The offshore wind industry is making great strides in developing technology that means projects can be built further from shore, including technological innovations in floating foundations and hydrogen storage. However, a new report by Chatham Partners, a boutique law firm specialising in renewable energy, indicates that if such technology were to allow the construction of wind farms in the high seas, the current legal framework would not have the scope to cover such development.

The high seas are all regions of the sea that sit outside the control of a single nation. They make up 50% of the surface area of the planet, and cover over two thirds of the oceans. However, the lack of clear rules covering development in the high seas will be a challenge for using any of these areas for offshore wind. According to the report, Offshore Wind in High Seas: Unlimited potential beyond national control?, the industry should call for discussions to form a robust legal framework now, or risk missing the opportunities the high seas could offer in decades to come.

Global efforts towards decarbonisation have proven offshore wind to be a viable alternative power source to fossil fuels. However, the sector could still face challenges in developing close to shore due to countries desire to protect coastal ecosystems, and conflicts with local industries and the military or simply inactivity. These would not be obstacles in most of the high seas.

While offshore wind at high seas clearly has barriers to overcome, it could drastically increase capacity by adding almost 70% more construction space to consider. However, if offshore wind were to look to the high seas for development, the lack of a legal framework will become a major obstacle.

In particular, uncertainty around right of use, ownership and jurisdiction of the high seas presents a significant challenge. Building close to shore in an Exclusive Economic Zone means that the relevant state has the remit to govern and authorise installation and operations of a wind farm under their national laws; but no such jurisdiction or governing body exists for the high seas. As such, offshore wind on the high seas would be too great a risk for any company to invest in.

Chatham Partners notes that precedents for international cooperation in order to take advantage of valuable resources already exist in the scope of current legislation. For example, fishing is regulated in the high seas by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) acts as a governing body to authorise public and private organisations to extract minerals from the deep seabed outside their states jurisdiction. In addition, a treaty for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction is currently proposed that may introduce so-called area-based management tools as well as various forms of governance concepts that could include or serve as an example for a framework concerning offshore wind.

However, these precedents provide an example for the offshore wind industry of how many years a legal framework can take to be built. The ISA took more than 20 years of negotiation between member states to formally establish. The treaty concerning biodiversity has been negotiated since 2004 and will likely stay a draft for several years to come.

Felix Fischer, Partner at Chatham Partners, states: Currently, offshore wind developers are only able to consider a third of the available sea when planning new sites. The high seas could have the potential to further unlock the expansion of offshore wind beyond what can be developed along coastlines if the industry deems it feasible from an economic and technical perspective. However, the technology to allow development in these areas could outpace the legislation.

Without a legal framework, these sites will remain out of reach for developers for decades to come. If the high seas should become part of the answer to expanding offshore wind development and contribute to global decarbonisation, building a viable legal framework is critical.Source: Chatham Partners

Link:

Wind Development In The High Seas Could Unlock Offshore Potential But Ownership Laws Need To Be Defined - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

(CNN) -- A self-destructing robot will be sent into orbit on the world's first space cleanup mission, European scientists announced Monday, a fresh approach to fixing up the galaxy's junk graveyard.

Our orbit is filled with garbage, including chunks of dead satellites, discarded rockets, and paint flecks that have fallen off them. The mission, named ClearSpace-1, will take the first step in tidying up this extraterrestrial wasteland, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

A four-armed robot, developed by Swiss startup ClearSpace, will latch onto debris before diving back down to Earth, where both machine and junk will "burn up in the atmosphere," according to the ESA.

The robot's mission will target a cone-shaped part of an ESA rocket that was left in space in 2013. If all goes well, follow-up missions will target larger objects, before eventually trying to remove multiple pieces of junk at once.

"This is the right time for such a mission," said ClearSpace founder Luc Piguet in an ESA press release. "The space debris issue is more pressing than ever before. Today we have nearly 2,000 live satellites in space and more than 3,000 failed ones."

Work on the project will begin in early 2020, and go through a series of tests at low orbit before an official launch in 2025.

Our orbit looks like a graveyard of space rubbish. Ever since the space age began in 1957 with the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 satellite, there has been more junk than working satellites in space, according to ESA.

ESA estimates there are about 170 million pieces of space debris orbiting the Earth. Apart from dead satellites, there are also spent rocket boosters and bits of machinery scattered by accidental collisions.

And they are not just floating around peacefully some pieces are moving faster than a bullet. Because they move so fast, even the tiniest piece of cosmic junk poses an enormous threat to other satellites and spacecraft.

"Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be if all the ships ever lost in history were still drifting on top of the water," said ESA Director General Jan Woerner in the press release. "That is the current situation in orbit, and it cannot be allowed to continue."

These collisions are dangerous for manned space flights, but could also impact our daily lives we rely on satellites for essential information like weather forecasts, communications and GPS.

These pieces of debris can take centuries to leave our orbit if they leave at all. The problem is already so severe that it is self-perpetuating; even if we were to stop all space launches immediately, the amount of junk would continue to grow because existing pieces of debris often collide and break into smaller pieces, ESA said.

For years, NASA, ESA, and other space agencies have been studying debris removal technologies. Some of the ideas proposed include using nets to gather junk, harpoons to spear and retrieve objects, and robotic arms.

For a long time, we simply didn't have the technology to address the issue but recent years have seen progress. For example, Japanese scientists are now developing a type of satellite that uses magnets to catch and destroy debris. Just last year, an experimental device designed in the UK successfully cast a net around a dummy satellite, a promising step forward.

Another obstacle is figuring out how to fund these projects. The UK device cost 15 million euros ($17 million) and that's cheap for space travel. The ESA ClearSpace mission has a budget of about 100 million euros ($111 million).

Cleanup is just one part of the solution prevention is another. Independent companies like SpaceX are starting to design their satellites to intentionally plunge back toward Earth at the end of their lives instead of drifting in orbit.

But so far, it's been mostly up to space organizations to self police and invest in being good patrons of the galaxy. There are no existing formal international rules to hold satellite operators accountable for debris creation or general carelessness in space.

-- Jackie Wattles and Dave Gilbert contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

Here is the original post:

Europe is sending a robot to clean up space. Why is the junk there in the first place? - WDJT

Over a short period of time, High Seas have become quickly Netflixs best Spanish period dramas. Alta Mar, as it is known in Spain or otherwise High Seas by others, released last month in November and if you have finished it, I know you are probably wondering when season 3 is due out on Netflix.

Spanish content on Netflix has been taking the top positions as of late with titles like Elite and Money Heist have taken the whole wide world with a storm but High Seas is certainly one of the best among all. This show is set up on a cruise liner, the murder and mystery series sees the ship headed for Rio De Janeiro. Season two of this show was released on Netflix on November 22.

We saw at the conclusion of season 2 that the ship arrived in Rio De Janeiro with few of the secrets coming into fruition over the past few seasons. Well, it is yet not clear if the third season will happen on the boat or not.

If you have watched season 2 of this show, you must be knowing how much of a paranormal course was opted by the plot and thus it will be very interesting to see where the story will sail next.

Guys, guys! Time for some good news. Elespanols Bluper section has disclosed that this series has not only to be renewed for a third season but also for a fourth season is in line for development too!

The Spanish site was reportedly told by Bambu Productions behind the series that production on the next set of episodes in November with another 16 episodes. These episodes are split equally into 8 episodes per season.

As the filming for season 3 has just started in the previous month of November, it can be suggested that this series will drop a new installment maybe next year in November 2020. It is also agreed by La Prensa that the show will renew itself towards the latter end of 2020.

Link:

Everything You Should Know About 'High Seas' Season 3 On Netflix. - The Digital Wise

I could not keep my eyes off the graves, could not stop staring at them even as I walked away, turning repeatedly to look over my shoulder at them as I slogged my way across the gravel-strewn shore of Beechey Island until they disappeared from view.

It was profoundly saddening to contemplate their presence on a low-lying, windswept outpost of the Canadian Arctic, to imagine the fear and loneliness those buried here must have felt as they faced death in the harshest of conditions, thousands of miles and a world removed from their homes. And yet, they were the lucky ones, the first casualties of an expedition that vanished 173 years ago while searching for the fabled Northwest Passage between Atlantic and Pacific, whose remaining members met their doom after their ships became frozen in never-yielding sea ice, who perished one by one waiting for a summer that never came.

Not until 1906 was the Northwest Passage eventually transited by ship; the feat would not be repeated for nearly 40 years. Since then, as Arctic sea ice has rapidly dwindled, almost 300 transits have been made of the Passage, the bulk of them since 2007; 24 took place in 2019. On this day, I arrived courtesy of that most modern of intrusions into remote areas: a passenger ship called the Ocean Endeavour, chartered by a company called Adventure Canada. What was once the graveyard of Victorian explorers is now a destination for any sufficiently adventurous and well-financed tourist.

The Arctic is warming, and its sea ice is melting, prompting fevered dreams of ever-easier access, and a renewed jockeying among Arctic nations for status, profit and ownership.

