World Travel

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26-05-2012 08:47 Video/Movie Clip recorded at the Cafe Central in Madrid, the Capital and largest city in Spain in May 2012. The clips starts with me taking a 11PM stroll around the lively streets and squares of central Madrid before walking to the Cafe Central for a Piano concert by Lluis Coloma {Spain} and Bob Seeley {USA}. On reaching the Cafe Central, I enter to see and hear Lluis "Machine Gun Fingers" Coloma in full flow playing one of his own pieces of music : "Going to Malaysia". For the 2nd piece, Bob Seeley joins Lluis in a slower ragtime/stride type of number called "Black and Blue". All in all, a great bit of 'Light and Shade' during the wonderful evenings concert?! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Travel Champion Website : ** Photos and perspectives from visits to over 100 Countries **

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World Travel

Spitz: Milford travel agency finds room to soar

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In a world where a few taps on your smartphone can book a flight to Florida or a hotel in France, travel agent Elaine Osgood is used to hearing predictions of her industrys imminent demise.

But this is a woman with a large white globe next to her desk and a pair of red boxing gloves hanging from her office doorknob.

Her Milford-based travel management firm has not only weathered the rise of the Internet, its gross revenues grew $60 million in the past two years.

She has owned the agency for the past 26 years, first as a Uniglobe franchise and since 1997 as Atlas Travel International.

This is hardly the first time that Osgood has beaten the odds, boosted the bottom line and brought in acknowledgements such as being ranked No. 18 on this years national list of flourishing businesses owned by women.

The Women Presidents Organization, a nonprofit organization with 97 chapters internationally, and American Express Open, the small business division of American Express, also named her business to their Top 50 lists in 2010 and 2011.

When she was a franchise owner, we grew to be the largest Uniglobe in the United States.

What shes most proud of, however, is her companys stellar reputation. I safeguard that, she said.

Another source of pride is not having a single layoff in her 26 years as an employer.

Not even after 9/11, when the world of leisure travel came to a grinding halt.

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Spitz: Milford travel agency finds room to soar

Saunders Hotel Group receives 'Community Benefit Award' from international travel summit

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The Saunders Hotel Group, a third-generation family business, has just been recognized for its worldwide leadership in sustainable tourism by the World Travel and Tourism Council. The hotel group was awarded the Community Benefit Award at this years Tourism for Tomorrow Awards during the opening ceremony of the WTTC Global Summit in Tokyo, Japan.

Gary Saunders, chairman of the Saunders Hotel Group, is from Brookline.

The awards are one of the highest, most prestigious prizes in the travel & tourism industry, and recognize companies and organizations around the world which demonstrate outstanding sustainable tourism achievements.

The Saunders Hotel Group provides scholarships based on financial need to students attending the hotel and restaurant management school at Newbury College. Leaders of the group also serve or have served on a number of boards and committees, including the Back Bay Association, Friends of Copley Square, Boston Green Tourism, and the Governors Council for Travel and Tourism.

For more information, contact Tedd Saunders at TSaunders@EcoLogical-Solutions.net.

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Saunders Hotel Group receives 'Community Benefit Award' from international travel summit

Di'Anno Wants Former Iron Maiden Bandmate To Undergo Stem Cell Therapy Recap

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Burr, the drummer with Maiden from 1979 until 1982, has been in a wheelchair as a result of multiple sclerosis, which has been attacking his nervous system since before he was diagnosed in 2002.

MS reduces the ability of the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other, resulting in a wide range of potentially severe symptoms. The cause is unknown and there is no cure; but in 2009 researchers made the first breakthrough in reversing symptoms through stem cell therapy.

Di'Anno tells Talking Metal Pirate Radio Burr's condition is "not very good at all." - He had a lot to say, read it here.

Classic Rock Magazine is an official news provider for antiMusic.com. Copyright Classic Rock Magazine- Excerpted here with permission.

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Di'Anno Wants Former Iron Maiden Bandmate To Undergo Stem Cell Therapy Recap

Dragon supplies delivered to space station

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 26 (UPI) -- Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have boarded the unmanned Dragon spacecraft and began unloading supplies, NASA TV showed.

Hours after the Dragon docked with the space station, the astronauts opened the capsule's hatch and began taking delivery of 1,014 pounds of food, water and clothing, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Private space company SpaceX's Dragon capsule became the first commercial cargo vessel to visit the Space Station

"Like the smell of a brand new car," NASA astronaut Don Pettit said after going into the capsule.

