Monthly Archives: March 2015

Emirati Culture and Heritage Acknowledged at prestigious World Travel Awards

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Dubai, UAE (PRWEB) March 23, 2015

Considered to be the Oscars of the Travel Industry, the World Travel Awards acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry. Platinum Heritage Tourism has become the first Dubai-based firm to be short-listed in the Middle East Responsible Tourism category. According to Adam McEwan, Managing Director of Platinum Heritage, People dont just travel to see, they travel to understand. Since Dubai is well known for world-class hotels and restaurants, for luxury and ground-breaking architectural feats, people forget that international guests want to travel into the past, to find out where Dubais journey began.

Responsible Tourism embodies not just environmental conservation and protection but also the involvement and preservation of local communities and customs. Platinum Heritage has turned its back on the traditional desert safari model and instead uses iconic 1950s Land Rovers, the first 4WDs to traverse the rugged deserts of the region. Embarking on a journey back in time, visitors have a chance to learn the ancient art of falconry, view native flora and fauna inside a conservation reserve supported financially with donations from each guest, sample delicious Emirati cuisine while viewing traditional cultural entertainment performances, and even meet with local Bedouins to learn more about their experience of Dubais massive transition.

Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) commented: I am very pleased that Platinum Heritage Tourism has been shortlisted for this award. The company is an important partner of DTCM, helping to showcase the many remarkable experiences available in Dubai by providing world-class tourist excursions and activities as well as exceptional service. It is particularly pleasing that the companys efforts with regard to responsible tourism, conservation and environmental protection are being recognised, as these are essential components to ensure Dubai and Emirati heritage are preserved for future generations.

By employing local community members, protecting the fragile eco-system by avoiding damaging dune bashing, running on 100% solar power and, most importantly, protecting and showcasing Emirati heritage and culture, we want to prove that a tourism business does not have to be a distant observer of a destination, and that it can be an integral force driving positive change, said Mr McEwan.

To show your support for Platinum Heritage, please register and vote here.

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Emirati Culture and Heritage Acknowledged at prestigious World Travel Awards

Travel Guide: Mount Pinatubo Day Tour

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A Hot and Sizzling Getaway: Mount Pinatubo Day Tour

Mt. Pinatubo is one of the worlds most famous volcanoes. When it erupted back in 1991, it was considered the second most intense eruption of the 20th century. In addition to that, the event even caused a sulfuric haze that dropped global temperatures for two years.

The June 12, 1991 eruption column from Mount Pinatubo taken from Clark Air Base by U.S. Geological Survey Photograph taken by Richard P. Hoblitt. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

These days, Mt. Pinatubo sits peacefully and provides a gorgeous backdrop for anyone who visits. Its a popular tourist attraction. No further than 3 hours away from Metro Manila, you can explore its natural beauty in one day. Not bad if you dont have vacation leaves or long weekends coming up.

44 offr oad driving near Mount Pinatubo

As its now a popular tourist spot, plenty of travel companies provide private air-conditioned charter vans that can take you and your friends from Manila to Sta. Juliana.

Mt PinatuboCrater

You can also take the public bus if you are on a budget. You can either take a Tarlac-bound bus and stop at the Capas Public Market, or buy a ticket with any bus line that has routes to Baguio, Ilocos, or Pangasinan. These will pass by Sta. Juliana in Capas, Tarlac.

Pinatubo River Trek by Steel Wool via Flickr

From Capas, take a jeepney or a tricycle and ride to Sta. Juliana. From there, you will have to pay the environmental fee at the tourism office and book a 44 to take you closer to the mountain. The adventure starts the moment you leave the tourism office!

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Travel Guide: Mount Pinatubo Day Tour

Around the world in a night

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Gemma Nisbet shares some of her adventures at West Travel Lounge / Picture: Kate Ferguson

Wed planned a celebration of all things Travel and on Thursday of last week at the Parmelia Hilton Perth, the inaugural Travel Lounge was all wed hoped for and more.

A vibrant and vital audience of 140, seven guest panellists and the Travel team editor Stephen Scourfield and writers Gemma Nisbet and myself shared experiences of the world over a delicious three-course dinner with wines from Hay Shed Hill. All evening, new friends chatted like old, and the Argyle Ballroom felt more like our lounge room.

Stephen and Gemma set the scene, sharing adventures from out on the road, and dancer and choreographer Floeur Alder brought it all home with an elegant interpretation of Beautiful Witness, written and read by Stephen.