Journeying through the Passage over the best part of three weeks in September yielded the expected fruits of an Arctic journey. A passing ice floe hosted a polar bear seemingly just minutes removed from killing a seal, the victims blood leaving a crimson trail on the ice. A diversion into a bay revealed first a polar bear feasting on a beached beluga carcass, then another bear on an opposite cliff and then two more, and finally an abundance of harp seals and seabirds thrashing through the water as they feasted on a banquet of Arctic cod. We stepped on the low-lying beach of the tiny Jenny Lind Island, randomly named after a Swedish opera singer, and squinted through binoculars at musk oxen in the distance. We passed through the narrow confines of the Bellot Strait, its eponymous co-discoverer a French explorer who was blown off the ice and to his death in the freezing water below, the cliffs on its southern side marking the northernmost point of mainland North America.

We encountered less than a handful of other ships: a Canadian coastguard icebreaker which, a few weeks earlier, had deployed to help the Ocean Endeavour through some stubborn summer ice and a pair of other passenger vessels. There was nothing, at any point in the journey, to suggest that this barely trafficked waterway might be at the heart of an international dispute, let alone the subject of multiple studies into its viability as a commercial shipping route.

But covetous eyes gaze upon the Northwest Passage, more so as Arctic ice retreats; establishing authority over the Passage proffers the prospect of establishing control over access, and there is no consensus as to where that authority lies.

As far as Canada is concerned, there is no controversy over the matter. Citing among other things legal precedent and historic use particularly a millennium or so of use by Inuit Ottawa considers the Northwest Passage to be its internal waters. The United States, brandishing a different legal case and echoing its longstanding position on such matters elsewhere, counters that it is an international strait, an area of high seas that connects two bodies of water which is open for peaceful use by a vessel from any state.

The dispute did not really flare up until the SS Manhattan, a US-flagged oil tanker, transited the Passage (with some difficulty) from east to west and back again in 1969, carrying a symbolic barrel of Prudhoe Bay oil on the return trip, accompanied by a US Coast Guard icebreaker, without seeking authorization. Ultimately, the two countries negotiated an Agreement on Arctic Cooperation, in which they effectively agreed to disagree on the matter. But as Arctic ice melts, so too does the veneer of friendly differences.

The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, argued in a fiery speech to the Arctic Council in May that Arctic sea lanes could become the 21st-century Suez and Panama Canals, and dismissed Canadas claims to the passage as illegitimate. Of late, China increasingly interested in the possibilities of Arctic shipping lanes and a relatively recently minted observer to the Arctic Council has weighed in, last year publishing an official Arctic policy that, among other positions, gently echoed the American stance on the matter of access to polar passageways.

That such disagreements are articulated at all is testament to the promise that the Northwest Passage is perceived to offer. That promise is perhaps best encapsulated in numbers: numbers such as 15,700 (the distance in kilometers from Yokohama to Rotterdam via the Passage) and 7,600 (the number of kilometers shorter that route would be relative to the Panama Canal), numbers that to some conjure a vision of the Northwest Passage providing a bustling corridor between Pacific and Atlantic and finally fulfilling a destiny centuries in the making.

Queen Elizabeth is said to have waved from her palace window as Martin Frobisher set out on his first expedition to find the Passage in 1576, such was the import attached to establishing a trade route to the Pacific. But the history of the search for the Northwest Passage is a catalogue of incremental successes interspersed with misery and misfortune.

In 1611, having mapped the river and the bay that are now named after him, Henry Hudsons attempts to probe farther west into the ice and the unknown ended with his crew mutinying and sending him overboard in a lifeboat, never to be seen again. Eight years later, Jens Munk and his band of 65 men made it as far as Hudson Bay, and spent the winter near the mouth of Churchill River; racked by cold, scurvy and probably trichinosis from eating insufficiently cooked polar bear meat, none bar Munk and two others survived to see the following spring.

It was in such inauspicious footsteps that Sir John Franklin, and the 128 officers and men of HMS Erebus and Terror, followed as they sailed out of the River Thames on 19 May 1845 on the most ambitious and extensively equipped expedition to the Passage yet. Whaling ships spied them in upper Baffin Bay, just east of the entrance to the Passage, on 26 July; and shortly thereafter the expedition vanished without trace.

Subsequent searches turned up clues: the graves on Beechey Island, where the ships spent the winter of 1845-86; a note indicating that by 22 April 1848, the ships had been trapped in ice for over 18 months, Franklin and 23 others had died, and the remaining crew was setting out south across land in search of safety; Inuit stories of starving white men who had died, one by one, in the snow.

In 2008, the then Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, launched a major effort to find the wrecks of the Erebus and Terror. The goal of the search was not, wrote author Paul Watson in his book Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition, purely historical or archeological; rather it was part of his strategy to mold public opinion, with the Northwest Passage a powerful tool for stirring Canadian nationalism in the twenty-first century. Harpers intent, Watson asserted, was to shore up support for a muscular assertion of Arctic sovereignty, laying claim over a vast stretch of the Arctic seabed, straight up to the North Pole.

As the ice retreats, revealing a potentially resource-rich seabed below, Canada is not alone in its designs on the broader Arctic. In 2007, a Russian submarine planted a rust-proof titanium flag on the seabed at the North Pole, and in October of this year, Russias ministry of defense proclaimed that it had collected enough evidence to support its claims to much of the Arctic Ocean.

Meanwhile, Denmark has laid down its own metaphorical marker, based on a claim that a large area up to and beyond the North Pole is connected to the continental shelf of Greenland which, of course, the Trump administration earlier this year expressed a desire to buy. (That US interest recently prompted the Danish defense intelligence service to declare the island the countrys number one national security priority, ahead of terrorism and cybercrime).

Russia actually supports Canadas position on the Northwest Passage because it considers itself to have similar dominion over the Northeast Passage, which the country refers to as the Northern Sea Route and which stretches above Russias northern coast, from the Bering Strait to the Barents Sea. With a strong assist from Russian investment in ports and infrastructure, the Northern Sea Route is already proving commercially viable: it is estimated that 29m tons of shipments will pass through its waters this year, a 40% increase on 2018; Vladimir Putin has set a target of 80m tons of goods a year by 2024.

And while the 800 or so vessels that transit all or part of the NSR annually is hardly enough to threaten the approximately 15,000 that transit the Panama Canal each year, it is far ahead of the Northwest Passage.

The Northwest Passage remains relatively narrow and relatively shallow, and even in a warming world its twisting straits remain vulnerable to blockage from the sea ice that breaks up and sweeps down from the Arctic Ocean. The Northern Sea Route, in contrast, has no winding narrows with which to contend; there is essentially only the Russian coast to the south and the Arctic Ocean and its retreating sea ice to the north, and its waters are considerably deeper.

For all the hype about its potential, for all the lives that have been lost and the ships that have been wrecked attempting to map its contours, for all the butting of diplomatic heads, it may well be not the Northwest Passage, but the Northern Sea Route that ultimately provides the Arctic pathway which so many have for so long desired.

Harpers Northwest Passage initiative did have some success. In 2014, searchers found the wreck of HMS Erebus; three years later, they also found the almost perfectly preserved wreck of HMS Terror.

Two years after that, I and others from the Ocean Endeavour stood on a barge and watched as underwater archeologists explored the nooks and crannies of, and retrieved artifacts from, the Erebus wreck below us. We were the first visitors to the wreck site, and the personal nature of some freshly retrieved artifacts was jarring. I looked at the shoe that one archeologist tenderly tended to and wondered who might have worn it, and how and when he died. What would he have thought of the notion that, almost 200 years after he set sail, the Northwest Passage would still exercise the thoughts of so many? Would he even recognize it? Certainly, on this day, with ice nowhere to be seen, it would have seemed very different from the horrible place in which he had been trapped, and in which his ship had sunk.

I tried to imagine his hopes and aspirations, and the life he had lived on board, as I peered over the side of the barge and pictured the Erebus in its final resting place, in the dark, turbid waters beneath my feet.

Originally posted here:

The race to lay claim on the Bering Strait as Arctic ice retreats - The Guardian

For all its vastness, space is notoriously lacking in landfills.

That means a lot of the stuff we humans send out therebe it satellites or rocket partsends up indefinitely adrift in the cosmos after its job is done. No longer useful for missions and too cumbersome to move or destroy, space debris has spent the last six decades accumulating around our planet like a shroud of schmutz. And this halo of junk is more than an extraterrestrial eyesore: Its mere presence endangers active satellites and spacecraft.

As more probes are pushed into space, the congestion in Earths lower orbit is only increasing. But if all goes according to plan, humankind may soon have a way to combat that troubling trend.

In a statement released earlier this month, the European Space Agency announced plans to launch a tentacled robot into space that will remove a piece of abandoned junk from orbit. The mission, called ClearSpace-1, is quite the emotional rollercoaster. After enveloping a 265-pound hunk of debris called Vega Secondary Payload Adapter (VESPA) in a four-armed hug, the robot will boomerang back to Eartha death dive that will burn up both devices in the atmosphere.