Live coverage of the hatch opening began just after 3 a.m. Saturday on NASA TV and on the Web site of SpaceX, officially named Space Exploration Technologies Corp., a company based in Hawthorne, Calif.

The delivery of the supplies was to show the space capsule could link up with the $100 billion space station's on-board computer, the Times said.

The Dragon Friday became the first privately built and operated space capsule to dock with the space station.

The Times said SpaceX has received nearly $400 million in seed money from NASA. The company has a $1.6 billion contract with the agency to haul cargo in a dozen flights to the space station.

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Dragon supplies delivered to space station

Astronauts check out commercial craft docked at space station

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International Space Station flight engineer Donald Pettit inspects the seal around the hatch of the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft after the opening of the module. (NASA TV, via Reuters)

CAPE CANAVERAL, fla. Space station astronauts floated into the Dragon on Saturday, a day after its heralded arrival as the world's first commercial supply ship.

NASA astronaut Donald Pettit, the first one inside the docked capsule, said the Dragon looks like it carries about as much cargo as his pickup back home in Houston. It has the smell of a brand new car, he added.

"I spent quite a bit of time poking around in here this morning, just looking at the engineering and the layout, and I'm very pleased," Pettit said from the brilliant white compartment.

To protect against possible debris, Pettit wore goggles, a mask and a caver's light as he slid open the hatch of the newest addition to the international space station. The complex sailed 250 miles above the Tasman Sea, just west of New Zealand, as he and his crewmates made their grand entrance. The atmosphere was clean; no dirt or other particles were floating around.

The Dragon contains 1,000 pounds of food, clothes, batteries and other provisions. It will bring back 1,400 pounds' worth of gear.

"This event isn't just a simple door opening between two spacecraft it opens the door to a future in which U.S. industry can and will deliver huge benefits for U.S. space exploration," the Space Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group, said in a statement.

The California-based SpaceX formally Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is the first private company to send a vessel to the space station.

It's run by Elon Musk, a billionaire who helped create PayPal and founded the electric car company Tesla Motors.

Now that the space shuttles are retired, NASA is handing over orbital delivery work to American business to focus on bigger and better objectives, such as getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars.

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Astronauts check out commercial craft docked at space station

Space Station Crew: Dragon Capsule has 'New Car Smell'

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"Like the smell of a brand-new car" were the words of International Space Station astronaut Don Pettit on Saturday after he carefully opened the hatch and entered the Dragon capsule for his first glimpse inside.

Dragon connected with the station Friday, making history as the first private capsule to reach the orbiting spacecraft.

Pettit opened the hatch at 5:53 a.m. ET with Russian cosmonaut and station commander Oleg Kononenko by his side. The two men, wearing T-shirts, khaki shorts, goggles and masks gave the thumbs up to the camera after they floated inside.

Pettit later told reporters in a briefing from space that the interior is roomier than the Russian Soyuz capsule that carried him to the space station. He said "it looks like it carries about as much cargo as I could put in my pickup truck."

Dragon delivered more than 1,000 pounds of cargo, including food, clothing, computer equipment and supplies for science experiments.

After the crew unloads that cargo, they will reload the capsule with experiments and cargo for its return trip to Earth. Dragon is scheduled to splash into the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles west of California on May 31, according to NASA.

Pettit said the crew has packed most of what its plan to send back to Earth, which includes everything from trash to scientific research and experimental samples.

Dragon launched Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. NASA collaborated with SpaceX on every part of the mission and gave final authorization for the flight.

Dragon reached the station Friday and was "captured" by the station's robotic arm just before 10 a.m. ET. Over the next two hours, the crew maneuvered the arm to bring the capsule in to berth and attach it to the station.

The mission, hailed by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden as a step toward a new future of private innovation in the space industry, comes as government funding of the space program decreases.

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Space Station Crew: Dragon Capsule has 'New Car Smell'

Red Sox Vs. Rays Live Blog: Inning-By-Inning Updates For Game 3

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Boston and Tampa Bay will wrap up their series with a Sunday afternoon rubber game, with Clay Buchholz and Jeremy Hellickson taking the mound.

The Sox have stacked their lineup as much as possible, with Adrian Gonzalez in right field, Will Middlebrooks at third, and Kevin Youkilis at first. The real spotlight, however, will be on Clay Buchholz, who has had serious difficulty recording outs through the first two months of the season.