In-between, Lianne Reid (RAC Travel), Jodie Everett (Mobile Travel Agents), Helen Power (Travel Directors) and April Brandis (Flight Centre) took us from the African savannah to Hawaii by way of KL shopping malls and the Trans-Siberian railway, with information and a fair dose of good humour on the touring panel, hosted by myself.

More laughs and great advice followed as we sailed the world in the cruising panel, again hosted by me, with Barry Downs (Bicton Travel), Jan Welch (Sorrento Quay Travel and Cruise Centre) and Len Pasalich (Cathie Rice Travel).

More than one million Australians will cruise the worlds oceans and rivers this year and they already have plenty of choice in both ships and destinations. And the hot tips from our guests showed that the wide range available to cruisers is set to become more impressive.

Barry looked forward to a Mediterranean cruise with his children next year on a new ship, Carnival Vista, which he said will be especially suited to families. In Australian waters, he nominated Carnival Spirit as a good value-for-money ship for families considering their first cruise.

Jan previewed Regent Seven Seas Explorer, due to sail next year and touted as one of the most luxurious ships to be launched, and Len gave great insight into small-ship cruising along the Croatian coast the birthplace of his parents.

Amid it all, the room pulsed with conversations of the world: climbing in New Zealand here, horseriding in the Snowy Mountains over there, one table sharing memories of walking the Amalfi Coast, plans hatched at another to tackle the Camino and to cruise the Irrawaddy.

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Around the world in a night

Team Sky Ride Camps launched with Gullivers Cycling

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(PRWEB UK) 23 March 2015

Team Sky Ride Camps are for everyday riders to experience the training routes and race destinations of Team Sky, with fully supported guided rides tailored to ability levels. Guests can gain first-hand insights into the team from Team Sky staff and partners, who are on hand during the rides, dinners and presentations.

The range of camps on offer include:

Simon Steele, Team Sky Business Development comments: From the start of Team Sky one of our main ambitions has been to help inspire people to get on their bikes and enjoy cycling. Our aim is to do this for all ages and abilities from kids on their first balance bike to keen amateurs looking to experience riding in new European destinations.

We ran a very successful pilot of the Ride Camps in Nice in the autumn. For many riders it was their first overseas training camp, others were looking to get some good miles in their legs heading into the winter. The trips cater for a range of abilities, and allow the amateur cyclist to connect to the team through insights from our partners and staff.

Sam Seward, Managing Director of Gullivers Sports Travel comments: Gullivers is proud to be partnering with Team Sky to offer riders the ultimate cycling experience. With over 40 years experience in sports travel for participants and supporters alike, we are looking forward to the Ride Camps in Mallorca, Nice and Alpe dHuez.

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Editor's Notes For full details of all the available trips, with Team Sky Ride Camps booking now: https://gulliverscycling.com

Mallorca: Four or seven days around the site of the Team Sky pre-season base. October 2015, from 950: https://gulliverscycling.com/trips/mallorca-1.html

Nice: Home of Team Sky riders, featuring rides from the coast into the hills above Nice, Monaco and into Italy. October 2015, from 1,195: https://gulliverscycling.com/trips/nice-1.html

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Team Sky Ride Camps launched with Gullivers Cycling

Nevada Pain Now Offering Stem Cell Therapy to Help Patients Delay or Avoid Joint Replacement

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Las Vegas, Nevada (PRWEB) March 23, 2015

Nevada Pain, the top pain management clinics in Las Vegas and Henderson areas, are now offering stem cell therapy to help patients delay or avoid the need for joint replacement. The treatments are cutting edge, outpatient, and highly effective. Call (702) 323-0553 for more information and scheduling.

Stem cell therapy for joint arthritis has rapidly become mainstream due to its effectiveness for pain relief. Unlike traditional treatments, the regenerative medicine therapies actually have the potential to change the course of arthritis rather than simply provide a proverbial "band aid" to the condition.

The stem cell treatments are provided by Board Certified, Fellowship Trained pain doctors who have extensive experience with the procedures into all extremity joints including the hip, knee, shoulder and ankle. There are multiple types of stem cell treatments. Some involve amniotic fluid derived treatment, which contains an immense amount of stem cells, growth factors, hyaluronic acid and anti-inflammatory mediators as well.

Bone marrow derived treatment is also available, which also contains an immense amount of stem cells and growth factors. The treatments are provided as an outpatient, and often provide pain relief and functional improvement.

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy is also offered, which involves a simple blood draw. The platelets are then concentrated and immediately injected into the problem area.