Of course, that means theres no encore act for ClearSpace-1. But if the mission is successful, ESA officials say in the statement, it will be the first to pluck actual debris from orbit. Ideally, they say, it would someday pave the way for a machine capable of multiple captures, sequentially ejecting each object into the atmosphere, reports Hannah Devlin at the Guardian.

Designed by Swiss startup ClearSpace, the robot will begin development in earnest next March, with a total mission budget estimated at $133 million, Devlin reports.

And the robot isnt the only trash-collecting space tech being tested. Some groups are trying out snare tactics that include nets and harpoons; others are toying with the idea of destroying debris with lasers or rocket engines, reports Neel V. Patel for MIT Technology Review. No matter the modus operandi, all are eager to grapple with the growing issue of cosmic garbage.

Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be if all the ships ever lost in history were still drifting on top of the water, ESA Director General Jan Wrner says in the statement. That is the current situation in orbit, and it cannot be allowed to continue.

Of the 4,500 satellites currently bopping around Earth, only about 1,500 are active. The rest constitute dangerous clutter. Joining them are about 20,000 other pieces of space junk that are at least four inches wideabout the size of a softball. Those are the ones big enough to be detectable from the ground; many millions more, researchers estimate, float invisibly in the gaps between.

As they orbit the Earth, objects can reach speeds of 17,500 miles per hour, fast enough to damage a wayward satellite or spacecraft. In 2016, a tiny piece of space debris gouged a quarter-inch hole of glass out of one of the windows on the International Space Station (ISS). The culprit, researchers suspect, was probably a paint chip or fragment of metal, no more than a few thousandths of a millimeter across. Had it been much bigger, an entire appendage of the ISS could have been shattered to pieces.

This is the right time for such a mission, ClearSpace CEO Luc Piguet says in the statement. The space debris issue is more pressing than ever before.

That said, grabbing garbage out of space also doesnt address the root of the issue: The unsustainable practices of modern space activity. As such, future efforts need to be about more than just cleaning up whats already up there, Luisa Innocenti, who heads ESAs Clean Space initiative, says in the statement. We need to develop technologies to avoid creating new debris.

Read the rest here:

The European Space Agency Is Sending a Robot to Hug Junk Out of Space - Smithsonian.com

Credit: Greenpeace Southeast Asia

By The Maritime Executive 2019-12-09 16:47:24

Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10, the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: a milestone document proclaiming the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.

Article 1 states: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Coinciding with the day, Greenpeace Southeast Asia has released a report in which 13 foreign distant water fishing vessels have been accused of forced labor and other human rights abuses against migrant fishers from Southeast Asia. Seabound: The Journey to Modern Slavery on the High Seas presents a snapshot of the living and working conditions of migrant fishers - mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines - who end up working onboard foreign owned distant water fleets.

Four main complaints wereidentified: deception involving 11 foreign fishing vessels; withholding of wages involving nineforeign fishing vessels; excessive overtime involving eightforeign fishing vessels; physical and sexual abuse involving sevenforeign fishing vessels.

The report also reveals a system of recruitment that traps many Indonesian migrant fishers in conditions of forced labor. One Indonesian migrant fisher onboard Taiwan owned fishing vessel Chin Chun 12 claimed to have not received any salary for the first six months; while another Indonesian migrant fisher onboard Taiwan fishing vessel Lien Yi Hsing 12 reportedly received only $50 in the first four months.

According to the Taiwan Fisheries Agency, as of June 2019, some 21,994 migrant fishers from Indonesia and 7,730 from the Philippines are reportedly working on Taiwanese distant water fishing vessels. These two countries combined represent the majority of migrant fishers on Taiwans distant water fleets a $2 billion industry and one of the top five distant water fishing fleets on the high seas.

The report is available here.

Taiwanese Power Imbalance

Human Rights at Sea has released a new case study on the working conditions for fishers in the Taiwanese fishing industry. It highlighting the power imbalance between migrant fishers, vessel owner, and the recruitment and manning agencies resulting in inappropriate arbitrary termination of the work contract by employer and the denial of workers rights for sick leave. The case study also highlights the need to align national polices and standards with international convention.

Taiwan is in the process of adopting the ILO C188 Work in Fishing Convention with the associated safety, labor and social welfare standards. Yet, evidence continues to be made available that recruitment and manning agency actions are often sub-standard.

The new report Labour Disputes Reveal a Worrying Power Imbalance and Vulnerability of Migrant Fishermen in Taiwans Fishing Industry highlights ongoing incidents which demonstrate gaps in fair management practices for the protection of fishers. It compares the study material with established ILO 188 standards, as well as standards within Taiwanese domestic law for the protection of workers.

The report is available here.

Geneva Declaration on Human Rights at Sea

Also on World Human Rights Day 2019, from within the shipping industry, a merchant crew of 11 seafarers in eight languages show their solidarity and support in a video message to Human Rights at Sea and its work developing the Geneva Declaration on Human Rights at Sea, the online platform which is formally launched today.

I am a sailor, and I stand up for human rights at sea, was the message.

Blood Phosphate

New Zealand's Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU), representing port workers at Lyttelton port, handed a letter of protest to the captain of a ship carrying Blood Phosphate mined in the Western Sahara. The Federal Crimsonarrived at the port just before midnight on December 8. Shewas chartered by agrochemical company Ravensdown and is carrying 50,000 tons of phosphate. She was also met by a peace flotilla of 15 kayaks, a yacht, and a ferry filled with more than 100 school children. A further 80 human rights activists sang Sahrawi songs of freedom from land, reports Stuff.

Morocco has occupied Western Sahara since 1975. Over 173,000 Sahrawis have been living in refugee camps in Algeria for the past 43 years. In April, Amnesty International reported continued human rights violations in Western Sahara, including arbitrary restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, particularly of people supporting self-determination for Western Sahara. The indigenous Sahrawi people accuse New Zealand fertilizer companies of helping to support their oppression.

Read the rest here:

Human Rights Day: Free and Equal - The Maritime Executive

Fans of a local basketball program are getting a treat this season, thanks to an entrepreneurial student-athlete.

Sarasota High senior Blaise Freeman, who played cornerback for the Sailors football team, is continuing down the sports path despite no longer playing on the field. Freeman is following the mens basketball team and shooting highlight videos of their games, mixing in some off-court footage for color.

It is something he first dabbled with two years ago, mostly as an experiment. Freeman had an account on Vine, a now defunct but much beloved social video platform, which he used to edit videos of different sports clips together in stylish ways. Last December, a skiing and snowboarding trip with friends to Maggie Valley, N.C, changed Freemans mindset.

Blaise Freeman films the Sarasota High boys basketball game against Sarasota Military Academy.

My friends asked me to film a couple clips for them, Freeman said. Before then, I had mostly done the editing side, but putting those clips together, I realized the whole process was something I loved doing and something I wanted to do more. I transitioned from editing into doing everything, and I have been doing it ever since.

For Freeman, making highlights are a way to stay connected to the world of sports despite no longer participating on the field. Sports will always be his passion, he said, and he feels this is a path that can lead to big things in the future.

Freemans brand, Blaze Video, has already begun to gain momentum, even though he has only released two episodes of the Sarasota basketball series to YouTube as of Dec. 11. Each has received a few hundred views. On Instagram, a clip of Sailors junior Terrell Pack throwing down a massive dunkhas reached nearly 2,000 views. Freeman said he was happy to see the clip blow up like it did, though he also hopes this is only the beginning of his viral status.

Freemans equipment is hardly high-end. He picked up a used Sony NEX-6 mirrorless camera off Ebay for around $200. He found a 50 millimeter lens for $100. He bought the cheapest microphone he could find. Thats it, though he also wants a handheld gimbal rig for his smartphone to cut down on shaky cam effects.

Whats the secret to success in the video world? According to Freeman, its just practice. The more you try different angles and different effects, he said, the more you get a feel for what works. Freeman said he spends time looking at other peoples highlights, like action sports videographers Spencer Whiting and Chris Rogers, for inspiration and a hint at the latest editing trends.

I am not nearly as versed on this world as Freeman is, but I say can with confidence that his videos are well done, especially for someone who is relatively new to the game. I love seeing athletes pursue other avenues, especially creative ones, and Freeman seems like he has found not only something he is good at, but something that fulfills a purpose.

Be on the lookout because I'm going to do as much work as I can, Freeman said. I'm going to keep putting myself out there, and who knows? Maybe I'll pick up a big job someday.

See original here:

Prose and Kohn: Sailing the digital seas - YourObserver.com

Birr solicitor and arbitrator Richard Kennedy has written the story of his leisurely sailing voyage around the coastline of Ireland.

Round Ireland by Slow Boat was described by Fergal Keane on RT Radio 1s Seascapes programme as an entertaining and engaging read.

The book charts the adventures and misadventures of Richard and his wife Rita as they undertake a five-month circumnavigation of Ireland.

Their yacht Seachrn set sail from Rossaveal harbour in Connemara and took in the stark shorelines of Mayo and Donegal, and the gentle coastlines of the eastern seaboard, onwards to the sweeping vistas of the south.

The five-month odyssey was undertaken over two recent summers.