We'll keep you up-to-date on all the action as it goes down in Fenway.

Rays 4, Red Sox 3, Final -- 0-0, 10-10, 11-11, 21-21, 22-22, 23-23. They just can't get it done.

Rays 4, Red Sox 3, Mid 9th -- And just like that, the lead is gone. Alfredo Aceves comes out wild, walks Ben Zobrist, falls behind Sean Rodriguez 3-1, and gives up the homer that has the Red Sox looking at a very frustrating loss.

Red Sox 3, Rays 2, End 8th -- The Sox waste a valuable chance to add on to their lead in the eight. After Scott Podsednik singled to get the inning started, Mike Aviles bunted him into scoring position to give the heart of the lineup a chance to bring him in. Dustin Pedroia could only move him to third, however, and David Ortiz was intentionally walked to bring Kevin Youkilis to the plate to draw one of the less-intentional variety. In stepped Adrian Gonzalez, who had played the hero just one inning ago, but this time he couldn't come through. A reasonably well-hit ground ball headed past the mound, but the Rays defense was well-positioned to make the out an easy one.

It's all in Alfredo Aceves' hands now.

Red Sox 3, Rays 2, Mid 8th -- Bobby Valentine plays the splits, sending Franklin Morales in for Carlos Pena and Vicente Padilla in for B.J. Upton and Matt Joyce, resulting in two strikeouts and a ground ball. All that's left now is for Alfredo Aceves to do his job.

Red Sox 3, Rays 2, End 7th -- Adrian Gonzalez could not have chosen a better moment to find his power stroke again. David Ortiz led the inning off by drawing a walk, and Kevin Youkilis jumped on an outside 1-2 fastball to shoot a ground ball up the middle and give Gonzalez a chance with two on and nobody out. Rather than simply continuing the rally, Gonzalez chose to put an exclamation mark on it, taking a Fenway swing on an outside pitch and slicing a high fly ball just to the right of the foul pole and into the Monster seats.

Rays 2, Red Sox 0, Mid 7th -- The Rays pick up what could be a big insurance run as Clay Buchholz gives up a wall ball double, and has Will Rhymes flare a single to left for a two-out RBI before striking out Chris Gimenez to end the inning.

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Red Sox Vs. Rays Live Blog: Inning-By-Inning Updates For Game 3

NASA Scientist Figures Way to Weigh Space Rock

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A scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has accurately determined the mass of a nearby asteroid from millions of miles away. The celestial equivalent of "guess your weight" was achieved by Steve Chesley of JPL's Near-Earth Object Program Office by utilizing data from three NASA assets - the Goldstone Solar System Radar in the California desert, the orbiting Spitzer Space telescope, and the NASA-sponsored Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.

Chesley presented his findings this past Saturday, May 19, at the Asteroids, Comets and Meteors 2012 meeting in Niigata, Japan.

For Chesley to define the asteroid's mass, he first needed to understand its orbit and everything that could affect that orbit - including neighboring celestial bodies and any propulsive force (however minute) the asteroid could generate.

Incorporating extraordinarily precise observations collected by astronomer Michael Nolan at Arecibo Observatory in September 2011, Arecibo and Goldstone radar observations made in 1999 and 2005, and the gravitational effects of the sun, moon, planets and other asteroids, Chesley was able to calculate how far the asteroid deviated from its anticipated orbit.

He found that 1999 RQ36 had deviated from the mathematical model by about 100 miles (160 kilometers)in the past 12 years. The only logical explanation for this orbital change was that the space rock itself was generating a minute propulsive force known in space rock circles as the Yarkovsky effect.

The Yarkovsky effect is named for the 19th-century Russian engineer who first proposed the idea that a small, rocky space object would, over long periods of time, be noticeably nudged in its orbit by the slight push created when it absorbs sunlight and then re-emits that energy as heat. The effect is hard to measure because it's so infinitesimally small.

"At its peak, when the asteroid is nearest the sun, the Yarkovsky force on 1999 RQ36 is only about a half ounce - around the weight of three grapes," said Chesley.

"When you're talking about the force of three grapes pushing something with a mass of millions of tons, it takes a lot of high-precision measurements over a long time to see any orbital changes. Fortunately, the Arecibo Observatory provided a dozen years of great radar data, and we were able to see it."