For more information and scheduling with the top regenerative medicine clinic in Las Vegas, call (702) 323-0553.

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Nevada Pain Now Offering Stem Cell Therapy to Help Patients Delay or Avoid Joint Replacement

Stempeutics Receives Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) Classification From European Medicines Agency (EMA) for …

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BANGALORE, March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

- The First Stem Cell Drug Based on Pooling Technology to be Granted ATMP Classification

- A New Treatment Which Offers Hope to Patients Suffering From Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Buerger's Disease) Affecting an Estimated 2 out of Every 10,000 People in Europe

- The First Real Hope for Patients Facing Limb Amputation

Stempeutics Research, a group company of Manipal Education and Medical Group and a Joint Venture with Cipla Group, announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product classification for its novel stem cell drug 'Stempeucel' which will be used for the treatment of Thromboangiitis Obliterans (TAO). The ATMP classification, approved by the committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) of the European Medicines Agency, will allow Stempeutics to commercialize the product 'Stempeucel' across the European Union region.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150323/735846 )

Thromboangiitis Obliterans is a recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis (clotting) of small and medium arteries and veins of the feet. It is strongly associated with use of tobacco products primarily from smoking, but also from smokeless tobacco. Stempeucel drug is expected to address the root cause of the disease through anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory mechanisms. It is expected to induce angiogenesis through release of vascular endothelial growth factors, epithelial growth factors, angiopoietin and improve the perfusion and help the repair and regeneration of the ischemic muscle tissue.

The aim of the ATMP classification is to regulate cell and gene therapy and tissue engineered medicinal products, providing a benchmark for a level of quality compliance for pharmaceutical practices. The regulation provides guidelines to research development companies for following a standardized process in order to obtain approval in EU countries. The regulation also offers incentives to companies involved in developing ATMPs in the European Union, including fee reductions for scientific advice, scientific recommendations on ATMP classification and evaluation and certification of quality and non-clinical data.

Commenting on the ATMP classification, Mr B N Manohar, CEO of Stempeutics said, "We are happy to receive ATMP status from the EMA. We view this as an important milestone to further develop our novel stem cell biological drug Stempeucel in the EU for treating Thromboangiitis Obliterans indication. Additionally, we interpret this as a favourable indication for how the European regulators view our therapy."

Dr. Jeff Karp, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, who serves as Scientific Advisor to Stempeutics said, "I see Stempeutics as a global regenerative medicine company that could make a significant difference to disease treatment. Stempeutics has an impressive combination of exciting technologies and it has been wonderful to work with the team as they achieve critical milestones and advance their products to patients."

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Stempeutics Receives Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) Classification From European Medicines Agency (EMA) for ...

Richard S. Russell: Blame purveyors of 'spirituality' for Tony Robinson's death

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Dear Editor: Its been reported that the late Tony Robinson, on the day he was shot to death by a Madison police officer, had been taking hallucinogenic mushrooms because he wanted to go on a spiritual journey of some sort.

Unfortunately, almost nobody will blame the purveyors of such absurd notions as spirituality for young Robinsons tragic and premature demise. "Spirituality" is the modern, politically correct term for superstition. Its based on the even more dangerous concept of faith that its possible to somehow or other know things without a lick of supporting evidence and frequently in the face of abundant evidence to the contrary.

And who are the premier exponents of faith and spirituality in 21st century America? The churches, who need a never-ending supply of suckers to buy into their basic premise in order to continue to fill their coffers by perpetually delivering nothing for something.

I wouldnt be at all surprised to discover that Tony Robinson was raised to believe this load o baloney. As a young black man, he was probably yet another unfortunate heir of the lying pie in the sky gospel that old-time slavers foisted on their miserable property to keep them subservient and submissive, and which continues to infect black people with this insidious brain parasite right down to the current generation.

Richard S. Russell

Madison

Send your letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.

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Richard S. Russell: Blame purveyors of 'spirituality' for Tony Robinson's death

What’s The Odds? ISS Shut Off Live Feed, Then Passes Right Through The Eclipse – Video

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What #39;s The Odds? ISS Shut Off Live Feed, Then Passes Right Through The Eclipse
http://www.undergroundworldnews.com What are the odds? Yesterday, March 20th, just as the Moon was passing in front of the Sun, producing a deep solar eclipse over Europe, the International...