Round Ireland by Slow Boat is available in bookshops, including Charlie Byrne's Bookshop (Galway), The Bookshop (Westport, Co Mayo), Village Bookshop (Terenure, Dublin), and the Midlands Bookshop (Tullamore, Co Offaly).

The book can also be downloaded on Kindle, or ordered online through http://roundirelandbyslowboat.net/

Link:

Inland solicitor takes to the high seas - Law Society of Ireland Gazette

Stena Line Senior Master Matthew Lynch has described his appointment as Captain of the companys newest ferryStena Estridas the highlight of his sailing career to date.

MASTERS OF THE HIGH SEAS: (l-r) Senior Master Matthew Lynch is pictured on board Stena Lines newest ferry Stena Estrid with crew members Cora Bonham, John Thomas, Mark Connell, Ian Grimes, David Morris, Jason Rafferty, Marc Young and Stephen Davies. Captain Matt and his crew are currently steering Stena Estrid on its 10,000 mile journey from the AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China, where it was built, to the Irish Sea where it will start service on the Holyhead to Dublin route in January.

Captain Matt (40), an experienced seaman of 24 years, is currently steeringStena Estridon its 10,000 mile journey from the AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China, where it was built, to the Irish Sea where it will start service on the Holyhead to Dublin route in January.

The Senior Master role carries a lot of responsibility in terms of leading the team and ensuring Stena Line standards are met, but Matt is looking forward to taking over the reins on boardStena Estrid.

Basically, Im the man in command, explains Matt, with responsibility for implementing Stena Lines policies and ensuring that service standards are put in place and maintained, whilst providing the crew with all the support and assistance they need while away from home.

The best bit though is that I get to drive the ship! he said enthusiastically.

So what does Captain Matt make of the new vessel so far?

All I can say is Wow! continued Matt. Anyone who knows me knows that my expectations are always very high andStena Estridhas far exceeded them! Ive worked on passenger vessels for 24 years seven on cruise ships and 17 on ferries and this ship really is revolution not evolution.

On first boarding the ship, I was struck by the quality of the build and finish. Everywhere you go on board, spaces are bright and airy with large picture windows and the skylight bringing in lots of natural light. Even the car decks are bright from the LED lighting.

Shes very smooth and quiet at sea, so much so that I was standing on the bridge before we departed China and I had to double-check the engineering team had actually started the engines!

At present, as we make our way to the Irish Sea with a much-reduced crew of 27 and no passengers, Im pleased to say thatEstridis a very capable and comfortable ship at sea, performing well in all the conditions she has faced so far.

A couple of weeks into our journey, Im still amazed at how little engine power the ship uses to propel itself, which shows an excellent hull design and importantly ensures that less fuel is burned, resulting in fewer emissions.

Im really looking forward is driving the ship into Holyhead for the first time and welcoming the rest of my crew on board to see their reaction toEstrid! I am confident they will be just as impressed as I am with the ship. Equally, I cannot wait to see how the ship is received by our guests. I believe they are going to be blown away by it! he added.

Part of a multi-million-pound investment in the Irish Sea region,Stena Estridwill be amongst the most advanced vessels in operation andlarger than todays standard RoPax vessels.

At 215 metres in length,Estridwill carry up to 120 cars and 1,000passengers, with a freight capacity of 3,100 lane meters, representing a massive 50 per cent increase in freight tonnage on the Holyhead to Dublin route.

She is the first of five next generation Stena Line RoPax vessels to be completed at the AVIC Weihai Shipyard with a further two sister ships also scheduled to join her on the Irish Sea both operating on the Liverpool to Belfast route.

Stena Eddais expected to arrive next spring with a third vesselStena Emblato be introduced on the in early 2021 increasing freight capacity between Liverpool and Belfast by 20 per cent.

The rest is here:

Captain Matt is Master of the High Seas - HGV Ireland.com

Wherever we humans go, we leave behind a mess. That goes for space, too.

Today, our species is responsible for more than 500,000 pieces of junk hurtling around Earth at phenomenal speeds, and if we don't start actively removing the largest pieces, the risk of collisions will only grow worse.

"Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be if all the ships ever lost in history were still drifting on top of the water,"saysJan Wrner, European Space Agency (ESA) director general.

"That is the current situation in orbit, and it cannot be allowed to continue."

It's almost as if we need a tow truck to remove all the thousands of failed satellites from our orbit; incidentally, that's exactly what the ESA is working on.

By 2025, the agency plans on launching the world's first orbiting junk collector, a four-armed robot that tracks down space waste like Pac-Manin a maze.

The first-of-its-kind mission, known as ClearSpace-1, will start out small, collecting only a single piece of space junk to prove the concept works. The target in this case is called Vespa, a leftover remnant from ESA's Vega rocket launch in 2013.

This piece of junk weighs roughly the same as a small satellite and has a simple shape that should make it easy to grab with four robotic arms. Once it's safely in the arms of the garbage collector, it will then be dragged out of orbit and allowed to burn up in the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, this will also destroy the collector, but in the future, the agency hopes to create a way for the robot to safely eject the rubbish and continue capturing and de-orbiting other pieces.

The ultimate goal is to create a spacecraft that can propel and direct itself in low orbit with a "high level of autonomy", according to the Swiss startup, ClearSpace, which is in charge of designing the machine.

"The space debris issue is more pressing than ever before. Today we have nearly 2,000 live satellites in space and more than 3,000 failed ones," says ClearSpace CEO Luc Piguet.

"And in the coming years the number of satellites will increase by an order of magnitude, with multiple mega-constellations made up of hundreds or even thousands of satellites planned for low Earth orbit."

Creating a network of garbage collectors for these satellites comes with its challenges. Powering a spacecraft, after all, costs a lot of money, and while scientists have been exploring cheaper options for years - like using the garbage it collects as fuel- nothing has so far come to fruition.

The ClearSpace mission is set to cost 117 million euro (US$129 million), but another company based in Tokyo called Astroscale may beat it to the punch. Itplanson launching its first demonstrations within the year, but whether or not it can prove cost-efficient is another matter. Watch this space.

Read the original:

The First Mission to Remove Space Junk From Orbit Has Just Been Commissioned - ScienceAlert

Next month, the BBC plans to air a docudrama, titled The Children, about some of the roughly 700 young Holocaust survivors who came to Britain in the aftermath of World War II. Rosie Whitehouse writes that the complete story is rather different from the redemptive, feel-good tale being advertised:

After the war the British government offered a home to 1,000 Jewish orphans. But only 731 visas were issued: many of the youngsters point-blank refused to accept the offer from the country they had come to see as an enemy. The orphans wanted to travel to Palestine, but the British, in control of the Mandate territory, were blocking their route with Royal Navy patrols.

This did not deter the Jewish teenagers. They rejected the British visas to join thousands of others attempting to enter Palestine on illegal immigrant ships. A hundred youngsters tried to break through the British blockade on the Josiah Wedgwood, a former Canadian corvette. The survivors joined battle against the Royal Navy sailors who had boarded their illegal immigrant boat on the high seas off the Haifa coast, pelting them with potatoes and tinned food.

Meanwhile the Jewish Brigade, a British military unit recruited from Jews living in the Land of Israel, offered a different choice to a group of young survivors in Italy:

Just like the Boys, [as they were known], who came to Britain, the teenage survivors in Italy were taken to hostels to recuperate. Their new home was the stunning Villa Bencist in Fiesole, above Florence. . . . The Jewish soldiers helped [them] rebuild their lives, filling their charges with a love of Palestine and a deep Zionist commitment, but also giving them a wider education.

None of this is likely to appear in The Children. The Villa Bencist cannot be considered a British triumph. It was, however, a humanitarian one.

Read more at Standpoint

More about: Holocaust survivors, Mandate Palestine, United Kingdom, Zionism

Read the original post:

Applauding Britain for Taking in Young Holocaust Survivors, the BBC Covers Up the Country's Disdain for Their Wishes - Mosaic

Indonesia used 9.8 billion plastic bags every year. Almost 95% of it would end up as waste which throws and end up in the ocean into pollution. Pollution drastically affects the sea environment, killing thousands of marine life like marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds. Many rare sea plants have become extinct due to discarding plastic wastes in the seas. Pollution does not only affect marine life and their environment, but it also affects mankind. Contaminated water supplies and food chain cause damages and health problems. Responding to this issue, a group of President University Communication Studies students batch 2017 conducted an event entitled Sea Kepper in Citepus Beach, Palabuhan Ratu. The event gave environmental education to the youth who are still in high school and encourage the youth to take part in the action of saving the earth.

Sea Keeper conducted in three days. In the first two days, Communication Studies Students in collaboration with Greeneration Foundation did Socialization Day to schools near Pelabuhan Ratu (11/22-23). They visited several schools, among others SMPN 1 Palabuhanratu, SMPN 3 Palabuhanratu, and SMKN 1 Palabuhanratu. In Socialization Day, Sea Kepper spread awareness in keeping the ocean clean where normally in high school students current ages, they are passive in maintaining the environment in the future.