The final piece to the puzzle was provided by Josh Emery of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who used NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in 2007 to study the space rock's thermal characteristics.

Emery's measurements of the infrared emissions from 1999 RQ36 allowed him to derive the object's temperatures. From there he was able to determine the degree to which the asteroid is covered by an insulating blanket of fine material, which is a key factor for the Yarkovsky effect.

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NASA Scientist Figures Way to Weigh Space Rock

Space Critters Make Up Your Mind – Video

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26-05-2012 02:04 Public on 31 mrt 2012 original upload; RCHELIBUG Radio Controlled Heli Bug ! What's in a NAME. Found this Critter in his footage what really seem to be a bumblebee. The buzz of the engines, I suppose can confuse them or maybe are these RC Robobugs or so called Space Critters ! Make up your mind! Looks too me a very large sized bumblebee queen. You can check this one out it's taken by the onboard GoPro camera; Here is the link of the original footage of RCHELIBUG; This is my first go with the mx400 but i love it already, probably would have been best to not use the gopro for the maiden flight but i couldn't resist, its ok with the gopro but it descends much better without it.

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Space Critters Make Up Your Mind - Video

Anders Sandberg on Singularity 1 on 1: We Are All Amazingly Stupid, But We Can Get Better – Video

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26-05-2012 03:36 Dr. Anders Sandberg is a well known transhumanist, futurist, computational neuroscientist and currently a research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute in Oxford University. I have been thinking of inviting him on Singularity 1 on 1 for some time and when one of my readers actually asked me to do it I could not be happier to oblige. (Thanks Shahan!) Dr. Sandberg is one of those rare individuals who clearly loves his work and is always very enthusiastic to discuss it. I really enjoyed talking to him and feel that we could have talked a lot more than we did. Thus I will try to bring him back on the show for little more focused discussion on one of his areas of expertise - transhumanism, mind uploading and the ethics thereof. During our first discussion with Anders we cover a wide variety of topics such as: his childhood and early passion for science fiction; his intellectual journey from science fiction to science and -- eventually - to ethics; the goals and benchmarks of his work; human enhancement, body modification and the risks of early adopters; the problem of finding the right priorities; the technological singularity and our chances of surviving it; other existential threats to humanity. My second favorite quote that I will take away from Anders Sandberg is: The Singularity should not stop us from thinking! (The first one, of course, is the title.)

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Anders Sandberg on Singularity 1 on 1: We Are All Amazingly Stupid, But We Can Get Better - Video

You Just Keep On Breaking My Heart ep.1 [A Big Time Rush Love Story] RE-UPLOAD! – Video

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26-05-2012 11:44 You Just Keep On Breaking My Heart ep. 1 [A Big Time Rush Love Story] HI GUYS! I re-uploaded this, 'cause some of you couldn't see it. I finally uploaded this!! And guys, Edith or Aubree will NOT play in this. paumichyy as Paula (Carlos' GF) And deelvan as Bella. (Logan's GF). I know it's early, but I'm use to it, because I have to wake up EARLY for school. lol, Enjoy! Oh, wait! Please, go to KristySchmidt4EVER check her latest video. Please, support her! AND LET HER NOT DELETE HER STORIES AND THAT SHE'LL FOREVER STOP WRITING!! :'( -- [Skyler's outfit: [Christy's outfit: [Bella's outfit: [Paula's outfit: ~ Christy- When will he ask me?! Bella- Give him time. Skyler- Yeah, it's like you totally lost your mind. Paula- Yeah, I don't get why a guy wants to marry you! Christy- *smacks Paula's head* We're dating for the past 3 years. I think he does wants to marry me. Paula- *mimicks* ???- *walks up* BOO! Christy- KENDALL!! *hugs him* Kendall- *hugs her, spins her around* Skyler, Paula and Bella- *smile* Christy- *kisses his cheek* Paula- *takes Skyler and Bella's hand* Hey, Kendall? Kendall- *looks at Paula* Yeah? Paula- What do you think of their RINGS? And mine? Kendall- *gives her a weird look* Uh, they're pretty.. Paula- *throws hands back* Christy- *ellobows Paula* Paula- OWW! Bella- So, where are Carlos, Logan and James? Kendall- On their way. Skyler- 3...2...1. James, Logan & Carlos- BOO! Skyler- *turns ...