By: DAHBOO77

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What's The Odds? ISS Shut Off Live Feed, Then Passes Right Through The Eclipse - Video

Astronaut and Cosmonaut to Launch on 1-Year Space Mission This Week

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An American astronaut and two cosmonauts are set to fly up to the International Space Station Friday (March 27), and two of those crewmembers won't be back on Earth for about a year on a mission that aims to help open the doorway to deep space for Earthlings.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are due to launch on their yearlong mission to the space station on Russian Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with cosmonaut Gennady Padalka. Kelly and Kornienko's mission will mark the first yearlong mission aboard the station, and the first time an American has spent a continuous year in space.

"Kelly and Kornienko will spend a year on the space station to better understand how the human body reacts and adapts to the harsh environment of space," NASA officials said in a statement. "Data from the expedition will be used to determine whether there are ways to further reduce the risks on future long-duration missions to an asteroid and eventually Mars." [Most Extreme Human Spaceflight Records]

Padalka will return to Earth after about six months, before Kornienko and Kelly. Padalka will serve as commander on the station when it plays host to four people, and he is expected to break the record for most cumulative time spent in orbit during this spaceflight, according to NASA.

Once the Soyuz launches to space at 3:42 p.m. EDT (1942 GMT), it should take about six hours to link up with the space station. You can watch the launch and docking live on Space.com via NASA TV starting at 2:30 p.m. EDT (1830 GMT) on March 27, when it's early in the morning on March 28 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

NASA officials hope that this yearlong mission will help them gather valuable data about how the human body behaves after a year in space. This kind of information is important because it can help protect astronauts sent on long voyages to Mars or other deep space destinations in the future.

Cosmic Quiz: Do You Know the International Space St...

The International Space Station is the largest structure in space ever built by humans. Let's see how much you know about the basics of this science laboratory in the sky.

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Cosmic Quiz: Do You Know the International Space St...

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Astronaut and Cosmonaut to Launch on 1-Year Space Mission This Week

New Expandable Habitat To Launch To ISS This Year

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NASA and Bigelow Aerospace are preparing to launch an expandable habitat module to the International Space Station this year. The agency joined Bigelow Thursday at its Las Vegas facility to mark completion of the companys major milestones.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, leverages key innovations in lightweight and compact materials, departing from a traditional rigid metallic structure. In its packed configuration aboard SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket, the module will measure approximately 8 feet in diameter. Once attached to the space stations Tranquility Node and after undergoing a series of hardware validations, the module will be deployed, resulting in an additional 565 cubic feet of volume about the size of a large family camping tent accessible by astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Expandable habitats could be a new way to dramatically increase the amount of volume available to astronauts while also enhancing protection against radiation and physical debris. Innovative advances in efficiency provided by expandable habitats may give the nation new options for extending human presence farther into the solar system, both in transit and on the surface of other worlds, while also supporting the development of innovative platforms for commercial use in low-Earth orbit.

In the next decade, NASA plans to extend human spaceflight from low-Earth orbit operations to proving ground operations in cis-lunar space orbiting the moon. In the proving ground, NASA and its partners will validate vital hardware, including deep space habitats, as well as operations and capabilities necessary to send humans on long-duration missions to Mars or other deep-space destinations in which they must operate independently from Earth. The International Space Station serves as the world's leading laboratory for conducting cutting-edge research and is the primary platform for technology development and testing in space to enable human and robotic exploration of destinations beyond low-Earth orbit, including Mars.

Were fortunate to have the space station to demonstrate potential habitation capabilities like BEAM, said Jason Crusan, director of Advanced Exploration Systems at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Station provides us with a long-duration microgravity platform with constant crew access to evaluate systems and technologies we are considering for future missions farther into deep space.

Once BEAM is attached to the Tranquility Node, the space station crew will perform initial systems checks before deploying the habitat. During the BEAMs minimum two-year test period, crews will routinely enter to take measurements and monitor its performance to help inform designs for future habitat systems. Learning how an expandable habitat performs in the thermal environment of space and how it reacts to radiation, micrometeroids, and orbital debris will provide information to address key concerns about living in the harsh environment of space.

The BEAM is an example of NASAs increased commitment to partnering with industry to enable the growth of the commercial use of space. Bigelow Aerospace is building on technology NASA conceived in the 1990s and licensed to the company. NASA and Bigelow Aerospace are each benefitting from the sharing of expertise, costs, and risks to pursue mutual goals.

The module is scheduled to launch on SpaceXs eighth cargo resupply mission to the space station later this year.

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New Expandable Habitat To Launch To ISS This Year