Saeful Hamdi, Communication and Branding Manager of Greeneration Foundation as one of the speakers in Sea Kepper event said, Not only human health that is disturbed due to waste problems, but sea animals also experience it. Many of these marine animals think that microplastic is their food (plankton), but unfortunately, its only plastic. This situation should make us start to act.

As the main event, Sea Kepper conducted Beach Clean-Up Movement (11/24). The event was attended by representatives of the Environmental Agency Sukabumi District Dedem Sunegar, Head of the Garbage Transport Section of the Environmental Agency Sukabumi District Endang Suherman, representative of the Military Command Palabuhan Ratu Pelda Dodi Salawudi, Ch, and the Police of Palabuhan Ratu, Akp Oki Eka Kartikayana, S.Pd. in Beach Clean-Up Movement, students with all societies around Pelabuhan Ratu cleaned up the trash around the beach and collected it. To immediately handed over to the Department Environment. All of the trashes was directly put into the garbage grinder, so residents and students understood that the trashes was immediately processed properly.

This movement invites all societies, not only Pelabuhan Ratu residents, to be more aware of the dangers of plastic waste. This movement is also accompanied by the distribution of stainless straw aimed at the community better-using items that can be reused (reusable) because no matter how small our efforts to not use plastic is very meaningful to our world.

Read the rest here:

Sea Keeper : Save Life, Save the Ocean - QS WOW News

JaleshCruises

Been there, done that? Well, there is one more option that is fast gaining in popularity seeking adventure via a cruise ship. A cruise ship not only ferries passengers on pleasure voyages but also provides them with a host of amenities and stops at different locations that will bring in a whole new level of experience. Of the many cruises that will leave you satisfied and eager for more, are the Jalesh Cruises.

Oceans View in Karnika (Courtesy: jaleshcruises.com)

JaleshCruises are a brand ofJaleshCruises Mauritius Ltd, and it is Indias first multi-destination cruise line that has the best of entertainment shows, adventure activities and exotic authentic cuisines packed with international hospitality on the high sea. The cruise is designed and customised especially for the Indian audience and for the foreigners visiting India to experience the flavour of Indian culture, food and hospitality.

Enjoy a sumptuous meal onboard Karnika (Courtesy: jaleshcruises.com)

DESTINATIONS:

With the promise of discovering thrills onboard as well as offshore,JaleshCruises offers both India and International travel. Of the places in India that you can cruise to, Mumbai, Mormugao in Goa, Daman and Diu, and Ganpatipule on the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, feature on their list.

In Mumbai, travellers can spend a day visiting the happening places in the city, including the Elephanta Caves, the spice market, the Banganga and Kotachiwadi Heritage, and the Marvels of Mumbai. On the tour, they can view the sunset overlooking the Queens necklace, eat a scrumptious cuisine, visit the local market town, meet the Dabbawallas and end it by walking the paths of Dhobi Ghat.

Where Goa is concerned, the cruise will head to the seaport of Mormugao where travellers can enjoy the sun, sand and beach and the crystal-clear blue seas. While there, they can soak in the sun, visit the captivating Dudhsagar Waterfalls, and gain spiritual insight with a view of old architecture and a walk around old Goa. Other places that are of interest, are the spice plantation, which is spread across 130 acres in a pristine village in Ponda, and the Basilicas. The tour is followed with lunch at the beach.

A trip to Diu, which is a small island that was earlier occupied by the Portuguese, will have travellers frolicking on the vast beaches. The tour will also include a visit to the famous Diu Fort which overlooks the Arabian Sea, the shell museum, religious places, parks and gardens.

At Ganpatipule, travellers can explore the Konkan coastline, brimming with white sandy beaches, rustic villages and an aura of spirituality. While there, travellers get to view the confluence of a beach and a river alongside a hill shaped like Ganpati, a Hindu God. Untouched by commercialism, Ganpatipule is an idyllic destination to experience a slice of Konkan life, and it also offers water sports between the months of November and May. Ganpatipule is said to house one of the only two white sand beaches in Maharashtra.

INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS:

JaleshCruises international destinations include United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Bahrain. In the UAE, the destinations listed are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, while in Oman the destinations listed are Muscat and Khasab.

In Dubai, which is the most populated city in the UAE located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf, travellers will get to see many architectural wonders like the Burj Al Arab, Burj Khalifa, and Dubai Aquarium. The tour will also include an adventurous desert safari, traditional cuisines at Atlantis Hotel, a stay at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, and a chance to discover the amazing culture and art of Sharjah. Travellers will also get the chance to indulge in lavish shopping.

Proudly modern and cosmopolitan, Abu Dhabi is the UAEs forward-thinking cultural heart that is filled with art, culture and mind-blowing architectural marvels. The tour includes a visit to the Ferrari World, a lip-smacking lunch at Emirate Palace, and high tea at the magnificent Etihad Towers. Travellers can enjoy Camel Safari at the worlds largest uninterrupted sand mass, the Rub Al Khali, also called as the Empty Quarter, and also visit Sheikh Island, Al Ain (largest Oasis in the city), as well as go on a desert safari.

In Muscat, travellers can experience the richness of Omani hospitality, which include spending time on the beach and diving with turtles in nearby lagoons, and the chance to be entertained by dolphins. A tour of the north side of Oman will include a visit to the wonderful village of Nakhl. Apart from that, travellers can enjoy a desert safari, and a visit to Nizwa Fort while riding through the ancient souk (market) of Mystical Muscat.

Khasab, which is often dubbed the Norway of Arabia, is a city in an exclave of Oman. Travellers can indulge in a Fjord Dhow Cruise, which involves a traditional Omani dhow boat cruising towards Musandams fjord. The boat ride will give one the chance to view the marine wildlife like dolphins, cuttlefish, black-tip reef sharks and many others, as well as breath-taking views of majestic mountains and turquoise waters. There are also water sports like scuba diving and snorkelling, and a visit to the historic Portuguese Fort and rustic Bukha Fort. Other activities include a safari to Jebel Harim and an exciting speed boat transfer to an exclusive beach accessible only by the sea.

Last but not least, Bahrain, which is an island country in the Persian Gulf surrounded by two kinds of water, sweet water springs and salty seawater. Travellers can start off their journey with a visit to the impressive Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al-Fateh Fort, and follow it with an exploration of the Al Fateh Grand Mosque. Other places of interest are the local marketplaces that offer exquisite spices, exotic and local pearls, and an array of hand-made carpets, the Bahrain International Circuit, the National Museum, and the camel farm.

ACCOMMODATION:

From waking up with a view of the sea to a specially designed room,JaleshCruises offers passengers a range of rooms. Travellers have the option of choosing Ocean View, Interior, Balcony or Minisuite according to their requirements. The bedding configurations include twin, double, triple and quad share.

The Ocean View cabin sleeps up to four people and comes with a window or porthole, two lower beds that convert into a queen-size bed, TV, private shower, wardrobe, safety deposit box, 24-hour room service, fridge, vanity unit and chair, air conditioning, telephone, daily cabin service, complimentary toiletries, and a hairdryer.

Where the Interior room is concerned, it sleeps four people and has all the amenities of the Ocean View cabin except the window or porthole. The amenities are again repeated for Balcony rooms with the only exception being that they can accommodate only two people and have a private balcony. The Minisuite again has all the amenities of the previous three, but sleeps three people, has a proper bath, a balcony, and a sitting area.

ONBOARD EXPERIENCE:

JaleshCruise provides extravaganza plays, breath-taking magic shows, live music concerts, dance shows, shopping, movies, and discos that will keep passengers entertained throughout the cruise.

Entertainment onboard Karnika (Courtesy: jaleshcruises.com)

There is also a spa, a salon, and a fitness centre, and for those fond of eating, they will have the option of choosing from different restaurants and bars that range from casual to connoisseur. The options for dining are listed as Main Dining Room, and Deck and Pool Food Court.

For those travelling with children and teenagers, the ship offers up-to-date content, specifically designed for kids. For those slightly older, they have a dedicated curriculum that keeps them engaged with games, educational pieces and exploration designed to bring out their creative sides.

Even the grown-ups will get the chance to have fun, as there are Casinos onboard where they can play popular games like Blackjack,

Poker, Casino War, slot machines and other table games.

The cruise ship also provides travellers with the option to hold birthday parties, corporate events, and plan for a romantic getaway.

TRIPS:

The Indian trips offered are Mumbai-Mumbai, Mumbai-Diu-Mumbai, Mumbai-High Seas-Mumbai, Mumbai-Goa (Mormugao)-Mumbai, Mumbai-Ganpatipule (Jaigad)-Mumbai, Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai, and Mumbai-Goa (Mormugao)-High Seas-Mumbai, and the international trip is listed as Dubai-Muscat-High Seas-High Seas-Mumbai. The Indian trips all originate from the port in Mumbai, while the departure port for the international trip has been listed as Dubai.

Duration for the trips are listed as, Mumbai-Mumbai 2 Days/1 Night, Mumbai-Diu-Mumbai 3 Days/2 Nights, Mumbai-High Seas-Mumbai 3 Days/2 Nights, Mumbai-Goa (Mormugao)-Mumbai 3 Days/2 Nights, Mumbai-Ganpatipule (Jaigad)-Mumbai 3 Days/2 Nights, Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai 3 Days/2 Nights, Mumbai-Goa(Mormugao)-High Seas-Mumbai 4 Days/3 Nights, and Dubai-Muscat-High Seas-High Seas-Mumbai 5 Days/4 Nights.