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You Just Keep On Breaking My Heart ep.1 [A Big Time Rush Love Story] RE-UPLOAD! - Video

Eric Whitacre, Virtual Choir 3.0

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Eric, youre in England at the moment where youve been appointed composer in residence at Cambridge University at Sidney Sussex College. What are your duties as composer in residence?

Well, its the best job in the world, frankly. Really its completely up to me. I can determine how many lectures Id like to give, how many different services Id like to conduct with the choir or sing with. Mostly theres a room set up for me with a piano and I can just go and write there whenever I need to. Its a beautiful job.

Cambridge is at the heart of the English choral tradition, especially the college choirs like Kings and Trinity. Theyre inheritors of a tradition of Cathedral choir singing that goes back hundreds of years. Has that legacy, that tradition, had an impact on your music since youve been there?

Yeah, and even long before I got there. Since I first fell in love with choral music at 18 and began composing at 21 Ive been listening to recordings of British choirs and just fell in love with that sound, that pure clear pristine sound and I think its been the biggest influence frankly on my sound over the years. But its only since Ive gone to Cambridge and had a chance to sing in liturgical services as a member of the choir that its influenced the texts that Ive chosen. For the very first time Ive started writing music that could be used in a liturgy.

Youve said in the past that youve resisted setting liturgical texts but you write that youve discovered the deep wisdom of the liturgy. Was there some moment that changed your mind about setting liturgical texts?

Its a combination of things. First it was just being there in that sacred space, being in these chapels throughout Cambridge and hearing the music and listening to the words of the liturgy in a way I never had before. I was raised an agnostic. Not an atheist but certainly not a Christian and I guess Ive been a sceptic my entire life. I still am, but the other part of it is Im 42 now and so I think Im maybe letting go of some of that young idealism and listening to the poetry of the liturgy in a new way, hearing the humanism in it and its just been deeply moving to me and has caused this music to come flooding out of me.

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Eric Whitacre, Virtual Choir 3.0

The Mayor's Red Dirt Ball is boosting tourism in Medicine Park

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LAWTON, OK._Medicine Park is celebrating itself this weekend with Red Dirt music, unique vendors and good food for the fourth year in a row.

Each year the Mayor's Red Dirt Ball attracts locals and folks from around the country to the small art community.

For them it is a time to celebrate the town and its growing nation-wide recognition.

The celebration started on Friday, but it has not slowed down.

Medicine Park has a humble population of under 400 people.

They may be small in number, but they are proud residents, as they should be.

A few years back, Medicine Park was named the "9th Coolest Small Town in America.

And the word must be spreading fast because the town was filled today with art, food and music enthusiasts.

Three days, 15 red dirt bands, 20 vendors means one great weekend in our areas hideaway in the mountains.

"Laid back people, a lot of great art, and we try to bring in some great music to go along with it," said Mayor Dwight Cope.

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The Mayor's Red Dirt Ball is boosting tourism in Medicine Park

Pitt cuts medical research incentive

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May 27, 2012 12:06 am

By Steve Twedt/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The life of a medical researcher can be both rewarding and solitary, with the rewards often coming in breakthrough scientific discoveries made after long hours alone in a laboratory.

Beginning July 1, medical research will be slightly less rewarding -- at least financially -- for faculty at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine.

In a memo sent to department chairs, directors and faculty at the school this spring, the dean, Arthur S. Levine, cited economic conditions as the reason the school will reduce an incentive payment based on researchers' outside grants from 10 percent to 8 percent, while also instituting a $50,000 minimum in outside grant money for researchers to qualify for the incentives.

"As you know, we find ourselves in difficult financial times and need to take such actions as these to maintain operational viability," stated the memo, a copy of which was provided to the Post-Gazette.

The amounts that the researchers will lose will vary widely, since it is a percentage of whatever grants they receive, although Dr. Levine downplayed its significance in a phone interview.

"We're talking about tiny amounts. This isn't going to be a threat to anybody," he said.

The real story, he said, is the larger funding picture and specifically the sluggish national economy that is drying up funding for basic research.

At one time, at least 35 percent of grant applications to the National Institutes of Health were funded, said Dr. Levine, who worked at NIH before coming to Pitt. Currently the grant success rate is 17 percent, and he expects it may fall to 12 percent or 13 percent next year. "We're all victims of the same bad economy."

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Pitt cuts medical research incentive