine styles.

$100 - $400, depending on size

Bronze Octopus Sculptures by Kirk McGuire

As The Octobabe of the internet, many cool octopus items come my way. While many are fun, silly, stylish, and even stunning, few are as masterful as these gorgeous sculptures.

"From the depths of creativity, a revolutionary new line of bronze sculpture and furniture."

San Francisco-based artist, Kirk McGuire, has combined his fascination with nature with his talent for sculpting to create a beautiful collection of marine life sculptures.

Kirk says, " Every living thing has beauty and I try to show this. I strive to make all of my bronze sculptures fluid, defy gravity, and bring attention to each amazing species that I sculpt."

Kirk has become a Master Sculptor and his eye for balance and details are unparalleled in the sculpture world. It takes great skill and intricate molds to create the detail and caliber of execution captured in Kirk’s art. Having had over 1,500 editions of his work collected in his extraordinary 28 year sculpting career. His work has been collected across the United States as well as Internationally. He has even been commissioned to create a custom piece by a Malaysian Princess in Johor Baharu.

Please visit Kirk's website for more details about his creative process and for pictures and pricing on his incredible works of art!