Mumbai to Goa Cruise

Cruises in India

Originally posted here:

Jalesh: India's First Multinational Cruise Line With Best of Everything - India.com

Brunswick High takes on Bradwell Institute tonight as the Pirates have senior night for the final home game of the year.

Any loss is tough, but last week was a heart breaker for the Pirates after they lost 24-21 to their arch-rivals Glynn Academy.

However, the regular season can end on a good note with a big win over Bradwell tonight.

Senior quarterback Anthony Mountain had one of his best performances last week, and with it being his final home game as a Pirate, look for him to put on a show as well.

This season, hes 110-of-209 for 1,531 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Mountain can use his legs to make plays as well if he needs to.

His favorite target, Chequerdo Foy leads the way for the Pirates with 35 catches for 529 yards and four touchdowns. He is also a senior for the Pirates that had an impressive game last week.

Xavier Bean is another one of Mountains favorite to throw to. He has 29 catches for 340 yards and three touchdowns.

While the Pirates can make some noise through the air, their rush attack is as dominate.

Brunswicks dynamic duo, Chuckobe Hill and Ree Simmons are two sophomores that have made defenses pay all season. Hill has 136 carries for 881 yards and eight touchdowns. He has four games with over 100 yards and averages 6.5 yards a touch. Hill needs 119 yards to have 1,000 yards on the season, and that could happen against Bradwell.

Simmons has 85 carries for 507 yards and eight touchdowns as well. He averages six yards a carry and 56.3 yards a game.

These two are also big receiving threat for the Pirates as well. Hill has 17 catches for 213 yards and two scores while Simmons has eight catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns as well.

However, if it wasnt for a stacked and rather sizeable offensive line, the Pirates offense might not be what it is now.

Bradwells offense is quite balanced. The Tigers average 186.6 through the air and 161.4 yards on the ground.

Like Brunswick, the Tigers also have a senior quarterback with Dariuse Cooper. He is 83-of-124 for 1,153 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Cooper is also the leading rusher on the team with 60 carries for 505 yards and six touchdowns. He has three games with over 100 yards and averages 8.4 yards a carry.

The Pirates need to be ready for him as he is the Tigers biggest playmaker on the offense.

Corrie Walker is also a force on the ground for Bradwell. He has 28 carries for 194 yards and two scores.

Walker averages 6.9 yards a carry and is Coopers favorite target to throw to as he has 21 catches for 391 yards and three touchdowns.

Brunswicks defense has to continue its success from last week. Despite falling to Glynn, the Pirates defense played well and got a lot of penetration on the Terrors. Now they need to do that against the Tigers.

The game is for third place in Region 2-6A. Kickoff is tonight at Glynn County Stadium at 7:30 p.m. as the seniors will get honored before the game.

Link:

THE HIGH SEAS: Brunswick looks bounce back and send seniors off on high note - Brunswick News

When I heard there was a cruise line thats sailing, in essence, a fleet of mobile ultra-luxury hotels, I wanted to know more.

The company, Seabourn Cruise Line, is a small, elite division of Carnival Corporation, and the waySeabourndoes things is intended to delineate itself in nearly every way from the larger and more populist cruise options out there:

Small ships: Seabourns crafts carry 458 to 600 passengers, where the industry norm is several thousand, with some of todays most massive cruise ships carrying as many as 5,000.

An unusually high (nearly 1:1) ratio of crew to passengers.

Ultra-fine dining options, including an actual Thomas Keller restaurant (The Grill), staffed by crew members who have been trained in the ways of Chef Kellers organization, which of course includes his flagship French Laundry on the West Coast and Per Se on the East.

Strikingly well-outfitted (and, of course, spacious) staterooms. Evenstandard staterooms on a Seabourn ship measure 300 square feet, and available accommodations extend to more than 1,000 square feet for some of the premium suites. Beyond size, each room is graced by custom woodwork and other high-end fittings throughout.

Champagne service in a Seabourn Encore stateroom

Understated (but clearly costly) elegance in the construction, outfitting, and maintenance of the vessel: The high-end finishes to be found throughout the ship are reminiscent of the most intimate and luxe land-bound hotels, such as the one-of-a-kind Ritz-Carlton hotel in Kyoto and the stunning EDITION hotel in Barcelona (which was particularly close to mind for me, as it was from there that we set out for our ocean-bound Seabourn adventure).

Unique architectural touches intended to spark new traditions for the cruise lines guests (guest is howSeabourn religiously refers to its passengers): notable here is the central, circular stairwell that most passengers take to and from their staterooms, allowing them to incidentally encounter each other en route; its a sociable bunch who travel with Seabourn, by and large. (Thank you, central staircase, as well, for helping me beat my daily step-count target, even on days that didnt include a shore excursion.)

The centrally located circular staircase, here pictured on the Seabourn Encore

Another architectural element included on each one of the fleets ships thats designed to create a new tradition is Seabourn Square, a commons area for reading newspapers, provided, library-like, on hanging rollers, and the books in the ships library; engaging with the concierges and other passengers; and indulging in small bites and irresistiblegelato, which the culinary crew learned how to make authentically through training from a top proprietor in Rome that, after some cajoling, agreed to share its creamy secrets.

All of which is quite striking in intent and execution. Yet to be considered an ultra-luxury hotel (whether at sea or onshore) means to engage in and uphold essential customer service principles, at least in my estimation and methodology, which Ive developed in the course of my practice as acustomer service consultant, both outside of and within the hospitality industry itself. [Clarification: Even though I use the term 5-star colloquially in this articles title, the Forbes 5-Star standard for hotels, arguably the most meticulously reviewed and enforced grading system in the hospitality industry, has its own proprietary standards, which are not specifically considered below.]

Lets see how, from my subjective viewpoint, Seabourn measures up to the standards of the worlds best purveyors of hospitality and customer service.

The $300 million Seabourn Odyssey, arriving in Sydney Harbour

The power of recognition

The first element that a great customer service experience requires is recognition.Every guest needs to feel that they are seen, welcomed, and, if theyre returning, welcomed back.

Recognition, as restaurateur and master of hospitality Danny Meyer puts it in an interview I included in my book,The Heart of Hospitality,is the number one reason guests cite for wanting to return.

Here, Seabourn excelled, starting even before passengers had boarded the ship. Each of the employees checking in passengers at the Barcelona port terminal was adept at making returning passengers (of which there were many) feel like old friends coming back to grace the ship with their presence. And for us, completely new to Seabourn, the recognition was palpable as well. The crew was clearly aware that this was our first time with them, and they seemed dedicated to making sure we didnt feel like outsiders who had failed to uncover the secret handshake shared by Seabourn veterans.

Once aboard, the power of recognition continued to warm us, including Seabourn employees impeccableuncanny, reallyuse of our names. But recognition went beyond this. It included the crews awareness of us as people, individual people and members of a family, in a way that went well beyond the generic.

Anticipatory Customer Service

Beyond recognition, an exceptional customer experience can only be delivered by an organization that knows how to apply a special spice I callanticipatory customer service.Anticipatory customer service is the element that elevates a merely okay customer experiencewhat I refer to assatisfactorycustomer serviceto a level that builds true customer engagement and, ultimately, customer loyalty. This is the level of customer experience which, if achieved, makes customers excited to come back and willing to spend more money with you on line extensions and upgrades, as well as making them price-insensitive (within reason) and eager to do all they can to act as ambassadors for your brand, spreading the word and singing your praises online and off.

The best definition I can offer for anticipatory customer service comes from the methodology and ethos of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. It meansto serve even the unexpressed needs and wishes of your customers or guests.

Your guests may have failed to express such needs and wishes because...

Your customer doesnt want to be a bother.

Your customer doesnt know enough about the situation to know what they should be asking for.

Your customer isnt aware of the range of what you can offer as a service organization, and therefore has no inkling that such a request might be reasonable.

Your customer simply doesnt have the problem-solving, solution-creating ability that you, the service professionals, can bring to bear on the situation.

You simply beat your customer to it: you took care of what they were hoping for before they even had time to express it in words.

Anticipatory customer service is clearly smack-dab right within the Seabourn wheelhouse (Oh yeah! I got the chance to use the term wheelhouse in an actual nautical context.) Here are just two examples, selected from many.

In passing I had mentioned to a Seabourn employee, when we booked our passage, that our son is an aspiring pianist. Once aboard, we found that the crew had arranged to have one of the ships pianos available for his daily practice, and that the nearby employees were, without us needing to ask, proactive about turning down the music coming out of nearby speakers so he could hear himself play.

Noting our family itinerary, which included one day where I had opted out of the shore excursion and would be remaining aboard, and having pegged me as an incurable worker bee, the crew offered me a day pass to the retreat, a hidden-away poolside adults only area with cabanas and its own service staff, where I could type away in piece. (The adults-only restriction was unneeded, at least on this autumnal cruise; my fifteen-year-old was the youngest guest aboard by a margin of about 18 years. Apparently, other parents are better about observing truancy rules than we are.)

A Conduit for Relationships

One of the realities of providing hospitality (or customer service, the term used in most other industries) is that the most important relationships your guests have arenotgoing to be with you, but rather with their friends and loved-ones. So, a great provider needs to strive to be aconduit for relationships. In the Seabourn context, this was often achieved via their attention to the onboard groupings of passengers at their food venues. Seating areas were designed to allow for flexible configurations that could accommodate, when needed, everyone from a solo traveler or a couple to the many multi-generational groups on board. Although waitstaff were, of course, supremely attentive, they also took care to not interrupt intimate and animated conversations as they were cresting. And they seemed well aware of everyones relationship to each other, a l, Mr. Solomon, your wife and son are in the outdoor seating area; let me take you to their table.

The Prominence of the Human Touch

As a customer service consultant and customer experience designer, its my belief that the human touch is the new luxury, at least in many contexts and for many customers. After a recent period in time when it seemed like tablets were taking over the world, something different has in fact evolved, at least among very luxe service providers: a realization that technology is best kept below eye level or otherwise out of view of the customer.

And this was how it was on Seabourn: plenty of places to plug in your own devices, of course, but no need to use a tablet to order amenities such as room service. (Nor did we have to attempt to manage one of those horrific scrolling-via-remote scenarios on the in-room TV, one of the worst technical developments of our era.)

Nor were employees of Seabourn visibly burdened by electronics themselves. The only time that the crew had to break eye contact with a guest was on occasions when they had to refer to a clipboard sign-up sheet for a shore excursion or when they used a handheld ID card scanner when we were embarking and disembarking the boat.

(For an in-depth look at human vs. technologically deployed customer service, you may enjoy myarticleon how to use my Jetsons Test to make such decisions.)

Read the original post:

This Cruise Line Sails 5-Star Luxury Hotels On The High Seas. I Had To Find Out More. - Forbes

Frances PSA Group, the owner of carmaker Peugeot, and its US-Italian rival Fiat Chrysler are in talks for a potential merger. If the talks lead to an eventual deal, it would create a $50-billion behemoth of a car-maker. Reports also suggest that the combined entity would become the fourth largest car-maker in the world, with just Volkswagen, Toyota, and Renault-Nissan ahead of it.

Investors appear to see merit in the two companies merger drive, as it would bring several brandssuch as Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Jeep, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhallunder one umbrella. Paris-listed Peugeots shares rallied more than 6% to an 11-year high, while those of Fiat Chrysler jumped about 10% in Milan.

The global automobile industry has been in a churn for a while. The world over, car-makers are seeing a deceleration in sales. This coincides with an increasing shift towards electric vehicles, stricter emission norms, and the development of disruptive technologies such as driverless vehicles pioneered by the likes of Tesla. It requires huge resources to keep pace with such rapid changes in the regulatory and technological environment. Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot would hope to leverage each others knowhow and financial heft to better compete against groups that are seen to have vroomed ahead. Yet, the deal could find itself up against a political barrier. The Chinese government has a considerable stake in PSA, and despite the occasional claims to the contrary, there has been no let up in the tariff war between China and the US.

Read the original post:

Opinion | Another auto merger across the high seas - Livemint

Time is running out for dozens of movies and TV shows available now for streaming on Netflix, and November will bring the removal of many titles from the platform.

The first eight seasons of New York police drama Blue Bloods, starring Tom Selleck as police commissioner Frank Raegan, is set to make its exit from Netflix in November. The series' ninth season wrapped in the spring and never made its way to Netflix. The removal of the show signals the potential decline of CBS programs that will be available on the network as CBS plans to expand their CBS All Access streaming portal.

Blue Bloods isn't the only series getting the boot. All four seasons of The CW's action-thriller Nakita will be leaving Netflix in November along with Continuum, Life Unexpected, The Red Road, Last Tango in Halifax and Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby.

A number of movies will make their departure from the streaming platform, too, from family-friend films like A Dog's Life and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa to horror films likes Scream and The Sixth Sense.

Of course, for every title to leave Netflix, several more will be released on the network. Hundreds of movies and TV series, including plenty of original features, are set to make their debut on Netflix in the new month. Fan-favorite series like The Crown and High Seas are set to return to Netflix, while a few highly anticipated original films like The King and The Irishmen will finally make premiere.

In the meantime, subscribers still have a little bit of time left to binge-watch a few of the titles on Netflix's last call list. See everything leaving Netflix in November below.

November 1

42

300

A Dog's Life

As Good as It Gets

Caddyshack

Caddyshack 2

Chasing Liberty

Gran Torino

Groundhog Day

Little Women

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade

Road House

Romeo Is Bleeding

Scary Movie 2

Scream

Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden

Sex and the City: The Movie

Stardust

Stitches

Taking Lives

The American

The Bank Job

The Bishop's Wife

The House Bunny

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Sixth Sense

November 2

Last Tango in Halifax, Season 1 through 3

November 3

Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, Season 1

November 5

Blue Bloods, Season 1 through 8

November 15

Continuum, Season 1 through 4

November 16

Mamma Mia!

November 22

Nikita, Seasons 1 through 4

November 23

The Red Road, Seasons 1 and 2

November 25

Boyhood

November 29

Coco

November 30

Life Unexpected, Season 1 and 2

Continue reading here:

What's Leaving Netflix in November 2019? All the Movies and Shows on Last Call List - Newsweek

A group of cadets got the chance to explore the newest and largest UK aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, over the weekend.

Cadets and staff from 161 (1st Highland) Squadron, 379 (County of Ross) Squadron and 2405 (Dingwall) Squadron of Highland Wing, Royal Air Force Air Cadets had the unique opportunity to board the ship while she was berthed at Cromarty Firth in Invergordon.

HMS Prince of Wales will be commissioned at the end of 2019, and will be handed over to the Royal Navy and fully ready for frontline duties from 2023.

The ship is currently planned to carry up to 40 F-35B Lightning II stealth multi-role fighters piloted by both Navy and Royal Air Force pilots, along with Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare.

A total of 29 staff and cadets were given a tour of HMS Prince of Wales by Lieutenant Commander Graeme Flint and Lieutenant Martin Wardle, who took them through the numerous decks including the main control room, hangar deck, flight deck and control tower.

Squadron Leader Andy Dobson said: The cadets and staff thoroughly enjoyed the visit gaining such coveted access to the Navys newest ship. It is always possible that one of our young cadets today could be flying off this aircraft carrier in the years to come.

See original here:

Highland cadets witness life on the high seas on UK's newest aircraft carrier - Press and Journal

Earth's average temperature has increased by about 2 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution, which is causing a whole slew of problems from intensifying wildfires to melting ice sheets toocean levels rising.Scientists have urged that humanity must limit further warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is the goal set in the Paris Agreement, or risk catastrophe. While cities drowning due to sea levels rise is sometimes discussed as a worst-case scenario, new research says such doomsday scenarios are all but certain.

A new study published in Nature Communications this week states that an estimated 150 million people are living on land that will be below the high tide line by 2050. That estimate was previously believed to be around 38 million people.

A handful of major cities around the world could be plagued by annual flooding events as soon as 2050, too.

150 million people represents 2% of Earth's current population, meaning one in fifty humans on Earth live on land that may be submerged within 31 years. Such a migration event would constitute the greatest refugee crises in the history of the planet, dwarfing the refugee crisis resultant of the second world war.

The new estimates were made by scientists at Climate Central, a science organization based in New Jersey. The study states that 70 percent of the total number of people around the world living on vulnerable land are in just eight Asian countries: China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan. Specifically, six Asian nations China, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand are predicted to be the most vulnerable. The peer-reviewed study states that 237 million people in these countries occupy areas that are highly likely to experience coastal flooding once or multiple times per year by 2050.

This estimate quadruples previous ones used with older elevation data. Traditional elevation measurements use satellites and often struggle to account the difference between the true ground level and the tops of buildings, trees and other elevated structures. Researchers at Climate Central used artificial intelligence to make more accurate predictions.

Even more concerning, the predictions dont include future population growth or land lost to coastal erosion. In Vietnam, previous estimates showed some scattered parts of southern Vietnam being submerged by a high tide. The latest predictions by Climate Central predict that the entire half of the country will be submerged. Much of Ho Chi Minh City, which is a major economic hub and home to nearly 9 million people, is part of what is expected to submerge.

In Thailand, Bangkok is especially threatened, according to the study. The Pearl River Delta, in China, Bangladesh and Jakarta, Indonesia, are too. Jakarta has been dubbed the fastest sinking city in the world, by the BBC, which has reported how the Indonesian capital of Jakarta is sinking by an average of one to 15 centimeters a year.

Much of Mumbai, India, is at risk of being wiped out as well. Previously, estimates suggested that 5 million people in India would face challenges by sea levels rising, but the new ones suggest it would be around 36 million people.

The study notes that some of the coastal cities will likely see larger proportions of their populations being displaced. Even with lower carbon emissions and stable Antarctic ice sheets, these cities are still expected to be impacted.

We find that the global impacts of sea-level rise and coastal flooding this century will likely be far greater than indicated by the most pessimistic past analyses relying on [shuttle radar topography], the study states. These results point to great need for the development and public release of improved terrain elevation datasets for coastal areas, for example via the high-resolution imagery and lidar point clouds increasingly collected by satellite today.

As Salon has previously reported, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by 95 percent over the past three decades.

As scientists at various agencies including NASA have warned, even if humanity stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, global warming would still happen for decades and even centuries.

Thats because it takes a while for the planet (for example, the oceans) to respond, and because carbon dioxide the predominant heat-trapping gas lingers in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, NASA states.

Responding to climate change, according to NASA, requires a two-tier approach: mitigation and adaptation. Now that the sea level rise is inevitable, adaptation is the only possible reaction to our soon-to-be-submerged cities.

Read more:

These are the cities that will drown first as the seas rise - Salon

In 2016, Edgardo Ochoa came to Panama to bust some ghosts. The government had just received a report that a monstrous abandoned fishing netknown as a ghost netwas entangled in a coral reef in Coiba National Park, a prison-island-turned-marine-preserve popular with nesting sea turtles. When Ochoa arrived, he saw that the ghost was over 150 feet long, its nylon lattice stuck to jutting mounds of coral like a too-tight hairnet, snagging animals as it was dragged to and fro in the waves. The water was shallow, so from his boat, Ochoa was immediately able to spot the bodies of trapped fish and snailssome alive, some dead.

It took Ochoa and a team of at least seven other divers two days to remove the net, by cutting it into smaller sections that could be hauled up to the surface with minimal damage to the reef. Every six hours, as the tide changed, the net collected more passing critters and debris. At one point, Ochoa found the body of a female sea turtle the size of a laptop. Im pretty sure she died because she couldnt reach the surface and breathe, he says.

Ghost nets haunt oceans across the world at every possible depth. They linger at the surface, dangling from buoys and enmeshed in coral reefs, and they collapse to the seafloor, knotted in wrecks and snagged in the ribs of decomposing whales. As with anything abandoned or lost, no one knows how just many there are. But there is a seemingly infinite supply of these wraiths, which trap anything that swims by like flypaper, dooming them to starvation, suffocation, or predation. They just sit there and fish, and kill and kill and kill and kill, sea urchin diver Mike Neill told NBC News.

In his work as a marine safety officer for Conservation International, Ochoa encounters a lot of ghost nets, which fall under the larger umbrella of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). According to a 2016 report from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, ALDFG comprises close to 10 percent of the worlds total marine debris. Ghost nets are thought to make up at least 46 percent of the total mass of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, that eternally swirling vortex of litter somewhere between California and Hawaii, according to a 2018 study in Nature.

Ghost nets arent quite like any other kind of plastic pollution in the oceans. Theyre larger, more spread out, and much harder to remove than smaller, more discrete items, such as trash bags and water bottles. And unlike those plastics, ghost nets are rarely discarded on purpose. Most of the time gear costs a lot of money, so theyre not abandoned intentionally, says Laurent Lebreton, an oceanographer studying ghost nets for nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup, and author the Nature study. They might have been damaged and snagged by a nearby vessel, or lost in a storm, which can make it dangerous to attempt to retrieve them at the time. They also might be intentionally abandoned by illegal fishing operations, if they happen to spot the authorities in the distance.

And ghost nets, by their very nature, are a threat to just about every kind of marine life. They pose a particular threat to air-breathers and larger animals such as whales and dolphins, who can be hopelessly tangled and, like Ochoas sea turtle, die of drowning. But the nets are indiscriminate, just as easily sweeping up less-charismatic species and the cornerstones of fisheries. Some ghost nets designed to catch certain kinds of fish will just go on doing it, a phenomenon is called ghost fishing, Ochoa says. This attracts scavengers, who get caught themselves. The nets also clog up waterways, making it harder for vessels of any kind to pass through.

Humans have fished using free-floating nets for centuries, but in the past they were made of biodegradable materials, such as bamboo, that break down quickly at sea, Lebreton says. But ghost nets today are almost exclusively made of plastic and nylon, and can take up to 600 years to degrade (into microplastics). They cross entire oceans, often with unintentional stowaways, from crabs to microbes that might endanger ecosystems in ways no scientist currently understands, Lebreton adds.

Its clear that ghost nets need to be removed from the ocean, but theres no obvious way to do it. After encountering countless ghost nets at Conservation International, Ochoa has developed a ghost-net-removal course in collaboration with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), an international organization that teaches and certifies scuba divers. There are more than six million active recreational divers worldwide, Ochoa says. No one has time or resources for a massive cleanup, so I was thinking, can we do a little bit at a time?

Though it is like a coastal cleanup in which people walk the beaches picking up litter, Ochoas ghost netbusting program is much more time-consuming, and even potentially dangerous. Ochoa recommends divers clean up nets in a group of at least six people. If divers hear of ghost nets, or come across any, they should tag the site with marker buoys. Once they return to the site, its a matter of descending, cutting out sections of the nets, and attaching them to lift bags (without getting snagged oneself). Its basically a supermarket bag with some straps. You attach it to the intended lift weight and then you inflate the bag underwater, Ochoa says. Ideally youd have four divers in the water and two on the boat to receive the lift bags.

Beyond lift bags, coastal ghost-net removal only requires equipment one could find in a dive shop and a hardware store. Actually doing it, on the other hand, is not simple. It requires diving skill, a great deal of precision, and an understanding of how the nets entangle the landscape. If its on a rocky reef, no problem, Ochoa says. But if its on a coral reef, you have to be careful to not damage the coral. And then theres the issue of removing trapped animals that are still alive. You have to be very careful with the animals, he says. Fish, seashells, and starfish are easy to remove. But anything bigger like a shark or manta or sea lion can be dangerous to the diver.

Since Ochoas course debuted in 2018, approximately 25 divers in 20 different countries, including the United States, Dubai, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Mexico, have completed it. But Ochoas course only reaches so deepto 60 feet below the surface, with lift bags rated to lift no more than 50 pounds at a time. This only covers a tiny percentage of ghost nets, the ones that snag close to shore in places that see regular divers. As nets get larger, deeper, and farther offshore, the difficulty of removing them multiplies.

A FAD, or a fish aggregating device, does exactly what it sounds like it does, Lebreton says. In his work studying the garbage patch, Lebreton says, he found FADs to be the largest kind of ghost net. FADs often consist of floating buoys with attached synthetic nets, which can be up to a mile long, and hanging hundreds of feet into the water column. Some kinds of fish are attracted to any floating objects and the idea is that over time, FADs develop their own entire ecosystems, attracting species attractive to fishers. Some ghost net FADs are meant to drift, while others are moored and come loose. They can be large and may get Frankensteined together into an entangled behemoth that is impossible to disarticulate.

There are no regulations regarding how many FADs are put into the water each year, or how they should be collected, according to the Marine Debris Tracker, run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program and the Southeast Atlantic Marine Debris Initiative. It doesnt help that theyre deployed most frequently in the jurisdiction-free chaos of the high seas. The only thing holding FAD-users accountable are GPS trackers that some carry, which fishers rely on to revisit their FADs. The trackers are quite high-tech, and will let them know when theres a school of fish around the net, Lebreton says. But sometimes these nets may just travel too far and its not worth it for the fishermen to come pick it up.

In 2018, a 40-ton FAD washed ashore at Kamilo Point on the big island of Hawaii. It was massive, much bigger than the middling two-tonners that had been washing up on Oahu. Kamilo beach is so inaccessible that there was no way to bring a train or truck to remove the net, Lebreton says. I think the local government decided to burn it, releasing a whole bunch of melted plastic on the volcanic rock.

FADs can only really be collected on boats with enormous cranes. Even more challenging is even finding themtheir GPS trackers mean nothing if governments and nonprofits cant access the data. At The Ocean Cleanup, Lebreton is working to develop artificial, U-shaped coastlines that could help concentrate floating waste, from water bottles, to small ghost nets, to titanic FADs, in one place using natural oceanic currents. Were trying to reproduce what a coastline does, but in a system that drifts, he says. And once the system has concentrated plastic, we can go with a vessel and pick up the whole lot. Lebreton hopes the system, which is still being tested, will remove 50 percent of the mass of the garbage patch in the next five years.

As they work to clean up the oceans ghosts, Ochoa, Lebreton, and other advocates hope to see stronger conservation laws enacted and enforced. Lebreton wants more stringent regulations on the type and number of FADs that can be used, particularly on the high seas. And Ochoa wants laws incentivizing fishers to report their missing gear, a process that today often results in fines, and means that nets that might be able to be retrieved shortly after they are lost will continue to drift for years. The image of ghost nets is spectacular, a huge net hanging in the ocean, he says. But I dont want people to think that they are normal.

You can join the conversation about this and other Spirits Week stories in the Atlas Obscura Community Forums.

Read more:

Ghost Nets Haunt the World's Oceans, Hunting Beyond the Grave - Atlas Obscura